Discovering Gold

by S. M. Spencer

  Travis walked up and handed him the cup of coffee. ‘Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with any of it. I’ve got a pretty good brain for property matters—I had to learn quick-smart when Dad got sick.’

  ‘Thanks for that—if I get stuck, I may very well ask for help.’

  Before he could say any more, Denver walked in, rubbing his eyes and yawning. ‘What are you getting stuck with? I’m pretty handy at most things, so don’t feel like you’ve gotta pester Travis.’

  Travis shook his head and made his way outside to start getting the horses ready for the day.

  ~~*~~

  ‘She’s much better, Alex,’ Stacy said when Alex rang her.

  ‘Oh, that’s brilliant. I’ve been worried about her all night.’

  ‘They both slept well, and had toast with strawberry jam for breakfast. So far they seem fine. I think it might have been a mixture of the corndogs and the cotton candy, not to mention the rides. Or it could have been a twenty-four-hour thing. Either way, I think Annie’s fine if you want to head up to the frog jumping finals. I know how disappointed she’ll be if she doesn’t get to see them. And she also really wants to watch her father ride.’

  ‘You’re a better judge than I am, so if you think she’s good to go, I’ll come get her in about an hour.’

  When they ended the call, Alex stood staring out the window again. Perhaps Annie was the key consideration in this budding romance. She and Travis were adults, and entering into a physical relationship that might end with one or both of them getting hurt was a decision each of them had to make. Allowing Annie to get her hopes up that they were going to be a couple, well, that wasn’t something Alex was keen on. She’d have to give this more thought. Much more.

  But not right now.

  Right now, she wanted to shower, and change into a fresh pair of jeans and a clean shirt. She would enjoy the day and let the rest take care of itself.

  Today was for Annie.

  And as for tomorrow, well, tomorrow could be a totally different story.

  Chapter 25

  When Alex got home from the rodeo that evening, she rang Casey. She knew Casey was probably still at work but this couldn’t wait.

  ‘I’m glad you enjoyed the rodeo, and I think it’s wonderful that you’ve found someone you’re interested in, but it’s a shame he didn’t ask you to stay tonight as well,’ Casey said, barely concealing her excitement.

  ‘We had a wonderful day, but Annie was exhausted by the end of it—she probably hadn’t slept well last night. And … you know … it was awkward; with his brother and his cousin right there with us the whole time we were talking.’

  ‘Okay, I get that it might have been awkward, but sooner or later they’ll find out, won’t they?’

  Alex swallowed hard, trying to sound positive. ‘You don’t think I should, you know, back off a bit?’

  ‘Why?’ Casey’s frown came across clearly in her voice.

  ‘Well, for one thing, he has this big ranch here in California. And he has an eight-year-old daughter. So I’m sure there’s no way he would ever consider moving to Australia … which would mean if we were to get serious, I’d have to stay here. And to be honest, I’m not sure I’m prepared to commit to staying here permanently.’

  ‘Crikey Alex, do you hear yourself? Didn’t you listen to anything I said last time? You like the man. And from the sound of it, he likes you too. Go with it. See what happens. Don’t stop seeing him in case you might not want to live in California for the rest of your life. Live a little. Enjoy each day, because you never know if it’ll be your last.’

  ‘Wow, I know you’re trying to be positive, but that actually sounds rather depressing.’

  Casey grunted; frustration obvious in her voice. ‘You know what I mean. Don’t worry about what the others might think, and don’t worry about forever. Enjoy his company.’

  ‘You don’t think that’s selfish?’

  ‘Selfish? Look, you’ve gotta look after yourself because no one else will. But I tell you what; I’d love to meet him. I’d like to see what kind of a man has gotten you, Ms In-control-at-all-times Mason, so rattled. He must be something special, that’s all I can say.’

  Alex took a deep breath. ‘I knew I could count on you for stable, well-grounded love-life advice,’ she said as Casey sniggered again.

  ‘Do you want me to pick you up at the airport when you get in?

  ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll email my flight details.’

  ‘Cool. Now sorry to cut you off but I’ve gotta go. Get your beauty sleep, and make plans to see this cowboy of yours soon. He sounds like the kind of guy who’ll get taken off the market if you don’t let him know you’re interested.’

  Alex shook her head, still not entirely confident she was making the right decision, but she told Casey what she’d want to hear. ‘I’ll be seeing him Tuesday—tennis lesson, with his daughter.’

  ‘Great. Why don’t you suggest cooking him dinner at the weekend? Get a sitter lined up for his daughter so it’s just the two of you.’

  ‘Hmmm, that’s not such a bad idea. I’ve always been able to cook a pretty presentable lamb roast.’

  ‘Now you’re talking. Men like meat. Feed him, and give him a couple of glasses of red, and then let him put his feet up in front of the telly. When he starts to nod off, you invite him to stay the night.’

  Alex could feel the heat rising up her cheeks, and the tingle spreading across her entire body, just thinking about what it would be like to have Travis stay the night here, in her home.

  Maybe ringing Casey hadn’t been such a good idea after all—or had she gotten exactly the advice she’d wanted?

  ~~*~~

  Monday disappeared in a blur of meetings, phone calls and ploughing through her uncle’s files but on Tuesday morning, Alex popped into the saloon to check on the progress of the renovations. She was pleased to see Denver there.

  ‘Hey Alex.’ He gave her a big smile as he spotted her coming in.

  She looked around, noting there was a tradesman working in the kitchen, another assessing the floors, and one of the barstools had been dismantled, all of which meant progress. ‘Hi Denver—it’s actions stations here for sure. And everything’s looking great—what do you think?’

  ‘I think it’s all on schedule to be finished by the end of next week or maybe a day or two later. Here, let me show you around.’

  Denver pointed out the work that still had to be completed, and by the time they’d gone over everything Alex was confident the saloon would be open before she left for Australia.

  She started to leave, but then turned back to Denver. ‘Are you hanging around?’

  ‘No, I just wanted to check in.’ Denver made a move toward the door, and Alex followed him. ‘It’s good they were able to get the floors started so quickly. This place won’t know itself when all this work is done. Have you spoken to the employees with the good news?’

  They were outside now, standing at the door. ‘Yes, and they’re all excited—especially Darleen. I said two weeks, but I’m hesitant to throw any sort of grand opening in case we miss the date.’

  ‘You can organise that a day or two before. Trust me; word will spread quickly once the job is nearing completion. You put a sign on the door and everyone will come.’

  She sighed, relieved to hear his vote of confidence. ‘I really wanted it open before I go, so this is great news.’

  ‘Go?’ His face contorted into a frown.

  ‘Yes, I have to go to a wedding … in Australia. Please don’t say anything to anyone yet. I want things to just tick along without the added pressure of that as a deadline. I also don’t want to tell Annie until right before I go. She’s enjoying the lessons, and I hate to disappoint her but there isn’t anything I can do about it.’

  ‘But you are coming back, after the wed
ding?’

  She nodded. ‘Of course.’

  It was his turn to sigh with relief now, and he did so with the theatrics of a stage artist. ‘Had me going there for a moment.’

  She flashed him a cheeky smile. ‘You’d miss me if I left, I take it?’

  He threw his hands up in the air, spreading his arms wide. ‘We’d all miss you—you’re becoming one of us, for sure.’

  She smiled, soaking up the sense of belonging. ‘Speaking of me going … I need someone to keep an eye on the saloon while I’m away, I don’t suppose you’ve got any ideas? I was planning to chat to Sam, but if you’ve got any better suggestions I’d love to hear them.’

  He spun around, nodding toward the hotel. ‘Nah, Sam’s your best bet. He knows everyone here in town, and he’s well liked, but to be honest, Darleen knows what she’s doing so I doubt he’d have much to do anyway.’

  That was a relief. She’d pop in and see Sam before heading over for Annie’s lesson. She had to remind herself that everything in town had managed for a long time before she’d arrived on the scene, and would no doubt manage just fine without her. She had to step back and stop being a control freak.

  ~~*~~

  Travis stood staring at Annie while she finished her lunch. Afterwards, they headed out to the barn to finish cleaning the rest of the tack from the weekend. It didn’t need to be done that moment, but it gave him a bird’s eye view to watch for Alex who was due any time now.

  He’d been thinking about Alex ever since he’d finished putting away all the horses after the rodeo and had a moment to himself. He’d gone to bed wishing she was there next to him. And then he’d thought about her all the next day as well. He’d been looking forward to seeing her today, without question, and yet something was making him uneasy. Something he couldn’t put a finger on.

  He looked down at Annie as she rubbed some oil into a bridle, her tiny fingers reminding him just how young and fragile she really was. Perhaps he had to lower Annie’s expectations with regard to Alex, and perhaps his own in the process.

  Picking up his rag, he grabbed another of the bridles and as he began rubbing it, he turned to Annie. ‘You know, sweetheart, Alex may not be able to give you all that many more tennis lessons.’

  A slight frown appeared on her face, making her look older than her eight years. ‘What do you mean? Mom said she won’t come get me until August. That’s two whole months away. Alex can give me lots of lessons in two months.’

  He drew in a breath, contemplating the best way to approach this. ‘Yes, but remember when we were talking about Disneyland?’

  She dropped the rag and put her hands on her hips. ‘Sure, Dad, but what’s that got to do with tennis lessons? That’s not until Christmas.’

  ‘I know, but do you remember why Alex said she hadn’t ever been to Disneyland?’

  Annie’s frown deepened, and she chewed her lower lip. She was cute all the time, but particularly when she was concentrating. Eventually, she replied. ‘Because she lives kazillions of miles away?’

  He smiled, pleased she remembered. ‘Well, maybe not quite that far, but that’s exactly right, she lives a long way away.’

  Annie rolled her eyes melodramatically, shaking her head. ‘But that was before she moved here. She isn’t far now. She showed me her house on Sunday. We drove right past it.’

  ‘Yes, she’s living there for the moment, but only temporarily. Like how you’re living here with me now, for the summer. You’ll go to Washington, and Alex will go back to Australia.’

  Annie crossed her arms and shrugged. She was the spitting image of Karen when she did that. ‘Yeah, okay, but not for a while, like … not over the summer, right?’

  He set the bridle down and picked up another. ‘That I can’t say, sweetheart. Alex hasn’t said how long she’s going to stay here.’

  The sound of a car coming up the drive told him Alex had arrived. He dropped the bridle and rag onto the table as Annie raced ahead. As he walked up, Alex was reaching into the back seat for her bag, exposing a bit of skin as her shirt pulled with the stretch. Seeing her bare midriff sent pulses through him and made him wish she was arriving to see him rather than for Annie’s tennis lesson.

  With bag in hand, Alex tempted him further as she swung her long bare legs out of the car and stood up next to Annie. He wanted to kiss her, to run his hands down her back and pull her close. He wanted to whisk her off to his bedroom and repeat all the things he’d done with her Saturday night.

  He wanted to do all of that, but of course he did none of it.

  ‘Hi, Alex. Good to see you.’ He kept his voice even and his hopes in check.

  She smiled, but Annie spoke so she turned toward her, away from Travis.

  ‘Alex, I missed you yesterday.’ Annie threw her arms around her, giving her father a look of defiance as she peeked at him around Alex’s side. ‘I think we should have lessons four times a week—while we can.’

  She’d heard everything he’d said to her, but Annie didn’t want it to be true. She didn’t want to lose Alex and she wasn’t afraid to let her know it. He raised an eyebrow as he quirked a smile toward his daughter, then closed the car door.

  ‘Four times a week,’ Alex said, laughing. ‘Wow, you’ll get too good for me if we play that often.’

  ‘No, I won’t. I’ll never serve as good as you until I grow at least another foot taller.’ Annie grabbed Alex’s hand and started to drag her off to the court. ‘Are you coming to watch, Daddy? You should watch me—you’ll be surprised at how good I’m getting. You’ve got time, right?’

  He swallowed, grateful for Annie’s invite. ‘Sure thing, sweetheart, for a few minutes anyway. And for the record, nothing you achieve will ever surprise me.’

  Alex looked down at Annie, then up at him through her lashes. He wondered if she had any idea of the effect she had on him, standing there, so scantily dressed, and looking at him that way. The thought of dragging her into his bedroom once again sent pulses through his whole body while chasing away the uncertainty that had plagued him earlier. Perhaps Annie didn’t need to be protected from Alex’s potential departure. Perhaps it was just his own feelings he needed to worry about.

  ‘Well come on then.’ Annie, who was already holding Alex’s hand, grabbed his, and pulled the two of them around the side of the house toward the court.

  Chapter 26

  Alex could have ended the rally earlier but she was enjoying the improvement in Annie’s ground strokes. When a movement in Alex’s peripheral vision made her turn slightly, Annie took advantage of her loss of concentration and smashed the ball beyond her reach on the backhand side.

  ‘Great shot, Annie,’ Travis called out, clapping his hands slowly.

  Alex turned toward him, shaking her head but grinning even so. ‘Takes every opportunity I give her, that’s for sure,’ she replied to him before turning to Annie. ‘I think this deserves a drink break, don’t you?’

  ‘You must have read my mind,’ Travis said as he approached. ‘Water, iced-tea or home-made lemonade; what takes your fancy?’

  ‘Lemonade for me,’ Annie replied as she made her way to sit on the partially shaded bench. ‘But put some extra sugar in mine, please,’ she added with a cheeky grin.

  ‘Iced-tea sounds good to me, thanks.’ Alex replied, turning back to him.

  ‘Coming right up,’ he said, heading back toward the house.

  Alex walked to the bench to join Annie just as a deep frown darkened the young girl’s face.

  ‘Dad says you might not be staying here too long. He says you might be going back to Australia.’ Her voice was flat, unfitting for a girl who was winning the tennis match.

  Alex drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. ‘Yes, well, Australia is my home. When I first arrived, I was pretty sure it was going to be for a few weeks. Now, I’m not sure.’

 
; Annie’s tone softened. ‘You like it here, don’t you? Does that mean you might stay?’

  Alex didn’t want to give Annie false hope because as much as she did like it here, she also knew that when she got back home for the wedding the distance might give her a different perspective on things. She chewed her lip, trying to be diplomatic in her response. ‘It’s tricky, Annie. You see, all my family is there.’

  ‘Do you have a big family, like I have Mom and Cody, and Dad, and Uncle Denver, and my cousins?’

  ‘I don’t have a huge family, but everyone is in Australia.’

  ‘And that’s kazillions of miles away.’

  She grinned. ‘It’s a long way, yes. It took me almost a full day of travelling to get here—and most of that time was on a plane.’

  Annie sighed, her face puckering up into a pout. ‘I wish you could live here—all the time. Daddy seems much happier when you’re around.’

  She didn’t know how to respond to Annie, but thankfully the sound of Travis returning saved her. As she turned to face him, and caught the look in his eye, the magnitude of Annie’s words sunk in. He had changed. He was a different man to the one she’d met in the saloon on her first day in Masons Flat. He’d been abrupt, if she was kind, rude if she was feeling less than kind, but since then he’d become the epitome of a gentleman.

  ‘Here you go, ladies,’ he said as he set the drinks on the end of the bench.

  Annie grabbed hers and drank almost half of it in a big gulp.

  Travis scowled, chastising her. ‘You’ll get the hiccups if you drink that too quickly.’’

  Alex picked up her glass and scooted over, making room if Travis wanted to sit, but he remained standing, watching the pair of them.

  ‘So, who’s winning anyway?’ he asked.