by Jill Sanders
“I’ll need my jacket back,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Oh.” She swallowed and shook her head, clearing her mind as she removed the jacket and handed it to him.
It was then that she realized she was standing in front of him still dressed in only her bra and panties. She held her discarded dress up against her chest.
Deciding it wouldn’t be wise to step into the cottage in her bra and panties, she shook her dress out and then pulled it on over her head.
When she finished dressing, she met his eyes and realized he’d watched her with as much interest as she’d watched him.
“Well, thanks again for saving me,” she said, feeling shy suddenly.
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Again? I don’t think you thanked me before.” He moved slightly closer to her, and she caught her breath as his eyes once more moved down to her mouth.
“I didn’t?” She almost whispered it.
“No.” He was just a breath away now, and she quickly licked her lips, wondering what he would taste like.
Just when he moved closer, the front cottage door swung open, and Robin stood there in the bright lights, looking at them.
Kara jumped away from Conner quickly, thankful that she’d managed to put her dress back on in time.
“There you are,” Robin said with a sigh of relief. Then her sister noticed Conner and stilled. “Oh.” She smiled, and Kara knew instantly what Robin was thinking.
“Thanks again for walking me home,” she said quickly, knowing full well she’d have a million questions to answer once she and Robin were alone.
“Any time.” His eyes moved past hers to her sister. “Remember, it’s never a good idea to swim after dark or alone.” He nodded to Robin before turning around and stepping off the porch into the darkness.
“What was that all about?” Robin asked after she shut the front door.
“Nothing,” she almost groaned. She tossed her heels down on the sofa and sat down next to them.
“You went swimming?” Robin asked, sitting across from her. Already, her sister had changed into a pair of sweats and a large college T-shirt.
“I needed to cool down and do some thinking,” she admitted. Now that she was safe inside her home, she realized just how much danger she had been in. If Conner hadn’t come along… She shivered and jumped up. “I’m going to take a hot shower,” she said quickly before her sister could ask any more questions.
A few minutes later, standing under the hot spray, the tears started along with uncontrollable shaking. Hugging herself, she sat under the spray and thought that she might never go in the ocean again.
When she finally slipped under her blankets, wearing the warmest sweats and sweatshirt she had, her mind switched gears to Conner. How he’d looked at her. How he’d treated her. It went far beyond any attraction she’d felt before. Stronger and more powerful.
What was she to do with that? Was it something she could afford to act on?
The Jordans were some of the nicest people she’d met in town. But Conner, his other unmarried cousins, and his younger brother had a reputation.
She didn’t have any issues giving them their perfect weddings but trying to date him… that was a completely different thing.
She couldn’t afford to piss off the biggest and strongest family in the small town. What if she dated him and things didn’t turn out? Could she and Robin afford to lose the largest family in town as clients?
Drifting off to sleep, she realized she was better off keeping away from any available Jordan. Especially Conner.
Chapter Four
Seeing pictures of his niece on his mother’s phone, he tried to imagine what his own children would look like one day.
He had a standing date with his mother and his aunts, along with several of his cousins. They would all crowd into the local bakery, Sara’s Nook, the first Saturday morning of each month and catch up. It wasn’t as if they didn’t see one another all the time, but at least once a month they made sure they were all together instead of just running around and bumping into one another somewhere in town.
“Can you believe she’s already walking?” his mother said, looking down at the picture of Georgia Jordan.
His mother handed the phone back to Georgia’s mother, Blake Jordan, who had married his cousin Matthew almost two years previous. Even though Georgia was currently sitting in a highchair next to her mother, everyone around the table still gushed over the short video of the girl taking her first steps.
Not that he didn’t think little Georgia was absolutely perfect, but he didn’t get the big deal. Kids crawled, then walked. Soon, he bet Blake and his cousin Matthew would be racing after the little girl who would, no doubt, be getting into everything.
He loved his family, really, he did, but lately, the monthly breakfast meetings had turned into more of a show-and-tell than a catch-up session.
And the fact was, he didn’t have anything to be proud of. No photos on his phone to pass around. No great achievements. No new experiences to brag about.
“I saved Kara Jenkins the other night after the wedding,” he blurted out before he had time to think about the storm of questions his words would cause.
“You did?” His mother’s face changed, and her eyes grew narrow as she scanned his face. Instantly, he realized he’d stepped in it.
He guessed that his mother, all of his aunts, and even his cousins were now plotting out his future.
“Can you believe she went swimming after the wedding?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, who goes swimming after dark?” He shook his head and tried to play it off as just another rescue. He could tell by the look his mother was giving him that she wasn’t buying it.
“Well.” He stood up suddenly. “I’m…” He scanned his mind for any reason to leave and came up blank. He had the rest of the week off and had no commitments with anyone. “I’m going to head out,” he finished.
“I’ll walk you out.” His mother stood suddenly as well.
“No need…” he started to say, but she narrowed her eyes, and he cleared his throat again.
“I hope you’re not coming down with a cold,” Riley said sweetly before turning to Lilly and whispering something to her, causing them both to giggle. That is how it had always been. The two cousins were closer than most siblings.
“I’m fine,” he replied to her. “Later,” he said to everyone else. He waited for his mother to gather her purse and follow him outside.
“I don’t like it that you’ve been swimming at night.” His mother turned on him once they were outside. Her words caught him off guard. He’d been sure that she was going to try and set him up with Kara somehow.
He shook his head. “I don’t, very often,” he lied.
“Allen has been talking to your father. He says you’re training at night.” She sighed. “It has your father worried. You know how he lost his father and his hearing.”
“Yeah.” He shifted and leaned against his truck. “It was a boat accident, not an evening swim. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to have much longer this year to enjoy them. It was pretty cold the other night.”
His mother smiled slowly. “Kara’s single.”
He groaned and rolled his eyes and started to reach for the door handle.
“Indulge your mother for a moment.” She reached for his arm, stopping him.
He stilled and then turned back around to wrap his arms around her.
Allison Jordan was still a very beautiful woman, even though he could see a few more gray hairs on her head.
Conner was tall like his father and even though his mother wasn’t a short woman, he still towered over her. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he sighed.
“I know that lately you’re unhappy,” she said against his chest. “We just want to see you happy.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could smell fall and the soft subtle scent of his mother. Both of them were comforting to him.
&n
bsp; “I’m getting there,” he replied.
“You know,” she said suddenly as she looked up at him, “your brother might need some help today. They are supposed to break ground on the clubhouse. He could possibly use some encouragement.” She nudged him in the chest. “Besides, he’s been complaining about working with Rose again.” His mother groaned, but then smiled again. “Those two have never really gotten along. Ever since they were children, they’ve been at each other’s throats.”
Rose Derby was a family friend. Her parents were very close with all of his family. Ric and Rob, or Roberta, Derby had a summer home in Pride and had spent so much time in Pride that everyone in town thought of them as locals. Rose Derby had grown up right along all of the Jordan kids.
It was true—for some reason Rose and Jacob were always at each other’s throats.
Todd, Conner’s uncle, had recently hired Rose straight out of college to design the hundred-and fifty-acre subdivision he was building on the land that he’d purchased recently. Parker Clark, Todd’s son-in-law, was slated to take on all the construction since he was in the business of building homes. Jacob had been hired to oversee it all.
Rose and Jacob were having to work very closely together on the massive project, which would no doubt stretch over the next few years. Hidden Cove subdivision was going to be the first new subdivision in Pride in over three decades. It was due to help out with the current housing shortage in the area.
“Sure.” He shrugged. “I’ll head up there today.”
“Good.” His mother’s smile was back. “Now, I’ve got to go meet your father. We’re heading into the city today to meet Rose’s parents.”
He’d heard the story of how the Derbys had met his folks plenty of times. If it hadn’t been for Ric Derby, his mother’s art wouldn’t be in such high demand, or so both of his parents said all of the time.
“Have fun.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and then watched her walk over to her car and drive away.
Glancing around the small town he’d grown up in, he knew that the main reason he was home was to give himself time to decide his next steps. Living in the city had been okay, but at times he’d struggled to get outside his shell. And, to be honest with himself, it hadn’t felt like home.
This did. Seeing the same townspeople rushing around with their daily lives somehow made him feel part of something bigger than himself.
Jumping into his truck, he drove slowly through town, taking his time on his way up towards the new subdivision.
As he was passing his cousin Suzie’s flower shop, All in Bloom, he happened to glance over and catch a glimpse of something bright red. Taking a moment, he turned and smiled when he saw Kara stepping out of the shop, her arms full of flowers. Pulling over, he jumped out of the truck to help Kara with the armload.
“Need any help?” he asked, reaching for the flowers.
Surprise crossed her face, then she slowly smiled before nodding and replying, “Sure, thanks.”
“Where to?” he asked, looking around for her car.
She chuckled. “Down the street.” She motioned half a block up the street where the slight turn-off for Sunset Weddings was.
“You’re going to walk these all the way down there?”
“Are you trying to wiggle out of helping? Remember, you offered to lend a hand,” she pointed out with a chuckle.
“You don’t have a car?” he asked, clarifying.
“Don’t need one when the flower shop is less than a block away.” She started walking.
“A long block. How about we ride?” he said, motioning to his truck.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Sure, if you’re offering. I have a few more loads.” She nodded her head towards the shop.
“Sure. Feel free to load up.” He walked over and set the box of flowers in the back of his truck.
When they were done loading the back of his truck with flowers, there was a slight sheen of sweat on his brow.
“You were going to walk all of these to your place?” he asked, looking at the bed of flowers.
“Yes.” She smiled. “It’s great exercise.”
“Hit the gym instead,” he suggested as he rushed to open the passenger door for her. He enjoyed the sound of her soft laughter as she slid into the truck.
She was right, it was a very short drive to the wedding venue. It seemed the moment he pulled out onto the street, he was turning into the driveway and parking lot that had been cleared for the massive venue.
“What are you going to do when it starts snowing?” he asked her as he parked and shut off the truck.
She glanced over at him and shrugged. “Walk faster.”
“Don’t you have a car?”
“Sure, Robin and I have old yellow.” She motioned to where the old truck normally sat. The thing had more rust on it than the barn had last year before they’d remodeled. The other night there had been large hay bales and pumpkins scattered around the truck, as if it was set up for a photo shoot. He remembered that his cousin had taken pictures in front of the thing for her wedding, which in her words, completed the whole country wedding atmosphere.
“That thing that was sitting there the other night?” He motioned to the empty spot. “I thought it was a prop.”
She laughed. “No, she runs. When we need her.”
“You need a new truck or, better yet, a van to haul all of this stuff,” he said after she climbed out and started unloading the flowers.
“Why? We’re less than a block away from an amazing flower shop that your cousin runs,” she reminded him.
“And I know for a fact that she delivers.” He helped her unload the flowers and walk them inside the barn.
“There’s no need to bother her workers when they have other deliveries.” Kara shrugged. “Besides, I like the walk.” She set the flowers down on one of the large circular tables.
He’d been in the barn several times for events since they’d opened up last year. This, however, was the first time he’d been in it when it was empty.
The sheer size of the place was almost intimidating. As was the massive chandelier that hung overhead.
Most of the large round tables had been moved aside and all the chairs sat upside down on the tables.
Kara walked over and flipped on a switch, flooding the dim barn with light.
“I can unload the rest, if you have someplace that you’re supposed to be,” she offered, looking at him sideways.
“I’m free.” He hoisted another box of flowers out of the bed of his truck. He almost bumped into her since she was standing directly behind him.
“I’ve got these,” he suggested as he picked up another box. “Don’t you have to be setting these up?”
“Not yet. The event isn’t until tomorrow afternoon.” She took another armful and followed him back inside.
“Will these last?” he asked, running a finger over the white petals of a rose.
“Yes, we have a refrigerated room in the back they’ll be stored in until I set out everything tomorrow.”
He frowned. “Then why aren’t we taking them back there?”
“I didn’t want to put you out too much,” she admitted.
He hoisted the box up and motioned. “Lead the way.” As he followed her through the large space, past all the tables and chairs and the massive wood staircase that led to the second floor, he took in everything about the space. When he’d been there before, he’d been so focused on the people who had filled it.
He had no idea that behind the stairs there was a full-sized gourmet kitchen in the back. He hadn’t thought about where all the food he’d enjoyed had come from.
“This is nice.” He looked around the empty space.
“Yeah, Parker did a great job turning this into a kitchen.” She turned to glance over at him. “It used to be stalls for pigs.” She chuckled and turned back to the task of opening a large refrigerator door.
“It did?” He glanced around the space again and realized that
the outer walls were newer than everything else in the place.
He wondered just how much the sisters had spent on fixing the place up and if they’d had work done on the cottage they lived in as well. He’d helped Stephan Roger move out of the old place and remembered thinking that whoever moved in to the place would need to put work into it to make it livable.
As he helped her cart the flowers into the back, he asked.
“So, did Parker fix up the cottage too?” He was surprised when she frowned.
“No, Robin and I are trying to do that work ourselves.” She groaned.
“Why?” He remembered everything that he could about the cottage and its last state.
“We spent most of our funds fixing this place up.” She set the last box of flowers into the refrigerator. “We both agreed that the business should come first,” she added with a shrug.
“At least it’s comfortable, right?” he asked.
She shrugged again and walked out of the kitchen. “We spend most of our time here.”
He followed her out to the main area again and thought about spending his day following his brother around versus spending it helping Kara.
“I can help,” he said quickly.
She turned back towards him, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
“With?” she asked after a moment.
He shrugged and felt like a fool.
“Whatever you need,” he answered quickly. “My brother-in-law isn’t the only one good with his hands.”
Chapter Five
For just a split second, Kara’s mind went to a vastly different place than she knew Conner’s had been. Images of him hovering above her, pleasing her, flashed so quickly in her mind that she reached over and grabbed the edge of a table.
“You know, if you have painting or something like that that needs to be done in the cottage?” He shrugged and suddenly looked uncomfortable.
That instantly cleared those sexy thoughts from her mind. Though her body was still vibrating at the thought of him touching her and of her enjoying that sexy body that she’d seen the other night in the moonlight.