Honey Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #2) (6 page)

Of course, Ann couldn't do that and happily set
about dusting his furniture, changing his sheets, and scrubbing his heavenly
bathroom.

On Friday, she drove to town and, using the debit
card Jackson had given her for household expenses, stocked up on supplies and
groceries. She was in her element and knew it. On the ride home she stopped by
Lazy M to see Sarah.

"You look wonderful!" Sarah pulled her
inside the house. Toby and Preston ran to meet her and when Toby started to
say, "Did you bring us a pres—" A stern look from his mother stopped
him.

"Not this time, boys," Ann said, and
hid a grin.

"Okay, Auntie Ann." Toby grabbed
Preston's arm and pulled him toward their bedroom. Turning back around, he
said, "Maybe next time you'll see that cool red car at the Wally
Mart."

"Toby!" Sarah exclaimed.

He looked at the floor. "Sorry, Mom. Sorry,
Auntie Ann."

Sarah shook her head and pointed for them to go
to their room. "Those boys might look alike, but they're as different as
night and day. Toby zooms in on what he wants and blindly goes after it.
Preston sees what he wants and contemplates his next move."

Ann smiled. "Both qualities will serve them
well as adults."

"I know. I don't want to squash their
personalities, but yet I want to teach them ethics and responsibility."

"You and Sage are wonderful parents."

"Thanks Ann. If you had told me five years
ago that I would be married to Sage and we'd have twin sons, I would have
thought you crazy." Sarah got a faraway look. "Because we both had
sons who died, we savor every moment with our boys." She brushed the
corner of her eye. "Look, here I am getting teary-eyed. Let's go to the
kitchen so you can tell me about your first week."

After Sarah checked on Toby and Preston, she and
Ann poured coffee and sat at the small drop leaf table in the kitchen. "So
tell me everything," Sara encouraged.

"So far, things have gone smooth. I love
the house and it's on its way to being in tip-top shape. I'm going to plant Black-eyed
Susans in the front flowerbed on Monday."

"Do you like working for Jackson."

"He's a dream to work for. Ah, yes, he's
very professional, and from what I've seen, works well with everyone at the
ranch."

Ann sipped her coffee. "Remember I was
telling you about Dixie, the gal who owns Dixie's Cuppa Joe, and how she might
be perfect for Jackson?"

Ann squirmed in her chair. "Yes."

"I want you to meet her. Let's have a
girl's-day-out on Sunday. You're off and Sage can watch the boys. I
really
want you to give me your impression of her suitability for Jackson."

"Oh, I don't know. I have to–"

"Ann, I'm not taking no for an answer. Besides,
we need to chill and have fun. We've both been working our asses off. Actually,
I wish that were true for myself, you don't have anything to work off."

Ann chuckled. "Okay. Okay. What time do you
want me to be here?"

"How about ten. It'll be a blast. Hey, changing
the subject, do you remember meeting Miles Brightman? He's the guy in the
wheelchair that stayed a couple of weeks. He was at the wedding and
reception."

"Yes, I remember him. He was quiet and kept
to himself. Didn't seem to want to talk much."

Sarah laughed. "Yep, that's Miles. Anyway,
he's coming back to spend the rest of summer." She tapped her finger on
the table. "Oh, jeez, you don't know the latest development. Julie told me
this morning that she and Jacob are calling you tonight to fill you in. They
wanted to wait until the plans were firmed up. They've been invited by Maude
and Clyde to spend the summer with them in Alaska. Maude was the cook here for
years. Sage's dad hired her. She met one of the hand's who was twenty years her
junior and they up and eloped when Sage was a kid. She and her groom headed off
to Alaska and struck it rich. She's in her eighties now and, according to
Julie, as spry as ever. Anyway, the kids are leaving to experience the wilds of
Alaska for a few months."

"How exciting!"

"Oh, back to what I was saying about Miles.
He's going to be staying at Julie and Jacob's cottage while they're gone. The
renovations are done and Sage is building some ramps to make negotiating the
place easy."

"Why doesn't he just stay at the dorm where
you already have access ramps?"

Sarah looked at the table.

"What is it you're not telling me?"
Ann leaned in.

Sarah glanced up with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Okay, you're my best friend and I can't keep secrets from you. Miles
Brightman is really Maxwell Henry."

"What! You mean
the
Maxwell Henry;
the author of all those best selling suspense novels?"

Sarah nodded vigorously. "He's working on
his next book, the one that's promoted in a gazillion advertisements, and he
needs solitude. He liked being here, and when we found out that Julie and Jacob
would be gone for the summer, their place seemed perfect for him."

"Wow, just think, I met Maxwell Henry and
didn't even know it. I've been meaning to buy his latest release. Which brings
up a question—how are you doing on
your
book and when do I get to read
the drafts?"

"I must admit that I'm not as far along as
I'd like. The boys keep me busy and when they're in bed I like to spend time
with Sage…" she giggled and whispered, "…in bed."

Ann laughed, "You are incorrigible,
Sarah."

"I know. I couldn't help but say that.
Maybe I'll use that line in my latest story. Anyway, back to your question.
Sissy, my publisher, wants a rough draft at the beginning of fall and I think
I'll have it for her. You know, it'll be my first book after
Baby
Kisses."

"I just loved the
Kisses Series.
Do
you think you'll add more books to it?"

"I'm not really sure. I've wanted to branch
out into romantic suspense and that's what I'm working on now. Of course, you
already know that because I can't keep anything from you, my dear friend."

A noise in the doorway captured their attention.
"Toby took my car," Preston wailed.

"Did not. It's my car," Toby defended
himself.

Sarah lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Now
you see why it's taking forever to get this new book launched."

Ann nodded sympathetically and the friends
grinned at each other.

Late that night, Ann reclined against her
pillows in bed and reread a passage from
Honey Kisses,
her favorite book
by Sarah. She always thought of Jackson when she read the words.

The tall, lanky cowboy leaning against the barn siding
looked dangerous and mysterious to Fannie. Being a city slicker, she had no
experience with cowboys or hoe-downs. The community had come together to
celebrate the raising of yet another barn. Fiddlers livened the atmosphere while
country folk danced a jig. "Yee ha," yelled one of the dancers when
the song came to a close. Another musician tapped one-two-three, and the music
started again before anyone could leave the dance floor.

Fannie lowered her head and surreptitiously
glanced toward the cowboy. He was gone. Before she looked back up, however,
well-worn boots came into her line of sight.

"May I have this dance," said a voice
of deep timbre. Fannie slowly lifted her eyes to the pale gray ones of the
cowboy. She forgot to breathe. Never had she seen such a handsome man. His dark
coloring, in contrast to his honey hair, stole rational thought from her.
Unbidden images of placing her lips on his and stroking his chest and arms,
danced in front of her eyes. Inadvertently, she said, "No." But her
words were not to the cowboy, they were to the visions in her mind.

He smiled slightly, tipped his hat, and started
to turn away.

"No. I didn't mean no. I meant yes."
Fannie felt utterly insipid and expected the cowboy to walk away laughing.
Instead, he stretched his hand toward hers.

When she slipped her fingers into his, flames of
desire threatened to consume her. Never had she experienced such emotion. The
kiss Chester Littlefield had stolen when she was sixteen, and which she had
thrilled over for months, paled to nothingness in light of the cowboy's work
roughened hand holding hers. On the dance floor he said, "My name is
Johnson Mendoza. What's yours?"

"Fannie Harper."

It wasn't until he placed his hand on her waist
that she remembered she didn't know how to dance.

Ann sighed and set the book on her nightstand.

* * *

Sarah lay in Sage's arms and rubbed her hand
across his chest. "Do you still think we're doing the right thing in
trying to get Jackson and Ann together?"

"Uh huh."

She drew circles with her finger on his collar
bone. "I hope my introducing Ann to Dixie, with the intent of making her
jealous, doesn't backfire. Ann's so sweet it would be just like her to actually
try getting them together if she thinks Dixie's a good match for him."

"Uh huh."

Sarah slid her hand to her husband's abs and
absentmindedly tapped them while she spoke.

"Do you
really
think we're doing the
right thing?"

"Honestly, Sarah, right now I can't think.
You're driving me crazy."

Sarah stilled her hand. She rose on one elbow
and looked into flaming eyes. A slow smile lit her countenance and she moved
her hand lower.

Ann entered Dixie's Cuppa Joe with Sarah and
stood in line waiting to order. A large glass case showcased luscious pastries.

Sarah sighed, "I adore bear claws and they
adore my thighs. But what the hell, I'm forever dieting. Might as well make it
worthwhile. What would you like, Ann?"

Ann eyed the apple strudel. "I'm a sucker
for anything with apples."

The customer in front of them moved on and Sarah
ordered their pastries. "You want a fancy or regular coffee?"

"Just regular, and please, let me
pay."

"No way, girlfriend, I invited you."
Sarah ordered a regular coffee and a melted chocolate chip caramel café for
herself.

Ann spotted a vacated table in the busy coffee
shop. "You want me to grab that table."

"Yes. Put our claim on it and I'll bring
our order."

After settling into their seats with a view of Main
Street's two-lane traffic and cars parked at angles to the sidewalk, Ann opened
little packets of hazelnut creamer and poured them into her coffee. Sarah sank
her teeth into her bear claw, closed her eyes, and moaned.

Ann grinned at her friend and followed suit with
her strudel. "Delicious," she mumbled. Feeling lighthearted and happy
to be spending time with Sarah, she said, "Thanks for inviting me."

Sarah sipped her coffee and grinned. "We
need to do this more often. It's fun to chill."

Ann nodded because her mouth was too full to
reply.

Between bites, Sarah asked, "Did Jacob or
Julie call you yet about leaving for Alaska next Sunday?"

Ann dusted crumbs off her lap. "Yes, Jacob
said Sage hired one of Jackson's ranch hands to work at the Lazy M until they
get back. It's all happening so fast. I'm going to miss them, but I know how
much they're looking forward to spending the summer with Maude and Clyde."

"I called to let Miles know their house is
available and he's arriving a week later. He said he's been working like a
madman trying to make deadlines and he's looking forward to the change of
scenery."

Ann said shyly, "If I give you the book I
just bought, would you ask him to autograph it for me?"

"Of course, but hopefully you'll be able to
ask him yourself."

"I don't know. He's kind of intimidating.
I'd probably lose my courage."

"I understand where you're coming from. But
since I've known him for years, I see a side of him others don't." She
looked sad. "He lost the use of his legs in a car accident when he was a
teenager. From what I've gleaned, I think he was very athletic and in line for a
football scholarship. I met his sister once and she privately told me that he
wouldn't leave the house for a couple of years after the accident. Even though
he's done well for himself, sometimes I sense his bitterness. But on a happier
note, I think every book he's written has made the New York Times Best Seller
List. His last two novels were made into movies and I understand the one he's
working on now is also going to the big screen."

"How did you meet him?"

"He's friends with Charles and Sissy Johansen.
They own Imaginings Publishing. Although they only publish Romance novels, the
industry is well connected—seems somebody knows somebody, who knows somebody,
who knows…somebody," she laughed. "Anyway, I met him at a party at the
Johansens. I sat next to him during dinner and I guess I had stars in my eyes because
of all the famous authors. In his no nonsense manner he leaned over, raised an
eyebrow, and said, 'They put their pants on one leg at a time.' Of course, I
was embarrassed at being so transparent, but when I thought about what he'd
said, I quickly got over being awe struck. After that, he called to ask my
advice on a romance scene he was writing and we've kept in touch."