“Where have you been?” Mac asked. “I tried about six times today and kept getting your machine.”
The sound of his voice made her nipples tighten. He’d never had that effect on her before, but times had changed. “I was in Phoenix.”
“Oh, really? Buying more books?”
“Not this time. This trip was for other things.” Her first impulse, because it was the way they’d always interacted, was to tell him everything she’d bought. But the dynamics had changed and secrets were very appealing now.
“Anything to do with…Sunday night?”
“As a matter of fact.”
“What did you buy?”
She smiled. “Oh, something very, very brief.”
“Really.” The timbre of his voice changed. “Care to describe it?”
“I’d rather surprise you. Use your imagination.”
“That’s been my problem today. I can’t seem to use anything but my imagination. I’ve been so spaced out my dad keeps asking if I overdosed on allergy medicine, even though he knows I don’t have allergies.”
“So you’ve been thinking about me.” Her body reacted, moistening and throbbing as if he were right there beside her.
“That would be an understatement. I keep thinking about that daisy dress of yours, and…everything that happened last night.”
“Me, too.” She stroked the petals of her floral arrangement. “But the daisies were very hard to explain to Hazel Nedbetter, Mac.”
His laugh was low and sexy. “I’ll bet you came up with a story, though, didn’t you?”
“I told her they were from my new principal, whose name is Emma, but she often goes by just the initial M.”
He laughed again. “Damn, but you’re clever. I wish I’d been there to hear you spin that yarn.”
“Me, too.”
His voice lowered, became soft and seductive. “I wish I could be there right now.”
Tess sighed. “Me, too.”
“What are you wearing?”
“A sleeveless blouse and shorts.” Scenarios from her reading flashed through her mind, and she had the urge to experiment with her newfound power. “But it’s very hot, Mac.” She picked up the vase of flowers. “I think I’ll just walk back into the bedroom and take my blouse off.”
“Now?”
“Well, sure, unless you want me to hang up.”
His tone was strained. “No, I don’t want you to hang up. I might not get another chance to call you today. But Tess—”
“Just unfastening the buttons will help.”
In her bedroom she set the vase down and started unbuttoning her blouse. “Ah. I can feel a little breeze from the air conditioner right here, blowing on my bare skin. By the way, did you find any good studs?”
“Uh, yes. No. Maybe. Have you got your blouse off yet?”
“I’m getting there. These buttons aren’t the easiest in the world. I tell you, it’s so warm here, Mac. This little trickle of sweat just rolled down between my breasts. I’ll bet I’d taste really salty right now.”
“You’re…” He cleared his throat. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
“What? Taking off my blouse? You bet. Ah, there. That feels so much better.” The joke might be on her. By teasing him, she was becoming incredibly aroused herself.
“What…color is your bra?”
“Ivory.” Her breathing quickened. “Satin mostly, but the cups are a pretty lace. I like it because it hooks in the front, which makes it easier to take off.”
His voice was low and dangerous. “Take it off now.”
“You know, I think I will.” She unfastened it with trembling fingers and released her aching breasts. “It’s…off. Oh, Mac, I wish you were here.”
“Believe me, so do I.”
“The daisies are so beautiful.” She snapped one from its stem. “So soft.” Slowly she drew the petals over her rigid nipples. “I’m stroking my breasts with one of your daisies, Mac.”
He groaned.
“Little bits of yellow pollen are scattered over my breasts and nipples.”
“God, Tess. How am I supposed to stand this?”
“You’ll be here soon.”
“Not soon enough.”
She continued to administer the sweet torture of touching her breasts with the daisy. She pretended it was Mac’s gentle fingers stroking her. “And if it helps, I’m aching right now, too.”
“I hope so.” His breathing rasped in her ear. “You deserve to be absolutely miserable.”
“Are you?”
“Denim doesn’t give real well, if that’s what you mean.”
“Too bad I’m not there to help you.”
“Yeah, isn’t it.”
“I’m going to hang up now, Mac.”
“I guess you’d better.” His voice was tight with strain. “I’m at a public phone at the fairgrounds, and I’ll have to stand here with the receiver to my ear and my back to the folks for a long time.”
“Goodbye, Mac. Think of me.”
“As if I have a choice. Goodbye, you devil woman.”
She broke the connection between them and pressed the daisy against her breast. Sunday night seemed an eternity away.
MAC LISTENED to the soft click that ended the call, but he didn’t put the receiver down. He hadn’t been kidding about the bulge in his pants, and there was no way in hell he could turn around yet. He hadn’t planned on the call turning into an erotic experience, not considering the thousands of times he’d talked to Tess on the phone. Mostly he’d been curious about how she’d handled the delivery of the daisies and if she was pleased with them.
I guess so, MacDougal, if she’s rubbing them over that sweet body of hers. But he had to get that image out of his head or he’d never be able to leave this phone. Tess was amazing. When he’d suggested himself as her summer lover, he’d had no idea what a Pandora’s box he was opening.
As he stood with the silent phone to his ear, he forced himself to think about something else. The exorbitant price that Stan Henderson wanted for his stallion, for example. And the fact that his father was seriously considering paying it. Finally he was able to hang up the receiver and turn around.
His father was standing not ten feet away, watching him.
“Hey, Dad.” He walked over with what he hoped was a nonchalant smile. “I figured you’d be haggling with Henderson over that stud for the rest of the afternoon.”
“I decided to take a break and let him think about my last offer.” Andy MacDougal was a tall, lean cowboy who didn’t look his age any more than Nora MacDougal looked hers. Most people assumed Mac’s parents were younger, but they’d suffered through several miscarriages before he’d come along when Nora was almost past childbearing age.
“I’m guessing you’ve got girl trouble,” Andy said. “Am I right?”
Mac grinned. A partial truth was probably his best approach. “You could say that.”
“I also have a feeling she might be a serious girlfriend this time around.”
Mac didn’t like hearing that. “Nah. I’m not ready to settle down.”
“Oh, I think you are. I’ve seen the way you look at the Blakely boys and their families. I also realize you’re choosy, and that’s fine. But I’ve never known you to be this distracted. So if the woman you’ve been trying to call all day long is ready for a home and family, then I suggest you go for it.”
“She’s not.”
“Oh.” Andy gazed at his son for a long moment. “Want to grab a hot dog and a beer and talk about it?”
“A hot dog and a beer sounds great, Dad, but there’s really nothing to talk about.”
Andy nodded. “If you say so. But the offer stands, anytime.”
“I know that, Dad, and I appreciate it.” Mac swung an arm over his father’s shoulders. “Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
THE OVERNIGHT MAIL TRUCK arrived in Tess’s driveway the next morning. As she signed for the package, she noticed the Flagstaff po
stmark. Well, at least he hadn’t sent another bouquet of flowers. She’d be hard-pressed to explain a second floral delivery from her new principal.
Once she’d bid the deliverywoman goodbye, she closed the front door and ripped open the package. Inside were a pair of unbelievably soft, furry gloves. She put them on and discovered they were too big for her, but inside one glove she encountered a folded slip of paper. She pulled it out.
Dear Tess,
I saw these in a clearance sale. I could have brought them with me Sunday night, but I decided I’d rather send them so you can spend the next thirty-six hours imagining how you will feel when I put them on and run my hands over every inch of your naked body. In the meantime, enjoy the daisies.
M.
With a cry of frustration she clutched the gloves to her chest. What an evil man. What a wonderful, delicious tease of a man. She smiled to herself. Just like when they were kids, they always had to get each other back. He’d sent the daisies and she’d tortured him over the phone. Now this. The score was definitely in his favor at this moment.
She put on one of the gloves and ran it experimentally over her bare arm. Oh, Lord.
“Knock, knock, can I come in?”
Tess leaped to her feet as her mother came through the unlocked front door, a habit she’d developed that Tess had seen no reason to change—until now. Heart pounding as if she’d been caught raiding the cookie jar when she was five, she shoved Mac’s note in the pocket of her shorts and pasted on a welcoming smile. “Hey, Mom! How’s it going?”
“I hadn’t heard from you in a few days, so I thought I’d drop by and find out what you’re up to. Darling, you look guilty as hell. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, Mom.”
Debbie Blakely raised her eyebrows, obviously not convinced. She was a small woman, and Tess had taken after her in height and hair color, although her mother’s warm brown now came from a commercial product instead of nature. She was what Tess always thought people meant when they described someone as “pleasingly plump.” Tess wouldn’t have wanted her mother to lose an ounce, but she sure wished she’d be a little less perceptive.
Debbie glanced at the coffee table littered with the remnants of the overnight package and then at the gloves, one on Tess’s hand and the other clutched against her chest. “What’s that, a joke? Gloves in the middle of a heat wave?”
Tess thought fast. “That’s what it is, all right. Mac sent them. It’s his way of saying, ‘Nanny, nanny, boo, boo, I’m in Flagstaff where it’s cool and you’re not.”’
Debbie Blakely laughed. “That would be Mac. And if I know you, you’re planning your revenge even as we speak. Now I may have an idea what you’re looking guilty about. Don’t smuggle ants into his bed this time, Tess. It took Nora weeks to get them out of the ranch house.”
“Right. No ants. Maybe I’ll solder his boots to the horse trough, instead.”
“Well, I promise not to tell. Want to do lunch?”
“Uh, sure.” She’d planned to spend the day transforming her bedroom, but she could probably take time out for lunch.
“Good. I was thinking today that I won’t be able to pop over here and invite you to lunch much longer, so I’d better take advantage of your being here while I can.”
Tess walked over and gave her mother a hug. “I’ll come home whenever I can. And I want you and Dad to visit me in New York whenever you can get away.”
“Oh, we will, but…it won’t be the same. My, those gloves are soft.”
Tess had forgotten she was still wearing one. “Um, yes. I might actually use them in New York.”
Debbie examined the glove. “Kind of big, aren’t they?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s the thought that counts.”
“And no doubt Mac’s thought was to torture you while he’s enjoying the cool mountain air. He probably didn’t care if they fit or not. Men.”
“Scoundrels, all of them,” Tess agreed.
“But we couldn’t live without them, could we?”
“Guess not.” Or so Tess was discovering. This was turning into the longest three days of her life.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll freshen up in your bathroom before we go,” her mother said.
“Sure. Help yourself.” Tess sent thanks heavenward that she’d decided to watch a movie last night instead of starting her renovations then. Satin sheets would have been a little difficult to explain to her mother, not to mention the angled mirror she planned to install.
“Oh, so these are the flowers you got from your principal,” Debbie called out as she passed through Tess’s bedroom into the bathroom. “Why don’t you have them out on the coffee table?”
“I was enjoying them before I went to bed last night,” Tess called back. Oh, my. Word traveled as fast as always around this place. She and Mac would have to have their wits about them. But they’d had a lot of practice being co-conspirators. Maybe she could think of this secret project as an extension of the pranks they’d pulled together over the years.
She looked down at the gloves. Then again, maybe not.
9
WITH SOME EFFORT Mac managed to smuggle a small cooler on board the Cessna Sunday morning without his parents noticing. Inside rested the bouquet of daisies he’d bought on the sly in Flagstaff and he’d used motel ice to keep them fresh in the cooler. Ice had never been an erotic substance to him until Tess had mentioned placing it against certain parts of his anatomy. Now he couldn’t even look at an ice bucket without getting turned on.
And now, at long last, he was flying his parents back to Copperville. His rendezvous with Tess was only a few hours away, yet it was too many hours for his comfort. He hadn’t dared call her again, considering the condition she’d put him in the one time he’d tried it. But she’d been on his mind constantly. He wondered what she’d thought of the gloves, and if she’d run them over her skin.
Picturing her doing that, his mouth went dry. Maybe she’d always been a sensuous person, but her reading had stoked up the fire in her. He wasn’t going home to a timid virgin, that was for sure. But she was still a virgin, and no matter how she plotted to drive him insane, he had to remember to go slow and be gentle. That might not be as easy as he’d thought at first.
When he and his folks arrived home, Mac and his father unloaded the suitcases from the car while his mother went inside to check for messages on the answering machine. Mac walked into the kitchen in time to hear Tess’s voice coming from the speaker.
This message is for Mac, she said, sounding like the Tess he’d known for twenty-three years, not the new Tess he’d just discovered. Mac, don’t bother to eat dinner before you come over tonight. I’ll feed you. Something simple, finger food probably. Oh, and don’t worry about ice. I have plenty. I might be out back or something when you get there, so just come look for me. See you tonight.
Mac nearly dropped the suitcases he was carrying.
His mother turned to him with a smile. “You’re seeing Tess tonight?”
“Yeah.” Mac tried his best to look nonchalant, which wasn’t easy while he was thinking about Tess feeding him some exotic food while dressed in whatever sexy outfit she’d bought. And then there was her subtle reference to ice, and the fact that she wanted him to walk in the unlocked door and come look for her. He’d bet a million dollars where he’d find her, and it wouldn’t be “out back.”
She’d cleverly created the whole message to sound normal, when it was filled with suggestive ideas that only he would understand. That was so like her. She’d done it to get him back for the gloves, no doubt. He cleared his throat. “I promised to drop by and let her know how the trip went,” he added, realizing he was standing there staring into space. Not good.
Nora gazed at him, a speculative light in her blue eyes. “You’re upset that she’s leaving town, aren’t you?”
“Not really. I’m happy for her. It’s what she’s always wanted.”
“I know, and of course we’re all happy
for her, but you’re agitated about it. I could tell by the expression on your face just now. Your color was high. I think you’re upset because she’s going off and leaving you.”
“I absolutely am not.” Mac set down the suitcases, walked over and took his mother by the shoulders. “That imagination of yours is working overtime.” Then he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and noticed the tiredness around her eyes. Three days of being constantly on the go had taken its toll on both her and his father. He couldn’t ignore the fact that they were both nearly seventy. “I think I’ll ride out and check the stock tank Dad’s worried about,” he said.
“Wasn’t he going to do that after we got unpacked?”
“Yeah, but why don’t you two take the afternoon off? You both got a lot accomplished on this trip. Relax for the rest of the day.”
His mother nodded. “I’ll see if I can get him to do that. I think he’s more worn out than he admits.” She glanced at Mac with gratitude. “Thanks. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“Hey, no problem.” Mac smiled at her and headed out the door. On the way, he passed his father coming in. “Try and get Mom to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon, will you? She’s bushed.”
“I need to check the stock tank.”
“I’ll do it. No point in both of us heading out there in this heat.”
His father laid a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. If I don’t watch your mother, she’ll run until she’s exhausted.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Mac crossed the back porch and started toward the corrals with a sense of relief. The solo activity was just what he needed to get him through the next few hours.
HE’D NEVER BEEN so nervous and excited in his life as he drove toward Tess’s house a little before eight. The sun was down and the streetlights on, but heat from the day still rose up from the pavement and he had the truck’s air conditioner going full blast. Considering his heated condition, he might have to run the air conditioner in the dead of winter if he had a negligee-clad Tess waiting at the end of the line. Which wouldn’t happen, because she’d be gone by winter.
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