by Jennie Marts
Zack walked to a heavy oak dresser, one side adorned with a hurricane glass holding a thick ivory candle surrounded by greenery. He opened the top drawer and grabbed out a pair of boxer briefs. She watched as he pulled them on and crossed the room towards her. The white briefs against his tan, muscled body only amped up the handsome doctor’s sexy factor.
He crawled into the bed beside her and ran his hand up her bare leg. The touch of his big hand and the absence of underwear had her squirming in anticipation.
She leaned down to kiss him and daringly reached for the waistband of those sexy boxer briefs.
He put his hand down to stop her. “Charlie, we can’t.”
She pulled her hand back, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Look, everything with you has happened so fast. But I don’t normally do this. I haven’t been with a woman in a long time, and when I have been, it’s never been at my own house. I don’t have any…protection.”
She thought of the lone foil packet that had traveled across the Midwest with her, tucked inside her makeup bag. It had probably melted somewhere along the way, wedged between some eye shadow and a blusher. She sighed. “These small towns. In New York, you could pop into a drug store down the block and be back before I’d even opened a bottle of wine.”
He laughed and traced his fingers lightly down her arm. “Do you miss it? The city?”
Who cares about the city? Just don’t EVER stop touching my arm like that. Everywhere he touched her, even a simple caress down her arm, sent a thrill through her body. “Not really. There’s a lot of artificialness in the city. It’s beautiful in the lights and the noise and the chaos, but what I’ve seen in Montana is beyond beautiful. The views from this farm alone are breathtaking.”
“This view of you is pretty breathtaking.” He grinned as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
She shook her head. “There’s another thing that’s different in a small town. Everyone just says what they think or what they’re feeling. Sophie has said more kind words to me in true friendship than some of the women I’ve known for years in the city. And that was just last week.”
He chuckled.
She loved the way she could make him laugh. “And it’s not just teenage girls. I’ve heard Cash and Buckshot say the nicest things to each other. And just a few days ago, Cash told Sophie he loved her, just in a casual conversation about a set of stairs.”
“Well, he’d better tell her he loves her. He’s her godfather. And he’s so damn proud of building those stairs, he’ll take any opportunity to talk about them.”
“They are pretty neat. I love that she can cross over the fence to hang out at Tucked Away.”
“I couldn’t keep her away. It’s like her second home. Those folks are part of her family. Cash, Buckshot, and Gigi helped me raise her. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
“I still can’t believe she’s your daughter. Or you’re her father.” She thought about the time she had spent with Sophie and if she’d missed some clue. Did Sophie not talk much about it, or had she just never asked the girl enough questions about her family? Did she spend so much time talking about herself that she never got to around to hearing about Sophie’s life?
No, that couldn’t be it. That girl was always talking. Charlie knew about all of her friends and every boy over thirteen that lived in this county.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know. You’ve spent so much time together. I thought maybe your friendship with Sophie was somehow the reason that you stopped kissing me and ran out of the clinic. I was sure she’d told you.” He looked at her and stuck out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. “Doesn’t she ever talk about her dad?”
“Well, sure. But she says my dad, not my dad, Zack the veterinarian. And we don’t really talk about her family that much. She asks me a lot of questions about the city, and we talk about fashion and nail polish and boys.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What boys?”
“ALL boys.” She laughed and pushed at his chest.
“So, what about you? Any boys in the city that you talk about?”
“Not to her.” She traced the outline of a pinecone on the sheet, avoiding eye contact.
He took her chin and tipped her face up to look at him. “Tell me. Let’s get it out there. Then we can put it behind us.”
The earnestness and caring she saw in his eyes made her want to trust him. But it didn’t make it any easier to say the words. “It’s not pretty.”
“Well, neither am I. But I can take it. You heard my story.” He kept his gaze locked on hers. “Did you love him?”
“I thought I did.” Everything in her wanted to look away. The shame and humiliation welled up inside of her. But she kept her eyes on Zack, drawing strength from the understanding she saw there. “But he must not have loved me. Or not enough to keep his hands off his slutty secretary.”
She sighed and shook her head. “We were supposed to get married next fall. He swept me off my feet. I was raised by a single mom and had never had so much praise and attention lavished on me before. I loved it. I was so naive about relationships and never dreamed someone would take advantage of me. We’d been living together for a year, evidently at my expense. I never realized that I paid for everything. I trusted him. He spoke with such assurance and confidence, when he said we needed something for the apartment or for a bill, I just wrote him a check. Now that I look back, I can see that everything about our relationship had turned into a business arrangement. He even scheduled sex into his Outlook calendar as an appointment.”
Zack scoffed. “What a piece of work. Idiot.”
“Evidently, I was the idiot. It just took me a while to figure it out. I came home early one afternoon and caught him in the living room, having an ‘appointment’ with his secretary on the new sofa that I’d just purchased.”
“You’re kidding. What’d you do?”
“Tipped their romantic candles onto his briefcase and set the dining room on fire. Then I walked out.”
Zack’s laugh shook the bed. “Nice work. I hope you kicked his sorry butt to the curb.”
“Yeah, well, I guess it was his curb. I went straight to my mom’s apartment and it took us about an hour, minus the time it took my mother to berate me for ever trusting a man, to figure out the apartment and everything I had purchased was all in his name, and I was essentially broke.”
“No way.”
“Way. I’d been staying with my mom for about a month when I got the call from Gigi’s lawyer telling me about the farm. This stupid mess with Stuart made it harder for him to locate me. If he would have found me sooner, I might have had a chance to meet her. But her offer of Tucked Away gave me a chance to get away from the city and start somewhere new. Without the memories, and out from under my mother’s watchful eye and her constant criticism of my life choices. And it was a free place to stay.”
“All good reasons to pack up and move to Montana.”
“I rented a car, packed up what I had left, and just drove. Didn’t even look back.”
“Good for you. I think you’re brave.”
“Brave? Not even close. I’m scared of my own shadow. A stupid bull kept me trapped in my car for the first hour I was here.”
“Cash told me about that. That was kinda funny.” He laughed and ran the back of his fingers against her belly. A low rumble emanated from her stomach, evidence that she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and drew another laugh from him. “You hungry?”
“Oh my gosh, the food.” She attempted to divert the attention from any other odd rumblings that came from her stomach. “That’s what I miss the most about the city. The variety of good food and how easy it is to get it delivered. But, thanks to your daughter, I have discovered new food and how amazing country cooking is. Although, it is not amazing for my bum.”
“Oh, your bum is plenty amazing.” Sliding his hand down her back, he skimmed the hem of the T-shirt, barely touching her bare cheek and sending waves
of pleasure through her. The grumbling of her tummy forgotten, she rolled onto Zack and kissed him.
Pushing off from his chest, she sat up, her legs straddling his waist. Her humiliation was out there, her soul laid bare, and this man was still grinning up at her like a fool. The fact that she wasn’t wearing underwear didn’t escape either of their notice, and she boldly wiggled against him, feeling his desire come to life under her.
“I thought you were hungry.”
“I am. Just not for food.” She gave him a naughty little grin and squirmed again.
“You are killing me, woman.” He squeezed her thighs and pressed tighter against her. “I told you, I don’t have anything here. But you keep wiggling like that and I’m gonna go find a Ziploc bag and a rubber band.”
“I don’t think we have to get that extreme.” She ran her fingers lightly over his chest, tracing his nipples with her fingertips. She loved the way he closed his eyes in ecstasy of her touch. “I have a few ideas of other ways to satisfy my hunger.”
“Oh yeah, wanna tell me about them?”
“No, I’m a writer, and the first rule of writing is Show, Don’t Tell.” She leaned forward and circled his nipple with her tongue, then teased it gently between her teeth. Her muscles clenched in satisfaction as she heard his groan of passion. She looked up and gave him another wicked grin. “And you, Dr. Cooper, are in for quite a show.”
Chapter Seven
Charlie walked across the pasture in the early morning light, the little dog running ahead of her. She kept an eye out for Cash or Buckshot, feeling like a teenager coming back home after a night of sneaking out. But neither of the men’s pickups were parked in the yard, and the bunkhouse lights remained dark.
A blue sedan with a rent-a-car decal on the bumper sat in front of the house. She puzzled over the car as she walked up the steps and into the farmhouse. Cash had told her that he might send a guy out to take care of the early morning chores if they weren’t back from the cattle sale by morning, so she assumed that’s who the car belonged to.
Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the woman in the pink satin pajamas sleeping on the sofa in Gigi’s living room, her salon-highlighted hair spread out on the pillow and one perfectly-manicured hand tucked under her chin.
She tried to tiptoe past to her bedroom but was stopped cold by the familiar voice calling out from the sofa. “Stop right there, young lady. You want to tell me just where in the hell you’ve been all night?”
“Hello, Mother.”
Her mother pushed herself up on the sofa. Despite a slight puffiness around her sleepy eyes, her mom looked like she was ready to walk out the door. Not a hair was out of place, and her makeup was still expertly applied, not daring to so much as smudge while she slept.
“Geez. How do you look so good in the morning?”
Her mom shrugged. “It’s hereditary. That’s why I don’t know what happened to you. What the hell are you wearing, anyway? Have you completely lost your sense of style?”
She looked down at Zack’s oversized blue T-shirt that she still wore and the pair of purple pajama pants he had loaned her from Sophie’s closet. Her white tennies had dried to a muddy-colored brown, and she didn’t want to think about her hair. “I borrowed these from a friend.”
“Well, not a very good one.” Her mom waved at her chest. “And do they not wear bras in Montana?”
She sighed and tried to keep her eyes from rolling.
“Don’t take that tone with me.” Her mother looked at her with disapproval. “All I know is I flew into an airport the size of a fast food restaurant, rented the last piece of junk car they had, and drove three hours in the rain to arrive at an empty house. And my daughter couldn’t be bothered to pick up her cell phone.”
Charlie held up the bag of rice she was carrying, her cell phone visible amongst the white grains. “No phone. I was caught in the same rainstorm, and my phone got soaked. That’s why I wasn’t home last night. I got stuck in the storm and had to stay at a friend’s.”
“Hey, Charlie, whose car is that parked out front?” Cash’s voice came through the front screen door moments before it opened and the good-looking cowboy stepped inside. Following on his heels, the black and white dog ran inside and circled her feet before heading to the sofa to sniff out the new arrival.
Cash arched his eyebrows at the woman on the sofa. “Well, hello there. I’m Cash.”
Her mom was busy trying to arrange herself into a more provocative pose while shooing Joy away from the sofa. “Well, hello yourself. I’m Elizabeth, Charlie’s mother.”
Cash whistled low before pouring on the charm. “You couldn’t be. You look more like her sister.”
Elizabeth preened like a proud peacock under his praise. “Well, aren’t you just the sweetest?” She straightened her crisp satin pajama top, then nodded at her daughter. “I would obviously be the better-dressed sister.”
Cash looked at Charlie, taking in her bedraggled appearance and obviously recognizing the Broken Falls Football logo on the front of the blue T-shirt. A knowing grin crossed his face. “While the cats were away, looks like somebody decided to play.”
Elizabeth looked back and forth between the two, as if picking up on the subtle flirtatious tones, but still not sure of the relationship her daughter had with this man who walked right into her house without knocking.
Before she could form a question, the front door opened again and a familiar voice asked, “Anybody put the coffee on yet?”
“Oh. My. Gosh.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re still here.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. As I live and breathe, if it isn’t Lizzie Jean.” Buckshot smiled widely at the woman. “You better git over here and give me a hug, darlin’.”
Charlie watched in amazement as her normally-poised mother scrambled off the sofa and practically threw herself into the arms of the elder ranch hand. And when had her mother EVER been called “Lizzie Jean”?
“Buckshot, you old devil. I had no idea you would still be limping around this old place.” Elizabeth hugged him once more, then playfully slapped his forearm. “And I go by Elizabeth, now.”
What the hell was happening? How did her mother know Buckshot, and why was she speaking of this place with such familiarity? And when did the precise diction of her mother’s speech fall into the slow lull tones of Montana? “Mom, how on earth do you know Buckshot or anything about this place?”
Buckshot gave her an odd look. “What do you mean? I’ve known your mother since she was a girl, running around this farm chasing after your dad. Broken Falls is where she grew up.”
“What?” She turned to her mother. “You told me you grew up in New York. And that you met my dad there, as well.”
Her mother smoothed the front of her pajamas, avoiding eye contact with her daughter. “I don’t think you were listening very well, honey. I told you that I wished that I had grown up in New York.”
“Are you kidding me? You knew about Tucked Away and all about Gigi and you never told me?”
“Well, we don’t need to talk about all that now.” Elizabeth moved into the kitchen. “Why don’t we get these gentlemen that coffee?” She busied herself with the coffee maker.
This time she did roll her eyes at her mother, then turned to Cash. “What are you doing back so early, anyway? I wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
She rolled her eyes again and added an exasperated sigh. “I got caught in the rain. He loaned me some dry clothes. Just shut up and tell me how the sale went.”
“It went fine,” Buckshot answered. “We sold a good hundred head and picked up another hundred of young steers. We were worried about the storm and wanted to make sure everything was okay, so we headed back early.”
Cash gestured to the front yard. “Then we saw that car out front and thought Railroad Wayne had made an early appearance, trying to get to you while we were gone.”
“It’s nothing, Mom.”
“He’s the little bastard that’s trying to buy this farm,” Cash answered at the same time. “Excuse my French.”
“Buy this farm?” Elizabeth scoffed. “Why would anyone want to buy this old place?”
Charlie sighed. Why was her mother so negative about Montana and this farm? “Mom, I love Tucked Away.”
“So, who’s interested in buying it, and how much are they offering?” Elizabeth was like a dog with a bone.
Charlie hesitated a beat, not wanting to encourage the dollar signs she saw forming in her mother’s eyes. “It’s a railroad company, but I’m not selling it, Mom.”
“Hmmmm,” was all her mother said, as she turned back to the coffeemaker and measured out two even scoops.
But Charlie knew her mother, and she was sure her mind was percolating faster than the coffee pot she was filling.
…
“So, when do I get to meet her?” Zack held Charlie’s hand as they walked through the grove of trees near Sophie’s steps.
“Who? My mother? Isn’t it a little early to be meeting the parents?” she teased. “I want you to like me a little more first before I scare you off by introducing you to the Infamous Elizabeth Ryan.”
“Come on. She can’t be that bad.”
“Yes. She can.” She stopped and put her arms around his middle. “But you will adore her. She is funny and charming. She’s a huge flirt, and everyone loves her.”
“Except you?”
“Well, of course I love her.” She sighed, trying to think of a way to explain the nuances of their mother/daughter relationship. “You can love a monkey, but it still drives you crazy. And you sure don’t want to live with one. ”
He laughed. “You crack me up.”
She loved that she could make him laugh. Seeing him smile did crazy things to her.
He’d called that afternoon and asked her to go for a walk after dinner. Hearing his voice on the phone brought back memories of the night before, the steamy shower, his hands on her body, the pounding of the rain against the window. Just the thought of seeing him again had her insides tingling in anticipation.