by Julie Benson
The thought soured his mood further. This hadn’t been how he planned things would go when he offered his pool table. They were to come over, play a quick game and leave. Instead here Cassie stood chatting with his friends, looking all pretty and inviting while leaving him feeling like the outsider.
He was a smart man who prided himself on being able to handle just about anything. At least until he met Cassie. Every time he thought he regained control of the situation she turned the tables on him. Worse yet, she had a knack of making him feel like a tongue-tied teenager.
The conversation and laughter swirled around him as his friends all jockeyed for Cassie’s attention. Bringing her and his friends together had been one of the dumbest ideas he’d had in a long time. These two parts of his worlds had no business mixing and it set his nerves on edge. You’d think the guys hadn’t seen a woman in a month of Sundays. He was about to say she should play or leave when AJ glanced at him, frowned, and headed his way.
When his friend stood beside him, he whispered, “What’s with all the glares between you and Cassie? You came pretty close to losing your cool with her. I’ve never seen that happen before.”
Cassie. What was it about her that made him want to draw a line in the sand and dare her to step over it? And how did she keep making him feel his world was spinning out of control?
“The woman is gonna drive me crazy. If I hadn’t promised Jack I’d watch out for Ella—”
“But you did.”
And that was the heart of the problem, and why he couldn’t overlook when Cassie failed to set limits. “I’m not that much of a hard ass, am I?”
“Nah, you’re kind of stubborn, but that’s because you know what you want and refuse to compromise when you’re sure you’re right.”
“AJ, next time I need a pep talk, remind me not to come to you.”
“Every strength has a negative. Take you, for example. Determination and drive made you a damn good unit commander. You knew what needed to be done, and you made it happen, but at times it gave you tunnel vision.”
“Get to the point.”
“What helps you get the job done most times—being direct and determined—is what’s causing problems with Cassie. It’s not like you to miss that and see you need to change tactics with her.”
“She’s one of those fly by the seat of the pants, go with the flow without a plan women. They drive me crazy. She’s too worried about being Ella’s friend, and that’s not what that child needs. She needs structure, limits, and predictability.”
“Stand in Cassie’s shoes for a minute. Raising a kid’s hard enough, but to step in when the kid’s six and go from being an aunt to a parent figure? That’s even tougher.”
“She’s not the first person to have to step up to raise a child.”
“Now I get it,” AJ said in a know-it-all best friend tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Not everyone’s as strong as you are. Sure, you took on a lot of responsibility with Aubrey, but you weren’t solely responsible for her. It’ll take Cassie time to shift from being an aunt who could spoil a kid to being someone who’s got to be the bad guy. From what you said about her sister, if Cassie’s anything like her she’ll get the hang of things pretty quick.”
“That’s the problem. She’s not. If anything, Cassie’s the opposite of her sister. She’s scattered and unorganized.” He told AJ how Ella had wandered off earlier. “She’s a woman who would call her husband twice a day because she’d misplaced the kids.”
“Then help her out. Just do with it a softer touch.”
“I’m not about to change—”
“Then at least quit being such an ass and let the rest of us have some fun.”
*
The more Ty scowled from his spot leaning against the wall, the more fun Cassie had. The louder she laughed at his friends’ jokes the deeper his scowl became. She wondered if she could get smoke to roll out of his ears.
Tall, commanding, and stubborn. King Surveys his Surroundings With Displeasure. That was what she’d title the painting. Not that she wanted to capture his image on canvas with the glower marring his strong, classic features. Did the man ever loosen up and smile, or did she just bring out the worst in him?
If he hadn’t wanted her and Ella to join him and his friends why had he issued the invitation? They could’ve waited for a table to open up, but once he’d done so, the least he could do was be civil. Too bad if his nose was out of joint. He wasn’t about to ruin her fun or Ella’s.
She felt a tug on her skirt and turned to Ella, who’d eaten most of a piece of chicken. “One more bite and we can play pool.” She turned to Ty who’d joined them at the table, and stared him down, daring him to contradict her.
He glanced at Ella’s food, then at the child and nodded. Did he think she needed his permission? As the financial guardian, he was in charge of Ella’s money, but she was responsible for everything else.
After taking another bite, Ella hopped off her stool and rushed to grab a cue from the wall rack while Zane racked up the balls. That done, Cassie joined her niece. “Do you want to break or should I?”
When Ella pointed to her, Cassie nodded and forced a smile. The doctor told her not to be discouraged and to concentrate on making communication easier for Ella rather than focusing on her lack of speech. That meant rewording as many requests as possible into closed questions. However, the consequences were simple tasks such as figuring out what to make for breakfast morphed into an exhausting game of twenty, make that fifty plus, questions.
“Let’s get this game started.” Cassie grabbed a pool cue, lined up her shot, sent the cue ball careening into the other balls with a satisfying crack, and a striped ball skidded into a pocket. As she stood studying the table, Zane stepped close enough for her to see the green flecks in his blue eyes. Talk about a guy who wouldn’t take a hint.
“The three in the side pocket’s your best shot.”
Most women would be flattered by his attention, but she wasn’t one of them. He was good-looking, no doubt about it. Tall, golden haired, with a body the female population in The Horseshoe had been drooling over, but the problem was, he knew all that.
Sure, he’d make a woman feel special during the chase and would show her the time of her life, but after that? He wouldn’t remember her name. Yup, Zane’s attention was as genuine as a Las Vegas showgirl’s breasts.
When Cassie went to line up her shot, Zane repositioned her hands on the cue stick. Time to stop this. She pulled away. “I can take it from here.”
“Strike two,” one of the guys called out, his voice ringing with amusement, and she made no attempt to hide hers. She couldn’t help but like Ty’s friends, though she couldn’t quite figure them out. An odd group in both personality and behavior they tossed out good natured jabs at each other, but Cassie sensed if anyone else said some of the things they did they’d have a major fight on their hands.
And Ty appeared to be the glue that kept them connected.
Not that they wouldn’t stay in touch, but she bet he initiated everything, contacting the others, finding a date that worked and ensuring their annual event happened.
Chloe had been that way, keeping in touch with high school and college friends. Cassie always meant to, but other than her best friend Grace, somehow she’d lost track of everyone else.
Maybe that’s why you feel so alone right now. If you’d made more effort to keep in touch, you’d have a support network in place for tough times.
Shaking off the cloud engulfing her, she purposely sent the shot right. “Your turn, Ella.”
Her niece walked to the table, but could barely see over it, making her look even younger, almost fragile. The cue stick clutched in her small hand, she struggled to maneuver to make a shot. Before Cassie could reach her, Ty grabbed a chair and slid it forward. “Here, stand on this.”
He held Ella’s cue while she climbed on, but when she still had trouble managing t
he stick, he placed his large tan hands around her tiny ones. “Now line up your shot.”
Her niece peered thoughtfully over her cue, and together they sent the cue ball into the blue striped ball. When it sailed into the side pocket, Ella’s wide grin, filled with pride over her accomplishment thrilled Cassie. Such a little thing, and yet so huge.
“Great shot. You want to go the next one solo?” The child shook her head. “Okay, we’re a team.” Then Ty leaned down, a big silly grin on his face, making Cassie’s heart pitter pat again. “We’re going to beat your Aunt Cassie big time.”
Ella nodded and bounced up and down. Okay, maybe Ty wasn’t such a hard ass after all.
For the next few minutes Cassie saw glimpses of the carefree child she’d known. While Ella didn’t openly laugh, she appeared more relaxed. The game went by in a blur and in what felt like no time, Ty pointed to the closest corner of the table. “Ella, we want to get the black ball in the pocket over there. If we make this shot, we win.”
A big grin greeted him, and Cassie cringed. She’d seen that same smile on Ella’s face in this very spot, when she’d watched the child play pool with her father. Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat.
Girls needed a father. Her heart tightened, remembering how she’d loved when her father was home and not on assignment. She’d soaked up his attention, storing it away for when he’d leave again. At least he’d come home every once in a while. Ella wouldn’t even have that.
Cassie glanced at the table in time to see the eight ball tumble into the correct pocket. The victors shared a celebratory high five, and then Ty helped Ella off the chair.
“Time to go, Miss Pool Shark,” Cassie said, her voice lighter than it had been in days. It was amazing what a little fun could do. Even if only for a short time.
She reached out to Ella, but instead of taking her hand, the child stepped back, pointed her chin in the air and shook her head.
Not now. Not again. Don’t ruin the fun we’ve had with a meltdown.
“We had a deal. One game,” she said. “Now it’s time to go.”
Cassie held her breath, praying Ella honored their agreement, but instead she received another headshake, defiance clear on the child’s pretty face. Another gauntlet. Cassie wasn’t sure she possessed the energy to deal with this one.
Going from the easygoing aunt who blew into town, spoiled her niece rotten, and left her sister to clean up any messes to the buck stops here person wasn’t fun. She’d known the transition would be hard, but it was more difficult than she’d imagined.
How hard should she push this issue? Talk about clueless with kids. She’d never even babysat as a teenager. What did parents do in these situations? Why hadn’t she wished paid more attention to how Chloe and Jack disciplined Ella?
Compromise. Maybe that would work. Wait a minute. Compromising got her into this mess. Bribery?
“Your aunt said it’s time to go, Ella.”
Cassie’s gaze flew to Ty who stood beside Ella, a stern no-nonsense look on his chiseled face, his arms crossed over his chest. Did the man have any other pose? A new wave of anger bubbled up inside her. Who did he think he was?
“I’ll deal with this,” she said, dismissing Ty before turning to Ella. The child now mimicked the cowboy’s pose. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, Cassie had to admit Ella had Ty’s scowl down. “Ella, it’s not polite to mock someone. Now it’s time to go. We had a deal, and it’s important that you—”
“Enough talk.” Ty scooped Ella up.
“Now hold on there, cowboy. I think you’ve overstepped your role.”
Cassie reached for Ella, but the child squirmed and pushed against Ty’s arms and chest. When her antics didn’t gain her freedom she bucked backwards. Cassie sighed. Great. An all out, open warfare tantrum. Just what she needed with half the town watching.
“Ella, stop it, right now. Otherwise no horseback riding Sunday,” Ty said.
Instant compliance.
Then Ty nodded toward the front door. “Cassie, lead the way.”
She frowned, not liking his hard line tactics, but couldn’t argue with his results. When have you done that well getting her to follow directions? That wasn’t the point. His overstepping his place was, and they would talk about that as soon as they were alone.
Keeping a tight hold on her anger, she said a quick goodbye to his friends and headed through the restaurant. Ty carrying a now docile Ella followed. Once in the parking lot she unlocked her car and opened the rear passenger side door.
Ty deposited Ella in her booster seat and playfully tugged her ponytail. “Buckle up. Crunchie and I’ll see you Sunday afternoon.”
The minute she shut the car door, she said in a voice not loud enough for Ella to hear, but filled with enough force Ty would get her point, “How dare you! I know Ella and I are struggling to settle into our new relationship, but it doesn’t help when you step in and take over.”
“Someone had to.”
Her pulse rate shot up as the irritation pounded through her veins, the force of which had her seeing stars. She’d had all she could take. “You’ve got some nerve. For your information, I planned on doing something. I just hadn’t determined what. With everything Ella’s been through, the situation is complicated.”
“It wasn’t back there.” He nodded toward the restaurant. “Ella was having a good old-fashioned temper tantrum.”
“That very well may be, but her doctor and therapist emphasize using patience.”
“But she can’t get her way whenever she throws a fit. She needs structure, predictability, limits, and consequences for her actions.”
“What the hell do you know about parenting? You don’t have any more experience than I do.”
He leaned back on his heels. “I know more than you think. Aubrey was about Ella’s age when she saw her father run down by a drunk driver. He’d stopped to help a woman change a flat tire. After that, Aubrey stopped talking to everyone except our mom and me, and she only did that when she had to. Mom got her in therapy and that included family sessions. I learned a lot.”
So he knew something about what Ella was going through. Still, he had no right to overrule her decisions. “If you were in family therapy with your sister I’m sure you learned that tantrums and rage can be signs of traumatic stress. I want Ella to feel it’s safe to express her feelings, no matter what they are, and realize she won’t drive me away. That, having fun, and encouraging her to communicate are my top priorities.”
Well that and finding a way to pay the bills so we have a roof over our heads.
“I’ll grant you she needs a gentle touch sometimes, but back there wasn’t one of them because she was playing you.”
“We need to get something straight. You’re in charge of Ella’s finances. That’s it. I’m her guardian. For everything else is my domain.”
“You’re right. Legally, all I am is her financial guardian, but Jack asked me to make sure you did right by Ella, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I won’t let him down. If you’re making a mistake where she’s concerned I’m going to say something. Like now. Jack wouldn’t want his daughter growing up thinking throwing a fit is the way to get ahead in the world.”
Ty’s words burrowed under her skin, stirring up her fears and insecurities about raising Ella, obliterating everything else. “I know I’m not doing anywhere near the job Jack and Chloe were? They were amazing parents. What do I know about raising kids? I didn’t even babysit. Don’t you know I’m scared every waking minute of every day that I’m screwing this up? That I’m letting them down. On top of all that, I’m in a terrible creative drought, and right now my painting is our only means of support.”
She pinched her eyes shut, unable to believe she’d said those words to this man. Something about uttering her fears out loud made them sound so much worse. She bit her lip to hold her emotions in check as mental exhaustion, apprehension, and vulnerability slammed into her, leaving her physica
lly weak. Her knees wobbled.
Strong arms wrapped around her and for a second she tensed. She never should’ve said anything. She should’ve held it together until Ella was asleep, the way she did every day. Then she should’ve cried until she couldn’t cry any more. But instead, she’d voiced her fears. The smart thing to do would be to pull away, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.
Being in Ty’s arms, having someone hold her up when she feared she couldn’t stand on her own felt so wonderful. She leaned into his warmth and his strength. For just a minute she’d let go. What harm could that do? One little lapse in self-control. A few precious seconds of being weak, and then she’d be strong again.
Chapter Three
‡
Damn. Cassie’s vulnerability and honesty rattled Ty worse than being thrown from a bucking horse.
Don’t you know I’m scared every waking minute of every day that I’m screwing this up? That I’m letting them down.
He felt like a complete ass. As if he’d kicked a puppy or stolen a foul ball out of a kid’s hand at a Texas Rangers game.
He was known as a patient guy who stayed calm and in control no matter what hit the fan, but not with Cassie. Somehow, whenever she was around his brain short circuited and his emotions took control.
Now, standing here with her in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her warm breath fanning his fiery skin, the realization that he’d made a big mistake hit him right between the eyes. He never should’ve touched her.
With her tight, little body molded against his hard one, her curves fit against his in all the right ways, making him achingly aware of her as a female. He needed that like he needed a summer full of one hundred degree days with no rain.
If he ever got involved with a woman again she’d have her act together. She’d have a steady, established career. She’d have a plan for her life, and he’d make damn sure it fit with his. Cassie had none of those things.
He knew that, but the fact did him little good now. What he needed to know right now, was how in the hell did put this genie back in the bottle? And he had to do that, because he and Cassie would be linked through Ella until she turned eighteen. That was what? Twelve years.
