He bent closer and his voice was husky when he said, “I meant every word.”
There wasn’t a single cell in her body not quivering from the tone, the words, the contact. She just hoped the blush on her cheeks wasn’t obvious when she said, “Thanks.”
After sitting and settling her purse on the linoleum floor, she felt a tap on her right shoulder and turned. Cecelia Clifton gave her a thumbs-up. Her friend had long brown hair, brown eyes and an approving grin on her pretty face.
She leaned close and whispered, “How long have you and Caleb been dating?”
“We’re not.” She glanced at him, talking to someone across the aisle and not paying attention to the conversation beside him. “This was the only seat available.”
“Right.” Vanessa Brent, a tall, pretty brunette, gave her a wink. “We believe that.”
“It’s the truth,” she protested. Lowering her voice, she added, “We’re not dating.”
“So, when you went out to see his ranch yesterday, that was just—” blonde Julie Smith searched for the right word “—not dating?”
“Yes.” Mallory shrugged. “Lily was asking a lot of questions about what cowboys do and he invited us—both of us—to see the ranch.”
“And what do cowboys do?” Jordyn Cates had blonde hair and a suggestive expression in her blue eyes.
“Oh, please.” Mallory half turned and made a shushing gesture to her friends.
“We’ll talk later,” Cecelia said.
Caleb was looking at her when she faced front again. “What’s up?”
“The Newcomers Club.” She shrugged. “Part of the Rust Creek Falls gal rush.”
“Ah.” He grinned, obviously remembering her mocking the name commonly given to the recent influx of women.
She looked around the room. “I heard it would be crowded tonight, but didn’t expect this.”
“Winona Cobbs is kind of a legend. She’s been around as long as I can remember. My parents, too.”
“How old is she?”
“No one knows for sure. Best guess is somewhere in her nineties.”
“Someone else told me the same thing.” Their thighs touched and the resulting heat caused a momentary interruption in the flow of information from her brain to her mouth. “So, um, why did you come tonight? Are you getting in touch with your inner psychic?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “Yeah. I’m hoping to psychically connect with the cattle. That will make my job a lot easier.”
“You could be a reality star. The cattle whisperer.” She laughed. “No, seriously. Why?”
“My mother said that a woman of Winona’s advancing age and experience is deserving of everyone’s respect and the least we could do is show up and support her.”
“Really?” She stared at him skeptically. “Your mother made you?”
“She simply pointed out that it was the polite thing to do.” The charmingly roguish expression was replaced by an angelic one.
“You’re afraid of her.”
“Of course. I’m not an idiot.”
“Big, strong man like you is afraid of his mother.” He didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable about that revelation. For some reason she found that completely appealing and liked him all the more for it. And she already liked him quite a bit.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” A lady from the Women’s Auxiliary had approached the lectern, and the microphone amplified her voice, efficiently cutting off conversation. “To most of you our speaker tonight needs no introduction. But for those of you new to Rust Creek Falls, I’ll give you a little background.”
Mallory heard about the lecturer’s early years in Whitehorn, Montana, where she owned The Stop ’n Swap, or as she liked to call it, an edgy antiques store. Folks were skeptical of her sensitivity to nonphysical forces, but more often than not found her premonitions, situational insights and astral projections not only helpful, but right on the money. In other words, Winona Cobbs knew things she had no business knowing. Currently she wrote a syndicated blog called Wisdom by Winona.
“Tonight,” the woman finished, “the Women’s Auxiliary of Rust Creek Falls is pleased to welcome Winona Cobbs, who will give us pointers on how to get in touch with our own inner psychic.”
As the room erupted in applause, Caleb leaned over and whispered, “When this is over, I expect to be able to read your mind.”
Mallory’s eyes widened at his suggestive expression and she was awfully grateful that he didn’t know her thoughts right that moment. Because she wanted very much for him to kiss her.
A stoop-shouldered, silver-haired woman walked to the lectern. Even from the third row it was impossible to tell what color her eyes were, but the intelligence, vibrancy and life jumped out when she smiled.
“There are many psychic abilities,” she said, getting right down to business. “Apportation—teleportation of an object. Bilocation—being in multiple places. Claircognizance—the ability to discern a psychic past, present or future from an individual. Precognition—knowing something in advance of its occurrence.”
Caleb and Mallory looked at each other. She didn’t know about him, but her head was ready to explode. Hopefully, there wasn’t a quiz later.
“Any happening that can’t be rationally explained goes under the heading of psychic and given a fancy name. I can see your eyes glazing over.” Winona paused and looked at her audience, then smiled. “But I’m going to focus on two and give you some pointers for developing the skill in yourself. Studies have been done that indicate most people only use ten percent of their brain. We all are capable of psychic ability and simply need to stretch those muscles. So to speak.
“First, mediumship, which is channeling or communicating with spirits. All of us either have or will in the future lose someone in our lifetime that we’re close to. Remember that love is very powerful. You can’t see it or hold it in your hand, but it’s eternal. It never dies. We want to know that the person we love who is gone is okay. And they want to know we are.”
Mallory realized that was very true. Her sister was gone and she, Mallory, had so many questions. Had Mona been scared when the accident happened? They’d said she and her husband died instantly, but how could anyone know for sure? Was Mona really in a better place? Happy and content? Could she see that Mallory was doing her best to care for the child she’d left behind? Raise her the way Mona and Bill would have wanted?
As the questions hummed through her mind, she felt a big, warm hand on hers. She looked up at Caleb. There was sympathy and understanding in his eyes. It was an expression that said he knew what she was thinking and she shouldn’t feel alone. She opened her tight fist and linked her fingers with his, which at that moment seemed more important than listening. A feeling of contentment settled over her and somehow she knew her sister was all right and approved of her taking care of Lily.
“The next ability I want to talk about is precognition. Prediction of events before they happen.” Winona rested her hands on the lectern and looked out over it. “It’s different from seeing the future and not that difficult. For example...a child is running through the house when you have told them to stop multiple times. Those are the ones who go to the school of hard knocks and give their parents gray hair.” She paused as people laughed. “So this child is running and then falls. The first words out of your mouth are I told you that would happen.” A buzz went through the audience and heads were nodding, indicating everyone could relate. “My advice is this. Don’t ignore your gut instinct. Pay attention to the signs that the universe is sending out.”
Winona Cobbs talked awhile longer but Mallory was too distracted by how good Caleb’s hand felt still holding hers to absorb much of anything that was said. Until the very end.
“I know we’d all like the message spelled out neat and tidy. A big sign
in bold black letters that says Pay attention now because this person is going to be important.” Winona was looking straight at Mallory when she said, “Have you ever had someone come into your life who could have crossed your path many times before but didn’t? Then suddenly they keep turning up wherever you are? Like a piece of lint you can’t get rid of? Coincidence? Signs from the universe? Or a subconscious desire creating a powerful force that draws you both together? By embracing your inner psychic, you can find the answers.”
The applause was enthusiastic and after the announcement was made about refreshments, everyone stood to leave. Caleb was still holding her hand and it felt right, too right. Although Mallory could almost feel the people around them staring. She wanted to explain that they were friends, nothing more, and she hoped no one got the wrong idea.
Mayor Collin Traub and his wife, Willa Christensen Traub, were across the aisle with knowing smiles on their faces. Finally the dark-haired, reformed bad boy said to them, “When did you two start dating?”
She and Caleb looked at each other and said together, “We’re not dating.”
“Uh-huh.” That skeptical comment came from behind her and sounded a lot like Callie.
Mallory looked over her shoulder at the other Newcomers Club member. “Seriously, we just met.”
“Oh?” Callie’s eyebrow lifted as she looked up at the man she was engaged to. “Like Winona just said, what was that again, Nate?”
He said, “Something about someone who just crossed your path being important in your life. Paying attention to signs.”
“Well,” Caleb said, “this is nothing like that.”
“You act as if date is a dirty word,” the other man said.
Caleb saw a break in the flow of exiting people and stepped into the aisle, backing up a step so Mallory could precede him. She did and hurried out before anyone else could accuse them of dating.
They walked outside, where tables were set up with coffee, water, punch and a potluck of desserts. The area was illuminated by spotlights mounted on the corners of the Community Center. Side by side she and Caleb browsed the goodies. After looking at everything, she took a chocolate-chip cookie and a brownie, then some punch. He did the same. Coincidence? she wondered. This was just too woo-woo weird.
Moving away from the tables, where a lot of the crowd had congregated, they wandered over the grass and stopped a little off to themselves while other people milled around nearby.
Thoughtfully, Mallory nibbled on the cookie. After swallowing, she asked, “Do you think I should have a T-shirt made that says I’m not dating Caleb Dalton?”
“Maybe.” He laughed. “But folks in Rust Creek Falls are going to think what they want no matter what we say. Even if we did put it on a sign.”
“You’ve lived here longer and probably know that better than me. I suppose it only matters that we know the truth.”
“I suppose.”
But she would swear he was looking at her mouth with a dark intensity that made her nervous, in a sexy way. Keep talking, she told herself. “So, what did you think of the lecture?”
“Color me skeptical.” He’d finished his brownie and only had half the cookie left. “I’m one of those guys who have to see it, touch it, before deciding something is the real deal.”
“So, you don’t believe in signs from the universe?”
“Not so much.” He’d finished his cookie and drink and tossed the paper cup into the trash can nearby. “Can I take yours?”
Mallory handed him her empty napkin and cup and he disposed of them. “Thanks.
“No problem. What did you think?”
“I can’t argue with the word skeptical.” She folded her arms over her chest. “If I had any inner psychic to embrace, I’d never have gotten involved with the man who dumped me because I didn’t make time for him.”
“You mind explaining that?”
Darn it, she thought. She’d hardly intended to cry about her breakup on Caleb’s shoulder. She sighed. “His name was Dustin and he was a resident at the hospital in Helena. I worked as a paralegal for a law firm. Granted, my job wasn’t life-and-death like his, but it’s still important. He worked much longer hours than I did, but when I put him off because of work one too many times, he broke things off.”
“And broke your heart.” He wasn’t asking a question.
“I went through all the stages of grief—anger, denial, plotting revenge.”
“I don’t think I ever heard that getting even is one of those steps,” he commented, his mouth curving up in a smile.
She laughed. “Probably ending it was for the best. Clearly he’s self-centered and demanding. When I became Lily’s guardian it probably would have ended anyway. But if she’d come into my life when we were a couple and then he walked out, that would have been one more adjustment for her to make.”
“Sounds like the guy is a jerk,” he said.
Talking about her past made her remember the first six months with her niece and how different their life was here in Rust Creek Falls. “What do you think about gut instinct?”
“I like to think of it more as flying by the seat of my pants. Spontaneous. Seems to work out.”
“Hmm,” she said. “I’ve always been a planner. Decisions were always made with a lot of thought and a long list of pros and cons. Until Rust Creek Falls.”
“How so?” He slid his fingertips into the pockets of his jeans.
“I decided to move here and it was purely a gut-instinct choice. I read Lissa’s blog and suddenly missed Montana. New York was hectic and sad, and moving seemed really right.”
“Do you still feel that way?”
“Yes. I can’t think of a single time that I regretted it.”
She laughed. “Lily missed the city and all the conveniences of take-out food and entertainment choices, but now I think she’s pretty well-adjusted.” She looked up and he had that hungry expression on his face again. “It seems she’s in love with horses and riding. I’m not sure whether to curse you or be grateful.”
He laughed. “So she enjoyed it.”
“Very much. I appreciate you taking the time with her.”
“It was fun. I’d be happy to teach you how to ride, too.”
Mallory was trying to think of a diplomatic way to turn him down when she noticed Winona Cobbs. The woman walked by them mumbling something that sounded like, “I know I saw something. Could it be...”
She stopped a few feet away and stood there, looking around. Oblivious to the crowd.
Mallory glanced from the old woman to Caleb. “Do you think she’s all right?”
“Define ‘all right.’ She just talked to the whole town about signs from the universe,” he said.
“Still...” She twisted her fingers together. “I think I’m going to talk to her.”
Before she could, Winona turned, shaking her head. She walked over to them and said to Caleb, “You think I’m a crazy old woman.”
“No, ma’am.” There was just the slightest tinge of guilt in his tone.
“A white lie is a lie nonetheless.” But there was a twinkle in her eyes. Then it disappeared. “I thought I saw something. Someone. But now it’s gone.”
“So, your Spidey sense was tingling?” Caleb asked.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that no one likes a smart aleck, Caleb Dalton?” Winona smiled. “I know you’re a doubter, but that’s all right. Still, if you don’t believe anything else, believe this. It’s never wise to ignore signs from the universe.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
Winona looked at him as if she could see something that no one else could. “He has his flaws, Mallory, but there’s a good and true heart in there.”
Mallory had a million questions, not the least of whic
h was how the woman knew her name. But before she could ask anything, Winona walked away.
“How did she do that?”
“What?” he asked.
“I’ve never met her. She knew my name.” She held her arms out helplessly.
“Really?” Wonder widened his eyes. “Maybe someone pointed you out and told her.”
“I guess. That would explain it.” She looked up at him and was glad he couldn’t read her mind because right at that moment she wished he would kiss her. The irony of that after denying to her friends that they were dating didn’t escape her. It was time to go. “This has been really fun, Caleb, but it’s getting late and I have to pick Lily up at her friend’s house.”
“Right. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“That’s nice of you.” Although not necessary, she thought. After all, this was Rust Creek Falls.
Side by side they walked around the building to the Community Center parking lot. Her car was in a row farthest from the building and there was no one around. Mallory hit the button on the key fob and unlocked it, then Caleb opened the door.
She tossed her purse on the passenger seat and looked up. “I had a good time.”
“Me, too.”
And that was when Mallory got her second surprise of the evening. Caleb moved closer, bent slightly at the waist and pulled her against him. His mouth lowered to hers, warm and soft. Her hands slid over his chest, tangling around his neck as he nibbled kisses over her lips. The touch sent heat pouring through her and it pooled in her belly.
Her breath caught and then came faster. Caleb’s breathing was none too steady, either. As kisses went, it was the best one she’d ever had and that opinion had nothing to do with the fact that she hadn’t been kissed in a very long time.
His mouth was a whisper away from hers. “I can hear you thinking.”
“Watch it. Your inner psychic is acting up.”
His mouth curved up in a sexy smile. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Speaking of which...” She dragged in air and reluctantly stepped away from the warmth of his body and the security of his arms. “What was that?”
From Maverick to Daddy Page 7
