“I’ve seen him like that, too.” He gently released her. “I thought it was different kinds of mad. I can’t imagine him being scared of anything.” He’d always been in awe of his oldest brother, who was built like a tank and had a commanding presence. Nobody messed with Ryker, which had come in handy on one memorable occasion. Cody had been a skinny runt at fourteen, no match for the three overgrown fools who’d thought he was easy pickings. But those three had been no match for Ryker.
“Don’t tell him I pointed it out to you, okay?”
“I won’t, but that’s interesting. I thought he was mad when he had that fight with his girlfriend in the front yard. But he couldn’t have been afraid of April. She never would have even slapped him, let alone done serious damage.”
“He was probably afraid of losing her. She’d warned him that if he enlisted she’d break up with him. I think she hoped he’d change his mind.”
“I could have told her he wouldn’t.”
His mom grimaced. “I did tell her. I knew they wouldn’t make it.”
“Does she know he’s coming home in August?”
“I think everyone in Eagles Nest knows, but I didn’t tell her personally. That would have been too pointed.”
“Does he know she’s back in town?”
“I certainly haven’t mentioned it. He’d think I was hinting that he should look her up. I won’t do that. I’m sure they’ve both grown and changed. A lot of water has gone under the bridge or over the dam or whatever the saying is.”
He gazed at her. “The same was true for Zane and Mandy and look how that turned out.”
“Ryker is not Zane. Now sit down and eat or my efforts to warm up your food will be wasted.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He pulled out a chair for her.
She smiled her thanks and took it. “How did you like Bert?”
“He’s an awesome horse.” He settled in, picked up a fork and dug into his food. He wasn’t happy that his mom had been upset by Ryker’s phone call, but being reminded that his brother faced mortal danger every day made his issues puny by comparison. “My saddle fits great, too.”
“I’m sure Faith would have loaned you hers if necessary.”
He hadn’t thought of that, but she probably would have. “I love my saddle. I’ve always figured on taking it.”
“I know. I’m glad you can.”
“Me, too.” His mom had made a financial sacrifice to buy him that hand-tooled beauty when he’d graduated from high school. She’d encouraged him to make this journey ever since he’d started talking about it and the saddle had been a tangible way to show that she believed in him. He needed to keep that in mind.
“What about Faith’s dad? Is he coming to dinner tomorrow night?”
“He is.”
“Good. Deidre called to ask if Jim had accepted the invite.”
Cody stopped eating long enough to take a sip of his beer. “Makes me wonder if she’s interested in him.”
“She might be, although maybe she just wants to find out how he likes the house she sold him. I hope that’s all it is, because I don’t think Jim’s boyfriend material. Faith said he hasn’t dated since her mom died. I can’t picture a guy like that with a social butterfly like Deidre.”
“You might be surprised.” He repeated some of the conversation about Deidre.
“I’ll bet he thinks she’s a fireball because of her short red hair. If he’d met her when she was a brunette, he might not have said that.”
“True, but there was something in his voice. I don’t think he was talking about her hair, and I can see Deidre being intrigued with his still waters run deep vibe. He’d be a challenge for her and we all know she likes a challenge.”
His mom smiled. “Cody, you’re such a romantic.”
“Got it from you.” He knew he had a romantic streak, but he had a practical reason for hoping Jim and Deidre hit it off. If Jim found himself a lady friend, Faith might change her mind about the two-week limit she’d put on their relationship. She might consider spending more time with him after he came back from his trip.
“So it looks like we’ll have a dinner party tomorrow night.” His mom’s expression grew animated. “I can wear my blinged-out jeans again.”
“You only have one pair like that?”
“That’s it. Mandy offered to make more, but that’s a lot of trouble when I’ll be done with them before you know it. Besides, she has a new project for her spare time.”
“What’s that?” He forked up the last bite of meatloaf.
“She’s altering some clothes for Faith.”
Cody nearly choked on his meatloaf, but he managed to cough it into his napkin. His mom got him some water and he made a production of drinking it and catching his breath. Mandy was altering Faith’s clothes? WTF?
But he had to play it cool. “Sorry about that. I’m eating way too fast. I was starving. Great meal, Mom. What were you saying? I forgot.”
She eyed him strangely, but then she shrugged, as if she’d accepted his excuse for choking. “Mandy’s thrilled that Faith wants to upgrade her wardrobe. This morning she took Faith’s measurements, and surprise, surprise, the woman has a dynamite figure under her baggy clothes.”
“Whatdya know?” Cody guzzled half his beer in a series of swallows.
“I’m not sure what motivated her to make a change, but Mandy’s all over it. If she gets the clothes tomorrow morning, I’ll bet she’ll spend the day sewing so Faith can have something fun and flirty to wear tomorrow night.”
“Sounds great.” This dinner party was turning into a nightmare.
He’d have to make pleasant conversation with Jim Underwood, despite the fact that he was secretly getting horizontal with the man’s daughter whenever possible. And that was only for starters. Even though he and Faith had enjoyed two passionate and very naked episodes, he was supposed to treat her like a casual acquaintance. Now it seemed she’d appear wearing a sexy outfit and he couldn’t react to that, either. He wasn’t the guy for this assignment. Sure as shootin’, he’d blow their cover.
“Dessert?”
He glanced at his mom and back to his plate. He’d managed to eat every speck of food while he’d been cogitating this turn of events. It was a wonder he hadn’t licked the plate while engrossed in his thoughts of the lovely and puzzling Faith Underwood. Why had she chosen this particular time to ditch the baggy clothes?
Pressing his hand to his stomach, he shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m stuffed.” Stuffed with questions and no answers. Worse yet, he’d made a mistake in conducting this affair. He’d never snagged Faith’s cell number.
He must have figured he wouldn’t need it because he’d see her every day. But he wanted to see her now and find out what was going on with this wardrobe switcheroo. She hadn’t mentioned it during their time together this evening, so she must be planning to surprise him.
He briefly considered driving over late tonight and tossing pebbles at her window. But what would he say that wouldn’t sound stupid and chauvinistic? I don’t want you showing your body off to anyone but me? Yeah, no. He wouldn’t be saying that even if he was thinking it.
He’d say nothing, do nothing, and see how this all played out. He was mystified, though. She didn’t need to alter her appearance for him. She already had him in the palm of her hand.
Pushing back his plate, he glanced at his mom. “Why don’t you go relax and read your book? I’ll take care of the cleanup.”
“That would be terrific.”
She paused on her way out of the kitchen. “I have a favor to ask for tomorrow.”
“Name it.”
“Jim’s never seen the house. I’d like to have Faith help me with some cleaning and food prep. Would you be willing to handle her job at the stables?”
“You bet.”
“Zane’ll be there early, too. It’ll give you boys a chance to talk.”
“Good idea. It’s weird having him living over at Mandy’s house
.”
“His house, too, now.”
“I know, but it was Mandy’s and Aunt Jo’s for so long. I’m still getting used to the change. Zane was always here.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it feels strange to me, too. Having you around, even for a couple of weeks, helps.”
What a concept. His mom had been surrounded by people until the day she wasn’t. “Do you get lonely?”
She faced him, her blue eyes open and honest. “Sometimes. But my dearest wish is that all of you find a life that makes you happy. If that’s nearby, I’ll enjoy seeing you more often. If it’s far away, I’ll treasure the times you visit. It’s not up to you boys to keep me company.”
“Thanks, Mom. But the thing is, I enjoy your company.” As he hugged her, his heart swelled with love.
Giving him a tender smile, she left the kitchen. He’d missed seeing that smile on a regular basis. Although he’d always assumed he’d go back to the Triangle V after finishing his trip, that prospect was losing its appeal. Maybe it was time to come home.
Chapter Thirteen
Faith had arranged to drop her bundle of clothes off at Zane and Mandy’s house on her way to work.
Mandy acted as if Faith had given her a priceless artifact. “I’ve had the most fantastic idea! I’ve already emailed my boss in New York and she loves it. She thinks the timing’s perfect. And it’s all because of you!”
Faith stood in the entryway trying to make sense of what Mandy was saying. “I don’t get it.”
“Upcycle fashion! We’ll call it Americana!” Mandy was still dressed in her fleece bathrobe and slippers. When she waved her arms around, the sleeves flapped dramatically. “Out here I have access to dozens of used clothing stores that are chock full of jeans and Western shirts.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“We’ll source from those stores. What I’m about to do with your outfits can be done to all of them. I’ll take pictures of your altered clothes before I return everything to you, to give the designers in New York some ideas. But I know them. They’ll take the concept and run with it.”
Faith blinked. “That’s brilliant. I hope you’ll get famous for that idea.”
“I don’t know if I’ll get famous. But I’ve already been promised a big fat bonus if this goes the way they expect. I’ll use it to help with the raptor program. Zane’s always wanted to buy his own medical equipment.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“He’s been making do because his buddy Kyle’s been using his, but that’s awkward. Either Kyle has to transport stuff over here or Zane has to take the injured bird to Kyle’s office. The new building will be finished in another couple of months and I’d love to see Zane get that equipment this summer.”
“Mandy, that would be wonderful.” She gave her friend a hug. “Fingers crossed you get your bonus.”
“I think I will, but first things first. Sometime around four this afternoon, I will bring you something amazing to wear for the dinner tonight. That was the goal, to upgrade your wardrobe, and that’s going to happen before all the rest.”
“I appreciate that, but it sounds as if this idea is a lot bigger than improving my wardrobe. If you need to spend the day working remote with your people in New York, I can wait.” She’d rather not wait too long, though. She wanted Cody to get an eyeful of the new look.
“You most certainly will not! I intend to finish at least one outfit and then let everyone admire you. I guarantee I’ll get as much of a thrill out of that as you will. I’ll be over around four.”
“I’ll watch for you.” Giving Mandy another hug, Faith left and drove to Wild Creek Ranch. Following her usual routine, she went straight to the barn to help feed. She found Cody and Zane distributing hay flakes from the wheelbarrow sitting in the aisle.
The sight of Cody, his muscles flexing as he manhandled the flakes of hay, warmed every cell in her body. “I’m sorry if I’m late. I can take over, now, if you have things to do.”
“You’re not late.” He met her gaze and his blue eyes heated. “Hello, Faith.”
The way he said it stirred her blood. There was something different about his attitude, though, and she couldn’t decide what it was. “Hello, Cody. You’re relieved.”
“Mom asked me to fill in for you because she wants some help cleaning house and fixing tonight’s dinner.”
“Oh! Well, thank you, then. I should get up there.”
“She’ll be glad to see you.”
She lowered her voice so Zane couldn’t hear. “Are you?”
“I’m always glad to see you.”
“Same here.” She couldn’t get a handle on his mood. “Talk with you later.”
“Maybe not. I’ll be gone most of the day looking at trailers. Zane’s given me a bunch of new leads.”
“Good luck with that.” She hoped his mention of a trailer search wasn’t some sort of signal. The subject of trailers had become loaded with significance now that she knew the purchase of one was the only thing keeping him here. “I’ll see you tonight then, at dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am. Looking forward to it.”
Something was up with that cowboy. She tried to guess what that could be as she walked to the ranch house. He’d told her he was terrible at disguising his feelings and that was true because he wasn’t acting the way he had the evening before.
But what had changed in the time they’d been apart? She wished they’d figured out a new rendezvous spot and set up a time to meet. Other than tonight’s dinner, they wouldn’t be seeing each other except during working hours.
This dinner party had thrown a monkey wrench into their plans, but she couldn’t very well be upset about it. This morning before she’d left the house her father mentioned how much he was looking forward to going.
When she walked into the ranch house, Kendra was in house-cleaning mode. She’d put her dark hair into a ponytail and eighties music blasted from her bookshelf speakers. With a dust rag in one hand and a bottle of lemon polish in the other, she dusted the bookshelf while her hips moved with the beat. She couldn’t dance yet, but she could wiggle.
She glanced over at Faith and raised her voice to be heard over the music. “Hi! I’ll dust and you can vacuum!”
“Sure thing!” She was encouraged by how much Kendra could do by herself these days. Even better, her recovery wouldn’t mean the end of Faith’s employment. Kendra had promised to keep her on and finance the extra employee cost by taking on more riding students.
Deidre was the first additional one to come along. As Faith used the hose attachment to vacuum the furniture, her dad’s unexpected comments yesterday percolated. There had been something in his voice, something new.
Maybe reading the books under her bed was making her see romance around every corner. But she couldn’t shake the idea that her dad liked Deidre for more than her real estate expertise. That was unsettling.
She liked Deidre, too, but she’d never expected her dad to have a girlfriend. When she was around eight, she’d asked him if she’d ever have a stepmother. He’d told her that he’d married his soul mate and he figured a person only got one of those in a lifetime.
That conversation had been pivotal. She’d asked. He’d answered. Case closed. But what if he’d changed his mind? He and Deidre didn’t seem like they matched, though. He was quiet and reserved, while Deidre—well, he’d said it himself. She was a fireball.
She’d been concentrating so hard on the subject that she’d finished her task without realizing it. She switched the vacuum off. Kendra was still dusting. And singing along with the music. Faith smiled. This dinner might be a pain in the neck for her, but Kendra was into it.
She waited until Kendra had finished the song. “Vacuuming’s done. What next?”
“Coffee break.” Kendra flipped the rag over an end table and lifted her arms in triumph. “If I dared, I’d do a Rocky dance. That’s the first time I’ve dusted the entire living room.” She grinn
ed at Faith.
“Congratulations.”
She gave a little bow. “Thank you. But I need to sit down.” She sank into one of the easy chairs.
“Then let me make the coffee.” Faith headed for the kitchen and started it brewing.
“There’s a little bit of cake left over from Cody’s welcome home dinner,” Kendra called after her. “We should finish it up. Deidre’s bringing two pies tonight, apple and cherry, so I need room in the fridge for leftovers.”
“Cake sounds terrific, thanks!” Her dad would be happy about the pies. He liked pie better than cake and those two kinds were his favorites.
She dished the cake and took it in while the coffee finished. “This looks yummy.”
“Jo is the best all-around cook I know and her chocolate cake is to die for. But we all agree that Deidre is a genius with pie crusts. I just buy the frozen kind but she makes them from scratch. Wait until you taste one of her pies. Amazing.”
“Making good crusts is a skill. I just buy the frozen kind, too.” She went to fetch the coffee.
When she came back with two steaming mugs, Kendra thanked her for waiting on her. “I hope in another month or so I can wait on you for a change.”
Faith sat down in the other easy chair and gave her a smile. “That doesn’t seem right. You being the boss, and all.”
“As you might have noticed, we’re not particularly formal around here regarding the boss/employee relationship. You feel more like family to me.”
“That’s nice to hear.” She’d debated long and hard as to whether having an affair with Cody was a violation of Kendra’s trust. Eventually she’d decided it wasn’t because the relationship was short term. It wouldn’t affect work at the ranch in any way because there would be no drama involved. Cody was an adult and he’d chosen to be involved with her on a limited basis.
Kendra would never have to know unless Cody told her about it, but he’d promised not to. Still, as Faith sat having coffee and cake with the person who was technically her boss, she felt a twinge of guilt. She would have preferred to be completely honest with Kendra on all matters. But this was too personal and she wasn’t sure how Kendra would react. She might not like it.
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