by Sable Hunter
“Nolan loves Hershey bars and blue balloons. I’ll take whatever twenty dollars will buy. I’m going to surprise him with a special meal.” She blushed and reached into her pocket. “And if you could slip this little booklet of coupons in with the candy, I’d appreciate it.”
“Coupons? How neat!” Tricia could see they were homemade. “For kisses. Hugs.” She read the one on top. “Oh, I love this.” She handled the little bundle of papers like they were made of spun glass. “A heartfelt gift like this means so much more than something you could buy.” Tricia laughed, giving Jaya a wink. “I’m not trying to talk you out of the balloons, they’ll make a nice presentation. But this…” She placed the booklet carefully in the basket to await the rest of the contents. “This will mean the world to him.”
“I hope so.”
Seeing the wistful look in Jaya’s eyes made Lance hope her husband understood how lucky he was to have someone care so much about him. He wanted that – he needed that in his life. Lance was tired of living on the fringe of everyone else’s happiness.
“I’ll fix you up, girl,” Tricia assured her. “Do you want me to deliver the balloon bouquet to him at work or would you rather take it to him yourself?”
Lance found himself entranced at the way Tricia moved with a bit of bounce to her step and the way her hair shone in the rays of sunlight streaming through the window. The swell of her breasts drew his eye and he licked his lips when he noticed the outline of her nipples through the soft, blue material of the T-shirt she was wearing.
“If you could deliver it to the lumber yard, that would be great. He works too hard and I’d love to surprise him, give him a reason to take a break.”
“I’ll do it. No problem.” Tricia took the twenty and gave Jaya five dollars in change.
Lance figured she’d lost as much as she earned from the deal. As soon as Jaya was gone, he moved back into his place at the counter, his hand going out to touch a velvety leaf of a purple African violet. He bet Tricia’s skin was even more soft. “You’re going to go broke if you aren’t careful, Miss Yeager.”
Tricia waved her head nonchalantly. “They’re having a hard go of it. I’m happy to do my part to spread a little romance.” She pulled a stool over and propped a knee up on it, making Lance acutely aware of the delectable shape of her ass.
“Now, what’s on your sexy mind?” Tricia had no more than asked her question before a horrible thought hit her like a runaway freight train. If he was here to order flowers for another woman, she’d just die.
“You’re so sweet.” As though he couldn’t stop himself, Lance’s hand rose to stroke the velvet of her cheek, confirming his suspicions. “Skye’s birthday is tomorrow. I’d like to find a gift for her, if you could help me choose one.”
Tricia leaned forward into his caress. “Oh, your sister,” she breathed a sigh of relief, “how thoughtful of you to remember her birthday.”
Lance shrugged, lowering his arm reluctantly. “Hey, I’m a nice guy.”
“Yes, you are. Do you want flowers or something else? I have some nice things.” She pointed to a few items scattered around the shop. “There’s some pretty candle warmers over there, a few pieces of Irish Belleek China, and even a Boehm rose or two to choose from.”
Lance glanced around at the coolers full of flowers, the assortment of potted plants, the displays of premade silk arrangements, and the vast array of decorative items. He felt totally out of his comfort zone. “Flowers, I guess. Pretty ones.”
“Okay, how about an arrangement with hydrangeas and peonies? White, maybe? Something bright and cheery?” When he agreed, she rang up the amount and put it on his credit card. “I’ll take care of everything, don’t you worry.”
“Sounds perfect. Skye’s a little down and out. She and Noah were turned down by another adoption agency.” Lance wasn’t gossiping out of turn, Tricia was close to the McCoy’s. She and Avery, Isaac McCoy’s wife, had been best friends since Tricia moved to Kerrville. Tricia almost spent as much time at Tebow as he did – and Lance lived there. “Hopefully things will work out for them, but there’s no guarantees.”
“Oh, I hate that.” Tricia frowned. “How can people be so stupid as to think they wouldn’t be good parents? I know Skye spent time in prison, but you got her sentence overturned. She killed that bastard in self-defense.”
Tricia’s fierce defense of his sister only made Lance want her more. “I don’t understand it myself. She’s working fiercely for the rights of Native American women. Skye doesn’t want what happened to her to ever happen to any woman again.” He and his sister had suffered some setbacks in life, disadvantages stemming from circumstances beyond their control. Her fortune changed the day she met Noah McCoy and no one was happier about it than Lance.
“I guess Avery being so close to her due date is a difficult reminder for Skye.”
Lance noticed Tricia’s breathing was a little fast. Despite their serious conversation, she was excited to see him. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, Skye is thrilled for Isaac and Avery.” He glanced toward the office. “Speaking of Mrs. Badass, is Avery here?” If he was going to give asking Tricia out one more shot, he’d rather not have an audience.
She shook her head. “No, my partner is at home with her feet up, hopefully. She’s trying to finish another book before she delivers that baby any day now.”
“Another book, huh?” Lance couldn’t help but grin. “Does Isaac read her stories?”
Tricia rested her arms on the Formica surface in such a way that plumped up her breasts. “Don’t tell anyone I said so…but…” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “They rehearse the sex scenes together.”
When Tricia’s cheeks pinkened, Lance wanted to pluck her up from her perch and kiss her so badly he ached. “They do? I can see where having an erotic romance author as a wife could come in handy.”
“Avery says they’re just fantasies she writes down on paper.” Her gaze locked with his.
“You said you have fantasies too. Are they like Avery’s?” Lance edged up to the counter, his cock was hard again.
“You’ve read her books?” Tricia asked in surprise.
“Parts of them.” He searched her face, almost drowning in her sea blue eyes. “Anytime you want to rehearse something, I’m available.”
Tricia couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. They’d flirted plenty of times, but never this intimately. All her girly parts were humming and she shivered with pure anticipation. “How about if we start slow, say with dinner?”
Holy hell, she was asking him out. “When?” he almost shouted.
Ting!
Lance was so shocked at her unexpected invitation and the stupid welcoming bell sounding again, that he stepped backward with a jerk and knocked over a whole display of stuffed baby toys. Bears, ponies, lambs, and puppies went flying every which a way.
About that time, Jacob stuck his head in the door. “Ready, Lance?” When he saw the mess on the floor and Lance standing in the middle of it, Jacob sauntered in to help. “What did you do, Grace?”
“I’m so sorry.” Lance straightened the display rack while Jacob and Tricia rescued the menagerie from the floor. “I can’t believe I was so clumsy.”
Tricia laughed at his befuddlement. “Don’t worry a bit. I’ve been meaning to rearrange these things anyway.”
Lance felt as clumsy as an ox. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“No, this was my fault, my suggestion startled you.” Tricia wished Jacob would drop through the floor, she needed a bit more alone time with Lance. The red-letter day she’d been waiting for so long had finally arrived and she didn’t want to waste another minute of her life.
“No, it didn’t.” Lance adjusted the black felt Stetson on his head. “Yes, it did.” He felt himself blushing.
Jacob looked from one to the other of his friends. They looked a little odd. What was going on? Holding up his hands, he decided to back off. “I’ll be
in the truck, but we’ve got to get a move on, Lance. Daylights burning and the vet is waiting for us to bring the calves in for their vaccinations.”
“Yea, sure.” Dammit!
Ting!
As Jacob moved out, another customer moved in. “Hell,” Lance muttered, “I can’t win for losing.” Seeing the disappointed look on Tricia’s face, he threw caution to the wind and stalked toward her. “Pardon me, ma’am,” he excused himself to a middle-aged lady with an obituary in her hand. “Sorry for your loss.” Leaning across the counter, he took Tricia by the upper arms and pulled her forward, planting a quick kiss on her plump, pink lips. When he raised his head, Lance chuckled at the happy, dazed expression on her pretty face. “I’m not sure what just happened, but I’ll phone you soon,” he promised, before turning to head out the door.
It took a few seconds for Tricia to regain her composure, but when she did, she called out after him. “I’m in the yellow pages. Under florist!”
* * *
Checking the traffic in his rearview mirror, Jacob pulled out onto Main Street and headed west toward Tebow Ranch. “Did I come at a bad time?” he asked with a knowing smirk on his face.
“Why would you say that?” Lance kept his eyes on the road, his face expressionless.
“I don’t know, I just got this weird feeling I interrupted something.”
Lance stared out the window, not really seeing the shops and buildings they were passing. Just being in Tricia’s presence clouded his mind. “No problem. I told her I’d give her a call.”
“So, you’re going to ask Tricia out on a date? Jessie thinks she’s perfect for you.”
Shifting in his seat, Lance shrugged. “Actually, she’d just asked me out when you barged in like a bull moose.”
Jacob chuckled. “And her invitation turned you into spaz boy?”
“Yea, I lost it.” Lance joined in his friend’s laughter. “She’s turned me down more times than I can count. I was just about to give up when she shocked the shit out of me.”
“So, she’s been playing hard to get?”
“I guess. Hell, if I know.” Lance shrugged, sitting up straighter in the seat and stretching his long legs to the limit of the floorboard. “Tricia is a fine woman and a good friend.” He couldn’t count the times she’d gone out of her way to be nice to him. She was always doing little things for people, like the homemade pies she sent to him by Avery, or her willingness for the shop to sponsor every school project or sporting event in Kerr County. “I was beginning to think I wasn’t good enough for her.”
“Whoa! Why would you say something like that?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Jacob,” Lance murmured as he slipped a pair of leather gloves on his hands. “Working for the McCoy family has been the best thing that ever happened to me. Y’all have treated me like gold.”
Raising his hand to wave at a passerby, Jacob cut his eyes toward his foreman. “So, what are you getting at? We pay you a good wage and a nice house comes with the package. On top of that, you’re one of the best men I know.”
Lance didn’t really want to get into this discussion with Jacob. “I have no complaints about my job, Jacob. None.” This was the truth, he enjoyed his work on Tebow.
What haunted him was the loss of Shenandoah.
By all rights, he should be the boss of his own ranch, not working for another man. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Lance assured him. His ultimate goal was to either buy back his family’s land or purchase another property where he could invest time and energy into his own future.
“I’m glad to hear you’re not planning on picking up stakes and moving on, Lance. Tebow wouldn’t be the same without you.” Jacob pulled some papers from his jacket and handed them to him. “Here’s the stock receipt from the sale barn. I told them I’d rather you pick up the check later in the week than have it automatically deposited. Last time, they got our account number mixed up with someone else’s, it was a mess.”
“Sure thing, Boss.” Lance pocketed the folded yellow paper. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Hey, Rogue Walker’s coming by at the end of the week to talk business. I’ve coerced him into staying a couple of days. You want to sit in on a game of Texas Holdem?”
Lance frowned. “You know I don’t gamble, Jacob.” He’d vowed to never follow in his father’s footsteps.
“I’ve seen you play.”
“Yea, for matchsticks. I don’t play for money.”
As they neared Tebow property, Jacob studied his foreman’s face. “If you did, you’d be damn successful. I’ve never seen anyone with your luck.”
“I’d never rely on luck, I’m afraid the Rogers family runs a little short on the commodity. I use a combination of math skills and people skills. Really, I just enjoy teaching the young hands how to play.”
“You’re a phenom, Rogers. Everybody says so. If you were to hit the poker circuit, you’d clean up.” Jacob let out a long breath and shook his head. “What am I doing? Sounds like I’m trying to run off my right-hand man.”
“No, I’ve seen the dark side of gambling. I’d never risk something I couldn’t afford to lose.”
“Exactly, my point. Look, I’ll stake you. Bull Redford is coming over and Canyon and Aron are in. We all like to play, but none of us are in Rogue’s league. At least with you there, he’ll have some competition. I’d love to see you take the Lone Wolf down. How about it?” The trailer jerked and Jacob adjusted the side mirror on his pickup to better watch the load they were pulling from a better angle. “Jessie and Libby will feed us like kings.”
Lance took a deep breath. “Hell, I’ll do it. But I won’t take your money. Do you think Jessie might make some of those stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon?”
“I can guarantee it,” Jacob nodded. “You just wear your lucky boots and come prepared to give Walker a run for his money.”
“I don’t own any lucky boots.”
Jacob pointed to the worn pair of Justin’s on Lance’s feet. “Sure, you do. You were wearing those when a good-looking woman asked you out on a date. Right?”
Lance grinned. “Right.”
* * *
“Special delivery!” Tricia sang out, tapping on the door of Tebow’s main house. “Anybody home?” While she waited for an answer, her eyes were busy scanning the surrounding rolling fields and green pastures for any sign of Lance. Yea, she had it bad.
Just as she noticed his familiar figure on horseback, the double doors opened and a squeal met Tricia’s ears. “Flowers! For me?”
Avery’s obvious joy at the arrangements made Tricia doubly glad she had whipped up a surprise for her partner. “Yes, this one is for you.” She placed a bouquet of white roses in her partner’s hands and planted a kiss on her cheek. “From me, your best friend. Consider these an early present for the mother-to-be.”
“I love them! Did you come by yourself?” Avery glanced out the door to see the florist van parked in front. “What’s going on?”
“Yea, I did.” Tricia placed the arrangement Lance had ordered for his sister on a nearby table. “I’m driving again, a little bit. We’ll see how it goes.” Every time this subject came up, she felt guilty. Lying to her partner and best friend was hard.
“Great! I always knew you could do it. I know you don’t like to drive, but not having to rely on others will be so freeing for you.” Seeing the extra flowers, Avery pointed to the gorgeous bouquet. “Who gets the other arrangement?”
“Skye. Is she home?”
“Yea, go sit down in the living room and I’ll go find her. We’re by ourselves today, Libby and Cady drove into Austin this morning. Libby’s meeting with a couple of buyers from trendy boutiques who are interested in carrying her purses,” she said all of this as she was easing up the staircase one difficult step at a time.
“That’s great! Don’t you want me to go up there for you?” Tricia asked, grimacing as she watched Avery trudge to the second floor.
“No, I
need to do this.” Avery placed a steadying hand on her burgeoning abdomen. “The more exercise I get, the faster this baby will come.” She paused to take a breath on the top landing. “Skye?” Hearing no response, she walked further down the hall. “Skye?”
Seeing she had a few seconds to spare, Tricia rose to glance out the window. Her reward was seeing Lance riding close to the nearest pasture fence. “Yum.” She drank in the sight of him, loving the way he sat on his horse and the movement of his hips as he urged the steed forward. Tricia felt herself grow warm and an empty ache throbbed in her core.
“I think the two of you would be perfect together.”
“Skye!” Tricia jumped, placing a hand to her throat. “I was just…” She giggled. “Lusting over your brother.”
“I wish you’d put the man out of his misery and go out with him.”
Tricia pressed her fingers to her lips. She’d almost confessed her spur of the moment invitation. What if he didn’t call? No, she’d do better to wait until she knew for certain. They were all a little too close for comfort, no use inciting family drama if it wasn’t necessary. “Speaking of your brother, he sent you those beautiful birthday flowers over there.”
Skye turned to admire her gift. “Oh, they’re gorgeous! Thank you for bringing them. He’s so good to me.”
“I’m sure he is.” Tricia helped Avery tug the ottoman closer to her comfortable chair. Thoughts of Lance were spinning in her head.
“Noah’s giving me a birthday party Sunday afternoon. I’d love it if you could come, Tricia.” Skye gave her a friendly smile. “Nothing fancy, just a cookout.” Tricia could tell this was Skye’s way of matchmaking.
“Good idea!” Avery winked at Tricia. “Hooking up at a party is always easier than asking someone out.”
“You two should start your own dating service.” She looked from Skye to Avery. “Okay, I’ll come! Are you sure it will be all right?”