Heart of Texas Volume 2: Caroline's Child. Debbie Macomber

loving the sound of her amusement. It was difficult not to stare. All these years, and he hadn’t seen how damn beautiful she was. While he could speculate why it’d taken him this long, he didn’t want to waste another minute. It was all he could do to keep his tongue from lolling out the side of his mouth whenever he caught sight of her. He longed to find the words to tell her how attractive she was, how much he liked and respected her. It wasn’t the first time he’d wished he could issue compliments with Richard’s finesse.

       “Come on, Grady, loosen up.”

       “I’m loose,” he growled and noted how relaxed she was, rocking back and forth as if they often sat side by side in the evening. His parents had done that. Every night. They’d shared the events of their day, talked over plans for the future, exchanged feelings and opinions.

       The memory of his mother and father filled his mind. Six years, and the pain of their absence was as strong now as it had been in the beginning. Some nights Grady would sit on the porch, the old dog beside him, and silently discuss business matters with his father, seeking his advice. Not that he actually expected his father to provide answers, of course; Grady was no believer in ghosts or paranormal influences. But those one-sided discussions had helped see Grady through the rough years. It was during those times, burdened with worries, that he’d been forced to search deep inside himself for the answers. And on rare occasions, he’d experienced moments when he’d felt his father’s presence more intensely than his absence.

       “You’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden,” Caroline said.

       “I want to talk to you about Richard.” His words were as much a surprise to him as to Caroline.

       “Oh?” Her eyebrows rose.

       “I realize you must find his attention flattering, but like I said earlier it isn’t wise to believe anything Richard says.” The lazy sway of her rocking stopped. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this,” he added. It wasn’t pleasant for him, either. Regardless of anything between them, though, Grady’s one concern was that Richard not hurt Caroline.

       “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I’m a big girl.”

       “I didn’t mean to suggest you weren’t. It’s just that, well, Richard has a way with women.”

       “And you assume he’s going to sweep me off my feet, is that it?” The teasing warmth in her voice was gone, replaced by something less friendly.

       “You think I want to say these things?” he asked, inhaling sharply. “It isn’t really you he’s interested in, anyway.”

       “I beg your pardon?”

       Grady wished he’d never introduced the subject. Clearly Caroline wasn’t going to appreciate his insight, but once he’d started he couldn’t stop. “Richard knows how I feel about you and—” He snapped his mouth closed before he embarrassed himself further. “I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to get hurt again.” He didn’t know what madness possessed him to add the again. He realized the moment he did that Caroline had taken his advice the wrong way.

       Grady had never asked her about Maggie’s father, didn’t intend to do so now. Heaven knew she was touchy enough about the subject. The only other time he’d said something, months earlier, she’d been ready to bite his head off.

       “This discussion is over,” she said, jumping to her feet.

       “Caroline, I didn’t mean— Oh, hell, be angry if you want.” With an abrupt movement, he got out of the chair, leaving it to rock wildly. Once again he’d botched their conversation. “It appears you don’t need any advice from me.”

       “No, Grady, I don’t.”

       It damaged his pride that she’d so casually disregard his warning. “Fine, then, for all I care, you can marry Richard.” Not giving her a chance to respond, he stalked away, absolutely certain that any hope of a relationship was forever ruined.

       His fears were confirmed less than an hour later when he left the barn and saw her again. She was in her car with the driver’s window rolled down. Richard was leaning against the side of the vehicle, and the sound of their laughter rang in the twilight.

       The unexpected twist of disappointment and pain caught Grady off guard. Well, that certainly answered that.

       Caroline must have noticed him because Richard suddenly looked over his shoulder. Grady didn’t stick around. It was too hard to pretend he didn’t care when he damn well did. His stride was full of purpose as he crossed the yard and stormed into the house, sequestering himself in the office.

       His emotions had covered the full range in a single day. He’d taken Caroline to lunch and afterward felt…ecstatic; there was no other word for it. Before dinner he’d been like a kid, thrilled to see her again so soon. Now, just a few hours later, he’d been thrown into despair, convinced beyond doubt that he’d lost whatever chance he might have had with her.

       It was enough to drive a man to drink. He sat in the worn leather desk chair and pulled open the bottom file drawer. His father had kept a bottle of bourbon there for times when nothing else would do, and Grady had followed the same practice. The bottle was gone—which had happened before. Grady suspected Richard, with good reason, but at the moment he didn’t really care. He wasn’t much of a drinking man. A cold beer now and then suited him just fine, but he’d never enjoyed the hard stuff.

       The knock on the office door surprised him. “Who is it?” he barked, not in the mood for company.

       “Richard.” His brother didn’t wait for an invitation but opened the door and sauntered in. He immediately made himself at home, claiming the only other chair in the room. He leaned back, locked his fingers behind his head and grinned like a silly schoolboy.

       “So what’s up with you and Caroline?” he asked.

       Grady scowled. The last person he wanted to discuss with his brother was Caroline. “Nothing.”

       His denial only served to fuel Richard’s amusement. “Come on, Grady, I’ve got eyes in my head. It’s obvious you’ve got the hots for her. Not that I blame you, man. She’s one nice-looking woman.”

       Grady didn’t like Richard’s tone of voice, but prolonging this conversation by arguing with him would serve no useful purpose. “Listen, Richard, I’ve got better things to do than sit around discussing Caroline Daniels with you.”

       “I don’t imagine it would take much to talk her into the sack, either. She’s already been to bed with at least one man—what’s a few more? Right?”

       Grady ground his teeth in an effort to control his irritation. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to discuss Caroline.” He stood and walked over to the door and pointedly opened it.

       “I wouldn’t mind getting into her bed myself one of these days,” Richard went on.

       Despite everything he’d promised himself, Grady saw red. He flew across the room and dragged his brother out of the chair, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

       Richard held up both hands. “Hey, hey, don’t get so riled! I was only teasing.”

       Grady’s fingers ached with the strength of his grip. It took a moment to clear his head enough to release his brother.

       “You don’t want to talk about Caroline, fine,” Richard said, backing toward the door. “But you can’t blame a guy for asking, can you?”

      * * *

      DRIVING HOME, Caroline realized she not only distrusted Richard Weston, but thoroughly disliked him. Before she’d left the Yellow Rose, he’d gone out of his way to let her know that Grady had asked Nell Bishop, a local widow, to the Cattlemen’s Dance earlier in the summer. What was particularly meaningful about the information was that Caroline knew how hard Savannah had tried to convince Grady to invite her. He almost had. She remembered he’d come into the post office