Читать книгу A Rancher of Her Own - Barbara Daille White - Страница 13

Chapter Four

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.”