He, on the other hand, had a hard time keeping his focus on the work and not on her. Cassidy had matured into a beautiful woman. There was a uniqueness to her beauty. Big eyes and high cheeks that had once stood out prominently but were now softer since the hollows of her face had filled in nicely. Her hair was still out of control, but today she’d tamed it some by pulling it back into a bushy ponytail at the nape of her neck. Curly pieces of it sprang out from the clasp and seemed to dance about her face as she moved around. Her hair fit her though, just like it always had. It was alive with energy just like everything else about her.
What was he doing? He should change his line of thinking—now.
“Your great-aunt was a hoarder of sorts,” he said, stating the obvious as he ripped his eyes off her to focus on the junk.
Cassidy paused in pulling a birdcage from a shelf. “Tell me about it.”
“What do you think she did with all this stuff? Or planned to do?”
“I’m not certain. Oh, but look at that old cabinet right there.”
She moved toward a wooden piece about five feet tall and four feet wide. It had large square bins in it that were full of old cans and jars. It was pretty rustic, to say the least.
“This is cool. I know it looks kinda bad.” She studied it. “Really bad. But if I give it tender loving care, it will be a great storage piece—for good stuff, not just junk. I think it can be used in my fruit business.” She turned to him, smiling. “I’m keeping this. I don’t know what Roxie did with it other than to stuff it full of cans and jars, but I know what I’ll do with it. It’s going to look great when I get through with it.”
He chuckled, eyeing the ugly thing skeptically. “If you say so.”
“No, really, it will. You’ll see.”
“What about all those old cans? I’ve never seen so many old rusted coffee cans. And tires. I can’t get over all the tires.”
Cassidy smiled. “I just remembered. She grew things in them.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that now.”
“It’s cheaper than buying pots. And Aunt Roxie was all about recycling old things. She started tomatoes in the tires. That vegetable stand of hers had a lot of variety in it. I only hope I can make a go of selling both fruit and vegetables like she did. It’ll probably be next year before I have an actual crop of anything because I’ve missed the strawberry season this year. And I have to get the land certified organic and repairs made on the house before I can turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. Even then I may not get it opened before Christmas—there’s just so much to be done.”
A shadow crossed her expression. “It would be nice if I could. But I just don’t see it happening.”
He wondered how her finances were. She looked worried. “You know there are peach trees on this land too. I bet there are peaches on them now.”
Her chin snapped up. “Peach trees?”
He smiled, glad to see the excitement in her eyes. Glad to know he might have brightened her outlook. “A small orchard at the back of the property. It’s kind of neglected after all this time, but I see them when I check fences.”
“Oh my goodness. I had no idea. They weren’t here last time I came around.”
“I think Roxie got some kind of agricultural deduction for planting them. And she sold the peaches some. Want to take a look?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go.”
“This is so cool. It would mean a crop this year maybe. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. Why didn’t she put the orchard up near the house?” Jarrod was beginning to think he was right about her needing the income.
He shrugged. “She had her reasons, I’m sure. Come on. Let’s go for a walk—Wait. On second thought, you don’t have on boots and the pastures need to be mowed. Let’s take my truck.”
Cassidy followed him to his truck and climbed inside. Ten acres wasn’t big, but she didn’t fancy traipsing through tall grass after the snake scare. He drove to the tree line, which was where a shallow creek cut through the land. He drove through it easily enough with his four-wheel drive and then eased over the barely visible track past the trees and bushes lining the water’s edge.
And there in neat rows were about twenty peach trees.
“I can’t believe this. I have peach trees,” Cassidy exclaimed. “Roxie must have planted them after my last visit.”
Cassidy suddenly looked pensive and sat very still in the seat. “I should have come to see her more.” She lifted a hand, then dropped it. “I got so busy. I just called every once in a while. I guess I thought she’d always be here. And then I kept thinking I’d get here but I didn’t. And then just like that, she was gone.”
“I bet that’s hard to think about. She was a happy lady, though. Independent. Talked about the trips she took a few times with your grandmother when she was alive.”
“Yes, she used to tell me about my grandmother. Said she was a free spirit and that I would have liked her. She’d been married and divorced twice before she died. I just wish I’d come to visit more. Roxie was all alone.”
“None of us is perfect.” That was all he said. Cassidy wasn’t the first to feel like she’d dropped the ball where family relationships were concerned. But he was thankful his pops had always lived nearby so he’d never have to live with that regret. He had plenty of regrets when he thought of his dad, though. And he didn’t like to think of him often.
His dad had once been the man he’d looked up to more than anyone. He’d thought his pops was pretty special, too, but a kid sees his dad as first and then everyone else as second. And then he’d started to see small things that caused him to lose respect. Like the way he’d taken Pops’s hard work for granted. And the way he’d let his sons do the things that he should have been doing. But he was off flying around the country in his little plane.
“I’ve been researching strawberries and tomatoes and all kinds of vegetables. And all this time I have a peach orchard.” She sounded awed by the idea as she turned to look at him with amazement in her expressive eyes.
Jarrod’s mind jerked from thoughts of his dad back to Cassidy. His pulse hummed looking at her. “Something tells me you’re going be able to figure out exactly what to do with them.”
She took a deep breath and stuck her head out the window. “It’s wonderful. I own an orchard.” She laughed, then sank back into the seat, her eyes glistening. She laughed again and swiped at the tears that started running down her cheeks.
“Hey, don’t cry.” Jarrod fought the urge to reach out to her.
She turned again and stared out the window. “I’m sure you really are starting to think I’m a basket case. This has been a crazy day.”
Unable to stop himself, he touched her arm to offer some kind of reassurance. “No, I don’t. I feel like you’ve been through some hard times and you’re dealing with a lot right now.” He pulled his hand away.
She nodded and looked him in the eye. “You could say that.” They stared at each other. “Have you ever been married?”
Her question took him by surprise. “No.”
“Count your blessings. I’m never doing it again. Worst mistake of my life.”
Stunned, he watched her climb out of the truck and close the door behind her. Her pain and anger seemed to remain inside the cab of the truck with him, and he suddenly had the urge to find this ex of hers and do some damage to the man.
She started tromping across the tall grass, and he hurried from the truck and followed her. When he caught up with her, she was studying one of the trees, her hands on her hips and the grass touching her knees. Tree limbs lay strewn among the grass beneath the peach trees. This was going to take a lot of hauling off of limbs and mowing.
“This is a mess.” She dropped her chin to her chest and her shoulders slumped. When she looked up, there were still tears at the corners of her eyes.
“Is there something I can do for you? I don’t know what your ex did but—”
“No.” Her eye
s were bright with the unshed tears. “I’m happy. Really, this is . . . I’m just emotional. I’ve had a lot of changes lately. And”—she sniffed—“I’m fine. I’m here and I’m going to make this work. This is me starting fresh and free. And I just found out I own a peach orchard.” She laughed. “It can’t get any better than that. I live in the country. I-I have an awesome neighbor who stopped his day to help me clean out my barn and run off rattlesnakes. It’s all great. More than any girl could ask for.”
She smiled at him and he was dazzled. Whatever she was going through, she was doing it bravely. “You’re going to be okay, Cassidy Starr.”
“Yes, I am. Now I just need to hire someone to mow and clean up these limbs. Do you know who I could get to do that?”
“I can get your fields mowed. I have tractors. I’ll have one of my ranch hands get this done tomorrow, as long as it will dry up those tears.”
Her upper lip trembled and she bit down on it. He waited for her to regain control of her emotions.
“No, that’s just too much. I can’t take advantage of you anymore. I—”
“You’re not taking advantage,” he said. “I have the equipment and the staff. I’ll have this taken care of tomorrow.”
Cassidy stared at Jarrod. He meant well, she was certain of it, but he’d just taken command of her life and she’d walked right into it.
“No,” she said firmly, still reeling from the emotions that had swamped her earlier. This peach orchard might very well be the answer to her hopes for some early success. Unlike the strawberries she planned, it had a head start. “You’ve done more than enough. I moved here to do this on my own. To stand on my own two feet for once in my life—” She halted her words, wishing she hadn’t just blurted out her very personal agenda.
He frowned. “But like I said, I have a tractor—”
“I know. But I did not move here to have someone do my work for me.”
“It’s not a crime to accept help. You are being too sensitive.”
She bristled. “Too sensitive?” Jack had told her that many times when he’d done something wrong, trying to turn the tables on her, trying to cover up his actions by putting the focus on her.
“Jarrod, I’m not a starry-eyed teenager anymore.” She bit the words out. “I hate being treated like one.”
She was not going to bring up their past. She was letting it lie dormant just like he seemed willing to do. But feeling this unwanted attraction to him wasn’t helping her. It was just one more niggling indicator that she would follow in her parents’ footsteps if she wasn’t careful. Neither one of them had been responsible with life choices, and she refused to go down that road. Being single would be preferable to a life of more of what they’d put her through and what she’d been through with Jack.
“You’re pretty riled up—”
“Look,” she huffed. She knew thoughts of Jack, his betrayal, and his condescending attitude were driving her now, but Jarrod was looking at her like she’d lost her lug nuts and her wheels were falling off.
And maybe they were.
“You don’t know me,” she warned. “I’m not that naïve girl I once was, and I can tell you that I’m done being played the fool. I may be too sensitive about some things, but I can assure you there are valid reasons. If I don’t want to accept help that doesn’t make me sensitive or fool—”
“Hold on now. I shouldn’t have said what I said. You’ve clearly been through a rough time. But I never called you foolish. I’m just here offering to help.”
She felt a sudden wave of uncertainty. Was she overreacting? The very idea made her flounder again, and she was so sick of that feeling. Of not knowing if what she was thinking was right or if it was over-processed.
“Thank you for what you’ve done, but I can handle it from here.”
His eyelids dipped, his jaw tensed, and she could only imagine what he was thinking. After the longest second, he touched the tip of his hat and took a step back.
“Then we should start back. If you need anything . . .” He paused, looking a little between angry and confused. He strode to the truck and she followed.
They were silent all the way back to the house. When Jarrod stopped the truck beside her barn, he kept his wrist cocked over the steering wheel and made no attempt at exiting.
“You have a nice day,” he said, shooting her a hooded glance.
The hammer in her head had started pounding away on her thick skull. Jarrod sat ramrod straight with shoulders back as he waited for her to get out. She fought to apologize, but she was justified in her anger. She was. She climbed out of the truck and slammed the door, then took a step back. He gave her another glance and drove away.
Dust furled up behind him as he disappeared down the lane.
Good. That would be best for both of them. And with that she stormed back inside the barn and just dared that snake to show his face.
7
Cassidy headed to town the next morning. She tried to enjoy the drive as she flew by the pastures dotted with grazing cattle and a large number of new babies. She loved calves. Jarrod had taught her how to bottle-feed them that first year she’d come to Aunt Roxie’s. He’d been a handsome sixteen-year-old then, and he’d been kind to her when she’d been a worrisome, lonely kid. She hung out with Tru and Bo, too, but it had been Jarrod she’d tagged behind the most.
His behavior yesterday had been . . . overbearing. She didn’t want or need his help. And she wasn’t interested in the nagging draw of the man . . . was she? Was she a glutton for punishment?
That thought kept her from sleeping well. When she was nineteen, Jarrod had callously tossed her feelings aside after a kiss. She forced that memory of the kiss and his words deep down in the dark side of her heart, where the pain and anger caused by her parents’ disinterest went. She was not here to resurrect that pain. She was here to start new.
It was purely a misfortune that the property her dreams were dependent on happened to be located right beside Jarrod’s house.
She drove past the Bull Barn on the outskirts of town. The local diner and hot spot for locals and visitors alike still looked as ramshackle as ever. A little farther down the street she entered town. That same sense of welcome and relief she’d felt when she’d driven up Aunt Roxie’s drive filled her.
It was just a small Texas town, with scattered businesses on the outskirts and tree-lined streets and neighborhoods. As she turned toward the main intersection, she passed the Sweet Dreams Motel, the Burke Brothers Real Estate agency, and then the square. She drove past the Cut Up and Roll Hair Salon, and then a few doors down she pulled into a slanted parking space in front of the Wishing Springs Gazette.
Rand Ratliff, who owned the newspaper, had been one of Aunt Roxie’s friends. He was sitting in his office and saw her the minute she walked through the door.
“Cassidy, you’ve come home at last,” he called, jumping up and walking around his desk.
He was a handsome man—thin, neat, with striking gray hair and a debonair look that had always seemed a little out of place to her in a cowboy town like Wishing Springs.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said as Rand gave her a hug as though he hadn’t seen her in years, which was true.
“Heard you were on your way. You’re not here to get the house ready to sell, are you?”
“I’m actually here for good.”
He looked concerned. “Doonie and Doobie said you’ve had a rough divorce and that you’ve taken back your maiden name.”
“I want a last name that means something to me.” Cassidy hadn’t been able to change her name fast enough after what Jack had done. And when she’d called the real estate agents and told them she was returning, she had also told them why. She figured it would be easier if everyone knew about her divorce before she arrived. It would save her explaining over and over again.
“Rightly so. I’m sorry you got hurt.”
She gave a shrug. “So am I. But what was I thinking? I shoul
d have known.” She gave him a small smile. “I made a mistake jumping into marriage with someone before I really knew him, and so . . .” She hated talking about her past. Her mistakes.
“Chin up, young lady. You will get through this.”
“Yes, I will. As always, after a breakup, I come to Roxie’s. This time it just happens to be my breakup.”
They stared at each other, and she saw compassion in his kind blue eyes.
“Roxie always wanted you to feel at home there,” he said, a smile hovering on his lips. They shared a moment of understanding, each knowing Roxie had always wanted Cassidy to feel she had a place that was steadfast. And even though she’d died suddenly, she’d already made sure in her will that everything was in order for that to be a certainty. She’d even gone so far as to put it into a protected trust so no spouse could ever touch it.
That had come in handy, as it had turned out.
“Anyway, moving on.” She needed to retreat from the emotions his statement beckoned. “I’m here to reopen Roxie’s strawberry farm and turn the house into a bed-and-breakfast. But you know how she loved to collect things. So to do that I need to have a garage sale. A huge sale. I need to place this in your classifieds.” She waved a piece of paper at him. He scanned it and grinned.
“Garage sale, my foot. This is a bona-fide one-person flea market. You’ll make a mint.”
She chuckled. “I’m charging garage sale prices, not Tiffany prices.”
“Don’t give it away for pennies.” He set it on the counter in a basket labeled “Classifieds.” “I’ll make sure this goes in. Right now, though, I’m on my way to lunch. Come with me.”
She didn’t hesitate. It was time to see everyone. “I would love to.”
He walked quickly back to his office and grabbed a spiffy checkered fedora off the hat rack that sat at the door. “Ready?” he asked, offering her the crook of his arm.
Kissed by a Cowboy Page 6