Texas Rose Forever (Texas Rose Ranch #1) (3 page)

CHAPTER 3

CanDee had never seen a house quite like the main house. She glanced up at the turrets. The house was at least four stories, made of cut limestone, and appeared to have been modeled after both an English castle and the Alamo.

Cinco twisted the enormous wrought-iron doorknob and pushed the left side of the double front doors open. “Welcome to Rose Manor, my family home.”

The house actually had a name. She looked around for a butler. A house that had its own name needed a butler.

He waited for her to walk in, then followed and closed the door. “I don’t live here. I have my own house down by the river.”

“So you don’t live with your parents. That’s good to know.” She took it all in. A good bit of the limestone outside had made it inside as well. Besides that, the house was surprisingly homey . . . very Pottery Barn. Overstuffed brown-leather chairs and dark green velvet curtains were mixed with lots of potted plants and off-white area rugs. This was much better than the outside.

“My mother hired a decorator who said he could work wonders with the inside, but the outside was beyond even his abilities.” Cinco put his hand on the small of her back and led her into a huge living room.

She’d missed having a man lead her into a room. Phillip had done that. He’d done lots of things that she’d liked and even more than she’d hated. Slurping his soup, for one, and then there’d been all of those women. He’d claimed to want only her, but every time he cheated on her, he all but told her that she wasn’t enough.

On second thought, she’d didn’t miss a man doing anything for her.

“I have a friend who could make the outside just as beautiful as the inside. Her name’s Justus and she’s landscape designer.” Justus could use the work. Not that CanDee was pimping her friend out, but Justus was really talented.

“Really?” He leaned close to her ear. “My mom’s birthday is in a couple of months. My brothers and I were talking about doing something like that for her as a gift. Can I get your friend’s number?”

“Sure, or I can give her a call first thing tomorrow. I know she’s finishing up a job so she should have some time in the next month or so.” She noticed his gaze venturing south. “Are you looking down my dress?”

The blush started at his neck. “You caught me. I couldn’t help it.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Couldn’t help it?” Actually, he was the first guy tall enough to look down her dress while she was standing. It wasn’t often that she came across men who could beat her six-five in heels.

“Okay, I didn’t want to help it.” He shrugged. “You have a nice body. It’s not everyone who gets mistaken for a stripper.”

“Wow, you just insist on digging that hole a little deeper.” She shouldn’t enjoy his discomfort, but she did.

“I’m so sorry. That sounded so much better in my head.” His face was glow-in-the-dark red.

“I’m just messing with you.” She whispered close to his ear, “You have a nice ass.” She smacked him lightly on it. “Now we’re even. I’m going to the buffet.”

His look of total shock was priceless. He followed her. “Wait a minute.”

“Boiled shrimp, my favorite.” She picked up a plate and filled it with boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce. She appreciated good food but it wasn’t important enough for her to actually cook it. She could cook, she just chose not to. When she was working, yogurt would suffice, but ice cream was better.

“You can’t smack me on the butt and walk away.” At that moment there was a lull in the conversation around them, so Cinco’s voice carried and a few heads turned their way.

“Why not?” She twirled a fat shrimp in the cocktail sauce and then popped it into her mouth.

“Because . . . well . . . because . . .” He was at a loss for words, but clearly he wasn’t a quitter so he kept on going. “It’s just . . . well . . . women . . .”

“Double standard much? You can look down my dress and confuse me for a stripper, but the minute I slap you on the butt, you’re offended. Really?” She popped another shrimp into her mouth.

“I apologized about the stripper thing, I thought we were over that.” He looked a little lost, like he couldn’t quite figure out how the conversation had taken such a turn.

She cocked her head to the left and shot him a look. “Please, I’m female. That means in my mind, I’m recording and cataloging every mistake you make so I can use it against you later.” She tried to keep the “you idiot” out of her voice, but come on, he should have learned this long ago.

“What?” Bless him, he looked so helpless.

“It’s the way of the world. Fifty years from now, we’ll run into each other at the grocery store and I’ll bring up the stripper thing just to make you feel bad—not because I’m still mad about it, but because I’m mad that you took the last package of Double Stuf Oreos off the shelf. While you’re busy apologizing again, I’ll steal the Oreos and put them in my basket. It’s your classic female bait and switch. Frankly, I’m surprised you’ve made it this far in life and haven’t figured it out.” She licked cocktail sauce off her thumb.

He picked up a plate and piled boiled shrimp on it. “I don’t like Double Stuf Oreos. Too much stuff.”

She drew in a dramatic breath and put her hand over her heart. “You don’t like Double Stuf Oreos?” She shook her head sadly. “I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?” One corner of his mouth curled up in a half smile.

“Maybe . . . Where do you land on Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?” It was an olive branch—that was the best she could do.

“I like them frozen. I have some in my freezer if you need proof.” Instead of pooling his cocktail sauce, he just dumped a lot of it all over his shrimp.

Impressive. It seemed a messier but more efficient sauce-delivery method. Maybe she’d try that next time.

He moved on to the fajitas.

She thought about his response for a second. “I can live with that.”

“Thank God, I was starting to feel bad.”

“You know, the King Ranch has King Ranch Chicken. Y’all really should have something—maybe a Texas Rose Ranch Dip?” She examined the crudités. They really could have used some Texas Rose Ranch Dip.

“We make wine. Have you tried our Rancho Red Reserve? It just took the gold in the San Francisco International Wine Competition.” There was quite a bit of pride in his voice. “My brother Rowdy is very proud of our wines.”

“I’m sure it’s very good, but I’m more of a beer girl myself.” Until a year ago, she’d been forced to drink wine because Phillip loved wine. But now that he was out of her life, she didn’t have to pretend to like it. “Have you ever tried cheesecake brownies and beer? It works—I don’t know how, but it does.”

“I see that you two are getting along better than the last time I saw you.” Lucy smiled from across the table.

CanDee glanced up to find that several people were watching them. She looked around. The whole room seemed to have stopped talking and was now staring at both her and Cinco.

She tried her hand at ventriloquism and whispered around the bright smile on her face. “Why is everyone staring at us?”

“It’s because Cinco is usually a man of few words. In fact, I believe that he’s spoken more to you at this party than I’ve heard him say in the last two months.” Lucy grinned.

“You should dance for them and then you won’t have to talk. Let your body do the talking, that’s what I always say.” She winked at him.

He threw back his head and laughed.

Lucy looked from her son to CanDee and back at her son. Another smile, slower than the last one, dawned. “That’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh in a very long time.”

“Really?” CanDee shook her head knowingly. “It’s probably because of the Double Stuf Oreos . . . he doesn’t like them. That can lead to depression, schizophrenia, and in extreme cases, gout. You’re a doctor and on the frontlines, surely you’ve seen the devastation.” She nodded toward Cinco and whispered loudly, “I think we’re talking an intervention situation here.”

“If I agree to try them again, will you get off of my back?” he asked through the tears of laughter streaming down his face.

CanDee rolled her eyes. “That sounds like an empty promise.” She shook her head. “I can practically see the wheels turning in your head. You’re planning on scraping half the stuff out before eating the Oreo. You’re impossible.”

“Just think of all that extra stuff waiting for you to claim it.” He nodded. “See where I’m going with this?”

“Oh.” She returned his nod. “Good point.” She turned to Lucy. “The intervention’s off.”

“If you think that’s best.” Lucy looped her arm through CanDee’s. “I’d like to introduce you to my other sons.”

“Here.” CanDee shoved her plate of food at Cinco. “Hold this. Don’t eat my shrimp.”

“Okay.” He grinned at her. “You are so odd.”

“This from a man who freezes his Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Everyone knows they’re supposed to be refrigerated.” She shot him a sympathetic look. “Like my grandmother used to say, that’s the pot calling the kettle a dumb ass.”

“What does that even mean?” He shook his head.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. My grandmother is crazy, but she makes fantastic banana bread.” If only more people judged their peers based on banana bread, Grammie would have a lot more friends.

“So much makes sense about you now.” He grinned. “Clearly derangement is a family thing.”

“Look at you using your big words.” She blew him a kiss. “It’s so cute.”

Lucy’s blue eyes looked like aqua-colored drink coasters. “I think the next six weeks are going to be very interesting,” she said with a grin before leading CanDee to a huge man with dark hair and kind, light-blue eyes.

“This is my husband, Bear.” Lucy said.

CanDee noticed that she didn’t introduce him as Lacy, which was completely understandable because his barrel chest and full beard made him look like a bear.

Bear held out his huge paw for her to shake. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

His eyes crinkled in the corners. He was like a hairy younger Santa Claus.

“It’s nice to meet you too. You have a lovely home and what I’ve seen of the ranch is amazing.” She shook his hand and found the handshake firm but not bone crushing. Grammie had always said that she could tell a lot about a person by their handshake. Based on Bear’s firm but gentle shake, CanDee was willing to bet that he was a firm but gentle person.

“Thank you.” He leaned in close to her ear. “I’ve never seen my oldest son flirt. It’s pretty funny.”

“Really?” She turned to look at Cinco, who was watching her. “He’s very good at it. Maybe he practices when you’re not looking.”

“Nope, I think he hasn’t found a woman who can bring him out of his shell.” Bear nodded to himself. “Until now.”

So Cinco didn’t bring women home to meet his family often. Not that he’d brought her home to meet his father. CanDee was on the verge of making a joke about shelling Cinco like a pecan, but thought better of it. She was pretty sure the sexual innuendo was something his parents wouldn’t appreciate.

Bear wrapped his arm around his wife and called across the room, “Rowdy, come meet CanDee.”

A tall man in a navy three-piece suit grabbed two glasses of what looked like champagne off of a tray held by a caterer and walked over to them. Rowdy had his mother’s coloring and eyes, but he must have gotten his six-foot-five height from his father. He was polished, not a single blond hair was out of place, and looked more businessman than rancher. He looked too tame to be named Rowdy.

“I’m Houston Rose, but my friends call me Rowdy. It’s so nice to meet you.” He handed her a glass. “This is our new Hill Country Sparkling Wine. Tell me what you think.”

All eyes turned to her. She took a sip and found it to be fruity and not too dry. For a beer girl, she liked this wine very much. “I love it. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but this is fantastic.”

He put a hand on her arm. “How about we get out of here and I take you on a personal wine tour?”

“Rowdy, stop hitting on her just to make your brother crazy.” Lucy stood on her tiptoes and smacked him on the back of the head. She barely reached, but she managed to ruffle his hair. Clearly Lucy had been disciplining her sons with a smack to the head since her boys were children. CanDee wondered if she’d have chosen something else if she’d realized they were going to outgrow her.

“But driving him crazy is so much fun.” A mischievous smile curled on Rowdy’s lips. “Plus, you always said that you’d let us fight until we were two bloody spots on the carpet. I’m still waiting for that day.”

“I’ve been pulling you two off of each other since the day you were born.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Clearly adulthood has done little to change things.”

Rowdy winked at his brother. “He started it.”

Cinco walked over. “Did not.”

Lucy folded her arms and rolled her eyes skyward like she was asking for some help from upstairs. “When the two of you start throwing punches, I’m zapping you both with my stun gun.”

Rowdy turned to his father. “Damn it, Dad. Why did you buy that thing for her in the first place?”

“Leave me out of this. I’m just an innocent bystander.” Bear hugged his wife closer.