His Hometown Cowgirl (7 page)

Damn. What the hell was wrong with her? He
hadn't seen her since she'd abandoned him on the dance floor at
Mrs. Ruth's party. He had the strangest urge to gather her close,
rub her back and make soothing noises, assuring her he hadn't meant
to hurt her feelings the other night. Or whatever he'd done to make
her cry.

He watched as she raised that willful chin of
hers and marched toward him, as if she were about to face a firing
squad. Hell, she acted like he was the enemy. She stopped directly
in front of him with a fake smile on her full lips. He stuffed his
hands in his pockets. No matter how many times he gave himself a
stern talking to, it never failed that when he was near Kelsey, he
wanted to kiss her. Really kiss her. He wanted to do more than kiss
her.
Damn
.

"Hey, Pete. What brings you to town?" Kelsey
glanced back at the SUV, then faced him again. "Where's Aunt
Caitlyn?" Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she stood
waiting for Pete's answer. Surely,
he
wasn't driving the
kids to Stone Creek.
He
wasn't going to Defalco's
afterwards, was he? She needed to apologize for her behavior last
weekend. But not now. She didn't want an audience, especially not
her little sister and a bunch of young cousins listening to every
word.

Pete moved forward, closer. She involuntarily
took a step back. A frown furrowed his forehead. "Jamie's sick," he
said, his eyes searching her face. "Tyler's not home yet--so, here
I am."

Yes, he was. Right here. Could this situation
feel any more awkward? What was the matter with her? She'd known
Pete all her life. She shouldn't feel the least bit hesitant and
awkward around him.

The screen door opened, the hinges squeaking
loudly in the late afternoon stillness. Jessie walked out onto the
porch with her two youngest children trailing behind. "Oh, man.
You're both already here. I've been rushing around searching for
Courtney's kneepads. We finally found them; they were in the bottom
of Michael's closet. How they got there, I don't have a clue. Okay,
I think my three are ready to go. Y'all better get a move on. You
don't want to be late. Are you filling in for Caitlyn?" she asked
Pete.

He stepped up onto the porch and took off his
Stetson. "Yes, ma'am. I'm the substitute driver once again."

Jessie laughed. "I don't know what this
family would do without you. Kelsey, you okay with this?"

No, she was not okay.
Kelsey felt her
aunt's curious eyes on her, as well as Pete's concerned gaze. Damn,
the situation had dialed up a notch in awkwardness. She lifted her
chin for courage and forced an even bigger smile. "I'm fine. But
like you said, we need to get going. Remember, we're stopping at
Defalco's for pizza afterwards, so it might be a little late when
we get back."

"Daniel told me," Jessie said, looking from
Kelsey to Pete, then back. "I gave him money to pitch in for the
pizza and games. Y'all have fun. And thanks, both of you, for
taking these rowdy hooligans for team pictures tonight."

"No problem," Pete said, slapping his Stetson
back on his head. "
Zach!
Time to load up, buddy."

Kelsey started for her truck, waving Jessie's
three children to follow. "Come on, you guys. Let's go."

The kids ran ahead yelling and laughing.
Kelsey sighed. Life had seemed much simpler when she was young.
Most
of the time, she amended, remembering how stubborn her
dad had been when he'd been denying his feelings for Theresa.

Suddenly, Kelsey felt a strong grip on her
upper arm and stopped in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder
at Pete. For a moment, she had the craziest impulse to fling
herself into his arms and bury her face in his shoulder.

She turned to face him. "Yes? You want
something?"

Pete's grip tightened on her arm; his gaze
turned feral. Kelsey's breath stalled in her lungs, and her stomach
fluttered madly. She had all she could do not to run away. Damn it.
She should
not
be having this kind of physical reaction to
Pete. He was all wrong for her. He was a heartbreaker, and her
heart was just now beginning to heal. He was a crop-duster and
firefighter, both dangerous jobs in their own ways. She didn't need
that kind of stress in a relationship again.

Pete quickly dropped his hand, but she still
felt the scorching imprint from his fingers on her arm. His unique
scent wafted on the gentle breeze. She couldn't help inhaling
deeply. Dang pesky hormones.

Pete cleared his throat. "I just wanted to
tell you that I'll bring up the rear and follow you, okay?"

Kelsey swallowed hard. "Sure. That'll
work."

He scanned her face again, his dark brown
eyes now holding only concern and worry. He stepped closer, and
this time she stood her ground and didn't move away.

"Kels," his voice was low and compelling.
She'd always loved how his voice sounded, how her name on his lips
made her stomach dip excitedly. Now it made her stomach clench with
desire.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "God, I'm sorry
about what happened the other night."

Kelsey couldn't let him take the blame. She
instinctively reached out and put her hand on his arm. His muscles
were rock-hard beneath her fingers. "It wasn't your fault.
I'm
the one who should apologize. We need to talk about it,
but we can't right now. We'll talk later, okay?"

She didn't wait for his reply, but jogged
toward her truck. She jumped in and slammed the door. Stabbing the
key into the ignition, she backed out of the circle drive and was
heading for the highway in record time.

"You're going awful fast, Kelsey. You all
right?" Daniel asked. His eyes were McCade-blue, and they stared at
her with trouble shining in their dark depths.

Kelsey eased off the gas pedal and counted to
five before answering. Seemed like the whole family was wondering
what was going on between her and Pete.

Nothing
was going on. Absolutely
nothing.

"I'm fine, Daniel. Thanks for asking." Kelsey
looked at her sister and two cousins sitting in the backseat.
"Everyone buckled? Good. Stone Creek, here we come!"

****

"I thought the photo session went as well as
could be expected," Kelsey said to Pete, pitching her voice loud so
she could be heard over the din of the crowd at Defalco's Italian
Restaurant. The place was always noisy and chaotic. People gathered
from all around the countryside to eat pizza with family and
friends, and the kids loved playing the video and arcade games.

The McCade clan had sat down only long enough
to order their pizzas and drinks, before running off to play the
vintage pinball machines, bop-the-squirrels, ring-tosses and a
myriad of video games.

Pete was left alone with Kelsey at the tables
that had been pushed together to accommodate the large group of
kids. The place was full of soccer players dressed in their orange
and black uniforms. Seemed like everyone had decided to stop for
pizza after team pictures.

"It could have been a whole lot worse," Pete
said. "As it was, we only had one near-catastrophe when Travis
tripped over his unlaced shoestrings and busted his chin. Not bad,
but it was a lot of blood. Thank God you had a Band-Aid with
you."

Kelsey nodded. "Poor kid. It's always
something with this bunch. I learned a long time ago, it's best to
come prepared." A smile hovered on her lips as she stirred her root
beer with the straw. "I remember when I was the only McCade kid. I
so
wanted some little cousins to play with. I was eleven
when Daniel was born. I couldn't wait for him to grow up. And look
at him now. Look at all of them now."

Without thinking, Pete reached across the
table and gently flicked her button nose with the tip of his
finger. He ignored the sudden jolt of awareness when skin touched
skin.

Cool it, Lafferty.

"
I
remember when you were the only
McCade kid, too," he said. "I always thought you were lucky to live
on the Diamondback Ranch. You know, because
I
was stuck
living in town. God, I loved it when Mom visited Mrs. Ruth. I'd
head straight for the stables to beg one of the hands for a ride.
You always followed me; it never failed."

Kelsey's smile intensified, and her blue eyes
took on a dreamy reflective gleam. "I was your shadow, that was for
sure. I don't know why you put up with me; I was such a pest."

"Sometimes." Pete hunched a shoulder, wishing
that dreamy look were directed at him.
Oh, man
.
He had it
bad
. "I usually didn't mind. Remember when we used to ride
together on one horse with me in front and you on back?"

Kelsey nodded and took a sip of her drink.
"Yeah. And remember how often we rode to the pond that one summer?
You taught me how to swim."

Pete chuckled. "Hell, I had to. You jumped in
right after me and nearly drowned. I couldn't let that happen; your
dad would've killed me. Plus they'd have banned me from the ranch.
I taught you to swim strictly for personal gain. It was a matter of
self-preservation so I could keep visiting the Diamondback."

He winked and she laughed. He loved it when
she laughed. The shroud of sorrow lifted for a moment, and Pete
couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest knowing he'd made her a
little happier.

"Yeah, right," Kelsey said. "We went swimming
a lot that summer. We explored a lot, too. Remember the dugout we
found near the creek?"

"Damn, I'd forgotten about the dugout." Pete
took a drink of his root beer. "I remember sheltering there a time
or two when we got caught in the rain."

"I still go there sometimes," Kelsey said.
"You know, when I need a quiet place to think or to just get
away."

"You mean that old house is still tucked away
in the side of the cliff? It hasn't caved in yet?"

"Nope. Sometimes, I have to chase the
critters out, but other than that, it hasn't changed much."

Pete grinned. "Speaking of critters . . .
remember the time we startled that mama skunk and her babies? I
thought we'd smell like skunk for the rest of our lives."

"No, only a couple of weeks." Kelsey sighed.
"Life was simpler back then, wasn't it? Not complicated in the
least. Sometimes, being a grownup sucks." She bit her lip, lifted
her eyes to his for a split second, then stared across the room to
where the kids were playing in the arcade.

Pete felt sucker-punched in the gut. It just
about killed him to see the twinkle in Kelsey's eyes dim with
sadness again. She'd always been so vibrant, so alive, so . . .
Kelsey.

This new mantle of somberness she'd assumed
didn't suit her at all. He wanted to see her blue eyes sparkle
brightly all the time. Like they'd sparkled before her heart had
been broken.

He couldn't resist covering one of her hands
with his and giving a squeeze of comfort. She gazed for a moment at
the position of their hands on the tabletop then slowly rotated
hers beneath his, so she could return the clasp, palm to palm. The
heat generated from the contact shot straight to Pete's groin.

Her eyes snagged his, and she quickly pulled
her hand away and curled her fingers around her tall icy glass of
root beer. "Thanks for understanding, Pete. I really appreciate
it." Her whisper-soft voice sent another jolt of desire down
below.

Damn
.
How could a handclasp and the
sound of her voice affect him so strongly?
He was only trying
to offer her comfort, for Christ's sake. This was no time to be
thinking about kisses and seduction. He reminded himself that with
Kelsey,
no
time would be right for such thoughts and
feelings. They were destined to be friends and nothing more. Only
friends, no matter how much he might wish it otherwise.

Kelsey was right. Life
had
been
simpler when they'd been kids. The feelings and emotions had been
simpler, too.

Pete flicked her nose again in an effort to
reestablish that simpler, safer feeling of childhood friendship. He
made himself smile at her. "No problem, kiddo. That's what friends
are for."

****

November blew in with a vengeance. Kelsey
shrugged deeper into her jacket, gathering it more securely around
her as the brisk wind nearly blew her Stetson off her head. She
looked back at the customers she was leading on the trail ride
today. They were a motley crew: one middle-aged couple visiting
from Abilene, a younger couple who lived up near the Cap Rock, a
father and daughter who'd flown in from Dallas, and old Mr. Hurley,
who was a regular visitor at Farmtime Trails. This was one of the
things Kelsey enjoyed most about this business; she loved bringing
diverse groups of people together to enjoy a day of old-fashioned
fun.

"Hey, Kelsey! Hold up a minute!" Maddie
trotted toward her from her position behind the group, where she
followed the riders, bringing up the rear, encouraging stragglers
and making sure every horse was behaving properly.

"Rest break!" Kelsey lifted her arm to signal
the group to stop. All the riders reined in and looked to their
leader for instructions. "No need to dismount," Kelsey called to
them. "This won't take long."

One lady's horse began prancing about and
jerking its head, fighting the bit. "Whoa! Whoa, I say!" The lady
fought the reins as the rest of the guests looked on as interested
spectators.

Kelsey signaled to Maddie to wait a minute
before intervening, seeing if the older woman could regain control
of her horse. She and her cousin exchanged looks, both admiring the
finesse the woman demonstrated with her mount.

The horse finally settled down, and the woman
grinned at the group. "Just gotta show 'em who's boss, right?"

Kelsey grinned back. "Yes, ma'am. Very well
done. It's always a pleasure to see an experienced rider handle a
fidgety horse. Not that our horses misbehave often, but once in a
while, they do get a wild hair." She turned to Maddie, who'd sidled
next to her. "What's up?"