“I always liked the house. Of course, your mom was always baking cookies.” She smiled, relieved to be thinking about something positive. “I can still remember those chocolate ones with the powdered sugar on top.”
His smile could melt hearts. “Yeah, chocolate crinkles. My favorite. I haven’t thought about those in a while, but, boy, could I sure eat one now. Or ten.”
They both laughed at that and their gazes locked once more. So much being said and nothing at all.
Cassidy had the sudden urge to try to bake him some cookies. Not a good idea.
He led the way into the office. It had thick leather chairs and a large desk. He grabbed a small cane back chair from the corner and set it beside the desk chair. “Have a seat and we’ll plug this in.”
She did and he sat beside her. After turning on his computer, he stuck the small disk into the port and waited. There were a lot of photos, not very good, but there.
“So it looks like four of them?” she asked, trying to count the grainy forms.
“If they’d been closer it would have been better, but where they set up their makeshift corral was a little too far away.” As they scrutinized the photos, he leaned in and she did too.
“Two of them look about your size, tall, built—” She hadn’t meant to say that and quickly added, “The other two are shorter.”
Jarrod leaned back and let out an exasperated sigh. “Too bad. I wish we could see their features. Or the number on the truck’s tailgate. Something.”
“I can’t even tell what make the truck is.”
He tapped his fingers on the desk, then leaned in, intently focused on the pictures. “Nope. Nothing. My brilliant idea has flopped.”
“But maybe just for last night. There are other spots. You’ll get lucky on one of those.”
“Or if I’m lucky some of the heifers will show up at an auction and the TSCRA agents will catch the number on the computer database.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“I guess I better get back home. I’m pretty sure the ladies have gone by now, but I still have a lot to do.”
“And I need to remove Duce’s stitches.”
“I can load him up and have Doc do it.”
He scowled. “I’ll do it, Cass. I’ve already told Doc I would.”
“Then that’s fine.” It was far from fine, but what else could she say?
They drove to her house. Duce was sitting on the porch waiting for them.
Jarrod brought a small tackle box into the house with him and set it on the kitchen table. He pulled out a pair of stainless steel tweezers, medical-grade scissors, and antiseptic.
“You might want to help hold him in case he decides to move around.”
She sat on the floor and pulled her dog into her lap, leaving his hip and leg exposed for Jarrod. To her surprise Jarrod’s hands were nimble, and he’d snipped the compilation of stitches within seconds. He picked up the sterilized tweezers and quickly but carefully tugged each one free. His head was bent over his work and Cassidy had to force herself not to touch him. When he looked up they were too close for comfort, and she quickly looked back at Duce. She held his head against her shoulder, and his dark eyes studied her with complete trust as he allowed Jarrod to work. Trust . . .
“You are a very good pooch,” Cassidy said to him softly. She contented herself with rubbing the dog’s ears rather than running her fingers through Jarrod’s dark hair.
It was all over swiftly. Jarrod picked up his kit and was ready to leave in moments.
“Thank you,” she said, wishing the atmosphere between them wasn’t so strained.
“Anytime. Cass, don’t close yourself off.”
She stiffened. “I’m here to start a new life, Jarrod. And contrary to all that stuff I let fly earlier, I plan to enjoy my life. So . . . if you can, would you just forget I aired my dirty laundry to you and let’s move forward?”
And let’s forget you kissed me. And I kissed you back.
“Because that’s what I’m going to do.” She plastered on her brightest smile. And she meant it. The more she thought about it, the more she realized he was actually right. “Talking about it did help me. I realize there is absolutely nothing I can do to change the past. Nothing. What happened with Jack makes me feel awful, so I’m letting it go. From here on out, don’t you dare feel bad for me.”
He nodded after a second, his gaze probing deep, then his lip lifted ever so slightly and his eyes crinkled just a bit at the edges. “Okay, you’ve got a deal. From here on out, the past is the past. It’s a new day, Cass.”
Cassidy’s stomach dropped. She really wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but he grinned and then left. She wondered if that was a wink she saw before he drove off.
And suddenly she wasn’t at all certain what had just passed between them.
“Have y’all read Maggie’s column this morning?” Clara Lyn asked, hustling over to where Reba was helping Cassidy unload peaches from her truck into a wagon for the Fourth of July celebration. She waved the newspaper at them.
“I’ve just been loading peaches this morning,” Cassidy said, curious. What had Clara Lyn all flustered?
“Is it good?” Reba asked. “I was running late getting here this morning and didn’t get to look at it. You’re so excited she must have had a really good letter.”
“Oh, it’s good all right. Listen to this. ‘Dear Maggie, I made a huge mistake a long time ago and I hurt the woman I love. She’s been through a lot and I feel responsible, but at this point I feel helpless to help her. She deserves all the happiness there is but right now she’s hurting and I believe making the mistake of her life . . . and I don’t know how to stop her. I need your advice.’ ”
Clara Lyn’s eyes widened. “It’s signed ‘Torn in Texas.’ Y’all might think I’m crazy—”
“As a bat,” Reba teased her, grinning, and Cassidy chuckled at Clara Lyn’s scowl.
“Oh hush, this is serious. Do y’all think that sounds like something Rand would write?”
“No, surely not,” Reba said slowly. “But yeah. It could be.”
Cassidy was startled. “You know, maybe . . .”
“I’ve read it and reread it and I just have this gut feeling this is Rand. Here is Maggie’s advice. She always gives the best advice . . . so thoughtful. ‘Dear Torn in Texas, it does sound like you must have really messed up. I’m no expert, so take it only as from my heart. Sometimes consequences last forever no matter how much you regret them. What I like about your letter is that I think you understand that and your worry is truly about how to help this person. The problem is you may not be able to. You may just have to let her move on with her life her own way, mistakes or not. If you love her still, perseverance may win her back in the end.’ ”
“I like it,” Reba said. “Do you think he’s worried that she’ll sell the motel and move off somewhere? He should make a move, but he’s drawn back instead.”
“I think he thinks she’s better off without him,” Clara Lyn said.
“Yes. And maybe she is.”
Cassidy did not want to agree, but as much as she loved Rand, she knew Pebble would be taking a risk loving him, always worrying if he might fall off the wagon. But she sure hated feeling that way. It actually hurt her heart for him.
She still had Rand on her mind thirty minutes later as she finished carting all the peaches to her tables.
“You sure do have a great crop,” one of the twins said as the two brothers made the rounds.
“Doonie will eat all your peaches if you don’t watch him,” Doobie joked, letting her know who was who. They surveyed the baskets of peaches.
“I’m impressed,” she told the twins. “This is looking like it’s going to be a huge success.”
The mayor grinned, and she thought his chest puffed out a bit. “I came up with the Thanksgiving in July concept three years ago to add an extra twist to the Fourth of July celebration, and I have to say it’s really caught on.”
“Especially after Maggie’s column came out,” Rand added, coming to stand beside her.
He looked good, with his crisply starched oxford and his tan trousers. He had his tweed fedora perched on perfectly combed, thick gray hair, and his pale-blue eyes were alert and inquisitive. She was glad to see he looked so good. After hearing what Pebble had to say about their relationship, she was increasingly curious about the dynamics between them.
“Last year it was pretty exciting,” Rand drawled. “I can’t wait to see what excitement happens this year when Doonie and Doobie start frying up those fifty turkeys they have orders for.”
Clara Lyn had told her people gave orders for fried turkeys and the men cooked them up. The money went to support Over the Rainbow. Cassidy thought it was great how the community came together to support such a good cause. The home gave a place for these young women to go, and then made certain the babies were given life and a home where they were loved.
Maggie and Tru had gotten in late last night, and Maggie and Abby were going to man the Four of Hearts Ranch table while the men helped with the turkey frying. The talk was that the volunteer fire department was on full alert, but since half the men cooking this year were in the department, everything should be fine. She’d heard tales about things that had happened. Turkey frying was apparently a dangerous endeavor.
“Hey, girl.” Maggie straightened up a row of stirrups. “So how’s the progress going?”
“Slow. After today I’ll be ready to concentrate on plowing up the garden plot and attacking the terrible, horrible wallpaper in the kitchen.”
Abby coughed, laughing. “I think I would have had to paint that kitchen first.”
“Oh, I know what you mean, but it’s going to be a job. I’m ready now.”
She needed something to occupy her mind other than thinking about catching cattle rustlers and about kissing Jarrod. “How about you? Aren’t you going to decorate for the baby?”
Maggie beamed. “I was planning it the whole time we were on the road. I think I just about drove Tru crazy with all my magazines and paint swatches. But I managed to get it all decided with his input, which was wonderful. He’s very good at smiling over at me as he drives that big truck and saying, ‘Whatever you want, darlin’, is good for me.’ I love that cowboy.”
They all laughed. Cassidy loved the whole vibe they put off as a couple. And Abby and Bo were the same. Instantly her thoughts went to Jarrod. One day he’d have someone like this and she was so surprised that he didn’t already. He was the whole package, and it was just crazy that he was still an eligible bachelor.
But not for long, she felt like. He was lonely. She could tell that. He’d made a few statements that had caught her attention. And he would be thirty-four years old now. Thirty-four and never married. That was unbelievable to her.
It didn’t matter, she reminded herself.
Rand came strolling back over with his camera in hand. “Let me get a picture of you with your peaches. I’ll put it in the celebration spread along with your number and a notice about the B and B. I’ll mention the strawberries, too, that you’ll have them in the spring. How’s that sound?”
“That’s wonderful,” she said, beaming.
“I haven’t had that kind of response before. I kind of like it.” His gaze shifted across the way to where Pebble was helping a group of pregnant young women unload candles from a box to a table.
She thought about that letter to Maggie.
“Okay, smile for the camera,” Rand said, and she did, catching a glimpse of Jarrod watching her from a distance. After Rand snapped a few shots, he looked at them in the viewfinder. “I got a good one.”
“Well, sure you did, Rand,” Doonie crooned. “She’s as pretty as a peach so there’s no getting a bad one. Now”—he looked from her to Abby and Maggie—“when we close down the sales booths at two so everyone can enjoy the games, y’all get ready to participate. Right now I better go get the grease heated up or we’ll be cooking turkeys at dark when the fireworks start.”
He left at a fast clip and Maggie made a beeline toward the Over the Rainbow table.
“What games do they set up?” Cassidy asked Abby and Rand.
Abby smiled. “I hear there’ll be a three-legged race and horseshoe tossing later this afternoon. Then everyone will pack up and come back later for the fireworks.”
“That’s right,” Rand said. “There’s going to be a dance later too.”
She’d been trying hard not to think about the fireworks. She’d not been able to get Jarrod off her mind and she blamed the celebration as part of the problem. Someone called Abby’s name and she moved away to visit with them, leaving Cassidy and Rand alone.
Busy thinking about that long-ago kiss she and Jarrod shared while fireworks exploded, Cassidy hardly noticed Abby had gone. Had it seemed so wonderful because her young imagination had been running wild over her first kiss? But she’d found out that it had been real, that he could still kiss her senseless.
Remembering now was torture.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be here tonight. I have a lot to do.” She was being honest.
“Now, that’s no way to have fun,” Rand said.
“Why don’t you go over there and take Pebble’s picture?” She was trying to get the focus off herself.
Rand shook his head, but she didn’t want to take no for an answer.
“You should go. You’ve made such progress, and I bet she’d like you to at least say hello.”
“You sure do remind me of your aunt Roxie sometimes. That woman used to goad me all the time about Pebble.”
“And you loved her for it.”
“I cannot deny that. She was a lovely woman. But Pebble and I . . . it’s complicated and I didn’t help anything with my drinking. Truthfully, she deserves a lot better than me.”
Cassidy put a few more baskets of peaches on the table, not sure what to say to that because Pebble did deserve better than what he’d given her. “Then I guess I’ll just say I’m sorry it’s not working out for the two of you.”
Rand let his camera hang free from the strap around his neck as he pulled a small notebook from his pocket. “She’ll be fine, and that’s all that matters to me. Consequences for my actions shouldn’t affect her. Now, I need to make sure we have all the pertinent information right for the caption beneath your photo.” He asked her for the Strawberry Hill address, when she estimated the B and B opening would be, and when her first crop of strawberries was going to be ready.
She gave him all the information and realized she was shooting realistically for the bed-and-breakfast to be open before Christmas. And from her research she knew if she protected them from frost and freeze, there was a good chance she could see her first strawberries by February. That was less than seven months and would take a lot of time. But hey, time was all she had. She was going to be single, so she had no one to worry about but herself. There should be no problem getting everything done in the next five months. No problem at all.
She spotted Tru and Jarrod in the distance, studying the fryers and instructing Doobie and Doonie to move them farther away from the building they were near. How would her relationship with Jarrod be by then? Would she have grown comfortable with him as her neighbor? Would she have stopped these nagging thoughts, wondering if she could be happy never to feel his kiss again?
Rand cleared his throat and she realized he’d seen her staring at Jarrod. She suddenly felt too warm.
“You and Jarrod live out there on the far side of the ranch all by yourselves. I’ve been wanting to ask if you’ve seen anything unusual out there around your property or Jarrod’s.”
That was an odd question, but then she remembered Rand was a newspaper man. And she remembered the day in the diner when those men had lunch with Jarrod and his brothers. She knew Rand’s reporter antenna had been up because she remembered how he had studied them all during lunch. He’d suspected something.
“Like what
?” she hedged. She couldn’t lie, but she also knew Jarrod didn’t want to be in the papers about rustlers. At least she didn’t think he did.
“Like suspicious folks snooping around along the roads checking out people’s cattle.”
“Have you heard something about rustlers?” She decided to turn the question on him.
“There’s been a rash of it all across the county. I figure the Four of Hearts Ranch would be a prime target for something like that.”
“Have they ever had cattle stolen before?”
He nodded. “Years ago. Pops caught them, rounded them up in a cattle trailer, and kept them there for a few days before he hauled them in to the sheriff.” Rand grinned. “He didn’t have any problems after that.”
Cassidy laughed. “That’s classic. I love it.”
“Yeah, it makes for a great story. I better go see if I can help them with the frying. Good luck with the peach sales. Folks should start showing up soon.”
Cassidy watched him go and glanced toward Pebble. She was watching him too.
Rand seemed to have forgotten one thing in all of this, and that was that Pebble had a mind of her own. Then again, it had been years and Pebble had never said yes to a life with Rand. So maybe he did understand.
20
“I want to introduce you to Sandy Freemont. She is expecting our baby boy in the next two weeks.”
“Oh my goodness, I am so glad to meet you.” Cassidy took the girl’s hand. “You’ve chosen a wonderful family for your baby.” Cassidy was twenty-eight years old and didn’t know what to say in this situation. Did she tell the girl she would have a wonderful life? That she’d made a great decision? Both comments seemed awkward.
Sandy smiled broadly. “Thank you,” she said with a heavy Texas twang. “I was scared out of my boots trying to find the right family, and then I just prayed and knew Maggie and Mr. Tru were right. God’s pretty cool when he points things out like that.”
Cassidy was a little taken aback by the girl. “Well, I’m glad he did that for you.”
Kissed by a Cowboy Page 18