“I had no idea—” Jared started to explain.
“Who was that woman?”
“My sister Jo,” he answered through clenched teeth.
The spotlight from a camera glared in Lacey’s face as the emcee stuck his microphone under her chin. “We're going live now for Channel 7 News,” he whispered. “Miss Murdock—it is Miss, isn't it?” His expression seemed hopeful.
Lacey commanded her weak smile to remain. “Yes.”
“And how do you feel about winning this eligible cowboy?”
Please let me say something intelligent. She took a deep breath and prayed the right words would come. “I'm so pleased that the pediatric AIDS charity did so well tonight, thanks to this event. The Wentworth Mall should be proud to be a part of raising funds for such a worthy cause.”
She watched as the camera shifted toward Jared, wondering if he was feeling as caught off guard as she was.
***
Jared kept his gaze on his sister, dumbfounded at the turn of events. She looked quite pleased with herself as she wiggled her fingers at him, a satisfied grin on her face, easily ignoring his heated gaze. He should be glad, he supposed, that he wasn’t going to be spending the weekend with a total stranger.
“And Mr. Dillon, are you really a cowboy?” Gabe asked, tipping the microphone toward Jared.
He grimaced. Nothing to say but the truth, he supposed. “I grew up on a Colorado cattle ranch but after I moved to southern California I started raising alpacas. I own Harmony Ranch in the Cuyamacas.”
“Well,” Gabe continued, “I guess we can't always assume a cowboy wrangles cows, can we?”
Jared winced. He couldn’t help but hope Courtney wasn't in town and watching the news. He could imagine the sound of her demeaning laughter. She'd been embarrassed by his choice to work with alpacas—it wasn't her idea of a “real” ranch and she’d never let him forget it. He glanced at Lacey, trying to read her reaction.
“Don't they make a handsome couple?” Gabe asked the crowd, urging their applause as he nudged Lacey and Jared closer together. “Big smiles for the television cameras,” he coaxed.
The crowd cheered as they too turned to face the cameras, waving furiously in hopes of being seen on the eleven o'clock news.
“Lacey, I'm really sorry.” Would she believe this was all a surprise to him?
“Don't worry about it.”
“Maybe there's some way we can get out of the…the date part,” he whispered.
“Probably not,” she whispered back. “There’s a ton of publicity for the mall tied to this event, plus all the dates. And the charity is counting on the coverage and hoping for a bump in donations afterward.”
“I see.”
“Right now, Jared, let's just keep smiling for the cameras. We'll figure things out later.”
He slipped his arm around her waist and held her closer…for the cameras, he told himself. But she felt awfully nice snug against his hip.
She tipped up her chin and smiled for the cameras, then turned her head a little toward him, her pretty hazel-green filled with a whole bunch of new questions, he figured.
***
When the cameras and cell phones finally stopped flashing and the reporters were gone, Jared left Lacey with Kandy and Luke in search of his sister.
When he spotted her in the courtyard next to the stage, he could feel a vein in his neck throbbing with the instant rise in his blood pressure.
“Pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you, Jo?”
Joann flashed a smile reminiscent of their teen years. They'd fought like cats and dogs, but even then she'd had a habit of somehow getting what she wanted in the end.
“You should have seen your face—”
“Where's Jamie?” Jared asked, cutting her off, not wanting her to rub it in and tell him she knew what was best.
“Mom's got her. Before I left, though, I told her you'd have a surprise to tell her tomorrow. She's pretty excited.”
Jared shook his head. How had this happened?
Joann gave his shoulder a good-natured jab. “Hey, jerk, you were worth every penny. Why don't you just go on this Dream Date and have a little fun?”
“Because I don't want—” Jared stopped himself and took a moment to collect his thoughts. “Because, dear sister, she isn't the type of woman I would want—”
“—if you were looking, and you're not,” she finished.
Lacey looked around, then spotted Jared standing with the winning bidder. She walked quickly, hoping to join the conversation, thinking maybe they could come up with some kind of plan to get through the date without too much hassle. “Jared?”
He turned at the sound of her voice and gestured for her to join them.
The woman with him extended her hand, saying, “Hi, again, Lacey, I'm Joann. Thanks again for fixing Jamaica’s hair, by the way. She loves it. Oh, and please call me Jo—everyone does except for our mother and my boss. I hope you're not as mad at me as my little brother is right now.”
“Mostly surprised, actually,” Lacey replied. She moved to stand next to Jared, close enough to feel his body heat. She really wanted to get it over with—she was tired, her feet hurt, and she had to be at the salon bright and early in the morning.
As if on cue, Jo said her goodbyes, leaving them alone.
Jared cleared his throat and said, “Where are the others?”
“Kandy and Luke went to The Cantina to celebrate.”
“Any ideas about how to handle…the date situation?”
Lacey looked up at him. His voice sounded a little reluctant but his eyes looked almost inviting. Or was she reading more into them than was there?
She moistened her lips and took a deep breath. “Well, I do feel…obligated to go through with this for the charity's sake. They're really counting on the extra publicity.”
They said nothing for a few moments.
“It sounded like a nice place,” he said.
“What?”
“The Bed and Breakfast…the Dream Date?”
“Oh. Right.” She nodded, remembering how thrilled the marketing director had been to have secured a weekend at a secluded, pricey bed and breakfast in the nearby Cuyamaca mountains. She'd told her the cabins were large, cozy, and romantic, a favorite for local honeymooners and Hollywood types looking to get away from everyone. It had indeed sounded like the perfect spot for a couple’s dream date.
“Maybe what we need is a chaperon. A short, blond one,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
Lacey looked up. Fine laugh lines crinkled around his gray eyes. “I think that would help,” she said. “A lot.” Maybe this could work after all.
“Jamie would enjoy the woods,” he added, “and she already thinks you're some kind of “magician-princess-maker. It might be fun.”
“Deal,” she said, watching a play of emotions on his face. Did he really think it would be fun or was he just humoring her?
“You want to ride together or meet there?” he asked, matter-of-factly.
“Together is fine.” No need to take two cars, she thought. With Jamie sitting between them, everything would be fine. It was an absolutely perfect solution.
Lacey sighed, the strain between them now reduced dramatically. “Why don't the two of you pick me up at the salon next Saturday morning. I'll talk to the mall office and get details about the publicity and we can get that part over with as soon as possible.”
“Agreed. See you then.” He tipped his hat to her and turned to leave.
Lacey stared as he walked away with no backward glance from him. Why was she expecting one?
What she needed to do was make the best of this. Get past it, and move on. At least with Jamie along it would be easier to pass the time. Jared and his daughter could go explore the woods and she could have two days of rest and relaxation. She could definitely use the break in her routine and a weekend off was sounding better and better.
***
Jared enjoyed the quiet a
s he sat in his truck with his eyes closed for a few moments. His feelings were a tangle of confusion. How in the hell was he going to survive a weekend with a woman who had somehow broken through his carefully built defenses? A woman who—even though he had a million and one reasons why he shouldn’t be interested—left him craving to touch her.
When he’d put his arm around her waist posing for the cameras, it had felt natural. Right. He’d loved the feel of her, how her curves fit perfectly against him—so unlike Courtney who was only happy if her ribs and collar bones protruded, assuring herself she was ‘thin enough’.
And Lacey’s hair had positively shimmered in the bright lights on the stage, looking even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her. Whatever kind of magic she had, she sure used it on herself, making him want to run his fingers through her long hair, making him want to feel it against his bare skin.
Damn.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands doing his best to ignore the fact his jeans felt tighter just thinking about Lacey. His good-intentioned, forever meddling sister had very nicely managed to complicate his life in one fell swoop, throwing her money where her mouth was, for sure.
Two days and one night. That's all he had to get through. Then he would be able to separate himself from Lacey. Forever. And things would be normal again.
Chapter Eight
Jared stamped his feet on the porch just outside his back door.
“I'm coming. Geez!” Why did the phone always ring the minute he was occupied with the animals? It never failed. Even so, he refused to carry a cell phone around if he didn’t absolutely have to, usually only when Jamie was off with his sister or at a birthday party or something. Satisfied the majority of the dirt was off his boots, he flung open the door and grabbed the wall phone. “Hello!”
“Jared, did I call at a bad time?” His sister's voice had a sugary sweet sound.
“Hey, Jo. Sorry, I was outside.”
“You want me to call back later?”
He exhaled loudly, gathering his patience. “What's up?”
“I was thinking that since Jamie's going with you two to the cabin this weekend that we all might get together before Saturday.”
“And do what?”
“Well, eat or something. I just think you—and Jamie—might have a better time if all of you got to know each other better and—”
“Jo, just get to the point.” He loved his sister dearly, and even though she was known for bulldozing, she was conversely a master at beating around the bush sometimes. He'd learned to preserve his sanity by getting her to cut to the chase.
“Okay. I thought we could barbecue at your house. That way, you—and Jamie—would feel more comfortable and maybe things wouldn't be as awkward. And I'm sure Lacey would feel better about it, too.”
Jared knew his sister too well. “You already asked her, didn't you?”
Silence answered his question.
“I've already bought the steaks, and some sweet corn from that produce stand you like,” Jo said.
“You're impossible. And what night are we having this little get-together, may I ask?”
“Well, tonight, actually. How's six o'clock sound?”
“Jo—”
“I figured I better not give you a chance to say no, that's all.”
Jared ran his fingers through his hair. So much for the animals, he thought. He mentally made a quick list of chores: clean the grill, sweep the porch and patio, a quick shower for both him and Jamie…
“Lacey's bringing a salad. You have any wine to chill?”
“I'm hanging up the phone now, big sister.”
“See ya,” she said, much too cheerfully.
Jared's irritation quickly transformed into an abrupt case of the jitters. He pushed his fist into his stomach, trying grind the butterflies into submission.
“Who cares what she thinks of our place?”
His glance around the kitchen caused him to add the additional job of mopping the floor to his growing list.
Walking out the back door, he stood at the top step. “Jamie, come in the house, now. We're having company and I need your help.”
He watched as his daughter appeared at the barn door, a kitten under each arm.
“Comin', Daddy. Let me put the kitties back and I'll be right there.” Her high-pitched, honeyed voice tranquilized him.
Still, in four hours Lacey would be there. In their house. In their home.
***
A couple hours of straightening the house, another to clean themselves, and they were finished with some time to spare. Jared paced the front porch, staring at the driveway for the first sign of a car while Jamie put the finishing touches on her room. When he'd caught her pushing all her toys under the bed, he'd insisted she utilize her toy box. She was a good kid, easy to like. He wondered if Lacey liked her.
“Daddy, I'm done, come see,” he heard her call out.
“Be right there, Sugar Plum.” On his way through the kitchen he grabbed a bottle of white-zinfandel and put it in the refrigerator. Maybe a little wine was a good idea.
***
Lacey checked the freeway traffic in her rear view mirror, then changed lanes so she wouldn't lose sight of Jo's dark blue SUV.
Jared's sister was a convincing woman. After a few minutes of logical persuasion, Lacey had agreed it probably was a good idea to have a casual dinner with Jared and Jamie before spending the weekend with them. As they’d chatted it had become more and more obvious that Jo’s gentle persistence was rooted in her concern for her brother and young niece.
Once she’d decided that, she had given in.
She flipped the mirror open on her visor to expose the mirror for a quick peek. Her face was purposely devoid of makeup except for a little lipstick. No reason to dress up, she'd convinced herself. She wore faded jeans and a denim shirt. Just a friendly meal to release some pressure in a potentially tense situation, she reminded herself.
Not my type. Not my type. Her new mantra matched the thumping beat of the ridges in the road.
As Jo cut back into the slow lane, her turn signal continued to blink. Lacey followed her off the next exit. After a few hundred yards they drove onto a rutted, washboard road. Two signs flashed by: “Not a Through Street” and “You Are Entering the Cleveland National Forest.”
“What we are entering is the Boonies,” she murmured. Her foot sought the brake pedal as the quality of the road steadily diminished.
Flicking off the air conditioning, she lowered her window. Soon the pungent aroma of sage displaced the filtered air in her car. Lacey breathed deeply and filled her lungs with the fragrance and propped her elbow on the window's edge, dangling her fingers outside. She had forgotten how different the air was in the mountains. Each lungful encouraged her to relax a little more.
Focusing her attention on Jo's car as it crept along several yards ahead of her, Lacey then noticed the turn signal was blinking. She followed her onto a road that had a steadily increasing upward grade and, as they climbed, Lacey noted the change in the terrain. More boulders, less trees, more short, squatty shrubs.
As she followed the SUV around a sharp curve, the drab green and gray of the underbrush was replaced by startling patches of vibrant color. Wildflowers bordered the final stretch of what she supposed was a driveway—vibrant yellow sunflowers, orange poppies, pink and white daisies, and an occasional grouping of lavender.
Her gaze went to the end of the driveway where an odd-looking round, geodesic-dome house stood. Next to it was an obviously much older, weathered red barn that had spacious fenced pens on either side of it. Several creatures were lined up along the fence, watching her, their eyes looking curious and somehow intelligent, their faces sweet. She realized they were the alpacas Jared had mentioned during the short interview the night of the auction.
Jared stood on the front porch, arms crossed, feet apart. His hand lifted in a stiff wave, she watched him climbed down the steps.
> “I can do this, I can do this,” Lacey chanted softly.
As both cars came to a stop, Jared had already walked halfway to the parking area.
“Can you manage?” he asked Lacey as he reached her, nodding at the Tupperware in her arms.
“I'm fine, thanks.”
“Jo, will you do the nickel tour and I'll start the steaks?”
“Sure thing. Where's Jamaica?”
“Probably deciding what Barbie and Ken need to wear to this little shindig.”
“C'mon Lacey, you'll love the house. Did you know Jared built it? He sent for one of those dome house kits—cute, isn't it?”
While Jared busied himself with the grill, Lacey followed Jo around the porch to the back door.
“Here's the kitchen. We can put your salad in the fridge.” Before she put it away she peeked under the cover. “Looks luscious. Jared's a good cook, by the way.”
Lacey returned her smile. Her banter was beginning to sound like a sales job. Perhaps she was wrong about Jared's sister. Perhaps her good-natured meddling was more serious than she’d first thought.
“Auntie Jo!” The musical sound of Jamie's voice broke the silence. “Come see my room. It's clean! Daddy made me—”
“Jamaica, come say hello to Lacey. You remember her from the salon at the mall, right?”
Jamie nodded, slipping her tiny hand in Lacey's. At the innocent welcoming touch, Lacey felt a little of her tension loosen. She allowed the little girl to lead her to her room, only half-listening to Jo description of rooms they passed on the way.
Jamie's room was frilly, girlish. A brass trundle bed was filled with white eyelet pillows, and matching curtains draped the window. The walls were pale pink instead of the light-colored wood walls that filled most of the house. The room definitely had an woman's touch. Her mother’s , maybe. Or Jo’s?
COWBOY FOR SALE--A Second-Chances Spicy Romance Page 9