Mad About You (33 page)

Hurt narrowed his eyes, but she didn't flinch. His ego was a little bruised, that was all. He obviously wasn't used to his sexual advances being rejected.

Bailey expelled a long, noisy breath. "Rita says I'm pretty dense sometimes, that I have to be hit over the head with the truth." He laughed harshly. "I guess she's right." The smile he offered her seemed resigned. "So... where do we go from here?"

"Nowhere," she replied casually, her heart splintering. "We'll need to keep up appearances for Chad's sake, but that shouldn't be too difficult."

He worked his mouth, pursing his lips. "Appearances... you mean
pretend
to like each other?"

"Not pretend—I'd like to think we can be friends."

He turned in his seat to look out the window, across the farm, in the direction of their meadow. Her nerve endings tingled, her muscles tensed for his response. She drew a deep breath for strength—she wasn't sure how much more resistance she had in her.

Finally he turned back to her and gave her a watery smile, then surprised her by extending his hand. "Friends it is," he said softly.

Virginia stared at his broad, tanned fingers, trying to push aside the memories of the fire his hands had unleashed the previous night. She slipped her hand inside his and squeezed slightly in a firm handshake.
Bravo, Virginia.

"Hey, you two!" Rita's voice startled her. She jerked around to see the petite brunette shaking her finger at them through the car window. "Aren't you coming in? You can hold hands out here!"

A flush burned Virginia's cheeks as she withdrew her hand from Bailey's clasp. He said nothing as they climbed out of the car, but a frown creased his dark brow.

Chad came running up with his sandy-haired cousin at his heels, his face consumed with a grin. "Jean Ann says there are fifteen cows and four horses!"

Bailey's expression lifted instantly. "Do you ride?"

Chad's face fell. "No."

"Well, I guess we'll have to fix that, won't we?"

Virginia couldn't help smiling when her son's face lit up.

"Can you teach me?" he asked Bailey.

Bailey pulled at his chin. "I could, but Ginny used to be the real horseman in the family." Her expression must have mirrored Chad's one of surprise, because he added, " 'Fess up, Ginny, you ran our little stable single-handedly."

"But I haven't ridden in years."

Chad frowned. "I want
you
to show me, Bailey," he said earnestly, "not some
girl."

Virginia bit her lip, telling herself she was going to have to stop letting these two men hurt her.

"Son," Bailey said, "I learned some of life's best lessons from this girl right here. You could do worse."

"Where's your car collection?" Chad asked, obviously clever enough to know when to change the subject.

"Go ask your aunt Rita for the key to the barn, and I'll catch up with you."

Chad ran off at top speed. She watched him bound across the yard, then up the porch steps, worry rooted deep in her heart.

He reached out, then stopped before touching her arm, plowing his hand through his hair instead. "He's pushing your buttons, Ginny, that's all. He's a scared, confused kid and he's taking it out on you—don't let him. After our conversation today"—he paused, making it clear he wasn't satisfied with the outcome—"it looks like I won't be with you all the time, so you have to stand up for yourself."

Frustration and anger bubbled inside her. They'd been parents for less than a day and it seemed to be coming naturally to Bailey—why was she grappling with it? She was the one who had her life together, who was he to give her advice? She lifted her chin with false bravado. "Thanks for the pointer, Bailey, but I figure if I can handle you, I can handle my son."

His nostrils flared slightly, then he inclined his head. "Touché."

"Bailey!" Chad yelled from the front of the house, holding high a ring of keys.

"I'll be right there, buddy." When he looked back to Virginia, his face was still anger-flushed. "Want to come?" He held up a hand in mock defense. "Just for appearance's sake, of course."

She didn't acknowledge his sarcasm. "I think I'll visit with Rita."

* * *

Bailey strode across the driveway, gravel crunching beneath his boots. As he neared Chad, he tried to force the angry thoughts from his mind. Virginia Catron was without a doubt the most infuriating woman, he'd ever known. Now that he had her back in his life, how was he supposed to adjust to being mere friends? His desire and love for her had lain dormant for years. How could he now look at her week in and week out and not reveal them?

"Where's the barn?" Chad asked eagerly.

At the expression on his son's face, the corners of Bailey's mouth lifted automatically. He pointed west. "Through that grove of trees. See the tin roof?"

Chad was gone before he finished the sentence. Bailey laughed to himself and walked quickly to catch up with his energetic son. A few minutes later he was unlocking a series of padlocks on a black wooden door that spanned sixteen feet. When he swung out the heavy door, he stepped aside to let Chad enter first, then felt along the wall for the light switches.

"Wow!" Chad exclaimed as light flooded the mini showroom. "Look at all the cars! Are all these yours?"

"Yep."

"How many?"

"Twelve."

"This is so cool! Is that a Corvette?"

"Nineteen fifty-four. Needs a lot of work."

"There's a Skyliner!"

"Nineteen fifty-seven. Original retractable hardtop. Mint condition."

"Man, oh, man—there's a Cadillac!"

"Nineteen fifty-nine, Series 62 convertible. Everything's original but the windshield, the tires, and the paint job."

Chad's mouth hung open in awe. "Which one's your favorite?"

Bailey wound his way through the maze of classics to stop beside one fully-covered vehicle in the far corner. He pulled back the canvas, and Chad's eyes bugged.

Patting the immaculate baby-blue paint job with a loving hand, Bailey said, "Nineteen fifty-three—"

"Packard Caribbean convertible," Chad finished. "I have a model just like it—same color and everything! This is awesome! Did you do all the work yourself?"

"Most of it. See all my tools in the back? Rita's husband, Jerry, helps me some—"

"I can help!"

Bailey's chest expanded. How fortunate that his son also shared a love of cars. "Great, I could use a helper. I was going to work on the 'Vette next. A mechanic friend of mine trades me use of his repair bay for free trees."

His son frowned. "Free trees?"

"I'm a landscaper for big office buildings and stuff. You know, bushes, trees—"

"Flowers?" Chad made a face.

Bailey laughed. "Yeah, even flowers."

Chad jerked his thumb toward the cars. "Can I lift some of the other tarps?"

"Sure, I'll help."

As he pulled back the heavy canvasses, Bailey suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Ginny. Chad was ignoring her, and all the reprimanding in the world from him wasn't going to make things better. In fact, it would probably make things worse. Ginny had no experience to draw from when relating to Chad. She'd been an only child, a goody-two-shoes kid raised in a loving family. Dysfunctional was largely a TV term to her. And while he didn't consider himself an expert on parenting difficult kids, he did have a qualifying background.

When he was growing up at Shenoway, his parents were married, but had never really gotten along. He and Rita had grown used to them fighting at all hours of the day. Occasionally, his mother would kiss or hug her two kids, but not often, and he couldn't remember his dad ever touching them, except on the backside. So not only did he know what it was like to be an eight-year-old boy, but he knew what it was like to be an eight-year-old boy who'd largely relied on his wits to get by.

As he watched his son touch and study details of the old cars in various stages of restoration, an idea began to germinate. Ginny had made it painfully clear there was no future for them, so he needed to make provisions to be able to see Chad as much as possible. And he couldn't do it living in a one-bedroom apartment above a saloon. He knew Rita wouldn't mind him bringing the boy to her house when he had visitation, but she had her own family, and it wasn't fair to impose. He needed a home of his own.

The meadow was the only location he'd consider, but he felt a twinge of sadness. He'd hoped he and Ginny would have a home there someday, but it wasn't to be—he'd clinched that decision long ago when he'd let their marriage sour. So a home for him and his son would be the next best thing.

Except he needed money to start building. He could talk to his boss tomorrow about his salary. And the only savings he had was sitting there under protective canvas covers. One dealer had been pestering him for years about a couple of the cars. He'd call the man, then try to find the original house plans.

He watched as his son's dark head disappeared inside a battered 1954 Hornet. "Double wow!" came the muffled appraisal.

Gratitude filled his heart, but then he thought of Ginny, and a tiny selfish part of him cried out for more.

* * *

"It's so great to see you, Ginny," Rita said, elbow deep in flour.

Virginia sat at the kitchen table slicing tart green Shenoway apples for the pie Rita was making. "You too—you haven't aged a day."

Rita laughed. "Not true, but nice to hear. You haven't fared badly yourself. And Bailey tells me you're a successful executive—computers, isn't it?"

A blush warmed her cheeks. "Yes, computers. It's not as glamorous as it sounds, but I enjoy my work."

"So, how do you feel about all this?"

She took a deep breath, grateful to have a woman close to her age to confide in. "Shocked. It was so sudden—I feel like I've been turned inside out, emotionally and physically."

Rita clucked sympathetically. "I can't even imagine. When Bailey told me, I was floored—delighted but floored. Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded. "I guess so. It's hard becoming an instant mom to an eight-year-old."

"Remember you can call me if you need anything at all." Rita stopped kneading and angled her head toward Virginia. "I mean it."

She smiled fondly at her former sister-in-law. Though younger than Virginia, Rita had always been mature and thoughtful. "Well, the truth is," Ginny ventured, "I'm a little scared."

Rita smiled, tossing her black bangs out of her eyes. "You'll be a great mom, Ginny, just give it some time. He seems like a good kid."

"He's the spitting image of your brother, complete with attitude."

"Well, since you're the only woman Bailey ever listened to, I'd say you're the woman for this job too."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence, and your offer."

"By the way." Rita's voice took on an innocent tone. "Bailey also told me you never remarried."

Virginia's hand slipped and she gasped as the sharp knife sliced into her skin. Luckily, the cut wasn't deep. "That's right." She sucked her finger, eyeing Rita warily. "I guess I never met the right guy."

"Well," Rita said lightly, "maybe that's because you'd already met the right guy and married him."

Shaking her head and laughing at Rita's transparent tactics, Virginia said, "Right, Rita, and that little thing called a divorce never happened."

The petite brunette smiled wryly. "Well, I tried." She reached for a rolling pin, then her mouth pulled down in a deep frown. "Seriously, Ginny, I know Bailey isn't the easiest person to love. He told me the things he said to you, the jerk—he doesn't deserve you."

Virginia's cheeks flamed. She'd never told anyone the terrible things Bailey had said to her after the kidnapping.

Rita's voice softened with affection. "But I think it's great to see you coming together for Chad's sake."

She had to fight the urge to be carried along with Rita's fantasies. "It's the right thing to do."

"Bailey will be a good father, Ginny."

Resuming her peeling, Virginia murmured, "I know, Chad's already completely taken with him."

"My brother's never loved anyone else, you know."

Virginia's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't lift her head. "Other than himself, you mean."

Rita chuckled. "So he's not the most humble man, but maybe after you and Bailey spend more time together..." Her voice petered out on a high, hopeful note.

Virginia threw her an impatient look.

Up went Rita's hands, flour buffeting around her head. "Okay, okay, I'll stop—for now." Her black eyes twinkled merrily. "I'd love to have you back in the family, but for now, I'll take what I can get."

They heard male voices approaching the kitchen door. Bailey and Jerry walked in, heads high and noses sniffing. "Need a taster?" Jerry asked, his smile wide and teasing for his wife. He swooped down on her neck with a noisy kiss that brought a blush to Rita's cheeks. She elbowed him playfully, shooing him out of her way.