A small part of Cassie yearned to go downstairs and be included in their fellowship, a yearning she resisted. She wasn't the "real guest" Sylvia now deemed her. She was here for only one reason, to complete her job. Because of that, she had to retain her businesslike detachment.
As time wore on, though, she became increasingly restless, moving from spot to spot in the small room and pausing occasionally to gaze out the window. In Houston, she was a creature of the present. She stayed busy, not letting herself think about anything that wasn't in the here and the now. She never considered the future beyond the fact that she would keep doing what she was doing, working as Jimmy's agent, until…well, until she couldn't do it anymore. And then what? a tiny voice within her asked. She'd retreat to a place where she'd sit lost and alone and wait for the end? No, that wouldn't happen to her! She wouldn't be alone. She had friends. She even had a couple of ex-boyfriends who— Who, what? the tiny voice asked again. Even though she still counted both men among her friends, as soon as either relationship had started to deepen, something had made her pull back. And now both men were busy with their lives, forming other commitments, as were her other friends, two of whom had recently gotten married, and another who'd had a child. She was seeing less and less of them....even now.
Cassie turned away from the window. It was this infernal waiting that allowed time for so much introspection. Normally, she avoided self-examination. There was nothing wrong with living in the moment, not thinking about the future or dwelling in the past. The past. She tossed her head. What past did she have, other than growing up in Love? Which was something she did well not to think about. But which was damned difficult not to do when she was stuck in the middle of it!
She retrieved her suitcase from beneath the bed and opened it on the quilt. Her return to Love had been a mistake. She should have told Jimmy the truth. Asked him to find someone else to handle this negotiation. Even Diane, his twenty-two-year-old assistant, could have done better than she had so far. Diane certainly couldn't have done any worse. And if Jimmy had conducted the transaction himself, he would surely have had Ray Taylor eating out of his hand by now.
She would tell him the truth. And then she'd tell him that she was leaving. Right now, just as fast as she...
Her body stilled. What was wrong with her? Even after he learned the reality of what she was facing here, she knew exactly how Jimmy would react. He would consider what she now contemplated as running away. And the phrase run away wasn't in Jimmy's vocabulary. Neither was give up.
Cassie pushed the suitcase back under the bed. When she straightened, she saw that it was nearly six o'clock. The long hours spent waiting for the afternoon to be over had ended. From this moment, she was back on the clock. After dinner she would talk to Will about the family history. And after that? Well, she'd decide that later. It wouldn't be run away.
~~~~
TWO LEAVES HAD been added to the kitchen table to accommodate both family and guests around its laden surface. Cassie, uncomfortably, found herself seated at Will's right hand, with Sylvia at her side. David and Cindy Warren sat across from them, and the children were at the table's far end by Robbie. As bowls and platters were passed around, the naturally curious dentist and his wife took turns questioning her.
"Cassie, is it?" David asked as he helped himself to a hearty portion of mashed potatoes. At her confirming nod, he continued, "Where are you from, Cassie? I don't believe we heard earlier."
"Houston," Cassie said and she felt Will's quick glance at the omission of her home town roots.
"What part?" Cindy queried.
"Northwest."
"Oh," the woman returned immediately. "We have friends who live in Spring. Are you near Spring?"
"Not far away."
"And what do you do there?" David asked, but before she could answer, he peered down the table and reprimanded his young son who was using the salt and pepper shakers like dancing feet, making them clatter against the table top. "Seth! Behave yourself," he said sternly, and Seth instantly stopped.
"I'm in real estate investment," Cassie said casually. "Actually, the man I work for is in real estate investment."
"Ah." David nodded. Then stabbing his fork through the thick, crunchy crust of a perfectly cooked chicken-fried steak, he gave an even more satisfied, "Ahh," as he delivered it to his plate.
"Are you here for a few days like us or for longer?" Cindy asked, passing her husband the cream gravy.
"Possibly longer."
"Well, you couldn't have picked a better spot to stay," David said. "Sylvia, if this tastes as good as it looks—" He patted his thick waistline and compared it with Will and Robbie's more rangy frames. "I don't know how you two don't each weigh a ton, eating this good food every day. I certainly would."
Cindy laughed. "It's because they work hard, honey. They work it off."
"It's the country air," Will quipped.
"And a clear conscience," Robbie added with a wink at the two children.
"And the blarney," Sylvia said, grinning.
Friendly exchanges continued throughout the meal, with Will contributing his fair share. For someone who had resisted taking in lodgers on the ranch, he certainly seemed to be doing his best to be hospitable.
Cassie tried hard not to notice the strength and pleasing structure of his long-fingered hands or the way his shirt, open at the neck, allowed a few golden chest hairs, only a little darker than the hair on his head, to peep free of constraint. Or the way he seemed so relaxed—the exact opposite of her!
Cassie knew she was going to have to talk to him, to request the help that he himself had first proposed. But her stomach, which had been tight throughout the meal, constricted even more as the meal drew to a close.
As everyone rose from the table, Robbie asked the children if they'd like to learn to throw a lasso. The children, of course, were thrilled. David and Cindy said that they were going to sit on the front porch and watch the sun go down, and Will, after saying he had some work left to do, was at the back screen door before Cassie could make herself move.
"Uh...Will, could I have a word with you, please?" she asked.
He stopped short, glancing back. "Sure," he said. His pale eyes moved over her as he waited for her to begin.
No one had actually left the room yet, and since Cassie didn't want to make her request in front of an audience, especially Robbie, she hedged, "Could I walk with you, please?"
"Ho-ho!" David Warren teased, resting both hands on his wife's shoulders as he stood behind her. "That sounds like a country pickup line if I ever heard one!"
"David, stop it," Cindy chastised, smiling.
"Well, I don't see any rings on either of their fingers!"
"Come on," she said, tugging his arm, "let's get you out of here before Sylvia kicks us off the ranch."
"I was just playing," David defended as his wife pulled him into the hall.
Cassie maintained her cool exterior, but on the inside she was burning with embarrassment and annoyance.
Sylvia sent Cassie an apologetic grimace, and Robbie rolled his eyes before he scooted the children past Will, on their way to the working heart of the ranch.
"Sure, come along." Will said in answer to her previous question, as if nothing had occurred in between. He held the screen door open for her and waited.
~~~~
WILL COULDN'T HELP but notice the way the beige slacks and pale blue shirt she was now wearing fitted her body, showing off a tiny waist and curving hips that swayed ever so slightly as she walked.
She'd hardly said a word during supper, responding only when directly addressed. But that was the way she seemed determined to operate. A woman of few words, he thought with some amusement. But in this instance she was the one who'd asked to talk to him. He decided to let her be the one to call the shots.
After a few steps she glanced over her shoulder, her dark eyes checking his distance before she stopped and swung round to face him.
"Ear
lier you said I need a family history lesson. Your mother tells me you're the best person to give it to me. Would you?"
The request had a rehearsed sound to Will's ears. He decided to toss in a monkey wrench and see what happened. "Why didn't you tell the Warrens you're from Love?"
It took her a moment to answer. "Because it's none of their business."
"It's not because you're ashamed or anything, is it?"
"No," she answered quickly. Too quickly.
He shifted position, lazily crossing his arms. "Then why not admit it? Everyone's from somewhere. You're from here. Or is it that you'd like to forget that you're from here?"
Her cool demeanor began to crack. "I don't see—"
"Houston's a big place. Never seen a place quite so spread out. You can drive for miles and miles and still be inside the city limits. Do you like it better than here?"
"What I like doesn't matter," she retorted with a tight little edge. "I'm here to do a job, not—"
"I'd just like to know," he said easily.
Her dark eyes flashed. "In Houston, people leave you alone. They don't keep asking questions when you've made it perfectly clear that you—"
"So you do like it better there. Because people leave you alone."
"Yes!" she snapped, then took a visible breath before reclaiming her cool façade.
But Will knew better now. She wasn't as coolly calculating as she pretended. What good it would do him and why he should care were two things he would have to look into later. Right now, though, he just couldn't seem to stop himself from being curious about her.
He squinted into the distance. He was fast losing light, and he still had to see to the horses, do a little work in the shop and then, once inside for the night, do a whole lot of catching up on the computer. "Okay," he said. "I'll help. But not now. Later."
"How much later?" she prompted.
He gave a slow smile. "An hour to an hour and a half?"
"That's fine with me."
"Then it's a date." He smiled wryly. "This'll sure make David Warren happy if he hears about it."
"David Warren can—"
"Go someplace hotter'n a Texas summer?" Will supplied.
For the briefest second he thought she was going to smile. Instead she said levelly, "I'll see you then." And headed back to the house.
Will, setting off in the opposite direction, started to whistle.
~~~~
AS CASSIE OPENED the screen door, she knew she did not want to return to her room. She'd had enough of the place. Instead, she went over to where Sylvia was starting to put the meal's leftovers into storage containers and stationed herself at the sink. She needed to stay busy. The busier, the better.
"You don't have to do that," Sylvia said.
"I want to," Cassie replied and plunged glasses and cups into the plastic tub filled with hot soapy water.
"Well, I won't fight you on it," Sylvia said. "I'm kinda tired tonight."
The two women worked in companionable silence until Cassie said, "You should have a dishwasher."
Sylvia put the last of the leftovers into the refrigerator, dipped her fingers into the soapy water, rinsed them, and reached for a dishtowel. "That's what Will says. He tried like crazy to get me to agree to one when we started refurbishing the bunkhouse, but there's just something satisfying about doing the dishes by hand. You can think about things while you work, and when you're done, you feel this nice sense of accomplishment to have the kitchen all clean again."
"But with guests…"
"I know. With one or two people it isn't so bad. But with more…maybe I should have done it."
"You still can," Cassie suggested.
Sylvia shook her head. "Dishwashers cost money."
Cassie didn't know what to say next. She couldn't tell Sylvia she already knew about the family's tight financial situation, and neither could she make promises about an eventual agreement she might not be able to fulfill. She let the subject drop.
Silence stretched between them again, until, this time, Sylvia broke it. "You can tell me to mind my own business if you want, Cassie, but I can't help but wonder about you and your mom. She's gonna be hurt if she hears you're stayin' out here with us."
Cassie bobbled a plate, but managed to keep it from harm.
"I saw Bonnie this morning," she said, answering because she could hear the sincerity in Sylvia Taylor's voice. The woman was truly concerned.
"You did?"
"Outside Handy's."
"Ah," Sylvia murmured. Then added more forcefully, "You know, Cassie, things aren't quite the same as they used to be around here. Your mother—"
"Do you mind if we don't talk about my mother?" Cassie cut in, her words strained.
She could feel the older woman's eyes fix on her, trying to delve inside her, trying to see things Cassie didn't want anyone to see.
Cassie continued to wash and rinse plates and place them in the counter rack. One by one, Sylvia continued to dry and put them away.
Finally, Sylvia said, "Love's grown quite a bit since you've been away. Young folks movin' out and some of them movin' back again, starting their families. Other folks movin' here with theirs. You, ah, have you started a family yet, Cassie?"
Cassie shook her head.
"Are you married? David Warren mentioned that you're not wearing a ring, but women sometimes take their rings off or don't wear them for any number of reasons."
"No, I'm not married," Cassie answered. Questions, always questions, but always springing from Sylvia's good-hearted interest.
Sylvia sighed, "Will's not married either. Sometimes I don't think he'll ever marry. I've almost given up hope. I always wanted a grandbaby or two." She looked out the window toward where Robbie had the children tossing ropes near one of the outbuildings and chuckled. "Although honestly, at times, tryin' to keep Dad in line is a lot like tryin' to deal with a nine-year-old. Maybe that's why he gets on with them so well. Which is something that's sure surprised the heck out of me. I thought he was gonna fuss about havin' to deal with kids, and there he is out there havin' a grand ol' time!"
As Cassie plunged the last stainless-steel pot into the soapy water, Sylvia said, "I'll take it from here. You go outside and enjoy yourself. Weather's been so nice this spring. Not near as hot as last spring or the one before." Then she surprised Cassie by giving her a quick hug. "Thanks, Cassie. I truly appreciate the help."
Flustered, Cassie could only murmur, "I'm...used to staying busy."
She tried to make light of it by shrugging, but Sylvia's show of motherly affection unsettled her. Bonnie wasn't much of a hugger and most of the household chores that Cassie had performed regularly while growing up had gone largely unnoticed.
~~~~
CASSIE HAD NO destination in mind when she set off from the house, until childish laughter drew her to Robbie and the children.
"'At's it! Ya did it that time!" Robbie loudly proclaimed his approval. "See, I told ya. You just give your wrist a little flick."
Seth was beaming as he danced over to where his loop of rope encircled an old tree stump.
Melissa sat cross-legged on the ground a short distance away, absorbed in herding a beetle with a long piece of straw, her length of rope forgotten at her side.
Robbie winked at Cassie as she joined them.
"I wanna do it again!" Seth cried as he ran back.
"Well, you know what to do, ya just have 'ta do it!"
The boy painstakingly coiled his rope and awkwardly tried to throw the loop as he'd been shown. He failed in his attempt and stomped miserably around in reaction.
"Keep tryin'!" Robbie urged. "Over 'n' over till you get the hang of it. Somethin' worth doin' is worth practicin' to get right."
The boy firmed his lips and started over. Once again he missed, but instead of complaining as he had before, he did as he'd been told and readied himself to try again.
"Straighten your arm out a little," Robbie called before moving closer to Cas
sie's side. "Boy could be a good roper," he told her, "given the opportunity."
They applauded and cried out when the boy caught the stump again.
"He's got the determination," Robbie said as he watched his charge move back into position.
"You may have started something," Cassie said.
"Better 'n a lot of stuff kids get into these days."
But instead of continuing to lasso the stump, Seth decided to rope his sister. His first attempt settled right into place, making her screech at the same time as she threw the rope off and took after her laughing brother.
When they disappeared around the nearest outbuilding, which Cassie now saw was the refurbished bunkhouse, Robbie grinned and said, "Guess I better go after 'em, 'fore they get into trouble and get me into it, too. Hey, kids!" he called. The only response was another girlish screech and more devilish brotherly laughter. "Kids!" he called again and walked away stiffly to find them. Moments later the children erupted into view, the chase still on as they ran back to the house, with Robbie continuing to trail behind.
Cassie had a short debate about what to do next. The idea of going back to her room still didn't appeal; neither did sitting on the front porch with David and Cindy. She decided to strike off on her own.
She could go for a walk and see the creek that the Warrens had visited earlier. She even knew the creek's name. Love Creek. It was the creek that had given the town its name. Spring-fed, its source somewhere in these hills, it meandered past the outskirts of town until, eventually, a number of miles later, it emptied into a lake on the other side of the county seat. Her mother had "sensed" that the creek held special powers, and she and Cassie had spent long hours at the spot where its course passed nearest to their home. Bonnie in meditation, and Cassie enjoying the freedom to wade among the rocks with the clear cold water gurgling around her ankles. She turned away from the sweetness of that memory. None of the past was good here.
She cocked an ear. She could hear no sounds nearby, which meant Will must have ridden off somewhere. It was safe for her to explore.
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