ChapterFour
Beau wasno stranger to stains like these. He remembered once how Dixie had fallen into a cow patty just as massive. Though, when his niece got dirty, they would just hose her down in the yard before bringing her inside. Beau couldn’t reasonably do that with Tara, though part of him wished he could have seen her all wetlikethat.
Instead, he settled for snatching her dirty clothes from her outstretched hand that she slipped through the cracked bathroom door. The knowledge that she was standing naked in his shower was enough to make him rock hard while he went to the mudroom, gently scrubbed off the dung and muck from herblouse.
Seeing Tara get along so well with Dixie had been a treat. He had dated plenty of women who pretty much treated his niece like a baby whenever he brought them to meet the rest of his family. Tara didn’t do that. She almost treated Dixie like anequal.
When Daniel came out with his usual sour face, Beau thought about giving him a piece of his mind. How was he supposed to impress Tara when he barely smiled and only talked aboutbusiness?
After getting the last of the mud off her blouse, Beau threw it, along with her jeans and underwear – a black lacy thing that must have gotten a little sweaty during the ride – in the washing machine set on a delicate cycle. He wasn’t an expert on washing a lady’s clothes. Most of the time, he had to put the cycle on heavy-duty just to get the dust and dirt out of hisjeans.
Daniel appeared in the doorway to the laundry room, his hands jammed in his jean pockets. Everyone else had changed and Dixie was busy looking through her closet of board games to find something for the family to do beforedinner.
Beau looked up into his brother’s eyes and knew something was troubling him – more thanusual.
“What’s up?” he asked, folding his arms over hischest.
Daniel let out a long breath. “She didn’t seem all that interested in the ranch. And I can’t believe you made her ride without making sure she was comfortable with it. Is there another reason you invited her here? I mean, I don’t mind if you like her, but you don’t have to make upstuff.”
Beau lowered his brows. “I didn’t make up a story. She really seemed to want tocomeover.”
His brother donned that look that told Beau he wasn’t buying it anymore. Why did Daniel have to be so suspicious? Could he just fall in love with Tara the moment they locked eyes? Why couldn’t thisbeeasy?
Truth be told, Beau saw the hesitance in Tara’s eyes when she realized all of them would go riding together, as if she were disappointed somehow. Beau had brushed it off after he saw how awkward she behaved on Magpie while they were riding out to the pastures. How was he supposed to know that she wouldn’t know how to ride or handle a horse? She was perfect in every other way. But when she seemed to brighten up after he escorted her back to the house, just the two of them, Beau thought he had a betterideawhy.
It seemed that both Tara and Daniel were going to make this match-making game difficultforhim.
With a little sheepish shrug, he said, “I wanted you to meet her. She’s a great girl and…” He paused, trying to think of a way out of this mess. Maybe there was another angle he could approach this from, one that wouldn’t make Daniel throw up his guard. “I thought she might be a good bookkeeper for the ranch or a nanny for Dixie. I know you need help around here, so I was just trying to look out for some potentialcandidates.”
Daniel seemed to buy his white lie again, only partially satisfied with his excuse. His brother might have not been the smart one, but he had some common sense when it came to business. He knew what was sound logic and what was a bad idea. He always said it had something to do with what his gut told him. Luckily, that same gut wasn’t a liedetector.
“I guess she might be good for a bookkeeper. She’s got experience at the dentist office. And Dixie likes her, so maybe she could do both… I thought this had to do with youandher.”
If Daniel was going to ever entertain the idea of Tara being a future wife, Beau had to lie again. At least he wasn’t mad about Beau supposedly overstepping his bounds. And he was thankful his brother didn’t ask why he suddenly cared about the wellbeing of the ranch at all. “What?” he replied with as much disgust as he could muster when thinking about Tara. “No. She’s notmytype.”
His brother cocked an eyebrow at him. “Not your type? How can she not beyourtype?”
Yeah, he was going to have to lie big time. “I don’t know… I guess it’sherlegs.”
Daniel’s eyes nearly popped out. “Herlegs?”
“Toolong.”
At that, he snorted and turned away. “You’ve lostyourmind.”
This was a good sign and Beau resisted the urge to smile. Though her legs were a huge plus to her overall stunning looks, Beau tried to pick out something he knew Daniel would disagree with. Daniel always lovedlonglegs.
Before he could continue, Dixie came running up with a deck of playing cards. “Daddy, can we play Texas Hold ‘Em beforedinner?”
Daniel ruffled the top of his daughter’s head. “Who taught you toplaythat?”
Beau saw this as his cue and slipped out behind his brother to retreat down the hall just as his niece was throwing him underthebus.
* * *
Tara wringedher hair dry and stepped out of the shower, water dripping from her skin, soaking the towel that had been laid out in lieu of a bath mat. The water pressure in Beau’s bathroom was much better than in her own apartment and it made her look forward to the possibility of showering there moreoften.
While she washed away the dirt and grime from the ride, scrubbing her skin until she couldn’t smell the cow dung anymore, Tara thought of nothing else but the lovely evening ahead. When they came inside, she heard Dixie say something about playing a game before dinner. She wasn’t one for games, mostly because she could get insanely competitive by accident. However she’d do just about anything to spend more timewithBeau.
