“Hmm, from what I’ve seen of your new neighbor, he’s a real hunk.”
Kate shrugged again. “He’s an attractive man, I suppose.”
“You suppose? That man is drop-dead gorgeous.”
“Who is?” Amanda Peterson, a fourth-grade teacher, asked, bringing her own lunch to the gathering.
“Luke Simon, Kate’s hunky neighbor,” Beverly answered.
“He’s really very nice,” Kate said.
“Oh, I’m sure he is. Nice on the eye,” Amanda said with a laugh.
Kate didn’t like the turn of this conversation. She wasn’t used to women talking about men as though they were objects. She’d missed the whole Sex and the City era while she was married to Ed.
“So, Beverly, you think the carnival will be okay with Mrs. Johnson? I wouldn’t want to bring it up if I knew she’d object, especially since I’m only a substitute.”
“I think she’d love it, as long as he can assure the children will be safe.” Beverly smiled at Nancy. “The question is, will Kate be safe from Luke?”
Kate felt herself blush, not a common occurrence. “He’s not interested in me that way.”
“Really? And why not?”
“Because I’ve seen the kind of women he’s used to—hard bodies and big hair. I’m not in the same league.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe he’s tired of his normal type. Besides, you’re no slouch. Just get some sexy—”
“No, I’m not going to make a fool of myself for a man. As they say, been there and done that.”
Amanda leaned close. “Kate, for that man, I’d make an exception.”
Beverly laughed and Kate forced a smile, but inside she knew her friends were wrong. Luke wasn’t attracted to her. No, he was just trying to be friendly. A man could be nice with no ulterior motive. Couldn’t he?
Chapter Five
Luke pushed open the door of the Four Square Café, searching for Hank’s familiar face among the other folks having breakfast. The bell continued to jingle as he paused beside the front counter where an old-fashioned register sat next to colorful candy and mints that tempted the child in everyone.
Everyone seemed to be staring at him, which he tried to ignore. He didn’t know these people—although maybe he should get around to meeting them—and besides, they still looked at him as a stranger, an outsider. Maybe that pushed too many of his buttons, since he’d been the new guy most of his life. He’d moved around a lot. He didn’t have much experience settling down.
And now he had Brittany to consider…
“Luke,” Hank called from a red vinyl booth halfway to the kitchen in the rear.
He headed back, trying to look friendly as he passed tables where mostly men sipped coffee. He recognized Jimmy Mack Branson from the hardware store, sitting with two other men, and Luke said hello as he went by.
“How was the trip?” Hank asked as Luke slid into the booth.
“Good. A little stressful.”
“What did you think of Brittany?”
“She’s great. It’s kind of overwhelming, thinking she’s my daughter.”
“So, is she?”
“We had blood tests done, and I’ll get the results back next week, but yeah, I’m pretty sure. I mean, she looks a little like Shawna, but I see myself in her, too. And the timing is right. I don’t think Shawna was sleeping around with different guys. I remember her as nice, and she was real sympathetic with my mother’s death.”
“Well, then you’re going ahead with the renovations?”
“I’ve got that scheduled for next week too. Getting the house up to code is one thing, but making it acceptable for a little girl is something else entirely.”
“Surely she’ll realize you hadn’t planned—”
“I don’t want to put her in that position. I want her to feel welcome.”
“Of course you do, but you can’t work miracles.”
“I can try.”
Hank grinned as though saying, “good luck.”
“Besides, it’s not just Brittany. It’s the child services people I have to worry about. If they don’t agree that I’m a suitable father, she’ll be in trouble. Her uncle is leaving for his new job and she’d become a ward of the state of Florida. I’m not going to let that happen.”
“If you’re her father, they’ll approve you. There’s nothin’ wrong with you. Well, you take that strong silent type to the extreme, but that’s not an anti-Dad flaw. You just need to learn to loosen up.”
“Hell, Hank, I’ll never be as loose as you.”
“We can’t all be perfect,” he said with a laugh.
They ordered from a waitress Hank said was new, then sipped coffee and caught up on the cutting horses Hank was training. He’d done some training for folks in the movie industry a few years back, which was when they met in California. Luke missed riding and thought about getting some pleasure horses. He’d teach Brittany, of course.
Maybe he’d even ask Eddie Wooten if he’d like to learn with her. The boy was younger, but Brittany might have fun with him. Eddie sure liked animals, and so he and Brittany had that in common.
Charlene brought out their food. “How are you boys doing?” she asked with a smile.
“Good, Ms. Jacks,” Hank said with one of his big grins. He was a charmer. Back when he and Luke had been single and in California for a while, when they’d gone out on the town, the women had gravitated to Hank first because of his good looks, big grin and Texas accent. Not that Luke was complaining. He got his share of attention.
“Luke, how are those animals of yours adapting to Texas?”
“They’re just fine, Ms. Jacks.”
“I heard about that incident with Travis’s nephew and your zebra.” She shook her head as she placed scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon in front of him. “That boy has got to stay on his side of the fence.”
He hoped Charlene Jacks didn’t mean that she—and the rest of the town—thought his animals were dangerous. They weren’t, as long as their needs were respected. “I think maybe this time he learned his lesson.”
“I sure hope so. Kate’s a good mother, but he’s a slippery little devil.”
Luke chuckled at the description, trying to relax. “I’m sure she’s doing her best.”
“I think so. She sure is nice. And so pretty, too.” Charlene nudged Hank’s shoulder. “Don’t you think so, Hank?”
“Are you tryin’ to get me in trouble with Lady Wendy?”
They all laughed at that, and the café owner left them to their breakfast.
“Is it just me, or is she matchmaking?”
“Of course she’s matchmaking. It’s the town pastime.”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t need that kind of complication in my life right now.”
“But maybe later?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Kate is a great lady.”
“Yeah, I know.” He swallowed a bite of toast. “That’s why I’m asking her to help me get the house ready for Brittany.”
Hank placed his knife and fork on the plate and raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. I need help, and she seems to be the best person.”
“I didn’t think you knew her very well.”
Luke placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I don’t know her well, but what I know says she’s got all the qualifications. She’s educated about kids because she’s a teacher, plus she has her own son, and she’s only substitute teaching right now anyway.”
“Plus she’s single and pretty, like Charlene said.”
Luke moved back against the booth. “That’s irrelevant, except it means she has a little more time, and I think she could use the money.” Maybe if he told himself often enough that he wasn’t interested in Kate except as someone who could help him get custody of Brittany, he’d quit thinking of her as a woman.
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I had to come u
p with a plan. Getting the house—and me, for that matter—ready for Brittany is all up to Kate.” Luke paused, then confided, “You know, Hank, the crazy thing is that I started this ranch to give animals a safe place. Now I’ve got to make it into a home for a little girl.”
“Everyone deserves a home.”
Luke shrugged. “I suppose. This is the first one I’ve ever owned.”
“True. And that says a lot about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that you picked a small town where you didn’t know anyone but me to make your home. A permanent home.”
“Hey, the price of the land was right and the climate was perfect for the animals I wanted.”
“Sure, but there’s more to the town than the geography.”
He didn’t understand Hank’s point. “I suppose. Mostly, I’m glad Kate is living here so she can help me. Without her, it would be overwhelming.”
“How does she feel about this big task?”
Luke took a deep breath. “She doesn’t know…yet.”
CHILDREN HERALDED the minicarnival as a huge success. The prancing ponies and lively Jack Russell terriers gave them something to laugh about. They mimicked the animals’ movements until they fell on the grass, giggling. Kate leaned against the brick wall of the school building and smiled at the joy Luke’s gift gave to her class.
Her students would be the envy of the school when word got around, although she wouldn’t be there to hear it. Today was her last day subbing.
“You look tired,” Luke said as he walked over to her, leading the two Shetland ponies, who sported purple ostrich feather headdresses attached to their bridles. He’d already put the terriers in the truck.
“I am. But the week’s over and I don’t have any big plans for the weekend, so I can rest up. Besides, I’m finished with this substitute teaching assignment. The regular teacher will be back in the classroom on Monday.”
He stopped in front of her, in the shade of the building, and removed his cowboy hat. “If you don’t have any plans, can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”
Dinner? Where had that come from? And just when she’d convinced herself that he didn’t—and never would—like her that way.
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
Luke shrugged. “I thought you and Eddie might want to go out. I know you have family here, but we’re both kind of new to the area.”
Oh, he’d included Eddie. Maybe that meant Luke wasn’t interested in her as a date. “That’s true,” she said cautiously, looking from him to the children sitting beneath the only tree on the playground, sipping their afternoon juice.
The ponies shifted, drawing his attention away from her, for which she was thankful, because she didn’t know what else to say to him.
“I haven’t gone out much since the divorce,” she finally said when the animals had settled down to crop grass beside them.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of eating alone,” he said, stepping closer. His arm brushed hers, putting her senses on alert. His skin felt hot from the sun and so male that she nearly gasped. How long had it been since she’d been this close to a man? Other than her brother, of course, who didn’t count. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt anything from a casual contact. Maybe in the first days of her marriage. Maybe not even then.
“You’re…you’re what?” she managed to whisper.
“I’d like to share a meal with someone who can talk. Someone who doesn’t bark or neigh or cackle.”
He was lonely! “Oh. Well, of course you would.” She almost felt the thoughts turning in her brain. “Why don’t you come for dinner tomorrow at my place?”
“You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I know, but it’s been ages since I’ve prepared a meal for another adult.” Kate smiled. “I’d enjoy eating dinner with someone who didn’t hide his veggies under a slice of bread, or drum his feet against the rungs of the chair.”
“Hmm. I don’t do either of those things.”
She smiled. “I didn’t think you did.”
His own smile faded. “Seriously, I’m not sure your brother would appreciate my presence at your apartment.”
Kate shook her head. “He’s just overprotective. He thinks I’m still upset about the divorce.”
“Aren’t you?”
Kate scuffed her shoe in the soft dirt. “No, although occasionally I’m angry. It’s been months. I’m getting on with my life.”
“Yes, I can see you are.”
An awkward silence descended as he watched her and she stared back, and the sounds of the schoolyard faded away. For just a moment she thought perhaps he could see her as something other than the mother of a nuisance or the sister of an unfriendly neighbor. But then she shook her head and remembered that she didn’t want him thinking of her that way…as if he ever would.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I should get my class inside and remind them of their reading for the weekend.”
“And I should get my animals home. They’re not used to performing anymore and they’re too old to be out long.”
“Sure.” She shifted her weight and moved slightly away from his disturbing presence.
He looked at her a few more seconds, then said, “I appreciate the offer of a home-cooked meal, but I don’t want to get you in trouble with your brother. Most of all, I don’t want him showing up while we’re eating.”
“He wouldn’t…Well, maybe you have a point.”
“I’ve heard good things about the Mexican restaurant out on the state highway. Would Eddie enjoy that?”
“Yes, he would. He loves enchiladas and tacos.”
“What time?”
She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to go to dinner with Luke Simon. “Six o’clock? I don’t like Eddie to eat and go directly to bed, so we tend to have our meals a little early.”
“Even on the weekends?”
“It’s important to keep a regular schedule for children,” she said, maybe a little defensively.
He smiled quite unexpectedly. “See, I didn’t realize that. I didn’t know that keeping schedules was important.”
She tilted her head. “Why would you? You’re single.”
“Exactly,” he said, his smile fading. “So, six o’clock tomorrow.” He adjusted the lead ropes for the two ponies. “Will Travis be upset if I pick you up?”
“I’m not going to worry about that. Besides, I think he and Jodie are having dinner with Hank and Gwendolyn.”
He grinned. “I never thought I’d feel like a teenager who sneaked around to go on a date.”
She straightened, hoping alarm didn’t show on her face. “But this isn’t really a date. I mean, this is about two neighbors, two newcomers, eating together.” She was talking too fast, but couldn’t stop herself. “I know that you’re probably lonely because you’ve recently moved to town, and you don’t know many people yet.”
He looked at her oddly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. Of course you didn’t.”
“Okay, then.” He drew in a deep breath, which accented his wide chest and flat stomach. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
He nodded, looked at her intently again, then led the ponies to the trailer hitched to his pickup.
Kate turned away from the sight of Luke Simon’s rear in those soft, faded, butt-hugging jeans. She was going to dinner with him, but it wasn’t a date. He wasn’t interested in her that way. He was simply lonely.
She sighed and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Come on, kids! Time to go inside.”
LUKE STEERED around the town square, well satisfied with the day so far. Repairs on the house were going well, with new drywall and plumbing nearly complete. He had state-of-the-art appliances ready to be installed once the kitchen floor was finished. And he’d made a “date” with Kate—and Eddie—for dinner. One more chance to convinc
e her he was a good guy who deserved her help.
He only hoped she’d consider his offer with an open mind. Kate was probably one of those great homemakers who baked cookies and decorated for all the holidays. He knew she was a wonderful mother, even if she had been temporarily scatterbrained when Eddie hurt himself.
She knew all those woman things that were a mystery to most men. She had class and sensitivity, plus the training to relate to children.
He’d show her Brittany’s photo and ask Kate to help her adjust to life in Texas, with a father she didn’t know. He had to be careful though, because he didn’t want to seem too calculated. At the same time, he didn’t want to reveal his panic over gaining an eight-year-old daughter.
He was doing this for Brittany, not for himself, and for her, he could do almost anything. He may not have known about her when she was born, or when she was growing up, or when she lost her mother, but he’d make it up to her. He’d be the best dad possible, even if he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant…yet.
AFTER EDDIE WENT to bed, Kate called Jodie at the main house and asked her to meet her outside on the balcony. Since the divorce and move to Ranger Springs, Kate felt much closer to her sister-in-law—sometimes closer than she felt to her brother. He was, after all, a typical big brother, who always thought he knew what was best for her. Jodie, on the other hand, listened. Besides, they could “girl talk.”
“What’s up?” she asked, bounding up the stairs.
Kate paced across the small wood deck, feeling the nervous energy bubble up inside. “I’ve been asked out to dinner tomorrow. Actually, he asked Eddie and me out to dinner.”
“He, who?”
“Luke Simon.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“It’s not really a date.”
“Sounds like a date. Two single people and a meal.”
“And a six-year-old.”
“Okay, that’s a twist. But still, he asked you out.”
“Should I go?”
“Do you like him?”
“Well, as a friend, I suppose. He’s a lot nicer than I thought at first, when Eddie kept going over there and bothering Luke’s animals. But really, I’m not getting involved romantically with anyone.”
Daddy Lessons Page 6