Once Burned

by Suzie O'Connell

  “I don’t want to back out,” he said firmly. “To be honest, spending some time with you might make me remember that not every woman is like Mel. If I haven’t said it yet, I truly do appreciate your candidness and your independent spirit.”

  “You’re one of the few who do, then.”

  “Now I’m certain you’ve been dating the wrong men.” He paused, and in the bright moonlight, his grin was plainly visible. “So, how about that date?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Showing you a good time in Montana. I know Vince and Evie have a swim party at the Ramshorn planned for tomorrow, but I thought I’d start you off with a trip to Virginia City on Monday. It’s about an hour and a half from here, and I think you’ll enjoy the Virginia City players. Live theater with an air of vaudeville. It’s always a good time, especially the variety show they put on after the play.”

  “Sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “Then dinner with my folks. Sorry, I can’t get of that, but I’d like you to join me.”

  “Meeting your folks already?”

  “Well, you did say you wanted to feel like someone’s woman, and I’m pretty sure that involves meeting the parents.”

  Laughing softly, she nodded, unable to argue with that logic.

  “And since you’re a self-professed tomboy, I bet you’d enjoy a horseback ride across the ranch, some crystal digging, and an exploration of our local ghost towns.”

  “Is that all?” she inquired, trying uselessly to keep her face from breaking into a broad grin.

  “Nope. If you’re up for it, I’d like to take you on a ride on my Harley later in the week because that’s the best way to experience the scenic highways in these parts.”

  “You have a motorcycle?”

  He nodded. “Are you up for all that?”

  “I am. Sounds like a blast.” Not giving herself the chance to chicken out, she said, “And sex? Is that part of the deal? That’s really all I had in mind to begin with.”

  “I got that impression, but let’s save it for your last night in Montana.”

  “Why wait? We have the house to ourselves. Everyone else is still partying it up at the reception and likely to continue for a while yet.”

  “You deserve more than a meaningless fling.”

  Lindsay’s eyes rounded, and she stared at him for several thuds of her heart. Not one of the men she’d been with since Max—including Max—had ever left her with that sentiment, and to hear it from a man she’d known barely more than twenty-four hours did something strange to her insides. They quivered with hope even as doubt threatened. She cleared her throat to dislodge the lump that had formed and hoped Henry took it as a sign of playfulness rather than the moment of vulnerability that it was. “Isn’t that what we’re proposing?”

  “No. I mean, yes, we should keep it in the here and now and not expect anything lasting to come of this, but that doesn’t mean it has to be cold and impersonal.”

  “I highly doubt it would be either.”

  Henry’s lips curved. He leaned toward her, and she met him halfway. When their lips met, she purred. After the hours of flirting and dancing, she was glad to finally kiss him. He was willing and eager but also considerate and restrained. She pressed her body against his and curled her arms around his neck as he took her face in his hands and deepened the kiss. Waves of sensation flooded her, and she gleefully gave in to it.

  “Well, it definitely won’t be cold,” he murmured.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”

  “I am, but if you keep kissing me like that, I might just change my mind.”

  “Would you regret it if you did?”

  He leaned back in her arms. “Not in the way I think you mean, but I am serious about making it mean something—for both of us. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You can’t possibly hurt me worse than Max did.”

  “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t hurt you.” He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. “I’m not sure I can explain it. I’m still in a place that I want to hurt Melanie for breaking my heart, but I can’t. How did you feel when Max told you he’d not only found someone new but that he was going to marry her?”

  “I wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt me,” she admitted. “But I couldn’t… because he didn’t love me like I loved him.”

  “So you turned that anger and pain on someone else.”

  She shook her head. “No, but I wanted to.”

  “Exactly. You needed an outlet. I don’t want to use you and cast you aside, and tonight, I’m afraid I would.” Gently, he kissed her again, then lowered his lips to her neck. She shivered and sighed. “Believe me, I would love nothing more than to take you inside or—better yet—back to my house and spend all night exploring every exquisite inch of your body.”

  “But it’s not a good idea tonight,” she said, seeking confirmation.

  “No, it’s not.”

  “What do you expect will change between now and Saturday?”

  “If you keep making me forget her like you have been all day… everything.”

  He walked her to the door, kissed her once more after she opened it, then vanished into the night. Lindsay closed the door and leaned against it with her head tipped back. Raw desire quivered through her, but even as she wished she had tried harder to convince him to stay, she knew he was right. As she climbed the stairs and slipped out of her bridesmaid dress, she thought about what he’d said. His frame of mind and current inclination to inflict pain on someone in retaliation for the pain he was suffering should probably concern her, but the fact that he was aware of it and taking steps to avoid it had the opposite effect. It was nice to know, for once, that a man cared enough about her to try to protect her from himself. And in that, her time with Henry was already a success.

  Chapter Four

  LINDSAY STEPPED OUT of Henry’s truck as soon as he shut it down in the parking area on the western edge of Virginia City. A small creek bordered by dense foliage blocked most of her view of the well-preserved gold rush town, and she was anxious to get busy exploring. They had only an hour and a half until the show started, which wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything, but she wasn’t willing to forgo the play to indulge her curiosity about the town. Vince and Henry had both spent a good portion of the ride from Northstar lauding the good time to be had watching the Illustrious Virginia City Players.

  Lindsay leaned against the tailgate of the truck and waited as Henry opened the stubborn back doors to let Evie and Vince out of the back seat.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind us tagging along?” Evie asked Henry as she climbed out and stretched.

  “Positive,” he replied. “Lindsay’s here first and foremost to spend time with you. At any rate, it’s a little late to change my mind now since we’re already here.”

  After Henry closed all the doors and locked his truck, he strode around to Lindsay and hooked her index finger with his. She glanced up at him and was greeted by a gentle, reassuring smile, so shyly, she twined the rest of her fingers with his, loosely joining their hands. She expected him to drop her hand when Vince and Evie joined them, but he didn’t. Evie glanced at them, and though her lips twitched upward, she withheld comment for the time being. Henry started toward town, and the newlyweds fell into step behind them.

  “Since we girls haven’t been here before, where do you gentlemen suggest we start?” Lindsay inquired as they cleared the trees and the town sprang into view.

  “We’ll start on the south side and save Cousin’s Candy Shoppe for last because we’re sure to make purchases there, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like packing sacks of candy around for the next hour and a half,” Henry replied. “It’s sort of a family tradition to get a few sweets for the play, and I thought you might like to bring a few treats home to Noah. They have everything from old-fashioned rocky candy to giant jawbreakers to saltwater taffy.”

  She glanced up
at him, surprised he had thought of her son, and started to thank him but refrained as they stepped up onto the boardwalk and her attention was diverted. They passed several old buildings with locked doors, but when she peered in the windows, she saw that they had been maintained with all the supplies and tools and miscellany that had filled them during the height of the placer gold rush that had brought droves of hopeful miners to Alder Gulch in the mid 1860s. Other buildings were still in operation and housed touristy-type shops with everything from era-style clothing to figurines carved from various rocks and crystals to Montana-themed mementos.

  As they explored the town together, Henry kept hold of Lindsay’s hand. Vince and Evie made several purchases, but Lindsay’s wallet remained in her slender purse. While the newlyweds nosed around the Vigilante Mercantile, Henry pulled Lindsay outside.

  “Are you having fun?” he asked, snatching her other hand and pulling her against him.

  “I am.”

  Maybe this wasn’t real and maybe she shouldn’t be so comfortable in the embrace of a man she’d known only a few days, but it felt good to be held with such casual, easy intimacy, and Henry was already an old friend. That felt good, too.

  They’d spent most of yesterday together thanks to Evie’s insistence that he and his twin brother join their party at the Ramshorn Hot Springs, and they’d talked and laughed and flirted shamelessly. Lindsay’s impulsive decision to be completely open from the get-go had set the stage for their friendship, and that in turn was well-needed therapy for her weary heart. She felt alive and sexy and clever, all thanks to Henry’s unwavering attentiveness. He made a fantastic pseudo-boyfriend, all the more because he seemed to be enjoying their charade as much as she was.

  With a coy smile threatening, she examined an exquisite lantern with a base carved from a weathered fence post. Her mother would love it, but a glance at the price tag drove the idea of purchasing it from her mind.

  “Not much of a shopper?” Henry inquired. “I would have thought you’d want some souvenirs of your trip.”

  “I can’t really afford to splurge right now,” she replied. “Noah needs school clothes and supplies. This trip has already stretched my budget pretty thin as it is.”

  “I may have to remedy that.”

  “Henry, that’s not part of the deal. I’m already imposing on you.”

  “No, you aren’t. Come on. I have an idea.”

  Henry briefly let go of her to step into the mercantile to let Vince and Evie know he and Lindsay were taking a detour. Lindsay waited outside in the bright sunshine and let her gaze wander. Cars rolled slowly over the pavement while people milled along the boardwalks, ducking in and out of the many shops that lined both sides of the bustling street. She pulled her little point-and-shoot camera out of her purse and took a few pictures for keepsakes, wondering what amazingly beautiful shots Skye would have found had she decided to come along. A light smile played across her lips as she waited, and she was too absorbed watching people to notice the two men approaching her.

  “Hello, sweet thing.”

  The voice jerked her attention back to her immediate surroundings, and she took a step back toward the mercantile. There was nothing overly threatening about either of the men, but she didn’t like how close they were—neither stood more than five feet away—nor did she like the way they blatantly looked her over. Irritated and a bit uneasy, she folded her arms across her chest and was suddenly glad she had decided to wear jeans and a modest lace-trimmed tank top instead of her lavender dress.

  The taller, dark-haired man extended his hand, and she ignored it as she studied them both. If she had to guess, she’d say they were tourists rather than locals. Both wore cargo shorts, muscle shirts, and the kind of rugged sandals one might find at Cabela’s.

  “My name’s Braden Hennessy,” the dark-haired man said. “My friend here is Todd Gilman.”

  “Lindsay.”

  “Well, Lindsay, what’s a pretty thing like you doing here all alone?” Braden asked.

  “I’m not alone,” she responded. “My friends are inside shopping.”

  “Sure they are.”

  “I’m not kidding. I just stepped outside to take some pictures.”

  “Easy there, sweetheart. I’m not trying to scare you. I just want to know if you’d care to join us for lunch.”

  “Thanks for the invitation, but I’m not interested. Like I said—”

  “Yeah, we heard you the first time,” Todd retorted. “Your friends are inside.”

  “I’m not interested, gentlemen,” she said more slowly to make sure they heard her. “But really, thank you for the offer. I’m flattered.”

  “Are you sure I can’t change your mind?” Braden asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  “What if I say please?”

  “My answer is still no. I’m sorry.” What did she have to do to get her point across? The men who hit on her at work were rarely so persistent, and her patience evaporated. Did he honestly believe that making her nervous with his relentlessness was going to win her over?

  “Come on, pretty girl. It’s just lunch.”

  “No. You can keep asking me until the sun goes down, and my answer won’t change, so why don’t you save yourself the breath and walk away right now.” She started to turn away and head back into the store, but Braden grabbed her hand. She whirled on him and jerked her hand free. “Don’t… touch me again.”

  “Easy there, sweet thing. I just—”

  “Hey, babe,” Henry interrupted.

  Relief surged through Lindsay at the sound of his voice. He stepped out of the mercantile and immediately slipped an arm around her waist before kissing her cheek. Then he straightened and addressed Braden and Todd. “Is there something I can do for you gentlemen?”

  “No,” Todd replied arrogantly.

  “Good. Because if you touch her again, we’re going to have a problem.” Henry’s smile was icy and left no doubt about his intentions.

  “You her boyfriend?” Braden inquired, his face darkening.

  “I would have thought that was obvious, but regardless, she made it very clear she wanted you to leave her alone. Or are you the kind of asshole who can’t take no for an answer?”

  For a terrifying moment, Lindsay feared it would come to blows, and she stood rigid, clinging to Henry’s arm as if that could stop him from acting on the anger that burned in his rich blue eyes. Braden had him by a good twenty pounds, but she suspected he was all bravado that would fizzle against a smarter, more levelheaded opponent… and that’s exactly what Henry’s outwardly relaxed posture and furious but calculating gaze told Lindsay he was. The last thing she wanted was for him to get in trouble for protecting her when it wasn’t his place.

  At last, Braden held his hands up and muttered, “Whatever, man.”

  After the two men walked away, Henry turned to Lindsay without letting go of her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you sure?” He took her face in his hands, leaning back a little to inspect her, and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. “Because you’re shaking.”

  “I’m okay. Honestly, I was afraid for a minute there that you’d end up in a fistfight because of me.” She inhaled deeply and let it out before adding, “I’m not used to having someone defend me, which is having the odd effect of making me feel a little fragile. And the way you’re looking at me right now isn’t helping.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s… nice.”

  “I take it that isn’t the first time you’ve had to dissuade jackasses like those two.”

  “I deal with crap like that at work a lot.”

  “Where do you work?”

  “Donovan’s Bar and Grill. It gets a little rowdy on occasion, but the tips are better there than at other restaurants, so I’ve learned to deal with it.”

  “So I noticed.” He touched his lips lightly to hers before taking one hand and leading her across the street. “No
w that we’ve narrowly avoided making a scene in the middle of the boardwalk, let’s see about getting you some souvenirs.”

  “Henry, I—”

  “I know what you told me, but humor me. Let’s go take some old-fashioned photographs. They’re cheap, and I’ll pay.”

  He pulled her over to a shop decorated with sepia-toned photographs of people dressed in period costumes. It took a moment before she realized what Henry meant, but before she could object, he yanked his wallet out of his back pocket and paid for a session for them, then directed her to the woman who ran the studio.

  “I think I have the perfect thing for you two,” she said and pointed Lindsay into the women’s changing area, then pulled out a beautiful sapphire blue saloon girl’s gown with detailed black beading. To that, she added a black feather boa and a gem-encrusted hair comb with a long black feather.

  Lindsay quickly changed into the costume and stepped out of the changing area to find Henry dressed like a rugged outlaw. Somehow, it was perfect. The photographer had Henry sit on the stool with Lindsay draped around him, then told him to put his arm around her waist.

  “The outlaw and his lady,” the photographer said. “Perfect. Now, we’ll do a serious shot because that’s how they were posed, but for the two of you, I’d like one of you smiling.”

  By the time their session was over, Evie and Vince had ventured over from the mercantile. After Lindsay and Henry changed, Henry made arrangements to pick up their photos after the play, and they all headed back across the street to Cousin’s Candy Shoppe. As soon as she stepped through the door, Lindsay’s olfactory senses were drenched in the sweet fragrances of the wide array of old-fashioned candy.

  “What’s going on with you and Henry?” Evie asked not two seconds after Vince and Henry had stepped out of hearing in search of their favorite candies.

  “A mutual ego boost,” Lindsay replied. She selected a couple sticks of flavored rock candy and settled them gently in her brown paper sack.