KISS ME, COWBOY

by Maureen Child

  Mike willed his hands to relax. Willed his muscles to unclench. Willed his apparently clear-as-glass expression to shift into one of complete ambivalence. "I told you. No problem. Vicky's in the past."

  Mike was the first to admit that since Vicky packed up, picked up and left two years ago, he hadn't exactly been a social animal. He preferred life on the ranch. There, all he had to deal with were the animals, the price of oranges and frost. And of course, Emily. His brain fuzzed out a little as he thought of his daughter. Five years old and the one good thing he and Vicky had managed to do together.

  He could understand how a woman could get fed up with marriage, with ranch life … hell, with him. What he'd never he able to comprehend is how a woman could walk away from her own daughter without a backward glance. But then Vicky had never wanted to be a mother, had she? And when she left, she'd told him flat out that he could have sole custody.

  Which worked out fine as far as Mike was concerned. One day, he'd have to find a way to explain to Emily just why her mother had chosen to abandon her. But until then, the two of them were a team and he'd protect that child with everything he had. And if that meant steering clear of women until his daughter was eighteen, then that was a small price to pay. He didn't want a string of women going in and out of Emily's life. He wanted her to have stability. Security. But most of all, he didn't want her heart broken because she'd become attached to daddy's girlfriend only to have that woman disappear from their world.

  Nope. And if that made him a hermit, then he'd just have to live with it.

  Still, just because he wasn't looking for a relationship, that didn't make him dead.

  "Uh-huh. If she's in the past, why does just the mention of her name freeze you over?" She looked at him for a long, slow minute. He could almost feel the seconds ticking past as he stared into those blue eyes of hers. A part of his mind wondered why he'd never noticed before just how many shades of blue were centered in her gaze.

  Focus, he told himself again.

  "I just don't like to be reminded, that's all."

  She turned her coffee cup idly. "Emily's a fairly big reminder, don't you think?"

  "That's different. Emily is … Emily."

  Nora nodded slowly. "She's a sweetheart."

  He relaxed a little. "Yeah, she is."

  One second ticked past, then two, then three, while they stared at each other across the kitchen table. With the darkness crouched just beyond the window, and the silence hovering in the room, they sat together in the warm, cozy kitchen and it felt … intimate, somehow.

  "Anyway," Nora said, a bit louder than necessary as she forced the word intimate out of her brain, "back on target. The point is, you're not looking for a wife, so you're safe."

  One corner of his mouth tipped up. "Just what every man wants to hear."

  "At least you can relax knowing you're out of the running."

  "But every other man in town is fair game?"

  "Hey, a girl's gotta plan ahead," Nora said, ignoring the decidedly insulted tone of his voice. "This is not only about losing my virginity – it's about finding Mr. Right."

  "In Tesoro?"

  She frowned to herself. "True, the options are a little limited, but I'm sure I can make this work. I know the men here. I don't know anyone in the city. And I'm not the kind of woman who can stroll into a bar and pick up a stranger. That would just be too … icky." She sighed and picked up her coffee cup again. "Besides, my mother's been reading the singles ads and assures me that there are lots of nice men in Monterey."

  "Singles ads? You?"

  He sounded so genuinely surprised by that notion, Nora felt a bit better. "Thanks for that," she said, flashing him a quick smile. "But my mother's more eager to find me a man than I am. The woman's just dying for more grandchildren."

  "You have sisters," he pointed out.

  "Yeah, but Frannie and Jenny have done their part already. I'm the last holdout." Disgusted, she leaned back in her chair, folded her arms beneath her breasts and propped her bare feet up on the chair closest to her. "I swear, this whole 'virtue thing' has gotten way out of hand. It's become a liability instead of an asset."

  "You could just keep the whole 'virgin thing' a secret."

  "Thought about that," she admitted, shaking her head again. "But it's no good. I think guys have radar about this sort of thing. They home right in on a virgin and then steer a wide path around her." She shot him a knowing look.

  "Point taken."

  "So, since you owe me one, for breaking up my little plan…"

  "Some plan—"

  "And—" she raised her voice to talk over him "—since you personally are out of the running, I think it's only fair that you help me find 'the guy.'"

  "Now I'm a matchmaker?"

  "More of a trapper."

  "I think this is against the rules for a member of the male gender."

  She smiled again and he felt the warmth of it slap into him.

  "I won't tell if you don't."

  "Trust me," he vowed. "I'm not telling."

  "Good. Then, between the two of us, we should be able to find the right guy."

  How this had happened, Mike had no idea. All he'd done was try to do the right thing. Help her out of a bad situation. And now he was stuck in a situation that made her little scene with Bill Hammond look like a picnic.

  "Then it's a deal?" She held out one hand across the table.

  He thought about making one last stab at getting out of this. But then he looked into those eyes of hers again and he knew it was a lost cause. Mike took her hand in his, ignored that soul-searing flash of warmth and muttered "Deal" before quickly releasing her again.

  But the warmth stayed with him and Mike had the distinct feeling that he was going to regret this deal for a long, long time.

  *

  "So, what happened with Bill?"

  It was late afternoon the day after the reception and business was pretty slow. Nora had had only one or two customers since noon, so she took a seat behind the counter, balanced the phone receiver on her shoulder and answered Molly's question. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

  There was a long, thoughtful silence before her best friend said, "But you left with him. And you never came back."

  "Yeah, well," Nora said, checking off a list of grocery supplies as she talked, "there was a slight hitch in the plan."

  "What kind of hitch?"

  "Mike showed up out of nowhere and sent Bill into the bushes."

  "Mike Fallon?"

  "The one and only."

  "Oooh. Now this is getting interesting."

  "Not really." Although sitting with Mike at her kitchen table last night had been … nice. In the last few years, they'd hardly talked at all, except for the few words they exchanged over her counter. And maybe it was the margaritas talking, but he'd seemed so … different last night. More approachable. More … lustable. Jeez. Was that even a word?

  "Oh, come on, let an old married woman enjoy her fantasies, will ya? Gorgeous Mike Fallon, riding to the rescue – he did ride to the rescue, right?"

  "Oh, yeah. I'm guessing Bill's not real fond of him today."

  "Well good. I mean, Bill Hammond isn't exactly the stuff dreams are made of."

  "I know, but—"

  "No buts. You deserve better, Nor."

  True. Not that Bill was a troll or anything, but for heaven's sake. Did she really want to give up her long-held virginity to a man who wouldn't even notice?

  Funny how your ideas could change in one evening. Just yesterday, she'd been ready to do almost anything to leave chastity behind. Today, she wanted a little … more.

  Behind her, the bell attached to the front door jangled out a welcome and announced a customer's arrival.

  "Someone's here," she told Molly. "Gotta go."

  "Okay, but I demand up-to-the-minute reports."

  "Promise," Nora said, and hung up the phone smiling. Standing up, she turned around to greet … an empty store. Frow
ning, she moved around the counter, and as soon as she did, she spotted her customer.

  "Well, hi," she said. "I didn't see you."

  Emily Fallon smiled at her and Nora's heart melted. "That's 'cuz I'm still really little."

  "I guess you are," Nora said, nodding. "So what can I do for you today, Miss Fallon?"

  The little girl giggled and held out her closed right fist. When she opened it, she revealed a crumpled-up one dollar bill. "Daddy says I can have two cookies."

  "He did, did he?" Nora said thoughtfully, and let her gaze slide past the child to the wide front windows and the street beyond. Mike stood just outside, and for a second, Nora noticed her heartbeat quicken. Which was weird. After all, she'd known Mike for years, and until last night, she'd never thought of him as more than Emily's dad and a pretty nice guy.

  Suddenly, though, those long legs of his looked delectable in his worn jeans. His scuffed boots, crossed at the ankle, looked … sexy. The worn, long-sleeved blue shirt he wore only made his already-broad chest look wider, more muscular. And his green eyes as he watched her through the window seemed deeper, more mysterious, than she remembered.

  Her stomach pitched suddenly and Nora pulled in a long, steadying breath in a futile attempt to get a grip on her wildly raging hormones.

  This is ridiculous, she told herself. Mike wasn't interested in her. Or anyone. He wasn't going to be the man to help her through her "problem." So there was absolutely no point in indulging in what could probably be staggeringly wonderful fantasies.

  "Miss Nora…"

  She shook her head, but didn't manage to dislodge any of said fantasies. Determined, though, she looked back at his daughter. Good. Focus there. On a sweet face, with freckles doffing a tiny nose. On a pair of lopsided pigtails and a wide grin that displayed one dimpled cheek. On green eyes that were so like her father's…

  Cut it out, Nora.

  "Two cookies. Chocolate chip, right?" she asked unnecessarily as she walked behind the counter and filled the order. Like every other child Nora had ever known, Emily had particular likes and dislikes, with chocolate chip cookies being high on the approved list.

  "Yes'm."

  She smiled to herself at the polite and grownup-sounding child, then walked back to Emily and handed her a small white bag. "Here you go, honey."

  "Thank you."

  "Shall we see if your daddy wants a cookie, too?"

  Emily laughed. "Oh, he doesn't. I heard him tell Rick he wasn't gonna eat sugar anymore."

  "Is that right?" Nora looked from the girl to the man still standing safely outside the bakery. Telling his foreman that he was swearing off sugar, was he? And apparently he figured if he didn't actually step inside the bakery, he'd be safely out of reach. Did he really think she'd let him off the hook that easily?

  "Let's go talk to your daddy and see if we can't change his mind." Nora took Emily's small hand in hers and kept hold of it while she pushed through the door and stepped onto the sidewalk.

  Mike straightened up instantly, coming out of the lazy lean against a light pole like a man ready to bolt. Late-afternoon sunshine spilled down on the street from a cloudless blue sky, and all around them, the town was bustling.

  "Hi, Nora."

  "Mike."

  "Miss Nora says you should have a cookie." Emily looked from one adult to the other, her pigtails swinging as she turned her head from side to side.

  "Swearing off sugar, huh?"

  Mike scowled. "Just cutting back."

  "Sugar in general, or just my bakery?"

  "Nora," he said, "I just figured that after you slept it off—" He broke off, glanced at his daughter and reworded that. "After a good night's sleep, you'd see that this whole idea is crazy and want to forget about it."

  "You figured wrong."

  "Apparently."

  "So," Nora said, gently running one hand across the top of Emily's head, "I was thinking I'd come out to the ranch tonight and we could make some plans."

  He squinted into the sunlight, scraped one hand across his jaw and said, "You're not going to let go of this at all, are you?"

  "Not a chance," she said.

  He sighed heavily and said, "Fine. Tonight."

  "Are you gonna come over and bring cookies, Miss Nora?"

  Nora looked down at the little girl and smiled. "How about I come over early and you and I can make cookies together?"

  "Oh, you don't have to—" he started to say.

  "Goody," Emily crowed, her small voice undermining her father's protest.

  "Terrific," Nora said, lifting her gaze to meet Mike's. "Then I'll see you in an hour or two, okay?"

  He just stared at her for a long minute before caving. "I'm outmanned and outgunned. Guess we'll see you at the ranch in a while."

  "Can't wait," she assured him.

  As Mike took his daughter's hand and headed toward their car, he felt Nora's gaze on him as surely as he would have her touch. With Emily's chatter rattling around him, he tried to tell himself that having Nora in his house would be no big deal.

  But his heartbeat quickened at the thought and his body felt suddenly tight and uncomfortable. He figured his hormones were fighting it out with his brain.

  He just didn't know which was going to win.

  * * *

  Chapter 5

  «^»

  "An' can we make some with little candies on 'em?"

  "You bet we can," Nora said, and wiped a splotch of flour off the tip of Emily's nose.

  "This is fun, Nora," the little girl said, and slapped her small hands down onto the dough. "Daddy doesn't let me cook 'cuz I'm too small."

  Oops. Nora inwardly cringed a bit. Maybe she should have checked this out with Mike first. On the other hand, he wasn't here and she was. So, as long as they weren't cooking over an open fire on the linoleum, she didn't really see a problem. Although, she thought, glancing down at the worn, faux-brick flooring … maybe an open fire wouldn't be such a bad idea.

  "Well, we'll just have to tell him what a good job you did, won't we?"

  Emily gave her a grin filled with absolute delight, and Nora figured that reward would be worth any hassle she had to face later with Mike.

  And speaking of Mike, where the heck was he, anyway? Nora had already been at the ranch for two hours and there was still no sign of him. Donna Dixon, the ranch foreman's wife, had been here watching Emily when Nora arrived. At eight months pregnant, the woman had been only too happy to turn Emily's care over to Nora so she could go home and lie down.

  Left to their own devices, Nora and Emily had played two games, colored pictures and then had tea with her favorite dolls. When tea time was over, the child took Nora on a tour of the house, and Nora was surprised to note that except for Emily's room, which was every little girl's fantasy bedroom, the ranch house was very plainly decorated.

  For Emily, there were soft blue walls, a canopy bed, lace and ruffles, bookcases stuffed with the classics along with dozens of nighttime storybooks. Not to mention enough dolls and stuffed animals to populate Santa's workshop. But the rest of the house was simply furnished, with no little touches that added warmth. The great room held a couple of comfortable-looking sofas and one worn chair facing a huge open hearth. The minute she saw it, Nora's brain started whirling with ideas to cozy up the big space. She'd like to be turned loose on the house with a few gallons of paint and a little imagination.

  But it was the kitchen that really called to her. It was a terrific room, with all kinds of potential. But the beige walls and plain pine cabinets practically screamed for attention. In her mind's eye, she saw what it could look like and her mouth nearly watered with her itch to do something about it. Still, it wasn't her business, was it? Mike hadn't invited her in to redecorate his house. Heck, he hadn't invited her at all. She'd practically forced herself on him.

  "Are the cookies done yet?"

  "Hmm?" Nora dragged her mind back to the present and looked at Emily. "Oh. Cookies. Let's check, okay?"
>
  The little girl hopped down from her stool and hurried to the oven door.

  "Don't touch it now, it's hot."

  Emily practically danced in place, but she slapped her tiny hands together and held on tight, as if to keep from reaching for the cookies.

  Grinning, Nora picked up a hot pad, opened the oven door and was instantly greeted by a wave of heat and the glorious scent of hot chocolate chips. "Done," she pronounced, and pulled the tray out. In a few seconds, she had the cookies scooped up and onto a cooling tray, the next batch loaded and the oven door shut again.

  Emily breathed deep and then looked at Nora. "Can we have one?"

  Any reasonable adult would no doubt say, Of course not. You have to wait until after dinner so you won't spoil your appetite. Nora's own mother was a big believer in the "no snack" theory. But Nora wasn't about to look into those shining green eyes and say no.

  "Sure we can," she said instead. "Nothing better than gooey, warm cookies."

  Emily sucked in a gulp of air and held it while Nora picked up the tray and held it out to the little girl. "They're hot, so be careful."

  "I will." She plucked a nice fat one from the rack and waited until Nora picked one for herself, then set the rack back on the counter before biting into it. Grinning, she mumbled, "S'good."

  "It sure is," Nora said, smiling at the smear of chocolate on the child's mouth and the glint of pride in her eyes. Poor little thing. No mom to share these little adventures with. And a father, who though loving, was obviously a late worker. True, Emily did have Donna during the day, but since the foreman's wife was really centered on her own coming child, she didn't have the attention to give Emily. Nora felt a small twinge in her heart as she smiled and said softly, "You're a good baker."

  "I am, huh?" The girl wiped her free hand on the apron that was tied around her chest and hung almost to her feet. "I can tell Daddy I'm a good cook, can't I?"

  "I'm sure he'll be very impressed," Nora assured her, and made a mental note to make sure Mike was suitably proud of Emily's accomplishment.

  "Can we make some more?"

  Nora laughed and stood up, brushing one hand across the girl's forehead, lifting straw-colored bangs that felt like silk. "Let's finish these first, okay?"