Goodnight Kisses (6 page)

“This is crazy!” he laughed. “I can’t believe we’re
having this conversation. I thought we were talking about my
inheritance.”

“We are,” Hardin assured him.

Wade came to his feet. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh, God.” He actually felt nauseous, and suddenly
things were crystal clear. He needed an anchor. A wife. This entire
conversation had been a set up, and he had walked right into it.
“What kind of deal?”

“I’ll give you the land if,” Wade paused, and McCrea
dropped his head with the weight of a man headed to an execution.
“I stop fighting and whoring around?”

“You get married.”

Son of a bitch! Being right, he brought a hand to
his face for a hard scrub. “Christ, Granddad. Have you lost your
mind?” “Maybe you should make it two years,” Hardin’s wit was dry.
“We might get a grandson out of it.”

“Find a wife and keep her for at least a year. And
I’ll hand over the deed.” Wade held out his hand to seal the
agreement. “What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

It was the heart attack. It had to be. His granddad
wasn’t thinking clearly. “I don’t want to get married,” he said,
and watched Wade’s hand fall.

“Okay, have it your way. You can wait until I die to
get the land. Maybe by then you’ll be responsible enough to inherit
it.”

Damn you, Wade.

He pinched the
bridge
of his nose
and felt guilty for cursing a man he admired and loved. His
granddad was such a positive influence in his life. He always
wanted to be like him, but always fell short.

That meant waiting wasn’t an option. He had to have
the land while Wade was alive. He needed to show his granddad he
was responsible and that he could be a success at something other
than ranching. He needed to see the approval in the old man’s eyes.
He needed Wade to see how hard he tried to be the man he wanted him
to be. And if he had to get hitched to do it, then by-god he would.
“Okay,” he sighed. “You got yourself a deal.”

Wade grinned.

“I guess I’d better find a wife,” he baited, knowing
they had Eleanor in mind.

Hardin leaned forward, and pointed outside. “Jesus,
boy. The best candidate just walked right by you.”

Wade turned to the window. “Something about her
reminds me of Sophia.”

“Yeah, she is a lot like mom,” Hardin agreed with a
nostalgic smile.

“Sophia always said Eleanor had a fire about her.”
Wade smacked his palms together. “She’s just what you need right
now!”

“She’d be perfect for you,” Hardin said.

If he wasn’t so pissed at being forced into
marriage, he might have laughed at their pushy salesmanship. Look
at the two of them, smiling their asses off. Jesus H. Christ, this
was a mess! At least he would get the satisfaction of picking his
own wife.

“No. Not in a million years.”

Hardin’s smile fell. “Why not? Eleanor is a good
girl. She’s hardworking and smart, and my grandkids would be
beautiful.”

“Stop talking about grandkids,” he growled.

Wade dug a finger into the desktop. “It’s time you
settled down and made something of yourself. The time for talk is
over. Rose’s days are numbered, just like mine are, and I intend on
doing everything in my power to see that Eleanor has a place at the
ranch for as long as she wants. I owe it to Rose and Charlie.”

“So give her a goddamn job!” he burst out. “But
don’t make me marry her!”

“Lower your voice,” Wade commanded. “You know that’s
not the only reason I want you to marry her.”

The groggy hum of the old Chevy
roared to
life
as Eleanor drove down the driveway.

“If marriage is the only way I can
have the land, then I get to choose the woman.” McCrea held out
his
hand,
and Wade hesitated. “If I marry Eleanor Mackenna,
it’ll be because I want to.”

Both men stood strong in their terms.

“Come on,
Dad,
” Hardin played
mediator. “You can’t choose for him.”

“Fine.” Wade accepted the handshake. “But choose
wisely. I’ll not have the family named smeared by an ugly divorce.
Nor will I have the land taken by some whore with dollar signs in
her eyes. Make her sign a pre-nup.”

“Yeah, yeah… I know what I’m
doing.” He snatched his hat from the desk, slammed the door behind
him, and sprang into a dead run towards the ranch truck parked in
the driveway. He felt as though a heavy weight had been taken off
his shoulders. All he had to do was find a
wife,
and the land
would be his. “Piece of cake.”

Eleanor was sure the play in McCrea’s eyes and the
sharpness of his tongue was because he thought she had a date
tonight. Jess was right. He needed competition, and she was going
to give him some.

The flirty banter between them back at the Coldiron
house left her flushed and excited. With her window down, she
cranked up the radio, and bellowed out the upbeat tune with
untalented enthusiasm.

At the end of the gravel drive, she
felt the truck lurch and sputter. “Damn, what now?” Two days ago,
Old Blue belched up a gallon of water and gave up the
ghost
,
leaving her stuck driving her grandma’s old rusted
out Chevy. She guided the dead truck off the road, pushed the brake
until it stopped, and shoved it into
park
.

She pecked at the gas gauge and watched the orange
hand fall to E. “Great. Now what am I going to do?” She stuffed her
dress into her purse and open the door. “What else can go wrong?”
she asked as she slammed it. It looked like she was walking the
mile to her house.

She kicked a rock and sent it flying across the
road. “Ouch!” Worn in all the right places, her favorite pair of
Ariat boots did little to protect her feet, but she didn’t care. At
the risk of a broken toe, she aimed her frustration on a smaller
rock and heard the unmistakable sound of the ranch diesel hauling
ass down the road.

The work truck slowed to almost a
stop
,
and the passenger side window came
down.

“Need a ride?” he asked.

Her quick stride never faltered. “After you
practically bit my head off back there in front of Mr. C and Wade,
and then tried to embarrass me with that snarky remark about
Conner?” She shook her head. “No thank you. I’d rather walk.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

He had no idea how stubborn she could be. The
temperature today was close to a hundred. She hadn’t walked more
than twenty feet, and she was already drenched in sweat. But she
didn’t want to seem zealous. “Go away, McCrea.”

“I wasn’t trying to be hateful.” He stopped the
truck, and Eleanor knew that was as close as he was coming to an
apology. “Now, will you please get in? It’s hotter than hell out
here. Let me give you a ride home.”

She held back a grin and gave in. “Can you take me
to a gas station instead? Grandma forgot to put gas in it
yesterday.” She climbed in and shut the door. “I need the truck
tonight.”

“Old Blue out of commission again?”

“Yeah,” with a wave of her hand,
she dismissed the problem. “Something about a
hose
.”

“Sure.” He let off the
brake
and pushed the gas. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint
Conner.”

In
seconds,
they were speeding
along the one lane road between his house and hers.

“I told you, my date isn’t with
Conner.” She turned the vent towards her face and leaned forward.
The cool air hit her sweat-soaked skin, causing her to shiver.
“God, that feels good.” Aware of his eyes on her, she was
nervous,
but determined not to let it show. The flick of her wrists
sent the bottom of her thin t-shirt waving and him muttering a soft
curse. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” His hand tightened on the wheel while the
other scratched his jaw. “I was just thinking how much things have
changed since I’ve been gone.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep
from
grinning
and twisted around to search the truck bed, giving
him a better view of her breasts. “Do you have a gas can in the
back?”

A quick glance at her cleavage told her he’d
noticed. “Yeah, I have one. I try to be prepared for anything.”

“That’s good to know.” She slipped
back into the seat and watched the fence posts pass as songs on the
radio changed. “Oh, is that Eric Church?” She listened for the beat
and watched them pass her house. “It
is,
and I love this song.
The chorus reminds me of you.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“You drink too many beers on Friday nights. Don’t
deny it. And,” she turned the volume up, pointed a finger at him
and bobbed her head side to side with the beat, “how many times
have I heard you tell the boys at the bar you won’t ever settle
down?”

He let off the gas and merged onto the blacktop road
leading into town. Murphy’s Mini Mart was just a few minutes away,
meaning she had to make the most of their time together. This was
the first time she’d been alone with him since he came home from
college. She had to make it count by showing him she was all grown
up.

Think Eleanor, think. McCrea was
cocky and very confident in his ability to seduce a woman. Jesus,
he was that. If he wanted a woman, he got
her,
and he didn’t play
or chase. How flippin’ exciting was that? It made him dangerously
irresistible. She purposefully lowered her voice to the sexy pitch
she had practiced and called his name. “McCrea?”

“Yeah,” he answered with a strained voice as he
slowed for the sharp curve ahead.

She arched her back and closed her eyes. “Is it hard
to seduce someone?”

The truck swerved off the road and down into the
ditch.

“Watch it!” She gripped the dash,
hoping he could gain control before they plummeted to their deaths.
The cliffs jutted downward in layers of three to
the
Sandusky Creek below. Locals were cautious of the curve and
the potential hazard, but over the
years,
a few unfortunate souls
had lost their lives. He corrected the truck back onto the
pavement
and slammed on the brakes. “What kind of
question is that
?”

She stared at him, not realizing the question would
have such an impact. “I was just curious. Sheez. Kill us, why don’t
ya.” Composure regained, she fanned her face fighting the
adrenaline rush from her near death experience. “I thought we were
going over.”

He cocked an eyebrow up and lowered the volume on
the radio. “You thinking about seducing someone?” He seemed more
disturbed by her question than the threat of death.

Content with having his attention again, her fingers
drummed against her thigh in beat with the tune. “Maybe.” She felt
daring and flirting with him was addictive. But after several
intense seconds of him staring at her, she threw up her hands.
“What? Why are you staring at me?”

Silently, he pulled back onto the road. “For someone
like me, no. Seduction isn’t hard at all.” He turned into the
parking lot of the mini mart and met her with a look that could
melt steel. “But you’ve got a lot to learn, little Eleanor.”

The “little” in that sentence
pissed her off. When he opened the door and got out, she scooted to
the driver seat and glared at him as he dug in the back
for
the gas can. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve grown
up.”

“I’ve noticed.” There was a meaning in his voice
that sent a shiver up her spine. Had he really noticed?

After paying for the gas, he secured the can in the
truck bed and came back to the door. “Are you trying to rope this
guy into a ring?” His question seemed oddly out of place.

“God, no!” she protested. “Why would you ask such a
question?”

“Scoot,” he ordered her to the passenger side and
climbed in. “I’m just asking. Some women are like that.” He slammed
the door and started the truck. “I thought you might be looking for
a way to rebuild Redemption.”

“I plan on rebuilding Redemption by myself,” she
clarified, feeling offended he thought she was that kind of woman.
“And I know a lot about sex. I’ve read all about it. I don’t think
seduction would be hard for me to master.”

His laughter filled the cab as they pulled out onto
the road. “You and Lou still reading those smutty books?”

“They are not smut!” she snapped. This was not going
as planned. Maybe she should have gotten a real date for tonight.
“They’re romance.”

“They’re smut,” he repeated. “Besides, you’ve read
every cookbook my mother has,” the daring mien of his eyes excited
her, “and you can’t boil water.”

“I can so!” She scowled at him and felt a part of
her courage slip away. “You’re an ass, McCrea.”

There were those glittered gold specks dancing away
in his eyes when he winked at her. “Oh, don’t get mad at me. I’m
just making a point.”

She crossed her arms over her breasts. “And that
is?”

“Sex isn’t like cooking. There’s no recipe to
follow. No directions. You could read a hundred books and not know
what the hell you’re doing.”

Score one for McCrea. “Forget I asked.”

He shifted lower in the seat and lifted his hips as
if he were uncomfortable. “How well do you know this guy you want
to seduce?”

“
Well
enough.”