by Helen Conrad
Jeremy made a run for the stairs and Carly stopped by the kitchen to take out the batch of cookies that needed attention. Before she could get back into the fray, the outer door opened and Joe came in just in time to see a pillow whiz in through the doorway.
“Hey, what’s this?” he asked, staring down at it.
“What do you think it is?” Carly reached down and picked it up, tossing it into his unsuspecting face before he had a chance to react. “Haven’t you ever had a pillow fight before?”
She didn’t wait around for an answer. She was almost to the stairs before the pillow was returned to her. It bounced off her shoulder and she laughed as she ran toward the second floor. He was right behind her. They dashed in and out of bedrooms along with the girls and Jeremy, shrieking and tossing pillows as fast as they could. Then the kids headed back downstairs, but Joe had Carly trapped in his bedroom.
“I’ve got you now,” he told her, eyes shining and pillow in hand. “Say ‘uncle’ and I win.”
“Never.” She feinted left, she feinted right and then she made a dash for it, trying to emulate Jeremy’s tricky escape in the kitchen, but he dropped the pillow and tackled her, and the next thing she knew she was falling onto the bed with Joe coming down on top of her.
His body was hard and heavy, but it pinned her with such delicious strength, the gasp she heard come from her lips was more of wonder than of lack of breath. He made no move to roll off. His face was very close to hers. When she tried to look into his eyes, all she could make out was a dark, penetrating blur and lashes that cast a shadow.
Her hands curled around his shoulders. “Uncle,” she whispered.
“The feeling is mutual,” he whispered back, his breath hot on her forehead.
Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders and she arched slightly toward him, face upturned, lips parted just enough.
He had to kiss her. He had no choice. If he had drawn back at that point, she was afraid she might have cried out in anguish. His mouth was even hotter than his body, smooth and slick and sultry as the sun. She closed her eyes and let his heat wash over her. Her body felt alive, every inch of her experiencing him with a sensual awakening she’d never known before. He didn’t feel heavy any longer. He felt like heaven.
His lips released hers lingeringly, his head slowly rising until his eyes met hers again.
“Sorry,” he said softly.
She wanted to whisper back, “Don’t be,” but she didn’t dare. She couldn’t let him know how good his kiss had been. She couldn’t admit to him that she’d wanted it to go on and on—that she wanted to feel his body even heavier, that she wanted...
There was no use going on with that train of thought. As he bounced up away from her and off the bed, she followed quickly, avoiding his eyes. The screams of laughter from downstairs turned both their heads in that direction.
“I guess it’s about time to settle them down,” she said, starting for the door on legs that didn’t seem to have any knees. “I’ll go.”
“Carly.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. She turned and looked back at him questioningly, waiting, almost holding her breath, for what he might have to say. He hesitated, staring into her misty eyes.
“Listen, why don’t we gather the kids and go into town for pizza?” he said at last. “Does that sound good?”
She smiled, almost with relief. “Yes,” she said simply. “Yes, that does.”
She went on downstairs and started calling to the children to calm down, but her mind was still back in Joe’s room, wondering why kissing Joe was so much better than kissing had ever been before.
Pizza—the staff of life. How did the pioneers live without it?
Joe took the last large piece of mushroom and sausage and bit down with relish. There was nothing like it. He could just about eat it every day—as long as he had a steak-and-potato meal thrown in every so often.
The table was full. They’d stopped by Millie’s so Sunny could see the horses, and they had ended up inviting Millie and Trevor to join them for dinner. Trevor had begged off.
“I can’t believe he’d rather go see his girlfriend than spend an evening with us, can you?” Millie had teased.
Trevor had turned red, but he hadn’t given an inch. He’d made Carly laugh. There was something about that boy she really liked.
Carly was sitting with a little girl on either side of her, and Jeremy was between him and Millie. The smiles and laughter were making Joe feel very good. It had been a long time since he’d seen his kids this happy.
“The pitcher’s empty.”
He looked down the table as Beth’s woeful face and smiled. He’d do almost anything for that little girl. That was a condition he would have to watch carefully. No matter how you sliced it, doing too much for your kids was as bad as doing too little. Ellen used to tell him that all the time and he knew she’d been right. Whenever they’d taken the kids out, there had been no extras, no seconds. She had been very strict.
But Ellen wasn’t around anymore. His smile widened to a grin. “You want more soda?” he asked his daughter.
She nodded hopefully, her blond curls bouncing, and he put down his pizza and reached for the empty pitcher.
“You got it, kid,” he said and started off toward the beverage counter.
“Hey, Joe.” A large, rawboned man in a plaid shirt and a cowboy hat stopped him for a hearty handshake. “How you been?”
“Just fine, Andy. And you?”
“Gettin’ ‘bout ready to harvest my avocados. Got some beauties.”
Joe grinned at him. “Hey, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my Fuertes. You ought to come on over some day soon and I’ll show you around.”
Andy nodded. “I’d like that.” He glanced back at the table Joe had come from. “So who’s the pretty lady?” he asked out of the corner of his mouth.
Joe turned to look back at the table, too. Carly was bending close to rub something off Jeremy’s cheek with a napkin, her silky hair falling down over the side of her face in a shiny curtain of silver. She was wearing a soft, loose dress that kept sliding off her shoulders and sometimes seemed to barely catch at her breasts. As she sat back, she put her arms around the two girls sitting on either side of her, laughing as Beth told her something comical. She was free and easy with the kids in a way Ellen had never been. He stared for a moment or two longer than was called for, because he couldn’t pull his gaze away.
“So?” Andy prodded. “Is she just the current nanny, or are you claiming territorial rights? Because if you’re not interested, buddy...”
“She...uh...she’s more or less engaged,” Joe said quickly, then felt like an idiot. “I mean, she’s considering a proposal right now. So...”
Andy’s grin was pirate-wide. “So she’s still fair game, is she?”
“No.” Joe felt something knotting up inside his stomach. He glared at the big man with his wide shoulders and piercing blue eyes. “No, Andy, she’s not. She wants peace and quiet. So leave her alone.”
“Hey.” Andy shrugged, palms out. “I get the picture, buddy. I get the picture.” He backed away from Joe’s scowl. “Say, I’ll be over one of these days to check out your crop. Nice seein’ ya.”
“Yeah.” Joe watched him disappear, then turned and filled the pitcher, content in the knowledge that he’d just made a class-A fool of himself.
He studied her again as he walked back to the table. She was certainly pretty, but there was more to her than that. He’d never known a woman with such a light shining inside her. Whatever man ended up with her might even have himself a happy marriage. God knows, he thought bitterly, there seemed to be few enough of those around.
There was music wafting in from the adjoining room. An old jukebox was playing slow dance tunes from the fifties and sixties. Joe looked at Carly and suddenly a wave of longing came over him. He wanted to do man-woman things with her. For maybe the first time in his life, he wanted to dance.
He as
ked her. She was surprised, but Millie said she would stay with the kids, and the two of them made their way through the crowd into the next room. When she turned and raised her arms to him, he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.
The song was a doo-wop tune about moonlight and kisses and she melted in his arms as though she belonged there. He felt himself redden, like a teenager, like a kid at his first high school dance. He held her closely, feeling her breasts against his chest, her warm breath on his shoulder. Things were stirring inside him, things that had been anesthetized for too long. He thought of the kiss, of how her body had felt held down by his, and for a moment he thought he was going to have to pull away from her in order to control himself.
She felt good, much too good. Oh Greta, Greta, he thought with a sigh, where are you when I need you?
She heard the sigh and lifted her head to look into his face. “What are you thinking about?” she asked curiously.
He smiled at her. Those blue eyes looked as clear and clean as high Sierra lakes. He was feeling much too hot right now. It was tempting to think of a leap into the cool water she represented. A long, luxurious leap...
Suddenly he realized she was beginning to frown, wondering what his problem was, no doubt. That he wasn’t about to explain to her. But he could answer her question. What was he thinking about?
“A previous caretaker the kids had.” He grinned. “I’ve been thinking about her a lot today.”
Carly felt a pang. Jealousy? Couldn’t be. But she definitely felt something, and it wasn’t good.
“Was she very beautiful?” she asked carefully.
“Well...” He pretended to consider. “She was tall and blond.”
“Oh.” Amazing how jealousy could spring out of nowhere. There was no reason for it. She would have to work on keeping this silly emotion under control. “And I suppose she was Swedish.”
“Yes. She was Swedish, all right. In fact, I think she claimed to have been a lady wrestler in Sweden.”
Carly blinked. “Mud wrestler?” she asked, confused.
Joe’s grin spread. “No, just a regular wrestler. My guess, she was probably at the top of the heavyweight class.”
“Oh.” Carly gave him a look, did a double take and then they both laughed. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she accused him.
He was all innocence. “Did what?”
But the music was over and she was slipping out of his arms.
“We should go back,” she said, looking around. This had been lovely, but she knew she shouldn’t be getting this close to intimacy with this man. The storm warnings were out all over the place and it was time she stopped ignoring them and ran for cover.
He let her go reluctantly. Her body felt like silk and fire all wrapped into one. She was beginning to get under his skin. Something was going to have to give, somewhere.
He didn’t try to put an arm around her shoulders as they walked back toward the table where the children were still having a wonderful time. He could feel her trying to hold him at arm’s length, and he knew she was doing the right thing. But a part of him didn’t care about the right thing. A very big part of him wanted her. Wanted her very badly.
A bit later they were gathering their things, getting ready for the ride home, when Sheriff Glenn stopped by their table. A tall, handsome man with silver hair slicked back, he carried himself with exaggerated authority. “Carrington,” he said with a nod. “You’ve got a fine family here.”
Joe looked up and knew this wasn’t a casual greeting. “Thank you, Sheriff Glenn,” he said, looking a bit wary. “I think you know Millie. And this is a nice lady who is helping me take care of things for awhile, Carly Stevens. Carly, this is our local sheriff.”
They murmured pleasantries and then the sheriff got to the point.
“Thought I ought to let you know, Carrington,” he said, pulling Joe aside. “The feds are due in town next week. There’s talk they want to get a handle on this mustang business before it goes out of control.” He shrugged and made a wry face. “Just a word to the wise. You’d best keep your nose clean. Got it?”
Joe’s face froze into a mask of polite resistance and Carly’s heart was chilled. “No need to warn me of things like that, Sheriff,” he said carefully. “I thought you knew me better than that.”
The two men eyed each other for a moment, and then the sheriff smiled. “Of course. I should have thought twice. Sorry to bother you.”
With a nod to the ladies, he moved on. But the fun had gone out of the evening. Solemnly, they filed out of the pizza place and headed for home.
Later that evening, Carly was cleaning up the last remnants of the cookie-baking project in the kitchen when she heard a soft rapping on the door. Turning on the porch light, she peered out.
“Trevor?” She let him in quickly. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter with Millie?”
He shook his head, ducking into the room and looking around. “She’s fine.” He looked toward the hallway. “Where’s Joe?” he asked conspiratorially.
“Out checking on the new guard dogs he hired for the avocado lot. Why? What is it?”
Trevor pulled a package from under his jacket and showed it to her. “I found some stuff,” he told her, eyes sparkling. “My birth certificate, for one.”
“Oh, Trevor!” Her heart leapt for him and she reached out to touch his arm. “Let’s see. Put it out here on the table.”
He spread out his treasures one by one. His birth certificate was still white and crisp. Millie was listed as the mother, and the father was written in as “unknown.” Carly stared at the word, thinking what it must have cost a woman like Millie to have them write that there. She shook her head slowly, wondering if she could have been that brave.
“My shot record,” Trevor noted proudly, showing off the yellow cardboard form. “And these newspaper clippings were stuck in a box with these things.”
Carly hardly dared to touch the brown and brittle clippings. She picked up the first one and unfolded it, hoping it wouldn’t crumble in her hands. There was a picture of a bright-faced girl who must have been Millie at about eighteen. The short attached article very circumspectly complimented her on being chosen valedictorian of her graduating class when she had a one-year-old child to care for along with her studies. The town was very proud of her for continuing her education under these circumstances. Carly smiled. Millie really was a brick.
The second article was an obituary written when Millie’s parents were killed in a car accident twelve years before. Then there was a picture of Joe ready to leave for college. Carly gasped and looked at it closely. He looked so young. The fresh hope in his face made her want to hold the clipping to her heart. How quickly that optimism faded as one grew older. How tragic that it had to be.
The last yellowed piece of newsprint was very carefully folded in fourths. Carly looked at it for a long moment before opening it. She had a strange feeling....
“Go on, open it,” Trevor urged. “I think it’s you and your family.”
Carly’s fingers began to shake. Her breath came faster as she pried the ancient piece of paper open. And there it was—her mother’s smiling face, her father’s more serious expression and a little nine-year-old Carly held up in her father’s arms. What article it came from she had no idea.
She stared at the picture, stunned. Why? And why hadn’t Millie mentioned it?
“Neat, huh?” Trevor saw nothing extraordinary about Millie having kept a picture of Carly and her parents all these years. “But look at this one of Joe. Don’t you think that proves he’s my father? I mean, why would my mom have kept this picture if not for that? Joe was about seventeen when I was born. I checked. So it wasn’t long before this picture was taken.” His face looked so earnest that she wanted to cry. “I figure he couldn’t marry my mom because he had to go away to college. Don’t you think? And then he met Ellen, and maybe he and my mom had a fight right around then or something, and so he married Ellen and b
rought her back here where he could keep an eye on me. Does that make sense?”
“Oh Trevor.” She touched his cheek, but it hurt too much to look into his eyes, so she busied herself folding the newspaper clippings into their previous shapes. “Tell me, Trevor,” she said as she worked. “Look deep in your heart and tell me what really makes you think that Joe might be your father.” She handed the package back to him and he held it in his lap.
He thought for a moment, then shrugged and smiled. “I guess it’s because he’s always been there for me, ever since I was little. Even when Ellen was still here. He acted like my father. I mean, he did all the things that a father would do.” His eyes were clear as crystal in sunlight. “And he loves me. I know he does.”
“I know he does too,” she whispered, holding back tears. This was hard, but she felt it was something she had to say. “I’m sure of it. Joe and your mother are really good friends and I’m sure they always have been. But... oh, Trevor, I would hate to have you read too much into that...”
The kitchen door swung open and Joe stepped in. It took a few seconds for him to take in what he was seeing, and even less time to know he didn’t like it. “What the hell are you two up to?” he demanded, his question mixed with anger, turning his face dark in the shadows of the kitchen light.
Trevor sprang to his feet, stuffing the package inside his jacket. “I was just going,” he mumbled, slipping past Joe and out toward his car. ‘”Bye,” he called back.
But neither of them returned his greeting. Joe and Carly stared at one another. She knew he was waiting for an explanation. She would tell him the truth. Just maybe not all of it.
“What was he doing here?” he asked again.
“He brought over his birth certificate to show me,” she replied.
His frown hardened. “Now why would he go and do a thing like that?”