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“So tell me about your life. Who are you and what do you like besides ranching?”
“I have a simple life that centers around my son, my family and friends, my ranch, my horses. I like rodeos, flying, skiing, baseball, tennis, apple pie. Some things I’ve dropped since Scotty’s birth. I have a responsibility now, so I’m not as reckless as I was before. No more bull riding when Scotty is so young.”
“That’s good.”
“It’s a simple life. What about you, Savannah?” he asked. She sat facing him with her long legs tucked under her. Firelight gave her a rosy glow and once again desire stirred, increasing his awareness of her appeal, bringing the same surprise that she stirred such feelings, surprise now tinged with guilt for feeling that way even though Elise had been gone almost two years now. Overriding those feelings was the ever-present sorrow over his and Scotty’s loss.
“I think my life may be quieter and more simple than yours,” she said, flashing another engaging smile. “My world centers around my family and friends. I’m a neonatal nurse and I love babies and children. As I mentioned earlier, I have three siblings and I’m the youngest. I adore my four little nieces and nephews.” She thought for a moment. “The only thing we have in common that you listed is tennis. I still play occasionally.”
“Is the trip to California a vacation?” he asked, wondering why she left Arkansas.
“Not really. I have an aunt in California and she wanted me to come,” Savannah said, watching the fire while Mike watched her. She was a beautiful woman and he wondered what she was running from.
“My aunt said I won’t have difficulty getting a job and I’d love to live in California. I love a beach, swimming, warm weather—so I’m going to try it for a while and see how things work out.” She turned to face him. “I’ve never been away from home before except to college and that was still in Arkansas, so I have mixed feelings,” she said. “Since we’re a close family, this is an experiment in my life.”
Mike nodded and kept silent, thinking she shouldn’t gamble because she couldn’t bluff her way through anything unless she was playing with Scotty. Her voice was filled with reluctance, so whatever she was leaving behind, she wasn’t happy about it.
“How old are your siblings and what are their names?” he asked.
Big blue eyes gazed openly at him. “Dan is thirty-two, Phillip is thirty, Kelsey is twenty-eight and I’m twenty-six. They’re all married.”
“You can always go home if you don’t like California.”
“That’s the plan,” she said. “Now tell me about your family.”
“We’re close, too. I’m the oldest, thirty-five, and then Jake, who married Madison Milan last fall.”
“Madison Milan, the artist?”
“So you’ve heard of her in Arkansas?”
“Sure. Is she from Texas?”
“Yes, from this area. Josh is next in age and then our baby sister, Lindsay, is the youngest. Lindsay is a full-time rancher, the same as I am. I’m the only one of my siblings with a child and I told you that I’m widowed. Elise died of breast cancer when Scotty was almost a year old.”
“That’s heartbreaking. I’m so sorry,” Savannah said.
He glanced at her and nodded. “Most of my family is in this area,” he said to change the subject. “Some more than others. Lindsay and I are the ones that are here most all the time.”
The hiss of sleet grew loud and Mike glanced toward the glass doors. Outside lights were on and beyond the covered patio, he could see sleet coming down steadily, tree branches and posts beginning to glisten with a coat of sparkling ice.
“We’ll be a solid sheet of ice tomorrow. Power lines will go down in this, although some of ours are underground and we have generators. Look at that stuff come down.” He stood and walked to the glass doors, standing with his hands on his hips to watch. “It’s a good thing you don’t have to be in California by a deadline.”
“I am so glad that I’m here in your house,” she said, coming to stand beside him.
“It’s freezing solid as we speak,” he remarked. “I have a feeling no one can cross even the west bridge now,” Mike said, glancing at her. “Did you have any food or a blanket in your car?”
“Yes. Not for an emergency like this. I just had some leftover candy and some cold drinks from drive-throughs. I did have a blanket in the trunk. I can’t stop thinking about how close I came to being out there by myself in the cold and the dark with a car that wouldn’t run.”
“You’re here. Warm and safe.”
Standing close beside him, she looked up. Blue depths ensnared him and that sizzling current of awareness shook him again.
Her eyes widened and he inhaled deeply as desire swept him. Her mouth looked soft, tempting. It had been a long time since he had held a woman in his arms, kissed anyone. He leaned closer as he looked at her mouth and thought of his loss. She closed her eyes and tilted her face for only seconds and then she looked into his eyes.
“Savannah,” he whispered, frowning.
“Mike,” she whispered at the same moment, shaking her head slightly.
* * *
Startled, Savannah stepped away. Her heart raced and she was torn between desire and common sense. His dark brown eyes revealed longing. Now that his hat was gone, his black hair was a tangle of curls, locks curling on his forehead. To her surprise, desire drummed steadily, increasing tension while tugging at her senses. Shocked by her reaction to him, she decided it was the nerve-racking night, her car, the storm, relying on a total stranger. She walked away to sit on the floor in front of the fire again.
She glanced up at the mantel at a picture of Mike and a beautiful black-haired woman who must have been Elise. Her pictures were in every room Savannah had been in so far and some rooms held several pictures of her, which Savannah could understand. She would have probably done the same if she had been the one to suffer the loss of a beloved spouse and the parent of a child.
Mike picked up his cup of cocoa and followed, sitting facing her and taking a long drink. As he lowered the mug, his gaze went from the fire to her. “What are you trying to get away from, Savannah?” he asked quietly. “Can I help?”
Surprised again, Savannah focused intently on him. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of people bluff their way through things. You shouldn’t even try,” he said softly, smiling at her to take the edge off his words.
“You’re wondering why I’m going to California,” she said.
“You don’t need to tell me. In a few days you’ll leave Texas and we’ll probably never see each other again. I asked simply to see if I could help in any way.”
“It’s not private, just difficult to talk about. I was engaged,” she said, aware of Mike’s dark brown eyes focused steadily on her. He saw too much and the attraction that had flared briefly between them had unnerved her. She didn’t want to be attracted to anyone right now. “I was engaged and thought I was so deeply in love. We were going to get married in April and I was busy with wedding plans when it all came crashing around me. Although I’m the one who broke off the engagement, he didn’t want to get married after all. It hurt and it upset me that I had judged so poorly. Even though I’ve known him for years, I didn’t see this coming. So many mistakes...” Her voice trailed away as she watched the fire.
“Don’t beat yourself up. Relationships are complicated. None of us see things coming sometimes that we should.”
She smiled, turning to focus on him again. “You’re very sweet, Mike. Scotty is lucky to have you for a dad.”
“I’m lucky to have him. He’s the best thing in my life.” They sat quietly for a few minutes. She watched logs burn, crackle and pop, before turning back to Mike.
“This is going to be a lot longer trip than I expected. Perhaps I should have flown and bought a car in California.”
“Ed will probably be able to fix your car to run just fine.”
“Are you always so positive?” she asked, amused by his constant optimism and confidence.
“Try to be. It doesn’t help to be negative. I want Scotty to have a good attitude about life.”
“That’s a good goal for a dad,” she said.
He smiled and took a sip of his cocoa. “So is California really about putting distance between you and your ex-fiancé?”
She nodded. “Our families are friends and we move in the same circles. I just want to get away for a while. After a time it won’t be such a big deal and I’ll go back home.”
“Sorry. It hurts to have your life blow up in your face and it hurts even more to lose someone you love.”
Her heart went out to him. He definitely knew that first-hand from experience. “I thought I was in love. It’s been a shock that hurt badly.”
“So this just happened?”
“Yes, the first of the year and maybe I should have stayed home and waited to see how I feel six months from now before packing and moving, but I just wanted to get away from him and everyone else.”
“I can see that.”
She appreciated what an attentive listener Mike was. “I’m angry with him and I don’t want to marry him, but it hurts because I was very much in love with him. Or thought I was. It makes me question my own judgment.”
“We all make mistakes. That’s part of life,” Mike said. “I hope it works out for you when you go to California. Your family will miss you, I’ll bet.”
She nodded. “I sent a text to my mom to let her know where I am tonight. She would have been wild with worry if I’d had to text that I was stuck on the highway in a storm and the car had caught on fire.”
He smiled. “That does sound bad. A neonatal nurse. You have to deal with some tough situations.”
“Yes, but we have a lot of wonderful moments that make it all worthwhile. I love taking care of the babies and each one that pulls through is a miracle. That’s as good as it gets.”
“I’m sure it is.” They sat in silence a few minutes while she watched the logs burn and thought about babies she had cared for.
“Sure you’re not hungry for dinner?” he asked. “I’ve got all sorts of things in the freezer and fridge, plus I don’t mind cooking something.”
“Thanks, but I’m really not hungry. I would love a little more hot chocolate, though.”
They stood and headed toward the kitchen, the lights flickering out. “We’ve got generators, but the lights may come back on like they did before,” he said, taking her arm.
Instantly, she was aware of the physical contact with him. His warm, steady hand created a tingling current. It was dark and his deep voice, as he spoke about a previous storm that had knocked out power, drew her as much as his touch, her reaction to him again surprising her.
He stopped and from the sound of his voice, she assumed he had turned to face her. “It’s as dark as a cave in here. Are you all right, Savannah?” he asked. His voice had changed, gaining a husky note.
She pulled away a bit. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “What about Scotty? His monitor won’t work if the power is off.”
“I’ll start the generator and then go check on him, but it hasn’t been a minute since the power went off. Scotty will be fine.”
“It’s all right if you want to go check on him now,” she whispered.
“I don’t want to leave you alone in a strange house in a pitch-black moment,” he replied, his voice even lower and the husky note more noticeable. “Did I make you uncomfortable by taking your arm?” he asked. “A gentlemanly touch to lead you down the hall shouldn’t be a big deal,” he whispered.
Logic said he was right, but her reaction didn’t follow logic. She was intensely aware of the contact, of his closeness, of the dark that enclosed them and transformed the moment. The restrictions that light brought—reminders they were almost strangers, ordinary caution—were gone in the blanket of darkness and made Mike essential.
“Mike, I don’t need another complication in my life.”
“You’re being sensible,” he said after a stretch of silence and she felt as if he had been about to say something else. His words were in agreement, but his husky tone wasn’t and he hadn’t moved.
“I have to be. I don’t need one more tangled crisis tearing my emotions,” she whispered as they remained immobile.
Silence stretched. “Come on,” he said finally. “We’ll get a funny movie or just talk.”
His tone of voice sounded normal again and she felt relieved that he let the moment go, a physical contact with him that had shaken her because mutual attraction once again sprung to life between them. He took both mugs and the bowl from her hands as if to prove he wouldn’t touch her again. Lights flickered and came on again.
“Timed just right,” he said.
“You go check on Scottie and I’ll refill our cocoa,” she suggested, taking the mugs and bowl back from him.
Mike nodded and she watched him walk away. Tall, with that thick, curly black hair, he held a growing appeal and her awareness of him had heightened, something that continued to amaze her.
As she entered the kitchen she thought about the past minutes with Mike. This was a complication she really didn’t want. She didn’t want to risk her heart even in a deep friendship. She didn’t trust her judgment of men—she had failed completely to see the defects in Kirk’s character. The break with home and family had been stressful enough—her future even more uncertain, lonely and difficult. Lost in thoughts, she reheated and stirred the hot chocolate Mike had made earlier.
He came striding into the kitchen and desire stirred again, physical, unwanted, something she intended to quell. It didn’t help that Mike looked virile, energetic and filled with life.
“Scotty is blissfully sleeping. He’s a sound sleeper which is great.”
“That’s wonderful.” She handed him a mug of cocoa, taking a sip of her own. She turned to walk to a nearby hutch, pointing to a picture of a dark-haired woman holding a baby. “Is this a picture of your wife and Scotty?”
“Yes,” Mike said. A muscle worked in his jaw as he gazed at the picture. “That’s Elise.”
“She was beautiful. I’ve noticed her other pictures.”
“Since Scotty lost her when he was too young to really remember I feel better with her pictures around. She loved him beyond measure.”
“I’m sure. A baby is a treasure,” she said. “That’s nice to have a lot of her pictures around for him. It’ll help him. He really looks like you, but maybe that’s because I know you a little and can see a resemblance.”
“People say he looks like me. Right now I don’t see it so much except for his curly hair and brown eyes.”
He led the way back into the family room, to their spot in front of the fire.
“So would you like to tell me how you met Elise?”
“Sure. We were in college and had an elective class in world history together and just gradually did homework together. We both were dating other people. I broke up first and then she did and we got serious fast. As soon as we graduated, we married and moved to the ranch. After a couple of years we had Scotty. She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after he was born and she died right after he turned one.” Mike stared into the fire, looking as if his thoughts were far away in another time and place. He turned to face her.
“So what’s your life been, Miss Neonatal Nurse?”
She smiled at him. “College and work. I started dating Kirk and got engaged to him last spring. We’d planned to marry in July.”
“That’s a long engagement.”
“It was a long engagement, but we didn’t talk about the things we should have. Even though I’ve known him for years, I didn’t know about his feelings on a lot of subjects. We never talked about kids.”
“You’re a neonatal nurse and you didn’t talk about kids?”
“No. I didn’t talk about the babies I cared for at the hospital because they all had health issues and that’s personal and confidential, even when the patient is hours old—not something to share with others. I should have at least found out his feelings about babies and wanting kids. Kids just didn’t come up between us until the breakup. I found out he didn’t want to have children. At least not for the next fifteen years while he’s young and the business is growing.”
“Wow. That would be a shock. Seems like he might have mentioned this to you.”
She nodded. “Kids are definitely in my future.”
“They will be unless you get a new career. Sorry.”
“Well, any feelings between us are over, but I’m still eager to leave for a while. If I don’t like living in California, I’ll go back home.”
