Susanna walked to her door, climbed up the steps and swiveled her head. She spotted Ally laughing as the bushy-haired pup did impressive belly rolls on the grass. Casey glanced over and their eyes met. A second ticked by, and then another. Having him here was impossible. She didn’t want him watching her. The corners of her lips pulled down and she snapped out of his momentary hold on her. Reaching for the screen door, she turned the handle and stepped inside her home.
Escaping.
* * *
Casey leaned against his SUV with his arms folded over his chest, keeping an eye on Ally. The dog was pooped out from one too many belly rolls and Ally sat beside him on the grass, talking up a storm. Casey didn’t know two-year-olds could babble so much, yet Charger listened to the blonde girl with ears perked and tongue hanging as if he understood every word she said. Casey knew a little bit about Ally from what Audrey had told him. Mainly that she’d lost her mom, Rhonda Lee, to drug addiction. Rhonda Lee and Susanna were first cousins. Since the child’s father was out of the picture, Susanna had been the child’s only option and she’d stepped in to raise the little girl.
Susanna’s screen door squeaked open and he spotted her stepping off the porch. As she walked toward him, she was ramrod stiff, her shoulders tight, her pretty sculpted chin held high. She hadn’t forgiven him. That much was clear.
Ten years seemed like eons ago, but Casey hadn’t forgotten the night they’d made love either. He was totally to blame for the awkward situation between them and it made his mission here that much harder. Somehow, he had to gain Susanna’s trust so he could help her. He owed the Hart family that much. Without Eleanor and George Hart, he would’ve never been able to raise Audrey on his own. For years, they’d been her second family when Casey was on the road with the rodeo.
If he hadn’t had legitimate business here establishing new Sentinel Construction offices in Reno and overseeing the final stages of a trendy new restaurant on the River Walk, Audrey wouldn’t have pounced on the idea of him moving into their childhood home to secretly help Susanna get back on her feet.
“She’s all alone, Case. Trying hard to make a success of Sweet Susie’s and raise her cousin’s child on her own,” Audrey had said. “You know how that is.”
And he did. He’d had his share of struggles after they’d lost their parents and he’d had to grow up fast in order to raise his much younger sister. That’s why he’d allowed Audrey to twist his arm. The trouble with the plan was that Susanna was barely speaking to him.
She glanced at the dog cozying up next to Ally under the shade of a cottonwood tree and then pursed her lips and robotically proceeded toward them. He sighed. She wasn’t happy about the pup being here either.
That was another one of Audrey’s ideas. Not that Casey minded rescuing the dog from a puppy mill, but he hadn’t planned on bringing the dog with him on this trip. He could’ve left the dog with Audrey at Sunset Ranch, but his sister had insisted he’d need the company. Now, he got it. His shrewd sister meant for the pup to be an icebreaker. Judging by the look on Susie’s face, he might also need a chisel.
“Here you go.” Susie dangled the key with its cupcake-shaped clear plastic keychain that read SweetSusies.com in bright lavender letters.
Casey opened his palm and she dropped it in, but as he lifted his hand, their fingertips brushed. Susie’s eyes widened and she blinked. Touching him made her nervous. That annoyed the crap out of him. Why was that? “I don’t bite, Suse.”
“No one calls me that anymore.”
Meaning she didn’t want him calling her by that familiar nickname. He’d heard Audrey refer to Susanna that way since forever. “I’ll try to remember that.”
He closed his hand over the key. “You’ve started a business. You always were a damn good cook. How’s it going?”
Her gaze slid to Ally. The child was content watching the dog resting beside her. Susanna turned back to Casey and said, “It’s going...well. I love what I do and...that’s all that matters.”
It was the defiant way she said all that matters and the way her eyes darted away afterward that caught his attention. Audrey had said she was struggling with all the changes in her life, but Susanna was too darned prideful to ask for help. “I hear you. It’s always a good thing,” he said, squinting his eyes, his emotions stirring, “to love what you do.”
Nervously, she nibbled her lower lip. He’d always thought she was pretty, in a natural wholesome sort of way. If he were any other man, under different circumstances, he’d be damned happy finding out Susanna was going to be his temporary next-door neighbor. Too bad the situation was more complicated than that.
“Oh, I’m....sorry. I shouldn’t have said...” She nibbled her lip some more.
“It’s okay.”
She couldn’t hide her compassion, not even under the guise of defiance. But he didn’t want anyone’s pity. His lifelong dream had been cut short by a freakish fall off a bucking bronco, but he’d come out the other end okay. As a rodeo rider, he’d known the risks. Because of sound investments he’d made during his heyday as a champion, he’d become CEO of Sentinel Construction and was wealthy enough to buy a rodeo or two of his own now. “My rodeo days are behind me. I’m fine with it.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Well...I really should take Ally inside. It’s almost suppertime.”
“Yeah and I’d better get unloaded.” He gazed toward the front door of his house. A dozen memories he wasn’t expecting flooded his mind. He’d raised Audrey here. It hadn’t been easy being mother and father to a sister eight years his junior. The responsibility had weighed heavily on him. Audrey would say he’d been hardnosed and a bully, and more times than not, he’d worried that he’d messed up her life. But the Harts had always been there for her, giving her guidance and a second roof over her head. All the more reason Casey had to see this thing through with Susanna. “It’s been years since I’ve lived here.” He sighed, speaking his thoughts aloud.
“It’s strange having the house empty since Audrey moved out.”
“Yeah, who knows what I’ll find in there,” he said.
“Except for some dust, you won’t be disappointed. Audrey kept the place up.”
“I bet you miss her,” he said, sliding his gaze to her.
Susanna looked longingly toward the house. “I do, but...she’s happy and a new mommy now.”
“It appears you’re doing some mothering too.”
A warm glow entered Susanna’s eyes as she continued to gaze at the house. “I’m doing my best with Ally. She’s really a sweetheart. Well, like I said, I’d better be going.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the key. I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Bye, now.”
She turned to walk away. With her long auburn tresses pulled into a ponytail, she looked younger than her twenty-eight years, but the snug fit of her blue jeans and the form-fitted plaid blouse she wore screamed woman in capital letters.
His problem wasn’t going away. Susanna had refused eye contact for all but a second or two of their awkward conversation, which she couldn’t
