“I didn’t suffer that much. My Uncle Steve, mom’s brother-in-law, stepped in. Mom and I spent plenty of time with Uncle Steve, Aunt Julie and my cousins. The family raises horses, so that’s how I got into this line of work.”
Ed made a checkmark on her list and turned to Val. “What about your parents? Have you told Teague anything about them?”
“There’s not much to tell. They live in Lincoln, Nebraska. They’re nice people, responsible, hard-working. They took good care of my sister and me.”
“Admirable traits.” Ed hesitated. “I don’t know how to ask this without sounding nosy, but how do they feel about each other?”
“Good, I suppose. They don’t fight and they’ve been married for thirty-three years, so they must…” She met Ed’s kind gaze. “They don’t spend much time together.” She took a quick breath. “I’ve never said this to anyone, but I think they might be happier living separate lives.”
“It happens.” Ed patted Val’s shoulder. “Sometimes people just grow apart. Nobody’s fault. Madeline will ask about Teague’s future in-laws, but you can keep the info general. No need to go into depth.”
“Good advice. Thanks.”
“She’s wanted a daughter-in-law for a long time. She’ll be full of questions.”
Teague nodded. “Yes, she will.”
“You know what? I have a question. Why is she so eager for you to get married?”
“A couple of reasons.” He put down his coffee mug. “For one thing, she loved being married to my dad and she pictures the same for me, only it’ll be better. Chances are I won’t lose my spouse at an early age.”
“She’ll get some vicarious enjoyment from your happiness.”
“Right. She also knows I look forward to having a family and she worries that I’m lonely.”
“She does worry.” Ed pushed her plate aside. “Frankly, I think about it, too. If I hadn’t downsized, we’d have more wranglers living here.”
“You kept me on, though. That’s a huge compliment.”
“But it doesn’t address the issue. You need company other than me and the horses. But, unlike Madeline, I’m not in a hurry to see you tie the knot.”
Val blinked. “Oh?”
“Thirty-one looks damned young from where I sit. There’s still plenty of time to make that commitment.”
“But Teague wants a family.” The words were out of her mouth before she could censor them. “He just said so. Shouldn’t he be with someone who—”
“I think he should be with someone whose company he enjoys.” She smiled at Teague. “Agreed?”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“That’s why I’m going along with this fake engagement. I’ve been itching to tackle this obsession of hers, for her sake and Teague’s. This brings the subject to a head. But I digress.” She picked up her notepad. “We’ll never get through these, so I need to cherry pick. Here’s a critical one. If you don’t know it, Madeline will cry foul immediately. Can you guess?”
Val looked at Teague. “Favorite ice cream.”
“Chocolate. Yours?”
“Coffee.”
“That’s not it, folks. Guess again.”
“Favorite music,” Teague said. “I’m country all the way.” He turned to Val, eyebrows raised.
“I used to be classical but now I’m country, too.”
Their hostess shook her head. “Those are nice add-ons, but not the one I’m thinking of. Give up?”
Teague glanced at his phone. “Time’s short. You’d better tell us.”
“I’ll bet my shelves full of trophies that you don’t know each other’s middle name.”
Val stared at Teague. “I don’t know yours.”
“’I don’t know yours, either. You first.”
“Rose.”
His eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“It’s my grandmother’s middle name. I like it, but it’s not really me, so I hardly ever—”
“It’s my mother’s middle name.”
She sucked in a breath. “That’s freaky. What are the chances?”
“Very good, actually.” Ed looked amused. “If you kept up with the tabloids like I do, you’d know that a bunch of Hollywood folks recently used Rose as a middle name for their daughters. Years ago, Sylvester Stallone gave all three of his daughters the middle name of Rose, but that’s Sly for you. Marches to a different drummer.”
“So maybe it’s not so freaky.” What a relief. She was already off-balance. A rare coincidence would tip her world sideways. “What’s your middle name, Teague-a-roony?”
Ed snorted. “You call him that?”
“I suggested it when we discussed cutsie names. He didn’t care for it.”
“Gee, I wonder why.”
“It sounds like a packaged pasta mix. Anyway, my middle name is Wesley. It was my dad’s name.”
“Teague Wesley Sullivan.” She studied him. “It suits you. I like it.”
“I like yours, too, Valerie Rose Jenson.” He flashed her a smile. “You might not like Valerie Rose but I think it’s pretty.”
“I don’t hate it.” She hated it even less coming out of his mouth. He gave the name a certain something.
“I think that’s enough for now.” Ed pushed back her chair. “You two should take off, get those ponies turned out and muck the stalls before Madeline gets here.”
Teague stood. “We’ll help you clean up before we leave.”
“Thanks, but not necessary.”
He picked up his plate. “We can at least clear the table.”
“Absolutely.” Val followed his lead and put her silverware on her plate as she pushed back her chair.
“Nope, nope.” Ed left her seat and shooed them away. “I want that barn spic and span when she arrives. She always comments on it and I don’t want her to think my standards are slipping.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a smile. “You’re the boss.”
“Damn right. I’ll text you when she arrives.”
Val put down her plate. “Thank you for this wonderful breakfast and for making that list.”
“You’re so welcome. It gave me a chance to get to know you better, too.” Her clear-eyed gaze held nothing back. “I like you, Valerie. Whatever happens, don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. I promise.” The offer of friendship tugged at her heart. “I like you, too.”
Chapter Fifteen
Teague reached for Val’s hand as they walked back down the hill to the barn and slid his fingers through hers.
She glanced over at him, her eyes shadowed by her hat. “Practicing?”
“Thought I’d better. It’s almost show time.” And he’d use any excuse to touch her.
“Do you think your mom will believe we’re engaged?”
“She’ll want to, especially after she’s spent five minutes with you. You’re her type, just like you’re Ed’s type.” And mine.
“I do feel a connection to Ed. She’s a very wise lady. She’s the first person who’s asked that about my parents and it was a relief to finally put it into words.”
“You never talked about it with your sister?”
“She’s so mired in her own problems I didn’t want to bring it up.”
“No wonder you think of marriage as a trap.”
She met his comment with silence.
“Guess I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay. You’re right. I was just waiting to see what would come after that.”
“Nothing. Nothing comes after that.” Because he’d learned… a lot. If he told her marriage to him wouldn’t be a trap, she wouldn’t believe him. And he’d be breaking his promise not to discuss the subject. “If we move fast, we’ll get the horses turned out and the stalls cleaned before she gets here. But we can’t—”
“I know.” She squeezed his hand.
“Listen, I’ve been thinking. Why break up the minute my mother leaves? What difference would an extra
few weeks make?”
“You want to negotiate a different cut-off date?”
“Yes, so we can make love in that stall. Several times, in fact, if it stays warm enough. I just don’t see why we have to—”
“Because there will never be a right time to call it quits. If we keep seeing each other after she leaves, how do we decide something like that? Roll some dice? Throw darts at a wall calendar?”
“We can figure it out. Let me think about it.” He released her hand as they stepped through the double barn door. “I’ll take Silver and Toffee if you’ll get Sir Eatsalot and Nugget.”
“Got it.” She hurried down the aisle and plucked Nugget’s lead rope off a hook next to his stall.
When she’d helped him with turnout in June, her movements had been tentative. Not anymore. “You’ve turned into a good hand, Jenson.”
“Thanks, Sullivan. How do you like it when I use both hands?”
“You know how much I like it, sassy lady.” He clipped a lead rope on Toffee and waited until the aisle was clear. “I think Ed was hinting she’d like you to come out and go riding with her.”
“I think so, too. I’ll drive over here when I can spare the time, whether it’s to ride or just to spend time with Ed.”
Couldn’t get more pointed than that, could she? “And me? After all, you said it wouldn’t be like last time. We’d be friendly.”
“I’m sure we will be. See you out at the pasture.” She picked up the pace as she took Nugget and Sir Eatsalot through the door.
He fetched Silver and led both horses out of the barn. She was already halfway to the gate. She had long legs, but his were longer. Catching up was no problem.
He held his tongue until they’d turned the horses loose and started back to the barn. “I’m not ready to drop the subject of extending our time together. It makes sense to me.”
“Because you’re thinking with the wrong part of your anatomy.”
“No, I’m not.” He was listening to his heart, but he couldn’t say that.
“The longer we keep having sex, the more involved we’ll become. That’ll make the shift to a simple friendship tougher on us.”
“I say it’s the exact opposite. Ending it when we’re hot for each other will leave us frustrated as hell. We need to get past the intense phase. Then we can taper off.”
“You think that will happen?”
He didn’t look at her because he was about to lie through his teeth. “Sure.”
She laughed. “No, you don’t.”
“It’s possible.”
“Oh, anything’s possible. But you’re grasping at straws because—”
“Straw. I’m grasping at straw.”
“Very funny. I get it, Teague. You don’t want this thrill ride to end on Sunday night.”
“Do you?”
“No! But it’s the right—” She squealed when he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
“It’s not the right thing to do. But this is.” Dropping the lead ropes to the ground, he kissed her, knocking off his hat and hers.
She melted against him, winding her arms around his neck and letting the lead ropes slide from her fingers. He pulled her in tight and she slackened her jaw to give him full access to her delicious mouth.
Her total surrender set off fireworks in his brain and hot lava through his body. Talking was so overrated. They communicated best when they were tangled up in each other, stoking the flames and relishing the heat.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he delved deep with his tongue. She moaned. Music was playing… music? Ed’s ring.
He drew back, tried to catch his breath as he reached for the phone in his pocket. It went silent.
“Teague.” Val spoke his name as if issuing a warning.
“What?”
She tilted her head.
He glanced in that direction. His mother stood about five yards away, her sunglasses perched on her head. She’d been to the salon recently. Red highlights gave a sassy look to her short brown hair.
Everything else was the same, the cherished image he carried in his head labeled my mom. He’d always liked that she was tall. He hadn’t outgrown her until he’d turned fifteen. She preferred jeans to skirts, casual tops to silk blouses.
She was smiling, and her smile widened as she walked toward them. “You knew I was there, you rascal.”
“No, ma’am, I did not.” He kept his arm around Val as he turned to face the woman who’d given him life.
“You did so. I can tell by your expression. Ed sent you a text that I was on my way and you staged that kiss for my benefit.”
“Didn’t hear it chime.” Yikes. Did she suspect the truth?
Her eyebrows rose like they did when she didn’t believe him.
“Honestly, Mom, I didn’t hear the chime. I did hear when Ed called, which is why I stopped kissing Val. I mean Valerie. Mom, this is Valerie Rose Jenson, my fiancée. Val, that’s my mother, Madeline.”
“I kinda put that together.” She slipped out of his grasp and held out her hand. “It’s great to meet you at last, Madeline.”
His mom clasped it in both of hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Val. Can I call you that?”
“Please do. Everyone does.”
His mom continued to hold Val’s hand, her gaze steady. “Do you love him?”
“Yes, I do.”
He almost fell over. Ah, but she had to say that. Get a grip, dude. She’s playing the part.
He gathered up their hats and waited until his mom released Val’s hand. Then he gave Val her hat, opened his arms and wrapped his mom in a tight hug. “Thanks for coming.”
“Had to.” She squeezed him in a mama bear hug. Then she stepped back. “That was a hot kiss.”
“I was trying to make a point.”
She glanced at Val. “Did he succeed?”
“Sort of. The phone interrupted his campaign.”
“Reminds me of the way his father used to try and make a point with me.” She turned back to him. “Now that I think about it, even though you were only three when he died, you might have memories of him trying to win an argument by kissing me.”
“I wish I could say I remember, but I don’t.”
“Doesn’t matter. Chances are your subconscious stored it away.”
“Could be.” And now he had questions. What had their courtship been like? How quickly had his dad proposed? Could a tendency toward love-at-first-sight be inherited?
“Oh, and Val.” She switched focus. “What an awesome coincidence that we have the same middle name! When did you find out?”
“Um… I’m not sure exactly, but—”
“Never mind. Not important. Although I’m surprised Teague didn’t tell me when we talked on the phone.”
“I guess I don’t think about middle names.” He avoided looking at Val.
“Not even your own?”
“Well, of course I think about mine, since it was Dad’s, but not so much with other people. You hardly ever use yours.”
“That’s true.”
“Val doesn’t, either.”
“Only because Rose doesn’t really fit me.”
His mom nodded. “I know what you mean. I thought about keeping the initial and changing it to Reese. I like the sound of that, but I never followed through. How about you?”
Val laughed. “That’s funny. I thought about Reese, too. I’ve always liked Reese Witherspoon.”
“Same here! Hey, since we’ll now be part of the same family tree, we should make a pact. If one changes to Reese, we both change. Deal?”
Val hesitated.
“Or not.” His mom gave a little shrug. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Deal. I’m in.” Val flashed her a smile. “Pinkie swear?”
His mother returned the smile. “You know it, girlfriend.” She linked little fingers with Val. “Hip bump.”
As a grinning Val nudged his mom’s hip, Teague let out a breath. She’d com
e through again. Maybe his mom suspected something. Or maybe she was simply testing her future daughter-in-law to see what she was made of.
Either way, his mother was on a fact-finding mission. He might have underestimated the difficulty of the situation.
Chapter Sixteen
Val had recognized a fellow teacher the minute Madeline had opened her mouth. After dealing with the pranks of her students for years, she was nobody’s fool.
Did she guess this engagement wasn’t real? No telling. Would she find out the truth before she left? Maybe. If she did, Val would ask forgiveness because she liked Teague’s mom and wouldn’t mind keeping the friendship.
“Alrighty, then.” Madeline gestured toward the abandoned lead ropes lying on the ground. “What can I do to help with your barn chores. Is anybody left in there?”
“Just Herb,” Val said, “but Teague and I can—”
“Of course you can, but I’m a good hand and it’ll go faster if I help you muck out stalls.”
“But you look so clean.”
She gestured toward her clothes. “All this washes and I’m not afraid of a little dirt and sweat. My sister Julie and her husband Steve breed horses.”
“Teague mentioned that.” Thank God for Ed. “He said the two of you spent a lot of time out there.”
“We sure did and I adored all of it. If I didn’t love teaching so much I would have asked them to hire me. They did hire Teague when he was old enough, but I’m sure you know that.”
“Makes sense that they would.”
“They still miss you, son.” Madeline glanced over at him. “They keep asking when you’re moving back. I told them the other day they’ll have to give up on it, now.” She turned to Val. “I assume you’re planning on staying here. If I thought I could pry you both away from Apple Grove, I’d—”
“Sorry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m crazy about this little town and my principal is the best.”
“The best, huh? I can’t wait to meet him. I’ve known some good ones over the years. Which reminds me, did Teague mention that I’d love to help you set up your room?”
“I’d be happy to have you.” Thank goodness she didn’t have to lie about that. Nell would enjoy Teague’s mom and she’d be a hit with the girls.
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