As they reached Lacey's car, Kandy shook her head in frustration. “I know I've got a big mouth sometimes, but you know I just care about you, right?”
Lacey flashed a broad smile. “Of course, Kandy. Don't worry, I'm a big girl and I'm fine, really.”
After a quick hug, Lacey dropped into the driver's seat and headed for her apartment.
With one hand, she rubbed at the tension headache centered between her eyes, eager to take some pain medication and get to bed early.
There was much to be done in the next few weeks and Lacey found she was actually looking forward to the business of packing and planning her trip. It was certainly what she needed in order to keep her mind occupied and as far away as possible from thoughts of Jared.
It was the perfect solution, she reminded herself, the thought becoming a mantra during her drive home.
As she pulled her car to the curb in front of her house, Lacey wondered how she had gotten there. Her mind felt numb and she realized she must have kicked into autopilot and had thankfully somehow made it home safely.
She sat in the car for a moment, gathering the strength she would need to get out and handle the rest of the walk to her front door. Her heart jumped to her throat as she reacted to the unexpected sound of sharp rapping on the car window.
A woman with unnaturally white-blond hair was standing, bent over to look at her through the passenger-side window, trying to get her attention.
Puzzled, Lacey opened her door and stepped out to look at the woman over the roof of the car. “Can I help you?” she asked gingerly, thinking perhaps the woman needed directions or the use of her phone.
“Actually, I just wanted to meet you. You're Lacey, right? Jamaica talked about you so when I saw you leaving the salon, I'm afraid I decided to follow you home.”
Lacey's brow furrowed. Then as casually as she could manage, she asked, “Are you Jamie's mother?”
The woman nodded then awkwardly cleared her throat. “Courtney,” she said, introducing herself in a honeyed voice. “I hope I didn't scare you. Like I said, I just wanted to…to meet you.”
Lacey's thoughts bounced in her head, synchronizing with the painful throbbing of her ankle.
Even though her apprehension increased by the second, she quickly considered her options, deciding to talk to the woman. As she regarded the petite blond, Lacey decided Courtney was the one who looked frightened—and a little embarrassed.
“Would you like to come in for a minute? I'm afraid I have to get off my ankle for a while and take some pain medication. I sprained it recently.” Lacey struggled to keep her voice friendly and noncommittal. She examined the woman's face for more clues.
“I promise not to keep you,” the woman answered, a tentative smile forming on her lips.
“Follow me, then. That's my place up there.” Lacey pointed at her front door, shut the car door and led the way up the sidewalk.
Inside, as she snapped on the lights and entered the kitchen, the woman silently followed her and sat at the kitchen table.
Lacey busied herself getting a glass of water and forcing the top off her bottle of pain medication. Her fingers shook as she battled with the child-proof lid. Finally, she popped a capsule in her mouth and downed the entire glass of water, then turned to face Jared's ex-wife wondering what in the world she wanted.
“Thanks for seeing me,” Courtney began, her voice wavering a little in its tone. “Usually Jamaica and I just talk on the phone from time to time, but I had a long stopover here in San Diego so I met her and Jo for lunch today. Jamaica's hair was so different when I saw her and she just gushed about how wonderful you were. I happened to catch a local news piece and found out about the Dream Date weekend you spent with Jared…” Her voice trailed off.
Lacey sat down at the table, waiting for the woman to get to some sort of point, to understand what kind of reason she had for taking the trouble to follow her home just to talk with her.
“Jared and I have been divorced for a while now, which I assume you know,” Courtney continued, “but of course I still have Jamaica's best interest in mind. I am still her mother, after all.” She paused and cleared her throat. “Even though we don’t see each other very often…well, and she totally understands about my career…”
Right. What child would truly understand why her mother chooses to be away from her? And by the sound of it, Courtney wasn’t making much of an effort to spend any kind of quality time with Jamie.
As she stared at Courtney, Lacey found it difficult to take the woman's professed maternal instincts seriously.
She studied her more closely. What about this women would have attracted Jared in the first place? Her appearance, for one thing, more resembled the popular waif-like models of the high fashion world. Her overly bleached hair was cut in a short, spiked style and her makeup featured heavily-lined eyes and bright lipstick. She wore tight, white capris and a cropped top that revealed a pierced naval and the edge of a brightly colored tattoo peeking above the waistband of her Capris.
Lacey had even more trouble picturing Jared and the woman together. She was an unbelievable contrast to him, a thoroughly modern young woman linked with a homegrown kind of man who liked fresh country air and a simple life. It simply didn't jibe.
“So, what can I do for you?” Lacey asked, wishing the conversation was over, regretting now that she'd been polite and invited the woman in. All she knew was that she was getting a strange vibe from her.
“I'm really not sure,” Courtney began. “I guess I just wanted to see what kind of woman you were. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the least bit interested in Jared anymore. From what his sister tells me he's a good father to Jamaica and for some reason she's…happy up on that wretched mountain and around those stinking animals.”
Lacey's eyes narrowed as she stared at Courtney. Wow. The incompatibility factor was crystal clear.
“I guess I just wanted to warn you about how awful it is up there, so isolated from anything modern and convenient. I didn't want you to be…fooled, like I was.”
“I see,” Lacey replied. She could feel the pain medication taking hold, her eyes glazing a little as she focused on Courtney's bright pink lips.
“And I wanted to warn you about Jared's stubborn streak and how…absolutely stifling he can be. You look like a successful woman, and I just wanted you to know what to expect—how bullheaded Jared can be…about women working, I mean.”
Lacey rubbed her temples. “Thanks, but Jared and I are not…seeing each other. We just won the weekend getaway through the auction and decided to go through with it for the sake of the publicity for the charity involved.”
Courtney's eyes studied her intensely. “Oh. Well, I guess I just sort of jumped to conclusions—”
“No harm done.” Lacey stood up, hoping Courtney would take the hint to leave.
Courtney stood and smiled weakly. “Well, thanks for being so nice to me. Maybe you can do my hair some time.”
Lacey turned away without replying. Was the woman nuts? She bit down hard on her lower lip to prevent herself from lecturing the woman on how she had thrown away a perfectly good life and a darling little girl for the so-called glamour of her career. Didn't she realize that, these days, many women handled both?
At the door, she watched as Courtney drove off in a bright red two-seater sports car.
“Yes,” Lacey whispered, “Jared is a good father to your little one, and I hope you don't discover, when you're old and gray, how much you missed by not being there for her.”
Even in her dazed anger, Lacey felt a little sorry for Courtney.
***
Jared drove up the mountain in a state of shock. Denver? He hadn't expected to be thrown a curve ball like Denver. He swallowed hard, struggling with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. Every fiber in his body felt numb.
How could she be so casual about it? Learning that she was moving halfway across the country had caught him completely off guard and left him feeling
paralyzed. This was not something he could control, he admitted, and part of him recognized he should just let it go.
Her career was important, he knew that. And the promotion was an indisputable indication she was achieving her life goals, a concrete example of her desire to succeed, proof of her aspiration for independence.
His conscience argued that he should be proud of her achievements, not angry that her path was unconventional in his eyes.
Like Courtney's had been.
Her name rebounded painfully in his head. Why did there have to be a choice—only one way? A vision of his daughter materialized in his mind, and his heart skipped a beat. Jamie was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he didn't regret any of the pain and suffering he'd gone through to have her…and to keep her. It had all been well worth the time and effort, and all the blood, sweat, and tears. And every penny he’d spent on the best attorney in California.
Jared slapped the steering wheel, his fingers tingling from the impact.
And who the hell was Chad?
Let it go, he argued with himself.
Let her go.
Maybe it was for the best, he thought.
Not so, his heart whispered.
Chapter Seventeen
“Daaaa-dy, Auntie Jo is here.”
Jamie's lilting voice interrupted Jared's concentration.
“Ask her to fix you something to eat, okay?” he called back.
He needed just a few more minutes to finish trimming Dolly's tough, triangular-shaped toenails. He had saved her for last so he could take his time. Because she was white, her toenails needed checking—and usually trimming—every three months compared to the annual trimming the dark alpacas typically needed. She was so docile and calm she allowed him to do it on his own, not like some of the others that made the trimming a two-person job.
“There, there,” he cooed, “just one more nip.” He carefully clipped her toenails just to the level of her soft pad. Dolly was his oldest and favorite alpaca. His first. She was a superior breeding female and had produced quite a brood of offspring—progeny easy to sell due to their good temperament and lustrous white fiber. It was as though she’d found her niche as a birther and mother. And her temperament made her a perfect pet, and easy to show. Jamie had been able to lead her around by a halter since she could walk.
Returning her foot to the ground, Jared stroked the animal’s neck, murmuring softly. She brought her nose to his neck, sniffing delicately. “Yes, you are my favorite,” he reassured her in a soothing voice, “now, go tend to your little cria.”
Jared watched as the gentle creature crossed the pen to return to her offspring, who was anxiously waiting to nurse. She’d carried her for almost a year to the day, and Jamie had hoped the young alpaca would be born on her birthday so they could be siblings. He’d laughed at that, though a part of him recognized it might be her way of wishing for a little brother or sister.
For now, maybe forever, she would have the crias and the herd as her playmates…her siblings.
Checking his watch, he realized he had just enough time to shower and get to the Rockin' Ranch before the first set. Glenn was back playing bass with the group but had asked him to fill-in tonight. Relatives were in town to visit the baby and he’d wanted to be there to proudly show her off.
Jared understood how precious this time was. He'd loved every stage of his daughter's life, including her infancy. Now she was getting ready to start school. Lately he’d the unmistakable feeling that time was slipping away much too quickly.
At the back porch he unlaced his work boots and left them outside. Jo was in the kitchen stir-frying vegetables and shrimp.
“Smells good,” he said.
“Are you eating with us?” she asked. “Everything will be ready in about ten minutes.”
“I'll shower quick,” he said with a grin, walking down the hall toward the bathroom.
As he passed the doorway to Jamie's room, she called out, “Do you think she's coming?”
“Who?”
“Daaaa-dy. You know…the lady who cut my hair, the nice Lacey-lady.” She sent him a “get serious” look that imitated her Aunt Jo perfectly.
“So sorry.” He bent to ruffle her hair. “She said she would. We'll have to wait and see.”
“But the party's tomorrow,” she said, her eyes wide. “Can't you call her and ask her?”
Jared winced. By the sweetness in her voice it was apparent that Lacey's presence at Jamie's fifth birthday party was vital. “We'll see, Sugar Plum, now Daddy's got to take a shower and go to work. I think Auntie Jo could use some help setting the table, okay?”
“Okay. I hope she comes, that's all.”
“So do I, Jamie.” He was surprised that his answer was really true. He did hope she came to the party. He wanted to say a proper goodbye. Because it would be goodbye, he reminded himself. The fact was that he would mostly likely never see Lacey Murdock again.
In the days since he'd seen Lacey at the salon, Jared had rationalized how her move to Denver would simplify everything. No decisions remained for him to make. She had already done that.
There was also a comprehension of relief. Her decision certainly released him from the onus of confessing his feelings about her—and at least he now knew precisely how diametrically opposed her feelings were.
The days had dragged since he'd seen her, and though Jared had found he'd been able to control his thoughts during the day, the nights had been difficult. Over and over he'd dreamed heart-pounding versions of their passionate night together. In his dreams, they'd made love everywhere in the secluded mountain cabin—in the hot tub, in the four-poster, in the kitchen, even outside on a quilt under the tall pines.
Each morning he'd awakened, still reeling from the memory of her touch, her fragrance, just the thought of her. Each morning he shrugged off the delicious remnants of the unwanted dreams.
As he stepped into the shower, he allowed his thoughts to create a picture of her in his mind. Immediately, his groin ached in response. Shaking his head, he knew it would just take time, time to get over the nagging, painful question about what might have been.
***
“Thanks for being such a good sport,” Kandy said, her voice increasing in volume to compete with the music as she and Lacey walked in the door of the Rockin' Ranch. “Everyone really wanted to get together one last time before you got too busy getting ready to move.”
Lacey nodded. She noticed Hank had been replaced at the door with a rather homely, serious-looking older man. Probably much safer, she thought, her stomach clenching at the memory of Hank. She shuddered.
She'd learned a lot from the experience, lessons she hoped to never repeat. She was in control of her life now. Her plans were materializing, just as she'd visualized—new job, new environment. It was just what she needed. The nagging pang of loneliness would disappear, she knew, as soon as she was on her way.
As soon as she was far enough away.
“Hey, Lacey!” Gloria's voice came out of the crowd ahead of them and she managed to work her way through the mob to meet them.
“Hi, Gloria—how was your sister's wedding?” Lacey asked.
“Thanks to you, I looked better than the bride. I hear you got some big promotion and you're movin', huh?”
Lacey nodded. “Time to try something new.”
“Well, my hair and I will miss you terribly. Kandy, some of the gals are already at the reserved table on the dance floor.” Gloria pointed, then twirled to service a table of customers.
“C'mon, Lacey, follow me and be careful of your foot,” said Kandy as she blazed a trail toward the dance floor.
Lacey avoided looking at the stage, suppressing the part of her that hoped Jared was playing, even though she had heard from Kandy that the band’s regular bass player had returned.
Even though she hadn't seen him since the day he'd shown up at the salon, her nights were still restless because of him, filled with strange dreams—en
dless walks toward mountains that kept moving further away; running through airports unable to find the right departure gate; even Jamie's sweet little face, tears on her pink cheeks.
Shaking off the unwanted feeling of sadness, Lacey forced a smile, returning her attention to the going-away party. She waved at the table filled with stylists from the salon, with the addition of several other women she knew from the mall.
The chair they'd saved for her placed her back to the band. Before she sat down, though, she sneaked a peek at the stage, quickly locating a man she assumed was the bass player. She shrugged off the hint of disappointment and concentrated on trying to hear the conversation at the table.
She felt distracted, nervous. Too many reminders of Jared, she decided. Forcing a smile, she pretended to listen to the girl-talk going on around her. The reality of it was, she was not in the mood to be there.
“What you gals need is some champagne, and it's on the house.” Gloria unloaded her tray of wine glasses in the center of the table, followed by four bottles of champagne.
As Lacey helped pour sparkling liquid into glasses, she realized how much she was going to miss her co-workers and her clients. Surprisingly, she also realized she considered most of them her friends. Her work had become an important aspect of her life.
“To Lacey and her big adventure,” Kandy said, raising her glass for the toast, “whatever that might be.”
Lacey frowned, then quickly replaced it with a smile. Why did she suddenly feel unsure of herself? Probably because I'm here, she admitted, and too close to the origin of her distress. Too close to the memory of Jared.
She looked up to see everyone waiting for her, glasses raised. “To adventure,” she responded, and leaned forward to clink glasses with everyone, laughing at their insistence that each person touch her glass for luck.
COWBOY FOR SALE--A Second-Chances Spicy Romance Page 17