by Tina Leonard
“That’s a step in the right direction. Is this an outing with Kolt, or for grown-ups only?”
“If I ask you to babysit, does that give you a clue?”
Georgina laughed. “You know I’m always pleased as punch to watch Kolt. What costumes are you two wearing?”
Daisy outlined their plans, asking her mom to save a few cans for her to paint and then transform into tool-belt gadgets.
“Is Luke going to be a white-sheet ghost or a more original variety?”
“We’re thinking of going with makeup and dirt-smudged clothes.”
Laughing, Georgina said, “Sounds like you’ll make a lovely—albeit, smelly—couple.”
Growing misty, Daisy admitted, “I don’t know if that’s what we officially are, but I’d like to be.”
“Give it time.” Tugging extra hard on a clump of crabgrass, Georgina grunted. “You young people are too impatient. Let the boy woo you.”
“Mom, I’ve waited ten years to return to Luke, which is why I finally decided to woo him. I’m tired of waiting.”
“Then why didn’t you come home sooner?”
“Wish I had an answer.” There it was again—at the crux of Daisy’s every issue was the worst act she’d ever committed. For so many years she’d harbored guilt over what had happened with Henry. She’d needlessly, stupidly blamed herself when, as a child, she’d been cruelly victimized. How much longer would fate keep punishing her? More than anything, she longed for a fresh start, but the questions kept coming, dragging her to an emotional void where she no longer wanted to be.
“DAMN, YOU LOOK HOT,” LUKE SAID, standing at the Buckhorn Ranch front door to be greeted by the sexiest damn ghost hunter he’d ever seen. Daisy had only been able to find men’s coveralls, so she’d borrowed her mother’s sewing machine to produce a custom fit. Either she was crazy talented to have cut them to hug her every curve, or she’d gotten scissor-happy. Regardless, the view made him the winner.
“Looking good is my secret ghost-busting technique. I lure you in before sucking you into my ghost trap.” She tapped one of the multitude of silver canisters dangling from her tool belt.
“If it’s that much fun being caught, why would I want to do any more roaming?” Though he’d meant the statement to be a joke, Luke realized the more he was with Daisy, the more she felt like an addiction. But in a good way.
“Excellent answer,” she said with a heady smile. “Ready to go?”
“Let me say a quick hi to Kolt.”
“He’s in Dallas’s theater room. That thing is obscene.” Daisy led the way. Her costume looked equally great from behind.
“Obscenely fabulous,” Luke noted.
She shot him an over-the-shoulder dirty look.
“Boo!” Luke sneaked up behind his son, making his best scary face.
Kolt jumped a good foot out of his plush movie chair.
“Luke, you scared me half to death! Your costume’s awesome!”
Kolt’s friend, Jonah, popped out of the chair beside him. “Whoa! You’re the coolest dad ever!”
While Dallas paused The Haunted Mansion and flipped on the lights, Bonnie and Betsy and Josie also admired Luke’s costume.
“You’re so lucky,” Jonah said to Kolt. “My parents never do anything this cool.”
“Yeah,” Kolt said, ambushing Luke with a monster-size hug. “I like my mom and dad a whole lot.”
“YOU’RE AWFULLY QUIET,” Daisy said to Luke halfway to the Grange hall.
“To tell you the truth,” he said, tightening his grip on the wheel. “I’m having a tough time keeping it together. Kolt’s hug was epic.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from,” she said with an impromptu squeeze to his right hand.
“I can’t wait. It’s funny, but I can’t remember life without him. In such a short time, Kolt has come to mean everything to me.”
“I’m glad—for both of you.” Luke’s words served as a powerful aphrodisiac. Daisy had never adored him more.
By the time they reached the party, it was already in full swing. There were witches and a Dolly Parton and a giant purple crayon. Meeting up with many of their old high-school friends was fun, but also hard. Daisy lost count of the number of times she was asked where she’d been. An equally hot topic was how she was coping with being back in the same town as Henry. Honestly, what made people think she’d want to discuss something like that on a night designated for fun?
“Daisy!” her old chemistry lab partner, Tammy, squealed. She’d squeezed into her cheerleading uniform and her husband, Blake, wore his Weed Gulch football jersey. “Oh, my God, when we heard about what y’all’s ranch foreman did to you, we were amazed Dallas hadn’t shot him dead. How in the world are you coping?”
Daisy reached for Luke’s hand, his support. “It’s been tough, but I’m getting by.”
“I was so tickled to hear y’all are finally getting married. My mom says you’re having another baby and that’s why you bought the old Peterson place.”
Wow. Daisy wasn’t sure where to start on damage control.
“Your mom must really get around,” Luke said with his most charming smile over blaring country music. “Daisy and I didn’t even know we were having another baby, let alone getting married.” He winked. “We did know she bought a house, though. It kind of matches my costume.”
After taking a moment to process his dig, Tammy’s smile faded. “You don’t have to be rude, Luke Montgomery.”
“But I’m so glad he was.” Daisy stood on her tiptoes to give her favorite ghost a kiss on his cheek.
While their old friend flounced off, Luke asked, “Want to get the hell out of here?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
They were quiet all the way to Luke’s cabin. It was chilly, so Luke started a fire.
Daisy scrounged in his kitchen for a bottle of wine.
“That’s better,” he said after scrubbing off his white face paint and sitting next to Daisy on the sofa. “Want music?”
She shook her head. “I like the fire’s crackle.”
“I can’t stop myself from liking you.” They kissed, drank wine, kissed more until Daisy felt as loose and hot as the flames. How many years had she longed for just this, and now it felt as if her every dream were on the verge of coming true.
“Does the small-town gossip bother you?” Luke asked, skimming her palms with his thumbs, in the process shooting pleasurable tingles through her body.
“Not as much as what you’re doing.”
“I’m serious.” He stopped to cup her face, directing her focus on him. “Tammy’s own personal rumor mill had to sting. How are you coping?”
Daisy shrugged. Some days were better than others. “Aside from keeping Kolt from you, I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Day by day, I’m learning to deal,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Time for you to forgive yourself.”
His words acted as a balm to her soul. Ten seemingly endless years she’d harbored such guilt and fear. To even think of letting it go filled her with such relief she wasn’t sure how to handle the overflow of emotion.
“I—I want to be with you,” she said, pressing her hand to his dear cheek. No matter what she’d told herself, she’d always wanted to be with him.
“You are.” He bowed his head to nuzzle her throat.
“Men…” Since he didn’t get her hint, she gave him a bonus clue and eased her hands under his T-shirt to drag it over his head. Pressing her lips to the warm skin of his pecs, she said, “How’s a girl supposed to get any action when her guy’s so dense?”
“Oooh.” His grin fluttered her pulse. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I thought I had.” Unbuttoning her jumpsuit, she wriggled her shoulders free.
“Damn,” he whispered, “you’re stunning.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.” Skimming her hands along his chest and over his shoulders, she explored him anew, as if he were a b
eloved, tranquil glade where she’d always found the freedom to escape her everyday life.
“You and our son,” Luke said, voice thick with emotion, “mean the world to me.”
“We feel the same about you.”
Taking their time, they made a game of shedding each other’s clothes. Luke’s pants. Daisy’s bra. Layer by layer, they stripped not only the physical items keeping them apart, but any last emotional holds.
As they laughed and caressed and tickled each other onto the soft rug in front of the fire, their kissing lost its playful edge, taking on the urgency of two people who had been apart too long.
When Luke entered her, Daisy sucked in her breath. It had been so long. A moment’s pain eased into budding pleasure until she lost the ability to think. Every nerve in her body became attuned to his. Arching up, she pressed her fingers into his smooth back, willing him deeper.
“I love you,” she said at the crest of her pleasure.
He tensed, driving into her one last shuddering time.
Had he even heard her? Or did he not feel the same? How was she supposed to know?
“Lord, I’ve missed you,” he said, rolling aside only to cradle her close. He skimmed his fingers over her hair, kissed her closed eyelids and the tip of her nose. When she began crying, he kissed away her tears. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Everything! She’d told him she loved him and he hadn’t so much as acknowledged her words. Hardly an expert on relationships, she didn’t know whether to call him on it, or let it be.
“Then why the tears? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Not in the way you think. “No. It was beautiful. But it’s late, and I should probably get back to Kolt.”
“Are you sure?” In the fire’s glow, he searched her expression. No doubt seeking clues as to what had brought on her change in mood. But she wasn’t giving any. When it came to putting her heart on the line, she’d gone as far as she was willing to go. No matter what, she knew she’d always love him, but she deserved for him to love her, too.
Wearing nothing but unfastened jeans, Luke walked her to his Jeep, wincing when the gravel bit his bare feet. “Guess I might’ve wanted to put more clothes, on, huh?”
“At least shoes,” she snapped.
“All right,” he said, pinning her to the vehicle’s grill by bracing his hands on either side of her. “Out with it. What did I do to tick you off?”
“I told you I love you and you ignored me. I have a right to be upset.”
He rocked back to ease his fingers into his hair. “I heard you. I wanted to tell you I love you, but I still—hell, what you put me through isn’t easy to let go. Give me time, all right?” Cradling her tearstained cheek, he said, “I can’t make promises, but for once in a long time, we’re on the right track.”
“Great,” she said with a sniffle. “Just what every girl longs to hear.”
“You’re not a girl,” he reminded, “but a full-grown woman who damn near emotionally killed me. How do I know you won’t do it again?”
“TRICK OR TREAT!” Kolt and Jonah shouted at the door of a white bungalow in one of the town’s oldest neighborhoods.
Daisy stood with Luke at the end of the driveway, shivering despite their many layers of clothing. Forecasters predicted one of the earliest snows they’d seen in years. Teeth chattering, she said, “Welcome to Oklahoma, huh? One month you’re so hot you feel like you’re melting and the next, you think your hair’s frozen.”
If only the night they’d made love had ended differently, tonight could have been romantic and silly and fun. As it was, Daisy was suffering through it merely for the sake of their son.
In a perfect world, she’d have warded off another fit of shivers by slipping her arms around Luke’s waist. Instead, she hugged herself.
By the time they’d followed Kolt and Jonah five more homes down the block, snow was falling. Big, gumball-size flakes that melted on the road, but stuck to lawns, tree limbs and cars.
Ten houses later, Luke said, “It’s damn cold. Couldn’t we run the kids by Reasor’s and let them pick whatever candy they want?”
“Works for me,” Daisy said, no longer able to keep her teeth from chattering.
Luke told the bundled-up boys they were calling it quits, and though they weren’t happy, they began the long return trip to the car with a minimum of whining, instead, running ahead, staging an epic snow battle with Kolt’s Frankenstein club and Jonah’s pirate sword.
At Luke’s Jeep, Daisy was surprised to find the words, I See You written in the snow on the back window. “Is that for me or your dad?” Daisy asked Kolt.
“Huh?” He was so busy walloping Jonah with his club, he hadn’t heard her question. Daisy pointed to the car. “Didn’t you write that?”
“No,” he said. “Am I in trouble?”
She shook her head. “You did write it on my car those other two times though, right?”
Hopping on the curb, he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about and I really have to pee.”
“Me, too,” Jonah said.
“Climb in, guys.” Luke had clicked the remote key button, unlocking the doors.
Inside, with the heater blasting not very warm air, Daisy felt as if she could’ve stood before a raging fire and still been chilled to her core. With the boys chatting in the back, she asked Luke, “If Kolt hasn’t been writing that message on my car and now yours, then who? Would Henry be that brazen?”
“It’s possible,” Luke said, making a right. “But why? He’s no dummy. Surely he realizes that if he so much as looks cockeyed at you, you’ll press charges. Maybe it was Betsy or Bonnie?”
“But they aren’t with us tonight.”
“True.”
Hands over her face, she said, “I don’t know what I’d do if this all started up again. I really don’t.”
“Relax,” he urged, rubbing her forearm. “This is probably a fluke coincidence. Trust me, everything’s going to be fine.”
A WEEK LATER, LYING ON A BLANKET beneath the big oak in his parents’ backyard, Luke was grateful for the sun’s return. What he wasn’t thrilled about was the way two of his favorite people were so incompatible.
His mother, still trying to make up for lost time with Kolt, was hosting yet another party. This time, a Saturday-afternoon fiesta. Odd, considering there were only a few weeks until Thanksgiving, but he’d long since learned, when it came to his mother and parties, to stay out of her way.
Too bad he’d forgotten to give Daisy the memo.
“Daisy,” his mother said, “while I appreciate you trying to help, I wanted the napkins fanned on the drink table.”
“I thought they might get wet from spilled ice over there, which is why I put them alongside the plates. Makes for a better traffic flow.”
Oh, boy…
On his feet, Luke hustled to get between them before either woman threw the first punch. “I think those napkins would look amazing right here,” he said, taking the pile and setting them alongside the forks. “What do you think, Kolt?”
The boy glanced up from his game to scrunch his nose. “Is it time to eat?”
“There you have it.” Luke put his arms around both women. “The deciding vote. I knew Kolt would side with me.”
While his mother glared, Daisy couldn’t hide her smile.
An hour later, the gathering was in full swing with all of the cousins and aunts and uncles cramming their pie holes with Mexican food. His family loved to eat—any occasion would do.
Luke took extra care to reintroduce Daisy to everyone and if they launched personal questions, he cut them off midstream. He cared for Daisy—deeply. While he might not be ready to say the words of commitment she longed to hear, no way would he let anyone hurt her again.
“Aren’t you the little gal who just bought the old Peterson place?” Uncle Frank held a taquito in one hand and a whiskey sour in his other.
“Yes, sir, I am,” Daisy said. She sipped at her t
all-neck Corona.
“Back in the day, that old house was really something. Every bit as fine as your daddy’s ranch, but in a different way. Real hoity-toity fancy. You just holler if you need help.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your offer, and will put you at the top of my guest list for my first party.”
“I’d appreciate it. So would the wife.”
With his uncle ambling back to the buffet table, Luke leaned in close to Daisy, “See? My family isn’t all bad.”
“Did I ever say they all were?”
“Not in so many words,” he admitted, “but it seems to me you left pretty early the last time Mom hosted one of her get-togethers.”
“Can you blame me? Everyone acted as if Kolt was an angel, and I was just the evil witch who’d brought him into the world.”
Luke couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I think you’re exaggerating a wee bit.”
“I’d say let’s grab Kolt and ask his opinion, but considering how many presents he got that day, I doubt he’ll be on my side.”
Taking Daisy’s hand and leading her into the quiet spot between the overgrown lilac and the azaleas, Luke stole a few kisses.
“Stop,” Daisy said, hands against his chest. “We’re going to get caught and then your mom’s going to call my mom and accuse me of public indecency in her backyard.”
“Would that be so bad?” Luke asked, unbuttoning the top of her blouse.
“Stop!” she cried in a whispered shriek. “Do you want your mother thinking I’m a cheap floozy?”
“I don’t care what she thinks,” he confessed. “But your opinion means the world.”
Her expression softened. “All right, that was sweet enough to get you temporarily out of the doghouse, but I still refuse to stand here making out.”
“Then what are we going to do, because honestly, this party is boring as hell.”
“For starters, we should find Kolt. Last I saw him, he’d eaten enough bean dip to explode.”
Luke winced. “That could be ugly. Now I’m really glad he’s bunking with you.”
