A Little White Lie (5 page)

“It’s a big one,” Harrison yelled.

Her heart nearly stopped when a rainbow of color broke the water and leaped into the air. Her breath caught. The beautiful sight was something straight from the wildlife channel minus the symphonic arrangement. The animal gracefully soared through the air, twisting and turning, before diving. A splash three times its size was the result.

It was the coolest thing she had ever witnessed. A girlish giggle bubbled from her throat. “What now? What do I do now?”

The fish fought desperately, slapping the surface of the water before submerging and pulling the line tight. All the while she continued to crank the shaft.

“You’re doing great,” JD said encouragingly.

By the time the fish was up against the bank, Harrison reached out with a net and scooped it out of the water. She hadn’t known she was smiling until her cheeks began to ache. It was the most astonishing feeling of success.

She had caught her first fish.

JD watched with amusement. Stella widened her hands and swayed her body, reliving the excitement of capturing the fish. All grins and nods, the boys were captivated by her story, which was quickly becoming a fable. The size of the animal became larger and larger, even though the real proof of her catch now swam confined just below the crystal waters.

Yet it was the woman who held JD’s attention. Rays of sunlight beamed behind her. She glowed with a beauty that took his breath away. How a hoity-toity city girl could change into the warm, earthy woman that stood down the river from him was beyond him. In one night she had enthralled him, his infatuation not diminishing with the morning light.

As if she were aware of his thoughts, she turned and gifted him with a brilliant smile. Harrison plucked the stringer, a metal line with clips, from the river. The rainbow-striped fish thrashed, unable to dislodge itself from the link fastened through its gill and mouth. The mischievous child shoved the animal toward her. She let out the cutest little scream, scrabbling to avoid touching the slimy thing.

Boys will be boys. Harrison moved closer.

In seconds he was laughing and chasing her around the banks. Chucky joined the pursuit with a worm in hand. A misstep over a stone hidden amongst the tall green grass and she stumbled, falling face down. A second of silence followed as she lay unmoving.

JD’s heart stuttered.

Worried expressions flashed across both boys’ faces as they halted in their tracks. When she flipped over on her back laughing, the boys joined her.

Harrison cautiously offered her the fish. “Touch ’em. He don’t bite.”

She pushed into a sitting position. “Oh here.” She grabbed the fish. Her lips thinned into a straight line. “Eewww.” She wrinkled her nose. “Kind of slimy, isn’t it?” When the fish started to wiggle, she nearly dropped it, but held on tight. “Now what?”

The boys glanced at each other, clearly unsure of what to say next.

“How ’bout we put the fish back into the water and grab our poles. One fish does not make a supper,” JD informed them. He extended a hand and assisted her to her feet.

She went rigid. Her brows rose. “Supper?”

In the sunlight her eyes looked like gold, sparkling. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers.

“Eewww,” Chucky groaned.

As Harrison secured the fish back in the water, he said, “We eat what we catch and yours is a big one.” He grinned ear to ear, picking up his fishing pole.

She started to brush her hands down her jeans and then stopped. “He’s kidding. Right?” A sniff of her hands and she cringed.

“It’s the law of the land,” Clifford slung over a shoulder. Before JD could explain, Clifford’s pole bent. “I got one.”

She narrowed her sight on JD.

“Don’t look at me in that tone of voice.” He chuckled. “Harrison’s mother prepares what we catch. She’s a damn good cook. You won’t want to miss her hush puppies.”

“JD.” The growl in her voice as she said his name tickled the shit out of him.

He rubbed his palms up and down her arms. “Trust me. You’ll have fun. Now let’s get your pole baited.”

Time flew by so quickly. The sun had moved to the west and already begun its descent. It had been a good fishing day and an even better opportunity to see the real Stella. She was comfortable in the wide-open spaces, especially with children. Nothing like what he expected. Between the six of them they had caught seven rainbow trout, three brown trout, four walleye, three smallmouth bass and five mountain whitefish. She had snagged five out of twenty-two fish. Yet when it came to cleaning them she had bowed out, offering to help Trevor pack the picnic basket.

As JD cleaned the last fish, the three youngest boys gravitated toward her. Clifford tossed them a disconcerted look. The boy’s mother had passed away two years ago last fall—breast cancer. He watched Stella gently wipe Harrison’s nose before she ran her fingers through Trevor’s hair as they headed for the horses.

Cleaning his knife in the flowing water, JD looked up. “Missing your mom?”

“Sometimes,” Clifford mumbled. “She’s pretty.”

Flashes of the boy’s dark-haired mother popped into JD’s head. “Yes. Your mother was very attractive.”

“No. Yeah. I mean her.” The boy threw a nod toward Stella. “She your girlfriend?”

JD paused. What did he call someone who’d drifted in only to soon drift out of his life? Stella would be leaving after his grandfather’s meeting. “Just a friend.”

“But you like her?”

“Yes, I do,” he answered without hesitating. In fact, he liked everything about her. His knife closed with a snap before he pocketed it in his jeans. He pushed to his feet and started to move. “Best be getting back.” Stopping next to Clifford, he ruffled the boy’s hair. “You know the womenfolk hate for us to be late.” With his arm around Clifford’s shoulder they walked toward the horses. The other three boys had already mounted their ride. “Ready?” he asked Stella.

She nodded.

As he assisted her atop her horse she leaned down. Her full lips tempted him, but he restrained from closing the distance between them. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?” He gave the cinch on her saddle a tug to ensure it was tight.

Her smile sparkled. “Today. I really enjoyed myself.”

He stroked her leg, remembering how slender and soft it felt against his skin. “My pleasure.” His body heated with the memory. “Sorry about dinner, but the boys expect it.” Usually so did he, but tonight he would rather be locked in Stella’s arms.

“Of course. I understand.” There was no resentment in her tone or expression. She spoke the truth, which made him like her even more. He needed a woman who could roll with the punches, not keep a schedule and expect him to abide by it.

He reached for the reins of his buckskin, placed the toe of his boot in the stirrup and swung his leg over, taking a seat upon the saddle. “Will you join us?”

“Sure. Why not.” She nudged her horse with her heels and the gelding trotted off.

Clifford hung back with him as the other three boys rode alongside Stella. They were full of questions about her and where she lived.

“Are there lots of bad guys in New York?” Trevor asked, adding, “Have you ever seen Spider-Man?”

Clifford shook his head. “What a jerk.”

JD quieted him with a “
Shhh
.”

“I guess New York has its share of bad guys,” she answered.

Chucky gave his pony an extra kick to stay up with the rest. “What about Spider-Man?”

Sun glistened off her silky hair. “Spider-Man, no, but I did see someone who looked a lot like Clark Kent.”

“Superman?” JD didn’t miss the awe in Trevor’s small voice.

“I can’t really say it was Superman, but he wore glasses and had a notebook and pen in his hands.”

“That’s so cool,” Chucky cooed.

The chatter continued, only stopping when they reached the truck and horse trailer. Several of his ranch hands had returned to where he and Stella had met them earlier that morning. Trevor jumped into his father’s arms, already spinning tales about the fish he’d caught, while the other boys headed for her rental car instead of the crew-cab pickup pulling the horse trailer.

JD shot them a frown. “You boys are riding with your dads.”

“We’re riding with you. Stella said so,” Chucky informed him with a huge grin.

He shot her a glance. “She did, did she?”

So much for spending a little time alone with her before dinner. Still, he had the night.

Chapter Four

From where Stella sat on a picnic bench, she glanced around at the large gathering. It looked like people from around the county had been invited to join in the fish fry. Almost every person had a bowl or plate of food to contribute to the barbeque. Of course, it was more like a down-home get together. Simple. Warm. So unlike the soirées she attended in New York where everyone put on the ritz to impress.

She continued to tear lettuce into smaller pieces and toss them into a bowl. “I don’t think we caught enough fish.”

Hazel, Harrison’s mother, a young blonde, began to slice a tomato. “There’s always plenty. Throughout the week the men go fishing after work. I freeze their catch and then thaw what I think we’ll need.”

“Good planning,” Stella acknowledged.

The silence between them stretched, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. She watched in awe as everyone pitched in to assist. There was laughter and chatter; even the children seemed excited, helping wherever they could. The smell of fish cooking on an open flame made her stomach growl.

Placing the sliced tomatoes in the bowl, Hazel glanced at her. “How long have you known JD?” The woman’s question came out of left field.

“Actually, I met him last night…” Stella slid her gaze toward the woman, “…at the Rusty Nail.”

Hazel’s greenish-brown eyes widened. “Really?” Her voice warbled. “Wow.” A sweet smile touched her lips. “You must have made some impression. JD doesn’t take any of his women fishing with the boys or for that matter to our barbeque.”

Women? Heat rushed up her neck, flaring across her cheeks. Her mouth tightened.

Hazel placed her palm over Stella’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’ve embarrassed you.”

“No. Of course not.” Truth was she wasn’t embarrassed. For a moment jealousy had stung her, which was irrational and plain stupid. After Tuesday she’d be gone. “I’m here on business, just passing through.”

Hazel’s blonde ponytail bobbed. “Too bad.” She paused. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.” Sincerity rang in her voice. “I’d better check the fish.” As she hurried toward the grill, Harrison flew into her arms. Mother and son looked so happy. When Jerry, Harrison’s father, joined them, they looked like the perfect little family.

From somewhere nearby she heard the gentle melody of a guitar and then someone began to sing. A hand settled on her shoulder and squeezed. When she glanced up she peered into JD’s soft blue eyes.

He bent down and gave her tender kiss on the cheek. “Everything okay?”

“Great,” she lied. Everything wasn’t okay. For the first time she was seeing life in a whole different way, friends and family spending time together. Enjoying and caring about others throughout the year instead of only meeting up on holidays and vacations and then going their separate ways.

She swallowed hard, fighting a tear that threatened to emerge.

“Will you be okay here for a little longer? It’s my turn to crank the ice cream.” The boyish grin he gave her tightened her chest. The man was gorgeous.

“Sure.” She’d just wallow in her own self-pity a tad longer.

He bent down and this time he kissed her passionately, a caress that made her drop the lettuce she held. Gently she cupped his warm cheek, drinking from his lips.

When they parted all eyes were pinned on them. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” He licked his lips as if tasting her again. Devilment danced across his face. “I can’t wait for tonight.”

She inhaled his spicy, masculine scent. “Neither can I.” Even now her body was heating with desire, her nipples pebbling against the short-sleeve western shirt she wore.

With a wink he was gone, disappearing amongst the men and children.

Was that man for real? She sighed longingly. For lack of a better word, JD was perfect. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone cleared his throat and said, “What a surprise to see you here, Miss Sinclair.”

No. The surprise was all hers. When she looked up, before her stood Mr. Toliver. “Sir.” She started to rise, but he brushed her off with a hand.

He took a seat across from her and he didn’t look happy. “I see that you’ve met my grandson.”

“Grandson?”

He must have read her confusion because he said, “Hmmm. Could it be you don’t know?”

A burst of uneasy laughter greeted his question. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss, Mr. Toliver. What exactly is it I’m supposed to know?”

“Jonathan. Oh. Yes. You probably know him as JD.”

Her jaw dropped. “JD? Jonathan David,” she whispered more to herself. A chill clawed up her spine. She turned to see the subject of their conversation laughing as he cranked the handle of an old ice cream maker. “But he said his last name was Foster.”