My Girl

by Jacquie Biggar

If by raising her better he meant teaching her never to trust a shark, yeah, he’d done a good job at that. “If you’ve broken the law, I’m not going to be able to get you out of it this time, and I think you know why.”

  Her mother sniffed from her corner, but her father… he just nodded. “You have nothing to worry your pretty little head about.” Then he rose and entered the bathroom, closing the door with a decisive snap.

  If only her pretty little head believed him.

  10

  Aaron was relaxing in the courtyard with a cold beer when Sophia joined him by the fountain. He eyed her arrival with a touch of cynicism, certain Matthew had sent her to talk to him.

  Sure enough, she opened with his big adventure. “So, I hear you were playing hero today. That wasn’t very smart.” She looked as though she’d like to clip him behind the ear if she wasn’t so short.

  His lips quirked. “I forgot my cape at home, or I might have managed more than a snapshot.”

  She smacked his arm instead. “Not funny, wise guy. What if those hoodlums stopped the truck? Did you have a plan ‘B’? Of course not,” she rambled, on a roll now. “You always had a dangerous urge to prove yourself. Remember when you hopped onto that Brahma bull Matthew brought in for breeding purposes? He was fit to be tied. You’re damn lucky you didn’t get killed.”

  “By him or the bull? And, ow.” Aaron rubbed his arm, which actually did sting. His sister was not a dainty little gal—unlike a certain someone who he was most definitely not going to think about tonight. N.O.T., No On Trish.

  “Take your punishment like a man,” Sophia said, sitting on the narrow fountain ledge so she could trail her fingers in the cool water. As kids, they’d often played in the water on warm summer evenings, diving after the coins at the bottom as though they were treasure hunters. Aaron privately thought his parents tossed the money in just to keep them occupied. Whoever it was, they had enjoyed the bounty. His chest warmed at the memory. It was rare for him to remember anything before the plane crash, and after, well… nothing was the same.

  “At least you’re acknowledging I’m a man, it’s a step in the right direction,” he teased, rubbing his sister’s curly head.

  Sophia ducked away. “Cut it out. You know I hate it when you do that.” She lifted her hands to straighten her hair and her arched back highlighted a slight baby bump.

  A different set of emotions swamped him now; ones of pride and love in equal measure. His baby sister was having a child. He vowed then and there to guard it like his… own. And there he was—back to Trish. The mere thought of her skeevy boyfriend/fiancé stepping in as Aaron’s daughter’s hero chaffed his nerves in ways he couldn’t explain. And the worst of it was there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  “What’s that surly glare for? I’m the one getting assaulted.” Sophia peered at him through the intensity of the late afternoon sun, the rays turning the courtyard golden.

  “I’m not glaring,” he denied. “I’m wondering why you’re out here with me instead of cuddling with your one true love.” He was happy for Sophia and Tony, their road to wedded bliss hadn’t been an easy one. But he couldn’t deny an underlying envy at the same time. If not for Trish’s disappearing act last year, this could have been them. He’d tried more than once to reach her so they could talk out whatever had gone wrong but was cut off at every turn. Rather than beating his head against a wall that was never coming down, he’d given up. But in the deepest, darkest nights, he wondered if he shouldn’t have tried harder.

  “What, I’m not allowed to spend time with my favorite brother? Don’t tell Matthew,” she added, grinning.

  Little minx. She’d made a game out of pitting brother against brother most of their childhoods. She loved them equally, he knew that, she just had to stir the pot. “He wouldn’t believe me if I did,” he muttered, taking another pull from his beer. The words came out by rote, he’d said them in a variety of ways most of his life. It wasn’t that he wanted to be his big brother, hell no, responsibility wasn’t his thing, but a little respect now and then wouldn’t hurt. Or then again, knowing Matt, maybe it would.

  “You’re too hard on yourself,” Sophia said, rising to circle the fountain. “So… was it scary chasing down those horse thieves?” The sparkle in her eyes changed scary to exciting.

  She’d always been the wild child, impossible to control—at least until their grandmother died. She’d changed then, they all had.

  “I wish I could have caught them,” he admitted. “But I know my limits. Hopefully the sheriff can use the photos I took to get a positive ID on the truck and trailer unit. Something tells me they’re local, otherwise how did they know about that old road? I barely remembered it was there.”

  Sophia held up her cellphone. “If you have one of these, it’s relatively easy to find anything nowadays.” She came back to his side and rested a hand on his arm. “Let the police do their job, Aaron. I only have two brothers, I’d like to keep them around for a while.”

  The disquiet in her expression stopped him from brushing off her concern. She was pregnant now, the last thing she needed was to be worrying about her dumbass siblings. On the other hand, it was their job to make sure the ranch was safe for everyone.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “I’ll stay out of the sheriff’s way—for now—if you tell me why in the world you thought it was a good idea to invite the Sylvesters to the ranch? You had to know it was only going to cause problems.”

  She stared up at him, a confusing jumble of emotions flitting across her expressive features. “I… I…”

  “It’s okay, Sophia,” came a sultry voice that played havoc with his dreams. He turned and met Trish’s defiant gaze. “It’s my fault.”

  Trish bit down on her bottom lip, nerves getting the best of her. As Aaron leaned protectively over his sister, all she could think was how much she wished he’d do the same for her. And how messed up was that? She had a fiancé. They were supposed to get married just a few short months from now. And yet… there were all these feelings swarming around her chest like a pack of angry wasps when it came to the man staring back at her with enigmatic eyes.

  And now he was going to want answers she wasn’t ready to give.

  “Sophia agreed to our coming under duress,” she said, crossing her arms in defence.

  Sophia gave a braying little laugh that carried across the courtyard. “It wasn’t as bad as all that,” she assured her brother. “I’d set up a website for the dude ranch a few days earlier but hadn’t opened it to reservations. Trish called to say how beautiful it looked and when we were launching, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “I can’t believe Trish was that interested in our affairs. It never mattered to her before.”

  A stagnant silence fell after Aaron’s bitter outburst. Sophia sent her a helpless glance before hugging her brother’s stiff frame. “I’d better head inside and see if Consuela needs help with dinner. Coming?”

  Aaron’s gaze remained fixed on Trish, causing a parade of goosebumps to march along her spine. “In a bit. I want to finish my beer first.”

  Sophia gave a reluctant nod and squeezed Trish’s hand on her way by—and then it was just the two of them. Funny how she could handle a hundred corporate tycoons, but one lanky, attitude-ridden cowboy filled her with trepidation. Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls and her heart beat painfully against her ribs, while Aaron stood there cool as a cucumber. It was beyond annoying.

  “Can we talk about this or are you going to continue to be a jackass?” She faced off with him, hands on hips. He wasn’t the only one with a bone to pick.

  He tipped his bottle to her before taking a long drink, the movement pulling his western shirt tight over broad shoulders. Suddenly it was her turn to be thirsty, but not for beer.

  Grimacing, she waited him out, determined to get their ugly feelings out in the open so they could move on—for their daughter’s sake.

  Finally,
he set the bottle on the edge of the fountain and gestured for her to take a seat. “Come on, I’m not going to bite. I’d rather the entire family didn’t know my business.” He went brows up toward the windows of the hacienda, open to take in the unseasonably warm afternoon air.

  Trish didn’t have much experience with nosy family members. Her brother, Andy, was ten years older than she was and hadn’t been around much during her formative years, and her parents… well, the less said about them the better.

  She settled on the wide rim of the fountain, careful to keep a demure distance from the foot he’d raised to rest next to his beer. If her parents, or Kyle, were to glance outside she didn’t want them thinking this was an assignation. Things were more than complicated enough.

  “Where is… the child?” Aaron asked, his tone abrupt.

  Her spine stiffened. “She’s staying with a close friend. Don’t worry, she has three kids of her own, Madeline is perfectly safe. Besides, I’ve been calling every day since we left.” She smiled, thinking of Maddie’s soft babbling. “She’s having a blast. Sarah’s kids spoil her rotten.”

  “Can I see a picture?” Aaron’s walnut-brown eyes had warmed as she spoke, sending a shiver of awareness to flutter in her belly.

  “Of course, I should have thought of it sooner.” She fumbled getting her phone out of her pocket and took a deep breath. Get a grip. Yes, he was a handsome man. Yes, his smile was like a ray of sunshine after a long winter’s storm, but he didn’t belong to her. She’d given up that right. Not that she’d had a choice.

  She opened the folder set aside just for Madeline. Her daughter in all her cherubic sweetness smiled out at them in varying stages of growth.

  “She’s an itty-bitty little thing,” Aaron murmured, his forefinger tracing the bundle in the pink hospital blanket Trish held with such care.

  “I had… trouble with my pregnancy and she came earlier than expected.” Trish’s stomach clenched remembering why she’d had issues with the birth. “The doctor kept Madeline in an incubator for a couple of months to allow her more time to develop. She’s fine though,” she hurried to add.

  “She’s perfect,” Aaron agreed, his voice a couple of octaves lower than normal. He lifted his gaze to mesh with hers and Trish’s heart skipped a beat. “She has your eyes, they’re beautiful.” His mouth hovered a breath away and then it was there, touching hers, and the world slipped away.

  He’d cast a spell over her.

  It had always been this way between the two of them; an instant, undeniable connection unlike anything she’d felt since. Even as she lifted her lips to his, desperate to hold onto the moment, the man, for as long as possible, the futility of their attraction washed over her.

  As though sensing her disquiet, he lifted his head, eyes dark and hooded. “Come away with me,” he said, and for a too-brief moment her heart soared. “I need you.”

  For how long? If he found out the truth, he would hate her family. Hate her. She’d sooner live the lie.

  She extracted herself from his arms and stood, shivering without his touch. “It’s too late, Aaron. I… love Kyle. Please don’t kiss me like that again.” I can’t take it.

  Shadows chased across his expression before he donned the cynical, jaded look he’d managed to perfect. “Sure, darlin’, whatever you say. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He picked up his discarded beer and sauntered into the hacienda without a backward glance while tears streamed down Trish’s cheeks.

  11

  Plans for the upcoming Harvest Ball moved along at a steady pace, with Sophia in her element. Aaron did his best to stay out of the way, but his sister knew all his hideouts and eventually tracked him down in the horse barn.

  “There you are, I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” she said, entering Dickens’ stall. “I need help.”

  Aaron finished filing his horse’s back hoof before patting the smooth flank. He looked at Sophia over the broad back. “I knew it couldn’t last,” he sighed. “Okay, what do you need?”

  She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Don’t sound so excited. I’m doing this for the ranch, you know.”

  He did know. Unfortunately, it didn’t make having their home overrun by strangers any more palatable. In all fairness, Sophia had gone over and above on the website and the hacienda. He was no tech guru but even he would pay the astronomical prices to stay as their guest. Her sales pitch was nothing short of genius.

  But she looked tired.

  If only the agricultural firm he’d shown his ideas to would call back with a contract—none of this would be necessary. He ducked under Dickens’ neck and came up next to his sister. “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”

  She patted her growing baby bump and smiled. “You sound like Tony. I’m fine. It’s just there’s a hundred and one things to get done and only a few days left before the big event. This ball will give us the free advertising we need to get the guest ranch off the ground. I’ve invited some of my old contacts from New York and Trish promised to put the word out, too. She’s been great, Aaron. I would have been lost without her.”

  The mention of Trish sent the now familiar fluttery feeling to his stomach. He’d spent the last few days rehashing that kiss by the fountain; the near-desperation in his voice when he’d begged her to come away with him. Her negative reaction.

  He was an idiot to keep bashing his heart against the stone wall of Trish’s soul. She’d made it clear when she left him the first time that he wasn’t enough. Why would anything be different now?

  “I’m happy for you, Sis, really I am. I just wish…” He brushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear.

  She grabbed his hand and held on, her eyes giant pools in a pale face. “I know this isn’t what you and Matthew wanted for the ranch. But it is my dream. Can’t you give it a chance? Please?”

  Sophia asked so little of him. Surely, he could get his head out of his ass long enough to give her this one small thing. Besides, the ranch needed the aid.

  He smiled and chucked her under the chin. “Okay, you win. I’m at your command. What do you need me to do?”

  Now that she was getting her way, her shoulders relaxed. “It’s the barn. I plan to hold the harvest dance there Saturday night, but it needs serious help. I should have checked first. I just assumed it was in good shape. The floor is rotting, there’s a hole in the roof, and the entire place smells like… like, manure.” Her nose crinkled up adorably.

  Aaron laughed outright at that. “You do realize this is a working horse and cattle ranch, right?”

  Sophia slapped his arm. “Not funny. Ever since I became pregnant with this one,” she glanced down at her belly, “I seem to have developed an aversion to certain… scents. Sorry, Dickens.” She held out the apple she’d pulled from her pocket. Dickens snuffled her palm before gently plucking the fruit from her hand and crunching it down with his blunt yellow teeth. “So, do you think you can get it done in time for the dance?”

  Three days. Nothing like an impossible task to get his mind off his troubles. “I’ll do my best—no promises,” he warned.

  She threw her arms around him anyway. “I owe you one,” she whispered before heading for the stall door. “By the way,” she said from outside the stall, “Trish is going to help with the decorating so don’t be surprised if you see her there.”

  Despite her misgivings, Trish arrived at the aged wooden barn on the edge of the Shaughnessy compound early the next morning. She still couldn’t believe she’d allowed Sophia to talk her into working with Aaron. She shuddered to think how he felt about the whole thing. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d omitted telling Kyle and her parents what she was up to.

  The old gray barn hunched on top of a slight hill, tall Bigtooth maples guarding the entrance. There was a worn dirt path winding its way to the wide double doors standing open to accept the morning sun. Trish could easily envision crushed white rock covering the path and hundreds of fairy lights twinkling in the tree bran
ches. Sophia suggested painting the structure white, but Trish liked the aged beauty of the old building. Giant vases filled with sunflowers, chrysanthemums and goldenrod along with strings of Edison bulbs would go a long way to softening the barn’s forbidding visage. Maybe a few strategically placed bales of hay, pumpkins and gourds…

  “You planning on standing there all day?”

  Trish’s gaze jumped to the jean-clad cowboy leaning against the doorframe, hat tipped over his forehead to block the light. No one wore a pair of blue jeans like Aaron Shaughnessy. Long, muscular legs, worn cowboy boots, the swagger, all of it called to her on a purely molecular level. He was her every fantasy wrapped in an annoying male package.

  Sighing, she climbed the slope to his side. “Good morning to you, too. Is that for me?” she asked, reaching for the travel mug in his hand.

  He gave it over without argument, causing her to sniff the opening before hazarding a drink. Coffee. Strong, black, manna from heaven. Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “I don’t know why Sophia decided to put the two of us together on this project, it wasn’t my idea.” Aaron eyed the tablet in her hands and raised a sandy brow. “Mind telling me what that thing is for?”

  On second thought—Trish ignored him to glance into the cavernous space behind them. “So, this is the dance hall? It doesn’t look so bad.”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “You’re kidding, right? There are holes in the roof and the floor is rotten. Hell, a stiff wind would blow the whole thing over.”

  She didn’t believe Sophia would have chosen this venue if it was as bad as Mr. Dramatic wanted her to think. Sure, there were a few issues—even she could see that—but if he quit complaining and tried to put a positive foot forward, they could get it done. They had to, Sophia was counting on them and after everything Trish’s family had done to theirs, she was determined to get this one thing right. With or without Aaron Shaughnessy.