“That buckskin’s got some spirit,” Quinn said a short time later. “She’ll make someone a good horse.”
“Yeah, if you can catch her.”
“I can.” He glanced at Cole and grinned.
They’d parked the truck just inside the sanctuary and were standing with their arms resting on the hood. The herd had followed them the entire distance and now grazed peacefully on the nearby rise as if they hadn’t just been galloping for five straight minutes.
“This I got to see.” Cole went over to the passenger door, opened it, reached behind the seat and retrieved a coiled lariat.
Quinn eyed his cousin. “You’re kidding.”
“Time to put your money where your mouth is.”
“All right.”
Quinn went around to the truck bed and rummaged through the various piles for a pair of leather gloves. Donning them, he took the lariat from Cole and ran it through his hands while slowly approaching the herd.
Like the hammer the other day, the rope felt good resting against his palm. He’d picked one up only a few times since his release, throwing some practice tosses behind his grandparents’ barn.
“I’m more used to roping calves,” he said over his shoulder.
“Chickening out?”
“No way.”
The buckskin’s head popped up as he approached, along with several other mustangs’. She watched with growing unease but stood her ground. Quinn liked her even more.
“That’s a good girl,” he cooed.
She really was a beauty, and he considered her strong personality and feisty temperament to be desirable qualities. When he caught her, and he would, she’d be a hard horse to give up.
Raising his arm, he began swinging the rope over his head.
“Easy does it,” he murmured as he took aim.
The buckskin flinched but stayed rooted in place as if daring him.
Just then, Quinn’s cell phone rang from his shirt pocket and he froze, his concentration broken. The ring tone was the one he’d assigned to the private investigator.
Lowering the rope, he reached into his pocket. Swiping the screen was hard with his gloves on. Hurriedly, he ripped them off and barked, “Hello,” afraid he’d been too late and missed the call.
“Quinn, it’s Rodney. I have news. Good news.”
Quinn dropped the lariat and his gloves onto the ground, spooking the buckskin. When she ran off, Quinn barely noticed.
Chapter Five
“Haws, haws, haws.” Teddy rocked back and forth in his booster seat, chanting incessantly.
“We’ll be there soon, sweetie,” Summer assured him from the driver’s seat.
They were heading to the ranch. Tonight was Teddy’s therapy session, hence his excitement. To the casual observer, it might be difficult to distinguish the difference between when he was happy and when he was upset. Summer, of course, could always tell.
“It won’t be long now.” She checked the rearview mirror, satisfied he was fine. “Another few minutes.”
The scenic drive from her house on the other side of Mustang Valley to Dos Estrellas always lifted her spirits. Must be all the good memories associated with the ranch. Besides Teddy’s therapy sessions and her best friend Cara working there, Summer now had Quinn’s presence to eagerly anticipate.
“Man, man,” Teddy called out, kicking the back of her seat with his sneakers.
She ignored the thumping. “Yes, Quinn will be there.”
At least, he usually was. She hoped he’d be there. For Teddy’s sake. He’d grown quite fond of Quinn and responded well to him.
Fine, she admitted. For her sake, too. She hadn’t been alone with Quinn for days. Not since their near kiss. Unless it wasn’t a near kiss and entirely a figment of her imagination. After his abrupt departure, she’d been unsure.
If she concentrated, she could recall the thrill that had wound through her at his nearness and the delicious shiver his touch had evoked. Granted, she hadn’t been with a man for years and might just be hungry for intimacy with someone she found attractive. Did three awkward dates in four years, set up by well-intentioned friends and ending with promises to call that never materialized, count?
Unlike with those other men, she’d been at ease with Quinn from the start. Perhaps because he’d met Teddy first and understood her situation without her having to explain a whole lot. Perhaps, and more likely, because there wasn’t anything between them other than friendship.
Who was she kidding? For her part, at least, there was an intense and sizzling attraction. She firmly believed it was mutual. She also believed it unwise for them to act on it.
Too bad. Summer allowed herself to expel a long, sad sigh. Too, too bad.
“Here we are,” she said cheerily, pulling into the long drive leading to the ranch.
Passing the Dempsey house, she continued on to the horse stables and parking area. There were always a lot of cars, what with one helper per child during the lessons. As yet, all they needed from Teddy’s helper was assistance getting Stargazer from her stall. He still refused to be lifted onto the saddle. Perhaps tonight Quinn might help her with a stepladder.
Once she and Teddy were out of the car and walking toward the arena, she automatically glanced about for Quinn. She didn’t see him right away but thought nothing of it. He was always there during the therapy program lessons.
Her certainty waned as the minutes passed without his making an appearance.
“Man, man,” Teddy said, running ahead of Summer.
She hurried after him. “Wait up, sweetie. Quinn’s not here.”
Had he gotten more news about his daughter and left the ranch? Summer had worked from home the last couple of days and knew only a minimal amount of information. She wasn’t sure if Quinn’s daughter had actually been located or if there was just a potential lead. Alicia might have told Summer the details if she called the office, but she refused to appear nosy. Her coworker had already accused Summer of being smitten.
With the assistance of their assigned staff member, Teddy groomed Stargazer, brushing the horse’s coat until it gleamed. When he became suddenly agitated, they decided to walk with Stargazer around the grounds. Teddy hummed as the horse dutifully followed him, occasionally sniffing his hair or shirt.
Summer tried not to be jealous. If she placed a hand on Teddy, he’d shriek or flinch or swat her away.
They were on the second circuit when Summer noticed two things. The tune Teddy hummed less resembled the five notes he always repeated and almost sounded like the melody to the Eensie Weensie Spider—this was a big step. A moment later, she spotted Quinn in the round pen working with a horse. She attempted to tamp down the sudden gladness rising in her, but her wildly beating heart would have none of it.
Teddy spotted Quinn, too, and calling “Man, man,” he broke into a run.
Summer wasn’t sure what to do until the staff member volunteered to take Stargazer. For the second time, she hurried toward Quinn. What choice did she have? It wasn’t as if she purposely sought him out.
Teddy stopped at the round pen and lowered his head to peer through the rail at Quinn. He made a sound Summer hadn’t heard before. She thought it might be Quinn’s name.
Hearing Teddy, he turned. “Hey, buddy.” His gaze landed on Summer. “Hi to you, too,” he said when she reached Teddy’s side.
“Are we bothering you?” she asked. Her smile felt ridiculously wide. His answering one lit yet another spark inside her, as if she needed more sparks.
“Not at all.” He stood in the center of the round pen, a long line attached to the buckskin’s halter. “We’re having our first official training session.”
“How’s it going?”
“Well...” He tipped his cowboy hat back off his fac
e and wiped his brow with his shirt sleeve. “She’s a little greener than I first figured and a lot more stubborn than I counted on.”
“She is pretty.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “She is that.”
Summer worried that she might be showing her ignorance. Until she met Cara a few years ago at the local church where they were both attending support groups—Cara’s for grief after the death of her young son, Summer’s for families of special-needs children—she’d had little experience with horses.
“I’m assuming she’s one of the mustangs.”
“Cole and I are getting thirty or forty of them ready for the next adoption event.”
That was months away, but perhaps it was never too early to start. Cara had been in charge of the administrative duties at the last adoption event, which raised considerable money for the sanctuary. Teddy and Josh had also put on a display with one of the rehabilitated mustangs that had been a rousing success.
Naturally, Summer had volunteered to help out again. It appeared she might be working with Quinn on this one. With the upcoming wedding and related activities, they’d be seeing a lot of each other. Not that she cared.
“I’m sure she’ll find a good home.” Again, she didn’t know a lot. This horse, however, seemed to have a lot going for it. Big, strong and clearly spirited.
“Maybe.” Quinn clucked and waved his free arm to get the horse moving.
“You don’t think you can train her?”
“Oh, I can train her.” Appreciation shone on his face and colored his voice. “I just may decide to buy her for myself.”
It was easy to see Quinn riding the buckskin. They were a well-suited pair.
Beside her, Teddy watched, completely content and quiet as a mouse. Summer relaxed, the tension seeping slowly out of her. These were rare moments. Once a day, maybe twice if she was lucky, she could enjoy herself without any guilt or worry.
“Whoa,” Quinn said in a booming voice, commanding the buckskin to stop trotting. When she did, he approached cautiously and held out his hand. “Good girl.” Reaching her, he patted her neck and unsnapped the long line attached to her halter. Winding it into a coil, he hung the line on a corral post.
Free, the horse meandered off to a corner of the pen and, resting her head on the railing, stared at the horses in the arena. A mild breeze tossed her fetlock and mane.
Summer joined Quinn at the railing. It was high, reaching her shoulders. Quinn was several inches taller than she.
She liked looking up at him. Despite her independence, despite her pro stance on feminism, Quinn’s height and powerful bearing made her feel protected and attractive and, yes, sexy. What would her mother, a staunch women’s activist from the seventies, say? What would she say about Quinn?
“The private investigator found my daughter.”
“Is he sure?” Summer knew from working at the law firm all these years that leads could appear promising in the beginning only to prove wrong or turn cold in the end.
“He’s sure. She and Jenny are living in a small Oregon town called Seaside. Jenny hasn’t married and didn’t change her last name or assume a new identity. I don’t think she saw the need. She probably assumed I’d be in prison for years, that her friend didn’t tell about our daughter and I’d have no reason to track her down.”
“Does she know she’s been located?”
“Marty’s hired a local attorney to make contact with her. That’s supposed to happen today or tomorrow. There are steps, so I’m told.”
Summer knew most of them. For starters, Jenny needed to be advised that Quinn had not only been released, he was exonerated and wanted to make contact with his daughter. Learning that, she might willingly grant Quinn visitation and perhaps even shared custody. Naturally, paternity would have to be established and a DNA test performed.
“I’m really glad for you,” she said, and she meant it.
“Me, too.” His expression was a combination of excitement and shyness. “I have pictures.”
“Really?” Summer smiled.
Quinn was already reaching for his phone. He swiped and tapped the screen several times. A moment later, he handed the phone to her through the railing.
“It’s not a great picture,” Quinn said. “The PI took it from a distance.”
Even so, Summer could make out enough of the little girl’s features to see she resembled Quinn. Dark wavy hair, dark eyes and a much too serious expression. She played in what appeared to be a backyard sandbox.
“She’s adorable.”
“There’s more.” Quinn pointed to the phone, indicating Summer should scroll to another picture.
She went through the six photos, each one cuter than the last. Jenny was in most of them, and Summer couldn’t help studying the woman who had loved Quinn only to abandon him and take their child far away.
She wanted to hate Jenny, but what she saw in the pictures was a mother who adored her child and would go to any length to protect her from what she perceived as a threat. Summer would do the same for Teddy, except, in her opinion, Quinn was no threat.
She returned his phone. “Did you learn her name?”
“Corrine.”
“I like it.”
“That was Jenny’s grandmother’s name.” He grew quiet. “Corrine’ll be three on October tenth.”
Being a parent for almost three years and having no idea—Summer couldn’t fathom it. Neither could she fathom what Quinn must be going through. His entire life had been turned upside down, not once but multiple times since that fateful night in the bar.
Her gaze went to Teddy, who stood at the railing staring at the buckskin. She hadn’t been apart from her son more than a day since his birth. It was a struggle at times, especially when his behavior was at its worse, but also very rewarding.
“When will you hear from the local attorney?” she asked.
Rather than answer, Quinn walked to the gate, exited the corral and met up with her at the railing. She noted a spring to his step she hadn’t seen before and guessed it was the result of hearing his daughter had been located.
Maybe a little of that spring was from nearing her. She shouldn’t wish that to be the case but did anyway.
“Marty’s supposed to call me as soon as he hears.”
“How do you think Jenny’s going to react, learning you’ve been released and exonerated?”
“I’m not sure. I hope she’ll do right by me and let me visit Corrine.”
Summer hoped so, too, and could tell from the longing in Quinn’s voice he hoped for more. Unfortunately, she had reservations. Jenny hadn’t done right by Quinn so far and, unlike his family, hadn’t believed him when he swore he was innocent. And this was someone who supposedly loved him.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Summer said.
Quinn startled her by touching her cheek. “You’ve done a lot for me already. I can’t begin to thank you.”
She didn’t reply. She couldn’t, not when the intensity of his gaze and tenderness of his caress drew her in completely.
Without thinking, without giving herself a chance to reconsider, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Her body instinctively molded to his, and her head rested on his shoulder. For a moment, he froze. She feared he wouldn’t respond, would leave her hanging there. Or, more correctly, hanging on to him.
Then magic happened, and he circled her waist with his arms. They were strong and powerful and anchored her to him with a surety and confidence she found incredibly sexy.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could hug indefinitely? At least for a few more exquisite minutes?
“Maw, Maw, Maw.”
Teddy! Oh, my God. She quickly released Quinn and stepped
away, shock rendering her speechless. How could she have forgotten they weren’t alone? It was so unlike her.
* * *
SUMMER WAS VERY PRETTY. Prettier still when she was embarrassed and tripping over her words. Quinn found it impossible not to smile.
The hug they’d shared was innocent. Mostly. There’d been nothing inappropriate for Teddy to see. Yet Summer acted as if she and Quinn had been caught in a compromising situation.
“Y-yes, sweetie,” she said. “I, uh, see. It’s very...interesting.”
Teddy was staring at a beetle crawling along the corral railing. He probably hadn’t even seen Summer and Quinn hugging.
“We should...go.” Summer might have been speaking to Teddy or to Quinn, it wasn’t clear. Then again, she could have been speaking to herself.
He didn’t want her to leave. Other than Marty, she was the only one who knew Corrine had been located. They had shared more than a hug.
“Wait,” he said. “I have an idea,” he continued before Summer could voice an objection. “How about we fetch Stargazer, put a saddle on her and see if Teddy’s willing to ride?”
Her eyes narrowed with uncertainty. “Don’t you have somewhere to be or something you need to do?”
“Nothing that can’t wait.”
“What about the horse?”
Quinn regarded the buckskin. “I’ll put her away later. She’s fine in the corral for now.” He motioned to Teddy. “Let’s go, son, and bring Stargazer. We’re going riding.”
Summer shook her head. “He won’t come with you. Not the first time. I usually have to coax him—”
Teddy made a liar of his mother and started toward Quinn. Walking alongside him, he hooked a finger through Quinn’s belt loop and began humming. Afraid the boy would let go, Quinn said nothing.
Summer walked along his other side, talking nervously and glancing frequently at Teddy. She must have noticed him holding on to Quinn’s belt loop. What did she think? Was she hurt that Teddy responded to Quinn or happy her son had made a connection with someone? It was hard to tell.
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