Fortune's Texas Surprise, page 13
Nodding, he said, “I remember. That was the day I brought Ryan and Elizabeth by the clinic—when they picked out the two cats to adopt,” he said. “Carla said then that you were out back helping Dr. Neil with a bull. I figured that was something out of the ordinary.”
She nodded. “It was. But who knows, Dr. Neil might decide to expand his practice someday to include large animals. Lord knows my brothers would only be too glad to construct a larger facility for the clinic.”
“No doubt,” he said. “Shawn and I stopped by the Crockett Café a couple of days ago and we heard plenty of talk about the new buildings going up. I think some of the old locals are expecting to see skyscrapers appear in the middle of Rambling Rose.”
“I don’t think anything like that is about to happen. Unless the new hotel they’re planning turns out to be a high-rise building. But I’m hoping they think long and hard before they do something that extravagant. To be honest, one of the reasons I decided to move here to Rambling Rose with my brothers was because I thought small-town life would be a nice change from the city. I’d hate to see this place lose its rural charm.”
“You and a lot more people,” he agreed.
Wanting to change the subject, she shifted on the cushion and smiled at him. “So how have you been these past few days? Busy?”
“So busy we’ve hardly had time to look up. We’ve been building cross fence that goes for a couple of miles. Hard work, but it will be worth it. The new fence is going to make roundups much easier.”
Impressed, she said, “So the Diamond D is that large?”
“By Texas standards it’s a just a little patch of ground. But it’s about all the four of us Donovan men can take care of.” His gaze dropped to Linus and he gently traced his forefinger over the baby’s cheek. After a couple moments he said, “I think I ought to tell you that my mother is concerned with the idea of me spending time with you.”
Stephanie sat forward on the edge of the cushion and stared at him. “You mentioned me to your mother?”
He shook his head. “No. Someone who saw us together at the fund-raiser did.”
A part of Stephanie was disappointed. If he’d been the one to tell his mother about her, it might have shown that she was becoming an important part of his life. On the other hand, it could be that he wasn’t the type to discuss a girlfriend with his mother.
Stop it, Stephanie. Stop making excuses for the man. That sign around his neck doesn’t read Good. It says Fun and Fickle.
Trying to shake away the sardonic voice in her head, she asked, “Why would your mother be concerned about me?”
He leveled a dry look at her. “For the same reason your brothers are concerned about me. We’re not on equal footing. She thinks you’ll hurt me.”
“And my brothers believe you’ll hurt me,” she stated ruefully.
He grunted with amusement. “Yeah. Together we make a dangerous pair.”
Unwittingly, she reached over and wrapped her hand around his. The contact brought his gaze around to hers, and as she studied his blue eyes, she realized she couldn’t view him as something to fear. How could she fear something that made her so happy?
“It’s not my plan to hurt you, Acton.”
A dimple appeared in his left cheek. “I’m not planning on hurting you, either.”
“So maybe our families should quit worrying about us.”
“Or at least let us do the worrying,” he added with a twinkle in his eyes.
His hand was warm, and for a moment she considered sliding across the cushions and snuggling up to his side. But she didn’t want this evening to end with him running scared and her aching for something he wasn’t ready to give.
Drawing her hand away, she focused on the messy coffee table. “Looks like you were eating when I arrived. Don’t let me interrupt your meal.”
Linus squirmed and Acton gently shifted the baby to his other side.
“Not at all. I’m finished. Would you like something to eat or drink? I have all kinds of cold cuts. Plus a pecan pie. I buy them from the bakery two at a time. Mom warns me that I’m going to get fat. She doesn’t have a clue how much physical labor I do.”
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t imagine Acton with a roll of flab around his waistline. “No thanks. Maybe later, after we deal with Grizabella.”
“I’m ready to take a go at her, if you are,” he said.
Stephanie rose from the couch and picked up the diaper bag next to her feet. “Where should I put Linus’s diaper bag? Will Seymour get into if I leave it on the couch?”
“With Seymour I can’t make any kind of promises. Better let me put it on top of the fridge,” he said.
Stephanie glanced around the room. “Speaking of Seymour, where did he get off to? He shot into the house like he couldn’t wait to get in here and I’ve not seen him since.”
“I think I know where we’ll find him.” Cradling Linus in one arm, he rose from the couch and jerked his head toward an open doorway on the opposite side of the room. “Follow me.”
They left the living room and entered an open space where four doors intersected. Acton went directly forward and into a small kitchen decorated with red curtains, white-painted cabinets and a green Formica-and-chrome table with matching chairs. A clock in the shape of a colorful rooster hung on the wall behind the table.
“Does the rooster crow on the hour?” she asked.
He let out a good-natured groan. “No, thank goodness. I can hear Mom’s real rooster all the way down here. I don’t need two birds to tell me it’s time to get up at four thirty in the morning.”
She gazed around the cozy room. “This kitchen is adorable. I’ll bet you have some memories of being here with your grandmother.”
“Tons of them. She cooked all the time and my brothers and I knew if we begged hard enough she’d give us pie or something we shouldn’t be eating before supper.”
“Is this the way the house looked when you moved in?”
With his free hand, he placed the diaper bag on top of the fridge.
“The whole house is just like it was when Grandma Hatti moved out. It would hurt her feelings if I changed it.”
“Why would you want to? It all looks fine to me. And this kitchen is just too cute.”
He shrugged. “To be honest, it doesn’t much matter to me how it’s furnished as long as it’s comfortable. But it hardly looks like a bachelor lives here.”
“I imagine your grandmother appreciates you not turning it into a bachelor pad. Was this house where your grandparents always lived on the ranch?”
He nodded. “This house is more than a hundred years old. My great-grandfather built it when he first started the Diamond D. The newer house on the hill behind this one was built by my father after he and Mom got married.”
“What happened to your grandfather?”
A shadow passed his face, but only for a moment. “One evening after work he sat down in his favorite chair, went to sleep and never woke up. Guess if I have a choice, that’s the way I want to go.”
He motioned for her to follow him and they left the kitchen and started across the hallway.
“So what do your brothers think about you moving in here?” Stephanie asked as she walked a step behind him. “Do they think they have just as much right to live here as you?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “They do have just as much right, but they’re not interested. Shawn prefers the big house so he’ll have someone cooking his meals and picking up after him. And Danny says when he gets a place of his own he wants it to be more modern.”
“I see. So it didn’t cause any friction between the three of you?”
As they reached another open doorway, he paused and looked at her. “No. Would something like that cause friction with your brothers?”
She let out a short laugh. “It hasn’t always been easy merging four brothers from two different mothers. There’s been some resentment and dissension along the way. But for the most part they get along. We all do, actually.”
“Until you bring a strange cowboy into your kitchen, right?” he joked.
She pulled an impish face at him. “That’s only happened once. But it could happen again,” she suggested. “If the cowboy decides to help me do some more baking.”
His eyebrows slowly lifted. “Maybe we ought to do the baking here. It would probably be safer.”
She frowned. “You’re not going to let that trio scare you away, are you?”
His lips twisted to a faint smile as he touched his forefinger to the tip of her nose. “No. In fact, I’m not going to let anything scare me away from you.”
“Not even my kisses?”
His low, sexy chuckle sent a shiver down her spine.
“You get Grizabella out from under the bed and I’ll show you how scared I am of your kisses.”
Certain her stomach had suddenly been invaded by a thousand butterflies, she tried to make her smile provocative. “I just might hold you to that promise.”
Chapter Nine
Inside Acton’s bedroom, he carefully placed Linus in the middle of a queen-size bed, surrounded by pillows so there would be no chance of him rolling to the edge.
Stephanie covered the baby with a soft blanket and after making sure he was comfortable, she looked around the room. It was furnished with a varnished pine chest and dresser that matched the bed frame. Braided rugs covered part of the linoleum floor and white Priscilla curtains draped the double windows. She’d seen rooms like this in rural-living magazines, but never in person. She was struck by how homey and warm it felt.
“I’m guessing Grizabella must be under this bed,” she said.
Acton nodded. “That’s right. And just like I suspected, Seymour is waiting for her to come out.” He nodded at the dog, who was lying at the foot of the bed, his nose resting on his paws. “When he’s in the house, this is where he stays, watching for her to make a move. Would it be better if I took him outside?”
The moment he heard Acton say his name, the dog whined, but he never took his eyes off the fringe dangling at the bottom of the white bedspread.
“No,” Stephanie answered. “Grizabella is going to have to get used to him. That’s what caused all the problems in the first place.”
Stephanie dropped to her hands and knees and peered under the bed. Grizabella was on the opposite side, hunched up next to the wall. Her one eye was as wide as a saucer as she stared fearfully at Stephanie.
“Grizabella,” she said in a quiet, gentle tone. “Come here, girl. Everything is going to be all right. The dog is okay. He’s not going to hurt you. And you don’t want to live under the bed from now on.”
The cat’s ears twitched straight up, telling Stephanie that she’d recognized her voice. It was an encouraging sign, so she continued to coax the cat to her.
Finally, after several more minutes passed, Grizabella crawled over to Stephanie’s hand and sniffed.
“That’s right, pretty girl. You remember me, don’t you?”
She rubbed the side of her face against Stephanie’s fingers and after that it was short work to stroke her until she was calm enough to be picked up.
“Oh, thank God,” Acton murmured under his breath so as not to excite the cat. “I thought you might use one of your magic spells to draw her out and you did.”
“Grizabella has been traumatized, but she’ll come out of it.” She carried the cat over to Acton. “Here. You hold her now. She needs to get used to your smell and touch.”
He took the cat in his arms and Stephanie thought he handled the cat with the same gentle expertise he used with Linus.
As his long fingers softly stroked the top of her head, he said, “Gosh, she’s been hiding out for so long, I’d almost forgotten how pretty she is.”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Seymour got up and came around to Acton. The minute he looked up at the cat and let out a whine, Grizabella arched her back and hissed. Acton managed to tighten his hold without scaring her even more.
“It’s okay, girl,” he said to Grizabella. “Seymour is really just a softy. He wouldn’t hurt a flea if it was biting his tail.”
Stephanie had to stifle a laugh. “That’s not what I heard.”
“Shh. She doesn’t know that,” Acton scolded. “Besides, his problem isn’t with other animals. It’s with people—namely, me.”
Stephanie drew close enough to place her hand on Seymour’s head, then, using a soft voice, attempted to introduce the two animals.
“I think it’s working,” Acton said after a few minutes. “I can feel Grizabella relaxing in my arms.”
Stephanie continued to size up the two animals’ behavior. “I believe you’re right. The look she’s giving Seymour now is more like curiosity rather than terror. And Seymour is clearly infatuated with her. He wants her to get down and play.”
“I don’t think she’s feeling that friendly,” Acton replied. “What if I take her in the kitchen and try to feed her? I still have a can of mackerel left.”
“I’ll go with you. Just in case of an emergency,” she added.
“That doesn’t sound encouraging.”
Stephanie laughed at his wariness. “You’re a rancher. You’ve been around animals all your life. You should know they’re unpredictable.”
“Yeah. I have scars on my body to prove just how unpredictable. I’ll show them to you sometime. Just so you’ll know I’m not lying.”
“Uh, I believe you. For now,” she added in a suggestive voice.
It was his turn to laugh and then he glanced at Linus. “Will the baby be okay there if we both go to the kitchen?”
“Sure. He’s perfectly safe. Plus I’ll be just a few feet away. I can hear him if he so much as makes a peep.”
“Good. Then, let’s take this pair to the kitchen and give it a try.”
Nearly a half hour later, the two animals had come to a truce and Seymour was lying on his belly patiently watching Grizabella eat the last of her mackerel. With only a few feet between the cat and dog and neither trying to make a dash for it, Stephanie and Acton decided a beautiful friendship was beginning to bud between the two.
“I thought they might become friends,” she stated happily as she sat at the table, sipping coffee that Acton had made for her. “But I never believed it would happen this quickly. I thought I might have to make several trips over here to help get them acquainted.”
Acton snapped his fingers. “Shoot. Now I’ll have to think up another excuse to get you here again.”
Stephanie leveled a wry look at him. “Why don’t you just ask? Wouldn’t that be simpler?”
A sheepish grin slanted his lips. “Yeah, I guess it would. Can you come over Saturday? I promised Ryan and Elizabeth that I’d take them to the park in town. But I was thinking we could have a little picnic here. I have an outdoor fireplace in the backyard. I can build a fire and let the kids roast wieners and marshmallows. And if it’s warm enough, we can walk them down to the pond. What do you think?”
Stephanie didn’t know what to think. Being invited to another family outing with the kids was the last thing she’d expected from him.
“I realize it probably sounds boring to you,” he went on. “But Elizabeth and Ryan have been hounding me about this for the past month and they would love your company. So would I.”
For a man who was gun-shy of love and marriage, he was hardly acting like a playboy. Dayna and Sheri had both gossiped to her about a few of the women he’d dated during the past few years, and according to Stephanie’s coworkers, Acton had dropped each woman after a brief fling. She didn’t want to believe her friends were making up gossip, but when Stephanie was with him, he seemed anything but a womanizer. Was she stupid to think he might’ve put his roaming ways behind him? Or that he might not have been that much of a playboy in the first place?
Stephanie wasn’t going to worry about answering that question. Risky or not, she wanted to be with the man.
“I think it sounds lovely, Acton. I can bring some things for the picnic. And don’t worry, I’ll get them from the deli instead of trying to make them,” she said with a laugh.
She was surprised at the happy look that spread over his face. It very nearly matched the joy that was bubbling over inside of her. It didn’t matter if they had three children as chaperones. Acton wanted to spend time with her and in the end that’s all that really mattered.
Chuckling, he said, “Don’t worry about bringing any food. Having you and Linus here is what’s important to me.”
Just as she started to make a reply, Linus let out a whimper and Stephanie quickly rose to her feet and grabbed the diaper bag off the fridge.
“Linus calls. He’s probably wet and hungry,” she said.
To her surprise, Acton followed her into the bedroom, where they sat down on opposite sides of the bed.
“Why don’t you let me change him?” he offered. “I know how to do it. I changed plenty of Elizabeth’s and Ryan’s diapers.”
She cast him a doubtful glance. “That’s hard to believe. You were still in your teens when those two were born. You were probably running around with your friends, playing sports and riding horses or something.”
“True, I was doing all those things. But I still had time for my niece and nephew. And teenagers make good babysitters. At least, Gina always trusted me. She said Shawn didn’t have the patience for kids and Danny wouldn’t know which end of a bottle went into the baby’s mouth. She said I had finesse with babies,” he said proudly.
Stephanie laughed. “Like I have with animals?”
“Exactly.”
She pulled a diaper out of the bag and handed it to him. “Then I would think you’d have some children of your own by now.”
