In a Texas Minute Page 11

  She’d not just rattled Alex’s body, she’d shaken his heart and that was the scariest part of it all.

  “Alex?”

  He felt her curvy little leg slide over his, her breasts press into his abdomen, and like a rewound clock he started to tick again.

  “Yes.”

  “Uh—can we do it again?”

  Chuckling under his breath, he took her face between his hands and brought his lips down to hers.

  “Little wanton hussy.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning Sierra awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of fresh, strong coffee drifting into the bedroom.

  Cracking one eye, she stretched, then suddenly remembering Bowie hadn’t wakened her, she jerked her head toward the bassinet. It was gone!

  Practically leaping out of bed, she wrapped a thin cotton robe around her naked body and raced out to the living room. One quick glance told her that part of the house was empty, so she trotted to the kitchen.

  Halfway through the open door, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the sight before her. Alex had Bowie lying on a blanket spread upon the breakfast table and was in the process of changing the baby’s diaper. Not just a wet diaper—a dirty diaper.

  “Nice way to start a morning, huh?”

  Obviously not hearing the approach of her bare feet, Alex looked up at the sound of her voice. A smile curved his lips as he took in her disheveled appearance.

  “We’re doing all right.” He made a silly goo-goo face at Bowie. “Aren’t we, baby boy?”

  Tears were suddenly burning the back of Sierra’s eyes and she didn’t have a clue to why they were there. She only knew that something about the sight of Alex caring for Bowie was so sweet, so right that it touched the deepest part of her.

  “Need any help?” She moved into the room and came to stand next to him.

  He’d already rolled up the dirty disposable diaper and was fastening the new one around Bowie’s tummy. Once it was secure, he picked up the offensive-smelling diaper as though it were a basketball and made a three-pointer in a trash can sitting several feet away.

  “Nope. I think he’s all set.”

  For good measure he reached for a container of baby powder and sprinkled it on the baby’s legs. As Sierra watched his long, tanned fingers rub the talc into Bowie’s skin, she couldn’t help but recall how those same fingers had touched her last night, had turned her inside out with longing. Just thinking about their love-making heated her face. Especially now that they were facing each other in the light of day.

  Stepping away from him, she hurried over to the cabinet. “I think I’ll get some coffee. Have you had any yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been too busy feeding Bowie.”

  Turning away from the cabinet, her brows lifted in surprise as she looked at him. “You’ve already fed Bowie?”

  Alex gave her a smug smile. “Why, yes. You don’t think I’d let the little fellow go hungry while his Sleeping Beauty mother lies in the bed, do you?”

  Sierra glanced at the apple-shaped kitchen clock hanging over the double sink. It was only a quarter to seven. But his comment suddenly reminded her of how she must look to him this morning with her face bare, her hair tangled, her eyes puffy with sleep. Her appearance couldn’t be a good sight. Whereas he looked as fresh as if he’d slept ten hours instead of a measly four.

  Sierra pulled a sardonic face at him. “I’m hardly a Sleeping Beauty.”

  Chuckling at her early-morning testiness, Alex placed the baby in his infant carrier and propped him up to a sitting position. Once he was certain that Bowie was safe and satisfied, he walked over to where Sierra was stirring half-and-half into her coffee.

  Pressing the front of his body to the back of hers, he slid his arms around her waist and linked his hands against her stomach. “You look like one to me,” he murmured.

  Sierra closed her eyes as she felt her bones melting, her heart filling with so much joy it terrified her.

  “Hmm. I wonder who leads you around in the courtroom? I’m surprised you can find the judge’s bench with that kind of eyesight.”

  “Ha, ha. You’re so funny this morning. I didn’t realize sleep turned you into a beautiful little monster.”

  Sierra found it impossible to keep a wide smile from her face as she turned in his arms and tilted her head back to look at him.

  “What sleep?”

  A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

  Blushing, she pressed her cheek against his bare chest. The scent of his skin was an erotic reminder of the pleasure his body had given hers and the first stirrings of desire fluttered softly in the pit of her stomach. How could she be wanting him again, so soon? she wondered. Had he awakened some sort of dormant sex maniac?

  “You’ve always accused me of being too easy. I guess last night proved just how easy.”

  He made a grunting sound of disapproval. “I hope you were teasing when you said that.”

  “I was,” she replied, but silently she couldn’t help wondering if she’d jumped into a deep pit without any hopes of ever climbing out. Alex was a bachelor. He’d never shown any sign that he was interested in marrying. He didn’t want that close a relationship with any woman. So where did that leave her?

  Stifling a sigh, she eased out of his embrace and turned to pick up her coffee. “Do you have court today?” she asked as she carefully sipped the hot drink.

  Alex watched her swipe a fumbling hand at the black hair falling into her face. She looked so sweet and vulnerable and he realized that her softness, her easygoing heart, the very things he’d chided her about were exactly the things that were drawing him to her now. From his perspective, none of that made sense. But he felt it all the same.

  “Ten, this morning. One, this afternoon. I’ll be at the courthouse most of the day.” He glanced at the clock. “And by the way, I’d better be going. I’ve got some depositions to go over before trial this morning. And Pauline will give me hell if I’m late.”

  “Wouldn’t you like some breakfast? I’ll cook you some hotcakes with pecan syrup and peppered bacon.”

  Because cooking was second nature to Sierra, Alex knew that she considered the offer a simple thing. Yet it touched him in an odd, silly way that made his chest swell and his heart smile.

  Closing the small distance between them, he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you, darlin’, but I don’t have time.”

  She sighed. “Okay.”

  He lifted a black curl from her shoulder and brought it to his lips. “Don’t look so disappointed. I’ll be back this evening.”

  Her brows shot up. “This evening?”

  Amusement dimpled his cheeks. “Yes, tonight. After work. Why? You’d rather not have me around?”

  Her brown eyes darkened with concern as her hand fluttered in a helpless gesture against his chest. “Of course I—you know that I want you around. But, Alex, what is—what does this mean?”

  The pads of his fingers slid gently underneath her jaw as he studied her troubled face. “It means that I want to be with you.” Bending his head, he pressed several kisses to her cheek, her nose and her forehead. “In fact, I think I might bring a razor and a pair of khakis with me. I might need them if I stay overnight.”

  A stunned look came over her face, but Alex figured she couldn’t be nearly as surprised at the suggestion as he was of it himself. He’d never set out to charm Sierra, to seduce her and turn their relationship into something far more than friends. The whole thing had happened as though fate had taken hold of his hand and he couldn’t break away.

  “Sierra, you’re not saying anything. What do you think? Can I hang my trousers in your closet?”

  She was probably heading straight to Heartbreak Pass. It wasn’t written anywhere on this earth that Alex would stay around a day longer than any of her past boyfriends. But then Alex was more than a boyfriend. As of last night, he’d become her lover
. She adored him and probably had for years now. There was no way that she could ever deny herself the pleasure of having him close.

  “I’ll make room.”

  An hour later, Sierra, showered and dressed in a fluttery gauze dress and high-heel sandals, called the Stocking Stitch to ask her mother if she could watch Bowie for a few hours while Sierra filled in at the social services office for another co-worker.

  “Oh, Sierra, I would in a minute,” Maria said with disappointment. “But I’ve got two knitting classes today and both of them are filled to the brim. Why don’t you drive out to Rosita’s? She’d love to watch Bowie for you.”

  Normally, since Sierra was on leave, the office wouldn’t have called her. But several employees were out for different reasons and the staff was operating very shorthanded. Sierra didn’t mind working for a few hours. As long as she knew Bowie was being well cared for.

  “She’s not going to be attending classes with you today?”

  “No. And she’s not down at the big Fortune house today, either. I talked to her earlier this morning. She’s home, getting some sort of special dinner ready for Cruz. I’ll call her and warn her that you’re coming,” Maria insisted.

  Sierra sighed. She didn’t really have the time to drive all the way out to the Double Crown Ranch, but there wasn’t really anyone else around who she would trust to care for Bowie.

  “All right, Mom. I’m heading out there now. And thanks.”

  “Before you go, Sierra, how did your dinner date go last night? You and Alex left the restaurant so early!”

  It was a good thing Sierra wasn’t hooked up to one of those video cameras that allowed the caller a view of the person they were having a conversation with. Otherwise her mother would see that her daughter’s face was beet red.

  “Uh, well, it wasn’t all that early. We wanted to get home to watch a certain program on television. Then Bowie had a bout of colic. But we had a nice evening. I’ve got to go now, Mom, or I’m going to be late.”

  “Bowie had colic? Oh dear, how did Alex handle all that crying?”

  Like a real father, Sierra thought. For a man who’d never had siblings or been around babies, he seemed to have a natural instinct for dealing with Bowie. He handled the baby with loving ease, as though he was meant to be a daddy, not just to Bowie, but to several children. Yet she sensed that he would laugh at the very idea.

  “He handled it better than I did. Bye, Mom.”

  She hung up before her mother could question her further. She didn’t want to slip up and give her mother any idea that Alex had spent the night with her. Not that she would be angry about it, Sierra thought. In fact, she figured her mother would be pleased to hear that her daughter and Alex had gotten “close.” But Maria would put far too much importance on the whole affair.

  Affair. Sierra had always hated the word and she didn’t like it any better this morning. She didn’t want to label her relationship with Alex as something purely sexual and short-lived. But what else could it be? she wondered glumly.

  A few minutes later, Sierra was driving south, toward the Double Crown Ranch. With Red Rock behind her, the landscape opened up to short, rolling hills and green pastures dotted with spreading live oak and pecan trees.

  When Sierra reached a side entrance to the ranch, she pulled through a cattle guard flanked by tall clusters of blooming pampas grass and purple sage. Off to the left, surrounded by a sandstone wall, the Double Crown ranch house sat like a Western-style castle beneath towering cottonwoods and spreading live oaks.

  The sight never failed to stir Sierra and she rested her foot on the brake as she paused to take a gander at the home of one of the most famous families in south Texas.

  The adobe structure had a flat roof supported by heavy wooden beams and covered with terra-cotta-colored tiles. Wrought-iron gates opened onto a fabulous courtyard where the grounds were kept immaculate and always blooming with bougainvillea, roses and hibiscus. Sierra considered the inside of the house to be even more majestic than the grounds outside and she’d never forget as a child how intimidated she’d felt when she’d attended her first social function in the grand home.

  Now that she’d grown up, she realized the Fortunes weren’t snobs. In fact, most of them were always helping some person or some worthy cause. Sadly, down through the years, there had been much tragedy in the family. Sierra could only hope the Fortune heartbreak didn’t spill onto her sister once Gloria married Jack.

  Sierra lifted her foot from the brake and pressed on the gas. As the car moved forward, she said to the baby, who was strapped into the back seat and happily nursing on a pacifier, “Just think, Bowie, my sister is marrying into the Fortune family. They’re rich and famous. That’s nice. But it’s not my style. I’d rather just have you and me and Alex in the old two-story.”

  Realizing how matrimonial that sounded, she shook the dreamy image from her mind. Alex might want to share her bed and her closet from time to time. But he wouldn’t be there forever. She was smart enough to prepare herself for reality.

  Rosita and Ruben’s small ranch house was situated a short distance down the road from the ranch yard where cattle and horses were penned and cared for. The Perezes had worked for Ryan Fortune for many years and Rosita especially was very close to the whole family. It was obvious this would be the couple’s home for the rest of their lives.

  Sierra passed several barns and corrals before she eventually turned onto a short graveled driveway that led to the Perez home. Before she could unbuckle Bowie from his safety seat, Rosita was out the front door and ambling out to the car to greet her.

  If Rosita lived to be a hundred, Sierra doubted her appearance would change. For as long as she could remember, Rosita had worn her black hair pulled straight back into a bun. Even the gray streak at the temple had remained the same size and color over the years. Her thick middle was a result of her delicious cooking, just as the warm smile on her face was a product of her huge heart.

  “Sierra, I was so happy when Maria called a few minutes ago. I’ve been wanting to see this baby of yours. Where is he?”

  The older woman grabbed Sierra and gave her a tight hug. Sierra hugged her back and kissed the housekeeper’s smooth brown cheek. “He’s in the back. I’ll get him out.”

  After Sierra unbuckled the baby from the car seat, she placed him over in the smaller carrier before she finally lifted him out of the car.

  With a pleased smile on her face, Sierra presented the baby to Rosita. The older woman quickly inspected him, then waved an admonishing hand at her.

  “No. No, Sierra. You shouldn’t be carrying the baby like this. Let me have the precious one and I’ll show you how to hold him like a baby should be held.”

  Before Sierra could react, Rosita dug the baby out of the plastic carrier and cradled him against her soft, ample bosom. “Now see,” she said to Sierra. “He feels strong arms around him, a warm breast next to his cheek. Those are the things a baby longs for when he comes into the world. That will never change—no matter how many plastic contraptions there are in the stores.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you’re right, Rosita,” Sierra agreed. “But the carrier supports his back and neck.”

  Rosita rolled her brown eyes as if to say the younger generation was so misguided. “A piece of cold plastic is not what he needs. How would you like to be laid out on a board? You use your arms and your hands to support him. He needs to learn the smell and the feel of his mother. It will make him feel safe and loved.”

  Since Rosita had raised several children of her own and was now helping care for her grandchildren, Sierra couldn’t doubt her experience in caring for babies.

  “Okay, Rosita, I won’t use the carrier unless I’m going to set him somewhere.”

  Grinning with approval, Rosita looked down at the baby. “He’s a handsome guy, Sierra,” she said, then immediately shook her head in disbelief. “What sort of woman could turn away from something so precious?”

  “No
t a woman, Rosita. A young teenager, who wasn’t even capable of caring for herself.”

  Rosita smoothed a finger across the baby’s cheek. “Well, at least she had sense enough to give the child to you.” Turning toward the house, she motioned for Sierra to follow. “Bring his things.”

  Once inside the small, neat house, Rosita sat down on the couch. Sierra needed to be back on the road, but she’d not spoken to Rosita in a while, and she didn’t want to be rude. Not when the woman was so generously helping her out with Bowie.

  Easing down onto the seat of an easy chair, she said, “You’re so sweet to watch him for me like this, Rosita. Mom said you were going to be busy cooking today. I hope this isn’t going to interrupt your work.”

  Rosita laughed. “You think I don’t know how to take care of a baby and cook at the same time?”

  Sierra laughed along with the other woman. “I guess that was silly of me, wasn’t it.”

  The Fortunes longtime housekeeper passed a keen gaze over Sierra’s appearance. “We haven’t talked in a long time. Not since your two sisters came home. Are you glad they’re back?”

  “Rosita!” Sierra exclaimed with a shocked laugh. “How could you ask me such a question? Gloria and Christina are my sisters. Of course I’m glad they’re back home. And you know how my parents feel about having them near again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so happy. Especially with Gloria planning her wedding and Christina getting engaged.”

  The older woman’s lips pursed with disapproval as she continued to study Sierra. “Gloria and Christina aren’t the only ones in the family. Maria and Jose have another daughter, too, you know. Their world doesn’t just revolve around two of their five children.”

  Dropping her head, Sierra stared blankly at her linked fingers. “I understand that, Rosita. I just meant that—well, Gloria and Christina have had all sorts of problems and heartaches whereas I’ve just been little ol’me. Nothing my parents need to worry about.”