Cowboy Kisses (10 page)

“
Good idea,
”
Kenzie said, leading the way to the kitchen.
“
Thanks for the flowers, Steve.
They’re really pretty, even if they
are
stolen
goods.”

While she found a vase for the daisies, Steve munched on the popcorn, glancing around the room.
“
Nice house,
”
he said.
“
Big, too. No wonder this neighborhood is called The Estates.
”

Kenzie decided to ignore his comment.
“
Let’s go outside,
”
she suggested.
“
It’s awfully stuffy in here. Dad says we mustn’t use the air- conditioning because it runs up the electric bill.
”

Steve followed her into the dining room and out through a pair of French doors onto the terrace. He sat next to Kenzie on the cushioned glider, putting the bowl of popcorn on a glass-topped table in front of it.
“
Where’s your family?
”
he asked.

“
After Mom picks Dad up at a meeting, they’re going to play bridge with friends
,
”
Ken
zie said, taking a handful of popcorn.
“
And Adam’s showing some guy his truck. He’s trying to sell it.
”
She took a deep breath.
“
He has to sell it because my parents can’t afford the payments on it. We can’t afford a lot of things anymore, including boarding Ali at Silver Hills.
”

Once she had started, the whole story of her family’s financial problems poured out. Steve listened in si
lence, and when Kenzie had fin
ished
,
he reached out and took her hand.

“
You were right whe
n you said I didn’t understand,”
he mumbled.
“
How could I until you explained? Now that I know what a rough time you’ve been having, I feel like a real clod for acting the way I did. Can you forgive me?
”

Kenzie smiled a little shakily.
“
I could try, if you’ll promise to stop making cracks about me being a countr
y club snob.”

“
I promise,
”
Steve said. Moving closer, he put an arm around her.
“
You know, Kenzie, I really admire the way
you’re handling this whole sit
uation. I ho
pe you’re proud of yourself, be
cause you deserve to be. You’re one girl in a million, Kenzie Sullivan.
”

He kissed her then, and Kenzie wished the kiss could go on
forever. But the spell was bro
ken by the sound of the French doors opening, and Kenzie and Steve quickly broke apart just as Adam stepped out onto the terrace.

“
I
didn’t recognize the car in the driveway
,
Kenz,
”
he said,
“
so
I
figured it must belong to one of your friends.
”

Kenzie introduced the two boys, glaring at her brother as he plopped down into a nearby chair.
“
Don’t you have anything to do, Adam?
”
she asked pointedly.

“
Nope. What’s in that bowl? Popcorn? Good! I’m starved.
”
He leaned over and scooped out a handful.

“
Adam!
”
Kenz
ie said between clenched teeth.

“
Are you trying to get rid of me?
”
he asked innocently.

“
Forever, if possible,
”
she muttered.

Laughing, Adam stood up.
“
Okay, okay. I can take a hint.
”
Before he went back into the house, he added,
“
But you never know when I
might need a breath of fresh air.
”

“
Good night, Adam,
”
Kenzie called loudly as he shut the door behind him.

Steve grinned and leaned back in the glider, pulling Kenzie with him. Snuggled in the circle of his arm, she sighed happily.
“
I’m not sorry it happened again,
”
she said.

“
What happened again?
”

“
You kissing me.
”
Kenzie looked up at him and smiled.
“
When you kissed me the first time, you said it would never happen again, and now it has.
”

Steve’s breath tickled her ear when he spoke.
“
I didn’t think you’d want me to. I was afraid I didn’t have a chance with a girl like you.
”

“
I told you before—I’m just like everyone else,
”
Kenzie said.

“
No, you’re not.
”
Steve’s mouth moved close to hers.
“
You’re pretty amazing, Kenzie.
”

Their lips met in another long, sweet kiss. When they parted, Steve said huskily,
“
It gets better every time, doesn’t it?
”

Kenzie nodded, unable to speak.

“
I wish I could stay longer, but I guess it’s time I picked up Greg.
”
Steve took her hand and they walked slowly into the house.
“
He’s going to think I forgot all about him. And you know what?
”

“
What?
”

He grinned at her.
“
I almost did.
”

Then he kissed her again, and a moment later he was gone.

The next day at the Lucky R was absolutely perfect as far
as Kenzie was concerned. Appar
ently Sarah thought so, too. Like Kenzie, she seemed to be walking on air. Sarah and Greg worked together as much as possible, and so did Kenzie and Steve. And when Steve invited Sarah and Greg to join him and Kenzie for pizza
week from Tuesday to celebrate Kenzie's second week at the ranch, they both eagerly
accepted.

On Monday evening at supper, Adam glumly announced to the family that he’d sold his truck and had located a beat-up old sedan that he could afford. Kenzie couldn’t help feeling sorry for him—she knew how much that truck meant to her b
rother. Replacing it with a rat
tletrap must be almost as upsetting to Adam as trading Ali in for a broken-down nag would be for her.

The car wasn’t much to look at, but at least
it ran.

“
Sorry about your truck,
”
Kenzie told him sympathetically on the way to the Lucky R the next morning.

She expected him to let loose a torrent of complaints, but to her surprise, Adam
just shrugged and said, “
Hey, that’s the breaks. I keep telling myself it’s only until Dad gets the business back on track again. That’s what’s really important.
”

“
You’re right,
”
Kenzie agreed.
“
I just hope it happens soon. I hate to see him and Mom so worr
ied and frazzled all the time.”

Adam nodded.
“
Me. too.
”
He pulled to a stop
by the Lucky R gate.
“
Well, see you after work, Kenz. And don’t make me wait, okay? I’m cooking dinner tonight, and it’s going to take a while because I’m trying out a recipe from one of Mom’s cookbooks.
”

“
No kidding!
”
Kenzie said, impressed.
“
Sorry I won’t be able to taste it—I have a pizza date.
”

Raising his eyebrows, Adam asked,
“
Oh yeah? Who with? That guy you introduced me to Saturday night?
”

Kenzie felt herself blushing.
“
Yes, as a matter of fact. And no cracks, okay?
”

Grinning, Adam said,
“
Not a one. But you’ll be sorry when you hear the rave reviews Mom and Dad give my gourmet meal!
”

Shortly before seven that evening, Kenzie was ready to collect on her bet with Steve. Deciding that casual dress would be best, she had put on a turquoise T-shirt, denim shorts, and sandals. She let her hair hang loose and added her favorite silver earrings for the finishing touch.

When Kenzie walked into the kitchen, she found her parents and Adam there, all grinning from ear to ear.

“
Dad has some great news!
”
Adam said.

“
The government is finally convinced that I had not
hing to do with my partner’s fi
nancial misdoings,
”
Mr. Sullivan told Ken
zie
,
putting an arm around his wife.
“
The company will be paying fines and interest for quite a while
, but we’ll manage. Best of all,
Jeff Ellis’s company accepted our bid on one of their projects.
”

“
That’s fantastic, Dad!
”
Kenzie hugged both her parents at once.

“
This could be the beginning of the road back for Sullivan Electronics,
”
her mother said happily.

Smiling at Kenzie and Adam, Mr. Sullivan added,
“
We want you both to know how much we appreciate the way you’ve been helping out at home, and the sacrifices you’ve made. It hasn’t been easy for any of us, but it looks as if there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
”

“
And it
smel
ls
as if there’s something deli
cious in the oven,
”
Mrs. Sullivan said with a wink at Adam.
“
Besides getting along better, you’re both turning into top-notch chefs.
”

The sound of the bell sent Kenzie hurrying to the front door, feeling happier than she had since the Sullivans’ world had been turned upside down. When she opened the door, Steve
stood there smiling at her. Kenzie thought as she gazed at him that he had never looked
more handsome.

“
Do I pass inspection?
”
Steve teased, looking
himself u
p and down. He brushed an imagi
nary speck off the sleeve of the white polo shirt
he was wearing with his light blue cords.

Laughing, Kenzie let him in.
“
You passed
my
inspection with flying colors,
”
she told him.
“
Now let’s se
e what the rest of the family
has to say.
”

After introd
ucing Steve to her parents, Ken
zie whisked
him out of the house, thankful
that Adam hadn’t embarrassed her by referring to the kiss he’d witnessed the other night. They got into Stev
e’s pickup, and he popped a cas
sette into the tape deck before he pulled away from the curb.

Sorting through the collection of tapes on the front seat, Kenzie asked,
“
You like rock, coun
try, and classical music?
”

“
Surprised?
”

“
Kind of,
”
Kenzie admitted.
“
Which just goes to show how
little I know about you. What
other things do you like?
”

“
Well, let’s see.
”
After a pause for thought, Steve said.
“
I
like working outdoors, horses,
anchovies in my pizza, and pretty blond girls named Kenzie.
”
He grinned at her. “Y
our turn.
”

Blushing at the compliment,
Kenzie said,
“
I like my job at the Lucky R, pizza
without
anchovies, and
”
—she glanced at him shyly—
“
tall, good-looking cowboys named Steve.
”

“
Looks like we have a few things in com
mon,”
Steve commented with a grin.
“
I promise I’ll o
rder my anchovies on the side.”

He turned the pickup into the parking lot of Pasquale’s Pizzeria, one of the most popular teen hangouts in town. They got out and headed for the entrance, hand in hand.

“
Hey, Kenzie!
”
a voice called.

Kenzie saw Paul getting out of his shiny blue sports car. Letting go of Steve’s hand, she waved as Paul came over to them.

“
You missed a good time Saturday night,
”
he said, opening the pizza parlor door.
“
How was Si—
”

“
Sarah’s birthday party was fun, too,
”
Kenzie cut in before he could use Sarah’s nickname.
“
Paul, I don’t
know if you remember Steve Cal
vert. Steve works at the Lucky R—you met him
the day we took Ali out there.”

“
Oh, right,
”
Paul said as the two boys shook hands.
“
I remember you now. I didn’t recognize
you at first without the cowboy hat. How are I you, Steve?
”

“
Fine, thanks.
”
Steve regarded Paul coolly,
“
I
remember you, too.
”

Just then Paul
’
s name was announced over the loudspeaker.
“
Pizza to go,
”
he explained.
“
Nice meeting you again, Steve. See you, Kenzie.
”

Yes, she’d be seeing him tomorrow night, Kenzie reminded herself. She wished she’d never agreed to go to the movies with Paul. She wasn’t looking forward to telling him that she didn't want to date him anymore. Kenzie was genuinely fond of Paul and didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but it wouldn’t be fair not to tell him the trut
h. She only hoped they could re
main friends. As for Steve, Kenzie knew that her feelings for him ran much
deeper than friendship.

After Steve placed their order and picked up a couple of sod
as, he led the way to a booth.
They sat across from each other, and he held up his glass, smiling at Kenzie.
“
Here’s to your first week on the job, Blondie.
”

She touched her glass to his.
“
Here’s to a lot more pizzas, cowboy.
”

“
And a lot more ranch-hand days,
”
Steve pointed out.

“
That’s fine with me,
” Kenzie said promptly. “
I’d do double duty if it meant keeping Ali and helping the people from the center. I really love working with them. I think maybe I’d like to be a physical therapist someday.
”

“
I bet you’d be good at it, Kenzie. Hank said you can take Dennis’s place instructing next month on his days off,
”
Steve told her.

Kenzie’s eyes sparkled.
“
Really?
”

Steve grinned.
“
Really.”

The waitress placed their pizza on the table, along with a sm
all side dish of anchovies. Ken
zie made a face when Steve decorated his half of the pizza with the salty morsels.

“
Did Greg tell you about the deal his uncle’s giving us on the paint for Hank’s
barn
?
”
Steve asked after they had each finished their first slice. Kenzie shook her head.
“
Besides giving us a terrific price, he’s letting us pay for it on the installment plan.
”

“
That’s great,
”
Kenzie said.
“
Sarah told me she and Greg are going to phone some of the boarders to find out if they’d like to join our painting party. When is it going to be, anyway?
”

“
I think it’ll have to be this Saturday, July Fourth, because we’ll all have the day off.
”
Steve grinned.
“
I can’t wait to see Hank and Nora’s faces when we show up armed with paintbrushes on a holiday.
”

Kenzie stopped chewing. The Silver Hills Country Club held a big party on the Fourth of July, and she had told Jeanette she’d go as her gue
st.

Noticing the expression o
n Kenzie’s face, Steve asked, “
Something wrong?
”

“
Not exactly,
”
Kenzie said.
“
It’s just that
I
was going to ask my friends to help with the painting, but now I’m not sure they’ll be able to make it.
”

Steve looked at her sharply.
“
Big doings at the club?
”
he asked, frowning.

Kenzie shrugged, trying to make light of it.
“
Just the usual barbecue and fireworks.
”

“
Are you going?
”

Kenzie looked at Steve levelly.
“
I’m part of the Lucky R crew, Steve,
”
she said.
“
I’ll be there with a paintbrush just like the rest of you. My friends will have to get along without me. I’m sure they’ll understand.
”