Kaleb

by Nicole Edwards

  V laughed before leaning back into the couch, getting comfortable. “I don’t think I’m the one who put that idea in your head. You know as well as I do that you’ve been fantasizing about that man for as long as you’ve known him.”

  “Not like that.” Zoey would admit to fantasies, but never had they consumed her like that. She’d been overwhelmed by his intensity that night, as well as his sexy good looks and his scrumptious smell, and well... him. “He kissed me.”

  “Holy hell!” V leaned forward, this time not nearly as lucky because she sloshed red wine on the carpet. “No, don’t get up.” V exclaimed as she sat her glass on the table and rushed to the kitchen. Her voice came from the other room, “You better tell me about that kiss, you hear me?”

  Zoey chuckled. She still relived that kiss and the way it felt to have Kaleb’s hands on her, even if he kept them on her face, never venturing to where she would’ve preferred to have them. In the past, they might’ve danced a time or two when they went out with others, but she’d never felt the possessiveness in his touch the way she did today.

  “Ummm... Still here. Waiting.” V rattled as she wiped up the spill with cleaner and a towel.

  “It was the best kiss I’ve ever had.” Zoey blurted. “There, is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “Of course it is.” V beamed. “And I know you’re not lying because you still haven’t wiped that damn goofy grin off your face.”

  No. No, she hadn’t. And Zoey was beginning to think that grin was permanent.

  Chapter Five

  ♀♂

  The next morning, Zoey crawled out of bed wishing like hell she hadn’t scheduled any house cleanings on a Saturday. Unfortunately, she and V were so overloaded, they hadn’t had a choice, and now she had about fifteen minutes to get ready, grab her coffee, and head out the door, or she’d be late.

  Without a second to spare, Zoey rushed through the house, pulling on her clothes while waiting for her coffee to brew, then brushing her teeth and running a brush through her unruly curly hair. Pulling it back in a ponytail, she managed to look presentable enough to clean houses for the day. After one last stop at the medicine cabinet for a couple of aspirin to ward off the wine hangover she could feel looming, Zoey was on her way.

  By the time she was in her truck, she was feeling somewhat more human, and that damn grin from the night before had returned. With the music up loud, she rolled down the windows and drove as fast as she dared to Vanessa’s to pick her up.

  Thankfully V was one of those women who insisted on being early. Sometimes that grated on Zoey’s nerves, but that was only because she always found herself running late.

  “Are you glowing?” V laughed when she climbed into the truck. “You are! Oh my goodness. Are you still thinking about kissing Kaleb?”

  Yes, damn it, Zoey was still thinking about it. Kaleb Walker had scorched her brain cells with his soul stealing kisses, and she’d thought of little else ever since.

  “You’re in love, aren’t you?” Vanessa crooned. “Zoey and Kaleb sittin’ in a tree...”

  Zoey turned up the radio, hoping to drown V out, grinning as she did. There was no stopping Vanessa when she got started, and by the end of the day Zoey would likely be on the verge of throttling her closest friend.

  Figuring there was no stopping her, Zoey didn’t even try. She had to focus on getting the two appointments out of the way so she could get home. She had a party to get ready for, and unlike any other party she had been invited to, Zoey was a little nervous about this one. After what transpired yesterday, there was a very real chance something might just happen between her and Kaleb. Despite her fantasies, Zoey never seriously considered the real possibility, but now... Well, now she had her fingers crossed.

  In fact, at twenty two, she’d all but given up hope that anything would happen between her and her best friend Kaleb, and ended up marrying Jason Tribbons. Their marriage lasted for five not so long years until one day Jason decided he’d had enough.

  Just like that.

  That was an incredibly difficult time for Zoey because yes, she had been in love with Jason. Yes, she thought she would spend the rest of her life with him, having babies and growing old together. According to Jason, that wasn’t his plan. He wanted to get out of their little town, explore the world, live life to its fullest.

  Without her.

  So, she’d done what Zoey was famous for. She conceded; never arguing, never begging him to stay.

  He had packed up his things and disappeared from her life for good. She hadn’t heard from him again. At all. As though the five years they’d spent together never actually happened. Not hearing from him was strange, but probably a good thing, as well. Rumors in their small town ran rampant, and if he’d have stayed, Zoey wasn’t so sure she could’ve lived each day hearing how great his life was without her.

  That was five years ago. Since then, Zoey lost her mother and was now taking care of her ailing father while managing her booming cleaning service. After the first year or so after her and Jason divorced and after the pain from losing her beloved mother eased, Zoey had set forth on a new path.

  No longer was she the passive woman expecting life to come to her. She was making her own path, exploring her own interests, and loving every minute of it. Her business was thriving, and she was enjoying what time she had with her ornery, yet loveable, father. With no expectations, she found each day was much more promising by the fact that she didn’t expect anything from anyone. She’d become independently successful and opposite from Jason, Zoey loved her small town.

  The only thing lacking was her sex life, but if she was lucky, that might all be changing with Kaleb Walker. And at her age, rumored to be nearing her sexual prime, Zoey wasn’t going to put any limits on what might happen between them either.

  For the first time in her life, she wasn’t going to take a backseat. She was going to go after what she wanted, and now, more than ever, she knew exactly what that was.

  ♂♀

  It was six o’clock on Saturday evening when Kaleb finally managed to sneak out of the office and head to his small cabin located on the Walker ranch. Each of his brothers had their own except Brendon and Braydon, who shared the largest of the six.

  Lorrie Walker, their very overprotective mother, insisted years ago that her boys needed to stay close to home. Despite the fact that the main house was large enough to hold every one of them comfortably, she knew very well her boys weren’t at all excited about living at home. It wasn’t easy living in a house with nine people, no matter how spacious it was.

  Kaleb had been the first to insist on moving out, which prompted Lorrie and Curtis Walker to come up with a plan if they expected the boys to stay close to home. That’s when Lorrie told her husband that it was time to start building. And that they did.

  Six decent sized cabins were built on the Walker Ranch, scattered randomly about on various sections so her boys would be close, but still have the privacy they needed. That was his mother for you. If she had a say in the matter, they would all live right there on the ranch for the rest of their lives.

  Kaleb didn’t see that happening, but for now, none of his brothers had an issue with it. Well, except maybe Sawyer. But then again, Sawyer was rarely home, apparently spending more time with his various women than he did anywhere else.

  Since their old man wasn’t the type to let them sit by and have things handed to them, he insisted they were going to put in some blood, sweat and tears. Which they did.

  Bucket loads.

  Their hard work resulted in six remarkably different structures, varying from the typical log cabin, to the eclectic glass monstrosity that Ethan had designed himself. Thankfully Kaleb didn’t have to see Ethan’s place from his.

  Kaleb’s tastes were the opposite of Ethan’s, running more toward the typical western with strong oak and rustic iron as the main decor. It was home, plain and simple. He slept there, he ate there from time to time, but most of all, it
was his place to get away when it all became too much to handle.

  Spending days on end with one’s brothers tended to wear on you after a while. Especially when there were a total of seven, each very different from the other. When they had decided to go into business together, they’d sealed their fate and invariably cemented the fact that they would rarely get a moments peace.

  It was all worth it though. With Walker Demolition taking off, each of them was immersed in what they loved to do the most. Thankfully a company as complex as theirs required each of their different talents, so no one had been pushed into doing anything they didn’t want to do. With more changes in the works, thanks to Travis’ resort, they were all going to be just as busy doing more than one job at a time.

  Travis, the oldest at thirty five was the money man for Walker Demolition and the man behind the resort dream. He was moody and cranky most of the time, but he was the sole reason they were making money. He guarded the accounts with his life, ensuring every penny was accounted for and governing exactly how they spent it. He was also the man who had found some investors from Dallas interested in backing the resort.

  Then there was Sawyer, the second oldest at thirty three, although he didn’t act a day over twenty one. When it came to his job – sales – he was top notch and no one held a candle to the man when it came to wheeling and dealing and spewing loads of bullshit.

  Kaleb was the third oldest, and at thirty two, he knew the best was yet to come as far as he was concerned. Walker Demolition had been his brain child, his baby, and even though they all contributed one hundred percent, most of the time his brothers still looked to him as their leader. Being in charge of demolition design and a few unwanted tasks, Kaleb loved what he did and wouldn’t have changed a thing.

  Next were Braydon and Brendon, twenty nine year old identical twins, who managed the construction sites as the head foremen on each job. They were also known as the lovers, not the fighters in the family. They were inseparable, doing everything together. And when Kaleb said everything, he meant everything. Including women. They were known to share their women between them.

  Ethan, the second youngest at twenty seven was solely responsible for their commercial equipment. He purchased and maintained every single piece they owned. Of course, Zane was the youngest at twenty four, and he worked alongside Ethan, but he was responsible for their vehicle maintenance. Both of his youngest brothers were brilliant when it came to machinery, which had gotten them through many a bind.

  Kaleb wasn’t sure whether his parents ever intended to have enough boys to maintain such an intricate company, but they’d started out eight years earlier and hadn’t slowed down since.

  When he reached his house, Kaleb parked his truck haphazardly near the front porch before hurrying to get inside. He was quickly running out of time to get ready, so it was a good thing he didn’t need much. He had to be at Zoey’s in less than an hour, and he refused to be late.

  Stripping his clothes off and tossing them in the laundry hamper, he quickly shaved before jumping in the shower. Just the thought of seeing Zoey again had his cock hard and in desperate need of release, but again, he didn’t have time. Not to mention, it wouldn’t help. His dick was in a constant state of awareness whenever he thought about her, so being around her was likely going to push his limits.

  Fifteen minutes later he was dressed and quickly straightening the few things that were out of place. Not that he had any intentions of bringing Zoey back to his cabin, but he had to admit, if she was game, he couldn’t make any promises.

  Damn. He was in such a hurry, one would’ve thought this was his first date.

  ♀♂

  Zoey was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, something she very rarely wore, when she heard the truck pull up in front of the small cottage that had acted as a guest house and until about four years ago, hadn’t had a guest in quite some time.

  When she originally came back home, Zoey hadn’t lived too far away from her parents, but since the house she had been living in belonged to Jason before they got married, she opted to let him have it. For the first few weeks after she came home, she lived in the main house, but she felt like she was imposing on her father, and she was pretty sure he felt like he was stepping on her toes, as well. So, the two of them had worked to get the guest house ready for her and here she was.

  It was a quaint little house, no more than a thousand square feet, but completely doable for just one person. With a bedroom, a lavish bathroom which she had paid to have remodeled, a living room and one small half bath off of the kitchen, Zoey had more than enough space for her and her things. And quite frankly, she’d grown comfortable there.

  She was pretty sure her father liked the idea of having her close as well, but also not having to give up his privacy though he often complained about rummaging around in such a large house all by himself.

  The rapping of knuckles on the screen door had her tossing her lip gloss back in the drawer before heading to the living room while gargantuan butterflies started up a ping pong match in her stomach.

  There, standing on the wide front porch was the object of her wildest fantasies, looking striking in tight jeans and a short sleeve polo shirt that hugged him tight across the chest and arms, accentuating every hard plane and angle of his torso. The man made her mouth water.

  “Hi.” Zoey greeted when she came closer. “Come in.” Years of friendship and a comfortable existence alongside this man disappeared entirely as she stood before him now. Never had Zoey cared what she looked like, or what he thought about her appearance until this moment.

  “Damn.” Kaleb whispered, “You look beautiful.”

  His words made her blush, but she didn’t turn away. Zoey had destroyed her closet trying to find the perfect outfit to wear when she’d finally settled on one of her favorite sundresses. It was strapless and flirty and made her feel feminine so she’d figured it was just what this night warranted. Since she was more inclined to wear jeans and boots, she was self-conscious about it, but his reaction helped.

  “Thank you.” She said when she finally found her voice. “I just need a minute.”

  “Take your time.”

  She fought the urge to sigh like a damned school girl. His voice was rich and dark, sending chills over her skin while those beautiful eyes sparkled with heat. She clearly wasn’t the only one who felt this attraction fizzling between them.

  She couldn’t help but wonder how this had come about. Maybe it was in the water. What with V and Zane hooking up and all – although Zoey was hoping what was going on between them was more than a hookup, but knowing Zane, she was a little concerned. Not that V couldn’t handle herself.

  Zoey rushed back to her bedroom, spritzed her favorite perfume behind her ears and on her neck, before taking one last look in the mirror. She was as ready as she’d ever be.

  Once back in the living room, she found Kaleb still standing by the door, glancing out at the wide expanse of land encompassing what was left of the Stranford farm. There wasn’t much left, other than the acres of land that sat barren after years of farming the rich soil and a large barn that had seen better days. The crops were all gone, as were the horses, which had Zoey still wondering why her father was hanging on to it.

  She was fully aware of the Walker’s desire to purchase a vast amount that straddled their own, and if it were up to her, she’d have done it by now. Only because her father needed the money more than he needed a couple hundred acres of dead grass. But that wasn’t public information and Zoey was working double time trying to figure out what she could do to resolve the financial strain.

  “Ready?” Zoey asked, interrupting Kaleb who looked to be far away as he peered out the screen door.

  Turning his head back to her, he smiled and those piercing blue eyes lit up with promises left unspoken. She stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her before following him to his truck. When he stopped to open her door, her heart melted just a little.<
br />
  Kaleb Walker, as well as every other Walker man, was a gentleman to his very core. For as long as she could remember, he’d opened her door for her, although they were only friends. Their mother had raised them to value women, although Zoey happened to know that they sometimes valued them a little too much. The Walker boys might be gentleman, but they undoubtedly weren’t saints.

  Once inside the truck, Zoey put her seatbelt on, waiting for Kaleb to climb in. A minute later they were turning out of her father’s driveway and onto the main road that would lead around to the entrance to the Walker ranch.

  “Do your parents know about the party?” Zoey asked as they drove.

  “It’s a surprise, actually. Don’t ask me how Travis and Sawyer pulled that one off.” Kaleb laughed. “They’ve been working on it for at least two months, and it took some creative manipulation to get my folks out of town for the last couple of days so they could get everything set up.”

  “Are they home yet?”

  “They should be back any minute now. Dad called and said they were on the road and running a little behind, which turned out to be a good thing.” Kaleb turned the truck onto the dirt road that led to the Walker’s house and Zoey found herself mesmerized by the muscles working in his arms. “They had a problem setting up one of the tents and that pushed all of the set up back. Everything seems to be back on schedule though.”

  Zoey turned away, glancing out the window as they approached the house and the various cars and trucks that were parked in several lines down the side of the house. There had to have been at least a hundred or so parked haphazardly along the main drive.

  Kaleb pulled the truck a little farther out, probably to ensure he wouldn’t get blocked in, before turning off the truck. “Don’t move.” He warned her as he exited and walked around.

  Zoey sat patiently waiting for him to open her door, which she knew was what he insisted on doing. Again, her heart turned over. She loved that about Kaleb, how genuinely sweet he was, and it had been something she hated to see him dole out on other women over the years, but Zoey would’ve never mentioned it. Not to him, not to anyone. But it was a definite turn on.