She greeted Brad, Jeanette, Paul, and Lisa with a smile. “I’m so glad you all came to help us when you could be hanging out at the pool,” she said.
Brad gave her a kiss on the cheek. “What are friends for?”
“Just point me in the direction of a paintbrush, Kenz,” Jeanette said.
“Me, too.” said Lisa, adjusting a faded baseball cap on her dark curls.
Paul walked over to the foot of Steve’s ladder. “Hey, Steve, where do you want us to start?” he called.
“Dennis can probably use all of you on the south side,” Steve replied from his perch.
“I’ll lead the way,” Kenzie offered.
“That’s okay. I’ll do it,” Steve said as he climbed down the ladder. “I need more paint, so I’ll introduce your friends to Dennis.”
Well, at least he's speaking to me, Kenzie thought. That's something.
Around noon, the entire work force took a lunch break, eating the sandwiches they had brought with them in the shade of the willow grove. Kenzie noticed that her friends fit right in with the Lucky R group. After their initial surprise at Sarah’s attractive appearance, Brad, Paul, and Lisa were as pleasant to her as could be.
Kenzie also couldn’t help noticing that Steve stayed as far away from her as possible. He was sitting with Sarah and Greg, which reminded Kenzie that the four of them were supposed to have a double date for pizza next Tuesday. Now that Steve wanted nothing to do with her, their pizza date was obviously off, too. Should Kenzie tell Greg and Sarah about the change in plans, or had Steve already mentioned it?
Hank’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “We get a real good view of the fireworks display at the fairgrounds from up there,” he was saying as he pointed to the hills behind the house. “You’re all invited to stay for supper and then enjoy the show.”
“That sounds like so much fun,” Jeanette sighed. “I wish we didn’t have to go to that boring old barbecue at the club.”
“If any of you want to ride into the hills on horseback,” Hank went on, “you’ll have a full moon lighting your way back to the ranch.”
A moonlight ride! Only a few days ago it would have been so romantic, Kenzie thought sadly.
“Or you can pile into the back of our pickup.” Nora added. “We’ll be driving up with a load of cookies and soda.”
“If we’re going to finish painting before dusk, we’d better get back to work,” Dennis said.
On the way back to the barn, Kenzie felt like a fifth wheel. Brad and Jeanette were hand-in-hand, and so were Paul and Lisa. Even Greg and Sarah were walking side by side, though they weren’t holding hands. She noticed Steve all by himself, and wondered if he felt as lonely as she did.
It was almost three o’clock when Jeanette and Brad regretfully told Kenzie that they, Paul, and Lisa had to leave for the club—their parents would be wondering where they were. After Jeanette had washed out her brushes, she grabbed Kenzie’s arm and took her aside.
“You are going on the moonlight ride, aren’t you?” she asked.
Kenzie shook her head. Without someone special by her side, riding in the moonlight had no appeal.
Jeanette frowned at her. “But you have to go, Kenz! I was talking to Steve, and he’s going. It’ll be so romantic.”
“No it won’t,” Kenzie said. “Steve and I are through, remember? Besides, I told my folks I d call them when the painting’s done so they can pick me up.”
“Steve!” Jeanette shouted before Kenzie could stop her. “Can you give Kenzie a ride home after the fireworks? She wants to go on the moonlight ride.”
“Will you shut up?” Kenzie hissed, horrified. “What’s the matter with you anyway? I told you…”
Steve stuck his head around the corner of the barn. “Be glad to,” he shouted back.
“Jeanette, I’m going to murder you!” Kenzie groaned.
Jeanette just smiled smugly. “He has the cutest dimples. No wonder you’re crazy about him.”
“I am not crazy about him! He’s arrogant, impossible, and…”
“Cute,” Jeanette finished for her. “Don’t worry about your folks—I’ll call them and tell them about the change in plans. And when you get home tonight, call me and tell me everything, I don’t care how late it is. Gotta go—’bye!” She scampered off to Brad’s Jeep, leaving Kenzie staring after her openmouthed.
For the rest of the afternoon, Kenzie painted like a robot, her thoughts churning. What should she do? Should she tell Steve it was all a mistake, that she wasn't going to stay for the fireworks after all? But if she did, she’d have to call her parents with this second change of plans, and in the meantime they might have made plans of their own.
Okay, she’d stay. But what could she possibly say to Steve? What would he say to her? Or would neither of them say anything at all? Oh, why hadn’t Jeanette kept her big mouth shut?
By six o’clock, the barn wore a brand-new coat of red paint, and so did most of the painters. Some of the boarders headed for home, while those who remained and the Lucky R crew cleaned themselves up as best they could.
Kenzie hadn’t brought a change of clothes. Her jeans were splotched with paint, but the green T-shirt she was wearing had been protected by one of her father’s old shirts. Peering into Hank and Nora’s bathroom mirror at her freshly scrubbed face, Kenzie sighed. She hadn’t brought any makeup with her either. Not that it mattered. Dusk would be falling by the time the ride began, and besides, Steve probably wouldn’t notice what she looked like anyway.
After a hearty meal of hot dogs, hamburgers, Nora’s delicious homemade potato salad, and plenty of fresh fruit, Hank and Greg began loading the pickup with cases of soda and a chest full of ice. As Kenzie and Sarah walked past the house, Nora came out carrying several tins of cookies.
“Oh, Kenzie,” she said, “I want to thank you for mentioning my catering business to your mother. I’m doing the buffet for her company’s open house.”
“That’s terrific,” Kenzie said. “I’m sure it will be a big success.”
As Nora handed the cookie tins to Hank, Sarah said, “Greg asked me to ride in the truck with him, even though I know he’d rather ride his horse with you guys. Isn’t that sweet?”
“He really likes you, Sarah,” Kenzie said, smiling.
“I’m glad our first date will be with you and Steve,” Sarah went on. “I won’t be nearly so nervous with the two of you around.”
Apparently Steve hadn’t said anything to her about bowing out of their pizza date. I guess that's something we can talk about, Kenzie thought as she headed for the barn.
When she reached the Arabian’s stall, she was surprised to find Ali already saddled.
“I thought it would save time if I saddled him,” Steve said, leading Cheyenne out of his stall. “Most of the other riders have already left.”
“Thanks,” Kenzie mumbled. She noticed that in contrast to her scruffy appearance, Steve looked great in spotless jeans, a snug-fitting western shirt, and cowboy hat.
“I keep an extra set of clothes in the tack room,” he said, as though he had read her mind.
They led their horses out of the barn and mounted, waving at Hank’s pickup as it passed. Greg, Sarah, Hank, and Nora waved back.
“See you up on the hill,” Hank called, driving off in a cloud of dust.
Steve gigged Cheyenne and reined him away from the road the pickup had taken. “Shortcut,” he said. He pointed to a trail across the field that stretched behind the farmhouse to the foothills. “On the way back, we’ll follow the road.”
Kenzie nodded. Unsure of what to say, she decided to say nothing. As Ali pranced along beside Cheyenne, she glanced over at Steve. He sat tall in the saddle, his cowboy hat shading his face from the last rays of the setting sun. Kenzie thought he looked just like a picture she’d seen once of a Texas ranger.
Steve suddenly turned and his eyes met hers. Embarrassed to be caught staring at him, Kenzie looked away.
“I think w
e need to talk,” he said.
“I think you’re right,” Kenzie agreed softly.
But the trail narrowed as it wound through a grove of trees and up a steep incline, forcing them to ride single file and making conversation impossible. At the top of the hill where the trail joined the road, Kenzie saw Hank’s pickup. The boarders and Dennis, who had ridden ahead, had tied their horses to the trunks of several trees, and were sitting with Hank, Nora, Sarah, and Greg on a ridge overlooking the valley where the fireworks display would take place.
As Kenzie and Steve dismounted and tethered their horses, Sarah caught sight of them. “Kenzie, Steve—over here,” she called. “The fireworks are going to begin any minute now—it’s almost dark enough.”
Kenzie was about to join her when Steve put his hand on her arm, holding her back. “We have to talk, remember?” he said.
Nodding, Kenzie called to Sarah, “We’ll be there in a little while.”
She waited while Steve took a handful of cookies from one of the tins in the back of the truck and grabbed a couple of sodas. Kenzie’s stomach seemed to have tied itself in a knot as she followed Steve to a granite outcropping some distance away from the others.
As they sat down side by side, the only thing Kenzie could think of to discuss was their double date with Sarah and Greg. Was that what Steve wanted to talk about, too? Or was he going to tell her how much he objected to Paul’s showing up at the ranch to paint? Kenzie didn’t think she could stand it if they got into another argument.
Steve handed her a cookie and a soda but Kenzie had no appetite, and she wasn’t thirsty either. Nervously crumbling the cookie to bits, she waited for Steve to speak. When he didn’t, Kenzie forced herself to go first.
“About that bet we made...” she said haltingly. “I was kind of hoping we could put aside our personal problems just long enough to go out for pizza with Greg and Sarah next week.” She swallowed hard. “I mean, it was our idea, and if we cancel, I’m afraid it’ll ruin their first date because Sarah’s awfully nervous about it and Greg’s kind of shy. You won’t have to pay for my half—we’ll split the cost fifty-fifty,” she added quickly. “I mean, we won’t really be on a date, know what I mean?”
She was absolutely astonished when instead of answering, Steve pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. When they parted, he said, “We’ll have pizza with them, but from then on they’re on their own, and so are we—on our own together, if you can stand to have me around.”
Kenzie could hardly believe her ears. “But—but I thought—you said…”
“I said a lot of really dumb things,” Steve admitted ruefully. “I was wrong, Kenzie. That’s what I wanted to tell you tonight. I totally misjudged you and your friends. They’re okay, and you’re a lot more than okay. Every time I turn around, you’re doing something nice for somebody—Sarah, Greg, even Nora. Hank told me that you recommended her to your mom. And that Sunshine Club idea of yours really gives our handicapped riders something to look forward to.” Smiling tenderly at her, he shook his head. “Kenzie Sullivan, you really are one in a million. And you’re definitely not a prima donna mingling with the common folks just for kicks.”
Steve’s arms were still around her, and Kenzie felt herself tingling all the way down to her toes. With a shaky laugh, she said, “Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you ever since we met?”
“I guess us reverse snobs have to learn the hard way,” Steve said. “By the way, I’m sorry about the way I reacted to your date with Paul. Jeanette told me the whole story today while we were painting.”
“I wanted to tell you that we were just friends,” Kenzie said, “but you didn’t give me a chance.”
They sat in silence for a moment, gazing at the darkened sky. Then Steve looked down at her and said, “There’s one more thing I have to tell you, Kenzie, something really important.”
“What?” she whispered.
“I’m falling in love with you,” he murmured into her ear.
“Oh, Steve.” Kenzie sighed. “I’m way past falling. I’m definitely in love with you!” Snuggling into the warmth of his embrace, she smiled. “I never thought anything good could come of Dad’s business troubles, but if I hadn’t needed to get a job, we’d never have met. And I’m awfully glad we did!”
Steve’s lips had just touched hers when Kenzie heard the rest of the Lucky R crew cheering and applauding. Embarrassed at having such an enthusiastic audience, she pulled away, but Steve laughed.
“They’re not paying any attention to us, Kenzie,” he said. “It’s the fireworks—they’ve finally started.”
Looking down into the valley, Kenzie saw cascades of brightly colored sparks as dozens of skyrockets exploded in the night sky above the fairgrounds. “Do you think maybe we set them off?” she asked with a giggle.
Steve grinned. “Could be. It’s worth investigating. Want to give it another try and see what happens?”
Kenzie lifted her face to his. “I think that’s an excellent idea,” she said.
As they kissed again, a series of Roman candles burst into showers of golden light. But neither Kenzie nor Steve noticed.
Cowboy Kisses Page 8
