Goodnight Kisses (3 page)

With a finger, he eased the shades to the end of his
nose and eyed her legs. “I didn’t think you were working the party
tonight.”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show up
looking fabulous.” Tonight McCrea would see her as a woman. She
would be sexy and flirty and everything would be different between
them.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Louisa belted out with
enthusiasm. “The little yellow dress you wore to the barbecue would
be perfect.”

“Did I leave it in your room?”

“It’s hanging in the closet.”

Jess gave his collar a tug. “That dress is
indecent.”

Louisa slapped his chest with the back of her hand.
“It is not.”

Eleanor measured a high spot on her thigh. “I could
shorten the length to get his attention.”

“McCrea won’t be the only guy at the bar tonight and
if you walk in there with a skirt that high, they’ll be another
damn fight.” The play left his eyes. “You’re not a slut, so don’t
try to act like one.”

He was right. She wasn’t a slut,
but she was so
country
plain
McCrea would never notice her.
“There’s no way I can compete with Vanessa Worley.”

“Set your sights for competition a
little higher, will you?” He pushed the shades back in
place,
and craned his neck up to get a better view of the pasture in
front of them. “Where is the old tramp at today? She’s usually hot
on his heels.”

“Don’t be surprised if we find her hiding in the bed
of his truck,” Louisa laughed.

“Tell me about it. With her around, I don’t have a
chance.” Eleanor kicked the rail with the back of her boot, feeling
frustrated at her inadequacy. “What I’d give for just a kiss.”

“You should do something to make him jealous.” Jess
made his eyebrows bounce up and down and flashed her a devilish
grin. “Make him think he’s got competition.”

“He’s right,” Louisa agreed. “Tell McCrea you have a
date.”

“But I don’t.”

Jess sighed
dramatically,
and bent
his head to study the ground before throwing up both hands. “Okay,
I’ll do it.”

“Do what?” the women asked in unison.

“Be your date for tonight.” He
dusted off the shoulders of his dirty work
shirt,
and rested his
hands on his hips to mimic a James Dean stance. “I had plans,
but…”

She closed her eyes with a grimace. “I’m
pathetic.”

“Be serious, Jess.” Louisa leaned
to one
side,
and bumped Eleanor with her shoulder. “I have no
idea what you see in McCrea.”

Jess poked his head into the narrow space between
them. “Me neither. You could do so much better.”

Louisa put a finger to her
brother’s
forehead,
and pushed him
backward
. “You’re annoying. You know that?”

“Maybe.” Without warning, he plucked Eleanor from
the railing, tossed her over his shoulder, and spun her around,
smacking her bottom. “But I am fun.”

She shielded her backside with both hands and his
hat tumbled to the ground. “Stop that! Put me down!”

He hauled her around to the front of him, and
grinned. “Come on, El. Let me be your date.”

Struggling against his
strong hold
was futile. She was his prisoner until the game
was over. “No, I’m not going to be a pity date. I’ll ask
Conner.”

Like a ragdoll, he lifted her off the ground, took
her hand, and spun her around in a grand waltz. “Oh, that kid’s not
a threat to McCrea.”

She laughed at the dance. “And you are?”

He let her slide to the ground and whirled her out.
“Hell, yeah. You know that I’m a ladies’ man.”

“Oh, good grief,” she said laughing as he yanked her
back into his arms. “Will you stop it?”

“Not
until,
” his fingers darted
along her ribs making her double over. “You agree.”

“Stop!” She tucked her elbows in to shield herself.
“Please!”

“I told you I was fun.”

She jerked free while swatting at his hands. “Stop
it!”

He made
a leap forward
,
triggering her jump
backward
. “Nope! You’re mine,
lady!”

She dodged his hand, snatched his
hat from the ground, and sat it on her head. “Don’t make me
hold
it
hostage.”

His blue eyes squinted with her threat. “You
wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would. So if you want to see it again,
you’d better call a truce.”

The thought of losing his hat made his hands fall.
“That’s dirty. Using a man’s hat against him.”

She grinned
,
and prepared to run.
Having been a victim to his bluffs more than once made her leery of
him. “A girl has to do something.”

In a flash, he bolted towards her.

She spun around, ready to run for home, and plowed
face first into McCrea’s chest. The collision plastered the hat
against her face, and left her clutching his shirt for balance.

His
leather-clad
fingers grasped
her forearm and gently hauled her closer. “You running to or from,
darlin’?”

Darlin’? The way he drawled out the word made her
lower belly tighten. “From.”

As he raised the hat, a smile which could only be
construed as teasing broke his lips. “That’s too bad.”

“Can I have my hat back now?” Jess cut in with a
begrudging frown.

McCrea
slung
the hat to him
while keeping a hand at her waist. It was an odd gesture, seeing
how he usually went out of his way not to touch her.

Jess tried reshaping the bent brim. “Where have you
been?”

“Granddad’s been looking for you,” Louisa said from
her perch on the top rail.

McCrea’s face hardened with furrowed lines across
his forehead. “At the Point.” Promise Point was his sanctuary from
the world and a place he visited often.

Jess crossed his arms and leaned against the rail.
“That bad, huh?”

“Could be. I’ll know more after I talk to him.”

“Are you going to Tubs tonight?” Jess
questioned.

At
times
McCrea’s eyes could be
soft, and beautiful with gold specks when he laughed or teased.
Other times, they were black, void of color and drilled into the
depths of her soul. They were like that now. Drilling into her as
if looking for answers. “Hell, yes,” he said, wiping dirt from her
chin with his forefinger. “I need a distraction.”

The tender action was innocent. Something he would
do to a small child, but when the worn leather glove skimmed her
skin, heat gathered between her thighs.

“A word of warning,” Jess said. “He’s still pissed
about last week.”

“Yeah, I know, but,” McCrea dropped his hand to peel
away the gloves. “I didn’t start the fight, and he can’t expect me
not to defend myself.”

“We all know that, but Willard’s granddaddy and ours
go way back.” Jess slapped his shoulder. “And that means you’d
better walk the line if you want to get back into Wade’s good
graces.”

McCrea shoved his gloves into his back pocket and
headed towards the house.

Eleanor watched him disappear through the double
doors of the house. “He looks worried.”

“He is.” Jess took his hat off and scratched his
head.

“He finally told Granddad he didn’t want to be a
rancher,” Louisa said.

“What?” Everyone always assumed McCrea would follow
in his dad and granddad’s footsteps. After all, ranching was in
their blood. But he was a different man now. Time away from home
had changed him. He was more withdrawn and more complex, and the
carefree boy she’d fallen in love with seemed lost. Replaced by a
man with drive and determination. A man who rarely smiled and
laughed even less.

“That’s the same as blasphemy to Wade,” Jess threw
in.

“Yep.” Louisa jumped down from the fence “They’ve
been knocking heads since he came home from college.”

“I feel like this whole mess is my fault. Maybe I
should explain what happened to Wade.”

“It’s not your fault,” Louisa reassured her.

“Wade’s always been hard on McCrea,” Jess said.

“Mom says it’s because he and granddad are so much
alike.” Louisa hung an arm around her shoulder. “You staying for
supper?”

“No. I promised Grandma I’d be back before then.”
She hugged Louisa. “I’ll see you tonight?’

Louisa cringed. “Sorry, El I can’t come. I have a
ton of things to do before I leave on Friday. Mom’s helping me
pack.” She hugged her again. “Promise you’ll be careful.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m used
to being around
drunks
. Besides, McCrea and Jess will be
there if I need looking after.”

“You know I won’t let anything happen to our little
El,” Jess taunted and handed her shades back.

Louisa grabbed his ear and gave it a hard tug.
“You’d better not.”

He yanked away, nursing his lobe. “Damn, Lou! That
hurt.”

She climbed over the fence and jumped down to the
other side. “See you later.”

“We’ll have a girls’ night out before we leave,”
Louisa yelled. “Just the two of us.”

Eleanor waved as she headed towards home. “You
bet!”

“You can’t do this.” Even as McCrea
said it, he knew damn good and well his granddad could do anything
he wanted, including
take
away his inheritance. “That land is
mine! You promised it to me!”

“Get a grip on that temper,” Hardin directed his son
from the leather sofa across the room.

McCrea did as he was told by
grinding his teeth and rethinking his strategy. “We’ve talked about
this for years. Can you at least tell me why you’ve suddenly
changed your mind?”
This time
his voice wasn’t as loud or as
demanding. Respect would get him farther than anger. “Why now? Why
after all I’ve done to prove myself worthy?”

His Granddad Wade was in his usual spot. Hands
behind his back, facing the large picture window near his desk as
he looked out over the ranch handed down to him from his father.
The old man spent years working the land, but in recent years had
been forced to slow down. His heart wasn’t as strong as it once
was, and McCrea suspected the death of his grandmother three years
ago had something to do with it. “You’re not ready for it.”

McCrea began pacing the room. He’d earned a degree
in ranch management just to appease his granddad, and he’d been
ranching since he was old enough to mount a horse. “I couldn’t be
more ready than I am now.”

What would he do if Wade refused to give him the
land? Be a rancher like the two of them? Hell, no. He didn’t want
to spend the rest of his life running cattle from one pasture to
another with an ass end view of an animal he had grown to
despise.

He could always leave, and go up north to Wyoming.
He had cousins there who would help him find a place and get
started.

A bitter taste worked its way up his throat. No,
that wasn’t the life he wanted, and by God, it wasn’t the life he
would settle for. He was a Texan and wanted his own spread in Hill
Country to do with as he pleased. “Will you talk some sense into
him?” he asked his father.

Hardin tossed his hat onto the couch, and crossed an
ankle over his knee. “It’s his land to do with as he pleases.”

Wade’s
wrinkled
fingers
gathered the curtain and
swung
it open. “This view is something I
never get tired of. Rolling hills, fertile pastures. It used to
regenerate me. Fourteen hour days were nothing. Now, I’m lucky if I
get in four without having to rest.”

“You’re recovering, Dad,” Hardin reminded him.
“You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

They all knew that was a lie. The heart attack he
had suffered in the spring had been a bad one. McCrea would never
forget the night it happened. Calving season produced nearly twice
as many calves as expected, and Wade insisted on being present for
as many births as possible. They were his herd, and in his eyes,
his responsibility.

It was just McCrea and his granddad
bringing the calf into the world. Witnessing the birth of any
animal was a unique experience. Being the first to see it, hold it
and sometimes the one who watched it take its last breath put
everything into prospective. That was the case with this particular
birth. At first, he thought it was the sight of that dead calf
being pulled from its mother that brought Wade to his knees. Hand
clutched
tight
to his chest, pale complexion, sweaty face…. That
night made McCrea realized his granddad wasn’t indestructible, and
that it was just a matter of time before he left them. “What did
Doc Bowman say?”

Wade sat down in the chair behind his desk, and his
laugh lines deepened as a weary smile drew his lips upward. “That I
could use a shot of youth.”

“Couldn’t we all,” Hardin laughed. It was his dad’s
way of keeping face, but McCrea could see the fear behind the
smile. He, too, was afraid of losing Wade. They all were.

The old man let out a weighted
sigh. “I don’t fear
dying
. Death is as inevitable as the
sunrise. It comes to us all. I made my peace a long time ago, but
handing over a part of the family land to someone as reckless as
you
scares
the hell out of me.”

“Reckless?” he questioned.