“How did Sheriff Cartwright make you hurt your knee?”
“I hated horses. Still do. Zack knew that, but he demanded we go riding. That’s why I never want you on a horse. You have the chance I never did. Anyway, we were going along the cliffs that cut into the ranch when my horse slipped and threw me. My foot got caught in the stirrup, and the horse dragged me. If Cartwright hadn’t insisted we go riding on one of the most dangerous trails on the CW, I’d be playing in the NFL right now.”
Jake watched Bobby chew on what he’d told him. Before he could ask the questions Jake saw forming, he added, “Zack is no one’s friend, T-Rex. He’ll try to win you over to his side, then he’ll hurt you just like he did me.”
* * * *
“Don’t worry,” Tracy said, drawing Zack’s attention back to her. “They’ll be fine. Thanks for the football. Bobby liked it.”
Zack watched Amanda run up the gleaming, curved, stairway after Bobby. Eileen Quinn’s two Yorkies yipped and barked as they bounded up behind the kids. “I hope so. I don’t think I made a great impression on him at the wedding. I was a little harsh.” Tracy had been right about their kids. Despite the difference of four years in age and being of opposite sexes, Bobby and Amanda were becoming fast friends.
Bobby would be my big brother.
He forced the memory of Mandy’s comment to the back of his mind and looked at Tracy.
“Bobby needed someone to show him he was being a butthead. You did that. Don’t worry about it.”
Zack’s gaze drifted to her bright smile. “Sorry we’re late.” He removed his hat then ran his fingers through his hair. “I was stuck at the office again.”
“Another rustling?”
“No. There was an accident on Highway Six.” He shook his head as images of the mangled mess of the car involved flashed in his mind.
She started moving down the hall. “Bad?”
“Yeah.” As he followed her into the kitchen, his boots thumped on the Italian tiles. “The driver was drunk and wrapped himself around a telephone pole.”
She pushed the kitchen door open and grimaced. “Oh, no. Not someone we know? Is he okay?”
He swallowed and shook his head. “He’s dead. No, he wasn’t anyone you’d know. He was just passing through from Crawford to Palo Pinto County.”
“Oh.”
She stopped by the island and leaned against the marble edge as if waiting for him to speak. Problem was he couldn’t. She looked great dressed in white jeans and a bright electric blue, lightweight sweater, which seemed to bring out the light blue of her otherwise gray eyes. Her hair was pulled over her shoulder and held in place with one of those fat ponytail things Mandy called a scrunchie. Then he noticed the bangs hanging over her forehead.
“You cut your hair.”
She seemed startled he’d noticed. “Just the front and trimmed the ends. This style seems to be the trend in Hollywood these days. Thought I’d give it a try. Melissa cut it for me.” Brightening, she added, “Thanks for noticing. Most people never would.”
Unsure of what else he could say that didn’t make it obvious he’d notice even the slightest change, he said, “It’s the bangs. You didn’t have them before.”
“True.” Her smile quivered a little. “Well, it’s getting late, and I have to get the grill going.”
He nodded and looked around the large kitchen. The room was huge and warmly decorated in a fruit theme, all maple wood cabinetry and stainless steel. But he didn’t see many personal items around. The sand-colored granite countertops were virtually bare. “Still unpacking?”
“Not really. I moved in the stuff I had and bought a few things. But the house is still pretty empty. Mom and Dad are bringing their furniture with them when they come home next week.”
“How do you like the house?” He asked when the silence stretched too long. Then realized how lame the question was. She’d lived in this monster maze of rooms as a teenager.
“I’m still getting used to it. But right now, I’m trying not to get lost going from my bed to the bathroom. I’ve never slept in the master bedroom before. Mom and Dad took the guest suite.”
Zack chuckled. “Well, I hope you drew a map. Otherwise, you could have dire consequences if you end up somewhere else.”
A grin lit up her face. “Oh, so very true.”
There were absolutely no signs of supper, but he smelled potatoes baking in the oven. Tracy’s mother was a chef. What kind of cook was his hostess?
As the lag in the conversation stretched uncomfortably, he twisted his hat in his hand, wishing he’d left it in the truck. She must have noticed his fidgeting and jumped away from the island. “I’m sorry. You can stow your hat in the closet through here. I really need to get a rack for the entry.” She led him into the mudroom and slid a door open. The coat closet was big and nearly empty. Reaching past her shoulder, he laid the old Stetson on a shelf. When she turned toward him, he brushed her breast with his upper arm, causing a flame to shoot through him.
Her thin sweater tightened over her pert breasts as she sucked in a deep breath, providing proof their proximity to each other affected her as powerfully as it did him. He pulled his gaze from her chest to lock with her eyes. They had darkened to a silvery blue, made more intense by the brilliant color of her top. Her breath hitched, and her eyes lowered to his lips. He knew what she wanted, because he wanted it even more.
Without thinking about exactly what he was doing, he lowered his lips to hers. His heart slammed into overdrive when she lifted her hands to his chest and moaned his name. He wrapped his hand around her nape and tilted her face to allow him better access to her mouth. When he traced her upper lip with his tongue, she drew in a breath and opened her mouth under his. He took the invitation by thrusting his tongue deeply into the warm sweetness.
As their tongues dueled, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her body in full contact with his. She sucked on his tongue when he pressed his hard-on into her lower belly. Sweet mercy, he wanted to strip her right here and have his way with her on the cold tile floor of her mudroom. Damn the danger to his pride and self-respect.
And damn the alarm warning him to be careful.
But he couldn’t forget their kids were upstairs. Somehow, somewhere, he found the control to back off and eventually break the kiss. Tracy opened her eyes and peered at him, dazed. She blinked a few times as he ran the back of his fingers over her cheek. He couldn’t hold in the raspy laugh.
“What’s funny?”
“You had that exact same expression on your face the very first time I kissed you.” His voice seemed to come from his toes as he remembered their first kiss. He’d had no idea how innocent she was until that night. How could she still have that virginal look of awe?
Her cheeks turned a darker pink and embarrassment replaced the wonder, making her appear even more naive. “Is that a good thing?”
He continued to caress her cheek. “I don’t know.”
Her hold around his neck slackened as she slipped her hands from around his neck. She smoothed his shirt where her earlier kneading had wrinkled the chambray. Looking at her hands, she winced. “I’d better get the grill started. The potatoes should be done in thirty minutes.”
She moved away without looking at him, leaving him feeling bereft. What the hell had happened to put such chill in the air? Wishing he could take her back into his arms, he swallowed as she moved through the kitchen.
Had she sensed the battle going on within him? Had reminding her of their early past upset her? Or was she expecting more than he could give? She couldn’t expect him to simply forget about how she’d betrayed him, and he was a fool for giving in to the lust. But as she opened the French doors leading to the patio, he knew one kiss hadn’t been enough. Whatever her motives were for getting involved with him again, he now had his own. He wouldn’t stop until she was in his bed, but he’d never love her again.
He couldn’t.
However, before anythi
ng could happen, they had to get through supper with their kids. “Tracy, wait.”
She turned, and he crossed the kitchen to the open door. He saw the uncertainty in her expression. “Let me grill the steaks. That way you can finish with the rest of the meal.”
He had no idea what he’d said, but her face beamed as she patted him on the chest and passed him to return to the kitchen. “That would be fantastic! There’s the grill.”
* * * *
“What’s their names again?” Mandy got down on her knees in the middle of Bobby’s bedroom to play with the dogs.
“The darker one is Ginger and the lighter brown one is Cinnamon. They belong to my grandma.”
As Ginger licked her face, Mandy giggled. “We have a dog, too. Her name is Bailey. I want a kitty, but Daddy won’t let me have one. Says we have too many barn cats already. I really like kitty-cats. Grandma Jackie has three.”
Bobby liked Cinnamon and Ginger, but he’d like to have his own dog. The only pets he had were in a glass aquarium. “Hey would you like to see my frogs?”
“Sure.” Mandy stopped playing with the dogs. She peered through the glass of the aquarium sitting on a stand by the windows of the big room. “Cool!”
“You like frogs?” He never played with girls, but Mandy was different. She didn’t act like a girl. When they’d played at Uncle Dylan’s wedding, he’d expected her to be a sissy. But he’d never forget what she looked like in that frilly dress when she followed him into the lake to play in the water–until her dad yelled at them to get out.
She looked over at him with a big gap-toothed grin. “Oh, yeah. Once I found one in Grandma’s garden and picked it up.” She shrugged and giggled. “I thought she’d scream her head off when I showed it to her. It was so funny.”
Bobby matched her smile. “My aunt Charli hates ’em, too. She doesn’t like snakes either. There’s lots of snakes in the lake over on Butterfly. She wants Uncle Dylan to get rid of ’em, but he won’t ’cause they eat mice and stuff like that.”
“Do you like to ride?” Mandy asked after a few moments more of watching the three tropical frogs hanging on to the side of the glass.
“I–I never went riding.” He wasn’t going to tell her his dad didn’t want him to learn to ride. “But Uncle Dylan is gonna teach me and give me a horse.” He wanted his mom to get him a horse. His uncle Dylan had told him he’d teach him if his mom wouldn’t. “I bet you have a pony.”
She turned and leaned against the aquarium stand. “I have a horse, too. My daddy gave me Holly for Christmas last year. I got my pony Poppy for my birthday after we moved to Texas. Daddy’s teaching me how barrel race on him. I’m gonna be in the rodeo at the fair next summer.”
“Oh, wow.” Sure, she could probably get whatever horse she wanted. The Cartwrights owned a horse ranch and her dad had been a rodeo cowboy. “Where’d you live before moving here?”
“Wyoming.”
“Why’d you move?”
He watched Mandy lose her smile. “My momma went to live in heaven with Jesus.”
“Oh. You mean she died?” She nodded, and he said, “I thought your dad and mom were divorced.”
She shook her head. “But your momma and daddy are, right?”
“Yeah, they’re divorced, and they hate each other. I live with my dad every other week. He’s great.” He thought about the football game when the other team was winning. His dad wasn’t so great then. He’d threatened to take away all of his video games and told him he was playing like a baby. He hated when his dad got like that.
Mandy puckered her mouth as if she was thinking really hard. “I don’t remember much about Momma anymore. We have pictures of her, but sometimes I forget things. I remember she’d take me to the park and play with me. I didn’t see much of my daddy. He was a Marine and fought in the war.”
“My uncle Dylan was in the Army, and Granddad Quinn was a general.” Bobby couldn’t imagine not being able to remember his dad, or never seeing him again. Or his mom. He’d really miss his mom if she ever went totally away. It made him sorry for the little girl. When she only nodded and continued to stare into the frog tank, he asked, “How old were you when your mom died?”
She glanced at him. “Almost four. She died in a car wreck. But now she’s an angel in heaven and helps God take care of sick people. She was a nurse and that’s what she does in heaven.”
He didn’t know much about angels. His mom took him to church on Sunday mornings when he was with her, but his dad didn’t go to church. He didn’t think Dad even believed in the stuff the preacher talked about. Bobby liked to think there was a heaven, but sometimes it all seemed too confusing.
Before he could show her his new Xbox game, she asked, “Do you think your momma will be my daddy’s girlfriend?”
He sharpened his gaze on the girl. “What do you mean?”
“I think me and Daddy need a substitute momma. You know, like a substitute teacher. She could do my hair and teach me about girl stuff and play with me like my real momma did. My grandma tries when I’m with her and so does Amy–my other babysitter–but I’m not with them much when Daddy’s at work. I’m in school or at the daycare.”
“You want my mom and your dad to get married?”
“Yeah, I guess someday. I like your momma lots,” she said softly after a while and turned toward the frogs again.
“I’d like my mom and dad to get back together. I don’t like your dad.”
She looked at him. “Why not? My daddy is nice. He gave you a football.”
Bobby had expected Zack to ignore him, but Zack talked about the game at which he and his mom had sat together.
“You said your momma and daddy hate each other,” she reminded him.
Bobby moved over to where his games were stored and wouldn’t look at her. His mom wouldn’t let him have his gaming system in his room, but he kept his favorite games on a shelf by his bed. Someday when his dad and mom got married again, he’d have a TV in his room like he did at Dad’s house.
“I think my daddy likes your momma.” Amanda’s quiet voice broke into his thoughts. “I caught him looking at pictures last night. They were of him and Miz Tracy from before he and Momma were married.”
“Yeah, I think they were boyfriend and girlfriend back when they were in high school or something.” He didn’t want to think about having Zack in his mother’s life. “Let’s go down to the lake out front. Maybe we can find some other neat stuff.”
Mandy looked up at him and smiled toothlessly again. “Maybe we can find some more frogs.”
He grinned and hoped her dad never found a substitute mom to teach her about girl stuff. He liked her exactly the way she was. “Yeah. Let’s go before Mom gets dinner ready. Hopefully, she doesn’t burn the steaks. She usually does.”
Mandy giggled.
“You know my mom can’t cook, don’t you?” he asked as they left his room. Maybe then she’d see his mom wasn’t right for the job she wanted for her.
“That’s okay. My daddy’s the best cook ever.”
* * * *
Dinner was fantastic, despite the simple fare of baked potatoes, salad with store bought dressings and steak. Her mother’s marinade, which Tracy had found relatively easy to make, and Zack’s skill with the grill, made the steaks perfect. The night turned out pleasantly warm, and they ate on the wide flagstone patio by the pool.
Once they were finished eating, Bobby announced, “Mandy and me are going swimming.”
Tracy finished her sweet tea and shook her head. “Not until you wait a little while.”
“Maybe we can go find more frogs?” Mandy looked up at Bobby with hopeful, big blue eyes.
Bobby grinned at her and jumped out of his chair. “Okay!”
“Hold up there, you two.” Zack gave Mandy a pointed look. “Miz Tracy has made a great dinner. I think it would be only fitting for us to clean up the dishes.”
“Oh, Zack, you don’t have to do that.” Tracy stood and started
gathering dishes.
Zack laid his hand over hers to cease her actions. The jolt it caused brought her up short, and she snapped her gaze to his. He must have felt it, too, because he smiled, causing even more frissons to quake through her. “It won’t hurt them to help, and then we all can change and go swimming. By then the requisite half hour should be up.”
She didn’t miss the emphasis on the word all. Gulping at the thought of changing into her ratty old bathing suit, she could only nod. He continued to rest his hand on her forearm, the thumb making a slow circle on the inside of her arm. A mischievous glimmer showed in his eyes as if he could easily read her discomfort.
“Go change, Tracy. We’ve got this.”
While the kids carted in the dishes from the patio table and Zack loaded them into the dishwasher, Tracy changed. She stared at her reflection and groaned. Her friend Mary Estrada, who after three children had packed on the weight, didn’t understand Tracy’s hang-ups over her skinny figure. Charli had pretty much said the same things Mary had when she’d tried to talk Tracy into wearing one of her skimpy dresses to the Fourth of July ball. Somehow, her new sister-in-law had managed to talk her into wearing a similar dress for the wedding.
How could they not see what Tracy saw when she looked in the mirror? The sharp angles of her face that made her nose too pointed and her cheeks too high. She only wore a double A cup bra–when she chose to wear one. Then there was the boyishness of her hips. They didn’t know how relentlessly she had been tormented by the other kids while she lived in Germany, and how they’d called her names because of her crossed eyes.
She’d had several treatments for her eyes. For several months, she’d worn an eye-patch. Oh, yes, that had been fun. Then while in Germany, she’d had her first surgery because the eye-patch hadn’t worked. For a year, she’d lived in relative normalcy, until the right eye had pulled to the inside again, then the left followed.
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