Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
R eid spent the rest of the day searching for stray cows and fixing fences in the west pasture. With the temperatures in the mid-eighties, by quitting time, he felt like a sweat-soaked, wrung-out dishrag. On the way to the trailer, he called Sophie to see if she wanted to go to Cooper Springs for a swim.
“Do I have to, Uncle Reid? I’m helping Mimi plant her vegetable garden and Darla asked if I could stay for supper. She said you’re welcome too. We’re going to have tuna casserole and one of the blueberry pies I helped her make for dessert.”
“That sounds delicious, but I’m pretty beat. I’m just going to take a quick swim and go back to the trailer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay. Just make sure you thank the Holidays for the invite and call me when you’re ready for me to come pick you up. I don’t want you walking home in the dark.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was the first time she’d called him sir and he was a little taken back. “Umm . . . okay then. Have fun.”
When he got to the trailer, he let Patsy Cline out of her enclosure in Sophie’s room to get some exercise while he changed into his swim trunks. For only having three legs, the rabbit was fast and agile. She had made herself an obstacle course through the house that included racing down the hallway, across his bed, then racing back down the hallway to dive over the living room ottoman before heading to Sophie’s room. He let her do the circuit over and over again until she wore herself out, then he scooped her up and put her back in her enclosure. Once he filled her food and water bowls, he grabbed a towel and headed out.
After his long, sweaty day, the cold water felt like heaven. He swam a little, then floated on his back and watched the sunset lower behind the tree line as his thoughts drifted to the last time he’d been there.
That night, he’d been such an arrogant jerk to Sunny. He’d convinced himself that his rejection of her had to do with her being Corbin’s sister and him not wanting to get fired. And that had been some of it. But most of it had been jealousy—jealousy that she had everything handed to her on a silver platter while he’d had all his dreams taken away.
But she hadn’t had things handed to her on a silver platter. Her life had been so much worse than his. And yet, she had never let her childhood, or her inability to succeed at what she loved, make her resentful and angry. Unlike him, she didn’t focus on the tragedies in her life. Instead, she pinned a smile on her face and focused on being happy.
His assessment of her was right. She was a sunbeam. A bright sunbeam that made people feel warm and happy. He’d certainly become happier since she’d arrived. But that didn’t mean he should be obsessing about her. Corbin might say he didn’t mind Reid dating her, but Reid wasn’t about to go down that treacherous road. Relationships were hard enough for normal folks who didn’t have a lot of psychological baggage. Between her parents and his father, he and Sunny needed a damn aircraft carrier for their baggage.
Yes, he wanted her. He had never wanted a woman more. And yes, he liked her. He liked her a lot. But he had made a vow to Sophie to keep this job and dating Sunny was a surefire way to screw that up. Reid didn’t exactly have a good record with relationships. In fact, he had no record. He didn’t know what a woman needed to be happy. Hell, he was just figuring out what made him happy.
No, Sunny was not for him. Period.
“Reid?”
He came up out of his float as if a shark had suddenly appeared. But it wasn’t a shark standing on the shore with the setting sun reflecting off her hair in rivers of golds and reds. It was Sunny. Sunny in the same yellow sundress she’d worn at her surprise birthday party, the pink-painted toes of her bare feet standing out like tiny flowers against the muddy brown of the shore.
In the last couple weeks, he’d only seen her briefly when he dropped Sophie off for community service. Every time, he felt like he was walking a tightrope of desire. And that had been with Sophie there. Now that they were alone, that tightrope felt even more slippery and dangerous. Or maybe what made it more slippery and dangerous was that another layer of her facade had been peeled back.
He no longer saw a spoiled little rich girl.
He saw a strong woman who had survived a horrible childhood the only way she knew how.
“I’m not stalking you if that’s what you’re thinking. Mimi called and told me the sisters were meeting here for a swim.” She glanced around. “Has anyone shown up?”
“No, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
He swam to shore. He had no desire to be part of the Holiday sisters’ swimming party. Or to be alone with Sunny. But when he stepped out of the springs, he didn’t grab his towel and hurry to leave. He just stood there . . . basking in Sunshine.
She did shine. He struggled to take his gaze off the wealth of sunlit hair that fell around her bare shoulders and the full curves of her breasts. He remembered those sweet breasts well. Every night, he fantasized about filling his hands to overflowing with their abundant flesh before taking their centers into his mouth and suckling until they pebbled hard and needy against his tongue.
Her gaze ran over him as well.
He had never been one to think too much about his body. He fed it when it was hungry and gave it rest when it was tired. But he didn’t worry about what women thought of it . . . until now. He wanted Sunny to like what she saw and he couldn’t help flexing the muscles hard ranch work had given him.
After a thorough perusal, her brown-eyed gaze lifted and locked with his. There was a long silence that should have been awkward but wasn’t.
Leave now , his brain said. But his body refused to listen.
“Sophie’s really enjoying community service,” he said.
A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “I am too.” She leaned down and picked up the towel he’d left on a rock and held it out. “You have goose bumps.”
Those goose bumps increased when he took the towel and their fingers brushed. He quickly started drying off, grasping for any safe topic. “I guess Melba never came and got Jimmy Buffet. Sophie mentioned you still have him.”
“No. She says she doesn’t do birds.”
“So you’re keeping him?”
“Not forever.” She pulled her cellphone out of a bag at her feet. “But since I already invested in a cage, water bottle, and toys, I told her I would keep him until she could find someone to take him.”
“So he’s caged now?”
She glanced up from the cellphone she’d been tapping on—no doubt texting the Holiday sisters to see where they were. “Are you kidding? He only flies into it after I fall asleep. And only to eat and throw his birdseed onto the floor. The rest of the time, he sits on my easel and yells cusswords at me while I paint.”
He laughed, but then quickly sobered when her words registered. “You’ve been angry?”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. “No. Not angry art. Once everyone saw the Nothin’ But Muffins sign, they put in requests with the town council for me to paint new signs for them as part of my community service.”
“And here you thought no one liked your paintings.” He was teasing her, but when he saw her sad expression, he realized his teasing had fallen short.
“Yeah, I’m great at painting cupcakes, barbecue ribs, and tacos.”
“Hey, very few people can paint food as well as you do.” He hesitated. “I guess you haven’t been able to paint anything else.”
She shook her head. “And I’ve given up trying.” She hesitated. “I found a job in Dallas doing web design.”
He didn’t know why he felt like she had just slapped him hard across the face. “You’re leaving?”
She nodded, refusing to look at him. “But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to anyone until I’ve told my family.”
He stood there staring at her as an incoming text pinged her phone. She was leaving. Sunny was leaving. He should be jumping up and down with joy. Once she was gone, he could finally get on with his life and stop obsessing about her. Out of sight, out of mind. But it wasn’t joy that sat at the bottom of his stomach like a lump of coal.
“That’s weird.” She glanced up from her phone. “According to Noelle, there’s no Secret Sisterhood skinny-dipping party tonight.”
“Secret Sisterhood skinny-dipping party?”
Her pretty brown eyes widened. “Oops. That’s supposed to be a secret. Can you just forget you heard that?”
It was doubtful he’d ever forget the thought of seven beautiful women swimming naked. Or maybe it was just this beautiful woman swimming naked that he’d never forget.
And she was leaving.
He’d never again see her brilliant smile or hear her wind-chiming laughter or smell her lemony scent . . . or kiss her warm, sweet lips that had held nothing back from him.
“I don’t think you should leave.” The words just popped out, surprising him as much as they seemed to surprise her.
She tipped her head. “Why?”
He scrambled for a reason that didn’t involve the giant lump of coal in the pit of his stomach. “Because your family is here. And I’ve learned that family is important. I never realized how much until I lost my sister.” He ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed. “I wasn’t the best brother. I was too wrapped up in owning my own ranch to care about what she was going through. And I’ll regret that every day for the rest of my life. I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Everyone here loves you, Sunshine. And if I’ve learned anything since being here, it’s that success isn’t about owning a ranch . . . or selling a bunch of paintings. It’s about being loved.”
He didn’t know where the words came from, but he knew they were true. Love was much more important than ranches. And hurt feelings. He wished he’d figured that out before he’d cut off his sister for hurting his when she left home. He wished he’d tried harder to see her and Sophie. Tried harder to get them to come home. It wouldn’t have changed her getting cancer, but it would have given them much more time together before she passed.
If he had a chance to make sure Sunny didn’t make the same mistake, he was going to take it—even if he had to spend his days and nights obsessing about her. But before he could continue to persuade her, she did something he least expected.
She burst into tears.
Seeing sunshine turn to rain was the most heart-wrenching thing Reid had ever witnessed in his life. Especially when he was the one responsible.
He moved to take her in his arms, but she turned her back to him.
“I’m fine. Just fine. You can go. I just need a second. Alone.”
Her words broke his heart even more. Like the angry art she kept hidden, she didn’t want anyone to see her without a smile on her face. No doubt that was the reason she painted angry art. She desperately needed an outlet. Even though there was a mountain of reasons for why he should listen to her and walk away, he couldn’t do it.
He wanted to be her outlet.
He wanted to be the one person she shared her true emotions with.
Ignoring her dismissal, he pulled her into his arms. She stiffened for only a moment before she melted against him and buried her tear-soaked face in his chest. He held her close, trying to absorb all her sadness.
“Take all the time you need, Sunshine. I’m not going anywhere.”
As it turned out, she needed a lot of crying time. The sun had disappeared and a blanket of stars had replaced it when her sobs finally turned to soft hiccups. Still, he would have stood there holding her and rubbing her back until the sun rose again if that was what she needed.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a nasally voice.
“There’s no need to apologize for your true feelings, Sunny. You have every right to feel what you feel.”
She sniffed. “So you’re saying you enjoy women covering your chest with tears and snot?”
He laughed. “A little snot never hurt anyone.” He drew back and lifted the towel he still held in his hand and blotted her tears from her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and her lips held not even a hint of a smile. And yet, she had never looked more beautiful.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“I didn’t do anything but give you a shoulder to cry on.”
She lowered her gaze and her cheeks turned pink. “I don’t usually cry on shoulders. I don’t cry in front of people period.”
He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze back to his. “Then I’m glad you chose me to be the first.”
The smile returned. Not a bright, flashy smile. This smile was soft and hesitant and made him feel like he was drowning and she was the only life preserver in sight. He didn’t know how long they stood there staring at each other before her cellphone pinged.
She lifted the phone she still held and looked at the screen. “It’s the rest of the sisters saying there was no skinny-dipping party tonight.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would Mimi lie? What is that ornery woman up—” She cut off as her gaze snapped to him. “Did Mimi know you were coming here?”
“Not unless Sophie told her.”
Sunny rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh, Sophie told her. I don’t doubt it for a second. Mimi is extremely good at throwing people together.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Throwing people together?”
“Matchmaking.” She held up a hand. “And before you start pointing fingers at me, I had nothing to do with her matchmaking scheme. When she alluded to us getting together, I made it perfectly clear that you weren’t interested in me.”
He should have left it at that. But while he’d been holding her, he’d come to a realization. It didn’t matter that she was his boss’s little sister and he’d made a vow to Sophie to keep his job. Or that they had an aircraft carrier full of baggage, which might explain why neither one of them had ever had a serious relationship. None of those facts seemed to stop the feelings he had for this woman. And it was about time he stopped lying to himself.
And her.
“That’s not exactly true,” he said.
She looked at him with confusion. “Excuse me?”
He smoothed a strand of her hair, enjoying the silky feel of it slipping through his fingers as he tucked it behind the perfect shell of her ear. Just that mere touch had him trembling like a newborn calf taking its first steps. “The thing is . . . I am interested in you, Sunshine Whitlock. Extremely interested.”
She blinked those big brown eyes. “But . . . what happened to me being trouble?”
“Oh, you’re still trouble.” He smiled. “But maybe it’s time I got into a little trouble.”