My Southern Bride (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 4) (12 page)

"And his name?"

"I used apple slices to lure him down."

"I'm not following the connection."

"What goes up, must come down." She made an up and down sign with her thumb.

"I don't get it."

She shot him an annoyed glance. "Sir Isaac Newton? Had an apple fall on his head?"

Monty Joe knit his brows. "Right, right."

It took her a moment to react. "You're teasing me. You got it all along."

He had been, but it was fun. "I just liked having you explain it."

She shook her head in pretend annoyance. "So, what's next on my to-do list?"

"It's getting dark in here, so how about lanterns and firewood?"

"Lanterns. Okay."

"They're in the storage shed."

"Do they need kerosene or something?"

"I know you think we rough it on the ranch," said Monty Joe, shooting her a big grin. "But there have been some inventions since the time of Newton."

"You're teasing me again. What's this new invention?"

"Batteries. The lanterns are battery-operated."

She flushed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Overworked and underfed?"

"That explains it. So where's the firewood?"

"In a pile leaning against the shed. You won't have any problem finding it."

Lori nodded. "I'll be right back."

And the instant she left, Monty Joe found himself missing her all over again.

Chapter 18

The snow had stopped falling. Even though the skies remained gray and heavy, and the temperature was cold enough to make her exhalations visible, Lori's mood instantly improved.

She glanced down at Newton, who'd come outside with her. "The wind has even died down."

He looked at her knowingly, then turned and scampered through the snow toward the barn, leaving round tracks in the snow where his feet had been.

Lori threw back the latch on the storage shed. It was neatly organized inside, but she hadn't expected otherwise with Monty Joe. Somehow she sensed he organized and schedulized everything in his routine.

Maybe he felt safer that way?

She hadn't thought about it much before, but he'd become an orphan as a teenager, and he'd been forced into manhood early. Responsibility had been heavy on his shoulders. A younger brother and sister to raise, a ranch with all of the employees and animals needing his attention.

At an age when most young men were trying to decide who they were and their place in the world, he'd been forced to do what even older men might have problems doing.

And he'd done it all extremely well.

Exceptionally so.

Perhaps that was why his world was heavily regimented.

No wonder he wrote all those to-do lists.

It was likely how he'd maintained his sanity.

And she couldn't help but respect him for it, even when his lists annoyed her.

Lori stepped forward and pulled three lanterns from the wooden shelf at the back of the shed. By grabbing only their handles, she could easily carry them in one hand.

As she left the shed, she used her free hand to latch the door. Before she could turn back around though, a sharp thump to her backside caught her off guard, and she went reeling.

And landed face first in a snowdrift.

She lifted her head and blew snow off her face. She looked up to see one pesky goat blinking down at her. "Newton!"

"Mehhh."

"I thought you were done with the head-butting, my friend." Lori shoved back the hair that had fallen into her eyes, then gathered up the lanterns again and stood.

Newton gazed at her innocently, as if he hadn't sent her sprawling in the snow. "Brat."

"Mehhh."

"Name calling won't get you anywhere." She glanced at the woodpile. "Now let's gather some firewood."

The wood had been chopped, but it was covered in ice and snow, so grabbing a few logs to get the fire started wouldn't be easy.

Using her free hand, Lori wiped some of the snow from a log, but couldn't dislodge it from the stack. She set down the lanterns, again, and went to work on the logs.

At last she got one free.

Monty Joe wouldn't find that acceptable.

Trying again, she managed to free two others.

She'd take these and the lanterns inside. It would be enough to start with.

Once she gathered the wood in one arm and the lanterns in the other, she made her way to the back door, very deliberately ignoring the aches and pains she'd accumulated from her chores.

Even her toes hurt, but that was probably from the cold rather than her labors.

Temporarily placing the lanterns on the ground, Lori groaned as she stood to open the door. Once she levered it open, she grabbed the lanterns and entered the house with Newton.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dimness, then she made her way to the den. "Here are the lanterns."

"Great, put them on the coffee table, and I'll set them up." Monty Joe moved items on the coffee table aside so she could set down the lanterns.

As soon as she'd done so, he switched on one of the lanterns, and it threw a soft glow into the room. "Much better."

She gazed at him. The lamp cast a golden hue across his skin, and she warmed all over.

Then he gave a dazzling smile, followed by a full-bodied laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"How'd you get all covered in snow?"

"Newton decided to help me. You know, the occasional butt of encouragement." She patted her hair, hoping it wasn't a total mess, but fearing it was.

"Newton can be useful that way."

"The good news is, I think the weather is starting to clear up."

"That is good news," he replied, but he didn't seem very happy about it. She thought he'd be cheering.

"I'm going to put the logs in the fireplace, then go get more." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and shot him a saucy grin. "While I'm gone, maybe you'll have enough light to make a list instructing me on the proper way to start a fire."

"When you say it like that, it makes me afraid to ask. Have you ever built one before?"

"I've helped my dad. Rolled up newspaper. Kindling."

"You know the basics, then."

That made her smile. "You're learning."

"I'm trying."

"That's all any of us can do." She'd been trying really hard to change her life and, while her plan wasn't fully in place yet, it was getting close enough she could taste it.

If only she was able to get back to Dallas in time for the tournament, that is.

She turned to leave, then spun back. "Do you need anything before I go? Aspirin? Something to drink?"

"I'm good. I think the swelling has gone down, so my ankle's on the mend."

"What a relief." Thankfully, his face was no longer creased in pain. She'd been worried about him and whether she should have done more to care for his injury. That gave her an idea about something she'd seen in the shed besides tools and lanterns.

Monty Joe called after her, "Hurry back."

Oh, she would. And with something that would be sure to cheer him up.

Chapter 19

As soon as he heard the back door close behind Lori, Monty Joe pulled the radio out from under the pillow where he'd hidden it, and turned it on.

The weather announcer's voice was cheery as he reiterated the upcoming warming trend.

Monty Joe snapped the radio back off.

If the snow and ice all melted tomorrow, there was no way Lori would be sticking around, and there was no way he could hide the weather from her, either.

The very idea filled him with anxiety.

He wasn't ready for her to leave.

Even if the phones weren't restored, he could expect Will or one of the hands to arrive as soon as they could either ride or drive over to check on him.

His little interlude with Lori was destined to end, sooner rather than later.

He knew that would happen eventually, but part of him wanted to prolong it.

He would never have sought out Lori to be his housemate during a freak storm, but he had to hand it to her. She'd been a great partner and even better company. And after his injury, she'd selflessly stepped up to handle whatever needed doing since he couldn't.

Selflessly.

That wasn't a word he'd have thought could describe Lori. Ever.

But it sure fit now.

The more he considered it, the more surprised he was. From what he'd known about her previously, he'd written her off as fluff.

Pretty and lively and completely self-involved, without any substance. Now she'd proven, and then some, that his initial impression was not fully accurate.

She seemed to have changed, but whether those changes were temporary or permanent was anyone's call. And he wasn't a betting man.

Right now, he enjoyed her company. Once life returned to normal, he suspected she'd revert to form.

Even though he knew she'd be leaving the next day, did he have to tell her ahead of time about the weather?

If he told her now, would that change everything developing between them? She'd revert to her old behavior, and he would be happy to get her out of his hair.

She'd worry about packing up her gear, and her thoughts would turn to her life in Dallas.

If he kept his mouth closed, they could have the night to enjoy being together. He could tell her in the morning. No need to do so now.

With that decided, he carefully slipped the radio back beneath the pillow, and picked up the scratchpad to make more notes.

* * *

Lori reached the shed and opened the door. She scanned the shelves until she found what she'd come for.

She collected it, closed the shed, then grabbed four more logs on the way. Back in the house, she lingered in the kitchen, not wanting to spoil the surprise for Monty Joe.

"You back?" he called.

"Almost." She deposited the logs on the counter, then scrambled to the pantry and hid the object. "Give me another minute, okay?"

"Sure thing."

Dashing through the den, she headed to the bathroom. She opened the cupboard she'd searched through earlier, while looking for aspirin, and her hand closed on the other object she needed for Monty Joe's surprise.

He was going to love this.

Another dash through the den and back to the kitchen, and she was ready.

"Ta-da," she sang, reentering the den, and holding out a wooden cane and a rolled up elastic bandage. "Now that your ankle isn't so swollen, these should fix you right up."

Monty Joe scrambled upright. "Where did you find my grandfather's cane?"

"In the shed."

"I haven't seen it in years."