Reckless Heart (19 page)

She'd have to read it all tomorrow to see if there was anything she could keep, or if it were total gibberish. But for now she wanted to look as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

Tension filled the room, shimmered between them, grew.

Molly felt as if her nerves were stretched so taut they might pop. She stared at the screen, trying to figure out what the words said, but every aspect of her body focused on the sounds from Josh’s desk. It couldn’t hurt just to glance over and see what he was doing.

Slowly she moved her head, her eyes.

He stared right back at her.

Her gaze locked with his and heat rose in her cheeks. She couldn’t look away. She loved him, everything about him. From his bossy commands, to the way his skin crinkled around his eyes.

From the arrogant, stubborn jut of his jaw, to the soft way he threaded his fingers into her hair when he kissed her.

From the strength he displayed to his men, to the friendship he had offered when helping her with her book. Why couldn’t he have returned a tiny bit of that affection?

Why couldn’t he have let her stay to explore the attraction between them, see if love could grow on his part as it had on hers?

Josh muttered something, threw down his pen and stormed from the room.

Molly leaned back in her chair, exhausted. Sadly she pressed the keys to save the chapter and turned off her computer. She’d take a bath and go to bed. Tomorrow she’d mail off what she’d written and keep her fingers crossed.

For the next two days Molly avoided Josh. Except for meals, they rarely caught a glimpse of each other. She considered moving her computer to her bedroom, but Josh seemed to be avoiding the office, and she began to relax enough to write. She drove into town, bought some more groceries and mailed her first six chapters off.

Calling the Montgomery Agency, she told Mrs. Montgomery she wanted another housekeeping job. Apparently Josh had not told the woman the full extent of Molly’s lack, and the woman promised she’d look for a similar position.

Molly hadn’t called her father, but she wrote him a short note and mailed it from town. In it she explained she'd found a job working on a ranch and was doing fine. She gave no return address. She'd be at the Rafter C for such a short time, no sense worrying her father with multiple addresses. When she got her next job, she’d think about sending him her address.

It was mid afternoon on the third day after Molly had sent in her chapters when she heard a car. She’d had so much energy that morning, she’d cleaned the house from top to bottom and done two loads of laundry. A savory stew simmered on the stove and she planned to make homemade bread for dinner. A chocolate cake waited to be frosted.

She glanced out the window, curious to see if it were Josh’s sister and her husband. They were due today.

The big Jeep stopped near the back door and in only a few moments, a tall, blond woman entered the kitchen, followed by an even taller dark-haired man. Both were in jeans and shirts and looked relaxed and happy.

“Hi, you must be Molly. I’m Brianna Morgan.” Josh’s sister was friendly and easy to like. She shook hands with Molly and introduced her husband, Jake.

Molly greeted him, feeling his intense interest as he shook hands. He was the cop and she knew instantly he must be a good one. His entire attention focused on her for a brief time. He stood even taller than Josh and was very good-looking, in a rough, dark way.

From the way Brianna watched him, love so clearly evident in her eyes, Molly knew his wife adored him.

Feeling a bit awkward acting as hostess in Brianna’s childhood home, Molly offered them drinks.

“We want to get some riding in before dinner. Where shall we dump our stuff?” Brianna asked once they had ice tea.

“Top of the stairs, to the left.”

“Good, my room as a child. Come on, Jake, I’ll show you where I ran to escape Josh’s bossy ways.”

With a bright smile to Molly, Brianna led the way to her room, Jake following with two small bags.

So, Molly thought as she frosted the cake, she wasn’t the only one to find Josh bossy. She smiled, remembering his mentioning one time he had tried to keep Jake away from Brianna. He was as bad as her father in some respects, but obviously he didn’t have the ability to make Brianna do what he wanted, anymore than her father could make her.

And in all fairness, Josh listened to her on many things.

The next morning Brianna invited Molly to accompany them riding.

“Come ride with us. Josh’s showing us the new dam and the pond that resulted. It’ll be fun. We can make up sandwiches and eat lunch out on the range. You have to make sandwiches for the men anyway.”

“I don’t know, there’s a lot to do around here.”

“Tell her to come with us, Josh. It’ll do her good to see more of the ranch,” Brianna entreated her brother.

He looked at Molly, his expression carefully neutral. “Come if you wish.”

She hesitated. She felt as if she'd been cooped up in the house for days. She took walks each afternoon to get out of the house, but had done nothing strenuous or exciting.

And it would be exciting to spend the day with Josh, no matter how little he wanted her. She could make memories to take out in future years—see more of his home. And always remember him as the tall, golden warrior of her fantasies.

Would she ever meet another man who would capture her heart so strongly?

“Okay. Let me get lunches for everyone, then I’ll be ready,” Molly capitulated.

“I’ll help,” Brianna said, already turning to the refrigerator.

“Come on, Jake, you can help me saddle the horses,” Josh said unexpectedly.

“Josh—” Brianna began. Jake reached out and clasped the nape of her neck in one hand and drew her up to him giving her a quick kiss.

“Don’t worry, Brianna. If your big brother gets rough with me, I’ll arrest him and haul him off to jail.” He lowered his face to kiss her again.

Molly watched with wide-eyed envy. Involuntarily her gaze moved to Josh. He stared at her, his own gaze dropping to her lips as if remembering the kisses they’d shared.

When the lunches were made, Molly hurried upstairs to get on her boots and hat. She glanced at herself in the mirror, satisfied she looked like the others. She knew she could ride well enough to keep up. And soon she’d have more memories to store up for the endless time she was gone. Josh didn’t want her, he’d made that perfectly clear. Was she foolish to grasp for every little bit of time with him just because he didn't want her?

Maybe once she moved away from the Rafter C she could begin to forget him, forge a new life away from a man who refused to love her.

The ride proved exhilarating. They alternated loping across the fields and walking to rest the horses and chat. Jake stayed near Brianna, leaving Josh and Molly paired up. She kept her horse a reasonable distance away, avoiding any temptation. It was enough to be with him, to enjoy the bright sunshine, the open spaces and the grass-scented breeze.

Josh had dammed a small stream where it widened in a draw. There were several old cottonwoods near the upper end of the pond and they decided to picnic in the shade. The horses grazed nearby.

Spreading out on the blanket Brianna had brought, all four of them soon finished lunch.

Josh stretched out and covered his face with his hat.

“I’m tired,” he said.

“I’m not,” his sister said, springing up. Holding out her hand to Jake, she smiled at him. “Come on, we’ll go exploring.”

“Where?” Josh asked, not bothering to look up.

“Just around. I want to walk the perimeter of the pond. Want to come, Molly?”

She shook her head. It didn’t take a genius to know when she would have been a fifth wheel. She watched the couple walk away, Jake’s head already bent near Brianna’s to hear what she said.

Molly tried to imprint the scene on her mind. It would be perfect in her book and she could make sure the hero—

“We’re not a pair. You could have gone with them. I meant it when I said I was tired. I want to take a nap,” Josh said.

“Take it. Don’t worry about me,” she replied, stretching out her legs. Full from lunch, warmed by the sun, Molly felt content. She should work something like this into her book, where the heroine is so sated she felt like a satisfied cat. She could curl up in the sun, close her eyes and dream.

Molly brushed the pesky fly away from her jaw and mumbled something, turning her face away. The tickle came again. Her fingertips brushed her skin. Why wouldn’t it go away? She shifted. The ground was hard, the sun still warm and the air gentle as it blew across the Texas range.

The fly came back. She brushed it away, rolled over onto her side and pulled her hat across her face. The tickle came back. Snapping open her eyes, she stared right into Josh’s amused gray ones. He dangled a blade of grass against her jaw, tickling, teasing.

She reached up for it, tangling, instead, her fingers with his.

“If you sleep too long now, you won’t sleep tonight,” he murmured, bringing her fingertips to his lips. Hesitating a long moment, he then kissed them.

“Where are Brianna and Jake?”

If she said nothing about his lips against her fingers, maybe he’d continue kissing her.

“Still on their walk. I suspect they stopped off for a while.”

She lay still, her heart beating slowly as she let her mind imagine the newlyweds stopping for some kissing. She smiled, envious of their happiness.

And Josh leaned over and kissed her.

Shifting onto her back, Molly reached up to pull him down on top of her, his chest almost crushing her beneath his weight. His hands threaded in her hair and caressed her scalp. Even though she hadn't been sleeping well at night, she'd gladly forgo a nap this afternoon for kisses like this.

Far too soon for Molly, Josh sat up and pulled her to a sitting position.

“They are coming back,” he said, rising and heading for the horses.

Molly drew her fingers through her hair, trying for some order, then slapped her hat on. She hadn’t questioned the interlude, but now she began to wonder. Why had he kissed her? They hadn't spoken for days. Suddenly he acts as if he wanted her again? Or was it just that he wanted somebody since Brianna and Jake were paired?

Confused, Molly began to pack away the leftovers from the picnic and had almost cleared the blanket by the time Brianna and Jake appeared.

“Sorry we took so long,” Brianna said, reaching out to help Molly fold the blanket.

“Not a problem. I took a short nap. It’s nice to doze in the sun.”

Brianna looked at her sharply, then at her brother as he brought two of the horses over. Jake followed with the other two. “It sure can be.”

They rode over more of the range. Josh and Brianna commented on the changes Josh had made, things that remained the same year after year. Jake and Molly were along for the ride and to learn more about the ranch, but had little to contribute to the conversation.

When they reached home, Josh had one of the ranch hands unsaddle the horses. Molly cleaned up then went back downstairs to start dinner. She hoped spaghetti would suit. Brianna joined her in only a few moments and began to butter the garlic bread.

Dinner preparation was well under way when Josh came into the kitchen. He glanced at Jake in the middle of cutting up fresh vegetables for a salad, his sister helping. But it was to Molly he looked. Holding out another forwarded envelope, he glared down at her.

“This came today. I thought I told you days ago to call your father. This is the second letter you’ve received from him forwarded because he doesn’t have a clue where you are.”

“You told me,” she returned calmly.

“You didn’t call him?”

“No, and I’m not calling him tonight, either, so forget throwing your weight around.”

“Then give me his number and I’ll call him. The man’s probably frantic to know where you are.”

“I will not. My father has been running my life for long enough. I’m in charge now and I will contact him how and when I wish. You stay out of it.”

“Call him,” Josh said.

“No!”

Molly was aware Jake and Brianna had stopped working and were staring at them both. Slowly she shook her head.

“I’m serious, Molly.”

“So am I. Stay out of my business.”

“I’ll find the number. He lives in Houston, according to the address on the letter.”

She snatched the letter away and held it behind her back. “Leave it alone, Josh. It’s not your business.”

He glared at her.

“If you don't drop it, then I’ll leave immediately,” she said. She didn't flinch at his glare. She glared back at him.

In the silence the soft bubbling of the spaghetti water was loud. The hum of the refrigerator grew as she stared back. She took a deep breath.

Josh stared at her for another moment, then closed his eyes and dragged his fingers through his hair. Turning, he headed out of the room.