Montana Skies (You, Me and the Kids) (Harlequin Superromance, No 1395) (14 page)

“We'll take it slow,” he promised, relieved she'd brought it up first. Slow was good for him, a bad marriage common ground between them. “In case the girls need to be separated.” For the first time he hoped that didn't happen.

“I'm not an actress, Jonas, and I can't lie at all.”

That was a bad thing? “Good.”

“But Skylar—she would
not
understand,” she said with a groan. “And should she ever ask me, I want to be able to say we're…
friends
. That way I'm not lying.”

“Caroline, too. She—”
would get her hopes up
“—wouldn't understand, either. And we are friends, aren't we? No matter what the girls do?”

She swallowed again. “I suppose so. I mean, yes, we are— Jonas, I know you only want what's best for them. We both do.”

“Then we both understand each other. Now will my
friend
give me one more kiss before I have to go back to work?”

She smiled, and that was all the encouragement he needed.

 

T
WO MORE DAYS
. All she had to do was make it two more days. Then no more detention, and only four lousy weeks of school left.

Skylar leaned forward in the chair and glared at Marcus. Unlike the other jocks, he seemed to prefer his broken-in cowboy boots to sneakers when he wasn't on the field.

A cream-colored Stetson sat pushed back on his head and highlighted his sun-darkened complexion and American Indian heritage, and the navy blue T-shirt he wore brought out the blue of his eyes. Stupid hat or not, boys just didn't look like him in New York.

She glanced down at the paper she doodled on and was mortified to see she'd written his name in curly letters.
So not going to happen.
Especially after what she'd said to him.

Marcus might be cute and all, but she couldn't forget for a second that he was buddies with Travis and Mandy, and while he was nice when they weren't around, he
probably acted just like them when they were. All that mumbo jumbo he'd spouted during the end-of-year assembly about always looking at a person's inner spirit instead of the outer shell was for show. It had to be.

Idiot, of course it was.
The assembly was a joke, the speech class teacher's way of showing off. Marcus had written the speech a long time ago, before she'd moved to
Loser
ville. Her mom had to find a job soon. That or score some big tips when the people from California came. It was only a matter of days now, and Maura had said the whole ranch had been rented out. There'd have to be lots of tips there, right? Maybe then they could get the heck out of Dodge.

Marcus glanced her way, and Skylar's heart thudded hard in her chest. Oh, yeah, he was a hottie. She looked down and determinedly colored over his name, reminding herself that guys were jerks and treated females like the crap Marcus shoveled.

“Mathews, time's up. You going to sit there all day or are you going to let me go home and get some dinner?” the coach asked abruptly.

Feeling her face heat, she glanced at the clock and realized she'd stayed five minutes later than needed. Embarrassed, she grabbed her bag from the floor and shoved her notebook inside, not paying any attention to the coach when he hurried from the room.

“You need a ride to the ranch?”

Her head jerked up and she stared at Marcus, dragging her bag over one shoulder. “No thanks…. Look, about the other day—”

“Suppose your mom wouldn't like it, you riding with some guy she doesn't know and hanging out.”

Hanging out? “I wouldn't care if she didn't like it, I
do what I want. Look, I was really mad the other day after the fight and…I shouldn't have said what I did.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well, it's probably true half the time. Mandy's caught me in town after a day's work and said the same.”

God, she so didn't want to be compared to that bitch. She walked to the door, aware he was watching her. “Yeah, well, I shouldn't have said it. Sorry, okay?” Turning, she walked out of the room—and right into Mandy in her cheerleading outfit, her cronies two steps behind.

“Hey! Watch it, loser.”

“Mandy, lay off.” Marcus now stood beside her.

“You're kidding me, right?” Mandy's expression darkened to pure hate. “She tried to run me down. Did you see that?”

The girls behind her nodded.

“She did not. Give it a rest already.”

Skylar glanced back and forth between them. He was taking up for her? In front of them?

“Girls!” the coach called from down the hall. “I'm not spending the evening here. You got a problem, take it off school grounds.” The coach glared at Skylar as if she'd started it all.
Of course.

Skylar ignored Mandy and after a last glance at Marcus, headed down the hall toward the coach and the main doors.

“She is such a freak show.”

“Mandy, you're so right.”

“I'll say.”

“Bet the rumors about her are true,” Mandy said snidely. “I heard she went crazy after her dad died in a wreck. I mean, look at her, who'd wear that if they weren't crazy?”

Skylar stiffened, paused midstep and almost turned around. But then she remembered Marcus's comment about Mandy, remembered Marcus still stood there watching. She glanced over her shoulder. Yeah, still there. She couldn't go back and bash Mandy's face in with him watching her like that, like he'd be disappointed if she did. So she forced her feet to keep moving and with every step it got easier. Yeah…she'd be the adult since Mandy wasn't up to the challenge.

And because she didn't want Marcus looking at her the way everybody else did.

 

A
NOTHER WEEK
closer to summer vacation.

That was Jonas's first thought when he made his way into the house. A handful of bills awaited him on the hall table, but it was the muted sound of comfortable soles that had him turning to face Marilyn—and wish he'd put in some overtime.
Not again.

“Have you come to a decision?”

One look at her face told him the conversation wouldn't go well. “Two weeks, Marilyn. That's all she'll stay this summer.”

Marilyn put her hands on her hips, an exasperated expression on her face. “You're making a mistake, Jonas. She came home in a horrible mood and talked back
again!
She ignored my requests to spend time with me and went straight to her room to get on the computer. I drive all this way and she wants to study? It's Friday!”

Jonas glanced down the hall and noted his daughter's door was cracked open, her five-foot shadow blocking the light of the lower half. He stepped forward and tugged Marilyn with him into the kitchen. Once there
Jonas released her and turned to stare out the window over the sink.

“Jonas, I know the thought of letting Caroline go can't be easy, but we both know it would be for the best. Your schedule is atrocious and Caroline's attitude is a reflection of that. She needs stability.”

“By changing yet another aspect of her life?” His hands gripped the counter tight. “I've already told her she doesn't have to spend the summer, and I'm not going to be pushed by you into changing my decision.”

“
Well
…if that's how you— I—I'm not feeling very well today,” she said abruptly. “So I—I think I'll let you and Caroline handle things here this week. I wouldn't want—” she sniffled loudly “—I wouldn't want to stay and—and upset either of you.”

Jonas's knuckles turned white, and even though he knew she waited for him to protest, to make it up to her the way he and Carly always did, he refused to feel guilty. The time had come.

“I'll just go…gather up my things.”

“Marilyn?”

“Yes?”

Her tone was so eager, so needy, he cringed. “Give Dave my best and tell him when he gets some time off to come by and I'll take him to that fishing spot I told him about out at the Second Chance.”

“That's all you have to say?”

He didn't turn. “You expected something else?”

She harrumphed. “You just wait, Jonas. You'll come to your senses when Caroline continues to misbehave. Until then, maybe it would be best if I stayed away. You'll see you're
not
handling her and things here as well as you seem to think. You'll see you
can't.
”

Again she waited. He didn't move, didn't protest or make any attempts to apologize. Finally Marilyn gave up and grabbed her purse and keys from the table, the time it took her to walk to the front door three times the norm. Jonas stayed where he was until he heard her car start and drive away.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hall to Carly's room. “Caro?”

“I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to be so grouchy with Grandma. I have a stomachache and don't feel good, but I'll apologize later for being rude.”

“Were you rude?”

She hesitated. “Some. She wanted me to practice piano, and got mad when I wanted to lie down. I told her I sucked at piano and her lessons didn't work.”

He tried to keep his laughter out of his voice. Musical she wasn't. “Want me to bring you something? Maybe some crackers and ginger ale?” He thought he heard a sniffle.

“No, thank you.”

“I think I'll order us some dinner from the diner. You want anything special?”

“No, I'm not hungry…. Dad? I love you.”

The weight on his shoulders pressed down a bit more. Was he doing the right thing? “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

“If I feel better later, can I go to Skylar's tomorrow?”

The question had him frowning. “Are you sure nothing's wrong? Do you need a doctor?”

“No, I'm okay. But I'd like to go see them—since it's okay now. I got an A today,” she added hastily. “It'll bring my B in world history up to a solid A and that's without the extra credit. It'll give me an A plus.”

Jonas chuckled softly, relieved. “That's my girl. I
knew you could do it. And yeah, kiddo, you can go if Rissa says it's okay. Tell you what,” he drawled, wanting the excuse just to hear her voice, “how 'bout I call and talk to her for you?”

 

“R
ISSA SAID
she's really proud of me and Skylar.”

“Is that right?” Jonas asked a week later, looking up from the paperwork he'd brought home with him so he could spend some extra time with his little girl. Marilyn's comment about his schedule had gotten to him, and he'd exchanged his office desk for the kitchen table.

“Rissa said if we keep it up, maybe we could do something special together this summer. You know, like go somewhere overnight or something, like a minivacation.”

Jonas set the pen aside and stared at Carly. If she began another sentence with the words “Rissa said” he'd—

“Rissa said she asked Maura where to go for my haircut and Maura gave her the name of a great place in Helena. She said she'd call and get the cost and then help me come up with a budget to spend the money you said I could have for my birthday.”

“Why not go somewhere here?” he asked, wondering if his daughter's excited chatter was just that—excitement over her soon-to-be makeover—or the start of a deepening appreciation of Skylar's mom. Either way, it worried him. Him getting his heart broken was one thing, his daughter's heart was another.

“Rissa said she'd work Friday night at the diner and then come get me Saturday to go shopping if that was okay with you?”

“Shopping for what?”

“Daaad!”
When he smiled, she grinned. “Anyway, before Rissa dropped me off to go to the diner, she also
said Grace asked if I might be able to work at the ranch for the summer helping Skylar babysit the kids that come with their parents. She said we'd be chaperoned and we'd even get
paid!
So can I? It would be my first job.”

A job? “I don't know, sweetheart. That sounds like a big responsibility.” And it would mean spending even more time with Skylar when he was trying to get her to see her other friends.

“Please, Dad? I really want to and…”

“What?” he asked suspiciously.

“It would mean I wouldn't be a problem to you all summer since I'd be somewhere working. And chaperoned,” she added, repeating herself and dangling the word like a prize. “And I wouldn't…I hoped I wouldn't have to go to Grandma's, at least not for long.”

So that was it. Jonas got up from the table and walked over to where she stood mixing up a salad for dinner. He took her shoulders in his hands and gently swung her around. “Caro—”

“Please, please,
please
don't say no! Dad, I want to do this. It's job experience and—and I'd be earning money for college!”

“You'll also be limiting your exposure to your other friends by tying yourself down like that when the fact is, Skylar and Rissa plan on leaving soon. Rissa told me herself they're not staying here permanently.”

“But—” She blinked rapidly. “Then shouldn't I spend as much time as possible with them while they're here?”

Jonas frowned at her alternate thinking. After Lea's betrayal he'd felt the compulsion to distance himself from people, to guard his emotions, but Caroline didn't feel that need. Thank God.

“You'll be hurt when they leave.”

Her chin lowered. “I won't like it,” she agreed softly, “but Skylar's already my friend. I'd like to see her as much as I can before she moves—
especially
if she's moving.”

“Your grandmother will be more upset than she is now.” Was he really using Marilyn as an excuse?

“I know, but…maybe if I still go stay with her a week and do the ballet thing, she'll be happier.”

“Not two weeks?”