Until then, he’d play it cool, at least when Marisol, or anyone else, was around. In private, well that was a different story altogether.
The movie ended and Marisol jumped to her feet. Her eyes were wide and a little spooked, but she grinned.
“Can we use the karaoke?”
The other three girls let out a chorus of “pleases” and Craig gave in. While Marisol grabbed her CDs, he set up the equipment. Within minutes, music filled the room with Marisol and Bonnie starting them out. They stood in front of their audience, singing a pop song with all the drama two confident ten year olds could muster. Craig sat next to Quinn on the love seat. He didn’t miss the way their thighs touched, nor did he miss the fact that she didn’t move away it.
By the time all four girls had sung one song each and were working on repeat performances, an unexpected guest strode into the living room.
Bonnie and the other girl she sang a duet with stopped and stared, open-mouthed, at Robby.
Craig’s first reaction was annoyance. Robby wasn’t the type to drop in on the family unannounced. He usually had something better to do with his Friday nights. Craig concluded that Quinn drew Robby to the Shady H.
Next to him, Quinn tensed. He stopped himself from taking her hand in comfort.
“Hey, I thought I heard some great singing and I had to see who was doing the entertaining.” Robby flashed the girls a brilliant smile.
“Uncle Robby.” Marisol gave him a hug and proceeded to introduce him to her starry-eyed friends.
“I hope you don’t mind me crashing your party but I was in the area.” Robby’s gaze fell on Quinn and his eyes narrowed a bit.
Reluctantly, Craig got to his feet. This was no place to start anything with his brother, not in front of the girls. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Got a beer?”
Craig nodded and headed to the kitchen. Robby took the seat he’d abandoned, putting his arm behind Quinn with a familiarity that Craig both envied and disliked. To his relief, Quinn shot Robby a scowl and sat forward.
When he returned with Robby’s beer, Craig leaned against the wall. Marisol was attempting to draw Quinn out to perform. Quinn didn’t look like she wanted to anything to do with it. Robby put his beer down.
“Come on, sweetheart, we’ll sing together. Remember the song we sang at that talent show junior year?” He tugged at her hand.
She pulled back. “No, I don’t remember it.”
“Oh come on, the words will be on the screen. You’ll remember as soon as you hear it.”
Robby looked at the girls. “Quinn here is fabulous. Come on, we need her up here.”
“You’re lying. I’m mediocre,” Quinn muttered.
The girls joined in the chorus of encouragement. Craig didn’t say a word, torn between annoyance at Robby and intrigue of seeing a new side of Quinn.
She gave in, but not without shooting a look of death at Robby. She took the microphone from Bonnie and drew in a deep breath. Robby stood close to her, looking at her rather than the TV screen.
The song he selected was slow and romantic. From the first word that came out of her mouth, it didn’t seem to matter who she sang with. Her voice was sultry and had a wide range. No, she might not be the best singer he’d ever heard, but she definitely was better than mediocre.
When the song finished, everyone applauded. Her eyes sparkled and she glanced at Craig. He knew without a doubt, the warmth he saw was only for him, even when Robby launched her into another, more lively tune.
Their audience cajoled them into two more songs, but finally Quinn pleaded for a break. Marisol intercepted her on the way to a chair and threw her arms around her.
“You’re as good at singing as you are at riding. You and Robby look so good together. I think you should go out with him again.”
Robby wound his arms around Quinn from behind and pulled her against his chest. “You and me both, Marisol. I think maybe you and I need to work together to convince her.”
Quinn pulled away from Robby, but gave him a sweet smile. “We had our chance. I’ve moved on.”
Robby leaned down and said something in Marisol’s ear that caused the girl to giggle. Quinn glared at him.
Time to break it up for Quinn’s sake.
“All right ladies, it’s past ten. Time to clean up and get to bed,” Craig announced.
A chorus of protests greeted his suggestion.
“We’re not even tired, Dad. Can’t we stay up longer?” Marisol clasped her hands under her chin and gave her best pleading look.
“A little longer.”
Bonnie suggested ghost stories after getting into pajamas. The other girls agreed, but they wanted to do it within the dark privacy of Marisol’s room.
That left Craig wondering what next. He couldn’t go back to that moment he and Quinn had shared. He could’ve discussed Emerald, but Robby’s presence put a crimp in that plan as well.
“Well, thanks for dropping in,” he told his brother. “You were a hit.”
Robby chuckled “You trying to get rid of me?”
“Not at all. I can’t imagine there’s much reason to keep you here. Quinn and I have some business to discuss.”
Robby continued to smile, his hooded gaze falling on Quinn. “Unfortunately I was counting on Q to give me a ride back.”
So that’s how he wanted to play. Craig didn’t think his brother knew of the growing attraction between him and Quinn, but Robby was determined to win her back. More determined than Craig had realized.
“I think I can hold down the fort for the rest of the night if you want to go.”
Quinn’s mouth tightened into a thin line. Apparently she hadn’t planned on ending the evening so abruptly either. With a roll of her eyes, she gave Craig a half smile.
“I have an early morning, so maybe we should head out. If you’re sure.”
Craig nodded.
“Can I help clean up?”
He shook his head. Her persistence impressed him. “Actually, I need to pay you for the pizza.” He was stretching for something to keep her there even just a few minutes longer. “Got my wallet in the kitchen.” He hoped Robby would stay behind and sighed inwardly when he heard Quinn tell Robby to go start her truck.
Even though he knew they were alone, he still whispered. “I couldn’t let you go that easily.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and lowered his mouth to hers.
“Mmm,” she sighed as he feathered kisses on her soft lips, and then traced his tongue against hers. Flames of want danced in the pit of his stomach.
“God, I want to tell Robby to get lost,” he murmured, caressing her cheek and ear with his thumb. She nestled into his neck.
“He’s got the worst timing. But we don’t want him in our business.” Her voice soothed his mind as much as her touch inflamed his body.
“No. Not yet anyway.”
Slowly she pulled away. “If I don’t go out there he’s going to come in. Tell Marisol I said goodnight.”
Craig followed her out of the kitchen, and watched her go through the door. He didn’t move for a long moment. He heard her truck door open, then a pause. The truck engine was running but the vehicle didn’t pull out. Quinn dashed back in just as he reached for the curtain to look out the window.
“I left my bag. In the kitchen I think.”
As she spoke, she grabbed his hand and dragged him back into the other room. As soon as the door swung shut behind them, she turned and threw her arms around his neck. This kiss was frantic, wild and unexpected, but no less welcome. He greeted her enthusiasm, nearly lifting her off her feet in his need to bring her as close to him as he could.
Her hands slid into his hair, down his cheeks. Every touch electrified and demanded. He met her passion with his own. No delicacy now, no sipping from her overflowing desire.
When she pulled away, she kept her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” she said out of
breath.
“I don’t mind at all.” Craig leaned in and caught her lips again.
“I have to go or your brother will be inside looking for me. I’m going to talk to Jacob in the morning. I can’t wait to get going on Emerald.”
“Give me a call and let me know when you want to move in.”
She nodded, grabbed her bag and dashed out of the kitchen.
Craig busied himself with cleaning the mess from the party, but his mind couldn’t leave Quinn alone. God, he was charged. He hadn’t felt this way for so long and he fully intended to enjoy it.
“Dad?”
He turned around. Marisol stood at the door, dressed for bed.
“Hey sweetie.”
“Do you like Quinn?”
“Of course I do. Why?”
“I mean, do you like her like she was your girlfriend?”
Warning flags waved in his brain. “What do you mean?”
“Bonnie said something, that’s all. She said you looked like you wanted to kiss her. Quinn, I mean. I just wondered if she was your girlfriend.”
Craig pushed his fingers through his hair. Lie? Was he really willing to do that? He’d never done that before.
Before he could answer, Marisol continued. “I know Robby still really likes her and they look good together, don’t you think? Especially when they were singing that love song. I think Quinn would make a cool aunt.”
How was he supposed to respond to that? Agree? Disagree?
“We’ll see what happens between them. If she can’t be your aunt at least she can be a cool friend.”
“Yeah, she can. Well, I’m going to bed. I’ve got a really good story to tell the girls.”
He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or worried about how the conversation ended.
Chapter 9
Quinn found Jacob in his office after breakfast the morning following the slumber party. She sat down in the chair across from him.
“Keep your feet off the desk,” he said without glancing away from the computer monitor.
“Yes, sir.” She put her hands in her lap and sat up straight. “I got a pretty exciting job offer last night.”
Now he looked at her, his dark brows furrowed and his jaw tense. “Thought you were helping chaperone a slumber party.”
Quinn chuckled. “Yeah, I was. But Craig offered me a job and I don’t think I can turn it down.”
“What kind of job could he be offering?”
“Managing Emerald Ranch for him.”
Jacob narrowed his eyes. “I heard he bought it back from Ted. I figured he’d knock down some fences and make it a part of the Shady H.”
“No, that’s Marisol’s place when she’s older. He wants Emerald for himself when that happens. Until then he can’t run two places so he wants me to move over there and manage it. He owns Ted’s horses now, including all those mares. I’ll be in charge of it all.”
Jacob leaned back in his chair and gave her a long look. “That’s an incredible offer. You think it’s something you could handle?”
“I’ll be doing what I’ve done here except on a larger scale. Got to put all that college education to good use. Craig will let me have my own horses there and he’s going to hire some help for me. I can’t turn this down.”
“What happens when Craig wants Emerald back?”
Quinn chuckled. That was why Jacob was the successful businessman and she wasn’t. He planned ahead, looked closely around every corner while she focused on the here and now. The immediate future was what mattered, everything else, she figured, would work out on its own.
“By then hope I’ll have enough money socked away to fix the old homestead up.”
Jacob nodded. “I bet you will,” he replied slowly, studying her closely for another long moment. Then he sat forward and rested his arms on his desk. “We’ll miss you here.”
“I’ll miss seeing you and Thea every day. But look on the bright side, with me out of the house you could convert my rooms into more guest space.” Of course, he might not be thrilled with her leaving for other reasons. “You don’t think I’m deserting you, do you?”
Jacob smiled. They’d always had a close relationship. She truly loved him and would miss seeing him on a daily basis.
“We’ll make it just fine. We managed when you were in college. I’ve got plenty of help. Unless of course Robby bails and goes back to Hollywood.”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “One can only dream,” she replied wistfully.
“It’s really over between the two of you?”
“We had our shot. He bailed. I got over him. End of story. He may want to resurrect a long dead romance, but I don’t.”
Jacob leaned back in his chair. “I must say I’m relieved. He’s too much of a player. Good for the young single women who come looking for a flirty cowboy. Not husband material.”
“Can you see him running a ranch? I mean, really running one. He’s pretty, but his talents lie elsewhere.”
“Maybe we should get you off this ranch.”
“Let’s do it.”
Quinn moved through the next few days, putting her future on the backburner in order to help Jacob. A crowd had arrived at Long Knife Creek, a family reunion of twenty people, thrilled to live the cattle ranch experience and even more thrilled to have Quinn, a real live rodeo champ, show them the ropes.
Two girls latched onto her, one Marisol’s age and the other a few years older. They became Quinn’s shadows. She didn’t even have a moment to talk to Jacob about his job offer.
Finally she needed a break. “Hey, how would you girls like a few hours of pampering at the spa?”
The girl’s eyes brightened. Both looked a bit red and rough around the edges. She’d caught the older girl examining her nails with disgust. “I have a friend who I’ve been promising a bit of spoiling. You could go together.”
After making sure it was okay with the girls’ mother, Quinn called the Shady H. Though they’d spoken when she was over for Marisol’s lessons, she and Craig hadn’t had a moment to themselves. Not to discuss anything more than Marisol’s riding. It drove her crazy and she certainly couldn’t mistake the look in his eyes when they talked.
She hated to think she needed Marisol out of the way to have some alone time, but the fact was they needed to talk. Alone.
Besides, she’d promised Marisol a treat as soon as the girl had mastered the canter with Sunny. She’d certainly worked hard enough, and, according to Craig, pulled her weight in the barn as well as at the house. She deserved a few hours away from the ranch. Quinn got Marisol on the phone and told her about the plan.
“Oh, that would be so much fun.”
“I’ll pick you up and bring you back. Remember, you can do anything you want, short of chopping or coloring your hair or getting anything pierced. My treat for being an awesome student.”
Twenty minutes later, she picked Marisol up and brought her back to Long Knife Creek Ranch where she introduced her to the two other girls.
Quinn headed back to the Shady H, hoping to find Craig with some time to spare. Business or pleasure first, it didn’t matter much. Both were equally important.
She didn’t find him anywhere around the barn but she found Hal who told her Craig had headed to Emerald.
Even better.
Emerald seemed deserted when she arrived. A lot had been done already to set the place to right, it made her even more eager to settle in, and get things started. The yard had been cleared out of all busted up cars, bits and pieces of metal and plastic and whatever else Ted saw fit to discard. The porch had been emptied and the seat that once hung from the stoop had returned.
She called for Craig and, after a moment, he came out of the house. He paused on the top step and they stared at each other, long and hard.
Pleasure first.
“I’m glad you’re here.” He started down the steps toward her. As he neared, every part of her body thrilled in anticipation. She drew in a deep breath to still
her nerves, but reveled in the butterflies that flapped crazily in her belly.
Damn, he didn’t even need to touch her to make her body charge. She boldly let her gaze brush over him, taking him in and secretly dreaming of how he’d feel next to her, holding her like a lover. He was tall, with broad shoulders, impressive chest span and narrow hips. Long muscular legs. Oh, to tangle her legs around his.
Stop. Her blood pressure built with volcanic pressure and she could imagine how red her cheeks had gone.
“I’m glad you’re here.” His voice was rough.
“Oh yeah?”
He reached her side and looked down at her. His eyes blazed as he reached out and caressed her cheek. She wanted more, would demand more. She took a step closer so she brushed against his chest. Slowly his hand drifted down from her cheek, over her neck, to her shoulder and down to the small of her back, setting every nerve tingling with desire. Being this close without kissing him was pure torture, but delicious and she wondered if he enjoyed it as much as she did.
Quinn smiled contentedly. “Jacob has given me his blessings to abandon Long Knife Creek and take charge here.” She tried to keep her voice steady as his fingers played with the tips of her hair.
“Then you’re ready to move in?”
“Whenever it’s convenient.”
“Terrific. How ‘bout I show you what I’ve been working on.”
Before the Lynches had sold their ranch, Quinn had spent plenty of time at Emerald. She knew the house nearly as well as her own. It had been warm and friendly, one Mrs. Lynch had been immensely proud of, and with good reason.
Not much of the Lynch’s décor had survived the Penney occupation. There were a few womanly touches throughout, but mainly it had been turned into something that resembled a seventies rumpus room. She didn’t know whether to laugh at the outrageousness or be sad for the loss of Craig’s family home.
“Guess it can use a coat of paint or seven,” she murmured, studying the dark maroon and yellow striped wallpaper and matching curtains. “Which is good, because I love to paint.”
Sweet and Wild Page 10