Marooned with the Maverick

by Christine Rimmer

  The song stopped. And the bed shifted. She remembered.

  It was Collin’s bed....

  “My cell,” said a groggy, very masculine voice not far from her ear. He nuzzled her hair. “I left it charging in the kitchen....”

  “Um.” She cuddled closer to his big, hard, naked body. He wrapped a muscular arm around her and drew her closer, tucking her into him, spoon style, settling the covers more snugly around them.

  She smiled some more and opened her eyes to morning light.

  Amazing. It really had happened with Collin. Just like in all her forbidden fantasies. It had been incredible and it had lasted all night long.

  He smoothed her hair away from her neck and kissed her there. “You smell good....” Down the hallway, the phone beeped.

  “Voice mail,” she said on a lazy yawn.

  His lips brushed her neck again. “It’s after eight. I’d better go see if it’s anything important.”

  She grabbed the arm he had wrapped around her and pretended to sulk. “Oh, no...”

  But he only kissed her hair and pushed back the covers, pausing to tuck them around her again. “I’ll be right back.”

  She rolled over and watched him get up. He looked so good without his clothes on. He had a cute little happy trail and a real, true six-pack.

  And a beautiful tattoo on the hard bulge of his right shoulder, one of those tribal designs. She’d spent a while the night before studying it, tracing its curves and angles with her fingers. It looked a little like a mask, with horns and a pair of eyes that also seemed to resemble sharks, somehow. She’d asked him what it was supposed to represent and in typical Collin fashion, he’d answered, “Whatever you want it to represent.”

  He put on his jeans and buttoned them partway, which somehow only made him look manlier and more naked. “Keep the bed warm.”

  “Will do. Let the dog out?” Buster, who’d ended up on the rug by the bed, was already up and wagging his tail.

  He nodded. “C’mon, Buster.”

  She watched him go, Buster close behind. The view of him walking away was every bit as inspiring as the one from the front.

  She heard the outside door open and shut as he let Buster out. And then he came back.

  He held out the phone to her. “Your brother.”

  She sat up, pulling the sheet with her to cover her breasts, and took the phone from him. “Um. Thanks.” She hit the icon for voice mail.

  Gage’s voice said, “Collin, this is Gage. I’m in town. And looking for my sister. Could you have her call me?” He didn’t sound especially cordial.

  Collin was watching her. “Good old Gage. Finally made it into town and he’s wondering where the hell his baby sister’s gotten off to.”

  Willa hitched up her chin and put on a smile. “Oh, I doubt he’s wondering. I’m sure someone in town has already told him exactly where I am.”

  His dark gaze ran over her. She thought of the night before and a hot shiver went through her. “Not feelin’ quite so unimpeachable now, are you, Willa?”

  She pursed up her mouth at him and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start. I do not regret a thing. Last night was beautiful. I mean that. Do you understand?”

  He gave her a slow, insolent once-over. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She puffed out her cheeks with a frustrated breath. And then she whispered, “Come here. Please?”

  His fine mouth curled. “You should call your brother back.”

  She reached out her hand.

  He looked at it for a count of five. Her heart sank. She was certain he would turn and walk away.

  But then he reached out, too. Their hands met, fingers lacing together. Relief, sweet and good as a long drink of cool water, washed through her.

  He dropped down onto the bed at her side. “I feel bad, okay? I don’t want to cause you problems with your family.”

  She dropped the phone onto the sheet and wrapped her other hand around their joined ones. “You’re not. You couldn’t.”

  He leaned closer. She tipped her mouth up to him and their lips met. “Call him,” he said against her lips. “I’ll let Buster back inside and put the coffee on.” He lifted their hands and kissed the back of hers.

  Reluctantly, she let him go, picked up the phone again and called her brother back. He answered on the first ring.

  “Gage, it’s me.”

  “Willa. Where are you?”

  She could tell by his tone that he already knew. “I’m up at Collin’s. We drove up yesterday. The road’s a mess. I helped him clear the way.”

  A silence on Gage’s end, then, “I don’t get it. You never even liked Collin Traub, and all of a sudden, you two are—what? What’s going on, Willa? What about you and Dane?”

  Dane. Oh, Lord. She’d really messed up with Dane. She never should have let him talk her into taking time to think things over. She’d put off the inevitable and now she felt like a two-timer.

  “Willa, are you still there?”

  “Yes. Right here.” And no way was she getting into all this on the phone. “Listen. I’ll call you as soon as we get back down into town. We can talk then—or, whenever you can get a minute.”

  “When will you be back in town?”

  “I don’t know for sure yet. Collin may have things he has to do up here. And we cleared the road as best we could, but there are some rough spots and some places where the cliff side collapsed. It could take a while to get down.”

  “Buster okay?”

  “He’s fine. Yes.”

  “And you?” He sounded worried. “You...okay?”

  Love washed through her. Her brother was such a great guy. “I am just fine. I promise you. And I’m glad you’re here. So glad.” Rust Creek Falls really needed him now. But she didn’t say that. She knew him, knew he had to be beating himself up that he hadn’t been there when the levee broke. Telling him how much he was needed would only make him feel worse about everything.

  “Call me,” he said. “As soon as you’re back in town.”

  * * *

  When she entered the kitchen, Buster was in the corner, his nose buried in Libby’s old food bowl. The coffee was brewing. And Collin stood at the stove, laying strips of bacon in a pan.

  She leaned a hip against the counter and stuck her hands in the pockets of the flannel robe she’d found on the back of his bathroom door. “I hope you don’t mind. I stole your robe.” Her purple shorts, cami and plaid shirt were strewn around the living room.

  He glanced over. “Looks better on you than on me anyway.”

  She wanted to go to him, brush his hair back off his forehead, tell him...

  What?

  She wasn’t quite sure. “That bacon smells so good.”

  He tipped his head toward the open shelves with the dishes on them. “Put the plates on the table?”

  She nodded and then got busy setting the table. He cooked the bacon and scrambled some eggs. She made the toast and poured the coffee.

  They sat down to eat, the silence between them both sharp-edged and a little too deep.

  She made herself break it. “Gage is fine. I said I would call him when we got back down into town.”

  “You need to get going right away, then?”

  She sipped her coffee. “No. There’s no hurry.”

  “You sure about that, Willa?”

  The question seemed to hang heavy in the air between them.

  Willa pushed back her chair. He watched her, dark eyes wary, as she went around the table to his side and did what she’d wanted to do since she entered the kitchen. She smoothed his hair back off his forehead. “I’m sure. No hurry.”

  He caught her hand. But he didn’t push it away. Instead, he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the t
ips of them. “Your food will get cold....”

  “Um. Can’t have that.” She bent and he tipped his head up. They shared a quick kiss and she returned to her chair.

  After that, the silence didn’t seem so oppressive. But the romantic and sensual mood of the night before, of that morning before the phone rang, was definitely absent.

  She wanted to talk—about everything. About how she was never going to marry Dane Everhart and she’d been wrong not to simply say no when Dane proposed, about how her brother would be fine with her and Collin being together, once she had a chance to talk with him. About how beautiful last night had been and how she was looking forward to more nights just like it.

  But somehow, she didn’t know where to begin. And that had her looking back wistfully at their recent nights on the front steps of the town hall, when talking with Collin had been as simple and easy as breathing.

  And now, here they were. Lovers, at last. And it was suddenly neither easy nor simple. She had so much to say—and yet she feared she might mess things up if she started talking. She might end up blurting out something that would turn him off.

  Was it true then, what they said about sex ruining a perfectly good friendship? She did hope not.

  * * *

  Collin knew he had to get her back to town as soon as possible. Her brother’s call had been like a bucket of icy water in the face. It had snapped him back to reality hard and fast.

  He shouldn’t have taken her to bed. He knew that. Really, where was it going to go with them?

  Nowhere. Things were crazy now, after the flood. Their whole world had been turned pretty much upside down. He knew that was all it was with the two of them: one of those things that happen when a man and a woman were thrown together by necessity in a crisis, with emotions running high.

  It could never be anything permanent. She was a nice girl with a certain kind of life ahead of her. And his life suited him fine as it was. He liked his independence, always had. And she was going to marry a big shot from Colorado. She would remember that soon enough.

  Probably already had. She’d been pretty damn quiet ever since she’d talked to Gage. Collin figured that just the sound of her brother’s voice had gotten her to thinking twice. She’d realized it was a bad idea, what they’d done last night, that it never should have happened and it needed to stop now.

  They loaded the contents of his freezer into coolers, strapped them into the pickup bed, and left for town.

  The trip down went smoothly, all things considered. Collin knew the places to be extra careful—and they’d cleared away the worst of the storm debris on the way up.

  He handed her his cell when they reached the base of the mountain. “Call Gage.”

  She made the call.

  It was, “Hi, it’s me...Yes...All right, I will...A few minutes...Okay.” She handed him back his phone and asked him to let her off at the sheriff’s office.

  He pulled up to the curb.

  She hooked Buster’s leash to his collar and turned a dewy smile his way. “I...well, I can’t tell you to call me, since I don’t have a phone.” She really did sound like she wanted him to call her.

  But that had to be wishful thinking on his part. His chest was tight and his throat felt like it had a log stuck in it. “I’ll see you.” It came out way too gruff and low.

  She searched his face. Whatever she was looking for, he didn’t think she found it. He reminded himself how that was for the best. “Um. Okay, then. Have a good one.”

  “Yeah. Say hi to Gage.”

  “Will do.” Another blinding, too-wide smile. And then she shouldered her pack, grabbed her big plastic bag of stuff and got out. Buster jumped down after her.

  He didn’t allow himself to watch her walk away. As soon as she shut the door, he put it in gear and got the hell out of there.

  * * *

  Gage was waiting for Willa in his office. He was on a cell phone arguing with someone about roadblocks or something, but he cut it short when he looked up and saw her in the doorway.

  “Willa.” He gave her a tired smile and ended the call. Then he got up and came around the desk to her. She ran to him and he hugged her close. He said in a voice rough with emotion, “I’m so glad you’re all right.” She let her bag and pack drop to the floor and hugged him back, hard. He’d always made her feel safe and protected. And right then, after the way Collin had seemed so eager to get rid of her, well, it felt good to have her big brother’s arms around her.

  When he let her go, she asked, “Have you been out to the ranch?”

  His mouth formed a grim line. “Yeah. What a mess. I’ll be staying down the street, in a FEMA trailer for a while.”

  “Why not stay at Mom and Dad’s?”

  “It’s better if I’m right here in town, where I need to be.” There was a tap on the door. He went over and opened it and said to the dispatcher, “I need a few minutes here. Won’t be long.” Then he shut the door again and turned to her. “Buster?”

  “He’s good. I tied him out in front.”

  He came back to her, clasped her shoulder and glanced down at the pile of belongings she’d dropped at her feet. “I heard you’ve been staying over at the town hall on a cot—until last night anyway.”

  She nodded, her gaze on his handsome face. He looked so weary, the faint lines around his eyes etched deeper than before. “It worked out.”

  He took charge, the way he always did. “So, then. You need a car, a phone and a place to stay.”

  She had a place to stay—with Collin. Or at least, she’d thought she did until a couple of hours ago. “A car and a phone would really help.” She was going to have a long talk with Collin that evening, whether he liked it or not. And then, if that didn’t go well, she’d find somewhere else to stay. “I need to get hold of the insurance people—for the house and for the Subaru.”

  “Have a seat.” Gage gestured at one of the guest chairs and then went back to sit behind his desk, where he pulled open a drawer and took out another cell phone, a charger and the key to his pickup. “I’ve got cells I can use and the county provides me with a vehicle. For now, you take my cell and the pickup.”

  “Oh, Gage. I can’t take your truck.”

  “Oh, yes, you can. And you will.” He shoved it all across at her. “I programmed the number of the cell I’ll be using into this phone. So you know where to reach me whenever you need me. Get a hold of your insurance agent. And call Mom. She’s been asking about you.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  “And with the truck, you can get around. Got money?”

  She admitted, “I lost my wallet in the Forester.”

  He passed her some cash and a credit card. “You should get over to Kalispell and replace your license. And you need to call about your credit cards....”

  She granted him a patient glance. “Yes, big brother.”

  He went right on. “There’s gas available, too. The garage just got its tanks refilled. With the truck, you’ll be able to stay at the ranch.”

  She wasn’t committing to that. At least not until she’d had it out with Collin. “I’ll be okay. Please don’t worry.”

  He was looking way too bleak. She knew what was coming next. And she was right. “So...you spent the night at Collin Traub’s.” He practically winced when he said Collin’s name.

  She sat up straighter. “Yes, I did—and you can just stop giving me that pained look. Collin’s not what I always thought, Gage. I’m ashamed of how completely I misjudged him. He’s a great guy.”

  He had a one-word response to that. “Dane?”

  “Dane is not the issue here.”

  “Willa.” He used her name as a rebuke. “The man asked you to marry him. I thought you were considering it.”

  “I blew it, all right? I never s
hould have told Dane I would think it over when he proposed. There’s nothing to think over. Dane is not the man for me.”

  “You say that now....”

  “Yes. And I should have said it from the first. As soon as Dane’s back in the country, I will apologize to him for keeping him hanging.”

  “Dane’s a good man. Are you sure you want to just cut him loose?”

  “I am absolutely certain.”

  “Well, even if that’s so, it doesn’t make the Traub wild man right for you. Willa, come on. You know about Collin Traub. He’s not a man to hang your hopes on. The guy never met a heart he didn’t break. And he’s spent more than one night cooling his heels in the jail cell out there for being drunk and disorderly and picking a fight.”

  She refused to waver. “People mature. They change. Collin grew up without a lot of supervision. Yes, he went a little wild.”

  “A little?”

  “He’s just not like that anymore. I...I care for him and I respect him.” Gage started to speak, but she didn’t let him get a word in. “Listen. I know you only want to protect me and I love you for it. But I don’t want or need protecting. I’m an adult and I know what I’m doing.” I hope.

  “Well, I don’t like it.”

  “Gage...”

  He surprised her and admitted, “All right. I know that he’s made a go of his uncle’s saddle-making business. I give him credit for that.” Willa started to relax a little. At least Gage realized that Collin had created a productive life for himself. But then he went on, “However, when it comes to women, Collin Traub is bad news. I want you to stay away from him. Can you just do that, just stay away from him for my sake? Please.”

  “I’m sorry. No. You’re the best brother any girl could have. But being the best doesn’t give you the right to tell me how to run my life.”

  He started to rise. “Now, you listen here—”

  “Sit down, Gage,” she instructed in her best schoolteacher tone. Surprisingly, he sank back to his chair. And she pressed her advantage. “I’m a grown woman. And I am fully capable of making my own decisions about my life—and the men in it. I want you to give Collin a chance.”