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“Levi.” Kathy gave her husband a warning glare.
Lucas just smiled but he seemed a bit embarrassed himself. “You want help unloading that truck, or what?”
“Not if you’ve got business with Mel.” Levi clapped him on the back. “Go on. I’ll take care of it.”
“Am I going to hold you up?” Lucas asked her. “You got a husband and kids waiting at home for their supper?”
“Me?” She let out a laugh. “No.”
Curiosity flickered in his eyes. “It won’t take long to finish unloading. Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“I know Levi would appreciate the help.” She glanced at the truck. It would take more like half an hour, though she didn’t care. “I’ve got things to do in the office.”
Lucas pulled a pair of Safe Haven work gloves out of his back pocket and left to catch up with Levi.
Kathy moved closer and bumped Melanie’s shoulder. “Now, that’s a fine-looking man. He’s not married, either.”
“How do you know?”
“I asked.”
Melanie laughed. “You didn’t.”
“Of course I did,” she said, and they both watched Lucas swing onto the truck bed with ease and grace. “I knew you wouldn’t, so I figured I’d step in and make sure he was up for grabs.”
“For who? You?”
“If I were thirty years younger and single, you bet.” Kathy nudged her again. “He’s real polite, too. Offered to help Levi without being asked.”
“Well, good for him.”
“Don’t use that tone with me, missy.”
They’d both continued to stare at him. Melanie finally turned to Kathy. “I swear, if you tell me I’m not getting any younger, I’ll...” She just sighed. How pathetic. After hearing her mother say it a thousand times, Melanie should really have had a witty retort.
Kathy gave her a quick hug. “I expect you get that enough. Promise me one thing, though. If he asks you to dinner, you go.”
She groaned. “Where is this coming from? He’s here on business. I only just met him myself, and anyway, he isn’t interested in me.” Melanie frowned at the self-satisfied gleam in the other woman’s eye and gave her a long look. “Should I be worried about you putting in too many hours?”
Kathy snorted. “I raised three boys. Good luck trying to shake me off. Think I didn’t hear him work in whether or not you were married? He’s interested.”
“You said it yourself—he’s polite. He doesn’t want to hold me up, that’s all. But you think what you want.” Melanie turned toward the office. “Just don’t embarrass me.”
“Oh, honey, you know I wouldn’t do that.”
“No, you’re right.” Something had been bothering Melanie. She’d tried to let it go, but it still nagged at her. At least she could count on an honest answer from Kathy. “Would you consider me old-fashioned?”
Her friend’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Not in the least. Why on earth would you ask such a thing?”
“One of my students said something....”
“Oh.” Kathy flapped a hand. “Kids always think their teachers are older than dirt. Levi was barely forty when the Weaver boy asked if he was getting ready to retire. Course, Tim’s not a boy anymore. He’s got two young ones of his own. Back then he was a junior and Levi was his history teacher. My poor husband hadn’t even sprouted his first gray hair yet, and goodness but he came home in a foul mood that day.”
Melanie smiled. Levi had been her teacher, as well, and she knew Tim Weaver, despite his being four grades ahead of her. And here he already had two kids. She wasn’t anxious to get married or start a family, but sometimes it bothered her that there were no prospective men in sight. The guys she’d dated in college had been fun at the time. Though living in a dorm two hundred miles from Blackfoot Falls had had a lot to do with the fun factor. Here she couldn’t sneeze without someone handing her a tissue.
“I guess I should get to work on those invoices,” she said. “You and Levi don’t stay too late, huh? Nina and her boyfriend offered to pull the night shift.”
Kathy looked as if she was dying to say something but only nodded and headed out the back. Melanie turned and started to walk toward the office. She had a good idea what was on the woman’s mind. Kathy didn’t like Nina’s boyfriend. He’d been a drifter who’d hired on at the Circle K. Sure, he was young and cocky, but he was fond of animals—otherwise Melanie wouldn’t allow him to volunteer.
That was the trouble with living in a small town. Everyone had an opinion about everything that went on. Her being a teacher and the minister’s daughter—it was a triple whammy.
Since coming home, she’d gone out with a rancher from the next county who had an unfortunate fondness for chewing tobacco, then a slightly older widower who hadn’t gotten over his deceased wife. A cowboy she’d met at a rodeo in Billings had lasted a few weeks. But they hadn’t clicked well enough to make a long-distance relationship work. Her mother hinted that Melanie was too picky. That was partly true. She’d never settle for the sake of a gold band on her finger. But it was also laughable since she doubted her parents would approve of half the men she found appealing.
She wondered what they’d think of someone like Lucas. He obviously had a generous heart. She assumed he was a volunteer for Prison Reform Now. But even if he held a paid position, a man doing that job wasn’t looking to get rich.
Hefting a bag of feed off the flatbed, he flashed her a smile.
A soft gasp escaped her. Without realizing, she’d actually stopped and was staring again. Nearly tripping over herself, she hurried to the office. Once inside, she planted her butt in the chair behind the desk and waited for her heart rate to slow down.
Seconds later she got up and slanted the blinds, but the window was in the wrong position. She couldn’t see much of him. Probably just as well. She had a lot of work to tackle, and though Lucas was nice eye candy, he’d be gone in an hour or so. And Blackfoot Falls would be the same boring town that she’d woken up to this morning.
* * *
LUCAS WOULD’VE PREFERRED to shower before meeting with the pretty schoolteacher. Though she, of all people, understood why he might be a little ripe. Damn, he was glad he’d helped Levi. The guy had a weak back and bad arthritis. No way should he be doing that kind of manual work. But as Levi had confided, if not him, Kathy and Melanie would have done the unloading, which happened often enough. And they were both small women.
He paused at the office door and knocked, even though Levi had told him to just walk in. Melanie called that it was open, just as she’d done earlier, and why that made him smile he had no idea. Maybe it was the trace of impatience in her voice. She seemed the type who’d be appalled that she’d let it show.
Melanie got up as he entered, and she moved a box that was sitting on the spare chair. Then she went to the small fridge. Oddly, he felt his body tighten. Just because he knew she had to bend over? That was pretty damn sad.
“Water or cola?” she asked.
“Water.” He ordered himself not to look and did anyway. Different jeans than before. These were a bit snugger. A-plus for the teacher. “Thanks.”
She’d brought out a bottle for herself, too, and hid behind the old desk again. “You’re the one who deserves my thanks. Levi is terrific, never complains. He does most of the heavy lifting, even when he shouldn’t.”
“Yeah, he told me about the arthritis.”
“Did he?” She seemed surprised. “Normally, he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“How many volunteers do you have?”
“Seven who come rain or shine, including Shea and myself, Kathy and Levi. Another four we can usually count on to show up twice a week or if we’re in a tight spot. A few more pitch in but not with any regularity.”
“Mostly women, I take it?”
Melanie nodded. “Now, if we have an emergency or the weather is bad, the McAllister brothers are here in a heartbeat. They own a big ranch to the south of town and have their hands full but they’ve never let us down. Shea moved here because of Jesse, the middle brother, who’s also a pilot. He’s flown air rescue for so many animals that wouldn’t have made it if not for him.”
“Safe Haven owns a plane?”
“No,” she said, drawing out the word with a laugh. “Until this spring the coffers were so empty it’s a miracle this place held together. We went nonprofit and were lucky enough to get some serious funding.” A small impish smile lifted her lips. “It doesn’t hurt that the former director just married a man with a sizable charitable foundation.”
“Ah.” Lucas had no trouble smiling back. She was different from the women he usually dealt with inside the organization.
Like Melanie, they were volunteers. They were also members of Denver’s elite. They had money, influence, time on their hands and, most of them, a legitimate interest in prison reform. No question the wheels would move a lot slower without their support. But their generosity had clear limitations. They gladly opened their checkbooks, made phone calls to people who mattered, talked up the cause at their fancy cocktail parties, but their hands always managed to stay clean.
Melanie swept the hair away from her face and blinked at him. “I guess we should get to the reason you’re here.”
“I assume you know the basics. I emailed some material about our group and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding thoughtfully. “If I understand correctly, the program is a collaborative effort between the state and the prison system. A portion of the wild horses gathered by the government each year are sent to the prison farms, and the inmates train the animals, which are then auctioned off, with the money that’s raised going back to the prison.”
“In a nutshell, yes.”
“The program is self-supporting and appears to be very successful.” She paused. “I did glance at the material you sent, but I’m not as prepared as I should be and for that I apologize. But why would a private group like PRN be involved?”
“Various state laws and budgets dictate who gets what. We’d like to see the program spread around.” Lucas liked that she was interested and didn’t hesitate to ask questions. Hell, he liked her. “Tell you what...apology accepted.” He held back a smile at her raised brows. “But only if you have dinner with me.”
3
“DINNER?” SHE JUST LAUGHED. “You do realize that most people in your position—i.e., you wanting something from us—would say, ‘No apology necessary. I appreciate your time.’”
“Okay.” A smile tugged at his mouth. “Should I try again? I can do that. Trouble is, I’m starving. Haven’t eaten since I left Wyoming this morning. I don’t think well on an empty stomach.”
“I see.” A nervous tingling sensation started low in her belly. It was his eyes. The way he was looking at her... Was he flirting? She couldn’t think with him watching her like that. “Well, you did help Levi, so I guess I should feed you.”
His expression shifted, as if he’d mentally taken a giant step back. “Unless you have plans, I figured we can talk and eat at the same time.” He shrugged. “Or not. I can wait.”
She felt her composure falter. Had she just scared him with a wrong signal? He was merely being practical, and she was being an idiot. Dinner made sense. It didn’t mean he wanted her company. “There’s a diner in town.”
“Is the food good?”
“Fortunately, yes, since that’s the only option. Well, the Food Mart has a deli counter, some ready-made items. They even have a few tables and chairs if you want to eat there.” Oh, that was a stupid suggestion. It would be crowded with people she knew—most of them nosy.
“I like the deli idea.”
“Be warned, it’s not a real deli. Not like you’d find in Denver.”
Lucas smiled. “I grew up in a town similar to Blackfoot Falls.”
“How big?”
“Maybe three thousand people in the entire county.”
“Same here. A few people live in town, but mostly ranching families and hired hands make up the population. They’re spread out for miles.”
“Yep. I understand.”
“So you know what that means....”
He gave the matter a moment’s thought and then sighed. “Everyone who walks into the Food Mart will want to know who I am and what we’re talking about.”
“Some might even pull up a chair.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his jaw. “We’re not gonna do that.”
“No. Bad idea.”
“What about picking up food and eating outside? I bet you know a few good picnic spots.”
“Um, a picnic?” That didn’t sound at all businesslike. She grabbed her water and took a hearty sip.
“Okay. I see that was a miss. Guess it’s the diner.”
“No, no, it’s not a...” She sighed. “You know what.... A picnic sounds great, no interruptions,” she said, trying to recall what food she still had stashed in the old cabin. “We might not have to pick up anything from town.” She stood. “Take a walk with me.”
He quickly got to his feet and opened the door for her. “Where are we going?”
“Just over there,” she said, stepping outside and gesturing to the tiny hovel of a cabin. “The former director used to live there.”
Lucas frowned. “I’d be claustrophobic.”
“It has a loft that was used for a bedroom. But you’re right—I couldn’t have done it. Plus, it doubled as an office. That would’ve been okay, but not living there, too.” She nodded at the large cabin to the right of the gravel path. “The new place has three bedrooms and two baths. The electrician still has to come out, but it’s very nice. Now we just need a director.”
“Any bites?”
“Kathy and Levi were the front-runners. But their children moved south with their families. Kathy misses them. She and Levi will be making a move themselves eventually. And frankly, with Levi’s recent health problems, this place would be too much.”
“What about you?”
The question surprised her. She turned to look at him. He was awfully close. Close enough for her to see his pupils dilate. She took a quick breath. “Believe it or not, teaching keeps me quite busy.”
“It’s kind of a shame.... You seem like a good fit. But then, you’re also the kind of teacher these kids need.”
Melanie stopped outside the door of the old cabin and gave him a quizzical look. He didn’t know her....
“Your students explained how you got them involved here. Told me about the alternative agricultural methods you guys are exploring. Growing your own alfalfa to make Safe Haven more self-sustaining? Really impressive. So is getting them school credit to volunteer.”
Surprised, she blinked. “I see they were quite chatty. Anything else?”
He smiled. “Only that you couldn’t decide between being a teacher or a vet.”
“Gee, did they tell you what color underwear I prefer?”
“Uh, no,” he said, the skin at the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. “We didn’t get to that.”
She shook her head, laughing and groaning at the same time, and tried the doorknob. It had always stuck, but with the lack of frequent use, it was more stubborn than usual.
“Let me try.” Lucas took over, but he hadn’t left room for her to get out of the way.
