Ready, Set, I Do! (Rx for Love) Read online

  Winn held up a hand, like a schoolboy waiting for the teacher to call on him.

  Hailey smiled. “Yes, Winn.”

  “Who’s Bobby?”

  “One of your father’s ranch hands.” Her tone implied it was something he should have known. “Bobby and I went to high school together.”

  “So a friend from high school—who now works for my father—called you.”

  “Actually, I ran into Bobby downtown. He told me about Bandit.”

  “The border collie.”

  “A+, Winn.” She unexpectedly grinned. “You’re paying attention.”

  “One major piece of the puzzle doesn’t fit. Why would someone put a dog’s name on a tag but not their contact information?”

  Hailey lifted her shoulders in a little shrug. “Why would someone dump a dog?”

  “I’m surprised your friend didn’t take him.” Winn grimaced. He wasn’t into wasting time. So why was he having a conversation about a stray?

  “Bobby’s place doesn’t allow pets.” Hailey paused to savor another sip of sangria. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog, so I said I’d take a look. If I like what I see, I’ll take him home.”

  Yep, he really was wasting time discussing a dog. Winn opened his mouth, determined to change the subject, when Hailey lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

  “Bobby told me I could take him home, too.” She chuckled. “A two-for-one deal.”

  An uncomfortable tightness gripped his gut, but Winn reminded himself it wasn’t any of his business who she dated...or took home to her bed. “Are you taking him up on the offer?”

  She rolled her eyes, waved a dismissive hand. “Bobby has a girlfriend. Besides, after that fiasco with Josh, I’m not feeling particularly charitable toward old high-school classmates.”

  “A+ for you,” Winn said, and made her laugh just as Elena appeared with their salads.

  “Thanks.” Hailey offered the woman an extrawarm smile. “This looks delicious.”

  “Yes,” Winn added. “Much appreciated.”

  “The woman is a saint,” Hailey confided once Elena was out of earshot. “I don’t know how she stands—”

  She stopped, as if suddenly realizing she was speaking to the son of the man she was about to disparage.

  “Don’t stop on my account.” Winn offered a humorless chuckle. “I’d be the first to acknowledge my father is a difficult and complex man.”

  That was all he’d say on the matter. As tired as he was of the dog talk, he wanted to discuss his father even less.

  Hailey took another big gulp of sangria. “I love dogs, don’t you?”

  On second thought, perhaps discussing his father wasn’t such a bad idea. “I haven’t had much contact with animals.”

  Hailey set down her glass, tilted her head. “Surely you had a dog growing up?”

  “You’ve met my father. You know how particular he is about his home, his possessions. Does he appear to be the type of man who’d tolerate a slobbering, hair-shedding, shoe-chewing creature in his home?”

  Hailey put a finger to her lips, drawing his attention to her full sensual mouth. “You’re right. Definitely not a dog person.”

  “From what I’ve observed, a pet of any kind is a big responsibility.” Winn placed the linen napkin on his lap with a preciseness that was as much a part of him as his hundred-dollar haircut. “Are you certain you have time for an animal?”

  “Absolutely. With Josh out of the picture, my social life is officially nonexistent.” Hailey gave a humorless laugh. “I have a great deal of free time. And I get lonely. Don’t you?”

  “Not really.” As a child he’d often been alone, felt alone even when he’d been in a group, but that had been long ago. Now he simply valued his privacy and liked being able to keep everything in its place. With sudden horror, he realized he was very much like his father in that regard.

  “After we finish eating, you can come and check out Bandit with me.”

  Winn started to shake his head, until she took his hand in a friendly, companionable gesture.

  “Please, Winn. If I take him home, Bandit will be your neighbor.” She squeezed his hand. “I really want your opinion.”

  Her flesh was warm against his skin and Winn had to resist the urge to curve his fingers around hers.

  “I’ll give you whatever you want.” His tone came out husky with a suggestive undertone.

  Their eyes met and held for a long moment.

  The sudden twitch of her lips broke the mood. She expelled a little giggle. “For now, I’ll settle for your opinion...though I’ll reserve the right to ask for more.”

  Before he could respond, Elena returned briefly with another glass of sangria and a refill of tea.

  Hailey smiled warmly at Elena, raving about the salad.

  Winn listened with half an ear. He couldn’t help wondering what Hailey’s version of “more” would involve. Not that it mattered. All Winn knew was if he did get involved with someone in Jackson Hole, it wouldn’t be with a woman who reminded him of his greatest mistake.

  * * *

  Hailey crouched and petted the black-and-white dog that thumped his fluffy tail on the ground while licking her outstretched hand. She glanced up at Winn. “Isn’t he the cutest thing ever?”

  It was just the two of them in the barn. When Bobby recognized him as Jim’s son, he handed Hailey the leash and hurried off.

  Winn continued to keep his distance. Though he had no personal experience with dogs, he’d heard they liked leather. His shiny Ferragamo loafers were not meant for the inside of a dog’s mouth. Not only that, he could practically see the hair falling from the animal as Hailey rubbed his back.

  Winn took another step away. The last thing Winn needed was to show up for his afternoon meeting with dog hair all over his suit. “He appears to be molting.”

  Hailey laughed, a pleasant sound reminding him of the soft ringing of bells. “The days are getting warmer. His thick coat kept him comfy all winter. Now he’s shedding some of his hair for the summer months.”

  Didn’t she realize if she took the animal home, he’d be dropping that hair all over her condo? Winn shuddered at the thought. Not in my home, he thought. Not in a million years.

  “Do you want to come home with me, Bandito?” Hailey crooned and the dog let out a little whine. “Will you come home with me and be my boy?”

  At those words, the molting bundle of fur and slobber leaped up and emitted a series of sharp staccato barks.

  Hailey looked up at Winn and grinned. “I knew it. Bandit and me, we’re a perfect match.”

  She looked so pretty and so pleased with herself that Winn was tempted to step closer and pull her into his arms. Instead, he shifted his attention to the dog. “You’re going to take him?”

  “Absolutely.” She clipped the leash on the dog’s collar and straightened. “I’d best get him out of here before your father returns.”

  “Isn’t he the one who wanted the dog gone?” Winn’s confusion resurfaced. “I think he’d be ecstatic you’re taking him.”

  “The dog was supposed to be gone long ago. Bobby thought he had a home for him, but the person backed out. The only option was the pound and Bobby couldn’t bring himself to take Bandit there.”

  Winn thought of his father. Of the man’s exacting standards. His zero tolerance for disobedience.

  “You’re right. My father would be upset the dog is still here. When he gives orders, he expects them to be followed.”

  He was helping Hailey load the dog crate into her SUV when his phone rang. He slipped it from his pocket and checked the readout. It was an Atlanta area code but a number he didn’t recognize. “Do you mind if I take this?”

  Hailey glanced up from where she stood soo
thing Bandit in the transportation crate. “Not at all. I need to get going any—”

  “Don’t leave,” he said, then answered the call. “Winn Ferris.”

  “Mr. Ferris. This is Charles Keating with Keating, Exeter and York. We’re a law firm in Atlanta and we’re handling Ms. Vanessa Abbott’s estate. You have—”

  As Winn listened to the attorney talk, bile rose inside his throat and an icy chill enveloped him. He forced himself to breathe.

  When Mr. Keating paused, Winn cleared his throat and located his voice. He asked questions and received answers but it all seemed surreal. The call ended with Winn promising to take the first flight to Georgia.

  “Winn. Is something wrong?”

  Even Hailey’s warm touch on his arm couldn’t begin to reach the chill.

  “I have to leave for Atlanta right away.” He met her worried gaze. “I need to pick up my son.”

  Chapter Three

  Fried chicken on the stove and garlic-cheese biscuits rising in the oven filled the large country kitchen with delicious aromas. For as long as Hailey could remember, cooking had been one of her mother’s passions. And the woman was a master.

  Kathy Randall motioned for her daughter to add more milk to the potatoes she was whipping. In her late fifties with dark blond hair cut in a stylish bob, blue eyes and a perpetual twinkle in her eyes, Hailey’s mother loved life and it showed. “Are you telling me Winn Ferris has a son?”

  “So he said.” Hailey frowned and resumed chopping broccoli for the salad. Though there was no reason Winn had to tell all, she fought back a twinge of irritation. “It’s kind of a big secret to keep.”

  “Does he have a wife to go with the son?” There was a hint of disapproval in Kathy’s voice. No doubt she was recalling the various single women the business executive had dated since arriving in Jackson Hole.

  “The boy’s mother, the woman who died in the boating accident, was Winn’s former girlfriend. The guy who died with her was her fiancé. Apparently they were planning to be married next month.”

  “How sad.” Kathy gave a sigh of empathy. “Was the child with them when the boat exploded?”

  “No. He was playing at a neighbor’s.”

  “Lucky for the boy. If you can call any child who loses his mother lucky.” Kathy shifted her gaze to Hailey. “Dying before you and Tripp were grown was my worst fear. I knew your father would do his best, but I believed you needed me.”

  “I did need you.” Hailey gave her mom a quick hug. “I still do. Who else will teach me how to cook?”

  Her mother laughed. “I think of all those years I tried. You simply weren’t interested.”

  “It’s moved into the priority range now,” Hailey told her mom, completely serious. “Unless I want to survive on takeout or soup and sandwiches every night, I have to learn.”

  “Well, I’m happy to further your educa—”

  The backdoor slid open and her father stepped inside, the border collie at his side. “Is it time to eat?”

  Frank Randall was a tall man with a rangy body and thick salt-and-pepper hair. Naturally thin, he’d regained the weight he’d lost last year during his successful battle with melanoma.

  “Just about,” his wife said. “Hailey was telling me that Winn Ferris—”

  Hailey’s phone rang as her mother was explaining the situation to her father. She glanced down. “It’s Winn.”

  Her father inclined his head. “Why is he calling you?”

  “I’m about to find out.” Hailey walked from the kitchen into the great room, where the warm earth-toned walls complemented the soaring beamed ceilings in muted white. “Hi, Winn. How are you?”

  “Fine.” His voice was low and tightly controlled. “We’re in Denver now and should land in Jackson at about eight. Cam refuses to eat, but I need to get something into him. Do you remember the chicken noodle soup you made last week?”

  “Of course.” The soup had been her first foray into making homemade noodles. In a neighborly gesture, she’d taken some to Winn as well as Mrs. Samuelson, who lived on the other side of her.

  “Do you have any left?”

  Winn’s question broke through Hailey’s thoughts. While she’d eaten or given away the last of it, she knew her mother had some in her freezer. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “Thanks, Hailey.”

  The hint of weariness in Winn’s voice tugged at her. Though she didn’t know all the particulars, she figured his stress level was sky-high.

  “It’ll be okay, Winn,” she said in a low soothing tone. “It will all be okay.”

  * * *

  After enjoying a meal with her family, Hailey returned home with a half gallon of her mother’s chicken noodle soup and a loaf of homemade oatmeal bread. Winn would never know that this was her mother’s soup instead of her own. Although he might think it was even better the second time around.

  While the airport wasn’t far from their condos, if his plane landed at eight, it would be a while before Winn got home. Hailey used the time to take Bandit for a walk, then began brushing him, while keeping her ear cocked for the sound of Winn’s car.

  It was almost nine when she heard his garage door slide up. Rather than jumping to her feet and rushing to the door, Hailey waited, knowing Winn would call once he and the boy were settled.

  He’d told her Cameron was eight. A lot of her brother’s friends—her friends as well, she reminded herself—had children close to that age. When Hailey had practiced full-time as a speech pathologist in Denver, she’d worked with many children. She liked kids, got along with them, hoped to have a couple of them herself one day.

  Idly, she wondered what Winn was like as a father. He’d always been so focused on his business interests that it was hard to imagine him devoting time to anyone or anything else.

  Of course, Winn had dropped what he was doing to get his son and bring him to Jackson Hole. Her hand stroked the top of Bandit’s head and the dog emitted what sounded like a moan of pleasure.

  Taking care of a pet had been more work than she’d imagined. If she was Winn and facing the total care of a little boy, she’d be freaking. Other than asking for her help with dinner, Winn had sounded composed and as self-assured as ever on the phone. Yet, something told her he’d sound that way even if he was on the deck of the Titanic as it was sinking. From what she’d observed, Winn kept his feelings close.

  Tired of sitting, she put the brush aside and rose. Moving to the refrigerator, she peered inside for something to eat. She’d finally decided on a carton of yogurt when her phone buzzed. Hailey smiled as Winn’s name flashed on the screen. “You two ready to chow?”

  “We are. Or at least I am.” Winn hesitated. “Hailey, about Cam—”

  Though he couldn’t see her, she found herself cocking her head. “What about him?”

  “He...” Winn paused. “Nothing. We’ll be here whenever it works for you to come over.”

  The call ended and Hailey stood staring at the phone, her brows knitted. Something was definitely up. She shoved the yogurt back into the refrigerator and hurriedly grabbed the container of soup and the loaf of bread instead. With curiosity fueling her steps, Hailey headed next door.

  * * *

  Winn tried not to stare at the little boy sitting silently on the sofa, hands folded in his lap. Cam still had the same shock of brown hair and hazel eyes that tended toward green, the same skinny frame and big feet. But that was where the resemblance to the son he’d known and loved ended.

  This child was pale, with freckles that stood out like shiny pennies across the bridge of his nose. There was no laughter in his eyes, no mischievous glint, just...emptiness and sorrow.

  The boy had just lost someone dear to him, Winn reminded himself. Regardless of her actions toward him, Vanessa had been a kind and lo
ving mother. When she’d cast Winn from her life, his one consolation was that Cam would never lack for love. He hadn’t known Brandon, other than to despise the man’s deliberate attempts to keep him away from Cam.

  The boy might have been Brandon’s child by blood, but Winn had raised him for the first six years of his life. Now, Brandon and Vanessa were dead. And Winn was Cam’s legal guardian.

  It was only natural the boy would seem different. Of course, he’d be standoffish and silent. Not only had he lost his parents, he’d been snatched by a man he thought had deserted him and relocated far from the only home he’d known.

  “My neighbor, Hailey, is bringing over soup.” Winn tried for cheery but couldn’t quite pull it off. “It’s good stuff. You’ve got to be hungry. You barely ate today.”

  On their way to the airport, Winn had stopped at a place that specialized in chicken fingers. He remembered the popular chain as being one of Cam’s favorites. The boy had taken only a few bites, then stared out the window.

  Although Winn had talked so much that he was sick of the sound of his own voice, Cam had barely uttered five words. All single responses in a barely audible tone.

  What had Vanessa done to him? What had that jerk Brandon done to him? Winn tried to contain his rising anger at whatever had brought this change in the boy. While he realized some of what Cam was showing was grief, there was more going on here. He would get to the bottom of it, eventually.

  Relief flooded him at the knock on the door.

  “That’ll be my neighbor.” He opened the door and realized she hadn’t come alone. The border collie stood beside her, brown eyes staring at him, as if daring Winn to keep him out.

  “Bandit wanted to meet Cam.” Hailey handed Winn the soup container and breezed past him into the large living room. She wore jeans and a Western-cut shirt in shocking blue. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  The words of protest that had formed on Winn’s lips died at the look of surprised pleasure in Cameron’s eyes. “Ah, not at all.”