“It’s okay.” He smiled. “Go look.”
“All right.”
He followed her over to the counter. Yeah, he was nervous. She’d complimented his larger pieces hanging in the bar, but at the time he hadn’t known her well enough to tell the difference between courtesy and genuine appreciation.
His gut tightened as one of the customers moved aside to give her room. Her quick intake of breath was followed by a sigh of pleasure. She wasn’t capable of faking a reaction like that just to be polite. She liked his art. A lot. And that, he’d just discovered, mattered.
That hurdle behind him, Quinn was more than ready for a burger and a beer. As he left the store with Ryker and Kendra, Badger walked through the door of the GG.
After giving Kendra a hug and carrying on about the baby announcement, he turned to Quinn. “Hope you don’t mind me crashin’ the party, but after Cowboy said he was havin’ lunch with y’all, I invited myself.”
“Cowboy?”
“That’s the handle I got in the military,” Ryker said.
“And it stuck to him like Badger stuck to me.”
Quinn smiled. “Got it.”
“Anyway, I horned in on this gathering because I’m plum fascinated by your scratchboard art. I’d like to give it a try.”
“Do you draw?”
“Yes, sir, at least I used to. About the only class I enjoyed in college. Then I enlisted and let the drawin’ go by the wayside. The scratchboard concept appeals to me. I figured you could steer me in the right direction.”
“Glad to. I—”
“Hi, everybody!” Roxanne came through the door and fussed over Kendra before glancing at him. “Dad! You shaved off your mustache!”
“Sure did.” Damn, he should have mentioned it in his text earlier and asked her to soft-pedal her response.
Ryker frowned. “What mustache?”
“When he got to town yesterday afternoon he had one. I thought he looked really good, too. Wasn’t that your first ever, Dad?”
“Yes, but I—”
“I can’t believe you shaved it off already.” She glanced at Kendra. “You agreed it was dashing, right?”
“I did.”
Quinn didn’t have to look at Kendra to be positive she was blushing. Time to defuse the situation. “To tell the truth, honeybun, I’m so naturally handsome that the mustache was overkill, so I ditched it. Let’s go eat.”
Kendra’s little snort of laughter was music to his ears.
Chapter Twelve
Kendra was still smiling about Quinn’s comeback as she took a seat between Quinn and Ryker at one of the round tables that had recently been added to the mix. Badger claimed the seat on the other side of Quinn and Roxanne sat next to Ryker. The tables could accommodate six, so pushing two four-tops together wasn’t necessary anymore unless all the round tables were taken.
Subtle adjustments like that were one of Michael Murphy’s strengths. After they’d settled in, he came out from behind the bar and crossed the room to their table. “So, Quinn, what do you think of our…” He paused. “Didn’t you have a mustache last night?”
“That’s what I just heard, too,” Ryker said, “but now it’s AWOL. He said—”
“Hey.” Kendra held up both hands. “Enough on this topic, okay? He had one yesterday but he doesn’t have one today. End of story. Let’s drop the subject of mustaches.”
“Let’s not.” Trevor appeared behind Michael.
Badger grinned. “I had no idea this party would get so entertainin’. Have a seat, Trev.”
“Thanks, but I can’t stay. My lunch break isn’t long enough. I—”
“Trevor, I’m so glad you’re here.” Kendra pushed back her chair. “I’m having a little issue with the supports for the chicken coop. But I don’t want to bore everyone with it. Let’s go talk over by the bar so I can fill you in.”
“Uh, sure.” Trevor followed her to the bar. Once they were out of range of the table, he started in. “If that guy grew a mustache just so he could fit the—”
“He didn’t, so cool it, son. He doesn’t know anything about that. I told Ingrid the story a couple of months ago and she took it upon herself to suggest the mustache to Quinn. He grew one for the heck of it. Nothing to do with me. I promise.”
Trevor searched her expression. “So he’s on the up-and-up?”
“Very much so. He likes me, but he didn’t show up riding a Harley and wearing a mustache because he thought that I’d fall at his feet. He’s had the bike for fifteen years and the mustache was Ingrid’s idea.”
Trevor blew out a breath. “Okay, then.”
“Will you please tell your brothers that?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Thanks, Trevor.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
He gave her a quick hug. “Listen, I’d better go, but…do you like him?”
“I do.”
He smiled. “Then maybe I got it right.”
“Yeah, maybe you did.”
* * *
After lunch, Kendra made a quick stop at the Crafty Corner so Quinn could pick up a sketchpad. Ryker tagged along because she was his ride back to the ranch, but Badger came because he wanted pointers on what to buy as he launched into scratchboarding.
She would have loved a video of those three broad-shouldered cowboys huddled around the art supplies.
Ryker gazed at Badger in obvious fascination. “All this time and I didn’t know this about you, buddy.”
“I have hidden depths.”
“Apparently.”
“But if I hadn’t seen Quinn’s art, I might not have thought about divin’ in to see what’s down there. Could be a bunch of old tires and beer cans in those depths.”
Quinn laughed. “Or hidden treasure. You won’t know until you give it a try.”
“I’m gonna do that.” Badger gathered up the items Quinn had suggested and started toward the counter. “Reckon Hayley will be surprised.”
Kendra fell into step beside him. “I didn’t get a chance to ask during lunch. How’s her job going?”
“It’s goin’ well. She’s glad the weather’s warmin’ up, though. Makes the commute to Bozeman easier.” He got in the line that had formed at the register. Then he turned back to Quinn, who’d come up behind him. “I don’t reckon you’ve met Hayley.”
“I don’t think I have. Your girlfriend, I take it?”
“Yes, sir. She’s in eldercare, helpin’ folks connect with the services they need.”
“Nice.”
“It is. I look for her to start her own consultin’ business soon, so she can expand to underserved areas around the state.”
Quinn nodded. “That sounds like a worthy goal.”
“She’s excited about it. That’s where Badger Air comes in. I can fly her wherever she needs to go. And while she’s takin’ care of business, I’ll have this to do.” He held up the supplies Quinn had recommended.
Kendra was impressed. “I didn’t realize it was part of a whole game plan. You do have hidden depths.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Badger gave her a quick grin. Then he looked around. “Where’d Cowboy get to?”
“I don’t know. I thought he was with us, but…oh, there he is.”
Ryker came toward them. He’d taken off his hat, turned it upside down, and loaded the crown with little bags full of something that sparkled.
“Whatcha got there, Cowboy?” Badger called out.
“Beads.”
“What for?”
“April keeps saying she wants to make herself some new earrings but she doesn’t have time to buy the beads.” He walked up to where they stood in line and held out his hat. “Do you think she’ll like these?”
Kendra’s heart squeezed. “She’ll love them.” Even if they weren’t exactly what she wanted, she’d love Ryker’s impulsive decision to buy them for her.
“I don’t see how she could help likin’ ‘em,” Badger said. “You’ve got every color i
n the rainbow there.”
“That was my thinking. Better to have too many choices than not enough.” He glanced at Kendra. “What’s that smile for?”
“You don’t want me to say.”
“Why not?”
“It’ll embarrass you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You think this is sweet, don’t you?”
“Yes, and adorable.”
He grimaced.
“April will think so, too. It’s a very loving gesture and it makes me happy that you’re the kind of guy who would fill his hat with sparkly beads for the woman he loves.”
“Thanks, Mom. Now I’m really embarrassed.”
“Told you.” She waved a hand toward the register. “Go ahead and get in line. We need to vamoose. I have a lesson in twenty-five minutes.”
Outside the Crafty Corner, Quinn gave Badger the names of several videos he could watch to get started. Badger entered the info into his phone, thanked Quinn for all the help and left.
“Who knew?” Ryker asked on the drive back to the ranch. “I never would have guessed ol’ Badger wanted to make art.”
“I didn’t know,” Kendra said, “but I’m not totally surprised. He does have hidden depths. Like a lot of people, I guess.”
“Well, Mom, I may have hidden depths, but I won’t suddenly decide to sculpt or dabble in oils. Just so you know.”
“Okay.” She flashed him a smile.
“I surprised a lot of people, including myself, when I started,” Quinn said. “I was even later to the party than Badger.”
“So you just decided one day you were going to get into scratchboarding?”
“Pretty much.”
“Had you ever done anything like that before?”
“I took an art class in high school, mostly because the girl I liked was taking it. I’d always doodled and it wasn’t a big leap to go from that to seriously trying to draw a realistic picture. I had fun.”
“That was it? One class in high school?”
“I took a correspondence course in drawing after I got out of the army, but never did anything with it. Then about ten years ago, I saw my first scratchboard art and knew I had to try it.”
“Just like Badger. He told me he’d never seen anything like it until one of your pictures appeared on the wall at the GG. But I thought he just wanted a chance to tell you how much he admired your talent. I had no idea he wanted to do it himself.”
“Like I said to him, he’s welcome to call me or text if he needs help or advice. I mean it, but he might hesitate to ask. If he talks to you about it, please encourage him to contact me.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Kendra pulled into the parking area. “Hate to be abrupt, guys, but I gotta run.”
“Me, too.” Ryker climbed out of the van, his bag of beads in his hand. “I’m doing a maintenance check on the Beechcraft this afternoon. Cody said something about a family dinner Sunday night. Is that a go?”
“It is. Bryce and Nicole aren’t performing that night.”
“Then I’ll make sure April doesn’t have anything going on. See you two later.” His long strides took him over to his truck.
She reached for the door handle but Quinn was already there, opening her door and offering his hand.
She took it. “Thank you.” The pleasure of his firm grip traveled up her arm and spread throughout her body. She stepped down and expected him to move back.
Instead he held his ground. “Interacting with your family has been a kick.”
She looked up. Those gray eyes held a special glow again, the one that made her stomach tingle. “I’m glad.”
“I’d sure love to kiss you right now.”
She allowed her gaze to drift to his mouth. She didn’t dare encourage him. He might not blot out the world and lose all track of time when they kissed but she did. “I have a student arriving soon and another is scheduled after that. I have to—”
“I know.” He sighed and took a step back. “So I won’t. But let the record show that it took a superhuman effort not to.”
She nodded.
“See you soon.” He turned and started toward the barn.
“Do you have everything you need?”
He turned back. “Not by a long shot.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Later, Kendra.”
Chapter Thirteen
Before Quinn started soldering the fuel tank, he returned a couple of calls that had come in while his phone had been silenced. One was from a guy in Bozeman, but it turned out he didn’t have the fuel tank model Quinn needed, after all. The lead in Billings was more promising, but in the end Quinn decided the tank they were offering had seen too much hard use to be a safe bet.
This morning Faith had hauled out everything he’d need for the soldering and left it in the stall. He missed having her there as he got started. She likely would have wanted the experience, but she and Cody had an appointment with the minister this afternoon to go over their vows.
Plugging in the soldering iron, he got to work. With critical jobs like this, his focus was so complete that he lost track of time and his surroundings. Only two things affected him that way—working on his bike and scratchboarding.
He’d finished the soldering and was ready to test the job he’d done when he caught a movement from the corner of his eye and he glanced toward the open stall door.
Kendra leaned against it, watching him.
He nudged back his hat and smiled. “Howdy.”
“Howdy, yourself.”
“How long have you been there?”
“A while. Didn’t want to interrupt.”
“You could have. It’s not like I’m doing heart surgery.”
“Bladder surgery?”
He laughed. “Yeah, that fits. I’m about to find out whether the surgery was successful. You can come in, if you want.”
“Okay.” She walked in and stood on the far side of the bike.
“Are you finished with your lessons?” He picked up the gas can.
“Only one today, after all. The second person cancelled.”
“Too bad. I would have liked to watch.” After putting some gas in the tank, he crouched down, inspected the tank and swore under this breath.
“That doesn’t sound promising.”
“It’s not. Still leaks, damn it.”
“Will you solder it again?”
He shook his head. “There comes a time when you just need to replace a part. I had a hunch that would be the case, but I wanted to try this first.”
“How tough will it be to get a fuel tank for a bike this old?”
The comment made him smile. He stood. “Watch your language. She doesn’t think she’s old.”
“She?”
“Yeah. I know it’s silly, but—”
“No, it’s not. Does she have a name?”
“Cassandra.”
“I like it.” She folded her arms and surveyed the motorcycle. “Goes with the classy red paint job. She looks like a Cassandra.”
He was struck by how naturally Kendra fit into his space, as if she’d been there all along. “I had the strangest feeling just now.”
“Oh?” She glanced up.
“Like I’ve known you for way more than a few months.”
She met his gaze. “I’ve thought that, too. Like I can speak my mind because you’ll get it.”
“Same here. Or that you might even guess what I’m thinking before I say it.”
She nodded.
“Which means you probably know that if I didn’t have gas on my hands right now, I’d come over there and kiss you.”
Heat flared in her eyes. “We can fix that problem.” She walked around the bike. “How about if I kiss you, instead?”
Hot damn. “Okay.” His heartbeat kicked into high gear. “I promise not to touch you.” He curled his fingers into his palms.
“Thanks.” Her mouth tipped up at the corners. “I don’t want to smell like gas at tonight’s deal.”
&n
bsp; “Understood.”
“But I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
“Me, too.”
She cupped his face in her warm hands and her eyes darkened to navy. “I want to know what it feels like without the mustache.”
His breath hitched. “Be my guest.”
“Technically, you’re mine.” Dipping her head under the brim of his hat, she touched her soft lips to his.
Oh, yeah, he was hers, all right. She had carte blanche to do whatever she wanted with him. He held on for dear life, his nails biting into his palms as he controlled the fierce desire rolling through him.
She could have made it a chaste kiss, a friendly gesture to test how this worked without the facial hair. But oh, no. She used her tongue to drive him crazy. If her tightening grip and her mounting enthusiasm were any indication, she was going a little crazy, too.
When he began to shake from the effort of keeping his hands to himself, she let him go.
Stepping back, she gulped for air.
So did he, while she stared at him and he stared right back.
She drew in a breath and pressed a hand to her chest. “I should go. I have stuff to do.”
“What’s the…” He paused to clear his throat. “What’s the verdict?”
“On what?”
“Kissing without the ‘stache.”
“I liked it.” She took another deep breath and smiled. “I liked it a lot. Later, Quinn.” She skedaddled out of the barn.
Later. He stood immobilized for an embarrassingly long time. Later. Maybe she’d meant to tease him. He’d used the same parting shot earlier. Or maybe…
Don’t count your chickens, Sawyer. But he couldn’t seem to help it. He’d be alone with her after the party tonight. That moment couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
Amazing what one kiss could do. Kendra’s energy level spiked as if she’d been swilling espresso all afternoon. She moved through the party preparations like a whirling dervish, outpacing Faith, who’d come up to the house to help her.
Jo arrived a half-hour early to lend a hand and found Kendra and Faith lounging in the living room talking about baby furniture. “You’re all ready?”
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