A Rancher of Her Own
Barbara White Daille
A REASON TO STAYRanch manager Pete Brannigan has no interest in playing tour guide to a city slicker like Jane Garland. But spending a few days with the headstrong photographer is a small price to pay for everything her grandfather has given the single dad. Though Pete's drawn to Jane's sharp wit and striking beauty, he won't hurt his young children by falling for another woman who puts her career before family.Jane's seen the world through her camera…and used it to shield her emotions. With Pete, she can finally let her guard down. If only he could do the same. Despite their powerful bond, Pete still can't trust Jane with his kids or his heart. But if he keeps pushing her away, he may ruin any chance their relationship has to develop.
A REASON TO STAY
Ranch manager Pete Brannigan has no interest in playing tour guide to a city slicker like Jane Garland. But spending a few days with the headstrong photographer is a small price to pay for everything her grandfather has given the single dad. Though Pete’s drawn to Jane’s sharp wit and striking beauty, he won’t hurt his young children by falling for another woman who puts her career before family.
Jane’s seen the world through her camera...and used it to shield her emotions. With Pete, she can finally let her guard down. If only he could do the same. Despite their powerful bond, Pete still can’t trust Jane with his kids or his heart. But if he keeps pushing her away, he may ruin any chance their relationship has to develop.
“Hoping to catch more compliments?” Pete laughed softly.
Jane walked toward him just as calmly as she had walked away a couple hours ago. Both times, though, her heart beat erratically. This time, her pulse raced, too.
“Maybe. Have I brought the right bait?”
“Maybe. Let’s try it and see.” He ran his hand up her arm, then to her shoulder. With one finger, he stroked the skin left exposed at the neckline of her dress, setting off ripples of pleasure everywhere he touched. “Smooth,” he murmured.
He palmed the side of her neck, his long fingers tunneling into her hair. “Soft,” he said.
“Is this Twenty Compliments now, instead of Twenty Questions?”
“Maybe.”
He brushed his thumb across her lips. “Sweet,” he said as he smiled.
Sliding his hands down to the small of her back, he pulled her toward him. “Sexy,” he whispered.
“Is that another compliment for me,” she murmured, “or a commentary on your technique?”
He tilted her chin up. Smiling, he shrugged.
“I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
Dear Reader (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea),
I’ve been a hopeless romantic since grade school. From the first time I accompanied Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson on a mysterious case to my first sighting of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara dancing around each other, I’ve wanted the hero and heroine of every story I read to end up together.
There’s nothing like seeing a hero and heroine find their certain someone. And, of course, there’s nothing better than watching that couple deal with their conflicts to reach their happy-ever-after. Usually, they manage to work things out on their own. But sometimes—whether they realize it or not—they need a little help.
In the small town of Cowboy Creek, New Mexico, that assistance comes from the local hotel owner, a meddling grandpa who wants to see all his granddaughters married and settled down. When Jed Garland turns his attentions to his loner ranch manager and his most stubborn granddaughter, he finds himself in for a real challenge!
I hope you enjoy your visit to Cowboy Creek. As always, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me through my website, barbarawhitedaille.com (http://barbarawhitedaille.com), or mailing address, PO Box 504 Gilbert, AZ 85299. You can also find me on Facebook, facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille (http://facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille), and Twitter @BarbaraWDaille (https://twitter.com/barbarawdaille).
All my best to you.
Until we meet again,
Barbara White Daille
A Rancher
of Her Own
Barbara White Daille
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
BARBARA WHITE DAILLE lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest, where they don’t mind the lizards in their front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom.
A writer from the age of nine and a novelist since eighth grade, Barbara is now an award-winning author with a number of novels to her credit.
When she was very young, Barbara learned from her mom about the storytelling magic in books—and she’s been hooked ever since. She hopes you will enjoy reading her books and will find your own magic in them!
She’d also love to have you drop by and visit with her at her website, barbarawhitedaille.com (http://barbarawhitedaille.com).
To all the hopeless romantics in the world: thanks for allowing me into the club.
And as always, to Rich.
Contents
Cover (#u4dea5ed4-6883-5557-a270-bdfb27fefe13)
Introduction (#u9c0c23a9-d5ee-583d-8bb4-0e650a7ab85e)
Dear Reader (#u1ddec06e-eeeb-57fa-b615-ffdc8eccb572)
Title Page (#u54e2915e-5aed-5a70-aa10-a98ef1eb0790)
About the Author (#u8857a563-f685-536c-9305-5879a2785a6a)
Dedication (#u0e1d2101-bf16-58d5-9098-fe821df1c21e)
Prologue (#u8abddf63-5f16-5f95-953b-e2bfdf2bc955)
Chapter One (#u9121424b-5575-5bea-97a9-8bfd2a8ef7ac)
Chapter Two (#u9b115254-ce44-514b-9718-e11de805b350)
Chapter Three (#u38783c42-fd01-5e43-bf4d-e22b39c4ec21)
Chapter Four (#u77e9b76d-be62-51d3-a810-d16af8614f3e)
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 Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea)
“About time we had a wedding around here, Paz.” Jedediah Garland, proprietor of the Hitching Post Hotel on Garland Ranch, sat back in his chair in the establishment’s large kitchen and smiled.
The hotel cook and Jed’s longtime friend stood beside a counter with a slew of baking utensils spread out in front of her. “Do you think the banquet hall will be ready in time?”
“If the bride has her say about it, it will.” That bride was the granddaughter he and Paz had in common, who was set to get married in the hall before the month ended. She was also in charge of the renovations going on all around the hotel.
He sipped from his coffee mug and thumbed through a selection of before-and-during photos of the reception hall. His wife had always been in charge of the weddings held at the Hitching Post, a part of the business he’d let slide for far too long. “My Mary must be looking down and smiling at us all.”
Paz turned from her work to smile at him, too. “I’m sure she is. It will be nice to have a big wedding to prepare for again. We have you to thank for that, Jed.”
“Well...” He shrugged, but there was no point in being modest around Paz. She had known what he’d done, every step of the way, to get their granddaughter and the cowboy she loved together. “I did have a hand in things, didn’t I? And it wasn’t easy. But you know, when the big day comes, I doubt we’ll be needing a shotgun to get them down the aisle.”
She laughed. “I would say you’re right about that.”
He reached for his coffee mug again.
At seventy-something and still going strong, he had a lot of living ahead of him and some dreams yet to be fulfilled. Seeing his business built up again was only one of those dreams. The other, he’d shared with no one but Paz.
He wanted family around him, which meant he intended to see all three of his granddaughters married and giving him additional great-grandkids as soon as possible.
Thankfully, he’d had smarts and luck enough to get the first bride-and groom-to-be to come to their senses. Eventually.
For the next couple, he would need to bring out the big guns.
Chapter One (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea)
Two weeks later
Some days started off right, then took a wrong turn. The minute Pete Brannigan walked into his ranch-house kitchen, he discovered this would be one of those days.
“Daddy!” his five-year-old daughter, Rachel, exclaimed. “Can Mama come to my graduation?”
His nanny and housekeeper, Sharon D’Angelo, turned from inspecting the contents of the refrigerator. The brief glance he exchanged with her held an entire conversation. They both knew the question wasn’t could his ex-wife fly home for this milestone in her daughter’s life, but would she?
“Good morning to you, sweetheart.” He ruffled Rachel’s wavy blond hair—so like her mama’s—and reached over to the high chair to chuck his two-year-old son, Eric, under the chin. “And you, too, little man.”
Eric gurgled something and handed him a soggy piece of cereal.
“Do you think Mama will come to see my graduation, Daddy?” Rachel asked.
He took his seat at the kitchen table beside her and said carefully, “I’m sure if she’s not working the day you graduate, she’ll be here.” Not an outright fib. He would never lie to his kids or to anyone. Anyway, who knew what his ex-wife would do. Marina might take time from her jet-setting, fashion-model career to think of the kids she’d left behind. Although, as history had already shown, it didn’t seem likely.
“Miss Loring said we get our invitations today. I’m inviting you and Mama and Eric and Sharon.” She counted off on her fingers. “And Tina and Robbie and Paz.” Tina was one of his boss’s granddaughters. Robbie and Paz were Tina’s son and grandmother. “And Bingo, too.”
Smiling, he shook his head. “I don’t think they’ll let ponies into the school auditorium.”
“Why?”
“They won’t fit in the chairs.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll show Bingo the pictures later.”
When Sharon held up the coffeepot, he nodded his thanks. He had long ago had a solitary breakfast here in the kitchen while she and his children still slept. As manager of Garland Ranch, he started work at an early hour, but as often as he could, he made it his business to get back to the house to see his daughter before she left for school.
“What about Grandpa Jed?” he asked Rachel.
“Of course Grandpa Jed,” she said, rolling her eyes as if Jed Garland’s presence at her graduation was a given. And it would be. “He wants to come, too, right?”
“Sweetheart, he wouldn’t miss it.”
Jed had always treated Rachel and Eric as if they were his own grandkids. Heck, from the time Pete had come to work as a wrangler here on the ranch, fresh out of high school, the old man had treated him like one of the family.
A couple of years ago, when Marina had taken off to seek fame and fortune, she’d left him to raise a three-year-old and a newborn alone. Jed had promptly promoted him into the vacant ranch manager’s position, which included the manager’s quarters, and increased his salary enough that he could comfortably pay for a live-in nanny to help take care of his kids.
“I have to save one for Grandpa Mark, too,” she said.
Jed had always treated him better than his own father ever had. Now, though the man remembered the kids at birthdays and Christmas, his busy schedule kept him from visiting frequently. Rachel was aware of this, which was probably why she had given Jed top billing.
“And can I invite Jane and Andi to come, too?” A couple more of Jed’s granddaughters. “And Missy and Trey?” Andi’s two kids.
“I think they might all have gone home by the day of your graduation,” he said.
She gasped. “They’re coming for the wedding, right?”
“Definitely.”
Jed’s youngest granddaughter, Tina, was getting married later in the month. As flower girl, Rachel was even more wrapped up in the wedding than she was in her own special event. Along with her new fascination with floor-length dresses and three-tiered cakes, it looked as though she’d embraced the idea of extensive guest lists.
“Well,” she said, “then they have to come to my graduation, too.”
Better to try to let her down easy, something he’d had plenty of practice doing, thanks to Marina. “There are other kids in your class, you know, and they have friends and family to invite. I’m not sure your teacher plans to give you that many invitations.”
“I’ll tell Miss Loring she has to. I can’t leave anybody out. Like Tina and the wedding.”
“Well, we’ll see.” Personally, he’d just as soon have Tina and her fiancé, Cole, one of his wranglers, leave his name off their list. Pointless to hope for that, though, when they had already roped him into becoming a member of the wedding party.
After a look at the kitchen clock, he leaned over to kiss Rachel’s forehead. “I’ll see you after school. It’s time for you to go and brush your teeth.”
“And get my backpack. To bring all my invitations home.” She slid from her seat.
As she left the room, he and his housekeeper exchanged another glance. “The bossiness hasn’t let up any, has it?” he asked.
The older woman smiled, adding a few more wrinkles to her lined face. “As I keep saying, she’ll outgrow it.”
“Yeah? Before or after one of the bigger kids at school thumps her on the nose for pushing him around?”
“She could probably talk herself out of a fight with anybody in that kindergarten class.”
“It’s the middle-schoolers I’m worried about.”
Sharon laughed. “She’d handle them, too.” She hesitated. “I’m not condoning her bossiness, Pete. I’ve tried talking with the child, and she can almost talk rings around me. It’s given me a whole new crop of gray hair.”
He didn’t know what he’d do without Sharon, a widow who had become his nanny and housekeeper shortly after he and the kids had moved into the house. She had given up her small apartment in Cowboy Creek and relocated to the ranch full-time. She was a grandmother herself, with several grandkids of her own, and her experience had saved him many times over the past couple of years. Now she sounded worried, as if her job depended on teaching his daughter social skills.
“Hey, that’s not what I hired you for. And trust me, I’ve tried to talk with her, too. To get her to see she’ll win more friends with honey than harassment. But you’re right—she’ll outgrow it. Sooner than later, I hope.”
It was his turn to hesitate. Before too long, he needed to have another discussion with Rachel, and it would have to cover more than her social skills. He kept his gaze on Eric, who sat playing with the dry cereal on his high-chair tray. “I can’t do anything about Jed’s family staying around for the graduation.”
“You can’t do anything about Marina, either,” Sharon said softly.
He sighed. “I know. But dammit, Sharon, she’s disappointed the kids too many times already.” And each time, he’d felt like punching something—not the best example to set for his talks with Rachel about her conduct. With every one of Marina’s cancellations, he was forced to break the news to his daughter, and he couldn’t deal with seeing her turn so quiet, so withdrawn, for days afterward.
Eric pushed a few pieces of his cereal over the side of the tray.
“Now, don’t you start, little man. Your sister’s enough of a handful right now.” Pete caught both his son’s wrists and pressed them together between his palms.
Familiar with the game, Eric laughed, slipped his hands free and pounded the tray, making the scattered cereal bounce. Pete reached down to pick up the pieces that landed on the floor.
“Leave that,” Sharon said. “I’ll sweep up when he’s done.”
“Thanks. You’re the best.” He dropped a few pieces of the cereal into the kitchen trash and then planted a kiss on Eric’s blond curls. “I’d better head out. Charlie’s due to stop in anytime now.” Charlie, the local vet, was coming to take a look at one of the mares with a leg injury. “I’ll see you all later.”
He left the house and strode in the direction of the barn, which sat within easy walking distance, even for Rachel, who spent plenty of time in the adjacent corral and at the Hitching Post.
As he thought again of his daughter, he shook his head.
She had recently begun dramatizing every little incident—very much like her mother always had and still did on her rare visits to town. At the thought of the public scenes Marina had put him through in the past, he shuddered. He dreaded the idea of Rachel taking on more of her mama’s traits. Already, her bossiness seemed like her way of controlling situations. Of getting extra attention.
Or maybe he read too much into his daughter’s behavior. It was hard to tell. Sometimes he didn’t know for sure how to read either of his kids. The thought made him heave another sigh. Though his position as manager of Garland Ranch routinely included long hours, rough riding, unpleasant tasks and backbreaking chores, none of that came close to the challenge of being a single dad.
* * *
TRUE TO FORM, once Rachel’s questions about her mama had sent Pete’s morning off on its wrong turn, the rest of the day followed suit. Though he would never trade his job on the ranch for anything, by quitting time he felt ready for a few weeks of selling ice in Antarctica.
Looking beyond the mare he was tending to, he eyed his boss, who stood just outside the stable door.
Jed had recently made it his mission to revitalize the Hitching Post, the honeymoon hotel on the property, and had lined up all his granddaughters to help with the transformation. Twice in the space of as many minutes, the boss had brought up the name of one of those granddaughters. A name Pete was all too familiar with, belonging to a granddaughter he wanted to go nowhere near.
Plenty of times over the past few years, he’d seen Jane Garland—from a distance—on her visits to the ranch. She didn’t much care for riding, but she would walk over with her cousin Andi when she rode, always resulting in more grief for him. Other than that, their paths had no need to cross, which suited him just fine.
But now he had a bad feeling about the direction of Jed’s conversation.
“Almost done, girl,” he murmured to Starlight. He kept his focus on her sore foreleg as he applied the ointment the vet had dropped off that morning.
“Won’t be long,” Jed went on, “before we’ll have the place on the map.”
The boss had gotten all fired up about increasing business for the hotel. Pete couldn’t find any fault with the plan. Although managing a spread the size of Jed’s already provided him with more than full-time employment, he wouldn’t balk at the extra work. He’d always just added the dude-ranch activities onto his list of responsibilities.
“Andi will fly in with her kids by the end of the week. But Jane—” third mention “—decided to come a couple of days ahead. She’ll be taking pictures at the wedding rehearsal, you know.”
He nodded, his focus still on Starlight. “Yeah, Cole said.” Cole had told him that news and a lot more about all of the boss’s granddaughters.
Since his divorce, happy matrimony was the last thing he wanted to think about. But Jed and Cole both made sure to keep him up-to-date on all the wedding plans. He couldn’t blame either of the men. After all, he had agreed to be one of the ushers, which meant attending that danged rehearsal. And the wedding, of course.
“Starlight’s leg is looking good,” he told Jed.
Finished with the mare’s treatment, he went to the sink in one corner. The sound of running water kept Jed quiet for a moment, giving Pete a chance to think.
The boss had also kept him up-to-date on the renovations going on over at the hotel. That made even more sense, as increased business there meant more dudes for his cowhands to work with and entertain on the ranch. For anything connected with the hotel guests, he and Jed always coordinated with Tina.
“Jane,” Jed went on, “wants to take some photos around the hotel. The rooms downstairs, some of the guest rooms that are already finished...for the new website.”
“Sounds good.” He grabbed the towel from beside the sink.
“I want you to give her a hand.”
He froze with the towel halfway up one wet forearm. Water ran down the other arm and off his elbow. Drip...drip...drip... Like water torture. Like the sound of Jed’s request echoing in his brain.
The boss’s blue eyes looked guileless enough. But then, he couldn’t know how much his manager wanted to avoid this granddaughter, for a whole list of reasons.
He’d had enough of the teenage Jane mouthing off to him during his early days working as a stable hand on the ranch. As a dyed-in-the-wool cowboy, he had no interest in being around a city slicker. And those stories Cole had told him recently only reinforced his determination to avoid her. Her drive for success and single-minded focus on her career gave her too much in common with his fashion-model ex-wife.
Pete finished drying off and hung up the towel again. “What does she need with a cowboy, if she’s only taking a bunch of pictures?”
“She’ll be setting things up, moving furniture around. I want someone to do the heavy lifting.”
“I can spare one of the stable hands for that. They’re fine about doing whatever jobs they’re given, even ones not in their job description.” He forced a laugh. “Since moving furniture’s not in mine, either, I’m sure you don’t want your foreman—”
“I do want my foreman on this job.”
“Speaking of jobs, I’d better get going.” And get the heck out of here before I say something I shouldn’t. “There’s a lot of territory to cover this morning.” He crossed the barn to take a set of reins from their hook. “It’s June, Jed. I don’t need to tell you how busy that makes us around here.”
“And I’ll tell you this, flat-out straight the way I always do. I want someone I can trust to be alone with my granddaughter.”
Eyebrows raised, Pete turned back. From the stories Cole had told him about Jane, a New Yorker who traveled all over the world for her job, he couldn’t think of any woman more able to handle herself. Which meant...
“I’m not saying anything against the boys,” Jed continued as if he’d read his manager’s mind. “I trust every one of ’em. But there’s no one I have more faith in than you.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, boss.” He swallowed hard. “But—”
“And as I recall,” Jed interrupted heavily, “when it comes to job descriptions, the two of us don’t much stick to formalities between us, do we?”
“No, we don’t,” he agreed, knowing those words had just sealed his fate.
He owed the boss for providing everything he needed to take care of his kids.
And now, all too plainly, the man had called in his debt.
Chapter Two (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea)
As a shadow fell across the open doorway of the barn, Pete took one look, lowered the pitchfork he was holding and set it against the wall outside the stall. Frowning, he stared at the woman who stepped into his domain.
Technically, he didn’t own anything on the ranch. Still, even the thought of this particular granddaughter of Jed’s coming near the barn left him feeling possessive. Old habits might die hard, but old memories never left you.
He’d heard from Cole that Jane had arrived at the Hitching Post the night before.
Feet planted wide, he rested his hands on his hips. “Can I help you?” He hoped not. In fact, since his conversation with Jed a couple of days ago, he’d kept his fingers crossed that the boss would change his mind about having him babysit Jane.
From a strap around her neck hung a camera that probably cost more than he spent in a year on clothing for him and the kids. Without answering, she raised the camera and aimed it at him, making him feel like a bug under a microscope. Before he could react, she had fired off a couple of shots.
He raised a brow. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you can stop doing it right now.”
“Just testing the lighting in case I want a few promo shots.”
“You reckon newlyweds will care about the inside of a barn?”
“Atmosphere,” she said shortly, turning to click off a series of photos down the length of the stalls.
Silently, he watched her. Over the years he’d avoided coming in contact with her, his long-distance eyesight must have begun to fail. He hadn’t realized she looked this good close-up. Tall and slim, she had pale, perfect skin he wouldn’t dare touch with his workman’s hands and straight black hair that glistened in the light, tempting him to run his fingers through it.
Every time he’d seen her, she was dressed head to foot in black, and now was no exception. He didn’t get why anyone would feel an attraction for the color, a stark reminder to him of funerals and the day they’d laid his mama to rest. But he managed to look beyond Jane’s taste in clothes long enough to check her out.
Today she wore a pair of jeans topped by a loose T-shirt. The only color on her—if you could call it that—came from the cold strands of the silver necklace dangling almost to her waist. She looked as out of place in here as he’d have looked at an opera house.
When she focused on the final stall in the row, old Daffodil stuck her head through the open door. Swaybacked, bowlegged and cantankerous when she chose to go that route, the mare lived out her days in comfort thanks to Jed, with Pete’s assistance.
Jane gave a throaty chuckle that yanked his attention back to her. The sound seemed to echo in the cavernous barn...and to rattle something deep inside him.
“C’mon, girl. Let’s see the profile.”
“That’ll be the day when you can get her to pay attention,” he said with a grin, trying to shake off his reaction to her.
“I pity the animals you work with, if that’s your attitude toward them.”
His grin slid away. “And what are you, a horse whisperer?”
“Maybe.”
“Besides, it’s not my attitude.” He wondered why he was bothering to explain. “Daffodil’s as high-spirited as they come, but danged stubborn, too.” The words made a picture in his mind of a teenager giving him back talk. “Does that description remind you of anyone?”
She looked his way again. Even with her back to the sunlight in the doorway, he saw her eyes gleam.
She remembered that summer vacation she’d spent here on the ranch, all right—he’d bet the jar of Buffalo nickels he was saving for his son on that.
“You think you’re going to win old Daffodil over to your side, huh?” he said.
“Yes. With the right incentive.”
As she passed him on her way to the stall, the scents of vanilla and spice drifted toward him, light but noticeable enough to set off a craving for something sweet, and surprising enough to make him blink. She’d never seemed the sweet, vanilla type.
She held out a hand. “What do you say, Daff? Want to be a cover girl?”
At the question, Pete’s shoulders went rigid.
The old mare dipped her head, as if giving Jane a royal nod and permission to do what she liked.
Dang, the woman has a way with a horse, after all.
Then he noticed she held her palm upward. “That’s cheating.”
“All’s fair in love and getting the perfect shot.” Once Daffodil took the sugar cube from her hand, Jane stepped back and began clicking again.
“I doubt any newlyweds will want souvenir photos of an old, past-her-prime mare.”
“These are for me.”
He couldn’t keep his eyebrows from shooting up in surprise. He couldn’t keep from needling her, either, and blamed it on those bygone days when a teenager seven years his junior had made his life a misery. “Gonna put them up on the wall in your New York high-rise?”
“Who’s gonna stop me?”
He narrowed his eyes. Then he noted the rueful twist of her lips. She was baiting him. The idea gave him a rush of pleasure he wasn’t sure how to handle.
“So, you do recall all those times you gave me grief.”
“I might have a faded memory or two,” she admitted.
When she moved toward the door, he remained where he stood, watching her silhouette against the bright sunlight.
She turned. “Way back then,” she said, “I was just a kid asserting my rights.”
You’re sure not a kid anymore. He brushed the thought away. “You were being a pain in my butt.”
She grimaced. “That too, maybe. But you can’t tell me you didn’t deserve some of it, considering your new job had swelled your head to about the size of this barn door.”
She rested her back against the frame. Her stance highlighted unsuspected curves beneath that loose, dark shirt, which instantly made his jeans tight below his belt.
Yeah, he’d called it right about her not being a kid.
He hoped she planned to go away soon—not just from the barn but, once the wedding was over, from the ranch and from Cowboy Creek. He couldn’t blame that thought on memories of the past, his desire to get back to work or even the sight of her gazing regally down her nose at him the way Daffodil had looked at her.
No, he wanted her long gone because she’d turned out to be one fine-looking woman. Because she was making him want things he had no time in his life for now. And because she was still too many years younger than he was and would always be the boss’s granddaughter.
Yeah—think of the boss. “That was my first full-time job,” he told her. “I was trying to make an impression.”
“Oh, you did that, all right. I’m glad you didn’t say ‘a good impression,’ because you didn’t come close to one. I don’t like men—people—who think they can order others around. And you definitely had a case of that back then.”
“I was in charge of the horses—”
“Under my grandpa’s direction.”
“—and watching out for them was part of my job.”
“He’s given you another job now, too, so he tells me.”
“Yeah. Playing nursemaid.”
“Thanks, old man,” she shot back, “but I don’t need that kind of help. An assistant is more like it. What’s the matter? Is the job beneath you?” She shrugged. “If you don’t like the idea, I won’t have a problem getting someone else.”
He’d bet she wouldn’t. As long as she managed to keep that smart yet sexy mouth of hers shut, any of his boys would be happy to assist her. He wouldn’t, but turning down Jed’s order wasn’t an option. “I didn’t say anything against the idea. I’ve got no problem with moving furniture around.”
“Good. Then I’ll meet you in the lobby tomorrow morning at nine.”
To his satisfaction, she didn’t seem to be any happier about the assignment than he did.
* * *
IN THE HOTEL dining room the next morning, Jane joined in on the conversation about the upcoming wedding. The bride and groom made the most happy and genuinely loving couple she’d seen in a while.
She relaxed over a plateful of Paz’s breakfast treats. Or at least, she tried to relax. That hadn’t been an item on her agenda in a while. Working seven days a week kept her mind busy and her body active. Lately, having to sit still made her uneasy and all the more eager to be on the move.
Her meeting in the barn with Pete Brannigan had left her uneasy, too.
The cowboy didn’t scare her. With those amazing hazel-green eyes and all those bulging muscles, he was too darned hot for any woman in her right mind to be frightened away. Still, there was something about him that pushed all her buttons. That had made her jump to a knee-jerk reaction every time he’d opened his mouth. That made her snap to attention...
Of course.
Years ago, she had seen how much he acted like her father, an Army general. Yesterday, Pete’s take-charge attitude at their first meeting in years had strongly reinforced those memories, proving he hadn’t changed a bit. But she would do her job—even if that meant working with the insufferable man.
“Don’t forget, Jane—”
Startled, she returned her attention to Tina.
“—we’ve got to go up to Santa Fe to pick up our gowns. We might as well wait till Andi gets here, and then we can have our final fittings together.”
Jane laughed. “In that case, I’d better stay away from Paz’s apple tarts, or I won’t get the zipper closed on my dress.” She pushed the dessert platter a few inches away from her.
“Ally and I are the ones who should worry about that,” Tina said, referring to her best friend and maid of honor. “You and Andi are so slim.”
“You don’t need to worry a bit,” Cole said to his bride.
They smiled at each other as Cole casually draped his arm across Tina’s shoulders.
A beautiful pre-wedding portrait.
But you’re not on the job right this minute.
Despite the fierce reminder, she wished she hadn’t left her camera on the far side of the dining room.
As if she’d heard the thought, Tina said, “I’m glad you’ll be taking pictures at the rehearsal dinner. But the day of the wedding, you won’t forget you’re a member of the bridal party, will you?”
“Yeah,” Cole said. “We’ve got a photographer lined up, so you’ll have the day off.”
“I don’t know,” she said, only half joking. “Sometimes it feels like those cameras are extensions of my hands. I don’t go anywhere without them.”
“Speaking of going somewhere...” He kissed Tina and rose from his seat. “I’d better hit the road, or I won’t be back before lunch with the supply order.”
“Say hi to Ally when you see her,” Tina said. Her maid of honor worked at the hardware store in town.
Once Cole had left, Tina turned back to Jane. “Maybe we need to take those cameras away from you, so you’ll behave yourself at the wedding,” she teased.
“We can put them in my toy box,” said Robbie.
Jane smiled at her cousin’s four-year-old. “Your toy box?”
He nodded. “In my bedroom. Mama takes my toys away and puts them in the toy box.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, searching for something to add. Her work might require she spend her life around people, including children, but she reserved in-depth interviews only for adults. Either way, she didn’t encourage her subjects to interact with her. She wanted to capture them in natural poses and real-life situations. Often all too real.
“Mama takes the toys when I don’t listen,” Robbie explained.
“Oh. Maybe I should not listen, once in a while, too, and then I won’t work so much.”
As if.
She looked up to find her grandfather eyeing her from the head of the long table. Suddenly, she realized some of her uncertainty came from her current “assignment.”
“You and Pete going to get started this morning?” he asked.
“We are,” she confirmed. “But not for a little while. I’m not rushing through Paz’s great breakfast.”
After the photo shoots she had just completed, with three European trips in the space of a month, she shouldn’t plan to rush through anything this week. She deserved a break. Just not one that involved sitting still.
She loved her grandfather and felt more than happy to help with the hotel revamp. Taking a few photos here and setting up the ranch’s new website would be a piece of cake compared to the Sarajevo shoot and other assignments she’d worked on.
She didn’t mind spending a few extra days at the ranch, either, to get some of Grandpa’s photos out of the way—even if the job came with the drawback of having Pete around.
He’d been right yesterday about the way she had acted years ago, about being a pain whenever she went near him.
Long before that summer, she’d already seen how girls’ hormones made them do silly, stupid things around boys, and she had determined never to be like those girls. As an Army brat who had attended a succession of schools overseas by the time she hit her teens, she hadn’t ever met a boy she’d waste her time crushing on, let alone want to go out with.
Not, of course, that General Garland would ever have allowed his daughter to date at that age.
But the year she turned thirteen, on her summer vacation to Garland Ranch, she had run into Pete Brannigan outside the barn. Instantly, she understood why girls did silly, stupid things around boys. Besides, at twenty, Pete wasn’t a boy but a man.
Unfortunately, only two minutes afterward she discovered he was a younger version of her father. Hormones or no hormones, that was the end of her interest.
It was her thirteenth year all over again yesterday, when her first glance at Pete had given her equally silly though much more grown-up thoughts. Yet their run-in and his crack about being her “nursemaid” proved he had only gotten worse over time. If he thought she would sit back and let him boss her around—the way he’d always done whenever she had come near the barn or corral with Andi—he was in for a big surprise.
* * *
TO PETE’S SURPRISE, after he and Jane met in the hotel lobby, they settled into a routine with her doing the directing and him doing the grunt work. Nothing very strenuous, as they’d started in the sitting room just off the lobby.
His job consisted of shifting tables, couches and chairs and putting them back into place. It involved very little talking and a whole lot of looking, which suited him fine.
“Midmorning will be a good time for us to get the common areas done,” Jane had said yesterday. “The guests will either be sightseeing or taking riding lessons out at the corral.”
Exactly where he should have been, overseeing those lessons. Instead, he’d notified all the hands they could reach him on his cell phone if necessary.
The morning had passed much more quickly and with much less bickering than he had anticipated—probably because once Jane got behind the camera, she stayed there.
He stood leaning against the door frame, watching as she worked her way silently around the area.
“I don’t see much of a difference,” he said finally. “And the room always looks comfortable enough to me.”
“It’s a matter of perspective, especially with a static shot. Of finding the right balance between comfort and space.” She continued moving, her gaze on the camera, the shutter clicking away. “For now, we’re looking at still photos for the website and print promotion, but we might eventually shoot some panoramic video. Grandpa’s going all out with his ideas for the revamp.”
“I can’t see anything wrong with the hotel the way it is.”
“You don’t like change, do you?”
“Not much.”
“How do you feel about weddings?”
“I don’t like them at all.”
“Lovely.” She glanced at him. “Then I’d guess you have no plans to be the life of the party at Tina and Cole’s reception?”
“Not hardly.”
“What are the chances you’ll be able to hide your feelings?”
“I’ll manage.”
Camera lowered, she turned his way. “What happens when the bridal suites are refurbished and the hotel starts booking complete wedding parties?”
“Doesn’t make a difference. The hotel guests are all the same to me, and we entertain the guests, period.”
“You won’t make much of a spokesperson for the Hitching Post.”
“Good thing I’m not looking for the job, then, isn’t it?”
She raised a dark eyebrow but didn’t respond to that. Instead, she looked at her watch. “Why don’t we stop in at the kitchen for something to drink.”
Paz was bustling around the room, and Maria, one of the maids, was assisting her. This close to lunchtime, they were too busy to do much but give him a quick hello. He nodded in return while Jane poured a couple of glasses of iced tea and handed one to him.
They went through the kitchen door onto the back porch. Over at the corral, he could see the stable hand grooming one of the stallions.
He took a long swig of tea and leaned against the porch railing.
He could feel the noonday sun warming his back, spreading heat through him. Better to believe that than admit the truth, even to himself. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of with his reactions. Jane Garland wasn’t his type. Her preference in clothing did nothing for him. He didn’t care for her made-up face or her long nails, and her high-tech toys turned him off. But as he’d already acknowledged to himself, she was a good-looking woman—a sexy, good-looking woman—and standing this close to her would get any man overheated.
He gulped down another mouthful of cold, sweet tea.
“I’ll give you a break till this afternoon,” she said. “I don’t want you telling Grandpa I kept you so busy you couldn’t do the job he pays you for.”
“Excuse the pun, but you really focus on your work, don’t you?”
“I try to.”
“How’d you get to be such a perfectionist?”
She laughed. “You’ve met my father, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, lots of times.” He took another drink and wished he hadn’t brought up the subject. Not if it was going to lead to a discussion about their parents.
He didn’t like talking about his mother, who had passed on when he was in grade school. For other reasons, he avoided talking about his dad, the big-shot lawyer.
“Something wrong with the tea?”
The question made him realize he was scowling. “No, the tea’s fine. What does your dad have to do with your perfectionism?”
She shrugged. At her movement, the necklace she wore shifted across the front of her blouse. Sunlight glinted off the silver links, drawing his attention to her curves. Again.
“He’s an Army general,” she said. “That ought to explain it.” She downed her iced tea and licked the sweetness from her upper lip.
Almost without thinking, he did the same. Then he blinked and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It wasn’t moisture he was attempting to brush away, but a sudden thought he had no business having.
“I’d better get inside and see if I can help Paz with anything. Are you done with that?”
He nodded and held the empty glass out to her. She moved to reach for it, then froze for a moment, her gaze locked with his. They stood so close, it wouldn’t take but a half step to bring their bodies together. Before he could say yea or nay on giving that a try, she stepped back.
“We’ll meet in the lobby again, around two?”
Her tone was cool as usual, but had her voice wobbled just a bit?
Glad to see her return to the house, he stayed there for a minute, leaning against the rail.
Maybe she’d been right to question his ability to hide his feelings. Which meant he’d better work twice as hard at keeping his thoughts—and his reactions—in line.
What he questioned was the flare of interest in her eyes...and the wisdom of testing if it was real or his imagination.
Chapter Three (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea)
Not long after the start of their afternoon session at the Hitching Post, Pete’s memories of the smart-mouthed teen Jane had once been came rushing back full force. A very good thing, as it made him forget the crazy questions that had plagued him since they’d parted that morning.
She had gone all out with the rearrangement of one of the hotel suites “to catch the right slant of the sun,” and her never-ending orders rubbed him the wrong way.
He set the stepladder she had requested next to the claw-foot tub in the suite’s bathroom.
She ran plenty of hot water and added several squirts of a liquid soap into the flow, creating a cloud of fluffy white suds that rose well above the edges of the tub. The amount of bubbles would have satisfied even his daughter.
Arms crossed, he leaned against the door frame and watched Jane go up the ladder. “You do realize that sticker on the step you just breezed past says not to climb any higher, right?”
“I need to find the best angle.” She sat astride the top of the ladder, one foot braced on the paint tray.
While he could and did admire the view, he didn’t think much at all of her position. “I’ll tell you what you’ll find if you’re not careful—your head cracked open after you fall into that tub.”
“Not your problem.”
“No. Not until I have to explain the situation to Jed.”
“Don’t worry—Grandpa won’t sue you. And if you’re that concerned, I’ll sign a waiver.” After a few clicks with her camera, she frowned and glanced toward the window near the head of the tub. “Can you move that curtain to one side?”
“It’s bright as day in here already.”
“The sun’s going down, though, and I want to catch the light streaming in across the bubbles.”
He’d called it right about her liking things just so. He flipped up the bottom of the curtain to loop it over the rod.
Again, she frowned. “Not exactly the effect I was looking for. As I said the first time, could you hold the curtain aside?”
“You really are a perfectionist, aren’t you?”
For a moment, her lips pressed into a tight, straight line. Then she smiled. “You ought to see my hospital corners when I make a bed.”
“Was that an offer?” The words slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about the consequences. What was it about Jane that scrambled his brain?
She gave him a slow smile. “Cowboy, if I made you an offer, it would be perfectionistically clear.”
The image that brought to mind left him breathless. He turned and shoved the fabric across the rod, then stood looking through the window. One way or another, he needed to forget these thoughts he was having about her. Or find out if he actually had seen that spark of interest earlier.
“You know, if you’d really rather not do this,” she said mildly, “you could send someone else to take your place.”
No, he couldn’t, thanks to Jed.
Damn. He owed the boss so much, yet here he was, having inappropriate thoughts about the man’s granddaughter.
He turned and looked up at her on the stepladder. “Just looking out for your safety.”
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary. I’ve been in much riskier places than on a ladder in a hotel room.”
“Name two.”
“At the scene of a government overthrow. And undercover in a drug lord’s headquarters.”
She’d made the statements so matter-of-factly, he couldn’t question the truth of them. Her blank expression told him not to pursue this part of their conversation.
He’d heard Jed complain often enough about his granddaughter’s job as a photojournalist. Till now, he’d had no idea of the level of danger involved. He suspected Jed didn’t, either.
“And you’ve gone from that to this?”
She laughed, low and husky, setting off that rattling sensation inside him again. “When Grandpa speaks, I listen.”
He thought of what she had said about her father, another topic she didn’t seem inclined to discuss. “And when your dad speaks, you pay attention, too?”
“Something like that.” She swung her leg over the top of the ladder and clambered down the steps, one hand held in front of her to protect the camera on its strap. “I think we’re done here.”
He glanced at the tub. “That’s a waste of hot water. And not to mention all the fun we’d miss out on with the bubbles.”
“Is it your turn to make me an offer?”
“Something like that.” He hadn’t deliberately echoed her words, but they were out before he could stop himself.
“You’re right. Why waste all those bubbles? Why don’t you feel free to jump in—” she raised the camera “—and give me a big smile.”
He stepped forward, reaching out to cover the lens. It put him close enough to see the pure silver gray of her eyes surrounded by lashes as dark as her hair. “I’ll pass on that offer, too.”
“Why? Are you camera-shy?”
The real answer would take too long and tell her much more than he wanted her to know. “Let’s make things perfectly clear, the way you like ’em.” He tugged gently on her silver chain and watched her eyes darken. “Honey, I’m not shy about anything.”
* * *
IGNORING PETE’S BOOTS clomping behind her, Jane walked down the hotel’s stairs to the first floor on legs that weren’t quite as steady as normal.
In the suite upstairs, his teasing hadn’t meant a thing; it had just been his way of yanking her chain. Of trying to get the upper hand, the way he had always done—though years ago, he’d certainly never attempted that by moving in close enough for a kiss. To her shock, his nearness had made her pulse pick up. Now the idea of kissing him made it spike.
She needed to get a grip on more than her camera.
As they reached the lobby, Tina came out from her office behind the registration desk. “There you are. Pete, Rachel’s in the dining room.”
Jane noticed Pete shoot a glance toward her before looking back at Tina. “The kids are home already? I didn’t realize it was that late.”
“They were just dropped off a few minutes ago.”
“I’ll check in and say hello.”
Before he could turn to go down the hallway to the dining room, they heard footsteps approaching from that direction. She hadn’t seen Pete’s daughter for quite a while, but she recognized the small, blond-haired girl dressed in a red T-shirt and denim shorts who entered the lobby, followed by Jed.
To her surprise, the girl gave her a big grin.
“Hi, Jane!” she shrieked. “I knew you would come back because you have to be in the wedding. And we have to try on our dresses. Mine’s soooo pretty. Like your dress and Andi’s and Ally’s—well, but mine’s smaller. Ally’s is different because she’s the best maid and—”
“Maid of honor,” Pete put in.
“—maid of honor and she gets to be special. But I get to be special, too, because I’m going to carry flowers. Nobody else gets to carry flowers like mine—did you know that? And nobody else gets to drop them on the floor. Only me, right, Daddy?”
“Right,” Pete said.
“So that makes me extra-special!” She twirled, her backpack swinging wide, her shoulder-length blond hair fanning out behind.
Jane’s fingers involuntarily tightened on her camera.
“You’re extra-special every day, sweetheart.”
Now Jane’s chest tightened, as if her heart had swelled just a bit. A man who loved his daughter couldn’t be all bad. Could he?
Rachel laughed and turned to Jane again. “Miss Loring said it’s good to practice for very special things. Can you come and help me practice with the flowers?”
It took Jane a moment to respond. “Uh...well, yes. We could do that.”
“Today?”
“Well...today or tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Good!” Rachel grinned at Jane again, then tugged on Pete’s hand. “I got the invitations, Daddy.”
“She sure did,” said Jed, holding up a small yellow envelope. “In fact, I’m the first to receive one. Isn’t that right, Rachel?”
“Yep. I gave one to Grandpa Jed first, Daddy. Is that okay?”
“Fine by me,” Pete said.
Rachel dug into her backpack. “Here’s one for you. And one for Tina. And one for Jane.” She handed them each an envelope. “And now I have to give one to Paz.”
“She might be busy getting supper ready,” Pete told her.
“But she told me she wants her invitation right away.”
“Did she?”
As he looked down at his daughter, Pete’s half smile softened his features. His dark eyelashes highlighted his hazel eyes. Jane’s fingers tightened on the camera again. It took a conscious effort to relax her grip.
“C’mon, Rachel,” Jed said. “Let’s go see Paz.”
“I’ll go with you.” Tina stepped from behind the registration desk. “Robbie ran right into the kitchen to talk to Abuela when he and Rachel came home.”
Before Jane could blink, she found herself alone in the lobby with Pete, who stood watching his daughter skip down the hallway. In profile, his eyelashes looked long and thick, his lips firm, his jaw solid and beginning to darken with stubble.
She wondered what she would have done if he had taken her up on the suggestion to climb into the bubble bath.
But of course, she would have gone for the best angle—while hoping her shaking hands wouldn’t destroy the results.
At photo shoots, she sometimes saw people—female and male—wearing nothing but scraps of clothing. She was used to that. She saw what the camera showed her, filtered through the lens. Yet simply the thought of seeing Pete Brannigan undressed seemed to be a whole other story.
Maybe it was that sexy shadow on his jaw...or the light brown hair that turned golden in sunlight... Or maybe it was his broad shoulders and muscular chest...his sculpted arms and flat abs... Whatever it was, the man had what it took to grace the cover of any magazine.
He turned his head and caught her looking at him.
Normally, that wouldn’t have bothered her, but after their close encounter and his attempt to rattle her in the suite, she felt the need to say something. “It’s only an occupational hazard.”
“Staring at me?”
“In your dreams, cowboy. No, not you. Not even men specifically. Faces. Male or female. Cats, dogs, you name it.”
“Even horses.”
She nodded. “Even horses. Like Daffodil. And I wasn’t staring at you. I was observing.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Yes.” She reached for her camera, then realized she still held the envelope his daughter had given her. She raised it to his eye level. “Rachel’s a little young to be handing out wedding invitations, isn’t she? And if it’s for Tina’s wedding, I thought the bride had that covered.”
He laughed, more at the mention of his daughter, she was sure, than in amusement over her comment, yet the sudden lightness in his expression sent a rush of pleasure through her.
“Not a wedding,” he said. “It’s for her kindergarten graduation.”
“Oh.” Silly, but the thought of being invited made her feel “extra-special.” She smiled.
To her surprise, he frowned. “It’s not till after the wedding, and you and Andi will be gone. Don’t worry about making excuses to Rachel. I’ll explain to her why you can’t come.”
“Maybe I’d rather make my own ‘excuses.’” There she went, allowing him to push her buttons again. Attending a kindergarten graduation would be the last thing she’d ever find on her agenda, but she couldn’t let Pete believe he could make her decisions for her. “I’ve been good about speaking up for myself ever since I was a kid.”
“Yeah, I’d noticed.”
“You’re not going to let the past go, are you?”
“Past, present. Doesn’t seem to matter when it is—you like to argue.”
“And you don’t?”
“Nope. I just like to keep the conversation going till I get the last word.”
She laughed. “Rachel seems to take after you.”
“Not enough.” Suddenly, he was frowning again.
“She does bear a striking resemblance to your wife.”
“Ex-wife.” He clamped his teeth together so hard, a muscle in his jaw throbbed.
“Ex-wife.”
“And let’s just leave her out of this, all right?”
Now she was the one to frown. “Is that what you say when Rachel asks about her?”
“What I tell my daughter is none—” His jaws clamped shut again.
None of your business.
“Let’s just stick to business,” he added, “like my ex-wife does.”
His flat statement only confirmed her thought about what he had wanted to say. And he was right. His conversations with his daughter were not her concern. Neither was his obviously rocky relationship with his ex-wife.
“And,” he said, “I’d just as soon you not throw out any empty promises to Rachel, either.”
“Empty promises?”
“About helping her with the flowers.”
“That wasn’t an empty promise.”
“No? You didn’t sound interested, but you plan to follow through? Because you can’t just say something like that to a kid Rachel’s age and not expect her to take it to heart.”
He turned to go down the hallway. She stared after him in surprise.
No wonder the poor man had problems in his relationships.
* * *
PETE STOOD BY the corral watching Rachel run across the yard to the house. He knew his housekeeper would come to the porch to acknowledge his daughter’s arrival home, as she always did.
Inside the corral, Cole and another of the ranch hands were finishing up a riding lesson with a couple of guests from the hotel.
Near the barn, the stable hand, Eddie, stood grooming Bingo. They kept the Shetland for the smallest kids, including Jed’s great-grandson, Robbie.
Rachel gave him a quick wave and went inside the house with Sharon.
He thought of Jane’s question about what he told his daughter, then winced as he recalled his response. It sure wouldn’t win him any prizes for politeness.
Maybe he ought to thank her for the question, since his reply would put some distance between them again. Distance he definitely needed, especially after her halfhearted agreement to help Rachel “practice with the flowers.” Her protest to him that she was not making an empty promise had sounded just as weak.
The hotel guests also waved to him on their way to the hotel. In return, he tipped his Stetson.
Cole had handed his reins to the other wrangler and walked up to join Pete. He nodded in the direction of the guests. “They’ve come a long way this week. And they’re talking about another visit to the ranch soon.”
“Jed will be happy to hear it.”
“I see Rachel got home okay.”
“Yeah. Robbie, too,” he added, knowing Cole would ask about his and Tina’s son. He smiled. “Rachel’s all excited about her graduation.”
“So I’ve been hearing. Sounds like it’s going to be a big production.”
“Not nearly as big a deal as the wedding.”
“The ladies are going to town with it, aren’t they?” Cole shook his head. “But that’s what it’s about, I guess. Lucky for us, we just have to get dressed and show up.”
“Sounds like the voice of experience,” Pete said with a laugh.
“That would be you, not me.”
“Yeah.” Not such a great experience, as it turned out.
He led the way to the barn.
Not long after he’d hired Sharon, his divorce had come through. Marina hadn’t requested regular visitation with the kids. She hadn’t even wanted custody, claiming it would be better for him to have full charge, since she never knew when her schedule would take her out of the country.
Her rise to fame had been the kind of overnight success story heard about only in the news. Well, now she was someone making that news, the latest glamour girl whose face and figure showed up on cover after magazine cover. And he couldn’t fault her for being happy about having the life she’d always wanted.
Too bad she hadn’t bothered telling him she’d wanted that life before they’d married and started raising a couple of kids. Not that he ever had or ever would regret having Rachel and Eric.
He loved his kids. And though his marriage had fallen apart, he sure as hell planned to hold his little family together.
Inside the barn, Cole said, “I’ve got the order we picked up waiting in your office, all but a couple of items on back order.”
“Some of it needs to go out to the supply cabins.” They went down the list together, discussing what should stay in the barn and what they should transfer. “Let’s load this up now, and you can take it out first thing in the morning.”
Cole nodded. “Think you’ll be around, or are you going to be busy over at the hotel again? I’ve been hearing about that, too.”
“From who?” he demanded.
“Jed mentioned it. And he and Jane were talking about it over breakfast. With the renovations partially done, she said she intended to get some of her pictures taken.”
“Tina’s still hoping to have everything finished up by late fall?”
“Yeah. If she can push the contractors to move any faster. But that seems about as likely as pulling out the back teeth of a bull with lockjaw.”
“I wouldn’t want her job dealing with them. You and the boys give me enough grief.”
“Ha. And what about Jane?”
“She’ll be done with her pictures soon, and I’ll be back here, where I belong.” End of story. He lifted a supply carton from the floor.
“I’ll bring the truck around to the back,” Cole volunteered.
“Sounds good,” he agreed, happy to change the subject.
He didn’t want to talk about Jane. Despite all the strikes against her, he’d thought of her much too often. Worse, he was having a heck of a time getting images of her out of his head.
Maybe he’d just stayed away from women too long.
Since the divorce, he hadn’t dated or even brought anyone new around his kids. In fact, he’d pretty much kept himself to himself. He had no plans to jump into another relationship. But, for his kids’ sake, he couldn’t rule out the idea of marrying again someday. He just needed to find the right woman to make his family complete.
No way was a smart-mouthed city slicker like Jane Garland the right woman to be a mom to his kids.
And no way was she the woman for him...no matter how much he wanted her.
Chapter Four (#u5a7c892c-468a-5445-acd6-bd709911faea)
June might be a great month for a wedding—if you liked weddings—but as he’d futilely reminded Jed, it was also a busy one on the ranch. Too busy to spend an afternoon or even a few hours playing assistant to a perfectionist photographer. Yet he’d returned for another day of taking Jane’s directions, and this time, he’d looked forward to that more than he should.
She hadn’t stood still all morning. He wondered if she was as rattled as he was over that moment on the back porch.
For the third time in ten minutes, he rearranged a table and chairs in the Hitching Post’s dining room.
“That’s good,” she said. “A few more shots ought to do it.”
“For this room?”
“For the day. Tina and Grandpa should be back from the airport soon.”
He nodded. Early that morning, Jed had told him they would be picking up his middle granddaughter and her kids.
Jane started in on the routine that had become familiar to him by now, standing at one side of the room, then slowly covering the area, clicking the camera as she went along.
The sound of her heels on the hardwood floor brought his attention to her leather ankle boots. Black leather, of course. From there, his gaze naturally went to shapely calves and then slim thighs. A long-tailed button-down shirt hid the rest of her curves. Unfortunately, that didn’t do a thing to rein in his imagination.
He wanted to move closer, to undo that shirt one button at a time. At the very least, he wanted to get her talking again. He took a couple of steps forward just as she backed up, walking directly into him. Instantly, he realized how far his imagination had taken him and how quickly his body had followed. He hoped she hadn’t been able to notice.
When she turned to face him, he racked his brain for something halfway intelligent to say. “We’d better hurry this up.”
“Hurry?”
“Yeah. With Jed and your cousins coming back, anyone could interrupt us at any time.” The thought of having anything to interrupt got him hot all over. Dang. He had to forget this crazy desire for her. Or do something to satisfy it.
She stepped away. “Just a few more shots.”
He laughed. “I’ve heard that one before.” He settled into a chair at a table for two near the wall. Maybe the space would help him cool down a bit. “Must cost you a fortune in film.”
She shook her head. “This camera’s digital. That means it goes straight from the camera to the computer.”
“Didn’t know you could do that,” he said.
She must not have picked up on his teasing. Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, she glanced at him. “Come on. You’ve got a camera phone, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’ve never used it to take a picture, and I don’t mind saying—”
“—I’m danged proud of it,” she finished. “I could just hear that coming. But don’t tell me you don’t use a computer.”
He couldn’t honestly say that but wanted to agree, just to see her reaction.
“You would have to,” she went on. “You must deal with budgets and payroll and other reports for the ranch.”
“Tina generally takes care of all those.”
She took the chair opposite his. Her camera sounded hollow as she set it on the tabletop. “You’re telling me your fingers never touch a keyboard?” she asked. “Not even for email?”
“From time to time,” he admitted. “Not more than I can help it.” He ran his fingertips along the surface of the table. “Feel this.” He took her hand and laid it flat on the table, his fingers covering hers. She looked quickly at him, but didn’t pull away.
“This was once a tree,” he said, “something alive and breathing. Something natural, not like the plastic and metal in that camera of yours.” She freed her hand and reached for the hunk of metal again, as if the small lump of man-made material were formed of solid gold. As if she couldn’t function without it. He shrugged. “I prefer wood and wool to computers or video games. Or any kind of electronics.”
“Oh. Well...why stop there? Why not give up electricity altogether? You could have Rachel do her homework by candlelight.” She laughed. Her eyes sparkled. “How do you feel about indoor plumbing, by the way? There’s plenty of wide-open space out here to set up a few outhouses.”
“Very funny.” He didn’t care that she definitely hadn’t caught on to his teasing about the camera. But her tone hit too close to home and his father’s frequent remarks.
“It was meant to be.” She shook her head. “Even you can’t be as out of touch with the modern world as all that.”
Way too close to home. “‘Out of touch.’ Now, where have I heard that before?”
“I don’t know. Where?”
“From my dad. It’s one of his favorite expressions when he’s talking to me. And when he really wants to make an impression, he reminds me I could have had a better career.” He shook his head. “He doesn’t get that I’ll never want a job other than being a rancher.”
“Ah... I’m beginning to see where all this is coming from.”
“All this what?”
“This resistance. This rebellion. This ‘I’m not doing it and you can’t make me’ defense.” She laughed. “Yet you call me stubborn?”
“I’m not defensive. And as I already told you, ma’am, I’m not shy.” He ran his fingertips down a strand of her shiny black hair. “I’m just a good ol’ cowboy, a rancher at home on the range. Anyhow, what’s wrong with good, old-fashioned cowboy values?”
“Maybe some of them are outdated, just as your father said.”
“I’d rather talk about your dad. And you.”
She shrugged. “Why not? I’ve got nothing to hide.”
His heart tripped a beat at the image that statement brought to mind. Nobody in his right mind would walk away from an offer like this one. Maybe that was why he planned to take her up on it. To prove he wasn’t crazy and to show he was in control of his emotions—even if he couldn’t swear to either of those at the moment.
“I already know where you get your streak of perfectionism. How’d you get to be so independent—growing up with a dad in the service?”
“Not just in. He’s a five-star general.”
“I’ll bet that gave you some perks.”
“Maybe. But there are drawbacks to being a military brat, too.”
“Such as?”
“If any kid didn’t show up for class, the entire Army base heard about it.”
“Bet that would go over well. Your dad was strict with you?”
“Oh, yeah. He wouldn’t let me date until I was seventeen.”
“Sounds lenient to me. I’m thinking Rachel should wait till she’s twenty-five.”
She laughed.
The sound drew him to her. He leaned across the table, until only a few inches separated them. “So, tell me about this first date.”
“What do you want to know?”
At the sound of running footsteps approaching the dining room, they both sat back. He had no time to answer her question. Probably the best thing for them both, considering the direction his thoughts were headed.
He turned his attention to the doorway. He’d wager the footsteps meant the school bus had arrived, bringing Rachel home from her kindergarten class and Robbie from his preschool. Seconds later, he won the bet when both kids ran into the room.
“Hi, Daddy!” Rachel called. “Hi, Jane! Can you take my picture? Like this?” She slung her backpack over one shoulder and put her free hand on her hip.
He frowned. More than a few times over the past couple of days, she had talked about Jane and her camera. He didn’t want to see that trend continue. Didn’t like the idea of his daughter growing too attached. Soon, Jane would leave again to go off on her travels, and Rachel would feel abandoned.
Before she could respond, he said, “Not now, Rachel.”
“I don’t mind,” Jane said.
“See, Daddy?”
“And,” he went on steadily, “I think you and I had better head for our house. Jane and Robbie are going to have company.”
“I know. Andi’s coming today. And Trey and Missy.”
“We need to let Sharon know you’re home.”
“Huh-uh, we don’t!” Her giggle sounded triumphant. “Sharon’s in the kitchen with Paz. When everybody gets here, we’re having a tea party. Paz made sopaipillas and cookies.”
“Chocolate cookies,” Robbie said. He had a real fondness for chocolate—and a real tough time getting a word in edgewise whenever Rachel was around.
Another thing he’d need to talk to her about.
“I hear Grandpa!” Robbie announced. He ran from the room.
“C’mon, Jane.” Rachel took her hand. “We have to go say hi. You, too, Daddy.” She led Jane toward the doorway, leaving him in their dust.
* * *
DURING THE “PARTY” to welcome Andi and her kids back to the ranch, Pete continued to fight his uneasiness. Rachel’s sudden attachment to Jane almost rivaled his fascination with the woman.
For both reasons, he hadn’t planned to stick around, but Jed insisted. The boss urged him to have a cup of coffee, then included him in the conversation about the changes happening to the hotel. Worse, Jed had made suggestions that only increased Jane’s need for help with her photos.
Somehow, in everyone’s eyes but his own, he’d gone from lowly photographer’s assistant to a necessary member of the hotel revitalization team.
When Jed had come up with his plans for the renovation, Tina accepted responsibility for hiring the contractors. Andi agreed to hire the folks who would take care of the food, flowers and whatever else the hotel needed for wedding receptions and other events. Jane...well, he knew what Jane was handling, along with her primary job of driving him crazy with wanting her.
She sat a few seats away from him at the center table in the dining room. The wrought-iron fixture above the table gave her already shiny hair an almost metallic glow. High-tech hairstyle to match her high-tech toys.
“Pete?”
He started. The raised voice and the stares from a couple of the others at the table made it apparent Jed had spoken to him more than once. “Sorry, boss. Just making a mental note to check on Starlight when I leave here.” It was the best he could come up with.
Andi sat in the chair beside his. She smiled at him. “I’ll have to take a walk out to the stables to say hello.”
On her visits to Garland Ranch, she spent a lot of time around the barn and the corral—certainly more than Jane ever had. While he couldn’t call Andi a friend, at least they had a cordial relationship. And now, unfortunately, they had more in common than an interest in horses. Recently widowed, she was a single parent, too, with a son a couple of years younger than Rachel and a newborn daughter.
When the conversation shifted, she turned to him and said quietly, “Eric’s getting big. It’s been such a short time since our last visit, but I already see so many differences in him.”
“They sure grow fast, don’t they?”
“They sure do. And Rachel,” she murmured, “is getting prettier by the minute.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that. I’ve already got a diva on my hands.” It took all his effort to force a grin.
His daughter had taken the chair on one side of Jane. On Jane’s other side, Sharon sat holding his son. Eric wrapped his chubby hand around Jane’s long silver chains and gave them a tug, the way he reined in his toy pony-on-wheels. The way Pete himself had touched that chain just the day before, though with more restraint.
“Stop, Eric,” Rachel demanded. “You’ll break Jane’s necklace.”
Instead, his son reached out with his free hand, as if wanting Jane to take him into her arms.
“I said stop, Eric.”
Pete looked at his daughter.
“He’s not—” Jane began.
“Rachel,” he said quietly.
After a quick glance at him, she mumbled “Okay, Daddy” and slumped back in her seat. The set of her mouth told him she was gearing up for a pout.
Evidently, Sharon noticed the warning sign, too. “Much as I hate to break up the party, some of us need to leave.” Gently, she uncurled his son’s fingers from the necklace. “Eric hasn’t had his nap, have you, sweetie? And, Rachel, come along. You’ve got to help me get some vegetables ready, or your daddy won’t have any supper.”
“I’m good with vegetables.” All smiles now, Rachel looked at Jane. “You can come, too. I’ll let you snap the beans. That’s the most fun part.”
Jane smiled. “I—”
“You run along,” he told Rachel. “Go with Sharon, the way she asked you to.”
“Maybe another time, Rachel,” Jane said. “I need to visit with Andi.”
As Sharon left the room with the kids, he swallowed a relieved sigh, happy to have her create some space between his family and Jane. He turned to Jed. “I plan to be up in the northeast pastures with the boys most of tomorrow.”
“Fine,” his boss said.
“Fine with me, too,” his other boss said. Jane’s mouth curved into a half smile as if she somehow knew the effort it took to keep his expression blank. “I’ll be in Santa Fe anyway.”
“For our final fittings,” Tina reminded him.
“Right.” His daughter needed to go along. “I’ll make sure Sharon has Rachel over here on time tomorrow morning.”
Not quite as happy now, he left the dining room.
He and the bride-to-be had agreed it was a good thing Andi’s later arrival meant postponing the trip to Santa Fe until the weekend. This eliminated the need to excuse their kids from school. With Rachel’s graduation so close, he and Tina both knew how she would react to the idea of missing out on anything.
The trouble now was, he didn’t like his daughter spending the day with Jane or the way even Eric seemed to have taken such a shine to her.
Maybe they’d somehow picked up on his feelings about the woman. Almost against his better judgment, he found himself drawn to her. And with every minute they spent together, his willpower took more of a beating.
* * *
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Jane eyed herself critically in the triple mirror at the bridal shop in Santa Fe.
“You look great,” Tina told her.
Tina and Rachel had already completed their fittings, and now the three bridesmaids would be taking their turn. Bright colors weren’t her thing, but even she had to admit the royal blue halter-top gown didn’t look bad with her dark hair.
She laughed. “I guess I’d never have stood a chance of getting you to agree to a black-and-white wedding.”
“Not with Ally around,” Tina assured her.
“You’ve got that right, chica.” The maid of honor looked stunning in a hot-pink, off-the-shoulder gown, but she tossed her long black curls and gave a theatrical moan. “I wanted to wear purple and orange.”
“And I put my foot down about that.”
“Stomped it down, you mean,” Ally grumbled.
They all laughed. As they waited for the seamstress to return to the fitting room, they continued talking about the upcoming wedding.
Jane’s attention drifted to one corner of the room, where Rachel and Robbie were sitting far enough away to prevent their overhearing the conversation. A game board lay open on the floor between them, and Rachel seemed to be explaining the rules to Robbie.
She smiled. Sharon had brought Rachel to the Hitching Post early this morning, and the little girl had sat beside her at breakfast. In the ranch’s big SUV, Rachel had worked her way to a seat next to Jane, too.
Watching Rachel made her think of Rachel’s daddy and the way he acted every time she was around the child. What could he possibly have against her talking to his daughter? He seemed as strict with the girl as her own father had been with her. Maybe for that reason alone, her sympathy went to Rachel.
Still, she couldn’t deny she had other feelings for Pete. The memory of his touching her hand and her hair sent a pleasurable tremor down her spine. To her dismay, when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks had turned pink.
Beside her, Ally leaned closer to the mirror and adjusted the bodice of her gown. “I think I’m going to give up eating this week.”
“Then you’d have to come back for another fitting,” Tina reminded her.
“Oh...that’s true. Maybe I’ll just skip desserts.” Ally glanced at Jane.
Glad for the chance to redirect her thoughts, Jane laughed.
They had planned to have dinner here in Santa Fe. Before the ride, they had all met for a quick lunch in town. At SugarPie’s, Cowboy Creek’s bakery and sandwich shop, the two of them had learned they shared a love of sweets.
“You’re on your own with that idea,” Jane said. “The other day, I thought about sacrificing dessert and realized I’d rather give up my main course—although I’m not sure about that now, either. Paz’s cooking is too delicious. And I can’t wait to get to SugarPie’s again. Sugar’s corned beef sandwich is as good as any New York deli’s.”
“Is it enough to make you stay in Cowboy Creek?” Tina asked.
Jane laughed. “Sorry, nothing’s that good.”
“Speaking of giving up,” Andi said, “have you fired your assistant yet?”
She froze for a moment, then pretended to be inspecting her dress more closely in the mirror. “No, I haven’t. Why?”
“I’m not so sure Pete likes taking orders from you.”
“First of all, Andi, I don’t give orders. And he’s fine about doing things for me.”
“Maybe he’d like to do even more for you,” Ally murmured.
“Watch it, girl, or I’ll steal your dessert tonight.” Jane looked at all three women and settled her gaze on her cousin Tina. Unlike Andi with her teasing and Ally with her over-the-top ideas, quiet, reserved Tina could always be counted on to tell the truth without embellishment. “What’s going on?”
Tina smiled. “I think Andi means Pete’s distraction when Jed was talking to him in the dining room yesterday. Ally was probably taking a wild guess about what Pete wants.”
The maid of honor rolled her eyes.
“Why should his distraction have something to do with me?” Jane said. And why did even the thought of it make goose bumps race down her bare arms? “He’s probably got a lot on his mind. He’s told me—more than once—how busy it is on the ranch around this time.”
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