by LuAnn McLane
“Oh, she and Sara put their heads together for that one.” Jeff laughed. “To this day I don’t know how they pulled it off, but the little town has a history of banding together and making impossible things happen. It still blows me away.”
“I think I’m going to like it here.”
When the sun totally disappeared, Jeff slowed down and Cat found herself edging closer to him. “It won’t be much longer,” he said. “But do you need to rest?”
“I’m fine,” Cat told him, but then of course she had to trip over a root and stumble as if she’d had too much Chardonnay.
“Whoa, there.” He held tightly to her hand or she might have done a face-plant.
“Unless of course you’re offering a piggyback ride,” she joked to hide her embarrassment.
“If you want one,” Jeff offered and halted their progress.
“No!” she said quickly. While Cat kept in pretty good shape, she was a big girl and she’d die of embarrassment if he couldn’t carry her. But the thought of having her legs wrapped around him left her feeling breathless.
“Don’t say I didn’t offer.” He tugged on her hand and started walking.
In a few minutes they came to the road, but instead of heading to her cabin Jeff led her up to his place. “What are you doing?”
“You said you didn’t have a first aid kit. I want to make sure you clean that cut and put antibiotic ointment on it.”
Cat nodded. She had to admit it felt rather nice to have someone looking out for her well-being—someone who wasn’t being paid to do it.
“Just watch out for that black bear over there,” he added, making Cat shriek.
When he laughed, she pulled up and stomped her foot. “That wasn’t one bit funny.”
“Yes, it was.”
“Are there really black bears around here?”
“No.” Jeff shook his head. “We’re close to Tennessee, where they do have black bears, so it isn’t out of the question. But no, it’s a rare occurrence.”
“Just when I was starting to like you,” she said, and then wanted to bite her tongue. She knew she wasn’t Jeff Greenfield’s type of girl. He probably went for cute little blondes with a sultry Southern accent and a sweet disposition. Cat had none of those things. It sucked that she got that nervous fluttery feeling when he walked in to rehearsal each day. Her fingers tingled when they brushed his, and holding his hand made her feel secure.
And the kiss?
She wasn’t even going there.
No, unrequited love was a big-ass bummer and Cat was going to do everything it took to mask her growing feelings for Jeff. It just wasn’t going to be easy. Now that she knew the bone-melting feeling of kissing him, she wanted to kiss him again. And again.
8
Help
JEFF OPENED HIS DOOR AND MOVED ASIDE FOR CAT TO enter. After flicking on the recessed lighting he gestured toward the kitchen to the left of the great room. “Have a seat there and I’ll go get my first aid kit.”
“Okay.” She nodded but appeared a bit pale. “May I have a bottle of water?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have asked if you wanted something to drink. I also have beer, wine, soft drinks?”
“A bottle of water—” She pulled a twig from her hair and frowned at it as if wondering how it got there. “Oh, and a glass of wine. I’m a two-fisted drinker,” she said with a chuckle.
“Coming right up.” Jeff handed her a bottle of water. “White or red?”
“Do you have a bottle open? Don’t uncork one just for me.”
“I always have a bottle of wine open.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “You seem like a beer kind of guy.”
He retrieved a wineglass from a cabinet. “Maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t. I mean, guys who wear Wranglers and flannel surely drink wine all the time. What was I thinking?”
Jeff laughed. “I’m usually a beer and bourbon kind of guy. But I find wine to be soothing when I write songs. Don’t tell anyone about that little secret. I want to maintain my badass reputation.”
“Never.” Cat gave him a wide-eyed innocent look that said she would surely tell at the first opportunity. “Whatever you have open is fine.” She unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and took a swig. “You don’t seem like the badass type, though. I mean, those dimples of yours defuse any badassness. I think I just coined a new word.”
“Yeah, I’m not the bad boy in the band. Merlot?”
“That will do nicely.”
Jeff poured the wine and then paused to pick up her forearm and examine it. The ugly scratch on her soft skin bothered him more than he thought it would, and he had this odd urge to plant a soft kiss on her hand. “Not as bad as I thought.” His attempt at a brisk tone came out gruff. Jeff cleared his throat. “I’ll patch you up in no time,” he added, and then realized he still had her elbow firmly cupped in the palm of his hand.
Cat leaned forward and peered down at the jagged scratch. “I’ve had worse.” Her hair slipped over her shoulder and brushed across his arm. Totally innocent, but it sent a warm rush of longing pulsing through his blood. He wanted to touch her hair, tuck the silky strands behind her ear, pull her into his arms and kiss her. When she looked at him, the desire he felt must have shown on his face because her eyes widened just slightly but she didn’t pull away. She swallowed and said, “I really think I broke my pinkie. It’s still throbbing, so I might have joined the broken-bone club.”
“What?” Jeff looked down and saw a darkening bruise beneath her fingernail. “Oh, I think you’re right. Cat, what in the world am I going to do with you?” he asked and then had a sudden vision of what he wanted to do.
“Wind me up in bubble wrap?”
“It’s not a bad idea.” What he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms, and so he quickly stepped away. He brought her a little baggie filled with ice. “Keep this on your finger. I’ll be right back,” he said, then headed off to his master bathroom. He quickly located the first aid kit in the cabinet beneath the sink but paused to rein in his feelings. When the sun had started to sink low in the sky he’d started watching for Cat to return, and when she didn’t, it had scared the daylights out of him. The woods were no place for her to be wandering around after dark. Jeff tried to tell himself he’d be concerned no matter who it was out there hiking, but deep down he knew better. He was starting to like her way too much, and if he wasn’t careful it would complicate his music career. He needed to make choices with a clear head and not have emotion involved. With that in mind, he decided he needed to bandage her arm and send her on her way.
Jeff popped the lid off the kit to make sure it had everything he needed. He hated to think of her in pain and if she’d been lost in the dark he would have searched tirelessly to find her. Although he acted as if she annoyed him at every turn, if he was honest with himself he’d admit that he enjoyed her company—especially her quirky sense of humor. And if he was really honest, he would admit that he hadn’t been this attracted to someone in a long-ass time.
And the girl could sing her face off.
Jeff felt a bit guilty about not taking her talent seriously. Sara had recently called him a music snob and was dying to meet Cat, who happened to be one of Sara’s favorite artists. His mother wanted Cat to come over for Sunday dinner soon! Jeff had told his mother no way. But the problem was that he really wanted to ask her. He wanted to show her the farm, and after dinner sit on the front porch with their guitars and sing together in the moonlight. But that would be delving into dangerous territory, so he wouldn’t ask.
Jeff knew what he needed to do. He needed to patch Cat up, walk her to her door, and then head over to Sully’s and find a pretty girl to dance with. Maybe his attraction to Cat was because he’d been neglecting his social life. Yes, he’d call Snake and head to Sully’s. A few beers in, a pretty girl in his arms and all would be right with his mixed-up world. Good, he had a plan.
>
Jeff ignored that slight pang in his stomach when Cat looked over and smiled. It was stupid that thoughts of dancing with another girl made him feel guilty. Cat wasn’t his girlfriend, dammit. And she wasn’t going to be. End of story.
“You doin’ okay?” he asked briskly.
Cat held up the wineglass. “This is helping. Maybe you should pour some bourbon over the wound like in an old Western movie.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit on the crazy side?”
“Yes. Normal is overrated, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know. I consider myself pretty normal.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Oh, that’s too bad.”
Jeff chuckled. “You need to wash the scratch under the sink. The soap is antibiotic.” He frowned. “I’m going to have to get you out of that shirt.”
“What?” She actually blushed. “What did you say?”
“Your shirt. You have the sleeves rolled up but you need something loose so you don’t mess up the bandage afterward.”
Cat glanced down. “Oh, I see what you mean.”
“I’ll get you one of my T-shirts.”
Cat nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll be right back.” Jeff went to his bedroom and lifted a clean shirt from his dresser drawer, not really paying attention to which shirt it was. Putting a bandage on her arm had turned into wine and her wearing his clothes. How in the hell did that happen? The sooner he got Cat back to her place the better. Jeff hurried to the kitchen and thrust the shirt at Cat. “You can change in the bathroom off the hallway. There’s soap in there too and then we can get you bandaged up,” he said with a quick smile.
Cat nodded, but Jeff caught the flash of uncertainty in her eyes and he felt like an ass. When she stood up he had the urge to pull her into his arms, but he refrained. He needed to put some distance between them. Anything more than a friendly but business relationship was going to muddy the waters. The kiss had been an absolute bonehead move that wasn’t going to be repeated. Blaming her had been nothing short of genius when he knew all too well that he had been the culprit. Jeff scrubbed a hand down his face. All it had taken was his mouth brushing against her soft lips and he’d been a total goner. Not gonna happen again.
“Okay, Doc, here I am,” Cat announced and walked toward him. The Keith Urban song “You Look Good in My Shirt” started playing in his head. The blue University of Kentucky shirt was at least two sizes too big, but she somehow managed to make it look entirely sexy. She sat down and put her arm in front of him. “Make me all better,” she said with a small smile. “And then I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Get out of my hair?”
“It’s a figure of speech.” She waved her hand, wincing as her pinkie throbbed.
“I know that, but why do you think I want you to go so fast?”
“Um, maybe because you’re scowling at me?”
“No, I’m not.”
She blew out a sigh. “I get it. First you had to trudge up the hill after me and now this. I’m … sorry.” She lifted one shoulder.
“Sorry for what?” When her gaze flicked away he wanted to gently turn her back to face him, but he refrained. “Cat?”
“For being a pain in the ass.”
Jeff couldn’t help it. He laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” she sputtered.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am completely serious. Why do people laugh at me when I’m being totally sincere? It’s very off-putting, I’ll have you know.”
“Are you really arguing with me over whether you’re a pain in the ass or not?”
“I think that says it all. I win.” She smiled. “Wait… . I think.”
This admission only made Jeff laugh harder. “It’s kind of hard to take you seriously with twigs and leaves littering your hair.”
“Still?” She reached up and extracted a small leaf. “I thought I got them all.”
Jeff gently started applying salve to her scratch, hating it when she winced. “I don’t mean to hurt you. This has to be done.”
“I am a complete wimp when it comes to pain. I think it goes back to being an only child and getting attention. I made scratches and bruises into a huge deal.”
Jeff chuckled while he found a sterile pad. He gently wrapped her arm with gauze and then taped it securely over the scratch. “There. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” He started putting the items back in the kit.
Cat took the last sip of her wine. “Thanks for coming to my rescue or I might still be up there on the mountain. I should get going.”
“I’ll walk you.”
“I’ve taken too much of your evening already. I can find my way up the road and around the bend. I even left lights on, I think.”
“I’m walking you,” Jeff said firmly. “I don’t mind.”
“You’re kind of bossy, you know.”
“I’ve been told I’m actually very laid-back.”
Cat inhaled a deep breath. “Okay, walk me up if it makes you happy.” She started to stand up, but as she pushed up with her hand, she winced again.
Jeff reached over and gently picked up her hand. “You need to put some ice on that.”
“Oh, if I had a dime for each time I was told to do that …”
Jeff laughed again. “You’d be worth millions?”
“Billions. My mother still jokes that they knew me by name in the emergency room.”
Jeff realized he was still holding her hand and quickly released it. “Well, I grew up on a farm, remember? Somebody was always getting hurt.” When he stood up, she followed. He wondered what she would do if he asked her to stay. They could order a pizza and maybe watch a movie or ball game, he thought, but then shook his head internally. No! As soon as he’d walked her home he was calling Snake. It was ladies’ night at Sully’s and the tavern should be hopping.
“It sure is dark out here,” Cat commented as they walked up the road. “I would have been totally terrified. Thank you again for finding me in my hour of need.”
“If you need help with anything, just call,” Jeff said, and at her immediate smile he added, “That’s how we do things here in Cricket Creek.” He wanted to make it clear he was just being neighborly. Of course, kissing her had gone above the call of duty. He wasn’t going to bring it up. But when he reached her door, it felt oddly like the end of a date where he had to decide whether to go for the good night kiss. He leaned in and gave her a brief, awkward hug. “Put some ice on that hand.”
“Will do.”
“Well, I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. And thanks again, Jeff. I’ll try to keep out of trouble from now on.”
“And do you think that’s going to work out for you?”
She laughed. “Of course not. But I will give it the old college try. Come to think of it, I did give college a brief try with not so good results.”
“What happened?”
“I liked to sing at local bars but forgot to go to class in the morning.”
“Ah, let me guess—your parents pulled the plug.”
“And to their dismay I moved to Nashville to pursue my singing.”
“Well, it worked out pretty well.”
Cat shrugged. “Not the way I wanted, but that’s why I’m here.” She stood there uncertainly for a second, as if she wanted to say more, but then smiled. “Okay, good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jeff nodded. As he walked back to his cabin, he started losing interest in going to Sully’s. Maybe he’d go back and soak in his hot tub. The thought occurred to him that Cat’s sore body would benefit from a soak in the bubbling water, but then he shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with me?” He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the inky blue sky. With determination he took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Snake. He needed a cold beer and a warm woman … in that order.
9
Twist and Shout
; CAT STARED AT THE SELECTION OF FROZEN DINNERS IN HER freezer and wrinkled up her nose. “Well, yuck.” Her stomach rumbled in empty protest, but none of the selections appealed to her. She supposed there was nothing like taking a tumble down a mountain to get your appetite going. She wanted something spicy and maybe a little bit naughty, like a cheeseburger or wings. French fries. “No, onion rings!” Cat tried fairly hard to eat a healthy diet, but sometimes a girl just had to splurge.
Nibbling on the inside of her lip, she considered going out to dinner, but the thought of eating alone made her groan. One of the bad things about changing cities was leaving all your friends behind, she thought with another drawn-out sigh.
Cat picked up the lemon chicken with angel hair pasta and tried to get her taste buds interested, but they stubbornly cried out for bar food. She was considering digging into the decadent chocolate chip ice cream when her cell phone rang, making her jump about a foot into the air. When she spotted Mia’s name on the screen, she eagerly answered. “Please tell me you’re back in town and want to go out and eat some greasy bar food. I need a partner in crime,” Cat said in a rush.
“I am back in town, and I want to go out and eat some greasy bar food,” Mia repeated with a laugh.
“Oh, Mia, have I told you lately that I love you?”
“No, and I’ve been wondering about that. What gives?”
Cat laughed. “Well, I love you.”
“More than greasy bar food?”
“That might be pushing it.” Cat sat down on a tall stool with backs made from bent willow branches. “But you’re a close second.”
Mia chuckled. “I’ll take what I can get. By the way, I’m so glad you like the cabin.”
“Oh, Mia, it’s gorgeous. Both rustic and elegant at the same time. The splash of color with the quilts brightens up the entire cabin. It’s just so cozy and peaceful here. And I just love the view of the river.”
“I thought the setting was just perfect. So do you want to meet me at Sully’s? I can get over there pretty soon and snag a table. It’s ladies’ night, so it will be pretty packed with ladies and of course guys looking for ladies.”