by Lea Hart
“These would be perfect,” he whispered into her ear.
Snatching them up, she elbowed him and then walked away. Too much. She needed to get out of there. He was hot on her heels as she stomped over to the cash register. She pushed her pile of things across the counter and smiled at the saleslady as she started ringing her up. Ryan’s large body loomed behind her, so she quieted her nerves and pretended to be fascinated with the display behind the counter. When the woman gave her the total, she slipped her credit card out and handed it over. Ryan moved closer and stood directly behind her. The heat from his body rolled over her, as did his warm, woodsy scent. Turning her head slightly, she discovered his mouth right next to hers. “Is there s-something you want?” she stuttered.
“I want a lot of things.”
Turning back to the cash register, she decided not to respond. He was masculine in a way that couldn’t be learned or taught. He just was. Which was making him difficult to resist. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. The last thing she needed was another man who had no idea what he wanted. Ryan definitely was that type of man. He’d just gotten off the Teams, and as far as she could tell, it wasn’t easy for him. There was no way she was going to be a pit stop for him while he figured out his next step. Been there, done that. Had the T-shirt.
When she was handed her bag, she turned around and pushed it at Ryan’s chest. “You can hold this. Just remember that’s as close as you’re going to get to my undies.”
Laughing, he grabbed the bag and her hand. “Now I just have to prove you wrong.”
Ivy collected her other bags and scowled. “That wasn’t a challenge. That was a statement of fact.”
“One person’s facts are another person’s fantasy.”
Stopping abruptly, she slid her hand out of his. “What do you want, Ryan?”
“I want to go on a date with you.”
“Why?”
He took her hand again and then stared into her eyes. “Because I have to see why you make me feel the way I do.”
His large hand was warm, and she couldn’t deny the nice tingle that was running up and down her arm and across her shoulder. Nor could she pretend that the way his shirt stretched across his chest wasn’t interesting. “What do you feel?” she asked. His large thumb rubbed across her knuckles, and more shivers skittered across her body.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s a cross between a heart attack and throwing up.”
When her eyes flew to his, she laughed. “And you want to see what that means. I can tell you what that means and save us both a bunch of trouble. It means you should run as far away from me as you can.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I want to run at you.”
“You have no sense.” When she tried to get her hand free, he tightened his grip. “You plan to hold my hand all day?”
“Yeah, why not? It fits, so I think I’ll keep it where it belongs.”
He tugged her out of the shop and glanced around. “Where did Sara and Grady go?”
Ivy slipped on her sunglasses and checked her phone. “Sara sent me a text. They’re over at the Grill. It’s on the other side of the shopping center. She said that she didn’t want to interrupt us, so they headed over there to have a drink.”
“Lead the way,” Ryan said with a laugh. “I figure this is your natural habitat, so you should guide us.”
“Where is your natural habitat?”
“On a mission in the middle of nowhere. Or back home in California.”
As they walked through the center, Ivy looked up at the cerulean-blue sky and the palm trees and thought this must be familiar to him. “Is this like where you’re from in California?”
“This is the opposite of where I grew up. My father has a small winery in Northern California. I grew up surrounded by rolling hills and oak trees.”
“Sounds a lot like where I grew up,” she said. “I’m from a small town outside of Austin. The area is known at the gateway to Texas Hill Country.”
“I would’ve guessed you came from Houston or Dallas. You don’t seem like you’re from a small town.”
“Dripping Springs boasts a population of over 22,000 people,” she said. “The cows do not outnumber the people.” When he tightened his grip, leaned over and kissed her head, she almost swooned. How ridiculous. Ivy did a lot of foolish things, but swooning wasn’t one of them. “The cow comment got you, didn’t it?”
When he stopped, she looked up and felt her breath catch. Ryan Cordell was looking at her the same way a fox looked at a hen. Nothing good came from a look like that. Holding very still, she waited for what he was going to say.
“Definitely the cows.”
He started to lean down, but stopped when Sara’s voice interrupted them. “Hi, guys!”
Stepping away, Ivy moved toward their friends and let out a breath of relief. At least, that’s what she thought she was feeling. It might have been disappointment. Ryan caught up to her and took her hand again. Subtlety didn’t seem to be anything he was interested in. As they joined Grady and Sara, she tried to work out how much of a problem or blessing that was going to be.
CHAPTER FOUR
Thursday
Ryan let his truck roll to a stop in front of the McDades’ home in Coconut Grove. Ivy had been staying in their guest house for the last week, and he finally had her cornered. All she ever had time for was a short coffee at the office, or at least that’s what she had told him. He’d invited her out so many times that he’d lost count. The story he was telling himself was that she was so attracted to him, she was scared, so she avoided him as best she could. It was becoming a harder sell each day.
If his boss hadn’t invited him over for dinner, then he wouldn’t have had the chance he did now. He grabbed the bottle of wine from the seat and jumped out. Operation Wedding Date was about to begin. As he strode up to the front door, he heard the loud sound of the McDade twins. He’d been with the company only a week and the sounds of the kids’ laughter was already familiar. Vivi and the kids were regulars at SAI, so he’d gotten to know them. Before he could knock, the door opened, and Joel stood there with his son in his arms. “Welcome to the madhouse.”
“Thanks for having me over.”
“We’re happy to welcome you to the family. Come on in and let me get you something to drink.”
Ryan glanced around and grinned. The house was spacious and littered with children’s toys. He hadn’t been sure what to expect when he heard that Joel’s wife was an heiress. The possibility of a formal dinner had danced in his mind. He was relieved to see that they lived in a regular house with the kids clearly the focus.
“I’d apologize for the chaos, but that would imply we had control over the situation. Having twins ensures your house is always going to look like a bomb went off. We pick up after they go to sleep and then it starts all over the next day.”
“I grew up with three brothers, and my father probably would’ve said the same thing.”
“Let’s head out back. The ladies are out there. I think Ivy said she was going to take the kids in the pool while Vivi and I get dinner together.”
Ryan followed Joel out and almost swallowed his tongue. Ivy Bellows stood next to the pool in a bright green bikini with Tory McDade in her arms. He’d known Ivy had a great figure. He just hadn’t known how great. He liked soft, curvy women, and Ivy Bellows was exactly that. Seeing her hold a baby so comfortably did something to his insides that he wasn’t sure he liked. “Hello, Vivi. Thanks for having me over.” He waved to Ivy, and she lifted the baby’s hand and waved back.
“We’re so happy to have you. If you want to swim, there’s a bunch of trunks in the guest house. Just go on in and help yourself,” Vivi said with a smile.
“Thanks.” He handed her the bottle of wine and then accepted a hug. He’d recently learned that Vivi was the type of woman who hugged anyone who got close enough. She would also feed you and offer any advice that she thought might be helpful. W
hether you were interested or not.
He walked over to Ivy and held the baby’s hand. “Hi, Ivy.”
“Hey. I didn’t know you were invited to dinner,” she said.
“The way you’ve been avoiding me, how would you know anything about my plans?”
Tory started to fuss, so Ivy bounced her a little and gave him a small smile. “Avoiding is a strong word.”
Before he could respond, Joel’s loud voice interrupted them, asking what they wanted to drink.
“I’ll have whatever Vivi’s having,” Ivy replied.
“I’ll take a beer if you have it,” Ryan added.
Vivi turned to Ivy and winked. “I’ll have Joel make us some blackberry margaritas. They will be perfect with the dinner.”
“Sounds great.” Tory continued to fuss, and Ivy stepped into the pool. “Can I put her in her floaty and take her around the pool?”
“Of course. We just need Ryan to get changed and take Jordy in as well. He’ll have a fit if his sister gets in without him.”
“I can take them both,” Ivy responded.
“Give me five minutes and I’ll change and take Jordan in. We can have a race across the shallow end. I bet the boys can whup the girls.”
Ivy put Tory in her floaty and shook her head. “Leave it to a SEAL to make brother and sister compete against one another. Not everything is a contest.”
Vivi laughed and glanced at her husband. “If only that were true.”
Joel strolled over and handed his wife her drink, then gave her a wet, sloppy kiss. “I’m reformed now, sweetie. I’m surprised you keep forgetting that.”
“I forget nothing, Mr. McDade.”
“I’m the luckiest son of a bitch in the world,” Joel responded as he set Ivy’s drink next to the side of the pool.
“Said like a man who knows which side his bread is buttered on,” Vivi called out.
“I do love my bread buttered.”
Ivy and Ryan groaned simultaneously. “Lord have mercy upon my innocent ears,” Ivy yelled from the middle of the pool.
“I’m going to change,” Ryan called as he strode into the guest house.
When he emerged in his borrowed swim trunks, he heard an audible gulp from Ivy. She stood still in the middle of the pool with her hands on the kids’ floaties. Was that a good gulp or a bad one? He was in shape, but he had a ton of scars from his years on the Teams. He also didn’t ascribe to all that manscaping that was so popular now. He didn’t wax anything, and maybe she found it unappealing. He had never worried for a second about what a woman thought about him one way or another. He’d always figured that if the woman wasn’t interested, then neither was he.
He walked over to the pool and stepped in. When he got closer to Ivy and the kids, he saw warm desire in her eyes. Letting out an internal breath, he silently high-fived himself. The heat in her eyes told him that she liked what she saw. Whatever came out of her mouth in the next ten minutes wouldn’t mean a thing. If he had to guess, she was going to do everything she could to fight it. That was okay. She wouldn’t win in the end. The dance was starting, and this was just the beginning. He planned on getting a kiss by the end of the evening, as well as a date to Trevor and Katie’s wedding. “Jordan, let’s show these girls how it’s done.”
“What’s done?” Ivy asked as she released her grip on Jordan’s floaty.
“Baby floaty races,” Ryan responded. “The men challenge the women to a race across the pool.”
Ivy smiled at Tory and shook her head. “Victoria Elizabeth McDade, let this be your first lesson in the fragile male ego. Trust me when I tell you it doesn’t ever get better. What we’re seeing today is going to be no different than what you see twenty years from now.”
Ryan snorted, lifted Jordan’s hand, and high-fived him. “Jordan, women never understand that we do all of this just so we can impress them. All we want is for them to like us.” Glancing over, he grinned at Ivy. “We just want to impress them enough to give us a chance.”
“Is that what you want, Ryan? A chance.”
“Yes. That’s what I want.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that I don’t have much of a choice about it.”
“What about free will?”
“Don’t seem to have much of that when it comes to you.” He watched her head tilt and a big smile cross her pretty face. When her small hand lifted slowly and landed on his chest, his heart almost exploded.
“Well, a chance it is,” she said quietly.
He was ready to lean over and steal that kiss he’d been dreaming of, but both of the McDade twins decided it was the perfect moment to voice their opinion about the matter.
Startled, Ivy moved away and took Tory on a slow tour of the pool. Ryan followed with Jordan and figured the kiss would have to wait. A smart move, considering the twins probably saw enough kissing with their parents. Those two barely had a shred of control. Ryan hoped like hell to have a tenth of what they had someday.
***
Vivi stood at the kitchen window and clapped her hands. “It’s working, Joel.”
He ambled over and rested his hand on his wife’s back. “Your matchmaking plot may actually have a chance of succeeding.”
“The way they’re looking at each other tells me there is more than a chance. I knew it when I was in the office the other day. She looks at him like he’s a hot fudge sundae, and he looks at her the same way.”
When she straightened up and turned, she found herself in her husband’s arms. “I love you more each day,” she said, “and I want Ivy to have a chance at what we have. I know it’s going to take a strong man to take her on, and I think Ryan is the one for the job.”
“My sweet, romantic wife.”
She kissed him and then stepped away. “Let’s finish making dinner. I have a feeling that Ryan is dying to get her alone.”
“Lord save anyone who gets between you and your ideas.”
“I don’t think the Lord is going to be involved in any of the plans that I have in mind,” Vivi replied as she opened the fridge.
“Probably true,” Joel mumbled.
***
The table was set and everyone was ready to eat. The twins sat between their parents, and each one had a plate. “Sometimes it’s simpler to eat outside,” Joel commented. “It’s easier to hose off the patio than the kitchen floor.”
“Everything looks delicious. Thank you for making a lovely meal,” Ivy said, as she started filling her plate. “What’s the secret to your potato salad?”
Vivi gave her son a small piece of barbeque chicken and then stared at Ivy. “I don’t think I have a secret. It’s just mayonnaise, potatoes, celery, salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a little sour cream, but that’s it.”
“It’s yummy.” Nodding, she served Ryan a large portion. “Try it.” After she was satisfied that Ryan had enough on his plate, she served them both some of the corn salad. “If you asked a question like that back home, you would be met with dead silence. Asking for someone’s recipe is like asking them if they like oral sex. It’s simply not done in polite company.” When Ryan choked, she gently patted him on the back and went on with her story. “My Aunt LeLe was famous for her macaroni salad. She had actually won several contests and was as proud as a peacock that she was considered the queen of macaroni salad.” Looking around the table, she shrugged. “I know—it seems crazy. Everyone knows that macaroni salad is the sad stepchild to potato salad. But no one wanted to rain on Aunt LeLe’s parade because she was a woman given to hysterics. She was also a hell of a shot, so it just wasn’t worth the effort.
“Anyhoo…Aunt LeLe got a computer and started writing her recipes down and saving them. One of her grandkids suggested she save them on the cloud in case the computer crashed, so she did just that. One day at Bible study, she was bragging that she was getting real good with the computer and had uploaded her recipes to the cloud and yada, yada. No one could make a boring story longer than
LeLe. Come to find out, her arch nemesis, Betty, was the only one listening. She heard cloud and enlisted her no-good-for-nothing nephew to hack the cloud or whatever you do to get information off the cloud, and she found all of LeLe’s recipes. I’m sure you can guess what happened after that…all of the sacred recipes were made available for anyone to see. The secret to the macaroni salad wasn’t a secret anymore. Hell broke loose in Dripping Springs. Chaos ensued and accusations were flying. I missed most it because I was away at school, but I will tell you that LeLe figured out a way to hack back.” Turning to Ryan, she shrugged. “Is that possible?”
When he didn’t answer right away, she continued her story. “My dear, sweet sixty-year-old aunt, made all of Betty and her husband’s sex videos available on YouTube. Bless her heart, that was some kind of revenge. I felt sorry for Betty, because you can’t really compare a recipe for macaroni salad and a sex video. Especially the ones that they made. But how stupid do you have to be to make one in the first place? Then you upload it on the cloud. If you ask me, that’s just trouble waiting to happen. Especially when you consider what her husband looks like. I’m still considering therapy to get over the shock. I mean, no one needs to see old George giving it to his wife in the behind.” She cringed. “Like I said, therapy may still be in the cards.” Taking a sip of her margarita, she smiled at the table. “Can you pass the barbeque chicken?”
Ryan looked around and then started cracking up. Vivi and Joel joined him, and Vivi had tears coming down her face, she was laughing so hard. Ivy sat there quietly eating her dinner, like she hadn’t just a told a story about macaroni salad and sex videos. Ryan commented, “That’s a hell of a story, Ivy.”
Pointing her fork at him, she winked. “Sugar, that isn’t even the best one. I have a hundred more like that.”
Joel filled his plate and grinned. “I think you may be a distant relative of my wife’s family. That sounds a lot like something that would happen to one of them.”