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“Why did you need to get out of town?” She hadn’t seemed like a flighty woman, but appearances could be deceiving. He’d learned that the hard way.
“Christmas isn’t a...good time of year for me. I usually fly to Vermont to see my parents, but I canceled the trip.”
The fragility was there, still, in her face, especially her eyes. “Why isn’t it a good time of year for you?” Then he remembered. He’d learned that her brother had died on Christmas Eve. It took some of the steam out of him, allowing a little sympathy to worm its way into his irritation.
“You ask hard questions,” she said, sort of smiling. “A lot of factors went into my decision, including getting angry at Gloriana Macbeth. I’m always well behaved in public, but this time I wasn’t.”
An image of the many-times proclaimed sexiest woman alive flashed in Vaughn’s head. “I read she was a client of yours.”
“She was.”
“Ouch. That bad?”
Karyn shrugged. “It was suggested that I take some time off.”
He didn’t want to know more, didn’t want to see the hurt in her eyes any longer. Didn’t want any kind of attachment to her. He’d always been drawn to women who needed taking care of. He recognized it as his fatal flaw.
“I just wanted to meet my niece,” she said quietly.
“That hasn’t been—”
“Confirmed. I know. I just feel it in my bones.”
“I need hard fact.”
She sighed. “I know.” She looked around. “It’s gotten dark. I need to go while I can still see the roads. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
She was too late. He heard his mother’s truck head up the driveway. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Cassidy jumped out and raced to Vaughn. She had red and green frosting not only on her clothes but also in her hair, the same sprung curls as Karyn’s, although blond rather than light brown.
Vaughn stumbled over the introductions, especially when Karyn’s eyes glistened. He gave her name but nothing else. His mother, her short blond hair hidden by her usual straw cowboy hat, looked at him curiously, but Cassidy just offered her hand to shake.
“Nice to meet you,” his daughter said, like an adult, to Karyn.
“Same here.” Karyn looked like she wanted to scoop up Cassidy and never let go.
Cassidy peeked into Karyn’s car. “Do you live in there?” she asked, her green eyes going wide.
Karyn laughed. “No, but it’s full, isn’t it? I’m traveling.”
“Are you staying with us?”
Karyn didn’t take her eyes off Cassidy. “I have reservations at a motel nearby.”
“But why are you here?”
“She came to paint, Cass. She’s an artist.” He ignored the way Karyn fired daggers at him with her eyes as he winged an answer he hoped his daughter would accept.
“Paint what?” Cass asked.
“Whatever interests me,” Karyn said.
“Oh!” Cassidy’s eyes went wide, then she jumped up and down. “It’s my turn! It’s my turn, isn’t it? Finally. Right, Daddy? My official family portrait.”
“Um...” Karyn took a couple of steps back, panic having replaced the daggers. “I don’t—”
Cassidy hugged her father. “Oh, boy! Come on, Karyn. I’ll show where it’s going to go.”
“Sweetheart,” Vaughn said, putting his hands on her shoulders to still her. “Karyn needs to get back to the motel.”
“But it’s dark.”
“Cars have headlights.”
“Cass has a point,” his mother said, a twinkle in her eyes.
Little escaped her. She’d obviously seen there’d been some misperceptions going on.
“She should stay here with us,” Cass said, looking triumphant.
“What?” Vaughn and Karyn said at the same time.
“You have enough room,” his mother said. “It’ll be so much better than driving back and forth. That’s a long trip to make every day.”
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Karyn said, but everyone looked at Vaughn.
“Sure you can,” Cassidy said. “The Ryders are always good hosts, right, Grammie? Right, Daddy? We are known for it,” she added because she’d heard it said for her entire life.
Vaughn felt stuck at first, then he realized he’d been given a great opportunity. She could observe him and his daughter for a couple of days and see what a team they were, how much love they shared, what a good parent he was. The setup could be the advantage he needed to convince her not to take him to court over custody—or whatever plan she had in mind. She’d mentioned instructions in a will—
No, she couldn’t win custody, even shared. Probably. But he didn’t want to hedge his bets.
“Of course you should stay here,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear sooner.”
“And you’ll come to dinner at the homestead tonight,” his mother added.
“Oh, no. Thank you but no. I can’t intrude on family time.”
Since when? Vaughn wondered. Maybe it had been her plan all along.
“Nonsense, dear. There’s plenty of food. You might be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of us—not only our family but our staff, too. It’s a little chaotic but fun.” She gave Cassidy a kiss. “We’ll see you later, all cleaned up.”
“Go hop in the shower,” Vaughn told his daughter when his mother’s truck was out of sight. “Shampoo twice.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She skipped off then hopped the stairs one at a time, her boots hitting each step hard. She slipped them off before she went into the house.
Karyn rounded on Vaughn. “What does she mean about a portrait?”
“All the kids have a portrait done at around this age. She’s well aware of it and has been pressing me to have hers done.”
“I don’t do portraits.” Once again panic had set in her eyes, joining her fear or anger or whatever else she was feeling.
“I saw your art in your apartment—”
She laughed, high and harsh. “The last time I was home my mother insisted I take them with me. I did them in high school. I took pictures and copied them. That’s right. Be scared. I can’t follow through with what you just promised. I might be able to sketch her if I practice a lot, but paint a portrait?”
“You have to.”
She blew out a breath and stared at the ground. “I don’t even have any equipment.”
“We’ll figure something out. Will you try?”
“Of course I’ll try. Just lower your expectations, okay?” Karyn looked toward the house. “She’s adorable. I’m sorry for the situation I put you in, but I’m glad I got to see her and glad I’ll spend time with her.”
“It’s fine. Let’s unload your car.”
Karyn couldn’t get a read on him. She figured he would be so angry with her, but he just seemed...contained.
He reached into her car and hauled out her bags. He picked up the largest suitcase and her garment bag and stood back while she got the others. His mouth quirked up on one side, making him seem years younger than thirty-eight. He was ten years older than she. His graying temples didn’t age him as much as his weathered face, as if he’d been in the sun a lot—or had lived a hard life. She followed him to the house. “You told me before that you have a big family. Does that include siblings?”
“I have three brothers and two sisters. I’m the oldest. The youngest is in her last semester in college. She just got home last night for Christmas.” He opened the door then let her precede him.
Inside, Karyn stopped and stared at the beautiful house. Home, she corrected herself, because it looked comfortable and was filled with personal items like photographs and original art, not all of it Western. Wood dominated but not overwhelmingly. The furniture was slightly oversized, the upholstery inviting. He had a fondness for tabletop-size sculptures, mostly free-form but a few horses, too.
“You coming?” he asked from the top of the staircase.
A suitcase in each hand, she rushed up to meet him then followed him down a hall.
“Did you expect to stay a month?” he asked, nodding toward her suitcases.
“I didn’t know what the weather would be.” She hefted one of them. “Shoes.”
His brows lifted, and she challenged him with a stare in return, daring him to comment.
“That’s Cass’s room on the right,” he said, not pursuing the subject. “You’re on the left.”
“And where are you?”
“The other end on the same side as yours. Don’t go getting any ideas, though. I lock my door at night.”
“I didn’t—I mean, I won’t—”
He laughed. “Just kidding.”
She sort of laughed, too, if a little shakily.
“My door’s always unlocked.” He disappeared into what would be her room, still chuckling to himself.
She liked that he’d teased her, even if it had caught her off guard. Their time together would go much smoother if they could relax enough to joke around with each other.
“This is beautiful, Vaughn, as is the rest of your home.”
“Thanks.” He eyed her. “Is there anything left to bring upstairs?”
“Nothing I need at the moment.” She would leave Cassidy’s gifts in the car for now. They weren’t Christmas gifts, after all. “What’s the dress code for tonight?”
“We’re casual on Christmas Day, but we’ll dress up a little tonight. Not like a fancy dress or anything, but your best jeans and a sweater or something.”
Karyn realized she’d been smiling for a while now. Her best jeans? That was easy. “What time?”
“We’ll head over as soon as Cass is ready. Will that give you enough time?”
“Works for me.”
“I’ll leave you to it then.” He went out the door, pulling it shut behind him.
Karyn opened her garment bag and hung up her clothes, finding the outfit she was looking for and leaving the remainder of the unpacking for later. The guest room seemed huge without him. Like the rest of his house, there were no frills here, but it wasn’t sterile either. Plus it had a private bath.
Her reflection confirmed how tired she was, but a good night’s sleep would cure that. For tonight, his family would be a distraction at a time she needed it most.
Karyn changed into a dark green V-neck sweater with sparkles through it, black skinny jeans and a pair of spiky black heels dotted with rhinestones. She added sparkly snowflake earrings and necklace, spritzed on a little vanilla perfume, then dabbed on some lip gloss.
Her goal tonight was not to get caught staring at Cassidy. Vaughn would understand her obsession, but the rest of his family might think differently.
Karyn could hear Vaughn talking to Cassidy in her room, so she went downstairs to wait. She’d just taken a seat in the living room when Vaughn and Cassidy joined her. Cassidy’s hair was still damp, her curls distinct. She wore jeans shoved into boots that were dressier than the ones she’d left on the porch and a pale blue sweater with snowflakes knitted into it.
“You look very festive,” Karyn said to her. “Christmassy,” she explained when the little girl frowned.
“So do you. I like your sweater.” She raced toward the front door. The girl always seemed to be running.
Karyn saw Vaughn’s gaze drop to her chest. “I like your sweater, too. And your shoes, Hollywood.”
Karyn laughed at the nickname. She slipped her jacket on as they went outdoors into the chilly night. “Do you get snow here?”
“Yes,” Vaughn answered. “Although more on Gold Ridge Mountain than on the ground here. We get enough snow days to make the schoolkids happy.”
“It keeps Bigfoot away,” Cassidy said. She hopped into the backseat of the truck.
“Bigfoot lives here?”
“Oh, yes,” Cassidy said. “And we have lots of UFOs, too. That’s unidentified flying objects.”
“My goodness.” Karyn fastened her seatbelt. “Have you seen one?”
“Not yet. When I’m older I’m going to camp out on the mountain and see for myself. I’m skeptical.”
Karyn laughed at that, noting Vaughn smiled as he put the truck in gear and took off. “I imagine you’re on winter break from school.”
“For two whole weeks. I’m in first grade. We have so much homework to do. I ride the bus.”
