Heart Of A Cowboy (10 page)

“How about you, Jordan?”

“Sure. I'll have you call my cell so it won't disturb Mom or Granny. I'll warn them about what's going on so they won't worry if we aren't there in the morning.”

So much for his vow not to spend time with Jordan. First the football game next Friday and now the birth of a foal. He found it hard to separate his feelings for his son and Jordan. And worse, her appeal was as strong as it was when he was a teenager. He wasn't the best man for Jordan. He couldn't give her what she wanted or needed—the same
as in the past. She'd fled Tallgrass because she'd wanted something different. What was stopping her from doing that again? Fear and doubts intruded into his thoughts. Although he couldn't keep his distance, that didn't mean his heart would be involved.

 

“So how has it been so far?” Rachel sat where Zachary had been before halftime of the homecoming game on Friday night.

“Lonely.” Jordan sipped her soft drink, watching the band march off the field.

“You've got thousands of people around you.”

“Yeah, but Zachary and Nicholas deserted me to go to the locker room during halftime.”

“I guess it pays to be male and know the head coach.”

“I forgot that Zachary was good friends with him in high school.”

“Feeling left out?”

Jordan slid a glare at her older sister. “Well, no, but even when I was cheerleading I didn't particularly like the game. At least with them here, the time goes fast.”

“Ah, who are you missing more, Nicholas or Zachary?”

Heat scored Jordan's face. She gave Rachel another glare, hoping the set of her features conveyed the topic was off-limits.

Her sister held up her hands, palms outward. “Hey, it was just a question. A valid one at that.”

“Don't you have to get back to the concession stand or something?”

“I only had to man it for the first half. I can join you all and watch the game.” Rachel tucked her purse down by her feet. “I'm not into football much, but my daughter, believe it or not, is and I had to bring her. She's off with
her friends right now. You know how thirteen-year-olds are. They want nothing to do with their moms. I offered to work concession as an excuse to be near Taylor.”

“Ha!” Jordan waggled a finger at her sister. “I'm not the only one who overprotects their child.”

“I have good reason. Taylor tends to get into trouble all the time. When has Nicholas?”

“He forgot to shut the gate last week, and Tucker got out of the backyard.”

“I wish that was the worst thing my daughter did.”

Jordan studied her sister's worried expression, eyebrows drawn together. “Can I help?”

“Actually I'm thinking of looking into homeschooling if things don't turn around at school for Taylor. She had to serve detention yet again—four times so far this year. I don't know her anymore.”

“Since I haven't been doing it long, I would suggest you talk with Dr. Baker or even Zachary's sister. They know a lot more than I do.”

“I thought homeschooling was going okay for you.”

“It is. I think. Never thought I would be sitting in on a math class again. But when Nicholas is taking algebra at Ian's house, I'm right there, too.”

“Maybe once he learns it, he can help Taylor, who is struggling in math.”

Jordan caught sight of Nicholas running out onto the field with the football team. Zachary trailed behind him, talking with the coach. Her son's grin could be seen all the way up in the bleachers where she sat near the top.

“Nicholas looks happy. Zachary has been good for him,” Rachel said.

Yeah, he has.
“I just wish things were better between us.”

“You two been fighting? I thought you told me you were working as a team.”

“Yeah, but there's still a barrier between us. I don't think he's ever going to forgive me for not telling him about Nicholas.”

“Give him time.”

“You know me. Impatient. I want to control everything.” Jordan tried to laugh it off, but the sound came out choked. She wanted more from Zachary. She didn't want to be just friends. She nearly dropped her soda. The realization astounded her. The intensity that cinched her insides chilled her. If she wasn't careful, she would fall in love with Zachary all over again.

“I hear Granny and Doug are double-dating with you and Zachary tomorrow night.”

“Have you ever felt manipulated by our grandmother?”

Rachel smiled. “All the time. She's a pro.”

“She didn't say anything to me. She asked Zachary when he brought Nicholas back home a few days ago. Granny said something about Doug's car not working or some such excuse that she and her beau needed a ride to the Alumni Homecoming Dance. And how going to the dance with me and him would be perfect. I could have died from embarrassment.”

“But Zachary is taking you? Have I misunderstood?”

“Only because Granny worked her wiles on him. He could never resist her.”

“So you're not looking forward to tomorrow night?”

Jordan watched Nicholas and Zachary making their way toward her in the stands. “I've already had several friends from high school ask us if we're dating again. It'll be far worse at the dance.”

“Which is worse? It's not an actual date, or that you're friends think you two are dating again?”

Thankfully Zachary and Nicholas arrived before Jordan
had to answer her sister's question. She hated to admit out loud it was because it wasn't an actual date—one that Zachary had thought to ask her on.

“Mom, did you see me with the team?” Her son held up a football. “They all signed it for me.”

“That's wonderful,” Jordan said as Nicholas sat on the other side of Rachel and Zachary folded his long length in the place next to Jordan.

Zachary bent close to her ear. “You don't have to worry about him wanting to sign up for football tomorrow. He told me he was having a good time, but there was no way he would stand in front of a guy larger than him and let him mow him down. Football is not a sensible game to our son.”

His breath tickled her neck. She shivered. How was she going to make it through tomorrow night?

 

Later that night, Zachary laid his son on his bed in his room. Nicholas stirred, his eyes fluttering open for a few seconds then closing. Rolling onto his side, he hugged his pillow.

Zachary sat beside Nicholas and untied his tennis shoes. “He wants a pair of cowboy boots.” With a glance toward Jordan behind him, he gauged her reaction to that statement. A flicker of something blinked in and out of her eyes. A composed expression fell into place. “I told him I would take him to buy them.”

Her neutral facial features didn't change. “That makes sense if he's going to be at the ranch a lot. He already has the cowboy hat. He might as well have the boots.”

When Jordan approached the bed, he could smell the vanilla scent she always wore. Memories rushed forward. He shook his head and rose. Inhaling cleansing breaths, he watched Jordan bend over, kiss Nicholas and then pull
a blanket up to his shoulders. Tender caresses. Loving gestures. Remembered ones.

She turned on his night-light and switched off the overhead one. “He's gonna sleep soundly tonight. He's exhausted.”

“Yeah. One minute he was talking in the backseat and the next he was conked out.”

“That's our son. One hundred percent whatever he does.” Jordan descended the stairs to the first floor. “He really enjoyed meeting the team.”

Our son.
They shared a child. The idea still amazed him. He'd given up hope of ever having a child. “And now you don't have to worry he's gonna play football anytime soon. Did you see him wince every time the quarterback got sacked?”

As she ambled toward the front door, she threw him a grateful smile, a shade of relief leaking into her eyes. “Yeah. I'd forgotten how much I hated seeing you play. I held my breath whenever you were tackled.”

“That's part of the game.”

She tsked. “Men and their sports.”

“Women play sports, too.”

“We're not generally out on the football field tackling each other.”

“True.” He stepped out onto the porch and swung around to face her. “It's nice to see some things haven't changed. You're still a softie.”

“And proud of it.”

The tilt of her lifted chin, the sparkle in her eyes brought back more memories. Ones he couldn't hold at bay. Her challenging him to a horse race she knew she would lose. She'd only been riding a few months, but he had most of his life. Or the time she'd played a practical joke on him that had backfired. She'd laughed at herself, drenched with
water, her long blond curls limp about her face, her dark eyes dancing as she had backed away from the hose.

“Oh, that reminds me. Nicholas wants to bring Tucker to the ranch next time he goes. He thinks his dog will enjoy the space to run.” She shifted from one foot to the other.

“Sure, we can try it. If Tucker gets along with the other animals, he'll be fine.”

Jordan moved out onto the porch, the light from the foyer not quite reaching her face. “Are you all right about taking Granny and Doug to the dance?”

“Are you kidding? I can't wait to see your grandmother dancing.”

“She told me once she was quite a ballroom dancer, but since she has trouble walking, I don't think she'll do much tomorrow evening.”

“I have a feeling your grandmother can do just about anything she sets her mind to.”

Her laughter echoed in the night. Its sound washed over him in more remembrances of shared amusement and lured him closer to her. He cupped her face still hidden in the shadows and wished the barriers between them were gone. He couldn't trust the feelings stirring deep in his heart.

“You do realize Granny manipulated us into taking her?”

Her question came out in a breathless rush that jolted his heartbeat into a faster tempo. “Yes, from the beginning. This isn't really a double date.”

Beneath his palm she tensed. “Yeah, we're just—” there was a long pause “—friends.”

Her words unsettled him. He wanted more and couldn't risk it. Nicholas was not enough of a reason to take their relationship any further than friendship. And there were barriers to anything more. “Just friends,” he repeated as
though he needed to emphasize it to himself rather than Jordan.

She began to pull back. His hand tightened. She stilled, the rapid rise and fall of her chest attesting to her charged emotions. Ones that mirrored his. He wanted to kiss her. To feel one more time her lips against his. For old times' sake.

T
he direction of Zachary's thoughts brought him up short. Falling back into that old pattern wouldn't be good for either one. They had their chance once, and it hadn't worked out. He had to remember that.

He backed away, his hand dropping to his side. “I'd better go.” Another foot back. “I'll see Nicholas for his riding lesson. There's a place I wanted to show Nicholas and the others.” His palms sweaty, he buried them into the depths of his front pockets. “You can come if you want. You might enjoy seeing the place.”

“What is it?” Jordan moved into the stream of light from the foyer.

He still wanted to kiss her. His gaze fastened on her lips. “My secret.”

She flinched when he said the word
secret.
That evasive flicker he'd seen a moment before blazed a second. Died. “I can't. Alexa is taking Nicholas for me.”

“How about I bring him home when I come to pick you and Granny up tomorrow evening?” Disappointment edged his voice. He heard it and prayed she didn't. “He can help me get ready. I've got to find my suit.”

“At least you don't have to go buy a dress. Rachel has decided to give me her expert advice after looking through my closet and declaring I have nothing to wear.”

Her full lips, set in a slight pout, enticed him. “See you tomorrow.” He spun on his heel and hurried toward his truck before he changed his mind and dragged her into his arms.

Slipping into his cab, he gripped the steering wheel. He hadn't thought much about the dance until now. Even if Granny had manipulated him and Jordan into taking her and Doug, this was a date in everyone's eyes—even his. The implications quaked through him. He shored up his defenses against Jordan's lure. He didn't want to be hurt a second time by her.

 

“Mom, why do I have to do schoolwork?” Nicholas shouted from the den where he sat at his grandmother's desk. “We have to go to the ranch in an hour.”

Jordan entered the room with a refreshed glass of iced tea. “Then you have an hour to finish the essay.”

“But it's Saturday.”

“The beauty of homeschooling is we have the freedom to work anytime we need to.”

“I hate writing.”

“I know. That's why we're working on it.”

“But, Mom—”

“We can skip the riding lesson today if you need more time.”

“I can tell you the strengths and weaknesses of the North and South during the Civil War. I'm a lousy speller. You know how long it takes me to find a word.”

“All I want is your rough draft. Then Monday we'll edit it together.”

Nicholas sighed loudly, the sound expelled from his
pouting lips. And just in case she didn't hear the first one, he did it again. He stared at the computer screen and typed a few words then resumed staring.

“I'm leaving with Aunt Rachel. We're taking Granny with us shopping. Alexa has volunteered to take you with them to the ranch. I'm letting Nana know you can't go if you don't have your essay done.”

Nicholas grumbled something under his breath.

Jordan decided to let it go. He did just about everything easily and well except writing. Grammar and spelling came hard to him. Putting his ideas into words on the paper was a long-drawn-out process. Like other activities involving his fine motor skills, he avoided writing if at all possible.

After Jordan told her mother about the assignment that Nicholas needed to finish, Rachel arrived to take Granny and her shopping. Their grandmother insisted on not using her walker. She did take her cane.

“My flowered dress is perfectly good for the dance.” Granny sat in the back with her black purse on her lap.

“Don't you want to look your best tonight for Doug?” Rachel pulled out of the driveway.

“Nonsense. I could come in a sack and Doug wouldn't care.”

“Granny, you might as well give up if you're going to cling to that attitude. Rachel is on a mission to outfit us for this dance.” Jordan turned around and looked at her grandmother. “Remember this evening is your idea.”

“One I'm starting to regret. All I wanted to do was get you and Zachary together.”

“Granny!” Jordan mocked a severity she didn't really feel. How could she be upset when she herself was starting to want more from Zachary than friendship?

“Oh, hush, child. You knew exactly what I was up to
from the beginning. Someone had to shake some sense into that young man of yours.”

“Zachary isn't my young man.”

“Yes, he is. He just doesn't know it. We'll get him to see it.”

“We will?” Jordan swallowed hard.

Granny waved her hand in the air. “You two were meant to be together eleven years ago, but pride and stubbornness got in the way. That needs to change. Neither one is good for a relationship. Remember I was married for thirty-seven years. Happily, I might add.”

“I think Zachary might have something to say about your matchmaking.”

“Child, he'll come to his senses soon enough.”

Will he?
Jordan remembered how he backed away the evening before. She'd been sure he was going to kiss her and he hadn't. She'd wanted him to, and when he hadn't, frustration had deluged her.

 

Dressed in a classic black sheath with three-inch-high heels, Jordan descended the stairs at her house on Saturday night. Her gaze connected with Zachary's as he stood at the bottom waiting for her. When he smiled, all she could think about was her senior prom and the same look of admiration that glimmered in his eyes. Her legs weakened. She gripped the railing to keep herself from melting at the heart-stopping expression on his face that for an instant wiped away eleven years. This wasn't prom—just the Alumni Homecoming Dance. They weren't teenagers in love. Sadness pricked her for a brief moment.

He held out his hand to her, and she settled hers in his. “You look beautiful.”

She took in his dark Western-style suit with a black
string tie and cowboy boots. “You don't look half bad yourself.”

He tipped his Stetson toward her. “Well, thank ya, ma'am.”

Nicholas escorted Granny from the back of the house where her bedroom was. He grinned from ear to ear as though he held a secret no one knew.

Zachary gave Granny a wolf whistle. “You're gonna wow all the guys tonight.”

A blush painted the older woman's wrinkled cheeks pink as she slowly moved forward in a floor-length royal-blue gown with long sleeves. “I bet you say that to all the gals.”

“No, ma'am. Only the special ones.” Zachary winked at Granny.

The color deepened on her face to a bright red. “He's a keeper, Jordan.”

When the doorbell rang, Nicholas hurried toward the foyer and let Doug inside. The man dressed in a tux stared at Granny for a long moment as if no one else was around, then approached her.

Carrying a box, Doug opened it and slipped a corsage on Granny's wrist. “These roses pale in comparison to you.”

A noise behind Granny intruded on the romantic moment. “Mom, I found your walker. Someone hid it under your bed.” Jordan's mother rolled it toward Granny.

Her grandmother's lower lip protruded. “That someone, as you well know, was me. I'm not using it.” She slid her arm through the crook of Doug's. “I can hold on to him and be perfectly fine.”

“Then at least use your cane. I'll go get it for you.” Jordan's mom whirled around and went in search of it.

“Let's get out of here
now.
” Granny began shuffling toward the front door, dragging Doug with her.

Jordan pressed her lips together. “We'd better leave. Knowing Granny, she'll start walking toward the school if we don't get out there.” Grasping her son's arms, she drew him to her and kissed his cheek. “Take care of Nana. She isn't gonna be too happy we left without the cane.”

Nicholas giggled. “I'll challenge her to a game of chess and let her win tonight.”

“She'll know.”

“Yes, but it'll take her mind off the fact Granny is out dancing.”

Hearing her mom's footsteps coming down the hall, Jordan grabbed Zachary and hurried out the entrance. When she descended the porch steps, she realized she still held Zachary's hand and started to drop it. He squeezed her fingers gently and kept the connection intact—all the way to his sister's SUV. Then he opened the front passenger door for her to slip inside. Like a date.

But this isn't a date.
She had to remember that.

Granny thumped the back of the driver's seat. “Get moving, young man. Eileen's on the porch with that cane.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Zachary threw a glance at Jordan, a smile deep in his eyes, as he started the car. “This is gonna be an interesting evening,” he whispered.

“You think?”

“What was that, young man. Speak up? I don't hear as good as I used to.”

Jordan twisted around. “We were just commenting on what a fun time we're gonna have.”

Granny grinned. “I intend to cut a rug, as we used to say.”

An hour later, true to her word, Jordan's grandmother was out on the floor with Doug dancing. The twinkling lights and candles lent a romantic air to the evening. The
music played was a combination of several decades for the alumni who attended—none Granny's but that didn't stop her, although she confined herself to slow dances.

Leaning close, Zachary handed Jordan a cup of punch and said, “I hope when I'm her age, I enjoy life half as much as your grandmother.”

“Yeah, she has a unique outlook.” His nearness doubled her heartbeat like the tempo of a fast song.

They had talked with several old friends, watched Granny and Doug on the floor, but he had yet to ask her to dance.

She turned toward him, using that motion to step back and give herself some breathing room. “Nicholas wanted me to ask you to Sunday dinner tomorrow night.”

“He mentioned something about it being Granny's birthday.”

“She doesn't believe in celebrating her birthday, so we can't mention why I'm baking a double-chocolate-fudge cake.”

He tossed back his head and laughed. “So, no presents?”

“Oh, no. She's told me she's got all she needs. She doesn't want another trinket or something she would have to dust.”

“Does Doug know?”

“Yes. I've invited him, but he promised no gifts.”

“What time?”

“Six.”

“Then I'll be there.” He inched nearer, taking her elbow.

Her heartbeat pulsated a salsa. His fingers on her skin branded their imprint into her brain. Goose bumps covered her bare arms. “Remember, just a regular old family dinner.”

“Yes, ma'am. I wouldn't want to be on your grandmother's bad side.

“Are you kidding? You can do no wrong.”

Another slow dance began. “Let's give it a try. I hate to think an eighty-year-old woman is putting us to shame.”

Jordan swallowed several times to clear the tightness in her throat. Although the leisurely rhythm vibrated through the air, her heart still picked up speed. “Are you sure?”

His gaze linked with hers. “Yes.” He drew her out onto the gym floor and into his embrace. “It's been a while, but I think I remember.”

As his arms wrapped around her, she'd come home. She couldn't fight her feelings any longer. She loved him. And no amount of telling herself not to was going to change that.

 

Zachary shouldn't have asked her to dance. That was his downfall. But he'd taken a look at her, the dim lighting adding a certain intimacy to the air, and the invitation just tumbled from his lips. Then once he'd put his arms around her, thoughts of their senior prom all those years ago attacked his defenses, tearing them down.

Tomorrow he would regret this—opening this door to the past—but for the time being he would enjoy having her close to him. Feeling her heart thumping against his chest. Touching her warmth. Smelling her vanilla scent.

When the music stopped, with all the barriers gone he framed her face in his hands and stared into her dark-chocolate gaze as though he were a teenage boy again and in love for the first time.

People left the dance floor, but he couldn't move. Transfixed by the smile that brightened her eyes, a smile that coaxed his heart to forget and forgive, he didn't want to be in the middle of a crowded gym. He wanted her alone.
With that thought in mind, he grabbed her hand and tugged her after him.

“Where are we going?”

“A surprise.”

“What about Granny and Doug?”

“We'll be back before the dance is over.”

He exited the building, his destination before him—a hundred yards away. Crossing the parking lot, he slowed his step to allow her to keep up. When he reached the gate to the football stadium, he punched in a code and opened it.

“How do you know how to get inside?”

“I've helped Coach out some in the past, and he hasn't changed it in the last few years. Probably a quarter of the town knows how to get in here.” Zachary mounted the steps to the stands and stopped when he reached the row right under the press box. “Remember?”

“Yes, this is where you asked me to go steady.” Her words came out in a breathless, halting gush.

Whether from his fast pace or from something else, he didn't know. For the evening he wanted to forget all his fear and doubts and just enjoy her company—like in the past.

He pulled her down next to him on the bench, slung his arm around her shoulders and pressed her against his side. “This used to be my favorite place. My thinking place.”

“It's not anymore?”

“No. Now I usually just go riding.” She shivered.

“Cold.”

“A little.”

He shrugged out of his coat and gave it to her.

“Thanks.” She snuggled into its warmth.