The Texan's Tennessee Romance / The Rancher & the Reluctant Princess: The Texan's Tennessee Romance / The Rancher & the Reluctant Princess

“I don’t think you’ve lost your confidence,” she replied after a moment. “Losing that big case—well, that’s part of the job, and you know that. No matter how well you prepare, how passionately you believe in your client, how hard you work to get the win, sometimes you’re just going to lose. I think you were bummed about it, especially since it was such a high-profile case, but I don’t believe it destroyed your confidence or anything like that.

“As for the breakup with Tamara,” she continued matter-offactly, “I don’t think that was particularly devastating to you, either. Truth is, I’ve thought for a while that you were with her more out of habit and everyone else’s expectations than because you were really in love with her. When you told me she’d broken it off with you, you sounded more relieved than upset, though you’re too nice a guy to admit, even to yourself, that you were glad it was over after such a long time together.”

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Maybe Molly was a bit too perceptive. He’d only admitted to himself recently that the breakup with Tamara had been a relief, in a way. He’d tried so hard during the past year to keep her happy and keep their relationship together that he hadn’t spent enough time asking himself if that was what he really wanted. But it still stung that after all he’d done, she hadn’t even had the decency to leave him before she’d started seeing someone else behind his back.

Molly wasn’t quite finished. “I think everyone else is so busy focusing on those big things, naturally enough, that they missed the real incident that left you questioning yourself and the path you’ve been on.”

He studied her with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean?” he asked, though he was afraid he already knew.

Her face soft with sympathy, Molly laid a hand on his knee. “It wasn’t your fault, Casey. You didn’t put Ian Duvall in that car that night.”

His throat tightened, making him speak in a growl. “I might as well have.”

Her fingers tightened. “No. You did your job. You got him acquitted on those earlier charges.”

Casey swallowed. “I knew he was guilty.”

“You did your job,” she repeated firmly. “It wasn’t your place to decide guilt or innocence. It was the jury’s. And they decided to acquit him.”

“Because I did my job so damned well.”

“Exactly. The fact that he chose—he chose, Casey—to drive drunk less than a year later had nothing to do with you.”

Giving his knee one last pat, she sat back. “You needed this vacation. Needed a chance to think, away from the craziness back home. I don’t think that’s so strange. And heaven knows we needed your help right now. So don’t let everyone else make you question yourself, okay? Do what you have to do.”

Molly knew all about following her own path. To the consternation of almost the entire Walker clan, she’d left her family ranch, the teaching position she’d held there and everything she’d known back in Dallas to move to Gatlinburg with Kyle. Though she would always be close to her family, Casey didn’t think she’d had one day of regret about leaving behind the life she’d always expected to have among them in Texas.

Maybe that was part of what had drawn him to Molly when he’d made his great escape. She had made a huge change that had left everyone else bewildered and worried, and it had worked out for her. He wasn’t saying that he wanted to make a huge change, really—he wasn’t sure yet just what he wanted—but it was nice to see that it could be done, and successfully, by someone from the same family boat in which he’d been floating so safely for the past twenty-six years.

Do what you have to do. Sounded simple enough. Now all he had to do was figure out what that was.

Natalie was on the phone with Amber when she heard Casey’s truck in the drive the next morning. Her pulse rate jumped involuntarily, but she made an effort to concentrate on the call.

“So Cathy’s sporting some new clothes,” she said as a way of reminding herself what they’d been talking about.

“A whole new wardrobe,” Amber emphasized. “Not just a few new sweaters or anything. And from what I can tell, she’s scored some expensive designer stuff.”

“And she hasn’t said where all this money is coming from?”

“No. She just giggles whenever anyone asks and sort of coyly says she’s found a new source of income. She won’t say anything more about it. Which makes me wonder if her new source of income is selling client information to the tabloids.”

“What bothers me is that she’s so open about the spending,” Natalie fretted. “Is she really foolish enough to brag in the firm if she’s making the money by exploiting her job?”

“Have you met Cathy?” Amber asked drily. “She’s stupid enough to think no one would even notice.”

“Has anyone noticed? Anyone in the upper tiers of the firm, I mean, not the other clerical staff.”

“I don’t know. If they have, nothing’s been done. I mean, she’s still here.”

Natalie sighed in frustration. “And I suppose there have been no more information leaks since I left.”

“None,” Amber said, sounding almost apologetic. “The leaks stopped the day you left.”

“Which only makes me look more guilty.”

“I, um…”

“Never mind.” There really was nothing Amber could say to make this situation any better. “I know you need to get to work. Thanks for calling.”

“I just wanted to check on you. You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” She was already hearing noises from outside that indicated Casey had started working. “Really.”

“I hope you took my advice the last time we talked. Have you done something fun while you’re there?”

“I went hiking yesterday, actually. I had a very nice time.”

“Hey, that’s great. Got any big plans for today?”

Another thump sounded from outside. “There are a few things I could do,” she replied vaguely.

“Good. Take advantage of the time off. I’d love to be in a cabin in the Smokies right now instead of just about to start a day of boring filing.”

“Yes, well…”

“Have you heard from any other firms yet? I mean, you are sending out résumés, aren’t you?”

“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Natalie said evasively. She saw no need to mention that she hadn’t quite gotten up the nerve to send out any inquiries yet. How could she, before she’d found some way of clearing her name? Who would hire her now?

“Well, hang in there, okay? You’ll find something. You’re too good at what you do not to. Not everyone’s going to believe the accusations against you, especially after they meet you and realize you’re not like that.”

Natalie wasn’t so sure of that.

They disconnected only moments later. Natalie tried immediately to call Beecham, but was routed to his voice mail again, to her annoyance. Tossing the cell phone aside, she rubbed her temples where a dull ache threatened. A tapping sound made her look up, and her eyes met Casey’s through the sliding glass door that led out to the deck. Seeing his look of concern, she pasted on a smile and moved to open the door.

Chapter Seven

“Are you okay?” Casey asked before she could even speak.

“Yes, I’m fine. A little headache.”

He didn’t seem entirely reassured, and she wondered just how disheartened she’d appeared after her talk with Amber. “Is there something you need?” she asked to change the subject.

“Yeah. The dog bowls.”

“He’s back?”

“Yes.”

“He’s earlier than usual.”

“He’s hungry, I guess.”

She moved toward the kitchen. “I’ll get the bowls.”

The dog sat at the edge of the woods again, but maybe a bit closer to the cabin than he’d ventured before. His tail wagged against the ground when Casey and Natalie brought the bowls. And Natalie would have sworn the dog smiled just a little when they set them in front of him.

The dog ate part of the food, and drank a little of the water. And then he just sat there, watching them.

“He doesn’t seem to be as hungry as he has been,” Natalie remarked.

“Well, yeah. We’ve been feeding him. Maybe he just wanted to make sure we were still here with the food.”

“Maybe he did.” She studied the dog, then on impulse knelt down and held out her hand.

“Hi, buddy,” she said, using the same soft tone and nickname that Casey always employed with the stray. “Have you figured out we’re not going to hurt you?”

It was almost as if he’d been waiting for her to reach out. The dog rose, walked straight toward her, sniffed her fingers, then licked her hand. His tail wagged behind him as he gazed up at her with what could only be called a melting look.

“Wow,” Casey said, sounding both startled and amused. “He’s certainly taking to you. Are you wearing beef-scented perfume or something today?”

Tentatively, she patted the dog’s dirty head. The matted tail wagged more eagerly. “I don’t think he understands that I’m not really a dog person.”

“He thinks you are.” Casey knelt beside her and the dog sniffed his hand, then allowed Casey to pet him briefly on the head. And then the dog turned back to Natalie, moving closer to her, his body touching her knees.

Though the mutt was in dire need of a bath, Natalie didn’t recoil. A little dirt wouldn’t hurt her jeans. And she had to admit that she was rather touched that he seemed to have taken to her. Maybe it would be easier to find a good home for him if they could convince him that humans could be nice to have around. “How old do you think he is?”

“A year, maybe? Year-and-a-half at the most.”

“I wonder if he’s ever had a home.”

“My guess would be yes. I think he’s been socialized at some point. He was probably dumped or abandoned when someone moved or when he got bigger than expected or maybe they just got tired of him. Or maybe he got lost and never found his way back home again.”

“Do you think someone is looking for him?”

“No collar. And he’s ragged enough that he looks like he’s been on his own for a while. So, no, probably not.”

Giving the mutt one last pat, she rose from the uncomfortable crouch. The dog gazed up at her, then trotted over to take another drink, after which he curled in the sun and watched them from sleepy-lidded eyes.

“Doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere for now,” Casey commented. “He’s staying near the food.”

“Have you mentioned him to Kyle or Molly yet? To see if they know someone who would be willing to take him?”

“No, not yet. I wanted to see if he showed the potential to be a family pet. After this morning, I’m thinking yes.”

She looked back over her shoulder as they moved toward the house. The dog lay in his sunny spot, his eyes closed now. The air was chilly, and the ground was probably still cold from the night, but he seemed to be getting enough warmth from the bright morning sun to keep him comfortable. “He’d probably be more appealing to a potential owner if he had a bath.”

“We’ll take it one step at a time for now.”

That sounded like a good idea—in a lot of ways, she decided.

She looked at the ladder and caulking supplies sitting by the side of the cabin where Casey had been working before he’d spotted the dog. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Sure, if you’re looking for something to do.”

She nodded on a sudden decision. “I’d like to help.”

Anything to get her out of that house. Away from the computer that was doing her so little good. Away from the phone that remained frustratingly silent, except from the occasional call from Amber. And distracted from the nagging fears that she was going to run out of savings before she cleared her name and found another position.

“You might want to get a jacket. And your gloves. Maybe a cap.”

“Can I bring you anything?”

“I’m okay for now.”

“Then I’ll be right back.”

She was inside less than ten minutes. Returning with her gloves, she came to a stop on the deck when she saw that the dog had moved closer to the cabin and was now sitting only a few yards from the steps, gazing expectantly up at her. “I didn’t bring you any more food, Buddy.”

“He’s been sitting there ever since you went inside. I just looked around and there he was. What did you do, hypnotize him?”

“I didn’t do anything. You were the one who talked to him most and fed him and everything.”

Shrugging, Casey quipped, “Guess he just fell under your irresistible spell.”

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Casey laughed and turned with her toward the cabin. The dog curled up nearby, apparently content to be near them and the food without being too close for his own comfort level.

Had anyone asked, Natalie would have had a hard time explaining how she and Casey ended up visiting the large aquarium in downtown Gatlinburg at six that evening. They’d finished working on the cabin only an hour earlier, and here they were, walking into a popular tourist attraction.

She wasn’t even sure who’d first mentioned the aquarium, though she knew Casey was the one who’d suggested they visit after she admitted that she loved them. He hadn’t even had to work very hard to convince her to agree. She had looked at the empty cabin waiting for her and then at Casey’s smiling face, and she’d weighed her choices. Obsessing about her problems—or spending a few hours in an aquarium with a very likable and attractive man. It was a no-brainer, really.

She spent the next two hours laughing. A lot. She laughed at the “fishy-faces” Casey made at the colorful inhabitants of the many tanks. She laughed when he held a horseshoe crab and talked her into holding one, too. She laughed when he reached down to pat a ray in a sandy-bottomed petting tank and got splashed in the face when one of the rays playfully slapped the water with a broad wing.

They stared mesmerized at the otherworldly jellyfish undulating through water to the strains of piped-in, new age music. They rode the moving walkway through a long Plexiglas tube that gave them up-close views of sharks swimming toward them and over their heads. They oohed and aahed over the vivid colors and spectacular markings of the many different types of fish in the tropical displays. They admired sea horses and leafy sea dragons, and watched a sea turtle slowly surface for air. They had fun.

Walking out of the aquarium with a bag full of the souvenirs Casey had insisted on buying her in the gift shop—a coffee mug and a T-shirt printed with the aquarium logo and a stuffed shark—Natalie was bemused that a day that had started so glumly had ended so pleasurably. The downtown area was beautiful, already wrapped in thousands of tiny LED lights that created a spectacular winter wonderland for the upcoming holidays. Trolleys ran from the aquarium all around the area on Christmas-light-viewing tours and even on a weeknight two weeks before Thanksgiving, business was already brisk.

She glanced at Casey and saw that he was watching her with an almost smug expression. Had he read her a little too well again? Was he privately taking credit for putting a smile on her face after catching her at a low point that morning?

She supposed she couldn’t blame him, since it was entirely true.

“How about a walk along the river?” he asked, motioning toward the walkway that meandered alongside the gurgling Little Pigeon River.

Lined with benches and gazebos, the walkway was festooned with twinkling holiday lights overhead and was already being enjoyed by several couples. There couldn’t be a more romantic setting for an after-dark stroll with a handsome man, and Natalie saw no reason at all to decline. “I’d like that.”

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