by SJ McCoy
Beau smiled. “Thank you. I may ask you to make that a written recommendation before you leave.”
Ruby looked up at Summer with big sad eyes. “You’re leaving? I don’t want you to leave! This is my favorite place in the whole wide world, and that’s because you’re here!”
Summer touched the little girl’s shoulder. “I’m not leaving just yet. I’m sure I’ll be here longer than you are.”
Beau looked at Carly and James and jerked his head toward his truck. “Do you guys want to get going?”
“Noooo!” wailed Ruby. “I want to stay here with Summer Breese!”
Beau ran a hand through his hair and gave Summer an exasperated look. “But don’t you want to come see some nice houses?” he asked Ruby.
Ruby made a face at him. “No!”
Summer had to feel sorry for him. He obviously wasn’t used to dealing with kids and Ruby appeared headstrong to say the least. “I’m sure you’ll have fun with Beau. He’s my friend.”
Ruby eyed him suspiciously. “You are?”
Beau nodded.
“What’s your favorite song then?”
Beau stared at the kid nonplussed.
She scowled. “If Summer Breese is your friend you must like her songs, which one is your favorite?”
“Ruby! Don’t be rude,” said James. He shot Beau an apologetic look. “Come on. Mr. Remington is going to show us some houses.” He took hold of Ruby’s hand but she pulled away from him and ran to Summer, wrapping her arms around Summer’s legs.
“I don’t want to!” she cried.
Summer crouched down beside her. “It’s okay, Ruby. I have to leave soon anyway. You can’t stay with me. But you can go with my friend, Beau.” She grinned up at him. “He really is my friend. He knows all my songs, he just doesn’t want to upset me by only picking one as his favorite.”
Ruby’s lips were pressed into a tight little line, her brows knit together as she looked at Summer. “He’s really your friend?”
Summer nodded.
She looked up at Beau and her face relaxed. She cupped her hand over Summer’s ear and whispered. “He’s very handsome!”
Summer chuckled to herself and nodded again. “He is! So you go with him and your auntie and uncle, and maybe I’ll see you again before you leave.”
“Okay.” Ruby wrapped both arms around Summer’s neck and squeezed her tight. Then she went over to Beau and took hold of his hand.
Beau looked at Summer and then down at Ruby. The poor guy was completely thrown by the looks of him.
“Let’s go then!” said Ruby.
Summer had to laugh as she watched the four of them get into Beau’s truck. Ruby was quite a character. Beau turned the truck around. He raised his hand and rolled his eyes at Summer before he pulled away.
Summer turned her attention back to Carter and Mason who were almost done completing the obstacle course. She had to wonder what either of them would have been like with Ruby. Beau had done pretty well, considering. She had to wonder, too, why Carter’s mood seemed to have changed so rapidly. She didn’t think that she’d just imagined the change in him. She thought she knew, but she didn’t want to assume. When she’d told Ruby that she didn’t exactly live here, it had hit her in the gut as it reminded her that she was supposed to leave in a few months—and that would mean leaving Carter. That was when his smile had disappeared. Was he really as sad as she was at the thought of her going back to Nashville? She didn’t want to assume, but she didn’t feel that she should ask him either.
His smile was back as he completed the course and rode over to her. “They left you in peace then, finally?” he asked.
“Yeah. They’re not so bad. I think Ruby is the one in charge.”
Carter grinned. “No doubt about it. Beau won’t take any crap from her, though.”
“I don’t know about that. I had to convince her that Beau was my friend before she’d even go with him.”
“I can’t imagine Beau being bossed around by a five year old!”
Summer laughed. “I don’t think he could either. I’m guessing none of you have any experience with little kids?”
Carter didn’t quite meet her gaze as he shook his head.
She had to wonder what that was all about, but she didn’t get chance to wonder too long.
“Carter! Mason!”
Summer looked up at the sound of a woman’s voice. It was Mrs. Remington calling her boys as she strode down from the big house.
Carter glanced over at his mom and then at Summer. “I don’t know what’s coming, but knowing her, it’ll be something. I’ll make our excuses and get us out of here as quick as I can, okay?”
Summer smiled. She was in no hurry to leave.
Mason had dismounted and led his horse over to join them at the fence as Monique arrived.
“Do you all have plans for dinner?” she asked. “I just got off the phone with Cassidy and she and Shane are coming.” She grinned at Mason. “I talked to Gina, too. She’s heading straight up to the big house when she gets done in the park.” Mason rolled his eyes at Carter as Monique turned to Summer. “I’d love it if you would join us?”
Carter shot her an apologetic look.
Summer smiled. “I’d love to.” She really would, but she wasn’t sure how Carter felt about it. She wanted to give him an out if he wanted it. “What about the cats, though?” she asked him. She knew he’d want to at least check on them.
He shrugged and looked uncomfortable. She didn’t know what that meant. Did he think she meant she didn’t want to stay? She tried again, wanting to make it easy for him to go with whichever he preferred. “If you like I could go see to them while you get done with the horses and then meet you back here?”
He smiled at that. “If you wouldn’t mind?”
She grinned. So maybe he did want her to have dinner with his family. “I don’t mind at all.”
Monique raised an inquiring eyebrow at her.
“Yes, please. I’d love to come to dinner.”
Monique smiled. She was quite beautiful. “Wonderful. I hardly ever have all my boys home for dinner any more. And now I get all their ladies too!”
Mason cocked his head to one side. “Did you ask Beau?”
“Of course!” replied Monique. She sighed. “And Chance, too. So, please help me keep Beau in line if he starts. I don’t want any arguments at my dinner table.”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” said Carter. “He won’t go there.”
Mason nodded. “And we’ll sidetrack him if he tries.”
Summer had some idea what they were talking about, but it surprised her that they expected Beau to start arguments at a family dinner. He didn’t strike her to be that kind of guy at all.
Monique smiled at her. “Don’t worry; it’s nothing horrible. Just little boy squabbles coming out of grown men.”
Summer had to laugh at that.
“How about six thirty? Can you all be up at the house by then?”
Mason nodded. “Sure, we can get done here and finish off the others tomorrow.”
Summer checked her watch. It’d take her half an hour to drive up to Carter’s place, another half an hour back down, that would leave her with an hour to stop and get a shower. “Sounds good to me,” she said.
Monique smiled. “I’d better get to work then.”
Mason nodded. “Come on, bro. We can put a couple more through the course before dinner.”
Carter looked at Summer. “You sure you’re okay to go up there?”
“I am, if you trust me with your keys and your truck?”
He smiled and dug his keys out of his pocket. He handed them over with a smile. He was so damned gorgeous! Summer wanted to take him with her and spend the rest of the night alone with him, at his house, in his bed! Instead she smiled back and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you back here in a little while.”
He nodded. “Call me when you’re leaving and I’ll wait out on the front porch for you.�
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Summer smiled as she made her way to his truck. He was so sweet.
She climbed into his truck and had to spend a few minutes adjusting the seat and the mirrors. It was a huge truck, she’d never driven anything quite this big before, but as she headed out of the Remington Ranch driveway and turned onto East River Road to head up toward town, she felt very much at home—in the truck and in the valley.
She allowed herself to daydream as she drove. What would life be like if she stayed here? Would it be just like this? Hanging out with Carter and his family, driving his truck around? Feeling happier and more free than she could remember? She sighed. She had a feeling that it would. She loved the idea. But was she brave enough to make the idea a reality? If she was, she needed to separate the desire to stay here from the desire to be with Carter. It wouldn’t be right, wouldn’t be fair to either of them to put so much pressure on. Would she want to stay here, would this life seem so appealing, if it wasn’t about him? She knew the answer, but she didn’t know what to do with it.
It took just over half an hour to reach his place. She pulled into the driveway and drove past the nursery. She was surprised to see a car in the driveway. She cut the ignition and peered through the windshield before she got out. She was surprised to see a woman get out of the car and come toward the truck with a big smile on her face. Of course, Summer realized, the smile wasn’t for her. Whoever this woman was, she’d be expecting Carter to get out of his truck—not her!
She opened the door and slid down, realizing quite how far down it was when her feet eventually touched the ground and a jarring pain shot up through her ankle.
“Carter! You haven’t been in the gym since…oh! Hello.”
Summer sucked in a deep breath as the pain shot up her leg. “Hi!” She managed to gasp at the woman who looked shocked.
“Summer Breese!”
Ugh! This was all she needed. She tried to fake a smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “That’s right. And you are?” Even as she said it, she could hear that she sounded less than friendly. She didn’t mean to, but damn if her ankle didn’t hurt!
The woman frowned. She was pretty, with shoulder length brown hair. She had a great figure. Summer was pretty sure that she must have earned it in the gym. An unpleasant thought struck her—maybe this was the woman who was interested in Carter? She must be.
“Sorry,” the woman smiled. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I was just surprised. I expected you to be Carter. I’m Melanie.”
Summer nodded. She was shocked by the surge of adrenaline flowing through her veins. In a matter of seconds, she’d convinced herself that this Melanie, was Carter’s friend from the gym—the reason he hadn’t wanted to take Summer to the gym with him. She was shocked at the pangs of jealousy that felt worse than the pain in her ankle. Just what was Melanie doing here? She had to wonder. She held her gaze, not knowing what to say. She was feeling all territorial, but knew she had no right to.
“I just stopped by on the off chance he was home.”
Summer started to feel a little guilty. Melanie looked embarrassed.
“He’s down at the ranch. He’s been helping Mason with the horses.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll get going then. I just… I just wanted a word with him.”
Summer smiled now. “Do you want me to ask him to call you?”
“Oh, no! No. It wasn’t anything important.” Melanie smiled back at her. “It’s okay.”
Summer felt as though those last two words meant a whole lot. She felt that Melanie was telling her she understood. Carter was with Summer and Melanie was backing off. “Well, it was nice to meet you.”
Melanie nodded and gave her a sad smile. “You too. Welcome to the valley. We’re not all bad, you know.”
“Thank you.” Summer didn’t know what else to say. She felt as though she’d met a rival and made a friend.
Melanie got back in her car. She gave Summer a little wave as she drove away.
Summer stood there staring after her for a few moments. She wasn’t really sure what had just happened. She shook her head and checked her watch. She was sure what did need to happen though. She needed to check on Hero and her kittens, and then she needed to get back down the valley.
Chapter Eleven
Carter dried himself down after his shower. He may not have lived here for years, but he still had his room, just like his brothers. It came in handy on occasions like this. He threw the towel on the bed, and went to the dresser. He still kept clothes here for the times when he stayed over. When he was dressed he ran downstairs and went to help in the kitchen. It was crowded in there. Cassidy was helping his mom. Mason was sitting at the table talking to their dad who was washing his hands in the big farmhouse sink.
“What can I do?” he asked his mom.
She came over to him and cupped his face between her hands. “You can go sit on the porch and wait for that sweet little lady of yours to come back.”
He smiled at her. “Don’t get carried away, Mom!”
His dad turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “Why not?”
Carter shrugged. “Because, well, just because. Okay?”
His dad gave him a long, hard look. “Come on, son. It’s hard not to get carried away. This is the first time you’ve brought a woman to dinner here since…” He stopped.
“It’s okay, Dad. You can say it. Since Trisha. And you’re right. It is a big deal. Unfortunately for me, though, it’s not that big of a deal. Summer’s awesome. I’m not going to try to fool anyone and pretend that I’m not bowled over, but it’s not going to last.”
“You don’t know that!” cried his mom.
Carter smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “I do, though. She’s only here for a couple of months. We’ve talked about it. We’re being realistic about it. We’re going to enjoy the time that we have, but we both know it’s all we’ll ever have. I’m okay with it.” He squeezed his mom’s shoulder gently. “I need for you to be okay with it, too.”
She looked as though she was about to argue with him again, but he shook his head. “I know you love me and you just want to see me happy. So do this for me? Don’t hold out for something that I know isn’t going to happen. Just let me enjoy it for what it is.” He smiled. “And help me pick up the pieces when she leaves?”
“Oh, Carter.” His mom wrapped him in a hug.
He gave Mason a rueful grin over her shoulder.
Cassidy surprised him. “Are you absolutely sure that she’s going back to Nashville?”
He straightened up and met her gaze. “What else would she do?”
Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wondered. You know, with her voice and everything?”
Carter wouldn’t allow his mind to venture near the possibility of Summer not leaving. He had to be realistic. “I think her voice is going to be just fine. She seems to be doing better every day; haven’t you noticed?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so.” Carter could tell she had more to say, but he was grateful that she didn’t push it.
“So, why don’t you go sit out front to wait for her?” asked his mom.
He looked around the kitchen; it didn’t look like there was much he could do to help.
Sitting on the big old swing on the porch, he stared out at the mountains. He really couldn’t allow himself to think about it. He had to keep his mind closed down to the fact that Summer would be here for just a short time and then she’d be gone. If he accepted that from the start, it should make it easier to deal with the end when it came. Shouldn’t it? He shook his head. He wasn’t fooling himself, but all he could do was keep on trying to.
He got to his feet when he saw his truck turn into the driveway. It was odd to see his own vehicle approaching the house when he was already here. He smiled at the sight of Summer sitting up high, she must have raised the seat as far as it would go—her nose was almost pressed against the windshield. She looked so damned cute. She was such a little lady. She should l
ook out of place in a big dirty truck, but it suited her. At least in Carter’s mind it did.
He ran down the front steps and opened the door for her when she brought the truck to a stop.
“Hi.”
“Hey, little lady.”
She grinned at that.
“How did you do?”
She nodded. “Momma and the babies are doing fine. I think you might have some permanent house guests there.”
Carter had to agree. He’d expected Hero to take her babies and leave just as soon as she could, but she seemed to be settling in and making herself right at home. He’d set out the litter box he’d bought when Buster had first showed up. Hero had been using it as though it was natural to her. He wouldn’t mind a bit if she and her kittens wanted to stay. He smiled. “Thanks for going to check on them.” He allowed his eyes to wander over her. She must have gone home on the way back to shower and change. She looked gorgeous in a pink shirt and faded blue jeans. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. He breathed in, inhaling the scent of her. He didn’t know what she smelled of, just that it was sweet and he wanted to keep breathing it. He closed his arms around her and she looped hers up around his neck. Her eyes were wide as she leaned into him.
“We don’t have to stay too long,” he murmured.
She reached up to kiss his lips, her eyes even wider. “Good.”
“Come on, guys!” called Shane from the front door.
Carter sighed and reluctantly let go of her. He loved his family, but right now he’d rather bundle Summer into his truck and take her home than go and have dinner with them. He took hold of her hand. She squeezed his as he led her into the house.
~ ~ ~
Summer looked around at all the faces sitting at the huge table. As much as she’d thought she wanted to skip dinner, she was thoroughly enjoying this. The Remingtons obviously cared about each other very much. Their dad, Dave, was a handsome man. It was easy to tell that the brothers had learned how to treat women from their dad’s example. He and Monique were openly loving with each other. Summer had to wonder what it must be like to have a love like that; a love that had endured over the years—that had flourished even, all while raising four boys and running a ranch in this beautiful, but harsh corner of the country. The boys all teased and joked with each other—well, all of them except Chance and Beau. Gina seemed to be one of the family and teased along with the rest of them. From what Summer understood, Gina had grown up with the boys and Shane had been her best friend their whole lives. Cassidy was fitting in as though she’d been here her whole life, too. Although that hardly surprised Summer. Cassidy was like that wherever she went.
