Her Texas Family (6 page)

The foundation. A charity started in Brooke's honor that raised money for cystic fibrosis research. One that always reminded Graham that he'd failed his wife. He knew it was for the best of causes, yet he'd never been able to help his in-laws with it when they asked. He attended only one charity function per year, and even that was a push.

The Wellings didn't understand why he wouldn't be a part of something that honored Brooke, why he wouldn't accept a position on the board. It had been the one point of contention between them. Until today. Now he could add Lucy to the list. Though that thought was absolutely absurd.

They said goodbyes, and Graham fought the annoyance churning in his gut.

Why did he feel so frustrated? The Wellings had only questioned him about dating—something he didn't have any interest in. So why did their interference bother him so much?

Graham slid back into the booth and Mattie put the phone down on the table.

“What was that about, Daddy?”

“How much did you hear?”

“Just Grandpa and Grandma asking if you were dating Ms. Lucy.” Mattie munched on a chip, studying him with those inquisitive little eyes. “Are you ever going to marry someone, Dad?”

Graham had just taken a bite, and it lodged in his throat. He coughed, then took a drink of water. “I loved your mom so much, I really can't imagine that, honey. She was my best friend.”

“Like me and Carissa?”

The image of Mattie and her best friend, Carissa, playing together made him smile. “Something like that.”

“Only you kissed Mommy.”

Good thing he hadn't taken another bite. He reached for his water again. “Right. When you're married, you get to kiss your spouse.”

That seemed to satisfy her. Mattie went back to eating and playing her game, and Graham sorted through the day's events. Compared to their normal, peaceful existence, today had been rather crazy. And it wasn't even noon.

It seemed Lucy had that effect on their life.

The way she'd looked at the office this morning when she'd been ornery with him came flooding back. She did this thing when she was upset, though he doubted she realized it. She pressed her lips together, almost as if she was stemming whatever she really wanted to say from coming out. From what he'd learned about her, his assumption probably wasn't far off.

“Are you thinking about Mommy?”

Graham stole a chip off of Mattie's plate. “Why?”

“'Cause you're smiling.”

“I was?”

Mattie nodded. Graham swallowed. “If I was smiling, then I was definitely thinking about Mommy.”

At least, he should have been.

Chapter Six

I
t had been a week since the encounter between Graham, his in-laws and Lucy, and that freezer he'd walked into still hadn't fully thawed. It had warmed to refrigerator temps, but that was about it.

At work this week, he and Lucy had functioned
around
each other. Please and thank-yous had abounded. Graham had never thought politeness could kill him, but he was close to changing his opinion.

He'd dropped Mattie off at dance this morning—to Lucy and Mattie's delight—and Lucy was planning to drive her home after. He'd tried to refuse Lucy's offer, not wanting to add any more taking care of his daughter into her free weekend time. But the look she shot him had wilted his resistance.

Graham had let her win that battle. But when she got here, he planned to fix this thing between them. They had to keep working together, and he didn't want Lucy stuck in this place she'd been in all week. He kind of...missed the Lucy he'd first met. The one who did whatever she wanted—like taking Mattie to dance—and bulldozed her way through life.

Though that Lucy drove him a little crazy, seeing how she'd been acting this week threw him. He—or his in-laws—had obviously offended her. She hadn't said anything out loud, but her actions made it abundantly clear. Graham had noticed a lot less dancing in the front office than when Lucy had first started. She'd also been walking around sporting a
see how happy I am
smile that definitely seemed forced.

Even if Lucy didn't want to admit she was human and had feelings, Graham knew the encounter last week had wounded her.

It had messed with him, too. He hadn't realized his in-laws would be so upset by the idea of him dating. His own parents, who lived across town and whom he saw all of the time, had never given him that impression. In fact, his mother had started casually bringing up women who were single about a year after Brooke's death. Graham had ignored her at first. Then, when she'd continued to hint, he'd told her he didn't plan to remarry.

After that, his mom had stopped saying anything out loud. But he assumed she hadn't completely given up on the idea of making him “happy” again and procuring a few more grandkids. She had enough, between Mattie and Graham's nieces and nephews, but the woman was greedy.

Graham couldn't imagine wanting to date, but if he did change his mind, he now knew he'd have opposition from his in-laws. Brooke had been one of a kind—and their only daughter. He could have guessed his moving on would be hard on them, but he hadn't envisioned they'd react the way they had.

Good thing he hadn't really been on a date with Lucy. He didn't want to hurt his in-laws. They'd suffered enough already.

He heard a car pull up, and suddenly the dishwasher he'd been unloading felt like the most important thing in the world. Graham would rather unload a hundred dishwashers than face Lucy right now. All week, he hadn't brought up last Saturday's encounter with his in-laws because he'd hoped it would blow over. But it obviously wasn't going to. Which meant he needed to fix it.

He just didn't know exactly how to accomplish that.

* * *

Lucy pulled up to Graham's house and put the car in Park. The desire to let Mattie run inside without going in herself was strong.

Superman strong.

During the past week, Lucy and Graham had flitted between professional and uncomfortable. Meeting Graham's in-laws had put a damper on her mood. While she didn't know what exactly they'd said after she'd left the restaurant, Lucy could guess.

She wasn't good enough for Belinda and Phillip Welling. The thought that they might not want her around their granddaughter hurt. Lucy might be carefree, but she only wanted the best for Mattie. She wasn't trying to compare or compete with Mattie's mother. She just wanted to bring some joy into the girl's life.

Right now, Lucy didn't feel so joyful herself—a feeling she'd really like to shake. Hopefully the day she had planned hanging with her sister would chase away the strange sense of melancholy that had sprouted in her over the past week. She wasn't used to this feeling and she didn't know what to do with it.

She'd even gone so far as to pull out her devotional three times this week—practically a record for her. Olivia was great at doing her quiet time, but Lucy had never been able to stay on task when she attempted the same.

A knock sounded on the passenger window. Mattie stood outside the car, waving. When had she got out?

Lucy rolled the window down. “Yes? How can I help you?”

At her horrible British butler impression, Mattie giggled. “Why are you still sitting in the car?”

“I don't know.”

“Okay, then, come on!” She ran toward the house.

As if life were so simple. Lucy turned off the car and forced herself to follow. Mattie had left the front door open, and Lucy walked inside.

Directly in front of her, a wooden staircase led to the second floor—where Lucy assumed Graham's and Mattie's rooms were.

Not that she'd be requesting a tour.

The living room was to her left. Wood floors, leather couches, a flat-screen TV on the wall and a small table in the corner covered with pink and purple Legos gave the space a homey feel. A large island was the only thing separating the kitchen from the living room. The older home had been remodeled...the charm of a midcentury house but with new amenities.

Graham came from the kitchen and met her in the living room, looking casual in jeans and a long-sleeved gray shirt. Lucy had got used to seeing him in business attire at work—dress pants and a shirt and tie. Unfortunately, she knew Graham's clothing habits way too well. By ten in the morning he loosened his tie, and by two in the afternoon he rolled his shirtsleeves up.

If Lucy was in an admitting sort of mood, she'd admit that she liked today's casual look on Graham. Truthfully, she liked all looks on him. Her employer happened to be a very good-looking man. Thus, the Hollywood nickname that had quickly come to fit him.

Only, today he looked a bit more rumpled than he normally did. His short, dark hair disheveled. Eyes sporting some red. Was he stressed? What about? Work or personal life?

“Thanks for dropping her off. I could have picked her up.”

“It's not a problem. I was going by anyway, headed out to the ranch.”

“You're going to the ranch?” Mattie chimed in.

“Yep.”

“Can I come? I want to ride a horse.”

Graham's hand rested on Mattie's shoulder. “Matilda Grace. You can't just invite yourself places. Lucy has her own life. She's got plans today.”

Mattie looked crushed. Lucy knew her sister would be fine with Mattie tagging along. They didn't have any big plans—just hanging out.

“If your dad says it's okay, you can come.”

“Please?” Mattie started tugging on Graham's arm. “I'll do anything. I'll clean my room.”

“Your room's already clean.”

“Please, please, please?”

Graham's exhalation ricocheted through the first floor of the house. Finally, after a few more jumps from Mattie, he nodded.

“I'll go change!” She ran up the stairs, leaving Lucy and Graham alone.

“I don't want her—”

“Getting hurt. I know. I'll ask Cash to give her a ride. You trust him, right?”

Graham nodded slowly.

“Okay, then. Why don't you tell Mattie I'm in the car? I can wait for her there and you can get back to...” Whatever it was he'd been doing. What exactly did Graham do in his spare time?

Again, not her business. She turned to go.

“Lucy, wait.”

Drat.
Escaping sounded so much better. With a super-sized sigh, she faced him.

“I know things have been weird since last Saturday with my in-laws. I'm sorry they acted that way. I think they were just—” He shrugged. “They weren't very nice and I'm sorry. They're not usually that way.”

Only for her. Comforting thought.

“They thought we were...” Graham looked at the television that wasn't on. He looked at the floor. Anywhere but at her. “They thought we were
together
.”

“Like dating?”

He finally met her gaze. Nodded.

So they hadn't been upset about her being around Mattie—though that sentiment probably wasn't far behind this one. They'd been upset about her being with Graham.

They must have thought she was encroaching on their daughter's turf. Lucy fought the desire to hunt them down and tell them she didn't have any plans to get involved with their son-in-law. The Wellings could keep Graham. Lucy would stay away from him as long as she got to continue having a relationship with Mattie.

“Well, I'm sure you set them straight.”

He nodded again.

“There you have it. You don't need to apologize for them. I get it.” Lucy wasn't Welling quality. She'd figured that out right away.

“It's not about you, Lucy.”

Right.

“I told them I'm not planning to date anyone, because I'm not. I don't ever plan to remarry.”

He didn't have to make up this whole story for her. So they weren't a match in the love department. The idea that Graham would never remarry was crazy.

“You don't have to explain anything to me. It's not like we
were
on a date.”

“I know. But I'm telling you, I wouldn't be anyway. I'm really never getting remarried.”

What? Graham definitely seemed the type to marry and grow old with someone. Lucy could picture him having more kids, a stepmom for Mattie. The girl would love it. Maybe having a mom again would take away some of Mattie's serious nature and let her be a kid.

What would keep Graham from considering marriage again? He was only thirty-one.

“Was—” Lucy tried to stem the words, but curiosity won. “Was your marriage...that bad?” Graham's frown told her what she already knew—she shouldn't have asked.

“No. It was that good.”

Ouch. Why did those words sting? She hardly knew this man. She'd been in town two weeks, and yet his response made her feel as if she'd been shoved from a moving car.

This had nothing to do with her. Then why did it feel as though it did?

Mattie came bounding down the stairs and Lucy wanted to cheer.

“I'm ready. Is this okay?” Mattie pointed to her bright green, long-sleeved T-shirt that was covered in yellow and pink flowers. Coupled with older-looking jeans and scuffed tennis shoes, it was a perfect outfit for getting dirty on the ranch and riding horses.

“You look perfect, Mattie Grace.”

She beamed and Lucy's heart did that gooey-melty thing she'd deemed “the Mattie effect.”

It was good to see Mattie so happy. Lucy felt as though she'd been making progress with her. At dance this morning, Mattie had even volunteered to do the five basic ballet positions in front of the whole class, her face glowing with pride. While Lucy had befriended the girl in order to bring joy into her life, the opposite was also happening. Lucy was happier knowing Mattie. She already couldn't picture life without Mattie in it.

The thought made Lucy's stomach drop to the spotless mahogany wood floors. Graham's in-laws wouldn't try to stop her from having a relationship with Mattie, would they?

No. According to Graham, that wasn't what they'd been upset about. But Lucy imagined that could quickly change...especially if the Wellings saw her with Graham and Mattie again.

Lucy needed to be careful.

She'd have to keep her distance from Graham—as much as she could, considering she worked with him every weekday, Mattie now attended her dance class on Saturdays and they went to the same church on Sundays. Lucy didn't want to give the Wellings any more reasons to dislike her.

“We'd better go. I'll text you later about dropping Mattie off. Or you can always swing by and get her if you miss her.” Lucy's mouth twitched.

Graham shook his head, though his lips did succumb to a slight curve. “I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll find...” He glanced around the living room. “Something to do.”

“How about laundry?” Mattie offered. “We always have plenty of that.”

“Thank you, Ms. Smarty-Pants.”

Mattie grinned, gave Graham a hug and managed to fit in two pirouettes on her way out the front door.

Before Lucy could follow, Graham touched her arm, holding her there. She gently tugged away before he could feel the goose bumps that spread across her skin.

“I mean it, Lucy. I really am sorry for how they acted. You just moved here, but you already do so much for Mattie. She's so much happier with you in her life. I need to know you're not offended.”

Graham couldn't have given her a higher compliment. The very thing she'd set out to do, she'd accomplished—or, at least, started to accomplish. Because Lucy definitely wasn't done yet.

“You do this thing when you're mad. Or thinking. You kind of—” Graham moved a hand to his face, then scrubbed it across his chin. “Never mind.” He stepped closer. “Lucy.” The way he said her name caused her stomach to do a backflip. “I need you to answer me.”

Oh, he smelled
good
.
“Why do you need this from me? Why do you care so much?”

“We were going to get along, remember? That was our original agreement.” A slow grin claimed his mouth. “I was supposed to try to like you. And in that vein, I'd like you to be happy. Not offended by my in-laws.”

Give me another whiff of your cologne and you can have anything you want.
Lucy's eyelids drifted shut.

“Lucy?”

“Hmm.”

“What are you doing?”

Her eyes popped open. Once again,
smelling you
didn't seem like a good answer. “Uh, forgiving you or your in-laws? I'm not sure which.”