by Heidi Hormel
“There is that. I’ll be practicing more with my left.”
She’d been dismissed again. She’d take the hint this time. “I’m glad to hear that the puppies have homes.”
“All but Hulk.”
“He’s a cutie, though. I can’t imagine it will take long.”
“Maybe. Except he may be deaf. That’s sometimes the case with white dogs. It’s hard to say.”
“Poor little guy,” she said as she looked over at the puppy pen, where everyone was sleeping peacefully.
“Yeah.” Danny’s shoulders slumped with...weariness, fear, sadness? She couldn’t be sure. She was a glutton for punishment because she stepped to him and picked up his bad right hand, giving it a squeeze even if he couldn’t feel it. He stiffened for a moment, and then she was in his arms, his lips on hers devouring her and heating her.
Chapter Eleven
Danny wasn’t sure if he’d slept. The evening and night were a haze of loving Clover. Now it was morning and only one beam of the rising sun crept through the crack in the curtain. He couldn’t deny that a new day had dawned. Maggie May had yipped twice to be let out. He slid from the bed so he wouldn’t wake Clover. Her mass of auburn hair sparked red in the light. He wanted to bury his face again in its softly fragrant length.
He had responsibilities. She would wake soon enough and realize that they had made another mistake, except it didn’t feel like a mistake. That aching emptiness he’d been trying to fill with Angel Crossing and its problems had been gone in her arms. Even now that space had a fullness he hadn’t felt since...he’d been a teen and trembling with his love and need for her. Dangerous thoughts and imaginings. She was going to destroy what he’d built for himself here.
He kept moving. He’d learned that was the best way to deal with pain, just keep moving and don’t think. He got Maggie May and the puppies outside with no accidents. He allowed them to romp longer than usual, telling himself they needed the extra exercise, not that he was hoping Clover would sneak away and he wouldn’t have to face her. Now the canine family stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him. No more stalling. When he got them all adopted, he’d miss this in the mornings. But it was best for them. They couldn’t live in an apartment, especially with his busy schedule. He didn’t have the time for training a puppy or a new dog.
He herded them up the stairs. The door opened and Clover appeared in yesterday’s clothes, her hair shining in the sun and her expression in shadow. His face felt numb today. He couldn’t make it move in any way that made sense. He looked down at the boards of the landing. Better than trying to control his stiff features or seeing the regret in her eyes.
“I wanted to make sure your arm’s okay,” she said as he brushed by her and inside.
The reason she’d stayed. Pity. “Good enough to take care of myself.”
“Don’t be so sensitive,” she said. “I didn’t mean anything.”
“Thanks for letting me know what last night was about. Helping the cripple feel better about himself.”
He went to the dog food bowls. Why didn’t she leave?
“The puppies and Maggie May will be leaving soon?”
“Yes.” The dogs crowded him as he put down their food. Time to refill the water.
“You’ll miss them?”
That didn’t deserve an answer. He didn’t have a choice, like he hadn’t about his career or about being mayor.
She went on when he didn’t answer. “Do you need help paying the vet bills?”
“Just because I’m not riding anymore doesn’t mean—”
“Jeez. You’re as prickly as a cactus in May.”
“What?”
“You used to say that.”
He may have. It was one of the many sayings from his mother that made as much sense as a cowboy in heels. “My mama said that. She says a lot of things that don’t really make sense.”
“I did wonder. But it sounds good, doesn’t it? Should I make us coffee?”
Why did the thought of sitting down and having coffee with Clover seem like the absolute best way to start the morning? Because this woman had always made him feel that way. He had never been sure around her, like he was with other women or even around ornery bulls. “Sure,” he said. “I don’t think I have much for breakfast. I can run down to the diner.” How would he explain an order that would probably include yogurt or fruit or something like that? Everyone in the diner would know what he’d been up to.
“Coffee will do for now.” She turned from him and went into the kitchen. He stood for a moment, watching her, and the unsteady feeling was gone. This felt right, a morning routine and a little conversation. He’d had a girlfriend or three over the years and this time of day had never felt like this. What was it about Clover?
“Black with sugar, right?” she asked over her shoulder.
He went to her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck because he wanted her right now. He couldn’t wait and he didn’t want to think about why.
“Oh, my,” she said. “Someone doesn’t need a cup of coffee to wake up.”
* * *
HE AND CLOVER had spent the past two weeks looking for homes for Maggie May and Hulk. So, of course, that meant spending a lot of time together, both in and out of bed. She’d gone to the arena with him as he continued to work on his riding, not saying anything when he ate dirt regularly. She’d even helped him with his strength training and cardio with jogs through the streets. He knew the town had taken note. He’d gotten looks from Irvin and Loretta that said, What are you doing, boy? Bobby Ames had straight-out asked if he believed fraternizing with a VCW representative would get him a better price for his properties. Danny had barely stopped himself from punching the man.
He and Clover stood in the parking lot behind Angel Crossing’s main street, which also served as the town’s outdoor farmers’ market. They’d just sent off another puppy to one of the homes he’d found. The family had two kids and everyone looked so excited. Maggie May and Hulk were still with him. He knew Maggie May would be tough to place and had hoped that AJ would take her as a friend for Butch. Danny knew most people wanted puppies, not full-grown mutts. He’d been working with her, though. Teaching her commands to make her more attractive to a family or even an older person looking for a companion. As smart as she was, he’d bet he could teach her to get the remote and turn on the lights. Hulk, the little runt, was deaf in one ear with only a little bit of hearing in the other. Danny was teaching him hand signals, and like Maggie May, he picked them up quickly.
“I know that she’ll be happy, but I’m still—”
Danny pulled Clover into an embrace. She’d cried each time they’d placed one of the pups in a new home. “You can’t have a dog and neither can I. The kids looked so excited. She’ll do well. I gave them my number in case there’s any problems. I told them they could call me and I’d come get her, no questions asked.”
She hugged him harder and whispered her thanks. Nearly as good as winning a buckle and the money. Damn. He was getting in deep with Clover. Two more weeks until the big meeting, the final decision on Rico Pueblo having been postponed at the last council meeting. The one he should be preparing for, instead of worrying about puppies and Clover’s feelings.
“I knew there was something special about you when we first met.”
“It was my butt in my jeans. That’s what you told me.”
“That was good, too. But I saw the way you treated that ragged dog you had. You never yelled at him, even when he chewed up your new belt.”
“Jack was a piece of work. I had that belt specially made and had only worn it once.”
She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining with more than tears, and he couldn’t imagine how he’d live up to what she thought he was. “You even told you
r sister Jessie to stop teasing me.”
“I knew what it was like to be in her crosshairs,” he said lightly.
“Now look at you, trying to save a town and a bunch of puppies.” She pulled his head down and kissed him hard. “Why do you have to be so sweet? Why did I think you weren’t worth my time back then?”
“I wasn’t and I’m not,” he said, trying to put a little distance between them. “I was young, innocent when we met. A lot has happened since then.”
“To both of us, but you haven’t changed that much. You still have a great butt,” she said with a laugh. “Even better,” she whispered softly into his ear, “you’ve learned how to... You’re a good lover, generous, kind, caring.”
“It’s you. You make me that way. No one else... Let me just say that it’s special.” Crap. Why had he confessed that?
She kissed him again, her lips softly nibbling at his as she held him to her. Her curves so familiar that his hand settled into her waist like a chicken coming home to roost. He laughed against her lips. Happy.
“What?” she asked, her blue eyes unfocused.
“Nothing. Let’s go home.” He didn’t think what he meant by that.
“Yes. Maggie May and Hulk are waiting for us.”
Their hips bumped companionably against each other as they strolled to his apartment, his arm thrown over her shoulder. No point in thinking too hard about why he could imagine doing the same thing every day for the rest of his life.
* * *
CLOVER STIRRED AS the puppy’s whine went from pathetic to a baying howl.
“Shh.” She heard Danny and his “stealthy” footsteps. “Don’t wake your mama.”
Her heart stopped then cracked open. Danny had loved her last night well and truly but that wasn’t what made her want him. This early-morning stealth and his comments were what had wormed themselves into her heart. She feared this would make her want to stay in Angel Crossing and give up on her dream. Just like when she’d met him the first time. She’d fallen hard for him and wanted to give up on college to be with him while he competed. He’d been on his way even then. She would have given it all up and gladly. But going back to her “real” life and eventually seeing pictures of Danny with another girl had convinced her that her future lay elsewhere. She had to remember that again. She’d nearly gained the position she’d fought for. The one that she’d gone to Wharton for, the one that her ability with numbers should have gotten her over her brother years ago.
But when she started thinking about the future, she had doubts, worries and fears. That was normal. Then Danny would kiss the nape of her neck, making her shudder all over. Her dreams would shift. She’d see herself with him and with their babies. She’d never imagined herself with children. Her life was going to be all about her work.
A puppy growl reached her as did Danny’s attempt to quiet Hulk. She could put off for another day making decisions about the rest of her life. She didn’t need to understand statistics to know the likelihood of her and Danny staying together made for a bad bet.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, she’d done a week’s worth of deep breathing after finding the hole the puppy had chewed in her new Coach bag. Despite her early-morning dreams of a life with Danny, she was on her way to meet with Melvin about a tract of property he owned just outside of town. VCW wanted it as part of Rico Pueblo.
Her father had decided to stay until the next council meeting two weeks from now. He’d set up a satellite office in one of the properties they owned along Miner’s Gulch. Danny had even helped fit it out to make it usable.
The different parts of her life were beginning to blur. She hadn’t figured out if that was a good or a bad thing...yet. She had two more weeks to make that decision. Well, hell, there was Danny’s pickup. What was he doing out here? He’d better be bidding on a rehab job and not talking to the man about his property.
The long, low ranch house had a history to it and amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Well, history for Arizona. In New York, it would be just a pup of a house. A back part of it was old-time adobe. Too bad the house and the barns would be flattened for VCW’s plans. Sometimes you had to break a few eggs. Or something like that. Clover knocked on the door as she rubbed each boot against the back of her jeans. Not something her mother or father would approve of, but in dusty Arizona, it was a must to keep her pink cowgirl boots looking decent. Today she’d dressed not to impress or intimidate, but to prove that she wasn’t so different from the residents of Angel Crossing—jeans, plaid shirt (one of her mother’s designs in pink and purple, highlighted with silver lamé), white hat with a dyed pink snake band and her pink boots. Feminine and Western. She looked good.
“Hello, Melvin, good to see you again,” she said to the balding man with the thick waist and short legs. “I hope I’m not disturbing your talk with the mayor.” No use pretending she didn’t know who was here.
“Seems everyone wants to visit today. Even your daddy is here.”
She smiled because otherwise her mouth would have dropped open. What was her father doing here? Had he hidden his car on purpose? She’d told him she’d take care of this. She’d spoken to Melvin at least four times about the property, the price, the contingencies. Today she was going to close the deal and get his name on the sale papers, which would give her plenty of time to finish the transfer before the meeting. She wanted this property to be the cornerstone of the portion of the Rico Peublo single-family home development that mixed history and nature, in the form of world-class views.
“We’re out back. Come along. I never would have guessed this dry old ranch would be worth so much.”
Crap. The man saw dollar signs, always bad for making the budget work. Clover smiled again. That was what a lady did when she didn’t agree and needed to keep her mouth shut. She wanted to figure out exactly what was going on before she said anything more.
They walked around the outside of the house, entering a garden and patio protected by a wooden gate that looked even older than the house and included a crude carving of something that might be an angel.
“Daddy,” Clover said.
Her father nodded at her and Danny gave her a blank-eyed stare. What the heck was going on?
“Take a seat,” Melvin said as he sat down in a large wooden chair with more angels carved on the arms and back, similar to that on the gate. “Growing up here, I never could have imagined anyone would be so interested in my ranch, and now I have three buyers.”
“Two,” Clover corrected, settling herself. She would speak calmly with this man who held a lot of the cards right now. “I also work for VCW.”
“Yep, but there must be some kind of insider trading or something since there are two of you here.” The man was absolutely gleeful.
“I assure you that VCW has a very clear plan for this and the additional properties that we have acquired.”
Danny said, “Melvin, you’ve lived here your entire life, and it was your great-grandfather who built the ranch and founded the town. Do you think a company from New York City will treat you and Angel Crossing right?”
“If they give me the money I want, I’ll be treated right.”
Clover knew it. This was all about money. She’d found that a lot of life came down to money. At least for her parents it had. They’d never officially divorced because it would cost too much. Each continued to grow their business and ignore that they were still hitched to another human.
“I believe,” her father said smoothly, “that we had a very advantageous agreement.”
“Probably.” Melvin stalled. “But I want to hear what the mayor and your daughter have to offer.”
“I’m not bidding against my own company,” she said, dismayed that her father had stepped into the fray.
“I’m only out here to make the offer you should have and
clean up your mess,” her father said to her in a low tone that she hoped Melvin couldn’t hear.
She was more than annoyed. She’d been near to completing a deal with Melvin. She’d even been toying with the idea of keeping elements from the old ranch as part of an entrance to the development, hoping it would bring down his price.
“What about you, Mayor? Going to up your price?” Melvin asked.
Danny’s expression froze and his fingers drummed against his leg. “You know I don’t have anything more to offer and this property is worth less than we offered. At this rate, I’m going to end up back at the rodeo to make money.”
“Don’t care about you and the bull riding. This property is worth whatever anyone is willing to pay, not what the county has on that piece of paper. Your sister and her archaeologist have said that there could be ‘significant historical meaning to the property as well as evidence of presettlement materials.’ That should be worth some coin.”
Danny stood, his blue eyes cool as his gaze landed on Clover before he spoke to Melvin. “I gave you the offer and explained why your property is important to Angel Crossing. I can’t do more than that.”
She hesitated for a moment and followed Danny out. “This is just business.”
“Dirty business,” he countered. He took in a deep breath and blew it out. “Like I said, it might be that I’m not meant to be a developer or a mayor, that my place is on the back of a bull.”
“Danny, I—” What could she say? That she didn’t want him to ride bulls again because it was too dangerous? She didn’t have any right to say that. “Sorry about the property.” She turned and walked back into the house.
“We have an agreement, then?” her father asked Melvin.
“Maybe. I’ll need to think on it now that I’ve got so many people interested and know that there might be some ancient artifacts underground.”
“The only ancient artifact that you should be looking for is your integrity,” Clover said, glaring at her father as she walked out again. She wouldn’t think about why she’d been more upset about Danny’s crazy idea about bull riding than her father stepping in to take over her project.