Not for the first time, Nolan started to bite his tongue against the question of why Rafiq was so adamant about his acquisitions around Royal. To hell with it, he decided. He wanted to know and, as Rafe’s agent in all of this, he damn well deserved to know.
“Why, Rafe? What’s so important about that or any other piece of land you’re buying?”
“My reasons are my own. Do not overstep the bounds of our friendship, Nolan. I’ll be in Holloway next weekend. We will meet Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the Holloway Inn.”
It was just like Rafiq to make a demand rather than a suggestion. But Nolan was well used to his boss’s manner.
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. I expect to hear more progress has been made on the situation then.”
With that closing statement, his boss ended the call. Rafiq hadn’t said as much but the implication was clear in his tone. Friendship or no, if Nolan wasn’t happy to continue to act for him, there were plenty of other lawyers who would. He slid his phone back into his pocket and returned to the table.
Raina looked up as Nolan approached.
“Everything okay?” she asked, as he settled back down into his chair. “Was that work?”
“What makes you ask?” he said, evading her question.
“Probably that frown you’ve got right now.”
He forced himself to relax and smile. “Better?”
“Much. Seriously though, is everything okay?”
“Sure, nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow anyway.”
He picked up his dessert menu and briefly scanned the contents without even really seeing them. Rafe’s unwavering determination to purchase the Courtyard and the barren acreage it sat on didn’t sit comfortably with him at all. In fact the whole business was beginning to leave a bad taste in his mouth. Sure, Royal had changed a lot since the tornado. It certainly wasn’t the town he’d grown up in anymore, nor was it the one he’d left seven years ago. But deep down, the values and the lifestyles remained the same. What kind of impact would Rafe’s plan have on all of that?
And what of the traders, like Raina, who’d picked their lives back up after total devastation and who needed the stability and continuity the Courtyard provided? Did Rafe plan to continue to run it as it currently operated, or did he plan to scuttle everything? There were just so many questions buzzing around like angry bees in Nolan’s brain right now. It made it hard to recapture the pleasure he’d felt in Raina’s company only a few minutes ago.
It was clear her trust in him was growing and he appreciated that far more than he’d believed possible. But by acting for Rafe, he was betraying that trust and he didn’t like it.
“What have you decided on?” Raina prompted from the other side of the table.
“What are you having?” he countered.
“It was a tough decision to make,” she said with a short laugh. “But I think I’ll go for the white chocolate cheesecake.”
He closed his menu card and laid it back on the table. “Same for me.”
By unspoken mutual consent, they lingered over their coffees and dessert. Nolan didn’t want to break the fragile spell that had rewoven itself around their evening by drawing things to a close, but when he caught Raina stifling another yawn, he knew it was time to take her home. Despite Rafiq’s interruption, Nolan had thoroughly enjoyed the evening. And he knew without a doubt that he wanted to get to know Raina better.
Their drive back to her house was done in a companionable silence and, once they got there, Nolan walked Raina up the path to her front door. Haloed by the porch light, she looked like a beautiful angel but his thoughts and intentions toward her were anything but angelic.
“Thank you for this evening,” Raina said. “I’d forgotten how much I enjoy adult conversation and company that’s not related to kids or work.”
There was a smile on her face that was wistful and it sent a pang to Nolan’s chest. He could imagine she had little enough time to herself, let alone to share with another person.
“It was absolutely my pleasure.”
Afterward he couldn’t be certain who had made the first move. But it didn’t matter one bit. His senses filled with her—her scent, her taste, the feel of her in his arms and, above all else, the beauty of her kiss. A sense of rightness filled him as their lips met, as his hand lifted to thread through her hair and to cup the back of her head. Inside him a knot began to unravel and he knew, in that moment, that he wanted Raina in his life. That he could finally begin to let go of the pain of the past that had kept him in emotional isolation.
He traced the softness of her lips with his tongue as they parted beneath him. Desire unfurled through his body, doubling on itself until it consumed his thoughts. When Raina’s hands pushed through his hair and held him to her, he knew she felt the same. She pressed her body against his and heat flared between them.
Nolan deepened their kiss. His tongue probed her mouth and she responded in kind. A shudder of need pummeled him and he felt an echoing tremor from her.
Overhead the light flicked off and then on again.
He felt Raina pull away. Her lips were swollen and curved into a grin.
“I can’t believe this. My father is obviously letting me know it’s time for me to come inside.” She gave a half-embarrassed giggle before leaning forward to kiss Nolan sweetly, and all too swiftly, on his lips. “I’m sorry. I’d better go in before he comes out with a shotgun.”
“You’re kidding about the shotgun, right?”
“Of course I am, but he’s very protective. Thank you again, Nolan. For everything.”
“We’ll see each other again,” he stated firmly.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
“Soon.”
She nodded and laughed, her breath leaving a misty cloud in the air between them. “Yes, soon. How about Monday night? Dinner here, with JJ and me.”
“I’d really like that,” Nolan said. Even though every minute he’d spent with JJ so far reminded him all too much of all the things he’d missed out on with his own son, he enjoyed the little guy’s company and his simple enthusiasm for life. It was a poignant reminder that he needed to inject some of that enthusiasm back into his own. And maybe, just maybe, he needed to consider telling Raina about the wife and son he’d lost, too. “Monday, then.”
“Is six o’clock okay with you?”
“Perfect. I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself is fine. See you then.”
She turned, put her key in the lock and opened the front door. Then, with a small wave, she was gone from sight. Nolan shoved his hands in his pockets and jogged down the path to his car. He drove back to the hotel, his mind only half on what he was doing while the other half raced ahead and churned over a million different thoughts.
Sleep would be a long time coming tonight. He hadn’t expected anything like this when he’d returned to Royal. Hadn’t wanted it. He’d been meticulous about his relationships in the past and particularly about avoiding any emotional entanglements. But somehow this attraction had found him and lodged itself within the gaping hole of loneliness he had come to accept as being as much a part of him as every breath he took.
And it felt good. In fact, it felt better than good—it had brought back to life something he hadn’t experienced in far too long—hope, which left him between a rock and a hard place when it came to the job he was really here to do. Did he compromise his professional integrity for this fledgling relationship or should he focus on the role he was here to complete and then walk away at the end of his time here in Royal, knowing he could be walking away from the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time?
Seven
Raina woke the next morning still locked firmly inside the bubble of joy that had enveloped her last ni
ght. Her father had taken one look at her face as she’d come into the sitting room and had shaken his head.
“I don’t suppose there’s any point in telling you to be careful,” he’d growled from behind his beard.
She’d merely smiled and thanked her father for taking care of JJ. To his credit, he hadn’t given her a lecture. Something he was inclined to do even though she was thirty years old and a mom herself. Instead he’d merely hugged her, pressed a kiss on the top of her head and, after telling her he loved her, made his way home to the trailer park.
Now Raina felt her heart skip with happiness as she made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. They needed to get some groceries this morning, her one day off, and she didn’t want to waste any more time on the humdrum chore than was absolutely necessary. Today was a precious day with her boy and she wanted to make the most of it. Coaxing JJ out of his Spider-Man pajamas and into clothing suitable for the outdoors took a bit of doing but a promise to buy a new movie to add to his growing collection seemed to give him the impetus he needed.
She was in the process of buckling him into his car seat when she caught a dark movement from the corner of her eye. Raina quickly straightened up from what she was doing to see who it was who’d come up beside her. The second she did, her happy bubble burst.
Jeb.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “You promised you’d stay away.”
“Where’s my money, Raina?”
Raina quickly shoved the car door closed in an attempt to prevent JJ from hearing anything more from the man who’d done no more for him than provide a few strands of DNA.
“I don’t owe you anything, Jeb Pickering. Now, please, get off my property and leave me alone.”
“The boy’s looking good. Growing fast. Does he ever ask about his daddy?”
“No, he doesn’t,” she responded flatly. God help her when JJ started asking those kinds of questions. How did you explain to your child that his father was no more than a lying no-good drifter plagued by gambling debts?
“I think it’s time we met then.”
“Are you threatening me?” Raina asked, her hands now clenched in tight fists of impotent rage.
Jeb had signed all the papers relinquishing his rights to any form of visitation with JJ two years ago but she should have known he’d renege on their agreement. His eyes narrowed speculatively as he looked at her car and then toward the house.
“You’re doing pretty well these days, girl. I’ve been out to that store of yours, too. Seems to me you could afford to help out the father of your only child, don’t it?”
“You helped yourself plenty in the past. I’m done giving you money, Jeb.”
Jeb’s arm snaked out and his hand closed tight around Raina’s wrist. She tugged against his grip, trying to free herself, but his fingers closed in a painful vice.
“Stop it. Let me go. You’re hurting me,” she said, pitching her voice low so there was no chance JJ could hear her. She didn’t want to alarm him and from over Jeb’s shoulder she could see his eyes were fixed on his mommy and the strange man talking to her.
“I need that money, honey.” He gave her a crooked grin. “I’m in a bit of trouble. I need to get away. Maybe for good.”
Did he mean it? She didn’t dare believe him. If she showed one sign of weakness, just one, he’d exploit it. He turned back to the car and waved with his free hand toward JJ, who weakly waved back. Through the car window she could see JJ was getting upset and his muffled “Mommy?” tore at her heart.
“For good?” she pressed.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe’s not good enough for me, Jeb,” Raina insisted, yanking her arm free. Her wrist throbbed with pain but she wouldn’t look to see what damage he’d wrought. He’d done enough to her already without adding a few bruises to the list. “I don’t want to ever see you again.”
“Then give me my money.”
His money? She stifled the urge to shove her hands hard at his chest and push him away. Give him a taste of his own medicine for a change. When had he ever had any money by honest means? She certainly couldn’t remember.
“I’m mortgaged to my eyeballs with the house and I have rent to meet on my business. Pretty much everything else I have is tied up in inventory now. I don’t have a lot to spare, Jeb.”
“Whatever you can give me, then. And it had better be soon.”
There was an urgency to his voice. An underlying thread of something he wasn’t telling her, not to mention a significant threat in his tone.
“Jeb, what have you gotten yourself into now?” she sighed.
“Look, I owe a guy some cash is all. I want to clear my debts and make a fresh start.”
How many times had she heard him say that? So many that she’d stopped believing him a long time ago. And look at him now. He was jittery and unkempt. Even at his worst he’d never looked this bad before. Was it really just owing money or had he gotten involved in something worse? Whatever it was, she needed to get him away from JJ as quickly as she could.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Raina said in defeat.
She knew it was just pandering to his dependence on her, but right now she didn’t see any other way of getting rid of him. She knew she didn’t have the kind of money he expected but he’d just have to make do with the couple of thousand dollars she’d put aside for emergencies when she had a chance to withdraw it from the bank. Just the thought of leaving her account empty again made her stomach burn with anxiety. All she’d ever wanted was to be able to provide her son with the same security her father had provided her—love, combined with a roof over his head, food in his belly and a warm bed at night. Was that too much to ask?
“Thanks, Rai.”
“How will I be able to reach you?” The number on the mobile phone he’d been using was blocked.
“I’ll be in touch.”
And with that, he flipped up the collar of his jacket and began to walk away. Was it her imagination, or was he darting furtive glances left and right as he walked up the street—almost as if he expected someone to jump out of the bushes at him at any moment. She shook her head. What on earth had he got himself into, now?
She hurried to the car and, after giving JJ a shaky smile through the window, got into the driver’s seat.
“Bad man, Mommy,” JJ pronounced from the backseat with all the solemnity of a frightened three-year-old.
She didn’t know what to say. Jeb wasn’t all bad, just misguided and selfish. She settled for an indistinct murmur as she fastened her seat belt and put her key in the ignition.
“I don’ like bad man. I like No’an,” JJ continued.
Raina smiled at her little boy in the rearview mirror. “I like Nolan, too, honey bun. C’mon, let’s go get our groceries and then the rest of the day is just for you and me.”
“Yay,” he crowed in happiness, his fear already forgotten.
* * *
The next morning Raina was putting out her signs at Priceless and trying to quell her excitement about the night ahead. She’d woken earlier than usual, and with an energy she could only put down to looking forward to seeing Nolan again. Even the shadow of Jeb’s visit yesterday and his demands, coupled with the bruises he’d left on her wrist as a reminder, couldn’t overshadow her joy in planning their dinner tonight. She’d serve lasagna with garlic bread and salad. Simple fare, and filling and, best of all, easy to prepare ahead of time so she didn’t have to get herself all flustered before Nolan arrived.
As she straightened and surveyed the parking lot, she spied Mellie Winslow walking toward her. She gave the other woman a wave.
“Good morning!” she called as Mellie drew closer. “It’s a lovely clear day, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Mellie agreed.
Her landlady looked c
ute today in a forest-green coat that emphasized her clear green eyes and gorgeous soft red hair. Raina envied Melanie her curls.
“Would you like to stop in for a cup of coffee?” Raina asked. “I’ve just put a pot on.”
“I’d love that, thank you.”
Mellie pulled off her gloves and shrugged out of her coat as they entered Raina’s tiny lunch room. She shoved the gloves inside her coat pocket and hung the garment on one of the ornately curved brass hooks on the rack by the door.
“I love this,” she said, gesturing to the rack. “And I especially love that it has an umbrella stand, as well. Is it yours or is it for sale?”
“Everything here is for sale, except me,” Raina laughed in response.
“What kind of wood is it?”
“Oak. You see a lot of replicas these days, but this is the real deal.”
“Hmm, maybe I should get it for Case for Christmas.”
“Things are that serious?” Raina asked.
In response, Mellie thrust out her left hand, exposing a beautiful ring on her engagement finger. The large square-cut emerald gleamed under the light and Raina gasped in surprise.
“Oh, I’d say that looks very serious. Congratulations!”
“Thanks, it was all rather complicated, what with everything that went on last month, but I’m so happy.”
And she looked happy, too. There was a glow about her that Raina hadn’t seen before. She tried to ignore the tug of envy that plucked at her along with a wish that her own life could have followed a more traditional path. But she quickly shoved it away. Traditional or not, her life was what it was and without the choices she’d made—both good and bad—she wouldn’t have JJ or be where she was now, doing something she loved.
Mellie sat down at the small table in the center of the room. “I’m glad I have a chance to talk to you today. I just wanted to let you know that I’m definitely not letting the Courtyard go. It’s not for sale. Not now, not ever.”
Raina felt a swell of relief flood through her. “You’re serious? Everything’s going to be okay?”
Lone Star Holiday Proposal Page 7
