He didn’t say anything for a while. Would he refuse? “I will.”
A crazy combination of relief, hurt, disappointment and longing sped through her body. “Thank you.”
“On two conditions.”
Her emotional well went on alert. “What conditions?”
“Before you leave, go out to the ranch and see Rafe because you can’t sneak off without saying goodbye. You have to see him and you need to tell Molly. We’re having a family dinner at the house this weekend to celebrate winning the contest, and I’m putting on the dog. Rafe knows nothing about it and you aren’t supposed to know either.”
Damn it, she couldn’t face Molly. She couldn’t look into that little girl eyes, a little girl she loved with her whole heart and make up some story as to why she was leaving. She’d lied to her earlier about why she hadn’t been by to see her, but she couldn’t lie to her again. Molly deserved the truth. “Is that an official court order?”
“Yep. Take it or leave it.”
* * *
“I’ll let you know when the order comes in, Rafe.”
“Thanks.” Rafe turned toward his truck parked at the curb outside the hardware store, when a woman sashayed past. His heart lurched into his throat and his pulse zipped through his veins like blue lightning. He ran toward her. “Jennifer!”
The woman turned. His heart slid back down his throat. Attractive woman, but she didn’t come close to Jennifer’s striking features. Her blue eyes studied him with speculation and a hint of feminine interest.
Idiot. What had he planned to say to her? He didn’t have a clue. He tipped his hat. “Sorry, ma’am figured you for somebody else.”
She tossed him a saucy grin. “My loss, cowboy.”
He hadn’t seen Jennifer since the ribbon cutting ceremony. She’d moved from Cade’s cabin into quarters at the resort. He’d called the resort but had been told she wasn’t in. She probably didn’t want to talk to him and he couldn’t blame her. He’d frozen her out like a Texas ice storm. He told himself he’d done it for her own good but he knew the truth. He was scared. Bone deep scared of hurting her the way he hurt Caroline.
A few minutes later, Rafe pulled into the ranch house driveway next to Linc’s car, and cut the engine. He wanted to spend a nice evening with Molly, watching one of her favorite movies. He wanted his daughter to be full of ain’t-life-grand again. He couldn’t wait to see Molly’s face when she realized he had come home early.
When Rafe stepped into the house, the sound of laughter, the clatter of dishes, and the murmur of voices echoed from the kitchen. Amid the conversations, Jennifer’s voice mingled in. Unbridled joy, irritation, contentment and you’d-better-run-like-hell tangled inside him. What was she doing here?
He plopped his hat on the hall tree and headed for the kitchen. Jennifer and Linc stood around the island, chatting. Molly sat on one of the bar stools with her new dog, Dixie at her feet, who looked up at his daughter with adoring, liquid brown eyes.
“Daddy,” she exclaimed jumping down from the stool and running to him.
He picked her up and she gave his neck a squeeze and looked at him with laughing, green eyes. “You’re home early. JC’s here.”
Rafe nodded at Jennifer with what he hoped was a neutral expression. A jumbled confusion roiled inside him like a dust storm. What was she doing here?
Even dressed in a t-shirt, cutoffs and sneakers, she radiated pure beauty and kindness. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup.
“Hi, Rafe,” she said. “I was invited tonight to celebrate the town winning the contest.”
“Yeah, we’re grilling steaks with all the fixings,” Linc said. “And I’m making twice-baked potatoes. And a special cake. How ‘bout a beer and a stroll down to the barn before dinner?”
Rafe still held Molly in his arms, and he looked down at her, then back at Linc. “Thanks, but I came home early to spend time with my best girl.”
Molly giggled. “Oh, Daddy.”
But first he needed to put distance between him and Jennifer. “What do you say we take a drive down to the pond and feed the ducks?”
“JC can come too,” Molly said. She turned to JC. “The ducks are so funny.”
Jennifer glanced his way for a moment, then turned her attention to Molly. “Well, I’d like to help get dinner ready.”
Molly’s face fell. “Oh, please come, JC. Please.” Her voice ended on a slightly high note.
“Go have fun,” Linc said. “I can handle this.”
Damn it, he had no choice but to let her come along. “Yeah, you don’t want to miss the ducks.”
* * *
On the way to the pond, Molly chattered non-stop, which turned out to be a blessing. It had been obvious that Rafe was surprised she was there when he got home and would rather she left, but she had been unable to turn down both the dinner invitation, and Molly’s plea to visit the ducks.
When they arrived at the pond, the sun lounged on the horizon and cast brilliant red, pink and orange color into the distant clouds. Molly grabbed the bag of bread crumbs and climbed out of the truck at record speed. Dixie ran by her side, sniffing the new ground, tail wagging. Molly stopped at the edge of the pond and called, “Hi ducks, I’m back. I brought you some food.”
The ducks, paddling about on the opposite side of the pond, swam swiftly over, quacking with duck joy. Dixie barked and wagged her tail at the sight of the ducks swimming toward them.
The air redolent with the scent of grass, dust and water, wove with the slight scent of fish and cat tails spearing upward at the edge of the pond. Cows grazed in the distance and every now and then JC inhaled a whiff of manure.
“Come on, JC. Feed the ducks.”
JC tossed bread crumbs, with Molly while Rafe leaned against the front bumper of his truck. Unable to tolerate his gaze boring into her back a moment longer, she handed the bag of crumbs to Molly and said, “Here, you finish up. I’ll be right over there with your dad.”
When she reached his side, she said, “I know you don’t want me here, but I had no choice. I couldn’t say no to Molly.”
“I never said I didn’t want you here.”
“You didn’t have to. It was written all over your face.”
“I never meant to make you unwelcome. I’m just trying to protect you that’s all.”
“Protect me? From what?”
“From me. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Her heart beat like a wild thing, along with her pulse. She desperately wanted to turn, declare her feelings, her hopes, her dreams, but she couldn’t. The man obviously didn’t return even an inkling of her feelings, she was sure of it not because he didn’t want to but because he was too damn scared.
A breeze fluttered a lock of his hair and the scent of man, sweat and soap drifted past her nose, and she couldn’t help but inhale. “I think you’re more scared of hurting yourself. You know, for a big, tough cowboy you’re a coward.” She looked toward Molly and Dixie by the pond, the ducks nibbling bread crumbs in a greedy frenzy of flapping wings and quacks.
He straightened and faced her. “Excuse me?”
“That’s right. You wear your fear like a hair shirt. You don’t have the guts to try again. You don’t believe in giving yourself a second chance. You screw up once and that’s it. What was it you said about after you get thrown off a horse you get right back on? You should practice what you preach. And just for the record, no one is in a marriage alone. There is fault on both sides. So whatever happened between you and Caroline it wasn’t all your fault.”
“Are you finished?”
She looked at him, feeling her heart trying to push its way out of her chest. He looked good and mad which was fine with her. She’d done all she could to win him over to her side and failed. So be it. “Yes, I’m definitely finished.”
A slice of the sun’s orange fire seemed to pause on the horizon, and a flash of heat lightning shimmered in the distance. “Good because we’d better get back.”
After dinner, Molly said, “JC, are you ready to help me wash Lucy?”
She grasped Molly’s hand. “I’m ready.” Without looking at Rafe she and Molly headed for the barn. They brought the white pony out to a concrete pad built along the west side of the barn with a hot and cold water spigot. JC helped Molly regulate the water to a comfortable temperature, then poured some shampoo into a bucket and filled it with water. They rubbed the soapy water over the pony from head to hoof then gave her mane and tail a good scrubbing.
Molly picked up the hose and slopped water over the pony’s white coat. Sudsy rivulets of water trickled down the pony’s sides and onto the concrete pad. Some of the water sloshed on JC as well but she didn’t jump out of the way. “Guess I need a wash, too.”
Molly laughed. “Oops, sorry. You always look pretty, JC.”
JC scooped some suds in her hand and blew them into Molly’s face. “You always look pretty too, especially with soap bubbles on your face.”
Molly giggled and wiped away the suds. “JC, I’m so glad you’re staying in Salvation.”
JC forced a smile she didn’t feel. She’d come over to tell Molly that she was leaving town. She should do it now and get it over, but Molly was so happy at the moment she didn’t have the heart to wreck her evening.
Once Lucy was thoroughly rinsed, Molly showed JC how to use the sweat scrape to remove the excess water before rubbing a thick towel over Lucy’s back.
JC ran a comb through the pony’s mane as a kaleidoscope of family dinners, dancing at the Round Up, and kissing Molly goodnight flashed through her mind. Molly and Rafe were the family she dreamed of but never had. In caring for Molly, she had put her own heart at risk by allowing herself to fall in love with not only Rafe and Molly, but a whole family.
A few minutes later, they settled Lucy back in her stall. JC straightened the pony’s summer sheet and secured a strap beneath the horse’s belly. Quiet filled the barn except for the occasional whicker from one of the horses and Lucy munching hay. Molly patted Lucy, and gave her a kiss on her soft muzzle then grasped JC’s hand. She looked up at JC and curled her index finger in a come hither motion. JC leaned down close. Molly kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
“That pony smells better than a bunch of Texas Bluebells.”
Molly giggled. “Daddy, you’re so silly.”
Yearning consumed JC at the sound of Rafe’s voice.
Rafe slid the stall door open and JC and Molly stepped out onto the alleyway. Wisps of hair stuck to JC’s neck, various stains decorated the front of her t-shirt and bits of hay and dirt clung to her sneakers.
Molly yawned and leaned against her father as they walked out of the barn and into the dusky evening. “Tired, punkin?” Rafe said. Molly nodded. “Run inside and I’ll be there in a minute.”
Molly looked at JC. “Will you read me a story before you leave?”
“I’d love to.”
As soon as the back door closed, Rafe stopped for a moment and turned. His blue eyes glimmered in the evening’s half-light, his lips curved upward. “Thanks for helping Molly.”
“No thanks needed. It was entirely my pleasure.”
A few minutes later, JC sat next to Molly’s bed reading her a story. Rafe leaned against the door jamb, the lamp casting a soft glow about the pale pink room. Dixie lay on the bed beside Molly, her white head resting on Molly’s legs.
“The princess ran down the stairs into the prince’s arms and they lived happily ever after.”
JC glanced at Molly. Her eyes were closed, her lashes soft as a butterfly’s wings on her cheeks, her face as sweet as an angel sleeping on a cloud. She hadn’t told Molly she was leaving and she couldn’t wake her up and tell her now. JC promised herself she would speak to Molly before she left town.
She closed the book, laid it on the nightstand and gave Molly a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
She left Dixie curled up on the bed and walked toward the bedroom door.
“JC?” Molly said behind her. “Will you come back and see me tomorrow?”
JC turned. Molly snuggled under the covers with a ragged stuffed horse in the crook of her arm. Molly had no idea she was planning to leave tomorrow, but she had to be honest, she couldn’t lie. She had to tell Molly face to face. “Yes, I promise, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Molly closed her eyes with a sigh and a little smile played over her lips. “Goodnight, JC.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
When JC tried to walk past Rafe, he laid a hand on her shoulder. She stopped, but couldn’t look at him. What if she betrayed her feelings? A lump grew in her throat. He placed two fingers beneath her chin and brought her face around to his. “For the record I’m not a coward.”
Rafe’s face swam before her vision, her eyes awash with tears. A terrible longing squeezed her aching heart. “Then prove it.”
He dropped his hand. “Drive careful back to the resort.”
* * *
JC climbed in her car and cranked the engine. A sob pushed into her throat, her breath grew weak. She had to leave Salvation because seeing Rafe, being invited to the ranch by his brother and visiting Molly, a little girl she adored, and could never be her little girl, hurt like a needle piercing her heart. But tomorrow she would say goodbye to the man she loved and his daughter.
Chapter Sixteen
JC sat on the bench in Salvation Park and glanced around at the new landscaping. Flowers nodded their colorful heads in the hot breeze and sunlight sparkled on the branches of the trees and the water trickling in the fountain. She’d called Linc and asked him to bring Molly to the park to see her and tell her she was leaving.
“JC.”
She turned and watched Molly running toward her. She wore yellow shorts with a matching flowered top and white sandals on her feet. Her hair was in pig tails, a smile on her face and happiness in her eyes. And she was about to take her happiness away. But she had no choice. “Hi, sweetheart, how are you?”
Molly gave her a hug. JC squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the threatening tears. “I’m fine. Uncle Linc said you wanted to see me.” JC looked at Linc who sat on a bench on the other side of the park to give them some privacy then back at Molly. “Yes, I have something to tell you.”
Molly beamed. “You’re moving to the ranch.”
JC shook her head. “No, sweet pea, I’m not moving to the ranch. I am moving though.”
Molly’s face fell and she frowned. “Where are you moving?”
JC attempted to make her voice sound cheerful. “Well, it’s kind of exciting actually. I’ve been offered a job in Dallas and I’ve decided to take it.” Her boss was opening up another location of Affairs to Remember and had asked her to take the helm.
“But you have a job working at the resort.”
“I know, sweetheart, but it’s best for me to take this one.”
Molly’s eyes filled with tears and her chin trembled. “Why? You don’t like it here?”
JC placed a hand on Molly’s upper arms. “No, I love it here. And I love you.”
“Then why?” Molly pleaded.
“Sometimes things happen and no matter how much a person loves someone or the place they’re living, they have to leave.”
“What things?”
JC pulled Molly into her arms for a hug. “Love, Molly. Love happens.” She pulled Molly from her arms and sat her on the bench beside her before taking a tissue from her purse and wiping away Molly’s tears. “Now, when I get to Dallas I’m planning to get a two bedroom apartment. And you know what that means?”
Molly shook her head.
“It means you can come to Dallas to visit me.”
A smile curved Molly’s mouth and a spark of happiness reappeared in her eyes. Relief washed through JC. “I can?”
“You bet. I’m counting on you coming to visit me as often as you can. I’ll even decorate th
e guest room extra special for you.”
“I love you, JC.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
JC walked Molly over to the bench where Linc was sitting. “Well, Molly and I have made plans for her to come and visit me as soon as I get settled.”
Linc grinned. “I’m glad to hear it. Call and let us know how you’re doing, okay?”
JC didn’t move until Linc and Molly’s car faded from sight.
* * *
Rafe worked on the payroll for several hours in the ranch office at the north end of the barn. He’d pored over time cards, configured days off, sick days, half days until his eyes were crossed. His shoulders were bunched with tension, his nerves were frayed to the breaking point and a headache pounded at his temples and he never got a headache.
Concentration had eluded him. Every time he clutched it in a firm grip, visions of Jennifer would float into his conscience. The little cow lick where she parted her hair, the way her mouth was slightly crooked when she smiled. Her soft, loving ways with Molly.
He curled the fingers of both hands into a hard fist on top of the desk then relaxed. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Jennifer? He wondered how she was doing in Dallas, how her job was going, if she’d found a nice place to live, if she’d made new friends. If she was dating anyone and who the son-of-a-bitch was so he could beat the tar out of him.
It was for the best she had left Salvation because he wasn’t sure if he could stand seeing her around and not talking to her. So why did it bother him so much? Why did the idea of her living somewhere else gnaw at his guts? Why did it bother him that he wouldn’t be seeing her on a regular basis?
Because he knew why. He’d jumped off that cliff and banged against the rocks. She’d sucked him in. He’d been taken, whole and unprotected. His once broken, guilt-ridden heart had healed and Jennifer had healed it.
She checked in from time to time, but she spoke with Linc or Molly, not with him. Damn it, he wanted to hear her voice, her laughter, her sighs. He remembered the day she had come by the ranch to tell him goodbye.
The Rancher and The Event Planner (A Salvation Texas Novel) Page 15