He drew up short at the sight of Hannah at her kitchen table, so close to the sandy-haired man sitting next to her that they might as well be sharing a chair. They were both staring at her laptop screen, but he knew from experience that it was possible to do that with more space between them. A week ago, it had been Colin sharing the computer with her as she made jokes about her cow slippers and helped him put together a gift basket for his brother.
“Oh, hey.” Hannah glanced up, meeting his gaze. “I put away all the leftovers from lunch, but the containers are in the fridge if you want to heat something up. This is Malcolm Kilmartin.”
The man glanced up long enough to nod and smile before reverting his attention to the computer.
“Kitty found him for me. Her bridge partner is his grandmother.” Hannah’s smile was dazzling. It was nice to see her mood had improved. With the exception of a couple of single-word responses to Evan, she’d been silent the entire drive back from the hospital yesterday. “Mal’s a computer genius.”
The man grinned at her. “Genius is a strong word. I just have some experience building websites.”
“He’s only been here an hour and you should see the ideas he’s already come up with,” Hannah enthused, doing a happy little shimmy in her chair. “I’ll be able to advertise for guests in the bunkhouse and have a whole section on the site called Hannah’s Homemade, where people who live locally can place baking and catering orders.” She rolled her eyes. “With any luck, that will stop people like Gideon from coming to hand-deliver orders in the future.”
Malcolm shrugged. “Hard to blame a guy for finding reasons to come see you.”
Colin narrowed his eyes. Although he was glad the guy was helping Hannah, Colin found it difficult to like the other man. He liked him even less half an hour later when, as Hannah walked him to the door, Malcolm asked her if she might like to go with him to the town May Day festival on Saturday.
Colin’s fingers tightened around the dish he was rinsing.
“Oh.” Hannah sounded surprised by the invitation. “That’s... Thank you. Evan and I were already planning to go with some friends. Please come say hi if you see us there.”
They stepped out onto the front porch together, and Colin didn’t hear the rest of what was said.
Kilmartin was the kind of man who made sense for Hannah. While Colin had been eating lunch—which wasn’t the same as eavesdropping—he’d discovered that Malcolm worked part-time in an office IT department, spent the rest of his work week consulting with private clients and volunteered as a kids’ basketball coach at the rec center in the neighboring town.
If Colin’s sister had brought Malcolm to a family dinner back before she’d met her husband, Colin may have even approved. The man seemed easygoing and intelligent, with a sense of humor. Hannah should be with a good guy, and, so far, Malcolm seemed exactly that.
Yet for the rest of the afternoon, as Colin pounded new fence posts into the ground, he envisioned Malcolm’s face every time he swung.
* * *
IN THEORY, ANNETTE and Hannah were chopping vegetables for a salad while the men fired up the grill Friday night. In reality, the vegetables sat untouched on the kitchen island while Hannah pulled the glass pitcher out of the freezer to refill her friend’s salt-rimmed margarita glass. Ever since Henry’s injury, Hannah had been experiencing a vengeful craving for steak. And Annette had been fretting because they still hadn’t properly celebrated Hannah’s birthday. So they’d planned a cookout for tonight.
When the Reeds arrived, the first order of business had been Evan giving them the grand tour of his HQ. Todd was so impressed he’d asked Colin to help him build a toolshed on his farm. After the adults became busy with dinner preparations, Evan remained holed up in the playhouse. The dog was with him, and he’d declared her his sidekick. Yesterday, she’d been his arch nemesis. Scarlett’s response to both roles was largely the same—happily padding after Evan wherever he went and hoping he’d drop food at some point. Evan and Colin had been trying to teach her to “play dead” this week to give her a broader dramatic range.
“Here you go.” Hannah poured the margarita, teasing, “But if you suck this one down as quickly as the last, you’re cut off.”
Annette laughed. “Don’t blame me. I had to drink something frozen. The looks you and your cowboy were exchanging left me overheated.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She totally knew what Annette was talking about.
Something had shifted this week. Colin had stopped avoiding her, but he hadn’t kissed her again, either. He’d resumed his previous schedule of eating lunch and dinner with her and Evan. It was as if he wanted things to go back to a prebirthday normal. Except, he kept watching her with barely banked heat and hunger. The atmosphere in the house felt like a storm building. She was waiting for the storm to break.
Last night, she’d passed him in the hall with a basket of laundry and her body had grazed his. He’d inhaled sharply, his desire for her palpable. It had occurred to her that she could act on the powerful attraction simmering between them, as she had when she’d kissed him last week. Hannah wasn’t a passive person.
But she was a trained pastry chef.
Cooking was often about patience, letting flavors build and waiting for transformations to take place. One did not rush a soufflé. There was an Amish bread recipe that took ten days to make properly. People didn’t prepare Baked Alaska because it was easy; they did so because it was worth the time and effort.
Besides, Colin had shared anecdotes about how Natalie had pursued him, how his sister, Natalie’s co-conspirator, helped scheme ways to bring her brother and best friend together. Hannah thought Natalie sounded like a lovely person, and what had happened to her was tragic. But Hannah wasn’t looking to repeat history. She wanted Colin because he was sexy and principled and talented and surprisingly funny behind that sometimes-guarded interior—not because there was anything about him that reminded her of Michael.
“I don’t think the two of you kissing was a onetime thing,” Annette said. “He looks at you like he could throw you down on the nearest horizontal surface at any minute.”
Hannah had to admit, the unpredictability was exciting. “Between you and me, I think it helped that Malcolm was here the other day.” Had Colin heard the man ask her to tomorrow’s May Day festival? “Is it wrong that I like the idea of him being a little jealous? I should be more evolved than that.”
“As long as it’s ‘a little jealous’ and not ‘possessive stalker,’ I don’t see the harm in it. When Todd took me to my tenth high school reunion, we ran into one of my old flames. Todd was perfectly polite to him, but I could tell he was battling the green-eyed monster.” She grinned over the rim of her glass. “It was pretty hot, actually. And so is your cowboy.”
She liked the sound of that—her cowboy. But he was careful not to belong to any person or place. In a couple of weeks, he’d be gone. He’d been very candid about having a job lined up that started after Justin’s wedding. He’d made a commitment. She knew he took those seriously.
Slumping into her chair, she asked, “What am I going to do when he leaves?”
“You mean because Henry’s hurt and you won’t have either of them to help around here?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
Annette’s expression was full of sympathy. “Maybe it would be best if the two of you stay away from horizontal surfaces between now and when he goes. Why torment yourself with a taste of something you can’t have?”
“Because I think I’d rather have the memory than say goodbye to him without exploring this, without knowing how good we could be together.”
She was in the prime of her life, and she hadn’t had sex in over four years. It hadn’t bothered her much before, because there hadn’t been anyone important enough to her t
hat she’d wanted to make love. Colin was important.
The question was, how important was she to him?
* * *
“SO.” TODD REED flipped over one of the steaks on the flame. “You and Hannah?”
It was such an abrupt topic change from plans for a toolshed that Colin wondered if Todd was purposely trying to catch him off guard with the question. Stalling, Colin sipped his beer, but no simple answer came to him. “Not exactly. She’s a hell of a woman, though.”
Todd nodded. “If it helps, she likes you. Since she’s moved here, there have been a few guys interested. Gideon, of course, but also one or two who aren’t buttheads. Mostly, she’s been so focused on Evan and this ranch she doesn’t seem to notice.” He gave Colin a level look. “You, she notices.”
He flashed back to those hot kisses they’d exchanged the night of her birthday. Yeah, she noticed him. And it was mutual. All week, the tug between them had been growing stronger. At least, it had on his end. It was difficult to say what she’d been thinking since she’d snapped at him on Monday for avoiding her. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. He’d only needed some time and space. Now he had more of both than he knew what to do with.
“How did you and Annette meet?” he asked. He was glad to be rediscovering the art of conversation, of making friends, but he didn’t want to stand there dissecting his relationship with Hannah.
“She was dating my cousin. I knew the second I saw her that I wanted to be with her, but obviously the situation was complicated. I couldn’t make a move until after they broke up, and even then she thought it would be too awkward. She took some convincing.” He smiled at the recollection. “The challenge of wooing her was some of the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Colin paused to consider what wooing Hannah might entail. Making birthday plans for her had been enjoyable, but those plans had included Evan. The idea of doing something specifically for her, something intimate and romantic—
“Unfortunately,” Todd continued, “Annette and I have been facing a lot of challenges lately.”
“The baby thing?”
“I’m trying to support her in this, but it’s starting to take over our lives. We both really want kids, but I feel like, personally, I could be happy with just her. She’s enough for me. I guess she doesn’t feel the same way.”
As a brother with two younger siblings, Colin had dispensed tons of advice over the years. He was a little out of practice, but the stark gloom in Todd’s voice motivated him to find the words.
“You may be misreading her. I know she would love to have a baby, but maybe that’s not the only reason she’s upset. What if she sees this as her fault, worries that she’s the reason you won’t get to be a father?” No one wanted to stand between the person they loved and their happiness. “Maybe deep down, she feels like you deserve better.”
Todd’s eyebrows shot up. “Then she’d be crazy. I can’t think of anything better than finding the right person to love and knowing they love you back.”
It seemed like such a simple, comforting concept. But life took agonizing twists and turns. Colin knew that love alone didn’t guarantee happiness. Perhaps that was why he’d been holding back with Hannah. He knew he couldn’t offer her any guarantees.
Then again, since no one else could honestly offer them, either, what good did it do to keep his distance?
Chapter Eleven
It was so late when the Reeds left on Friday night that it was technically Saturday. Hannah flopped back on the sofa with a yawn. She’d had a great time, but now she was bone-tired. Far too exhausted to make it to her bed. Maybe I’ll just crash here.
She always enjoyed Todd and Annette’s company, but they’d been a welcome buffer tonight against the tension between her and Colin. And the longer they stayed, the more she’d gradually relaxed and enjoyed herself. The margaritas hadn’t hurt. Todd had declined to try them because he had to drive home, which had made Hannah sigh, thinking of all the empty space upstairs. Lord knew when she would be ready for paying guests.
“Sure you don’t want to stay the night?” she’d offered. “I am the proud owner of shiny new pipes that cost a fortune. I feel like more people should be using the second-story bathrooms now.”
After dinner, she’d put aside her plumbing woes. They’d played a couple of kid-friendly games with Evan. After he’d been tucked into bed, they’d switched to poker for pretzel sticks and other card games that included a lot of good-natured trash talk. When Hannah had gone to put everything back in the closet, Annette had caught sight of the Clue board game, which led to lots of funny quotes from the movie. Even though it was after ten by then, the women had talked the guys into watching the DVD. A wonderful evening—but since she’d rolled out of bed at 5:00 a.m. to bake and decorate cupcakes, she was now thoroughly fatigued.
“Hannah?”
The voice startled her, and she sprang into a sitting position to find Colin leaning against the wall watching her. Oh dear heaven, he was shirtless. His damp hair was slicked away from his face, and he wore a pair of his usual drawstring pajama pants.
She made a valiant effort to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “I thought you’d gone to bed.”
“Not yet.” He grinned lazily. “I went up to shower and put those ‘shiny new pipes’ to good use. When I came back down, I wasn’t sure I should bother you. You looked as if you might be asleep.”
“In another three seconds, I would’ve been.” She yawned again, covering her face with her hand.
“Well, since you haven’t conked out yet, I wanted to ask you a question. Will you go to the festival with me?”
The request took her by surprise. He’d barely said anything when she and the Reeds discussed the festival earlier tonight, deciding where and when they would meet tomorrow afternoon. It would be Hannah and Evan’s first time at the annual event, and Annette had recommended her favorite vendors as well as the best spinning rides to make Evan squeal with glee and make Hannah want to throw up.
“Sure,” she stammered, realizing it was taking her far too long to reply. She blamed the contours of his shirtless chest. “If you want to come with me and Evan, we—”
“I don’t just want to go with you. I want to take you. As in, a date. Between a man and a woman. And, obviously, her adorable four-year-old son,” he added ruefully. “I don’t want you to think of this as a friend or employee tagging along. I wish I could pick you up, that I had something to drive other than my motorcycle. So I guess I’m asking if I can take you out and if I can borrow your truck.”
“A date?” She knew he’d said lots of other words, too, but that one had jumped out at her.
With a nod, he moved toward her. “Yeah. The kind where I tell you that you look nice, then I win you a large, fuzzy stuffed animal at an overpriced game booth and kiss you at the end of the night.”
“Yes.” Her heart was slamming against her rib cage. “I’d like to go on a date with you.”
He gave her a brilliant smile. Then he leaned down, and she forgot to breathe. Had he decided not to wait for that good-night kiss? Because she was very okay with that. He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss above her knuckles. “Good night, Hannah.”
How was she going to wait until tomorrow? And how on earth was she supposed to sleep now?
* * *
VEGETABLE SOUP MIGHT never be Evan’s favorite lunch, but Hannah wanted to make sure her son got something resembling vitamins in his system before he started filling up on funnel cake and cotton candy. While he dawdled over his lunch, Hannah went to change. She was donating three freshly baked cakes as prizes for the cakewalk and hadn’t wanted to risk getting frosting or batter on her dark sundress. When she returned to the kitchen, Evan scowled at her.
“You’re in a dress.” He said it like an accusation. “Do I hafta wear fancy cloth
es?”
She laughed. “No, you’re fine the way you are.” He was in boots, jeans and a T-shirt with a cowboy character from one of his favorite animated movies. She fought the urge to self-consciously double-check her reflection. Was she too fancy for an outdoor, small-town festival? She’d put on a long black cotton dress printed with small yellow daisies, paired with a lightweight denim jacket and boots. Are you really going to take fashion criticism from a four-year-old?
So what if she’d taken some extra time to curl her hair before pulling it into a bouncy ponytail? It wasn’t as though she’d applied full makeup, only mascara and cranberry-colored lip gloss. Besides, isn’t this what women did on dates, expended a little effort on behalf of a guy they liked?
When it was time to go an hour later, she was gratified to see that Colin had dressed a bit nicer than usual, too. He was wearing his best pair of jeans—what did it say about her that she knew his collection of jeans by heart?—and a button-down blue shirt, rolled up to expose sun-bronzed forearms. He was helping her carefully situate the cake boxes in the truck when Evan gave a small cry of dismay.
“I forgot my hat, Mommy!”
She unlocked the door for him and he raced to his room, returning with a black felt cowboy hat Henry had given him when she and Evan first moved here.
Evan mashed it on his head as he got into the truck. “Now I’m like you, Colin!”
Hannah had noticed that, somewhere around her birthday, Evan’s new idol had stopped being “Mr. Colin.” The boundaries were definitely shifting.
It was a beautiful day. They rolled down the windows and all three sang along to Hannah’s CDs. She’d heard Colin whistle or hum as he worked, but this was the first time she’d really heard his singing voice.
She was impressed. “You’re good.”
Her Cowboy Hero (The Colorado Cades) Page 13