by Vivian Arend
* * *
Left on my windowsill? That’s a little stalkerish, dude.
* * *
I blame the painkillers because I’m slightly charmed by your handsome face and cocky attitude.
* * *
What are we doing to make this a memorable summer? Does it involve dancing? Naked dancing? Because being in your arms was not a hardship.
* * *
(Maybe blame that last bit on the painkillers as well, k?)
~Note from Karen to Finn, summer at Whiskey Creek ranch~
She didn’t know what had come over her. She was still not sure she wanted to dive into the deep end with Finn, but the temptation was strong.
Repeating his words from so long ago—ones she knew he remembered because they’d become a part of their mantra that summer—was her mouth making promises she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep.
Thankfully, the distraction factor kicked into high gear.
Distraction otherwise known as Zach Sorenson.
He hauled her off the deck and into the living room and proceeded to nail down a job description. Then he offered up a compensation package that made her blink and started a to-do list that would keep her busy for the next three weeks.
In spite of the excitement all the work-related details caused, it was Finn’s expression that returned to her mind over and over again.
A flash of remembrance, a whole lot of hopefulness, and then that sexy smolder had arrived. The one she couldn’t get enough of.
Somehow she left without doing anything foolish like throwing herself at him. She had a temporary contract in her pocket and a whole lot of questions bubbling in her brain as to the best way to get started.
Karen was already walking in the door of her cottage before she realized she hadn’t solved her transportation issue.
An answer arrived a moment later in the form of a phone call.
“Hey. I was leaving Silver Stone when I noticed your truck is still here. Want me to swing by and grab you so you can get it home?” Julia paused then added, “I’m also free for dinner if you’d like some company.”
Exactly what Karen needed. A little ongoing distraction so she didn’t up and race back to the ranch house to tell Finn she wanted to sign on for the rest of his offer.
“Perfect, on both counts. Come get me, then we can take both vehicles out. I’ll splurge for a steak if you want to go to Longhorn’s.”
“Deal.”
Twenty minutes later Julia’s out-of-place-looking neon-blue Lotus pulled up in front of the cottage. Karen grabbed a jacket and her purse then wedged herself into the tiny vehicle.
“Is there an expansion button if somebody over six feet wants to get in?” she teased.
“You have fun last time you parallel parked on Main Street?” Julia returned dryly.
Karen laughed. “Point taken. It means I get my exercise, parking a street over then walking to where I’m going. Thank goodness Longhorn’s parking lot is the size of a football field.”
“I haven’t been yet,” Julia confessed. “We can go Dutch, because I intend to get the biggest steak possible and all the sides. Despite how hard I work as an EMT, chasing after the horses gave me an appetite like I haven’t had since the last time I went chasing horses.”
“It was good to have you join us,” Karen admitted. She eyed her new sister who had only been found for all of two months. They’d been slowly getting to know each other better, but there were a lot of years to catch up. “And to make it clear, I am buying. You go ahead and get anything you want, but this is a celebration. I have a new job.”
“You took it. It sounded as if you wanted to,” Julia said. She glanced sideways briefly. “Did you make a decision on the other matter? Because I meant it. If you need backup, I’m there for you. Nothing worse than a guy who won’t accept no.”
A comment which brought up a whole lot more questions Karen wanted answers to.
She answered quickly, not wanting Julia to get the wrong idea. “Finn is a good guy, and I mean that. And yes, he’s kind of possessive and a this is the way I want things type guy at times, but he’s not an asshole. If I tell him I’m not interested, he’ll drop it.”
“Some guys interpret no as one step away from maybe which to them is practically yes.” Julia nodded firmly. “Your call. If anything changes, you give me a shout. Anytime, day or night.”
“I will,” Karen promised.
They talked about the wild horses until Julia pulled in next to Karen’s truck.
“I need to gas up,” Karen said. “Meet you at Longhorn’s?”
“No problem. I’ll grab us a table.”
Only by the time Karen got there, not having a reservation had turned out to be a problem. Julia was standing outside the door—
Chatting with Zach.
Karen glanced around to see where Finn was because she was pretty sure the two men were like bookends. Find one, you’d find the other.
Julia spotted her. “Hey. We’ve got about forty minutes before they can sneak us in.”
Zach flashed her a bright grin. “I hear you’re celebrating getting this really fantastic job. Oh, and I hear your supervising boss is one hell of a guy.”
“I didn’t say anything about that.” Julia sounded confused.
“He’s my boss,” Karen offered dryly.
Julia nodded slowly. “Ahh. Let’s hope the man isn’t delusional.”
A sharp snort sounded behind her, and Finn appeared. “She’s already got your number, Zach.”
The powerfully built man in front of them laid a hand over his chest with as much dramatic flair as Karen’s little sister would have. “Not a word of it was a lie.”
Finn lifted his chin toward the restaurant doors. “You ladies want to join us?”
Confusion hit first, then cautious curiosity. “You just happened to have a reservation for four?”
“Sort of?” Zach hesitated, glancing at Finn as if looking for direction.
Julia offered Karen some serious wide-eyed ‘you need to call the shots on this one’ signals.
She took a deep breath. This was about enjoying a good steak. She didn’t have to make a decision about forever. “We would love to join you.”
“Back in a minute.” Zach disappeared through the front door.
Finn turned to Karen. “I know this is your sister, but we’ve never been introduced.”
Julia thrust forward her hand. “Julia Blushing. EMT trainee, former dude ranch resident, and youngest Whiskeymouse.”
A laugh bubbled up before Karen could stop it. “Dear God, we need to deal with Lisa.”
But Finn grinned. “Well, there’re lots of lovely things to unwrap in that introduction. I think I like your version of the nickname better than the one I heard before.”
Julia looked confused for a moment as if going over what she’d said.
She smacked a hand against her forehead. “Whiskeyteer. I mean it’s a cute name, but damn if it’s not a mouthful.”
The door opened and Zach poked his head out, gesturing inside. “Come on. They’re adding a couple of place settings for us.”
Longhorn Steakhouse was one of the best places to go for a meal if you had a little money to spend. Karen had been there a couple of times since Tamara moved to the Heart Falls region.
She’d never been up the tall staircase at the far end of the room.
Never knew the private room at the top of the stairs existed. A decent-sized table rested in front of a massive picture window that faced west toward the Rockies.
Four place settings waited, one at either end and two along one side. Zach pulled out the chair for Julia at one end then made his way to the far side, which left Karen next to Finn.
“You obviously have an inside track with management,” Julia said as she looked around with appreciation. “Thanks for the invite. This is amazing.”
“We know a few people,” Zach admitted. “Same menu as downstairs. Since the kitchen at the ranch ho
use isn’t operational right now, I’ll admit to eating here more often than I should.”
“He doesn’t like my mac and cheese,” Finn said.
“You don’t use blue box,” Zach complained.
A mocking gasp rose from Julia. “No. Does he also use no-name ketchup?”
Zach straightened and gestured firmly at Finn. “See? See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Everyone knows from the first moment I mention it what a travesty your cooking habits are.”
It was all too amusing. Karen found herself grinning as she relaxed back in her seat. Zach kept teasing, and Finn dryly took it, a lot of grace and amusement in his tone with every response.
By the time their appetizers were devoured and she’d nearly finished a glass of wine, Karen was feeling pretty damn mellow.
Finn topped up her glass. “The day go differently than you expected?”
Jeez. “This day has been about five days long, considering everything that’s gone on.” Karen sipped the wine, watching as the sun slowly dipped toward the distant mountains.
Zach and Julia continued to talk across the length of the table. Zach was picking her brain for all the details she could remember from the ranch where she’d grown up.
In the middle, Karen and Finn sat in a bubble of quiet. It was a familiar feeling, reminiscent of the time she’d spent years ago with him. In the room with others around, yet feeling that sensation of being utterly alone and completely connected.
His leg bumped hers. An innocent act as he reached across the table. Karen took a steadying breath then faced him with a smile. “Sometimes surprises work out. Thanks for the job. I would’ve gone out of my mind with boredom working at the grocery store,” she admitted.
“Thanks for accepting it. I really am glad you’re helping us with this.” Utter truth in the sentence. His gaze fixed on hers as he lifted his glass in a salute.
Crystal clinked together softly.
“I’m not sure about the other matter,” she said quickly.
He dipped his chin. “It’s not tomorrow yet.”
Laughter rose again. “You’re right. Remember my previous comment about how this day has gone on forever.”
“Sleep on it,” he encouraged. “I find a good night’s sleep answers all sorts of questions. Sometimes in my dreams I come up with solutions. Thinking over old memories, good times from the past. That sort of thing.”
He was bad.
And good, because sweet dreams were a part of their past. Good memories had been rushing in all day between the other busy parts of her adventure.
The steaks arrived and the conversation went wide again. Between the delicious food and the company, Karen got to put a hold on the last question she needed to answer.
Her dreams that night were far too dirty.
Finn made himself scarce for the next couple of days and let Zach take Karen around the place. He figured it was the best way to make it clear he really did want her opinions.
It was also the easiest way to stop from fawning over her or groveling to be put out of his misery.
He had enough to keep himself busy. The to-do list had blown up by epic proportions. His previous casual contacts with people for work down the road required updates. A kind of “put me on your list now because I need you as soon as humanly possible” update.
But he caught enough glimpses of Karen to mean she was constantly on his mind. She’d pulled her hair back into a familiar ponytail, and her grin flashed sharply whenever Zach was his usual amusing self.
She moved differently. Not only because she was no longer hampered by her full-length cast, but she seemed more at ease in her own skin.
Finn was pretty sure she’d put up with a lot of grief at the Whiskey Creek ranch over the years. Hell, he’d worked that long-ago summer with George Coleman and knew exactly the type of man Karen’s father was.
Old-school. Clueless and unintentionally unkind.
Karen had stayed soft.
Not as in strength, because damn, the woman might outwork him at the rate she was going. No, it was that she hadn’t grown bitter in spite of all the barriers tossed in front of her.
He reflected on the changes in himself and wasn’t able to make the same claim. Yes, he’d learned a lot from Bruce Travers, and he counted all of that as good.
His bitterness—fallout from family disappointments—was the part Finn didn’t quite know how to deal with.
After three days of keeping his distance, it was time to remind Karen he expected an answer. He headed into town after lunch, coming back to meet up with Zach, who had left Karen and Josiah chatting in what would be the main horse barn.
Zach flashed Finn a thumbs-up. “You’re brilliant. She’s got exactly the right ideas and the contacts we need to get this done. Between her and some of the comments Julia made the other night, I feel a lot more optimistic about meeting the challenge.”
“She’s the brilliant one.” Finn glanced at his watch. “What time did you tell her to knock it off?”
His friend frowned. “I didn’t. She’s a private contractor, so she can work whatever hours she wants to.”
Perfect. “Meet you at Josiah’s at six.”
Zach paused. “Okay. We’re not going together? I just had Delilah shipped in. Thought I’d take her for a spin beforehand.”
Finn thought about the shopping he’d just done, and a small smile snuck out. “Tell you what. I’ll call you if I need a backup plan.”
That got him a confused look for a second before Zach clued in. His friend grinned. “Break a leg.”
“You need to stop saying that,” Finn muttered even as he chuckled under his breath.
He waited until four-thirty, then with his afternoon purchases in hand, made his way to Karen’s cottage.
His brisk knock on the front door was answered with a yell. “On the back deck.”
A five-second stroll brought him around the edge of the small building. Karen reclined in the comfortable lawn furniture he’d made sure to purchase. Stuff that was a hell of a lot nicer than what was currently up at the main house.
She eyed him with confusion and a sweet hint of approval in her eyes. “Why are you all dressed up and ready to roll? Party’s not until six,” she pointed out.
“Brought you a present,” he said. He placed the basket in her lap then stepped back to admire her trim body. He didn’t care one bit that her T-shirt and jeans were dirty after tramping around the ranch all day.
“Finn. You shouldn’t have done that.” Indignation drifted in her tone until she started poking through the bottles and tubes he’d shoved into the wicker container. She gasped and held one up. “Oh my God, this is wintergreen foot cream.”
“You got the word about tonight’s footwear?”
Karen made a face. “I tried to get Lisa to tell me why we have to wear sandals, but sometimes my sister is just plain mean.”
Finn sat on the footstool in front of her and lifted her bare foot into his lap.
She tensed.
He sat there, motionless. Well, mostly motionless. Her skin was so damn soft he had to trace circles with his thumb against the inside of her arch.
“You want to grab a shower? Or get a massage first?”
The expressions dancing across her face just might kill him. She clearly wanted him to touch her, but indecision was there as well.
Finn squeezed her foot. “Just a rub, I swear. Let me take care of you.”
Karen swallowed hard. “Give me a minute.”
She leapt up and damn near ran into the house.
Finn sat back on the stool and concentrated on taking long, slow breaths, lowering his heart rate and shoving aside the need drilling through his system.
If it took a while for her to make up her mind, so be it. He was not some Neanderthal who couldn’t control himself.
But dear God, he needed to touch her. He needed it as much as he needed his next breath.
Less than ten minutes passed before she was
back. Her hair lay tousled over her shoulders, the strands wet and somewhat tangled from where she’d rubbed at them with a towel.
She wore sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, and she was so gorgeous he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“You bring your brush?” His voice rasped past vocal cords tight with desire. Probably sounded like the grumpy asshole she expected, though, because all she did was reach into her pocket and haul out a brush.
He grabbed it and gestured to the chair. “Lean forward.”
Karen settled, placing her hands on her knees. Finn stood and slipped behind her to hide the erection pressing the front of his jeans in silent demand.
Then he tormented himself by running his fingers through her hair and untangling the knots. Working the brush through from her scalp to the ends of the long layers until her hair lay in smooth strands over the pale blue of her T-shirt.
If there were any justice in the world, he’d be able to finish this by pressing a kiss to where her pulse pounded in her neck. He’d be able to lick her earlobe and suck it into his mouth. He’d follow that by kissing his way along her jaw before taking her mouth as hungrily as he wanted.
To consume her and taste her all over for the first time in almost five years.
Instead, he laid the brush aside and moved back into position at her feet. After lifting them into his lap, he covered his hands with wintergreen and rubbed the thick cream against the pads of her toes and heels then pressed his thumb against the arch of her foot.
He gritted his teeth when she moaned in pleasure. Only a sick bastard would ask for this kind of punishment, but hell if he wanted to stop.
Finn pushed the elastic at the base of her sweats past her knees to work the muscles in her calves. One foot, then the other, as she leaned back against the thick cushions. Her eyes closed and her mouth slid open, except for the moments he hit a sweet spot. Then her lips would purse slightly as if in preparation for his kiss.
“You have the hands of a god,” Karen whispered. “You always have.”