by Diana Palmer
“Mommy, these pancakes are so good.”
“I’m glad, honey, but don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Molly smiled at her son. “Five is a lot, even for a growing boy. But you do need to finish your milk.”
“Your cakes taste just like Granna’s.”
Noticing that Trent’s mouth was smeared with syrup and butter, Molly grabbed a paper towel, moistened it, then wiped his entire face, while he squirmed. “Be still. You can’t go to day care dirty.”
“I’m not dirty.”
“Yes, you are,” she corrected him with a broader smile. “Go brush your teeth, then we’ll go.”
“Where’s he going?”
Stunned that Worth had pulled her stunt and made an appearance without her knowledge sent her heart into a tailspin. Striving to cover that fact, Molly pulled in a deep breath, and looked at him, which only added to her trepidation. It looked as though he’d just gotten out of the shower as his thick hair was still damp and slightly unruly, which always made her want to run her hands through it.
But it was what he had on that had her heart in such a dither. His flannel shirt was tucked into worn jeans that fit his long, muscled legs like a second skin, especially over his crotch, leaving nothing to the imagination.
For a moment her eyes honed in on that private area and set up camp. Then realizing what she was doing, she jerked her head up at the same time she felt heat flood her face.
To make matters worse, she knew what he was thinking. The lines around his mouth deepened, his eyes turned into banked down coals of desire. Their gazes met and held for what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only seconds.
Bless Trent. He was the one who broke the tension that sizzled between them.
“Hey, Worth.”
Her son’s words brought Molly back to reality with a thud. “Mr. Cavanaugh to you, young man.”
“It’s okay. He can call me Worth. I want him to.”
Trent turned his eyes tentatively to his mother, as if seeking her approval. “Whatever,” she said without conviction.
“I love your cows and horses,” Trent said to Worth. “I wish I could ride one of your horses,” he added down in the mouth.
“Trent.” Molly’s tone was reprimanding.
Trent pawed the tile floor with a booted foot, his lower lip beginning to stick out. “I didn’t do nothing, Mommy.”
“He sure didn’t.” Worth squatted in front of him. “How ‘bout I start teaching you to ride today?”
“No,” Molly exclaimed in horror.
Both looked at her like she’d just sprouted two heads.
“I’m about to take Trent to day care.”
“Why?” Worth asked, standing, his gaze pinning hers.
Though she wanted to squirm, she didn’t. She met him eye for eye. “Because I can’t see about him and the house, too. And Mother’s not able.”
“Kathy can watch him.”
“I need her to help me.”
A grim look crossed Worth’s face, especially his lips. “I don’t want you doing that.”
Molly glanced over at Trent, then back to Worth, as if to say now’s not the time to have this discussion.”
“Mommy?”
Without taking her eyes off Worth, she said to her son, “Run brush your teeth.”
After looking from one adult to the other, Trent trudged off, his little shoulders slumped.
“He’s not a happy camper,” Worth said into the tension-filled silence.
“He’ll get over it.”
“Let him stay here, Molly. I’ll hire someone to watch him.”
“I can’t allow that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I’m responsible for running the house—your house—and I don’t want to be worried about Trent and what he’s into. Furthermore, it’s not your place to hire someone to watch my son.”
“For God’s sake, Molly, that’s all the more reason to put an end to this nonsense. I don’t want you running my house.”
“Are you backing out on your word, Worth?” She glared at him.
His eyes narrowed on her. “Unlike you, I don’t do that.”
She wasn’t stupid; she knew where that remark originated. He had just taken another potshot at her for when she’d walked out on him. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t do that, either.”
He sneered, then muttered something under his breath. She didn’t want to know what it was because it would add coals to an already smoldering fire that simmered between them. Until her mother was up and about, Molly reminded herself she must contain her tongue and hold her counsel, or else she wouldn’t survive this jungle she’d reentered.
“I was serious when I offered to teach him to ride,” Worth said in a more conciliatory tone than she’d heard in a while. “But I was more serious about him staying here.”
Fear burgeoned inside her. “Why do you care?”
“He seems to be a good boy, and I know how much Maxine enjoys his company. She talks about him all the time, how much she misses seeing him.”
“My mother told you that?”
“You act shocked,” he remarked in a dry voice.
“I guess I am.” Molly’s tone was confused.
“Obviously you don’t know it, but I have a great deal of respect for your mother. She’s not just my housekeeper. She’s a friend and part of my family.”
“I appreciate that, Worth,” Molly said in a halting voice as she shifted her gaze. “I really do. I know she feels the same about you.”
“That she does.”
“Again, I so appreciate your patience with her injury.”
“When she hurt her back,” Worth responded, “her mind must’ve conjured up the worst possible case scenario because I never had any intention of letting her go.”
“She definitely went into the panic mode.”
“Under those circumstances, my suggestion is that you spend time working with, and caring, for her, and let the house go.”
“I can’t do that, Worth. Even though I’m a nurse, and a good one I might add, I’m not a physical therapist. Too, it wouldn’t be good for Mother and me to be together that much. Too much togetherness can be a bad thing.”
“Don’t I know that,” he muttered again.
“Speaking of togetherness, how are Eva and Ted?” Not that she cared, she told herself, stunned that she’d even inquired.
Worth shrugged and gave her a strange look. “Same as always—great.”
“I’m glad,” Molly acknowledged in a stiff tone.
“You never did like them and still don’t.” A flat statement of fact.
Molly deliberately changed the subject. “When I get back from town, I need to talk to you about upcoming events. I know about the day-to-day run-of-the-mill things. Mom told me your schedule, more or less, that you—”
“Dammit, Molly, put a stopper in it, okay?”
Her mouth clamped shut at the same time her temper flared. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that.”
“Sorry,” he muttered again, shoving a hand through his hair, clearly indicating his irritation.
“Look, Worth, we can’t go on like this.”
“And how is that?”
“You’re being deliberately obtuse, but for the moment I’m going to let that pass.”
Worth eyes darkened on her. “Okay, you win.”
Molly’s breathing slightly accelerated. “On both Mother and Trent?”
“On one.”
“And that is?”
“The house.”
Her anger rose. “You have nothing to say about Trent.”
“Don’t you want him here?”
“Of course,” she admittedly tersely.
“Then let him stay. I know someone who’s perfect to look after him.”
“And I’ll pay them,” she said in an unbending tone.
After having said that, she experienced a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach like she’d done something terribly wrong and
didn’t know how to fix it.
Worth and Trent should not be a pair, but if she continued to remain unmovable, then it might raise a red flag, giving Worth cause for thought. She couldn’t allow that. Hence, she’d try Worth’s plan. If it didn’t work out, then she could always insist on reverting to her plan and to hell with what Worth said or thought.
“That’s fine by me,” he said on a sigh.
“So can we get down to other business now?” she asked.
He made a face, then peered at his watch. “Now’s not a good time for me. I have to meet with a breeder. How ‘bout later, maybe this evening?”
Before you go see your lover. I don’t think so. Appalled at her catty thoughts, Molly felt the color drain from her face as she turned quickly around, praying that he hadn’t read her thoughts through her eyes.
“Molly?”
The crusty edge in his voice brought her eyes back around. “What?”
For another long moment, their gazes held.
Worth cleared his throat, then said in an even crustier tone. “Will that be okay?”
“I guess so,” she responded in brittle tone.
Worth gave her another long look out of suddenly vacant eyes, then left the room. Once alone, Molly sank against the kitchen cabinet for support, wondering how she was going to survive staying there even one more day.
He just couldn’t keep a lid on it.
It was as though he’d suddenly developed diarrhea of the mouth. He shouldn’t have interfered with her plan to put the kid in day care. The last thing he wanted was to be saddled with her brat.
Not true.
He liked the boy, and that was the problem. He should leave them both alone, have as little to do with them as possible. Only that wasn’t possible since Molly insisted on working for him.
Damn her lovely hide.
Only she wasn’t to blame. He could have put his foot down and said an emphatic no and meant it. She wouldn’t have had a choice but to comply. After all, she was on his turf with no alternative but to do as he said.
But again, he’d wimped out, and let her have her way, at least on one account.
Worth let go of a string of expletives that did little to relieve that gnawing in his gut. If only she didn’t look so good or smell so good, having her around would be easier.
This morning when he’d walked into the kitchen and saw her dressed in those low cut tight black jeans that hugged her butt and legs to perfection, and the white T-shirt that also hugged her breasts and stomach with the same perfection, he wanted to grab her and punish her with hard, angry kisses for the havoc she was wreaking in his life.
Of course, he hadn’t made such an insane move, didn’t plan to, either. He aimed to keep as wide a berth between them as possible. With that kind of rationale, he’d be fine, or so he hoped. To think she’d only been there four days. That already seemed an eternity.
Realizing he was almost at his parents’ house, Worth gave his head a fierce shake to clear it. Molly was poison and he had to stop thinking about her, stop wanting her. Around his parents, he had to be constantly on guard; they were much too inquisitive and much too intuitive.
They had never liked her and had made that quite clear. But he hadn’t given a damn. He’d liked her. Hell, he’d loved her, and would have married her if she hadn’t left him.
Bitterness rose in the back of Worth’s throat in the form of bile. Swallowing deliberately, he concentrated on maneuvering up the circular drive in front of his parent’s antebellum home. About that time, his father walked onto the porch.
Olivia’s father, Peyton Blackburn, stepped out, too, just as Worth braked his truck, killed the engine and got out.
He didn’t have anything against Blackburn except that he thought he was better than most, but then that seemed a characteristic of many of the well-to-do families in this town. He was sure people said the same about him and his parents.
“Hey, son, your timing’s perfect.”
At sixty Ted Cavanaugh still posed a striking figure, Worth thought. Tall and slender with a thatch of silver hair and blue eyes, his good looks had turned many ladies’ heads. But as far as Worth knew, he’d never looked at another woman besides his mother. From all appearances, they seemed to adore each other.
“What’s up, Dad?” Worth asked, then let his gaze wander to Olivia’s dad who posed an unstriking figure. Blackburn, in his middle sixties, looked his age, sporting a paunch around the middle and deep grooves in his face. But the main reason Worth thought him unattractive was the scowl that rarely left his face.
Even now, when he appeared to be smiling, he wasn’t. Yet when he spoke, his voice was pleasant enough. “We’re working a deal, young man,” he said to Worth. “It concerns you.”
Worth paused, shook Peyton’s outstretched hand, then patted his dad on the shoulder. “How so?”
Ted smiled a huge smile and was about to speak when Peyton jumped in. “No, let me tell him.”
“Suit yourself,” Ted exclaimed in an amicable tone.
“Tell me what?” Worth was curious and it showed.
“I’ve decided to go ahead and deed Olivia that parcel of land that adjoins yours.”
Good for Olivia, Worth wanted to say, but didn’t. What he did say was, “That’s great, but what does that have to do with me?”
Ted and Peyton both looked at each other, then back at him, stunned expressions on their faces.
“What?” Worth pressed, getting more agitated by the moment.
“It’s got everything to do with you, son, since you’re going to marry Olivia.”
Worth felt his jaw go slack.
Eight
“Dad, we need to talk.”
Worth knew his blunt words bordered on rudeness, especially since he’d totally ignored Ted Cavanaugh’s comment about marriage. But he didn’t give a damn. Who he married was none of his parents’ business, and he wasn’t about to let them think it was—rude or not.
Blackburn shifted as though uncomfortable, then said, “Ah, look, I’ll leave you two alone. I know you’ve got lots to discuss, especially with all this political stuff brewing.”
“Thanks for stopping by, buddy,” Ted responded absently.
Blackburn tipped the brim of his hat to both men, then spoke to Worth, “You take care, you hear? We’ll talk about the land and the race later.”
“Thanks, Peyton,” Worth said, “we’ll keep in touch.”
Once he’d driven off, Ted said, “Come on in. Your mother’s waiting to see you. I think she’s made breakfast.”
“Mother cooking?” Worth asked in a light voice, purposely masking the fury that was churning inside him.
“Hannah’s on vacation,” Ted said by way of explanation. “Anyway, we figured you’d be by, so …”
Worth’s father let the rest of the sentence trail off as they made their way inside, straight to the kitchen, where the smell of bacon and sausage put Worth’s stomach on edge. His mother was in the process of setting the table. When they entered, Eva looked up and smiled, then walked over and gave Worth a cool peck on the cheek.
Like his father, she didn’t look her age, continuing to hold her beauty. Although tall and rather strapping, she had beautiful skin and hair, hair that held its true color, a natural blond. But there was an air about Eva that was also off-putting.
“You’re shocked, I know,” she said, waving her hand across the bar where an array of food was set.
“You got that right. How long has it been since you’ve made a meal?”
“I’d rather not say,” Eva replied in a coy tone. “If you don’t mind, that is.”
Although she smiled, Worth noticed it never quite reached her eyes. Suddenly Molly’s face rose to the forefront of his mind. When she smiled, every feature lit.
Now where the hell had that come from? Dammit, Molly should be the furthest thing from his mind.
“Get a plate and chow down, son, then we’ll talk.”
The last thin
g Worth wanted to do was chow down. After the comment his father had made in front of Blackburn, his stomach remained in no mood to tolerate food, even if it smelled divine. In order not to hurt his mother’s feelings, he filled a plate and forced himself to swallow as much as he dared.
A while later, after the plates had been cleared and the cups refilled with freshly brewed coffee, Ted asked, “Did I open my mouth and insert my foot in front of Blackburn?”
Worth didn’t pull any punches. “You sure as hell did.”
Eva’s eyes sprang from one to the other. “What’s going on?”
Ted told her what he’d said.
Her eyes drilled her son. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. You do intend to marry Olivia, don’t you?” She paused, then went on before Worth could answer. “Although I am surprised she doesn’t have a ring and that a date hasn’t been set.”
Worth barely managed to keep a lid on his temper. “Marriage is not in the cards for me,” he said, “at least not any time soon.” Probably never, he wanted to add, but didn’t. No use throwing gasoline on a burning fire.
“And just why not?” Eva pressed in an irritated tone. “To be a more viable candidate for office, you need a suitable wife. And Olivia is certainly that.”
That lid was jarring loose. “Don’t you think that’s my call, Mother?”
“What about the land?” Ted chimed in. “I thought you wanted to increase the size of your herd of horses.”
A vein in Worth’s neck beat overtime. “I do, Dad.”
Had his parents always been this steeped in his business and he just hadn’t realized it? If so, perhaps that was because he was an only child, and they doted on him. No excuse. He refused to let them live their lives through him.
“Look, Art and I are trying to figure out a way to utilize the land I already have,” Worth explained. “We’re not there yet, but we’re making headway.”
“Why would you do that when more land is being offered on a silver platter?” Eva asked in that same irritated tone.
“Because I’m not ready to marry Olivia.”
“If your tone of voice is anything to judge by, you won’t ever be.”
“That’s entirely possible,” Worth quipped.
His parents looked at each other, then back at him. But again, it was his mother who spoke. “Is it because she’s back?”
