Leaning lazily against the kitchen doorjamb, Ty took a long pull off his beer. “Tess Gilmore is a prize filly.” He leveled a hard stare on Clancy. “You’re not gonna let this one slip through your fingers, are you?”
Clancy presented his friend with his back. Grabbing a dishcloth, he wiped down the counter, before hooking three bottles between the fingers of one hand. “You heard her. Tonight was a first and last.” He wrenched the pantry door open, tossing the empties into the trashcan. The glass clinked together as one of them shattered.
“You know as well as I do, she enjoyed tonight. All she needs is a little coaxing.”
“The woman’s made up her mind.” Clancy slammed the door a little too hard. “She went slumming tonight, buddy. You. Her. Me. Not going to happen again.”
Ty pushed away from the wall walking toward the pantry. He opened the door and disposed of his bottle. “So how about that ride back to my truck?”
“It’s late. Why don’t you crash here?”
“Love to, but you’re not my type.”
Clancy picked up the closest thing to him other than his beer, which was the scouring pad, and chucked it at the teasing man.
Ty flinched. Chuckling, he caught the sponge, wasting no time to hurl it back.
For the first time since Tess left, Clancy’s heart lightened. “Guest room, gay-boy,” he growled.
Ty’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Uh shucks, darlin’.” His whiskey-smooth voice softened. “Don’t be like that.” Then he blew Clancy a kiss.
Clancy rolled his tired eyes. No wonder Wade felt like horsewhipping his brother half the time. Ty had a way of taking everything and making a jest. Yet his carefree nature was one of the things Clancy enjoyed the most about the man.
“Think I’ll hit the hay.” Retrieving his drink from the counter, he swallowed the remainder and sat it back down. “I’m heading down to Austin to tomorrow to look at a couple of horses.”
Ty followed him out of the kitchen. “Think I’ll join you.”
Quietly they walked through the living room and down the hall. When they came to the first guest room, Ty disappeared within without a word. Clancy continued to his own bedroom, closing the door behind him.
He glanced at the cold, gray embers in the hearth and walked over to the fireplace, squatting before it before reaching for the tinder. In seconds he had kindled the flames, then he placed another log atop. His mind blank, he stared into the crackling blaze, warmth spreading across his face as the fresh scent of pine filled the room. An image of him and Tess lying before the flickering fire materialized. He popped to his feet and the figment dissolved. Last thing he needed was the picture of her sweet body, her memory in his head as he fell asleep.
After disrobing, he laid his jeans over a chair and plopped down upon the bed, his head striking the soft down of his pillow. Immediately he was assailed by Tess’s feminine scent. She was all over his sheets, his pillow, and when he threw an arm over his eyes, she was there on his skin. Throwing his arm off his face, he tossed and turned, trying to find comfort to no avail. Unless he showered and changed rooms, he would spend tonight drenched in her memory.
He yawned, his ears popping. When they cleared he could have sworn he heard Uh. Boys, there won’t be another time. Tess’s long, blonde hair mussed as she hid behind his dark burgundy comforter made him want to reach out and strip her of her shield. Do exactly what Ty had suggested. Coax the woman back into his arms. Instead he rolled over and pinched his eyelids tightly together.
A sensation, so light and brief, tickled Clancy’s nose. Caught between the space of slumber and semi-consciousness, he scrunched his face and heard tinkling laughter.
“Are you an angel?”
Tess’s sexy voice bled through Clancy’s foggy mind, pulling him awake, but not before another peel of laughter greeted him. When his heavy eyelids rose, her beautiful face hovered over him. Full, voluptuous lips eased into a sexy smile.
“Did you fall from Heaven?” she breathed, sending his heart reeling.
He chuckled, remembering the words he’d spoken to her when they first met. “Darlin’, that’s my line.” Reaching for her, he circled her slender waist and she went willingly into his arms. “I need you naked.”
“Anything you want.” The jeans and sweater she had been wearing dissolved, her naked body sliding over his.
“Tell me this is real.” His throat thickened with emotion. “Tell me you’ll never leave me.”
She pressed her lips to his, her touch so tender he thought perhaps it was only his imagination. But then she pulled away. No matter how he grasped to hold on to her, she slipped from his fingers as if she were a ghost, nonexistent.
“Tess? Please.”
Sadness filled her eyes. Large blue pools spilled down her cheeks. “You know I can’t stay.”
“Yes you can.” She only had to want to. “Please don’t go. Everyone leaves me,” he blurted before he could stop himself. His mother had left him. Even though he had hated his father, he too had deserted him. And then there was Jessie.
Feeling raw and dejected, he attempted to rise, but his limbs wouldn’t move. No matter how he struggled, he lay helplessly, watching Tess drift farther and farther away.
Clancy woke with a start, shooting straight up in bed, his heart pounding. “Tess!” Her name died upon his tongue. A light sheen of perspiration covered his body, his pulse raced. For a moment he expected to see her lingering in his doorway, but like always he was alone. Always alone. Feeling lost in a sea of emotion, he got to his feet and began to pace.
Damn this vulnerability.
Since he was thirteen, he had never needed anyone. He had everything he’d ever wanted. His life was a testament to that. His ranch was successful. He had friends. He had women when he wanted them. He didn’t need anything or anyone and that included Tess.
Hell. The woman came with baggage—two teenage sisters, a brother sewing his oats, and a ranch that may or may not make it.
He ran his fingers through his hair. Even if their paths entwined there was his history.
Clancy gazed at the alarm clock, six beaming back at him. Only three hours of sleep. What would Ty say if he woke him up? Told him to get ready?
“Screw it.”
Needing to move around, he dressed, exiting the room with his boots in hand. Once inside the living room, he sat on the couch, sticking a foot into a boot. With a tug he slipped it on. After the final shoe was on, he rose, heading for the door.
As he walked outside, another rainy day met him. The fresh, clean scent surrounded him. He cast a wary glance at the dreary sky and released a half-assed chuckle.
“What? Did you expect anything different?”
He stuck his hands into his jeans pockets and went to look for Milo.
Chapter Eleven
When Saturday rolled around, the big Texas sky opened up with a torrential storm. Ominous black clouds hovered overhead. Bolts of lightning zigzagged across the horizon, as thunder boomed, shaking the heavens. Through a sheet of rain that threatened to never stop, Tess peered out the window. A chill radiated off the glass. She hugged herself. The dreariness outside represented how she felt.
Yesterday had been a mixture of good and bad memories. Her body ached in places that brought a smile to her face, while other flashbacks reduced her tender thoughts to ashes. Still tired from her lack of sleep, a yawn forced her mouth wide. Work had been hell. During quiet times when the children were busy, her eyes had drifted closed, only to be greeted by the picture of two wild cowboys worshiping her body. Her daydreams lasted only a moment before Clancy’s crestfallen expression turning to anger imposed upon them.
Her delicate attempts to end their tryst had failed. She had insulted both Clancy and Ty, and no matter how many times she told herself there hadn’t been any alternative, she still felt like shit.
The abrupt ringing of the telephone jarred her concentration, but it didn’t sway her from where she stood. Neither did t
he second ring or the third. On the fourth ring, someone picked up the irritating thing.
“Yeah. Sure.” Levi’s voice cut through her melancholy. “No problem. I completely understand. Tess?”
She glanced over a shoulder.
Levi held a palm over the receiver. “It’s Wiseman. Change of plans. He wants to know if next weekend is okay?”
Tess nodded.
Clancy’s call had been anticipated. In all honesty, she was thankful for the reprieve. In fact, if it weren’t that her family needed the rancher’s guidance, she would have declined the invitation entirely.
The telephone clinked as Levi returned it to its cradle. “This sucks. When is this rain supposed to stop?”
“Weatherman says we’re in for a series of storms off and on throughout the week,” she responded.
A scream came from upstairs, followed by a host of arguing. The girls were at it again. Cabin fever. The rain was getting to them all.
Releasing the curtain to let it fall before the window, Tess pivoted. “That’s it. Tell the girls to get ready. We’re going to the mall and out for lunch.”
“But—”
“Just do it, Levi. If we don’t get out of the house, we’ll all go stir crazy.”
Tess watched Levi disappear down the hall, before she went to secure the backdoor. When she heard a squeal of delight, she knew she’d made a good call. Maybe they would even take in a movie. As she drifted back into the living room, she heard hurried footsteps clambering down the hollow stairs and she raised her sight.
Rose hopped to the bottom of the steps. “Let’s go to Macy’s. Their cosmetics are on sale.”
“No. Dillard’s,” Rachel countered. “I need a new pair of shoes.”
Tess clenched her jaws together. Of course they would be at odds. “We can go both places.” She grabbed her purse and jacket off the end table.
“I’ll drive,” Levi offered.
Digging in her bag, she located her keys and gave them a toss. Levi caught them midair with one hand. Pride rose in her as he moved to the door, holding it open for them. Their parents would be so proud of the man he had become. She was still preening when Rose shot out into the rain. She jerked on the car door only to find it still locked.
Her head snapped up. “Levi!”
He chuckled. “Sorry.” Pressing the button on the remote control, he unlocked the doors with a click and Rose scrambled inside.
Next Rachel darted into the rain, Tess hot on her heels, her jacket in the bend of her arm. Levi was the last to enter, sliding behind the wheel looking like a drowned rat. Glancing in the mirror, Tess discovered the miserable weather had left its mark on all of them. She didn’t look any better than her siblings.
Rose slapped the back of Levi’s head, nearly knocking off his hat. “I’m soaked.”
“Hey. It was an oversight.” Sheepishly, he glanced Tess’s way. “What?”
She flashed him her best sure-it-was expression.
His eyes twinkled with mischief. He pinched his lips together, fighting the grin behind them, before he turned the key and the engine roared to life. As he shifted the car into gear, a low rumble caught her attention, as well as her brother’s and sisters’. No one spoke or moved as the resonating sound grew louder and louder. It wasn’t thunder or Mother Nature wielding her mighty hand. Still, Tess knew it didn’t sound good. Her premonition was confirmed when the earth’s growl burst free along with a jet stream of water that blew eight feet into the air ten feet away from the house.
The girls released a tight scream from the backseat of the car. Levi cursed, his fingers curling tighter around the steering wheel. Tess hadn’t realized she held her breath until she gasped.
“It’s the main line.” He reached for his door, opened it and climbed out.
Without pausing, Tess followed Levi out of the vehicle, mud squishing beneath her shoes. A wave of helplessness rippled over her as she stopped beside him. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.” His deflated expression matched how she felt.
The car door slammed twice. Rose and Rachel squealed as they made their way back into the house.
So much for their outing.
It seemed like forever that she and Levi stood like idiots in the pouring rain. Their eyes were pinned on the geyser, as if staring at it would make it disappear or a stroke of genius would strike them before lightning.
“Perhaps you should turn the water off.”
Tess and Levi jumped, spinning around to see Clancy standing behind them. Unlike them, he had dressed for the climate. An expensive black oilskin coat hung just above his ankles and galoshes. Even a rain cover protected his Stetson.
“I was driving by. Thought I could be of assistance. Do you know where your shutoff valve is?”
Levi’s shoulders fell. “Yeah.” He shook his head with an expression that screamed dumbass. Then he took a step, sliding and almost losing his footing. After flailing about, he righted himself and took a careful step forward, followed by another, until he disappeared around the side of the house.
Clancy started to shrug out of his coat. “Here.”
“Please. No. I’m already soaked to the bone. You’re not.”
He stared at her quietly, before adding, “Are you sure?”
“Yes—”
A sudden crack of thunder made Tess’s pulse leap, as well as her body. Her feet slipped. For a heartbeat she thought she’d fall. Instead, she found herself in Clancy’s arms, clinging to him. His breath brushed over her face. Their mouths so close all she had to do was pucker her lips. When she realized where her thoughts were taking her, heat singed her cheeks.
“Oh God. I’m sorry.”
She nervously eased back, putting distance between them, but the damage was already done. His clean, soapy scent filled her lungs. Memories of being in his arms, his touch and kiss, rushed through her mind. Cue the wind that blew the rain sideways and a chill slithered up her spine. Tess fought the urge to climb back into his warm embrace, when what she really needed at the moment was to keep her wits about her and focus on the problem—a broken water line.
Readjusting his coat, he directed his attention to the fountain of water before them. Slowly it began to recede, dropping in height, until it bubbled beneath the turbid pond that had accumulated around the break.
When she pushed the air from her lungs, she groaned. “I can’t believe this.”
He glanced over a shoulder, a tight expression on his handsome face.
Crap. Had he misinterpreted her words?
“The leak,” she clarified. “Do plumbers work on weekends?”
“No need. Levi and I can take care of it.”
Tess raised her gaze, catching him staring at her chest. He quickly straightened his head, again glancing down at the pooling water.
Dammit. Her thin white sweater lay almost transparent, molding her body like a second skin, to reveal the lacy bra with small pink roses beneath.
She crossed her arms over her breasts. “We can’t ask that of you.”
“You want to go the entire weekend without water?”
No. That wouldn’t do either.
Before she could think of an alternative, Levi came splashing up to them. Her poor brother’s hat lay limp on his head. The brim tilted so that the rain sluiced down the edge right down the back of his shirt.
“What now?” He shivered.
Clancy turned. “We’ll need a couple of shovels, a bucket and a large umbrella or a tarp we can work under. Some clean dry towels you won’t mind throwing away.” He paused. “That should do. In the meantime, I’ll get my stuff.” Without another word he pivoted and made tracks to his truck.
“Let’s go.” She started toward the barn.
Catching up with her, Levi grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. “I can do this. Go into the house.”
The rain had lessened, but they couldn’t count on it to behave. The more help they had the better. Besides, like it or not
, she had to learn every in and out of this ranch, water lines being one of them.
“We’re in this together—good or bad.”
He forced a smile. “Rain or shine?”
“Yeah, yeah. C’mon.”
By the time they had retrieved all the items Clancy had requested and staked a tarp to work under, his big black truck rolled into their driveway. He got out and retrieved a toolbox, something that looked like a rolled-up exercise mat, and a couple of different sizes of bright copper piping from the bed of his vehicle.
As he approached, a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Tess, you need to get inside, before you get chilled.”
She wanted to say, “Too late,” but didn’t. Instead she hid the shiver that slithered through her. “I’m fine. What do we have to do next?”
“You have to get your butt in the house and at least get something dry on. Both of you.” His firm tone left no room for argument.
Without responding, she and Levi hightailed it to the house.
Stomping muddy feet at the front door, they slipped off their boots before entering. Water rolled off their clothes, pooling on the floor.
“Is that Clancy outside? Is he helping?”
Bless Rose. Their sister had a pile of towels waiting beside the door.
Tess nodded as she grabbed a towel, blotting her face and attempting to lessen the mess she was making on the floor.
“Go on up and change. Rachel and I will clean up.” Without further encouragement from Rose, Tess and Levi headed up the stairs.
Inside her bedroom, she tugged off her sweater, carrying it into the bathroom. Her wet jeans didn’t come off so easily. After pushing and wiggling, she finally managed to shed herself of the damn pants. Flinging the sodden garments across the bathtub, she moved to her closet and selected a new outfit along with a slicker and galoshes.
In no time, she was back in the rain and wind, staring at a man who she would rather be curled up on a coach next to, sipping hot rum punch, than standing ankle-deep in muck.
Building a berm around the work area to keep the rain out, Clancy glanced up to find Tess staring at him. The second their eyes met, she looked away and reached for the other shovel. A black galosh against the footrest, she buried the blade into the soft ground. Her eyes widened as she raised the heavy mud, but she didn’t complain, only packed the sludge along the path he’d started and continued to help.
Bound by an Angel Page 10
