“Not like I should have if we were meant to stay together. Sometimes I think I miss being married, but no, I don’t miss her very much at all.” Especially after the rather nasty things she’d told him during the divorce. Damn it, he was not a boring country hick. He liked his roots in ranching country. His values came from his community and his family, and he wasn’t ashamed of either.
“Speaking of country,” Scarlett said, placing her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. Her movements drew his attention to the partially unzipped hooded sweatshirt and bright green T-shirt that stretched over her breasts. When he looked up, he saw amusement in her eyes. He’d been caught staring, and wondered if he should grin or apologize.
“I’d really like to see some of the ranches and land around here,” she said with humor in her voice. “And since I don’t have a car, I’m out of luck. Could I tempt you to play hooky from the office this afternoon?”
He took a deep breath. Could he just close up the office and drive around the countryside with Scarlett No-last-name? He didn’t have any appointments, but a potential client might stop by, or someone could need advice. Then there was that legal brief of a case he might be involved with before long, down at the county courthouse in Graham.
And then there was the thought of spending time with Scarlett. In just two days she’d made him ignore his good intentions twice—once to go into the salon instead of eating lunch first, then his impromptu invitation to dinner. Not to mention the way she’d raised his temper.
“That is, if your mommy doesn’t mind,” Scarlett added, and that sealed the deal.
He grabbed a sheet of paper, quickly wrote a note, and snatched a piece of tape off the dispenser on the reception desk. Then he checked to make sure the answering machine was on and that his cell phone was clipped to his waist. If anyone called, they’d get a recording that listed his mobile number. He might be playing hooky, but he did have a little sense left.
“Let’s go,” he said, switching off the lights.
Chapter Four
Sunlight streamed through the windshield and side windows of James’s red SUV as he drove out of town toward the gentle hills surrounding Brody’s Crossing. Scarlett snuggled into the leather seat and enjoyed the feeling of warmth and security. He was a good driver and she felt lulled into safety by his presence. She really didn’t care where they were headed as long as it wasn’t back to Clarissa’s House of Style or McCaskie’s Service Station.
“Would you like to see the Brody family ranch?”
“Sure. Do you still raise cattle?”
“No. My dad is retired, but they keep a few pets. My mother got some goats from someone new in town, Raven York. She’s originally from New Hampshire, so I guess you could say that she’s the previous ‘not from around here’ newcomer. She married into another local ranching family, the Crawfords. Her husband, Troy, is a client of mine.”
“I haven’t met her yet.”
“She eats lunch with Clarissa and her group at the café sometimes. You should meet her. She’s very much into natural foods and recycling and all that.”
“I haven’t gotten into that yet. Maybe once I’m in L.A.”
James chuckled. “You’re going to plan on becoming environmentally aware?”
Scarlett shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought much about it. But that kind of thing is popular in California.”
“How about what you think? What you believe in?”
“I believe it’s important to be eco friendly. I just haven’t thought about it much.”
“What about your family?”
“My mother recycles newspapers, glass and plastic.” When Scarlett lived at home, it was always her job to drag the stuff out to the curb once a week.
“No, I mean, what are they like? Do you think you’ll miss them?”
She shrugged. “I guess. Like I told you before, they aren’t really excited about my career, so they probably think moving to California is stupid. We sort of agreed not to discuss it.”
“I can’t imagine not discussing career choices with my family. My mother would be so hurt, and my father would question my motives if I didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah, well, families are different. Let’s just say that mine are happy I can pay my own bills.” She paused a moment, then frowned. “Except for my recent setback. At least I’m earning some money and Clarissa is letting me stay at the salon for free.”
“She’s a nice lady. Very friendly. She gives some of the older ladies on a fixed income a ‘special rate’ for seniors, and every year for prom, she does lots of hair for free, for the girls who can’t afford it.”
“She is nice. I’m lucky to have found her.”
“She feels the same about you.”
Scarlett sat up straighter and looked at James. “She does?”
He nodded. “She told me that business has picked up and you’re the reason. She’s glad you’re here. I think she likes you, even though the two of you are very different.”
“Hmm. I just figured she’s friendly to everyone.”
“She is, but she feels protective of you, I think. She worries about you.”
“I’m fine! Or I will be, as soon as I get my car fixed.”
James shook his head. “You don’t get it. People around here really care for each other. That’s what community means. I found out how much we could depend on our neighbors when my parents needed help, when Mom and Dad didn’t want to ‘bother’ me with their problems. Everyone pitched in to go grocery shopping, make them meals, feed the animals, take my parents to the doctor. I wanted to move back because those are the kind of people I want to be around.”
“Even if it cost you your marriage?”
He seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment, then said, “Even then. If Babs didn’t understand how important community was to me, if she thought I could continue in that law firm when they obviously didn’t care about any of the associates, then she didn’t know me at all.”
“You know, I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone kept to themselves. I have to admit that I don’t get the whole community thing, either.”
“If you stay around here, you will.”
“That’s a nice thought,” she replied, settling back in the sun-warmed seat. “But I’m headed west as soon as possible.”
“What better time than Christmas to discover how folks really come together to care and help each other?”
“I guess.” But she wasn’t convinced she’d discover any such thing.
“Here’s the ranch,” James announced, pulling off the two-lane road onto a long gravel drive. “Ready to meet the folks?”
“No!”
He laughed and stopped the SUV. “If you want to drop in for coffee and cake, we can.”
“No, I just wanted to see the countryside. Really, I don’t want to inconvenience anyone. Anyone else, I should say, since I did ask you to drive me around.”
“You wanted a diversion.”
She scrunched up her face. “Well, yeah, but I came to you. Doesn’t that show how high you rank on the diversion meter?”
James laughed. “I don’t mind being your chauffeur. I’m enjoying the afternoon.”
“Okay, then, let’s keep driving. I’m sure your parents are great and all, but wouldn’t they think it’s weird that you’re bringing me out here to meet them?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so, if I explained the situation to them.”
“You’d tell them I made you play hooky from your legal practice? That makes me sound like a terrible person.”
“I’m not some perfect angel. I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger. Now I’m very responsible…almost all the time. They’d accept that I wanted to drive you around, show you the ranches and countryside.”
“Then your parents are a lot more trusting than mine.”
He looked at her intently for a long moment before turning his attention back to the car. With efficiency he ba
cked the SUV onto the grass beside the drive, then reversed their direction. “Okay. We keep driving around. No parents. No coffee, cake and questions.”
Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
He drove about for another half hour, showing her various ranches and landmarks. They went to the edge of Lake Graham, which was not a pretty sight this time of year. The water was brownish-green, low from the look of the banks, and the grass surrounding the area was winter dry. They didn’t stay long, heading back to Brody’s Crossing as the sun sank lower in the afternoon sky.
“Thanks again for driving me around. This was great. I feel much more relaxed now.”
“You’re welcome,” James said with a smile that warmed her heart. Not that she should allow any man to warm her heart right now, when she could be leaving in a few days.
They stopped at one of the two lights along Main Street. “You know, we should go out to Dewey’s for their Christmas party on Saturday.”
“Don’t you have a date already?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I might not be here Saturday.”
“Oh, Scarlett, I hate to burst your bubble, but there’s no way Claude could get an engine or even a part for your engine and install it that quickly.”
“Oh.” She felt deflated, suddenly brought back to reality. And then she felt something else—James’s fingers on her cheek.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’ll get to California. You’ll get to join Raoul—”
“Diego,” she said softly, smiling at James. She suddenly realized their heads were quite close together.
“Whatever. You’ll get there,” he declared.
She nodded, then they both jumped at the light tap of a horn. They turned and looked behind them.
“Oops,” he said, smiling and waving at the four elderly ladies behind him. All of them looked at him curiously, craning their necks to see inside the SUV. He stepped on the gas and continued down Main Street toward his office.
“You know those ladies?”
“Yes, I do,” he replied somewhat nervously. “That’s my retired English teacher, her sister and friends. They play bridge at least once a week at the community center. And they are very big gossips.”
“Oh, then you are so busted.”
James pulled into his parking space behind the building, then shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a model citizen.”
“And we didn’t do anything wrong!”
“I know.” He turned off the engine and pivoted toward her. “Scarlett, you are a dangerous woman. I should be reading some boring ‘homework,’ not cruising around with a pretty girl, getting caught by my former English teacher.”
“Homework?”
“It’s a case that’s coming up in less than two weeks. I’m going to be sitting in for a judge in Graham, which is the county seat. I need to be familiar with the case.”
“Wow, a judge. I thought you had to be old, gray and paunchy to be a judge.”
“The position is just temporary. I’m not running for judge.” He shrugged again. “At least, not now.”
“But still, serving even temporarily is an honor, right?”
“The judge I’m subbing for is an old friend of the family. He’s one reason I went to law school.”
“I’d better not keep you from your homework, then.” He was going to be a judge, for goodness sake! She’d only been thinking of herself when she’d enticed him away from his office. “I’d better go.”
“Would you like to come in for some more hot chocolate?”
“I can’t. I have to…get back to the salon.”
“Oh.” He reached out and fingered a strand of her hair, as if testing to see if it was real. “Are you sure?”
She was pretty certain she shouldn’t be sitting out here with Mr. Hunky Lawyer. She nodded, not trusting her voice. As she reached for the door, James put his hand on her shoulder.
“You never did tell me that you’d go to the Christmas party at Dewey’s Saloon and Steakhouse. It’s the event of the season in Brody’s Crossing. You can’t miss it.”
“James, do you think—”
“Yes, I do,” he said, leaning close. “As crazy as this seems. Or maybe I’m not thinking at all….” She watched in shock as his lips descended, as his eyelids lowered, as he kissed her.
Only then did she close her own eyes and give in to the feelings he aroused. Oh, yes, aroused. She went from surprised to turned on in a nanosecond. His lips molded over hers, his tongue touched hers and she moaned into his mouth. She wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted, only that she wanted it to go on forever.
When he pulled back, she went with him. Only for a second, but long enough to show how much she liked kissing him. And he knew, darn him. He smiled slowly as he looked into her eyes.
“Was that a yes?”
JAMES WATCHED SCARLETT nearly run from the parking lot, around the side of the building to Main Street. She hadn’t given him an answer, which meant he’d need to go back to the salon to see her before Friday. The party was Saturday night, and he planned to attend with her.
He wanted her to see that his hometown was different, that family and friends were important. He wasn’t even sure why it was so vital to him to make Scarlett see his point. There was something so sad about her going on her own to California during the holidays. Something so lonely about the way she thought of her place in her family. Could her relatives really not see what a wonderful, vibrant person she was?
He got out of the SUV and entered the back door of the office building, and in minutes was sitting at his desk.
Just as he was before Scarlett walked into his office an hour ago.
Just as he’d done before Scarlett came to town, days ago. Just as he’d be doing after she left town, days from now.
He opened the brief to the page he’d been reading, but his mind wasn’t ready to stop thinking about Scarlett yet. The words blurred as he remembered his surprise when he’d touched her hair. He’d expected it to be stiff or sticky. Maybe red-hot. But it wasn’t. Her red hair was warm and soft, like her lips.
Maybe he shouldn’t take her to Dewey’s Christmas party. Maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her. But he had, and if he had the opportunity, he would again.
Kiss her and more.
SCARLETT HAD MADE SOME mistakes in her life, but kissing James Brody was right up there at the top of her list. Unfortunately, she hadn’t come to that conclusion until she’d hightailed it back to Clarissa’s House of Style. She’d blamed her hot cheeks and flushed demeanor on the blustery, sunny day instead of James’s kisses and her own poor judgment.
When she walked through the back door, she stopped dead and stared, all thoughts of James temporarily forgotten.
“Oh, Scarlett, I’m so glad you’re back,” Clarissa said. At least, Scarlett thought it was Clarissa. She was dressed in some kind of prairie costume, floor length and fitted to her busty frame. She leaned over and pulled a calico bonnet on over her fluffed, sprayed hair.
“What’s going on?”
“We’re checking our costumes for the annual Settlers Stroll,” Clarissa explained. “I must have gained a few pounds. Either that or my corset sprang a leak,” she said with a chuckle.
Venetia emerged from the bathroom in a dress of a similar style, complete with shawl, bustle and bonnet. With her thinner figure and time-worn features, she looked much more like a nineteenth century woman, Scarlett thought.
“We want to get you a costume,” Clarissa said, tying the ribbon under her double chin. “The Settlers Stroll is Sunday night, but we shouldn’t have any problem. You’re so petite that you could wear almost anything.”
“Er, I’m not sure I’ll be here Sunday night.” With any luck, she’d be on the road. Then she wouldn’t have to give James an answer about the Christmas party at Dewey’s.
“Oh, I talked to Claude when I was hoping to find you over there at the garage. He said there’s no way he can get
the engine installed before then. So…” Clarissa paused and took a breath, her hand on her ribs—and presumably her tight corset. “You might as well join us. It’s a lot of fun.”
“I don’t have a costume.” She didn’t have the money to buy one, even if she wanted to.
“Don’t worry about that. We have a big inventory of outfits that we store at the community center for everyone who doesn’t have their own, courtesy of the McCall family. Of course,” Clarissa said, giving Venetia a knowing look, “I imagine it’s more that boy of theirs, Wyatt. He’s as rich as they come, and probably feels a little guilty for getting a group of teenagers dressed as wild Indians to raid the Settlers Stoll.” Clarissa took a deep breath. “We share and swap, too. There will be something perfect for you.”
Her head spinning from all the Brody’s Crossing history, Scarlett argued, “I’m not a resident. Won’t people resent me intruding on their traditions? Some of them are already angry at me just for styling their hair a little differently.”
“That’s only a few people with more time than sense. Never mind them.”
“I don’t know…”
“She’s got a point, Clarissa,” Venetia said. “Some people don’t like strangers coming in.”
Clarissa dismissed Venetia with a wave. “The more the merrier for the Settlers Stroll, I say.”
Scarlett shook her head as she walked toward the front of the salon. “The only ‘settler’ I could possibly consider being is one of those flashy saloon girls. I doubt there’s a costume for that.”
Maybe now Clarissa would stop asking her to get involved in Brody’s Crossing holiday events.
JAMES HAD NO EXCUSE to see Scarlett on Thursday, since no other unhappy hair victims came into his office. However, his mother mentioned that her friends had seen him in a “compromising situation” with “that redheaded hairdresser” on Wednesday afternoon.
“I drove Scarlett around town and showed her some of the ranches,” he told his mom.
“They said you two seemed very friendly with each other.”
“Scarlett is my friend. That’s all.” He’d acted irresponsibly, leaving the office like that, but wasn’t about to admit his temporary lapse of judgment. When he wasn’t busy with a case or with a client, he thought about their kiss. She’d had such a stunned expression on her face when she’d left the car and hurried back to the salon.
Texan for the Holidays Page 5
