Under Texas Blue Skies

by Debra Holt

  There was only one predator that had the power to bite her on that ranch, and she knew he walked on two legs. Being forearmed with her knowledge of him, she was more than able to take care of herself.

  “Once bitten, a person can become immune. I always watch where I step now.”

  ****

  J.D. stood for several minutes, watching her car disappear down the road before being left to stare into the emptiness she'd left behind. He was sure there had been a message in her last words meant for him, but just what it was he wasn’t certain. Little Mandy Mae Lawson had certainly changed, J.D. noted with a deep sadness inside him. It had taken a monumental strength to keep his hands to himself and not take her into his arms more than once during the last hour and kiss those perfectly shaped lips that still drew him like a drug. His mouth ached to taste her again. However, he doubted that would have gone over too well had he tried. It was clear Mandy was not ready to accept his presence back in her life. J.D. knew it wasn’t going to be easy... at first. Maybe he just didn’t realize how tough it would be, but she was worth it, of that he was certain. She was the last piece in completing the puzzle of his life and where the rest of his future lay.

  When Mandy stood looking at him with those blue eyes, where once there had been a warmth of love glowing in them for him, there was now a cool curtain, devoid of anything but a banked anger mixed with a dash of indifference. For some reason, he felt he had been judged and found lacking in her estimation. He definitely had to regroup. There was another battle ahead, and he had fought many in his lifetime and won each of them. This would be the most important one. Losing was not an option.

  Chapter Two

  The day would be a sunny one, only a couple of clouds dotted the horizon beyond the hills. The air held a hint of the chill that was to come in the next few weeks. October had arrived on the calendar but not the full feeling of fall was evident as of yet. Texas weather never paid attention to the calendar. You could begin the day with sunshine, have a hailstorm by mid-afternoon, and a blizzard by nightfall, or just the reverse.

  Amanda never listened to the weatherman’s report. Her preferred weather report consisted of walking out onto her patio in the morning, a first cup of coffee in hand, and inspecting the skies for herself. This morning, she chose to begin the day with a light cowl-necked pullover in cream knit with a darker tan suede vest with silver Concho buttons on the front that happened to match the belt around her waist. A pair of chocolate jeans silhouetted her legs, and her comfy brown leather boots completed the outfit.

  Amanda had downed a strong cup of caffeine when she'd first crawled out of bed. There had been very little sleep during the night. She'd tossed and turned until her covers looked as though a battle had been fought in her bed. Finally, about five in the morning, she'd given up the fight and hit the shower. Two and a half hours later, she parked her car in the lot next to The Diner on The Square and walked through the door. Returning the greetings of the patrons as she walked from the doorway to a stool at the end of the counter, she took her usual seat of the far end of the L-shaped counter. There were no strangers in the room. She had spent most of her life in their midst and everyone knew one’s business in a small town, or at least almost all of it. Amanda tossed a smile at the brown-haired woman who greeted her with another cup of coffee and a plate of food.

  “Are you going riding today?” Darcy’s eyes took in the unusual attire… not the typical business suit Amanda normally wore each workday morning when she stopped in for the usual plate of one scrambled egg, two slices of crisp bacon, and a slice of dry wheat toast.

  Amanda supposed her arrival could be timed to the minute each of the five workdays of the week. “My life has become fairly predictable, hasn’t it?” she replied with a rueful smile as Darcy McKenna, good friend and proprietress of the eating establishment, handed her over the dish of homemade blackberry jam for the toast.

  “Or maybe you’re just in a rut,” Darcy observed with a return smile.

  Amanda’s smile did not hold her usual brightness.

  “You’re taking the day off today maybe?”

  “No chance of that. I have a client to meet out at the old Peterson ranch. Not exactly the place for heels and a suit today.” Amanda didn’t elaborate as she took a bite of the eggs.

  “I’ve heard some interesting pieces of gossip about that certain client.” The woman arched her eyebrows and lowered her voice. She topped off the coffee mug and then sat the glass pot back on the burner behind her, before turning her attention back to Amanda. “Of course, this was told me in upmost confidence.”

  “In other words, Morris couldn’t keep his mouth shut this morning when he stopped in for coffee.”

  Amanda was not in any mood for gossip about anyone but most certainly not about J.D. Sterling. She made no further comment but concentrated on her food. Although she realized she didn’t really taste it this morning… for the obvious reason. The mention of the man’s name could spoil most anything for her.

  “Is he as gorgeous in person as he is in my dreams?”

  This brought Amanda’s eyes up to meet Darcy’s smiling ones. Why had this man come back to complicate her life?

  “Thanks for the food. I’ll see you Sunday.”

  Darcy watched Amanda slide her bag over her shoulder. “It’s like pulling teeth to get information out of you sometimes. I’d be running to that ranch faster than wild horses to see J.D. Sterling in all his hot, good looking glory.”

  Amanda’s only response to Darcy’s comment was a brief wave of her hand as she left through the door.

  Little did the woman know, but Amanda would have gladly changed places with her in a heartbeat if she could have. However, business was business, and it was up to her to seal the deal and then get her name added to the sign above the realty office. Bagley and Lawson Realtors. It was something she'd worked long hours and many years to achieve. Now it was just about within her grasp. If it meant she had to endure another few hours in the company of J.D. Sterling… then so be it.

  If she was one to believe in fate, then she would have demanded to know why fate had brought him back into her life just when she had least expected it. She had worked hard and put the past to rest and had made a good life for herself. Why now? Why not all those years ago when it could have mattered? That brought back a different pain she didn’t want to experience again. She had fought off the demons in the darkness of the many long nights over the years, and now the daylight shut them away, and that was where they needed to stay. J.D. could only hurt her again if she allowed it. There was no chance of that happening ever again! That thought stiffened her spine and her resolve.

  It was five minutes until nine when she pulled up next to the black double cab truck parked in the drive. It still had dealer plates on it and was all shiny and new. A big rig for the big man, she thought with a wry twist to her mouth. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then she caught the strap of her bag, with the necessary papers and pen inside, and stepped out of the car.

  Amanda moved toward the porch, expecting to see him seated on it, waiting. He surprised her… again.

  “Morning, sunshine, nice to see you’re still punctual.”

  The words came from behind her and across a lot of years. She had prepared herself to see him again, but J.D. had already thrown a curveball. He had addressed her by his special nickname for her. She didn’t know what surprised her more… the fact that he had used it… or the fact that he even remembered it. Amanda clinched her jaw for a second or two, trying to hold on to the control she had fortified herself with on the drive out to the property. This was going to be a very long morning. However, none of that was on her face when she slowly turned toward him.

  This morning, he was all sexy cowboy. J.D. sat easy in the saddle on the back of a large black horse. His hands lightly held the reins as he rested them on top of the saddle horn. There was that lazy smile, but his eyes were half-hidden by the brim of his hat pulled low over his
brow. Blue jeans and a snug-fitting, dark blue western shirt completed the picture. Just a typical cowboy out for a morning ride... right.

  “I wasn’t aware this property still had horses on it.”

  “It doesn’t. I had them brought in this morning. It’s the best way to get the lay of the land. I’ve seen it from the air, now I want to see it from the ground. This is Sampson,” he indicated his horse. “And this beautiful filly,” he added, as he nodded his head to the horse next to him, its reins looped in the fingers of one of his hands, “is named Delilah.”

  “You snap your fingers and you get what you want. That must be nice.” Amanda hadn’t meant to speak the words aloud, but out they'd come nonetheless.

  For a moment, J.D. glanced down at the hands crossed on the saddle before him. His eyes weren’t visible for her to read. “It would be nice if it worked on everything and everyone.”

  His comeback was spoken with just a hint of what? Discouragement? Couldn’t be. Not from the man who had everything he ever wanted.

  “I take it that I’m supposed to ride her?”

  “That’s the idea,” he said, back to his old self again and looking at her with a challenge in his steady green gaze that came out of its hiding place to send a challenge her way. “Unless you’ve gotten rusty over the years and would prefer to ride with me?”

  Her only reply to that one was to toss her bag onto the steps of the porch and then jerk the reins from his fingers. She mounted the animal easily enough.

  “Now what?”

  “Now we ride.” J.D. swung his mount around and into a fast trot. She did the same.

  The Peterson ranch covered over six-thousand acres with prime pasture land, rolling hills, and over three miles of waterfront along the Guadalupe River. There were numerous outbuildings and barns, including an indoor roping arena. The ranch had fallen into a bit of disrepair when the elder Peterson had lost interest in its running, and had suffered a stroke shortly after his only son had been killed in Iraq. He had moved to a rehabilitation community in San Antonio and had placed the ranch on the market almost a year ago. There had been a couple of nibbles, but in the present economy, very few could handle the steep price tag.

  It would definitely be a big payday for their realty company to close the deal. Amanda was well aware of what depended on the outcome of such a sale. They rode quite a distance in silence, making a wide arc around the center of the land. That was fine with her. But she knew it couldn’t last forever. It didn’t.

  “This is still some of the prettiest land in Texas. It shouldn’t take too much work to get it back into the showplace it used to be. Remember when we used to sneak into the Sunday afternoon ropings? Remember the day that old man…”

  “No, I don’t remember. Are we here to skip down memory lane or discuss the terms of sale?”

  “I think it’s time for a little refreshment. It might put one of us in a better mood,” J.D. replied as his heel touched the side of his mount and sent him back into a trot. He didn’t give her time to reply. Her only option was to follow.

  Their destination was one of the barns which had been used as stables for the ranch hands’ horses. At first, Amanda just remained on her horse even after J.D. had dismounted. Her eyes took in the remembered building, and a flood of memories threatened to overwhelm her. Had he picked this spot on purpose? The spot where he had first kissed her? The thought fled when she felt his eyes watching her. If he had memories of this place, they would be far different from hers. She stepped down from the horse. It was quiet… the only sound was the breeze moving through the tree branches of the huge oak trees lining the road they had ridden along to this spot.

  They turned their mounts into a small corral at the back of the building. Amanda had no idea what to expect next, but she definitely couldn’t have envisioned what surprise he had in store for her. She followed him through the double doors of the structure, their booted feet on the rough concrete floor echoing in the cavernous building. J.D. paused in front of her and then turned with a smile and a sweeping gesture of his arm.

  Amanda’s gaze moved in the direction his arm indicated, and her eyes blinked wide in surprise before she could contain her reaction. A table sat in the middle of the freshly swept arena. A red-and-white-checkered cloth covered it and there was a metal pitcher in the center, serving as a vase, holding a bouquet of mixed flowers. The table had obviously been set for a cozy lunch for two. She assumed the large wicker basket sitting just to the side of the table would be holding the food.

  “I know we couldn’t make it to Carl’s last night because you already had plans, so I thought we could bring it to us today. Shall we?”

  Amanda stepped past him, ignoring the arm he had offered her. She had no plans to make contact with him. He could think what he wanted of her rude behavior. J.D. should feel grateful that she had been willing to go along with this farce in the first place. She was only doing so in order to obtain that partnership with Morris.

  “I had hoped to have our business concluded by noon, and having lunch was not on the agenda.” She pulled out her own chair and seated herself before he could do it. She took a look at the man and found a bit of pleasure when she caught a look of uncertainty in his eyes… if only for a moment or two.

  He brought the containers of food out of the basket, and then set them on the table. The aromatic smell of ribs and Carl’s secret sauce for dipping did make Amanda’s stomach react. But J.D.’s words brought a different reaction.

  “We have potato salad and coleslaw. I ordered the baked honey beans instead of the pinto beans. I know you prefer those, and cornbread instead of the rolls.” J.D. smiled across at her. “Oh, and there is a large container of sweet tea. I hope I got it all correct?”

  Amanda could only sit in silence at first. He had remembered everything she liked. At least once a week, they had eaten at Carl’s and she'd always ordered the same thing. And after all the dozen years, he still remembered. Why? What was he up to? Her eyes narrowed a bit in their cool regard of the man across from her.

  “You’ve thought of everything. This is unexpected… and unnecessary.”

  “Well, I figured if I asked you to have dinner this evening, you would probably have another appointment. So I sort of stacked the deck in my favor. You’re more or less a captive lunch guest this way.” He said it along with a grin and then proceeded to enjoy the food on his plate.

  Amanda didn’t bother to reply. What would be the point? Instead, she kept her eyes on the plate in front of her. Even though she hadn’t planned on it, her appetite did do the food justice. His attempts at conversation fell short when she only responded in one- or two-word responses. She had to refuse when he brought out the two slices of pecan pie.

  “Guess I’ll just have to eat your slice also. Although, I remember how you used to be able to make room for Carl’s pie.”

  “I was younger then. It isn’t so easy to shed pounds as you get older.”

  “That’s something you don’t have to worry about.” His eyes grew warmer as they sent the compliment her way. “If I haven’t said so yet, I think you’ve grown into one gorgeous woman. You were beautiful as a teenager, but you…”

  “Let’s keep this business, shall we?” Her tone was definitely brusque in reaction to the feelings that his words had unleashed inside her.

  That stopped him. His eyes lost the green glow. Now they looked at her in a narrowed search.

  J.D.’s tone was no longer light when he next spoke to her. “I had hoped we could get back on track. I know it’s been a while since we last saw each other, but I think we share a lot of history from way back…”

  “History is just that,” she interrupted him. “Things that are in the past. We were foolish kids back then. Thankfully, we grew up. And I don’t have any more time to waste today.” Amanda stood and headed toward the open doorway. His hand on her arm stopped her. He brought her around to face him. That lazy smile was not in evidence. His eyes bore into hers.


  “What did you do to the girl I used to know? I sure would like it if Mandy could be found again.”

  The nerve of the man! “What did I do to that girl? That’s rich. Did you really think that she would still be here waiting for you to decide to take a stroll down memory lane sometime? What happened, J.D.? Did you get bored with all your groupies throwing themselves at you? Wanted a change of pace? Well, I can sell you a ranch, but that is the only thing that is for sale around here. When you want to sign a contract, you can call me. Until then, I intend to forget we had this conversation. And my name is Amanda.”

  Chapter Three

  Amanda didn’t go back to the office after leaving the ranch. She wasn’t in any mood to face Morris Bagley and his greed-induced smiles and questions about when the signed contract would be on his desk. If anything, she may have to tell him that she had blown the deal. She very much doubted J.D. Sterling wanted any further dealings with her. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as she thought back to what he had said.

  He'd wanted to know where the girl he'd known had gone. What had she done with her? Talk about selective memory. What would he have done if she had reminded him of the truth? In terms that would leave him in no doubt as to what she thought of him. Perhaps he preferred to relegate all things not pleasant to such a distant past as to neither think of nor remember them at all. And if she'd brought out all the sordid details again to jog his poor memory? What then? What would J.D. Sterling have done? He would have turned away and run as fast as he could back to his celebrity life.

  Amanda turned into her driveway and brought her car to a halt under the carport. She reached for her bag, and that’s when she realized the bag was not beside her. Closing her eyes in frustration, she knew where it was… still sitting on the porch at the ranch where she had set it before their ride. Fuming with anger and eager to be away from the man as quickly as possible, she had ridden back to the main house, dismounted, and gone straight to her car. Her keys had been in her pocket so she had not had any reason to think about her bag at that time. Now she would have to go back… but not right away. She’d drive back in the morning. Odds were J.D. was on his way back to Nashville. She’d go back to the ranch tomorrow.