Yet now she felt more confused than ever. All she knew was she wanted to keep Cole from hurting her son.
When I look in your eyes, I see the same hurt I see in Cole’s.
She closed the file drawer. As she turned to pick up another batch of files, she saw Andi standing in the doorway. She and Jane would be leaving after the weekend, and they had gone into town for one last lunch together at SugarPie’s.
“Hi. Okay if I come in?”
“Sure. Let me clean off a chair for you.” Grateful for the company, she moved a stack of file folders. Talking with Andi would give her something to think about besides her conversation with Abuela.
And besides Cole and his kisses.
Her cousin took a seat and looked around her. “You didn’t say anything about renovating your office.”
“I’m not renovating. Just doing some filing.”
“Oh. Well, Jane and I only got back a few minutes ago.” Andi laughed. “I thought I’d never get her away from the dessert tray.”
“My best friend gives me the same trouble,” she admitted.
“Then you know the feeling. By the way, Sugar and Layne say hello.”
“Thanks.” She moved more file folders and sat in her desk chair. “Did you and Jane enjoy lunch?”
“Other than dessert, you mean?” Andi smiled. “We did. Layne waited on us. She’s putting in extra hours, she said.”
“Yes...Cole told me.”
“With the new guests in the dining room this morning, we didn’t get to chat much at breakfast. Speaking of Cole, how was your date last night?”
“It was fine.” She repeated what she had told Abuela. “The kids had a great time.”
Andi smiled. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you enjoyed yourself. Your face at breakfast this morning said it all.”
Tina stared at her.
“You were...glowing, is how I’d put it.”
“That had nothing to do with Cole.”
Now Andi laughed. “How do you know I didn’t mean bowling with the kids?”
Her cheeks burning, she glanced down at her desk and shifted another pile of folders.
“I hope things work out for you two.”
“There’s nothing to work out.”
“I don’t know... Jane and I always saw how you looked whenever you were around Cole. It’s the same way you looked this morning. I shouldn’t have teased you about him just now, and she shouldn’t have teased you the other day. I know you really cared about him.” She smiled. “And you never forget your first love.”
* * *
COLE WIPED THE SWEAT from his forehead and took a long hard swig of lemonade from his insulated mug.
Paz had provided the lemonade early that morning before he left to meet Pete outside the barn.
“The sun’s getting low,” Pete said. “Guess we’d better head back.”
He nodded. They had started at the farthest point of the fence line they’d scheduled for today and worked their way in the direction of home. But they still had a ride ahead of them.
When he saw the manager was on his cell phone, he climbed into the truck and hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait. It could be Jed or one of the ranch hands who had called, or even Pete’s daughter, who had gotten in touch with her daddy a couple of times this afternoon.
He shook his head. Pete had told him she was a talker, and she’d proved that at the bowling alley.
He sat back in his seat, adjusted his Stetson to block the sun from his eyes and tried not to think about that night.
Pete climbed into the truck. “Rachel again,” he said, confirming his hunch. “It’s been two days, and she hasn’t stopped talking about the bowling alley.”
“We all had fun,” Cole said.
Too much fun, some of us, outside the hotel at the end of that night.
“Well,” Pete said, “you’ve got Rachel’s seal of approval, and that’s saying something. She doesn’t take to folks easily.”
“She’s a cute kid.”
“Your nephew’s not bad, either. I saw he looked a little more relaxed yesterday when Tina had him up on Bingo.”
“He did, didn’t he?”
“You and he seem to be comfortable with each other, too.”
He nodded. “We’re getting along.” Scott had grown more used to him, or maybe it was the other way around.
Robbie seemed just as comfortable.
He couldn’t help the feeling of pride that shot through him at the thought.
In the next instant, he glanced away, squinting as he looked out over the horizon. The other day, he hadn’t lied when he said he’d felt good about his progress with the kids. But a week or two wouldn’t be nearly enough to turn him into the perfect daddy.
A lifetime couldn’t help him achieve that.
“Seems to me you’re doing fine,” Pete said.
The manager sure had more experience than he did. He could learn a lot from him. But he hesitated to ask.
He and Tina hadn’t gotten very far with figuring out their plans. His idea of talking things out with her over supper had fallen through the minute she’d walked into the sitting room with the kids.
Since then, several new arrivals had checked into the hotel, including a family with a couple of teenagers. She had spent some time showing them around the hotel and ranch and introducing them to Pete and the wranglers. She’d barely had time for a word with him. Which was probably a good thing.
But even when she was out of sight, he could see her wide, dark eyes beneath arched brown eyebrows, high cheekbones and firm, shapely lips. In the five years since high school, cute, quiet little Tina had blossomed into a real beauty.
Even when he was busy working, he found his mind wandering to her again and again. Not a good thing, in any way, shape or form.
And a bad choice of expression, because it only made him think of her in other ways.
They had fit together as though she’d been made for him, with her height putting her at exactly the right place to hold her against his chest, her full curves just the right size and softness for his big hands, her mouth a perfect match to his. And though he hadn’t said a word to her about any of this, the way she settled into his arms said she agreed.
If Robbie hadn’t come running out to the back porch last night to call them in, who knew what might have happened.
Not getting the chance to find out was probably a good thing, too.
He had a bad feeling he was falling hard for a woman he still didn’t trust.
* * *
COLE FINISHED STOWING the gear from the ranch truck in the barn, then went outside to try clapping the surface dirt from his clothes.
Jed stood near the corral, his thumbs hooked into his belt loops, watching one of the wranglers leading a teenaged girl around the corral on horseback.
Cole ambled over and reported in on their progress for the day.
Jed nodded. “Sounds good. Everything going along well for you here?”
Cole didn’t hesitate with his response. “Fine. It’s good to work with Pete again. My nephew’s happy to visit. And the food over at the hotel is great.”
“Tell Paz that. It’ll keep her happy, too.”
Cole laughed.
“And the company?” Jed persisted.
“That’s fine, too.”
The old man had made numerous attempts to increase his interest in the three females at the Hitching Post. Or, that’s what he’d thought at first. Over the past few days, he’d begun to suspect it was Tina’s name the old man had at the top of his list.
While he didn’t intend to get hitched to any of the women—despite that kiss a couple of nights ago—Jed’s encouragement came as a relief. If he was pushing his own granddaughters on him, he truly must have forgiven him for walking out years ago.
That knowledge eased some of the burden from his shoulders. The rest, he still had to deal with.
And recently, he seemed to have taken on a whole new load.
Directly after he’d kissed her, he had read her feelings the way he always had—as easily as he’d read the textbooks in the classes they had shared. Since their night at the bowling alley, he’d seen those feelings in her expression every time he looked her way. It made him glad they hadn’t had time alone again.
“You’ll be around Saturday night?” Jed asked. “I want you here for the chuckwagon.”
“I’ll be at Layne’s most of the day, doing some painting for her.” And a list of other chores.
A run-in with her ex had left her upset, and she’d gotten nothing done around the apartment the night before. The pregnancy was wearing her out, too. Instead of extra hours at SugarPie’s, she needed two weeks on a tropical island. But she wouldn’t accept that from him, either.
“Once I’m done in town,” he added, “I can come back here.”
“Good. Jane and Andi both plan to head out the morning after it.” Jed sounded sorrowful.
“Yeah, they said. It must’ve been nice to have them visit, since you hadn’t seen them in a while.”
Jed nodded. “I miss them every day I don’t see them. Don’t you feel the same about Layne and her boy?”
“It’s different for me.”
“The hell it is. Family’s family. What made you turn your back on your sister for all these years, Cole?”
“I didn’t turn my back. I’ve always taken care of Layne when she needed me.” When she was between husbands.
“Sending money home’s not the same as being here, where you belong.” His tone sounded accusing.
Maybe the old man hadn’t forgiven him, after all. And why should he? The boss didn’t owe him anything. In fact, just the opposite.
“And what about Tina?” Jed demanded.
He froze. After a moment, he forced himself to say evenly, “You know, Jed, since I’ve been back, I’m fairly sure you’ve been seeing to it that my path crosses with hers. I appreciate the thought. But you might as well save yourself the trouble. There’s not going to be anything between us.”
“Can’t say that, when you two already have the most important connection of all. Like I said, family’s family.”
“You mean Robbie.” It wasn’t a question; he could see the knowledge in Jed’s steady gaze. “Well, then, maybe you also know Tina never told me the truth.”
“That’s Tina’s way, too independent for her own good. The girl never told Paz or me, either, till this week.”
“So she said. I wasn’t sure I believed her.”
Jed glared at him. “Maybe that’s where you’re going off track, son.” He sighed. “Now, I intend to keep this conversation between us. And I hope you’ll give what I’m going to say some thought. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t start taking some things on trust.”
That was exactly the problem.
But before Cole could respond, Jed stomped away.
Chapter Thirteen
Hearing Jed’s footsteps in the lobby, Tina pushed her notebook away from her on the desk and waited.
Her mind definitely wasn’t on her work or even in her office. Instead, her thoughts were with Jed, who had told her he had already begun missing her cousins, though they hadn’t even left yet. He also kept returning to her office to fill her in on Jane and Andi’s last-minute ideas for the renovations. She didn’t know which made her feel worse.
Her thoughts were with Cole, too, though they didn’t make her feel much better.
Jed entered the room and settled into the side chair at her desk. “You need to get away from this computer once in a while, girl. Folks will think I never let you leave the office. You’re joining us at the chuckwagon tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Of course. You know I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good.” He exhaled heavily. “It’s sure going to be quieter once the girls leave.”
“They do add a lot to the conversations,” she agreed, smiling.
“Good thing Cole’s going to be around, and bringing his nephew by, too. Robbie’s tickled to have someone else to play with.”
“Yes, he is.” Her son had almost become a different little boy now that he had a constant playmate—one that wasn’t a girl. “Rachel’s happy about Scott being here, too.”
Jed laughed. “Yeah. She especially likes having someone else to boss around. Gotta give Cole a hand, he’s doing a good job with all the kids, don’t you think?”
She nodded. Even she had to admit, he was diligent about minding Scott for his sister. He was also becoming more and more comfortable in caring for the kids. Beyond that, she could see how much he was beginning to care about them.
Then why did he keep insisting he didn’t want a family?
“Andi made a point of mentioning what a good job Cole was doing. And Jane had plenty of good things to say about him, too.”
“That’s great,” she said automatically, her thoughts again on the odd coincidence of Cole’s return to the ranch now, just when Andi and Jane had come to town again. Before, she hadn’t felt she could ask Jed about it. Now she wanted answers.
“I was wondering about this visit,” she said.
For a moment, Jed froze. Then he shrugged and settled back in his chair. “I thought it was high time I saw the girls again. I contacted them myself.” He sounded defensive—or maybe just hurt that his other granddaughters hadn’t taken the first step.
“I’m glad you did,” she assured him, “and I know they are, too.” She dragged the notebook closer and looked down at it. She was sorry now she had steered the conversation in this direction. Yet she still wanted to know. “I wasn’t talking about Andi and Jane. I meant Cole’s arrival.”
Jed frowned. “What’s on your mind?”
“Did you know ahead of time that he was coming back to Cowboy Creek?”
“Nope. Hadn’t a clue. Nice that he’s back though, isn’t it?”
She hesitated, but he sat looking at her. She nodded.
“Now.” He slapped his palm on the desk. “Listen to this. I spent some time with the girls this morning, and they came up with a great idea about bringing in a chef.”
“A chef?”
“Yeah. Andi’s going to ask around, talk with some of the folks she knows, maybe find someone who’s looking to relocate. Sounds like a good idea to me. The girls said if we’re going to put this place on the map, we need to provide top-notch service.”
Before she could respond, she heard heavy footsteps on the lobby floor. A moment later, Cole appeared in the office doorway.
“Hey,” Jed said, “you two want to chat. Let me get out of the way.”
“You’re not—” she began.
He brushed her off with a wordless wave. She frowned.
Jed left the room, and Cole stepped inside.
“Got a minute?” he asked.
It didn’t seem to matter whether she did or not. He took a seat in the leather chair Jed had just vacated and stretched his long legs out in front of him. She would have to step over them to leave.
Speaking of which...
“I don’t suppose you’re here to check out?”
Now he frowned. “No. What gave you that idea?”
“Wishful thinking, maybe.”
“Very funny.” He shot a glance toward the empty doorway. “Did Jed say something?”
“No, nothing.” Not meeting his eyes, she riffled through the pages of her notebook.
“What’s wrong?”
He put his hand over hers. The spark of excitement she felt at his touch should have warned her to pull away. But she didn’t think of flashing red lights. She thought only of the many times she had imagined him here in the hotel, living with her and loving her and helping her create the family she’d always wanted.
“I know somet
hing’s bothering you,” he murmured. “Talk to me.”
She struggled to remind herself she couldn’t fall for this again, couldn’t let him turn his charms on her and get away with it. “Why?” she demanded.
He frowned. “I don’t know what I’ve done to get on your bad side. But I think we can change that.”
“Why would we want to?”
He laughed. “Dang, woman, you ask more questions than all the kids put together. Come on, we’ve barely had a chance to talk at all in the past couple of days. Admit it, you’ve missed me, haven’t you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“All right, then. How about I flatter you?”
His question sent a burst of pleasure through her. Somehow, she managed to say levelly, “How about you don’t? I wouldn’t want you wasting your breath.”
“All right, then,” he said again. “I won’t.” He leaned forward and touched his mouth to hers.
Now warmth spread all through her, followed by a rush of desire. She had curled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, ready to draw him closer, when he smiled.
Once, that same slow smile had held the power to break her heart. So had he.
Now the warning lights flashed.
* * *
WHEN TINA SAT BACK against her chair and twined her fingers in her lap, Cole fought not to reach for her again. He slumped back in his own seat and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.
In the space of a heartbeat he’d gone from wanting to find out what had upset her to wanting a heck of a lot more. When he’d walked in here, that kiss sure hadn’t been in his plans.
Time to back off, to steady himself. To find some solid ground. “I interrupted your talk with Jed. It seemed like the conversation wasn’t going well.”
“It was fine.”
He smiled wryly. “It wouldn’t hurt to give me credit for some brains. Something’s up. And I don’t think it’s got to do with...what just happened here. You’d already looked upset when I came to the doorway.”
He had always loved Tina’s dark eyes. They looked even more beautiful when they gleamed as they did now. It wasn’t till she blinked hard and looked away that he saw she was fighting for composure.
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