by Seton, Cora
“Not that, idiot. The store.”
Heloise’s sharp tone almost made him laugh. He liked riling the old girl, but today wasn’t a good time for jokes. “Handy for what?”
“For me,” Storm said. “Heloise is ordering me to open it back up.”
Zane struggled to keep from snapping at his aunt. He and Storm were doing so well; if she messed it up by ordering Storm around… “You can’t make her do things.”
“Who says I can’t?” Heloise shot him an angry look and he cursed himself. She was right; she still held the deed to the ranch. She could order any of them around. “The way I see it, the women in this town need somewhere to shop. Kenna’s got style. She’s the one to do it.”
“Kenna prefers to be called Storm,” he said severely. “And she has to leave right after Thanksgiving for another trip. How is she supposed to run a store?”
“That’s what managers are for.” Heloise folded her arms over her chest.
He’d seen that look before. He might as well try to make Chance Creek flow backward as change her mind. If Storm didn’t bow to her wishes, they might all be in trouble.
“It’s okay,” Storm said, as if anticipating his next words. “It’s a challenge. I’ll do what I can to spiff the place up. Heloise has been forewarned about my travel plans. She can’t blame me if the store gets in trouble while I’m gone.” She fixed a smile on Heloise. “Maybe you should be my manager. What do you say, Heloise?”
“I say I’m too old for that nonsense.” But Heloise was smiling. Zane knew she secretly liked it when people showed they had backbone.
To a point.
“Are you sure that’s what you want? To work in town?” he asked Storm.
“It might be interesting.”
Despite himself, something eased in Zane’s heart. Heloise had obviously taken a shine to Storm. And she was giving Storm a reason to stay and put down roots in Chance Creek, as inappropriate as a store was for a mountain climber. Did Storm realize how she was being manipulated? Why was she allowing it to happen?
And why had Heloise decided Storm needed manipulating? Did she really just need someone to unload the store on? Or did she want him to succeed in staying married? Heloise was tricky—he was afraid there was a catch.
Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face, because Heloise said, “Can’t an old woman do someone a good turn or two without being suspected? You two have worn me out. Take me home.”
“Heloise must have really taken a shine to you, if she’s trying to keep you here,” Zane said as they walked back to his truck a half-hour later.
“I guess.” Storm had to admit she was pleased with the idea of turning around a retail store. It was the kind of adventure she’d always hoped for. The kind that had seemed forever out of reach.
“If you’re going to stick around, you’ll need some warmer clothes,” Zane said. “Better shoes, too,” he added, pointing one booted foot toward the sandals she still wore.
Storm cautiously held up the key Heloise had given her. “I can take what I want from Mandy’s Emporium. Let’s go back and take a look.”
Zane shuddered. “There’s got to be a better choice.”
She had to laugh at his expression. “I should at least be able to find a few more pairs of jeans and sweaters.”
As it turned out, she found more than that and soon she’d bagged up several pairs of skinny jeans which Zane declared must have been around since the last time they were in style in the 1980s, a few simple T-shirts and button downs, two A-line skirts made from fall-weight fabric, and three sweaters.
“Grab a pair of boots while you’re at it,” Zane suggested. “They’ll hold up better on the ranch than your sandals. Here—try these. I remember Mom saying Mandy did know her footwear.”
She took the boots gingerly. Cowboy boots weren’t her thing, but then neither were jeans, and she had to admit they were kind of cute. “Wrong size,” she said. They searched together for several minutes, neither of them talking, until they found the extra boxes in the back room. “Here. Size six.” She opened the box right there and tried them on.
“Those look good.” The compliment lifted her spirits. They did look good. In fact, they made her legs look a mile long. Storm grinned, and pulled them off again.
“How about some of these?” Zane had found the lingerie section of the store, such as it was. He held up a thong.
“I’ll stick to what I’ve got back at the ranch, thank you very much.” When they reached the front of the store, she hesitated. “It feels weird just walking out with this stuff. Shouldn’t I leave money or something?”
“To pay yourself? If it’s your store, I think you get to take whatever you want.”
If it’s your store.
Was it her store? Was Zane her husband? Did she belong here at all?
Or was this all a fleeting dream that would disappear in six short weeks?
Chapter Eight
‡
“There he is, the man of the hour,” Mason said, coming into the stables just before dinner. Austin followed close behind and they both clapped Zane on the back. “You sure found yourself a pretty woman. Sweet, too. Regan likes what she’s seen of her so far.”
“How’d you meet her, anyway?” Austin asked. “Is she really a mountain climber? She looks like a wisp of a thing to me.”
Zane realized he and Storm hadn’t discussed what story they’d tell the others, but he wasn’t too worried. After all, Mason was the first of them to place a wife-wanted ad on the Internet and he and Regan had met online. Austin and Ella had met that way, too.
“She answered an ad,” he said.
“The one I put out for you?” Mason asked as he got to work.
“No, a different one.” A much more matter-of-fact and mercenary one, but he wouldn’t tell his brother that.
“How long have you dated?”
“Probably not as long as we should have,” Zane hedged, “but she’s the one for me.”
“Sometimes you just know,” Mason agreed.
“Mia’s called about wedding preparations a few times in the last couple of weeks,” Austin said. “Have you spoken with her?”
“Not yet. Storm’s taking care of that.”
“Couldn’t help noticing Storm’s not wearing a ring,” Mason said nonchalantly. At his brothers’ perplexed looks he threw up his hands and admitted, “All right, it was Regan who noticed. What gives?”
“I wanted to pick it out here in town,” Zane said, scrambling for a suitable answer. “I’ll take Storm to get it this week.”
“I’m surprised Heloise didn’t give you heck about it.”
“She was too busy forcing Storm to take over Mandy’s Emporium. Remember that place?” He filled them in on the details, including the way Storm had tweaked Heloise with her offer of the manager position.
“She’s a keeper, that’s for sure,” Austin said. “Maybe it’s a good thing, though. When you two start your family, she won’t want to keep traipsing off for months at a time to the far corners of the earth, will she?”
Zane didn’t know how to answer that.
“You have discussed kids, haven’t you?” his twin pressed.
“Not exactly. I mean, she wants a family. Someday.” He could hear how lame he sounded. Wouldn’t a couple getting married for real talk about all of this stuff? He hadn’t thought to ask her.
Because they were supposed to be divorced before it ever came up.
The thought left him feeling bleak, so he was glad when Austin continued. “Better start talking about it. I know Ella and Regan are going to start in on her soon. You know how it is. Pregnancy is contagious.”
“Is that how it works?” Mason said. “I always thought it had something to do with birds and bees.”
Zane tuned out their jokes. The idea of having a child with Storm had taken hold of him, and he wondered what she really thought about children and family. Would she want to keep climbing mountains fo
rever, or would she someday settle down?
“I’m glad everything turned out all right for you,” Austin said, breaking into his thoughts. “Whether or not you have kids, I’m sure you both will be very happy.”
Suddenly Zane wasn’t sure about that at all. It hit him hard how little time he had to convince Storm to stay with him. Just under six weeks. He’d better get started now.
“Details. We need details,” Regan said when Storm ventured downstairs again and found the two women alone in the kitchen, preparing for supper.
“We want the whole story about how you two met,” Ella said. She poured Storm a cup of coffee and beckoned her to take a seat at the small kitchen table. A large, solid, shaggy black dog sat underneath it. Ella tracked the direction of her glance. “That’s Milo. Friendliest mutt you’ve ever met.”
“Hi Milo,” Storm said, buying time. She perched on the edge of the seat, blowing on her coffee. “What about you two? How did you meet Mason and Austin?”
Regan laughed and colored a little. “I actually met Mason because of mixing social media with alcohol. I saw his online ad one night when I was alone and wasted, thought it was hilarious, and wrote him an e-mail straight out of a Jane Austen movie. He wrote back and the next thing I knew we were Skyping and calling and emailing back and forth. He wouldn’t give up no matter how I tried to break things off. I mean, it was crazy, right? Meeting someone online like that. But it was romantic, too, and I fell in love with him—even before I ever met him in person. It was like we were meant to be together. When I came here I fell in love with Crescent Hall, too. Mason and I got married and the rest is history.”
“My story is even crazier than Regan’s,” Ella said, setting the table. “I had just gotten back on my feet after the disaster at the Oscars.”
Storm nodded. She watched enough television to know what Ella meant. Ella had been a candidate for the Best Supporting Actress award but another actress, Kaylee Lipenhauer, won and stole Ella’s fiancée from her all in one blow by announcing on stage that she’d been having an affair with Anthony Black for months and was pregnant with his child. The scandal had rocked Hollywood, and Ella had disappeared for months, only to return on an episode of Morning with Myra. But that hadn’t gone well, either. The host, Myra Cramer, set her up by inviting Anthony and Kaylee on the show, too.
“You clocked Anthony,” Storm said. “I thought he deserved it.”
Ella went to get glasses from a cabinet. “He did deserve it, but my career was tanking and I needed somewhere to hide. Austin put up a different wife-wanted ad saying he wanted a pretend wife for about a year. It looked like the perfect answer to my problems.”
“So you’re just pretending to be Austin’s wife?” Storm felt a rush of relief. She would be able to confess everything to them. They’d understand what she was going through and help her figure out what to do.
“Only briefly. The minute I met Austin in person I fell for him. We had some issues to work through, but soon enough it was clear our marriage would be real. We had a vow renewal ceremony that was really our true wedding. So in the end it all worked out for the best.” Ella’s smile was radiant.
The women turned to her expectantly, and Storm’s heart sank. She couldn’t confess after all—couldn’t admit that she and Zane were together only temporarily. She’d have to craft her story carefully.
“Zane posted a wife-wanted ad, too,” she began.
Zane couldn’t keep his eyes off his watch as he finished up his evening chores after dinner that night. How soon could he wrest Storm away from the others and get her upstairs? He couldn’t wait to be alone together with her again, and the thought of the bed they’d share tonight had his mind racing with all kinds of interesting possibilities.
When he came back inside, he heard the other couples chatting in the living room and the sound of a football game on the television. Storm was in the kitchen by herself, pouring a drink of water from the tap.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Missed you,” he murmured into her neck, pressing a kiss under her ear.
“You weren’t gone that long.”
“Long enough.” He pressed his hips against her bottom, knowing she’d feel the evidence of his interest. “Come on. Let’s sneak away before they hear us.”
They gained the stairs without being discovered and by the time they reached the bedroom, they were laughing like teenagers.
“You watch. Someone will call us just as we get to the good part.” Zane groaned as Storm wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss.
“We’ll just have to be fast then.”
“How fast?” The thought of a quickie turned him on. Although he hoped it would be followed by a long, slow session of lovemaking. If he knew Storm better he’d put some moves on her that would knock her socks off, but he didn’t want to risk scaring her away.
She moved to lock the door. “I doubt you can be fast enough to suit me. You men are all alike with your need for long, drawn-out foreplay.” She peeped at him mischievously over her shoulder.
So much for worrying about scaring her. Zane tugged her back to him, spun her around, bent her over the bed and yanked her skirt up to expose her bottom. He hooked his thumbs in the band of her panties. “This fast enough?”
“So far, so good, but you’re a little overdressed, sailor.” Storm was laughing, but as he slipped them off, parted her legs and unbuckled his belt, her breathing went ragged.
Zane’s wasn’t any steadier. He was taken aback by how right this felt as he shucked off his jeans and boxers. He’d only met Storm in person yesterday, but he felt like he’d known her for far longer. The fact they were married only served to rev him up further. Her body enticed him and her personality intrigued him. With his hands on her, he felt like he could do no wrong. She moved so easily with him, as if anticipating what he meant to do. Right now the sight of her bent form, her skirt around her waist, her legs wide, inviting him in, snared him in bonds of want and need he knew he’d never be able to shake.
He reached for a condom from the drawer in the bedside table, slipped one on, gripped her hips, positioned himself between her legs and let himself nudge against her. She immediately pressed backward, urging him inside, needing no foreplay to be ready for him. He’d never been with a woman who made it all seem so easy. There were no hang-ups with Storm. Her needs and his matched perfectly. When Zane reached around her waist to dip a hand between her legs, and began to swirl his fingers, she moaned with pleasure.
“Is that good?”
“That’s so good.”
“Honey, you can’t imagine how good I feel right now.” He pressed into her an inch at a time, allowing both of them to anticipate what was to come. When he was fully inside her, he pulled out and pressed in again. Storm strained back against him, begging with her body for more. As he increased his pace, reveling in the sweet friction between them, her muscles began to tremble. One hand skimming up to cup a breast, the other rubbing her sex, he could feel her heart racing and her breath quickening until he knew she was close.
“Zane—”
He responded to her urgings, thrusting inside her until he pushed her over the edge of ecstasy. Her breathy cries sounded just as he grunted his release and they came together, pulses of raw pleasure pounding through his veins until Zane’s head swum and he fought to keep his balance.
When it was over Storm collapsed forward, resting her elbows on the bed with her head in her hands until Zane pulled out of her and helped her up. “You are the sexiest woman alive.”
She turned in his arms. “I can’t believe how good you make me feel.”
“Zane? We’ve got company!” Mason shouted up the stairs from the floor below.
Zane chuckled. “What did I tell you?” He turned to shout back, “We’ll be down in a minute.”
“Now!”
Zane frowned. “Sounds like there’s trouble.” He kissed Storm absently, then grabbed hi
s clothes and headed for the bathroom. By the time he came out again Storm had gathered her things and was waiting for her turn. “I’ll be back in a flash,” he told her.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
There was no way she could leave when her six weeks were up, Storm decided as she hurriedly cleaned up and got dressed. No one had ever made her feel like Zane did. She felt utterly unashamed with him, like she could do anything—or ask him to do anything—without a worry in the world about embarrassment. The way he made love to her told her everything she needed to know. He worshipped her body and made her want to worship his. She couldn’t wait for Zane to finish up downstairs and come back for another round.
By the time she was dressed, however, Zane wasn’t back. She opened the bedroom door to hear angry voices traveling up the stairwell. She padded down the hall and was halfway down the stairs when the entryway came into view.
“…bad enough you took my ranch. Now you’ve taken Belinda’s store, too?” The man facing Zane was nearly spitting with rage as he yelled at him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Darren.” Zane didn’t budge.
The man looked up, spotted Storm standing there. She sucked in a surprised breath.
“I’m talking about that bitch you brought home. I’m talking about the store that Heloise promised to Belinda!”
Storm gripped the bannister, fighting the urge to run right back upstairs.
“Don’t talk about my fiancée like that.” Zane surged forward, but Darren took a step back.
“I won’t stand for it.” He stood half on the porch, half in the doorway, his body language belying his bold words. Storm clutched the bannister, noting the resemblance between him and the Hall brothers. But where the Halls stood tall and proud with from years of military discipline, Darren’s shoulders were rounded and his face pinched. “You all won’t be happy until you run us into the ground. It’s not right!”
“You’ve run yourself into the ground. You’ve only got yourself to blame.” Austin backed up his twin. Storm was grateful she wasn’t Darren. The Hall boys as a united front were fearsome to behold.