“I’m such an idiot,” she said as Hubert’s tongue licked the tears off her cheeks.
She leaned back against the sofa with Hubert perched on her lap. “How could I let things go so far?”
Hubert cocked his head.
She ran a finger over her swollen lower lip, remembering how Garrett’s passion had sparked her own. How easily she’d fallen into his arms. How very willing she’d been to fall into his bed.
“How am I ever going to face him tomorrow?” she asked Hubert as she lay on the sofa and drew the lonestar quilt over her body.
Hubert settled in next to her feet, resting his jaw on her ankle, then heaved a long sigh.
She closed her eyes, worried about an even bigger problem. How am I ever going to be able to leave him?
“I’M A DAMNED FOOL,” Garrett said as he scooped oats into Peanut’s trough. “I can’t believe I tried to seduce a woman still in love with her fiancé.”
It wasn’t close to dawn yet, but Garrett had tossed and turned in his bed long enough. His empty bed. At last, he’d gotten up, dressed and made his way to the barn. At least there he wasn’t tortured by the thought of Mimi sleeping only a few feet away from him.
He hadn’t looked at her when he left. He’d been afraid she might be awake. Afraid he might not be able to walk away from her this time. Hell, he’d barely survived it the first time.
He thrust one hand through his rumpled hair as he sank down on a bale of hay. A man shouldn’t have to live with this kind of temptation. She’d told him she wasn’t engaged any longer, but did she still have feelings for her fiancé?
She didn’t kiss like a woman in love with another man. He didn’t even want to think about her touching another man as she’d touched him last night. Another man looking at that breathtaking body of hers. And Garrett had only seen half of it.
Just enough to leave him wanting more.
“Garrett?”
His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. He swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
Mimi stepped into the barn, her arms wrapped around her waist. “What are you doing out here?”
“Chores,” he replied, wishing she didn’t look so adorable. She wore a pair of blue overalls she’d purchased, along with a bright orange farm hat with furry ear flaps and a pair of cowboy boots that fit her properly.
He wrenched his gaze away from her and bent to scoop up another bucket of oats. “I wanted to get an early start. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
She closed the barn door behind her, then took off the hat, her blond curls delectably tousled. “What do you want me to do?”
The question echoed between them, reminding him of a similar question last night.
What exactly do you want me to do?
Kiss me.
Mimi’s cheeks burned, making it obvious her memory was just as good as his. She tucked an errant curl behind one ear. “I can make breakfast.”
He cleared his throat. “That sounds good. I’m going to clean out the stalls, so I’ll be there in about half an hour.”
“All right.” She stood for a moment, almost as if she wanted to say something more. Then, without another word, she turned on the heel of her cowboy boot and walked out the barn door.
Three weeks. Three more weeks to keep her at arm’s length. It might as well be an eternity. Especially now that he knew how she felt in his arms.
He wondered if it would take her the entire three weeks to get over her fiancé.
Garrett picked up a pitchfork, not sure he wanted to know the answer. The best thing he could do now was forget last night ever happened. Treat her like any other ranch hand.
And take a hell of a lot of cold showers.
MIMI AND GARRETT developed a routine over the next week. They rose early, worked hard and avoided each other as much as possible. They definitely avoided any mention of the passionate night that had almost happened between them.
For the first few days, Mimi wondered if she’d be better off back in Austin. But she found solace in her work. Riding fence lines and caring for the cattle left her little time to feel sorry for herself. Calving season started in earnest, with three or four calves born each day. She learned to operate the calf pullers without fainting, though she used them only as a last resort.
Garrett didn’t take her target shooting again. Or attempt to kiss her. But despite the fact that she tried to avoid prolonged conversations with him, it didn’t stop her from watching him whenever she had the chance.
Saturday afternoon, exactly one week after the barbecue, was just such an occasion. She stood in the living room near the large bay window, parting the drapes just far enough to watch him chop wood for the fireplace. He’d removed his shirt, his skin glistening with sweat and his muscles straining as he wielded the ax.
She flexed her fingers on the drapes, remembering how those muscles had felt under her touch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to think about mucking out the horse stalls. Whenever her thoughts strayed in the wrong direction, she made herself think about shoveling manure. It was one of the worst jobs on the ranch, and one she found herself doing far too often.
But at least it kept her busy.
The telephone rang, startling her from her thoughts. She turned away from the window and picked up the receiver. “Lord ranch.”
“Is this Mimi?”
She smiled when she recognized Dr. Hawkins’s nasal voice. “Yes, how nice to hear from you.”
“Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I had to attend a symposium in San Antonio last week. But it did give me a chance to consult with some of my colleagues about that unusual teddy bear you told me about.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone cord. “What did you find out?”
“That it’s even more rare than I thought. If it’s the genuine article. There’s one way to find out. Lift up the tail….”
“Wait just a minute, please,” she said, then set down the receiver and raced for Garrett’s bedroom. The teddy bear sat untouched upon his dresser. She hesitated a moment, remembering all that had happened the last time she’d been in this room. Then she grabbed the teddy bear, thankful it couldn’t talk.
She hurried into the living room and picked up the phone receiver. “Okay, go ahead.”
“You should find a small emblem embroidered on the underside of the tail.”
She lifted the tail of the teddy bear, tracing the faded red stitching with one finger. “It’s a heart with the initials A.B. inside of it.”
“That’s it!” Dr. Hawkins didn’t try to hide his excitement. “I believe you’ve got yourself a genuine Bruner Bear. That’s worth quite a little bundle, Mimi.”
She sat on the sofa. “The value doesn’t matter to me at the moment. I need to know the history.”
“It’s short and sweet. Bruner Bears were handmade by a woman named Anna Bruner in Calloway, Texas, between the years 1909 and 1912.”
Her pulse picked up a notch. “Did you say Calloway?”
“That’s right. I thought that would get your attention.”
Calloway, Texas, was in Sagebrush County, home of the Sagebrush Conservation Society. Not only would they have information about the Bruner teddy bears and their creator, they might even have sale records. Or letters. Or something that could lead to information about LeeAnn Larrimore.
“I don’t suppose you have a telephone number for the director of the Sagebrush Conservation Society?”
“As a matter of fact I do.”
Mimi picked up a pencil and jotted down the number Dr. Hawkins recited. Then she hugged the teddy bear to her chest. “Dr. Hawkins, I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you.”
“Just let me take a look at the Bruner Bear sometime. It’s not every day you find a treasure like that.”
Mimi hung up the phone, realizing Dr. Hawkins had no idea about the potential of this teddy bear. It was the key not only to the past, but possibly to the future. If it could lead to Ga
rrett’s mother, would he finally be able to put his bitterness and unanswered questions to rest?
She turned toward the door, anxious to tell Garrett the good news. Then she hesitated. What if it was just another false lead? What if it got his hopes up for nothing?
Realizing the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him, Mimi turned to the telephone and picked up the receiver.
Then she placed a call that could change his life forever.
PAUL RENQUIST walked into the restaurant, pleased to see Harper already waiting for him. It was time for the man to start earning his inflated fee.
“Why the urgent meeting?” Harper asked as Paul sat across from him. “I was planning to come to your office tomorrow morning and give you an update. Not that I have much to report.”
“This couldn’t wait.” Paul waved to the waitress. Then he dropped his bombshell. “I received a visit from the police today.”
Harper’s eyes widened. “Did Rupert bring them in on the case?”
Paul shook his head. “No, they’re not even aware Mimi is missing. In fact, they came to the house looking for her. Seems they just recovered her stolen car.”
“Stolen?”
“That’s right. The cops raided a local chop shop and found Mimi’s convertible among the cars. It had been stripped and repainted, but it still had the vehicle identification number etched on the motor. That’s how they traced it to her.”
Harper sat up. “This is good.”
“It gets even better. The small-time punk they collared is playing the cooperation game in hopes of reducing his sentence. According to the cops, he’s more than willing to answer any and all questions.”
“So you want me to pay him a visit?”
“I think that would be an excellent idea. The police mentioned he was out on bond. But they gave me his name. Gordon Snyder.”
Harper jotted in his notepad, then flipped it shut. “I hope Mr. Snyder can tell me exactly where he came upon Mimi’s car. For his sake.”
“We’re close, Harper. Very close. I can feel it.”
“Close enough to let Rupert in on the news?”
“Not yet.” Paul steepled his fingers. “I’ll wait until we actually locate his daughter. Then he can’t blame me if this lead doesn’t pan out.”
Harper stared at him. “Are you concerned at all about your fiancée? Despite that postcard, she could possibly be the victim of a kidnapping.”
“There’s been no ransom note,” Paul said, dismissing the idea with a flick of his hand. “And no sign of foul play. No, I think Mimi’s just holed up somewhere.”
“You’re probably right,” Harper said with a shrug. “But what if she doesn’t want to be found?”
“Then I’ll just have to find a way to flush her out.”
GARRETT LOOKED OUT the kitchen window into the dark night as thunder rumbled in the distance. A flash of lightning illuminated the path to the barn, but he didn’t see any sign of Mimi.
“Where the hell is she?” he muttered as another crack of lightning made the kitchen light flicker. He couldn’t remember when it had rained so much. It was an unusual calving season—in more ways than one.
He glanced at his watch and muttered an oath under his breath. He and Mimi had been taking turns checking the cattle at night, and she’d already been gone for almost two hours. Looking out the window once again, Garrett debated whether he should go out there and find her.
The only thing stopping him was Mimi herself. She was so damn proud of herself for handling the duties of a ranch hand. Checking up on her would only convince her he didn’t trust her to do the job.
He peered into the darkness, perturbed to see that lightning had shorted out the mercury light near the barn. It was pitch black out there, except for the occasional flashes of lightning. He checked his watch again. If she wasn’t back in ten minutes, he was going after her.
Nine and a half minutes later, the back door finally opened. Mimi walked inside, stomping the rainwater off her boots. It sluiced off her yellow slicker and made small puddles on the vinyl floor of the mud porch.
“I’ve got a small problem here,” she called. “Can you give me a hand?”
Garrett hurried to the mud porch, hoping she hadn’t met up with another scorpion. “What’s wrong?”
“Help me take my slicker off and I’ll show you what I found.”
He pulled the wet slicker over her head, then stared at the tiny newborn calf cradled in her arms. “Where did he come from?”
“That dappled heifer finally had her baby.” She moved past him into the kitchen. “And the poor thing is soaked to the skin. It looked half-dead by the time I found it.”
He watched her lay it on the rag rug in front of the sink. “Why didn’t you take him to the barn?”
“I did, at first,” she said, brushing the wet tendrils of hair off her forehead. “But after I unsaddled Pooh I got an idea.”
“What kind of idea?”
“You’ll see,” she replied, and rushed out of the kitchen. Before long she was back, armed with his hair dryer.
Garrett folded his arms across his chest. “Do you really think that’s going to work?”
“I don’t know why not.” She plugged the dryer in the outlet, then flipped the switch. The small calf didn’t move at the sudden noise or at the burst of hot air against its hide. It lay completely still, its brown head stretched out on the rug and its eyes closed.
Garrett knelt beside Mimi. “Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, they don’t make it.”
“This one is going to make it,” she said over the blast of the blow dryer.
He watched her ruffle her fingers through the calf’s wet pelt, impressed by her determination. Despite his best efforts, he lost a small number of calves every season. It only took a glance at this one to see it was a goner.
But thirty minutes later, Garrett wasn’t so sure of his prognosis. The calf opened its big brown eyes and blinked at him, although it still hadn’t lifted its head.
“Should we call a vet?” Mimi asked, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.
“Let’s try something first.” Garrett moved to the cupboard and pulled out an oversize baby bottle. He filled half of it with warm water, then added a glucose solution he kept for bovine emergencies.
The calf balked at the bottle at first, but Garrett pried its mouth open and stuck the rubber nipple inside. Mimi held the calf’s head on her lap, gently running her hand over its dry pelt and crooning encouraging words in its ear.
At last the calf began to suck. Awkwardly at first, then with increasing gusto.
Mimi grinned at Garrett. “I think he’s going to make it!”
He nodded. “I think you’re right.”
After the calf had emptied the bottle, she bent and planted a kiss on top of its fuzzy head. It let out a loud, plaintive cry.
“He wants his mama,” Mimi said as the calf struggled to stand up.
Garrett reached out and pulled the gangly calf into his arms. “I’ll take him out to the barn and bed him down in some fresh straw. Then I’ll bring his mama in and pen her up with him.”
Mimi rose slowly to her feet. “Will she accept him now that he’s been gone so long?” Despite her short apprenticeship as a ranch hand, she’d already learned that separating a newborn calf from its mother could result in the cow not recognizing the scent of her own offspring and thus rejecting it.
“If she doesn’t, we’re going to be washing a lot of baby bottles.” He set the calf down briefly in the mud porch while he donned a slicker and his cowboy hat. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave him alone with her until I know for sure. And don’t wait up for me, either. It may take all night.”
A flash of lightning greeted him as he opened the back door. He picked the calf up in his arms, covering most of it with his slicker, then headed outside. The calf looked mournfully at him as raindrops pelted them both.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Garrett muttered. “You�
��re the one she kissed.”
Hubert barked at his heels as Garrett raced toward the barn, slipping and sliding on the muddy path. But he managed to get them both inside while they were still fairly dry.
He flipped on the overhead light, then prepared a stall as the calf attempted his first wobbly steps. It took Garrett another twenty minutes to locate the calf’s mother and herd her inside the barn. By this time both he and his horse were thoroughly soaked. He unsaddled Brutus, then gave him an extra measure of oats for his trouble.
He’d just emptied the bucket into the trough when lightning flashed again, and the overhead light went out. He swore softly under his breath, then looked out the barn window toward the house. No lights burned in the windows, which meant the entire ranch had lost electricity.
Feeling his way through the darkness, Garrett finally reached the tack room. He kept a battery-operated lantern hanging by the door for just such an emergency. Storms were few and far between in the hill country, but they could be ferocious.
“Want some company?”
Garrett turned, and the glow of the lantern illuminated Mimi standing just inside the barn door. She held a big yellow bowl in her hands and had his battered thermos tucked under one arm.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I thought we should celebrate Sunbeam’s survival.”
“Sunbeam?” he echoed, unable to stop the smile that rose to his lips. “What kind of name is that for a calf? And a bull calf, at that.”
“It’s the brand name of the blow dryer.” She grinned at him. “I thought we should give the manufacturer a little of the credit.”
Mimi set down the bowl and thermos, then walked to the new calf’s pen. Garrett joined her there, and they silently watched the mama cow sniff suspiciously at the calf. Sunbeam wobbled on his four spindly legs, but he didn’t fall down.
“She’s not convinced it’s her calf,” Garrett said softly. “The combination of the rain, blow dryer and our hands gave him a scent that’s unfamiliar to her.”
“Has he tried to milk yet?”
He shook his head. “She won’t let him.”
Fugitive Fiancée Page 13