Make Me Stay

by Jaci Burton

  "Is that a lounge area out front here?"

  "Yeah."

  "This is amazing, Reid. And very luxurious for a bathroom."

  "This is the ladies' room, obviously."

  "Obviously. As a woman, I highly approve."

  "There are also private bathrooms in some of the office spaces."

  Her brow arched. "Really? Show me."

  He led her out of the bathroom and to an office space in the corner. "This one's my favorite because of all the light and space. The walls will be gray, and there will be chair rail here, a reception area out front, and two offices. The main office is in the back."

  She could tell from the animated way he spoke that he was excited about this. When they got to the room she could see why. The entire space was windows, and since it was a sunny day, her jaw dropped.

  "Wow. You can see the entire town from these windows."

  He grinned. "Yeah. Isn't it great?"

  She walked to one of the windows and looked out. "I'm pretty sure I can see my house from here." She pointed to the south. "There's Hope High, too."

  He moved over to the northern windows. "If I got a telescope in here we might be able to see the ranch."

  "No way." She moved over to where he was standing. "That far away?"

  He laughed. "I have no idea. But the view is pretty outstanding."

  "No kidding. I'm so impressed. Someone is going to have an amazing office in here."

  "Yeah."

  She turned to face the office. The walls weren't painted yet, but the office would be spacious. "I can already picture a desk in here, pictures on the walls, a large clock over there. The space is so large you could put a sofa over in the corner, or a couple of trendy chairs and a table."

  "There's an amazing desk in storage at the ranch," Reid said, leaning against the windowsill. "My grandfather made it himself from a tree that had fallen in a storm. It would be perfect in this office. It's supersized, so it would sit well in this space."

  "Why don't you have that in your office in Boston?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know. My office there isn't large. It wouldn't match the modern furnishings there anyway."

  "But it would go well here."

  "It would."

  "It's interesting how you visualize something, see how it would work in one place but not another. Is it the same way with your designs?"

  "Sort of. When I design a space I visualize it first before I ever draw it out. It's more a feeling, a sense I get about a place." He paused, looking at her. "It's hard to describe."

  "No, you're doing a fine job. I understand what you're saying. It's like when I create a bouquet. It's not just random flowers thrown together. It's an emotional connection. Who are these flowers for? What is the occasion? Who are the people? What are they celebrating? Is it joy or sorrow? I tap into those emotions and try to make every bouquet suit the people I'm creating for. I'm sure for you it's the same thing. You're not just drawing lines for a building--you're emotionally connecting to a place, a sense of time. I imagine doing the mercantile has been especially emotional for you, because you have a connection to it."

  He stared out the window. "I don't know about that. It's just a building, Sam."

  "Is it?" She rubbed her hand up and down his back. "Or is it something more? You're already placing your dad's desk in this office. Can you see yourself in here, too?"

  "No, I don't see myself here."

  Her hand slipped away. "Okay. Just thought I'd throw that out there to give you something to think about."

  He turned to face her. "Trying to entice me to stay in town?"

  She shrugged. "It's not the worst idea ever, you know."

  "Sure it is. I have a business in Boston. A life."

  "So you keep saying. But you have family here. People who love you." She pivoted, facing the window. "And this amazing office space that seems to just . . . fit."

  He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I created this office space for someone else."

  She turned around in his arms, her gaze direct. "Did you?"

  "Yeah. I did. Just like I create buildings and spaces for other people all the time. Don't make this emotional, Sam. Because it isn't for me."

  "If you say so." And maybe it was her being emotional about it, because the space was so beautiful and she could see him sitting there with his computer and his drawings, making new spaces for people here in Hope and Tulsa and the surrounding areas.

  Maybe it was she who thought he belonged here, when quite obviously he knew exactly where his life was.

  And it wasn't in Hope. She needed to shake loose of the emotional connection she had to Reid, because there was nothing in it for her but heartbreak.

  "So are you done for the day, work-wise?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "Not quite. How about you?"

  "Same. I have a few hours left. I was just wondering if you were free tonight."

  "I might be. I need to go home and check on Grammy Claire."

  "How's she doing?"

  "She was fine this morning. She's spending the day with Faith."

  "That's good. I know you're worried about her being by herself."

  "Yeah. But I'll check on her. If everything's okay, I could be free."

  "Want to come out to the ranch with me tonight?"

  "I could maybe be coaxed." She didn't really want to be that far away from her grandmother, but she'd make arrangements so Grammy Claire wasn't alone.

  "Good. How about you come out after you see to your grandmother's comfort. Say around six?"

  "Sounds perfect. I'll see you then."

  "Okay."

  She started to leave, but Reid grasped her hand and pulled her against him. He wanted a taste of her, to feel her body pressed up against his. She came into his arms willingly, and he slid his hand into her hair to hold her in place while he tasted her.

  She must have popped a peppermint in her mouth before she came in here, because that's what he tasted. Then again, she always tasted hot and sweet to him. He explored her mouth, teased her tongue with his, and ran his hands down her back, cupping her butt and pulling her in tighter.

  When he heard Deacon's voice downstairs, he pulled back, lingering for a few seconds on the barely banked desire he saw in her eyes.

  "Yeah. Not the right time or place," he said.

  She pushed against him, rubbing her body against his erection. "Too bad, because it feels really right."

  He let out a laugh. "Unless you want to put on a show for everyone who works here, I think we need to shelve that thought for later."

  With a sigh, she took a step back, but gave him a lingering look, letting her gaze travel south. "That'll be on my mind the rest of the day."

  "You're killing me, Sam."

  Her lips curved. "You won't be the only one suffering. I'll see you tonight."

  She turned and walked out, giving him a glimpse of her very fine ass in her tight jeans.

  Damn. He raked his fingers through his hair, grabbed his notebook, and went over plans, hoping like hell that immersing himself in architectural drawings would cool down his libido in a hurry.

  By the time Deacon found him, he'd managed to cool down.

  "Sam told me she was in love with this office."

  Reid nodded. "It's a great office space."

  "Do you have interest in it yet?"

  Yeah. He wanted it. But he'd never say that to Deacon--or to Sam. And it was never going to happen. "I've had several people show interest in several of the spaces so far."

  "How about the main space downstairs?"

  "That, too. As a matter of fact, someone you know came by recently and asked about it."

  "Yeah? Who?"

  "Loretta Simmons."

  He saw the smile disappear from Deacon's face. "Loretta. I didn't know she was back in town."

  "Apparently she's moved back. Recently divorced, from what she told me."

  "Huh. Interesting."

&
nbsp; Reid imagined it was a lot more than just interesting to Deacon, considering he and Loretta had been nearly inseparable in high school. Until she and Deacon had broken up and Loretta had married someone else and left Hope. Reid knew their breakup had crushed Deacon.

  "Is that a problem?"

  "You can rent out space to whoever the hell you want to. Makes no difference to me. I don't own the mercantile. Besides, Loretta and I were a long time ago."

  Judging from his tone of voice, probably not long enough. "I just thought you might want to know."

  Deacon shrugged. "What Loretta does or doesn't do isn't my business anymore, and hasn't been for a lot of years."

  "I know her marrying someone else was painful for you."

  "I was the one who broke up with her, remember?"

  "I remember. So maybe now that she's back in town--"

  Deacon shot a sharp glare in his direction. "No. Not gonna happen."

  Reid lifted his hands, palms up, toward Deacon. "Okay. I just thought--"

  "You thought wrong. Loretta and I are history, and that history is never going to repeat itself."

  "Got it. Never gonna happen."

  But Reid didn't much believe in never where Deacon and Loretta were concerned. He'd had a front-row seat back in high school to that love story, and he'd never seen two people more in love. It had mystified him why Deacon had broken up with Loretta a couple of years after high school. Reid had been in college then, so he hadn't been in town to witness what happened, but he'd been certain Deacon and Loretta were headed for the altar. All Deacon had told him back then was that they had drifted apart and it had become clear to him they weren't suited for each other.

  He hadn't bought that story then any more than he bought the bullshit Deacon was trying to shovel at him now. Reid didn't believe Deacon had ever gotten over Loretta.

  But he knew better than to get in the middle of it, which was why he'd brought up the fact that Loretta had contacted him the other day about the bottom-floor space.

  All he wanted Deacon to know was that Loretta was back in town.

  What happened after that was between the two of them. Right now he wanted to concentrate on finishing up his work for the day.

  Because tonight, he was seeing Samantha.

  Chapter 26

  SURPRISINGLY, FAITH HAD spent the entire day with Grammy Claire, then invited her to spend the night at her place tonight.

  Sam didn't know if Faith was doing that to keep a close eye on her grandmother or if the two of them just had a lot of social events going on. Either way, Sam was relieved and happy. She had known Faith a long time. She had Faith's phone number and Faith had hers, so she told her she'd be out tonight and to call her if there were any issues. Faith assured her everything should be fine and told her to go out and have a good time.

  Sam took a shower and changed into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, then slid into her canvas shoes. She packed an extra set of clothes and her toothbrush--just in case--in her backpack.

  Not that she was expecting to spend the night with Reid, but she wanted to be prepared. After kissing him today at the mercantile, she was fired up, and she'd had so much stress lately that there was nothing wrong with thinking that maybe she and Reid could enjoy a nice evening of . . .

  Stress relief.

  That's what she intended to think of it. Some enjoyable time together, and maybe a little stress relief for both of them. After all, he'd looked a little wound up today, too.

  Or maybe she was just projecting.

  She drove out to the ranch and parked in front of the house. Reid's truck was there, and when she got out of her car, she was greeted by all the ranch dogs, Not My Dog included. She stopped for a few minutes to pet the dogs. They were all so sweet and friendly, and her heart ached for one of her own.

  Someday.

  The front door was open, but she rang the bell.

  "Door's open. Come on in."

  Reid's voice. She opened the screen door and walked inside. Reid was in the kitchen.

  "Where is everyone else?"

  "Martha and Ben have a dinner with friends tonight and Des and Logan are doing some baby thing in Tulsa with Emma and Luke."

  "A baby thing?"

  "Yeah. I dunno. I was only half listening. Some informational meeting at the hospital. And then they were going out to dinner. Or something like that."

  She laughed. "Okay. So we're alone."

  He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "We are."

  "That means we could . . . jump on the furniture if we wanted to." She moved closer to him, breathing in his freshly showered scent. She wound her fingers into his hair, which was still damp.

  "We could, but I have other ideas."

  "You do, huh?"

  "I do. Remember when I told you there were places on the ranch where we could get lost?"

  "Yes."

  "Tonight we're going to go get lost on the ranch."

  It felt good to be nestled against his body. She wouldn't mind getting lost in him right here in the kitchen. But whatever he had in mind, she was game. "Sounds fun."

  "I've got some grilled chicken and potato salad in the cooler, along with a bottle of wine and some beer, water, and soda. Oh, and brownies, too."

  She arched a brow. "Brownies? Really?"

  "Well, yeah. Gotta have dessert, right?"

  She liked the way his mind worked. Though in her mind, he was dessert. She'd have to file that thought away for later. "I'm already hungry just thinking about it."

  He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Let's get this party started, then."

  He carried the cooler out to his truck while she went to her car to grab her backpack. She climbed into the truck, and Reid did, too, shaking his head when Not My Dog tried to hop inside with them.

  "Not this time, buddy."

  "Aww, he looks so sad," Sam said.

  "He can hang with his dog pals. Tonight, it's just you and me."

  Not My Dog finally got the hint and ran off with the other dogs. Reid backed out, heading down the main gravel road.

  She'd always loved being on the McCormack ranch, had always enjoyed how expansive the property was. You could drive for miles and see nothing but land. Scrub and trees and cattle. It was beautiful out here.

  "Do you miss living here?" she asked.

  "Sometimes. It's a little cramped in my condo in Boston. Plus the traffic. I miss the space out here. Even in Hope there's no congestion."

  "I can imagine the difference. I've traveled here and there and have been to bigger cities. Small-town life is definitely more my speed."

  He took a glance over at her. "Did you like traveling?"

  "I love it. I've been to San Francisco and Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Philadelphia. I try to get to florist conventions and flower shows as often as I can. It gives me the chance to not only meet other florists from around the country, but to improve my craft."

  "Good for you. Plus, you can't beat travel."

  "I agree. I'd love to go more, but being the sole owner and operator of the shop, I can't get out as much as I'd like to."

  Reid made a left turn, heading them down a dirt road. "You could always hire help, someone you trust enough that you could train to run the shop while you're gone."

  "This is true. I guess because Grammy Claire ran the shop herself, and then it was me, I've never thought about anyone outside the family doing it."

  "When I first started my business, I felt the same way. I didn't want anyone handling it but me. It was my baby and I was very protective of it. Until I figured out I couldn't handle it alone. Then I brought in another architect, and he's fantastic. I trust him with the business and with my staff."

  "He's handling things right now?"

  Reid nodded. "Yeah. He's not only a great employee, but he's become a good friend. So I know he'll make all the right decisions. He and I have built a fantastic staff at the firm."

  "I'm glad to hear things are goin
g so well for you in Boston. You must be very proud of the company you've built."

  "I've done okay. You could do the same thing, Sam. Find someone you trust, and give yourself some breathing room so you can have a life."

  She thought about it and nodded. "You're right about that. There are times when I just can't be there, and I can't allow the business to suffer. Being a one-person owner can have its advantages, but also drawbacks."

  "Yeah it can. I speak from experience on that. And if you need help finding personnel, I'm happy to help you with that."

  A warm feeling settled in her stomach. The one thing she hadn't had in her life in quite a few years was backup. "Thanks. I appreciate it. And I might just take you up on that offer."

  "Anytime."

  He pulled down a road that wasn't even a road, the truck bumping over ruts until he stopped.

  "Where are we?" she asked.

  "We're here. Come on, let's get out and I'll show you."

  All she saw were trees and bushes and a whole lot of nothing. She came around to the front of the truck, and Reid took her hand.

  "It's this way. Watch your step."

  "This way" was through a small hole in between two hedges.

  "Seriously?" she asked him.

  He grinned. "Yeah. Trust me."

  He led her through the hedge, and it was like she'd arrived in heaven. The setting sun hit the cabin and adjacent stream perfectly, and Sam had never seen anything like it. Green grass surrounded the cabin, while perfectly trimmed bushes adorned the walkway.

  "Wow. Does someone live here?"

  "No. But it's well maintained in case someone needs to get away."

  "It's amazing. And the stream is gorgeous."

  "Yeah, it's kind of a cool hideaway. I used to love to come here to fish or just hang out near the water."

  Large river rocks stood tall at the edge of the stream, allowing for a waterfall. Sam could happily prop up a chair at the edge of the stream and just watch the water for hours.

  Reid led her to the cabin, used his set of keys to open the door, and held it while she walked inside.

  The inside of the cabin was as perfectly manicured as the outside. Knotted pine floors were spread throughout. It was small, but again, perfectly maintained, with a couple of chairs, a sofa, a fireplace, and a kitchen. There was a second-floor loft with a bed.

  It was cozy and utterly charming.

  She turned around to face him. "I love this place, Reid."

  "Thanks. I do, too. I'm going to go grab our stuff."

  "I'll help."