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Although he didn’t consider himself a violent person, sometimes when Lance opened his mouth, Hunter wanted to shove his fist in it.
When Lance had carelessly insulted Katie, Hunter had clenched his fists beneath the table as a slow roil of anger had moved through him. He’d been about to speak up again, when Wyatt had first.
Hunter didn’t get angry often, but when he did, Lance was usually the main reason behind it. Fortunately, the dinner passed without any further offensiveness from Lance. Despite his bitching about the food, he’d devoured the dinner with obvious enjoyment.
Once dinner was finished, Hunter, Dan, and Lance said their thanks, before making their way out to the front porch. When conversation turned to heading into town and hitting up Grey’s Saloon, Hunter’s gaze drifted to the window where he could see Katie carrying plates into the kitchen.
A prickle of guilt hit him. “Maybe we should’ve helped clean up.”
“Clean up? What, is this your mom’s house? Hell no.” Lance scowled. “This is our vacation. My bachelor party. That’s what we’re paying them for.”
What I’m paying them for. Hunter corrected mentally with a grimace. Still, it felt a little rude to eat and run. Or maybe he was just making it personal.
“You ready to hit this small-town watering hole?” Lance slapped his cousin on the back. “You ready to get wasted, Dan?”
“Yeah, sounds fun.” Dan’s tone was contrary to his words though.
“What about you? Ready, Hunter?”
Was he interested in going to Grey’s? God no. It sounded awful coming face to face with people from his past. Though he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with avoiding it all week, he could at least plead off tonight.
“I’m pretty tired from the drive over, not to mention fighting off a killer headache. I think I’m going to crash early tonight. Tomorrow. I’m in.”
“Headache?” Lance scowled. “Man you sound like a chick.” He turned and walked away, throwing his hand up in the air. “Whatever. Have fun wanking off, buddy.”
Hunter watched the two of them climb into Lance’s BMW and hid a smile. Maybe he should’ve felt some level of guilt, but, hell, he figured when he was footing the bill, he had the right to pick and choose what to do.
As the sports car roared down the dirt road, Hunter checked the kitchen window again. There was no sign of Katie anymore.
A pang of disappointment hit and he walked over to the porch swing on the opposite end of the deck. He sat down, shoved his hands into his hoodie, and stared out at the blue sky above the tree lines. Sunset was still a few hours off, but he craved the brilliant starry night he couldn’t find in Seattle.
Silence fell over early evening, heavy and only broken by the sound of crickets. Calm eased through him, taking away all his irritation with Lance, and the stress of the long drive over from Seattle. His breathing slowed as the clean, evening air refreshed him.
It was better than any meditation class he could’ve taken.
Damn, but he hated to admit he missed this place sometimes. But this. Where it was just him and nature, he loved.
He couldn’t be certain how long he sat there, but the soft fall of footsteps had him snapping out of his near trance-like state.
The sweet scent of baked goods filled the air, before he recognized Katie’s slender form walking toward him. A hint of tension took root in his muscles.
“Figured you’d have headed into town with the rest of the guys.” She sat down beside him, holding out a plate of cookies.
He sat up straight and accepted a cookie off the plate.
“I’m not really your clubbing or bar type of guy.”
“Understandable. I get dragged out for a girls’ night now and then, because I’m told it’s good for me. But, fortunately, we really don’t have any clubs around here.”
He snuck a glance at her. She’d taken her braid out. Her hair fell in long waves over her shoulders, and over her blue plaid shirt.
So she went out occasionally, huh? He tried to visualize how Katie on a girls’ night out would look. Replace the plaid shirt with a halter top, maybe some big earrings and heavy makeup, and she’d certainly be getting hit on by just about every red-blooded man in the place.
“So, this Lance guy...”
He pulled his thoughts back to reality and grimaced. “Can be a complete jerk. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. He wouldn’t be the first one I’ve dealt with at the ranch.” She shrugged. “Besides, maybe he’s just had a long day.”
He nodded. It probably wouldn’t help matters to explain that, no, Lance really just was an asshole most of the time. “We were dorm mates, back in college.”
“Ah, so you knew him before you worked with him.”
He could almost hear her silently adding, that explains it.
Instead, she asked, “So, are you gonna try that cookie or just hold it?”
At her soft teasing and nod toward the dessert, he took a bite of the cookie.
“Chocolate chip?” he murmured after a bite. “Mmm, with pecans?”
“Yeah. Good, huh?”
“Incredible.” He finished the cookie in another two bites. “Did you make these?”
“Nah.” She gave a slight smile in the semi-darkness. “I’m okay at the meals, but when I try and bake I usually end up summoning a demon.”
He laughed, relaxing a little more around her. He wasn’t a natural born charmer with women. Not like Lance, or some of the other guys he’d known over the years. Granted, he’d had far more luck with women since his company took off, but sometimes talking to women often felt like taking a test he hadn’t studied for. A little uncomfortable. A little anxious. Like he’d never have the right answer.
Surprisingly, Katie didn’t evoke those emotions in him. He felt weirdly relaxed. The only time he felt this relaxed was when he was programming, gaming, or when he managed to immerse himself in nature. Be it hiking or camping.
Maybe feeling comfortable around Katie shouldn’t be a surprise, though. From what he remembered about her, she’d always been very sweet and social in school. The girl who was everybody’s friend, and never said an unkind word. The only reputation she’d earned was for never swearing.
She was the girl next door personified. Only she hadn’t lived next door to his home, in the rundown part of Marietta. She’d lived up here in the hills, on this wide-open ranch just outside the town.
She pulled one leg up on the swing and turned to face him. “So, you’re just hanging out here then? Calling it an early night?”
“Thinking about it. I’m a little tired.”
“It really is a long drive over from Seattle.”
He had to wonder how often she’d gone to Seattle. Had she ever been? “You’ve done it before?”
“All the time for a couple years.” She hesitated, then glanced out at the trees. “I went to the University of Washington for a year. While I was there I made sure to come back at least once a month to visit my family.”
Surprise rippled through him. “You went to the UW?”
She bristled and cast him a sharp look. “You don’t need to sound so amazed.”
“I’m not,” he protested. “Okay, maybe I am. I just didn’t figure you for—”
“The college type? Well it turns out in the end I wasn’t. Or not the full immersion kind.” She went quiet again. Her tone softer when she added, “I came home and got the rest of my degree online.”
When he fell silent next to her, Katie cringed inwardly. She could guess well enough what he was thinking. That she’d failed in school. That she couldn’t handle being away from her family. And maybe a half-dozen more scenarios.
Maybe she was guilty of one. The missing her family, but as to the first, he’d be wrong. She’d done great in school. High school and then college. But when she’d finally hit her to breaking point, she’d known she had to go home. And she felt no shame in it.
“What kind of degree did you get?”
There was no censure in his question, just curiosity. She’d been bracing for judgment so hard, the relief had the tension in her muscles easing.
“I got a business degree.”
He cast her a sideway look. “Really?”
“Yeah. You look surprised again.”
“No. Well, maybe I am a little. Kind of figured you for the teacher type or something.”
Her lips quirked. “You’re saying I give off the teacher vibe?”
“You’re just... I don’t know. Nice and sweet. I guess I always visualized you all grown up with preschoolers clinging to your leg or something.”
Amusement danced through her, because he wasn’t far off. She helped out in the daycare at church now and then.
“Are you laughing?”
She shook her head. “Well, maybe a little. I can’t decide whether to laugh that you visualized me as basically Mary Poppins, or just by the fact that you thought about me at all.”
His smile dimmed some and he shrugged.
“I mean we really didn’t hang out, Hunter.”
“Maybe not. But I knew who you were.”
“Were you friends with my brothers?” A thought occurred to her and she brightened. “Actually, you and Cal might’ve been in the same class.”
Any remaining hint of a smile vanished into his compressed lips. “Who knows, I can’t really remember.”
She frowned. “What year did you graduate again?”
Hunter rose, sending the porch swing into motion. “I’m going to head off to my cabin. Thanks for the cookie. You have yourself a good night, Katie.”
“Oh. All right.” She rose to her feet too, but he was already striding down the steps and toward his cabin. “You too,” she called lamely after him.
That was weird. She wrinkled her nose and watched him disappear inside the cabin.
Hunter Richardson was an interesting man, and it made her want to remember what kind of boy he’d been.
She eased off the porch swing and made her way inside the house.
“Hey,” Claire called out from the living room. “We were just about to take a walk to the river. You want to come along?”
“Thanks, but I actually have something else to do.” She flashed them a smile as she moved past them and up the stairs to the second floor.
Once inside her bedroom, she sank to her knees beside her bed. After reaching under, she pulled out the long storage case that held all sorts of old nostalgic items from her life, including yearbooks.
She grabbed all four from her high school years and tossed them on the mattress. She went straight for her freshman year, when Cal would’ve been a senior and Hunter too.
And there he was. Her chest tightened as she traced a finger over his face. That much was the same. A strong jawline and the intense hazel eyes that seemed to see so much. In this photo, his gaze was hard and defiant. Almost like he dared someone to criticize him.
His hair was even lighter then, and thicker and longer than she’d remembered. Discomfort slid through her. Back in high school this would not have been a popular look to have. Maybe even a little controversial.
And for this being his senior photo, when most people dressed up and looked their best, he looked like he couldn’t care less. No crisp button-up shirt, but a faded black t-shirt that looked like it had been around for a decade.
She flipped through the yearbook, ignoring the mass of signatures and well wishes she’d collected on the pages, and sought out more pictures of him.
There were very few images of him. When he did turn up, he was usually just in the background passing by. Though one image caught him and another guy playing what looked like a card game during lunch.
She’d faintly remembered him hanging out with a couple other guys in high school, but couldn’t have told anyone their names. Most of her memories of him came from drama class. While she’d enjoyed the class, he’d seemed miserable. They’d even been paired up for a scene together for an assignment. Some Shakespeare play she couldn’t even remember the name of now. But it had been a romantic scene—no kissing or anything—that had always left her a little flustered. Maybe because, for a guy who’d hated acting, he’d sure pulled off that intense, heated stare while saying his passionate lines to her.
Katie closed the yearbook and laid back on her bed, staring at her ceiling.
Interesting that he’d remembered her so clearly this afternoon, when she’d struggled to place him. Then again, maybe that wasn’t completely unusual.
She sighed and shook her head. Sometimes she forgot how much of a mainstay she’d been at Marietta high school. She really had been the stereotypical social butterfly. Friends with people from all the different “groups”. She’d even been homecoming royalty.
Things were different now. Once she’d left the secure walls of her small high school and entered the vast world of a college campus, things had changed. She’d become a little fish in a rather larger pond.
Her chest tightened and she struggled to breathe for a moment, before she blinked away the memories.
She climbed off the bed and walked to her window that overlooked the cabins and the rest of the ranch. She homed in on his cabin, and wondered what he was doing in there.
Laying on the bed playing on his phone? Napping? Showering?
That last image lingered a bit too long and she blushed. Why on earth was she envisioning Hunter in the shower? He wasn’t her type. He wasn’t.
“Katie, really?” she muttered to herself.
Realizing she was getting a little too inquisitive over their guest, Katie gave a sigh of disgust and turned away.
Of all the things she should be doing right now, stalking Hunter Richardson wasn’t one of them.
There was no Wi-Fi.
Hunter fought the rising panic as paced the cabin.
He’d known there was going to be a block on technology when he’d booked the week at the ranch. At the time it had sounded like an awesome idea. Unplugging and getting back to nature. Lance and the guys had eaten it up too.
But now that he was smack dab in the middle of it, reality was setting in. And forget getting any data on his phone up in these hills. Texts were at best dicey making it out.
“Shit. I did not think this through.” He sighed and tossed his phone on the bed, then scrubbed his beard.
If he acknowledged it to himself, he could admit it wasn’t necessarily the lack Wi-Fi that was upsetting him, it was the lack of a distraction.
He needed to immerse himself in work. In emails. Games. Something to distract himself from Katie Marshall.
Closing his eyes, he could see her behind his lids. Tall with slight curves. The gorgeous brown hair, probably only highlighted with the Montana summer sunshine. And her smile. Her smile made his blood pound a little faster.
He’d always remembered her being not just pretty, but friendly, and he’d been drawn to her because of that. It was part of the reason he’d chosen Marshall ranch for Lance’s bachelor party.
But when he’d pulled up and seen her, everything had kind of tilted upside down. He hadn’t expected to feel this strong of an attraction to her. Even worse was the urge to act on it.
High school Hunter would’ve never hit on her. Hell, his prom date had been a girl from Livingston whom he’d met in an online gaming community.
Things were different now though. He’d left Marietta and grown the hell up. He wasn’t the awkward gamer from high school, he was the confident guy who created the games.
He had money. Success. And both of those seemed to have a lot of sway on the female population. Though he wasn’t usually the one pursuing women, they usually came after him.
And it probably didn’t hurt that he’d started paying a little more attention in college to his clothes and appearance. Though the beard was sheer laziness, which made it a good thing they were pretty trendy in Seattle.
The lumberjack look, his last girlfriend had told him. Apparently, it was a thing.
He opened his eyes and grabbed his phone, checking the time. Shit, not even six-thirty. Maybe he should’ve gone into town with the guys.
What the hell was he going to do for the rest of the night?
Restlessness ate through him, until he finally knew what he had to do.
He climbed off the bed, shoved his phone into his back pocket, and left the cabin again.
Maybe he wasn’t familiar with the property, and the map they’d been given at check-in would have been helpful, but he liked to do a little exploring on his own.
He made his way past the barn and pasture, until he found a trail that led into the trees.
The evening summer sun broke through the high branches, shining bright spots on the dirt trail. There were hoof prints on it and he figured this must be where some of the horseback rides took place.
Laughter echoed in the woods, and his attention caught on a couple off in the distance walking toward him.
It was Wyatt Marshall and the woman who’d been introduced as his fiancée. What was her name? Claire?
“Hey there, Hunter.” Wyatt greeted him with a friendly nod as the pair approached. “You lost? Or looking for something in particular?”
“No, I’m good.” Hunter gave a brief smile. “Just needed to get some air after dinner. Found this trail and figured it was a safe bet.”
“Sure is. Keep going and you’ll hit the river in another ten minutes or so.”
“Thanks.”
“So you’re originally from Marietta?” Claire glanced at him curiously. “Wyatt mentioned it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Some things died hard. Like saying ma’am and sir. It was as natural as breathing when he was home, and something he struggled to tone down in Seattle, because he got some weird looks. He’d gotten the nickname of “country-boy coder” in a couple of his programming classes.
Claire nodded. “And you’re living in Seattle now?”
“Yeah. That’s where I went to school, and have my little company there now.”
“Heard about that company.” Wyatt’s eyes narrowed with respect. “Not so little, really. Congratulations on all your success.”
Pride, and surprise, slid through him. Hunter and Wyatt’s high school years hadn’t overlapped, and Hunter really didn’t know the oldest Marshall sibling that well. But what he did know was the man seemed like a decent guy.
“Thank you.” Hunter glanced at the blonde again, trying to place her. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I remember you. You’re from Marietta too?”
“No.” A sliver of sadness flashed in her eyes. “I’m from just about everywhere, and found Marietta when my band came and played here for the rodeo last fall.” She glanced up at Wyatt and their gazes held. “But this is my home now. There’s no place I’d rather be than right here with this sexy cowboy.”
“Don’t make me blush.” Wyatt’s drawl was teasing, but clearly, he was pleased. “Anyway, we’ll let you enjoy your walk. It’s good to see you back in town.”
“Thanks.” Hunter thrust his hands into his hoodie pocket. The natural response should’ve been “It’s good to be back”, but his tongue couldn’t quite form it.
Wyatt must’ve noticed because he gave him a slight nod and speculative look. “Well, I guess we’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“Have a good night,” Claire called softly as they moved past him.
After hearing their footsteps in the dirt retreating, Hunter cast a glance over his shoulder at them.
Nice people. Claire was pleasant, and Wyatt seemed cool enough. Then he’d always figured most of the Marshalls to be good people. Despite his initial hesitation, he’d made the right choice to stay at this ranch.
Not that he’d had much of a choice. When Lance had brought up a cowboy experience bachelor party retreat, Hunter had mentioned Marshall ranch. Lance had checked out the website and had agreed to get on board within minutes.
So now here they were, off to a decent start. He just hoped the rest of the week went as smooth.
Katie woke up at the crack of dawn, which was just about what she did every day. Wyatt and the ranch hands were probably up getting ready by now.
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. The thin sheet kept her warm enough on these early summer nights, but she still cringed at the idea of sliding out from under it and stepping onto the cool wood floor.
For just a few minutes, she let herself enjoy the calm of the morning. The birds were carrying on their own conversation outside her window and, off in the distance, she heard the low moos of the heifers.
Knowing breakfast wasn’t going to make itself—and that they had three extra men today—she climbed out of comfort and went to get dressed.
By the time she arrived downstairs, Wyatt was in the kitchen preparing the coffee.
He cast her a grin. “Morning, Katie.”
“Morning, Wyatt. Claire still sleeping?”
“Yeah, she had trouble sleeping last night. Told her to skip breakfast if she wanted. We can save a plate.”
Amusement danced through Katie. My how things had changed in a half-year. She could still remember Wyatt, all red and irritated, snapping that if Claire didn’t show up for mealtime, then she didn’t eat.
“Sure we can.” Katie went to grab a couple double-dozen eggs containers out of the fridge and then an oversized bowl to make the pancake batter from scratch.
“You going to be okay with these guys?”
The concern in her brother’s voice had her pausing as she reached for the flour.
“The bachelor party?” She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’ll be fine, Wyatt. It’s not like they’re my first. And, really, how rowdy can a group of computer programmers get?”
“I don’t like the bachelor,” Wyatt grumbled, not quite under his breath.
“He does seem a little”—she searched for the right word, while measuring out the flour—“hmm. Ornery. He’s not the most charming of men, but I’m sure we’ll get through the week just fine.”
“I hope so. You let me know if he, or any of them, give you any trouble.”
She began cracking eggs. “Are you worried about Hunter?”
“No. Hunter seems like a good guy.”
“I think so too,” she said softly.
The sound of the coffee percolating filled the silence, which was how she realized Wyatt had gone quiet.
When she glanced over at him, he was watching her with a look of consideration.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “Just the way you said that. Kind of sounds like you might be a little interested.”
Her pulse quickened. “Interested in Hunter? No.”
“All right.” He nodded. “Besides, you’re already seeing that guy from town, right?”
“Jim. He has a name.” She deliberately kept her tone light. “I don’t know why you haven’t bothered to learn it.”
“Oh, I know his name. Just not so sure I’m happy about my little sister dating.”
“Your little sister is the same age as your fiancé, might I remind you.” She nudged him in the side as she added the last few ingredients to the pancake batter. “I’m beginning to suspect you’re just not a fan of Jim.”
Wyatt didn’t answer, just began cracking more eggs into a separate bowl.
“Figure we’re scrambling some of these?”
“Yeah, if you could crack all twenty-four of those and then grab a couple more out of the other box, that should be enough.”
Wyatt’s brows rose.
“We have three men eating, plus myself and Claire. Trust me, it’ll barely be enough.”
Fifteen minutes later, Wyatt was scrambling the eggs and she’d just flipped her twentieth pancake on the griddle, when the front as door opened. Men’s voiced filled the house.
“Bachelor party boys are here.” She nodded her head toward the dining room. “I can take it from here, why don’t you go bring out some coffee and say hello.”
Wyatt scowled. “Hate this part of the business.”
“No, you don’t. We’ve met many decent folks that you’ve become friends with over the last couple years.” She gave him a pointed look. “Not to mention that’s how you met Claire.”
“Well, technically we met in Vegas.”
“Maybe, but you fell in love here. Now go.”
Wyatt laughed and made his way out to the dining room, carrying two carafes of coffee.
A moment later she heard him chatting with ease to the group of bachelors.
Her mind shifted to one in particular. Hunter. Her stomach did a little flip, and she had to remind herself she wasn’t interested. She had Jim.
After dishing up the scrambled eggs into a large serving bowl, she grabbed the container and made her way out to the dining room.
She nearly fell short at the sight before her. Lance and Dan had ditched their skinny jeans and hoodies. Clearly, they were trying to embody the image of a cowboy with their Levis, boots, and button up long-sleeved plaid shirts. Not to mention the cowboy hats. And judging by the way they shifted in their chairs, or kept fidgeting with their hats, they weren’t quite comfortable in the style.
“Hope I’m not too late.”
She’d just been setting down the eggs, when Hunter strode into the room. Her gaze swung to him and her heart momentarily stopped, before thundering back to life.
Hunter crossed the room with confident strides. Where the hoodie had hidden his shape yesterday, the denim button down shirt showed broad shoulders and toned torso. The shirt was tucked into jeans holding a thick leather belt.
The black cowboy hat on his head didn’t look silly, it looked like it belonged there. Like it was a part of him he’d never acknowledged.
Hunter was suddenly the epitome of the small-town boy returned home. He owned the cowboy look, and judging by the glimmer of confidence in his eyes, he knew it.
“Nah, we’re just getting ready to eat,” Wyatt said.
Katie glanced at her brother, and saw the same speculation and surprise in his eyes. Maybe even a gleam of approval.
“Great.” Hunter turned his glance toward her. “Can I give you a hand, Katie?”
“Oh, no. I’ve got it.” She flushed. “Just need to grab the pancakes and syrup.”
“You got any cream? Sugar?” Lance called out.
“And that,” she muttered.
“Let me help you.”
Before she could argue, Hunter was following her into the kitchen.
