Oh God. I’m in Trusty. Is he trying to tell me that the kiss was just that, a kiss, but he’s not interested in anything more?
She pushed away the uncomfortable thoughts.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I think that you might be right about people around here not seeing any value in pampering their dogs, or maybe they just can’t afford it.”
“Ah, the harsh reality of Trusty, Colorado.”
As harsh as a kiss being just a kiss. “I guess. I really want to be here, Ross. I like Trusty, even if the people here don’t like me very much yet. Even if I can’t have the same business I did in LA, I can still help the animals. I’ve decided to offer free pet grooming on Saturday mornings. That way people can get to know me and see that I’m not in the business for the money. I mean, sure I’d like to make a living, but I can do that any number of ways. Aunt Cora’s pie business pulls in a decent amount of money, and I have a lot of money saved. I’m a bit of a penny pincher,” she admitted. She had faith that she’d figure out a way to gain back the few customers that she’d lost. She had to have faith. If she didn’t have faith in herself, how could anyone else?
“You’re going to pamper pets for free?”
“Sure. I can spare a few Saturday mornings. Besides, this will give me some time with dogs and cats, which I love. Being with your boys today reminded me of what I was missing.”
“You’re really something, Lis.”
“Not really. I want to be accepted by the community. I’ve always wanted to be here, and I’m not going to let the fact that I was raised somewhere else hold me back. Maybe I’m a dreamer—God knows I am—but that’s me.”
She looked directly into his eyes and forced her most serious tone. “Hi. I’m Elisabeth Nash and I’m a dreamer. I probably need a twelve-step program, because I believe in fate, and marriage, and all things warm and fuzzy.” She made it appear as a tease, but it wasn’t a tease at all; it was a testing of the waters. She’d never been more serious about her feelings, in her life.
Ross laughed and pulled her into another delicious kiss. A laugh wasn’t what she was hoping for, but the kiss quickly drove any lingering worry from her mind.
They talked, and kissed, and talked some more, and an hour later Ross walked her to her car with three fluffy boys in tow. She leaned against the driver’s side door as they talked about how beautiful the moon was, how different the night sounds were in Colorado than in California, and fifty other meaningless topics that made procrastination easy.
Ross ran his hands down her arms and stepped between her legs, bringing them hip to hip.
“I’m really glad you decided to come over,” he said with a seductive edge to his voice. He buried one hand beneath her hair and caressed the back of her neck with his thumb.
Wow. She liked that.
“Me too.”
“I said I don’t date girls from Trusty.”
“Yeah, I got that.” Thanks for reminding me, though. Well, at least the evening was wonderful, and she had the best kisses of her life with a man she really, really liked.
“That was before I met you.” He smiled. “Lis, will you go out with me Friday night? No pressure. You’d just be the first girl I’ve dated in Trusty for, oh, I don’t know, maybe ten years.”
She swallowed hard. That was a lot of pressure. “Ten years?”
“Yeah. I guess I should warn you. We’re already linked in the rumor mill. I got a call from my assistant, Kelsey, earlier this evening, and she said she heard we were dating from Margie, at the diner.”
“Really? But how?” That a rumor could spread so quickly seemed very Mayberry-esque.
“Leave it to Trusty to figure us out before we did. I’m sure Emily said something, or my brother Wes. He asked me about you, too.”
“Is that why you haven’t dated a woman here in so long?” Ten years!
“Yes. I learned years ago that the only way to have a private life is to do so outside of town. So, I’ll warn you. Make your decision carefully, because right now we’re a question mark in their minds. Once we go on a real date, we’re more of an exclamation point.”
She looked up at his handsome face, his compassionate eyes, and those lips she couldn’t wait to kiss again.
“I’m one of those girls who uses three exclamation points at the end of a sentence.”
Chapter Ten
BY THE TIME Friday afternoon rolled around, Elisabeth was a nervous wreck. In her mind, kissing Ross had inflated to something enormous. She’d kissed him. Would he think she was easy? Would he expect that she’d fall into his bed? Even if she wanted to—which surprised the hell out of her—she didn’t want him to expect it. She hadn’t seen him since Tuesday afternoon, but they’d exchanged texts, and he’d called last night to confirm their date. She’d held out for true love for so long. How could she know if this was it, or if this was something less? Even his voice made her mind travel down a dirty path—and she no longer even tried to dissuade those lustful thoughts. What on earth was happening to her? How could she hope he didn’t expect sex when she wanted to feel his body against her, to feel him inside her? Oh. My.
She’d kept busy all week, baking and delivering pies, taking care of the animals, and trying to secure new baking orders along with pimping out her pet-pampering services. She hung up flyers at every store, farm stand, and the dog park, as well as the post office and anywhere else she found a community bulletin board. Then she went at it by hand, introducing herself to people at the park and giving out flyers to anyone willing to take one.
She’d done her best, and she’d know in less than twenty-four hours if it had helped. On the way home, she stopped at Wynchels’ Farm. This time she brought doggy cookies to try to ease into more of a friendship with Wren via her pups, and to soften the marketing of the flyers she brought with her announcing Saturday’s free grooming services.
Wren had a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose. She lifted her eyes when Elisabeth walked in. “Howdy.”
“Hi, Wren. I brought you a few things.” She put a paper bag of puppy cookies on the counter and handed her a few flyers.
Wren pressed her lips into a hard line while she read it. “I told you that grooming them was a waste of time.” She set the flyers aside.
“Oh, yes, I know. But I’m new in town, and I have loads of free time.” A little white lie never hurt anyone. “If you bring your dogs by, I can groom them, and it’ll cost you nothing.”
Wren picked up a clipboard and flipped a paper over, then scanned the one beneath. “That’s where you’re wrong. It’ll cost me time I don’t have. It’s just me and my husband. A few farmhands. We don’t have the staff to take over while I sit and watch you brush my dogs.”
Crap. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Why don’t I come pick them up?” Things kept coming out of her mouth without checking with her brain. She went with it.
Wren raised her brows. “Pick them up?”
“Sure. I’ll pick them up, groom them, and then bring them back. It won’t cost you a penny or a minute.”
Wren leaned one thick arm against the counter, pulled her glasses down to the tip of her nose, and looked over them at Elisabeth.
“Let me get this straight. You’re going to pick up my dogs, brush them, bring them back, and there’s no hidden charges? What about your gas to come out here?” Wren eyed the paper bag on the counter. “What’s in that?”
“Cookies, for the dogs. All-natural ingredients, no sugar, no harmful ingredients.”
“Pet cookies?” She opened the bag and took out a cookie in the shape of a dog bone, iced with peanut butter. “It can’t hurt my dogs?”
“No, ma’am.”
Wren set it back down on the counter as Barney ambled into the barn.
Elisabeth crouched and loved him up as she answered Wren’s earlier question. “No hidden fees for the grooming or pickup. Think of it as a favor you’re doing for me. When I lived in LA, I had contact with dogs and cats
on a daily basis. I loved spending time with them, grooming them, bathing them, pampering them and—” She realized she was rambling and tightened her answer. “There are no hidden costs.”
“We get busy around eight. Can you come before that?”
Elisabeth smiled. “How’s seven thirty? I can take three at a time in my car. Is there a good time I can bring them back to pick up the others?”
“Noon.”
“Noon it is.” Yes! Baby steps. That’s what fitting in was all about, or at least that’s what she hoped.
“GIVE IT UP, Emily. I’m not giving you any information.” Ross had been on the phone with his sister for ten minutes. She’d been prying him for information about Elisabeth, but he’d never been one to kiss and tell, which annoyed Emily to no end. She adored her brothers, which was evident in everything she did—taking care of their houses when they were out of town, checking up on them, bringing chicken soup for them when they were sick. She was a caring, warm sister, and Ross adored her. But that didn’t change his feelings on sharing information on his personal life.
She sighed. “Fine, whatever. Where are you taking her tonight?”
“Em,” he said sternly, and reached down to pet Storm. He’d picked him up earlier in the evening and Trout had said that he was sleeping a little better but wasn’t back to his normal sleeping habits yet.
“I thought I could slip it in.” She laughed. “Well, I’m really happy for you. She seems really nice, even if the word around town is that she’s going to take what she can and bolt.”
That annoyed him to no end. Elisabeth was struggling over how to fit in in a town that had her pegged as a taker. Even he had teetered on doubting her at first, which he now felt horrible about. “Emily, she’s going to be working with you to renovate her kitchen. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Sure. She’s either settling in or flipping the property. We’re getting together next week, so I’m not sure which yet.”
He heard a door slam and Emily breathed harder.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for my suitcases. I thought I had them in the basement, but they may be in the attic. I’m leaving in a few weeks for Tuscany, and I just realized that I have no idea where my bags are.”
He pictured her standing in her living room, tapping her finger on her chin, the way she did when she was deep in thought.
“Well, if you can’t find them, you can always borrow mine. I never go anywhere.” Ross wasn’t big on traveling. He’d never had the urge to travel the world. He had the boys to think about, and the thought of leaving them so he could gallivant around the world wasn’t something he liked. They were his family as much as his siblings were. They relied on him to be there and to care for them, and he had no interest in letting them down. Besides, he was content in his surroundings. The only thing he felt was missing was a woman to share his life with, a woman to love. The thought brought his mind back to Elisabeth and their impending date.
“Thanks, Ross.”
“I’ve got to run, sis. Good luck with the luggage. Love you.”
“Good luck with the secret date, and I love you, too.”
Secret date. Ross had purposely planned a date that could not be misconstrued as secret. There was no worse feeling than being talked about behind your back, and he genuinely liked Elisabeth, from her selflessness to the adorable way she teetered between hot and sexy and sweet. The way Ross saw it, he had one of three choices for their first date. Take her to Allure, the next town over, and wait for word to get back to Trusty. We’d definitely be seen as trying to hide our relationship. The word relationship gave him pause. He hadn’t connected himself to that word in a very long time. He took a moment to let it settle into his mind and waited for an uncomfortable wave to knock him over.
It never came.
Huh.
He turned his thoughts back to the options for their date. He could cook her dinner at his house and have a nice, quiet evening together. I’d feel like I was hiding our relationship. Or he could do what he hadn’t done in ten years—the most appealing option because of how much he liked her—and take her out in Trusty, let people see he was with her and that they had nothing to hide. That was the only option in his mind.
Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved black dress shirt, with the gift he’d bought to give her later in the night, he drove over to Elisabeth’s. She answered the door wearing a simple black tank dress that clung to her breasts and hips and stopped midthigh. Her feet were bare and she had a slim, silver toe ring on her third toe, which, for some reason, totally turned him on.
“Hi. Wow, you look so handsome.” She flashed her lovely smile.
He placed a hand on her hip and kissed her cheek. “Mm. You smell amazing, like sandalwood and springtime.”
“You’re good.” She casually touched his chest. “It’s Michael Kors Sexy Amber. Silly name, but I love the smell. You smell pretty delicious yourself.”
“I call it Ode de Labrador.” He pulled her against him and kissed her softly on the lips. “Last night you got to steal the first kiss. It’s my turn.”
“Steal, baby, steal.”
He sealed his lips over hers, and every thought he’d had about her smile, her voice, and her luscious mouth coalesced, making their kiss that much sweeter. Kissing Elisabeth, holding her against him, was a million times better than his fantasies. She slid her hands into his back pockets and rocked her hips against his. Holy fuck, she felt good. If they didn’t leave soon, they weren’t going to leave at all. He reluctantly drew away, pressing a few soft kisses to her lips on the way.
“Ross.” A heated whisper. Her eyes were full of desire, telling him she was willing, and God knew she was able.
He cupped the back of her head and brought her cheek to his chest. “I know, Lis. I know.” Damn, did he know. He’d never felt anything so powerful in his life as the way he was drawn to everything about her.
“We need to get out of here,” he said, more strongly than he meant to. He reached for her hand as she slipped her feet into a pair of strappy sandals and grabbed her purse from a hook by the door.
Once outside, he breathed in the cool evening air as she locked the door. He couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her from behind and kiss the back of her neck. They hadn’t even gone on a real date yet and it felt like she was his. She smelled so damn good, and when she turned in his arms and met his lips with hers, he got harder.
“I love kissing you,” she said against his lips, which only made him want her more.
“Me too.” Their kisses were heated, urgent. “That’s why we have to leave, or I’m going to lay you down on this porch and make love to you.”
He heard her breath catch.
“Sorry.” Like hell he was sorry, but it was the proper thing to say.
“Don’t be.”
Holy hell.
They climbed into his truck, and Elisabeth started to pull her seat belt over her shoulder. Ross patted the bench seat beside him.
“I’ll never make it with you all the way over there. I promise not to kiss you, but I need you closer. Wait. I don’t promise.”
She scooted over with a laugh and settled her hand on his thigh. “I used to dream about what it would be like to date a guy with a truck and snuggle up next to him while he drove.” She wiggled in beneath his arm.
“You used to dream about it? Don’t most girls dream about princes on white horses?” Driving had never felt as good as it did now, with Elisabeth beneath his arm, pressed against his side.
“Probably. Not me. For me it was always about small-town stuff. This town in particular. My aunt Cora got me a subscription to Farm Girl magazine when I was seven, and I’ve kept it going ever since. When I still lived at home, it drove my mom crazy. She used to buy People magazine and Star, and those other rag mags, and she’d put them all over the house.”
“It’s so hard for me to imagine anyone outside of those born here wanting
to be here so badly. I mean, I love it, but you talk about Trusty like other people talk about Hollywood.” Ross glanced at her and caught her looking at him. He kissed her quickly and then turned back toward the road.
“I know how it must sound, but it’s true, Ross. I’m not going to pretend it’s not. Yes, I was in LA, the land of the beautiful, where life moves so fast, if you blink, you miss the good stuff. Where the sun’s always shining, and if you can ignore the threat of earthquakes, then you can have a pretty idealistic, albeit materialistic, life. It just wasn’t me. I never felt like I fit in there, regardless of how successful my business was or how long I stayed.”
Ross pulled down his brother Luke’s driveway.
“How was Storm when you picked him up?”
He loved that she thought of him. “He was fine. Happy to see the boys. Still not sleeping as well as I’d like.”
“I wonder why. Maybe he keeps the crate far from his bed.”
“I don’t buy into that whole thing of the dog needing the crate to be close to the person at night. The cells are small. Storm can see him fine from his crate.”
Elisabeth sighed. “That’s a little hypocritical coming from a guy who lets his dogs sleep on his bed. How can you not buy into the fact that a dog needs comfort?”
“I’m not saying that. We have to be strict with service dogs. Their owners won’t be able to crawl into their crates or move their crates around.”
“Okay, I can see how that makes sense. But I still think Trout is probably right and Storm might be lonely. He’s here every weekend with the boys, and then he goes back to sleeping without the sounds of other dogs breathing nearby. I just think making sure the crate is close enough that he can hear Trout breathing might help.”
Ross couldn’t deny that it might make a difference. He squeezed her shoulder. “Okay, I’ll suggest that to Trout.”
“Where are we?” Elisabeth squinted into the darkness.
“My brother Luke and his fiancée, Daisy, have something that I thought you might enjoy.” He parked down by the barn and stepped from the truck, then reached for Elisabeth’s hand. They followed a gravel path down to the barn.
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