Читать книгу Wed By Fortune - Judy Duarte, Judy Duarte - Страница 8
ОглавлениеApparently, Maddie had awakened from her nap and gotten out of the car on her own. And while the little girl had no way of knowing who Graham or even Uncle Roger were, the idea that anyone could possibly confuse the two men brought a smile to Sasha’s lips.
She placed her hand on the top of her daughter’s head, her fingers trailing along the silky, pale strands. “This isn’t Uncle Roger, Maddie. It’s his friend Graham.”
As the child cocked her head and scanned the handsome man from his dusty boots to his black hat, a grin dimpled her cheeks and lit her eyes. “So you’re a real cowboy, just like my uncle?”
Graham smiled. “I reckon you could say that, Miss Maddie.”
The girl laughed. “Can you say something else cowboy-like?”
“Honey, Mr. Graham isn’t here to entertain you.” Sasha straightened and turned to the handsome man. “She’s a big fan of horses and all things Western.”
“Then this visit to the Galloping G should be good for her,” Graham said.
Yes, it would definitely do her daughter good. Sasha hoped it would do the same for her. She had some healing to do. She also had a relationship to mend. So why couldn’t she seem to turn and walk away from the sexy cowboy who was so good with her daughter?
She glanced toward the barn, where Uncle Roger had disappeared.
“I love horses,” Maddie said. “Especially real ones.”
Graham chuckled. “A girl after my own heart. Have you ever ridden a real one, Maddie?”
“No, not yet. But I have a pretend saddle I put over the back of our sofa at home. And I play like I’m riding that.”
Graham glanced at Sasha as if questioning the truth of Maddie’s statement.
So she smiled and nodded. “Maddie would ride that towel-draped leather sofa all day if I’d let her.”
The little girl lived and breathed horses. And, apparently, she admired the men who worked with them. So, if Sasha wasn’t careful, her daughter would pester poor Graham and Uncle Roger to death.
Hoping to defuse what could be an awkward situation, she addressed her daughter. “Mr. Graham has a lot of work to do, honey. And the sooner we let him get back to it, the better.”
“That’s not a problem,” Graham said. “I really don’t mind taking a break. In fact, if Maddie wants, I can take her around the Galloping G and show her what a ‘real cowboy’ does all day, including a broken fence I need to repair.”
“That’s nice of you,” Sasha said, “but it isn’t necessary. We just got here and should probably settle in. Besides, Maddie needs to learn a little patience.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Graham said. “While you two unpack, I’ll go pick up my mess in that south pasture. When I get back, I can give you that tour.” Then he winked at Maddie. “Your mom can come, too.”
Sasha probably ought to tell him no. She had a lot to talk over with Uncle Roger. But she couldn’t very well have that kind of a heart-to-heart until later this evening, after Maddie went to bed.
For the third time since arriving—or maybe it was the thirty-third—she turned her gaze on Graham, who’d grown an inch or two taller and filled out nicely. He wore a gray T-shirt that didn’t mask the muscles in his broad chest. His biceps, which had never been small, now bulged, straining the hem on his short sleeves without any effort on his part.
He still bore the scar on his arm from a riding accident he’d had years ago, a jagged mark left from a barbed-wire fence. But like everything else about him—his hat, his jeans, his smile—he wore the cowboy image well.
She’d always admired Graham and found him attractive in more ways than one. He was—or at least used to be—a straight-up guy. And in spite of the money his family had, there were no pretenses about him, no games. He said what he meant and meant what he said.
Graham was nothing like Gabe, which made him even more appealing now. And that was a good reason for her to steer clear of him. Besides, she was a pregnant single mother. And she’d arrived at the Galloping G with way more baggage than the suitcases she’d brought in the trunk of her car. Certainly way more than a man like Graham would want to deal with. He’d always had a way with the ladies—or at least the girls in high school. So she assumed that he was a free-wheeling bachelor with his pick of willing women.
Yet she found herself nodding in agreement. “Okay, a tour of the ranch sounds fun. While you’re going to get your tools and whatnot, Maddie and I will unpack.”
Graham lobbed her a crooked grin that nearly stole her breath away. But how could that be? She wasn’t a love-struck kid anymore. And she’d experienced far too many of life’s realities to even entertain thoughts of ever having a crush—childhood or otherwise—on anyone.
Yet as he turned to walk away, her heart fluttered and her pulse rate spiked, suggesting he still had the ability to send her sense reeling with a simple smile.
* * *
By the time Graham returned for his tools in the pasture, the sheriff had come back and stood next to a tow truck, pointing out the SUV that had caused all the damage.
The officer left the driver to his work, then approached Graham. “We’ll have that vehicle out of here shortly. The owner has already been informed and has contacted his insurance company.”
Graham nodded. “I’m assuming his son was driving?”
“Yep. But from what I understand, the boy lost his license and will be grounded for the rest of the summer.”
“I can understand that.” Graham could also understand the appeal of an unsupervised teenage party. He’d certainly attended more than his share of those.
But as an adult, he knew the dangers of drinking and driving, no matter what age one was.
After the sheriff left and the tow truck drove out with the SUV, Graham picked up the tools and supplies he’d left in the south pasture and took them to the barn. He hated to leave the repair work on that downed fence unfinished, but he’d do it for Roger. Fortunately, they didn’t have any horses grazing out there now. But they would, once his friend Chase Parker delivered them on Friday.
His friend, huh? If that Robinson-Fortune family connection was true, Graham and Chase would be more than friends. They’d actually be related, since Chase was married to Lucie Fortune Chesterfield.
After putting away the tools and supplies, he went in search of Roger and found him leading Lady Jane from the pasture toward the barn.
“What are you doing?” Graham asked. “I thought you’d be inside, talking to Sasha-Marie and getting to know little Maddie.”
“I was in there. For a while.”
“How’d it go?”
“Okay, I guess. Maddie is a little chatterbox, which might prove helpful in piecing together what’s going on. She mentioned that her daddy moved out of their house and into an apartment near his work.”
“I’m sure that’s true. Sasha told me that she and Gabe are separated.”
Roger merely nodded as he continued toward the barn, the roan mare walking alongside him.
“What are you doing with Lady Jane?” Graham asked as he followed behind.
“That little girl loves horses, and I figure she’d like to ride a real one instead of her mother’s sofa. So I’m going to stable Lady Jane so she’ll be closer to the house.”
“Good idea.” Lady was a gentle mare and would be a good mount for a beginner.
Once they entered the barn, Graham opened the gate of an empty stall. “I assume you and Sasha had a chance to talk.”
“Just enough to break the ice some, but not enough to get back on steady ground again.”
“I got the feeling that she plans to stay for a while,” Graham added.
“Yep.” Roger removed the lead from Lady Jane’s halter, then closed the gate. “I suspect she came here to lick her wounds, which is fine by me. The Galloping G is the perfect place for her to get back on her feet.”
He was right about that. It was at this ranch where Graham and Roger had managed to heal from their terrible loss. And it was here that they hoped to help troubled teenage boys do the same thing.
“You have no idea how happy I am that Sasha-Marie and that jerk finally split up,” Roger said. “I knew it was coming. But you’ll be glad to know I managed to keep my mouth shut about it.”
Graham placed a hand on his old friend’s back and grinned. “I’ll bet that was tough for a crusty ol’ bird who’s got a knack for speaking his mind, even when he’s not asked.”
“You bet it was. And not to toot my own horn, but you’ll be glad to know that I didn’t break into the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus when Maddie announced that Gabe moved out of the house.”
“Good thing you didn’t, Roger. You never could carry a tune.”
At that, the old man chuckled. “You’re right. My singing would have chased her off for sure.”
Graham didn’t think so. Sasha had always enjoyed the time she’d spent on the Galloping G. So it didn’t surprise him in the least that she would choose to come here to sort out things.
“I wonder what her plans are,” Graham said. “Hopefully, Gabe is paying her child support.”
Roger blew out a raspberry. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, once that guy hit the road, he never looked back. And if he didn’t, it’d be okay by me. Gabe Smith was bad news, wrapped in a shiny wrapper. But Sasha doesn’t need the likes of him. Not with me around, anyway. I’ll look out for her. Besides, she has a college degree. I suspect she could put that to good use.”
“There’s time to ask her about that later,” Graham said. “For now, you ought to enjoy the time you have with her.”
“Yep, I intend to. In the meantime, I’m going to go inside and fix dinner. I’d planned to make meat loaf and baked potatoes this evening. S’pose I still will. But if I’d known Sasha-Marie and Maddie were coming, I would have taken steaks out of the freezer. It seems like we have a lot to celebrate.”
Maybe Roger did. But something told Graham that Sasha wasn’t nearly as happy about the split as her uncle was.
“You might not want to make such a big deal out of it,” Graham said. “She married the guy and undoubtedly loved him. She probably doesn’t feel like celebrating.”
“I wasn’t talking about making a big whoopty-do that he was out of her life, although I’d sure as heck raise my glass to that. But I’m glad she’s back at the ranch. I’ve missed her. And I’ve regretted not having a chance to get to know little Maddie. She’s a cutie pie, isn’t she?”
Yes, she was, at that. “She sure looks a lot like her mama.”
“You got that right. And she’s just as spunky, too.”
Before Graham could agree, Sasha and Maddie stepped out on the big, wraparound porch.
“Looks like it’s time for the tour to begin,” Graham said quietly to Roger. “If she wasn’t expecting, I’d suggest we take horses, which would no doubt please Maddie. But I think we should take the Gator.”
“Good idea. I’ve delivered my share of foals and calves, but I don’t know squat about bringing a human baby into the world.”
Just the thought of Sasha delivering at the ranch and not in a state-of-the-art medical facility twisted Graham’s gut into a double knot. He’d better suggest she find a doctor in Austin—and quickly. From the size of her baby bump, she’d need a good one soon.
Yet even the fact that she was expecting didn’t take away from her beauty. How had he missed the corn-silk color of her hair before—or those expressive blue eyes?
“We’re ready for that tour when you are,” she said, as she and her pretty Mini-Me daughter stepped off the porch.
Sasha walked slowly, but Maddie marched right up to her uncle. “Are you going with us, Uncle Roger? Are you going to show us all your horses?”
Roger blessed the child with a smile and cupped her cheek with his liver-spotted, work-roughened hand. “Not this time, sweetie. I’m going to cook our dinner. But don’t worry. Graham will give you a good tour—and probably a better one than I could.”
The child looked at Graham with hope-filled eyes—their pretty color reminded him of a field of bluebonnets, blowing in the breeze. “Do you know where my uncle keeps his horses?”
“Actually, we only have a few right now. But come this weekend, you’ll see five more of them grazing in the south forty.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “A whole herd?”
Graham couldn’t help appreciating her enthusiasm. “Well, it’s not exactly a herd, at least, not a big one. We’ll have our hands full with those five for now.”
He’d thought his answer would appease her, but apparently, one of her questions merely led to another. “Where are you going to get them?” she asked. “Do you have to ride into the mountains and desert and wilderness to find them?”
Graham bit back a chuckle. “My friend Chase Parker has rescue horses already on his ranch. He’s going to deliver them to us.”
“I can’t wait to see them,” she said.
“Then I’ll make sure you’re around when they arrive. In the meantime, let’s go check out the ranch.” Graham glanced at Sasha and nodded toward the barn. “Come on. We’ll take the Gator.”
“You got gators in Texas?” Maddie asked, struggling to match his strides. “Do they bite?”
Graham smiled. “We don’t have any alligators on the Galloping G. I was actually talking about our off-road utility vehicle.”
He led them to the rear of the barn, where he’d left the Gator parked. Once he helped Maddie into the backseat and secured her with a seat belt, something the previous owner had installed, he and Sasha climbed into the front. Then he started the engine.
What a turn this day had taken. Graham’s morning had started out in the usual way—a shower before downing coffee and the biscuits and gravy Roger had made for them. Then he’d ridden out to check on the pasture where they planned to keep the new horses.
When he’d spotted the damage to the fence, as well as the battered front end of the Cadillac Escalade that had been left in the pasture, wheel wells deep in the mud, he’d realized things weren’t going to be as usual today.
But nothing had prepared him for Sasha and Maddie’s arrival a few hours later, which ensured that, at least for the time being, things on the Galloping G would be far from ordinary.
He just hoped the changes would be good ones.
* * *
While Graham appeared to be doing his best to avoid any big potholes on the dirt road on which they’d been driving, the Gator made a quick swerve, causing Sasha to grab the dashboard and brace herself. She turned and looked over her shoulder. “Are you okay, Maddie?”
“Yep.” The seven-year-old patted her seat belt and flashed a bright-eyed smile that revealed her missing tooth. “I’m all buckled in.”
“Sorry about that,” Graham said. “We had a heavy rain a couple days ago, and it left the road a mess.”
“I remember the summer storms we used to have,” Sasha said. “I actually thought they were cool.”
The rumbles of thunder and the lightning that tore across the sky had been an amazing, celestial light show. Some people were frightened by the sights and sounds, especially when they struck at night. But Sasha hadn’t been one of them. And she doubted Maddie would be, either.
Graham swung around a mud puddle. “Are the bumps and turns too jarring for you?” He nodded toward her belly.
Sasha cast a reassuring smile his way. “No, I’m doing okay. And believe it or not, the baby seems to be enjoying it as much as Maddie is.”
“Apparently, she takes after her mom in more than just her looks.” Graham tossed her a boyish grin. “You always were a tomboy who tried to convince Peter and me that you were as tough and strong as horseshoes.”
She responded with the title of a song. “Anything you can do...”
Graham laughed. “You used to sing that to us all the time.”
That was true. She’d taunted them with the lively tune from Annie Get Your Gun every chance she got.
Sasha had never seen the actual musical on Broadway, or anywhere else for that matter. But one summer day, when she was visiting, Uncle Roger had taken them all to see a local talent show. She’d loved the performance by a high school girl and boy who’d sung that song.
“That’s too funny,” Graham said. “I’d nearly forgotten it.”
Singing it to Graham had been one of her many ploys to get his attention, although it hadn’t worked.
However, it did seem to catch his interest now.
Graham turned to the right, following a narrow road, and pointed to a grassy area. “This is the stretch of broken fence I’ve been fixing. I’ll need to get it done soon because we plan to keep some of the rescue horses here.”
Maddie let out a little gasp. “Can we come back again and see it? After the horses get here?”
“Sure.” Graham shot a questioning look at Sasha. “That is, if your mom doesn’t mind.”
“No, of course not. Maddie would love to see them grazing in the field.” Sasha’s warm smile shot clean through Graham, setting off a spark in his chest.
He’d only meant to make Maddie happy, but the fact that Sasha realized he had a soft spot for her daughter and that she was so clearly pleased by it, caught him off guard. It also left him a little unbalanced, since he hadn’t meant to earn her praise.
As a result, he decided to end the tour for today and head back. Several quiet minutes later, he parked the Gator on the side of the barn.
“What’s that?” Sasha pointed to the concrete foundation they’d had poured last week. “Is Uncle Roger building something, maybe a new barn?”
“That’s going to be the new bunkhouse. We were going to remodel the old one, but after we got started, we realized it was in bad shape and wouldn’t meet code. So we decided to start from scratch. We also built a couple of cabins for the boys.”
Her brow furrowed. “The boys?”
Apparently, Roger hadn’t mentioned their plan to her.
“Horses aren’t all we hope to rescue,” Graham said. “We’re going to take in some troubled teenagers and put them to work gentling the horses, something we hope will give them a new perspective on life.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “Seriously? That’s a great plan. And very admirable.”
Graham probably should have let Roger tell her about it, since her uncle needed to score a few points. But what was done was done, so he shrugged. “The idea started out as a tribute to Peter, but then it sort of took on a spin of its own. We’ve already talked to the school board, as well as the juvenile probation department.”
“Taking in those boys won’t be easy,” Sasha said. “And even though you guys should be able to relate well, there will be a ton of paperwork and regulations.”
“Yes, we know.” And Graham already had that covered. “As a side note,” he added with a grin, “you weren’t the only one who went to college.”
“That’s right.” She returned his smile. “I forgot.”
As much as he liked living on the Galloping G, and as much as he loved helping Roger, he had a bigger goal in life than just working on someone else’s ranch.
“What was your major?” she asked.
“Business.” He’d actually earned an MBA. “So I have it all worked out.”
“I’d always assumed you’d eventually go to work for your dad.”
“No, I’d never do that.” He’d dreamed of having a business of his own someday, one that didn’t have anything to do with Robinson Tech. In fact, even though everyone, especially his father and his siblings, had expected him to join them at the corporate offices after his graduation, Graham had refused.
There was no way he could ever work with his old man. He and Gerald Robinson might have buried the hatchet in some ways over the past couple of years, but Graham still resented his father’s my-way-or-the-highway attitude.
Besides, he felt good about the nonprofit organization he and Roger were creating. And he planned to use his education and his connections to make it all happen just as they planned.
“Mommy,” Maddie said. “Can I go in the kitchen and find Uncle Roger? He might want my help fixing dinner.”
Sasha laughed. “Sure, honey. Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
When the little girl hurried toward the front porch, Sasha said, “Tell me more about this idea of yours. It’s not that I’m trying to dissuade you. I think it’s noble. But it’s... Well, it just surprises me, that’s all.”
Graham had a feeling it wasn’t just the idea that surprised her. It was the fact that he was still living here, eight years later. Some guys might be offended by that, but he liked being able to still pull her chain and tease her a bit. “I guess there’s more to me than met your eye, huh?”
For a moment, their gazes met and locked. He expected her to comment, to tease him, to... He wasn’t sure what was swirling around behind those pretty blue eyes.
Instead she let his comment go.
“Where did you come up with that plan?” she asked.
“Peter and I both had wild streaks. I’d like to think that we would have settled down in time, but I’m not sure that’s true. I was pretty rebellious back in the day.”
“I never understood why. The way I saw it, you had everything a kid could ever want.”
Graham could neither agree nor disagree with her. It wasn’t that he’d had an unhappy childhood. His father had supplied his family with everything they could possibly ask for, other than his time, of course. Gerald Robinson, or rather, Jerome Fortune—damn, would Graham ever get used to that name?—had always seemed to be at the office or away on a business trip. And while he supplied his children with plenty of material possessions, he’d held back on his affection. That in and of itself would cause plenty of kids to rebel. But Graham had other reasons for the issues between him and his dad. Things he’d never told anyone and certainly wouldn’t share with Sasha.
“Maybe I was a born rebel,” he said.
“Peter, too?” She slowly shook her head, not believing him. But her cousin had a wild side, too, even if she hadn’t been aware of it.
Graham and Peter had met in middle school and become best friends. They were both energetic and creative, often getting in trouble in class—and partying on the weekends.
Roger had always taken their rowdy behavior with a grain of salt, saying boys would be boys. But Graham’s dad considered it outright rebellion, especially when he knew Graham was probably his brightest child and had such unrealized potential.
“I guess you could say I sometimes led Peter astray,” Graham said, although that really wasn’t true. Still, he wasn’t about to let the conversation continue on that same thread and open up any more than he’d already done.
Since Sasha remained seated in the Gator, apparently eager to hear more, he opted to change the subject.
“How long are you planning to be here?” he asked.
“I don’t know. For the near future, I suppose. And until I can figure out my next step.”
“Well, for however long it is, I’m glad you came back and that you brought Maddie. It’ll be good for Roger.”
He’d meant his comment to give her some peace, but her gaze nearly drilled a hole right through him. She seemed to be asking him something with her eyes, but he’d be damned if he knew what it was.
