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  “I’m surprised you noticed,” Genieva said. “Did you at least apologize?”

  “Yes, I did. I remembered my manners.” He sighed, “And I’ll probably never see her again.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Brazoria is a pretty small place. You might run into her again the next time you get into a fight at Frankie’s.”

  “I doubt that,” Kolby said.

  Marissa returned.

  “Are you ready to go to school, sweetheart?” Genieva asked her.

  “Yes,” Marissa answered. She kissed Kolby goodbye.

  “Have nice day, darling,” Kolby said to Marissa. “You too, Sis.”

  “Don’t forget about the open house tonight at the school,” Genieva said, heading toward the front door with her niece.

  Kolby grabbed the container of hair products. “I won’t.”

  “The school bus will drop Marissa off around four, so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready and make it there to meet her teacher.”

  “I said I’ll be there,” Kolby said, feeling a bit pissed. He wasn’t a complete fuck up when it came to being around strangers.

  Genieva and Marissa finally left.

  Kolby carried the plastic box upstairs and put it on Marissa’s vanity. Her bed was neatly made, her dirty clothing was in the hamper, and all her toys were stacked neatly on shelves. Kolby smiled. It was hard to believe Marissa was just a little girl. Meredith would be proud of her. He walked out of his daughter’s room, grabbed his hat off a hook in his room, and hurried downstairs. He drove to meet up with Hale who was up at the North side of the ranch working on the fence. He found his brother-in-law busy removing the planks from the back of his truck. Kolby got out of his to help. They finished mending the fence near lunchtime. They drove back separately in their trucks and got in the chow line.

  The workers from the fields and the ones working with the cattle all came in for lunch. Harry helped his aunt by carrying out the ice chests filled with soda, water, and juice.

  Lunch was always served cafeteria style. Sonya and the apprentice chef Tanner kept the line moving by handing out plates, utensils, and napkins while Joe placed slices of tender roast beef and gravy atop the homemade French bread. There were also individual bags of chips and pickles to go along with the sandwiches. Sonya had already sliced tomatoes and lettuce and had them on platters for the workers to add to their sandwiches along with condiments.

  “Where’s dad?” Kolby asked Sonya when he made it up to the front of the line.

  “He went into town for a meeting with a new client and then he is supposed to stop at the barber for a haircut.”

  Since Kolby had taken over the day to day management of the ranch work, Kirk’s time was freed up so he could mingle with potential customers and suppliers.

  “I picked up your clothing from the cleaners while I was in town and put them in your room,” Sonya said.

  “Thanks,” Kolby said, knowing he was due for a teasing from the other guys because his mother still did things for him.

  “Are you finished mending the fence?” Sonya asked.

  “Yes, ma’am and the damaged trees have been taken care of too. Is there anything in particular you need me to do?”

  “Yes, we got a new calf about to be born. Its mother has been in labor for a while and I think she might need some help.”

  Besides being the ranch resident cook his mother also helped out with the animals. He had lost count of the number of colts and calves Sonya had assisted into the world.

  “I’m finished eating,” Kolby said. “We can leave right now if you’re ready.”

  “Just let me change,” Sonya said. “Joe and Tanner can handle the rest of the lunch.” She went inside the house. Moments later she returned dressed in an old, comfortable pair of jeans and a sweat shirt. “I’m ready,” she said.

  “Where are you off to?” Hale asked Kolby.

  “I’m going to help my mother birth a new calf. I should be back shortly.”

  “Don’t forget that you have to go over to Marissa’s school.”

  Kolby frowned.

  “That’s hours away.” Why did everyone feel they had to remind him to do things? And what was so important about going to the school to meet one teacher. It wasn’t like Marissa had a disciplinary problem. Teachers loved her.

  §§§

  “Are you married, Miss Harris?” six-year-old Marissa Patterson asked Aliya as she helped straighten up the classroom.

  “No,” Aliya answered.

  “Do you have any kids?”

  “No, no kids either.”

  “Do you like kids?”

  Aliya nodded happily.

  “Yes, I’m from a pretty big family. I have five brothers and four sisters. What’s with all the questions?” Normally Marissa would be out on the playground with the rest of her class but today she volunteered to help.

  Marissa put away the construction paper and paste that she and the other students were using just before they went to lunch.

  “No particular reason. My daddy doesn’t have a girlfriend either.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t had the privilege of meeting Marissa’s father yet but she did know that he was a widower. That much she’d learned from Genieva Christian, Marissa’s aunt.

  “Aren’t you lonely?”

  For a first grader Marissa sure asked a lot of grownup questions.

  “Sometimes,” Aliya answered truthfully. “But most of the time I’m too busy grading papers or taking a dance class to notice.”

  “My daddy likes to dance,” Marissa said. “My uncle Hale said he’s the best line dancer at Frankie’s.”

  “Oh, is he?” Aliya asked, finally catching on to the real reason Marissa had stayed behind to help her. “What’s Frankie’s?”

  “I think it’s a dance club in town,” Marissa said. “But I think they have beer there because sometimes Uncle Hale comes home drunk and Aunt Genieva fusses at him.”

  Aliya tried not to laugh. She’d heard about Hale’s antics from Genieva too. She’d called Hale a jackass a couple of times.

  “Is your daddy coming to the open house tonight?”

  Marissa nodded. “He promised.”

  “And does he always keep his promises?” Aliya asked.

  “Yes,” Marissa answered. “But sometimes he forgets things and my grandmother has to remind him.”

  He forgets things?

  “Does he do that a lot?”

  “Not really,” Marissa answered. “My grandmother says he’s just too busy to remember everything since he took over running the ranch. She says he has a lot on his plate.”

  Oh, a responsible guy. She hadn’t run across one of them, ever.

  Chapter Three

  “Ms. Harris, this is my daddy.”

  Aliya was too busy putting folders on the children’s desks to look up at the moment but she did recognize Marissa Patterson’s voice.

  “I’ll be with you in just a second, Marissa,” Aliya said. She wanted to make sure every parent got to see their child’s progress folder. She looked up slowly after she finished, taking in the black cowboy boots, the black denim jeans, and the black chambray shirt that stretched across wide shoulders. She straightened up abruptly to see the total package. “Hello, I’m Aliya Harris.” Ooh! She recognized that face. He was the guy who was fighting at the bar. “I’m Marissa’s teacher.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Harris,” the guy said, extending his hand for a shake. “My name is Kolby Patterson. I’m Marissa’s father.”

  Those pretty blue eyes twinkled merrily and seemed to beg her not to give his secret away.

  Aliya shook his hand. It wasn’t soft and smooth like she expected but he had a strong grip. Besides the almond-shaped, long-lashed eyes the rest of Kolby’s face was simply scrumptious. He had a slender nose, high cheekbones, and kissable-looking lips that made her damp with desire and wet between the legs.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Patterson.”

 
“Call him Kolby,” Marissa said. “Everyone does.”

  “I don’t think I should,” Aliya said once she got her hand back. “It wouldn’t be proper.”

  “It’s okay with me,” Kolby said.

  The man had a seriously deep voice and a Texas drawl— a very deadly and sexy combination.

  “You have an amazing daughter. She completes all of her assignments. Marissa, show your father your folder.”

  Marissa’s desk was on the other side of the room. She took her father’s hand and led him over.

  Aliya couldn’t help but notice how well Kolby’s pants fit in the front and in the back. The man had a great ass. She imagined gripping it with both hands and squeezing.

  Other parents came in to visit, which took her mind off the cowboy. Fantasizing about him throwing a saddle on her and riding her butt bareback didn’t help.

  Genieva peeped into her class to see how things were going.

  Aliya stepped out in the hall to talk to her.

  “So what do you think of Kolby?”

  “He’s gorgeous,” Aliya said low enough so only the two of them could hear.

  Genieva nodded. “I told you. And he’s single.”

  “Yeah, you did mention that a couple of times.”

  “I better get back to my class,” Genieva said happily. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Aliya reentered the class and caught Kolby watching her from across the room. She nodded and tried to appear unaffected. The man had a dazzling smile to go with that fine body she’d been checking out since he arrived. So far she liked what she saw but wondered why he hadn’t been scooped up by some cowgirl. The man had to have some kind of fault.

  Kolby winked at her and Aliya blushed and then winked back at him. That got a shy blush out of him. She hoped that meant that he was interested in her.

  Marissa and some of the other students helped her serve juice and cookies to the parents while she told them her educational plan for the rest of the school year.

  Even with all the other parents in attendance, she could still feel Kolby’s presence. At six feet tall the man had the height thing going for him that she dug immensely. Her evil little mind wondered what he’d be like in bed. Of course, she shouldn’t be thinking such things during an open house but that smile of his was making her very horny.

  Open house ended and the parents and students began to leave. Aliya shook everyone’s hand and thanked them for coming.

  Kolby and Marissa were two of the last to leave.

  “It was nice meeting you,” Kolby said, shaking her hand again. “I’m very pleased with the things you have taught Marissa.”

  “She’s a delightful student,” Aliya said, drowning in those blue eyes. “You should be proud of her.”

  “I am,” Kolby said. “Are you coming to the church social on Saturday?”

  “Maybe,” Aliya said, realizing he was stalling for time. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Kolby said. He waved goodbye. He and Marissa left holding hands.

  How cute. She made a mental note to be at the church social on Saturday.

  §§§

  “What do you think of Marissa’s teacher?” Genieva asked Kolby after they’d arrived home.

  Marissa had gone up to bed and Hale had gone into town to visit his parents; now he and his sister sat in rockers on the front porch drinking coffee.

  “She’s pretty,” Kolby answered. “She was the one I told you about before. The one whose skirt I accidently looked up when I got knocked down in that bar fight.”

  Genieva laughed.

  “You’re kidding?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Kolby said laughing with her. “I think she knows it was me, but she didn’t let on.”

  “Aliya’s a very down to earth person,” Genieva said. “She probably thought it was funny.”

  “I sure hope so,” Kolby said. “I wouldn’t want her to get the wrong impression of me.”

  “I think you like her a lot,” his sister said. “I knew the two of you would be perfect for each other from the moment I met her.”

  Kolby scratched his head.

  “I figured as much. I saw you come in her class earlier and take her out in the hall. This is one time I don’t mind you trying to fix me up with someone. I like her smile and her accent. Where is she from?”

  “New Orleans,” Genieva answered as she rocked in her chair. “She just threw her things into her car and drove straight here after she got the job offer from the superintendent to replace Marissa’s teacher, when the woman left suddenly to take care of her sickly mother.”

  “So is this her first trip to Texas?”

  “Yes,” Genieva answered. “I don’t think Aliya’s ever seen a cow before except maybe in a book or on television.”

  “This isn’t the type of place for a greenhorn,” Kolby said. The ranching life was hard and it took the right kind of person to stick with it.

  “Aliya’s tough,” Genieva said in her friend’s defense. “I’m sure she could learn to be a good ranch wife.”

  “Whoa!” Kolby said. “We haven’t had our first date yet.” He was a bit old fashioned and he wanted to take things nice and slow.

  “But you do intend to see her again, don’t you?”

  “She might be coming to the church social,” Kolby said. “We’ll see how that turns out.” It’d been so long since he’d been interested in someone he’d forgotten what to do. He supposed it was just like riding a horse. If you fell off you just got right back on the horse again. “Do you think she’d go out with me?”

  Genieva laughed. “Are you kidding? I would definitely say yes. She thinks you’re gorgeous.”

  Kolby’s heart melted a little inside. He had to admit he had been shocked to see Aliya again after their disastrous meeting a couple of evenings ago. But now that he’d really seen her he couldn’t forget that pretty face or those beautiful brown eyes. Her being black wasn’t an issue. He and Harry had been looked down on as kids because they were Native American Indians, but now he was grown and things like that just didn’t matter to him anymore.

  “I was thinking about inviting Aliya to our barbeque next weekend,” Genieva said.

  “You’re trying too hard,” Kolby said.

  “I just want you to be happy,” Genieva admitted.

  “I am happy, Sis. I have a beautiful daughter, a good family, and a roof over my head. What more can a man ask for?”

  Genieva stopped rocking.

  “Companionship. You need love, Kolby. Meredith was a good wife, but she’s gone. It’s time you go on with your life.”

  He really appreciated the sentiment, but only he knew when it was time to move on.

  “We’ll see,” Kolby said. Meredith had been the love of his life and she would be hard to replace.

  “Don’t let life and opportunity pass you by,” Genieva said, rising. “I think Aliya’s lonely too.”

  “You think she’s suffering from a broken heart?” Kolby asked.

  “Yes,” Genieva answered. “She hasn’t told me anything, but I can see it in her eyes.” His sister headed toward the door. “Don’t stay out too late.”

  “I won’t,” Kolby said.

  Genieva went inside leaving him alone. It was a little past ten at night and things had settled down on the ranch. Someone in the bunkhouse had country and western music playing and the cicada and crickets made sounds from the oak trees. Kolby had sat out alone on the porch many a night just thinking about things. He often wondered what his life would be like right now if Meredith hadn’t died. They had talked about having another child. He wouldn’t mind having a son and Marissa could use a sibling.

  The blueprints for the house he planned to build for them still rested on the drafting table in the barn where he’d left them. She wanted a little garden where she could grow herbs and he wanted to erect a swing for Marissa in the backyard. Everything had come to a screeching halt after he got the word that Mere
dith and her parents had been killed by a drunk driver that rainy afternoon in April two years ago. Life did stop for him too at that moment. Maybe Genieva was right. Maybe it was time that he moved on and dated someone. He didn’t know if Aliya Harris could be that special someone who could take the hurt away. But he was willing to find out. If Aliya showed up at the church social he would make it a point to ask her out on a date.

  Chapter Four

  Aliya added her covered dish donation to the other bowls already on the huge banquet table in the recreation room of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The place was already filling up with young people from the community. Aliya hardly recognized any of them. She walked back over to a group of teachers from the elementary school and joined them. She expected to see Genieva since she had been the one insisting that Aliya should come out and participate.

  “Have you seen Genieva Christian?” she asked Ellen Marshall, one of the second grade teachers.

  “No,” Ellen answered. “But she’ll be here. Her and Hale never miss one of these socials.” Ellen looked toward the door. “Oh, there she is now.”

  Aliya glanced over. She saw Genieva enter with a guy in his thirties. He dressed like most of the other guys in slacks, a plaid shirt, and dress shoes. And he walked like they hurt his feet. She would bet he preferred to wear his boots.

  Genieva carried a casserole bowl over to the table while Hale stood by her like a dutiful boy scout.

  Someone decided to put on some country and western music. Some of the people got up to dance while others formed a line by the banquet table.

  “Hey, it’s Kolby and Harry,” Ellen said, pointing toward the door.

  Aliya unconsciously smoothed out the material of her dress and then felt her hair to make sure it stayed in place.

  “Who are you primping for?” Ellen asked.

  “No one,” Aliya said innocently. She watched Kolby and the guy name Harry walk over to meet with his sister and brother-in-law.

  “Oh, which one of the cousins do you like?” Ellen asked.

  “What cousins?”

  “Harry and Kolby. They’re both fine-looking men and hard workers.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aliya said.