Cash stirred the chili bubbling in the pot, then checked his watch again. The first day of after-school practice had been over for hours and still no sign of Rachel. And of course she hadn’t responded to his call or texts. He sighed, laid the wooden spoon on the holder and headed for the cordless phone. He dialed Trish Nettles’s number, hoping the girls had lost track of time and were holed up in Valerie’s room doing homework.
Yeah, right.
“Hello?” Trish sounded hurried. And why wouldn’t she? It was dinnertime. For normal families.
“Hey, Trish, any chance Rachel’s at your house?”
“I haven’t seen her since practice.” And now she sounded sympathetic. “I’ll walk down to Val’s room to see if she knows anything.”
A seed of worry planted itself in Cash’s gut. Trish’s voice mixed with Val’s as a stench filled the kitchen. Cash hurried back to the stove and clicked off the burner for the now-scorched chili, turning on the fan over the stove to help remove the awful smell.
“Val doesn’t know where she is.” Trish paused and he slid open the window behind the sink. “Last I saw Rachel, she was talking to Blake Renner after practice.”
The seed in Cash’s stomach twisted into a full-grown ash tree.
Before they hung up, Trish made him promise to call if he needed any more help finding Rachel. The Nettles family joked that Rachel was their second daughter because of all the time she and Val spent joined at the hip. Maybe they should keep her full-time. Trish would be a much better parent than Cash.
He set the chili pot into the sink, flipped on the water and gripped the edge of the counter.
Renner. What did Rachel see in the cocky boy? He only wished her whereabouts were more of a surprise.
Cash scrounged up some leftovers and tried to distract himself with the Monday-night Rangers game, but nothing held his attention. Each tick of the clock increased his anxiety, and the food sat like a rock in his stomach.
He and Rachel had one steadfast rule between them—always let me know where you are and where you’re going. The stipulation wasn’t that hard to follow. He’d had a similar rule with their parents, but he’d never pushed the way Rachel did. Mom and Dad hadn’t known how good they’d had it.
When the Rangers game finished, Cash checked the time again. Almost ten o’clock. His phone showed three reception bars, but still nothing from Rach. He texted her again. He’d give her another ten minutes before he got in the truck and started looking. Cash’s fingers slid down his contact list, landing on Coach Grayson’s number.
The out-of-town area code flashed on the screen and then disappeared as he contemplated making the call. She was Rachel’s coach. Maybe she knew something he didn’t.
Though Olivia probably wasn’t very happy with the way he’d acted at the car wash on Saturday. He’d had to run, had to get away from how simple it would be to let her in. Jack and Janie loved her. Being with her was too easy. So he’d scrambled out of there, needing some distance.
She’d been in church again yesterday—without Gil—but Cash hadn’t talked to her. Somehow, he needed to figure out a way to be friends with her and nothing more. When his parents passed away, he’d promised himself that he’d give Rachel his undivided attention until she graduated from high school and went to college. No dating. No distractions. He owed Rachel the same great upbringing he’d had, the same love and support he’d received from their parents. After all, if Cash hadn’t believed Tera the day of his parents’ deaths, Rachel’s life would have had a different outcome.
The familiar mixture of responsibility and determination weighed down his shoulders, and Cash let out a slow breath. He’d managed not to date for the past four years. Surely he could handle one more.
Cash pressed the send button for Olivia’s number. He wasn’t going to throw away all of those years of effort in one phone call.
“Hello?” A door closed in the background as she answered. Had he interrupted her evening? What was he thinking? Of course he had.
“Hey, this is Cash. I—”
“Oh, hi.” Her voice held curiosity, and surprisingly after how he’d acted on Saturday, a hint of warmth that stopped his train of thought for a few seconds. “Is there anything I can help you with?” She filled in the silence, but she didn’t have to fill in the rest of the sentence. Cash could hear the words as if she’d said them: at ten o’clock at night...on my cell phone.
“Rachel hasn’t come home yet tonight. Any chance you might know where she is?” A commercial flashed on the TV at a high volume and Cash grabbed the remote to mute it.
“Sorry.” Sympathy laced the word. “I haven’t seen her since the end of practice.”
Disappointment clogged his throat. “Sorry to bother you on your cell.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“How was the first day of school?”
At Olivia’s silence, Cash checked the cell to make sure they hadn’t gotten disconnected. He pressed the phone back to his ear. “I’m giving Rachel a few more minutes to show up. Distract me. Tell me about your day.”
“Oh.” Olivia paused and Cash envisioned her shrug. “It was the typical craziness of the first day. The kids were hyper and excited, and I got very little done besides handing out a list of assignments for the quarter. I did tell my advanced class that we’d be speaking only French in the classroom this year.”
“How’d that go?”
“They all complained.” A smile echoed in her words. “So, tell me about your day.”
He ignored the way his heart hitched. “I did a bunch of work in the office. I needed to get the website updated with what cuts we currently have available.”
“No roping and riding today?”
He laughed. “Nope. Just office work. Have you ever even been to a ranch?”
“I’ve driven past one. There’s a bunch of them in Colorado.”
Cash waited.
“But no, I can’t say I’ve ever visited one on a field trip or anything.”
Sassy thing. “I’ll give you a tour when you come on Thursday night, city girl.” Cash checked the clock. “I better go. Rachel still hasn’t shown up. I’m going to call Jack and Janie and see if they’ve seen her.”
“Wait. I was just over there for dinner and they were both home.” Her voice lowered. “So...I don’t think they’ve seen Rachel either.”
He hated the relief that flooded through him when he realized she’d been at the Smiths’. Instead of what? Out on a date with Gil? Did it matter? He certainly couldn’t ask her out himself. Obviously his attention needed to remain on his sister.
Cash grabbed his red Circle M baseball cap perched on the back of the couch and tugged it on his head. “Guess I’ll hop in the truck and start looking.” After clicking off the TV, he went in search of his keys.
“I’ll help.”
He stopped midstride, suspended in a strange time warp as Olivia’s words hugged him. “You don’t need to do that. I don’t want to keep you out late and—” Rachel’s my responsibility.
“I won’t take no for an answer. She’s my player.” Her words halted for a moment. “And your sister.”
Maybe it wasn’t all about Rachel. Maybe it had something to do with him. Cash moved again, collecting his keys from the kitchen counter and a flashlight he hoped he wouldn’t need from the drawer.
Since his parents’ deaths, he’d only focused on Rachel and the ranch. It felt like basking in warm sunlight to think Olivia might possibly be interested in him.
Cash tamped down his rampant thoughts. One offer to help and he went crazy with ideas he should not be entertaining.
Time to head back to Friend Land, Maddox.
On that note, he should say no to Olivia’s help, but he couldn’t resist the idea of someone keeping him from thinking worst-case-scenario thoughts while he looked for Rachel.
“I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
“Um, how do you know where I live?”
Cash laughed. “I’m not a stalker. You’re three houses down from Jack and Janie in Mrs. Faust’s above-garage apartment. If you wanted anonymity, this isn’t the town for it.”
At Olivia’s silence, Cash checked the connection again. He put the phone back to his ear in time to hear her quiet, forced-sounding laugh.
“Right. Wasn’t thinking about the size of this town. I’ll head down when I see your lights.”
Cash stepped onto the porch, locking the door behind him. “Make sure it’s me. I don’t need to go searching for two girls tonight.”
She laughed for real this time, the sound bringing a smile to his lips despite his rising level of stress.
“Are there even criminals in this town?”
“Yes, city girl.”
Another laugh set his heart racing, but he ignored it as her words brought comfort of a different level. She was right about there being very little crime in Fredericksburg.
Cash strode across the yard to the garage, pausing when he saw round Wrangler-style headlights about a half mile down the road.
“Cash?”
“Hold on. I see some lights coming.”
“Oh, good.”
The Wrangler downshifted as it eased into the yard, and Cash’s shoulders dropped a mile at the flash of sunshine-blond hair behind the steering wheel.
“It’s her. Thanks for keeping me sane.”
“No problem.”
Cash couldn’t resist checking. “I’ll see you Thursday?”
“I’ll see you Thursday.” Olivia hung up and Cash disconnected.
If only his gut didn’t roll with anticipation. Because despite the interest Olivia Grayson stirred in him, Cash wouldn’t let his feelings progress beyond friendship.
He might be a poor substitute parent, but he would do everything he could to make up for that...including giving up any thoughts of a relationship with Olivia.
Tonight only proved his promise to keep his attention on Rachel and not on his own love life was right on the mark.
Maybe in a year he could ask Olivia out.
Right. As if she’d still be single by then. Someone as attractive as Olivia moving into this little town was front-page news. He wasn’t the first man to notice her and, unfortunately, he wouldn’t be the last.
On Thursday, Olivia turned when she saw the sign for the Circle M, taking a long dirt drive that led to a toffee-painted house with white trim. Off to the left, a line of trees bordered the house and to the right, a barn and garage were painted to match.
After parking to the side next to Rachel’s Jeep, Olivia walked up the stairs, flip-flops echoing across the wide, wooden-planked porch that ran the length of the front of the house. Since the Texas heat and humidity didn’t have an off button, she’d pretty much adopted a different version of the same outfit every day—shorts, T-shirt or tank, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
Guardrail spindles cast shadows onto two rocking chairs that moved in the breeze as she knocked.
“Hey, come on in.” Cash greeted her at the door dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, hair wet. He smelled like some kind of men’s soap. Who knew such a simple thing could be so attractive?
Hands off, Liv. After their phone conversation the other night, Olivia felt as if she and Cash had moved into new territory—one where their focus centered on Rachel. Exactly where Olivia needed it to be. And she didn’t plan to mess up this newfound harmony with any remnants of buried attraction to Cash.
“I’m warming up one of Laura Lee’s lasagnas.” Cash motioned to the table where Rachel had her homework spread out. “Have a seat and I’ll grab you a glass of lemonade.”
An expansive living room with high ceilings connected with the kitchen and dining space that held a round oak table. Summer evening sun came in through large front windows, playing upon the dark burgundy sofas that flanked a stone fireplace stretching all the way up to the second-story ceiling.
Olivia sat at the table next to the girl she’d seen at practice a half hour before. The one who had dominated in their first match last night with five kills and helped them win in only four games.
Rachel tossed her hair. “I can’t believe Cash conned you into helping me.”
Girl, I’ve dealt with plenty of teenagers like you in the past. You won’t get rid of me that easy.
“It’s all selfish.” Olivia pretended nonchalance—though she couldn’t stop a smile. “I just want you to keep playing volleyball.”
A hint of a curve touched Rachel’s lips, but she quickly quelled the movement. After rearranging her pencils and notebooks, she huffed and rolled her eyes. “I need help with algebra the most.”
Perfect. Olivia’s worst subject. “Then let’s get started.”
While Rachel pulled out her book, Olivia glanced up and shared a small victory grin with Cash.
An hour flew by as Rachel and Olivia switched from algebra to English and then got in a bit of world history before Cash put a stack of plates on the table next to Rachel’s papers.
“Ready in a few.” He added silverware and napkins.
“I’m almost done.” Rachel quickly scribbled in two more answers to her history homework before stacking up her books and papers and dumping the pile onto the floor near her chair.
When Cash put the lasagna on the table and took a seat, laying his palm up next to Olivia’s plate, she stared at the callused hand. Rachel accepted the other hand Cash offered her without an eye roll—shocking—and Olivia made herself do the same, trying not to think about how small her hand felt wrapped up in Cash’s during the prayer.
They dug into the delicious meal, and after finishing off two full plates of food, Rachel disappeared from the table, cell phone in hand.
Cash leaned back and stretched his arms over his head, plate cleaned a few times over. “So, are you ready for that tour?”
“Sure.” Olivia loaded the dishwasher while Cash put away the leftovers.
Cash slid on his boots, and they walked out the front door and over to the barn, the first signs of dusk seeping into the evening.
“Did you always plan to ranch?”
“Pretty much. Dad would have been fine with me doing something else, and I went to college open-minded, but I missed it. I moved back right after to work with him. Of course, I didn’t know at the time that I’d end up doing it all myself. Except for Frank. Every day I thank God for Frank.”
“How can you talk about your parents so openly? Doesn’t it...”
“Hurt?” Cash filled in the word as his gaze swung in her direction. “Yep. But it gets a bit easier with time.” He slid open the massive barn door and flipped on the lights. The fluorescents flickered before kicking on with a buzz. An organized wall of tools lined one side of the barn and the other housed a long row of horse stalls. By the names etched into wooden signs on the gated doors, it looked as though only a few of those were occupied.
A whine sounded from another area of the barn and Olivia paused, waiting to see Cash’s reaction. Maybe it was nothing...or normal. She didn’t have a clue.
His eyebrows pulled together, and he walked in that direction. Olivia followed, thinking everything Cash did had a calculated calm to it. The way his legs covered the distance communicated his concern, but he didn’t rush, even waiting for her to catch up. Once she did, he turned and stepped through a small doorway and flipped on the lights. A desk pushed against one wall and rows of cabinets filled the squared space that Olivia could walk off in a few long strides.
“This is Frank’s space.”
When the whimper sounded again, Cash strode to the desk and dropped to his knees. “Hey, girl.” His quiet soothing continued as he reached into the foot space of the desk and gently maneuvered a beautiful black-and-brown dog out into the light.
The dog’s breathing seemed labored, and scratches marred her nose and face, including one eye that looked almost swollen shut.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” Cash ran his hands over the animal. “What happened, Cocoa?”
She answered with a high-pitched whine.
Olivia sank to the cement floor next to Cash, stomach churning when he swiped over the dog’s shoulder and his hands came away covered in bright red blood.
“She must have gotten into a tussle with something. She’ll be all right. I just need to clean her up and then wrap up that spot on her shoulder.”
“You’re going to do it yourself?”
When Cash grabbed a rag from one of the cupboards above them and wiped his bloodstained hands on it, Olivia pressed her lips together and looked away.
“Yep.” He looked at her, amused. “But that doesn’t mean you have to stay.”
Cocoa whimpered and scooted over, depositing her head in Olivia’s lap. Any reservations Olivia had about staying were forgotten. She took over for Cash’s soothing, running her fingers over the soft fur behind Cocoa’s ears and along her back—anyplace she didn’t seem injured. “If you’re staying, I’m staying.”
Cash disappeared into the other part of the barn, coming back with a handful of supplies. He cleaned the wound on the dog’s shoulder first.
“See? It’s not very big. I think I can wrap it up tight instead of doing stitches.”
Olivia slammed her eyelids shut when Cash attempted to show her what he was doing.
He chuckled. “Not much for blood?”
“You could say that.” Again. Olivia continued to soothe Cocoa as Cash applied topical anesthetic and then ointment to each of the scratches across the dog’s face. Cocoa didn’t flinch or move at Cash’s gentle and efficient movements. But when he moved to the open wound, she whimpered and looked up at Olivia with one good eye, pain evident.
“It’s okay, sweet girl. In no time at all you’ll be running around again. He’s almost done.” Olivia glanced at Cash. “Aren’t you?”
Cash continued his ministrations. “Yep, but if you keep up all that sweet talk, Cocoa’s going to milk this thing some more and find a few more injuries to complain about.”
Olivia ignored the warmth cascading through her at Cash’s words and his close proximity, instead focusing on the beautiful animal in her lap.
After wrapping a bandage around Cocoa’s shoulder, Cash secured it with medical tape. “There. All done. Now we just have to make sure she keeps the thing on.” Cash rubbed Cocoa behind the ears. “Do you hear me, girl? No chewing.”
The world tilted. Olivia threw a hand out to the cool cement floor, hoping to steady herself. Surely she wouldn’t faint now.
Cocoa moved her head to the floor as if she could sense Olivia’s unease.
“Olivia?” Cash knelt in front of her, studying her much like he had Cocoa only minutes before. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She forced a smile to her voice and her face. “You have two heads, but other than that, I’m good.”
She needed to get out of this barn and find some fresh air. Olivia popped up and the walls swirled and spun. She imagined shoving her feet down through the cement floor in order to steady her swaying body, but instead, two warm arms wrapped around her. She let her face rest against Cash’s soft T-shirt and rock-hard shoulder as the scent of that soap surrounded her.
How many times could she end up in this man’s arms by accident?
She was afraid the answer to that question was not nearly enough.
Cash should let go. Olivia seemed better, but his own pulse raced as though he’d just run across miles of ranch land. What was it about this woman that messed with him? He’d been attracted before, but not like this. It unnerved him the way she seemed all soft and sweet one second and then toed up to his sister in attitude the next.
Wanting to comfort, Cash allowed himself to slide a hand down her satin hair one time, releasing the scent of her mint shampoo.
“Doing better?” He ducked to look into her face.
She nodded, not meeting his gaze, then stepped away. He clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her again.
“I need to go.” Olivia walked outside and Cash followed, turning off the lights and sliding the barn doors shut behind them.
Under the newly darkened sky sprinkled with stars, Olivia paused and took a few deep breaths. The vastness of the charcoal backdrop and the quiet night left Cash feeling as though they were the only two people in the world.
Not exactly what he needed right now.
“Thanks for dinner.” Olivia’s quiet voice interrupted his off-limits thoughts.
“Thanks for helping my sister.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cash decided she looked a little less green. “Do I need to drive you home? Or follow you?”
She laughed. “I can drive myself home and no, you don’t need to follow.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want—”
“I’m fine.” Olivia ran a hand through her hair, sending the tips dancing across her light blue V-neck T-shirt. “It usually only takes me a few minutes to recover. I can drive. I promise.”
They walked to the house and Olivia retrieved her purse. Cash stood on the front porch and watched as she drove away, thinking the new volleyball coach had revealed something to him tonight that he’d never realized in all the years he’d lived on the ranch.
He could be jealous of his dog.