Texan for the Taking

by Charlene Sands

  “Drew’s doing real good now.” It was all he would say on the matter.

  “So everyone in Boone Springs is telling me.”

  Mason didn’t understand her. He was just barely coming out of his own grief, and related to how Drew MacDonald had been in the same situation, losing his wife the way he had, so unexpectedly. Mason hadn’t taken to drinking the way Drew had, but everyone coped with heartache differently. He wasn’t excusing Drew’s bad behavior, but he knew what the man had been feeling.

  Mason shook his head. “Aren’t you glad he’s getting better?”

  “Of course I am. If it’s the real thing this time.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I’ve been disappointed before.”

  Mason ran his hand down his face. “I know it wasn’t easy on you, Drea.”

  She shook her head, and he took in how her long hair flowed in natural waves down her back. “You know nothing about me, Mason.”

  He met her sad green eyes and something shifted in his heart. She tried to talk tough, but she wore her pain on her sleeve and her vulnerability grabbed him. “I know more than you think.”

  “That’s a Boone for you, claiming to know every—”

  He pressed two fingers to her lips, quieting her tirade. “Shh, Drea.”

  Her eyes snapped to his.

  He couldn’t believe he’d done it, touched her this way. But grazing her soft lips, looking into those defiant eyes was like a live wire sparking and jolting inside the dead parts of him. He felt alive for the first time in years. It was heady and he wanted more. He wanted to hold on to that spark that told him he was a living, breathing man.

  Sliding his fingers off her mouth, he cradled her face, his thumb circling her cheek, strands of her hair caressing the back of his hand.

  “Mason, are you crazy?” she whispered, yet the look in her eyes told him she was thinking something different.

  “Maybe.”

  “You’re not going to—”

  “Yes, I think I am.”

  He put his mouth to hers and tasted her sweetness, the plump ripe lips that were meant to be kissed. Sensation flooded him. He remembered her. As a teen. A girl who’d needed affection, and he’d given it to her without question, until the night that she’d bared her soul to him and offered her body.

  He’d had to turn her away.

  Any decent man would have.

  But she wasn’t a kid anymore. And it was good, so damn good that instant guilt flooded him. His heart belonged to another and always would. That jolt of life he felt worried him and scared him silly. It was as if he was losing his wife all over again. He hadn’t done anything this impulsive in years, much less with Drea, the very last woman on earth he should be kissing.

  Two

  Drea’s mouth trembled as Mason brushed his lips over hers. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want him, even though his lips were firm and delicious, scented by coffee and the fresh night air.

  He grabbed her upper arms, demanding more of the kiss. Her heartbeats raced, her body warmed and a sudden realization dawned. Whatever she and Mason had between them hadn’t completely disappeared. It was real and hot and almost too out of control, but no, she couldn’t do this. In the past, he’d caused her to do crazy, impulsive things. Her infatuation with him had almost ruined her life and she couldn’t forget that. Ever. She squeezed her eyes tight, laid her hand flat on his chest and pushed as hard as she could.

  He reared back, startled. “Damn, Drea.”

  “Mason, I don’t know what you think you were doing—”

  “The same thing you were. Kissing.”

  “I didn’t want to kiss you.” She’d wanted to slap his face, but...she wasn’t a drama queen. The push sent the same message.

  “I didn’t want to kiss you, either. Okay, I did, but only in the moment.”

  “I thought you were a grieving widower.” Her hand flew to her mouth, but the damage was done. She couldn’t take it back.

  He stared at her, his eyes losing their brightness. “I am,” he said quietly.

  Then why kiss her? “I’m...confused, trying to make sense of this. It was...unexpected.”

  “I know. For me, too.”

  She folded her arms over her chest, her lips slightly bruised from his kiss. “You had no right.”

  “I know that, too.”

  “Why did you?” She searched his eyes, saw raw emotion there.

  “I, uh... You want honesty?”

  “Always.”

  He ran his hand down his face again, stroked his chin. “I felt something. Something that wasn’t dead inside me. Something that came to life the second I touched you, and I wanted to continue feeling it, even for a few more seconds.”

  “Oh, wow.” She understood. Sort of. He’d been happily married with a baby on the way. And suddenly, it had all been taken away. She’d known that kind of loss, too, impetuously running into the arms of the first man she’d met after Mason rejected her, and getting pregnant. She’d lost that child in a miscarriage and walked away from Brad Williamson, the man who’d loved her. That year had been the hardest in her life.

  And now what shocked her the most about all this was that she’d been the one to make Mason feel something. How was that possible? “Why...me?”

  He smiled crookedly and shook his head. “I have no idea.”

  “Well, that’s honest.”

  “Why did you kiss me back?”

  She wasn’t going there. She wouldn’t tell him how much he’d once meant to her. How painful it had been when she was seventeen. And how much she resented him now because he’d made her feel something, too. “You’re a good kisser.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Of course that’s it. I haven’t dated in a while and...”

  “Okay, I get it.” He blew out a breath and jammed his fingers into his hair. He seemed frustrated and a little bit angry. “Listen, let’s forget this ever happened.”

  “Amen to that. So what now?”

  “Now we do what we came out here to do. Talk about the fund-raiser.”

  “Okay, I guess we have no choice.”

  Mason frowned and she felt a little triumphant. At least he wouldn’t try to kiss her again. That would be a big mistake on his part, and an even a bigger mistake for her. As long as he kept his hands off her, she’d be fine. She took a big breath, willing her racing heart to calm down.

  “So, where do we begin?” he asked.

  “With me telling you my ideas and you thinking they’re all incredible.”

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Mason said good-night to Drea in the kitchen and waited until she headed off to her room, before grabbing another cup of coffee.

  “You having more?” Drew said, coming in from the parlor.

  “Yeah, if that’s okay. We didn’t disturb you. Did we?”

  “Nah, not tired enough to sleep. Thought I’d get some coffee and sit for a while. I think I’ll join you.”

  Mason knew how the older man liked his coffee. He poured him a cup, stirred in two lumps of sugar and handed it to him. Drew had a sweet tooth but it was harmless enough, a substitute for alcohol perhaps. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you for a bit,” Mason said. “If you’re up to it.”

  “Winning always perks me right up. I figure I’m good for a few more minutes while I drink this mud. You and Drea were out there awhile. Everything good between you two?” he asked.

  Mason had kissed Drea. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever forget the spark that had lit him up inside like fireworks on the Fourth of July. So no, everything was not good. Drea didn’t like him much, and he, well, he was feeling a hefty dose of guilt now, like he’d cheated on his wife. That gnawing ache wasn’t going away and he doubted he’d get much sleep tonight. “Yeah, everything’s
fine. She’s a smart woman. She’s focused on the fund-raiser.”

  “She tell you all her ideas then?”

  “She did. They’re right on target. She seems to know how put on an event and build momentum.”

  They’d kick off the weekend on Friday evening with the HeART Auction of Boone Springs, garnering donations from local and not so local artists to sell on-site. For Saturday, she was planning a Family FUNd-raiser Festival, full of games and pony rides and raffles for children. Saturday night was reserved for a dinner-dance and she was in negotiations with a Grammy-nominated young country band to provide the entertainment. She’d managed to enlist a talented designer to create a website and was in the process of soliciting volunteers for the event.

  Mason would be in charge of logistics and overseeing the big picture, while Drea and her committees would work on the details.

  Their thirty-minute talk after they’d locked lips had managed to get his mind off her pretty green eyes and sweet body, and back on track.

  “I’m sure proud of her, but I wish she’d let up a little bit.”

  “She only has a short time to make it all happen, Drew.”

  “I know, but is it selfish of me to want her to myself? I mean, I know I don’t deserve it, and Lord knows, I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to make up for being a lousy father to her when she needed me the most.”

  “She’ll come around. She loves you, Drew.”

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t always like me so very much.”

  Mason rubbed his jaw. Drea didn’t like him, either, and maybe that was a good thing. It would keep him from making the mistake of kissing her again. But he wasn’t one to give advice to Drew or anyone on matters of the heart, so he kept his mouth shut. “Aunt Lottie’s back home. She arrived last night from her trip to Africa and she’s thrilled that Drea’s here. I think you can expect her to come for a visit.”

  “Lottie, huh? What the hell was she doing in Africa for all those months?”

  Mason grinned. He suspected Drew was sweet on his aunt, but the two were like oil and water. And they had history: Lottie and Drew’s late wife, Maria, had been best friends until the day she’d died. “Don’t know. Maybe you should ask her when she stops by.”

  Drew looked away and grumbled something about her not wanting to see him.

  “What?”

  “Nothin’.”

  “Aunt Lottie wants to surprise Drea, so don’t say anything to her, okay?”

  “I won’t say a thing. My lips are sealed.”

  “Dad, are you talking to yourself?” Drea wandered into the kitchen and stopped short when she spotted Mason. “You’re still here?”

  He nodded, speechless. Drea was in her pajamas, a pair of soft pink cotton pants and a matching top that clung to her breasts, hiding little. His mouth was suddenly dry, but Mason kept his composure, even while that alive feeling bombarded him. “I was just going.”

  She folded her arms around her middle. If she thought that shielded her, she was mistaken. The material only pulled tighter across her chest.

  Mason turned and brought his coffee mug to the sink. He couldn’t look at her another second without showing her—and her father—how much she affected him.

  He could hardly believe it. Drea had poked the sleeping bear and he needed to get out of here, pronto. He headed for the front door, keeping his back to the MacDonalds. “Thanks for the game tonight, Drew. Good night, Drea.” Then he exited the cottage without giving either of them a parting glance.

  * * *

  The next day, Drea must’ve put a good one hundred miles on the car making stops all over the county, checking items off the to-do list on her cell phone. She’d be lost without her list. It was sort of scary thinking how if anything happened to her phone or tablet, her entire life would be erased. Lately, for this project, she’d been taking pen to paper, jotting notes as a backup, too. But her mind was crowded just the same with all the details for the event.

  As she parked the car in the driveway of her father’s cottage, she closed her eyes, thoughts running rampant through her head.

  Check in with the caterers.

  Make the rounds at local art galleries.

  Double-check with Katie regarding the children’s cupcake-decorating booth.

  Plead with The Band Blue to donate an evening of entertainment.

  Stop thinking about Mason.

  Darn it. The more she tried, the harder it was. She’d be right in the middle of planning her next move with the fund-raiser when her mind would flash to Mason. His fingers softly touching her, the immediate red-hot spark that baffled them both and then the determination in his eyes when he’d finally bent his head and made exquisite contact with her lips. He’d stirred something deep inside her, more than curiosity, more than bravado, and she’d had to see the kiss through.

  He’d said she made him feel alive. Now if that wasn’t an ego boost. And she hadn’t lied; it had been the best kiss she’d had in a long time. That was where it got confusing. She resented Mason. For how he’d humiliated her. For how he’d dismissed her so easily and broken her heart. She’d lost so much of herself then and had run into the arms of the first man who’d paid her attention, giving him her body, but not her heart.

  A knock on the car window snapped her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and focused on the woman smiling in at her.

  “Drea, sweetheart. I couldn’t wait another second to see you. I hope I didn’t startle you.”

  “Lottie?”

  “It’s me. I’m back and I’m dying to talk to you.”

  Drea couldn’t get out fast enough to give her “aunt” a long, lingering hug. “Oh, Lottie. It’s so good to see you!” Because Drea’s mom and Lottie had been BFF all their lives, she’d been in Drea’s life, too. After her mother died, Lottie had given her the love and attention Maria couldn’t any longer.

  Drea pulled back to look into Lottie’s eyes. They still held sparkle and spunk. At sixty, Lottie was no wilting flower. She’d kept up her appearance, wearing trendy clothes, staying slender and coloring her gray a honey-blond shade, her silky locks reaching her shoulders. “You look beautiful, Lottie. I swear you never age.”

  “Age is just a number, sweetie. And that’s so kind of you to say.” Lottie smiled again, giving her the once-over. “You’re the one who’s beautiful, Drea. You’re all grown up. I know I say that every time I see you, but it’s true. You look more and more like your mama every day.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “As well you should. Gosh, what has it been? Two years since I’ve seen you?”

  “Yeah, two years. You came to visit me in New York.”

  “We had a great time, going to shows, shopping.”

  “It means a lot to me that we stay in touch.” They’d made an effort to call or text every month or so whenever Lottie wasn’t traipsing around the globe.

  “I promised I would.”

  “Hey, what’s all the fuss about?” Drew came ambling out of the house.

  Lottie rolled her eyes and whispered, “Your father has turned into an old man.”

  “I heard that, Lottie,” Drew said with a scowl.

  “I don’t care if you did, Drew. It’s true. You’re not ready for the grave yet. Lose a few of those extra pounds you’re carrying and see if you don’t feel like a new man.”

  “Well, now you’re my doctor, too. Did you learn all that in Africa?”

  Lottie grinned. “Actually, I learned a lot of things on my trip. I spent a good deal of time on the tour bus with a homeopathic doctor, as it happens.”

  “Oh, yeah? Did he cure your ailments?”

  “If I had any,” Lottie said softly, “I’m sure Jonathan would’ve cured them.”

  Drew’s eye twitched and just for a second his face grew pale. “Well, come in. Y
ou girls can jabber all you want inside the house.”

  * * *

  Drew held the front door open for Lottie and Drea and they marched into the parlor. Lottie had brought them all a home-cooked dinner, Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta, her signature dish and one of Drea’s favorites. It was warming on the stove.

  Drew took a seat and listened to his daughter and Lottie chat about Broadway plays, clothes and music. Whenever Lottie was around, Drew felt old. Her vibrancy and zest for life looked darn good on her. She was a pain in his rear end, but she was also a lifelong friend. One who never ceased to speak her mind. Whenever she was gone, he missed her. And whenever she was home, he wished she’d keep her opinions of him to herself. He was tired, his bones ached, but listening to his daughter and Lottie chat lightened his mood.

  “Dad, did Lottie tell you she went on safari?”

  “She did.”

  “Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”

  “Well... I suppose.”

  “It was a grand adventure,” Lottie said, her soft brown eyes gleaming. “I loved every minute of it.”

  “But now you’re home for a while, right?” Drea asked.

  “Lord above, yes. I’m home for a good long time. Texas is in my blood. I missed it and my nephews.”

  The relief Drew felt gave him pause. Why was he so darn happy to have her home? Hell, whenever Lottie was around, his head became jumbled up with all sorts of mixed emotions.

  “And I’m especially glad I’m back in time to see you.” She took Drea’s hand. She’d been more a mother to Drea than he’d been a father.

  “How long are you here, honey?”

  “I’ll be staying for several weeks, putting together the fund-raiser for the hospital.”

  “Mason told me about it. You two are working together, so I know it’ll be successful.”

  “I think dinner’s just about ready,” Drew announced.

  “Gosh, I smell something delicious cooking,” Drea said.