“No, it’s not! It’s distracting as hell!”
Elise blinked. “Not to me.” She was quiet for a moment. “But I can see it bothers you. From now on I won’t deliberately light any brush fires when you’re around.”
“Thank you.” She gazed at her sister. “Are you saying you didn’t really need rescuing?”
“Maybe not the way you thought.”
“But you were crying.”
“I know, and I was upset, but I’m over it.” She reached out and squeezed Drew’s shoulder. “That doesn’t mean I’m not excited about spending the weekend with my big sis. Let’s go in so I can find out what this major secret is about.”
Drew locked the truck and led the way up the outside stairs to her second-floor apartment, all the while thinking she might have overreacted by inviting Elise down here. Elise hadn’t asked to come, had she? And now there was the issue of Austin to deal with.
Her sister was too observant to miss the chemistry, so the relationship had to be explained before they drove out to Thunder Mountain Ranch the next day. Some sisterly advice from Elise might be helpful before Drew saw Austin again. Maybe Elise could help her figure out where Austin was coming from.
“I have to warn you,” she said as she unlocked the door. “The apartment’s even more Spartan than the one I had in Billings. My decorating consists of hanging up my Ansel Adams posters and my signed Wayne Gretzky photo.”
“Works for me.” Elise rolled her small overnight case into the living room, which contained a worn sofa on one side of the room and Drew’s video equipment on the other, including a large flat screen, her computer, and various cameras, tripods and lights.
“I’ll take the sofa and give you the bed.” Drew felt the need to offer even though she knew Elise would probably refuse.
“Are you kidding? I love sleeping on this sofa. I was afraid you might have replaced it.” She plopped down on it and patted the cushions. “This sofa and I have a history.”
“You do, at that.” Elise had spent the night on it several times, most notably when she’d been dumped by a guy she’d been madly in love with.
“Are you gonna sit down and tell me the secret stuff or what?”
“I am.” She dropped her purse onto the desk beside her computer. “After I get us some wine.”
“Excellent.” Elise kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa. “I didn’t drink much at Mom and Dad’s.”
“Obviously as the designated driver, neither did I.”
Moments later as they sipped red wine from juice glasses and snacked on trail mix, Drew gave her sister a brief rundown on Austin.
“He sounds great.”
“He is great unless he’s hoping to lock down something permanent in the near future. If you could observe the situation tomorrow and see if you pick up on that, too, I’d appreciate it.”
Elise grabbed another handful of trail mix. “Your instincts tell you he’s getting serious, right?”
“Right, but—”
“Then you need to talk to him ASAP and relay your concerns.” She popped the trail mix into her mouth.
“But what if I’m wrong?” Drew’s stomach tightened. “Won’t that seem arrogant to assume he’s getting serious if he’s not?”
Elise stopped chewing. “What if you’re right? Wouldn’t you rather set the record straight before he goes any further down that road?”
“Yes, yes, I would.”
“I wish Brian had been more honest with me instead of being afraid he’d hurt my feelings.”
“Okay.” Drew took a deep breath. “But there’s all this wedding stuff going on so I’m not sure when I’ll have a good opportunity until next week.”
“I wouldn’t wait that long if I were you. Is there a good coffee shop in town?”
“Rangeland Roasters.”
“Then you could invite him to meet you there tomorrow morning.”
“And leave you here by yourself? That’s not right after I—”
“Listen, sis.” Elise leveled a stern glance at her. “You came charging to my rescue when you thought I was in need. Maybe I wasn’t as desperate as you thought, but I’m thrilled to get out of Billings for the weekend. If I weren’t here, you could meet this guy, no problem.”
“Except without your encouragement, I wonder if I would have set up a coffee date.”
“Regardless, it’s the right move, and I can certainly manage to amuse myself for a couple of hours while you have a heart-to-heart with your cowboy.”
“It’s after midnight. How can I invite him this late when we’re talking about tomorrow morning?”
“Didn’t you say he was at the bachelor party tonight?”
“Yes, but—”
“Text him. He’ll be up.”
“All right.” Drew sent the text and his response came shooting back. He’d be at Rangeland Roasters at ten.
Elise gazed at her. “He’s at a bachelor party with his foster brothers, where the booze is flowing and the laughter is loud, and yet he answered your text almost immediately. Any doubts that this conversation is necessary?”
Drew sighed. “Not a single one.”
Chapter Fourteen
Austin borrowed Jonah’s truck and arrived at Rangeland Roasters ten minutes early. After receiving Drew’s text last night he’d almost shown it to Cade as proof that she was into him. In spite of having her sister staying with her, she wanted to see him. Even better, she’d asked him this time instead of everything being his idea.
But he’d decided not to tell Cade about the coffee date. He hadn’t said anything about it to Jonah, either. He’d just mentioned an errand he needed to run in town. Jonah had been too groggy to ask questions, anyway. He’d just handed over his keys.
Most everyone had bunked down at the cabins although they hadn’t packed it in until around four. Austin had stayed until the end, but he’d cut way back on his beer consumption so he wouldn’t be hungover this morning. A shower, a shave and clean clothes had perked him up, although he’d felt a little weary on the drive in.
But now that he was seated at a table by the window and watching the door, an adrenaline rush counteracted his lack of sleep. When he caught sight of Drew, his pulse hammered. He imagined her thinking about the next couple of days without any time together. Maybe she’d decided to fix that problem because she plain liked being with him.
She caught sight of him through the window and waved. He lifted his hand in response. He loved the way she moved, the way her dark ponytail swung with each stride of her long legs. He loved that she was tall and not fussy in the way she dressed. Jeans and a scoop-necked T-shirt looked great on her. She wore the pendant necklace, like always.
Her grandmother had told her to follow her heart. Maybe that was the reason she was here. As she came through the door, he stood and waited for her. He hadn’t been aware of smiling until she returned his smile.
“Thanks for meeting me.” She stayed just out of reach as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. “My treat.”
“Put your money away. It’s on me.” He was a little disappointed that she was keeping her distance, but Rangeland Roasters had become a gathering place for residents of the town and she might not want to advertise that they were involved.
“But I invited you.”
“Let me pay.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “And then let’s get out of here.”
“But—”
“Drew, I insist. What do you want?”
“Just regular coffee.”
“Nothing to eat? A muffin? A Danish?”
“No, thanks, but go ahead if you’re hungry. I’ll hold the table.”
“I thought I’d get it to go.”
She looked uncertain and finally nodded. “O
kay.”
As he ordered the coffee, he thought about the side street where he’d parked. It was only a block off Main, but not much traffic went that way. He’d chosen the spot on purpose because he hadn’t envisioned sitting in the coffee shop if they could go somewhere more private. He’d put the sunscreen over the windshield.
He used a cardboard carrier for the coffee and decided to get one blueberry muffin in case she changed her mind about eating something. When he came back she was standing next to the table as if still guarding it.
“I’m not sure where we could go,” she said. “Maybe we should stay here.”
“I’m parked a block away. We can sit in the truck.”
“The ranch truck?”
He had a hunch why she’d asked. If they ended up making out a little bit and someone noticed a couple kissing in the truck, she wouldn’t want it to be the one with the Thunder Mountain Academy logo on the side of it. He hoped they would kiss. This might be the only chance they’d have for a couple of days. “I brought Jonah’s.”
“Oh. All right, then.”
He followed her to the door and managed to reach around and open it for her without spilling their drinks. She smelled more delicious than either the muffin or the coffee. “To the right.” He fell into step beside her.
“How was the bachelor party?”
“Terrific. Like old times. How’s your sister doing?”
“She’ll be fine. I’m glad I suggested bringing her down here, though. Typical of them, my parents are trying to fix this and they’re being a little pushy about it.”
“Then I’m glad you fetched her. I was surprised to hear from you, though. Happy, but surprised.”
“I decided we needed a chance to talk.”
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah?” Then he gestured to the right again. “Down here. The dark blue truck at the end of the street.”
“I see it.”
“Where’s yours?”
“On Main. I was lucky and found a spot close to Rangeland Roasters.”
Obviously she hadn’t been planning to invite him to sit in her truck. “Did you get that reunion video edited in time?”
“I did. Everything’s under control.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
She glanced up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I desperately want to kiss you.” He took the keys out of his pocket and stepped around her to unlock the passenger door. “But I know we need to wait until we’re inside the truck. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to advertise that we’re together.”
“Austin, I—”
“Just a kiss. I promise not to get carried away.” He opened the door and once she was in, he handed her the cardboard tray with their coffee and the muffin. “You can set that on the dash.”
“The console would be better.”
He smiled. “Not if I’m going to kiss you.” He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side, his heart pounding in anticipation. A mere twenty-four hours had passed since he’d held her yet it felt like weeks.
Before he climbed in, he tucked his hat behind the seat so it wouldn’t get in the way. Then he noticed that their coffee tray sat on the console. That was a clear signal and his good mood evaporated. “You don’t want me to kiss you.”
“I do, but first we need to talk about something.”
Last night’s conversation with his brothers started playing in his head. He’d been so sure they were wrong and that Drew felt the way he did. He took a calming breath, settled behind the wheel and turned to face her. “Shoot.”
Her expression softened. “I really like you.”
“I really like you, too.” He swallowed. “I have a feeling there’s a but coming after that, though.”
“Not really. It’s more of a question. Just now you mentioned that we were together. Yesterday you said I’d probably be seeing a lot of your family in the future. Am I imagining things, or are you getting serious about me?”
That knocked the breath right out of him. He stared at her as he scrambled for what to say. His brothers were right. He was moving too fast and had jumped to conclusions based on her eagerness to make love to him.
“I think I have my answer,” she said gently.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I feel like a damned fool. But yesterday you were so...so...”
“Willing?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s a good word for it.”
“Then I’ll take some of the blame for misleading you. I think I mentioned that in Billings, whenever I dated someone, it became common knowledge in my family pretty fast.”
“You did.” He didn’t think what she was about to say would make him feel any better but he would hear her out. If nothing else, he could get his act together while she talked.
“You’re the first man I’ve been with where I didn’t have any comments from the peanut gallery. It was liberating.”
Okay, that info made things way worse. “So you would have been that willing with any joker who happened along?”
“No!” She gazed into his eyes, her expression earnest. “I said it wrong. I’ve been here nearly eight months and haven’t gone out with anyone.”
“Probably because you were too busy.”
“I was busy, but I was asked out a couple of times and I wasn’t motivated to date either of them. The minute I saw you under that sink I was a goner. If you hadn’t asked me out I eventually would have asked you.”
“So you’re physically attracted to me?” He’d briefly dated a woman in New Zealand who’d only wanted sex from him. No conversation, no shared meals, no scenic drives.
“Of course I’m physically attracted but I also like you. You have a zest for life. You’ve had misfortune but you’ve risen above it. You set goals and achieve them. I admire all that.”
“But you still have an issue.”
“I like you very much, but I’m not in the market for something permanent.”
“Ever?” His hopes and dreams circled the drain.
“I don’t know about ever, but certainly not now. I left Billings to get away from family responsibilities that made me feel trapped. I need to figure out who I am and what I want. Selling that rafting video was huge and it could be a good direction for me. I won’t know that for a while, though, and in the meantime...”
“You don’t want some cowboy putting a halter on you.” Cade and the rest of his brothers had nailed it. He wasn’t giving up, but he’d better be careful or he’d scare her off.
She smiled. “That’s about the size of it.”
He had to ask the next question but he was worried about how she’d answer. “Is this about dating other guys?”
“No.”
His shoulders sagged in relief. “I’m glad, but sort of confused.”
“Can’t we just have fun?” She fiddled with her pendant, sliding it back and forth along the chain. “Why not leave it at that?”
Because he’d outgrown that phase in his life. He’d even told her so on their first date. He’d left New Zealand because that kind of loose arrangement didn’t work for him anymore. He’d always preferred situations that had a trajectory, an end game.
Now that he’d found the right woman, he didn’t want to waste time just hanging out. He wanted to make plans, create a blueprint for the future. But if he said any of that she was likely to get out of the truck and walk away.
Frustrating though it might be for him to back off and give her time, he had no choice. It was either do that or abandon the whole deal, which was another option. Logically he knew she wasn’t the only woman in the world he could love.
But when he looked into her dark eyes with their silent plea for understanding, he couldn’t think logically. Instead he pictured giving up
the privilege of kissing those plump lips and the intense pleasure of holding her lithe body while they made love. Nope, he couldn’t imagine ending everything because she didn’t share his vision. Instead he’d have faith that someday she would.
She moistened her lips. “You’re being very quiet over there.”
“Just making sure I get it.” He was focused on her mouth and the sheen on her lower lip where her tongue had swept over it. “We’ll be exclusive but don’t have any real claim on each other. I guess that means if it stops working for us we won’t have to break up because we were never a unit in the first place.”
“Exactly. Can you live with that kind of setup?”
“Yes, ma’am, I surely can.” He glanced at the cups of coffee, which would be lukewarm by now, and the muffin, which certainly didn’t interest him and might not interest her, either. “Want to drink the coffee or move it?”
“I vote for moving it. Meeting for coffee was just an excuse.”
“Then allow me.” Picking up the cardboard tray, he opened his door and climbed out so he could set it on the hood. Then he got back in the truck. “I’ll deal with it later.” He reached for her, coaxing her toward him even though they had the barrier of the console between them. “Right now I have more pressing concerns, like giving you a proper kiss.”
She leaned over and wound her arms around his neck. Her necklace dangled between them. “An improper kiss will do.”
“Don’t know if I can manage that in such tight quarters.” Cupping her cheek in one hand, he angled his body and settled his mouth over hers. The moment he touched those velvet lips he groaned in frustration.
She pulled back. “What?”
“I feel like I’m kissing you through the bars of a prison cell. I could rip this console out with my bare hands.”
“It’s not your truck.”
“Good point.” He released her. “I’m coming around to your side.”
“Austin, there’s not enough room.”
He opened the door and glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll make room.” Once he opened the passenger door he got her to hold on to the dash and lift away from the seat. He slid underneath her and closed the door. “Now sit on my lap.”
Do You Take this Cowboy? Page 12