Hot Winter Nights (Made in Montana)

by Debbi Rawlins

  It made no sense. His wanting to woo her slowly. She wouldn’t be here long. Any time they spent together would be over in the blink of an eye. Lila was on the road to a bright future. She didn’t have room in her life for a cowboy stuck running the family ranch.

  The thought rattled him.

  He’d never felt trapped by his family or the Whispering Pines, and he sure couldn’t afford that line of thinking now. Not with the big decision he had to make.

  Clint changed the slant of his mouth and kissed her more deeply. Her fingertips dug into his scalp with just the right amount of pressure. Her breasts pressed against the lower part of his chest, and he could feel her hardening nipples through the layers of their clothing. What he wouldn’t give to see all of her, to feel the warm softness of her skin...

  Her sweet, sexy moan almost undid him.

  He broke the kiss. Slowly. As slowly as he could without dropping to his knees.

  Lila gave a slight jerk when he moved his head back. He gently pried her arms from around his neck, and she blinked at him. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I don’t know what got into me.”

  Wishing it had been him, he held back a groan. Ordered his cock to be patient. Hoped like hell his brain still had control over his mouth.

  He put it to the test with a smile first. Reasonably encouraged, he stepped back and said, “I was afraid you’d trip over your bags.”

  She frowned at the lame excuse.

  “Look, Lila—”

  She had a dark smudge on her left cheek. Or was it a shadow? He caught her chin, angling it so he could study the rest of her face.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You have something on your face.” He rubbed his thumb over a second smear.

  “Oh.” She touched her cheek and grinned. “I know what that is. Come with me.”

  Following her, he noticed it wasn’t a bad room. Done up in green-and-cream, it had a king-size bed, a table with two upholstered chairs, and a small dresser. The open drapes showed off a partial view of the Rockies in the distance.

  Light flooded out of the bathroom.

  He saw Lila standing in front of the sink. His gaze drifted back to the bed before he joined her.

  Damn his one-track brain.

  Washcloth in hand, she stared at herself in the mirror, dabbing at her nose. Even in the terrible artificial light, her skin was smooth and perfect. Before he knew what he was doing, he touched her cheek.

  She turned her head and smiled at him. “Did I miss a spot?”

  “I don’t know.” He laughed and lowered his hand. “Let’s see.” Of course he fixated on her lips, pink and damp from all the kissing.

  “Okay, let’s take care of you.”

  “Huh?” He met her eyes. Something crackled in the air around them. Did she mean...?

  They just stared at each other for a long drawn out moment. Blood pumped hot and fast to his groin. She turned to rinse out the washcloth and then tugged him closer.

  “I thought I’d gotten all of it,” she said as she dabbed at his chin. “Your stubble is already coming in so it fooled me.”

  Clint finally understood what had happened. He took a quick look in the mirror but didn’t see any of the goop she’d used earlier.

  “There.” She dropped the washcloth into the sink and cupped his chin. Mimicking his earlier move, she angled his face to the left, then to the right for her final inspection. “You’re good to go.”

  “As in you want me to leave?”

  “No.” She shook her head, smiling. “Unless you want to.” She let go of his chin and dried her hands on a towel. “I mean you did your good deed, and I’ll be fine.”

  “Actually I was wondering if you were hungry.”

  She gave him a tentative look he couldn’t read.

  “I’d like to take you to dinner,” he continued. “There’s a new steak house down the street. I haven’t been there yet. It opened only a couple months ago.” He paused, leaving her time to say something, but she didn’t. “I heard it’s pretty good.”

  “I was pushy,” she said, staring at her hands. “You know...before. I swear I’m not usually like that. I’m really not.”

  “Lila?”

  “I’m just saying you can leave, and it won’t hurt my feelings.”

  “Hey...”

  She glanced up.

  “I didn’t think you were pushy. After our talk last night, I thought I had to wait until Saturday to take you out, so believe me when I say I’m as happy as a flea in a doghouse—” He stopped. Had he just sounded like his granddad? “I have no idea where that came from, so if we could just forget that bit of down-home whatever...”

  Lila’s laughter put the sparkle back in her eyes.

  He found himself smiling back at her. And oddly, it seemed as natural as breathing for him to put his hands on her waist. “I’m going to make it real plain,” he said. “You know what’s going to happen between us if we stay here, don’t you?”

  Her smile wavered a bit. “I really like you, Clint,” she said, and he knew what was coming next. “I don’t think I’d mind if something did happen...”

  Not what he’d expected. “You don’t look all that sure,” he said, “so how about we wait until you are?”

  Her lips lifted in a soft smile that he brushed with a brief kiss.

  He’d done the honorable thing, and it felt good. And at the same time so goddamn disappointing.

  Go figure.

  And now he had to take a giant step back before he screwed up everything by stealing the kind of kiss he really wanted.

  * * *

  LILA WOULDN’T HAVE minded walking the few blocks to the steak house if the air hadn’t been so chilly. Clint found a parking spot in front of a bakery that Lila had missed earlier.

  “The Cake Whisperer,” she said, reading the sign as she slid out of the truck. “How cute. Looks new.”

  Clint nodded as he closed the passenger door. “The Full Moon Saloon opened sometime back in July. Then the bakery and steak house opened right after. Nice to see the town thriving, especially around this time of year. Speaking of which, don’t you have a jacket with you?”

  “Not so much for this temperature,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself and trying not to shiver. Her black sweater was made of a decent weight cashmere blend, but she was foolish to have paired it with a short denim skirt in this weather.

  She was sick of wearing jeans all the time, even though Clint assured her the steak house wasn’t anything fancy and they would do fine. But mostly she’d wanted to look nice for him. Yeah, her chattering teeth were probably so attractive.

  Looking out of place, the restaurant’s flashing pink neon sign lorded over a row of early-bird specials handwritten with black marker and taped to the window. She didn’t stop to have a look but hurried into the welcoming warmth of the dimly lit steak house. The heavenly smell of sizzling meat woke up her taste buds.

  A middle-aged woman wearing a Frosty the Snowman sweatshirt came bustling from the back. “Evening, folks,” she said, grabbing menus from a basket next to an old cash register. “Anywhere in particular you wanna sit?”

  Clint glanced around. Only two tables were occupied; it was still early. “How about the corner booth? Should be fairly quiet back there.”

  The woman laughed. “Well, I hope it’s not too quiet,” she said over her shoulder as she led them to the booth. “We could use the business.”

  “Has it been slow?” Clint sounded surprised.

  “Nah, not too bad considering it’s so close to Christmas. Having them movie people in town helps a lot. A few of ’em eat here almost every night.”

  Lila bet she could name which ones and prayed they were held up on the set until she and Clint were gone.

/>   “That’s good,” he said. “Good for the whole town I imagine.”

  Lila slid into the booth. The woman passed her a menu, narrowing her eyes as if she’d just seen Lila for the first time.

  “You must be one of them,” the woman said.

  “Yes, I’m with the crew. And by the way, cute sweatshirt.”

  The woman glanced down. “Oh, my grandkids surprised me with it last year. I like it. Get a lot of compliments, too.” The door opened, and she glanced in that direction. “You folks take your time looking over the menu. I’ll be back in a jiff.”

  “See?” Clint said. “I don’t know everyone in town.”

  “Just every woman under forty.”

  He snorted a laugh. “Now why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re hot,” she said and laughed at his exaggerated eye roll. “If you slide a little closer, I promise not to maul you under the table.”

  “Sweetheart,” he said in a low, gravelly voice as he leaned forward, “that’s not what I’m worried about. So, I believe I’ll stay right where I am.”

  “Really?” Lila pretended to pout. “I promise to slap your hands if you try anything.”

  Clint shook his head. “Just look at your menu.”

  She held in a laugh. “I already know what I want. A baked potato with butter, sour cream and anything else they can pile on it. And maybe a small rib eye. Hey, wait.” She frowned at the menu. “They must have dessert.”

  “On the back.” The woman who seated them had just stopped at the table. “Shoulda told you right off my name’s Irene. I can get your drinks while you’re still having a look.”

  Lila asked for water with lemon, and Clint ordered a beer.

  When more people entered the restaurant, another woman, younger, with reddish hair gathered in a ponytail, came from the kitchen to seat them.

  Tempted to turn around, Lila kept her face averted. “If Jason or anyone you recognize from the set comes in, would you let me know?”

  “Sure. So far it’s been locals.” He glanced around. “Is it a problem for you to be here with me?”

  “No. Nothing like that. I’m really lucky to have this extra night off and I guess I just don’t want to see anyone. Except Erin, of course.” She smiled, despite the sharp pang brought on by thinking about her friend. God, she missed her so much. It wasn’t just about sharing her with Spencer, although that was taking some getting used to.

  “You asked me about her mood earlier,” Clint said, studying her closely.

  “Did I?”

  “We don’t have to talk about it.”

  Well, so much for her stellar performance. “It’s just that Erin hasn’t been herself lately. She’s been too subdued.”

  “Subdued?” Clint laughed. “She must’ve been hell on wheels before.”

  “Yep. That’s Erin.” Lila waited until after the redhead had set down their drinks. “When it comes to the job, she gives 200 percent. She has more enthusiasm and energy than anyone I know. We’ve been friends forever, so we’ve been through a lot together. There’s never been a taboo subject with us.”

  Irene returned with a pad and pencil. “Did I give you folks enough time to decide?”

  “I’m ready,” Clint said. “Lila?”

  Her appetite had dwindled, but she ordered the potato and a small salad. So did Clint, along with a large cut of rib eye.

  He studied her a moment. “Hey, how about we both slide in a little bit?”

  Lila smiled. “Okay, but remember there’s no tablecloth.”

  “Well, damn.” He pretended to be surprised, leaning back and checking under the table. “I’ll let you see my hands at all times,” he said, shifting toward the center of the black vinyl seat and getting a grin out of Lila.

  She’d already been sitting farther in, so sliding a few inches put her within reaching distance of his arm and leg. “Now what?”

  “Well...” He paused briefly. “Now you’re close enough to snitch bites of my steak.”

  “Ah. I hadn’t thought of that,” she said and burst out laughing.

  People were probably staring, and she didn’t care.

  She noted the humor gleaming in his eyes, then looked at his large tanned hand resting on the table. She already knew his palm was rough, but his touch was gentle. And that his clever mouth could send her soaring all the way to the moon and back.

  And Lord, he was patient, and considerate. She’d sensed his disappointment back at the motel, but he hadn’t pushed even a tiny bit. It had been Clint who’d applied the brakes, almost as if he knew she’d been feeling fragile lately. Unsure about her career, unsure about what was troubling Erin. And worried that sinking everything into this film would turn into a colossal mistake.

  She hadn’t been intimate with a lot of guys, but the few she had hooked up with had never expressed concern about whether she’d been ready to take the next step. She wasn’t stupid. Her looks had played a big part in their attraction to her. Except for Jason. He’d shown an interest back in college. At least he hadn’t been a jerk when she’d told him it was friends or nothing.

  Clint moved his hand to cover hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She looked into his pensive eyes and smiled. How had he known that was exactly what she needed?

  “Here you go, folks.” Irene placed a salad in front of Lila. “Italian on the side for you,” she said, then set down Clint’s, covered with blue cheese dressing. In the middle of the table she placed a linen-covered basket. “Your dinners should be up soon.”

  They thanked her, and as she walked to the next table over, Lila peeked under the yellow linen napkin. Smelling the golden yeast rolls brought back her appetite.

  “You think they’re homemade?” She sniffed and made a moaning sound that probably embarrassed Clint. “I bet they are.” She knew she shouldn’t... The potato she’d ordered was a huge splurge. What with her big role coming up...

  “Go for it,” he said, grinning.

  She hesitated...until she saw the glass ramekin of pale whipped butter. Her willpower evaporated like the steam from the warm rolls.

  Lila grabbed the largest one. “You’re a bad influence,” she said as she slathered it with butter. “All these carbs are going to kill me.”

  “You barely ate anything for lunch.” He tipped the beer to his lips.

  “Don’t forget, we still have to work on your speaking part for tomorrow. You can’t afford to have me conk out on you.”

  That wiped the humor from his face.

  Lila swallowed a small piece of roll. “Although, since it’s a love scene, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m guessing you’ll do very well.”

  Clint stared back, looking shocked. “You’re joking.”

  “I thought Erin told you.”

  He pointed his fork at her. “You’re messing with me.”

  “Why would I do that?” Lila asked, eyes wide, the picture of innocence. She could be a very good actress when she wanted to be.

  9

  LILA WAS SHIVERING by the time they arrived at the motel. She’d recognized Baxter’s car even before they turned into the parking lot. The red Beemer convertible occupied the same spot they’d vacated a couple hours ago. Just the idea of it annoyed her, which said a lot about her anxiety level lately.

  “Don’t tell me,” Clint said, glancing at the car. “It’s Baxter’s.”

  “How did you know? The California plates?”

  “It’s December in Montana. How many idiots would leave the top down?”

  Lila grinned. Feeling a slight pinch near her ear, she realized it had come from her jaw joint. It actually ached from smiling so much. After dinner when she’d asked if they could drive around and look at Christmas lights, he’d agreed without even a blink. Of course they
hadn’t been gone long. Other than a pair of residential side streets, the ranches were spread out. Christmas was obviously a big deal around Blackfoot Falls, which made Lila like the place even more.

  Clint pulled into a parking spot near the door, and her pulse jumped. He could’ve simply dropped her off, so maybe he wanted to come to her room. Although he hadn’t cut the engine, so it was hard to know for sure. Lila appreciated that he’d been chivalrous before, but now she knew exactly what she wanted.

  “Do you want—”

  “How will you get—”

  They spoke at the same time.

  Clint motioned for her to go first. And then his phone chirped.

  “Go ahead,” she said when he didn’t bother looking at it.

  “Later. It’s my mom.”

  “Oh, did you miss your curfew?” Her teasing apparently missed the mark.

  Staring at the phone, he sighed. “How many times have I showed her how to text?”

  “I can get out if you want.”

  “No. I’ll only be a minute,” he muttered, then shut off the engine and answered. “What’s up, Mom?” He listened for a moment, frowning. “No way. I brought up every single box you had marked.” He paused, chuckling under his breath. “No, ma’am, I stacked them in the same corner I do every year. The basement’s not that crowded.”

  Lila typed a text to Erin. Nothing important. She just didn’t want to make Clint uncomfortable or have him think he had to rush.

  Clint stretched his neck to the side. “Fine. I’ll check when I get home,” he said, then turned his head and lowered his voice. “Yes, I did. In town. I have to go.” He dropped his phone on the console and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” She sent her text and pocketed her phone. “I should’ve just gotten out.”