Heart of Texas Series Volume 1: Lonesome Cowboy\Texas Two-Step\Caroline's Child (45 page)

“Go riding,” Caroline inserted. “I'll borrow some jeans from Savannah.”

She could have suggested mud wrestling and he would've agreed.

“Well…I suppose we can alter our plans just a little,” Caroline said, smiling softly.

It took a moment for the words to sink into his consciousness. “You could? Great.”

“Are we going to Savannah's?” Maggie asked, tugging at the sleeve of her mother's dress. “Are we leaving now?”

“It looks that way,” Caroline answered.

Maggie clapped her hands, celebrating the good news.

“I'll see you there, then,” she said to Grady, opening the passenger door for Maggie. Her daughter leaped inside, eager to be on their way.

Grady opened the driver's side for Caroline. “Drive carefully.”

She got in and assured him she would.

Grady stepped away from the car when she started the engine; he watched her back out of the parking space and turn out of the driveway before he realized that he'd attracted a number of curious stares. In particular, he noticed Edwina and Lily Moorhouse studying him.

The two sisters were retired teachers, as prim and proper as the spinster schoolmarms of nineteenth-century Promise. They smiled approvingly in his direction before they leaned toward one another, heads close enough to touch, talking up a storm. He'd been in their classes as a boy and could well recall the speed with which those two could chatter. Two hundred words a minute, he guessed, with gusts up to four fifty.

Their tongues were wagging now, but frankly, Grady didn't care. He was about to spend the afternoon with the woman who'd dominated his thoughts for months. The woman who dominated his dreams.

Grady arrived back at the Yellow Rose less than five minutes behind Caroline. He found her in the kitchen with Savannah, preparing Sunday dinner. She paused when he entered, then glanced around her.

“Did you see Maggie?”

“Maggie?” He shook his head.

“She wasn't on the porch?”

“Not that I noticed.” He stuck his head out the door and couldn't see her.

“I told her not to leave the porch.” Caroline sighed with impatience. She set aside the tomato she was slicing and reached for a towel.

“She came to me for a carrot not more than a minute ago,” Savannah said.

“She probably went into the barn to see the new colt.” Grady blamed himself for that.

“She knows better,” Caroline murmured. “It's not safe there.”

“Don't worry, she's only been gone a minute,” Savannah said reassuringly.

“I'll get her,” Grady offered, eager to prove to Maggie that he could be as charming and wonderful as Richard.

“Are you sure you don't mind?” Caroline asked.

“Not in the least.” Grady headed toward the barn, whistling as he went. The interior was dark after the bright sunlight, and he squinted until his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting.

“Maggie,” he called out.

No answer.

“Maggie,” he called again.

A soft almost mewing sound followed. Grady whirled around. The noise came from Widowmaker's stall. When he looked inside, Grady's heart froze. Maggie was huddled against the wall, her face white with terror.

Just then, the ill-tempered stallion thrashed out with his hooves, narrowly missing the child.

5

G
RADY
KNEW
THAT
HE
HAD
TO
MAKE
HIS
move fast or Maggie could be seriously hurt. Widowmaker snorted and began to paw the floor. Unwilling to give the stallion an opportunity to get any closer to the child, Grady threw open the stall door, grabbed Maggie and literally swung her out of harm's way.

Maggie let out a scream. With his heart pounding, Grady firmly held the squirming child against him, trying to comfort her and at the same time calm his own fears. Unfortunately he failed on both counts.

The barn door flew open and Savannah and Caroline rushed breathlessly inside.

“Mommy! Mommy!”

Grady released Maggie, who raced toward her mother, nearly stumbling in her eagerness to escape his clutches. Caroline held her arms open and the child sobbed hysterically as she fell into her mother's embrace.

“What happened?” Savannah asked.

“Somehow Maggie got into Widowmaker's stall,” Grady explained. His knees shook so badly he sank onto a bale of hay.

“Dear God,” Savannah whispered and lowered herself onto the bale beside him. “Is she hurt?”

Grady didn't think so.

Caroline's eyes were filled with questions, but it was impossible to talk over the sound of Maggie's crying.

“What about you?” Savannah asked. “You didn't get kicked, did you?”

“I'm fine.” Which wasn't entirely true. Grady figured just seeing Maggie in that stall cost him five years of his life. God only knew what would have happened if he hadn't gotten there when he had. The thought wasn't one he wished to entertain.

Gathering the child in her arms, Caroline made her way out of the barn. Savannah and Grady followed. His sister returned to the house, but Grady lingered outside, not knowing how to help although he wanted to do
something.
He waited for a clue from Caroline, who sat on one of the porch steps as she cradled her daughter. Maggie continued to sob almost uncontrollably, hiding her face in her mother's shoulder. Caroline stopped whispering to the child and started to sing in a low soothing voice gently swaying back and forth.

Grady pulled out the rocking chair and Caroline's eyes revealed her gratitude as she sat down in it. When the song was finished, she talked softly to Maggie, reassuring the little girl once more that everything was fine and there was nothing to be afraid of.

Grady paced the area in front of the porch, waiting, wondering what he should do next. If anything. Gradually Maggie quieted. Then she straightened and glanced around.

“Hello, princess,” he said, remembering that was what his father had called Savannah. It seemed to suit Maggie. “Are you okay?”

Maggie took one look at him and burst into tears. Within seconds she'd buried her face in her mother's shoulder again.

“What'd I say?” he asked, unable to understand what he'd done now. He'd hoped the child would view him as her hero since he'd saved her from certain harm. Apparently that wasn't the case.

“She's embarrassed,” Caroline explained.

“Embarrassed?” he shouted, forgetting how his booming voice terrified the little girl. Maggie burrowed deeper into her mother's embrace.

Savannah opened the screen door and stepped onto the porch. “Dinner's ready if anyone's interested,” she announced.

Grady wasn't. His appetite was gone. Conflicting emotions churned in him—he felt angry and relieved, frustrated and pleased, confused and happy. He wanted to hug Maggie and thank God she was safe, and at the same time chastise her for giving him the fright of his life.

“I think it might be best if I took Maggie home,” Caroline said.

“No.” Grady's protest was instantaneous. “I mean, you need to do what you think is best but…” He didn't know what he wanted other than to spend time with her, but now it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

“I'll see if I can settle her down,” Caroline offered. She held Maggie in her arms and continued to rock, humming softly.

Grady sat on the top step and marveled at her gentle manner with the child. The way she calmed Maggie helped quiet his own heart. No one seemed to realize it, but he'd suffered quite a jolt himself. Rocket sat next to him, his head nestled on Grady's lap. The old dog had belonged to his father, and in the years since his parents' deaths, Grady had spent many a late night sitting quietly with Rocket. Talking a bit, mostly just thinking. The dog had often comforted him.

When he was sure he wouldn't disturb the child's slumber, Grady dragged the vacant rocker next to Caroline.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Reaching out, she squeezed his hand. “I hate to think what could have happened if you hadn't arrived when you did. Maggie knows better. I'll have a talk with her later, but I don't think you need to worry about anything like this again. I don't believe I've ever seen her so frightened.”

“I was terrified myself.” He wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Caroline closed her eyes as though to shake the image of her daughter in the stallion's stall from her mind.

It was difficult for Grady not to stare at her.

“Go and have your dinner,” she said a moment later. “I'm only going to stay a few more minutes.”

“I'm not hungry,” he said, wishing he could convince her to stay.

“I'm sorry, Grady, for everything.”

He gestured with one hand, dismissing her apology.

“I was looking forward to riding with you this afternoon,” she said.

He'd forgotten the ostensible reason for her visit. He shrugged as if it was no big thing. “We'll do it some other time.”

She brushed the hair away from Maggie's sweet face. “I'd better go.”

The screen door opened and Savannah poked her head out. “Do you want to put Maggie down on my bed?” she asked. “I'll watch her so you two can…” She didn't finish the statement, but Grady knew his sister. She'd been about to say, “so you two can have some time alone together.”

Caroline shook her head. “Maggie's had a terrible fright and she's embarrassed because she knows she did wrong. I need to talk to her and it'd be best if I did that at home.”

“I'll walk you to your car,” Grady offered. He stuffed his hands in his back pockets as he stood up.

“I'm so sorry, Savannah,” Caroline whispered.

“I'll see you again soon, won't I?”

“Of course.”

Savannah and Grady walked down the porch steps with Caroline holding the sleeping Maggie. “Laredo and I are driving into Fredericksburg to talk to our builder next Wednesday. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be in our own home by October.”

The house would be empty without Savannah, but Grady refused to think about it. At least her new home wouldn't be far from the ranch house, no more than a five-minute walk.

“The house plans are ready?”

Savannah looked inordinately proud. “Laredo and I finished going over everything Friday afternoon and gave our approval to the builder. You can't imagine how much time and effort went into that.”

They reached the car and Grady opened the passenger door so Caroline could set Maggie down. The child didn't so much as stir when Caroline placed the seat belt around her.

“Seeing as Laredo and I will be gone most of Wednesday, perhaps that would be a good day for you two to get together.” Savannah made the suggestion casually, as though she often arranged her brother's schedule.

“Ah…” Grady was a little embarrassed by her obviousness.

“I can come over after work,” Caroline said, smiling at him. “But I don't know if the sitter can keep Maggie.”

“Bring her with you,” Savannah said. “That'll give the three of you time together. It's important for Maggie to feel comfortable around Grady.”

He was warming to the idea. “Perhaps we could all go riding,” he said. “I've got a nice gentle horse I'll put you and Maggie on.” He thought it would be fun to show them the herd and stop at a few special spots along the way. He was proud of the Yellow Rose.

“That would be wonderful!” Caroline sounded enthusiastic; her voice and movements seemed animated, even excited.

“Then it's a date,” Grady said.

“I'll see you soon.” Savannah turned to leave, hurrying back to the house.

Grady and Caroline stood in the yard, and Maggie slept on contentedly as a cool breeze passed through the open door.

“I'd better get going,” Caroline said.

Grady noticed the reluctance in her words, felt it himself.

“I'm glad we had a little time together, anyway.”

“Me, too.”

There was a moment's silence, then Caroline did something completely out of character, something that stunned him. Without warning, she stepped forward and kissed him.

Caught by surprise, Grady was slow to react. A second later he clasped her in his arms, so deeply involved in the kiss that he didn't care
who
saw them. Even Richard.

Neither one of them was able to breathe properly when the kiss ended. Their balance seemed to be affected, too. Grady gripped her elbows and she held on to his waist.

Their eyes met and she smiled the softest, sweetest, sexiest smile he'd ever seen.

“What was that for?” he asked, his voice thick with passion.

“For saving Maggie.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “I once saved a wounded falcon.”

She kissed his cheek.

“It was hurt real bad.”

Her lips inched closer to his.

“Richard broke his arm when he was eight and I carried him home. Will you reward me with a kiss for that, as well?”

“Grady!” she protested with a laugh. “Enough.”

He loved the sound of her laughter. Because he wanted to hold her one last time, he scooped her into his arms and swung her around. Throwing back her head, she continued to laugh with such sheer joy it infected his very soul. They hugged for a long time afterward, content simply to be in each other's arms.

This was heaven, Grady told himself. Heaven in its purest form.

* * *

G
LEN WAS AT
F
RASIER
F
EED
early Tuesday evening just as he'd promised. Ellie'd had a long grueling day; not only was the store exceptionally busy, their wedding was less than a month away and there was an endless list of things that needed to be done.

“I'm glad you're on time,” she said, smiling at him, loving him. She marveled again at how they'd both been so incredibly blind to their feelings.
Obtuse
was the word for the pair of them.

“Hey, when was I ever late?” Glen teased.

Ellie rolled her eyes and hung the Closed sign in the shop window. She started toward the office where she kept her purse, but hadn't gone far when Glen caught her hand and stopped her.

“Not so soon. Aren't you going to let me know how pleased you are to see me?”

“I see you every day,” she reminded him.

“We aren't even married and already you're treating me like an old hat.” He wore a woebegone look.

Laughing, Ellie locked her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss he wouldn't soon forget. Neither would she.

“Oh, baby,” he whispered, his eyes closed. “How much longer until the wedding?”

“Less than a month.” Her head buzzed with everything they still needed to do, to decide and plan. “Sometimes I wish we could just run away and get married.”

“That idea appeals to me more and more,” he murmured.

Ellie was tempted herself, but reason soon took over. “Your mother and mine would never forgive us.”

“In that case, let's live in sin and give them something to really be upset about.”

Despite herself, Ellie giggled. “You always make me laugh.”

“I'm glad to know you find me a source of entertainment.”

“Always,” she joked, kissing him again, lightly this time.

He released her with a reluctance that warmed her heart. Ellie retrieved her purse from the office and tucked in her to-do list.

“When are we scheduled to meet with the Realtor?” Glen asked.

“Not until seven.” Where they would live had been a major decision. If she moved out to the ranch with Glen and Cal, she'd be commuting to Promise each day. If Glen moved into town, then he'd be the one commuting. In the end they'd decided to buy a house in town. Glen would continue working with his brother for a number of years, but hoped someday to start his own spread. When the time came, they'd buy a ranch closer to town, but that was years in the future.