by Leanne Banks
Felicity felt her nipples bead against her blouse and a sensual ache between her thighs. Surprised at her response, she took a deep breath and stood.
The important point for her to remember was that although Brock might want her, he didn’t like her.
Four
“Can’t stand the rain,” Addie muttered as she brought a plate of hamburgers and a pot of beans into the dining room. “It makes my arthritis act up.”
“Can I help serve the drinks?” Felicity offered.
“I already fixed iced tea for you and milk for the kids. Bree, have you seen your brother?”
“Not since we got home from school,” Bree said. “My class got our interim reports today, but Jacob’s didn’t. I got all As,” she said proudly.
Felicity smiled, remembering how Bree had run past her snack to share the news with her. She had been terribly impressed and Bree had beamed with pleasure.
“Good for you,” Addie said. “When I get a hold of your brother, he’ll never be late for dinner again. Y’all go ahead and start.”
She walked out of the room to the edge of the stairs and bellowed. “Jacob Logan, your dinner is ready now!”
Felicity exchanged a look with Bree.
“She always gets cranky when her arthritis bothers her,” Bree whispered.
Felicity nodded. “Where is Jacob?”
“I dunno. He doesn’t miss dinner unless he’s out roping or riding with Dad.”
“But your father is at the Cattleman Association’s meeting and it’s raining.”
Bree shrugged and reached for a hamburger. Addie returned to the room, fuming.
Felicity felt a trickle of concern. It was dark, cold and rainy outside. Jacob may have grown up on the ranch, but he was still young. “When did you last see Jacob?”
“When he walked in the door from school. He’s never noisy, but he didn’t say a word today. Just went straight to his room. Come to think of it, he didn’t eat his snack.” Addie frowned. “I wonder if that rounder is sick.”
Felicity stood. “I’ll check his room. Save your knees,” she said and dashed upstairs. His room was neat except for the books and notebooks spilled onto the middle of the floor. There was no sign of Jacob. She bent over to straighten the books and a folder of graded papers spilled out. She saw an F on an English paper, then another, a C and an A on Math. Feeling as if she were intruding, she quickly shuffled the papers together, put them in the folder, and went downstairs.
“He wasn’t there.”
“I’m getting worried about that boy,” Addie said. “He never misses a meal.”
“Does this mean I can have his dessert?” Bree asked with sibling devotion.
“You concentrate on your dinner, missy. Dessert tonight is a banana,” Addie said.
Bree made a face that would have made Felicity chuckle if she hadn’t been concerned about Jacob. “Maybe I should check a few places outside. Is there anywhere he especially likes to go?”
“One of the barns,” Bree said, after she swallowed another bite of burger.
“His daddy taught him better than this,” Addie grumbled in a worried voice. “That boy should have enough sense to come out of the rain. If he doesn’t get home soon, his daddy will have him mucking out stalls until he turns eighteen.”
A fate worse than death as far as Felicity was concerned. She wrinkled her nose. “Let me get my raincoat.”
A few minutes later, she donned her Dior raincoat, impulsively grabbed a hat sitting on the foyer table and tramped down the drive. Although Felicity knew she wasn’t particularly good with children, she hoped she could find Jacob and save him from, well, a lot of muck.
From Bree and Addie, she’d learned the Triple L had several barns. She tried the one she’d visited the other day and didn’t find him, so she turned around and headed for the horse barn.
By the time she sloshed her way to the wooden structure, her feet were drenched and the rest of her was damp. Dior apparently hadn’t spent much time in a Texas downpour.
Felicity pushed open the door and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She inhaled the scents of fresh hay and horseflesh. She checked the tack room and a closet, then the stalls. In the corner of the last stall, she spotted Jacob, his arms tucked around him and his hat shielding his face.
“Go away!” he yelled.
Felicity might have, but she heard misery behind the anger in his voice that tugged at her. At a loss, she ducked her head and sighed. Now that she’d found Jacob, she had no clue what to do. Right now, she wished she had taken a child psychology course or two in college.
“I said go away!”
“I can’t do that,” she said. “When you didn’t show for dinner Addie and I became worried. She said your father would be very upset, so I’m here to keep you from a lifetime of mucking out stalls.”
“I’m already gonna be grounded as soon as Dad finds out about my grades,” he said in a low voice. “I can’t read worth a cow paddy. A stupid ol’ cow’s smarter than I am.”
Felicity unlatched the stall door and entered, searching for the right words. “I can’t imagine a cow being smarter than you,” she said. “Have you ever been roped by a cow?”
“No, but—”
“Didn’t I hear that you could rope a calf a couple of years ago?”
“Yeah,” he said grudgingly. “Okay, I might be a little smarter than a dumb cow, but that’s not saying much. Even my dad says cattle are dumb.”
“I bet you know some things I don’t know,” Felicity said. “Do you know how to take care of a horse?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So, stop calling yourself dumb because you’re having a little trouble with reading. Einstein had problems reading when he was young, too.”
Jacob’s head whipped up. “He did?”
“Yes. His teachers said he wouldn’t amount to anything. Look how wrong they were.”
For a long moment, Jacob met her gaze with eyes red from tears. She saw a glimmer of hope, then he rubbed his nose with his sleeve.
“My dad is gonna kill me when he sees my grades.”
“He’s not going to kill you,” she said. “He loves you too much to kill you.”
“You don’t understand. My dad is an Aggie. He went on a football scholarship and graduated with honors. He expects the same from me.”
Aggie, football, honors. Felicity tried to put it all together. “An Aggie?”
“Yeah. A graduate of Texas A&M, the best university in the country,” Jacob said.
Felicity’s lips twitched, but she managed to bite back a grin. “A few people from Harvard might argue with that, but what does that have to do with you?”
“He’s smart. He can do anything. I want to be like that.”
“You are like him in many ways,” Felicity said. “But you don’t have to send in your application for Texas M—”
“Texas A&M,” Jacob corrected.
“Right,” Felicity said. “You don’t have to send in your application for a few more years.”
“I’m gonna flunk second grade.”
“You’re not going to flunk second grade. You’re very smart,” she told him. “You know what you are. You’re brilliant. You just need a little help. I’ll help you,” she said impulsively, hoping she could.
At that moment, Brock Logan pushed open the barn door and strode to the back of the barn.
Felicity’s heart sank. She stared at Jacob.
“Now, we’re both gonna be mucking out stalls,” Jacob whispered.
Felicity gave a double take. “Why me?”
“’Cause my dad has two favorite hats, and you’re wearing one of them.”
Brock looked in the open stall and his gaze landed on Felicity with his son. They were okay. Brock felt a gush of sweet relief and savored the moment. Jacob was okay. Felicity was okay.
Both of their faces were shadowed with guilt. On the heels of relief, anger punched in. What was Felicity trying to do? He noticed
his hat on her head and felt a stab of irritation. The hat was bad enough, but Brock didn’t want Felicity interfering with his son. She had gone too far.
Felicity fluttered to her feet. “Brock, I—you—”
Brock held up his hand, not trusting himself to hear any lame explanations. “It’s late and raining,” he said. “Let’s get home.”
“But I want you to—”
“Not now,” he said. “Jacob should be in bed.”
When Jacob scrambled to his feet Felicity gave his son’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. The gesture tugged at him and irritated him at the same time. Brock waited for the two of them to step in front of him. They trudged outside and Felicity quickly whipped around, nearly catching him by surprise.
She pulled the hat off and pressed it into his hands. “Here. I’m sorry,” she said, and whirled away.
Brock strode behind her, idly noticing that she had ruined the creases in his Stetson. The hat had fit perfectly, looked perfect, and he’d paid a pretty penny for it.
He glanced at her bare head dampened by the rain and sighed. Expanding his stride, he reached forward and returned the hat to her head. “It’s raining. You need the protection.”
Her wide wary green eyes met his. “But it’s your favorite hat.”
He chuckled wryly. “It was. Get the lead out.”
Still wary, she hurried along. As soon as they arrived at the house, he hustled Jacob up to his room. “Do you have something you need to tell me?”
Jacob’s jaw tightened. “Not now,” he muttered.
Brock wanted to pick the boy up by his toes and shake his secrets from him, but he also wanted Jacob willing to share. “Then I’ll look forward to your explanation tomorrow,” he said. “Brush your teeth and get to bed.”
After Jacob tugged on his pajamas and brushed his teeth, Brock hugged his son. “You got a lot of people worried and upset tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jacob said miserably.
“Don’t do it again. G’night.”
Brock tucked the covers around Jacob, then left the room. He glanced down the hallway and saw Felicity standing outside her door. “Is he okay?” she asked.
Brock felt a scrape of irritation and strode toward her. “He’ll be fine. It’s not your concern.”
Felicity looked taken aback. “Well, of course I was concerned when he was missing from dinner.”
“He’s not your son. He’s not anything to you.”
“I know he’s not my son, but he’s a human being. I still care about him.”
His frustration reaching a new high, he pulled Felicity into her room and closed the door. “I don’t want you intruding with my kids. You’re not going to be here very long and I don’t want them getting attached. Jacob doesn’t need you to care about him. He’ll be just fine without you. In fact, he’ll be better off.”
Felicity stared at him, blinking. She appeared to hold her breath so long Brock wondered if he should remind her to breathe.
Pain slashed through her eyes, and she finally took a quick little breath. “I was trying to help. Addie’s arthritis was bothering her and you were gone and—”
Brock didn’t want to hear it. “Just stay out of it.”
“—and since Jacob is having problems with reading,” she said, her voice distressed, “and it’s breeding season—”
“Calving season,” Brock automatically corrected, feeling as if he’d just been punched. “Jacob’s having problems with reading?”
Felicity slowly nodded. “Since you’re busy with calving season, I thought I could help him in the afternoons after school.”
He turned away and raked his hand through his hair. How could he have missed this? “I haven’t gotten any notes from his teachers.”
“Interims came home today,” Felicity said. “Jacob’s afraid he’s going to flunk second grade.” She paused. “He’s terrified of disappointing you.”
His heart clenched. “Me?” He turned around. “If he’s having problems, we just need to find a way to help him. Why would I be disappointed in him?”
The expression on her face gentled. “He wants to be just like you,” Felicity said. “He wants to be an Iggy.”
Huh? “An Iggy?”
“A graduate of Texas M&—”
“Texas A&M,” he said, shaking his head. “Aggie,” he corrected her, thinking his father would turn over in his grave if he’d been called an Iggy. Lord, what a night. He sighed. “I’ll talk with him tomorrow.”
“Bree brought home her interim report, too. All As.”
“No surprise there,” Brock said, proud of his daughter and hurting for his son. “Jacob probably wants to feed her fire ants.”
Felicity nodded. “It’s tough for him.”
Frustration surged through him again. “Why did you know this when I didn’t? These are my kids.”
Felicity shrugged. “I was just here.”
“Addie was here and she didn’t know.”
“It was timing, just timing.”
“I don’t want my kids getting attached to you.”
“They won’t,” Felicity assured him, her voice impatient. “I’m not really good with children.”
Brock frowned in confusion. “What makes you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth. I never took any child psychology courses. The only experience I have is that I was once a child myself. An imperfect child who didn’t quite measure up, with a mother who was very busy with parties and a father who I suspect called me Princess because he couldn’t remember my name.”
Brock heard the heartfelt ability for empathy in her words, but wanted to deny the power of it. He didn’t want Felicity to be good with his kids. He didn’t want her interference. He didn’t want to think that beneath the flightiness and the weight of her dollar signs, she was a very special woman. He didn’t want to, but his innate sense of fairness compelled him. It cost him, though.
“If you want to help Jacob in the afternoons, I’ll be obliged,” he said, looking at her still-damp clothes and hair. He stopped himself before he warned her not to catch a chill. He clenched his jaw, telling himself she wasn’t his concern. “But I don’t want him to get too attached to you.”
She gave a sad smile. “I don’t think you need to worry. I can’t remember very many people getting too attached to me. Maybe attached to my money, but not to me.”
If she dwelled on her brief discussion with Brock very long, Felicity thought the following afternoon, it could depress her. As she’d pulled off her wet clothes last night, the aloneness closed around her again. Brock didn’t want her here. He didn’t want his children growing attached to her, which was a near impossibility as far as Felicity could see. In every way a human being could use a hug, she could have used one last night.
She’d gone without. It wasn’t the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. After spending much of the day trying, in vain, to discover her occupational future, she’d helped Jacob with his homework. She was certain she’d helped, but wanted to do more, which meant she needed more information, which entailed another trip to the bookstore.
Addie’s arthritis was still bothering her and Brock was busy in the north pasture again. That left two options: walk or risk the wrath of Brock by hitching a ride.
Felicity supposed she couldn’t get much lower on his totem pole, so she chose direct disobedience. If she was lucky, she would get back before Brock did. Besides, Ray was harmless, she thought as he dropped her off at the bookstore.
An hour later, she walked out of the store with several books, Internet software and a computer catalog.
“Hey, Flip,” Ray called, sauntering from the curb. “You’ve got a bunch of books. Before you bury your pretty little nose in them,” he said, brushing his finger over her nose, “you should take a break. Let me buy you a drink at the Longhorn Bar.”
Felicity shook her head and glanced at her watch. “I need to get back. I’m sure Brock is expecting you, too.”
“No rush. It’s almost Friday night. Everybody deserves a little time off,” he said, leaning closer.
Felicity felt a prickle of unease. She stepped backward. “I really need to get back.”
“Just one drink, Flip. Just one. You won’t regret it.”
“You’re sure I can’t persuade you to take me back now?”
“You gotta let me buy you a drink,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, reluctantly realizing she was stuck. “Just one and then we go back to the ranch.”
The Longhorn was just a few blocks away, and the locals had started the weekend early. The bar was already crowded with men and women. The sound of country music bounced against the walls and beer flowed freely.
With no white wine in sight, she sipped sarsaparilla while Ray downed two beers. He’d found a table in a darkened corner, and her eyes were finally adjusting to the lack of light. She glanced at her watch.
“Dance with me,” he said.
“Oh, no,” she said, disconcerted. “We were just going to have one drink. Remember?”
“C’mon,” he said, stroking his fingers down her arm. “Just a little two-step.”
“I don’t know how,” she told him, shifting away from his touch.
“I’ll teach you,” he said, standing.
“I don’t really—”
He urged her to her feet. “C’mon. We can dance back here where no one will notice us.”
Felicity felt his arms close around her. “You promised we would leave after one drink,” she reminded him.
“Loosen up,” he told her, meshing his lower body with hers. “We could have a good time. I can take care of you.”
She pushed against his shoulders. “I want to go back to the ranch.”
He slid his fingers through her hair and lowered his mouth. Felicity felt a rush of panic and complete distaste. She turned her head and his mouth landed on her cheek. One of his hands slid up just beneath her breast. “Stop!” she whispered frantically and kicked his shin.
Ray swore. “Wha-what the hell’s your problem?” he demanded.
He loosened his hold and Felicity took advantage of the moment to stumble out of his arms. Her heart hammering a mile a minute, she grabbed her bags and wobbled out of the bar.
