by Leigh Duncan
And yet…
The idea didn’t feel nearly as foreign as it had a week ago. He couldn’t deny his attraction to her. Couldn’t forget how she’d felt in his arms or how empty he’d felt when she left them. When she looked at him with trust sparkling in her eyes, he wanted to be a better man. A man who would live up to all her expectations and more.
He cleared his throat.
“Guess we’d best get ready, then, if we’re gonna catch us some fish for supper.”
“We’re going to eat them?” Jimmy looked down at his stomach as if he envisioned a wriggling fish inside it.
Sarah’s laughter spilled across the table. Ty felt his own eyes crinkle at the corners. He met her gaze. The unguarded look he found there shot warmth straight into his midsection.
“Not to worry, little man,” he said, giving Jimmy’s tummy a playful poke. “We’ll clean ’em and fry ’em up real good first.”
That seemed to put an end to the youngster’s doubts, and an hour after the last of the breakfast dishes had been cleared, the crew was ready to hit the road. Ty loaded rods, reels and the picnic lunch Doris had packed. As he suspected they might, the businessmen split up, some choosing to stay at the camp to work with the vet, others riding off with the Garrisons.
Ty led his group through a patch of scorched trees on the way to Little Lake. There, spiders had been busy spinning webs that spanned the posts on either side of the wooden dock he’d replaced after last year’s fire. Ty sent one of his ranch hands to clear off the deck with a broom, a job that had a dual purpose since the sweeper would also check the water to make sure nothing with large teeth lurked nearby.
“You got your choice of fly rods or poles. Lures or night crawlers,” Ty offered the fishing party.
Jimmy’s hand shot skyward. “I want nite-callers. What are they?”
Ty didn’t bother to fight a smile. “Night crawlers are like worms. Fish love ’em.”
Sarah chose a rod and reel combination. Grabbing a pair of clippers, she removed the hook and deftly tied on a shiny lure while Ty’s idea of teaching the slender redhead how to fish faded. The woman clearly knew her way around a hook and line.
“Who’s going to land the first monster?” she teased.
Ty gazed into Jimmy’s small, excited face and knew he couldn’t let the boy down, even if it cost him his bet with Seth.
“We will!” Ty and Jimmy shouted. They traded high fives.
“Get ready, fish, here I come.” Sarah headed for the end of the pier where she tossed out her line.
Ty rigged Jimmy’s pole with a bobber and a weight. “You want to bait the hook?” he asked. He held out a large pail filled with moist, black dirt.
Jimmy peered inside, uncertainty clouding his fine features. “I don’t see any worms.”
“They’re in there,” Ty assured him. “You just have to dig around a little bit for them.”
There wasn’t a boy alive who didn’t like squishy, slimy things and Jimmy proved no exception. He dug in with both hands and pulled out a six-inch worm.
“Good job, pardner,” Ty said encouragingly. “Now we put it on the hook.” He took the boy’s trophy and made quick work of the task. “Okay, let’s go catch us a fish.”
Ty picked out a likely spot about halfway down the dock. His hands around Jimmy’s small ones, he demonstrated the best way to make an easy cast. Once the boy’s bait landed in the water with a soft plop, he pointed to the red-and-white ball that floated on the surface.
“Now, watch that bobber. When it ducks under, that means a fish liked your bait and took himself a good bite. Then, you pull back like this.” He gave the rod a gentle tug. “I’m going to stand behind you and keep one hand on the pole just in case you hook a giant of a fish who wants you for dinner.”
Jimmy’s laugh rang out across the calm water. Ty joined in, but he’d been serious about holding on to the rod. Though once alligators had bordered on extinction, the big lizards had made such a phenomenal comeback they now inhabited every wet spot bigger than a mud puddle throughout the state. With kids, there was always the chance equipment would wind up in the bottom of the murky lake. That meant someone would have to wade in after it. Not wanting to add an impromptu alligator wrestling match to the day’s agenda, Ty held on tight.
Wondering if Sarah was having any luck, he stole a look toward the end of the dock. Awareness stirred within him as he took in her trim form. Sun sparkled off the water, setting her hair ablaze. His glance caught the slim redhead just as she turned to make a fresh cast, and he dipped his hat in salute. Slowly, the smile he’d been hoping for spread across her face. The differences between the prim, uptight woman in her office and this more relaxed, approachable version were as unmistakable as they were surprising. But knowing it was the wrong time and the wrong place to ogle the woman, he let his gaze linger only long enough to see Sarah cast her line.
Just his luck, she cast like a pro.
He didn’t have another second to think about it because, at that moment, Jimmy’s bobber dunked beneath the glassy surface of the lake. The boy tugged on the pole, and the rod tip dipped.
“Fish on!” Ty shouted. He cupped his hands over the boy’s and showed him how to reel in. The kid caught on quick. Soon, a good-sized bream flopped onto the dock.
Jimmy jumped up and down pumping his fist into the air while Ty made certain the boy’s flopping fish didn’t pitch itself back into the water. When Sarah joined them, Ty handed her his phone.
“We have to take pictures,” he proclaimed.
He posed for several shots of the grinning kid holding his fish.
“As soon as we get back, I’ll print them out for you,” he offered when they finished.
Sarah tipped her head, the hint of a frown worrying her eyes. “And one for yourself. I’m sure you’ll always treasure it.”
Noting the tension that edged her voice, Ty shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
Immediately, he read disappointment in the subtle slump of Sarah’s shoulders and knew he was somehow to blame. Had she expected him to hang Jimmy’s photo on the wall at the Circle P? A look at her expectant expression told him that was exactly what she wanted. He resisted his first instinct and bit back a scoffing remark. He let his gaze drop to the child whose fine features reminded him so much of his ex-wife.
Ty stopped to rub a hand through his hair and gave the idea a chance to grow. Millie would always be a cord that tied him to Jimmy. Now that he’d had some time to get used to the idea, inviting the boy to spend a week or two on the Circle P each summer wasn’t out of the question. That earned the boy a spot on the wall, didn’t it? He gave the only answer available to him and nodded gruffly to Sarah.
“Yeah, I would like that picture,” he said before he steered things in another direction.
“It’s gonna be mighty slim pickin’s at dinner tonight if we don’t catch us a mess of fish. What do you say, slugger?” he asked, trying like heck not to let the boy’s wide smile melt his heart. “Think you and I can out-fish Ms. Sarah here? How ’bout if the loser has to clean the fish?”
“All right!” Jimmy picked up his rod.
Ty extended his hand for the obligatory shake to seal the deal, only to see Sarah eye him warily.
“Sure you want to make that bet?” she asked.
Challenge danced in her hazel eyes and Ty felt his own narrow. “Have you been holding out on us?” he asked.
“Hmm, maybe a little,” she said, a smile
teasing the corners of her mouth. She pointed toward a post where a taut cord stretched down to the water.
Now that he’d stopped to listen, Ty heard fish thrashing at the end of the stringer. The noise told him that Sarah had gotten a head start on filling their ice chest.
“Shh,” she whispered. She sneaked a glance at Jimmy. “Don’t tell.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ty answered as Sarah’s fingers slipped into his. The woman was full of surprises and, marveling at her warmth, he held on to her hand a little longer than necessary. He wanted more, wanted to pull her close, but aware they weren’t alone, he resisted the urge. He broke away and turned toward Jimmy. The little tyke was already digging around in the bait bucket for another night crawler.
“Better get your line wet,” Ty called, knowing he’d be the one stuck with the messy job of cleaning their catch and not minding one bit.
Chapter Eight
The morning they were to break camp and start the trek to Kissimmee, Sarah eased open the bunkhouse door on a day so new the sun was only a promising glow on the horizon. Standing in the doorway, she drew in a deep breath. Icy cold knifed into her lungs. She coughed. Smoke plumed in the air around her. A chill seeped through her boots, her socks and into her feet. She squinted, drawing her arms tight to her chest. Above a thick mist, the tops of palm trees floated like pom-poms in the distance.
Awed by the sudden change in the weather, she shivered. Only yesterday afternoon, they’d eaten outside, feasting on fresh-caught fish, hush puppies and all the fixings spread on long tables beneath shade trees. She stomped her feet.
A cheery tune cut through the sound-dampening fog. Seconds later, a familiar shape rounded the corner of the bunkhouse. Despite the freezing temperatures, Sarah felt a warm spot open in her chest when she noticed Ty, saw his footsteps falter and heard the last of his whistled notes fade. He changed direction and, as he headed toward her, his bright smile cleared the early morning cobwebs from her mind.
“Mornin’,” he called with a slight tug on the brim of his cowboy hat. “You’re up early.”
“Had to make sure Jimmy was warm enough.”
A wide grin split the lower half of Ty’s face. “That little scamp couldn’t get enough to eat last night, could he?”
Sarah let her smile deepen. Last night, Ty had insisted on keeping Jimmy’s fish separate from the others. “A boy deserves to eat his first catch,” he’d said, dishing the special fillet onto the child’s plate. The kid had wolfed it down, then helped himself to seconds and thirds.
“You were right about the sunshine and fresh air being good for him. He slept through the night without waking a single time.” Sarah crossed her fingers, hoping she’d dealt with the last of the boy’s nightmares. She stilled as Ty began a slow inspection that started at the top of her head and ended somewhere below her jawline.
A frown creased his forehead. “But you didn’t? Bed uncomfortable?”
“No,” she hurried to reassure him. “No, it’s fine.”
With a sly glance and a teasing lift of his eyebrows, Ty continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “’Cause I can offer you another place to sleep if you’d like.”
The implication started a slow burn that coiled upward from below Sarah’s waist. Thrown off guard by her visceral reaction, she sucked in a deep breath of icy air. Despite her traitorous body, she did not want to share Ty’s bed. Much. At least not until she got to know him better. She clasped her arms more tightly and gave herself stern orders to get the conversation back onto a nice, safe topic…like the weather.
“I slept fine,” she insisted, praying her face hadn’t turned a flaming red. “It’s just that once I woke up, I couldn’t get back to sleep.” She didn’t mention the worry that had driven her out of the room as soon as she rolled over and felt the nip in the air. “Any idea how low the temperatures dropped?”
Half hoping Ty would refuse to let her get away with changing the subject, she watched him scuff a boot through the grass. He waited for it to spring upright before he answered. “Probably not below forty,” he said. “I heard freeze warnings were up as far south as Fort Pierce. The orange groves around Ocala got hit real bad.”
The answer doused the last flicker of heat in Sarah’s midsection. She worried her bottom lip. Most of her plants would survive one night of record lows, providing the sitter had covered them with blankets and sheets. Beyond that…
“It’ll be another long night for the orange growers,” Ty said with a glance at the cloudless sky. “They’ll be running the irrigation systems for all they’re worth.” During a hard freeze, grove owners sprayed the trees with water, hoping the ice would insulate the branches and minimize loss.
“Crap,” Sarah muttered. She doubted the sitter could protect her delicate tropical plants two nights in a row. Not sure she wanted to hear the answer, she asked Ty how long the cold snap would last.
“A couple of days at the most.” He shrugged. “But you don’t have to worry. I have extra coats and jackets for everyone, including Jimmy. We’ll bundle you up real good. Or, you don’t have to ride today. You could stay here at the bunkhouse, catch up with us once things warm up a bit.”
A shiver that had nothing to do with low temperatures flooded through Sarah. “No, I’m fine. Honestly. It’s just…”
Her voice trailed off. Talking about her hobby seemed like such a waste of time when she really wanted to take advantage of the chance to get to know Ty better.
“What?” he prompted.
Sarah sighed. “I collect tropical plants. I’m worried about them.” To lose all her stock now, especially since she wouldn’t be making a trip to Hawaii to buy new ones anytime soon, well, that would make it hard to recover.
Ty blew out a long breath. “So that’s what smelled so good in your office. Those flowers kind of reminded me of the Islands. What were they?”
“Plumeria,” she answered, surprised that he’d noticed—and remembered—the fragrance. The man was rapidly tearing down his rough-and-tumble image and replacing it with something more endearing. Despite his continued refusal to accept Jimmy as his son, he’d gone out of his way to make sure the boy enjoyed himself. He’d treated her with such kindness and concern that she was only just beginning to realize how hard it was to figure out Ty Parker. She smiled at him, determined to put her best effort into the task.
“They’re native to Hawaii, but they grow pretty well in Florida…as long as they don’t freeze. Or the bugs don’t get to them. Or, in some cases, there’s too much sun.”
“Sounds a lot like cattle ranching.” Ty straightened. “Well, I hope your plants are okay. It’d be a shame to lose something so pretty.” The knowing glance he sent her way said flowers weren’t the only pretty thing he’d hate to lose. He stamped his feet against the cold-hardened ground. “Some hot coffee sounds mighty good right now. How about we rustle up a cup?”
Sarah started, suddenly aware that while she’d yammered on about her problems, they’d been standing outside in the freezing cold.
But any hope of a quiet chat with Ty evaporated the minute they reached the main room. There, Matt, Elliott and the Garrisons waited patiently while Doris bustled about, setting steaming trays of food on the buffet line. Sarah ducked her head so Ty wouldn’t see the disappointment she knew had slipped onto her face.
“Duty calls,” he whispered while the others hailed him with greetings that sounded far too hearty for this early in the day. “Rai
n check?”
“Sure thing,” she said, meeting his gaze and seeing her own regret mirrored in his eyes. “I probably need to get Jimmy up and moving anyway.”
While Ty moved off to make the expected small talk with the others, she shoved aside her misgivings about the lost opportunity with a reminder that another week of the cattle drive remained. She’d have plenty more chances to spend quality time with the rancher, and she was determined to make the best of them, beginning with the campfire tonight.
Immediately after breakfast, Doris, with Jimmy securely strapped into the seat beside her, headed north. There’d be a hot meal waiting by the time the cattle drive reached the next campsite. No one else seemed in a hurry to brave the cold, and several hours passed before the last duffel bag was tossed into the back of a pickup truck. Once they finally mounted up, Sarah joined the Garrisons and the businessmen who spread out at the back of the drive where they were told to be on the lookout for strays.
By late morning, though she hadn’t spotted a single loose cow, Sarah agreed that Ty had been right about one thing—temperatures had risen considerably thanks to a sky filled with bright sunshine. She pulled Belle aside, shucked the heavy sweatshirt she’d pulled on over long sleeves and whipped it into a tight roll. Twisting around to tie it behind her saddle, she spotted a pair of enormous brown eyes watching her from behind a thick clump of palmetto bushes.
“Hey,” she said softly. “What are you doing back here?”
Sarah gathered her reins, prepared to work Belle around the stray. A move that, as it turned out, wasn’t necessary.
“Good girl,” Sarah encouraged when the cow stepped from behind the bushes. So fat it had developed a gentle hump over her front shoulders, the animal sported a sleek gray coat that stood out from the rest of Ty’s brown cattle. She prodded Belle and her pretty prize to catch up with the others.
They still lagged the last of the stragglers by a good margin when Sarah spotted a horse and rider headed her way. The broad shoulders she’d rested her head against were unmistakable, and she felt the gentle stirring of attraction she’d come to expect whenever Ty was in the vicinity. Her pulse rose until she was struck by how much her feelings toward the tall rancher had changed in the short time she’d spent on the Circle P.
