Beau (Remington Ranch Book 4) (9 page)

“Beau!” she screeched and started waving madly at him.

Shit! He sucked in a deep breath. Corinne had turned around. There went his chance to beat a hasty retreat! He fixed a smile on his face that felt more like a grimace and made his way over to them.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

“Hello, Beau! Are you going to have lunch with us? You can share my sandwich if you like!” She held up a grilled cheese sandwich that had been gnawed all around the edges.

He shook his head. “No!” Even he could hear how disgusted he sounded; he had a feeling he might have shuddered when he said it, too. He needed to make more of an effort. “No, thank you, Ruby. But it’s very kind of you to offer.”

Corinne caught his eye. He didn’t even want to hazard a guess at what she was thinking.

“Sit down with us,” said Ruby as she pulled out a chair.

He should make his excuses and make his escape while he still had a chance. He looked at Ruby who was smiling at him expectantly, then he looked back at Corinne. She raised an eyebrow. Damn! If that look was translated into words, it would say,
I dare you.
He didn’t know how to refuse a dare. He was genetically incapable of refusing a dare. Dammit. He sat down, wondering as he did what the hell he was getting himself into.

Ruby grinned at him. Why the hell had he sat down? He smiled back uncertainly. So. This was awkward.

“I like Troy.” Ruby grinned at him while he tried to catch up.

“He’s a good horse.” At least she wasn’t demanding anything of him—yet!

Ruby’s smile faded. “I don’t think he likes me, though.”

Beau didn’t dare look at Corinne. “I’m sure he does.”

Ruby shook her head. “No. He won’t come when I call him.”

“He doesn’t come when anyone calls him.”

“I bet he comes to you. He’s your horse.”

Beau nodded. “He does, but like you say, he’s mine. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Will you tell him that I’m your friend too and then maybe he’ll like me?”

He could feel Corinne’s gaze boring into him. He was in a total lose-lose situation here. Anything he said to appease the kid would just prove to her mom that he was a liar. Damn, he wished he hadn’t sat down! He nodded. Hoping maybe they could move on.

“You are my friend, aren’t you?”

Shit, shit, shit! He turned to look at her. She seemed so angelic. Big blue eyes, big blonde curls framing a sweet little face. He smiled.

“Aren’t you?”

He nodded. “We haven’t known each other very long though.”

She grinned. “So we should do something together. Then we really will be friends and you can tell Troy we are and then he’ll like me!”

Beau sighed. He didn’t need to do this. He really didn’t. He didn’t need to impress her mother; she already knew the score, but looking at Ruby’s hopeful little face he couldn’t bring himself to turn her down. “What do you think we should do?” Damn! Why in hell’s name had he asked?

She looked at Corinne. “You should give us riding lessons.”

“I thought Mason was teaching you. He’s the best teacher.”

“Yes, but he’s busy.”

Beau pursed his lips. It wasn’t something he wanted to get into, but he didn’t know how to turn her down.

Corinne came to the rescue. “Mr. Mason is your teacher, Ruby. That’s already decided.”

Beau hoped his relief wasn’t too obvious.

“You should come for dinner, then. Mommy likes to have people over for dinner and no one has been to our new house yet. You should be our first friend.”

Beau froze. He slowly lifted his gaze to look at Corinne. She looked as frozen as he felt. Ruby grinned at them both.

“Tomorrow night is Friday night. You should come tomorrow.”

He stared at Corinne. She stared back. Why did she have to be so damned beautiful? Why did that dimple on her cheek have to give away the hint of a smile? And why in the hell was he smiling back? And nodding? Oh, shit! He’d gone and done it now!

Ruby beamed at him. “Yay! And after we have dinner we can go and see Troy and you can tell him I’m your friend, so he can be my friend, too!”

Beau nodded. Then looked at his watch. “Okay, but I need to get going for now.”

Corinne smiled. “Six o’clock tomorrow? We can’t eat too late. Ruby needs to get to bed.”

He nodded. Her voice was warm and soothing even in this situation that he’d walked himself into. All he’d wanted was to get Corinne into bed, not to have to worry about what time Ruby went. “Great. I’ll see you then.” He got up and made his way to the door. It was only once he was outside that he realized he was supposed to be getting lunch. No way was he going back inside though! He made his way back to the office, cursing himself as he went.

He stopped in the doorway when he got back. Wanda was sitting there eating a sandwich. A sandwich that had come from the coffee shop. He scowled at her. “Why did you let me go for your lunch when you already had it?”

She grinned. “I thought you might enjoy a visit to the coffee shop.”

“You knew they were in there?”

He didn’t think he’d ever seen a smile that big on her face. “How did it go?”

“How did it go?” he ran his hand through his hair. “I fucked up, Wanda. I well and truly fucked up.”

“Oh, no! You blew it?”

He shook his head. “I’m having dinner at the cabin tomorrow night with both of them!”

Wanda laughed. “Good for you!”

“No. It is not good for me. It will be so bad for me. How can I spend an entire evening with that kid? She’s a monster!”

“Now you stop that! She is not! You sound like a kid yourself. Waa, waa, waa. I don’t like her! I don’t want to play with her.”

Beau had to laugh. “Seriously? I’m that bad?”

She nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Well, shit! It’s just that I thought I had this thing figured out. That I’d get to spend some time with Corinne—some adult time. And now I somehow roped myself into an evening with Ruby!”

“So make the most of it! Give the kid a chance. Stop thinking from your pants for a minute, and instead think with that big soft heart you keep hidden away. That poor little mite doesn’t have a daddy. Her momma works a lot, she doesn’t have any friends here yet. What would it cost you to show the little thing some kindness?”

Beau stared at her. “You’re appealing to my better nature?”

Wanda made a face. “Sorry, I forgot you don’t have one.”

“Ouch. That hurts.”

“So prove me wrong.”

He pursed his lips. If he thought about Ruby in the way Wanda had just described her then he could feel a certain sneaking sympathy—until he remembered what she was like! “I suppose I could try to be nice to her. Just for one evening. It’d earn me some brownie points with Corinne.” He shrugged. “And you’re right, what would it cost me?”

Wanda laughed. “Only your reputation as an asshole, but don’t worry I won’t tell anyone.”

“Well, thanks. I guess, since I got myself into it, I may as well try to make the most of it, huh?”

“See, there’s the spirit! You can do it!”

Beau nodded. He was glad Wanda had faith in him—he wasn’t so sure he did!

Ruby came out of her bedroom and did a twirl. She really did look cute in the purple dress.

“You look lovely, Ruby.”

“I do, don’t I? How long till Beau gets here?”

Corinne looked at the clock on the wall. “Fifteen minutes.” And she needed to get ready herself. She wondered again why she’d agreed to this. She could have told Ruby no when she’d invited Beau to dinner. She could have let him off the hook when she’d seen the panic in his eyes. She wasn’t stupid; she knew he didn’t want to spend an evening with Ruby. She should have said no. But she hadn’t. And she couldn’t decide why.

She had two theories and she considered them both while she went to her room to change her shirt and freshen her makeup. She had to be honest, part of her hoped that Beau would like Ruby if he got to know her properly. And this was a chance for him to do so. She pursed her lips while she brushed her mascara on. Another part of her felt that if he really didn’t like Ruby, then this was a chance to make him suffer! He was a guy, a guy who wanted sex. She wanted him, too, but it didn’t seem right to go sneaking off to screw him! If he really couldn’t stand Ruby, tonight would see him off altogether and she wouldn’t have to wrestle with her own conscience. She probably shouldn’t have to anyway, but she couldn’t deny the internal battle that was raging: the battle between the devoted mother who put her daughter first in all things, and the young woman who might just occasionally want to put herself first. She felt guilty even thinking it, but it was true. It would be nice to have some fun, to feel attractive—and to have sex!

Ruby stood in the doorway. “You look pretty, Mommy.”

“Thank you, sweetie. Not as pretty as you do.”

Ruby smiled and twirled again. “Do you think Beau will like my dress?”

“I’m sure he will, but he might not say so.”

“I’ll ask him then.”

“Ask him if you want to, but what matters most is if you like it.”

“I do.”

Corinne smiled. She wasn’t going to tell her not to ask, and that wasn’t about saving Beau. She’d grown up living by her own mother’s rules. Believing that other people’s opinions mattered more than her own. It’d taken her most of her life to step into her own confidence. Perhaps she was going too far in the other direction with the way she was raising Ruby, but she’d rather her daughter was outspoken, than crippled by fear of
what people might think
.

She started at the sound of a knock on the door. Oh, well. Here went nothing. Ruby ran to open it.

“Hello, Beau!”

Corinne smiled as she joined Ruby in the hallway.

Beau was gorgeous. He took her breath away. He was wearing black jeans and a black shirt and he had his hands behind his back. He caught her eye and winked before looking down at Ruby.

“Good evening, pretty lady. I have something for you.”

“You do?”

He nodded and brought his hand around to present her with a little posy of flowers, pretty pinks and blues tied with a string.

Ruby’s eyes were wide as she smiled and took them from him. “Thank you!” She turned to Corinne. “Look, Mommy. Beau gave me flowers!”

Corinne smiled. She didn’t have any words right now, just a big lump in her throat. What a sweet thing for him to do! And the last thing she would have expected. She looked up to meet his gaze.

His smile was hesitant as he brought his other around from behind his back and presented her with a bunch of roses. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, and nodded. She knew her smile would give him the answer he was looking for. Was this okay? Yes! Absolutely! He’d done right, gotten off on a good foot.

He smiled back and thrust them toward her, making her realize that she hadn’t taken them from him, and also reminding her of their first encounter in the wine store when he’d given her that bottle. Finally she found her voice. “Thank you! They’re beautiful. Why don’t you come on in? We’ll put them in water and get you a drink.”

Ruby took hold of his hand and led him through to the kitchen. Corinne had to suppress a smile at the grimace on his face which he quickly and consciously transformed into a smile. He was making an effort. There was no mistaking it. Though how long he’d be able to keep it up remained to be seen.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Yes, please.”

She poured him a glass of the Cab and handed it over.

“Thank you.”

Ruby picked up her glass of orange juice and held it up, forcing them to break eye contact. “We should do a toast, Mommy.”

Corinne smiled. Ruby loved toasting to anything. “What do you want to toast to?”

Ruby looked from her to Beau and back again. “To making new friends!”

She raised an eyebrow at Beau and raised her glass. “What do you think?”

He nodded slowly and touched his glass against Ruby’s and then hers. “I’ll drink to that. Here’s to making new friends.”

Ruby smiled. “Shall we go and tell Troy that I’m your friend now?”

Beau laughed, but Corinne could tell it was forced and uncomfortable. He wanted to say no, but he either wasn’t sure if he should, or didn’t know how to.

“Not yet, Ruby,” she said. “Perhaps later we’ll walk down and see the horses.”

From the look Beau gave her she could tell he was both grateful and concerned that he’d messed up somehow. She smiled reassuringly before she added. “By the time we’ve had dinner, Beau may not want to be our friend.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, there was a smile lurking on his lips and questions lurking in his eyes.

Yes, she was teasing him! This wouldn’t be worth doing if they couldn’t have some fun with it.

He grinned and looked at Ruby. “And perhaps you ladies won’t want to be friends with me.”

“Don’t worry. We will.” Ruby patted his arm. “You gave me flowers. You’re going to be my friend forever now.”

Corinne couldn’t hold back the little laugh that escaped.

To her surprise, Beau laughed with her. Ruby looked at them and joined in. Oh, well. They were off to a good start if they could laugh together.

“Do you like chicken?” asked Ruby. “We’re having chicken.”

“I do,” said Beau and looked down at his glass.

Corinne knew what he was thinking. The Cab was hardly a traditional pairing with chicken. “I think you’ll be surprised how well the Cab will taste with it, though I do have a whole selection of whites you can choose from if you prefer.”

He met her gaze. “Of course, you used to work in wine country, right?”

She nodded. “And I know you don’t tend to think much of us crazy Californians and our newfangled ways of doing things up here.”

He held up a hand. “Hey, don’t go tarring us all with the same brush. Yes, there is some resentment of the implants here, but most of us judge on a case by case basis.”

“Implants? I thought people who came from a different state were known as transplants.”

Beau laughed and let his gaze travel over her. Her entire body tingled in response and she felt her nipples tighten when he reached her breasts. “It’s a California thing, isn’t it?”

“Oh!” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not in my case it isn’t!”

“Like I said, it’s a case by case basis, and in your case, I’m happy to say I wouldn’t use the word implant.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes, or denying that she felt it too. Part of her mind was screaming that she should be offended, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel that way. She loved the way he’d looked at her, she loved feeling desirable, and some part of her felt as though she was being accepted into Montana. She knew some of the Californians that moved up here had earned themselves a bad reputation, she didn’t want to be lumped in with them.

He shook his head as if to clear it, as if he were coming to his senses and realizing the exchange they’d just had. “Anyway. I’ll be happy to try your recommendation. I’m always eager to try out new pairings.”

Corinne had to wonder if he was still veiling one conversation with another. Was she a new pairing for him? The word
coupling
kept running through her mind, conjuring up images she shouldn’t be thinking about in front of Ruby. “In that case I hope you have adventurous taste.” She wanted to cover her mouth with her hand. Had she really just said that?

He smiled. “Oh, I do. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?”

Corinne shook her head. She shouldn’t be playing with him like this. She hadn’t even decided that she wanted to take him up on his offer yet. She was supposed to be seeing how he dealt with this evening before she’d entertain the idea of sleeping with him. At least that was what her head was saying. It seemed her body had already reached its decision and, left to its own devices, would be dragging him to the bedroom at the first opportunity. “Everything’s ready, thank you. Just take a seat and we can eat.”

Ruby tugged at his sleeve and led him to the table. “You get to sit next to me.”

Corinne smiled as she turned to the fridge to get the salad out. She had to remember she might not get the opportunity to do anything at all with Beau—other than watch him ride off into the sunset at the end of the evening if he couldn’t handle Ruby.

“So how do you like it here so far, Ruby?”

Corinne was curious as to what her answer would be. “I love it! I love our cabin, and I love the ranch, and I love the horses, and I love Miss Susie and I love that I get to see Summer Breese sometimes.”

Beau laughed. “So lots of good things here for you then?”

Ruby nodded, as Corinne came back to the table and sat down. “And for Mommy too. Mommy deserves good things.”

Beau smiled and met Corinne’s gaze. “I’m sure there will be.”

There went those tingles racing down her spine again. By the look on his face he was planning on being one of the good things that was about to happen to her. In the physical sense at least.

“Does your mommy get to go out and do good things?”

Ruby shook her head. “She always works too much.”

Beau frowned. “But now that she’s here she won’t be working so much.”

Ruby brightened at that. “No.” She turned to Corinne. “You should go out. And if you do, I can go to Miss Susie’s. She even said I can stay there sometimes if you don’t mind.”

“She did?” Corinne stopped with her fork midair. This almost felt as though there was some secret conspiracy that even Ruby was in on. Everything was being set up so she could spend time with Beau. Who was she kidding phrasing it like that? So she could sleep with Beau! It didn’t feel right though. She’d never had that kind of relationship with a guy. Never been just a…a… what was the term? Fuck buddy? That sounded so crude. Because it was!

Ruby was nodding at her. “Can I? Can I go stay over with Tara and Josie?”

She realized that Beau was watching her, waiting for her reply almost as eagerly as Ruby was.

“We’ll see.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to say yes to either of them yet.

After they’d eaten, Beau sat back. “That was wonderful, thank you.”

“Yes, thank you, Mommy. Can we have the ice cream now?”

“I think we should wait a little while first.”

Beau stood. “Can I get the dishes?” He started clearing plates.

“I’ll help.” Ruby jumped up to join him.

Corinne watched as Ruby bossed him around the kitchen. He was taking it well, getting a laugh where he could.

“Now we have to get my chair,” she told him.

Beau gave her a puzzled look and looked to Corinne for help.

“It’s okay, Ruby,” she said. “I’ll do the dishes later. I’ll put them in the dishwasher.”

“But I want to do them now. Beau’s going to help.” There was no mistaking the edge to her voice.

Beau sensed it too. “I can help. What do I need to do with your chair?”

Corinne smiled to herself as Ruby directed him until she was standing at the sink on her chair and he was beside her, towel in hand ready to dry the dishes. She was pretty sure this hadn’t been in his picture of how this evening might go. He was doing really well, she had to give him that. He had Ruby laughing. He even dabbed some bubbles on the end of her nose when she handed him a plate that was still covered in them. She went to join them, realizing that, as Beau dried the plates, he had no idea where to put them and was piling them precariously on the countertop next to the drainer.

She took a plate from his hand, but he held on to it until she looked up into his eyes. His smile made her heart race. She got lost in his eyes wondering what was going on behind them.

“Are you two going to kiss now?”

“Ruby!” Corinne felt herself blush, which was pretty ridiculous since they were both just waiting for the time when they could sleep together, let alone kiss each other.

“What? Are you?”

“Not right now,” said Beau.

“Soon though. You’re going to. I can tell.”

Corinne stared at Beau; he smiled and then gave a shrug. “Out of the mouths of babes…”