Читать книгу A Rancher of Her Own - Barbara Daille White - Страница 12
ОглавлениеNot 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.
