The look she gave him said that would never happen.
“Zoey asked me to teach her how to ride a horse,” he told her, hoping he wasn’t breaking a confidence.
“What did you say?”
“That you’d have to okay it.”
Her shoulders lost their defensive set. “Good. Thank you.”
Will chuckled. “You must have a pretty low opinion of me if you think I’d put her on a horse without checking with you. I don’t even plan to let an adult near the barn without a written liability disclaimer.”
Will had heard A.J. grumbling in recent years about the cost of insurance and the convoluted codes an operation like the Silver Rose was forced to follow.
Anne walked across the room to hand him a piece of paper. “When I was in the office getting Zoey settled, I found this in the fax machine. Linda from the lawyer’s office seems pretty determined to get you to the party.”
He looked at the large print announcing a celebration in June. He had a pretty orange and white one just like it that A.J. had forwarded to Will’s post-office box in Dallas. He hadn’t replied because, as he told Linda, he wasn’t interested. This invitation looked different, though.
“There’s a note on this for you,” he said, following her back to the counter, where she was unloading bags.
“I saw it.” She juggled two giant bags of pasta. “Freezer or pantry? I don’t know if we have bug problems or not.”
Will shrugged. “Me neither, but I somehow doubt a bug would dare show its antennae in your mother’s kitchen.”
She smiled before disappearing into the pantry. Will unloaded the rest of the items then started folding the fleet of paper bags scattered on the floor. “Linda’s note says they’d love your help. Are you gonna volunteer?”
Anne returned. She looked around, hands on her hips. “We should probably buy staples at the warehouse chain stores and see about getting perishables delivered every week,” she said, ignoring his question. “I’m hoping our new chef will have some connections. Did I tell you she’s coming in for an interview tomorrow?”
“Do you mean Joy McRee? She used to cook for the rodeo association’s fund-raising barbecues. She’s great.”
“Apparently she’s been helping Mom for a couple of summers when they had some kind of special event planned. She also asked if we intend to keep offering Mom’s cooking classes. Do you have an opinion on that?” Anne asked, transferring jugs of milk to the refrigerator as he handed them to her.
Whole. Two percent. Skim. Soy. Soy?
Will watched her find a place for everything.
He swallowed his question and answered hers instead. “Not exactly, but I blundered into one by accident last summer. Esther was teaching a group of women—wives who didn’t want to help with a roundup, I think—how to make pan-fried gravy and biscuits. I was their guinea pig.”
Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say something sassy but chose the high road instead.
“So?” he asked again. “Are you going to call Linda back?”
“No.”
He waited for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, he slid a package of cheese across the slick counter to get her attention. “Why not?”
She crammed it into a shelf. “It’s your class. You volunteer.”
“But I’m a…” Her eyes narrowed and he changed the sexist blunder he’d been about to make. “I’m a bull in a china shop when it comes to anything creative.” His face started getting hot. “I just thought this might be a way for you to make friends.”
The arch in her eyebrow told him she knew darn well what he’d been about to say. She shrugged. “I’m only here for the summer. Why get involved?”
Will agreed, but just to be contrary—and because something about her sentiment bothered him—he said, “Meeting new people doesn’t necessarily mean a lifetime commitment.”
Anne had her back to him as she examined the jars of spices in the cupboard beside the stove. “True. But even superficial associations require time. I don’t even go to the same hairstylist more than once, because I don’t want to hear his or her life story any more than I want to tell mine.”
Will understood. Lately, it had become a chore to extend a hand of friendship to the new kids who showed up on the circuit. Some of Will’s buddies argued that it wasn’t worth the effort to get to know these hotshots because they’d be gone after a season or two. It took more than skill to ride bulls; it required heart. A lot of newbies were only in the sport for the money. If the big bucks didn’t pan out, then neither did they.
But, regardless of how fast the turnover, Will still made himself available to the up-and-coming riders. And he had a long list of good friends to show for it, just as Anne’s mother had.
Maybe Anne was just shy, he decided. “I think you’d like Linda,” he told her. “You have things in common.”
Her muffled snort sounded skeptical.
“Really. I finally figured out who she is. Your mother had her to dinner a year ago when I stopped here on my way to Salt Lake City.”
Anne turned to look at him. “Like a date?”
“Like dinner. But we sat around talking afterward. She’s divorced. She has a daughter about Zoey’s age. And an older child. A son, I think. Her ex is a real jerk. Had a gambling problem and left her with a bunch of debt. And, as she said, her mom’s pretty sick.”
Anne frowned, but her green eyes looked compassionate. “She seems like a nice person, and I was truly touched by the kind things she said about my mother, but I don’t plan to contact her, Will. I don’t have time.”
Will heard the finality in her tone, but he couldn’t let it go. “Maybe not in your real life, but you’ll have spare time with this job. When your mother ran this place, she still managed to maintain a very active life in the community. Are you saying you’re not as organized as Esther?”
Her shoulders stiffened. “I’m saying I don’t plan to go out of my way to meet people this summer. When I’m not working, I want to spend my free time with Zoey. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No.” He paused. “Well, actually, yes.”
She picked up the molded-cardboard container that held eighteen eggs and gave him a flinty glance. “Tough.”
He bit down on a grin. He didn’t know why he was baiting her. This wasn’t any of his business, but he enjoyed ruffling her feathers. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “You know, Anne, I think you might be a bit of a snob. People in high school thought so, too.”
She fumbled the carton, nearly dropping the eggs. She faced him, eyes flashing. “That’s ridiculous. This whole conversation is ridiculous. You’re taking me to task for avoiding a short-term relationship with a woman I’ve barely met and that means I’m a snob? You’re crazy.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “That’s a given. I ride bulls.”
“Why are you arguing with me? I’m an adult. I don’t need you to arrange play dates for me. If I want to make friends, I will.”
“You just said you won’t.”
She crammed the carton into the nearly full refrigerator and slammed the door. “I don’t plan on it, but I could if I wanted to.”
“Maybe you have an inferiority complex.”
Hands on hips, she growled, “Now you’re a psychologist? Hmmph, maybe those frequent falls on the head did permanent damage.”
“What are you guys fighting about?”
Anne whipped about, bumping into the stove with a grunt. Will put out a hand to steady her, but she hopped out of reach. “Hi, honey, we were just talking.”
Zoey didn’t look convinced, but she let it go with a shrug and asked, “Can I have an apple?”
Anne nodded toward the fruit basket she’d left on the counter. “Wash it first.”
Zoey took the apple to the sink. She sent Will a curious sideways look. “So what were you talking about? When I get to start my riding lessons?”
Will knew this wasn’t the right time to
broach that subject. He stepped close enough to tousle her hair then headed for the door. “Speaking of horses, I’ve got to find someone to shoe the darn beasts.”
Zoey’s bottom lip popped out, but the twinkle in her eye told him she got the message.
He paused at the door and asked, “Should I come back for dinner or are we saving all this food for the guests?”
Zoey answered. “Mommy hates to cook on days that she goes shopping. Grocery day is grilled-cheese-sandwish-’n-soup day.”
“Sounds good to me. Are we keeping A.J.’s schedule?” he asked Anne, who looked a bit dumbfounded by the conversation that hadn’t included her.
She sighed. “Do we have to?”
“No. You’re in charge here. You get to set the rules.”
Anne and Zoey exchanged a look. Will could almost see the silent communication pass between them. He didn’t envy many people, but he’d have given just about anything to share that kind of connection with someone.
“Six,” Anne said.
Zoey nodded and chomped into her apple.
Will smiled and left. Those two were something else. Something special. But from what he’d gleaned from talking to Zoey, they both could use more friends. Which was something he might just be able to arrange.
ANNE WAS IN HER ROOM preparing for bed when the phone rang. She picked it up hesitantly. What if it was that classmate of Will’s? Anne couldn’t understand why Will seemed so insistent that she get involved with this ridiculous homecoming party. It wasn’t her class. She probably wouldn’t even hear from her class next year.
“Yes?” she said cautiously.
“Annie? How did your first day go?”
“A.J.,” she cried with delight. “Fine. It was good. How are you? Where are you?”
“Not quite as far as I thought I’d be, but I found a nice little campground near Winnemucca and decided to pull in. Had a bite to eat and now I’m getting ready to call it at night. But I got to thinking that I left without telling Zoey goodbye and that just didn’t feel right. Can I talk to her?”
“Absolutely. She’ll be so happy you called. She’s turning into a prune in Mom’s tub.” A.J.’s gruff laugh made her blink back tears.
“Did you and Will get much done today?”
“We signed the papers at the lawyer’s and went to the bank, then I did a little grocery shopping—although Will will probably claim I bought out the place.”
“Good for you. Mary Jane will be happy to know we’re back in business.”
Anne assumed Mary Jane owned the store. Her checkout clerk had been a jovial older woman, but Anne had kept her eyes on the digital display to avoid conversation. “I started reorganizing the office,” she said, feeling strangely guilty about her unfriendly attitude. Maybe Will was right. Maybe she was a snob. “I hope you won’t be totally confused when you take over.”
“I’m always lost on that computer. That’s why your mother handled the books. I’ll have to hire someone after you’re gone.”
That worried Anne. She knew how easy it was for an unscrupulous person to rip off older adults, especially someone like A.J. who was used to being able to trust his wife implicitly. Anne would have to add “hire a new office manager” to her list of things to do. She’d need to make certain the person was extremely trustworthy. “Joy McRee is coming tomorrow. She sounded very capable on the phone. Maybe she’ll be able to step into my shoes when I leave.”
She opened the bathroom door to a billow of steam. “Zoey, honey, dry off. It’s Grandpa.”
Zoey let out a squeal of delight. “Gimme, gimme.”
Anne waited while Zoey splashed out of the tub and wrapped herself in a big, fluffy towel. She plopped to a sitting position on the mat and held out her hand for the cordless phone. Anne closed the door to let them talk in private. She was really touched that A.J. thought to call. He was such a wonderful man. He’d always treated Anne as if she was just as dear to him as his grandson. Who was going to be the death of her this summer.
Will was crazy. And opinionated. At dinner he’d made it clear he thought Zoey should be allowed to learn how to ride. “Taking care of a horse is a big responsibility. Gramps gave me my first horse right after my parents died. He said I needed to think of something besides myself.”
It had broken her heart to picture Will as a sad little boy crying against the neck of a horse, but that didn’t mean she was ready to let her daughter spend time with large, dusty animals.
“Mommy, Grandpa wants you.”
Anne retrieved the phone. “Get dried off so you don’t catch a chill, hon.” Closing the door, she said into the phone, “It was so sweet of you to call, A.J. She was pretty upset this morning.”
“I know. Zoey told me. Probably scared the pants off my grandson.”
Anne pictured the look of horror on Will’s handsome face. “He handled it very well.” Then hightailed it out the door.
“Good. Speaking of the devil, could you do me a favor and get him on the phone?”
Now? “Um, I don’t think the portable will reach that far. Can I have him call you back?”
“I guess so. I’m at a pay phone. I’ll give you the number and he can call me here in say…fifteen minutes or so.”
Anne scribbled the number on the back of the first piece of paper she saw—the flyer that Linda had faxed this afternoon. “Okay, A.J., I’ll get Zoey ready for bed then run to his cabin.”
She started to hang up, but he added, “I’m glad you got out some today. You need to take time to relax. Maybe look up some old friends.”
She swallowed her immediate reaction and mumbled a polite goodbye. Despite what Will thought, she did have friends. A few. From college. None who came to mind locally, but that wasn’t because she was a snob. Shy, maybe. Introverted, perhaps, but she could live with that.
If Will couldn’t? Well, tough.
She checked on Zoey, who was rescuing drowned dolls as water drained from the tub. “Hurry, honey, I have to run to Will’s cabin. Get your jammies on and pick out a book to read when I get back.”
In the foyer, she grabbed her jacket from the coat tree. She wasn’t completely certain she knew which cabin was Will’s, but the new outdoor lighting guided her in the right general direction.
A yellowish glow in a window of the most remote cabin became her beacon. She paused at the stoop to take a deep breath to relieve the stitch in her side, then mounted the step and rapped on the door. “Will, it’s me.”
She tried a second time but there was no answer. Too cold to wait around, she tested the door. Most hotel-room doors locked automatically. This one opened without hesitation. She poked her head in to see if he was asleep. Nope, the room appeared vacant.
Maybe he’s at the barn. Anne walked to the desk beside the window. She’d leave him a note. If he didn’t return in time, she’d call A.J. and make arrangements for them to talk the next day.
She’d just located a pen, when the white noise in the background that hadn’t quite registered in her mind stopped. Curious to the cause, she lifted her head to listen. Comprehension dawned the same moment the bathroom door opened. He’s in the shower.
Her eyes widened. Correction, was in the shower. Now he stood wonderfully, gloriously naked in the middle of the room.
CHAPTER FIVE
“WELL, GOD BLESS it, you’re not supposed to be here,” Will exclaimed, grabbing blindly for something to cover his nudity.
Unfortunately, the only thing in reach was a pair of chaps draped across the back of a chair. Chaps were made for function not modesty. Exasperated, he turned the stiff leather leggings sideways, pinning the ends together at his hip. A decorative suede fringe in his trademark silver bordered the outside edge of each leg and hung almost to his knees, like a hula skirt. Strangely, this embarrassed him more than standing around in his birthday suit.
“What’s wrong? Is Zoey…?”
Anne shook her head. “No, she’s fine.” Her cheeks were crimson—whether from the
cold night air or from seeing him naked was anybody’s guess. Maybe a combination of both, he thought, because she definitely appeared discombobulated. She swallowed twice and made a motion toward the desk. “I… I was leaving a note.”
Her gaze dropped to his feet then traveled upward, never quite making it past his chest. Will bunched the leather as tightly as possible with his roping hand to free up his other hand to swipe away beads of water trickling down his pecs. “Why?”
The word came out more sharply than he’d intended. She gave a startled little shiver and blinked. Her cheeks went a shade brighter. Not the cold. Definitely not the cold. “A.J.’s at a pay phone. Wants you to call him back. Tonight.”
She looked away, as if finally deciding that yes, he truly was naked and she’d better do the right thing and leave. Will bit back a grin. Seeing Anne flustered was almost worth the peep show. Unfortunately, he’d noticed the way her gaze zeroed in on the matching scars on his shoulders, stiletto-like mementos of a not-too-distant surgery. He wasn’t naive enough to think she’d find them glamorous.
“I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed. I can change in the bathroom if you want me to walk you back.”
She shook her head and opened the door. “I’m fine. I got here in one piece. I can get home. Zoey’s waiting for me to tuck her in.”
Apparently as an afterthought, she paused and added, “I’ll leave the number on A.J.’s desk, okay?”
“Got it.”
With the door partly closed, she called out, “Nice chaps, by the way. Very impressive.”
Her amused tone made Will look down. And swear. The widest part of the design was to the rear, and the fringe didn’t cover quite as much as he’d hoped it would. As the door clicked shut, he started laughing. To Anne’s credit, she was cool under pressure. She might have blushed, but she didn’t run.
Damn, he liked a woman with spunk.
Twenty minutes later, Will tiptoed upstairs. He didn’t want to wake Zoey, but A.J. had asked him to give Anne a message. In the back of his mind, he wondered if the old man was trying to do some long-distance matchmaking. He doubted it—that was more Esther’s style than A.J.’s—but it was possible his grandfather hoped Will would hang up his spurs and settle down.
A Cowboy Summer (Harlequin Super Romance) Page 9