by Ashlee Price
Scott hadn’t, but he wouldn’t admit it. There were a couple of times that he had thought he was, but it was lust. When Marcel had talked about his new wife, there was never a time where either brother could say they had felt that way. Paul wasn’t sure what he felt, but he knew that it wasn’t something he had experienced before.
“I don’t know, have you?”
“Once, but it didn’t work out.”
“And what of Katie? Is she open for me to try for?”
Paul’s blue eyes narrowed and his brother laughed at the sudden change of his expression. “That’s what I thought.”
Scott left the room and didn’t help with the rest of the cleaning, he never did and Paul was left to think about his brother Marcel and how much he wanted what he had. Paul had always lamented that there were no women around that he wanted, but that was no longer true. It didn’t come into his mind then that she was not from there and when she was better, would surely be back to her life that he had no part of.
He didn’t want to think about that though. All Paul wanted to think about instead was the possibilities that could come from it. He wanted more than anything to feel the way he did in that moment, forever.
***
Paul stayed around the house as much as he could. He chose to train one of the horses in the closest stable, instead of taking care of the fences. When Scott told him that he would take care of it instead, he was relieved beyond words. It was trying to ignore the woman still asleep in the house. He knew that she needed time, but he had so many things to ask her and he wanted to know everything. As the day wore on and he still hadn’t seen her, Paul started to worry and he finally went back in.
He heard a sound coming from the back of the house where she was and as he got back there, he was shocked to see her trying to get dressed. She had dropped a crutch and only had gotten her undergarments on by the time he had come in. Katie was balancing on one leg, trying to reach it when he came in and made a sound behind her.
“Paul?”
He was backing up when he heard his name, trying to look away because he knew he was supposed to. It didn’t matter though, her body burned into his memory always. “Sorry I was just coming to see if you needed help with anything. I didn’t realize you were not dressed.”
“Don’t go, please hand me that crutch. I was trying to get it, but it’s just not happening.”
She looked back and saw the look on his face. “I’m pretty much covered. About the same as if I was at the beach.”
Paul tore his gaze away and moved to get the crutch that had fallen away from her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks Paul. Always coming to my rescue.”
Their hands touched briefly and he was frozen to the spot. Was he supposed to offer her more help?
“Did you uh, need anything else?”
She shook her head, but then changed her mind. “I was wondering if you had anything I could wear. Anything would work, but my clothes are so dirty and torn, I just don’t want to put them back on. It took almost an hour to wash it all off of me. I don’t think I’ve ever been so dirty in my life.”
“Well you look great.”
His eyes were back on her long, curvy body and the panties that were too thin to be worn on the beach. She was standing towards him now and the bra was like the panties, far too thin to be having any kind of conversation with her. Katie finally cleared her throat a little and he remembered that he was supposed to be getting her something to wear. There was plenty of clothing from his sister and in laws that seemed to be left at the ranch for them and going upstairs he quickly found what he was looking for. She was about the size of Leanna and she had several cotton dresses that would fit her fine. In truth, he wanted to see her in it.
He went back upstairs and ended up helping her put on the dress. Paul was made uncomfortable by the time the deed was done and he had to get out of there to give himself time to settle down his raging hormones. His body didn’t care that he didn’t really know her or that she was hurt, he could care less. When he went back in with the first-aid kit, he was more settled, but it was still hard to concentrate with her leg in his lap.
Paul tried to keep her talking to make it less awkward, but she only had short sentences. He realized then that it was hurting her, though it looked better, he imagined it was going to hurt for some time. “Sorry, I am not trying to hurt you.”
“I know, your hands are very gentle. It hurts to even look at it, but at least it doesn’t look infected.”
“Yes, it does.”
He finally seen what was in front of him, too focused on the feel of her against him to really look before. On closer inspection, he was still surprised that she had made it that far and was still on her feet when he found her. She had an inner strength that he hadn’t usually associated with females. Unlike his brother he didn’t feel like they were better or worse, just different. Strength and perseverance were usually attributed to men, but Paul wondered if he would have been able to do the same. The only saving grace was that she had been spooked in the beginning, making her not seem too perfect to want.
“I would like to meet the person that stitched it up. I would like to thank them.”
“You will see her today if you want to try going out for a bit. She will be here at two for an appointment.” Paul didn’t mention that she was there to help with a cow that had just given birth and was having complications. Paul wasn’t so sure that she would want to know her stitches were from a vet and not a real doctor. He figured she would find out soon enough.
“That would be great. I remember her voice talking to me at one point, but I don’t remember seeing her. It was such a weird time. I don’t think I have ever fainted like that before. How did I get here?”
“I rode you back on my horse and you were out the whole time.”
She nodded and moved towards him on her crutches. Katie was getting used to them, but she was still a bit clumsy on them. “I really need to use a phone, but I didn’t see one. Do you have a cell phone I could use?”
Paul nodded that he didn’t, but he showed her on the wall where the landline was. She had passed it several times and never noticed it. Feeling silly, she didn’t make much of a comment. “Is there anything else I can get for you? Colt is still out, but he won’t go anywhere too far.”
“No, I’m good Paul. Just need to make a few calls. I was supposed to be flying back today.”
“Are you sure you are ready for travel?” He didn’t want to sound desperate, but he didn’t want her to leave either. Paul wanted her to stay forever, but he would settle on another couple of days with her for starters.
“I really am not, but I couldn’t impose on you anymore.”
“Nonsense, Katie. All you do is sleep anyways, no trouble. Stay as long as you need to. Me and Scott are out working most nights until dark, so you will have all the peace and quiet you need.” He stopped talking, realizing he was talking far too fast and starting to babble.
Katie grinned, “I might take you up on that offer for another day or two if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Paul walked out the front door smiling to himself. Her staying didn’t mean anything, but it gave him hope that it may.
Chapter 5
It had been almost a week since Paul had first found her and though she had a whole life left behind in New York, something was keeping her in the ranch in Texas. She had met the mother Elna that ran the business and a few more brothers and other family. It felt right to her there and with whatever was going on with Paul.
He was a man of few words, but his eyes and face were expressive enough that none were really needed anyways. Paul wanted her and though he was gentle and always a gentleman, there were times that he looked at her in a way that made her shiver inside. The longer she knew him, the more she wanted to stay with him, but she knew that it had to end one way or another. Her life was in New York and she too had a family company to work at. It was what she had done since getting o
ut of college and though she loved the quiet of the country, there was a part of her that missed the hustle and bustle of city life.
She had decided that she would tell Paul and Scott that evening that she would be leaving the next day. Her family had been pushing her to come home for days and get herself looked at by a ‘real doctor’. Katie hadn’t told them that she had been stitched up by an animal doctor. She would smile to herself when she thought of her mother’s face if she knew. Katie was going to save it for a day that she needed some brightening up.
Her skill with crutches was getting better and she was moving around the kitchen to make the two brothers some dinner. It was the first time that she had really been feeling well enough to stay on her feet so long and Katie’s way of saying thank you again. The words seemed to not be enough. There was also the fact that while Paul was a good cook, she couldn’t eat beans again. The two seemed to have an affinity to them and it was driving her a bit looney.
One of the old parts of the house that she had liked was the dinner bell off to the side, mounting by the porch swing to the wall. She jangled the small metal piece against the triangle and went back in. It had a strange sound, but it wasn’t very loud and she didn’t know if it would work or not. It was still pretty early for them to be back, but she couldn’t wait to see Paul, wanting to spend as much time as she could with him before she left.
When the door flung open after a couple of minutes, she looked back startled, almost losing her grip on the plate in her hand. “What’s wrong?”
Katie got over her shock and shook her head. “Nothing. Jeez you scared me Paul. I was just calling for dinner. I know it isn’t time yet, but you work too hard as it is.”
Once he realized that she was fine, he looked to what she was holding. “What are you doing?”
“I made dinner. I can’t sit in that bed all day while you two work. It wouldn’t be right.”
“I don’t mind taking care of you Katie, whatever you need.”
She knew that he meant it. His dark blue eyes told her so. Taking the plate from her hand, he helped her to the chair and she gratefully sat down. She had never used some of the muscles she was using now and with one foot out of commission, it all fell on her good leg, but she was still sore as her body was trying to accustom itself to the change.
“You are already too good to me Paul. You are like my own white knight.” It was true and it made Katie sad for a moment. She didn’t want to leave him, even if she had to. “You make me never want to leave.”
“Then don’t.”
He had grabbed his plate and sat down next to her. Neither one of them was thinking about the brother still out working. “I have to. I run the east coast franchises and we are headquartered in New York.”
“What do they do again?” Paul had remembered her telling him about what she did for a living, but Katie had been twisting her red strands of hair between her fingers and he was left with nothing at all to say. He had zoned out, tuning her out at that time, well several times since she had started staying with him. She would do the sexiest things and the whole time not realize she was doing it, making it far more appealing. Katie drove him crazy much of the time, like right then as she touched his hand to pass the salt.
“We own a bunch of restaurants.”
“Is that where you learned to cook?”
“Yes, after business school, I took chef courses as well. I didn’t think I should run a place that I couldn’t do all positions in, so I learned to cook. Always loved to anyways, but there was some techniques that I learned along the way.”
“This is really good Katie.”
She kind of giggled and waved him off. Everything she did was good to him and he had been complementing her since they had met. “I bet you would have said that even if it tasted like slop.”
He looked down, slightly embarrassed and she loved the fact that he could be embarrassed at his age. While Paul had always wanted to talk about her, she still didn’t know that much about him. She learned more from other people than Paul himself. He really was a man with few words.
“You are going to be leaving soon, aren’t you?”
Katie looked up from her plate and at his pained eyes. They both knew that it couldn’t last where she was, but her moment from reality had taken her mind off of the passing of her father and if anything, she was more thankful for that than anything else he had done for her. “Yeah I have to.”
“When?”
She suddenly didn’t want to tell him that she was leaving in the morning. Katie didn’t want to leave him in that moment as he looked at her. His square jaw flexed when he was concerned and she felt the same way as he looked, his face so open to expression.
Swallowing hard, she licked her lips and told him that she was leaving in the morning. “So soon?”
“Yeah, I have already been here a week and I have a lot to do when I get back. I am sure the ranch wouldn’t run without you here for a week.”
He nodded, knowing it was coming, yet still not wanting to believe that soon she would be gone. There was something in the way that she looked at him longingly, that made him wish that she didn’t have to go. Paul had maintained a fantasy in his head that they would be together somehow. “I just don’t want you to go, is all. I’ve gotten used to you here and I wish you could stay always.”
Paul leaned in closer to her, so close that she closed her eyes in preparation for a kiss. Katie had been waiting for days for one, always seeing it in his eyes, but he never made a move. She found herself leaning in slowly, urging him to do what she was waiting so long for. Their lips touched softly at first and then harder as he leaned in further, pressing his lips against hers quickly.
Her mouth opened at his urging and the soft moan that left her lips egged him on. Neither one of them saw the door open or heard Scott walk in. Until he slammed it shut as he always did. Paul pulled back reluctantly when she jumped at the sound. They were apart when Scott finally came into the kitchen. “Something smells good.”
Paul was trying to straighten himself, his body trembling from the kiss. It was more than he had thought, electrifying and perfect. He hadn’t felt that way from a kiss and if it wasn’t against his nature, he would have told his brother to go piss off. Paul wanted to kiss her again, but she looked like she was not ready to show their affection to another. Why hadn’t he waited just a few more minutes before he came in?
“Katie made it. Apparently she can cook too. I am starting to think that there isn’t anything she can do.”
Katie’s cheeks turned red with his compliment and she looked away to focus on the pasta on her plate. She let the two men talk about their day and what work was needed tomorrow. It seemed like they were always working, but it didn’t seem to bother them. Paul was happy where he was, it was obvious to anyone that was around him. He was happiest with his horse though, training and riding him. There was a look of joy that came over his face that Katie envied. She had never felt that way about anything or anyone before and one day hoped that she would find her passion.
She was happiest cooking, but she was expected to work in the family business and as the VP, she couldn’t just quit and become the chef she wanted to be. When she looked over Scott’s mouth was moving, but she didn’t hear him, tuning him out to her own loud thoughts in her mind. “What, sorry?”
“Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“Her family owns restaurants.”
“How many of them?”
“Hundreds.”
Scott nodded, but didn’t speak again, his mouth full of dinner. It had been a long time since he had tried anything so good. He too was tired of Paul’s thinking of her as perfect, but he had to agree in that instance. She could cook.
The three sat in silence as they ate, neither man taking long enough to say much of anything. Paul was waiting to finish the kiss that she had started not too long before. He needed to feel her again and when Scott finally left the table, he was saddened to see her g
et up as well. Frustrated, he left the plate on the table and didn’t offer to help with the dishes. He had to give himself some time to ease the need inside of him, since it would seem that he wasn’t going to be able to any other way. If she wasn’t for him, Paul felt like he was just there to torture him and then leave him yearning for her.
***
Katie climbed the stairs after Paul went up there in a huff a little while before. She knew he was upset about her leaving, but she had to and she knew that he had to understand that. It wasn’t like she had seen him coming though. Her life was already mapped out, but Katie hadn’t been expecting to find a man like Paul. It was of course her luck that she had to have one of the worst days and nights of her life to finally meet the one she was supposed to be with.
She knocked on his door softly and after a minute with no answer, pushed it open to talk to him. Katie didn’t want to leave on those terms, with him mad at her. She couldn’t bare it and she wanted him to forgive her for going. After all he had done for her, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.
He wasn’t in his bedroom, but the moment before she was about to leave, Paul came out of the steaming bathroom. He was wearing a towel wrapped around his trim waist and her eyes went where they shouldn’t. Her mouth was dry as she looked at his hard, rippled body. His chest hairs were light and springy. Katie wanted to go to him then, but she was stuck frozen to the spot she was in.
She finally looked down, not knowing where else to put her eyes. She didn’t want to look away. He seemed to like her discomfort and smiled at her struggle. “Sorry Paul, I didn’t know you would be so hard. I mean naked. I meant naked. Sorry.”
“You said that already.” He took a step towards her as her cheeks reddened. It was not the first time it had happened. The longer he was around her, the more flustered she seemed to become.
“I can’t think when you are like that.”
“What? I am basically covered. What you wear at the beach and all.”
Her head nodded, but Katie was still not able to speak. He was still wet from the shower and while the towel did cover him up, it left very little to the imagination. The longer Katie looked at it, the bigger the knot underneath the cotton became. “You keep staring at it. You are going to make it bigger.”