by Alicia Rae
I found an empty space to park my truck, and I strolled inside the building with my list in hand. In front of the bags of cement mix, I debated on how many I would need to secure the posts for the new round pen. Thinking it was better to have extra than not enough, I grabbed three bags and set them in the cart. Next, I found the largest bucket of screws on the shelf and placed those in the cart.
I ambled in the direction of the lumber section of the store. Sam Whitman was standing behind the help station. He was a young teen who lived a street over from me, and he’d help me around the property from time to time. His hair was longer than I remembered, and it curled around his ears. I had to wonder if it was a new hairstyle with the kids these days.
“Hey, Sam,” I said, approaching him with my cart. “I didn’t know you had a job here.”
“Hi, Mr. Kingston.” Sam smiled. “I just got hired last month for summer break.”
“Congratulations.”
I was proud of him. Sam was a good kid.
“Anything in particular I can help you with?” he asked.
“Yes, I just need to get some lumber for a round pen I’m building at the ranch.” I lifted the bucket of screws and set it on the counter as I added, “And pay for this.”
“Mr. Smith doesn’t carry lumber in stock anymore.” He picked up a clipboard off the counter. “But I’d be more than happy to place an order for you.”
That was news to me. I’d intended on starting the construction of the pen right away. However, I believed in supporting the local businesses over the large chain stores.
“How long does it take to come in?”
“About five to seven business days,” Sam answered, rushing over to his computer. “I can see if we can get it here sooner though—at no additional charge, of course.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
He began typing on the keyboard and quickly elaborated, “I can have it here by Monday afternoon. Would that be better?”
“Monday will work. Thank you.” Looking at my list, I gave him the exact number of posts and the measurements for the boards that I needed.
He ran up my total, and then I paid with my debit card.
“Here you go,” he said, handing the card back to me when my transaction had completed. “Oh, I saw Miss Summers is back,” he added out of the blue. “She always was the prettiest girl in town.”
I stared at him with a blank expression, completely caught off guard. “Um…yes, she was,” I replied, not sure what else to say.
“I’m glad she came home.” He smiled.
It dawned on me that Sam must have a crush on my girl. It was a good thing that he was a kid, and I liked him.
I was about to say good-bye when Sam’s face suddenly fell solemn.
With concern, he told me, “I hope Mr. Ulrich didn’t scare her off the other day. I’d hate to see her move away again.”
My body stilled in shock, and my fingers snapped my debit card in two. “What?” I questioned, restraining my tone.
Sam’s eyes widened. “I-I’m sorry. It’s probably none of my business,” he stuttered, turning pale.
“What do you mean, scare her off?” I asked, ignoring his comment.
Sam looked stunned to silence, like he was about to get grounded for life.
I stepped closer until my legs hit the counter. “Sam, you have about two seconds to tell me before I flip a gasket. If Paige is in danger, I need to know—now,” I demanded with utmost honesty. I had no patience when it came to someone disrespecting a woman, especially my girl.
“I didn’t really hear much.” He lifted his hands in front of himself in a pleading gesture. “I only heard them bickering from a distance while I was getting gas last week. At the look he was giving Miss Summers, I was about to step in, but she darted around him and went inside.”
“You didn’t go in after her to make sure she was okay?” I asked. I knew it wasn’t his job or his fault, but the words had slipped out of my mouth before I could think better of them.
“No,” he admitted. His eyes were remorseful. “My mom called and told me I had ten minutes to get home, or I was going to be in trouble for being late for supper.”
I let out a deep breath and calmed myself. “Thank you for telling me, kid. I appreciate it.” I gave him a small but grateful smile as I picked up my bucket of screws and turned to head for the exit.
Anger pumped through me hot and thick at learning that Hank had been within a mile of Paige. To know he’d upset her and she’d had to dodge him had me seeing red. The only thing that kept me from storming over to Hank’s place right now was that if I did, I knew I’d land myself in jail, and it wouldn’t give me the justice I wanted.
The only solution I could come up with was to take Kyle up on his offer and get Paige out of town. I would have to make some arrangements for someone to care for the animals, but it would be doable. It would allow me the time I needed to think things through with the Hank situation instead of impulsively acting out. But if I was still pissed and without answers when we returned, that man would get the ass-kicking he deserved, no matter the consequences.
I sighed heavily, eager to get home. It seemed Paige and I had some talking to do in our near future. She hadn’t mentioned running into Hank, and I was going to get to the bottom of why she’d kept that information from me.
I set my purchased items in the back of my truck, entered the driver’s side, and pulled out my phone to text Kyle.
Me: It seems a getaway is in order. Paige and I will fly in sometime on Friday afternoon.
Kyle: Glad to hear it, man! Can’t wait to see your ugly mug. ;)
Next, I called the airlines and booked two flights with my Visa. Then, on the way home, I started looking for a ranch sitter.
When I got back to the house, I heard the shower running in the master bathroom. As I sauntered into the room, the bathroom door was open. Paige was humming a song that I recognized. It was one of her favorites by Paula Cole.
I grabbed her big cream-colored towel off the countertop, pivoted around to rest my backside against the granite, and crossed my legs in front of me, letting the sound of her voice calm the raging storm inside of me. I didn’t know if I was angered more by the thought of Hank approaching Paige or by the idea that she hadn’t confided in me about their interaction.
Her voice flowed throughout me as I watched the outline of her body through the shower glass door. The water cascaded around her, and it captivated me. She was so damn beautiful that it hurt.
The water turned off, and she rotated to face me through the glass. Our eyes locked on one another. In slow motion, she lifted her hand to the edge of the door and opened the slider. The water glistened across her face and each one of her curves, and I wanted to take her to my bed and forget everything else around us.
As if reading my mood, she took a shy step toward me, still several feet away.
“Hi,” she murmured under her breath.
I kicked off the counter and walked over to her as she watched my every move. Her eyes studied mine. She seemed unsure of where this was going. I opened the towel and draped it around her shoulders, so she wouldn’t get chilly.
“Hi,” I replied, matching her tone.
Her hands came to the ends of the cream material, and she pulled the towel tightly against her body. “Are you okay?” she questioned.
Even while mad, I couldn’t resist the desire to pull her into my arms. “No, but I will be after we talk.”
“About?” she probed. Nervousness radiated off of her.
She never did like having words unspoken between us, and neither did I. That was why I had been so caught off guard during the conversation with Sam at the store.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you ran into Hank at the gas station?” I asked, incapable of holding back for another second.
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second as realization dawned on her, and I could tell she knew where this conversation was leading.
She stepped out of my arms and went to the counter. “How do you know about that?” she asked evasively.
“It doesn’t matter, Paige,” I stated, remaining composed. “Answer the question, please.”
She sighed and glanced up at my reflection in the mirror. “It was nothing.”
She used one of her hands to lift the end of the towel, and she patted her hair to dry it.
“What did he say to you?”
“Nothing of significance.” She reached for her hairbrush and ran it through her long hair that reached the small of her back. “I handled it.”
Paige disliked confrontation, and I knew she was brushing off the incident. I hated when she didn’t let me in.
I came up behind her. “It’s important to me, Paige, and you know it. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes appeared guilty. “I know how you are about stuff like that, Colton, and I didn’t want you to worry. Hank said his piece, I said mine, and then I walked away. End of story.”
Then, her emotions flipped on a dime as she spun around to face me. Now, she looked pissed off. She pointed her brush at my chest. “And what about you, huh?”
I quirked a brow at her changing the tables on me. “What about me?” I repeated.
“For a week, you’ve been walking around this house with an attitude, and you haven’t said a word to me as to why. You’ve been keeping something from me, too, so don’t act like I’m the bad guy here. What aren’t you telling me?”
I leaned forward, caging her between the counter and myself. “Understand this, Paige. It’s my job to protect you. If Hank threatened you, I have a right to know and do something about it, especially given the circumstances.”
She narrowed her eyes, and I knew she had me. “And what circumstances might that be?”
“It’s hard to say. I don’t have all the facts yet.” I chose my words carefully, not wanting to frighten her, as my mind assumed the worst of Hank. “I’m pretty sure Hank took the situation with Rusty personally.”
“Yes, I agree.” She looped her arms up over my shoulders, and I watched the fight drain out of her. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I ran into him. He was just trying to ruffle my feathers. Then, he offered me a job, which is ridiculous. After witnessing my feistiness, he told me to watch it. That’s all.”
My jaw clenched. That sounded like something Hank would do, and it irritated the hell out of me. I wanted to fly over to his house, drag him out of it, and beat his ass at the thought of him threatening my girl.
But I was proud to hear of her spunk, and I let it distract me. “So, you were feisty?” I asked.
“Very.” She grinned.
“That’s my girl.”
I lowered my forehead against hers and exhaled deeply, continuing to fight off the battle of wanting to seek out Hank. I hoped Paige could keep me from leaving and doing just that. I needed time to clear my mind and figure out a rational way to deal with Hank. That thought reminded me about this weekend.
“I almost forgot to tell you…” I began, praying this went smoothly. “We need to pack our bags.”
“For?”
“We’re going camping…in Lake Tahoe…” I gave her my best handsome smile at her taken-aback expression. Then, I finished my confession, “This weekend.”
She blinked once and gaped at me. “What?”
“Yep,” I said, bracing myself for another duel. “Please don’t fight me on this. I’m fully prepared to carry you over my shoulder the whole way, if need be, so I can have you to myself for a weekend.” I ran my hands up her sides and breathed, “I need this.”
Paige’s face split into a huge grin before she jumped up into my arms. I caught her and held her close.
Her lips hung above mine. “We get to spend the weekend together with Kyle and Lily?” she asked, smiling in amazement.
Happiness flourished throughout me. “Yes, and the whole rest of the gang will be there, too.”
I NORMALLY HAD THE WORST JET LAG after flying on a plane but not today. The flight had arrived into Lake Tahoe later than expected, so Colton and I were meeting our friends directly at the campsite.
As Colton navigated the road toward our destination, I was pretty sure I was about to burst with excitement at seeing Lily and the rest of the bunch this evening. I stared out the windshield and took in the breathtaking view. For miles, there was nothing but pine trees and mountains in the background.
Colton floored the Chevy Tahoe up another steep hill, jolting me back in my seat.
“Man, I’ve got to get me one of these trucks,” he said with appreciation in his tone. “It drives so smoothly and has power behind the pedal.”
He turned the wheel around a sharp left bend, and the movement had me plastered against the door. I held my breath as I braved looking out the passenger window. There was a major drop-off with tree trunks that descended as far as the eye could see.
“Ease up there, cowboy. I have no desire to kiss a pine tree anytime soon.”
“I won’t let that happen.” He grinned quickly at me. “Your lips belong to me.”
“Belong to you?” I challenged, quirking a brow at him.
“Oh, yes.”
After his crankiness for the past week, I was happy to see his mood light and cheerful. This was a much-needed getaway.
“By the way, you already have two trucks on the ranch. How are you going to drive three?”
He kept his eyes on the road, appearing to be contemplating his response. “Then, I guess we’ll have to get rid of your car and buy you one.” He tipped his head at me and grinned boyishly. “So, I can drive it.”
“It sounds like it would be more for your benefit than mine.”
“I’m thinking it could be a win-win for both of us.” He winked.
“Do you have some secret car fetish I don’t know about?” I teased.
“Maybe.” He laughed.
We pulled into the campsite and came to a stop in front of a small yellow building. Colton rolled down his window and gave our information to a gentleman. The guide handed Colton a map of the park and told us where to go before we proceeded through the raised gate.
After three turns through the grounds, we arrived at lot one hundred thirty-six. Colton parked, and we exited the vehicle.
My eyes spotted Kyle and Lily’s cousins setting up a huge forest-green tent on the farthest side of the campfire. They appeared to be slipping the last support pole through the loop at the top, and then they staked it into the dirt.
Kyle turned to face us as we approached. “Perfect timing, man—now that we are finished.” He grinned, sauntering over toward us.
After not seeing him for some time, I was reminded of how tall and broad he was. His presence was one that could fill a room.
“Sorry about that. Our flight was delayed,” Colton replied, outstretching his hand to Kyle.
The two of them shook hands and hugged, slapping each other on the backs.
“Glad you could make it,” Kyle said as they parted.
“I didn’t want to miss out on the fun.” Colton grinned.
Kyle smiled his genuine friendly smile at me. “And you brought Pixie with you, too.”
My expression matched Kyle’s. I was delighted to see him. I’d viewed Kyle as the big brother I never had, like the way Colton was with Kayla.
“Pixie?” I laughed, stepping forward to embrace him. “I thought we got rid of that nickname a long time ago. We agreed you’d give me a cooler one.”
We returned to our former positions.
Kyle smirked. “Nope. I told you that you were stuck with it for life.”
I was willing to let it go for now as Lily’s cousins came up to us, but Kyle and I were definitely going to talk about a new nickname for me later.
As the three Johnson brothers neared, they were all staring at me. They shared many facial traits, like the bluest eyes, clearly showing that they were brothers even though their heights and builds were slightly
different.
The oldest, Blake, paused next to Kyle. His short hair was neatly cut, and it was a slightly darker brown than his brothers, but he had a matching bronze skin tone. His posture radiated strength, reminding me that he was the one who had served in the Marines.
“Hi, Colton and Paige.” Blake revealed a kind smile that reached his eyes while glancing between the two of us.
We each shook his hand and reciprocated his greeting.
Jason stepped forward with another handshake. “Good to see you, Colton.” He gazed at me. “Hi, Paige. It’s been too long.”
“It has,” I replied.
“Glad you could step away from the ranch life and join us, cowboy,” Damon, the youngest brother, teased with a grin that accentuated his strong cheekbones on his tanned skin.
“I was promised bonfires and beer.” Colton grinned. “That’s a hard bargain to turn down.”
“Hell yeah, it is,” Blake chimed in.
Colton set his arm around my back.
“Where are the girls?” I asked, longing to see each of their faces.
“We can only have two tents on one campsite, so we rented two spaces.” Kyle pointed to a small worn path between the trees at our right. “They opted to get out of setup duty, so they are cooking dinner on the fire pit.”
Jason jokingly rolled his eyes. “Like you’d let Lily set up a tent.”
“No.” Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “But it did make all of the woman start cooking dinner faster.”
Jason’s eyes filled with mirth, and he responded, “I’ll give you that.”
“Damn, all this talk about food has my stomach rumbling,” Blake grumbled. “Let’s go get our women before we starve.”
Kyle, Blake, Jason, and Damon all spun around on their feet and headed for the skinny trail.
Colton rotated his head to me, smiling. “You ready for a weekend of fun?”
“Very much so.” I beamed up at him and laced my fingers with his.
“All right then, let’s go,” he replied, stepping forward.
The little path was longer than I’d expected, but it made sense why the girls hadn’t heard Colton’s and my arrival. Our lots backed up to one another, but the thickness of the pines in between the sites was dense. It made me think of a scary movie, so I surely wouldn’t be walking this path alone at night.