Nearest Thing to Heaven (Maverick Junction)

by Austin, Lynnette

  “So now that we’ve devoured a day’s worth of calories,” Sophie said, “why’d you come by?”

  “Other than to feed you?”

  “Other than that.” She smiled.

  “Do I need a reason?”

  She tipped her head and studied him. “Strangely enough, I’m going to say yes. You don’t strike me as a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

  “Neither,” she said. “Simply an observation.”

  “Okay. As much as it pains me to admit it, you’re right. Here’s the deal. It occurs to me you never did let me pay for the outfit Jonah ruined at Cash’s Fourth of July barbecue. Thought maybe I could at least treat you to lunch.”

  She eyed the now empty container.

  He laughed. “No. As good as the pie was, it’s not a meal.”

  “It should be.” She rubbed her stomach, drawing his eyes to her midsection, her narrow waist, the way the Cubs T-shirt stopped just short of the top of her jeans.

  His pulse rate doubled. The woman was downright dangerous to his health.

  “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you and me to—you know.”

  He swallowed and went with instinct. “We wouldn’t be alone. Sometimes I spring the kids. Give them a day away from day care. Thought I’d do that tomorrow. We’ve been talking about throwing together a picnic.”

  Shrugging, he said, “But it’s okay. I should have realized a day with three little boys wouldn’t be your idea of a good time. Forget I even mentioned it.”

  “No. Wait.” She laid a hand on his arm.

  His eyes lifted to hers, searching them. Did she feel that kick in the ass when they touched, or was it just him?

  “I’d love to join you and the boys.” She paused. “Why don’t I meet you out at your place? That’ll be easier than you coming into town to pick me up.”

  “Sounds good. Elevenish?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  He gave her quick directions. “And Tink?”

  “Yes?”

  “You might want to lose that T-shirt right along with the sweatshirt. You’ve got piss-poor taste in baseball teams.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You do understand I bought my apartment in Chicago’s Lakeview district based solely on the fact it’s only a couple of blocks from Wrigley Field?”

  Slowly he shook his head. “It just gets worse.”

  She punched him in the arm. “You’ve got a lot of room to talk. You live surrounded by horses and cows.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He smiled. “I do. But remember, I did warn you. The shirt’s got to go.”

  He tipped his hat and left, taking the stairs at a fast clip. Tomorrow Sophie’d spend the day with him. Backing out of the drive, he made a mental list of the things he’d need from Sadler’s Store.

  He was as nervous—and as horny—as a sixteen-year-old. The horny would have to go on the back burner for now. With the triplets around, well, not a chance in Hell he’d get lucky.

  Instantly his conscience pricked him.

  His gaze drifted to his left hand, the fingers draped over the steering wheel. No wedding ring. In a fit of anger, he’d taken it off over a year ago. Julia should still be here with him. Would be if—

  Nope. He drew a deep breath. Best leave those thoughts for the middle of the night when sleep refused to come. No place for them today.

  He signaled and pulled into Sadler’s parking lot. Turning off the van, he unbuckled his seat belt, then leaned back.

  His stomach hurt. Things were changing. Lately, it wasn’t Julia on his mind when he couldn’t sleep. It was Sophie. Damn it. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

  It should have been over and done with. He’d been sure she’d have gone back to Chicago by now. When he’d turned into Dottie’s drive and seen the Chevy that everybody and his brother on Cash’s ranch used, a rush of emotions had flooded him.

  If he was honest with himself, though, the foremost had been sheer happiness. Happiness he’d see her again. That he could share his dessert. That he could talk to her again, see her smile, hear her laugh.

  What the hell was he supposed to do?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sophie could not believe she’d accepted Ty’s invitation. A picnic with the Triple Threat? Oh, boy. Was there a psychiatrist in Maverick Junction? If so, she needed an appointment. ASAP.

  She checked herself in the mirror, unsure of her outfit. What did you wear for a picnic in Texas? On a ranch. With not one, but three little kids. And Ty. The man made her think the most delicious thoughts. That deep voice of his settled low in her stomach and caused feelings she didn’t know what to do with.

  She laid a hand on her midsection as nerves fluttered like no tomorrow.

  She’d been so tempted to wear her Cubs shirt. But she hadn’t. Instead, she’d chosen a red plaid that on first blush looked like flannel. It wasn’t. The blouse itself was lined, but not the sleeves. So while it was G-rated, the sheer, see-through sleeves gave it just a hint of sex appeal. Her jeans fit well thanks to all those lunges she suffered through.

  The temperature today reminded her that, even here in Texas, it was December. Not at all the extremes she’d expect in Chicago, but it had definitely cooled.

  With a grin, she pulled her Cubs sweatshirt out of the closet. She’d take it along—just in case.

  Hurrying down the stairs, she called to Dottie through the open kitchen window. “Are the cookies done?”

  “They sure are.” She swung open the door. “Want a cup of tea?”

  “Not this morning, thanks. I’m running late.”

  “Well, then, here you go.” Dottie picked up a foil-wrapped package from the counter. “Some chocolate-chip, some M&M’s-filled ones, and a few of my date cookies.”

  “Mmmm, sounds great.” Sophie gave her a hug. “Thank you so much. You’re an angel.”

  “No problem.” She winked. “Good luck today.”

  “It’s only a picnic.”

  “Tell yourself that if it helps.”

  “But it is.”

  “Uh-huh. Whatever. Go now.” She made a shushing motion. “Have a good time.”

  Sophie slid into the car and laid the directions to the Burnt Fork Ranch on the seat beside her. “Please, God, don’t let me get lost in the middle of nowhere with the cows.”

  Somebody who’d driven the car recently had left a Kellie Pickler CD in the player, and Sophie turned it up as she drove, heater on low, windows down, and the breeze blowing her hair.

  What a glorious day.

  And she was going on a picnic. She racked her brain trying to think when she’d last done that…and couldn’t remember. Unless you counted Cash’s barbecue—and she didn’t. That was definitely not a picnic. That was an extravaganza, Texas style.

  Up ahead, a road turned off to the left. She glanced at her directions and prayed again this was the road that would take her to Ty’s. She’d filled up before she left town, in case she made a few mistakes on the way.

  Half a mile later, she slowed, then simply stopped. Wow. This was Ty’s home? So not what she’d expected. And so utterly perfect.

  Nothing like the white farmhouse on Cash’s ranch or the log home he’d built by the lake. Both of those fit their owner. Fit their purpose.

  Ty’s home did, too. The barn-red, wood-sided house had two dormers on the second story. Trimmed in white, the windows gleamed in the day’s sunlight. A split rail fence guarded the front, ran around the side. A tall pine speared into the air on the left side, and small evergreens snuggled against the stone foundation.

  On the other side of the drive, a couple horses grazed beyond yet another split rail fence and a small stream ran through the pasture. Several trees provided shade.

  A Norman Rockwell scene.

  Oh, Ty. You’ve created a little slice of Heaven here. This wasn’t a house. This truly was a home. For him and his boys.

 
She took her foot off the brake and started down the lane again. The instant she pulled up to the house, the front door flew open and three boys boiled out. Behind them, Ty appeared and leaned on the door frame. His hair was mussed, and he looked casual and relaxed.

  He looked so incredibly good.

  A golden-haired puppy shot out the door around him. He made a grab for it and missed.

  She slid from the car and braced herself for the onslaught. The pup reached her first, pawing at her leg, jumping up in a thwarted attempt to lick her face. Since he was so short, he only managed to hit her waist-high. She held the cookies in the air.

  The boys arrived at her side en masse. They all started talking at once. She laughed at the unbridled enthusiasm, then caught her breath as Ty came to her and gave her a quick hug.

  “Welcome to Burnt Fork, Sophie.”

  “Thanks for inviting me. And your home, Ty. I love it.”

  He grabbed the pup’s collar and held him at bay.

  “You gonna go with us?” one of the boys asked.

  “What’s in there?” Another pointed to the package of cookies she held.

  “That’s a surprise. For later,” she said.

  “I like ’prises,” the third one said, bobbing up and down.

  “Have any trouble finding the place?” Ty released the puppy and took her hand as they moved toward the house.

  Her breath hitched at the simple gesture. At the jolt the easy touch generated. She’d been right to be wary. She felt too much with Ty, and she knew he didn’t feel it back. Couldn’t reciprocate.

  Because he still loved his dead wife.

  “That’s Trouble.” He pointed at the back of the dog as he raced away.

  Oh, you’re so right, she thought. Out loud, she said, “Well, he’s beautiful, isn’t he?” When Trouble shot back to them, Ty let go of her hand, and she leaned down to rub the pup’s head.

  “He’s perfect for us.” One of the boys hopped rather than walked his way to the house. “That’s what Auntie Babs said.”

  Sophie glanced up and grinned at Ty. “I’ll bet she did.”

  Ty shook his head. “Babs has no compunction when it comes to using whatever tricks she’s got up her sleeve. Trouble was the last of the litter.”

  “And she needed a home for him.”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh, she’s good.”

  “Wanna see our horsies?”

  “No, I wanna show her the calf.”

  “Huh-uh. She needs to see the barn kitties.”

  “Boys.” Ty held up a hand. “Cool your jets. Sophie just got here. Let’s give her a minute, okay? Otherwise, she’s gonna get right back in her car and run away.”

  “You’re gonna run away from us?” Josh, devastation written all over his little face, stared at her through tear-glistened eyes.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Ty muttered.

  Stricken, Sophie knelt, putting herself at eye-level with the little boy. “No. I’m not going to run away.” She sent Ty a look of reprimand.

  “He cries at everything,” Ty said in his own defense.

  “He does.” Jesse nodded.

  “I don’t,” Jonah said. “’Cause I’m a big boy.”

  “No bigger than me.” Josh sniffed. “We’re all the same, aren’t we, Daddy?”

  “Yes, you’re all four years old.”

  “But I was born firsted,” Jonah argued. “Grandma told me.”

  “That’s true,” Ty said. “You were.”

  “So I’m the oldest.”

  Ty winced and muttered something about mothers and big mouths.

  “I’m the oldest,” Jonah insisted, his volume escalating.

  “Technically, yes, you are.”

  Josh started sobbing. “Nuh-uh.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Without thinking, Sophie pulled the little boy to her and hugged him. “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered in his ear. “You look like a big boy to me.”

  “I am.” His chin trembled.

  “You want to know what I have in my package?”

  He nodded.

  “Can you keep a secret?”

  He nodded again.

  She leaned close. “Some of Dottie’s cookies for our picnic.”

  He let out a scream of joy. “Sophie’s got cookies!”

  Ty threw back his head and laughed. “So much for secrets.”

  Then his gaze ran over Sophie, and the amusement in his eyes made her weak-kneed. She realized she had one secret she needed to guard closely. This man, this strong cowboy with the wounded heart, was beginning to matter to her.

  And that was a huge problem.

  She couldn’t afford to leave her own heart behind in Maverick Junction when she returned to Chicago.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Come on, guys. What do you say we head back inside and put the rest of our lunch together?”

  With a mad rush, boys and pup did exactly that. It was like a mini-stampede. Sophie stepped aside and watched them go.

  “Sorry about that,” Ty said. “We can be a little overwhelming at times.”

  “Don’t apologize. My guess is that life here on the ranch is far from boring.”

  “You got that right.” A hand on her back, he guided her through the front door. “So here we are. Home, sweet home.”

  She didn’t know what she’d expected, but after the charming exterior, the inside both surprised and disappointed her. Utilitarian and practical. No fuss. No frills.

  The living room walls were off-white. The blinds were white with no drapes to soften the look. A navy blue sectional, a couple metal bookshelves, and a TV mounted on the wall comprised the entirety of the furniture. Recessed overhead lights and a floor lamp in one corner, its shade lopsided, provided the only lighting. A few toys lay scattered across the dark hardwood floor.

  No piano. After Maggie had told her what an incredible pianist Julia was, she’d expected to find one in the room.

  There was, though, an incredible stone fireplace.

  “You can either come on back to the kitchen while I finish up or plop yourself down on the couch and wait.”

  “I’ll help.”

  The kitchen was, without a doubt, the hub of this house, but, even at that, it looked pretty much the same as the front room. Off-white and, again, no curtains. What she could see of the granite countertops was gorgeous, but they were littered with a toaster, go containers, and cereal boxes. A heap of action figures tangled together, piled high in one corner. A bag of puppy food leaned against the wall. Everything was very clean—and very cluttered.

  Off to the left, she saw the mudroom. Cowboy boots and rubber boots lined up haphazardly on a floor-to-ceiling set of shelves. Ty’s and the boys’. Big ones and little ones. A couple wicker baskets filled the middle shelf. Hats, baseball mitts, and footballs tumbled out of them.

  Turning back to the kitchen and the task at hand, she noticed a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and one of grape jelly on the kitchen table.

  “Making sandwiches for the picnic?” Sophie asked.

  He nodded.

  “Why don’t I tackle this while you finish whatever else you need to do?”

  “Sounds good.”

  The two of them worked companionably side-by-side.

  Sophie squinted at the cock-eyed wall clock.

  Ty turned to see what she was looking at. “Whoops. Meant to hang that a little higher.”

  “That’ll help?”

  “Yep. It won’t get whacked by swords during nightly duels to the death.”

  She smacked her forehead. “Of course. I should have known.”

  “So, the house. I’d ask what you thought of it, but your expression when you walked in pretty much said it all. FYI? You should never play poker.”

  She started to deny it but shrugged instead. “The outside is, well, fantastic. I actually stopped the car partway down the lane just to sit and look at it.”

  “But—”

  �
�The inside?” She scrunched up her face. “Not quite what I expected.”

  “Not much, is it?” He didn’t seem in the least offended.

  “It’s not that, really. It’s very…serviceable.” She shrugged. “No muss, no fuss, no nonsense.”

  “In other words, ugly as sin.” He chuckled. “It’s okay. Babs is after me all the time to do something with the place. It works for us, though. There’s nothing the kids can really mess up.”

  “I suppose. The décor is, well, very masculine.”

  He spread his hands. “Guilty as charged. We’re four guys living alone. That’s about as masculine as you get.”

  “But your wife must have—”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Julia never lived here. In fact, I didn’t build this house till a couple years ago. The boys were a little over two when we moved in.”

  There’d never been a woman’s touch. That explained a lot.

  As she bagged the sandwiches, the boys thundered down the stairs and scrambled into the kitchen, Trouble at their heels. She watched as they surrounded their dad where he stood at the kitchen sink, all six-four of him with three little boys climbing on his legs. He dwarfed them, yet there wasn’t a trace of hesitation on their faces. Love. Nothing but love.

  For the first time, the full magnitude of what he dealt with on a daily basis hit her. He held the total responsibility for these little lives in his hands, and that was one gigantic job.

  Picking up a wicker basket he’d already partially filled, he opened it and scooped the PB and J sandwiches she’d bagged inside. “Ready, guys?”

  Three heads bobbed.

  “Anybody need to hit the head before we take off?”

  “No,” they all said.

  “Okay then.” He led them outside. “I thought we might take a ride, Tink. The boys and I found a great picnic spot.”

  “Close?”

  “Not too far. A mile, maybe.”

  “Sounds great.” She headed toward his pickup.

  He stopped, watching her. “Where are you going?”

  “You said we were driving there.”

  “I said ride.”

  Slowly she turned toward the stables. “On horseback?”