His mother, Jen, gave him a pat on his back. “Of that I have no doubt,” she said and received a thumbs up.
The children’s joy and excitement brought back fond memories for Holly. Of her childhood and how this was a favorite time of the year for her and her brother. They might not have had a lot of money, but her mother had always made the costume of their choice, and took them trick-or-treating the second their neighbor’s porch lights turned on.
Nowadays, parents took their children out during the day to merchants and parties, instead.
“I hope you stop by the shop on Halloween,” she told them. “Because I have treat bags.”
This won her an enthusiastic cheer before Jen ushered the kids into the kitchen to clean up before supper.
“Sometimes I get tired just listening to those two,” Shayla said, stifling a yawn. “I can’t imagine adding another to the mix.”
She eyed her friend, looking for signs of stress or tension, but the pregnant woman smiled sweetly as she rubbed her starting to show baby bump of a tummy. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”
“Speaking of great,” her friend said, glancing around as if to make sure they were alone before she continued. “Tell me, how long did it take?”
She frowned, not following. “What do you mean?”
“For you and Jace to fall into bed again.”
Oh, that. Apparently, something in her expression must’ve given her away, because Shayla smiled and wore an I-told-you-so grin.
“One week, wasn’t it?” her friend asked as they carried the Jack-o-lanterns outside to the porch.
No sense in denying it. “Yeah.” And they had an unexpected rendezvous when she met him for lunch at his office on Wednesday.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Shayla set the small pumpkin on the railing. “Sometimes the best of intentions are often the best foundations.”
She was still digesting the poetic words when her body experienced the best of sensations. Jace was near. She knew without turning around. Heat skittered down her spine and branched out in a warm shiver in all directions.
He and a few guardsmen had spent the day helping Kade finish the shelter barn for tomorrow, when the Humane Society relocated two more neglected horses to Shadow Rock.
“Wow, these look great,” he said, ambling up the porch. “You’ve been busy.”
She laughed, lifting her face to his when he bent down to give her a kiss. “The kids did these. We’re just the deliverers.”
“Ah,” Kevin said, coming up the steps. “Well, you two have great delivery.” He kissed Shayla’s cheek and gently touched her belly. “And you will be greatly delivered next spring.”
“You’re a goof.” His wife knocked him playfully on the arm.
“That may be, but I am right.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Could you put that in writing, darlin’? Sometimes it’s hard to convince bossman of that. Although, Cole has gotten better at listening.”
“He has to in order to keep up with Jordan,” Jace said before turning to her. “You ready to head out?”
Judging by the gleam in his eyes, he was ready to head in…to her. And just like that, she was damp.
She nodded, and after a round of good-byes and thanks for the help handshakes and hugs, she climbed into Jace’s truck with anticipation upping her pulse. By the time they pulled into her driveway, her whole body was a mass of tingling nerves.
It was weird how they only seemed to spend Sunday nights together, but given their uncertain future, she felt one night a week was probably best. Then Shayla’s words about best of intentions and best of foundations flittered through her mind. But thoughts of foundations were a bit scary and too permanent for whatever it was they were doing.
Not once had Jace said anything remotely resembling the word relationship. Which was fine with her. And the fact they spent time at her little cottage and not once at his place told her she wasn’t likely to hear the ‘R’ word from him anytime soon. Which was okay. Her time in Harland County was coming to an end. With her uncle’s recovery back on track, it was fairly safe to assume he’d be given the green light to go back to work after his next appointment.
Again, the lack of commitment was fine with her. Fun, and blowing off steam. That was their main focus.
“So…” He turned to her as soon as they entered her cottage and shut the door. “Can I interest you in taking a shower? I promise to wash your back if you wash mine.”
She laughed, going easily into his arms when he pulled her near. “Don’t you mean scratch?”
“That, too,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
She was doing her best not to cross her eyes as her body melted against him.
“Mmm…you smell like pumpkin and spice.”
“If you say and everything nice I may have to hurt you.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “So, you want to be bad…”
Holly drew back and stared up into his teasing gaze. “You know you like when I’m bad.”
And to prove it, she trailed a finger down his chest, over his flat abs, and traced the bulge in his jeans, lingering near the tip.
He groaned and pulled her close, bringing his mouth down on hers, kissing her with a hunger and intensity she was beginning to crave more than air. Who was she kidding? There was no beginning to about it.
His hot kisses were the first thing she thought about in the mornings, and the last thing she thought about before bed. So, when he bent down and lifted her up in his arms before carrying her to the bathroom, all while his mouth continued to pull her apart at the seams, she considered this to be his best intention of the day.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Jace awoke to the best smell in the world.
Bacon.
Opening his eyes, he witnessed to the best sight in the world.
Holly wearing nothing but his unbuttoned shirt, carrying a tray of food.
“Morning,” she said with a smile. “Thought you could use some sustenance after our four a.m. go round.”
He sat up against the pillows, oddly touched. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do this, Holly.”
“I know,” she said, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. “I wanted to. You deserve breakfast in bed, once in a while.”
He caught her hand when she made to leave, and brought it to his lips. “I already had breakfast in bed at four a.m., remember?”
Heat skittered through her gaze and turned her grin wicked. She tugged free, but leaned close, giving him a glimpse of paradise under his parted shirt. “If I say no, will you refresh my memory after we recharge with breakfast? Or do you have to leave for the office?”
He shot his gaze to the clock on her bedside table, surprised he hadn’t even thought about work. And it was a Monday, his busiest morning of the week. Luck was on his side. He wasn’t scheduled for another two hours.
“I have some time yet,” he said, scooting over so she could join him.
Together, they enjoyed the scrambled eggs and bacon she’d cooked.
Starting the day off with a bang appealed to him. Big time. Damn, he hadn’t had sex before work at the beginning of the week in well…never. Just like he’d never had a woman cook him breakfast and bring it to him in bed. This woman was more than happy to do both. And without being asked.
“Thanks for breakfast,” he said again, liking the way her gaze softened when she stared into his eyes.
“You’re always helping others. I wanted to pamper you for a change.”
Something actually fluttered in his chest. “Thanks,” he said, placing the tray of empty plates on the side table before turning back to face her. “I appreciate it. But, what I want is you.”
Her intake of breath cooled the air between. They stared at each other a beat, then they were kissing, gentle at first, then not so gentle. Her hands were suddenly as hungry and desperate as her kiss, pulling him on top of her, making him instantly hard and throbbing.
He spread the shir
t open, and had just sucked one beautiful, tight nipple into his mouth when a phone rang.
It took them both a second to realize it was her phone.
“Sorry,” she muttered, reaching for the cell on the table by the other side of her bed.
“Maybe they’ll call back.” He trailed kisses down her belly, which was now eye level.
Her warm body stiffened under his lips. He glanced up to see apprehension replace the desire in her eyes.
“It’s work. Colorado work,” she informed before rolling off the bed to answer the call.
She walked into the living room, but since the place was small, he could still hear her muffled voice. Even though he wanted to give her privacy, her dejected tone had him off the bed, slipping into his discarded jeans and heading into the other room.
“Yeah. No. I understand.” She was nodding as if the person on the other end of the phone could actually see her. “Thanks. I appreciate the call. I will. Bye.”
She hung up, and stood with her back to him, her shoulders hunched, long sigh leaving her body. He walked around her dejected form to peer into her face.
“Bad news?”
She blinked at him and let out another sigh. “That was a heads up for the termination letter I will be receiving in the mail this week.”
Ah, hell.
He opened his arms, and after a few beats of hesitation, stepped close and wrapped her arms around his back. He wasn’t too great at this stuff, but knew she needed something. Holding her close, he ran his hands up and down her back, offering some lame-ass words of comfort that more than likely meant jack-shit.
The poor, giving woman just lost the job she’d busted her ass to secure, and all because she had a soft heart, and strong sense of family.
She didn’t cry, though, or sniff, just stood there quietly holding him and letting him hold her. Thank God. He wasn’t any good at handling tears, either. As a physician, yes. As a friend, lover, comforting another, no.
“Oh well,” she said, releasing him and moving out of his arms to busy herself with the dirty frying pan at the sink in the quaint, open kitchen. “I knew it was only a matter of time. They’d been way more than fair. I mean, my three month leave-of-absence is now going on five. I’d fire my ass, too.”
Her words were clear and delivered with humor, but he could hear the underlying disappointment and worry in every one.
Jace stepped into the kitchen and helped himself to a coffee from her machine. And since she’d obviously given this a lot of thought, he felt it was safe to ask. “What will you do now?”
“I’ve asked myself that question for a few weeks, because I assumed this was going to happen. But, I’ve yet to come up with an answer. I needed that job, Jace. Dammit. I needed that pay. I’m kind of supporting two households. I’m not sure how I’ll help my mom or brother now.”
He set his mug down and stepped close to brush the hair back from her temple. “If anyone can come up with a solution, you can. And you know I’m always around if you need to bounce ideas.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But, you have enough on your plate. And you’re right. I’ll figure something out.”
The urge to pull her back into his arms was strong, but something in the closed off look in her eyes held him back. There was a barrier there now. A distance that hadn’t existed a half-hour ago.
She slipped out of his shirt and handed it back to him. “You should go. I don’t want to make you late for work.”
Sounded like a heave ho. Although he hated to leave her after she suffered such a blow, and looked so damn hot walking buck naked back to her room, he couldn’t stay. He had patients counting on him. “Yeah. I know,” he said, slipping into his shirt and following her, his groin as stiff as her shoulders as he watched her pull on sweats and a T-shirt. She was wearing loner mode like an invisible cloak. She didn’t need to take on the world alone. “I just hate to leave you like this.”
Her chin lifted. “I’ll be fine. I always am. Now, go. Time to be the doctor everyone counts on.”
He smiled and began to button his shirt. “Yes, ma’am.”
She smiled back, and it almost reached her eyes. “Good. Go on now, off with you.”
“How about I stop by after work and take you out to dinner?”
“Hey, you don’t have to suddenly start treating me different. I mean it. I’ll be fine. No need to vary from your routine.”
Ouch.
But, she was right. Not once had he taken her out. Only took her body, here in her cottage, and once at his office.
Damn. It didn’t feel good knowing he was such a cad. He needed to fix things.
“Maybe I want to break the routine.” He had no idea where those words came from, but stood by them, because…hell…they were true. She deserved more than just an occasional romp. He was such a jackass.
She blew out a breath and walked around him. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Jace. We started this thing to be fun. Adding dinner out and stuff changes things.”
“So, you’re saying I can’t care about you?” He followed her into the living room.
“No.” She turned around to face him. “I’m saying I don’t need pity or pity dates. An hour ago, you never once mentioned dinner tonight.”
True, mostly because the sight of her naked body peeking out from under his shirt had muddled his brain cells.
And because he was an ass. A clueless one.
“It’s okay. It’s been fun,” she said. “But, this is a good time to let it end. We’re too different. It wasn’t going to go anywhere anyway. You’re driven, precise, about to embark on a goal you’ve had set in place for decades now. You have your life all planned. And that’s great. Mine’s not. Everything is up in the air. I’m swimming in mud with my hands tied behind my back.”
She stared at him, and he got the impression she expected him to nod in agreement.
Not happening.
“Look, Holly, I think you’re a little misguided about my life. You’ve met my sister. Seen the ranch. My practice. There’s no order about it. There are days I feel I’m in that mud pool right beside you.” Though he smiled, her expression remained solemn. That’s when it hit him. He folded his arms across his chest and held her gaze. “Who was the guy who screwed you over, left you out of his plans? Was he a doctor?”
Her chin lifted slightly. “Plastic Surgeon. I thought he was different, you know? Not like my dad with his sweet charm and fake promises. And Craig was different, at least, at first. But when my job got important, it was suddenly only okay for him to work long hours, not me.”
“He leave you?”
“No. Wanted me to quit. And when I didn’t, he cheated on me with my best friend, claiming it was my fault for neglecting him.”
“What a dick.”
A smile twitched her lips. “That’s what I called him, right before I walked out.”
“Good for you. You deserve better.”
“Thanks. I know,” she said, slowly nodding. “I deserve to be treated like more than a warm body in bed.”
Ah, hell. He felt the skewer lance straight through him.
“Holly…” He stepped closer, but she backed away, holding up her hands.
“It’s okay, Jace. That’s exactly how we started this thing. My eyes were completely open. I was a warm body for you to enjoy, and you were a warm one for me to enjoy right back. And we did. Our chemistry was truly great.”
Past tense, he noted, with an invisible blow to the gut.
“But I don’t need you feeling responsible for me because we slept together.”
“You think I feel responsible for you because you came crying my name?”
A flush entered her cheeks, but her gaze remained neutral. “Yes. You can’t help it. You’re a healer and a helper, Jace. It’s one of the things I like most about you.”
Apparently, not enough to cut me some damn slack.
“Look, Holly, I know I screwed up.”
“Hey.” She frowned and stepped closer. “No, you did absolutely nothing wrong. We agreed on no relationship and great sex. That’s exactly what you gave me, and I’m good with that. It has been great. But I know if we tried to continue on that path, one of us is going to get hurt, and I’m not about to let that happen. Too many people depend on us.” She pivoted around on her bare feet and headed toward her room. “The last thing either of us needs is to be less than par. Let’s just enjoy the memories.”
He winced. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but not what you’re not saying.”
She turned around in the doorway and frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“You’re lumping me with Craig and your dad. I’m not them, Holly. And sure as hell don’t deserve to be judged by their downfalls.”
Her green gaze stared unblinkingly at him. “I’m not judging you, Jace,” she said quietly. “I’m cutting you loose.”
And apparently, the conversation was over, because she entered her bedroom and slowly closed the door.
He stood there, staring at the door as if it had the answer to what the hell just happened?
Since it didn’t, and he had no clue, he pulled on his socks and boots and let himself out, an uninvited pain gripping his chest.
By the time the second week in November rolled around, Holly had exhausted all avenues of finding a job back home. All the resorts were currently not hiring any marketing team members. She’d even inquired about regular office work. No one had an opening.
“Any luck, hun?” Uncle Arthur asked, sitting behind his desk in the office at The Creamery.
Today was his third day back, and she tried not to dwell on the fact that if he’d only gotten clearance two weeks sooner, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. She’d learned long ago life was strange and things happen for a reason.
She just wished she knew what the reason was for her life to be in limbo.
“No,” she replied, keeping her tone light.
“Well, my offer still stands,” he reminded. “You’ve increased sales here by more than thirty percent.”
Smiling, she sat in the chair opposite his desk, happy to discuss the small changes she’d made. “It was just a few minor adjustments.”
Her Healing Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 5) Page 13