by Helen Lacey
For years he hadn’t thought about her as anything other than Liz’s friend. He’d loved his wife. They had been devoted to one another and their family. But now Liz was gone and Marissa...well, she wound him up in a way he couldn’t quite fathom. And he didn’t like the feeling. Not one bit.
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “So, about this bull of yours?”
“It’s because of Delilah.”
She frowned and came down the steps. Grady caught the scent of her flowery perfume on the breeze and he tensed automatically. How long had it been since he’d noticed perfume? Years. Too long.
“Delilah?”
“Miss Violet’s Guernsey cow,” he explained and stepped closer. “She bought her a couple of months ago.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“Well, Earl has a hankering for Delilah,” he said and bit back a grin when he saw her frown deepen.
“A hankering?” she echoed.
“Yeah,” he replied quietly. “You know, when-a-boy-likes-a-girl kind of thing.”
She didn’t look the least bit amused. “Right. So where is this cow now?”
“Miss Violet would sometimes keep Delilah in the backyard, but a neighbor has been looking after her since your aunt went to the hospital.” Grady shrugged casually. “I guess Earl didn’t know that. He drops over from time to time.”
“Can’t you keep him tied up or something?” she suggested. “I mean, how hard is it to keep him corralled or whatever it is you do with a bull?”
“And stand in the way of true love?” Grady put a hand to his chest. “That’s not very neighborly.”
“I’m not in the mood to be neighborly when the blasted animal is eating my aunt’s flower bed.”
Grady smiled to himself. Marissa was so uptight she looked as though she was about to pop. “I’ll take him home,” he said easily and turned back toward the truck. By the time he’d opened the side door and extracted a halter and lead, Marissa was directly beside him. “You planning on helping?”
“Not a chance,” she replied and peered inside the truck. “You’re the cowboy. Nice rig, by the way. New?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said and immediately pushed down the irritation climbing up his spine.
It sounded like a criticism, as if she had an opinion about him buying a new truck and horse trailer. And she wouldn’t be the first. He’d seen the same look on Liz’s father and brothers. The same skepticism, the same query...as if they were looking for ways to question his integrity. Since he’d inherited Liz’s money upon her death, there were plenty of people looking to see what he’d do. Sell out? Buy a bigger place? Add more cattle to the herd? He hadn’t done any of that. Instead, he put the money in trust for the girls and got on with running the ranch as he always had. Business was steady and he made a good living. Good enough to run the ranch at a profit and take care of his family. The O’Sullivans thought way too much of their own opinions, and they’d never believed him good enough for Liz.
But he’d loved her. She was kind and caring and had been an incredible mother to the girls and an amazing wife to him. She was what he’d needed when his dad died and he took over the running of the ranch at just twenty. Liz supported and understood him. And he didn’t regret one moment of the years they had together.
“Grady?”
Marissa’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Right, the bull. I’ll see he’s out of your way.”
“Sure,” she said. “Can I see the girls soon? I have a few gifts for them. I missed being here for Breanna’s birthday last month.”
He knew Marissa was generous. And seven-year-old Breanna adored her, as did five-year-old Milly. Tina, who was only two and half, also seemed to light up whenever Marissa came to visit. And since he loved his daughters more than anything, Grady would do whatever he could to make them happy.
“Of course,” he replied. “I had Cassie come around this morning after you called to watch them until I get back.”
Her brows shot up. “Cassie?”
“My neighbor, remember? She’s married to Tanner McCord.”
Tanner was his closest neighbor and friend and was recently married with a baby and another on the way. Cassie McCord had been a godsend in the past few weeks.
She nodded as though her memory was kicking in. “Oh, right. What happened to Mrs. Cain?”
“Left last month,” he said of his former housekeeper. “She moved back to Deadwood to be with her daughter.”
“So the girls are eating your cooking?” she asked, widening her eyes provocatively. “Poor little things.”
Grady grinned and curled the halter and lead in his hand. “They don’t mind it. As I recall you’re the only one who objects to my skill on the grill.”
She gave a brittle laugh. “Skill? It’s always raw. That’s searing, not cooking.”
He shut the door. “Let’s not get into another argument about how to best serve steak, okay?”
Because he liked it rare. Marissa liked it well-done.
They never agreed on anything. Never had. Never would. The only link they had was Liz, and since his wife’s death only his daughters had kept their association alive.
“Agreed,” she said and followed him down the path and through the side gate. “And your bull busted some of the fence palings, by the way. So they’ll need to be repaired. You can send someone over to do it if you like.”
Grady got the message. Someone. Not him. “You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”
“What?”
“Seems like you left your manners on the other side of the bed this morning.”
She stopped in her tracks. “I did not. And I’m being perfectly—”
“Obnoxious,” he said, cutting her off. “Give it a rest, Marissa. I know you had a long drive yesterday and you’re upset about Miss Violet, but you called and I’m here. I’ll take Earl home and get my foreman to come over and repair your fence, and if you want to drop by today or tomorrow to see the girls, that’s okay. But can you ditch the attitude? I really don’t have the time for it. I’ve got beef to get to market this week and I’m interviewing for a new housekeeper, and I don’t want the kids to pick up on any tension between us.”
She stared at him. Glared at him. And he waited for her to respond, to go on the offensive. To give it back to him in spades.
“Tension?” Her eyes widened. “Is that what it is?”
Grady shrugged. “I don’t know. All I do know is that sometimes being around you is kind of exhausting.”
When she didn’t say anything, he left her and walked toward the bull.
* * *
Obnoxious? Attitude? Exhausting?
Perhaps she had been a little mean-spirited and irritable about the bull, but that didn’t mean he had to tell her off about it.
She followed him, hands on hips, and watched as he effortlessly harnessed the bull and began to lead him across the lawn. He had a way with animals. Kids, too. She’d witnessed how much his daughters adored him on many occasions. Liz had adored him, too. And he’d adored Liz in return. Her friend had told her how much she’d loved being his wife. How caring and loyal he was. How faithful and strong.
Faithful? It wasn’t a concept in marriage she was used to. Simon had betrayed her too many times. And within months of their wedding he’d cheated on her with a colleague Marissa had once considered a friend. In hindsight she knew she should never have married her boss, no matter how charming he had appeared. When she’d confronted him, he became verbally abusive, and later, that verbal abuse turned into violence. That’s when she’d bailed...and she thanked her lucky stars she’d had the mental fortitude to escape. She’d told no one what had transpired. She had no one to tell. Liz was gone by then and she had no intention of burdening Aunt Violet wi
th such knowledge. So she had stayed quiet and kept her problems to herself. She’d changed firms but Simon had already made it impossible for her to get the kind of position she was qualified for. He was top in his field, a true corporate shark, and pulled a lot of weight in a town where reputation was everything. And once Marissa’s reputation was tainted, there was nowhere to go, no company that would take a risk with her, despite her stellar résumé and experience.
So, even before Aunt Violet’s accident, she was planning on returning to Cedar River. She wasn’t running away. She was starting over. Carving out a new life with new possibilities. To help Aunt Violet and fulfill the promise she’d made to Liz to always be there for her daughters.
And being at odds with Grady from the outset wasn’t going to make that easy. So she sucked up her irritation and took a breath.
“I don’t mean for us to always end up arguing, you know.”
Grady stilled when she spoke, tightening his grip on the lead rope as he stared at her.
“You don’t?” he queried and grinned a little. “It’s the tension thing, then?”
Earl snorted loudly and she took a wary step backward. She wasn’t much of a cowgirl. She didn’t even know how to ride. Liz had looked awesome in the saddle, and she knew Grady’s two oldest daughters had ponies of their own.
She dropped her arms. “It’s just that we...we...”
“We’ve never gotten along,” he finished for her. “Yeah, I know.”
“But I think we should try, for the girls’ sake,” she added. “They mean the world to me.”
“And to me,” he said quietly, and she couldn’t help but notice how the wind gently flipped through the hair at his collar. “And I do want them to know you, Marissa. There are things they can learn from you that they never will from me.”
Mother kind of things. Marissa didn’t miss the meaning of his words. Liz was gone and her daughters longed for a mother’s love. She knew that. She’d felt it every time she called them on the phone and the last time she’d come home for a visit. Breanna in particular had craved her attention and had cried when she’d left. It was a memory that had haunted Marissa for months. And Milly...she’d been so close to Liz, and Marissa knew she missed her mother terribly. As for the baby, Tina had no memory of her mom. It was tragic all around. And since one of the last things Liz had asked of her just before she died was for Marissa to look after her girls, she knew she would always endeavor to do exactly that. Liz was her dearest friend and had been a lifesaver when Marissa had lost her own mother.
“I’ll do whatever I can for them,” she said earnestly.
Grady was watching her with such burning intensity she was tempted to look away. But she didn’t. She met his gaze head-on. Steadfast. Resolute.
“Okay,” he said and kind of half smiled. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate any time you can spend with them.”
“I could take them out tomorrow,” she suggested. “Once I’ve settled in and stocked the house with some supplies. I thought I might take Breanna and Milly to see Aunt Violet.”
He nodded. “Sure. You can collect them from my mom’s around eleven. I always take them to her place Saturday morning.”
Marissa knew that. Liz had started that tradition years earlier. And she liked Colleen Parker a lot, too. Grady’s mother was one of those kind, forthright people who was always on hand for a cup of peppermint tea and a chat.
“Great,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded again and lingered, as if he wasn’t quite finished speaking to her. “Yeah...right.”
Tension returned and quickly filled the space between them. It was always like that. There was no remedy. No way of altering the fact that they rubbed each other the wrong way. It was instinct. Inescapable. It always would be.
“Goodbye, Grady.”
He stared at her. Through her. His deep blue eyes were unwavering and intense.
“So long, Marissa,” he said finally and urged the bull forward. He got to the gate and then turned. “And Marissa...it’s good to have you back.”
One brow rose. “You sure about that?”
“No,” he said candidly. “Not one damned bit.”
Then he walked through the gate and out of sight.
Chapter Two
“So...have you been seeing anyone lately?”
Grady rocked back in his chair and released a squirming Tina, who’d dropped her favorite stuffed frog on the floor and wanted it back. He picked up the toy and placed it into her arms.
He sat in his mother’s kitchen, drinking coffee and having a reasonably deep conversation with his younger brother, Brant, about the other man’s intention to purchase the Loose Moose Tavern. Or at least, what was left of the place after it had been partially gutted by a fire several months earlier. And he would have continued the conversation had his mother, standing by the western red cedar counter, not suddenly started grilling him about his private life.
“I see plenty of people,” he said mildly.
Brant chuckled and Grady glared at his brother. He loved his mother, but when she got into one of her moods and started asking questions about what she saw as his lacking love life, a wall inevitably came up. Colleen Parker was a gem of a person and a wonderful parent, but sometimes she pushed too far and too hard.
“Stop being smart with me,” she said and shook her head as she placed a sippy cup into Tina’s hands. “Are you dating anyone at the moment?”
Grady cocked his head sideways. “Do you mean since you asked me this same question last Saturday?” He shrugged a little too casually and knew his mother wouldn’t be fooled.
“Sarcasm isn’t necessary. It was a reasonable question.” Colleen came to the table and sat down.
Grady groaned. “Then no, I’m not.”
His mother tutted. “How are you ever going to get married again if you refuse to even date?”
“I’m not refusing to do anything,” he replied and sipped more coffee, keeping one eye on his youngest daughter as she wandered around the kitchen table. “I simply don’t have time for dating. Nor do I want a wife at this point in time.”
Colleen tutted again. “Your girls need a mother.”
“They have a mother,” he said, sharper than he’d intended, then softened his tone a fraction. “Just leave it alone, Mom. I’m fine, okay?”
“You’re not and I can’t,” she replied. “I’m concerned about you and my grandchildren. And as your mother, that’s my right. So stop fobbing me off with excuses like not having the time. You have to make time.”
It was the same old song. The one he heard every week. For the past twelve months his mother had become unwavering in her belief that he needed to get married again. But he wasn’t about to jump into anything. Sure, he knew the girls would relish having another woman in their lives...but marriage was a huge step. And he wasn’t sure he had the heart to give part of himself to someone new...at least, not yet. He liked his life...most of the time. Sure, there were times when he got lonely, but who didn’t? And there were nights when he would have liked someone to talk to, someone to curl up to and someone to make love with. But that didn’t mean he was about to get into a relationship he simply wasn’t convinced he was ready for.
He cracked a smile and looked at his mother. “Can’t you point that Cupid’s arrow of yours in his direction for once?” Grady suggested and hooked a thumb toward his brother.
Colleen grinned. “Once you’re settled, he’s next.”
Brant groaned loudly. “Leave me out of this, will you?” he said in a despairing tone.
Grady looked at Brant, who was two years his junior, and smiled. But in his heart he worried about his younger brother, who had recently left the military after a third tour of the Middle East. Grady knew his brother had brought demons home w
ith him. He wasn’t sure what, but he felt it. Brant didn’t say much. He didn’t have to. They had been close all their lives. But something haunted his younger brother, something big. Only, Brant wasn’t talking, and Grady worried that his brother never would.
“Not a chance,” he said and laughed. “Now that you’re back you get to take your medicine just like I have to.”
They both laughed then and it felt good. He loved Saturday mornings at his mom’s. The girls adored their grandmother and their uncle Brant, and having family so close by helped fill the void left when Liz had died. Despite Colleen’s repeated matchmaking efforts, Grady knew his mom understood his need to keep his daughters in a loving and steady routine, without stress. She’d done the same when his own dad had died, even though he’d been twenty and Brant eighteen. Colleen had left the ranch twelve months later and moved into town, and Grady had taken over the family property. That was twelve years ago. Since then he’d married, had three children and buried his wife.
But his mother was always there. She’d been unfailing in her support after Liz had passed away and he knew he and the girls wouldn’t have coped as well without Colleen in the background.
But it was getting harder to keep her at bay, despite her good intentions. His mother was relentless when she wanted something.
There was a knock on the door and he quickly got to his feet, happy for the reprieve.
Marissa...
It was eleven o’clock. One thing about Marissa, she was always punctual. He admired that about her more than he was prepared to admit. “I’ll get it,” he said and headed down the hall.
When he opened the door, his stomach did a sudden “Marissa is close” plunge. She looked incredible in blue jeans, a bright green sweater and knee-high boots. Her blond hair framed her face and her cheeks were flushed with color. Her caramel-brown eyes were unwavering as they met his gaze. One thing for sure, Marissa Ellis was beautiful. And Grady experienced a strong surge of something that felt a whole lot like desire sweep through his blood. He pushed it back quickly.