Texas Rose Forever (Texas Rose Ranch #1) (6 page)

“Stop fondling me and loop your arms loosely around my neck.” Was he really going to have to carry her down ten flights of steps? She was kind of heavy—not that he was going to mention that. He had a highly developed sense of self-preservation and knew what not to say to a woman.

“I’ll stop picturing you shirtless when you get your hands off of my butt,” she said close to his ear. “You know, you’re the first guy who’s managed to get your hands under my skirt before we’ve actually kissed.”

“I kissed you.” Slowly, he moved his hands down her thighs and around to the tops of her shoes.

“No, you didn’t.” She looped her arms loosely around his neck. “Wait . . . maybe you did. But the whole snake episode ruined it. Besides, I didn’t get any tongue. It’s not a real kiss unless there’s tongue.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re pushy?” He bent down and picked up the flashlight.

“Now that you mention it, I do believe Thomas Murray-Carter accused me of that in the seventh grade. It was something about being too intimidated by me to ask me out.” She leaned forward and rested her chin on his left shoulder. “Come to think of it, I didn’t get any tongue from him either.”

“What ever happened to Thomas?” He used his hands on the stair rail to steady himself as he started down the stairs.

“He and his wife are big swingers . . . not the dance kind. He’s bald and pudgy now. He and his wife hit on me profusely when I ran into them at Amy’s Ice Creams about a year or so ago.”

“I’ll never understand Austin. I would never share my wife with anyone.” The irony was that he hadn’t had to because she’d shared herself with everyone but him.

“Yeah, I can tell you that it’s a conversation I never hope to have again. While I’m pretty much a live-and-let-live kind of person, I really didn’t want to know that much about their personal life. Now I can’t walk into that Amy’s Ice Creams without throwing up a little in my mouth. It sucks because that’s the closest Amy’s. Now I have to drive to one farther from my house.” Her voice tickled his ear.

“You could just get your ice cream from the grocery store like the rest of the world.” There was nothing wrong with store-bought ice cream. He had a half gallon of cookies and cream in his freezer at the moment.

“You’re skating on very thin ice cream here. I haven’t forgotten about the Double Stuf Oreos. Right now, all that’s keeping you in my good graces are some frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the ability to carry me down ten flights of stairs.” She laughed and the sound made him smile.

“All roads lead back to the Double Stuf Oreos.”

“They are the center of the universe.” He heard the shoulder shrug in her voice. “My life revolves around them. I don’t make the rules.”

He hoofed it down another flight of stairs and then the next.

“So, you’re really planning on carrying me down all ten flights of stairs?” Her voice was as dark and rich as the Rancho Red wine that his brother was so proud of.

“You’re a lady in distress, I’m saving you.” It was as simple as that.

“I figured I was good for two, maybe three flights, but you’re in it for the long haul. I admire that level of commitment.” She sniffed his collar. “You smell good. What is that?”

He thought she smelled pretty damn good too. “Tide laundry detergent and Dial soap. Real men don’t wear perfume.”

“That should be a T-shirt—Real Men Don’t Wear Perfume.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Real men don’t wear T-shirts that say ‘Real Men Don’t Wear Perfume.
’
” He was almost halfway.

“So many rules. Here I thought women had all of the rules . . . no white after Labor Day, no horizontal stripes, chunky heels are out, and no pleated pants because they make our butts look fat. But really, it’s you men who have it hard.” She patted his shoulder. “You can put me down anytime.”

“No, ma’am. Hauling you around is good exercise. I call it the piggyback workout. I need to keep in shape. Occasionally, I have to pick up a calf and move it. You weigh less than that.” He pulled her legs tighter around him.

“Good God, I hope I weigh less than a cow. How flattering.” She tightened her arms around his neck.

“You’re choking me.”

“That’s the point.” She loosened her grip.

“What I was trying to say, was that you . . .” He’d already stuck his foot in it and he was smart enough to know when to walk away. “I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.”

“Who said you were ahead?” she said close to his ear.

“Good point.”

“You can put me down now, anytime.” She jiggled a little like she was going to climb down.

“I’m good.” He hadn’t given a piggyback ride in twenty years. And he’d never enjoyed it more than he did right now. She was warm and he could stand to have her legs wrapped around him for a whole lot longer.

“Okay, suit yourself. I’m just along for the ride.” She stuck her nose next to his collar and inhaled deeply. “You really do smell good.”

He glanced up just in time to see a meteor skitter across the sky. “Did you see that?”

She leaned forward shifting his balance and he grabbed the rail before he toppled forward. “What?”

“The falling star.”

“Really?” She shifted again, but this time he was ready.

As he clomped down another flight of stairs, he kept his eyes on the sky. He stopped halfway down the next flight. “There’s another one.”

CanDee gently shook off his hands from around her ankles and climbed down. He missed her weight. There was something to be said for that knight-in-shining-armor stuff. Playing the role of her hero had felt fantastic.

She stood next to him and watched the night sky.

“There’s another one.” Her finger followed the path of the meteor hitting the earth’s atmosphere.

He liked
shooting star
better than the scientific explanation. Her shoulder was only a few inches shorter than his. It was nice not to have to bend down to talk to her.

“Now would be an excellent time to put your arm around me.” She cut her gaze over to him and smiled. “You know, in case that’s what you were mulling over.”

“I was thinking that it’s nice not to have to bend over to talk to you.” Or kiss her.

“I like that you’re tall too. It means that I still get to wear heels.” She turned to him, leaned up on the balls of her feet, and lightly touched her lips to his.

“It’s a man’s job to initiate the kiss,” he said against her mouth, but her only reply was to suck on his bottom lip.

His hands went to her waist and he pulled her into him. Her hands slid into his hair as her tongue slid into his mouth. She molded her body to his. This time, he wasn’t about to argue.

This one and only time, he’d follow her lead, his tongue darting into her mouth. One hand cupped her cheek and the other slid down her back and landed on her butt. All he could think of was that tiny little thong.

She pulled back a fraction of an inch. “That better be another snake that slithered down my back and is currently cupping my ass.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but it’s just me.” He’d never appreciated having hands more than he did right now.

CHAPTER 6

CanDee really hadn’t expected Cinco to show up for yoga, but here he was standing in her doorway wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and cowboy boots.

“I’ve never seen anyone do yoga in cowboy boots, but it might work.” Probably not, but she’d found that cowboys thought of boots as a necessity like food, water, and cold beer.

“I’m more into spectator sports.” One arm leaned on the doorjamb while the other that had been behind his back traveled around front holding a basket. “I brought lunch.”

Quick as the snake that thank God hadn’t struck her last night, she rolled up on the balls of her feet and kissed him lightly. She took the basket, darted around him, and stepped outside. “Where should we picnic?”

“It’s not a picnic.” He closed the front door and followed her around the side of the cottage to the backyard.

“All food delivered in a basket is a picnic.” She walked up to the large metal trough in the backyard. “What is this? I saw it this morning, but I can’t figure out why a cattle trough is in the middle of a fenced-in backyard.”

He took the basket from her and shoved his arm through the looped handle. “It’s a bathtub with hot water.”

“Huh? The one inside wasn’t enough? I don’t get it.” Why have a bathtub outside? Sure, they were out in the middle of nowhere, but privacy was still a concern.

“Carlton Rose built it for his fiancée Prudence so that she would agree to marry him. Prudence was eighteen when she met Carlton, who was thirty-five at the time. He fell madly in love with her, but I don’t think the feeling was mutual. She agreed to marry him if he could promise her a hot bath whenever she wanted.” He knocked on the huge metal tank at the end of the trough. “He came up with this.”

She touched the worn pump handle. “So just pump the water directly into the tank . . .” She bent down and inspected the tank. “I see. Build a fire under the tank to heat the water and then lift the lever so the water spills into the trough.”

He nodded. “Personally, I think Prudence didn’t want to marry Carlton so she gave him what she thought was an impossible task.”

“Poor Prudence, not only did she have an awful name, but she was forced to marry a man she didn’t love.” A hot bath alfresco might be nice. She looked around. The vines of various vine-growing things covered the field fence in a healthy, lush green. The trough tub was a lot bigger than the itty-bitty claw-foot in the one and only bathroom in the cottage. As long as she bathed late, no one should be the wiser.

“Since we’re picnicking, do you have a blanket we can sit on?” Cinco shaded his eyes from the noon sun and pointed to a shady spot under an arbor holding up a massive red rosebush.

“There’s a blanket on the bed and I’m sure somewhere else in the house there’s another one, but you’d probably know better than I.” She nodded in the direction of the house. “Would you mind?”

“There are several in the closet next to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He balanced the picnic basket on the edge of the tub and headed around to the front of the house. The cottage had a back door, but Lucy had told CanDee that the key had been misplaced sometime during World War I and no one had gotten around to replacing the lock.

Because she knew it would make him blush, she called, “And stay out of my underwear drawer. I’ll know if anything’s missing.”

She moved the picnic basket to inside the tub and climbed onto the side so she could look into the tank. After prying the lid up, cautiously, she glanced inside. It was squeaky clean. Wow, whoever cleaned the cottage was very thorough.

“I sincerely hope that my oldest son hasn’t started wearing women’s underwear.” Dr. Lucy Rose stepped into the backyard.

How exactly did CanDee answer that? Picturing him in lacy pink underwear was disturbing.

“So you’ve found the bathtub.” Lucy walked over to the opposite side of the tub from CanDee. “Bear and I used it to warm up after skinny-dipping last week.”

The older woman grinned from ear to ear. There wasn’t the slightest bit of embarrassment or bragging in her voice. She was just stating the facts. It was good to see a long-married couple that still had an appetite for each other.

“That’s why it’s so clean.” CanDee climbed down. “Cinco showed me how it works. How long does it take the water to heat up?”

“Not as long as you’d think, once the fire gets going. There’s wood and kindling on the back porch.” The older woman pointed to the piles of cut wood and smaller branches. “When the water is as hot as you’d like, you open the other panel so that the water can circulate out from the tank and back to the tub. Your water will stay hot until the fire dies out.”

“It’s really ingenious.” Oh yeah, tonight she was having a long, hot backyard bath.

“A word to the wise, start the fire first and then pump the water in. It’s faster.” Lucy smiled up at CanDee. “I’m so glad that you decided to stay. I’m afraid that I would’ve had to have murdered my oldest child if you’d left, so thanks for saving me the trouble.”

“I’ve already started my research.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to tell Lucy that, but she did.

“I know.” Lucy shook her head. “I’m not worried about that. In fact, you have the family historian wrapped around your little finger. Cinco knows more about this place than anyone. Since the day he was born, he’s had an insatiable appetite for history.”

So she’d be spending lots of time with Cinco. That worked for her.

She glanced back at the gate to the front yard. “What was his wife like?”

It really wasn’t her business, but she wanted to know.

Lucy’s perfectly groomed eyebrows bounced off of her forehead. “He told you about Naomi?”

“He mentioned being married and I gather that it didn’t end well.” CanDee watched the gate like a hawk, not wanting Cinco to find them talking about him. No one liked to be discussed behind his or her back, and usually CanDee wouldn’t mind going to the source for information, but talking about his marriage seemed to hurt him.

“I’m surprised that he told you about the divorce since he hasn’t really said much to anyone else. I have my suspicions, but you should wait for him to tell you the whole story. All I know for sure was that she’s a lying, cheating bitch and I hated her from the moment I met her. Of course I tolerated her because I thought she made Cinco happy, but all she caused was misery. I can say without a doubt that she’s the only person that I truly hate.” Lucy’s voice was mean but level.

“Wow. She sounds like poison.” Cinco seemed so no-nonsense that it was hard to think of him with someone like that. Then again, she didn’t know him that well.

“Poison, that’s exactly what she was. I’m glad that he finally divorced her.” Lucy crossed her arms. “Thank God she’s out of our lives.”

“Mom, are you staying for lunch?” With a blanket tucked under his arm, Cinco opened the gate, stepped into the backyard, and closed the gate.

“No.” She smiled at her oldest son. “Just dropped by to see how CanDee was settling in.” She walked over to him and patted him on the arm. “I see that you’re taking care of our guest. I’m off. I’m meeting your father for lunch and then I have back-to-back surgeries this afternoon.”

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “See you later.”

There was a lot to be said for a man who still kissed his mother goodbye.

CanDee grabbed the basket and walked to him. “So, what’s for lunch?”

He led her to the arbor, spread out the blanket, and sat. She sat next to him. He opened the basket.

“Chicken salad sandwiches, root beer, potato chips, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.” He pulled out the Ziploc-bagged sandwiches and a small thermal bag that held two cold Abita Root Beers. “The Reese’s are in here too, but I’ll pull them out later.”

CanDee reached into the basket and pulled out two bags of Zapps Sour Cream & Creole Onion chips. “I love these, and chicken salad is one of my favorites.”

Well, pretty much anything she didn’t have to cook was a favorite, but she did like chicken salad.

He unwrapped one sandwich and handed it to her and then unwrapped the other one and took a bite.

“Did you make this?” She took a small corner bite. It was good. She liked a man who could cook. Since she didn’t, it was good to have someone around who did. Well, she supposed it would be nice. Her ex hadn’t been able to cook.

“Yes, I like to cook.” He opened one bag of chips and laid it in front of her and then opened the other bag and popped a chip in his mouth.

He went out of his way to make sure she was taken care of first before he took anything for himself. It was strange having a man see to her first. It felt nice.

“This is really good. I like the chunky pickle bits.” She took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “What else can you make?”

“Just about anything with a recipe that’s not too complicated. I follow directions well.” He bit into his sandwich again.

“I like a man who can follow directions.” And one who put her first. “This is a nice spot.” She pointed to the roses. “Who planted them?”

The way the thick vines wove in and out of the cedar trellis made her think that this rosebush had been here quite a long time.

“My great-grandfather, Deuce, planted this rosebush in atonement for his many sins.” One side of Cinco’s mouth turned up in a grin and a single dimple popped out on his left cheek. “Somehow the bloodred roses that bloom every year were supposed to cleanse his soul.”

“Your great-grandfather sounds like a very religious man.” Either that or he was a little bit crazy.

“I don’t think religion had anything to do with it. It was the shotgun that his wife was holding on him when she found him in bed with the
maid that was more the driving force behind his sudden need to cleanse his
soul.” He unscrewed the cap on a bottle of root beer and handed it to her. “After that, Deuce had a change of heart. He started going to church and
pretty much doing whatever Great-Grandmother Roberta told him to do.”

“Religion comes in many forms, and apparently the business end of a shotgun is one.” She sipped the root beer. “I love root beer but I never buy it.” She saluted him with it. “Thanks for this and for lunch.”

He looked very pleased with himself. “You’re welcome.”

“So, what are some more deep dark family secrets?” She wanted to know his, but it was too soon. She wanted him to tell her everything about Naomi, but if Lucy was any indication, CanDee was lucky that he’d even mentioned his marriage.

“There are many mysterious family secrets surrounding the Texas Rose Ranch. Maybe you’d like to go through the boxes in my attic after we have dinner.” He took another bite of his sandwich.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” She put her hand over her heart. “It’s so sudden. I didn’t see it coming.”

His gaze wandered over to hers. “Is that a yes?”

“Are you making dinner?” Two nights in a row where she didn’t have to eat yogurt for dinner was cause for a celebration.

“Yes.”

“Will there be any fooling around?” She nudged his boot with the toe of her running shoe.

“One-track mind.” The blush started at his collar and moved up to his face. “I’m beginning to think that all you want from me is sex.”

“That’s not true. Now that I know you can cook, I want food and sex.” She took another swig of root beer.

“I’m starting to feel a little like your cabana boy.” His face was still a glowing red.

“Is that a bad thing?” She’d never thought to have her own cabana boy, but if he was offering, she wasn’t going to say no.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Good. Would you be available to serve me drinks bathtub side later this evening? I plan on using Prudence’s tub for a long, hot bath.” If she played her cards right, she just might be able to get him to build the fire too.

He stared at her, blinked once, and continued to stare.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he whispered.

She looked around in case he was whispering because someone else had wandered into the backyard. She didn’t see anyone. “Why are you whispering again?”

“I don’t know.” His gaze moved to the grass on either side of his boots. “You shouldn’t take a bath out here. Anyone could walk by.” He pointed to the fence.

“You really think that someone walking by would take the time to peek through the vine-covered fence in the hopes of catching me naked? Wow, are there really that many Peeping Toms on the ranch?” Was he planning on being one?

“Well, when you put it like that . . . no, but who knows if the tub even works?”

“Your mom told me that she and your dad used it last week after they went skinny-dipping.” She took another bite of sandwich.

His face went from red to a sickly shade of oatmeal. “I didn’t need to know that.”

“Why? I think it’s cute that your parents skinny-dip.” She’d only ever had her grandmother, so family dynamics including brothers and sisters were intriguing. Come to think of it, none of the men she’d ever dated had been from a big family or had much of a family at all. It must be nice to have all of these people around to support Cinco.

He put his hands over his ears. “Stop talking. I wish I could get the mental image out of my head. How would you like it if your parents went skinny-dipping?”