again.
“Yes, but that’s not what I wanted…”
“When?”
“Um, next Tuesday. Now I thought…”
“Where?”
“Presbyterian, Dallas. Are you going to let me finish a sentence?”
“Not if it involves the garbage you started with when we came in here. Do you have to be there the day before for blood work?”
“Of course I do, and that stuff before was practical, not garbage. Let me remind you, I’m not at your beck and call anymore. The girlfriend who thought the sun rose with you is gone and…”
“You saying you worshiped me? Damn, you could have told me then. I’d have liked that.” Holdin grinned.
“Ah, no, well, maybe. It doesn’t matter! Stop trying to evade the issues.”
“Quit trying to be a witch.”
“What?” Jill scowled at his smiling face. He didn’t want to deal with this now? The signals he was sending were so confusing.
“As I see it, we have four days before we go to Dallas. I’d really like it if you would consent to being my guest out at the ranch. Drifter deserves to meet his grandparents and see my home. Driving back and forth to town is a pain in the ass. Before you object, there is a three-bedroom guesthouse waiting for you. You’ll be perfectly comfortable there.
“Things have changed, Jill. The ranch is now the home of a pretty well-off guy who has to bring in important folks occasionally. You don’t expect me to make the guys offering me millions of dollars in contracts stay here, do you?” A wave of his hand indicated the neat but rather garishly threadbare motel room.
“Oh. Yes, I see.” Holdin always sounded so reasonable. If she listened to him, she was being just plain stubborn by refusing to go out to the ranch. Not to mention denying her son his grandparents.
Jill looked over at Drifter. He’d forgotten to look bored but he wasn’t looking excited either. “Would you like to go out to Holdin’s ranch?” she asked quietly. “We’ve already paid for this room. We can stay if you’d rather not.”
“Yeah, I’d like to go. But it’s no big deal if you wanna stay here.” Drifter shrugged. “He’s only the most freakin’ famous guy in Texas and junk.”
Jill raised an eyebrow as Drifter continued. “It’s not like I need to see what kind of cool stuff he has out there.” Drifter grinned at his mother in a sheepish-boy fashion.
Jill glanced between the two males in the room. Two grins. They knew she’d go. It wasn’t fair. Denying Drifter was nearly impossible when he got all smart and refused to ask. Denying Holdin wouldn’t have been as difficult but then she’d be the witch he called her. And she wanted to go, yet with the same intensity, she didn’t want to go.
He confused her, thrilled her and scared her. This wasn’t like it was before. They weren’t the same people. But she wanted him and the man knew there was still a sexual fire burning between them. It singed the edges of every word they spoke. A white-hot flame they both tried to ignore with studied resolve.
What was it about him that still lit a blaze low in her belly after all these years? Was it his storied reputation? The wickedly sexy playboy who was charmingly generous with his time and money? Was it the modern gladiator who’d owned the gridiron and had done it repeatedly? Or was it a connection that had never died? That possibility snuck into her brain and wouldn’t be forced out.
Breaking into the silence as she considered those questions, Holdin’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID.
“I have to get this. It’s Mom.” He didn’t move away as he answered.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Is it true?” Carol Powell asked urgently.
Holdin didn’t need to ask her what she was talking about. Enough people had seen him with them. He was sure one of those “helpful” folks had called his mother by now.
“Yes, but that’s not what I wanted…”
“When?”
“Um, next Tuesday. Now I thought…”
“Where?”
“Presbyterian, Dallas. Are you going to let me finish a sentence?”
“Not if it involves the garbage you started with when we came in here. Do you have to be there the day before for blood work?”
“Of course I do, and that stuff before was practical, not garbage. Let me remind you, I’m not at your beck and call anymore. The girlfriend who thought the sun rose with you is gone and…”
“You saying you worshiped me? Damn, you could have told me then. I’d have liked that.” Holdin grinned.
“Ah, no, well, maybe. It doesn’t matter! Stop trying to evade the issues.”
“Quit trying to be a witch.”
“What?” Jill scowled at his smiling face. He didn’t want to deal with this now? The signals he was sending were so confusing.
“As I see it, we have four days before we go to Dallas. I’d really like it if you would consent to being my guest out at the ranch. Drifter deserves to meet his grandparents and see my home. Driving back and forth to town is a pain in the ass. Before you object, there is a three-bedroom guesthouse waiting for you. You’ll be perfectly comfortable there.
“Things have changed, Jill. The ranch is now the home of a pretty well-off guy who has to bring in important folks occasionally. You don’t expect me to make the guys offering me millions of dollars in contracts stay here, do you?” A wave of his hand indicated the neat but rather garishly threadbare motel room.
“Oh. Yes, I see.” Holdin always sounded so reasonable. If she listened to him, she was being just plain stubborn by refusing to go out to the ranch. Not to mention denying her son his grandparents.
Jill looked over at Drifter. He’d forgotten to look bored but he wasn’t looking excited either. “Would you like to go out to Holdin’s ranch?” she asked quietly. “We’ve already paid for this room. We can stay if you’d rather not.”
“Yeah, I’d like to go. But it’s no big deal if you wanna stay here.” Drifter shrugged. “He’s only the most freakin’ famous guy in Texas and junk.”
Jill raised an eyebrow as Drifter continued. “It’s not like I need to see what kind of cool stuff he has out there.” Drifter grinned at his mother in a sheepish-boy fashion.
Jill glanced between the two males in the room. Two grins. They knew she’d go. It wasn’t fair. Denying Drifter was nearly impossible when he got all smart and refused to ask. Denying Holdin wouldn’t have been as difficult but then she’d be the witch he called her. And she wanted to go, yet with the same intensity, she didn’t want to go.
He confused her, thrilled her and scared her. This wasn’t like it was before. They weren’t the same people. But she wanted him and the man knew there was still a sexual fire burning between them. It singed the edges of every word they spoke. A white-hot flame they both tried to ignore with studied resolve.
What was it about him that still lit a blaze low in her belly after all these years? Was it his storied reputation? The wickedly sexy playboy who was charmingly generous with his time and money? Was it the modern gladiator who’d owned the gridiron and had done it repeatedly? Or was it a connection that had never died? That possibility snuck into her brain and wouldn’t be forced out.
Breaking into the silence as she considered those questions, Holdin’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID.
“I have to get this. It’s Mom.” He didn’t move away as he answered.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Is it true?” Carol Powell asked urgently.
Holdin didn’t need to ask her what she was talking about. Enough people had seen him with them. He was sure one of those “helpful” folks had called his mother by now.
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