She looked over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow raised. “Painting a mural.” With one dismissive wrinkle of her cute little nose, she returned to her task.
“Don’t you think you need a taller ladder?”
“Don’t you think you need to mind your own business?”
He counted to ten. “I’m looking out for your well-being.”
“That’s odd. I could have sworn you’ve been avoiding me. Why the sudden change?”
The tops of his ears got hot. “I’ve been busy.”
“Uh-huh.”
Pale denim overalls cupped her ass in an extremely distracting fashion. Her silky, straight blond hair was caught up in its usual ponytail, but today a streak of blue paint decorated the tips, as if she had brushed up against something.
“I like what you’ve done so far.”
“Super.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“I’m not happy.”
He grinned, feeling better than he had all week. “I’ve missed you,” he said softly.
Brooke turned around on the ladder. It wasn’t an easy task. She rested her brush on the open container of paint and stared at him. “I thought you were done with me.”
Beneath the flat statement lay a world of hurt. His heart turned over in his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “I let you do wicked things to my naked body. And that’s the last I saw or heard from you. How would you read that situation?”
“I was thinking about stuff,” he protested.
“You mean the marriage proposal?”
He looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Keep your voice down, for God’s sake. Of course that’s what I mean. You can’t throw something like that at a man and expect an answer right off the bat.”
“Ah.” She looked at him as if he were a slightly dim student. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she said. “I’ve changed my mind. You’re off the hook.”
“What the hell.” He bristled. “I thought I was your best shot?”
She shrugged. “I read the situation wrong. I’m working on a backup plan.”
“I didn’t even give you an answer.”
“My offer had an expiration date,” she said, giving him a sweet smile that was patently false. “No need to worry. Your bachelorhood is safe from me.”
“You really are pissed, aren’t you?”
“I’m nothing, Mr. Bradshaw. You and I are nothing. Now go away and let me work.”
With her on the ladder and him on the ground, the conversation was literally not on equal footing. He ground his teeth in frustration. One quick glance at his watch told him now was not the time to push the confrontation to a satisfactory conclusion. “We’re not done with this topic,” he said firmly. He had people waiting on him. Otherwise, he would have yanked her off that ladder and indulged in a good old-fashioned shouting match. The woman was driving him crazy.
She turned and looked down her nose at him. “It’s my topic, Austin. You’re merely an incidental.”
* * *
When Austin strode away, his face like a thundercloud, Brooke tasted shame, but only for a moment. She was not a vindictive person. If anything, she leaned too far in the direction of being a people pleaser. But in this case, self-preservation was paramount.
Already her eyes stung with tears and her stomach felt queasy. She was letting herself get in too deep with Austin Bradshaw. Too intimate. Too fast. Too everything.
It was a good thing he hadn’t accepted her stupid, impulsive proposal. His heart was ironclad, safely in the care of his dead wife. But Brooke was vulnerable. She liked Austin. A lot. Given enough time, she might fall in love with him. And therein lay the recipe for disaster.
Suddenly, she needed to put some space between them. Even knowing that he was at the far side of the club grounds wasn’t enough. She felt wounded and raw. After capping her paint tin and wiping her brush, she climbed down the ladder and headed inside.
Her next project would be painting murals on the inner and outer walls of the club’s day-care center. She kept a notepad and pencil in her back pocket. Maybe now was a good time to take a few measurements and begin sketching out ideas for the traditional nursery rhyme motifs she planned to use.
She had already received permission and a visitor’s badge to enter the day care itself. Since two classrooms were outside playing, it turned out to be a perfect time for her to eye the walls and brainstorm a bit.
The creative process calmed her. Gradually, she began to feel better. Everything was fine. It was a good thing that he hadn’t accepted her proposal. She wouldn’t see Austin socially again. It was better that way.
He was clearly on board with the idea of having recreational sex, but Brooke had never been that kind of woman.
Tons of people were. It wasn’t that she was a prude. Despite what she’d agreed to the other day in the heat of the moment, though, she simply didn’t have the personality to throw herself into a relationship that was strictly physical. She didn’t know how to separate emotional responses from physical ones.
Perhaps she was too needy. A lifetime in a family that thought she wasn’t good enough had given her some issues. Maybe instead of having hot, no-strings sex, she should find a good shrink.
Was it so wrong to want to be loved without reservation?
When Austin talked about his late wife, she could hear that deep, abiding love in his voice. Even though the end had been horrible, Austin had experienced the kind of relationship Brooke wanted.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t keen to get involved again. Which meant that Brooke would be foolish to let herself fall for him. The best thing for her to do was concentrate on her current job and also to keep the bigger picture in focus. Somehow, some way, she was going to make her dreams come true.
She finished up her notes. Realizing she couldn’t put off her outside project any longer, she headed for the door, only to run into James Harris, the current president of the TCC. “Hi, James,” she said. The two of them were friends and moved in the same social circles, but she hadn’t seen him in some time.
“Hey, Brooke.” The tall, African American man gave her a smile that was strained at best. Clinging to his leg was a cute toddler about a year and a half, give or take.
“I was so sorry to hear about your brother and his wife.” They had been killed in a terrible car accident and had left James custody of their infant son. “That must have been a dreadful time for you.”
James exhaled. Lines of exhaustion marked his handsome face. “You could say that. Little Teddy here is a bit of a terror. And to be honest, I don’t think I would have agreed to be president of the club if I had known what was coming. I’m barely keeping my head above water. Nannies are coming and going at the speed of light.”
Brooke crouched and smiled at the boy. His golden-brown eyes were solemn. She didn’t try to touch him but instead spoke in a soft, steady voice, aiming her remarks toward the child’s uncle. “You’d be a terror, too, if your world had been turned upside down...don’t you think?”
James nodded slowly. “That’s true. I know you’re right. The poor kid is stuck with me, though, and I know squat about how to care for him. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in a job?”
The hopeful light in his eyes, mixed with desperation, made Brooke grin. She stood and squeezed his arm lightly. “Thanks, but no, thanks. I probably know less than you do about kids. Things will get better. They always do.”
“I hope so. At least he likes coming here to the day-care center. I kept him at home this morning so he could have a good nap, but I think getting out of the house is good for him. He’s incredibly smart.”
“See,” Brooke said, grinning. “You’re already talking like a proud parent.”
“But he is smart,” James insisted.
James scooped up his nephew and held him close. “I just want to do right by him. What if I screw this up?”
For a moment, she glimpsed his fear. “You won’t,” she said firmly. “This isn’t what you expected from life, James, but we all make adjustments along the way. Deep down, you know that. I have confidence in you. So did your brother, or he never would have left Teddy in your keeping.”
James nodded tersely, as if embarrassed that he had let down his guard even for a moment. “Thanks, Brooke.”
She gave him a quick hug. “I’ve got to get back to my murals. Don’t give up. It’s always darkest before the dawn and all that.”
His grin flashed. “Maybe I’ll get you to paint that on one of my stables.”
“Don’t laugh,” she said. “I might just do it.”
Eight
Austin stood in the shadows, unobserved, and watched as Brooke said her goodbyes to the man and the boy and headed back outside. He couldn’t quite identify the feelings in his chest. None of them were ones he wanted to claim. Was Brooke seriously already moving on in her quest to find a convenient husband?
The wealthy horse breeder was a far more logical match for Brooke than Austin, even on a temporary basis. Gus had introduced Austin to James several days ago and had filled Austin’s ear about the current TCC president. James Harris was charismatic, intelligent and a darling of Royal’s social scene. To be honest, the guy needed a woman in his life. He had inherited a kid.
Brooke needed a husband. It all made a dreadful kind of sense.
Watching the two of them as they chatted casually told Austin that Brooke was comfortable with the other man. Was she thinking about proposing to James now that Austin had turned her down?
To be fair, Austin hadn’t said no. He hadn’t said anything at all. He’d been too damned shocked.
He was torn...completely torn. The smart thing to do would be to stay as far away from Brooke as possible until the job was done and he could hit the road again. He was used to being a wanderer now. It was the man he had become.
Even so, something inside him couldn’t let Brooke go. Her innocence drew him like a gentle flame. Innocence was more than virginity. Brooke had an outlook on life that Austin had lost. Despite her parents’ inability to see her worth, Brooke had not become bitter.
He went back to work, but his brain was a million miles away. Somehow, he had to mend the rift he had caused. Before he did that, he had to decide how to respond to Brooke’s shocking request.
He possessed the power to make her life better. She had told him so. Having met her mother, Austin believed that statement to be true.
The only real question was—could he serve as Brooke’s pretend husband and still barricade his heart?
* * *
Daniel Clayton pulled up at his grandmother’s house and cut the engine, leaning back in his seat with a sigh. He loved Rose Clayton and owed his grandmother everything good in his life, but things were getting way too complicated.
After swallowing a couple of headache tablets with a swig of bottled water, he wiped his mouth and got out. The Silver C Ranch was home...always would be. Still, no one had ever told him how the older generation could muck things up.
Knowing he couldn’t ignore the summons any longer, he strode up to the porch and rang the bell.
His grandmother answered immediately, looking as if she had just spent several hours at a spa. “Hello, sweetheart. Come on in. I made a pie, and I have coffee brewing.” Though she was sixty-seven, she didn’t look her age. Her soft voice did little to disguise her iron will. He had both adored her and feared her since he was a child.
They made their way to the warm, inviting kitchen and sat down. While Rose poured the coffee and served the warm apple pastry, Daniel studied his grandmother, wondering why he couldn’t just say no to her and be done with it.
He didn’t have long to wait. Rose sat down beside him, pinned him with a pointed stare and ignored her dessert. “You haven’t had much to say about the upcoming bachelor auction.”
“No, ma’am. To be entirely honest, I was hoping I could convince you to get someone to take my place. I really don’t want to do it. At all.”
“I’ve told all of my friends that you’ve agreed to participate.”
She said it slyly, using guilt as a sharp weapon. Daring him to protest.
He set down his fork, no longer hungry. “It’s not my thing, Grandmother. I know I said yes, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“The money will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, a very worthy cause.”
“Then I’ll write a check.”
“Our family has to be front and center. The Slades are integral parts of this event, and we will be as well.”
“So it’s a competition.”
“Nonsense. I am a long-standing member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club and a well-known citizen of Royal. Of course I volunteered my dear bachelor grandson for the auction. It was the least I could do. Surely you want to support me in this. And don’t forget, I was hoping sweet Tessa Noble might bid on you. That would be a lovely outcome.”
Daniel’s headache increased despite the medication. He rubbed the center of his forehead. “Please don’t try to play Cupid, Grandmother. That never ends well for anyone. Besides, I’m pretty sure Tessa is interested in her best friend, Ryan.”
“Ryan Bateman?” Her eyebrows rose.
“Yes. But don’t go spreading that around.”
“Of course not.” His grandmother seemed disappointed.
“I really don’t want to do this bachelor thing,” he said, trying desperately for one last chance to escape the inevitable.
Her eyes flashed. “Is it because you’re interested in someone, Daniel?”
His stomach clenched. No matter how he answered, he was in trouble. And besides, what did it matter now? His love life was toast.
With a big show of glancing at his watch, he stood up and drained his coffee cup. He had barely touched the dessert. “If I can’t change your mind, then yes...of course you can count on me.”
His grandmother beamed. “You’re a wonderful grandson. This will be fun. You’ll see.”
* * *
Brooke painted one last daisy petal and stood back to examine her work. She was proud of what she had accomplished...very proud. So why did the memory of her mother’s harsh criticism still sting?
As she was gathering her things in preparation for heading home, she saw a familiar figure striding toward her across the open space that would soon be planted with lush garden foliage. Her heart beat faster. Austin.
Unfortunately, he didn’t look too happy. He stopped six feet away and jammed his hands in his pockets. “We need to talk,” he declared.
Her heart plunged to her feet. “No,” she said. “We really don’t. It’s okay, Austin. I shouldn’t have asked you. It wasn’t fair. I’d like to pretend it never happened.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “All of it?”
Her knees went weak. How could he do that to her so easily? Three sexy words and suddenly she was back in his arms, breathless and dizzy and insane with wanting him.
She swallowed. “Be serious.”
He inched closer. “You don’t look good, Brooke.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m serious. You’re pale and a little green around the gills. Do you feel okay?”
She definitely did not feel okay. She was queasy and light-headed. She had been for several days now. But that was nothing, right? “I’m fine,” she insisted.
Now he eliminated the last of the buffer between them and took her in his arms. “I’m sorry, Brooke.”
His gentle ap
ology broke down her defenses. Her throat tightened with tears. “Someone might be watching from the windows,” she choked out.
“I don’t really give a damn. Relax, sweetheart. You’re so tense it’s giving me a headache.”
She started to shake. A terrible notion had occurred to her this afternoon—a dreadful prospect she had been refusing to acknowledge for the past two weeks. Though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she made herself pull away from his comforting embrace. “I need to go home now. Goodbye, Austin.”
He scowled. “You’re in no shape to drive. I’ll take you.”
Hysteria threatened. She had to get away from him. Her stomach heaved and sweat beaded her forehead. “I’ll take it easy...roll the windows down. It’s not far.” Tiny yellow spots began to dance in front of her eyes. “Excuse me,” she said, feeling her knees wobble and her hands turn to ice.
With a moan of mortification and misery, she darted into the narrow space where an air-conditioning unit loomed and proceeded to vomit until there was nothing left but dry heaves.
When her knees buckled, strong arms came around her from behind and eased her to the ground. “I’ve got you, Brooke. It’s going to be okay.”
They sat there on the dead grass for what seemed like an eternity. Only the ugly industrial metal protected them from prying eyes. Brooke leaned against Austin’s shoulder and stared at an ant who was oblivious to their presence.
He stroked her hair, for once completely silent.
At last, a huge sigh lifted his chest, and he exhaled. “Brooke?”
“Y-yes?”
“Are you pregnant?”
The shaking got worse. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
* * *
Austin cursed beneath his breath and then felt like scum when Brooke went whiter still. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to a safe, comfortable place where they could talk, but they were trapped. The three exits at the rear of the property were delivery bays that would be locked by now. The only way out was to march through the French doors, into the club and out the front entrance.
Million Dollar Baby Page 7