would it feel like to be on the receiving end of his heart-stopping smile? She’d seen plenty of them in the old photos she’d studied while researching him. She shook her head. Collecting smiles from an ex-superstar wasn’t why she was here. She had a story to write.
He stared off in the distance, a muscle in his jaw twitching. His lips curled in resolve. “I’d offer to take you to town until your car’s repaired, but there isn’t a motel within sixty miles of here. I reckon you’ll have to stay here while we see about getting it fixed. But no story.” Arms crossed over his wide chest, he glared down at her, leaving no room for objection.
“Thanks for your...um...gracious offer.” Her sarcasm prompted another scowl from him. Why did she do that? Rub salt in a wound. Maybe because as a child, she’d never been able to fight back. Maybe because she’d never had luck with men, especially confident, wealthy ones. Business execs always wanted something in return for a night on the town—something she was unwilling to give. Sports jocks were even worse. Arrogant. Cocky. So full of themselves there wasn’t room for anyone else.
No, her track record with men wasn’t good. Just standing this close to one gave her the shakes. She reached for her suitcase at the same instant he did, and his calloused hand enveloped hers, sending unwanted fingers of fire blazing up her arm. Mariah yanked her hand away.
“I’ll get it,” he mumbled, obviously not happy about losing their argument or her being stuck at his ranch. He turned and strode toward the house.
“C’mon. I’ll show you where the spare room is,” J.D.’s daughter said, skipping up to her. The girl grabbed the small bag. Mariah pushed her purse and laptop bag up on her shoulder then closed the trunk. Hailey took her by the arm and pulled her toward the sprawling ranch house. “I hope you can stay a long time. We don’t ever have company stay overnight.”
Mariah peeked at the child beside her. Where her dad was dark and brooding, his daughter was friendly and outgoing. Her hair was a much lighter shade of brown than his, and her eyes reminded Mariah of chocolate kisses.
Hailey slowed, leaned closer and whispered, “Daddy sure was surprised you’re a woman. Uncle Evan must have forgot to tell him that.” She peeked up at her father, who stood at the door holding the suitcase, then beamed a dimpled grin much like his.
“He’s not the first to be shocked that I’m a female. The first was my father,” Mariah said.
Hailey giggled. Mariah sensed that given the chance, she and the young girl could become friends. “So, how old are you?”
“Six.”
“Six, huh?”
“Yep. I just had my birthday last week. Sometimes it’s the same day as Thanksgiving, but not this year. I’ll be seven next year.”
A wave of melancholy washed over Mariah. Had she ever looked forward to a birthday? When she was a child, birthdays had been virtually nonexistent. Oh, they came and went like any other day, but they weren’t celebrated, other than her mother slipping her a quarter, if she had one.
“Daddy says I can have my own horse when I’m older. He loves horses, but he loves football, too. Course, he don’t play football no more. Well, ’cept sometimes he plays with Lance and Justin.” Hailey skipped up the sidewalk that led to the cranberry-red front door of the gray brick ranch house.
Mariah filed the names Lance and Justin in a mental folder with plans to research them later, and then she studied the area. Though the house itself looked well kept, there was nothing special about the landscaping. In fact, the flower beds overflowed with dried grass and dead stalks. The only signs of life were a couple of dark green weeds and a few pitiful purple pansies that needed watering. The place sure could use a woman’s touch.
Mariah’s shoes scuffed against the sidewalk as she limped beside Hailey. Glancing down, she noticed a dark spot staining the knee of her new pantsuit, which was covered in white powder from the air bag. She quickly looked up before she got woozy. She must have banged her leg when she wrecked the car and was just now feeling the stinging sensation where the injury rubbed against her pants. She tried not to limp as she passed her reluctant host.
Hailey pulled open a screeching metal storm door, pushed against the main door and slipped inside. The screen slammed against Mariah’s arm as she stepped across the threshold. The door handle scraped against her elbow, forcing her into the doorjamb. She winced.
“Sorry ’bout that,” J.D. mumbled. He pulled back the door and held it while she walked in.
At least he had some manners.
Mariah looked around as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the house. They passed through a small mudroom and into a spacious kitchen decorated in dark green and yellow with wallpaper covered in birdhouses and tiny flowers. Everything was neat and tidy, not at all what she expected of a single father’s home.
She followed Hailey, passing a more formal table and chairs in the dining room, which looked as if they were brand-new—a sign the family probably took their meals in the kitchen. Mariah peeked into the living area as they walked past the door, noting the Southwest theme with dark red, green and tan accents. Continuing down the hallway, they passed a closed door, and then Hailey walked into a bedroom with light blue walls.
“This is the guest bedroom. That’s my room. It’s painted lavender.” She pointed to a closed door across the hall with a big purple-and-yellow daisy on it. “Daddy’s is that way.” Waving her hand in the air, she motioned on down the long hall.
Mariah glanced at J.D. and noticed his ears reddening, probably from the mention of his bedroom. She bit back a smile that such a tiny thing would rattle the rugged man after the way he lit into her for endangering his daughter. Ignoring the jealous ache caused by the thought of a father actually protecting his child, she turned her attention to the cozy bedroom. Powder-blue curtains matched the blue floral quilt on the queen-size bed. Through another door was a small bathroom that would give her privacy. She would be comfortable, even if she wasn’t there for very long.
Her suitcase bounced as her host dropped it onto the bed. “I’ll call Denton’s shop in town and see if they can start repairing your car today.” He turned and stalked out of the room, obviously anxious to be rid of her as soon as possible.
“Deuce says Daddy’s kinda like a summer thunderstorm. He gets mad and blows up but calms down quickly.”
Wondering who Deuce was, Mariah smiled at the young girl’s analogy.
Hailey flopped onto the bed. “I’m glad you’re a woman even if Daddy isn’t happy. Sometimes Aunt Kelly comes out and takes care of me, but not as much as she used to when I was little. She lived here then. This was her room.”
The talkative child might be a wealth of information if Mariah could get to know her and could overcome her aversion to using the child to gain information on her father. She unzipped her suitcase, hoping for a longer stay than one night. “Where does your aunt Kelly live now?” She pulled out her black pantsuit, gave it a shake and hung it up in the empty closet.
“Oh, she lives in town. But she comes out here a lot.” Hailey stopped her bouncing and leaned forward, a mischievous smile brightening her face. “She’s sweet on Lance. At least she used to be.”
“And who’s Lance?”
“He owns the ranch next to us. He’s Daddy’s best friend.”
