Читать книгу The Daddy Search - Shawna Delacorte - Страница 9

Two

Nick entered the ranch’s business office and perched on the edge of his mother’s desk. “Well, what’s on the agenda for the rest of today?” He picked up the clipboard, giving the schedule a quick glance. “Any problems that I need to know about?”

Gloria Clayton looked up at her older son, emitted a little sigh of resignation and took the clipboard away from him. “Nothing out of the ordinary that can’t be handled as part of the daily routine by the people whose job it is.” She released the brake on her wheelchair and started across the room.

Nick jumped to his feet. “What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”

Gloria wheeled around to face him. “Nicky . . . I’ve been confined to this chair for a little over eight years now. I’ve adjusted to your father being gone and I’ve adjusted to not being able to walk more than a few steps unaided. I’m more than capable of getting whatever I need by myself.”

A moment of sorrow swept across her features and her words came out barely above a whisper. “One moment, a blink of an eye, and the entire world is turned upside down. Your father is dead, my legs are almost useless, and the drunk driver who ran the red light and crashed into our car walks away without a scratch.”

She looked up at her son, a gentle smile coming to her still-beautiful features. “And out of that terrible happening came a new beginning. A modest cattle ranch becomes a successful dude ranch. You and Danny stepped into your father’s shoes and did a terrific job of making the difficult transition and running the business.” The gentle smile turned to an amused chuckle. “Now, if I could just get you to stop trying to be all things to everyone and start thinking about yourself for a change.” A pensive look crossed her face. “There must be some kind of a middle ground between your serious approach to responsibility and Danny’s frivolous, good-time attitude.”

“Ah—Danny’s frivolous, good-time attitude.” He nervously shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “Well, maybe he’ll grow up one of these days.”

“He’s twenty-eight years old, Nicky. And you’re thirty. Neither of you are children anymore.”

Nick carefully sidestepped Gloria’s comments about what she had often referred to as his overinflated sense of responsibility, preferring to allow Danny to be the topic of conversation. “There is one thing Danny does that I’m happy to let him handle without any interference. He works real well with the kids. I . . . uh . . .” One of Nick’s very few chinks in his armor of confidence was now visible. “I haven’t a clue what to do with children. I sort of freeze up when I’m around them and am at a loss for something to say. I guess I just don’t know how to talk to kids.”

“Well, one of these days you’ll come face-to-face with the perfect woman and that will be the end of your objections. You’ll look up and there she’ll be. You’ll get married and have a family of your own. I remember when your father and I met. One look and we both knew that was it.” Gloria shot him a half teasing, half serious glance. “One of these days I’ll finally be a grandmother. I’m the only one of all my friends who doesn’t have any grandchildren.”

Nick chuckled nervously. “Now, Mom. There’s plenty of time for that.” He placed a loving kiss on her forehead and grinned at her. “You’re far too young to be a grandmother.”

He felt the tension building inside him. It was a conversation that always made him uneasy. He really had no interest in getting mamed. He had a business to run and too many people depended on him for their jobs, a responsibility that took most of his time and weighed heavily on his shoulders. There was no way he would be able to take on the additional commitment that marriage required. Besides, why tie himself down to only one woman when there were so many out there to choose from?

He and Danny had both found that the unmarried female guests at their dude ranch provided a perfect short-term, no-strings-attached type of relationship. They arrived in groups of two or three and quickly made their availability known. As ranch guests they were there to have a good time and forget about the problems of everyday life. No one was looking for anything serious. It lasted for two or three weeks, everyone enjoyed themselves, then the guests returned to their homes and new guests arrived.

Danny flirted outrageously while Nick was more selective and usually more discreet, but each had no problem attracting feminine companionship. Danny called it the best of all possible worlds.

It always made Nick uncomfortable when his mother started talking about grandchildren, which meant she was really talking about his getting married. That was one responsibility he was definitely not ready to accept. And then, as if on cue, an image of Lexi Parker’s face popped into his mind...again. It was a situation that had repeated itself at least ten times in the past couple of hours.

There was no denying the fact that she had assaulted his senses in a way no other woman ever had. Everything about her . . . the shapely tanned legs, the way the soft fabric of her blouse caressed the curve of her breasts, the tilt of her head, the intelligence in her beautiful hazel eyes, her flawless skin, a throaty voice that sent tremors of longing through his body, a perfect mouth that absolutely begged to be kissed—

His mother’s voice intruded into his errant thoughts. “Isn’t it at about this point in the conversation when you decide you have some very urgent business that slipped your mind and then you hurry out of here?” There may have been teasing in her voice, but there was seriousness in her eyes.

The interruption was a welcome one, especially considering where those tempting images were taking him. He began to edge toward the door as he flashed his best “trust me” smile. “I don’t know where you get these crazy ideas.” He glanced at his watch. “Uh-oh. I didn’t realize it was so late. I have some paperwork to take care of.”

Nick headed down the hall, Lexi Parker continuing to invade his thoughts and linger in his mind. He had even gone so far as to check her reservation information. He knew she had arrived alone, but she had also requested a single cabin, which told him she was not expecting anyone to join her. He thought back to her mention of her sister, someone who had been a previous guest at the ranch. Why would she come alone rather than with a friend or even her sister? It piqued his curiosity, but then everything about Lexi Parker piqued his curiosity as well as heated his desires.

It had been quite a while since a woman made his blood race that hard and fast at first glance. He closed his eyes for a moment as he recalled the surge of electricity from her touch when they shook hands. This was definitely a woman he wanted to know—intimately know—as quickly as possible. Thoughts of Lexi Parker did more than just pique Nick’s curiosity. He could picture her long blond hair spread out across his pillow and that incredibly tempting mouth beckoning him to partake.

As he passed the door leading into the lobby he spotted Lexi entenng from the front of the building. She crossed the lobby toward the registration desk. He quickly stepped through the door to intercept her.

“Hello, Lexi.” He felt his breath quicken and his pulse begin to race. He flashed a sexy grin as he leaned against the counter, trying to appear casual even though it was far removed from the unsettled feeling that had a grip on him. “Are you getting situated okay? Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I was just turning in my activities sign-up sheet.”

“I’ll be happy to take care of that for you.” He took the sheet of paper from her and glanced over her selections. He managed to maintain an outer calm despite the way her nearness pulled on his senses and desires. She exerted a very disconcerting effect on him. He wanted to pull her into his arms, claim her delicious-looking mouth as his and whisk her away to his cabin for an afternoon of totally uninhibited passion.

He looked up, locking eye contact with her for a second before allowing his gaze to momentarily drop to the temptation of her slightly parted lips. “This is quite an energetic schedule you’ve set for yourself. Most of our guests like to kick back and relax for the first couple of days before throwing themselves into the more rigorous activities.”

He glanced at her list again. “I see you’re starting out first thing in the morning with our sunrise breakfast ride. In fact, you’ve signed up for it twice this week.” He arched one eyebrow in surprise. “And you’re going to try our calf-roping lessons in preparation for the guest rodeo?” He looked up at her, catching a fleeting glimpse of uncertainty in her eyes that quickly changed to something more standoffish. “We don’t have too many women who try their hand at calf roping. You must be quite the outdoors enthusiast.”

“Uh . . . well, yes. I do enjoy being outdoors.” Every activity led by Nick Clayton had gone on her sign-up sheet. She had to know more about him to determine the best way to confront him about his son—well, at least determine if Jimmy was his son. If Jimmy was his son? How had she allowed that doubt to become part of her thinking? She stiffened her resolve and tried to shove the uncertainties aside. She had to see this through to the conclusion.

But calf roping? A hint of trepidation shivered up her back. Did she really need to go that far? The last time she was on a horse had been during her freshman year of college. Things seemed to be turning into an endurance test and she wasn’t sure she had the stamina to last the entire three weeks. A groan tried to claw its way out of her throat. She hoped she would be able to physically survive the implementation of her plan.

The worst part was the nagging feeling that she had not signed up for all of Nick’s activities strictly to fulfill the task she had set for herself—that perhaps there was a more personal motive behind it. She was incredibly attracted to Nick Clayton and didn’t seem to have any control over it. It was more than just his sexy smile and handsome features. There was a strength about him, a confidence that reached out and touched her on a deeply emotional level.

A bit of a smile turned the corners of Lexi’s mouth as she slowly regained her composure and rallied a new determination. “I thought I’d go swimming this afternoon, soak up some sunshine and enjoy this beautiful scenery while breathing your nice, clean air.” She would show him that he could not work his charm on her that easily. It would take more than a handsome cowboy in a pair of tight jeans to turn her head and make her abandon her plans.

Was it false confidence on her part? Again, she was not sure exactly which part of her was in charge—the woman who was ready to fight tooth and nail to get little Jimmy what he rightly deserved or the woman who had never met anyone like Nick Clayton and hadn’t a clue how to break the spell he seemed to be casting over her.

She clenched her jaw in resolve. It had better be the first woman who was in charge because that other one didn’t stand a chance against this charming scoundrel.

Nick leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice to a sensual tone conveying the feeling that his words were meant for her ears only even though no one else was within earshot. “It appears that we’ll be spending a lot of time together since I’m in charge of the activities you’ve listed on your sheet.”

He extended a warm smile, very pleased at this interesting turn of events. It was as if fate had literally dropped her into his lap. It couldn’t have worked out better if she had purposely intended to spend as much time with him as possible—a prospect that sent a ripple of hope through his body and heightened his already heated desires. He reached out and brushed a wayward tendril of hair away from her cheek, allowing his fingertips to linger against her skin for a couple of seconds.

Then, as if his hand had a will of its own, he cupped her chin in his palm. He hesitated a moment, then leaned forward, bringing his face very close to hers until their lips were only a heartbeat apart. He could feel her breathing and almost taste her sweetness. Then he felt her body stiffen and the magic of the moment disintegrated.

She took a step backward from his electrifying touch as she cleared her throat of the sensation that her heart had lodged there. Perhaps he didn’t see their accidental meeting as a sparring match, but she did. And so far, the intense attraction she felt toward him had kept her almost tongue-tied and incapable of thinking clearly. The very last thing she wanted was to acknowledge the fact that she had almost allowed him to kiss her.

She noted the way he raised a questioning eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. She needed to regain the upper hand. She held her breath for a brief moment in order to recapture her composure, then plunged ahead. “I was wondering if you’d had an opportunity to give any more thought to my sister . . . maybe recall her staying here. She spoke so highly of those two weeks that I decided to spend my vacation here.”

To her surprise, he straightened up and appeared to be trying to collect himself. Had she hit a nerve? A touch of satisfaction tickled her consciousness. Maybe this would be easier than she had thought. If she could take care of her objective very quickly, then she could return to her own home. She felt decidedly unsafe—emotionally at risk—around this disconcerting man. Nick Clayton frightened her. The very real attraction she felt toward him frightened her. She feared she might be incapable of denying him whatever he asked of her.

“Well, no . . . actually, I haven’t had the time. You said her name was Mamie Adams? The name does have a familiar ring to it now that I’m thinking about it, but I’m afraid I still can’t place her. Perhaps it will come to me after I’ve had the chance to give it some thought.”

“Yes, perhaps it will.” She heard the edge to her voice and silently berated herself for allowing it to seep through.

“That’s kind of odd.”

“What’s odd?” Had she missed something? It was as if he had changed topics on her while she wasn’t listening.

“You said your sister was here a little over six years ago, loved her stay, spoke of it in glowing terms, which prompted you to take your vacation here.”

“Yes . . . what’s so odd about that?”

“I was just wondering why you waited six years.”

His words caught her totally off guard. It hadn’t occurred to her to develop a cover story, at least not anything other than what she had already given him. She frantically searched her mind for an acceptable response to his question.

“Well...uh...you know. It was just one of those things. First there was the money, then something came up and... well, you know how that goes.”

“Sure, things happen.” He ran his fingertips across the back of her hand and offered his best smile. “I’m glad you were finally able to work it out.”

She eased her hand out from under his as she tried to still the tremor of excitement caused by his touch. Even after she had pulled her hand free, she could still feel the warmth of his skin against hers. His smile and his words may have said he accepted her answer, but she could see it in his eyes . . . the questions, the skepticism, the reserve that said he didn’t believe her. She scanned the lobby in an attempt to find something that would let her gracefully extract herself from the conversation.

When she couldn’t find anything, she returned her attention to Nick and gave him a pleasant smile. “I’m sure you have a lot to do so I won’t take up any more of your time.” She turned and left the lobby through the front door, forcing herself to proceed casually even though she could feel his eyes on her... and the tingle of excitement it caused.

Nick leaned back against the wall as he watched her walk away, his heart pounding and his pulse throbbing in time with each step she took. His gaze traced every line and curve of her body. When she finally disappeared through the front door, he closed his eyes and emitted a soft moan that came out as half desire and half frustration.

He took a calming breath, then decided to look into the matter of Lexi’s sister. For some reason, it seemed important to her that he remember Mamie Adams and her stay at the ranch. Rather than go to his office, he made a side trip to the storage room. Six years ago—he searched for the corresponding storage boxes. Time was forgotten as he immersed himself in the task.

“Aha!” The sound of his own voice echoing through the quiet startled him. There it was—Marnie Adams.

He opened the file and quickly scanned the contents, then went back and carefully reread everything. A slight furrow wrinkled his brow as he checked her original reservation and her registration card. She had vacationed alone, too. First Mamie, then her sister, vacationing alone at a dude ranch. Very curious . . . very curious indeed. He checked Mamie’s activity sheet. Unlike Lexi, Mamie had not been involved in any strenuous pastimes. In fact, the records indicated she had not been on a horse during her entire stay.

He went to the candid publicity pictures they’d shot during that month and carefully checked the names of those who had been captured on film. He found her name and pulled the photo, one taken at a chuck-wagon barbecue.

The image shot off the paper at him. Marnie Adams bore a striking family resemblance to Lexi, making it clear that the two women were related. He studied the photograph for a few seconds. Where Lexi’s look was softly sensual and very enticing, Marnie had a hard edge to her appearance as if she had seen too much of the world and found it a great disappointment.

Seeing the photograph jarred his memory. Marnie Adams . . . she had told him more about herself than he ever wanted to know. Even though she had only been in her mid-twenties at the time, she had talked about having two ex-husbands and a string of casual affairs. It was almost as if she had been bragging about those things, thinking it somehow made her seem worldly and sophisticated, the truth being quite the opposite. Even though Marnie was an undeniably beautiful woman, she had not struck a responsive chord with him.

Mamie had presented herself at his cabin door late one night with a bottle of wine in her hand. A moment later, she revealed that she had nothing on beneath her robe. He tactfully, but firmly, refused her offer and sent her on her way. The blatant invitation had been tempting, but she was obviously drunk. Other men might have considered that type of situation as easy pickings, but that certainly wasn’t his style.

The next morning, she acted as if the incident had never happened. He acknowledged that due to her inebriated condition she might not have even remembered what she’d done. When he made love with a woman, he wanted it to damn well be something they would both enjoy and remember the next morning.

That had been a little over six years ago. So, what was Mamie’s sister doing at the ranch now and why did he feel that something was wrong? Was it just his imagination or was there more to it than that? There was no question that he felt a very strong physical attraction to Lexi, an attraction he fully intended to pursue. It was something that most certainly had not existed with Mamie.

He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed a smile to curl the corners of his mouth as he entertained a totally inappropriate thought. Well, maybe not inappropriate, but probably unlikely. He visualized Lexi Parker presenting herself at his door, carrying a bottle of wine and wearing nothing but a—

“There you are!” Danny Clayton’s irritation interrupted Nick’s errant musings.

Nick whirled around to face the six-foot-tall man with the sandy-colored hair. “And where should I be?” He arched one eyebrow and leveled a serious gaze at his brother as much in an attempt to cover his embarrassment at being caught daydreaming as anything else.

Danny glanced at his watch. “In five minutes you’re supposed to be at the corral—” he grinned and slipped into an exaggerated slow drawl while doing his best John Wayne impersonation “—to saddle ‘em up, pilgrim, and move ’em on out for the afternoon ride.” He stepped into the storeroom and looked around. “So, what are you doing in here?”

Nick attempted to sound casual as if nothing out of the ordinary had been going on. “I was checking on a guest who stayed here a few years ago. Her sister arrived this morning and mentioned it.” He handed the photograph to Danny and indicated Mamie. “Do you remember her?”

Danny took the photograph from Nick and studied it for a moment. “Oh, yeah. I remember this one all right. She was one hot little number.”

Nick stared at his brother, not sure exactly how to interpret what Danny said. “Oh? Do I take that to mean that you—”

“No, not me. I just meant that she seemed to be really hot for cowboys and was determined to get it on with as many as possible. I made it a point to stay clear of her.” A wicked little grin tugged at his lips. “She seemed to be more interested in quantity than quality.”

Nick returned the photograph to the file, stuck the file folder into the storage box and shoved it aside with the toe of his boot.

Danny shot Nick a knowing look. “Well, well, well . . . the sister who’s the newly arrived guest wouldn’t be that tasty-looking blonde you’ve been drooling over ever since the shuttle van arrived from the airport, would it?”

Nick hid behind a stern expression. “Knock it off, Danny. I haven’t been drooling over anyone.” He attempted to project a businesslike manner. “Lexi simply mentioned that her sister had vacationed here a few years ago and asked if I remembered meeting her. I was just looking through the old records to see if I could find a photograph to jog my memory. It’s no big deal.”

“Oh, I see.” Danny could no longer suppress a mischievous grin. “Then I can assume you have no personal interest in Ms. Lexi Parker? That you don’t have any objections to my making a play for her?”

Nick balled up his fist, gave his brother a loving punch to the shoulder, then broke out into a teasing smile. “You do and you die!”

Danny returned the feeling of closeness between the brothers. “That’s what I thought.”

Lexi forced a smile and tried to assume an upbeat manner as she stepped into the dining room. She turned to the attractive gray-haired woman seated at the front desk.

“Lexi Parker . . . one for dinner.”

The older woman extended her hand toward Lexi and offered a gracious smile. “I’m Gloria Clayton. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lexi.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Gloria.”

“On behalf of my two sons and myself, I’d like to thank you for choosing to spend your vacation with us. The weather forecast says blue skies and sunshine for the next few days, so there won’t be anything standing in the way of your having a great time.”

Lexi could see the family resemblance between Nick and his mother. She was a charming woman who exuded warmth and sincerity. Lexi instantly liked her. “I’m sure I will. The scenery here is truly spectacular, and coming from a large city, I can assure you that I’m really enjoying all this clean mountain air.”

Gloria smiled. “It’s good for flagging appetites, too. Now, about the meals. They’re all served family style. That gives the guests an additional opportunity to get to know each other. So if you’ll just follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”

Gloria wheeled out from behind the desk and headed across the room. Lexi had not realized until that moment that Gloria was in a wheelchair.

Gloria showed her to a round table set with ten places. Not more than five minutes passed before nine of the ten places at her table were filled. She glanced around the dining room, noting that it was quickly filling with ranch guests. A festive mood prevailed with everyone enjoying themselves. She spotted Gloria seated at another table and a man she assumed to be Danny Clayton at yet another. A minute later, someone sat down in the chair next to hers. She turned toward the new arrival and found herself staring into Nick Clayton’s blue eyes.

“Good evening, Lexi. I hope you’re hungry. I just took a quick tour through the kitchen and everything looks good.”

She forced a smile. “Yes, it certainly smells good.” Nick Clayton . . . was there no way to avoid constant contact with him? It seemed that every time she left her cabin she ran into him. Her purpose in being at the ranch had been to confront him. Except now she wished she could stay away from his very disconcerting presence. He made her feel uncomfortable, arousing totally inappropriate longings and desires. She wasn’t sure which disturbed her more—how he made her feel or the implication of those feelings.

To her surprise, dinner turned out to be a much more pleasant interlude than she had anticipated. She was very conscious about her choice of words and tone of voice. She would occasionally slip and her conversation with Nick would border on adversarial, but only for a moment. She quickly brought it back to neutral. She reluctantly had to admit that he was a gracious host for the table. He managed to engage everyone in conversation and made sure all the guests were put at ease and felt a part of the group. She was surprised to find that he was very intelligent and conversant on a wide variety of topics. There was a lot more to this cowboy than a set of broad shoulders, a killer smile and brilliant blue eyes.

Lexi found it very unsettling. She had almost convinced herself that she would be able to ignore her unexpected yet very real attraction to him—almost. She still had not been able to set aside the threat of emotional upheaval every time he came near her. And now that she had seen that he was something other than just another libidodriven and self-absorbed handsome hunk, she did not know what to think.

A moment later, he jolted her once again.