Love Me Once, Love Me Twice (Montana Cowboys 1)

by Beth Walker

  "Fine. I'll call you when I get there. Bye, sis." The phone shut with a click. "I guess I'll see you tonight."

  Natalie nodded and rubbed her arms.

  "I shouldn't keep you out here. It's too cold without a jacket," he said, running his hands over her bare flesh.

  "I'm fine. Thanks for shoveling the driveway."

  "You're welcome. Anytime." A heavy sigh rushed from between his lips. "I better go before Elizabeth calls back wondering where I am." Not wanting to walk away without feeling her lips, he brushed his mouth over hers, smiling to himself when she lifted up on her toes to meet him halfway.

  * * * *

  God, he tastes good. I really want more, but here and now is not the place.

  "Mmm…you better go," she whispered, after a quick sweep of his lips.

  "Yeah. I'll see you in a little while."

  "All right. Five o'clock, right?"

  He nodded and opened the door to his truck.

  Moments later, he waved and pulled away from the curb, heading down the street.

  When she turned toward the house, Kale stood at the door, leaning against the frame with his arms over his broad chest and a wicked smile on his lips.

  How the hell did this happen? I'm having lunch with Kale and dinner with Cade. I would never have thought in a million years, I'd see either of them on this trip home, and here I am, having meals with them on the same day. This is totally unbelievable and so crazy it's funny.

  As she headed toward the house, Kale opened the screen for her. "Ready for lunch?"

  "Uh, sure. Let me grab my purse and we can go."

  Her shoulder connected with his chest when she brushed by him, sending exciting tingles down her arm.

  Whoa! Wait just a damned minute here.

  A quick glance into his dark chocolate eyes and she almost forgot where she was going. The two men were such a contrast. Kale with his dark good looks, hot build, hard thighs, and trim waist, could make any woman cream her panties, and then there's Cade, all light brown hair, baby blues hot enough to melt butter, solid chest, and lips so soft, she wasn’t sure he even kissed her, and man, could he kiss!

  "I…um…"

  "Your purse?"

  The rush of air against her lips when he spoke had her wondering if his kiss would be any different than Cade's.

  "Oh…uh…yeah."

  Within a few minutes, he had her seated in his truck and they were driving down the now plowed street, toward town.

  "So. What have you been up to since high school?" she asked, curious about the direction of his life.

  "School and work. The normal stuff."

  "School? You went to college somewhere?"

  "Yeah. University of Montana, actually. I got a football scholarship out of high school and got my degree in Architecture."

  A laugh bubbled from her lips. "You and Cade always were the stars of the team."

  "Kind of hard not to be when I played quarterback and he played tight-end. Didn't you play in the band?"

  "Yes, the flute."

  "Ah. I remember. The shy band girl."

  "I wasn't shy."

  "Yeah, you were, Nat. If I even said hi to you, you'd mumble and glance away."

  "Neither you or Cade knew I existed. And I'm not sure why both of you are playing with me now." Trepidation slipped down her back. This is all a game to them. See who can get to the timid, lonely, never been married woman, first. "You know, I think you should take me back to my grandmother's."

  "What? Why?"

  "I'm not going to allow you or Cade to amuse yourselves with me. I might never have married, Kale, but I know players when I see them, and you two fit into the category perfectly. I refuse to be the toy you two pull apart."

  He stopped the truck on the side of the road, put it in park before he turned toward her, and captured her hand in his.

  "Listen, Nat, this has nothing to do with me and Cade wanting to see who can get in your panties first."

  A snort left her mouth.

  "Really, I'm not." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. "Cade did call me this morning and tell me he rescued you last night, and that I wouldn't believe how hot you'd turned out. Truthfully, I came by because I wanted to see for myself, and I do have to say, you are one gorgeous woman. I can't understand why some lucky guy hasn't snatched you up already."

  "You could have any woman you want. Why me?"

  "I'm curious. I don't want anything from you, Nat, except to show you a good time. It's only lunch. If nothing else, I only want to talk to you over a nice meal."

  After a few minutes of contemplating whether she could believe him or not, she finally agreed. "All right. I'll still have lunch with you, but I'm not looking for a relationship, nor am I looking for a lover."

  "Or two?"

  "Two? You aren't serious?" she asked, shock zipping down her back. Two? Two men at once? Maybe he didn't mean it like that. But what if he did?

  "Just a thought, honey," he replied, the wicked grin returning to his face as he pulled the truck onto the road again.

  Okay, maybe he did mean it.

  When he pulled up in front of The Blue Bonnet Café, she almost laughed. The café had been the hang out for the local kids ever since she could remember. They always giggled at the "grownups" when they came in.

  "What's so funny?"

  "I can remember hanging out here when we were kids."

  "We never hung out here."

  "No. You had your little blonde cheerleader types and I had my friends."

  "Well, I hope I've out grown looking at only what's on the surface."

  Her shoulders lifted in a shrug.

  "Come on. They still have the best burgers in town, and I'm starving."

  When they headed for the door, he placed his hand at the small of her back. The warmth from his palm did nothing to help her all of the sudden, out of control libido.

  This is crazy. Yeah, both of them are drop-dead gorgeous in their own way, but why am I like, ready to drool all over both of them? Why can't I be attracted to one?

  "You okay?" he asked, pressing his lips against her ear briefly before she slid into the booth on one side while he took a seat on the other.

  "Yeah. I'm fine. This is all a little weird for me."

  "Weird how?"

  The waitress stopped at the edge of their table and asked for their drink order, stopping their conversation for a moment, but the need to get this out in the open wasn't about to be forestalled. Once their coffee cups were full and each doctored it the way they liked, she said, "Come on, Kale. I'm really not your type or Cade's."

  "How do you know our type hasn't changed over the years?"

  Okay. I'll play. "What did Cade's wife look like?"

  "You remember Cynthia Bishop?"

  "Yes, well sort of."

  "That's who Cade married."

  "See? Blonde, pretty, big boobs."

  "And lesbian."

  "What? You can't be serious. Really?"

  His tempting lips wrapped around the edge of the cup, and he took a healthy drink. "Yes. My wife came from Bozeman. I met her in college, and after we got married, we moved back here. The four of us spent a lot of time together. The two girls became best friends, and more, as time went on. We didn't realize they had taken their relationship into the 'lover' status until one night we were all having dinner at their place and they broke the news they wanted divorces."

  "Both of them at the same time?"

  "Yeah. When we tried to get out of them what the issues were, they finally confessed they'd become lovers and didn't want us in their lives anymore."

  "Wow," she whispered, amazed any woman in her right mind would walk away from either him or Cade, much less for another woman.

  "So you see, we've both been burned, and truthfully, I'd love to find a woman I could classify as a real woman. Not one necessarily into shopping at the high-end department stores just because she can, or needs big parties and hanging out wit
h the in crowd. I want someone who likes hanging out on Saturday's with me. Maybe watching football even if she doesn't like the game, but wants to because she wants to be near me."

  "I can understand your feelings."

  The waitress returned for their lunch order, giving her a little time to digest what Kale said. The difficulty came with wrapping her mind around him and Cade‘s attraction to her. It didn't fit.

  "I'll have a cheeseburger and fries, please," she told the waitress.

  "The same for me."

  "Great. I'll check on you two in a bit."

  "Your grandmother seems to be dealing with your grandfather's death pretty well."

  "It's not like she didn't know it was coming. He'd been ill for some time, but being a doctor, he wasn't about to get treatment."

  "Did he have something specific that caused his death?"

  "Yes. He'd been dealing with prostate cancer for a while."

  "Well, I'm sorry to hear about his passing. He was a favorite around here."

  "I know. It killed my mom to move to Oregon when we did. I didn't really care for it either. Being a sophomore in high school and moving really sucked."

  "You must have coped pretty well."

  Their food arrived, saving her from commenting on his observation. She didn't think she'd dealt well at all. Yeah, she had a few friends, but not like here in Red Rock. This was home even if it wasn't anymore.

  "Did you ever think about coming back here after finishing school?"

  "I had to stay there. The cost of college in Oregon played a huge part in my decision to stay, and then, afterwards, the school district close to my parents offered me a lucrative salary to teach."

  "Cade said you teach elementary students," he said, popping a French fry in his mouth.

  "I do and I love it. The kids are great," she replied, stirring the cream into her coffee after the waitress refilled it. "I never thought of doing anything else."

  "They are lucky to have you."

  Her gaze caught his, and she cocked her head to the side a little. "I don't understand you at all, Kale."

  "What's there to understand?"

  "Both you and Cade seem so different from what I remember. It's really hard for me to wrap my mind around it."

  He grasped her fingers and squeezed. "We are both simple guys who work hard, play hooky occasionally, still ride horses, sometimes rodeo on the weekends, and hope to find the right woman someday. Nothing more. You're like a breath of fresh air around here. You know in Red Rock, people get on the bus, but they don't get off."

  She couldn't help but smile since she knew it to be true for the most part. After her family moved, they did come to visit occasionally, but they never stayed long. Her dad loved Oregon and couldn't wait to get back.

  Talk turned to other things like the small place he owned outside of town, some of the children she taught, and the coming Christmas season.

  "What's your place like?"

  "A typical cattle and horse ranch. I breed and train horses, but I also run some cattle on the property too."

  "I imagine it keeps you really busy," she replied, picking at the remaining food on her plate.

  "Most of the time. We should be calving and branding soon and that will take up about three weeks of non-stop work. I don't get much sleep during those times, but it's still a couple of months away. When I'm not working the cattle, I've got the horses to keep me busy. Unfortunately, the market for horses unless they are racehorses, isn't much. People aren't riding for pleasure as much these days."

  "What about your family, Kale?"

  "What about 'em?"

  "Do they still live here?"

  "Yeah. They own The Double D and are more into cattle than horses these days."

  "Cade helps me out there. In fact, he has a small apartment here in town he sleeps in some nights, but for the most part, we share my place. The house on the property is big enough for a whole family with a passel of kids."

  "What do you call yours?"

  "The Bar KD."

  "Your wife didn't take it when you divorced?" A frown scrunched the skin between his eyebrows, and she said, "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

  "Its fine, Nat. No, she didn't take it. She didn't want it. She hated the ranch and everything it stands for. I don't know why she ever agreed to marry me if she felt that way."

  "I'm sorry. It must have been really hard."

  "It doesn't matter. She got what she wanted, and I'm glad she's not in my life anymore." One French fry slipped between his tempting lips. "What about you? Cade said you were in a long-term relationship."

  A heavy sigh left her mouth, and she traced the water droplet on her glass for a moment.

  "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

  Her gaze caught his, and she felt a shiver roll down her back at the look in his eyes—the look of someone who cares and really wants to know.

  After a quick inhale, she said, "I was with Steve for two years. We talked about getting married a time or two, but he never asked really. I never thought there were any problems, until I came home early from a teacher's conference in Seattle. I wanted to surprise him, but he surprised me when I walked into our bedroom and found him in bed—our bed, with another woman."

  "I don't understand how people can cheat on each other," Kale replied, pushing his plate away. "I mean, if you don’t want to be with your partner anymore, get out of the relationship and move on."

  "I know. I never thought about being with someone else while I was with Steve."

  "You don't seem to be the type of woman to cheat."

  "How would you know, Kale?" she asked with a smile. Mmm…he wants to know more about me, does he?

  "I don't, but I'd like to. You're a fascinating woman, Natalie Bennington, and I would love to spend more time with you while you’re here."

  "What about Cade?"

  "What about him? You haven't even been on a date with him yet."

  "No, but he asked me out first. It's kind of weird to be dating two men."

  His eyes twinkled and his lips twitched with a suppressed smile, and she had to wonder what he found so funny.

  "Cade and I don't compete for women."

  "You don't?"

  "Listen, let me take you back to your grandmother's, and we can talk more there."

  Okay. Well, that's kind of strange, but whatever, I guess.

  Kale paid the bill and escorted her to his truck. The ride back to her grandmother's house seemed almost uncomfortable, although, she wasn't sure why. A song came on the radio, and she hummed along with the tune of Kenny Chesney singing, 'I'd Love To Change Your Name’.

  "You know this one?"

  "Yeah. I like Kenny Chesney. I have a lot of his CD's."

  "I like his stuff too, but George Strait is my favorite."

  "Kind of hard to top 'ole King George." A warm laugh left his mouth and she smiled. "You have a nice laugh, Kale."

  "Thanks."

  They pulled into her grandmother's driveway, and he came around to her side to open the door. His palm appeared in front of her to help her out, and she realized how much she missed the gentlemanly behavior of the Montana cowboy.

  "I appreciate you taking me out for lunch. It was very sweet of you," she said, while they walked toward the porch.

  "You're welcome. We really need to talk, but I think I'll wait for a better time."

  She stopped and said, "Are you sure? You seemed pretty adamant we would talk."

  "Yes, I'm sure. It's kind of a weird subject and we really need to be able to discuss it."

  The warmth of his hand at the small of her back made her quiver with desire, curling a knot of need in her belly.

  When she turned to face him, he cupped her face between his palms and brushed his lips against hers. The softness of his lips took her by surprise, as did the feelings he stirred. Comparing his and Cade’s kisses, she realized both were intoxicating in their own way.

  "I'd better go eve
n though I don't want to. I would much rather stay and kiss you, but I've got work to do at the ranch." He stepped back and stuffed his hands in his pockets, as if he wasn't sure he could keep them off her. "Can I take you out again on Saturday?"

  "I don't know, Kale, I…"

  He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth. The scrape of his whiskers along the back of her hand sent shivers up her arm. Soft lips slipping across her skin’s surface and the brush of his tongue made her lips part on a sigh.

  "Please?"

  The dark brown of his eyes mesmerized her. A small smile graced his mouth, and she heard herself agreeing.

  "How about six o'clock? We can have dinner and go dancing or something."

  "Six is good," she murmured.

  "I'll see you then." Another brush of his lips and he was gone.

  Chapter Three

  The knock on the door startled her. Is it five already? She jumped to her feet to answer it, smoothing the skirt of her black dress with her hands. Anticipation of the coming dinner date with Cade had her on edge since Kale had dropped her off after lunch. Slick sweat irritated her palms, goose bumps flittered across her arms, and her mouth felt dry. Two hours getting ready for this date did nothing to calm her nerves. She’d tried on everything she brought with her and still couldn't find anything suitable to wear. A quick trip to one of the local boutiques yielded the perfect dress and shoes—never mind the hundred-dollar price tag.

  A deep sigh left her lips as she approached the front door and opened it.

  The porch light reflected the gleam of gold in Cade's hair, making it almost look like a halo around his head. Angel he wasn't, she decided. Maybe he was hiding little horns underneath because he sure knew how to make her think about hot sex between the sheets.

  His black suit jacket fit across his broad shoulders like a second skin, hugging each muscle and bulge of his magnificent body. The stark white shirt made his tan skin appear almost bronze as the collar peeked above the lapels of his coat. One large hand cradled his black Stetson like a baby. Every Montana cowboy loved his cowboy hat. It came with the territory.

  His baby blues dilated when they stopped on her face. "Wow," he whispered. The smile spreading across his lips made her feel beautiful and sexy in the strapless black dress she'd chosen. She knew it hugged her curves and emphasized her cleavage. For some reason, she loved the look in his eyes.