by Beth Walker
"Come in. It'll only take a minute to grab a coat and my purse."
The screen swung out, allowing him to step inside the house.
Natalie turned around only to find her grandmother standing next to the couch, a big smile on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"You look very nice. Where are you taking Natalie for dinner?" her grandmother asked.
"It's a surprise." A beautiful bouquet of red roses was clutched tightly in his hand, almost as if loosening his grasp would cause them to disappear. "These are for you."
"Oh my. They're gorgeous, Cade. Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
His gaze dropped to the floor, and she could have sworn pink flushed his cheeks. "I wasn't sure you liked roses, but they’re usually a safe bet for a woman."
"Let me run into the kitchen and put them in water. Then we can go." Quick steps took her into the other room, but she could still hear the conversation going on in the living room.
"It's nice of you to bring flowers," her grandmother said.
"Yeah, well, my parents raised me to be a gentleman and one always brings flowers on the first date," Cade answered, and Natalie smiled. First date? It sounds like he's planning more than one.
"Just make sure you have her home by midnight."
"Grandma," Natalie warned from where she stood in the kitchen. "I'm not sixteen."
"I'm kidding, Natalie. Lighten up." The next words had heat crawling up her chest and staining her cheeks a bright red she was sure. "Did you put some condoms in your purse?"
"She did not just say that." Natalie grumbled, pressing her hands to her cheeks.
A roar of laughter from Cade gave her the answer. Her grandmother did indeed mention condoms.
"Don't worry, Nat. I got it covered," Cade replied, making her blush even more.
"I'm going to stay here now, and you two can go out to dinner while I die of humiliation," she yelled from the kitchen.
"No you won't. I've been looking forward to this all day." Cade stopped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We're only teasing, Nat."
"I'm so embarrassed."
He tugged her around to face him and framed her face with his hands. "Don't be. It's not like the thought hasn't crossed my mind from the moment I saw you." Soft, warm lips brushed hers, and she closed her eyes at the sensations ricocheting through her. "Come on. I want to treat you special tonight. Grab your purse and coat. We have reservations."
* * * *
One of the oldest buildings in Red Rock sits on the corner of Main and Smith. The huge stone and steel structure used to be the county courthouse, but now houses The Millhouse Restaurant and Hotel. Cade pulled his truck up to the front and put it into park as a valet came around the driver's side and opened the door.
"May I park this for you, sir?"
"Sure." Cade climbed out and walked to her side. Holding the door open, he extended his palm to help her.
"Wow. When did they convert this?" she asked, taking his hand. Her gaze went up the front façade of the building, amazed at the conversion. Gray stone graced the whole front of the building, and large columns held the top overhang. Huge chandeliers, dripping with crystal accents, graced the ceiling inside the restaurant, were visible through the long windows along the front. Light reflected a multitude of color through the windowpanes and onto the concrete under their feet. Rows of box hedges sat under the windows, and under the canopy of the restaurant, large planters held enormous ferns.
"A few years ago. They made it into a high-class hotel and the best restaurant in town. It's the best food around these parts," Cade replied, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.
"And expensive too, I bet."
"Don't worry about the cost. It's my treat since I chose to bring you here."
"But—" One finger pressed against her lips, stopping her words.
"No buts," he whispered. A quick brush of his lips against hers and she lost all train of thought. He smiled when he lifted his head and led her inside. Dark red carpet, with white and gold flowers, cradled her heels when they stepped through the gold and glass doors. They stopped next to the podium, of what she assumed was the maître d, and Cade gave his name. Immediately, they received an escort to a cozy table in the corner. Old-fashioned chairs, covered in burgundy brocade with gold accents, sat pushed under the table, and she loved when Cade pulled out the chair for her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Goose bumps rose on her arms when he brushed his lips against her ear and murmured, "Anythin' for you darlin'."
Crystal goblets and a variety of silverware reflected the lights overhead, and she wondered if she could remember what utensil went with what. The stark white tablecloth looked elegant beyond words, and the feeling of being out of place began to overwhelm her, until Cade squeezed her fingers.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look? You take my breath away."
"I appreciate the sentiment."
"It's the truth."
The waiter stopped next to their table, asking what they wanted to drink, and Cade ordered champagne.
"Trying to get me drunk so you can find out if I really do have condoms in my purse?"
His chuckle warmed her. When he brought her fingers to his lips, kissing each one before sliding his tongue over her palm, it made her want to admit her own wanton thoughts.
"I'm only trying to loosen you up a little."
"If I get any looser, I'll be sliding under the table."
"Um…interesting idea."
Shit!
She retrieved her hand and said, "Shall we decide what to eat?"
The grin on his lips widened.
Open mouth—insert foot.
"What I meant was…"
"It's, okay, Nat. Keep goin', honey. I'm likin' where this is headin'."
Unable to hide the heat in her cheeks, she dropped her gaze to the menu and clamped her mouth shut.
"The sirloin looks good. What would you like?" he asked a few moments later.
"Typical cowboy. Red meat it is."
"Can't help it. Being born and bred on a cattle ranch does that to a man."
"The steak and shrimp sounds good. I really acquired a taste for seafood living in Oregon. The salmon out there is fabulous, and when they bring king crab legs down from Alaska… Wow."
"I don't know how this place will fair in comparison."
"Shrimp is usually a pretty safe bet, even inland," she replied, laying the menu to her left.
Once the waiter had come and gone with their order, their conversation turned to things more personal.
"Kale brought up something when we were having lunch today and I wanted to ask you about it."
A frown appeared on his face and his blue eyes darkened. "Okay. Shoot."
"He said the two of you don't compete for women."
"How did that conversation come about?"
"I told him it felt weird dating both of you, and he said you two didn't compete for women."
"We don't."
"Care to explain?"
"It's not really the type of conversation I'd like to have with you when there are other ears around."
"Oh?"
"The whole thing is rather personal."
"I see," she said, even though she had no clue what he meant. She cleared her throat and took a sip from her champagne. The bubbles tickled her nose, and she had to rub it to calm the sensation. "Kale told me you married Cynthia Bishop."
"Just full of information, wasn't he."
"He also told me how things went down between your wife and his. I can't even imagine it. I'm sorry for both of you. It must have been terrible."
"It wasn't a pleasant time in my life, no. I had no clue anything was wrong. They blindsided both of us," he replied with a frown.
I wonder if he's still pining for her.
"How long were you married?"
"Five years."
"No children?"
A rueful laugh
left his mouth. "She never wanted any. The thought of ruining her figure didn't sit well with her at all."
"I don't understand how a woman can not want children."
"You have to think that way. You're a teacher."
"Actually, no I don't. There are several teachers I know who don't want children of their own."
"Really?"
"Yes. They are fine teaching other people's children, but they have no desire to raise any themselves."
"What about you? Do you want children?"
"Someday, when I meet the right man, I'd love to have several. I grew up in a lonely home."
"You had your sister."
"True, but Andrea is quite a bit younger than I am. I love her. Don't get me wrong, but we didn't have the adoring sisterly bond. After we moved to Oregon, I found myself on my own a lot. My parents fought since my mother didn't want to move there in the first place."
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine growin' up in such an environment. My family has always been close, and I have several siblings to prove it."
His grin caught her by surprise and she had to laugh.
The food arrived, and the smell of seared meat made her mouth water. It had been a long time since she'd had the kind of steak you could get in Montana.
"Wow. This looks wonderful."
"I told you they have really good food." He cut into the meat on his plate, popped a piece between his full lips, and moaned in pleasure.
"Do you come here often?"
The water in his glass almost spilled when he grabbed it, washing down the meat with an unhealthy gulp and a rough cough.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you choke. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." The words came out in a coarse whisper.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Your question caught me off guard. That's all." His eyes watered and it looked like his nose might run, too.
"Why?" she asked. One small piece of steak slipped between her lips, and she fought a matching moan to his. "Lord, this is good."
"You being here seems so natural. I forget you haven't been here in a long time." He brought the napkin in his lap up to his mouth and wiped the edge of his tempting lips. "I'm actually here all the time, although not as a patron. My family supplies the beef for this place."
"Really? Wow. It must be very lucrative for your parents place then."
"Um, yeah, it is."
Their conversation came to a screeching halt when her cell phone chimed in her purse.
"I'm sorry. I need to see who is calling. It could be my grandmother."
"No problem."
She grabbed her purse from the floor and pulled out the still ringing phone. Steven? What the hell is he calling for?
"Somethin' wrong?"
"No. I don't think so anyway." She hit ignore and returned it to her purse.
"Maybe you should have answered it."
"It wasn't someone I care to talk to."
"Oh?"
A frustrated sigh left her lips on a sharp exhale. "It was my ex."
"Ex what?"
"Ex-boyfriend, ex-lover—just ex."
"I see. You mean short-dicked…"
Her hand came up quickly and pressed against his lips, silencing his words. He smiled against her fingers and sucked one into his mouth. Desire, hot and needy, shot down her back, stopping at her throbbing clit.
"Mmm…tastes like chicken," he murmured, releasing her fingers.
A small snort came from her mouth, and she shook her head at his attempts to flirt. He's damned good at it, too.
"What?"
"You."
"What about me? Oh, I know. I'm devilishly handsome and built rugged. I have gorgeous eyes. I can rope a steer, herd cattle, ride a horse, two-step with the best of 'em, and make love to you all night long."
A high-pitched laugh bubbled from her mouth as she said, "Not the least bit modest, are you?"
"For you, darlin', I'll be all those things and more." The twinkle in his eyes and the twitch of his lips told her he could and would. All she had to do was ask. The thrill of anticipation danced through her stomach setting it quivering like a thousand butterflies, loose inside. She splayed her hand across her abdomen, wishing it would calm down before she did something stupid, like sleep with him.
* * * *
Once they finished their meal, both laughing at the waiters' suggestion of dessert, Cade paid the tab and escorted her to the podium to retrieve his truck. Getting her alone quickened his pace. The thoughts of holding her next to him, kissing her pouty lips, running his fingers through her hair, and tasting her skin while running his tongue over every inch of her made his cock harden to aching proportions.
"What's the hurry, Cade?" she asked when he whipped the door open on his truck.
"I want some alone time with you," he replied, kissing the tip of her nose. "Problem with that?"
"If it means I get to kiss you again, then nope."
"Definitely, darlin'."
He closed the door behind her and turned away to adjust his cock.
Good God, I need to get between those gorgeous thighs. I haven't been this damned horny in a long time, if ever.
"You know, Kale said you stay at his place a lot," she said when he slipped inside the cab.
"Sometimes. I wouldn't say a lot. I have my own place in town, and my mom maintains my room at the house just in case I ever decide to move back home. Not like it would ever happen. I kind of like my bachelor life."
The lights of town zipped past the windows, the cars thinning out the further they drove. My apartment in town is nothing more than a bed, a dresser, a couch, and a television. I can't take her there. He slept there when he did jobs in Red Rock. The other profession under his belt consisted of construction, but building slowed in the winter, leaving him more and more time to work on the home he started on his own property. For some reason, he wanted to show her his space.
"Where are we going?"
"Someplace special," he said, grasping her hand in his. "It's a little ways outside of town though. Do you mind?"
Her eyes twinkled in the lights from the dashboard and she smiled softly. "Not at all. I love that you want to show me something so meaningful to you."
"You're a special woman, Natalie." She frowned, and he wondered why when she stared out the window. "Did I say something wrong?"
When she turned toward him, he could see pain and mistrust in her eyes.
Someone hurt her badly, and right now, I could kill him. He shook his head, staring out the windshield again. Whoa! Wait just a damned minute here. What the hell am I thinking? The last thing I need is another permanent fixture in my life. A quick romp…yes, but someone stable…no.
"What are you thinking?" she asked in a mere whisper.
"Me?"
"Yes. You look angry."
"Well, from the look in your eyes, I'd say this ex of yours did a lot of damage."
"How so?"
"You have a wary, distrustful look, but I aim to change your opinion of men. We aren't all like your ex."
They pulled off the road and took a dirt path back several hundred yards until they came upon his partially finished house.
"Wow. Is this yours? You're building it?"
"Yeah. I do construction during the summers, and since it's slow right now, I'm working on this place. Would you like to see? It's not much right now. Just four walls, a roof, and bare studs on the inside, but it's all mine."
"I'd love to."
She reached for the door, but he stilled her hand with his own. "Let me get it."
The soft smile lighting her face did wonderful things to his insides. He moved around the back of the truck, grabbed the flashlight from the large toolbox, and then opened her door.
"We have light."
"A good thing to have out here, in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch darkness," she said. The little giggle to her voice turned to a peal of laughter when he scooped her up in his arms and walked toward the h
ouse.
"Put me down."
"Nope. I kind of like holding you, and I don't want you to freeze those pretty little toes."
The wind rustled the branches on the trees overhead and snow flurries fell in a thin veil of white. Once he reached the porch, he let her slide down his body, watching her pupils dilate, and her lips part in invitation. He wasn't sure if he could deny himself, or her, when she leaned toward him. After a mental kick, he pulled the collar of her coat up around her ears, and kissed her nose before taking her hand, entwining their fingers.
"I love the snow. It’s one of the things I missed about Montana. It doesn't really snow much in Oregon."
"How about we go sledding on Marshall Hill tomorrow?"
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?"
Laughter filled the small grove where the house was built, as they stepped up to the door. "Yes, really."
"You don't have to work tomorrow?"
"I can make time for you, Nat."
"I don't want you to get into trouble or anything, Cade. I mean, it's not that important."
The green of her eyes almost glowed with excitement at the thought of a simple thing like sledding, and he wasn't about to disappoint her. "We'll go and I won't take no for an answer. Now, let me show you my house."
They stepped inside, the smell of pine mixed with caulking, paint, glue and other construction scents, met his nose. She brushed the snow from her coat and looked around even though it was difficult to see.
"Hang on. I have a small generator on the back porch. Let me crank it up and we'll get a little more light and maybe some heat."
"I could do heat," she said, running her hands up and down her arms.
I could make you warm all over.
He cleared his throat and ducked through the doorway, ignoring the tightening pressure in his groin. She looked too damned cute standing there with her red nose and cold lips, and he wanted nothing more than to warm her in more ways than one.
Two pulls on the generator and it cranked to life. The lamps he left inside the living room came on and spread a glow throughout the room.