Ford wasn’t there, but an additional recliner had been added beside the first. That must have been his surprise. The sight warmed her heart. He must have gotten busy, because obviously he planned to sit with her and look at the night sky at some point. Otherwise, what was the point behind the second recliner?
He hadn’t told her she could go up to the observation deck without him, but after standing in the solarium wondering what to do for a good ten minutes, she put Lolli down in one of the recliners and walked boldly out and up to the forbidden wing. Opening the door to the stairs, which wasn’t locked, she climbed them eagerly.
But when she stepped out on the deck, he wasn’t there.
She considered texting him but didn’t want to bother him if he were working, so she went back to Lolli and sat in the recliner, looking up at the stars and thinking about how considerate it was of Ford to add a second seat.
Tuesday, Mrs. T again brought her favorite cappuccino and coffeecake. For lunch, she served French fries with honey. Morgan didn’t bother asking how Mrs. T knew she liked the combination that grossed all her friends out.
She wasn’t sure what happened Tuesday afternoon, because she was in Georgia’s office all day, working on her list, but when she left the office at five, every light in the house was on at full brightness and the curtains were all open. It was dark already outside, but she supposed the sun had been streaming in all day.
As she walked through the hall lights, she could feel her mood lift and expand, and the dark blanket that seemed to wrap around her brain in the dim lighting was gone.
When Wednesday night’s supper featured cow tongue, which in her opinion was the absolute most delicious part of the cow, she was barely even surprised.
Thursday, while she was working, her room was redecorated in blue and gray, her favorite color combination.
Friday morning, there was an envelope and a small, wrapped gift beside her plate, along with seven small chocolate kisses. Seven was her favorite number, and at this point, she didn’t think it was a coincidence.
Waiting until Mrs. T set the waffles and cream cheese on the table, she picked up the note first. It opened easily, and she pulled out a notecard with a silhouette of blue stars on a gray background.
His scent came out with the card, and she breathed deep, closing her eyes at the rightness that filled her soul.
The writing was Ford’s—barely legible—but her smile faded as she wondered if it was difficult to write with only three fingers.
The note was simple: For the rest of my life, when I look at the stars, I will think of you. -Ford
For some reason, those words made her eyes prick, and she bit her lip to keep them from filling with tears.
She held the card to her nose, taking another deep breath before sliding it back into the envelope and picking up the gift.
It was a silver charm bracelet with the sun, moon, and stars on it. She held it up, and it sparkled in the now bright lights of the dining room. It was amazing—the most beautiful charm bracelet she’d ever seen, but something in her chest tightened and squeezed. Even while she admired the bracelet, she felt like crying.
It was Friday morning, and she hadn’t seen Ford since his hood had come down on the observation deck. She’d had gifts and sweet consideration galore, but she hadn’t had his company. He hadn’t texted her, and at some point, she’d decided she wasn’t texting him until he texted her. Obviously he was thinking about her, and she supposed she ought to be happy about that. She was happy about that.
But why was he staying away? And what did he mean with the thoughtful gifts? For her, it was enough to stand together under the stars. That was really all she could afford, anyway.
These gifts reminded her that she wasn’t on the same level as Ford. Not that they were expensive or extravagant, but there wasn’t anything that she could give or do for him in return. He had everything.
She was the astronomy major, but he owned the telescope. Up until this point, despite the lavish house and eccentricities that he catered to for himself, she’d not felt inferior. Now, especially since her main income, her modeling, had disappeared, she knew she’d never even approach the wealth that he had, and it made her feel like she wasn’t good enough to even think about wanting him for more than a friend.
~~~
Ford watched the screen as Morgan opened his card and gift. All week, he’d loved seeing her face as she noticed each new thing he did. He thought maybe he was doing a good job at “charming” her and Sawyer would be proud.
He’d eagerly anticipated her reaction to his card and gift. He’d not really given her a gift yet, per se, and he couldn’t wait to see how she reacted.
The expression on her face was not happiness. Which had made his heart sink like a rock in the river. She’d actually almost looked like she was going to cry. Especially when she read the note. Had he said something wrong? He’d tried to be sweet but not pushy. He wanted her to know that he was aiming at more than friendship, but he didn’t want to scare her away.
Obviously the note had been a big miss. But the charm bracelet...he’d had a jeweler from the Cities drive up with samples according to his specs, and he’d picked it out. He’d loved it at first sight, and he’d thought Morgan would too. Although it seemed at first like she admired it, he’d been wrong again.
He blew a breath out. So he wasn’t a charmer. From the look on her face, it almost seemed like she liked him less now than she had at the beginning of the week, and he had no idea of what he was doing wrong.
His phone rang, and he recognized the number of one of the potential buyers of his prototype. Just before he swiped to answer, his alarm sounded with a notice that a car was coming up his drive. Glancing at the computer screen, he saw it was his brother Ty. It looked like Louise, Ty’s wife, in the front seat, and maybe two people in the backseat, which would almost certainly be their child, Tella, and Donna, Ford and Ty’s mother.
Making a quick decision, he swiped the phone and answered while shooting off a quick text to Morgan, telling her he was busy with business and asking if she could entertain his guests until he could send for them.
She sent back, Of course.
An hour later, he finally got off the phone. He hadn’t expected it to take that long, but it had been a profitable conversation that had ended with the potential buyer promising to tell his secretary to make a meeting work on his calendar. A win, in Ford’s vast experience.
But his family was waiting downstairs, and he’d thrown Morgan to the wolves, asking her to entertain them. His mother already had little patience with him since he refused to leave his home. He and his brother had been close before his accident, but after their father died, Ty had left to play hockey at college and seldom came back.
Hockey had been Ford’s dream too, and although he’d always been happy for his brother, Ty’s success had been bittersweet for Ford.
He carefully secured his eye patch over his eye and put his sweatshirt on, lifting the deep hood. He leaned over his desk, and saying a silent “sorry” to Morgan, he dimmed all of the downstairs lights. Texting Morgan, he instructed her to close all the curtains.
His family, including Louise, had seen him without the hood and in the light. But he wasn’t ready to expose himself to Morgan like that. She’d seen him on the observation deck. He wasn’t done with his charm campaign to try to make up for it, yet.
Giving Morgan plenty of time to close the curtains, he walked silently down the stairs. Voices drifted out of the formal living room. As he came closer, he could overhear. He slowed, since it sounded like Morgan was still closing the curtains.
“I don’t know how you live in this dim gloom. It drives poor Georgia absolutely bonkers when he has the lights down and the curtains drawn. It’s not like we get an abundance of sunshine here in the winter.” His mother didn’t usually complain. She’d been more than patient with him. But she definitely sounded irritated. He cringed, knowing Morgan agreed with her complet
ely.
“I understand why he does it. If it were me, I’d want to keep things dim, too.”
“Well, he’s not very considerate of other people.”
“Actually,” Morgan said, “I’ve never met a more considerate person.”
“We are talking about my brother, Ford Hanson, correct?” Ty asked, with a hint of humor in his voice. Ford grinned.
“Of course. You don’t think he’s considerate?” Morgan asked incredulously.
“Well, that’s not really the first adjective that comes to mind.”
Ford knew Ty wasn’t being mean, just honest. He supposed he came across as gruff, and possibly bitter, to his family. He was gruff. And he was bitter too. Who wouldn’t be? Especially with a gorgeous supermodel in his home, who also happened to be intelligent and kind as well. And he looked worse than a troll that lived under a bridge.
“I remember Ford as being really nice and funny when he was in high school. But the accident seemed to change him.”
That was Louise, and she was as sweet as apple pie. She could have said he was a real jerk now. She remembered him as being funny? Really?
“Regardless, we can’t allow him to keep you shut up in here, in the dark no less, working all hours of the day and night, with no breaks and no days off,” his mother said firmly.
“That’s not how it is,” Morgan protested.
“That’s how he treats Georgia,” Ty stated.
“That’s not what she told me.” Morgan actually sounded like she was getting annoyed, which made Ford smile.
“Maybe she was sugarcoating it.” Ty’s voice still held a hint of laughter. Ford remembered that he used to laugh a lot too. It was more fun to be around people who laugh.
Morgan spoke from across the room. The light dimmed as the curtain closed. “I don’t think so. He’s been amazing. Sweet and kind. Very considerate. And I’ve had to beg him to give me work to do.”
The room was silent. Seconds ticked by.
Ford’s heart swelled that Morgan would stand by him. He deserved the things his family said about him. And Morgan would have every right in the world to join in, since everything they said was true. But she’d defended him.
“I’m going to go check and see if Mrs. T has some refreshments that we can serve.”
“I’ll come with you,” Louise said.
Ford slipped back up to his rooms. He’d text Morgan and have her send his family up to his office. For some reason, after hearing her defend him like she did, it made him even more reluctant for her to see him. How he longed to be whole and handsome, someone who she could be proud to be beside.
But his reality was much different, and so, for today, he took the easy way out.
~~~
That night, Morgan sat on an easy chair in the solarium alone. Well, Lolli and her big potbelly were on her lap. Jack lay at her feet. But the recliner beside her was empty.
It was cloudy out, spitting freezing drizzle occasionally, and a generally nasty night. Suited her mood.
She’d defended Ford. Entertained his family and explained to them how wonderful he was. When he finally got done with his business meeting, he’d had her direct them upstairs to his office. He’d specifically said, “Tell my family to come up to my office.”
The invitation didn’t include her.
That shouldn’t annoy her. He had the right to visit with his family without her, of course. But annoy her, it had.
Or maybe she was annoyed because she hadn’t seen him all week.
She had no right, and he’d done a lot of kind things, including giving her the bracelet she was wearing now.
If she were honest, she wasn’t upset at Ford. She was annoyed with herself for being such a baby. She liked him and wanted to get to know him better, but she didn’t feel like she was good enough to deserve him.
She was being stupid.
A knock sounded at the door. Then the knob rattled, and it opened, letting in a shaft of light from the hall.
The door didn’t close, which was odd. Ford was so careful about the light.
“Can I come in?” His voice drifted over, seeming hesitant.
“It’s your house.”
“I hope you feel like you belong here too.”
She thought about last weekend when she couldn’t wait to get “home.” “I do. Thank you.”
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“No. Someone thoughtfully provided another recliner, although there aren’t any stars to see tonight.”
His footsteps came closer, clicking on the tile floor. But rather than go to the side with the recliner, they seemed to be heading to her right. She didn’t look, since it didn’t matter anyway. All she’d see was his black hood, and she’d end up searching the shadows for his eye and wishing she could see more, and she wasn’t in the mood tonight for hide-and-seek.
“Thank you for defending me today.”
She grunted, her hand stroking Lolli, who snored softly. “You heard that?”
“Yeah. I stood in the hall for a bit.”
The charm bracelet on her wrist caught the light that still shone in from the hall as her hand moved over Lolli’s back. She watched the glitter and dance of light.
“You should have come in.”
“Yes. I should have.”
She wasn’t even going to ask why he didn’t. She knew. He didn’t want her to see him. She wasn’t in the mood for that, either.
“Aren’t you going to sit down?” she asked. He stood beside her, and she kept wanting to turn her head to look at him, but she was tired of looking at his cape.
He didn’t answer her for a while, just stood, unmoving, just beside her head, maybe three feet away. She felt his presence more than saw him. Drat him, even not looking at him, even with him that far away, her heart picked up its pace and her lungs worked harder. And for what?
“I wanted to ask you what you thought of my boots.”
Her hand stopped mid-stroke. Her body froze. Then her head whipped around, her eyes wide. He stood beside her, as she’d thought.
But he wasn’t wearing his cape.
Long, pointed cowboy boots poked out from under jeans that were a little frayed at the bottoms. Her eyes traveled up his long, long legs to his narrow hips and waist. At night in bed as she was trying to fall asleep, she’d wondered over and over if he were thin or if he’d have a belly. Mrs. T was a good cook.
Her question was answered. He was thin. Only through the abdomen, though, since his chest broadened out into the wide shoulders that had not been made to look wider by padding in his cape, as she had supposed. They were broad and covered with a dark, long-sleeved tee, which was tucked into his pants. His biceps stretched at the arms of the shirt.
Her eyes moved up, over his neck where his pulse ticked in and out at the base of his throat. Next was the strong jaw she remembered and those lips. Sensual. Unsmiling.
The bold nose. The slightly stubbled cheek and perfect cheekbone on one side, the mass of scar tissue on the other.
He wore an eye patch. It made him look dashing.
She slid out from under Lolli, carefully moved her feet without disturbing Jack, and stood before him. Despite her height, he was easily taller, and she had to look up to meet his gaze.
“I love your boots,” she said in a breathy voice she didn’t recognize as her own. “I’ll have to bring mine back the next time I go to the ranch. We’ll almost match.”
His chest moved in and out, shallow and fast. “I hoped you’d like them.”
“Are they new?” She felt like they were just talking about banal things with their lips while their eyes spoke of things much deeper.
“No. I’ve had them for a while but hardly ever wear them.”
“All you need is a hat, and you’ll look like a real cowboy.”
“All I need is a sword, and I’ll look like a real pirate.”
Her lips curved up. “I like pirates.”
His good brow moved up, like he we
re questioning her, then his beautiful lips curved into a small smile, revealing a dimple at the corner of his mouth.
“You have a smile that would make angels weep.” The words slipped out of her mouth.
His eye lasered on hers. “I’m not really interested in what angels think.”
Her heart jumped at the implication that he cared what she thought.
“I wasn’t sure if you liked the bracelet, but I see you’re wearing it.”
“Thank you,” she said right away. “Thank you for the bracelet and the food. The lights and the recliner. You’ve been so good to me this week, and I don’t even deserve it since I wasn’t able to get the meeting set up like you wanted.”
He put one finger to her lips, touching lightly. “Shh.” He breathed through his nose and didn’t drop his finger. “We’re almost there. I should have told you these things sometimes take time.”
His finger moved, tracing the outline of her lips with its tip. “But I don’t want to talk about business tonight, if that’s okay with you.”
“I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done.” As her lips moved, they brushed against his finger, causing them to tingle.
“You like your room?”
Focusing on his words was hard when his finger was so distracting. She forced words out. “You found out I like gray and blue.”
“Yes.” He watched his finger. Or maybe his eye was on her lips.
“And the food I like.”
“Yes.” His forehead scrunched. “Do you think I’m a stalker?”
Her lips tilted up, and he put his thumb on the crease.
She touched her tongue to the tip of his thumb.
He hissed, and the pulse in his throat jumped like a kid on a trampoline. His eye closed. But then his finger dropped.
Disappointment made her chest achy.
She spoke around her tight throat. “No. I don’t think you’re a stalker. Did you check out my social media?”
A shadow of a smile shimmered across his face. “I did one better. I called your aunt.”
She laughed. His teeth flashed. Their eyes met and held. Their smiles faded.
Cowboys Don't Marry the Beauty Page 11
