Little Cowgirl Needs a Mom

by Thayer, Patricia

  The young girl smiled. “Hello, Mr. Rafferty.”

  Evan looked at Jenny. “How’d it go?”

  “Fine. Gracie got a lot started today.” She glanced at her friend, hoping that Evan didn’t sense her concern about Gracie’s complicated project. “Thanks to Allison. Allison, this is Evan Rafferty. Evan, Allison Casali.”

  He nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Casali. I’ve spoken with your husband a few times.”

  Her friend shook his hand. “Please, call me Allison. You must have done most of the talking, because Alex is a man of few words.”

  Evan gave a hint of a smile. “He doesn’t need to say much.”

  At a nudge from Cherry, Gracie spoke up. “Daddy, Cherry asked me to come to her house and go riding.”

  Jenny watched as Evan started to shake his head. “I don’t think that’s possible right now. I need to get back to the ranch.”

  Seeing the girls’ disappointment, Allison said, “Look, girls, go put away your things in your cubbyholes. Make sure your names are on them.” After they’d left, she turned to Evan. “We usually go riding on Sunday afternoons. It started as Cherry’s therapy reward. Since the automobile accident three years ago, she’s worked hard to walk again. She’d really like it if Gracie came along.”

  Jenny stood back as Allison charmed the man. “Does Gracie ride?” her friend asked.

  “Yes, although it’s been awhile but—”

  “Of course, you’re invited, too. Alex is going along.” She grew serious. “I refuse to let my husband work on Sunday. It’s family time.” She glanced at Jenny. “And, of course, Jenny will be there. She’s been working too much overtime.” She looked back at Evan. “I can’t tell you how special it would make the day for Cherry.”

  Evan hesitated, then said, “I’ll have to see.”

  Allison scribbled down a phone number and handed it to him. “We plan to ride out to Lucky Creek for a picnic. If you decide to come, we leave about eleven.”

  Evan had been caught off guard by Allison Casali’s invitation. He looked at Jenny. He didn’t want to spend more time with her. She’d already managed to weave herself into his life.

  Just then the girls came back, both looking at him for his answer. It was Allison Casali who helped him out. “If Mr. Rafferty can’t bring Gracie out tomorrow to ride, we’ll do it another time.”

  Gracie looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in a long time. He had trouble taking a breath. Did it take so little to make her happy?

  “Maybe we can make time tomorrow,” he said.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” he promised.

  He leaned down to take her sweet hug. Her arms felt so good. “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered.

  “You’re welcome, Gracie.” He released her and she went off with her new friend.

  He stood and caught Jenny watching him. He could see that she approved of what he’d done.

  “Seems my daughter’s social life has picked up since you’ve come to town.” He looked into her eyes. Suddenly he was pulled into those dark depths. “Don’t expect mine to do the same.”

  “Look out, Rafferty, you’ve already started by accepting the Casalis’ invitation. Just try to enjoy yourself.”

  He wasn’t sure he remembered how to enjoy himself, but he suddenly realized he was looking forward to tomorrow.

  The next day was sunny when Jenny arrived at the A Bar A Ranch. Okay, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. As much as she’d tried to stay out of the Raffertys’ life, she was smack in the middle of things again. She wanted to blame it on Allison, but she could have made an excuse not to come today. Instead, she’d been looking forward to it.

  After climbing out of the car, she headed for the barn as Brian Perkins came out of the corral.

  Just a hair under six feet tall, he had that slow, deliberate walk of a man who knew where he was going. His cowboy hat was cocked over his eyes, his sandy hair cut just above his ears.

  It had been nearly nine months since she’d last seen him, but it seemed like yesterday. He smiled and lines crinkled around his hazel eyes, showing his forty-plus years. But he still was a handsome devil.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” he called. “It’s good to see you.”

  She expected that familiar feeling to tighten in her chest, but nothing like that came. She was only glad to see a friend. “Hey, cowboy. You, too.”

  She was caught off guard when he pulled her into a big hug. “I’ve missed you.”

  “That’s nice to know.”

  He released her. “Do you still hate me?”

  She blinked at his frankness. “Let’s not beat around the bush.”

  He sobered. “It was never my intention to hurt you.”

  They’d dated for a few months nearly two summers ago when she’d been working on Allison’s cable TV show. It had been pretty intense, but there had always been something missing between them. She had been the one with the forever fantasies. When the breakup came, it had been more pride than her heart being involved. She’d gone back to San Antonio and her teaching job.

  “Don’t worry, Perkins, I got over you a long time ago. So get over yourself.”

  He tossed her that grin she’d once been so crazy about, but it didn’t affect her the way it used to. Suddenly she realized what Brian had tried to tell her: they were headed in different directions. As a divorced father, he wanted time with his nearly grown kids, and she wanted to start a family.

  “I’m wounded.” He clutched his chest dramatically. “Was I so easy to forget?”

  She fought a smile. “I guess I was, too.”

  “No way.” His gaze locked on her. “I just wasn’t the guy for you.” Brian reached out and touched her cheek. “There’s a lucky man who’s gonna win your heart.”

  Before she could say anything, she heard her name. She turned around to see Gracie running toward her, followed by a stoic-looking Evan Rafferty.

  “Hi, Gracie,” she said.

  She hugged the girl as her father walked up. “Hello, Evan.” She glanced over her shoulder, suddenly feeling uneasy. “Brian Perkins, this is Evan Rafferty and his daughter, Gracie. Brian’s the ranch foreman and Alex’s partner in his cattle business.”

  The two men exchanged handshakes. “Evan. It’s a good day for a ride.”

  Evan gave a curt nod. “Yeah, it is.”

  This wasn’t going well, Jenny thought, not knowing why. “Brian and Alex also breed quarter horses.” She filled in the silence as the two men stared at each other.

  “Rafferty. Is that Rafferty’s Vineyard?”

  Evan nodded.

  Thank goodness, the Casalis were walking toward them, Cherry hurrying on ahead. Her limp was barely noticeable these days. How great was it that a kid could go from a wheelchair to walking in barely two years?

  “Morning everyone,” Allison called.

  “Hi, Mrs. C,” Gracie said.

  Cherry grabbed the girl’s hand and led her toward Alex. “Dad, this is Gracie Rafferty. She’s my new friend.”

  “Hi, Mr. C.,” Gracie said shyly. “Thank you for letting me ride with Cherry today.”

  Smiling, Alex bent down to speak to the child. “It’s my pleasure, Gracie. Any friend of Cherry’s is always welcome here.” He went to the adults and hugged Jenny. “Jenny Collins, it’s been far too long between visits. The twins want to know when you’re coming to read them stories again.”

  She liked Alex, especially since he treated his wife like a princess. “I figured since you were outnumbered by women as it was, you didn’t need another one giving you trouble.”

  Alex laughed. “I like that kind of trouble.” He looked at Evan. “It’s good to see you again, Evan.”

  “Alex. I appreciate you inviting us. My daughter has been looking forward to this.” So was he. The A Bar A Ranch was an incredible operation.

  Evan glanced at Jenny beside the foreman, recalling how cozy they’d been earlier. So what? It d
idn’t bother him who her friends were.

  “Come on, girls,” Alex called. “Let’s get our horses.”

  The giggling twosome held hands all the way into the corral. Allison and Alex hurried after the girls and Jenny fell into step beside Evan. “Do you ride much?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll manage to keep up,” he told her.

  “I only meant that since you work the vineyard, you probably don’t have time to ride.”

  “I’ve done my share of cowboying over the years.” He nodded toward Perkins. “Is your boyfriend going with us?”

  Without so much as a glance in his direction, Jenny kept walking. “Probably not.” Then she hurried on to catch up with the group.

  Evan cursed. Why did it matter if Jenny Collins had a boyfriend? He had no time to care about what she did. Too bad she’d managed to get into his head anyway. How the hell did that happen?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  EVAN headed for the corral and spotted the line of horses saddled and ready to ride. Today was about spending the afternoon with his daughter.

  “That’s Cinnamon,” Cherry said, pointing at a little chestnut filly. “She’s my horse. And there’s Speckles for you.” Gracie’s horse was a small black-and-white paint.

  “Oh, she’s pretty.” Gracie looked back at Evan. “Daddy, is it okay to ride her?”

  Evan knew his daughter was far from an expert rider. Brian came up beside the horse. “She’s real gentle. I saddle-broke her myself.”

  “That’s reassuring, but I’ll be close by to make sure everything will be okay,” Evan said.

  Brian smiled. “I would do the same if Gracie were mine. Your horse is Diego.” He nodded toward a large black gelding. “He’ll give you speed if you want, but he’s also good on the trail.”

  “Did you break this one, too?” Evan asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

  “I’ve worked pretty much every horse on this place.”

  After Evan checked his horse, he found the foreman watching him.

  “Since you’re wondering,” Brian began, “Yes, Jenny and I dated a while back. We’re still friends and I care about what happens to her.” His gaze locked with Evan. “I wouldn’t want to see her hurt. Her family has done enough taking advantage of her, so her friends look out for her.”

  The meaning was clear and Evan nodded. “Too bad you blew your chance.”

  After a long stare, the man walked off to help the other riders. Evan let out a breath. Where had that come from? He walked around the animal and checked the cinch. “Hell, I don’t have the time or energy to care,” he muttered.

  Hearing laughter, he glanced at the pretty blonde on her horse. His body stirred as Jenny turned to him and smiled.

  “Get moving, Rafferty,” she called. “We have places to go.” He suddenly realized that everyone was waiting for him.

  Gracie waved him on. “Yeah, Daddy, hurry up.”

  He mounted the horse and moved up with the group. “Okay, what are we waiting for?”

  Gracie grinned at him. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

  He felt his chest tighten, realizing his daughter hadn’t had much to smile about for a long time. He glanced at Jenny. Maybe he needed some help with that, after all.

  About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a creek. The sound of rushing water took them to an ancient oak tree arched over the water’s edge, forming a natural canopy. Large rocks and boulders were piled on either side along the winding stream.

  Jenny had only been here once before, but she’d never forgotten it. She also knew that this was a special place for Alex and Allison. She glanced at the couple who were whispering between themselves.

  She got the funny feeling that she was intruding, remembering all the stumbling blocks that the two had gone through to get to a happy ending. And they were obviously happy.

  Would it ever be that way for her? She glanced at Evan. He was helping the girls down, but he caught her gaze. There was definitely something there. Did he feel it, too? No! This was not the man for her. Besides, it was too soon for him, and definitely not the time or place for her.

  “Come on, Jenny,” Gracie called. “We’re going to eat.”

  She climbed down and walked to the clearing where Allison had spread out a blanket on the ground. Alex brought over two cloth bags that had been tied to his saddle.

  “I wonder what Tilda packed for us,” he said.

  Tilda Emerson had been adopted into the Casali family years ago. The one-time housekeeper and bookkeeper was now Alex’s partner in Cherry’s Camp for disabled children. Best of all, she was a great cook.

  Gracie and Cherry sat down on the blanket. Alex handed a bag to each girl. They found chicken salad and peanut butter sandwiches along with chips, fruit and soft drinks.

  Everyone chose a shady spot among the rocks. Jenny watched as they all paired off, leaving her with Evan.

  “Relax,” Evan said. “I won’t bite.”

  Jenny wasn’t sure about that as she took the spot next to him. It was quiet while everyone concentrated on food. The girls giggled over silly things, Alex and Evan talked, trying to skirt any business topics but not doing too well.

  “I hear you’re still running a cow/calf operation,” Alex said.

  Evan shrugged. “My plans changed when my brother came back from the army. We’re partners for now. He’s started a cattle-transport business, too. My main focus is still the vineyard.”

  “Are you ever going to produce your own label?”

  Evan nodded. “Someday.”

  Jenny could hear the pride in his voice.

  Finally Allison stepped in. “Whoa, guys. There’s no business, remember?”

  Soon the girls finished their sandwiches, then asked permission to go and walk along the edge of the creek.

  “Just keep in eyeshot, Cherry,” her father said.

  Once the girls took off, Alex removed his hat and laid his head on his wife’s lap. “This is the life,” he sighed.

  Listening to the soothing sound of the water, Jenny thought she wouldn’t mind a nap, too. She stole a glance at Evan. He wasn’t relaxed at all. She wanted to reach out and help ease the tension from his back.

  He turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  Soon Alex stood up and reached for his wife’s hand. “I think we’ll go for a walk.” He nodded toward the girls. “We’ll be close by.”

  The couple walked off, but Jenny wanted to call them back. She had a feeling that her friends had planned their departure so she’d be alone with Evan.

  “How do you like the view?” she asked.

  Evan finally looked at her. “It’s nice. Everything about the A Bar A is nice. Of course, when you have money you can have a showplace.” She laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “If you only knew where Alex came from.”

  “I hear he has family in Italy.”

  “His mother was American, but she wasn’t around much for her twin sons, Alex and Angelo. They pretty much lived on the streets. Alex has gone hungry enough to appreciate the good life. And now he has Allison and the kids.”

  Evan glanced out at the stream. “Hard work is easy when you have someone to share it with.”

  Jenny hugged her knees to her chest, hearing the distant tone in Evan’s voice. Was he thinking about Megan? Of course he was. They’d loved each other. “It has to be hard to move on after losing the one you shared your dreams with.”

  He glanced toward the creek. “Sometimes sharing is overrated.” He glanced at her. “How serious were you and Perkins?”

  Jenny was caught off guard. “Brian? We dated a while back.” She knew now that she’d tried to make it more, but Brian had been right, they made better friends. “It ended when I returned to San Antonio.”

  He looked at her with those deep blue eyes. “You’re a teacher.”

  She nodded. “High-school English.”

  He grimace
d. “Not my favorite class.”

  “I bet I could have helped change your mind.”

  His gaze grew intense. “If you’d been my teacher I would have tried harder.”

  The tremor in his voice caused her to shiver, and she had to look away.

  “Why aren’t you still in San Antonio?”

  “I’m on a leave of absence, but I hope to go back.”

  “What happened?”

  She wasn’t ashamed about what had happened. “I felt that one of my students was unfairly expelled and lost a chance for a scholarship. I tangled with the principal, and we both decided I needed some time to regroup.”

  She felt his heated gaze. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “What? That I’m in trouble?”

  His mouth quirked at one corner. “No, that you put a kid first.”

  She shrugged. “It’s my job, Evan. Someone has to be on their side.”

  He touched her hand, his broad fingers moving over the backs of hers. “Who’s on your side, Jenny Collins?”

  Between his voice and his touch, she had trouble putting together a thought. “My friends, Allison for one.”

  “So there’s never been anyone special, except Perkins?”

  She fought a shiver. “No one worth mentioning. And Brian is still a friend.”

  Another hint of a smile. “They’re all blind then. You’re a beautiful woman and distracting as hell.”

  She laughed trying to keep it light. “You have such a way with words, Rafferty.”

  “I’ve never had a way with words.”

  She doubted that. She also knew she couldn’t give this man anything. That didn’t mean she didn’t want to, but he was too dangerous. “Are you flirting with me?”

  Suddenly, he pulled back. Any hint of playfulness was gone. “Just making conversation.”

  The sound of the girls caused them to turn. Cherry and Gracie came running toward them, followed by Alex and Allison.

  Gracie dropped to the blanket. “Daddy, Cherry asked if I can spend the night at her house.” The girl took a breath. “We don’t have school tomorrow and her mom and dad said I could if it’s okay with you.” Her blue eyes widened in anticipation. “Please, Daddy.”