Lone Tree (22 page)

He caught her hand. “What do you think you’re
doing?”

“I thought we could take it slow and easy this
time.”

“Is this decision yours?”

“Yep. I won it. Remember?”

“That was for the first time.” Suddenly she was on
her back and he was leaning over her.

“Oh,” she said, startled by how fast he’d moved.
“Then I take it this is your decision?”

“Yep.” His hand slipped beneath the sheet. Her
breath caught.

“And what is your decision?”

“Thought we could take it slow and easy this time.”

*

Lainie awoke before the sun had completed its
introduction to the morning. She remained still, watching the drapes lighten,
and listened to the unfamiliar but not unpleasant sound of Reed’s mild snoring
beside her.

And recalled the night. She swallowed hard. Wow.

But it was time to get herself back to her own
house. Her gaze traveled over the dim room until she located the muted green of
her jumper. She eased off the mattress, got the dress on and then looked for
her shoes. One sandal leaned upright against the closet door and the other had
landed on his boots, hitting one just right and knocking it over. The symbolism
gave her pause, and she smiled.

Slipping the shoes on, she noticed the form in the
bed was beginning to stir. She waited, but he settled back down. She slipped
out of the room and had reached the front door before he hailed her. She turned
as he switched on the light.

“Why so early?” he asked.

“This is a small community you’ve got here, and I
don’t want to become today’s front page news.” She gave him a long look and a slow
smile. “Don’t look now, but you forgot your boots.”

He grinned and crossed the room.

“Come back for supper tonight,” he whispered, and
kissed her chastely on the cheek. “I can put something together just for the
two of us.”

Again she debated the advisability of a romantic
liaison, then wryly reminded herself the die had been cast. If she needed
proof, that chaste kiss on her cheek had almost turned her knees to water. She
decided to let the relationship go where it may. She was through fighting it.

“Okay, dinner sounds—”

“Supper. We eat dinner at noon and that wasn’t the
time frame I had in mind. But if you insist—”

“Supper, then, but my place. I’ll cook.” She had
nothing on hand, but it’d be fun shopping for dinner for the two of them—er,
supper.

“Deal,” he said. “Will you tell Rosalie and Miles
not to expect us?”

“Sure,” she said absently. She remained still,
looking into those gorgeous eyes and wondering if his reaction would be
anything like hers if she kissed his cheek.

“If you’re going, you better go,” he said softly.

“Okay,” she said, just as softly, but still she
lingered, then gave in and stretched to kiss him on the cheek.

One thing led to another, and the sun had been up
for a while when she reached the door for the second time that morning to let
herself out. She hoped she could still get home undetected.

When she opened the door, she startled Randy, whose
knuckled fist was poised to knock on the screen. He stared blankly at her, as
if wondering how he’d made such a stupid mistake and arrived at the wrong
house.

“Good morning, Randy,” she said. What else could she
do?

She hollered over her shoulder, “Reed, you’ve got
company.”

She opened the screen, waited for the stupefied
Randy to move out of her way, then passed him. As she rounded the corner of the
main house, she saw Miles pulling the door closed behind him. He descended the
porch stairs. Her step faltered, and she swore softly to herself. This was like
living in a fish bowl. He was seldom up this early—but this morning, of course,
there he was. She resumed walking.

He glanced her way, nodded politely, then took a
double take as he probably realized she was leaving Reed’s house instead of
hers. His face creased into a smile as he waited for her to reach him.

“Good morning, Lainie.”

“Good morning, Miles.”

“Looks like the start of a beautiful...day.”

“Uh-huh.” She passed him without pausing.

Finally reaching her own door, she sneaked a look
behind her. Reed’s house wasn’t visible from this point, and Miles had gone on
his way, but Lainie caught movement at the entrance to the stables. Nelly stood
there, watching her. He raised his arm and waved. She waved back, went inside,
closed the door and leaned against it with a resigned smile. Yep. Right small
community.

*

Reed’s knock on her door was feather-light. For an
instant,Lainie froze. Then she covered the bowl of vegetable chunks and went to
let him in. When he closed the door behind him, she wondered if she looked as
spellbound as she felt.

“What’s for supper?” he asked.

“Stew.”

“Good choice. Takes a while to cook.”

“And I made a salad.”

He stepped forward, put his arms around her, and
clasped his hands behind her waist. His breath stirred her fringe of bangs. “I
like salad.”

She blinked. No one had ever affected her like Reed
Smith. No one. Every nerve and muscle was tingling. She realized he’d said
something else. “Uh, what?”

“How long do we have?”

“Oh. About an hour.” She leaned her forehead against
his chin. “You’re asking me questions, and I can’t even think straight.”

His quiet laugh joined hers. “Then I’m not the only
one.” One hand came around and lifted her head up. “You take my breath away,
Lainie Sue.”

He lowered his head and his mouth met hers.

Lainie parked in front of Jackie’s Style and stared
at the glass door. Jackie Lyn had a heart as big as Texas, yet at times she
bordered on ribald, and Lainie wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable ribbing
regarding her new relationship with Reed.

The door opened, its bell jingling, and a client
left. Lainie steeled herself, got out of the car and entered the shop.

“Howdy.” The greeting and grin was vintage Jackie.
Lainie stood in the doorway, as stoic as possible, and waited to get it over
with.

Jackie shoved the cash register closed, crossed to
her station and whipped open the plastic drape. When Lainie didn’t move, Jackie
glanced back. “You waiting for something?”

Lainie approached and sat in the chair. As the
proprietor ran fingers through her customer’s hair, her eyes met Lainie’s in
the mirror. “Yep, color will hold just fine. Never saw hair grow as fast as
yours, though. You must feed it well.”

Well. Was the news perhaps too delicate for Randy to
have related to Bobbie? Was Lainie actually going to be allowed to keep her
private life private? That was just short of miraculous.

As they exchanged small talk, Lainie’s mood
lightened, and she grew just a little smug. When she met Jackie for Friday
night supper, Lainie figured she’d casually mention that she’d conceded the
game to Reed, and that they’d both won. For now, however, it was personal and
private, exactly as it should be.

Lainie paid for today, made an appointment in five
weeks for color and a cut, and then was out the door and halfway to her car
when Jackie’s lazy drawl caught up to her. “Glad to hear you finally got that
itch scratched.”

Lainie paused in midstep, then continued without
turning around. No way did she want to meet that earthy, I-told-you-so look
that she knew was on Jackie’s face.

Personal and private? Yeah. Right. Sure.

*

The rodeo opened with colorful signs and floating
streamers attached to every available surface throughout the town. But Lainie
wasn’t impressed. The cowboys’ practice session had left her with a smelly
memory, and she would’ve passed on the monumental event if not for Jackie’s
insistence.

“Nobody misses it, girl.” She actually looked
insulted. “Nobody.”

Ah. Peer pressure.

Reed hadn’t pushed. He’d just grinned as Lainie
related Jackie’s invitations that were just short of being commands. Then, once
Lainie decided to go, he said he’d find her in the stands and join her. Though
he didn’t compete, he liked to spend some time with his men who were in
competition.

Randy Jones, as expected, won the calf roping,
saddle bronc riding, and bareback riding competitions. He was a born cowboy,
but born roughly a hundred years too late. There were more skilled wranglers
than there were positions open for them.

At the end of Randy’s stint at calf roping, Reed
joined Lainie. She stood and spread the blanket she sat on to allow room for
him. He exchanged pleasantries with Jackie and Bobbie as another calf and
another cowboy entered the arena.

Casually Reed hooked his arm around Lainie’s neck
and pulled her close. “Never be able to watch something like this again without
thinking of you stomping off to the truck,” he whispered into her ear. “In that
skimpy black bra and those tight-fitting jeans.”

When he removed his arm she drew away, guessing her
expression was halfway between a smile and a grimace. That scene was already
considered a legend, and she’d given up on trying to live it down.

Another minute or two passed, then he again hooked
his arm around her neck. “Let’s get out of here.”

She pulled back. “But you just got here.” Then she
recognized the glint in his eye, grinned back, and nodded. As she got to her
feet, she casually managed not to meet Jackie’s eyes as she said her goodbyes,
thereby not knowing—nor wanting to know—if her friend’s expression was knowing
or puzzled.

*

Fall finally arrived, and its respite was welcomed.
Late summer heat had lain over the land like a suffocating blanket. And along
with the pleasant weather, a new couple moved in across the street from Jackie.

“Man of the house mows his lawn every Saturday
morning,” Jackie told Lainie. “Like clockwork. Why don’t you come on over
around nine or so and we can watch the show together?”

Lainie raised her eyebrows. “That good, huh.”

Jackie grinned back. “Yep. It’s a sight no
warm-blooded woman should miss.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

“He wears red swimming trunks, tennis shoes and
socks. And that’s it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Right in time for brunch. Isn’t that what you call
it out there in California?”

“Call what?” Lainie couldn’t hold the laugh in.
“Brunch is a meal served between breakfast and lunch. Voyeurism is gaining
sexual gratification by looking. And, anyway, why the interest? You said he’s
taken.”

“Yep, that he is. He’s got to be about six-two, and
she’s almost as tall as he is in her high heels. They’re both what you call
beautiful people.”

Lainie wondered if the fact that he was taken explained
Jackie’s interest. “Look but don’t touch?” she asked casually.

“Yep.” Jackie’s grin was wide. “Like window
shopping.”

Safe. No contact, no commitment, no risk. Willis
Bender again crossed Lainie’s mind; she’d hoped Jackie would mention him at
some point, but Jackie had remained mum.

But neither was there long-term commitment between
herself and Reed, Lainie reminded herself. Neither of them had approached the
subject, and she was grateful he hadn’t. Commitment was a thought she
suppressed every time it occurred.

Despite her better instincts, Lainie became
intrigued with Jackie’s version of window shopping. So, feeling like a
conspiring teenager, she was seated next to Jackie on her porch the next
Saturday morning, mug of coffee in hand, when the main event got started. The
man followed the lawn mower around the yard, and two lively gazes from across
the street followed him.

“Must lift weights regularly to keep in that kind of
shape.” Jackie sighed. “Look at those muscles. Shoulders, arms, back...”

“Uh-huh. That is one well-built man.”

“This surely beats watching television.”

Lainie giggled. “You’re incorrigible.” She sipped
coffee then added, attention not leaving the lawn mower or its operator, “And
so am I.”

“You know that golden oldie, something about the
boys standing on the corner, watching the girls go by? You think any of those
boys know us girls like to watch them, too?”

“Doubt it. Most likely they think admiring the
opposite sex is strictly a male’s pastime.”

Jackie crossed her legs and rotated her foot. “You
think this one suspects we’re watching and admiring?”

“Hope not. Would take the fun out of it. I like them
better when they’re cute and don’t know it.”

Jackie laughed. “You got that right, girl.”

Thoughtfully, Lainie pursed her lips. “Perhaps a
better question would be, do you think his wife knows what we’re doing?”

“Hmm.” Jackie’s foot stilled. “You think maybe we
oughta get back inside and start on that brunch?”