by Anna Sugden
Alex swallowed hard and wished he was on another planet, even the Klingon home world.
* * *
NERVOUS ENERGY RAN down Kayla’s spine as she walked toward Jackson’s Chevy Suburban. Jackson stepped onto the sidewalk and a teenage girl with a sulky expression followed him.
Morgan was pretty, with wavy blond hair and green eyes. Kayla had expected her to resemble her mother, but there were only a few similarities. Marcy had fancied herself a dark-haired Marilyn Monroe, complete with pouty mouth and dramatic poses. Unlike Marilyn, however, nothing about Marcy had suggested a hidden vulnerability.
“Morgan,” Jackson said, “this is Kayla Anderson. She’s Alex’s mother.”
Morgan stared with open curiosity, something Kayla understood. Maybe she was comparing her half brother’s mother to her own.
“Hi, Morgan,” Kayla said with a friendly smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Uh, hello.”
“This is my daughter, DeeDee,” she introduced as DeeDee came up beside her.
“Your shirt is so dope,” DeeDee said, looking at Morgan’s black T-shirt with a white tiger lunging across the front.
“Thanks.”
Despite her taut nerves, Kayla noted Jackson’s jeans and the muscles rippling under his blue shirt. With his cowboy hat and boots and powerful physique, he was the epitome of a confident outdoorsman, which made him the opposite of Alex, who was suffering through a skinny, gangly period of self-conscious adolescence.
Jackson was obviously trying to act casual, though she noted his gaze shifting around, looking no doubt for “his” son. Lord, hopefully she wouldn’t have to coax Alex out of the house. If he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to go...well, she’d have to remind him that he’d agreed and needed to follow through.
Fortunately the front screen door opened before she had to do anything, and her son came down the steps. Jackson urged Morgan up the walkway. It was painfully awkward as they all came together.
Alex swallowed. “It’s...uh...nice to see you again, Mr. McGregor.”
The muscles tightened visibly beneath Jackson’s shirt. “Same here, but you don’t need to call me Mr. McGregor.”
“Okay,” Alex said, “I’ll call you Jackson.”
Aside from breathing faster, Jackson seemed to be keeping it together. Kayla suspected that Alex was testing him, though she didn’t know if he was doing it consciously. But what else had Jackson expected? Alex already had somebody he called Dad.
“That’s a good place to start,” Jackson returned pleasantly.
“Hey, Alex,” Morgan stepped forward to say.
Alex’s face changed as he grinned. “Hiya, Morgan. What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
Morgan’s eyes rolled and the teenagers exchanged a laugh. “I slept in my clothes.”
“Me, too.”
Jackson watched them with a puzzled expression, and Kayla wondered if they were thinking the same thing. Morgan and Alex acted almost as if they already knew each other, though she was sure they hadn’t met. Alex had avoided going around Schuyler by himself alone for fear of accidentally running into Jackson.
“Breakfast is ready,” Elizabeth announced. She was a great believer in the power of eating together. Along with oatmeal and a pitcher of cream, she’d prepared huge platters of country potatoes, deluxe scrambled eggs and sliced ham.
Jackson had been obviously impatient when he learned Kayla’s grandmother planned to serve a meal before they left, and his reaction had worried Kayla. Apparently when Parker McGregor had taken his sons and nephew camping or fishing, they’d left before it was light and eaten what they had packed. But if Jackson was trying to replicate the experiences that had bonded his own family, the trip to Yellowstone would be an abysmal failure.
“It looks delicious, but you didn’t need to fix anything this elaborate,” Jackson said.
Elizabeth waved her hand. “I thought we should start with a meal. If you and Morgan don’t like your eggs with mushrooms and such, I have plain scrambled in the pan.”
“I love the extra stuff,” Morgan asserted.
Jackson’s eyebrows rose slightly and Kayla wondered what it might be about, especially when Morgan ate a good serving of the mushrooms and other chopped vegetables in the eggs.
All three kids were eating and chatting at one end of the table and while Jackson sent quick looks in their direction, he didn’t intrude. Kayla almost felt bad for him. His one meeting with Alex had been horribly uncomfortable, and now they were in a room with five other people and no chance of private conversation. For a man accustomed to being in control of his universe, he must be churning with impatience.
At least the kids seemed at ease with each other, and they ate piles of food, making Elizabeth glow.
“That was terrific, Grams,” Kayla told her as they quickly did the dishes in the kitchen.
“It’s wonderful having children to feed again.”
“So why hasn’t Uncle Peter gotten married and given you more grandkids?”
“He was engaged years ago, but his fiancée died. He’s never found anyone else.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kayla said, glad she hadn’t teased her uncle about his single status. She collected her purse and made a quick check to be sure she and the kids hadn’t left something behind that they’d need, while Elizabeth did the same. Then they locked the door and came out to where Hank had pulled the RV around to the front of the house.
“Hey, Mom,” DeeDee exclaimed, “Morgan wants to ride with us. Is that okay?”
“It’s up to her father.”
Disappointment flashed across Jackson’s face, but he quickly rallied. “It’s fine if she wears a seat belt.”
“We have three places in the back of the RV with belts,” Hank told him, sending a worried look at Kayla.
But Kayla had already read the handwriting on the wall—with only three seat belts in the back and her grandparents in the front, she’d have to ride in the SUV.
“Looks as if you’re stuck with me,” she told Jackson cheerfully, not wanting the kids to guess she’d rather be anywhere else.
Alex chewed his lip and seemed torn; he probably hadn’t realized the outcome of their invitation to Morgan.
Kayla winked at him to smooth over the moment. “Give the grandparents a break, you guys, and keep the noise down.” Then with a silent groan, she climbed into the Suburban’s front passenger seat.
* * *
THOUGH JACKSON HAD known Alex expected to ride in his great-grandparents’ RV, a part of him had hoped for more. Nevertheless, he smiled in Morgan and Alex’s direction and asked the Garrisons to take the lead.
Grimly he followed the RV out of town and onto the small highway.
“Do you honestly think trying to get acquainted with a teenager at fifty-five miles an hour would be that effective?” Kayla asked after a while, her voice sardonic.
“Of course not. But the morning didn’t start well—Morgan and I had a royal battle when I told her that our German shepherd couldn’t come with us.”
“Why? I’ve seen pets in the national parks.”
“So have I, but I didn’t look up the rules for Yellowstone until late last night. Dogs have to be leashed at all times. Even worse, Cory couldn’t come on the trails and he’d be miserable being left in camp or in the Suburban. So right now Morgan is probably telling Alex that I’m cruel and inhumane for leaving her dog behind. It isn’t as if I tied Cory in the backyard with nothing but a sack of food and bowl of scummy water,” he said indignantly. “My foreman is taking care of him.”
“Maybe you could have a park ranger explain the rules when we get there.”
Jackson grimaced. “I doubt she’ll pay any attention. I just hope by not objecting to the riding arrangements, it will help Alex be more comfortable with me.”
“It would also help if you stop doing an impression of a pressure cooker getting ready to blow,” Kayla advised.
&nbs
p; “I don’t do that.”
“Really? I’ve been hoping my seat has an emergency ejection system installed.”
He released a harsh breath, knowing she had a point. His frustration wasn’t just about Alex. It went back to the prior summer when Morgan had suddenly become angry and defiant for no apparent reason. His mother said teenagers went through phases, but he couldn’t help thinking it was more than a phase.
Under the circumstances, maybe it was best the kids had gone in the other vehicle.
Jackson tried to relax and concentrate on the road. Hank Garrison appeared to be a good driver, and it was less tedious than expected to follow the RV. If they kept up a good pace, they should reach Yellowstone by early afternoon.
An hour out, Kayla pulled a bottle of water from the tote bag at her feet.
“Want some?” she asked.
“Sure, thanks.”
Silence returned. But now that he’d unwound a little, he started noticing other things...such as how long and smooth Kayla’s legs were beneath her black shorts. Her lightly tanned skin sloped over sleek muscles and then tapered into extremely nice ankles, and her aqua T-shirt hugged curves that were exactly right.
Hell. He did not need to keep noticing Kayla’s physical attractions, but the reminder didn’t stop him from observing the soft, dark auburn hair brushing the curve of her cheek and falling over her collar bone. He liked long hair. When so many girls at high school had sported short pixie cuts, Kayla had stood out with her flowing auburn locks.
Jackson clamped a tight reign over his body. He wasn’t a randy high school boy any longer; an experienced man of his age ought to have discipline over himself.
“I thought it was interesting how easily Alex and Morgan got along,” he commented finally. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were already friends.”
“Sometimes teens have fewer inhibitions—it depends on their mood.”
“True, but is there any way they might have spent time with each other?”
“Not in Schuyler. Alex hasn’t wanted to go anywhere alone in case he ran into...”
Her voice trailed and Jackson sourly finished the sentence in his head...in case he ran into you.
“They could have connected through one of the social networks,” Kayla said. “Does Morgan do Facebook?”
“Constantly. I have a page for the ranch and post periodic updates, but she’s on it all the time. I’m always warning her to be careful.”
Kayla chuckled ruefully. “That sounds familiar. I do so many safety lectures, I should just tattoo them on my forehead to save time.”
“I suppose DeeDee would be insulted if she thought you were directing them all at her.”
“You’re making assumptions again. Boys are at risk, same as girls.”
“I know,” Jackson said, realizing he probably had assumed boys were safer than girls. “I’ve just never needed to think about it. Now I’ll have to start looking at the other side of the coin.”
“There’s no need to rush. I’ve got it covered.”
“I’m not implying your care is lacking, but I need to take responsibility.”
“No, you don’t,” Kayla said stubbornly.
“I’m his father. I’ve already talked to my accountant about setting up a fund for his education and sending regular support checks.”
“Not needed.” She enunciated the words precisely, with an underlying edge in her tone. “We’re doing fine. And as for college funds, both Alex and DeeDee have one, though we’ve never planned to pay for everything. I happen to think kids take their education more seriously when they have to work for it.”
Everything she’d said was reasonable...and annoying. The “we” was obviously a reference to her ex-husband, and it was reminder that Alex thought of Curtis Anderson as Dad, not Jackson McGregor.
“What’s the matter?” Kayla asked. “I can tell you’re uptight about something. Again.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Good grief, Jackson. If you don’t want me to know when you’re unhappy, you’ll have to start relaxing your jaw. I could crack walnuts on it right now.”
Jackson frowned. Was he that easy to read, or was she more observant than most people?
“Fine, something is bothering me,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to discuss it.”
Kayla already knew how he felt about missing most of Alex’s childhood, and mentioning it again would just earn another tart remark about it being his own fault. For any hope of a relationship with Alex, he had to build a working partnership with Alex’s mother. Like it or not, they’d be dealing with each other for the rest of their lives—graduations, a wedding, grandchildren, they’d share them all.
Grandchildren?
He suddenly felt old, and he was only thirty-four.
Hopefully Alex wouldn’t follow in his footsteps when it came to early fatherhood, but they’d have to know each other better before discussing the facts of life. So far Jackson had mostly listened to his son interacting with other people. Still, he should be glad he’d been able to do that much. For a moment after arriving that morning, he’d wondered whether Alex would refuse to come out of the house.
“What would you have done if Alex had changed his mind about going today?” he asked curiously.
“We would have talked, but ultimately I would have said he needed to follow through on his word.”
“I thought you were leaving all the power in his hands.”
“Power?” she questioned. “That’s an odd way of putting it. He’s a boy, not a wild young steer to be thrown and branded.”
“You know what I meant.”
“I know you don’t approve of letting him choose about meeting you, but he’s fifteen, not eight. How would you have reacted as a teenager, being told you had to meet your birth father for the first time, regardless of how you felt about it?”
Jackson thought back to when he was Alex’s age. From fifteen on, he’d pushed for more and more independence, been wildly interested in girls and ready to wrestle the world to its knees.
“I guess I would have met the guy without thinking much about it. Honestly, I wasn’t that introspective,” he admitted. “I know Alex isn’t like me, but I want to be the best father possible.”
“What kind of father do you imagine he needs?” There was an edge in her voice.
“Someone to rely on, back him up when things get tough.”
“His mother also does that.”
“I didn’t say you don’t. But I can do what a father usually does—if he needs to talk about girls, for example. I should have a discussion with him about sex. I can also do things like teach him to drive and ride a horse.”
Kayla cocked her head. “Is riding a horse one of your definitions of manliness?”
“Dammit, Kayla, why do you have to pick everything apart?”
“It’s my job as Alex’s mother. Though, come to think about it, it’s also my job working on insurance billings. We examine everything to help ensure an insurance company doesn’t inappropriately reject the claim.”
“Tell me about your business,” Jackson urged, hoping to divert her from yet another debate about his male attitudes.
Her sideways glance told him she wasn’t fooled. “We’re called Smooth Billings. I have twenty-seven employees and contracts with dozens of medical and dental offices. More and more, small providers are outsourcing insurance billing and other services to companies like mine, rather than hiring someone to take care of it in-house.”
Jackson blinked. Smooth Billings had even more employees than the Crazy Horse.
“Do you enjoy it?” he asked.
“I enjoy knowing we make a difference. Now I primarily do training and manage our contracts—most of the day-to-day insurance work is handled by the staff. My manager is top-notch, but I do regular spot checks to be sure we’re on track. It’s hard on patients if their billing hits a snag.”
“Does that occur often?”
“It does if the doctor puts down the wrong word or writes an incorrect code. I insist our employees really think about what they’re seeing, especially buzzwords that insurance companies may use as loopholes. And if there’s a problem, I expect my staff to follow up aggressively.”
The enthusiasm in Kayla’s voice impressed Jackson. She seemed to believe in her work, and it was easy to see how it could make a difference. It was tough enough being ill, but fighting forms and balky insurance companies would make things worse. It was nice; she seemed to see her business as a form of service rather than simply paperwork.
Kayla stretched, and Jackson determinedly fixed his gaze on the RV ahead of them. He knew she wasn’t being deliberately provocative, but his body was harder to convince. Hell, it was just the dry period he was going through—normally he had a reasonably adequate sex life, but the longer Morgan’s rebellion had gone on, the harder it had become to go out for an evening.
The RV’s turn signal went on and he followed into a roadside picnic area, hoping it meant Alex had decided to ride in the Suburban. Being alone with Kayla raised his blood pressure in more ways than one.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MORGAN DIDN’T LOOK at her dad when he came to the driver’s window of the RV.
“We thought it would be a good idea to stretch our legs,” Mr. Garrison told him.
“Yes, of course.”
Morgan leaned over and whispered to Alex and DeeDee, “My father doesn’t like stopping. He thinks we should leave by 4:00 a.m. and gnaw on beef jerky when we get hungry.”
DeeDee giggled, but Alex shrugged. “My dad used to tell us everyone should walk around every couple of hours when they’re traveling—something about blood and circulation and stuff. For a while he was going to be a doctor, but then he...um, did something else. He gets bored easy.”
Morgan thought it was strange having Alex talk about his dad that way. DeeDee had already said some odd things, too. It was as if they loved him but didn’t like him very much, all at the same time.
