His Country Girl

by Jillian Hart

  “I’ll let him know.” She sounded shaky, as if she were on the verge of tears.

  She had to be exhausted, up with worry most of last night and still going strong taking care of her boy. A powerful urge to look after her returned stronger than ever, and he couldn’t explain it.

  “Take care, Tucker. Thank you again.”

  “My pleasure.” And it had been. He listened to the click as she disconnected before taking the phone from his ear.

  Unfamiliar emotions left him unable to move. He listened to the rumble of Dad’s baritone from the neighboring room and the tap of the housekeeper, Mrs. Gunderson, as she marched into sight with a loaded laundry basket braced on one hip. Still, he could not force one foot forward.

  He didn’t like the grip Sierra Baker had on him. No, he didn’t like it at all.

  “I can’t believe you’re back home so early.” The reverend’s wife, Doris, stood on Sierra’s front step, bundled against the January wind, with a covered casserole in hand. “They don’t keep anyone very long in a hospital these days.”

  “Come in out of the cold.” Snowflakes danced in the air and chased her into the trailer as Sierra held the door open wide for her guest. The heaters clicked on and ruffled the window curtains in the living room. Their young dog, Puddles, barked from the couch, curled up with Owen. “I can’t believe you braved the snow to visit us.”

  “I had to see how Owen was and to deliver this casserole.” Doris ushered herself straight to the small galley kitchen and slid the dish onto the counter. “Owen, did you get taller in that hospital? You look bigger to me. Did you start lifting weights?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m just me.” Owen sat up on the couch, rubbed his eyes awake from the nap he was supposed to be taking and held his yellow Lab tight. “But I am gonna be a champion rodeo rider.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep. My new friend Tucker’s gonna teach me.” Owen beamed and the Lab panted as if in encouragement.

  “Tucker, huh?” It was hard to miss that sly, knowing look on Doris’s face. She unbuttoned her winter coat. “I hear he paid a visit to your hospital room. He was a real comfort to you and your mama.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Owen nodded earnestly, his dark locks dropping across his forehead and into his big blue eyes. He was still recovering from his operation, but the surgery had corrected so many things—his coloring, his difficulty breathing and his energy level.

  She was deeply grateful to the Lord for that.

  “Tucker Granger was a comfort to Owen.” Sierra emphasized as she took Doris’s coat. “Not to me.”

  “Sure. Why would a handsome young man be a comfort to you?” Doris let her eyes twinkle merrily.

  “Owen, lie back. You need to rest.” Sierra concentrated on what mattered—her son. It wasn’t easy tucking away thoughts of Tucker Granger. She couldn’t explain the impact he’d had on her. Maybe it was best not to analyze it too much.

  “But, Mom, you said we could play a rodeo tape.” Owen sounded brittle, although he was fighting so hard to pretend he wasn’t tired. He had a lot of healing to do, poor boy. The dog licked his face.

  “I’ll find a tape.” She gave thanks again that her mother had recorded several of Owen’s favorite shows off her satellite, anticipating the bed rest to come. “You lie back, now.”

  “Tucker said even he had to rest up to heal.” Owen didn’t move, stretching to see which cassette she was pulling off the small shelf beneath the handed-down TV. Puddles scented the air. Something smelled good. “Mom, can I see the one where Tucker is riding Jack? Please?”

  “I think this is it.” She felt Doris’s amusement as she slid the tape into the VCR and hit the button. The antenna reception blinked off and the sights and sounds of a rodeo filled the small room. Oh, it was good to have her child home safe and sound. God was very good indeed. She handed her little boy the remote and helped him to lie back on the couch.

  “There he is!” Fascinated, Owen didn’t blink as his hero on horseback rode onto the screen.

  “Isn’t that cute?” Doris whispered. “Any word from Ricky?”

  Sierra shook her head. Not even a call to see if his son had made it through all right. Didn’t that say enough about the man’s priorities?

  One thing was sure, she could never make a mistake like that again. Her heart wasn’t the only one at stake. She watched her little boy wrap his arm around his stuffed bull and hold on tight, lost in the excitement. Applause roared from the TV speakers and an announcer commented on Tucker’s aptitude as an all-around cowboy.

  Her heart ached in the strangest way remembering what he had done for her son.

  “Is that a car door I hear? Goodness, I wasn’t the only one who noticed you were home.” Doris sounded surprised as she opened the door. Delicate snowflakes rode in on a bitter wind. The puppy barked again. “Look who it is. Cady Winslow with two big bags of groceries. Cady, let me take one of those. They look heavy.”

  “They are.” The tall, elegant middle-aged newcomer to town hurried in. Snow clung to her brown curls and long eyelashes. “It’s really starting to come down out there. Hi, Sierra. I noticed your car was in the driveway on my way to town, so I picked up a few things for you.”

  “You shouldn’t have.” Her throat thickened until it was hard to talk. “You went to a lot of trouble.”

  “Not at all. I was shopping for myself anyway. It was easy to pick up another carton of milk and eggs.” Cady set the bag on the counter next to the one Doris had left. “I figured you might not be able to make it to the store because of Owen. I took care of my mother for years, so I know how it can be. It’s impossible to do everything at once. Let me get the cold things in the fridge for you.”

  As if everyone’s prayers hadn’t been enough, this brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t know how she could ever pay back such kindness toward her son.

  “Say, Cady.” Doris had that sly look again. “How are the preparations going for your open house?”

  “It’s a lot to do, but it should all be done by Valentine’s Day.” Cady unwound her scarf, not looking the least bit harried. She had bought and renovated the local inn, which had been vacant for years, and her scheduled opening day was coming up quickly. “We’re on schedule. So far, so good.”

  “You speak up and let me know if you need any help, even if it’s last minute.” Doris appeared happy at the prospect. “If there’s one thing I love, it’s a party. Tell me how your hiring is coming along.”

  Thank goodness Doris had another victim to extract information from. Sierra happily slipped into the galley kitchen to turn up the burner beneath the teakettle.

  Another knock sounded at the door, the Lab barked and the knob turned. “Hello, there. I didn’t know there would be a crowd here.” Her sister-in-law Terri bustled in with a grocery sack in one hand and a covered casserole in the other. “I guess we all had the same idea. Brace yourself, Sierra, because my mom isn’t far behind me.”

  “And mine probably isn’t far behind her.” She hurried to take the grocery sack from Terri, relieved to see her. “Oh, and you brought a container of cookies for Owen.”

  “I made his favorite this morning.” Terri beamed. “Time to spoil my nephew. Oh, he looks good. We have the whole town praying for him.”

  “Those prayers made a difference.” Sierra let the bag come to a rest on the counter, gazing love-struck at her little boy watching the screen with a look of utter life and joy on his dear, button face. The dog watched alongside him.

  “How did his visit with his favorite rodeo star go?” Terri chuckled just a hint, as if she already knew the answer.

  “Tucker Granger was very good and generous.” She hoped she wasn’t blushing. “Owen will hardly put down that stuffed bull Tucker gave him.”

  “I hear Mr. Gorgeous and Available was also very good to you.”

  “He was only being kind. That’s it.” She may as well admit the whole truth to herself. She’d glimpsed a part of the m
an that had intrigued and touched her, a part she admired. She liked him. “He was more thoughtful than I would have expected, but you all know Tucker. As soon as his leg heals up, he will be gone from this town like the wind.”

  “Nothing can tie a man down if he doesn’t want to be.” Terri nodded with understanding. “Maybe one day the right man will come along for you.”

  “I’m not looking for a man.” She watched Owen grin up at Cady as she sat on the opposite cushion and leaned in to pet Puddles. Owen began explaining all about the rodeo.

  Her son was her one true love, the center of her life. She never wanted to put her faith in another man, no matter how solid. She couldn’t do that to herself and especially to Owen. She would never forget how her little boy had cried in the middle of the night for his father for nearly an entire year. And, most recently, there was Owen’s quiet disappointment when Ricky had decided not to show up at the hospital.

  Her son had been let down enough. She had to protect him from another man who might disappoint him. Across the room, Cady asked a question and Owen pointed to the screen to answer it.

  “I have everything I need to be happy.” A week ago, she had been terrified she would lose him. God had seen them safely through and she would not forget the lesson she had been reminded of. Owen mattered, nothing else. Whatever was missing in her life wasn’t as important as what she already had.

  “I’ll come over tomorrow and stay with Owen. I’ll bring Toby.” Terri smiled at the mention of her dog. “I know you start early at the diner.”

  “Thanks for watching him.” She had to go back to work. Her meager savings had gone as far as it could go, her bank account was nearly empty and her credit cards maxed. “As soon as the doctor clears him, he can go back to the church’s day care.”

  “No hurry. I like to spend time with my nephew.” Terri whisked her casserole to the refrigerator and slipped it onto an empty shelf. “I hear a car in the driveway. Looks like Mom is here. You’re going to have a full house before long.”

  “Bring it on.” Sierra felt lighter than she had in months. So much was going right in her life. She had many blessings and she was grateful for every one.

  As for Tucker, what she felt for him was friendship. That’s all it would ever be. The water was boiling, so she plucked the kettle off the stove and began filling cups. The fragrance of steeping tea steamed upward. The door opened and both her mom and mother-in-law piled in, exclaiming about the weather and the Granger men they’d talked to on Main Street before heading over.

  Tucker. Thoughts of him warmed her like sweet tea. The impact of his kindness remained like a tie she could not break.

  Chapter Six

  “Look who just walked in. Be still my heart.” Sandi Walters abandoned the grill, where hamburgers for the lunchtime crowd were sizzling. She laid a hand to her throat. The middle-aged woman gaped in adoration at the oldest of the trio of men who ambled through the diner’s front door.

  Sierra had a heart-stalling moment of her own. Tucker looked better than she’d remembered with his dark brown hair wind tousled, snow flocking the broad shoulders of his black parka. He had a manly presence a woman could drown in, even a woman who didn’t want a man, much less a wandering one. Was she in big trouble?

  Definitely. But she would like anyone who had been so good to her son. Maybe that’s all this feeling was, a deep gratitude and appreciation for Tucker’s altruism. Nothing to worry about whatsoever.

  “That Frank Granger.” Sandi roused herself out of her daze, grabbed her spatula and turned her attention to the grill. “He takes my breath away whenever he’s near and at my age that’s an unsettling thing. I about go into some sort of health crisis every time.”

  “Maybe it’s something in the Granger men’s DNA that makes them so dazzling.” Since it wasn’t busy, she couldn’t delay facing one particular Granger man. She whipped her notepad out of her apron pocket, steeled her spine and tapped down the aisle. Was it her imagination or had every eye in the place turned to watch her progress toward the booth where the Grangers settled in?

  Probably her imagination. She lifted her chin, skidded to a stop on her rubber-soled shoes and did her best not to look at Tucker at all. She focused on his dad instead, just as she always did. “Hi, Frank. Your usual, or do you want to hear the specials?”

  “I’ve got a hankering for my usual cheeseburger. Do you boys know what you want?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the oldest brother flip open the table menu, glance over the offerings and order the same. The wedding ring on his hand caught the overhead light. Justin looked relaxed and happy. Marriage suited him well. He was the stable older brother, a man just like his father. The staying kind.

  Unlike the younger brother, who cleared his throat, tossed the menu at Justin to put away behind the napkin canister and planted his elbows on the edge of the table. “Let’s hear the specials.”

  Was it her imagination or had the diner gone completely silent as if everyone watched breathlessly? She scribbled on her pad, avoided looking directly at Tucker and dreaded what would happen if their gazes met. She could feel the dozen pairs of eyes taking in every movement, every look on her face. There wasn’t enough entertainment in this town. Folks should get iPods or talk on their cell phones or something. She felt painfully on display.

  “We have a roast beef sandwich with steak fries and coleslaw.” She felt awkward and stared at her notepad. She was uncomfortable with her feelings about the man and feared it might show. “There’s also a chicken and dumplings plate that is very good. It’s Sandi’s specialty.”

  “Bring that, please. I have a fondness for dumplings.” The quality of the smile in his voice lured her with a promise of friendship.

  Her gaze lifted from the notepad against her wishes, pulled by some indefinable quality in the man she could not refuse. The snow gently falling in the window behind him hazed into a background whiteness and vanished, the same way the rest of the diner did and the people in it. There was only the two of them. Against her will, she recalled the comfort his touch had given her.

  “Chicken and dumplings it is.” Her voice croaked, and although she cleared her throat it made no difference. “What would you like to drink?”

  “Bring us three colas, gal,” Frank answered, sounding amused but in a kindly way, as if he saw everything far too clearly.

  Heat blazed across her face, and she scribbled down the rest of the order. The diner remained silent, except for a faint clank from the kitchen as Sandi plated orders. Sierra clicked her pen and tucked it into her front pocket. “Anything else?”

  “How is Owen doing?” Tucker’s impossibly blue eyes speared hers, holding her captive and showing his genuine concern.

  Her uneasiness melted. The distance she wanted between them vanished. “He’s good. He isn’t happy to be banished to the couch, but he feels well enough to complain about it. Thankfully.”

  “Excellent.” Dimples bracketed his smile, making him irresistible. There was definitely something powerful in the Granger men’s DNA. He leaned closer, conspiratorially. “Is it my imagination, or is this place unusually quiet?”

  “No, it’s quiet.”

  “I suppose everyone’s concerned about Owen’s recuperation. But I think that isn’t all folks are wondering about.” He leaned back against the booth cushion and glanced around. A lot of guilty faces turned away with knowing smirks. He laughed. “I can hear the speculation from here. Is it me, or have you heard the rumors, too?”

  “I’ve heard those rumors.” Her gray eyes brightened with humor and soul. “I suspect everyone is watching to see just how true they are.”

  “As if folks don’t know me by now. I’m not a settling-down type, so why does everyone have us practically dating?” He shot a glance at his dad, hoping the man would get a clue.

  “I have no idea.” When Sierra smiled full-on without reserve, it was a sight to behold. “As if folks think I would settle for the likes of y
ou.”

  Never had he seen a more beautiful woman. Never had he witnessed grace and sweetness wrapped up together before. He didn’t like the way his spirit turned toward her or the fact that his father was right. He more than liked the woman. He didn’t like that fact either.

  “Only a dimwit would think a fine lady like you would hold the slightest fondness for a lout like me.” He threw his voice just enough so that everyone in the diner could hear. “I’m trouble. You are wise enough to know that.”

  “I certainly am.” She rolled her eyes, shook her head and ripped the top sheet off her notepad. “You are far below my standards, Tucker.”

  “I know I am. I can’t understand why everyone can’t see it.” He liked the way she conspired with him. He didn’t like the syrupy, strangely happy emotion seeping into him as he shared a chuckle with her. “I don’t see how you can lower yourself to talk to me at all.”

  “Believe me, it’s a struggle.” She turned on her heels and the gray loveliness of the daylight followed her the same way his spirit did, unable to let go as she padded up the aisle. Clearly, she did not have similar feelings for him.

  What a relief. So why did the memory of her laughter and the happiness it brought him remain after she was out of his sight?

  “You and Tucker really aren’t an item?” Sandi asked in a low whisper as she built Frank’s cheeseburger. “I’m disappointed. I was rootin’ for you, girl.”

  “Why is this such a big deal?” She tore off her latest order and entered it into the computer. “I don’t understand.”

  “You are beloved around here, don’t you know that by now?” Sandi dropped the top bun on the burger and gave the plate a shove. “Everyone saw how bad you were hurt when Ricky up and left you. I’ve had a marriage go bad, so I know that pain. I’m sure this whole town, like me, has been praying for something good to come into your life. You’ve had a hard row, honey, that’s all. I say it’s about time for things to turn around.”