HAPPY NEW YEAR, BABY FORTUNE!

by Leanne Banks

  She gave a little huffy sigh. “Okay, well, I can still give you a few tips on your cooking. Is tonight okay?”

  “I guess,” he said, trying to recall his parents’ busy schedule. He thought they were playing bridge tonight.

  “Okay, I’ll see you around six, and I’ll help you fix a spaghetti dinner that will wrap your lady friend around your little finger. Make sure you pick up some sausage and fresh Parmesan cheese. I’m assuming you already have beef,” she said.

  “Yeah,” he said. He lived on a cattle ranch. He darned well should have beef.

  “Okay. See you later,” she said and strode away.

  Colton stared after her, distracted by the wiggle in her walk and her cute backside. He gave himself a shake. Why had he agreed to a cooking lesson? Especially for the sake of his imaginary girlfriend? He swore under his breath. This was getting worse and worse.

  * * *

  Stacey paid at checkout and walked to her car with her purchases. She felt a little cranky and wasn’t sure why. Climbing into her car, she started the engine and headed for her house. She turned on the radio to listen to a few tunes to cheer herself up. It didn’t quite work, though. Seeing Colton at the Superette purchasing food to feed the woman he clearly had a crush on made her grind her teeth. It must be nice to have a man work that hard to please you, she thought. She wouldn’t know because no man had ever tried that hard to make her happy.

  Frowning, she tried to push aside her feelings. It wasn’t as if she wanted Colton to be cooking for her. Even though she’d looked at him with a little lust the other night, she’d decided that was an aberration. She couldn’t really believe that she wanted Colton. Stacey told herself she was just lonely for some attention. That had to be it.

  She returned home and unloaded her car while Piper napped.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” her mother asked. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  “I’m fine. Do you mind watching Piper for a little while tonight?”

  “Of course not. Do you have plans?”

  “I, uh, offered to give Colton a cooking lesson. He said he’s trying to cheer up an unnamed female,” she confessed.

  Her mother lifted her eyebrows. “Oh, my,” she said. “How generous of you. You know Colton keeps such a low profile. It’s easy to underestimate him as, well, a romantic possibility.”

  “Not really,” Stacey said. “I’ve heard some rumors about girls that liked him just fine.”

  “Oh, really,” her mother said and paused. “Well, I think you’re very sweet to help him prepare a dinner for another woman.”

  “I’m not doing that,” Stacey snapped, then deliberately took a breath. “I’m just giving him a cooking lesson. He’s like all my brothers except Toby. He can’t cook worth a darn because his mother has cooked for him his entire life.”

  Her mother tilted her head. “Are you criticizing me for cooking for my family?”

  Stacey closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head. She went to her mother and gave her a big hug. “Of course not. You’re the best mother any of us could have. But you have to admit those boys like having their meals put in front of them.”

  “You’re right about that,” she said ruefully and returned Stacey’s embrace.

  Stacey’s cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse. She didn’t recognize the number. “Stacey Fortune Jones,” she answered.

  “Stacey, this is Sawyer. We have a situation here at the flight school. We need your help.”

  Stacey’s pulse picked up. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s been an accident. My pilot Orlando has been hurt. The paramedics are on the way, but it will take a while, and the doctor’s not in town.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” she said, remembering the same doctor who took care of Toby’s foster children covered the whole town. “I’ll be right there,” she said, and turned to her mother. “I have to go. There’s been an emergency at the flight school.”

  “Oh, no,” her mother said. “Is it serious?”

  “I think so,” Stacey said grimly as she ran to her room to grab her medical bag.

  Pulling into the flight school, she stopped her car and ran toward the figures beside the burning plane. Stacey went into nurse mode when she assessed Orlando Mendoza. She checked his blood pressure and pulse and noted that the pilot kept going in and out of consciousness. He’d likely suffered a concussion, and she could see he’d sustained a compound fracture of his left leg and another fracture of his left arm, so she made a temporary brace for each to prevent unnecessary movement and loss of blood. Although she was able to stabilize him until the paramedics arrived, she couldn’t be certain that he hadn’t suffered internal injuries, as well.

  Stacey watched the ambulance drive away from the airport, then returned home and took a quick shower. The entire time, she kept thinking about Orlando Mendoza. She’d wished she could do more for him, but it was a miracle he’d survived the crash. She checked in on Piper and her mother and answered Mama Jeanne’s twenty questions about the accident. Unfortunately, Stacey wasn’t sure how everything would turn out for Orlando. This was one more reason Stacey wished there was an emergency facility closer to Horseback Hollow. Her hair still wet, she put it on top of her head and headed out the door to go to the Fosters’ house.

  After driving the few minutes to the Fosters, Stacey raced to the porch and knocked on the front door. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said when Colton answered the door. “Did you hear about the accident at the flight school?”

  He shook his head. “I just got in from the field. What happened?”

  “One of the planes from the flight school went down and the pilot was injured. Orlando Mendoza. The paramedics were taking a while to get there, so Sawyer asked me to come and do what I could to stabilize him.”

  “Oh, man,” Colton said. “You think he’ll make it?”

  “I don’t know. He was unconscious most of the time and he had a badly broken arm and leg,” she said, her mind flashing back to a visual of the man.

  “Hmm,” Colton said. “Listen, you look pretty upset. We don’t have to do this cooking lesson.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t do anything now for him except pray. I could really use a distraction.”

  Colton gave a slow nod. “Okay,” he said with a lopsided grin. “If teaching me how to fix Stacey’s spaghetti will distract you, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “Fine,” she said and headed for the kitchen. “Let’s start with chopping that onion. Some key things you need to know about making spaghetti are that you shouldn’t overcook the noodles and you should break up the meat before you put it in the pan. But don’t overwork it,” she instructed.

  “I’m taking mental notes,” he said.

  “You won’t just be taking mental notes,” she said. “You’ll be doing the work. You remember what you do more than you remember what someone says.”

  “That sounds like something my father would say,” he said.

  “It’s actually something my father once said,” she said, and met his gaze. “It must be a conspiracy.”

  He chuckled. “You must be right.”

  “Wash your hands,” she said.

  “Yes, Mama,” he said.

  She shot him a disapproving look.

  “Whoa,” he said, lifting his hand in mock self-protection. “You’ve got lasers shooting from your eyes.”

  “One of my superpowers. Let’s get to work,” she said. She noticed that Colton possessed a much better sense of humor than Joe had. Not that she was comparing.

  Stacey felt overly aware of Colton’s physical presence in the kitchen as they prepared the meal. His shoulders grazed hers. Her hip slid against his. She put her hand over his to show him how to chop the onion. She couldn’t help noticing his hands.
They were large, but there was nothing awkward about the way he used them. For an instant, she couldn’t help thinking about how his hands would feel on her body. The image heated her from the inside out.

  Stacey tried to ignore her feelings. She helped Colton drain the pasta, and he was just way too close. Way too strong. And she was way too curious. She looked directly into his brown eyes and glimpsed a spark that mirrored hers.

  She could have, should have looked away, but she didn’t.

  His nostrils flared slightly, and she couldn’t tell if he was having the same problem with curiosity and self-restraint that she was. “This looks good,” he said.

  “It should be,” she said, and turned away to stir the sauce. “It’s best to cook this a longer time, but thirty minutes will do if you’re in a rush.” She lifted a spoonful of sauce and blew on it for a few seconds. She took a tiny taste. “Yum.”

  She offered him a sample from the same spoon. Colton covered her hand with his to steady the spoon and took a taste. He nodded. “That’s good. Hard to believe I fixed it,” he said with a half grin.

  “Yes, it is,” she said, and threw back her head in a laugh. “I’m surprised at how well you do in the kitchen.”

  “You never knew a lot of things about me,” he said.

  Her stomach took a dip to her knees, and her sense of humor suddenly vanished. “That’s very true. Maybe you could say the same about what you know about me.”

  “Maybe I could,” he admitted and stepped closer to her.

  In theory, Stacey could have turned away. In reality, she probably should have. But she was just too curious and too, well, warm. She wanted to feel Colton Foster’s chest against hers. She wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted to feel his lips on hers.

  Stacey gave in to all her bad urges and flung herself into Colton’s arms. His hard chest against her breasts felt so much better than she’d expected. His arms around her gave her a melting sensation. And his kiss made her want so much more. How could his mouth be both firm and sensual? How could such a little taste of him send her into a frenzy?

  She opened her mouth, and he took her with a kiss that sent her upside down. She couldn’t resist the urge to wiggle against him. Colton gave a low groan that made her burn. She felt his hand travel to the small of her back to pull her even closer. She was breathtakingly aware of his hard body from his chest all the way down to his thighs.

  Oh, yes, she thought. More, give me more.

  The force of her need bowled her over. Panic raced through her. This was Colton, and she was getting ready to make a fool of herself.

  Stacey pulled back, knowing her face was flaming red. She was embarrassed all the way down to her toes. “Oops. I should go. I really should go,” she managed and refused to meet Colton’s gaze. She wondered how she would survive this, but couldn’t focus on that. She grabbed her coat and ran out the door.

  Stacey drove home with her window down so she could cool off. Despite that, when she walked in the door she still felt as if she were on fire. Fanning her face, she pulled off her coat and threw it on a hanger.

  She gnawed the inside of her lip as she walked toward the kitchen. She needed a very, very cold glass of water. She just wasn’t sure if she was going to drink it or pour it over her head.

  “Stacey?” her mother called from the den. “Is that you?”

  She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She walked to the doorway of the den. “It’s me. How was Piper?”

  “No trouble at all,” her mother said. Her father was sitting next to her, dozing on the sofa. “She fell asleep like that,” her mother said, snapping her fingers and smiling.

  “I’m glad to hear that. Thank you again for looking after her,” Stacey said.

  “You know I will look after her anytime,” her mother said.

  “Yes, but I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Stacey said.

  “It’s not taking advantage,” her mother insisted. “It’s my pleasure. Besides, I know you would never take advantage of me. Enough about that.” She waved her hand. “So, how did the cooking lesson with Colton go?”

  Stacey forced a smile. “Great. I think he’s ready to fix my super spaghetti recipe all by himself.”

  “Good for him,” her mother said. “You’re a sweet girl to help him do that for another woman. Colton’s a good man. I might not be as generous as you are.”

  Stacey managed to laugh. “I’ve known Colton forever. He’s just like a brother.”

  “But he’s not really a brother,” her mother said, then shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Can I fix you some hot chocolate?”

  “No, thanks, Mama. I think water will do. I’m off to bed,” Stacey said, and went to the kitchen to get that tall glass of ice water. Maybe she should get two.

  * * *

  The next day, Stacey prepared enough food for a month of meals. Thank goodness, the Jones family had a big roomy freezer.

  Her brother Jude dropped by before dinner. “Wow,” he said, when he looked at all the casserole dishes on top of the counter. “Are we feeding the entire town of Horseback Hollow?” he asked.

  Stacey shot him a quelling glance. “This would feed far more than the township of Horseback Hollow. Technically, we don’t even live in the township of Horseback Hollow.”

  Jude shrugged his shoulders. “True, so why did you cook so much?”

  Stacey considered keeping her feelings to herself, but if anyone should understand, it would be Jude. Everyone knew he fell in love or like at the drop of a hat. She’d always thought of him as a Romeo. “I’m cooking to distract myself from something that’s bothering me. I have a crush on Colton Foster,” she whispered.

  Silence followed. “Colton Foster? When did this happen?”

  “Recently,” she said. “I didn’t plan it. And I think he has feelings for another woman.”

  “Who?” Jude asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s been cagey about it.”

  “You’ve talked to him about another woman and you still have a crush on him?” he asked in disbelief.

  “It didn’t happen exactly like that. Don’t fuss at me,” she said. “I thought you would understand.”

  “Hell, no,” Jude said. “Don’t jump into a new romance. It’s not in your best interest.”

  She gave a double take at his advice. “Says the guy who falls in love or like at least once a month.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt. Colton’s a good guy, but if he’s involved with another girl...”

  “I didn’t say he was involved,” she said. “He just said he wanted to make her happy.”

  Jude winced. “That’s a big deal, Stacey. Guys don’t talk about making a woman happy if they aren’t already pretty committed.”

  “Thanks for the encouragement,” she murmured as she bundled up another casserole for the freezer.

  Jude squeezed her shoulder. “I’m just looking out for you.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know. It just seems ironic for you to be warning me away from my feelings for Colton.”

  “Maybe I’m changing in my old age,” he said. “Or maybe I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  Stacey thought about Joe and frowned. “I know it may sound crazy, but I feel as if my engagement to Joe was a lifetime ago.”

  “I still wouldn’t mind kicking him into next week,” he said. “He shouldn’t have abandoned you.”

  “He couldn’t handle the commitment,” she said, and only felt a twinge of sadness over the situation. She had begun to realize that Joe’s abandonment was his issue more than hers. “It’s taken a while for me to realize this, but I wouldn’t want him if he stayed with Piper and me out of obligation. At the same time, I feel terrible that Piper doesn’t have the daddy she deserve
s. But the truth is, I’m not sure Joe deserves her.”

  Jude studied her for a long moment. “Dang, girl. You’ve grown up.”

  She smiled at her brother. “You think?”

  “Yeah,” he said, and waggled his finger at her. “Just don’t go falling for the local cowboys. I don’t want you to get hurt.” His gaze slid to the pot on the stove. “Can you share any of that soup? The smell is killing me.”

  “That bad, huh?” she asked, smiling at his description.

  “Have a little pity,” he said.

  “Tell the truth,” she said. “When was the last time you prepared a full meal for yourself or anyone else?”

  “Grilled cheese and canned soup count?”

  She shook her head.

  He sighed. “A long time.”

  “That’s what I thought,” she said. “Maybe you’re due for a cooking lesson.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret, Stacey. It’s my goal to never need to cook for myself. That is the goal of most bachelors,” he said.

  “Well, at least you’re honest,” she said, and planted a kiss on his cheek. She fixed a large container of soup for him to take home. She spent the next hour storing meals. Piper awakened, and Stacey gave her a half bottle of baby food and her bottle. Afterward, it was time for baby calisthenics. Stacey set Piper on her belly and watched her do dry swimming. Piper grunted and groaned as she exercised.

  When Piper’s groans turned to cries, Stacey whisked her up in her arms and walked to the kitchen with her. Stacey finished wrapping up her meals for storage and put a few portions in the refrigerator. Her father was always grateful when she packed a lunch he could take outdoors.

  Tucking Piper into a baby pack, Stacey began to clean the public areas of the house. She took care of the den, foyer and kitchen and began to feel tired. Pulling Piper from the sack, Stacey sank onto a chair in the den and told herself not to think about Colton.

  Even her Romeo brother, Jude, had warned her away from her feelings. But Stacey couldn’t keep her mind off of Colton. She wanted to be close to him. Very close.