Her business thrived and so did she. They spent time with his family. She’d become friends with his DEA buddies’ wives. They spent the most time with Beck and Ashley. She never thought she’d be friends with a mega movie star, but the Oscar-winning actress seemed just like everyone else out here. Now, it seemed odd to see her on TV or in movies.
And Cara loved being in on the inside scoop when Beck and Caden’s sister, Alina, and Agent Jay Bennett’s secret relationship, which sounded more like a series of hookups, heated up after two guys broke into Alina’s house while she was home and hurt her. Needless to say, it was a big deal in the DEA to have a family member hurt during a robbery, but when Alina and Agent Bennett’s relationship went public, Beck and Caden almost went ballistic. Alina held her own against her big brothers.
“Hey, sweetheart, I thought you were coming?”
She turned from her woolgathering out the kitchen window and smiled up at the man she never expected to become her best friend, the person she trusted with her life—after all, he’d saved it—and so much more in so many ways.
She walked around the counter, but before she could kiss him, he dipped down, grabbed her legs, and tossed her over his shoulder. She screamed out her surprise. Dawson smacked one big hand over her ass and rubbed her rump. She had to admit, she didn’t mind the view and slid her palms into his back pockets and squeezed his very fine ass.
“Keep that up and you’ll miss your surprise.”
She pressed on his butt, leaned up, and tried to see his face through the messy curtain her hair made over her face. “What surprise?”
“You’ll see.” He walked out the front door, tipped her back over his shoulder and onto her feet, then took her hand. “Come on.”
She raked her fingers through her hair and shuffled along after him. “I thought you said you wanted me to come watch you shoot today.”
“I do. You’ll see.”
He stopped beside his beloved horse. Charlie nickered, ready to go for a ride. Dawson surprised her weeks after she moved in with her own mare. She fell in love with Bella at first sight. Dawson said she spoiled the horses. He was just jealous.
Dawson took her by the hips and lifted her into the saddle. “That never gets old or stops being sexy.”
He gripped her thigh and leaned up for a kiss. They kissed a lot. They couldn’t help it. If they were close, the pull was just too strong and neither of them put up even a token fight against it.
“I love our Sunday rides.”
Dawson swung up into the saddle. Charlie danced sideways, bringing them close. “Charlie’s flirting with you again.”
“Don’t worry, honey, you know I love you more.”
Dawson’s mouth quirked into a sexy half grin, pleased to hear he was, and would always be, her one true love. “He’s hoping you have spearmints in your pocket.”
She handed one over, avoiding Dawson’s reproachful gaze. “About this surprise . . .”
“I’ll show you.” Dawson kicked Charlie and took off down the lane at a brisk clip.
Bella followed after her pal, happy for a good run across the wide-open land, green but turning brown as summer faded into fall. Cara settled into the ride, the sun warming her hair and shoulders.
She loved watching Dawson ride. Confident and sure in the saddle, he projected an ease every time they rode together. But today, she sensed something off. He kept looking back at her like she’d disappear.
The ride to the spot Dawson used for target practice didn’t take long. He usually came out here in the truck. Today, he’d left early to set up his targets and rifle, but he’d also set up a surprise for her.
She slowed Bella way before Dawson stopped Charlie by the truck he’d left behind and the blankets he’d laid out. He dismounted, tied Charlie to a nearby tree branch, and turned back and stared at her ten yards away.
“Do you like it?” He waved his hand out to the blankets, baskets overflowing with flowers at each corner, bright colored balloons tied in bundles and gently swaying in the soft breeze rising up from them, and a birthday cake under a plastic dome.
“How did you know? I never said . . .”
“I hate to remind you how this all started, but I do have an entire file on you, Cara. I’m glad I memorized certain facts, since you still tend to keep things to yourself. Like the fact today is your birthday.”
“You planned all this for me?”
“And more,” he confirmed, smiling at her. “Family dinner at my parents’ place later this evening. But first, your favorite, cake for breakfast.” He checked his watch, the one she gave him two months ago on his birthday. “Well, brunch.”
She dismounted, took Bella’s reins, and led her over to Charlie, then met Dawson on the blankets where he’d sliced her a piece of cake. She swiped her finger through the thick frosting and licked it from her finger.
“So good. I can’t believe your family is having a party for me tonight.”
“You shouldn’t be. They’re our family.” Dawson leaned in and kissed her softly. “Yum. You taste sweet.”
She smiled and touched his jaw with her fingertips, but couldn’t quite meet his gaze. “Do you ever think about having a family?”
“Kids? Yeah. Definitely. Whenever you’re ready.”
She snapped her head up and met his steady gaze. “Really? You mean it?”
“Why would you think I don’t? This is our home. Our life together. I want everything with you.” He took her cake plate and set it aside. “Check this out. I’ll prove it to you.”
She caught his arm. “Dawson, you don’t have to prove anything to me. With you, I believe in everything.”
He cupped her face and kissed her softly, holding it for several beats of their joined hearts. He broke the reverent kiss and pressed his forehead to hers and looked deep into her eyes. His were filled with love and hope and, surprisingly, worry. “I want to show you something.”
She brushed her fingers over his soft hair to reassure him. For what, she didn’t know. But this mattered a great deal to him. “Are you okay?”
He pulled back and rolled to his belly behind the rifle he had set up for practice. He patted the space beside him and handed her earplugs and the binoculars as she lay down. “I’m nervous about this going off perfectly.”
“You never miss.”
“I hope not. This is the most important thing I’ve ever done. It’s the first and last time I hope I ever do it.”
Intrigued, she stared through the binoculars at the four square targets. “What’s so special about these targets? They’re not even as far away as you usually shoot.”
“You’ll see. Left to right. Ready?”
“Go.”
He hit each target in succession with four rapid shots. Each target fell over, pulling up another square revealing one very specific request: WILL YOU MARRY ME?
She gasped, dropped the binoculars, rolled to her side, and braced herself on her arm and stared at Dawson, her mouth agape.
He set the rifle down, pulled out his earplugs while she did the same, then sat up and leaned on one hand and held out a gorgeous diamond ring in the other.
“I love you more than I can possibly say. These last months with you have been the happiest of my life. I wake up grateful for you every morning and go to sleep beside you each night knowing I am the luckiest man alive. You make my life complete. You’ll make it perfect if you say yes and agree to be my wife and make a family with me.”
Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth and nodded before she was able to whisper the words she’d been screaming in her head. “Yes. Yes. Yes to everything.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and smiled so big her heart nearly burst with all the love that exploded through her. She tackled him onto the blanket and kissed him with all that love bursting out of her. Clothes went flying, both of them greedy to get their hands on the other. They came together in a wild frenzy but took their time making love under
the sun and showing each other how precious they were to each other and that they would live this life together and never let go.
An Excerpt from Montana Heat: Tempted by Love
Continue reading for the next sizzling installment of the Montana Heat series
MONTANA HEAT: TEMPTED BY LOVE
Coming Summer 2018!
Chapter One
Walk away.
Now!
The other way!
Stop walking.
Turn around before it’s too late.
Jay ignored the commands in his head, too tempted by some other, deeper part of himself and the beauty staring into her glass at the bar to override good sense and self-preservation.
She’s the sister of your two best friends!
Even that didn’t falter his steps.
Since they arrived yesterday at the lodge for both her brothers’ weddings, every time she drew his eye—far too often for his comfort considering his connection to her brothers—she seemed happy, vibrant even.
So why the sadness in her eyes?
Caden married Mia just hours ago. Family and friends, like him, celebrated the couple’s nuptials with dinner and dancing after the lovely garden ceremony. Alina enjoyed herself through all of it, interacting with her parents, brothers, and other family. The friendship between her and Mia, and Beck’s fiancée, Ashley, seemed genuine and growing closer.
As the party ended and everyone went back to their rooms to rest before Beck and Ashley’s wedding tomorrow, he’d snuck out onto the terrace to take yet another work call. He never expected to come back in and find Alina alone, and looking lonely, at the bar.
He should go up to his room and leave her be. A smart man would, but he took a seat beside her, waved a signal to the bartender to bring him what she was having, then tried to wipe that forlorn look off her beautiful face. “You’re not losing your brothers, you’re gaining two sisters. As I see it, they’ve got those guys wrapped around their little fingers, so it’s three-to-two against your brothers now.” The stupid statement earned him a half-hearted smile.
“Actually, I’m the only girl and the youngest, so I’m pretty much a spoiled brat and get everything I want.” Her lips turned down into another thoughtful frown. “Mostly.”
Jay nodded his thanks to the bartender for the double whiskey. “Well, spoiled is one thing, brat is another.”
Alina pinched her lips into an adorable pout. “I don’t know how they did it. Those two.” She shook her head. “I mean, seriously. I thought they’d be single forever, or at least take another ten years before work wasn’t more important than having a life.”
He had a couple years on her oldest brother Caden and nearly ten years on her. She probably thought him ancient. He still hadn’t taken the plunge, or even come close.
“But somehow in the midst of the chaos that is their lives, they found the perfect person. I can’t find a guy who can manage to show up on time, put his phone down for a real conversation, and doesn’t think a text is as good as a phone call.”
“Any guy who thinks he’s got something better to do than talk to you isn’t worth your time.”
Alina rolled her eyes at that bland platitude.
Jay had ignored the beeps and pings coming from his cell phone since he sat down, alerting him that even if he was taking a few days’ vacation, the bad guys weren’t and work continued and demanded his attention even this late at night.
Right now, the dark-haired beauty sitting next to him had his full attention.
He sipped his drink, surprised by the smooth warmth of it instead of the sting down his throat he expected. Alina had great taste in whiskey. He’d had a couple of beers and champagne at the reception, but now wished he’d been drinking with Alina the whole day. She liked the good stuff.
“Trust me, there will come a time when a guy takes one look at you and he’ll know what I know, what you already know, that you’re a woman worth holding on to.” One sip of the outstanding whiskey hadn’t loosened his tongue enough to make him spill that truth.
He wanted her to know it.
Her head came up and her gaze finally left the drink she’d been staring at for the last five minutes and met his. Her head tipped to the side as she studied his face and looked deep into his eyes. “How do you know? We’ve barely spent any time together.”
“I’ve been to dozens of birthdays, holidays, and dinner parties with your brothers. We’ve done the small-talk thing on many occasions. But I’ve really gotten to know you through your brothers. They talk about you all the time. For all their teasing and grumpy attitudes when you tell them what to do, they adore you. They’re so proud of you for all your accomplishments. You graduated top of your class, earned your bachelor’s degree in three years, completed the Pharm.D program with honors.”
Her eyes widened with shock that he knew that much about her.
“How’s the new job? Is your boss still giving you trouble?”
Caden and Beck both appreciated the married man had taken Alina under his wing at work, but grumbled about his overly affectionate way with their sister.
If they saw Jay with her now, they’d send him up to his room. Alone. In their eyes, no one was good enough for their sister. He got a kick out of hearing how they gave every guy she’d ever brought around a thorough once-over and stern warning. The guy who could stand up to them just might be the guy who kept her.
Jay didn’t move. He liked her company.
“You mean, is he still in love with me?”
“Who isn’t?” he teased, and earned another sweet smile. “You charm everyone around you with your friendliness and open acceptance of newcomers.”
“Yet we’ve barely shared more than pleasant chit-chat.”
True. “But in my line of work, observation is key.”
Her blue-gray eyes sharpened on him. “And you’ve been watching me.”
Busted. That wasn’t a question, and he couldn’t deny it.
From the moment he arrived and joined the wedding festivities, he’d been unable to do anything else. All of a sudden, he saw her in a different light. He didn’t know why. She was the same attractive woman he’d seen before, but something changed inside of him when he spotted her laughing with her soon-to-be sisters-in-law in the lobby. She glowed brighter than the brides-to-be. Her laugh punched him in the gut and lightened his mood all at the same time. He’d wanted in on the joke and to laugh with her. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed like that.
He sipped his drink and tried to tell himself he didn’t see the interest in her eyes he’d seen in many other women’s sultry looks. He failed at convincing himself because Alina looked more like a desirable woman tonight than his buddies’ baby sister.
He needed to rein in his mouth and growing desire to reach out and touch her to see if her golden skin was as soft as it looked.
Maybe he’d had one too many drinks. The whiskey loosened his tongue and cracked open the door on his libido that he’d had on lockdown for the past many months. He’d vowed to stay single until he could devote more than one night here and there with many nights in between in which the woman was left to wonder if he’d fallen off the face of the earth or just got buried under paperwork.
His job had become his life. And just like Alina, he sat here wondering if the kind of friendship, love, and connection Caden and Beck had found would ever be his.
“Don’t worry, Alina, you’ve got plenty of time to settle down. Enjoy this next part of your life now that you’re out of college and grad school and finally living your life the way you want. You’ve got a great job, friends, and a family who supports you. The perfect guy will come along.”
She might have time, but he was creeping ever-closer to his forties and that dreaded point when people would begin wondering what the hell was wrong with him that he hadn’t found someone to share his life, not even a long-time girlfriend.
This past year, he’d felt time slipping by along with the dr
eams for a wife, kids, and home he’d always thought he’d have someday.
His somedays were running out faster than he’d ever imagined.
Reading the change in his mood, Alina settled her hand over his on the bar. The warmth of her skin sank into him and spread like a living thing through his system.
The sadness faded from her eyes as that sultry look she gave him earlier took over again. “My brothers both said they never saw Mia and Ashley coming. Maybe we should stop looking for love and enjoy the company we’re with. Love will either find us, or not.”
“I’ve had a lot of not. It can be fun, too.”
Alina picked up her drink, but kept her other hand over his. He took his glass in his free hand and clinked it with hers. “To the most beautiful company I’ve had in a long time.”
Alina tossed back the last big swallow. He did the same. The warmth from the whiskey spreading through his system was nothing compared to the heat in her eyes.
The next round led to two more as conversation easily flowed. At some point, he turned on the stool toward her and her legs ended up between his. They shared some embarrassing but funny stories about their lives. He told her about one particularly strange breakup that had her reaching out and placing her hand on his face. “She seriously broke up with you because your smile is just a tad lopsided?” The frown didn’t match the mirth in her bright eyes.
“You should have seen her place. Don’t ask me why I noticed, but every switch plate in her house had the screw heads with the lines perfectly vertical to match the up and down switches. Attention to detail is one thing, but that’s just bizarre. Seriously, who has the time to do that? Everything was straight lines, pictures and knickknacks perfectly centered, everything symmetrical.”
True to You Page 30