Twelfth of Never (Book 3 of the McKay series)

by Hestand, Rita

  Mike smiled. "It won't be long before he's exploding."

  "You think?"

  "I know!"

  Mike did several rounds of shots with her, then threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. He kissed her lightly on the nose and then they drove back to the ranch house.

  Wendy fully understood his intentions and couldn't wait for Wade to boil over.

  When Wade rode up to the barn to put the stallion in the barn, he glanced up the hill. Mike was taking Wendy into his arms and he whispered just before he kissed her. "Don't fight this, just relax. I'm not going to hurt you…And this isn't for real."

  Then his lips covered hers in a provocative kiss as his hands went around her to hold her steady. His hands floated about her naked waist and lightly caressed her.

  Wendy wasn't experienced in kissing and Mike had to temper her attempt at it. He led the kiss and let her go gently when he was sure he had Wade's full attention. Wendy looked wistful and confused when he released her, but she soon snapped out of it.

  "That should do it for a while now…" Mike whispered.

  "Thanks, Mike." Wendy smiled, recovering quickly from the kiss. "I owe you, big time."

  Mike smiled and walked off.

  It surprised him that Wendy could act so well, and from the look on Wade's face, he had succeeded in making the man about as jealous as he could get. There were feelings between Wade and Wendy and sooner or later, Wade was going to have to address them. Problem was, he wasn't at all sure who he'd address them to.

  What Mike didn't know was that Sandy had watched them too, from the living room window.

  Chapter Eight

  "Well, that went well, didn't it?" Sandy's voice was edged with tension forcing Wendy to whip about to look at her as she came through the door.

  "Yes, it did. You should have seen Wade's face. Mike is so good at what he does. He is the sweetest man."

  "He is, isn't he?" Sandy tried to sound normal but inside she was fuming at her own anger. She had asked Mike to do this, so she had no reason to get upset. But she just hadn't expected him to be so good at it.

  "Mike promised not to hurt me. I thought that was so sweet. He fully understands my problem with Wade. He's such a gentle man. If I didn't love Wade, I'd go for Mike…" Wendy chuckled and went upstairs.

  Sandy felt the jolt of Wendy's words for a long moment. Oh dear God, was Wendy falling for Mike already? Sandy hadn't thought about that aspect. She truly thought Wendy was so gone on Wade that no man could turn her head. But a kiss…especially Mike's kisses could turn any woman to mush.

  "Are you going out with him again?" Sandy shouted up the stairs.

  "Yes." Wendy came to lean on the banister. "Tomorrow. He's taking pictures of me. I've never had this much attention from a man in my life." Wendy giggled. "And these clothes you picked out for me. If I had known they would cause such a stir in Wade, I'd have worn them to work in. In fact, I may never go back to being my old self again."

  Wendy glanced down at Sandy. "Is something wrong? You look a little pale. How come you aren't seeing Chad, anymore?"

  "I-I am. I'm just taking a little break. Giving him time to visit with his folks is all," Sandy insisted.

  "You don't take breaks from the man you love, Sandy. He could easily find someone else, you know?" Wendy smiled.

  "Yeah, maybe you're right…" Sandy murmured. "But if he does, he isn't the man for me, anyway, now is he?"

  "Guess you are right. I'm going to lay out my clothes for tomorrow. Mike said we'd make a day of it and go on a picnic. He said there's nothing more romantic than a picnic."

  Sandy nodded numbly. "Yeah, I guess he's right."

  ~*~

  "So how do you like romancing the kid?" Chad laughed as Mike paid a visit to his folks that Friday night.

  "She's something, let me tell you." Mike chuckled. "But she's also very inexperienced."

  "What do you mean?" Chad frowned, surprised by his brother's exuberance as they talked outside before dinner.

  "I told her exactly what to do, she did it. And it seems to be working." Mike laughed.

  "The guy's jealous already?" Chad twisted his head in surprise.

  "Oh yeah."

  "Did you kiss her?" Chad asked.

  "I did." Mike nodded.

  "And?"

  "And what?" Mike glanced at Chad, puzzled.

  "Was it good?" Chad asked with a laugh. "I mean, she is a little young for you, man."

  "She's a novice at kissing. But with my help, she'll get better." Mike laughed. "Wendy is a sweet girl. I hope she knows what she's doing."

  "You don't think her and Wade are going to get together?" Chad chuckled.

  "It's an intense thing. She really thinks she loves the guy. But from what I've seen of Wade, well, his mind set and he's right, she is too young. Cowboys are a stubborn lot."

  "That's too bad…" Chad shook his head. "She's a real looker."

  "She is. But if she can get over this hump with Wade then all will be well. And if she can't, she might have to face it and go on." Mike twisted his head in question. "Which in the long run will help her. Some things aren't meant to be, no matter how right they might seem."

  Amazed by his brother's transformation, Chad stared at him. "You're very confident of yourself these days. Is there a reason?"

  "I guess maybe I am…" Mike laughed and walked off. "And I'm not sure where it's coming from, bro. But I like it."

  His mother was in the kitchen and he joined her, kissing her cheek and smiling.

  "Well! You are certainly in a good mood."

  "I guess I am…" Mike smiled.

  She kissed him on the cheek and stared at him. "And where on earth did you get that cowboy hat?"

  "Caleb gave it to me. Said it made me fit in better." Mike laughed.

  "And who is Caleb?" his mother asked, not that she was really interested, but that she was curious of his friends.

  "He's one of the older hands at the ranch," Mike answered, glancing at the roses with appreciation.

  "What ranch?" His mother's face screwed up.

  "Sandy's ranch, Mother." Mike frowned.

  "Oh, oh yes…"

  His father joined him in the study after dinner after hearing them talking. "Did you work today?"

  "As a matter of fact I did, all day in fact," Mike informed him. "All I have to do now is develop the pictures I took and I'm done."

  His father seemed to study him for a long moment.

  "I see, photographers don't work a steady work week, do they?" he insisted with a frown.

  "No Dad, they don't. That's one of the many things I like about it. I can make my own hours."

  "Don't you find that a little strange?"

  "No, it's a different kind of work, Dad. But then I can spend a lot of time in developing what I've done, and I can do that when I see fit."

  "Yes, self-employment often is like that, I'm told."

  "It's nothing like running a Hardware Store." Mike smiled, indulging his father. "You've put in way too many hours at that store."

  "Running a Hardware Store has supported you and your brother all your life," his father corrected.

  "Yes, it has. It's an honorable living," Mike agreed.

  "You could have come into the business with me, years ago, if you'd wanted to. Instead, you take the easy way out and work with those…women."

  Mike glanced at his father, determined to be upbeat. He couldn't help but notice how his parents were aging a bit and moving slower. He suddenly saw them in a different light. And seeing them in this particular way made his emotions cloud for a moment. He didn't want to argue with his dad any longer. His dad was not going to change at this point in life and he would just have to accept it and work around it.

  "No nine to five for me," Mike answered quickly. "But Dad, I don't just work with women, I also work with animals and scenery."

  "You know there is still time for you to go back to school…" his father insisted as though he hadn
't even heard him.

  "Is there…well, I don't want to waste the money, Dad." Mike chuckled. "Your money or anyone else's. I'm quite happy with my work, thanks for the thought though."

  "You are in a good mood today," his father acknowledged.

  "Despite what you might think of me, Dad, I'm very happy with my line of work. I enjoy it. Can you say the same?"

  "You call it work, I call it a hobby. And real work is not enjoyable, it's a responsibility," his father added dramatically.

  "You can call it anything you like. That's your privilege. And if you don't enjoy your work, I'm sorry. I really am. I always thought you took a lot of pride in owning that store."

  His father paused, running a hand through his thick head of greying hair. "Of course I did. I didn't mind the work so much. But you…you could have been so much more…"

  Mike grit his teeth just for an instant, and with a strange emotion flitting across his face, he smiled sadly at his father. "Thank you Father, I didn't know you had that much confidence in me."

  "You've got more sense than any of us and yet you waste it, on pictures." His dad shook his head, his disappointment evident in his facial features. "Pure foolishness."

  "I could have wasted it on something worse…like drinking…" He eyed his father closely.

  "If you are referring to your brother, he's just home from a tour of duty. Duty which earned him a Purple Heart if you remember," his dad reminded him. "Why…your brother is a hero and he has a right to unwind from all of that…after all, he was injured…."

  "You are right. I had no right to go there. Sorry…" Mike nodded as he took his keys from his pocket. "Just trying to point out there is a time to cut it off for his own sake."

  "He has control of it…"

  "Does he? I pray he does, Dad."

  "You're leaving?"

  "Yeah, I am…well, I'll see you later in the week. Love ya…" he called over his shoulder as Chad joined them.

  "Where you off to?" Chad asked. "And who do you love?"

  "Today I love everyone, bro. I've gotta do some work in the dark room. I'm anxious to see how the pictures of Cade and Julie's project turn out," Mike called as he was leaving. "If it turns out as well as I'm thinking, I might even have another showing. The magazine is pretty excited about this one. They are already thinking it's going to garner national attention. If it's as good as I think it's going to be, Cade and Julie will have help from a lot of organizations."

  "Sounds interesting, maybe I need to go to one of these showings of yours." Chad smiled.

  "You are always welcome…" Mike smiled back.

  "Dinner next Friday, dear," his mother called from another room.

  "Will do," Mike answered her as he walked out the door.

  No matter how many times he told them about his work, they were never excited for him. They never even looked at his work, never attended a showing. This made him sad and he was determined not to be sad today. He'd helped a friend and he was satisfied he'd done a good job of it too.

  There was satisfaction in work. Nothing could take that away from him.

  Chapter Nine

  Before Mike got out of his truck, Wade appeared. Just the way he walked around the truck told Mike he was in for a confrontation. Wade took on the persona of a gunfighter about to have a showdown. His jaw was set, his legs were apart, and his eyes were fastened on Mike as Mike got out of the truck and faced him. Wade was a serious man and somehow Mike almost felt it his duty to lighten him up. There was a tension in him that buzzed between them.

  "Mike."

  "Wade."

  "I'd like to talk to you," Wade said, eyeing him closely.

  "Sure, Wade, what's on your mind?" Mike asked, deciding to take a low key and let Wade do the talking. Mike leaned on the back of the truck.

  "It's about Wendy…" Wade began. Wade almost paced he was so restless.

  "Oh…" Mike didn't want to lead into that one. He let Wade start the conversation, not knowing what he might say or do next.

  "Look, I don't know how to say this any other way but, you know how young she is…"

  Mike glanced at the ground, scuffed his boot a bit in the rocks on the driveway from the barn. "Sure I do…I guess she is, in age at least."

  "What do you mean by that?" Wade insisted.

  "Nothing…nothing at all. It's just one minute she seems very young, and the next she's talking and acting like a woman…that's all."

  "She's not a woman. I mean…not in the true sense of the word. She's still a kid. And I aim to keep her that way. Now, I've seen the two of you together. I've seen you taking pictures of her. You are building her up for a big fall. She's no model and you know it," Wade insisted, his words sounding bitter.

  This turn Mike hadn't expected. Wade was approaching the whole thing as though Wendy would be the next modeling sensation to hit the limelight. He wasn't about to make this personal. Not yet at least.

  "I never said she was."

  "No, maybe not, but you are building up her hopes. You are letting her in for a big fall. And as ramrod of this place, it is my duty to see no one gets hurt. If you get my drift…"

  "Am I hurting her?" Mike questioned, giving Wade a long stare.

  Wade seemed taken aback that Mike would look him in the eye and answer him. "You will if you keep it up. She never had the notion to be a model before. She's a rancher. That's clear enough for anyone to see. Her heart is here, on the ranch. Why not work with Letty? She's done modeling for you before. Why switch to Wendy, an inexperienced young girl? You are putting all kinds of hopes and dreams in her head."

  "You think she's a young girl, Wade?" Mike frowned. "Is that how you see her? You think she doesn't have the same dreams and feelings as any other woman? She's growing up my friend and you've got to face it."

  "I don't know what she dreams about or thinks about, but she's no woman. She's a kid. Don't you think she's a kid?" Wade frowned back, as though he needed affirmation of his own theory.

  "Not at all. She's smart and knows what she wants. She has the figure it takes to be a great model. She's got one of the tiniest waists I have ever seen."

  "Yes, and you've seen it, no doubt."

  "She isn't hiding herself. Nor should she. She's a lovely young woman, Wade. Her youth is on her side as far as modeling goes. She could be great. She has potential," Mike insisted, preferring to keep this on a professional basis. Mike was amused that Wade had taken this particular route to approach him. However, after closer thought, Wade might have thought all of Mike's moves were on a professional level.

  "So she's a new discovery to you?" Wade questioned. "She's an opportunity to make money to you, that's it?"

  "Maybe…" Mike almost laughed.

  "Find someone else, please…" Wade said his expression grim and foreboding. "You are playing with her, and I don't like that…"

  "And if I don't?"

  That was throwing down the gauntlet, but Mike had to start somewhere. Wade still hadn't given in to his true feeling for the girl and Mike had to force that. He knew that now. Wade was not going to come out and admit his feelings to him or any other man. And yet he liked the man even more because he had standards he lived up to and he understood them.

  "Then we'll be having more discussions like these," Wade promised. "Only it could get physical, and I don't think you want that."

  "Want me to stop kissing her too?" Mike grinned.

  "This isn't a game, Mike. She's impressionable. She's my responsibility."

  "Is that what she is, a responsibility? That's interesting. Sure you're just not jealous?" Mike inferred.

  Wade looked struck. The color drained from his face, as if he couldn't believe Mike said that. "No, I am not! I promised her father I would look after her. I meant it. No one is going to hurt her, no one."

  "Then I guess she's fair game…" Mike smiled and walked off. "If you're not in love with her."

  He was walking up the hill to the house when he realized Wade was still
staring after him.

  He had been effective. Wade looked like a puffed up bull dog about to attack.

  ~*~

  "You are kidding me." Wendy laughed. "Wade actually approached you?"

  Mike spread the blanket and set the basket of food down between them.

  "Oh yeah. It's getting to him really bad. Only problem is, he thinks I want to make a model out of you. I sort of let him think it, and more…" Mike laughed as they spread out the food from the basket on the blanket. "Now don't get me wrong. I didn't insinuate anything definite."

  "Oh wow! This is great. Oh Mike, thank you so much…" Wendy gushed and kissed him on the mouth.

  The kiss began as a peck, but before he knew it, she was all over him. Mike hadn't been prepared for her rush of enthusiasm. Taken by surprise he tried to pull away but Wendy was having none of that. She threw herself into the kiss. He thought her a novice, but this kiss was much more invigorating than he'd planned for. She moved herself closer to him so her small breast pressed against him. She threw his libido in a frenzy of reactions. The girl was playing with fire, but Mike was a no sell.

  Mike slowly nudged her away. "Easy, we don't know if Wade is even around yet."

  "He is; I just saw him ride by. If stares could kill, you'd be dead, my friend." Wendy laughed. She looked at Mike in the eye. "Well, you don't think I'd throw myself on you if he wasn't, do you?"

  "No…no, of course not." Mike flushed.

  "How much longer will we have to go on?" Wendy asked grabbing the chicken and passing him a paper plate.

  "Just until you are satisfied." Mike grabbed the chicken in defense. Wendy had come on a little strong today. Her confidence was bursting.

  "If he'll just come to me…" Wendy whispered.

  "I think if he figures out I'm not paying him any attention, then I think he'll come to you and talk to you. After that, he is all yours…" Mike smiled with satisfaction.

  "I really never figured he'd come to you!" Wendy exclaimed with excitement. She was young, and Mike acknowledged it with her exuberance. He truly hoped that Wade did have feelings for her.