by Heidi Hormel
“Angel Crossing is lucky to have you.” He and EllaJayne were lucky, too.
“It’s just my job. I can’t treat my patients if they don’t have the food they need.”
“Maybe. But I don’t see your doctor doing this.”
“He doesn’t live here.” She stood, feet planted and looking out over the patch of ground. She didn’t wear a hat or boots most of the time, but she was more of a cowgirl than any of the women he’d ever known.
“That’s not it. You care. You see what needs to be done and you do it.” He stepped closer and caught the lemon and clove he’d come to know as Pepper. The hint of her scent made him want to bury his face into the hollow of her collarbone. Right there, he was sure her skin was soft and so fragrant that he’d—
“I’ve always done what was needed. Faye doesn’t always have both feet on the ground.”
“Or her taste buds wrapped around real food.”
Pepper laughed with her whole body. “I smelled her famous ‘Energy Casserole.’”
“Is that what that was? I just closed my eyes, held my nose and hoped for the best.”
“When she made that, I always said I’d had a snack and wasn’t hungry. Daddy Gene would sneak me banana and peanut butter sandwiches before I went to bed.”
“I’m out of Fiddle Faddle, too.”
She’d turned and even in the unnatural light, he caught her smile and the transformation of her face. Could he taste that joy? He stepped up to her, lowered his head and pressed his lips softly to her smiling ones before he could think.
“Oh.” She breathed out and he didn’t resist, slipping his tongue into her tantalizing mouth. He cupped her jaw, his fingers sensitive to the vibrations of pleasure racing along the tender edge. Her own hands rested lightly at his waist, everywhere they touched warmed with sensation.
“Mmm. Better than caramel corn,” he whispered against her lips. He pulled her against him slowly, giving her a chance to her to slip away as he hoped and prayed she wouldn’t.
Chapter Nine
Pepper should not have been surprised by the hard strength of AJ’s shoulders and waist when she’d held on as he kissed her mouth, her neck and then the hollow of her throat. Even now, weeks later, her breath came a little faster. The man might not know much about living in a house of women or even about growing veggies—except what he’d read on the internet—but he did know how to kiss. He hadn’t learned that on Kiss.com. Unfortunately, she had a good idea how he’d come by that knowledge. Daddy Gene had warned her that what brains hadn’t rattled out of bull riders’ skulls settled between their—
“Pretty plants.” AJ broke into her thoughts. “Pat them nice, Baby Girl.”
Had she come out here again knowing AJ would show up? He and EllaJayne had been spending every evening in the greenhouse. As summer approached, the days were getting longer and she enjoyed checking the garden, weeding and picking off bugs. For some it might have been more work after a long day. But Pepper loved it and she lo—enjoyed AJ and EllaJayne coming out to keep her company. Although yesterday the toddler had pulled out half a row of plants before they’d figured out what she’d been up to.
“Peep,” EllaJayne said, and Pepper turned to smile at the little girl and motion her closer. Butch was there, too, sniffing between the rows. He might not herd the Beauties but he watched out for EllaJayne.
“See,” she said to the little girl, ignoring the man who stood not far away. “Soon it’ll have a flower. We won’t pick them, right?” EllaJayne shook her head vigorously, her straight fall of hair swinging wildly. Pepper looked up. AJ’s own similarly dark hair curled at the sides and in messy tangles along his nape. “You both need haircuts. I’ll do it this weekend.” She startled herself with her own pronouncement.
“You’re a barber, too? You’ve got no end to talents,” AJ said.
“I think I can handle the two of you before you begin to look like you’ve been living at Dove’s Paradise.”
“I can return the favor if you want. I was good at trimming up Benny’s mane and tail.”
“No way. I go to Tucson for a day of beauty every six weeks or so.”
“You do it so you can go to Taco Gino’s and get a Philly Cheesesteak Chimi.”
“Never.” She couldn’t stop the grin. One night talking in the kitchen about the garden, he’d pried out of her the guiltiest of her pleasures—a hole-in-the-wall taco place in Tucson near the university. Faye would have a fit and cleanse Pepper with a nasty tea or herbal potion if she knew her daughter had eaten a deep-fried tube of steak oozing processed cheese food. She also didn’t let her medical professional side tell her how bad the taste-bud nirvana was for her.
“Next time you’re taking me,” AJ declared.
“We’ll see. Maybe. If you let me cut your hair and EllaJayne’s. I can’t be seen hanging out with a shaggy cowboy.”
“Otherwise you’d like to be seen with me?”
“Why not? You were a big-time bull rider, right? Isn’t that what every cowgirl wants?” She hoped a little snark would add back the distance she’d lost. Why had she said she’d cut his hair? Dear Lord. She’d be so close. She’d be touching him again and again.
“I’m not a bull rider anymore. Just a cowboy with a little girl and a living to earn. Although at the rate I’m going, I’ll run out of places to draw a wage before EllaJayne has her next birthday.”
“Oh, no. Double Cottonwood is letting you go?”
“I knew it was temporary when I was hired on.”
“You want me to ask around?” This conversation was where she wanted to be with him. Friends. Her providing expertise and help, like she did as a PA. Then she would only see him as a patient, like any of the other local men she treated at the clinic.
“If you don’t mind,” he said and turned away. “Baby Girl, are you petting the plants nice?”
The toddler looked up, her nearly black eyes guileless in her chubby face. “Pretty.” EllaJayne patted a plant almost flat.
“Why don’t you help me get the straw?” Pepper asked as she walked over and scooped the little girl up. “We’ll spread it around to keep down the weeds. We don’t want any of those yucky old weeds.”
“Yucky weeds,” EllaJayne echoed. Pepper didn’t want the intimacy that had been wrapping around her and AJ. The two of them were roommates at best and not for much longer. The court system, now that she wasn’t making noises about contesting the will, was slowly grinding forward.
“You two ladies take care of that,” AJ shouted. “I’ll settle the Beauties.”
Pepper smiled. AJ, who’d been less than enthused with the llamas and alpacas, had come to a détente with the little herd. They stampeded Pepper given a chance, and Faye would rather let them roam the desert to find their inner animal. AJ had them disciplined now, and he’d even talked about asking around for someone to take care of their fleeces. He said that they should be able to get decent money for them. He’d done internet research. She wondered how he’d known she’d been planning the same thing.
“Boot,” EllaJayne said over Pepper’s shoulder, her arm thrust out and waving at her buddy. “Boot.” The dog obediently followed them.
Pepper filled the wheelbarrow as Butch and EllaJayne solemnly watched, then the girl “helped” Pepper wheel the pile to the rows of beans.
EllaJayne, with Butch’s help, scattered more hay than spread, but they stayed entertained. When Pepper finished, she stood with EllaJayne on her hip looking out over her patch of garden and could see, really see, what it could look like if she stayed or if she could afford to buy the ranch. They’d have acres of vegetables and then she’d put in fruit trees and maybe strawberries. Since finding that kind of money was beyond anything she could manage, she’d call the mayor tomorrow about the empty lots in town. She could transform those into
gardens that would provide the same sort of produce she’d imagined at Santa Faye Ranch. Or maybe she should approach AJ with something she’d thought about. A rent-to-own situation. She’d pay him so much per month to stay on the ranch. The trouble was the amount she could afford per installment. She’d put that idea on the far-back burner.
“Peep,” EllaJayne said sleepily before her head thunked down on Pepper’s shoulder. Darn it. The little one’s bedtime had come and gone. AJ must still be dealing with the Beauties. While she and Faye often helped entertain EllaJayne in the evenings, AJ always put her to bed and usually stayed in the room, watching the small TV he’d found with a pile of trash. It worked, he said, and was the best price: free.
She’d take EllaJayne inside and get her ready for bed while he wrangled the herd. She could do this for them. Since he was caring for the Beauties, it was only fair.
* * *
PEPPER LAY ON the couch watching TV with a sweet-smelling and sleeping EllaJayne stretched across her chest. Her own eyes drooped, and she wondered how much longer she should wait for AJ to make his way inside. She didn’t feel right about entering their bedroom anymore to lay the little girl down. He had another fifteen minutes, then she would go out to look for him. She set her internal clock and closed her eyes, confident that she’d wake up. She always did, a trick she’d learned as a kid.
“Pepper,” said a deep voice. “I’ll take EllaJayne.”
She cracked open her eyes. AJ’s face was on level with hers. She started back. “What?”
“Whoa.” His hand shot out and covered hers where it lay on the girl’s back. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
His rough-palmed hand fit easily over top of Pepper’s. “What time is it? Where were you?” Pepper struggled to sit up and AJ let go of her. EllaJayne whined and wriggled. Pepper stopped, not wanting to wake her.
AJ’s voice fell to a soft whisper. “One of those cotton balls got out. It took time to get her back with the others. I know I need to get EllaJayne to bed but could you watch her for another ten minutes? I want to get cleaned up.”
Pepper nodded. She watched his cowboy swagger, not taking her eyes from him for medical reasons only. After all, she had to check to make sure his back problem hadn’t flared up again. Clinical interest. That’s all she had.
EllaJayne had fallen back into a limp-limbed sleep, so Pepper carefully sat up, ready to stop if she made any movement. She nuzzled a little closer. Pepper stared at the TV, wondering when the smell of baby powder had gotten so soothing. That was dangerous, though. EllaJayne wasn’t hers and neither was her daddy. Both of them were visitors in her life. AJ had made clear that as soon as he could sell the ranch, he would. Maybe she shouldn’t give up on the idea of buying it. There had to be a grant or an organization that would help. Her plan had so much—
“I can take her now.” AJ reappeared and leaned close. Pepper pulled away instinctively, then relaxed her shoulders so she could lift the girl away and toward AJ.
“Here she is.” Pepper released EllaJayne to her daddy and immediately wanted her sleep-warm weight back.
“Thanks.” AJ didn’t move. Pepper looked at him, the muscles of his arms bunching and shifting as he adjusted the little girl onto his shoulder. She stood, abruptly wanting...needing to be far away from him. She was not the kind of woman who went for cowboys, especially of the rodeo variety.
Pepper kept her voice level. “I’ll ask around about work.” AJ nodded and she got up and slipped past him without touching. Faye had taught her to respect her body’s needs. Not this time. AJ would be as bad for her as a Philly Cheesesteak Chimi.
* * *
AJ WATCHED THE dark strands of his daughter’s hair slide to the kitchen floor with every snip of Pepper’s scissors. He couldn’t decide if he liked the way it made her look less like a baby and more like a little girl. Dear Lord. He had a daughter who’d date cowboys. He reminded himself that was years from now. He would be better at this daddy thing by then. He’d better be, because right now his skills were only marginally better than his own parents’.
“Boot,” EllaJayne squealed pulling away from Pepper and reaching toward the dog.
“Darn it,” Pepper said.
“What?” he asked as his eyes scanned over his daughter, looking for blood.
“Her bangs. I’m so sorry. She moved just as I was doing the center.”
His daughter’s bangs were not a nice even line. A large chunk was missing from the middle of the dark fringe of hair. He laughed.
Pepper stared at him, her face starting to relax. “I really am sorry.”
“It’s hair. It’ll grow back. I think we’re done. Maybe later you can try to even it out.” He had to raise his voice as EllaJayne squirmed and screeched for the dog. Pepper nodded and quickly swept off the towel they’d used to keep hair out of her clothes. He lifted her from the chair and put her on the ground with Butch. The two of them immediately ran around the table, scattering hair.
“Out. AJ, get them out,” Pepper said. He lifted his now-kicking daughter and carried her back to the bathroom for her nighttime scrub down. Less than thirty minutes later, his Baby Girl and Butch were asleep. He’d tried to chase Butch from the bedroom. The dog wouldn’t budge. He could have carried him out, but it hadn’t seemed worth the effort. Today had been another long one. He wasn’t complaining, though. It was work. If he was lucky, he’d have another week, maybe two. So far Pepper hadn’t turned up any leads, and he hadn’t either, at least not anything in reasonable driving distance. Going back to the rodeo was beginning to look more like a certainty.
“Your turn,” Pepper said, pointing him to the makeshift barber chair as he stood in the kitchen’s archway.
“You don’t need to do me.”
Pepper grinned. “Good to know, but I was just going to cut your hair. Ever consider a beard to go with the mountain man look?”
“In the winter in Kentucky, I had one...sometimes. Keeps your face warm when you go out to take care of animals.”
“Scarves do the same thing.”
He grunted because he really didn’t want to talk about Kentucky. He had an idea that having her cut his hair wasn’t a good idea and not because of the missing chunk in his daughter’s bangs.
“Over to the sink,” Pepper said. “I can’t cut that mop when it’s dry. Sit on the stool there. You can lay back in the sink. Just like a salon.”
He hesitated. Now, wasn’t this a kick in the head. He was scared. Afraid of Pepper and her nearness. Ridiculous. He could do this. She’d trim up his hair, probably a good thing since he was on the hunt for a new job. He sat and leaned back.
Water ran in the sink and then Pepper leaned over him and her breast brushed his shoulder. How could he not have anticipated what would happen? He was a bull rider, he should have been able to predict the next corkscrew twist. Pepper shifted and her breast moved as she reached over him. Now, she was nearly pressed chest to chest with him. Was she doing that deliberately?
“Hope you don’t mind baby shampoo,” she said as her fingers dug into his scalp, massaging in the soap.
He waited for his leg to start twitching like Butch’s did when AJ found the perfect place to scratch. When her fingers found a spot at his nape, he moaned.
“Did I hurt you?” Pepper asked and her fingers stilled.
He stifled another moan. He didn’t want her to stop. The pleasure-pain of her massage had released the tension all over his body. “No,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You a professional?”
“We lived without a shower or tub for a while.” Her fingers went back to their magic work and every one of his muscles melted, just like butter on a stack of pancakes. Behind his closed lids, the stack of pancakes disappeared and instead he saw Pepper leaning over him, her lovely pink-as-a-carnation lips soft and ready—
“All do
ne,” said the real Pepper.
He cracked open his eyes, giving himself a few seconds to gather what was left of his wits. He stood, staying hunched to hide the part of him behind his zipper that had been obviously paying attention and shuffled to the chair. His body hummed with the touch of her fingers, her breasts and the scent of her skin.
“You want me to go short or just trim it up?”
She distracted him from the words with her fingers moving through the wet strands and skimming along his skull. He turned his moan into a hum of agreement.
“Okey dokey, then.” The scissors snipped close to his ear, jerking him from his pleasurable haze. “Careful. I don’t want to nick you.”
He stilled. “I don’t need anything fancy.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t get anything fancy. This is strictly an I-don’t-want-to-go-to-the-barbershop cut.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“I gave Daddy Gene that kind of cut a lot. Faye, too. Now, be quiet and I’ll get this done.”
He shut up and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to have his vision filled with her chest because then he could imagine—nothing. He didn’t have a towel or anything else to hide his interest if he let his thoughts run wild, like Pepper in the cowgirl seat above him, naked, sweaty and ready—
“Did you say something?” Pepper with the scissors asked. He needed to remember that Pepper.
“Just, umm...” He shifted in the seat to distract himself.
“Watch it. You’re wrigglier than EllaJayne.” Her hand squeezed his shoulder. That touch shuddered through him. She stilled. “I see that...well, okay—”
His hand reached up and lay over hers. She didn’t pull away. He picked up the magical hand and kissed the palm. He heard her intake of breath and rubbed his nose into her wrist, a place soft and fragrant with shampoo and the fresh lemon that clung to her. The rich scent made him imagine darkened rooms. He kissed her wrist, her forearm, then she was in his lap and her mouth was on his, the carnation pink lips as soft as he remembered.
