The Somerset Girls

by Lori Foster

  Curiosity brought his gaze to hers. “So who cut the grass?”

  “He gave her a different chore and I inherited grass duty.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t mind so much, except for when it got really hot.”

  “Which was most of the summer in Kentucky.”

  “True.”

  “Why didn’t you just do the halter trick?”

  Laughing, Autumn glanced at him...and realized he was serious. “It wouldn’t have been the same.”

  “Why not?”

  Because no one would have whistled at me. Surely he knew that, since he was one of the guys who’d never paid her any attention.

  Tash continued to watch her, waiting, so she worked up a credible and casual shrug. “Mom and Dad always saw through my BS.”

  As if seeing through her, hearing things she hadn’t said, Tash held her captive with his gaze.

  She felt herself sinking. Heck, she might’ve even leaned toward him a little, drawn in by his intense interest.

  Luckily, Sadie laughed, breaking the spell and drawing away Tash’s attention. Smiling in anticipation of his daughter’s happiness, Tash looked toward her. Her antics made him grin, putting a dimple into his lean, bristly cheek. In profile, she noted his long lashes, his straight nose and high cheekbones.

  The wind-tousled hair, the casual clothes over a body carved with strength and the evening beard shadow all detailed his masculinity, but it was his open affection toward his daughter that really sealed the deal.

  After blowing out a quick breath to ease the squeezing of her heart, Autumn turned to see Sadie layering a clump of seaweed over the castle walls with artistic flair. The boys loved it.

  “She’s a charmer.” The seaweed really did enhance the castle. “I’m glad she’s having fun.”

  Tash’s smile lingered. “It’s why we’re here. I’m hoping she’ll make friends, but most of the girls are swimming and she didn’t want to. Instead she corralled those two boys into building the castle she wants.”

  “They don’t seem to mind.” Flickering light played over Tash’s body. He also wore board shorts, but unlike Mike, he’d topped them with a snowy white T-shirt that fit close to his wide shoulders. He had long, narrow feet, and damn it, to her beleaguered brain even they looked sexy.

  The way he’d pushed back his hair, she knew he’d been swimming earlier. Already a few locks dropped forward, making her fingers tingle with the need to touch them.

  “The other day when you were over...” He shifted to face her, and the way he stared into her eyes made it damn difficult for her to think. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

  That didn’t make any sense. “What?”

  “You realized Sadie was worried.” Frustration seemed to emanate off him. “She’s worried far too often. Her mom used to promise stuff left and right, but most of it never happened.”

  How terrible. She’d suspected something along those lines, and having it confirmed helped explain some of Sadie’s cynicism. “She’s afraid to get too excited.”

  He nodded. “You saw that, and I appreciate the way you reinforced things. I know you don’t normally take payment upfront, but—”

  “You’re apologizing for trusting me in advance?” Since getting paid wasn’t always that easy, she laughed. “Believe me, not a problem. And, hey, if I helped to convince Sadie that you’re here to stay, I’m glad.”

  Dark, serious and sincere, his gaze held hers. “It was nice seeing her happy and I was grateful, so I hugged you. But you froze up, so I figured I’d overstepped.”

  Ah, so that’s what he meant. Feeling like a dolt, Autumn vehemently shook her head. “Nope.” Get it together, girl. “I mean, it’s fine. That is, I knew it wasn’t... I knew you were...” Voice going firm, she stated, “It was about Sadie.” Oh, gawd. She never got this tongue-tied anymore. Dumb, dumb, dumb. “I understand.”

  As if her blathering reply had amused him, his smile twitched. “You do, huh?” Bumping her with his shoulder, he said, “I’m glad one of us does.”

  Now what the heck did that mean?

  Without giving her a chance to find out, he nodded to a couple who said hi as they passed. Next he tossed back a beach ball that got away from some kids. Then he passed on the beer offered to him by a small group.

  He might not know these people, but they gravitated to him all the same. No one offered her a beer. Of course, they all knew she didn’t drink often, but still...

  Running a hand over his hair, he said, “It’s finally cooling down a little. An hour ago, just sitting still could make you sweat.”

  His restless hand had further disrupted his hair. Autumn remembered that back in high school he’d get blond streaks from the sun. Now, though, it was a pure sandy brown.

  Whatever his life used to be, there must not have been too many beach parties.

  Tonight it was mostly couples at the party, some with kids, so while everyone was friendly, no one hit on him. If he’d joined in a real party, Autumn felt certain he’d have been mobbed.

  How long would he be around before he started dating some of the women she knew? There were a few from their old school days who were newly single, and, of course, there were women he’d never met before who’d moved to the area in the time he was gone.

  When his smile suddenly widened, she realized she’d been staring at him and scrambled for something to say. “So...you know Mike?”

  His lazy look told her he wasn’t at all fooled. “Met him tonight, actually. Nice guy. He stopped by when we first got here, then made a point of introducing the other people with kids so Sadie could jump right in and play.”

  “He’s a very nice guy,” she agreed. Now that she’d managed to stop staring at Tash, she found herself stealing looks at Mike. No one would call the man subdued, and unlike Tash, he did have the attention of the single ladies... Ember included.

  Oh, her sister, the big fraud, tried to pretend to ignore him, but Autumn knew her too well. She’d bet her favorite book series that they were here now because of Mike.

  “Mike said he works for you on the farm?”

  “He’s our number-one guy.” Their only guy, really, other than the occasional seasonal help.

  “No kidding?” A few beats passed before Tash said, “Huh. He said he just helps with the animals.”

  Why did she get the feeling Tash asked about more than employment? And the way he looked at her, like he saw her in ways no one else ever had...

  Very unsettling, and she sort of liked it.

  “Mike does anything and everything. He’s terrific about pitching in without being asked.” Sometimes at home, he was her only ally. In most things, he was her backup. “We’d probably be lost without him. I know I would.”

  * * *

  Until tonight, he hadn’t seen Autumn’s legs. Crazy, now that he thought about it. Even in the sweltering heat, she’d always worn slacks. Seeing them now, he had to wonder why.

  He couldn’t comment on it, but she looked terrific in her shorts, and he liked her hair loose and a little messy.

  Before now, he’d noticed her curves, but hadn’t noticed her being so damn cute. He thought back to high school, her awkwardness and the way she’d sometimes stare at him.

  Like she did a minute ago.

  Back then it had made him uneasy. The difference in their ages had mattered, yes, but also...he hadn’t thought about her that way. She was a funny girl who seemed to watch him too much. He hadn’t known what to make of her.

  But now? Had to admit, it felt good to have her attention. He’d either been celibate too long, or attention from Autumn now meant more than it did from other women. Whatever the reason, he liked having her here with him. They’d both grown up, and everything was different.

  Since he’d caught her staring, she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Ordinarily, he’d
be bothered by that, but damn, the way she smiled at his daughter, how she noticed every little thing about Sadie, always in a complimentary way, made him want to hug her again.

  As a man, he hadn’t worried for much. He’d gone through life feeling blessed, and even the divorce from Deb hadn’t kept him down long. But as Sadie’s dad? Worry for her was second nature.

  There were moments when she seemed to own the world, holding it in her small, gentle hands. But then something would happen and she’d retreat behind a wall of uncertainty. He’d do everything in his power to make her feel loved, wanted and secure.

  Because Sadie reacted well to Autumn, he wouldn’t mind having her around more.

  He shouldn’t ask, and it damn sure shouldn’t matter, but he’d already noticed how she tracked Mike, watching his every move, and then with what she’d said... Well, he had to know, so screw it. Might as well ask. “You two have a thing?”

  “What?” Surprise brought her around with widened eyes and a nervous laugh. “Ha-ha. No.”

  Why was it so funny? She’d laughed the same way when he’d asked her about using her sister’s ploy to get out of cutting grass. She seemed to think Mike, and guys in general, wouldn’t be drawn to her, but he couldn’t figure out why.

  With his continued attention, she shook her head in further denial. “Mike works for me, that’s all.”

  For only a second Tash hesitated to press her, but it had never been his way to tiptoe around a subject. He saw no reason to start now. “You don’t look at him like an employer looks at an employee.”

  “Because he’s also a friend?” Maybe noting his skepticism, she leaned closer. “Repeat this and I’ll be forced to do you harm, but I think Ember’s hung up on him. Not sure if that’s a good idea or not. Either way, it concerns me.”

  With her that close, he couldn’t help looking at her mouth. “So your interest is for your sister?”

  “Why else?”

  “I don’t know. He seems to have the attention of a lot of women.” Hip-deep in the lake, Mike carried one shapely woman on his shoulders while laughing with another. Two others stayed nearby. “They all appear to like him.”

  “And why not? He has a quick grin, a friendly manner and a nicely honed body.” Her gaze dipped to his own “honed” body, then darted away. “But I’m not most women.”

  No kidding. She was different all right...in a very nice way. “Wanna tell me how you mean that?”

  As if it made perfect sense, Autumn shrugged and said, “Guys, other than friends, do not interest me. Not anymore.”

  Though she sounded serious, he didn’t buy it. “Uh-huh.”

  “It’s true. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you.”

  Chapter Four

  Because she was too young, too vital and sensual to have given up on men, Tash laughed.

  When she didn’t, he felt bad for misunderstanding. What could have happened to make her so jaded?

  Rather than make her uneasy, he turned his gaze toward the lake and searched for her sister in the crowd of bikini-clad bodies. Even in the dim light, with her hair slicked back, he spotted Ember quickly enough.

  Nice curves on a tight body, probably from her physical job. Bold attitude—the opposite of Autumn’s. Overall, pretty damn hot. And, yeah, she was flirting with one guy but keeping an eye on Mike.

  Something about Ember—maybe the way she smiled, or how she laughed a little too loud—kept him studying her, until he came to a conclusion. “She’s a little fragile, isn’t she?”

  Blinking, her gaze searching his in awe, Autumn started to speak, but nothing came out. She, too, looked back at her sister. “What makes you say so?”

  Ah, so he’d hit the nail on the head. “I’ve seen it before.” It dawned on him where, and he shook his head. “Never mind.” That was the last topic he wanted to discuss. It was bad enough that he’d already dumped info on Autumn.

  There was something about her, some natural understanding and empathy, that got him going every time she was near.

  It surprised him when Autumn rested her small, warm hand on his arm. “You can tell me.”

  Huh. She’d gone from not looking at him, almost leaning away from him, to now scooting closer.

  He hadn’t known many people who’d put aside their own comfort level to be compassionate. Never mind that he didn’t need her compassion—he’d eventually figure things out on his own—she still appealed to him in a big way.

  Normally, he was pretty good at reading women, but he had no idea what Autumn felt. She didn’t outright flirt. No, all she did was sympathize and, damn it, he shouldn’t confuse that with intimate interest, regardless of what his instincts said.

  She lightly squeezed his forearm, then dropped her hand. “It’s okay.” Her smile flickered, then was gone. “I promise I’m not thin-skinned.”

  “What does that mean?” He didn’t want her putting herself down.

  “Feel free to talk to me, or you can tell me to buzz off.” She rolled a shoulder. “I promise it’s fine, either way.”

  The hell it was. Compliments flooded his brain, but they’d be out of place so he bit them back.

  Misunderstanding, she started to retreat. “Sorry.”

  He wasn’t about to let her go, so he caught her arm and they did a little more staring at each other. Damn, he felt connected to her. “Stay.”

  She nodded. “If you want.”

  Knowing he couldn’t—shouldn’t—kiss her, he chose to explain. “I recognize the look because Deb wore it as she did a slow slide down the deep end.”

  “The deep end?”

  “Depression, maybe.” Though that didn’t begin to cover Deb’s inclination to think some other guy, some other situation, would naturally be better than what she already had.

  Jesus, he hated thinking about it.

  “I’m not a psychologist so I can’t really say. I just know she went out of her way to pretend to be happy, because deep down she wasn’t.” And much as he’d tried, he couldn’t change that.

  Firm resolve stiffened Autumn’s shoulders as she searched for her sister in the lake. “I won’t let that happen with Ember.”

  The underlying steel in her tone made him admire her even more. How many times had she taken care of her sister? “I didn’t mean to alarm you. It’s entirely different, right? Ember might be dealing with something, but she looks overall happy. Deb wasn’t. She was usually more miserable than not.”

  Autumn watched her sister a moment more before deliberately relaxing, staged smile and all.

  Likely for his benefit. Everything she did made his admiration grow, and it made him more curious about her.

  “You said she was drunk when she wrecked?”

  He rubbed his ear, wondering how succinct he could be without insulting her. “I left her because there were other guys.”

  “She cheated on you?”

  Autumn sounded so appalled by that notion, he almost smiled. “More than once, yeah. She didn’t want the divorce, but I couldn’t stay.”

  Again, she put her hand to his arm. This time he covered it with his own. “Because of Sadie, I left her the house and car. I didn’t want to disrupt her life too much.”

  “You still saw her?”

  “We shared custody, but I gave residential to Deb so Sadie would start school with her friends. The first year wasn’t so bad, but then little by little, things got worse. At first I thought Deb was just partying—” with other guys “—and it pissed me off because I’d worry about Sadie, you know?”

  “You’re her dad and you love her.”

  Things for Autumn often seemed very black and white, but he knew love involved multiple shades of gray. He’d lived in those hues for far too long, trying to fix what he hadn’t broken.

  It was in the past, but he couldn’t let it go. Even now, as Sadie built a
sandcastle with two other kids, he saw that she acted older. She always had, and he feared it was because responsibilities had been dumped on her at such a young age.

  He wanted her to be a carefree kid, but sometimes he thought it might be too late for that.

  “Deb pretended to be happy whenever I was around, but clearly she wasn’t. I should have realized.” That was his biggest mistake—believing the illusion, buying in to the charade. “I didn’t realize she had a drinking problem until it was too late.”

  Autumn worried her bottom lip with her teeth, then asked, “What was she unhappy about?”

  “I never could figure that out.” So many times, he’d felt helpless to understand her. “We had Sadie. She was healthy and smart and, to me, perfect. We had a small house, money in the bank, and I had a great job.”

  “It’s so much more than many have.”

  “To me, Sadie’s a blessing. A part of me, but better.”

  She smiled. “Deb had red hair?”

  “My grandmother, actually.” His family detested Deb for what she’d put Sadie through, so talking to them only made things worse, sharper-edged. “Deb’s family...they blame me, and, by extension, Sadie.”

  “Losing a daughter has to be tough. Maybe that’ll get better in time.”

  “I hope so. Sadie not only lost her mom, but most contact with her grandparents, too.”

  “She has you, and that’s what really matters.”

  He didn’t mean to, but with Autumn listening instead of judging, he just naturally shared. “Deb used Sadie to blackmail her family for money. Whenever they gave her cash, she’d forget about Sadie while she went out looking for something to make her happy.”

  She leaned into his shoulder. “Depression is a very difficult thing.”

  And his daughter had been forced to deal with it. “So many times now, I say or do something, and Sadie makes these broad assumptions based on her life with Deb.” The reality of that put a stranglehold on him. “She offers to make breakfast, or do laundry, and I don’t know what to tell her. That she’s too young? She is, but is she trying to feel needed?”