by Vivian Arend
Still, she had stitched him up about a month ago when he’d accidentally been shot. The feel of his firm muscles under her fingers—
It was a little creepy how often that scene replayed itself in her head. Considering her issue with stalkers, the last thing she wanted was to be one herself.
Zach slowed as they entered the gate to the Red Boot ranch. Julia peered out the window at the outbuildings around them.
The guys had been working on the place since the spring, rapidly at first but with a slowdown recently. Although it was getting closer to winter, so she figured that made sense. They just didn’t seem to have the same urgency to get the place up and running that she’d noticed in the beginning.
The buildings and grounds had changed since the last time she’d been there, though, and Julia was fascinated. “Where are you staying these days?” she asked.
He pointed to the far end of the row of small cabins facing the Rocky Mountains. “I’ve got the biggest one. Two bedrooms—you’ll have space to yourself.”
His words came out a little more clipped than usual, his body tight as he parked his classic car in an old wooden shed on the far side of the cabin. His truck sat outside the makeshift garage.
They both got out and met at the trunk.
Zach took a deep breath before turning to face her. “I’ll let you in and you can get settled. I promised Finn I’d take care of a few chores tonight. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
She glanced at the small cottage beside them, a cozy glow shining out the window. The temptation to run away for at least a short time was strong, but something told her it wasn’t the right move. With where her head was at, she’d do nothing but fidget and worry the entire time he was gone.
Julia shook her head. “I’ll drop my things, but let me come and help you.”
He hesitated. “This whole situation we need to talk through—I don’t think that should be done while we’re wandering around the barns.”
“I agree. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind a bit of labour while I’m thinking. It’s how I figure stuff out.”
His big shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. “Okay. I’ll get your help mucking out a few stalls.” He took her bag again. “As long as you remember which end of the shovel is the working bit.”
The soft snicker that escaped her felt good. “Trust me. I’ve got that part down pat.”
They crossed to the cabin. She slipped into his bathroom to change out of her good jeans. It was too short a pit stop to do much more than admire the concrete vanity and the pinewood trim on the mirror and cabinetry. She caught a brief glimpse of blue and brown tiles, but the rest she’d take a closer look at when they returned.
She tucked her bag beside the corduroy-covered couch in the living room and met Zach at the door.
He had also changed into work clothes. He examined her before giving a brief nod. “You’ll be happy to know we have rubber boots you can borrow.”
“Any good dude ranch has extra rubber boots,” she said cheerfully.
He strode toward the main barn. “Not sure this is a good dude ranch quite yet,” he admitted. “We’ll get there, but right now it’s a bit of a reach.”
Zach got her situated with footwear and a shovel, pointed to the three stalls he wanted her to take care of, then left her alone.
He stepped farther into the barn and got to work, so she followed his example and got down to it.
The physical labour of lifting pellets into the wheelbarrow calmed her racing thoughts.
It had always been like that. The repetitive motion helped her step away from her brain fluttering on repeat. By the time she went through the final motions, her leg and back muscles ached in different places than from the earlier dancing.
Plus, she’d figured out some possible bartering chips to toss toward the upcoming conversation.
Zach paced past, nodding his approval. “Good job. And thanks—you saved me a bunch of time.”
Julia shrugged. “Caused a bunch of trouble already, so it’s the least I could do.”
He tilted his chin toward his cabin. “Grab a shower. I’ll finish up and join you in about half an hour.”
This time as she let herself into his place, Julia allowed herself the luxury of taking a long, slow look around.
For some reason, Zachary had moved into what would eventually be a family bungalow. It wasn’t decked out yet like it would be down the road. She knew that from talking to Karen about the level of clientele they hoped to attract to Red Boot ranch.
This looked more bachelor chic. A comfortable couch sat opposite a sturdy coffee table, the surface well-scuffed from where countless feet had rested. A couple of scorch marks marred the wooden surface, one large enough to proclaim a pizza pan had gone straight from the oven to the tabletop.
She hurried into the bathroom, this time able to appreciate the high-quality tile around her. The rain shower fixture overhead delivered a heck of a lot more water pressure than she’d had in her admittedly disgusting apartment.
Between the chores, the shower, and the bit of time to breathe, Julia had come up with a plan.
It would still be awkward, but she felt a whole lot more in control as she met Zach in his living room, settling in the easy chair to the side of the couch.
Settling might’ve been the wrong word—she perched at the front, hands folded in her lap to keep from fidgeting.
Zach had returned to being the poster child for relaxation. He leaned back on the couch and propped his woolen-sock-covered feet up on the coffee table.
His gaze drifted over her, examining her before nodding decisively. “Okay. It’s problem-solving time. You need a temporary boyfriend to stop some nasty rumours. I get that, and I can agree, because wiggling lips don’t stop once things get rolling.” He lifted his chin and looked her straight in the eye. “But first you need to come clean. Why the hell did you come here? To Heart Falls, and to this job? Because it sounds as if there was something between you and Brad in the past. While I don’t believe for one second that you’re fooling around with him now, I don’t want to get blindsided in the future.”
Thank goodness she was dealing with an intelligent man. “We didn’t have that kind of a relationship.”
“Great. What kind of a relationship did you have?”
So much for keeping the truth a secret. “He rescued me.”
Zach’s casual relaxation vanished. He rocked forward on the couch, blinking hard. “Excuse me?”
It was Julia’s turn to raise a brow and relax a little. “He saved my life. If I feel anything for Brad, it’s a bit of hero worship, because without him, I’d be dead.”
3
Julia’s unexpected confession simultaneously relieved a few fears while driving Zach’s protective instincts back into high gear.
“You’re going to need to explain that a little more.” Zach sat upright, giving her his full attention. He made sure he kept his voice gentle, though, because the last thing she needed while talking about bullshit would be for him to go ape shit on her.
Julia took a moment as if getting her thoughts together before meeting his gaze full on. “The short story is while I was at the training center for EMTs, one of my classmates mistook me being friendly as encouragement far beyond what it really was. I don’t want to go into the details, but he kidnapped me. He was very gentle about it. I thought he was just kidding around until I was tied up and trapped with no way to escape.”
The curse that slipped from Zach’s lips made her lips twitch.
“Yeah. Pretty much what went through my head when I realized Dwayne hadn’t been kidding about the keeping part of keeping me safe. Brad was one of the trainers at the school, and we’d developed a good relationship—very much a big brother thing as he mentored me through my first semesters of extended schooling. Brad noticed right away when I went missing.”
Zach was going to buy the man a bottle of anything he wanted. “How long were you missing?”
“F
ive days. It would’ve been longer, or forever, if Brad hadn’t figured it out. But it comes down to this. Brad nearly lost his job for doing what he needed to find me, mostly on a hunch. There’s no way I could repay that by allowing him and Hanna to be hurt.”
Zach rested his elbows on his knees even as he nodded. “I’m fully on board. We’ll make sure everybody knows you’re taken. It shouldn’t take long to knock the knees out from under this rumour.”
She deflated slightly, the worry in her eyes slipping to relief. “Thank you.”
His own concern rose. Talk about complications.
He wanted to be with this woman and give dating a try. What he’d wanted to say was he’d take care of her going forward, but a take-over, take-charge approach was out of the question. No way did he want to cause the slightest hint of a reminder of her past trauma.
Yet his gut rarely steered him wrong, and his first impulse was to tell her a partial truth.
To hell with it. He leaned back again, getting comfortable. “Couple more things to talk about.”
Julia nodded. “I’ll tell my sisters, and Finn and Josiah, but I think that’s as far as we can share that us dating is not real. I mean, I trust Tamara as well, but as soon as I tell her, Caleb will know. He’s got so much close family underfoot—it’s kind of hard to know where the story will stop.”
“What if we don’t tell anyone it’s not real?”
She snapped upright at his comment. “You said your friends would be upset. And that my sisters would break out the ball busters.”
“That’s if we were just fooling around.” He let his gaze drift over her, appreciating the firm muscles and soft curves. “I have zero problem actually going out with you.”
The little frown between her brows was back. “Stop kidding around.”
“Oh, honey, this isn’t my kidding around face.” He offered a wink. “You’re a beautiful woman with a great sense of humour and a very giving heart. You intrigue me.”
She looked as if she was struggling for words. Then she shook her head. “Remember the bit where I’m leaving at the end of October?”
“You said your internship was done at the end of October. Doesn’t mean that you’ll be leaving. Lots more jobs available in the Heart Falls area. But that’s not something to worry about at the moment.” He checked her over again, gaze lingering on her cheeks that had flushed red at his bold appraisal. “Julia Blushing, would you go out with me? Breakfast tomorrow morning?”
Her head shook from side to side.
“Is that a no, you’d prefer lunch or dinner? You know, we both like to dance. I’d love to take you back to Rough Cut.”
“Will you be serious?” Julia had her hands in her lap, tangling her fingers together over and over.
Zach took a step back, figuratively. He lowered his tone and spoke softer. “I’m not trying to trap you into anything, but I’m telling you the honest to God truth. I like you. I would very much like to get to know you better. If you don’t think I’m a terrible bet, this would solve things on all sorts of levels. My friends won’t think anything of us dating, and your sisters won’t freak out as long as we’re upfront and honest from the beginning.”
“Finn saw us,” she confessed. “When we were getting ready to leave the pub. I think he saw us kiss, and he definitely saw us slip out the door.”
Which was something that could play in his favour. Still, Zach took the cautious route. “And if you absolutely want this to be nothing but pretend, then we will deal with the four of them. But I’d be honoured if you’d consider dating me for real.”
Her expression grew bemused. “I don’t think I’d be a very good girlfriend,” she cautioned.
“Maybe you need some practice,” he offered dryly. “We’ll grade on a curve.”
Her gaze snapped to his, a whole lot of what-the-hell attitude back in that moment, and something inside him clicked.
This was the real Julia. This was the intriguing woman he’d seen glimpses of off and on. He wanted to get to know her better, wanted to spend time with her.
And while it sounded as if she had some pretty major events in her background, he was a patient man. He’d be able to help if she needed him to. Otherwise, having a good time together would not be a hardship.
Julia rubbed her eyes as a huge yawn escaped. “I’m sorry. I can’t think about this anymore tonight.”
“Sleep on it. We’ll talk more in the morning when I take you to breakfast.”
Her glare could’ve cut diamonds. He winked in approval.
They stood at the same time.
He gestured toward the back of the cottage. “You take the bed. I’ve got an air mattress somewhere I’ll toss in the second room.”
“I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”
He turned her by the shoulders and pushed her toward his room. “You’re too tired to argue with me. Save it. We can have a really good, knock-down verbal spat about who sleeps where. Tomorrow.”
She held on to the door for a moment, staring back with eyes that were exhausted and slightly haunted, but a smile twisted her lips. A real smile instead of the awkward fake one that had shown up before. “Zach?”
“Yeah?” He deliberately walked past her, heading into the chaos of the room he’d used to toss his shit.
“Good night.” A gentle whisper that slipped over his skin like a caress.
He found a spot to place the air mattress, stretching out in the middle of a mishmash of boxes and other possessions. Her voice continued to drift through his ears as he fell asleep.
He was awakened by strange sounds coming from his bedroom. Zach rose, caution tossed aside as he cracked open the bedroom door.
In the middle of his king-size bed, Julia’s head flipped back and forth on the pillow, the sheets tangled around her.
A moan of fear slipped from her lips, and her hands scrambled at the covers. That’s when he noticed that the quilt was pinned under her body, trapping her in place.
Poor girl. “Julia. Wake up, sweetheart. You’re having a bad dream.”
She continued to move frantically. He spoke again, sliding closer to the bed. Her eyes were squeezed shut as her fingers plucked at the material pinning her in place.
Hell if he wanted to scare her more, but the sounds escaping her lips were breaking his heart.
Zach spoke louder. “Julia. Wake up. Everything’s going to be okay.”
When she kept rocking in place, Zach took a chance. He laid a hand on her shoulder then quickly removed it. “Julia.”
The third time he made contact, her eyes popped open, gaze snapping to meet his. The fear on her face was stark, and something went brittle inside him.
She opened her mouth. He expected to be screamed at, but what escaped was his name.
“Zach?” A hushed whisper. Barely there and very much a plea.
“You’re all tangled up. Okay if I give you a hand?”
Her chin quivered as she nodded. He rearranged the blankets until she had full range of motion once again. “There you go. That should be better.”
Before he could pull back from the bed, her fingers wrapped around his wrist. Her big eyes locked on him, and she looked uncommonly like a deer caught in bright headlights. “Thank you.”
He cautiously settled a hip on the edge of the bed, smoothing the sheet over the quilt. She settled back, and he stroked her hair from her face.
The entire time, she watched him.
She didn’t say anything. Just stared with that pleading expression. As if she wanted something but couldn’t say the words.
No way in hell would he make too broad an assumption right now. Not after what she’d shared earlier.
So he sat where he was, gently stroking his fingers through her hair.
Her eyes closed to half-mast before popping open, as if desperately fighting sleep.
He couldn’t help it. She was so timid at that moment, like one of his little sister’s rabbits. Really wanting to believe it was saf
e, yet uncertain of moving closer.
Zach made a judgment call and went with it. If he was wrong, they could get their heads straightened out later. “Go to sleep,” he told her. “I’ll stay and keep you safe.”
For second a flash of fearlessness crossed her expression. “I can take care of myself,” she insisted.
He kept his smile in place. “Of course you can. But tonight, I’ll help.”
From the dryness of her mouth and the ache at the back of her skull, Julia knew she’d had a nightmare.
The fact she wasn’t curled up in a ball on the floor or stuck in a corner of the room freezing to death with her arms tangled around her thighs made her less certain, though.
Part of the night came back to her. The bit that involved a pair of blue eyes, steady and kind, watching as sleep returned. Zach’s voice as a thread of calm that had slipped into her ears and tangled around her nervous system, soothing away her tension from the inside.
She sat up and glanced around, almost certain she would find him stretched out beside her on the king-size bed. When she discovered she was alone, it was with equal parts of sadness and contentment.
She didn’t need the complication of a real boyfriend. She definitely had appreciated his warm presence by her side last night.
Knowing it was impossible to balance the two parts of that equation, or decide which was more important, Julia threw back the blankets and got out of bed.
A quick glance at her watch said it was well past eight. She was used to working all sorts of shifts, and throwing herself out of a solid sleep into work mode was already second nature. But working in emergency services meant she also knew how to thoroughly enjoy her sleep when she could, such as going without a morning alarm and waking once her body was rested.
She walked into the kitchen, the scent of coffee pulling her to the side counter even as she had to ruefully admit she was a very good sleeper most of the time.
Damn nightmares.
She squared her shoulders and poured herself a cup, sniffing the liquid before taking a sip.
It wasn’t fresh fresh, but it also wasn’t tar. After working at the fire hall around people who didn’t know two things about what a good brew was supposed to taste like, Julia was very happy to discover Zach’s coffee was drinkable.