A Ring for Cinderella

by Judy Christenberry

  “I can’t afford a new car.” She stepped behind Paul, putting her arms around his neck. and spoke to him, ignoring Zach. “How would you and Manuel like to go to the diner for lunch? Then I could bring you back before I start working.”

  “Hey, neat! Let’s go ask your mom,” Paul said to his friend, and the two boys raced up the stairs again.

  “I don’t know where they get their energy,” Zach muttered, watching them until they disappeared from view.

  “Look. Zach, I don’t want Paul upset, so stop arguing with me in front of him,” Susan ordered sternly.

  He stared at her, then removed his hat and bent over to brush his lips across hers. As his lips returned to taste more deeply, his arms pulled her against him. The feel of her down his length was as stunning as always.

  “Oooh, that’s gross!” Paul called from the landing.

  Zach lifted his head, glad something had distracted him before he completely lost control. “I’ll remind you of that remark in a few years, buddy,” he called with a grin.

  He settled his hat in place, grabbed one more quick kiss and turned to his rental car. “I’ll pick you up at the regular time,” he called to Susan over his shoulder.

  He didn’t wait for an answer. In the first place, he didn’t want to hear any excuses why she couldn’t go with him this evening. And he certainly didn’t want their argument to start again.

  He’d already made up his mind.

  Lunch with the boys didn’t involve conversation. All Susan had to do was listen to the excited chatter and speculation about life on a ranch.

  “Do you think we’ll get to ride horses?” Paul asked, his eyes widening at the sudden thought.

  “I don’t know, sweetie. You’re both a little young.”

  “We’re big enough,” Paul asserted, with Manuel nodding.

  “We’ll see.”

  After she took the boys back to Rosa, along with lunch for her and her other two children, Susan tried to concentrate on her work. But thoughts about the changes in her life, including Zach’s kisses, distracted her.

  “Do you need us to keep Paul again this evening?” Kate asked as she popped into Susan’s office.

  “Oh, thanks, Kate, but he’ll stay with Rosa.” Susan smiled but ducked her head. She didn’t want to tell Kate she was moving to the ranch, though of course she’d have to eventually. Just not today.

  “How’s Zach’s grandfather?”

  “He came through the operation well. The doctors are optimistic.”

  Kate didn’t respond and Susan finally looked up.

  Then Kate said, “You will let us know if there’s anything we can do, won’t you, Susan? We’re family, remember?”

  “I’d never forget that. You and Maggie have made such a difference in my life.” This time her smile was sincere, full of warmth.

  “Good. Take some time off if you need to.”

  “Thanks, Kate, but I shouldn’t need to. I hope.” She suddenly remembered that she’d be moving soon, too. She wasn’t sure when. but her rent was due Saturday. She’d have to talk to Zach about that.

  Zach hadn’t forgotten. When he picked her up that evening, his first question was “Is your rent due Sat urday, like Rosa and Pedro’s?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’ll need to move you tomorrow, too.”

  “I don’t think I can get packed, Zach. We’re going to the hospital tonight and I work tomorrow.”

  He crossed his arms over his broad chest and glared at her. “Surely Kate will give you time off.”

  Of course Kate would. She’d even said as much today. But Susan would need to give the dreaded explanation of her move.

  “Well?” Zach prodded when she didn’t say anything.

  “Yes, of course she will,” she admitted with a sigh.

  He stepped closer and Susan tensed. She lost all her logic and control when he got close.

  “What’s the problem, honey?”

  “I—I haven’t told them I’m moving to the ranch.”

  “You think they’ll be upset with you?”

  frustrated, she glared at him. “I’m upset with me. Why wouldn’t they be?”

  His hands settled on her shoulders and she knew she was in trouble. Backing away, she held up a hand. “Don‘t—don’t come any closer, Zach. We can’t—”

  To her relief, he stood still. But he continued to stare at her. “Honey, don’t get upset. Everything’s going to work out just fine.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. I’m the one making all the changes.” She was working hard to keep her anger going.

  He raised one eyebrow and gave her a rueful smile. “You don’t understand men, do you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to be taking a lot of cold showers with you around. Do you think I’ll like that?”

  She blushed. And desperately sought to change the subject. “I’d better call Kate before we leave and ask for tomorrow off.”

  His smile told her he knew what she was doing, but he only nodded in agreement.

  She was constantly aware of him as she talked to Kate, grateful he couldn’t hear Kate’s response when she confessed she was moving to the ranch.

  “You’re going to what? Are you crazy?”

  “I have to, Kate. But it’s only temporary.”

  “That man had better behave himself.”

  “He will.” Lots of cold showers, she reminded herself. She hoped he didn’t guess that she’d be needing them, too.

  “Wait a minute. I want Will to talk to him. Put him on the phone.”

  “Kate, no, that’s not Oh, hi, Will. Just a minute.”

  Zach raised one eyebrow as she held out the receiver to him. “Kate wants to talk to me?”

  “No. Kate wants Will to talk to you.”

  Zach took the phone. “Hi, Will.”

  “I hear you’re taking Susan and Paul to your ranch.”

  “Yeah. My grandfather had surgery this morning and we’re taking him home Saturday.”

  “I’m glad to hear he’s doing well. Is Susan okay with this?”

  “She made the decision. I, uh, encouraged her, of course, because I think our breaking up would cause a setback for Gramp, and Paul was pretty enthusiastic. But she agreed.”

  “Is Susan going to keep working for Kate?”

  “Yes. She’s planning on driving in every day.”

  “In that old car of hers? I’ll have to insist she let me buy her a better one. It would be dangerous—”

  “I’ve already taken care of it.”

  “Well, you’re two for two. I’m impressed.”

  “Two for two?”

  “You’re getting her out of the apartment and giving her a better vehicle. We couldn’t convince her on either one of those.”

  “So you’re not upset with me?” Zach asked, breathing a sigh of relief. Not that their being upset would stop him, because he needed Susan and he believed he was helping her, too. But it would’ve made things difficult for her.

  “Not me. I’m not speaking for my wife, of course.” He paused, then said, “Kate says to tell Susan she’ll be over in the morning, as soon as she’s done a few things at the diner, to help pack up. She’ll call Maggie, too.”

  “I’ll tell her. That’s nice of them.”

  “They’re family.”

  Zach hung up the phone after saying goodbye and relayed Will’s message.

  Tears filled Susan’s eyes. “They’re so wonderful.”

  He stepped forward to wrap his arms around her, unable to resist the urge to comfort her, but she backed away again.

  “Listen, you’re going to have to get used to a little touching, or Gramp will never buy our story,” he said. And he’d go crazy if he couldn’t touch her.

  “It’s okay to touch in front of Cramp—or Hester. But not when we’re alone.” She felt ridiculous making these rules, but she knew they were absolutely necessary.

  “Why not?”

&nbs
p; “You know why not, Zach Lowery. It’s like playing with matches around a gas leak.”

  He put his hands on his hips and stared at her, thinking about what she’d said. It was a pretty accurate description of what happened when he touched her. “Okay. I need to talk to Rosa and Pedro. And when we get back from the hospital tonight, I’ll start helping you pack. Do you have any boxes?”

  “No. I didn’t realize—Everything’s happening so fast.”

  He couldn’t argue with that statement, either. Last Saturday he only had his grandfather. Now he had a wife—and a lot of other new family when he counted Megan, Paul, Kate and Will with their son, and Maggie and Josh with their two children.

  “When am I going to meet Megan?” he asked suddenly.

  “I don’t know. She doesn’t... I haven’t talked to her since I met you. She’s been so busy trying to find a job and getting used to the campus. I’ll have to tell her, but not yet.”

  “I’m beginning to think you’re ashamed of me, Mrs. Lowery,” he teased.

  “Not ashamed. Just—just finding it difficult to explain what we’ve done.”

  “Let’s go next door and figure out a schedule. Then we’ll go to the hospital. And we don’t have to explain anything to anyone.” He took her hand before she could move away and pulled her behind him to the front door. At least once they were around people, he could touch her.

  She’d agreed to that, whether she realized it or not.

  “Pizza’s here,” Zach called at noon the next day as he came up the stairs.

  Susan peeked out her door and saw her handsome husband with pizza boxes stacked to his nose.

  “How many did you order?” She would hate to see the bill, but, of course, Zach had already taken care of that She was discovering he was a very generous man.

  “A lot. Cowboys have big appetites. Right, Rick?”

  One of the cowboys who’d arrived around seven this morning with two trucks and trailers, grinned at Susan. “Yes. ma’am, Mrs. Lowery. We eat a lot.”

  “Well, you’ve certainly earned your lunch. Your help has been invaluable.” She had a lot of people to thank. Kate and Maggie had arrived around nine this morning and were still packing the few things left in her apartment,

  “I’ll call the others to lunch,” she said.

  “After we eat, I think we’ll be ready to head for the ranch,” Zach said as she turned away. “Don’t you think?”

  “We’re almost finished, yes,” she agreed, but she was reluctant. She’d been hanging over the edge of the cliff for four years, just barely making it. Now she felt like she was being asked to let go and trust that someone would catch her. After life with her mother, she wasn’t into trusting men all that much.

  Zach looked as if he was about to ask a question she didn’t want to answer, so she ran for the two bedrooms. “Pizza’s here for lunch,” she called to her half sisters.

  “Pizza?” Kate asked in sudden outrage. “I could’ve had a real meal sent over from the diner.”

  “Kate, pizza will do,” Susan insisted. “You’ve already contributed enough, both you and Maggie. You brought over a cooler of drinks, and you’ve done a lot of packing.” And some arguing, too. Kate, in particular, had wanted Susan to think about what she was doing. Maggie had recommended caution, but she was visibly delighted that Susan was leaving her apartment.

  “But we could’ve helped her get out of here,” Kate had insisted.

  “Yes, but you know she’s too proud to take our help,” Maggie had added.

  “No, it’s not that, it’s just...I can’t be your responsibility.” Susan had dashed away the tears that filled her eyes. “We’re making it, you know. And now I have money to pay for Megan’s room and board.”

  Kate and Maggie exchanged frustrated looks.

  Then Maggie said, “Just remember. If things don’t work out with—at the ranch, you let us know. We’ll call it a loan, if you want, but we’ll help you.”

  “You guys are the best,” Susan whispered.

  “Hey, I thought I was the best guy,” Zach had said from behind her. Her sisters laughed, but Susan had to struggle to meet his lighthearted tones.

  “Aren’t you, though. Well, I have to get to work.”

  But the time was drawing near for her to turn loose of her hold, to face the changes in her life. All because of a lie that had seemed such a good cause—and so uncomplicated. Hah!

  As everyone sat down on boxes, a slice of pizza in hand and soda nearby, Susan tried to count her blessings. But the change was still distressing.

  Zach moved a box with his foot next to the one Susan was on and sat down with his pizza and drink. “I thought the packing would take all day, but thanks to everyone’s hard work, we’re going to be ready to roll in a few minutes.”

  “We’ll need to write down your telephone number and mailing address, Zach,” Maggie said. “Even if Susan comes into town every day, we may need to talk to her at night.”

  “No problem. We’re not keeping her prisoner.” Then he leaned over toward Susan and kissed her. The kiss was brief, but her heart rate jumped and she had difficulty facing everyone. He wasn’t breaking their agreement, of course, because she’d said they could touch in front of others. Still, she hadn’t expected him to be quite so...enthusiastic about it

  “When will your grandfather go home?” Maggie asked.

  “In the morning,” Zach said with a smile. “I’m going to get my family settled. Then I’ll come back with the helicopter and bring him home.”

  Silence fell, but then Zach reached out and took Susan’s hand. “I didn’t think I’d be bringing him home alive. But thanks to Susan, we are.”

  She closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. Gramp was the reason for their lie. She had to keep that in her mind.

  Zach’s lips covered hers and her eyes flew open. Pulling back, she muttered, “Zach, everyone’s watching.”

  “I know,” he agreed, grinning. He was reminding her of her promise.

  “I think it’s time to finish loading.” Even moving to the ranch seemed less risky than letting him kiss her.

  “We’re ready to go, Zach,” Rick called. His truck had a small back seat, and Rosa and her two smaller children were already there. Pedro was standing beside Rick, a big smile on his face.

  “Susan, can I ride with Manuel?” Paul asked.

  “I don’t think there’s room, Paul. You’d better ride with me. Manuel can come with us if he wants.”

  “But the truck is lots neater, Susan,” Paul pleaded.

  “Why don’t you let Paul and Manuel ride in the other truck?” Zach suggested. He hoped to send Paul on his way before Zach surprised Susan with his latest purchase. “I need to drop off the rental car. I thought maybe I could ride with you.”

  She looked at him suspiciously, but he only smiled at her.

  “I suppose I could, if Chuck won’t mind.” She looked at the other cowboy who, after a quick look at Zach, said he’d be delighted to entertain the two eight-year-old boys for an hour.

  The boys shouted their happiness and scrambled into the front seat of the second truck.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” Susan shouted, waving as the trucks pulled out.

  Kate and Maggie hugged her, asking her to call once she got there.

  “It may take a little longer.” Zach warned, ignoring Susan, who had turned to stare at him. “I thought we’d drop by the hospital and check on Gramp before we started out. You don’t mind, do you, Susan?”

  She frowned but shook her head no.

  Kate and Maggie got into Maggie’s car and left.

  Only Zach and Susan remained in the parking lot.

  “I told Rosa we’d be right behind them,” she said, chewing her bottom lip.

  “We’ll be there in time for dinner.”

  “Well, I’ll follow you to the car mental” She turned around to go to her car...then came to an abrupt halt. In the place where she thought she’d parked her car was a
four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicle. She walked closer to look on the other side, in case she’d parked one space over.

  “Zach., my car isn’t here.”

  He stretched out his hand with a set of keys. “Yes, it is. That silver SUV is yours. You’ll need it this winter to get to work.”

  “No,” she said, backing away from him.

  “Come on, honey, your car isn’t here. You have to drive that one.”

  “Zach, you can’t do this. You have no right—”

  “To provide for and protect my wife? I beg to differ.” He stepped closer to her. “And to thank you for saving my grandfather’s life. What value would you put on his life, Susan? Less than that car?”

  “Zach! I never... You can’t pay me for Gramp’s recovery.”

  “You’re right. If I gave you everything I have, I couldn’t repay you for Gramp’s recovery. So let me express my appreciation with a car that you desperately need. You’ll have to admit your car wouldn’t make it on a cold morning.”

  “That has nothing to do—”

  “So you want me to get out of bed and come after you every time your car breaks down?” He gave a proper hangdog expression. “Of course I’ll do that, but I hate to get out of bed on a cold morning. But if you want to torture me...” He tried to look thoroughly miserable. If his wife knew anything about a cowboy’s life, she’d throw something at him, but he was betting she didn’t.

  She frowned at him and drew a deep breath. “I’ll use the car until I move back to Kansas City. Then it will be yours.”

  “Agreed,” he said cheerfully. “Now, let me show you a few things about a four-wheel drive. Then we’ll be on our way.”

  He had Susan slide behind the wheel and showed her what she’d need to know to drive it home. “You promise you’ll follow me?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I was afraid you’d be mad at me.”

  “I should be. I think I’ve been manipulated.”

  “Naw, honey. That couldn’t happen. Start the engine.”

  She turned the key and the powerful engine roared to life.

  “Seat belt,” he reminded her, and helped her fasten it.