Cougar in Texas (Rugged and Risque 3)

What would she discuss with them? The B&B? They’d scoff at her little establishment. Not to mention her small town and simple ways.

As they approached the red carpet, she whispered to Caleb, “I’m having second thoughts. I can take the car back to Wilder, then pick you two up when you return.”

He squeezed her hand. “We scared you with all the over-analysis. I just wanted you to be prepared.”

She thought of Charlotte. Her gaze slid to Sam. Had he chosen to be an eternal bachelor because it was easier than bringing a woman around when he knew how difficult it would be with his family? If that was the case, they’d obviously done a number on the couple.

The threesome reached the steps and Caleb introduced her to the pilots. Then he gestured for her to enter the plane. She took a deep breath to steady herself before gathering her long skirt and carefully ascending the steps.

Inside, a woman in a flight attendant’s uniform stood at the burl wood galley and smiled. “Welcome. I’m Sheryl.”

“Reese. Nice to meet you.”

She made her way to the back of the plane and settled on the taupe-colored leather sofa. Caleb joined her. Sam sat across from them in the single seat. Sheryl delivered bottled water and then they were off, taxiing down the runway.

When they reached their cruising altitude, the attendant returned with a tray and glasses of champagne. She handed the first one to Reese.

Staring at the vibrant flower in the bottom of her crystal flute made something poignant snap in Reese’s mind.

Sheryl said, “I think it adds a nice touch.”

She nodded. “It’s beautiful, thank you.” The men’s glasses were devoid of the flower.

Caleb asked, “You want to switch?”

“No, absolutely not. I love this. It just reminds me of something.” Jess had handed her a bright red hibiscus stem on the same day Caleb had come to town. Was the flower in her glass a sign?

She gave him a smile and said, “This is perfect.” They clinked their rims together and Sam added his.

“Cheers,” he said.

Reese’s nerves finally settled… Until they landed at the Dallas FBO where a limo awaited them. Forty minutes later the vehicle pulled into a long drive lined with tall oaks dripping Spanish moss from their limbs. White twinkle lights wrapped around their trunks, sparkling in the dark night.

“Good Lord,” she mumbled under her breath, her anxiety returning. “This is Southfork.”

“Not quite. We don’t have that much acreage, nor is it a working ranch,” Caleb told her. “No cattle or horses. Just a mansion.”

The driver dropped them off at the steps of an enormous veranda running the width of the central portion of the house that jutted out. The east and west wings were set back a ways. One look at the guests milling about with expensive-looking champagne glasses in their hands made her glad she’d sought out Liza’s style advice. Nothing in her own closet would have done for the grandiose occasion.

The men escorted her into the house, which would put any five-star resort to shame. She wondered if the governor’s home could compete with all the chandeliers and marble flooring and gilt-edged banisters.

Caleb took her directly to his parents. They were amidst a small conglomeration in the far corner. He lightly touched a woman on the arm, impeccably dressed in a glittery, silver gown. She turned and her face lit up.

“Caleb,” she said as she did the fake double-cheek kiss thing Reese had always deemed pretentious. “Samuel.” She repeated the gesture.

“You look lovely as always, Mother,” Caleb told her. “Nice necklace.” Then he said, “I’d like you to meet Reese Middleton. She owns the bed and breakfast in Wilder where Sam and I temporarily reside.”

Reese was pleased he’d addressed the pertinent details upfront and had left off the “girlfriend” tag. She held her hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bennett.”

The other woman regarded her for a moment, taking her in before giving a very slight nod of approval. She delicately placed her hand in Reese’s. “Please, call me Judith.”

“Reese is a visionary,” Sam jumped in. “She took one look at the house on Caleb’s property and saw an inn with an event lawn overlooking the lake.”

“She’s going to manage it,” Caleb added, a hefty dose of pride in his voice.

Reese hoped his mother would immediately latch onto the fact she had a business arrangement with Caleb and Sam, but the expression that crossed the older woman’s nearly flawless face suggested she had a very good idea of what Reese’s association was with the two men. Well one of them, at least.

Judith’s jaw tightened briefly, a telltale sign she wasn’t particularly pleased with the news. “That’s quite an undertaking.” To Caleb, she said, “You never mentioned wanting an inn.”