“It’s more than that and you know it, even if you refuse to acknowledge you’re having a hard time adjusting back into normal life. Go home. Drink beer. Watch a game. I’ll find my own way home. I’m going to do something you two have forgotten how to do. Have fun.”
CALEB OPENED HIS mouth to yell, Where the hell do you think you’re going?
He snapped his jaw shut, thinking better of it. He couldn’t afford to let Jack see how much Summer meant to him. He’d thought he’d kept his need for her under wraps, but the too-observant woman had his number. Over the last few months, the easy friendship they’d shared from the moment he stepped foot on Stargazer Ranch turned into a fun flirtation he secretly wished could turn into something more. The week leading up to Thanksgiving brought that flirtation dangerously close to crossing the line when he walked through the barn door and didn’t see her coming out due to the changing light. They crashed into each other. Her sweetly soft body slammed full-length into his and everything in him went hot and hard. Their faces remained close when he grabbed her shoulders to steady her. For a moment, they stood plastered to each other, eyes locked. Her breath stopped along with his and he nearly kissed her strawberry-colored lips to see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
Instead of giving in to his baser need, he leashed the beast and gently set her away, walking away without even a single word. She’d called after him, but he never turned back.
Thanksgiving nearly undid him. She’d sat alone in the dining room and all he’d wanted to do was be with her. But how could he? You do not date your best friend’s sister. Worse, you do not have dangerous thoughts of sleeping with her, let alone dreaming of a life with a woman kinder than anyone he’d ever met. Just being around her made him feel lighter. She brightened the dark world he’d lived in for too long.
He needed to stay firmly planted on this side of the line. Adhere to the best-bro code. This thing went beyond friendship. Jack was his boss and had saved his life. He owed Jack more than he could ever repay.
“Can you believe her?” Jack pulled him out of his thoughts. He dragged his gaze from Summer’s retreating sweet backside.
“Who’s the guy?” He kept his tone casual.
Jack glared. “Ex-boyfriend from high school,” he said, irritated. “He’s home from grad school for the holiday.”
“Probably looking for a good time.”
Caleb tried not to smile when Jack growled, fisted his hands, and stepped off the curb, following after his sister. He’d counted on Jack’s protective streak to allow him to chase Summer himself. Caleb didn’t want anyone to hurt her. He sure as hell didn’t want her rekindling an old flame with some ex-lover.
He and Jack walked into the park square just as everyone counted down, three, two, one, and the multicolored lights blinked on, lighting the fourteen-foot tree in the center of the huge gazebo, and sparking the carolers to sing “O Christmas Tree.”
Tiny white lights circled up the posts and nearby trees, casting a glow over everything. The soft light made Summer’s golden hair shine. She smiled with her head tipped back, her bright blue eyes glowing as she stared at the tree.
His temper flared when the guy hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her close, nearly spilling his beer down the front of her. She laughed and playfully shoved him away. The guy smiled and put his hand to her back, guiding her toward everyone’s favorite bar. Several other people joined their small group.
Caleb tapped Jack’s shoulder and pointed to Summer’s back. Her long hair was bundled into a loose braid he wanted to unravel and then run his fingers through the silky strands.
“There she goes.”
“What the . . . Let’s go get her.”
Caleb grabbed Jack’s shoulder. “If you go in there and demand she leaves, it’ll only embarrass her in front of all her friends. Let’s scout the situation. Lie low.”
“You’re right. She’ll only fight harder if we demand she come home. Let’s get a beer.”
Caleb grimaced. Hell yes, he wanted to drag Summer home, but fought the compulsion.
He did not want to watch her with some other guy.
Why did he torture himself like this?
Chapter Two
SUMMER LEANED OVER the pool table, sliding the cue back and forth without hitting the ball. Charlie hovered over her back. “Let me show you how to shoot.”
She stood up, making him stumble. Not wanting to make a scene, or draw any more attention from her brother or Caleb, she laughed and said, “I took the last two games. I think I’ve got it.”
He grabbed her waist with both hands and pulled her close, their middles bumping. “Come on, Summer. Remember how we used to have fun.”
He swayed her back and forth, their hips locked together. She gave his cheek a friendly pat. “That was a long time ago.”
“Let’s get out of here, for old times’ sake.”
“Those times are dead and buried. No sense digging them up. Besides, if I sink two more balls, you owe me twenty bucks.”
She stepped away and leaned over the table and took her shot, sinking the last striped ball.
“Come on, honey, you know you’d rather play with my balls.”
“Jeez, Charlie,” her friend Teri called from the table behind her. “No amount of beer will erase that image from my head.”
Charlie’s laughter halted abruptly when she sank the eight ball. He dipped his hand down his Wrangler’s front pocket, pulled it free, and smacked the folded bill into her outstretched hand.
“I shouldn’t play with you when I’m drunk.”
“You’re not playing with me when you’re sober, either,” she teased, and pulled her hand free.
Caleb’s eyes blazed from across the room. She ignored him. If he wanted her, all he had to do was come over here and claim his place beside her. She’d made it clear without saying the words outright that she wanted to take their friendship to the next level. He was the one who backed off. Not her.
Teri bumped a shoulder into hers. “That is one gorgeous man.” She cocked her head in Caleb’s direction.
“Ew, that’s my brother.”
“I’m not talking about Jack,” she said on a laugh. “He doesn’t smile much anymore, does he? His friend, either.”
Summer frowned and let her gaze rest on Caleb. He ended whatever he said to Jack and looked up. Gazes locked, he raised his beer in a kind of salute. She mimicked him and gave a smile. He didn’t return the grin, but his eyes took on an intensity that both drew her in and made her pause.
“That man is hot for you.”
With a heavy sigh, she turned away from Caleb. “He’s a stubborn one.”
“The war took both their smiles, huh?” Teri read her mind.
“Yes. And their sense of humor. It’s like living with two bears fresh out of hibernation. They’re pissed off and hungry.”
“He certainly looks hungry for you.”
“They’re hungry for normal and the way life used to be, but it will never be that way again. Not after what they’ve seen and done. Look at them, a room full of women, all of them interested in those two guys, and yet no one approaches them. Everyone can see the minefield around them, keeping everyone away.”
“Come on,” Teri said, slipping off her stool.
“Where are we going?”
“To get those two hot and sexy guys to play pool with us.”
“Okay, but you’re partnering with Jack.”
Teri laughed. “No doubt. Caleb is all yours. The way he looks at you. You’re the light to his dark.” She tugged Summer’s hand and drew her through the crowd. They stepped up to the table, and Caleb and Jack stared up at them.
“Finally ready to go?” Jack asked.
“No,” she shot back. “I’m ready to play another round of pool. Come on, Caleb.”
“Let’s go, Jack,” Teri coaxed.
Caleb remained quietly passive, but Jack spoke up for them both. As usual.
“We didn’t co
me to play pool. We came to keep an eye on you and that yahoo you used to date.”
She spoke directly to Caleb. “Charlie is an old friend. Nothing more.”
“You used to sleep with him,” Jack blurted out, making her jaw drop.
She snapped her mouth closed and glared at her brother.”Are we listing all the people we’ve slept with, because if we are, I can count the long-term relationships I’ve had on two fingers, while I’m sure we’ll need all our fingers and toes to count up the numerous women you’ve slept with and left in your dust.” She planted her hands on the table and leaned forward, right in her brother’s face. “Who I sleep with is none of your business.”
“It is when he’s a drunken jerk.”
“I am not interested in Charlie. The man I want is good and kind and makes me laugh when he puts his mind to it. He’s strong and resilient. Although he’s been through a rough couple of years, he wants the same thing I want for his future. A simple ranch life, living as husband and wife with our children, making a good life and growing old together, happy and in love.”
She felt the tension roll off Caleb beside her. Gaze on the beer bottle in his hand on the table, he gripped it so tightly his knuckles went white. Maybe she’d gone too far, pushed too hard for what she wanted, and he resisted. Usually she was not this bold, but he had to know how much she wanted him and the picture she’d painted for Jack. If he knew for sure that’s what she wanted with him, maybe he’d stop fighting against her and fight for her.
“Are you seeing someone?” Jack asked.
“I see him for the man he used to be, the man he is now, and the man he wants to be for me.”
“Who is this guy?” Jack asked.
“He’s honorable and loyal to a fault.”
“Why haven’t I met him?”
“If he sat beside you, you wouldn’t see him, you’re so wrapped up in your own warped world.”
“What does that mean?”
Oblivious as usual; it made her sad. “Jack, I wish you could open yourself to the people around you again.”
“I’m fine,” he grumbled, taking a deep swallow of his beer.
Time to retreat. He didn’t want to open up to her. For reasons she didn’t fully understand, he needed to defend himself against everything in order to cope with the dark world in his mind.
The tension in Caleb eased when she didn’t out their non-relationship to Jack.
“Let’s play.” She held out her hand to Caleb. He stared at it like some rattlesnake about to strike. Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” played on the jukebox. Everyone formed lines and danced, smiling and laughing. Just what these two needed.
“Come on, cowboy,” Teri coaxed Jack.
Neither of them moved. Frustrated, Summer spun and fell onto Caleb’s thigh, straddling it. She leaned back against his chest and crossed her arms.
“Summer,” Caleb croaked, surprised by her daring action.
“I’m not moving until you say you’ll play with me.” The innuendo wasn’t intentional, but made her smile all the same.
Caleb grunted. His hand clamped on to the side of her thigh and he turned his head, his lips to her ear. “Get off me.”
She turned and glared, their faces an inch apart, his breath hot on her face as he breathed hard. He smelled of beer and peanuts, horses and leather and him. God, she could get used to being this close to him. Close enough to smell and touch and fall into his hungry gaze and arms.
His hand slid up the side of her thigh to her hip, blazing a trail of heat. He squeezed and kneaded. His words told her to go away, but his hand said stay.
“No.”
“Honey, if you want to ride a cowboy, I’m all yours,” Charlie called from two tables over where yet another girl turned down his drunken advances. He weaved toward their table. “Come dance with me, pretty lady.”
Caleb growled an expletive and wrapped his arm around her middle, stood up, and took three steps toward the dance floor before her feet hit the ground again.
“You’re dancing with me,” Caleb ordered.
“Surrender, Jack,” Teri said.
Her brother grunted, but stood and escorted Teri to the dance floor, too. “Don’t you have a husband to harass?”
“He took the baby home after the tree lighting, so I could hang out with Summer.”
“If he’d taken you home, Summer would have come home with us.”
“Oh, stop. Having fun is not a crime. You might even enjoy yourself.”
Jack didn’t answer, just took Teri loosely in his arms and ushered her around the dance floor next to Summer and Caleb as Billy Currington’s “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” filled the raucous room.
Caleb resisted the urge to crush Summer to his chest. He held her rigidly at arm’s length, but slowed his pace enough to let Jack and Teri move several feet ahead of them and disappear behind three other couples. Summer stepped into him, closing the distance he tried to impose on her. The woman refused to give him any peace.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Deep down, you want me to.”
“I want you to back off.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be holding on to me so tight.”
He checked himself, loosening his hold on her hand and waist. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”
“Every time you deny yourself from being in my company.”
“Summer . . .”
“Caleb, shut up and dance. Be with me. Right here. In this moment. You and me and the music.”
He sighed and moved mechanically around the dance floor, looking anywhere but at her. He ignored the intoxicating scent of her citrus shampoo. Her soft skin made him ache to touch more. His thumb brushed along hers as he held her hand, and he stopped himself immediately. Her hand tightened in his, but he didn’t acknowledge the unconscious stroke of his skin against hers.
The song ended and several couples, including Jack and Teri, moved back to their tables, or off to play pool. Caleb stood with Summer in his arms and hesitated just a second too long to escape. Garth Brooks’s “The Dance” moved the couples around them into a soft sway and slow rotation around the dance floor. More couples joined in, and he and Summer were crushed between all the moving bodies. Summer shifted and moved with him, guided by his hand at the small of her back, pulling her closer. She settled against him like they’d danced like this a thousand times. His whole body jolted with heat at the contact. She sighed and her breasts rose and fell against his chest. He glanced down and couldn’t stop himself from staring at the bounty before him. Her breasts rounded against her white sweater, the deep V between them enticing him to dive in and taste. Devour was more like it. One taste of her would never be enough. He’d need more and more, never content with just a sample. He needed all of her, or he’d spend the rest of his life wanting. She consumed his every thought and dream, that is, the good ones. The bad ones he could do without. But not her. He couldn’t do without her, but he had to find a way.
“Relax. Teri made Jack sit facing away from us.”
Caleb glanced over at their table, and sure enough, Teri sat facing them, Jack’s back to him, and she talked, keeping his attention. She caught him staring and gave him a slight nod and a bright smile.
“Your friend thinks she sees something between us.”
“Everyone but Jack sees what’s between us. Deny it all you want, but I can feel the truth.”
“Summer . . .”
“Relax. Dance.”
She settled into him and laid her head on his shoulder. He gave in and wrapped his arms around her, steering her across the dance floor and as far away from Jack’s sight as possible. Shrouded in the back of the crowd, he held her close and prayed this song would never end, and if it did, that he could stop time and keep her close forever.
The song blended into the next slow song that kept the couples entwined and the atmosphere in the bar sultry. He didn’t need the music or the mood, he only needed the woma
n in his arms. For those few minutes, he didn’t think of anything but her.
The song ended and Jack let out a familiar whistle. One they used on night raids in the military.
“Time to go.” Reluctantly, he stepped away and took her hand to lead her back to the table. She stood firm and tugged him back.
“Don’t do that. Don’t leave me because he called you.”
“This can’t be.”
“It can if you want it.”
He didn’t want to do it. Hurting her hurt him more than he could bear, but he endured it for both their sakes. “I don’t want it.”
“You lie.”
He put his hand to the small of her back and pushed her toward the table. She resisted, but fell in line with him after a few steps. He hated to do it, but the woman had pushed him time and again. A man could only take so much.
“Let’s go,” Jack announced when they reached the table.
Charlie stumbled over, hooked his arm around Summer’s shoulders, and pulled her close. Caleb had enough. He grabbed the guy’s hand, pulled it up and over Summer’s head, and wrapped it around the guy’s back and up behind his shoulder blades.
“Ow! Let go. I didn’t mean anything.”
“Caleb,” Summer snapped. “Let him go.”
“Summer’s my girl, I’d never do anything to hurt her,” Charlie swore, setting off Caleb’s temper even more. He pulled up on the guy’s arm, ready to snap it and him in two for even thinking, let alone speaking, that Summer belonged to him.
Summer settled her hand on his shoulder. “Caleb, honey, let him go. Take me home.”
Caleb released the dirtbag and shoved him forward. Teri caught him before he fell flat on his face. “Come on, Charlie, I’ll drive you home.”
“Finally, we’re out of here.” Jack shoved Charlie after Teri. When he tried to turn back for Summer, Jack grabbed him by the back of his neck and propelled him forward.
The crowd around them stopped staring and went back to partying and dancing since the brewing fight had been averted.
Summer stared up at him, her eyes saying so much without her saying a word. He broke the stare-down and grabbed her purse and jacket from the table, shoving them into her arms.
All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy Page 6