COWBOY FOR SALE--A Second-Chances Spicy Romance (23 page)

***

Jared had walked into the salon, standing just behind the woman at the appointment desk, waiting for her to leave so he could get this over with.

Lacey lifted her chin and met his gaze.

“How's your ankle?” he said.

“Much better. Thanks for bringing my suitcase over the other day. Sorry I was too out of it to thank you then.”

Jared stared at her. Had he heard right?
Why did that blue-haired lady say she was going to miss Lacey?

“Those for me?” Lacey asked, standing up behind the counter, her hand extended. “They're beautiful. Are they from the yard?”

Dumbfounded, he nodded. “And this is from Jamie. It's an invitation to her birthday party on Saturday. I promised to deliver it to you.”

Lacey brought the flowers to her nose, breathing deeply. “Reminds me of the mountain air,” she said, to him her voice sounding a tad too cheerful to him. “Is the party this Saturday, or next?”

“Next,” he answered. “I explained to Jamie that you're probably working and—”

“I'd love to come.” Lacey turned and got Kandy's attention. “Kandy, would you get the other vase that's in the back?”

Kandy waved from the back of the salon, then ducked into the backroom. She returned with a crystal vase, half-filled with water.

Lacey put the flowers in the vase and placed them next to a vase that already took up half the countertop, a vase that held a dozen red roses.

Jared stared at the two bouquets. It was almost ludicrous, the contrast between the scraggly wildflowers and the perfect long-stemmed beauties. While Lacey rearranged his flowers, he glanced at the gift card that was displayed among the roses:

Lacey,
I really enjoyed our lunch—looking forward to Denver.

~ Chad.

“Hey, Jared, have you heard the good news? Lacey's been promoted—she's the new regional supervisor of our Denver salons.” Kandy's voice stabbed through the thick silence.

Jared stared first at Kandy and then at Lacey. “So, you're leaving then?”

“In a few weeks. I have to get a few things situated. Give notice to my landlord. Train Kandy to replace me…” Her voice trailed off.

“I see.” Jared forced his voice to stay neutral, though his heart thudded loudly in his ears. His body betrayed him, reacting with a vengeance. Sweat trickled down his face and his stomach tightened into a painful knot.

Lacey looked away. “It's a great job. A big change for me.” She paused, as though she were searching for the right words. “It's what I've been working so diligently for.”

“Right. Well, if you're too busy for the party I'm sure Jamie will understand.”

“I'll try my best to be there,” she said softly.

Jared forced a smile, then turned away.

***

“Thanks for the flowers,” Lacey called after Jared. He didn't turn to answer her and she watched him until he got lost in the crowd of mall shoppers.

“Nice bouquet,” Kandy said.

“Nice,” Lacey repeated. She felt a sudden, very intense sense of loss.

“You okay?” Kandy asked.

“Just tired. My foot really hurts. Do you mind closing up tonight? I'm beat.”

“Happy to, boss, it'll be good practice.”

Lacey smiled at Kandy's enthusiasm. She remembered that feeling—feeling excited and ready for new challenges, ready for something new. She felt a different version of it now. She'd worked hard, her successes coming because of it. Now she felt ready for a new life, new challenges…an adventure.

Denver would be the opportunity she'd been waiting for. More money, more responsibility, the chance to climb even higher on the corporate ladder. And Chad, she reminded herself, then pensively wondering how things might play out.

“If you're ready to go, let me walk you out to your car,” Kandy suggested.

Lacey pulled her purse from under the desk and nodded. “Let's go.”

They walked silently through the mall and Lacey's pace was slow. She didn't try to control her limp, instead focused on keeping a smile on her face during the painful trek to the parking lot.

Kandy broke the ice, saying, “So, are you going to explain the roses or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”

Lacey smiled. “It was just a business lunch.”

“And what about the looking forward to Denver part?”

“Chad spends a lot of time in Denver, so we might…see each other there, that's all.”

“He's pretty hot,” Kandy urged.

“I think he'll be good for the mall. He's got a good, level head on his shoulders. He's ambitious and he's one of those men who can see the big picture, you know?”

“Sounds a little boring to me,” Kandy said. “All work and no play. Busy making money and being successful—no time for life.”

Lacey listened to the comments, realizing they rang true. Chad was intelligent, interesting, handsome, young, uncomplicated…and seemingly interested in her. She rattled off traits that should be making her swoon instead of feeling hesitant.

“Well, the roses tell me he's very interested in you,” Kandy said, reading her mind, as they left the mall and headed toward the employee parking lot.

“I guess so,” Lacey replied in a low, composed voice.

“What's really bothering you, Lacey?”

Lacey paused. What was bothering her? “No sparks. No chemistry…at least not yet.”

“And Jared?”

“Too complicated.”

“But sparks, am I right?”

Lacey sighed.
Definitely sparks.

“Well, all I know is that the chemistry is a vital part of the relationship, Lacey, and my advice—whether you want it or not—is to hold out for the sparks. Those fireworks can help you get through the difficult times a lot better than complete compatibility. Sure, you need to have stuff in common, but under all that, you have to…I don’t know, like each other. And there has to be an intimacy that lasts.”

Lacey stared at her, astonished at how valid her words sounded. But Kandy was young, she rationalized, and in love. The infatuation stage was fun and intoxicating, she knew that. And even though Kandy's words held a grain of truth, she was convinced the mature way to consider life choices had more to do with shared goals than passion in the bedroom.

As they reached Lacey's car, Kandy shook her head in frustration. “I know I've got a big mouth sometimes, but you know I just care about you, right?”

Lacey flashed a broad smile. “Of course, Kandy. Don't worry, I'm a big girl and I'm fine, really.”

After a quick hug, Lacey dropped into the driver's seat and headed for her apartment.

With one hand, she rubbed at the tension headache centered between her eyes, eager to take some pain medication and get to bed early.

There was much to be done in the next few weeks and Lacey found she was actually looking forward to the business of packing and planning her trip. It was certainly what she needed in order to keep her mind occupied and as far away as possible from thoughts of Jared.

It was the perfect solution, she reminded herself, the thought becoming a mantra during her drive home.

As she pulled her car to the curb in front of her house, Lacey wondered how she had gotten there. Her mind felt numb and she realized she must have kicked into autopilot and had thankfully somehow made it home safely.

She sat in the car for a moment, gathering the strength she would need to get out and handle the rest of the walk to her front door. Her heart jumped to her throat as she reacted to the unexpected sound of sharp rapping on the car window.

A woman with unnaturally white-blond hair was standing, bent over to look at her through the passenger-side window, trying to get her attention.

Puzzled, Lacey opened her door and stepped out to look at the woman over the roof of the car. “Can I help you?” she asked gingerly, thinking perhaps the woman needed directions or the use of her phone.

“Actually, I just wanted to meet you. You're Lacey, right? Jamaica talked about you so when I saw you leaving the salon, I'm afraid I decided to follow you home.”

Lacey's brow furrowed. Then as casually as she could manage, she asked, “Are you Jamie's mother?”

The woman nodded then awkwardly cleared her throat. “Courtney,” she said, introducing herself in a honeyed voice. “I hope I didn't scare you. Like I said, I just wanted to…to meet you.”

Lacey's thoughts bounced in her head, synchronizing with the painful throbbing of her ankle.

Even though her apprehension increased by the second, she quickly considered her options, deciding to talk to the woman. As she regarded the petite blond, Lacey decided Courtney was the one who looked frightened—and a little embarrassed.

“Would you like to come in for a minute? I'm afraid I have to get off my ankle for a while and take some pain medication. I sprained it recently.” Lacey struggled to keep her voice friendly and noncommittal. She examined the woman's face for more clues.

“I promise not to keep you,” the woman answered, a tentative smile forming on her lips.

“Follow me, then. That's my place up there.” Lacey pointed at her front door, shut the car door and led the way up the sidewalk.

Inside, as she snapped on the lights and entered the kitchen, the woman silently followed her and sat at the kitchen table.

Lacey busied herself getting a glass of water and forcing the top off her bottle of pain medication. Her fingers shook as she battled with the child-proof lid. Finally, she popped a capsule in her mouth and downed the entire glass of water, then turned to face Jared's ex-wife wondering what in the world she wanted.

“Thanks for seeing me,” Courtney began, her voice wavering a little in its tone. “Usually Jamaica and I just talk on the phone from time to time, but I had a long stopover here in San Diego so I met her and Jo for lunch today. Jamaica's hair was so different when I saw her and she just gushed about how wonderful you were. I happened to catch a local news piece and found out about the Dream Date weekend you spent with Jared…” Her voice trailed off.

Lacey sat down at the table, waiting for the woman to get to some sort of point, to understand what kind of reason she had for taking the trouble to follow her home just to talk with her.

“Jared and I have been divorced for a while now, which I assume you know,” Courtney continued, “but of course I still have Jamaica's best interest in mind. I am still her mother, after all.” She paused and cleared her throat. “Even though we don’t see each other very often…well, and she totally understands about my career…”

Right.
What child would truly understand why her mother chooses to be away from her? And by the sound of it, Courtney wasn’t making much of an effort to spend any kind of quality time with Jamie.

As she stared at Courtney, Lacey found it difficult to take the woman's professed maternal instincts seriously.

She studied her more closely. What about this women would have attracted Jared in the first place? Her appearance, for one thing, more resembled the popular waif-like models of the high fashion world. Her overly bleached hair was cut in a short, spiked style and her makeup featured heavily-lined eyes and bright lipstick. She wore tight, white capris and a cropped top that revealed a pierced naval and the edge of a brightly colored tattoo peeking above the waistband of her Capris.

Lacey had even more trouble picturing Jared and the woman together. She was an unbelievable contrast to him, a thoroughly modern young woman linked with a homegrown kind of man who liked fresh country air and a simple life. It simply didn't jibe.

“So, what can I do for you?” Lacey asked, wishing the conversation was over, regretting now that she'd been polite and invited the woman in. All she knew was that she was getting a strange vibe from her.

“I'm really not sure,” Courtney began. “I guess I just wanted to see what kind of woman you were. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the least bit interested in Jared anymore. From what his sister tells me he's a good father to Jamaica and for some reason she's…
happy
up on that wretched mountain and around those stinking animals.”

Lacey's eyes narrowed as she stared at Courtney.
Wow.
The incompatibility factor was crystal clear.

“I guess I just wanted to warn you about how awful it is up there, so isolated from anything modern and convenient. I didn't want you to be…fooled, like I was.”

“I see,” Lacey replied. She could feel the pain medication taking hold, her eyes glazing a little as she focused on Courtney's bright pink lips.

“And I wanted to warn you about Jared's stubborn streak and how…absolutely stifling he can be. You look like a successful woman, and I just wanted you to know what to expect—how bullheaded Jared can be…about women working, I mean.”

Lacey rubbed her temples. “Thanks, but Jared and I are not…seeing each other. We just won the weekend getaway through the auction and decided to go through with it for the sake of the publicity for the charity involved.”