Suddenly Texan (4 page)

“Oh? But the Crawford family house is still on the ranch, isn't it? I mean, I saw it when Leo took me out to see the bison.”

“It is, but then, it's not all that old, maybe from the 1970s. It's in good condition and it makes a great guest place.”

Amanda seemed at a loss for words, although she obviously wanted to ask more questions. “How's your house coming along?” Leo asked.

“Slowly,” Toni said. “Wyatt keeps thinking of improvements.” She playfully jabbed her husband with an elbow.

“Hey! The rooftop deck is just what we needed to watch the sunsets. And how could we get by without the heated driveway? It does get icy here sometimes.”

Toni shook her head. “Amanda, do yourself a favor and never marry a man with too much money. They keep finding ways to spend it, which just makes life more complicated.”

Amanda didn't seem to know what to say to that. She probably hadn't heard that Wyatt had made a huge
fortune in the computer industry before selling his company during the boom years.

“Would you like to join us?” Leo asked. “Have some wine?”

“No, thanks,” Toni said. “We've kept you from your dinner long enough. It was nice to meet you, Amanda.”

“Good to meet you, too. Thanks again for the hospitality.”

“No problem. Stay as long as you like. We haven't had many showings of the model unit so you shouldn't be inconvenienced much.”

“I'll be out of there whenever you need to show it. And I'll make sure it's clean.”

“I'm sure you'll be the perfect guest.”

“Nice to meet you,” Wyatt said, taking Toni's arm. “Come out to the house soon,” he added, looking at Leo. “I'll show you my latest toys.”

“Oh, don't get him started on the new additions to our garage. Like we really needed matching motorcycles.”

“You look hot on a bike, babe,” he said, giving Toni a kiss on her cheek.

Leo laughed. “Get out of here, you lovebirds. You're not even newlyweds anymore.”

Toni smiled and waved as they walked to their table.

“They're very nice,” Amanda said, sitting back down.

“They're all right,” Leo agreed, “for a big sister and an overachiever brother-in-law.”

“I can't imagine what it must be like to have a sibling, especially one nearby. I always wanted more family, but
my mother was single and it…well, it just wasn't meant to be, I suppose.”

“I'm sure you would have been a wonderful big sister.”

Amanda looked up, her eyes troubled. He thought she was going to say something, but she glanced away.

He decided not to press her for any answers tonight. He wanted her to finish her steak in peace and trust him with her secrets when she felt the time was right.

As long as she didn't take too long.

 

A
MANDA BIT HER TONGUE
to keep from saying, “I would have been a great little sister, too.” She was grateful Leo hadn't pursued their conversation, grateful that she could hide behind bites of steak and baked potato, and sips of the delicious wine. Leo's favorite. Of course it would be superb. He was a man of good taste.

“Dessert?” Leo asked, looking up from his last bite.

“No, thanks. I'm really, really full.”

He motioned to the waitress for the check, then leaned back in his chair. “I hope my sister and her husband's interruption didn't spoil your appetite.”

“Not at all. I enjoyed meeting them.” She also wished she'd had more time to question them about the Crawfords.

Twila arrived with the bill. Leo whipped out a credit card and handed it to her.

“Are you meeting the ladies for lunch again?” he asked.

“Yes. They had some suggestions about information I need.”

“For your genealogy research?”

“Yes.”

“For your client?”

“Yes.” Why did he look at her when he asked that question? She'd been very careful to tell everyone that her client had distant relatives from this area. There shouldn't be anything suspicious about that. Genealogical researchers weren't common, but they weren't unheard of, either.

Twila returned with the credit card receipts and a pen. With barely a glance at the amount, Leo filled in the tip and the total, then signed his name. “You're fast.”

“I have a way with numbers.” He closed the little vinyl booklet with the receipts inside. “Ready?”

“Yes.” He escorted her through the restaurant, his hand a light pressure against her back. She noticed that he said hello to almost everyone before they got to the front door.

A cool, gusty wind blew Amanda's hair across her face as they walked toward Leo's truck.

Leo put his arm around her and pulled her close. “You're not cold, are you?”

“No, not really.” Not with Leo so close. “Thanks again for dinner. It was really great.”

“You're welcome. How about some coffee to warm you up before I take you back to the motel?”

You're doing a great job of that,
she thought, feeling his heat all along her side. He'd also angled his body so he was cutting the worst of the wind, she noticed. For some reason, Leo had decided he needed to take care of her. From giving her a tour to finding her a place to live, he was behaving like a big brother.

Except for that hint of unbrotherly interest, the spark
in his eyes that told her he'd be more than willing to take care of her
every
need.

“Coffee would be great. At the Coffee Crossing?” She hoped he wasn't going to insist she go to his place tonight. She was way too emotionally worn out to deal with a helpful, friendly and sexy man who wanted to feed, house and coddle her.

“That would be fine. Or my place if you'd rather.”

“Coffee Crossing, please.”

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I can't help but ask.”

“And I can't help but say ‘no.'”

Leo chuckled as he opened the door for her. “You're safe with me, Amanda.”

“I'd enjoy some coffee, but I do need to get up early in the morning. I've got a lot to do.” Like find a way to see her brother, on or off the Rocking C. If she couldn't discover a way to meet him casually, then she was going to have to drive out there and just tell him the truth.

A shudder went through her as she imagined that encounter. Fortunately, Leo had just closed her door and wasn't around to observe her, or he'd be asking what was wrong. Again.

The drive to the hotel didn't take long since there was no traffic this time of night.

“Oh, it's closed.” Amanda leaned forward to see if there were any lights on inside. No, the coffee shop definitely looked empty.

“Not to worry. I can get in.” His words were punctuated by the solid thunk of his door closing.

He opened Amanda's door and they walked quickly to the entrance of the building, which he unlocked with
a key. “It's pretty secure. Only tenants have keys, and we lock the doors at eight o'clock each night.”

“But what about making coffee? Do you know how to do that, too?”

“I've had a little experience with an espresso machine,” he said.

What couldn't the man do?
Amanda wondered.

The familiar smell of coffee enveloped them as Amanda followed Leo inside. She noticed that he didn't turn on the overhead lights. Only a couple of decorative night-lights and an illuminated coffee sign glowed in the dark. The setting felt very intimate and kind of naughty, as if they were someplace they shouldn't be. She knew that even if people were passing by outside the windows, they wouldn't be able to see much inside.

She shook off the worry that someone would jump up and chastise them for trespassing. “I've spent a lot of time in coffee shops, but I've never worked in one. I'm afraid I won't be any help at all.”

“I can handle it.”

Of course he could. He was one of those people who had such confidence that he probably could handle anything. She settled into a high-back, fabric-covered booth where she could watch him work.

“You said you had a full day tomorrow. What do you have planned?” Leo asked as he removed the coffee basket and measured grounds into it.

“I'm running a little low on merchandise for my online business, so I thought I'd check out some garage
sales and thrift stores in the area. I need to get an early start to get the best selection.”

“Hmm,” he said, fitting the basket back into the espresso maker. “Do you know where you're going?”

“Not really, although I did see a few possibilities when I drove to Graham.”

The sound of the hissing machine filled the quiet of the coffee shop. “I could go with you. Show you some local spots.”

“You'd do that?”

He opened the mini refrigerator and took out a carton of milk. After pouring some into a small stainless cup, he looked up. “Of course. I'm very familiar with the area and you're not.” He turned a knob and steam frothed the milk. With his other hand he reached for a clear bottle of flavoring.

“You're being a great host, right?”

“Maybe I have ulterior motives.” He poured steamed milk into her cup, then a small amount of syrup and finally added the froth on top. “Vanilla latte, right?”

“You remembered.”

“I noticed.”

“Because you're detail oriented, right? Like with the math?”

“Maybe.” He stepped over and handed her the cup. “I just remember things about certain people.”

“I'm still trying to figure out why I'm that interesting to you.” She stirred sweetener into her coffee and took a sip.

“Really?” He fixed himself a latte from the rest of the milk and espresso, then walked over to the table again. “I tell you what. Why don't you just accept that
I am interested, and that I'm trying to be helpful, and relax? I don't have any sinister motives.”

“I didn't think you did. I'm just trying to figure out if you're really that generous, if you're extremely curious, if you're an unofficial local ambassador to visitors in your town or if you have regular guy-type motivations to get to know a single woman.”

Leo was silent for several long seconds. Then he looked up from his latte, a faint line of foam on his upper lip, and grinned. “Yes.”

Amanda laughed. He wasn't going to tell her anything about his motives, just as she wasn't going to tell him about herself. Okay, she could live with that.

She reached out a fingertip. “You have a bit of foam—” She faintly touched his lip and at the same time his tongue flicked out, swirling over the tip of her finger, sending shivers all the way down her spine.

“Oh! Sorry,” she whispered.

“Don't be,” he replied softly. She immediately grabbed her cup with both hands and held on for dear life.

Leo smiled wickedly at her. He knew exactly how flustered she felt and he was enjoying it.

Okay, maybe she was enjoying this also. She hadn't flirted with anyone in a long time. Maybe she could practice without getting in too much emotional trouble.

Don't poke that bear.
Her mother's words came out of nowhere. Every time Amanda asked about the past, or relatives or Texas, that's what she would say. Flirting with Leo was like poking a bear. Dangerous, but tantalizing.

“Um, tell me about your sister and her husband,” she said instead.

“Okay.” Leo sat back against the booth, cradling his own coffee cup. “Toni and Wyatt dated all through high school and everyone expected them to live happily ever after, but it didn't happen that way. Wyatt went to Stanford and Toni stayed in Texas, but now they're together again. Everything is working out just as it should.”

“So you believe in happily ever after endings?”

“Of course. Don't you?”

“I don't know. I don't know anyone who's ever had one.”

“You're kidding!”

“No, seriously. My mother died young, poor and single. The couple I went to live with divorced right after I graduated from high school. Maybe some of my classmates are happily married, but I don't know. I changed schools and lost track of them.”

“That's sad. And since then? There's no one…special?”

“No, not really. Not at the moment.” She'd broken up with her boyfriend in Portland over six months ago. “No family?”

“Not in Oregon. I have some cousins scattered around, but I'm not that close to them.”

He was silent so long that Amanda looked up. “What?”

“This is a good town. A good place to live. You could find new friends. Maybe make your own family.”

She shook her head. “I don't think it's that easy.”

“It might be, if you let it happen.”

She thought maybe he was talking about more than simply moving here and making friends. She didn't want to assume anything, though. Or anticipate something that was never going to happen. He was friends with the
Crawfords. He wouldn't take her side if the situation got ugly, and it wouldn't be fair to put him in the middle of a family feud.

Amanda took her last drink of coffee. “It's getting late and I have to get up early in the morning, plus I have to pack my suitcase since I'll be checking out of the motel.”

“I'll drive you there.”

“I can walk.”

He took her cup and his and headed for the sink. After rinsing them out, he opened his wallet and tucked a bill under a canister.

“Let me pay for the coffee,” Amanda said, reaching for her wallet.

“My treat.”

She sighed in exasperation. “Well, I should leave you a tip,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“A tip? Like a fingertip?”

“No! I mean… Oh, never mind.”

He stepped close and pulled her to him. Her heart beat fast as he looked down into her eyes. “I tell you what. I'll take a rain check on that tip.”

“You—you will?”

“Absolutely. And I'll let you know what the appropriate gratuity is later. I'm very good at math.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“But don't worry,” he said softly, his head slightly lowered toward hers. “It won't be more than you can afford.”

She closed her eyes, so sure that he was going to kiss her, so afraid that she might just make a fool of herself if he did. He probably wouldn't be expecting some one to grab on and hold him tight, kiss him as if
there was no tomorrow. No, he wouldn't be expecting that from her.

“We'd better get going,” he said, his breath a faint whisper against her face. “We have to get up early in the morning.”

Her eyes snapped open as he pulled back. The scoundrel! He was smiling at her as if he hadn't just tempted her nearly out of her skin.

She blinked away her frustration. “Right. Early morning. Let's go.” She turned and marched to the door, ready to get this night over with before she grabbed him and asked him to stay with her in that retro-themed room she couldn't afford.

 

L
EO KNOCKED ON THE DOOR
to the Western Suite, as Amanda's room was called, while stifling a yawn with his other hand. Except for the rare times he was on a job site or meeting a truck at the hardware store, he didn't get out this early. The sun would have barely been up if it weren't so foggy.

He hadn't been lucky enough for the rain to cancel their garage sale and thrift store shopping trip this morning. While he would have gladly brought coffee and doughnuts to Amanda's room if they were staying in, cuddling up against the damp weather, he wasn't enthusiastic about going anywhere today.

As a matter of fact, he would rather visit his dentist than go thrift store shopping.

“Oh, hi,” Amanda said breathlessly, whipping open the door. “I was just finishing my packing.”

“Already?”

“I have to be out of the room by noon, and we might
not be back by then,” she said, rolling her suitcase to the doorway.

“We won't?”

She shrugged. “I'm not sure and I don't want to risk it. I told you I can't afford another night.” She dropped a small duffel bag next to the suitcase.

Leo stepped around the suitcase into the room. “Christie isn't going to charge you for another night.”

“I won't inconvenience her when she and your sister have been so nice to me.” Amanda kept scurrying about, way too fast for Leo's diminished morning functioning.

He frowned. “What about me? I'm nice to you.”

Amanda stopped and stared at him as if she were startled he was standing in her room. “Oh. Right. Yes, you are. But you're a guy.”

“Thankfully, yes.” He glanced at her rumpled bed. It was probably still warm and smelled of nearly naked Amanda. He shook his head to clear the image. “What do you mean, ‘I'm a guy'?”

She shrugged again. “You might have…you know, ulterior motives.” She added a multicolored tote bag to the growing pile by the door.

“Right. Those ulterior motives again.” If he'd given in to his “ulterior motives” he would have kissed her and maybe more last night in the coffee shop. But no, he'd been the perfect gentleman. Okay, maybe he'd been a little calculating, but he didn't want to scare her off. He didn't want her thinking about his “motives.”

Not while he was trying to figure out
hers.

And if he weren't such a gentleman this morning, he'd see if he could convince her to forego thrift shopping
for a much more pleasurable activity. Like putting the next four hours of paid-for motel room to good use.

“There, that's everything,” she said, rushing around the bed and pulling up the covers. “I don't think I left anything.”

“What do you want to do with this?” He pointed to her bags.

“Put them in my car, I suppose. Is there a safe place to park?”

“We have private parking in back of the condos, but it's not secured.”

“Well, that's okay unless you've had break-ins. Everything I own is in that car, so I want to make sure it's safe.”

Everything she owned was in one car? How could that be? He'd assumed she still had an apartment or a house someplace in Oregon. Where were all her personal things? Didn't every woman have a bunch of sentimental stuff from high school or birthdays or whatever?

He opened his mouth, but decided it was better not to express his surprise. “No break-ins,” he said instead. “I'll get someone to check on your car while we're gone if it would make you feel better.”

“If it's not too much trouble, that would be great.”

“No problem.” He picked up her suitcase and duffel bag while she snatched up the tote, which seemed to hold her laptop.

She turned back for a moment. “Goodbye, room,” she said wistfully.

Leo suspected this wasn't the only time Amanda Allen had bid farewell to a place she really liked.

 

“H
OW MUCH FOR THE WHOLE BOX
?” Amanda asked the hefty, bored-looking woman lounging inside the
garage. At least she wasn't smoking. The value of items decreased when they smelled of cigarette smoke or were covered in dust and pet hair.

“All of them old postcards?”

“Yes. I don't think my friend has the patience for me to go through them here,” she said, nodding toward Leo. His hands in his jean pockets, he looked very bored as he stood near a table of assorted dishes and glassware. “You know how men are.”

“Unless you got some huntin' and fishin' items for sale, they couldn't care less.”

“I like old postcards and I can look at them later.”

“Well, how about five bucks?”

Normally she'd bargain, but the price seemed more than fair. She could sort them later into packets of two to six, photograph them and have them online quickly. “Sounds good to me.” She dug a five-dollar bill out of the stack of ones and fives she kept for her garage sale shopping. “Thanks.”

She carried the box to Leo. “I'm ready to go.”

“To lunch?”

“How about finding one more garage sale?” She didn't want to push him, but she did need something she might be able to sell fast. A real bargain where she could make money quickly. One of her regular customers was always looking for 1950s porcelain figurines, and another one wanted vintage labeled cans and bottles.

He let out a little sigh, but nodded. “It's your day.”

“Thanks. I really do appreciate your patience.”

“One more, and then I need food,” he said as they walked toward his truck. “I know a good place in Graham where we can eat. I think you'll like it.”

“I'm glad the fog cleared,” she commented, looking
up at the blue sky with its fleeting white clouds. They scurried above the wide-open landscape as if they were fleeing bad weather. Nothing threatened now, though. The temperatures were warm and the sun bright.

“Fog usually doesn't last long. We might get rain later today.”

“I hope not too soon.”

“We'll be fine. We'll bring your suitcase and other things in through the back door by the covered parking.”

“I'm more concerned about finding what I need before the weather gets bad.” She wasn't entirely happy about his assumptions, either. She'd been on her own too long to be comfortable with being part of a “we.”