The Manning Sisters (8 page)

“No way. Women don't have any business holding public office? I can't let something that outrageous pass without making you pay.”

Laughter flashed from his eyes as he lunged for her. Taylor let out a playful shriek and darted sharply to the left. Russ missed her by a yard.

Russ turned and was prepared to make another dive toward her when Taylor tossed the black cowboy hat with all her might into the sky. “Catch it if you can!” she shouted, bobbing past him. She was in such a rush that she stumbled and would have crashed face first onto the grass if Russ hadn't captured her around the waist and brought her against him. The full force of her weight caught him off balance. He twisted so that he took the brunt of the impact, and they toppled onto the ground.

Within a heartbeat, Russ had reversed their positions, pinning her hands above her head. Taylor looked up into the dark warmth of his eyes and smiled. Her breasts were heaving with excitement.

“Who's making whom pay?” Russ demanded. He pressed his mouth to her neck, running the tip of his tongue over the smooth skin of her throat. Sensation wove its way down her spine, and she moaned softly and bucked. “No…”

“You're going to be doing a lot more begging before I'm through with you,” Russ whispered. He kissed her then, his lips teasing and taunting hers with soft nibbles, promising but never quite delivering.

Arching her back, she struggled and was immediately released. With her hands free, she buried her fingers in his hair, raised her head and fused her mouth to his. She could feel herself dissolving, melting against him.

Russ kissed her mouth, her eyes, her throat. Taylor felt as if she were on fire, her whole body aflame with need. His hand found her breast, and Taylor sighed as a fresh wave of fiery sensation engulfed her.

“Oh, Russ,” she pleaded, not sure what she was asking of him. The physical urge was strong and compelling, but there had to be so much more before she could freely give herself to him. A merging of their hearts. Commitment. Love.

She had no time to voice her concerns. Russ kissed her, and a swift, acute sensation of hot, urgent desire rose up in her, blocking out everything but her awareness of Russ and her growing need.

She wanted him to continue—and yet…

“Either we stop now or we finish.” His breathing was raspy as he slid his hands from her hips to her shoulders. “The choice is yours.”

Taylor squeezed her eyes shut. Her throat was tight as she slowly shook her head. She didn't need to think twice; the decision had been made for her the moment she met Russ. He was as much a part of this landscape as the sycamore trees around them. She was as misplaced as a hothouse flower. But beyond that, Russ was a chauvinist. There was no other word for it. After the years of battling with her father, Taylor had no intention of falling in love with a man who shared the same outdated attitudes toward women.

She gave a shake of her head.

Russ exhaled sharply. “That's what I thought.” His breath left him in a defeated rush and he stroked her hair. “Were you hurt when we hit the ground like that?”

She shook her head a second time, wishing she could hide her face in her hands and never look at him again. She certainly hadn't intended to let things go this far. One moment she was teasing him, playfully tossing his hat into the air, and the next…

“Are you sure you're all right?”

“Of course.” But that was far from the truth. Taking his cue, she moved away from him and sat on the grass.

“Mandy's probably wondering about us,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice from trembling as badly as her hands did.

“Don't worry. She won't send out a search party.”

To Taylor's way of thinking, it might have been better if Mandy had.

It seemed everyone was looking at Taylor when she rode back into the yard. The ranch hands' curiosity about her was probably due to her precarious seat atop Shadow more than anything. As soon as she was able to stop the horse, she tossed the reins over his head and slid ingloriously from the saddle. Her feet landed with a jarring thud when she connected with the ground.

Mandy came out of the house, waving. “Gee, what took you guys so long?” she called, walking toward them. “I've had dinner ready for ages.”

“We stopped and rested for a bit,” Russ said, sharing a secret smile with Taylor, who was confident the color in her cheeks spelled out exactly what they'd been doing.

“I thought you were going to be back right away, so I fixed soup and sandwiches for dinner. That's all right, isn't it?”

“Actually, I should be getting back to town,” Taylor said, eager to make her escape. Only when she was alone would she be able to analyze what had happened. Of one thing she was sure: there wouldn't be a repeat of this.

All her good intentions to take the time to heal her broken heart properly were like dust particles caught in the wind, blowing every which way. She had no business getting involved with Russ.

“Oh, please, don't go yet.” Mandy's face fell at Taylor's announcement.

“I really have to,” Taylor insisted. Spending any more of this day with Russ would have been agonizing, reminding her of what she couldn't allow herself to have.

 

Taylor hadn't been in her rental house five minutes when she felt the urge to talk to her mother. But it was her father who answered on the third ring.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Taylor, sweetheart, how are you?” No matter what his mood, he always sounded gruff.

“Fine.”

The pause that followed was brief. “What's wrong?”

Taylor smiled to herself. She'd never been very good at keeping anything from her parents. “What makes you ask?”

“You don't call home very often.”

“Dad,” she whispered, closing her eyes, “is Mom around? I'm in the mood for a mother-daughter chat.”

“Your mother's shopping. Just pretend I'm her and talk.”

“I can't do that.” She loved him dearly, but they were constantly arguing. Of all the Manning children, Taylor was the one who didn't hesitate to stand up to him. Her bravery had won her the esteem of her siblings.

“Why can't you talk to me? I'm your father, aren't I? You're the one who's always throwing equality of the sexes in my face. So talk.”

“But, Dad, this is different.”

“Hogwash. I haven't been married to your mother for the past thirty-five years without knowing how she thinks. Tell me what you want and I'll respond just as if I were your mother.”

“It's nothing really, but, well…” She decided to jump in with both feet. “What would you say if I told you I met a cowboy I think I might be falling in love with? The problem is, I'm not sure I could even get along with this man. From the moment we met he set my teeth on edge.”

“I take it the situation has changed?”

“Not really,” she mumbled, knowing she wasn't making much sense. “He still says things that make me so mad I could scream, but then at other times he'll do something so sweet and sincere I want to cry.” Her voice shook. “I realize it probably goes back to Mark, and you're going to say I'm on the rebound. Russ and I are as incompatible as any two people could be. I can't even believe I'm so attracted to him.” She pulled in a deep breath once she'd finished. There was silence on the other end. “Dad?”

“I'm here.”

“Well, say something.”

“You want me to say something?” he repeated, but he didn't sound like himself. He paused and cleared his throat. “In this case I think you might be right—talk this over with your mother. She knows about these things.”

Taylor laughed softly into the phone and shook her head. For the first time in recent history she'd won an argument with her father.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, as Taylor walked home, she stopped at the grocery store, then mailed her electric bill payment at the pharmacy. She loved going into Cougar Point's drugstore. Not only could she have a prescription filled, but she could buy just about anything she needed. A tiny branch of the post office operated there, as well as a liquor store. In Seattle one-stop shopping generally referred to a large mall, but in Cougar Point it meant going to the pharmacy.

As she carried her groceries home, she noticed that the leaves were starting to change and wondered how long this pleasant fall weather would continue. Turning off Main Street and onto Oak, she saw Mandy sitting on her front porch.

“Mandy?” The girl's eyes were red and puffy from crying. “Sweetheart, what's wrong?”

Russ's sister leaped to her feet and wiped her eyes. Her chin was tilted at a proud, indignant angle and her mouth trembled. “I'm leaving.”

“Leaving?”

“Running away,” she explained in a tight voice. “But before I go, I thought I should tell someone so Russ won't send Cody Franklin out looking for me.”

“C
ome inside,” Taylor urged the girl. “I think we should talk about this.”

Mandy hedged, keeping her eyes downcast. “I don't really have time.”

“It'll just take a few minutes. I promise.” Withdrawing the key from her purse, Taylor opened the door, walked inside and deposited her groceries on the kitchen counter.

Mandy followed, clearly anxious to be on her way.

Pulling out a chair, Taylor indicated she should sit down. Then she grabbed them each a can of cold soda as inducement and took the chair opposite Mandy.

“It's Russ,” the girl said in a choked whisper. “He's making me quit the drill team.”

Taylor struggled to hide her dismay. “Is it your grades?”

“No. I've always been high honor roll. We got our uniforms this afternoon and I tried mine on and Russ happened to come into the house. He saw me and got all bent out of shape, saying the skirt was too short. I tried to tell him the skirts have been the same length for the past hundred years, and that just made him madder.”

“I don't think your brother appreciates sarcasm.”

“No kidding. He insisted I drop the hem on the skirt five inches. I know I should've been more subtle, but I couldn't help it. I laughed and told him he was being ridiculous.”

“I can't imagine that pleased him.”

“No,” Mandy said, shaking her head. She clutched the can with stiff fingers, but as far as Taylor could see she hadn't taken a sip. “Then he said this wasn't an issue we were going to discuss. He was ordering me, as my legal guardian, to lower the hem of the skirt, and he didn't want any arguments.”

“Naturally you refused.”

“Naturally. What else could I do?” Mandy yelped. “I'd look totally asinine with a drill team skirt that went to midcalf. I'd be the laughing stock of the entire school district, and all because my bullheaded brother won't listen to reason.”

“Is that when he issued the ultimatum?”

“H-how'd you know?”

“I know Russ, or at least someone a whole lot like him. The way I figure it, he suggested that either you lower the hem or you quit the drill team, and then he stalked out of the house.”

Mandy blinked, then took a deep swallow of the soda. “That's exactly what happened.”

“You've gotten into plenty of arguments with your brother before without deciding to run away. Why now?”

Mandy's green eyes clouded with tears as she lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “Because.”

“That doesn't tell me much.” Taylor stood and reached for a box of tissues, setting it on the table.

“He doesn't want me around.”

“That isn't true,” Taylor said. “We were talking about you making the drill team just the other day, and Russ was so proud. He loves you, Mandy. I'm sure of it.”

“I'm not. At least not anymore. He's so stubborn.”

“Opinionated?”

“That, too, and…” She hesitated, searching for another word.

“Unreasonable?”

Mandy slowly raised her eyes to Taylor. “I didn't realize you knew Russ so well.”

“I told you before that my father and I had trouble getting along when I was your age, didn't I?”

Mandy nodded and jerked a tissue from the box, as though admitting that she needed one was a sign of weakness.

“Sometimes I swear my father and your brother were cut from the same cloth. It would be easier to change the course of the Columbia River than to get them to alter their opinions.” Raising her feet onto the edge of the chair, Taylor looped her arms around her bent knees. “The family money was limited and my parents couldn't afford to pay for all five of us to go to college. So he decided that educating the boys was more important. He assumed they'd be supporting families, while Christy and I would end up with husbands.”

“But you went to college.”

“Indeed I did, but I paid for every cent of it myself. It took me eight years to complete my education. I worked summers in Alaska when I could, in addition to nights and weekends during the school year. Once I was a senior, I was able to get on as a dorm mother, and that took care of my room and board.”

“But, Taylor, that's not fair!”

“In my father's eyes it was. Granted, if Christy and I had been the only two, I'm sure he would have gladly paid for our education, but Dad was financially strapped paying for the boys.”

“Yeah, but your brothers will probably end up getting married, too.”

Mandy's logic was closely aligned with Taylor's own. “Yes, but as my father said, they won't be having babies, and it's unlikely they'll have to delay whatever career they choose in order to raise a family.”

“Women are entitled to a career if they want one!”

“Of course. But it wasn't only college that my father and I argued over. It started with the usual things, like clothes and makeup and friends, but later we found ourselves at odds over just about everything else.”

“W-what about boyfriends? Did your dad find reasons to dislike them all?”

“No. Just one.” Now Taylor lowered her eyes. From the moment her father had met Mark, he hadn't liked the up-and-coming financial planner. When Taylor had questioned him about his instant dislike, Eric Manning had given her the most nonsensical reply. Her father had claimed Mark was too smooth. Too smooth! He'd made Mark sound like a used car salesman. Her father had refused to look past the friendly smile and the easy laugh to the talented man beneath. Mark had tried hard to win him over; Taylor gave him credit for that. The more effort he'd put forth, the more she'd loved him. Taylor and her father had argued constantly over Mark.

Then one day she'd learned that everything her father had guessed about Mark was true. She'd gone to him and broken into bitter tears. For the first time he hadn't said I told you so. Instead, he'd held her in his arms and gently patted her head while she wept. She'd heard later from her brothers that their father had wanted to confront Mark and tell him what a bastard he was. It had taken some fast talking on their parts to convince him it was best to leave the situation alone.

“You've had arguments with Russ before,” Taylor said again, tearing herself away from the memories of a painful past.

Mandy plucked out another tissue, noisily blew her nose and nodded. “Lots of times, especially lately. He's always finding things to gripe at me about.”

“But why run away now?”

“I have my reasons.”

Her words were so low that Taylor had to strain to hear. “Where will you go?”

“I have an aunt in New Jersey…. I'm not exactly sure where. She was my mother's half sister, and she sent me a birthday present once before my mom died. I think she might let me live with her.”

Taylor didn't bother to point out the numerous holes in Mandy's plan. “Wouldn't it be a good idea to contact her first?” she asked.

“I…was hoping to surprise her.”

“You mean show up on her doorstep so she can't say no?”

“Something like that,” Mandy admitted.

The phone rang, and standing, Taylor walked over to answer it. Apparently Mandy thought this was a good time to use the bathroom and left the kitchen.

“Hello.”

“Taylor, this is Russ. I don't suppose you've heard from Mandy, have you?” He sounded impatient and more than a little worried. “I'm at my wit's end with that girl. I've called practically everyone in town. I've got enough to do without playing hide-and-seek with her.”

“She's here.”

“We had another one of our fights and—” He stopped abruptly. “She's there? In town? With you?”

“That's what I just said.”

“How'd she get there?”

“I assume she either walked or hitchhiked.”

“Into town?” He groaned. “Listen, keep her there. I'll be at your place in ten minutes. You can warn her right now, she may be on restriction for the rest of her natural life.”

“Russ, there seems to be a lack of communication here.”

“You're damn right there is. She can't go running to you every time she needs someone to champion her cause. And while I'm on the subject, I refuse to listen to your arguments regarding this skirt issue. I'm not going to have any sister of mine running around half-naked.”

“Mandy didn't ask me to champion her cause,” Taylor said, having trouble holding back her own quick temper. “She came to tell me she was running away.”

Russ's response was a short, harsh laugh. “We'll see about that,” he said, and slammed down the receiver.

Stifling a groan herself, Taylor hung up.

“I should be leaving,” Mandy said when she returned to the kitchen.

“What about clothes?”

“I packed a bag and hid it in the bushes outside. I wasn't going to tell you I was running away at first. I only came to thank you for being my friend. I…I think Russ likes you and I hope that you two…well, you know.” She smiled bravely, but tears rolled down her face and she smeared them across her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“Money?” Taylor tried next, thinking fast. She had to stall Russ's sister until he arrived, although in his present frame of mind, she wasn't sure he'd help matters any.

“I have enough.”

“How much is enough?”

“A couple of hundred dollars. I was saving it for a new saddle, but after I saw the dress you made for the dance I was going to buy a sewing machine. Now I'll need it to get to New Jersey.”

“But, Mandy, that won't even pay for a bus ticket.”

“I'll…think of something.”

“I've got some cash,” Taylor said, reaching for her purse. “It's a shame you're leaving. I was asked to be a chaperone when the drill team goes to Reno next month. I was looking forward to seeing you perform.”

“You were?” Mandy brightened somewhat. “It's going to be fun. We've been practicing early every morning for this competition, and by next month we should be really good. The larger high schools almost always win, but all the girls who go have such a good time.” Some of the excitement left her, and her shoulders sagged. She forced a smile. “At least in Reno you'll be able to use your American Express.”

“And order pizza. I would kill for a good pepperoni pizza on a Friday night.”

“The bowling alley makes a decent one. You should try it sometime.”

“I suppose I will,” Taylor said, rummaging through her wallet. “Are you sure you won't change your mind? Mandy, sweetheart, it's a cold, cruel world out there. If you like, you can call your aunt from here and feel her out before you leave Cougar Point.”

“I guess maybe I should,” Mandy murmured, not looking certain about anything. She hesitated, then turned huge appealing eyes on Taylor. “I was wondering…do you think maybe I could live with you? No, don't answer that,” she said quickly. Regretfully. “Russ would never allow it, and, well, it wouldn't work. Forget I asked.”

“I'd love it if you did, but, honey, that isn't any solution.”

Mandy tucked her chin against her collarbone. “I'll leave in a few minutes, okay?”

“Mandy.” Taylor stopped her. She couldn't continue this pretense. “That was Russ on the phone a few minutes ago. He's on his way to talk to you.”

The pale green eyes widened with offense. “You told him I was here? How could you, Taylor? I thought you were my friend. I trusted you….”

“I am your friend. I care about you and can't let you ruin your life because you've had a spat with your brother.”

“It's more than that.”

“I know. Trust me, I know,” Taylor said gently, resisting the urge to pull Mandy into her arms. “What I'd like to suggest is that when your brother arrives you stay in the kitchen, and I'll keep him in the living room and try to talk some sense into him.”

“He won't listen,” Mandy cried. Tears ran unrestrained down her cheeks, and she clenched her fists at her sides. “It would be best if I just left now.”

The sound of Russ's truck screeching to a stop outside the house was a welcome relief, at least to Taylor. “Give me ten minutes alone with him,” she said.

“All right,” Mandy reluctantly agreed. “But that's all the time I've got.” She made it sound as if she had a plane to catch.

Taylor was at the front door before Russ could even knock. What she saw didn't give her any hope that this matter could easily be put to rest. His fury was all too evident; his face was red and his steps were quick and abrupt as he let himself in the house. Taylor practically had to throw herself in front of the kitchen door to keep him in the living room.

“Where is she?”