by Tina Leonard
Her dad loved being the center of attention. Before his illness, he’d always been too busy with the ranch and his job to enjoy life.
Nanette murmured in her sleep, a contented snuffle as she changed her breathing pattern. Mason liked to hold her and read her to sleep. A lot of Winnie-the-Pooh, which Nanette insisted on, and then Mason would read some outdated classical Greek philosopher or even a Bible story. It depended upon his mood. By then, Nanette had had her Winnie, and she was in Mason’s arms, and she didn’t care what Euclidian, Pythagorean, or biblical construct Uncle Mason was trying to introduce her to.
She did like the stories of the angels, though. The philosophers and mathematicians she ignored.
It had been a glimpse into Mason’s life that Mimi could only marvel at. Maverick Jefferson had done an amazing job of educating his children. The Jeffersons had attended public school with her, but it had mainly been a social exercise for them. It was Maverick who’d shaped those boys intellectually.
She could understand Mason’s desire to find out what had happened to their father. She put her finger in Nanette’s hand, and her daughter tightened her fist around it. Nanette would someday want to know about her father.
This had become very clear to Mimi one day in the bakery. Several little girls had come after church to get cookies and doughnuts, all with their fathers in tow. Nanette had stood on uncertain feet, her smile wide as she watched the families enter, a crumbling cookie in her hand as everybody walked in and made much of her.
One day, she would ask about her father. Would he attend church with her? Would he go to the bakery afterward? Would he…would he…
Mimi’s heart tore. There was so much she’d been afraid to say.
But then Mason had left before she could tell him her feelings.
She stood, turning out the tiny lamp beside Nanette’s bed. It wasn’t too late to say what needed to be said. It was, however, too late to continue being afraid of losing Mason.
Whatever happened, whether they remained friends or became something more, was less important than Nanette growing up knowing what was right and wrong and knowing the truth about her world.
Mimi picked up her overnight bag, knowing Nanette was in good hands with Grandpa and the myriad “aunts and uncles” who liked to come visit. Mimi wouldn’t be gone long.
Just long enough to finally put the past to rest.
BANDERA AND HOLLY CAUGHT up with Mason, Marielle, Cousin Mike and Hawk in the arroyo. It wasn’t, Bandera mused, exactly the way he’d meant to introduce Holly to the tracker, but apparently, Hawk liked to hold his gatherings among Indian totems, near a cave hidden behind large, spiky bushes.
“Sheesh, Hawk,” he said. “We might never have found this place if you hadn’t told us where to look.”
“Who’s this?” Hawk demanded.
“Holly. She’s…finding herself.”
Hawk grunted. Holly held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
Hawk shook her hand briefly, then turned back around to look at Mason. “Dude, did you have to bring a whole brigade with you?”
“It didn’t start out that way,” Mason said wryly. “When I left this morning, it was just me.” He sent a glare toward Bandera, but his brother just shrugged.
“This is where Ranger married Hannah,” Hawk said. “I performed the ceremony.”
“Really?” Holly’s eyes glowed, the wedding planner in her coming alive, Bandera supposed. “Kind of hard to get the wedding party in here.”
Hawk grimaced. “The wedding party rolled down the hill into the arroyo, after stepping on a poisonous plant. The howl could be heard for miles.”
Holly blinked. Bandera hid a smile. “This isn’t really the right spot to think about planning a wedding,” he told her.
“Oh, I’m not,” she said. “I’m not planning weddings anymore. I’ve decided upon a new business.”
“You have?” Bandera said. “Already?”
“Yes. I’m going to open the Honeymoon Balloons company, complete with hot air balloon, secluded cabin and lavish food service. Very secluded. Very romantic. Think bed-and-breakfast in the air.”
He stared at her. “You are nuts.”
“Ahem.” Hawk cleared his throat. “Mason has something on his mind.”
They all sat on rocks in the canyon. Holly perched as far away from Bandera as possible, he noticed, probably annoyed at his lack of support for her business idea. But how was a man supposed to react to such a crazy idea?
Then again, he thought, I’m sitting in a canyon with a medicine man, a couple of perfect strangers and a runaway bride. What was normal about that?
Holly shifted on her rock, staring at Mason as he spoke. Bandera barely listened as his brother outlined his proposal to Hawk. Bandera was concentrating on Holly’s pursed lips. Maybe she wasn’t pursing, he thought. They were just naturally plump and kissable and inviting—
“Bandera,” Hawk said, his tone annoyed. “Are you with us?”
“With who?” he asked, snapped from his musings.
“With me and Mason. I’m heading to Alaska to look for information on your father. Cousin Mike is going to escort Marielle back home, and Holly is…”
His voice trailed off.
“I’m fine,” Holly said brightly. “I was planning on riding with my cousin, anyway. I can go back home with him. I want to stop at that balloon festival and ask some questions.”
Marielle perked up. “I’ve got some land near my motorcycle shop you could rent from me, which would be perfect for that type of getaway.”
Holly beamed. “I’ll go with you, then. Thanks.”
Something nettled Bandera’s heart. The woman was so independent. It was annoying! Women who were interested in a man, who returned their interest, usually tried to hang around. In fact, any woman he had ever kissed usually did her darnedest to stay very close to him.
Holly seemed determined to run away. He supposed it was in her blood, just as some Jefferson things were in his own blood. Clearly, her motivation and his were not meant to mix.
“Bandera?” Hawk asked. “What are you going to do?”
“If I don’t go with Mason,” Bandera said with a sigh, “he may never return home. That’s my job, following Mason back to Union Junction.”
Marielle laughed. “He doesn’t seem like such a bad boy to me.”
Mason blushed, Bandera noted with interest.
When everyone had made their plans, Bandera stared at Holly. She raised her chin, looking right back at him stubbornly.
“You’ll regret stopping your run so soon,” he said softly.
“You’ll have regrets, too,” she replied, her eyes wide. “Mason can take care of himself.”
“You don’t know Mason,” Bandera said. “Actually, none of my family takes care of themselves very well.”
She laughed, turning toward Cousin Mike’s motorcycle, but Bandera caught her hand. “You want to ride back in the truck and tell me more about this Honeymoon Balloon thing? I’m pretty sure you need me to brainstorm ideas with you.”
“I do not,” Holly said, removing her hand.
“Oh, go with him,” Cousin Mike said suddenly, with a surreptitious look at Marielle. “He won’t bite, and there’s no rush to get back. Your mom called before you got here and said she and your dad are going on vacation.”
She blinked. “Where?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You’d gotten them so excited with your wedding and honeymoon plans that they decided to take one of their own. Think they murmured something about renewing their vows.”
“Oh,” Holly said softly, then smiled. “How very romantic of them.”
“Yeah.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest, glancing at Marielle. “Think it was on their minds.”
Marielle blushed.
Mason’s cell phone rang. He jumped, pulling it from his pocket.
“Hello? Hey, Mimi,” he said.
The whole group stared at him.
“You are? Okay. Let me have Hawk tell you how to get to Jellyfish’s then. There’s no point in you stopping here, and we’re on our way there.” He passed the cell phone to Hawk. “Mimi’s passing near here on her way to…to somewhere.” He wrinkled his face. “I don’t think she said where.”
Hawk took the cell phone and gave her instructions.
“That reminds me,” Bandera said, “Mimi called earlier. I meant to tell you.”
“What did she want?”
She’d want you to not be with another woman, Bandera thought but didn’t say. “I’m not sure. I told her I’d have you call her.”
Holly looked at him funny. Okay, so he was prevaricating, but he didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a Mimi-Mason miscommunication. Holly had no idea how tense things could get between those two.
“Okay.” Mason turned away. “Thanks for the ride, Marielle.”
“Anytime.” She grinned up at him. “It was great riding with you. You know how to lean into the turns just right, cowboy.”
Mason grinned back. “And you know all the right things to say to make a man feel good.”
They kissed goodbye—on the cheek, Bandera noticed with some relief—then Mason headed to the truck. To the passenger seat. That meant Bandera was driving, and if Holly went with them she would be in the back seat. Alone. He did some quick seat rearranging in his mind. Before Mason was halfway to the truck, Bandera said, “You drive, Mason.”
His brother caught the keys he tossed him. “Why?”
“So Holly’s not alone in the back.”
Marielle and Cousin Mike laughed. Holly glared. “I don’t mind being alone in the back. I was planning on taking a nap. And changing out of this tank top. All these seed pearls and sequins are starting to bother me. I want to put on a comfy T-shirt.”
Bandera’s eyes went huge. Holly was planning on taking her shirt off in the truck. The thought was almost more than he could bear. His mouth dried out but his body began to sweat in strange places. Small, perky little breasts with nothing more than a bra covering them—
“Bandera,” Mason said sternly. “Stop leering.”
“I’m not leering!” Bandera glared at his brother. “For cripe’s sake, Mason!”
“Well, whatever.” Mason scratched his jaw. “Holly, I apologize for my brother’s behavior. He can be a bit of an oaf.”
“I’m not an oaf!” Bandera was on the verge of being really mad with his eldest brother. “You know, you’re not the father figure in our house anymore, Mason, if you haven’t noticed. We’re all grown up, with our own wishes and responsibilities, and you don’t have the right to shepherd us any longer.”
Silence grew in the canyon as everyone went still. Overhead, the sun was covered by a cloud, and a hawk circled in the sky to the east. Somewhere a bird screeched and Bandera’s heart did, too, because Holly was staring at him, shocked. As if she’d never seen him before.
Maybe she hadn’t. Not the real him. Better she figure out just how malfunctioning their whole tribe was before she decided to go another mile with him.
“I’m just going to go sit in the truck,” she said softly, “in the back, by myself, just me and my little purse and my Honeymoon Balloon retreat ideas.”
Bandera glared at Mason, then turned on his heel and followed her to the truck. Silently, they both got in, she in the back and he in the front, while everyone else said goodbye to each other. Bandera stiffly avoided Holly, now that Mason had pointed out how he was acting. Maybe he was a sex-crazed oaf, but Mason didn’t need to say that in front of her.
“Don’t look,” she said. “I’m going to do a quick change.”
He swallowed hard. “I’m not turning around.”
“Thank you.”
He heard a pulling sound, like a zipper going down. He closed his eyes, not wanting to envision what he was envisioning. Skin, more skin, round breasts—
“It’s stuck,” Holly said. “Rats!”
“What’s stuck?”
“The zipper. Don’t turn around.”
“I’m not!” Zippers weren’t his department, other than the one on his jeans. He heard a ripping sound. “What was that?”
“I accidentally pulled too hard. But it’s off,” Holly said with a happy sigh. “I’m free from the silken prison.”
He wasn’t. “Are you dressed?”
“Yes. The feel of cotton is heaven. I never realized that before!”
“Well, you didn’t plan on wearing a wedding gown for several hours.”
“No, and I never will again. I’m skipping the whole concept next time.”
He frowned. “Marriage or fancy gowns?”
“Both.”
He wasn’t certain he liked the sound of that. Not that marriage with Holly ever crossed his mind—it didn’t, and it wouldn’t—but she could at least be a little open to the possibility. “You’ll probably be married by this time next year.”
She laughed. “Bandera, you have no idea how great my desire is to avoid what I just ran away from.”
Of their own accord his fingers drummed on the dash. “Actually, I do.”
Sighing, she got out of the truck and went to the passenger side. “You drive, I’ll sit here, we’ll chat, and Mason can sit in the back and read the map.”
Bandera perked up. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I don’t know. I think I confuse you.”
Ignoring that, he closed her door for her, then went around to the driver’s side. “Mason! Come on!” Getting in, he said, “Buckle up.”
He leaned over to make sure her buckle was tight, pausing as he realized he’d gotten too close. She smelled good. He’d forgotten how much he liked being right up against her, feeling her soft, warm skin against his. His conscience kicked in, reminding him that today another man had meant to wed her, and all Bandera had done was kiss her rather tepidly, when he should have kissed her until she begged for—
No, no, that wasn’t right. He was being an oaf! If he was any kind of gentleman, he’d remember that her heart was tender and delicate and today was her wedding day and he should leave her alone, and—
“Oh, forget it,” he said, pulling her toward him. “Now that you’ve stripped off your last bit of wedding attire, let’s celebrate.” And he kissed her, rejoicing when he realized she was kissing him back without hesitation.
It felt great to be an oaf.
Mason cleared his throat as he got into the back of the truck. Bandera and Holly jumped apart nervously.
“Is that how they read maps nowadays?” Mason asked dryly. “Two heads are better than one—preferably locked at the—”
“Mason,” Bandera said in warning.
“Sorry.”
In the rearview mirror, Bandera could see Mason’s grin. He wasn’t sorry at all.
“I’m going to stretch out and nap,” he said. “Let me know when Mimi catches up to us if I’m still asleep.”
Bandera switched on some soft country music to prevent conversation. What had he been thinking, kissing Holly like that, out in the open where anybody could see them?
That’s when he knew he was too close for comfort. Too close to losing his head. She tempted him. She made his body scream with questions he wanted answered.
It’s just because she’s safe, he told himself. After all, she’d made her case over and over again. She intended to stay single. The whole wedding thing had gotten her down. She’d even decided to change her business.
So that meant he must just be taking advantage of her weak moment. Which was unchivalrous as hell.
He vowed not to touch her again.
Her fingers touched his wrist. He glanced up, seeing the smile that gently lit her face. “It’s okay,” she said. “I liked it.”
Maybe she had, but she didn’t know what she was talking about. People with damaged hearts rarely did. All his life he’d been surrounded by humans with banged up hearts who acted irrationally. He knew exactly what happened when
the ol’ love bug got squashed on your windshield.
In the back seat, Mason snored, not a bit worried, it seemed, that the woman who’d squashed his heart like a bug was on the way to see him.
Maybe, Bandera thought, I’m taking this all too seriously. He pulled his hand away from Holly’s and moved the truck into gear, heading down the road.
“It won’t work,” he said. “It’s all wrong.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I’m okay with wrong. I already tried right, and it didn’t feel anywhere near as good as this does.”
He ground his teeth. No woman could snap back as fast as Holly had. But he wanted so badly to believe that neither her wedding nor her groom had meant a thing to her.
She said she hadn’t loved the guy, but still…she might be trying to save face. Or convince herself. She had to be terribly hurt.
Yet Bandera wanted her, and he wanted to push away all the bad memories of her destroyed wedding day so that she’d move forward thinking only of him.
“I’ve decided you protest too much,” he said suddenly. “Marry me. I’ll treat you so good you’ll think every day is your wedding day.”
Chapter Six
Holly stared at Bandera, shocked by his proposal. Was he serious? He seemed serious…but one could never tell with a man, and probably even less with one of these wily Jeffersons. “I don’t think so,” she said. “We’re just passing the time by kissing each other.”
“Yes, but together we’d run an excellent bed-and-breakfast. As long as you didn’t spend all your time floating around in a hot air balloon.”
“You want to go into business with me?” she asked. “I’m not too crazy about that idea. You’re a bit bossy, and I was sort of looking forward to being on my own.”
“Yes, but how can we run an effective honeymoon business unless we’re married? We need to show that we know what we’re talking about.”
