Kendra balanced her cake plate on her lap and reached for her coffee mug. “Cody said Bert was a dream to ride.”
“He’s a fine horse.”
“And you’re a generous person to loan him out for this adventure of Cody’s.”
“It should be a good thing for Bert to get ridden that much. He needs the exercise.” But there was that twinge of guilt again. Bert had come with strings attached.
“I’m excited for Cody that he’s finally making his dream a reality.”
“Me, too.”
“I don’t know how many fifteen-year-olds would have set that kind of goal, saved the money, and been ready to follow through almost ten years later.”
“Not many.”
“I know I sound like a proud mama, so you’ll have to forgive me, but I admire that kind of dedication. He’s voluntarily taking two months out of his life to concentrate on natural beauty. If everybody did that, we’d probably all be happier.”
“Probably so.” Faith met her gaze and smiled. “You have every right to be proud of him.”
Kendra laughed. “And you’re being very patient while I brag about my son. But mainly I want to thank you for loaning him Bert. That’s a generous thing to do and makes it easier for him to go. If I know Cody, he’ll come up with some creative way to thank you.”
“Whoops, I think I forgot to shut off the coffee pot.” She dashed for the kitchen and prayed Kendra hadn’t noticed she was blushing.
“No worries! It’ll shut off automatically.”
“You’re right.” She took a deep breath and returned to the living room. “It’s an old habit. When I lived in the bunkhouse they had a pot that didn’t turn off by itself. It started a fire, which made a huge impression on me.”
“Nothing wrong with being overly cautious with coffee pots.” Kendra seemed to accept Faith’s behavior as perfectly natural.
But it had been a close call. Faith was more than ready to stop discussing Cody. She asked what the next chore was and within a few minutes they’d finished their coffee and were back to cleaning. They worked well together and by noon the house was sparkling. Even the windows had been washed inside and out.
They spent the first half of the afternoon prepping the food for dinner. Kendra glanced at the clock when they were finished. “It sure goes fast when two of us are working on it. I have an idea, since we have time. Let’s create some bouquets. I’ll sit on the porch with the vases and arrange whatever wildflowers you bring me.”
“That’ll be fun.”
“This time of year I love having wildflowers in the house, but I’m not up to gathering them. Mandy would help but I keep forgetting to ask her.”
“I’d be happy to be your official wildflower gatherer this summer.” Faith was so new to home ownership that she hadn’t considered such a thing, but now she would.
“The vases are in the top of the cupboard over the stove. I usually fill them with water before I take them out there. Wildflowers wilt so fast you want to get them in water as soon as possible.”
Faith climbed on a stepstool and opened the cupboard. “So pretty!”
“I actually have too many. My sweet boys have given me several arrangements from Perfect Petals over the years and I’ve kept the vases. Do you need some?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t take one of your precious vases.”
“Of course you can. I’ll never use them all. Look, there are two light blue ones that are almost identical. Take one of those.”
“All right, I will.” She lifted one down and put it on the counter. “Dad will probably love having some flowers in the house. I just never thought of it.”
“Ian used to gather them for me.”
Faith turned and caught the wistful expression on Kendra’s face. “Doesn’t this make you sad, then?”
“No, because he would have wanted me to keep gathering wildflowers.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Obviously Kendra was strong but that statement gave Faith a glimpse of how that strength had manifested itself. “How many vases should I get down?”
“Let’s do five. That’ll keep us busy for a while.”
Faith glanced at the kitchen clock. Past three. Mandy could show up anytime with the altered outfit. Gathering wildflowers would be a good way to pass the time so she wouldn’t get too impatient.
She transferred the vases filled with water to the front porch, took gloves and gardening shears that Kendra had in the pantry, and went in search of flowers. She found a lot of them up on the hill near the aviary where Zane was still keeping his raptors until the new facility was completed. She moved quietly so she wouldn’t startle the injured birds.
She’d never learned the names of wildflowers, but these would make a colorful bouquet of purple, yellow and white. She brought them back to Kendra.
“Beautiful! There’s usually a big patch on the far side of the house.” Kendra began arranging the flowers in a vase.
Faith discovered a bonanza there. She made two trips to the porch. She was on her way to gather more when she heard Kendra yell. Dropping the shears, she took off running. If Kendra had fallen and hurt her leg…but no, she was standing on the porch holding a vase in one hand. She’d propped the door open with another.
She turned to Faith. “Damn it, I can’t believe this!”
“What happened?” Faith bounded up the steps.
“I propped the door open so I could carry in a bouquet and a stupid squirrel ran right past me into the house!”
“Shitfire.”
“My thoughts, exactly.”
“We have to get it out of there.” She looked at Kendra. “Any ideas?”
“I’m not squirrel savvy. And I’m slower than an arthritic turtle so I won’t be much help.”
“Look, the last thing we need is you falling. Stay right here and watch to see if it runs out. I’ll…I’ll creep in and try to locate it.”
“Then what?”
“Then…I don’t know. Are you sure it was a squirrel?”
“Yes!” Kendra waved her arm in the air.
“Shh. You’ll scare it.”
Kendra lowered her voice and leaned closer. “It’s already scared, and yes, it’s a squirrel. What else could it be?”
“Something tamer. A kitten.”
“We don’t have any kittens around here, Faith.”
“I know. I was just hoping that maybe—”
“Trust me, it was a squirrel.”
Faith peered in the door. “How big?”
“You know. Squirrel sized. Are you afraid of squirrels?”
“Not when they’re in the wild.”
“This one’s in the house.”
“I’m aware of that. And I’m not afraid of them, exactly, but it’s just that…they move so fast. And they don’t like being cornered. They could leap out and…bite in self-defense.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid of them, too.”
“All right.” Faith took a deep breath. “I’m going in.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cody stayed away from the ranch until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He was sick of looking at trailers he had no intention of buying, at least not today. If they were still available next week, then fine. He’d also been haunted by the way he’d spoken to Faith that morning.
He’d been a total jerk and he had no excuse. If Faith wanted Mandy to streamline her clothes so she looked better, she had every right to do that. It might have nothing to do with him or everything to do with him, but they were her clothes, her body, her choice. He wanted to apologize. Then he wanted to find a quiet moment alone so they could figure out where to meet in private. For private deeds.
With any luck, she’d have finished helping his mom and would be down at the barn. But when he drove in…uh-oh. Something strange was going on. His mom stood on the porch near the open door with vases of wildflowers by her feet. He parked and got out of the truck. The noise level indicated a fight going on inside—furniture toppling, glass
breaking and…Faith yelling?
He sprinted toward the porch, determined to rescue her from…from whatever was making her yell like that.
His mom put out her arm like a traffic cop, blocking his way. “Don’t go in there.”
“But she needs me!”
“I asked if she wanted help and she said this is a one-woman job.”
“What’s she doing?”
“Chasing a squirrel.”
“A squirrel?” As something heavy fell to the floor with a thud, he took hold of his mother to move her out of the way.
She turned and gave him The Look that promised dire consequences if he defied her. “I mean it, Cody. Stay out. She said another person would make it worse. She had the cojones to go in there after it, and we will respect her wishes. Understood?”
His exhaled. “But—”
“Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He cringed as a bunch of things hit the floor in rapid succession. He’d guess books were falling off the shelf.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Faith got louder, followed by the sound of a broom hitting something soft, probably the upholstery, but maybe the squirrel. “Other way, you damned rodent! Other way!”
He wouldn’t want to be that varmint right now. Faith was on the warpath, something he’d never seen before. Kind of fascinating.
“He’s coming out!” She shouted the warning a split second before a gray streak whizzed past them and sailed down the steps, airborne. At the bottom, the squirrel got his legs under him and took off like his bushy tail was on fire.
Faith came to the door wearing a triumphant smile. Her braid was coming undone, her cheeks were flushed and she’d managed to rip the shoulder seam of her plaid shirt. Her chest heaved as she propped the broom handle on the floor like a victory flag. “The living room’s a mess, but the squirrel’s gone. And unharmed.” Her gaze flicked toward Cody before returning to Kendra.
Kendra hobbled forward and gave her a hug. “Thank you. My fault, totally my fault.”
“Nah.” Faith hugged her back. “You couldn’t know a squirrel was lying in wait hoping you’d leave the door open. But we have some work ahead of us to get things back to normal.”
“I’m here to help.” Cody wished he could hug Faith, too. But in this scenario, he didn’t have that privilege. He might be able to pass it off as a friendly gesture, but he didn’t want to take the chance that he’d add a quick back rub to the hug.
Faith led the way into the living room, where the furniture had all been dragged out of position. The vase of wildflowers his mom must have brought in before this disaster started had been knocked to the floor, scattering broken glass, water and flowers.
The bookcase, which now blocked the hallway to the bedrooms, must have been hauled there by Faith. That could explain why the books had tumbled to the floor. Cody hurried to pick them up before water seeped in that direction. A lamp on an end table was in pieces on the floor, too.
But Faith had managed to close the door into the kitchen before the squirrel had made it in there. Dining room chairs had been knocked over, but the damage had been confined to the living room. Nothing other than the lamp and the vase had been broken.
“I’m sorry about the lamp, Kendra.” Faith hurried over to help Cody pick up the books. “You have more vases, but you probably won’t find a match for that lamp.”
“Matching lamps are so last century, don’t you think?” Kendra surveyed the room. “It’s not so bad.”
Faith stood, a pile of books in her arms. “Compared to what? The Titanic?”
“You don’t know what a disaster zone is until you’ve raised five boys who love to wrestle in the living room.”
Cody objected. “We only broke one thing, and you finally admitted you hated that horse statue.”
“I did hate it. The horse had a mean look on its face. But the couple who gave it to me boarded four horses with us so I had to display it. Ugly damn thing.”
Cody went over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Then I’ll confess. I’m the one who broke it.”
His mom laughed. “Nice try. It was a joint effort. You’d better go fetch the mop and bring a dustpan while you’re at it. The broom’s already in here, which must have been a neat trick. Faith, how did you get the broom without letting the squirrel in the kitchen?”
“I’m not sure. It all happened so fast.”
Cody gazed at her in admiration. “You’re amazing.” She was stronger than he’d thought if she could drag a loaded bookcase across the opening into the hallway.
“You would have done the same.”
He grinned. “Not me. I’m scared of squirrels.” He wasn’t, but he’d said it so she’d give him a smile. Which she did. His little joke didn’t make up for his crappy behavior earlier today, but it was a start.
The three of them had nearly finished cleaning up the mess when Mandy walked through the door, a Neiman-Marcus shopping bag in one hand. “Hey, is this the cleaning detail for tonight’s party?”
“I accidentally let a squirrel in the house,” Kendra said. “Faith saved the day, but there was a slight kerfuffle before the squirrel was sent packing.”
“Actually it was an epic struggle.” Cody stood. “Faith was a superhero, woman versus rodent, and she came out ahead.” He knew the altered clothes would be in that Neiman-Marcus bag and he’d be enthusiastic no matter what.
“I don’t doubt that Faith stepped up.” Mandy held out the bag in her hand. “For you, victorious lady.”
In contrast with her assertive behavior with the squirrel, Faith seemed shy about the new outfit. She got up from the floor where she’d been wiping the last of the water and accepted the bag. “Thanks, Mandy. I hope you didn’t spend your entire day on this.”
“I’m not saying if I did or I didn’t, but I had fun, and that’s been a rarity for me in my work recently. I’m excited about this concept. I’d ask you to model the outfit now, but…you’d probably rather not.”
“I’m really grubby right now. I’d like to get cleaned up first.” She didn’t look at Cody.
His heart turned over. She wanted to make a good impression on him. He was sure of it, now. Even though their relationship was temporary, she wanted him to see her in clothes that flattered her. She wanted him to think she looked nice. Sexy.
Now he was thoroughly ashamed of himself for being touchy about it. He needed to talk with her but wasn’t sure how he could manage it with his mom and Mandy around.
“Speaking of getting cleaned up,” his mother said. “Faith and I could both use some time to do that after the squirrel incident. Cody, you look fresh as a daisy. Would you finish here while Faith goes home to change and I slip into my fancy pants? Zane will be over soon to feed and if you could help him, that would be wonderful, too.”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll walk Faith to her truck,” Mandy said. “I want to explain the alterations I did.”
That meant Cody was neatly locked out of any chance to speak with Faith before dinner tonight. But he’d done it to himself. They could have had a quick conversation this morning but he’d blown that chance. His loss.
He’d make an opportunity tonight, somehow. She’d be here with her dad, which would complicate things, but he’d invent some excuse. He couldn’t let her drive away after dinner without knowing they had a plan. He needed her.
* * *
Two hours later, Cody hadn’t managed to shower but he’d at least shaved and changed his shirt. Then he went into the kitchen to help his mom finish up dinner preparations. She had on the jeans Mandy had created for her and she’d added a sparkly top, an upswept hairdo, and fancy earrings.
He pulled the pork chop and scalloped potato main dish out of the oven while she put together a salad. “You look great tonight, Mom.” He set the heavy dish on the tile counter and covered it with foil.
“Thanks. I feel great. Breaking my leg taught me how lucky I’ve been regarding my health. This is the fi
rst major issue I’ve had, which is more than a lot of people can say. I’ll appreciate it so much more when I can walk and dance and ride the way I used to.”
“You’ll get there.””
“Can’t wait.” She picked up the bottle of dressing and shook it hard before dribbling it over the salad. ”By the way, your gut instincts about Deidre and Jim might be right. She’s bringing both a cherry and an apple pie.”
“Damn, that’s good news. But don’t take it as a sign that she’s after Jim. I can tell you exactly who she’s bringing those pies for.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
His mom was still laughing about that when the doorbell rang. “Hey, the doorbell!” She looked startled. “I just realized nobody uses it! Who could that be?”
“My money’s on Faith and her dad. She might not come in if she has him with her.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I’ll get it.” He prepared himself to see Faith looking different, but he didn’t prepare well enough. When he opened the door, he almost didn’t recognize her.
She wore makeup, for one thing. It looked nice on her, but he wasn’t used to it. Her eyes seemed bigger and her lips fuller. He could barely see her freckles, though, and he missed those.
Her hair was down, but it wasn’t straight anymore. Instead it fell in gentle waves to her shoulders. Because her green plaid shirt fit her, he could see exactly where her shoulders were. And her breasts, which strained the material just enough to make his groin tighten.
Green, gem-like buttons had replaced the original ones and they started lower, which gave him a glimpse of cleavage. She’d tucked the form-fitting shirt into jeans that showcased her hour-glass figure instead of hiding it. Her belt was studded with sparkly green gems that matched the buttons on her shirt. Even her boots looked different.
He swallowed. “Wow.”
That must have been the right reaction, because her expression changed from uncertain to happy. “Can we come in?”
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