The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,8
daughter through and through. Orange paint stained the front of her pink and white sun dress and a few drops dotted her Barbie sneakers. She grinned at JC, the gap in her front teeth making her all the more adorable.
“It’s nice to meet you, Molly. You can call me JC.”
“I’m not ‘sposed to call grown-ups by their first name.” Molly glanced up at her father while he buckled her seat belt. “Would it be okay, Daddy?”
He nodded. “Okay, Chickapen, just this once.”
Bright afternoon sunlight streamed in through the truck’s windows and bathed JC with hot rays, grazing her shoulders and the right side of her face, as Rafe drove along the back roads toward his ranch. They passed corn fields and pastures filled with grazing cattle and horses. Rafe had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and exposed muscular arms covered with a smattering of dark hair. His large hands gripped the steering wheel. Those hands appeared so capable. His fingers were long and he rubbed the tips absently over the steering wheel. How would his hands feel exploring more intimate places?
JC’s pulse leapt in her veins and her body hummed with the thought of him fondling her, teasing her senses to life, overwhelming her with his vital masculinity. He took off his hat and set it on the console then raked his fingers through his wavy hair leaving it tousled as if he’d just crawled out of bed. Her skin suddenly felt hot despite the frigid air blasting from the air conditioner. Why was she putting Rafe and bed together in the same sentence? She had to get her mind on the job at hand and off what this man could do with his hands.
“You’re pretty,” Molly said from the back seat jerking JC from her thoughts. “My mommy was pretty too, but she died. Daddy says she’s in heaven watching over me now.”
Tears stung JC’s eyes but she blinked them back. She thought the same thing about her own mother. “I’m sure she is.”
Molly pulled a picture book from her backpack and flipped through the pages, a slight smile curved her mouth, the moment forgotten.
Rafe kept his eyes fixed on the road but a muscle worked in his clenched jaw.
“I’m sorry about your wife,” JC said quietly.
He heaved a deep breath. “Thanks. Me too.”
***
Rafe pulled the truck into the ranch house’s driveway, an expanse of brick that curved around in front of the house. The site of the house, built of stone, wood and glass never failed to impress JC. The structure rose from the solid, Texas earth, a monument to the McCord family’s history and success.
He stopped by a black Lexus and cut the engine. Molly sat up suddenly in her seat and looked out the window. “Uncle Linc’s got Lucy.”
Molly unsnapped her seat belt, scrambled down from the truck and hurried toward her uncle who rode a stunning Palamino and holding the reins of a white pony.
Linc climbed from the horse, helped Molly into the saddle on her pony amidst a stream of giggles then walked toward JC and Rafe. Molly rode down the end of the driveway then headed back again, the pony’s hooves clicking on the pavers, Molly patting the pony’s neck chattering away.
“Hey, Brother. Hi, JC. I’m making shrimp on the barbie, Texas style, tonight with roasted corn on the cob, salad and peach crisp for dessert.” He looked at JC with blue eyes similar to his brother’s but with a hint of green. He was handsome but he couldn’t begin to compare with Rafe’s killer good looks. “Would you like to join us? I’ll even open a bottle of wine from my private stock.”
“What’s the occasion?” Rafe asked. He looked at JC. “He rarely pops the cork on a bottle in his private stock.”
“The return of Jennifer—I mean JC—to Salvation.”
“Temporary return,” JC said.
“After the town spruce up you might decide to stay,” Linc said glancing from her to Rafe and back again. “Lots of people need events planned around here.” He glanced at Rafe. “Among other things. And it would be real nice to see your pretty face around town again. Right, Rafe?”
Rafe shot Linc a glare then turned to JC with a smile, the harsh look he’d given Linc gone from his startling blue eyes. “Sure, why not?”
With that one look she was pulled in. Those eyes of his made her wonder about the life that Linc held like a brilliant diamond sparkling in a ray of sunlight before her.