A Cowboy's Charm Read online

  He’d finished several before Faith picked up a finished bag and looked at the tag. “Aw, Quinn, that’s adorable!” She passed the bag to Mandy, who was sitting next to her. “Look at what he drew on the back of the tags.”

  Mandy smiled. “Lovebirds. That’s just precious.”

  “Oh, look!” Faith showed her another one. “They’re not even all the same!”

  “Wow.” April spread several out on the table. “Quinn, this is spectacular. No two are alike. These will become keepsakes.”

  Quinn smiled. “There’s no way I could make them all the same, anyway, so might as well make them different on purpose.”

  “I get that. When I make a pair of earrings, I try so hard to make them match exactly, but they never do.” She glanced at Kendra. “Which reminds me, are you the one who suggested to Ryker that he could buy me some beads?”

  “That was all his idea.”

  “That’s even more touching, then.”

  Mandy gaped at her. “Ryker bought you beads from Crafty Corner?”

  “Yes, and they’re wonderful. A rainbow of colors. I can’t wait to start working with them.” She looked over at Quinn. “Maybe it was partly your doing, then.”

  Quinn shook his head. “I did absolutely nothing, except maybe getting him into the store.”

  “That alone is a miracle. I doubt he’s set foot in there until today. And he said Badger was taking up scratchboarding thanks to you. You’re a good influence, Quinn.”

  “Thank you, ma’am, but I—”

  “You absolutely are,” Deidre said. “You can’t get more manly than riding and maintaining a badass Harley. But you’re also an accomplished artist. It’s good for the young guys around here to see that they don’t have to be one-dimensional. Creativity is sexy.”

  Kendra expected at least an eyebrow waggling glance in her direction after that remark if not a pointed right, Kendra? Didn’t happen.

  Clearly Deidre was exercising restraint and that was unusual. Kendra was dying to ask what that was all about and she got her chance when the favors were almost done and she left the table to organize coffee and dessert. Deidre came in to help but everyone else stayed put.

  Evidently that was intentional, because as they took out plates for the large sheet cake Jo had made, Deidre lowered her voice. “I can tell you want to know what’s up.”

  “Sure do.” She measured coffee beans and put them in the grinder.

  “When Jo sent you off with Quinn, we all had a golden opportunity to discuss this situation.”

  Kendra rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised you did that?”

  “Just be quiet and listen. We all concluded that this was a fabulous opportunity for you, regardless of whether it lasted a few days or ten years. We want you to go for it, even if your boys are acting a wee bit territorial.”

  “You can’t blame them. They’ve never seen me involved with a man other than their father, and Ryker and Zane are the only ones who even remember that.”

  “Nobody’s blaming them. It’s perfectly natural that they’re feeling protective of you and uneasy about Quinn. We’re just prepared to neutralize their response.”

  “What?”

  “You have allies, sweetie, women who will run interference for you. Mandy and Jo will double-team Zane. April’s got Ryker covered, Nicole’s going to monitor Bryce, and Faith’s in charge of Cody. Olivia doesn’t anticipate much resistance from Trevor since he’s the one who was urging you to date.”

  “But talking about it is a whole different thing from actually seeing it happen. I don’t think he’s as enamored of the idea as he thought he’d be.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We understand how difficult it might be for you to face them and assert your right to have a healthy sexual adventure, but we—”

  “You’re going to say it like that?” She was horrified.

  “Of course not. Everyone will be subtle. The goal is to gently bring them around so you don’t have to be embarrassed about getting it on with that gorgeous man in there.”

  Kendra dumped the ground coffee in the basket. “He is gorgeous.”

  “No kidding.” Deidre cut and dished the cake with the efficiency of a seasoned hostess. “Do you two have a plan?”

  “Uh…”

  “No plan?”

  “We’ve decided to see how it goes.”

  Deidre turned to stare at her. “Seriously?”

  “Shh!”

  Deidre lowered the volume. “Kendra, the man has obligations. He doesn’t have the luxury of hanging around Wild Creek Ranch for days to see how it goes.”

  “I understand that and…and it’s possible that it could be…tonight.” Her heart bounced in her chest like a Mexican jumping bean.

  “That’s more like it. Then Mandy and Faith can caution Zane and Cody not to react if they show up to feed and notice Quinn coming out of the house first thing in the morning.”

  “He won’t. I’ll send him back to his cabin long before then. That’s if we even have sex tonight. One minute I want to and the next minute I’ve changed my mind.”

  Deidre put down the knife and came over to give her a hug. “I know. Keep the lights low for the first time, until you get used to it again. I promise it won’t take long for you to embrace your inner vixen. You’re a lovely, sensual woman and I guarantee he thinks so, too.”

  “Thank you.” Deidre’s hug soothed her. “Jo told me to just go for it, but that’s easy for her to say. She’d be as much of a chicken as I am if some man became interested in her.”

  Deidre chuckled. “You’ve got that right.”

  “You’re not chicken, though. And how we teased you about Jim. I feel bad about that, now.”

  “Ah, I didn’t mind. It was all in fun. But let me tell you, I was very nervous the first time with him.”

  “How did you handle that?”

  “I looked into his eyes. That man wanted me more than he wanted to draw his next breath. Then it wasn’t about me. It was about making him happy and boy, did I ever.” Deidre chuckled. “You’ll make Quinn extremely happy. Focus on that.”

  Kendra gazed at her. “You’re a very wise lady.”

  “Sometimes.” She grinned. “Other times I’m full of crap. Let’s serve this cake.”

  They returned to the dining room. All the bags had been filled and moved to the end of the table where Quinn was still decorating the tags. At the other end sat the Ouija board.

  Okay, she wouldn’t panic. Deidre had just assured her that the women in the room wished for a good outcome for her and Quinn. Embarrassing either of them made no sense.

  “If you can believe it, April’s the only one who’s ever fooled around with a Ouija board,” Judy said. “Nicole and Olivia were both taught it was woo-woo nonsense, and Mandy—”

  “I didn’t think it was nonsense,” Mandy said. “I just didn’t want to know what it might tell me back then. But life’s good, now, so I’m game.”

  “I just looked it up on my phone,” Olivia said. “Not everybody thinks it’s nonsense. Some scientists consider it a tool for accessing the subconscious. That’s kind of cool.”

  Kendra peeked over at Quinn to see how he was taking this. If his relaxed body language was any indication, he wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable.

  As if sensing her interest, he glanced her way. His gray eyes twinkled and his mouth curved in an intimate smile clearly meant only for her.

  Her body clenched with a fierce longing that left her breathless. His hands stilled as the twinkle in his eyes gradually changed to fire. And she wanted everyone gone. Immediately if not sooner.

  “We’re going to start with Mandy and Faith,” Judy said.

  Making a supreme effort, Kendra broke eye contact with Quinn and concentrated on the rest of her guests, who had not magically disappeared, after all.

  “The most recently married and the about to be married seems like a good pairing,” Judy continued. “Ladies, place your fingertips on the planche
tte.”

  Faith looked up. “The what?”

  “That little footed triangular thing with the magnifier in the middle,” Mandy said.

  “We just called it a pointer.” April had left her chair to stand behind Mandy and lean over her shoulder. “But I like calling it a planchette. Makes me feel French.”

  As in French kissing. Kendra didn’t look at Quinn in case he’d also been reminded of the activity that had recently taken place on the cabin’s front porch. They couldn’t keep exchanging hot glances without eventually getting caught.

  “Light touch, ladies,” Judy said. “Get your questions ready. The Sacred Ouija Board is at your service.”

  Soon Faith and Mandy were both giggling as the planchette zipped around the board, seemingly under its own power. They got answers to everything from Is the wedding night all that important? (YES) to When will Mandy get pregnant? (SOON).

  Olivia and Nicole took the next turn, peppering the board with their questions. Everyone cheered when Nicole got a YES when she asked whether she and Bryce would have a hit recording in the next year. Olivia smiled after she asked how many children she’d have with Trevor and the answer was 4.

  Nicole glanced across the table at her. “I could swear I heard Trevor say he wanted two.”

  “We’re still in negotiations. Looks like I might convince him, after all.” She moved out of her chair. “Who’s next?”

  Judy looked over at Quinn. “You seem to be finished with the tags.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Just did.”

  “I’ll bet you’ve never messed around with a Ouija board.”

  “Sure haven’t.”

  “That makes you the last Ouija board virgin in the group.”

  “Can’t have that.” He unfolded himself from his chair and stood. “Kendra, want to show me how it’s done?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Quinn got a charge out of Kendra’s shell-shocked expression. Evidently she’d expected him to gracefully refuse. But ever since Judy had set up the board, he’d had a hunch she’d challenge him to try it. As one of Kendra’s oldest friends, she’d want to test his mettle.

  Picking up on Judy’s likely intention had given him valuable time to decide whether he’d agree or not. He’d been ready to say yes, and at the last minute had chosen to take the initiative.

  Judy might have paired him with Kendra, but that wasn’t guaranteed. Judy’s wry sense of humor might have caused her to suggest Deidre or maybe even herself. If he was going to do this, might as well be with Kendra. Then they’d be in it together.

  She had to move from one chair to another, and he helped her with that before rounding the table and taking a seat on the other side. Her color was high, but she didn’t look scared. Now that she was over the initial shock, he read amusement in those bright eyes.

  Judy instructed them to rest their fingers on the planchette.

  His were larger than Kendra’s and he encroached on her space. Couldn’t help it. Didn’t care. If all he could touch were her fingertips, he’d take what he could get.

  “Get your questions ready,” Judy said. “The Sacred Ouija Board is at your service.”

  Kendra got the jump on him. “I have one. Sacred Ouija Board, what’s Quinn’s favorite color?”

  The planchette began to scoot across the board, although Quinn swore he wasn’t doing it. “Kendra, are you making it move?”

  “Nope. I have no idea what your favorite color is. I could guess red because of your motorcycle, but—” The planchette paused over the B. “Not red, then.”

  The darned thing kept going and paused over the L before finishing up with a stop at the U and the E.

  Kendra looked at him. “Is that right?”

  “Yes. But I don’t know how it did that.”

  “I read some more on it just now,” Olivia said. “It’s called the ideomotor effect. You don’t think you’re making it move, but your muscles are reacting without you telling them to. Or something like that.”

  Quinn frowned. “I swear I didn’t make it spell out blue. All right. I’ll ask it something I don’t know. What’s Kendra’s—”

  “Hang on,” Judy said. “You have to address it correctly. Say Sacred Ouija Board first and then ask your question.”

  He glanced at Kendra and smiled. “Do I get points for this?”

  “I don’t know about Kendra,” Deidre said, “but you’re getting a boatload of points from me.”

  Kendra’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Depends on your question.”

  “Then I better make it a good one.” He cleared his throat. “Sacred Ouija Board, what’s Kendra’s favorite gemstone?”

  “Be still my heart,” Christine said. “The man’s contemplating a jewelry purchase.”

  The planchette remained stationary.

  “Kendra,” Judy used the sing-song tone of a parent scolding a child. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to make it spell rhinestone but it won’t.”

  He grinned. “I’m shocked that you’d try to mislead the Sacred Ouija Board.”

  “Not mislead. Outwit. I figure if I concentrate hard enough on my answer, it’ll just do it.”

  “But it never does,” Deidre said. “Because it’s coming from your conscious mind not your subconscious. Repeat your question, Quinn. Kendra, let the planchette work.”

  She blew out a breath. “Okay.”

  Quinn asked again and this time the planchette quickly spelled OPAL. Not a common choice. “Why opal?”

  “It’s my birthstone, for one thing.”

  “And that’s for…”

  “October. I love fire opals, especially. At first they might look sort of plain, just milky white, but when they catch the light, they flash with brilliant color.”

  “I never noticed that.” This Ouija board deal had its uses. He could find out all sorts of things about her. “Sacred Ouija Board, what’s Kendra’s—”

  “Wait,” Judy said. “It’s Kendra’s turn.”

  “Oh. Sorry. Got carried away.”

  Kendra stared into space for a moment. “All right, I have one. Sacred Ouija Board, what’s Quinn’s favorite place?”

  Quinn deliberately kept his touch light as a feather. He had no idea how he’d answer that. He loved the Lazy S, so likely that would be what came up. But he’d found some awesome spots in his travels on the Harley, too, like that cabin hideaway in the Cascades, his favorite beach near Anacortes, the fire pit here on Wild Creek Ranch…

  The planchette spelled W-I-T-H-K-M and stopped.

  Kendra frowned. “That’s not a place, unless it’s an acronym, or there’s some Native American site near your ranch where you—”

  “It’s a place,” Quinn said quietly.

  Deidre came over and rested her hand on Kendra’s shoulder. “It sure is, sweetie. Put a break between the H and the K.”

  “With KM?” Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth as a collective sigh went up from the group.

  He didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t intended to reveal so much, and especially not in front of so many people. Her question had been innocent enough. She might have been curious to find out if he loved his ranch as much as she loved hers. Evidently not.

  “Hey, it’s getting late,” Judy said. “I don’t know about you guys, but tomorrow’s a busy Friday for me. I need to call it a night.”

  “Same here.” Deidre started gathering up dessert plates and coffee mugs. “I’m showing a house first thing in the morning.”

  “And I need to be at the bank early,” Jo said. “Staff meeting.”

  Quinn snapped out of his daze and got up so he could gather dishes and mugs.

  Kendra whipped into action, too. “I’ll get a box for the favors. The tags look fabulous, Quinn.” She didn’t look at him as she said it.

  “Thanks. It was fun.”

  Judy packed up the Ouija board in a box that was more tape than cardboard.

  Quinn paused, a stack of plates in
one hand and his fingers looped through the handles of three mugs. “How old is that board, anyway?”

  “I gave it to Kendra for her fourteenth birthday, so that makes it older than any of the sweet young things who are here tonight.”

  “I’m glad you got it out.” Mandy wrapped an arm around Judy’s shoulders and gave her a sideways hug. “I can’t wait to tell Zane that the Sacred Ouija Board said we’re going to be pregnant soon.”

  Jo laughed. “Can I be there and take a video? Please?”

  “Sure!”

  Faith glanced up from the box where she and Kendra were carefully stacking the seed bags. “I can’t wait to tell Cody that our wedding night needs to be spectacular.”

  “If I know that boy,” Kendra said, “and I do, he’s planning to pull out all the stops.”

  Quinn wasn’t sure what pulling out all the stops meant to Kendra and he wished he had that info. The women were leaving him alone with her, quite likely because they believed something significant would happen tonight. He wanted them to be right.

  But he couldn’t get a fix on her current emotional state. The message from the Ouija board might have freaked her out. It had surprised him, too, but he hadn’t been shocked.

  If Olivia’s Internet research was valid and working with the board had pulled something out of his subconscious, he’d better listen up. His subconscious was telling him that Kendra was a significant part of his life, whether he was ready to admit that or not.

  In record time, the dishwasher was running and the kitchen was spotless. Kendra had put away the box of favors and the surface of the massive dining table that had been the center of all the activity was now a gleaming slab of hardwood with not even a cake crumb to mar its perfection.

  The guests didn’t waste much time making tracks for home, either. They said goodbye to him as if assuming he wouldn’t be leaving. He didn’t want to, but he wasn’t in charge of that decision.

  The last person out the door was Jo, who hugged Kendra and said something that Quinn couldn’t hear.

  But Kendra’s reply was clear as a bell. “Don’t worry. I won’t.” She closed the door and turned to him.

  “Won’t what?”

  “She told me not to be an idiot.” She shoved her hands in the front pockets of her jeans.