by Jen Talty
He cocked his head. “You think it will only happen once, don’t you?”
“I’m never leaving Whiskey Ranch, and I don’t think you’re coming back after the trial.” She palmed his cheek. “Why don’t we have dinner tonight, alone, and see what happens. Or doesn’t happen.”
He arched a brow. “A date?”
“Exactly.”
“All right, but I want to pick the place. As a matter of fact, I want to plan the night.”
“Fine by me because I have work to do.”
“I guess I’ve got myself a date tonight.” He tossed the keys up in the air and caught them before he pulled open the door. “Do you own a dress?”
She poked his biceps. “You take me somewhere I have to get all dolled up, the date will end before it starts. If I can’t wear jeans, I ain’t going.”
“Are you planning on wearing jeans to your brother’s wedding?”
She rolled her eyes. “Kitty has me wearing some seafoam-green gown. And she won’t let me wear my boots. Not fair. JW gets to wear his.”
“Well, when you get married, you can do it in jeans and boots if you want.”
She laughed. “No. I’ll do the white dress, but I will be wearing my boots.”
“Georgia Moon, you are unique.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Chapter 3
“Thanks for all your help.” Luke held a sleeping Tony in his arms while his sister put the finishing touches on the small table in the gazebo on the far north corner of his old property. He could see the house, and a group of riders were hanging out in the pool and hot tub. If Georgia Moon looked out the window, she’d see him but might not know what he was up to. He hoped she liked a nice intimate dinner for two under the stars because he had no intention of sharing her tonight.
With anyone.
“You’re welcome,” Annette said. “But I think you’re crazy.”
“Why is that?”
Annette took Tony in her arms, kissing his chubby cheek. The toddler’s face scrunched, but he quickly fell back into a deep sleep. “Because you don’t plan on staying here, and it’s just cruel to lead her on like this. Not to mention, you’re lying to her about who you are.”
“We both know how people will treat us if the truth came out.” He shook his head. “And she and I talked about the fact I’m not staying. It’s just dinner between old friends.”
Annette pointed to the table. “That is a romantic place setting.”
“It’s dinner,” he repeated. “Not a seduction.”
“Oh, please,” she said. “When was the last time you wined and dined a woman? Because I’ve never seen it.”
He almost opened his mouth and said Bella, but that would get him slapped. “I’m a grown man and don’t need a lecture from my little sister.”
“Like hell you don’t,” she mumbled. “And this entire thing is worse considering our father’s last victim was her best friend, and she was right there when he abducted her. Hell, you saw Georgia Moon that day. It could have been—”
“That’s enough,” Luke said behind a clenched jaw. “I know what happened that day. I still have nightmares. When I first came here, I did my best to keep Georgia Moon out of my life.”
“No. You really didn’t. If anything, I think you came here to be closer to anyone who knew Joanie. I told you back then it was a mistake.”
“Why did you help me if you think this is such a bad idea?”
“Truth?”
He nodded.
“Because you love her and after meeting her, I know she’s the girl for you. I want you to be happy, but you can’t be with her if you’re going to continue to lie to her about who you really are. Dad can’t hurt us anymore. We can breathe easy; maybe it’s time.”
“We know Dad has hired people to find us and kill us in the past. That’s why I’m hesitant about going to his execution. I might not be famous in my life as Luke Hannah, but people know me, and the press will put it all together.” He leaned in and kissed Tony’s forehead, taking a long moment to smell that sweet baby scent.
The scent of innocence.
“I don’t want your son to grow up in that shadow.”
“I don’t either. But I’ve had some time to think about everything since Mark died. I don’t think people will blame you because Dad made you lure little girls into his lair, but you were ten years old, and Dad would take a knife to my throat and tell you he’d do the same thing he did to all those other girls. You did what you had to in order to survive, and then you did the bravest thing ever.”
Luke reached out and wiped the tears falling from his sister’s eyes.
“You got us away from him. You, and you alone, saved us. Not to mention, you helped the police catch Dad. No one is going to blame either one of us for Dad’s actions.”
“It’s not that simple, and you know it. I can’t ever tell Georgia Moon who I am. She’d never forgive me, and even if this leads nowhere, having her as a friend means the world to me.”
“You’re making a huge mistake by not telling her.”
“It’s my mistake to make.”
“Just remember it will be her heart that gets stomped on.”
Fuck. His sister was spot-on, and he shouldn’t be having dinner or entertaining any thoughts about Georgia Moon.
Or any woman for that matter.
He might not be a killer, but he’d known the difference between right and wrong the first time he’d helped his father. For years, Annette thought his need to barely escape death, or beat his body up, was his way of punishing himself.
And she’d been right then too. Hell, for a split second, he let his grip go on the day he nearly got trampled by an out-of-control bull that he’d personally spurred on.
“I’ll cancel the date. We might as well pack this stuff—”
“Too late.” Annette nodded toward the house. “She must have seen us.” She squeezed his arm. “If you’re not going to be honest, then don’t sleep with her.”
“So, what you’re saying is I should tell every woman I want to bed that I’m—”
“You can screw whoever you want as Luke Hannah, except the woman you love. She deserves the truth and not just because her best friend was Joanie.” Annette leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I love you, big brother.”
“Right back at you,” he said.
He leaned against the railing and watched his sister walk toward Georgia Moon. The two ladies stopped and exchanged pleasantries.
Annette glanced over her shoulder once and waved.
He wished he knew what they had talked about.
Tilting his head, he noticed Georgia Moon had put on a skirt. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
A little skin peeked out between her cowboy boots and the skirt, which landed right at the knee.
“This is about the closet thing I have to a dress,” she said, taking his hand as she took the three steps up into the gazebo. “Holy shit. I didn’t see you bring all this stuff down here.”
He handed her a glass of red wine. “It’s not much. I mean we’re going to be eating cold fried chicken and potato salad.”
“My favorites,” she said, raising her glass and clanking it against his. “I hope you remembered how much I love—”
“Honey mustard dressing. I’ve got a whole bottle.”
“Awesome. This is really nice. I love a good picnic, and to be honest, I was dreading going out to a restaurant.”
“You have always been a homebody, that’s for sure.” He set his glass down and stuffed his shaky hands into his pockets. He’d always been awkward around women. He hadn’t had his first kiss until he was seventeen, and he was terrified that he’d end up having these bizarre urges and hurt a girl.
But, of course, that never happened.
Even so, the fear of turning into a monster stuck with him until he’d been about twenty-one. However, it still scratched at the back of mind, which tripped up his confidence.
“You asked that
I be honest with you.” That was something he could never do completely.
“Why do I get the feeling there is going to be a blow off here?” She sat at the table and crossed her legs, kicking her foot back and forth. Georgia Moon always wore her emotions on her sleeve. One of the many things he admired about her.
But it also drove him nuts in part because she had no filter, and she never held back in her opinions either.
“I won’t lie about how much I’ve thought about you this last year. Hell, for the last few years. I’ve been attracted to you for a while, but when the shit went down with my sister, I knew I could never pursue you.”
“Get to the point,” she said with her arms folded across her chest and her lips drawn in a tight line.
“I have no intention of staying in Buhl, Idaho. Being back here brings too many things to the surface.”
“Being in Florida does that to your sister.”
“I know, which is why we won’t be going back there either. We both need a fresh start, and it can’t be at Whiskey Ranch.”
She waggled her finger and smiled in a come-hither kind of sexy look.
“What?” He held his ground.
But she did not. She pressed her body against his chest and tipped her head back. “We’ve been over this. But I left out one little thing.”
“Yeah. What’s that?” He almost wished he hadn’t asked.
“I don’t want to be in a relationship. I like my independence. It’s one of the reasons I moved into your old place, so that I can still be close to my brothers, but not so close I have to be with them all the time. I like living alone.”
“You are living with a half a dozen strangers right now.”
She laughed. “And not a single one of them is a family member.”
“Good point,” Luke said. “I love hanging with my nephew, but it gets old living with him and my sister. I’ve been on my own since she turned eighteen.” He managed to move his hands up her hips and under her loose-fitting shirt. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I already have.”
“You won’t.”
He dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. She would never forgive him if she ever found out.
So, he had to make sure his secret died with his father.
“A penny for your thoughts,” The timbre of her voice spread over his skin like warm, melting butter.
He blinked his eyes open. “I’m thinking about how you could make me change my mind about everything.”
She cupped his cheeks. “I don’t want you to change your plans for me. Like I said, I’m enjoying my independence.”
Pressing his hands firmly against her back, he drew her closer and kissed her plump lips. His mind kept telling him this was more than a bad idea, but his heart ached to love someone.
To love her.
“I’m starving,” he said, patting her bottom. “Let’s eat, and then, well, we’ll see what happens next.”
“I’ve got a better idea.”
“As long as it involves fried chicken and kissing you, I’m in, whatever it is.”
The sun settled behind the mountain in the distance. The stars dotted the sky, and the crickets came out to play their evening song. Georgia Moon gave Luke the grand tour of what used to be his home. Part of her felt a pang of guilt over all the changes, but Luke’s genuine smile showed her he approved.
She led him through the back hallway to the private staircase that led to the master bedroom. Because there would be so many riders coming and going, she felt if she were to make this her own space, she needed a private entrance. It cost a hell of a lot more to do it this way, but in the long run, she knew it would be worth it.
“You did a great job,” Luke said. “I like the changes.”
“I didn’t do anything to this part of the house,” Georgia Moon said as she pushed open the master suite door. “I had plans designed to make this into three more bedrooms, and I might do that, depending on demand, but for now, I like it here. It makes it easier to manage the school, and I get to see the riders’ reactions to our program in the evenings and over breakfast.”
“That makes perfect sense.” Luke stepped past her and stood in the middle of the room. He set down the picnic basket and did a three-sixty. “It’s just like I left it.”
“You have good taste.”
He laughed. “You helped me pick out most of it.”
“True.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Bring it on.” She leaned against the wall and watched him spread out the blanket and prepare their feast. Butterflies continued to float around her belly. This could potentially be the biggest mistake she ever made because she knew deep down that she loved Luke, and it would break her heart to watch him leave.
But she’d do it, and she’d manage to get over him.
She had to.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a picnic inside before,” she said, admiring the fluid movement of his muscles.
“I used to love sitting under the skylight when I lived here.” He pointed at the blanket. “Sit.”
“This looks fabulous.” Her stomach growled. She wasted no time and lifted a large piece of chicken to her lips. “Oh, my God. This is good.”
“My sister is a great cook. It’s amazing I’m not three hundred pounds. And even worse, she makes the best cookies you’ve ever had.” He tipped the basket over, showing off a tin of treats.
“I’ll have to get her recipe for this chicken. I’ve never had anything like it.”
“She gets them all online, and she constantly changes things up, but she’s never made me a bad meal.”
“Is your mom a good cook?”
“She’s okay.”
Georgia Moon waited for him to elaborate but got nothing. Typical. Luke had always been a reserved man. Maybe even a little shy, something she could relate to. “Have you considered moving back near your parents?”
He shook his head. “I’m not a fan of California in general.”
“Why don’t you ever talk about them?” More than once she’d spent a few hours asking probing questions about his childhood only to be frustrated by his one and two-word answers or his change of subject. It had been the only time she ever tiptoed around a subject. Well, not this time.
“Because I never know what to say. My biological mother died, and Annette and I lived in foster care for a few years until the Hannahs adopted us.”
She dropped her fork full of potato salad on her lap. “You never told me you lived in foster care much less were adopted.” Anger flared in her heart. She’d trusted him over the years with so many of her emotions regarding her parents’ deaths and yet, he never once mentioned this? It hurt her heart. “Why wouldn’t you tell me after all that I’ve shared with you?”
“It’s just something I’ve never talked about.” He reached out and cleaned up the food on her skirt. “My mother died when Annette was a baby. I don’t remember her.”
“And your real dad?”
Luke shrugged. “I think he just couldn’t handle two kids.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, subduing her frustrations. He needed a friend, not judgments. She reminded herself that she didn’t talk about her parents often and never with people she barely knew.
Only she and Luke knew each other better than most.
“How old were you when you were adopted?” she asked, needing to know more about the man who stole her heart.
“Twelve.”
“How long were you in foster care?” she asked.
“Too long, but I had my sister.”
“You were lucky you didn’t have to live in foster care your entire childhood.”
He nodded. “It was just hard because we never really bonded with our parents. They are wonderful people. I’m grateful to them for taking us in, but a deep connection never happened. Our social worker thought it was because Annette and I have always been so close, and we both struggled with trusting
adults.”
“You still don’t trust easily.”
“I trust you and your family. Always have. But I screwed that up good.”
Even though it wasn’t funny, she laughed. “You sure did. That said, I think we all understand why you did it, and if we’re being honest, any one of us might have made the same bad choice in the name of family.”
“It means a lot to me that you feel that way.” He raised his glass and brought it to his full, kissable lips.
Her body shivered, remembering his touch. “Why is it that she ended up in Florida and you in Idaho?” In the last hour, she’d learned more about Luke than she’d known about him since they met, and she wasn’t about to stop finding out more.
“My adoptive mom has a sister there, and Annette moved in with her after high school so she could have a free college education. Annette met her douchebag husband, and they bought a farm together.” He topped off their wine glasses. “What else do you want to know?”
“When we first met, you told me you came to Buhl because of JW. Is that true?”
Luke glanced to the ceiling as if he were searching for the correct answer. “That was part of it. He was the best in the business, and I wanted to be him, but I also wanted to be in the middle of nowhere where I didn’t have to be near people all the time. The second I landed here, I knew I never wanted to leave.”
“And yet, you don’t want to come back.”
He lowered his chin and arched a brow. “I don’t want to be constantly reminded of all the ways I fucked up my life.”
“You didn’t—”
He reached out and pressed his finger over her lips. “About six months before Robert and Bella came to me with their insane plan, I found out my sister was in trouble. I flew there three times.”
“I remember,” Georgia Moon said. “You were distracted during that entire year.”
“I was a mess, and all I wanted was for my sister and little Tony to be safe, but right before all that, I started noticing this beautiful woman that had been right in front of me for years. Every time you’d come near me, I’d get sweaty palms, and my heart would race. I wanted to ask you out so many times, but something always got in the way, like that asshole you dated.”