Читать книгу The Maverick's Ready-Made Family - Brenda Harlen, Brenda Harlen - Страница 11

Clay hadn’t objected to his mother’s offer to take Bennett to the ladies’ room to wash him up while they waited for their food to arrive. He knew how much Ellie missed her grandson and anytime she wanted to help out with the baby, he was willing to let her. But he did wonder, after more than ten minutes had passed, what was taking her so long. When the food was delivered before she’d returned, he slipped out of the private dining room to track her down and saw Ellie handing his little boy over to … Toni?

He hadn’t expected to see her here tonight, and his pulse gave a quick little jolt. He could lament the instinctive response as much as he wanted, but he couldn’t deny it. The bigger surprise came when he watched his mother walk away, leaving Bennett with their landlady.

Clay wasn’t worried—he trusted Toni implicitly. But he knew her; his mother didn’t. And he couldn’t help but be a little suspicious about Ellie’s willingness to relinquish her beloved grandson to a stranger.

In a few quick strides, Clay was standing beside Toni’s table. Bennett smiled at him but didn’t lift his head off of Antonia’s shoulder. Not that Clay could blame his son for choosing a beautiful woman over his daddy and, in this case, Bennett had the attention of two beautiful women.

“Small world,” he said to Toni, and smiled.

“I’m not sure about the world, but Thunder Canyon is,” she replied.

“Even so, there isn’t anyone anywhere who can top D.J.’s ribs,” her dinner companion chimed in.

“Can’t argue with that,” he replied, then offered his hand. “Clayton Traub.”

“Catherine Clif—I mean, Overton,” she said, then grinned and wiggled the fingers on her left hand. “I’m still getting used to the new name.”

“Congratulations,” Clay said.

“Thanks. But that reminds me, I should be getting home to my hubby.”

Toni narrowed her gaze at her friend. “I thought you said Cody wasn’t going to be home from Billings until late.”

“That’s what I thought, but—” Catherine held up her phone “—he just sent me a text to say he was home.”

Toni’s gaze shifted to the instrument in her hand, as if she didn’t believe her friend was being entirely truthful about the message. In fact, she looked as if she might have snatched the phone from her friend’s hand to verify the claim, if not for the fact that her own hands were full of baby.

“It was nice meeting you,” Catherine said to Clay. Then, to Toni, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

And with a quick wave over her shoulder, she was gone.

Clay slid into the seat she’d vacated. “I think your friend just stuck you with the bill.”

“It was my turn to pay, anyway,” she told him.

“And somehow you got stuck with my child again, too.”

She smiled at that. “Your mom had to pop back into the ladies’ room.”

His mother had barely let Bennett out of her sight since she’d arrived in Thunder Canyon, so Clay was still suspicious of Ellie’s motivations.

“You met my mom?”

“Bennett introduced us,” she said, which didn’t really explain anything, but Clay let it go.

“Do you want to come and meet the rest of the family?”

Toni immediately shook her head; he laughed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to seem so adamant. It just looks like you’ve got some kind of family reunion going on, and I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“It wouldn’t be an intrusion,” he assured her.

“Thanks,” she said. “But I should be getting back to the ranch. Morning—and the breakfast crowd—comes early.”

“It’s pancakes on Saturdays, isn’t it?” he asked hopefully, rising to his feet again.

“It is,” she agreed.

“Then we will be there.” He reached for his son, sighed when he saw that the little guy had fallen asleep on her shoulder again. “If I can get him up in the morning. Unfortunately, a half hour nap at this time of day will keep him up till midnight.”

“Sorry,” Toni apologized as she shifted the baby to him. “I didn’t know I was supposed to keep him awake.”

“You weren’t supposed to do anything,” he assured her. “That was my mother’s self-appointed task. But thank you again for stepping in.”

She tapped a fingertip to Bennett’s nose. “It was my pleasure.”

As Clay watched her walk away, he couldn’t help but think that every moment he spent with Toni Wright was very much his pleasure.

The house was dark and mostly quiet when Antonia returned home—the only light and sound being that which emanated from the television in the living room. Her brothers had headed to Bozeman for a bachelor party for a friend of Hudson’s and wouldn’t be back until Sunday, so it had to be her father who was home.

The Wright brothers worked hard during the week, and partied harder on the weekends. The Hitching Post used to be their favorite hangout and, in the past, they’d been known to drink beer and hustle pool there until all hours. Unfortunately, the establishment had gone out of business the previous spring after the owner passed away, forcing the locals to find other watering holes—at least temporarily. But shortly after The Hitching Post shut down, local boy Jason Traub bought the property and planned to reopen the renovated establishment later in October.

If that timetable held, Antonia’s brothers—and a lot of other Thunder Canyon residents—would be very happy.

Moving farther into the living room, Antonia saw that her father had fallen asleep in front of the television with a bottle of whiskey and highball glass on the table beside him. She sighed softly. For as long as she could remember, John Wright had always liked a glass of whiskey in the evening, but he’d rarely indulged in more than one glass. All of that had changed when his beloved wife passed away. John had turned to the bottle with increasing frequency, seeking solace in its contents, refusing to accept that there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to drown his sorrow.

But over the past few months, Antonia had gotten the impression that his drinking had lessened somewhat. Apparently that had just been wishful thinking on her part.

Except that when she reached for his glass, intending to take it to the kitchen, she noticed that the whiskey bottle still looked full. On closer inspection, she saw that the seal around the cap hadn’t even been cracked.

She lifted the empty glass, sniffed.

It was clean.

She set the glass down again. She didn’t understand why he’d taken the bottle out if he wasn’t drinking, but she didn’t care. It was only the not drinking part that mattered.

With a combination of relief and genuine affection, she touched her lips gently to his forehead, intending to slip out of the room and up to her own bed. In the past, if he’d drunken himself into a stupor, his only response would have been a snort or a snore. Tonight, he shifted, his eyes flickered open. Eyes that were weary but clear.

“Antonia?”

“Sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he told her. “Where are you comin’ in from so late?”

She smiled. “It’s not that late, and I was out for dinner with Catherine.”

“You missed a good meal right here,” he told her. “Peggy made roast pork tonight.”

She’d known what was on the menu, of course, since she and Peggy planned the week’s meals together every Sunday. And she wondered, not for the first time, if John Wright had any idea what she did around the ranch, how many responsibilities she’d taken on to make sure the bills got paid.

At one time, she’d thought he was proud of her. Since she got pregnant, she wasn’t so sure. And all she said now was, “I’m glad you enjoyed the pork.”

“You had a good meal? It’s important to eat right—” he cleared his throat “—for you and the baby.”

She thought again about her choice of fries rather than veggies but refused to feel guilty. Besides, she figured the glass of milk she’d had with her dinner helped balance out the indulgence.

“Lucinda craved the most unhealthy foods when she was pregnant,” her father told her now. “Especially when she was expecting you.”

Antonia’s breath caught in her throat at his mention of her mother. In the two years since Lucinda had been gone, she could count on one hand the number of times that he’d spoken his deceased wife’s name. The fact that he’d mentioned her now—maybe even in an effort to connect with his daughter?—was the most precious gift to Antonia.

“What kind of unhealthy foods?” she asked, mentally crossing her fingers that he would keep talking, that her question wouldn’t cause him to shut down.

“French fries, potato chips, ice cream.” He sent a pointed look in her direction, no doubt to let her know that he’d found her stash in the freezer.

“Ice cream is a dairy product,” she said, just a little defensively.

He smiled. “Just wait until your child uses that same line of logic on you.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“We’re never as ready as we think we are,” he told her.

A familiar sadness clouded his eyes, and she knew that he was thinking of his wife again, but this time, the memories weren’t nearly as happy.

“Life is so much easier when you have someone to share the ups and downs with,” he said. “I just wish you had someone by your side.”

“I don’t need anyone to hold my hand.”

“I know you don’t,” he agreed. “You’ve always been so strong and independent. But sometimes it’s nice to know there’s a hand there—just in case.”

She understood that he was only trying to be helpful, but she didn’t agree. Experience had taught her that the only person she could truly rely on was herself.

Clay and Bennett didn’t come to the dining room for breakfast the next morning.

It wasn’t a big deal, really. Breakfast and dinner were part of the package at Wright’s Way, but there was no obligation on anyone to eat in the dining room or announce their intentions to do so. But Antonia was surprised by their absence because Clay had made a point of saying that he was looking forward to her pancakes.

Still, she didn’t dwell on it while she finished cleaning up the kitchen. And when she sat at the table with a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, she certainly didn’t expect he would show up in the doorway. But he did, just as she was popping a spoonful of the frozen decadence into her mouth.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw what she was eating, but didn’t comment, gesturing instead to the half-full coffeepot. “Mind if I steal a cup?”

She swallowed quickly, then winced at the ice cream headache which burned across her forehead. “Help yourself.”

He found a mug in the cupboard and filled it with French roast.

“Sugar’s on the counter beside the pot, cream’s in the fridge.”

“Black is fine.”

He settled across from her at the table, and her heart started beating double-time. Damn hormones.

“Sorry we missed your pancakes, but my parents insisted on taking Bennett and me to the Mountain Bluebell Bakery for breakfast this morning.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Antonia assured him. “If someone offered to take me there for breakfast, I’d go, too. Lizzie’s pastries are to die for.”

“Then I should take you sometime, if only to make sure you aren’t eating ice cream for your morning meal.”

“I had breakfast,” she told him. “This is a snack.” She scooped up another spoonful. “What did you have?”

“A breakfast sandwich—and then a sticky bun,” he admitted. “And somehow Bennett ended up stickier than me.”

She smiled at that. “Where is the little guy?”

“Still with my parents. My mom has been suffering from serious baby withdrawal since we came to Thunder Canyon, so she asked if she could keep him for the afternoon.”

“Lucky you.”

“Except that I’m so used to organizing my time around Bennett, I don’t have the first clue what to do without him,” he admitted.

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“Well, when we were at the bakery this morning, someone mentioned there’s a movie theater in New Town.”

She nodded. “New Town Cinema, behind the mall. There are some pretty good movies playing now, too.”

“Anything you’d be interested in seeing?”

“Sure,” she said, scraping the bottom of the bowl. “But I rarely find the time—”

“Toni,” he interrupted.

She looked up.

“I’m asking you to go see a movie with me this afternoon.”

“Oh.” She honestly didn’t know what else to say. It was as if her mind had gone completely blank.

Amusement glinted in his deep brown eyes. “Is that a yes or a no?”

“Um … yes?”

He reached for The Thunder Canyon Nugget that was on the table, found the Arts & Entertainment page of the newspaper and offered it to her. “Check the listings and let me know what you want to see.”

Screen number one was showing a new romantic comedy that had been getting good reviews, but Antonia didn’t want to send Clay the wrong message by immediately choosing that one. Unfortunately, the only other option was a horror movie that she had less than zero interest in seeing.

She wrinkled her nose. “I really hate slasher films.”

“Then we’ll see something else,” he said agreeably.

“There’s nothing with car chases or nuclear explosions,” she warned.

“I’ll chance it if you will. Are you in?”

There was just a hint of a challenge in his voice. Just enough to entice her to throw caution to the wind.

“I’m in.”

There were a lot of things Clay could have done with a free afternoon. He could have saddled up one of the horses and gone for a ride, or he could have curled up in his bed and indulged in a long uninterrupted nap, and both of those options held a certain amount of appeal. But when he sat down and tried to figure out what he wanted to do, only one thing was clear—he wanted to see Toni.

Maybe the answer had surprised him, but he didn’t let it worry him. He didn’t think there was any need to overanalyze the impulse. He liked Toni. She was smart and funny; she had her own opinions and wasn’t afraid to share them. She was also beautiful and sexy—so beautiful and sexy that he frequently forgot that she was seven months pregnant.

But he wasn’t going to forget that anymore. He wasn’t going to make the mistake of thinking that today was about anything more than two adults spending a few hours together because they both had time on their hands.

They chatted easily on the drive into New Town, moving from one topic of conversation to the next without any awkward silences between them. Clay thought it was interesting that he’d seen this woman every day for the past month and a half and they still hadn’t run out of things to talk about.

Of course, a lot of their discussion centered on Bennett, with Clay sharing anecdotes of his son’s adventures and Toni marveling over his talents. And throughout their conversation, neither one pressed for information that the other wasn’t willing to confide. It was as if, by unspoken agreement, they each respected the other’s established boundaries, for which he was extremely grateful.

Toni pulled out her wallet at the ticket window, but he shook his head. “I invited you to come, so this is my treat.”

“Then I’ll get the popcorn,” she told him. “Right after I make a quick trip to the ladies’ room.”

He didn’t know if her determination to pay her share was a way of proving her independence or intended to assert—loudly and clearly—that this was not a date. Just in case he might have any illusions to the contrary.

And he was just perverse enough to want to make an issue of it, which he did by purchasing their snacks while he was waiting for her to return.

Toni scowled when she saw the armload of boxes and cups he carried. “I said I was going to get the popcorn.”

“Go ahead,” he said. “This is for me.”

She stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out if he was serious. Then she shrugged and started toward the counter.

He stepped in front of her. “I was kidding.”

“Oh.”

He handed her a cup. “I figured you’re probably trying to limit your caffeine intake so I got you an uncola.”

“I am. Thanks.”

“But I went for butter on the popcorn,” he confessed. “Because it was actual butter and not that fake topping stuff you get in some of the chain movie theaters.”

“Did you get extra napkins, too?”

“I did,” he concurred. “And Milk Duds.”

Her eyes actually lit up. “Milk Duds?”

Clay chuckled. “I guessed that you’d want some sweet to balance the salty.”

“Good guess,” she said.

They’d started toward the doors for screen number one when a female voice called out, “Antonia?”

The easy smile on Toni’s face slipped, just a little, before she secured it back in place and turned to face the speaker.

“Hello, Vanessa.”

“I almost didn’t recognize you. Oh, my god, you look like you’re about ready to burst.”

Toni shrugged casually, unfazed by the insensitive remark. “Not quite. I’ve still got several weeks to go.”

“Really? Wow. I couldn’t imagine letting my body expand like that for a baby.”

“No, I don’t imagine you could,” Toni replied.

It was a subtle zing, and Clay had to fight a smile as he watched the comment fly right over Vanessa’s shallow head.

“So,” the other woman said, her cool, blue gaze giving Clay a leisurely once-over, “who’s your friend?”

“Clayton Traub,” Toni said, making the introductions with obvious reluctance. “Clay, this is Vanessa Wallace, a … friend from high school.”

Vanessa blinded him with a smile. “Hel-lo, Clay-ton.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said with cool politeness.