by Vivian Arend
His father had insisted he wanted to be in charge of the road, but obviously over the summer he’d failed to keep up with what should be a normal maintenance task. If it wasn’t done soon, they were going to end up with damage to their vehicles.
Frustration hit harder. If Ben was going to do a job, Rafe didn’t know why he didn’t do a thorough job of it, considering that’s what he’d always demanded of the boys back in the day when all three of them worked side-by-side.
Rafe noted with some satisfaction his dad’s truck was missing from the yard. Probably hanging out at the coffee shop with the rest of the old timers, bitching about how much life had changed and what hassles their kids were.
The less he saw of his father, the better. He might’ve decided he was going to have a good attitude about a bad situation, but it was decidedly easier to keep from falling into pissed-off frustration when he was nowhere near the man.
Rafe parked by the barn, hurrying toward where the doors stood open. An old ranch truck and trailer they rarely used anymore were backed into position where he least expected it.
He rounded the corner to discover his mom, her tiny frame wrapped in a coverall, attempting to corral some of the lambs into the trailer.
“Hey,” he called out in warning.
Her head snapped up and she jerked back for a moment before offering a smile, fingers tightening in the woolly coat at her feet. “Rafe. I didn’t expect to see you yet.”
He stepped forward to stop the three lambs already loaded from escaping, strong-arming them into place and putting up the low gate that was ready at hand. He raised his voice to be heard over the loud bleating. “I made good time. I figured a nice lazy Sunday afternoon off would be better than hanging out on the highway. What’re you doing?”
“Community fair this afternoon. The Baptist church is running the petting zoo. I promised we’d provide the animals.” Dana glanced away. “Just a few.”
“I don’t care how many. Why’re you out here by yourself?” He scooped up the lamb and placed the noisy creature with its siblings behind the gate. “Where’s Ben?”
She shrugged. “He must’ve forgotten. It’s not a big deal. I can get them there by myself.”
Rafe folded his arms and looked down from his additional inches, feeling a little as if he were the parent and she were the child who hadn’t quite thought this through. “Sure you can. And once you’re there, you can also safely wrangle a half dozen sheep plus whatever else you plan to bring along, all by yourself.”
His mom had the grace to look guilty.
“Especially since there’s going to be a whole lot of kids running around, probably screaming their heads off and wanting to touch. Jumping up and down, rushing the animals—yeah, I can see how it makes perfect sense for one person to do that all by themselves.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “Sarcasm doesn’t become you, son.”
“Was I being sarcastic?”
She ignored the question, speaking over her shoulder as she headed into the back of the barn. “I made a commitment, and I’m getting the animals there. And I’m not foolish. Your cousin Karen is meeting me. She’s bringing some horses, and I was going to let her help.”
“Great. Between the three of us we should be able to—”
“Rafe,” she scolded loudly from behind the pen wall. “I don’t expect you to give up your afternoon to help me.”
He could out-stubborn her. “I didn’t really have anything else planned, and as you said, you made a commitment. What else do we need to round up?”
Dana reappeared around the corner leading their old, placid donkey, Homer. “Three or four goats. I asked Allison to drop them off—she should be here soon.”
“I’ve already got them.” He grabbed the donkey’s head rope and guided the beast into position inside the trailer, coming back for a pitchfork to load hay to quiet the animals. “I need to get changed first, though. Even if we’re working with the animals, I doubt everyone at the picnic will appreciate my current state of aroma.”
“There’s time,” his mom assured him. “If we get everything set up by two o’clock, that works. Scoot. I’ll finish pulling everything together.”
Ben forgetting about the commitment he’d made was par for the course. Of all the things Rafe worried about helping his mom with, the fair was an annoyance, nothing more.
He hurried to the long staircase that led to the great room over the garage where he once again hung his hat. His things were still in boxes—he’d moved quickly during a single twenty-four-hour period he’d been back in Rocky at the start of summer. He’d wanted to be close enough that if his mom needed him, he’d be there.
That had been before the whole traveling-all-summer bit had registered.
He hurried to the shower, scrubbing away the dirt and dust of the road. Of course, while he was in the shower was when it hit that he would probably end up seeing Laurel at some point today.
It was a thought he really should avoid while naked and wet.
His recent daydreams were close to being possible. Considering how many of his ideas were dirty, it was amazing he got out of the shower as quickly as he did, hurrying as if he were headed back to school in the fall, eager to catch up with his friend.
His mom chatted the whole way into town about pretty much nothing, excited to be able to tell him everything she was working on.
They made it to the fairgrounds where his mom pointed out the tents and makeshift corral at the side of the parking lot. By three o’clock the parking lot was full of cars, and the designated area where they’d set up straw bales covered with burlap sacks was full of families.
His cousin Karen had corralled her younger sister, Lisa, to come out as well.
Lisa offered a pleased smile as she sauntered in and took over helping the kids take turns climbing up on the bales to crawl onto Homer’s back. “Look who’s back. Hey, cuz.”
“Hey, Lis. You doing good?”
“Doing great. You know me—always one step ahead of trouble.”
“Makes me think you’re the one causing trouble and leaving it in your wake,” he teased.
“Shh. That’s a secret.” She gave Rafe a wink as she led the old beast around the blocked-off area designated for them. Karen was with the horses in a nearby pen, and Rafe…
Well, he stood ankle deep in lambs, goats and kids with his mom, helping toddlers to “pet the pretties” without the kids, human-type, getting bumped out of the makeshift pen by some too eager critter.
People wandered everywhere. Music blasted in the background as the temperature soared like on a summer day. He kept looking around for Laurel without admitting as much to himself, but her blonde hair was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.
Instead, Rafe spotted her father first. Pastor Dave marched through the crowds, nodding in greeting to the families he passed, but he kept moving in a straight line obviously aimed at Rafe.
Guilt and a healthy allotment of apprehension percolated in his belly.
The man had to be close to Ben’s age, but his neatly trimmed beard and mustache were shot only with the faintest hint of silvery white, and ample smile lines decorated the corners of his eyes. He was nearly as tall as Rafe, looking him in the face as he approached. Everything Rafe knew about the man put him firmly into “not Ben” territory.
He was still the leader of his mom’s church, a place where Rafe hadn’t willingly stepped for over seven years, and he was the father of the woman he intended to get involved with.
Not to mention the other guilt-inducing bits of history, secret and not so secret. Nope, it wasn’t fear Rafe felt, but there were a whole lot of ways this could go awkward, real fast.
Fortunately, the man nodded briskly as if delighted to see him before offering a firm handshake. “Rafe Coleman. Thank you for taking time out of your day to help us out.”
“No problem. Glad to help.”
“Still appreciated.” The sound of laughter and music swelled for a moment, pull
ing their attention to the crowds even as Pastor Dave continued. “When your mom offered to supply the animals, I wondered if I’d see you. And look, here you are.”
Here I am. Rafe kept his smile firmly in place. “Yes, sir.”
“You’re welcome to join us, any time. Not just when there are animals to manage.”
“Yes, sir.”
The other man smiled. “I know. I know. You’ve got other things going on.” He clapped Rafe on the shoulder then seemed to remember something. “Hey, I wanted to mention. We’ve got a new candidate visiting. Nice young man, only a few years older than you. We’re considering hiring him as a youth pastor, but he’d also help with College and Careers members. If you remember, that’s the people about your age.” He gave a self-depreciating chuckle. “Sitting and listening to me ramble isn’t on everyone’s to-do list, but this fellow is pretty sharp. I bet he’ll get some great activities going. Nonchurch-y ones. You might want to take part.”
Rafe wondered briefly if they had a quota like the police did when it came to handing out tickets. Like—so many nonmembers they had to try to pull back into the fold on a regular basis. Only the invitation was said with such sincerity, he couldn’t get upset, or respond rudely.
Besides, his mom would tan his hide if she found out he’d been impolite to the pastor. Didn’t matter if she was a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.
And that didn’t even take into consideration Rafe’s plans for Laurel…
“Think on it,” Pastor Dave admonished.
“Yes, sir.”
It was an honest answer. He had every intention of thinking on it, but he already knew the answer was hell no.
Thankfully, one of the goats made a break for it. Rafe tipped his chin briefly then turned away to deal with beasts and babes.
It took a solid hour before the area was less noisy and most of the wiggling children had left, and Rafe had time to look around. There were people from the church as well as a lot of family and friends dropping in to take part in the picnic. Rafe counted no less than nineteen family members over the course of the afternoon.
Suddenly he was looking at an angel. He caught hold of the bale in front of him with both hands as if that would stop the instant response of his body.
Two months had been far too long, and he took in every detail hungrily. Laurel had left her long blonde hair down over her bare shoulders, the silky strands so pale in the sunlight she seemed not of this world. Jean shorts and a plain black tank top covered her curves, and her feet…
Shockingly pink runners that made him grin.
She wasn’t wearing anything too revealing, but his imagination was more than adequate to fill in the details. Imagination, and the fact he’d been daydreaming about her the entire summer. Small pert breasts and sweet curves were balanced over long legs that he’d woken up dreaming about far too often.
Yup. Rafe was one-hundred-percent fool when it came to Laurel Sitko, and it was about time everybody found out he was carrying a torch.
Their gazes met across the distance and—
He’d heard of people who’d been struck by lightning losing the ability to move, as if their feet were glued to the ground. It was like that for him. Nothing worked right, except his heart that took off into a racing tempo that left him breathless and lightheaded just looking at the woman.
She’d frozen the instant their eyes met. The sudden stop left her partially off-balance, and she had to scramble to keep herself upright. Rafe laughed, not at her, but with her, feeling the same stunned sensation that had obviously hit her.
Instead of returning his amusement, her tongue slipped over her lips, and her head tilted downward as her gaze stayed fixed on his. As if she were praying and her heavenly requests had come true.
The weeks and months and years they’d been apart vanished, and all he could think about was marching across the yard, sweeping her up and taking her back to his place to disappear for a few weeks.
His place—a one-bedroom apartment in his parents’ yard…
Oh hell, he hadn’t thought that part out very well.
Rafe kicked his own butt as he broke the eye lock between them and focused on the kids, animal-type, that were trying to eat his shirt.
Now that he knew she was there, their reunion was inevitable. He found himself checking on her as she paced through the crowd. They darted glances at each other, offering flirty smiles.
He was so ready to get rolling on the next stage—and not just fooling around. He’d missed her over the past years, dammit.
Because he was being a busybody, Rafe spotted her father stepping away from a group of what had to be church elders, a well-dressed young man at his side. Probably the youth pastor he’d been told about. Rafe’s age, or slightly older. The fellow was handsome enough and held himself as if he might actually survive a day’s hard labour.
Not that Rafe was looking for a new best friend.
Only because he’d been watching so closely did he see it. Laurel’s gaze caught on the potential youth pastor.
Rafe shot to his feet, moving before he realized it. Even across the distance it was clear all the blood had drained from Laurel’s face. She swayed for a second before stumbling to the nearest upright post to clutch at it.
What the heck?
One broad leap took him over the low fence surrounding the animal pen as he raced toward her, the urgent need to protect screaming to the forefront.
Oblivious to his approach, she took one more frantic glance at the young man then turned her back, marching steadily toward the parking lot as if she’d remembered an urgent errand.
Rafe raced the final few steps to catch her by the arm and turn her toward him as he checked her over worriedly.
“What’s up?”
She didn’t answer, yanking herself free from his grasp then taking another couple steps.
“Laurel.” A masculine shout carried in their direction.
She didn’t glance over in acknowledgment. Instead, it seemed her pace increased, widening the distance between them as rapidly as possible.
“You know him?” Rafe demanded in a whisper as he hurried at her side.
“Later, Rafe,” she snapped.
Screw this. He tugged her around the corner behind the cookie-and-coffee tent, holding her in place as he caught her by the chin and looked her straight in the eyes. “Laurel. What’s wrong?”
Her mouth opened and then closed tightly, lips pressed together.
It was probably twisted and wrong, but he needed to do something to snap her out of whatever was causing this reaction. His first instinct was his only instinct. The only thing he wanted to do.
He pulled her against him and kissed her.
Chapter Four
For a brief second, an entire battalion of emotions struggled for headline billing. Confusion, and disbelief—that couldn’t actually have been Jeff Lawson she’d spotted in the crowd at the Rocky Mountain House Fall Fair.
Frustration and guilt and old-fashioned anger joined the party as another bolt of agony shot through her, only…
Well, there was a whole lot of history she didn’t want to be thinking about, so it was a good thing she had something else to concentrate on at that moment. Something like the fact that Rafe Coleman was kissing her senseless. Tall, solid and handsome Rafe, who she’d been dreaming about all summer even as she’d tried to settle into town.
It’d helped her work ethic not to have him around. She could now do her job at the library in her sleep, and she’d met new friends. Established some routines.
But the entire time there’d been an aching Rafe-sized hole in her life.
His mouth against hers was better than a dream because it was real. Firm and commanding, Rafe teased with his lips as his hands took control of her body. Laurel was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to be doing this. Not here, not now, but it was so very wrong, it was right.
He held her in his strong arms, one hand pressed to her lower back
to bring their bodies together tighter. She regretted the layers between them even though she was hanging out in shorts and a tank, and he wore his typical jeans and flannel shirt. The thin layers were far too much. She wanted skin. Lots and lots of naked Rafe.
Scandalous, yes, but true.
If she wasn’t able to feel the finer details of his firm shoulder muscles under his shirt, she had nothing to complain about the connection between their lips. His other hand cradled the back of her head and held her in place as he traced his tongue over her lips and went in for another kiss. Tender, yet not. Careful, yet still on the wild side. It didn’t seem as if Rafe was worried about overwhelming her, but more as if he was holding himself on a tight leash.
Which, man-oh-man did she ever want to experience him going for it at one-hundred-percent.
He stepped forward, pressing one leg between hers. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to move in closer, when reality kicked in with a vengeance.
They stood only feet away from a whole lot of people who would not consider making out in public an appropriate activity for them. For her.
And that wasn’t even considering Jeff—
Oh no. Jeff.
She jerked her hands down to Rafe’s chest, pushing him away as she sucked in a deep breath of air.
His gaze darted over her face as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Utterly calm and relaxed, as if there was nothing else he was supposed to do right then except hold her in his arms and kiss her.
She liked that idea far too much, which is why it surprised her when her words snapped out sharper than expected. “What’re you doing?”
“Kissing you.”
“I noticed that, but I mean why are you kissing me?”
Rafe leaned his shoulder against the post next to them, arms draped around her. “Because I wanted to. Because it looked like you needed it.”
“I can’t deal with this right now,” Laurel muttered, wondering if she had time to escape around the backside of the tent before Jeff found them. He had most definitely been headed her direction.