Fated for Love

by Melissa Foster

  “I’ve got my own handsome cowboy,” Callie mused. “Speaking of Wes, we’d better get in there. I wonder what the surprise is. Maybe I can jump off a cliff today.”

  “Not likely, considering the barn dance is this evening. He’d never let you break a leg when he knows you love to dance,” Christine said as they walked up the hill toward the lodge.

  “How does he know I love to dance?”

  “A little birdie might have told him,” Christine answered.

  Bonnie pulled open the lodge door. “A little blond-haired birdie with a big mouth and a penchant for sun visors.”

  They walked inside. There was a couple standing at the registration desk and another couple sitting in the lobby.

  “It’s so quiet in here,” Callie whispered.

  “Not for long, it’s not,” Christine said. She pointed to Sweets running across the hardwood floor toward them. They all dropped to their knees to pet her. Sweets tumbled onto her back, allowing them to rub her belly.

  “She’s doing great, isn’t she?” Callie said.

  “Yeah. It’s amazing how resilient puppies are.” Bonnie lifted her camera and snapped a picture.

  “Wes’s brother Ross is a vet, and he said the webbing in their paws heals fast. I guess he’s right.” Callie heard the familiar cadence of Wes’s boots behind her.

  “Sweets gets all the babes.” He reached for Callie’s hand and drew her up for a kiss.

  “Yeah, well, I think you got the best babe of all,” Christine reminded him.

  “Me too.” He placed his hand on Callie’s lower back. “Are you ladies ready for your surprise?”

  “Heck yeah,” Kathie said.

  His eyes skidded over theirs, then lingered on Callie. “I know that when you brought Callie here, she thought she was going to a spa to be pampered, not to a dude ranch to be lasciviously loved by a…well, by me.”

  Lasciviously loved. There you go with those beautiful words again.

  “I’m not sure she minds,” Bonnie said.

  “Neither am I, but she’s been such a good sport, and you guys have generously shared her with me. I wanted to give you all a special thank-you. It’s just the four of you for the next few hours.”

  The next few hours? She already missed him.

  He took Callie’s hand. “Follow me.”

  They followed Wes down the hallway Callie had explored her first night there, to the conference room. “Before I take you in, if you’d rather not do this, it’s okay. Just tell me.” He pulled the doors open and stepped to the side.

  Gone was the conference table and chairs. The walls were draped in layers of silk and chiffon in pastel colors. There were four red velvet armchairs set around a fancy wooden table to their left with a tea set in the center, and just beyond, heavy red theater-style curtains hung beside the tall windows, allowing sunlight to bathe the room in a warm glow. Glittery silver stars dangled from the ceiling as if floating in midair.

  “Oh my God.” Callie took a step inside the room. Only then did she notice two massage tables and two manicure and pedicure chairs off to her right, and near the far wall there was a table draped in a deep red velvet tablecloth that matched the armchairs, with several leather-bound books between two wooden bookends.

  Her eyes welled with tears. With trembling hands, she reached behind her, hoping someone, anyone, would take hold before her knees gave out. Wes’s hands circled her waist.

  “I don’t know much about spa pampering,” he said against her cheek.

  She turned to face him and heard the girls talking, sensed Bonnie taking pictures, but her mind was draped in the elusive cloud of love that Bonnie had recently described—and she didn’t need to scramble to find it.

  “Wes.”

  He pressed his lips to hers. “Don’t say a word.”

  “But how—”

  He kissed her again. “If you keep talking, I’ll keep kissing, and you’ll never get pampered.”

  Callie had never felt so overwhelmed with emotions. She embraced him, and she would have stayed there for hours if he hadn’t pulled away.

  “I think your friends have already figured out what to do.” He nodded at the girls as they removed their boots. “This part killed me, but I know it’s part of the whole girl experience.” His eyes narrowed, but it wasn’t desire that Callie saw. It was something she didn’t recognize, and it was gone in a flash. He lifted his chin and spoke loudly. “Okay, gentlemen, come on in.”

  Two tall, handsome, burly men burst through the chiffon, wearing dark slacks, loosely fitted white shirts with capped sleeves that ended just above their bulging biceps, open to midchest and belted with thick leather around their waists. Their faces were chiseled and tan, hair perfectly coiffed and sideswept. They could have been Chippendales dancers.

  “Oh baby.” Christine fanned her face. “Forget the mechanical bull. I wanna ride him.”

  Kathie stood beside a massage table and reached for the button on her shorts.

  Wes put a hand on Kathie’s shoulder. “We have changing rooms for that, and robes.” He shot a look at Callie that clearly translated to Don’t even think about stripping in front of these guys.

  “You ruin all my fun,” Kathie said. She patted him on the back. “I’m a happily married woman. I was just pulling your chain. This is amazing. Thank you.”

  He leaned in close to Kathie and whispered, “I think they’re gay.”

  Callie laughed.

  “You wish,” Christine said. “Want me to do the lick test?”

  Callie swatted her.

  The men stood with their arms crossed, pecs dancing, eyes smiling. They clearly enjoyed the attention.

  Wes lifted his chin. “Ladies,” he called out.

  Two beautiful women dressed in sexy pink harem outfits complete with sheer, flowing pants and skimpy panty-like bikini bottoms joined the men.

  Callie felt the claws of jealousy prickle her nerves. She glanced at Wes. His eyes were trained on her.

  “I have no interest,” he said knowingly.

  Promise? Swear to God? Cross your heart and hope to die? She cringed at how quickly the jealousy hit her. How on earth would she make it through Thursdays with Tiffany Dempsey and the other women ogling him at the library?

  “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble. Thank you.” Callie wondered how he could have gotten this all set up without her knowing.

  “You deserve full-on pampering after the way you tore yourself from the claws of your fears and saved Sweets.” He slid a worried stare toward the men.

  She used her index finger to draw his chin in her direction, as he’d done so many times to her. “Why would I read a notebook when I have a leather-bound classic in my hands?” She kissed him and felt the tension she’d seen in his eyes and in the bunching of his muscles around his shoulders slip away.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  BACK IN THE lodge office, Wes paced in front of the window. When they’d returned from the trail yesterday, he’d called and asked Emily to help him set up a spa afternoon and fairy tale evening for Callie, and when she’d asked if it was okay to send masseurs, he’d envisioned men with pasty skin from working indoors. Men who were more into manicures than muscles. What the hell had he been thinking? What man wouldn’t want to massage half-naked women for a living? He eyed Sweets sleeping beneath his desk. If only he could push the jealousy away that easily. He felt like he might burst if he didn’t get the worry out of his head. He needed a distraction, and calling his youngest brother, Luke, would have to do.

  Luke answered on the second ring. “Hey, Wes. What’s up, lover boy?”

  “Christ. I see you spoke to Ross.”

  “Emily. She said you were setting up a day of pampering and an evening of fairy tale wonder, whatever the hell that means, for Callie Barnes.”

  “I should have known. She’s got a mouth like a sieve. I told her not to tell anyone.” Wes ran his hand through his hair.

  “And you thought tha
t would work? I guess your brain really has turned to mush. It’s Emily. She loves love. Daisy says Em’s biological clock is ticking, so she’s living vicariously through us.”

  Sweets yawned, and Wes scratched her head. “Great. Just what I need. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the barbecue. You don’t mind if I bring Callie, do you?”

  “After what I’ve heard, I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

  He pictured Luke pacing in the field, watching his horses while he ribbed Wes. He was six three with dark Braden eyes and was almost the mirror image to their older brother, Ross, with hair a shade lighter than Wes’s and worn longer on top.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What did you hear? And before you say anything, I also wanted to tell you that I get it now, and I’m sorry I gave you crap about falling for Daisy so fast.” He pulled Sweets into his lap and lifted the phone away from her pointy teeth as she tried to nip it.

  “Not much. You’re in love with the hot librarian all the single guys had pinned their hopes on.”

  Wes rubbed his temple with his thumb and index finger. “All the single guys?”

  “From what I hear. Better get used to it. How do you think I feel knowing that half the guys who see Daisy are making up their symptoms?” Luke laughed. Daisy was the only family practice doctor in Trusty. She was a natural blonde with blue eyes and a killer body, and when she was growing up, she had fought against unwarranted rumors fed by jealous women. It didn’t surprise Wes to hear that men would line up to take their clothes off for her. But he never imagined his brother being able to handle it so calmly.

  “Really? No way.”

  “Yeah. She’s good about it, very professional. But it’s the same shit as the girls who go to the library when they know you’ll be there, Mr. Thursday.”

  “How the hell do you know about that?” Jesus, the Trusty grapevine was running faster than the river.

  “How could I not? I have breakfast at the diner once a week. Margie sees all and knows all. By the time you get back, you and Callie will be the dish of the week.”

  “Good. Then maybe the guys will back off and the Tiffany Dempseys of the world will disappear. Luke, man…”

  Luke laughed. “Callie?”

  “Yeah. I just didn’t expect to be so bowled over.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “It’s like someone punched me in the gut, turned me inside out, and somehow it is the best feeling in the world. What the fuck is that?” He petted Sweets, who was fast asleep across his lap.

  “Love, man. I tried to tell you.” He knew Luke was pacing by the cadence of his voice. “All I can tell you is this. That fucked-up feeling that makes you say all sorts of bizarre shit you never pictured yourself saying and do crazy stuff like create fairy tale nights? Get used to it, because if she’s turned you inside out, it’s the real thing.”

  Chip came into the office as Wes said goodbye to Luke. He leaned over the desk and stared down at Wes with his blond brows knitted together and his jaw clenched tight.

  “What the fuck is going on in the conference room?”

  Sweets lifted her chin from Wes’s lap. “Look what you did.” Wes set Sweets down on her bed beneath his desk.

  Chip gazed at Sweets and his eyes, and voice, softened. “How are her paws?”

  “Good. She’s a tough girl.”

  Chip slid his butt onto the desk and crossed his arms. “What’s all that fluffy shit on the walls in there, and how’d you get Butch to agree to help you set it up?”

  “The man was married for over thirty years. He knows what love is. Besides, he and the guys were more than happy to help.”

  “Pfft. Yeah, right. Wait…love?” Chip arched a brow.

  Wes ignored him and leafed through the papers on his desk. He didn’t want to get into a long discussion about why he shouldn’t be with Callie at the ranch. “Where’s the file of people you wanted me to interview?”

  “I left it on your desk.”

  Wes felt the heat of Chip’s stare as he rifled through the papers again, then tugged open the desk drawers and looked through them.

  “Dude, your girl is in there wearing nothing but a towel and some he-man’s rubbing her body with oil.” Chip smiled. “Not smart, man.”

  “I trust Callie.”

  “Yeah, but do you trust the dude who’s rubbing her?”

  Wes clenched his jaw. The guy was doing what he’d hired him to do, and he trusted Callie. That was all that mattered. He spotted the file beneath a stack of papers under Chip. “Move your ass.”

  Chip lifted his butt, then sat back down after Wes snagged the file.

  “Did you come in here just to give me shit?”

  “Nah. Giving you shit was just a perk. Before you interview the applicants tomorrow, I wanted to ask you again about Cutter.”

  Wes set a dark stare on him, but his conversation with Callie had crossed his mind several times, and he found himself considering Cutter more seriously for the position. Embarrassingly, he wondered if Cutter’s interest in Callie had strengthened his resolve against considering him for Ray’s position. He didn’t want to believe that he could be the kind of guy who would let something personal affect his work relationships, but he’d been gnawing on that thought and it tasted like shit.

  Unable to come to a decision, he shifted his eyes away from Chip.

  “All right, whatever. For the record, I still think it’s a mistake.” Chip’s gaze softened. “And the other reason I came in was, you know, I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

  “What do you mean? I’m fine.” Wes came around the desk and sank into the chair in front of Chip. He skimmed over the applications in the file.

  Chip sat in the chair beside him and kicked his feet up on the desk. “Well, you left our office on Thursday a single guy with nothing more than a pup on your mind, and now you’re throwing massage parties and you’re all googly-eyed.”

  “It’s weird as shit, isn’t it?” Wes closed the file and looked at the man who had been his best buddy forever. There was no judgment in Chip’s tone and no hint of a tease. Wes realized that he’d been defensive about Callie from the moment Chip made the first comment about them the other day, and as he sat beside his best friend, he realized that he didn’t need to be. Not with Chip.

  Chip shrugged. “It was bound to happen to one of us sooner or later. I just didn’t expect it to be you.”

  “That makes two of us.” A relationship was the last thing he’d expected. But he hadn’t expected to fall for a puppy that couldn’t smell a damn thing either, and Sweets was one of the best parts of his life. Callie was a hundred times better. “I guess the best things in life really are the least expected ones.”

  “I guess.” Chip laid a hand on Wes’s shoulder. “Hey, man, you’re happy, I’m happy. But I still think you shouldn’t leave her alone half naked with those guys.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” He’d love an excuse to check in on Callie. It had only been a few hours and he already missed her. “By the way, the dance tonight…”

  “Clarissa told me you’ve got something special planned. What can I do to help?”

  “Help? Really? Thanks, Chip. If you could have Cutter or Butch get Ghost ready for me, and don’t laugh when you see what I’m wearing.”

  Chip arched a brow.

  “Don’t ask. Wait. How did Clarissa know I had something planned?”

  “Emily was running late for a client meeting, so she had Clarissa arrange for the shipment this morning. She already guessed that you’d fallen for some chick. Apparently, you had her ship jeans and shorts? Or did you forget?” Chip pushed to his feet.

  Wes rubbed his temples. “That feels like a year ago.”

  “You’ve had a crazy few days, that’s for sure. Listen, buddy, if you need me, I’m around.”

  “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  Chip flipped his chin and his long blond bangs swung to the side, then fell back in his eyes. “Shoot.”

/>   “If I hadn’t gone to the library every week, would you have known that Callie worked there?” He’d been thinking about what Ross had said.

  “Shit. Everyone knew about the hot brunette working at the library. But you had your sights set on her from the first day you saw her, so I never even bothered.” He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe you had your sights set on her and never realized it yourself. You’re kinda dumb like that.”

  “Ass.”

  “Whatever. I gotta run. I told Clarissa I’d go over the marketing figures with her tonight.” Chip reached for the door.

  “Is that what they call it now? Or are the figures foreplay?”

  “I’ll let you know.” With a smirk on his lips, Chip sauntered out the door.

  CALLIE SAT IN one of the armchairs by the window, sipping tea.

  “I swear I could just stare at these guys all day. The girls, too. Have you ever seen such beautiful creatures?” Bonnie asked.

  “Yes. He’s about six three with dark hair, dark eyes, and has a sweet little puppy.” Callie smiled and admired her freshly painted nails. “My body is so relaxed right now. I feel like I could slip from this chair like liquid.”

  “Maybe that’s his evil plan. Get you all loosey-goosey so he can have his way with you.” Christine raised her brows.

  “Then why would he invite you guys?” Callie lifted her bare foot and rested it on Christine’s knee. “Face it. He’s just a nice guy.”

  “Yeah, he is,” Christine admitted. “So he’s staying tonight and you’re coming with us? When will he go back?”

  “Tomorrow night. He has to interview people tomorrow. I thought about staying an extra day, but I’ve already taken off work, and I can’t afford any more time off.” And boy did she ever wish she could.

  “Well, Cal, I’m proud of you. You stuck with everything we did. You rescued Sweets. You even fished. It wasn’t so bad, was it?” Bonnie inspected her newly painted toenails.

  “Not only was it not so bad, but I enjoyed it. Well, except for the climbing-down-the-mountain thing. That was so scary, but worth it to save Sweets. Sweets is so…sweet.” She sighed.