Page 15 of Grissom
The handsome smile made it obvious how much Mr. McCoy adored his boys. It showed in the easy way they were him. They’d been wound tight when Tuesday’d rescued them in Costa Rica. But now? They looked happy and healthy, like little boys should, and Mr. McCoy seemed genuinely okay with them traipsing through this herd of horses. And if he was okay with it…
Embarrassment squeezed Tuesday’s eyes shut.Darn.I’ve just made a fool of myself, haven’t I?Mr. McCoy had only let Luke out of his sight because he knew these horses wouldn’t hurt his son. He’d been around them enough to trust them, and so did his sons. She was the problem, the hysterical lunatic who could’ve caused any one of these horses to panic, maybe even the whole herd to stampede. She could’ve gotten Luke hurt or—killed.
She bowed her head, sorry for every mean thought she’d harbored against Mr. McCoy.How will I ever look him in the eye again?
Chapter Eight
The first day of counseling went well. The horse therapy that followed did, too. As Maverik would say, this wasn’t their first rodeo. Grissom had brought his boys horseback riding here at TEAM HQ stables before. Many times. Since he’d moved his family to the East Coast, riding Maverick’s so-called ‘kids’ had been a regular guy-thing Grissom did with his boys. They’d don their cowboy duds and boots, and for a few hours each weekend, as many as they could get away with, they’d left the troubled McCoy household behind and pretended they were cowboys riding the range. He hadn’t called it therapy back then, but he’d known about Maverick’sEveryone’s a Cowboyprogram when he’d still lived in Washington. If being outdoors with horses, fresh air, and most importantly, his boys, was therapy, they could call it whatever they wanted. He was done being stupid and proud. He didn’t matter. Only Tanner and Luke did.
The first time riding these large animals, sure, they’d been leery of getting near, much less sitting on top of horses so high off the ground. Adult Percherons were not kid-size, not by a long shot. Averaging sixteen to eighteen hands high, they were intimidating beasts of burden with wide, muscular backs and big heads. But they were also enthusiastic workers with strong, intelligent personalities, known for their good dispositions and overall gentle natures. Because he was too young to ride alone, Luke still rode with Grissom. Not Tanner. Once he’d understood the nuances of communicating with Star, his favorite, through the gentle use of voice, reins, and the pressure of his knees and boots, shy Tanner had blossomed into a natural cowboy. It didn’t hurt that he idolized Maverick or that Maverick kepta pint-size saddle on hand for the six-year-old Wyatt Earp now snuggling his face into Miss Smart’s neck.
Damned if she wasn’t a pretty sight for Grissom’s sore eyes and his weary heart. He couldn’t help smiling at the impressive pink blush creeping over her cheeks. She probably realized now that Luke had never been in real danger, and that she might’ve overreacted a little. But hearing her tell Star to,“Buzz off!”and hearing her call Luke,‘my sweet little boy,’had nearly taken Grissom to his knees. There sat a complete stranger, on the ground, in a pasture full of horses, and, well, horse shit, which was definitely stuck to the bottoms of her boots, maybe even her backside. Yet there she stayed, seemingly content and loving on his boys like their mother had never, ever done.
Blowing a longer-than-normal breath to steady his frayed nerves and trying to figure out how not to make Miss Smart feel worse, he admitted, “I’m not really sure how it happened, but the police report claims I plowed my bike into the rear end of a FedEx delivery truck and—”
“And the truck won,” she said softly. “I remember Mr. Finnegan saying that. When did it happen?”
He swallowed hard. “A few days before Costa Rica. I was, umm, hospitalized for a while.” No way was he mentioning that, that... What was its name? Sugar Lane Asylum? Walnut Creek Nut House? Why couldn’t he remember?
“Are you okay now?”
“Ah, yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason.” And why did the sound of her voice soothe away his frustration at not being able to think straight?
Damn. Miss Smart was a good-looking woman, and he was a sucker for green eyes. Her brown hair was long enough it hung over her shoulders and into her face like a tangled jungle waterfall, its wispy fingertips caressing her full breasts. Didn’t hurt that those tempting breasts were testing the tiny buttonson her shirt. The kill shot she couldn’t possibly know she’d fired straight into his heart, was how gently she was holding his grubby, sweaty boys. Both of them. Like she’d truly missed Tanner and Luke and couldn’t bear to let them go. Grissom couldn’t make himself look away from the concern shining in her eyes—concern for him. Of all people, she seemed worried about him, too.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied hoarsely. “Little by little, I’m… I’m getting better.” What the hell was wrong with his vocal chords? He sounded like a damned frog.
“Please, just Tuesday.”
“Same here. Grissom. Not Mr. McCoy.”Because I am not my dad.
“Too-Day!” Luke chirped. “Call her Too-Day, Daddy. Like I do!”
“Yeah, but you’re saying it wrong,” Tanner cut in. “You talk like a baby. It’s Tues—”
“I not a baby. You are!”
“No, you are!”
“Boys,” Mr. McCoy warned quietly. “How do we behave in the presence of company?”
“Like gentlemen with good manners,” Tanner declared with his chin up. Right before he stuck his tongue at Luke and informed him, “See? I know how to treat ladies, but you don’t.”
“Do too!” Luke yelled, his face getting redder.
That’s when it happened. Tuesday tipped her head back and laughed. Instead of being annoyed and swearing and hurting their feelings like Pam would have done, Tuesday let loose the most beautiful sound Grissom had ever heard. Full of joy and love and all those things a mother should shower over her children, it was as rare as a hummingbird lighting on his finger. He couldn’t help it. He fell head over heels in love with this beautiful woman.
This had to be the first time she’d witnessed the competitive streaks both McCoy boys harbored. The sound coming from her throat was the sweet tinkling of stars falling from heaven, each touchdown a bright, crystal vibration striking Grissom’s heart, pouring peace over him, maybe even into him. No one had ever—ever—loved or enjoyed his kids like this woman was. Other people’s kids were annoying to most folks, tiny people to be endured, not enjoyed or valued. Many times, not even treated with any measure of respect. But Tuesday still had her nose in Luke’s messy hair, and Tanner had his arm stretched around her shoulders as far as he could reach, and—
Grissom’s eyes watered. What was in the air? He wasn’t allergic to anything. But his brain had conjured up a picture of Tuesday Smart sitting on his couch in front of the large stone fireplace in his new house, reading to Tanner and Luke, both of them snuggled on her lap, in her warm arms, and—
The idyllic image morphed into Grissom with his head on her lap. Her fingertips in his hair, gently massaging his scalp, and—
Get a grip.He had no business lusting over this woman just because she’d saved his sons from their sadistic mother.Tuesday wasn’t a plug-in-mom, and he wasn’t in the market for a replacement for Pam. Hell no! He was no prize. Hell, he was barely coming to grips with the mess he’d made of his life. What could she possibly see in him? Nothing. Because there was nothing to see.
‘Forget Tuesday, dumbass!’the childish memory forever stuck in his brain screamed.‘Last thing you need is a relationship. Any relationship, you shithead! You didn’t even pass algebra!’
