by Jennie Marts
A small, niggling thought crept into his mind that she was doing it to get close to Rock—just as other women in Mason’s life had done. But that was ridiculous. Right?
That couldn’t be it. She hadn’t really spent any time with his brother. She’d seemed only to have eyes for him. But he’d been fooled before.
I’ll know soon enough. He glanced at his watch. She’d be here any time now. His pulse jumped at the thought of seeing her again.
“Mason Dean,” his mom yelled from the front porch of the house. “Come on in and get washed up. Dinner’s about ready.”
“I’m comin’,” he hollered back, then gave the horse’s neck a final pat before heading toward the old farmhouse.
The house itself might be old, but his brother had insisted on adding some renovations to the inside, including giving their mother an updated kitchen. The wall had been knocked out between the living room and kitchen, and a huge center island had been installed, giving the house a great-room effect.
Vivi had put the larger kitchen to use today, cooking and baking up a storm, and the counters were covered with salads, breads, and assorted baked goods.
His great-aunt had arrived earlier that afternoon, and she sat at the table, her hands busy as she husked a giant stack of corn.
Mason leaned down and brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Aunt Sassy.”
“Hey, yourself,” she answered with a wry smile. “Hope you brought in your appetite. Your mom’s cooked enough for eighty.”
“Good. I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving.”
He chuckled and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie—his favorite—from a plate and stuffed it in his mouth.
“Your ‘new friend’ should be here any minute,” Vivi said, glancing up at the kitchen clock as he washed his hands at the sink.
“Yep,” he mumbled around the mouthful of cookie, avoiding his mother’s curious eyes as she handed him a towel.
“Whose new friend should be here?” Colt asked, dropping his hat on the table as he sauntered through the front door.
“Your brother’s, apparently.” Vivi nodded at Mason, her face wearing the slightest smirk as she leaned her hip against the counter. “As of yesterday, he’s invited a girl to attend the wedding with him and all the prewedding activities, including the barbecue today.”
“What? No way. Mace doesn’t do spontaneous.” Colt pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted off the cap. Tipping the bottle up, he took a swig, then eyed Mason suspiciously. “Do you, Bro?”
“Yes, I do,” Mason muttered. “Or I’ve been known to. Sometimes.”
“So, who’s the girl?” Colt scoffed.
“She’s not a girl. She’s a woman. And her name is Tess. You met her last night.”
“So did you.” Colt cocked an eyebrow. “She must have been one hell of a first date if you’re already bringing her out to the ranch to meet Ma and hang with us.”
That was the thing, the thing that had been gnawing at Mason. She had been one hell of a first date.
Not that spending time together at the party had been a date, but he’d had a great time with her. They’d laughed and talked, and he’d felt like himself around her. And he didn’t feel like that very often.
Maybe it was because she didn’t already know him, didn’t know the history of their family, didn’t know that he was Rockford James’s little brother. He felt like he was just Mason to her. Without all the baggage.
He felt good. And that thought excited and terrified him.
Not that he could say any of that to his brother. Colt and Rock would rib him for a month of Sundays if they heard him spouting any of that mushy stuff. “Everybody needs to stop making such a big deal out of this,” he said. Including himself. “She’s nice, and she’s fun, and I invited her to the wedding and to the barbecue today. End of story.”
There. That ought to do it. Act like it’s no big deal, and it won’t be.
Although he had a feeling his mom wasn’t fooled one bit. Vivienne James knew her sons, often better than they knew themselves. She offered him an easy smile. “I’m sure she is nice. Otherwise you wouldn’t have invited her. I’m looking forward to her visit.”
Colt studied him for another moment then shrugged and peered over the array of dishes on the counter. He snagged an oatmeal scotchie. “Whatever. She seemed cool to me. And we all noticed that she was wearing your shirt, so you must have already spent some ‘nice’ and ‘fun’ time together.” He laughed as Mason threw the towel he was holding at his head.
The sound of a car’s engine coming down the long driveway of the ranch drew their attention to the front window of the kitchen.
“Looks like your ‘new friend’ has arrived,” Vivi said, a note of amusement in her tone.
Mason ignored her, too busy trying to quell the flurry of sensations that had just taken off in his gut. He pushed out the front door, pausing on the porch to steady himself as she parked her car next to his pickup. His border collie, Theo, raced up to greet her as she stepped from the car.
She had on a simple tank top and shorts, but her hair was loose and curled around her shoulders, and when she pulled off her sunglasses and smiled up at him, she took his danged breath away.
He sauntered down the porch steps, trying to act casual since he knew full well that his mother and brother would have their faces plastered to the kitchen window.
A grin broke out on his face as he approached her. Forget the food at the barbecue. Tessa Kane looked good enough to eat.
She took a step forward, and without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the barn. “Come on, I want to show you something,” he mumbled.
“What is it?” she asked as they stepped into the cool shadow of the barn.
He turned to face her, suddenly feeling awkward and shy. “Nothing. My family was just watching us, and it felt weird saying hello to you while they stared at us through the window.”
She smiled. “Understandable.”
He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “And also, I’ve had something that’s been bugging me all night, and I thought if I could take care of it right off the bat, we’d just get it out of the way and it wouldn’t be between us all afternoon.”
“Oh…kay. This sounds serious. What is it?”
“It’s about that kiss I gave you…”
Her eyes widened, then she shook her head as she stared at the ground next to his boots. “Oh yeah, that. Of course. You were probably worried that I would get the wrong idea. Or that I would think this was more than just a casual date. I know you just asked me to help with the busybodies, and that I’m just a stand-in. I get it.”
What the hell was she talking about?
“No. It’s not anything like that.” He lifted her chin, tipping her face up to his. “I just feel like maybe it wasn’t my best work.”
A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. “Oh.”
“I think if I had another chance, I could do better. You know, make it a little more memorable.”
She shrugged, looking up at him through her lashes. Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “I thought it was nice.”
“Darlin’, I never want a woman to think a kiss I gave her was ‘nice.’”
A sly grin crossed her face, and she pushed her shoulders back and took a step closer. “In that case, I think you’re right.” She lifted her hands and rested them on his chest. “You’d better try again.”
He swallowed, the heat of her hands warming his chest.
She scrunched the folds of his shirt into her fists. “I’m ready when you are.” Her voice lowered, taking on a breathy tone. “But if you’re going for memorable, you’d better make it a good one.”
Chapter 8
Holy shit. Flashes of heat darted down Mason’s spine. And throug
h his groin.
He loved the way she looked shy one moment, then her eyes flashed with the spark of a dare the next. He couldn’t figure this woman out, but he liked her.
There was more to Tessa Kane than he’d imagined, and it would seem that she’d just thrown down a challenge. And he was up for it. If the tightening in his jeans were any indication, apparently in more ways than one.
He pulled back slightly, just enough to gaze down into her face. A light glaze of shimmery gloss coated her lips, and her cheeks were pink with color. She stared up at him, her expression holding a mixture of fear and anticipation.
He knew the feeling.
Then she pulled her bottom lip just slightly under her front teeth, and he didn’t know anything—except that he wanted that pretty, pink mouth.
Keeping one arm around her waist, he reached up with the other and slid his hand along her slender neck, feeling her pulse race under his thumb. He held her gaze, his eyes not leaving hers as he cupped her cheek in his palm.
Her lips parted, anticipating his kiss, and his own pulse galloped through his veins.
“Comin’ in hot,” he warned as he tilted her face the slimmest degree, then leaned in and lightly grazed her lips with his.
She tasted like spearmint and vanilla and something else—something that made him feel the same way he did on a warm summer night when the air was perfect, the stars were out, and the sweetest peace would settle in his soul.
A quiet sound escaped her lips, a cross between a moan and a sigh, as he pressed another soft kiss against her lips.
And it was about the sexiest sound he’d ever heard.
Her hands tightened the grip she had on his shirt, and he couldn’t hold back a grin.
“You said to make it good,” he murmured against her lips.
“Is that all you got?” she whispered back, her voice husky and breathless.
Aw hell. Now all bets were off.
Fire surged through his veins as he pulled her to him, dragging her body tightly against his, then slanting his mouth across hers, taking her lips in a passionate kiss.
She melted into him, matching the intensity of the kiss.
Everything else fell away—nothing else mattered. Nothing except the feel of this woman pressed against him and the taste of her lips on his. He wanted to pick her up and carry her into the bunkhouse, to drag that tank top over her head and rip those shorts down her legs.
Screw the barbecue and the family time. All he wanted was time with Tess. Time to explore and discover what she liked, what she loved, and what made her squirm with desire.
He wanted this woman under him.
And over him.
Sliding his hand from her cheek, he dove it into her hair, filling his fingers with the thick, silky strands as he imagined the way that tangled dark hair would look fanned out across his white pillowcase.
“Geez, get a room!”
The sound of his older brother’s catcall broke through Mason’s concentration. He took a step back, immediately missing the warmth of Tess’s voluptuous body, and tried to catch his breath.
Rock and Quinn crossed the driveway toward the barn, his older brother’s face holding an impish smirk. They must have walked over from Rivers Gulch.
Tess seemed a little off-balance herself. Mason could hear her quick gasps of breath, and her eyes were as round as shotgun shells. He reached out his hand and took hold of hers as they walked out of the barn and back toward her car. He told himself it was to steady her, but in truth, the feel of her fingers gripping his hand worked to calm him.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Mason shot back, ignoring the jab aimed at him and Tess.
“Oh yeah? It looked to me like you weren’t exactly ready for company.” His brother gave him a good-natured slug in the arm before turning to Tess. “Hi, Tess. I was going to say welcome to the Triple J Ranch, but it seems like you already got the red-carpet reception.”
“All right, leave the girl alone,” Quinn said, stepping up to Tessa’s defense and smiling warmly at her. “It’s nice to see you again, Tess. And I could use another woman around here, so don’t let these two yokels run you off.”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” Tess said, giving Mason’s hand a squeeze.
The sentiment gave his heart a squeeze as well.
What was that about? Hadn’t he just been telling his brother he didn’t do spontaneous? Hadn’t he just been reminding himself that he was the responsible one, the one who made smart decisions?
So what in the Sam Hill was he doing letting his heart get involved with a woman he’d just met, who had shown up out of nowhere, and who hadn’t yet made it through even ten minutes of dealing with his family.
I need to take a giant step back, he thought and let go of her hand.
That had been one hell of a kiss though.
“I hope you don’t mind that I brought another friend along,” Tess said as she reached for her car door.
Here it came. Who was her friend? Could they coincidentally happen to be a big fan of Rockford James? He searched the interior of the car but didn’t see anyone sitting there. Was this woman crazy?
Tess opened the door, and a small, scruffy dog leapt from the car and ran around her legs.
Mason let out a chuckle, laughing at the nutty dog and at himself for being such an idiot and jumping to conclusions. “Who’s this?”
“This is Dewey.”
“I didn’t realize you had a dog. I didn’t see him yesterday.”
“I didn’t have him yesterday. And I don’t have a dog… I mean, he isn’t mine. I found him last night. In a parking lot. He was scared to death and shivering in the rain.”
“Poor little guy.” Mason bent down and gave the dog a scratch on the ears. The dog leaned in and closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the attention and the scratch. “Do you think he’s a stray?”
“I don’t know what to think. He’s a great dog, really well-behaved, which makes me think he belonged to someone. But his tags, if he had any, are missing from his collar. I stopped in at the sheriff’s office to let them know I’d found him, and I left my number. And the librarian in town helped me to make a few flyers with his picture on it. I put them up in the grocery store and the pizza place and on that bulletin board by the courthouse. I figured I’d hold on to him for a few days…just until someone comes forward to claim him.”
“He does seem like a sweetheart,” Quinn said, smiling down at the dog, who had ventured away from Tess and was sniffing at her shoes. “That’s nice of you to take care of him.”
That’s what Mason had been thinking.
The screen door slammed, and Colt and Vivi came down the stairs.
“Tess, you remember my brother, Colt, and my mom, Vivi.”
Vivi smiled and gestured around the farmyard. “Welcome to the Triple J. We’re glad to have you.”
“She’s already been welcomed, with Mace’s tongue down her throat,” Rock murmured under his breath to Colt.
Mason glared at his brothers, but they didn’t care. They both shrugged, good-natured grins covering their faces as they tried not to laugh.
“Your house is beautiful. And the view is amazing,” Tess said, nodding at the range of mountains that served as a backdrop to their ranch. “Thanks so much for including me.”
“It’s our pleasure. I hope you brought your appetite.” Vivi turned to Colt and Rock. “Why don’t you two stop behavin’ like fools and make yourselves useful by firing up the grill.”
“I hope it’s okay that I brought the dog with me,” Tess said as Mason’s brothers headed toward the yard.
“Of course,” Vivi told her. “There’s always plenty of animals running around this place. We’ve got a handful of barn cats, and Colt’s golden retriever, Watson, is around here somewhere. And that one’s Theo… He’s Ma
son’s dog.” She gestured to the border collie that had just raced out of the barn to run circles around her legs.
Tess knelt down to run her hand along the furry neck of the dog as he wiggled next to her. “Hi, Theo.” She laughed as he lathered her cheek with a sloppy dog kiss.
Mason grinned. He’d introduced his dog to his last date, and she’d shrunk back from the excited mutt and spent the next thirty minutes discreetly trying to pick the dog hair off her pants.
Not Tess.
A blue pickup pulled down the drive and parked next to them. Hamilton and Quinn’s son, Max, climbed out, followed by a huge brown dog.
“See what I mean?” Vivi said, planting her feet so she didn’t get bowled over by the big dog who loped up to her in greeting. She ruffled his neck. “Hello, Truman. You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”
“He’s not that good,” Hamilton said, a scowl evident under his thick mustache. “He’s the reason we’re late. He decided to sample the cake that was sitting on the counter.”
“Oh no,” Quinn wailed. “He didn’t. He ate the whole cake?”
“Not the whole cake,” Max explained. “We saved the one side. Grandpa and I are gonna eat that later.”
“We still brought the baked beans,” Hamilton said, hoisting a stainless-steel Crock-Pot from the bed of the pickup.
Vivi chuckled and rubbed Quinn’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ve got plenty of dessert.”
Quinn sighed. “I spent all morning making that dumb cake.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Mom,” Max said, as usual sounding much older than an eight-year-old kid, “Truman obviously thought it was real good. He liked it so much, he would have eaten the whole thing if we wouldn’t have caught him.”
“Surprisingly, that does not make me feel any better,” Quinn said in a wry tone. “Last week, that dog tried to eat a bottle of Elmer’s Glue, so I’m not that impressed with his discerning palate.”
Tess let out a snort of laughter. The group turned to her as if they’d forgotten she was there, and then they all broke into laughter.