Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  “Trust me, Cowboy, Zev is all man,” Carly said arrogantly.

  “I’m with Carly,” Birdie said. “Just look at him.”

  “It’s okay, girls. I get it. These guys are boot-wearing, hat-tipping, hardworking men. They just want to make sure this pretty boy can handle anything that comes my way. I respect that.” Zev cocked a grin and said, “Try to keep up, boys, because I’m only going to say this once. I free dive, deep-sea dive, base jump, skydive, and I’ve climbed the Andes. Twice. I dove off the cliffs at Devil’s Canyon, trekked through deserts, sailed through the stormiest of seas, and surfed forty-foot waves.” He took a drink and said, “Oh yeah, I also revived a guy who had drowned in Portugal. I’m pretty sure I’m man enough for Carly.”

  Cutter and Cowboy exchanged a look that clearly said damn…

  “Pretty impressive. I didn’t know models did those things.” Cowboy took another swig of his beer.

  Zev stifled a laugh and said, “There’s usually more to people than meets the eye.”

  “A lot more,” Carly added. “Especially below the waist.”

  Birdie and Quinn burst into laughter. Zev drew Carly into a long, slow claim of a kiss. Eat it up, Cowboy, because she’s all mine.

  “Lucky is right,” Birdie said, earning an “Mm-hm” from Quinn.

  Cowboy cleared his throat. “You ever ridden a bull?” he asked gruffly.

  “Aw, shit. Here we go,” Dare said.

  Zev shook his head. “Can’t say that I have, but I’m up for anything.”

  “Cowboy, what are you doing?” Carly demanded. “Did Billie put testosterone in all your drinks tonight? Zev, you do not have to prove anything to him.”

  “I’ve got this, babe,” Zev said with a wink.

  “Around these parts, there’s only one measure of manliness. And right now, my baby sister holds the record.”

  “Uh-oh.” Birdie glanced at Carly and said, “I think you’d better prepare him for a black-and-blue butt.”

  Zev pointed his beer bottle at Cowboy and said, “I was wondering why my gorgeous girl was still single with all you big cowboys around. But if a cute little thing like Birdie holds the manliest record in town, that pretty much explains it all, doesn’t it?”

  Cowboy glowered, Dare and Cutter chuckled, and the girls had a freaking laughfest.

  Zev sucked down his beer and said, “Bring. It. On.”

  CARLY ADMIRED ZEV’S ability to stand up to any challenge, but she’d seen bigger men than him fall off the mechanical bull. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt and not be able to dive next week, or to get humiliated in front of Cowboy, who she was ready to throttle. “Zev, please don’t do this. You could get hurt,” she pleaded as they made their way through the crowd.

  “Have faith, babe,” Zev said, watching a guy ride the bull. “There’s nothing I can’t do.”

  “I want to believe that, but you have no idea how hard it is to ride that thing.” She turned to Birdie and said, “Tell him, Birdie.”

  “She’s right, Zev. It’s an ass-kicker for sure. I’ve been riding since I was a little girl, but it definitely takes finesse. You need to move with it, like you’re making love to it. Like this.” Birdie started undulating her pelvis.

  “Damn it, Birdie!” Dare growled, turning a dark stare toward the guys ogling his younger sister. He turned that stare on Birdie, who was still undulating, and said, “Stop. Now.”

  Birdie huffed and put her hands on her hips. “I’m just showing Zev how to finesse the bull.”

  “Sure you are, Bird,” Dare said with a shake of his head. “You keep it up and I’m going to have to finesse the fuck out of a few of the guys in here.”

  “Dare,” Carly interrupted, “please tell Zev not to do it.”

  “I’ve got this, Carls,” Zev reassured her again, still studying the guy on the bull. “Piece of cake.”

  “You’re my kind of guy, Braden. Good luck, man,” Dare said, giving Zev a fist bump.

  “What is wrong with everyone tonight?” Carly complained as the rider left the ring, and Cowboy strode into it.

  Cowboy held his hands up and said, “We have a special guest here today. You might recognize him from Sports Illustrated. He’s a hotshot model.”

  “Ohmygod,” Carly said, leaning defeatedly against Zev. “You should probably clear that up.”

  Zev gave her a quick kiss and said, “But it’s so fun seeing him buying into it.”

  “Let’s hear it for Zev Braden!” Cowboy shouted.

  The crowd whooped and applauded as Zev stepped into the ring waving both hands, totally hamming it up as he took a bow. He set his eyes on Carly and hollered, “This one’s for you, babe!” He put his fingers to his mouth and tossed her a kiss just like he used to.

  Despite her worries about Zev getting hurt, Carly couldn’t stop grinning as she reached up and pretended to catch the kiss midair.

  “God, I love him,” Quinn said.

  Me too.

  Dare and Cutter flanked Carly. She scowled at them. “What the hell, you guys? You could have stopped this.” Cowboy didn’t know about Zev and Carly’s past, and for the life of her, she had no idea why Cowboy was being so hard on him.

  “There’s no stopping this,” Cutter said. “You know how Cowboy is. Once he starts, he doesn’t back down until he wins or someone puts him in his place.”

  “So do it,” Carly said. “Put him in his place.”

  Cutter held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I told Cowboy that I had a long talk with Zev and that I like him. I respect him. He obviously has your best interests at heart. But Cowboy had a thing for you when you first got into town. He’s not going to let just anyone win your heart without making sure the guy can handle anything.”

  “Cowboy had a thing for me?” How had she missed that? She glanced at Zev, who was checking out the mechanical bull.

  “A heck of a crush for a while when you first moved here,” Cutter explained. “But you showed no interest. He’s over it, but he’ll always watch out for you.”

  “Great,” she said sarcastically.

  “Your new man can handle himself,” Dare said gruffly. “Check it out. He’s about to climb on.”

  Cowboy walked out of the ring, and Zev took off his boots and socks. He stripped off his shirt, making a show of churning his hips and flexing his abs, causing a cacophony of howls, cheers, and take it all offs.

  What the heck are you doing?

  As if Zev’s ears were burning, his eyes found hers and he winked. He stretched his neck to the left and right, shook out his arms and legs, and rolled his shoulders back, as women screamed for him to take off his pants. Jealousy prickled Carly’s limbs, but his eyes were still locked on her, turning her jealousy into something much hotter and more welcome.

  “What the hell is he doing?” Cutter asked as Cowboy joined them.

  “Fuck if I know,” Dare said. “But he’s got all the girls going wild.”

  Carly rolled her eyes.

  “Guess all he knows how to do is take off his clothes.” Cowboy chuckled.

  “If he gets hurt, Cowboy, I’m going to kill you,” Carly said as Zev mounted the mechanical bull backward. “Oh no. Cowboy! Help him!”

  The crowd laughed and called out for Zev to turn around.

  “Jesus, Carly. Could you have picked more of a pansy?” Cowboy headed for the ring.

  Zev pointed his finger like a gun at Cowboy and said, “I’ve got this, tough guy. Turn this kitten on.”

  “You’ve got to turn around,” Cowboy shouted.

  “Nah, let’s have some fun!” Zev made a whirling sign with his finger, and the mechanical bull began moving.

  Carly watched with her heart in her throat as Zev balanced on the bull as it jerked forward and back, as if he were getting used to the motion. After a few seconds, the butt of the bull tipped up, and Zev pushed off with his hands and kicked his feet up behind him all at once, landing on the bull like he was riding a surfboard.

/>   The crowd went wild—and so did Carly. Women jumped up and down screaming and cheering, men shouted and whistled, and Zev hammed it up. He jumped up as the bull jerked and spun, and he landed on his feet facing the other direction, moving in sync with every jolt of the bull. His abs flexed enticingly, turning Carly’s worries to white-hot lust. The bull spun, and Zev jumped, landing on his ass straddling the bull. He feigned a hurt expression, which made the crowd whoop even louder. Carly laughed, cheering him on as he popped to his feet again and shimmied with his arms out to his sides. He crouched with the spin of the bull, balancing like a surfer, and continued his shenanigans until every person in the bar was gathered around the ring, enthralled by Zev.

  Carly nudged Cowboy and said, “What do you think of my pansy man now?”

  “He’s not really a model, is he?” Cowboy asked.

  Carly looked at Zev riding that mechanical bull and her heart swelled. “Today he’s a model. Tomorrow who knows what he’ll be?” I don’t really care what he is, as long as he’s with me. As Zev showed off his skills, she turned to Cowboy and said, “I know you worry about me, and I appreciate it more than you can imagine.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt, darlin’.”

  “Neither do I. But no relationship comes without risks.” As she said it, she realized how true it was. Their risks might be bigger than some, but that didn’t mean they had to be showstoppers.

  “You’ve got a point, and the guy must really care about you to put up with my shit and lay himself out there like this.” Cowboy’s expression turned serious, and he said, “You’ve never brought a date on a Wednesday night before. You obviously really dig this dude. How long have you known him?”

  “We grew up together, and we dated for a really long time. You once told me that a person found their horse when they looked into its eyes and saw a piece of themselves looking back. The first time I experienced anything like that was in Zev’s eyes when we were in second grade, and I still see it, stronger than ever. He’s a good man, Cowboy, and so are you. I hope you guys can be friends.” Carly could hardly hear herself think over the cheers of the crowd as the bull slowed to a stop.

  Zev’s eyes collided with hers, and all that noise faded away, except for the sizzle and pop of the inferno blazing between them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ZEV STOOD AT the bar watching Carly and her friends sitting around the table as he waited for Billie, who was busy wiping down the other end of the bar, to make her way down to him. They’d closed the place down. The Roadhouse was empty save for Carly’s friends, and Zev was in no hurry to leave. He’d gotten to know each of her friends, and their protective scrutiny had quickly changed to good-natured ribbing. Her friends had been sharing stories about life with Carly all evening, stories about fun times they’d had and the different ways they’d taken care of each other. Though they’d described the same warm, caring person Zev had always loved, the woman they had embraced as one of their own was a careful homebody, not the adventure seeker he knew her to be. It was clear that they adored her just as she was, but Zev had no doubt that as Carly’s old self rose to the surface, her friends would love those parts, too.

  “What can I get you, pretty boy?” Billie asked teasingly.

  Zev had learned that Billie and her sister, Bobbie, ran the bar, which was owned by their father, Manny, another Dark Knight. “Two ice waters, please.” He and Carly had been furtively touching and taunting each other under the table, and it had been hell trying to keep a straight face. He hoped the ice water would help cool him down.

  Billie set the glasses on the bar and said, “That was quite a show you put on. Not many men will stand up to Cowboy.”

  “Then they’re not really men, are they?” He glanced at Carly and said, “I’ve learned not to let fear stand in my way, especially when it comes to that woman right there. I’ve learned to fight demons, and they are a hell of a lot tougher than a mechanical bull.” He picked up the glasses and said, “Thanks for these.”

  As Zev made his way back to the table, another round of laughter rang out. He liked Carly’s friends, and he fit in with them despite their rocky start. He had been alone for so many years he’d forgotten what it was like to belong with a group of people other than his family and his dive crew. But in the same way that he had never connected with another woman, he’d also never found his place among bigger groups of would-be friends. Something had always been missing. And that something was currently joking around with the others, her sweet, unforgettable laughter drawing him in.

  He set the glasses down and sat beside Carly, trying not to disrupt Quinn while she told a story about her brother, who was away visiting friends for the next several weeks.

  Carly leaned closer and whispered, “I missed you.”

  Those three words hit him right in the center of his chest. “I’ll fill up all your lonely parts later, when we’re alone.” Her cheeks pinked up, and he pressed his lips to hers.

  “Are you ever going to tell me what your powwow with Birdie and Cutter was about when I was dancing with Quinn?” she asked quietly.

  “Shh.” He pointed to his ear, then to Quinn, as if he wanted to hear what she was saying. But in truth, he didn’t want to tell Carly that Birdie and Cutter were helping him with a little surprise.

  “That spells freedom to me, Quinny,” Birdie said. “I can’t get rid of my brothers for a week, much less several. Zev, you said you only go home a couple times a year. Don’t you miss your family?”

  “Sure, but we keep in touch by phone and video chat. And if they’re traveling and the timing works out, sometimes we meet up wherever they are.” He had become adept at explaining himself without going into detail about how painful it was to go back to Pleasant Hill. He wondered if it would be easier to go home now that he and Carly had reconnected. He imagined it would, since everything seemed better with her by his side. But he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Even though he believed they’d figure out a way to make things work, he knew careful Carly needed more time to trust him not to take off again.

  “Gosh, I don’t think I could do that.” A shimmer of mischief rose in Birdie’s eyes, and she said, “I mean, my brothers are a pain sometimes, but I don’t think they could live without me.”

  “You, we’d miss.” Cowboy pointed at Dare and said, “But this guy? Him, we can spare.”

  Dare chuckled. “You’d be lost without me.”

  “Like hell we would,” Cowboy said.

  “The women around here sure would be,” Quinn chimed in. “Dare’s the best dancer around.”

  Cowboy scoffed. “Hardly. I’ve got moves. I just like to show them off in the bedroom.” He fist-bumped Zev and they both laughed.

  Quinn rolled her eyes. “No one dances as well as Dare.”

  Zev looked at Dare, who was eating up Quinn’s praise, and said, “You’re that good, huh?”

  “A wise man once said there’s usually more to people than meets the eye.” Dare nodded and took a drink of his beer.

  “He doesn’t just dance,” Quinn said. “He dances on the bar.”

  “The last time Dare pulled a Coyote Ugly, an out-of-towner stuck a twenty-dollar bill in his pants.” Cowboy laughed and said, “It was a dude!”

  “And what’d this guy do?” Cutter hiked a thumb at Dare and said, “Gave him an encore.”

  They all cracked up. Zev couldn’t stop laughing as he tried to picture the badass biker dancing, much less dancing on a bar.

  “What’re you laughing at, Braden?” Dare asked.

  “I can’t get over the fact that you actually danced on the bar.”

  “I can’t get over the fact that you don’t,” Dare said, and high-fived Cowboy.

  Zev smirked. “Who says I don’t?”

  “You tell ’em, man.” Cutter fist-bumped Zev.

  “Forget telling us. Show us!” Birdie dug into her purse and whipped out a twenty-dollar bill, waving it in the air.

  “Yes!” Qu
inn cheered, jumping to her feet. “Cowboy and Cutter, too! Me, Birdie, and Carly will be the judges to see who’s got the hottest moves!”

  “Not happening, girlie.” Cutter put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back down to her seat beside him.

  “Fine,” Quinn said sharply. “Then you can sit this one out and just the real men will dance.”

  “That’s right, darlin’.” Cowboy winked at Quinn; then he looked at Dare and Zev and said, “What do you think? Dance off on the bar?”

  Birdie started chanting, “Dance off! Dance off!”

  “No way, Birdie,” Carly said. “You’ve ogled my man enough. And, Cowboy, didn’t you learn your lesson with the mechanical bull? Zev’s moves will light that bar on fire.” She pushed to her feet and pulled Zev up to his. “The only dancing Zev is doing is with me. Right now, on the dance floor.”

  “Now, there’s an offer I can’t refuse.” Zev put his arm around Carly and they headed for the dance floor.

  “Are you sick of being here yet?” Carly asked.

  “Not at all. I’ve had a great time, and I’m glad we came. I’ve learned so much about you, your life here, and your friends.”

  “They can be a lot to take in.”

  “I like them, Carls, and I’m glad they’re watching out for you.” He gathered her in his arms and began swaying to a slow country song. He brushed his cheek along hers and said, “It’s been so long since we’ve danced together, I forgot how good it feels.”

  “Senior prom,” she said softly. “That was our last slow dance.”

  “I’ve missed this, babe. I’ve missed out on doing so many things with you,” he said, thinking of her friends’ stories. “I wish I had been there for the sled-riding fiascos and the horseback trail rides your friends told me about.” They’d told him so many stories, he couldn’t list them all, though he remembered every word about pie-eating contests at fall festivals and breakfasts with the Whiskeys.

  “You can be there for sled riding if you want to, since you can’t dive in New England in the winter,” she said.

  “Trust me, I will be.” But for how long? And would it be enough? Could he really calm the restless nomad inside him and be happy staying in one place for a while if that was what Carly needed? He didn’t know if he could, but he sure as hell wanted to try. “When Cutter told that story about the time you were sick and the Whiskeys took turns helping Birdie run the shop and nursing you back to health, all I could think about was that I wish I had been there then, too.”