by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2014 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77130-879-3
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I want to thank Evernight and my readers for their constant support and love.
HIS WOMAN
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Drake Solomon stared across the bar at the tempting beauty serving drinks. It was Friday, and The Bailes was full to bursting. The bar had been in the Bailes family for many years. Lloyd’s father had owned it before him, and it went back at least three more Bailes men. For the last year he’d been trying to get into Rachel Bishop’s pants, but the dark beauty wasn’t having any of it. She was pouring a drink for old man Rick, flirting with him as she took his money. The moment she laughed, she caught Drake’s attention. It was like a special radar had been built inside him for her presence. He knew when she was coming, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
A couple of other men approached the bar, talking with her. She spoke back, laughing and getting their orders as if it was the most natural thing in the world. When he thought about it, Rachel flirted with everyone but him. What was so special about everyone else but him? She never gave him the time of day even when they bumped into each other. What was it going to take to get past all of her defenses? He was tired of being ignored by her. Every time he saw her, he was always polite, and yes, he flirted, but who wouldn’t? Rachel was a complete stunner. The moment he saw her, he’d gotten hard. A lot of females had to work for his attention whereas Rachel did everything to ignore him.
She’d gone to school with his younger brother, Henry. Drake knew a great deal about her as she was like him and had been born in Crest Hill. The small town meant everyone knew everyone’s business, but he didn’t have a clue as to why Rachel had returned home after being in the city for a couple of years after graduating college.
His own brother, Henry, had left the town for a life as a successful lawyer within the city. Drake had been there last Sunday when he came to tell them all about how much he liked the city life.
Drake could never live in the city. He loved getting dirty and getting his hands into the earth. His father was getting older, and it was now up to him to keep the Solomon ranch alive and thriving.
Sipping at his beer, he watched Lloyd Bailes whisper something to her and point at the back. She nodded and left the room. Six months ago Rachel returned to her father, yet Drake couldn’t find a single person to tell him why she had come back. Her mother died three years ago from cancer, but the moment Rachel turned eighteen, she’d left Crest Hill for college and then onto some kind of job. She only came back when her mother was sick, and then Bishop, her father, had sent her back to college to finish her degree.
She returned to town for all special occasions to be with her father. Not once had she and Drake ever had a long conversation. Drake got the feeling she was avoiding him.
Minutes later she returned carrying some fresh napkins and started filling up the jars with peanuts. He watched her as Lloyd made his way over toward him.
“You’re drooling again,” Lloyd said, taking a seat opposite him.
The last time Lloyd had gotten in the way of his view, Drake made sure he couldn’t walk for a week. Nothing came between his view of Rachel, not even his best friend.
“Keep your voice down.”
“She still not giving you the time of day?”
Drake shook his head.
“You know that even if you did start to date her, you’ll have to be approved by Bishop, her father?” Lloyd kept smiling, and Drake glared at his friend to get him to stop.
“I know all about what Bishop wants, thank you very much.”
It was common knowledge for all of Rachel’s prospective dates to ask for her time through David Bishop. Her father owned a ranch similar to Drake’s, and they worked side by side at times of the year to herd their cattle.
Lloyd laughed. “You’ve got no chance of getting close to her with an attitude like that. Bishop loves his daughter. No man will ever be good enough for her.”
“I’m good enough.” He wasn’t going to be pushed aside by her father. Drake would prove to Bishop and to Rachel that he was the right man for her.
“Sure. Right, I better get back. Enjoy your lonely beer alone. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to need it.”
Drake watched his friend head back to the bar without saying a word. Rachel appeared once again, smiling and serving customers. What was it about her? It wasn’t the difference in her skin color or the fact she was younger. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but Drake was determined to find out what lured him to her.
She was a beauty, but why couldn’t he get her out of his head? No other woman would do. Watching her bend over counters was driving him crazy. Everything about her got to his cock. He wanted to fuck her, but first he wanted to get to know her.
Finishing off his beer, he got up heading toward the bar. She was putting away some of the beers Lloyd had brought through for her to restock the shelves. The tight jeans she wore did wonders for her curves. His cock pressed against the front of pants, making it incredibly tight.
“Hey, baby doll, will you get me another?” he asked, holding up his bottle. Did she tense? Drake was sure he saw her tense. No, it couldn’t be possible. Why would she tense at him talking to her? How the fuck was he supposed to be gaining her interest if she couldn’t even stand for him to talk to her?
“What can I get you?” she asked, turning toward him.
Fuck, her eyes were the darkest brown he’d ever seen. He felt himself falling for her from the way she looked at him. There was something guarded in her eyes as if she didn’t want to let him see too much of herself.
“I’ll have another of these and one of those cute smiles of yours.”
She stared at him without smiling or doing anything. Rachel looked at his glass as if it was cursed or some shit.
“Or not, I can take the drink without a smile.”
Seconds passed, and she took the bottle from his hands. She threw the bottle in the recycle trash, grabbed him a fresh one, uncapped it, and handed it to him.
Holding out the money, he watched her tell him how much it was going to be even as she rang it up on the till. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lloyd laughing at him.
“So, Rachel, how have you been?” he asked.
“Good, you?”
“Good.”
Come on, Drake, you can do this.
“Are you doing anything this weekend?”
“Yes.”
What? Fuck. What did he say and do now?
****
Rachel did her best not to look into the corner where Drake sat. He drew her attention like a moth to a flame, which she hated. No man should draw so much female appreciation. Most of the women in the bar were looking toward him for a chance to be with him. Drake Solomon was a brilliant catch, sexy, handsome, and sinful. Over the years she’d heard plenty of rumors about him in the bedroom, about how good he was in the bed.
From the rumors alone, she knew he never left a woman unsatisfied. Drake had turned sex into an art form where he
was the master and the woman merely his to please. She wouldn’t be in a bedroom alone with Drake any time soon.
I won’t be alone with any man any time soon.
The only man she was going to concentrate on was her father. He was the only person she could trust and love. Her father would always be there for her and wouldn’t go around fucking her best friend.
Growing up with her mom and dad in Crest Hill had been amazing. Her mother, Melinda Brown, had fallen head over heels in love with David Bishop, the wealthy white ranch owner. Her parents’ relationship had been the talk of the town at the time, as over thirty years ago they had been one of the first interracial couples. Since then, it wasn’t a thing anymore. People still remembered David’s infatuation with fondness and love. Many times Rachel frequented stores owned by people who remembered the time and scandal. Each time they spoke about her father and mother, they did so with fondness. David Bishop was a hard nut. Anyone who didn’t like his woman was pushed aside. One man hated her father and mother and had made her mother’s life a misery on the ranch. The moment David heard about it, the guy was fired and couldn’t find a job unless he went out of town. Her mother hadn’t wanted that to happen, but David had been adamant. Rachel loved listening to her father talk about the past. When her mother was alive, she’d retell the tales of snagging the most sought after bachelor in the whole of two states.
“What are you doing?” Drake asked, drawing her back toward him.
A blonde about three seats down was eating him up. Rachel wasn’t interested in a guy who’d been with so many women. Being a virgin, there was no way for her to compete, and she didn’t have the first clue what she was doing in the first place. She’d been hurt, wore the badge, and no longer looked to settle down with a good man.
“What do you mean?” she asked, turning back toward Drake. She held a wash cloth in her hand and cleaned the counter near his bottle. The surface was spotless, but she needed to do something with her hands.
“What are you doing this weekend?” He snagged her hand, stopping her from taking a step back.
She always needed to keep her wits about her in his company. There was something about Drake that always left her … feeling. But ever since she caught her boyfriend’s bare ass with his cock balls deep inside her best friend, she would never get past the image of his ass pumping in the air.
Why did that image have to come into her mind now? It didn’t help that he’d been more than happy to wait to sleep with her. Rachel had never been intimate with a man in her life. Her father terrorized her dates, all for a good cause he said. Then she’d not had the time with studying. Sex wasn’t something she craved. Maybe she was defective seeing as her friend had screamed at her enough times to satisfy her now ex-boyfriend. At the time she’d thought her boyfriend understood not wanting to sleep together, but he’d been getting what he needed from her friend.
“I’m spending the weekend with my dad. We’re having a barbeque for some of the ranch hands.”
It was the height of summer, and her father always loved finding any excuse to fire up the grill.
“For the ranch hands?”
“Yeah, he loves cooking up a storm. I’ll be making all the other stuff he can’t do on the grill. I’m also heading to the library for a short time.” She offered him a smile then moved away to serve old man Rick.
“That boy has got a thing for you, Princess,” Rick said.
“No, he doesn’t. He’s just being nice.”
Moving away, she didn’t have a reason to worry about Drake for the rest of the night as she cleaned tables, washed glasses, and restocked the shelves as she went.
By two in the morning it was time for her to go home. Lloyd was standing by the door waiting for her as she grabbed her bag and jacket.
“With this heat you don’t need that,” Lloyd said.
During the night the heat rarely changed. It went from hot to bearable then back to hot again.
“I know. It’s a force of habit to always bring a jacket with me. I hate being left out when it’s raining.” Walking out of the bar she was surprised to see another truck in the parking lot.
A man stood beside the open passenger side door with his arms folded. He moved into the light, and her heart literally stopped. Drake was waiting for her.
“I’ll take her home, Lloyd,” Drake said.
“I promised Bishop to drop her off.” Lloyd kept a good space between them.
Now she knew why her father allowed her to work at the bar. When she’d told him about her job her father hadn’t said a word. He’d already struck up a deal with Lloyd, clearly.
“It makes no sense for you to drop her off. You’ve got to go a good five miles out of your way to get her home. I’ll drop her home seeing as our ranches are next to each other.”
Even “next to each other” their ranches had a good few miles between each one. She knew her father worked with Drake with the herds as the two had a friendship built on mutual respect.
“I don’t know.”
“It’ll be fine,” she said. The day had been long, hard, and tiring. She loved working at the bar as it got her out of the house. Most of her time was spent helping her father out where she could and feeding the ranch hands. Rachel had come back home, and she now helped the woman her father had hired to do the job her mother once did. She knew he hated hiring a woman, but there was nothing more to be done. He couldn’t cook, and Rachel had gone to the city to do something with her life, which had failed.
Leaving Crest Hill had been one big mistake. One she wasn’t going to make again.
“Are you sure? Please, I don’t want Bishop to come at me with a gun.”
“He won’t be coming at you with anything.” She tapped Lloyd’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”
Lloyd let out a breath, stepping away.
“Everyone knows my dad loves the hunting knife far more.” She chuckled at Lloyd’s tense back. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. You look so scared.”
“Very funny, Rachel. I’ll see you tomorrow if you still have a job.”
Looking from Drake to his large black truck, she forced herself to take the steps toward him. He took her hand, helping her up into the large vehicle. She could do this. There was nothing wrong with riding in the back of the truck.
Drake slammed the door closed moving around to the other side. Her hand tingled from his touch.
Get over yourself.
When he climbed into the other side, closing the door, the scent of his body invaded every single one of her senses. Crap. She was now trapped, and her body was getting warm. She didn’t understand what was happening, and that alone scared her.
Chapter Two
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Drake couldn’t make the drive go any slower, yet he couldn’t think of a single thing to say to her. What should he talk about? Glancing back at her, he saw she looked completely unaffected by their closeness within the car.
Come on, Drake, think. She’s like all other women.
No, she’s not. She’s the one you want.
“How is your brother?” she asked.
“Henry is doing great. City life really suits him.”
“Figures. He was never supposed to be here. I remember him in high school. His head was always in a book. The girls always thought it was a pity he was more into books than them. He was always larger than a lot of the boys in school because of him helping out on the ranch.”
That had to be the longest thing she’d ever said to him. It was a shame the conversation was about his brother. Henry didn’t hate ranching life, but he wasn’t meant to spend it there. He had a talent for law, which was why Drake didn’t resent his brother leaving the ranch.
“Yeah, he really was something.”
“Are you proud of him? What about your parents?”
“We’re all proud of him. He writes all the time, and when he doesn’t get the chance to write, he calls. Henry doesn’t allow a week to go by when w
e’re not hearing from him.” Drake glanced at her to see her smiling.
“He was always nice to me and helped me out when I needed it at school.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
Silence fell once again. Why couldn’t he keep up a conversation? Most of the women he dated only ever talked about themselves. Rachel wasn’t talking about herself. She remained silent, keeping to herself.
“What about you?” she asked.
“What?”
“Was there anything you wanted to do other than taking over the ranch?”
Thinking about her question, Drake drew a blank. There was nothing more he wanted to do with his life than be on the ranch. He loved being out in the sun, being his own boss, and being near his family. City life would never agree with him. There was no way someone would get him in a suit to face the day. He was jeans and a shirt all the way.
“No, I’ll never leave Crest Hill.”
“Me neither. I tried it. It didn’t suit me, and now I’m here to stay. I wonder what my dad will think of that.” She chuckled.
“He’ll love you being back. Bishop wasn’t the same without you there. He missed his wife and worried endlessly about his daughter.”
“Great, now I feel guilty,” she said. Her voice was so small.
“No, you don’t need to feel guilty about it, baby doll. The best thing you did was getting out and finding out what you wanted.” He shrugged. “At least now you’re here you won’t have any regrets about putting down your roots. Crest Hill is your home.”
“Yeah, it was a mistake leaving, but I know I won’t be going anywhere.” She was sat near the door with plenty of space between them. The scent of vanilla filled her part of the truck, and he wanted to lick every inch of her dark skin to see if she tasted as good as she smelled.
“You can sit closer. I won’t bite.”