Lone Star Holiday Proposal
Yvonne Lindsay
A sexy Texan has the holidays to decide: close the deal or open his heart? Only from USA TODAY bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay!Royal, Texas, native Nolan Dane’s homecoming is bittersweet—he’d once lost everything here. But he’s eager to finalize a key real estate deal for his mysterious boss by Christmas—even if making it happen means cozying up to local shop owner Raina Patterson. Falling for the beautiful single mom isn’t part of the plan. But when Nolan’s secrets catch up with him, he realizes his true feelings for Raina run deep. Now, can he prove he’s worthy of her—before it’s too late?
“And what about you, Raina?
Don’t you need somebody as well?” Nolan asked. Raina blushed and looked down for a moment.
“I have JJ,” she said, her voice staunch. “He’s all I need.” Nolan nodded and then stepped a little closer. “I’d really like to see you again.”
Raina’s breath caught in her throat.
“Nolan, I’m flattered. B-but I don’t date anymore. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Nolan said, his brown eyes gleaming under the street lamp. “But if you ever change your mind, make sure you let me know, okay?”
She was well-advised to steer completely clear of Nolan Dane. She’d only met him four days ago and he was already heating her blood. She couldn’t—no, shouldn’t—entertain the idea. And yet, she still found herself wishing she could say yes.
“How long are you prepared to wait?” Raina joked on a nervous laugh.
Nolan smiled and gave her a look that sent curls of delight all the way to her extremities.
“As long as it takes.”
* * *
Lone Star Holiday Proposal is part of The Texas Cattleman’s Club: Lies and Lullabies series—Baby secrets and a scheming sheikh rock Royal, Texas
Lone Star Holiday Proposal
Yvonne Lindsay
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
A typical Piscean, USA TODAY bestselling author YVONNE LINDSAY has always preferred her imagination to the real world. Married to her blind date hero and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart, and in her spare time she can be found with her nose in a book reliving the power of love, or knitting socks and daydreaming. Contact her via her website www.yvonnelindsay.com (http://www.yvonnelindsay.com).
As always, I’m strengthened by the support of my fellow authors when working on a project like this, whether they are directly involved in the continuity or not. In particular I would like to dedicate this book to Soraya Lane to thank her for her constant cheerleading and encouragement, and for challenging me to bigger, better word counts than I ever dreamed I could achieve in a single day.
Deadlines become so much easier when you’re haranguing me from the sideline! Thank you.
Contents
Cover (#u30c59a6b-00aa-511d-8c0d-5e13cb16d4d9)
Introduction (#u953fff1f-f1e7-575f-b592-33b666ea305d)
Title Page (#uf8b40662-2e50-5153-a96b-f58abf902727)
About the Author (#u5a41e68c-2320-58e8-b1af-650086ebdbe6)
Dedication (#u5815aa84-f300-5b78-be8e-b9fbe6cde32a)
One (#ulink_88cf9702-8be4-5983-af23-ee44948c3836)
Two (#ulink_38cfc0a4-6ad4-5b1f-a765-8e06f359aba3)
Three (#ulink_f5db0e94-a1d0-5eb1-91fc-ec38e9e654e9)
Four (#ulink_48c0b49c-c58e-5691-a3a6-19d20685e646)
Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#ulink_7e95edf5-6776-5886-88da-619c506f7232)
Nolan rolled to a stop in the parking area at the Courtyard and looked around. The four-mile drive out of Royal had been pleasant, quite a difference from the Southern California freeway traffic that was a part of his daily grind back home.
Home. He grunted. Royal, Texas, was really his home, not the sparsely furnished luxury apartment he slept and occasionally ate in back in LA. But he hadn’t lived here in Royal, or even been back, in coming up on seven years. Even now he’d chosen to check into a hotel rather than stay with his parents. The reminders of his old life and old hopes were still too fresh, too raw. He gave his head a slight shake, as if to jog his mind back on track, and pushed open the door to the brand-new SUV he’d hired for his visit. He alighted from the vehicle, grabbed his suit jacket from the backseat and pulled it on before taking a moment to adjust pristine white shirt cuffs.
The wind cut right through the finely woven wool of his suit. It seemed even Armani couldn’t protect you from a frigid Texan winter breeze. Nor were highly polished handmade shoes immune to the dust of the unsealed parking lot, he noted with a slight grimace of distaste. But when had he gotten so prissy? There’d been a time when even baby spit hadn’t bothered him.
A shaft of pain lanced through him. It still hurt as if it was yesterday. Nolan buttoned his jacket and straightened his shoulders. He’d known coming back would be hard, that it might rip the scabs off wounds he’d thought already healed. But what he hadn’t expected were these blindsiding moments when those old hurts threatened to drive him back down on his knees.
Pull it together, he willed silently, clenching his jaw tight. He’d lived through far worse than these random memories that were all that was left of his old life. He could live through this. It was time to harden back up and get to work.
As private attorney for Rafiq Bin Saleed, Nolan was here to do a job for one of Rafiq’s companies, Samson Oil. He loved his work—particularly loved the cut and parry of entering into property negotiations on behalf of his boss and friend. The fact that doing so now brought him back to the scene of his deepest sorrow was tempered only by the fact that he also got to spend some time with his parents on their home turf. They weren’t getting any younger and his dad was already making noises about retiring. From personal experience working there, Nolan knew that his dad’s family law practice was demanding, but he couldn’t quite reconcile himself to the fact that his dad was getting ready to scale down, or even walk away, from the practice he’d started only a few years out of law school.
Again Nolan reminded himself to get back on track. Obviously he’d have to work harder. Being back home after a long absence had a way of derailing a man when he least expected it—but that wouldn’t earn him any bonuses when it came to crunch time with his boss. He looked around the area that had been christened the Courtyard. The name fit, he decided as he took in the assembly of renovated ranch buildings that housed a variety of stores and craftsmen. His research had already told him that the tenants specialized in arts and crafts with artisanal breads and cheeses also on sale, while the central area was converted into a farmer’s market most Saturday mornings.
To Nolan’s way of thinking, it was an innovative way to use an old run-down and unprofitable piece of land. So what the hell did Rafiq want with it? He knew for a fact that there was no oil to be found in the surrounding area. Hell, everyone who grew up in and around Royal knew that—which kind of raised questions as to what Samson Oil wanted the land for. So far, Rafiq’s quest to buy up property in Royal failed to make economic sense to Nolan.
Sure, he was giving owners who were still battered and struggling to pull their lives together after the tornado a chance to get away and start a new life, but what did Rafe plan to do with all the land he’d acquired?
Nolan reminded himself it wasn’t his place to ask questions but merely to carry out the brief, no matter how much of a waste of money it looked like to him. Rafiq had his reasons but he wasn’t sharing them, and it had been made clear to Nolan that it was his place to see to the acquisition of specific parcels of land—whether they were for sale or not. And that’s exactly what he was going to do.
Regrettably, however, it appeared that Winslow Properties, despite their shaky financial footing, were not open to selling this particular parcel of land. It was up to him to persuade them otherwise. He’d hoped some of the tenants would be more forthcoming about their landlord but so far, on his visits to the stores, he’d found them to be a closemouthed bunch. Maybe they were all just scared, he thought. Royal had been through a lot. No one wanted to rock the boat now.
There was one tenant he’d yet to have the opportunity to talk to. He recalled her name from his memory—Raina Patterson. From what he understood she might be closer to Mellie Winslow than some of the other tenants. Maybe Ms. Patterson could give him the angle he needed to pry this property from the Winslow family’s grip.
He began to walk toward a large red barn at the bottom of the U-shape created by the buildings. The iron roof had been proudly painted with the Texas flag. The sight of that flag never failed to tug at him; as much as he’d assimilated to his California lifestyle, he’d always be Texan.
Looking around, Nolan understood why the Winslow family had, after initial interest in Samson Oil’s offer, grown cagey at the idea of selling this little community and the land it was on. For a town that was still rebuilding, this was an area of optimism and growth. Selling out from underneath everyone was bound to create unrest and instability all over again. Not everyone here could just pick up and create a new life in a new town or state like he had.
Damn, and there he was again. Thinking of the past and of what he’d lost. His wife, his son. He should probably have sent someone else on the legal team to do this job but Rafiq had been adamant he handle it himself. He mentally shrugged. It was the price he paid for the obscenely high salary he earned—he could live with that as long as he didn’t ever have to live here again, with his memories.
* * *
Raina made a final tweak of the pine boughs and tartan ribbons she’d used to decorate the antique mantelpiece and looked around her store with a sense of pride and wonder. Her store. Priceless by name and by nature. She’d been here in the renovated red barn a month now. She still couldn’t quite believe that a year after the tornado that had leveled her original business and much of the town of Royal, she’d managed to rebuild her inventory and relocate her business rather than just fold up altogether.
It certainly hadn’t been easy, she thought as she moved through the store and let her hand drift over the highly polished oak sewing table she’d picked up at an estate sale last week—but it had been worth it.
Now all she had to do was hold on to it. A ripple of disquiet trickled down her spine. Her landlord, Mellie Winslow, had been subdued yesterday when she’d visited Raina but had said she was doing everything she could to ensure that her father’s company, Winslow Properties, didn’t sell the Courtyard.
Raina needed to know this wasn’t all going to be ripped away from her a second time. She didn’t know if she had it in her to start over again. Losing her store on Main Street, and most of her underinsured inventory of antiques, had just about sent her packing from the town she’d adopted as her own four years ago. She had to make this work, for herself and for her little boy.
No matter which way she looked at it, though, she still couldn’t understand why anyone would be interested in buying the dried-up and overused land, let alone an oil company. If only Samson Oil—who’d been buying land left, right and center around Royal—would go away and let her have the peace and security she’d been searching for her whole life. Heck, it wasn’t even as if they seemed to be doing anything with the properties they’d bought up. At the rate Samson Oil was going, Royal would become a ghost town.
“Mommy! Look!”
Raina turned and smiled at her son, Justin, or JJ as he was known, as he proudly showed off the ice cream cone her dad—his namesake—had just bought him. JJ was three going on thirteen most of the time, but today he was home from day care because he’d been miserable with a persistent cold. He was back to being the little boy who wanted his mommy and his “G’anddad” most of all. The theory had been that he’d rest on the small cot she had in her office out back, but theory had been thrown to the wind when JJ had heard his beloved granddad arrive to help Raina move some of the heavier items in the store.
Looking at JJ now, she began to wonder if she’d been conned by the little rascal all along. The little boy had protested his granddad’s departure most miserably, but he was all smiles now with an ice cream cone and the promise of a sleepover on the weekend.
“Lucky you,” she answered squatting down to JJ’s eye level. “Can I have some?”
JJ pulled the cone closer to him, distrust in his eyes. “No, Mommy. G’anddad said it mine.”
Raina pouted. “Not even one little lick?”
She saw the indecision on his face for just a moment before he proffered the dripping cone in her direction. “One,” he said very solemnly.
Raina licked off the drips before they hit the floor and theatrically sighed in pleasure. “That’s so yummy. Can I have more?” she teased, reaching for JJ’s wrist.
“No more, Mommy! Mine!” JJ squealed and turned and ran, laughing hysterically as Raina growled and lumbered playfully behind him.
Through her son’s shrieks of delight, Raina heard the bell tinkle over the main door, signaling a potential customer.
“Justin Junior, you stop right there! No running through the store,” she called out, but it was futile. JJ was barreling away from her at top speed.
She rounded the corner just in time to hear a muffled “oof!” as JJ ran straight into the man who’d just entered the store. The man was wearing a very expensive looking suit, which, she groaned inwardly, now wore a fair portion of JJ’s ice cream cone, right at the level of the man’s groin. JJ rapidly backed away. The stranger looked up, a startled expression on his face as his eyes met hers. A frisson of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on ran between them like a live current. It unnerved her and made her voice sharp.
“JJ! Apologize to the gentleman, right now.”
She couldn’t help it—even though it was her fault for chasing him, she couldn’t prevent the note of censure that filled her voice. And she still felt unsettled by that look she’d just exchanged with a total stranger. A look that left her feeling things she had no right to feel. Raina dragged her attention back to the disaster at hand and searched around for something to offer the man to help him clean up.
The only pieces of fabric she had close by were a set of handmade lace doilies from the early twentieth century. She certainly couldn’t afford to lose inventory, but then again, nor could she afford to lose a potential customer either.
JJ turned his little face up to hers. His blue eyes, so like her own, filled with tears that began to spill down his still-chubby cheeks. His lower lip began to quiver. He dropped what was left of his cone on the floor and ran to her, burying his face in her maxi skirt as if he could make himself invisible.
“Hey, no harm done,” the man said, his voice slightly gruff and at odds with his words.
Raina definitely noticed a hint of Texas drawl as she glanced from her son to the customer, who, despite that initial look of shock, now appeared unfazed by the incident. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out an honest-to-God white handkerchief. Was that a monogram in the corner? Raina didn’t think they had such things anymore.
“I’m so sorry, sir. Here, let me,” she started, reaching for the cotton square.
“Might be best if I handle this myself,” the man replied.
Oh, heavens, she was such an idiot. Of course he’d have to handle it himself. It was his groin, after all. She had no business touching any man’s trousers, let alone there. She gently set JJ to one side and got busy picking up the cone that he’d dropped on the floor, gathering the sticky mess in her left hand.
“JJ, can you go fetch me the tea towel that’s hanging up in the kitchen?” she asked her son. “And no running!”
It was too late. JJ raced away as if he couldn’t wait to put distance between himself and the mess he’d created.
“Kids, huh?”
The stranger finally smiled and Raina looked up at him—really looked this time—and felt a punch of attraction all the way to the tips of her toes. Before she could answer, JJ was back and, ridiculously glad of the distraction, Raina used the cloth to wipe up the residue from the floor and then wrapped up the cone in the towel to deal with later. Her customer had likewise dealt with the mess on his trousers.
“See, all cleaned up,” he said, rolling up the handkerchief and shoving it in his pocket again.
Raina cringed at the cost of getting all that fine tailoring back into pristine condition again. “But the stain. Please, let me get your suit dry cleaned for you.”
“No, seriously, it’s no bother. Is this your boy? JJ is it?”
She nodded and watched as the man squatted down so he was at eye level with JJ, who had cautiously turned his head around when he’d heard his name. She couldn’t help but notice how the fabric of the stranger’s trousers caught snugly across his thighs and, despite hastily averting her gaze, she also couldn’t stop the disconcerting rush of acute feminine awareness that welled inside her.
“Hey, JJ, no harm done, except to your ice cream. I’m sorry about that, champ.” When Raina started to protest that he had nothing to be sorry for, he merely put up one hand and kept his attention on her little boy. “Are you okay?”
JJ nodded.
“But you lost your ice cream. Maybe I can talk to your mommy about buying you another one. Would you like that?”
Again Raina went to protest but the man shot her a glance and a smile that made her hush. As embarrassed as she was by what had happened, she found herself prepared to follow his lead.
JJ nodded again and the man put out one hand. “Good,” he said with another smile. “Sounds like we have a deal. You want to shake on that?”
Raina felt a tug of pride as her son extended his grubby little hand to be engulfed in the stranger’s much larger one. But pride was soon overtaken by something else as she noticed the man’s hands. They were tanned and broad, with long fingers and neatly kept nails. Definitely an office worker, she surmised, and not from around here, but—oh boy—there was that swell of attraction again. What on earth was wrong with her? After Jeb, she’d sworn off men. She couldn’t trust her own judgment anymore.
The man rose to his full height, which dwarfed Raina’s own five foot seven by a good several inches. He held out his hand toward her.
“Nolan Dane, pleased to meet you.”
Automatically Raina took his hand but realized her mistake the moment she did so. A sharp tingle of electricity sizzled up her arm the second their palms met.
“I... I’m R-Raina. Raina Patterson.”
She groaned inwardly. Great, now she sounded like a complete idiot. Her heart skittered in her chest as she noticed he was still holding her hand. She gently pulled free and fought the urge to rub her palm on the fabric of her skirt. “Welcome to my store, Priceless. Were you looking for something in particular? Perhaps I can help you,” she asked, forcing herself to put her business voice on.
* * *
His first reaction to her had been instant, visceral and totally unexpected. Now Nolan could barely tear his eyes from her. She looked so much like his dead wife, Carole, it was uncanny. Her shoulder-length hair was the same shade of glossy brown that hovered between dark chocolate and rich espresso. She had the same shape of chin and brows. But it was only once he looked more closely at her that he saw the differences that set them apart.
The woman before him now wore only a bare minimum of makeup, letting her natural beauty shine, whereas Carole had been so caught up in projecting the right appearance that even he had rarely seen her without makeup on. Even at breakfast. Carole’s argument had been that while he’d comfortably slipped into a law practice with his father, she’d had a harder road to travel, proving herself against the good ol’ boys in one of Maverick County’s corporate law firms. She’d needed all the armor she could get.
But there was something in the way that Ms. Patterson carried herself, too, and the sweetly serene smile she wore, that continued to remind him of his late wife. Raina presented a strong and untroubled facade to the world. A facade that he already knew hid a vulnerability that had been evident in her hesitant introduction and which had appealed to the protector in him with surprising force.
Hell no, he reminded himself forcibly. No matter how much she fascinated him, he absolutely couldn’t go there. Women like Raina Patterson were completely out of bounds. Even if she wasn’t married—which she probably was—she had a kid, and he had strict rules about not complicating his life any further. He’d already had his heart torn out and shredded to pieces once and he would bear those scars for the rest of his life. Dating was strictly for brief respites—and this woman did not look like the type for a quick roll in the sheets followed by an even quicker farewell.
“Thank you,” he said, finally pulling himself together. “I just came to look around, to be honest. The Courtyard hasn’t been operating long, has it?”
“No, not terribly long. It stopped being a working ranch a few years ago. The ongoing drought forced the original owners to sell and the new owners, the Winslows, came up with the idea to convert it to shops and studios. It’s helped a lot of us get back on our feet after the tornado.”
Nolan nodded as he processed the information and matched it up with what he knew already. “And you’re selling antiques here?”
“Yes, and running craft classes out back. My first one is tonight. Would you be interested in signing on for a lesson in candle making? They’re going to be a hot gift item for Christmas this year in Royal.”
She laughed softly and, unexpectedly, he delighted in the sound. It was refreshing. Genuine amusement wasn’t often heard in the circles in which he moved, at least not without some malice in it somewhere.
“I’ll take a rain check,” he said with a wink, and he was delighted to see a faint blush color her ivory cheeks.
“A shame,” she said averting her head slightly. “I’m sure all the ladies would have been thrilled to have you.”
And then he felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks, as well. Ridiculous, he thought. He hadn’t blushed since the day he’d asked Carole out in high school and yet here he was with cheeks aflame. The memory was just the cold dose of reality he needed. It was time to get out of here before he made a complete fool of himself and broke his own rules about dating and asked the enticing Ms. Patterson out. He made a show of looking at his watch and made a sound of surprise.
“I need to get on my way, but first I should remedy the demise of JJ’s ice cream.”
“Oh, please don’t worry. He’ll be fine and, besides, the homemade ice cream store will be closed now.”
“And I’m holding you up from closing, too, I see,” he said, gesturing to the face of his watch. “I’ll head off.”
“Please, don’t rush away. Look around—you never know—something might grab your attention. We’ll be a little while closing up anyway.”
Despite his determination to put some distance between them, Nolan found himself agreeing to prolong his visit.
“Okay, thanks. Let me know when you want me out of your way.”
She nodded and gave him another of those serene smiles that delivered a solid whack to his solar plexus.
As he moved among the pieces she had on display, he reexamined his options. He was here to do a job. Part of that job was gathering information. He hadn’t missed the spark of interest in her eyes. Perhaps he could use that interest to his advantage. Ms. Patterson, whether she knew it or not, had just become his best opportunity to get an angle on Winslow Properties and hopefully the leverage he’d need to pull off this purchase. Somehow, he needed to get past his emotional barriers and see her purely as a means to an end. If he didn’t, all bets were likely off, and he’d have to deliver Rafiq his first failure in this acquisitions venture. Nolan’s need to succeed pushed through. He could do this. And he would.
Nolan could hear Raina moving around toward the back of the store. He flicked a look her way and saw her laying out egg cartons and wicks and precut blocks of what he assumed was wax. JJ was doing his best to help. Raina moved quietly behind him and straightened up the things he laid out for her, and every now and then she paused to wipe his little nose.
She did everything with grace and an effortless elegance that mesmerized Nolan, and he had to force himself to look away and remind himself he was here to gather intel about the Courtyard, not spend his time mooning over one of the proprietors. He was on the verge of leaving the store when he overheard Raina talking to JJ.
“Well, how about that?” she said, putting her hands on her hips and looking around the workroom. “We’re all done, JJ. I couldn’t have done it all so fast without your help.”
Nolan fought back a smile. He had no doubt she’d have had it done in half the time, but it tugged at his heart to see how she took the time to make JJ feel special and his efforts valued. Then came a fresh debilitating wave of sorrow as he remembered all he’d lost. Even so, he still couldn’t tear himself away from the tableau in front of him.
“I’m a good boy, aren’t I, Mommy?” JJ said, his little chest puffed out with pride.
“Yes you are. The very best. And you’re all mine!” She reached out to tickle him and he giggled and squirmed out of reach. “How about, as a reward, I take you to the diner for dinner before your sitter comes tonight.”
The little boy nodded vigorously. An idea occurred to Nolan. This was an opening he could use. He still owed JJ an ice cream. What better opportunity to fulfill his promise to the kid and to accidentally bump into his mother again and draw her back into conversation.
She’d mentioned a sitter. Did that mean there was no Mr. Patterson around? He gave himself another mental shake. Whether there was or not, it made no difference. This would merely be another opportunity to ask her more questions about the Courtyard and Winslow Properties.
At least that’s what he told himself.
Two (#ulink_2d1dd022-00da-5c2a-a6ab-2576c51bfe6d)
Raina heard her cell phone ring in her handbag as she was securing JJ in his car seat. Whoever it was would just have to leave a message, she thought as she did up his harness and checked to make sure he was snug. Finally satisfied, she got in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition.
“Seat belt, Mommy!”
She smiled at JJ in the rearview mirror. “Yes, sir!”
He giggled in response, the way he always did, and it made her heart glad. She thanked God every day for the gift of her son. Jeb Pickering might have been a useless no good son-of-a-bitch but he’d left her with a gift beyond price. While it would have been her ideal wish to have provided JJ with both a mommy and a daddy who loved him, she was happy to parent alone. In fact, given Jeb’s reliability, or lack of it, and his predilection for gambling and drink, JJ was better off not knowing the man even existed. Of course, being a single mom running a business brought its own issues, including relying on sitters when her dad wasn’t free to help out. Which reminded her—the phone call. Maybe it had been her sitter calling.
“I’m just going to check my phone, JJ, then we’ll head to the diner, okay?”
“C’n I have nuggets ’n’ fries?”
“You sure can.”
“Yum!”
Satisfied that he could have his favorite meal, JJ hummed quietly to himself, kicking a beat on the back of the front passenger seat while he waited. Raina stifled the admonition that sprang to her lips when he started to kick. She didn’t want to enter into an argument with him now. Instead, she reached into her bag and dragged out her phone. One missed call, unknown number. A sick feeling of dread crept into her gut. Quelling the sensation, she listened to the message.
“Hey Rai, it’s Jeb. I hear you got your little shop up and running again. That’s good, ’cause I’m in a bit of a bind. I really need some money, honey.” He sniggered and Raina cringed. He sounded drunk, again. “Anyway, I owe some guys... I, uh, well, I’ll tell you when I see you. Soon, babe. By the way, how’s that kid of ours? Later!”
Raina deleted the message instantly, her skin crawling. She felt as if she needed a long hot shower. Hadn’t it been enough that he’d emptied out her bank account and skipped town when she’d been at the hospital in labor with JJ? And what about the extra five grand she’d given him early last year for what she’d told him was absolutely and totally the last time ever?
“Mommy, I’m hungry!” JJ demanded from the back, his kicks picking up in tempo.
Raina reached across to still his little legs. “JJ, what’s the rule about kicking in the car?”
His little mouth firmed in a stubborn line. Pick your battles, Raina reminded herself, morphing into distraction mode instead. “Are you having ketchup with your chicken nuggets?”
“Yay! Ketchup!”
“Let’s go then,” she said with a smile as she put the car into gear.
It was a short drive into Royal but traffic was heavy. Raina was lucky to get a parking spot on the road about a block away from the diner. JJ skipped and jumped, holding her hand, as they walked along the pavement. Judging by his energy levels, she hoped he’d be okay to go back to day care tomorrow.
When they entered the Royal Diner, JJ hopscotched along the black-and-white checkerboard linoleum floor. They took a booth near the back and settled in on the red faux-leather seats.
“Be with you soon, hon,” a waitress said with a smile as she poured glasses of water and left them with the sheet menus that everyone knew by heart but still pretended to study anyway.
Raina’s appetite was gone, but she decided on a green salad with ranch dressing because she knew if she didn’t eat, she’d be running on empty by the time her craft class started in a couple of hours. Shoving all thoughts of her ex to the back of her mind, she focused instead on her son and the evening ahead.
All going well, JJ would eat his dinner and she’d take him home to shower before the sitter arrived. Once the sitter was there, she’d be able to head back to Priceless to open up for her first class. Bookings had initially been slow but they’d picked up in the past day or so, and she hoped the simple candle-making class would be well received and that word of mouth would bring more students. With more students would come more overhead but she’d done her homework. After the initial outlay was met, the classes would bring in more sorely needed income, as well.
A movement across the booth made her look up from the menu she was staring at but had stopped actually seeing several minutes earlier. JJ was waving at someone. Thinking it might be their waitress returning for their order, Raina looked up with a smile, only to feel it freeze on her face and the hairs at her nape prickle to attention as she recognized the man walking toward them. Nolan Dane. What was he doing here? Surely he was more likely to be dining out at the Texas Cattleman’s Club, or at the hotel in town?
It took only a few seconds to notice that he’d changed. His jeans were new and fit him perfectly, and the black Henley he wore under a worn leather jacket seemed to stretch across his chest as if it caressed him. Her cheeks flamed at the thought.
“Mommy! Man!” JJ said from his booster seat, and he waved again.
“Hey there,” Nolan said as he drew next to the table.
“I’m having nuggets ’n’ fries,” JJ informed him importantly. “You wanna eat with me?”
“Oh, no, JJ. I’m sure Mr. Dane has other plans,” Raina said quickly, feeling her blush deepen on her cheeks.
“Please, call me Nolan and, actually, no, I don’t. But I don’t want to intrude. I can eat at another table.”
Raina felt terrible. She’d all but told him he wasn’t welcome to sit with them. JJ’s face fell. How bad could it be? she asked herself.
“Oh, please sit down. Seriously, it’s okay. We haven’t ordered yet, anyway. Join us.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
She nodded and gestured to the empty space next to JJ’s booster seat. Nolan slid into the booth and stretched his long legs out under the table. She shifted slightly as his leg brushed hers.
“Do you guys eat here often?” Nolan asked.
“No, this is a treat for JJ. Aside from the mess with your suit, he’s been a really good boy for me today, haven’t you, JJ?”
JJ nodded emphatically and reached for his water glass. Nolan helped him steady the large glass as he drank and then put it back on the table for him.
“You’re good at that,” Raina commented. “Do you have kids of your own?”
A bleak emptiness appeared in his eyes, its presence so brief she wondered if she’d imagined it, but it was enough to make her realize she’d been prying where she had no right to.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so rude. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s okay,” Nolan brushed off her concern. “Maybe we should just put it down to self-preservation. I’ve seen how lethal he is with an ice cream cone.”
* * *
Nolan watched Raina from across the table and silently congratulated himself on managing to keep his past locked firmly where it belonged. The waitress came by and took their orders, distracting Raina from asking any further questions. She was less relaxed than she’d been when he’d left the store. Was it his presence at the table that did that to her, he wondered, or was it something else? The waitress returned promptly with JJ’s order, and while the little boy dug in, Nolan thought it time to ease conversation back to the Courtyard.
“So tell me a little more about the Courtyard,” he started.
“The idea for it really only took off a few months after the tornado. A lot of us lost our stores and several of Royal’s local artisans lost workshops and homes. The Courtyard gave us all a fresh start—gave us a new community to be proud of.” Her eyes grew worried and a frown marred the smoothness of her forehead. “There’s talk that some oil company is looking to buy the land. It worries me.”
“Why’s that? What difference would a new landlord make?” Nolan probed.
Raina looked away, her face thoughtful, before directing her blue gaze straight back at him. “The Courtyard actually became a symbol of hope for a lot of us. A chance to get our feet back firmly on the ground and get us back to normal in a world that got turned upside down in one awful day. You can’t put a price on that. We need stability now. We need to be able to know from one day to the next that after all our hard work, we aren’t simply going to be turned out.
“An oil company isn’t going to want to keep us as tenants, you can be sure of that. They’ll want the land for testing, although why they think there’s oil there, I don’t know. I haven’t lived in Royal all that long and even I know the land is barely suitable for grazing, although with the drought that’s questionable, too.”
She fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers in front of her. “No, the Winslows did the right thing turning the ranch buildings into the Courtyard. Mellie assures me they’re not selling. I only hope nothing happens to change her mind. None of us there can afford to have our businesses fold or see our rents increase. What with the cost of increased insurance premiums and setting up all over again, it wouldn’t take much to destroy us.”
A pang of guilt pulled at him. If he was successful in changing the Winslows’ minds, and Rafe got hold of the Courtyard, Nolan knew there were no guarantees that his boss would keep the tenants. And it was true. Raina had a point—while the greater Maverick County area had yielded some successful oil fields, none had been in this general area. Nolan shifted uncomfortably. For the first time he was seeing the personal face of his assignment: someone who’d be directly and negatively impacted by his boss’s plan. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
He took a sip of his water and decided a change of subject might be in order.
“So, the tornado. That must have been terrifying. People are pretty resilient here, though,” he commented.
Raina smiled and once again he was struck by how natural and effortless her beauty was.
“Sometimes I think Royal is the epitome of the ‘get down and get on with it’ ethic. Some people have moved on, which is completely understandable, but most have just licked their wounds and carried on. And of course there are also the lucky ones who are benefiting from the damage. Tradesmen have been at a premium in the district and we’ve seen an influx of out-of-towners coming in to fill demand. Bit by bit Royal has found its way back to a new normal. Is that what brings you here? The rebuild?”
Nolan was saved from immediately answering as their waitress dropped their meals in front of them with a smile. “Good to see you back, Nolan,” she said before racing off to her next customer.
Raina looked taken aback. “You’re local?”
“No, not anymore. I’m here to see family.”
“You grew up here, then?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve been living in California for several years. I’m only here for a visit.”
“Then I’m sure you would have heard all about the tornado from them.” Raina’s voice held a note of reserve that had been missing before.
“From their point of view, yeah. Dad’s in family law, and he said he’s seen an unfortunate upswing in business in the wake of the tornado. Families breaking up under the strain of trying to put their lives back together—more domestic abuse.”
Raina nodded. “Yeah, it’s sad. So often these events pull people closer together, but if they don’t they seem to have the complete opposite effect. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t have to factor that in. It’s just me and JJ, and my dad. Dad’s retired and usually travels around the country, but he came to stay in the trailer park just out of town so he could be on hand to help me reestablish Priceless and get me and JJ back on our feet again.”
Nolan couldn’t help it: a swell of relief that there was no partner in Raina’s life bloomed from deep inside. He pushed the sensation away. She was still out of bounds. She was the kind of woman who had long-term written all over her, while he was only planning to be here long enough to complete the land purchases to Rafiq’s satisfaction.
And then there was the kid. He certainly didn’t want to take on a package deal of mother and child, no matter how much his libido sizzled like a drop of water on a hot skillet whenever he was anywhere near Raina. He needed to keep his eye on the main goal. He was here to do business, not dally with the locals or become emotionally involved in the town he grew up in. He’d made his choice to walk away from Royal and all the pain it represented seven years ago. He had no plans to stick around. Even so, he perversely wanted to know more about the woman sitting opposite him.
“So, what brought you to Royal?” he asked.
She laughed, the sound self-deprecating. “I followed a man. He left and I stayed. It’s as simple as that.”
Somehow Nolan doubted that it was quite as straightforward as she said.
“Mommy, my hands dirty.” JJ spoke up from beside him.
“Use your napkin, JJ.”
“But it dirty,” he grumbled.
“Here, use mine,” Nolan offered.
JJ held his hands up for Nolan to wipe them. “P’ease?” he implored.
Nolan automatically enveloped JJ’s hands with the large paper napkin and made a game out of cleaning the little boy’s fingers. When he was done, he wiped a bit of sauce from JJ’s chin, as well.
“Hey, you’re good at that,” Raina said with a smile. “Are you sure you don’t have kids?”
Nolan swallowed. This would be the perfect opportunity to segue into the past, to admit he’d had a wife and child, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. It just opened up the floor for too many questions—questions that had no answers and only evoked pity, which he hated.
“Maybe I’m just a clean freak,” he joked, scrunching up the used napkin and tossing it on the table.
“Can we go now, Mommy?” JJ asked.
“No, son. Mr. Dane and I haven’t finished our meals.”
For a second it looked as though JJ would object, but then Nolan remembered his earlier promise.
“What about some ice cream? You never got to finish the one you had before, right?”
“Oh, but I said you didn’t need—” Raina began to protest.
“Need doesn’t enter into it when ice cream is concerned,” Nolan interrupted her smoothly. “What do you say, JJ? Do you want a junior sundae?”
“Wif sprinkles?”
“Sure, my treat.” He looked across at Raina. “How about you? Do you want a sundae with sprinkles, too?”
JJ laughed next to him. “Mommy doesn’t have treats, she’s a mommy!”
Nolan read the subtext in JJ’s words. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Raina went without so that her son could have little treats every now and then. How much had she foregone to ensure her son could still enjoy special things while she rebuilt her business and kept a roof over their heads? Again that urge to protect swirled at the back of his mind.
“Even mommies like treats sometimes, don’t they?” he asked, looking straight across the table at Raina.
“Not tonight, thank you. I need to get back to Priceless. My first class starts this evening and I can’t be late, not even for a treat.”
“Another time then,” Nolan promised, and as he called the waitress to order JJ’s sundae, he found himself wondering just how soon that might be.
Three (#ulink_833fa854-1fb2-555f-9b6c-aebc96b86cbf)
Another time? Did he mean to ask her out on a date? Raina wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. She hadn’t dated since Jeb—hadn’t even been interested in dating as she came to grips with his betrayal, single parenthood and running a business. It had been a painful irony that she’d been duped by the person she’d thought would stand by her, exactly as her father had been.
She had never known her mother and pictures of her had been few and of poor quality. Raina’s enduring memory of the woman who’d borne her was the story of how she’d come home from the hospital with Raina, put her in her bassinet and gone out to buy some milk and never returned. Growing up, Raina had always had more questions about the whole situation than answers and, in retrospect, she could understand why she’d been drawn to the losers.
Despite all the security and love her father had poured into her, Raina’s sense of self-worth had been low. She’d found herself desperate to be accepted by others, only to be walked all over again and again. Jeb had been the last in a string of disastrous relationships, and when he’d cleaned out her bank account while she was in labor with his son, she’d finally learned her lesson—and with it, who she was and where she belonged in her world. Now, she was at peace with her decision to focus her energies on JJ and provide a home for them. She finally, at the sage old age of thirty, felt grown up.
Her friends still teased her about her dating moratorium but she’d avoided all potential setups they’d thrown her way. And in the aftermath of the tornado, it had made far better sense not to get involved with anyone. Life had become incredibly precious and despite her need to nurture and to try to “fix” broken souls, aka the losers she’d dated previously, she’d had to draw a line somewhere.
But a date with Nolan Dane? He was nothing like the guys she’d been out with before. He owned a suit, for a start, and showed the kind of manners her father had always told her to expect from a man.
She looked across the table and noticed that JJ had made short work of his sundae and was now rubbing his eyes and fidgeting in his booster seat. She glanced at her watch—a 1920s timepiece she hadn’t been able to bring herself to sell after she’d discovered it in a boxed lot she’d bought at an estate sale a couple of years ago. If she didn’t get on her way soon, she’d be running late for the sitter and for her class.
“This has been lovely,” she said, gathering her bag and searching for her wallet. “But JJ and I really must get going. Thank you for joining us.”
“No, thank you for your company. Please, let me get this. It’s the least I can do for crashing your dinner together.”
“Oh, but—”
“Please, I appreciated having someone to talk to over my meal.”
Before she could say anything, Nolan left several bills on the tabletop, including a generous tip, and helped JJ from the booth.
“Are you parked far away?” he asked as they walked toward the exit.
“No, not far. A block.”
“Let me walk you,” Nolan said, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk outside the diner.
“Mommy, up,” JJ interrupted, and he lifted his little arms in the air.
“Sure, sweetie,” she said, bending to lift him into her arms.
She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for too much longer. JJ was getting so big and most of the time she had trouble keeping up with her energetic wee man. The fact that he wanted her to carry him spoke volumes about how tired he was. She reminded herself to cherish these moments while they lasted.
They were halfway down the block when she had to readjust JJ’s weight in her arms.
“He looks heavy,” Nolan commented. “Can I carry him for you?”
“No, it’s fine, I can manage,” Raina insisted, even though her back was starting to ache a little.
“Man carry me, Mommy.”
JJ squirmed in her arms, almost sending her off balance.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asked Nolan.
In response, Nolan effortlessly hefted her son from her and propped JJ on one hip. “Of course not.”
At the car, Nolan waited on the sidewalk while she strapped JJ into his seat.
“Thank you for dinner, and for your help with JJ. You didn’t have to,” Raina said as she straightened from the car and held her hand out to Nolan.
He took it and again she was surprised by the sizzling jolt of sensation that struck her as his hand clasped hers.
“Honestly, the pleasure was all mine,” he replied, his eyes locked on hers.
She found herself strangely reluctant to let his hand go and Nolan seemed to feel the same way, but then a group of people coming along the sidewalk forced them apart. Thankful she could disengage before things got awkward, Raina gave him a small wave and settled herself in the car.
Her hand still tingled as she reached forward to put the key in the ignition. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything like this at a man’s touch. As she drove away, Raina made herself keep her eyes on the road in front of her. She wouldn’t look back. Looking back only invited trouble, she told herself, and she’d had bushels of that already in her life. No, she’d promised herself to keep moving forward the right way, and that didn’t involve complicating her life with a relationship or fling with someone who was passing through.
* * *
Nolan watched from the sidewalk until he couldn’t see Raina’s taillights any longer. Why had he done this to himself? he wondered as he hunched deeper into his jacket and began to walk back to his hotel. Carrying JJ had brought back a wealth of hurt and repressed memories of his own son, Bennett.
Holding another small body in his arms...it had been a more bitter than sweet experience. He reminded himself very firmly that using her for information about the Winslows was one thing, but he was in no way embarking on any kind of friendship with Raina. It would be too easy, he knew that. He was already attracted to her, already felt that surge of physical awareness every time she smiled or her gaze met his. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her he’d been drawn to her and he’d been unable to get her out of his thoughts.
Being there in the Royal Diner with Raina and JJ had felt too much like his old life. The life he’d vowed he would never turn back to. No, his home was Los Angeles now. Royal held no allure for him anymore even though everything here still felt so achingly familiar.
He acknowledged the doorman at the hotel with a smile and went straight to his room. It was early. Any other time he’d have stopped in the bar and had a drink. Maybe enjoyed a bit of casual female interest before heading to his room—or hers. The mobile nature of his role as Rafiq’s personal attorney gave him leeway in his life that he’d never allowed himself before and while casual hookups had never been his style, a man had needs—and clearly the women he’d met had needs, as well. But while those encounters may have left him physically sated, there always remained an emptiness deep inside him.
His thoughts flickered back to Raina Patterson. She was definitely not the type for a casual hookup. She exuded stability and comfort. A man could fool himself that he belonged in the softness of her arms, but only until he broke her heart by leaving again. Nolan promised himself he would not be that man.
He threw himself on the bed and reached for the TV remote. Maybe he’d be able to numb his mind and his awakened libido by watching some mindless sitcoms or movies until he was ready to sleep. But distraction was a long time coming that night, and he couldn’t stop his mind wandering back toward the woman who’d so captured him.
* * *
Raina was glad she’d taken the time to prepare the workroom before she’d left Priceless earlier that day. JJ had been surprisingly clingy when she’d left him at home with the sitter, making her wonder if their company over dinner had unsettled him. It had certainly unsettled her.
Her students began to arrive, right on time, and once everyone was there and introductions were complete, Raina started the lesson. She’d decided to keep it simple for the first session, changing the style of the candles each week as they carried on. She smiled as she made eye contact with one of JJ’s previous babysitters. Hadley Stratton was only a couple of years younger than Raina and had a delightful way with children.
“Okay, ladies, thank you all for coming along tonight. I see you all received my email with the instructions for preparing for this evening’s lesson. Does anyone have any questions so far?”
Hadley spoke up. “You said we could dye the egg shells, but what if we could only get brown eggs?”
“No problem,” Raina assured her. “You can choose to keep your candles in the shell and decorate the shells, or you can break the shell away after the candles have set and simply burn them in a container—like an eggcup or something like that. It’s entirely up to you.”
“I’m so brain dead after nannying all day and studying all night that I think I can only go as far as filling a shell. Is that okay?” Hadley laughed. “Maybe I can leave decorating to another lesson.”
Several other women joined in with Hadley’s laughter, obviously empathizing with her. Raina nodded in acknowledgment.
“How many of you would prefer to decorate or color?”
About half the women in the room put their hands up.
“Okay,” Raina said. “How about we split into two groups for tonight? Decorators this side of the workroom, and plain beeswax candles on the other.”
The women good-naturedly shifted around and, after showing the group doing plain candles how to start the process of melting their beeswax, Raina discussed with the group of decorators how to dye their egg shells or hand paint them with freestyle or stenciled designs. As everyone set to work, Raina began to feel a sense of excitement. The lesson was really going well and the atmosphere was both lighthearted and creative at the same time.
She stopped by Hadley’s table for a minute, while making the rounds of the class to check that everyone was on track.
“It’s good to see you, Hadley. We miss you.”
“I miss you guys, too. But you know what it’s like balancing everything.”
“You always make everything look so effortless when you’re with kids. You should really have some of your own one day,” Raina teased with a friendly smile.
Hadley laughed out loud, drawing attention and several smiles from the people around her. “I’ve got so much on my plate right now I’m quite happy to put that off for a while longer. Besides, there’s the important prerequisite of finding the right man for the job, y’know?”
Raina felt her smile slip a little, but she knew Hadley hadn’t meant anything by her comment, that she hadn’t been referring to Raina’s poor choice of partner in Jeb.
“You make sure he’s the right one, then,” Raina said, with a light touch on Hadley’s arm.
“Don’t you worry, I will. When the time is right. In the meantime, at least I have your classes to look forward to on Tuesday evenings. This is about as far as my social life extends. Getting to spend time with other adults and relax and unwind is like gold to me right now, plus I get to make some cute Christmas gifts at the same time. What more could a woman want?”
With a murmur of agreement, Raina moved on to her next student. Hadley was right. What more could a woman want than to be surrounded by people she enjoyed being with and doing something creative? Even so, Raina felt an unexpected yearning that pulled from deep inside. She wanted that “right one” in her life one day. The man who would be her partner in everything and help her to guide JJ on his path in life. Right now, while JJ was small and so dependent on her, it was easy to imagine that she’d be able to cope forever. But sometimes she wished for more. For herself, as well.
Nolan Dane popped immediately to mind and Raina quashed a startling swell of desire as adequately as she was able. This was ridiculous. She’d only met the man today and she was already spinning a tale of happy ever after in her mind? Clearly she wasn’t busy enough with her life already. Pushing all thoughts of men to the back of her mind, she went to assist one of her students with the placement of her candle wicks.
By the time the class finished, everyone was proud of their results—Raina most of all. Not only had she successfully pulled off tutoring her first official craft lesson, but everyone had commented how much they were looking forward to returning the following week when they’d be making mason jar candles filled with oil. Some were even talking about classes in the New Year and how they’d like to bring other friends along.
When everyone had cleaned up and gone, and Raina had locked up, she drove herself home. After paying the sitter and checking on JJ, she decided to run herself a luxurious deep bath. She’d earned the hot soak, she decided as she stripped and pulled on a robe while waiting for the bath to fill. In fact, she’d earned a celebratory glass of wine to go along with it. After a quick trip to the kitchen she was soon back with a glass of merlot. She disrobed and lowered herself into the soothing water.
Everything was going to be okay, she told herself. While the antiques business was a little slow in getting off the ground again, she knew it wouldn’t take too long before her old customers would discover her new location. A bit of careful advertising across the county would help, and now, with the popularity of the craft classes, as well, she could afford to place those advertisements. She took a sip of her wine and allowed the mellow flavors to roll across her tongue before she swallowed.
Yes, everything would be fine from now on. She and JJ wouldn’t want for anything. Or anyone.
Later, as she readied for bed, she checked her phone for messages. She’d turned it off during her class and hadn’t gotten around to turning it back on yet. A bit of the shine of happiness from the evening’s success dulled when she saw she had another missed call from Jeb and that he’d left another message. Her finger hovered over the button to simply delete the message, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she listened and felt her happiness dull a little more.
“Rai, c’mon, babe. Call me back. I really need some money fast. I know you’re good for it. Look, this is pretty urgent. Call me.”
Raina closed her eyes in frustration. When would she ever be rid of the man? She’d taken all the legal steps she could to have sole custody of JJ, so she knew the little guy was safe from his father. But what would it take for Jeb to leave her alone?
Stop giving him money. The words echoed in her head as clearly as the last time her father had uttered them to her. Not for the first time she wondered why she continued to help her ex. It wasn’t because she still bore any love for him. That had died long ago. Was it because she felt beholden to him because of JJ? No. She’d made the decision to go ahead with raising him, knowing it was unlikely that Jeb would provide any support. Maybe it was just because, despite herself, she couldn’t help but reach out when she knew a man was down. Her father had often teased her about her need to make everyone happy and feel safe. The thing was, if she kept helping Jeb, when would he ever learn to stand on his own feet and accept some responsibility for everything that happened in his life?
She came to a decision. This ended here and now. She’d no longer be Jeb’s cash cow or his go-to person. She deleted the message and shoved her phone in her purse and climbed into bed. Let that be an end to it, she thought as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Four (#ulink_ea639124-a2c5-5f45-8778-7f47287cce10)
Nolan strolled around the Courtyard the next afternoon, telling himself he wasn’t there to see Raina Patterson at all, he was merely doing his job and finding out a bit more about the other tenants. If he could present the acquisition of this parcel of land to Rafiq as an ongoing business concern rather than merely as a land purchase, maybe he could preserve the jobs and incomes of these hardworking people.
He was taken by the work in the silversmith’s shop. The delicacy of the silversmith’s designs was exquisite and Nolan knew his mother would love the pendant designed to look like a peacock tail with tiny cabochon amethysts and peridots inset at the ends of the feathers. He eyed the price tag and decided that the cost didn’t matter. His mother’s pleasure on opening the gift would bring its own reward. She’d had little enough joy from him in the past few years as he’d avoided returning to Royal. Maybe this would help show her that despite his withdrawal from home, she was still very much in his thoughts.
The shop assistant was effusive about his choice, almost talking him into purchasing a matching set of earrings, but he knew that less was very definitely more when it came to his mother’s tastes and that she preferred a few well-chosen pieces to a cacophony of color and design.
“Is this a Christmas gift?” the woman asked.
“No, just something my mom will enjoy,” he answered.
“Ah, that’s lovely. Would you still like me to gift wrap it for you?”
“Please.”
“Are you new to the area?” the assistant asked as she deftly wrapped the pendant in tissue and wrapping paper.
“I grew up here but I’ve been away for a while. Just here to see my family.”
“Oh, that’s lovely,” the woman said with a friendly smile. She tied off a length of organza ribbon around the little packet and popped it in a gift bag. “Well, thank you for supporting the Courtyard with your purchase. I hope we see you back before you head home.”
Murmuring a note of assent, Nolan took the gift and left the store. It was only midweek but the parking lot was almost full of vehicles and people were bustling around, their arms filled with bags emblazoned with the local artisans’ logos. This place really was a gold mine. Yesterday he hadn’t spent enough time wandering about, getting a real feel for the place—it was something he was determined to remedy today.
A flash of color caught his eye and he turned his head to see Raina Patterson outside her store, assisting a customer putting a small side table in the back of their car. He felt a now-familiar wallop of awareness as he took in the way her bright red sweater dress clung to her feminine curves and skimmed her hips like a lover’s caress. His body heated and sprang to life, arousal beating a low thrumming pulse that reminded him all too much of the dreams he’d endured last night.
Dreams where he’d begun to make love to his late wife, but when she’d turned toward him it had been Raina’s face before him instead.
Nolan swiftly veered into the nearest store, determined to bring his body back under control and rid himself of the desire to walk those few yards toward the big red barn and spend time again with its proprietor. He wasn’t here to embark on an affair, he reminded himself. He was here to work.
* * *
Raina looked up, surprised to see Nolan Dane on the other side of the Courtyard. She raised a hand to wave, but it appeared that he hadn’t seen her as he abruptly turned and headed into the cheese maker’s store. She told herself it didn’t matter, that she hadn’t hoped to see him again anyway. Even so, she felt a tiny twinge of disappointment that she forced herself to rapidly shove aside. She had enough on her plate for today as it was. The class she had lined up for tonight was mosaic work, and she had yet to check the inventory of stock she’d ordered for her students to buy and use for their lessons. The simple mirror frame kits would hopefully be a quick and easy project for her students to tackle, all of them first-timers to mosaic work, and she was looking forward to the class.
A prickle of uneasiness ran down her spine—the sense of disquiet making her look around before heading back into the store. She must be imagining things, she thought, pushing the feeling away and delving into the boxes of stock she’d left on the workroom tables. Last night’s message from Jeb was making her paranoid and goodness knew she had little enough time for that.
* * *
The week went quickly and her classes were going from strength to strength. As a side bonus, several of her students were also avid collectors of a variety of antique items including some of the delicate English china she had on display. She was excited to have sold several pieces already and had requests to look out for more. Things were going better than she’d anticipated.
By the time Friday night rolled around, she was really beginning to feel the strain of carrying the responsibility of the store and the classes on her own, and she wanted nothing more than to sit at home with JJ, tucked up in front of the fire and reading a few of his favorite storybooks. But she’d already promised him that they’d go downtown to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony organized by the Texas Cattleman’s Club. It was her goal to one day be sponsored to join the club. Of course, she’d need to make a better than average income before she could afford to do that.
While the club had been a solely male domain when it was founded, in recent years women had become members and the club had become more family-oriented in general. And they did such good work in the community, too. Something she hoped to be able to participate in when the time was right. It was important to give back.
The evening air was cold and Raina made sure JJ was bundled up snug and warm in a jacket and hand-knitted wool beanie that one of her customers had made for him. He looked as cute as a button with a few dark tufts of hair poking out from beneath the beanie.
She helped him from the car when they got to downtown Royal, and for a second she felt a pang of regret that Jeb couldn’t be a part of JJ’s life. But JJ deserved a father he could rely on. Not one who drank and gambled and drifted from one town to the next, looking for work to support his habits.
She’d been blind to Jeb’s faults for a long time and forgiven him time and again, believing his well-spun lies, right up until the day he wasn’t there when she needed him most. JJ’s birth had been a roller coaster of emotions: intense joy to finally hold her child in her arms and meet him face-to-face that was tempered by the realization that the only people Raina could honestly rely upon were herself and her dad. She’d grown up a heck of a lot that day. She’d thought herself so mature at twenty-seven, so ready to be a mother.
“Will there be gifts under the tree, Mommy?” JJ asked as he skipped along beside her on the sidewalk, holding her hand.
“Not real ones, my boy.”
“Not even one for me?”
Raina laughed and tugged his beanie more securely over his little ears. “Not even for me either! But don’t worry. I’m sure that Santa will remember exactly where we live and will bring you your gifts in time for Christmas.”
Satisfied with her answer, JJ turned his attention to the growing crowd. In the distance, Raina caught sight of Clare Connelly. The chief pediatric nurse at Royal Memorial Hospital had been a wonderful support when JJ had been severely jaundiced after his birth and Raina had worried herself sick over him. Newly abandoned by her partner and with her father still on his way to Royal, Raina had had a severe dose of the baby blues as she began to doubt her ability to look after her newborn son. It had been Clare’s confident and capable manner with the babies in her care, not to mention the gentle support she’d offered to the new mothers, that had made Raina begin to believe she could do this parenting thing all on her own.
Raina caught Clare’s eye and waved a hello. Clare was involved in what appeared to be a very intense conversation with one of the pediatricians who’d also attended JJ at the hospital, Dr. Parker Reese. Raina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was there something going on between the petite blonde nurse and the sometimes prickly pediatrician? The thought brought a smile to her lips. It had been a joke among the mothers in the hospital that Dr. Reese would make a great husband for someone one day—if he could ever let go of his work and develop a social life. The man was dedicated to his career but everyone needed some balance in their life.
The reminder of balance prodded at Raina’s thoughts. Lately everything had been JJ and work for her. There’d been no time for herself, but she was okay with that. One day, maybe, when JJ was a bit older and when her business was on a stronger footing, then yeah, she might think about dating. Until then, she had to stay focused on keeping her financial footing and being the best mother she could be for her little boy.
“Mommy, I can’t see,” JJ complained, tugging at her arm. “Up?”
“Sure, baby.”
Raina bent and lifted JJ into her arms, settling him on one hip. It probably didn’t make a world of difference to his line of sight but it was all she could manage.
“Still can’t see,” he fretted, twisting in her arms and making her clutch his jacket to stop him from falling.
“JJ, settle down. Trust me, when the lights go on, you’ll see everything.”
“Here” came a familiar male voice. “Maybe I can help?”
“Man!”
JJ flung his arms toward the newcomer with an exuberance that dismayed Raina and almost sent her off balance. Nolan Dane loomed up beside her. She should refuse his offer of help, but JJ was already transferring himself into Nolan’s arms and was soon deposited high on Nolan’s shoulders.
“Better now?” Nolan asked, looking up at JJ who was holding on tight to Nolan’s head.
JJ nodded.
“What do you say, JJ?” Raina prompted.
“T’ank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Nolan turned his smile to Raina. “I hope you don’t mind. You look tired and I could see he was getting heavy.”
Raina’s lips twisted into a smile. “It’s okay, thank you.”
So, he thought she looked tired, huh? Wow, way to build a girl up, she thought, then immediately chastised herself for being so churlish. She did look tired. The three late nights this week with the classes, on top of everything else, had taken a toll. She made a mental note to try to get to bed earlier on the nights she wasn’t working.
The crowd around them thickened as the local singers and dance groups performed on the makeshift stage that had been set up for the evening. Raina’s gratitude to Nolan for taking JJ increased. There was no way JJ would have seen the show, or enjoyed it, from her arms; nor would she have been able to hold him for this long.
The night sky was fully dark and the atmosphere quickly became one of excitement as, over the loudspeakers, the master of ceremonies and the newest Texas Cattleman’s Club president, Case Baxter, led the countdown to the lighting of the tree. Everyone in the crowd counted with him.
“... Three, two, one!” Raina shouted along with the rest of the crowd, then she joined them in the oohs and ahhs of delight as the switch was thrown to bring a multitude of colored lights to life in the massive tree that now dominated downtown Royal. Tearing her eyes from the tree, Raina looked up at her son, whose face was a picture of enchantment. A deep sense of contentment filled her. She might not own the world, but it sure felt like it when she could still put a look like that on her little boy’s face.
A choir began to sing “Joy to the World,” and bit by bit the crowd joined them. Nolan had a surprisingly pleasant tenor, Raina discovered as he unselfconsciously added his voice to the singing. As the song wound to its end, the mayor of Royal took the microphone and thanked Case Baxter and the Texas Cattleman’s Club committee for sponsoring the tree lighting ceremony, and he concluded by wishing everyone the very best for the season and inviting them to support the retailers who’d set up stalls around the square.
Raina turned to Nolan. “Thank you. I really mean it. I’m sure he’ll remember tonight for a long time to come and that’s because you helped us out.”
“Only too happy to oblige y’all,” Nolan answered. “Say, do you have to race home right away? How about a churro and some hot chocolate from one of the stalls over there?”
“Yummy, churro!” JJ crowed from on top of Nolan’s shoulders.
“Manners, JJ!” Raina admonished. “What have I told you?”
“T’ank you, man,” JJ dutifully responded.
Nolan laughed and Raina felt her heart skip a happy beat at the sound.
“His name is Mr. Dane, not man, JJ,” Raina gently admonished.
“I think you should let him call me Nolan. Mr. Dane sounds so stuffy.”
Raina nodded her head. “I’ll try but I can’t guarantee it. He can be pretty stubborn when he decides on a word.”
Through the crowd, she spied Liam Wade. The rancher was clearly in demand with the ladies and looking none too thrilled about the prospect. A group of very determined looking mommas with single daughters in tow had circled him like a wagon train, ensuring he had no easy way out. A chuckle escaped her lips, prompting a question from Nolan.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, just poor Liam. He’s one of Royal’s most eligible bachelors,” she said, pointing him out in the crowd, “and one of Royal’s most reluctant at the same time. I think he’d be happy if he never had to leave his ranch.”
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