Nick gave a triumphant fist pump, while Katherine and Blake shared amused glances.
“But that doesn’t mean the both of you are only going to eat cookies,” Blake warned the two kids.
“Oh, Uncle Blake,” Hannah said with a groan. “You’re such a stuffed shirt.”
“Stuffed shirt, eh? Just wait until we go swimming. I’m going to throw you and Nick up so high out of the water you’ll have birds flying around your heads.”
Nick’s and Hannah’s mouths flew open and then they both began to giggle.
“Oh, wow! This is gonna be fun!” Nick exclaimed.
Hannah danced on her toes. “Let’s hurry and eat, Nick, so we can jump in.”
Blake held up both hands. “Whoa! There isn’t going to be any jumping in the lake right after we eat. I don’t want a bunch of tummy aches around here. You two can hunt arrowheads or go for a hike before we do the swimming. Okay?”
To Katherine’s amazement, both children agreed without too much complaining. After Hannah and Nick meandered off together toward the shade of the ledge, she looked at Blake and smiled. “Are you sure you’ve never been a dad before? You handled that like a pro.”
“I haven’t forgotten how Dad dealt with us kids. If we got rowdy, he could get mighty firm. But we always knew he was a lovable teddy bear underneath.”
The wan smile on his face held a touch of sadness that she understood all too well. “I can tell you still really miss him,” she said gently.
His gaze moved past her and out toward the wide stretch of blue water. “I’ll never stop missing him.”
“I miss my father, too,” she admitted with a long sigh. “Knowing what he was, that probably doesn’t make much sense to you. But there was parts of his life when he, uh, wasn’t always a bad or neglectful father. Now I find myself hanging on to the good memories of him much more than the bad.”
His gaze returned to her face and then he surprised her by reaching for her hand. The comforting warmth of his strong fingers wrapping around hers made something in the middle of her chest melt like a marshmallow over a burning log.
“It makes all kind of sense to me, Katherine. But today is for fun. Not for us to get melancholy.”
He squeezed her hand, and as she watched an engaging smile spread across his handsome face, she decided the man had put some kind of spell on her. Just the touch of his hand and the smile on his face made her world seem bright and beautiful. It was an exhilarating thought, but also a very scary one.
Flashing a smile back at him, she said, “You’re right. Let’s put the food on the table before the kids start howling that they’re starving.”
* * *
Blake couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a picnic. Probably not since he’d been in high school, when he and a bunch of friends had gathered here at the lake for a Fourth of July party. Years had passed since those carefree days. Now as the four of them sat around the table enjoying the lunch Reeva had packed for them, he realized he’d almost forgotten how it felt to eat outdoors with the lake water lapping close by, the sun shining in a bright blue sky and a pretty girl sitting next to him.
No, she was more than pretty, Blake thought. With her face practically bare of makeup and her black hair teased by the wind, she was sexy and womanly. She was also making him wish the two of them were alone. At least long enough to kiss her senseless.
Forcing himself to ignore the erotic images in his head, he glanced at Nick. The dark-haired boy was busy chomping on a fried chicken leg. So far he seemed to be taking in everything about the day with great enthusiasm. Blake was relieved. If Nick wasn’t happy, Katherine would hardly be enjoying herself.
He turned his gaze on Katherine. “How long has it been since you two have gone on a picnic?”
She gave his question a moment’s thought before answering. “A few months ago we went to the park in town.”
Nick groaned a loud protest. “Aww, Mom, that wasn’t much of a picnic. We just ate sandwiches, then got up and went home. This is a real picnic.”
“My mom doesn’t have much time to take me on picnics,” Hannah said. “But she makes up for it in other ways, I guess. Uncle Joe takes me riding a lot. And that’s super fun.”
“Uncle Joe takes you riding more often now that he’s married to Tessa and they have a ranch to care for,” Blake pointed out.
“That’s right. Tessa is fun. She likes to do all sorts of things. And Uncle Joe is a lot more fun now that’s he’s married.” As soon as she spoke the last word, Hannah’s expression lit up as though she’d just made the obvious connection. “Gosh, I hadn’t thought about that idea before. Maybe Mom needs a husband to make her happier.”
“Your mother doesn’t need fixing. She’s happy as she is,” Blake told his niece.
“Yeah, but there’s nothing wrong with being happier.” The girl turned a crafty glance on Blake and Katherine. “Maybe that’s what you need, too, Uncle Blake. A wife!”
A wife. Ever since Lenore had broken their engagement, Blake had been asking himself if he was actually meant to have a wife and children. Sometimes at night, when he fell into bed, exhausted from trying to do too many jobs in one day, he told himself his only lot in life was to manage Three Rivers. And most of the time, he was content to accept that lonely idea. But now that he’d met Katherine again, he wanted more. Much more.
Glancing down the table, he noticed Nick was staring at the three of them, clearly hanging on to every word. Blake awkwardly cleared his throat and tried to think up a neutral reply to Hannah’s suggestion.
“And maybe you need to eat the rest of your lunch and leave the matchmaking to the adults,” he told her.
Hannah looked at Nick and rolled her eyes, then both children giggled.
“Okay. I won’t talk about that kind of stuff.” She pulled a handful of potato chips from an open bag. “I want to talk about riding horses. I’ve been thinking Nick needs to learn how to ride. And quick. That way he can go on spring roundup with us.”
“Roundup!” Nick squealed with excitement. “You mean like herdin’ cattle and all that kinda stuff? Do you get to go?”
Nodding, Hannah answered, “Sure do. Some of the other ranch hands let their kids go, too. All we get to do is ride drag. So we won’t get in the way. But it’s fun. And we get to eat off the chuck wagon and at night we sleep in bedrolls. Uncle Holt sings around the campfire, too. Sometimes he sounds sorta like a wounded coyote, but most of the time it sounds nice. I wouldn’t tell him that, though.”
The excitement on Nick’s face turned to doubt. “I don’t know about ridin’ drag.”
Hannah batted a dismissive hand through the air. “Oh, it’s easy. You mostly just eat a bunch of dust. But we tie kerchiefs over our faces when it gets too bad. But you need to learn how to ride first. Good enough so that you can trot and canter without falling off. I can teach you.” Hannah looked hopefully at Katherine. “Will you give him permission, Katherine?”
Blake could see tense lines forming around Katherine’s mouth and across her forehead. Clearly, she was concerned about Nick’s safety. But she might also be worried about the boy becoming emotionally invested in the Hollister family. If so, Blake wanted to erase her fears. He wanted her to see that he and his family would be a constant anchor in their lives. If only she would give Blake a chance to prove it.
“I’d have to think on it, Hannah,” Katherine said cautiously. “Being around livestock can be very dangerous. And Nick isn’t like you. He’s a city boy.”
“I can learn, Mom! And I’m not afraid of any ol’ horse or cow! I’m not even afraid of a bull—with long horns,” Nick added for good measure.
Katherine turned a worried frown on Blake. “What do you think about all this?”
He glanced at Nick and the eager, hopeful look on the boy’s face tugged at his heart. From what Katherine had told
him, even when he’d been alive, Nick’s father had been absent in his baby son’s life. With only one debilitated grandfather, Nick had never had a chance to experience the outdoors with a father figure at his side. Blake desperately wished he had the right to take Nick under his wing and guide him into manhood.
“I think it would be a great experience for Nick. He’d learn a lot about ranching,” Blake told her. “And Hannah makes a great riding instructor. She’s taught a few other kids before. Besides, climbing into a vehicle and going down the highway can be dangerous.”
Her face suddenly blanched white and Blake wished he could kick himself. Reminding her of her late husband’s death was the last thing he’d intended to do. “I’m sorry, Katherine. I wasn’t thinking how insensitive that sounded.”
“Forget it. I know you were only talking in general terms.” She smoothed back a few tendrils of hair that the wind had whipped loose from her ponytail. “Will you be going on spring roundup?”
“I always do. I like to get a firsthand look at the herds and make sure everything is going smoothly. But it will be a few more weeks before the roundup takes place. Nick has enough time to learn how to ride.”
Nick must have felt the momentum of the issue was gravitating to his side. He was practically bouncing in his seat. “Can I, Mom? Can I?”
Katherine turned a gentle smile on her son. “I’m not promising anything yet, Nick. But I’ll think about it.”
Seeing that as a positive response, the two excited children began exchanging high fives.
Blake looked over at Katherine and smiled. “I’ve heard the scariest part of being a parent is letting go.”
Her lips twisted to a wry slant. “Just wait until you have your own. You’ll find out just how scary.”
His own kids? At one time Blake had dreamed of having a whole brood of children. But then his father had died and his responsibilities on the ranch had taken a drastic change. During his brief engagement to Lenore, he’d let himself believe that children and a woman to love him was finally coming true. After that dream had died an abrupt death, Blake had refused to think of himself as being a husband and father someday. Until now.
Meeting Katherine again had injected him with newfound hope. And though a part of him was yelling that he needed to put a foot on his burgeoning emotions, the other part refused to do anything to dampen the first real joy he’d felt in years. There was a good chance she might never fall in love with him. But being with her made him feel like a wanted man again. And for now, that had to be enough.
Chapter Nine
More than an hour later, after the meal was finished and the leftovers packed away, the four of them hiked up a nearby trail until they reached the summit of a tall hill covered with saguaro cacti, thick chaparral and blooming wildflowers. Blake and Katherine found a comfortable rock seat, shaded by a lone mesquite. Since the rock wasn’t all that wide, there was hardly an inch of space between them. The closeness made Katherine acutely aware of his thigh pressed against hers and the masculine scent of his skin swirling up to her nostrils. Touching him, even in an innocent way, filled her with the memory of his kisses and made her long for more.
Several yards away, but still within view of the adults, Nick and Hannah were content to search for arrowheads along a bare rocky shelf along the side of the hill.
“This is a gorgeous spot.” Katherine’s gaze studied the rugged landscape before landing back on Blake’s face. “Thank you for bringing us, Blake. This is a day Nick will never forget.”
He glanced over at the kids before turning his warm brown gaze on Katherine. “I don’t think I’ll forget it, either.” He reached out and smoothed a tendril of loose hair off her forehead. “As much as I’m enjoying Hannah and Nick, I wish the two of us could be alone. For a few minutes, at least.”
His suggestion put a hot blush on her cheeks. “It’s probably a good thing we have two chaperones.”
His head leaned closer to hers and longing fluttered in the pit of Katherine’s stomach.
“We won’t always have chaperones with us,” he reminded.
“No. We won’t.”
“Does that worry you?”
She leveled a knowing look at him. “Everything about us worries me. But—”
“You want to be with me,” he interrupted. “More than you want to run and hide.”
She let out a long breath. “Something like that.”
He reached over and folded his fingers around hers. “I want to be with you, too, Kat. More than you can imagine. And today has set me to thinking.”
When he didn’t continue, she asked, “About what?”
“Oh, about me and the ranch. About you and Nick. And all the things I’d like to share with you two.”
The serious look in his eyes scared her. This was Blake Hollister, not just some regular Joe who drove a delivery truck or worked on a highway crew. His family name was known far and wide. Three Rivers had a reputation as being one of the largest, most productive ranches in the state. Money was not an issue with him. He and his family had more than enough. As for women, he had the looks and charm to have most anyone he set his eyes on. So what made him think she was special? Katherine wasn’t special. She’d been born an Anderson. Pretty clothes and a decent house didn’t change that fact. And sooner, rather than later, he would realize she wasn’t suitable wife material for a man like himself.
Her heart fluttering, she purposely turned her gaze on Hannah and Nick. “You’re thinking too much, too fast, Blake.”
His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand and Katherine desperately wanted to rest her head upon his shoulder. To let herself believe the three of them could be a real family.
“I’m thirty-eight years old. I don’t want to waste any more time.” His thumb and forefinger wrapped around her chin and guided her face around to his. “It’s been seven years since your husband died, Kat. You shouldn’t want to waste any more time, either.”
A lump of emotions stuck in her throat. Seven years. She’d hung on to the memory of her tragic marriage much too long. And through it all she’d believed a chance to love again would never come to her. Now Blake was at her side, offering her all sorts of dreams and passion. Even if their time together was short-lived, she’d be a fool to push it all aside.
“I don’t intend to,” she murmured.
Surprise flickered across his features and then his hand was gently cradling the side of her face. “Do you really mean that?”
Her heart racing, it was all she could do to keep from throwing herself in his arms and begging him to never let her go. “I really mean it.”
His eyes full of promises, he started to say something. But shouts from Hannah and Nick suddenly interrupted the moment.
“Mom! Mom! We’ve found an arrowhead! Come look!”
With a wry smile on his face, Blake stood and pulled Katherine to her feet. “I think we’d better go share in the excitement.”
Her heart suddenly full, she squeezed his hand. “I think you’re right.”
* * *
Monday morning, shortly before her lunch break, Katherine carried a handful of papers into Prudence’s office and placed them on the superintendent’s desk.
“Those are all ready for you to sign. The set of papers on top is the work order for the gym floor repair. The contractor won’t appear until he has everything in writing,” Katherine informed her. “The secretary for the construction company made that clear to me over the phone this past Friday.”
Prudence reached for the papers and began to scratch her signature on the appropriate lines.
“Send these off as soon as you get back to your office,” she told Katherine. “The coaches have a basketball camp already scheduled for the last week in June. The new flooring needs to be in place before camp begins.”
“Right. I’ll try to get a fixed d
ate as to when the work might start.”
Prudence pushed the signed papers back toward Katherine, then looked up and smiled. “So how did your weekend go? Did Mr. Hollister come through with the picnic?”
Katherine wondered if the smile on her face looked as dreamy as it felt. “He did. And he brought his young niece, Hannah, along so that Nick would have company. We all had a—” Not wanting to sound like she was gushing, she stopped short of saying glorious. “We had a great time.”
“It must have been more than great,” Prudence replied as she carefully scanned Katherine’s face. “Your eyes are lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Katherine unwittingly touched a hand to her warm cheek. “I guess I do feel happy this morning,” she admitted, then let out a short laugh. “It’s been so long since... Well, I’d forgotten what it’s like to be courted by a man.”
Prudence pointed to the chair in front of her desk. “Sit. Tell me about it.”
The phone on the superintendent’s desk began to ring, and thinking the woman would answer, Katherine hesitated about taking a seat. Instead, Prudence ignored the phone and motioned impatiently to the chair.
“I’ll get back to the call later,” she insisted. “Right now I want to hear about your day at the lake.”
Katherine crossed her legs and tried to look casual. “Well, there’s not that much to tell. Blake took us to a private little cove that hardly anyone knows about. It was a beautiful spot and we had it all to ourselves. Our lunch was delicious and afterward we hiked around the nearby hills. The kids explored and searched for arrowheads. Then we swam and played in the water for hours.”
“Sounds like you made a long day of it.”
Katherine nodded. “It was well after dark by the time we got home. Nick was so tired from all the play he fell asleep on the couch.”
Prudence’s expression turned clever. “And what did Nick think about the outing?”
“Oh, gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so animated and happy. He was still talking about it this morning at breakfast.”
Her Man on Three Rivers Ranch Page 11
