“Sometimes all it takes is one,” she agreed. “Especially for a mother. Anyway, the boutique owner is upset because he’s sold out of the birthday and special occasion gift boxes I made to sell in the store. Susan suggested I look into starting my own business, maybe something online like Etsy or supplying them to other shops around the state.” She tapped a finger against her cheek. “I might even focus on gifts for military families to send overseas. I could add the little spice packs to the mix. They weren’t difficult to put together and if they were so popular—”
“You can’t understand unless you’ve lived on a carrier for months at a time.” Nate grinned, as if remembering. “What about those shampoo bars? Or the homemade lip balm? Whenever a package came for Eddie, we all hung around to see what he’d gotten. He’d show off whatever you sent, mainly to make the rest of us jealous.”
“Really?” Pride bubbled up inside her at the thought. She’d missed her older brother so much when he was away and had taken to creating products she thought he could use to keep from getting lonely. “I figured Eddie and his navy buddies thought I was just a silly girl with too much time on her hands.”
“He did get some major grief when you went through your boy band phase.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Bianca covered her face with her hands. “I forgot about that. I used to cut out pictures of all the celebrities I was crushing on and send collages to Eddie. I’d spray them with perfume.”
“A lot of it,” Nate said with a chuckle. “It amazed me your letters arrived still scented, like they’d been dipped in a vat of perfume.”
“The funniest part was Eddie used to write me back like he knew stuff about the guys in the photos.”
“That’s because he did,” Nate explained. “Whenever we were in a place with internet access, he’d troll the gossip sites so he’d have something to add to his letters to you.”
Bianca’s heart pinged in her chest. She could just imagine her bad-to-the-bone brother, who favored pounding heavy metal music, doing research on the latest boy band craze to make her happy.
“I miss him so much,” she whispered.
“I know.” Nate reached across the table and took her hand. “He’d be proud of the woman you’ve become, Busy Bee. You’re a great mother, and I’m glad Susan gave you the idea of starting your own business. You’re smart and creative and I bet you can make a success of anything you set your mind to.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she pushed away from the table, making a show of clearing plates. Gripping the edge of the counter in front of the sink, she blinked and tried to pull herself together. A few kind words and Nate had all but reduced her to a puddle on the floor. But how long had it been since anyone believed in her?
Even in the best of times during their relationship, Brett had brushed off her creativity as nothing more than a waste of time and money. Her mother, too, complained about Bianca’s crafting supplies taking up too much space in their small apartment when she’d still lived at home.
She’d had no idea that Eddie had so much invested in the care packages she’d sent him. Her brother loved her and would have done anything for her, but he’d been a consummate career military man—the strong and silent type. He’d always been the one to take care of her. Bianca had never had a reason to believe she could truly make something of herself.
Until now.
“Did I say something wrong?” Nate asked quietly. His warm hand brushed her shoulder.
She sniffed and turned, pasting on a bright smile. “You said all the right things. I’m simply unaccustomed to hearing them.”
“I want to change that, Bianca.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. He was going to kiss her now. At least in this moment she had no doubt he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
He leaned in and she closed her eyes, anticipation making her breathless.
Suddenly the sound of frenzied barking blasted through the open window followed by her son’s high-pitched shouting.
“EJ!” she screamed and hurried after Nate, who was already rushing through the house toward whatever trouble her son had gotten himself into.
* * *
“EJ!”
Nate ran toward the fenced pasture behind the barn as fast as he could.
A small figure was sprawled on the ground near the gate. Nate’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest with worry that the young boy was hurt.
As he got closer, EJ lifted his head and then sat up, leaning against the fence post.
“EJ, are you okay?” Nate dropped down next to the boy.
EJ swallowed and nodded, but his face crumpled as Bianca joined them.
“Sweetie, what happened?” She knelt and opened her arms. EJ flung himself into them, his thin shoulders shaking as he sobbed loudly. “Are you hurt?” She let the boy cling to her for several minutes, then set him away from her, running gentle hands over his head and torso as if searching for injuries.
“No. The dog saved me.”
“What dog?” Nate straightened and scanned the area, but all he could see were the horses gathered around the feeder, munching on the hay he and EJ had put out before dinner. There was no other sign of life near the barn.
“The black-and-tan one,” EJ said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “One of the horses bit the other. They started fighting so I went over the fence to break it up.”
“Cinnamon,” Nate muttered. “He’s a hay hog and will give the other horses trouble if they get too close when he’s eating.”
Bianca lifted EJ into her arms and hugged him close. “We talked earlier about staying on this side of the fence.”
“But Cinnamon was being a bully,” the boy argued. “You told me when Bryson was being mean to Harper at preschool that I should use my words to stop a bully.”
“That’s with another child, not a thousand-pound animal.”
Nate could see from the residual fear in Bianca’s brown eyes that she was imagining EJ being trampled under one of the horses. The thought of what might have happened made cold sweat break out along Nate’s shoulders.
“What happened when you got close?” he asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“I yelled at Cinnamon,” EJ reported. “Him and Jobuck tried to bite each other, but then he went after Daisy.” He pointed to the dapple-gray mare standing serenely near the edge of the trough. “He was hurting her, and she’s my favorite.”
“Remember we talked about the hierarchy of the herd?” Nate smoothed the dark hair away from EJ’s face, his elbow brushing Bianca’s arm. “Cinnamon isn’t going to hurt Daisy. He’s just letting her know who’s boss.”
“He was mean,” EJ insisted. “I had to help her. But then I tripped and fell and they were still fighting. Cinnamon came up on his back legs, and I thought he was going to land on me. But I kept yelling at him to leave Daisy alone. I didn’t give up, Mommy.”
So much like Eddie, Nate thought. He wanted to pull both of them against him until the panic gripping him subsided. He could taste metal in his mouth and the familiar prickling sensation, like ants marching under his skin.
He was overreacting but couldn’t stop it. A vision of Eddie’s lifeless body tore through his mind, and he jerked away from EJ and Bianca.
How many times had he and his brothers had close calls while ignoring directions their mom or Earl gave them as kids? Hell, Grayson had first broken a bone falling off a horse when he was younger than EJ. There was no threat of punishment that could keep his horse-crazy brother away from the barn when they were kids.
He tried to focus on breathing and the fact that now that EJ had calmed down, the boy didn’t seem to have a scratch on him. In fact, when he looked to Bianca and her son again, they were staring at him like he was the one who’d been in jeopardy.
“Tell us about the dog.” Bianca shifted EJ in her arms and raised a
questioning brow toward Nate.
He nodded and forced one side of his mouth to curve, trying to convince both her and himself that he had things under control. “I saw him yesterday, too. He was behind the house when I went out back to play but ran off when Mr. Nate came out.”
“He’s a stray,” Nate muttered. “He used to come around when Jayden’s dog, Sugar, was here. I don’t know why because Sugar’s mostly blind so it’s not like she’s going to go rambling with another dog.”
“Is he friendly?” Bianca asked.
Nate shrugged. “Hard to say. He won’t let me get close. I haven’t seen him since Sugar left with Jayden and Ariana on their trip.”
“I think he needs a home,” EJ said quietly.
“Not this one,” Nate answered without hesitation. “I like Sugar, but she’s Jayden’s responsibility. I’ve got enough on my plate without taking on one more thing.” He saw Bianca cringe slightly at his words. Of course he didn’t mean her and EJ. They were the best things that had happened to him in years. How could he explain what a difference they’d made in his lonely life in such a short time without sounding like a fool?
“The dog saved me, Mommy. He ran up to Cinnamon and was barking so loud. He stood in front of me until the horses backed away.”
Bianca placed a soft kiss on the tip of EJ’s nose. “Your own personal guard dog.”
“Don’t read too much into it,” Nate told her. “Chances are the dog reacted to the commotion. I doubt he was purposely trying to protect EJ.”
“Which doesn’t change the fact that he did,” she countered. “This stray dog is a hero. We need to help him.”
“That isn’t how things work in the country. Unfortunately, there are always animals on the loose without a true home.”
“That’s sad.” EJ dropped his head to Bianca’s shoulder. “Everybody needs a home.” He yawned. “I hope the dog comes back so I can thank him. Do you think he has a name, Mommy?”
“Probably not if he doesn’t belong to someone,” Bianca said.
“I’m going to call him Otis.”
She hugged him closer. “Otis is a good name for a dog.”
“You can’t name a dog that doesn’t belong to you.” Nate’s tone came out sharper than he’d meant.
EJ yawned again, clearly too tired to notice. “I’m still going to call him Otis.”
“Let’s go inside so you can take a bath tonight,” Bianca told the boy. She seemed wary of Nate’s mood, which he could understand. He wanted to assure her he was fine, but how was that possible? He hadn’t been anywhere close to fine since the day he watched his best friend die. “You’ve had a big day.”
“Did you bring bubbles?” EJ asked.
“I sure did.”
“I’m going to check the horses,” Nate said. “EJ, from now on, I want you stay on the far side of the fence unless your mom or I is with you. Okay?”
The boy scrunched up his nose. “But what if—”
“Even if it looks like they’re fighting. The horses will take care of themselves, but what’s most important to me is keeping you safe.”
Bianca’s shoulders relaxed, and he was happy he’d finally said the right thing. He wanted to wipe away the past few minutes, the shock of hearing EJ scream and the terror of knowing the boy might have been badly hurt on Nate’s watch.
He wanted to return to those moments in the kitchen when he and Bianca had the world to themselves and all that mattered was pressing his mouth to hers. He wanted her to want him again.
But that was dangerous territory, especially when what he felt for her was already more complicated than physical attraction. She was smart and strong, and he respected how hard she was working to make a better life for herself and EJ. He’d never met a woman quite like Bianca, but to tell her that would give away too much, so he simply nodded and let himself into the pasture. When he looked up again, his hand pressed to Cinnamon’s muscled flank, Bianca and EJ were already gone.
Chapter Five
“Mom, it’s me. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
“Where are you? Why are you calling from this area code?” Jennifer Shaw let out an exasperated breath. “I’ve been getting calls from this number all week.”
“I just told you that.” Bianca paused and counted to ten in her head. It wouldn’t do any good to get angry with her mom. “I’m out of town and there isn’t decent cell phone service where we’re staying. Why haven’t you picked up the phone?”
“Because I didn’t recognize the number. For all I know you could have been...” Her voice trailed off.
“A creditor?” Bianca guessed. “Are you in financial trouble again?”
“A telemarketer,” Jennifer answered. “You know how persistent they can be.”
Not as persistent as collection agencies, Bianca thought. She couldn’t help the bitterness that lingered over the college education she’d sacrificed to bail her mom out of a rough patch a few years ago. Normally Jennifer kept her gambling habit low-key, but it had gotten out of control, and Bianca had drained her savings account to pay down her mother’s debt. “EJ and I left San Antonio. I wanted to tell you myself instead of leaving a message.”
“How could you leave?” her mom demanded. “You have no place to go.”
Bianca pressed a hand to her stomach. It felt like her mom had just punched her in the gut. “I’m in Paseo.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
“It’s where Nate Fortune lives. You remember Eddie’s navy SEAL friend.”
“Tall, handsome, cowboy-looking type?” Jennifer whistled softly. “Oh, I remember him all right.” She made a growling sound low in her throat then laughed. “Nate Fortune is the kind of man for whom the term cougar was named.”
“Um...whatever you say, Mom.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “I’m just letting you know we’re staying with Nate for a bit. I didn’t want you to hear that I’d moved and worry.”
Her mother sniffed. “You know I’ve got my own life to deal with, Bianca. I can’t get all involved in yours at this late date.”
“Or ever,” Bianca muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
There was a long, awkward pause before Jennifer asked, “How long will you be there?”
“I’m not sure. I’m working on a plan for a new business. One that will let me work from home so I can be with EJ.”
“Why couldn’t you do that in San Antonio?”
“I needed a break. After my boss fired me—”
“Your brother got all my work ethic genes.”
“Mom, EJ was sick. I had to take time off. I asked you to help but—”
“Now you’re blaming me? Like I was supposed to jeopardize my career by asking for personal leave?”
Her mother was the receptionist at a used car dealership, and Bianca didn’t think her boss would have minded if she’d taken off an extra day or so since he was also her boyfriend. But it was one more thing not worth the trouble of mentioning.
“It’s fine,” she said instead. “Maybe it was even a blessing. EJ needs me at home more now that he’ll be starting kindergarten in the fall. I want to be there for him after school.”
“Another thing you’ve always held against me,” her mother said, her voice tight. “The fact that I had to work to support you and your brother.”
“I didn’t,” Bianca argued. “I always had Eddie at home in the afternoon. He took care of me.”
“Your brother took care of everything.” The sound of Jennifer blowing her nose reverberated through the phone. “I miss him.”
“Me, too,” Bianca whispered. Grief over Eddie’s death was the one thing she and her mother had in common. “It’s actually been nice to be with Nate. Somehow he makes me miss Eddie less.”
“
I can hear it in your voice that you’re getting attached the way you do. It’s not a good idea, Bianca. Nate Fortune isn’t the man for you.”
Bianca blinked several times, unsure of how to answer. She couldn’t believe her mother had read her so easily just in their short conversation. Her temper pricked at the same time. Of course her mom would assume Bianca didn’t deserve someone like Nate.
“He likes me. We’re friends, Mom.”
“Of course he likes you. I bet you’re real grateful he’s taken you in.”
Jennifer said the words like there was something salacious about Bianca’s friendship with Nate. “It’s not that way,” she said through clenched teeth.
“All I’m saying is you don’t know the whole story about Nate Fortune. You might think you do but—Shoot, the office phone’s ringing. I gotta answer it, Bianca. Don’t do anything stupid and tell EJ his mimi said hi.”
Before Bianca could answer, Jennifer had ended the call. Bianca replaced the receiver on the old-school phone that hung on the kitchen wall. As usual, the phone call with her mother made the doubts she’d recently held at bay spring to life with renewed energy.
What was she doing in Paseo? Could Nate really be the right man for her? It had all seemed so clear last night when Nate had been about to kiss her. But once again, she wasn’t sure of anything except that the enigmatic rancher made her wish for things he might not be willing to give her.
* * *
“I can’t decide if you work this late every night or if you’re just trying to avoid me.”
Nate paused as he climbed the porch steps later that evening. It was dark now, the sky a jumble of stars and planets. Growing up near downtown San Antonio, she’d never appreciated the night sky. But here in Paseo, the vast swath of inky blackness dotted with bright lights fascinated her.
She’d come onto the porch after EJ had fallen asleep, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders to ward off the evening chill. She could imagine the summer air in the country must be as sweltering as it felt in the city, but in January the temperature dipped to the midforties each evening, and she was grateful for the coolness.
Her Soldier of Fortune Page 5