‘Annie’s winning, just. She took the first set six to four, and we’re three games each in the second set.’
‘Am I winning? I thought you were just being nice.’
‘You’re definitely winning,’ Alex said, with a toss of her head. ‘But I am being nice. It wouldn’t be fair if I served hard now would it, given our height difference?’
Annie giggled. Then her eyes flew open. ‘If I win this set, that’ll be two sets to love. Then you can play Daddy, and I’ll be the umpire.’
Alex laughed, but Annie seemed serious.
‘I mean it, Daddy, go change your shoes. I wanna see how good you are.’
‘Me? I’m hopeless, you know that.’
Annie tilted her head and pulled a face. ‘You afraid to play against a girl?’
Travis laughed. ‘Alex is no girl. She’s a woman, and an ex-professional tennis player. You just want to see me squirm, don’t you?’
Annie giggled again. ‘Yes. Go change your shoes.’
Travis shook his head, but when Annie glared at him, he gave in. ‘Alright, alright, I’m going.’
As he walked off, Annie turned to Alex and whispered, ‘This will be good. He’s hopeless.’
As it turned out, he wasn’t exactly hopeless, but his serves had nothing on hers. Annie not only umpired, but also took on the role of cheerleader, switching sides from time to time as she cheered good serves and returns. With the score five games to four and Alex serving for the set, she gave her shoulder a rub and gritted her teeth; playing through the pain she served as though her life depended on it.
Ace.
Annie jumped up and raced to the net. ‘And the winner is … Alex.’ She grabbed Alex by the wrist and did her best to hold up her arm, like the umpires do with exhausted boxers, only the height difference made it a bit tricky.
‘I told you I was hopeless,’ Travis said, bending over with his hands on his knees, pretending to struggle to catch his breath.
Annie dropped Alex’s hand and turned to her father. ‘You played okay, Daddy. Just not good enough. Now you see why I want to keep having lessons with her, right? She’s the best.’
He straightened up. ‘Well, on that note, I think another cool drink has been earned. Let’s go inside, out of the sun.’
They made their way into the kitchen, and the moment Annie disappeared to the bathroom Travis stepped up beside her and put one hand on her cheek, caressing it. ‘You didn’t have to go easy on me, you know.’
She leaned into his hand for a moment, and then stepped back. ‘Easy on you? You’re joking, right? That was quite a workout.’
He ducked his head around the corner, and she assumed he was checking to see if Annie was returning.
Then he leaned forward and snuck a quick kiss before heading to the fridge to pull out the drinks. She was about to make a smart-alecky comment when Annie reappeared.
‘Can we have pizza for dinner?’ Annie plonked herself at the table, and put on a brilliant smile as she said, ‘Uncle Denver’s gone out so it’s just us, and pizza’s my favourite.’
‘Pizza? I don’t think we have any in the freezer, but since it’s now your favourite, I’ll make sure to buy some next time I shop.’
‘No, I mean real pizza, from a pizza parlour.’
‘In Masons Flat? Have you seen a pizza parlour in town that I missed?’
Annie pouted, and dropped her head down onto her folded arms.
Alex looked at Travis and shrugged her shoulders. ‘Well … I can try to make us one. That is, if you’ve got the right ingredients.’
Annie looked up, her eyes wide with awe. ‘You can make a real pizza?’
‘I can try. And you can help me, if you want.’
Travis walked over to the fridge and pulled out some fresh tomatoes, a huge block of cheddar cheese, a small packet of parmesan cheese and some sliced ham. Then, from the pantry, he grabbed two containers of flour, a bottle of dried oregano, another of basil and salt and pepper.
‘Ham and cheese pizza do you, Annie?’
Her eyes said it all, but even so she answered. ‘Yes, please.’
~~*~~
As Travis watched Alex and Annie, heads down, stirring the ingredients to make the dough, memories of his mother floated back. This house hadn’t been the same since she’d passed on, and now here was Alex, in his mother’s kitchen, teaching his daughter to cook. If felt natural, and something told him his mother would be happy to see the two of them together.
Could he imagine Alex staying? Why would she? He’d read up on Melbourne the night before—universal health care, strong gun controls, weather similar to California’s, and it had been named the World’s Most Liveable City several times. How could Masons Flat compete?
Yet the look on Alex’s face as she helped Annie knead the dough suggested a strong connection developing between them. Was it strong enough to coax her to stay? Was he foolish to hope she might decide to make this her home?
His mind wouldn’t stop spinning. What had happened to his resolve to keep his life simple? Didn’t that mean working this ranch, looking after the household and their various properties in town? Didn’t all that keep him busy enough between visits with Annie? He’d been satisfied with the new definition of his life, hadn’t he?
Of course he had, until Alex Mason arrived on the scene.
Her arrival in town—the arrival of a Mason—had revived the feud he’d hoped was buried along with Old Man Mason, but it’d done so much more than that. It had woken up feelings he’d been happier without.
‘It should taste better than it looks,’ Alex said, pulling his attention back to the present. She and Annie were placing slices of ham onto the base, and smothering them with cheese. Perhaps she’d mistaken the look on his face for criticism of the pizza.
‘It doesn’t look bad, not bad at all—far better than anything I’d have been able to do.’
When she smiled, his heart skipped a beat.
‘I’ll go set the table,’ he said, excusing himself so that he could clear his head. He had to keep things casual—it was best for everyone that way.
After they’d finished dinner, he’d sent Annie up to get ready for bed while he and Alex cleaned up the kitchen. When Annie returned, Travis agreed they could watch a bit of television together before she had to go to bed.
Sitting on the sofa, Annie, who’d insisted on sitting in the middle, took turns looking up at him and then at Alex. Annie said nothing, but even in silence he suspected he knew what she was thinking. When she finally began to nod off, he picked her up and carried her to her room.
When he returned, Alex was sitting on the edge of the sofa fiddling with her keys.
‘Are you leaving?’ he asked, not sure what he wanted her answer to be.
‘I probably should get going.’ She continued to play with the keys, pulling them around on the ring, looking as uncomfortable as he felt.
‘You don’t have to rush off just because Annie’s gone to bed.’ He sat beside her, and turned slightly so he could look at her.
Alex sighed as she slid back on the sofa, still looking less than relaxed. ‘Okay … yeah, sure.’ She hesitated for a moment, and then started talking about Annie. ‘Her tennis has really improved—I can see a lot of potential in her, especially if she continues with lessons once she goes back to school.’
He looked at her, one side of him grateful that she’d chosen a safe topic, but the other side of him already feeling the loss of what might have been. He drew a deep breath before continuing on the same line of conversation. ‘Weren’t you letting her win?’
‘No. Well I suppose I wasn’t serving it as hard as I could, but each time I challenged her, she stepped up to it. I’m not kidding about her potential, if she keeps playing.’
‘I’ll certainly tell Karen—maybe there’ll be some sort of
club or something she can join at her new school.’
When Alex turned to face him, her eyes were flashing. ‘Will it mean you see less of her, with them moving up to Washington?’
He cocked his head, thinking. ‘Guess that depends on their school vacations. I’ll still have her here for the summer each year, until she gets bored or finds a boyfriend who’s more interesting than her father.’
‘Hopefully that won’t be for a few years.’
When she huffed out a breath, he wondered if what he’d said had brought back memories of her own youth. He sighed. ‘She’s growing up so fast; it seems like yesterday that she was learning to walk. You haven’t mentioned any children, so I take it you haven’t left any behind when you came over here?’
As sadness washed over her face, he regretted his question. ‘No, we … my ex-husband and I … had I mentioned I’m divorced? Anyway, we hadn’t ever felt ready to start a family … and then ... well, it’s just as well, given how things turned out. But I love kids. I loved coaching, and working with Annie has been marvellous. It’s brought back so many good memories.’
Warmth washed through him with the realisation that Alex was exactly the kind of woman he’d hoped Karen would have become—only she never had. Karen had never lost her need for excitement, never wanted to give up the barrel racing. Getting her to stop while she was pregnant had been hard enough, but once Annie was born, she’d gone straight back to her old life, happy to leave him at home to care for their young daughter while she traipsed off to rodeos. Somehow, he doubted Alex would have behaved that way—doubted she was quite as much of a sporting-world prima-donna as Karen had been.
Just thinking the phrase made him cringe, remembering who Alex was … or at least who he’d thought she must have been. Had he been wrong about her?
‘When you get home, will you start up coaching again?’ There. He’d done it. He’d opened up the conversation about the future. It was probably more abrupt than he’d intended, but at least it was out there.
She blinked hard and cleared her throat. ‘When I get home … yes, well, it’s something I need to turn my mind to, that’s for sure. This inheritance came out of the blue, and I guess I still haven’t gotten my head around it yet.’
A frown tightened his forehead as incredulity swept over him. ‘Out of the blue?’
‘My father never said anything about it, and my mother—she’s hopeless when it comes to anything financial—she seemed as surprised about it as I was.’
It seemed unbelievable that she could not have known about her inheritance. But if it was true, she was even more likely to sell everything and go home. She’d have no sense of connection to the town or its history, so why would she stay? He was a fool to allow himself to imagine she might.
He coughed, then stood and cleared his throat. ‘I need some water. Can I get you anything?’
She shook her head almost imperceptibly. ‘No thanks.’
As soon as he was out of her view in the kitchen, he put his hands on the edge of the sink and ducked his head down, trying to clear his mind. He couldn’t deny the physical attraction—his desire to take her to his room and make love to her again was strong—but he also knew there were a lot of reasons not to. Not the least of which was that he was even more certain now that she’d sell everything and leave. And she still hadn’t said anything about the offer he and Denver had made for the saloon. Was she intending to use their offer as leverage to get a better offer from someone else?
He grabbed a glass and turned on the tap, letting the cold water overrun the glass and pour across his hand. Then he set the glass down, cupped his hands letting the water fill them, and then leant down and splashed it onto his face. He’d been an idiot to let his desire for Alex override his common sense. She was here to sell the property, and when that was done she’d be gone.
When he walked back into the living room she was standing again, with her phone in her hand.
She looked at him, and smiled tentatively. ‘I suppose I really should get going …’
He swallowed hard, allowing her words to reinforce the decision he’d pretty much already made, and forcing his desires back down where they belonged.
‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ he said, moving away from her as he led the way to the front door.
~~*~~
As she walked toward the door, Alex couldn’t help but wonder what had changed. Had she said something that upset Travis? Up until he left to get a glass of water, she’d been certain he was going to suggest she stay the night again. She’d wanted to stay. She’d even come prepared, with an overnight bag in the car. She knew it was terribly awkward with Annie being there—it would be embarrassing if she woke during the night and went looking for her father and found them together. But even so, he could have said he wanted her to stay but thought it might be best to leave that for another night.
She yearned for his touch as he opened the door and held it for her to pass through. And as he followed her to the car, she desperately wanted to stop, and lean back into him. She wanted to ask if he’d like her to stay—wanted to know if he shared her desires—but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
When they reached her car she stopped just short of opening the door. He stepped past her, and opened it for her. She turned, hoping he’d kiss her goodnight, but when he made no move toward her, she climbed in, pulled the door shut and started the car. She rolled down the window and smiled up at him, waiting without speaking until he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss through the window. When he stepped back rejection tore through her like a knife.
Tears burned behind her eyes as she nodded. ‘Goodnight then.’
He looked over his shoulder for a moment, but he didn’t walk away. Hope sprung from deep within her—hope that he’d changed his mind.
He reached in and put his hand on her shoulder, then leant down for another kiss—a kiss that said what his words hadn’t.
As he pulled back from her, he met her gaze. ‘I wish things weren’t so … complicated.’
She blinked slowly, trying not to sigh. He was right. There were so many factors to take into account—it wasn’t just two people connecting and wanting to spend time together. ‘Me too.’
His lips were in a tight grimace as he stepped back, once again tipping the hat he wasn’t wearing. She smiled, and put the car in gear, wishing she wasn’t leaving but knowing she had to.
She replayed their final moments on the short drive home. He’d wanted her to stay—it was obvious from his kiss—but he was right when he used the word complicated. Annie’s feelings had to be considered. Becoming romantically involved wasn’t a smart move, even if her body believed otherwise.
As she pulled up at her house, she remembered there’d been a missed call from a number she didn’t recognise. To take her mind off Travis, if only for a moment, she pulled her phone out and rang her voicemail.
Chapter 27
Alex recognised the deep voice immediately. It was the man doing the quote for the refrigeration units.
‘I just wanted to let you know I did all the measurements, and I left the key back with Sam like you said. I’ll send my quote over to Denver. The units I’m proposing are in stock, so there won’t be any delays if you decide to go ahead with it.’
The good news was uplifting—especially given how things were left with Travis. She checked the time and decided a call to Casey might also be uplifting. Casey was usually good at taking her to a happier place.
Casey didn’t even say hello, jumping right in where they’d left off. ‘Have you set a date for when you’re cooking dinner for your cowboy?’
Alex grimaced, but kept it from her voice. ‘I already did. Tonight.’
‘Really? Is he there now? If so, why are you on the phone to me?’
‘No, I made a pizza at his house … with his daughter’s help.’
‘I thought we agreed the plan was for you to invite him to your place?’ Impatience laced Casey’s voice.
‘Yeah, well, the opportunity hasn’t come up yet.’
‘But wouldn’t tonight have been the perfect opportunity to invite him for a proper meal at your place?’
‘I suppose. I didn’t think of that.’
‘Let me rephrase that for you … you chickened out.’
Alex paused before answering. Was Casey right? Was her concern for Annie just an excuse because she was afraid of getting hurt again?
‘He said things are complicated. And he didn’t ask me to stay the night.’
‘Wow, you two are a match made in heaven if there ever was one—you’re both really overthinking this. How can you and I even be sisters?’
Harsh, but true. Alex had always known she was the serious one, while Casey and Taylor were the carefree risk takers. Time to change the subject.
‘Have you bought a new outfit for Summer’s wedding?’
Casey huffed out a breath. ‘Yes, but we weren’t finished talking about your cowboy. What’s the real reason you didn’t invite him to dinner?’
She drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. ‘I think it would be best if I hold off getting more involved until we make a few big decisions … like what we’re doing with the properties. And I need to think about what it would mean to live here. Masons Flat is such a small town—I’m not sure I’m cut out for it.’
‘Well, come back then. Sell everything, bring back the cash, and set up your coaching business here. You’ve been wanting to do that for years. Now’s your chance. I mean … if you don’t want to stay there in California.’
‘I didn’t say I don’t want to … I just said I’m not sure.’
‘Exactly. So why not explore this relationship while you’re making up your mind. Look, I’m not trying to talk you into staying there. You’re the only one who can decide if it’s what you want, but what an opportunity, especially now, when you don’t even have a job to worry about coming back to. And besides, you don’t have to live in Masons Flat. You can live in Sacramento, or San Francisco.’
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