The call had been from Cassidy. Would she call back or would she think he didn’t want to talk to her? He had to call her back. But her number was stored in his fucking paint-covered phone. He had no choice but to go to the phone store and replace the damned device, but he had furniture being delivered to the condo. He shut his eyes and blew out an exasperated breath. He didn’t need this aggreavation right now. Maybe he could get in touch with her through Liz? Shit. He didn’t have her number either. All of his contacts were in the damned phone. Unless the cellular carrier could pull the contacts for him he was totally screwed.
At Griff’s recorded greeting, Cassie ended the call and dropped her phone into her purse, reeling with disbelief. She’d left three messages and he hadn’t returned any of the calls. It didn’t make sense when he’d asked her in no uncertain terms to come back to Wyoming. Had something happened to him? Or had he suddenly changed his mind about her? Maybe he’d met someone else? Or reconciled with his ex? Both of those thoughts had her heart dropping into her stomach. But Griff didn’t seem the fickle type.
He’d told her he hadn’t been in any relationships since his breakup. Maybe he was just pissed off about her bargain with Doug? That seemed the most plausible conclusion. She hoped she’d be able to smooth things over once he learned she hadn’t gone with Doug. But how could she explain when he wouldn’t pick up the phone?
She’d packed her car up with plans to drive it to Wyoming, but it now seemed that Griff’s offer was no longer on the table. Considering her remaining options, it seemed that all roads led back home to North Carolina. After saying a tearful good-bye to Liz, Cassidy headed north on the interstate, but ten hours later still found herself second-guessing her decision.
As she approached the exit to Rocky Slope, she eased off the accelerator and prepared to make the turn, only to have her hands freeze on the wheel. What the hell was she doing returning to North Carolina when the man of her dreams was in Wyoming? When she’d married Doug eight years ago, she’d had her future all mapped out, but nothing had turned out as she’d planned. Maybe it was time to go with her gut for a change. Nineteen hundred miles was a helluva long way to drive if she was wrong, but she couldn’t just let it go when her heart called her westward.
Chapter Ten
Jackson, Wyoming – December 31
Griff answered the door with a low whistle at his first eyeful of Denise. With her hair and makeup done, and wearing a clingy black dress, she was a real knock out. “Wow! You look fantastic. I don’t remember ever seeing you so glammed up.”
“You can quit looking at her now,” Derrick glowered. With his sleeping daughter cradled in his arms, the effect lost much of its intended menace.
“If you don’t want other men looking at her, you’ll have to cover her up or take her home,” Griff taunted.
Denise laughed. “It’s your own fault Derrick! You bought me the dress.”
“I was only thinking of me when I saw you in it.”
She gazed at her husband with a sexy smile. “If it helps to ease your mind, sweetheart, you’re the only one who’s gonna see me out of it.”
Griff experienced another sharp pang of envy. He wanted what they had. And he’d begun to think it might happen with Cassidy, but it seemed the stars had aligned against them. He’d bought a new phone but the store was so backlogged from Christmas that they hadn’t been able to work on pulling his data and now they were closed for the New Year’s holiday. Contacting her would be his first priority for the New Year. If she hadn’t reconciled with her ex, he’d vowed to book the next flight to Florida.
“Please, c’mon in,” Griff said, stepping back to let his brother and sister in law inside.
“Is this gonna be your new house, Uncle Griff?” Kaden asked.
“I’ll only be here part of the time,” Griff answered. “Once I have it rented out, I’ll come back to the ranch.”
“Is that your plan?” Derrick asked.
“Right now it is, but it all depends on who rents it.”
“Have you heard from her?” Denise asked.
“Not yet. I got my new phone, but I still don’t have my contacts. I keep hoping she’ll call me back, but maybe she thinks I don’t want to talk to her.”
Denise offered a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, Griff. It’ll all work out.”
“I brung some movies for us to watch,” Kaden interrupted, holding up his backpack.
“Great!” Griff replied. “Which ones?”
“I gots our favorites, X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“I’ve got the DVD player all set up,” Griff said. “Why don’t you go ahead and start one up while I make us some popcorn. Do you think Kelsey will wake up or do you want to put her in bed?” Griff asked Derrick.
Derrick turned to Denise with a blank look. She reached out for the sleeping toddler. “I’ll put her to bed. She’ll probably sleep through the night.”
“She can have the second bedroom on the right.” Griff pointed down the hall.
Derrick’s gaze never left his wife until she disappeared from view. He shook his head with a sigh. “I’d almost forgotten how damned fine she looks in a dress. Thanks again for doing this for us, Griff. Denise has looked forward to it all week. You’re still gonna come and watch football with me tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll bring the kids back before the game starts.”
Denise returned with some final instructions. “They’ve both already eaten supper, so you don’t have to worry about that. I also packed their favorite cereal and some breakfast bars in Kaden’s bag for the morning.”
“We’ll be fine,” Griff reassured her. “You two go on and have a good time.”
“Thanks, Griff.” Denise blew him a kiss. “Goodnight.”
What the hell was I thinking? Cassidy had been on the road for four days, driving in godawful conditions. She hated winter driving and here she was surrounded by treacherous mountains on icy, slushy roads. The closer she got to her destination the more terrified she became. It wasn’t so much the horrendous highway that she feared, but what might greet her at the end of her trip.
Should she try to call him again? If he answered this time, what would she say? Was it best just to leave things to chance once she got there? If they were meant to be together, surely they would run into each other again, given they were only a few doors apart.
She still had the key to Liz’s place. It was vacant for two more weeks, and her ankle had healed—mostly anyway. It was well enough that she was driving again and could do at least some of the things she’d originally planned on. She’d just have to play it cool and tell him she’d returned for the photography expedition into Yellowstone Park that she’d promised herself, and then let him take it from there.
Either he’d want to pick it up where they’d left it or he’d blow her off completely. That last part was the scenario that had her almost hyperventilating as she burned up the miles on the frozen roads. She told herself it would be okay. At least she had a backup plan. She’d figured it all out by the time she crossed into Nebraska.
It was already growing dark by the time she reached Cheyenne, and Jackson was clear across the state, another four hundred miles. Should she start looking for a motel or keep driving? It would be almost midnight by the time she got there. She’d almost forgotten it was New Year’s Eve until the DJ on the radio announced the evening program—a playlist of the most popular songs of the year. She remembered her promise to spend New Year’s with Griff if he’d guessed her favorite holiday movie and the forfeit he’d pay if he didn’t. He hadn’t guessed it. Maybe it was time to collect on that debt.
It was quarter to midnight when Griff carried his slumbering nephew to bed. He’d promised to let the boy stay up for the fireworks but Kaden didn’t make it. Although he’d enjoyed spending time with his nephew, Griff’s visions of ringing in the New Year had included a champagne toast, fireworks, and Cassidy—not necessarily in that order. Instead, he’d spe
nt it with a six-year-old watching superheroes and drinking sparkling apple cider. How lame was that?
He stood by the window watching the torchlight parade, a New Year’s spectacle of expert skiers lighting up the mountain trails with the flickering color of hand held flares. Denise and Derrick would be watching it from one of the best tables at the Couloir of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort—the table he’d given an arm and a leg for in hope of spending New Year’s with Cassidy.
Too restless to go to bed, he went to the fridge and popped a beer. He then dropped onto the sofa to surf Netflix. Eager for distraction from his thoughts, he settled on Lethal Weapon, one of his all-time favorites. Propping his booted feet on the coffee table, he took a long drink and hit PLAY. He’d just passed the opening suicide scene when his phone rang. Shit. Where was the fucking phone? And who the hell would be calling this late? He traced the sound to the kitchen where it sat plugged into the charger. He snatched it up and glowered at the display. It was her. He jammed the answer button with his thumb. “Hello? Cassidy?”
“Griff?” her voice was the most welcoming sound he’d heard in over a week. Hell, maybe even in his whole life.
“Yeah. It’s me,” he said, smiling for the first time in days. “Damn it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Wh-what did you say?”
“I said it’s damned good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you, Cassidy.”
“I don’t understand,” she replied. “I’ve called. I left several messages. You never phoned me back.”
“Because I broke my fucking phone. Dumbass me dropped it in a can full of paint and lost all my contacts.”
“Are you serious? Couldn’t the carrier restore them for you?”
“Yeah. They said they could, but they haven’t been able to get to it yet because of the holidays. I was going to call you as soon as I was able. Hell, I was half ready to get on an airplane if I didn’t hear from you soon.”
“You were?”
“Yes. The only thing that stopped me was the fear that you were back with your ex.”
“I didn’t go with him, Griff.”
He swallowed hard. “You didn’t?”
“No. Doug tried to guilt me into it, but I just couldn’t.”
“And he let you off the hook?”
“Only when I told him I’d met someone.”
“You said that?”
“Yes. Of course he had some choice words, but it’s over and I’m done. I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.”
“I want to see you,” he said. “I miss you like hell. If you can’t come here, I’ll go there. Doesn’t matter to me. I can take some time off now that the condo’s finished.”
“Is it rented out yet?” she asked.
“Nope. I had a preferred tenant that I was waiting to hear back from.”
“So the offer’s still open?”
“It’s open,” he said. “Are you saying you’re thinking about coming back?”
“Actually I’m doing more than thinking about it.”
The doorbell chimed. “Hang on please, Cass, someone’s at the door.” Griff mumbled a curse as he went to answer it. Was it a drunk neighbor ringing the wrong unit? Or had Derrick and Denise changed their mind at the last minute about leaving the kids overnight? He flung it open and gaped. What the hell…
“Maybe I should call you back?” Cassidy still spoke into the phone. Her eyes gleamed with humor as she ended the call and dropped it into her purse.
“Cassidy? When did you get here?” Suddenly realizing he was still holding the phone to his ear, Griff shoved it into his pocket.
“About ten minutes ago,” she replied. “I hadn’t planned to call so soon, but then I saw the lights on and took a chance that it was you. I was hoping we could watch the fireworks together. Can I come in?”
“Fireworks? Yeah. I’d like that.” Barely recovered from the shock, Griff pulled her into his arms. “God I’m happy to see you.”
“Me too,” she whispered back, reaching up to stroke his face.
His turned his head to kiss her hand and then claimed her soft, sweet lips as he waltzed her inside. Closing the door with his foot, he pressed her against it to kiss her some more, not stopping until they were both short of breath.”
“So what now?” he asked. “Are you really here to stay?”
“I’m here,” she answered. “Whether I stay depends on what happens between me and you. The place looks great,” she said. Her gaze darted to the wall mounted television. “Ohmygod. You’re watching Lethal Weapon?”
The image was frozen on Mel Gibson with a pistol in his mouth. He was glad he hadn’t paused it on the scene with his bare ass. “Yeah.” Griff shrugged. “I was burned out on Disney and superheroes.”
“But why did you pick that movie?”
“It’s one of my favorites,” he said.
“It’s mine too. Matter of fact, it’s the one I wrote down that first night.”
“You’re shittin’ me. Lethal Weapon is your favorite holiday movie?”
She grinned back at him. “I swear to God.”
He shook his head with a rumbling chuckle. “I’m beginning to think you were custom made for me, Cassidy. Do you know that?”
“It sure did feel that way, didn’t it, Griff?” She stepped into his space and ran her hands up his chest.
“My memory’s a little hazy,” he replied, pulling her against him. “Mebbe you can refresh it for me?”
She cocked her head. “But I thought we were going to watch the fireworks?”
He slid his hands into her silky hair and kissed her long and deep. “Why settle for watching when we can go and make our own?”
The End
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About Victoria Vane
Victoria Vane is a bestselling, award-winning author of smart and sexy romance. Her books have received more than twenty awards and nominations to include the 2015 Red Carpet Award for JEWEL OF THE EAST, 2014 RONE Award for TREACHEROUS TEMPTATIONS, and 2012 Library Journal Best E-Book romance for THE DEVIL DEVERE series. Victoria also has a passion for historical fashion and lives in the beautiful upstate of South Carolina with her husband, two sons, a little black dog, and an Arabian horse.
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Also by Victoria Vane
BESTSELLING CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES
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HELL ON HEELS (perma free)
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BEAUTY AND THE BULL RIDER
A COWBOY’S MIGHTNIGHT KISS
AWARD-WINNING HISTORICAL ROMANCES
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A BREACH OF PROMISE
A PLEDGE OF PASSION
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THE BASTARD OF BRITTANY (Coming January 2018)
THE DEVIL DEVERE SERIES
(LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST E-BOOK ROMANCE)
A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE (#1)
THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS (#2)
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (#3)
THE DEVIL’S MATCH (#4)
A DEVIL’S TOUCH (4.5)
JEWEL OF THE EAST (#5)
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Champagne and Cowboys Page 68