Chirp(55)

She had a strange look but said nothing. Rance wondered what was going on in her head. He couldn’t always tell with her, so he dropped it. “Why were you taking my picture earlier?”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Dozing.”

“I like taking pictures of you.”

“Naked?”

“Yes.”

“Why? They won’t show up on the Internet, will they?”

She rolled her eyes. “Your body is beautiful. I like to sketch you. They’re just for me.”

He sat up and stretched. “Well, we’d better take care of these goats and get you home.” Busywork. He needed it, because when she’d told him that in eight months she’d leave, something had twisted in his gut. Come this time next year, she’d be back in her world of money and power, and he’d still be here. Alone.





Blaze


Blaze heard it in Rance’s voice when he’d said the word heiress, and again when he drew the conclusion about her wealth. Somehow he thought less of himself because of it. He had no reason. It was true, she’d never struggled financially, but money didn’t mean anything to her. Even with a big bank account, Dad had taught her not to flaunt her affluence. He’d set a good example by giving much of his wealth away, and she planned to continue his legacy.

She hated the company was in Houston. Because of that she saw no future with Rance. He’d made it clear Bluebird would always be his home. She’d make it hers too, if he asked.

God, she sounded like the lovesick women on every cheesy soap opera Helga had watched. Shaking the ridiculous notion away, Blaze returned the chippy stool to the counter and wrote the date on the milk container before sliding it into the cooler.

Outside, Rance threw a stick and tried to get Muttly to fetch. He wasn’t having much luck. The dog kept rolling over, wanting his belly rubbed. Blaze couldn’t help but laugh. She liked it when Rance rubbed her, too.

He stepped inside. “You ready?”

“Am I a slut?”

He bent with laughter, holding his sides.

“Not funny. There’s something wrong with me. Sex is all I think about, and that can’t be normal.” She slumped onto a stool. “I’ve always been odd, and now I’m a sex maniac, too.”

Rance tried to straighten, but he was laughing too hard.

“Stop it. This is your fault. With your big penis, and your magic tongue, and your nasty talk.”

He crossed the room, pulled her into his arms, and got control. “You’re fucking adorable. That’s what you are.” Then he tilted her chin until she met his gaze. “Everybody goes a little nuts when they have great sex. Trust me, you’re as normal as it gets in that department.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hell yeah. We’ll go to town and buy a copy of Cosmo. It’s bound to have an article that will set you straight.”





26


Seth


Even as a boy, walking through these woods calmed Seth. A bee buzzed around his head and brought him back to the route he was following. The cool morning air. Sunlight winking through the trees. The sounds of the forest. Man, how he wished to go back to those carefree days if only for a little while.

He’d played out this scene in his head a thousand times, but now his stomach knotted. Who was he kidding? With Hanna’s beauty, she’d probably had a dozen lovers since him. No way would she still be carrying a torch—or a grudge.

He swung the door wide. She looked up, and her breath caught. The same sound she’d always made right before she came apart in his arms. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

“Hey, Hanna.”

“What are you doing here?”

She was stirring something in a bowl. Bottles of different sizes lined the counter. The place smelled of lavender and something else. Coconut. “Nick and I came to visit Rance.”

Her eyes darkened, and she swallowed hard. “I know that. I meant what are you doing here?”

The tone of her voice warned him he wasn’t welcome. But he couldn’t let that change his plans. “I wanted to see you.”

“After all these years? Why?”

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about you, and I…”

She cut him off. “Why in the world would you do that when you thought so little of me before?”

He advanced on her, and she stood her ground. No longer a fragile, innocent teenager, she glared at him. Maybe he wasn’t the only guy who’d hurt her. “That isn’t true. I’ve always thought about you.”

She stopped mixing. “What do you want from me, Seth? Forgiveness? Absolution for taking my virginity? Letting me believe I meant something to you?” She put her palm in front of him and made the sign of the cross. “You’re absolved. Go on with your life.”

He reached out to take her hand, but she backed away.

“You did mean something to me,” he said.

That got a humorless laugh from her. “Once a liar, always a liar. You should leave. I have someone in my life now, and if he finds you here, I’ll have to explain more than I want.” She turned her back and shuffled pans on a shelf.

“Well, if you’re so in love, why are you still pissed at me? What happened between us shouldn’t matter anymore.”