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Some days she had a really big mouth.
“See?” Paige said with a bit too much glee in her voice. “Finally, someone’s broken the dry spell.”
“Dry spell?” Mitch looked to one of his two youngest sisters, then scanned the table. “What am I missing?”
“That your sister works too darn hard and doesn’t have time for dating. None of us do.” Paige’s playful tone slipped into one more suited for the general manager of a profitable Texas winery. The teasing teen little sister was gone, and the grown-up lioness defending her pack was on alert. “If she’s finally found a hunk to hook up with, good for her.”
All the men’s eyes rounded and Mitch’s jaw dropped, no words forming.
“Okay.” Eve raised her hands. “No one is hooking up with anyone. It’s just a case of good neighbors doing the charitable thing. It’s over. Move on.” She picked up her fork and dipped it into the blueberry pie, intentionally not looking at her siblings. This was one time she did not want to read the room.
“I don’t know about that.” Craig lifted his gaze to the massive plate glass window that overlooked the front drive. “I believe this may be the first time in history our dear neighbor has crossed our doorstep two days in a row.”
“What?” Her eyes shot up and sure enough, Jared hopped out of a jeep and trotted up the front steps.Oh, boy.
Ever since they’d left the Hero’s project, he’d been haunted by the idea of how badly some of the veterans’ kids were hurting. All during his morning chores his mind kept tripping over imaginary faces of lonesome children. When he rode out to his favorite pasture, for the first time in years he was reminded how painful it had been as a small boy to lose his grandparents. Those two had lived and breathed the Gold ranch and shared that love with Jared. He couldn’t have been more than three when his grandfather sat him on his first horse. Small for a horse, to Jared, Saffron had seemed as big as a Clydesdale. Probably bigger.
When his parents sat him down in the parlor that miserable morning to explain that his Grammy and Grampy had been killed in an accident on the freeway, he hadn’t truly understood what being dead meant. Once the permanence of their absence finally struck him, he’d had no idea how badly a heart could hurt. This morning, staring out at the green landscape as far as the eye could see, memories of Randy taking him along as he worked, in a way, picking up the reins from his Pawpaw, filled him with the same peace and comfort working at Randy’s side had done all those years ago. Jared couldn’t imagine overcoming the sadness that had so deeply overwhelmed him without the ranch, the horses, and Randy.
Now, all he could think was that for some of these kids whose dads were struggling with PTSD and other post war issues, the hurt had to be as deep and confusing as it had been for Jared. All morning he’d kicked this crazy idea around in his head. The debate between a fabulous idea and sheer insanity had continued from the first spark right up to when he’d grabbed his car keys out of the bowl on the entry table. Despite having told himself he was not going to bother Eve, here he was. All the arguing with himself in the world hadn’t stopped him from turning down the main road and circling around to the Baron archway onto one of the biggest ranches in South Texas.
Once he’d turned down the drive his common sense kicked in and insisted that calling was the more appropriate thing to do. Except halfway down the Baron driveway, common sense didn’t have a chance of winning over the driving urge to see her face to face again. Share his idea. Ask for her thoughts. Maybe even her help. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. This would not be the first time he’d been infatuated with an attractive woman, but it most certainly was the first time that a hard morning’s work couldn’t drive the woman out of his thoughts. He was most definitely, as his mother would say, smitten.
His hand poised to knock, the massive front door slowly swung open. Expecting to see one of the help, he was surprised to find the Governor himself at the door. “Hello, sir.”
To his relief, the Governor sprouted a sincere smile. “Hello. Have you eaten?” The older man stepped aside and waved him in.
“Yes, sir.” Hat in hand, Jared twirled it round. “I was hoping to catch Eve in.”
“Of course. The Baron dining room is the most likely place to find my troops on a Sunday.”
The old guy wasn’t exaggerating. The Baron homestead was most likely one of the few houses in Texas that still used a formal dining room with a table long enough to be viable at Buckingham palace.
“Eve, you have a caller.”
“Hello.” Down on one knee, he scratched at the puppies once again dancing at his feet. He stopped and straightened to his full height when face to face with Eve, “I was hoping you might have an hour to spare. I’ve been mulling over a business idea and would like to run it by you.”
Eve’s eyes opened wide. “Me?”
He bobbed his head. “It’s about the Housing for Heroes.”
“Oh.” She jumped up from her seat. “No problem, we can use the Governor’s office.”
“Actually, I need you to come with me. I have something to show you.”
“I see.” She waved her hands down at her sides. “Is casual okay?”
He hefted his shoulders and smiled. “Do you have a pair of jeans?”
“Jeans?” Those eyes rounded in surprise again. “Yes.”
This was not going the way he’d planned. Not that he’d actually planned. He’d simply hopped in his car and followed his heart.Heart?
“Jared?” Eve’s gaze narrowed with concern.
He must have been frowning at the sound of his own thoughts. This was most definitely not the way he’d wanting things to play out. For one thing, he hadn’t expected an audience of half the Baron clan. Especially not supervised by the Governor himself. “If you wouldn’t mind changing, I’ll wait.”
She nodded. “Give me ten.”
