He stopped himself from cursing as soft hands grasped his arms to prevent his fall. “Oops. Sorry,” Caytie said.
Despite the steamy bathroom, Jace felt the heat of her palms against his skin. He gazed into her light blue eyes and swallowed. Man, she smelled so good. “Next time maybe just unlock the door.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Okay.”
For a few seconds they didn’t move. Then she dropped her hands and took a step backward. She studied him for a moment and then grinned. “Rough night?”
Yeah, thanks to you. He glared at her. “Why do you ask?”
One of her shoulders lifted up. “Just a guess.”
He glanced at the mirror and saw what she meant. His wavy hair—which was in serious need of a haircut—was going every which way, and he needed to shave. “Thanks for pointing it out,” he said, bringing his gaze back to her.
She pressed her full lips together, clearly trying to hold back her laughter. “Just keeping it real.”
“I’ll be sure to return the favor.”
“I have no doubt.”
She walked backward until she was in her girly room, which he and Kellen had dubbed the Pepto-Bismol room. Just before she closed the door, she peeked through the crack. “I hope I left you enough hot water. I thought you’d already showered and were gone for the day.”
“You wish,” he grumbled, locking her door and debating whether or not to leave it that way.
“See you at breakfast,” she hollered.
The bathroom was muggy and with the door closed, the mirror quickly steamed up again. Jace knew he was probably in for a cold shower. He sighed, wondering why he let this girl get under his skin. He refused to believe it was because he was attracted to her.
As soon as he stepped into the shower, he felt like more than one girl had invaded him. The entire shower shelf was filled with an arsenal of products. Hanging on the showerhead was a poufy, pink spongy thing that looked like something Ilene used to wash the dishes by hand with.
He searched among the bottles for the shampoo Ilene usually bought. It was pushed in the back. Grabbing it, he finally dared to turn on the water. Thankfully there was enough warm water to make his quick shower bearable.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he gazed in the mirror and was tempted to skip shaving today, and to let his hair dry without combing it, just to see what Caytie would say. He grunted and ran a comb through his hair. Even though he was twenty-eight, Ilene would probably send him back upstairs to make himself presentable. She was already threatening to get out the clippers and give him a buzz like Kellen’s.
Victoria usually cut Jace’s hair, but ever since hearing the rumors of how she felt about him, he’d avoided going into her shop the past two months for a much-needed trim. It just seemed to intimate to him, and besides that, her son wasn’t there to act as a buffer. He either needed to let Ilene cut his hair or get over his uneasy feelings and just have Victoria do it.
His stomach rumbled and he worried if he didn’t hurry up he might miss out on breakfast. To save time he opted to use his electric shaver. From experience he knew he’d have a five o’clock shadow long before five but he was running late and needed to get going.
He dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt with the name of his baseball team printed on the front. Blazing Broncos had been his suggestion, which the kids had all voted for. Victoria was the one who had designed the shirts.
He blew out a long breath and rubbed a hand across his neck. Just thinking about Victoria and their date this weekend made the muscles in his back feel tighter than a newborn foal sticks to its mother. If only he could withdraw his offer. If they never went out then nothing had to change. Some of the tension in his shoulders eased as he thought about making the call to say he’d have to cancel their date and hint that her homemade lasagna sounded good, and after dinner he and Kyden could toss the ball around in her backyard. Everything would be back to the way it was before. Wouldn’t it?
He left his room and decided not to worry about it right now. His favorite boots thumped down the stairs and across the hardwood floor as he made his way toward the kitchen. He could hear George complaining about the changes in his diet again.
“I don’t want a bran muffin, Ilene. I want bacon and eggs.”
Jace came into the kitchen to see Ilene place a large bran muffin in front of George. “You need to add more fiber to your diet. It will help you not feel so grumpy.”
“I’m as regular as the sun rising every morning, and I’m grumpy because you won’t let me eat what I want to.” He pointed to Kellen’s plate, laden with eggs, bacon and hot pancakes smothered in syrup. “How come he gets to eat a decent breakfast and I don’t?”
Jace could see Ilene had run out of patience for George. Her husband Paul had died from a stroke, and when George’s blood pressure had shot up she decided to take matters into her own hands. He needed to defuse Ilene to keep her from blowing up at George. When that happened everyone in the house suffered because Ilene refused to cook.
“Morning, everyone,” Jace said, sliding a chair out next to Kellen. He looked at everybody but Caytie.
After shooting another hard look George’s way, Ilene gave Jace a smile. “Good morning, Jace. What can I get you for breakfast?”
Well, that was a loaded question.
If he asked for the usual—which was what Kellen had on his plate—it would set George off again. However, he knew what the muffins tasted like, and was convinced Ilene added sawdust to them so they would stick to your stomach for the next two days.
He scooted his chair in and cleared his throat. “Uh, I probably need protein this morning since I’m gonna start breaking in Moonshine, Judd Clayton’s new colt, today.”
George harrumphed. “A couple of the mares are due to foal any time, and I need protein in order to get my work done too.”
Ilene pointed to the tall glass in front of George. “Your protein is right there, with fresh blueberries added for flavor and antioxidants.” She gestured toward the muffin. “And I’ll have you know that oat bran muffin is packed with protein as well as fiber. It’s also good for your heart.”
Without waiting for a reply, Ilene turned around and Jace held his breath to see what his breakfast would be. Kellen dug into his food with gusto as if he was afraid his plate might be snatched away and he better eat while he had the chance.
Jace’s gaze wandered over to Caytie and found she was watching him. The corners of her mouth curved up into an alluring smile. The automatic jump in his pulse rate alarmed him, and instead of smiling back, he frowned and jerked his focus on to his glass of orange juice.
“Thank you,” he said to Ilene when she handed him a plate that looked similar to Kellen’s. He picked up the glass of juice, raised it to his lips, and chanced another look at Caytie. She was still watching him but now her mouth was pressed tightly together and two little lines dented her smooth forehead.
Scowling he could handle much better than alluring smiles. He met her glare with one of his own as he took a sip of OJ. So what if she thought he was grumpy.
“Jace,” Caytie said in an overly sweet voice. “Maybe you should add a little more fiber to your diet, too.”
Kellen choked on a laugh at the same time he took a drink of milk, spewing some of the liquid across the table.
It wasn’t that funny.
“Kellen,” Ilene scolded as she cleaned up the milk with a napkin. “What in the world is wrong with you?”
Wiping away the milk from his mouth, Kellen tossed his napkin at Jace. “Sorry, Grandma.” He snorted back another laugh.
George eyed all three of the young adults, looking as if he wanted to ask why they were acting like children. Instead, he let out a defeated huff and accepted his fate, consuming both the protein drink and muffin, while discussing the day with Kellen and Jace.
As everyone finished up with the meal, George turned his attention to his niece. “You gonna be okay t
oday, sweetie?”
“Yeah.” The wistful tone of her voice drew Jace’s attention. She pushed her uneaten eggs around on her plate and sighed. “I’m already having serious withdrawals from texting, I better not push myself by going off shopping cold turkey. I’ll be happy if you just point me in the direction of the nearest mall.”
Why wasn’t she texting anybody? George hadn’t shared the reason Caytie had shown up out of the blue, and Jace hadn’t asked. He probably ought to keep it that way.
George laughed. “If you want a mall, you’ll have to go into Billings which is about a little over an hour drive from the ranch.” He pushed away from the table and picked up his empty dishes. “Ilene, you should go with her.”
“I wish I could,” Ilene said, taking the dirty dishes from George. “It’s laundry day and then I have a meeting with the Ladies Auxiliary this afternoon to finalize plans for Founder’s Day.”
It didn’t surprise Jace that Caytie wanted to go shopping. But what did surprise him was when she stood up and said, “Maybe we can go another day. I can help with laundry since I have some things I need to wash anyway.”
George kissed his niece on the forehead. “Have a good day, Caytie Bug.”
Again, Caytie took Jace by surprise when her light blue eyes filled up with tears and she threw her arms around her uncle’s neck. She murmured something he couldn’t catch but George must have heard because the older man’s eyes became bright with moisture as he rubbed Caytie’s back, and said, “I know, sweetie. It’ll all work out.
Chapter 7
Alone in the house, Caytie sank down in one of the overstuffed chairs and put her feet up. She was tired and completely bored out of her mind. She’d only been living in Snow Valley a few days. How would she survive until her birthday?
A muscle in her lower back twitched and she shifted positions. This morning she’d stripped the sheets off of George and Jace’s beds, gathered all of the dirty towels and started a load of wash—with Ilene’s help. Caytie was ashamed to say she had no idea how to operate a washer and dryer. Consuela, Daddy’s housekeeper, had always done the laundry, and Alfred took care of all the dry cleaning.
A couple of hours ago, Ilene had taken the men their lunch and then gone to her meeting for the upcoming Snow Valley Founder’s Day celebration, which coincided with the fourth of July. Apparently, it was a big deal around here, and the events did look kind of fun, especially the rodeo. She would really like to see Jace on the back of a bucking bronco. If he kept being a jerk to her it would serve him right if he got knocked on his arrogant butt.
Ilene had invited Caytie to ride into town with her, suggesting she explore downtown Snow Valley while she was in her meeting. But after one look at the meager stores open for shopping, Caytie had declined. If she wanted something other than Levis or Wranglers, she’d have to make the hour drive to Billings. Shopping online wasn’t an option either since she didn’t have access to her credit cards. Plus, as paranoid as it sounded, she didn’t dare browse her usual websites for fear of her father or Edward somehow tracking her down.
Snow Valley was a beautiful place, though, but Caytie would go crazy living in such a small town. One of the only appealing shops was That Healing Feeling, a new day spa that had recently opened. Caytie would schedule a massage as soon as possible. Maybe she’d even get Ilene to go with her.
And boy could she use a massage after a morning of menial housework. Still, as mundane as the morning had been, Caytie was proud of herself. She had successfully finished two loads of laundry and even remade the beds.
Sinking further into the chair, she recalled being in Jace’s room to make his bed. The lingering scent of his appealing cologne had permeated the air, and even now just thinking about it made her tummy tighten. It was so stupid to be developing a crush on the guy. Sure, he was cute, but he was also a grouch—at least when it came to dealing with her. Her fiber comment at breakfast a few days ago hadn’t helped, and he seemed even more irritated with her.
If not for the plethora of pictures on his walls showing Jace with several different beautiful women, Caytie would have thought he didn’t like girls.
A tiny twinge of jealousy stiffened her spine when she conjured up the images of several recent photos on his dresser, depicting Jace, wearing the same baseball hat he’d worn the first time she’d met him, and a pretty dark-haired woman with a cute little boy standing between them. While the child was always in the middle on all the shots, Caytie detected an intimacy between the two adults that made her wonder if this woman and little boy were the reason Jace didn’t seem to like her.
He had yet to really say anything nice to her, and he never smiled at her. Maybe if she just flat out admitted she had been speeding through the yellow light and should have stopped, he might be a little friendlier. Then again, what did it matter? She was here on a temporary basis, and didn’t need to complicate her life further by trying to please another obstinate male.
A few more seconds ticked by. Maybe she should get out her sketchpad again. Earlier she’d tried coming up with a few new handbag designs, but her ideas lacked her usual creativeness. She hoped her new environment didn’t stunt her creativity. If her dream to open her own boutique featuring her own line of handbags were to ever become a reality, she’d need at least a dozen more original designs.
Glancing out the window, she admired the Montana blue sky and the rugged mountain range in the distance. With the heat wave over there was no reason she should stay cooped up in the house. Besides, without shopping, texting or any other form of social media to take up her time, exploring the ranch would help pass the time. She might even get the chance to see Uncle George working with the horses.
Although Caytie was afraid to ride horses, she thought they were beautiful animals and wouldn’t mind learning more of what her uncle did with them. It would also be nice to see Kellen again. She liked him, in a big sister sort of way.
Going to her room, Caytie changed into a pair of cropped skinny jeans and a light blue colored fitted T-shirt. She opened the door to the bathroom, and immediately caught the faint scent of Jace’s cologne. It wouldn’t be bad if she happened to run into him while exploring the property. Despite his surly attitude, she liked him too, only not as a sister.
Wanting to look her best for whomever she might see, she ran a brush through her hair, added some tinted lip-gloss to her lips, and spritzed on a little perfume. As she made her way downstairs, she passed by the weight room. She couldn’t hold back a smile as she thought about her morning workouts with Kellen. In the few days she’d been at the ranch, she’d already noticed a change in Kellen’s attitude.
Truthfully, she’d been surprised when he’d actually showed up to workout with her. Her first day at Uncle George’s, Ilene had asked Kellen to show Caytie the weightlifting room. Reluctantly, he had wheeled himself in the room and pointed out the various equipment. Caytie had mentioned how similar the machines were to the ones she used at her fitness club, and she was eager to keep up with her workout.
The bitter comment Kellen made about Jace being the only one in the house who used the gym anymore, conveyed the young man’s understandable anger about his injury. But Caytie had remembered the remark Ilene had made earlier about how Kellen needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and start living his life again.
With his deep blue eyes and chiseled features, Kellen was incredibly handsome. Having the lower part of his leg missing didn’t diminish that fact. Compassion had welled inside Caytie and she had felt like a protective older sister who wanted to make everything better.
Caytie had recalled the beautiful PE teacher she’d had her ninth grade year. Unlike the other faculty at Huntington, Miss Lawrence had been kind to Caytie, and hadn’t ignored her, although that was exactly what Caytie had wanted. Since Julia had moved away, Caytie didn’t have any friends. And being overweight, with a mouth full of metal had made her the brunt of many jokes. Her only defense had been to withdraw and try to be as inv
isible as possible.
Then Miss Lawrence had come along and changed Caytie’s life. She had coaxed Caytie out of her safe cocoon and introduced her to exercise and healthy eating. As the pounds had melted away, Caytie’s confidence grew. About the same time the braces had come off, she’d had laser eye surgery and had tossed her glasses in the trash. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, the metamorphoses had been remarkable.
Someone had cared enough about Caytie, and she’d wanted to do the same for Kellen. Although he’d begrudgingly agreed to be her partner, she’d had doubts he would follow through. To her surprise, not only did he show up every morning, he had also ditched his wheelchair.
They worked hard every morning. Several times Ilene would poke her head in and watch her grandson lifting weights. The look of pure joy reflected on the woman’s face made Caytie feel as good as the time she’d out shopped an annoying woman at an exclusive designer sample sale by snatching up a pair of turquoise Prada heels they’d both had their eye on.
Stepping outside, Caytie felt the noticeable temperature change. She pulled out her smart phone and checked the local temperature. It was in the high seventies, perfect weather for a nice stroll on the beach. Today she’d settle for her uncle’s ranch.
Caytie rounded the first corral and was startled to find a goat tied to the post, munching on grass. A big orange cat lay nearby, and appeared to be asleep. However, each time the goat took another bite of grass, the cat’s tail would twitch from side to side.
An unpleasant odor drifted down wind, making Caytie clamp her lips together as she hurried to make a wide circle around the goat. Approaching the second corral, she couldn’t hold her breath any longer and drew in a lungful of air—then promptly wished she hadn’t. Although the odor was different it was just as rank. It seemed to be coming from the wood and wire mesh structure housing several chickens.
Summer in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance Anthologies Book 2) Page 5
