Hope’s eyes widened. “I’d better look at that menu again.”
“Me too,” Owen agreed.
The waitress laughed and handed the menus back.
Hope chewed her bottom lip. “They all look so good—I don’t know how to decide.”
Owen tilted his head, an idea forming. “How about we try a new flavor each day? That way you can try almost all of them.”
She peeked at him over her menu, her eyes dancing. Maybe he’d been a little obvious about wanting to see her again, but suddenly he didn’t care. “That’s a genius idea,” she said.
He relaxed into a smile, priding himself on finding a way to spend more time with her. “It’s a plan, then.” They studied the flavors for another minute before he chose rocky road and Hope picked gingerbread. When the waitress left, they settled in and waited for their orders.
“Your mom told me you’re from Corpus Christi,” Hope said before taking a sip of ice water. “How do you like it there?”
“I love it,” Owen answered without hesitation. He was a Texas boy at heart. It was in his blood. “We have a cattle ranch on the outskirts of the city, which keeps us pretty busy.”
She leaned forward. “Wait—you’re a Marine and a cowboy?”
“Guilty.” He lifted his hand, fighting a smile at the shock on her face.
She sat back in her seat, her lips slightly parted. He fixated on those lips, wondering what it would be like to taste them before shaking away the thought. They were only here for a week, and Hope wasn’t the type of girl to have a quick fling with. She was too special for that. But the thought of kissing her got his heart galloping.
“Where are your boots? And your hat?” she asked, breaking him from his train of thought.
“My what?”
“Your cowboy boots and hat. I thought cowboys always wore them.”
He chuckled. “I left them at the ranch. I don’t like standing out that much.”
She pursed her lips. “Too bad. I want to see them on you. I’ve never met an actual cowboy before.”
His smile turned cajoling. “Then you’ll just have to come to Texas to visit me.”
She met his eyes. “Maybe I just will.” Something electric passed between them before she looked away and swirled the straw in her glass. “After all, it’s only natural for a girlfriend to want to see where her boyfriend lives.” She tossed him a coy wink and took another sip of water.
Owen’s pulse quickened. He knew she was only teasing, but his heart wasn’t getting the memo.
Chapter 7
“Thanks for walking me to my room,” Hope said, turning to Owen as they reached her door.
“Thanks for letting me. I don’t mean to sound overprotective, but I’ll feel better when you notify hotel security about that Kurt guy.” He folded his arms, tucking his hands behind his biceps.
Hope blinked to avoid staring. “I plan to talk to Nolan about it first thing tomorrow,” she said, feeling slightly awkward now that they’d reached her door. She didn’t want to stay too long and make him think she wanted him to kiss her, but she also didn’t want to be rude and rush through the door.
“What time is your first class tomorrow?” he asked.
“Seven. Do you think you’re up for some early morning stretching?”
He raised a shoulder. “Might be. My mom is sort of running the schedule this week, so I’m at her mercy.”
“Well, I hope to see you both there, then,” she said, before she could overthink the statement. Her heart thudded against her rib cage as he met her eyes and gave a slow smile.
“In that case, I’ll plan on it.”
“Good.” They stared at each other for a few more seconds, the air growing warm between them before she looked away. “I’d better turn in now. I don’t want to be tired for the morning class.”
He tipped his head and gave her one last spine-tingling smile, his blue eyes fixed on hers. “Night, Hope.”
“Good night.” She turned and scanned her key card across the reader, waiting for the green light before she quietly opened the door. It was past eleven and she didn’t want to disturb Emily if she was asleep, but she heard her talking on the phone as soon as she walked in.
“Max, I gotta go. Hope just came in.” A pause. “I love you too. Wish you were here. Bye.”
Hope walked past the bathroom and saw Emily propped up on several pillows on her bed. She tossed her phone to the side. “I got your text.” She pointed a finger at Hope. “And judging by that smile, either the hot chocolate was amazing or Mr. Texas was great company. Which was it?”
“Both.” Hope grinned and plopped down onto her own bed with a blissful sigh.
Emily gave a little squeal and came over to join her. “Tell me all about it. He was in your yoga class? I’m kicking myself for not coming!”
“Yes, he came. I told you about his mom and how he’s a veteran, right?”
Emily nodded. “Yes, I know everything up to the point of class, so start from there. Did he like it? Was he eyeing you the whole time?”
“No, not at all. I mean, our eyes met once or twice during class, but he wasn’t ogling.” She made a face. “Not like Kurt was.”
“Kurt? Who’s that?”
Hope shifted. “Remember a few months ago when I got a creepy email from that guy who wanted to come to California to meet me?”
Emily’s face paled. “No.” She sucked in a breath. “Don’t tell me he’s here?”
“I don’t know for sure, since the email address didn’t say his name, but this guy gives me the same yucky feeling.” Hope bit the inside of her cheek. She got lots of emails from fans, most of which she loved, but sometimes she’d get the occasional pervert or stalker. Those emails were always flagged and deleted. It was the unfortunate risk one took when publicly posting exercise videos, though she tried her best to wear non-revealing yoga clothes and she never posted personal information. Her viewers knew she lived in California, but that was it.
“What happened?” Emily asked, her face lined with worry.
Hope took a breath, wincing at the memory. “He approached me at the beginning of class, and his comments were getting borderline scary. That’s when Owen stepped in and pretended to be my bodyguard boyfriend.”
“What?!” Emily’s mouth dropped open and she clasped her hands together. “I like him already.”
Hope nodded. “He was so cute about it. And after class, when Kurt approached me again and started talking about my outfits—”
“Ew!”
She wrinkled her nose. “I know. So gross.” She shuddered, remembering the way Kurt’s hooded eyes had glinted as he’d watched her. She shook her head to dispel the image. “Owen stepped in and basically told him to buzz off.”
“I’m glad he was there,” Emily said. “We need to talk to Nolan about hotel security, and I’m not leaving you alone the rest of the time we’re here.”
Hope touched her hand. “Thanks, Em.” What her sister didn’t know was that she had a surprise coming tomorrow that would make it hard for her to keep that promise. “Hopefully Kurt got the message from Owen and will leave me alone from now on, but I will talk to Nolan about it.” She gave her sister’s hand a squeeze and then looked around the room. “How was your evening? Are you hungry?”
Emily shook her head. “I ordered room service a couple of hours ago and have been relaxing. Thanks for letting me rest.”
“Of course. You’re growing another little human being, and that’s all you need to focus on right now.” She smiled, then added, “Other than helping me film a few episodes, that is.”
Emily nodded. “Do you know when the exercise room is free tomorrow?”
“Yes, I glanced at Nolan’s email earlier and it looks like five o’clock tomorrow evening is available. What do you think?”
“Perfect. I posted some pictures on your website of the lodge, and you’ve been receiving all kinds of comments. These Christmas episodes are really going to boost ratings
.”
“It’s a win-win.” They smiled at each other, and Hope stifled a yawn. “I’d better get some shut-eye so I’ll be ready for the morning class. If you don’t feel up to going, don’t stress about it.” Emily had had some pretty awful bouts of morning sickness, and Hope didn’t want her to push it. “Owen is planning on coming, so you don’t have to worry about creepy Kurt.” She trailed her finger along the bedspread, not meeting her sister’s eyes.
“Oh, really?” Emily said, drawing out the word. “Well, in that case, I’m definitely going to try to be there.”
Hope laughed and playfully swatted her leg. “I’m here on business, Em. I can’t get involved in a relationship with a guy who lives halfway across the country.”
“You can’t?” Emily leaned her chin on her fist, her eyes twinkling.
“What I mean is, I shouldn’t.” Hope bit her lip, her heart skipping as she thought about the delicious look Owen gave her before they’d said good night, and the way his accent melted her like warm honey. “Just ... remind of that, okay? Aside from the whole professional side of things,” she paused, bracing her heart against the sting she knew would come by bringing this up, “I don’t want to make the mistake of running headfirst into a relationship. My heart isn’t ready.”
Emily’s face softened. “Hope, it’s been over a year now. You can’t lock your heart away forever.”
Hope lifted a shoulder, unwilling to look her sister in the eye.
“He’s not Nathan,” Emily said quietly.
She stiffened at the name, throwing Emily an accusatory look. “I know that,” she said, lifting her chin.
Nathan was Hope’s ex-boyfriend and she had been head-over-heels in love with him. He was a physician’s assistant at a busy medical clinic in Oceanside. She’d met him during an office visit when she’d come down with the flu, and even with her stuffy nose and watery eyes he’d asked her out. They’d dated for several months and things had gotten serious. He’d hinted at a proposal and she’d pictured spending the rest of her life with him—until she caught him making out with one of the nurses in his car. Even now, over a year later, it made her sick to think about it.
She pressed her eyes shut, trying to force her heart back into the safe little box she kept it in. “I don’t know, Em. What if he is like Nathan? I can’t go through something like that again.” Emily touched her hand and she opened her eyes.
“The truth is,” Emily said, “there are no guarantees. Love is almost always a risk on some level—but if you’re too scared to take that risk, you might lose out on the sweetest joys this life has to offer.” She leaned back, holding Hope’s gaze. “You know I never liked Nathan. Something about him always rubbed me the wrong way.” She pursed her lips and then shrugged. “I don’t get that vibe from Owen.” She tipped her head to the side. “I’m not sure if that means anything, but I don’t think you should avoid spending time with him out of fear.”
Hope chewed her bottom lip, considering the information. Her attraction to Owen did scare her. She hadn’t felt this level of chemistry with anyone before—not even Nathan. And the higher her level of attraction, the greater the potential for a crushing heartache if it didn’t work out. But Emily was right. She couldn’t just lock her heart away forever. And if she were being honest with herself, she didn’t want to. The way Owen made her heart pound—it was like getting a big dose of oxygen after months of gasping for air.
She looked at Emily and sighed. “You’ve got a point. I won’t avoid him.” She pressed her lips together, her stomach already doing flips at the thought of spending more time with Owen. “Just ... don’t let me lose sight of the reason we came here this week, okay?”
Emily squeezed her hand. “I’m not making any promises.” She gave Hope an impish smile as she slid off the bed and made her way to the bathroom, mumbling something about Christmas miracles as she went.
Chapter 8
Owen woke with a start, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. He’d been having the dream—the same dream that had haunted him ever since the attack. Eli’s face, bloody and lifeless in his lap. Owen fisted his hands and pressed them into his eyes, wishing he could block out the image that would be burned into his memory forever. His breathing was fast and uneven. He needed to move.
He climbed out of bed, noting his mom’s snores coming from the other bed. It always amused him that a woman so pretty and fussy about her appearance could snore like that. But Owen didn’t mind. If anything, he was grateful she slept like a freight train because his tossing and turning didn’t wake her. He glanced at the clock to see that it was almost five in the morning. He crept to his suitcase and grabbed his swim trunks. What he needed was a good swim.
* * *
The indoor swimming pool was empty, as he’d expected. His time in the military had made him an early riser, and Owen found he enjoyed the stillness and solitude of the early hours. The pool room was completely encased in glass windows. It was still dark out, but he had a feeling once the sun came up the scenery would be a sight to behold.
He dove into the deep end and immediately began swimming laps, eager to get his lungs burning to distract himself from thoughts of that day in Afghanistan. He was so caught up in his strokes that he startled and inhaled water when someone touched his leg. He jerked his head above the surface, gasping and sputtering.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” Hope’s face pinched in concern as she treaded water next to him. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in.”
He coughed, shaking his head and feeling like an idiot as his heart continued to race. “No.” He choked a few more times and then pounded his chest. “I’m good. You just ... surprised me.” He finally caught his breath and managed a smile. “What are you doing up so early?”
Apology lingered in her brown eyes as she shrugged. “I’m usually up before dawn. It’s my favorite part of the day.”
He took another breath, finally getting his lungs to return to normal. “I guess that’s why you call your show Mindful Mornings.”
“Yeah.” A pretty pink dusted her cheeks. “I really am sorry I disturbed your workout.” She tilted her head. “I’ve never seen anyone swim like that before. It was like you were being chased by something.”
I am. He forced the thought away, happy to have Hope’s company again. “It’s good exercise. We have a pool back home and I like to swim laps after a long day in the saddle.”
Her eyes brightened. “Do you have your own horse?”
“Yep. His name’s Bandit, and he’s a great roping horse.”
“That’s amazing. I love horses.”
He realized she was still treading water, so he glided over to hold onto the edge of the pool. Hope followed him. “Have you ridden much?” he asked.
She shook her head, causing tiny water droplets to fall from her hair, which was wet and clung to her shoulder. He forced his eyes to stay on her face and not stray to her attractive figure accentuated by the one-piece swimsuit she wore. “I’ve only ridden a few times in my life, but I loved it. Do you ever compete in rodeos?”
“Me and my older brother used to when we were younger, before I enlisted. We did team roping.” He dipped his chin, smiling at the memory. He and Cody made a good team back in the day, even taking first a few times.
“Wow, you never cease to amaze,” she said with a smile. “I’ve only been to one rodeo, but I really liked the team roping part. Do you think you’ll enter again?” Her eyes were warm with curiosity as they searched his.
Owen looked away, too enticed by those eyes. He lifted a shoulder. “Maybe.” Cody had talked about practicing again now that Owen’s leg had healed, but since coming home from Afghanistan, he’d lost interest in the things he used to enjoy. Ever since his platoon had been attacked and Eli had died, it was as if the world was drained of color, and now he was living his new life in black and white. That is, until he met Hope. When he was around her, his colorless world seemed a little brighter
, like strokes of watercolor on a damp page.
“Well, if you do compete again, I’d love to come cheer you on,” she said, pulling him back to the present.
His heart tripped. It would be worth entering the circuit again just as an excuse to have her come visit him. “I’d like that,” he said, realizing how much he meant it. This was crazy. He’d only met her yesterday and already he was thinking up ways to see her after the week was over.
She looked out over the pool. “Want to swim a few more laps? I have to get out soon to prepare for my seven-o’clock class, but I’d love the exercise.”
“Sounds good.” She was so close to him, he had to fight the urge to take her by the waist and pull her against him. A good swim was what he needed to clear his head. He pushed off from the wall and started into a backstroke.
They swam laps for the next fifteen minutes, staying out of each other’s lanes and taking occasional time to rest. For the past several months, Owen had sought solitude, distancing himself from others as he struggled to come to terms with his PTSD. But he found he liked having Hope’s company. Just knowing she was there in the pool with him was somehow comforting.
They finished their laps, and Owen got out first to get Hope a towel. He handed it to her as she stepped out of the pool. “Here you go.”
She blinked hard at his bare chest before accepting the towel from him. “Thanks.”
He nodded and looked away to get his own towel and to avoid staring at her in her swimsuit. His mom had raised him to be a gentleman, but it wasn’t always easy. He was attracted to Hope—painfully attracted. And unless he was getting his signals crossed, she was attracted to him. He had a feeling if they were to pursue the undercurrent of attraction running between them, it would be out-of-this-world amazing. But something that good couldn’t be rushed. He wanted to get to know her before throwing any physical aspect into it.
Christmas In Pine Ridge (Pine Ridge Romance Book 4) Page 4