Puppy Love in Thunder Canyon

by Christyne Butler

  They lay there together afterward, trying to catch their breaths and failing when he pressed his lips to the pulsing in her neck and she tightened around him.

  Annabel had never known a moment like this before in her life. Was it because her heart had already laid claim to this charming, honest and dedicated man?

  Her wonder was interrupted by their stomachs suddenly rumbling in sync. She laughed aloud, the sweetness of the moment almost too much to bear. “Boy, I guess you do want dinner.”

  “I’m starved.” Thomas lifted himself off her while flashing a grin of total male satisfaction as he helped her sit up. “Even more so now.”

  “Chinese from Mr. Lee’s still sounds good to me.”

  “Me, too.” Thomas reached for his pants, pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial number. “Any special requests?”

  “I’m happy with anything.”

  He rattled off a list of appetizers, his arched brows silently asking for her approval with each item. Annabel nodded in agreement as she scooped up her clothes, suddenly wishing for a light blanket to throw over her naked body.

  Not that she was ashamed of being like this with him, but Thomas had been right. The air-conditioning was going at full blast and the air was chilly despite the fire.

  Or was it reality setting in?

  Goodness knows, she had no idea where things were headed between them now, other than dinner and hopefully more moments like what they just shared.

  But what did this mean to Thomas?

  She still wasn’t sure exactly what he’d been trying to tell her back in his office, or the parking lot. Did he want more? Did he want her? Could he possibly love her in return?

  “Okay, we’re all set.”

  Thomas’s words pulled her from her thoughts. He stood, the cool air obviously not affecting him, and then before she realized what he was doing, he easily lifted her into his arms.

  “Hey!”

  “You think I’m going to let some high school delivery boy get an eyeful by staying downstairs? No way.” He gave her a quick squeeze. “Besides, we’ve got twenty minutes until the food gets here.”

  Annabel laughed again. “You’ve got to stop carrying me around.”

  “You feel…good in my arms.”

  She cupped his face with both hands and placed a chaste kiss, one that carried all the love in her heart, on his mouth. He carried her up the stairs to his bedroom and laid her on the silky comforter. Never breaking eye contact, Thomas lowered his mouth to hers, returning her kiss with one that was just as soft and sweet, even more so because of the slight tremble when his lips met hers.

  * * *

  Sunlight tried to make its way through the room-darkening shades with little success. Exactly how Thomas preferred it on those few mornings when he tried to sleep in.

  Like today. Lying on his stomach, he cracked open one eye to focus on his bedside clock: 8:00 a.m.

  Blinking hard, he looked again. That had to be wrong. For him, sleeping in usually meant staying in bed until six, six-thirty at the latest.

  Nope, the numbers were an eight, a zero and now a one.

  He bolted upright, coming to a fast realization of two things. The first, he was alone in his king-size bed, even though that’s not the way he’d gone to sleep last night. The second was the aroma of frying bacon hovering in the air.

  Annabel.

  He quickly grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table, and checked his calendar. He breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, his first appointment of the day wasn’t scheduled until noon.

  Pulling on a pair of briefs and sweats, he stopped to use the bathroom and brush his teeth. After tossing his toothbrush back into the holder, he paused and stared into the mirror, his reflected image blurring as he thought back to the madness and passion that had consumed him last night.

  They hadn’t even made it past his living-room sofa that first time. Not that he was complaining. Being with Annabel had been amazing, and afterward, they’d spent the rest of the night in his bed, sharing Chinese takeout, a bottle of wine and each other.

  Not the evening he’d thought he’d have after the way he’d fumbled through explaining his “I’m too busy” speech. A decision that hadn’t lasted all of five minutes before he chased after her. Did she understand any of what he’d tried to say? Both in his office and in the parking lot?

  Hell, he wasn’t sure he understood the logic and reasoning that still swirled inside his head when it came to her, them.

  But she’d dismissed his ramblings with a hard kiss, and he’d thrown caution, and control, out the window.

  Yet again. Letting down his guard like that was something he hadn’t done since—

  Refusing to confuse things even more with thoughts of the past, Thomas stalked out of the bathroom and followed his nose downstairs. He started across the living room when he noticed a blanket draped over one of the chairs—a patchwork quilt, done up in rectangular-shaped blocks in shades of brown, dark red, black and beige that reminded him of the glass-tile pattern in his kitchen. Tucked into the folds of material was a dog-eared copy of a romance novel featuring a half-naked cowboy on the cover.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead.” Annabel strolled in from the kitchen, looking impossibly sexy wearing only his wrinkled dress shirt from last night and her long hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. “You saved me a trip back upstairs to get you. Hope you’re hungry.”

  She set two plates piled with scrambled eggs, bacon and buttered toast on his dining-room table, drawing his eye to the vase brimming with daisies perched in the middle.

  Daisies?

  He hadn’t realized he had that much food in his kitchen, but he was quite certain the flowers hadn’t been there at all.

  “Ah, yeah, I’m starved.” Thomas ignored the quick twist in his gut and held up the quilt. “Where’d this come from?”

  “I made it.” Her voice carried over her shoulder as she disappeared back into the kitchen, and then returned with glasses of orange juice and silverware. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but what’s it doing here?”

  “I couldn’t figure out how to lower your air-conditioning when I got up this morning.” She sat at the table and motioned for him to join her. “So I grabbed it from my car to wrap around myself. Come on, let’s eat before all of this gets cold.”

  “The food and the flowers came out of your car, as well?”

  A piece of bacon stilled halfway to her mouth. “Is that a problem?”

  “No, just curious.” Proud of his causal tone, Thomas sat opposite her.

  “When I went to get the quilt I remembered I stopped at the store last night before coming to the hospital. The flowers needed water and I thought the groceries could camp out in your fridge until I left.” She took a bite. “Then I saw the inside of your fridge and figured a healthy breakfast was needed. You do know those things are made to hold food, right?”

  He smiled and the knot in his stomach eased.

  Everything Annabel said made perfect sense. It just threw him at how easily those things seemed at home here.

  How easily she fit into his home.

  And how much he liked it.

  Chapter Ten

  Three days later, Thomas stepped out of his car, having parked at the far end of the already-crowded driveway at the Cates family ranch.

  Tightening his grip on the bottle of wine and the bouquet of flowers he’d brought, he silently counted the number of cars and pickup trucks scattered around.

  Six in total, which meant at least two more would be coming. Sunday dinner with Annabel’s family.

  Her entire family.

  Fighting the urge to turn and bolt, he forced himself to keep walking forward, remembering how Annabel had offered the invite just l
ast night.

  They’d been lying together on his couch watching their second choice in a classic black-and-white movie night. The screwball romantic comedy featuring Lucille Ball had been Annabel’s choice after viewing one of his favorite Jimmy Stewart dramas.

  Her words had been casual, not even glancing away from the movie as she spoke, but Thomas could tell by the way her arm had tightened over his stomach how much she wanted him to say yes.

  And the sparkle in her eyes when he had accepted.

  A thank-you kiss followed, and they never saw the closing credits of the movie. She’d finally left in the wee hours of the morning.

  They spent the past three evenings together at his place, but thanks to Smiley, who was like a child to Annabel, she hadn’t slept over again since that first night. Not that her family minded taking care of the dog, she assured him. She’d shared the text message she’d sent on Thursday to her sister Jazzy, asking her to make sure Smiley was fed and let outside in the morning, but Smiley was her dog, her responsibility.

  Knowing she couldn’t stay hadn’t cooled their lovemaking; if anything the time they spent in his bed had been hotter and sexier because they didn’t have all night to be together.

  Still, Thomas found himself tempted to tell Annabel to bring Smiley with her the next time she came over if it meant he could hold her in his arms all night.

  And didn’t that rock the already wobbly ground beneath his feet?

  Walking up to the same kitchen door where he’d kissed her like crazy a week ago, Thomas remembered Annabel’s light quip the first night they’d made love about how her father would’ve been waiting with a shotgun. He hadn’t been quite sure if she’d been joking or serious, but now he pushed those thoughts from his head. Thinking about sex and Annabel at this moment probably wasn’t a good idea.

  Looking down at the wine and flowers in his hands, he wondered again if they were a good idea. Raised by parents who always insisted a gift for the hostess was a requirement, he’d felt strange leaving his house empty-handed.

  So he’d turned around and gone back, grabbed a bottle from his private collection and stopped along the way to pick up the flowers, just in case her parents didn’t drink wine.

  A deep breath, pulled in through his nose and slowly released, helped a little, but not as much as he’d hoped.

  Damn, he shouldn’t be this nervous.

  Having already met half of her family, how bad could it be to spend an afternoon with all of them?

  “Psst! Hey, doc. Over here.”

  Thomas turned and saw Annabel standing at the far end of the porch. She sent him a saucy grin and signaled for him to join her. He did and she took his face in her hands and pulled him close, their lips meeting in a long, slow kiss that Annabel tried to deepen, but he held back.

  “Spoilsport,” she teased.

  “With the size of your family? And your father’s shotgun? I think not.”

  She laughed. “You just keep on impressing me, Dr. North.”

  Thomas again refused to let his mind wander back to how he’d impressed her on the couch, in his bed and beneath the dual-headed shower over the weekend.

  She stepped back and he admired the simple sundress she wore, bright colors splashed in a wavy, tie-dyed pattern that seemed perfect for the hot August afternoon. He was already sweating beneath his collared shirt, despite the short sleeves, but he doubted that had anything to do with the temperature.

  “You know, when I invited you here today I forgot to ask you one thing.”

  The seriousness of her tone got his attention. “What’s that?”

  “Who’s your favorite baseball team?”

  That’s what she needed to know? “Ah, the Dodgers, I guess.”

  “Hmm, Dad and Brody are Rockies fans. Well, it should be okay. We’re still a few weeks out from the start of football.”

  “The preseason is already under way.”

  She waved off his words. “Preseason games don’t count. Not around here.”

  Thomas didn’t realize she was such a fan of professional sports. “Tell that to the guys on the field.”

  “Who’s your favorite team?”

  He guessed they were still talking about football. “The Broncos, of course.”

  Annabel graced him with a bright smile and grabbed his arm. “Perfect! Let’s go join the others.”

  Instead of going inside the house, Annabel led him around the backyard and to a large stone patio. Numerous chairs sat scattered around a raised fire pit, piled with fresh cut wood. Two steps led up to the main area where tables, one covered in an array of dishes, and more chairs filled the space.

  Another gut check and a deep reach for confidence. How could one family have so many members?

  “Dr. North.” Zeke Cates, Annabel’s father, rose from one of the chairs and greeted them first. “Glad you could make it. It’s good to see you again.”

  Thomas quickly maneuvered the flowers and wine into one hand so he could take the older man’s outstretched one. “It’s good to see you, too. Thank you for including me, Mr. Cates. And please call me Thomas.”

  The man’s sharp gaze moved between Thomas and Annabel. He tightened his grip and held it for a long moment before releasing him. “You know anything about barbecuing, Thomas?”

  Not sure if he remembered Zeke’s greeting being quite so strong the first time they met, Thomas resisted the urge to flex his fingers. “Ah, no, sir. Not much.”

  “That’s too bad. Dad can use all the help he can get.” A younger version of Annabel’s father walked past, a plate piled high with uncooked steaks, burgers and hot dogs in his hands. “Hey, we can use his surgical precision when it comes to slicing the meat.”

  “That’s Brody, one of my many annoying siblings,” Annabel said with a grin.

  Thomas nodded and acknowledged the younger man he guessed to be in his early twenties with a wave. The flowers started to slip from his grip but then he realized Annabel had reached for them. He released his hold on the bouquet, but held tight to the bottle of wine.

  “Oh, aren’t these pretty!” She buried her nose in the fragrant stems. “Yellow roses, white mums and my favorites, daisies.”

  A whisper of unease tagged Thomas as he glanced at the flowers. He hadn’t noticed the specific types in the cluster when he grabbed them at the local florist in town.

  Daisies again?

  “So, you’ve already figured out my daughter’s favorite flowers? How sweet.” Evelyn Cates joined them and, thanks to his training, Thomas immediately picked up on the hint of anxiety in her tone. The older woman placed a hand on her daughter’s arm. “Annabel, let’s go find a vase for those.”

  “Actually, the flowers are for you, ma’am.” Thomas slipped the tissue-wrapped bunch from Annabel’s grip and presented them, along with the wine, to her mother. “And this is from a winery that’s been in my family, on my mother’s side, for years. I hope you enjoy it.”

  “Thank you.” The strain around the woman’s mouth eased for a moment, but when she looked at Annabel, the lines deepened and her smile appeared forced. “This was very kind of you.”

  Still confused, Thomas looked at Annabel hoping she wasn’t upset over the flowers, but she offered him a full-blown smile that he felt all the way to his toes as she leaned into him, giving his arm a squeeze.

  “Annabel?” Her mother headed toward the double glass doors. “You coming?”

  “Don’t worry, we won’t scare off the good doctor while you’re gone.” Jazzy, one of the two sisters Thomas had already met, stepped outside through the same doors. “Annabel, I’m letting Smiley out. He started freaking out as soon as he spotted— Oops, watch out!”

  The warning came too late as seconds later Thomas let out a rush of air when two large paws landed right on his stoma
ch.

  “Smiley!” Annabel cried out and reached for the dog’s collar. “Get down!”

  “It’s all right.” Brushing her hand away, Thomas gently lifted the dog’s paws, forcing the animal to rest back on his haunches. “Sit,” he added, trying for a stern tone, just in case a verbal command was needed.

  The dog obeyed, but stayed in the middle of all of them, tail wagging wildly, his attention solely on Thomas, with a few side glances at his owner.

  Returning the dog’s grin, Thomas reached down and scratched behind his ears. “Hey there, Smiley. Good to see you, boy.”

  “Well, you seem to have a fan,” her father said.

  “Oh, Smiley just loves Thomas.” Annabel bent and gave Smiley a quick kiss on the snout. “Don’t you, baby?”

  Annabel’s mother whirled around and hurried to the house.

  Annabel sighed softly and looked at him. “I better see if she needs any help.”

  He gave her a quick nod and she left.

  “So, what’s your poison, doc?” Jordyn Leigh, the other sister who still lived at home and was here last Saturday, too, stood at a nearby table holding a bottle of beer in one hand, a pitcher of iced tea in the other.

  The beer would’ve been great, bathing his dry throat with its tangy coldness but Thomas decided to play it safe. Moments later, he found himself sitting with Jazzy and Jordyn Leigh, a glass of iced tea in his hand and Smiley at his side.

  Annabel’s dad had joined his son at the oversize grill, keeping watch over their dinner as they argued about last night’s Colorado Rockies game and the proper way to cook the steaks.

  “Will you two knock it off?” a feminine voice called out from behind Thomas. “Jackson, go over there and play referee.”

  Thomas stood when four more people joined them, assuming the tall blonde and pretty brunette were the last two Cates siblings.

  “Hi, Jackson Traub, glad to meet you.” A tall man wearing a Stetson held out his hand, his voice laced with a Texas twang. “I’m Laila’s husband and it seems the designated arbitrator for this afternoon’s festivities.”