Russ chuckled. He sure hoped Melissa had a sense of humor when she woke up this morning. The lame excuses for presents wouldn’t impress any woman he knew, especially wrapped in a bubble gum box. “I’ll take it. And thanks for your help.”
He also bought a half dozen doughnuts.
When he and Mandy reached home, the house was still silent. He put Mandy in her playpen and found some of the paper he’d used two nights ago when he drew the house plans. Carefully, he cut a piece of paper in half, folded it, then drew some flowers on the face of it.
“This is crazy, making a card like this for a lady who has her own card company. You’ll do a better job when you’re older, Mandy. But I’m doing the best I can right now.”
Inside, he finally wrote, after long consideration, “Thanks for being a great mom. Love, Mandy.” Then he put the note and his purchases, except for the flowers, in the bubble gum box.
After opening most of the cabinets in the kitchen, he found a vase for the flowers. He added water and the flowers and set the vase in the middle of the table.
He put the bubble gum box at the place where Melissa usually sat, then he returned to the living room. Mandy was playing with her teddy bear, a happy smile on her face.
Picking up the paper he’d brought in from the front porch, he settled in the leather chair and read the news of the day, hoping he hadn’t made a fool of himself with his efforts.
* * *
MELISSA ROLLED OVER and stretched, pulling the cover with her. She needed to get up, but she was enjoying the sleep so much. Three days in a row— She’d set the alarm! Grabbing the clock, she stared at it, noting how dark the dial was. Had the electricity gone off? Then she discovered the clock had been unplugged.
Had she done that in her sleep?
“No!” That was a ridiculous thought. The only person who could have unplugged her clock was Russ Hall. Uneasiness filled her at the thought of him coming in while she was sleeping.
She grabbed her robe and slipped down the hall to the bathroom. She refused to face the man without combing her hair and washing her face.
Even if he meant nothing to her. Absolutely nothing.
She found both Russ and Mandy in the living room. Mandy squealed when she saw her mother, dropping her teddy bear to pull herself to her feet.
“Ma-ma-ma-ma!”
“Hi, baby,” she said softly as Russ’s face appeared from behind the newspaper.
He folded it and stood, scooping up Mandy from her playpen. “I didn’t realize you’d awakened.”
“I would’ve gotten up sooner, but something happened to my alarm clock.” She couldn’t help smiling at him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted to get up early today. I thought the whole point to my coming was so you could sleep late this morning. It’s Mother’s Day, you know.” He offered her a charming smile.
Her smile turned rueful as she thanked him. “I feel like I’ve taken advantage of you again.” Then their discussion of yesterday, when he’d kissed her, came to mind, and she turned a bright red. Especially when she looked up and found his gaze focused on her lips.
They both abruptly moved at the same time and bumped into each other.
“Oops, sorry. Right, Mandy? We didn’t mean to knock Mommy over. Sit down, Melissa. I’ll pour you some coffee.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him about the coffee. She needed it too much. Then she stopped. “Where did those flowers come from?”
“Mandy and I bought them. But not from a florist. I forgot until this morning. Sorry, they’re not the best but—”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” Tears filled her eyes. He’d bought her flowers for Mother’s Day. She couldn’t believe such thoughtfulness.
“Oh, boy,” he muttered. “If you don’t like the flowers, you’re going to hate the rest.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I love them.”
He put Mandy in her high chair. Then he turned back to Melissa. “Uh, Mandy and I got a late start on shopping.”
“Shopping for what?” Her legs were trembling, so she sank down into her chair, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“A Mother’s Day present.”
She covered her eyes with both hands. “No, you weren’t supposed to—that’s not necessary.”
He crossed over to the counter and poured her a cup of coffee. “Here. You’d better take a drink.” Then he sat down across from her.
She took a sip of hot coffee, grateful for the caffeine kick. She needed it.
He nudged a box toward her.
She stared at it. Bubble gum? She looked at him.
“The convenience store was the only thing open. I didn’t think you’d want chips and dip, or beef jerky. Mandy and I got you the best we could. It’s not much.”
Those tears that had filled her eyes wouldn’t stay there. She stared at the man across from her as they ran down her cheeks. “You actually bought me a Mother’s Day present?”
“Mandy and I did. She helped pick it out, didn’t you, sweetheart,” he said, looking at the baby for confirmation.
Mandy waved at him and gurgled.
“Don’t go all mushy on me, Melissa. You’d better open it first.”
She lifted off the lid and stared at what was inside.
She’d intended to be distant, polite this morning. To graciously thank him for his assistance. To promise to send him a copy of the cards she made from the photos. To tell him to have a nice trip back.
To get him the hell out of her house before she made a fool of herself.
Too late.
“Oh, Russ, this is so sweet,” she whispered, gently touching each item in the box. Then she picked up the paper folded in the middle. When she opened it and read the message, her heart overflowed.
“It’s not much. I mean, I know it can’t compare to the cards you make, but like I said, we were desperate.”
“I—I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I won’t ever forget my—my first Mother’s Day.” She leaped to her feet, bent down to kiss Mandy and stared at Russ. But she couldn’t say any more. Without another word, she ran from the room.
* * *
HALF AN HOUR LATER, Melissa reappeared in the living room. She was firmly in control, having showered and dressed.
Russ watched her warily as she came to a halt near the door to the kitchen. “Thank you again for the present.”
“It was nothing,” he assured her. In fact, it had done the opposite of what he wanted. It had made her cry.
“I think I’ll have some more coffee now, and maybe a doughnut or two. Would you like more coffee?” She seemed poised for flight, waiting for his answer.
“Yeah, but I can get it.”
“No! I’ll bring it to you. Would you like some bacon and eggs?”
“No, I snitched a couple of your doughnuts. But thank you.” If they got any more polite, she’d put on white gloves and he’d don a top hat. This was ridiculous.
She brought him a fresh cup of coffee and set it on the lamp table, staying as far from him as possible. She wasn’t wearing a sexy dress today, but he still wanted to touch her. To hold her.
Obviously, she wasn’t interested.
“I’ll see if Mandy needs a change,” she said, not looking at him as she picked up the baby and left the room.
He sat in the chair, waiting for her return, wondering what he should do. She was clearly uncomfortable around him. Hell, he’d been on his best behavior last night. He hadn’t hauled her into his arms and carried her down the hall to her bed. He’d politely escorted her home, then walked Mrs. Tuttle to her door. When he’d returned, Melissa had been in the study with the door closed.
At nine o’clock.
And even though he’d stayed
up late, watching an old movie on the television, she hadn’t come out of her temporary bedroom.
Melissa came back down the hall, Mandy held in front of her, as if she was a barrier to keep Russ away.
“I think Mandy might take a short nap. If you want to take the car and—and visit old haunts or whatever, feel free to do so.”
“No, thanks. We’ll wait until she wakes up, then go out to lunch.”
“There’s no need. I can fix—”
“It’s Mother’s Day, Melissa. I’m not going to let you fix a meal.”
“What’s the big deal?” she asked, a tight smile on her face. “When you first got here, you hardly knew it was Mother’s Day.”
He set his coffee cup down and stood. “When I first got here, I didn’t know how hard it is to be a mother. I didn’t know you were a terrific mother. I didn’t know I was going to love Mandy.” He bit his tongue before he could go too far. “We’re going out to eat and I don’t want any argument.”
“I don’t have anything else to wear.” She looked at him as if her lack of wardrobe would convince him to change his plans.
“I was going to suggest that barbecue place again, Roy’s. You’re dressed perfectly for that.”
“Fine. We’ll go eat barbecue, but we have to be back here by one-thirty. The reporter is coming at two.” She turned on her heel and carried Mandy out of the room.
“Damn!” He’d forgotten all about the reporter. She intended to give him the bathtub picture to print in the paper. With a sigh, he realized he’d be gone before it came out. That was some compensation, he guessed.
His plane left at six.
When he’d arrived on Thursday evening, he’d figured the weekend was going to be one of the longest of his life. Even then, he’d been looking forward to his return flight.
Now he didn’t know what he wanted.
Melissa came back into the room. “We’re ready.”
“I thought Mandy was going to take a nap.”
“She’s not sleepy,” Melissa assured him, not meeting his gaze.
So she’d made up the nap to try to get rid of him. He rubbed his chin, then remembered he hadn’t shaved. “I’ll need a couple of minutes,” he said.
“Fine. Take your time. We’re in no hurry, as long as we get back by one-thirty.”
Yeah. The publicity. He got the picture. This was going to be one hell of a day. He strode down the hall, irritation filling him.
An hour later, he was just as irritated. Melissa hadn’t relaxed the entire meal. She’d answered any questions he’d asked in as few words as possible. After staring out the window while he got their food, she’d scarcely looked up.
Mandy, on the other hand, was having a great time. After feeding her some baby food, Melissa had taken one of the rolls and broken it into tiny pieces for the baby.
“I think Mandy likes the bread,” he finally commented.
“Yes.”
“Want some more iced tea?”
“No, thank you.”
“Aha!” he exclaimed, catching her attention. “You actually used three words to answer me. That must be a record.”
Her cheeks turned bright red, and he regretted teasing her. “I’m sorry. I have a headache.”
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry about the lousy presents this morning. I should’ve done better.”
Her eyes widened and she stared at him. “You think I’m upset about the gift?”
“It seemed the safest possibility. You’ve hardly spoken to me since you got up.”
She bent her head, and he figured she wouldn’t answer. But he was wrong. Her honesty last night had surprised him. But apparently it was a character trait.
“I’m embarrassed. I didn’t expect you to—you surprised me, and I—I don’t like to cry in front of people.”
“You’re treating me like a low-down, ornery polecat because you’re embarrassed?” He smiled, letting her know he was teasing her. He was pretty sure why she was acting so distant this morning. It had a lot to do with last night.
She nodded.
He reached for her hand, but she hurriedly tucked it under the table. “I thought you were angry that I didn’t get you a better present.”
She shook her head. “I’ll always treasure my first Mother’s Day gift,” she whispered.
He remained silent, watching her, wondering what else he could do to put her at ease. His gaze fell on her almost-full plate. “Do you think you could eat a little, now that we’ve cleared up that misunderstanding?”
Like an obedient child, she took a bite of barbecue and chewed, staring at her plate.
He sighed. It was a start. Maybe by the time they got home, she’d be treating him like a friend again.
When two o’clock rolled around, he hadn’t made a lot of progress. He was sure now her behavior was as much about last night as it was about her embarrassment over her tears. He didn’t think she was ready to accept any kind of relationship, even friendship, with another man. Yet.
Like changing shoes, when she opened the door to the reporter, she became her bright, personable self again. She invited the reporter, who turned out to be a woman, into the living room. Mandy was down for her nap, so it was just the three of them.
Russ stood and shook hands. The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and Russ suspected she thought she was some kind of siren for the local fellows.
“Well, hello there, tall-dark-and-handsome.”
“How do you do, Ms. Richards.”
“Oh, call me Julia. I can’t wait to hear your story. This assignment has been so interesting.”
“Has it? You’ve talked to some of the other bachelors?” he asked, moving back so the woman could be seated.
She sank onto the sofa and patted the space beside her. “Yes, I have. I’ve interviewed every couple so far. Come join me so I can hear your story.”
Russ sat down. He intended to do whatever Melissa wanted. “Sure. Though you’ll need Melissa to help tell the story. This is really about her card company.”
“Oh, the focus is supposed to be on the bachelor. You know, a lot of our citizens remember you boys from the ranch.”
He turned the conversation back to Melissa’s company, insisting she write down its name, and told her about the pictures Melissa had taken.
“I brought my camera to snap a picture of you,” Julia assured him.
“You used pictures of the other bachelors?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. All the ladies love to look at a good-looking man,” the reporter assured him.
With a sigh, he said, “I think you’d be better off using Melissa’s. Show her, sweetheart.”
The reporter’s eyes narrowed at his words. “My, you two must’ve really hit it off. You didn’t know her before this weekend, did you?”
“No. Sorry, I called her that because of Mandy. It’s what I’ve been calling Mandy all weekend.” He hoped that explanation would help.
“Who’s Mandy?”
“Melissa’s daughter. She’s sleeping right now, but she is a real sweetheart.”
“I see.” The woman turned toward Melissa. “May I see some of the pictures you made of Russ?”
“Yes, of course,” Melissa agreed, having sat quietly while he and the reporter talked.
Well, here it came. Once this woman got a gander at the bathtub picture, she’d assume all kinds of things. And then when it appeared in the paper, he’d never hear the end of it.
But he’d accept even that for Melissa.
She came back into the room. “Here are several poses that I think are good.”
The reporter took them from Melissa and stared. He steeled himself to be embarrassed.
“You make a good model, Russ, but I prefer a little more,
shall we say, beefcake,” she said. “Though I wouldn’t mind having one of these on my wall.”
That wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. Frowning, he leaned over to see what pictures she held.
One was of him on Jack. The other was in the barn. There were no bubbles in sight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
IT WAS ALMOST FOUR before the reporter left. She’d insisted on hearing every detail. Then she’d taken several pictures of Russ and Melissa together.
As she was leaving, Russ had given her his business card and asked for a copy of one of the photos. Her gaze had traveled from him to Melissa speculatively, but she’d agreed to send him one.
As soon as the door closed, he turned to Melissa. “Why didn’t you give her the bubble pictures?”
Melissa stiffened. “I thought the other two would be better. You know, more a cowboy image.”
“That’s bull. It was obvious she would’ve preferred the bathtub shots.”
“Okay,” Melissa said. “I know that. But you’ve done everything I asked and more, and I know you weren’t happy about having one of those pictures in the paper, so I thought it was the least I could do.”
She turned away, but he caught her arm, stopping her. “Thank you, Melissa. I appreciate that.”
“No problem. We’ll need to leave for the airport in less than an hour. You’d better go pack.”
He knew she was eager for him to leave, so she could get her life back in her own control. That much was obvious. But packing would take only a few minutes. “There’s plenty of time.”
“I need to check on Mandy. It’s not normal for her to sleep so long,” Melissa said, pulling away.
“You think she might be sick?” Russ asked, concern filling him. He didn’t like to think of Mandy being ill.
He was on Melissa’s heels when she opened the door to Mandy’s bedroom. The baby was still sleeping. Melissa ran her hand gently over her daughter’s face.
“Does she have a fever?” Russ whispered.
“She’s a little warm. It’s probably because she’s teething. I’ll fix her a water bottle with some baby Tylenol in it.” She tiptoed out of the room, leaving Russ standing beside the bed.
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