by Katie Lane
And Cru had always enjoyed a good game of chase.
“Well, hey there, Miss Penny,” he said in a slow drawl.
She visibly bristled. If she’d been a cat, there was little doubt he’d have gotten a scratch right across his nose. He grinned. He didn’t mind getting scratched up a little either.
“Hey, Pen,” Emma said. “I haven’t seen you in town for a while.”
Penny pulled her gaze away from Cru and smiled at Emma. “Hey, Emma. How’s your daddy’s gout doin’?”
“It comes and goes. Mama has him on a strict diet, but he cheats every chance he gets.”
Penny laughed. The sight of her flashing white teeth and sparkling eyes made Cru’s knees weak. “Sadie’s been trying to put my daddy on a low-cholesterol diet for years.” She glanced at Cru and her laughter died. “Arrogant men just don’t like being told no.”
Emma glanced at Boone. “Amen, sister. So are you here in town to add your suggestion for a new name for Simple in the pot?”
“No, I needed some barbed staples to fix a fence. And I’m not coming up with a new name. I like the name Simple.”
“So do I.” Boone pointed to a sign on the wall behind the cash register that said “Keep Simple Simple.” “The only reason Mayor Landers wants to change it is because that newspaper reporter referred to her as a Simpleton.”
Cru had to laugh. In the big cities he’d lived in, the news was filled with shootings, deadly car accidents, and hate crimes. Here, the big news was changing the town name.
“I like Simple,” he said. “Nothing wrong with things being simpler.”
Penny sent him an annoyed look. “Too bad you can’t vote in November. Voting is for residents only and I’m sure you’ll be leaving town soon.”
He grinned. “Wishful thinking?”
She ignored him and looked at Emma. “I better get those staples and get back to the ranch. Those fences aren’t going to fix themselves.”
Boone hurried around the counter. “I’ll be happy to help you, Penny. We just happen to have those on special.”
Emma rolled her eyes at Cru as the two disappeared down an aisle. “Talk about me giving away the store for a pretty face.” She moved behind the counter. “Sorry about the ruckus earlier. Our fathers were best friends and business partners. Unfortunately, Boone and I don’t get along so well. Probably because we’re only children and were raised together like siblings.” She took the toilet repair kit from him and scanned it. “You have siblings?”
It was a good question. One he couldn’t answer. When he was a kid, he’d spent a lot of time thinking about the woman who had given birth to him and wondering if she had given birth to other children—children she had kept or, like him, deserted in the bathroom of a bus station. But those thoughts had only led to depression so he’d stopped wondering and started thinking of himself as a single entity. No mother or father. No siblings. Just a lone helium balloon drifting through the skies, not tethered to anyone or anything. Or, at least, he had until he’d gone to Father Stephen’s funeral and Sister Bernadette had given him the letter.
He pushed the thoughts of Father Stephen’s passing and the letter from his mind and took out his wallet. “No. No siblings.”
Emma sighed. “Lucky.”
After he paid for the toilet repair kit, he thanked Emma and headed outside. He could’ve gone back to the ranch, but he didn’t. Instead, he tossed the bag in the passenger seat of his Porsche and then walked back to the Gardener Ranch truck parked right in front of the hardware store. While he was waiting for Penny to come out, he glanced around the town.
It had changed very little in fifteen years. Some of the businesses were different, but the old brick-faced buildings that lined the main street were the same. According to Chester and Lucas, the town was founded in the eighteen hundreds by settlers looking for prosperity in the west. Since the ground was so rocky, cattle seemed to be the best choice for a livelihood and soon ranches popped up all over the area. And when the nearby Chisholm Trail was established, it made getting the cattle to the Kansas railways for shipping much easier.
Cru would bet it had been one rowdy cow town back then. Now it was a peaceful town with ordinary folks going about their daily business. Although the woman with the spiky blue hair and purple-framed glasses walking toward him didn’t look so ordinary.
“You the new ranch hand Hank Gardener hired?” she asked in a thick Texas accent.
He took off his cowboy hat. “No, ma’am. I’m staying out at the Double Diamond.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Well, it’s about damn time those two hired someone to help them. The entire town has been worried sick about them living out there all alone. I’ve stopped by a few times to see if they needed anything, but they don’t much care for company.”
Cru laughed. “That’s putting it mildly. Did Chester run you off with his shotgun?”
She grinned. “No. Just a few cuss words.” She held out a hand. “Raynelle Coffman.”
He shook her hand. “Cru Cassidy. Nice to meet you.” He glanced down at her purple t-shirt with Simple Market written across it. “You work at the grocery store?”
“For close to thirteen years.”
He feigned surprise. “You must’ve started when you were ten.”
She swatted his arm. “Well, ain’t you the charmer. But I started working there right after my husband left me and I had to feed my two kids. They’re grown now. Suzette just got married and is living in Galveston. And Brandon is . . . pretty much a bum. But most of that is my fault for not kicking him out of the house sooner. It’s hard to let go of your baby boy.”
For good moms, maybe. For bad ones, it was as easy as walking away.
“Would you look at me babbling on?” Raynelle said. “I’m probably boring you to tears.”
“Not at all.” He winked at her. “I’ve always liked a woman who can keep up a conversation.”
She laughed and swatted him again. “Well, I can sure do that. Now I better get back to work. You come into the market and see me any time, Cru Cassidy.”
“Will do. You have a good day, Raynelle.” As he watched her head down the street, the door of the hardware store opened and Penny stepped out. She didn’t look happy to see him. If she was playing hard-to-get, she was going a little overboard.
She strode toward him. “Would you stop stalking me?”
“Stalking you? I wasn’t the one who followed you to Mesquite Springs and into town.”
“I did not follow you here! I came here for barbwire nails. And how could I follow you to Mesquite Springs when I was there first?”
God, she was breathtaking when she was angry. Her fiery hair was pulled back in a low, messy ponytail with straggly strands framing a face without one brushstroke of makeup to cover the flushed cheeks or multitude of freckles. He’d never thought a fresh-faced girl-next-door type would flame his passion, but the need to smooth those messy strands away from her face, cradle her chin in his palm, and kiss every one of those freckles was so strong he had to fist his hand.
“You weren’t at Mesquite Springs first,” he said.
“You hid in the trees and watched me undress?”
“I wasn’t spying. I was standing in the shade of the trees taking off my shirt.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Unlike you, who purposely hid so you could spy on me and Logan swimming at the springs.” Her face turned bright red, and he laughed. Which seemed to make her even madder.
She glanced around to see if anyone was around and hissed under her breath. “I was just a naïve kid!”
“Who followed two boys to Mesquite Springs in hopes of getting an eyeful. Was that what you were hoping for when you followed me there the other day?” he teased. “If you want to go skinny dipping with me, honey, all you have to do is ask.”
Her mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut. “You’re the last man I’d follow anywhere.” She headed for the driver’s side of her truck.
Cru should cut his losses an
d let her go. This game of hard to get was starting to make him feel like a stalker. And yet, he couldn’t seem to forget the kiss. He’d kissed lots of women in his life, but not one had melted in his arms like a pat of butter snuggled between two hot cakes. He wanted to make her melt again. Dammit, he was going to make her melt again.
He followed her. “Look, I was only teasing you about spying on me and Logan. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
She stopped at her door and turned to him. “I’m not mad.”
“I don’t know what you’d call it. You’ve been treating me like a burr under your saddle since I almost ran you over.” He squinted at her. “Is that why you’re ticked at me? Or does it have more to do with the kiss?”
She glanced around. “Would you lower your voice?”
“Why? Do you have a boyfriend lurking around you don’t want knowing you kissed me out at Mesquite Springs?”
“Yes, I have a boyfriend.” He might’ve been annoyed if he hadn’t read the lie in her eyes. Penny’s eyes were like a clear blue lake. Nothing could hide in them.
“Really? Who?”
“You just met him in the hardware store.”
“Boone would certainly like to be your boyfriend, but he’s not.”
“And how do you know?”
He brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek and smiled when her lips parted and her breath rushed out in a startled exhalation. “It’s called chemistry, Sweetness. You and Boone have none.” He stroked a finger down her stubborn jawline to the soft skin beneath her chin. “You and I, on the other hand, have it in spades.”
She inhaled a quivery breath and kept her gaze lowered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You know exactly what I’m talking about. But for some reason that I can’t figure out, you’re fighting it.” He lifted her chin with his finger until her gaze met his. Her eyes said it all. She felt it. She felt the same deep pull of attraction he felt. He read the passion steeping in her baby blues. He could also read the fear. And he understood it. He felt a little scared himself. He’d been attracted to women before, but never with this intensity. Never with this all-consuming need.
Using just his finger, he drew her closer. “You can’t fight chemistry, Sweet Pen. All you can do is surrender.” He dipped his head under the brim of her cowboy hat and kissed her.
With the way she’d been acting, he expected some kind of hesitation. Instead, as soon as his lips touched hers, she opened like a flower to a bee. He couldn’t stop himself from sliding his tongue in and gathering all the warm, sweet nectar being offered. She tasted like sweet tea spiked with the finest scotch whiskey—intoxicating fire all wrapped up in pure innocence. And he couldn’t get enough. He cradled her jaw and pressed the hand still holding his hat against her back, bringing her flush against him.
She released a low moan and he felt it all the way to the toes of his boots as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingernails scraped through the hair at the base of his neck as she deepened the pull of her lips and the sensuous strokes of her tongue. She had him hot, hard, and ready in about two seconds flat. But unless he wanted to give the townsfolk something to gossip about over supper, he needed to bring a stop to things.
With a nip on her lower lip, he eased back from the kiss and whispered in a voice hoarse with desire, “Let’s get out of here.” Completely ignoring him, she pulled him in for another lip-searing kiss. It took a lot of willpower to end it and put some much needed breathing room between them. “Damn,” he said. “I can’t think straight around you. And unless we want to start a scandal, honey, we need to move this party elsewhere. I’d suggest my place, but I can’t see Chester and Lucas being overjoyed if I had my way with you in the spare room.”
She stared at him in confusion. “Have your way with me?”
“Or you can have your way with me.” He winked. “I don’t mind you being in charge.”
The desire completely drained from her eyes, leaving that disgusted look he didn’t care for. “No one is having their way with anyone.”
Dammit, not this again.
He tugged on his cowboy hat. “Okay, I’m not quite understanding all the rules of this game we’re playing. I don’t mind a little hard to get, but this back and forth business is giving me whiplash. It’s pretty obvious you want me. And I want you. Since we’re two single consenting adults, I don’t see the problem. Why shouldn’t we enjoy each other’s company while I’m here?”
The sudden storminess of her eyes warned him what was coming next. The punch she delivered to his stomach had him sucking wind and staggering back against the car parked next to hers.
“What the hell?” he gasped.
She glared at him. “Sorry, but you already screwed over one Gardener sister. You’re not going to screw over this one.” She hopped into her truck and backed out, almost running over his toes in the process, then took off in a squeal of tires.
Cru stood there holding his stomach and trying to figure out what had happened. Her sister? How had he screwed over her sister?
Like a bolt of lightning from heaven, the answer hit him. And he could’ve kicked himself for not thinking of it before.
A man can never try to get lucky with two sisters.
Chapter Six
It was a little after three o’clock when Penny finally got to Evie’s house in Abilene. Evie was still at work, so Penny let herself in the back door using the spare key under the mat. Once in the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator to get something to drink. When she saw the package of ham, she realized she was hungry. Which was surprising since she never thought she’d be able to eat again after what she’d done.
She’d kissed Cru Cassidy. Twice. The first kiss she could pass off as Cru catching her off-guard. The second kiss couldn’t be passed off as anything but pure unadulterated desire. She wanted Cru. She didn’t want to want him, but she couldn’t help it. And it had nothing to do with her childhood crush. At thirteen, she’d dreamed about innocent kisses. After the kiss today, she couldn’t stop thinking about hot, nasty sex.
She now understood why Evie had fallen into bed with him so easily. His kisses were mind-altering and his charm hard to resist. But Penny would resist. Cru had broken her sister’s heart and she would never forgive him for that. While Penny had been upset when Cru left that summer, Evie had been devastated. Penny hadn’t completely understood her sister’s depression until she found out about the baby. Then her sister’s sadness after all the Double Diamond boys had left made sense. Cru hadn’t just stolen a few kisses. He’d stolen her sister’s heart.
The sound of the front door opening startled her out of her thoughts. Sneakers thumped against the wood floor in the living room and she figured that Clint was home from school.
“I told you that I can’t hang out today, Tommy. I have homework to do.”
“So do it later,” Tommy said. “Shit, I wish your mom drank. After the geometry test, I could sure use a shot of tequila. I tried to cheat off Daryl Bixby, but the geek caught me and covered his paper. Hey, why don’t we head over to my house? My dad always keeps a six-pack in the garage refrigerator.”
“I have to be here when my mom calls or I’ll be in big trouble. And don’t you dare light up. My mom with kill me if she smells cigarette smoke.”
“Hey, give me that back. The smell will be gone by the time she gets home. She didn’t smell it last time, did she?”
Penny stepped out of the kitchen to find Tommy sprawled out on the couch in the living room and Clint holding a cigarette. “You’re right. She probably won’t know you were smoking in her house. But now I do.”
Tommy quickly jumped up from the couch and grabbed his backpack. “Oh hey, Miss Gardener. I just stopped by to do homework with Clint. But since you’re here, I probably better get home.”
“So you can get drunk on your daddy’s beer?”
“N-No, ma’am. I was just kiddin’ about that. See you, Clint.” He hurried out
the door.
When he was gone, Penny walked over and took the cigarette from Clint’s hand. “I see how you ended up with Saturday detention. You’re lucky you didn’t get suspended.” She stuffed the cigarette in her back pocket so Evie wouldn’t find it in the trash and go ballistic. “That guy is a complete loser. You know that, right?”
“Tommy isn’t that bad. He’s just going through some crap right now after his parents got a divorce.”
“I’d accept that excuse if his parents had just gotten a divorce. But they’ve been divorced for over a year, Clint. Which means that he’s just gotten in the habit of using that as an excuse for his bad behavior.” She tipped her head. “Just like you use Tommy as an excuse for yours so you don’t disappoint your mother. You know right from wrong.”
Clint shrugged. “Sometimes things don’t always fit neatly into right or wrong holes, Aunt Pen. Sometimes the line gets blurred.”
She knew exactly what he was talking about. Cru’s lips were extremely good at blurring lines. But she knew right from wrong. And kissing Cru had been wrong. Totally wrong.
She hooked her arm through Clint’s. “Come on. I’ll make you a sandwich.”
They sat at the breakfast bar and ate their ham and cheese sandwiches. After being reminded about what a mistake she’d made with Cru, Penny had lost her appetite and only nibbled on hers while Clint devoured his in just a few bites.
“You’re a human garbage disposal,” she said with a smile.
“I’m a growing boy.” He finished off his sandwich, then reached for hers.
“Hey!” She swatted his hand. “That’s mine.”
He stuck out his bottom lip. “You wouldn’t deny your favorite nephew food, would you?”
“You’re my only nephew. I’m sure, one day, your mama will have another son that I’ll like much better.”
She thought he would laugh, but instead he grew serious and looked down at his empty plate. “She’s thinking about marrying Edward.”
“I heard. How do you feel about that?”
Most boys would be upset about getting a stepdad, but Clint wasn’t most boys. He was a kid who loved his mom and wanted what was best for her. “Okay, I guess. I mean he’s nice to Mom and it will be good for her to have someone when I leave for college.”