The City Girl's Homecoming. Kathy Douglass

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СКАЧАТЬ the comment and in response bucked and jerked, making the man hold on for dear life. It looked like he was riding the pig like a wild horse. Megan wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d tossed his cowboy hat—which had somehow managed to stay on his head during the entire encounter—into the air and yelled yee-haw! Unable to contain herself, Megan giggled at the absurdity of it all.

      Startled by the sound, the man looked up at her and temporarily lost his grip on the pig, who broke free and turned toward the man. The man jumped in front of a ramp leading to the back of the pickup truck. Megan’s breath caught in her throat as the angered animal lowered its head and charged. A strangled cry broke through her lips as the pig drew within inches of the man’s bare torso. At the last second the man stepped gracefully out of the way and the pig ran up the ramp and into the back of the truck. In the blink of an eye, the man removed the ramp and then slammed the tailgate shut.

      Whew. Megan realized she’d begun to perspire and drew a couple of fingers across her damp brow, removing the moisture before the man could notice. Relief that the pig-wrestler was all right mingled with amusement at the spectacle, and she began to laugh. “Oh, my goodness. I have never in my life seen anything like that.”

      The pig-wrangling man glanced over his shoulder at her, a fierce glare twisting his handsome face. At his look, the laughter died in her throat and her smile melted away. Clearly he didn’t find her delight amusing.

      She started to apologize, then gave herself a mental shake, stopping just in time. She wasn’t going to let the man make her feel guilty for finding humor in the situation. She’d let several foster families squash her natural joy, making her feel bad about showing any expression of happiness. It was as if they’d wanted her to be as miserable as possible. Some had gone out of their way to make her so.

      Well, she was in control of her life now and she wasn’t going to let anyone determine what she should feel or how she should react.

      The man grabbed a plaid shirt from the bumper of the truck and used it to wipe his sweaty face and torso before shoving his arms into the sleeves. He buttoned the bottom four buttons and jerked on the fabric as if trying to remove the wrinkles. He wiped at a huge grass stain a couple of times before dropping his hand, apparently deciding there was no sense fighting a losing battle.

      When it became obvious that the man wasn’t going to introduce himself, she took a step in his direction, hand extended. Before she could reach him, the back door of the house opened and Bunny Whitaker, one of the women she’d come to see, came down the stairs. “Yoo-hoo. Did you get Little Piggy into the truck, Cade?”

      Little Piggy? Megan shook her head at the name. That pig was anything but little.

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      If only Bunny knew that her friend had threatened to take that Little Piggy to market, she wouldn’t be smiling at him right now.

      “He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?”

      “No, ma’am. Not even a little bit.”

      Megan felt her eyes widen at his falsehood. If that fight hadn’t been trouble, she didn’t know what was.

      “That’s because he’s such a good boy, aren’t you, Little Piggy?” Bunny leaned into the back of the truck and rubbed the pig, who snorted.

      Bunny straightened. “I really appreciate you taking him in for us. We hate to part with him, but Birdie and I don’t have the room to keep him. I know you’ll give him a good home.”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      Bunny looked up. When she noticed Megan, she smiled. “Hello. Is it time for our meeting already?”

      “I’m a little bit early,” Megan said, closing the distance between them. “I’m still trying to get used to small-town traffic. When I leave my office I still factor in time for traffic jams that have yet to materialize.”

      “We don’t have many of those. Not unless geese are crossing the road or somebody’s cows get out. And don’t worry if you’re a little bit late. People around here aren’t ruled by the clock. When you tend animals, you understand that things beyond your control can happen.” She dusted her hands on her denim skirt. “Have the two of you met?”

      “No.” Megan said.

      Bunny smiled and waved for Cade to come closer. He dragged his feet as he walked over, clearly reluctant to join them. Since he’d smiled at Bunny, Megan decided she was the reason for his reticence.

      Once he was near, Bunny put her arm around Megan’s waist. “This is Megan Jennings. She’s new to town. Pretty as she is on the outside, she’s even prettier on the inside. She’s the new lawyer that Daniel Sutton hired to help him.”

      Megan felt her face and the tips of her ears grow hot, but she managed a smile that she hoped hid her embarrassment. She hadn’t known Bunny long, but she knew the sweet older woman wouldn’t deliberately hurt or embarrass anyone. Still, looking at the expression on the man’s face, it was clear he didn’t find Megan’s looks or anything else about her appealing.

      “And this is Cade Battle,” Bunny continued. “He’s a great friend of mine and Birdie’s. He’s part owner of Battle Lands Farm and one of the best people I know. If you ever need help with anything, Cade is the man you should call. He’s completely trustworthy.”

      Megan noticed that Cade seemed embarrassed at Bunny’s effusive praise and color crept beneath his light brown skin. Knowing she wasn’t the only one who was ill at ease made Megan feel slightly better. She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Cade.”

      He wiped his hand on his shirt, then shook hers. His grip was firm, but not the too-tight handshake men often gave when trying to intimidate her. Of course, those men had been opposing counsel, who—if they were any good—would have known squeezing her fingers didn’t scare her. It pissed her off.

      Cade’s palm was covered with calluses, no doubt a by-product of the hard work he did on a daily basis. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Jennings.”

      His voice was even sexier when he wasn’t out of breath, and it sent shivers dancing down her spine. What was that about? She smiled. “It’s Megan.”

      “Megan,” he repeated, although he didn’t return her smile.

      “Well, good. Now you’ve each made a friend.” Bunny beamed with satisfaction and turned her attention to Cade. “I came out here to let you know lunch is on the table. And Megan, you’re more than welcome to join us. We have plenty.”

      Cade shook his head and backed up. “I won’t be able to stay after all, Bunny.”

      “No? Why not?”

      The deliberate way he didn’t look in her direction gave Megan a sneaking suspicion. She wasn’t the paranoid type, nor was she so conceited that she thought she was the driving force behind everyone’s actions, but in this moment, based on his behavior, she believed she was the reason Cade didn’t want to stay.

      “I need to get going. There’s a lot of work waiting for me. And getting Little Piggy settled may take longer than I had anticipated.”

      “Okay,” Bunny looked crestfallen for a moment, but then she rallied. “At least let me give you a couple slices of cake.”

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