Dust settled into the sweat pouring off her face and neck and finding its way into her bra. Thank goodness she wasn't expecting company because she looked worse than a homeless bag lady from inner-city Dallas. Julie had always loved getting her hands dirty, even as a child, so she'd fallen right into taking care of the garden. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the tail of her T-shirt that had only a few dry strands left. She loved the feel of the damp earth under her bare feet as she chopped the weeds and turned over the ground around the plants. When she finished she planned to stretch the garden hose from the back of the house and water the whole area. Then she was having a long bath and reading a good romance book the rest of the afternoon.
Annie kept making trips inside the house and back out to the garden. She'd talk to Julie for a few minutes, then remember that her dolls needed her and she'd be off to the house again. Julie had figured Annie would be whining all day since it was Saturday and she couldn't see her little friends, but she'd played happily in and out of the house all morning.
The sun was high in the sky and Julie's stomach beginning to grumble when she finished the job and started toward the back door. That's when she heard tires squealing and a vehicle coming to an abrupt stop on the road in front of her house. She rounded the house in a dead run carrying the hoe with her. Thoughts of Annie disobeying her and running out into the road flooded her mind as she rushed. She shut her eyes and prayed that when she opened them she wouldn't see Annie lying in front of a truck or a car.
She shook her hoe at the truck even before the door opened. Thank God Annie wasn't the reason the driver had come to such an abrupt stop. Julie checked the road, hoping the reckless idiot hadn't hit the momma cat. "What in the hell are you doing driving like that and scaring the bejesus out of me?" she hollered at the truck.
Griffin hopped out of the truck and yelled as he walked toward the yard. "I'm looking for Lizzy. She's been missing all day and we just realized it. I thought she was in the house and they thought she was with me."
Then he really looked at Julie. She was a mess. Red hair escaping that half-assed twist of curls swept up on her head with a crazy-looking plastic clamp. Feet that looked as if they'd never worn shoes or been washed. A stained T-shirt and cut-off jean shorts that could have been rescued from a trash can behind a beer joint. Not a drop of makeup and nothing to make her desirable.
So why in the hell was he thinking about throwing her over his shoulder with her cute little bubble butt pointed up, her red hair swinging behind him at waist level, and her dirty feet kicking the hell out of him? He could even hear her giggling as he swept her away to the loft in his barn and made wild passionate love to her until they were both so tired they could do nothing but sleep in each other's dirty, sweaty arms.
Julie swiped a hand across her face, smearing dirt and grime. At least he was as dirty as she was, but even then, he was damn sexy. What in the hell was wrong with her? Thinking a man in bibbed overalls and a sleeve less shirt was sexy. She swallowed twice and took two steps closer to him. His blue eyes registered pure worry and in that moment she saw him as a father instead of a sexy soldier slash cowboy slash rancher. Still, her Irish temper got the best of her.
"Well, I haven't seen her since she left school yesterday. Maybe you can't remember where she is like you can't remember when you were Lucky and I was Red and there were no questions? Seems to me you've got selective memory problems these days. Maybe when you came home you forgot about what you'd done the night before you left," she said.
"Lady, are you crazy? What are you talkin' about? I never left Saint Jo. There's a yellow kitten in my barn, one of my black and white kittens is missing, and my daughter, Lizzy, is gone, too. Is she here?"
His heart skipped a beat and his hands went clammy. Why on earth did his body respond to her the way it did? He'd had one crazy wife already and had been fortunate enough to get rid of her with money. He didn't trust women, didn't like red-haired women, and the one standing before him was up to something. So why did he keep having ideas that were so farfetched?
She popped her hands on her hips. "I don't know where your daughter is. You must have been drunker than I thought that night. You grew your hair back and got six years older but you can't stand there and tell me you don't remember me at all. I was your lucky charm so you'd come home, remember?"
Griffin set his jaw and spoke through clenched teeth. "Are you sure you don't have a black kitten and my daughter? I don't care if you are crazy as hell. I just want my daughter. Did she come over here?"
A little dark-haired girl stepped out onto the porch.
Griffin squinted against the hot sun. "Lizzy?"
Annie folded her arms across her chest and tilted her chin down to look at him as mean as she could. Her mother did that when she'd been bad and it always worked on her. "I'm Annie and you can't have Lizzy. She's mine now. That mean woman hit her."
Before anyone could say another word, Rachel's Mustang came to a screeching halt right behind Griffin's pickup. She bailed out of the car and started into the yard.
Annie puffed out her chest. "I'm Annie and you are mean and you can't have Lizzy."
"Rachel, there's a restraining order. Luckadeaus can't go on that property," Griffin said.
Rachel kept walking. "I'm not a Luckadeau yet and I can go anywhere I damned well please. Young lady, don't you tell me you aren't Lizzy Luckadeau. I'd know you anywhere and you are in big trouble." Her long strides ate up the ground until she was within a foot of Julie.
"You take another step, lady, and I'll whip your sorry ass myself. This is my place and you aren't touching my daughter or talking to her like that," Julie said just before Rachel stepped onto her porch
Rachel stopped and glared at Julie. "What gives you that right? This isn't your property. It belongs to that old witch, Edna."
"She died and I bought it. It is my property and you are not welcome. Annie, what are you talking about? Who hit Lizzy?" Julie asked.
Annie pointed her finger. "Is that her daddy's girlfriend?"
"Yes, I am. You know that, Lizzy. What kind of game are you playing?"
"I'm not Lizzy. I'm Annie. Momma, tell her I'm Annie."
"This is my daughter. Get out and leave us alone," Julie said.
Annie narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "You tried to make Lizzy eat carrots and she don't like carrots. I like carrots and she likes peas. I don't like peas but my momma don't hit me two times on my bottom when I don't eat peas. That woman hit Lizzy, Momma."
Julie glared at Rachel, her mouth set in a firm line. "You hit a child? One that didn't even belong to you? What kind of woman are you?"
Rachel puffed out her chest and looked down at Julie. "She'll be my child before long and it's none of your business."
Griffin watched from the corner of the yard. Everything was moving like slow motion in an old television movie. Rachel had spanked Lizzy because she wouldn't eat her carrots. Rachel was screaming at Julie, and Julie was protecting a child that wasn't even hers like a momma cougar. It was all surreal.
"Could you two stop your fighting long enough to tell me if Lizzy is safe?" he yelled.
"Where is Lizzy?" Julie finally asked Annie.
"She rode her pony to the fence and we put it behind the shed. She is hiding in my bedroom. I took her some crackers for breakfast and we've been playing all day but we're hungry. Can we make a sandwich now?" Annie answered innocently.
"Will you please tell her to come out here?" Julie asked.
"Please, Annie," Griffin exhaled loudly. At least his daughter was safe.
Rachel frowned. "That is Lizzy. She's playing some kind of crazy game with you. Are you stupid, woman?"
"Lady, I'm not known for patience, especially when it comes to child abuse, so you'd do well to hush and let me get to the bottom of this," Julie said hotly.
In spite of the hundred-plus-degree weather Rachel wrapped her arms around her body to stave off a chill. That sawed-off filthy woman looked as if she was about to wield that hoe like a lance in her direction.
Lizzy stepped out of the door and reached for Annie's hand. "Hi Daddy. I don't like her and she hit me."
Rachel stared blankly at the two little girls. "There's two of them? Griffin, you've got some explaining to do." She turned on him.
"Lizzy, why did you run away?" Griffin asked.
Lizzy's chin quivered. "Because she was going to keep me today and I don't like carrots, and she said I was spoiled and I don't like her and she already spanked me and she might hit me again."
"Griffin Luckadeau, I cannot believe you let that bitch hit your child. I'm calling child protective services." Julie joined the girls on the porch.
"Don't you threaten us," Rachel said.
"Settle down, both of you. To hell with it. Call the damn cops. Let them put me in jail. I'm coming onto your property," he said as he plowed across the yard.
"I never said you couldn't come on my property. I don't have a restraining order on anyone. But that woman better get off my land. I won't need a restraining order if she doesn't because I'm taking care of it myself." Julie turned her attention to Griffin and away from Rachel.
That gave Rachel enough time to hurry to the safety of her car.
Griffin gathered Lizzy into his arms. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."
His phone rang in the middle of the hugging. "Hello?"
"Did you find her? Is she all right?" Marita asked.
"She's right here at Edna's old place and she's fine. I'm bringing her home now," he said.
"I'm not going home," Lizzy said. "Not 'til Nana Rita gets there. She won't let
her
be mean to me."
Rachel rolled down the window but kept her finger on the button. There was no telling what that insane woman might do. "Griffin, you've got to take that kid in hand. She's playing you. I only swatted her twice and she deserved it."
"We'll talk later," he said.
Lizzy's eyes grew wide. "Don't make me stay with her no more."
"Rachel won't be coming back to the ranch. Now let's go home," Griffin reassured her.
"Not ever. You promise?" Lizzy asked.
Griffin headed toward the truck. "I promise."
Annie set up a sobbing howl. "But she's my friend. You can't take her away."
Lizzy began to cry right along with her. "Daddy, Annie is my friend. Can she come home with me?"
Griffin looked at Julie. Her curly red hair was wet with sweat, her bare feet filthy, her cut-off jeans bleach stained, and her T-shirt had holes in it. Honest to God, he'd never seen the woman before Lizzy's first day of school, and he would definitely remember her if he had. A man would have to be stone blind, stupid, or both to forget someone like Julie Donavan.
"If I leave now, it's over," Rachel yelled.
"I am a father. You've known that since day one," Griffin raised his voice above the din enough that she could hear him.
Rachel rolled up the window and sped away, leaving nothing but a puff of road dust in her wake.
"You really don't remember me?" Julie asked from the porch.
"Sure I remember you. You are Lizzy's teacher and you were at church last Sunday. I don't know what you're talking about 'growing my hair' back. It's been like this since I was a kid."
She sat down on the porch. "Did you get amnesia in Iraq?"
He was busy putting Lizzy in the passenger's seat and shutting the door. When she said Iraq, he jerked his head around and frowned. "
I
never went to Iraq."
Julie's green eyes locked with his blue ones and the distance across the yard disappeared. "Then the uniform was a hoax to pick up women?"
Griffin stopped. "Six years ago my identical twin brother went to Iraq. He was killed two days after he got there. Are you mistaking me for Graham?"
"Holy shit. Two of you?" Julie whispered. Now it made sense. No wonder Griffin didn't recognize her.
"Yes, ma'am. Graham always was attracted to white trash redheads. You thought I was Graham, and you've come back here to lay claim to your kid's share of the Lucky Clover, haven't you? Well, honey, you've got a surprise in store. It ain't happenin'," he said with enough chill in his voice to drop the temperature forty degrees.
"Mr. Luckadeau, until this moment I had no idea that there were two of you and had I known, I damn sure wouldn't have taken a job in Saint Jo. You leave me and my child alone. I don't want a damn thing you've got," Julie declared.
Tears dripped down Annie's face. "Don't be mad at Lizzy's daddy. Lizzy is my friend. We traded kittens so we can be friends. I want her to come and play with me."
Lizzy leaned out the truck window and pointed toward the porch. "I want Annie to be my friend. You can't take her away from me."
Griffin threw up his hands. "Good God, what are we going to do?"
"Right now
you
are taking Lizzy home, and
I'm takin
g Annie inside to eat lunch. We'll sort this out another day. I've had about all I can stand for this one."
"She can come back and play, can't she Momma?" Annie sobbed.
"Lizzy is welcome in this house anytime she wants to come," Julie said.