“Are we going to eat or what?” Allie yelled from inside the bunkhouse.
Cade jerked back, dropping his arms from around Nora’s waist and thanked God that they were to the side of the screen door so Allie wasn’t able to see them from the hallway. “Yeah, we’re coming in,” he hollered back to his daughter, then turned back to offer Nora a sheepish grin.
But she wasn’t smiling back. She’d raised her hand to her mouth, the pads of her fingers barely touching her lips. She looked a little dazed, but he couldn’t tell if it was in a good way. Or just a dazed way.
He touched a hand to her hip. “You okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said, dropping her hand and shaking her head as if to snap herself out of it. She took a step back and reached for the bag containing her new boots. “Just give me a second to put this stuff away, and I’ll be over.”
“Sounds good. I’ll set the table,” he said to her back as she vanished into her own side of the bunkhouse.
Shit. He’d blown it. What the hell had he been thinking? He hadn’t. That’s what. He hadn’t been thinking at all—he’d been reacting to the feel of a beautiful woman in his arms. A soft woman with gorgeous eyes and a perfect mouth.
He only prayed she wasn’t in there packing her stuff as fast as she could and preparing to tear out of there. He couldn’t take that. She was making such great progress with Allie. His daughter was actually comfortable with her and taking direction, which she balked at from him.
Please, God, don’t let my idiot need mess up the opportunity for my daughter to get the help she needs for her recovery.
He contemplated following Nora into her place to try to convince her he was an idiot but decided to give her some space instead. He hoped he wouldn’t regret that decision.
Ten minutes later, he’d washed up and he and Allie had set the table. The two of them were in a tentative truce again, which basically meant she was only being semi-pouty and he was ignoring her earlier comments.
A soft knock sounded on the door as he was putting the pan of ziti on the table.
“It smells amazing in here,” Nora said as she let herself in. “I could smell the garlic and basil all the way over in my place. Anything I can do to help?”
Oh-kay. So they were going to go the ignoring route with the earlier almost-kiss as well. Avoidance Central around here. Which was fine with him. He was usually a take the bull by the horns kind of guy, but that was with a bull, not a teenage girl and a gorgeous woman he might have just stepped over the line with.
“Nope.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Just sit down and eat.”
“I already poured you a glass of water,” Allie told her.
“Thanks,” Nora said.
“I think I came up with a name for the horse,” Allie announced.
“Good. What’d you decide?” Cade grabbed a serving spoon, then sank into his chair.
“I wanted to name her something happy sounding, since she seems to have had a lot of sad stuff happening to her lately.”
“Makes sense.”
“So I was thinking a flower name would be kind of cheerful, and Mom’s favorite flowers were daisies, so I thought I’d name her Daisy.”
“That’s perfect,” Nora told her with an encouraging smile. “I really love it.”
“What do you think, Cade?” Allie narrowed her eyes, regarding him as if daring him to say something negative.
I think I wish you’d stop calling me Cade. “I think it’s perfect too. Great choice. Good job kid.”
She kept her gaze trained on him for a few seconds more, then she may have started to smile before she caught herself. But it was enough for him. He cut off any further discussion or any opportunity for a sarcastic comment by bowing his head to pray.
It had only been a couple of days, but Cade couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else felt like they were starting to feel like a family unit—sitting down to meals together, shopping, already knowing some of each other’s likes and dislikes, and the way Nora picked up the serving spoon and both he and Allie automatically handed her their plates.
The conversation was a little stilted at first, but they eventually eased back into their normal flow as they made it through supper and into dessert.
“I’ve never had lemon meringue pie before,” Allie said, squinting at the two-inch-high glossy layer of meringue. “What is that stuff anyway?”
“It’s a mixture of egg whites and sugar beaten to within an inch of its life,” Nora said. “And sometimes a pinch of cream of tartar.”
“Eww,” Allie said, pushing her plate away. “Like you put on fish sticks?”
“No, like you use in baking. Completely different stuff.” Nora scrunched up her nose. “I think. But they taste totally different anyway.” She picked up her fork and carefully cut into the tip of her slice. “The key is to take that perfect bite that has all three components in it—some crust, some lemon, and some of the meringue.” She stuck the bite in her mouth and closed her eyes as she sealed her lips over the tines of the fork. “Mmm. Perfection,” she declared as she opened her eyes. “It’s delicious. I promise.”
Allie took her fork and cut off the tiniest bit. She squinched up her eyes as she cautiously took a bite, then grinned at Nora. “You’re right. It’s good.” She took another bite. “It’s really good. Try it,” she told Cade.
He took a giant bite, heedless of the proportion of crust to meringue. “Good,” he said, since both Nora and his daughter were waiting for his reaction to the pie.
They both smiled and dug in. His phone buzzed as he was taking his last bite of pie. He pulled it from his pocket to check the screen. “It’s a reminder text that your doctor’s appointment is at eleven tomorrow. They’re going to do a checkup and take your stitches out.”
Allie’s shoulders tensed. “So we’re going to Denver?”
“That’s where the doctor’s office is.”
“Can we go by our apartment so I can get my phone and some of my stuff?”
Cade tried to keep the tension from his own shoulders. “If you want.”
“I do. I really want my phone. And my own clothes.” Her voice lowered as her chin fell. “And some other stuff.”
“We can bring some boxes, and you can take whatever you want.”
She looked up at Nora. “Will you come with us? Please.”
Nora blinked, then looked from Allie to him. He gave her a slight nod. “Um, yeah, sure. Of course. If you want me to.”
“I do,” Allie said, then pushed the rest of her pie away. “I’m not very hungry anymore. Is it okay if I just go to my room?”
“Sure. That’s fine,” Cade told her. He stood and picked up their plates, the pie now sitting like a hard lump of lemon-flavored rock in his gut. “I’ll clean this stuff up, then I need to go outside to take care of my evening chores. I’m going to feed the horses if you want to come along.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t I help your dad clean up, then you and I can do a little therapy session while he’s out with the animals. Would that be okay?” Nora asked Allie.
She shrugged. “Yes, I guess.”
Allie disappeared into her room, and he and Nora quietly took care of the dishes. He reached for his hat when they’d finished. “Thanks for this. For everything.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
***
This is a very bad idea, Nora chastised herself, even as she carried a blanket and a glass of wine onto the porch. She should just go to bed—so what if it was barely after nine? She could read a book, or play Candy Crush, or contemplate world peace—anything other than planting herself on this chair on the porch.
She wasn’t necessarily waiting for him. She was just enjoying the night air. So what if she’d changed into a cute pair of pajamas and slicked on a little lip gloss? That didn’t mean she was hoping Cade would come back and sit down next to her on the glider and try to kiss her again.
Her pulse fluttered as she saw his tall figure walk out of the barn and come sauntering toward her. And lordy, could that man ever saunter. As he got closer, her gaze traveled from the dust on his cowboy boots up his long jean-clad legs to his lean waist, then over his muscled chest and broad shoulders and finally landed on his chiseled jaw, where he wore a panty-melting grin that told her he was giving her the same appraisal—and that he liked what he saw.
She took a sip of her wine, trying to cool her suddenly dry throat as he dropped into the glider next to her.
“I was hoping I’d find you here,” he said.
A soft “Yeah?” was all she could muster.
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I know it’s wrong and probably up there on the list of world’s worst ideas, but I was still hoping you’d be out here waiting for me when I got back.”
“Who said I was waiting for you?” She had to at least try to sound coy about it.
He grinned and held out his hand for her glass. Passing it to him, she watched as his mouth touched the marks her lip gloss had left on the glass. He grimaced, then rubbed his lips together. “Terrible wine, but the minty lip gloss made up for it.”
Oh boy. She was in big trouble here.
Gah. Why couldn’t she take her eyes off his mouth? The man had great lips.
“How did it go with Allie?” he asked, bringing her screeching back to reality.
“Good. We went through the whole group of exercises, then she brushed her teeth and went to bed. I checked on her a little bit ago, and she was out like a light. She’s got a lot going on. I think her body knows when it needs the rest.”
“Good.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Listen, Nora. About earlier, I wanted to apologize. I was out of line. I hope I didn’t mess things up with you wanting to work with Allie.”
“Of course not. What happened earlier has nothing to do with Allie.”
He turned his head, catching her in his dark gaze. “You sure?”
“Yes. Positive. And I was right there at that line with you.” She took another sip of wine, this time draining the glass. “I need to tell you something. The reason I was available to drop everything and come up here was because I recently quit my job.”
He furrowed his brow. “Okay. What does that have to do with me?”
“The reason I left my job was because I got romantically involved with one of the doctors at the clinic where I worked. So involved that he asked me to marry him. And even though we hadn’t been together that long, I sold everything I had and moved in with him.”
Cade’s eyes flicked to her bare hand.
She wiggled her fingers. “I sold the ring. Our relationship ended several months ago in a spectacularly volatile burst of flames that left me living back in my mom’s basement with no job, no furniture, and very little pride.” She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. “But I did manage to swipe his expensive coffee machine.”
“The one…” He tilted his head toward her screen door.
She nodded.
His lips curved into a wicked grin. “I thought that coffee tasted extra good.”
A laugh escaped her, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “I enjoy every cup I make.”
“From where I’m sitting, it seems to me like he lost out on more than just a fancy cup of coffee.”
Emotion seared her throat, and she swallowed as she leaned forward. “You do surprise me, Cade Callahan.”
He lifted one shoulder in an offhand shrug. “One of my many talents.”
“What are some of your other talents?” she whispered.
“You sure you want to know?” His voice was husky and reminded her of raw timber. He hadn’t moved any closer, was still leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Only his head was turned her way, his gaze dark and ominous under the brim of his hat. And sexy as hell.
She squirmed in her seat, parts of her coming alight that she’d spent the last several months trying to diminish. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and her voice seemed to have completely left her. Along with her good sense. What the hell was she playing at? “Yes,” she whispered.
He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, his long fingers twining around the back of her head and through her hair. “This feels like a really bad idea.”
“Yes,” she whispered again.
He leaned in as he pulled her toward him, then covered her mouth with his. The first kiss was soft, tentative, testing. The second more insistent. The third filled with a controlled hunger as his fingers tightened in her hair. His lips were warm, and he tasted like cinnamon gum and danger.
He pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers, his breath ragged. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
His lips curved into another wicked grin. “Darlin’, so far I’m three for three in the yes department. If I carry you inside, am I gonna get a fourth?”
YES. She couldn’t say it. His kisses seemed to have taken her voice, but she took a deep breath, then nodded her head.
A sound similar to a growl came from his throat as he kissed her again, then lifted her into his arms. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his as he pulled open the screen door and carried her inside.
He made it as far as the island separating the kitchen from the living room before stopping to kiss her again. “I need to get my hands on you,” he said, setting her down on the counter.
In seconds, she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist, eliminating any space between them. He felt better than she’d even dared to imagine. His strong hands explored her body, roaming over her back, her waist, digging his fingers into her hair as he cupped her scalp to deepen the kisses. His tongue was warm as it pressed between her lips, and she could taste a hint of wine.
Everything about him was warm and exciting, and she melted into his embrace, ignoring every shred of sense that was screaming at her that this was a terrible idea. The needs of her body overruled the logic of her head as she lost herself in the man she’d been fantasizing over since the moment she’d stepped out of her car and seen him standing by the fence.
A soft moan escaped her as his hand slipped beneath her pajama top, his fingers grazing across her stomach before sliding up to cup her breast. Her nipple tightened against the fabric of her bra as Cade dipped his head, trailing a line of hot kisses down her neck.
The front of her shirt had pulled to the side, exposing the deep vee of her cleavage and the silky fabric of one side of her bra. A shudder of need passed through her as Cade’s lips brushed over the lacy trim, his breath warm against her skin as his mouth skimmed over the plump crest of her breast pushing to escape the cup.
She dropped her head back, giving him more of herself to taste and discover. His fingers slipped under the straps of her bra and tank top and slowly—oh, so deliciously slowly—drew both down her shoulder as his lips drifted over the bare skin left behind.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against her neck, sending coils of heat surging through her.
Her hands had found their way under his shirt, and she marveled at his lean waist and the array of hard muscles her fingers traveled over, then gripped as his mouth found another spot on her shoulder to kiss.
She barely knew him, yet she could not get enough of him. And maybe the length of time they’d known each other didn’t matter. Something about this man spoke to her, and she’d felt they’d had a connection from the moment they’d met. She felt like she already knew him, and knew enough to know that Cade wasn’t the kind of man who let people in easily. Yet he’d shown her parts of himself, parts of his relationship with his daughter, things that made her feel like she saw the man underneath the rough exterior.
Either that or she was just inventing an excuse for why she was considering getting naked with him. And make no mistake, she was in deep consideration.
His lips found hers again and his hand was back under her shirt, his fingers just reaching for the clasp of her bra when they froze as a terrified scream ripped through the air.