Heart of Texas Volume One (13 page)

When the band took a break before their final set, Richard brought out his guitar. Taking advantage of the more or less captive audience, he started playing. A dozen people gathered around him. A few children, including Maggie, camped at his feet. A sing-along ensued, and Richard performed several of the songs he'd massacred a few nights earlier in the bunkhouse. Only this time he managed to do a respectable job of carrying a tune, and the words were recognizable.

Twenty minutes later the band returned, and the lead singer encouraged all the men to bring their sweethearts onto the floor. Laredo watched as Richard chose Ellie Frasier—and even managed to steal a kiss when he thought no one was looking. He didn't dance with Ellie long, though, changing partners and dancing with several elderly ladies and then with Maggie and a few of the other children still at the party. The little girls' delight at having the guest of honor pay them such attention sounded in their excited shrieks. The guy was smooth, Laredo gave him that.

“Is this the sweetheart dance?” Savannah asked him, lifting her head from his shoulder.

“That's what he said.”

She sighed deeply. Laredo had never been much of a ladies' man, but he knew what that sigh meant. Savannah wanted to dance the sweetheart dance with him, but she wouldn't ask. He had to be the one to invite her.

Damn, he wasn't any good at this romance stuff, but he hated to disappoint Savannah. Nor was he good at dancing. It always made him feel awkward and uncomfortable. Especially in front of an audience. And especially when it was this slow music.

But rather than let her down, Laredo stood and extended his hand in a courtly fashion. “May I have the honor of this dance?”

Her responding smile was worth any embarrassment he might bring on himself, Laredo decided. Savannah's beautiful blue eyes filled with happiness. “Does this mean I'm your sweetheart, Laredo Smith?” she asked softly.

Hennessey's words of warning echoed in his ears. But hell, the man could arrest him for all he cared just then. “It must.”

Savannah placed her hand in his and stood.

“Be warned, I might step on your foot,” he muttered under his breath as they approached the dance floor.

“I suggest you watch your own feet. It's been a long time since I did anything like this.”

Laredo should have known Savannah would find a way to put him at ease. Being with her always made him feel…special. As though he alone, of all men, was worthy of this good and beautiful woman. Right this minute he could almost believe it….

Several couples swayed to the romantic music, holding each other close. One couple was deeply involved in a kiss.

Laredo drew her into his arms and concentrated on moving his feet in a box step, mentally counting to four. One step back, one step to the right, one step forward and then to the left.

“Laredo,” she whispered in his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Relax, okay?”

“But—”

“All I really wanted was for you to hold me.”

That was all he wanted, too. He shut his eyes and pulled her into the shadows. He kissed her ear, smiling when he felt her shiver.

“Like that, do you?”

“Oh, yes.”

He rubbed her back.

“I like that, too.”

Laredo was just beginning to feel that he had the hang of this when she captured his earlobe between her lips and gently sucked on it. His eyes flew open and his blood went hot. He slowly let the breath drain from his lungs, then locked his hands at the small of her back. Soon she was flush against him. With her softness touching him like that, in the most intimate places, Laredo lost count of the steps. Not long afterward, he discontinued dancing altogether, other than to shuffle his feet a little.

“Laredo,” she whispered. “I'm glad Grady asked you to stay. I'm glad for a lot of reasons.”

“Me, too,” he whispered. “So glad…”

The song continued and he closed his eyes again, wanting to savor these moments. His heart felt so full it actually hurt. Until now, with Savannah in his embrace, Laredo hadn't thought such a possibility existed. But his heart ached. Not with grief or pain but with love.

Of all the memories that could have come to him at a time like this, the one that did was of his father. The last memory he had of his father still alive.

Laredo had been a young boy when his father left for Vietnam. He didn't understand about war; all he knew was that the man he adored was going away. He'd hidden in the barn, thinking if no one could find him, maybe his father wouldn't have to leave. Naturally his childish plan hadn't worked, and he'd been found in short order.

Then his dad had taken him on his lap and held him for a long time without saying a word. When he did speak, he'd promised Laredo that, no matter what happened while he was away, nothing—not distance, not time, not even death—would separate Laredo from his father's love.

Months later, when Laredo had stood in front of a cold casket and watched his father's body lowered into the ground, he'd recalled those words. At the memorial service he'd stood proud and tall. His mother and grandparents had wept, overcome with grief, but Laredo's eyes had remained dry.

Emotion welled up inside him now and he understood, perhaps for the first time, the intensity of the love his parents had shared. The depth of it. With this revelation came the knowledge that he felt the same way about Savannah. His mother had never remarried, and Laredo finally understood why.

A gruff voice broke into his thoughts and he lifted his head from Savannah's to see her older brother standing by the side of the dance floor.

“I don't like the way you're holding my sister.”

Laredo released Savannah. Grady Weston's face was flushed and angry.

“Grady, please!” Savannah reluctantly moved away from Laredo. “You're making a scene and embarrassing me.”

“Leave us alone,” Laredo warned. Their eyes met, challenged, clashed. His willingness to make peace with Grady had vanished after that talk with the sheriff.

Before he realized exactly how it had happened, he and Grady were facing off, their fists raised.

“Grady, stop!” Savannah cried, and when it did no good, she turned to Laredo. “If you care for me, you won't do this.”

Laredo did care, so damn much it terrified him. But this was one fight he wasn't walking away from.

“Please,” Savannah said, stepping directly in front of him.

Laredo felt himself weakening.

Caroline Daniels arrived then and slid her arm through Grady's. “It seems to me that what you need is a nice hot cup of coffee,” she announced, steering him toward the kitchen.

Laredo watched the two of them walk toward the house.

Savannah slipped her arms back around Laredo's neck. “I believe this dance was mine,” she said, nestling close to him once more.

A lot more than this dance belonged to Savannah Weston, Laredo realized. She also owned his heart.

T
HE EARLY
-
MORNING SUN
shone cheerfully on the Yellow Rose. Savannah had been much too tired the night before to worry about cleanup, but in the revealing light of day, the entire front yard was a disaster. The Chinese lanterns sagged. Paper plates and napkins littered the once-flawless grass amid a welter of abandoned tables and chairs. The straw from the dance area stretched like a spider web from one end of the lawn to the other.

While the coffee brewed, Savannah dragged a garbage can into the yard. She'd only been working ten or fifteen minutes when Grady joined her. Wiley and Laredo followed, yawning. Savannah quickly distributed plastic garbage bags, since there was far too much trash for one container.

“Where's Richard?” Grady demanded.

“Sleeping,” Wiley said with a chuckle. “What did you expect?” He began picking up litter and stuffing it into a bag.

“Then drag his sorry ass out here. It was his party. The least he can do is clean up the mess he created.”

“Why should he start now?” Again the question came from Wiley.

“I got better things to do than this,” Grady grumbled, stuffing his own armload of garbage into a bag.

“I didn't hire on to do housekeeping, either,” the foreman put in.

Savannah had heard enough. “Stop it—both of you!” she shouted, unable to bear the bickering. It was rare for her to raise her voice, let alone yell, and she immediately got everyone's attention. Grady and Wiley stopped and stared at her; even Rocket lifted his head, as if shocked by her outburst.

A frown creasing his brow, Laredo paused in his raking and waited.

“I didn't ask for your help,” she said. “If you're going to complain, then leave. I'd rather tend to the cleanup myself than be subjected to your foul moods.” The comment was directed at Grady. Her good feeling about her brother—the fact that he'd hired Laredo—was rapidly fading.

“I'm in one hell of a fine mood,” Grady barked, grimacing in a parody of a smile. “I'm as happy as can be.” Savannah thought he looked like he was posing for the cover of
Mad
magazine, but restrained herself from saying so.

“You're happy?” Wiley asked, his words drenched with sarcasm. “You look about as happy as when you wrote out that check to Adam Braunfels for the barbecue.”

This was the first Savannah had heard about it. “Why'd you pay Adam?”

“I didn't have any choice,” Grady snapped. “He wanted his money and Sleeping Beauty in there—” he gestured at the bunkhouse “—didn't have it. What the hell else could I do?”

Savannah wished she hadn't asked, since the money was obviously a sore spot with Grady. Not that she blamed him, but surely Richard expected his check soon, otherwise he wouldn't have thrown himself this party.

“It was good of you to pay Adam,” she said, wanting Grady to know she appreciated his dilemma. “Money's tight just now.”

“My money got even tighter with the party,” Grady muttered. “I hope to hell he doesn't expect me to pay for everything, because I won't do it.” He sounded as though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, her or himself.

“Richard will make good on it,” Savannah felt obliged to say. Her younger brother had made plenty of mistakes, but he'd learned his lesson. At least that was what he claimed—and what she desperately wanted to believe.

Although the party had drained her physically and emotionally, she'd enjoyed watching Richard with their neighbors. He'd been a gracious host, warm and welcoming, and it gave her a sense of pride. He was like their father in that way—although admittedly not in others.

Mel Weston had always been the life of the party. Friendly, charming, universally loved. Her world had gone dark without him there—to call her his princess, to give her encouragement and approval and unconditional love. Having Richard home again produced a flood of happy memories and she didn't want those destroyed. Not if she could help it. So she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Everyone had mentioned what fun Richard was and how the children had adored him, especially Maggie. Seeing them together had done Savannah's heart good. The five-year-old tended to shy away from men, but she'd taken to Richard at first meeting, and he'd been wonderful with her, paying her lots of attention.

“I kissed that money goodbye the minute I signed the check,” Grady grumbled, telling her in no uncertain terms that he continued to distrust Richard.

“He'll pay you back,” Savannah insisted.

Grady stared at her long enough to make her uncomfortable. “When are you going to learn, Savannah? What's it going to take? Richard's a user. He'll never amount to anything because he's never been made accountable. I want him off this ranch, understand?”

“You're wrong, Grady. Richard might have a few bad habits—we all do—but he has a good heart. I refuse to believe otherwise.”

“Don't kid yourself. As soon as he's awake, I want him to pack up and leave. I've paid his debts for the last time.”

“You don't mean that!” Savannah couldn't believe her brother could be so hard.

“I want him gone by noon.”

“Grady…please.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Don't do this.”

“I'm not giving in to you this time,” Grady said, stuffing more garbage deep into the plastic bag.

Savannah jumped at the fierce anger she heard in him.

“Don't talk to her like that,” Laredo demanded, walking over to Savannah. The animosity between him and Grady was worse than ever, Savannah knew. She had no idea what had possessed her brother to cause a scene on the dance floor.

In a replay of last night Laredo and Grady glared at each other with mutual dislike.

“What do you suggest we do?” Wiley asked her, apparently finding the men's behavior amusing. “Get a hose and cool 'em both down?”

“That doesn't sound like a bad idea,” Savannah responded, grateful for his sense of humor in this tense situation.

“Okay.” Wiley took charge. “We're done here,” he said, stepping directly in front of Laredo.

Savannah thought Laredo might challenge the foreman, but after a short hesitation he nodded and set aside the rake. As he turned to head for the barn, he caught her watching him and winked.

Savannah blushed with pleasure, remembering the dance they'd shared. After spending all day and most of the evening in the kitchen, her hair damp with sweat and her clothes spattered with mustard and mayonnaise, she must have looked a sight. Yet he'd called her his sweetheart and looked at her as if she were beautiful. Savannah had always known she was no beauty. She'd never been one to turn men's heads, and being shy had made it worse.

Over time she'd given up hope she'd ever find love. She'd never felt real attraction for a man, and as far as she knew, had never inspired it, either. All these years she'd been certain that a husband and family were for others and not for her. Her roses and her pets had become like her children. Grady constantly complained about the way she spoiled Rocket, but the dog was old, and if he was more comfortable in the house, she had no objection to letting him inside. And although Grady complained, she noticed that he was as guilty as she was about sneaking him leftovers.

Her musings returned to Laredo, and her heart softened at the thought of him. In less than two weeks he'd changed her life, given her reason to dream, given her the most precious of human emotions—hope.

She loved him. It was that simple. That profound.

“I suppose you're waiting for me to apologize for making an ass of myself last night,” Grady said, breaking into her thoughts. She'd almost forgotten he was there.

“You owe Laredo and me an apology.”

He paused, then to her amazement, agreed with her. “I suppose I do. My only excuse is that I was furious with Richard and took it out on Laredo. I realize I acted like an idiot. I don't have any excuse other than I'd been drinking on an empty stomach.”

The irony of it, Savannah mused, was that Grady had ended up paying for a dinner he hadn't bothered to taste.

“I'd be obliged if we could put the incident behind us,” he said stiffly.

“On one condition.”

He held up his hand to stop her. “I already know. You want me to apologize to Laredo.”

“You didn't start this morning any better than you left off last night.”

“I know.” He wiped a hand down his face and she noticed that his eyes were tired and sad, and she wondered if he'd gotten any sleep whatsoever. “I'll talk to him later.”

“What do you have against him?” she asked, genuinely curious. “Laredo isn't anything like you think. He's thoughtful and hardworking and—”

“Do you mind if I listen to you sing his praises some other time?” Grady asked from between clenched teeth.

“Oh, Grady.” It was then she realized her brother was suffering from a hangover. After his confrontation with Laredo, he'd apparently continued drinking—and probably not beer, either. The first moment she could Savannah had escaped to her room, taken a quick shower and fallen into bed. She'd fallen asleep immediately but woke periodically throughout the night. At least tired was all she felt—not hungover, like Grady.

“Yeah,” he groaned. “I had a few drinks after everyone went home. Figured it'd calm me down. It didn't. But guess what? I found there was booze missing—my good single-malt Scotch. Where do you think it went?”

Savannah shook her head.

“Starts with
R.
”

“Oh, no. Are you
sure?
”

Grady gave her a cynical look and returned to his garbage collecting.

When the cleanup was finished, Grady grabbed a cup of coffee and headed about his day; Savannah went back to the house. It was almost eleven before Richard bothered to make an appearance.

“Good morning, my beautiful Savannah!” He kissed her noisily on the cheek, then hopped onto the kitchen counter, bare feet dangling while he nursed a mug of coffee. “What's for breakfast?”

“It's almost time for lunch.”

He didn't react. “I was looking forward to sampling some of those fluffy scrambled eggs of yours. I woke up dreaming about eggs all gooey with melted cheese and toasted homemade bread.”

“Richard,” she said, angry with him and needing to let him know, “how could you have left Grady to pay Mr. Braunfels for the barbecue?”

“I feel really bad about that. I explained the situation to Adam earlier, and he seemed okay with me paying when I could. I wonder what happened to make him change his mind.”

She wanted so much to believe Richard, but it was becoming more and more difficult.

He must have realized that, because he leaped down off the counter, crossed the room and reached for her hand. “Savannah,” he said, holding her gaze, “I promise you by everything I hold dear that I'll reimburse Grady the minute my check arrives. You've got to trust me.”

She wanted to, but the doubts refused to go away.

“You're the only one who believes in me,” Richard said in obvious distress. “If it wasn't for you, Grady would have kicked me off the ranch that first day. Give me this opportunity to prove myself, that's all I'm asking.”

Savannah studied her brother, hoping against hope that he'd fulfill his promises.

The beginnings of a smile lit up his eyes. “I can hardly wait to see the look on Grady's face when I give him the money. Won't he be shocked?” He laughed as if viewing the scene that very moment.

Savannah relaxed. Richard was her brother. He'd made mistakes, painful ones, but he was older now, mature. He couldn't help his impulsive sociable nature—couldn't resist throwing that party. However, he wouldn't take advantage of her and Grady a second time, she was sure of it.

“Do you believe me?” The color of his eyes intensified as his gaze implored her to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Savannah couldn't refuse him. “I believe you,” she whispered and silently prayed he wouldn't let her down.

Richard squeezed her hand. “You won't be sorry, Savannah, I promise you. I'm going to prove Grady all wrong, just you wait and see. Then you can say ‘I told you so' to our high-and-mighty brother. You trusted me when no one else would, and someday you'll be able to laugh in Grady's face.”

“I'd never do that.” Her older brother might be strong-willed and opinionated, but his intentions were good.

“Are you going to scramble me up some of my favorite cheese eggs?” he asked in a cajoling voice.

She'd finished washing the breakfast dishes fifteen minutes earlier. “All right,” she conceded. Richard gave her a hug, then climbed back onto the counter while she took the eggs, cheese and milk from the refrigerator.

“I was looking around your garden and noticed some of those roses you were telling me about. Where'd you find those pretty white ones?”