The Hottest Ticket in Town (14 page)

“I don't even know if that old coot is still alive, much less
practicing,” Kane returned drily. “And besides, there's no way Warren's going to
let someone give him a once-over right now. I can barely get him to eat anything
since he's returned. I think he's already lost five pounds. His skin is just
hanging off him.”

“What are we going to do?”

Hell if he knew. The answers weren't falling from the sky and
smacking him in the face. “Let's just try and get through this ceremony. One
step at a time.”

A handful of people said really nice things about Cora and for
a woman who'd never had children, she sure touched a lot of lives. It was
finally time for Warren to speak and when he shuffled up to the podium he looked
a lot older than his seventy-nine years.

His voice, soft and grief-worn, trembled as he slipped his
reading glasses over his nose to read what he'd prepared to say.

“Cora said the first time she laid eyes on me, she knew she was
going to marry me. I was just a dumb kid, but I was smart enough to know a good
thing when I saw it.” He paused a beat to collect himself. “She also used to say
there's a lid for every pot and we fit together just fine. When I got up the
nerve to ask her to marry me, I told her, 'Miss Cora, I ain't a rich man but
I'll work hard all of my days to give you a good life if you'll just take a
chance on me,' and you know what, she just looked me in the eye and said, 'You
hush your mouth. I ain't looking for a soft life or a soft man. I want a man who
doesn't lie, works hard and believes in goodness. Are you that man, Warren
Bradford?' And I said, 'I hope to be.'” Tears filled Warren's eyes and suddenly
the entire church was sniffling, Kane and Rian included. “Cora made me a better
man every day. She worked right alongside me to build the ranch, and missing her
will be a full-time job. I know you understand what that means because she had
this special effect on the people who came into her life. She's leaving behind a
giant hole, that's for sure.” Warren's gaze drifted to the closed casket and he
choked up. “I love you, girl. I love ya.”

Warren folded up his paper and tucked it back into his pocket
before taking his seat, his eyes glazed with loss. The ceremony concluded and
people made the slow exit to the wake, which was held in the adjoining worship
hall, and the smell of a dozen different potluck offerings filled the air, but
Kane had no appetite. He stayed behind while Rian helped Warren get something to
eat, though Kane knew Rian had his work cut out for him. The hard wood beneath
his ass began to make his bones ache and he wondered how he was ever going to
get back to his life. His business needed him, but Warren needed him, too.

“Did she suffer?”

Kane stiffened at the soft voice at the back of the empty
chapel and he didn't need to turn to know that Laci had come, after all. He
turned slowly to see Laci standing in the entryway, looking ragged, and nothing
like the glamorous country princess that everyone thought they knew.

“No. She passed in her sleep,” he answered gruffly, hating how
his heart tripled in beat just seeing her there. “You missed the ceremony.”

“I caught the important stuff. I heard what Warren said. That
was enough for me,” she said quietly. “Where is he?”

“With Rian in the worship hall. There's a potluck.”

“I'll never understand the custom of feeding people after a
death. Seems so morbidly misplaced.”

He shrugged without an answer, but he knew she hadn't come to
discuss funeral customs. “Why'd you come?”

“What do you mean? That's a hurtful question.”

“I tried to call twice. You never called back.”

Her face flushed as she explained. “My manager erased the
calls. I never got them.”

What did it matter? They'd been kidding themselves anyway. It
wasn't as if they could build a future together. But there was something about
her appearance that made him realize the sincerity in her claim. “How'd you get
here?” he asked, noting the slight frazzle in her hair and the fatigue ringing
her eyes.

“I got off the tour bus somewhere in Oklahoma, hitchhiked about
eight miles to the nearest town, found a small airport and convinced the owner
of a private plane to fly me to Kentucky. Then I rented a car from the airport
to Woodsville but barely made it in time. All I have are the clothes on my back
and whatever is in my purse. Knowing Trent, he probably burned all the stuff I
left behind, but I don't care.”

“You left your manager?”

“Hell yes, I left him. I realized...” She hesitated a beat, as
if she wasn't sure if she'd be able to say what she needed to say. “I realized
everything that'd ever mattered was right here...not on a bus. I was trying to
get a hold of you, but each time I thought to call, Trent kept me moving at the
speed of light and I got sidetracked. I swear to you, I never got your messages.
If I had...I would've been here.”

He wasn't going to hold a grudge, not now. Seeing her again, he
just wanted to hold on to her. It took everything in him to keep his distance.
“Warren will be happy to see you here,” he said finally. “You ought to go find
him.”

She took a bold step toward him, although her gaze was
uncertain. “Are you happy to see me?”

That was a loaded question. “It's complicated, Laci, and this
isn't the time to figure it out.”

Laci nodded. “We'll talk later?”

“Sure,” he said, but a part of him didn't know what needed to
be said. Their lives weren't compatible. Yet, watching her leave, a hunger that
defied reason dogged him and he wanted nothing more than to feel Laci pressed up
against him again. Even if it was just to say goodbye for good this time.

But she wanted to talk.

Heart heavy and mind confused, he walked out of the chapel and
bypassed the potluck situation. Food wasn't what he wanted.

If he couldn't have Laci in his life, nothing would ever
satisfy that particular hunger ever again.

Hell, he had an inkling of the pain Warren was feeling because
the idea of accepting that Laci was never going to be his...was like someone
slicing his innards with a white-hot knife.

And that sure as hell didn't feel too good.

21

L
ACI
FOUND
W
ARREN
with Rian, tucked off in a corner. She approached and Rian met her gaze with a worried one of his own. “Warren?” she ventured, taking a seat beside him. “I'm so sorry... I wanted to be here. I tried so hard to get here. I wish things had ended differently.” Warren looked up and smiled with pure love at seeing Laci. She blinked back her own tears as she took in his appearance and asked, “Have you eaten? Looks like plenty of good food out there. I think there was even sweet-potato pie, your favorite.”

“No offense to Caroline, but no one makes sweet-potato pie like my Cora. She knew how to put something extra special in the mix,” Warren said softly, wiping at his dripping nose with a handkerchief. “She was special, my Cora. So special.”

Laci nodded, sharing a worried look with Rian. “That's true. Ain't no one that can make pie like Miss Cora...except
maybe
me. She taught me how to make a few things. Want me to mix something up for you? You look like you haven't had a good meal in days. You're plumb wasting away.”

His bottom lip trembled, and after a short beat, he nodded reluctantly. “If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I miss Cora's cooking something fierce. I never realized just how hard it was going to be without her.”

“Of course you do,” Laci said, nodding as she and Rian helped him to his feet. “You go and let Rian take you home and I'll get what I need to make you something good. I'll only use Miss Cora's recipes, I swear it.”

“You're a good girl,” he said, lifting a worn, callused hand to caress her jaw. “She loved you, Chickpea. She really did.”

Laci covered his hand with hers and blinked back tears. “Thank you, Warren. I loved her, too. Now, you go with Rian and I'll meet you back at the house.”

Warren and Rian made their way out of the chapel before too many people swarmed them with condolences and Laci went to find Kane. She found him leaning against his truck, staring up at the dark clouds beginning to crowd the blue skies. He heard her coming and turned to say, “Cora loved these kinds of storms. She said they kept her on her toes, made her feel alive.”

Laci chuckled, remembering. “Yeah, because she said she had to run out and get the clothes off the line before they got drenched.”

“She was a good woman,” he said, choking up. “She took one look at me and made it her mission to fatten me up. I think I put on twenty pounds that first summer.”

They could trade stories about Cora all day and night. She was the glue that held together their foundation. There was no replacing a woman like that. But Laci also knew that Cora was a woman who believed in straight talk. She had no patience for beating around the proverbial bush and that's what it felt like she was doing right now, dancing around the elephant in the room. With respect to Cora, Laci decided to just lay it all out there.

“What are we doing?” she asked, shocking him with her quiet yet direct question.

“We're mourning Cora,” he said, being deliberately dense. “Let's leave it at that.”

She shook her head, not letting it go. “I knew the minute I left that I'd made a mistake,” she said, slipping her fingers into his. He curled his fingers around hers almost hesitantly, as if he was afraid to acknowledge that he had feelings he was struggling with, too. “Everything moved so fast I didn't know how to handle it. I slipped back into what felt comfortable, but it wasn't comfortable anymore. Everything felt off. Wrong. I need you, Kane. I need you in my life and I know there are issues...I know it won't be easy, but I'm not a kid anymore and I know what I want.” His gaze burned into hers and she knew he was fighting something tooth and nail, so she pressed harder, moving closer, crowding his personal space with her body so that he remembered what it felt like to be naked against one another. “Nothing is impossible if we try. But if we quit on each other...we got no one to blame but ourselves for the misery that we're going to feel. Tell me you didn't miss me,” she dared, risking it all—her feelings, her dignity. “Tell me that you didn't want me back.”

“Laci...”

She shushed him with a finger against his lips, only to replace it with her mouth. She kissed him sweetly, brushing his lips with hers with the tiniest dart of her tongue against the seam, teasing him with the promise of more. “Tell me, Kane Dalton, that you don't want me.”

“I never said I didn't want you. I've always wanted you, Laci.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“Wanting and having are two separate things.” He gently disengaged her grip and stepped away to open his truck door. “This isn't the time or the place to have the discussion you're looking for.”

She knew he was right, but she felt they'd lost so much time already and death had a way of clarifying things unlike anything else. “This conversation isn't finished,” she told him as he climbed into the truck and started the engine.

“It is for me,” he said and pulled away.

She watched the truck drive away and her first impulse was to cry because it felt hopeless, but then she remembered that wearing down Kane Dalton was something she'd figured out how to do when she was fifteen years old. She knew his weaknesses and she wasn't above using them. She didn't know how, but she got the distinct impression Cora was looking down on her, watching and rooting for her with total approval, and that gave her the strength to push forward.

* * *

K
ANE
RETURNED
TO
the ranch and went about his usual chores, but then afterward, took a moment to chat with Rian about business, which honestly felt like two million miles away in another life.

“You sure you want to talk business?” Rian asked as they went to the cattle enclosure to check a gate that'd been giving Kane trouble. “Business can wait.”

“I need something to distract me,” he admitted, rubbing at his temple. “Too much going on at the same time, can't think straight.”

“Maybe you're overthinking things.”

He was too wired up to argue. “Maybe,” he admitted. “But humor me. How'd things go with that last gig?”

“Piece of cake. In fact, there was lots of cake. You didn't tell me that at each stop there was going to be some kind of cake with sparklers on it. I swear I gained ten pounds from that gig.”

“You didn't have to eat the cake,” he reminded his brother, but Rian scoffed at his comment.

“Not eat cake? Are you kidding? There is not a cake I can walk past without getting a little sample. Too many years starving with nothing to eat to walk past something sweet.”

Kane could understand that. He still had issues with overbuying food at the grocery store. His place was always well stocked, even if it was just him there. Hell, Laci would get a kick out of everything he had in his pantry...
Stop thinking of Laci
, he told himself, irritated that his mind went there so readily. “Well, you might not have had the most exciting time with Senator Graves, but it's a good way to make the right contacts.”

“I'm sure it is. I just prefer my gigs to be a little less boring. Almost makes me miss an active war zone.” He shared a look with Kane. “Almost.”

“So what are we going to do about the ranch? We're facing the same issue as we were yesterday.”

Rian sighed and lifted his hands with a helpless shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine. I can't even get the man to eat. At this rate, he's going to starve himself in about two weeks.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “I don't know what to do, either.”

“Technically, we're not blood relations, so we have no say in what happens to the ranch and we can't legally help Warren with any kind of money issues that might arise unless he gave one of us power of attorney, and I don't see that happening.”

“Yeah, let's not put the cart before the horse,” Kane warned. “Cora's just passed and he's struggling, but he'll snap out of it because he loves this place. It's in his blood and he won't let anything happen to it.”

“He ought to sell it and move to a retirement place,” Rian said, and Kane just stared at his brother as if he'd grown another head.

“Are you crazy? Warren in a retirement home? He'd drive everyone nuts and then get kicked out. No, that's not what's going to happen to Warren. We'll figure something out. Maybe I'll split my time between here and LA.” But even as he said it, he knew that wasn't a viable solution, either. He blew out a short breath and then motioned for Rian to help him. “Let's get this gate fixed and then head back before it gets dark.”

After securing the gate, they trudged back to the house and found Laci there, talking to Warren and, miracle of all miracles, she'd managed to fix him a plate of food. She rose from her perch beside Warren and said, “I'm going to start on that pie, but you'd better make a dent in that plate of mashed potatoes or you're gonna hear about it from me. Cora always said it was a crime to waste good food.”

“That she did,” Warren agreed, lifting his fork with slightly trembling fingers, betraying his low blood sugar. “And Adeline does make a pretty good mash,” he said around the bite. “Not as good as my Cora, but pretty good just the same.”

Laci caught Kane's grateful expression and she smiled even as she briskly moved around the kitchen in what looked like a mad attempt to make a sweet-potato pie before it was time for bed.

If anyone knew how to reproduce Cora's recipes, it was Laci. Without a daughter to pass on her skills to, Cora had latched onto Laci and found a willing student. Their times in the kitchen had been the way they'd bonded, just as Rian and Kane had bonded with Warren by learning how to care for the animals and the ranch.

It wasn't until later that night, after Laci had put the pie to cool on the counter and Warren had taken himself off to bed, that Kane realized he should've found a hotel to stay in—not because there wasn't room for everyone—but because the temptation of having Laci right there was more than he could possibly deny.

And Laci knew it.

“I'll take the pump house,” Rian offered with a yawn, which nearly prompted Kane to stake his claim on the couch, but Laci had other plans.

Stopping Rian in his tracks with a sweet but firm smile, she said, “You take my old room. Kane and I will take the pump house.”

Rian wasn't about to argue. “Yes, ma'am.” He tipped an imaginary hat to Laci and offered a quick good-night, ducking behind a closed door and leaving Kane to fend off Laci all by himself.

She turned to Kane and said, “I told you that conversation wasn't over and I meant it.” She slipped her hand into his and said over her shoulder, “Don't think, just move.”

He smothered a groan of frustration. There were no more words that needed to be said. Nothing had changed and honestly, things had gotten a lot more complicated now that Cora was gone and they needed solutions, not more problems. But Laci wasn't about to listen to anything that she didn't want to hear, at least not at the moment, and frankly, he was too wrung out to fight her on it.