by LuAnn McLane
Just barely.
Did she know she was driving him wild? She was a heady combination of sex and innocence and he’d never wanted a woman in his arms . . . in his bed . . . more than he wanted Mattie Mayfield.
Just when the remaining shreds of Garret’s restraint were about to take a flying leap over the back deck, Mattie pulled back. She tilted her head slightly and looked at him as if wondering what to say. “Thank you, Garret.”
Okay, that was unexpected as well. He put his hands around her waist and waited for her to explain. “For what?” he finally asked softly.
“For giving me the confidence boost that I sorely needed.” She placed her palms on his cheeks. “For making me feel pretty . . . and desirable.” When her eyes misted over, Garret felt a tug of emotion unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.
“You are pretty and desirable.”
“Well, I guess I’ve never really felt that way.”
“Well, feel it and believe it.”
“I’m trying.” She smiled and then after planting a light kiss on his lips scooted off his lap. She stood up and walked over to look out over the marina.
Garret followed her over to the railing of the deck and stood beside her while she gazed out over the water. After a moment he reached over and took her hand. She slanted a glance at him but didn’t pull away.
They stood there for a few minutes, holding hands, while the evening breeze cooled the heat of the day. In that small space of time Garret knew he wanted to help Mattie in any way he could and to make her happy. For the first time in his life he felt the need to put someone other than himself first. They had become friends and although he wanted her to become more, he valued her happiness so much that if she wanted Colby he wouldn’t stand in the way.
After a few more minutes of which Garret was dying to know her thoughts, she squeezed his hand. “I guess we should eat dinner.”
Garret nodded, but before they turned to head inside he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Thank you too, Mattie.”
It was her turn to look surprised. “For what?”
“I’ve always been a selfish piece of work looking out for number one. I had people in my life who were there simply for what they could provide, nothing more.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Garret, I think you’re being way too hard on yourself.”
“I wish I could say that you’re right.” Garret chuckled without much humor. “I should have had one of those foam fingers telling everybody I was number one.”
Mattie looked at him with those beautiful, sincere eyes of hers. “Not to make an excuse for you, but I think that selfish or self-destructive behavior can be the result of other things going on in a person’s life. My brother Mason was on that path for a while. He had his sights set on being a top-notch pro fisherman on the FLW Tour and he resented having to put his career on hold to come back and work the marina. My father’s health was failing and Mason really had no choice, but he took his anger out on anyone crossing his path. Thank goodness he’s snapped out of it. But it took losing a girl he loved and even some of his closest friends before realizing he needed to get his act together and mend some fences.”
“It had to be hard to give up on his dream,” Garret said, and thought about how he’d wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps but was never taken seriously.
“Oh, no doubt. But we all wanted to save this marina. It’s more than our livelihood. It’s our home.”
“Do you have dreams, Mattie?”
“My mother thinks I need to set my sights higher, but I love what I do and not everybody can say that,” she answered, but there was something in her tone that suggested that she might want more out of life. She shrugged and then added, “I mean, I guess I would like to travel and see some of the places I’ve read about, but sometimes it’s kinda hard for a small-town girl to take that big a step.” When he nodded she said, “Garret, maybe some of the issues you had in the past were that the people surrounding you didn’t value you as much as they should have. Your life might appear charmed to some, but I suspect it was difficult.”
“I guess I always felt as if I had something to prove.”
“When you feel good about yourself, then you don’t have to prove anything, you know?”
Oh, Garret did know. But he’d never thought about it in Mattie’s terms, only beat himself up about things he’d done. He’d questioned his talent when critics were harsh. “I once thought I wanted to be a superstar like my father. A legend. But I’ve found that I really like scouting for new talent and being a studio musician at My Way Records.” He chuckled. “I told you I was a closet nerd. I spent most of my adult life chasing after a dream I really didn’t want. Now I just want to be valued for what I can do as Garret Ruleman and not try to outdo my father.”
“Good plan.”
“You’re right, Mattie. I’ve got nothing to prove.” He looked up at the sky and shook his head before turning back to her with a grin. “Wow, it felt really awesome saying that.”
“High five!” Mattie raised her hand and smacked his palm so hard that he shook it while laughing.
“Are you ready for some dinner?”
“Yes! I am famished.”
“Well, then let’s go inside and polish off the shepherd’s pie.” He wanted to pull her into his arms for another kiss but offered his arm and she accepted it with a smile.
“You’re right. We do make a good team, don’t we?” Mattie asked lightly, but her gaze seemed to search his face for some sort of answer, but the problem was that he didn’t know the question.
“That we do,” he agreed, and her smile faltered just a bit.
“Colby will take notice of you, Mattie. And if he doesn’t he’s a complete fool. Actually he’s a fool for not doing so already.”
She nodded, but there was a bit of a frown on her face. He wanted to bring her smile back and hear her laughter.
And of course he wanted her in his arms.
“Will he be at Sully’s Tavern on Saturday night, do you think?”
“Most likely. It’s where people go on Saturday night here in Cricket Creek. And I’ll be your wingman, Garret. Girls are going to be tripping over their feet to get close to you.”
Garret forced a smile. “I can’t wait.”
“Yeah, it will be such fun,” she said brightly, but then quickly looked away. “I think I’m ready for that wine,” she said when they stepped inside the cabin.
“Me too,” he said with a smile, but realized that something had shifted. Perhaps the kiss had shaken her up too? Or maybe she felt guilty that she wasn’t kissing Colby. Garret wanted to know but didn’t have the courage to ask either of those questions. One thing he did know for sure was that he cared about Mattie and the very last thing he wanted to do was screw up her life. So he would pull back and play this cruel little game of pretend and hope that it wasn’t going to drive him stark raving mad.
12
Sunshine on My Shoulder
LAURA LEE SLID THE PERFECTLY CRIMPED HOMEMADE potpie into the fridge, ready to pop into the oven later that evening after Shane arrived home. She cleaned up the mess she’d made of the state-of-the-art kitchen and then blew out a sigh. The house gleamed with spotless, polished beauty. A dust bunny wouldn’t have the nerve to show itself. The pantry was bursting with groceries, and Shane’s clothes were all laundered and neatly folded on his bed.
Tapping her cheek, Laura Lee tried to think of something else she could do to earn the large sum of money Shane paid her every Friday. She could head up into town to Grammar’s Bakery for the butter cookies that he had taken a liking to. Or she could drive over to the Beer Barn for some of the Kentucky bourbon barrel ale she’d introduced him to last week. Although he’d jokingly said that he was packing on weight from her cooking and never-ending treats she showered upon him, Laur
a Lee thought the man looked damn good. When he’d come in from his run this morning shirtless and sporting a fine sheen of sweat, she acted casual but just about swallowed her tongue.
Although Laura Lee knew Shane was off-limits, she did appreciate that he’d awakened the longing for her to be in a man’s arms once more. After Jack cheated on her she’d made a promise to never give a man the power to hurt her or to take advantage of her ever again. But when she’d felt the intense urge to run her hands over Shane’s sculpted chest, she decided that she shouldn’t give Jack the power to ruin what was left of her life. Maybe her ship was still in the harbor after all.
Laura Lee looked around the house, hoping to see a speck of dust or a fingerprint somewhere, but she knew that the entire house was simply spotless. And Shane was a very neat man, leaving her even less to do than if he were a slob.
Finally she decided to go out onto the back deck in the sunshine and give Mattie a call to hear how her dinner with Garret had gone last night. After pouring a glass of sweet tea she opened the sliding door and settled onto a cushy lounge chair. She picked up her cell phone but paused to take in the view. The glistening water in the pool did look inviting and she had a swimsuit in her van. But she still felt a little bit guilty lounging around as if she owned the place.
“Hmm . . .” Laura Lee decided that she could hose down the deck and then maybe head up to purchase some pretty hanging baskets from Gabby, the cute little owner of Flower Power up the road in Wedding Row. While there she could stop in River Row Pizza and Pasta and see what delectable dessert Reese had made for the day. Laura Lee smiled. And now that she was making such good money, she just might pop into Designs by Diamante, the lovely jewelry store where she’d only been able to window-shop before now.
Laura Lee tilted the glass up to her lips, making the ice cubes clink together. Because Shane liked sweet tea she made sure there was always a fresh pitcher in the fridge. While she considered thinking of his favorite things as her job, Laura Lee found caring for him rewarding in ways she didn’t fully understand.
“Oh boy.” Knowing that she needed to change her train of thought, she called Mattie, who thankfully answered right away.
“What’s up, Laura Lee?”
“I called to ask you that question, sweet pea. Give me the lowdown on your dinner with Garret last night,” she requested, but was met with a long pause. “Do I have to come over there and pry it out of you with a can opener?”
“Oh, Laura Lee . . . ,” Mattie murmured in such a sad tone that Laura Lee sat up straight and put her glass of tea on the table beside her chair.
“Sweetie, talk to me.”
“Well, I asked Garret to teach me how to be all sexy and everything.”
“And?”
“I kissed him, and yes, before you ask, there were fireworks. . . .”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and not just little firecrackers, but, like, Fourth of July lighting-up-the-sky fireworks.”
“Oh wow.”
“I know! It’s all I’ve been thinking about all day long. I couldn’t sleep last night, which is part of my problem. I’m walking around in a fog. I burned a batch of biscuits this mornin’ and forgot to start the coffee!”
“Oh, Mattie.”
“Can you believe it? Rusty wouldn’t even eat one. I had to toss the entire batch in the trash.”
“So now what? I mean, you’re supposed to do this thing with Garret to attract Colby at Sully’s. How are you going to pull that off without giving yourself away?”
“Um, yeah. I dunno! I offered to be his wingman too! And my goal is supposed to be to capture Colby’s attention with the hope of getting a dance and maybe a date. God . . .”
“Are you still going to do that?”
“I don’t think I have any choice.”
“Mattie, maybe you need to see how it would feel to kiss Colby. You’ve waited so long and I think that if you don’t you’ll never know.”
“That’s one of the reasons I couldn’t sleep. I don’t want to screw things up by not going after what I always wanted for something I can never have.”
“There’s no reason you can’t have Garret if he’s the one for you, Mattie.”
“Really? Well, for starters I don’t know that I’m sophisticated enough for a guy like him. I mean, I know he likes me, probably because I make him laugh. And I do value his friendship. But I don’t think I should hope for anything more than what we have now.”
“A romantic relationship that has the foundation of friendship is the strongest kind, sweet pea.”
“But I keep thinking that he might get bored with the likes of me eventually and just up and leave. A city boy like him just might get tired of living in the slow lane in Cricket Creek too.”
“Well, I know you love it here, Mattie, but there’s nothing that says you have to stay in Cricket Creek all your life.”
“I can’t begin to even imagine living anywhere else. This marina is dear to me and . . .” She trailed off as if searching for more reasons.
“And what? All I’m saying is keep an open mind. I can tell you from firsthand knowledge that life might not turn out anywhere near how you envisioned or expected. I mean, here I am, sitting on Shane McCray’s back deck.”
Mattie laughed. “I know. That is pretty sweet.”
“It is. I feel so guilty. Everything I do feels like fun and not work.”
“Soak it up. You sure do deserve a break.”
“Well, I should try to find something to do before Shane gets back from his meeting with Maria Sully and Rick Ruleman. Oh, I think Garret is also going to play a part in the development of Sully’s South. Shane told me that Garret is an amazing musician and hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. It must have been hard being in the shadow of his famous father.”
“We actually talked about that. Garret really seems to be coming into his own.”
“Sometimes it takes a while to find ourselves,” Laura Lee said. “I’m not sure I have yet,” she added with a laugh.
“Well, then go do it,” Mattie said, and it was good to hear the cheer back in her voice. “And I’ll see you at Sully’s tonight, right?”
“I think so.”
“Oh, come on. You need to see me put my skills in action.”
“All right. I’ll be there.”
“That’s more like it. See you soon.”
After ending the call Laura Lee took another sip of her tea and looked up at the light blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. She thought about hauling the hose up to clean the already clean deck and then decided she should take Shane up on his offer and use the pool. He wouldn’t be home for hours and in truth there wasn’t anything pressing to be done. When was the last time she’d lounged by a swimming pool and soaked up some sunshine?
Before she could lose her nerve she scrambled to her feet and hurried through the house and out the front door to her van. Sliding open the door, she found her beach bag with her swimsuit, floppy hat, lotion, and a Nora Roberts romance she’d been reading. Still feeling as if she was somehow playing hooky, she went into the bathroom and slipped into the navy blue tankini and then paused to look in the mirror. She checked out her butt and then adjusted the straps of the top, thinking that since starting her cleaning business she’d become pretty doggone fit from all the physical work. Using the weights in Shane’s workout room had helped to define her arms a bit too.
Laura Lee pulled her hair up into a bun and then slathered sunscreen all over but then frowned when she realized there was no way to get her entire back. After doing the best she could, she picked up her bag and then decided to refresh her sweet tea before heading out to the pool.
Whistling lightly, she headed into the kitchen and then dropped her beach bag and let out a horror-movie-worthy scream.
13
Slow and Easy
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nbsp; SHANE HEARD A SCREAM JUST AS HE STARTED THROUGH his front door. “Laura Lee?” His heart pumped double time and he ran through the entrance in search of her. He knew there wasn’t much crime in Cricket Creek, but if someone was attempting to hurt her, there would be hell to pay. “Laure Lee!” he shouted this time when he failed to see her.
“Over here,” she whispered, and he spotted her flattened against the wall with wide eyes and a look of stark fear on her pretty face. He also noticed that she looked damn hot in a bathing suit. When he started to come closer she shook her head. “No! Don’t move.”
“What’s wrong?” Shane asked, truly worried.
When Laura Lee nodded her head forward just slightly, Shane followed her fear-filled gaze.
A black snake was curled up on the white tile floor directly in front of the fridge. And it was small. “That little bitty thing?”
She nodded. “It’s a snake,” she whispered, and he thought it amusing that she felt the need to tell him that.
“It’s harmless,” Shane said in a reassuring tone, but when he moved the snake raised its head and its tiny forked tongue appeared. Laura Lee whimpered and pressed her back harder against the wall. Seeing that she was really frightened, Shane felt his humor vanish and he hurried over to her side. “Hey, it’s okay.” He took her hand and squeezed. It was ice-cold.
“I’m so sorry. I am deathly afraid of snakes.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. A lot of people are scared of snakes. I once had a roadie who was big enough to wrestle a bear but would cower in the corner if he spotted a spider.”