Page 8 of Falling for the Maverick

“I like the sound of that.” Patty paused. “I know you’re going to call me a busybody, but do you like Lucas?”

“Like him how?”

“Enough to go out with him.”

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

“What don’t you know, Michelle?”

“Although he’s nice, I find him somewhat aloof.”

“Maybe he just got out of a bad relationship,” Patty said. “It could be the reason he decided to move from Bronco.”

When Tiffany told Michelle that her brother was moving to Tenacity to set up a ranch, she hadn’t mentioned anything about his personal life other than he was single. “Whatever his reason, it appears that he likes living here.” She recalled him telling her that he viewed Tenacity as his hometown now.

“That’s not all he likes, Michelle. You may not want to admit it, but he likes you.”

And I like him. “By the way, where’s Dad?” she asked, deftly steering the conversation away from her and Lucas. Talking about him only served to conjure up the emotions she experienced when they danced together.

Patty removed a bowl of veggies from the fridge. “He went to Tristan’s to watch the baseball playoffs.”

“Are Grandpa and Gram coming over for Sunday dinner?”

“No. What really shocked me is your grandfather joining them at Tristan’s. And Gram called to say she’s going to stay in today. Between the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, she claims she’s tuckered out.”

Michelle couldn’t stop smiling. “Boys will be boys no matter their age.”

When it came to sports, her seventy-something grandfather was just as fanatical as his sons and grandsons. Otis Corey made it a habit to keep up a running commentary when it came to statistics for each player regardless of the sport. He also had a reputation for offering great advice, even if it wasn’t asked for.

She recalled what Lucas said about inviting her brothers to his ranch to watch sporting events. Once Shane and Ellis returned from honeymooning, there was no doubt they’d go to the Big Doggo for some male bonding, while she, Tiffany, Remi, Amy and Faith would get together to strengthen their sisterhood.

Patty opened a drawer under the countertop to take out a knife. “I’m going to make a chef’s salad for lunch since I have some leftover cheese and meat, but if you want something else let me know.”

“I’m fine with a salad,” Michelle told her mother. “Do you need me to help you with something?”

“Nah, sweetie. I’m good here.”

Michelle agreed with her grandmother about wanting the time to recover from the wedding. The past two months had been hectic with wedding plans, and she’d put off doing her chores. “I’m going to put up a couple loads of wash, then give my place a thorough cleaning.”

Her bedroom suite was far enough from her parents’ so she was afforded complete privacy. It was like a small apartment with a large bedroom, bathroom and sitting room with a chaise for reading and watching television, and an alcove where she’d set up a home office. She also had a private door so she could leave and enter without disturbing anyone.

However, unlike her brothers who had their own cabins on the property, she’d never entertained any man in her bedroom. It was a line she’d set for herself and refused to cross.

She finished her coffee, then returned to her suite, but she was unable to keep the image of a certain broad-shouldered rancher from invading her thoughts as she emptied clothes from the hamper and put up several loads of wash. Michelle knew she had to keep busy, if only not to think of Lucas and how much she was drawn to him.

* * *

Lucas knew he was distracted when he was unable to concentrate on the ball game and was acutely aware of the source of his distraction: Michelle Corey. He still hadn’t discovered what there was about her that was so different from any of the other women with whom he’d become involved. She was beautiful, feminine, sexy and smart. Yet there was something else about her that continued to plague him.

Flash walked into the family room and lay down beside Lucas’s chair. The mastiff had been his constant companion when he lived in Bronco, but on the ranch the dog was more independent.

Lucas leaned over and patted the dog’s side. “I suppose you’re tired now after being outdoors most of the morning.”

Flash let out a woof as if he understood what Lucas was saying. Lucas had gotten up at sunrise to let Flash out, then waited for him to return to the house. After the dog lapped up a bowl of clean water he was content to wait for his master to shower, dress and eat breakfast before jumping up on the rear seat of the pickup while Lucas drove to the stables.

Every day on the Big Doggo began the same: grooming horses, mucking out and washing down the stalls. Then Lucas had to check the fence lines and repair or secure fence posts. He’d recently bought a round hay baler, which would pay for itself in a couple years because it would offset him buying hay for his horses.

“I met a woman I really like,” Lucas told Flash. “I keep telling myself that I can’t afford to get involved with anyone because I have to focus on the ranch until I feel it can almost run itself, but I know that’s just an excuse, big boy.”