“About the time you hit twelve, sweetheart. And you’ve definitely grown since then.” His gaze lingered on the low neckline of her dress.
She felt her face heat again and he pulled her closer.
“You bet I did. I just never expected you to become such a knockout.”
Something in his eyes, his face, the way he looked at her, set off a fire in her. “I—” She took a deep breath and looked around. “The others have gone inside. Maybe we should, too.”
But he didn’t release her. “You think I’m kidding, don’t you?”
Erin shrugged but wouldn’t look at him. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her, and she didn’t know what to think.
Lifting her chin with his finger, he forced her to look at him. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
Completely undone, she took a step back to clear her head and felt alive again. “So, when you told me when I was seven that I was a frizzy-haired pain in the butt, you meant it?”
Jake tipped his head back and laughed. “As I recall, you’d just called me a toad-mouthed snake in the grass.”
Her mouth flew open. “You remember that?”
The laughter in his eyes vanished. “I remember everything. Everything.”
Was that good or bad? Biting her bottom lip, she didn’t know. But it was time to find out.
He slipped her hand through his arm and led her into the barn. Transformed with tiny white lights suspended from the two-story ceiling, the inside of the barn reminded her of a fairyland. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw tables encircling a large dance floor, where a band was setting up on an elevated platform near one end.
“Do you see Dylan and Luke?” Jake asked.
She found them with Glory and Hayley at a table near a group of their friends. “There they are,” she answered, pointing.
Feeling his arm go around her waist, she looked up at the same time he looked down, and they shared a smile.
“What took you so long?” Luke asked when they reached the table.
Jake shrugged his broad shoulders as he pulled out a chair for Erin. “Some people like to take a leisurely stroll.”
Luke’s grin said he suspected something else. “Doesn’t this place look great?” he said. “Glory, you did a bang-up job.”
“I had a lot of help,” Glory replied, smiling. “I told all my helpers how I wanted it to look, and they made it happen.”
Now that she could see more clearly, Erin looked around the Big Barn. “What a big group we have,” she said, waving to other friends nearby.
Feedback from the band’s amplifiers ripped through the building, and they all covered their ears. “That’s one way to get our attention,” Dylan said.
The band kicked into a song, grabbing everyone’s attention, and several couples walked onto the dance floor. Dusty stood and pulled at Kate’s hand, but she shook her head. “Not yet,” Erin heard her say. “Let’s wait for something a little less noisy.” But Dusty insisted.
“Want to join them?” Jake asked, as Erin tapped her foot to the country beat.
“Do you two-step?” she asked, scooting her chair back.
He stood and held out his hand to her. “Doesn’t everybody?”
Laughing, she took his hand, and he led them to the dance floor, where they were surrounded by friends and neighbors. She’d never dreamed she would return home, much less to discover Jake back again, and in spite of what had happened, she felt a warm glow as he danced her around the floor. Tonight they would make new memories. If she did return to the circuit, at least she would have those.
* * *
JAKE NOTICED ERIN getting several admiring looks from both men and women and felt proud that she’d agreed to be his date. Their first. Officially, anyway.
They stayed on the floor for a second number, then by the third, the tempo slowed, and he took her in his arms. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he asked, rubbing his thumb on her bare back. “And where’d you find this dress?”
She looked up at him, through long, darkened lashes. “Some store in Oklahoma City, where Glory took me. She wouldn’t let me leave without buying it. I guess she was right.”
“Oh, yeah, she was definitely right.” He would have to remember to thank Glory.
“You know,” Erin said, leaning closer, “Dusty reminds me of you, sometimes.”
Jake didn’t know if he should take that as a compliment or not. “Why’s that?”
“He digs at Kate about as much as you dig at me.” Grinning and wrinkling her nose at him, she turned her attention to the dancers.
“She seems to hold her own,” he replied, watching the couple. “Just like you.”
“And yet, just look at them,” Erin said. “They adore each other.”
“Yeah, they do,” he said, holding her closer. He wanted to say that he’d always adored her, but the time wasn’t right.
The song came to an end, and they returned to their table with Erin’s brothers and their fiancées. Dylan collapsed in his chair. “I don’t think I’ve had that much exercise since...I don’t know. My baseball days, when Coach made us run laps, maybe?”
“You’d better start practicing,” Glory told him. “We have our wedding dance in April. Hayley and I have booked this place for it and the reception.”
“Already?” Luke asked.
Hayley nodded. “And after tonight, finding an open date will get even harder. Proms, birthdays, anniversaries, parties, you name it. I heard someone talking about having the Christmas bazaar here this year.”
“All of those will pay for the renovations,” Glory added. “Hettie gave me full rein, but it took a bank loan to do it.”
“I didn’t realize,” Luke replied.
Erin leaned forward. “It’s worth all the work you and the others put into it, Glory. It’s perfect.”
Jake leaned close and whispered in her ear. “And so are you.” But he was a little envious, too. Except for Dylan and Glory, and Luke and Hayley, who still had to tie the knot, everyone else there had families. But at least he had Jonah. His son. And although he hadn’t had the experience the others had of seeing his son born and watching him grow up, he counted himself lucky. He wanted to share the news with everyone, but he and Erin had agreed that they would wait until she had the chance to tell her brothers. After that, they would let the others know. Soon, he thought. Soon they might be that family he’d hoped for.
Beside him, Erin chatted with the other ladies about things completely foreign to him. Watching all the others, he realized how many good friends he’d made as a boy in Desperation. If that was all he had in the end—that and knowing Jonah—he wouldn’t complain. But he wanted more. He wanted Erin. He knew that now.
Jake talked ranching with Luke and Dylan, while Erin talked babies and weddings with the other women. Toes tapped to the music, and laughter floated through the Big Barn. When the band announced their last set, the dance floor filled again.
“Thanks for a wonderful night, Jake,” Erin said as he held her close. “Sometimes I get so busy with other things, I forget how special it is to spend time with friends.”
“I think we’re all that way,” he answered. “They’re the best. I’m glad I came back.”
She tipped her head back and looked at him. “I am, too. It’s times like this that I wonder how much I’ve missed.”
“There’s plenty of time to catch up.” He felt her nod, but she didn’t reply. “Plenty of things to do in Desperation, and we’ll all be seeing each other often.”
“We will,” she said with a smile.
Before he knew it, the last song ended, and they gathered their things from the table, telling everyone goodbye and making plans to get together again soon.
“Do you wan
t us to bring Jonah home when we get back?” Luke asked.
Jonah had offered to watch Brayden while the grown-ups attended the dance. “Whatever is easiest,” Jake answered. “Have you heard anything from him?”
“Not a word,” Hayley answered. “Brayden adores him, so I’m not surprised.”
“They seemed to make a connection that night of the barbecue at your place,” Jake said.
“Almost as if they were kin,” Hayley said.
Jake nodded, trying hard not to look at Erin to see what her reaction might be. “He’s a good kid. And he’s learned a lot, thanks to Erin. I think you’ll be surprised, Luke, at how good he is.”
“He might as well spend the night,” Luke answered. “He’s going to help Dylan and me bring some of the cattle up tomorrow.”
“That’s what he said. Let me know how that goes.”
“We will, but I don’t expect any problems.”
They reached the door and stepped outside into the warm, night air, where they waited long enough for Dylan and Glory to join them. Together, they walked to the Commune, where Glory and Erin went inside to get their things, before the drive home.
“Couldn’t ask for a nicer night,” Dylan said after the others were inside.
“A beauty,” Jake agreed.
After a moment of silence, Dylan spoke again. “Luke and I want you to know how nice it is to see you and Erin together again.”
Jake’s heart missed a beat, and he looked at him. “Again?”
Dylan grinned as a chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Yeah, we knew there was something going on between you two when we were kids. She took it hard when you left.”
Nodding, Jake sighed, thinking of how he’d broken it off with her. “She wasn’t the only one.”
“I’ve always wondered about that.”
Jake wasn’t sure how to answer. Even Erin didn’t know the whole story. Maybe someday he would tell her. Someday when they were old and gray with grandchildren. But there was plenty of time for that. Now that she’d come home, and they’d rediscovered what he thought they’d lost, there were things to catch up on.
“Let’s just say it had to happen,” he told Dylan. “I guess it wasn’t the right time for us. She wanted—”
“To join the rodeo,” Dylan finished. “And she did. We missed her bossy ways for a long time.”
“Excuse me? Who’s bossy?”
Both of them laughed and turned to see Erin coming down the long steps of the Commune. “Nobody,” Jake answered.
“As if I believe that,” she said with a sniff.
When she reached them, Jake took the small bag she carried and grinned at her. “Believe what you want. You will anyway.”
She made a face at him and started to answer, but Dylan cut her off. “There’s Glory,” he said as she joined them.
The four of them talked for a few minutes about what a good time they’d all had, then said their good-nights and went on to their trucks to start for home. To Jake’s delight, Erin scooted over to sit next to him.
“It really was fun,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed having her next to him. “I hear they plan to do it every year.”
“That would be nice.”
The drive out of town didn’t last long, and they were soon past the first two curves and nearing the Walker place. Erin straightened and covered a yawn with her hand.
“Tired?” he asked.
“A little, but it’s a good tired.”
“I know what you mean.”
“I’m not ready to call it a night.”
He glanced at her, wondering what she might be thinking. Easing his foot off the gas pedal, he answered her. “Me, either.”
The smile she gave him was pure enchantment. “Your place or mine?” she asked.
He didn’t need time to think about it. “Mine. There happens to be a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator.”
“Perfect.”
Chapter Nine
“This really is a beautiful house,” Erin said, taking in everything as Jake gave her a tour. “I don’t recall ever being in it when we were growing up. Are these your uncle’s furnishings?”
“Some,” he said, “but I’ve made a few changes.”
She didn’t remember him being all that interested in things like colors and decorating. She hadn’t been, either, and she wanted to learn how much he’d changed over the years they’d been apart. “Show me.”
As they walked down a wide hallway, the heels of her fancy shoes clicking on the polished wood floor, he pointed out several paintings. “I picked these up at different places, here and there. Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada.”
She studied the beautiful landscapes hanging on the walls, and turned to him. “You traveled around a lot?”
“A little. I worked at four different ranches over the past...well, I guess it’s been about thirteen years. I learned something new at each one, so it was worth it.” He walked farther down the hall and stopped before reaching a closed door. “Bedroom,” he said, cocking his head toward it.
“Later,” she answered. She nearly laughed as he tried to cover a smile, and then she turned back down the hall to where they’d started.
“Uncle Carl enjoyed luxury,” he said, following her. “It’s a good thing he was as successful as he was. Most people wouldn’t build a house that’s far too large for them, but I think he liked to show off.”
In the kitchen, she stopped and leaned against the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room. “Much different than the way I grew up.”
He walked to the refrigerator and opened it. “But you had more fun than I did.”
She smiled, remembering her childhood. “I did have fun. We all did. But we worked hard, too. You should remember that.”
“I do.” He closed the refrigerator and turned around, a bottle of uncorked champagne in his hand. “As promised,” he said, and directed her to where the glasses were kept.
While she retrieved two slender champagne flutes, he popped the cork, with only a little bubbly overflow. “You’ve obviously done this before, Mr. Canfield.”
“Once or twice.” He led her back to the living room, where she put the glasses on a large low table.
He poured the champagne into the glasses, and she took the one he offered. After setting the bottle aside, he took her hand and settled her on the long red sofa, then sat next to her. “Comfortable?”
“It’s about as perfect as it could get,” she admitted. “Do we have a toast?”
His face went blank, and then he smiled. “We do. Or I do, I guess, now that you ask.” He lifted his glass and she did the same. His eyes met hers, serious, but with a touch of wariness. “To new beginnings.”
“And new memories,” she added.
Instead of taking a drink, he leaned closer and kissed her, long, sweet and tender.
“And to us,” he added, “if that’s what you want.”
Filled with feelings she’d forgotten, she managed a nod. She took a sip of the champagne and leaned against the back of the sofa.
“Whew,” he breathed, tugging at his tie and the collar of his studded shirt with his free hand. “It’s a little warm in here.”
“Take off your jacket and tie,” she said. “I don’t mind.”
The grin he shot her nearly made her toes curl. “Good idea.”
Standing, he pulled off the jacket, jerked his fancy bowtie loose and undid the collar button, while she took a big drink from her glass.
Jacketless, the ends of his tie dangling on his shirtfront, he started to sit beside her again but stopped. “Want me to top that off?” he asked, indicating her glass with a nod.
“Yes, please,” she answered with what she hoped was a seductive smile.
He took her glass, filled it to near the brim and settled next to her again. “Courage?” he asked her as she took another sip.
“Thirsty,” she answered. Setting the glass out of the way, she leaned closer to kiss the corner of his upturned mouth. As she did, her fingers found the studs on his shirt, and she began to tug at them. When he put his hands over hers, she stopped and looked up at him.
“We’re not doing this again,” he said, his voice rough but quiet. “Not like before.”
She shook her head and caught his gaze. “No, not like before.”
His struggle showed on his face. “Erin, I—”
“Hush,” she whispered, and took her time with the studs. Done, she set them aside and slowly spread his shirt open to place her hands on his chest. She felt his sharp intake of air and trailed the tips of her fingers down to the waistband of his tuxedo pants. Before she realized he’d moved, he had her beneath him, lying on the sofa. With one finger, he traced the low neckline of her dress.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked.
“Turnabout’s fair play,” he whispered. His lips followed the path of his fingers, and her breathing quickened while the rest of her felt as if she’d fallen into a warm pool of water. Images of the one night they’d shared, years before, drifted through her mind. And she knew what she wanted to do.
“I have an idea,” she whispered.
“So do I,” he whispered back, nuzzling her ear.
“Let’s go to the barn.”
He stopped and raised his head to look at her. “Why?”
She saw the indecision in his eyes, but this was something she needed to do. “To make new memories.”
“But you’re in that dress and—”
“It’s a dress, Jake, nothing more.” Her thoughts came together quickly. “We can take a couple of blankets and pillows, the champagne, some—”
On his feet beside the sofa, he studied her. Looking more handsome than she ever remembered, he gazed straight into her eyes.
“I need this, Jake,” she said, meaning it. Watching him, she waited, determined to win, whatever it took.
The Cowboy Meets His Match (Fatherhood) Page 14
