Her Healing Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 5)

by Donna Michaels

  As they discussed possible shots and poses, Holly couldn’t stop grinning at the excitement and adrenaline sparking inside. She was going to need more supplies than she’d brought with her to produce a wedding album that was going to rock Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Dalton’s world.

  After he locked up the office that night, Jace headed to his car with one thing on his mind. Cheering up Holly. One look into her distraught gaze that afternoon had cracked something open in his chest. He never wanted to see that emotion clouding her beautiful green eyes again. Ever. And when determination had replaced her distress, and she vowed to help her brother no matter what, he fell a little bit more for the woman whose selflessness touched his guarded heart. All day, his mind kept returning to their conversation in his lunchroom, and he couldn’t let it go.

  So, instead of heading home, he turned right and drove to The Creamery. Maybe, together, they could somehow brainstorm a solution to her problem. He already knew better than to offer her the money. She would never take it, and he understood. It was more a matter of principle than pride. Just one of many things he was beginning to realize they had in common.

  After he parked his car, he walked up the steps to the boardwalk, not convinced the surge of blood rushing through his veins was solely due to the exertion. Donny waved to him from the window on his approach.

  “Hi, Doctor Turner. If you’re looking for Holly. She isn’t here.”

  The blood rush came to a halt. “Oh. Okay. Thanks, Donny,” he said, glancing down the street to her cottage. Her car was in the driveway. He turned back to the grinning kid and ordered two smoothie specials. A good brainstorming staple.

  Two Key Lime Swirls in hand, he strode to her cottage and knocked on the door, noting the return of the mysterious blood rushing in his veins thing, which he decided to label the Holly Affect.

  When his knocks went unanswered, he glanced around. She had to be somewhere between her house and the shop. He checked behind her little blue cottage and found her small yard and patio both empty. So, he headed down a trail that led to the beach…and stopped dead.

  Chapter Seven

  The Holly Effect clicked into turbo charged at the sight of the namesake lounging on the beach with her dark hair blowing haphazardly around her delicate face, shoes kicked off, jeans rolled up, and setting sun bathing her in a breathtaking, bronze glow.

  The sight of her grabbed Jace by the throat, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. This ‘fighting the chemistry’ thing was hard as hell.

  What a coincidence. So was he.

  He glanced down at his bulging crotch and smirked. When the hell had he become so easy?

  When the green-eyed temptation had waltzed into his office.

  No, that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t exactly her looks that caught and held his attention, even though she was beautiful as hell. It’d been her heart. The little things he noted about the woman. How she listened to Mrs. Avery, a retired school teacher and local dance instructor, talk about her cats when the octogenarian came in for cream for her ‘babies,’ or how she delivered the cream when the older woman couldn’t come in. The way she hired unqualified workers and kept them on, not because they did a great job, but because they sucked at it, but tried with all their might.

  She rewarded heart with heart, and damn, if that didn’t get to his.

  Big time.

  “Hey,” she said, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun, as she glanced up at him with her gorgeous, open gaze. “What are you? A mind reader now?”

  Unsure of her meaning, all he could do was stare down at her and play stupid. Apparently, he was good at that, and amusing, because she laughed.

  “Mind reader?” he asked as he handed her a smoothie before sitting next to her in the warm sand.

  She laughed again, and the sound caused a strange, warm and fuzzy reaction in his chest.

  “Yes, this,” she said, holding up the cup. “I was just sitting here, enjoying the sunset, thinking, man, I could sure go for a smoothie right now. And there you were, smoothie in hand.”

  Her genuine smile was contagious.

  “Glad I could be of assistance.”

  “You always seem to have just what I need. Or say just what I need to hear.”

  “Funny, I was thinking the same about you.”

  He watched her mouth close around her straw, fascinated by the way her cheeks indented as she sucked, the motion way too erotic for his already aroused state to ignore. White, hot heat shot straight to his groin. He swallowed and forced his gaze back to her eyes.

  She blinked, but her gaze remained dark and heated, and he fought to remember why he was there. He dragged air into his lungs, and salt from the ocean clung to the back of his throat.

  Her brother. Tuition.

  Right.

  It took him a moment to find his thread of thought, and tamp down his desire. “I stopped by The Creamery, and when you weren’t there, I bought two smoothies and tracked you down.”

  “Why?”

  Unsure if she was asking about the drinks, or the tracking, he decided to give an answer that resolved both questions. “To help you brainstorm a solution to your brother’s tuition.”

  She stopped drinking, and lowered her cup, a thousand watt smile spreading across her face. “It’s already solved. A half-hour ago, Shayla hired me to photograph her wedding.”

  “That’s terrific,” he said, clinking his cup off hers. “To problems solved.”

  They sat drinking in silence for a few minutes, and every now and then she’d glance at him and frown.

  “What?” he asked, twisting to face her.

  “It’s just…you said you went to The Creamery?”

  He finished his smoothie and nodded. “Yeah. I thought I’d try to help you brainstorm, but it turns out, you’ve already found a solution.”

  Her gaze rounded. “You really stopped by to help me?”

  The very fact she found this hard to believe resonated something deep inside him. “Surely, your friends in Colorado have helped you before?”

  When she set her drink down and shook her head, but remained silent, his heart clutched a little in his chest, understanding all she didn’t say. There was nothing he could do to stop his hand from reaching out to cup her face. He wanted to do more than touch her physically. The overwhelming need to touch her heart, made no sense all, yet, all the damn sense in the world.

  He skimmed his thumb across her lower lip. “I think you need new friends.”

  “Agreed,” she whispered, gaze huge, and so open, he ached. “Is that what we are, Jace? Friends?”

  “Hell yeah,” he replied, still touching her face, figuring it was probably him that had shifted closer. “That okay with you?”

  Holding his gaze, she shocked the hell out of him when she planted a kiss to his palm. “Very. But we seem to have a problem with the no-touching thing.”

  “I know,” he said, before capturing her lips with his, intending to keep the kiss gentle, and slow, but her hands went to his chest, her warmth radiating through the material of his shirt, changing his mind, and the kiss, in a flash.

  Of heat.

  Body flaming, he groaned as the need to consume shook through him. Then her hands were suddenly under his shirt somehow, skimming down his chest, tracing his abs, driving him mad.

  “Holly,” he croaked, his voice tight and hoarse as he grabbed her hands in an attempt to remain clothed, which was a good thing, considering they were in public.

  She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and drew in ragged breaths, the air cooling his chest where she’d popped the buttons. “I’m sorry. My mind knows this is a bad idea, but the rest of me doesn’t care.”

  A strangled noise of agreement rumbled up his throat.

  “Jace?”

  “Yeah?” He drew back to see her face illuminated by the sunset.

  She reached up and traced his jaw with her thumb. “My mind is starting to not care either.”

 
“Good. Mine, too.”

  Then they were kissing again, this time with more gusto, probably because they’d just mutually tossed caution to the ocean breeze. He traced her lip with his tongue, loving the way she moaned and opened up for him, sliding her tongue against his, testing his control. She did it again, adding her touch to the mix, her hands gliding up into his hair.

  With a groan, he pushed her back into the sand, covering her fully, and at the contact of their bodies, she let out the sexiest damn sound and wiggled beneath him.

  She had great wiggle.

  He ran a hand down her side, then under her shirt, finding her skin soft and hot. So damn hot. She trembled and held him tighter, and he needed more. Much more.

  Breaking the kiss, he drew in air as he brushed his lips down her jaw, his body thrilling as she clutched his back and arched up. He nuzzled her neck and skimmed his hand over her ribs to cup her breast, brushing his thumb over her nipple poking through the lace.

  She gasped, so he did it again, capturing her mouth for a deep, soulful kiss. He knew they were out of control, but couldn’t stop the wildfire consuming him from the inside out.

  “Ahem.”

  They both stilled at the sound of a throat clearing, and Jace cursed his stupidity for putting them both in such a foolish position. He drew back slightly, being sure to shield Holly’s body from view as he righted her clothes.

  “Maybe you should take this elsewhere.”

  Ah, hell. He recognized the woman’s voice. And so he should. He’d gone to school with Jordan McCall.

  “Okay, Sheriff,” he said, staring down into Holly’s face.

  Her eyes rounded, and he braced himself for a chewing out, but instead, she brought a hand up, slapped it over her mouth, and laughed.

  Taking it as a good sign, he smiled as he rolled off her and got them to their feet. Once again, Holly surprised him. She had every right to be pissed at him, and yet, she took it in her stride.

  “Sorry, Jordan,” she said.

  In another surprising, possessive move, she slipped an arm around his waist.

  He liked it. A lot.

  Holly patted his chest. “One minute we were talking, the next we were out of control.”

  The sheriff smiled. “I completely understand. Been there. Done that. Cole makes me nuts. Sorry to interrupt you, but I just wanted to save you from…overexposure. And a fine.”

  “We appreciate it, Sheriff,” he said, still cursing himself for even having this conversation.

  He was an educated man. A platoon leader. A damn doctor. With responsibilities. Not some hormonal adolescent riding the wave of sexual adventure. Although, he glanced down at the woman pressing her delectable curves into his side. Holly seemed to flip that switch every damn time she touched him.

  There was no such thing as control with her around.

  “No worries. I—” The sheriff paused as her radio crackled to life with dispatch informing her of a two car accident on the interstate, with medical attention needed. She glanced at Jace. “I hate to ask you, but can you come? I already know the fire department and paramedics are with my deputy at a house fire.”

  He released Holly and nodded. “Of course. I’m right behind you.” He turned to the woman at his side and reached for her hand. “Sorry. I have to go.”

  “I know. It’s okay,” she reassured, her smile barely visible in the dwindling light. “I can find my way home. I’ll be fine.”

  But would he?

  The more he was around the sweet, giving woman, the more he faced that very question.

  The morning of Shayla’s wedding brought smiles for several reasons. Holly was beyond happy for her friend, and basked in the love flowing from everyone in the large bedroom at the Dalton ranch where the bride-to-be and her attendants gathered to get ready.

  Hustle and excitement brought a magical feel to the air, wrought with tangible electricity. Her body hummed with a wonderful energy as she snapped photo after photo, pausing to pose the bride every now and then, marveling at how breathtaking Shayla was in her white gown full of lace and delicate appliqué that captured the woman’s strong, yet feminine personality. Jen, Kerri, and Jordan, her bridesmaids, were beautiful in their green satin dresses that hit the knee with lace and appliqué, while Caitlin, the maid of honor, wore a dress similar to the bridesmaids, except in a deeper shade rimmed in silver.

  Then there was Amelia. The cute little flower girl couldn’t stop twirling, giggling at the white, gauzy material swirling around her legs, while she chanted, “Mommy, Daddy.” A pretty, green satin ribbon circled her waist, and little daisies were placed in her hair that was piled on her head like the rest of the women in the bridal party.

  Holly captured the sweetheart’s animated features as she twisted and giggled. For a whole hour, she clicked away, documenting the morning with photos, some posed, some candid, and all with a smile on her face.

  She couldn’t stop smiling.

  Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she studied the scene, the women, the room with a critical eye, searching for the best angles and lighting, determined to capture gasp-worthy photos for her friend.

  “You are rockin’ behind that camera, Holly.” Jordan approached with a grin. “I think maybe Shayla would love a few photos with you in them. How about you show me which button to push, and I’ll make it happen?”

  The bride-to-be stepped closer to grab her hand. “Yes, I definitely want a few with you in them.”

  Holly spent the next five minutes on the other side of the camera, laughing and joking and smiling in front of the lens.

  She’d never felt more relaxed and alive at the same time and vowed, then and there, that no matter what happened with her job in Colorado, she was definitely going to look into taking some classes on professional photography.

  “Oh, Shayla. You look absolutely stunning,” Mrs. McCall said, walking into the room. “Kevin is going to faint.”

  Everyone laughed. The thought of the brilliant, easy-going, cowboy computer programmer reaching the sort of stress level needed to faint, made Holly smile. The man was gorgeous, and after having photographed the groom and groomsmen in his room an hour ago, she knew the black-haired, blue-eyed man’s good looks were only going to compliment Shayla’s stunning presence.

  “They’re ready for you,” the older woman said, brushing a tear from her face. “What do you say we go line up and get you married?”

  Shayla nodded, blinking back her own tears as her smile widened. “Yes, it’s time I made an honest man of Kevin.”

  They were all still chuckling as they walked through the house on their way to the gazebo Kade, Connor, and Tanner had built especially for the occasion. Holly had already photographed the beautiful structure all decorated in white satin and roses, representing hope and pure love of the start of a new life together. The setting was stunning, and she marveled at the incredible job Brandi had done of designing and arranging the rows of chairs, runners, and flowers for family and friends to witness the union. Even more incredible was the way the designer had temporarily transformed the new barn, being built for shelter animals, into an elegant, yet casual venue for the reception to follow.

  When she’d first arrived that morning, Holly started with the empty structures, capturing the promise they held with sunlight and shadows representing the ups and downs of married life the couple would face. She’d witnessed marriages fail, and marriages that shined. Judging by the way Kevin and Shayla treated each other the past few months, she had a good feeling about the couple and the staying power of their relationship.

  She had a good feeling about someone else, too.

  The gorgeous doctor, dressed in a black suit and tie, sitting with his mother and sister in one of the rows. Every time his gaze strayed to hers, he’d smile, and heat zinged to her center, waking all her good parts.

  The man was too distracting. Way too distracting. That’s why she’d made a point of giving him a wide berth the past two days. Two days sin
ce she’d nearly gotten indecent with him on the beach.

  She still couldn’t believe she’d lost control like that, like a school girl with her first real crush. Man, she was such an idiot, and yet, she just couldn’t bring herself to regret the beach. It had felt too great. Too right.

  Too stupid.

  You live in Colorado, she silently reminded as she lifted the camera to her face and started photographing candid shots of the guests while waiting for the music to start. Okay, so she had a few extra shots of Jace in there. Couldn’t be helped. He sat near the end, and she needed a few pictures of the beautifully decorated aisle.

  And him.

  Dammit.

  Twisting around, she kept her back to him and faced the house just as the music began to play. Blood rushed through her veins once again, and creativity took over.

  She slipped easily into photographer mode. Shayla and Kevin trusted her, and paid her, to record their special day, and she intended to earn every last cent, and enjoy herself in the process.

  For the first time, in a very long time, she was happy.

  The bride and groom wore matching, blissful grins as the reverend pronounced them man and wife.

  There hadn’t been many a dry eye when Caitlin walked Shayla down the aisle and gave her sister away to the grinning groom. Tears continued when the couple recited their own vows. Jace had to admit, he’d been impressed with Kevin’s poetic, heartfelt prose. The laid-back cowboy had always been full of surprises. No reason his wedding shouldn’t have a few, too.

  Instead of choosing a simple waltz for their first dance as man and wife, the couple busted a groove to Maroon Five that had Mrs. Avery on her feet, clapping, along with half the guests. Then the bridal party joined in, bringing everyone to their feet, camera’s flashing, people laughing, and he was most impressed with Kade.

  “Shit.” Tanner stopped next to him and pointed. “I had no damn idea Top had rhythm. Did you?”