by Tena Stetler
She waved two pieces of paper. “Yep, got them.”
I can’t just let her walk out, the woman intrigues me. Alone time with her, away from here, that’s what I need. “Hey, could I buy you a cup of coffee sometime?”
Summer’s eyes went wide. “Are you asking me on a date?”
He nodded his head and grinned. “Only if you say yes.”
****
On the long winding drive up Ute Pass toward home, light snowflakes sparkled in the truck’s headlights as he considered his options. He could wait for Summer to make the next move or pay a visit to her yoga studio with a latte. The soft yellow glow of the cabin’s porch light was a welcome sight as he turned up the driveway and cut the engine.
Snow crunched beneath his feet as he trudged up the path leaving the first set of footprints in the newly fallen snow. Keys in hand, he unlocked the door and stomped the snow from his boots before entering. Wind whistled through the pines and caught the door, slamming it shut.
The cabin’s warmth enveloped him as he shed his coat, picked up a box of matches from the mantel, lit one, and tossed it into the fireplace stacked with logs and newspapers. He flopped into the worn recliner in front of the hearth and rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. What a day.
Thankful for the steady increase in memberships at the club, but he was at his wits end with a few of the staff that failed to pick up the pace to keep up with demand. As he mulled solutions, he drifted off. Work forgotten, Summer danced seductively through his dreams.
Two hours later the grandfather clock struck midnight, he shoved up from the chair and padded down the hall to his bedroom. After a quick shower, he crawled into bed, burrowed under the comforter and a crisp cool whisper of air crossed his face. He’d left the bathroom window cracked open an inch. He slept better in a cooler room.
Devlin rolled over on his right side, his left arm fell across the empty side of his king size bed. A space he craved to fill with her warm soft body nestled beside him. A hunger so instinctual he was surprised at its voracity. No doubt, the influence of his father’s DNA aroused such undeniable desire.
His kind mated for life. Though he couldn’t shift from human to wolf due to his mother’s human genes, he still had the preternatural hearing, sight, smell, speed, and cunning, which had served him well in the Special Forces.
Chapter Three
Unexpected Visitor
Summer turned the key in the lock, pushed the door open a crack and listened. Yep, the alarm was counting down. She stepped inside, touched in the code and the beeping ceased. A large cream ball of fur rushed in behind her. “Search,” Summer commanded. The building was dark. Someone forgot to leave the security light on—again. Typical. She’d need to remind the staff of the closing procedures.
Entering the dark, empty building, her heart raced and she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. Daylight saving time couldn’t come soon enough so the sun would be up when she opened the studio. After the dog checked every corner, nook, and cranny of the room, she returned to Summer’s side, sat and barked once.
“Good girl, Piper,” she said on a sigh. Once Summer’s eyes adjusted to the dark, she sprinted across the room to the light switch, and tripped. Sprawled flat on her face on the floor among fifty scattered unrolled yoga mats, and a dog in her face, she kicked at one rubbery object and slammed her fist into another. Someone had stacked the mats on the wrong side of the room.
Who the hell closed last night? She shook her head and searched for calm. Drawing in a deep cleansing breath, she let it out gradually, temper ebbing away.
Getting to her feet, she brushed the dust from her black yoga pants, tugged at the bottom of her bright orange tunic, and flipped the light switch on. A soft glow of florescent lighting flooded the large room, soothing Summer’s nerves. Guess she would never be the same carefree individual she was before the incident. Oh, shake it off. You’re safe and it’s time to get on with life. “Come on Pip, let’s get this place open.”
A massive stone fireplace towered in the corner. She picked up an arm full of wood and flung it in the general direction. Logs landed in the fire pit and neatly arranged themselves in a tepee shape. With a magic flick of her finger toward the hearth, flames raced up the aspen logs. “That’s better.”
She raised her arms, about to send the yoga mats back to their proper place when the heavy wooden front door creaked open. Piper rushed toward the door, teeth bared and a growl rumbled in her throat.
Summer whirled around and yelped as Devlin ambled into the room, black hair tousled and glistening with melting snowflakes. His nonchalance at the dog’s approach surprised her as he slowed to a stop. Piper sniffed around him, backed up a few inches, then stood at alert in front of Devlin.
“You scared the bejeebers out of me.” Summer held her hand to her chest as her heart thundered. “What are you doing here?”
“Call your guard dog off and I’ll tell you.” The corners of Devlin’s mouth curved up into a smile, a faint light twinkled in the depths of his dark eyes.
“Piper, leave it…come.” The dog gave Devlin a last sideways glance, trotted back to Summer, and sat at her side.
“Beautiful Chow, and well trained too.”
“She is. Now, what can I do for you?” This is the last thing I need this morning.
“I found my schedule flexible this morning, so swung by to see if you could join me for a cup of coffee. We can discuss the special offer you extended.” Devlin’s smile turned seductive, causing her to blush and look away for a moment. She breathed in his woodsy scent, with just a hint of citrus. Unusual, but quite masculine and refreshing. She liked it.
“Can’t, I’m sorry. It’s my turn to open the studio this morning.”
“A bit prickly in the morning?”
“No.” She paused. “Well, maybe.” There was something about this man. “Could I get a rain check?” She held his gaze for a couple of beats then averted to the tangle of mats.
Piper remained close to Summer’s side eying Devlin suspiciously.
“You’re free to join any yoga class I’m teaching.”
Devlin’s gaze darted from the fireplace to the mats strewn over the floor and settled on Summer. “Sure—But I can do better.” He backed out and held the door open with his foot as he bent down. When the door banged shut, he stood inside with a large insulated cup in each hand that sported a coffee house logo. “I thought you might say that.” He stepped closer waving one of the cups toward her.
She inhaled deeply. “Smells wonderful. A mocha latte? How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.” Devlin handed her a steaming cup, froth bubbling out the little hole in the top.
He removed the lid from his cup and blew across the hot liquid. After he took a sip, he pointed the cup toward the yoga mats. “Appears the mats were unruly this morning.” His eyes sparkled with amusement as his lips twitched.
“Yeah—well—it happens,” she said with a smirk and took a sip of the steaming liquid then sat the cup on a nearby table. Summer started to pick up the mats, roll them, and stack them in the correct location.
“I see,” Devlin said, a brow arched, he moved to stand in front of the fireplace, his hands held to the warmth. “Nice fire, feels good this morning.” After a few beats, he strode over and began to scoop up the mats, rolling them up as he’d seen her do.
“Thanks, but you don’t need to do that.” Her pulse increased. Did he see me use magic to start the fire? She pushed the thought away.
“It’s purely self-serving. At least this way, I get to spend time with a pretty lady. Even if she refused my offer.”
“Hey, I didn’t refuse your offer, only postponed it.” She protested. “If you’d given me a little advance notice, instead of just showing up on my door step, I’d have made arrangements for someone else to open.”
“So—you’re saying yes, to coffee with me?” He shoved a hand in his pocket, the other holding his cup as he rocked back on the heels of h
is boots. “How about dinner tonight?”
“Now you’re taking advantage of the situation.” She laughed and nodded. “I’m open for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Done. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
She paused and countered. “How about you tell me where to meet you for dinner?”
“Okay, let’s meet at Angus Steakhouse at seven.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not playing with me are you?”
“Not yet. We barely know each other.” She bit back a laugh and turned around to stack the last three mats on the pile, then glanced over her shoulder, and batted her long eyelashes at him, smiling. “See you tomorrow night.” Picking up the coffee cup, she wrapped her hands around the cup and sipped.
“Looking forward to it.” His gaze lingered over her before he reached for the door handle and the dog let out a warning growl. “See ya. Bye Piper.”
The door closed and Summer scooted over to the window watching him cross the parking lot. He was one sexy package she looked forward to unwrapping. Her cheeks heated at the thought. “Piper, that man is a bad influence on me.” She reached down and scratched the dog’s head.
Piper wagged her curled tail and trotted after Summer as the front door burst opened, followed by a blast of cold air. Mandy hurried in with Josie on her heels. They were young but talented and reliable instructors.
“Burrrrr…it’s freezing out there.” Mandy and Josie said in unison and shoved the door closed.
“Winter in Colorado. What’d you expect?” Summer called after them, her voice cheerful. Piper wiggled her tail and bounced over to greet the girls.
“You been holding out on us?” Josie asked grinning at Summer. “Who was that hot guy that just left here?” She fanned herself with her hand.
“The owner of Moon Ridge Gun Club. I took a gun class there last week.”
“Ok, so who is he to you?” Mandy asked.
“Just a guy.” Summer felt her cheeks warm. She never could lie worth a damn.
“Oh, that was apparent. What a hunk. Are you going out with him?” Josie asked.
“Okay, okay—yes, he asked me out and I agreed. Now stop with the interrogation.” Summer said laughing. “You’d think I never—”
“Exactly. And good for you.” Mandy said. “You gotta tell us all about him…I mean your date.”
“The way he filled out those jeans, you know he’s gonna be good in bed.” Josie said and dissolved into giggles.
Mandy covered her mouth with her hand trying to hide the smile that burst into a fit of giggles anyway.
“That’s enough ladies. The students will be arriving any minute. Josie, you’re teaching the first class. Right?” Summer bit the side of her cheek in an effort to keep from smiling. She had to admit, he was sexy as hell. Intimacy had not been high on her list recently, but that could change.
The wind howled around the historic stone building as sleet pelted the windows and the fire crackled and popped in the stone fireplace, warming the immediate area. Summer settled on the massive rock hearth and watched the girls prepare for class.
It would be smaller than usual, but the dedicated ones would brave the weather. She considered the events of the last few weeks. Is the universe finally going to give me a break?
Chapter Four
First Date Jitters and Sibling Surprises
Light snow fell on the icy road as Devlin made his way to the steakhouse. He arrived early, requested a booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant, and watched out the window for Summer to arrive. When he saw her SUV pull into the parking lot, he strolled to the front and greeted her at the door.
“Nice to see you again. The table’s this way.” He took her coat, shook the snow off, and slung it over his arm. With his hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the table, waited for her to settle in the booth and slid in across from her. “How was your day?”
“Not too bad. In cold weather, the classes are smaller, but it’ll pick up when it warms up. How about you?”
“It’s been a rough couple of days. Issued a final warning to an employee yesterday, he screws up again and he’s gone.” Devlin shook his head. “Hate doing that. I posted a couple of new job openings, and sorted through the mountains of applications this afternoon. Paperwork is not my strong suit. The good news, signed up several new members, so business is booming.”
“That’s great.”
“Let’s take a look at the menu. I think the waiter is hovering over there.” Devlin laughed and picked up the menu.
Summer did the same. After a few minutes, Devlin waved the waiter over and they placed their orders.
“So what brought you to Colorado?” Summer asked.
“After I retired, I rambled around a bit, stopped to visit a buddy here, and liked the area, so I settled in Divide. How about you?”
She tilted her head toward him and shrugged. “Needed a change of scenery. Answered an online ad for a yoga instructor, got the job, packed up, and moved here 18 months ago.”
“Just up and left your family and friends?”
“My family drifted apart. We’re not close. I keep in touch with a few friends but things change when they have husbands and babies. No boyfriends, if that’s what you’re wondering about.”
He smiled. “Good for me, but sad for you. You have friends here?”
“A few, I’m kind of a loner. You seem young to be retired. What did you do before you retired?” she asked.
“Navy SEALs. After twenty years, I wanted to try a different lifestyle. While visiting my buddy, Dave, who’s still active duty, and his family, I saw an ad for the sale of a gun club. It needed a lot of work, but I got it for a great price. Did most of the renovations myself, with Dave’s help when he was around. The decision was a good one.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. You’ve done well for yourself. Yet, no wife or girlfriend?” She shifted in the booth and glanced at his hands.
“Nope. I guess you’d say I was married to the job. Not good at relationships.”
“Family?”
“My dad, Loren, and sister, Koda, live in Montana, a brother, Cabe, in Canada and mom passed a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. But it was harder on my dad than any of us. It was love at first sight and my parents were married for just over fifty years.”
“Oh—that’s rough. Do you see your dad often?”
“I plan on it. After getting the club running the way I want. But for now we talk on the phone weekly. My sister keeps him busy with the grandkids. He loves it. Being closer to family and able to help was the driving force behind my retirement. Nearly didn’t make it back for mom’s funeral. My unit was out of country on assignment at the time she fell ill. By the time I was notified it was too late.”
He blew out a breath, but couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes, and offered a weak smile. “But that’s in the past. I’m looking forward to the future.”
The waiter carried a tray on his shoulder and stopped at their table. With the other hand, he flipped out the folding stand and lowered the tray with two T-bone platters including a baked potato, veggies, and basket of rolls. After passing the plates and basket to the table, he asked if there was anything else. Devlin shook his head and the waiter disappeared.
Summer forked up a small bite of steak, chewed and swallowed. “The steak is moist and tender, one of the best I’ve had.” She spooned a dollop of sour cream on her potato and scooped up a forkful.
“As usual. Never had a bad steak here.” Devlin popped a piece of steak in his mouth and closed his eyes savoring the flavor. “Excellent.” He sighed. “Thanks for having dinner with me, eating alone is no fun.”
“My pleasure.” She beamed.
“So—how about next week? Say Friday night?”
“I need to check my schedule, but let’s plan on it.” She glanced out the window. “Snow’s really coming down. I can barely see across the street. Didn’t you say you live up t
he pass in Divide?”
“I did. But I built a studio apartment onto the club for this very reason. I wanted acreage in the mountains, and knew there’d be times I wouldn’t make it home during the winter.” He studied the snow falling out the window. “I think we’d better finish up dinner and get you home before it gets any worse.” Devlin motioned to the waiter for the check.
“My SUV does great in the snow, and I live above the studio, so I’ve only got a few miles to drive.”
“Still, I’d feel better if you let me take you home.”
“Piper doesn’t know you well enough—yet, to get into your truck. So I’ll drive my vehicle. But thanks.”
He heard the word “yet” and smiled wide. “Your dog’s in the car?”
“She’s always with me. The cold doesn’t bother her.”
“Okay—I’d like to follow you home, make sure you arrive safely. After that, I’ll be on my way. Fair enough?”
“Sure.”
Devlin paid the bill and escorted Summer to her SUV. Piper popped up in the driver side window, her lip curled, fangs bared.
“Stand down,” Summer commanded, as Devlin opened her door. Piper jumped to the passenger seat, but kept her head turned toward him. “I’d like to bring Pip to the range sometime so you two could get better acquainted. Could we arrange that?” Summer reached into the vehicle and pulled out her snowbrush.
He took the scraper from her and pointed for her to get into the car. “Yep, how about I cook dinner for you two next Friday at my apartment, say around seven p.m. By that time all the employees will be gone and Piper will only have to protect you from me.” He chuckled closing her door. “We could even fire a few rounds before dinner, if that wouldn’t bother Piper.”
Summer slid into the vehicle and rolled the window down, despite snowflakes falling inside. “She’s been through a class that trained her to tolerate gunfire. But I don’t like to subject her to it unnecessarily. Hurts her ears and I don’t have ear protection for her.”