by Carter Ashby
“Shit,” he said, still chuckling.
“Whatever,” Franny said to Cora, “I just want you to know that you’re every bit as hot as your sisters.”
Adam didn’t agree. Cora was beautiful, but her sisters were tall, elegant, classically beautiful. Cora’s features didn’t come remotely close, and if she tried to date the way her sisters dated without the tools they had at their disposal, she was going to fail. But he realized if he said that out loud, he’d end up looking like an even bigger asshole than Rye.
“Don’t you agree, Sully?” Franny asked.
Sullivan glanced at Franny, and then Cora, as he backed away, clearly getting nervous again. “I always thought you had real cute ears, Cora.”
Cora had been sipping her soda and almost spat it out. “Cute ears? Thanks, Sully.”
He shrugged.
“Come on,” Franny said. “Is that what passes for a compliment in your family?”
Sully shrugged. “She’s got a cute nose, too, kind of turned up at the end. And all them freckles. Hell, Cora, you’re a cutie, that’s all. What do you want me to say?”
Cora’s cheeks turned a dark shade of pink. “Thank you, Sully. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He bobbed his head, once, and stepped backward toward his work bench.
“So what type of woman do you prefer, then, Sully?” Franny asked.
He turned to her, his face going blank. “A quiet one.” He put in his earbuds and turned back to his work, gone until the next time he decided to grace them with his conversation.
Cora turned to Adam wearing the sweetest smile he ever saw. “Sully called me a cutie.”
Adam kissed her on the forehead. “You are, Cora. A real cutie.”
They went shopping like he’d wanted and had ice cream at a little shop in the mall, where Franny kicked him in the ankle and said, “So what’s with you and Cash? You’ve lost a little of your delirious glow.”
He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure. We had a weird night Friday, and I haven’t heard from him since.” He told the girls about what happened, leaving nothing out.
Cora finished off her mint chocolate chip scoop and pushed the cup across the table. “Rye won’t talk about it. Whatever it is that happened in Henderson. He was arrested, you know?”
“Rye? Doesn’t surprise me,” Adam said, having learned nothing from their earlier conversation.
“Well, they found him innocent on grounds of self-defense. I couldn’t get the details, but it sounds like it was pretty bad for Cash. Do you think you can get him to talk to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think you can continue the relationship if he doesn’t?”
He hummed in thought. “That’s a good question.”
Franny happily scraped her double fudge brownie ice cream out of the bottom of the cup. “How long’s it been, a month? Maybe you just call him and let him know there’s no pressure to talk. That’s probably all it is. He’s afraid to contact you because he doesn’t want to talk.”
“Yeah, but how serious is this? I mean, I’d like to know up front how much work this relationship is gonna be. Depending on the kind of trust issues he’s got, I could be making a huge commitment.”
“God forbid,” Franny muttered.
Cora merely hitched a shoulder. “You have to do what you have to do. He seems like such a great guy, though.”
“He is.” Adam thought warmly on all the sweet moments they’d shared. He dwelled on that hot kiss before everything had gone downhill. “It sucks. This is the happiest I can remember being. God, I’m falling for him so hard, I just wish I could have all the information I need up front.”
“Love’s a risk,” Franny said.
“You know, you’re awfully free with the advice for someone who’s never even tried to be in a serious relationship.”
Franny narrowed her eyes at him.
Cora said, “She’s right, though. You’ve been dating a month. It’s time to decide whether he’s worth the risk or not.”
“What if I fall in love with him and he turns out to be really high maintenance?”
“If you want someone as low maintenance as Todd was, you’re likely to be looking for a very long time. That wasn’t even a real relationship. There was no give and take, you were just two guys who lived side by side.”
She was right. But still, “I liked how easy it was.”
“I’m sure you did. It won’t be that easy with Cash. He’ll need you, and you’ll need him.”
“Maybe it’s best you and I just stay away from the Holcomb boys.”
Cora’s look was inscrutable. But it didn’t really matter what she thought, Adam already regretted suggesting it. The truth was, he’d already fallen too far, and the past few days of radio silence from Cash had been absolutely miserable.
Cora reached over and patted his hand. “Easier said than done, huh?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE COUNTRY CLUB was supposed to be built on a piece of land just outside of town located in a valley near a gorgeous lake. Cora wasn’t familiar with the location, but Mr. Pinkerton and his partners insisted it was the only choice. Cora’s architect, Daniel, agreed. Rye vehemently did not, but he was going along with it anyway.
On Friday morning, she met with the two of them in the smallest conference room. Drafts of design work were laid out on the table. Daniel was slouched back in a chair sipping his tea while Rye held his coffee in one hand and leaned on the table over the plans with his other.
“How’s it coming?” Cora asked.
“My part’s done,” Daniel said. “If someone would just quit his bitching and do the structural design.”
Rye sat his mug down with a thump and turned to Daniel. “We can’t all live in Daniel’s world of sunshine and rainbows where buildings are erected using nothing but hopes and wishes. Somebody’s gotta make sure the goddamn ground is stable.”
“Then make it stable already.”
Rye sighed and turned his attention back to the plans. Cora had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “So talk to me. How bad is it?”
He pulled a topo map from under the design. “Here’s the site,” he said.
Cora, standing across the table, leaned down and angled her head for a better view.
“And here’s these two, pretty little hills, and this slope leading down to the site and into the lake. So when it rains, it all drains directly toward the building site. So that’s one nightmare. The other is the fact that the water table is high; there're springs all over that area. And the ground is soft.”
“Why not build here on the other side of the lake where the elevation is higher and out of the path of that drainage?”
Rye stood up and looked at Daniel. Daniel rolled his eyes. “Mr. Pinkerton insists on it; that’s why. They plan to put in docks for boating and access to the lake is better on that side.”
Rye threw his hands up.
“Okay, so what’s our next step?” Cora asked.
“I’m meeting with Mike, the Geotech I told you about. He’s bringing a crew down in about an hour, and they’ll do tests and take soil samples. Then we’ll meet with him next week to discuss a plan.” Rye turned back to Daniel. “You can tell Mr. Pinkerton that the price tag on this project is about to go way up.”
Daniel sneered from behind his coffee mug.
“I’d like to go see the site for myself,” Cora said. “I haven’t been out there.”
“I’m going anyway to meet Mike. You can come with me.”
Cora nodded. “Let’s go now, before all the loud equipment gets there. I just wanna get an idea of what we’re looking at.”
“Let me go grab my keys. Unless you wanna drive.”
She shrugged. “You can drive. I don’t care.” She went back to her office, not because she needed anything, but because she needed a moment. All the work of being professional and nonchalant was sometimes tiring
.
Rye was a pro. He’d been nothing but polite and professional all week. The only thing different about him, and visible only to her, was an intense regret in his eyes. She’d catch it sometimes at the end of a conversation, right before they’d part ways. Just a hesitation like he was about to say something. And then he would just give her a nod, turn, and walk away.
After leaving the bar Sunday night, Cora wondered whether Rye would sleep with Ginger. She’d waited anxiously for two days after, for Ginger to call and boast. But the call never came, and Cora was relieved that, for whatever reason he’d done it, Rye had walked away.
She took her breath, put on her boss face, and strode down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door. Rye was leaning against his pickup; his ball cap turned backward and dark sunglasses on. He looked up from his cell phone, his eyebrows going up in greeting. Then he went to the passenger’s side and opened the door for her. Cora didn’t argue with the behavior, she figured it was just habit for him.
But he noticed it as soon as she climbed inside. “Ha. Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to treat you like a date.” The door slammed shut and Cora’s heart beat a little faster.
Rye got in and drove. He was that guy who drove with his wrist like he was too cool to hold on to the wheel like normal people. Cora had to force herself not to glance at the way his jaw muscles flexed as he chewed his gum.
“So what do you think of Daniel’s design?” Cora asked, more for something to say than for his opinion.
“Oh, it’s fantastic. He’s a great architect. Just doesn’t know jack about engineering.”
“How do you feel about Daniel?”
“He’s a nice guy. I’m not into the whole testicle thing, but that’s just me.”
She glanced at him and tried not to enjoy the cocky, half-grin he was sporting. “You know what I mean. Can you work with him?”
“I can work with him. The question is whether he can work with me.”
“Seriously, Rye, as much as I get a kick out of your bickering, I need to know if there're any serious problems between the two of you.”
He was quiet for about a mile. “Couple days ago I hurt his feelings pretty bad. We were just arguing like usual, and I went too far. He cried. I felt like shit. So I made him tea in my office, and we talked it out.”
Cora wasn’t sure whether that fully answered her question, but she thought the idea of him having tea with Daniel was absolutely the sweetest thing ever. “What kind of tea did you have?”
“What are you asking me that for? It’s Daniel. Genmaicha, of course.”
That answered her question. If he was sensitive enough to know the favorite tea of a coworker he didn’t even like that much, Cora was confident he would fit in just fine.
They arrived at the site—rather, they arrived at the end of the gravel road they’d turned down. “See, we have to park here,” Rye said, “‘cause there’s no more road.”
His attitude was back full force. Cora tried not to smile as she climbed out of the truck. They stood at the dead end of the road, side-by-side. The road didn’t end at a sheer cliff, but at some point the ground had sunk leaving about a three foot drop off. “So that’s where the rest of the road went,” Rye said, hopping down.
Cora could vaguely make out what used to be the gravel road beneath an overgrowth of short weeds. Rye held his hand to her, and she took it as she hopped down. They walked down a gradually sloping hill toward the lake. The site was gorgeous with tall, green hills all around them. She followed just a step behind Rye as he pointed out all the pros and cons of the site. They walked around to the other side of the lake where Cora had suggested building the club. It was definitely a better location, but it put more distance between the club and the lake.
Still, Cora liked the spot. She stood next to Rye on a large, flat rock overlooking the lake. A cool, spring breeze rustled her hair. She breathed it in. “Wonder if there’s any fish in there,” she said.
“Pulled out a couple of big-ass catfish two nights ago,” Rye said. “Don’t tell anyone, though.”
The lake was private property. “You’re such a rebel.”
He chuckled. Silence reigned for a long moment. Cora had seen all she needed to. They ought to go on back to Rye’s truck and wait for Mike the Geotech to arrive. But they didn’t. They just stood still for a long while.
“I hate this town.”
Cora jerked her head up to look at him. He was gazing out over the lake as though he hadn’t just said those words. Then he smiled and looked down at her. “You know that?” he said. “I hated this town the moment I hit the exit ramp and passed that first, charming little bed and breakfast.”
She looked away. “Oh.”
“You wanna know why I hate this town and every quaint little country town like it?”
“Why?” she asked, her voice weak.
“Because I want to belong to one of them, but I don’t know how to. Because every time Cash and I step foot in one thinking that this place could finally be home, we run into the same set of assholes we met in the last place.”
She hugged her arms around her waist.
“But you know what I’ve learned?”
She hitched a shoulder.
“I’ve learned a lot of the reason I find trouble in every town is because I carry trouble with me. You think that sounds about right?”
She looked up at him. His eyes were intent on hers. His eyes were dark and serious. “Could be,” she said softly.
He took one step toward her, closing the distance between them a little bit. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Cora. I’m sorry for what I did Sunday. That was just really shitty of me, and I got no excuse. But I figured out that I’ve done this to myself. You have every right to think badly of me. I walked into this town figuring it was just like any other town, so I might as well get mine while I could. I already had my mind made up, so when something sweet and amazing came my way, I didn’t have a fucking clue how to handle it.”
Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and she found she couldn’t keep staring into his eyes.
“Cora, when you smiled the first time, you changed my life. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head this whole time. I’ve been praying to God all week that I haven’t messed things up for good.”
Now she felt she could barely breathe.
“Did I? Did I mess things up for good?”
She couldn’t even turn to look at him. He must have sensed it because he touched her chin with the tip of his finger and turned her head toward him. His eyes were so incredibly beautiful and earnest.
She cleared her throat and in a husky voice, asked, “What is it you want with me?”
“Just a chance. Let me prove to you that the guy you’ve known the past month isn’t really who I am. It’s just who I became after giving up on people. I can fix this, Cora.”
She opened her mouth to answer though she didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, the sound of trucks approaching interrupted them. She turned toward the noise. “We should get back—”
He spun her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers as he smoothed her hair off her forehead, leaving his hands to gently cup her face. The urgency and sincerity in his kiss undid her. She fisted her hands in his shirt and held on.
“I want you,” he whispered against her lips. “I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you, Cora.”
Warmth and ache set in between her legs, so intense her knees nearly buckled. A different woman might have been driven closer by her desire, but for Cora, the intensity of the passion drove her backward and away from Rye. Sure, the first impulse had been desire, but the second had been shame and guilt—a deeply embedded Puritanical guilt. For some reason, all she could think was that she hoped it didn’t show on her face. She hoped he couldn’t see in her eyes and her pink cheeks the lust he’d awakened.
His expression held only confusion—hope warring with fear.
“We need to get back.” She turned and started walk
ing, not caring if he followed or not, fleeing from the mind-boggling intensity of the heat she’d just felt.
CHAPTER NINE
FRIDAY NIGHT, CASH found himself back on Adam’s couch. Once again, Adam was in the kitchen brewing coffee. Cash leaned forward on his knees, his fingers shoved through his hair and let his eyes follow the ugly paisley pattern in the rug beneath the coffee table.
They’d met at Darcy’s, earlier, their first time since last week when Cash had freaked out.
The cushions sank as Adam settled in next to him. “So talk to me,” Adam said.
They’d done nothing but chit-chat and flirt at the bar, but Cash knew it was going to take more than that to re-establish his relationship with Adam.
Cash sat up and angled toward Adam. “I don’t know what happened last weekend. Anxiety or something. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s okay, love. I just need to know what’s going on with you. I don’t want to end up hurting you or anything.”
Adam’s brow was furrowed with concern. Cash smiled, reached out, and touched the crease between Adam’s eyebrows. “I just need to be in control.”
“I picked up on that. Why?”
“Does it matter?”
“You’re asking me to give up control, so yeah. I think I deserve to know why.”
Cash nodded and leaned back into the sofa. “I’m not ready to talk to you about everything. I can tell you that I haven’t had a serious relationship…ever. And what I typically do when I find a guy I wanna hook up with is, I lay out the rules, and he can take it or leave it. But with you…” Cash trailed off with a shrug.
“Okay,” Adam said slowly. “What are your rules?”
“I don’t want to have rules with you. You’re…special. I want us just to…make love, you know?”
Adam pressed his lips together in a smile. “But you need control.”
Cash nodded.
“Okay, so let’s start with this. Top or bottom?”
“Top,” Cash said a little too quickly.
“Always? No exceptions?”