Lazy Days (54 page)

Sarah
did the best she could washing herself with a washcloth. There was no way she could
manage a shower or bath with her ankle wrapped tight. Pulling a brush through
tangled hair and then dabbing on some blush, eyebrow pencil, and pale lipstick,
she looked at her sorry reflection and sighed.

Crutching
back to the bedroom, she went to her suitcase on the cedar chest at the end of
the bed and grabbed an ankle length Levi skirt and a white button-down blouse.
Sitting on the edge of the chest, she laboriously changed into fresh underwear
and the skirt and blouse. She had just buttoned the last button when she heard
another knock on her door. She couldn't decide whether to say "come
in" or crutch to the door and open it. A jab of pain made the decision for
her. "Come in," she croaked.

The
door opened slightly and Sage poked his head around it. Looking irritated, he
said, "You're not supposed to be on that foot for a few days."

Sarah
pursed her lips.

He
opened the door all the way and walked in. "Look Sarah, do you think we
can call a truce? I'm sorry about your sprain and I'm doing my best to make you
comfortable."

A
sudden blast of pain made her wince.

Sage
studied her expression. "Would you like to rest on the bed or the couch?
There's a selection of movies in the living room. I'll have breakfast here
shortly." He waited for her response.

Sucking
in her pride, she said, "I'll rest on the couch," and then pushed
herself up with her crutches.

* * *

Sage
watched Mims slowly move toward the bedroom door. From her expression, he could
see she'd taken a hit to her pride. He wanted to cover the distance between
them, scoop her into his arms, and carry her to the couch, but gut instinct
told him that would be the worst thing he could do. She already resented him
for his heavy-handedness the day before and the Java Junction debacle. As
difficult as it was, he turned and walked away, allowing her to make a painful
exit to the living room.

Hovering
just inside the kitchen doorway, he waited until she was seated before letting
himself out the back door and heading to the dorm. Curley would be cooking a
country breakfast for the greenhorns. Three more had arrived the previous
night, a married couple and their teenage son—Jerry and Ann Hackstetter and
Jacob. Because Sage always met with the "dudes" and
"dudettes" their first night to show himself friendly, he'd learned
that Mr. Hackstetter, a husky man with thick black hair, designed game software
for a popular company, and Mrs. Hackstetter, a short, slim woman with muddy
blond hair, was a stay-at-home mom. Mr. Hackstetter had grumbled about not
having cell phone service and his wife had given Sage an apologetic look. Their
son, a handsome kid with a sullen attitude who looked to be about sixteen, had
almost tripped over his backpack when Mindy and Mandy had walked into the room.
All Sage needed was for someone else to get hurt.

He
reached the dorm and instead of entering through the front door, he slipped to
the back and entered through the kitchen. Curley had a Hank William's tune
blaring through the Bose speakers he'd insisted on installing, and a stack of
flapjacks already piled high. Using one hand, the old cook cracked eggs into an
iron skillet and flipped flapjacks with the other on the commercial stove's
center griddle. Sage turned the volume down on the CD player.

Curley
reached for another egg. "Yo boss, how many more greenhorns we got comin'
today?"

"Just
two—an elderly couple—Mr. and Mrs. Tully."

"Okay,
so we got…uh…eight for next week?"

"Yep.
Actually, the next two weeks."

"Newt
said there's a dudette laid up at the house with a broken leg."

"Not
broken, just a bad sprain. Dish me up some breakfast so I can take it to her.
Then I'll come back to greet everyone and get the day's activities
rolling."

"Right-o,
boss."

Curley
loaded a tray with scrambled eggs, hash browns, flapjacks, and homemade
biscuits. On the side he added syrup, salsa, butter, strawberry jam, and honey.
"Do you want me to add coffee?"

"No,
I've got some brewed at the house." Sage picked up the tray and started
back outside. "Thanks, Curley. I'll need you to make up a tray at lunch
and supper, too."

Curley
nodded and turned the music back up to sing along with Hank.
"Your
cheatin' heart, will make you weep, you'll cry and cry…"

Back
at the house, Sage set the tray on the kitchen counter and went to check on
Mims. She was lying stretched out with a pillow under her head and another one
propped under her ankle. She obviously hadn't heard him enter because her eyes
were closed. He studied her features, guessing her age to be somewhere around
forty. She actually looked much younger when she wasn't scowling at him. Some
wisps of shoulder length light brown hair had escaped the band at the back of
her neck and now framed her face. She had a nice average face, with a cute
little nose sprinkled with freckles. He remembered how her chocolate eyes had flashed
when she'd argued with him. Something made her smile and the change in her
countenance almost made her pretty. He wondered what she was thinking.

Instead
of startling her, he tiptoed back to the kitchen and made some noise. Pouring a
cup of coffee and setting it on the tray Curley had prepared, he remembered her
fancy order at Java Junction. He poured cream into a glass in case she wanted
it in her coffee. He also found some packets of sugar and tossed them next to
the cup.

Balancing
the tray on his palm, he returned to the living room and grabbed a TV table
with his free hand. Mims was sitting up and smoothing her hair back. Placing
the table in front of her, he set the tray on it. When he lifted the cover from
the plate, she gasped. "I can't eat all that food!"

Sage
chuckled, "I won't tell Curley you said that." At her questioning
gaze, he explained, "Curley's the cook for the Lazy M. He's from West
Texas and has no idea what small portions are."

"Well,
Mr. Tanner, why don't you grab a plate and dish out about three-fourths for
yourself?"

Sage
started to decline, but changed his mind. Maybe he could have an intelligent
conversation with the woman and appease her anger. "Okay. I'll be right
back." Before going to the kitchen, he opened another TV table and set it
in front of his recliner. When he returned with his plate and utensils and a
steaming cup of black coffee, Mims was pouring cream into hers. He watched her
sip the brew with closed eyes and a look of bliss.

"So,
you're a coffee lover? I remember you ordered a fancy drink at Java
Junction." The minute he said the words, he wished he could take them
back. Her eyes narrowed and she started to look angry all over again. He walked
to stand in front of her and dish food from her plate onto his.

When
he started to step back, she said tightly. "Please take all the pancakes.
I'm not much of a pancake eater."

Rather
than act the nice guy and refuse, he shrugged and relieved her plate of all the
flapjacks, most of the butter, and all of the syrup. He walked back to his
recliner and settled into it, adjusting the TV table.

After
eating for several minutes in silence, with Mims picking at her eggs and hash
browns, he decided to clear the air. "Look Mims
–"

She
narrowed her eyes.

"Look
Sarah, I think we should start fresh. I want you to enjoy your stay here and
anything I can do to help with your research, just let me know. As for what
happened at Java Junction, I'm truly sorry. I was just playing the game your
boss started. If I'd known it would upset you, I would have kept my foot out of
my mouth. So, like I said earlier, can we call a truce?"

Sage
watched Sarah sip her coffee and then cradle the cup in her hands. "I'd
like to ask you something, Mr. Tanner."

Sage
held her gaze. "Shoot."

"Did
you actually think I would be flattered by your attention?"

"I
didn't think about it one way or the other. Like I said, I was playing along
with the charade."

"Perhaps
it was a game to you, but I saw it as demeaning and cruel."

Sage
bit down on his back teeth. The woman was impossible. What did she want him to
do, grovel on the floor? Inhaling to keep himself from saying something that
would only antagonize the situation, he said, "What's done is done. Will
you accept my apology, or at least call a truce so you can enjoy your stay
here?"

She
sipped her coffee again, looked down into the cup as if seeking an answer
there, and then back at him. "Okay, I'll call a truce and think about
accepting your apology."

Sage
just about lost it. Holding his temper at bay, he inclined his head and sipped
his own coffee, staring at her over the edge of the cup.

* * *

The
blue fire in Sage's eyes had Sarah's heart thumping double time. She'd made him
mad with her refusal to out-and-out accept his apology and she could see his
jaw clench. Unable to hold his gaze any longer because of the blush suffusing
her face, she looked away first. To cover her embarrassment, she straightened
the throw pillow and lay back down, positioning her foot on the other pillow
again. She closed her eyes and willed her erratic response to Sage Tanner to go
away. She heard movement and opened her eyes again. He was lifting her tray.

"Would
you like me to put a movie on? We don't get good television reception and I'm
not interested in cable. Julie and I buy movies we like. We have a pretty good
library."

"No,
I think I'll skip the movies for now. I'll just rest."

He
shrugged. "If that's what you want. I have to leave now." He pointed
to a table with a landline telephone. "If you need anything, just dial
'five' and press send. It'll speed dial Curley in the dorm kitchen. He can
track me down. I'll be back at lunchtime. I'll see if I can get him to go
easier on the food."

Sarah
smiled in spite of herself and then watched Sage leave the room. She heard a
door shut at the back of the house. After fifteen minutes of trying to relax,
she only felt increasingly restless and wished she'd let him put a movie on.
Sitting up, she reached for her crutches and slowly hobbled to the bedroom.
Grabbing her laptop sitting atop the vanity, she clumsily hauled it and herself
back to the couch. Reclining again with more pillows behind her back, she
positioned her laptop on one raised knee and turned it on. Calling up the file
for
Dream Kisses,
she wondered if she would feel inspired to write. As
soon as her fingers hit the keyboard, the words flowed and she lost herself in
her romance.

Jacob
only half listened to the rancher guy describe the day's events.
Surreptitiously he glanced at the twins. Which was Mindy and which was Mandy?
Except for one of them wearing a skin-tight pink tank top and the other a
purple one, they looked exactly alike.

He
looked back at his empty breakfast plate. He hadn't intended to eat much. He
was rebelling against being forced to come on this stupid vacation, but the
pancakes had been so fluffy they'd melted in his mouth. There'd even been real
syrup, not the fake stuff. The cook, a bald-headed old fart named Curley,
cooked better than his Mom. The twin sitting across from him caught his eye and
winked, then looked back at the owner of the ranch. She kinda leaned forward,
which made her boobs spill out even more over the low cut tank. Jacob
reconsidered the vacation, maybe watching the twins would distract him for the
two weeks he was stuck in Cowshit, U.S.A. He glanced at his father's glower
expression. He doubted even a nice set of boobs could distract his father from
business obligations.

The
owner spoke. "Okay, now that everyone's finished breakfast, Newt's takin'
ya'll on a tour of the ranch. Remember, safety first. After visiting the
outbuildings and corrals, we'll introduce you to the horses and begin riding
lessons. Later today, my daughter, Julie, will demonstrate trick riding for
you."

Jacob
watched his mother touch his dad's sleeve and smile. His dad gave her one of
his sour looks before sending another one in Jacob's direction. The man could
be a real asshole—like last night when he'd found out there was no cell phone
reception. Jacob secretly hid a smile—his dad without a cell phone. He might
have to pay attention to his wife and son.
Yeah, right.

* * *

Sarah
grinned at her laptop. She'd moved it to the TV table for ease of writing.
She'd written over three thousand words and they just kept coming. She'd even
done a search and replace and changed the name of her hero. She reread her love
scene.

Gage's
heart exploded in a blast of passion. Unable to extinguish his desire, he
jerked Tarah against his naked chest. Her soft breasts, crushed against his
wildly beating heart, only made it roar like a runaway train. When her lips
parted in shock, he covered them with his. She moaned into his mouth and pushed
against his chest half-heartedly. In a gesture of defeat, she lightly touched
her tongue to his. He reached for her…"

"From
the smile on your face, that must be some damn good reading."

Sarah
jerked her head up. Sage stood directly in front of her holding a tray of food.
She slammed her laptop shut.

"Are
you working on your new book,
Dream Kisses?
Is that the book you're
doing research on? It's a western, right?"

Sarah
felt her face burn. Sage's questions embarrassed her but she wasn't about to
let him know that. "Uh, yes. It's a contemporary western."

He
motioned toward the TV table and her blush deepened when she realized he was
waiting for her to remove the laptop. Quickly she lifted the computer and set
it next to her. Sage placed her tray on the table. "How's the ankle
feeling?"

She
had been so into her story it wasn't until he asked that she felt the dull
ache. "The sharp pain has lessened."

"Good.
I'm glad to hear that." He pulled the other TV table in front of his
chair. Sarah lifted the plastic plate cover and her eyes rounded. Sage
chuckled. "That's for both of us. There's an extra bowl under yours."

"This
is more food than I can eat in a week." She handed her bowl of stew to
him. "I'll just eat the salad and put some in the extra bowl for
you."

He
shook his head, "The stew's fine for me. But are you sure you don't want
some? Curley's gonna want to know if you liked it and the cornbread."

Sarah
eyed the food. It smelled delicious. "Well, how about you give me a small
portion. I don't want to offend...er…Curley."

Sage
spooned some stew into the extra bowl and slid one of the butter-dripping
cornbreads on top of it. Inwardly, she groaned and calculated calories. She
waited until he'd settled into his chair before taking her first bite—heaven in
a spoon. He watched her and smiled. "Curley's a great cook."

"How
long has he worked for you?" she asked with her mouth full.

"Over
five years. The cook before him burned just about everything and lasted two
weeks. Before that was Maude. My father hired her and she worked here for
twenty years." A smiled curved his lips and Sarah's heart tripped.

"What
happened to her?"

His
smile turned into an out-and-out grin. "She robbed the cradle." At
Sarah's questioning look, he said, "She married a cowboy twenty years
younger and they headed to Alaska to pan gold."

At
Sarah's expression, Sage laughed heartily; a deep laugh that gave her goose
bumps.

"I'm
not kidding. Occasionally, we get a letter or postcard from her. She's pushing
eighty now and still head-over-heels for her cowboy. They struck a vein and got
rich, but live in a tiny cabin in the wilds."

Sarah
looked impressed. "That's a great story."

Sage
winked. "You have my permission to use it in one of your books; just
change her name."

She
felt her face burn again. The wink Sage had given her turned her to mush.
Enough!
This guy is being nice because you're a paying guest. Remember he's a jerk!

 Sage
nodded toward her laptop. "So, you wanna read what you were grinning about
when I walked in?"

Sarah
choked on the iced tea she'd just swallowed.

"You
okay?"

She
grabbed her napkin. "Yes, yes. Swallowed down the wrong pipe."

"It's
that good, huh. I'd like to hear it."

Sarah
regained her composure. "It's in rough draft and I don't allow anyone to
read what I've written until it goes through my editor." She lied and
hoped he believed her.

He
looked disappointed. "Okay, guess I'll have to wait to see what I'm up to until
the book comes out."

She
looked at him questioningly.

"Since
I'm the guy on the cover, I figure it's me doing the stuff in the book,"
he joked.

Mortified,
Sarah speared a lettuce leaf and popped it in her mouth. Searching for anything
to get her mind off Gage being Sage, she asked, "What time does Julie get
home from school?"

"Changing
the subject, huh?" Sage questioned low. When she didn't respond he went
with the flow. "Tooty's mom drops her off about two-thirty since this is
summer school. At four, she'll be demonstrating trick riding for the guests.
She's really good. Her horse, Precious Pudding,
is a real show off and
they've won quite a few rodeo ribbons."

In
spite of herself, Sarah laughed. "How did the horse get the name Precious
Pudding?"

Sage
grinned. "When Julie was four, she asked me what the word 'precious' meant
and I explained that it was something you loved and enjoyed. That night, her
mother served pudding for desert and Julie looked at me and said, 'precious
pudding'. We thought it was so cute we named our new foal after it. Julie and
the foal bonded, so we gave the horse to her."

"You
certainly have great stories, Sage." Sarah wanted to kick herself for
calling him by his first name.

He
looked at her for a long moment and then smiled and stood. "Guess I better
get back to ranching. Just so you know, supper's around six." He gathered
her tray and his dishes and left the room. Sarah groaned. She wouldn't make
that mistake again. He was
Mr. Tanner,
to her. Placing her laptop back
on the TV table, she sighed and wished he'd elaborated more on Julie's mother.