“Caleb, we need to get down to the barn and finish our work for the day,” Jack’s voice intruded on his thoughts. Dreams that would never come true.
He indulged his inner beast and slid his hands down Summer’s outstanding legs before he stepped back, watching as she came down the ladder, ready to catch her if she fell. She wouldn’t, of course; not agile, capable Summer. Still, the compulsion to keep her safe overrode good sense sometimes.
Summer stepped off the ladder and headed straight for Jack. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. Caleb wished that hug and smile were for him.
“Thanks, Jack. It turned out beautiful.”
“Cookies. You promised.”
Summer’s laugh hit him in the gut. He loved the sound of it and would remember it for the rest of his lonely days.
“I promise. I’m off to the cabin. I’ve got more presents to wrap.”
“Thanks again,” Caleb said, drawing Summer’s attention back to him. He placed the Stetson on his head and touched his finger to the brim.
“You’re welcome.” She bit her rosy lip, her gaze falling to the floor before she looked back at him. “You won’t leave without saying good-bye, right?”
He gave her a noncommittal nod, which didn’t please her, judging by the deep frown, but she let it go. He didn’t know if he could say good-bye to her. Not when everything in him wanted to stay and be with her.
They walked out of the house together. Summer took the road back to her cabin and he followed Jack to the barn, neither of them saying anything. Inside the house, everything seemed fine and normal. They walked through the barn to Jack’s office. When they entered, Jack turned and faced him, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Did you sleep with my sister?”
“No.”
“But you want to?”
Caleb didn’t answer that loaded question, which set Jack off, because anyone who’d seen him near Summer in the last few months knew he wanted her. No hiding something this strong and powerful.
Never underestimate an enemy or a girl’s overprotective brother. Caleb took the blow to the jaw in stride, surprised but accepting of Jack’s anger all the same.
He rubbed the side of his face and worked his jaw side to side until the sting subsided.
“I did not and I will not sleep with your sister, man.”
“What? She’s not good enough for you?”
Caleb wanted to laugh, but held it back. “She’s the best person I know. She’s smart and kind and cares about everyone around her.”
“So all you want to do is sleep with her.”
Anger flared, but he kept it in check. “You’re my best friend. I’ll forgive and forget the punch and that remark about my character. Let this go. I’m leaving day after next and how I feel about Summer won’t matter.”
“You can forget her that easily?”
“Man, what do you want from me? I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
Jack’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked caller ID, smiling, but not in a good way.
“Sam,” he answered with his twin brother’s name, putting the call on speaker. “Guess what? I’m here with Caleb . . .”
“Did he and Summer set the forest on fire yet?” Sam asked without Jack having to say anything.
“What?” Jack asked, confused and suspicious.
“You saw the two of them at Thanksgiving. Seriously, how long can two people who want each other that bad stay apart? I mean, I’m surprised the whole ranch didn’t combust the moment those two met.”
Jack and Caleb stood not two feet apart staring at each other, the silence between them lengthening.
“Jack?” Sam’s voice broke the awkward silence.
“You’re my best friend,” Caleb said. “You saved my life and gave me this job when I needed something to do beside sink into nightmares. We stick together and work side by side to make this place better, just like we fought side by side against our enemy. I would never do anything to jeopardize the trust we share, or dishonor everything you’ve done and given me.”
“Caleb, man, is this why you’ve been so down? You want to be with Summer, but because of our friendship you’ve stayed away from her? You’re leaving because you can’t be here with her and, well, not be with her?”
“Duh,” Sam said. “I for one think the two of you would be great together, even if Jack is too dense to see it.”
How could two people who looked and acted exactly alike see things so differently? Sam saw what was between Caleb and Summer, but Jack refused to see it all these weeks when it was right in front of him.
“I always thought you two had a lot in common. You relate to each other so easily. When she’s around you always seem lighter, like whatever troubled you eased away,” Jack said.
“She makes him happy,” Sam said.
Caleb refused to answer, because despite Jack finally understanding how he felt, he still didn’t look happy about it. Jack also didn’t give any indication that he’d be okay with Caleb dating his sister.
“Are you in love with my sister?” Jack asked the bold question.
Caleb evaded. “It’s like you said, you don’t date your buddy’s sister.”
“Forget what I said.”
“Yeah, what the hell does he know,” Sam teased.
“Would you really leave this ranch, go back to Montana, live five hundred miles away from her just to save our friendship?”
Caleb didn’t answer. His bags were packed, and Jack knew it.
“You’d leave my sister, make her unhappy, just so nothing would change between us?”
Again, Caleb remained silent.
“What the hell kind of friend are you? What kind of friend do you think I am that I wouldn’t want you to be happy? I saw the look on her face when she gave you that hat and when you held her after she fell and hurt her head.”
“What hat? Summer fell? Is she okay?” Sam asked, but Jack ignored him.
“In the house, she smiled down at you from the ladder.” Jack ran his fingers through his hair and stared hard at Caleb. “My sister is in love with you.”
Caleb understood Jack’s turmoil. When it hit him how deeply he loved Summer and discovered she returned that love, though neither of them acknowledged it to each other, it had taken him some time to get used to the idea and let it settle in. He’d waited for the rush of fear, the need to run from any kind of commitment, but found all he wanted to do was be with her. Sam nailed it. She made him happy.
“Catch up, Jack. It’s obvious they love each other, the only question left is, when’s the wedding?”
Jack sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, Caleb, when is the wedding?”
Caleb opened his mouth, but shut it again. He had no idea how to answer. Did she want to marry him? She said as much that night in the bar a week ago.
Jack read his mind. “That night at the bar. She said she wanted a simple ranch life, married with children. Did you knock up my sister?”
“No,” Caleb answered immediately, knowing death waited if he didn’t make that clear.
“Sounds to me like you’ve kept them apart,” Sam pointed out.
Caleb assumed that would make Jack happy; instead, he frowned even more.
“I’m sorry, man. I’m trying to wrap my head around this. My best friend and my sister. All this time, I thought you two were just friends.”
“The only reason a man wants to be that close of friends with a woman is because he wants to sleep with her.”
“Sam, you’re not helping,” Caleb said diplomatically, when all he wanted to do was tell Sam to shut up.
“Listen, Summer and I are friends. That’s all. Because of our friendship, yes, I’ve kept my feelings for her in check. Now that you know . . .” Caleb took a minute to collect his thoughts. “I care deeply for your sister.”
“Then stay. You’re the kind of guy I’d want with my sister.”
“You’re a good man,” Sam added. “I don’t know that I’d have put my friendship with anyone above the woman I want, but you did because of what you and Jack have been through together. That says a lot about you. Jack will agree, Summer can see through any guy who’s trying to play her. She knows her own mind and it’s set on you. If you leave, you’ll both always wonder what could have been.”
“If she’s what you want, if she makes you happy, and the same is true for her, stop worrying about what I think and go be with her,” Jack added.
“The thing is, I do care what you and Sam think. You’re her family. That’s important to her and me.”
Jack stood and held out his hand.
Caleb took it and they shook, but Jack didn’t let go. “It’s because you care that much about what I and the rest of the family think that I know you’re right for her. No matter what happens between the two of you, I know you have no intention of hurting her. That’s enough for me.”
“Me, too,” Sam reiterated.
Jack pumped his hand one last time and let go.
Caleb took a minute to let his mind wrap around the new reality he faced. “Um, I have to go. I have some Christmas shopping to do.”
Jack waited for Caleb to hightail it out of his office before he let his smile show.
“How much do you want to bet he buys her a ring?” Sam asked.
“No bet. Looks like Caleb really will be my brother.”
“You two have been that close for years. You’ll get over him being with Summer.”
“I’m over it already. I just needed to know he’s as serious as she is.”
“Did she say something to you?”
“No. During the snowball fight, she fell and scraped her head. He rushed to her, frantic she was hurt bad. He held on to her like his life depended on it. The look in her eyes. I knew.”
“Hundred bucks says we’re uncles within a year.”
“No bet. He had this look about him when he left here.”
“Yuck,” they said in unison, laughing together. Jack felt better for it. He envied his best friend. Finding someone special to share his life was probably not in the cards for him.
Chapter Eight
CALEB WOKE WITH a start, breathing heavy, his heart pounding so hard his chest hurt. He shook off the savage wartime nightmares along with the sweat-soaked sheets. Naked, he padded into the bathroom and ran cold water into the sink, scooping up handfuls and splashing it over his face. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it, dragging it over his body to wipe away the sweat. Chilled, he dried off with a soft towel Summer had helped him pick out on one of their many supply runs in town.
Just thinking about her tightened his body until he was hard and aching for her. The clock read the same time he got up most nights. Two twenty-two.
Awake, but tired to the bone, he’d never get back to sleep. He dragged on sweats, a t-shirt, socks, and shoes, and grabbed his jacket. Quiet and deliberate, he moved through the house and went out the kitchen door and down the path toward the front of the house. He veered right and took the path to the cabin, but didn’t go too close. Instead, he went around back and stood in his usual spot on the bank of the creek and listened to the rushing water. For whatever reason, the monotonous tone soothed his mind and evened out his heart and breathing. Okay, he also had secretly hoped for weeks that Summer would find him out here and they’d . . . well, he’d be warm in her bed and not freezing his ass off right now.
I better buy one of those noise machines before I’m walking hip-deep through snow to an iced-over creek.
He let the quiet night clear his mind and reminded himself he’d left that life behind for something better.
Yeah, your something better is in that cabin and you’re out here in the cold.
He couldn’t believe Jack gave him the all-clear. He’d waited months to be with her; he could wait until tomorrow, explain what happened with Jack and Sam, and ask her for a date.
Cold, exhausted, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts of Summer and war, he turned to stare at the cabin and sort out his thoughts about his future—with her. It had to be with her, because he just couldn’t go on without her. The minute Jack and Sam didn’t freak about him with their sister, he realized he’d have been back for her. No amount of time or distance would ever let him forget her, or allow him any kind of peace.
At first, he didn’t believe his eyes. He thought her a golden dream in the midst of his nightly wandering, but there she stood on the back porch, blond hair haloing her beautiful face and floating around her back and shoulders on the wind. She held her arms wrapped around her middle, warding off the cold. He liked her in nothing but a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, bare feet poking out the bottoms. She shivered, her nipples standing out against the cotton t-shirt.
She reached out one hand to him, palm up, offering for him to take it. He didn’t need any more invitation than that and closed the distance between them with quick, long strides. He took the five steps up to the deck, took her hand, pulled her into his chest, and wrapped his arms around her.
“Aren’t you cold, sweetheart?”
“Aren’t you tired?” Her arms held him tight, and he squeezed her back, needing her comfort. Tired of the nightmares, fighting his need for her, tired of being without her.
“You’re out here almost every night, lost and alone and hurting.”
“You knew?”
“You never once came to the cabin.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You know I’m here. I left the door open, hoping you’d want to be with me, but you never came.”
“So, tonight you came to get me.”
“You’re leaving. I don’t care if we only have this one night. Isn’t it better than spending the rest of our lives wondering what we might have shared?”
“We don’t have one night.”
She pulled out of his arms and stared up at him with eyes so filled with hurt, his chest tightened and his throat ached.
“You’re really going to leave and that’s it. I have no say. My feelings don’t matter. Caleb, please, stay with me.”
“Okay,” he interrupted, but she kept talking over him.
“We can work this out. Jack will understand.”
“He does.”
“Wait, did you say okay?”
“Come inside. We need to talk.”
“Talk now.”
“You’re freezing. In another minute, you’ll have frostbitten toes.”
“I don’t care. Tell me what you mean.”
Talking wasn’t his strong suit, so he wrapped one arm around her back and dragged her body against his. He took her mouth in a passionate, possessive kiss that spoke far better than any words. He brushed the hair from her face and buried his fingers in the mass of golden silk. He slid his tongue over hers, tasting her sweetness and filling up his heart and soul with her love. He didn’t need the words to know. He felt it in the way she returned his kiss, pouring everything she was into telling him how much she needed and wanted him. Her body molded to his and she rocked her hips against his hard cock pressed to her belly. A deep moan escaped him to match the soft one she let loose when he tilted her head and took the kiss deeper.
He could take her to bed right now, love her into the night, and seal the bond they’d shared since the moment he met her, but he owed her more than that. He needed her to understand why he’d kept her at arm’s length all this time. He needed to find a way to tell her how much she meant to him. He loved her, and she deserved to be told in the most perfect way.
With a heavy heart and deep reluctance, he broke the kiss, stroking his fingers lightly over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, filled with passion.
“We need to talk, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
She went back up on tiptoe and kissed him, her arms locked around his neck. “Take me to bed,” she said against his lips.
He’d like nothing better, and would probably kick his own ass
tomorrow for not doing it, but he wanted to do this right.
He backed her toward the door without breaking the kiss. Careful of her toes, he stepped cautiously on the outside of her feet, which only brought her soft, lovely body closer to his. Such sweet torture. He indulged himself with the feel of her against him as he reached for the doorknob and walked her into the warm cabin and shut out the cold.
Caleb kicked the door shut behind them. Those strong yet gentle hands swept down her neck to her shoulders where he pushed her away, breaking the kiss at the last second when she couldn’t reach him anymore, and he held her at arm’s length, sucking in one deep breath after another to calm himself. She had to admit, she needed a minute, too. If they kept this up, they’d set the cabin ablaze.
“I need to talk to you.”
This time, the deep richness of his voice penetrated. Whatever he had to say was more important than sating their shared hunger for each other.
She took his hand and led him to the sofa. He fell into it, exhausted from too many nights without sleep. Still chilled, she went to the fireplace and lit a match to the paper. The kindling and logs crackled as the fire took hold and burned. She held her frozen hands to the warmth and gave Caleb a minute to collect himself.
She turned and found his gaze had been plastered to her ass. She gave him a knowing smile.
“You are so beautiful.”
She appreciated the compliment because the words didn’t come easy for him. He didn’t toss out flattery just to flirt. He meant it.
“Yeah, it’s unfortunate you got stuck with that handsome face and rock-hard body,” she teased.
“I like kissing you even more.”
“Then why are we wasting what little time we have left together talking?”
“We have all the time in the world. I’m not leaving. Well, not without you.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No.”
She opened her mouth to question him, but he held his hand up to stop her.
“I’m sorry. I’m not doing a very good job explaining.”
“Are you asking me to move to Montana with you?”
“I think we should live here. This is your home, the place you love most, and I want to keep working with Jack.”
All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy Page 9