It Had to Be Him Read online

  Josh crouched beside her open door. “Then it’s about time you had one. Sorry if I caused even more trouble between you and your father tonight. But he’s an ass, Meg. No offense.”

  She rolled her head in his direction. Josh could be so sweet sometimes. “My being born caused even more trouble between me and my father. And yeah. He can be a jerk.” She yawned and settled deeper into the comfy seat. Her arms and legs suddenly weighed a ton. “I think maybe I’ll just sleep right here.” She closed her eyes and pulled more new car smell into her lungs.

  “Nope. Time for bed.”

  She snorted. “My bed, not yours, buddy.”

  “Your bed it is, then.” Josh slipped an arm under her knees and lifted her against his chest. With a bump of his hip, he nudged the door closed, then pushed the button to lock the car. The silly man.

  Wait. Did he mean they’d both sleep in her bed? Her neglected-for-far-too-long girl parts liked that idea. A lot. But her almost-pickled brain had just enough working synapses left to shut those urges down. “Separate beds.”

  “For now.”

  They’d talk about that later. Mostly because her brain was happily swimming in beer and was in no mood to do its job and think.

  As they headed toward Grandma’s guesthouse, she turned her face and snuggled into the crook of his warm neck, drawing another deep breath.

  Soap, shaving cream, and . . . Josh. Even better than the new car smell. “You don’t wear cologne anymore.”

  He pulled her closer. “Nope.”

  “And you’re damned good at darts now.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You dress different too.” She laid her hand against his chest, which was covered by a simple cotton button-down shirt. His heart beat strong and steady under her palm. “No more slick shoes. I thought you loved fancy shoes.”

  “They were necessary for the old job. Boots are more comfortable.”

  “And a good place to hide your scary knife. It’s like you’re a different person sometimes.”

  “That’s because sometimes people aren’t as they appear on the outside.”

  What? Her foggy mind couldn’t quite compute that sentence. She’d just have to think on that some more later. When she wasn’t so very . . . tired. Or really drunk.

  When she opened her eyes next, she was lying on her back on her nice soft bed. Josh sat beside her, messing with her feet. “What are you doing?”

  As his thick fingers fought with the tiny buckle on her heels he said, “Welcome back. Where’s Haley?”

  “Spending the night with Grandma.” She sat up, nudged his hands aside, and undid her shoes. “I can take it from here. Thanks.” A loud burp escaped before she could tamp it back.

  Charming.

  His lips tilted into a cute smile as he moved closer and whispered, “Your shirt looks a little complicated. Maybe I’d better help.”

  When his finger traced her neckline and then slid lower, the rest of her body woke up too. “Go away, Josh.”

  His gaze slowly moved from her chest to her eyes. “You still owe me a kiss, remember?”

  Had she agreed to that? The beer made that a little unclear. But Josh was a damned good kisser, so what the heck. “Fine. Get it over with.”

  He slid his big hands on either side of her face and slowly drew her closer. His warm breath on her lips made her part hers in anticipation. She closed her eyes, hating how much she wanted that one last kiss from him.

  When his thumb gently caressed her lower lip, she opened her eyes and stared into his darkened ones. “What are you waiting for?”

  “I’d rather kiss you when you’ll remember it. Night, Meg.” His chaste kiss to her forehead was like a bucket of cold water, dousing her smoldering desires.

  It was probably for the best. In her current state, she wasn’t sure she could have said no if he’d asked for more. That he didn’t ask earned him a point.

  As Josh walked out the door he said, “I’m looking forward to the fund-raiser tomorrow. And to meeting Haley.”

  Meeting Haley? “Wait a minute. I didn’t . . .”

  But Josh was already gone, the sneaky bastard. She was taking that point back.

  He’d probably gotten her all worked up on purpose. He had her practically begging him to kiss her, and then he’d dropped his bomb. That much hadn’t changed about him. It had always been a challenge to stay a step ahead of him. It was what she secretly liked the most about Josh.

  She flopped back onto the bed and sighed. Now that Amber had spilled the beans, Haley was just going to keep asking about Josh until she met him.

  How was she going to tell Haley about him? What was she going to tell Haley about him? Worse, what if Haley became attached to him before Meg sent him away at the end of the summer?

  What a freakin’ mess.

  Trudging up the stairs to her new home’s attic with Haley in tow set off jackhammers in Meg’s skull. She and Haley should be in church like all good Andersons were supposed to be on Sunday mornings, but the enthusiastic way the preacher tended to deliver his sermons, at decibels that shook the rafters, would have surely made her head explode.

  Her dad and the Three Amigos would give her a hard time about skipping her first week back, but she wanted the time to prepare Haley for meeting Josh.

  And that’s what she should be doing, but the right words weren’t materializing in her aching head. So she’d sort through some boxes and hopefully some kind of epiphany would strike.

  The big, light-filled attic held tons of boxes, mostly filled with her grandparents’ junk. Her dad must have thrown it all up there after her mom’s mother died and locked the door before he rented the place out. She needed to get rid of most of it so she could make the space into a kids’ loft for her guests. Children were small enough to fit under the sloping roof on the sides, and they’d love lying in bed and peering out at the lake and at the animals in the trees at eye level from the third-floor perch.

  Haley’s sudden squeal of delight sent hot daggers into Meg’s eyeballs. “What’d you find, Bug?”

  Haley ran toward her with a framed photo and plopped onto her lap. Pointing everyone out with her chubby little finger, she said, “Mommy, your daddy, Grandma, a lady, a baby, and a doggy!”

  Meg studied the picture. She’d never seen it before. “You’re right, that’s Grandma, my dad, and my other grandma you never met, but that isn’t me, it’s my mom. I’m the baby in the picture.” Her mom couldn’t have been much older in the photo than Meg currently was. She hadn’t realized just how much she resembled her mother until now. Her dad had refused to keep any of her mother’s pictures in the house after she’d died, so Meg hadn’t seen many over the years.

  Haley looked up and her forehead scrunched. “Where’s my daddy?”

  It was the second time Haley had asked since Amber had taken it upon herself to let Haley know about Josh. Probably as good a time as any to have the talk. “Actually, your father is staying at the hotel right now. He’s very excited to meet you.”

  “Where’s he been?”

  Good question. Meg wasn’t absolutely sure of the answer. “He’s been working. We’ll probably see him at the fund-raiser later today.”

  “Will he live at our house now?”

  “No. Not all daddies live with mommies. But he’s going to be here visiting for the summer.”

  “’Kay.” Haley pointed at the picture again. “What’s the doggy’s name?”

  Evidently that was all Haley wanted to know about Josh. For now. “Brinkley. He was the best dog ever.”

  “I want a doggy.” The longing in Haley’s eyes poked at Meg’s “no dogs” policy.

  “I know, baby, but we can’t have one right now. Why don’t you go see if you can find any more pictures of Brinkley for me?” Maybe since they were staying put this time she’d consider a dog for Haley. After the lodge was open and taking bookings.

  Haley huffed out a breath, but then hopped up and started digging through boxes w
ithout further fuss. Thank goodness. Stress about Haley meeting Josh made Meg’s stomach ache. Luckily, Haley seemed to be taking news of Josh in stride. Hopefully it’d go that smoothly later.

  Meg tucked the picture into her backpack thinking Casey might like to see it, and went back to her sorting.

  As she dug further she found a box with a faded, barely legible For Megan scrawled on it in her grandmother’s shaky handwriting. Ripping it open, her heart leapt. Her mother’s things. She knew so little about her mom it was like finding buried treasure.

  Meg found awards from various school functions, report cards, her mom’s high school diploma, the cap from her graduation, and a cute little class ring. She slipped the gold ring with her mom’s aquamarine birthstone onto her finger. A perfect fit. Maybe she’d ask the others if they would mind if she kept it.

  Digging deeper, she found a couple of legal-sized files lying flat on the bottom. Just as she reached in to investigate, a deep voice called out from downstairs, “Where are the heathens in this damned house?” Her head popped up, thinking it was her father for a nanosecond, but then she remembered Ben said he might stop by with some new meds for Haley. The jerk. Trying to make his voice sound like their father’s. Well, turnabout was fair play.

  She called out in a high, panicked voice. “Ben. Thank God! We’re in the attic.”

  Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Ben flew into the attic and skidded to a halt. “What’s the mat—”

  The big grin on her face must’ve given her away.

  The concern on Ben’s face turned into a scowl. “You’re a brat, Muck.”

  “I learned from the best. And we’re not calling me that anymore. Especially in front of the k-i-d.”

  Ignoring her, Ben scooped Haley up over his head and made her giggle. “I brought my new super-fast ski boat. Want to ditch your boring mom and go for a ride with your favorite fun uncle?”

  “Bye, Momma!”

  Wow, she’d never even been dumped by a guy that quickly. “We’re having a talk about men and their fast boats when you get older, Haley. And I’ll be in the ice cream booth at the park when you’re done being fun, Ben.”

  “Okay.” He tossed a little white bag her way. “Don’t forget, payback’s a bi—” He looked at Haley and, remembering his language, finished with, “bummer, Megan. You won’t know when and you won’t know where. Instructions on the bottle. See you.”

  She sent him her best you-don’t-scare-me smirk.

  Ben and Ryan were both responsible adults and yet they still lived to tease her like they had when they were little boys. But she could hold her own with those clowns.

  After Haley and Ben disappeared down the stairs, Meg closed the lid on the box and put it aside to look through later. She had just enough time to change before she had to go scoop ice cream. And then introduce Haley to Josh.

  Josh headed down to the lobby before he set off to the fund-raiser. After Casey finished with a person who had to be Jim Carrey, because no one else had a goofy smile that big, Josh stepped up to the front desk. “Just tell me this. Are his initials J. C.?”

  Casey crossed her arms. “Nice try. What’s up, Granger?”

  “Any tips on how to avoid your father today? I don’t want to cause Meg any more trouble.”

  “Yeah, I heard about the dart game last night.” When the phone rang, Casey lifted a finger, cutting him off, then answered it.

  While she took her call, he wandered over to the brochure rack. White water rafting looked interesting. He cracked the colorful pages open and studied them. Could be a fun thing to expose the kids on the ranch to.

  Casey appeared beside him. “Meg’s a fantastic guide. You should ask her to take you sometime.”

  One more skill Megan had that he didn’t know about. “She never said much about growing up here. Did she leave town because of your father?”

  Casey sighed. “Again, not my place to tell. But if you want to avoid my dad today, lay low at first. He usually kicks off these fund-raisers with a rah-rah speech and then makes a quick round of the booths before his wife, Sue Ann, gets bored and makes him leave.”

  “Sounds like a plan, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. But you need one more plan. Finding a new place to stay. It’s high season and I may need your room.”

  So he’d worn out his not-so-welcome welcome. “I’ll ask around some today.”

  “It won’t be anywhere in town. My dad sent an e-mail this morning saying no one is to rent you a place. I turned the Internet back on in your room so you can search for someplace nearby.”

  That son of a bitch. “Thanks. I’ll get on it.”

  He made to leave but Casey called out, “Meg told me you’re meeting Haley today. Tread carefully there, Granger.”

  He’d lain awake all night thinking about meeting his daughter. With few memories of his mother and never knowing his father, he had no idea how to be a parent. But he’d vowed his child would know who he was and that he’d do everything in his power to always be there for her.

  As much as Casey could be a pain in his ass, he respected her fierce loyalty to Megan. “I’m not sure what to say to Haley today. Got a plan for that?”

  Casey blinked as if taken aback that he’d ask her. He wasn’t sure she was going to answer, but finally she said, “Well, I guess just don’t try to push it. Let it happen naturally. Meg’s done a really good job with Haley. She doesn’t need you messing things up.”

  The not-messing-up part was what weighed on him. “Got it. Thanks. See you later.”

  Josh headed out the door and toward the town square. He passed by a house with a large workshop on the side. The whine of a power tool piqued his curiosity, so he headed for the big set of open doors. Zeke leaned inside an old tractor’s engine. Josh didn’t want to scare him and make him hit his head, so maybe he’d poke around the shop until Zeke came up for air.

  The guy had some badass tools.

  Josh was admiring an air compressor as tall as he was when Zeke called out, “Help ya with something?”

  “Just checking out your incredible shop.” He moved beside Zeke and stuck his head inside the tractor’s engine compartment. Nothing like the simple engines back in the day. A guy could work on one without hooking up to a computer. “What’s the trouble?”

  Zeke leaned back and slowly wiped his hands on a rag. “Won’t start. Slick guy like you know about engines?”

  “Worked at a garage all through high school and college.”

  “That so?” He pointed to a pile of dirty parts on a nearby workbench. “Know anything about rebuilding carburetors?”

  “Sure. Need a hand?”

  Zeke squinted as he tucked his rag into his back pocket, as if debating. “Not with that. But I could use a young guy like you to help pull a transmission tomorrow. If you’ve got the time.”

  Josh missed getting his hands dirty. Anything was better than interrogating lying, scumbag criminals day in and day out. He wasn’t missing his old job in the least. “Sure. Eight work?”

  “Yep. Going to the doings?”

  “Yeah, I thought I’d stop by.”

  “Let’s go.”

  They started down the drive and then headed toward the town square. Zeke set a brisk pace, surprising Josh. The guy had to be in his seventies.

  Josh said, “I met a kid who said you told everyone not to talk to me. Why the change of heart, Zeke?”

  “Meggy’s mad at you, but she once saw something to like. Curious what that is. And this way I can keep an eye on you.”

  Casey and now Zeke—Meg’s Rottweilers. “Fair enough. So, how are you related to Meg, Zeke?”

  “I’m not.” The slight hesitation in Zeke’s gait and the way his eyes shifted contradicted his answer. “My last name’s Grant, not Anderson.”

  Interesting. Zeke had just told him a big fat lie.

  The day was warm and the sun bright, making the ice cream booth a popular place. Ben had dropped Haley off just after noon and,
being the typical fun uncle, hadn’t thought to ask if she wanted some lunch. So a half hour into Meg’s hour-long shift, Haley declared she was starving.

  Meg made her a cone.

  Skipping church and now feeding her kid an ice cream cone for lunch? Just hand over the bad-mommy blue ribbon now. “Why don’t you go sit over in the shade and eat this? I’ll just be a little bit longer, then we can go do some of the games.”

  “’Kay.” Haley’s mischievous grin told Meg she knew she was getting away with something big.

  Reaching for the scoop, Meg looked up and her already shaky gut lurched. The Three Amigos were next in line with determined looks on their wrinkly faces. “Hi, ladies. Chocolate or vanilla?”

  Mrs. Thompson said, “We missed you in church this morning, dear.”

  The only acceptable reason to skip church was if a body was physically unable to attend. They didn’t have to know the root of the problem was too much alcohol. “I was puking my guts up this morning. But I feel a little better now. So was it chocolate or vanilla you ladies wanted?”

  All three of the grannies’ eyes grew wide. When they looked at one another, some Vulcan mind link thing must’ve happened because they all shook their heads in unison.

  Mrs. Ingalls swallowed hard before she said, “We don’t care for any ice cream, but we’re glad you’re feeling better. See you next Sunday?”

  “Absolutely. Bye, ladies.”

  Chuckling, Meg turned back to her line of customers. Pam, the traitor, was next. The speed at which Pam’s hand had popped up to volunteer to kiss Josh at Brewster’s still irked Meg. Without asking, Meg scooped a half-chocolate, half-vanilla cone for Pam because that was her favorite. “Here you go. You should double your donation for this to make up for last night.”

  “It was an accident. My hand just sort of jumped before my brain caught up. His hotness must’ve mesmerized me or something. But I thought you said you were over him. Have your feelings changed?”

  Had they? Her stomach had been in knots all day in anticipation of seeing Josh, but that was because of Haley. And on account of drinking way too much the night before. It probably had nothing to do with the kiss she still owed him. “It’s just . . . things have gotten a little complicated, that’s all.”