“Got you, sugar,” Brice teased, nearly doubled over with laughter. “I got you good.”
“Oh!” Bailey said, giving in to the urge to stomp her foot. “This is why I hate Halloween!” Bailey said, slapping Brice on the arm with enough force to make him wince. “I hate being scared. I hate being surprised and in case you didn’t hear it clearly the first time, I hate Halloween!”
“I’m starting to get the idea you aren’t fond of Halloween,” Brice said, trying to look somber but it was impossible with the cheery scarecrow cheeks and lopsided grin painted on his face. “What have you got against a holiday that involves candy, treats, costumes and lots of fun?”
“Stupid people who dress up in idiotic costumes and scare the living daylights out of others who have sense enough not to participate in such… such… foolishness,” Bailey said, trying the front door and finding it open.
Marching inside, she was tempted to slam the door in Brice’s face, but refrained as he strolled in right behind her.
Travis, Trent and Trey all stood in the foyer, trying to subdue their chuckles.
“I suppose you three troublemakers enjoyed the show,” Bailey said, disgusted with her cousins. They, along with Brice, didn’t act any older than Lindsay’s first grade students sometimes. It appeared today was one of those occasions.
“Actually, we did,” Travis said, trying not to laugh outright. “You didn’t jump nearly as high as Cady when Brice grabbed her arm. We decided due to Lindsay’s delicate condition she gets a free pass, but as soon as my honeybee gets home, she’s in for it.”
“Not if I tell her first,” Bailey said, pulling her phone from her pocket. It was promptly grabbed by Trent and held over his head. Huffing, Bailey scowled at the four men. Even at her generous height, she’d need a step stool to reach that high since Trent towered over everyone at six-five without his boots on.
“If you boys don’t behave yourselves, you’re going to be sent to your rooms without supper, and that includes you, Brice,” Denni Thompson called to her boys from the kitchen where she helped Cady finish dinner preparations.
Right after school, Cady hosted a Halloween party for Cass’ friends. The last of the youngsters left more than an hour ago and Cass went home with Ashley for dinner. Trey and Cady would pick her up later to take her trick-or-treating and Denni wanted to go along. She and Nana drove out for dinner and would head back to The Dalles after Cass finished making the rounds of candy-gathering.
“Mama, you wouldn’t do that to us,” Travis said, giving his mother a sideways hug as they all walked into the kitchen. “I know for a fact Cady has made all kinds of treats and it would be cruel and unusual punishment to deny us.”
“Maybe you should have worried about that before you boys decided to scare the stuffin’ out of the female population here on the ranch,” Denni said, patting Travis on the cheek. “I’m not sure Nana’s heart could take a repeat. You boys should know better.”
“We didn’t know you were bringing Nana and by the time we realized she was out there, Brice was already making his move,” Trey said, sounding only slightly repentant of frightening his grandmother half to death.
“Don’t you guys have work you should be doing? Something productive and less life-threatening?” Cady asked as she began dishing up their meal. Lindsay, who was suffering from morning sickness all day instead of just the mornings, was resting on the couch in the great room with Nana.
“I can think of something productive,” Trey growled in Cady’s ear, pulling her back against his chest as he kissed her neck. “But that will have to wait until later.”
Cady blushed, making Trent and Travis laugh at the way Trey teased his wife.
Bailey rolled her lips together, making Brice squeeze her hand. “You know, every time you roll your lips together, it just makes me want to kiss you, so you won’t be jealous of the attention the other girls are getting,” he whispered low enough only she could hear. She smelled his warm, leathery scent and felt the scratchy straw around the neck of his costume brush against her head.
Searching for a safe topic, she turned to look at Brice. “Where did you get that costume?” Bailey asked, looking him over from the top of his battered straw hat and ratty bib overalls to the scruffy boots threatening to spill out straw. It really was a great costume.
“A friend of mine wore it to a costume party last year, so he let me borrow it,” Brice said, looking down at his gloved hands. “It’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
“Very,” Bailey said, tilting her head and offering Brice a jaunty grin. “If you go for that sort of thing.”
“And what sort of thing do you go for, little girl,” Brice said in a creepy voice that made the hair on the back of Bailey’s neck prickle as he put his arms around her, trying to tickle her sides.
“Brice, stop! Could you behave?” Bailey gasped, trying to get away from him, but not really wanting to.
“I could, but what fun would that be?” Brice asked, attempting to steal a kiss. Bailey twisted away from him and ran over to hide behind Denni.
Bailey was saved from further torment when they heard a car pull up.
“It’s Tess,” Travis said, looking out the kitchen window. Grabbing Brice by the arm, Travis propelled him out of the kitchen into the mud room. “Quick, dude, sit on the bench.”
Everyone was quiet as Tess came in the back door. When the sound of her scream, followed by a shout and slap reached into the kitchen, the group erupted into laughter.
“BB, you are in so much trouble,” Tess said as she stomped into the kitchen. Turning her fury toward her husband, she shook her finger at Travis. “If I know you, Tee, you put him up to it. Are you sure you want to make me mad? Having me on the warpath could greatly alter some of your current enjoyment of life.”
“Simmer down, honeybee,” Travis said, taking Tess into his arms and kissing her cheek. “So far the only female we haven’t terrified is Lindsay, so don’t feel like you’re extra special.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Tess asked as she glared at her husband and then her brother. “Are you two ever going to grow up?”
“I certainly hope not,” Denni said, wrapping her arms around each of their waists, sandwiched between the two men. “How dull would things be around here without these two rabble-rousers?”
Bailey agreed with Denni, but tried to hide her smile. Brice and Travis were lively and fun, especially when they were feeding off each other’s energy. Throw Trent and Trey into the mix and all kinds of antics were possible.
Since it was nearly dark by the time the hands ambled to the house for dinner, Brice parked himself by the mud room door on a straw bale, looking like part of Cady’s festive decorations. He waited until two of the five guys started up the steps to the door before reaching out and grabbing Danny by the leg.
The cowboy kicked, cussed and shouted, as they rest of the guys broke into fits of laughter, especially when they figured out it was Brice.
“You smart-aleck. You’ll get yours,” Danny said, shaking his head at Brice. In spite of his embarrassment, Danny was able to join in the good-natured laughter.
“I’m sure I will,” Brice agreed, following the guys inside for dinner. After removing his hat, gloves and the straw collar around his neck, Brice sat down by Bailey, giving her an exaggerated wink.
“Are you sure you’re fit company for the dinner table?” Bailey whispered, leaning toward Brice.
“As fit as I usually am, and you haven’t complained before,” Brice said, reaching beneath the table to squeeze her knee.
Bailey gave him a reproachful glare that caught the attention of Nana across the table.
“Brice Morgan, if you can’t keep your hands to yourself any better than that, I just might need to box your ears,” Nana said. Her eyes, the same shade as Bailey’s, sparkled with humor.
“Yes, ma’am,” Brice said, trying to act properly chastened although he winked at Bailey’s grandmother. He’d b
een in plenty of trouble with her over the years and knew she viewed him as one more of her rowdy grandsons.
Bailey looked around the table and took in the extensive efforts Cady put into preparing a Halloween themed meal. Everything from mashed potato ghosts to bread sticks shaped like fingers complete with an almond fingernail made even the toughest of the hands grin as the food was passed around the table.
Dessert consisted of an array of sugar cookies in fall shapes left over from Cass’s party as well as cupcakes bearing spooky decorations like edible eyeballs and spiders made from gum drops and licorice whips. Cady also served pumpkin ice cream, which got Bailey’s full attention.
Tasting like frozen pumpkin pie, the delicious treat was creamy, laced with cinnamon, and utterly wonderful. Closing her eyes as she savored a bite, she opened them to find Brice grinning at her, wiggling one of his painted eyebrows at her.
“Miss pumpkin girl gets her fix,” Brice teased, waving a sugar cookie her direction.
“That’s right and I’m not sharing,” Bailey said, hovering over her bowl possessively as Brice tried to dip his cookie into her ice cream. “Get your own, buster.”
After dinner, Cady, Trey and Denni left to take Cass trick-or-treating. Once the dishes were done, Lindsay and Trent went home in case any kids stopped by. Tess and Travis departed soon after, and Brice reluctantly decided he’d better get home as well. His mom wanted him to sit outside and scare the little ghosts and goblins coming to their house for treats.
Walking Brice out to his pickup, the thought of kissing him good night made Bailey’s mouth water and toes tingle.
Leaves falling from the surrounding trees, particularly the big oak in the front yard, crunched beneath their feet and Bailey relished the sound. The air was cold, sharp and crisp with the spicy bite found only on cool autumn evenings.
Opening the pickup door, Brice tossed in the costume accessories he removed at dinner. Leaning against the side of his truck, he pulled Bailey to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
“Do you want a trick or a treat, sugar?” Brice asked, nuzzling her neck.
“Since you’ve already tricked me, I believe a treat is in order,” Bailey said, pulling back from Brice. She watched a smile fill his face as he dug something out of his pocket and held it out to her.
Holding it up to the yard light, Bailey thought it looked like a tiny pumpkin made of wood.
“A pumpkin?” she asked, anxious to take it inside to get a better look.
“You guessed it,” Brice said, kissing her cheek. “Happy Halloween, sugar.”
“Happy Halloween, Brice. This is the nicest one I’ve had since Mom made me stop trick-or-treating with Sierra,” Bailey said, throwing her arms around Brice’s neck and giving him a hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Brice said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
“Since your Nana is here, I’ll spare you the embarrassment of explaining how you got my scarecrow paint all over your face,” Brice said, waggling his eyebrows at Bailey. “Have fun the rest of the evening.”
“You, too, Brice. And thank you, again for the pumpkin,” Bailey said, backing toward the door.
“Anytime, my pumpkin girl,” Brice said, getting into his pickup and waving before he started down the drive.
Bailey shook her head at him, carefully holding the pumpkin in her hand. She wished she could tell Brice how much she cared for him. How much she was coming to love him. That day could never happen, no matter how badly she wanted it to. Giving herself over to loving Brice was a chance she wasn’t willing to take.
Chapter Eighteen
“You only fall in love once,
the rest is merely practice to
make sure your heart can take it.”
Unknown
“What’s in your hand, honey?” Nana asked as Bailey sat beside her on the couch in the great room. Ester Nordon, known by most everyone simply as Nana, was busy crocheting a baby blanket in a soft shade of yellow. She was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her next great-grandchild in the spring and was quite excited when Trent and Lindsay shared the news with her a few days earlier.
Holding out her hand, Bailey admired the intricately carved wooden pumpkin Brice made. Every little detail seemed real, from the bumpy texture of the pumpkin to the stubby stem and twirling vine on top. She absolutely loved it. Turning it over, she noticed in the lamp light a tiny heart with a BM carved in the bottom.
“That from Brice?” Nana asked, smiling at Bailey.
“Yes,” Bailey said, absently, her thoughts miles down the road with the fun-loving cowboy, thinking of how he’d frightened her earlier.
“Such a nice young man. Kind-hearted, fun and good manners, at least most of the time,” Nana observed, still miffed about the boys scaring her with their antics.
“I suppose so,” Bailey said, moving the pumpkin back and forth in the light to study every interesting detail.
“He’s quite a handsome boy, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re quite in love with him, aren’t you?” Nana asked, a knowing gleam lighting her bright blue eyes.
“Yes,” Bailey said, realizing too late what she’d admitted. “Well, I… but it’s not… I, um…”
Nana smiled and patted Bailey’s knee.
“What’s so bad about falling in love with Brice? You couldn’t find a better young man, Bailey,” Nana said, setting aside her crochet work to study her granddaughter. “He’s talented, loyal, hard-working, caring, and it seems to me he is more than a little sweet on you.”
“I know, Nana, but it’s just…” Bailey said, hesitant to share her thoughts.
“It’s what, honey? You can tell me,” Nana said, grasping Bailey’s strong hand in hers.
Bailey stared down at her Nana’s hand, worn by time, yet still elegant and small. “Nana, I can’t let myself love him. I just can’t.”
“Why on earth not?” Nana asked, squeezing Bailey’s fingers lightly.
“I’m fully committed to my job. There’s no room in my life for a husband or a family,” Bailey said, sighing as she refused to look into her grandmother’s face, where she knew she’d see disappointment. “I have to make a choice and I’ve worked too long and too hard to toss aside my career because I’m in love with the most wonderful man on the planet.”
“I knew you were in love with him,” Nana said, beaming. “That’s wonderful news, Bailey.”
“Aren’t you listening to me, Nana. It’s the most disastrous news ever. I’ve tried to stay away from him, but I can’t. I think I’m going to have to leave because the more time we spend together and the more I see him, the more I want to forget about my career and make everything about Brice. I can’t let that happen. I should never have let things get this involved but every time I try to tell him goodbye, I find…”
“Yourself kissing him? Held in his strong arms? Wishing for things you shouldn’t be thinking about?” Nana asked, catching Bailey off guard.
“Nana!” Bailey said, shaking her head at her grandmother. “When Sierra was here for Travis and Tess’ wedding she told me to enjoy being young and in love. So I did and I enjoyed it entirely too much. I promised myself I’d never fall in love and now that it’s happened, I don’t know if my heart will ever recover. Every time I think about never seeing Brice again, it hurts so badly, I think it might break into a million pieces.”
“Oh, honey,” Nana said, wrapping her frail arms around Bailey and pulling her head to rest on her shoulder. “Did it ever occur to you that you can have both? That you don’t have to choose.”
“No. You know how I am, Nana. I’m focused, intense, driven. It’s how I succeed at what I do. Brice is too much of a distraction. He makes me want to focus on him instead of my work,” Bailey admitted. “When I’m with him, I want to forget I even have a job. He makes my stomach all fluttery, my hands and feet tingle, and my head fuzzy. He makes me care, makes me feel, makes me want so much.”
Nana chuckled, stroking Bailey’s hair back from her face. “That’s called love, Bailey. Honest to goodness love.”
“Well, why did I have to be afflicted with it? I was minding my own business, everything was going along fine, then I turned around at Trent’s wedding and knew nothing would be the same the minute I saw Brice.”
“Did you ever hear the story about how I met your grandfather?” Nana asked, changing the subject, hoping Bailey would both calm down and glean a nugget of wisdom from what she was about to share.
“If I did, I don’t remember,” Bailey said, snuggling against her grandmother and appreciating the moment together.
“Honey, you don’t realize it, but you and I are a lot alike,” Nana said, with a smile that was very much like Bailey’s. “In fact, if I was six inches taller and sixty years younger, we could be twins.”
“Nana,” Bailey said, not quite sure if her grandmother was teasing or serious. Looking into eyes the same ocean blue shade as her own, Bailey wondered if maybe it was true. Even though Nana’s hair was now white, Bailey knew she and Trey got their hair and eye color from Nana. Bailey suddenly wondered what other traits she’d received from her enigmatic grandmother.
“When I was a sweet young thing back in the day, I lived in Los Angeles and worked for a talented photographer. He was gaining notoriety in all the right circles and was sometimes called upon to do portraits of celebrities. As his assistant, I often tagged along, helping set up equipment, handling the paperwork and any other details as needed. To keep a steady income, he took photos for businesses. You wouldn’t believe how many corporate offices wanted portraits of their executives back then. In a pinch one day, he handed me a spare camera and asked me to take some photos for him. We both discovered I had quite a knack for it, so I became more of his apprentice than his assistant.”
“I had no idea, Nana,” Bailey said, surprised to hear of her grandmother’s adventures before she wed. “Mom never mentioned it.”
“I don’t suppose she would, since none of my kids really knew about my life before they came into existence,” Nana said with a grin. “Anyway, I loved being a photographer. It was something that drove me out of bed in the mornings. It spurred my passion and I was entirely focused on learning to be the best. One day my boss sent me to take photos of a bunch of stuffy bank executives. Expecting a room full of stodgy cigar-smoking geezers, I was surprised to find one very handsome young man in the group. He was a go-getter, could charm the bees right out of their honey and my gracious, but one look from him turned my knees to butter and my head to mush. I managed to get the portraits taken without incident, but he helped me carry the equipment back to my car and asked me out for dinner. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew we were married. While your grandfather excelled with his business, I did equally well with mine. So well, in fact, that my employer asked me to join him as he traveled around the country on an assignment taking photos for a national magazine. It was about that time that your grandfather was asked to transfer to a bank in Portland. So I hung up my camera and never looked back.”
The Cowboy's Autumn Fall Page 25