She stepped back, and a bit of hurt cut him deep inside.
“Right.” She glanced down at the floor as if her outburst embarrassed her. “I really appreciate you two being here, but I’ll be able to figure out this dressing stuff in a couple of days.”
“I know you will. In the meantime, we’ll be here for you.” He took hold of her good elbow. “Come on. It’s time for some shopping.”
He wondered when was the last time Sam had relaxed enough to be herself. He’d asked around to see if she’d dated anyone, but no one owned up to going out with her. One guy said he was intimidated by a woman ranch owner. Tough luck for him.
He and Wade had both driven over to her place because they agreed it would enable them to come and go. He’d brought his five-year-old Cadillac convertible in case he needed to drive Sam someplace. He held open the door for her. “You okay with the top down?”
She hesitated for a minute. “I’ll need to pull my hair back.” She picked up her purse and pulled out a hair tie.
He wondered how long it would take her to realize that two hands were needed for that chore. To save her from having to ask, he held out his hand. “Let me.”
Another hesitation, but she finally gave in. “You know how?”
He’d tied a ton of horses’ tails and watched his sisters do it enough times. “How hard can it be?”
She turned her back, and he lifted her flowing mane. “Your hair’s really thick.” His cock got hard touching her.
“I know. It’s a pain sometimes, especially now that I have to wash it with one hand.”
“Well, I like it.”
She might have blushed, but with her back to him, he couldn’t tell. His sisters did some twisting maneuver first. He pulled her hair back with one hand and placed it on the tie. Then in one quick move, he pulled the tie around and over. He let go and the ponytail fell.
She laughed. “You have to twist the tie two or three times.”
“I guess I’m a bad judge.”
On the second try he got it. Then he separated the tail into two parts like he’d seen his sisters do and tugged. Looked good to him.
She spun around and touched his handiwork. “It’s perfect. Thanks.”
Actually, it was a bit lopsided. He couldn’t expect to get it right on his first try. Since she wouldn’t be getting her cast off for a while, he figured he’d be an expert by then.
“Hold on a sec.” He threaded his hands around her face to straighten it. He was pleased she didn’t flinch. To him, that represented progress. “All set.”
She pulled down the visor and glanced in the mirror. “You are good.” Her praise meant a lot to him.
They arrived in Intrigue fifteen minutes later. The courthouse sat at one end of town. On the front lawn, a band had set up and was playing country music. Some families were wandering about while others had their lawn chairs and picnic baskets all ready to go. Maybe after they purchased the vegetables, Sam might like to listen to the music.
He parked down Third Street, one block past the blocked-off street where the vendors sold their goods. “Ready for some shopping?”
“Absolutely.”
Her color improved as soon as she stepped outside. She lifted her head to the sun, and when the light fell on her face, she never looked prettier. Because it was crowded, Heath took her hand. They wended their way to Second Street where the booths went for four blocks. Some sold vegetables, but others sold nonperishable items.
Sam pointed to the booth two from the front. “Look, there are two kids selling lemonade.”
“You want some?”
“Sure.”
He’d never seen this side of her. She seemed relaxed and happy for the first time since her accident. He paid for two lemonades and continued down the row. Across the road he spotted his foreman’s son, dressed in a Boy Scout uniform, selling homemade chili. The twelve-year-old was with four others.
“Let me say hi to Tommy. He’s my foreman’s son.”
They made their way through the crowd over to the stand.
“Hey, Mr. Watson.”
He looked around for Wilt, his foreman, but there didn’t appear to be any adult supervision. “Where’s your dad?” Wilt was a single father who was as dedicated to the job as he was to raising his son.
“He’s buying more meat. We never thought we’d have so many sales.”
Heath smelled something burning. “You forget to stir the pot?” He nodded to the big pan on the portable gas stove at the back of the booth.
Tommy’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap.” He rushed back to take care of it.
He expected one of the other Boy Scouts to shoot up to the seller’s table, but Tommy’s friends seemed more interested in throwing beans at each other and goofing around than helping out.
“You need a hand, sport?”
Two more people came up to the table wanting to buy a bowlful. “Sure.”
He leaned over to Sam. “You know anything about chili?”
She smiled. “I’m no great cook, but chili is my specialty if you like it hot.”
He had to grin. “I love hot.” Especially if it came in the female variety.
Sam stepped over to the stove. “Can you find me a plastic spoon?”
There was a whole container of them next to Tommy. He picked up two and returned to her side. “Here.”
She tasted the mix, licked her lips, and glanced to the sky. What he wouldn’t give if she licked his cock that way. His balls tightened. He was helping the Boy Scouts, for God’s sake. He didn’t need to be thinking about having sex. That was almost sacrilegious.
“It needs more onion, salt, and some cayenne pepper.”
“You’re in charge.” He had to ask one of the helpers where to find the pepper. Only Wilt’s son was taking the selling seriously.
Sam added the spices. “Can you chop up the onion?” She held up her hand. “I’m kind of handicapped.”
“Happy to.”
It took about three different tries, but eventually she seemed pleased with the result. Tommy came over and got three more bowlfuls.
A red bean hit Heath in the head. He looked over at a wide-eyed kid.
“I’m sorry. I was aiming at Sara.”
That seemed to be a sister of one of the boys. Heath picked up two uncooked beans and lobbed them at each of the kids. They giggled. The food fight started. Heath ran after one of the kids who shrieked.
Behind his back, Sam’s laughter reached him. It was a beautiful, light tone that sent his heart soaring. She was having fun.
The kids must have taken a whole pack of beans, for all of a sudden, the bean missiles started flying everywhere. He ducked and dodged. Only a few actually hit him.
“Ow.”
His body froze for a second. He turned around and Sam was rubbing her face. He held up a hand. “That’s it, kids. Fun’s over.”
He raced to her side. “You get nailed?”
“On the cheek, but it didn’t hurt. The bean took me by surprise.”
With a hand around her waist he led her outside the booth. Wilt rounded the corner and was jogging toward them when he waved.
He got to them a bit out of breath. “Hey, you two.” He held up a package in his hand. “I had to get some more meat for the chili.”
Heath guessed it was his way of apologizing for leaving the kids without supervision. “Tommy’s doing a great job. Sam and I were lending a hand until you got back.”
“Appreciate it.”
He looked down at Sam, whose cheeks were flushed. “Come on. We need to get those vegetables.”
There was a new energy in his step. He and Wade had been so busy these last few years getting the ranch to a point where it was on a more even keel that they hadn’t spent a lot of time looking for a mate. Being with Sam confirmed she was the one for them.
She slowed down in front of one stand and picked up some tomatoes. “These look amazing.”
She was the one who looked amazing, bu
t if he didn’t want to scare her off, he needed to take it slow. “Get a few.”
He spotted some onions, carrots, and zucchini and picked them up. From the way Sam was sorting through the offerings and making all sorts of cute oohs and aahs, she didn’t come here often.
“Find anything else you like?”
She looked up and grinned. His groin tightened. “This place is amazing. I forgot how wonderful this weekly market was.”
They went to four more booths and bought more than they could possibly eat in a month. “Let’s put our purchases in the car then listen to some music.”
When she hesitated, he thought his fun adventure would be done. “Sure.”
He was a bit surprised at his relief. Today couldn’t have gone better. Once they placed the food in the car, he pulled a blanket from the trunk. “Ready?”
Heath expected her to balk when he took her hand, but she was the one to tighten the grip. It was as if she’d tossed her I-am-rancher-woman persona out the door. He bet a week ago, she’d never be seen in public holding hands with a man. That would show weakness in her mind.
Heath wanted to savor this moment and hoped she’d be herself more often.
Sam found a spot off to the side of the lawn. “This good?”
She could have picked the middle of the crowd and he would have unfurled the blanket there. “Sure.” He spread out the blanket. “You want a drink?” He nodded to the stand selling water, soda, and some fruited–crushed ice concoctions.
“I’ll take the crushed ice drink.”
“What flavor?”
“You pick.”
Wow. She was giving him control? Something had gotten into her. Maybe it was the beautiful June day, all full of sunshine, or she’d had time since her shooting to reevaluate what she found important. He hoped he and Wade fit into the important category.
There were several choices of flavors, but she seemed like a strawberry type to him. Just in case he misjudged her, he got the blueberry flavor so they could swap.
One of his ranch hands was in the local band that was playing. He’d never heard Rusty play the guitar before, but the guy was good. Heath dropped beside Sam. “Strawberry or blueberry?”
She glanced from one to the other. For a second, he pictured both he and Wade naked on both sides of her, asking her to pick one over the other. His gut churned. While he’d never be jealous if Sam and Wade hooked up, he desperately wanted the three of them to be together.
“Blueberry.”
He chuckled. “I picked you for a strawberry girl.”
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips but her eyes twinkled. “Which is exactly why I didn’t pick it. It’s too girly.”
That was the core of her issues. “What’s wrong with being a girl?” He took a gulp of his drink. He was curious if she was even aware of her I want to compete in a man’s world attitude.
“Girls don’t get any respect. Men do.”
He shook his head. “People earn the respect.”
“Men earn respect.” She leaned back on her elbows. “Let me tell you what happened two months ago when I went to Dunkirk’s lumberyard.”
“Mike’s a good man.”
“Well, I didn’t get waited on by Mike. I don’t remember who it was, but I needed to replace one of the panels in the barn. Frisky had had a fit and knocked it down.” She waved her casted arm. “Anyhoo, when I asked for the price, he told me some number above retail. When I challenged him, he said that particular wood was in short supply.”
“I never heard of any of Mike’s men doing that.”
“Wait. It gets better. Just as I was about to rip him a new one, Jake shows up.”
“Nice mouth.”
She smiled sweetly. “Jake talks to this guy for about ten seconds, and suddenly, I get this awesome deal.”
“So what you’re saying is that if you’d been a man, this worker wouldn’t have tried to take advantage of you.”
“That’s right. I run into that kind of stuff all the time.”
He ran a hand down her arm. “I’d be mad, too.”
“So you see why I have to drink the blueberry one?”
He laughed. She looked so adorable until she punched him in the arm. Heath leaned back on his elbows. The day couldn’t get any better. There was wonderful weather, families having fun, and the perfect woman next to him.
“Can I try the strawberry?” Her voice came out so soft he barely heard her above the twang of the guitar.
He leaned in front of her, and her eyes got wide as if she thought he might kiss her. The thought banged around in his head, but he decided not to take the chance and ruin everything. “I’ll block everyone’s view in case someone sees you taste it.” He couldn’t help but grin.
She stuck her tongue out at him, leaned over, and sipped his drink. The idea of having her lips where his had been created havoc in his pants. When she closed her eyes after taking a sip, he nearly lost it.
He must have groaned for her eyes sprang open. “Something wrong?”
“No. Nothing.”
Shit. He’d almost blown it.
By the time Rusty’s band took a break, Heath’s stomach was grumbling. That fruity drink made him thirstier and hungrier for some real food. “You up for some corn dogs or pizza? That’s real man food, just so you know.” He winked.
She grinned. “I’m not that bad.”
“You dress like a man and are afraid of being seen kissing a man in public. You even said you’re concerned about your image.” Yes, he was goading her, but he wanted to make her see what she was missing by focusing so hard on being something other than who she was deep inside. The old Samantha loved being a woman. He wanted her to find her old self.
She stuck out her chest. “No one would mistake me for a man.”
He couldn’t help himself. “Hmm.” He leaned to the right and left. “I don’t know. You’re as tall as your foreman. Okay, the hair does give it away.” He reached over and pulled off her hair tie. Her beautiful hair flared out. “Now you look like a woman.”
“Funny.” She held out her hand.
Since she couldn’t pull her own hair back, he tossed the tie to her. Heath jumped up and held out a hand. “Come on. I’m hungry.”
He wanted to find a booth that served something a bit healthier than corndogs. From now on, Sam had to focus on getting better.
This time of day, the streets were crowded. They must have stopped to talk to a dozen folks. He wondered if they’d ever make it to a booth. Every time they ran into someone Sam knew, she pulled her hand out of his and straightened her shoulders. He watched her closely. There seemed to be a fear inside her that they’d judge her for having fun or something. If she didn’t get a handle on dealing with others, she might end up alone and unhappy.
As soon as she finished her conversation, he drew her near. “I think we’d be better off whipping up some food at home. This place is getting too busy. You okay with that?”
Her face was a bit pale. “Sure.”
Damn. He should have taken her home as soon as they bought the food. Listening to the bands, then spending an hour chatting seemed to be taking a toll on her.
“When we get home, I need to get you into bed.”
Her eyes widened for a second, and he realized how she’d misinterpreted his comment. She didn’t tell him to go to hell, so maybe there was hope.
Chapter Five
Every part of Sam’s body ached. Getting shot had sapped her energy more than she was willing to admit.
“Go take a nap and I’ll fix us something to eat,” Heath said.
If she could rest for a few minutes, she’d be as good as new. She went into her bedroom and kicked off her boots, and once again didn’t bother taking anything else off. Undressing had become such a chore. She closed her eyes and smiled. Taking a trip to town had really changed her opinion of Heath. He was a good man. She loved how he volunteered to help Tommy and the Boy Scout troop with the chili sales. Never would
she have expected him to participate in the bean fight, let alone help her make the chili for the kids. That had been so much fun. She also enjoyed hanging out and listening to the different bands. Heath seemed to know someone in each group. From the number of people who came up to chat with him, all of Intrigue thought highly of him.
The only comments that still gnawed at her were the ones about her acting like a man. Maybe she had gotten away from dressing up and showing her feminine side for fear the men who worked for her would see her only as a woman and not as someone they could take orders from.
She was so confused. Today, she’d not worried once about being a ranch owner, but instead was just herself. She loved every minute of her time with Heath, but if she got too caught up in having fun, she might lose leverage with her men.
Aargh. She forced her mind to think of something else, and finally she fell asleep. When she awoke the light coming through the window had darkened. Her stomach grumbled. Heath was making her a late lunch and she’d slept through it.
She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth before heading out to the kitchen. No one was there.
“Heath? Wade?”
How strange to be alone. She went to the fridge and spotted a note attached with a magnet.
Wade and I needed to do some prep work for our party at our ranch. I grilled a piece of chicken and some zucchini for you. We’ll be back later. Hope you had a good sleep.
Heath.
How sweet of him to do that for her. She pulled out the container and laughed at the pink bow on top. She guessed he thought all women did bows. Or maybe he was telling her to wear more pink.
She sat at the table thinking about how she never had to act tough around Heath, and yet he seemed to respect her needs and wishes. As she ate, she let her mind wander. She pictured what it might be like to be with him. The first thing that came to mind was touching his hot body. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone out with a man, let alone had sex. Heath would be a gentle and considerate lover, she bet. Too bad, the small town would be rife with rumors if she slept with him.
And then there was Wade. Despite the two men being brothers, they were quite different. The Wade she knew wouldn’t have considered going shopping or sitting on the grass listening to local bands play. As far as getting to touch his body, he’d be the type to tie her hands behind her back and lick her pussy until she screamed his name. Then he’d slam her against the wall and take her hard and fast.
Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4