Let Me Love You

by Kristin Miller

“Oh…” Her hand tingled where he held her. She took it back. “How do we get him out?”

  “Lucky for you, buddy,” he said, raising the cage at an angle and lifting the front door, “I grew up in the backwoods and know my way around a cat trap.”

  As the woman with animal control approached the top of the gulley, kennel in hand, Joey went to work beneath the mud. The dog writhed and whimpered, and finally came free. It tried to swim, but sank. Lucy reached her hands deep into the murk, touched wet fur, and guided the dog away from her and out of the crud. It scrambled onto the bank, scrawny and covered muzzle to paw in mud and blood. The woman from animal control knelt and called the dog. It lowered its muzzle and padded cautiously over.

  “Come on, boy,” the woman from animal control said, holding out her hand. “You’re a handsome fella, aren’t you?”

  Creeping closer, the dog sniffed her hand. He made sure to stay just out of reach.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Lucy said, swiping mud off her face. “He’s walking. His leg’s not broken.”

  “Or at least it doesn’t look that way.” Joey trudged out of the mud and onto the bank. Once he got his footing, he extended his hand for Lucy.

  Was he always such a gentleman? The last few guys she’d gone out with would’ve hauled their backsides out of the mud and let her fight her own way out. Joey couldn’t be this way all the time, with every girl he went out with, could he? Didn’t the act get tiring?

  “We’ll have animal control take him to the vet to get looked at,” he went on. “You were brave for jumping down here.”

  She felt her cheeks heat as she took his hand. “You too.”

  “This is my job.”

  No, it was more than that. He could’ve helped Matthew with his arm and waited for someone else to secure the pup. He could’ve bolted out of the mud once he spotted animal control showing up.

  Joey pulled her onto the bank and helped her scramble to the top. As soon as the warm wind hit her, her skin was covered with gooseflesh. She was soaked, but sticky, the mud hardening to her clothes. Whey Joey reached the road two steps ahead of her, he jogged to his truck and came back with a blanket. Wrapping it over her shoulders, he knotted it in front and escorted her to the truck.

  It wasn’t until the side door opened that Lucy realized there were other firemen in the truck. One of his crew members had gotten out to bandage Matthew’s arm, but the others acted indifferent.

  They hadn’t even exited the damn truck!

  “I think the dog’s going to be all right. That could’ve been bad,” Joey said, watching animal control lure the dog into the kennel. Every time the woman got close to touching him with the pole in her hand, the dog spun and snapped for it. “If she can get her hands on him.”

  “I think that’s precisely the problem. There’ve been too many hands on him. He just wants to be left alone.” Lucy’s heart broke as she watched him squirm on the ground and snap at the woman’s ankles. “He’s been hurt. He’s afraid of someone hurting him again.”

  As if the dog had suddenly tired of fighting, he scurried into the cage. The woman shut the tiny gate and lifted the pooch into the truck.

  “You sound like you know a lot about this dog,” Joey said.

  “This is the first time I’ve ever seen him.” Lucy spun and caught his tender gaze. There was more to what he’d said. “Wait…what did you mean by that?”

  “Nothing,” he said, his voice a deep rumble. “I’m just thinking aloud.”

  He strode around the back of the truck and disappeared out of sight.

  But Lucy knew exactly what he’d meant. And he’d been spot-on.

  Chapter Six

  Joey’s stomach had been in knots all morning. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but he decided it had something to do with the pot of coffee he’d guzzled before heading to StoneMill for Janice’s birthday party. Either that or the sight of Lucy covered head to toe in mud yesterday had really gotten to him.

  He bet his bottom dollar on the latter.

  Lucy had plagued his dreams all night. And each time she’d been covered in mud, just the way she’d been before, only in his dreams she was completely, beautifully nude. All that porcelain-pale skin…all that mud sliding over her body as he pressed his naked body against hers. He’d been tortured every slow-ticking hour of the night.

  He awoke in the morning exhausted, eyes burning. It was as if he hadn’t slept a wink. He’d apparently tossed and turned all night, soaking his sheets in sweat. And every muscle in his body was tight. On edge. Raring to go.

  He wanted Lucy. It was undeniable. It was also an impossible scenario.

  As he pulled up to the winery and parked beside Dane’s black Ducati, Janice raced to his driver’s door.

  “You’re here!” she squealed and pulled him into a hug the moment he stepped out of his truck. “Now everything’s perfect.”

  God, he loved this girl.

  She was all smiles and sparkling pink lips. Her raven-black hair was straight, parted down the side, with sweeping hair falling over her right eye. She’d always had her own style, and her Sweet Sixteen birthday party was no exception. She wore a hot-pink dress, matching half jacket, tall white boots, and a pointed birthday party hat on the top of her head.

  She looked like Sweet Sixteen Barbie and his innocent niece rolled into one glittery pink ball.

  Alec should be here.

  He couldn’t get the thought out of his head. His brother should’ve been here to celebrate his daughter’s sixteenth birthday. He should’ve been here to witness the transformation from little girl to beautiful woman.

  Putting an arm around her shoulders, Joey guided his niece across the parking lot. “Am I the last of the family to show up?”

  She grinned, flashing him a million-dollar smile. The braces had straightened her teeth perfectly. He’d worked every overtime shift for the entire year to be able to pay for those.

  “Grandma and Grandpa Brackett have been here for hours,” she said. “They’ve spent most of the time in the garden talking about how StoneMill needs to hire a new landscaper. I guess the trees on the west end need trimming.”

  His parents were insatiable. Perfectionists.

  “Uncle Brody and Uncle Dane just got here,” she added, pointing to the building above them. “They’re probably still at the bar.”

  And some things never changed.

  “What about your Aunt Hannah?” The lone daughter of the Brackett clan. “Did she make the drive from Sunset?”

  Hannah appeared from around the corner of the building and put her hands on her hips. “It’s not that far, brother. Besides, I drive faster than you can fly.”

  The mere mention of flying sent a spark of adrenaline through Joey’s veins. He gritted his back teeth together and swallowed down the desire to hit the skies.

  “Hey,” he said, embracing his little sister. He squeezed so tightly, he lifted her off the ground. “You look great!”

  “Thanks!”

  She squeezed him right back, proving her strength. When he didn’t let her down, she hammer-punched him in the back. He dropped her and rubbed the spot where he was sore.

  Laughing hard, she pushed waves of dark hair out of her face. “You’re scrawnier than the last time I was here! Do you need a trainer to teach you some new lifts?”

  “Hardy-har.”

  With his arms firmly wrapped around his sister and his niece, Joey led the way into the winery and up the stairs toward the Legacy Room. He couldn’t help but look for Lucy. Around every turn and through every open door. Would she be here this morning? He’d told her about his niece’s birthday…

  As they reached the second floor and main level of the winery, Joey scanned quickly, searching for any sign of the fiery redhead. She’d wanted him to talk to Dane about asking her out. If he were a man of his word, he would’ve.

  Why, then, was he hesitating?

  Of course he’d tell Dane about Lucy’s interest. Why wouldn’
t he? She clearly wasn’t interested in him the same way he was interested in her. But a tiny, annoying voice in the back of Joey’s head warned that he didn’t want Dane to be happy with Lucy.

  Maybe, just maybe, he wanted her for himself.

  Bottom line: a woman like Lucy could never be happy with the kind of life he’d built. He ‘d never be enough for her.

  “You know,” Joey said, smiling down on the most important women in his life. “I think I’m the luckiest man in the world this morning, I’ve got everything I need, right here in my arms.”

  As they oohed and aahed, nuzzling into his embrace, his gaze skipped across the room and landed on Lucy. She wore a stunning green sweater that dropped off the gentle slope of her shoulders and black pants that hugged her hips, then straightened to the floor. Her hair had been pulled back, leaving a few red tendrils curling toward her shoulders. She stared at the iPad in her grasp, oblivious to the fact that Dane was approaching from behind.

  Something in Joey’s stomach tumbled, and then caught with a hollow pang.

  He and Lucy may’ve wanted completely different things, but damn if he didn’t want her to want him back.

  Chapter Seven

  Flicking her finger across the screen of her iPad, Lucy went over the schedule of events for the day and the reminder list for next weekend’s Grape Stomp Jubilee. She still had so much to do before then—why couldn’t the government speed its cloning research? What she wouldn’t give to have an extra pair of capable hands around the place…

  Janice’s birthday was in full swing, with family members arriving first—wasting very little time before migrating to the bar in the Tokay Room—and classmates arriving an hour later. Cara Smith wanted Janice to celebrate with both her family and classmates, though not together.

  “The Bracketts will want to drink,” she’d said during their pre-party appointment. “They’ll party through the day if you’ll let them. But it’d be best to keep the friends dancing and drinking punch in one room and the family socializing in the other.”

  Lucy couldn’t have agreed more.

  She’d set up a dance floor and DJ in the Legacy Room with hors d’oeuvres, a table filled with chocolates, and age-appropriate drinks, and had arranged for tables and chairs to be added to the Tokay Room next to the wine bar. The theme of pink and glitter carried from one room to the next. With a door separating the two spaces, Janice would easily be able to see her family members and visit with both sides of the party.

  Janice’s guardian went to great lengths to make this party everything she could’ve dreamed. Even with the discount Lucy gave her for being a Blue Lake resident, it had cost more than Lucy would’ve ever paid for a Sweet Sixteen birthday party.

  She’d handled all the setup, arranged the food and drinks, and hung decorations from the wood-beamed ceiling.

  It was perfect, but the pesky little necessary details weren’t what had her insides squirming.

  Dane had arrived on his bike—not that she’d been watching for him out the window in her office—and headed straight for the bar, his younger brother, Brody, in tow. She hadn’t had a chance to make her way over and say hello.

  Had Joey talked to him yet?

  As he appeared at the top of the stairs with Janice and Hannah (who certainly couldn’t be called hefty anything anymore), Lucy planned on answering one last email and then asking him.

  Someone tapped her shoulder.

  She spun and tried not to look surprised. “Dane, hey!” She tucked her iPad against her and slapped her free hand to her side. “It’s been too long. How are you?”

  “Dying of hunger.” He stood two feet away—an impassable chasm, as far as she was concerned—chomping on a mozzarella stick. “Are we going to get real food anytime soon?”

  If he hadn’t shot her a sexy smirk when he said it, she might’ve been offended or caught off guard by his rudeness. But who could be considered impolite with a smile as breathtaking as that?

  “Since it’s a birthday brunch, Ms. Smith decided on both breakfast and lunch appetizers. There should be a wide variety on their way out to the Tokay Room soon.” She paused, and when he stared at her with those gorgeous brown eyes, she rambled on. “I can check the status, if you’d like. There’ll be breakfast sandwiches, mini-quiches, deli trays—”

  “You don’t come into my store anymore,” he interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest.

  So he’d noticed her when she’d come in…and he’d noted her absence. All summed up in one simple remark. Sweet Jesus, he was suave. The thing about Dane Brackett that had always intrigued Lucy most was the hint of danger that clung to him. He had an air that he didn’t care about anything or anyone. It was thrilling to be held captive by his gaze, even if only for a few seconds.

  Her mouth dried. “Yeah, I’ve been busy,” she said, licking her lips to return the moisture. “I haven’t had as much time to get out kayaking.”

  It was one of her favorite things. She still headed out to the river off-season, when the harvest wasn’t sucking the life out of her. And when she did hit the water, she was saddled with things she’d picked up from Brackett Outdoor Sports. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she shopped there.

  Dane eyed her lips, and then just about knocked her out with a killer smile. “You should come by more often.”

  “I would, but I’m just so busy.” Play hard to get, she reminded herself. It was the easiest way to pin down a playboy. They weren’t used to being told no. “The winery is my boyfriend for the next month or so, until harvest is over.”

  He leaned in close. So close, she picked up the fresh musk of his aftershave. “I don’t want to be your boyfriend, and I don’t want to compete with what you have going on.” His breath, warm and delicious, fanned against her neck. “I just want to take you out sometime. Do you think your boyfriend would let you come play next Saturday?”

  She pulled back, regaining her composure quickly. There was a room full of people around them, after all. “I’m not sure. Saturday’s a week away. Who knows what could happen between now and then. I may be taken.”

  Oh yeah, dangle nonexistent boyfriends in his face. That’ll put him in his place.

  She took a deep breath, pushing out what breasts she had, and smiled. “Let’s just play it by ear, shall we?”

  The corner of his lips quirked. “You’re fascinating, you know that?”

  “So I’ve been told.” She shrugged and took a few steps toward the stairs. “See you around, Dane.”

  As she turned, she nearly collided with Joey.

  “Hey.” Jitters rattled in her stomach. “How’s it going?”

  “I was coming to ask you the same thing.” His gaze flipped between her and Dane. “But from the blush on your cheeks, I’d say you’re doing well.” He folded his arms over his chest, looking much as his brother had moments before. Only with Joey there was no danger, no edge. His sex appeal was undeniable, but she didn’t think he’d throw her onto his bed and ravish her within an inch of her life. “Did you get that date you wanted?”

  “Not really. He asked me out next weekend, but that isn’t going to work for me.”

  His eyebrows perked. “Already have another guy on the line?”

  She laughed. “No.”

  “Working?”

  “Don’t have to be.”

  “Ahh.” He nodded as if he finally understood. “Why do women always think playing hard to get works?”

  She planted her hands on her hips, careful not to let the iPad slip to the floor. “Because it does. Besides, I’m not the kind of girl who wants to make a schedule of every day of my life. I want the freedom to—“

  Her iPad pinged.

  She glanced down and swiped her finger over the calendar alert reminding her that she had to ready the barrels in the caves beneath the winery. They’d have to clear some out for the grape stomp.

  Joey leaned over, stealing a glance at her calendar. “What were you saying about not living by
a schedule?”

  “Shut it.” She pursed her lips. “I simply don’t want to be with a guy who schedules dates as if I’m completely, boringly…resistible.”

  “Lucy,” Joey said, his voice rich with seduction. “You’re as far away from resistible as a woman could get.”

  That was probably the best compliment she’d ever received. The sudden urge to plant another kiss on those supple lips nearly overcame her. The air crackled between them and everyone in the room disappeared.

  “Listen,” she said softly. “I wanted to apologize for what happened at the helipad. I should’ve handled things differently. I shouldn’t have asked you to—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he cut in, shaking his head. “It’s no big deal. Really.”

  “Don’t listen to a word he says, Lucy.” Dane slid between them and rammed Joey in the shoulder, severing their connection “He’s full of shit.” As the heat in the air shifted to tension, he stared at this brother, and then back to Lucy. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

  “Of course not,” Joey said quickly.

  Lucy smiled, remembering her place. “Can I get you something?”

  “Yeah, I was thinking about what you said back there.” He tunneled his fingers through his strands of dark hair and grinned from the side of his mouth. It was almost…rehearsed. As if he knew what kind of a reaction that would elicit from a woman. “I have plans to spelunk down Whipside Cavern tonight at five. I’d like you to come with me.”

  “Oh.” Eagerness purred through her veins. “Tonight?”

  He didn’t ask. He didn’t demand. He simply stated what he wanted.

  Perfection.

  “The lines are open tonight?” Joey asked, turning his attention to his brother. “I thought they closed at three.”

  “They do,” Dane said smugly. “For the public. But since I own the store and supply their tours with gear, they open it up for night rides. We’ll have lights on our helmets, drop five hundred feet, and then search out the cavern in the dark.”

  Although it wasn’t the sexy date she’d been hoping for, the excitement factor was more than what she’d expected. What a crazy once-in-a-lifetime experience! She’d spelunked down Whipside during the day before, but never at night.