by Laura Ann
“Yeah...” Sawyer paused for a moment. “I just...I just don’t want to be the one that ruins that for him.”
“I know.” Ridge rubbed at his temple, trying to ward off a sudden headache. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought of that when I asked you for a swap.”
“It would have been fun, but right now, Harlan comes first.”
“As he should. Thanks.” Ridge ended the call, guilt and disappointment clashing inside of him. I’ll just have to find another way to get to know her, because now that I’ve had a glimpse at the real her, I don’t think I can stay away completely. Ridge’s hands clenched and unclenched as he walked through the office building. But right now, I need a break.
When he rounded the corner that led to the front lobby, Ridge grinned. “Cora!” he greeted their secretary. The short, petite woman had been a friend of their family for many years. She was the same age as the triplet’s younger sister Goldie, and had spent many hours at the Lockwood home during her growing up years.
Cora’s bright green eyes narrowed as she watched Ridge walk closer. “What are you up to now?”
Ridge put a hand to his chest in feigned hurt. “Is that any way to treat your employer?”
Cora snorted, pushing her fashionable glasses up her nose. “You’re not my employer. Harlan is.” She smirked. “I know you all too well to be fooled.” Her grin widened. “Did you get in trouble for that little wrestling stunt in the hallway the other day? Are you trying to sneak out of whatever punishment Harlan gave you?” She grinned. “Let me guess, it has something to do with peeling potatoes or cleaning toilets with a toothbrush.”
Ridge scowled and leaned onto the front desk on his fists. “I’ll have you know I did not get in trouble.” He straightened and pretended to straighten his cufflinks. “I actually got to meet the woman of my dreams!”
Cora laughed lightly. “Oh, really? And just who was that? Barbie?”
Ridge shook his head and tilted his chin down. “Everly Madison.”
Cora whistled lower under her breath. “You do reach for the stars.”
Ridge scoffed. “What? Any girl would be lucky to have me!”
“Yeah...any girl who actually likes a pain in the neck,” Cora grumbled teasingly.
Ridge laughed. “Hey, now. Don’t be wounding my ego. It’s fragile enough as it is.”
Now it was Cora’s turn to laugh. “There is nothing fragile about any of you Lockwood boys.”
“Boys?” Ridge flexed his arms. “I’ll have you know—”
“Stop flirting with the employees, Ridge.” Harlan’s voice cut across the room, low and hard.
Ridge froze as he watched Cora wince. “Harlan, that wasn’t nice. Cora’s like family.”
Harlan threw a couple of manilla folders onto the secretary’s desk. “Right now she’s employed by our company. You can spend time with her outside working hours.”
Ridge frowned at Harlan’s angry demeanor. Is he still upset about my flirting with Everly? I thought we got that all worked out. He looked at Cora, whose gaze was in her lap and her cheeks flushed, whether in anger or embarrassment, Ridge couldn’t tell. “I’m heading to the gym, Cora. Would you mind taking messages for any calls?”
Cora nodded, but kept her head down.
Ridge clenched his jaw, debating whether or not to say more, but he couldn’t handle Harlan hurting someone as sweet as Cora. Stepping closer to his brother, he stood nose to nose. “I know life has been hard lately, Har, but don’t take it out on Cora. She’s not going to be your employee for much longer if you treat her like that.”
Praying he hadn’t set his brother off, but proud of standing up for someone who wouldn’t do it for herself, Ridge turned and headed across the foyer to the other side of the building where they kept the training rooms. He needed to work off some steam, and pounding a bag to a pulp was a good place to start.
He glanced over his shoulder just before he turned a corner, grateful to see Harlan looking sheepish and speaking to their friend and co-worker. Good. He shouldn’t have treated her that way. If he’s mad at me, he can say so, but Cora has been nothing but a blessing since we got this all started, and she deserves far better than to be snapped at.
CHAPTER 7
A week later, Ridge fell onto his couch in a state of shock, still holding his phone. He blinked several times, then reread the text.
Sawyer: If you’re still interested, I’ll swap. But only once!
He frowned and pushed a hand through his curls, causing them to stand up in marvelous disarray. “Why the heck would he change his mind?” Ridge muttered. He moaned and let his head fall back into the cushions. He had just finished a late night job at a charity function and he was exhausted. Who knew that watching a bunch of richies hobnob with each other could be so tiring?
“Everything all right?” Harlan’s voice jerked Ridge out of his whining.
He turned his phone over against his thigh, praying Harlan hadn’t seen the message. “Uh, yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“Did you have any trouble?” Harlan stood in the doorway to their family room with a steaming mug in his hand. He was dressed in sweats and a T-shirt as if he were headed to bed, but Ridge knew better. The dark patches under his brother’s eyes were a testament to the fact that Harlan still wasn’t sleeping well.
“Nope. No trouble. Everyone got drunk and gave away more money than we make in a year and then went home to sleep with peaceful consciences.” Ridge grinned, hoping to break through Harlan’s stoicism, but as usual, he failed.
Harlan nodded. “Good for them. Thank you for going. I know you don’t really enjoy those kinds of things.”
Ridge shrugged. “It’s all part of the job. And so far, I have a one-hundred-percent survival rate from social functions, so I think I’ll be all right.”
Harlan tensed slightly and Ridge immediately knew he had said something wrong.
What did I do now? How can we keep this up when every other thing we say triggers something? Ridge leaned forward. “Har...have you thought about going back—”
“Again...thank you. I appreciate your willingness to help get this business off the ground. Remember you have tomorrow off because you had a late night.” Harlan nodded, then turned and walked down the hall to his bedroom.
Ridge deflated. “He needs help,” he murmured. “But how do we convince him of that?” He bounced his phone on his knee, then suddenly remembered the text he’d just received. Glancing over his shoulder to double check that Harlan hadn’t come back, Ridge pulled up Sawyer’s message again.
His thumbs hovered over the letters only for a moment before answering the comment.
Ridge: Why the change? Aren’t you still worried about Harlan?
It only took seconds for Sawyer to reply.
Sawyer: During this last week she has, not so subtly, asked about you an annoying number of times. I refuse to play the part of messenger, so I thought it might be best to just let you two see each other.
Ridge couldn’t have stopped the goofy grin from spreading across his face if he wanted to.
Ridge: Are you serious? Does she think I’m hot?
Sawyer: Dude! I just said I’m not playing the inbetween like a seventh grade girl. If you want answers to that, you’ll have to ask her yourself.
Ridge: That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. You never ask a girl that outright. You go behind her back and ask her friends.
Sawyer: So, you’re saying I’m her friend? ;) Maybe we can be friends with benefits.
A jealous streak a mile wide surged through Ridge and he growled as he typed his response.
Ridge: Touch her and you die.
Sawyer: Oooh...I’m scared.
Ridge: You should be. Your job is to protect her from men exactly like you. Ridge knew Sawyer had a tendency to go through women like water and he had no desire for Everly to get lost in the current.
Sawyer: We both know I would win in a fight, so you might as well back down. But all the sa
me, I’m joking, bro. I have no designs on your little guitar player.
Ridge: Good. And no, you wouldn’t. I can take you down with my eyes closed.
Sawyer: They’d be closed, all right, because they’d both be swollen shut. But anyway, if you want a chance to get to know her, I’ve decided to be nice and let you have a shift. A DAY shift. No way am I letting you stay here overnight.
Ridge’s mind spun. He desperately wanted to do this, but also couldn’t shake the thought that it would hurt his brother’s budding business. He scowled as he tried to come up with the right direction. “Harlan isn’t getting any better. I can’t hold back on my own life just because he’s stuck in his.” Ridge’s knee bounced rapidly for a moment while he processed the risk of this decision.
Sawyer: Take it or leave it, dude. What’s your call?
Ridge grunted at Sawyer’s impatience, but quickly answered.
Ridge: Take it. When should I come?
Sawyer: We gotta switch when she won’t know it’s happening. Early morning? Like five a.m.? You also need to fool Leon since he’s sleeping here too. He’s going to be the tricky one.
Ridge said a silent prayer of thanks that he’d been too busy to get a haircut lately. Sawyer liked to keep his curls longer than Ridge did, but right now they were nearly the same.
Ridge: Done. I gotta get a little beauty rest if I’m going to do some wooing tomorrow.
Sawyer: Yeah...you need all the help you can get.
Ridge chose to ignore that last text. “I’ll just punch him next time I see him.” Jumping up from the couch, he hurried to his room. He only had a couple hours to sleep before he’d be going to Everly’s and he wanted to be as awake as possible.
As he slipped under the covers, he knew he was in for a long night. The thought of seeing Everly Madison in person again had sent his adrenaline through the roof. His pulse hummed in his ear and his fingers twitched as he thought about her long, luscious hair and smooth skin.
Get a grip! You’re not going to be any good to her if you’re a walking zombie. Not to mention you’ll be protecting her as well. Shut up, brain! I’m sleeping here!
Ridge closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, pulling on his years of military training to calm his heartbeat and force his body to release its tension. Sooner than he would have thought, he drifted off, thoughts of a beautiful woman floating through his head.
CHAPTER 8
Everly yawned and stretched while still lying down in her bed. She had slept surprisingly well during the last week, considering a man was in her house. Well, two men if you count Leon, but he’s my brother, so...
She snuggled into her covers a little deeper, not quite ready to come out for the day, when a loud bang in the kitchen caught her attention. She sat up straight and put her hand on her racing heart. Her thoughts had immediately jumped to her online stalker, but after the initial shock wore off, she talked herself down from the ledge.
“Sawyer is here, plus Leon. They won’t let anything happen to you. That nasty jerk doesn’t even know where you live, so just calm down. You’re okay.” Everly blew a breath out. “You’re okay.”
The murmur of deep voices caught her attention and it was easy to tell that they were friendly, not angry. The sound helped her calm down even more and she slumped back against her pillows. “I’m ready to have this stalker thing over with,” she mused.
Shaking her head, she pushed aside the covers and padded across the floor to her bathroom to grab her robe. Wrapping it around herself, she pulled her hair up in a messy bun and worked her way to the kitchen.
Leon snorted as she appeared from the hallway. “Mornin’, sunshine.”
Everly glared at him and stuck out her tongue, before she screeched to a halt. Sawyer stood with a pan in his hand, an egg about to fall out of it, and his mouth hanging open as he watched her. For the first time since he arrived, she felt a little flutter in her belly at his intense stare. What the heck? Why is this suddenly back now? It’s been a whole week of absolutely nothing!
Clearing her throat, she patted her hair self-consciously. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Dude!” Leon barked at Sawyer, who immediately jumped into action.
“I just...uh...” Sawyer swallowed hard and practically threw the fried egg on the plate on the table. “I was just making breakfast.” He kept his eyes downcast. “Sorry.”
“You made breakfast?” There went that darn flutter again. What is going on? her brain screamed.
“Yeah,” came the mumbled reply. “Just eggs and toast. It’s not much.”
“No one has made me breakfast in years,” Everly said with a laugh. Stepping up to the table, she slipped into the seat Leon indicated. “Thank you.”
“I’d be careful,” Leon mock whispered in her ear. “I’ve eaten Sawyer’s cooking before and, well... let’s just say he shouldn’t make it his profession.”
Everly’s jaw dropped. “Leon! That’s mean!”
Leon laughed and looked over at Sawyer. “Dude! Remember the time you tried to spice up the slop they were serving?” He sat down next to Everly while he continued to chuckle. “I lost my appetite for a week after that.”
Sawyer’s cheeks were bright red and Everly found that she couldn’t look away from his embarrassed expression.
“Oh, yeah...that. Um...guess that didn’t work out too well, huh?” Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck and grinned, but it looked forced.
Everly elbowed her brother. “Leon, you’re hurting his feelings when he’s here to help us out. Be nice.”
Leon only laughed and ruffled her hair. Everly groaned internally. As if I already don’t look homeless. Thanks, big brother.
“Eh, he’s not hurt. Are ya, Sawyer?”
“Nope! Not hurt at all!” Sawyer called from his place at the stove where he appeared to be frying up another egg. “This is a no hurt zone!”
Everly frowned and laughed lightly. “Okay. Got it.” After closing her eyes for a quick prayer, she picked up her fork and began eating her breakfast. On her second chew, she froze and started to make a face, but quickly held it back when she noticed Sawyer watching her from the corner of his eye. Quickly swallowing the runny egg, she smiled. “It’s great. Thank you so much.”
The smile that spread across Sawyer’s face was mesmerizing. His blue eyes lit up and his white, even teeth almost seemed to flash in the morning light.
Everly held in a girly sigh as she studied him. He’s like a total Prince Charming...strong, handsome and blinding smile...even if he can’t cook worth a darn.
“Great!” Sawyer said a little too loudly. When Everly blinked a few times in surprise, he immediately winced. “Sorry. Uh, I’m glad you like it. I don’t want to be a burden around here.” He turned back around to the stove and went back to focusing on his cooking.
If Everly didn’t know any better, she would have thought Sawyer was nervous around her. He hasn’t been nervous since that first night. I thought we were starting to get along okay. Maybe it’s because I came out in my grubbies. Is that making him feel weird?
Everly’s brain was still churning as she forced herself to eat the rest of the egg Sawyer had semi-cooked. She saved the toast for last, praying he couldn’t have messed that up.
“Gotta run.” Leon stood and walked over to set his mug in the sink. “I’ll catch ya tonight, Ev.”
Everly smiled and waved as he walked toward the front door.
“And don’t worry, Sawyer. You’re definitely not a burden. Anyone who protects my little sister is a hero,” Leon called out before slipping out of the house.
Everly kept her head down, but glanced up from under her lashes for Sawyer’s reaction. Again, she noticed his flushed cheeks and she had the insane desire to run her fingertips along that stubbled skin. The very thought made her squeeze her toast so hard it started to crumble in her fingers.
Squeaking in surprise, she released her grip and dropped the bread
on her plate, then brushed off her fingers on a napkin.
“You okay?”
Everly looked up into Sawyer’s concerned face and every thought fled from her head. A blond curl was dangling over one eye and his brows were furrowed slightly as he studied her. This was not the same platonic curiosity from the previous week. This was full-blown interest, and the thought of him being interested in her made the blood pump faster in Everly’s veins.
I’m bipolar. That’s the only explanation for this. Sawyer is making me feel all sorts of gooey emotions and I can’t figure out why. One minute I’m fine; the next I’m ready to melt into a puddle. And it happens with Ridge too! What in the world am I going to do?
“Everly?” Sawyer asked again.
“Oh! Sorry.” She tore her eyes from his. “Woolgathering.” Everly kept her gaze on her lap as she brushed the breadcrumbs to the floor.
“Woolgathering?” Sawyer had an amused expression on his face. “That’s quite the word.”
Everly felt her cheeks heat. She hadn’t even thought about how using old-fashioned vocabulary made her sound to the men in her life. “Sorry,” she apologized for the millionth time that morning. “It’s an old word I picked up from one of my books. It means—”
“Oh, I know what it means.”
Everly’s eyes shot up to his as Sawyer pressed his palms to the table and leaned forward. Gone was the awkward boy from a few minutes ago and in his place was a suave, confident man. It was almost as if Leon’s presence had been holding him back.
“Y-You do?” Everly couldn’t take her eyes from him as he leaned in close enough for her to smell his musky cologne.
He shrugged one giant shoulder. “’Course. I’m just surprised to hear you using it. You don’t seem like the type.”
RIDGE HELD IN A GRIN at Everly’s offended look. “I don’t seem like the type? What type is that?”