“She’s all alone, Case. Trying hard to make a success of Sweet Susie’s and raise her cousin’s child on her own,” Audrey had said. “You know how that is.”
And he did. He’d had his share of struggles after they’d lost their parents and he’d had to grow up fast in order to raise his much younger sister. That’s why he’d allowed Audrey to twist his arm. The trouble with the plan was that Susanna was barely speaking to him.
She glanced at the dog cozying up next to Ally under the shade of a cottonwood tree and then pursed her lips and robotically proceeded toward them. He sighed. She wasn’t happy about the pup being here either.
That was another one of Audrey’s ideas. Not that Casey minded rescuing the dog from a puppy mill, but he hadn’t planned on bringing the dog with him on this trip. He could’ve left the dog with Audrey at Sunset Ranch, but his sister had insisted he’d need the company. Now, he got it. His shrewd sister meant for the pup to be an icebreaker. Judging by the look on Susie’s face, he might also need a chisel.
“Here you go.” Susie dangled the key with its cupcake-shaped clear plastic keychain that read SweetSusies.com in bright lavender letters.
Casey opened his palm and she dropped it in, but as he lifted his hand, their fingertips brushed. Susie’s eyes widened and she blinked. Touching him made her nervous. That annoyed the crap out of him. Why was that? “I don’t bite, Suse.”
“No one calls me that anymore.”
Meaning she didn’t want him calling her by that familiar nickname. He’d heard Audrey refer to Susanna that way since forever. “I’ll try to remember that.”
He closed his hand over the key. “You’ve started a business. You always were a damn good cook. How’s it going?”
Her gaze slid to Ally. The child was content watching the dog resting beside her. Susanna turned back to Casey and said, “It’s going...well. I love what I do and...that’s all that matters.”
It was the defiant way she said all that matters and the way her eyes darted away afterward that caught his attention. Audrey had said she was struggling with all the changes in her life, but Susanna was too darned prideful to ask for help. “I hear you. It’s always a good thing,” he said, squinting his eyes, his emotions stirring, “to love what you do.”
Nervously, she nibbled her lower lip. He’d always thought she was pretty, in a natural wholesome sort of way. If he were any other man, under different circumstances, he’d be damned happy finding out Susanna was going to be his temporary next-door neighbor. Too bad the situation was more complicated than that.
“Oh, I’m....sorry. I shouldn’t have said...” She nibbled her lip some more.
“It’s okay.”
She couldn’t hide her compassion, not even under the guise of defiance. But he didn’t want anyone’s pity. His lifelong dream had been cut short by a freakish fall off a bucking bronco, but he’d come out the other end okay. As a rodeo rider, he’d known the risks. Because of sound investments he’d made during his heyday as a champion, he’d become CEO of Sentinel Construction and was wealthy enough to buy a rodeo or two of his own now. “My rodeo days are behind me. I’m fine with it.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Well...I really should take Ally inside. It’s almost suppertime.”
“Yeah and I’d better get unloaded.” He gazed toward the front door of his house. A dozen memories he wasn’t expecting flooded his mind. He’d raised Audrey here. It hadn’t been easy being mother and father to a sister eight years his junior. The responsibility had weighed heavily on him. Audrey would say he’d been hardnosed and a bully, and more times than not, he’d worried that he’d messed up her life. But the Harts had always been there for her, giving her guidance and a second roof over her head. All the more reason Casey had to see this thing through with Susanna. “It’s been years since I’ve lived here.” He sighed, speaking his thoughts aloud.
“It’s strange having the house empty since Audrey moved out.”
“Yeah, who knows what I’ll find in there,” he said.
“Except for some dust, you won’t be disappointed. Audrey kept the place up.”
“I bet you miss her,” he said, sliding his gaze to her.
Susanna looked longingly toward the house. “I do, but...she’s happy and a new mommy now.”
“It appears you’re doing some mothering too.”
A warm glow entered Susanna’s eyes as she continued to gaze at the house. “I’m doing my best with Ally. She’s really a sweetheart. Well, like I said, I’d better be going.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the key. I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Bye, now.”
She turned to walk away. With her long auburn tresses pulled into a ponytail, she looked younger than her twenty-eight years, but the snug fit of her blue jeans and the form-fitted plaid blouse she wore screamed woman in capital letters.
His problem wasn’t going away. Susanna had refused eye contact for all but a second or two of their awkward conversation, which she couldn’t wait to end.
Great.
Walking to the back of his SUV, he pressed the remote button on his keychain. The trunk eased open and he reached inside to retrieve his luggage. Gripping the handles of his leather suitcases with both hands, he gave a yank and hoisted them out.
“Charger,” he called over to the lazy dog. The pup’s head shot up and he spotted Ally and Susanna climbing the steps of the house. He rose on all fours, gave himself a shake and then trotted toward Susanna’s house. “No,” Casey commanded.
The pup stopped in his tracks and hung his head. “You can’t go over there.”
We’re not welcome.
Yet.
* * *
When the alarm clock went off the next morning, Susanna opened her eyes and glanced at the time. 4:00 a.m. She groaned softly and slid her arm out from under her pillow to hush the grating sound before it woke Ally in her bedroom two doors down. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. Waking up at this ungodly hour had now become her routine. Rising in the dark was necessary. She had a full morning of baking ahead of her and had to get up an hour earlier than usual to make up for time spent with Ally in the mornings.
She hinged her body up and focused her eyes, going over the to-do list in her head. Aside from the regular orders from local merchants she would hand deliver, she also had to package muffins to send to a few clients in the surrounding counties.
Tossing her sheet off, she bounded quietly from bed and tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway. Wooden floorboards squeaked under her slight weight and she cringed. When Ally had first got here, there’d been too many nights when she woke from bad dreams. Susanna sent up a silent prayer that she’d sleep soundly for a few more hours. She popped her head inside the bedroom and smiled, sighing quietly. Blond curls framed Ally’s face as she slept on the twin bed that had once been Susanna’s. She never got over the love she felt for the little girl, or how the sight of her peaceful and happy made jelly of her heart.
“Promise me, you’ll take her and raise her right,” Susanna’s drug-addicted cousin would say, “if anything happens to me. The kid deserves a better life.”
Susanna had promised and Rhonda Lee had tried to kick her cocaine habit. She’d been to rehab twice, but there was a high failure rate with addicts trying to come clean and Rhonda Lee hadn’t made it to her twenty-ninth birthday. With no father in the picture, and all the other relatives too