Larkspur Road (7 page)

“Are you sure about this? You want a sixteen-year-old hanging around all summer? Tell me right now if you’re only being nice—”

“Since when am I ever nice to you?”

“It’s been known to happen.”

Mia laughed. “Really, Sam, it’s no big deal. It seems pretty important to her to have a little break right now from life in Butte. Once she settles in, I’ll try to find out why.”

Finally her sister caved. Thanking Mia a half dozen times, she promised to call Brittany in a few hours to tell her she could stay
if
she found a job and
if
she didn’t cause her aunt any trouble.

“Don’t worry about a thing.” Mia managed to get a word in finally when Sam wound down. “You just go and have a spectacular honeymoon.”

“I’ll try, damn it.” Her sister exhaled. “It’s my third one. I’d better have a handle on it by now, don’t you think?”

Mia decided to make one stop on her way to Winny’s cabin. She veered off Squirrel Road and onto the long wide drive leading to Sage Ranch, hoping Sophie would be home.

Ever since Aiden’s birth, Sophie had begun doing quite a bit of the baking for A Bun in the Oven right in her own kitchen. There was a good chance she’d have some of her special cinnamon buns at home, or else brownies or a pie Mia could mooch to bring to Aunt Winny.

After all, what was supper without dessert? she thought as she pulled up behind a black Explorer she didn’t recognize.

Hurrying to the front door, she knocked lightly in case Aiden was asleep.

How many times did I stand at this door, waiting for Lissie or her mom to welcome me into this house?
she thought, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

She and Lissie and Sophie had all spent hours running around the ranch as girls, playing hide-and-seek in the barn and hayloft, tramping through the woods, hiking all the way to Sage Creek and back, then trailing in, exhausted, to flop into kitchen chairs while Mrs. Tanner served them pecan cookies and milk.

Having grown up living near town, it had been a treat
every time she visited the ranch. She’d felt inexplicably happy here, connected somehow not only to all the Tanners but to the valley itself, to the horses, the creek, the wide pastures and meadows riotous with wildflowers—or, in winter, cloaked in mounds of snow.

Not that she hadn’t loved the house where she grew up. It was home and it was hers—small, neat, and absolutely charming, with its eggshell blue walls and hickory floors and six high, curtained windows facing the backyard and garden. Larkspur Road was also conveniently close to town and to the middle school where she taught.

But Sage Ranch had always felt like a second home.

She knocked once more, rapping slightly harder than she’d intended on the solid oak door.

The baby might be asleep. Sophie, too,
she realized in chagrin when there was still no answer and she turned quickly away.
Aunt Winny will just have to get by without dessert….

When the door behind her whooshed open she spun back, an apologetic smile on her lips. “Please tell me I didn’t wake…”

The words turned to dust in her throat.

It wasn’t Sophie or even Rafe who stepped out onto the porch.

It was Travis.

Travis Tanner.

A towering six feet, one inch of rough, hard-bodied male.

And he was naked from the waist up.

This is so not fair,
Mia thought desperately as every word in her vocabulary seemed to erase itself from her brain.

Fate was playing a nasty trick on her. Not only was Travis in town—and why the hell hadn’t Sophie
told
her that?—but she’d obviously interrupted him in the midst of a shower. His dark hair glistened with water and small droplets of it clung to the hair on his very broad, very ripped chest. He smelled deliciously of soap and leather and man.

She felt her breath catching in her throat. He was wearing jeans.
And nothing else.

Unless you counted that sexy, oh-so-male smile tipping up the corners of his mouth. A mouth whose taste and shape and texture were embedded in her memories, even after all these years….

“I…dragged you out of the shower, didn’t I?” she heard herself mutter inanely as if from a great distance.

“What was your first clue?” Travis grinned.

Don’t you grin at me, Travis Tanner. Not now. Not ever.

That’s dirty pool.

Whenever he’d come to town over the past years, she’d reminded herself that she wasn’t attracted to him anymore. That he was history. Old, buried, irrelevant history.

It was so much easier to believe that when she didn’t actually have to
see
him. Up until now, she’d managed to avoid him just fine.

But now, here he was right in front of her. Tall and tough-looking, with the brawny build of a lumberjack, his jet-black hair glinting in the sun, his eyes keen and intent on hers.

And he isn’t wearing a shirt
.

It took all of her willpower not to drink in the sight of that lean, tanned torso or to stare at the bulge of muscles in his arms and chest.

Don’t look at his body. Look at his face.

Under normal circumstances that would be a pleasure. Except that looking into Travis’s face was every bit as dangerous as looking at his body. The man was hands-down gorgeous. He’d been handsome even as a boy, but he’d grown into a man with the kind of ruggedly dark good looks that could make a woman forget what day of the week it was, where she lived, and even her middle name. That strong jaw, the dark brows, and intelligent, penetrating eyes the color of gun smoke drew you in. Against your will.

For most women, staring into Travis Tanner’s face would be a pleasure. But for Mia, it was torture.

She couldn’t possibly still have feelings for him—not after all this time. It was just that when Travis looked at her, something seemed to quake inside her.

It’s only some crazy reflex,
she told herself. It had been that way since the first time he’d spoken to her in the hallway of Lonesome Way High School. She was wandering around lost, searching for her locker, a shy freshman, bewildered and a little intimidated, when in the rush of students stampeding down the crowded corridor, a pack of girls had bumped into her and accidentally sent her tumbling into a wall. She’d nearly lost her balance and had dropped her algebra book and her backpack.

Travis had appeared out of nowhere at her side, asking her if she was all right. He’d handed her the book, lifted up her backpack, grinned at her in a slow, easy way, a way he’d never had when she and Lissie were little girls playing with their Barbies at Sage Ranch.

The same way he was grinning at her right now. And she felt her heart trembling.

Come on. You’re so over him,
she reminded herself.
You’re hardly sixteen anymore.

But she felt the pull. And a deep, buried hurt stirred inside her.

Damn it, no.
Get a grip.

“How’ve you been, Mia?”

“Great. Never better. You?”

Travis fought the urge to step closer to her. She looked a whole lot better than great. She looked as beautiful as the first day of spring. And every bit as sexy as an exotic dancer in those tight-fitting jeans and that skimpy little tank top that hugged her breasts.

But her tone was cool. Just this side of sarcastic. Actually, it was in danger of sliding over the edge.

The teenaged girl he’d known long ago had always been warm, honest, and as sweet as his grandmother’s ginger cookies.

Well, what do you expect?
he asked himself impatiently.
Especially after the way you treated her. She’s different now. And so are you.

But at least, he told himself grimly, unlike at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding, she was speaking to him.

Sort of.

“I’m terrific now that I’m home,” he told her and saw the flicker of surprise in those luminous amber eyes that had continued to haunt him over the years. “Looks like I’m going to be sticking around for a while.”

“Sticking around?” Her petite, insanely curvy body went rigid, further accentuating the swell of her breasts beneath that pale blue tank top. Her eyes were locked on his. But not in a good way.

“You’re…moving
back
here?” She said it as if he’d told her he was planning to rob a bank.

“Don’t look so thrilled. It might go to my head.”

Instead of earning him the smile he’d hoped for, she frowned. For some reason he couldn’t explain, this irritated the hell out of him.

And the federal agent known for keeping his cool under the most extreme pressure couldn’t contain the words that came out next.

“Worried you might have to actually talk to me now and again if we run into each other in town?”

“I’m not
worried
about anything. And I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“You avoided me at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding. I tried to talk to you, to catch your eye, but you pretended not to see me.”

“
You
were at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding? I’m afraid I didn’t notice.”

Bemused, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well, I noticed you.”

She
had
changed. The girl he’d loved years ago had worn
her heart on her sleeve. This woman, all grown up, was meticulously self-possessed and kept hers under wraps.

Maybe that was partly his fault. From the little he’d heard from Lissie over the years, he knew he wasn’t the only man who’d let her down. Still, that didn’t let him off the hook.

“A man would have to be dead not to notice you,” he said quietly and for a moment, a breath, he thought he saw something in her eyes. She looked startled, open, and vulnerable, and he had the almost overpowering urge to take her in his arms.

Then she shut down, stepped back—and at the same time there was a commotion from behind the house. The dogs started barking like hounds escaped from hell. Will Brady’s voice rumbled from the direction of the barn.

“Dad!” Grady shouted, racing toward them. “Mr. Brady let me pet Pepper Jack and he’s going to show me how to brush him. Can I ride him now? Please? I really want to!”

“Whoa, Grady. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Ms. Quinn.” He hoped his voice sounded steady. What the hell had happened a minute ago? What in hell was wrong with him?

“Hi.” Grady looked up at Mia with a shy smile, then turned right back to Travis. “Can I? Can I ride Pepper Jack now?”

“We have to go to the cabin first, remember? Get started on the work there. When we come back later, I promise we’ll spend a couple hours with the horses.”

“But I want to ride now.” Impatience flashed in the boy’s eyes.

“First things first, son,” Travis said evenly, and at that moment Sophie stepped out onto the porch.

“Mia, I thought I heard your voice.” Her gaze flew from Travis to Mia, a look of concern touching her face, but Mia spoke quickly, moving toward her, breaking the tension.

“I hope I didn’t wake you or Aiden. I didn’t know you had company.”

“Yes, Travis and Grady coming home was the one
good
thing that happened yesterday.” Sophie managed a tired smile. “Aiden has an ear infection,” she explained. “It was a pretty rough night.”

“Oh, no. Sorry. I
did
wake you, didn’t I?”

“I was only dozing.” She cast another searching glance between Mia and her brother-in-law. “Come on in. I’ve got coffee.”

As Mia hurried inside, telling Sophie she needed a favor, something to do with her aunt Winny, Travis had to force himself to turn away. To go down the steps and focus on Grady. The boy still looked bummed that he couldn’t go riding that very moment.

“I’ll be ready to roll in five.” Travis placed a light hand on his head. “After we check out the cabin, we’ll drive into town, get whatever supplies we need. Pepper Jack will be right here waiting when we get done. You’ll have later today and the whole summer to ride him.”

Grady stared at the ground, saying nothing, but Travis sensed the tension in him. Anger and frustration, probably. Suddenly Travis felt like a bad guy.

He’d spent most of his adult life being tougher than the toughest bad guys, putting them away, being in charge. But Grady wasn’t a bad kid and he needed something different from him. The boy needed a firm but gentle touch.

Grady was hurting inside, and Travis didn’t know why yet. He only knew he damn well wouldn’t add to the boy’s pain and sense of isolation. But neither did he want to reward sulky behavior or give in to impulsiveness. Children needed structure, a sense of self-discipline. And they also needed love. He sensed that guiding Grady along would require the right balance between the two. He’d have to feel his way along that particular tightrope. He suddenly wished he had more experience at being a father.

His own father had done a great job of being fair and
loving and instilling a sense of responsibility in him and his brothers. Travis only hoped he could do half as well.

Passing through the hall, he caught a glimpse of Mia and Sophie in the kitchen and was treated to the highly distracting sight of Mia’s cute little rounded behind encased in snug-fitting denim. He paused.

Damn. She looked as drop-dead sexy in those jeans and that tank top as she had in that slinky red dress that had been stuck in his mind for the past year and a half.

And maybe even twice as beautiful.

Just the sight of all that shiny blond hair twisted atop her head made him long to undo that tiny white clip and watch it all spill down around her shoulders in a golden waterfall.

She’d worn it short and lusciously sexy the last time he’d seen her, at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding, but now it was long again.

And he had no trouble at all remembering how those thick, silky blond strands had felt sifting through his fingertips. Particularly that winter day years ago when they’d made out on a blanket in the bed of his pickup as fragile snowflakes drifted down around them.

It was December and Mia had been wearing a white down parka. Snow had melted on her eyelashes. Her full, sweet mouth had tasted of pink lip gloss when he kissed her.