Welcome To My World (Hell Yeah!) (3 page)

  He was still joking around, so Carrie didn’t answer his question. But…she couldn’t believe it, he seemed to be checking her out! And apparently there was something to see. Their teasing had excited her. She could feel it, her nipples were hard. She wanted to look down at her bodice so much, but she was embarrassed. Time to change the subject. “So, to ask the question seriously this time, what do you do for a living besides being sexy?” Lord, forgive her. She wasn’t really flirting, she was just being friendly.

  What a sweet smile. He was absolutely bowled-over. Bowie almost continued with their sexy sparring, but something told him she wasn’t as worldly as she was pretending to be. “I have two jobs, one I do for money and one I do for myself.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “I have Malone Earthworks to pay the bills. We build frac ponds and drilling pads for oil companies for the most part.”

  “So, you work with heavy equipment.” Chewing on her bottom lip, she held back the teasing smile.

  Bowie threw back his head and laughed. “You’re a minx!” He sat up straighter in his chair, easing the pressure of his swelling cock against the zipper of his jeans. “I do have heavy equipment, I won’t deny that.”

  “And I’m sure you know how to use it.” What was wrong with her? Cassie had made her own self blush. “What else do you do?”

  “I’ll be glad to give you a demonstration of my heavy equipment operating ability anytime.” Bowie chuckled. “But to answer your question, I’m a tracker. It’s a satisfying job but a taxing one. Sometimes when I come off a job, I unwind here at Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar. I can’t believe I haven’t noticed you here before.”

  Cassie bit the inside of her lip and reinforced the point she’d tried to make earlier. “It’s been a long time since I was here. Really, I’m pretty boring, sort of a homebody. I keep to myself most of the time.” God, she sounded pathetic. 

  Bowie moved his hand toward hers as if he intended to touch her. She tensed up and grabbed for her drink. “That’s a shame. A beautiful woman like you should never be alone.”

  His words were like drops of dew on parched earth. She soaked up the kind sentiment, starved for attention. She searched for something to say that would explain her life yet not reveal the inadequacy. “I keep busy.”

  “I bet you do. Busy being the prettiest girl in the county.” 

  He was flirting with her! The knowledge was so foreign, yet so exciting Cassie found it hard to breathe. “No, but I volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter sometimes.” There was no way he was interested in her hobbies and pastimes. She was just too boring.

  “So, you like animals?” He winked at her and Cassie tingled from head to toe. Even the functioning muscles of her back and legs which gave her so much grief, shivered with pleasure.

  “I love them. I have a big orange tabby and a Dachshund. Do you have any animals?”

  Leaning back in his chair, he smiled. “I sure do. I live at the old Vega Verde site where Jefferson Davis brought camels to Texas to serve in the military. To keep up the tradition, I have Laurence and Jasmine. I also have a menagerie of other animals—dogs, cats, cows, horses, even a pot-belly pig. You’ll have to come meet everyone,” he encouraged.

  “Sounds wonderful.” It wasn’t going to happen, but she liked to think about it.

  “Where do you live?”

  Cassie didn’t consider not telling him, she instinctively trusted him. They wouldn’t be exchanging visits anyway. “I live near you, actually. The old Sever place, have you heard of it?”

  He had. “I know right where you are. Do you have far to drive to work? You’re pretty isolated out there.” He looked concerned. Her heart warmed.

  “I work from home. I make candles to sell online and in area stores.” She told him about Circle C. “For the past few years I lived with my grandmother but she’s passed. Now the place belongs to me.” As she waved her hand around, a bracelet she was wearing dropped off.

  Bowie bent to pick it up. “A charm bracelet?” He looked at it closely. There was a starfish, a seahorse, a dolphin, an umbrella, a flip-flop sandal, a sun, and a sand dollar. “This is pretty.”

  “Thank you.” She held her hand out to take it. “It used to belong to my mother. Dad gave it to me after she died.”

  “I’m so sorry.” He was. And he understood. He’d lost his folks too. They’d never really recovered from the shooting. His mom had succumbed to a stroke at forty-two and his dad had died with cancer at forty-six. “No, let me.” He held it out and she realized he wanted to help her fasten it. Cassie gave him her hand and he slipped it on for her. “You must really love the beach.”

  His touch on her skin was making her hot and dizzy. “I’m sure I would, but I’ve never been.”

  “Never been?” He was incredulous. How could that be? “We don’t live that many hours from the Gulf?” Why, he could drive down there, take a swim and drive back in half of a day. “It seems to me like you’ve been missing out on a lot of good things.”

  “Maybe.” He was going to ask her to dance again, she knew he was. And then this amazing interlude would be over.
Don’t ask me to dance. Please don’t ask me to dance
. She would look at him, then glance at her chair, wondering if he’d noticed the wheelchair sitting there like the elephant in the room.

  For the next few minutes they laughed and talked about their day, exchanging bits of information about their lives, even sharing a funny story or two. Cassie found that Bowie Travis Malone was a really nice guy—smart, with a marvelous sense of humor and a quick wit. What amazed her was that he was spending time with her. To top it off, the man was beautiful. Yet here he sat, as if she was his choice of all the women in the room. For a moment, she wondered if one of her girlfriends had set this up. Wouldn’t that be awful?

  Cassie tried to turn the conversation away from herself. “Tell me more about tracking? Where do you go? It sounds fascinating.” 

  And then it happened. “I look forward to telling you all about myself. But I’d rather hold you in my arms. May I have this dance?”

  Her heart plummeted.

  Here it was.

  The moment she’d been dreading. The moment Bowie would stop seeing her as a woman. “No, thank you.” She gave him a wistful smile. Turning him down was necessary but it hurt.

  “Just a spin around the room. I promise I won’t step on your feet.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on, Cassie. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

  Cassie’s heart broke. She hung her head. “I can’t.”

  What was wrong? He watched all the laughter leave her eyes to be replaced with shadows. “You can’t dance?” He looked at her tenderly. “No worries. I’ll teach you.”

  Glancing up, she saw he still stood before her—his arm was still extended, hand was palm up. “I can’t. I’m so sorry.”

  His face fell. He actually looked disappointed. Slowly, he pulled back, putting distance between them. “Well, if you don’t want to. I understand.”

  Cassie was so frustrated. Life was unfair. Sometimes she wanted to just scream. “No, you don’t.” She jerked the wheelchair and turned it around. “I can’t dance. I can’t even walk.” Not without help and not without looking like a total spaz. But he didn’t need to know any of that. Because she wouldn’t see Bowie Travis Malone after tonight.

  Bowie actually jerked, like she’d struck him. Talk about a visceral reaction. He was probably disgusted.

  Two or three seconds passed before he fully comprehended what she was saying. And when he did, he felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. This couldn’t be true. Cassie was so gorgeous, so perfect. There had to be a mistake. “I don’t understand.”

  To make her point, she took hold of the back of the chair and shifted her body so her useless legs came into view. She knew he could tell—the way they were positioned, the way she had to move them with her hands.

  Jesus. He felt like a heel. Everything within him made him want to turn and run, not to get away from her, but to escape the tragic unfairness that a perfect woman, one who could have been the woman of his dreams was sentenced to a lifetime in a wheelchair. “I’m sorry, Cassie. I apologize. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

  Great, he felt sorry for her. She felt tears come to her eyes as he sank back into his chair. Well, what did she expect? “Look, it’s all right.” Not thinking clearly, she covered her hand with his. It was big and warm and when he turned his over and twined their fingers together, she just melted inside. “It was nice to be asked.”

  Shame almost took Bowie’s breath away. Looking into her eyes, Bowie could tell what she expected him to do. This wasn’t new. Cassie had been rejected by assholes who took off as soon as they saw her chair.

  “Hey, Bowie, I’m here. Micah and Tyson are driving up.” He jumped when Tanner spoke. “Do you want to introduce me?”

  “Yea,” Bowie said, mentally shaking his head so he’d make sense to Cassie and his friend. He was still thrown for a loop. “Cassie, this is my friend Tanner Barron. Tanner, this is Cassie Cartwright. We just met tonight.”

  Tanner smiled and greeted Cassie. He kept looking back and forth between them, seemingly aware there was tension.

  “Could you give us a minute? I’ll be right with you.” Giving Tanner a pointed stare, Bowie conveyed the seriousness of his request.

  “Sure thing, we’ll wait at the bar. Take your time.” Tanner left.

  Despite his misgivings, there was no way Bowie was going to leave things as they were. “Look, Cassie, there’s a lot of things we can do besides dance. I’ll be back. Don’t you move.”

  When he looked into her face, Bowie seemed sincere.

  Cassie thought he was the nicest man she’d ever met.

  “Thank you, Bowie. For the drink and for sitting and talking to me.”

  He stood. “I’m serious. Just as soon as I get through with these guys, I’ll be back.”

  She watched him walk away. He even turned back once, looked at her and she smiled.  

  But Cassie had no intention of waiting to see if Bowie would come back. She didn’t dare hope. After he’d seen her chair, she knew that was all he saw—not her as a woman. Cassie needed to remember that. No wishing on falling stars for her. Keeping her feet, or wheels, firmly planted on the ground was the smartest thing she could do.

   So, as soon as he walked away and she could see he’d become involved in his conversation, Cassie slowly lifted herself into her chair and went the long way around. Luckily she had run into Felicity and informed her she was leaving so her friends wouldn’t worry. It wasn’t like her to be rude. Except to Bowie. What if? No! He wouldn’t have come. Rejecting him before he could reject her was the smartest thing she could’ve done.

CHAPTER TWO

  Tanner had been right. He had a lot in common with Micah and Tyson. They had agreed to get together again soon. Even though he’d done his best to give them his full attention, his heart wasn’t in it. He couldn’t wait until the moment came when he could break away from them without being totally ill-mannered. All he got from Tanner was a smirk, but he waved Bowie on, telling him he’d call in a couple of days.

  But when Bowie walked back to the table where he’d left Cassie, she was gone. Her friends greeted him with a bit of amused curiosity. Bowie didn’t care. He was on a mission. “Did Cassie Cartwright leave?”

  A short dark-haired girl spoke up. “Yea, she left about a half hour ago.”

  “Was she going home?”

  With a shrug of her shoulders, the brunette answered, “Yea, I’m sure. She never stays long at these things.” Then as if she realized she was telling a man that her friend was alone and vulnerable, she edited her opinion. “I think she was meeting her boyfriend. He was taking her home.”

  Bowie knew it was highly possible Cassie had a date, but somehow it didn’t ring true.   She had run from him.

  Well, that was okay. He knew where to find her. Bowie was still confused, he couldn’t deny that. What did he want to happen with Cassie? Right now he didn’t know for sure. He didn’t want to hurt her, that much was certain. Did he want to see her again? Would it be wise to see her again? What his Uncle Michael always said kept running through his brain. ‘The universe has a way of giving you a sign. All you have to do is keep your eyes open.’ 

  Walking out the door, he turned to head toward his truck. Only a few steps from the door, something caught his eye on the ground. Bowie stopped and knelt down. “Well, how about that.” He picked up Cassie’s charm bracelet off the ground. “Thank you.” He acknowledged the sweet hand of fate. “I can handle things from here.”

Bowie slipped the bracelet in his pocket and climbed into his truck. He was debating whether to deliver the lost item of jewelry to its owner tonight or wait till the next day when the phone rang. “Malone.”

“Bowie, it’s Jacob. We need you. It’s Aron, he’s missing.”

  Bowie’s heart lurched in his chest. “Where? When? How?” After he’d been told, he started his truck and put it into gear. “I’ll catch a flight and meet you there.”

*  *  *

Cassie held the glass jar to her nose and took a whiff. “Got it.” She smiled. Capturing the delicate smell of honeysuckle had been tricky. After several attempts when she’d either gone too strong or too weak, she’d finally nailed it. The secret had been the addition of a tiny bit of night blooming jasmine. She ran a finger over the creamy mix, knowing it would soon harden into a long-burning candle which would provide someone with hours of enjoyment. Cassie sighed. She took pleasure in her work, thankful she had found something she enjoyed doing, which made enough money for her to be independent.

  Being handicapped complicated things. Lots of things.

  Rolling her wheelchair backward, she made her way to the dining table to pack a few more boxes for shipping. The UPS truck would come tomorrow and she had packages to send to a half dozen boutiques in and around the Austin area. Circle C Candles was finding its market and she couldn’t be happier.

  Well, she could.

  If she could have someone like Bowie Travis Malone in her life, she’d have nothing to complain about for eternity. But that wasn’t possible. And the sooner she stopped thinking about him, the better off she’d be.

  Taping up the bottom of the box, Cassie affixed a mailing label and her own special sticker depicting the W shape of the Cassiopeia constellation, five bright stars on a cobalt blue background. A rowdy round of barking from Sassy alerted her that her cat, Patience, was at the front, wanting to come in. “If I could teach you how to open the screen door, I would.” The deep red dachshund dashed from the entrance and back to her several times, anxious to be united with his buddy. She laughed. Making her way to the door, she held it ajar as the fat orange tabby slipped inside. “Catch any mice?” A sultry meow was her answer and she took it for a ‘no.’ “Well, better luck next time. I put you two out some food already so bon appétit.”

  At least she wasn’t alone.

 
“A woman like you should never be alone.”

  Bowie’s voice came back to haunt her. Cassie moved to the window, looked out into the darkness and thought of him. Had he come back to find her? It had been weeks since the night she’d met him. And now, well, she’d never know. Probably not. She’d chickened out and ran, losing her precious beach bracelet somewhere along the way. The idea that she’d possibly also lost out on spending more time with him hurt more than the loss of the jewelry. But she just couldn’t handle another disappointment.

  Feeling restless, she wished she could jump out of her chair and run down the road. Expending energy was tricky for a person in her condition. If she wasn’t careful and determined, she would lose all muscle tone and gain weight. Her exercises were something she did religiously. Getting into position, Cassie eased herself out of the chair and onto the floor by the portable sling she kept near at hand. “Dang, dang, dang,” she breathed through the pain. Instantly she was joined by an overzealous dog and cat who proceeded to give her kisses until the tears were forgotten and she was breathless with laughter. Not exactly the kind of kisses she longed for but they would have to do.

And she’d experience Bowie Travis’s kisses later…in her dreams.
  Fantasizing made the time pass quicker and helped with the pain. For the past few weeks, she’d honed her daydream. When she closed her eyes, she was back at the bar and just like he’d promised, Bowie returned to her. And refusing to take no for an answer, he swept her up in his arms, and somehow, by some miracle, they were dancing. He held her close in his arms and Cassie felt as if she’d come home. They stared into one another’s eyes and slowly he lowered his face to hers and kissed her.

Cassie held her breath as she did one more rep of leg lifts. The pain was agonizing, but she couldn’t quit. Every little bit of movement she could push from her legs was a victory. As normal, she cried from the effort. When she’d finished, she lay there and just breathed. She wasn’t through. Next she would pull herself up and hold on to the backs of two dining table chairs and walk in place for as long as she could stand it.

Over and over again, she relived the moment when she turned him down. Had she done the right thing? Could someone like her find happiness with a man as virile and active as Bowie? If by some miracle he could be interested, a selfish part of her would want to latch on to him and take whatever he would give. But that wouldn’t be fair to him. She could never keep up with him, not in life and not in bed. So, there was no use starting something she couldn’t finish. Cassie had a full life. What with her business, her home and her volunteer work, the hours were filled. It was only when she was alone in the dark of night, lying by herself in the bed, that she ached with the idea that this would always be her lot in life.

Sighing, Cassie used her upper body strength to maneuver her way back into the chair. “There! Got it. Yay!” She celebrated. A couple more minutes of rest and a few sips of water and she’d be ready to take a walk.

*  *  *

“George, give me that wrench.” Bowie held out his hand to his partner. Even though the wind whipping through the door of their shop was chilly, sweat was pouring off his brow. Damn, it was good to be home.

“Here you go.” The older man squatted down next to him. “When you get a chance, I need to go over some papers with you. Michael has been a godsend but we’ve got some jobs up for bid and I need to know what you think.”

At the mention of his Uncle, Bowie smiled. “No problem. I’m just glad to be home for a while. Did you two ole’ reprobates stay out of trouble?”

George laughed. “No. We worked hard every day and partied hard every night. What did you expect?”

Bowie glanced up at his friend. He always wore coveralls over a white T-shirt, usually with a red bandanna tied around his neck. Whiskers covered his face but there was always a twinkle in his eye. “Nothing less. Did Uncle get lucky?”

“Not as lucky as I did. I hooked up with the hottest little redhead in Texas. Michael’s chasing hot and heavy after a stacked blonde by the name of Lucy. In fact, we’re heading over to Arkey’s tonight. Wanna join us?”

At the mention of the club, all Bowie could think about was the last time he’d been there—and Cassie. With everything that had happened with Aron, he had let the time get away from him. But he still had her bracelet and he still intended to return it to her. “No, I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll just hang out here at the zoo.”

“Zoo’s right,” George grumbled. As soon as Bowie said the word, Jasmine came strutting into the shop like she owned it. “I’ll never understand why you let these damn camels and that pot-bellied pig run loose.”

Bowie laughed as Jasmine butted her head against George’s shoulder. “They can’t get out of the yard, George Ray. Besides, I think Jasmine is sweet on you.” He finished tightening the bolt on the dozer blade, stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans.

“Shoot, I’d BBQ her but I bet she’d be stringy and tough.” George playfully pushed on the big one-humped dromedary who ruled the roost at Vega Verde.

“Just wait till that baby is born in a few days. You’ll be as doting on it as me and Laurence.”

George rubbed the camel’s nose. “Laurence spits, I don’t like him,” he grunted. Looking over, George studied Bowie Travis, noting how tired he looked. “You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you?”

Bowie walked over to the workbench and put up his tools. “Not being able to find Aron nearly killed me. You have no idea how that family has suffered, Libby especially.”

“Does your coming home mean they’ve given up?”

“Hell, no.” He rubbed the stiffness in his shoulder from sleeping in the wrong position on the plane from Seattle. “Jacob and the rest of the McCoys won’t give up until they know something for sure. The parameters of the search have changed but not their devotion to finding their brother.”

“Are you going back to help?” George searched through the papers on the disorganized desk in the corner.

“Right now, they’ve brought in some Private Investigators and they’re looking at his disappearance from a different perspective. But when they need me, I’ll go. Of course, I’ll go.” Bowie rubbed his face and threaded his fingers through his hair. “God, I need a haircut.”

“Nah,” George said as he laughed, “The women like you that way. Makes you look like some kind of lion on the wild savannah.” He laughed when Bowie rolled his eyes. “So, what were you doing up in Seattle?”

Bowie knew his tracking exploits intrigued George so he humored him. “An elderly man and his son wandered off a hiking path and got caught in a blizzard. Luckily we found them before they froze.”

“See any sign of bear?”

“Not this time.” He slapped George on the shoulder. Both he and Uncle Michael loved anything to do with the wilderness and bears. His uncle had retired a few years ago and now lived vicariously through Bowie’s adventures. “I also worked a landslide up that way, took out a whole community. We found some survivors, though, so it was worth it.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re home. We need you here.” At that proclamation, George gestured toward a seat. “Let’s have coffee and let me tell you about these two jobs, then you can go call that little girl who’s got your boxers in a knot.”

“How’d you know?” Bowie stared at his friend. There was no use denying it, thoughts of Cassie had plagued him almost constantly.

“Hey, I picked you up from the airport and drove your butt home.” George shoved his cap on his head. “You talk in your sleep, Romeo.”

Hell.

After a few hours of listening to George talk about drillers mud and pond liners, Bowie was ready to call it a day. Besides, he had something important to take care of, a phone call he needed to make. After seeing his partner off and giving him a message for his uncle, he locked up the shop and headed for the house. Malone Earthworks was situated only a few hundred yards from his home. The sun was beginning to set and the canvas of colors that spread out over the sky made Bowie thankful for life. He let his eyes rove over his property, from the log house he’d built with his own two hands to the rolling green pastures which framed the front section of the camp. He ran a few hundred head of cattle and several dozen horses which he took care of when he could, but the main responsibility for the livestock he hired out to the Edgar brothers who lived next door. A chorus of barks and meows met him as he made his way up on the porch. “Who’s hungry?” He waded between jubilant little bodies. Everybody wanted a hand-out and everybody wanted some petting. Even Petunia. People questioned his devotion to his menagerie but Bowie didn’t care. People who didn’t like animals couldn’t be trusted. Rushing without neglecting anyone, he filled bowls, checked water and scratched behind a dozen ears. “I got to get in the house now. I’ll check you guys later.”

Making his way into his home, Bowie chunked his Stetson over to one side and decided to shower while he came up with a plan. Cassie’s place was just down the road a few miles but he didn’t figure she’d welcome him just dropping in. The fact that he didn’t have her phone number irritated the crap out of him. What had he been thinking? As Bowie mulled over his mistakes, he shucked his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Maybe the hot water would help him come up with a strategy.

Stepping under the refreshing spray, Bowie let his mind travel back to the night he’d met Cassie. Why couldn’t he forget her? For him, wanting to contact her was about more than just returning her bracelet. It was also tied up with the look of desolation on her face, the hopeless shadows that had clouded her eyes after he’d asked her to dance. Hell! What was he going to do? Every word they’d said to one another—the teasing, the banter, the conversation—came pouring back through his mind. And then it dawned on him. Circle C Candles. Bowie laughed. “Now, I know how I’ll get in touch with you.” Rinsing the soap from his body, he ignored his erection. He’d been ignoring it for days. Every time he thought of Cassie, he got hard and Bowie refused to do anything about it. Maybe after he saw her today, he’d get her out of his system and get on with his life. Maybe.

*  *  *

“Almost done here and then you can watch
The Good Wife
,” Cassie mumbled, making a promise to herself as she lowered the fire on a pot of wax. Thank goodness for the DVR. She had splurged and allowed the cable company to install one. “I just hope the Amazing Race didn’t run overtime this week and mess up my recording.” Suddenly the fact that she was having a running conversation with herself hit Cassie with a wave of sadness. She was lonely. Resentment rolled up her spine like fire. Why did the accident have to happen? Why her? Tears cascaded down her cheeks. Cassie knew she’d always be alone. No man would ever want her. No man would ever ask her to marry him.

BUZZ! BUZZ! The phone ringing made her jump. Cassie didn’t get many phone calls. She wheeled over to grab it, answering in a voice that was a little out of breath. “Hello?”

“Is this Circle C Candles Customer Service?”

“Yes.” Cassie’s head swam. Oh, goodness, what was this all about? “May I help you?” Her caller was a man. She pushed her hair over her shoulder, trying to regain some composure. A man with a very sexy voice, she might add.

“I looked on your website and this number was listed as the one to call if there was a complaint to be made.”

A complaint? “Sir?” What could have happened? Wrong color? Wrong scent? Wrong address? Bad wicks? “I’m so, so sorry.” She gulped and tried to get her words to come out straight. “What is the nature of your complaint?” Oh, this was bad.

“Well, I have two.” He paused.

“Two?” Cassie was trembling. She’d never had a complaint before.

“Yea,” Bowie said, choking back a laugh. He was beginning to feel a bit guilty. This number was the only one he’d found on her website. Obviously it was her. He’d never forget that sexy, husky little voice. “My first complaint is that you left Arkey Blue’s without giving me a chance to say goodbye. And my second is that you throw your jewelry around like Mardi Gras beads. I found your beach bracelet out in the front as I was leaving.”