The Rancher and The Event Planner (A Salvation Texas Novel)

by Cheryl Gorman

  JC walked to the large kidney-shaped pool and searched the crowd of kids until she spotted Rafe’s dark head. Sunlight shown on his wide shoulders and the hair on his chest glistened with water droplets. How could she have missed him? The man stood out like a life-saving beacon on a cold, stormy night. He stood in the deep end, his arms held out to Molly, her body encased in a blue suit with little mermaids on it, standing on the side of the pool. She leaped without any doubts into her daddy’s waiting arms and Rafe snuggled her to his chest.

  Something softened and stretched inside JC as attraction grew stronger and stronger. Not because of his good looks, but because of his love for Molly. What would it have been like to have a father like that growing up?

  Molly spotted her. “JC!” she exclaimed.

  Rafe turned his gaze on her as well, and her pulse nearly stopped. His eyes, blue as the sky above, pinned her in her tracks.

  “Hey, you two.”

  Rafe set Molly on the side of the pool, and she ran to JC. “How do you like my suit?”

  “I love it.”

  “Where’s yours?” Molly asked.

  “Yeah, where’s yours?” Rafe said rubbing his head with a towel, soaking up some of the water, leaving his wavy locks in sexy disarray. With sunlight streaming over his skin and water trickling down his muscular chest, JC nearly melted into the concrete.

  She held up the tote in her hand. “Right here. I’ll go change and meet you in the pool.” She’d been using the treadmill at the ranch every morning since she arrived to stay in shape after eating so many of Linc’s delicious meals. The treadmill didn’t give her a model’s body by any stretch of the imagination, but after she’d been working so hard, there was no way she was going to miss having some fun.

  * * *

  When Jennifer strolled out of the pool house, Rafe nearly swallowed his tongue. The black, strapless one-piece clung to her curvy body like a second skin with a bright pink and orange flower made into the fabric covering one breast. The woman was smoking hot. Good thing she was headed for the pool because somebody had to douse those sensual flames she was emanating.

  “JC,” Molly said, “I love your suit.”

  She smiled at his daughter as she walked slowly down the steps in the shallow end, her hips swaying in a gentle motion, the tops of her breasts giving him an eyeful. She was like Venus rising from the water. Where was a large scallop shell when you needed one?

  “Thank you,” she said to Molly stepping into the water. She lowered herself into the water until it covered her head. Standing, she lifted her face to the sun and slicked back her wet hair. Water droplets beaded her skin as the sun’s rays washed over her.

  “The water feels great.”

  No shit. He’d feel pretty damn good too if he was covering her from head to toe.

  “Want to watch me practice my dive?” Molly asked.

  “Sure.”

  Rafe helped Molly to the side of the pool and lifted her out. She stood with her toes on the edge, her arms extended with her hands together and her head bent between her arms.

  “Remember to keep your head down, punkin .”

  The first two tries were mostly belly flops but the third one she didn’t lift her head.

  Molly burst through the water and smiled. “I did it! I really did it!”

  “You’re a champ,” Rafe shouted and swam to Molly’s side but found his arms full of more than just his little girl because Jennifer hugged her at the same time. Her breasts graced his arm and her slick, toned legs tangled with his. A palm landed on her waist then slid down to her hip. He heard her breath catch and he lifted his head to find her gaze fixed on his. He stirred to life in his swim trunks and looked down to see them tented like a tee-pee. Her lashes were clumped together, her lips parted and wet and her blonde hair streamed over her shoulders in gentle waves. If he leaned just slightly toward her, he could steal a kiss.

  “Daddy, I’m hungry,” Molly said.

  Me too, but not for food. “Okay, let’s get changed.” He would have to stand in the water for a few extra minutes before he could get out of the pool without embarrassing himself or anyone else. “Jennifer, would you mind helping Molly change then I’ll meet you both by the chow tables in a few minutes.”

  ***

  Later, JC sat with Rafe and Molly beneath a sheltering elm where the tree’s wide, leafy branches offered relief from the day’s boiling heat. Molly finished her food and went to play with some of her friends. “Stay away from the pool, sweet pea,” Rafe said.

  “I will, Daddy,” she called, as she ran toward her friends.

  Rafe alerted Linc that he and JC were going for a walk and asked him to keep an eye on Molly. He disposed of their paper plates and drink cups and together they wandered toward the stream at the back of the property. JC wanted to know more about his marriage to Caroline, to give her more of a solid understanding of why he believed he was bad at relationships, but how should she ask him?

  A sturdy wooden bench sat beneath one of the willow trees dangling its branches over the stream. They sat down and JC listened to the water trickling over the rocks jutting upward from the stream bed. Her pulse thudded and her heart skipped like a stone on water. “I thought we could have another date and try again. What do you think?”

  He glanced at her then back at the stream. “I know you believe we’re right for each other but there are things you don’t know about me or my marriage.”

  Here was her chance to find out. “Would you like to tell me?”

  He leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “You tell me about your marriage and then I’ll tell you about mine.”

  She nodded. “Fair enough.” She exhaled a breath and leaned against the back of the bench. The breeze caressing her face and the sound of the water soothed her. No reason why she shouldn’t tell him. They were old friends after all. “I met him at a rodeo. He was friends with a guy I worked with. He was all smiles and charm. Swept me off my feet, promised me the moon and all the stars and I believed him. Two months into the marriage I caught him with a buckle bunny in the back of his truck between rodeo events. We had a major blow up. We fought like curs over a scrap of meat, tearing gouges out of each other right there in the parking lot. When the yelling and accusations had stopped, and the dust had cleared, we both knew there was nothing left, so we decided to go our separate ways. Whew, now it’s your turn.”

  Rafe’s fingers grasped her chin and slowly moved her face toward his. “I’m sorry you had such a hard time, but thank you for telling me. The guy was a total jerk who wasn’t fit to wipe the dust off your shoes much less be your husband.”

  They sat still for a moment and listened to the trickling stream, the hot breeze through the willow branches, the tittering birdsong. Rafe’s gaze lowered to her lips. Laying his firm, cool mouth on hers, Rafe sampled her lips as if tasting a rich dessert. When the kiss grew deeper, desire spiraled through her, he pulled her into his arms, enveloping her in the security of his body. His heart beat in rhythm with hers as she fell into a dark, sensual abyss until suddenly the kiss ended. Smoothing his thumb over her lower lip, he stared into her eyes and said, “I promised myself I wouldn’t do that again, but you’re way too much woman for me to resist.”

  She rested her palm on the side of his face. “That’s good,” she said through tingling lips. “I still have a chance to convince you, but first I want to know about you and Caroline and what went wrong.”

  Chapter Nine

  Regret and guilt rose inside Rafe like a rain swollen river about to breach its banks. He clasped his fingers around hers, lowered their hands together. He studied her slender, feminine hand resting in his big paw. He would never hurt her physically, or any woman for that matter, not in a million years and he never wanted to hurt her emotionally but if he allowed her to keep believing they had a chance, she would definitely end up being hurt in the end. He had to tell her the truth about his marriage to Caroline so she understood how wrong he was
for her, how wrong he was for any woman.

  He heaved a breath and began. “I met Caroline at a rodeo in Houston where our ranch was one of the main sponsors. She was a beauty queen, sexy and beautiful. When we met it was like a box of firecrackers exploding. Then one day she told me she was pregnant. So I did the right thing and married her.”

  He rose from the bench, walked to the edge of the stream and turned. Jennifer sat on the bench, her face pensive and calm, waiting for him to continue, no judgment in her gaze. “I was determined to make the marriage work for the baby’s sake. The old man never liked her, neither did mom. They both thought she was a gold digger. She did try to make herself liked around town but she became obsessive with her love until I felt like I was choking on it, like I couldn’t breathe.” He raked a hand through his hair, pressing the tips of his fingers into his scalp as if he could erase the memories. “Then the jealousy started. She saw a rival in every woman I spoke to. She had crying jags, she whined and pleaded and clung to me like a spider’s web. The doctor said it was probably hormones and told me to be patient with her. So I tried to spend more time with her and I indulged her every whim and for a while our life smoothed out a bit. But then Molly was born. I was so excited about being a father. It felt like I’d swallowed the sun. But Caroline became even more possessive and didn’t trust me out of her sight. Life with her became a living nightmare. One day I’d had it and asked her for a divorce. She flew into a rage accusing me of being involved with another woman. Angry, she jumped in the car, had a wreck and was killed.”

  He walked back to the bench and sat beside Jennifer. “So, you see now how wrong I am for you.”

  Jennifer laid her hand on his arm. “Look at me.”

  He gazed into her beautiful, amber eyes wishing, hoping that she understood but at the same time regretting he couldn’t try to find happiness again with her.

  “Caroline’s actions weren’t your fault. She had emotional problems that had nothing to do with you.”

  “You don’t understand I never loved her.” Just saying the words made his soul feel lighter. “For me, it was nothing but an intense physical relationship. I was in lust, not in love. When she told me she was pregnant I felt trapped like a caged animal. I wasn’t ready to be a father or a husband and never wanted to marry her, but I couldn’t walk away. I had to stand up for my responsibilities and try to make things right.”

  “And you did.”

  He kept his gaze on the stream. “No, I didn’t. I was never the husband that she needed. I think she knew I didn’t love her or want to be married to her that’s why she was so jealous all the time. And she ended up paying for it.” He clenched his hands into fists. “The worst part of the whole mess was that when I found out Caroline was pregnant I didn’t want Molly.”

  “Daddy.”

  Shock expanded through his body in a frigid wave, his pulse sliding on all fours to a halt. Did she hear what he said? Please, God, no. He glanced at Molly over his shoulder. With tears spilling from her bright, green eyes and her lower lip trembling, Rafe’s worst fear punched him in the gut.

  “You didn’t want me?”

  ***

  JC stepped up on the spacious front porch of the ranch house. Two huge urns sat at the top of the front steps overflowing with cherry red verbena and snapdragons accented with purple petunias. She wondered who had planted them. Humidity dripped from the sultry air, and JC sighed with gratitude for the shade of the porch while cicadas sang from the trees.

  JC pressed the doorbell and waited. She wanted to find out how Rafe and Molly were doing after what happened at the barbecue and to make sure they were okay. Molly’s stricken expression, tears streaking her cheeks and the misery in her eyes had ripped at JC’s heart, not to mention the gut-wrenching pain on Rafe’s face.

  The door opened and with it the sound of laughter. Rafe filled the doorway in sublime glory, his long legs swathed in faded jeans and his feet bare. Visibly straightening his shoulders, his lips thinned in a grim expression. “Jennifer, what are you doing here?”

  She shrugged off his cold reception. Bad days affected everyone. “Hi Rafe, I came to check on you and Molly.”

  Molly appeared at her father’s side and exclaimed, “JC!” After jumping over the threshold, she hugged JC’s legs. Then Molly grabbed JC’s hand. “Come inside.” She led her through the open door past her father, who gave JC the stink eye before firmly shutting the door behind her.

  What was his problem? She’d done nothing wrong. She came to make sure the two of them had moved past the debacle at the barbecue.

  Molly led her down the wide entry-way with a cathedral ceiling into the family room with a massive stone fireplace. The delicious smell of cookies baking filled the air.

  “Come and see my doll house.” Molly dropped JC’s hand and ran to the doll house sitting on the family room floor.

  Rafe sat in a chair close to Molly’s doll house, leaning forward with his arms on his thighs and his hands clasped together. He glanced at JC with the same grim set to his mouth then focused on Molly.

  “JC,” Linc said from the doorway. He walked toward her dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. His chestnut hair was neatly combed, his blue eyes filled with welcome. At least two people in the family were glad she was here.

  “I’m glad you dropped by because I just made Molly’s favorite treat, chocolate chip cookies. As soon as they cool, the three of you come into the kitchen and have some. Now I need to hose down the kitchen after the mess I made.”

  After he left, JC sat on the sofa in front of the cold hearth, which boasted a fan-shaped fire screen. Molly chatted happily to her dolls, sitting Barbie in a porch chair while Ken lounged on the steps. Rafe remained silent, barely casting a glance her way. Molly seemed fine, but she wasn’t so sure about Rafe. She didn’t want to bring it up again in front of Molly and Linc gave her an easy out. “Molly, I bet Uncle Linc would love for you to help him clean up the kitchen and I bet he’ll even let you have a cookie.”

  Molly jumped up from her spot on the floor. “Sure,” she said and skipped from the room. As soon as she left, JC turned toward Rafe who had risen from his chair, and stood perusing titles on one of the book shelves.

  “Rafe, I dropped by to see how you and Molly were doing and to say how sorry I am about what happened. I’ve been very worried about both of you.”

  He pulled a book halfway off the shelf then shoved it back into its slot. His hard blue eyes pierced her. “I trusted you,” he said in a soft, steely voice. A quake of anxiety trembled up her spine. “Thanks to you, Molly was hurt.”

  She straightened on the sofa. “What happened was nobody’s fault. Neither of us knew she was nearby.”

  He walked slowly toward her with his eyes focused directly on her. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table, the size of a lake, he cupped his knees with his hands, his knuckles strained and white. A vein throbbed in the side of his neck. His scent of soap, aftershave and fresh laundry set up tingling in the pit of her stomach.

  “If you hadn’t convinced me to spill my guts, my little girl would never have known how I felt about her in the beginning before she was born.”

  Her anger rose to meet his. “Why are you blaming me? I didn’t hurt Molly on purpose and neither did you. You were sharing a heart-wrenching moment with me and—”

  “Do you know how long it took before she stopped crying? My baby cried her heart out. She cried so much she made herself sick. Do you have any idea what it’s like to see the person you love the most in the world torn apart, knowing no matter what you say the words are forever branded on her heart and there’s nothing you can do to change it?”

  “No, I don’t and I’m sorry. I would do anything to take back what happened, but it was a terrible accident, no one’s fault.” She tried to touch him, but he jerked away, causing a needle of pain to poke her in the stomach. They’d formed a bond that afternoon, sitting by the stream, and their relationship had mov
ed forward in a positive direction.

  He’d held her in his arms, he’d kissed her with a passion she’d never known from any man, and now he rejected her coldly, cruelly. Despite the hard lump growing in her throat, and the pressure to release the ache in a flood of tears, she refused to give in to them. She was a grown woman, she took responsibility for her actions and offered an apology when needed, but she’d really done nothing wrong.

  Rafe walked to the hearth, turned and looked down on her. She’d seen that look before too many times in the past, but she’d never seen that look from Rafe, until now. One look, one searing look from Rafe and he catapulted her back to her past, where she experienced yet another snub, only this time the slight lashed deeper because the censure belonged to Rafe, a man she’d grown to care more about and respect.

  For that reason, she refused to sit there one minute longer allowing him another moment’s reproach. JC stood and looked him dead in the eyes. “I love Molly. I have from the first moment I met her. How could I not? She is the sweetest, most loving little girl on the planet. I would have to be a cold-hearted monster not to love her. I came here because I care about her and about you very much and if you can’t see that, you’re not the man I thought you were. It gave me no pleasure to see either of you hurt, especially sweet Molly.” Anguish squeezed her heart and tears pooled in her eyes. He’d brushed her off and hurt her as if her feelings meant nothing to him. She shouldn’t have come here.

  JC turned to leave and glanced at Rafe. She noticed a change in his expression, a softening of his features. The anger and condemnation burning in his eyes dimmed like a storm passing. Hope ignited. Maybe she had a chance after all. “I was thinking maybe the two of you would enjoy a night out in Dallas tonight. You might even have a good time. What do you say?”

  He swiped a hand over his head. “Jennifer, I appreciate you coming here to check on Molly and me, I really do. I never want to see her hurt like that again. I have watched her from the moment she met you. She likes you, even loves you, I think. She asked me the other day if she could invite you for a sleep over.” He smiled and shook his head.