My Southern Bride (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 4) (3 page)

"What do you have in that big suitcase? Bricks?"

"How'd you guess?"

He scowled.

"Actually, it's books."

"I thought flight attendants travel light."

Why was he being so antagonistic over such a small thing as an extra suitcase? It was apparent he resented having to come and get her. She should never have let her sister talk her into going to the Nelson Ranch. She knew better.

She'd just have to make the best of things, though, because it was too late to back out now. He'd already driven away from the terminal.

She gnawed her upper lip, unsure what to say or do to ease things between them. "I
am
very sorry to inconvenience you this way."

Monty Joe didn't reply, instead concentrating on his driving. The snow was coming down more heavily.

The weather reports had predicted light snow in College Station, but it wasn't expected to stick. Weather reports had been wrong before—and it appeared they'd been incorrect this time. Thick patches of white began covering the fields on each side of the rural highway.

People in the north were used to driving on snow, but in south Texas it was a rare occurrence, and snow tires and chains were unheard of. Other drivers had slowed to a crawl, and Monty Joe did the same.

"I really am sorry," Lori repeated.

At last he turned to her. "Apology accepted."

His gaze met hers and a shimmer of warmth spread through her stomach. "Thanks."

He turned back to the road. "For what?"

"For accepting my apology—and for being such a good and careful driver. I mean, really good."

He frowned. "Why is it that just when I think we could possibly be civil to each other, you have to go and say something sarcastic?"

"I wasn't being sarcastic. I sincerely appreciate your careful driving."

He mumbled, "Whatever."

Lori abandoned her attempt at civility, and glanced out the passenger window. The snow fell harder now, coming down in large flakes.

She felt a nudge against her left side. "What?"

"What, what?" Monty Joe kept his gaze firmly on the highway.

"Why'd you elbow me?"

"I didn't elbow you. Do I not look like I'm practicing driving carefully? Careful does not include elbow nudging."

"If you didn't nudge me, who did?"

Monty Joe shrugged, so she shrugged back at him and turned back to the view outside the truck. Little swirls of snow whirlpooled around them as the truck continued toward the ranch. While she wasn't that experienced with snow, it looked to her like it was sticking rather than melting on contact with the supposedly warm earth.

Maybe going to the ranch was a very bad idea. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck there for more than overnight with Mr. Grump. Just as she turned to ask him to check the weather on the radio, she felt the nudge on her side again. But Monty Joe wasn't responsible.

What on earth?

She turned and looked into the backseat. Then screamed.

Chapter 3

When Lori started screeching her head off, it took every bit of Monty Joe's attention to keep from skidding off the highway. While he'd expected almost anything from her, he hadn't been prepared for the banshee cries.

Once he got the truck under control again, he asked, "What's your problem?"

"I'm either hallucinating or there's an animal in your backseat."

"Of course there's an animal there."

"What do you mean of course there is?"

"I couldn't leave my best buddy at home, could I? Not when he looked at me with those great big eyes."

She bit her lip and was silent for a moment. Finally she said, "Your best buddy is a—goat?"

Oh, he got it. She figured he wasn't capable of having a real relationship. "I'll have you know I have many friendships."

She bit her lip so hard he worried it might draw blood.

"With humans," he added.

Both of them broke into laughter.

Still smiling, Lori asked, "Seriously, why did you bring a goat with you?"

"With the approaching storm, Billy's been following me like a shadow. When I opened the truck door, he climbed in." Monty Joe shrugged. "So he rode along."

Lori turned to the goat. "Thanks for being part of my welcoming committee, Billy."

He bleated.

Lori cocked a brow at Monty Joe. "Are you sure his name is Billy?"

Monty Joe shrugged.

"He doesn't look like a Billy."

The goat head-butted Lori's arm.

"See? He needs a more dignified name."

Another bleat.

By the time they pulled up to the ranch, Lori had suggested and Monty Joe had discarded dozens of potential names. While he still wasn't thrilled about having to put Lori up at the ranch overnight, he'd reconciled himself to having her around. At least she was trying to be entertaining, but he wouldn't forget that she absolutely wasn't to be trusted.

Self-interest was her middle name.

And for now, it was in her self-interest not to annoy him. By morning, though, all that would change. First thing, he'd get her back in his truck and return her to the airport.

In the meantime, she'd presented him with an opportunity on a silver platter. Yup. While his brother and Kelli might have excused Lori for all she'd done to keep them apart, Monty Joe hadn't forgiven or forgotten.

Lori might be under his roof for only a few hours, until morning, but he could mete out a little Nelson justice. Someone needed to make Lori pay, and while he wouldn't be too hard on her, he could make things at the ranch a little... uncomfortable.

He smiled.

She returned the smile with one of her own. Foolish woman.

"When you bring in your luggage, head for the stairs. You can have the guest room in the attic. Third floor."

Lori sputtered. "Third floor?"

Oh, yeah, this was going to be fun. "You'll have to wash the sheets first. Laundry room's off the kitchen. Grab your suitcases, and I'll show you."

Lori paused as she climbed from the truck. "You know I can't lift my big one."

Monty Joe shrugged. "Guess it can stay in the truck overnight."

"It's full of books. They can't get wet."

"Sounds like a quandary."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop giving me a hard time, Monty Joe. If you'll lift it out of the truck, then I can pull it somewhere out of the way until morning."

"If it'll stop your whining," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear, as he stepped out of the truck. Billy jumped out the driver's side and followed close behind as Monty Joe lowered the truck gate.

He dragged out the small carry-on and placed it on the ground, then turned back and made a show of grunting and panting and heaving while pulling the large suitcase out of the truck.

"You are such a child." Lori grabbed the suitcase handle, then strapped her carry-on on top of the bigger case. "Lead the way."

* * *

Yeah, the man was trying to punish her, thought Lori as she finished removing the sheets from the dryer—the sheets she had to strip from the bed in the attic bedroom Monty Joe had assigned to her for the night.

But the thing was, she deserved it.

Well, not exactly the justice Monty Joe was attempting to deliver, but certainly some sort of punishment was due her because of how she'd behaved.

She'd hurt her sister and her brother-in-law in ways she could barely tolerate now that she understood how selfish she'd been. She'd managed to insinuate herself between two people meant to share their lives. Yes, she was in the process of remaking her life, and had already changed a lot. Her sister had forgiven her without making her pay in a form other than a shared tear session.

And as far as Lori was concerned, she hadn't paid dearly enough. Monty Joe apparently agreed. He was fiercely protective of his family, a truly admirable trait.

So if he wanted to make her pay, she figured it was long overdue.

The karma payback still owed to her would come to a lot more than a few sets of stairs, washing some sheets and making her bed.

As she worked on the laundry, Monty Joe headed to the barn to check on the animals and prepare them for the night ahead.

Lori folded the last sheet, then made her way out of the laundry room and into the kitchen, passing Monty Joe cooking a steak on the stove-top as she turned to head upstairs.

"Back from the barn already?" she asked.

He nodded and gave her a big grin. "The horses and Billy are all tucked in."

The delicious aroma from the steak wafted its way around her, setting off grumbles in her stomach.

It had been hours and hours since the boiled egg she'd consumed before her first flight that morning. She had to get out of the kitchen before she snatched Monty Joe's steak away from him.

It didn't take long to mount the stairs and make her bed. A quick shower left her feeling refreshed.

Before going down to dinner, she zipped open the carry-on she'd placed on a straight-backed chair, then assessed her clothing options.

There weren't many choices. A dirty dry-clean-only uniform she'd worn on the flight to Zurich, a pair of high-heeled boots, one pair of blue jeans and a few soft sweaters and shirts. The jeans and a sweater would do. She swiftly changed, and pulled on the boots.

Releasing her blond hair from the ponytail she'd been wearing, she shook it out, and ran a brush through it.

Now that she was no longer a flight attendant she didn't have to worry about keeping her hair out of her face—or a passenger's drink. She only had to worry about helping the kids she would devote herself to in her own version of karma payback.

Not even Monty Joe could be as hard on her as she was on herself.

Chapter 4

It was taking Lori long enough to come back downstairs. Monty Joe drew out his dinner as long as he could. He'd already eaten half the steak, the salad greens were long gone and only a quarter of his baked potato remained.

Both were growing cold, and still Lori hadn't returned. If she didn't come soon, his plan would go awry.

What was the point of going to all the trouble of frying a steak, when he would have been content with a can of chili, if he couldn't get a little revenge?

At last he heard the click-click of Lori's footsteps on the stairs.

Yes-s-s.

When she reached the bottom step, but hadn't quite turned the corner into the den, he took a bite of juicy steak and made a "hmmm" sound. That should get her going.

Then she entered the room, and he almost choked.

The steak slithered down his throat like a rattlesnake on Xanax.

What he'd forgotten to take into account was exactly how physically attractive Lori could be. Yes, she'd looked nice when he picked her up at the airport, but now, with long blond hair spilling across her shoulders and down her pretty pink sweater, she looked like an angel.