No Limits (5 page)

That thought used to bring her ease. Reminded her that she knew who she was and where she belonged. But that kiss with Jason under the stars two nights ago had stirred something inside of her. Something she wasn't too sure would ever go back to sleep.

Lacey Duvall looked up from behind the counter and smiled when Molly walked up.

“Mocha latte?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard Jason McCoy is back in town,” Lacey said in a questioning sort of way. The two of them had dated a couple of times in high school. Maybe she was hoping to see him again.

“He inherited half of the Bar T. So he's here to take care of that,” Molly said. “Then he's going back to Houston.”

“You okay with that?” Lacey asked, turning to the back counter and grabbing Molly's coffee from her teenaged assistant. “He's been gone a dog's age and you haven't heard from him before now, have you?”

Lacey was a gossip, though not in a malicious way. Molly supposed it would happen to anyone who worked in a small-town coffee shop.

“It was a surprise,” Molly admitted. She smiled and nodded at the kid as she took her coffee from Lacey. “But of course I'm going to honor Dad's wishes.”

The bell on the coffeehouse door pinged and Lacey turned to greet her next customer with a smile.

“Jason McCoy, I wondered if you were going to stop by,” Lacey said.

Molly stepped over to the bar to add a packet of sugar to her latte and then stirred it slowly. Way slower than was called for.

“I heard this place had the best coffee in town and had to check it out,” Jason said. When he'd left thirteen years ago it hadn't yet opened.

“It's the only coffee in town so I guess you are right,” Lacey said. “What'll it be?”

“Hey, Lacey. Good to see you again. Filtered coffee, please. The biggest cup you have.”

Molly glanced over her shoulder at him. She wanted to play it cool. It was probably no big deal to him to make out with her, but it was a big deal to her. She realized just how limiting her life had been staying here. If she'd gone out and seen the world...maybe she wouldn't be so fascinated by his damned blue eyes and firm mouth.

He stepped closer and looked down at her, a furrow wrinkling his brow.

“What?”

“I asked how you were,” he said.

“Good. I'd like to discuss a few ideas about the ranch. Maybe we can do that before we head over to see Rupert.”

“Okay. You want to talk here or in the park? It's a nice day and I saw an empty bench on my way in.”

“Park sounds good to me,” she said. That way the town gossips—and, let's face it, in a town this size everyone knew each other's business—couldn't hear what they were saying. Hell, it didn't matter what they said—people were always going to talk. Many of them probably remembered how she'd followed Jason around town the summer before he left. How she'd tried wearing makeup and short skirts to catch his attention...

He called out a good-bye to Lacey. Molly noticed Lacey had her cell phone in her hand, furiously texting something...probably about them. She was embarrassed and a little bit...well...excited that she was being linked to Jason. And that was the problem right there.

He wanted her to buy him out or have her accept his offer to turn over his half of the ranch so he could leave. Go back to Houston. And the truth was she wanted him to stay.

They walked over to the park bench. She sat down on one end. Jason stood there for a minute then stooped to put his coffee on the ground by her foot. He stayed there so that they were at eye level and she looked at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to see what's going on in your pretty head,” he said.

“Don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Try to be charming,” she said. “Sit down and let's talk about the ranch. That's all we have between us.”

“We have a hell of a lot more than that.”

“Passion?” she asked, remembering the other night. “Dad always said passion leads to trouble.”

“And he was right. But not this time,” Jason said, putting his hand on her leg. “Are you ticked at me again?”

She shook her head. “Just unsure and kind of mad at myself. It was one thing to have a crush on you way back then, but as a woman I should know better.”

“Better than what?”

“Than to fall for you,” she said. She took a sip of her coffee and looked away from him. Across the street she saw a group of elementary school students all walking in a row and she knew they were heading to the library because it was Tuesday and that's what they did on Tuesday. They had probably been doing it since the library opened back in 1915.

“Hell,” he said. “You want to do this here?”

“You're the one who started it,” she said. She hated it, but he brought out her competitive side. Why did she need to one-up him all the time? she wondered. She probably needed to stop reacting to everything he said. But she wasn't sure she could.

“I am. Well, fine, I needed to get out of the house for the night because you made me want to knock on your bedroom door. I thought, hey, if I am grounded from NASA, maybe this life wouldn't be too bad, and you know what?” he asked, pausing.

“What?” she asked after the pause lengthened.

“That wasn't right. I was using you as an excuse to settle. And you deserve better from me than that.”

Settling...it made sense, but it still hurt. She closed her eyes. Cole's Hill was where he went to escape from his problems. She didn't want to be an escape for him. She wanted him in her life because he wanted to be there. Not because he felt trapped and out of choices.

“Fair enough. You gave me time to think as well,” she said.

“Yeah, what about?”

“That I don't want to be a fling for you. Your summer romance before you head back to NASA.”

“You think I'll be going back?”

She nodded. “I've never seen you lose anything you really wanted.” She stood and carefully stepped around him. “I'll meet you over at Rupert's.”

5

J
ASON
WATCHED
M
OLLY
walk away and let her go. He had been honest, but the fact was their situation was complicated and he hadn't done either one of them any favors by leaving the house for the night because she'd gotten too close. He'd justified it to himself, but then he was good at doing that. He spent a lot of time alone with his thoughts. Training to be an astronaut, spending as many days orbiting Earth as he had—it gave a man time to think.

Time to know himself better than most would be comfortable with. But he'd always been one to keep his thoughts to himself and he'd done that as he'd watched her walk away from the bench. As he'd realized the ranch had a pull on his soul that he'd never known was there.

It wasn't as strong as the call to explore the universe. But the call was there all the same. And he'd felt a tearing deep inside where he'd always been so sure that nothing could rock him.

A need. A desire for Molly and something that only she could offer him. He'd kept his distance last night because she called to him.

No other woman would tempt him to give up his place in NASA—to give up his dream—but there was a part of him that knew she did.

And he couldn't justify sleeping with her...having that summer affair she was so afraid of. But he knew if they were near each other it would happen.

They wanted each other. Those kinds of sparks wouldn't be denied for long. His will would weaken and then...

Stop
.

He had to stop trying to control everything. To know every outcome. He was trying to manage Molly as if she was a mission, but he couldn't be objective. He didn't think there was a man alive who could be objective about a pair of hips and legs that looked that good. He grabbed his coffee and followed her.

He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned, her long chestnut hair brushing his skin. Her hair was soft, like the cashmere lining his leather gloves. And he wanted to grab one of the tendrils and wrap it around his finger, but he didn't.

“I don't want to screw up,” he said and felt better for it. “I want to make sure I don't hurt either of us.”

“Life's not like that,” she said at last. “I appreciate it, but you can't do that.”

“I know. I think that's why I've spent so much time up there.” He looked at the sky. “Up there I am never distracted from the mission. I always know what to do...but with you it's never been like that.”

“For me, neither. Listen, I know the timing is wrong for this...” She gestured at the two of them and then shrugged.

He laughed. “I have no idea what to call it, either.”

“Flames,” she said. “It feels like a fire inside of me and I have no idea how to put it out.”

“Fire is dangerous for an astronaut,” he said.

“For a cowgirl, too,” she said. “So let's be smart.”

“I want to,” he admitted, but then he touched her neck, just ran his finger along the column of her throat, and a jolt went up his arm as she shivered.

A light pink flush spread from the skin showing above the scooped top of her dress up her neck, and her lips parted as she went stock-still.

“We can't be smart with this between us,” he said, softly. He leaned in, putting his forehead on hers and looked into those beautiful brown eyes. “Can we?”

She closed her eyes and licked her lips. “I don't know. I can't think when you touch me.”

“I have an idea,” he said, stepping back and dropping his hand. He had a hard time thinking of anything other than the way she'd felt in his arms the other night. The way she had tasted. Had a woman ever tasted as good as Molly? He couldn't think of one.

“Yeah?”

“We just see what happens. Spend our days together on the ranch and see if this is more than just lust. Neither one of us are casual people. We aren't going to just fall into bed because it feels good.”

“I'm not too sure about that,” she said in a wry tone that made him smile.

Damn.

He liked her.

That was why he needed to make sure he didn't hurt her. He could do this. They were friends and now co-owners of a ranch—one that would require plenty of work if they wanted to get it back on solid financial footing. He couldn't screw this up.

He had to imagine he was definitely going back to NASA, though. He couldn't let Molly be his contingency plan, his life, if he was denied a place on the Cronus program. He knew that. He wanted to believe he wouldn't use Molly in that way. But a part of him, the part that had been a loser before he came to the Bar T Ranch as a teenager, wasn't too sure. That part of him wanted to just take what he needed.

* * *

“T
HIS
ISN
'
T
YOUR
average will and you could probably contest it and get a judge to set aside Mick's wishes. But, Molly, he was your dad and, Jason, I know you two were close. This is more about respecting his wishes than upholding the law. If you take it to court, it'll be a long time before either of you can do anything with the ranch.”

Molly crossed her legs. She'd worn a sleeveless dress that fell loosely over her body, accentuating the strength in her arms and her long legs. Her boots were hand-tooled and had turquoise accents in the leatherwork. She'd pulled the top of her hair back but left the rest to hang around her shoulders.

Maybe that was why he'd been doing all that soul baring in the middle of town—he was thinking with his boner instead of his head.

“Okay. Do we need to do anything to move forward?” Molly asked. “Legally?”

“You both have to sign off on any move to improve the ranch or change its purpose. That includes selling off or leasing part of it. I have the paperwork all ready to go. You can fill it in and both sign it and I'll witness it.”

“We haven't had a chance to discuss what we want to do,” Ace said.

Running the Bar T wasn't part of his plans for the future. He figured he'd recuperate here, do his exercise regimen, maybe stoke the flames of the fire between himself and Molly and leave after his three months' leave. But this was...complicated.

“I figured as much. If you want to, you can use my conference room to discuss plans. If it's going to take longer than a few hours, we can schedule another day for you to come back.”

“I'd like to get this sorted out today,” Molly said, leaning forward to take the papers Rupert held out to them. “The ranch can't wait any longer. We need to make some decisions to ensure the financial future of the Bar T.”

“I agree. I don't want to wait,” Jason said. “Where is the conference room?”

“Last door on the right. Just let Shirley know when you are done and I'll get the paperwork witnessed and notarized.”

“Thanks,” Molly said.

They stood at the same time. Molly slung her leather bag over her shoulder and turned toward the door. Jason put his hand at the small of her back and reached around her to open it.

He led her down the hall. Once they were in the conference room, she stepped away from him, putting her bag down on the table.

She didn't sit but walked over to the window at the end of the room that looked out at the street. It was a quiet business street that bordered the park. He stayed where he was, unsure what she was thinking.

“The situation is really very bleak. I've got a couple hundred head of cattle and we'll make a profit but not nearly enough to pay back the money you lent us or the loan Dad took out to cover some investment losses. I don't know if he had a plan to get out of the hole, but...I have a few thoughts,” she said, finally turning to face him.

She was serious. She looked like the same country girl he'd been talking to all morning, but in her eyes he saw a businesswoman with responsibilities. “During the dinner you missed last night, I talked to the hands to get their feelings on the ideas I have for the ranch. A part of me would rather eat dirt than accept help from Wil Abernathy, but you should know he made a very generous offer to lease part of our acreage.”

“You talked to the hands about this?”

“Well, they live on the ranch, too. It's their livelihood on the line as much as mine. We can't all run off and be astronauts.”

She was ticked. He could see that and he didn't blame her. He had an out and she didn't.

He studied her, and for a long moment all he could see was the way she'd looked in his arms that first night he'd come back here—with the moonlight on her face and her hair, wild and loose, curling around her shoulders and face. He wanted her. He needed to do right by her.

But he wasn't sure how.

“Mick might come back and haunt us both if we make a deal with Abernathy,” Ace said slowly. He was well aware of the feud. Even if he thought taking Wil's offer might be a good option, he didn't want to do so at Molly's expense. She was struggling, still grieving her dad and dealing with the will. And he knew she'd feel guilty about letting Abernathy lease the land. Ace needed to be the man Mick had expected him to be, and part of that meant protecting Mick's daughter.

Hell, fake it. Be that man.
Solve the problem...

For Molly.

She tipped her head at him. “Glad to see we are on the same page. That means we have to do something more than run cattle. It's just not paying the way it used to. We've still got the oil wells, but they're not producing like they did back in the '70s.”

She walked back to the table and pulled out a chair, sitting down as she drew her bag toward her.

He thought about something Dennis had said before Ace had left Houston. About bids for the new training facility and how he wanted the facility to be close by and have more ties to NASA than the civilian team.

What if the Bar T was the location of the facility? It was a long shot. Still, they wouldn't know unless they tried.

He put his hand on hers. “I've got a suggestion, but it's a bit unusual.”

“What is it? So far all I've come up with is some sort of B&B spa and no one really wants to do that.”

“NASA. I'm part of a team preparing for long-term missions designed as precursors to the Mars missions we hope will happen one day. Much like Project Mercury was preparation for the moon landing. These missions would set up a way station between Earth and Mars. And they are looking to develop a dedicated training facility.”

“How would that work?”

“Well, the facility would be developed and paid for by a company that we agreed to work with. We're close enough to Houston for it to be a good fit. What do you think?” he asked.

* * *

M
OLLY
LOVED
HIS
IDEA
. From what Jason said, it would bring in money for the ranch without too much disruption. The financing would come through the government and private companies. Jason's plan was for her to be a director of the facility along with him. As an experienced astronaut, he'd provide the NASA expertise and with her management skills and some additional training, Molly would be a good candidate for handling many of the day-to-day operational details.

“So you'd be here on the ranch?”

“For now. Once I get cleared for missions it's my intention to go back into training for the Cronus program,” he said. “At that point, NASA could hire another qualified person to take on any hands-on responsibilities I would have to give up.”

He wasn't going to stay forever because his place was up there, but she could have him for a little while. She was tied to the land. She couldn't imagine living in the stars, but he did. He wanted it.

To agree to this idea of his. “How good do you think our chances are?”

“What?”

“You said
bid
. That means there are other potential places they could use, right?” she asked.

“Yes. I don't know how many, but I can go to Houston and talk to my boss. If Dennis likes the idea, then I will ask him for some contacts with a company that wins a lot of bids.”

“Like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Right? They built the Mars Rover and do a lot of work for NASA.”

“Yes. Like JPL, but smaller. This is a newer program and while everyone is excited about going to Mars one day and doing more long-term exploration, the risks are high. Many companies aren't sure they want to invest in what could be a very short-term project if something goes wrong. But we've got nothing to lose and a good shot at winning the bid. I think my involvement will help. I'm one of only a handful of people who've spent a year in orbit.”

She knew he was kind of a big deal with NASA. They'd invested a lot in him and she imagined his knowledge of the training requirements would be a boon. “Okay. I guess we owe it to ourselves to give this a shot, don't we?”

“We do,” he said. “How should we word this on the form?”

She looked down at the papers Rupert had given them, tucking a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear as she read. She tried to focus, but she was very aware of Jason standing close. Watching her.

She'd made a decision... She wasn't sure when but there was a surety in her now that hadn't been there before they'd walked into Rupert's office. She was going to take this time with him and not look back. She had thought she'd have her dad with her forever and if his death had shown her anything, it was that she couldn't wait to say and do the things she wanted. Time would keep moving on, of course, and the people who came into her life might move on, too. She had no guarantees of anything with Jason. Even if he never went back to active duty he might leave.

“I'm not sure,” she said at last. “You want to read it over? I'll go get Shirley and see if she can help us.”