by June Faver
He appeared to be surprised. “There’s nothin’ to see back there. Just feed and seed, like the sign says.” He gestured to the name of the store, painted in large letters on the back wall.
Pete planted his fists on his hips. “Just take her on a tour of her property, you numbskull. This is her place, and she wants to look around.”
Josh made a low growl but motioned for her to follow him. He stomped out the same door through which he had entered and down a set of steps to reach the driveway. His boots crunched through the gravel to a larger building out back. “There’s the loading dock,” he said.
“Why is it so high?” She hurried to keep up with him as he took the concrete steps two at a time.
He let out a rude snort. “It’s the same height as the beds of the big semis that make the deliveries.” He held up a hand to halt her progress. “You better stop right here. You can see everything without anything falling on you or getting your pretty little self dirty.” He eyed her again, this time focusing on her cleavage.
She stepped far enough away to avoid smelling his sweaty stench. “So, what am I looking at?” She was staring at colorful bags stacked high. There was a second floor with what looked like a conveyor belt.
Josh raised a beefy paw, waving it toward the inside wall. “That there’s cattle feed. All different kinds, and there’s feed for other kinds of animals too.” He turned to the other wall, gesturing in that direction as well. “An’ all that is seed. We got cotton. We got corn. We got grain sorghum, and we got winter rye. We got about any seed the ranchers around here might want to plant.”
“Mmm.” She made a noncommittal noise, as he seemed to require some kind of response. “What’s up there?” She gazed at the second story.
“Mostly hay. I got a conveyor belt to get the bales down so the ranchers can just pull up outside and I can load ’em right up.” He seemed quite proud of the fact.
She swallowed hard, her gag reflex working overtime. “Great job, Josh. Thanks for the tour.” She turned toward the exit and got out as quickly as she could, holding her breath until she had cleared the building. It didn’t smell much better outside, as the air was musty. She headed down the steps and across the gravel parking lot. When she had returned to the feed store, she looked around for Beau and Ava. She found them each holding a baby rabbit, their heads close together.
Ava spotted her and squealed. “Mommy! Look at my bunnies.”
Beau glanced up at her, a sheepish grin on his face. “I couldn’t resist.”
“What? I told you we couldn’t get a bunny.”
“But Mommy…Beau said he would take care of them for me.” She held one up for inspection. “This is Bertram, and that one is Anastasia. Beau helped me name them. They’re so soft and cuddly. I love them.”
Dixie drew in a breath and let it out slowly. No point in blowing her top in front of her employee.
Beau shrugged. “She was crying. I couldn’t take it. Don’t worry about taking the rabbits to Dallas. I’ll take good care of them when you go to visit your mother.” He gave her a pointed look. “I know we both want to make our daughter happy. Does this work for you?”
She swallowed hard, resisting the urge to smack him one. “Why, yes, Beau. That works for us, and you’ll have a nice herd of rabbits to add to the Garrett ranch stock.” She allowed a smug smile.
He gave a hoot of laughter. “Fair enough.” He gave Ava’s curls a tweak. “I’ll build a nice hutch for Bertram and Anastasia in the backyard.”
She stood up and threw her arms around Beau’s neck. He looked startled at first but then folded his big arms around her, and Dixie thought he was blinking back tears.
At least he cares for our daughter…and me. He cares for me.
“Let’s get ready to go home. Is there a box or something to take the rabbits in?”
“Why, yes’m. We stock these pet carriers so customers can take their new pets home safely.” Pete stopped and scratched his head. “Of course. Since you’re the owner, you can take any one you want.”
She nodded. “I want.”
Beau lifted Ava onto the countertop so she could supervise the loading of bunnies into their crate. A bag of premium rabbit food was hefted onto the counter with directions for providing the best care for Ava’s new pets.
Dixie told Pete that she had absorbed as much as she was capable of for one day and would return the next day to examine the books.
He appeared to be relieved. “That’s good. I’m not sure I understand the books myself.” He swiped his hand over his sparse hair. “Your daddy, he had his own way o’ doin’ things.”
Beau loaded them in his truck again and this time made a stop at the local grocery. “We need to restock the pantry.”
They left the truck windows open for the rabbits and went inside, holding hands with Ava.
Dixie acknowledged that this felt good. She didn’t want to think about how comfortable the entire situation had become. Or why…
Dixie dropped Ava’s hand and selected a grocery cart, rolling it out into the aisle. She was suddenly aware of other customers staring at them. She felt her cheeks burning but kept her gaze averted.
“We need milk,” Beau said, seemingly oblivious to the stares. “And we better get a couple of cartons of eggs.”
She sucked in a breath, nodding. “I—I should have made a list.”
“We can wing it. Let’s just go up and down the aisles and pick up what we want to eat.”
Dixie felt a constriction around her chest. Beau obviously was planning on eating a lot more meals at the Moore ranch. “Yeah.”
They went down each aisle, and between Beau and Ava, the cart was soon filled with food.
“Do you like rutabagas?” Beau asked Ava with a straight face.
She giggled and insisted that she didn’t.
“But have you ever met a rutabaga?”
She shook her head vehemently.
“No rutabagas,” Dixie insisted. “Now, listen here, Beau Garrett. We have more food than we can eat in a month.”
Beau looked over the haul. “This wouldn’t last more than three days in the Garrett kitchen.”
Dixie rolled her eyes and pushed the cart to line up at the single checkout counter.
An elderly woman in line turned, a smile spreading across her face. “Why, hello, Beau.” She looked at the young girl in his arms. “And who is this lovely young lady?”
Without missing a beat, he responded. “Good to see you, Mrs. Conway. This is my daughter, Ava.”
The lady oohed and aahed over Ava and then turned to Dixie. “And this is your…?”
“My friend, Dixie.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders.
The woman peered at her. “I remember you. Dixie Moore.”
A flush of heat roiled up from her chest. “Um—”
“Mrs. Conway was our third-grade teacher, Dixie. You remember her.”
“Um—yes. Of course. Good to see you again, Mrs. Conway.”
When the cart full of groceries had been scanned, Beau swiped a card before Dixie could get hers out of her purse.
By the time they were able to get out of the grocery store, they had been intercepted by several other people, and Beau dealt with them the same way: proudly introducing Ava as his daughter and reacquainting Dixie with her neighbors.
She was still in a state of shock, having intended to remain a hermit until such time as she could return to Dallas. Of course, she would have had to shop for food, but without Beau Garrett as an escort, she might have been unnoticed.
* * *
Dixie was unusually silent on the drive back to the Moore ranch.
Beau noticed that she pressed her lips together several times and stared out the window at the passing countryside.
Ava, however, kept up a lively conversation, mainly about her
new pets. “I love my bunnies. Bertram has more brown on him, and Anastasia has more white. Do you think they love each other?”
“I’m pretty sure they’re good friends,” he said, glancing in the rearview mirror at her blissful expression.
He stole a quick peek at Dixie again, but she was deep in thought. He hoped she wasn’t planning on telling him to stay away. They had been dancing around the subject of her intention to return to Dallas. Beau couldn’t imagine that she would ever leave him…not after last night, but she had been apart from him for years and had undoubtedly had relationships in the interim.
His chest tightened, but he reasoned that a woman as beautiful as Dixie would not be likely to sit on the shelf for long. He didn’t like to think that any other man had ever held her, let alone made love to her, but she had a big burly boyfriend in Dallas, and surely they had an active sex life.
Beau slowed down to turn onto the road leading to the Moore ranch. I can’t let that happen. No matter what, I can’t let Dixie go back to Dallas…not with my daughter.
When he pulled up in front of the Moore ranch house, he put the truck in park and turned off the motor.
Ava had fallen asleep, slouched against the bunny crate.
“Home sweet home,” he said softly as he released his seat belt.
Dixie heaved a huge sigh. “Beau, I—”
He steeled himself, prepared to handle whatever she had to say.
“Beau, I just want to thank you for taking care of the stock. Mr. Ryan told me that you and your family had been coming over to feed the horses and cattle. I could never do this by myself.” She stopped, drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “I mean—it’s hard for me to say thank you when I’m so confused.”
He reached for her hand and kissed her palm. “Dixie, you know I love you. I would do anything for you…and for Ava.” He gestured to the contents of the truck interior. “This is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
She blinked and looked away. “I want to believe you, Beau, but I—”
“Shh…don’t worry about it. I’m here with you now, and what we have is amazing.”
“But what about everything that’s happened? It’s not like we can go back and just erase everything that came between us. There’s a lot of hurt there.”
Beau leaned closer to her, sliding his arm around her shoulders. “No, we can’t go back, but we can go forward. Dixie, this is our life, and we need to stick together for the sake of our child if nothing else. Ava deserves a family.”
“This is just happening too fast.” She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips against her temples.
“We have all the time in the world.” He kissed her cheek. “Just hang in with me. We can work things out, I promise.”
She nodded. “I’ll try.” She turned to face him. “I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate everything you’re doing for me…and I want to thank your father and brothers too.”
“Speaking of which, would you feel comfortable if my family could spend a little time with Ava?”
“Oh.” Her brow furrowed.
“My dad is so thrilled to be a grandfather. It would mean a lot to me if you would allow him to get to know her.”
“He hates me.”
“No, baby. He doesn’t hate you. He’s my dad. When he and my brothers realized how much it hurt me when you left…well, maybe they were just a little protective.”
Her expression registered pain and confusion. “Let’s get Ava inside.”
“Sure.” He knew enough to back away. He had pushed, and now she was shutting down. “I’ll carry her inside and come back for the groceries and rabbits.”
Dixie nodded and went ahead to open the door.
Beau released Ava from her seat belt and gathered her in his arms. He slipped through the door Dixie held open and gently laid the sleeping child on the sofa. He felt a tug at his heart as he watched her roll onto her side, her curls falling over her brow and her lashes dark against her pink cheeks. He was still in awe that he could have contributed to the genetic makeup of such a beautiful creature. Now all he had to do was make sure he could remain in her life.
“A little help here,” Dixie called from the entryway.
Giving one last glance at Ava, he rushed to take the rabbit cage from Dixie and set it down in the hallway. “I’ll carry in the groceries.”
“I’m not helpless, Beau. You know that I’ve carried groceries into the house for years without your help.” She gazed up at him mischievously. The dimples flickered in her cheeks.
He smiled, hoping her good nature had been restored. “Well, now you don’t ever have to carry groceries by yourself.”
“Well, I guess you can help me.” The dimples flashed again as she whirled around, heading for the front door.
Beau followed, grabbing her in his arms and turning around once they had cleared the house. “Dixie, honey…I’m just so happy to be back with you. It’s like my life has had a hole in it and you just healed me. You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
She struggled to get out of his arms. “Honestly, Beau. I’m trying to just take it day by day. I don’t know if we’re back together…but we’re—”
“I’ll take it day by day.”
Chapter 7
The next morning, Beau grabbed Dixie and delivered a soul-searing kiss before she climbed into her car and headed back to Moore’s Feed and Seed. She hoped that, without Beau and Ava as distractions, she might be able to concentrate on understanding the books as explained by Pete.
Beau told her he planned to spend the day entertaining Ava and building a rabbit hutch.
Damn! That man knows how to make my toes curl. She shook her head, but a huff of laughter escaped her throat.
After a remarkably cozy dinner the previous evening, Beau and Dixie had kissed their daughter good night and put her to bed. Then an uncomfortable few moments while they considered their situation, but that didn’t last long. One tentative kiss led to another, more confident this time. A trail of clothing littered the hallway as they stumbled over each other on their way to the guest bedroom.
Dixie giggled. Oh, yeah. Last night, Beau demonstrated many possible ways to pleasure a woman…well, he was on his way when she gave up and demanded satisfaction. “Now!” she’d whispered.
She reached the intersection with the highway and turned toward Langston. In time, she arrived in front of Moore’s Feed and Seed. Heaving a sigh, she climbed out, straightening her shoulders before entering the store.
Pete rushed forward to greet her, appearing a little anxious. “Miss Moore, I…uh…I’m—” He broke off awkwardly and then cleared his throat. “I mean, welcome to the store—your store.”
“Thanks. I’m not a bookkeeper, Pete, so you’re going to have to explain things to me.” She gave him a smile to reassure him. “I mean, really break it down for me.”
He nodded several times, his head bobbing up and down rhythmically, but remained staring at her without moving.
She flashed him a grin meant to encourage. “Okay, let’s get this party started.”
Pete bobbed a few more times and led her to a small office in the back of the building. He punched a button on the phone and asked Josh to come to the front office.
In a few minutes, Josh presented himself. He looked reasonably well kept, but his shirt was once again unbuttoned and the sleeves torn off, showing off an impressive array of muscles.
Pete gestured for him to button up his shirt, and he complied, huffing out a groan and rolling his eyes.
Totally immature. Dixie supposed Josh was competent in his usual duties, but he was definitely a smart ass. She frowned as he openly ogled her.
“Josh, you need to stay up front and let me know when customers come in. I’ll be here with Miss Moore for a while.”
Josh smirked and gave h
er a wink. “Sure thing, cuz.” He turned and strolled to the front of the store.
“Well, he certainly has an attitude,” Dixie said.
“Aw, he’s a good kid,” Pete protested. “He’s just had a hard life.”
Dixie snorted. “He’s not a kid. He’s older than I am, and he needs to get it together if he’s going to work here.”
Pete blinked a couple of times. “I guess I can tell him to straighten up.”
“Show me the books, please. I’m ready to learn how my dad’s business has been doing.”
* * *
Beau had wanted to take Ava to the Garrett ranch but hadn’t wanted to risk ticking Dixie off since their relationship, at this point, was so tentative.
So he did the next best thing. He invited Big Jim to the Moore ranch. Of course, being Big Jim, he arrived with a big bang.
Beau heard his father’s powerful truck roar up the drive and come to a stop with a couple of toots of the horn. By the time Beau and Ava got to the front door, Big Jim was out of the truck.
“Whooee! I’m ready to build a hutch for those bunnies.” He strode up to the house and squatted down to grin at Ava. “And how are you today, little lady?”
She leaned against Beau and ducked her head.
“Take it down a notch, Dad.” Beau stroked his hand over her mop of curls. “Let’s get acquainted.”
“Sure, Son. I didn’t mean to come on too strong.” Looking a bit disappointed, he stood up. “So, I brought some lumber and tools.”
Beau gave Big Jim a pat on the shoulder. “Thanks a lot, Dad.” To his daughter, he grinned. “Ava, I want you to meet my daddy. You can call him—” He turned back to Big Jim.
“Grampa!” Big Jim’s grin went wall to wall.
“Um, yeah. Ava, this is your grandfather…Grampa.”
Ava stared up at her grampa, her eyes wide.
Big Jim squatted again. “Nice to meet you, Ava. Would you like to help me build a home for your bunnies?”
“Yes, Grampa.” Her curls bounced as she nodded enthusiastically. “My mommy says my bunnies need to have their own home.” She leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. “She doesn’t think they should live inside this house.”