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“Cara and I were thinking.” Josh spoke somberly while his fiancée struggled to contain her excitement. “If you’re agreeable—”
She cut him off. “Between the wedding and a baby on the way, I need help with the mustang sanctuary and therapy program. I—we—want you to be the one.” When Quinn didn’t immediately respond, she said, “We’re offering you a job.”
He dropped the hammer in the toolbox at his feet, buying himself a few seconds while the shock wore off.
“I thought you hired me as a ranch hand.”
“Divide your days,” Josh said. “Mornings, the therapy program and sanctuary. Afternoons, cattle ranching.”
“I’m not qualified to work with kids.”
Cara dismissed him with a laugh. “I don’t need help with the kids. I need someone to oversee the horses. You’re a ten-time national rodeo champion. I think that qualifies you.”
“How do you know you can trust me? You just met me the other day.”
“I’m a good judge of character.” She surprised him again by reaching for his hand and clasping it between hers. “Please say yes. The job comes with a small salary, and I emphasize small. The therapy program is still in the beginning stages. Eventually, there might be an increase.”
She didn’t say it, but she clearly understood that Quinn needed money to rehire the private investigator.
Josh, too, apparently, for he added, “Eventually, Cole, Gabe and I hope to pay you. As soon as the ranch is turning a decent profit again. And we’re close.”
“I’m grateful for what you’ve done.”
“We need you,” Cara said. “I need you.”
Quinn studied her, searching for any sign of insincerity. He saw none. “For the record, I realize I’m not the kind of person who inspires faith.”
“You’re wrong, Quinn,” she said.
“Can I think about it for a day?”
“Take all the time you need,” Josh said.
“Tomorrow will be fine,” Cara added brightly.
Quinn grabbed the toolbox. He did need a shower and shave before the party. “I’d better get a move on.”
Josh and Cara left, heading for the house. Her satisfied smile was hard to miss. Did she assume he’d accept her job offer? If she did, she had good reason.
Quinn chuckled to himself as he returned the toolbox to the shed behind the horse stables. He’d just been had by someone skilled, and he didn’t mind. In fact, he liked it.
Forty minutes later on the dot, he left the tiny apartment over the stables where he bunked. Boots shined and wearing clean clothes, he walked into the living room at the ranch house and faced a roomful of people. Many of them were from neighboring cattle ranches. They might be the Dempseys’ competitors, but they were also good friends, having known August and Raquel for decades.
Quinn’s cousins, Josh and Cole, came forward to greet him, clapping his back and pulling him into friendly hugs. Their half brother, Gabe, was next. Though no relation, he treated Quinn like a cousin. There were more guests, a couple dozen at least. Quinn met each one but quickly began forgetting names.
He was conversing with Cara and Theo McGraw, the Dempseys’ neighbor and Gabe’s future father-in-law, when a pretty woman with freckles and strawberry blond hair entered the room. Quinn caught sight of her, and time came to an abrupt halt. It started up again when she met his gaze, a startled expression on her lovely face.
Her son accompanied her, hovering close to her side, and was much calmer than this morning.
“Look,” Cara exclaimed. “There’s Summer and Teddy. She’s my best friend and maid of honor at the wedding.”
Summer, like the season. Quinn decided the name suited her. She was bright as sunshine and vivid blue skies. Appealing as long, carefree days that stretched into warm, endless evenings.
Suddenly, he wanted to meet her. Officially. “Introduce us.”
“Good idea,” Cara said. “You’ll be spending a lot of time together, what with all the pre-wedding hoopla.”
Quinn wasn’t unhappy at the prospect despite the fact he had no business “spending time together,” as Cara had put it.
As they neared, Summer’s eyes widened, and he swore he could see her mind putting the pieces together. He wasn’t just the man she’d met earlier at the market, he was the guest of honor. Why else would Cara be escorting him over?
“Summer, I want you to meet Quinn Crenshaw.”
Cara might have surprised him with a job offer, but he had an even bigger surprise in store for her.
“We’ve met,” Quinn said.
Summer swallowed, then smiled tentatively in return. “Yes. Earlier today at the market. Except we each didn’t realize who the other person was.”
“Oh!” Cara drew back to study each of them. “Really?”
“He helped me with Teddy.” Summer extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Quinn.”
“Same here.” He closed his fingers around her slim and deceptively strong ones, lingered for too long, then turned his attention to Teddy rather than give himself away. “How you doing, son?”
The boy peered up at him but didn’t meet Quinn’s gaze. He noticed Teddy favored his mother. Same color hair, same freckles and same hazel eyes.
“We’re doing much better,” Summer answered for him. “Shopping can sometimes be stressful. Thank you again.”
“My pleasure.” Quinn meant it.
Cara blinked in astonishment, taking the three of them in. “I really wish I’d been there. This sounds interesting.”
“Truly, it wasn’t.” Summer smiled somberly. “A woman touched Teddy, and, well, you know how he hates that. Quinn was kind and helped me out.”
“Man,” Teddy suddenly said. “Stow.”
“That’s right.” Summer beamed. “Mr. Crenshaw is the man we met at the store.”
Cara also seemed impressed. “Wow. He’s really talking more and more.”
“Between the learning center and the therapy program, he’s making incredible strides.” They chatted for several more minutes until Cara was called away to help with dinner. Summer smoothly changed the subject. “Quinn, I hear you’re a rodeo champion.”
At least she hadn’t said ex-convict. “Former champion.”
“Bull riding?”
“That was Josh and Cole’s event, though I did give it a go now and then. Mostly then. Bronc busting, bareback and saddle was my choice of torture, along with a little steer wrestling.”
“Torture?”
She glanced down at her son again, who continued to stare at Quinn’s left ear. It should have made him uncomfortable. For whatever reason, it didn’t.
“Rodeoing isn’t exactly easy.” But it was a hell of a lot easier than prison.
“Do you miss it?”
“Every day.” Quinn wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to be so forthright with Summer.
“I hear you’re taking to cattle ranching. Josh says you’re a natural.”
“Cara offered me a job. Helping with the mustangs and the therapy program.”
Summer’s mouth opened, then shut and thinned to a flat line. Whatever she was going to say, she’d changed her mind.
Her reaction bothered him. “Don’t feel you have to stay and keep me company.”
“Sorry.” Her denial was quick and not quite believable. “I should probably help with dinner, too. I don’t want to leave everything to Cara and Raquel.”
“Sure.” His ready acquiescence wasn’t entirely believable, either. Not to his ears anyway. Apparently not to Summer’s, either.
For the first time she faltered. “I... It’s not...”
“Is there a problem with me working for Cara?”
“No. What gave you that idea?”
“Because you changed the second I mentioned it.”
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity.” When Cara called her name, she couldn’t escape fast enough. “Excuse me.” Checking on her son, she let out a soft, “Oh.”
Quinn felt it then. Teddy was tracing his index finger along the engraving on his leather belt depicting a herd of galloping horses.
“Hey, son.”
“Haws. Wunning.”
“Yes, the horses are running.” Summer blinked back tears.
Quinn issued the invitation without thinking. “He can stay with me if he wants.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently, her tears instantly drying. “No,” she repeated, starting for the kitchen. Except Teddy didn’t follow her. “Come on, honey.”
He stuck out his lower lip, his concentration focused on his finger as it traveled from one horse to the other on Quinn’s belt.
Summer wavered, visibly torn.
“I have a solution,” Quinn said amicably. “I’ll go with you and Teddy.”
Again Summer shook her head in protest. But when Quinn started walking, Teddy did, too.
Chapter Two
Quinn had been to Arizona many times during the years he competed. There were several well-known rodeos in the state, the Parada del Sol being one of the biggest and most popular. He’d heard of Mustang Valley from his cousins, mostly how they’d refused to set foot in the place again after what they viewed as their father’s abandonment, but he hadn’t visited.
Then their father’s death had brought them home after a long, long absence. In a way, it had also brought Quinn there.
He stared at the distant outline of the McDowell Mountains, grateful for his recent good fortune. This was a place worth living in and not just because he’d spent the last two-plus years calling a stark concrete cell the size of a closet home.
Dusk fell, and the sun disappeared behind the horizon, leaving behind a half moon hovering above Pinnacle Peak. A flock of doves took flight from a nearby paloverde tree and winged their way into the great expanse of the desert. Distant lowing from some of Dos Estrellas’ twelve hundred head of cattle grew softer and less frequent as they settled in for the night.
Quinn stood in the front courtyard of the Dempsey house. Behind the ranch and a good two miles north lay the town. In this direction, however, the land seemed to extend forever.
Inside the house, the party continued strong. He’d escaped after dinner and come outside, hoping no one was offended. His need for solitude wasn’t the fault of the guests. They were all nice and cheerfully welcomed him, though some couldn’t hide their curiosity.
He simply liked being alone and shutting out all the noise until only his own thoughts remained. At times the craving was too powerful to resist, and he gave in.
That might be the reason he liked and understood Teddy. Sometimes a person didn’t want to be touched or talked to or bothered.
Quinn thought Summer must also understand Teddy. At least, she tried. She certainly respected his boundaries.
He compared his own situation to Summer’s, noting the differences. He’d been denied the chance to parent his daughter and longed for contact with her. Summer, however, lived with Teddy but wasn’t allowed to touch him. How hard that must be for her.
An exterior light came on. The next instant, the front door to the house, a large and ornately engraved oak panel, swung open. Summer stepped outside as if by thinking of her Quinn had made her appear. Teddy, as usual, stood beside her.
She obviously hadn’t seen Quinn yet and assumed she had the courtyard to herself. He would have relished the chance to observe her unnoticed, except in the next instant Josh’s two young children tumbled outside like a pair of puppies set free after being confined all day.
Nathan, Josh’s three-year-old son, bounded over to where Quinn sat on the stone bench by the fountain. “Hi, Uncle Quinn. What are you doing?”
The boy had started calling him “Uncle” without any encouragement. While technically inaccurate, Quinn didn’t mind.
“Nothing much. What about you?”
“Daddy says I’m being bad. Too noisy.”
The boy was followed by his ever-present shadow, his eighteen-month-old sister, Kimberly. She babbled in a baby language Quinn couldn’t translate.
His throat strangely tightened. His daughter—hell, he didn’t even know her name—was maybe six months younger than Nathan. He didn’t know her exact age, either. Damn. It wasn’t fair. Frustration built before he could contain it.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Hearing Summer’s voice, he glanced up to see her and Teddy approach.
“No problem,” Quinn answered. “It’s a beautiful evening. A shame not to enjoy it.”
“Those two were being a bit rambunctious. I offered to take them outside. Teddy needed a break anyway.”
Quinn angled his head to better see Teddy. “I know how you feel, pal. Crowds get to me, too.”
The boy rewarded Quinn by making eye contact for a few seconds.
“He likes you,” Summer said, a trace of wonder in her voice.
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“Noooo,” Kimberly abruptly cried out, her one understandable word. Frowning, she pushed at Nathan.
He retaliated by kneeling in front of the fountain, dipping his hand in the tepid water and splashing her. She screamed as if doused with boiling lava.
Quinn stood. Before he could intervene, Summer did.
“Hey, you two. Behave.”
“She hit me,” Nathan objected, scrambling to his feet.
“You’re bigger and older than her.”
She attempted to reason with the boy, explaining how it was his job to set a good example for his sister. From the way Nathan stuck out his lower lip, Quinn could see he wasn’t taking the lesson to heart. Beside him, Teddy began humming. Quinn didn’t think it bode well.
Something he hadn’t thought of in years suddenly popped into his head. Reaching for his wallet, he extracted a dollar bill. Teddy watched Quinn’s every move as he executed a number of intricate folds. Before too long, the bill resembled a swan. A rather crooked swan, mind you. Quinn’s skills were rusty.
“Here. Take it.” He handed the swan to Teddy.
After lengthy and careful consideration, Teddy took it.
“Come on.” Quinn walked to the fountain, motioning to Teddy.
The boy just stared, his eyes void of expression.
Quinn pointed to the water. “Swans like to swim.”
By now, Summer, Nathan and even Kimberly watched in fascination.
Finally Teddy complied. At the fountain’s edge, he gingerly set the paper swan on the water. It bobbed gently and floated toward the center of the fountain.
“I want one, too.” Nathan rushed Quinn and hugged his thigh.
“You have to be good.”
“I will. I be good.”
Quinn quickly constructed a second swan. Nathan smashed its tail before launching it in the water. He didn’t appear to mind. Kimberly eagerly squeezed between the boys. Teddy remained rooted to his spot, ignoring both other children.
Summer sidled up beside Quinn. “Where did you learn to make those?”
“My sister. She was into origami for a while when we were kids. I can also make an eagle and a ring. Or, I could. Maybe not now.”
“A man of many talents.”
He liked the silky quality of her voice and the fluid grace of her movements. “I’d forgotten about it until now.”
“Memories are funny things. They can be buried for years and surface all at once. Then there are those that are never far away.”
Quinn had a lot of those kind.
By unspoken agreement, they moved to the bench, where they could keep the children in sight. It wasn’t a large bench, and only a few inches separated them. Aided by the exterior light that had come on automatically, Quinn saw a tiny jeweled stud in her right ear, appreciated her attractive profile and discerned at least three distinct shades of color in her hair, ranging from blond to gold to red.
He shouldn’t ask but he did anyway. “Is Teddy’s dad in the picture? I noticed you came to the party alone.”
“He is.” Summer shrugged. “Barely.”
“A shame.”
“I agree. Teddy was three when the doctors officially diagnosed him. By then, our quiet but seemingly happy child had almost completely withdrawn and barely spoke. Hal didn’t take the diagnosis well. Up until then, he hoped whatever was wrong with Teddy was treatable and reversible. We divorced about a year later. He was visiting every few months.” Her voice altered slightly. “He remarried this past winter. Since then, he’s been coming by every couple of weeks. I think his new wife has more to do with it than any sense of responsibility.”
Quinn chose to keep his opinion of Summer’s ex to himself.
She gave an embarrassed laugh. “I can’t believe I told you all that. We barely know each other.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to strangers.”
“Teddy doesn’t seem to notice the lack of a father in his life. Truthfully, he’s been more aware of you in the last fifteen minutes than of Hal in the past year.” She stared into the distance.
Quinn wondered if she saw the same beauty and majesty he had earlier or if she took it for granted. He liked to think the former. Summer struck him as a sensitive person.
She cleared her throat. “I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“I was wrong earlier. You should accept the job. You’ll be wonderful. With the horses and the children.”
“You have good reason to be worried. I spent over two years in prison.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“To have doubts, then.”
She glanced at the children. Teddy continued to focus on the paper swans, now becoming waterlogged. The younger two had abandoned the fountain to play with a tennis ball they’d found in a bush.
“Josh and Cole told me you’re innocent. That new evidence cleared you.”
“I didn’t hurt the guy. But we did get into an altercation that night in the bar. There was some shoving. Shouting. Threats. I’d like to say he had it coming. Truthfully, I’ve had...problems with my temper in the past. Still do.”
“You’re kidding. You strike me as pretty laid-back.”
“Ah. Well, I work on it. Constantly. Prison’s good for changing a person’s perspective. Maybe the only thing it’s good for.”
“You didn’t let it destroy you, Quinn. That’s what’s important.”
She was wrong. Prison had destroyed a part of him he could never get back. The part that had fearlessly faced life.
“The guy was a jerk.” Quinn had called him far worse names when not in earshot of kids.
“What did he do that made you angry?” she asked. “Besides being a jerk. Hit on your girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
She drew back. “I wasn’t serious.”
“He insulted her. And when I say insult, I’m being generous. We’d both had a lot to drink. The difference was, I’d just come off a big win while he’d lost. My friends separated us and got me out of the bar, then took me to my truck. The guy left the bar a while later and was assaulted in the parking lot. He nearly died from a brain hemorrhage and was in a coma for weeks. When he finally regained consciousness, he identified me as his assailant even though the attack happened so fast he didn’t see the guy’s face.”
“Why would he do that?”
“A blue shirt. I was wearing one. And apparently his assailant was, too.”
“Are you saying you were arrested and convicted based on the fact you were wearing a blue shirt? I don’t believe it.”
“More than a dozen people witnessed our argument in the bar.”
“But not the attack. Didn’t you have an alibi? What about your friends? Your girlfriend? Surely they vouched for you.”
“They couldn’t. After they left me at my truck, they went home or back to their hotel rooms, including Jenny. She was mad. She’d grown pretty tired of me by that point. I crawled into the backseat and went to sleep. No one saw me until the next morning.”
“What about security cameras? Weren’t there any?”
“Only one and it had been broken for months. The bar owner hadn’t gotten around to fixing it.”
She shook her head. “This sounds like a bad TV show.”
“My guilt was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in the minds of the jurors.”
“Doesn’t that make you mad?”
“Yes, it did. Really mad. I had a lot of trouble controlling my rage the first six months in prison. Counseling helped. Now that I’m out, I try not to dwell on the past. It doesn’t do any good.”
“What happened? How were you exonerated?” Summer leaned in.
Quinn did, too, finding her proximity impossible to resist. “DNA evidence. None of mine was at the scene, which didn’t make a difference to the jurors. But there was blood not belonging to me or the guy on his clothing. He must have gotten in a swing at some point. Problem was no match was found in the federal DNA database. Six months ago, I caught a break when the real assailant was arrested for another unrelated assault. This time, the victim was his wife.”
Summer gasped.
“She told the police her husband had a history of violence and was involved in several bar fights. The police were able to match his DNA to the sample from the guy’s shirt. It took a while, but I was cleared and the right man put in prison.”
“I’m really glad, Quinn.”
“Yeah.” He blew out a long breath. Did she have to look at him so earnestly and with such compassion? “There’s more.” He hesitated. “I have a daughter.”
“You do?” She brightened. “Where does she live? How old is she? Is she going to visit?”
He smiled. Next to kids, she more than anyone could coax one out of him. “I don’t have the answer to any of those questions. I’ve never seen her. I only just found out about her. A friend of Jenny’s told me after I got released. She thought I should know.”
“Jenny hid your daughter from you?”
“I don’t blame her. I’m a convict.”
“Was. The girl is your daughter. You have rights.”
“I’ve been trying to find them. I even hired a private investigator.”
“Any luck?”
“Not yet. I need this job. PIs aren’t cheap.”
Summer looked stricken. “Now I’m even sorrier about earlier.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
She surprised him by saying, “I might be able to help you.”
“You can?” He didn’t see how.
“I work part-time for an attorney in Scottsdale. He specializes in family law. We occasionally have to track down errant spouses, some of whom have taken their children.”
“I can’t afford an attorney, either.” Quinn had already gone that route.
“He might talk to you pro bono. Offer some free advice. Let me ask,” she said when he hesitated. “What harm can it do? You may be able to receive compensation from the state.”
“Sue them?”
“You were falsely imprisoned. They may offer a settlement. In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t already. It’s worth checking into.”
Pride and hope waged a battle inside Quinn. He didn’t like taking handouts. Then again, he’d be a fool to refuse help and possibly money when he desperately needed both. “Okay.”
By some miracle, Nathan and Kimberly continued to play without fighting. Teddy stayed put by the fountain, absorbed in his own world.
Feeling Summer’s warm hand on his arm, Quinn turned.
“I’m glad you told me about everything,” she said. “It couldn’t have been easy.”
She looked directly at him with those enormous hazel eyes, and Quinn felt a small crack form in the shield protecting his damaged heart. He stood before the crack had a chance to widen.
“We should probably get back to the party.” He went over and collected his niece and nephew, ignoring the confusion clouding Summer’s features.
She was exactly the kind of woman he could fall for. Unfortunately, he was exactly the kind of man she should avoid at all costs. If she didn’t realize it, he certainly did and would avoid any involvement for both their sakes.
* * *
THERE WERE CURRENTLY six therapy-program horses being housed in the row of covered stalls behind the horse stables, all of them rehabilitated mustangs from the sanctuary Cara ran. In addition to the stalls, the program had also built the small riding arena where Quinn met Lizzie.
The nearby corral was sometimes reserved for private lessons when a more confined area was needed. On most days, Cole used it to train horses. With two hundred wild mustangs to rehabilitate and adopt out, training had quickly become his specialty and main job at the ranch. Quinn was lucky to find the corral empty.