A Little Texas

by Liz Talley

  “These are the rooms for the clients. Our facility is different from other programs around the country. Some of those programs sit in the middle of the barrios and hoods. They provide therapy, job training, tattoo removals, things like that. There’s a program in Los Angeles that even runs a restaurant. We want to give our clients the chance to remove themselves from the destructive environment before taking on the programs that will help them build new lives.”

  Kate watched him as he spoke. His face changed, took on a purposeful look. “That sounds like a good thing. It’s got to be hard to enroll in a neighborhood program only to go home each night knowing the people you roll with are outside your window. Like too much temptation.”

  Rick’s hand stilled on the doorknob. He faced her. “How did you know?”

  “Know what?”

  He set his hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “Have you faced addiction in your past or something?”

  Kate didn’t know why he’d asked her that. Strange question. “No. I just know there’s a reason someone joins a gang. It’s not to steal, run drugs or bang chicks. It’s for companionship. For purpose. And if you are lying in your bed thinking about how you’ve got to rip yourself away from something like that, it has to be like a dieter sitting in front of a piece of cheesecake. Really hard to shove away.”

  Kate had just closed her mouth when his covered it. Warm, soft and as delicious as melted marshmallows on hot chocolate, the kiss curled her toes in those boots.

  Rick’s hands slid up from her shoulders to cup her head. It felt as though he drank from her, which really turned her on. She allowed him, pushed herself against him, encouraged him.

  Her hands fluttered against his chest before sliding lower. The man had a serious six-pack. Nice. She curled her arms around his back and jerked him toward her.

  She felt his smile against her lips.

  “Bruja.”

  “Hmm?” Kate murmured, unwilling to tear her mouth from his for even a moment.

  He drew back, his brown eyes glinting with a mixture of humor and passion. “You’ve bewitched me.”

  She smiled. Then lifted onto her tiptoes and jerked his head back to hers. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  This time she covered his mouth with hers. He reacted by hauling her against him. He felt so good. Hard. All man. Kate allowed her hands to brush through his close-clipped hair as she opened her mouth to him.

  “Well, ain’t this the way I last saw you?”

  Kate jumped, banging Rick in the nose, and looked over at the man lurking in the hallway.

  “Bubba!” Kate shrieked, disentangling herself from Rick and throwing herself into the arms of the man laughing at her. The last time she’d seen Bubba Malone, he’d tripped over her and Brent Hamilton making out by the old dam out on Camp Lease Road. She’d been half-drunk on wine coolers and poor Bubba had been night fishing. He’d hit his head against a tree when he’d tripped and broken his best fishing pole.

  “Didn’t know you were in town, Katie. Do I need to lock down the liquor stores? Alert the Baptist church?”

  She punched him on his beefy arm. “Whatever we need to do to protect folks around here.”

  Bubba laughed. It sounded like a donkey braying. “You’re somethin’ else, Katie. Ain’t never seen anyone like you. Don’t reckon I ever will, neither.”

  There was no way to describe Bubba other than Texas redneck. He stood about six foot four and wore the most god-awful clothing. Case in point, he was clad in a ratty long-sleeved T-shirt with a Carhartt vest. His jeans were splattered with red clay and his boots were untied with the laces frayed. His nose looked like a kid had shaped it out of modeling clay and stuck it to his face. But his bright blue eyes were friendly and his red beard reminiscent of Yukon Cornelius in the old children’s holiday movies.

  “Bubba.” Rick nodded, drawing their attention to him. “Didn’t know you were stopping by today.”

  Rick looked perturbed. Was he embarrassed to be caught kissing her in the center? She assumed he was. She got the sense he wanted to portray himself as absolutely professional. Making out with the town rebel in the middle of the day was not professional. It was impulsive.

  “I saw your car in the drive. I got that generator Jack said he’d give you. Thought I’d drop it by. I knocked but I guess you was busy.” Bubba delivered a sly smile, then wiggled his eyebrows.

  Rick ignored it, though she could have sworn a bit of color appeared on his cheeks. It was hard to tell on that smooth, golden skin. The yummy warmth emanating from him had disappeared. The interruption had reminded him of who he was and of what he had at stake. “I appreciate your bringing it by. We can put it in the storage building. I’ll give you a hand.”

  Bubba pulled Kate into another hug. “Good to see you, Katie. Don’t stay gone so long.”

  Kate gave him a squeeze before wriggling from beneath his heavy arm. “It’s Kate, Bubba. And I don’t have much reason to come back to Oak Stand. It can’t compare to Vegas.”

  “You’ll always be Katie to me. And just go watch the sun set over them hills out there. Vegas ain’t got nothing on us.”

  Bubba disappeared and Rick followed, leaving Kate alone in the hallway, feeling a little small for being so defensive about her name and where she now lived. Everyone in Oak Stand knew her as Katie Newman and the people in this neck of the woods were proud of the quaint beauty of the little town, even if it did make them backwoods and small-minded. Kate was glad she didn’t live here. And for the record, sunsets were spectacular against the Vegas skyline.

  Who needed fresh air when there was excitement to replace it?

  Rick’s head appeared at the entrance to the hall. “You coming, Kate?”

  “You bet your sweet ass.”

  And it was a sweet ass.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  KATE SCANNED THE RACKS of clothes at the Longview Target. Usually she loved to shop, even at a chain store, but at present her head felt achy and her gut like an out-board motor running at full throttle. Life had slammed her upside her head.

  And it was no one’s fault but hers. She’d written that letter. And, God, she wished she hadn’t.

  “I’m going to the book section. Meet me at the coffee bar in thirty.” Rick didn’t bother waiting. He swerved around a woman cajoling a toddler in a cart and disappeared. She didn’t blame him. The kid was wailing about wanting princess lip gloss and she had a set of lungs.

  “Chicken,” Kate murmured as she pulled a knit sun-dress from a rack. It was cute, but a season too early. She needed jeans and sweaters. Texas weather was notoriously fickle. Heck, it could toss out a seventy-degree day after one with light snow. But, for once in her life, she had to be sensible about her clothing. She headed to the clearance rack.

  Just after she dumped two red-tag sweaters and a cardigan into her basket, her phone erupted in a Ke$ha tune. She pulled it from her bag. Jeremy.

  “Hey, how’s my favorite queen diva?”

  “Fa-bu-lous!” Jeremy responded in a singsongy voice.

  Kate smiled. He always made her feel better. “Great. How’s the salon?”

  “I hate to tell you, darling, but it’s fantabulous.”

  “That’s the name of the place, dummy,” she said, squinting at a pair of skinny jeans. They weren’t True Religion, but they weren’t bad. “Seriously, how’s it going?”

  “Seriously, it’s going well. Mandy brought a couple of new clients along and not one peep out of your peeps. It’s, like, totally working, doll.”

  “Well, that’s a relief because I’m not coming back for a couple of weeks.”

  “Hello!” Jeremy cried, doing his impression of a gay Robin Williams. “What’s with?”

  Kate sighed. “Dear old Dad wants some baby girl time.”

  “You’re joking,” her friend said. “You mean he won’t give you the money unless you stay in Texas?”

  “Bingo. You’re a smart puppy.”

  “I’m als
o a good puppy, and if you scratch me where I like it, I’ll roll over for you.” His tone was light. Maybe Victor felt better today. She didn’t want to ask, though. When she’d called him yesterday, Jeremy had been in tears.

  “You wish, gay boy,” Kate said, studying the packaged panties on an end cap. They were assorted colors with little cherries on them. At least they weren’t granny panties. And five pairs for under ten dollars. Cool. She snatched a package of bikini-style and tossed them in the basket.

  “Don’t worry, Kate the Great. I’ve got this covered. You do your thing and get that money. I’ll focus on bringing in the clients. We’ll be okay.”

  She eyed a black lace garter belt. It had hot pink ribbons and a matching bra. She loved sexy undies as much as she loved comfy sweats and flip-flops. She plucked both from the display and held them aloft, eyeing them critically. Not her typical luxurious lingerie, but still…

  “Wanna try it on for me?” Rick’s voice came from over her shoulder.

  Kate never blushed. Never. But she could feel heat creeping into her cheeks.

  “Who’s that?” Jeremy asked in her ear. “He sounds yummy.”

  She spun around. Rick stood, one arm extended above her so it stretched his gray T-shirt over his abs. He was close enough that she had to retreat from the heat he was putting off. The sexual static that had erupted between them earlier at the center buzzed again.

  She cheekily rolled her eyes. “Jer, I gotta go. I’ll call you tonight.”

  She punched End, even though she could hear her friend protesting.

  Rick watched her with hawk eyes as she lowered the sexy bra and garter. She wanted to play with him. Taste him. Touch him. Indulge in him. She wanted him. That much was certain. But things right now were way bizarre and letting lust or whatever she felt with Rick swirl around within the confusion seemed pretty stupid. She had enough complication. Still, flirting with him made her feel like her old self. Like the Kate who could handle everything with a snappy comeback and the toss of her head.

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Sorry, they won’t let you in the dressing room.”

  With that she turned, scooped up the clothes she’d chosen—including the lingerie—and sauntered into the dressing room. She knew she shouldn’t tease, but she couldn’t resist the power she had. So before she disappeared into the depths, she leaned back and gave him a flirtatious smile.

  “Let me know if you need any help,” he called.

  Her response was a wink.

  RICK WATCHED KATE DISAPPEAR into the dressing room. What the hell was he doing? He needed to get his ass back to the book section. Standing in the middle of a grouping of thongs watching the sexiest little number he’d seen in ages strutting around waggling her tight ass in front of him was not the best idea at this juncture.

  But she was the first woman who’d seriously tempted him in a long time. At Phoenix, he hadn’t been able to resist the temptation to taste her again. And the whole way to Longview, he’d kept daydreaming about her skin sliding against his, her mouth opening to him, her hips clasped in his hands as he sank into her.

  She made him want to put aside his vow of no more casual relationships, no more treating women like furniture. He’d retired that life when he’d turned over a new leaf. But Kate…Kate made him doubt himself.

  And that should send him running, because he didn’t need any more obstacles in his life. The center was opening in a matter of days. He had a lot to do. A list a mile long. And Kate Newman wasn’t on the list.

  But he felt powerless to stop himself.

  He stood in the women’s intimates section for several more minutes contemplating how wrong it was for him to want Kate before he noticed a few ladies giving him odd looks. Realizing he looked like a perv, he moved to where socks and scarves hung among purses.

  Kate appeared at his elbow. “Okay, I gotta grab some toiletries and I’ll be ready.”

  He started toward the other half of the store just as the kid crying over the lip gloss escaped from the shopping cart. He watched as the child tore away from her mother, shrieking about it “not being fair.” He wanted to tell the little girl to get used to it, but that really wasn’t his job. He knew nothing about wearing fluffy skirts and rubber boots. Little girls were alien.

  Just like Kate was.

  He watched the girl run toward him, her boots slapping the newly polished aisle. The mother, holding a pacifier between her teeth, shot a look at the shopping cart where a baby carrier sat before darting after her daughter. The little girl loped past Kate, collided with his knees, and wrapped her arms about his legs.

  Rick looked at Kate in alarm. The little girl, who wore pigtails, turned her face up to him and in a most desperate voice said, “Will you please buy me princess lip gloss?”

  Kate started laughing as the harried mother peeled her daughter from Rick’s legs.

  “Audrey! Tell the man you’re sorry,” the woman said, looking back at the cart she’d left a few yards away. “Now.”

  The girl poked out a lip. “I just wanted the princess—”

  “Now,” the mother said more firmly.

  The girl’s shoulders slumped. He figured she knew when she’d been beat. “Sorry.”

  He patted her on the head. It felt awkward. “That’s okay.”

  “Wow,” Kate said, watching the mother march the child back to the cart. “You have girls throwing themselves at you.”

  “Yeah, but not really the kind I need.”

  Kate’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, I don’t know. Give her fifteen years. She’s pretty cute.”

  “Look, I’ll loan you some toothpaste,” he said, eyeing another mother approaching from the opposite direction. Her cart held two squabbling kids. “I think I’m ready to get out of here.”

  “But you were good with Mae,” she said, cocking her head in a questioning manner.

  “She’s a baby. She can’t talk,” he said, pushing her cart toward the front of the store.

  “Oh, you just don’t like your women to talk. Okay. I’ll remember that. Let me just pay for these and we’ll go before any more children tackle you and take you down.” She swung the clothes in front of him. He didn’t fail to notice she’d bought panties with cherries on them. Damn. Why had he noticed? Now all he’d be thinking about were those hot-pink cherries…and what lay beneath them.

  Hell.

  KATE STARED AT THE STRIPED walls surrounding the antique iron bed. They felt like bars. Prison bars.

  Then again, she was doing time. At Cottonwood.

  The room was elegantly furnished with a beautiful quilted coverlet in soft blues and greens. The hardwood beneath her feet was softened by a plush Oriental rug that complemented the ivory-and-periwinkle-striped walls. A fireplace anchored the room, bathing the cherry furniture in a soft glow. Dusk fell outside windows framed by tasteful drapes.

  Kate couldn’t help but think she’d rather be anywhere than facing dinner with her sperm-donor father and his deflated wife.

  She spun and checked her image in the mirror. She’d pulled one of the cardigans she’d bought at Target over a white Hugo Boss shirt, pairing it with pants that looked painted on and a pair of soft blue leg warmers. She shoved her feet into a pair of snakeskin flats she’d bought on sale at Nordstrom’s and hooked some Gerard Yosca glass stone earrings in her ears. Thank goodness she always overpacked. She hadn’t had to spend too much at Target after all.

  She took one last glance before blowing a kiss at her reflection and leaving the confines of her room.

  Cottonwood was an enormous house and it took her a few wrong turns before she found the dining room.

  Justus and Vera were already there, seated at a huge table gleaming with crystal glasses and shiny china. Weird. She felt as though she’d fallen into the TV and appeared on the set of Dallas. The theme song played in her head as she pulled a chair from the exact center of the table and sat.

  “Evening,” Vera murmured, her hand quaking as she lifted a glass o
f wine to her lips.

  “Good evening, Miss Ellie,” Kate said, pulling a snowy napkin from her right and placing it in her lap.

  Justus frowned, but Vera actually laughed.

  “It does seem like Dallas, doesn’t it? I thought so myself when I first visited. Couldn’t get that song out of my head for a good week.”

  Kate didn’t expect Vera to catch on to her reference. It made her feel sorta petty. Time to play the guest. “Thank you for waiting on me. It took longer than expected to get back from Longview. There was an accident on the interstate, so Rick had to take a few side roads.”

  The whole situation was awkward. No way around it. She looked to her right at Justus. He stared at his empty plate like a grumpy bullfrog. She looked to her left at Vera, who smiled a brilliant fake smile. Kate didn’t miss that Vera’s hands still trembled as she cradled the goblet of wine. And when Kate looked to the center, she found Ryan Mitchell staring at her.

  It was an enormous portrait of the half brother she’d never known. He had to have been around eighteen. His smile held hope, his eyes humor. Boyish charm oozed from the palette of muted paint. Unlike the other paintings scattered through the halls of Cottonwood, this painting had no windswept Texas background. No cowboys or grit. No horses or cows. Just a boy framed against a blue background, smiling as if he knew the answers to life.

  As she noted they shared the same cheeky smile, a strange feeling washed over her. It could have been regret, or portent, or déjà vu. She wasn’t sure, but it was something.

  Before she could ask about the portrait, Rosa bustled in with several platters.

  “Here I am. I made special dinner for Ms. Kate. Chile verde con puerco, and to start, caldo de res. And flan for dessert, Mr. Mitchell.”

  Justus visibly brightened as Rosa sat a steaming bowl of soup before him. “Well, now, it’s been forever since you’ve gone to such trouble, Rosa. If I’d known all you needed was a guest, I would have brought someone sooner.”