by Linda Warren
There was no use talking to Gran. She lived by her own rules and she was never going to break them. Paxton had made her back down and that was something to see. Now he was staying. He was staying! A slow smile spread across her face.
Could it be because of her?
* * *
PAXTON DROVE TO the bunkhouse and changed into old jeans and a T-shirt. Slamming a foot into worn boots, he wondered what he was doing. He should be halfway to Houston by now instead of dealing with a crazy old lady. But then there was Remi. She’d made a cane from that stick and he couldn’t get that out of his head. It was symbolic in some way, but he couldn’t figure it out just yet.
He’d wanted a change in his life and he’d got more than he’d bargained for. But he was going to be the man his dad had wanted him to be and he knew that meant not letting a little old lady climb a ladder to put plastic on her roof. Maybe he had some of those do-gooder genes, after all.
Sitting on the bed, he pulled out his phone and called Cole.
“Hey,” Cole responded. “What time are you getting here?”
“Sorry, buddy, but I can’t make the rodeo.”
“Why not? We had this planned for weeks. Oh, you got family stuff going on, huh?” Cole said before Paxton could answer.
“Kind of.”
“Okay. I’ll see you on Friday, then. I’ll be at your place about eight in the morning.”
“Don’t be late.” They were going to a rodeo in Glen Rose, Texas. After that, it would be rodeo time for the next few months.
Over an hour later he was back at Miss Bertie’s with all the supplies. He carried the paint, brushes, rollers and pans in first. The smell of Miss Bertie’s kitchen was heavenly. She was cooking something delicious and if he had to guess he’d say peach cobbler. Remi wasn’t in the kitchen and Miss Bertie followed him into the living room.
“What’s all that? What did it cost?” She was yapping faster than a chirping bird.
He set the supplies on the floor. “It’s paint and rollers to paint this room after I put putty in the holes and spackle it.”
“I told you I’m not painting this room.” Her old green eyes dared him to defy her.
“Then you can watch me.” He stood up straight, his hands on his hips.
“Remi was right. You’re sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. This is my house and I don’t want to paint it.”
“Gran!”
Remi stood in the doorway in jeans and a green knit top. She’d changed her clothes. For him. She looked gorgeous, but he couldn’t say that because she would think it was phony. The green of her top brought out the green of her eyes, and he was spellbound.
Gran turned to her. “Look at you. My old Remi’s back.”
“Why don’t you want to paint this room?” Remi asked, not letting her grandmother sidetrack her. “It hasn’t been painted in years. A new coat of paint would do wonders for it.”
“Well?” Paxton looked at the old woman for an answer.
She ran her hands down her apron. “I don’t want to paint it because I’d have to take down the Elvis poster. It’s vintage and it’s been there so long I’m afraid it’ll fall to pieces if I move it.”
Good heavens! What was it with Elvis?
“Do you have some small paintbrushes?” he asked.
“I did a craft thing at the senior citizen center a few years ago. I think I have some brushes in my bedroom. I’ll go look.”
Paxton focused on Remi. “Well, well, well, don’t you look great?”
She looked down at her jeans. “I thought my injured leg would be noticeable in these, but it isn’t. It’s completely straight.”
Paxton kept staring at her. “Yes, it is. You even have hips.”
She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. “Are you flirting with me again?”
“Whatever works,” he said with a smile in his voice.
Miss Bertie came back, preventing further conversation. She held several small paintbrushes in her hands. “Will these work?”
He took one from her. “Yes. I’ll use this very carefully to paint around the Elvis poster and promise not to get any on it. Will that suit you?”
She nodded. “But what are you going to charge me for doing all this?”
“I don’t know. We’ll discuss it later.”
“We’ll discuss it now,” Miss Bertie shot back.
Paxton thought for a minute. He didn’t want a dime, but he didn’t know how to convince Miss Bertie of that. “Is that peach cobbler cooking in the oven?”
“It sure is.”
“It’s my favorite dessert, so if you’ll cook me one every now and then, we’ll be even.”
She held out her hand. “Deal.”
He shook it and was amazed at her strength. After that he moved all of the furniture to the center of the room. Remi took all the Elvis memorabilia off the walls, and then she removed all the family photos and laid them on the sofa. Paxton stopped mixing spackle to stare at a young Remi. Her hair was long, very long. He saw her from a baby to a teenager to an adult and her hair had always been long. Obviously, it had been cut while she was ill and in the hospital. The photos showed just how beautiful she was, but in his gut he knew she didn’t think she was, even before the accident.
After he fixed the holes, Miss Bertie shouted, “It’s time for lunch.”
She’d prepared chicken fried steak and all the trimmings. Afterward, he refused peach cobbler and said he would eat it later when he was through. Miss Bertie didn’t object.
Before going outside to work on the roof, he painted around the Elvis poster very carefully and wondered how an old lady could be so obsessed with the man. Then it hit him. His mother might be, too, but he never saw any Elvis memorabilia around the house.
He left the ladies painting and backed his truck to the side of Miss Bertie’s house. Then he climbed the ladder and tore off the damaged roof. He was almost finished when Remi came out with a glass of iced tea. The temperature was mild, but a cold front with rain was expected, and Paxton wanted to finish the roof before that happened.
“Would you like something to drink?” She had a handkerchief tied around her head and one of her grandmother’s baggy shirts to cover her blouse, but she was still beautiful to him.
He went down the ladder and sat on a rung, taking the tea glass from her hand. “Thanks.” He nodded toward her attire. “How’s the painting going?”
“We’re almost finished. And we’re following orders and waiting for you to do the ceiling.”
“I have a few more shingles to nail on and then I’ll be in.”
She looked at him and he got lost in the green of her eyes. “Thank you for doing this.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
“Sometimes your words have a double meaning.”
With a finger he wiped paint from her cheek. “Yes, ma’am.”
She turned around and walked toward the house, using the cane, with Sadie.
He thought once again about what he was doing here, but it made him feel good inside. It made him feel good about himself. Other than that, he couldn’t explain it. He was tired of trying to figure it out. He was just going to go with the moment and let his heart work out the rest.
* * *
THEY HAD A busy afternoon. Remi helped Paxton pick up the scrap from the roof that had missed the back of his truck. Then he hauled it off to Gran’s brush pile. After the walls were dry, Paxton moved all the furniture back in place, and the Elvis poster was intact and hadn’t been moved.
Remi looked around the room. “It’s so nice, isn’t it, Gran? Gives it a fresh look.”
“Yeah, yeah. Who wants peach cobbler?”
Remi and Paxton took theirs outside to the front porch and sat in the swing. P
axton propped his legs on the porch railing and devoured the peach cobbler. “You really like it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She slapped his arm. “Stop calling me that.”
“Yes—” He laughed. “Sorry, it’s just ingrained in all of us. We were taught to say ‘yes, ma’am’ and ‘no, sir’ at an early age. My parents were big on respect.”
Thunder rumbled across the sky, and Sadie barked. Paxton looked out at the darkening sky. “I got that roof on just in time.” As the last word left his mouth, rain peppered the grass and the porch. He took her plate. “I’ll take these inside. Don’t move.”
She settled back in the swing, rocking back and forth, as the rain continued to fall. It was soothing. Paxton came back with an afghan and handed it to her.
“It’s getting chilly out here.” He nodded toward the house. “Your grandmother is asleep in her chair.”
“She’s had a long day.”
He looped the afghan over her shoulders. It was the end of February and the cold front was moving through. Paxton sat beside her again, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
“Are you tired?” she asked.
“Nah. I’m used to work.” It was unusual to find a man who thrived in everything he did. She might be wearing rose-colored glasses, too.
They were silent for a while as they listened to the rain. “I’m sorry you missed the rodeo.”
“Haven’t you heard the saying ‘there’s always another rodeo’?”
“Were you going to ride?”
“No. We decided to only ride in the Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo this year. My friends and I were just checking out the competition. It was just a fun weekend.”
Lightning zigzagged across the sky and Remi jumped. Paxton put his arm around her. “Are you afraid of lightning?”
“A little.” She snuggled into his side, feeling comfortable. He wrapped the afghan around them as the temperature continued to drop. They sat there watching the rain as the daylight slowly ebbed into darkness. She should turn on the porch light, but she was too comfortable to move.
She played with a button on his shirt. “You like blondes?”
“Most of the time.”
“I’m not blond.”
“I noticed.”
“So why are we sitting here like lovers?”
His hand stroked the back of her neck. “I don’t know. When I looked into your eyes on the beach in Port Aransas, I felt a connection like I’ve never felt before. Your eyes were sad, lonely and afraid, and somehow I identified with that.”
“Why? You’re none of those things.”
“I come from a big family and there’s always someone around, but when I was growing up I felt left out of things. Falcon and Quincy were buddies and always together. Egan was a loner and stayed to himself. Elias was much the same, but Elias is very outspoken where Egan is reserved. Jude and Phoenix were born in the same year so they were close. I was in the middle and at times I felt lonely. I can’t explain it, but I did. Then I lost my dad and my whole world unraveled.”
She patted his chest. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“Why? You had nothing to do with it.”
“But I can feel your pain when you talk about him.”
“Yeah... Remi, I don’t know why we’re attracted to each other, but I want you to know up front that I’m not the staying kind. Love ’em and leave ’em, that’s me.”
“Why do you want me to think that you’re bad?”
“Maybe it’s better that way.”
She tilted her head back. “Kiss me.”
He kissed her forehead, a touch of warmth radiated through her. But it wasn’t what she wanted. “My grandmother kisses me that way.”
“Remi...”
Boldly, she touched her lips to his. They were cool and unresponsive, but she felt the warmth simmering in him. Suddenly, his lips took hers and the heat ignited every sense in her body. She was being kissed by a man who knew how to kiss. And had kissed many women. That didn’t bother her. She was the woman he was kissing now.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in the sweet sensation of feeling like a woman again. Totally in control, he kissed her deeply, their tongues doing a dance that totally enraptured her. She just wanted it to go on. But they had to come up for air.
He rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s don’t ask questions. Let’s just enjoy what we’re feeling. Okay?”
“Okay,” she murmured, and rested her head on his shoulder as the night wrapped around them. The rain continued to pepper the house and it lulled them into a feeling of contentment. Just the two of them. Without problems. Without families. Without commitments.
If only they could stay this way. The real world was waiting beyond the darkness, but she had this moment with him and it was enough for now.
Chapter Nine
Since Paxton was leaving on Friday and Remi was going back to Houston soon, they agreed to spend the next few days together, or at least the evenings. Paxton had to work during the day, but as soon as he was done he showered and headed for Remi’s. He didn’t question what he was doing. He just wanted to be with her.
On Sunday afternoon he took her to Phoenix’s to meet Rosie, her cousin. There was a lot of laughter, tears, hugs and kisses. The two couldn’t stop talking. While Rosie and their son, Jake, showed Remi the new house, Phoenix pulled Paxton aside.
“She walks with a cane.”
Paxton frowned. “So? Do you have a problem with that?”
“It’s like what’s wrong with this picture. Paxton Rebel is dating a woman who uses a cane. The last woman you were head over heels in love with looked like a model from Victoria’s Secret. She was hot. All your women have been hot. So yes, I’m wondering what’s going on with you. Remi is real, like the girl next door, and you could hurt her badly.”
“Okay. She’s not the kind of woman I usually date, but I like her and she makes me feel good about myself. I just like being around her.”
“So now you need someone to cheer you up?”
Paxton placed his hands on his hips, trying not to lash out at his brother. He had a right to question what Paxton was doing. Paxton had questioned it himself. But it was his business and he didn’t like his brother sticking his nose in.
He looked directly at his brother. “You don’t think I can change?”
“Not like this.” Phoenix snapped his fingers. “On New Year’s Eve, which was two months ago, you and Elias were out with women you don’t even remember. That’s you. The party guy. The one I know.”
“I’m not that guy anymore,” he stated firmly.
Phoenix studied him. “You seem different. More serious. How did that happen?”
Paxton pointed toward the house. “She makes me want to be a better person, a better man. I would never hurt her.”
Phoenix shook his hand. “Does Mom know about this? Falling for a McCray is a big deal for a Rebel and I’m giving you a warning. You tell Mom first.”
“She already knows.”
“What!”
“I told her because I didn’t want to go through what you did. Naturally, she doesn’t like it, but she knows Remi had nothing to do with Dad’s death or the shooting. She also gave me a warning. I seem to be getting a lot of those these days.” He poked a finger into Phoenix’s chest. “Now who’s more grown up?”
Jake darted out of the house. “Uncle Pax, Uncle Pax.” The boy held up his arms for Paxton to take him. He swung his nephew into the air and giggles erupted, filling the afternoon with happy vibes. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and his eyes met Remi’s. She was standing on the sidewalk, watching him.
There was no doubt in his mind that he felt something for her, but on the way home P
hoenix’s doubts nagged at him. An old truck was parked in front of Miss Bertie’s house. Paxton knew it was Ruger’s.
While he was searching for words, she spoke up. “You’re very quiet. Did Phoenix say something to you while we were there?”
He waited too long to respond and she knew that Phoenix had. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just brother talk.”
He drove the truck to the back, got out and hurried around to the passenger side to help Remi. But she was already standing on the ground, her face creased into a frown. “Phoenix had questions about me, didn’t he?”
“Remi...”
“I’m not the type of girl you usually date.”
“Will you stop it? It has nothing to do with you. It’s about me. Phoenix doesn’t want me to hurt you. That’s it. We talked about this ourselves. I don’t see why you’re so upset.”
“I think we should stop seeing each other,” she said quietly, and turned toward the house.
His stomach knotted into a ball, but he hurried after her. “Remi, that was Ruger’s truck in front of the house.”
She frowned at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she made her way inside.
Paxton had two choices. He could leave or stay in case Remi or Miss Bertie needed help. He did the latter.
Ruger and his grandmother stood in the kitchen. Miss Bertie was all smiles. Ruger’s clothes were clean and it looked as if he’d cut his hair.
“Look who came for a visit,” Miss Bertie said, patting Ruger on the shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” Remi asked.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. Uncle Ira gets upset when you call and I’d rather not deal with the hassle.”
“But you’re here. What’s he going to say about that?”
Ruger shrugged. “Nothing good. I’ve been thinking about what you—” he glanced at Paxton “—said about the shooting. You got it all wrong. Uncle Ira said your brothers fell off the horse and injured themselves. My father was a good man. He wouldn’t shoot a kid.”
“A good man!” Miss Bertie’s eyes almost bugged out.