by SJ McCoy
Wanda nodded. “She’s the one who came from California. Carly’s sister? Corinne, is that her name?”
Of course Wanda had dealt with Corinne’s sister Carly when she was here looking at property. “Yeah. That’s her. Well, she’s invited to dinner, too.” The glint in Wanda’s eye made him nervous.
“And this is a problem because…?”
Beau scooted his chair back up to his desk, folded his arms on it and leaned forward. “Because she is the mother of the two-foot tyrant. You remember that little kid that was running around with Carly and James?”
“Ruby? She’s a little sweetheart.”
Beau snorted. “She’s a little demon.”
“And she’s going to dinner too? You’re going to let a five year old scare you away?”
“I don’t even know if she’s going to be there.”
Wanda came into the office and pulled up a chair. She was trying to conceal a grin, but she wasn’t succeeding. “Okay, so let me get this straight. You’re not happy that Corinne is going to be at the dinner. The only thing you have against her is that she’s Ruby’s mom, but you don’t know if Ruby is even going to be there. So…” She folded her own arms on the desk and leaned toward him. “Why would it be a problem that she’s Ruby’s mom?”
He shrugged.
“Come on now, tell me. You like her, don’t you?”
He shrugged again.
A victorious smile spread across Wanda’s face. “I knew it. You’ve been weird all week.”
“No, I haven’t!”
“Yes, you have! And now I know why. This Corinne’s caught your eye, and you’re pissed that you finally met an attractive woman, but she has a five year old kid in tow. Am I right or am I right?”
“You’re right.” There was no point denying it. “But I don’t know what you’re looking so pleased about. It sucks.”
She patted his hand. “Aww, poor Beau.”
He shook his head at her. “It’s not funny, Wanda. I managed to thoroughly piss her off.”
“Uh-oh. What did you do?”
“Well, I didn’t know Ruby was hers.”
Wanda raised her eyebrows and waited.
“I may have mentioned that Ruby was a monster and that she gives kids a bad name.”
“Why the hell would you say something like that?”
“Because it’s true!”
Wanda shook her head. “So you haven’t exactly endeared yourself to her then.”
“That’s an understatement if ever I heard one. I think she hates me. So even if Ruby doesn’t go tonight, it’s not exactly going to be comfortable to be around Corinne. And if Ruby does go…”
Wanda laughed. “If I were you, I’d be hoping Ruby does go.”
Beau looked at her as though she’d lost it.
“That way you could start to show her momma how good you can be with her.”
Beau shuddered. “No way. I’d rather not go. In fact, I’m thinking I won’t.”
“And that’s what got you all pissy. You want to go.”
“Yeah, but either way it’s not worth it.”
Wanda gave him a stern look. “Just like I said. A toddler in a tantrum.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the understanding. Glad I opened up to you. This little chat is over.”
Wanda laughed. “No, it isn’t. I’ll tell you when it’s over. You’re so closed up you never let anyone in. I’ve barged my ample ass through the walls you keep up, and I ain’t leaving till I’ve said my piece.”
Beau wanted to laugh. She was right. He didn’t let anyone in, didn’t confide in anyone. This was weird, opening up to Wanda of all people, but he kind of liked it.
“You listen to me, Beau Remington. You’re a good man. You’re smart, and you’re used to making things happen. You’re not used to things getting out of your control and because you’re not used to it, you don’t know how to deal with it. Right now you’re stropping around like a little kid who can’t have things his own way. And I’m only telling you that so that you’ll see the truth of it and quit it. When you do admit it, then you can man up and deal with it. Either you’ll decide that this Corinne is worth you getting used to Ruby for, or you’ll accept—graciously—that you can’t have what you want this time and move on.”
When she’d finished Beau stared at her for a long moment.
Eventually she cocked her head to one side. “So say something already. Even if it’s just that you’re firing my ass!”
He laughed. “Sorry. It’s hard.”
“What is?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I might choke on the thing I have to say.”
“Which is what?”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
She grinned at him “You are more than welcome. I really thought I’d blown it for a minute there. No one talks to you like that, do they?”
“No and it’s not easy to hear. But that doesn’t make it any less true.”
She nodded.
Beau smiled at her. He didn’t have the words to tell her how grateful he was for the verbal ass-kicking. And he wouldn’t have spoken them if he did. No one did speak to him like that, ever. Maybe his family used to, but these days they tended to just avoid the subjects that set him off. That wasn’t good. Why had it taken Wanda to make him see it? He looked up and met her gaze. “Why do you care so much?”
She looked flustered for a moment and then grinned at him. “Care? All I care about is my job. I need the pittance you pay me, so while I have to be around you every day I’ll take any chance I get to make you into an almost-decent human being.”
That made him laugh. What else could he do? If she hadn’t flipped things back to their usual banter, he might have had trouble swallowing the lump in his throat.
“Of course. I’m just a paycheck to you. I knew that. So, if you want your day to be bearable tomorrow, what do you think I should do?”
She smiled. “Go to dinner. Don’t make excuses, go. If Ruby’s there, be nice to her. That kid loves you.”
“Jesus! What would she be like if she hated me?”
Wanda laughed. “You’re just not used to little kids. They’re just little people, like you and me only with less filters.”
“Is that why you relate to them so well?”
“I’m trying to help you here. If Ruby’s there, make an effort with her, play with her. And if she’s not, well, you don’t need me telling you how to make an effort with her mother, I hope?”
He shook his head. Women liked him. Well, they usually did. Corinne had, until he’d goofed up about her daughter. He sighed. “What’s the point though?”
“What do you mean?”
“Yeah, I like her, but what’s the point? Why make an effort with Corinne?”
“Because you’d like to go out with her?”
“Exactly, but what would that look like? We’d get maybe one or two dates before Ruby was tagging along too.”
“That’s how it goes when you date a single mom.”
Beau glared. “That’s why I don’t date single moms. And this one especially. The thought of having a kid tagging along is bad enough, the thought of that kid being Ruby is a deal-breaker.”
Wanda sighed. “Then I guess all you can do is accept that things didn’t work out for you this time. And if you could work on the gracious part, I’d appreciate it.”
He stared at her. The humor was gone from her face and her voice. He nodded. He didn’t know what to say. He felt like he’d disappointed her—and it wasn’t a feeling he liked, but what choice did he have?
Wanda stood and made her way to the door. She paused and looked back when she reached it. “I hope you’ll still go to dinner though. You shouldn’t let the things you can’t have screw up the things you do have.”
“Wow, that’s deep.” He wanted to make her smile again. It didn’t work.
She shrugged and made her way back out to the reception desk. She’d left him with a lot to think about.
~ ~ ~
Corinne checked the mirror. She looked good. She just hoped it was right. She had no clue what people wore to dinner around here. In fact, she hadn’t seen anyone wear anything but jeans to do anything at all. However, did that mean that they all dressed up to the nines whenever they got an excuse to? She hoped not. She could have asked, she could have called Summer or Cassidy, she supposed. She hadn’t wanted to though. She needed to appear capable and confident as she moved into her new role managing the lodge. She sighed. She’d erred on the side of caution and chosen her nicest jeans and paired them with a green top. If she had it all wrong, she shouldn’t be too far underdressed or overdressed—she hoped.
She turned at the sound of a knock on the door. It seemed that door might wear through with all the callers she’d had since she’d moved in. At least this wasn’t a surprise.
“Hi, Susie,” she greeted the woman standing there with a smile. “Come on in.”
Ruby came flying out of her room with a big smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around Susie’s legs and smiled up at her. “Can we do letters?”
Susie smiled back. “Maybe in a little while. I need to talk to your momma first.”
Ruby looked at Corinne. “You look pretty.”
“Thank you.” Corinne hadn’t been sure about this arrangement at first. Susie worked at the lodge and Shane had suggested that Corinne talk to her about watching Ruby when she needed help. That had turned into what sounded like an ideal arrangement for both of them. Susie worked from eight to two everyday so she could get her grandkids to school and pick them up. Now she was going to take Ruby, too. And she was happy to watch her whenever Corinne needed. Her first meeting with Ruby had been a great success and Corinne was hopeful that this would all work. She wasn’t holding her breath on it, though. She looked at Susie. “I shouldn’t be too late back.”
Susie gave her a reassuring smile. “You just go and have yourself a good time. That’s what we’ll be doing.”
“Yes,” said Ruby. “We’re going to do letters.”
Ruby had spent a couple of hours at Susie’s yesterday afternoon. Apparently she’d had a grand time, made fast friends with the grandchildren and was now eager to get started at Pre-K with them.
“You’ll do as Miss Susie tells you, okay?”
Ruby nodded.
“Honestly, you don’t need to worry about a thing. I’ve had lots of practice at this and I have your number in case we need anything.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Corinne was nervous, but it wasn’t only about leaving Ruby. She was confident in Susie and her ability to handle anything that came up. If she was honest, she was more nervous about the evening ahead. She shouldn’t be. Summer and Cassidy were great. Shane may be her new boss, but he was a great guy. Carter was an absolute sweetheart, even if he didn’t say much. Mason had been so kind to her and to Ruby, and his fiancée, Gina, had been pleasant on the few brief occasions they’d met. No she wasn’t nervous about any of them, or about spending an evening with them. It was Beau.
“Are you okay?” asked Susie, making her realize that she’d been standing there staring while she thought about it.
“Yes. Sorry. I’ll just get my purse and be on my way.” She stopped at the front door and hugged Ruby to her. So what if Beau thought she was a monster? What did he know? “You be a good girl.”
“I will. You have a nice time.”
Corinne kissed her cheek. “Thank you, sweetie.”
Susie held the door open for her.
“Call me for any reason, okay?”
Susie smiled. “Stop worrying. But yes, I promise I’ll call you if we need you.”
“Thanks.” As the door closed behind her, Corinne wanted to run back inside. She felt as though she was being pushed out into her new world, her new life, and she wasn’t ready for it yet. She took a deep breath and made herself get a grip. That was ridiculous. Of course she was ready. She was going to get this new life off to a great start. Screw Beau Remington! She chuckled as she walked down the path to her car. No! That was one thing she was not going to do.
It was just a short drive up East River Road from the ranch to Summer and Carter’s place. Mason and Gina had offered to pick her up on their way there, but she’d declined. She didn’t want to seem rude or standoffish, but she did want to be able to make her escape whenever she was ready. She needn’t have worried. Gina had given her an understanding smile and had stopped Mason from trying to insist. Corinne had a feeling that she and Gina might become friends given the chance.
She didn’t have any problems finding the place. She’d driven by yesterday just to make sure she knew where she was going. She turned in and drove down the long driveway. Once she’d pulled up in front of the house she took a good look around. It was a beautiful place. A gorgeous log built home that was far too grand to be called a cabin. It sat on the bank of the river and there were beautiful views of the mountains in every direction. She started to regret her decision to wear jeans. Maybe she should have dressed up more. She turned to look as a truck pulled up beside her.
Gina grinned at her through the window. Corinne was relieved to see that she was wearing a nice, but not dressy, top.
“I told you, you should have let us give you a ride,” said Mason as he got out of the truck and came around. He too was wearing jeans, and a shirt she’d seen him wear at the ranch.
Gina smiled at Corinne. She really had understood. “I know I’d have driven myself if I were you. There’s nothing like being able to make a quick exit when you want one.”
Corinne smiled back. “It’s only because of Ruby though. I’d hate to have to cut your evening short if Susie calls.”
“We could have taken you home and then come back,” said Mason.
Gina patted his arm. “We all know you can take of us, Mase. We get it. But I think Corinne is used to taking care of herself.” She linked her arm through Corinne’s and started up the steps to the front door.
“I do appreciate the offer.” Corinne smiled at him. He seemed like he was used to taking charge and taking care of people. Even though she didn’t want or need his help this evening, she didn’t want to offend him.
He grinned. “That’s okay. I’m learning. Gina here says I can be a bit domineering, but I’m only trying to help. Apparently you ladies like to be a bit more independent than I give you credit for.”
Gina linked her free arm through his and smiled up at him. “You really are learning. And I do love you for trying.”
The two of them were obviously very much in love. It made Corinne smile to see the way they looked at each other. She’d never had a love like that; she’d doubted that it even existed, but Gina and Mason were living proof that it did.
As they reached the top of the steps the front door flew open and Shane appeared. “You made it!”
Mason laughed. “Of course we did. We’re not even late.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean you, asshole. I mean my new best friend, Corinne.” He took hold of her arm and led her inside.
“Hey everybody, Corinne’s here!” he called as he led her into the kitchen.
She already knew Shane well enough to know that this was just his way. He was full of life, and energy—and loud!
Cassidy caught her eye and laughed. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to excuse the asshole I call my fiancé.”
Shane grinned. “Ignore her. She’s mean to me. Mean I tell you.”
Summer laughed. “Don’t buy it for a minute, Corinne. No one is ever mean to Shane. He just likes to go for the sympathy vote every chance he gets.”
Carter gave her a shy smile, and nodded. “It’s true. Can I get you a drink?”
She nodded. Wondering what might be on offer.
“I already poured you one.”
Beau! He’d made it then. Part of her had been hoping he wouldn’t, but she couldn’t deny that part of her had been hoping he would.
Chapter Six
Corinne had to
catch her breath at the sight of him standing there. Wow! She’d seen him in a suit in the wine store, in riding gear—complete with cowboy hat—at the ranch on the weekend, and now here he was rocking the casual GQ look. He was gorgeous! She tried to recover her composure when she realized that everyone was watching.
Beau came toward her with two glasses of red wine. He held one out to her. She looked down at it then up into deep brown eyes. She ran her tongue over her lips, not sure she’d be able to speak, her mouth had gone so dry. She didn’t miss the way his pupils dilated before he smiled.
“It’s good stuff. I know you like it.”
She looked down at the glass again. More of the expensive Cab?
He nodded, seeming to have heard the question she hadn’t asked as she took it from him.
“Thank you.”
“Can I take it you two have met before?” asked Shane.
Corinne wasn’t sure she liked the mischievous gleam in his eye. She simply nodded, unsure how best to answer.
Beau surprised the hell out of her when he came to stand beside her. “We have.”
Her traitorous body was loving the closeness of him. Waves of goose bumps chased each other down her spine as he rested his hand on the counter behind her. Why could her brain not take charge and remind her racing heart and butterfly-filled stomach that this man thought Ruby was a monster?
“Hey, Corinne,” called Cassidy. “You need to come out on the deck and see the view from here.”
She knew Cassidy was trying to rescue her—from the brother that she thought had his head up his ass! Part of her wanted to stay by his side, but that was crazy! Cassidy was offering her weak-willed self a lifeline, and she needed to grab onto it while she could.
“If you’ll excuse me?” She didn’t dare look into his eyes; she just hurried over to where Cassidy was waiting by the doors that led out onto the deck. She could feel him watching her with every step she took.
Once they were out on the deck, Cassidy closed the door behind them and held up her glass in a toast. “You can thank me anytime, though now would good.”