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  Smiling, he rose from the table and went forward to meet the women. “Hi, you two! What a great surprise.” He deliberately avoided calling Sarah anything. She’d be crushed if he stopped calling her Mom, and yet he didn’t know if he’d be able to now without thinking about this whole mess.

  “I wish we’d known you’d be here.” Sarah gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “We would have come over sooner!”

  “It was sort of last-minute.” Damned if he didn’t breathe in her familiar perfume, a flowery scent his dad had liked, and get a lump in his throat. He was back to being five years old and needing his mom to make everything all right again. Except she was part of the problem.

  Lucy followed up with a hug and kiss, too. “It’s good to see you, Nick. I keep thinking you’ll come in for a scoop of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough.”

  “Jack’s keeping us on track out there. Come on, let me introduce you to Dominique.” He turned back to the table and discovered she’d left her chair and walked around to meet them. “Dominique Jeffries, I’d like you to meet Sarah Chance and Lucy Bledsoe.”

  Sarah put her arm around his waist and gave him another hug. “Also known as your mother. Sheesh, Nick. You make me sound like a stranger. Very nice to meet you, Dominique. Are you here on business or pleasure?”

  “Strictly pleasure.” Dominique shook hands with the women. “I’m staying at the ranch. Pam ended up with an overflow situation.”

  Sarah nodded. “It happens now and then, and we’re glad to help out.”

  “The ranch is gorgeous. I love it there.”

  “Good.” Sarah smiled at her. “Then I hope you’ll come back. I’m happy to see that Nick is introducing you to our local nightlife.”

  Dominique made a face. “Poor guy’s trying to teach me the two-step, but I’ve mangled his toes.”

  Sarah gazed up at Nick. “You boys take after your father. I married him because he could dance.”

  Carolyn appeared on the fringe of the group. “I have a table in the corner, unless the two of you want to try and squeeze in here with Nick and his date.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of interrupting Nick’s date,” Sarah said. “We’ll sit at the other table.”

  Nick couldn’t imagine how that would work. No matter where Sarah and Lucy sat, he’d feel on display. “Sit with us,” he said. “I haven’t talked to you in a few days. You can tell me how Grandma Judy’s doing.”

  Sarah seemed pleased. “If you’re sure it’s not a horrible imposition…”

  Dominique spoke up immediately. “Of course not. I’d love it if you’d sit with us. I’ve felt sort of cheated because I couldn’t meet the mistress of that beautiful ranch house.”

  Sarah turned to Carolyn. “Then I guess we’ll stay right here.”

  “You bet,” the waitress said. “Do you know what you want to eat, or would you like menus?”

  “Oh, you know what I want,” Sarah said.

  “Me, too,” Lucy added. “Us old-timers don’t need menus anymore.”

  Nick volunteered to get a couple of chairs. He was still wrestling with how he wanted to handle this encounter when the band struck up a waltz, and inspiration hit.

  After he’d maneuvered the extra chairs around the small table, he held out his hand to Sarah before she’d had a chance to sit down. “I’ll bet it’s been awhile since you waltzed.”

  Pure joy filled her blue eyes. “Nick, are you asking me to dance?”

  As he met her happy gaze, all his anger melted away. She’d meant no harm. She’d even tried to talk her stubborn husband out of keeping his secret, but in the end she’d given in to his wishes because she’d loved him. “Yes, Mom, I am, if you’ll do me the honor.”

  14

  DOMINIQUE LONGED TO BE a mouse in Nick’s pocket, so she could listen in on the conversation they were having on the dance floor.

  “Those Chance men are dancers, every last one of them,” Lucy said. “It’s good to see Nick out there. The man has great buns, doesn’t he?”

  Dominique laughed. “Yes. Yes, he does.” Although dancing with Nick meant being held close and feeling his animal magnetism, watching him dance brought its own kind of sensual delight. He really was a gorgeous man.

  And when he had a partner who could dance, the two of them were poetry in motion. If Dominique were going to hang around—which she wasn’t—she’d have to learn. Herman, who had no rhythm, had lulled her into thinking the skill wasn’t important.

  But when it meant sweeping around the floor with a man like Nick, it became important. Dominique envied Sarah her grace and style. She was wearing jeans, but from the way she moved, Dominique could imagine her in a ball gown.

  Love glowed in her expression as she gazed up at Nick. Dominique had no doubt Sarah loved him as her son, even if she hadn’t physically given birth to him. Apparently Nick had no doubt of that love, either. When he’d called her “Mom,” Dominique’s heart had squeezed.

  She doubted they were discussing the document Nick had found. He’d apparently decided against confrontation and in favor of bonding with this woman who had raised him. Dominique loved watching them together. A man who showed that kind of empathy toward his mother would make somebody a terrific husband.

  Too bad she wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend, let alone a permanent life partner. After two years with Herman, she knew what she didn’t want, but she was still working out what she did. For starters, he’d need to live in Indiana. Maybe she should consider Nick an example of the kind of man she’d look for eventually.

  Carolyn arrived with two glasses and two bottles of beer. She placed one of each in front of Lucy and at the empty place where Sarah would sit. “I’ll be right back with your food.” She whisked away again.

  “Thanks, Carolyn,” Lucy called after her. Ignoring the glass, she picked up her beer and drank. “My husband was a cowboy, and this is how I learned to drink beer, straight from the bottle. A cowboy can’t be bothered with glasses. Too much trouble.”

  Dominique forced herself to stop watching Nick dance so she could politely pay attention to Lucy. “Have you lived in this area long?”

  “Forty-five years. Came here from Missouri as a young bride. Very young bride. Barely twenty.” She took another swig from her beer. “That’s young.”

  “Young and foolish. Tom showed up for a wedding of one of my cousins and I fell in love. I agreed to marry him and move to a place I’d never seen, with a man I barely knew.” She gazed at Dominique. “Sometimes it pays to be foolish. I still thank God I didn’t do the sensible thing and stay in Missouri.”

  “But how does a person know when to be foolish and when to play it safe?”

  “Excellent question. I have a couple of kids, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. They pretty much asked the same thing, so I’ll tell you what I told them. Listen to your heart.”

  Dominique groaned. “Lucy, people are always saying that, but what does it mean?”

  “Exactly what it says, dear.”

  “But when I’m thinking of doing something, I have all these competing voices in my head. I’d need a traffic controller to sort them out. How can I tell which of those voices is coming from my heart?”

  “For one thing, you should actually feel warmth in your chest. The heart registers emotion, you know. That’s not just a myth. So check that out.”

  Dominique automatically looked over at the dance floor where Nick was finishing the waltz with a dramatic dip. Sarah was laughing.

  “Feel some warmth?” Lucy asked.

  “This isn’t about Nick,” Dominique said quickly. “It’s about what I want to do with my life.”

  “The right man could be part of that decision.”

  “True, but I think a woman needs to know what she wants before she takes on a commitment to a guy. Right now I’m confused about that.”

  “There’s a big rock located on the Last Chance that’s sacred to the Shoshone tribe. Sarah took me out there when
Tom died. That’s where I got the idea to open my ice cream parlor.”

  “I’ve heard of that site.” Dominique wasn’t about to tell Lucy what had happened there last night.

  “Get Nick to show you where it is. You might find some answers.”

  Dominique nodded. “Good suggestion. Thanks.”

  Lucy held a hand over her chest. “But if you get really warm here, it’s your heart saying that what you’re considering might sound foolish to others, but it’s perfect for you.”

  Carolyn came over carrying two platters, each containing a steak and a baked potato. She balanced two bowls of salad on her forearm. “One Lucy special and one Sarah special.” She put everything on the table. “How are we doing on drinks?”

  “Bring us another round,” Lucy said. “This is turning into a party.”

  Dominique grinned. “I do believe it is.” She handed Carolyn her glass. “And you can take this. From now on, I’m drinking straight from the bottle.”

  NICK CUT HIMSELF OFF after two beers because he was driving, but he enjoyed watching his mother, Lucy and Dominique get mildly plastered. The two older women would walk home, and Dominique would be riding with him.

  He worked off some of the beer dancing with each of the women in turn. Lucy got such a kick out of doing the two-step that he was sorry he hadn’t asked her before. As for Dominique, the beer seemed to loosen her up and improve her rhythm.

  His mother obviously was having more fun than she’d had since his father died. Only a cruel person would have spoiled the evening by bringing up a complicated issue like the true story of his birth. Nick didn’t have it in him to be cruel.

  He debated whether he ever had to bring it up. If Nick let it drop, so would Jack, who was fiercely protective of Sarah. Gabe wouldn’t have to know, either. Jack had certainly proved he could keep a secret, and Nick couldn’t see the advantage in blabbing it to Gabe.

  Maybe none of that ancient history mattered, anyway. Nick had been raised with people who had loved him and cared for him. Digging up the past wouldn’t do anybody any good.

  Or so he tried to tell himself as he and Dominique walked Lucy back to her apartment behind the ice cream shop and his mom to Grandma Judy’s.

  “She’ll be asleep now,” his mother said as they hugged goodbye at the door to his grandmother’s little cottage, “or I’d invite you in to see her. I know Jack’s turned into a slave driver, but tell him you need an afternoon off to come in and see Grandma. Better yet, make him come with you.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “And I’m so glad to meet you, Dominique.” His mother gave Dominique a goodbye hug, too.

  Nick stood to one side and watched the two women as they took their leave of each other. They would get along if given the opportunity to become friends, not that it mattered. Tonight had been a moment in time he’d always remember, but quite likely it was an isolated event never to be repeated.

  He took Dominique’s hand as they returned to the parking lot at the Spirits and Spurs. Shoshone had never known the luxury of sidewalks, so they walked on the edge of the asphalt. In a town this small he didn’t worry about being run over.

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “Thanks for being so gracious to my mom and her friend.”

  “It was easy. Lucy’s a kick and I really like your mom.”

  “Good. So do I.”

  “Are you ever going to tell her?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that.” He found it interesting that Dominique had latched on to the very thing he’d been turning over in his mind. They’d done that with each other more times than not. He wondered if it meant anything.

  “And what did you decide?” She laced her fingers more securely through his, as if she enjoyed the contact.

  He sure as hell did. Holding hands had never seemed like a big deal once he’d graduated from high school, but with Dominique, it seemed huge. Maybe that was because of the way they’d started, bypassing the preliminaries and going straight for the sex. Now the little things—holding hands, helping her with her chair—were more significant because those courtesies weren’t just to woo her into bed.

  “For one thing,” he said, “my brother Jack can keep a secret like nobody’s business. He’s kept this one for almost thirty years. Same goes for Mary Lou and Emmett. If I say nothing more about it, this whole issue can disappear.”

  “I guess you’re right. What about Gabe, though?”

  “I suppose I wouldn’t have to tell him, either.” Nick realized his younger brother hadn’t ever called him back. That wasn’t like Gabe, but maybe he’d had to wait until tonight. Nick had left his cell phone at home because he hadn’t wanted anything to interrupt his evening with Dominique.

  “Could you really keep it from Gabe?”

  “Maybe. I think so. And tonight, when we were all having such a good time, I thought that’s the way it should be.” He glanced both ways before walking with her across the street. As usual, nobody was coming. “And now?”

  “Now that some of the euphoria has worn off, I have to admit there’s a problem with letting it all go. Or I should say I have a problem with letting it go.”

  Pulling the keys from his pocket, he unlocked the truck. “I want to know who I am, who I come from. Sarah’s great, but she didn’t give birth to me. I want to know something about the woman who did. All I have is a name, and it’s not enough.”

  Dominique nodded. “I get that.”

  “You do?” He couldn’t believe the relief flooding through him. She was the only person he could talk with, and having her understanding was huge. “You don’t think that’s the most selfish idea you’ve ever heard?”

  “Of course not. You’re not a mystery baby with no traceable past. Someday you may have your own children, and you’ll want to know as much about your background as possible, both so you can tell them and because medically it’s always a good idea to know something about your parents.”

  “Exactly. I assume she died, but I don’t know how or why.”

  “Sarah probably knows something and she might give you leads to find out more. Now that I’ve met her, I’m sure she’d want to help you. She adores you, Nick.”

  “And I adore her. You were right that she loves me like a son, no matter whether she gave birth to me or not. I’d become so wrapped up in my righteous indignation that I’d forgotten how precious that love is. When I asked her to dance…” He didn’t go on, afraid he’d choke up if he tried to explain the way he’d felt at that moment.

  Dominique moved in close and slipped a warm hand under his shirt collar to cup the back of his neck. She lifted her face to his. “That was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen, when you held out your hand to her.”

  He reached up to cradle her head. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I hope you don’t mind public displays of affection, because I’m about to make one.”

  “It’s not very public,” she murmured. “Nobody’s here but us.”

  He lowered his head, almost touching her mouth. “But anyone could come along, and they’d see me kiss you. We’ve never kissed in public before.”

  “Worried about my reputation?”

  He smiled. “No, mine.” But he kissed her anyway, because he couldn’t help it. He’d hungered for a real kiss ever since that quick brush of lips they’d shared before they’d left the house tonight.

  He couldn’t be satisfied by a wimpy kiss at this point in the action, even though they were standing under the dusk-to-dawn light that illuminated the bar’s parking lot, which was only a few yards from the town’s only major intersection. He might as well put up a neon sign announcing that he was involved with Dominique Jeffries, the photographer from Indianapolis.

  And he was involved. The moment he settled into the kiss, he realized just how much. He relished the taste of her, the velvet pressure of her mouth, the teasing movement of her tongue. Kissing Dominique was like coming home.

  No other woman had made him fe
el like that. That should frighten him, because Dominique was probably going to break his heart. If he had any sense he wouldn’t continue down this dead-end road.

  But when she was in his arms, he forgot everything but the present. He knew she would leave in a few days, but she was here now. He could hold her close and savor the way her body rose to meet his, the way she fit so neatly against him, the way his cock swelled in anticipation of what they’d do once they left this parking lot.

  Someone drove past and let out a long wolf whistle. Although Nick didn’t care who saw him kissing Dominique, or how the gossip mill would interpret it, he couldn’t continue with this seduction in the middle of the Spirits and Spurs parking lot. He wouldn’t say public nudity never happened within the town limits, but there was an ordinance against it.

  Lifting his head, he gazed down at her flushed face. Even in the harsh light from the overhead lamp she was beautiful. But she would be even more beautiful lying naked in his hand-carved bed. “Ready for a more private venue?”

  “Are you actually suggesting that we go retro and find a bed?”

  “I am.” And the longer he stood there holding her, the more immediate his need for that horizontal surface became.

  She rubbed her hands up and down his back. “What a novel idea.”

  “It’s an idea whose time has come.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, he walked her to the passenger side of the truck, unlocked the door and helped her in. “Let’s go home.”

  15

  DOMINIQUE HADN’T MISSED his “Let’s go home,” a comment that could have been an offhand one, but she didn’t think so. For a man like Nick, a man with a heart the size of the whole Teton Range, that statement would have significance.

  The comment itself wasn’t nearly as worrisome as her reaction to it. She’d loved hearing him say that, loved listening to his soft baritone resonating with his anticipated pleasure. She wrapped herself in that warmth and allowed his suggestion to run in a continuous loop through her mind as he drove down the dark road toward the ranch.