Helen Lacey - To Have And To Hold - Made for Marriage / To Wed a Rancher / The Mummy Proposal

He smiled and came down the steps. “I don’t think I can make that promise to you, Callie.”

Stupidly, she smiled back for a second. “You didn’t kiss me back.” The words popped out of her mouth. “I figured you weren’t interested.”

He took another step toward her. “Would you like me to prove to you that I am?”

Callie almost swallowed her tongue. He is interested … he wants me . “Right here?” she asked, wondering what kind of madness had taken hold of her.

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Callie took a step backward. He wouldn’t, would he? Kiss her out in the open, where anyone could see? Possibly in front of his daughter? She warmed from head to toe. But no … she looked at him and saw he was smiling. “Are you teasing me?”

“Just a bit.”

Callie didn’t quite know how to react. Teasing and flirting were almost an alien concept to her. Craig had never teased, never flirted. It was always business, always work, always pushing toward being better, being the best. Only now, years later, did Callie realize how little laughter there’d been in their relationship. But Noah had a relaxed sense of humor, a relaxed sense of self . She was sure he worked hard—but he didn’t live to work. He lived for other things. Like his kids. It would be hard alone, raising four children single-handedly.

Craig hadn’t wanted one child.

In the end Craig hadn’t lived to see his son born. And Callie had buried them both within days of one another—her tiny son and the man who was supposed to have loved her but instead betrayed her.

The worst week of her life. Excruciating. Soul-destroying. Heartbreaking.

“Where are the rest of your kids today?” she asked, shifting her thoughts from Ryan. And, for some reason, she wanted to know where his children were and who was caring for them.

“With Evie,” he replied. “I didn’t think you’d want them underfoot while you’re working.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” she said quickly. Too quickly.

He’d heard the tremor in her voice because his brows slanted together for a brief second. “You don’t like kids?”

You don’t like my kids … that’s what his question sounded like.

Callie shrugged again. I adore kids , she wanted to say. If I had my way I’d have a dozen of my own and love them with every fiber inside me .

But that was a pipe dream. Ryan was the only child she would ever have. And I can’t replace him. I won’t let myself love like that again .

“I like kids,” she said softly.

“Me, too,” he said, smiling again. “Can I call you sometime this week?”

Callie was startled. “For what?” she asked, her heart beating wildly.

“Don’t look so suspicious,” he said quietly. “Nothing sinister.”

Callie felt foolish then. “Sorry,” she said on a breath.

“I thought you might like to go out sometime.”

Like a date? She should run as fast as she could. The idea of going out with him was terrifying. Because she sensed it was something she could get used to. “I don’t … it’s just that I’m … I’m better with horses than I am with people.”

“And yet you became a teacher?”

She shrugged. He had a point. She could have turned her skills toward training horses for the show circuit. But teaching the kids … that’s where she found real happiness.

“Speaking of which, I have to get back to work,” she said. “I have a new student starting in fifteen minutes.”

His green eyes scanned her face. “Business looking up?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “Much better. I had a new student start this morning, plus three calls yesterday and now four new students starting over the next two weeks.”

“That’s good news for you.”

“I know,” she said, a little breathlessly because she always felt as if she didn’t have quite enough air in her lungs when talking with him. “When I lost clients following the incident with the Trent girls I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recoup. Sonja Trent accused me of discriminating against her daughters and threatened to lodge a complaint with the equestrian federation. Nothing came of it, of course, except she managed to persuade half-a-dozen parents to pull their kids out.”

“And then some jerk says he wants to see you lose your license?”

Callie smiled fractionally. “Ah—well, that was a bit of a red flag for me.”

“Rightly so, considering the circumstances. I would never have done it, you know?”

“I know,” she said, softer this time, feeling like their worlds were moving closer. “I lost my temper. When I called you a jerk I didn’t know you.” She paused, searching for the words. “I didn’t like you. But I know you now. I … like you now.”

I more than like you…

“I like you too, Callie.”

Her heart beat like a freight train and it was so loud she wondered if he could hear it.

Minutes later he took Lily and left, leaving Callie standing by the porch with a smile on her face so deep her jaw ached.

Lily arrived unexpectedly at Sandhills Farm on Wednesday afternoon, riding her bicycle. She wore her school uniform, sensible leather shoes and her black hair tied back in a ponytail. The uniform looked oddly out of place with her full makeup. “I’ve come to see Samson,” Lily told her when Callie approached her.

“Does your father know you’re here?” Callie asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sure.”

Callie began her next lesson with Maddy Spears and Lily began chatting with Maddy’s mother, Angela. They seemed to know one another quite well. Her suspicions were confirmed a little later, once Maddy’s lesson had finished and Lily came forward with a kind of indulgent authority and steered Maddy and Sunshine toward the washing bay, flipping Callie an assurance that the gelding would be looked after.

Callie gave the girls an opportunity to do the right thing and headed over to speak with Angela Spears.

“You know Lily?” Callie asked, slipping through the fence.

“Everyone knows Lily,” she replied. “Another marvelous lesson,” the other woman said before Callie could open her mouth. “You are a genius,” she said. “Maddy’s talked of nothing else but you for days now.”

“I’m flattered.”

Angela Spears’s perfectly bowed mouth beamed at her. Callie couldn’t help noticing how immaculately groomed she was. Riding breeches and grass-stained T-shirts had become her usual garb. Too bad—she looked pretty good in a dress. She hadn’t forgotten Noah’s reaction the night of the Twilight Fair dance. He’d looked at her dress, and her legs and her mouth…

“Noah was right about you.”

Angela’s words instantly grabbed Callie’s attention. For a crazy second she wondered if she’d inadvertently said his name without realizing it. “What do you mean?”

“He told me you were an amazing instructor.”

Her curiosity surged into overdrive. “He did?”

Angela nodded. “And he said I’d be foolish to let Maddy miss the opportunity to learn from you and that she couldn’t be in safer hands. Of course, I completely agree now,” she said. “And Maddy’s so looking forward to getting her own pony.” She let out an animated gasp. “Oh, you must help us select the perfect pony when the time comes—I insist. And I’ll pay you a finder’s fee, of course.”

By the time Callie had waved Angela and her daughter goodbye, Lily had disappeared. But she wasn’t hard to find. Callie headed for the paddock behind the house and found her sneaking morsels of carrot to Samson.

“So, Maddy’s your friend?”

Lily nodded. “My best friend.” She gave the gelding another treat.