Rachel's Rescuer
Roxann Delaney
A SHERIFF, A SNOWSTORM AND SUSPICIOUS EX-IN-LAWS WERE HOT ON RACHEL'S HEELS….So the single mom desperately needed sanctuary for her six-year-old son–and all her secrets. Luck led her to a remote ranch– but a blizzard stranded her with brooding, black-clad cowboy Lucas Callahan. Rugged and masculine Lucas seemed downright resentful of soft, vulnerable Rachel and hero-worshiping little Cody. Still, something tugged at Lucas, for he offered them protection–and even a marriage of convenience–to keep their pursuers at bay.Out of options and already falling in love, did Rachel dare dream that the grudging, generous rancher who'd given her refuge– and his name–might one day offer her his hard, hungry heart?
Trouble,
Lucas had thought when the mother and child arrived at his ranch.
Now he groaned at the innocence of the word. Trouble didn’t even begin to describe what he was in for.
He could still hear her soft voice echoing through his mind, floating down from the spare room upstairs where she and the little boy were settling in for the night. And his body still hummed from her sweet scent.
It had been a while—a long while—since he’d reacted so swiftly to any woman. But Lucas had ignored that warning—so he hadn’t even noticed the approaching storm about to snow them in together.
Hell, she wasn’t even pretty. Not in the usual ways—the things men looked for in a woman. Her floppy sweatshirt wasn’t hiding anything remotely voluptuous.
Lucas grunted his displeasure. She and the boy didn’t belong here.
A woman was nothin’ but…trouble.
Dear Reader,
You asked for more ROYALLY WED titles and you’ve got them! For the next four months we’ve brought back the Stanbury family—first introduced in a short story by Carla Cassidy on our eHarlequin.com Web site. Be sure to check the archives to find Nicholas’s story! But don’t forget to pick up Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess and discover the involving story of the disappearance of King Michael.
Other treats this month include Marie Ferrarella’s one hundredth title for Silhouette Books! This wonderful, charming and emotional writer shows her trademark warmth and humor in Rough Around the Edges. Luckily for all her devoted readers, Marie has at least another hundred plots bubbling in her imagination, and we’ll be seeing more from her in many of our Silhouette lines.
Then we’ve got Karen Rose Smith’s Tall, Dark & True about a strong, silent sheriff who can’t bear to keep quiet about his feelings any longer. And Donna Clayton’s heroine asks Who Will Father My Baby?—and gets a surprising answer. No Place Like Home by Robin Nicholas is a delightful read that reminds us of an all-time favorite movie—I’ll let you guess which one! And don’t forget first-time author Roxann Delaney’s debut title, Rachel’s Rescuer.
Next month be sure to return for The Blacksheep Prince’s Bride by Martha Shields, the next of the ROYALLY WED series. Also returning are popular authors Judy Christenberry and Elizabeth August.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
Rachel’s Rescuer
Roxann Delaney
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
With bunches of love to the Ditzy Chix, who kept at me
until it happened. Thank you. And to my four lovely
daughters, who make my life the best.
ROXANN DELANEY
lives on a farm in south-central Kansas and is the mother of four daughters. The 1999 Maggie Award winner spent many hours spinning tales while driving a wheat truck to the grain elevator during harvest. Though she and her family are no longer actively farming, their current menagerie of dogs, cats and one lop-eared rabbit named Rudy manages to keep them busy. A theater buff, Roxann once established a community theater in her hometown, and both acted in and directed the productions, as well as serving on the board of directors. But writing is her first love, and she’s thrilled to have followed her yellow brick road to the land of Silhouette Romance.
Dear Reader,
Like many of you, I’m a mom. And like most moms, I know my four daughters well. When I told them I’d sold my first book, their reactions were varied, as I’d expected. But whether it was a simple “That’s nice, Mom,” from the oldest or “I’m going to be a writer, just like you!” from the youngest, they all enjoyed sharing in the champagne-toast celebration. Somehow, I knew they would. That’s the way moms are. They think that’s magic. We know better.
Magic. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of what writers refer to as “The Call.” Those magical words “We’d like to buy your book” can be likened only to hearing the doctor say, “Congratulations! You’re pregnant!” With one sentence, the world becomes a strange but beautiful place. Then, like pregnancy, we wait to actually see our “baby” born, when we hold the book in our hands. The joy is indescribable, even for a writer.
So curl up in your favorite reading spot and hold my “baby.” May it bring you laughter, may it bring a tear, but most of all, may it bring you joy.
Contents
Chapter One (#uf3f56031-95f4-5055-aab0-af801cbe296d)
Chapter Two (#u70ee12e1-3f65-5f32-bbcc-215a0c319d5f)
Chapter Three (#u30f19c31-f5ae-50f1-8825-da9754ff299e)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Squinting into the crimson glare quickly disappearing behind the building clouds of an approaching winter storm, Lucas Callahan watched twin columns of dust race along the usually deserted ranch road.
“What the hell—”
Releasing the small calf he’d just tagged, he stood in silence and watched the first of two cars come to a dirt-spewing halt, missing the fence in front of the sprawling two-story house by inches. A woman climbed from the older model, red sports car, panic written all over her. She stood frozen to the spot when the tan cruiser of the county sheriff stopped, nearly crashing into her car.
Sheriff Ben Tatum climbed out of his vehicle and slammed his hat on his head. He strode forward, badge bouncing on his barrel chest. Coming to a stop directly in front of the woman, he planted his fists on his hips, legs spread wide. “Lady, what the hell do you think you’re doin’?”
Lucas stepped back into the deepening shadow of the barn and waited. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the scene unfolding in the yard, even though the sun continued its slow descent, and the sky had begun to darken. He wanted to hear what the woman had to say, but he didn’t want to be seen. Ben would handle the stranger better than he could. The two men had known each other all their lives, being born a few days apart, thirty-two years earlier.
“I…you…” She tugged at the hem of a too large sweatshirt, her nervous glance sweeping past Ben and lingering on her car. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him and lifted her chin. “I guess I’m lost.”
Ben knuckled back the brim of his hat. “Don’t you know you should pull over when an officer attempts to stop you?”
Her chin went up another notch, and she stiffened. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothin’.” Ben walked around to the back of her car and leaned down.
The woman took a faltering step to follow, but brought herself up short when he straightened, a license plate in his hand. Her mouth opened once, then snapped shut.
He rounded the fender and held out the tag. “This was just flappin’ in the breeze, about to fall off. Drivin’ around without plates will get you in trouble, even here in Montana.”
“You came after me with your lights flashing because my license tag was loose?”
Ben’s stern countenance deepened to a frown. “So you did see me behind you. Next time an officer attempts to stop you, you stop.”
Her head lowered. “Yes, sir.”
Impatient to get back to his chores before dark settled in and the storm put a halt to the work, Lucas stepped out of the shadows. “I’ve got some plate screws.”
The woman jumped, and her hand flew to her throat. “How long have you been there?” she demanded.
Lucas took three strides in her direction and stopped at the corral fence. “Long enough.”
Brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”
Lucas sucked in a breath at the sight of those eyes. “I saw you flyin’ up the road.”
She tugged on her shirt again, her nervous gaze going to the car for the second time. “I was lost.”
“You’ve got a bigger problem than that, little lady.” Ben pointed to the front tire of her car, where a soft hiss could be heard.
“Flat,” Lucas grumbled. He wanted her gone, blue eyes and all. Something was wrong, and he didn’t want to know what it was. He wanted her off the Blue Sage. “We’ll get it changed, and you can be on your way.”
“I—I don’t have a spare.”
Before Lucas could reply with a string of words unfit for a woman’s ears, Ben interrupted. “Where was it you said you were headed?”
Looking up, she tensed again. “I didn’t say.”
It couldn’t have been clearer that something was going on. Lucas glimpsed fear beneath the stubborn stance. He wondered if Ben noticed it. The sheriff might look a little slow to some, but the man didn’t let much get by him.
Lucas didn’t take his eyes off her. He quickly reminded himself that strangers couldn’t be trusted in the middle of nowhere. Even isolated areas like the Blue Sage Ranch were known to have their share of con artists and other misbegotten vermin. Never a trusting soul, especially when it came to women, he wouldn’t put it past her to be part of some sort of scam.
And he didn’t welcome the interruption. The weather was expected to get bad—real bad. The woman needed to be on her way. The sooner the better.
Lucas let his gaze take a slow journey over the stranger, checking out the chestnut brown of her hair and the slender neck holding up an obstinate chin. Skipping over the loose-fitting shirt, his gaze lingered on her slim hips and long legs encased in threadbare blue jeans. A pair of dirty, time-worn tennis shoes finished the trip.
“If you’re lost, I’ll give you directions,” Ben was saying, jerking Lucas’s attention away from the leisurely tour of her body.
“Just tell me where and how far I am from Deer-fork,” the woman replied. “I’ll find my way from there.”
“You’re headed to Deerfork?”
She hesitated. “Sort of.”
“Near Deerfork?”
Nodding, she said nothing.
“I’ll give Willie a call and have him bring the tow truck out,” Ben said, then turned for his patrol car.
“If you tell me where you’re headed, I can give you better directions,” Lucas offered, his patience wearing thin. His suspicion mounted as he watched her twist her fingers in the hem of her shirt. She was scared. And not just of the law.
“I’m headed to see my—my friend,” she finally answered. “She and her husband live near Deerfork. I must have taken a wrong turn.”
The glare she directed at him nearly brought a smile to his lips. She was too easily riled. And too pretty when she was. He shook off the thought. “A name would give me somethin’ to go on.”
Lowering her head, she hid her expression behind a curtain of hair. “Richmond. Jenny Richmond.”
He swore under his breath. “Jen and Pete left a couple of weeks ago for a vacation.”
“Oh, no!” She swayed, wrapping her arms around her middle.
He gripped the fence in front of him to keep from rushing to her. No way was he getting involved. “You okay?”
Her chin lifted again. “I’ll be on my way, as soon as the tow truck gets here.”
While they glared at each other, Ben returned. “There’s been an accident over on I-15 I’ve gotta get to. Willie’s on his way there now.” He turned to the woman. “You’ll have to stay here, until he’s done and can get here.”
“Hold on!” Vaulting the fence and crossing the short distance to where the pair stood, Lucas addressed them both. “She can ride back with you, and Willie can get her car tomorrow. We’ll find her a place to stay in Deerfork.”
The wind kicked up, swirling dirt into the sharply cooling air around them. Gesturing with a nod of his head, Ben led Lucas to the cruiser. “She’ll have to stay here, Lucas, unless you can take her into Deer-fork.”
“Can’t. I’ve got a new bull calf I have to keep an eye on. You’ll have to take her.”
“Nope, can’t do it. I’ve gotta get to that accident.” Ben climbed into his car and rolled down the window, shaking his head. “Bunch o’ wild kids drivin’ too fast. When a storm’s a’comin’, all hell breaks loose. Nothin’ but trouble.”
“I’d say she’s trouble.” Lucas silently counted to five as Ben started the engine. “She’s not stayin’ here, and that’s—”
“Mom?”
He spun around at the sound of the voice, while Ben pulled out of the drive. Too preoccupied with this new development to try to stop the sheriff, Lucas squinted into the blowing dust to see the driver’s door of the woman’s car swing open. Unable to make out who it was, he rounded the back of the car and stopped in his tracks.
“It’s all right,” the woman said, pulling a small boy of about five or six close to her. With her arms wrapped possessively around the youngster, she glared at Lucas.
Eyes full of distrust, the boy looked up at him. “Who’s he?”
If his life depended on it, Lucas couldn’t have uttered a single word. After a moment of dead silence, he cleared his throat and forced himself to speak. “I’m Lucas Callahan. And your name is?”
“Cody.”
Promising himself the satisfaction of blasting Ben the next time he saw him, Lucas looked at the sky, then nodded. “Guess we’d better get to the house.”
“Isn’t there something else we can do? We can’t stay here.” The woman kept the boy close and shivered, but whether from fear or cold, Lucas couldn’t be sure.
“You’ll have to,” he stated, pointing them toward the porch and silently damning his luck. The sky had darkened to near black, and fat snowflakes whirled in the wind with the dust. “In thirty minutes, nobody’ll be able to get to the county road.”
And he was stuck with a woman and a kid for God knew how long.
Rachel Harris didn’t know if her legs would carry her to the house. She could feel the man’s eyes on her, and she knew he didn’t trust her. She couldn’t blame him. In the same situation, she would react the same way. She had to be careful. Suspicious people asked questions. Questions she couldn’t answer. Not if she wanted to keep Cody safe.
Blinking at the lights shining brightly inside the house, she entered the kitchen.
“Coffee?” the cowboy asked and pulled out two chairs from a large table.
Uncertainty gnawed at her, but she nodded and took the seat he offered. Daring a glance at the scowling man who crossed the roomy kitchen with long, bold strides, Rachel’s breath caught. Outside, the light had grown too dim to notice much by the time she’d realized he was there, and she had been too scared after that to pay much attention. But now that she could see him, if only from the back, she wished she had jumped in the car and taken off, flat tire and all.
A good six feet plus tall, Lucas Callahan resembled the devil himself. Beneath his black hat, thick dark hair curled against a deeply tanned neck and touched the collar of his matching black shirt. From the back, he looked formidable. From the front, she guessed he’d be frightening. The expanse of his shoulders was broad enough to lean on and feel safe, but didn’t look in the least bit inviting. Narrow-hipped and long-legged, he reminded her of a piece of onyx. Hard. Cold.
“Thank you,” she whispered, when he set a cup of coffee before her. After breathing in the comforting aroma, she offered a grateful smile. She hadn’t had any coffee since yesterday morning, and she craved it. But she had less than forty dollars, and she hadn’t wanted to spend even a little on a selfish cup of coffee. She’d counted on Jenny being home. Disappointment brought the walls of desperation closing in on her. In her twenty-seven years, she had felt many things. This bordered on the worst.
Lucas set a glass of milk in front of Cody, then turned back to a row of cabinets and rummaged through them. With a soft grunt of what must have been satisfaction, he tossed a half-empty package of cookies onto the table.
“Better not eat all of them. They may have to last a few days.”
Cody looked at Rachel, who answered the question in his eyes with a smile. He took one cookie, eating it slowly and carefully, as if it were something strange and exotic.
Rachel watched him, her love for her son overcoming her fear. He’d been so good, never once complaining about being stuck in the car for days on end. They had even slept in it for the past two nights, so they wouldn’t risk running out of money. But instead of making it to her childhood friend’s the way she had planned, here she was, sitting in the comfy but unfamiliar kitchen of a strange man. After seeing the friendly familiarity between him and the sheriff, her instincts told her she and her son were probably safe. Hadn’t it been the sheriff who had suggested she stay? She wasn’t scared, but she was certainly aware of the man across the room. And she couldn’t explain it.
Wrapping her hands around the hot cup in front of her, she looked up. “Do you know when Jenny and Pete will be back?”
He didn’t look at her. “Last I heard, they might be gone for a month.”
“A month!” Her heart sank to her toes. That meant another two weeks. Her cash wouldn’t last more than a day or two at the most, and she couldn’t risk using her credit cards. They were too easy to trace when someone had the means to do it. And Steven’s parents did. Somehow, she would have to find a place to stay until Jenny returned. But when would she be able to leave?
She dared another look at Lucas Callahan. He wore his hat pulled so low over his face, she couldn’t be sure where his attention was focused, but the distinct burning in her cheeks narrowed her guess. He hadn’t moved since he’d tossed the package of cookies, except to lean back against the counter, plant one big, booted foot over the other, and cross his arms on his chest. The stance only made him look more unapproachable. So why did she feel drawn to him?
Rachel turned her focus back to her coffee and gathered her strength. “We can drive to Great Falls, as soon as the tire is repaired. How long do you think the storm will last? Is there a chance we can leave tonight?”
“Doubt it,” Lucas answered. “Depends on how much snow we get and how hard the wind blows. If it keeps up, it’ll be a few days before you can get out of here.”
Her heart sank deeper, and she couldn’t help but notice the howl of that wind beyond the quiet of the snug room. A shiver went through her, and she told herself it was caused by the eerie sound, not by the fact that she could feel a pair of eyes boring into her. She hadn’t seen those eyes in the light yet, but she felt certain they would be cold, like the owner. Why was he so unfriendly? So…hostile? Most people were wary of strangers, but didn’t he realize she hadn’t chosen to be stranded?
“Before it gets any worse, I’d better get your car moved so it doesn’t get buried. Anything you need from it?”
She thought of the four suitcases and the boxes in the trunk containing everything they hadn’t had to leave behind. If he saw those, he would know for sure this wasn’t a pleasure trip for a short visit to a friend. He might not press for answers, at least not right away, but he would soon. Luckily, she had kept one small bag handy.
“There’s a backpack behind the seat,” she answered. “And Cody’s coat. Some blankets, too. The keys are in the ignition.”
He nodded and shoved away from the counter, his long strides taking him quickly past her to the door. “You won’t need the blankets. There’s plenty of extra bedrooms here. I’ll get a room fixed up for the two of you.”
“Thank you.” She kept her gaze averted. Something about him, when he walked by her, had her nerve endings tingling.
“It may be a while. I’ve got stock to check.” He put on his hat and shrugged into a heavy coat. For a moment, he hesitated. “Would you mind stirring that pot on the stove?”
“Of course not.” She stood and, as he hurried out the door, she lifted the tight-fitting lid, letting the aroma of the contents into the room. Dipping a long wooden spoon into the kettle, she inhaled. The scent warmed her heart. “Mmmm. Chicken soup.”
“Mom?”
She finished stirring and replaced the lid. “What is it, Cody?”
“When are we going to get to Jenny’s?”
“In a few days.” Rachel moved to where he sat at the table, his empty glass sitting amid a small scattering of cookie crumbs. She smoothed his dark hair and rubbed her hand along his neck, hoping to soothe the worry in his eyes. She didn’t want Cody looking over his shoulder the way she’d been forced to for the past six months. If only she had called Jenny to warn her they were coming. But they’d had to leave so quickly this time.
“Are we going to stay here until then?” he asked, his hazel eyes too wise for a six-year-old.
“We’ll find someplace else as soon as it clears up.” Somehow. But if the cowboy’s prediction of the weather proved correct, she didn’t have a choice. She and Cody would have to stay.
Knowing worry wouldn’t gain her anything, she set herself in motion, searching the cabinets for bowls and something to go with the soup.
A short time later, the door behind her swung open, banging into the wall and bringing in both a gust of snow-laden wind and Lucas. She jumped at the sound, but forced her attention to the display of food in front of her, ignoring the rough whisper of denim and the clomp of boots on the tile floor. She had to be dead tired, she told herself, to be unable to keep her curiosity at bay. And that’s all it was. Simple curiosity. But even that frightened her. Still, it didn’t stop her from glancing over her shoulder for another peek.
Whipping off his hat, he stomped his feet to rid his boots of their covering of snow and slapped his hat on his leg. “Doesn’t look too good out there.”
She hurried to fix a plate of crackers she had found, while he hung his coat and hat on a peg behind the door. Without another word, he approached the table and set her red nylon backpack and Cody’s coat on an empty chair.
Shoving aside her disappointment of the forecast, she found three bowls, filled them, and placed everything on the table. “I don’t know what else you planned to have.”
“That’s about it. Hope it’ll be enough for you two.”
“It’s fine.” She added a smile and sat down. “It smells delicious.”
The only available chair was to her right, at the end of the table. It was only natural to look in that direction when he moved to it. But not so natural for her heart to stop for a brief moment when their gazes met. Without his hat, she was able to see him clearly for the first time. Dark, nearly black eyes gazed into hers, leaving her breathless.
After a moment that seemed like an eternity, she ducked her head, and then watched him crumble a huge handful of crackers into his bowl. Cody, she noticed, watched, too, and then did the same to his own soup. Her son needed a male figure in his life. It had been two years since Steven’s death, and Cody didn’t remember much about his dad. Since then, she had been too busy earning a living to give much thought to Cody’s other needs, beyond keeping a roof over his head and food in his stomach. She spent every minute she could with him, though, being both mother and father. She would never let anyone take him from her, no matter how far or how long she had to run.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
At the sound of his voice, a ball of lead formed in her stomach. She couldn’t give him her name, but she couldn’t ignore the request either. Not when he’d opened his home to her and Cody.
“It’s Rachel.”
“Rachel what?” he asked, pinning her with those dark eyes.
“Rachel…Stevens,” she replied, using her husband’s first name for a last. Scolding herself for not thinking ahead, she stood and moved away from the table, her hands shaking. She hated lying, especially in front of Cody. Later she would explain to him why she’d done it. And explain it in a way that wouldn’t frighten him. She needed to stay on her toes if she wanted to keep them both safe.
Trouble, he’d told Ben earlier. Lucas groaned at the innocence of the word. Trouble didn’t even begin to describe what he was in for.
He could still hear her voice, floating down from the spare room upstairs where they were settling in for the night. Her name kept echoing through his mind like a soft whisper. And his body still hummed. It had been a while—a long while—since he’d reacted so swiftly to any woman. In fact, it was a long stretch to remember any time he had even come close.
He had ignored the first warning at the corral when he’d looked down into the eyes of an angel, blue as the wide Montana sky on a summer afternoon. After that moment, he hadn’t noticed the chill of the evening or the cold of the approaching storm.
In the light of the kitchen, he’d gotten a good look and knew she didn’t have the soft, full curves of the women who had once attracted his attention. In spite of the floppy sweatshirt, he could see she wasn’t hiding anything remotely voluptuous. He’d always had a soft spot for well-endowed women. The woman now making herself comfortable in one of the spare rooms didn’t possess that particular asset.
And still he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her.
“Hell,” he muttered, followed by a string of words that would make a sailor blush. He stepped into the ranch office and closed the door behind him. Walking to the window, he stared out into the stormy night, seeing nothing but the image of the woman temporarily sharing his home.
Hell, she isn’t even pretty. Not in the usual way. Not in the way that counted, the things men looked for in a woman. Her mouth was too wide, her nose was too short and her eyes were too…blue. Way too blue.
When the phone rang, interrupting thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking, he reached behind him and across the wide, antique desk to grab it. “Blue Sage,” he growled into the receiver.
“Somethin’ wrong there, Lucas?”
With the approaching storm, Lucas had expected to hear from his stepbrother, who lived in the foreman’s house several miles away. But he’d planned on it being a discussion of the extra chores they’d be doing because of the snow. Not about his uninvited guests.
Letting his frustration at the situation get the better of him, he grunted his displeasure. “You bet somethin’s wrong. I’ve got a woman and a boy stranded here. And there you are, enjoying yourself with your new bride.”
“Did you say a woman?”
“And her boy. About six years old. Don’t get any ideas. They don’t belong here. They’ll be nothin’ but trouble. A woman is nothin’ but…trouble, dammit.”
Harley’s heavy sigh echoed across the snowy miles. “You won’t let it go, will you?” When Lucas didn’t reply, he went on. “Not every woman out there is like Debra. That woman is probably nothin’ like Debra. Shoot, Terri is nothin’ like Deb—”
“Terri is different,” Lucas snapped, turning back to stare at the inky night, propping his foot on the window seat. “I don’t know how some worthless cowboy like you got yourself hooked up to that priceless female.” Regretting his harsh tone, he rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to relax. “When you’ve been married a while longer—”
“Yeah,” Harley chuckled, “she’ll take off at a dead run. Or give me a house full of kids. But it won’t hurt you to show a little compassion this once, Lucas. A couple of days until the storm blows on by and the roads clear. That boy and his mama don’t deserve to be tossed out just because some witch of a woman did you wrong eight years ago.”
Lucas didn’t want to hear any of it. It was over, long over. Reminders of Debra were one thing he’d managed to avoid. The pain she’d inflicted had gone away, and he’d been left with a hollow spot in its place that didn’t need filling.
“If I’d sent them on their way, like I should have—”
“They’d be stranded somewhere between here and Deerfork,” Harley interjected.
“And I suppose you expect me to play white knight and get them out of whatever trouble they’re in.”
“They’re in trouble?”
Lucas wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “She’s not the kind to ask for help. By the look of her, the woman has more stubborn in her than one of Zeke Chamber’s mules. I plan to stay out of it.”
“But if she needs help—”
“They’ll be gone in a few days. No reason to get involved. They can go on to Great Falls as soon as the roads are clear. Hell, I’ll even give her this number, if she runs into trouble. But other than that, I’m staying out of it.”
“I’ll ride over in the mornin’. I’d like to meet this lady.”
Getting Harley in the middle of this was the last thing Lucas wanted, but after fifteen years of friendship, he knew better than to tell him not to. Doing his best to sound unconcerned, he replied. “Suit yourself.”
“What’s she look like? Is she pretty?”
“I didn’t notice,” Lucas lied, quickly turning the subject to ranching chores. He wasn’t going to let his partner know just how much about his guest he had noticed or what the sound of her voice had done to him when she’d told him her name.
They briefly discussed the extra work the storm had caused, but all the while, Lucas listened to the sounds of movement above him. Rachel and her son were settling in, and it looked like it would be a long night for him.
She was trouble, all right.
Chapter Two
A wan light spread into the room as Rachel opened her eyes to greet another day. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why she was there, but for the first time in months, she felt a small measure of peace. Edward and Phyllis Harris would have a hard time finding her here. They would, eventually, somehow, but at least for a few days she could rest and gather her strength.
Dressing quickly in the clothes she’d worn the day before, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. With as little noise as possible, she located a can of coffee and filled the coffeemaker. As she watched the dark liquid drip into the glass carafe, she found herself mesmerized by the color, reminding her of her taciturn host.
She had expected Lucas Callahan’s eyes to be as cold and hard as ice, but instead they held a warmth that had surprised her. And if she dared to be honest with herself, something in those eyes had sent a bolt of heat straight to her center. But she wasn’t into daring honesty, and she shook her head, refusing to believe she’d felt anything of the kind.
With a cup of the hot brew in one hand, she moved silently, checking through the cupboards and refrigerator for breakfast supplies. She owed her host something for his hospitality. She couldn’t pay him, but she could do this for him.
While sausage sizzled in a pan, pancakes cooked on a grill, and thick slices of buttered toast waited on the table, she took a quick look out the window as the sky lightened to a dull gray. To her dismay, snow continued to fall like a white curtain, shutting off the rest of the world.
Isolated. To some, the word might bring fear, but to her, it meant safety. Unless the sheriff had been suspicious and checked her license tag number, she and Cody were safe, for a few days.
The feeling of protection stayed with her as she filled several platters with food and put them on the table. Satisfied that there would be plenty to eat for a man whose job probably entailed a lot of physical labor, she started a pan of scrambled eggs.
It was ironic that she could feel so safe, staying in a house with a man who, at any moment, could endanger her future and her son’s. But for some reason, she trusted Lucas Callahan. She just couldn’t confide in him. She only needed a place to stay until the storm was over, and she didn’t want to cause him any trouble.
Scooping the finished eggs onto a plate, she reminded herself that the longer she and Cody stayed where they were, the less money she would have to spend on a room somewhere else. Or sleep in the car, again.
She nearly dropped the plate on the table when the back door swung open with a gust of wind. Looking up, her gaze caught and held a pair of deep-brown eyes, and her breath caught in her chest. She had to get control of herself and not let merely the sight of this man affect her.
Searching her mind for something to say, Rachel stuttered on her words. “Y-you must have a nose for food.”
Lucas’s gaze slid to the table. “Did you do this?”
Rachel nodded, not sure if he was happy to see the display of food, or angry she had made so much.
“You didn’t need to,” he said without looking at her.
She took a deep, fortifying breath, filling her lungs with much needed air and her nerves with resolve. “I wanted to do something to thank you for letting Cody and me stay the night. I hope it was all right to raid the food supply. It looked like there’s enough to last a while.”
His answer was an unconcerned shrug.
To her surprise, the door opened again. Along with another blast of frigid air, a cowboy, dressed in heavy snow gear, walked in. The moment he saw her, he removed his hat and smiled.
“Mornin’. You must be Miz Stevens.”
“Yes. Rachel Stevens.”
“Harley Peterson,” he said, with a brief nod, and began to unfasten his coat. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Harley’s my stepbrother. He’s here to help with chores,” Lucas said from across the room.
Hope rose in her heart. “Are the roads clear?”
Harley shook his head. “I rode over from my place.”
“Rode?”
“A horse.”
“Oh.” Her hope disappeared, and Rachel placed the eggs and the other food on the table, while tears of frustration burned her eyes. Choking back the disappointment, she set an extra place, while the cowboy peeled off his outerwear.
Unlike Lucas, Harley was big and blond, with a grin that probably made flowers grow. His sparkling blue eyes were enhanced by crinkles at the corners when he smiled, and Rachel bet her soul he smiled a lot. He was nearly as tall as Lucas, and his broad shoulders filled out the two-tone western shirt he wore. The two men were complete opposites, and so was her reaction to them.
Lucas moved across the room and flipped on a radio nestled under one of the cupboards. A Garth Brooks song filled the room. “You heard the weather report?”
“Should say somethin’ soon.” Harley took a chair at the table. “How’s that calf?”
Rachel filled the cups with coffee and sat down, listening to the conversation. She was curious to know about ranching, but wouldn’t ask for fear Lucas might think she was being nosy. It really wasn’t any of her business, but since Jenny and her husband also had a small ranch, Rachel wanted to learn as much as she could before descending on them. She couldn’t stay at Jenny’s indefinitely, but if she could help in any way, she would. Deerfork might not offer much in the way of employment.
“I shouldn’t have to call Doc Wellman about him,” Lucas was saying. “He’s stronger this morning.”
“You’d think as big as he is, he’d be chargin’ around,” Harley commented around a forkful of eggs.
“Once he gets a good hold on life, he’ll be the best bull of the lot.”
Rachel’s mind wandered as she half listened. As a little girl growing up in the foster program, going from one family to the next, she had often dreamed of escaping the busy city for a quiet spot. Jenny had been a neighbor for a short time, and they’d become best friends. When Rachel had moved on to a new family, they had kept in touch. They hadn’t spoken since Steven’s death, and Rachel had never mentioned the trouble with his parents. Jenny wouldn’t mind a visit, but she didn’t know they were on their way.
“Mom?”
Her son’s voice jerked Rachel from her thoughts. “You’re up early,” she told him, his arms now wrapped around her legs. She quickly introduced him to Harley, then bent to ruffle his hair and kiss the top of his head. “Would you like some breakfast?”
Cody turned to look over his shoulder, never letting go of her. A sniff was followed by a hesitant nod of his head.
“There’s some cereal up there in that cabinet,” Harley offered. “Maybe he’d like that better.”
Cody gazed up at her with an expectant look in his eyes. Disengaging herself from his hold, she gave him an encouraging pat and steered him to the empty chair. She poured out a bowl of sugared cereal and added milk, then set it in front of him. “Is that better?”
“Better.” Cody’s grin was visible for a split second before he dove into his breakfast.
“You ought to keep him off those sweets,” Lucas announced.
Stung, Rachel stared at him. She was a good mother, but kids just liked sweet cereal over a conventional breakfast. If they had been at home, she might have insisted that Cody eat something more nutritious, or at least add a glass of juice. But they weren’t at home, and Cody deserved a treat.
“And how many children do you have, Mr. Callahan?” she asked in a wounded voice.
“None,” Lucas snapped back.
She could have sworn she saw a flash of pain in his eyes before he turned his attention to his plate. The man hadn’t said a word to Cody since they had arrived except to ask his name.
“I was thinkin’ of the boy.” He looked pointedly at her and then at Cody.
Embarrassment and traces of anger heated her cheeks. Staying here was a mistake, but not one she could do anything about. As long as no one knew her true identity, she and Cody would be safe. For a while.
Lucas knew she was lying. He watched her leave the table, the uncertainty of her steps adding to his conviction. It hadn’t taken him long to know that she couldn’t be involved in a burglary ring. One look in her eyes the night before had told him that much. Whatever she was hiding from had her running scared. A part of him, buried for so many years, wanted to shield her from whatever her troubles might be. But the other part told him her troubles would be his if he didn’t watch it. With a sixth sense, he knew they wouldn’t be something he would want to get involved with. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be smack in the middle of it before long. He could only hope the weather cleared, and she and the boy could be on their way.
While they finished breakfast, she kept busy. His gaze slid over her slender body as she turned on the faucet and started running a sink full of soapy water. Her jeans stretched tight across her hips and bottom, causing his mouth to go dry. He’d dare anyone to guess she had carried a child with hips that slim. The thought crossed his mind that the boy might not be hers, but after a glance at Cody, he knew better. The youngster might not have those same blue eyes, but the mouth was wide and full like hers.
Reminding himself that women, slim-hipped or full-hipped, were nothing but trouble, he watched her for a reaction to his next question. “You have out-of-state plates. Where are you from?”
She stiffened slightly, and her hand, reaching for the griddle on the stove, stopped midway. “Ohio,” she answered. “Cincinnati, to be exact.” She grabbed the pan and plopped it into the water. “We have snow there, too.”
“Not like this, I’ll bet,” he thought out loud.
She turned, offering him a weak smile. “No, nothing like this. And not nearly so early in the year. I never expected anything like this.”
He could see that much was the truth. “Early for here, too. First measurable snowfall usually isn’t until later in September.”
“Does that mean more work with the animals?” she asked, her back to them once again.
“We’ll have to take some hay bales out to the herd.”
“Is it a large herd?” Rachel asked.
“Large enough to keep us busy,” Lucas answered, his long-sleeping hormones awakening. Every time she scrubbed at the pan she was washing, her hips swayed from side to side. He wanted to tell her to put the damn pan down. He wanted to grab her and turn her around, look into her eyes, and demand she tell him the truth.
Only he didn’t want to know the truth, he reminded himself.
“Jenny and Pete have cattle,” she said, as if to herself.
“Different breed.”
“I thought cows were cows,” she quipped over her shoulder with a grin.
“Do you know anything about cattle?” Lucas questioned her.
“Only that they’re raised and sold for meat and sometimes leather,” she answered. “And they moo,” she added with a laugh.
“And milk, Mom,” Cody reminded her.
She dried her hands and approached the table. “And milk,” she agreed, picking up his empty bowl.
Lucas watched her comb Cody’s hair with her long, tapered fingers and imagined how they’d feel skimming through his own hair. “Hell,” he muttered, shoving away from the table.
“What?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
“Are those the only clothes you have?” he answered with a question of his own. And what do you look like without them? He swallowed the groan that nearly escaped him at the picture in his mind.
She looked down and picked at the hem of her shirt. “They’re still in the car,” she said before looking up at him. “I didn’t want to put you to any more trouble.”
If she knew how much trouble she was causing him, Lucas was sure she’d head for the hills. Hell, he hadn’t had insane thoughts that verged on lewd for years. He’d had enough women since his ex-wife to keep him at least close to satisfied. Women who filled his hands much more than this one would. But still, there was something about her….
He stuffed his hands in his pockets at the thought of touching her. “I’ll get them.”
“No!” she blurted. “I mean, I’ll just go out and get what we’ll need for another day.”
“You can’t be traipsin’ out in those flimsy shoes.” He looked down at her thin canvas shoes and noticed how small her feet were. “You’d end up with frostbite.”
Her chin went up and her eyes flashed with defiance. “A little snow and cold isn’t going to hurt me. Cody has a snowsuit out there, and boots and mittens.”
“Mittens?”
“He’s only six,” she snapped.
“Aren’t six-year-old boys usually in school?”
Cody answered the question. “I’m in school back home. Mom says this is a special vacation.”
“Vacation?” Lucas nailed her with a look, waiting for an answer.
“Let’s get their clothes, Lucas,” Harley said from the door.
Lucas held her fearful gaze with a promise in his own that they weren’t finished. Without a word, he joined Harley, grabbed his coat and hat, and pulled the door open.
“You’re pushin’ too hard,” Harley told him once they were outside.
“Maybe.” Wet snow hit him full in the face and the wind nearly sent his hat flying.
“I thought you didn’t want any part of it?” Harley reminded him.
They braced themselves against the wind, and Lucas saved his answer until they were inside the shed where he had parked her car. He waited while Harley took the keys from the ignition and returned to the back of the car. “That’s what I said. Maybe I was wrong.”
“Wrong?” Harley’s hand stilled on the key in the trunk lock, and a slow grin crept over his face. “You, Lucas? That’d be a first, wouldn’t it?”
“Just get it open,” Lucas growled.
With a flick of his wrist, Harley opened the trunk and stared inside. “All this for a vacation?”
Cardboard boxes sealed with tape were stuffed between a set of expensive luggage. Toys were crammed in every spare inch, along with more shoes than most people would wear in a month.
“Hell,” Lucas muttered.
“She’s runnin’.”
“Yep.”
Harley pulled two suitcases out and handed them to Lucas, then turned back for the other two. “Think we ought to mention it?”
“Nope.” Lucas considered the collection of belongings. “But I think we ought to keep an eye on her. Give me the keys.”
“Now, Lucas—”
He held out his hand. “Give me the keys, Harley. I don’t want her running off before we can find out what’s happening.”
Harley hesitated. “You’re going to help her?”
“I’m going to find out what’s going on and make sure she’s not on the wrong side of trouble. That’s all. I won’t say anything to Ben unless I think it’s important.”
Harley passed him the set of keys. “Then let me ask the questions. You’re about as subtle as a runaway freight train.”
Lucas picked up the two bags. “You always were better with women.”
Harley’s laughter echoed in the old building. “Me? Hell, Lucas, they always flocked to you like flies to an outhouse.”
Lucas ignored the jab and started out into the weather. “I’ll do the asking. I’ll find out what her name really is and have Ben check it out.”
“You don’t think it’s Rachel Stevens?”
“If it is, mine is Satan.”
“Did I say something wrong, Mom?” Cody asked when the two men were gone.
Rachel had some explaining to do about her little white lies. But this wasn’t the time. “No, it’s all right, honey. Why don’t you run upstairs and get your books out of the backpack? You can look at the pictures while I clean up. I’ll read it to you later.”
“Can I try to read it?”
Pride filled her heart. Cody had been able to read since kindergarten, far ahead of the other students in his class. “Sure you can.”
“Yippee!” he shouted as he ran out of the room.
With a sigh, she picked up the empty plates from the table and put them in the sink. The men would be back soon, and she’d have to answer some questions. She had hoped to put it off for a while longer. But just how little could she get away with telling Lucas? She owed him some kind of explanation. And now she was forced to tell the truth. To a point.
The last fork dropped in the drawer with a clatter when the door opened behind her. Bracing herself for more questions, she turned to see the snow-covered cowboys enter, carrying her four suitcases.
“We’ll put them up in the bedroom,” Harley told her as they passed through the room.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas didn’t bother to look her way. She watched him walk out, the muscles in his back and shoulders bunching at the weight of the luggage in his hands. Her knees wobbled beneath her, and her heartbeat quickened. She still stared when he was no longer in sight.
Get a grip, Rache. She had seen men with well-toned bodies before. Well-toned? Okay, she relented. Hunky bodies. But none that kept her eyes glued to them and made her heart pound. There hadn’t been a man yet who could catch her attention and hold it for more than five minutes, especially after she’d found out how most of them were like Steven. And she had a feeling Lucas Callahan was more like Steven than all of them.
With a muttered reminder to keep her lusting thoughts under control, she started for the hallway and the stairs, only to find herself nose to chest with her cold host. Her heart leapt to her throat, and she silently cursed her reaction.
“I—I was just going to check on Cody,” she murmured, looking up. She instantly wished she hadn’t. Eyes like two pieces of burning coal gazed down into hers.
“He’s talkin’ to Harley.”
His voice slid over her like warm honey on a hot biscuit and left her speechless.
“Rachel Stevens, right?”
She could only nod.
One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that resembled a smirk. “That’s what I thought,” he said and moved past her.
She grabbed the banister for support. Lordy, if the man had horns and a forked tail, he’d be the spitting image of Lucifer, fire in his eyes and all.
With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure he had gone, she let the moan slide through her lips. She needed a swift kick in the rear, that’s what she needed.
You need a man, a voice whispered in her mind.
“That’s not likely,” she answered out loud.
“Who are you talking to, Mom?” Cody asked from above her.
Rachel looked up and forced a smile to her lips. Hoping her shaking knees would carry her, she climbed the stairs. “Just myself. I’m a great conversationalist. What are you and Harley doing up there?”
At the top of the stairs, Cody grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway to the room they’d shared the night before. “I was showing him how good I can read. He gave me some books.”
“That’s nice of him,” she replied, shaking the mental image of Lucas from her mind.
“You’ve got a smart boy there,” Harley said, when she stepped into the room. “I thought Cody might like to look at these. I’ve been storin’ stuff here since Lucas and I were teenagers.” He knelt beside a box on the floor, opened it, and pulled out a stout pile of children’s books. “Some of these belong to Lucas, but he won’t mind.”
“He might,” Rachel muttered.
Harley looked up at her, his eyes troubled, before turning back to Cody. “Why don’t we sit in that big chair over there? I bet you can’t read three of them to me in the next thirty minutes.”
“Bet I can,” Cody challenged, scrambling into the chair with an armload of books and making room for the big man.
“Lucas wants to see you down in the living room,” Harley told her, then settled next to her son.
Rachel held her breath, knowing the questions were going to start. It would be difficult, without giving too much away, but she’d have to answer.
Cody dragged his attention from the open book in his hands and looked up. “Where’s the living room?”
“Bottom of the stairs and turn right,” Harley answered.
Obviously enthralled with his bounty, Cody snuggled in deeper and began reading. It brought a smile to Rachel’s lips, but it didn’t last long.
Remembering the directions, she left the room and took the stairs slowly, gathering her courage. At the bottom, she turned right and entered the living room. After a quick glance around, she took a deep breath and faced Lucas. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”
“I have some questions,” he said without looking at her.
She knew her best defense was to play dumb. “About what?”
“There’s a lot of boxes in your trunk. It looks like you and Cody are on more than a vacation.”
“I have some things to take to Jenny,” she fibbed.
His gaze swiveled to hers and held her. “You’re planning to stay there for a while?”
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be there,” she offered. “Jenny and I haven’t seen each other for years.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Not—not recently, but yes, we’ve talked.”
“From Cincinnati?”
She swallowed the fear that rose in her throat. She never should have told him that. She and Cody had lived there for a short while, but only long enough to prove residency and get an Ohio license and her car tagged. Edward and Phyllis weren’t far behind them there, and they’d left as soon as they had enough money. Jenny didn’t have a clue they’d ever been there.
“Yes, from Cincinnati.”
“So if Jenny or Pete should call, and I tell them that her friend from Cincinnati is here, they’ll know who I’m talking about?”
Her pounding heart plummeted to a thud in her stomach. “No,” she whispered.
“I didn’t think so,” he said, his voice low. “Maybe you’d better sit down.”
Other than escaping, nothing sounded quite so good. Knees shaking, Rachel sank onto the nearest chair. Lucas sat on the chair across from her and waited.
“Mr. Callahan,” she began, attempting to still her spinning thoughts, “I’m not doing anything wrong, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Nobody said you were.”
Nodding, she absorbed the sliver of good news. “But you suspect I might be.”
“I’m concerned, is all.”
She choked back her laugh. Concerned? She’d been telling a few white lies, but this was a whopper. “There’s no need for you to be concerned,” she assured him. “We’ll be out of your house as soon as possible. We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for the snowstorm.”
“That’s what worries me.”
She got to her feet. “It’s not your job to worry about us.” Giving it a second thought, she said the only thing she could. “I don’t want you involved in this. The less you know, the better off we’ll all be.”
“And Jen will be safe?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense.”
Searching her mind for something to dissuade him from asking more, she paced the room.
“Come on, Rachel, or whatever your name is.” He frowned, then cocked one black eyebrow at her. “What is your name, anyway?”
“Rachel Stevens.”
“Try again.”
She shook her head. “My name is Rachel.”
Shoving out of the chair, he nodded. He walked across the room to her and stopped in front of her. “I’ll have to take you at your word. But you need to remember one thing. I’m not much for lies. Or secrets.”
When he’d gone, leaving her alone and shaking, she sank back onto the chair. It had been as bad as she’d expected. No, it had been worse. He’d been so close, she had felt the heat radiating from his body, seen his chest rise and fall, with each breath he took. Like the earlier episode on the stairs, she had nearly lost control of herself.
But she hadn’t. She couldn’t. For some reason she couldn’t identify, Lucas Callahan did things to her by simply walking into a room, that no man ever had. It was wrong. She was nothing more than an accidental guest, and her visit would only be for a few days. She wasn’t the type of woman who could have a brief fling, and he wasn’t the type of man who would want anything more. If he even wanted that. He’d given no indication that he did.
She couldn’t blame him for asking questions, but she couldn’t give him any more information. It wasn’t just for her sake and Cody’s. Lucas would be much better off not knowing.
His parting words drifted back to her, and she knew this wouldn’t be the last time he would question her. She could only pray that she and Cody could leave within a day or two. She didn’t like to lie, but her secret must be kept.
In the silence of the room, she whispered, “But Lucas has his own secrets, I’ll bet.”
Chapter Three
A smile curved Lucas’s lips as he stood outside the closed living room door, but it was quickly replaced by a worried frown. He’d gotten just enough information to worry him.
Rachel. The name fit her. Soft and warm, yet there was strength in it. Like the strength he saw in her. He still suspected her last name wasn’t Stevens. The woman was a walking pack of lies. But he had a feeling she didn’t like telling them any more than he liked hearing them.
As he made his way to his office, he replayed their conversation in his mind. She had done a fine job of avoiding his questions. He hadn’t liked doing it. All the time he was asking, he’d felt like an interrogator. But he needed answers, if nothing more than out of simple curiosity. Only it was more than that. As much as he’d grown to distrust women, there was something about this particular one that kept tugging at him. It was nothing she said. In fact, he sensed her drawing away from him, whenever he was around. He suspected it was her way of protecting herself. She didn’t trust him. He couldn’t blame her for that. If she had caught even a hint of what he’d been thinking and feeling around her, she had good reason. He didn’t trust himself.
When the door opened, he looked up to see his stepbrother. Harley glanced into the hallway, then shut the door behind him. “How’d it go?”
Lucas didn’t want to admit how much it had bothered him to question her. “Fine, but I didn’t learn a lot. It might be easier to find out something from Cody.”
Harley’s head moved back and forth. “I don’t know, Lucas. He’s only six.” A grin replaced his frown. “But he’s smart as a whip. He can read as good as a kid twice his age.”
Lucas barely noted the comment. The boy reminded him too much of what he’d lost. “Maybe you should talk to him. Find out what you can. He doesn’t think much of me.”
Harley settled into his favorite chair. “I think you scare him, Lucas.”
“Scare him? I’ve hardly said a word to him.”
“Try smilin’ once in a while,” Harley suggested. “I think you even scare Rachel.”
She ought to be scared. Lucas had to admit to himself that his own reaction to her scared him. He’d managed to keep his distance. Except for that little meeting on the stairs. Because of that, he’d escaped to the office with his teeth gritted so hard to keep from pulling her up next to him, his jaws hurt. The scent of peaches had been all over her. Sweet, succulent peaches. A rarity on the ranch, especially in the winter months. The aroma had made his dry mouth water with the need to see if she tasted the same. Just one kiss, one taste, and he could have his answer and forget—
“…Marty and John gonna get here?”
Lucas jerked his thoughts back to the business at hand, glad Harley couldn’t read his mind. “John said he’d talked to Marty.” He glanced at his watch. “They ought to be here about dinnertime. You don’t think…?”
“Bet she would,” Harley answered the unfinished question with a grin.
Lucas got to his feet. “Good. You can ask her.”
“Oh, no,” Harley argued. He stood, stopping Lucas on his way to the door. “I’m takin’ Cody outside. You ask her.”
Lucas shook his head. He didn’t want to be alone in the same room with her, if he could help it. God only knew what he might do. He needed time to get himself under control. “She’ll refuse if I ask.”
“Oh, hell, Lucas,” Harley laughed. “Use some of that Callahan charm on her.”
Lucas considered it. He could keep it brief. He’d ask, she’d answer, and he’d be out the door. She would either rustle up a dinner for them all, or they’d scrounge for whatever they could throw together. He’d just keep some distance from her.
“You want me to cook for six people?” Rachel asked when Lucas approached her.
Hell, all she had to do was say yes or no. He kept his distance, but it didn’t seem to help much. Even from across the room, he could smell peaches. Or imagined he did. “There’s plenty of stuff here,” he pointed out.
Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, nearly bringing a groan from him. She shook her head and muttered, “I don’t know what I can fix.”
He waited for his chance to escape. “Fix anything,” he snapped. “John and Marty will be so hungry when they get here, they won’t take time to notice what it is.”
She walked to the cabinet, reached up and opened it wide. Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She’d changed into another pair of jeans, and dammit if they weren’t tighter than the others. She had exchanged the oversize sweatshirt for a shirt that hugged her close and barely grazed the tops of her pockets. Until she stretched up to reach high into the cabinet. With the simple movement, she bared a large expanse of creamy skin above the waistband of her jeans.
He couldn’t stop his feet from moving him toward her, his gaze riveted on her flesh. Before he reached touching distance, she turned her head to glance back.
“I—” She stopped, staring at him, her blue eyes wide. Her arms dropped to her sides, and she tugged at the bottom of her shirt, pulling it down. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. “I’ll find something. I’ll get Cody to help.”
“I promised to show him around the ranch,” Lucas managed to say without choking. He had to get out before he did something they would both regret. Concentrating on keeping his feet from tangling with each other, he started backing up.
“He needs his snowsuit and—”
“He’s got it,” Lucas barked. “You think a man doesn’t know how to dress a little kid?”
“Of course,” she whispered. Her eyes glittered, and her teeth scraped her lip again.
He yanked on his coat, then grabbed behind his back for the doorknob, missed it, and swore under his breath. His second try brought success, and he was out the door so fast, he closed it on the brim of his hat.
“Hey, Lucas!” Harley called to him from the corral. “Come give us a hand.”
Shaking his head to clear the fog, Lucas clomped through the snow. In the corral, Harley had tied an aged sled behind their oldest, slowest horse. Cody sat on the sled, gripping the sides.
“Hey, Cody, you warm enough?” Lucas hollered.
Cody’s head bobbed up and down, and he stared at Lucas.
Lucas strode through the snow to tug the little boy’s knit cap farther onto his head. “Your mom is worried about you.”
Cody shrank away from him. “I’m okay. ’S not c-cold.”
Yeah, sure. Even Lucas could feel the bite of the wind. He looked up to see a silly grin on Harley’s face. “What?”
Harley’s grin widened.
“Harley, what the—”
“Smile,” Harley replied, then ducked behind Bay Roller.
“Oh, yeah,” Lucas mumbled. Attempting his widest smile, he hunkered down by Cody. “You ever been sleddin’?”
Cody’s head swiveled from side to side.
“It’s been a long time for me, too,” he admitted. “Now, you hang on tight.”
Harley handed him the halter rope. “I’ll get started on the rest of the chores. Go easy with him.”
Lucas shot him a glare. Didn’t anyone trust him with Cody? “I can handle it.”
“I mean about the questions.”
Lucas wondered just how to go about questioning a six-year-old. The idea wasn’t something he was comfortable with, but it had to be done. “I will,” he called, as Harley walked away.
He urged the old horse forward, watching the sled, ready to catch Cody if he toppled off. But Cody hung on tight, laughing with delight, while he led Bay Roller faster around the corral.
“That was fun,” Cody told Lucas as they untied the rope and led Bay Roller into the barn. “Can we do it again sometime?”
“As long as the snow sticks around,” Lucas promised. He looked down into a pair of sparkling hazel eyes and felt a pang of unease. Cody slipped his small hand into Lucas’s big one, and Lucas nearly jerked away. But once he realized the boy finally trusted him, his heart beat with a new warmth, and a real smile eased onto his face.
The old stove at the far end of the barn crackled and burned brightly. “Strip off your snow gear,” he directed.
While Cody complied, he undid his own coat and retrieved a bag of marshmallows Harley had left. “You won’t believe this.” he announced.
“Oh, boy!” Cody jumped up and down, his snowsuit bunched around his knees, half on and half off. “Are we going to roast them?”
Lucas produced a tin of hot cocoa mix. “I thought they’d go good with this.”
It didn’t take long for them to find themselves enjoying the warmth of the old stove, each with a hot cup of cocoa in their hands, topped with fat marshmallows.
Cody looked up at Lucas, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “I didn’t know cowboys drank hot chocolate.”
“Sure we do. I’ve been doing this since I was your size. Can’t let a good snowstorm pass without it.”
“Really?”
Lucas wiped at the marshmallow smudge above Cody’s upper lip and winked at him. “Yeah, really. Sometimes I stay out here for days and days.”
“I bet my daddy never did anything like this,” Cody said in a quiet voice.
“Where is your daddy?” Something had a tight grip on his chest. Hell, he’d never given a thought to Rachel having a husband. It made sense that she might be running from a husband. What a fool he’d been to lust after her, when he didn’t know anything about her.
“He’s in heaven,” Cody answered with a shrug of one shoulder. “At least that’s what my mom told me.”
A long, slow breath of air eased out of Lucas. He thought of his own father, a man who’d deserted his family. His memories weren’t happy ones. “Did you like living in Ohio?” he asked to change the subject.
“We didn’t live there very long,” Cody replied.
“We lived in Chicago before that. And I went to kindergarten in Detroit.”
“You’ve done some traveling.”
“Yeah,” Cody answered. “But you know what? I like it better here than anywhere. Mom says we might stay for a long time. Do you think Jenny will let me visit you when it snows again?”
“Any time your mom says it’s okay,” Lucas told him. It surprised him to find that he liked the idea. Jen and Pete didn’t live far. He would have a chance to see Cody. And Rachel.
He got to his feet, stretching out the kinks as he gathered the empty cups. He grabbed a blanket and bundled it around Cody. “Your snow gear’s still wet,” he explained when the boy started to protest.
Carrying Cody to the house, Lucas brought up the subject of Rachel’s dead husband, while he still had the chance to ask. “Cody, what was your daddy’s name?”
“Steven,” the boy answered on a yawn. “Gramma Harris said he was too young to die.”
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