He moved forward to greet her. Smiling and shaking his head, Mitch followed.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Grady said in his cool, polite cop voice. “This is private parking for the Stevens family and guests of the ranch. Unless you’re expected—”
Jensen turned. Designer sunglasses covered her eyes, but Mitch remembered they were moss-green. Emotions crossed her face in rapid succession—annoyance, surprise, then recognition. Something about the upward curve of her mouth told him she was going to give the sheriff a hard time. And he knew Grady’s remote expression was nothing more than law enforcement training. But he felt his friend’s air of expectation and waited for that to bother him. It didn’t.
He wondered how long it had been since the two of them had seen each other. They were both busy professionals, but Grady had based a positive identification on a pair of dynamite legs. Mitch’s recognition had been more subtle. Taylor had told him she was arriving sometime today, but with all the last-minute details to attend to, the fact had slipped his mind. Then that damn, sexy pink toenail polish the Stevens sisters seemed to favor had given him the defining clue.
Somehow on Taylor it was more seductive, probably because it was so unexpected. If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he’d never have guessed that beneath her cotton blouse, worn denim and scuffed work boots lurked those luscious pink-painted toes and a tempting body to go with them. Heat seared him at the thought but he pulled himself back with an effort.
“Unless I’m expected? A girl likes being unexpected, Sheriff,” Jensen was saying. “But that’s not what you meant, is it?”
“No, ma’am.”
“What makes you think no one is expecting me?” she asked, lifting her chin.
“The rooms are full up.”
Mitch knew for a fact that there was an empty one across from his that Taylor had saved for her sister.
Grady rested his hands on his hips. “I suggest you move your car.”
“It’s awfully heavy—”
“Getting smart isn’t the way to win friends and influence the sheriff,” he said, cutting her off.
“I can’t help it. I was born that way.” She grinned, showing off her dazzling smile. “C’mon, Grady. I thought a Texas sheriff had a courtly image to uphold.”
Mitch could almost see her batting her eyelashes behind those dark glasses. He stood back and watched the sparks fly.
Grady removed his own sunglasses and smiled. “Okay, Counselor. You win.”
“I should hope so, Grady O’Connor.”
“Seriously, Jen, that expensive model is a car thief magnet. There’ll be a lot of strangers milling around for the next few days. In my professional opinion, you should park it out of sight.”
She nodded. “Why didn’t you just say so, Sheriff?”
“Just havin’ a little fun.”
“You? Fun?” she asked, tipping her head to the side. “Rumor has it you don’t have time for it.”
“Rumor?”
Mitch and Grady looked at each other and said together, “Melissa Mae Arbrook.”
She laughed and said, “I stopped at the Road Kill Café on my way here. She said to tell you hi.” Then Jensen met Mitch’s gaze. “Hello, stranger.”
He hesitated a couple of beats before holding out his hand. “Jen, it’s good to see you. I think Taylor was expecting you a little later.”
“You knew she was coming?” Grady asked.
“Yeah.”
“You could have jumped in anytime and clued me in.”
“It didn’t take you long to figure out who she was,” Mitch pointed out. “Besides, I didn’t want to interfere with your unofficial study, your gut feeling in action. It was pretty impressive.”
Jen’s curious gaze jumped back and forth between them. “And just how did you figure out it was me?”
“The classy, shapely, stacked—wheels,” Grady finally said. “Nice car.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
Grady put his sunglasses back on. “It’s good to see you again, Jen. But I need to get to work. Catch you two later.”
“Count on it,” she answered.
He politely touched the brim of his tan sheriff’s hat and walked away.
Jen watched his back for several moments, then looked at the house. “I can’t wait to see what Taylor’s done with the place.”
“You haven’t seen it yet?”
“Not completely finished. My job is in Dallas and I’m pretty busy. I don’t get home as often as I’d like.”
Home. That four letter word again. In the weeks he’d been there, he felt the pull of it. Taylor had single-handedly made him think about putting down roots, about being part of a family.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get your bag.”
“Thanks,” she said and unlocked her trunk.
Mitch lifted several suitcases out. “You moving back in?” he asked.
“I’m taking some time off,” she answered vaguely.
He nodded, then walked with her up the steps and into the air-conditioned house. Jen wandered through the downstairs. “She’s done wonders with the place.”
“I’ll take these to your room.”
“Okay.”
They climbed the stairs, and Jen poked her head into every nook and cranny to assess the changes her sister had made. At the end of the hall, Mitch turned to his right and set her luggage in the room Taylor had slept in. He still felt the ache of missing her.
Jen studied him. “So… It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, it has,” he said, tucking his fingertips in the front pockets of his jeans as he leaned against the door frame.
Mitch realized for the next week, until the championships were over, he would be sharing a bathroom with Jensen Stevens. This was the definitive test. Ten years ago he would have sold his soul for the opportunity. He looked at her now and waited for lightning to strike.
Nothing.
Just a warm pleasure at seeing an old friend. He would never have known her legs anywhere, but he’d noticed the sparks between her and Grady O’Connor. He waited for jealousy to settle like a hot coal in his gut.
Nothing.
He would know jealousy. Lately he’d had a taste of it—more like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Taylor talking with Dev Hart. Taylor standing between the good-looking stockman and Grady O’Connor for those publicity photos. Even now the memories burned a jealous streak as bright and hot as a blacksmith’s forge after he got done with the bellows. It made him crazy that either of those men would be good for her. But, damn it, Mitch couldn’t stand the idea of losing Taylor to anyone.
“Taylor told me you were back.” Jen put her hand on his arm. “But she didn’t say much else. How are you?”
“Fine. I hear you’re an up-and-comer in the law business.”
She nodded. “Daddy always said I argued like a lawyer, I should go to school so I could make some money at it.”
“I guess he was right.”
“I can’t help wondering if—”
“What?” he encouraged. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. “If Zach hadn’t died, you wouldn’t have gone back to school?”
Looking uncomfortable, she ran a hand through her long dark hair. Finally she nodded. “How did you know?”
“Ever since I came back, the past has been dogging my heels.” He recalled Taylor saying almost the same thing. He’d laughed, just as she’d predicted, but now he knew what she meant. And he had to admit she was right.
It was as if his return had triggered something cosmic, set forces in motion to fix what had gone wrong in the past. Only he would bet everything he had that he’d never been meant to wind up with Jensen. Since coming back to Destiny, he’d found there was always a memory waiting in the wings to catch him off guard. But they were all about Taylor.
Jen looked at him now and her green eyes were filled with remorse. “I’ve thought about you often, Mitch.”
“And what did you think?”
; “I wished that I’d told you how much I regret what happened.”
What happened was that she’d wasted herself on a guy who wasn’t good enough for her. But there was no point in speaking ill of the dead. Or destroying her illusions.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said.
“I regret hurting you.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Yes, and it’s way past time for me to set the record straight. The truth is, I wasn’t seeing Zach behind your back. We were friends. We flirted a little. I was too young to realize that I was playing with fire, and that night at the championships it all exploded out of control. I didn’t plan it or deliberately cheat on you. It all—” she spread her hands wide in a gesture of helplessness “—just happened.”
“Forget it.”
“I fell head over heels in love with Zach. I can’t be sorry for one perfect year with the love of my life. But that doesn’t justify hurting you, especially the way you found out. I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
“Do you need me to tell you it’s okay?”
Biting the corner of her bottom lip, she nodded uncertainly.
“Consider it done. It’s over, Jen. I’m okay. And now I have something to ask you.”
“Anything. I owe you.”
“How did you know it was love? With Zach,” he asked.
There was a faraway expression in her green eyes and he knew she was pulling up the memories and sifting through them. “I remember the exact moment when I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
He laughed. “Spoken like a lawyer. When was that?”
“Melissa Mae Allen was flirting with Zach. Outrageously teasing and toying with him. It made me so crazy that I wanted to deck her.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was rodeo queen. I had an image to protect,” she said sheepishly shaking her head. “But I was so angry. I felt like I was losing him and I had to do something about it.”
“Yeah,” he said, knowing Zach was the type of guy who would use that to his advantage.
“It was good and right between Zach and me,” she said, her cheeks going rosy in spite of an echo of defensiveness in her tone. “But I wish I’d had a chance to talk to you before everything got crazy. I handled it badly. My only defense is that I was young.”
“That’s one of those character-building experiences your father was always talking about.”
She smiled sadly. “He did go on about that, didn’t he?” She sighed. “I just want to say again that I’m sorry. It’s ten years too late, and way past time I told you that, but I hope you’ll accept my apology.”
“Okay. Can we be finished with it now?”
“Absolutely.” She looked relieved. “So is there anyone special in your life?”
Your sister.
The thought came instantly. For a moment he was afraid he’d said it out loud. But her quizzical expression didn’t change to shock or disapproval. “Define special.”
Without hesitation she said, “Taylor.”
Bull’s-eye, he thought. But Mitch knew that it was pointless to admit that he was in love. He was wrong for Taylor. Her father had made it clear he wasn’t good enough for Jensen. Just because Mitch loved a different daughter didn’t mean the man would change his mind.
“Who would want an old Texas tumbleweed like me?” he asked, desperate to change the subject.
“A better, easier question is—what living, breathing woman wouldn’t?” she said laughing.
There was only one woman he wanted to want him. But she was filet mignon; he was hamburger. He cared too much to drag her down to his level.
He shook his head. “No. I’m a loner—always was, always will be.”
“You don’t still have a chip on your shoulder, do you?”
“Hey, this is me,” he said, trying to grin.
“Yeah, I know.” Her green eyes seemed to laser straight into his soul. “Do you need me to tell you you’re okay?”
“It’s not your job.”
“But someone’s got to do it or you’ll blow a good thing with my sister.”
“What makes you think—”
She held up her hand. “It doesn’t take a mental giant. You’ve been here for several weeks under the same roof. I talk to her almost every day. I can read between the lines. Besides—”
“What?” he asked.
“You never talked to me the way you did to Taylor. You never opened up with me like you did with her. More than once I came downstairs after getting ready for our date and I’d hear the two of you talking about all kinds of things. And laughing. With me you were intense and closed-off.”
He shrugged. “It was easy to talk to Taylor. I didn’t feel like I had to impress her. I didn’t have to be good enough. Until now,” he added softly, and not for her to hear.
“Dad’s gone,” she said meeting his gaze with a look that told him she had heard. “As the eldest member of the family it is my job to tell you you’re okay. If he were here, I know he would say he’d been wrong about you. He would tell you that you’re a good man and proudly welcome you to the family.”
“Do you really believe that?” he asked, hoping it was the truth.
“With all my heart. For the record,” she said, “you’re more than okay.”
Years of self-doubt began to melt away. That chip on his shoulder as big as Texas fell off. He finally felt free.
He nodded, then let out a long breath. “What about you? Anyone special in your life?”
A sad expression turned her moss-colored eyes a darker shade of green. “I had my shot at love. It was wonderful while it lasted. But I guess one year is all destiny meant for me to have.”
“There hasn’t been anyone else?” Taylor had told him as much. But it was hard to believe a woman as beautiful as Jen hadn’t had another relationship.
She shook her head and smiled, but it was sad around the edges. “I never wanted anyone else.” She met his gaze and rested her hand on his forearm. “Don’t worry about me, Mitch.”
“I’m not.”
“Prevaricator.”
“You think I don’t know you just called me a liar?” he asked, his mouth curving up in a reluctant smile.
She laughed. “You’re good. And you’re a nice man. I don’t deserve it after what I did to you. But I guess what goes around comes around.”
“You and I were kid stuff, Jen. Losing Zach was not your punishment for what happened. It was just one of those things.”
“If you say so.”
Mitch ran his hand through his hair. “I have to ask. Would you do the same thing again? Marry Zach, I mean.”
“In a heartbeat.” She released a big sigh. “Except I wouldn’t hurt you like I did. But with all my heart I believe that it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. So don’t be an idiot. Tell Taylor how you feel.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, taking her hands and giving them a friendly squeeze. “The guy who gets you is going to be one lucky son of a gun. Thanks, Jen.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then pulled her into his arms for a brotherly bear hug. In that moment, he knew. He’d come face-to-face with his past and looked it square in the eye. It didn’t have power over him anymore. He wanted roots, home, family—with Taylor. As soon as he saw her—
Distantly he heard the sound of boots at the end of the upstairs hall. “I saw your car, Jen. Where the heck are you hiding?” That was Taylor’s voice.
Before he could back away from Jen, he heard a sharp intake of breath. He turned just in time to see the sparkle die in Taylor’s eyes. He quickly dropped his arms to his sides. “Taylor.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, not looking at him.
“You weren’t. We were just discussing old times.” Jensen smiled. “Hi, little sister.” She opened her arms and the two hugged. There was no mistaking the fierce and genuine affection they shared.
Mitch envie
d that. The only feeling he’d had that was even close was the bond he had shared with Dev, Grady and Jack back in high school. He couldn’t imagine brothers being closer than the four of them. He couldn’t imagine a closer relationship. Until now—until Taylor.
He saw the bruised expression in her eyes and wanted to assure her that he felt nothing romantic for Jen.
“Taylor, listen—”
“How was the drive up from Dallas?” she asked, cutting him off, not even looking in his direction.
“Long,” Jen answered.
Taylor smiled, but it was phony and not enough to chase the shadows from her eyes. “So what’s up? Are you two getting reacquainted?”
“Nothing more than old friends catching up,” he said, knowing it wasn’t enough.
“We’ve been talking about the past,” Jen said.
“Anything you want to tell me?” Taylor asked, trying to make her voice light.
Mitch had something very important to tell her, but this wasn’t the time or place. He had to do it right. He’d been given a “do over” and he was determined not to screw it up the way he had ten years ago. As soon as his responsibility to the rodeo was over, he planned to have a serious heart-to-heart with Miss Taylor Stevens. Wine, flowers and dinner at a very expensive restaurant would be involved.
He wanted to reassure her, but it would have to wait until they were alone and he could do it the way he wanted. Hot wet kisses would definitely be involved. But he had a rodeo to kick off.
Mitch walked to the doorway. “I’ve got to get over to the arena and make sure everything is ready. I’ll see you two later.”
Taylor could almost hear her heart crack as Mitch disappeared. She was the world’s biggest idiot. A three time loser. She’d lost her fiancé to his first love and still that hadn’t been enough to keep her from falling in love with Mitch all over again. Seeing her sister in his arms made her chest ache so much that she could hardly catch her breath. It was destiny. They were back together again.
Jensen put her hands on her hips. “Does he know yet?”
“What?”
“That you’re in love with him.”
“Nope.” She realized she’d been cornered into all but admitting her feelings. Exasperated, Taylor glared at her sister. “I hate when you use your legal training. I’m not in love with Mitch.”
Crazy for Lovin’ You Page 13