Heart Of A Cowboy

by Margaret Daley

  Jordan pressed her lips together. “We’d better leave. Knowing Granny, she’ll start walking toward the school if we don’t get out there.” Grasping her son’s arms, she drew him to her and kissed his cheek. “Take care of Nana. She isn’t gonna be too happy we left without the cane.”

  Nicholas giggled. “I’ll challenge her to a game of chess and let her win tonight.”

  “She’ll know.”

  “Yes, but it’ll take her mind off the fact Granny is out dancing.”

  Hearing her mom’s footsteps coming down the hall, Jordan grabbed Zachary and hurried out the entrance. When she descended the porch steps, she realized she still held Zachary’s hand and started to drop it. He squeezed her fingers gently and kept the connection intact—all the way to his sister’s SUV. Then he opened the front passenger door for her to slip inside. Like a date.

  But this isn’t a date. She had to remember that.

  Granny thumped the back of the driver’s seat. “Get moving, young man. Eileen’s on the porch with that cane.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Zachary threw a glance at Jordan, a smile deep in his eyes, as he started the car. “This is gonna be an interesting evening,” he whispered.

  “You think?”

  “What was that, young man. Speak up? I don’t hear as good as I used to.”

  Jordan twisted around. “We were just commenting on what a fun time we’re gonna have.”

  Granny grinned. “I intend to cut a rug, as we used to say.”

  An hour later, true to her word, Jordan’s grandmother was out on the floor with Doug dancing. The twinkling lights and candles lent a romantic air to the evening. The music played was a combination of several decades for the alumni who attended—none Granny’s but that didn’t stop her, although she confined herself to slow dances.

  Leaning close, Zachary handed Jordan a cup of punch and said, “I hope when I’m her age, I enjoy life half as much as your grandmother.”

  “Yeah, she has a unique outlook.” His nearness doubled her heartbeat like the tempo of a fast song.

  They had talked with several old friends, watched Granny and Doug on the floor, but he had yet to ask her to dance.

  She turned toward him, using that motion to step back and give herself some breathing room. “Nicholas wanted me to ask you to Sunday dinner tomorrow night.”

  “He mentioned something about it being Granny’s birthday.”

  “She doesn’t believe in celebrating her birthday, so we can’t mention why I’m baking a double-chocolate-fudge cake.”

  He tossed back his head and laughed. “So, no presents?”

  “Oh, no. She’s told me she’s got all she needs. She doesn’t want another trinket or something she would have to dust.”

  “Does Doug know?”

  “Yes. I’ve invited him, but he promised no gifts.”

  “What time?”

  “Six.”

  “Then I’ll be there.” He inched nearer, taking her elbow.

  Her heartbeat pulsated a salsa. His fingers on her skin branded their imprint into her brain. Goose bumps covered her bare arms. “Remember, just a regular old family dinner.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I wouldn’t want to be on your grandmother’s bad side.

  “Are you kidding? You can do no wrong.”

  Another slow dance began. “Let’s give it a try. I hate to think an eighty-year-old woman is putting us to shame.”

  Jordan swallowed several times to clear the tightness in her throat. Although the leisurely rhythm vibrated through the air, her heart still picked up speed. “Are you sure?”

  His gaze linked with hers. “Yes.” He drew her out onto the gym floor and into his embrace. “It’s been a while, but I think I remember.”

  As his arms wrapped around her, she’d come home. She couldn’t fight her feelings any longer. She loved him. And no amount of telling herself not to was going to change that.

  Zachary shouldn’t have asked her to dance. That was his downfall. But he’d taken a look at her, the dim lighting adding a certain intimacy to the air, and the invitation just tumbled from his lips. Then once he’d put his arms around her, thoughts of their senior prom all those years ago attacked his defenses, tearing them down.

  Tomorrow he would regret this—opening this door to the past—but for the time being he would enjoy having her close to him. Feeling her heart thumping against his chest. Touching her warmth. Smelling her vanilla scent.

  When the music stopped, with all the barriers gone he framed her face in his hands and stared into her dark-chocolate gaze as though he were a teenage boy again and in love for the first time.

  People left the dance floor, but he couldn’t move. Transfixed by the smile that brightened her eyes, a smile that coaxed his heart to forget and forgive, he didn’t want to be in the middle of a crowded gym. He wanted her alone. With that thought in mind, he grabbed her hand and tugged her after him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “A surprise.”

  “What about Granny and Doug?”

  “We’ll be back before the dance is over.”

  He exited the building, his destination before him—a hundred yards away. Crossing the parking lot, he slowed his step to allow her to keep up. When he reached the gate to the football stadium, he punched in a code and opened it.

  “How do you know how to get inside?”

  “I’ve helped Coach out some in the past, and he hasn’t changed it in the last few years. Probably a quarter of the town knows how to get in here.” Zachary mounted the steps to the stands and stopped when he reached the row right under the press box. “Remember?”

  “Yes, this is where you asked me to go steady.” Her words came out in a breathless, halting gush.

  Whether from his fast pace or from something else, he didn’t know. For the evening he wanted to forget all his fear and doubts and just enjoy her company—like in the past.

  He pulled her down next to him on the bench, slung his arm around her shoulders and pressed her against his side. “This used to be my favorite place. My thinking place.”

  “It’s not anymore?”

  “No. Now I usually just go riding.” She shivered.

  “Cold.”

  “A little.”

  He shrugged out of his coat and gave it to her.

  “Thanks.” She snuggled into its warmth.

  And he wanted his arms around her—not his coat. He stared at the dark field below then lifted his gaze to the nearly full moon in the clear sky. Its radiance gave them enough light to see by. He inhaled a deep breath of the recently mowed grass. Silence surrounded them, except that his heartbeat throbbed in his ears, drowning out all common sense.

  He shouldn’t be here with Jordan.

  He should leave—he shifted toward her. Their gazes bound across the few inches that separated them. His throat went dry. Thoughts fled his mind. His blood rushed to his limbs.

  He leaned closer and brushed his lips across hers. Drawing her totally to him, he fenced her against him and deepened the kiss until he became lost in the sensations bombarding him—her heady scent, the feel of her mouth on his, the little gasp of surprise that had come from her when he first made a tactile connection.

  When he pulled back slightly, she murmured, “Why did you kiss me?”

  “Can you deny you haven’t thought about how it would be after all these years?”

  “Is that all it was to you? A way to satisfy an itch?”

  Her questions sobered him—propelled him into the present. He shouldn’t have kissed her. Too much stood between them. He rose. “We’d better get back. I wouldn’t want your grandmother to worry.”

  She removed his suit jacket and thrust it into his hands. “I don’t need this anymore.” Whirling around, she started for the aisle.

  He let her go, following a few paces behind her. Her stiff arms at her sides and long strides announced to the world she was upset.

  Just friends. There could be no in betwe
en for them. Friends only.

  Okay, so now that he’d gotten the kiss out of his system, he could move forward. Cement his relationship with Nicholas and keep Jordan at arm’s length. Yeah, right.

  Nicholas opened the front door. “Dad, you’re here. Mom said you might not come.”

  “Sure. When does a guy turn down a home-cooked meal?” Sunday evening Zachary stepped through the threshold into the best-smelling house on the planet.

  Aromas of baking bread, pot roast and spices assailed his nostrils. Mingling among those smells he caught a whiff of coffee. His stomach roiled, protesting his hunger. He’d worked nonstop from right after church to thirty minutes ago. He refused to let the previous night intrude into his thoughts, but if he stopped for any amount of time, he began to think about the kiss.

  He followed his son into the den and found Granny, Doug, Eileen, Rachel and Jordan sitting and talking. Everyone stopped and stared at him when he came into the room.

  Awkward, he covered the distance to Granny and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. “For the prettiest gal here.”

  A flush stained her cheeks, much like it did Jordan’s. “Who told you it was my birthday? Nicholas?”

  His son shook his head.

  Her sharp gaze landed on Jordan. “You?”

  “Yes, and I made you a chocolate cake. If you don’t watch out, I’ll put eighty-one candles on it.”

  “Not unless you want to call the fire department, child.”

  Jordan stared at Zachary. “What about ‘Don’t bring a gift’ did you not understand?”

  He slunk to the nearest chair and plopped down onto it. “I didn’t think flowers would be considered a birthday present.”

  “Dear, why don’t you want to celebrate your birthday?” Doug looked at Granny. His white mustache framed his pinched lips.

  “Because I’ve given them up. I did when I turned sixty.”

  “What if I said I picked these from Becca’s garden?” Zachary still held the bouquet in his hand.

  Jordan stood and took the flowers from him. “I didn’t know your sister has a rose garden.”

  “She doesn’t. The only one she has is a vegetable garden,” he said in a low voice for her ears only.

  “Well, since he went to the trouble to get them, you might as well stick them in some water and put them in the dining room. And I thank you kindly, Zachary.” Granny angled toward Doug on the couch next to her, plastered her biggest smile on her face, her wrinkles deepening, and patted his hand between them. “Your presence is all I need on my birthday.”

  Zachary surged to his feet. “I’ll help you, Jordan.”

  In the kitchen, he blew a breath out between pursed lips. “I messed up.”

  “No, you didn’t. Granny loves flowers, but she couldn’t make a big deal out of it because she has insisted for years nothing special on her birthday.”

  “Where did Nicholas disappear to?”

  She waved her hand toward the kitchen door. “He’s out back with his cousins. Taylor’s helping him fix the fence where Tucker keeps digging out of the yard.”

  “Beagles love to escape. I had one when I was a boy that was a master at climbing the fence. Tucker did like the ranch, especially the squirrels and birds he ended up chasing around.”

  After filling a glass vase with water, Jordan put the yellow roses into it one by one. “Dinner is about ready.”

  “Can I set the table?”

  “Done, but you can put these flowers on the sideboard in the dining room.” She held the vase toward him.

  He clasped it, their fingers brushing against each other. He locked his gaze on hers, and all the sensations from the night before when he’d embraced her, kissed her, washed through him anew. He jerked back as though shocked by their touch. The glass vase crashed to the tile floor, shattering between them, shards flying everywhere.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull back.” Staring down at the mess, he almost didn’t hear her reply.

  “Yes, you did. What’s going on between us?” She dragged the trash can to the broken vase and stooped down to pick up the pieces.

  Bending down next to her, he helped clean up the mess. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, I see. That kiss meant nothing to you.”

  “I shouldn’t have done that. I got caught up in the moment, remembering the time when I had asked you to go steady sitting in that very spot.”

  Emotions—hurt, sadness and finally irritation—flitted across her features. Her eyes downcast, she continued to work, but he’d seen the misty look in them.

  He seized her wrist. “I made this mess. I’ll take care of it. You get dinner on the table. Where’s your broom and dustpan?”

  “That’s okay. I’d rather you go get Nicholas and the other kids. I need space.” She compressed her mouth into a thin line, but her eyes still glistened.

  “Fine.” He rose and headed toward the back door.

  Space was a good thing. Because for a few seconds, he’d wanted to sweep her into his arms and take away that hurt look inching back into her expression. But he couldn’t. He’d loved two women in his life and had discovered he couldn’t trust either one not to trample his heart. His fiancée had walked away after his bull-riding injury. And he’d been left alone with his grief—again.

  Between Jordan and Audrey, he’d decided to live a life without emotional entanglements. Much easier on him—until Jordan turned up again.

  “Do you want to go out and look at the stars with me?” Nicholas asked Zachary after the dishes were done that evening.

  “Sure.”

  “How about you, Mom? The moon is full. You’ll be able to see the craters.”

  Jordan put the dish towel over the handle on the stove. “I don’t—”

  “Please. We should be able to see Venus, too.”

  “Okay. For a few minutes.”

  Out on the deck, Nicholas removed the covering over his telescope and began adjusting it to view the moon.

  “Nicholas, can you come in and help me with something?” Granny stood at the kitchen door, her expression hidden in the shadows.

  “Yes. I’ll be back. I think it’s set up.” He pointed up into the sky to the left. “Venus is that way. Low on the horizon.” As he hurried away, her grandmother backed away to allow Nicholas inside.

  The click of the door resonated in the quiet. Jordan peered at the telescope then Zachary. “You go first.”

  While she waited for her turn, music drifted outside from an open upstairs window in her son’s room. Words from “Sealed with a Kiss” sounded, competing with Tucker’s howl.

  Zachary straightened and glanced toward the window. “What’s that?”

  “Granny has a CD with love songs on it that she plays occasionally.”

  In the light that streamed from the kitchen Zachary’s forehead creased. “Isn’t that our son’s room?”

  “Yes. He’s at it again with some help from Granny.”

  “It’s in His Kiss” followed next.

  He burst out laughing. “What’s next? ‘Then I Kissed Her’?”

  “Actually I think ‘Something’s Gotta Hold of My Heart.’”

  “Yeah, heartburn.”

  Jordan chuckled, catching sight of Nicholas peeking out the kitchen window with Granny next to him. “Don’t look now but they are spying on us.”

  He grabbed her and drew her to him. “Are you game for a little fun?”

  “What?”

  Her pulse thudded against her neck. He plastered her against him, then dipped her backward while he planted a kiss on her mouth. Her head spun, especially when he came up, dragging her with him. Dots before her eyes danced to the rhythm of the music.

  “Do you think those two are still looking?” he said against her lips, his warm breath caressing them.

  She leaned back and glanced up. “Yep, now they’re blatantly standing in the window.”

  Zachary pivoted around, shoved his hands to his hips and asked, “What do y
ou think you’re doing?”

  Nicholas stuck his head out the kitchen door. “Granny wanted to hear her CD.”

  Jordan stepped around Zachary. “She might but the whole neighborhood doesn’t need to be serenaded. Nor do we. Close your window and get ready for bed.”

  “Ah, Mom.”

  “It’s getting late and there’s no more entertainment out here for you to see.” She crossed her arms to emphasize the point.

  Evidently Nicholas decided not to argue, but instead did as she asked.

  “Someone needs to talk to him.” Zachary raked his hand through his hair. “He needs to understand about our relationship.” Again his fingers combed their way through his dark strands.

  Explain it to me. She clamped her lips together to still those words. “Then I suggest you have a father-son talk with him.”

  His eyes widened. “You don’t want to do it?”

  “I don’t think I could explain it well.” Since you’re sending me mixed messages.

  “Okay, I’ll tuck him in tonight and have that talk. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “You do that.” Jordan marched toward the back door and entered the kitchen, not caring if Zachary followed her or not.

  He was going to hurt her and there was nothing she could do about it. She’d had her chance years ago and Zachary wasn’t going to give her a second one—no matter how sorry she was concerning not telling him about Nicholas.

  Chapter Ten

  Half an hour later Zachary sat on Nicholas’s bed, staring at his son’s expectant face. Zachary gulped. He’d only been a father for less than a month. He wasn’t ready for a father-son talk about the opposite sex, even if it had only to do with him and Jordan. When he thought about it, he’d probably never be.

  “Nicholas, your mother and I are only friends.”

  “I saw you kiss her.”

  “I was playing with you.” And shouldn’t have done it. What was it about being around Jordan that made him forget his common sense?

  “Why can’t you two marry?”

  “Marriage is serious and can’t be taken lightly.” You have to trust each other. But he couldn’t say that to his son.