She regarded him with a baffled expression. “You have? Why?”
“You’re fighting me too hard on this. You came running back from Nashville the minute you heard Annie had a little scare. You might as well stop denying it. You’re involved with us, darlin’. That gives me hope.”
“Well, of course I’m involved with you. That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
The simple question silenced her.
“Well?” he prodded.
“If you don’t get it, then I am not about to explain it to you,” she said with a huff of indignation. “But for the record, I will not marry you, Slade. That’s final.”
“We’ll see,” he retorted mildly. For the first time in ages, he actually thought he might have a chance with her. He just had to be a little patient. Maybe let Annie work on her.
“You’re pitiful, Sutton,” he said, when Val was out of earshot. “You’re counting on a ten-year-old to do your courting for you.”
The sorry truth was, though, that Annie was probably a whole lot more adept at it than he was.
* * *
“You know, that gal of yours is smart as a whip,” Harlan Adams told Slade when the rancher wandered down to the corral the next morning to watch Black Knight’s workout. He’d been stopping by almost daily lately.
“Val?” The name slipped out before Slade could stop it.
The old man chuckled. “I was talking about your daughter, but Val’s a bright one, too.” He studied Slade intently. “Annie seems to think the two of you would make a good match. How do you feel about that?”
“Truthfully, I’ve had thoughts along that line myself,” Slade surprised himself by admitting. A few months ago he wouldn’t have shared personal information with anyone. Now he’d concluded that a little matchmaking expertise from a grand master would be more than welcome.
“Well, what’s stopping you, then?” Harlan asked impatiently. “The woman’s had eyes for you ever since she set foot on this ranch. Nobody around here’s missed that.”
Now that he was into the subject, Slade decided to lay all his cards on the table. “To tell you the truth, I made a couple of tactical mistakes. I haven’t been able to recover from them yet.”
Harlan’s eyes took on the excited glint of a man rising to a challenge. He hoisted himself up onto a railing, clearly settling down to listen. “Tell me,” he commanded.
Slade described how he’d reached the conclusion that Val would be the perfect mother for Annie.
“And you told her that?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s when you asked her to marry you?”
Slade nodded, wincing under the old man’s incredulous look.
“Whoo-ee, I’m surprised she left you standing.”
“To be honest, so am I. She wasn’t happy, that’s for sure.”
“Well, can you blame her? No woman wants to sign on as mother for a kid without getting a little something for herself in the bargain. If raising a child’s all she wants, she could hire on as a housekeeper or open a day-care center, and be done with it. That’s not Val’s style. Any fool could see that.”
“Well, I missed it,” Slade said defensively. “At least, until it was too late to take the words back.”
Harlan subjected him to a penetrating stare. “Is this still all about Annie?”
“No. The minute Val stormed out, I realized I loved her.”
Harlan gave a little nod of satisfaction. “Good. Now we’re getting somewhere. Why haven’t you just flat out told her?”
“After what’s happened, she’d never believe me. She’d figure I was saying all the right words, just to get my way.”
The rancher’s expression turned thoughtful. “You could be right about that. Timing’s important in a situation like this. So, if words won’t do it, you’ll have to take action.”
“Such as?”
“Prove to her how much you care. Court her, Son. Flowers, candy, the whole nine yards. I’ve seen some mighty fine courtships around this ranch in my time. Been party to a few of them. You just have to listen real close and do exactly what I tell you.”
“Won’t that seem a little obvious?”
“More than likely, at least at first. You’ll have to prove you’re in it for the long haul. Never let up. Don’t give her a second’s peace. Sweet-talk her every chance you get. Worked on Janet and she was a tough one, let me tell you.”
“I’m afraid sweet talk’s not in my nature,” Slade objected.
“You’ll learn, Son. When the stakes are high enough, a man can do most anything.”
“What stakes?” Annie demanded, slipping up behind them, her face alight with curiosity. “Are you gonna play poker? Will you teach me?”
“Poker’s a game for grown-ups, young lady,” Harlan told her. “But when you’re old enough, I’ll teach you how to play and win. Right now, though, your daddy and I are talking about something else.”
“Val, I’ll bet.” She grinned up at Harlan. “Thanks.”
He reached down and ruffled her hair. “Glad to help out. You here for your riding lesson?”
She nodded. “Want to stay and watch?”
“Afraid not. I’ve got to get back up to the house before Janet gets home. I might be able to sneak a cup of real coffee and a couple of Maritza’s sugar cookies without getting caught.” He winked at Slade. “You remember what I told you and keep me posted on what’s happening. Sometimes a plan requires a few adjustments before it starts to work.”
Slade shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. I won’t forget.”
“See that you don’t. I haven’t had a failure yet. I don’t aim to start now.”
After his boss had headed back to the main house, Slade noticed Annie grinning from ear to ear. “You sent him down here, didn’t you?” he demanded.
“What if I did?” she asked defiantly. “Somebody had to do something. If I wait around for you and Val, I’ll be too old to even need a mother.”
“Thanks,” Slade said, clearly catching her by surprise.
Prepared to make her case, she seemed startled by his response. “You’re not mad?”
“No, though as a general rule, we don’t go around sharing our private business with outsiders.”
“Grandpa Harlan’s not an outsider.”
“He is not your grandfather,” Slade pointed out.
“But he said I could call him that, so that makes him practically family, right?”
Annie’s convoluted logic silenced him.
“Well?” she prodded.
“Close enough, I guess.” Slade waved her toward the barn. “Go on and bring your horse out and saddle her up.”
“By myself?” she asked, eyes wide.
“You’ve got to learn sometime.”
“Oh, wow,” she said, and took off running.
“Slow down,” Slade hollered, but he was wasting his breath. Annie never did anything slower than full throttle.
He realized as he waited for her to return that the two of them were actually settling into a workable routine these days. They were communicating, something he hadn’t thought possible a few weeks ago. And though she still occasionally mystified him, he found the unexpected twists her mind took to be fascinating, rather than terrifying. He supposed he had Val to thank for that.
“Daddy, is this okay?” she asked tentatively, bringing out the saddled mare. Aunt Sadie stood docilely beside her.
Slade checked the cinch, tightened it ever so slightly, then gave his daughter’s shoulder a squeeze. “Good job.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? I did it right?”
“Just about perfect. Now let’s see you mount,” he said, holding out his hands to give her a boost up.
“Not bad,” he said approvingly. “You’re getting
better every day.”
“Pretty soon you can start teaching me stuff you did in the rodeo,” she said.
Slade froze. “No,” he said curtly. “The rodeo’s not for you.”
“Why not? You did it.”
“And look how I ended up.”
“You didn’t get hurt in the rodeo,” she said, refusing to back down. “You got hurt in the accident.”
“Forget it,” Slade snapped. “It’s no life for a girl.”
Tears welled up in Annie’s eyes at his sharp tone. He sighed heavily, then muttered, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”
“Why did you?”
“Because the rodeo is dangerous,” he explained. “I want you to do something different with your life, something safe and sensible.”
“And boring,” she said derisively.
Slade fought to control his temper. Fighting her on this now would only make her cling to the idea all the tighter. He could see that she wanted to live up to his example, mostly because that was the only one she had. That made it all the more critical to get Val in her life, so she’d realize there were options for women that didn’t involve potentially life-threatening confrontations with nasty-tempered broncs or bulls. Though he’d known many brilliantly skilled women on the rodeo circuit, it wasn’t what he wanted for his daughter.
“We’ll discuss it when you’re older,” he said finally.
“How old?”
“Ninety-seven,” he teased, forcing a grin.
“Oh, Daddy,” she said, but she grinned back at him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, angel.” Even as the words crossed his lips, he realized it was one of the very few times he’d told her since the first few days of her life, when he’d been overwhelmed with the emotions of being a new father. Maybe if he practiced saying the words to Annie, they’d feel more comfortable when the time came to try them out on Val.
* * *
Watching Slade working with Annie, seeing the girl’s eyes shining from all the fatherly attention, Val sighed.
“Your job here is done,” Laurie observed, joining her on the porch. “You’ve gotten the two of them together.”
“They do seem easier around each other, don’t they?”
“They’ve become a family,” Laurie said. “Now, then, what about the two of you? Before you give me some evasive answer, understand that I am not asking about you and Annie, I’m asking about you and Slade.”
Val hesitated. “Nothing’s changed.”
“I don’t understand it. The man is obviously crazy about you. Why hasn’t he done something about it?”
“Actually, he did ask me to marry him,” Val admitted unhappily, finally prepared to spill the whole story. Maybe her friend could explain where it had all gone wrong.
A beaming smile spread across Laurie’s face. “That’s wonderful.” At Val’s silence, her expression faltered. “Isn’t it? I thought you loved him.”
“I do.”
Laurie shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“He still wants me just for Annie’s sake.”
“Still?”
“It came up before. I turned him down,” she said succinctly. “I told him his proposal was insulting. I haven’t changed my mind.”
“Are you sure this is all about Annie? The man doesn’t strike me as the type who’d saddle himself with a wife he didn’t care about just for the sake of his child. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to admit he loves you, especially after fighting you so hard. It’s a male pride thing.”
Val wanted to believe that Laurie was right, but what if she wasn’t? “What am I supposed to do?” she demanded. “Take a risk and marry him and pray that he’ll get around to admitting it one of these days? Sorry. I don’t live that dangerously.”
Laurie looked disappointed in her. “I can’t believe it. Is this the same woman who was pushing and prodding me into marrying Harlan Patrick and working out the details of our living arrangements later? I guess it’s a whole lot easier to dole out advice than it is to take it.”
“That was different,” Val insisted, not rising to the bait. “You two were wild about each other. You had been practically forever. The details were just that—details. Love—or the lack of it—is the core issue between Slade and me. He claims he doesn’t believe in it. He says we’re compatible enough and I’ll be good for Annie. That’s it.”
“Forget what he says,” Laurie declared impatiently. “You should know by now that actions speak louder. From where I sit, and believe me, I’ve been on the sidelines through most of this, I say the man loves you. I’ve watched him these past few months, Val. He never takes his eyes off of you.”
“Probably because he’s trying to figure out where I’ll pop up next so he can avoid being there,” she grumbled. “I don’t want to spend a lifetime with a man who’s not totally committed from the outset. Things get complicated enough during a marriage even when there is a strong basis of love to start with.”
“Val,” Laurie chided. “I have never known you to resist a challenge. How can you walk away from one that’s this important to your whole future?”
Val didn’t have an answer for her.
Laurie regarded her with quiet intensity, then asked, “Or have you decided that Slade Sutton is just not worth it?”
* * *
Laurie’s words echoed in Val’s head for days to come, along with Annie’s pleas to stop by for another cooking lesson. In fact, both Annie and Laurie seemed to be scheming to throw Val and Slade together as often as possible. Val was having a hard time avoiding all the traps they laid. Even Harlan Adams seemed to be getting in on the act, which terrified her. She knew precisely how relentless he could be when he’d deemed a match to be suitable.
She stubbornly resisted all their efforts. She didn’t want to discuss Slade, didn’t want to discuss her own cowardice. In fact, she didn’t want to do much of anything except stay in her room and mope. That pretty much kept her out of Slade’s path as well, which she was convinced was the only way to make him entirely happy.
She was surprised, therefore, when he turned up at Harlan Patrick and Laurie’s one night wearing a suit and carrying a bouquet of flowers.
“What are you doing here?” she asked suspiciously, as Laurie and her husband hovered in the background, unrepentantly eavesdropping.
“I’ve come courting.” His expression practically dared her to make something of that.
Her pulse leaped despite her very recent determination to put this man entirely out of her life. “Why?”
He grinned at that. “The usual reasons. You know, man meets woman, man’s hormones kick in and the next thing he knows he’s doing things that are totally out of character, like dressing up on a week night and buying posies.” He held them out to her, looking awkward as a schoolboy on a first date.
“I see,” she said, reluctantly accepting the bouquet, which was fragrant with roses from Janet’s garden. “You must have missed the all-important lesson about calling and asking for a date.”
“Nope,” he said without the slightest hint of apology. “I deliberately skipped right on over that part. I figured you might turn me down. Annie says the unexpected could work to my advantage.”
Val held back a chuckle. “You’re taking courting advice from a ten-year-old?”
He ran a finger inside his collar, as if it were suddenly too tight. Patches of red stained his cheeks. “She seems to have a better grasp of this stuff than I do. It’s been a long time since I’ve played the game. Haven’t much wanted to until now.”
For some reason—his words, that uncharacteristic blush, something—she was suddenly filled with renewed optimism.
“It’s actually not so hard, if you listen to your heart,” she suggested quietly.
To her astonishment, Slade tucked a finger under her chin and
tilted her head up, then met her lips with his own. Oblivious to the fascinated onlookers, he kissed her silly. When they were both gasping for breath, he eased away.
“Thanks to you, darlin’, I just discovered I have one.”
Fourteen
The prospect of being officially courted made Val’s palms sweat. It looked as if all her efforts were finally paying off. Rather than filling her with triumph, the outcome panicked her.
What if she’d been wrong? What if she and Slade weren’t suited at all? What if she’d simply been lured by the fact that he was so stubbornly unobtainable? What if it had only been about lust, rather than love? The chase, rather than forever?
After all, what did she really know about love? She’d witnessed the enduring passion between Laurie and Harlan Patrick. She’d seen the quieter love shining in Janet’s eyes whenever she spotted Harlan across a room. But in Val’s own family, there had been no such example. After her father’s death, her mother had never remarried, never even dated very much. Even so, Val had never sensed that it was because her grand passion had died.
No matter how hard she tried, Val couldn’t seem to quiet her doubts. What if, what if, what if...? The unanswerable questions tumbled through her head like errant ping-pong balls.
As usual, she’d jumped in feet first, tackling the project of getting Slade’s attention as systematically as she would the logistics for one of Laurie’s tours. Now it was time to put up or shut up, time to pay the piper, time to fish or cut bait. The clichés tripped through her brain at a dizzying clip.
She needed time for her emotions to switch directions, time to quiet all the nagging fears. She didn’t need a man on her doorstep with a handpicked bouquet of flowers and passion in his eyes. That was serious stuff. She’d just been playing a game, or so she’d tried to convince herself during the endless weeks of rejection. Hadn’t Laurie pegged that very thing? Hadn’t she been the one to suggest that Val had decided Slade wasn’t worth her time or effort?
Of course, if that were the case, she should have told him to take his flowers and stuff them, rather than stand there with her heart racing and a smile tugging at her lips. She should have refused to sit on the porch swing, thigh-to-thigh, her hand tucked in his, while he talked nonstop for the first time since she’d known him.
West Texas Nights Page 34
