by Tina Leonard
“Grandma brought me over. She said she needed a night with me since she hadn’t seen me in so long.” Mary stared at him solemnly as he set her down. “She says I’ve grown up on her.”
“You have.” He nodded, reaching out to ruffle her hair just to assure himself that she was still his little girl. “It scares me.”
“It shouldn’t.” She wrapped her arm about his waist and walked with him up onto the porch where they both sat down. “Unless you’re afraid you’re getting old.”
He grinned at her saucy expression, his spirits lifting immediately despite his earlier conversation with Sloan. Mary was the child of his heart. They had their ups and downs, but she would always hold a place in his soul no one else ever could. I see my brother in her, he thought. “Watch your mouth, young lady. Age doesn’t matter except to teenagers, for some reason.”
She laughed at him. “Don’t be so grumpy.” Laying her head on his shoulder, she said, “I’ve come to a decision, Uncle Cody.”
“Oh, boy. I can’t wait,” he replied, his tone dry.
“Grumpy, grumpy,” she teased. “What would you say if I told you I’ve decided I’m not ready to go to California to audition for movies and commercials and stuff?”
“Hallelujah?”
“No, really.”
Seeing her smile and the absolute serenity in her eyes, he shrugged. “Why’d you change your mind?”
“I don’t know.” With the whimsical attitude of a teenager, she flipped her hair airily. “I’m not ready. I’ve made a lot of friends at school. My new baby is arriving soon, and I want to be able to help Mom.” She gave him a huge kiss on the cheek. “You’d miss me if I became a big star.”
“I would.” He meant it.
“So there’s always next year. Maybe you can take me in the summer. If you would.” She gave him a sidelong look.
“I will.” It was a promise and they both knew it.
“Uncle Cody,” she said suddenly, “I never had a chance to tell you thanks about coming to my rescue after Sam—”
“Don’t. Please, ladybug.” He shook his head, his expression serious, and put his arm around her shoulders. “I couldn’t bear it if anything ever—let’s not talk about this.” He took a deep breath, unable to remember how close he could have come to losing his beloved niece. “I am proud of your bravery. You were very level-headed.”
“Thanks.” She tugged at his braid. “Has Sloan told you what happened to—”
“Don’t say his name,” he said sternly. “Sloan didn’t mention it.”
“He’s in jail down south of here. Apparently, he was wanted for a bunch of junk and after you slowed him down and Sloan put him in jail and ran his records, the police had time to catch up with him.”
“I’m glad. Change the subject.” He couldn’t bear to think about it anymore.
“Well, I love you.”
He glanced down in surprise. “I love you, too. I always will. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Carmen came out on the porch and sat in a rocker behind them. She lit up a cigar, handing Cody one over his shoulder. “Thanks, Ma. I’ve missed having an occasional smoke with you.”
“Can I have one, Uncle Cody?”
“Hell, no.”
She laughed out loud. “Can I cuss, Uncle Cody?”
“No, you can’t cuss or smoke or anything except be my ladybug.”
He lightly pinched her sides to tickle her, and she squealed with delight. Then they sat silently for a while, the three of them enjoying the fall of evening and humming dragonflies and the even circle of a red-tailed hawk over the open land.
Mary sighed, the sound hopeful in the gray dusk. “You know, Uncle Cody, I don’t have to be the only best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“What do you mean?” He took a stick and jabbed at some mud on the edge of his boot heel.
“Well, Stormy loves you as much as I do. I guess I’ve known you longer, so maybe that’s more, but she definitely loves you, too. You know? If you’d promise not to be so ornery with her, she’d probably marry you.”
“It’s not that simple, ladybug.”
“You’re making it harder than it has to be,” she replied, with all the optimism of youth.
He wasn’t sure. “I don’t think it would work out.”
They were silent for a moment.
“You know, this time I’m siding with Mary,” Carmen said. “I think maybe you ought to give Stormy a chance to tell you no. Some time has passed. Things have changed. You don’t know what is in her mind if you don’t find out.”
Getting up from the porch, he shook his head and ground the cigar under his boot. “Ma, don’t you think Mary’s grown up this fall?”
“I do. I couldn’t wait to see her.”
Something told him he had to make tonight a special night, that the time alone they were sharing wouldn’t come again for a while. “We’ll go out for a drive and a soda at the drive-through tonight if you two would like.”
“We’d like, Uncle Cody!” Mary cried happily.
“Sounds good.” His mother nodded.
“I’m going in.” He headed to the door before glancing back. “I’m proud of you, ladybug. Thanks for the talk.”
“You’re welcome, Uncle Cody.”
“Be ready in fifteen minutes,” he instructed.
Then he went inside. He pulled out the phone book and glanced through the pages. His heart pounded madly in his chest as he dialed the number.
“Reservations,” a woman said when she answered the phone. “How can I help you?”
“I want to know if the flight tomorrow that is departing the airport for Africa is still scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll check, sir.”
A moment later, she gave him departing information, which he scribbled on a white pad before he thanked her and hung up. At his elbow, a voice spoke.
“You can see elephants at the zoo, Uncle Cody. You don’t have to go all the way to Africa,” Mary pointed out, eyeing his scribbling.
“Never you mind, ladybug.” He tucked the paper into his jeans pocket.
“Is Stormy going to Africa?” Mary stared up at him curiously, as did his mother.
“You know, one thing about the two of you being gone, I kind of got used to my privacy,” he grumbled.
His mother nodded, but her eyes were lit with merriment. “Change can be very good for a man.”
“He hasn’t changed much,” Mary commented. “He’s still grouchy as all get-out.”
“It’s okay,” Carmen said, shooing Mary outside toward the truck. “His lady seems to like him that way.”
Stormy waited tensely as the passengers filed onto the airplane. Her scalp prickled. For some reason, she was uneasy being on Cody’s turf. It made her want to see him. Yet she didn’t dare call his house. He had called her a couple of times since she’d lost the baby, but she’d been asleep, allowing the answering machine to take all the calls. She hadn’t returned any of his messages, a fact that didn’t make her proud. Guilt made her unable to face talking to him. Despair that their relationship could never work out kept her from telling him the words that she knew she should say to him. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Emotional cowardice was difficult to overcome.
She glanced up as a man buckled himself into the seat beside her. She stared at Cody in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”
“Going to Africa. Brought a camera. I’m sure there’s a lot I’ve never seen before.” He looked her over thoroughly, his gaze settling on the necklace at her throat. “You’re wearing my teeth.”
“Yes,” she whispered, hardly daring to believe that he was actually beside her. Her hands trembled; her blood raced like a wild horse’s. “Snake teeth seem to suit my personality. A man I once knew told me I was very unusual.”
“Looks good on you.” His heated gaze told her she was beautiful to him.
Her heart tightened. “Why are you really doing th
is?”
“I had a good time in California.” He shrugged at her. “I’ll probably have an even better time in Africa. If you think you’ll have time for me.” He leaned over and kissed her.
Gently, she pushed him slightly away. “You don’t even have a passport. You’d never been out of your own backyard before you came to California.”
“Wrong.” He flipped it out to show her proudly. “I started the paperwork as soon as I got back from California.”
She examined it, half-afraid he was kidding. Wild hope flared inside her that his going meant what she wanted it to mean. “Cody, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
With uncertain fingers, she traced the rough fabric of the seat. “I’m sorry about everything. I was—”
He put his lips on hers, stopping her words. He kissed her long and deeply. “I’d like to go forward from here,” he said as he pulled away gently from her mouth. “If you think we can.”
Her heart caught, tightening with sheer happiness. “I’d like to.”
“Can I get you to marry me, then?”
She wanted to believe, wanted it to work, but she didn’t know how. “I thought we agreed we didn’t want a dual-state marriage. That it wouldn’t work out.”
“Yeah, well.” Gently, he ran a hand along her cheek, “Things change.”
“Like what?”
“I leased the ranch to Sloan. Need a new place to set my boots.”
“You did what?”
“Sloan needed a bigger spread to breed those spotted horses of his. Figure I can buy a place in California that’ll suit me.”
Stormy’s lips parted.
“I like it when you do that,” he said, leaning over to take advantage of her open mouth.
“But what about earthquakes and hippies and pollution?” she demanded when she could breath again.
“I’ll deal with ’em just the same as I did rattlesnakes and droughts and movie scouts that strayed onto my land.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t let you do that.”
“I make my own decisions.”
She smiled through happy tears. “I know you do. But your ranch is too important to you.”
“You are too important to me.” He shrugged and belted her seat belt for her. “There’s a catch, though. Ma wants to come with me. She thinks there’ll be future niños to care for.” He swallowed down the painful lump in his throat and pressed forward. “And Mary wants to come out in the summers for acting lessons and such.”
“Oh, my,” she breathed. “I’d love all of that. Are you absolutely sure about this?”
“I am.” He nodded. “If you won’t mind having my family. Guess it’s a package deal, if you take me on.”
“I would be so happy. It would make me feel like…I had a real home. My mom will love your mom,” she said decisively. “They’re both so unique.”
He laughed at the sassy grin on her face, the expression he loved more than any other. “If we decide to change our mind one day and move back, I can always boot Sloan out. Or keep him,” he said on a sudden thought. “There’s plenty of room to build another house and I could use a paying tenant.”
“Can this really be happening to me?” she asked, her gray-iris eyes wide-open with dreamy amazement.
He thought he could see a future of happiness shining in her gaze, and it warmed his heart. She made him feel like a king with the power to make her dreams come true. He leaned back in the chair but kept his hand on hers. “You know, I’ve always wanted a hacienda-style house.”
“Oh, yes. Yes!” She smiled at him, but then the smile slowly melted away. Her eyes serious, she said, “I never told you I needed you, Cody. But I do.”
“I know you do. You’re a helpless female.” But he said it in a teasing manner and held her hand against his chest. “It means a lot to hear you say it. I love you being your own woman, but I gotta feel like there’s something for me to do in our marriage. A part for me to share in.”
“There’s lots that we can share. I had many empty places in me that you’ve helped fill,” she said, meaning it. “I can’t believe you’re going to Africa with me.”
He grinned at her, proud that he’d finally put one over on her. “You never figured me out, Trouble. I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid enough to try to live without the woman I love. I can’t keep feeling this twisted up. Guess that means I’m in love with you. Good enough?”
She smiled. “Yes. I love you, Cowboy.”
“I know. I’m an easy man to love. You, on the other hand, are a difficult woman.”
“I’m easier than you are!” she exclaimed.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, slanting his mouth against hers for another quick kiss. “We’ll debate that one when we get back home.”
“There’s no need to debate.” She gave him a wicked grin and grabbed his shirt collar to tug him back for another kiss. “You win.”
“Mm.” He accepted the kiss she gave him and framed her face with his fingers. “How shall I celebrate this victory?”
She whispered an idea into his ear and Cody grinned at her before pulling her close. “Whew! That’s a heck of an IOU, woman.” He exhaled on a ragged breath. “And to think I once wanted to be a bachelor forever.”
“Crazy, huh?” She raised her brows and smiled teasingly.
“There’s crazy and then there’s crazy.” As the plane moved away from the gate, he held her hand in his. “Did I ever tell you I used to be afraid of flying?”
She shook her head and squeezed his hand in commiseration. “No, you didn’t. What happened?”
He gazed into her eyes, knowing that all he’d ever needed was this woman in his life for the long haul. “I came to my senses after I met a special, one-of-a-kind lady.”
“And that was all it took?”
He grinned at her. “That, and jumping out of a second-story window.”
About the Author
USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Tina Leonard writes with humor, sexiness, and fun. With nearly 2.6 million books sold, she plans to keep writing books readers enjoy. Her writing schedule keeps her very busy with independent heroines and the heroes who love them. You can visit Tina at www.tinaleonard.com, www.facebook.com/tinaleonardbooks, www.twitter.com/tina_leonard, and “like” her at www.facebook.com/authortinaleonard.
Look for these titles by Tina Leonard
Now Available:
Hotter than Hot
Hotter than Texas
Never Say Never
It Takes Two
She’s not about to go down easy…
It Takes Two
© 2013 Tina Leonard
Deep in the Heart, Book 1
It’s crunch time for Zach Rayez. He’s four weeks away from marrying his fianceé and taking the reins of her father’s company. And one piece of land away from closing biggest development deal of his career.
When his partner drops the ball, Zach finds himself on the way to Desperado, Texas, to clear the acquisition off his plate and calm his fiancée’s pre-wedding jitters. He never expected to run into a brick wall named Annie Aguillar.
Descendent of a Spanish grandmother and Comanche grandfather, Annie is holding on tenaciously to the last hundred acres of her family’s vast holdings. The last thing she needs is a sexy stranger showing up on her porch, trying to sweet talk her out of her daughter’s legacy.
Neither saw their powerful mutual attraction coming. And when an untimely emergency draws them closer, Zach must choose which to defend: his plans for the future, or Annie and her dream.
Warning: Contains a city slicker hero who fast-talks his way into a corner, and a proud Texan heroine who doesn’t let go of her heart so easily. Get ready for some dust to fly!
Enjoy the following excerpt for It Takes Two:
“The Aguillar landowner is proving to be the most difficult,” stated Carter Haskins with a shake of his head.
“We can’t get him to budge.”
Zachary Rayez eyed his employee patiently. The man was leading up to something, but he was afraid it might be awhile before they got around to the heart of the matter.
“And I don’t mind saying it’s become something of a Mexican standoff between us and the Aguillars. As long as their property remains privately held, the other landowners continue to refuse our offers, too. For the most part, anyway.”
Zach glanced out the window of Carter’s spacious office, letting his mind wander temporarily while his colleague ranted about the difficulties of getting folks to sell their land. Some of those farms had been family landholdings—and usually homesteads—since the early 1800s. Zach knew sentimentality didn’t concern Carter Haskins. With a new state highway going in and land deals turning over at outrageous prices, upwardly mobile Carter scurried to buy as many innocent people out as possible—all for the sake of “progress”.
It was more for the sake of Carter’s reputation—and to line his pockets—than for any real gain to their corporation, Ritter International. The sweetener for politically savvy Carter was how good all this brokering flurry made him look to his friend, the governor. Carter could point to his sales as stimulating industry. The governor could claim, “New jobs! Texas is back in the saddle again!”, always dropping Carter’s name to folks interested in buying up Texas land. It was a let’s-rub-each-other’s-back fraternity.
Nobody would bother to count the minority who had to find a new way of life. A new way to make a living. To solder new ties to old memories.
Zach sighed to himself. Privately he could sympathize with the landowners. But it was his job to ensure that everything went smoothly at Ritter International. And as far as helping indecisive folks make up their minds, Carter Haskins was good at his job. Occasionally, damn good.
Carter’s thundering voice brought Zach out of his musings. “I couldn’t even get the Aguillars to consider an offer.”
Zach slid his gaze cautiously to Carter’s face. Zach had given notice of resignation to Ritter’s board over a month ago. Slick salesmen—reminiscent of carpetbaggers—were a breed he intended to cut ties with as soon as his tenure here was over. He’d made plenty of money, but now he wanted to make some he could feel good about. He wanted to go to sleep at night without being haunted by the faces of people he’d come to know and respect, mostly small landowners he’d persuaded into selling out in the name of progress—concrete and steel for highways and businesses. Being president of Ritter International had felt wonderful in the beginning, before he’d realized that people were drowning in the sea of green bills washing them out of their homes and heritages.
