“Taryn makes the best stew you’ve ever tasted,” her mom boasted. “And her rolls are positively to die for.”
“Wait till you see the table decorations.” Desperate to shift the spotlight to someone else, Taryn continued, “Mom really outdid herself.”
Her mother half-heartedly waved off the compliment. “Oh, I just threw a few odds and ends together, that’s all.” Her gaze flitted to the dining room on the other side of the foyer. “But it did turn out quite nice.”
“Sounds like the Purcell women are a talented lot.” Cash’s gaze settled on Taryn, sending another wave of heat surging up her neck.
Unfortunately, she had not inherited her mother’s flair for decorating. She could probably manage a decent grouping of candles, but her mom knew how to make things look perfect.
“You simply find a way to cover up the flaws,” she always said.
Nuzzling a squirming Scout, Taryn thought about all the flaws in her life. The ones she’d worked so hard to cover up since returning to Ouray. Perhaps she was more like her mother than she thought. She had more scrapes and scars than the old hutch that was the focal point of Mom’s new kitchen.
She set the wiggling pup on the floor, wishing she, too, could escape.
“Phil, why don’t you take their coats while I get our guests something to drink.” Her mother’s attention shifted between Cash and his grandfather. “How about some hot spiced cider?”
“Cider sounds great, Mrs. Purcell.”
“There’s no need to be so formal, Cash. Call me Bonnie.”
“A hot drink would be just dandy.” Mr. Jenkins handed his jacket to her dad.
Six-year-old Cassidy caught her grandmother by the arm. “Nana, can you help me find the checkers so I can play with Mr. Jenkins?”
Her mom cupped Cassidy’s chin. “You bet, punkin’.”
Watching the tender exchange, Taryn couldn’t help wondering if her mom would have accepted—
She shook her head. No, her mother had made it perfectly clear.
No daughter of mine will have a child out of wedlock. If you ever do that to me, I’ll disown you.
Taryn understood, though. After all, her mother grew up as the illegitimate child of a scarlet woman. The last thing she wanted was to be the talk of the town.
“Taryn, honey—” her mother’s voice jerked her from her thoughts “—would you be a dear and get those refreshments while I help Cassidy?”
What? And hide from inquiring minds?
“Two ciders coming up.” The aroma of fresh-baked rolls made her stomach growl as she drew closer to the kitchen. She washed her hands then grabbed two mugs from the refurbished hutch, recalling how decrepit and unsightly the piece had been when her mother found it on somebody’s curb. Actually, it wasn’t even a hutch. More like someone’s old pie safe. But with some new glass and a couple coats of red paint...
Yep, Bonnie Purcell knew how to dress things up, no matter how battered and beyond help they seemed to the untrained eye.
But Taryn wasn’t a piece of furniture. She clutched the mugs to her chest and crossed the kitchen. If her mother ever learned the ugly truth of Taryn’s time in Texas, she’d be deemed unsalvageable. Which is why no one could ever know.
Lifting the lid on the pot of mulled cider, she savored the scent of cinnamon and cloves before ladling the steaming drink into the mugs.
“It smells great in here.” At the sound of Cash’s voice, she jumped, sending the metal ladle crashing to the floor. “Whoa. Hey. I’m sorry.” He knelt beside her to retrieve the utensil. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She set the lid back into place, determined to regain her wits before looking at him. Though the woodsy scent of his cologne wasn’t doing much to help.
“I’m all right.” Retrieving the dish towel from the counter beside the stove, she wiped a drip from the first cup before handing it to him. “And if anyone needs to say they’re sorry, it’s me.” She took the ladle from him and dared to meet his puzzled gaze.
“You? Why?”
“I wasn’t the friendliest person earlier today.” She glanced past him to make sure no one else was coming. In particular, her mother, who would, no doubt, misconstrue their being alone in the same room.
“Taryn, I’ve met plenty of unfriendly people in my time and you are not one of them. A little flustered maybe.”
Flustered? He thought she was flustered?
“That’s what I get for teasing you, I suppose.”
“Teasing?” She dropped the towel on the counter, rinsed the ladle in the sink.
“About you following me and Randy around.” He sipped his drink. “Mmm. This ought to warm me up. It’s freezing out there.”
Her brain quickly retraced their earlier conversation.
How stupid could she be?
She set the ladle beside the stove. Of course Cash was teasing her. Just like he used to do when she was a kid. Just like her brothers still do. She’d just been so tuned in to what she interpreted as smarmy to realize the difference.
And now that she did, she wasn’t sure which was worse. The smooth-talking Cash or the Cash that still thought of her as a child.
Chapter Three
When the kids announced that it was snowing, Cash wanted to push away from Bonnie’s dining room table and hurry outside to enjoy the sight. After all, in Dallas, snow rarely lasted more than a few minutes. Good thing he remembered he was a grown-up, though. Otherwise, his hosts might have thought him a little crazy.
Nonetheless, he was pleased to see the white flakes still falling in the darkness when he and Gramps bid the Purcells farewell.
“Phil and Bonnie have done an impressive job of restoring that old home.” Cash glanced back at the gray Victorian. “That has to be some of the finest, most intricate millwork I’ve ever seen.”
“They done good, all right.” Despite the short walk, Gramps tugged on his nubby stocking cap and gloves. “Bonnie loves that sort of stuff.” He nudged Cash with his elbow. “I see you quit picking the celery out of your stew.”
Cash couldn’t help laughing. “It took me a while, but I finally got used to it. Just don’t expect me to eat it raw.”
“So noted.” The old man patted his now-protruding belly. “Yes, sir, that was one mighty fine meal.”
“You’ll get no argument from me. I can’t tell you the last time I ate that well.” He rubbed his own stomach, suddenly regretting that third roll. “Or that much.”
Gramps chuckled.
“By the way, thanks for giving me a heads-up on Gage’s wife.” His grandfather had shared how she’d taken off last year, leaving Gage to raise their two daughters alone. “The last thing I would have wanted was to create an awkward situation.”
“Which is exactly why I told you.” The old man started toward the back of the house.
“If you don’t mind—” Cash paused in the side yard “—I think I’ll stay out here for a bit and enjoy the snow.” Not to mention check email without the fear of reprimand.
“Suit yourself. I’ll be inside where it’s warm.”
“I won’t be long.” Especially since his “warm” coat didn’t seem quite as warm here as it did in Dallas. At least the wind had died down.
He pulled out his phone and aimed the camera at a streetlight in a way that highlighted the falling snow. Satisfied with the shot, he forwarded it to his sister. That ought to make her jealous.
Leaning against the side of the house, he checked his email.
“Delayed shipment?” But Wiseman’s was their largest distributor in Oklahoma. How could we—
A high-pitched bark made him jerk his head up.
Taryn gasped and yanked on Scout’s leash. “Cash! You scared me half to death. What are you doing lurking in the
shadows like that?”
“Sorry.” He held up his phone. “Just trying to get a little work done.”
“Work, huh?” Her gaze narrowed. “Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” She tried to shorten Scout’s leash, but the pup squirmed toward him anyway, tail wagging frantically.
“Not exactly.” He pocketed the phone and stooped to pet the dog. “You know what they say, no rest for the weary.”
“They also say all work and no play makes Cash a dull boy.”
Ouch! He glanced up at the feisty woman. Yvette had turned down his proposal with those same words.
“Come on.” She tugged on the leash, started to walk away, then stopped and looked back at him. “Well, are you coming?”
“Me?” Standing, he fingered his chest.
“Yes, you. If you’re going to be out in this cold, you need to keep moving.”
Man, this girl didn’t pull any punches. And for some odd reason, he kind of liked it.
He fell in line beside her, surreptitiously watching her every move. Taryn wasn’t like any of the women he knew. They only seemed to care about clothes, shoes and how they looked. Taryn was gorgeous without even trying. And, from what he could tell, she cared about helping others.
As they walked, he burrowed his fists deeper into his poor excuse for a jacket, wishing he’d thought to grab his gloves. “I was hoping to see some snow. Think we’ll get much?”
A few flakes clung to Taryn’s purple beanie. Another item he’d failed to consider. “Nah. But don’t worry. Winter’s not over yet.”
He cut her a sideways glance. “Easy for you to say. I leave on Sunday.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “You might be in luck then. There’s more snow forecast for Saturday.”
Scout trotted ahead of them as they wandered onto Third Avenue.
“It’s so quiet here.”
“For the most part.” Her puffy white jacket made a swishing sound as she swung her arms. “So how are things in the cattle trailer business?”
“Booming. At least for us.”
“Those must be some special trailers.” She let out some length on Scout’s leash.
“Weight is our best selling point. We have the lightest empty weight in the business.”
“And your dad designs them?”
“Yep. The whole thing’s been his dream from the beginning.”
They stopped while Scout took care of some business.
Taryn stared at him. “And what about you? Is it your dream?”
To say he was taken aback by her question would be an understatement. No one had asked about his dreams in a long time. Not since they were put on ice. Now the best he could hope for was to make his father proud.
He shrugged. “Like I said, business is booming.”
She looked as though she could see right through him. But didn’t say a word.
They started walking again.
By the time they turned onto Fourth Street, Cash was eager to change the subject and get some answers of his own. “Gramps tells me you’re one of the best mountain guides in town.”
She laughed. “Your grandfather is a bit biased, but I can hold my own.”
They ducked under a limb that bowed over the sidewalk, while Scout tugged on her leash, nose to the ground.
“Climbing is in my blood. Though it wasn’t until I came back to Ouray that I realized how important it was to me.”
“Came back from where?”
“Texas.”
“Really? Whereabouts?”
“I spent some time at UNT.”
“University of North Texas. I know it well. Matter of fact, my brother-in-law went to school there. What was your major?”
“I wasn’t there long enough to think about a major.”
“So why’d you leave?” If she could apply the pressure, so could he.
“People change.” For a moment, her expression clouded. Then she cleared her throat. “Besides, I missed the mountains.”
“You ever thought about coming back to Texas? Maybe for a visit?”
Her exhaled breath clouded in the chilly night air. “Nope. Ouray is where I belong. It’s a part of me, like climbing. Tackling a mountain or a massive slab of ice changes my perspective. I look back and see the path I took. A path that wasn’t perfect. One that was steep and maybe a little slippery. But I made it.” She looked at him now. “That empowers me.”
He couldn’t help wondering if she was talking more about climbing or life. But the passion that sparkled in her eyes drew him like the stars to the night. Had he ever been that passionate about anything?
“You certainly sold me.”
In the glow of someone’s porch light, her cheeks, already pink from the cold, deepened in color. “Then perhaps you should give it a try.”
* * *
Taryn saw the excitement that brightened Cash’s green eyes. Then fade just as quick. And despite telling herself repeatedly she was going to keep her distance, curiosity only drew her closer.
The heels of Cash’s cowboy boots clipped along the sidewalk as they made their way down Fourth Street, their breath visible in the cool air.
“Did your grandfather ever take you climbing?”
Scout darted back and forth in front of them, searching for who knows what.
“Just hiking. I was always in awe of his connection to these mountains.” Cash’s gaze lifted. “He seemed to know everything about them. And never hesitated to share his passion. That man taught me geological, biological and theological lessons no one’s ever heard in a classroom.”
She laughed, having been on the receiving end of the old miner’s passion a time or two herself. “Ever thought about giving ice climbing a try?”
“No. And I’m not sure I could.” Resignation laced his tone.
“Why?”
“Bum knee. Tore a ligament my sophomore year of college.”
“ACL?”
“You guessed it.”
She grimaced. “What happened?”
“Me and some college buddies were goofing around on ATVs and I managed to flip mine.”
“Did you have surgery?”
“Yeah. But the knee still bothers me every now and then.”
“I see.” Though glancing at his even stride, she didn’t really. There were plenty of people with that same type of injury and they didn’t seem to have any problems climbing. Just to be sure, though, she’d check with her friend Blakely’s fiancé who also happened to be a doctor. “Do you work out?” As if she had to ask. She’d noticed the way his muscles strained the fabric of his shirt.
“I try to stay in shape.”
“How’s your core strength?”
“Not bad.” The corners of his mouth twitched and she felt foolish for asking. “Why?”
“Climbing involves a lot of core strength.”
He slowed. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, now you do.”
“Looks like it stopped snowing.” Cash scanned the night sky and she wondered if he was trying to change the subject.
Still, she hadn’t missed the disappointment in his voice. “For now.”
He shivered. No wonder with that lightweight jacket. They’d best keep moving.
She picked up speed. “So what do you do in Dallas?”
He kicked at a rock as they walked. “I thought we discussed that already.”
“I don’t mean work. What do you do for fun?”
He shrugged, his hands still buried in his pockets. “I don’t know. Hang out with friends. Watch football. I used to like taking my dog to the park, but since I don’t have a dog anymore, well...seems kind of pointless.”
She’d known he was a dog person from t
he moment he won Scout over. Brian had hated dogs. Not that it mattered.
“What kind of dog?”
“Siberian husky.”
“Oooh...they’re gorgeous.”
“They are. And Mickey was a beaut. He could play fetch for hours. So much so that I usually wore out before he did.”
She laughed. “So what happened to him?”
“Cancer. I had to have him put down last year.” His excitement gone, he cleared his throat as though it had clogged with emotion.
She couldn’t help it. She laid a hand on his arm, stopping him. “I’m sure that was very difficult.”
“It was for the best.” He hesitated to look at her.
“That doesn’t make it any easier.”
His gaze went to her hand first, then trailed to her face. Even in the dark, she saw a man who was struggling. He looked...like a caged animal. Trapped somewhere he didn’t want to be. Perhaps in a life he didn’t want. From what she could gather, everything about Cash revolved around work. That wasn’t living.
He started walking again, winding onto Fifth Avenue.
“Mickey would have loved Ouray.” His focus was on the darkened mountaintops, but the wistfulness in his voice only added to her sense that Cash Coble was one unhappy man.
“And how does Mickey’s owner feel about Ouray?”
“I used to dream of living here.”
“So what happened?” She shortened Scout’s leash to keep her close. “What kept you away for so long?”
“Obligations.”
“What kind of obligations?” She knew she was being pushy but pressed anyway.
“Work. Family.” He sounded winded. No doubt the altitude was getting to him, regardless of how fit he might be. After all, he started today at what, five hundred feet above sea level. Ouray sat at seventy-eight hundred.
“You have family here, too. Or does your grandfather fall in the obligation category?”
He jerked his head to look at her. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty?” His pained expression told her he did feel guilty.
Lord, I want to help him. Not make it worse.
Rescuing the Texan's Heart Page 3
