Cowgirl Makes Three / Her Secret Rival: Cowgirl Makes Three / Her Secret Rival

Chapter Six

WORK STARTED EARLY on a ranch, and Ivy was checking the irrigation lines on an alfalfa field when her cell phone rang.

“We have a situation here. You need to come to the house,” Noah said in that deep gravelly voice that—blast it!—made Ivy want to purr.

“A situation?” Immediately all sorts of terrible things started going through her head, though Noah didn’t sound panicked. Not that he would. A panicky man wasn’t a good rancher. Noah was a good rancher.

“Nothing bad,” he said quickly. “God, no. I should have led into that better. Let’s just say that Jimmie devoured Diane like a chocolate sundae with extra sprinkles, and now you have a restless group of potential customers waiting for you to transform them into swans.”

“I’m working the alfalfa field,” she said.

“And I’m grateful. It’s what I pay you for. But Ivy, today…I just don’t have a way with an eyelash curler or fingernail polish. Seriously, you have to come save me.”

She could hear the humor in his voice. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she asked.

“I might be thinking that there’s some poetic justice in the women who scorned you having to backpedal a little, yes.”

“Well, I don’t know how I can help them, anyway. Diane was different. I had some free time last night, but sometimes it’s late when I finish work. There might not be time to do a full cocoon-to-butterfly transformation. Besides…”

“What?”

“What if even one of them hates it? I might never hear the end of it.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. So…we’ll limit the time to one day. Maybe you’ll give a workshop. Charge a fee, give them a few tips, supervise them putting on their own makeup. No one can be upset with you when they’ll be the ones doing the grunt work.”

Ivy gave a low whistle. “Noah, I have to tell you, if this ranching thing goes bust, you could get some serious work as a talent agent.”

He laughed. “Think about the workshop, but in the meantime, come see your adoring public for a few minutes.”

He hung up.

Ivy stared at the phone. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have a go at it with the women of the town again, but Noah had a point. Her goal was to pay off the taxes. This would help. Besides, by dawdling, she was leaving her boss responsible for entertaining women who were here to see her.

Even the married women would, most likely, be ogling Noah. Hadn’t they all been regretting the fact that he rarely came to town? So wouldn’t they want an eyeful when they actually got the chance for some time with him?

As Ivy climbed into the truck and drove down the road, she wondered what the women were saying to Noah. Were they quizzing him on his parenting skills, passing judgment?

Ivy gritted her teeth. “Okay, it’s absolutely my duty to sidetrack them from that,” she told a calf and his mother she was driving past. “A man shouldn’t have to explain every move he makes where his family is concerned.”

Within minutes she pulled up in front of the ranch house, the pickup truck spitting gravel. Marta let her in, and she moved into the living room, where she could hear voices.

Noah was shepherding Lily around, and all the women seemed to be fixated on the pretty little girl.

But as soon as she moved near, Noah gave his daughter a kiss and signaled Marta, who took Lily off for a nap. Suddenly Ivy was on center stage.

“I understand you want makeup advice?” she said.

“We liked what you did with Diane,” Melanie Pressman said. “But I’m only here to scope out possibilities.” She looked at Ivy’s clothes, her disapproval clear.

“Darn, why didn’t I wear my stiletto heels and that sexy red cocktail dress out to the fields?” Ivy said. “In the future, I need to remember to dress better for the cattle.”

The rest of the women laughed. Even Melanie laughed just a little.

“Well,” Ivy said, thinking about Noah’s good idea, “the key to looking good long-term isn’t having someone else apply your makeup. It’s learning how to make the magic happen yourself. So if any of you are interested, we could have a workshop at my cottage on my day off.”

“You can use this house,” Noah cut in. “It has more space than the cottage.”

Ivy started to protest, but Sandra was faster. “That is so generous of you, Noah,” she gushed, “but not surprising coming from a man like you.”

What did Sandra mean by “a man like you”? Ivy wondered, but of course she knew. It meant that Sandra was trying to suck up to Noah and talk him into her bed.

The thought made Ivy want to step right between Noah and Sandra. Stupid thought. Don’t you dare, she told herself.

By the time she’d talked herself out of making a fool of herself, the other women had already agreed that Noah’s idea was best. The event had been moved to the ranch house.

“Of course, you’ll want a fee,” Alicia said. “You’ve got bills to pay, and this kind of expertise would cost a fortune in New York. You just let us know how much.”

To her own surprise, Ivy shook her head. “Oh. No. Let’s just say—that is, this first one’s on me.” Had she really said that when Alicia was right and she had just been thinking the same thing a few minutes earlier? Yes, she had, even if it didn’t make sense. Maybe it was newcomer’s nerves—she’d never taught anyone how to do anything. Or maybe her response had been because a deep-seated part of her didn’t feel comfortable accepting money for the kinds of rituals these women had shared as girls. That sharing of hair and makeup and clothing that she’d never shared but which was a part of most girls’ teen years.

Stupid. I don’t care about that, she told herself. And this isn’t the same at all. They wouldn’t have approached you if they hadn’t wanted something from you. But she still didn’t name a price.

Instead, she did another dumb thing. She looked directly into Noah’s eyes. He was giving her an “are you kidding me?” look and shaking his head. But he was also grinning. Okay, she was pathetic, wasn’t she? She needed the money—but she wasn’t going to allow herself to regret her decision. She just hoped that her choice didn’t partly stem from a desire to prolong her time with Noah. Not accepting money for the workshop meant that she would have to work longer at the ranch to earn her tax money.

Don’t let it be that, she thought. She wanted to get away from here quickly, didn’t she?

“That’s very generous of you, Ivy,” Alicia said.

“It is,” Melanie grumbled, and a few other women also thanked Ivy. Sandra merely gave her a tight smile and a nod.

When the women had gone, Noah walked up to her. “Lady, I think you’d better go back to modeling when you leave here, because business just isn’t going to be your forte.”

Against her will, she touched her hand to her face. “Not going to happen.”

“You’re very beautiful, Ivy,” he said softly.

She looked up into his eyes. “Modeling requires the illusion of perfection.”

“Do you miss it?” he asked.

She wanted to say no. “Sometimes,” she confessed. “It was exciting and it gave me validation and a place where I belonged. But I’m fine.”

“I think you’re wrong about having to be perfect,” Noah said. “The world is full of imperfect women and more and more of them are demanding models who look real. Not that I’m an expert, but I read the papers. I see the reports on television.”

Ivy couldn’t help herself then. She reached up and cupped her palm around his jaw. “You’re a good man, Noah.”

His eyes turned dark amber at her touch; his lashes drifted down. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand, sending heat rippling through her body. “Is that a nice way of telling me I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about?”

“It means you’re a good man,” she repeated noncommittally. She wasn’t quite sure what she was even saying. His lips were still just a feather’s touch from her skin. She wanted him to kiss her again. But this time she wanted him to kiss her lips. Maybe more.

Her desire must have shown in her eyes, because Noah groaned and broke away. “I may appear to be a good man, but I don’t feel like one. What I am at the moment is a man who needs to remember who and what he really is.”

“And what’s that?”

“A rancher to the bone. This land has been in my family for generations. A Ballenger has always been at the helm. I love this place. I belong to this place. The fact that I’m…distracted right now doesn’t change things. We both know that I’m the rancher and you’re the model. And Lily is stuck dead in the middle because she’s still so innocent that she could decide she likes you, latch on and get hurt when you go.”

Ivy sucked in a deep breath. She felt as if she’d been kicked. “I would never put a child in a position where she could be hurt.”

Noah swore. “You know I didn’t mean it that way, or if you didn’t…well, there’s just another example of how different we are. I rush into things like a bull and say things that come out wrong. I’m a harsh man of the land and you’re…not.”

Ivy nearly smiled. “No, I’m not a ‘man of the land.’”

“Don’t be cute.” He gave her a smoldering look that set her blood to racing.

“Okay. I promise I won’t be cute.”

“Ivy…” He groaned. “You make me crazy. You have from the start. I didn’t want to hire you.”

“But you did.”

“Yes.”

“And now you regret it.”

“Yes. No. Yes. Come here.” He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her to him. He rested his forehead against hers. Then, without warning, he tugged her closer. His mouth crushed hers. His taste was hot, smoky, masculine…Ivy thought she might faint from the pleasure as he nibbled at her lips, stroked his big hand down her back and over her hips.

“Kiss me again,” she whispered when he released her, but she didn’t wait for him to follow her instructions. She cupped his face in both her palms and pressed her lips to his. She licked his lower lip.

He nipped at her. Somehow he got even closer, so close that she could feel every contour of his body, the hard muscled planes, the desire he felt for her. If two bodies could have produced steam, the two of them would have been enveloped in a mist cloud in a matter of seconds.

Instead, a horse whickered in the distance. Lily’s and Marta’s voices drifted in.

Ivy and Noah separated. “I’m sorry,” he said. “One minute I tell you I can’t do this and the next minute I’m grabbing you.”

“It was a mutual grab,” she said, and his lips quirked up in a smile.

“I’m sorry about what I said about Lily, but…this ranch is hers. I’m the current owner, but it’s her inheritance. That and the blood that runs through me marries me to this land. And I have a bad habit of linking up with women who anyone with sense could see aren’t made for ranching. That’s my problem—my fatal flaw, I guess—to keep living this situation over and over. I’ve made a vow to remember what I am and what I’m not from now on. I can’t get involved with anyone temporary ever again. Maybe if it were just me at risk…” He looked at her lips again, his eyes smoldering even more.

“But you have a child,” she said, backing farther away. Because he was right.

Noah frowned. “Nothing will ever change the fact that Lily’s mother deserted her. And someday I’ll have to help her get past the hurt that comes with that. I can’t put her in the position of losing someone she loves again. There are lots of things I don’t know about parenting, but I know I can’t risk her that way.”

“That’s why you’re alone.”

“Partly.”

She quirked an eyebrow. He shook his head. “I’ve talked about myself too much today. I’d better get back to work.”

And she, Ivy decided, had better get back to sanity. She’d come here to earn money, to leave her past behind and help herself find a future. She’d promised herself that she was through with men, because men had taken everything she valued and loved. Yet she’d turned down money today and she had practically invited Noah to make love with her when she’d never been the type to take intimacy lightly.

She so didn’t want to analyze that last fact. So what did she want to do? Or…what smart thing did she want to do?

But her brain wouldn’t function. She needed to get smart fast. Earn money. Leave. Never come back. It was a mantra she intended to keep repeating. It was her plan.

“From now on I’m sticking to the plan,” she muttered as she headed back to work. But before she could do that, she had to get past the free workshop she was giving.

I wonder where Noah will be while that’s going on? she thought. Probably somewhere far, far away. What man would stick around while a bunch of women took over his house to do makeovers?

Chapter Seven

“WOOK, DA,” LILY SAID. “Want wook.”

Noah gave his daughter a grim smile. “We can’t look, sweetheart. Those women would kick our…behinds if we dared to go in there while they had cream and stuff on their faces and their hair in whatever state women’s hair is in just before the magic occurs and they finally get it the way they want it.”

Noah was flying blind here. He didn’t know what he was talking about, but he remembered too well how Pamala had stomped around if he caught her wearing what she called her beauty mud or when she was touching up her hair color and had some sort of cap on her head with strands of hair sticking out. He was pretty darn sure that Melanie Pressman would put the fear of God into him if he ever caught her like that.

He was equally sure that Ivy would look sexy even with her hair in one of those caps. And if her naked body was dunked in mud…

Whoa, Ballenger, put a stop sign on that thought. This is not the time. Although the truth was that there wasn’t a good time for those kinds of thoughts. He was never going to see Ivy dunked in mud. Or naked. Or…

“Da, peez.” Lily was looking up at him with those big blue eyes, and his heart nearly broke. He wanted to give his child anything she wanted. And right now she wanted to see the women in the other room.

“Lily,” he said, hugging her, “let’s go for a walk. Or we’ll play on your swings. Okay?”

“’Kay,” she said, although he could tell she was just being nice. If she’d been older, she would probably have been sighing with resignation. Man, did he have a way with females or what? Even his own daughter had to take pity on him and cut him some slack.

“Maybe we could look at the horses, too,” he said, taking her hand and trying to come up with a better treat than the swings.

She nodded solemnly. It occurred to him that his daughter was pretty serious at times. Probably because she spent so much time with adults. Again, Ivy’s suggestion that Lily might like to play with other kids came to him. Was it already that time? Was he just being a selfish jerk keeping her here on the ranch with him all the time?

“Bwooz,” Lily said.

Noah shook his head, not understanding.

“Bwooz,” Lily repeated. And finally, “Bwoo-ooz.” She galloped around, mimicking a horse. Or at least as much as a chubby, tottering two-year-old could manage.

Uh-oh. He was going to have to play “bad dad.” Twice in five minutes. “Not Bruiser. He’s too mean. Maybe Cornbread.”

Lily was on the verge of answering when a shriek and then laughter came from the next room. His daughter turned around and zipped away, heading toward the living room.

“Lily,” he called. “Come back here right now.”

Lily, in typical two-year-old fashion, interpreted that to mean Run Faster. Before he could react, she had covered ten feet of space and had made it partly down the hall. Not to the living room—but obviously his own voice had carried to that room. Just as he caught Lily and swung her little body up into his arms, he looked up into a sea of female faces.

For some reason he didn’t want to examine, he looked for Ivy’s face among them. And when he located her, it was her he spoke to. “I’m sorry. She’s just really curious about what’s going on.”

He expected Ivy to nod or say that’s all right and then lead her brood back to their business. Instead, she bit her lip and zeroed in on Lily. “The forbidden is always enticing,” she said. “It’s okay for her to come in.”

He could see that Ivy was nervous, but…oh, there it was. The memory of how her father had kept her from getting to be a regular girl. Dammit. How could he fight that? He couldn’t. Especially because she was right. Lily’s eyes were glowing with excitement.

“If you’re sure she won’t bother you,” he said.

The women automatically began to exclaim that of course they would love to have Lily join them.

And, of course, he was reluctant to leave her in the company of women she really didn’t know. Lily was adventurous to a point. With Marta not there, his child would most likely enjoy herself until she realized that no one she knew was in the room. Plus, these women were busy. Who would keep Lily out of trouble and safe?

No one seemed to think of that, and he didn’t know what to do. As a male, his presence would be taboo. He would just have to take Lily elsewhere. Probably crying at being denied a treat.

“I think…maybe a male opinion on our progress would be a welcome addition, too,” Ivy suddenly said. “I mean, how can we know if we’ve achieved our goal of looking our best if we don’t have any guys to critique our work?”

The look she gave him was both mischievous and determined. She must know that he was going to be like a ship without a sail offering his opinion on women’s beautification techniques, but it was almost as if she’d read his mind regarding Lily. The idea that Ivy could read his thoughts was unnerving. If that were true, she’d know what he was thinking right now was that she looked incredibly beddable in that long white silk robe she was wearing. He wondered what she had on underneath.

Noah tried to blank the thought from his mind. “Always glad to be of service,” he said. “Thank you for accommodating Lily, ladies.”

Cries of “she’s a love, she’s adorable, of course we want her here” were uttered, and Noah soon found himself seated in his living room, which had been transformed into something he didn’t even recognize. The women had brought folding tables, draped them in white cloth and set up makeup stations. There was a makeshift changing area behind a room divider.