by Candis Terry
She held the door open while he maneuvered the cat condo through. When they stepped outside, he looked for her car. No silver Mercedes in sight.
“Where’d you park?”
“Right there.” She pressed the button on her key fob and the locks of the black Escalade in front of them clicked open. Clutching the kitten to her chest, she opened the back door and stepped aside.
“Thought you had a Mercedes.”
“I did.”
“What happened to it?”
“I . . . dumped it.”
The reference made to her ex-husband was not lost on him. “As in you pushed it off a cliff or sold it?”
She laughed. “Wish I would have thought of the cliff idea first, but no, I sold it and bought this. It’s used, but I figured an SUV would be more suitable for my future.”
He set the cat condo and bags in the back. “And that is?”
She reached for the door and leaned in close enough to bring with her an intoxicating floral scent. She smelled like heaven, and his imagination said she’d taste like it too.
“Y’all will just have to wait and see.”
“Guess so.” He gave her a small bow. “I thank you kindly for your business, Ms. . . .” He paused realizing he didn’t know if she’d taken back her maiden name or retained the asshole’s name.
“Morgan.” Relief rippled through him as she playfully thrust her hand out. “Thank you for your assistance Mr. . . .”
“Wilder.”
“Uh-uh.” She slowly shook her head and looked up at him with those big blue eyes. Her head tilted. “Mr. Hot Lips.”
Great. “Where’d you come up with that?” Like he didn’t know.
The sultry gaze she dropped to his mouth left no question what was on her mind. He couldn’t keep his lips off her. The smile tilting her luscious mouth said that maybe she didn’t mind quite so much.
“Have a nice day.” She gave him a wiggle of her fingers as she walked away.
While he stood in the street watching her toned legs and tight rear end sashay toward the driver’s side, he realized he didn’t have much patience with wait and see. “Hold up a minute.”
She stopped and turned at the driver’s door, thrusting out a hip to hold it open. His eyes stayed glued to that hip, and his imagination took off.
White panties, he guessed. Maybe even a thong. Definitely with lace. Abby had always been a girly girl. Silk and lace had always been her thing.
“What have you got planned for the rest of the day?” he asked.
“Why?” Her sexy Southern drawl dripped like honey.
He shrugged, doing his best to appear nonchalant and like he hadn’t just been thinking about her underwear. “Thought if you were going to work on the house, I’d come over and help.”
“You’re not on duty?”
“Nope. I’ve got four glorious days off. Don’t even have to work the store anymore. Reno will be back tomorrow.”
“So . . .” She squinted at the bright sunshine and pulled the sunglasses from the top of her head down onto her nose. “You’re saying you’re available?”
“Pretty much.”
That full pink mouth lifted into a smile. “Then stop by. We’ll see what I can come up with.” She gave him another little finger wave, then she and her pussycat got into the car and drove away.
We’ll see what I can come up with.
Hell. If she couldn’t come up with any ideas, he had a backlog.
When Abby had finally made up her mind to take action, she wondered what had taken her so long. After she’d gotten the kitten set up, and while the nameless little fur ball slept, Abby snuck out to check off the rest of the items on her get ’er done list. Not that she felt any less intimidated by the folks in town than she did a few days ago; she just figured if they were going to talk, then she couldn’t stop them.
It would be cruel to do so anyway. The residents of Sweet did love their gossip. And while she’d never been much for the pastime herself, she did lean in now and again when the story was ultra juicy.
Now that she was back, she knew no place else would feel like home. She hoped she could stay. She wanted to stay. Heck, she never should have left in the first place. She knew that now. As far as what she wanted for her future, she might not have that all figured out.
Except for one thing.
Jackson.
She thought of him standing outside the hardware store and the look in his eyes when she’d called him hot lips. There had been laughter, but also intrigue. As if he thought maybe she liked his hot kisses.
He’d always been such a smart man.
Now, as her SUV tore down the gravel road, dust blew behind the tires like a storm rolling across the prairie. Abby glanced across the gently sloped hills, open meadows, and thick stands of oak trees. She’d spent a lot of time playing on this land. A lot of time swimming in the man-made pool in the creek. A lot of time riding horses and letting her hair fly in the wind.
The Wilder Ranch had always felt like home until a few nights ago, when she’d been thrust into an awkward situation that made her feel like she’d never belonged.
The tires rolled to a stop near the big rock-faced ranch house. As far as Abby could see, there were no extra trucks or cars to indicate anyone was home except Jana.
When Abby got out of the SUV, she heard bleating and looked down. A brown goat wearing a red satin ribbon around its neck trotted toward her.
“Well, hello there.”
“Meh-eh-eh.” The goat nodded.
“Aren’t you looking fashionable today.” Abby squatted and put herself face-to-face with the animal. She loved goats. And horses. And cows. Pretty much anything on four legs except skunks, thanks to Jackson’s daring her to pet a baby once. He’d promised they didn’t spray until they reached adulthood. Of course, she’d jumped in and taken his word for the truth. Two days later she was still trying to tomato-juice the stink out of her hair. Unfortunately, it had not been the last time Jackson or any of the other Wilder boys had fooled her.
She gave the goat a nice stroke on its long neck, then laughed when it butted her shoulder for more.
“Careful she doesn’t get you dirty.”
Abby looked up to find Jana coming out the door and walking toward her. “I’m not worried about getting dirty,” she said.
“That’s a pretty white dress. Miss Giddy will have it brown just like her in no time.”
“Miss Giddy?” Abby stroked the animal’s neck again, then stood. “Love that.”
“I expect you came to see me.” A smidge of guilt darkened the famous Wilder blue eyes.
Abby nodded. “You have time for a chat?”
“And an apology. How about I make us a pot of coffee?”
Between her regular morning brew and Mrs. Potter’s full carafe, Abby was coffee’d out. “Sounds good.” She followed Jackson’s mother into the house, stopping to look at all the photos that lined the entry hall. The other night, she hadn’t had a chance to really take note of all the changes that had recently been made. Today, she took a moment.
“I like the way you have the frames hanging from the antique wire fencing instead of just hanging on the wall,” she said.
Jana’s blue eyes—so much like her son’s—brightened. “Thank you. I figured it was time to start making use of all those antiques I’ve got stored out in the barn. Joe was never interested in bringing them in. Figured a new vibe in the house would help me make a fresh start.”
“That must be very difficult. You and Joe were . . .”
“Perfect for each other?”
“And together a long time.”
“Ah.” Jana sighed. “That we were. And now I’m trying to discover who I am. On my own.”
Abby could relate. “I’m sure that’s not easy.”
“No one ever said life would be easy. You’ve just got to figure out what you really want and make it happen.” Jana took Abby’s arm and led her to the kitchen, which had not been
changed.
The same big, worn table sat in the middle of the room with eight captain’s chairs all pushed in just waiting for someone to drop by. With seven in the Wilder family, there had always been one left over for her, where she’d enjoyed many a meal between Jackson and Jake. Later, she discovered that Jana had always put her there to keep the two brothers from harassing each other at mealtime.
Abby pulled out her chair and sat down, while Jana flitted about the kitchen, scooping coffee into the coffeemaker and getting milk from the refrigerator.
“How do you figure out what you really want?”
With sugar bowl in hand, Jana turned, and her expression softened. “That’s a tough one, isn’t it?”
“I thought I knew. Until I didn’t know. And by then . . .”
“Yeah.” Jana set the sugar bowl down on the daisy-print tablecloth. “Sometimes things just snap your head around, don’t they?”
Abby nodded. Folded her hands on top of the table. And took a breath. “You set me up the other night, didn’t you?”
Jana’s gaze was direct. “If you mean did I invite you over and purposefully forget to mention that the entire family plus neighbors, friends, and Jackson’s ex-wife would be here, then yes. I set you up.”
The truth stung. “Why?”
“Would you have come if I’d told you the truth?”
“Probably not.”
“Then that’s why I set you up.” Jana cupped Abby’s cheek in her hand. “It certainly wasn’t out of spite or meanness.”
“But I—”
“Walked out on my son when he was in harm’s way?”
“Yes. And I know it was a horrible thing to do.”
“Probably could have been handled better.” Jana’s shoulders lifted beneath her light pink cotton blouse. “But don’t think I don’t understand why you left. And don’t think I’m mad at you or trying to seek revenge because of what you did. I invited you here the other night because I’ve always thought of you as the daughter I never had.”
She reached across the table and took Abby’s hands in her own. “Reno and Charli had come home—engaged. I got word that Jake will be coming home soon. Jackson’s looking to step up in the fire department. It was a night to celebrate. And selfish as it might seem . . . I wanted you there. As a part of our family. Just like you’ve always been. I apologize for putting you in an uncomfortable position.”
Abby’s heart sunk so low in her chest, it stole her breath. “I’ve done some really stupid things. And I—”
“Will put them all behind you and move forward so you can find what you really want and make it happen.”
“I’m not all that sure what it is.”
Jana gave her a motherly smile. “Don’t you?”
She could tell this woman who’d been like a second mother to her that what she’d wanted all along was her son, but Abby didn’t know how she’d feel about that. She seemed very close to Fiona, and she adored Izzy. Maybe Fiona had been her dream daughter-in-law. Maybe she was really unhappy about the divorce.
So how would she feel if Abby suddenly blurted out that she’d been in love with Jackson for as long as she could remember and that she truly believed her life would never be complete without him?
Whew.
No way could she spill those beans.
“I’m still trying to figure out who I am,” she said instead. “Once I get that down, I guess I’ll figure out what I want.”
“You do that, sugarplum. And I’ll tell y’all the same thing I told Reno when he was hemmin’ and hawin’ over what he was going to do about Charli. You can’t reach the goal line with one step forward and two steps back. You have to keep moving.”
“Sounds like reasonable advice.”
“Of course, when we’re talking about Jackson—who may well be the most hardheaded one of the bunch—you might need to put on the shoulder pads and tackle low.” The coffeepot quit dripping, and Jana got up to pour two cups of coffee.
“I never said anything about Jackson.”
“That’s true. You didn’t.” Jana set the cups of steaming coffee on the table.
On autopilot, Abby splashed in sugar and cream and blew over the lip of the cup before she sipped and swallowed down the borderline-bitter liquid. Strong. Just as Jana had raised her sons.
Abby set her cup down and looked up. “I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to call you.”
“Oh?” Jana sipped without a blink.
“I actually did call once or twice,” she admitted. “But when I heard your voice, I hung up.”
“Ah. So that was you.”
“You remember?”
Jana nodded. “Nobody calls the house phone anymore. It’s all cell phones all the time. I figured the person calling either didn’t have my cell phone number or—”
“Didn’t have the courage to speak up.”
“I was going to say or they were a very reserved obscene phone caller.”
A motherly hand reached across the table and settled on top of Abby’s fingers. “What stopped you from saying hello?”
“I figured I made my bed, and no one—especially anyone in this house—would want to talk to me or hear me complain. I thought it best to just cut ties with everyone.”
“Well, that was silly.”
“I left without saying good-bye.” Abby tried not to cry, but if the big teardrop hanging from her bottom lashes was any indication, she’d failed. “Without telling anyone where I was going. Or why.”
“And that was your business.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just . . .”
“You just love my son.”
Abby nodded, and the teardrop splashed into her coffee.
“Then why did you leave?”
A sigh stuttered in her chest. “Because he made it clear he didn’t feel the same.” She glanced around the kitchen and soaked in the solace she’d always found there. “My mom and dad were so . . .”
“Wild?”
“Yeah. And as much as I tried to be a big sister for Annie, I ended up being more like her mother, and she resented that.”
“Understandable.”
“I always dreamed of being a part of all this.” She waved her hand at the room, but the bigger picture was her intent. “The laughter, the fun, the closeness, the compassion . . .”
Jana gave her fingers a gentle, understanding squeeze.
“The night before Jackson left for Afghanistan I finally understood that was never going to happen. I left, so I wouldn’t be reminded of what I could never have.
“Oh, sugarplum.” Jana pulled Abby into her embrace. “Even without Jackson, you’re a part of this family.”
“Thank you.”
“I promise not to use a football analogy like I did with Reno.” She tucked a finger beneath Abby’s chin and gently lifted so their eyes met. “But I can tell you that sometimes life is hard to understand. When I lost both my husband and my firstborn, I laid awake night after night asking why. I never did get an answer. I miss them both every single day. But the one thing I did learn was to never give up. Even when you feel like you’re down on the ground and there are linebackers piled up on top of you and you can’t breathe. You break through that dog pile and you get up. You brush the dirt off your knees, get your butt back on that line of scrimmage, and you make it happen. It doesn’t happen every play, but sooner or later, everyone scores a touchdown.”
Abby grinned. Not just for the message but for the delivery.
“Oops.” Jana grinned back. “I did it again.”
In the Lone Star State, the only thing more important than the Lord was football. And big hair. Not necessarily in that order.
“So what you’re saying is I should drop back into the pocket to make a pass?”
“Sugarplum, I’m saying that if you want to score that TD . . .” Jana gave her a saucy wink. “The best place to be is in the pocket.”
Abby laughed. “Are we still talking about football?�
��
“Oh, hell no.” Jana belted out a belly laugh.
Awkward, but good to know.
Chapter 7
When darkness fell in Sweet, the stars lit up the sky in a way that made it far too appealing to ignore. With autumn coming on, and winter not far behind, the pleasures of enjoying the great outdoors would diminish. Jackson didn’t want the opportunity to pass.
As he knocked on the door of Abby’s place, he figured he’d set himself up for a rejection. Or a snort of disbelief. Most certainly an eye roll. But that had never stopped him from getting what he wanted before.
The door opened, and Abby stood there with her kitten snuggled beneath her chin.
Once again he thought, lucky damn cat.
The sexy white dress had been replaced with a pair of jeans and a thin little camisole top. Her bare toenails were painted hot pink, and her hair was still fluffed out wild and curly—just the way he loved it most.
“Hi.” Her full lips curled into a smile that kicked all his energy south of his belt. When she stepped back to let him in, he took a look around the room to see the progress she’d made.
Not much.
“What have you been up to?” he asked in a voice more casual than he actually felt inside.
She stroked the kitten’s fur and glanced around the room. “Obviously, as little as possible. After I finished my errands, I came home and intended to start going through things in the kitchen. I ended up playing with the cat and baking some chocolate chip cookies. Want one?”
“Sure.” He followed her into the kitchen. “You name that thing yet?”
“No.” She handed him the kitten, who continued to purr as it climbed up the front of his shirt with its little razor claws and perched on his shoulder.
While Abby washed her hands, then handed him a couple of cookies, he watched the way she moved—a pleasant task he could engage in all day.
“But I like the sound of Pookie,” she said.
“You are seriously setting your cat up for an ass whoopin’.”
She laughed. “No I’m not. Don’t you remember some of the names I came up with for my 4-H calves? Sweetie and Peach. Sugar and Baby.”
“Yeah.” He took a bite of cookie and found it warm and gooey, and he thought it would taste even better if he could spread that melted chocolate all over her. “And I remember hearing the other calves in the fair barn laughing too.”
