Whenever You Come Around (21 page)

Charity said, “I’ll come with you, Sara.” She was proud of how steady her voice was. Her pulse quickened a bit, but there was no sense of dread. That was progress.

Ashley let herself out while Sara and Charity climbed the stairs to the master bedroom. Eddy’s cries sounded more demanding with each passing moment. Sara went straight to the cradle and picked him up, then carried him to the rocking chair.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” she asked, her gaze fastened on the infant.

Charity took several steps toward her. “Yes, Sara. He’s beautiful.” And he was.

“A Malone through and through. Look at that square jaw. Just like his daddy’s.”

And like his uncle too
.

B
UCK AND
S
HERIFF
L
ESTER STUDIED THE SIGNS LEFT
behind by the bear. Only one set of prints. No cubs following after an adult female. And the tracks led away from Kings Meadow proper. Good news.

Still, folks had been alerted to a bear’s presence in the area—one neighbor passing along the news to another by phone or on the street. The bear hadn’t been sighted. More than likely, it had returned to the mountains soon after its encounter with Cocoa. Perhaps even nursing a few wounds of its own. Buck considered himself lucky. The bear had traveled right through the middle of his acreage. Bears usually left horses alone, but if Cocoa had been in pursuit, it might have struck out at anything in its path.

After the sheriff left, Buck stayed outside, hoping to work off some of his restless energy. He started by mucking out the covered lean-to. The physical labor felt good, and it was the kind of work that allowed his thoughts to wander. No surprise that they wandered to Charity. Images of her flooded his mind. So many it seemed he’d been collecting them for years instead of weeks, each one of them meaningful to him. Some made him want to laugh with her, some to cry for her. Some should have made him angry, he supposed, but they didn’t.

Summer was flying by. If he wanted to win her heart, he’d best hurry before he ran out of time. It would become more difficult, if not impossible, once she was back in Boise.

He wasn’t certain how much time had passed before he heard the crunch of tires. He looked up in time to see Charity’s Lexus stop in the Anderson driveway. He set aside the pitchfork and headed toward the neighboring house, wiping away the sweat with a hand towel. Charity got out of her SUV and had already entered the backyard before she saw his approach. She waited on the other side of the closed gate.

It felt more like a wall between them.

“How’s Cocoa?” he asked when he stopped a couple of yards away.

“Dr. Parry wants to keep her at the clinic for a day or two. To make sure there’s no infection. But she seems to be doing all right.”

“Glad to hear it.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “And what about you? How are you holding up?”

She was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, “I’m good too.”

Instinct told Buck to give her some time and space. He took a step back. “Well, I’ve got more chores to do. Better get to them. You’ll be sure and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you or Cocoa. Right?”

She nodded.

“Okay, then. See you later.” With a tip of his head, he turned on his heel and headed back to the work that awaited him.

But his thoughts—and his heart—remained with Charity.

Chapter 21

W
HEN THE TELEPHONE RANG ON
S
ATURDAY, A LITTLE
before noon, Charity ignored it. She’d brought Cocoa home from the vet’s earlier that morning, and she’d been writing up a storm for the past two and a half hours while her faithful companion slept nearby. She didn’t want to break the flow while it was going so well. Whoever was calling would simply have to leave a message or try again later.

Charity’s dystopian-set Lancer Series featured a strong, smart, courageous female protagonist named Ghleanna. While there were some good—even heroic—male characters in those books, there was never more than a hint of a potential romantic relationship with Ghleanna. Charity’s former editor had loved the books that way. So had Charity.

But, to her surprise, she’d warmed to the developing romances in her new novel. And she was as fond of her secondary teenaged couple as she was of her slightly more mature
hero and heroine, two people about the same age as Charity herself.

And the same age as Buck
.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She hadn’t meant to let her neighbor sneak into her thoughts. Not again. Not today. Not when she needed to stay focused on her story. She might as well have answered the phone. Nobody else could disturb her the way Buck Malone could. Even when he didn’t try to. Even when he wasn’t present.

She looked at her laptop screen and poised her fingers over the keyboard. Then she waited. And waited. Nothing. Not a word. Not a single noun or verb or adjective. Not any narrative or dialogue. Nothing. Like a river that had been dammed by the sudden collapse of a mountainside.

“Go away, Buck.”

Cocoa raised her head.

“Ignore me, girl. I’m okay.” She rose from the desk, closing the laptop as she did so. “Let’s eat something.”

Charity went to the sheepskin-lined dog bed and lifted Cocoa into her arms. Once down the stairs, she set Cocoa on the floor and allowed the dog to limp her way into the kitchen. It made Charity’s chest ache to see her faithful pal like this. What if the bear had killed her? What if Buck hadn’t found her in time?

Buck again.

Standing in the kitchen, the memory of the kiss they’d shared in this room came rushing back. Tingling sensations shot through her, and her breath became short. The kiss had been more than she’d dreamed any kiss could be.

How did I let it happen?

She released a sigh as she opened the refrigerator. Stood there a short while looking until, undecided on what to eat, she finally closed the door. That was when she noticed the blinking light on the answering machine. She went to it and punched the Play button.

“Hi, Charity.” Nathan’s voice. “Sorry I missed you. About me coming up tomorrow. Looks like I won’t make it. My boss is sending me out of town for the next week, and I’ll be thirty thousand feet in the air at noon tomorrow. I’m really sorry. How about I call you once I’m settled in the hotel? Should be around four or so, Mountain Time. Hope you’ll be near the phone then. Take care.”

Click
.

Nathan’s kisses had never made her feel the way Buck’s one brief kiss had. And as that realization swept over her, she also knew that she and Nathan would never get back together again. She didn’t love him. If she was honest with herself, she’d known it wouldn’t work when he’d come to see her last Sunday.

No, I knew the day he first called
.

She was moving on. She was getting better, stronger. She wasn’t going to settle for something less. She might not be ready yet, but she would get there.

B
UCK ARRIVED AT HIS BROTHER
’
S HOME A LITTLE
before five. He’d been invited to join the family for dinner, an opportunity he tried never to pass up. And being there would give him some time with the newest member of the Malone clan. Little Eddy had completely captured his uncle’s heart.

“Wow, Sara,” he said after embracing his sister-in-law. “You look more beautiful every time I see you. Being a mother of four agrees with you.”

She laughed. “You’re a charming liar, Buck Malone. My hair is a disaster, and I haven’t lost an ounce that I gained while pregnant. But thanks anyway.”

“My brother isn’t lying,” Ken said as he draped an arm over his wife’s shoulders. “You do look more beautiful each day.”

She feigned a frown. “Are you trying to get out of doing the dishes when dinner’s over?”

“Maybe,” Ken and Buck answered in unison, both grinning.

“Uh-huh.” She shook her head but returned their smiles.

“Where’s Eddy?” Buck asked.

“In the family room.” Ken looked at Sara. “You go on with him. I’ll keep an eye on the stove.”

“Thanks, hon.”

Sara led the way down the hall. A kind of ordered chaos ruled the family room. Buck found it appealing. Krista and Sharon played a board game on the floor near the sliding glass door that led onto the patio. Their brother Jake played a video game on the large-screen television. In a bassinet near the sofa, Eddy slept, blissfully unaware of the invaders from outer space being blown to bits on the screen.

Buck glanced at Sara, and after she nodded, he scooped up the infant. “He’s going to look like you.”

“Are you joking? He’s a Malone through and through. In fact, I said those very same words to Charity a couple of days ago.”

He looked up from the baby but tried not to sound too interested. “Is that right?”

“Mmm. She came over after checking on her dog at the vet’s. Ashley was here, too, and before Ash left, she made certain Charity signed up for both the reunion potluck and the dance.”

Buck settled on the sofa, and Sara sat beside him, smiling as she looked at her baby.

“Must be a huge relief, how well Eddy’s doing.”

“I can’t begin to say.”

“How old is he? I’ve already lost track.”

“Five weeks yesterday.” Sara reached out and lightly touched the tip of his tiny nose.

Buck looked at his sister-in-law. “Did Charity tell you how upset she got the day Eddy was born? I guess she was afraid you or the baby wouldn’t make it. She ran out of the waiting area like the place was on fire.”

“No,” Sara answered, eyes growing wide. “She didn’t tell me.”

“I was worried about her, but she wouldn’t talk about it when she came back.”

Sara straightened and leaned back from him, as if to get a better look at his face. “Something’s changed about you.”

“About me? Nah. I’m the same.”

She released a soft gasp. “It’s Charity, isn’t it?”

“What about Charity?”

“You like her. And more than just a little too.”

He looked down at his infant nephew and felt a tug in his heart toward a different future than he used to envision for himself. One that needed a wider circle to contain all of the people he loved. One worth having, even with the risk.

Chapter 22

B
UCK AND THE
U
LTIMATE
A
DVENTURES GUESTS
turned back from their trail ride when dark-gray clouds blew in from the south. Storms out of the south, Buck knew, were usually bad news. This time was no exception. While the small group was still fifteen minutes from the barn, the sky opened up and dropped rain on them in heavy sheets. In an instant they were soaked through to the skin, and there wasn’t anything they could do except ride on.

The weather report hadn’t called for rain. If it had, Buck would have tied rain slickers to the back of each saddle or canceled the ride altogether. But the reports had called for a clear and sunny day. Since clear and sunny were what residents of Kings Meadow enjoyed for most of the summer months, Buck hadn’t had reason to expect anything different.

He reined in and turned his gelding off the trail. “Sorry, folks,” he called to the party of six. “We’re almost there.” He hunched his shoulders against the downpour. Water ran
off the brim of his hat as if from a faucet. “Just keep headed in that direction.” He pointed with his arm. “Sorry it’s so miserable.”

He waited until the last guest had passed him, then turned his horse onto the trail again. It was hard to see, and the last thing he needed was to lose somebody in the storm.

Chet and Kimberly were waiting for them in the barn. Kimberly passed out towels and, when the guests were ready to put something in their hands, large mugs of hot chocolate. Chet helped Buck tend to the horses. By the time the men were finished, the guests had been driven back to their quarters.

“Rotten thing to have happen,” Chet said.

Buck rubbed his hair with the towel he’d used earlier. “Hope your guests don’t blame you for the weather.”

“You can never tell.” Chet shrugged. “You know how it is.”

“Yeah, I know. Most of the folks I work with are great. They love the outdoors and horses, and they take in stride whatever comes while on a trip. But every so often . . .” Buck let his words fade into silence as he gave his head a slow shake.

Chet grunted in response.

Buck looked toward the open barn door. “It’s not letting up.”

“We need the moisture. Been a dry summer.” Chet leaned his shoulder against a post. “Buck, when do you think you’ll go back to outfitting?”

“I don’t have anything booked until the end of August.”

“How’d you like to come work for me until then? Full time. Not just leading trail rides for our guests but training horses, too, and general ranch work. I could really use you.”

Buck didn’t have to think about the offer. “Chet, there’s
nothing I’d like better. I’m not used to having a lot of spare time on my hands. I like to be busy.”

“Great. Start tomorrow morning?”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll be here. Eight o’clock? Or do you want me earlier?”

“Eight’s fine.” Chet grinned. “Kimberly’s going to be glad to hear it. She’s been after me to hire another hand ever since Denny left for Colorado. I haven’t been very happy with the interviews I’ve had. Then I started wondering about you. You know horses and ranch work, and you’re good with people too. You’re a perfect fit.”

“I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

“I’m not worried about that.” Chet slapped a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “Only disappointment will be when you leave us.”

Chet’s words stayed with Buck during the drive home. It felt good, the trust the other man had shown in him. What was more surprising was how much he liked the idea of ranch work. Especially the horse-training part. He knew a lot, but he didn’t know as much as Chet Leonard. Nobody in these mountains knew as much as Chet. A paycheck, even for a single month, would be a big help. Learning more about horse training from Chet would be a major bonus.

As his truck approached his driveway, the rain—little more than a sprinkle now—stopped and the clouds broke apart, letting through a bright beam of sunlight. It felt like a promise of some kind. Almost as a response, Charity sprang to mind. And along with her image came an old Vince Gill song. He began to sing it to himself. The lyrics were perfect. They described exactly how Charity made him feel.
Whenever she came around, she made his knees go weak and his breath catch. Her smile turned his world upside down.