His fingers wrapped around her hand as if it were a fragile piece of china. “Name’s Coot. Welcome to Coot’s Mercantile.”
“Well, Coot. I need a pair of jeans.”
“Got me the best Wrangler’s in town.” His eyes twinkled as he hitched up his sagging pants.
“Wrangler’s it is, then. Show me the way.”
In less than twenty minutes, she’d selected three pairs of jeans, and several T-shirts from the buy-one-get-one free rack. She shuddered when she picked out a couple of bras and a week’s worth of panties. The white starchy cotton reminded her of the material used to make flour sacks back in…oh, 1876. After a ten-minute goodbye and a promise to return soon, she and Annie left the store and started across the street to the car. They were in the middle of the intersection, when the whining sound of a siren cut through the air.
Madeline drew Annie close as a patrol car whipped around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of them. Great. She’d gotten caught jaywalking. The car window lowered and she opened her mouth to beg her way out of a ticket, but the officer held up a hand, then reached for his radio and contacted the dispatcher.
“Hattie, this is Deputy Karl. I’m at Main and Harwood. I’ve located the barbed-wire bride.”
Madeline’s eyes rounded. News of her unfortunate predicament yesterday sure had traveled fast.
“Is backup necessary?” a squeaky voice cackled.
Madeline bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
“Everything’s under control. Ten-four.”
She edged closer to the car window. “Problem, Deputy Karl?”
The man’s face turned red. “Depends.”
“On what?”
The officer nodded at Annie, who was blessedly preoccupied with her new hair bow. “On where you’re going next with Jake’s little girl.”
“We’re heading back to the ranch right now.”
“Fine. I’ll just follow and make sure you don’t lose your way.”
“My. Is everyone this friendly in town?”
“Yes, ma’am. We like everyone to feel welcome here.”
She grabbed Annie’s hand. “Good day, Deputy.”
Madeline should have laughed off the whole incident, but the fact that Deputy Karl tailed her all the way back to the ranch made it difficult. She didn’t blame Jake for not trusting her with his daughter. If the situation were reversed, she’d feel the same way.
For Jake to be concerned when his daughter’s welfare was in the hands of a woman he knew next to nothing about was only logical. Heck, she might be the head of a baby-stealing ring, masquerading as a runaway bride.
But he’d kissed her!
That kiss had changed things. At least for her. A man and woman didn’t kiss like that if they didn’t at least trust each other a little. She shook her head, doubting she’d ever figure out the opposite sex.
She turned under the arches of the Royal Flush Ranch and honked her horn as Deputy Karl sped by. At least he hadn’t planned to follow her up to the house.
If she hoped to find peace and quiet at the ranch, she was sadly mistaken. The phone rang on and off all afternoon. Thankfully, Jake had a cordless phone, which she could take outside while she and Annie played. She thought about inviting Mrs. Winston, Jake’s neighbor, over for coffee just so the woman wouldn’t have to tax her brain to think up different reasons for calling every half hour.
Annie stepped into the kitchen, her cheeks covered in dirty streaks. “What’s for supper, Ms. Madeline?”
She smiled at the child’s messy face. She’d actually enjoyed swinging, playing tag and everything else Annie’s young imagination had come up with. Even though Madeline was worn out, she felt better than she had in a long time.
Not once during the day had she had the urge to log on to her computer and check e-mail. Not once had she wished she were having lunch with her peers or working on closing a sale for a new ad campaign. And the most amazing thing of all, not once had she thought of her ex-fiancé.
If she’d had to describe herself a few days ago, she’d have said she thrived on the challenges of a stressful career. She’d have said she liked living in a metropolitan area, making lots of money, dining out and enjoying cultural events.
That she’d had more fun digging in the dirt with a five-year-old made her wonder if she had a clue about who she really was and what she wanted out of life. “How about grilled cheese?”
“Okay.”
While she fixed dinner, Annie found some scrap paper and colored at the kitchen table. “Honey, are there any cookie cutters in the house?”
Annie shrugged.
Madeline checked the pantry. After searching every shelf, she found a bag of Christmas cutouts stuffed inside an old soda-cracker tin. She picked the star and the tree shapes, then used those to cut the sandwiches.
When she set the platter on the table, Annie squealed in delight. “Wow!”
Pleasure filled Madeline. Even her Sales Manager of the Year award hadn’t made her feel this good inside.
But pleasure gave way to an overwhelming urge to weep. Shocked at the stinging sensation burning the back of her eyes, she returned to the stove and stared at her own sandwich. She missed her mother and all that a mother represented.
But how could she miss something she’d never had?
An image of herself as a little girl flashed through her mind. Eating alone at the kitchen table, night after night, because her father worked late hours. Her only company, the housekeeper washing dishes or mopping the floor. Always the same food. A piece of meat, potato or rice and a veggie.
The stupid sandwich wavering in front of her represented everything lacking in her childhood. Everything magical, everything warm, safe and loving. A lone tear escaped an eye, and she brushed it away. After selecting the Christmas-tree cutout, she used it on her own sandwich, then joined Annie at the table.
“How about a bath after supper before we watch TV.”
“I gots a Disney movie about a tooth fairy.”
“That sounds good.”
An hour later, after Annie had played in a tub of bubbles with her Barbies, they sat on the couch in the living room and watched the movie. Madeline made popcorn and strawberry Kool-Aid, and by the end of the show, Annie’s eyes were drooping. Madeline helped the little girl to bed, read from a book of nursery rhymes for fifteen minutes, then snuggled the animal-print sheet around her shoulders and kissed her sweet-smelling cheek.
Madeline spent the following half hour cleaning up the popcorn mess before retreating to the front porch. She slunk down on the swing, flipping her ponytail over the back, allowing the cool breeze to tickle the patch of moist skin at the back of her neck.
Off to the west, the sky looked as if someone had taken a paintbrush and smeared a dark pink color with a hint of orange across the horizon. A deep sense of contentment filled her as she breathed in the earthy smells of warm wood, dusty gravel, animal and grass.
The only thing missing was the fragrant scent of blooming flowers. If she lived in this house, she’d have hanging plants and potted flowers on the porch. She’d plant some rosebushes by the steps and wild daisies out by the barn.
A soft nicker floated through the air and she shifted sideways on the seat to observe the two horses in the corral. They were beautiful animals, strong and proud. She looked forward to watching Jake’s progress with them during her stay.
At the end of two weeks she’d leave. Go back to Seattle and face friends and family. And return to her job. But right now the idea of selling anything, let alone advertising, gave her heartburn. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples, easing the pounding that seemed to erupt every time she thought about the future.
The future would always be there. But Jake Montgomery, his daughter and their ranch wouldn’t. And right now she needed them as much as they needed her.
Speaking of the cowboy, she glanced at her watch. It was almost nine. She worried that he might have run into trouble on
the road. Towing a loaded horse trailer was bound to be hazardous. If he didn’t return by ten she’d call his cell phone number.
Her stomach clenched with anxiety. Anxiety that had nothing to do with how Jake might view her job performance today and everything to do with the wonderfully devastating kiss he’d given her that morning.
She yearned for another taste of the dangerous, moody cowboy. Playing with this kind of fire was sheer madness. After a failed attempt at the altar, letting a man like Jake get close to her so soon was a heartache in the making.
She was a smart woman. That she hadn’t shed too many tears over Jonathon’s abandonment was a sure sign she’d never really been in love with him. She wondered if a woman like her, one lacking experience with the opposite sex, would even be able to recognize true love if it stared her straight in the face.
If an I-can’t-live-without-you kind of love really existed in the world, then Madeline was positive Jake was a man who could inspire it in a woman. Her heart might not have suffered a mortal wound from being jilted, but it was still vulnerable. Yet eager. Wanting.
Which made it fair game for the cowboy.
A few minutes later, the deep purr of a diesel engine competed with the chirping night sounds in the air. She held her breath, waiting, her eyes searching the distant rise in the road.
Chapter Four
Exhausted, hungry and damn grumpy, Jake pulled the truck and horse trailer to a stop outside the corral. He flipped off the headlights and took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully. It had been a hell of a day.
A day that had started out bad and had gone downhill from there. And he had no one to blame but himself. First off, he should never have kissed the temporary nanny earlier that morning.
The memory of her mouth under his had stuck with him all day like a burr in a horse blanket. Twelve hours later he could still taste that kiss. Not even the double cheeseburger and fries for lunch could erase the warm, sensuous flavor of Madeline’s mouth.
The second mistake he’d made was asking the temptress to stay on two weeks to watch Annie. Having her underfoot would create more problems than it solved. Like, how the hell he was supposed to keep his hands off her, let alone his mind?
Third, somewhere during the long stretches of driving, he’d decided he wanted to be Madeline’s hero. To chase away the pain and hurt caused by her jerk of a fiancé. The thought had shocked him. How could he be Madeline’s hero when he’d been guilty of the same thing as her fiancé—abandonment.
Oh, hell! He hadn’t asked for a jilted bride to drop into his life out of nowhere. If the attraction he felt for Madeline was purely sexual, he knew without a doubt those hero thoughts wouldn’t have entered his mind. But emotions were involved. Exactly what emotions he couldn’t say for sure. Only that something inside him wanted to make everything right in Madeline’s world again.
He slipped the key from the ignition. He had two horses to unload, then he’d grab a bite to eat and check on Annie. He’d missed his daughter today. Maybe tomorrow he’d find a way to carve out some time with her.
A tap on the passenger-side window startled him. He looked sideways and chuckled at the Cowgirls Rule slogan in glittering gold across the front of Madeline’s T-shirt. The bride was the furthest thing from a cowgirl he’d ever seen. T-shirts and jeans couldn’t quite hide her sassy confidence and take-charge executive attitude.
He slid from the truck and stared across the roof at her. Her red ponytail gleamed like a brand-new copper penny, and her green eyes glowed with the warmth of welcome he knew he didn’t deserve after the way he’d practically mauled her in the kitchen that morning.
Whatever makeup she’d started the day with was long gone. Her skin looked creamy and soft in the shadows cast by the outdoor corral lights. She was drop-dead gorgeous. It didn’t seem possible, but Madeline truly acted as if she was unaware of the effect her beauty had on the opposite sex.
He wanted her. Wanted her so badly that he’d do anything, risk everything, to have her right now. The shock of the realization almost knocked his legs out from under him.
She offered a smile.
His gaze fell to her lips. Lips that begged for a man’s mouth. His mouth. “How’s Annie? Everything go okay today?”
“She’s in bed, and yes, we had a good day.” Her left eyebrow lifted. “Amazing how friendly everyone is around here.”
“Friendly?” The reckless desire, the painful need just seeing her created in him, was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. One look at her and it was as though the ground shook beneath him.
She sighed. The sexy, velvet sound rolled across the truck roof and landed against his chest with a gentle thud. He gripped the door until sharp pains shot up his arm.
“Deputy Karl stopped me in town to say hello.” She frowned. “Mrs. Winston had a hard day.”
He should unload the horses, but that would mean taking his eyes off her. And he wasn’t ready to do that yet. “Hard day?”
“She kept calling and forgetting what it was she needed to ask me.”
Jake bit back a smile. “She means well.” Gladys Winston drove him nuts, but she’d been there for him and Annie when Sara had taken a turn for the worst. He owed the woman his patience at the very least.
“Are you hungry?”
Oh, babe, you have no idea.
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into Christmas-tree grilled-cheese sandwiches.”
“Huh?”
Her laughter floated on the night breeze. “Didn’t think so. How does an omelette sound?”
An omelette for supper? “Ah, yeah, sure.”
She turned away and hadn’t taken five steps before his lungs seized up on him. Madeline in a pair of jeans was something to see. Before he could stop the words they were out of his mouth. “Nice jeans.”
She kept walking but smiled over her shoulder. “Wrangler’s, cowboy. There’s a difference, you know. Or so Coot tells me.” After that there was a definite twitch to her hips, which he suspected was purely for his benefit.
“I’ll be in shortly,” he called out.
“No rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
He was afraid of that. Jake took his time, giving the horses a chance to settle in and his hormone levels a chance to return to normal. When he entered the kitchen a half hour later, the smell of burned egg assaulted his nose.
She waved an oven mitt in front of her face. “I’m not used to cooking with cast iron.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s a can of beef stew in the pantry. I’ll have that.”
“Oh, no. The omelette’s fine.”
He frowned at the discolored yellow blob in the skillet.
“Really. I’ll cut off the edges.” She slid the rubbery mass onto a plate, hacked off four corners, then put it on the table next to a paper napkin, a knife, fork and spoon. What was he supposed to do with all those utensils?
When she returned with a glass of water, he thought about switching it for a beer, but knew it would be suicide.
“I need to wash up.” He moved from the doorway, taking the long way around the oak table to avoid passing by her. Less than five minutes later he was back in the kitchen, washed up and wearing a clean shirt.
He sank onto the seat and poked at the omelette with the fork. “Thanks for making supper.” A long time had gone by since anyone had cooked for him.
Madeline stood at the sink, suds up to her elbows, washing the skillet. “You’re welcome. So, how was your day?”
He didn’t answer right away. Couldn’t. His jaws were too busy trying to grind down the elastic wad in his mouth. He had to admit, though, that if he could eat a meal while staring at Madeline’s backside, he could swallow just about anything. “Fine,” he managed to say, after switching the half-chewed lump into the pocket of his other cheek.
Her laughter filled the room. “I guess you’re one of those strong silent types.” She grabbed a handful of utensils and set them in the soapy water. “I wish
I worked with more men like you. The ones I deal with day in and day out could talk a deaf person’s ear off.”
Jake tucked that tidbit of information away to ponder later. “Besides going into town, what did you and Annie do all day?”
She turned from the sink. He was glad he hadn’t swallowed the food in his mouth yet, or he’d have likely choked. A large wet spot covered the front of her T-shirt. He stared. Couldn’t help it.
“We played outside most of the day. I don’t know how you keep up with her. She wore me out.” Her smile lit up her whole face, making her green eyes glow and her cheeks flush. Rag in hand, she approached the table. He held his breath, hoping, praying, she just wanted to wipe the surface off.
Nope. The air left his lungs in one long rush when she pulled out a chair and sat. Her fingers played with the cotton rag. “Let’s see. We played tag, sat on the swing, collected rocks, swept the porch, had a tea party. You know, girl stuff. She had a bath after dinner, then we watched a movie before bedtime.”
Madeline Tate’s fiancé was an idiot. That was all there was to it. Any man who would walk away from a woman like her was dumber than a worm.
“Jake?”
He blinked. “What?”
“I made a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?”
“Sure. Thanks.” He shoved the last bite of egg into his mouth and choked it down while Madeline poured two cups of coffee.
“What kind of horses are in the barn?” she asked, setting the mugs on the table.
“Three quarter horses. One paint.”
“That’s nice.”
Nothing like a That’s nice to remind him of the different worlds they came from. His male ego reared its ugly head and he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from bragging that he had a couple of trophies collecting dust in his bedroom closet for training two world-champion quarter horses.
He patted his empty shirt pocket. He hadn’t smoked since Annie had been born. He didn’t want to light up now, but it was tempting. At least the cigarette smoke would mask the sweet, womanly scent drifting across the table. After chasing around with his daughter all day, Madeline should have smelled dusty and dirty, like one of the horses. Instead, traces of faded perfume, a little bit of outdoor and a whole lot of warm woman rolled off her.
The Cowboy and the Bride Page 6