Hard headed texan, p.5
Hard-Headed Texan, page 5
Hopefully that was all he would ever know. Or would ever want to know. Surely by now, she thought, he would have given up his obsession with her. She had not seen or heard from him in four years. Even if he had not straightened himself out, as he had told her mother—and Antonia had grave doubts about the truth of that statement—she could not help but think that he would have moved on. It might rankle that she had gotten away from his control, but it seemed unlikely that he would have strong enough feelings about it that he would go to the trouble of tracking her down this far away.
Still, she could not help but think of that phone call this morning. It had been very much in his style. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine.
No! Antonia clenched her fists. She refused to let the least little thing turn her into a frightened creature again. She had worked long and hard at building a new life for herself. She had defeated Alan and broken his control over her. She had had the courage to leave her family and friends and start all over again in a new place. She was careful, of course—she tried to keep her whereabouts unknown to Alan; she had a security system; she checked her doors and windows; she kept pepper spray in her purse—but those things were part of what helped her not be frightened. She did not leave herself vulnerable to attack, and she was prepared for it if it should happen, so she did not have to be afraid.
She would not let a little thing like a phone call or her mother’s talking about Alan make her start cowering under her sheets. She refused to live her life in fear, to worry about Alan and where he was, what he was doing, whether he might show up at any time. To do so would be to give Alan control of her again. That, she promised herself, was the last thing she would ever do. Even if Alan were to find out where she lived and show up here, he would find her very different. He would discover that she could take care of herself, that she was no longer intimidated by him.
She was her own woman now. Antonia turned and walked away from the window.
Daniel Sutton drove by the café a second time, slowing down for a good look. Yes, sure enough, that was the vet’s mobile truck in the parking lot of the Moonstone Café.
On impulse, he turned into the next entrance to the parking lot, then stopped, thinking. He had been driving home from the seed store when he had spotted the mobile van, and he had driven two blocks farther before he circled around a few blocks and came back by. Thinking about it, it seemed a little silly and high-schoolish, just as whipping his truck into this lot had been.
First of all, he reminded himself, he didn’t even know if Antonia Campbell was in the café. It could have been Doc Carmichael who had been out in the van and had decided to stop in at the café for lunch on his way back. Second of all, he wasn’t sure what he would do if Antonia was in there. Most likely she had someone with her, one of the technicians or Doc Carmichael or maybe even a client. And if she was alone, what did he plan to do? Just walk up and plop down on the other side of the booth? She would, he felt sure, find him rude and forward. If he went in, he would probably wind up sitting down and eating at some other table and watching her—unless, of course, she finished eating and left as he came in. That would be just his luck.
Daniel knew that he had never been much good at dating. He and Lurleen had gone steady from the beginning of their junior year. Before that he had had a few dates with Suzette Carpenter, who had been visiting her grandmother in Angel Eye the summer after his sophomore year. Looking back on it, though, he realized that Suzette, a year older and way more sophisticated than he, had more or less maneuvered him into asking her out. And he had known Lurleen since they were kids. It wasn’t like dating a stranger.
He had gone out some since his divorce, had even had one or two fairly long relationships, but he knew that he was a novice in the field of dating, and he always found the process awkward, especially in the initial stages. This time, however, it was even worse. He felt like he was back in high school, he was so full of nerves and doubts.
He could hardly remember the last time he had had this sort of reaction to a woman. When he walked out of the barn the other morning and saw her, he had felt as if someone had slammed him in the gut. It had been a surprise, of course, expecting Doc Carmichael and instead seeing a gorgeous blonde. But it hadn’t been only surprise. It had been the immediate, unmistakable kick of sheer lust.
She had looked pristine and untouchable, a Society girl with ice in her veins but a face so lovely it made his heart clench, and mile-long legs that drove everything from his mind but the thought of having them wrapped around him.
It had been unnerving. He was still unnerved. That was, he thought, one reason why he had gotten so angry at her presence. He was a man who prided himself on his calm and control. He liked his life on an even keel, without all the emotional turmoil that had marked it with Lurleen—the bursts of passion, the long, dark nights of pain, the worry and doubt. All that was far in the past, and he had found that it was much easier to live this way. He dated women he liked, but he never fell head over heels in love with them. He didn’t lose control, didn’t get carried away.
So to feel such an electric shot of longing was not only unexpected but also faintly frightening, and he had reacted with a swift surge of anger.
It still bothered him. He didn’t like the fact that he had been unable to get Antonia Campbell out of his mind. He didn’t like the way his thoughts kept lingering over that kiss as she left. Most of all, he didn’t like the fact that when he saw her mobile truck parked in the café parking lot, his heart had skipped a beat and he had been compelled to return.
On the other hand, he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this excited, eager and alive, either. It probably was foolish. He had decided long ago that most things connected with love were foolish. It was also, apparently, something he could not control with his usual ease. In fact, he found himself not wanting to control it.
It was kind of nice, in a way, to feel like a kid with raging hormones again.
Daniel opened the door of his truck and stepped out, reminding himself that it was even more foolish to sit out here in the parking lot, doing nothing. He walked across the asphalt and went in the front door.
Daniel paused inside the door and looked around the room. It was a typical lunchtime crowd; practically every table and most of the stools at the counter were full, and the air was vibrating with the noise of people talking. The Moonstone Café was a bit out of place in Angel Eye. It had been started three years ago by Jocelyn Kramer, a willowy woman with dark, wildly curling black hair, who had moved here from Dallas, seeking, according to the gossips, to get away from the big city. There were all sorts of rumors about why, ranging across everything from marital troubles to a nervous breakdown to some sort of New Age strangeness. But whatever had impelled her to come, she was a hell of a good cook, and her small restaurant had flourished.
For a moment it all seemed a blur of faces. Then Daniel spotted Antonia, sitting by herself in a booth in the back, a glass of iced tea and an open book in front of her. His stomach knotted. This was the moment of decision. He had to do it now. In another minute one of the waitresses would turn and see him and come lead him to a seat, and he knew that he would not have the nerve to tell her that he would rather sit with Antonia.
Swallowing hard, he started threading his way through the tables, nodding to people he knew. He stopped to talk to two of his father’s friends whom he knew would be offended if he didn’t. By the time he drew near Antonia’s table, she had looked up from her book and was watching him approach.
He had been rehearsing what he would say all the way across the room, but once he saw her eyes on him, all thoughts went straight out of his head. Daniel reached her table and stopped. His mouth went dry, and he couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Hi,” Antonia said after a moment. “How are you?”
Daniel was too busy with his own problems to notice that her voice had a slight tremor to it. Antonia, however, heard it and felt like slapping herself. Why did she always seem to turn to quivering jelly around this man?
She had spent a great deal more time than was wise the past two days thinking about Daniel Sutton and had even considered calling to ask about his mare and foal just to have a chance to talk to him. In other circumstances, she probably would have called to make sure that everything was going all right, but because it was him, she knew that the call would be as much excuse as concern. What if he saw through it? What if he assumed that she was calling because of that kiss?
So she had not called, but still she had found her mind wandering all too often to the subject of whether and how she would see him again. When she had looked up just now and seen him walking through the dining room, pausing to chat to various friends, her heart had slammed into overdrive. He seemed to be coming straight toward her, and that fact made it even more difficult to breathe. She was surprised that she was able to squeeze out a hello.
“Hi,” Daniel returned, jamming his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Nice to see you.”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s nice to see you, too. How is your mare?”
“Great. She’s doing real well. The foal, too.”
“That’s good.”
They both nodded, and Daniel glanced around the restaurant. “Kinda crowded today. ’Course, I guess it always is.”
“It has been every time I’ve been here.” Antonia groaned inside at the lameness of her conversation, but she could think of nothing to say. She wondered if any other thirty-year-old woman was this tongue-tied around a man. You’d think she had never dated. Not, of course, she added silently, that she was dating Daniel. Far from it.
As he cast another glance around them, it occurred to Antonia that he was perhaps hinting for an invitation to join her. “Would you—I mean, why don’t you sit here? Since it’s so crowded.”
“Okay,” he answered with alacrity and slid into the seat across the booth from her. He let out a long sigh. “Well…I don’t feel too stupid.”
“Why? What are you talking about?”
“Ah, hell, I wanted to come sit down here as soon as I walked in the door. Then, when I got here, I stood around like a teenager. No, worse, a ten-year-old. I’m sure James is much suaver than I am.”
Antonia grinned. “Well, if it helps you any, I’m equally inept. Maybe we’re too used to working with animals instead of people.”
He smiled back at her. “That may be the case with you, but I’m afraid I’ve always been that way. Many was the time that Cater about despaired of me. He always had more dates than me, and he was a year younger.”
“Your brother?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah. The whole crew’s pretty good at talking, except for me. I took after my Dad. The rest were like Mama.”
“I met your father. You’re right. He isn’t much of a talker. But I liked him right off.”
“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Old-fashioned and all.”
“Hey, Daniel.” A middle-aged woman with improbably bright red hair stopped by their table, order pad in hand. “You sittin’ here?”
“Hi, Marlene. Yeah. I thought I would. Pretty crowded today.”
“Un-huh.” Marlene smiled—a little too broadly, in Daniel’s opinion. Her gaze flickered to Antonia and back to him. “Know what you want?”
“Sure. The, uh, chicken-fried steak, I guess.” Daniel hadn’t in fact glanced at the menu, so he named a dish they were sure to have. No café in Angel Eye could have been successful without serving it. “Iced tea.”
“Sure thing.” Marlene slipped the order pad into the pocket of her apron, glanced again at Antonia and walked away.
Daniel sighed, watching her go toward the kitchen, and turned back to Antonia. “I guess this will be all over town by nightfall. Sorry.”
“What? What will be all over town?”
“That we had lunch together. Except that by five this afternoon they’ll probably have us engaged.”
Antonia’s eyebrows rose. “Just because we ate at the same table?”
“Little town, ma’am. Not much to do besides gossip, and everybody knows everybody—their family, their history, oh, hell, just everything.” His mouth quirked up in a smile, and he shot her a quizzical look. “Don’t tell me someone hasn’t already told you that I’m divorced with an eighteen-year-old son, and that I have three brothers and—”
“One sister,” Antonia finished, chuckling. “Yes. Rita Delgado filled me in.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Everyone knows everything. It’s hard to keep a secret. But what’s worse is that they speculate and embellish until the rumors hardly resemble what really happened.” He paused, then added, “Just wait. You’ll see what I’m talking about. Bachelors tend to stir up a great deal of curiosity, I’ve found. ’Course, newcomers are topics of great interest, as well. Put the two together…”
“But it must not bother you that much. You still live here.”
“Sure. Wouldn’t live anywhere else. The thought of living in someplace like Dallas or Houston is enough to give me the heebie-jeebies. Cater is always going on about all the things there are to do in Austin and all that. But I figure, if it’s so great there, how come he bought a house here and comes back all the time?”
Antonia smiled. “It’s a nice town. I like it.”
“So you reckon you’ll stay?”
Antonia nodded. “Yeah. As long as the horsemen and ranchers don’t rebel against having a woman vet.”
“Now what kind of fool would object to a woman vet?” he asked, his eyes alight with humor. “I doubt there’s anybody like that around here.”
“A few,” Antonia retorted.
“I guess everybody can’t be as forward thinking and tolerant as I am.”
“Yeah. Too bad, isn’t it?”
The waitress came up to their table with Daniel’s glass of iced tea. After she set it down, she lingered to straighten a chair at the table closest to them and rearrange the sugar packets. Daniel glanced back at her, then cast a meaningful look at Antonia. She grinned. It was obvious that the waitress was hoping to hear some of their conversation.
The two of them said nothing as Daniel put sugar and lemon in his tea and stirred it. After a few moments Marlene gave up and went off to wait on another customer.
After she left, they continued to sit in silence until it began to stretch out awkwardly. Antonia cast about for something to say and came up blank. Why was it that this man made her feel tongue-tied and foolish, like a schoolgirl again? Daniel shifted in his seat.
“So tell me,” he said finally. “I understand why you came to Angel Eye and all, but how did a debutante wind up becoming a vet?”
“Horses,” Antonia answered succinctly. “Riding is still a First Family of Virginia sort of thing to do. The school that I went to even had a stable, and riding lessons were part of the curriculum. English saddle, of course. Well, it was the one thing about that sort of life that I loved. I was crazy about horses from the minute they put me on one’s back. I was one of those stereotypically horse-mad adolescent girls. I must have read the Walter Farley books a million times. I collected horse figurines. I watched National Velvet every time it came on TV. At school I spent all my spare time down at the stables. I would follow the vet around whenever he came and absolutely plague him with questions. Finally he let me come down to his clinic to watch him work for a career day thing we did in middle school. From then on I was hooked. ’Course, my mother nearly fainted when I announced at sixteen that I wanted to go to veterinary school.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Not exactly a career for a proper young lady.”
“What did she want you to do?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. Follow in her footsteps, I guess—go to a ‘good’ school socially and marry well, then keep all the charities in the greater Richmond area in business.”
“That’s what she does? Charity work?”
Antonia nodded. “I suppose it really is a career. Worthwhile, too. But it can’t compare to saving an animal’s life. She never could understand that. All she could see was the mess and blood and plebeian-ness of it. My mother and I are poles apart.”
“Happens sometimes.” Daniel looked suddenly sober. “I guess that’s the way it is with James and me. He has about as much interest in raising horses as I do in nuclear physics. All he’s interested in is films. He wants to go to the film school at UT and then go to Los Angeles.” His face turned both pained and puzzled. “L.A.,” he repeated, shaking his head.
Antonia chuckled. “You make it sound like the other side of the moon.”
He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Have to admit, it kinda seems that way to me. I’d like to blame it on Jackson,” he went on wryly, “but I can’t. James was crazy about movies before he came along.”
“Jackson? Who’s Jackson?”
“Jackson Prescott. My sister’s husband. Don’t tell me that Rita left that out?”
“She said you had a sister, but she didn’t say anything about her husband. Why? Does he have something to do with movies?”
Daniel’s grin spread. “I knew there was something about you I liked. I didn’t know who he was, either. James acted like I had spent my life in a cave. He’s some big Hollywood producer guy. My sister met him when he was out here scouting locations for a movie he was making. We wound up in one of those tabloids—the whole family.”
“A tabloid?” Antonia’s eyebrows rose. “I can’t believe Rita didn’t tell me.”
“Me neither. It was a hot topic around here for a few months.”
“How did you wind up in a tabloid?”
Daniel shifted in his seat. “Damn! Why was I fool enough to bring this up?”
“Come on, you can’t squirm out of this. You have to tell me what happened. You can’t drop something like that in my lap and then not explain it.”
