Lone Star Holiday Proposal

by Yvonne Lindsay

  Nolan nodded and bent to peer at them when Raina put them on top of a nearby sideboard. As he studied them, Raina gave him a little commentary.

  “The Staffordshire piece certainly looks the more sturdy, doesn’t it?” she asked. “This one is from the nineteenth century.”

  “So old?”

  She laughed. “Well, this is an antiques store.”

  He found himself smiling back at her and this time there was no mistaking the dilation of her pupils or the slight blush of pink on her cheeks as they made eye contact. She was attracted to him, he knew it as well as he knew the face that greeted him in the mirror every time he shaved.

  “Good point,” he conceded as she briskly looked away. “Which one is your favorite?”

  She hesitated a moment before speaking. “While the Staffordshire is an exceptional example, with no chips or cracks, and the Royal Winton is also, I prefer the whimsy of the French pieces. Yes, they’re a little more worn, but that comes with use and for me, use brings character to a piece. I like to imagine the family who might have enjoyed these egg cups, the children who might have touched the chick coming out of its china eggshell as they enjoyed their breakfast.”

  She gave an embarrassed laugh. “But then, that’s me. And you said your mom collects English china, didn’t you?

  He nodded. “Maybe it’s time she diversified across the channel to France, as well.”

  He studied the pieces again and then gave a decisive nod. “The French one it is.”

  “Nolan, you didn’t even ask me how much it is!”

  He shrugged. “Does it matter? It’s for my mom. She’ll love it, and probably for the exact same reasons you do.”

  Raina nodded in acceptance and then carefully put the other two breakfast sets back in the cabinet.

  “Would you like me to gift wrap it for you?” she asked, carrying the tray to the counter.

  “Please. And double the bubble wrap for me, would you? I’m terrified that I’ll break it before I give it to her.”

  Raina eyed him teasingly. “You don’t strike me as a careless man.”

  “Accidents happen,” he said without thinking, his voice sharper than he intended. He knew that for a truth...all too well.

  “Bubble wrap it is then. Plus I think I have a box out back that would be perfect. Would that suit you?” she said, picking up on his change in mood and making her tone more businesslike than before.

  “Thank you,” he replied, determined to inject more warmth into his voice. “I really appreciate it. Mom will be thrilled, I’m sure.”

  “I’m glad. It’s always nice to know things will continue to be appreciated when they leave here. I kind of feel like a custodian for them, you know. Like I have a responsibility to the original craftsmen and -women to see that their hard work continues to be loved as it changes hands.”

  Her words summed her up perfectly, he thought. She cared about things and about people. So why then did she keep herself so aloof? It was time to find out.

  “I imagine that you don’t get a lot of time to yourself,” he said leaning against the scarred countertop that looked as if it had seen many years of service somewhere in its life. “What with the store and JJ and all.”

  She kept her head bent and her attention on her task but he saw the slight change in her posture. As if she was shoring up her defenses.

  “I get enough. In fact I get most Saturday evenings to myself when my dad is in Royal and takes JJ for a sleepover. That is plenty for me. I wouldn’t change anything in my life for something as ephemeral as time alone and definitely not at the expense of my son.”

  “You sound like a woman who knows her own mind.”

  “I like to think so. Now, at least. I wasn’t always this certain, but I guess when you’ve learned the hard way, you tend to take things a little more seriously.”

  “The hard way?”

  Raina finished wrapping his mother’s gift and swiftly tied a cheerful Christmas bow around the wrapping paper. “There you are. All done. Now, will that be cash or credit?”

  She was avoiding answering him. That much was clear. He slid his platinum card from his card holder and passed it to her before placing both hands on the countertop and leaning toward her.

  “Raina, I meant what I said last night. I really would like to see you, to get to know you better.”

  She looked up at him, a little flustered and a lot startled. He realized how much he was encroaching on her space and straightened up from the counter again.

  “I... I told you last night, Nolan. I don’t date. I just don’t have time.”

  “What are you afraid of, hmm?” he coaxed.

  Her eyes shone with what he suspected—hell, hoped—was yearning. He pressed forward with what he saw as his advantage.

  “At least tell me why. You can’t let me go away with a complex. Just think of what that could do to a man like me.”

  His deliberate foolishness earned its own reward when she laughed, openly and honestly and from the heart.

  “Oh, I think your ego is completely safe from me,” she said, passing back his card. “But if you really must know, I haven’t exactly had the best taste in men. Take JJ’s father for example. I met him near where we lived, over in the next county. He swept me off my feet and dazzled me with his grand plans. We moved to Royal when he got work here as a ranch hand, but he never quite seemed to be able to hold down a job for more than a few months at a time. Then he left me broke after cleaning out my bank account. I promised myself, there and then, that no man would ever leave me that vulnerable again.”

  Nolan sensed there was a great deal more behind her words than she was letting on.

  “You never pressed charges?”

  “He’s JJ’s father. Of course I didn’t. I just hoped that he’d taken enough money that he’d never need to come back. But—” she cut herself off abruptly and seemed to gather her thoughts back together “—but that’s all in the past,” she said with false brightness.

  Nolan could read between the lines and he knew there was much more to her story than the potted history she’d just given him. But it could wait. Instead, he latched on to something she’d said a few minutes ago. “You mentioned your dad has JJ on Saturdays?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “Today?”

  She nodded again. Nolan felt a glow of excitement light up in his chest.

  “So, if I asked you if you could break your no-dating rule and have dinner with me tonight, could I persuade you to consider it?”

  Raina pursed her lips and crossed her arms but even though her body language was all about the “no,” the yearning he’d seen in her eyes before was still very much in evidence. He held his breath while she took her time making her decision.

  “Okay,” she said on what sounded like a long held sigh. “Yes, I’d like that. But just dinner.”

  He smiled and fought the urge to fist pump the air in delight.

  “Just dinner,” he agreed. “Where and when can I pick you up?”

  Raina gave him her address and they agreed on the time he would pick her up. He knew the area. Not the worst in town, but not the best either. Still, after what she, and the rest of Royal, had been through just over a year ago, at least she and JJ had a secure roof over their heads.

  He could do so much better for her. The thought hit him from nowhere and left him reeling. He pushed it back. Looking after Raina Patterson wasn’t his business; she’d made that abundantly clear. She was a strong and independent woman.

  Which only made her all the more appealing.

  Six

  Nolan pulled up outside the address Raina had given him. The area was worse than Nolan remembered and he hit the automatic lock on his car key as he got out and walked up the path toward the house. Raina
answered the door before he’d so much as lifted his finger to the doorbell. As excited to see him as he was to see her, perhaps? He certainly hoped so.

  He let his gaze roam her body. She looked beautiful. Her silky dark brown hair shone loose and long as it fell about her shoulders, and she’d done some incredible magic with eye makeup that made her blue eyes even brighter and more intense than he’d ever seen them. There was a faint hint of blush on her cheeks and her lips had a delicious watermelon-colored sheen. He ached to lean forward and see if those lips tasted as good as they looked.

  She wore a long sheer burgundy blouse, with a matching camisole beneath it, over slim-fitting black pants and high heels. A fine gold chain graced her neck and small pear shaped gold drops hung from her ears.

  “I’m so sorry,” she started, and for a second he thought she was going to pull out of their date. But then she said, “Dad dropped JJ back home earlier. He has a leak in the trailer right where JJ’s bed is and since he had JJ with him all day he didn’t get a chance to repair it. When I told him I’d planned to go out he said he’d be back to sit for me, but he’s not here yet.”

  Nolan felt himself relax. Waiting for her father to return was no problem.

  “That’s okay. We have plenty of time,” he assured her.

  “Man!” JJ slid to a halt on the polished wooden floor in front of him.

  “JJ!” Raina admonished. “His name is Nolan, not man.”

  “No’an.” JJ tried the name out for size, then reached for Nolan’s hand. “Come see Spider-Man.”

  Nolan looked to Raina for approval. She shrugged. “If you don’t mind?” she said helplessly. “He’s certainly fixated on you. Dad said all he talked about today was ‘man’ and the Christmas tree.”

  “I don’t mind,” Nolan assured her before looking down at JJ’s eager face. “C’mon then, JJ. Show me Spider-Man.”

  The sensation of the little boy’s fingers so trustingly wrapped within his own somewhat soothed the ache Nolan felt in his heart. Bennett had been only eighteen months old when he’d died. Less than half JJ’s age. Would he, too, have been a fan of comic-book heroes? Nolan would never know.

  JJ’s excited chatter yanked him back into the present and Nolan fell into an easy banter with the garrulous child. Sure, JJ still struggled with some syllables but his overall command of language made him easy to understand as he bounced around his room in excitement—dragging one thing and then another from his shelves and drawers to show Nolan.

  Down the hallway, Nolan heard sounds of another person arriving. A man with a deep voice. When he got to JJ’s room, Nolan took him for Raina’s dad immediately. He had the same piercing blue eyes and that determined set of the jaw. Raina stood behind him, looking a little uncomfortable.

  Nolan rapidly got to his feet and extended a hand to the newcomer.

  “Nolan Dane, pleased to meet you.”

  “Justin Patterson. Can I have a word with you before you leave with my daughter?”

  The man’s eyebrows pulled into a straight line and the no-nonsense look in his eyes set Nolan back a bit. He hadn’t seen a look like that in a father’s eyes since he dated back in high school—and he hadn’t missed the proprietary use of the word my when referring to Raina either.

  “Sure,” he answered smoothly. “Just let me help JJ put his things back.”

  “I can do that,” Raina said, stepping into the room. “You go talk with Dad, then we can leave for the restaurant.”

  “I’ll only need a minute,” her father said dourly from the doorway.

  Justin Patterson didn’t take long to get to the point. The moment they were out of earshot of JJ’s bedroom, he bluntly told Nolan exactly what he expected.

  “Treat my daughter with respect.”

  “You have no worries on that score, sir. Raina is a wonderful woman.”

  “I don’t know what your intentions are toward her, but I will tell you this. If you break her heart, or if you hurt her in any way, I will come after you.”

  Raina’s dad was Nolan’s equal in height and had at least twenty pounds on him. He had the look of a man used to hard work and Nolan had no doubt that he meant every word.

  “Thank you for being honest with me. Now let me be honest with you. I know Raina doesn’t normally date, and we haven’t even known each other very long, but I have no plans to hurt her. We’re going out for dinner tonight, and that’s all.”

  “Humph.” The older man crossed his arms over his chest. “Make sure that is all you do.”

  Nolan understood where Justin Patterson was coming from, especially based on what Raina had said to him earlier. “I’m not in town for long and I respect your daughter too much to try to take advantage of her—although you misjudge her if you think she’d let me. So far, I think it’s safe to say that we like each other and I enjoy her company. JJ’s, too. Raina is safe with me.”

  Justin narrowed his eyes at Nolan. “Dane, you said. Your father is Howard Dane?”

  Nolan nodded. His father was well known in Royal and his family law practice was well respected.

  “He’s a good man. Let’s hope the acorn didn’t fall far from the tree.”

  With that, Justin turned and went into the kitchen where Nolan could hear him bustling around and putting the teakettle on. Raina came into the room with JJ trailing behind.

  “Go see what Grandpa is up to, JJ,” she urged. “Maybe he’s making hot chocolate for bedtime.”

  As the little boy scampered toward the kitchen, she looked at Nolan with an apologetic expression on her face.

  “I’m sorry about that. He’s kind of protective.”

  Nolan put up a hand. “No problem. He’s your dad. He’s entitled to be protective of you. So, are we okay? Shall we go?”

  She nodded and called out, “We’re on our way, Dad. Call me if you need me!”

  Judging by Justin’s grunt they were free to go.

  Nolan helped Raina into her coat and held the front door for her as they went outside. Streetlamps shone like golden orbs in the air, casting light onto the road beneath them. He guided her to his SUV and closed the passenger door for her once she was settled.

  As he climbed into his seat, Nolan saw a furtive movement near a bush a few yards away. His eyes strained to see what it was but it appeared there was nothing there. He shrugged it off as something he’d either imagined or perhaps an animal that was now long gone. But as he began to drive down the street, he caught a glimpse of a man briskly walking down the sidewalk.

  There was something about the way the man carried himself and how he kept to the shadows that made Nolan’s instincts go on alert. As they cruised by in the SUV, the man furtively kept his face averted and hunched his shoulders. Sure, it was cold tonight—certainly too cold to be out casually walking anyway—which could explain the man’s posture, but even if he was out for a constitutional stroll, why was he doing his best not to be recognized? In his work Nolan had seen a lot of characters and to him it was clear that this guy didn’t want to be noticed.

  Nolan didn’t want to alert Raina to his concerns. She was busy looking out the window at the other side of the road and therefore oblivious to what he had seen, but he remained uneasy. Had the guy been watching Raina?

  The idea plagued him during the drive to the restaurant, even while Raina kept up a patter of general conversation, asking him about growing up in Royal. By the time they were seated and perusing their menus, Nolan had decided to put thoughts of the walker, whoever he was, from his mind. He was here to enjoy Raina’s company and he didn’t want anything to detract from that.

  Later, when they were about to make their selections for dessert, his cell phone began buzzing persistently in his pocket.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, sliding the device out to see who the caller was. Rafiq. Damn. His boss w
as hardly the kind of person he could hold a conversation with in front of Raina. “Will you excuse me a moment? I really need to take this call.”

  “No problem.” She waved him on with a smile. “I need some time to decide on dessert anyway.”

  He excused himself and, lifting the phone to his ear, he answered the call.

  “Rafe, what can I do for you?”

  “You can tell me how things are going with the Courtyard acquisition for a start,” his boss said without preamble.

  “The Winslow woman is very resistant to selling.”

  “The Winslow woman? What happened to Homer Winslow?”

  “He has been removed by his board for mismanagement,” Nolan said, summarizing how Melanie Winslow had wrested control. He strongly suspected the proposed buyout of the Courtyard had been the catalyst for that. “Ms. Winslow now heads Winslow Properties.”

  “But she’s a maid, isn’t she?”

  Nolan fought back a smile. Rafiq was very modern and forward thinking in many ways, but in others he was still a throwback to his family’s roots in ancient Al Qunfudhah, on the coast of the Red Sea.

  “Ms. Winslow has a very successful business providing house-cleaning and house-sitting services. She is quite a bit more than a maid, and she is proving to be adamantly opposed to the sale of the Courtyard.”

  “Offer her more.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that? When word gets around, and it will in a place like Royal, any other owners of property you’re interested in will simply increase their asking prices accordingly.”

  Rafe made a sound of annoyance and Nolan could just imagine the expression on his boss’s face.

  “They still owe money on that land, don’t they? Can we get any leverage through their lenders?”

  “It’s an avenue I’m looking into now. Rest assured. If we can buy the Courtyard, it will most certainly be yours.”

  “There is no ‘if,’ Nolan. I want that land.”