Craving a Real Texan
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Charlene Sands
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16.5K
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10
One
“I’m here now, Lily,” Harper Dawn whispered into the cell phone. “I don’t think anyone saw me.”
At least she hoped not. She’d emptied a box of dark chestnut-brown color onto her hair, changing her look from a soft honey blond to shiny brunette in a matter of minutes. She’d cut her signature waist-length locks to fall just below her shoulders now, and the transformation surprised even her. Hopefully her disguise was enough to fool the paparazzi.
“How did you manage it?” Lily asked. Her friend sounded relieved. No more than she was. Right now, she was probably the most hated reality star on the planet for dumping her seemingly perfect guy, a chef like herself, in front of millions who’d followed their love affair on national TV. “How’d you get out of your apartment complex without being seen?”
“It was tricky. My neighbor Tony walked me out. I’m in disguise now. You won’t even know it’s me.” She spotted Lily’s car passing her on the street. “In fact, you just drove by me.”
“What? I didn’t see...oh, wow. Okay, I see you now on the library steps. Hold on, I’m turning the car around.”
Harper laughed for the first time in three days, ever since her big breakup on One Last Date, and the sound was welcome to her ears. If she could fool her onetime college roomie, then this little plan Lily had cooked up might just work.
Her friend stopped the car, and Harper quickly jumped in. It was like a movie scene where Harper was the bank robber and Lily drove the getaway car. “Wow,” her friend said. “You do look different. How are you holding up?”
“Better, now that I’m with you.”
Lily punched the gas pedal, and they were off. “I’m glad you got away. Do me a favor and don’t look at your Twitter feed anytime soon.”
“That bad?”
Lily nodded. “Worse, and I can’t help but feel responsible for this. I suggested you go on the show. But honestly, Harper, I had no idea it could all go to crapola so quickly.”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t twist my arm. Too much.” Harper gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t blame you. I should’ve known better.”
“You’re looking for love. Everyone should have a chance at happiness, Harp. Including you.”
“I’m beginning to think I won’t ever find it. Let’s face it—I’m thirty years old and have had one broken relationship after another. Either I’m a bad judge of character or I’m totally unlovable.”
“BS, Harper,” Lily said, taking her eyes off the road to shoot her a solemn look. “You are neither of those things. You just haven’t met the right guy. When you do, it’ll be like creating the perfect soufflé. You’ll get all gooey inside.”
Harper laughed for the second time in less than an hour. “You’re using foodie examples to persuade me.”
“Is it working?”
“Not at the moment, but keep trying and eventually it will.”
“Good. Well, here we are. This is where I leave you.” Lily parked beside a white sedan in the Good Times Diner lot and handed her the keys to the rental car.
“Whose car is this?” Harper asked.
“It’s a rental. In my name, so no one will be able to find you. Hopefully. Oh, and here,” she said, handing her a big duffel bag. “You’ll need some clothes and things. I put a spare computer in there, too.”
“Lily, this is so...sweet. You’ve thought of everything. I promise, I’ll repay you for all of this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your birthday’s coming up. Consider it your gift.”
“My birthday? That’s not for two months.”
“Well, I didn’t think you’d get away with walking out of your apartment complex with any luggage.”
She sighed. Lily was the best friend she’d ever had. “You drove all the way from Juliet County to come rescue me.”
It was an hour drive from the Tremaine estate in Juliet County to her little town of Barrel Falls. She’d only lived here a few months before she’d gotten picked for the show. And she’d put her professional life on hold to find love. Now, Lily was giving her an opportunity to escape the media that had followed her here from Los Angeles.
“No thanks necessary. Just go up to the cabin and try to relax. There’s plenty of room there. You can work on your cookbook and no one will bother you. I wrote down the address. It’s up in the hills and quite beautiful. Use the GPS to find your way. You’ve got a good two-hour drive, so be careful on the road. And we’ll talk often, I promise.”
“Okay,” Harper said, nodding and taking a steadying breath. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I feel like I’ve committed a crime or something.”
“Harper, you followed your heart. You didn’t love Dale Murphy, and you did the right thing by breaking it off. I guarantee you in a week or two, this crazy fiasco will be over and you can come home to peace and quiet.”
“This is...” Harper bit down on her lower lip as tears welled in her eyes. “You’re such a good friend, Lil.”
Lily was the only daughter in the Tremaine family, one of the richest families in Juliet County if not in all of Texas. She and Lily had been college roomies at Stanford and vowed to remain friends for life. Both had decided on different career paths, Lily going into interior design and Harper opting for culinary school. “You’d do the same for me, Harper. I know that for sure.”
Harper climbed out of Lily’s car and hopped into the rental car. She waved at her dear friend.
Then she was off, driving to a remote cabin up in the Texas hills.
Take a vacation, Cade. You’re working yourself too hard.
Dr. Adams had laid down the law after a physical exam had confirmed high blood pressure—way too high for a man in his early thirties. Cade had insomnia most of the time and walked the halls at night, too keyed up to sleep. He’d been pouring himself into the family business, putting in too many hours at Tremaine Corp., and his body couldn’t handle the strain much longer. So said the doc.
Cade Tremaine sat down on his bed, rubbing his forehead. He’d been an athlete in high school and college, playing baseball while earning degrees in business and communications. He’d prided himself on good health and keeping his body fit. But that was before he’d lost Bree, the love of his life and the world’s most perfect woman, to a cruel disease a year and a half ago.
Now, he shuddered at the idea of being alone with his thoughts, of not working, not pushing himself to the brink to keep his mind occupied and his grief at bay. Running the Tremaine ranch, keeping their oil business and real estate interests right on track was his whole life now. But the doctor had told him quite forcefully he had to take a break. Either that or go on a slew of medications to combat his physical problems.
This was the one time that he wished he was more like his brother Gage. The outgoing country music star never seemed to get rattled. He was as cool as a cucumber and let things slide off his back, whereas Cade bottled things up inside. Cade, the oldest of two brothers and one sister, had helped pick up the pieces when his father, Brand, had passed away eight years ago. And since then, Cade had done everything he could to keep the business and the family thriving.
His mother entered his bedroom. Head held high, she had stately elegance and commanded attention whenever she walked into a room. Rose Tremaine treated everyone equally, from the housekeeper to the mayor of Juliet, setting a good example for her family. They’d often teased that she was really Helen Mirren disguised as their mother.
“Cade, I see you’re all packed up.”
“Yeah, Mom. I’m packed.”
“I’m glad you’re going up to the cabin. It’ll do you good.”
“Will it, Mom? I don’t know.”
“You need a change of pace, Cade. And work can wait. We have Albert at the helm at Tremaine in your absence, and he’s capable.”
“We have that possible merger I’ve been busting my butt on.”
“Cade,” his mother said, “are you forgetting who helped start this company with your father? I’m here, and Albert knows he can look to me if he needs any help. But son, this is a good thing. You haven’t really come to terms with Bree’s death.”
“How can you say that, when it’s with me all the time?”
“That’s exactly my point. This is a good opportunity for you to shed some of that grief you’ve been holding inside. You’ve gone on a downward spiral lately. You don’t eat well, you hardly sleep. You work yourself into the ground. None of that’s healthy.”
“You sound like my doctor,” he grumbled. He wasn’t thrilled about any of this. He squeezed his eyes closed. He hated the notion of being alone at the cabin with his mental demons.
His mother kissed his cheek and patted his face. “I’m your mother, and Mother knows best. I promise this trip will do you good. I’ve called ahead, and everything is ready for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
His mother sure knew how to get things done.
Then his thoughts turned to Bree. Holding on to his grief meant keeping her close in his heart. Somehow, it felt like he was betraying her by trying to move on with his life.
He wasn’t sure he was ready to let go.
What a difference a day or two made. Harper couldn’t believe less than a week ago, she was being hounded by the media, running away from paparazzi and being touted as the most hated woman in all of TV land. Oh no, she hadn’t taken Lily’s advice as she should have. Instead, curiosity had gotten the best of her and she’d ventured into the Twitter-sphere, coming out scarred and shaken. Not that she didn’t have some support on social media. There were a few brave souls who’d taken her side, more rational human beings who hadn’t fallen for Dale Murphy’s charm and wit, finding instead that he and Harper weren’t a good match.
But today was a different story. She hummed along with the radio playing Gage Tremaine’s latest country hit—the story of a man falling on hard times and coming out a winner because of the love of a good woman. To this day, she could hardly believe that gorgeous Gage Tremaine, famous country music star, was Lily’s brother. She’d never met either of her friend’s two brothers, their paths never crossing, but Lily spoke of them often while they were roomies. In a loving way, mostly. And now, here Harper was, staying in the Tremaine cabin, which was more like a four-bedroom estate overlooking a lake in a glorious and remote mountain community, cooking herb-roasted chicken in their state-of-the-art kitchen. The luscious scents of sage, rosemary and garlic filled the air, almost bringing tears of joy to her eyes.
This place was amazing. Peaceful. And paparazzi-free.
She pulled the roaster out of the oven and covered it with foil. The only thing missing was a kale salad. The fridge had been stocked when she’d gotten here, except for fresh fruits and veggies. Today, she’d venture out for the first time in two days to do some shopping. If Lily was right, hopefully by now the hoopla about her breakup with Dale was yesterday’s news.
She put on a ball cap and tossed on her hoodie. Though the spring air was warm, the hills this time of late afternoon could get cold. She slipped on a pair of sunglasses and ventured outside. The market in Bright Landing was a short mile and a half away. She left her rental car behind and headed out on foot, enjoying the fresh mountain air.
Before long she’d reached her destination and entered the quaint but well-stocked Bright Market. She grabbed a basket and walked down the aisles, finding ingredients she needed for her salad: kale, broccoli, green cabbage, Brussels sprouts and radicchio. Her basket was brimming to the top with fruit and veggies by the time she was through.
She turned the corner of the aisle and bumped right smack into a man. A tall man, with dark hair and a chest hard as granite. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you,” she said, catching her balance, feeling grossly inelegant as an apple spilled out of her basket.
“I didn’t see you, either.” His voice was rich with a Texas twang, and his words made her feel like less of a clod. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
He noticed the fallen apple and bent to pick it up, dropping it into her hand. Their eyes met. She blinked, reeling from the immediate impact of his dark, soulful gaze. She saw something in his eyes, something akin to well-hidden pain. And it touched her, making her wonder what had happened in his life to elicit such a look.
She realized she was staring at him, and he was staring right back. He smiled, in stunning contrast to the pain she’d witnessed in his expression just a second ago. Wow. His smile made something click inside and go a little wacky.
But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tabloid newspaper sitting on a rack at the checkout counter with a photo of her as a blonde splashed across the front page. The headline read, Where Is Heartbreaker Harper? Chef Dale Murphy Wants to Know.
Oh man. It was proof positive the scandal hadn’t gone away. No, it was still going strong if it had reached the outskirts of a small hillside town like this. Warning bells went off. Her heart began to pound. She wasn’t safe anywhere. Luckily, her disguise was holding up, because customers in the store were walking by her, and the handsome man she’d bumped into hadn’t shown any recognition.
Thank goodness. “Excuse me,” she said to him as she made a beeline to the checkout stand. She kept her head down and paid for her groceries. Once she was out of the store, she sighed in relief.
But that small triumph didn’t keep her from trembling down to her toes, from feeling totally exposed and vulnerable again. The things they were writing about her weren’t true. She wasn’t a heartbreaker, or fickle or cruel. She hadn’t played games with Dale’s heart. She hadn’t meant to hurt anybody. All she’d wanted was to find love, the long-lasting kind, and share a life with someone she felt connected to. The entire world seemed to think Dale being a chef like her meant they were perfect for each other, and for a time, she’d believed it, too. But it seemed the only real flames they’d sparked were at the kitchen stovetop. And her only real crime was that she’d found out too late she really admired Dale, the chef, but she didn’t like Dale, the person, all that much.
She rushed back to the cabin in half the time it had taken to get to the store and put her groceries away. Her hands still shaking, she donned her pink-and-white polka dot apron and began putting together a salad. Cooking always relaxed her. It was the balm she needed now after seeing that tabloid. She ripped the kale and tossed it in a bowl, then chopped fresh broccoli and slivered cabbage strips. Calmer now, she began humming, grateful to Lily for giving her this chance to hide out and clear her head. Her cell phone rang, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Which wasn’t good when you were holding a knife. A quick glance at her cell confirmed it was her friend calling. Thank goodness. “Lily, hi.”
“Hi, Harper. How’s it going?”
“It’s going. I’ve settled in and love the place. But I just saw a photo of myself on the front page of a tabloid at the tiny market here, so I guess the story is still going strong.”
“Sorry, Harp. Give it some time. It should get better.”
“I hope you’re right. It’s hard to see that right now. And you, my friend, didn’t tell me that this cabin is more like a dream home. I mean it, Lily. The place is beautiful. Thank you, a thousand times thank you for letting me stay here. It’s so generous of you and your family.”
“Well, uh, about that. I do have one teeny, tiny favor to ask you.” Lily’s voice went up two octaves, almost to a squeak.
“Anything. You know I’ll do anything for you.”
“Okay, well. You might change your mind when you hear what it is.”
“I’m listening, Lil.”
“My big brother, Cade, is on his way up to the cabin, too. Sorry, but my mother and I didn’t coordinate on this, and honestly, sometimes a whole year goes by before anyone uses the place. But the truth is, ever since his fiancée passed away, Cade’s been working himself to death. You’ve never gotten the chance to meet him but he’s a really good guy and he’s never given himself time to get over his loss. Now his blood pressure is way up. He’s not eating right, either, and his doctor has warned him to slow down and take better care of himself. He ordered him to take a vacation. Which Cade didn’t want to do. At all. My mom had to use clever tactics to get him to agree to leave work.”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry to hear that. I guess,” she said, nibbling on her lip, feeling a crushing blow coming her way, “I’d better leave.”
“Don’t be silly. You have nowhere else to go. I know that and you know that. Your disguise is working, but maybe only because you’re in a small town and not under intense scrutiny. You can stay. It’s a big place.”
“But—”
“If we tell Cade the truth, he’d insist on leaving and letting you have the cabin. He doesn’t want to be there, and this would only give him an excuse to go back to work. Which he cannot do. He needs to relax.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“Well.” Lily’s voice lowered. “I’ve already cleared this with my mother. She’s adamant that he stay. So what if we say my mother hired you to be his personal chef?”
“What?”
“You are a chef, Harper. And he hasn’t been eating right. It’s not out of the norm for my mother to do something like this.”
“You want me to pretend I was hired by your mother?”
“Yes, but you’d have to use a different name. Even though you haven’t met him, he’s heard me talk about my friend Harper. He’d never recognize you from the show. The man never turns on the TV. Other than sports, that is. He wouldn’t be caught dead watching a reality show. It could work. And it’s only for a week or two.”
“But—”
She heard a car pull up into the driveway, fallen leaves crunching under the tires. Oh no. Her pulse raced. She had little time to think. “He’s here.”
“What are you going to do?” Lily whispered in a rush.
What could she do? Lily was a dear friend. She’d put herself out to help her, and Lily’s brother’s health was at stake. It didn’t seem as if she had a choice. “I’ll do it,” she said. “I’ll tell him Rose hired me to cook for him.”
“Oh, wow. That’s a relief. Thank you, Harper. We’ll talk soon and—”
“Gotta go. I hear him at the door.”
“Okay, good luck.”
She ended the call just as a key was turning in the lock at the front door. She stood there, waiting, holding her breath. And the irony hit her smack upside the head. She’d gone from one crazy scenario on a reality show to another nutty scheme within a blink of the eye. Oh boy, what happened to the quiet girl who’d loved to stay home at night testing recipes, happy to have the role as head chef in her hometown restaurant? Where had that girl gone?
She stared at the front door, making no attempt to go and open it. A tan duffel bag was tossed through first, landing inside the foyer. And then the man followed, carrying a piece of black luggage.
Her heart pounded as he made his way over the threshold. “You,” she said almost inaudibly. It was the man from the market.
He startled and shook his head as if seeing things. Had she scared him? Immediately, their eyes met. Oh wow, those dark eyes again. They touched her in ways she couldn’t name.
“You’re the girl from the market.”
She nodded and wiped her hands on her apron. “I am.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked, setting down his luggage. He kept a safe distance from her, an honorable act on his part. He seemed sensitive to her possible fear. Then he noticed her apron and lifted his nose in the air. The scent of rosemary-herb chicken wafted up. “Something smells awfully good.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “I’m Dawn.” As in Harper Dawn. Okay, so she wasn’t quick on her feet, but her last name made a good enough first name in this situation. “And I’m your personal chef.”
Cade stared at the woman he’d bumped into thirty minutes ago. She was standing in the kitchen doorway looking at him warily, as if she feared he’d bite her head off. That she was his personal chef gave him pause. “Funny, I don’t remember hiring a personal chef.”
“You didn’t. Your mother, Rose, hired me.”
On a sigh, Cade rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t doubt the woman. It made damn near perfect sense. His mother was a woman of action and wasn’t one to take no for an answer. If she’d asked him about it, he would’ve told her he didn’t need a chef. But honestly, deep down, the thought of having someone else around, especially a cook, meant he didn’t have to be totally alone. With his memories. With his grief. With his shattered heart. “That sounds like my mother. She knows I can’t cook a lick.”
“Not a lick?” she asked.
“I can boil an egg. Period.”
“Well, that’s a start.”
Where were his manners? “I’m Cade,” he said, putting out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Dawn.”
She hesitated a second, then shook it and smiled. A pair of delicate dimples appeared. Bree had had dimples, too, but with that, the similarities ended. Bree had been a lush redhead, with incredible green eyes and soft porcelain skin. This woman’s eyes were intense blue, her skin a creamy tan, as if she’d spent a lot of time outdoors, and her hair shone in the cabin light, a rich chestnut brown.
He shouldn’t be comparing the two women, but he found himself comparing women to Bree all the time. And the other women were always coming up short. It wasn’t fair of him. He was better than that. Yet he couldn’t seem to help it.
“I guess I’ll get settled in, then,” he said. It was awkward, having a young woman living in the cabin. “Do you live nearby?”
“No. Actually, I live in Barrel Falls, about eighty miles from here.”
“That’s not far from Juliet County. We’re practically neighbors. So then, you’ll be staying here, too?”
“Yes, but I promise not to get in your way. I’m...working on a cookbook. So I’ll be testing out recipes and logging my results most of the time.”
His brows furrowed. “A cookbook, huh?”
“A dream of mine. But don’t let me keep you from getting settled. I took one of the downstairs bedrooms, if that’s okay. Unless you want it?”
“No, no. I’ll be fine upstairs.” All four of the bedrooms were master suites, two up and two down, and each one had all the luxuries a person could ask for. He’d never brought Bree to Bright Landing, so at least he had no memories of her here.
Dawn pointed to the kitchen. “I’ve got a roast chicken keeping warm, and I’m just finishing up on a salad, if you’re hungry.”
“If it tastes as good as it smells, I’ll be right down.”
“Okay then.” She fidgeted with her apron. “See you in a bit.”
He nodded and then climbed the stairs, picking the blue room. It was his favorite, with a killer view of the lake against the backdrop of oak trees and verdant hills. He set his suitcase down and went into the bathroom to wash up. He turned on the faucet and yelped as he splashed the icy-cold water on his face. Then he chuckled, remembering that it took forever to get hot water up to the second floor. He was ten when his folks bought the cabin, and he and his brother, Gage—and Lily, too—would fight over who’d get the downstairs rooms for that very reason. In this case, the cook—or rather, his personal chef—had the honors. But now that he was older, he didn’t mind waiting for warm water if it meant waking up to the hillside panorama.
Cade was dressed in a fresh change of clothes within ten minutes. He combed his dark straight hair back, noting that the thick mop was in need of a cut. He hadn’t thought he’d have to worry about his attire up at the cabin, but now that Chef Dawn was here, he’d need to take better care of his appearance. He hadn’t brought much in the way of clothes, just jeans, T-shirts and a few sweaters. He wasn’t planning on being here all that long. Ten days at most. With nothing to do.
“Man,” he muttered, glancing at himself in the mirror and seeing a forlorn face staring back at him. “This isn’t going to be fun.”
He opened his luggage and pulled out a framed photo of Bree and him when they were at their happiest. He had his arm around her, and they were smiling into the camera, love shining in their eyes as they stood on stage right before one of Gage’s concerts. They’d been in Austin at the time, and they’d gotten the VIP treatment. Bree had been fascinated and thrilled, but instead of going gaga over his superstar brother, as so many of his dates had, Bree focused all of her attention on Cade, giving him sweet smiles and loving kisses. It was the night he realized how much he loved her.
“This isn’t moving on, is it, Bree?” He smiled sadly and set the photo back in his suitcase, then made his way downstairs.
“Are you a kitchen eater? Or do you prefer the dining room?” Chef Dawn asked as he entered the room. She held a plate in her hand, ready to dish up the food. The kitchen was spacious, and the light oak table was big enough for ten. The dining area was used only for holidays and special occasions.
“Kitchen is fine. Unless I’ll be in your way.”
“Not at all.”
She set his plate on the counter and dished up the food: roasted chicken and fingerling potatoes with a mixture of herbs that made his mouth water. She drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the entire meal and then pointed to his place at the head of the table and set the dish down. A salad bowl was already on the table, next to a vase of colorful wildflowers. It was a nice touch.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked.
“Let me see what we have.” He opened the double-door fridge and found everything neatly in place: drinks to one side, dairy products on the other, drawers full of cold cuts and shelves filled with baking staples. Chef Dawn had some mighty good organizational skills.
He grabbed a bottle of water and took his seat at the end of the table. “Water’s good for now.” He might need something stronger later.
“Enjoy,” she said, removing her apron, folding it and putting it away in a drawer. “I hope you like it.”
He glanced at the food. “What’s not to like? I can already tell I’m going to enjoy it.”
“I wish all my other critics were that easy.”
“I guess they wouldn’t be called critics, then.”
She chuckled, and the bright sound filled the kitchen. “No, I guess not.” She gestured toward the back rooms. “I’ll, uh, just be in my room. If you want anything else, please let me know.”
“What? You’re not eating with me?” he asked, as if that was incomprehensible.
“No, I, uh...no.” She bit her lower lip, and Cade’s gaze automatically ventured there. She had a pretty mouth, sort of heart-shaped, and right now she was nibbling on her lower lip as if it were made of chocolate candy. He had to admit she was a looker, with a pretty face and those deep ocean-blue eyes. “I usually don’t eat with my...client.”
He was her client? He guessed that was one way of putting it. “You have things to do?”
“When I’m not cooking, I’m contemplating cooking,” she said. “Working on my recipes or doing research.”
“Ah, got it. But just so you know, I don’t mind if we share our meals. You’re welcome to join me anytime.” There—he didn’t think he was being overbearing, but in this day and age, one had to be extra careful.
“Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
She walked out of the room, leaving him alone in the kitchen. He took a bite of her food. The chicken was really delicious, with a depth of flavor he’d never tasted before. Actually, he couldn’t remember ever having a better-tasting chicken dish. He had to hand it to her, she was talented. And for what it was worth, this time his mother’s meddling had done some good. She’d hired a great chef.
He nibbled on the food. It was delicious, but he didn’t have much of an appetite lately. He’d lost some weight in the past eighteen months. Sometimes he could hardly believe it’d been that long. His life had been all planned out. He had direction and drive and was looking forward to marriage and having a family. But fate had interfered, destroying his dream.
He rose from the table and rinsed off the dishes, putting them into the dishwasher. He wasn’t going to turn Chef Dawn into a housekeeper. He could lend a hand at the cabin. Besides, what else did he have to do for the rest of the day, chop wood?
He laughed at the notion, then walked into the massive living room and took note that the woodpile on the hearth was almost depleted. Damn, now that he thought about it, what better way to kill off the restlessness that crept up inside him whenever he was alone than to do hard physical labor? Yeah, he liked the idea.
Cade changed into his hiking boots and went outside, marching around to the back of the cabin, where he found an ax, protective eyewear and a hard hat in the shed. The old chopping block was right where it had always been. “See if I remember how to do this,” he muttered, placing a thick log on the block and lifting the ax. One swing later, he was grinning. He loved the strain in his arms, the pull of his muscles as he landed the second blow and split the log. He hadn’t lost his touch. Five logs later, with the sun beating down on him, he removed his black T-shirt and sopped up a layer of sweat from his brow. The sun felt good on his shoulders and back, and as he lifted the ax once again, he heard a female voice.
“Oh.”
He swiveled around, ax in hand, and faced Dawn. She was wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts, a blue-plaid shirt and a pair of tan hiking boots. She looked like a modern-day version of Daisy Duke. As a teen, he’d watch reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard, just to catch a glimpse of Daisy in her cutoffs.
“Sorry.” She gulped and stared at his bare chest.
She was a good six feet away, but he felt the intimacy of the moment down to his toes. The appreciation shining in her eyes wasn’t lost on him. He was grieving, but he wasn’t totally dead inside. And just for an instant, a spark passed between them. Something unnamed. Something he was better off not defining. Yet it was there, and maybe it was simply a boost to his ego, having a woman gawk at him that way.
Though she probably had no clue what her eyes were revealing.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
She cleared her throat. “I’m going for a little hike.”
It sounded like fun.
“I didn’t know you were back here,” she continued.
“Yeah, I’m just chopping wood. Need to do something with my time.”
“I could find something for you to do,” she offered softly.
His brows rose. Surely she didn’t mean to sound suggestive, but it had come out that way, and all of a sudden, he was imagining all sorts of things they could do with their time together. He hadn’t been with a woman since Bree, eighteen long months ago. He hadn’t wanted to go there, but he was here now, and for the first time, he was thinking about sex. With a Daisy Duke lookalike. He put his head down so she couldn’t read his thoughts.
“I didn’t mean...it’s just that there’s a lot to do if you like the outdoors.”
It was a nice save, and he glanced at her again. “Like taking a hike?”
“Yep, there’s some interesting vegetation up there that I’d like to check out. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be gone for an hour. So how about dinner at seven tonight?”
“Aren’t there leftovers from lunch?”
“There are. Want to have them tomorrow?”
“Sure. It was really good.”
“Thank you. I’m trying out a new recipe for tonight. How do you feel about pasta?”
“Who doesn’t love pasta?”
She smiled sweetly, glanced at his chest one more time and then turned away, giving him a beautiful view of her long tan legs and perfect behind as she wandered off.
It was something he shouldn’t be noticing. But man, he wouldn’t be male if he didn’t.
