Rescued by a Rancher

by Mindy Neff

  “She probably learned that move back in the days when she roller-skated with the Thunderbirds, in which case, we’re lucky she didn’t bloody Janie’s nose. I watched a tape of Bitsy’s televised roller derbies, and the woman can certainly hold her own.”

  “I’m not familiar with roller derby.”

  “Think WWF wrestlers, hockey players and Hooters. Put those images together and you’ve got women in tight T-shirts and short-shorts racing around an oval track on roller skates, deliberately antagonizing the other team—no holds barred.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. Maybe I should have given her proposition more thought.”

  Tracy Lynn elbowed him in the ribs. “Sugar, you’re more man than most women can handle, but Bitsy Jeeter would chew you up and spit you out.”

  “Babe. She’s ninety-one.”

  Tracy Lynn shrugged. “She put the moves on Daddy once and scared him half to death. Had him backed into the storage closet before he even knew what hit him.”

  Linc laughed and hooked his arm around her neck, drawing stares and smiles from several people. Tracy Lynn could just imagine what they were thinking. Oh, how sweet. Newlyweds.

  If they only knew, she thought.

  But Linc’s spontaneous affection didn’t feel like an act. Since the night of her father’s surgery, they’d truly become friends. Oh, there was still the crackle of sexual tension that got in the way—especially when they bumped into each other in their pajamas, or eyeballed the placement of a new bed she’d ordered for one of the five bedrooms.

  She might have compared their relationship to a real marriage—except they didn’t sleep together.

  “I’d like to see that tape,” Linc said.

  “Forget it. You’re already too enamored.”

  “Jealous?”

  “In your dreams, cowboy. I’m simply doing a good deed and saving your masculine dignity.”

  “Babe. If you’re worried about my stamina and self-confidence in the bedroom, I’m going to rethink these cold showers I’ve been taking since our wedding night. Clearly, I didn’t make a strong-enough impression.”

  Oh, she’d blundered right into this one. Or had it been deliberate?

  For the first time in her life, she’d found a man she responded to on every level, yet they’d erected fair-play rules between them. And in that respect, Tracy Lynn had quite a bit in common with Betsy Jeeter. Because when it came to Lincoln Slade, she was inclined to step into the foul zone and worry about the penalty later.

  But not in the middle of the seniors’ center.

  He still had his arm around her neck, though now his gaze had shifted to her mouth.

  Someone started clinking the glassware. Next came the sound of silverware tapping on the tables. The noise grew. Tracy Lynn looked over at Donetta, who was grinning.

  “What is she thinking? This isn’t a wedding reception!”

  “Maybe not,” Linc said. “But, babe, when utensils are banging on glass and we’re the only ones not participating, I figure that’s our cue to kiss.” With a finger beneath her chin, he turned her face to his and did just that.

  For several moments, Tracy Lynn heard nothing but the beat of her own heart. He gave her an open-mouthed kiss that involved only their lips, a kiss so perfect she could hardly recall her own name.

  She realized that in the past, kissing was a part of intimacy she hadn’t enjoyed all that much. She’d never admitted that before, had always felt that something was wrong with her.

  Clearly, she just hadn’t been kissing the right man.

  When he lifted his head, it took her a couple of seconds to gather her senses. At last reality broke through the fog and she immediately started to pull away, but he tightened his hold, keeping her in place for a moment longer as their audience applauded. Then he pressed his lips to her forehead and let her go.

  She’d never had so much trouble reading a man’s signals. His touch felt a lot like love. Yet his actions didn’t exactly follow. Could their pretense be turning into reality? Or was she simply seeing things that weren’t there?

  Since she didn’t have that answer, she had to heed her instincts, rein in her natural tendencies to leap before looking, or to see a silver lining where there was none. She wasn’t going to embarrass either of them by assuming too much.

  She looked toward the makeshift beauty shop. Donetta was styling Alma’s hair, while Abbe painted Janie’s nails. The line of ladies waiting their turn looked daunting.

  “Now I feel bad for Donetta. She’s pregnant, and I’m sure she gets tired easily. Maybe I should go over there and help.”

  “You’re pregnant, too, babe.”

  “Yes, but she’s farther along than I am. And she suffered for several months with horrible morning sickness. Actually, it was more like all-day and all-night nausea. If Storm hadn’t been able to heal her with hypnosis, she’d really be miserable.”

  “Have you had any morning sickness?”

  “Not yet. Knock on wood.” She rapped her knuckles against the table next to them. “If and when I do, I’m going right over to Storm’s house to be hypnotized.”

  “When did the sheriff start dabbling in that kind of stuff?”

  “Since the Texas Rangers sent him to classes to teach him. They use hypnosis in forensics to help solve cases.”

  “Hmm. Sure come a long way, haven’t they?”

  “Yes.” As though they figured it would make their turn come faster, the ladies kept inching their chairs closer to the primping area. Soon Abbe and Donetta weren’t going to have any room to maneuver. “Do you think Abbe’s shy?”

  “I don’t know much about her. I suppose she could be.”

  “I don’t remember her being that way in school.”

  “People change.”

  “Maybe. There’s something more, though. It’s as if she’s hiding—from what or whom, I don’t have a clue. And she’s so protective of Jolene.”

  “Who’s the father?”

  “She’s never said. She still has her maiden name, so I don’t know if she was even married.”

  “She must have money coming in from somewhere,” Linc said. “She keeps a twin engine Beech-craft out at the airport.”

  “See there. How many women in Hope Valley do you know who fly their own airplane? She probably needs it in case she has to make a fast getaway.”

  Linc chuckled. “Your imagination is working overtime.” He stroked a fingertip lightly over her cheek. “You have a special gift when it comes to people and compassion. But you can’t fix everyone, babe.” His voice softened. “Sometimes happy endings just aren’t possible.”

  She had an idea they were no longer talking about Abbe. Here again was the confusion over his actions and his words.

  “I don’t believe that,” she said.

  “Of course you don’t. You think there’s a solution to every problem, right? You just need to figure out who to call.”

  Had she just been insulted? His summation of her character made her sound like a ditz. Maybe she did have a touch of Pollyanna in her, but she’d rather be that way than pessimistic about life.

  Moments ago, she’d cautioned herself not to search for silver linings. But that went against who she was at her core.

  “Everyone has to have hope, Linc. Life is about possibilities. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have this baby in my womb.” She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. As his eyebrows rose in surprise, she turned and walked away.

  Granted, reaching for what she wanted had caused conflicts she hadn’t expected, turned her entire world upside down. But hope and believing in the possibilities of what her future could bring, and for this baby that she wanted more than anything, was what kept her strong.

  Chapter Ten

  Through the front windows of the small Italian bistro where they’d just finished having dinner, Linc kept an eye on Tori as she skipped along the sidewalk and hopped into the back seat of the Mustang to feed Simba and Buck their speciall
y made doggie pizzas. To cheer them up, she’d said, since Sneak and Dixie had ridden home with Donetta.

  He’d given Tori permission to go back to the car ahead of them while he and Tracy Lynn settled the bill, an event that was beginning to look as though it might become a major battle.

  Standing, he put on his jacket. “Don’t bother getting into your purse, Tracy Lynn. You’re not paying for dinner.”

  “Oh, yes, I am.” She slid out of the red vinyl booth and bolted.

  His jaw dropped.

  Okay, this was a first—even for him. He’d never before had a foot race with a woman in a restaurant. Especially when picking up the tab was the winner’s prize.

  He caught her in two strides, snagged her around the waist and set her behind him, easily gaining the lead.

  “That’s cheating,” she said, trying to skirt around him.

  Amusement replacing his initial astonishment, he blocked her access to the cash register, trying not to gloat.

  “Would you please move out of my way?” Her tone was excruciatingly polite with a subtle edge of growing irritation.

  Grinning, he pulled his wallet from his back pocket, then chuckled when Tracy Lynn clapped both her hands over his, presumably to prevent him from getting to his money.

  “Babe. Do you really think you’ll win in a tug-of-war against me? Not to mention the scene it’ll cause.”

  “Don’t let this well-mannered exterior fool you.” She lifted her chin. “Donetta gave all of us Sweethearts a lesson in brawling—just in case a necessary occasion ever arose, you understand.”

  Linc bit the inside of his cheek and cleared his throat. The urge to laugh was nearly killing him. “Is that so?”

  “Absolutely. Now, since I issued the invitation to supper, I intend to treat, so you may as well move. Besides, I ordered extra food.”

  “You didn’t get enough to eat?” He gave an experimental tug on his wallet. She hung on like a terrier.

  The boy working the counter walked up and set two large, boxed pizzas next to the cash register.

  “I had plenty to eat. Really, Linc. I have to pay. Otherwise, I might have to tell a lie.”

  “A…?” Her statement was so outrageous, he was helpless to suppress his burst of laughter, which gave her the edge to squeeze in front of him.

  She opened her purse and addressed the boy behind the cash register. “If that hyena behind me tries to muscle his way in, do not take his money. Understand?”

  “Yes’m.”

  “Honestly,” she muttered. “You men. Half the time you act like Neanderthals.” She pinned the young clerk with a direct glare. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

  “Uh…yes ma’am.”

  “Well, if she offers to buy you a meal, I expect you to give in gracefully and allow her to do so.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She slapped several bills on the counter. “Do I look old to you?”

  Uh-oh, Linc thought. He knew that tone. And the distressed expression on the poor kid’s face started him laughing all over again.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Then why do you keep calling me ma’am?“

  “Uh, policy, ma’am.”

  Linc put his wallet back in his hip pocket and took pity on the innocent pizza clerk. Sliding his arm around Tracy Lynn’s shoulders, he winked at the kid.

  “Her birthday’s coming up Christmas Eve. Touchy subject. Who are you going to lie to, babe?”

  “I’m not touchy about my birthday. I might have been, though, if I hadn’t gotten pregnant.”

  Tom, according to his name tag, stopped in the middle of counting change. Sweating now, he sighed and started over for the third time.

  “And I don’t have to lie to Hardy Pederson now…I don’t think,” she added. “The feed-supply company he was working for went out of business. I’m buying the pizzas for his family. It’s tough when you’ve got a wife and three kids to support and no job—one of those kids happens to be a playmate of Tori’s. Plus, Hardy’s a proud man and doesn’t want charity, so I might have to be a little inventive when I stop by with supper.”

  “What excuse were you thinking about using? Might as well give it a test drive on me.”

  “I thought I’d simply tell him that I’d ordered more food than my dinner guests could eat, and that I remembered how much little Annie—Tori’s pal—loves pizza.”

  “What if they’ve already eaten?”

  “Then they’ll have a couple more nights where they don’t have to worry about the menu. Pizzas freeze very nicely.”

  “So, why can’t you freeze them? They wouldn’t go to waste then.”

  She folded her arms beneath her breasts. “Daddy’s coming home from the hospital and he doesn’t like pizza. Plus, I’m sure it’s not a recommended item on the cardiac diet.”

  He nodded. “Okay. It flies.”

  She smiled, clearly pleased. “I figured we’d drop off Tori and Simba, then I can take you back to the house and go on over to the Pedersons’ place.”

  “Where do they live?”

  “In the trailer park out by Bear Creek Road. It’s not far from the house.”

  “I’ve got a better idea,” he said. “We’ll take Tori home, then I’ll go with you to the Pedersons’.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Tom finally managed to count out her change. She stuffed it in her purse, thanked him sweetly and reached for the pizza boxes. “You’ve got to be worn out after today.”

  “Me? You’re the one whose tail ought to be dragging.” He plucked the warm cardboard containers out of her hands. “Thanks, buddy,” he said to the clerk, then pushed open the door with his free hand so she could precede him outside.

  Truthfully, he was amazed at her energy. He was in condition for twelve-hour days of physical work, but spending a mere five hours at a seniors’ center had him longing for home, his TV remote and his leather recliner. He’d never admit that, of course.

  Especially since Tracy Lynn didn’t look a bit wilted. Hell, she’d probably phone all her friends to catch up on their lives, go visit her father in the hospital, then hang drapes and rearrange furniture—after delivering supper to a family down on their luck.

  “I’m beginning to see why you haven’t gotten married before now,” he said, pausing by the hood of her car. “You don’t have time for a social life.”

  “On the contrary,” she said, laughing, “I have plenty of time. And I lead quite an active social life, thank you very much. Although that’s not always a good thing for a person who sometimes has the memory recall of a gnat. I’ve been guilty of double-booking my calendar.”

  He glanced in the car, saw that Tori was content feeding the dogs. “Then what’s been the holdup in relationships?”

  She shrugged. “I never found anyone I truly clicked with. I was in a relationship three years ago with an attorney who worked here in town, but he couldn’t get past the fact that I had a bigger bank account than he did. So, he took his law degree, along with one of the preschool teachers from the Gingerbread House, and moved to Colorado.”

  “Guy must have had cow pies for brains. Did he break your heart?”

  She shook her head. “I thought so at first. Then I realized I was mostly upset that he’d cheated on me with the teacher. As for the rest of my unproductive dating life, the money issue has been a problem. It seems the guys I’ve gone out with are either intimidated by me, or they only want sex and a trophy on their arm.” She stepped off the curb and moved to the passenger door. “No one has ever really taken the time to look past the surface to see what I’m all about.”

  Linc hit the remote button to pop the trunk. Certainly he was looking.

  He could understand how any man would be stunned initially when meeting her. She was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on, but once he’d pried his chin off his chest and screwed his eyes back in his head, Tracy Lynn’s exterior package became only a small part of what Linc noticed when he looked
at her. He mostly saw the heart of her. She was good and kind and generous—not just with money, but with herself and her time.

  And it was beginning to worry him how much he did see, how much about her he admired…and how much she made him feel.

  He put the pizzas in the trunk, then got in the car. Once they were on the road, Tracy Lynn fiddled with the buttons on the CD player and the heater. She kept Tori entertained by singing along with Shania Twain, and sentenced him to a ten-mile ride in a moving sauna, making him sorry he’d raised the convertible top when they’d left the seniors’ center.

  By the time they reached his brother’s house to drop off Tori and Simba, Linc was sure he’d sweated off five pounds. And he was also sure that Tracy Lynn was going to be one hell of a good mother.

  “Daddy’s truck’s not here,” Tori said. “I bet Uncle Storm needed him to go be a reserve deputy.” There was a time when Jack’s absence would have sent Tori into a frightened silence. Now she reacted matter-of-factly, like any other kid who was secure in her world. A lot of that had been Sunny’s doing.

  “I sure hope it’s not a school bus wreck like the one I was in.”

  “There was no school today, kiddo,” Tracy Lynn said. “Remember? Plus, it’s dark. What school bus in its right mind would be caught running up and down the road at night?”

  “Busses don’t have minds,” Tori said, giggling.

  “Ha. Out you go, Miss Smarty Pants. Simba! Honestly, wait your turn.” Tracy Lynn ducked her head back in the car. “Are you coming in?”

  Linc shook his head. “I think I’ll let Buck water the trees before we head off to our Meals On Wheels delivery.”

  She hesitated, her eyes boring into his as though she could see into his soul. “Well, tell him to hurry. I’ll be right back.”

  While Buck hopped out to do his business, Linc shucked his jacket and stood beside the open car door to cool off.

  The lights were on in the bunkhouse, the cattle settled in for the night. Mingling with the smell of animals and lush earth was the gentle scent of jasmine and roses from the flower garden by the front porch. That patch of ground had been his mother’s pride and joy. After she died, Jack had tended the flowers and kept them flourishing.