Country Courtship (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 2) (13 page)

Abby nodded and grinned like the Cheshire Cat right out of Alice's looking glass. "I'm so glad you see it that way."

Kelli wasn't quite sure how it mattered, but kept the thought to herself.

"So, you think Lori would introduce me to Monty Joe?" Abby's tone was far too casual as she checked out the eye color collection.

"Not if she can help it." Kelli cringed because now Abby was back to talking about the Nelson brothers.

"How serious do you think it is between her and Bobby Gray?"

Whoa. Talk about
et tu Brute
. How close were Lori and Bobby Gray?

They hadn't really seemed all that involved when Kelli had first met him on Independence Day, at least not until Lori had become so upset.

But now that Kelli thought about it, wouldn't Lori have made a point of introducing him to the family if they were becoming an item?

If Kelli were seriously dating someone, she'd want to show him off to her sisters. Lori was different, though. She tended to be closed-mouthed about the men she dated. "I don't know if it's serious between them. What do you think?"

"I'll have to ask Lori, I guess. If they're serious, I'm sure to meet Monty Joe."

Abby had said just enough to totally stir up all of Kelli's guilt feelings. Not only for the kiss, but for being stupid enough to spend time with Bobby Gray, getting to know him—getting to know who he was underneath the stupid-cowboy facade.

Kelli paused, staring at her reflection in the mirror, but not seeing herself. Bobby Gray's face, close to hers, tenderly closing in, held her spellbound.

He buried his hunger for acceptance, his need for love and his capacity for kindness behind the mask of a rodeo clown.

And she didn't blame him.

His parents had died when he was just a boy. His grief had driven him to hide, simply because at any moment his entire world could come crashing in on him—again.

No one could do anything to change that. It was simply so.

However, Kelli had the urge, almost a compulsion, to be the woman who was there to comfort him, to give him the loving strength to go out and keep trying. She wanted to be the woman who gave his existence meaning.

And that was very, very bad news.

"Sis?" asked Abby, calling Kelli back to reality.

"Isn't lipstick for use just on the lips?"

"Huh?" Kelli's gaze flew to the mirror, only to realize the situation was even worse than she'd thought. Obviously, she had it bad, for she'd applied the gloss as if it
were
clown make-up.

She was standing there dithering, not giving Abby the full attention she deserved, simply because she wanted to believe she had a decision to make.

But she didn't.

Not truly.

The decision had been made back on the Fourth of July when her sister had come into the kitchen and interrupted the
tête
-
à-tête
between Kelli and Bobby Gray. From that moment on, the man was off limits for her, and she'd gone and kissed him anyway.

It was painful, but the only decision she could make was to never see him again. And if that wasn't possible, to never, ever, kiss him again.

* * *

For the last half hour, Bobby Gray had discussed his plans for diversifying some of the Nelson Ranch operations with Charlie and Davis over lunch. The three of them were seated in the kitchen in Charlie and Davis's new home.

Charlie had done a great job of making the place feel homey, from the cushions and draperies she'd sewn herself to the comfortable kitchen chairs. The setting was so relaxing, he'd even sheepishly admitted to having bred Monty Joe's mare, but had explained his thinking.

Davis said, "It sounds far-sighted."

Charlie beamed. "Getting into horse breeding seems like a natural form of expansion, Bobby Gray. Diversification is a smart move. Monty Joe will think so too once he gets used to the concept of actually being business partners rather than making all the decisions himself."

If only his brother would stop yelling long enough to listen. But that was Bobby Gray's problem and not his sister's.

"It'll all work out as it should." Davis stood, clapping Bobby Gray on the shoulder before grabbing his new wife and giving her a hug. "I need to get back to work."

Charlie brushed back his hair and gave him a big kiss.

Bobby Gray averted his gaze. It wasn't that long ago that he'd worried Davis's attentions to Charlie hadn't been honorable. Boy, had he been wrong. But it still wasn't easy watching them smooch.

He had to admire, though, how gentle they were with each other. He had no doubt they were completely and entirely in love and, for the first time in his life, he longed for a little of that for himself.

Meeting Kelli had changed him from a confirmed bachelor to wondering whether his own future might hold a relationship like the one between his sister and Davis.

Bobby Gray couldn't wait to see Kelli again.

Davis finally headed out the door and Charlie immediately turned to Bobby Gray. "Don't you think it's time for you to get started on my shelves?"

He had promised Charlie that he would install new shelves in her bathroom. It wasn't a huge job and he didn't mind helping her out. As Charlie busied herself in the kitchen, he got busy.

Unfortunately, as he got everything ready, his mind was more on Kelli than what he was supposed to be doing. Kelli's little sister, Abby, had called him to praise his wooing efforts to date. It was reassuring to hear he was on the right track, and that Abby had done her best to play the jealousy card. The idea of Kelli being jealous over him brought a grin to his face.

Distracted by the thought, he dropped one of the metal wall brackets. It had a razor edge and he tried to jump back, but didn't act quickly enough. The sharp side of the bracket landed on his left boot and tore through the tough leather. He grimaced, glad his toes were intact. Sadly, that could not be said for his boots. Something else he'd have to do—look for new boots.

With a new determination to concentrate on the task at hand before he did lose some toes or fingers, he extended a metal level to the wall to check it for evenness and made a couple of small pencil marks.

Bobby Gray wondered why Charlie didn't get Davis to build the shelves for her. Either Davis wasn't good with tools, which Bobby Gray strongly doubted, or he'd put his foot down on adding more shelves. The latter seemed most likely, especially since Charlie had waited to remind Bobby Gray until after Davis had left. Charlie loved books and places to put them were everywhere—except for the master bathroom.

Normally Bobby Gray would have taken up Davis's cause, what with the thousands of books already crammed into their house, but Charlie was doing a huge favor for Bobby Gray by letting him stay for an extended visit. His goal was to do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't send him back to one very annoyed, annoying brother.

Bobby Gray could, of course, stay in a hotel, but he wasn't a hotel kind of guy. He didn't like strangers changing his sheets or touching his belongings. Having long since learned to tend to his own needs, he didn't want someone messing things up.

Bobby Gray glanced at his sister as she entered the bathroom.

"How's it going?" Although she was carrying a towel that she put into the cupboard, he suspected that she was more interested in his progress.

He was very fond of his sister, so he simply answered, "Good," rather than telling her to stay out of his way.

He hefted a shelf to the wall and lined it up with the marks he'd made. Holding it in place with one hand, he grabbed the pencil from behind his ear with his free hand.

Once he finished with this project, he was going to call Kelli. He couldn't get the thought of another kiss out of his head.

Plus, he was that much closer to achieving his Five-Step Plan.

While he hadn't exactly taken Kelli out for coffee or lunch, surely helping birth an endangered foal counted as the event on his list.

Their kiss, though, had sort of backfired on him. It hadn't been part of his original plan. He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted Kelli in his arms, until she was. Thanks to the kiss, his plan was off kilter and he couldn't keep her out of his thoughts.

Before, he'd considered the situation like more of a lark, but now his feelings had grown and deepened. He wasn't quite sure where things were heading between them. She'd felt so perfect in his arms and the vacuum created by her absence left him achingly empty. The only certainty in what now seemed a jumbled world was that he needed her back in his arms for another of those sweet kisses.

"You look like a bull who got in with the cows," said Charlie.

He shot her a grin. "More like a stallion among the mares."

Charlie gave him a quick once-over. "Why am I concerned about the girl?"

"Don't worry, Sis." The shelf had a few holes drilled into it and he stuck the pencil in each, making marks on the wall. "She's in good hands."

He grabbed a nail and began hammering.

"Hmm."

Bobby Gray didn't like it when Charlie made those little sounds. It meant she had a comment she was keeping to herself. It always spelled trouble. "What?"

"Oh, nothing."

He pushed his hair back from his forehead. "You might as well tell me now and save us time."

"Well," Charlie said as she pointed at the shelf. "It's upside down, so maybe those good hands of yours—"

Bobby Gray cut her off. "No cracks or no bookshelves."

"My lips are sealed. What you do with your hands is your own business."

Bobby Gray removed the shelf to start over. "I probably should use screws anyway." He knelt and removed a couple of toggle bolts from his tool kit.

"Just think before you act," said Charlie matter-of-factly.

He'd been thinking all right. Perhaps too much. But that was behind him now. He looked forward to spending more time with Kelli. Bringing her to meet the Nelson banker, he was certain, would fix everything with Monty Joe.

As if he'd signaled the brother in question, Bobby Gray's cell phone erupted with the ring tones that meant Monty Joe was calling. The phone was sitting on the sink, but Bobby Gray's hands were full of shelving. "Can you get that, Charlie?"

"What if it's a girl?"

"Just answer it. It's Monty Joe."

Charlie grabbed the phone and answered. "Nelson's Customer Service. You Leave 'Em, We Love 'Em."

"Very funny." Bobby Gray continued working on the shelves.

Charlie held the phone out from her head and Monty Joe's irate voice filled the bathroom. She commented, "He appears to be ticked with you. He's yelling so loud it's hard to hear what he's actually saying, but I think he's hollering about something like stud fees plus thousands more for foals?"

Guilty. "Tell Monty Joe it's all under control. I'm about to make everything all right."

Charlie repeated his message into the phone and listened for a moment. Pulling the phone to her chest, she said, "He says he'll take a personal check."

"Tell him my plan is better."

"Maybe you should tell him yourself."

"You want shelves or you want me to talk on the phone?" After he brought Kelli to the dinner meeting with the banker, Monty Joe would be singing Bobby Gray's praises for years to come. He wouldn't be surprised if Monty Joe didn't even know the banker doted on royalty and the rich 'n famous. As the daughter of a princess and an oil baron, Kelli qualified on both counts.

Charlie sighed dramatically and waved for Bobby Gray to continue. "What's your message?"

"Just tell him everything is under control."

Chapter 10

Because his boot wasn't salvageable, Bobby Gray went in search of new ones early the next morning. Charlie had suggested he visit Boot City and she'd been on the nose correct.

The boot store was a source of wonderment and awe. It was filled to the brim with everything cowboy and he could spend hours exploring all the offerings. The aroma of newly tanned leather wafted throughout the building and he drew in several deep breaths.