Behind her, the sound of Finn chuckling grew closer. “You were the same way.”
“Impossible. No one is this tenacious,” she called over her shoulder.
“That’s what you think.” Finn came to rest beside her. “She’s as good as you were too.”
“You’re not old enough to remember that.”
One foot on the lower fence board, Finn rested his arms over the top coral board. “When your kid sister rides a horse better than you do, it’s hard to forget.” Pulling back, he slid an arm over her shoulder. “Of course, I got over it when it turned out I could rope a steer and you couldn’t.”
“Not couldn’t. Didn’t want to.” She patted his hand. “I haven’t said a word to her yet about using her legs, and yet, she does it by instinct. If I didn’t know better I’d swear it was genetic.”
“Her grandmother did have more trophies than you and I put together.”
“Makes you wonder about the longtime argument, nature or nurture.”
“Not me. Never argue with Mother Nature.” Slipping his arm at his side, he climbed into the coral. “Go on and get ready for tonight. I’ll take over horsemanship 101.”
“You’re a prince.” She looked over at Stacey walking the horse in their direction. “Uncle Finn is going to take over.”
Stacey nodded and flashed a toothy grin. If Grace had expected her new niece to be unhappy at her leaving early, Grace would have been sadly disappointed. As long as she was on or near a horse, Stacey couldn’t be happier.
“How’s it going?” Joanna, Finn’s fiancée, strolled up.
“Great. Finn’s taking over. I just need few minutes for a quick shower. Do you know if everything’s ready to go?”
“Yep.” Joanna turned and began walking with Grace at her side. “If I understand correctly, the ladies social club has skills besides poker playing. From the looks of it, we may be up all night and covered in glitter.”
“That sounds about right. Just remember the cake balls are boozed. Don’t overdo or you may wind up glued to the favors.”
“Got it.”
They’d made it within a few feet of the back door when Grace’s cell phone rang. By now she recognized the number. Last night after supper Chase had called to update her on the paperwork, confirmed they were still on for Saturday night, and somehow they’d wound up talking about everything and nothing for almost an hour. “Hello.”
“How’d it go today?” Chase asked.
“About the same as yesterday. I don’t think I’m supposed to feel old before thirty but let me tell you, this kid has one heck of an energy level.”
Joanna signaled she’d wait for Grace in the house.
“Some day someone is going to find a magic pill to recreate that energy and get very rich.”
“Amen.” She glanced toward the house. It was getting late and she needed to hurry, but just like last night and the night before, she didn’t want to end the call.
“About tomorrow night?”
“We’re still on.”
“Good. Don’t wear blue jeans.”
She spun around and leaned against the back door. “Ah, we have a dress code.”
“If you really want to, you can wear jeans, but—”
“I only wear jeans here at the ranch. I’m sure I can find some old thing to toss on.”
The screen door squeaked open and Joanna popped her head out. “I’m really sorry,” she whispered pointing to her watch.
“Sorry, but I have to run,” Grace said. “See you tomorrow.”
“Four o’clock.”
“A little early for dinner but I’ll be ready. Four p.m. sharp.”
“Have fun tonight, but don’t get tipsy and forget where you live.”
“Har har har. Till tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
The phone dinged with a disconnect and she wished they could have chatted just a little longer. It wasn’t doing her any good to wallow in the upcoming loss of his company, and she’d already made peace with ignoring her instincts and not staying away from Chase Prescott till she could escape Tuckers Bluff, alias Mayberry, after the wedding. What she couldn’t make peace with was how much she’d miss these conversations once she’d returned to Dallas. And wasn’t that a bit of a problem?
***
“Glad you’re back early.” Meg looked up from the kitchen island at Chase. “There’s been a last minute change of plans.”
“How’s that?” He pilfered a cookie from one of several plates piled high with freshly baked goods. “Anything you need my help with?”
“Not unless you want to be up to your eyeballs in wedding plans.” Adam walked into the kitchen and, heading directly for his wife, planted a quick, firm kiss on her lips before taking a cookie for himself and facing Chase. “I suggest you join me in our apartment upstairs. Our fridge is stocked and the TV has a ball game with our name on it.”
“Wedding plans? For Becky and DJ?” Chase asked.
Meg nodded. “So many folks want to help that we had to move tonight from Becky’s to here. We’ve got more space than her apartment.”
Chase accepted a beer Adam handed him. “I see what you mean.” He started to decline the invitation and quickly decided the distraction, and distance, would be better than sitting alone in his room pretending not to hear the people downstairs. One in particular. “Thanks.”
“Hey,” Adam said over his shoulder, “we men have to stick together.”
Beer in hand, Chase followed Adam up the stairs, resisting the urge to check behind him for the early arrival of the women.
“I hear the sale of the foreman’s property is locked down?”
“Yeah.” Chase nodded to Adam’s back. “Survey’s been ordered. Documents have been sent to the title company in Butler Springs.”
“Brooks tells me that y’all are thinking you can wrap this up in the next couple of weeks.”
More like one, but it was all dependent on the survey. Newly divided land was a little different than reading existing meets and bounds. “Pretty much.”
The front door downstairs must have opened because a multitude of definitely female voices carried up to the third floor. From the way Adam studied him, he was pretty sure he’d gotten busted listening.
“You like my sister.”
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyhow.
“We’ve been known to be very protective of Grace.”
He could imagine. A little too vividly.
“Aunt Eileen always said a girl will expect to be treated the way she’s treated at home.”
“Makes sense.” Chase didn’t have any sisters but the old adage children learn what they see, not what they hear, came to mind.
“We weren’t allowed to get away with any teasing or disrespect. No locker room talk in the house.”
That wasn’t surprising. From what he’d seen of the Farraday home, they had to be the only non-dysfunctional family in the country.
Heavy footsteps stomped up the steps to Adam and Meg’s private apartment. Too many steps for one person. DJ popped in the door first, Brooks on his heels.
“I figured if the girls were going to hang out all night,” Brooks set a plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of Adam, “we might as well band together to keep this one out of trouble.”
DJ raised a single brow. “You do remember ‘this one’ is the police chief?”
Brooks shrugged. “Won’t be the first time Adam and I have had to keep your ass out of trouble.”
“Oh for land’s sake, I’m not twelve.” DJ set a six pack of Shiner Bock on the table beside the cookies. “So,” he sank into the nearest chair and looked to Chase, “you’re buying the foreman’s house.”
It wasn’t a question either. Confident bunch these Farradays. Quietly intimidating. Only thing was, Chase wasn’t sure if his apprehension came from their air of confidence or the fear spawned by what could happen if they knew the things he imagined doing to their not-so baby sister.
"Did you ever get a chance to check out the growling animals?"
DJ nodded. "Went by yesterday. No dog dishes, no animals—growling or otherwise. Whatever was there—if it was there—is gone now."
If? There was definitely something growling under the porch. Then again, he lived in Manhattan, what the hell did he know about the wildlife of West Texas. Maybe it had been a damn family of raccoons for all he knew. Did raccoons growl?
“You move fast.” Brooks hiked his ankle onto his knee. “Title company notified me the wire transfer was received. For the full amount.”
Chase nodded. He wanted the house deal done, lock stock and barrel, before Grace left for Dallas. Since he wasn’t quite sure how much time he had, he was doing his best to move fast with everything.
“The closer says we could make this happen as soon as she gets the survey.”
That was exactly what he was hoping for. With a little motivation most title companies could close within five business days no problem, and in Texas, where lawyers weren’t required to slow things down with a quagmire of paperwork, he’d hoped the cash deal would light a fire under everyone. So far so good.
Still holding onto the longneck beer bottle, Brooks rested it on the side of his boot. “You move this fast with everything?”
“When I know what I want.” He met Brooks’ gaze. Something told him this was one more test to show what he was made of. City boy or a man worthy of their sister.
All three brothers looked at him and he did his best not to squirm in place.
“We tend to be a bit protective of our baby sister,” Brooks added.
Adam bobbed his head. “Told him that already.”
“Good.” DJ took a sip from his beer.
“But I didn’t show him.” A tiny smile teased at one side of Adam’s mouth and Chase had this ridiculous feeling that he was about to be hung out the window by his feet.
Brooks and DJ looked him over from head to toe and once again Chase did his best to keep a straight face and hide his sweaty palms.
“Grace would kill us,” DJ finally said.
“Hmm,” Adam mumbled.
Brooks shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Chase held his ground, and the brothers’ gazes.
“She’s complicated.” DJ leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
He certainly couldn’t argue with that.
“And she’s hell bent on leaving the dust of this town behind her,” Adam added.
He knew that too.
“But you’re still in, aren’t you?” Brooks asked.
Without a word, Chase nodded.
Brooks smiled. “May have to change my bet.”
Chapter Eighteen
Four o’clock couldn’t arrive fast enough. The favor making party lasted till midnight and Grace didn’t get to bed until well after one. Not that it mattered. She’d been too wound up to fall asleep and once she finally had, she was too anxious to stay asleep.
Her only direction had been not to wear jeans. There were four different outfits on the bed, three of which she’d tried on in the last thirty minutes. Two of them twice. In the end, she settled for a floral pattern broom skirt with a casual dark lavender scoop neck top. Not too bright, not too light, and if she didn’t hurry downstairs, she might change her mind for the umpteenth time and try out a few more possibilities.
“It’s not dinner with the queen,” she mumbled to herself.
“Don’t you look nice.” Aunt Eileen sat in her favorite recliner, quilt squares scattered about her.
“Thank you. I thought you were further along on that?”
“You’re thinking of the blanket we made for Brittany. This is for Brooks and Toni’s baby.”
“Kind of hard to believe a year ago there wasn’t a child in sight and now we have three.”
“Almost three,” Aunt Eileen corrected. “Once this is done we need to start on a blanket for Stacey.”
“Don’t you think she’s a little old for a baby blanket?”
“Of course she is. Hers will be bigger. More for a twin bed. That’s why we decided to do the smaller ones first.”
“It’s nice that the social club is doing quilts again.”
Aunt Eileen lowered the hoop encircled fabric to her lap. “Speaking of nice: Where are you two going tonight?”
“I haven’t a clue.” Not that she hadn’t tried. Last night she briefly invaded the man cave where her brothers and Chase had chosen to hibernate in an effort to coax their destination out of him. She’d gotten nowhere. Then this morning she’d called with the pretext of following up on the house sale and once again failed to get any helpful information from him. “But,” she glanced at the clock on the mantle, “we should know soon enough. It’s exactly one minute to—“
The doorbell chimed and Grace had to stop herself from running to the door. Anyone would think this was her first date. Ever.
“Do you want me to get it?” Aunt Eileen set the fabric aside and grinned. “You know, make a grand entrance and all.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Grace may have rolled her eyes, only because there was no way she’d admit she’d actually considered it moments before her aunt voiced the words. Taking a deep breath and brushing her hands quickly down her sides, she reached for the handle and swung the big oak door open. “Hello.”
Chase Prescott stood in the doorway in pressed slacks, a button-down shirt and a navy sports coat that deepened the color of his eyes to the same shade as her aunt’s cobalt collection. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like something to drink? There’s fresh lemonade in the fridge.”
“Thanks,” he flipped his wrist, “but we don’t really have time.”
“Oh.” At this hour she hadn’t expected him to be in a hurry. “Let me grab my purse.”
Chase nodded as she shuffled across the entry to where she’d set her bag down and, slinging the small leather bag over her shoulder, returned to his side. “Shall we?”
With his hand at her back, Chase led her out the door and she almost tripped to a stop. A while limousine idled in front of her.
“We’re going in that?”
Meeting her questioning gaze, he nodded. “I hope it’s not too much.”
“No.” She scanned the luxury vehicle from bumper to bumper. “I’ve always wanted to ride in one.”
This time the one stuttering with surprise was Chase. “You’ve never been in a limo?”
She shook her head.
“What about prom?”
“Small town, remember?”
“Right.” He nodded. “Well then milady, your carriage awaits.”
If it had been possible to melt to a puddle, she probably would have. Inside, a champagne bottle chilled in a bucket, soft blue hues lit the interior, and a single red rose rested on the seat.
“Too much?” he asked again.
Holding the rose with two fingers, she took a long whiff and slid into place. “No, but you’re making it tough for the next guy to invite me to dinner to compete.”
A Cheshire grin took over his face. “That’s what I’m counting on.”
Little over an hour later, they’d sipped champagne, listened to Sinatra, Michael Buble, and John Legend, and chatted about everything from favorite colors to college football.
“You never cease to amaze me,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re like a college ball encyclopedia.”
“No. Just an Aggie. Yes, you learn academia as well as loyalty, honor and a host of other valuable life lessons, but a bachelor’s degree from A&M wouldn’t be complete without a thorough and detailed understanding of—“
“Football.”
“Yep.”
The vehicle momentarily slowed and then continued past the guard booth and through the gates. “We’re at the airport?” Halfway to Butler Springs, the small airport supported mostly helicopters for medical emergencies or ranch supervision. Helos were her brother’s
thing. She’d flown with him a time or two and felt bad that Chase’s grand gesture wouldn’t be as grand as he’d hoped.
The limo came to a stop, and Chase climbed out first. Extending his hand to her, she accepted, and like a starlet on red carpet night, gracefully exited the limo, one showy leg at a time. On her feet, she offered Chase an appreciative smile, and glanced around for the helicopter. Only there wasn’t one. The only thing visible was a sleek, white, needle nose jet. Private jet.
With the front door—was that what it’s called—wide open, and steps leading up and inside, the airplane extended an invitation to someone. She double checked the surrounding buildings. A few bays were open in nearby hangars but no sign of a helicopter. Her gaze drifted back to the private plane and for a second thought whoever was escaping, the only thing missing from the extravagant scenario was a red carpet.
“Ready?” he asked, nudging her out onto the field.
She actually did one more double-take. They were walking straight to the private plane. “We’re going to dinner in that?”
Chase chuckled. “Beats driving.”
Stunned, she took the last few steps to the plane and climbed aboard. A thousand different questions bounced about in her mind. How could he afford this? How badly was he going into hock for this? Should she let him go through with it? What might the special be if they just went to the café? Or maybe she was about to wake up from a dream any minute.
“Make yourself at home.”
Inside, she soaked in the comfortable seating, small tables, and more champagne. “Holy shit.”
If this was some crazy ass dream, she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to wake up.
***
So far, so good. Even though Grace's expletive the second she stepped into the aircraft caught Chase by surprise, it quickly became clear to him that she wasn't upset but seriously impressed. Score one for the Prescott team.
“We’ll be taking off shortly. Take a seat wherever you like.”
Standing a few feet away from him, Grace scanned the options and quickly settled for the closest seat. “Am I allowed to ask where we’re going?”
“You are, but I don’t have to tell you.”
One eyebrow arched high.
Grace Page 12
