Wait For Me: Swoon Series

by J. H. Croix

  After a few beats, I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just two kisses. Maybe that’s all it will be.”

  Somehow, I wasn’t quite ready to tell them he told me he’d be at the lodge for the upcoming weekend and just what the implications of that might be.

  “Whatever you do, be careful,” Shay said, her gaze sobering.

  “Careful?” I asked in return.

  “There’s always Rylie to consider—for him and for you.”

  I left dinner later with that comment lingering in my mind.

  Not that I had romantic aspirations. But that certainly drove the point home that nothing was simple in this situation.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lucas

  My eyes tracked the peanut butter as I smeared it on a slice of bread, then quickly moved onto the next. I had four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to prep. That was Rylie’s request for her weekend with her grandparents. Not that she needed the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by me—Betsy and Dale, Melissa’s parents, certainly fed her quite well—but Rylie claimed I made the best ones ever, so here I was making them.

  Major bonus to being a father—feeling like a superhero for small tasks.

  Because Betsy and Dale adored her, they would humor her and let her have her sandwiches for lunch every day. I questioned the wisdom of preparing sandwiches for four days, but I imagined peanut butter and jelly could survive a nuclear holocaust.

  Betsy and Dale had found out about Melissa’s affair only recently and not from me. I had mixed feelings about them knowing. For starters, I preferred my privacy. While I wasn’t the one who had the affair, people knowing about it meant questions for me. I had hoped it had been long enough that perhaps they would never find out, but Stolen Hearts Valley was a small area, and secrets rarely stayed hidden for long.

  I only knew they knew because Betty called me. She had apologized on behalf of her daughter and left me speechless. I mean, what the hell was I supposed to say?

  It was long over, and Melissa was dead. Jade’s comment last week tumbled through my mind. It was hard to imagine making room for an actual relationship in my life. There was Rylie to consider. I had no idea how single parents navigated the landmines of dating with a child in the equation.

  Valentina loomed in my mind—her wide blue eyes and her riot of red curls. She was a walking contradiction. Everything about her screamed sex to me, and she was a fucking virgin.

  Actually, that wasn’t quite right. She didn’t scream just sex. Even before I had noticed her in that way, I’d noticed she was kind and generous around the lodge, always offering to help. She was also funny and unintentionally blunt.

  I hadn’t forgotten how well she had done with Rylie during her impromptu babysitting duties. That fact burned in my thoughts.

  Rylie referred to her as Valentine, which made me laugh. Rylie insisted I ask for some shredded paper for her “hay” for her toy horses. When I’d asked where she got that idea, I learned it had come from Valentina.

  Thinking about Valentina and Rylie made my mind go in directions it shouldn’t. I did not need to be thinking about Valentina like that. I needed to keep her clearly compartmentalized so the lines didn’t blur. Because beginning tomorrow, I’d be staying at the lodge for four days.

  The problem with trying to keep Valentina compartmentalized was she kept sneaking all over the place in my mind. It had all been fine and good after that rather surreal encounter when I returned her package. Oh, I wouldn’t lie, I had wanted her so fiercely ever since that afternoon, and I intended to see it through.

  It had been easy to manage when I told myself it was just lust.

  Then she had to go and be so damn natural with Rylie. Ever since Melissa died, it was just Rylie and me. I’d sworn off trying to bother with dating because it was too complicated, and it required me to trust. I considered it easier to stay single and leave dating entirely out of the equation.

  But with sexy as sin Valentina dancing through my dreams and getting me so damn hard with her kisses, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.

  It hadn’t occurred to me that she might be at the vet clinic when I stopped by. Logically, I should’ve considered that, seeing as her office was there.

  Rylie had mentioned Valentina almost daily since she spent the day with her and Shay. She loved meeting new people, so that wasn’t exactly a surprise. But now, for crying out loud, here I was imagining Valentina as something more than the hottest little sexpot. She had burrowed her way into my brain and body.

  Desire was a funny thing. When I was young, like most guys, lust ran hard and fast. It was purely hormones driving the boat, so to speak.

  When Melissa and I started getting serious, I had settled into it easily. We were seniors in college then. We got an apartment together and both started working.

  Sex wasn’t as wild as it had once been between us, but we got it on pretty regularly. By the time she got pregnant, we’d been living together for three years. Melissa was my only serious relationship. We got married, and I felt truly committed. I never doubted it.

  That first year after Rylie was born was a blur. Between work and raising a baby, we didn’t talk much, but then I didn’t have much time to talk. I never minded taking care of Rylie even when I was tired to the bone. I wouldn’t pretend it was always easy because that would be bullshit. But it didn’t chafe on me, not at all.

  I gave my head a shake as I finished assembling the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was late, and Rylie was in bed. I put each sandwich in an individual bag and stacked them inside a plastic container. The container sat beside her to-go bag, a rather large bag with a giant pig on the front. After she encountered Gloria and Squeaky at the rescue, Rylie fell in love with pigs. My mom had even sewed her a stuffed pig because she was crafty like that.

  My throat tightened with emotion for a beat. Rylie might have lost her mother, but she was loved hard.

  With thoughts of Valentina spinning through my mind once again, I walked into the living room. Nights were quiet here. After Rylie went to bed, I usually flicked through the channels and watched whatever show caught my interest. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I wondered—because my nosy sister had to bring it up—if my nights would always be this quiet.

  That night, I lay in bed, realizing I hadn’t actually fallen asleep with a woman since Melissa died.

  Chapter Twelve

  Valentina

  I clicked through the spreadsheet, smiling when the numbers added up to what I expected. When I went to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, yet I had always loved math. Something about the certainty of it soothed me.

  Between being homeschooled and having parents who were religious in an earthy sort of way, kind of flaky, and ready to save the world at the same time, well, it had all added up to me not fitting into any category too easily while I was growing up. I’d spent most of my life feeling out of place, so perhaps that was why I found certainty so comforting.

  Back to the numbers. Math was one area where I felt comfortable, and it came easily to me. I blew through my undergrad requirements. When my advisor suggested accounting as a major, I didn’t even hesitate and was accepted into an accelerated master’s program.

  Even after I walked away with a degree that made me easily employable, I promptly agreed to handle the accounting for my parents’ church and retreat programs. The hardest part about taking the job at Stolen Hearts Lodge was telling my parents and quitting my job working for them.

  I was three months into my new job, and I still loved it. There was a knock on my door, and when I glanced up, Shay stepped in. “We’re about to head out. You’re all set with dealing with the animals, right?” she asked with a smile.

  “All set,” I replied as I tapped save and closed my laptop.

  “Thanks again for helping with that,” she said as she slipped into the chair across from my desk. She reached up to tighten her ponytail, cocking her head to the side as she dropped her hands. “Well,
have some fun this weekend. Maybe you could actually go out to Lost Deer Bar with everybody else. Dawson said that’s where everyone’s planning to go.”

  “I might,” I replied.

  “Either way, have a good weekend,” she said. She stood just as Jackson appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with one hand in his pocket.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, his gaze lingering on Shay.

  I wondered if I would ever have a man look at me the way he looked at her. I felt as if I’d abruptly interrupted an intimate moment by witnessing the depth of emotion contained in his gaze. Knowing what she’d been through, I was so glad to see them together.

  “Ready,” Shay said, turning to face him with a smile.

  Only then did Jackson glance my way. “Thanks for taking care of the animals. If you need anything, just call us, okay?”

  “Of course. I can’t imagine I’ll need anything.”

  “By the way, I asked Lucas to help you with the horses. We just took in a new rescue today that’s a bit of a handful. Lucas said he’d be over at the barn this afternoon by five. Wait for him, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Shay shook her head. “You just had to agree to take that stallion. I told you he would be wild,” she said, her lips tightening and her gaze bouncing back and forth between us.

  “That’s why Lucas is going to help,” Jackson replied smoothly.

  Just thinking about Lucas set my body to humming and my belly spinning in a quick flip. I could hardly stop recalling the feel of his lips against mine the other day and his promise about this weekend. I didn’t know quite what it meant, but I knew I couldn’t wait.

  Early that evening, I crossed the pasture to the rescue barn. Gloria came ambling along behind me. I heard her before I saw her because she made a soft snuffling sound whenever she approached people. Glancing behind me, I couldn’t help but smile. Gloria was a giant mostly white pig with a few dark spots. She was sweet as could be, and it felt as if she knew exactly what I was saying when I talked to her. It was something about the way she studied me with her careful expression.

  “Hey Gloria,” I called, pausing to wait for her to catch up to me. She stopped at my side, nudging my knee with her nose as we began walking together.

  She followed me into the barn, and I paused to look around. The dogs were on one side with the rest of the animals on the other. Each dog had its own door to exit into a large play yard. Most of the dogs were rescues with the exception of one who had become a permanent resident—a sweet English Setter named Pepper. She played with the other dogs during the day and stayed at the farmhouse with Jackson and Shay at night. For this weekend, she was staying out here in the kennel because they thought she would be most comfortable here while they were gone.

  On the other side was a large stall for two goats and the stall Gloria and Squeaky shared. They generally came and went as they pleased. There were also chickens in a large coop outside with their own space.

  After taking care of all the other animals, I fed Gloria and was wondering where Squeaky was when she announced her presence with a few squeaks. As soon as I made sure she was fed, I glanced at my watch and realized Lucas was probably already waiting at the horse barn for me.

  Closing up, I ran across the pasture, pushing through the door and feeling breathless as I came through. Lucas was there, leaning against one of the stalls about halfway down the aisle. He was stroking the new stallion’s neck. When I heard the low murmur of Lucas’s voice, the sound sent a hot shiver through me.

  Ignoring it, I approached. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Lucas said something softly to the horse, his hand still resting on the horse’s neck. The horse was tall with a rich brown coat and a black tail and mane. Lucas and the horse turned at once. Both of them had such intense eyes, my heart started racing. The horse eyed me curiously for a moment but quickly lost interest, turning to nibble on some hay in a netted bag hanging inside the stall.

  Lucas’s attention, on the other hand, didn’t waver. His green eyes met mine and swept up and down my body. My skin tingled all over, heat flashed through me, and butterflies took flight in my belly.

  “I didn’t know you were supposed to meet me at a certain time, so there’s nothing to apologize for,” he said. “The horses are all taken care of.”

  For a moment, I was unable to form a word. My mouth seemed to run at two speeds with Lucas—nothing or verbal diarrhea.

  “Oh,” I finally said. “Jackson told me he asked you to come help me. He was worried about the new stallion.” I gestured to the horse behind Lucas.

  “Right. He’s all taken care of.”

  The barn was quiet. As I stood there, a humming electricity began to spin through me.

  “Okay. Well, thank you,” I replied, my words coming out a little choppy.

  Lucas pushed away from the stall, taking a few strides before stopping in front of me. He wore jeans, the denim so soft the fabric molded to his muscular thighs. My eyes lingered on the flex of his forearm when he slid his hand in one pocket.

  My mouth wet dry, and my pulse rocketed to the point I could hardly catch my breath.

  I felt more than saw his eyes sweep down my body again. My outfit was rather nondescript—a pair of leggings with a baggy T-shirt. I probably smelled like animals at this point. Nothing more than the heat of Lucas’s gaze made my skin prickle and my belly flip.

  “Are you done for the day?” he asked.

  The soft sound of horses chewing their hay surrounded us as we stood there. The barn was cool, a contrast to the heat of the humid August evening.

  Swallowing, I nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  Lucas stepped a little closer, reaching out and catching one of my hands in his. He smelled like hay and sweat and Lucas, a scent I had come to identify with him—musky and warm with a slight woodsy hint.

  His thumb brushed across the back of my hand, and all my attention narrowed to the feel of his calloused pad moving back and forth. The touch was subtle, and he probably wasn’t even thinking about it, but it was electrifying.

  “I want to kiss you now,” he said, his words sending a hot thrill up my spine.

  I licked my lips and swallowed again, barely able to get a breath in. “Please do,” I finally murmured.

  I wasn’t consciously trying to whisper, yet this moment felt so heavy, so intense. It felt as if at any minute, sound would snap it to pieces.

  His lips kicked up at one corner. Every smile he gave me, even a half of one like this, made it feel as if the sun was breaking through on a cloudy, gray day.

  Lucas didn’t smile much. And now that I knew more of his history, I understood why.

  “I might want to, but I won’t. We’ll have to save it for later,” he replied.

  “Why?” My question flew out on its own in a rather demanding tone.

  That half smile stretched to the other corner of his mouth. “Because the guys invited me to go to the Lost Deer Bar. Seeing as I’m here for the weekend, and it’s what I would usually do, it’s best if I go.”

  “Oh, well, I’ll probably go too then because Shay mentioned it earlier.”

  Still smiling, Lucas glanced away as if gathering his thoughts and shook his head with a low chuckle. His eyes made their way back to me. “Well then, I suppose you should go. It’ll be a special form of torture for me.”

  “Torture?” I queried.

  Lucas arched a brow. “Valentina, I don’t think you know how much I want you,” he said flatly.

  His words sent another thrill through me. “Oh,” I managed. My body felt buzzy, tingling all over.

  My hand was still in his. He turned then, giving me a gentle tug. “Come on. I’ll drive.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lucas

  Lost Deer Bar had been around for decades. Once upon a time, it was probably small, but this little bar in an old log cabin tucked in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains had expanded quite a bit since its origination sometime in the 195
0s.

  According to the story, the bar was named as such because the couple who founded it had gone out for a drive because their daughter thought a deer was lost. As if there were such a thing. I supposed deer did get lost—maybe—but the likelihood that a little girl would somehow know that was slim.

  That said, if Rylie wanted me to go out for a drive to search for a lost deer, I would do it. Honestly, I wouldn’t even hesitate. Whether or not we found it, I would come up with a story that made her feel better if she was worried about it.

  Back on that drive, the couple passed by the old home and noticed the For Sale sign. That started the ball rolling for what would eventually become the Lost Deer Bar. The one-room log cabin still had the original bar on the side, but all they had back there were memorabilia and old photographs. It was now the entryway to the massive rectangular room with a bar running along the back wall and tables scattered throughout. One corner had pool tables and mostly card games. It was busy most nights. Being only a few hours shy of Nashville across the border in Tennessee, they also had music often with fledgling new bands passing through here on their way to fortune and fame.

  The décor was simple. There was wide plank hardwood flooring worn from years and years of feet passing over it, and circular wooden tables with booths to match. They were open from five a.m. until two a.m. Aside from the bar, they served all three meals and had delicious, simple fare.

  I was keeping to one beer for the evening since I was driving. As I had told Valentina back in the barn when it had taken just about all of my discipline not to kiss her, tonight was a special form of torture for me.

  I only offered her a ride because that was generally how things were among the staff and friends at Stolen Hearts Lodge. Knowing most everyone else had already left, either Valentina and I showed up together, or Dani would give me a hard time for not offering her a ride.