The Rancher (11 page)

The house was quiet but wood
smoke could be seen from the chimney in the back. Issac was up and
preparing breakfast, as usual.

Holden took the front steps two
at a time, the smile on his face, he knew, would be there for days.
He wasn't sure what he'd done to finally break through Laurel's
reservations about him but he couldn't be happier. He'd have done
just about anything to win her over but it didn't look as if he'd
have much trouble now. All he had to do now was convince Alex that
she wasn't a she-devil like she supposed she was.

Entering the house and walking
to the stairs, he started up but froze on the third step. Alex was
sitting on the second floor landing, a hard scowl painted on her
otherwise cherubic face. Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth pinched
into a thin white line and he blew out a breath.

He climbed the remaining steps
and sat on the top one, leaning his back against the wall. He
didn't say a word, just looked over at her and waited.

When she stared back, the
disgruntled look on her face becoming more fierce, dread filled
him. Of all the things he wanted in life, Alex's happiness was
foremost in his mind. If she didn't accept Laurel… He didn't even
want to think about it. He couldn't choose between them. Alex would
win every time.

She said nothing for long
minutes, the ticking of a clock somewhere in the house the only
noise and the longer she sat staring at him, the angrier he became.
He knew she was upset, and really couldn't blame her. It had just
been the two of them for so long, the change was sure to be
upsetting, but he needed to remember who the adult was.

Shifting his position, he gave
her a stern look and said, "Say it. Whatever it is. Let's have this
out once and for all."

She exploded. He barely
understood a word she said her words erupted in such violent
succession that she was winded in a matter of moments. He let her
vent, watched her face turn bright red and when tears filled her
eyes, sliding down her cheeks to splash on her nightgown, he
sighed, rubbed a hand over his face and reached for her.

He hadn't heard her cry so hard
in ages, the last time being two years ago when she fell from a
tree in the backyard and bruised her ribs. He let her cry until she
was hiccupping so badly, he thought she'd lose her breath
completely.

Sitting her up, he wiped her
tears away, placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her back
against him. They sat in silence until he heard his father stirring
in his room, until the smell of bacon and oven-fresh biscuits
filled the house. Leaning back to look at her face, he smiled,
pushed her hair away from her damp cheeks and said, "I love you,
you know."

Alex sniffled and scrubbed a
fist across her nose. "I know."

"I only want you to be happy,
Alex. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

"I know."

He bit his tongue for a moment,
wondering exactly how to say what he wanted to. She looked up, her
large, luminous eyes still glassy with unshed tears. "You stayed
all night with her, didn't you?"

Holden's face heated and he knew
he was blushing. Having your ten year old daughter know you'd been
sleeping with a woman was about the most embarrassing thing he'd
ever have to live through―he hoped. He cleared his throat and
avoided her gaze. "I want her to be my wife, Alex." She opened her
mouth, to protest, he was sure, but he silenced her with a raised
hand. "Let me finish, all right?"

She sighed and nodded.

"I love you Alex, you know I do,
and as much as I enjoy taking care of you and this ranch, I need
more." She glanced up at him and it was all he could do to keep
looking at her. "I get lonely, Alex. Every man does at some point
in his life."

"Why? I'm here. Grandpa Avery is
here. Aren't we enough?"

He grinned. Talk like this he
hadn't thought would come at such an early age but with Alex, he'd
stopped trying to predict her long ago. She was wise beyond her
years, most days, and today was one of those days.

"Thing is, Alex, a man wants
certain things out a life. He wants a home, a family and having
someone there to share all that with him just makes it all the
better." He glanced down at her, kissing her forehead again. "I
have you and grandpa but most days, it just isn't enough. I want
more. I want someone I can talk to about anything. Someone to take
care of me every once in a while and… and I want that person to be
Laurel. I want a wife, Alex, but I can't choose between the two of
you."

Her eyes brightened a bit before
she sat up. "Then you mean if I say no, you'll stop going to see
her?"

His heart ached at her words but
he nodded his head. "If that's what you want, then yes. I'll stop
seeing her."

The smile she graced him with
brightened her whole face. She laughed and threw her arms around
his neck, giving his stubbled cheek hard, smacking kisses before
she let go, jumped to her feet and danced a jig, right there on the
second floor landing. She ran all the way back to her room, her
little girl giggles filling the house while the ache inside his
chest constricted until he couldn't breathe past it.

He sat there staring at the
banister, thoughts of Laurel playing in his mind relentlessly
before he pushed the images away. Alex would never like her,
regardless of what he said or did and her refusal to even try told
him he'd failed in raising her right. She shouldn't be so
close-minded but she was an Avery. If he knew anything, he knew
they were a stubborn lot. Always had been and Alex proved they
always would be.

And his future with Laurel was
over before it even got started.

* * * *

Teaching, most days, was as
pleasant an experience as Laurel always thought it would be but
today was different. The children were rowdy, more so than usual,
but for once, it wasn't Alexandra causing the uproar. She'd been
unusually quiet most of the day, keeping her head down but every
once in a while, Laurel would see her peeking up at her.

A nervous flutter caused her
stomach to tremble every time she saw that look. It meant she knew
things between her father and her school teacher had taken a turn
and if Laurel had to guess, she'd say the girl wasn't happy and had
their positions been reversed, she would have been in the exact
same foul mood. Alexandra had asked her right out if she wanted to
court her father and Laurel had said no. Now, not even two weeks
later, that had all changed.

She'd barely spoken to Holden
when he dropped Alexandra off that morning. He'd looked rather
subdued and she just assumed he didn't want to talk about what had
transpired between them in public. With children clamoring to get
inside the building and people walking the street outside the
school, stolen kisses weren't an option either so she'd dismissed
the whole thing as him just being discreet.

But now, as the children got
more wild with every passing minute, and Alexandra still giving her
those silent, death-stares, she had to wonder. Had Holden not
spoken more than a few words to her for a reason? And was that
reason sitting in front of her now, watching her like a hawk
circling her prey?

The uneasy feeling didn't go
away. It grew worse when she dismissed class and Alexandra lingered
behind, taking her time gathering her things. Laurel was on the
front stoop, wishing the children a good day but kept glancing over
her shoulder at Alexandra. Something wasn't right. Alexandra was
usually the first one out the door at the end of the day, seeing
her lag behind meant something was wrong.

Glancing at the road, and not
seeing Holden on his black stallion coming her way, Laurel turned
and walked back into the classroom. She gave Alexandra a glance as
she walked to her desk. She busied herself sorting the books and
slates left piled on one corner while casting small glances up at
the girl.

Five minutes later, Alexandra
was still there, standing by her desk, staring at her. Dread filled
like venom in Laurel's stomach. She sat the books in her hand
aside, cleared off the corner of her desk and perched on the edge
of the desk, folding her hands into her lap. "Is there something
you'd like to talk about?"

Alexandra blew out a bored
breath. "No. Would you like to talk about anything?"

Laurel opened her mouth but shut
it with a snap. Was this girl really only ten years old? She wasn't
overly tall but looked her age for the most part, until you looked
into her eyes. The intelligence Laurel saw there most of the time
was astounding. Today was no different. A little girl in boys
trousers and a chambray shirt, her pigtails laying across her
shoulders, she looked every bit as mature as most teen girls.
Holden would have his hands full very soon. She was positive.

"Will your father be late in
picking you up?"

Alexandra shrugged one shoulder
in reply.

"All right," Laurel said. She
stared at the girl until the uneasiness grew and sent cold chills
down her spine. "What is it, Alexandra? If you have something to
say, then just say it."

"Fine. I don't like you
much."

Laurel smiled. "That's
obvious."

"I don't want you for my momma,
either."

A nod of her head was all Laurel
could give her in response. Alexandra crossed the room and stopped
in front of the desk, her big blue eyes shining up at her. "My
grandpa said I was being selfish."

"I thought your grandpa didn't
talk?"

Alexandra shrugged. "He talks to
me all the time." She shifted her weight to one foot and sighed.
"He said I can't tell pa who to marry and me saying he can't marry
you is wrong. That I have to be happy for him no matter how much I
don't like ya. He said that my pa's let his life pass him by so he
could take care of me and it's wrong to not let him have something
that would make him happy."

She looked away, sighed again
and shook her head in defeat. "I'll probably never like ya but my
pa does so I'll just have to be okay with it." She looked up,
raised a hand to scratch at her cheek and lowered her hand to the
desk. "Pa always takes me to eat supper in the hotel on Monday. I
guess it would be okay if you wanted to come along. Heaven knows
he'll just be wishing you was there anyway."

Laurel held back the beaming
smile trying to form and was able to keep it restrained as she
nodded her head at her. "That's very nice of you, Alexandra, but if
supper in the hotel is your special time with your father, then
I'll not intrude."

Alexandra shrugged her shoulder
and turned. "Suit yourself." She gathered her things, clasping them
in her arms before turning back to face her. "Just let him know I
offered, all right?"

"I'll do that."

Laurel watched her walk away and
exit the building, pulling the door shut behind her, her invitation
to dine with them still playing through her head like a soft
musical note. She grinned and stood, walking to the window at the
front of the room, peering outside. Alexandra was by the gate,
Holden coming down the road on his black stallion, and when he
reached the girl, he scooped her from the ground with one arm and
headed to the hotel without stopping. Just as they were about to
ride out of sight, Holden turned his head, peering over his
shoulder. He smiled back at her and Laurel lifted her hand, waving
as they rode away.

Alexandra's words whispered
themselves to her on repeat as she cleaned the classroom, putting
away the lesson books and straightening the desks. The smile on her
face, she knew, would be permanent. Alexandra still didn't like her
but the girl wasn't going to fight her father in his attempts to
court her. As much as she'd like to have joined them for supper,
she knew it was too soon. Alexandra would need time to ease into
the situation and after so long a time running from her past,
Laurel would too.

She was turning toward the door
leading to her little room in the back of the school when the front
door opened. Turning to find Holden there surprised her more than
Alexandra's admission that she would be all right with her father
courting her. He smiled, crossed the room and wrapped his arms
around her, kissing her breathless before she could even get a word
out. When he lifted his head to look at her, his eyes were dancing
with laughter. "So I hear you refused Alex's supper
invitation?"

Laurel grinned. "I don't think
she really wanted me there so I declined."

"Well, she probably wasn't
sincere when the offer was made but she's mad as a wet hen now." He
chuckled and stole another quick kiss. "To her way of thinking, you
weren't refusing her, you were rejecting me and for some reason,
even though she claims not to like you, she'll not let you just
toss me away. Now go grab your things and come have supper with
us."

They walked side by side all the
way to the hotel and entering the building was nerve wracking.
Alexandra was sitting at a table in the back of the room, toying
with her napkin and looking as bored as she ever had. When she
looked up and saw them, the corner of her mouth quirked into a
half-smile.

"I knew you'd come if pa
asked."