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“And she was a superstitious woman?”
“Very much so. I followed her everywhere and asked a million questions. She was a patient woman. I certainly don’t believe everything she told me, but it doesn’t hurt to take all of the luck I can get.”
Sympathy welled up in him for the motherless girl who’d had to reach out to her father’s assistant for a mother figure. How could a woman abandon her own child? The thought was inconceivable to him.
“You better get to work then.” He held out the nails and hammer to her. “With time running out for me to save this ranch, I guess I better grab some of that luck.”
“You don’t need luck. You have me.” She flashed him a warm smile that lit up her eyes.
He longed for her to literally mean she was his. Then he’d sweep her up into his arms and enjoy her sweet kisses. He’d make sure to make up for their lost moment the other night when they’d been interrupted. Boy, would he ever.
Cord undid the lock of the trunk and lifted the dusty lid. He hadn’t looked in here since he’d packed what was left of Susan’s things after she’d cleared out. After her sob story, the court had given him enough problems as far as the divorce was concerned, and he hadn’t wanted to be accused of stealing. Then he’d forgotten about them.
He pulled out a pair of faded jeans. “Here, these might work. You can wear whatever you want.”
“Thanks.” Lexi stepped forward and started fingering through the contents. “Are you sure the owner isn’t going to mind?”
“These things are long forgotten. I’ll get rid of them one of these days. So help yourself.”
“I’m not sure anything will fit, but I’ll give them a try.”
His thoughts strayed to his ex. She had been a bit more full-figured—but curves weren’t everything. His ex certainly never made his heart pound like Lexi did when she brushed up against him—
Halting the direction of his thoughts, he moved to the doorway. “You can change here. You won’t be disturbed. I’ll go saddle the horses.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Maybe things were beginning to look up.
Alexis knelt in front of the old chest and gazed in at the assortment of women’s clothing. Colorful tops, a stack of shorts, but only one pair of jeans. Who in the world had they belonged to? Alexis removed a white top. It consisted of a sleeveless corset that laced up the front. Interesting. Cord must like his women hot and daring. Alexis frowned. She was neither.
She folded the clothing and placed everything except the jeans back where she found it. With the faded denim in hand, she stood up. She held the jeans in front of her, finding a rip above the knee. She couldn’t tell if it was from wear or if it was a fashion statement. And then there were streaks of paint, from sunny yellow to royal blue with a few other shades in between. The woman who once wore these must have been a painter, or her tastes ran on the unique side.
In Alexis’s mind, she conjured up some pretty brunette, laughing and teasing Cord. If he still possessed a trunk full of her clothes, she must have meant a lot to him—the love of his life? A burning uneasiness churned in Alexis’s belly—could it be jealousy?
Nonsense. What did she have to be jealous of? It wasn’t like she had any claims on the man. Still, wearing another woman’s clothes bothered her. She swallowed her ego and slipped on the mystery woman’s jeans. The one thing to soothe her was the fact that they were a little big on her. It wasn’t much, but it’s all the comfort she could find in this most uncomfortable situation.
Not wanting to be reminded of the other woman—the one who’d obviously been an important part of Cord’s life—Alexis sent the trunk lid slamming shut. She dusted off her hands and headed out of the tack room. Not quite ready to face Cord, she walked to her SUV to retrieve a bottle of sunscreen. With a healthy amount smoothed over her exposed areas, she ran her palms over the jeans to clean off the excess. She grabbed her cowboy hat from the front seat. With all of her new acquisitions, she’d need to buy another suitcase—a really big one.
All set for their outing, she turned toward the corral. With Cord nowhere in sight, she meandered over to where Midnight Star stood. When the horse heard her boots crunching over the gravel, he turned in her direction. His big, dark eyes studied her. As she drew closer to him, she realized he was much, much larger than she’d remembered. She swallowed hard.
“Hey, boy,” she called out in a soothing voice. “Come here.”
The horse studied her for a moment before approaching her. Alexis smiled. Okay. She’d definitely misjudged his size. Midnight Star had to be at least seventeen hands. Way too much of a horse for her to start out on.
“I can’t stay.” She stroked his neck. “I just wanted to say hi.”
She should get moving, but she didn’t want to leave—not yet. She didn’t realize until that moment how much she’d missed being around horses. If only she hadn’t fallen. If only her father hadn’t sold her horse, her beautiful Black Beauty. The sudden wave of memories brought with it regret and a deep sadness of how she’d sacrificed the things she’d cared about to become the daughter she thought her father wanted her to be. And yet even with all of the sacrifices, she still kept coming up short in her father’s eyes.
“I see the jeans fit.” Cord strode into the corral with a horse all saddled up and ready to go.
“Uh…yes. They’re a little big, but they’ll do. Thank you.”
“Good.” He stopped on the opposite side of the fence and gave her a funny look. “Are you okay?”
“Sure. Why?”
“It’s just that you keep flexing your hand. Is it bothering you again?”
