“Hmm, interesting you don’t believe in gilding the lily,” Dottie said, turning her nose up at Katie’s outfit.
What was wrong with her loose, light pink tank top, matching lightweight cardigan, and khaki shorts? Dottie Duncan had to be the bluntest person she’d ever met. Vance had warned her that she’d be in the company of Harmony’s most infamous gossipers, and to beware. Katie sat in one of the Italianate wrought-iron chairs around the umbrella table. The mingled smells of gardenias and roses, mixed with chlorine from the pool, filled the heated air.
Miss Sue sipped a tall, cool glass of lemonade and fanned herself with a red cardboard fan that said: NC Home of the Toot-N-Tell.
“You don’t do too much to make yourself look good. You got a pretty face”—Dottie wiggled a finger at Katie’s chest—“makes me wonder what you’re hiding underneath those ill-fittin’ clothes.”
Just because Katie didn’t wear tops three sizes too small, with her breasts spilling out, didn’t mean she was hiding anything. She’d learned to cover up at an early age in hopes of deflecting her mother’s constant critical barbs.
Katie looked down at her sad tank top. “I’m not trying to hide anything.” Maybe. “These clothes are comfortable.”
“You might try wearing something that fits, dear. Show a little cleavage. Especially if you expect to keep a lovable rake like Vance interested,” Miss Sue said in a prim voice, as if she were discussing scripture and not Katie’s assets.
“I’m not interested in keeping Vance interested.” Dottie snorted, and Miss Sue pursed her lips. “You have to believe me. I simply need his permission to use his house, and then I’m off.” After four weeks of free babysitting. She’d agreed to those terms out of determination and desperation.
“He’s never gonna allow you to use his house. His mama left that house to him and his brother. Vance isn’t likely to let some Hollywood execs get their hands on it and turn it into ‘The House of Usher Meets the Playboy Mansion.’ He’s way too private for that nonsense. Just like his daddy.” Dottie leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “You can use my house. I think it would look great in the movies.”
Katie tried for a polite nod, without giving away what she really thought of all the rows and rows of ruffles Dottie had on every piece of furniture, fabric, and drapery inside her house. Even the oversized dog bed sported ruffles. “That’s kind of you, but we need a farmhouse-look for this series. Your house is, um, far too elegant.” A smile spread wide across Dottie’s face at Katie’s use of the word “elegant.”
“I have to agree with Dottie. I don’t think Vance will let anyone mess with his mama’s house.”
“Are his parents dead?” Katie asked, wondering about his family. She’d seen framed photos of his parents and his brother scattered around the house. His dad had mostly been pictured in a military uniform, and there were pictures of the grown-up brother.
“His mama died back when Vance was entering high school. An aneurysm, something sudden like that. Purely awful. Those poor boys. The most loving parenting they ever had was from their mama,” Miss Sue said.
“Chuck Kerner is a hard man. He was a two-star general in the army. Fought in Vietnam and a bunch of wars after that.”
Katie poured herself a glass of lemonade. The day was heating up, along with the conversation.
“But he was never the same after Helen died. And Vance got the brunt of it.”
Katie sipped the lemonade but didn’t benefit from the cooling liquid. She burned with the thought of Vance being the brunt of anything. “Did he b-beat him?” She pictured a rigid general using his military might on a helpless child.
“Not that I ever heard, and I know most of what goes on around here,” Miss Sue added with pride in her voice.
“Nah, Chuck and Vance just didn’t see eye to eye, that’s all. Eric followed in his daddy’s footsteps. He signed up for the Army right out of high school, not long after his mama died,” Dottie said, drinking her tea. “Kids, we got lemonade over here,” she called to the kids still swimming like fish in the pool.
Dottie swiveled in her chair and pinned Katie with a curious look. “After Eric enlisted, that only left Vance and his daddy with no one to buffer their arguments.”
“What would they argue about?”
“Anything and everything. If Chuck said the sky was blue, Vance would argue and say it was green,” Dottie said.
“That’s not all. They argued about Vance’s girlfriends. One time Chuck caught Vance…you know”—Miss Sue waggled her eyebrows—“in the barn, and you would’ve thought World War III had broken out.”
“So, he had a strict moral code, and Vance rebelled against it,” Katie stated. Okay, she got that. Lots of teenage kids rebelled against their parents’ edicts. And yeah, sometimes it caused familial wars. Something she’d never done…ever. Her only radical move was majoring in education, which went against her dad’s religion, and not doing a very good job for McKnight Studios.
Dottie jiggled the ice in her glass. “Yeah, got caught with his chemistry tutor. Eleven years older than Vance.” Katie sucked in a hard breath. A sly grin curled Dottie’s red-painted lips. “And his dad’s date for that night.”
Fritzschizzle! Katie bolted upright in her chair, eyes wide. Boy, some people really knew how to put the R in rebel. “Seriously?”
“Served Chuck right,” Miss Sue said, fanning her flushed cheeks. “He was making a complete fool of himself. That gal was too young for him.”
And too old for Vance. Wow. His playing days started early.
Dottie tipped her head up and sighed. “Chuck was in a bad place back then. He’d lost his wife and was hurting. Too proud to get help, so he took everything out on his son.” Then she locked gazes with Katie. “Unfortunately, he still does.”
* * *
Vance stood on the front porch, watching for his truck to roll down the driveway. Katie had texted, saying they were on their way home. Vance grimaced. Dottie had been up to something when she’d invited Katie and the kids for a swim. Bullshit on claiming she’d only wanted to help him find quiet time to write. Vance didn’t have to see her calculating face to know she had an ulterior motive, like interrogating Katie. She and Miss Sue Percy could spread dirt faster than all the social media outlets combined.
His black truck came bumping down the winding driveway. Vance smiled, remembering hoisting Katie up in the driver’s seat for church. She’d worn some long, shapeless skirt with a loose top, and then later, some boring khakis and sweater set. For some unexplained reason, Katie covered up, as if ashamed of her body. Vance had already held her in his arms, his hand on her shapely ass, and everything was fine…very fine indeed. Katie didn’t appear unkempt or frumpy. Just hidden. Not every item of women’s clothing was made for the sole purpose of enticing sexual interest in men. But come on…those floppy, ill-fitting clothes weren’t doing Katie’s natural blessings any favors.
Vance met the truck as it came to a stop in the driveway. Donald and Dover bounded from the back of the cab, lugging towels and extra clothes, looking wet and worn-out.
“How was it, guys?”
“Awesome. Miz Duncan said we can come back and swim anytime,” Donald said.
“We need to get some aloe on your faces,” Vance said, noticing Dover’s red cheeks. Katie slid from the driver’s seat with wet hair, soggy shoes, and a beach towel wrapped around her shoulders.
“What happened to you?” Her squinty-eyed response didn’t bode well.
“Katie fell in the pool,” Dover said as he trudged up the front steps.
“Yeah, Miz Duncan’s big dog, Sweet Tea, came running real fast outta the house and barreled right into Katie. You should’ve heard her scream, Uncle Vance. It was so funny,” Donald said, smiling.
Vance’s grin widened as he pulled a sleeping Danny from her car seat and cradled her head on hi
s shoulder. When Katie’s glower didn’t fade, he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Um, yeah, that doesn’t sound good. You okay, K-K-Katie?”
“Go. Away.” Katie reached for her handbag inside the truck, and the towel slipped to her waist, exposing her now-see-through wet tank top. Vance’s gaze zeroed in on the perfect mounds wrapped in very thin, wet fabric, outlining tight, hard nipples. A surge of pure lust punched him below the belt…
Scrambling to cover herself with the towel, she glared. “Stop staring at my boobs”—she shook her finger at his face—“you scourge of Harmony.” Katie spun on her heels and stomped toward the front door.
“Whut? Why am I suddenly the scourge of Harmony?” He caught up with her on the front porch.
“Shhh, you’ll wake Dana Sue,” she whispered and then practically slammed the front door in his face. With squeaky wet shoes she hurried down the hall toward the master suite, taking her luscious tush with her.
Damn Dottie Duncan and Miss Sue Percy for filling Katie’s head with stories of his past. Scourge of Harmony. Jesus. Now any play he made for her, she’d put the wrong spin on it. Yeah, yeah…he’d wanted to seduce Katie. Ever since yesterday, when she stood in his kitchen and whistled. Yep, that probably classified him as the scourge of the South. But for some unexplainable reason, something shifted inside him when his thoughts centered on Katie, who inspired smiles and made him want…things. Things he couldn’t name, but rather felt. And dammit, it was weirding him out.
Vance put Danny down for a nap and made sure the boys were clean and dry, slathering their faces and shoulders with cooling aloe before they settled in for an afternoon of gaming. He went down the stairs, intent on returning to the loft. His blank computer screen with the blinking cursor waited, screaming to be filled with words…specific words that told a story. A story he no longer had in him to tell.
On his way out, he glanced in the living room and stopped. Katie stood with her back to him, in dry clothes and damp, braided hair, holding a photo. Vance knew which one without even seeing it. A picture of him and his dad taken on a day they’d spent together fishing. The one happy memory Vance could recall before all the arguments and recriminations tainted and destroyed their relationship. They used to spend hours fishing out on the lake, enjoying each other’s company. They’d laugh and tell stories, and Vance would feed the fish his lunch if he didn’t like what his mom had packed. The tight knot in his chest made breathing difficult.
Katie glanced up. “Sorry. I didn’t…is this a picture of you with your dad?” She held the framed photo out.
Vance gave the doorframe a soft tap with his knuckles, allowing the happy memory to wash over him. “Uh-huh.”
“You look so…young and skinny,” she said, mouth twitching with a smile. “It’s a great photo. Who took it?”
“My mom. It was the biggest largemouth bass I’d ever caught.”
“Your mom was a good photographer.”
Vance shrugged. “Listen, I’d like to apologize for anything and everything Dottie or Miss Sue said about me today. And I’d really, really appreciate it if you’d take all their elaborate stories and dial them down about fifty notches. They can weave and color a story better than Walt Disney.”
Katie replaced the photo back on the bookshelf. “You mean like the one where your dad caught you having sex with your chemistry tutor?”
He felt the heat of humiliation warm his cheeks. They actually went that far back in the archives? Super.
“Yeah, well, on that one, they were telling the truth.” He wasn’t proud of it, and the older woman hadn’t been worth the backlash…for sure.
“Or the one where you got caught doing a debutante in the coatroom at the country club dance? Not your date, I might add.” She smirked as if all-knowing, which kind of pissed him off.
“Guilty. On both counts.” He crossed the room and stood mere inches from a startled Katie with flushed cheeks and rosy lips.
“Turnabout is fair play. Why don’t you tell me about a scandalous place you’ve done it?” He grabbed her arm before she could skirt around him and pulled her against his chest…where she belonged. “Oh no. You’re not getting away that easy. You’ve heard my stories…now it’s your turn.” Katie struggled for release, but Vance tightened his hold, careful not to hurt her.
“Ever get caught?” he whispered against her ear, kissing it. Her distinct orange blossom scent made him careless. “Ever been excited about the possibility of getting caught?” He nibbled her earlobe; her fragrance filled his head with seductive desire. Tightened nipples poking his chest almost buckled his knees. Katie trembled, and Vance wrapped her in his arms and feasted on the soft skin over her exposed neck, sucking and licking the areas he nipped with his teeth.
“Tell me,” he murmured as he kissed his way down her heated chest. “Tell me…where you’d like to do it…with me,” he growled. “In an elevator? On a balcony? Under a blanket of stars?” A moan of pleasure filled the air before Katie appeared to come to her senses and pushed hard, stumbling back, chest heaving, hands shaking, and stark need coloring her face.
For a moment, she didn’t move. She stood motionless, as if waiting for something else to happen.
“Kat—”
“You! You don’t play fair.” The finger she pointed at his face trembled. “I’m…I’m going out. For some fresh air. You…you, go take a cold shower.” With her finger still pointing, she edged around him as she if didn’t trust him…or herself.
His laugh filled the room. Katie got smarter by the minute.
Chapter 8
Katie snatched up her phone and her favorite Nikon camera before bolting from the den of iniquity where the wicked pirate exuded dangerous sexuality with his mesmerizing drawl and his talented lips.
“Grrr. What’s the matter with me?” One whispered word from Vance, and she turned into a buttery plate of Southern grits. “I never lost control with Tad. Ever,” she mumbled as she stomped around the perimeter of his property, snapping pictures she should’ve taken earlier instead of falling in swimming pools and falling under the sexy pirate’s spell. “It must be this country air.” Or Tad’s disapproving looks and thin lips.
Katie snapped pictures of the side and back view of the barn, wondering how the inside looked. Where Vance worked and ate and…slept. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. The job pressure must be getting to her. And Vance Kerner with his badass look and tough attitude held too much appeal for her frame of mind.
She ventured farther away from the barn, meandering where the grass grew thicker and taller toward a low, crumbling stone wall, snapping more shots of the wildflowers growing among the weeds. Cooler air prevailed under the dense trees’ shade, and Katie smelled the damp, earthy moss beneath her feet. Brushing dirt from the stone wall, she dropped down and fished out her phone. Frazzled by her dangerous thoughts, Katie needed talking off the ledge of lust. Going to Favorites, she dialed her best friend, Inslee, in Santa Monica.
“Oh snap! Look who decided to call. Hello, doll, where are you?” Inslee had picked up after only one ring.
“North Carolina. I’ve found the perfect location but still need to convince the owner…and my dad.”
“Are you at the beach?”
“No. I’m in a small town called Harmony.” Katie proceeded to describe to Inslee the house and barn and the amazing grounds for the miniseries.
“I wanna see. Send me pics. This job sounds promising for you.” Well aware of Katie’s dismal track record after quitting as a schoolteacher, Inslee knew the pressure she suffered from, not measuring up in the McKnight School of Overachievers. “Who owns the house?”
Under the shady canopy of trees, heat infused her body, remembering the owner and his smoldering kisses. Katie cleared her throat. “Okay, you ready for this—Vance Kerner, bestselling author.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard of him.�
� Tapping could be heard over the phone. Just like her dad, Inslee got busy Googling Vance on her computer. Inslee made an abundant living developing computer games and had no trouble with research. “Booyah. Have you actually met this guy?”
Katie stood, continuing her exploration of the surrounding fields. “Yeah. I’m trying to negotiate with him, but he keeps changing the subject. He’s a schemer, and a womanizer—”
“And a rocket. This guy is gorgeous, doll. I’m starting to envy you and this job.”
Katie chuckled, but it lacked humor. “It gets even better. He’s also a serial horn dog…” She proceeded to fill Inslee in on her zany situation the last two days, with babysitting the kids, meeting the people of Harmony, Tad’s phone call, and her dilemma with the smokin’ kissing pirate who seemed intent on seducing her.
“And all this kissing is a bad thing? I’m not seeing a problem. Just say the word, and I’m on the next flight…ready to replace your lips with mine.” Leave it to Inslee to glom on to the crux of Katie’s problem.
“You are dating my brother Sam, remember?”
“Oh. Oh yeah, Sam. How could I forget? Yeah, I love Sam.”
Katie burst out laughing at Inslee’s despondent tone. “I don’t think Sam would appreciate your commentary on the hottie of Harmony.”
“No, I don’t suppose he would. But, come on. I’d have to be blind or dead not to notice this slabalicious hunk.”
“Get over your cyber lust and help me here. What should I do?”
“About what?”
“About Vance and my dad and trying to make this work. Everything. I can’t tell Dad I’m babysitting to get Vance to agree to the contract. He already thinks I’m out of my league. I can already hear the lecture even before it begins. One more slip-up, and he’ll have me pushing a broom at the studio after hours. And what about Tad? Every time Vance kisses me, I feel like I’m cheating.” Or like I’m falling in love. Mother of Mariah Carey. Did she just think the l-word? With someone she’d only met yesterday? Impossible. She was too practical and cynical to believe in love at first sight or even after eight months of dating. But something inside Katie twisted and disagreed.
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