Walk The Line (The Dawson Brothers Book 6)

by Ali Parker

  Dylan got to work chopping onions and garlic while I put the water on to boil for the spaghetti noodles. As we were working, Abi walked in.

  “Something smells good in here. I’m so glad you boys got started on dinner. I’ve been out all day and barely had anything for lunch. I’m starving.”

  “Well, don’t just sit down, I can use help getting the sauce started and getting the garlic bread ready to put in the oven,” I said, pointing to the bread on the counter.

  “All right, put me to work the minute I come in—ain‘t that always the way of it?” She shook her head as she stood at the kitchen sink and washed her hands.

  “Yeah, but it looks like it might just be the three of us, so at least it won‘t be too much to make. It’s just spaghetti and meat sauce,” Dylan added.

  “Sounds good to me. I want to eat dinner and get up to my bathroom for a nice long bath. What time are we going into the city tomorrow, Connor?”

  “Actually, Lydia Myers called earlier and canceled the meeting. She needed more time to pull the project together and is going to get back to us about a later date,” I said.

  “Well dang, that’s unfortunate. I was looking forward to getting started right away. But I do have quite a lot of work to do in the stables tomorrow. Plus, I’ve got two saddles and some other tack that need some repair, so I’ll take it all into the saddlery. I don’t know why those dang horses are so hard on things. I need the saddles fixed right away, so tomorrow would be a good day to run it all into town,” she said, putting garlic and butter on the bread.

  I could feel Dylan staring at me, judging me. He knew I was lying. It didn’t feel good to lie to my sister, but I knew it was the only way I was going to get to see Lydia alone. Abi would need to forgive me later.

  “Well, it may be just as well. That woman is probably mortified after what happened to her here, everyone teasing her and all. We need to give her some space before she comes back to this house. Now, don’t go getting attached to this one, Connor, she’s too much of a girly-girl for this family,” Abi said, putting the bread in the oven.

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that. She’s obviously got his number, she slapped him, remember? I saw it myself,” Dylan teased.

  “Thanks for reminding me, again. Can we just concentrate on dinner? Abi, we’ll need a few more tomatoes from the garden.”

  “And a bell pepper if you can find a good one,” Dylan added.

  “On it,” she said, grabbing a colander. She walked out the back door, turning on the back porch light and heading down into the vegetable garden right outside our kitchen.

  “So, you’re really going to do it?” Dylan asked quietly.

  “Yeah, I think I have to. I owe myself that much. I’ve never met a woman like Lydia before. As you said, she had me hypnotized at the dance hall. I have to see where this could go, and I can only do that without Abi there. Thanks for backing me up there, I won’t forget it.”

  “Don’t mention it, but when you get caught I had no idea.”

  “What are y’all talking about?” Abi opened the back door and stepped inside.

  “Dylan was just saying how he was going to help you with the saddles tomorrow. He’s concerned they’re too heavy for you to lift into the truck.”

  “I put them on top of the dang horses nearly every day, but I will take that help, Dylan. Thank you.”

  Dylan narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. I just laughed. It was good payback for what he did in front of Lydia.

  “Two tomatoes and one ripe bell pepper, as requested,” Abi said, as she washed the vegetables in the sink.

  “Perfect. Chop them up and throw them right in here,” Dylan said, as he stirred the spaghetti sauce in the pan.

  Fifteen minutes later, we sat down to dinner, just the three of us. It was kind of nice to have a small family dinner. It was a rare occurrence, since usually we were all together, even on Sundays. But once every few months it seemed to happen that we’d have a Sunday dinner with only a few of us home, and I actually enjoyed it.

  12

  Lydia Myers

  On Monday morning, something strange happened. I tried on several outfits, something I never did. I was always very straightforward with my work wardrobe. This day was different, somehow. I knew I was going to see Connor Dawson and therefore couldn’t decide what to wear. The purple dress was too low cut and he would think I wore it for him, the scoundrel. The blue dress buttoned up too high on the neck, and made me look like the most boring person in the world. Since I had already slapped him on the dance floor, wearing that dress would only confirm that I was uptight. Every outfit felt like it had a message behind it, and the whole thing was driving me crazy. I finally decided on a very basic outfit. I wore a black blazer over a white camisole, a black pencil skirt, black stockings, and black heels. It made me late getting to the office, but at least I was confident in my outfit.

  A few minutes before the meeting, I was pacing back and forth. What was happening to me? I pushed my fingers through my hair as I stared at myself in the mirror. I was feeling nervous. I was never nervous before seeing a client, because I was always on top of my game and confident about my work. But this—this was different. Connor Dawson was tall, athletic, a true cowboy, and so damn sexy. I didn’t want to feel so damn girly about seeing him, but I did. It was the first time I had felt that way in a very long time. And it both scared and excited me. I applied a layer of lip-gloss.

  “You look nice,” Whitney said.

  “Whitney. You scared me. I didn’t see you standing there.”

  “That’s because you were too busy getting dolled up,” she said with a wink.

  “I’m not getting dolled up,” I put the lip-gloss away and moved to my desk.

  “So what’s going on then? Is there something more happening with Connor Dawson than you’re telling me?”

  “No. Why would you ask that?” I didn’t make eye contact with her. Instead, I looked through my folder getting the item inventory I had pulled for the meeting.

  Whitney continued. “Because you haven’t mentioned the meeting you had at Dawson Ranch, not once. That’s why. Every time we have a client we talk about what their home or office was like, and what we’re going to do to make it better. All of the normal things, yet this time you have not said one word about it. So I don’t think something is up, I know it.”

  I sighed. Whitney knew me too well to hide anything from her, but there was nothing to hide. Though I didn’t tell her how mortified I had felt that day when Connor’s brothers brought up the fact that I had slapped him.

  “Nothing is up. I’ve just been too busy to talk about the ranch. It’s a big project, two rooms,” I said, trying to cover up my lie.

  “Mmm-hmm,” she said.

  Clang, clang, the bell on the door sounded, letting us know that someone had just walked in. I looked at the clock.

  “Shit, that’s them now. Go on now, and stop bugging me. It’s not professional,” I whispered to her sternly.

  With a smirk, she walked out of my office, and to my horror, turned towards the reception area. “Hello Mr. Dawson!” I heard her say cheerfully. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. Damn it, Whitney, I thought. She was fully enjoying getting me all riled up and nervous.

  Walking down the hall, I entered the front office. Connor was standing there, alone. He looked just as dashing as ever with a blue and green plaid western shirt that made his eyes stand out. Fitted Wrangler jeans and boots reminded me of his cowboy nature. His hand touched the rim of his cowboy hat, “Ma’am.”

  “Lydia. You can call me Lydia.” I couldn’t help the smile on my face. I knew that he was just calling me ma’am to tease me because we had already had that talk.

  “Where’s Miss Dawson?” Whitney said, intrusively.

  “Oh, she couldn’t come today. It will just be me,” he grinned.

  My body flushed with a heat that radiated through me. Whitney turned to me with her back to Connor. Her b
row arched as she passed me. “Mmm-hmm,” she mumbled.

  “Right this way, Mr. Dawson,” I turned to head toward my office and out of Whitney’s watchful gaze.

  “It’s Connor,” he said, following right behind me.

  “Right. Of course,” I opened the door to my office. Once he entered, I closed the door.

  “So, Abigail couldn’t make it?” I asked, taking a seat behind my desk.

  “No. She had to take some saddles to the saddlery. So I came instead. I hope that’s alright.”

  “Yes, perfectly fine. Let’s get started.” I opened my folder. “These are the appliances I have for you to choose from. These are brushed stainless steel, and these are standard stainless steel. I think it’s going to go well in the kitchen once it’s painted and we add this backsplash on top of the counters. It’s a white subway tile but will still retain that farm look, just a bit more modern,” I said, showing him the photos.

  “I love it. I think I like these better. What did you call that?”

  “Brushed stainless steel. I agree with you. It also hides fingerprints so it doesn’t have to be wiped down as often. This new washer and dryer set also cleans itself which I think might be something needed on the ranch,” I said.

  “Yes, I agree with that, too,” he said, with that heart-stopping grin.

  I was nervous to be sitting there alone with him. I kept thinking about how he’d held me in his arms when we danced. Was he thinking about that too?

  The room was quiet and I realized I was just staring at him, that grin had drawn me in. He was just staring at me too. My body was responding to him and I knew I had to pull myself out of this before it got complicated.

  I cleared my throat. “So, do you think your sister will like this as well?”

  “Yes, I think she will. I know I do. I think anything that cleans itself will be a load off for all of us,” he laughed.

  “It must be a lot of fun having such a big family,” I said.

  “Yes, it is. Sometimes it’s a pain in my ass, though. There’s not a lot of privacy when you have three brothers and a nosy little sister. But I think of them all as a blessing—most of the time.”

  “That’s really great, and the ranch is beautiful. It looks like a lot of work, but I assume it must be worth it?”

  “I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said, getting a far off look in his light green eyes, as though he was thinking about the love he had for the ranch.

  “You know, Whitney out there is from Safety. She hasn’t lived there in years, but she used too,” I said.

  “You don’t say! That’s great,” he said, enthusiastically. “Say, is that why y’all went to the dance hall that night?” he arched a brow at me.

  I felt my face turning pink. “Yes. It was her idea. I really didn’t want to go.”

  “Are you glad you did?”

  “Sure, I like the town. It’s growing on me. It’s really very charming.”

  “Any particular reason?” he asked. I knew what he was getting at, but I couldn’t let him know that I’d been thinking about him nonstop since we had danced that night.

  “You know, I haven’t had a chance to apologize. I never should have slapped you like that.”

  “That’s alright. I deserved it. I never should have kissed you like that. I just couldn’t help myself. You’re so beautiful.”

  His words hit me to the core and I realized I was biting my lower lip as I looked at him. Being called beautiful by this handsome cowboy was definitely having an effect on me. It had made the sexual tension in the room so thick I felt like I could touch it. This wasn’t professional at all. I snapped myself out of it.

  “Thank you for the compliment. Now, shall we move on? I have some ideas for the living room as well, though some of these things were items I discussed with Abi.”

  “That’s alright, I can have a look at them and let you know what I think and then you can show her when she’s free in a few days.”

  “Alright,” but as I answered he surprised me by standing up from the chair. I looked up at him, confused. He was so tall. What was he doing? He grinned and walked behind my desk and stood directly beside me. His large hand stretched out as he rested his palm on my desk and looked over my shoulder at the designs in front of me.

  “Oh, I like that. It still looks country and familiar, but modern. What else?”

  “I—um—” I was trying to regain my concentration. His masculine scent was enveloping me. I took a deep breath. The heat from his body was reaching me and I thought he was going to put his hand on my back at any moment.

  “Well, there’s this. I know it doesn’t look much different than the first one but—”

  “No, it does. I see it. You use pale blue here and the other was with pale yellow,” he said, pointing.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “I personally like the blue, but I’ll let Abi decide the colors. I like the style of furniture you have here. I think it goes well with the family antiques.”

  “Thank you,” I cleared my throat because, to my embarrassment, it was getting raspy and thick with lust. Having him in my office, just he and I, was increasing my excitement by the second. What was he going to do? Was he going to kiss me again? How would I react? Would I push him away again or let him do it? My blood started pumping through my body at a rapid pace.

  “Lydia,” his voice was quiet.

  “Yes?”

  “I really want to ask you something, but I hope it doesn’t offend you.”

  Turning from my designs, I looked up at him. He was standing tall and I couldn’t help but notice that sitting in my office chair put me directly in front of his crotch.

  “What is it?”

  “I would like to know if you would, uh—that is, uh—I would be honored if you would consider letting me take you to dinner. Like a date,” he grinned.

  “A date?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, well I usually don’t go on dates with my clients.”

  “Then just consider it dinner then. You have to eat. I have to eat. We can eat together, at the same table, can’t we?” He smiled even bigger, if that was possible. Damn, that smile was dashing.

  “Yes, I do have to eat.”

  “So, would you eat with me?” his brow raised above his light green eyes.

  “I suppose so,” I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my lips.

  “I have a ton of work to do on the ranch tomorrow, but I could do Wednesday night. I could come into the city and pick you up from your place.”

  The thought of him standing at my doorstep made me a little anxious. That would mean that he would have to drop me off and give me a goodnight kiss, and honestly I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop him if he did. There would be no slapping this time. I would want to ride this cowboy, and ride him hard.

  “Um, I have another idea.”

  “I’m listening,” he said, as he crossed his strong arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. His sexy tattoos were very visible on his toned forearm. I pulled my gaze away from them.

  “I could come out to the ranch tomorrow and help you with your work. I have to take some measurements anyway. Then we could maybe eat after the work was done. I do like that diner in town,” I offered.

  His brow pushed forward as though he was shocked. “Help? On the ranch? You?”

  “Uh! Yes. Why do you say it like that?”

  “Well, it’s not exactly a stiletto and black stockings kind of place,” he said with a laugh.

  “I resent that. I didn’t wear my business suit when I came out the first time to take photos and such,” I stood up and put my hands on my hips. Who did he think he was talking too?

  “Don’t you have to be here tomorrow?” he asked, looking around the office.

  “No. I don’t have clients coming in tomorrow, and besides, your project is so big I’ve devoted most of my time to it anyway,” I said.

  “Alright then. Let’s see what you’r
e made of, Myers.”

  “Great. What time do you get started with your work?”

  “Seven. And that’s a.m.”

  “What?!”

  He laughed. “Why don’t you come any time after ten?”

  “Good. I don’t want to get stuck in rush hour anyway. I’ll be there at ten.”

  I put my hand out to him. He grabbed my hand and shook it, but held on, then our eyes met. The grin on his face fell, and so did mine. We just stood there staring at each other, and I could feel the roughness of his hard-working hand.

  “Knock-knock,” Whitney said loudly, and pushed the door open. “Oh sorry!” she looked at us standing close together behind my desk with my hand in his. My mouth fell open.

  “Whitney! Uh, Mr. Dawson was just leaving,” I pulled my hand from his and put it on his arm, pushing him toward the door. It did not escape my attention how hard and muscular that arm felt under my hand.

  “Okay,” Whitney said smugly as she stepped back out of my office into the hallway, where she stayed.

  “So, thank you for taking time to show me the designs, and I will see you again tomorrow,” Connor entered the hallway and headed for the reception area.

  “Well, hello there,” Janet said, as she walked in through the front door carrying a box of samples.

  “Hello ma’am. Let me help you with that,” Connor grabbed the box from her and set it on the counter. I was both surprised and aroused by his manners. How could this be the same brash cowboy from the dance hall that I saw fighting in the parking lot?

  “Thank you, and you are?” Janet had a big flirtatious smile on her face.

  “I am Connor Dawson, ma’am,” he tipped his hat.

  “Oh, so you’re Mr. Dawson. I’m Janet Patton of Patton Designs. Thank you for using our services. I hope that you are finding them satisfactory so far.”

  “Yes ma’am, the best,” he said.

  “That is very good to hear. You are in good hands with Lydia.”

  “Don’t I know it,” he grinned.

  “I bet you do,” Whitney whispered at my side. I elbowed her quickly.