Alan pointed toward the left. “There’s a family room with a pool table over that way.” He nodded to the right. “Down that hall, you’ll find a home theater, library and exercise room. Neal has the east wing upstairs and I have the west wing. The guest rooms are in the middle above the main part of the house. Maude will show you to your rooms. I have to make a few calls, then we can meet in the dining room for lunch.”
“Sounds good,” Brian said. “I’ll put in a call to Carrie once I unpack.”
Alan seemed to give his friend an extra long look. “Miss her already?”
Brian grinned. “Sure do. This will be a long few days.”
Alan took a quick glance at Lisa as the housekeeper came into the living room and he introduced her. Maude Swenson, a short woman with a gray braid wrapped around the top of her head, beamed at them. “It’s so nice to have company. Let me get you settled in.” To Lisa she said, “Since this is your first time here, I gave you the best room in the house. You have a balcony that overlooks the pool. Come on, let me show you some of the reasons why we love the Lazy B so much.”
Since Brian knew his way around, Maude spent her time with Lisa. The room she showed her to was filled with pansies—pansy wallpaper, a white eyelet spread sprinkled with pansies and thick lavender carpeting that stopped just short of the ceramic tile threshold to the balcony. As Maude opened the French doors, Lisa realized she had never seen a property like this with a pool and pool house, barns and outbuildings, cows lowing in the distance, horses running in the corrals. This was a world she’d never known nor could ever hope to know. But it would be lovely to spend a short time here.
Maude confided that she’d come to the Lazy B after Alan’s momma had died when he was ten. Not having any family of her own, she’d found a home here, and had never regretted devoting her life to the Barretts. She told Lisa to take her time coming downstairs and to feel free to look around if she liked. Nothing was off-limits, except, of course, for the brothers’ master suites.
Lisa wasn’t about to go anywhere near Alan’s suite and she had the feeling she wasn’t going to have much contact with Neal.
It didn’t matter. Alan’s family was no concern of hers.
After she unpacked, she went downstairs and soon found herself in the game room. It was wallpapered in a red-and-navy diamond design. One of the side walls was covered with framed photographs, and she went over to study them. She soon figured out the pictures were of generations of Barretts and what they’d accomplished. There were men in Daniel Boone hats, cowboy hats and black derbies. They had handlebar mustaches, full beards and sour expressions. Interspersed among the portraits were sepia pictures of oil wells, cattle roundups and early days in Rocky Ridge.
“Studying those pictures is like taking a walk back into history.”
Lisa turned to see Alan coming in. His strides were quick and sure. He still wasn’t smiling, and stopped when he stood beside her. “What do you think of the Lazy B?”
“I think it’s more ranch than I would ever know what to do with.”
He gave her a wry smile. “It’s two handfuls, that’s for sure, but Neal does a good job of managing it. We have reliable help we depend on.” Turning toward her then, he asked, “Do you like your room?”
“It’s beautiful. It tempts me to just settle in and stay awhile.”
The silence between them became awkward, and Lisa knew she had to step into it. Postponing the discussion they had to have, she said, “Maude told me she started working here after your mother died. She said you were ten.”
“Maude’s been a second mother to me.”
“Do you mind me asking how your mother died?”
“I don’t mind. She was killed in a riding accident. One of those freak things. She was thrown from her horse and hit her head.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Fortunately, I was old enough to remember her. I have lots of good memories. Maybe we’ve kept them alive because of all the photographs we have, but sometimes, especially when I’m in the barn, I think I can still hear her laughter. That was one of her favorite places to be.”
Lisa nodded slowly. “I lost both of my parents at the same time in a car accident. I was fifteen, so I have a lot of memories, too. Nothing tangible though, except a pearl ring of my mom’s, and decorations my dad received when he was in the service.”
“What happened to the rest?”
“My aunt sold it to have the funds to take care of me.”
Alan’s gaze was kind. “That’s when you went to live in Seattle?”
Somehow she’d slipped into giving more personal information than she’d wanted to. She had to remember this man didn’t miss a thing—and he seemed to remember everything.
“Yes.” To prevent further probing, she got straight to the point. “Alan, I think you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion about Brian and me. When he and Carrie found out I had no family to speak of, they befriended me. I’m close to both of them.”
Alan studied her. “Brian gave you a job. You babysit for them. You’re close to them, supposedly, but Brian never mentioned you during the time we’ve been working together. I wonder why that is.”
Obviously, Alan thought it was because Brian might have feelings for her he wanted to keep hidden. He didn’t. He didn’t discuss her because of Timothy’s adoption and his desire to respect her privacy.
“Apparently you weren’t around when I was home from school,” she suggested. “I spent my holidays with Brian and Carrie, but I guess you were here in Texas then.”
After thinking about it, Alan nodded. “I guess I was. And for the whole month of January. The truth is when I’m with Brian we talk business or sports.”
She smiled. “That’s the way most men are, I guess.”
His blue eyes were intense. “Do you know the way men are?”
“I’ve dated a few.” She kept her tone light.
Glancing at the pictures on the wall, he studied his ancestors for a few moments, then put one hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes. “I’d like you to answer a question.”
“What?” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as trembly as she felt inside.
“Are you attracted to Brian? Do you wish there was more between you than a professional relationship…than a big brother relationship?”
“I’ve never, ever looked at Brian in that way,” she replied without hesitation.
Now his free hand lightly capped her other shoulder and he drew her a little closer. “So we’re left with us. Am I crazy or does the earth move a little bit each time we’re together?”
She could end this right here and now. She could say her earth was stable and nothing he said or did affected it. But she had to be honest with him, at least about this.
“It does—but you’re Brian’s friend and older than I am. We’re working together, and the truth is, I don’t want to get involved with anyone right now.”
“Because…”
“Because of where I want to go and what I want to do and who I want to be.”
“Your career means everything to you.”
This time she did hesitate. “Not everything, but it’s the main focus of my life right now. It just has to be. Besides that—” She stopped, then went on. “When I get involved with a man, I don’t ever want to be like a trinket he picks up and then eventually throws away.”
There was a flicker of emotion in Alan’s eyes. He slid one hand from her shoulder to the locket dangling between her open lapels. “You want to be treasured the way you treasure this.”
She nodded, but couldn’t speak. That was probably her most secret dream. She kept telling herself it might happen in the future if she ever achieved all her goals. Her throat was tight and Alan’s hand on the locket made her uneasy and anxious and happy and scared, all at the same time. What would he say if she told him about Timothy?
When he let the locket slip from his fingers, she knew he’d really listened to what she’d said. B
ut when his thumb traced the outline of her lips, when he looked at her as if kissing her was the only thing on his mind, she wasn’t sure about the present or the future or her plans or the next step.
“We’d better go to lunch or Maude’s going to send out a search party.” His voice was slightly husky, and Lisa knew he was thinking about the kisses they could share, and maybe more.
“Lunch,” she agreed, though she’d forgotten all about it as she’d gazed into Alan’s eyes. Maybe as she ate, she could put everything into perspective. She could forget her longing to be held in Alan Barrett’s arms.
Maybe she was being naive for her twenty-one years and she’d better grow up.
Fast.
Chapter Five
“Why don’t you take Miss Sanders out to the barn,” Maude suggested to Alan after the mid-afternoon lunch, “and show her that calf Christina’s been helping the foreman to nurse.”
“Please call me Lisa.” Lisa already liked Maude and felt only approval from the grandmotherly housekeeper. Approval was more important to her now than it used to be—especially Alan’s approval. She was pleased that Maude was willing to include her in the happenings on the ranch.
“Lisa might not want anything to do with the calf.” Alan seemed to be giving her an out if she wanted it.
“I’ve never been around cows, but I do like animals,” she assured them both. “Do you feed it with a bottle?”
“Sure do.” Maude took one from the refrigerator and warmed it under the hot spigot.
“Do you want to come along?” Alan asked Brian with a grin.
“I think I’ll pass. There are some properties I want to research on the Internet and some calls I need to make. You two go ahead.”
Lisa and Alan didn’t speak as they crossed to the barn, though she sneaked peeks at him as they walked. He had a loose athletic gait that had her almost running to keep up. Though he’d captured her attention, she couldn’t help taking in everything about her new surroundings—the firs in the distance, the shady cottonwoods, the golden fields absolutely everywhere. There were scents of leaves and pine needles and animals and fresh cold air.
When they passed through the corral gate, Lisa saw a black horse with a white forelock poke its head out of a stall. She smiled. But as soon as she thought about her one other encounter with horses, her smile faded.
After Timothy had been kidnapped by the black market baby ring soon after he was born, she and Brian and Carrie had spent days and nights sitting by the phone, creating flyers, constantly checking with the police department and the FBI. It had been an awful time. One afternoon Brian had convinced her and Carrie to go with him to a friend’s house, horseback riding. That day Lisa had hardly known what she was doing. Her thoughts had been elsewhere—with the baby who was no longer hers, wondering what was happening to him, where the kidnapper might be holding him. She’d still been connected to him. Whenever she thought about that awful time, she tried to focus on the day Timothy was found—the moment he’d been returned to Carrie’s arms—rather than the rest of it.
Why was she thinking about this now? Because she’d met a man who awakened dreams again? She told herself she didn’t deserve those dreams, at least not yet.
The immense building sat on a hill. They entered the bottom portion, which was devoted to the animals. When she stepped into the barn, Lisa felt she was entering a foreign land. As Alan took her elbow and pointed to the stall housing the calf, she guessed sometimes romantic dreams didn’t—couldn’t—wait. Still…when she fell in love, she wanted it to be forever. How could Alan be interested in her when he didn’t really know anything about her? Not the things that mattered, anyway.
A man like him, who could have any woman in the world…
She could feel the heat of his fingers through her denim jacket. When she looked up at him, she thought about the fairy tales her mom had read to her when Lisa’s world had been normal and safe.
“Christina named the calf Chocolate Ripple because of her color. She calls her Choco for short.”
The calf brayed and stared at Lisa with big, liquid brown eyes.
“She’s adorable!”
“Maybe,” Alan agreed with a wry expression. “But as I have to remind Christina, she’s not a pet. We’re just taking care of her like her momma would until she can go out and run with the other calves.” He handed Lisa the bottle. “Do you want to try it?”
“Sure.”
Alan opened the door to the stall and they stepped inside. The smell of hay and animals was strong, but Lisa realized she liked the earthiness of it. The calf eyed Lisa and stood perfectly still while she came closer.
“Hi there, baby,” Lisa crooned. “Do you want some of this?”
Lisa had no sooner held up the bottle than the calf latched on to it and started drinking enthusiastically. Lisa laughed and petted her. “I don’t know, Alan. If your daughter’s taking care of her, she might become attached.”
“She can’t take her along to college.”
“No, I guess not.” Lisa continued stroking the animal while the calf sucked.
“Why weren’t you afraid of her?” Alan asked, an interested expression on his face.
Lisa glanced over at him. He was leaning against the railing, elbows hitched over the top plank, assessing her.
“Why would I be afraid? Just look at her.”
“Cows can be ornery.”
“So can people.”
At that, Alan straightened, taking a step closer. “That’s one way of looking at the world, I guess.”
“How do you look at it?” She wanted to know so much about him.
“Until somebody steps on my toes, I give them a chance.”
Since her parents died, she’d become defensive and mistrustful. Even now she trusted only Carrie and Brian and a couple of close friends. On the streets she’d had to rely on her instincts. “I try to prevent somebody from stepping on my toes.”
“And just how do you do that?”
“I’ve developed a kind of radar. I don’t take much on face value and I go by the vibes I feel underneath.”
As the calf finished with the bottle, Lisa put her arm around her neck and petted her. “Don’t you go on instinct to know who to do business with or not?”
“I suppose I do. I never thought about it like that.”
Lisa remembered the vibes she’d gotten from Brian the first time she’d met him. He’d disapproved of everything about her. Yet because of Carrie, he’d given her a chance, and Lisa had come to realize he might be a bit rigid at times and not always open to new and different things, but when he cared, he cared. She was getting the feeling that Alan’s bonds were deep and strong, too, especially those with his daughter, his brother and with Maude.
“I bet it’s hard for you to leave the Lazy B when you fly off to make deals.”
“You bet right. My life is here.”
“Did you live here when you were married?” She knew the question was personal, but she couldn’t learn anything about him if she didn’t ask.
A closed look swept across Alan’s face, but then he nodded. “Yes, we lived here.”
Suddenly there were years of experience in Alan’s eyes—experience of things she’d never know. He’d been married for ten years. He’d raised a daughter. He’d flown around the country, becoming familiar with places she’d probably only dream of seeing. Yet she sensed deep-down kindness in him. More than that, she felt the sharp edge of an attraction she’d never known before. It was more elemental than picking a guy with a great smile and a terrific body. It was scorching and stirring and downright terrifying when she admitted it was there.
They were attracted to each other. But could there be more?
She shivered. She’d left the house so quickly, she hadn’t picked up her coat. Her mind had been on Alan, not the colder Texas weather. As she shivered again, Alan noticed.
“Come on,” he said, leading her out of the stall. “Before I give you any more of th
e tour, you need to get warm.”
She followed him into the tack room, where he took a plaid flannel jacket from a hook. “I keep this out here. Sometimes I come out to the barn intending to spend only a few minutes, and end up staying longer.”
He held it for her as she slipped first one arm in and then the other. It smelled of saddle leather and of men’s aftershave, the same scent that Alan was wearing.
The collar caught under her hair, and he straightened it, his fingers sliding through her locks in the process. “It’s mighty big, but it will do.”
She felt warmer already. But that probably wasn’t because of the flannel jacket so much as standing close to Alan, looking up at his craggy face, staring into his too blue eyes.
“Damn it, Lisa, don’t look at me like that,” he practically growled.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re as curious about me as I am about you.”
“Curious?” she asked, her voice thready.
“You know those vibes you were talking about?”
She nodded.
“I’m feeling them from you. Vibes that are telling me to do one thing while I know damn well I should do another. If you were a few years older—”
She cut him off angrily. “And exactly what difference would a few years make? You’re acting as if I don’t know the score. I’m twenty-one, I can vote, drink and kiss any man I want.”
His hands rested on her shoulders now. “A kiss could start something neither of us are ready for.”
“Or it could prove there’s nothing for either of us to worry about. You know—all smoke and no fire.”
“Lisa.” Her name was a protest…a warning.
She could back away now while she still had the chance.
But she didn’t want to back away. She wanted to feel Alan’s lips on hers. She wanted to experience his kiss and discover whether the excitement between them was real or imagined, something fleeting or something that could last.
From the moment Alan’s lips brushed against hers, her whole body tingled. More was all she could think of—more of the exquisite sensations, more of inhaling Alan’s scent, more of experiencing a real kiss for the first time in her life. Oh, sure, she’d been kissed before. But she’d never felt like this, never felt as if she were going to explode, never felt as if this man had the power to propel her into a universe she’d never known. Maybe that was the crux of it. In the past she’d only kissed boys.
Falling for the Texas Tycoon Page 6