Lone Star Burn_Undercover Heart

by Judy Kentrus

  Caleb almost blurted “leave the corn” but gritted his teeth when she returned the vegetables to the freezer. “Now back to my original question. According to your daughter, you’re waiting for a cowboy to marry.”

  This time she sat in the chair next to him, rather than on the other side of the table.

  “No, I’m not looking to marry a cowboy. Danielle loves to go riding and I know nothing about horses. She also loves fishing and I can’t stand the smell. She likes football, baseball, and hockey. I dislike all contact sports because they’re too rough.”

  “You know, not all contact sports can be rough or unpleasant.” Caleb could have kicked himself for egging her on. His hard-on was making him think crazy.

  “Name one!”

  “Sex.”

  He laughed when her mouth dropped and complexion turned a pleasant pink. “You probably prefer your lovemaking slow and easy.” The throb between his legs intensified.

  Erin covered her flushed cheeks with her hands. “You took my statement totally out of context! And how did we get on the subject of how I like my sex?”

  Her voice trailed off and she immediately jumped up from the chair and looked in the living room to make sure her daughter hadn’t heard her boisterous outburst. Danielle was sound asleep on the couch.

  Caleb couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun with a woman. She was a delight and he ached. “As you were saying,” he said when she took her seat.

  “That’s what I mean! You’ve got me blushing like a school girl and I’m making ridiculous statements. I don’t know how to take you.”

  “That’s understandable since we just met. I have no problem with a woman taking the initiative. Sex can be just as fulfilling with a woman on top. I like it a little spicy and hot, but if you prefer slow and easy I’m willing to give it a try. I’ve never tried sex toys and don’t kiss on the first date.” Caleb held his breath, waiting for his teasing comments to set in.

  Erin burst out laughing. “You really had me going, Daniel Thompson, and that is a refreshing change. I’m thirty-eight years old and I intimidate most men because I’m so opinionated and a take-charge sort of person.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand that felt soft from the dish soap. “I’m not the least bit intimidated by your stiff and bossy side. I like teasing you and it’s been a long time since I enjoyed the company of a woman this much. Now, back to my original question: Are you looking to get married in the near future?”

  “I’ll have to check my calendar, but I’m pretty sure looking for a husband isn’t on the table. There’s Thanksgiving, your project and the holidays, along with the rest of the school year. No, I don’t have room on my schedule for a husband,” she said with a teasing wink.

  “That leaves me with one more unanswered question. Since we’ve moved our friendship to the next level discussing how we like our sex, will you go out with me?”

  “Daniel Thompson, any man who walks around in boots that are killing him to honor his brother can’t be all that bad.” She squeezed his hand and filled her face with a genuine smile. “I’d like to go out with you.”

  When Erin and Danni left, Caleb decided to soak his sore feet. He went into the bathroom to get the footbath he’d purchased the day before. The pharmacist had recommended he add Epsom salts to the water.

  He sat on the toilet and slowly removed his socks. Much of the swelling had gone down but a black and purple bruise was forming on the top of his foot.

  The Band-Aids were history and he lowered his feet into the warm, soothing water. “Thanks for that message, Daniel. Nothing like sending a message in the form of an iron frying pan. You had to pick the feet. The only thing you and I have in common is a weird pinky toe that curves inward like a candy cane. Next time, be a little more subtle.”

  Chapter 5

  Saturday afternoon, Erin passed Danni her backpack and kissed her on the cheek as soon as she got out of the car. “Now behave, and don’t give Louis’ grandmother a hard time.”

  “I’ll be good. Jayden is coming over, too. When you see Mr. Thompson at the store, tell him we’re working on a secret handshake for our club.”

  “No problem. You have my cell number if you have a problem. We’ll have pizza for dinner.”

  “Okay, see you later,” she yelled, running up the front path of the house that was very much like her own.

  Erin got in her Toyota and headed down the street. With Thanksgiving the week after next, a number of homes had already put out their holiday decorations. She loved Christmas and couldn’t blame people for wanting to prolong the holiday. She’d scheduled this afternoon to go up in the crawl space to start bringing down their boxes of decorations, but moved it to this evening.

  She’d just gotten on the four-lane road that led to the center of town when her cell rang. Meredith’s picture flashed on the dash panel and she pushed the button on her steering wheel to accept the call.

  “Finish your holiday shopping?” Erin asked

  “Funny! I haven’t even started. What happened last night?”

  “Last night? Nothing.”

  “Oh, please, you’re the talk of the neighborhood. My mother had coffee this morning with Mrs. Benson, your neighbor. It was fifty degrees last night and you were seen in those indecent denim shorts that are way too short and a skimpy camisole going into the PR man’s house. You were in there longer than it takes to borrow a cup of sugar.”

  “What the gossip tree failed to mention was that Danni was with us. We had an impromptu dinner and discussed the program. He makes great chili.”

  “That’s it? For three hours?”

  Erin ignored the skepticism in her friend’s voice. “Yup. He made dinner and I cleaned up his kitchen. I accidentally dropped an iron frying pan on his foot.” Erin wasn’t about to reveal the reason behind the accident.

  “Now I know you’re telling the truth. Mrs. Clean did the dishes. Wait a minute. That means you had to be standing really close to him.”

  “Stop reading into my words. His kitchen is small just like mine!”

  “Why do I sense you aren’t telling me everything?”

  “I’m on my way to meet him at the store right now. We’re going to look at the room for Santa Traditions. Want to meet us?”

  “No thanks. I’ve got a hot date with a cowboy. He works for Tony Carlton at the Double C. We’re going to Wolff’s Roadhouse for some great beer and dancing.”

  “It’s only one-thirty in the afternoon!”

  “I’m on my way to get a mani-pedi. You should try it sometime.”

  “I don’t have time and there’s no room in my budget for frivolous extras. I’m a single mom, remember, not living at home with my mother and father. How are you coming along with the volunteer schedule?”

  “I sent it to your personal e-mail a little while ago. We’ll have plenty of help. Everyone is so excited about this program. I love the activities we have for the children.”

  “Me, too. I hope the room has everything we need. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Tell me on Monday. I’m going shopping tomorrow with my mother and she’s determined to do her holiday shopping in one day so my ass will be dragging tomorrow night.”

  “See you Monday. Don’t forget we have rehearsal for the children’s holiday show after school.”

  “Yes, I know since it’s on your calendar.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Erin pulled into the public parking lot and attempted to find an open space.

  “This is crazy and we still have six weeks to Christmas.” A woman was just putting packages in the back of her mini-van and waved to Erin and mouthed, “I’m leaving.”

  She parked her car and grabbed her portfolio that contained her tablet and yellow pad, but paused. It was quarter to two, so she had a few minutes. She pulled down the visor and looked in the mirror to make sure she hadn’t nervously eaten away her rose-colored lip gloss. The center part in her hair was still straight, but s
he grabbed her brush from her purse to make sure her long hair was picture-perfect. She’d changed her outfit twice and settled on a hunter green slim-fitting skirt with an ecru silk blouse. She’d added a triple row of faux gold chains. Just to tease Daniel, she wore a pair of black cowgirl boots.

  Daniel. In the few days she’d known the PR man, he’d made quite an impact on her life. He was so different from the other men she’d met and worked with. He wasn’t put off by her anal idiosyncrasies. He’d made her laugh and teased her about sex. What she’d told him last night was true. There wasn’t any time in her life to look for a husband. She’d agreed to go out with him, so long as she could fit him in with all of her other obligations. At times she got sick of her blasted schedule. Her father had instilled in her the habit of writing things down so you don’t forget them. That way you won’t disappoint people if you don’t fulfill your obligation.

  “Okay, Erin, good enough. Let’s see what the PR man has to offer in the room where we’re going to have our “Santa Traditions.”

  “Brad, I don’t care if it’s Saturday, locate the manager of this store!” Caleb blasted into his cell phone while he paced in annoyance. “Tell her the man in charge of Santa Traditions is going to recommend she join the unemployment line unless she calls me ASAP. I don’t care if she has to paint this room herself, it will be ready two weeks from today!”

  Caleb ended the call, regretting that he took the brunt of his anger out on his close friend and Senior VP. When he arrived a half hour ago, he introduced himself to the manager and assistant manager of the toy department. Everyone had received a memo from the general manager stating that a PR man from corporate would be taking over the Santa Traditions. They were to give him complete cooperation.

  His anger smoldered when no one seemed to have a key to the room and they had to call maintenance to open the door. When he stepped inside, his patience was totally spent. The former storage area was completely empty, but for a few cardboard boxes that occupied the center of the scarred tile floor.

  Both managers fell all over themselves apologizing, and stated they hadn’t been fully briefed on the new holiday program, but were available to help out wherever needed. The past two days they’d been inundated with questions and assured their customers that the holiday program would proceed as planned.

  He looked around the empty room, clenching his fingers. “Heads are going to roll.”

  The anger in his voice bounced off the walls of the barren room. He walked over to one of the cardboard boxes and gave it a powerful kick, totally forgetting about his sore foot.

  “Shit!”

  “I totally agree. We have our work cut out for us.”

  Erin walked in and gave the ugly spacious room a cursory inspection. “How many weeks do we have before this program is up and running?”

  At the sound of her voice he spun about, and she was unlucky enough to catch the tail end of his temper. “This is a goddamn disgrace! If it wasn’t six weeks to Christmas, I’d fire their sorry asses.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Well, I’d recommend it,” Caleb quickly corrected himself.

  “Putting people out of work around the holidays won’t solve our problem.” She glanced down and noticed his footwear. He’d taken her advice and paired his boots with charcoal gray tailored slacks and a long-sleeve shirt of pale blue. “How do your feet feel?”

  Caleb picked up on the word “our” which meant, to his great relief, she wasn’t about to throw in the towel. “They still ache, but I soaked them last night. The black and blue mark from the frying pan is now a colorful purple, but most of the soreness is gone. I’m determined to wear these damn boots until they feel like slippers.”

  “You’re a glutton for punishment.”

  He appreciated how pretty she looked and noticed her black cowgirl boots. “Are you wearing those out of sympathy or trying to make a point? You look lovely.”

  “Both,” she said with a chuckle. “And thank you for the compliment.”

  Caleb took a step closer and clasped her hand. He needed to touch her in the worst way. “I’m sorry, Erin, for dragging you into this mess. I had no idea nothing had been done.”

  She let her eyes do another slow sweep of the room. “Someone installed pipes in that corner, probably for the sink. We can use an electric stove to bake the cookies.”

  He brought her hand to his mouth and gave her palm a slow, easy kiss. “That doesn’t technically apply to the first date kiss rule.” He grinned and kept their hands firmly locked together.

  “Thanks for the clarification,” she said and squeezed his hand. “So we’re going to do this?”

  “I’m wearing my brother’s damn boots, so this project is a go. Now, what else do we need?”

  “A kick-ass organizer. You’re going to have to pay contractors extra, but that’s the only way we can guarantee this room will be done in time.” Erin pulled her hand away and retrieved her yellow pad and pen from her portfolio. “Before we get started I need two chairs, a small table, and two cups of coffee with cream. We’re going to be here a while.”

  “Done!” he said with a big grin. “Be right back with the things you need.”

  Within ten minutes, two men from maintenance carried in a round table and two cushioned chairs, the kind one would sit on under a patio umbrella. They just sat down when a security guard walked in with two large cups of DD coffee and a box of munchkins.

  “I didn’t have lunch,” Caleb said, setting her coffee on the table alongside her tablet and yellow pad.

  “This floor won’t do. We’re going to need rubber flooring that is functional and easy to maintain, the kind they have in school cafeterias. Some of the projects we have in mind include water-based paint.” Erin made notes on her yellow pad in between researching companies on-line. “We can use mobile cafeteria tables that have the seats attached. They’re practical and easy to clean.”

  Caleb helped himself to his third chocolate munchkin. “The lighting is decent but these beige walls are too bland, especially since there aren’t any windows in this room. Pick a color.”

  “My favorite colors are lemon yellow and mint green.”

  “Perfect. Two walls will be yellow and two will be green. What about storage for your supplies?”

  “Already researched. We’ll get four tall cabinets with shelves. The same company that supplies the tables has storage units.” Erin drank some of her coffee and set down her pen.

  “Daniel, I’m very excited to help you with this project, but I have school next week and the following week is Thanksgiving. Someone has to be on the phone Monday morning, making all these arrangements. The floor should be done first and then the walls. There should be a sink for the children to wash their hands. We’ll need a refrigerator to keep perishables and an electric stove to bake the cookies. I would like it to resemble Mrs. Claus’ kitchen. We’ll need access to a bathroom. For security reasons, we don’t want the children leaving the craft room.”

  “That won’t be a problem.” Caleb nodded his head toward a wooden door on the far side of the room. “There is a bathroom that can be renovated to meet our needs.”

  “Since we have to hire a plumber for the kitchen area, he can put in a new bathroom at the same time.”

  “You make a list of everything you’ll need and I’ll make it happen. I’m not worried about the cost. This room is far enough away from the traffic in the toy department so the men can work twenty-four-seven and use the service elevator to deliver the supplies.”

  “You’re going through a great deal of expense for this four-week promotion. What will happen to the room for the rest of the year?”

  “That’s a very good question. There’s no saying we can’t revise the program and host other events throughout the year. I’ll definitely bring it to the attention of the powers that be.” Leave it to Erin to bring up something he’d never considered. Considering that the buck stopped at him, he’d be talking to their marketing d
epartment.

  “The other day, you mentioned security,” she said.

  “I’m personal friends of the owner of Adams Security, who handles security for all our locations. This program is in all our stores and I’ll make sure they have the supplies we need to keep tabs on the children. They have an excellent reputation and each child will be listed in a computer when their parents register them.”

  “That will also help to keep track of the children who attend the program. We have to limit attendance to one time so as many children as possible can have a chance to participate.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that, and I agree.”

  Erin walked over to the far corner and jotted down notes on her yellow pad. “This should be the storytelling area. We need a carpet for the kids to sit on and a big, overstuffed arm chair for the teacher.”

  Caleb loved to watch her work and plan. The expressions on her face went from a serious frown to a conclusive smile. If she wasn’t writing, one hand threaded through the length of her fiery hair, brushing it away from the side of her lovely cheek. The slimming skirt draped her hips and the soft fabric of the blouse enhanced the fullness of her breasts.

  He’d given her the impression he didn’t take her organizational skills seriously, but right now he was more than grateful. If anyone could pull this off, his project was in the best of hands. While thinking, she tapped her pen against her bottom lip. He’d never wanted to kiss a woman as much as he did Erin MacKenna. Technically, it wouldn’t go against the first date rule because they weren’t on a date.

  He selected a small powdered sugar donut from the box and placed it on a napkin before moving to stand next to her. “Here, open. You need a sugar break.”

  Erin smiled, leaned into his fingers, and let him feed her like a mother bird. “Thanks,” she said, and slowly chewed before swallowing. “You know what would be great?”

  “I do, but your idea probably isn’t the same as mine.”

  “That’s okay,” she replied in all innocence. “What do you have in mind?”

  Caleb took the yellow pad and pen out of her hand and set it on the floor. “You’re sure it’s okay?”