Kneeling in front of her, Trent picked her up and gave her a comforting hug. “Sorry, honey, I didn’t mean for it to hurt.”
“I know. You can’t help it. Mama says you don’t know lots about girls.” Cass said, squeezing him tight around his neck. “Let’s eat, I’m hungry.”
Trent laughed and carried her down the hall. “You’re always hungry,” he teased. “I think your legs are hollow and all the food rushes down to your toes.”
Cass giggled. “No it doesn’t. It goes in my tummy.”
“This tummy?” Trent asked, tickling her sides as he set her down on the barstool in front of the bowl of cooling oatmeal. Travis poured her a glass of juice and sat down on the other side of her while Trent poured himself a cup of coffee and joined them at the counter.
Travis asked the blessing and the threesome dug into the cereal, eating quickly. For once, Cass seemed to sense the need to hurry instead of dawdle, as she gulped down her breakfast.
“What happened, bro?” Trent asked, stirring extra cream in his coffee in an effort to cool it faster.
“I forgot to set the alarm and Cass woke me up,” Travis said, shoveling in cereal. “What about you? What’s your excuse?”
“I think I may have turned the alarm off the first time it blared this morning. I don’t really remember.” Keeping one eye on the clock, Trent hoped Travis was ready to make a mad dash to the school to get Cass there before the bell rang. Noticing for the first time that his brother was still wearing his flannel pajama pants and bare-chested as well as barefoot, it didn’t bode well for him leaving the house anytime soon.
“All done.” Cass wiped her mouth on the napkin she insisted Travis hand her before jumping down and running off to brush her teeth.
“Put some hustle in it, Cass” Trent called, trying to find the mate to Cass’ lone mitten.
“Dude, you better plan to take her. I’m not even close to dressed,” Travis said as Cass ran back into the kitchen. Grabbing her coat to help her put it on, Travis accidentally bumped his half-full glass of juice. The two men watched in alarm as it tumbled off the counter, spilling all over Cass.
She let out a scream that Trent was convinced should have shattered every window in the house. Certain his ear would start bleeding shortly, he squatted down and gently took her shoulders in his hands.
“Cass, you’re not hurt. Everything is fine. Let’s change your clothes and get you to school,” Trent said, grabbing her hand and hurrying toward her room while Travis cleaned up the mess.
Sobbing, Cass hurried along behind him. “But Mama said to wear this outfit today. I wanted to wear this one. I want Mama. I don’t like her being gone. I want Mama home. Please, I want Mama.”
“Aw, Cass,” Trent said, picking her up and cradling her to his chest, which he realized was still bare since he hadn’t yet gotten around to snapping his shirt. Her juice-soaked sweatshirt felt cold and sticky against his skin, but he rocked her in his arms and told her everything was just fine.
Setting her down by the closet, he told her she could pick out anything she wanted to wear.
“Anything?” she asked as her tears tapered off and the sniffling subsided.
“That’s right. Anything you want.” Trent ran into her bathroom and got a warm washcloth. Stripping off her soaked shirt, he helped her wipe off the sticky juice then watched as she pulled on a bright pink sweater with a glittering butterfly. She removed her juice-splattered jeans and yanked on a pair of purple leggings, finishing off her ensemble with a white tutu skirt that Cady bought for her to wear when she wanted to pretend she was a ballerina. As a final touch of fashion flair, she tugged on the turquoise cowboy boots Santa had brought her for Christmas.
Eyeing her colorful outfit, Trent reasoned that he did tell her she could pick anything she wanted to wear. Scooping her up, he ran back to the kitchen only to find Travis in the middle of a phone call with their fuel supplier, still in his pajamas.
Travis pointed to Cass, the clock and the phone then motioned for Trent to take Cass and go.
The morning could not get any worse.
“Cass, can you put your coat on and I’ll go start the truck, okay?” Trent said, as he hurried into the mudroom and shoved his feet into his boots.
“Sure, Uncle Trent,” Cass called.
Trent ran out to his truck, shirt flapping in the breeze, started it and ran back inside. Grabbing a coat on his way through the mudroom, he haphazardly snapped it, yanked on a ball cap and picked up Cass. He was heading out the door when she cried “my backpack!” Travis, still on the phone, tossed it to Trent, who caught it in one hand and kept running.
Fastening Cass into her seat, Trent told her to hold on tight and sped down the driveway. When he pulled into the school parking lot, not a child could be seen playing anywhere. They were more than a little tardy.
Resigning himself to taking her to the classroom, Trent tried to pry the sleep from his eyes as he helped Cass out of the pickup. She was nearly running in her haste to get to her classroom, dragging Trent along behind.
Hoping it would suffice to walk her to the door, Cass tugged on his hand and wouldn’t let go until he found himself standing inside Lindsay’s room where she was getting started on the day’s lessons. The room smelled of glue, crayons, wet wool and Lindsay’s perfume.
Cass quickly took off her outerwear, hanging it in the closet, while Lindsay gave Trent a cool glare. Turning her focus to Cass, her eyebrows nearly met her hairline at the outfit the child was wearing.
Shaking her head, she bit down the urge to smile. Clearly, Cass was more of a handful than her two uncles could manage. It could get quite interesting to see how Trent and Travis handled the precocious child until her parents returned.
“Mr. Thompson, may I have a word with you please?” Lindsay said, feeling the need to antagonize Trent. From the look of his rumpled clothes and the hair sticking out wildly around the edges of the ball cap, she assumed his morning had not gotten off to a smooth start.
Trent nodded, feeling like he was nine and summoned to the principal’s office. Instead of worrying about what she was going to say to take him down a peg, he turned his attention to the woman. She was wearing a black skirt with a royal blue blouse that made her eyes glitter like sapphires. Her hair hung in a long, thick braid and Lindsay’s lips were the warm, wonderful color of a ripe peach.
“Would you mind stepping outside a moment?” Lindsay asked, walking his direction.
Again, he nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
“Children, stay in your seats and work on the art project you started yesterday until I get back. I don’t want to hear any noise coming from in here.”
“Yes, Miss Pierce,” the children chorused, taking papers out of their desks.
Trent turned and opened the door for her. As she walked past him, her scent flooded his senses, making him think of something woodsy, yet soft and warm. Following her into the hall, he shut the door and stood waiting, fighting the urge to kiss her lips and discover if they were as sweet as the peaches they brought to mind.
“Mr. Thompson, I’m sure you are aware of the fact, but let me reiterate it for you - school starts at 8:15 a.m. Not 8:20 and not 8:25, but 8:15 a.m. sharp. Considering all the school Cass missed last fall due to her mother refusing to send her, she needs every moment she can get in the classroom to catch up to the other students. Can you and your brother please make it a priority to get her here on time until Trey and Cady return?”
Lindsay hoped that by taking him to task and keeping herself in a professional frame of mind, she could ignore the tempting way his lips curled up at the corners when he smiled.
“Certainly, Miss Pierce,” Trent said, feeling thoroughly chastised. “Travis and I will make sure she isn’t late again. We had a little accident this morning. She had to change her clothes and that’s why her outfit is a little… um… creative today.”
Lindsay couldn’t keep herself from smiling. She didn’t know why, but wa
tching Trent try his best at caring for Cass made her heart soften toward the tall rancher. While Trey and Travis were shorter and stockier, Trent was one long, tall handsome cowboy. Even she had to look up to see his face when she talked to him.
Feeling herself drawn into the warmth of his blue eyes, she took a step back and noticed his coat looked like a blindfolded drunk had snapped it.
“You must have been in a hurry this morning. You don’t even have your coat fastened properly,” she said with a shake of her head. Before Lindsay thought about what she was doing, she took a step forward and unsnapped his coat, just like she would for one of her students. Only the warm, virile male in front of her was no five-year-old in need of her assistance. She couldn’t keep from sucking in her breath as she found herself staring at Trent’s very bare, very muscled chest.
“Oh,” she whispered, blushing from the top of her head to where her neck disappeared into the collar of her blouse. “I’m sorry… I didn’t…”
Trent liked seeing her flustered, but took pity on her and quickly snapped his coat together. He forgot he didn’t have time to finish getting dressed in the mad dash to get Cass to school.
“It’s been a crazy morning,” Trent said, shooting her a crooked smile, which flustered her even more. “I’m sorry Cass was late and I apologize for interrupting your class.”
Deciding to stop while he was ahead or before he said something to make her mad, he opened the classroom door and escorted Lindsay back inside. Giving Cass a quick wave, he walked out the door, glancing behind him, gratified to see Lindsay standing right where he left her looking slightly dazed.
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Travis promised to be at the school at noon to get Cass so Trent made a trip to Madras to pick up a load of supplies at the feed store. The three and a half-hour round trip gave him plenty of time for thinking. He and Travis were going to have to tackle taking care of Cass like a battle plan. Travis understood tactical thinking. He spent six years in the military, after all.
Maybe Travis could help him devise a battle plan to win over Miss Fierce Pierce. Trent chuckled when he thought about the look on Lindsay’s face when she unsnapped his coat. He was sure his bare chest took her completely by surprise. He couldn’t think of any other reason she would have blushed so furiously. Was it possible he was getting to her more than she wanted to let on?
Trent didn’t think it was a coincidence he ran into one of his old school chums at the feed store. Clint had been a close friend of his all through grade school, right up to their junior year when his parents moved to Prineville, Oregon, a couple hours to the south of Grass Valley. They kept in touch over the years, but it was nice to be able to catch up in person.
Remembering something Cady mentioned about Lindsay growing up in Prineville, Trent casually asked Clint if he remembered a girl by the name of Lindsay Pierce from his senior year of school.
Clint laughed and asked if he was referring to Princess Pierce. Apparently, Lindsay was one of the most-crowned princesses the school had ever seen, reining in courts for homecoming, prom, and various dances. According to Clint, Lindsay was well liked and a stellar athlete, even if she did scare off most of the boys with her intimidating combination of height, beauty and brains.
They visited a for a few minutes more and Clint promised to send Trent some pictures from his high school yearbook as soon as he remembered where he put it.
Trent couldn’t wait to see the photos.
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An hour after the last of the students went home Lindsay still sat at her desk, unable to get the picture of Trent’s bare chest out of her mind. She was beginning to think the image was seared permanently in the recesses of her brain.
Who left the house half-dressed, particularly when they were delivering a child to school? Even though he had on his coat and was covered until she unsnapped it, he had no business being out in public like that.
Holding her pencil in a death grip, Lindsay decided it was wrong for a man to be so attractive, especially when he was as obnoxious as Trent Thompson. Even a disheveled mess, he still was more attractive than any other man that came to mind. And her mind seemed to continually run right back to Trent.
Admitting there was a remote possibility that she may have enjoyed seeing Trent’s chest, the pencil in her hand splintered in two. Letting out a disgusted sigh, she threw it in the garbage and gathered up her papers.
Looking around her classroom, Lindsay felt a sense of accomplishment. She loved teaching, especially the little ones. Their minds were so open and fresh, and they were still eager to please.
Lindsay was surprised when she found out she would be teaching both kindergarten and first grade students but the arrangement worked out well and she felt like all her students were learning and growing academically.
She thought of Cass Thompson. Now there was a child who didn’t let grass grow under her feet. She was mannerly and well behaved, but her mind brimmed with curiosity and creativity. Lindsay smiled as she locked the room and walked to her car, thinking of the outfit Cass wore to school today. She snapped a photo with her phone and sent it to Cady. She knew her friend would want to see it. Cady texted her back with a big question mark. Lindsay responded with Ask her uncle.
Despite her mixed feelings about Trent, Lindsay did admire the fact that he and Travis were willing to take on the care of Cass so Trey and Cady could enjoy a honeymoon. She knew for two bachelors, a little five-year-old girl could be quite a challenge, especially one as lively as Cass.
Thinking of the Thompsons, Lindsay realized she knew even less about Travis than she did Trent. He more closely resembled Trey in build but she got the idea Travis was their wild child. From the stories she heard, he got into some trouble after their father passed away unexpectedly six years ago and ended up enlisting. After two tours in Iraq, he was home to stay. Cady mentioned Trey thought Travis grew up considerably in the service, although he still seemed to have a devil-may-care air about him.
If she had to choose, she would have said Trent was much more her type with his laid-back attitude and teasing ways. He was also one of the few men could wear heels around and not look him directly in the eye - a seldom and quite random occurrence.
Driving south of town, she turned down a gravel road that led to her little rental house. It used to be a residence for a hired hand, but the rancher who owned it was now retired and rented out the land to surrounding neighbors. No longer in need of a house for employees, he kept it in great shape as a rental and Lindsay enjoyed the privacy it provided set back off the highway and hidden behind a stand of trees.
A narrow dirt road ran past her house up through the fields, along the old ditch banks and into the sagebrush covered hills. She liked to jog along the lane and gather her thoughts in the morning before school. As long as there wasn’t a blizzard or the temperature didn’t drop below 10 degrees, she was out there running five days a week.
Walking up the steps of the small porch, Lindsay unlocked the door and let herself inside. The house was quiet and peaceful after listening to the chatter of twenty little ones all day.
Whitewashed wood furniture mixed with overstuffed floral chairs, a green and cream striped couch and frilly white curtains to create a feminine and inviting room. Those who were acquainted with Lindsay probably wouldn’t expect her tastes to run along the lines of such girlie décor, but despite her towering height, she was a hopeless romantic at heart.
That was one more reason to get her thoughts regarding Trent under control. She saw how he dated girls once or twice and then moved on to someone new. With the way her senses went into overdrive every time he was near, she couldn’t trust her heart to remain unbroken if she were to date him. As annoyed as she was to admit it, not a single man in her twenty-eight years of experience drew her attention like the handsome, teasing rancher.
Kicking off her shoes and draping her coat on a rack by the door, Lindsay went into her small but tidy kitchen to make herself dinner. While Cady was a
n exceptional cook, Lindsay could cook just enough to keep from starving to death.
Most nights, she made a can of soup, a bowl of pasta or ate a big salad. Tonight it was going to be a salad she decided, looking in her near-empty fridge. She could always eat at Viv’s, but after spending all day with children demanding her attention, it was nice to be somewhere she didn’t have to answer questions, converse or be social.
Going into her bedroom, she changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before putting together her salad, making a cup of hot tea and eating alone at her tiny kitchen table.
Washing up her few dishes, she once again found her thoughts trailing after Trent. She wondered if he had been as unsettled as she was after the whole bare-chest episode that morning. Maybe that explained why Travis came to pick up Cass at noon. Would Trent bring Cass tomorrow? If he did, Lindsay was staying far away from him and she most certainly would never, ever, unsnap his coat again.
Closing her eyes and shaking her head in hopes of dislodging both thoughts and images, Lindsay readied her schoolwork for the next day then sank down onto her comfy couch with a sigh and picked up the latest romance she was reading.
If she couldn’t trust her heart to a real romance, she could at least enjoy reading about someone else falling in love.
Chapter Three
I would have rummaged, ransacked at the word;
Those old odd corners of an empty heart;
For remnants of dim love the long disused,
And dusty crumbling of romance!
Robert Browning
Travis was warming up one of the meals Cady left prepared in the freezer for dinner while Trent helped Cass with her homework, trying to work through a chapter in her reading book.
The Cowboy's Spring Romance Page 3
