Suddenly Texan

by Victoria Chancellor

  She fastened her seat belt, then looked over at Leo in the pale illumination of the dashboard. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend she could talk to? Someone who would hold her and tell her everything was going to be fine?

  But just as he didn’t want to talk about his past profession, she didn’t want to talk about her problems. “No, I just needed to eat,” she lied.

  LEO KNEW AMANDA WASN’T telling him the whole truth about why she’d practically run into a tray of drinks after he’d mentioned Cal and Christie Crawford. And it had happened again just now, when he’d told her that Cal had been the highest bidder on the genealogy certificate. She’d looked shocked, although she’d tried to cover it up quickly.

  She did not want Cal to look into his Crawford family history. But why? If Amanda were related to Cal on the wrong side of the blanket, how would he know? She could simply not include that information in whatever type of report she provided him.

  It was all confusing. One thing he did suspect was that whatever her relationship to Cal and Troy, Amanda found it upsetting. Every time she was around Cal, she got flustered.

  There was one other explanation, one he didn’t want to consider. If she were not related but was trying to pull off some type of scam, she might also become flustered. She didn’t seem to be very accomplished at deception, though.

  He should provide her with an easy out. Confront her and see if she’d back down from whatever she’d come here to do. She’d leave Brody’s Crossing, that was for sure, but Cal and Christie wouldn’t be hurt. He really thought a lot of his business partner and friend. And he’d known Cal all his life. He was a good man who didn’t deserve his father’s indiscretions to come back to bite him.

  “I’ll be glad to fix you something else to eat,” he said as Amanda pulled into an empty space in the condo’s parking lot and turned off the engine. “I make some mean scrambled eggs.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check.”

  “Yeah? Well, I think I heard in the forecast that it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”

  Amanda laughed, lifting his spirits. She had such a clear, bright laugh that he had to smile in response. When she was like this, he couldn’t suspect her of anything.

  “You’re always trying to feed me. If I stay in town much longer, I’ll be too big to fit into my clothes.”

  “I don’t believe that. Besides, I’d get you to go running with me or something. I could think of a few good ways to burn off calories.”

  She ducked her head and fiddled with the keys. “Well, I’m not much of a runner.”

  “Yeah? I guess we’d have to think of something else then,” he said softly in the quiet of the car.

  “I should get inside,” she whispered.

  “You can sleep late tomorrow. It’s Sunday.” He unfastened his seat belt and moved closer, placing his arm around the back of her seat. “Or you could stay in with me. I just love a lazy Sunday morning.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He paused a moment before asking, “Why? Because we don’t know each other well enough?”

  “No.” She looked up, so close he could see the wide pupils of her gray-blue eyes even in the dim light of the car. “Because I’m leaving on Wednesday.”

  He sighed and looked away, noticing the driver’s side window was getting steamed up from their conversation. How long had it been since he’d heated up the inside of a car with a girl in Brody’s Crossing? Forever, that’s how long. “What’s so special about Wednesday that you have to leave then? Why can’t you stay awhile?”

  “I…I just can’t.”

  “I know you don’t owe me a reason, but I can’t stop myself from wondering why.” He rubbed a strand of her silky soft hair between his fingers. “You seem to like it here. Other people like you. I like you. A lot.”

  “I do like it here. If things were different…but they aren’t.”

  “What things?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “I’m working through some personal issues. This is what I have to do.”

  “These personal issues. They don’t involve a boyfriend, do they?”

  “No.”

  He hadn’t thought so. “Can’t you work through them here?”

  She shook her head. “No, that won’t be possible.”

  Hmm. She’d said “won’t be” as if she were expecting something to happen. Something she didn’t like. But what? She wasn’t going to tell him. “If you have to leave, then we should make the most of every moment.”

  “I already told you that I don’t think we should—”

  “I meant spending time together, having dinner. How about that rain check tomorrow night? I’ll fix a family favorite—pasta with my Italian great-grandmother’s sauce. You’ll love it.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “How about six o’clock? I’m going to my parents’ house for lunch after church, but I don’t have anything planned all afternoon. I’d really enjoy fixing you a genuine Italian dinner.”

  “Just dinner?”

  “And a movie?”

  She smiled a little. “Okay, dinner and a movie.”

  “Good.” He rested his right arm on the steering wheel. “And a kiss good night.”

  “Tomorrow night?”

  “Right now.” He slanted his head and kissed her while she was still slightly surprised, capturing her mouth in an instant. He didn’t give her time to think, just to react. For a moment she seemed startled, then responded as if she was hungry for him.

  Unlike their previous kisses, this one was messy and hot and wonderful. They were wearing far too many clothes and this car was way too small to make out for long, though. He needed to get her upstairs in his bed. He needed to get them both naked.

  She pulled away, wide-eyed. All around her the windows were steamed up.

  “We can’t do this,” she said.

  “Well, not here, that’s for sure.”

  “No, really.” She slipped her hand between them.

  He was about to get very excited at the evening’s prospects when she pressed the seat belt release and opened the driver’s side door.

  He sank back into his own seat. Well, damn, he thought, opening his own door and climbing out.

  “Lock it, please,” she said as she shut the rear door on her side once she’d taken out her clothes.

  He did, then walked around the front of the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Dinner and a movie—that’s all,” she said in a warning tone.

  He nodded. “I’ll even let you pick the movie.”

  She hugged her purse to her chest. “Okay, then. See you at six o’clock.”

  They walked together to the back entrance of the building. “Call me if you change your mind.”

  “About dinner?” she asked as he held open the security door.

  He stopped her just inside the hallway. “About anything.” Then he kissed her briefly on her swollen lips before heading up the stairs.

  ON SUNDAY MORNING AMANDA SLEPT late. She’d stayed up a long time last night, barely trusting herself to remain in her condo after that steamy kiss. She’d really wanted to run up the stairs to Leo’s place and take him up on his offer to “sleep in” this morning.

  But she knew she’d made the right decision. Making love with him would be wrong. She had enough on her plate right now.

  She stretched, rubbing her bare feet against the soft sheets on the queen-size bed. Everything about this condo was comfortable, even luxurious. She could never afford to stay in a place like this, much less buy one, but boy was it nice to visit.

  Today she had to get in touch with Myra Hammer, return Cassie’s clothes and come up with a reason why she shouldn’t have dinner with Leo. Agreeing to that had been a mistake because they’d be together, alone, in his condo, with no one to interrupt them. She could very well become weak in such a situation, especially if he kissed her like he’d done last night.

  She sighed and th
rew off the covers. Lying between soft sheets on a comfortable mattress was not the place to think about Leo Casale.

  As she showered, she went over what she was going to say to Myra. She needed to convince the older woman that she should confide in her. Myra had been her mother’s friend, but how would Amanda explain knowing about their friendship without mentioning that she’d been chatting with the lunch ladies? Myra might find it upsetting that people had been talking about her. Amanda could tell her about the letters she’d found from Myra among her mother’s possessions, but the woman might be startled to come face-to-face with Luanna’s daughter.

  Amanda closed her eyes and let the warm water run over her head. Walking into this situation unprepared was as complicated as navigating a maze.

  Maybe she should ask Leo. He seemed to be a pro at complicated relationships. Not that she would tell him everything. That would be unfair to Cal and Troy. They deserved to find out about their mother directly from Amanda.

  After her shower and a quick breakfast, she looked at the clock and noticed it was “church time.” If Myra attended Sunday services, she’d still be away. Amanda called Cassie and made arrangements to return her clothes instead. She offered to get them cleaned, but Cassie insisted that she would have worn them anyway and it was the least she could do to support the community center.

  “Come on by whenever you like,” she said. “I’m sitting here with my foot propped up, bored to tears.”

  Amanda stopped by the coffee shop and bought two vanilla lattes and two cinnamon scones. She hoped Cassie liked the same things she did.

  The sun was shining and the wind had died down as she drove to Cassie’s apartment. She’d been here around twilight yesterday and the complex looked different in the morning light. Now she noticed the abundant wildflowers.

  “Hi,” she said as she pushed open the glass storm door to the apartment. Cassie sat on the couch, her foot propped up on a pillow on the coffee table. On the television a home improvement show was instructing how to demolish a bathroom.

  “Please, come in and sit down. I’d get up, but it hurts too much.” She hit the remote and turned off the TV.

  Amanda settled on the couch. “I brought you a getwell surprise.” She passed a latte to Cassie, then a scone wrapped in a napkin.

  “Oh, bless you! I thought I was just hungry for company until I smelled the coffee!”

  “You’re welcome,” Amanda said. “Is the bruise worse today?”

  “A little. The foot’s swollen but not broken, thankfully.” She sipped her coffee. “How was casino night? I was looking forward to working as a dealer.”

  “Since I’d only run a roulette wheel before, Leo moved me there and shifted another person to the blackjack table. It all worked out fine, and from what I understand, the night was a big success.”

  “That’s great. Everyone uses the community center. It’s the reason my boss’s husband, Wyatt McCall, came back to town.” Cassie chuckled. “But that’s a long story.”

  Amanda wasn’t sure she had time for a really long story. Church would be letting out soon and she needed to call Myra. “I saw him and his wife briefly last night, along with the ladies I met at lunch the other day at the café, and the Crawfords.”

  “Yes. Darla stayed with the kids last night so Cal and Christie could go out. They must have gotten home early, though, because she was back here by ten-thirty.”

  “We started closing down the tables at nine-thirty and I was probably home the same time.” And making out like a teenager in the front seat of my car.

  “I heard that Cal Crawford bought the genealogy research certificate I donated to the silent auction,” Amanda continued. “He got it for his sister-in-law, Raven.”

  “That’s nice. I’m sure she’ll be great to work with. I’ve met her several times when they come down to visit.”

  “Really?” Amanda paused, then asked, “What’s her husband like?”

  “Troy? He’s great. Very easy-going. He’s Cal’s little brother, so there’s a bit of that dynamic going on. Cal’s the more opinionated one, not that he’s narrow-minded or anything. I understand he’s a lot more mellow since he and Christie got married, which was right before I moved to Brody’s Crossing.”

  “I didn’t know you’d been here that long.”

  “About two years.”

  Amanda frowned. “But…I thought they’d been married longer because Peter is almost four.”

  “Well, from what I understand, and this is just hearsay, Christie and Cal met before he went to active duty in the army reserves in Afghanistan. He didn’t even know about Peter until he got back. They got married real soon after that.”

  “Oh.” Wow, the brother who was more traditional, more like their father, had gotten Christie pregnant before they were married. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Those things happened. But she just wouldn’t have expected her older brother to be careless, not if he was like their father. Her mother had always said Calvin Crawford was black and white; there was a right way, which was his way, and a wrong one, which was everyone else’s. She’d pictured him as a sourpuss with no joy in his life. Cal did seem different from their father. He could at least smile and seemed to enjoy family and friends.

  “They look like a lovely couple,” Amanda said casually.

  “They’re great, and crazy about their kids. Things worked out really well even though they started out a little unconventionally.”

  “Does Cal get to see his brother often?”

  “Occasionally. Troy and Raven have a farm in New Hampshire, so it’s not all that easy to leave the animals. I think she raises sheep and goats for wool and milk and that sort of thing. Organic.”

  “Ah. Have they been down lately?”

  Cassie frowned. “I guess not since Christmas. Why?”

  Amanda shrugged. “They sound like interesting people. I’d like to meet them while I’m in town, but it’s no big deal. I can always contact Raven online.”

  It was a very big deal, but she wasn’t about to tell that to Cassie.

  Chapter Nine

  “So, how’s Leo?” Cassie asked.

  Amanda shifted on the couch, putting her coffee on the table in front of her. “Fine, I suppose. I saw him last night at the silent auction, of course, and he mentioned going to his parents’ for lunch.” She wadded up her napkin. “Why? Are you two…you know, involved?”

  “Leo and me? Heavens, no! We aren’t suited at all.”

  “I just thought maybe since you were both single, but that’s jumping to conclusions.”

  “It’s not that I don’t find him handsome and smart and all that, but he’s like ‘an international man of mystery.’”

  Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Really? I guess he did look a little James Bond-ish in his tuxedo last night.”

  “He’s traveled all over the world, too. He’s only been back in Brody’s Crossing about five years.”

  “Really?” She’d been surprised last night when he’d told her his profession, but she could imagine him as a high roller.

  “Sure. He’s a native Texan, but he left to see the world. Me, I’m really into cowboys. Or I would be if I could ride a little better and practice dancing. I think I have two left feet in the stable and on the dance floor.”

  Amanda looked down at Cassie’s poor swollen foot. “How long have you had your horse?”

  “Almost six months. He’s my first and we’re still getting used to each other.”

  “You didn’t grow up in Texas?”

  “Heavens, no. I’m from California. I just loved Texas when I visited here two Christmases ago when I worked with Wyatt McCall. I decided to move here and work for Toni Casale, who is now married to Wyatt, of course. So that’s another reason why I could never date Leo. He’s at the office all the time, which makes him kind of like the brother I never had.”

  “I can see how that wouldn’t work out.”

  “I’m an only child, but I was raised by my a
unt and uncle.”

  “Really? Me, too. My mother died when I was a teenager and I was raised by a couple who were like an aunt and uncle.”

  Cassie smiled. “We have a lot in common. West coast, unusual childhood. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  The question caught Amanda off guard. She’d been thinking how nice it was to talk to another woman who was close to her age, who knew all these people. Cassie’s life was interesting, and best of all, she hadn’t been romantically involved with Leo.

  Amanda shook her head. “I grew up as an only child.” She didn’t want to lie, but there was no way she could tell her the truth. As much as she’d like to have Cassie as a friend, any relationship based on lies couldn’t last.

  So she finished her coffee and chatted away the time until Myra would be home from church and maybe lunch.

  LEO STOPPED BY CASALE’S Grocery for ingredients to make his great-grandmother’s northern Italian specialty, bolognese sauce. It was lush, delicious, filling, and best of all, didn’t contain garlic.

  He planned on kissing Amanda tonight, despite what she’d said about “dinner and a movie” only. Finding out her background was becoming secondary to finding out who she was emotionally. She kissed with the abandon of a starving person at a feast, but he knew her motivation wasn’t just sexual. If she’d wanted indiscriminate sex with a willing stranger, he would have recognized that from their first encounter in the coffee shop.

  He’d met women like that, probably too many, while he was away. He’d always known what they needed. Amanda’s need was different. She was searching for something she couldn’t find between the sheets.

  Not that he’d mind helping her look there.

  Right now, though, he needed to concentrate on his shopping. He went through produce and selected a sweet onion, some carrots and celery, placing them in his basket with whipping cream and a box of beef stock. Then he headed for the meat department.

  “Hey there, Leo.” The butcher was his cousin on his mother’s side. Most people thought he was called Ham because he worked at the meat counter when he wasn’t in college or following the rodeo circuit, but his name was actually Hamund, which was a Norse family name. “What are you looking for today?”