“Don’t be.” The words were gruff.
She looked up and saw that his pupils were dilated. He took the keys from her hand and walked the two steps to her truck and opened up the door.
Wordlessly, Clem climbed in, unable to sort out the feelings churning inside her chest. She didn’t want to leave him. She wanted to see him again. Then she laughed. Los Banos and Barstow were far apart. A long-distance relationship would never work. She rolled down the window and then started up the truck.
“I guess this is goodbye,” she said.
“I guess so.”
“You sure you don’t want to come out and see my cows?”
There was a long pause.
Finally, he shut her door with a controlled slam and said, his voice short, “I’m retired.”
WITH CURIOUS ANTICIPATION Clem stepped into a clean pair of just-for-company blue jeans. When she’d gotten home the other day, she’d slept for sixteen hours. It was the first good sleep she’d had in a long time. Randy Miller had called her the following afternoon to confirm their arrival time today. She would be so glad to see them, so glad that she would be able to hoist this particular burden onto their very capable shoulders. She didn’t ask about Dexter Scott, or invite him again, but she couldn’t help but think that it was his phone number Randy had given her. After this was over, she could always call him.
And then do what?
She was as inept at this as a sixth grader.
She shook off thoughts of Dexter Scott and his kiss as she fastened around her neck a gold heart locket that her father had given her on her sixteenth birthday. She needed to focus on her guests. Ryan had phoned earlier and told her to expect them at four o’clock. She’d spent most of the late morning and early afternoon cooking a supper she hoped would make her mother proud. A roast was slow simmering along with new potatoes, boiler onions and carrots. She’d made up a batch of coleslaw and prepared green beans, then she’d baked plenty of buttery garlic biscuits.
She hurried down the stairs, giving the dining room table another critical look. Her grandmother’s china and silver looked nice on the lace tablecloth. It was a big table for three, but the floral centerpiece she’d had specially made in town compensated for the expanse.
Clem pulled open the kitchen door to check on the roast. Frijole, her elderly tabby, was lying in a particularly comforting sunbeam and meowed her disapproval. She got up, arched her back and gave a languid stretch, her front paws fully extended, her toes splayed. Then she straightened and looked expectantly at Clem.
“Sorry, girl,” Clem said, and picked up the tabby. Clem felt her pulse slow considerably as she stroked Frijole. “Don’t you know company’s coming?” She buried her face into the soft fur. Frijole had absorbed many tears these past few years.
With the roast simmering and nothing left to do, Clem sat in her parents’ living room and stared at the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. Should she start a fire? She nixed the idea. It wasn’t cool enough yet. A moment later, she found herself hopping up to the door to see if she could detect any activity on the dirt road. At four-thirty, she moved to the porch, where she’d have a much better view of on-coming vehicles. Frijole joined her, plopping her twenty pounds on Clem’s lap. When the sun started to fade, she fingered the cell phone number Randy had given her.
Clem got up and paced the length of the porch. She’d faxed them a detailed map, and they’d assured her they were familiar with the area. The phone rang inside the house, startling her as it echoed off the high ceilings. Cowchip, her parents’ toothless fifteen-year-old Australian shepherd, began to bark. Clem shot through the door and lunged for the phone.
“Hello?” Clem asked breathlessly.
“Gate’s locked.”
Clem felt her heart clog her throat as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The voice sent a dozen light fingers down the fine hairs on her nape. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.
“W-what?” Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it was just Randy or Ryan.
“Gate’s locked,” the voice repeated. “Can’t get through.”
She wasn’t mistaken. That voice was branded into her mind along with his kiss.
“Mr. Scott.”
“Ms. Wells.”
“I thought you were retired.”
“Gate’s still locked.” He evaded her comment. He was here. He’d ventured outside the safety of his gates.
“Climb over,” she joked.
The silence on the other side told her he didn’t find that funny.
She added, “I’m coming right out. I thought I left it unlocked. Maybe one of the neighbors saw it and closed it up.” She was rambling, but she couldn’t help it. She was just so excited.
She hurried to her truck, pausing a moment to boost Cowchip into the back.
“Thank you, God,” she whispered as she bounced down the road. She didn’t know what she was thanking him for, the help or Dexter Scott. Nine miles and two gates later, she arrived at the fence just a mile off the main road and laughed with relief when she saw one pink and one dusty-brown truck, both with trailers hitched behind. The men were standing outside, talking and chuckling, their hats tilted low on their heads.
“Hi!” she said as she slid out of the cab of her truck. Cowchip hopped out with her to greet the strangers. She brushed her hair back, unintentionally making eye contact with Dexter. Her face hot, she bent down to find the lock. Clem felt her hands tremble as she fumbled to put the key in it.
Cowchip had managed to wriggle through the fence, and dogs started to bark in the back of one of the trailers. Horses whinnied. Cowchip snuffled Dexter Scott’s jeans and boots, her tongue hanging out in happiness as Dex leaned over to scratch her behind her ears. Clem couldn’t help watching. Even Cowchip fell victim to those hands, competent and calm, able to lull any unsuspecting being into a state of sedated rapture.
“You made it.” She couldn’t stop the breathy quality in her voice, and she tried to cover it up by yanking off the lock and swinging open the gate.
Dexter straightened, uncurling to stand at his full height, his shoulders expanding like the wingspan of a hawk. The smile he had for Cowchip disappeared, replaced with a look much more speculative as his gaze flickered up and down, pausing at the heart locket. Her hand came up to touch it. He continued to stare, as if he were taking in every detail of her, his eyes finally settling on her mouth. He remembered the kiss, Clem realized. If possible, her face felt hotter. Clem turned to the Miller brothers.
“Are you a sight for sore eyes,” Clem said, leaning over to shake their hands heartily.
Randy laughed. “I bet we are. I figured you wouldn’t mind if we brought along extra baggage.” He elbowed Dexter in the back, but he ignored Randy and got back into his truck and then gunned the engine.
Clem took that as her cue. She moved her truck on to the gravel road so they could pull around her. Then she shut and relocked the gate before jumping into the truck to catch up with them. At the next gate, she felt as if she was all fingers, knowing Dexter was watching her every movement. When she finally got the latch undone, she glanced up at him and he tipped his hat in acknowledgement, then drove past her.
By the time they’d gone through the last gate and arrived at the house, Clem was very relieved. They got out of their trucks, looking around.
“Beautiful area.” Ryan whistled.
Clem nodded. “Thanks.” She walked toward the main house. “Come in, please.”
Randy shook his head. “We need to let the horses and the dogs out.