Evening Hours

Kaylee sucked in her breath. Was he flirting with her? No, her imagination must be working overtime.

“Look, Mr. McFarland—”

“Cutler.”

His gaze didn’t waver and for a moment hers didn’t either.

“Excuse me for interrupting, Kaylee, but I have some people I want you to meet.”

The voice of the chamber president, Kevin Holmes, brought her back to reality with a jolt. Cutler suddenly stood and moved aside. Pulling her gaze off him, she forced a smile. “I’d be delighted to meet your friends.”

“McFarland, you’re welcome to remain,” Kevin said. “In fact, I insist.”

“Thanks, but I was just leaving,” Cutler said. “I’ve taken up enough of Kaylee’s time.” Then he leaned down and, for her ears alone, he murmured, “I’ll see you later.”

Feeling shell-shocked, all she could do was watch him stride off.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Yet he had no choice. What he was witnessing was a fact. He’d put his hand on the Bible and swear to it. His daughter was actually having a conversation with a good-looking man and seemingly enjoying it.

Hell, if the animated look on her face was anything to judge by, flirting would be closer to the truth. Edgar’s pulse raced and his palms turned sweaty. He’d prayed for this day since his precious daughter had awakened in that hospital room so many years ago and was forced to face the cruelest of futures.

Kaylee had more than risen to the challenges that faced her. Tonight was testimony to that. He was so proud of her he felt his heart would burst.

The man Kaylee seemed interested in looked vaguely familiar; however, Edgar knew he’d never met him. More important, he wondered what his motives were. Those questions and more filled Edgar’s head.

He straightened his slumping shoulders and moved slightly closer, allowing the partygoers to shield him so Kaylee wouldn’t notice his hovering. Yet he remained out of her vision more for his own personal benefit than hers.

Just watching her happiness made him giddy.

Edgar moved a little to his left for a better look at the man. Or should he say cowboy? Edgar almost laughed out loud at the idea that his daughter would give someone in jeans and boots even a second glance, especially at a black tie function.

Then just as quickly as the flirtation began, it ended. The cowboy relinquished his seat to others.

“Damn,” Edgar muttered under his breath.

He had to do something. But what? He couldn’t force the man not to leave his daughter, for God’s sake. Ah, all was not lost. Tomorrow was another day. A day to devise a plan.

That thought brought him more than comfort. It shot his excitement level off the charts.

Two

What an incredible morning.

Kaylee had risen early, much earlier than normal, and brewed a pot of coffee. With cup in hand, she had adjourned to the patio and sat in one of her padded wrought-iron chairs. That had been over an hour ago now, and she still hadn’t the wherewithal to move.

That in itself was unusual. Even before she’d opened the agency she had been an early riser, energized whether she’d slept or not. She didn’t want to miss one moment of any day, her subconscious continually whispering that sleep was a waste of precious time.

Kaylee inhaled the fresh scent in the air. It was as clean as the dew that covered the ground. Turning slightly, she got a whiff of the wisteria blossoms draped on a nearby bush. She breathed even deeper. The fragrance was heaven-sent, like none other. Her gaze drifted to the rosebush on the other side. Although she couldn’t smell it, she knew she only had to press her nose against one of the blooms and its sweetness would also swamp her senses.

Her small backyard was lovely, but then she’d worked hard to make it so—she and the nursery, that is. She couldn’t keep her yard in this shape by herself, although she would’ve loved nothing better. Her taxing career, not to mention her physical limitations, made that impossible. She did what she could when she could, which helped keep her in shape.

She had bought this old home in West University Place, an upscale but older section of the city, even though her dad had discouraged her from making such a bold and aggressive move. He thought it would be too much for her to keep up, but she hadn’t listened. Though he was her best ally and cheerleader, he never let her forget that she was handicapped, a fact that could fester if she let it.

He had wanted her to continue to live in the house with him where she had grown up. But she had desperately wanted her own space. She needed to stake her independence in order to keep her sanity. After all, she was handicapped, not dysfunctional.

Edgar now admitted that Kaylee had proved him wrong once again. He was so proud of her, of what she had accomplished and was continuing to achieve. Her father wasn’t her only avid supporter. Her godfather, Drew Rush, her dad’s longtime friend and employer, had always encouraged her to push the envelope, so to speak.

Without his monetary help and his endorsements, Benton Modeling Agency wouldn’t be in existence today. While she might not have a husband, she certainly had two strong men in her life for whom she was grateful.

Suddenly a bird chirped loudly in a nearby tree. Kaylee listened to his melodious music, and smiled. In that same tree two squirrels were playing tag. She concentrated on them until they jumped to another limb and disappeared into the lush foliage of the live oak tree.

Lifting her head, she searched for a puff of clouds. Nary a one was visible. The sky was azure blue and the sun was well on its way to full strength.

This was a great way to start a morning.

Soon, though, she was going to have to stop lollygagging, dress and get to the office. But not just now. She guessed it was only around seven-thirty, which gave her plenty of time to continue down this path of indulgence and still not be late.

She smiled again. She could be late if she wanted, she reminded herself. After all, she was the boss. For a second that thought made Kaylee giddy. She still couldn’t believe she’d been honored in such a fantastic way. She had enjoyed every minute of it, too, even though she had been exhausted when she’d crawled into bed around midnight.

She couldn’t complain. Life was good right now, and Kaylee had learned early to treasure such moments. After nearly losing her life at such a young age, nothing had ever been the same and she never wasted one precious moment.

That thinking gave her all the more reason not to waste one second contemplating a particular man. Her heart did a sudden somersault as she admitted to herself that she had thought about that cowboy off and on all night.

Unsettling?

Absolutely.

Crazy?

Absolutely.

A waste of time?

Absolutely.

Lethal.

Absolutely.

So why couldn’t she get him off her mind?

She couldn’t answer that. All she knew was that she didn’t want to think about any man, not in that context, anyway. But then Cutler McFarland wasn’t just any man.

Under no circumstances could she label him average. After meeting him, she thought he would be better suited to have been born in the early eighteen hundreds. She could see him with a holster and gun strapped to his waist and thigh, defending justice at all cost.

That picture forced a chuckle from Kaylee’s lips; but she saw no humor in her thoughts. She was just setting herself up for trouble and heartache, neither of which she could afford. Only since her agency had taken off had she felt like a whole woman, as if she wasn’t different from the average female walking the streets.