Home on the Ranch

by Tanya Michaels

  Layla dropped her arms to her sides, her gaze troubled. “Remarkable? Oh, God, Jace, I’m really not. You don’t...”

  When her voice broke, a small piece of his heart did, too. He didn’t know what to say, but maybe words weren’t called for here. Acting on instinct, he enveloped her in a tight hug. He’d watched his brothers with their wives enough to know that the people you cared about didn’t need you to have all the answers, they just needed to know you were on their side.

  Although she didn’t put her arms around him, she did melt into the embrace, burying her head against his shoulder. Was he a jerk for noticing how good she smelled?

  “Stop being nice to me.” She muttered the words into his sleeve, so at first he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.

  He drew back just enough to meet her eyes. “Did you ask me not to be nice?”

  “I don’t deserve it.”

  “Nonsense. You’re—” Brave. Beautiful. Talented. And so close they could share breaths. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he suddenly remembered why he’d planned to avoid being alone with her. His heart pounded, sending desire through his veins.

  “Jace.” Her voice was low and husky, so sexy he almost groaned. “I... We...”

  “Yeah.” He had no idea what he was agreeing to; he was too focused on her lips, imagining them against his.

  She cupped his face with her hands, leaning almost imperceptibly forward. He threaded his fingers through the wild waves of her hair and—

  “Mama?” A little girl’s voice came through the screen door, the owner of that voice mostly obscured by the floor-to-ceiling curtain.

  Under normal circumstances, Layla shouldn’t be able to knock a cowboy with Jace’s height and weight advantage off-balance. But he hadn’t been prepared for her to suddenly shove him away.

  “Ow.” He absently rubbed the hip he’d banged against the porch railing, but what really hurt was his pride.

  “Coming!” Layla called, moving between him and the door. “Go wait in the living room, and I’ll be in to restart the DVD.” Her eyes flew to Jace. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  That wasn’t the impression she’d given him two minutes ago. Was she scandalized by the idea of her kid catching her mom kissing a man? That might suggest Layla didn’t date often. The thought was oddly cheering.

  “The store can spare me for a few more minutes,” Jace said. “I can wait while you start her DVD, and then—”

  “No, you need to leave. Now.”

  He had that same unsettling feeling he’d had at the hospital, that Layla Dempsey was afraid of him. A horrible thought struck. “Did I hurt you?”

  She blinked. “What? I’m the one who knocked you over.”

  “No, not now. When we were teenagers. When we... It was your first time, and I tried to be gentle, but it’s not like I was an expert.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She dropped her voice to a frantic whisper. “We are so not discussing that! Especially not here.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “No, of course you didn’t hurt me. You were—”

  “Mom?” The voice from the other side of the door held a note for impatience this time.

  Layla moved farther away from him. “I have family stuff to deal with.”

  “Maybe I could hel—”

  “Go. Away.” Then she disappeared inside, the curtains swishing as she pulled the glass door along its track. It slid shut with a decisive click.

  “Whatever the lady wants,” he grumbled.

  When they were teenagers, what she’d wanted was him. Clearly, times had changed.

  Chapter 5

  Saint that she was, Gena had taken off a second consecutive afternoon from the bank to help with Addie. Today, they were thinking of even inviting over Skyler, the six-year-old down the street, so that Addie might make a friend. After waving goodbye to her daughter and cousin—and sending up a prayer of gratitude that they were getting along so well—Layla drove to the hospital. She hoped that the time in the car alone would allow her to regain her composure after a tumultuous morning.

  Instead, it just gave her way too much time to think about Jace Trent. He’d almost kissed her! Or, worse, she’d almost kissed him. What had she been thinking?

  Maybe being a sucker for those blue eyes and his touch was a case of old habits dying hard. After all, he had been her first love. Truth be told, he might be the only man she’d ever loved. That wasn’t love, Layla. It was adolescent infatuation. Grow up.

  She parked and went into the hospital, determined to stop thinking about him. But when she passed through the waiting area on her brother’s floor, the first thing she saw was a couple kissing passionately by the vending machine. Their enthusiasm for each other took her straight back to that moment on her mother’s back porch, and wondering what kissing Jace would be like now.

  Blushing, she averted her gaze and tried to pass the couple as discreetly as possible, but the wooden heels of her mules were noticeably loud across the tile floor.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  At the sound of a woman’s sheepish voice, Layla looked up, meeting the eyes of a pretty redhead.

  “We thought we were alone,” the woman said. “Obviously.”

  For the first time, Layla realized who the woman had been kissing—Jarrett Ross. “Busted,” Layla teased him. She turned back to the woman. “You must be Sierra.”

  The redhead nodded.

  Jarrett draped an arm across his wife’s shoulders. “Layla, this my better half—”

  “Your much, much better half,” Sierra said impishly.

  He chuckled. “She was just, ah, saying goodbye before getting back to work. And, Sierra, this is Layla Dempsey. Chris’s sister.”

  Sierra’s smile faded as she reached forward to take Layla’s hand in both of hers. “I am so sorry about what happened to your brother. As soon as he’s ready for physical therapy, I will do my best to help him recover. And in the meantime, if there’s anything Jarrett or I can do for your family, just let us know.”

  “Actually, there might be something.” As Layla began outlining her plan for a fund-raising calendar, Sierra’s and Jarrett’s instant agreement boosted her confidence. The idea began to take real shape, distracting her from the stress of arguing with her mother. Unfortunately, talking about shirtless cowboys did nothing to distract her from Jace, but one problem at a time.

  She was a professional. If he decided to pose for the calendar, she would focus on lighting and angles—not the play of muscles in his toned forearms. Or how damn good it had felt when he’d held her in those arms a few hours ago.

  “Layla?” Jarrett gave her a look of concern. “Did we lose you?”

  She blinked, realizing she’d trailed off midsentence. “Sorry. I was preoccupied.”

  Sierra nodded sympathetically. “This calendar project would be a lot of work for you. I imagine it’s a little daunting.”

  Calendar. Right. She wasn’t at all daunted by the thought of a certain sexy cowboy on the other side of her camera lens.

  Layla tried to smile, but it felt strained, her cheeks stiff and uncooperative. “I just hope I know what I’m doing. Let’s not tell Suzanne or Chris about this yet, okay? If everything goes the way I hope, it will be a lovely surprise for them. But at least we aren’t getting their hopes up for nothing if it doesn’t pan out.”

  “We’ll get everything worked out,” Jarrett said. “I remember how scared I was after my sister’s accident and Dad’s heart attack. Friends and neighbors rallied around my family. You may have been gone a few years, but you’re still one of us. People will line up to lend a hand.”

  Too bad one of those people was Jace. He needed to keep his hands to himself. And she needed to find the discipline to do the same.

  * * *

  “Thanks for coming ov
er, man.” Will Trent clapped Jace on the shoulder. “I ain’t gonna lie—being outnumbered three to one can get a little intimidating.”

  Jace chuckled. “Is the big strong fireman afraid of little girls?”

  His older brother shrugged, refusing to take the bait. “I don’t want to let Megan down. She’s never left me with them for this long before. I figured the girls might be getting tired of my company, so having you here—”

  He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence before a trio of identical dark-haired girls came running to the foyer. Cries of “Uncle Jace!” were bittersweet music. Jace adored his sister-in-law’s daughters, but he couldn’t help wondering again when he might have a family of his own. Being the tagalong bachelor uncle on the periphery of his brothers’ lives had grown stale.

  Daisy, the boldest of the triplets, reached him first. She threw her arms around his legs in a hug nearly powerful enough to topple him. It made him think back to the morning, when Layla had almost knocked him on his ass. Frankly, he’d been feeling off-kilter since the moment he first saw her yesterday at the hospital.

  Will peered at him with concern. “You aren’t getting sick, are you? If so, I retract my invitation. Megan and her aunt don’t get back from their cruise until the day after tomorrow, and I am not prepared to take care of three kids with the flu.”

  “I’m fine.” Jace scooped Lily off her feet for a hug. She was the shyest among her more outgoing sisters. Although Jace had never been shy a day in his life, he knew what it was like to have siblings who always went full steam ahead. Lily was secretly his favorite, but he loved all three girls. He had ever since the December when Will had coerced him into playing Santa for the triplets. Jace had barely been in the house for five minutes before they’d won him over.

  Too bad Layla hadn’t introduced him to her little girl. He was great with kids. Would that impress her?

  “You don’t look fine,” Will said as they herded the girls into a living room strewn with toys. Judging by the army of stuffed animals and plastic pink cups, Jace had interrupted a hell of a tea party. “Still upset about Kelli?”

  “Who’s Kelli?” Daisy demanded.

  “Uncle Jace’s friend,” Will said. “You met her a few times.”

  “She had yellow hair,” Iris told her sister.

  “No, that was Jenny,” Will said. “Kelli was—”

  “Could we skip the instant replay of my social life?” Jace asked. “I’m going to the kitchen for beer.”

  “Get me one, too,” Will said. “I’m sure it pairs well with these cookies.” He held up a tiny yellow plate with nothing on it. “Iris made them special for us.”

  Jace grinned at the imaginary cookies. “I bet they’re tasty and low-calorie.” He went to the kitchen, surprised when his brother followed him.

  “Seriously,” Will asked in a low voice, “are you okay? You seem not yourself. Subdued.”

  “I’m just feeling...” Jace popped open a can of beer, searching for the right word. “Introspective.”

  “Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?”

  Jace rolled his eyes. “People change, you know. They grow.” Was that part of Layla’s confusing aloofness toward him? Did she still view him as the cocky teenager he’d once been? There was more to him than that now.

  Then again, she hadn’t exactly disapproved of him when they were younger.

  He’d been stunned when she’d told him in a trembling but firm tone that she wanted him. He wished he could discuss her with Will, but no one knew about the night they’d shared. Though she hadn’t technically sworn him to secrecy, telling anyone would feel like betraying her.

  “I bet this is because of Chris,” Will mused. “Seeing your best friend go through something that could have killed him made you take stock of your life. Is that it?” Without waiting for a response, he asked, “How’s he doing?”

  “About as well as can be expected. He’s making jokes to keep Suzanne from worrying too much.” Jace took a swig of his beer. “His sister’s in town.”

  “Little Layla?” Will’s smile was nostalgic. “You were too much of a self-absorbed punk to notice, but that girl had a wicked crush on you.”

  Jace almost choked. “Wh-what? Why do you say that?” The truth was, Jace hadn’t noticed...until the night she’d pointed it out to him in no uncertain terms.

  “Well, for starters—”

  “Daddy! Uncle Jace! Your cookies are getting cold,” Daisy scolded from the edge of the living room.

  “Duty calls,” Will said, turning toward his stepdaughter.

  “But you didn’t answer my question!” Jace winced at the edge of urgency in his tone.

  Will must have heard it, too. He glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. “Does it matter? That was a long time ago.”

  “You’re right.” Jace forced a smile. “That’s ancient history.” Except for nearly kissing her today. That was very much in the present. And possibly also the foreseeable future. He wouldn’t forget that moment when she’d leaned forward, soft and yearning, any time soon.

  Of course, she’d shoved him away five seconds later with no explanation, as if he were something appalling.

  Women. Jace chugged more beer and joined his brother in the living room. He wasn’t sure how effective imaginary cookies were as comfort food, but they’d have to do until he came up with a better plan for the situation.

  * * *

  “I can’t even believe you have to ask. Of course I’m in!” Quincy slapped a palm on the cafeteria table, looking delighted. “Shirtless pictures of me will not only pay your brother’s medical bills—we might earn enough to put your nieces through college.”

  Layla laughed. “Thanks. I figured I could count on you.”

  “Absolutely. In fact...” Quincy winked at her. “I think we could ditch the other dudes completely. I have enough range to do twelve different poses.”

  “That wouldn’t be fair to the ladies of Cupid’s Bow—we have to give them the occasional month off from you to let them catch their breath.”

  Chuckling, he reached for his coffee mug and took a sip.

  “So who all have you confirmed for this project?” he asked. “Me, Hugh, Jarrett—”

  “Am I interrupting?” Jace asked from behind her.

  Layla’s heart sank. She wasn’t naive enough to think she could have avoided him forever, but she’d hoped for a little more time to build her defenses after yesterday. If he touched her again, she was going to melt like a dropped ice cream cone in the Texas sun.

  Jace pulled a chair from another table, swinging it around and straddling it. “Hugh told me y’all were down here, said Layla had something she needed to discuss with me.”

  Dammit, Hugh. But she knew her friend had been trying to help. She took a deep breath. “I might have an idea of a way we could all work together to raise money for Chris and Suzanne.”

  “It’s an awesome idea,” Quincy said. “We’re banking on my sex appeal.”

  Jace arched an eyebrow. “Is this some kind of bachelor auction thing? We’ve had those in Cupid’s Bow before. Funny story—it’s actually how my brother Cole ended up married.”

  “Nah, not another auction. Layla’s gonna put her photography skills to good use.” Quincy checked his watch and stood. “I need to skedaddle, but call me, boo. Just tell me where and when you want me, and I’m all yours.” He dropped a quick kiss atop Layla’s head and ambled out of the hospital cafeteria.

  She turned to catch Jace scowling after his friend. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “That man is an unrepentant flirt.”

  She blinked at the hypocrisy of his statement. “Um...look in a mirror lately?”

  He held her gaze, those brilliant blue eyes making her stomach somersault. “I don’t flirt with just anyone. I’ve grown out of that hab
it.”

  Was he trying to tell her that what happened yesterday was an uncommon occurrence? That she was somehow special? A long-dormant wistfulness tried to reignite, the idea that Jace Trent might truly want her.

  She cleared her throat. “I suppose we’ve both changed, haven’t we? I’m not the same girl I was.” Translation—I don’t still dream about you every night and doodle “Mrs. Jace Trent” on spiral notebooks. If she thought about him more often than was usual for a woman to dwell on a teen crush, well, who could blame her? Ever since she’d given birth to Addie, she spent each day looking at a reflection of Jace’s eyes and smile.

  “So what’s this photography project?”

  “A calendar. A cowboy calendar we can sell to raise money, using some of Chris’s friends as models.”

  He took a moment to process that, then nodded. “Great idea. Women will buy the calendar for obvious reasons, and quite a few of the men in town will buy copies just to heckle us. If my brother Will posed for a calendar like that, there would be copies tacked up everywhere at the fire station within a week.”

  “So you’re volunteering.” It wasn’t so much a question as grim acceptance of the inevitable.

  “Of course. You weren’t afraid I would say no, were you?”

  Afraid? More like praying. “I...”

  He gave her a wolfish smile that made her stomach do another slow flip. “When do we get started?”

  Chapter 6

  “How about I order us pizza tonight?” Layla offered when Gena got home from work Friday evening. Buying dinner was the least she could to thank her cousin for all her help the past few days. “I should probably volunteer to cook, but—” She gestured toward the papers littering Gena’s kitchen table. She’d been sketching notes all afternoon while Addie played educational games on Layla’s laptop.

  Gena laughed. “You look like you’re planning a battle. All you’re missing are those little men to move around to show troop locations.”