As if she read his thoughts, his mother said, “Mia and I were talking wedding plans, of course, so exciting. Mia insists you wouldn’t want a large wedding….” She paused and watched him for confirmation.
“Yeah. I mean no, I don’t.”
“She knows you so well already,” Alice said, eyes bright. “Isn’t that lovely? So, we think it would be best if you hold the wedding right here on the ranch. There’s plenty of room,” she continued before he could say a word. “And Delores is full of wonderful ideas for a buffet menu. Mia and I can go shopping for her wedding dress—” She broke off and looked at Mia sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m just including myself, but of course if you don’t want me to go with you…”
“It would be great, Alice,” Mia said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’d love your opinion.”
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Alice turned back to Dave and gave him another hard hug before slapping one hand to her chest, overcome with emotion. “I always wanted a daughter, you know, and Mia and I already get along famously!”
Dave hugged his mom and regretted that he was going to have to burst her bubble. But that bubble would only get bigger and the hurt deeper, if he waited.
“Mom…” He looked over his mother’s head to Mia who was shaking her head wildly and waving her hands. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him and mouthed the word, don’t.
Why the hell not? He scowled at her and she frowned right back, shaking her head again, even more firmly this time.
Fine, fine, he wouldn’t say anything until he and Mia had had a chance to talk. Talking hadn’t been on his agenda for tonight, but it looked like that was going to change.
Damn, he was too tired for all of this. He hugged his mother and let her go.
“Mom, I’m glad you’re here, but after nearly three days on the range, I really need a shower.”
His mother stepped back and sniffed delicately through her wrinkled nose. “I didn’t want to say anything.”
Wryly, he said, “Thanks.”
Then his gaze shifted to Mia again and his mother noticed.
“Oh, you two must have a lot to ‘talk’ about.” A smile flitted across her mouth. “Why don’t you and Mia go on upstairs and I’ll just head over to the guesthouse.”
Dave was nodding. He was glad to see his mother, sure. But at the moment, he had other ideas on how to spend his time. At least he had, until this latest wrench had been tossed into his carefully laid-out strategy. Now he had the distinct feeling that Mia would want to talk before they did anything else.
When he just kept staring at Mia, his mother chuckled. “Okay, then, I’m going. You two enjoy your reunion and I’ll see you both in the morning, all right?”
“That’d be good, Mom, thanks,” Dave said, still staring at the woman who haunted his every thought. She chewed at her bottom lip and the action tugged at something inside him. Hell, maybe talking could wait after all.
He hardly noticed when his mother left until the front door closed behind her. In the silence, he and Mia stared at each other for a long minute. Then she rushed at him and he opened his arms to her.
Holding on to her tightly, Dave buried his face in the curve of her neck and lifted her clean off the floor. Mia wrapped her legs around his waist, then pulled back and looked at him. “I really missed you.”
Danger signs fluttered to life inside him, but it was way too late to pay attention to them. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Me, too. And damn you smell good.”
She gave him a smile and shook her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry you got blindsided by your mom, but I didn’t know how to tell you she was here. I tried reaching you by cell, but…”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Not much coverage at the far corners of the ranch. Gotta get a satellite phone. I’m guessing her showing up out of the blue was a bigger surprise for you than for me anyway.”
“You could say that.” Her arms were linked around his neck, her ankles crossed at the small of his back. “She’s so great, Dave. You’re really lucky to have her.”
“Yeah, but this is kind of a mess.”
“More than you know,” she said and unwound her legs from his waist to drop to the floor. Her eyes were shadowed and he knew she was feeling badly about deceiving his mother. Well, hell, so was he.
“She brought me a present.”