“Whoa, what the hell was that?” He asked as he rubbed his hand.
“I…I don’t know.”
Cody studied Emma’s face as she studied his. He felt like liquid fire had coursed through his veins, his cock thickened.
She gazed into his smouldering, passion filled eyes before shaking her head. “I have to get back to Zoe.”
Cody nodded but, his mind was still lost in the feelings she had brought out, and his straining cock.
“Emma.”
She swung back. “Yes?”
“What did you come out here for?”
“I wanted to ask if there was anything I could do while the physio worked on Zoe. I don’t want to step on Mrs Cranston’s toes by interfering with her work routine.”
Cody chuckled. “She can be a bit possessive about her house but she has been with us for years so we indulge her. You’re taking care of my sister. I think that’s enough. Take the time to relax and do something for you.”
“Okay but, do you mind if I check the pantry and plan our meals for the next week. I really love to cook. It helps me relax.”
“That’s fine, if it’s what you want.”
“Thank you.” She turned and continued her trek back to the house.
~*~
Cody dragged his fingers through his hair as he stood watching her go, her backside gently swaying. An image of her taut ass in only a G-string bombarded his mind. His cock insisted on release and he jiggled in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. What the hell is going on? My body has never been out of control with any woman. In the short time she’d been at the ranch, he’d asked himself the same question dozens of times. Why now, why Emma?
He’d known her since he was eleven years old. She had been a scrawny six-year-old, the best friend of his sister, and a giant thorn in his side. She had either followed him around or spied on him from the safety of a tree. Then, once she’d grown up, her and his sister had followed him to town and frequented the same bars. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to kiss a woman without Emma appearing from somewhere nearby.
When he’d complained to his mother, she had told him Emma had a crush on him but she would get over it. The past Emma free years had been a blessing. He had been able to date women without fear of her popping up unannounced.
She had changed, she was still the same opinionated woman he’d always known but, now she was gorgeous, sexy, with eyes that would melt the fiercest of men. And, his body had feelings for her which he couldn’t ignore.
“Boss, who do you want first up?” Gil interrupted his thoughts.
Cody turned to face his men and watched as their eyes zeroed in on his crotch, he felt his face heat. His cock continued to strain at the zip. “Get Fancy Girl and Blender out,” he grumbled before stomping away.
Gil and Spencer glanced at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and followed their boss.
~*~
Emma slammed the front door as she entered the house. Zoe wheeled herself into the hall to see what all the ruckus was about.
“What’s he done now?” She wheeled herself closer.
“He hates me, Zoe. He told his men I’m an ornery, disobedient, pain in the fucking ass.” Emma pushed past the wheelchair and rushed to the living room. She plonked herself in a chair, dropped her head in her hands, and burst into tears.
Zoe followed with lightning speed and took hold of her friend’s hands. Emma peered at her with so much sadness in her eyes. “Emma, he always says things like that. Fuck, he’s been saying things like that to both of us since we were six years old. Since our very first play date. Why are you so upset by i…?” She stopped mid-sentence, clapped a hand over her mouth and studied Emma. “Fuck, you’re in love with him. Why haven’t I noticed it before?”
Emma gave a nervous laugh. “You’re imagining things, Zoe. He’s in love with Eden. That’s why he got so angry when we fired her. That’s why she got upset when you told her you didn’t need her now I was back.”
Zoe laughed. “You couldn’t be further from the truth. Eden is deeply in love with Gil.”
Emma lifted her head and peered at Zoe in astonishment. “Gil?”
“Yep. He was the one who recommended her to Cody and me. She’s with the Home Nursing Service. Being here gave her the opportunity to spend more time with him.”
“Oh.”
“It all makes sense now. The way you wanted to always play near to where he was, climb trees so we could spy on him. Then when we were older you always insisted on going to the bars where he hung out. Why has it taken me so long to realize you have always had feelings for my brother? How dense am I?”
A knock at the front door and a voice calling Zoe’s name, interrupted their conversation. Emma sighed with relief.
“That’s my physiotherapist. This conversation isn’t finished,” Zoe said as she wheeled herself from the room.
Emma followed. A statuesque blonde around the same age as her, intercepted them. Her eyes were the bluest she had ever seen. The girl should have been a model. She was drop dead gorgeous. Emma felt like a frump.
“Hi Zoe.” Her eyes perused Emma as she burst into smile. “Hi, I’m Caitlin Young, Zoe’s physio.”
Emma shook her hand. “Emma Jamison, a childhood friend.”
“Emma’s staying to take care of me.”
“You’re the best friend I’ve been hearing about. The one who’s been teaching in France for two years and then travelling around Europe for three months. Lucky thing. My goal is to travel one day but I have to pay back my student loans first.”
“I loved it but I missed my brother and my friends, especially Zoe.” Emma squeezed Zoe’s hand.
Caitlin took control of the wheelchair and slowly pushed it to the room Cody had converted for his sister’s therapy.
Emma walked with them. “I’ll catch up with you both later,” she said as she veered off to the kitchen. She swiped paper and a pen from the table and made a bee line for the pantry.
“I’m not in love with Cody. What a stupid thing to say,” she muttered as she opened the pantry door. She slid to the floor with her back against the wall. Dropping her head into her hands, she groaned.
“Who am I kidding, of course I’m in love with him. Always have been and always will be.”
~*~
Zoe lay on the Physio table and Caitlin began working her legs. She pushed her knee up into her chest before stretching it straight. A pain pinched her back and she yelped.
“Did that hurt?”
“I felt a pain near my butt as you stretched my leg back out.”
Caitlin furrowed her brow. Obviously a nerve was flickering into life. Did that mean others would follow? Would she walk again after all?
“What does it mean?” Zoe asked.
“I’m not sure but it sounds like you might have experienced nerve pain.”
“Am I getting feeling back? Will I walk again?” She couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.
“Slow down,” Caitlin cautioned. “It’s too soon to know anything yet.”
“But it might mean I’m going to get better.”
“Maybe. How about we wait and see. Tell me more about Emma.”
Caitlin listened to Zoe recalling her adventures with Emma. The mischief, the fun. She wished she’d had a girlfriend like them but she’d been an Air Force brat. They’d never stayed in one town long enough for her to form a close bond with anyone. Hell, she’d never gotten to know the town let alone its people.
Most of her childhood had been spent in hospitals where they attempted to bring her asthma under control. It was where almost all of her schooling had taken place until the doctors finally found a combination of drugs to keep the insidious disease at bay. Against her parents’ wishes, she had taken herself off to college and obtained her degree in Physiotherapy. The relief she had felt being out from under her parents’ over-protective eyes had been sheer bliss.
She had moved to the small town of St Mark two months a
go with her twin brother. She couldn’t stand her parents coddling any longer. They had been devastated but Scott had promised he’d take care of her and there was an excellent hospital nearby if her Asthma flared to life. The fresh country air had helped her breathe the easiest she had for years. She helped Zoe roll onto her front.
“Caitlin?”
“Sorry, I was thinking about how different my life has been. I wish I could have had a close girlfriend. You’re very lucky.”
Zoe heard the wistfulness, almost sadness in Caitlin’s voice. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Caitlin chuckled as she massaged Zoe’s back. “Not really. We moved around a lot. My Dad was in the Air Force so I never got a chance to make friends.”
“Why did you move here?”
“My twin brother had a job offer as a partner in a Law Firm. My parents are a bit umm, overprotective, so I decided to come with him.”
“Are you glad you did?”
“Yes, I am. I love my parents but I needed to be away from them. Well, you’re done. Your muscles didn’t seem to be as tight today which is progress. Let’s see how you are on Wednesday.”
Caitlin helped Zoe into her wheelchair and they headed for the kitchen.
They found Emma at the stove, stirring a beef stew she had made for their lunch. She turned and smiled.
“Would you like to stay for lunch, Caitlin?”
“I would love to but I have to be at my next client in half an hour. Rain check?”
“Sure, see you Wednesday.”
Caitlin collected her purse. “I’ll see myself out.”
“Thanks Caitlin,” Zoe called to her receding back.
As the Physiotherapist reached for the door handle, the front door opened with force, knocking her onto her backside.
Her scream brought Emma running and Zoe followed close behind.
They found Cody helping Caitlin up from the floor. “I’m so sorry, Caitlin. I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s okay,” she squeaked out past her laboring breath.” No, not now. I can’t have an attack here. “I’m fine but in a hurry.” She scooped her purse off the floor and hurtled through the door.
Cody watched as she slipped into her car, fired up the engine and disappeared down the driveway in a cloud of dust. Another maniac woman driver.
He strode into the kitchen with the girls close behind. Emma moved to the bubbling pot on the stove, while Zoe finished setting the table with everything she had placed on the bench.
“What is it about you girls that you have to drive at breakneck speed? Do you have a death wish?” Cody asked as he washed his hands at the sink.
“You just drive too damn slow, big brother, so it seems like everyone else drives fast.” Zoe laughed.
“I drive to the speed limit,” he countered.
Emma set bowls of steaming stew on the table and a platter of freshly baked bread. She took her seat next to her friend.
“Smells good and it has to be better than my cooking.” Cody rubbed his hands together before lifting his spoon and scooping the first mouthful into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he chewed. “Mmmm, mmmm, damn this is good.” He spread a large chunk of bread with lashings of butter, scooped a spoonful of stew into his mouth and bit into the bread.
Emma’s body tingled when his eyes met hers and he smiled. “Doesn’t Mrs Cranston cook for you at all? She must have some wonderful recipes.”
Cody almost choked on his bread. “She’s an even worse cook than me or Zoe so we told her we would look after our own meals. Our stomachs thanked us very much.”
Emma chuckled.
“You girls still going into town this afternoon?”
“Yes. As soon as lunch is over and we get the kitchen and ourselves cleaned up.” Emma answered cautiously. The protest she expected from Cody never came.
“Are you going to Periwinkles?” he asked.
“We’ll probably stop off for a cold drink, why?”
“I’m thinking I might give Leanne Warner a call and meet her there. We can have a drink with you before we go off and have dinner and some fun. I probably won’t be back before morning.”
Emma froze with her spoon in mid-air. He was seeing someone? He was planning on spending the night with a woman? She placed her spoon in the bowl, suddenly she didn’t feel hungry. She scraped back her chair and carried the finished dishes to the sink.
“Zoe, I remembered I need to take care of something. Do you mind if we put off our trip into town until tomorrow? Will you be okay by yourself for an hour?”
Zoe gazed at her friend before glaring at Cody. Emma was as white as a sheet and she could see the moisture in her eyes. “Sure, I’ll be fine.”
Emma fled the room and the house. She ran through the meadow to the river front as fast as she could. Tears streamed from her eyes.
Chapter Five
“Great, just great,” Zoe yelled.
“What’s great?” Cody gazed at his sister.
She could see he had no idea what he had done by the incredulous look in his eyes. “You have no fucking idea how much you have just upset Emma do you?”
His face creased into a frown. “What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t say anything wrong. You’re talking in circles.”
“You were talking about spending the night with Leanne, in front of Emma. She’s really hurt.” She could see by his puzzled expression he still didn’t get it.
“So what? She’s a big girl. She knows what goes on between a man and a woman.” Even if she hasn’t experienced it yet. Why the fuck would she be hurt?
Zoe threw her hands in the air in frustration. “You are the stupidest fucking man I have ever met.”
Cody became angry. “I’ve got work to do. I can’t sit around here listening to your abuse or trying to piece your puzzles together.” He pushed his chair back and stood. He was lowering his dishes into the sink when she spoke again. What she said next almost caused his knees to buckle beneath him.
“Emma’s in love with you. She always has been. She argues with you because she thinks you don’t like her and she’s terrified of you discovering her feelings.”
Fuck. Cody turned slowly. He rested his back against the sink to give him support and dragged his fingers through his unruly hair. “I don’t dislike Emma but fuck sis, I’m not in love with her. I can’t put my life on hold because she has a crush and might get hurt. How long have you known?”
“I only figured it out this morning and it’s much more than a crush.”
“Did she tell you or are you guessing?”
“I sort of guessed when she came in from the barn. She was heartbroken and crying. I thought it was a bit of an over-reaction until everything suddenly fell into place. When I said she was in love with you she blushed but before I could question her any further, Caitlin arrived.”
“You’re probably imagining it.”
“I’ve known Emma practically my whole life and there is no doubt in my mind, she’s in love with you. I think she went to France to try and get over you. I also reckon that’s why she never came here to visit after she went to college. It hasn’t worked. She loves you, Cody and it’s tearing her apart.”
He paced the floor. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know but we need to figure something out. I can’t bear to see her suffering and falling apart. Maybe I should move to California with her.”
No. I’m not in love with Emma but I like having her around. “I don’t want you to go, sis. You’re all I have and I need to know you’re okay.”
“Well, something is going to have to be done before she completely falls apart. Maybe we could move into town. That way you could still see me and know I’m okay.”
“Let me think on it.” He stepped near to his sister and placed a kiss on her cheek. “We’ll figure something out. I promise.”
Zoe reached for his hand. Her eyes twinkled with tears as she gazed up at him. “Please, please, don’t hur
t her, Cody.”
“I’ll try not to,” he murmured before leaving the room.
~*~
Emma raced toward the old oak tree down by the river front. It had always been a favorite spot, somewhere she could sit when she was upset. It was almost always something Cody had said or done. Zoe would usually give her an hour to feel better and then join her. That wouldn’t happen this time.
She came to a stop at the base of the tree, pulled off her sandals and flopped onto the ground. Her back rested against the massive trunk. For a moment she sat watching the water as it trickled and played over huge boulders. Tears flooded her eyes. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her head. Once the tears started, they were like an unstoppable torrent.
Why did I have to fall in love with someone who could never love me? Will I never get over him? Will I ever be able to move on?
Her chest heaved as she cried, harder than she had ever cried in her life. She’d known it would be hard to return home but hadn’t envisaged living under his nose. How was she supposed to deal with him dating other women? How would she feel when the day came that he married and started a family?
The thoughts brought more tears. She was sobbing her heart out and that’s how Cody found her a few minutes later.
He stood for a moment and watched as her body trembled and shook. God help me. Zoe must be right. Deep down you knew how she felt asshole and you still taunted her by saying you were going on a date. You had to throw it in her face because you couldn’t fucking admit you like her. He wanted to turn and run. How was he going to relieve Emma’s grief? He moved toward her, it was breaking his heart seeing her so upset.
Emma didn’t hear Cody approach. When he reached down and gathered her hands, her head shot up and she squeaked in surprise.
“Emma, don’t do this sweetheart.” He pulled her onto her feet and into his chest. This unleashed a new wave of crying and he stood quietly, holding her and rubbing her back.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried into his now soaked, blue cotton shirt. She tried to push herself back but his arms were like steel bars as they held her. She dropped her head back against the dampness and hiccupped the last of the sobs. “I’m okay now.”
Accidental Love Page 4