by Soraya Lane
“Nate, I’m sorry, man,” Sam said, opening his arms and pulling Nate in for a hug, slapping his back and holding him tight.
Nate took a deep breath. He’d prepared for this, he’d known this was coming, but all the prep in the world wasn’t helping right now.
“Thanks for coming,” he managed.
“All this bullshit with Faith, I’m sorry. Let’s just forget about it.”
Nate nodded when Sam stood back. He wasn’t going to talk about Faith right now, didn’t want to discuss the one person in the world he wished was by his side. Sam was right, they could forget what had happened, because when it happened again it was going to be different. No more sneaking around, no more stolen kisses, just Nate telling the whole world that Faith was his. If she’d have him.
“You going to have the service at home?” Sam asked, passing Nate his coffee that had been resting beside the chair he’d risen from.
Nate smiled his thanks and took the paper cup. Sam had obviously only just made it, it was full to the top, and they both drank it the same. Strong and sweet. “We’re going to bring him home as soon as we can, get him back to the ranch where he belongs, and we’ll have the service within a few days.”
Sam’s expression was sad, his eyes damp like he was ready to shed his tears for the man who’d always welcomed him onto the ranch when he and Nate were kids.
“Clay was a goddamn legend, Nate,” Sam finally said, folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head. “He made me feel like one of you boys when I was staying over, gave me my first paying job.” Sam rubbed his knuckles into his eyes before continuing. “I came to see him a few days ago, just to see how he was. I used to call most weeks. And you know what hit me?”
Nate raised an eyebrow, draining the coffee as he watched Sam. He hadn’t even known how often his friend had been to visit.
“How damn similar the two of you are. Were.” He laughed. “You’re a chip off the old block, Nate. He was so proud of you, and it’s because you’re the spitting image of him.”
Sam’s words hit Nate hard, made the bite of emotion snap at his throat again, almost took control of him, but he squared his shoulders and forced it back down.
“Thanks, Sam, it means a lot. He was always telling everyone that he knew the finest horseman in Texas, so don’t forget how much he thought of you, too.”
They both stood a bit longer, Nate feeling so tired his eyeballs seemed to be aching.
“Hey, you ready to go?”
Ryder’s hand on his shoulder jolted him back to the present, his voice deeper than usual, more raspy.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Sam took the cup from him and threw it in the trash. “I’ll see you at the service.”
Chloe pushed between Nate and Ryder, looping a hand through his arm and then her husband’s, keeping them both close.
“You guys remember how impressed he was with me that I could beat the pants off all of you at poker?”
That made Nate laugh. “Yeah. I don’t know if he was disgusted by us, in complete awe of you, or both.”
“Definitely in awe of me,” she said with a giggle before resting her head against Nate for a moment as they walked. “You want to come stay with us? I hate the idea of you being alone in the big house.”
He chuckled, glancing down at her. As far as sisters-in-law went, he’d hit the jackpot with his two. “We need to stop calling it the big house. It’s not like you two have small digs.”
“What’s so funny?”
Nate smiled at Chase as he joined them with Hope, one arm wrapped tight around her man.
“Nothing. Come on; let’s get out of here.”
Nate walked with them out into the lot, the outside temperature cooler than it had been when they’d arrived. It was cold now, the sky almost black.
“I’m gonna miss him,” Nate said, to himself but to his brothers, too. “There’s not a day that’ll go by that I won’t miss him.”
Ryder and Chase both nodded, standing nearby.
“Now let’s head home and crack a bottle of his favorite whiskey,” Nate announced. “Gone but not forgotten, right?”
“Yep, here’s to Wild Turkey, straight up over ice,” Ryder agreed.
Chase smiled. “Hey, we might not have Granddad, but we have you, Nate. One look into your eyes, or the way you hold yourself when you’re doing business, and it’s like he’s with us anyway.”
Nate cleared his throat, wishing to hell everyone wasn’t suddenly telling him how like his grandfather he was. Maybe he was; maybe he wasn’t—either way, he just wanted to get home and drink enough to dull the pain a little. If that was even possible.
Chapter 17
FAITH ran her hands over the fabric of her skirt, more used to being in jeans than pencil skirts that hugged her body tight and made it impossible to take more than a small step. She’d gone out and bought a new outfit to wear to Clay King’s funeral. It only seemed right to make an effort for a man that had been as good as a legend for longer than she could remember, but it was Nate she was all sweaty palmed over seeing. In all honesty, she’d come for him, but the suffocating feeling of waiting for the moment that he came near was almost unbearable.
“You okay?”
She nodded and smiled as Sam squeezed her hand, leaning in close to her. “Fine, thanks. I’m just hot.” It was the truth. She had a silk cami on underneath her jacket, and the fact that they were outside in the sun with her wearing all black wasn’t exactly sensible.
“We can go on over and take a seat if you want,” Sam suggested, gesturing to the rows of white chairs beneath a huge tent with no sides.
She shook her head, more content to swelter in her suit than risk running into Nate or his brothers. She wanted them to know she’d been here, but the idea of seeing Nate again, being up close and personal with him for even a moment, wasn’t something she’d ever be prepared for. Faith sighed. She might have been the one to walk away from him, but it didn’t mean she didn’t miss him like crazy still.
“Hey, Faith.”
Faith hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until she let it go. She turned and came face-to-face with Chloe.
“Hey,” she replied. “How are you holding up?”
Chloe blinked away visible tears. “Okay. It’s just hard seeing the guys so cut up.”
Neither of them had said Nate’s name, but it was hanging between them, and Faith decided she’d rather be the one to bring it up than wait for Chloe.
“And Nate?” Faith asked, wishing her brother wasn’t standing right beside her, listening to the entire conversation. “How’s he been?”
“Not bad, considering!” The deep, commanding voice that rang out behind her made every tiny hair on her body stand on end, her skin covered in goose pimples. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and slowly turned.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Nate,” she managed, meeting his gaze head-on and suddenly wishing she hadn’t come at all. His dark eyes were stormy, slightly bloodshot, his black hair pushed completely off his face. It was longer than it had been when she’d been with him, slightly unruly now even though he was obviously trying his best to tame it today.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, eyes never leaving hers as he spoke, his voice powerful even though he was in pain. “You too, Sam,” he continued, turning to her brother and holding out his hand. “And thanks for coming by the other day. It was good to see a friendly face after the afternoon I’d had.”
Sam shook his hand, patted him on the back, and said a few words. Faith could have listened, was standing right beside them, but all she could think about was Nate. About the fact that he was standing so close, that this big, incredible man was less than two feet from her, a man she’d voluntarily walked away from because she was so damn scared of falling for him, when what she should have done was hold him close and try to never let him go.
“Faith?”
Her head snapped up, suddenly tuning in to the convers
ation when she heard her name.
“I’m sorry?”
“Nate wants a word with you.” Sam looked between them. “In private.”
Damn it! Why hadn’t she stayed tuned in to what they were saying? “How about you, ah, go get us a couple of seats and I’ll join you in a second.”
Sam stared at her long and hard before nodding and walking away. Chloe had disappeared without her even realizing it, and suddenly it was just the two of them. She could only watch Sam walk away for so long before she had to change the angle of her body and face him.
“Nate…”
“Faith…”
They both laughed at the same time, only instead of keeping his distance like she had been, Nate reached for her hand.
“You go first,” he muttered, staring into her eyes and rubbing his thumb across her palm, making her go all kinds of crazy at the direct skin-to-skin contact.
Faith’s mouth was dry, all thoughts gone from her head. She hardly even remembered exactly what she’d wanted to say, except for the fact that … what? That she shouldn’t have left him? That she was in love with him? That she couldn’t be with him even if she wanted to be?
When she didn’t say anything, he smiled. “How about I go first, then?”
Faith nodded, wishing he wasn’t touching her.
“I want to take you somewhere.”
She was confused. “Right now?”
“No, on Friday. I need you to take the day off, and I’ll come and get you first thing.”
She frowned the moment he mentioned her taking time off. “Nate, I can’t. This job means too much to me.”
His smile was too smug, his gaze too intense. “I’m sure your boss won’t mind you spending the day with your biggest client.”
“Biggest client?” she asked, confused.
“I’m intending on making a significant purchase tomorrow. I don’t care what so long as my art consultant can assure me that it’s a good investment. Then I plan on telling your boss that I’d like to spend the day showing you my private collection and discussing future”—he grinned—“acquisitions.”
Heat traveled through Faith’s body, the blush hitting her cheeks before she could try to stop it. “Nate, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s a damn fine idea,” he as good as growled. “I have a funeral to deal with and my granddad to lay to rest, and aside from running King Enterprises I only care about one thing.”
Her hand was shaking as she retrieved it, not wanting Nate to keep hold of her. “Nate, no. It’s not the right thing to do.”
“Neither was you leaving me.”
“Touché.”
They both stayed silent, paused.
“There are so many reasons why we shouldn’t be together, Nate,” she murmured. “Which means that we’re better not tempting fate.”
“I’m not like any other man you’ve known before, Faith.”
She paused, body dead still. “Is that a threat?”
He was stone-faced for a moment before leaning in close to her, the scent of his cologne filling her nostrils, his body blocking out everything else.
“No,” he said, stroking a hand down her arm, slowly. “But I’m going to prove to you exactly why we should be together, and when I’m finished…”
She gulped. Waiting. “What?”
“Let’s just say that I’m not good at taking no for an answer, and I don’t ever intend on letting you walk out of my life that easily ever again.”
* * *
Faith had hardly moved an inch since she’d sat down. From where they were sitting, a few rows back from the front, she could see the back of Nate’s dark hair. Her fingers were betraying her by fidgeting, remembering what it was like to be lazy and content in bed with him, how it felt to run her fingertips through his thick hair.
The minister stopped talking then, leading them all in prayer, which at least forced her to dip her head for a moment and concentrate on what he was saying. And then he was announcing Clay’s eldest grandson to say a few words. Faith gulped. Instead of remembering the man she was here to pay respects to, she couldn’t stop thinking about the times she’d had on the property with Nate. Times they’d done their best to keep secret, which had made it all the more fun.
She straightened, noticed the way her brother shifted when Nate strode to the microphone and smiled at everyone seated before him. Sam loved Nate, they’d been best friends since Little League days, but she knew her brother was still uncomfortable with what he thought had happened between her and Nate. What had happened between them.
“Clay King was a man like no other,” Nate began, his deep, commanding voice so like his grandfather’s. “I’m proud to call him my granddad, or dad really, as he brought us up with Grams as if they were our true parents after my mom died.”
Faith noticed that he hadn’t mentioned his father, and she doubted he would. Nate wasn’t exactly the forgiving type, and he’d made it clear that he had no love for the man who’d abandoned them.
“My granddad taught the three of us a lot of things, too many things to share today, but the one that always stands out is that we had to find what we were passionate about.” Nate’s voice turned husky, cracking slightly until he cleared his throat. “I think you all know that I was gunning to follow in his footsteps since I was a kid, and we’ve all found our own way, but he also told us that once we found out what we wanted, never to take no for an answer.” Nate’s eyes suddenly found hers, his gaze strong and unwavering, leaving her struggling to breathe. “I’m fortunate to have told Granddad how much I loved him, and I fought to prove myself to him every damn day while he was alive, and Granddad, if you can hear me up there, nothing’s gonna change. Chase and Ryder made him beyond proud when they met their gorgeous wives and finally brought some permanent female company to the ranch, and I’m only sorry that the old fella didn’t get to meet my future wife, too.”
Wife? If she’d been breathless before then she was completely out of air now. Nate had always said that he’d never marry, that he had zero interest in settling down, and now he was talking to an entire crowd of people—friends, acquaintances, business contacts, and his family—about Clay missing out on meeting his future wife?
“I’d like to thank you all for coming, and invite you to stay on and celebrate Clay’s life with us. We will be attending a private burial immediately after the service concludes, and then Granddad’s favorite whiskey will be flowing like water until dark.”
Faith gulped, watching Nate cross back to his seat, so confident in everything he did. Even emotional over losing his grandfather, he’d still managed to address a couple hundred people and talk to them as if he knew every single one of them personally. But personally, she was still stuck on the “wife” comment.
They’d already heard from Chase about Clay’s life, how he inherited King Ranch and turned an already successful business into an empire like no other in Texas, and after a few more words from the minister, along with a final prayer, the service was concluded.
The three brothers walked past them slowly, with a few other men, carrying Clay’s coffin down the center of the chairs. Nate’s jaw looked like it was carved from stone, tears glistening in his eyes as he passed her. No one made a sound as the men escorted one of the greatest men in Texas into the long black car, the crowd folding in behind them as they all walked back out into the bright southern sunshine.
“I’m going to head off now,” Faith told Sam, leaning in close to him.
“You’re not going to stay for a drink? Pay your respects?” Sam asked, frowning.
“It’s complicated,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I just don’t feel like I should be here right now.”
“Because of Nate?” Sam asked, looking irritated.
“Yes,” she told him, not wanting to lie. “But it’s not what you think.”
“I was thinking that he’d damn well broken your heart,” Sam muttered. “Just like I warned you would happen
. But now I’m not so sure.”
She tried to act like discussing her love life with Sam was the most natural thing in the world. “He didn’t break my heart. We just…”
“He’s in love with you, isn’t he? That speech about his future wife…”
“Just leave it, Sam. I need to go.”
He didn’t try to stop her and she didn’t waste time. Thank god she’d brought her own car. Faith moved silently through the crowd, smiling and nodding as she passed people she knew, until a hand closed over her wrist and stopped her from moving another step.
“You’re leaving already?”
She tried to snatch her hand back, but it didn’t work. Instead Nate slowly released his grip, so slowly that she had to remain almost immobile the entire time.
“Nate, I need to go.”
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” he asked, moving closer, his body making hers ache for all kinds of things that it couldn’t have.
She stared at his lips, at the gentle curve of his mouth as he smiled. His eyes were still damp, unshed tears ready to be blinked away if they weren’t going to fall.
“You shouldn’t hold them back,” she said, because it was the only thing she could think of to say. “Your tears,” Faith clarified when he looked puzzled.
“I’m not afraid to cry,” Nate told her, reaching out and touching her hair, his thumb and forefinger gently caressing a strand before he let go.
But I’m afraid of you. They were the words she wanted to say, needed to say, but they wouldn’t come out. Instead she just walked a step closer to him, stood on tiptoe, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, her lips betraying her and staying against his skin a little too long.
“Good-bye, Nate.”
His smile was a confusing combination of sad and warm. “I’ll be by at nine am to collect you on Friday.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t even know where I live.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, winking and sending a wave of desire through every inch of her body. “You can run from me, darlin’, but you sure as hell can’t hide.”