Once Touched

by Laura Moore

  Quinn was careful not to look at Ethan, but she could picture his guarded expression. He’d have shut down his emotions the way he always did when his art was mentioned—except for when the terror of his nightmares broke down the barriers.

  In true diplomatic fashion, her father saved Ethan from replying to her mother’s comment by saying, “Let’s sit down and get these presents opened.” He picked up the tray laden with coffee mugs and passed it around as her mother settled into her favorite chair by the window. They all followed suit, Tess and Ward sitting close enough on the sofa to hold hands, Reid and Mia choosing the two matching leather poufs by the crackling fire, and Quinn and Ethan taking two armchairs at the end of the sofa.

  The unwrapping began.

  She smiled as her mom and dad thanked her for the tickets she’d bought them to the San Francisco Opera. The performance was Bizet’s Carmen, one of her mom’s favorites.

  She chuckled at the T-shirt Reid gave her, which read, IF HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, I’M SO GETTING A DINOSAUR.

  Holding the shirt so everyone could see it, she asked, “How’d you guess my next move? I was thinking I’d like to have a microraptor so that Alfie could have a buddy. Thanks, Reid. I love it.”

  Mia and Quinn had bought Tess a navy blue garter belt that had a satin ribbon threaded through it, its color an exact match of her wedding gown. Embroidered on the ribbon were the initials T & W and the date of their wedding.

  “We realized you needed something blue to wear on your wedding day,” Mia said.

  “You guys, thank you so much. No, Ward, you cannot see this. On our wedding night, yes,” Tess said, holding the small box off to the side so he couldn’t steal a peek.

  After she’d closed the lid and set the box on the coffee table, Ward leaned over and whispered something in Tess’s ear that had her laughing and blushing furiously and then leaning in for a kiss.

  When her brother’s hand slipped beneath the dark curtain of Tess’s hair, Quinn cleared her throat. Loudly. “Save it for the plane trip, Ward,” she said. “We still have loads of presents to unwrap.” Her present for Ethan was lying directly under a big hand-painted ball ornament that she’d made in fourth grade. It had Santa on one side and Frosty on the other. She went to reach for the present, but Ethan moved first. He dropped to his knees and chose a small, flat box tied with baling twine. He’d even tied a little bow. And there was an envelope attached to it.

  He handed the box to her. “Not that I have anything against dinosaurs, but here’s something else to consider. Merry Christmas, Quinn.” His voice was easy, his tone the one he used when speaking to Tess or Mia. Quinn doubted it fooled anyone gathered in her parents’ spacious living room.

  She stared at the package, her heart hammering against her ribs as if the box she held were square and velvet and its interior satin lined to protect a gem-studded ring.

  How much more could he give her today when he’d already whispered his love? How much more could her heart take when it alternately felt close to bursting and ready to break?

  She opened the box. Coiled in a nest of tissue paper lay a braided bracelet, its strands black, white, and flame-red chestnut. A sterling silver clasp connected the ends. She looked up.

  “It’s from Domino and Tucker’s manes?”

  “Yeah.” Ethan nodded. “I had it made by the lady who owns the jewelry store on West Street.”

  “Maeve Gowan? She makes wonderful pieces,” her mother said when Quinn lifted the bracelet for her family to see.

  “Good gift, Ethan,” Reid said. “Exactly the sort of thing Quinn will wear.”

  “Maeve said she could expand the bracelet, adding new manes whenever you want, which brings me to your next gift. It’s in the envelope,” he said to her.

  “Now you’ve got me curious. I love the bracelet. Thank you.”

  She tore open the envelope. Inside was a gift certificate from the equine rescue center where she’d adopted Glory and Tucker.

  “Ward gave me the center’s name. I thought that now that Tucker’s doing better, you might be ready to adopt another horse.”

  Her heart squeezed tight. Her “Thank you, Ethan,” came out in a choked whisper as she blinked away a fresh round of tears.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied huskily.

  She continued to stare at the certificate through a film of tears, managing to pull herself together—and even snort with laughter—only when Ward drawled, “Hey, Quinn, think we can move on? Tess and I have a plane to catch this evening.”

  She straightened and met her brother’s grin, saw it matched everyone else’s, and sniffed audibly. “They’re good presents, okay?”

  “They are indeed. Well done, Ethan. So who’s next?” her dad asked.

  “I have something for Ethan,” she said quickly before anyone else could offer up a gift. She went to the present lying below Santa’s grinning face and brought it to him.

  “Here you go. Merry Christmas.” As she spoke, she felt a blush crawl over her cheeks.

  Seeing her color, Ethan crooked his lips in a half grin. She knew that had they been alone, he’d have grabbed her around the waist and hauled her close for a very thorough kiss.

  “What’d she get you?” Reid asked.

  “Still working on untying the bow for Adele’s collection…”

  Her mother reused bows and wrapping whenever possible.

  “There,” Ethan said. “I’ve got it.” He removed the lid. He lifted the silver belt buckle and cradled it in his hands.

  She watched his thumbs move over the chased design. He looked up. “It’s beautiful, Quinn.” His eyes said much more.

  She swallowed. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Let’s see it, Ethan,” her mother said.

  He stood and brought it over to her.

  “It’s lovely. The tooled leather belt is, too. Quinn must have guessed what Daniel and I intended to give you. Daniel,” she said, angling her head, “do you want to do the honors?”

  Quinn’s father stood and picked up an oblong box nestled by the base of the tree. He handed it to Ethan. “Merry Christmas, son.”

  “Thank you, Daniel and Adele,” Ethan said, and proceeded to open it. Slowly he lifted a steel-gray barn coat with a black corduroy collar.

  Quinn recognized it immediately. It was the jacket given to all the ranch hands, and yes, embroidered beneath the stitched Silver Creek Ranch logo was Ethan’s name.

  “We hope you’ll join the ranch crew, Ethan,” her dad said.

  “Come calving and lambing season, we’re always in need of good, steady men,” Ward said, rising from the sofa to shake his hand.

  “And the salary comes with good benefits. Even a 401(k). Of course the downside is, now Quinn will really be able to boss you around,” Reid joked.

  Ethan arched a brow. “Worse things in life.”

  “True. Then again, you’re not a man who scares easily.” Reid looked over at their father. “Dad, you should give him a signing bonus.”

  “I’m way ahead of you, Reid. It’s in the contract I’ve drawn up for you, Ethan, though it’s not your typical bonus. We’ll go fifty-fifty with you on the cost of a stock horse. Reid has a lot of contacts in the area.”

  “We’ll find a beaut for you, Ethan,” said Reid.

  “And in the meantime, I’d be grateful if you rode Rio for these next few days and then while Tess and I are away on our honeymoon. I don’t want him getting fat and lazy.”

  Listening to the men launch into a discussion of some of the horses currently on the market and whether Ethan might also want to look at some of the ones at equine rescue centers, Quinn wondered what they would say if they knew of her plans, plans being set in motion even as they spoke. Their enthusiastic embrace of Ethan into the fold made what Quinn aimed to do even harder, and yet she drank in this moment, so happy to see Ethan accepted by those she loved most in the world.

  —

  When Ward and Tess left to finish packing, Reid and
Mia gathered up their presents as well so that they could spring Bruno and call Mia’s uncle before the hour got too late in France. Her father announced a desire to get some fresh air in his lungs before spending several hours behind the wheel when he and Adele drove Ward and Tess to the airport.

  “I’m going to stay and set the house to rights,” Quinn’s mom said.

  “I’ll help you, Mom.”

  “Thank you, darling.” Her mother smiled and then turned to Ethan. “Go ride Forester for me so I won’t feel guilty about not giving him a Christmas Day run. And don’t let Kane beat you if Daniel challenges you to a race.”

  Her dad picked up the tray of coffee mugs and her mom followed him into the kitchen, leaving Ethan and her alone.

  Ethan moved closer. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Everything good?”

  “Yeah. I just want to spend some time with my mom and then take care of the animals.”

  “And you’re okay about your parents giving me a job? You were kind of quiet.”

  Of course he’d noticed. The habits of years devoted to looking through a camera lens and bringing his subject into sharp focus stayed with a body.

  For a second she stalled, unwilling to answer him when 95 percent of her wanted nothing more than a future with him here at Silver Creek. But it was the 5 percent that she needed to heed.

  “I guess I was wondering whether you really want to work as a ranch hand. Will it be enough? Will it satisfy you?” she asked, turning the tables on him.

  “Why not?” He shrugged. “There are worse ways to spend one’s days. Besides, Silver Creek is where you are.” He cupped his hand about the nape of her neck and kissed her. “You’re good for me, Quinn.”

  She wasn’t the only one being squirrelly and avoiding a direct answer. And he wasn’t playing fair, damn it. He must know how she longed to hear him say that.

  “What if I’m not enough?”

  The lines in his face tightened. “Don’t sell yourself short, Quinn.”

  That wasn’t the issue—and he knew it. He was turning his back on something that needed finishing—his photo documentary. Quinn was a Knowles through and through. She’d been taught to never leave a job unfinished. She was about to press him again when her father returned.

  “You ready to ride, Ethan?”

  He gave a short nod. “Yes, sir.” To Quinn, he said, “We’ll talk later.”

  “Yes, and you won’t listen,” Quinn whispered sadly to the empty room.

  —

  Her mother had on her yellow rubber gloves and a sink full of sudsy water to scrub the pans. “You can put the dishes in the dishwasher,” she said when Quinn carried in a tray laden with plates, glasses, and cutlery.

  “Will do.”

  She was placing the glasses in the upper rack when her mother said, “It’s so nice to see things are going well with you and Ethan, darling. Dad and I couldn’t be happier for you.”

  “Yeah?” She straightened. “I had the distinct impression that you were eager to have me get up close and friendly with Josh.”

  “Friendly with Josh? Of course. ‘Up close,’ as you put it? Heavens, no. He’s adorable, for sure, but I don’t think you two would work in the long run. Unless he gets Campbell or Patricia Watt to cast him in a role, I doubt he’ll remain in California too long. Unlike you, Maebeth’ll fit right in down in Texas. I also have the distinct feeling that if you and Josh were a couple, he’d very quickly be trying to talk you into eating a porterhouse.”

  “Oh my God, you’re right. He probably would.” She and her mother exchanged a grin.

  “And did you know he was born on August third? Mia and I were discussing how it would be nice if Maebeth could find someone—she really hasn’t had much luck with the local men—and Mia mentioned that an astrologer predicted that Maebeth’s soul mate would be a Leo. Well, I knew Josh’s birthday from his job application. I decided it might be helpful if I dropped that tidbit of information one day when I was picking up the mail and Maebeth was on break.”

  “How’d you manage to simply slip that into a conversation?”

  “Honestly? I can’t remember. But I think I could have gone into the luncheonette with a T-shirt announcing his birthday and she wouldn’t have questioned my motives. Her face simply lit up. It’s nice that things are working out between them. Maebeth deserves a big ol’ Texan to love, don’t you agree?”

  “I do. I really do. Excellent work, Mom. I stand in awe. And here I thought I was doing good work when I told Maebeth about the recipe for mac and cheese.” Quinn shook her head. “Clearly I’m a rank amateur compared to you.”

  “Give it time, but thank you for the compliment, darling.”

  So her mom hadn’t been trying to set her up with Josh, Quinn thought as she began to load the plates and cutlery in the dishwasher. All that fretting on her part had been unnecessary. But what about Ethan? Had her mom been doing some behind-the-scenes maneuvering with him and Quinn? “Hey, Mom, remember that meeting when Dad announced that Ethan was coming to stay? Why were you so reluctant about having him here?”

  Immersed in the sudsy water, her mother’s hands slowed. “Was I?” she said with an annoying vagueness.

  “Yeah, you were. I remember thinking it was weird since Cheryl and Tony Saunders are such good friends.”

  “Oh, well, I might have been worried.”

  Quinn didn’t buy her bright smile. “About what? His injuries?”

  “Obviously.”

  “Mom.”

  She sighed. “Very well. I was concerned about you.”

  “Me?”

  “Quinn, you’re a rescuer by nature. You always have been, ever since the day you found that baby bunny and brought it home. From Tony and Cheryl’s descriptions of Ethan’s injuries—not just his physical ones but also his emotional state—I worried that he might be too broken to heal. But he seems to be doing better, much better. That’s thanks to you. You’ve helped him.”

  “Maybe I have, but it’s not enough. He’s not really healed, Mom,” she said quietly so that her voice wouldn’t break.

  “Oh, Quinn.” Her mother wrapped her yellow-gloved arms about her and hugged her close.

  ETHAN WASN’T SURPRISED to learn that Quinn was the sort of person who preferred to celebrate New Year’s Day by watching the sun rise on January 1 rather than staying up late drinking champagne on New Year’s Eve and waking up to a sore head. In light of all that needed to be organized before they left for New York, with every one of them putting in extra hours to ensure the guest ranch would run smoothly in the Knowleses’ absence, he was surprised Quinn made it to ten o’clock. The early bedtime had been fine with him. Lying with Quinn in his arms was a hell of a nice way to greet the New Year.

  And watching the sun illuminate her face easily beat the wildest, craziest of parties.

  He only wished she would relax. The faint lines of tension didn’t detract from her beauty; the photographer in him recognized the allure of mystery. They worried him, however.

  The only time he didn’t sense her brain whirring as if it were fueled by a gallon of her strongest espresso was when they made love. Then he was able to see her eyes go wide with passion rather than narrow in preoccupation.

  Even Lorelei remarked upon Quinn’s unusual state when she dropped by on New Year’s Day for extra-strong coffee, brewed by Quinn, and a tomato, spinach, and mozzarella frittata, which was Lorelei’s contribution.

  No sooner had they sat down at the kitchen table that did double duty as Quinn’s dining room than Quinn launched into a recital of the special treats Lorelei could give Alfie and Pirate should they act stressed. The list was substantial.

  “And there are Kongs filled with peanut butter in the freezer for Sooner and Bowie. Bully sticks are in the cabinet to the left of the dog food,” she added.

  “Listen, Quinn, Francesco and I are going to take good care of these guys. And remember, you’ll only be gone for five days. The world won’t
end.”

  Quinn gave her a funny look. “No, I guess it won’t.” She dredged up something that resembled a smile. “I suppose I’m freaking out.”

  “Yeah, kind of.”

  Ethan wisely remained silent.

  “New York is so far from California,” Quinn said.

  “Nothing’s going to happen.” When Quinn looked far from convinced, Lorelei patiently persisted. “All your animals are healthy. Tucker’s back in the pasture and giving free tetherball lessons to anyone who wanders over. If, God forbid, something should go wrong with any creature, furred or feathered, I have both Cat Lundquist and Gary Cooney on speed dial. Mel does, too. Okay?”

  Quinn had asked Mel to care for Tucker and the nanny goats in her absence.

  “Okay. Thanks, Lorelei. It just seems like so much could go wrong, you know?”

  “Nope. I don’t. This ranch has amazing people working here, wranglers who care about the stock as much as your family does. As for the wedding, I’m sure it’s going to be beautiful and fun.”

  “Why can’t people just elope?”

  “And here I thought I could count on you as a bridesmaid.”

  “Oh Lorelei, of course! I’d be honored. Did Francesco propose?”

  “Last night. At the stroke of midnight.” Beaming, Lorelei held up her hand. The diamond on her ring finger caught the light and winked at them. “I’ve been waving this around waiting for you to notice.”

  “Sorry. Super, super distracted. It’s beautiful.”

  For a few minutes the two friends bent their heads over Lorelei’s ring while Ethan took another slice of frittata and wondered what kind of engagement ring would put a dazzling smile of happiness on Quinn’s face. A sapphire to match her eyes? A ruby to symbolize her heart? A diamond as magnificent and bright as her spirit? It wasn’t too early to plan, though now wasn’t the time to propose. Better to wait until she was less crazed by everything going on.

  He’d give her time and show her that he was fine working as a ranch hand, dispelling the doubt he’d read in her expression and silencing the nagging voice in his head.