Love Me Tender (16 page)

“Ice cream.” Her decisive voice broke into his thoughts. “Let's walk the dog, see the sights of Caribou Crossing, and stop at The Soda Jerk on the way back. But not cones. A carton of . . . hmm, I think Sinful Chocolate.” She uncurled her body and rose.

“A carton? You're that hungry?”

She held out her hands to him and he let her tug him to his feet. “No, but licking ice cream out of a cone is boring.” She planted a teasing kiss on his lips. “I'd rather lick it off you.”

 

 

Late Saturday afternoon, Dave drove his Jeep out of the Wild Rose parking lot with Cassidy in the passenger seat. They'd discussed riding horses over to Bly Ranch, but she didn't want to wear jeans to an anniversary party. And considering how she looked now, Dave sure wasn't complaining.

When Robin was little, money had been tight. He and Jessie had made more than one purchase at the predecessor to Days of Your. But he'd never before met a woman who treated a thrift store as her regular clothes-shopping spot. On Cassidy, the results always looked good, but especially today. It was the first time he'd seen her in a dress. It had an abstract pattern in shades of blue, little straps that left her shoulders mostly bare and showed off her wild goose tattoo, and a top that hugged her breasts and waist.

He had CXNG, the local country radio station playing, as usual. Cassidy hummed along to Stompin' Tom Connors's “Sudbury Saturday Night,” one leg crossed over the other and her foot swinging in time with the beat. Her bare legs looked hot and so did her feet, in sandals woven of multicolored strips of leather. Her toenails were painted turquoise.

“You told Robin that we're dating?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Her reaction went pretty much like this. ‘Well, duh.' Followed by ‘I like Cassidy. She's cool.'”

“Good. I hope everyone else is as happy about it.”

“Well,” he teased, “you
are
cool.” He sure enjoyed her company. In bed and out. Thinking how much he'd miss Cassidy when she left, he asked, “You given any thought to how long you're planning to stay in Caribou Crossing?”

“Planning? Like that word's in my vocabulary?”

“I couldn't live like that.”

“Don't know unless you give it a try.” On the radio, Taylor Swift lamented that she knew some guy was trouble when he walked in. After a moment, Cassidy said, “But yeah, when you have a kid, that has to change things. Or at least it should.”

Realizing she was thinking of her parents, he said firmly, “Yeah, it should.”

“Well, anyhow . . . No, I haven't really thought about how long I'll stay. The only thing I know for sure is that I'll be in Victoria just before Christmas for JJ's wedding.” She wrinkled her nose. “Winter's the worst season to be in Victoria. Unless you happen to like gray skies and drizzle.”

“No thanks. I like winter here. Crisp weather, snow. It's fun to ride in the snow or go cross-country skiing. You'd love it.”

She shot him a sideways glance. “Trying to talk me into staying?”

Kind of. “I think you're a woman who makes up her own mind and no one's going to talk you into anything.”

“Smart man.”

They'd arrived at Miriam and Wade Bly's ranch house, a rambling old log building that to him had the familiarity of home. When Dave had married Jessie, her parents had taken him in wholeheartedly. There'd been a bumpy patch during the divorce, but they'd come around and again accepted him as part of the family. His former in-laws were pretty damned terrific.

He parked the Jeep among several other vehicles. At the front door, the Blys were talking to Brooke and Jake. Cassidy hopped out and Dave walked around. He took her hand, its warm suppleness feeling right in his. They walked to the house and went up the steps.

While Dave hugged Miriam and shook Wade's hand, Cassidy exchanged greetings with Brooke and Jake. Dave then introduced her to their hosts.

After they all said hello, Cassidy said, “This is a lovely home. It has a real sense of history.”

“Wade's grandfather started Bly Ranch,” Miriam said. “He built the house and Wade's parents added onto it.” She linked her arm through her husband's. “We've done some modernizing, but other than that we left it alone. It suits us.”

“That it does,” Wade said.

Cassidy studied the two of them, then glanced at Brooke. “I can't believe you two ladies are Robin's grandmas. You both—and Sheila too—look way too young.”

Miriam's sandy hair was threaded with silver, but it suited her warm, attractive face. Blond Brooke glowed with health. Both women, Miriam in a pink blouse and denim skirt and Brooke in a sleeveless green dress, were trim and toned. They were both a fair bit younger than Dave's own mom; they'd given birth to Jessie and Evan in their teens.

“You are so sweet,” Miriam said. With a wink to Dave, she added, “I like this girl.” And then, to Cassidy again, “Would you like a tour of the house?”

“Love it.” A squeeze of Dave's hand and she was off.

Wade said, “Most folks are in the back garden. Come along and I'll get drinks for you.”

“I could use a beer,” Jake said. “It's been a rough day.”

“Rough?” Wade asked. “Not compared to undercover policing, surely.”

“Hah,” Jake said. “You don't know ‘rough' until you have to get Mr. Morton back into his pajamas before he flashes the whole town.”

Mr. Morton, who was ninety if he was a day, lived in a care home. He was a nice, harmless guy with dementia, but he kept escaping and wandering downtown.

Jake and Wade headed off, and Dave made to follow.

Brooke stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You're dating Cassidy?”

So the hand-holding had been noted. “Casually.”

“What does that mean?”

Oh, great. Cassidy had said they didn't need to answer questions, but he had no idea how to avoid a direct one from a good friend. “Just fun. Not serious. Don't tell me you disapprove. You're the one who told me I needed someone sunny.”

“And she is. I like her. I just want to make sure you're okay, Dave. You haven't dated casually since high school, have you?”

“This is the new me.”

“Hmm.” A slight frown tugged at the corners of her eyes. “When Jake and I got together, we told ourselves it was casual.”

“We're not Jake and you. Cassidy's a gypsy. She never stays anywhere more than a few months, and she has no interest in a long-term relationship. She's . . . safe.”

“Safe?”

“I can enjoy being with her and not worry about where it's going.”

“Not worry about getting your heart broken again.”

“Exactly.” He studied her face. “What are you trying to say, Brooke?”

She opened her mouth, seemed to hunt for words, then gave her head a shake, setting her blond curls tossing gently. “I honestly don't know. Just, I guess, be happy. You deserve it.”

Happy. There was a time he wouldn't have believed he'd ever feel happy again. But somehow, in the past days, happiness had snuck up on him. “Thanks. I will.”

“My father and grandfather both sold high-end real estate,” Cassidy told Miriam Bly, “and I've traveled to tons of different places. I've seen loads of houses, but honestly, this is one of the nicest.” The two women were walking along the upstairs hallway, which was decorated with framed family photos.

“Thanks, but it's nothing special. It's just”—Miriam gazed around affectionately—“you know, home.”

Yes, that was the element that made it special. Realistically, Cassidy knew that the families who'd lived here must have had their fights, but a sense of peace and happiness permeated the place. What would it have been like to grow up here, in a real home, with parents like Miriam and Wade? She envied Jess, just like she envied Dave for his stable home life. No wonder the two of them had grown up to be so home-and-family oriented.

But that was them. Whatever went into shaping an adult, she was different and her way was great too. She'd learned as a teen that it was pointless to long for things you could never have. You had to make your own way, take charge of your own happiness.

One of the photos drew her eye: a pretty sandy-haired girl in a lacy wedding dress and a handsome chestnut-haired guy in a tux, arms around each other. Their smiles were so loving, you could almost see the stars in their eyes. “Your wedding picture. You and Wade were so young.”

Miriam gazed at the picture with a fond, reminiscent smile. “Fresh out of high school.”

“Like your daughter and Dave. High school sweethearts.”

“Not exactly.” She turned to Cassidy. “I mean, yes, Wade and I were. We knew for years that we'd get married. But Jessica . . .” She shook her head. “She'd never been a secretive girl, and as far as we knew, she wasn't dating. She had lots of friends, though Evan was always her best friend. Wade and I kept expecting the two of them to start dating, but they never did. Anyhow, it was a total surprise when she told us she was pregnant and she and Dave were getting married.” Miriam moved down a couple of photos and gestured to the wall.

This picture had been taken at Jess and Dave's wedding. The bride's Empire-waisted dress hid any baby bulge she might have had, and Dave was in a tux. They, too, were smiling at each other. But they didn't look starry-eyed. Their smiles held what looked like genuine affection, but also a touch of . . . what? Uncertainty? Well, no doubt. That had to be scary, a wedding initiated by an unplanned pregnancy rather than by years of love and commitment.

Gently, Miriam touched the frame of her daughter's wedding photo. “It sure wasn't what her dad and I wished for her at the time. We told her that she didn't have to get married, that we'd help her with the baby. But Dave was a responsible boy and the two of them swore they wanted to get married and be there for each other and for the baby.”

“They were happy? Until, uh, Anita?”

“Very happy. In a different way from Wade and me. Wade and I started out romantic and naïve. We had to learn how to hang in there through the tough times. With Jessica and Dave, it was more like they started out committed to the long haul, and grew into loving each other.”

She sighed. “When Dave met Anita, I was angry. I thought he should have honored his marriage vows. But Jessica told me that he and Anita had a special kind of love. She said that it was the kind Wade and I had. And that she and Dave weren't like that.” She gave a rueful smile. “I thought she was talking about the fact that they'd married because she was pregnant. At the time I didn't realize she still had feelings for Evan.”

Still had feelings? Cassidy had to wonder why Jess and Evan had never dated as teens.

“But then Evan came back to town,” Miriam went on, “and now they have that special kind of love. And Dave”—she turned assessing eyes on Cassidy—“has you.”

“It's not the same. It's just casual.”

“That's too bad.”

Cassidy shook her head. “No, really. Dave and I don't want the kind of relationship you and Wade have. And Jess and Evan.”

“And Dave's parents, and Brooke and Jake. Huh. I didn't think Dave was the type for a casual relationship.”

“Right now it's what he needs.”

“And you're so sure of what he needs?” Her tone was neutral.

“Sorry, I don't mean to sound . . . whatever. Arrogant, pushy. I'm not a know-it-all, believe me. Dave and I have talked. About Anita and—”

Her head jerked; her eyes widened. “He's talked to you about her?”

Cassidy nodded. “A little.”

“He wouldn't even speak her name for years.”

“I know. And that wasn't healthy. Not for him, and not for Robin. He realizes that now.”

The older woman's eyes lit with a knowing gleam. “He'd do anything for Robin. That was a clever approach. Maybe you do know what's good for Dave.”

“I hope so. He's had some pretty heavy stuff happen in his life. Unplanned pregnancy, early marriage, raising a baby. Building the Wild Rose into what it is today. Anita coming along and shaking up his life. Dave's a moral guy, as I'm sure you know. He's not someone who'd just go and cheat on his wife.”

“I do know that.”

“And then Anita getting sick, him being with her while she died.”

Miriam nodded slowly. “Robin's accident two years ago. Evan coming into Jessica and Robin's lives. Yes, you're right, a lot of heavy stuff. I can see that something light, fun may be just what he needs at the moment.”

“Robin's accident?”

“She's always been a tomboy, just like her mom was.” Miriam ran her fingers through her shoulder-length bob. “These gray hairs Wade and I have? Blame our daughter and granddaughter. We'd almost reconciled ourselves to Robin's bruises and bashes, a few stitches now and then, even a broken bone.” She amended, “Well, Wade, Jessica, and I had. Dave's more of a worrier, especially since Anita died.”

“I've seen him be a little overprotective, and seen Robin chafe at it. What happened two years ago?”

“It was late afternoon, dark, pouring rain. She walked from her friend Kimiko's to the Wild Rose. A car came around a corner, going too fast, and skidded. Hit her. Her spleen was lacerated and they had to operate and remove it.”

Cassidy winced. “Poor Robin. But she's perfectly healthy now, isn't she?”

“Oh, yes. She bounces back, our Robin. It was Dave who got hit—sorry, unintentional pun—the hardest. He blamed himself for not picking her up. He was terrified that he might lose her. And then, while Robin was still in the hospital, Evan and Jessica got engaged. It's been tough for Dave sharing his daughter with a stepdad.”

“He loves her to pieces.”

“She loves him that way too. The girl has a huge heart; there's room for everyone.”

Gramps had been that way. Unlike Cassidy's parents, whose love for each other was so fiery that it eclipsed their feelings for their kids. Even now, she missed her grandfather. Brushing away the momentary sadness, she said, “It's great that Dave and Evan get along. Were they friends back in high school?”

“Evan didn't really have friends other than Jessica. He was an odd boy. Polite and helpful, intimidatingly smart, not the least bit outdoorsy or athletic. He made no bones about the fact that he hated ‘Hicksville,' as he called it, and couldn't wait to leave.”

“How could he hate Caribou Crossing? It's a wonderful place.”

A warm, knowing smile spread over Miriam's face. “Indeed it is. As Evan realized when he returned ten years later. And as Jake realized, when his undercover work brought him here. And Karen MacLean, when the RCMP transferred her here a few years ago, and Jamal, when he came here on the same case that brought Jake.”

“I suspect the men's fondness for Caribou Crossing has something to do with the women they met here,” Cassidy joked.

“And isn't that a large part of what makes a place special? The people you care about.”

Gramps's house had felt like home not because it was particularly warm and cozy, but because he was there. Since then, even though Cassidy had met some great people in her travels, none had made her want to stay in one place and set down roots. Or maybe, to be fair to her hundred or so Facebook “friends,” she'd never stayed long enough to get really close to anyone. The very notion of roots, of basing your happiness on a relationship, made her antsy. Maybe it worked for some people, but she didn't see that happening for her.

 

 

As they rode home in the Jeep, Robin asked from the backseat, “Did you meet Grandpa Wade's parents, Cassidy?”

“Yes, we had a nice chat. They said if my travels ever take me to Phoenix, I have a place to stay.” The senior Blys had moved to Arizona more than twenty years ago because of her health, and that was when Miriam and Wade took over the ranch. Robin's great-grandparents were now healthy, happy retirees who enjoyed an occasional visit to Caribou Crossing.

“You gonna take them up on it?” Dave asked. And then, “Sorry, wrong question. You don't plan ahead.”

“Hey, you're getting to know me.” She shifted position, trying in vain to ease the tingling in her left leg.

On the heels of a yawn, Robin said, “I hope Madisun remembered to take Merlin out.”

“Have you ever known Madisun to forget anything?” Dave asked.

“Yeah, she is kind of anal,” the girl said. “In a good way, I mean.”

Given Madisun's upbringing with an alcoholic dad and a mom with nine kids to look after, it wasn't surprising that she'd turned into a control freak.

“Want me to drop you at the Wild Rose before I drive Cassidy home?” Dave asked his daughter. “So you can check.”

“Thanks. Besides, I'm kind of tired.”

“Me too.” Cassidy yawned. She would miss spending the night with Dave, but she could use a long, uninterrupted sleep.

After he dropped his daughter off and watched her go in the inn's front door, he unhooked his seat belt and leaned over to give Cassidy a long, thorough kiss. She responded eagerly, then teased, “If you want to go parking, this probably isn't the best place.”

He buckled up and pulled onto the road. “I've been wanting to do that all evening.”

“Me too.” At the party, they'd clasped hands, put their arms around each other, made no secret of being together, and every touch had made her long for more.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked as he drove toward Ms. Haldenby's.

“Yes, though it was a bit stressful. You have a lot of people who care about you.”

He frowned. “Did anyone give you a hard time?”

“No. There was just, you know, small-town stuff. Sideways looks, people whispering to each other. Comments. Your sister said that I was good for you, that it's nice hearing you laugh.”

For three years he'd gone through the motions of life, trying to hide the melancholy, the anger, the guilt. He felt bad that he hadn't done a better job of concealing his feelings. “It is nice to laugh again.” It was so amazingly nice to genuinely enjoy the things he knew he should enjoy, and to share his enjoyment with his family and friends. He owed that to the woman beside him.

“One of Jess's old friends from high school said that every single female in town had gone after you and failed, so obviously I was a better woman than any of them.”

“You're a special woman.”

“Thanks. Oh, and Jess said that if I hurt you, I'd have her to answer to.”

He groaned. “What did you tell her?”

“That I'm not exactly heartbreaker material. So how about you? What did people say?”

“Lots of guys told me I didn't deserve you.” Of course, Cassidy would be heartbreaker material if a man had a heart that was capable of loving again.

“Astute judges of character,” she joked.

“A few people commented about Sally. I think I finally got them to believe that we never had been dating.”

She studied his handsome profile as he turned onto Ms. H's street. “You're sure she sees it the same way? It'd be awful if she has feelings for you, and gossip got back to her about us.”

“I'm sure. But I'll mention it to her. I'm heading out to Ryland Riding tomorrow to help her out.” He glanced over. “You have the day off. Want to come?”

“I'd love to, if you think it'd be okay with her.”

“I'll check with her first.”

Wincing, she shifted position again.

“On the other hand,” he said, “maybe you should keep your feet up and rest.”

“God, I'm not an old lady.”

He stopped the Jeep in front of Ms. H's and turned off the engine. “Then see a doctor, find out what's wrong with your leg, and get it fixed.” He touched her shoulder. “Go see Dr. Carlene Young. You'll like her. She's our family doctor.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Are you scared of doctors?”

No. Only of the possible diagnosis. But damn it, she wasn't her great-grandmother. She was healthy and active, and she just had a pinched nerve or something else that was easily treatable. “Of course I'm not, and you're right. I'll call on Monday for an appointment.”