Meeting Her Match (14 page)

Kissing her had come as a surprise to him. But he hadn't gotten over it yet.

“—around. That would be nice. Pace—”

“What?” he stammered, glancing at Rita as she laid her hand on his arm.

She smiled, squeezing his arm. “I said I was thinking about moving here and wondered if you could show me around?”

Pace glanced down at the slender hand on his arm and then at the deep blue eyes. “I'm sorry, miss. I'm pretty covered up in work right now. Maybe you could ask one of these other guys.”

She pouted, tucking her chin in, and Pace contrasted her with Sheri. Sheri wouldn't pout if someone offered her a thousand bucks. He glanced back at Rita's hand that was now tracing a long fingernail along his forearm. He felt nothing. Pace thought of the way he felt just sitting next to Sheri. Their shoulders were barely touching and he'd felt a connection all the way down to the tips of his toes. He wasn't even going to think about what the kiss had done. He'd been feeling as if he'd gotten bucked off a two-bit bronc ever since.

“Please,” Rita cooed.

Having had enough, Pace stepped away from Rita's touch. “Excuse me. It's time for my ride. But you have a nice day.”

He strode toward the chute, yanking his gloves on as he went, more than glad to climb into the saddle. Matter of fact, he thought as he climbed the steel rungs of the gate and looked down into the chute at the bronc, he hoped he drew the rowdiest ride in the building.

He figured if he had any luck at all he'd get bucked off and kicked in the head. At least then he'd have an excuse for the crazy thoughts that had been flowing through his brain since he'd grabbed hold of Sheri and kissed her.

Thoughts that almost surged up again, but he forced them away by climbing over the gate and easing into the saddle. Pace knew the instant he took the reins that he'd gotten his wish. As he waited to give the nod for the gate to open, there was no mistaking by the fit the horse was throwing that he'd drawn a bronc that was as ready for a fight as he was.

“T
his arena is just lovely,” Adela said, walking up and taking a seat beside Norma Sue. “Aren't we blessed that Clint has this and has opened it up for our enjoyment?”

“I'm certainly glad for the shade. It's hot enough to fry eggs out there on the concrete,” Esther Mae said as she fiddled with her stadium seat.

“That's the truth,” Norma Sue agreed, fanning herself with her straw hat. “Look, our boy is in the saddle,” she said, glancing at Sheri.

Sheri chomped on a piece of chocolate and tried not to show her foul mood. After all, she was supposed to be happy. As far as they knew, she was falling in love with the curmudgeon who had just lowered himself into the chute with what looked like a maniac horse.

“Look at the storm that bronc is brewing.” Norma Sue chuckled. “Whew wee! It's ready for a fight.”

Sheri swallowed and felt queasy. The animal did look
mean. But Pace's expression said he was ready for anything the bronc threw at him.

Still she felt a bit of trepidation.

“This is going to be good,” Norma Sue said, her voice full of excitement. “Poetry in motion. That's what Pace is when he's on the back of a bronc.”

Esther Mae swung around and smiled up at Sheri. “That's right, I can still remember the first time we saw him ride. He was the cutest young boy, and it was on a steer, but I could just tell he was a natural. It's with great alacrity that I came to watch him ride today.”

“What in the world did you just say?” Norma Sue asked. “Al-a-what?”

Esther Mae jutted her chin out and lifted her nose in the air. “Alacrity, it means eagerness. It's another one of my new words from the Reader's Digest.”

“Esther Mae, you're driving me batty,” Norma Sue said. “Here we were talking about Pace and now I've clean forgot what we were sayin'.”

Esther Mae dropped her chin to her chest. “Exactly why you need to be practicing this brainpower thing, Norma Sue. It'll help you not forget so easily.”

Norma Sue shook her head. “That was just a figure of speech, Esther. Of course I remember what we were talking about.”

“Oh, here he goes!” Esther Mae exclaimed.

Sheri's attention had already shifted away from the ladies. She'd watched Pace give the nod and the gate swing open. She and everyone else surged to their feet as the horse exploded into the arena.

It twisted and bucked and kicked in wild erratic con
tortions, but Pace's body moved with the horse in a beautiful rhythmic flow. He leaned back, almost lying down on the horse's back, his left arm raised above his head. Watching him, Sheri couldn't help but think that everything she'd heard was true. It was as if he anticipated the horse's every movement. When the other cowboys started whistling and cheering she knew that he was spectacular. The man could ride a horse and even his peers were agreeing. It was unforgettable.

When the buzzer sounded he waved his hat to the cheering crowd and sprang from the bronc's back in a graceful movement, landing on his feet as light as a cat.

Sheri's heart slammed into her throat. This was the moment she'd planned out carefully, and she had to do it.

Over the last two days, she had come to the conclusion that Pace Gentry was not going to hold any kind of power over her, and for the last few days that was exactly what she had felt he was doing. She couldn't explain it, but thoughts of him had filled her head every moment. The man made her weak in the knees.

It wasn't good.

It was time to get this over with.

She dropped her bag of candy and before she could lose her nerve she jogged down the bleachers. He was coming out of the gate, working his leather gloves off his hands when she stepped into his path. Sweat gleamed on his forehead, and his eyes were bright from the adrenaline that she was certain still pumped through his veins.

She almost turned and ran, but good, bad or just plain crazy she was finishing what she'd started.

“You can sure ride, cowboy,” she managed, ig
noring the voice telling her to back off. She slipped her arms around his neck in front of the entire crowd and kissed him.

The instant her lips touched his, Pace wrapped one arm around her, pulled her close and—just as he'd done standing beside the windmill—he turned her world upside down.

That
had not been in her plan.

 

The last thing Pace had expected was for Sheri to come along and throw herself into his arms. He had to admit it was the perfect end to a great ride. Every alarm bell in his head was going off but he wasn't listening. Riding the wave of adrenaline, he gave in to the feel of her lips. This time, it was Sheri who finally pulled away. She backed out of his embrace, her fingers on her lips and her eyes alive.

Pace stood right there in that arena and let the truth settle over him. He had a problem. No matter how much he knew he needed to stay clear of his neighbor, she stirred feelings inside him that he'd never felt before. He'd gotten a hint of that the first time he'd kissed her…and it had scared him silly. After holding her again, it was going to be an all-out fight to keep away from her.

“Well, don't just stand there gawking at each other, say something,” Esther Mae yelled from the bleachers, drawing Pace's gaze from Sheri.

Only then did he realize that they'd drawn the crowd's full attention. Esther Mae and Norma Sue were grinning as if they'd won a jackpot, and Miss Adela was just smiling her serene smile.

He looked back at Sheri and noticed she'd taken a few steps back. Her gaze darted from him to the posse.

Like a cassette tape dragging on low batteries Sheri's words droned in his head.
I need a boyfriend.
That's what she'd said two short weeks ago. His mouth went dry, his gaze narrowed on her.

He'd been had.

If he needed any more proof, all it took was another glance up at the posse congratulating themselves on their latest match.

She'd done what she'd set out to do, whether he'd consented or not. And if there was one thing Pace was not, it was somebody's fool.

He leveled his gaze on her. “So this is what all this has been about. I should have known.” It took all his self-control, of which he had a considerable amount, to simply tip his hat to her and walk away.

 

Sheri had one of those moments. The kind that come after the fact. The kind that a person replayed over and over again in her head.

If only you'd listened!

Well, she hadn't listened and now she was seeing scorn like she'd never seen from anyone in the eyes of the cowboy she'd just kissed. She fidgeted as the corner of his lip curled and his left eyebrow followed the upward motion and cocked sarcastically.

He didn't say anything, but he said plenty.

You're a fool, Sheri Marsh.

Then he spun and stalked out of the building.

Sheri glanced around, feeling self-conscious about
her actions and knowing that her plan had just blown up in her face. While the posse was up in the stands too far away to have seen the contempt in Pace's expression, the cowboys lining the fence had seen it all.

Okay, she was a fool.

There was nothing left to do but go after him. “What are y'all looking at?” she huffed then jogged after Pace. The cowboys were chuckling behind her. That just went to show that men could find the oddest things amusing.

“Pace, wait. Please,” she called, catching him, jogging to keep up as he wove through the trucks toward his own.

“Lady, you're good. I've seen liars in my life, but you take the prize. I actually thought all this was real, when it was nothing but a setup.” His mind was reeling, rifling through everything, every word, every moment. “The roof trick was really good. You must have thought you'd hit gold with that charade.”

“No, that's not how it was.” Sheri thought of how he'd helped her, and realized that no matter what she said he'd think she was lying. “Honestly.”

“Honestly!”
He yanked open his truck door and climbed in. “Do you even know what that word means?”

Sheri stood stock-still, the scorn in his eyes and his words like a slap across the cheek.

He dropped his arm out the open window, and she watched as he backed out of the parking space.

When he stopped and shifted to Drive she took a step toward his window. “Pace, listen—”

His steely gaze stopped her in her tracks. “Now, why would I ever do something like that again? You chose
your path. I hope you got what you wanted, and you and yourself live happily ever after.”

Then he was gone. He drove out of the parking lot leaving her standing alone in a swirl of dust.

S
heri stormed into her house and slammed the door. What was wrong with her? All the way home from the rodeo she'd felt like such a loser. Had achieving her stupid goal of fooling the posse been worth Pace's contempt?

Restlessly she paced the kitchen, then stormed back out into the sunshine. A run would be great, but she couldn't very well jog past Pace's house. There was no way she wanted to chance seeing that expression on his face again. It had been awful.

Dropping to her knees beside the flower bed beneath the old oak tree she began yanking weeds. She felt so hideous. So worthless. Her gaze fell on the fat ceramic frog nestled beside the marigolds. His lips were puckered and the sign around his neck read, Toads Need Love, Too. She was the toad. Who would ever love her? She closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears. She was so ashamed…so empty.

Pace Gentry made her feel things she'd not ever felt
before. He was an honorable man trying to walk a life that would please God. He saw things so clearly. He was the type of man that would do whatever it took to make good on his word. And he expected nothing but the same from those around him.

He'd told her that in the very beginning when she'd first approached him about pretending to be her boyfriend. Yet she'd taken advantage of his proximity knowing full well she was going against his belief and moral code.

For what? To play games with a group of ladies who in the end really only had her best interests at heart.

Sheri grabbed a bitter weed and yanked.

So what are you going to do about it?

The voice was a soft whisper on the wind. Her conscience digging into her. What could she do? Go beg Pace to forgive her? Why? The man had lost all respect for her, so what did it matter? What good would it do?

Her weeding forgotten she stared through the tree branches to the blue sky beyond. “This is a fine mess I've gotten myself into.”

Pace said God expected his people to be salt and light to the world. Sheri admired the way he'd left a life he loved behind to try and do what God expected of him. Lacy had done the same thing. Some would look at Sheri and think she'd been so noble to come to Mule Hollow. But she wasn't. She'd come to Mule Hollow because she didn't have anything better to do.

What did God expect of her?

She'd never asked herself that question before. She simply lived her life as if she had a free ride or some
thing. Like everyone else was expected to strive for a life pleasing to the Lord, but she'd been excused from stepping up.

Well, Pace had stepped up. He stood for something. He was honorable, loved God with all his heart, and was trying to prove it by doing what God expected of him. He was trying to become an even better man. And she'd not only disappointed him, she'd tried to compromise everything he stood for.

For the first time in her life, Sheri really looked at herself. Was that who she wanted to be? No wonder she felt like the Lord had forgotten her. What had she done for Him? Lacy had come to Mule Hollow to do a ministry. Pace had come to show the Lord he was willing to give up a life he loved, go against his love of solitude and be a witness. But what had she done? Literally. What had she done for the Lord? But also what had she done to Pace? She had to find a way to fix this. She knew the first step was to ask the Lord to forgive her.

And then to find a way to get Pace to do the same.

 

Pace was coming out of the round pen leading his horse when he saw Sheri standing beside the gate. He strode past her without saying a word. He ignored the lost look he saw in her eyes. He'd never felt as betrayed as he had at the end of that very public kiss. To some it might have seemed a small thing; if he couldn't trust a person then he had no use for them. He didn't trust Sheri. The fact that he'd wanted to cut deep.

“Pace. Talk to me.”

She followed him to the barn as he stripped the mare
down and started brushing her. His thoughts had been full of Sheri all afternoon even though he'd told himself to forget about her.

“I'm sorry,” she said. There was none of her usual sassiness in her tone. He almost believed her, but then he thought about the roof and what an actress she was. He hardened his heart to his yearning to believe her.

“Well, I don't blame you for not believing me, but I needed to come and tell you that I am sorry for what I did.”

He heard her turn and move toward the door. His hand stilled its brushing, the impulse strong to call her back. He kept silent and let her go.

She stopped at the door, but he kept his back to her. He thought she was going to say something else, but after a pause she continued on her way. It was just as well.

He resumed brushing down the horse. After all, he'd come to Mule Hollow with a purpose. Sheri wasn't a part of that purpose. Instead she'd distracted him.

It was time to get on with things.

It was time to forget Sheri Marsh.

 

“Miss. Where's the bathroom?”

Sheri looked up from the sink, tears streaming down her cheeks thanks to the onions she was chopping, to find a girl of about thirteen jogging toward her with an anxious look on her face.

“Second door on the right.” Sheri swiped her eyes with the back of her hand and pointed the knife she was holding down the hallway of Cort and Lilly's home. She'd been directing traffic of some sort from the moment she'd arrived an hour earlier.

When Lilly had asked her out of the blue to help with the youth retreat they were holding at their house, Sheri's first reaction had been a flat no. Then she'd remembered that she'd been praying for the Lord to show her some way He could use her. It had been three weeks since she'd tried to use Pace. Three weeks since she'd lost his respect. Three long weeks of searching for answers and absolution.

She'd seen very little of her neighbor. He'd kept busy down the road from her, and she'd stopped jogging past his house. It was surprising how easy it was to avoid each other.

But Sheri had accepted Lilly's plea to help out, and that meant she'd decided to stop avoiding Pace. Since he and Cort had come up with this idea, seeing him was inevitable.

She'd thought she could handle it. Now, she was fighting her nerves, and it wasn't all because of Pace. She hadn't realized that the place would literally be swarming with kids. She had barely come in the front door when Lilly had waved her into the kitchen and set her to chopping onions. That was a good thing. At least she wasn't having to deal with the kids one-on-one.

She wasn't good with kids, had never pretended to be and wasn't real certain kids were her calling. That didn't mean she didn't like kids. She did. It was just, well, they might ask her a question she didn't have an answer to. Worse, what if she gave them the wrong answer? With her big mouth she could do irreparable damage. She wasn't proud of that. After what she'd done to Pace she'd thought more than once that Lilly had lost her mind inviting her to be a helper on this
shindig. There were plenty of others who would have been far better choices than her.

“Earth to Sheri. Are you in there?”

“Oh, sorry, I got lost thinking.” Sheri gave Lilly a sheepish grin while she rinsed her hands off.

“Sheri, please relax. I can't believe how nervous you seem. I've been watching you, and every time that door opens you jump.”

Sheri started placing hot dogs on a large platter in preparation for the roast they were going to have as soon as the sun went down. She glanced around to make certain there was no one around to hear her. “To tell you the truth, kids make me nervous.”

Lilly's eyes grew wide. “No way.”

“It's true. See, I have a secret. I'm full of a lot of hot air. I rarely actually know what I'm talking about.”

“So you're telling me that the snappy Sheri, with an answer for everything, has an Achilles' heel?”

“If that's what you call it. Yeah.”

Lilly paused in the middle of opening a package of buns and chuckled, her dark ringlets dancing. “So that's why Lacy was grinning so big when she suggested I ask you to help me.”

“So that's how you chose me. I've been had. The way I see it, a kid's brain is a terrible thing to waste, and I'd hate to be wasteful when any and all advice I give is basically a salad toss.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don't have the instinct that mothers have. It means that I have a goofed-up head myself, and I'd hate to pass that on to some poor unsuspecting kid.”

“Sheri, you are talking to the woman who was raised by a herd of man-hating grannies. If you want to hear some oddball advice then you've come to the right place. But you know what I've found out?”

“What?”

“That no one has all the right answers. You'll be fine. Anyway, the two chaperones are here to watch out for them and answer any life-altering questions they may choose to spring on us. Our job is to provide meals and clean up.”

“Oh, that's a relief.”

Lilly smiled. “I think that one of these days when you get married and have kids of your own you'll be wonderful. You learn with them, you know.”

“I won't have to worry about that. I'm not getting married. No kids of my own in my future.”

Lilly paused, holding the plastic bag of buns to her chest. “You can't be serious?”

“Sure I can.”

Lilly looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. “But Sheri, you'd be great with kids. And Pace would be a great dad. I was watching him earlier, when he was introducing his horse to the group. They were mesmerized by him. Did you know his horse does the most amazing tricks?”

Sheri was speechless. She was relieved when the young girl burst out of the bathroom and raced past them, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. The screen door slamming spurred Sheri out of her shock. “Lilly, I'm sure Pace will be a good father, if he chooses to marry and have kids one day. But me…we… There's nothing there.” Where had Lilly been for the last three weeks?

“You are telling me that you don't have an interest in that
to-die-for
cowboy out there in our round pen?”

Sheri laid the last dog on the platter very carefully. She couldn't lie. She was done with all that so she spoke straightforwardly. “I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. But it can't ever happen. Please, please tell me this isn't a setup—that the posse isn't still scheming to get us together.”

Lilly turned pink. “Mmmm,
well
—they told me they'd hoped the two of you would work out whatever has come between you. They hoped this weekend might help you. But don't get mad,” she added hurriedly. “They just want to fix things.”

Sheri started laughing. Truly, had she really expected any less?

“It doesn't matter,” she said, her laughter dying away. “There is nothing between me and Pace,” she said as wistfulness rolled through her. “At least nothing of value, and the sooner the posse understands that the better.” She dropped the empty hot dog wrapper into the trash and let the lid drop with a thud.

There was nothing anyone could do. Pace Gentry was no fool. It was Sheri who had been the fool, and who knew that better than she did?