by SJ McCoy
Ace chuckled. “Yeah. I can’t imagine you in a pretty frock drinking cocktails.”
She picked up the saltshaker and threw it at him, but he caught it easily and smirked. “I can do dresses and cocktails with the best of them, thank you very much.”
“Then you should. That’s what I’m saying. You aren’t getting any younger and – ”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you dare even go there, mister.”
Ace laughed. “Okay.” His smile faded. “I just want to see you end up happy. I don’t like to think of you ending up alone.”
“I thought being alone was a good thing? You just said it is for you.”
Ace blew out a sigh. “It’s the best option available to me. That’s all.” He got to his feet and picked up his mug. “I reckon you have plenty of options, but you won’t always. I won’t say that you can’t keep living your life the way you have, Frankie. You can if you choose, and we both know it. You get to see different towns, fit into different worlds. You get to live as part of different communities when you sign up to take on a special kid – and even when you stick with horses and train the youngsters. I just don’t want you to wake up one day and realize that you’re tired of living like a gypsy and find out that while you were doing it, life passed you by.”
Frankie just stared at him. That was probably the most she’d heard him say in weeks. And it hit home. She wasn’t about to admit it, though.
“When was the last time you even went on a date? Not that I’m trying to marry you off, just when did you enjoy the company of a man? And no, I don’t mean in bed.” Ace closed his eyes and shuddered. “I can’t even think about that. You’ll forever be pigtails, shorty to me. I just mean, when was the last time you stopped and looked around and wondered if there might be someone you want to share your life with?”
Frankie shrugged.
“Don’t let life pass you by, kid.”
There was something about his tone, something about the pity she saw in his eyes that riled her up. “I’m not a freaking old maid yet, Ace. I might not have been out on a date in a while, but I have one tonight.”
Ace gave her a hard stare. “Nice try. But you know you can’t bullshit a bullshitter, honey.”
That was exactly what she was trying to do, but she’d be damned if she’d admit it. “I do!” she insisted. “And you should be pleased. He’s a friend of the Davenports.” She swallowed, hard.
Why in the hell had she said that? Well, she knew damned well why, it was because she couldn’t get that Spider guy out of her mind, but even if she did go out with him – even if she asked him like Libby had suggested she should, he wasn’t the kind of guy Ace meant when he talked about the Davenports’ friends; he meant wealthy, well-to-do, upstanding members of the community like Reid and his wife Tara, and his parents and brothers. Their family had been part of the valley forever, they were well-known and well-respected. Spider was nothing like them.
Ace gave her an appraising look. “You’re not shitting me?”
She shook her head slowly, forcing herself to meet his gaze and not look away.
“Hmph. Okay. Bring him to Chico then.”
Frankie’s heart hammered. She hadn’t expected him to call her bluff. “No!”
“Yes.” Ace was scowling at her, but the corners of his lips twitched as if he was trying to hide a smile. “I’m going up there tonight to have a beer with some of the guys. If you have a date, bring him by. You don’t have to stop. If you don’t bring him, I’ll know you’re just shitting me.” He held her gaze. “And it’d break my heart to think that you were capable of looking me in the eye and lying to me.”
Frankie’s heart sank. That was exactly what she’d just done, and it killed her to think she’d make Ace think less of her – that she’d lose his respect. She nodded slowly. She’d just have to turn her lie into the truth. And that meant tracking Spider down and asking him out. Her tummy flipped over at the thought.
She hadn’t even noticed that Ace had made his way to the door until he stopped. “I’ll see you tonight then, at Chico?”
She nodded. “Yep. See you there.”
Chapter Four
Spider looked up at the sound of a vehicle coming – it sounded like a motorcycle. Without thinking, he moved closer to Owen. They were sitting on the grass in front of the house, playing with the two dinosaurs he’d given Owen and a whole bunch more he’d brought out in a basket from his bedroom, along with a big plastic volcano.
Tara was inside making lunch and Reid had gotten a phone call a few minutes ago and wandered away to take it. Spider had felt as if he didn’t have a care in the world as he’d sat here making chomping noises and pretending that his dinosaur was eating grass – even though Owen had pointed out that an allosaurus was a carnivore. But the sound of the motorcycle – he could see it now – had brought him to full alert. He didn’t imagine that Reid and Tara would have any other friends who rode. He pursed his lips at the realization that he was making the same assumptions that Frankie chick had made yesterday about him.
He got to his feet and put himself between Owen and the motorcycle, grateful that the little guy’s attention was still fully focused on flying his plastic pterodactyl around the mouth of the volcano.
He waited as the rider dismounted. He wasn’t too tall, Spider guessed he was a good four or five inches shorter than he was. And he was only slightly built. If the guy was here for trouble, Spider was confident that he’d easily be able to persuade him otherwise.
The guy was dressed for the road, black leather pants and a black leather jacket, which Spider knew from experience wasn’t exactly comfortable in the heat of the day. Wait … His eyes traveled back over the jacket – to the chest … And then back up as the rider removed his helmet and … shook out a headful of long dark hair. Damn! It was Frankie! He felt the smile spread across his face but couldn’t have stopped it if he wanted to. He took a step toward her. His gaze wandering over her figure, wondering how in the hell he’d missed her chest on first inspection. Now that he was seeing with his eyes instead of through the lens of assumption, there was no way he could mistake her for a slightly built guy; she was the perfectly built woman.
She cleared her throat and his gaze snapped up to her face. She gave him a knowing smile. “I’m pleased to see you again, too.”
He barely stopped himself from looking down to check if his pleasure at seeing her was visible in his pants. The way his blood was pounding through his veins, he knew it probably was.
The way she laughed confirmed that was exactly what she’d meant.
He ran his hand over his head as he tried to figure out what to say. He wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man, but he wanted to say something that would let her know … what? That he was attracted to her? That he …?
“Frankie!” Owen saved him.
“Hi, Owen.” Frankie slowly dragged her gaze away from Spider and turned to Owen as he trotted over to her.
“I don’t have classes today.”
“That’s right,” she agreed with him.
“I rode Bucky yesterday.”
“You did.”
Owen cocked his head to one side and gave her a puzzled look. “Why are you here?”
She only hesitated for a moment, but it was enough for Spider to see a slight hint of pink touch her cheeks. She bit down on her bottom lip, making him want to take it between his own teeth and … what the hell was wrong with him?
“I came over to have a word with your mommy.” She glanced at Spider, and something in her eyes gave away the fact that that wasn’t really why she was here.
“Okay.” Her answer was enough for Owen, who went back to his volcano and plopped himself down in the grass beside it.
“Do you want me to find her for you?” Spider asked.
“What? Who?”
He frowned. “Tara. I thought you were her to see her?”
“Oh.” She pursed her lips and glanced at Owen. “Yeah. In a minute.
I also wanted to see what you’re doing tonight.”
Spider stared at her, and his heartrate picked up. But no. She couldn’t mean him. She must mean the whole family. When she said you, she must mean you guys, mustn’t she?
He’d obviously taken too long to answer. Her lips twitched up into a smile. “I didn’t think it was a difficult question.”
He smiled back. He couldn’t help it. “Sorry. I don’t know yet. We haven’t talked about it. Come on. We can go and ask them.”
She laughed. “You need their permission to decide what you’re doing?”
He’d started to turn toward the house but stopped dead at her words and turned back. Her eyes shone, and she was still smiling.
“I thought you meant them.”
“I mean you. Do you want to go out with me or not?”
He literally took a step back.
Her smile faded. “No worries if you don’t. I mean, I get that I’m probably not your type.” She shrugged. “When I saw you yesterday, I liked you.”
Spider laughed. “What, you liked me so much that you pulled a shotgun on me? I hope you don’t decide that you don’t like me!”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. “You know what I mean. After that. Once I knew that you weren’t a threat to Owen. That was all I was worried about.”
Spider glanced over at the little guy. He’d do anything for that kid, and Frankie’s words made him like her even more – it sounded as though she would, too. He turned his gaze back on her. “So, you’re asking me out?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I thought I made that clear.” She held his gaze almost defiantly. As if she thought he was going to say no, but she wasn’t going to take it back.
Spider’s mind raced. He’d love to go out with her, but this was only his second night with Reid and Tara. He’d come to spend time with them and Owen not to …
“Just say no if you don’t want to. It really isn’t a difficult question. Your options are yes or no.”
He held her gaze. “It’s not that simple. Another option is, yes, I’d love to, but I’m here visiting my friends and I don’t want to …”
“You should go.” He looked down at Owen, who was smiling up at him. “Frankie’s my friend. You’re my friend. You and Frankie should go out and become friends.”
“I’d like to, Owen. But I’m here to see you and your mom and dad.”
“I’ve seen you today. I’ll see you tomorrow. Mommy likes to lie on the sofa with Daddy on Saturday night and kiss. They won’t kiss if you’re here. You should go out and kiss Frankie so that Daddy can stay in and kiss Mommy.”
At that moment, Reid came back around the side of the house. He was putting his phone back in his pocket, but he had a sly smile on his face that told Spider that he’d heard at least some of what Owen had said.
“Hi, Frankie. So, you two are going out tonight?” He turned to Spider. “You should take the Range Rover.”
Spider didn’t know what to say, and it seemed that neither did Frankie— they both continued to stare at Reid for a beat too long.
He smiled. “You might not know each other yet, but you both know me, and you know the rule our family lives by, which is – not only can we be upfront and honest, but we need to be. I don’t need to labor the point. I think Owen spelled it out very clearly.”
Spider sucked in a deep breath. Reid was right. He smiled at Frankie. “Do you want me to pick you up?”
She laughed. “Err, nice try on the chivalry, but no thanks. I’ll come get you at say, six?” She looked at Reid instead of him for confirmation. It made Spider feel like he was a kid again with people talking over him and deciding his fate without his input. He didn’t like it, but since it meant he got to go out with Frankie, he’d take it.
At least, Reid checked with him by raising an eyebrow and waiting for Spider’s slight nod before agreeing. “Six works.”
“Should I have my bike ready?”
“No. I’ll come get you.”
Reid scooped up Owen and a couple of dinosaurs and headed back to the house, leaving Spider and Frankie alone.
Spider wasn’t sure what to say. He needed to get his shit together. He might not date much, but he wasn’t spineless or wordless – he was just a little taken aback.
He took a step toward her and was pleased when she held her ground, even though it meant she had to look up to still see his face.
“I am just an oddity to you?” he asked.
“What?”
He ran his hand over his head. “I get it. I’m the weird looking guy, with the weird hair and all the tats and you’re curious. That’s what this is about, right?”
She laughed, and her expression softened. “Jeez, dude. You might look a bit different from the regular cowpokes around here, but you’re not some magical creature. Get over yourself.” She reached out and rested her hand on his biceps. “You’re from the big city and seem to think that we’re a different breed up here, but I’ll tell you this; it works the same the world over. You’re a hot guy, and women like to spend time with hot men – and get to know them better. I guess a lot of women wait for the guy to make the first move, but I’m not like that.”
Her hand on his arm sent goosebumps racing over his skin. He couldn’t remember ever reacting to a woman’s touch that way, even when they touched far more sensitive places than his arm. The air between them almost crackled with electricity. Physics or chemistry – whatever it was between them, it was off the charts. At least it was for him. He had to know if she felt it too. He cupped the back of her arm and slid his hand down until his fingers wrapped around her elbow. She sucked in a sharp breath, and he felt goosebumps form on her skin. He smiled.
She smiled back, and something in his chest, something that had lived there his whole life, that had kept him alert and safe as kid and was still tightly wound, felt as though it relaxed a little bit.
“I’ll come for you at six, then?”
Her words made him realize that they’d been standing there just looking into each other’s eyes. He nodded and stepped back, his fingers lingering on her arm for a moment before he let go.
“Okay.”
The way she wrapped her long hair around her arm and then held it on top of her head, ready to put her helmet back on, made him want to tangle it around his own fingers. He took a deep breath. “Frankie.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. I’m glad you asked.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. “Me too.”
~ ~ ~
It was ten minutes before six when Frankie turned off the highway onto the Davenports’ driveway. She smiled as she approached the main house and saw Jean out in front of the house, plucking weeds from the flower bed. She slowed the truck when she got closer and put the window down.
“Hi, Mrs. D!”
“Frankie! I didn’t recognize you in the truck. How lovely to see you. How are you, dear?”
“I’m good thanks. How are you? Are you back for a while or just passing through?” Jean and her husband, Dr. Johnny, only lived here part-time. Johnny had some big clinic out in Oregon, and they spent a lot of time there. Their other two sons, Oscar and TJ, had been spending more time out here recently since they’d both met women and settled down, and of course, Reid lived here full time now.
Jean laughed. “That depends on who you ask. Johnny says this is only a quick visit, but I want to stay. I don’t like to be away so much with Tara and Reid here.” Her smile lit up her face. “And Owen.”
Frankie smiled back at her. She loved Jean; she was an awesome lady. She’d taken Owen on as if he were her grandson by blood, not just because he was Tara’s son.
“And they have a friend visiting them at the moment. I adore him! I should introduce you. His name’s Spider. He’s a wonderful young man and …” Jean stopped and gave her an odd look.
Frankie could feel the heat in her cheeks, which was so not like her. “What’s up?”
“What are you do
ing out here?”
Hmm. Frankie sucked in a deep breath. There was no point trying to fool Jean – she was sharp. And besides, why should she? There was nothing wrong with the fact that she was going out with Spider.
Jean smiled and waggled her eyebrows, making Frankie laugh. “Would I be right if I guessed that I don’t need to introduce you to Spider? That you’ve already met him?”
Frankie nodded, knowing she wouldn’t need to elaborate; Jean was a master at extracting whatever information she wanted in the sweetest possible way.
“Are you here to see him?”
Frankie nodded again and couldn’t help but laugh when Jean rubbed her hands together.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Why didn’t I think of it?”
Frankie raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t look at me like that! You know full well what I mean. I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. You and Spider.” She grinned. “But I don’t need to kick myself, do I? Since he already beat me to it. You must have made quite an impression. He’s not one to move quickly with the ladies. How did the two of you meet?” She stopped to draw breath and smiled. “Sorry. My only excuse is that I’m excited. Of course, you don’t have to answer any of my questions.” She winked. “But if you wanted to answer just one, then my question would be when and how did he ask you out? I thought he only arrived yesterday afternoon.”
Frankie had to laugh. “You know that’s two questions, really. When and how.”
Jean grinned. “But they’re so closely related that it’d be hard to answer one and not the other. Please?”
There was no way Frankie could refuse to answer. She smiled, even though she wasn’t sure what the older woman would think when she admitted the truth. “Well … he didn’t ask me out.”
Jean’s smile faded. “So, I just got carried away? You’re not going out? All you said was that you’ve already met him.” She looked so disappointed that Frankie had to tell her.
“No. We are going out. But he didn’t ask me. I asked him.”
Jean clapped her hands together and laughed. “Oh, Frankie! That’s wonderful. You asked him out and you’re here to pick him up? I love it! I really do. If I were of dating age now, I hope that I’d be like you. That I wouldn’t wait for the guy to ask me out. That …”