When Petals Fall: A Cowboy, Second Chance Romantic Suspense (Chance Creek Book 1)

by A. L. Mercier

  "I hope everything goes okay."

  "It should go off without a hitch."

  She snorted. "I hate to be the one to break it to you Cowboy but having to push something that big out of a hole smaller than the size of a pea, is anything but routine."

  He chuckled. "That's a fact. Let me rephrase that. There should be no complications."

  She nodded. "Better."

  "Turns out it's a good thing I headed out this way, otherwise I'd have missed you." He ran a finger down her nose. "I needed my Lizzie fix."

  "You make me sound like a drug."

  "In some ways you are."

  She met his gaze head on. "I'm not staying, Jake."

  He knew that. But for now, he wanted nothing more than to come clean about the misunderstanding that took place seven years ago. The day she walked out on him. The day she thought he had it in him to cheat on the only woman who ever meant anything to him.

  Knowing now wasn't the time, instead he tilted up the front of his black Stetson and looked into her eyes. "I know."

  "Which means this is all pointless and impossible."

  Her face reflected confusion, reluctance, and relief as he straightened his hat. The relief, he knew, was due to the fact that he had to leave before finishing the conversation.

  He looked into her eyes and replied softly, "So you keep telling me." With a quick kiss to her forehead, he turned and walked away.

  6

  Lizzie

  Jake and her brother, Brand, walked into the Town Hall like they owned the place, the two blondes trailing behind them the perfect accompaniment to their evident masculinity. Breasts nearly popping out of their too-tight shirts, their jeans so tight Lizzie wondered how they got into them, and their faces made up to emphasize sex and availability. It looked like Jake had found someone to ask after all.

  She looked around for Matt. He stood by the bar, towering above the crowd, six-feet-five-inches of hard-muscled man. His silky black hair hung just below his shoulders, a sharp contrast to the white t-shirt he wore with his snug blue jeans and boots. He was a good man and a hard worker. He would her make a fine catch if her intentions were more romantic and less sisterly. He glanced back at her, catching her eyeing him up and down, and gave her a quick, heart-stopping grin. She rolled her eyes at him, then let her gaze wander around the Town Hall.

  The place was exactly the same. Hardwood floors, buffed and polished, were being abused by boots and spiked high heels as the crowd shifted on the makeshift dance floor. Multi-colored decorative lights were strung from the ceiling above the dancers, and the outlying areas of the hall featured equally soft lights, glowing dimly over the tables, benches, and chairs rapidly filling with the town folk of Chance Creek.

  She saw many familiar faces, some she recognized immediately, and others teased her memory. A few tables over she spotted an old classmate and very brief high school boyfriend, Todd Garrison. The man hadn't changed a bit in the seven years she had been gone. The only way to describe Todd was cute. He had that boy-next-door look about him. Wholesome and innocent.

  Lizzie waved, and Todd frowned briefly, failing to recognize her. When recognition dawned, he headed over to where she was sitting. Feeling a bit apprehensive, Lizzie smiled tentatively. He had been the boy she broke up with when Jake had finally asked her out. Todd had been more than a little angry and accused her of using him to make Jake jealous.

  Guilt rushed through her as she realized now that he had been half right. She had used him. She had gone out with Todd to try to forget her feelings for Jake. It hadn't worked. She plastered a fake smile on her face as Todd approached.

  "Lizzie Thomason. When did you get back?"

  "Not quite a week."

  "Are you staying with your parents?"

  "Yeah, for a while anyway." Lizzie glanced over to see an older gentleman approach Todd's table. He looked familiar, his identity on the tip of her tongue.

  "Hey, Todd!" Someone called from his table.

  Todd turned around. "Shoot. There's Harmon Kennedy. I've got to talk to him. If you'll excuse me, Lizzie?"

  Ah yes, Mr. Kennedy. The owner of the feed store. She wondered where Mrs. Kennedy was. Edna was always good for a laugh. She'd have to stop by the store and pay her a visit. "Oh, sure. It was really nice to see you again, Todd."

  Todd paused, another odd expression on his face, and then he smiled a smile that surprised her with its level of enthusiasm. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other a lot around town."

  Out of the corner of Lizzie's eye she saw a flash of color as Todd walked away. When she turned, she saw her best friend Katie Maguire twirl under the arm of Ryan Kramer, Jake's younger brother, and when she twirled right back to him, her chest slammed into his and they laughed. Katie and Ryan always had a good time together.

  Katie's presence explained why her brother was here rather than at Joe's Bar and Grill, his usual Friday night hangout. Out of curiosity, she searched the hall until she spotted him glaring at the couple from a table in the corner. She grinned as his cheeks flushed red with anger. So her brother's feelings for her best friend were still driving him crazy. She snickered under her breath.

  "What are ya laughing at, Lizzie?" she glanced up at Matt, who set their drinks on the table and pulled his chair close to hers.

  "Brand. What a fool." Lizzie threw her hands up in exasperation. "Just look at him."

  Matt glanced over at Brand. "He sure would be a lot happier if he'd just admit to himself that he's fallen for little Katie Maguire."

  "He's so jealous of her and Ryan it makes me want to scream. Why doesn't he make a move, for God's sake?"

  "Katie is always jealous of him too. You realize the way she carries on with Ryan isn't helping matters any."

  "She's just having a good time with a friend. It's not her fault Brand thinks she's having wild monkey sex with everyone she talks to."

  "Wild monkey sex, huh?" Matt asked, leaning in, draping an arm across her shoulders before running a hand suggestively up and down her arm.

  What was he doing? Matt would never come on to her like this. They were like brother and sister. Unless he developed feelings for her? She chanced a glance in his direction and mentally shook her head. No way. She was about to ask him what he was up to when a deep sexy voice clarified it all.

  "Who's having wild monkey sex?" the voice growled from behind her. She briefly closed her eyes. Jake. She looked at Matt who was trying to hide his smile and failing while he took a drink of his beer. The devil. She kicked him under the table,

  "Ouch," Matt said with a laugh as he leaned down to rub his shin.

  "Don't think for a minute I won't pay you back for this," she whispered to Matt, trying to shrug off his arm, but he refused to budge. He was so going to pay for this. She took a deep calming breath then turned her gaze to Jake.

  "Apparently not you or you wouldn't sound so crabby."

  "You're no Little Mary Sunshine lately either."

  "Now wait just a minute." The nerve of the man.

  He held up his hands. "Don't get your panties in a twist. All I'm saying is if you'd quit making excuses, we'd both be a whole lot happier." He leaned in and whispered huskily, "And I won't be accepting any excuses tonight."

  When he stood back up straight, she tilted the beer bottle up to her lips for a long, cold drink of liquid courage. She wanted to throttle him. She wanted to kill him. She wanted to kiss him. Damn him. His eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. Jake opened his mouth as if to say something just as Katie came bouncing over with Ryan following close behind.

  "Well, there she is!" Katie squealed as she launched herself at Lizzie. Katie gave her a quick hug. Ryan let out a quick whoop then plucked Lizzie out of the chair. Lizzie laughed as she found herself wrapped up in Ryan's strong arms, then twirled around before being embraced in a hug. He kissed her on the cheek and set her back on her feet.

  "Ah, at last, my love, you have returned," Ryan said with a fake Latin accent. "I have missed y
ou more than life itself. As I have held myself chaste in your absence, we shall now take our leave of these peasants so we can bring each other great pleasure, no?"

  Lizzie laughed, pressed a kiss to Ryan's cheek, and hugged him. "You are so full of it. You haven't been chaste since Emma Norton let you feel her up in the fifth grade."

  Lizzie sat back down in her chair, and Katie and Ryan went around to the other side.

  "So, what's up?" Katie asked with a big grin before taking a seat in the chair Ryan offered, her eyes darting back and forth between Jake and Lizzie.

  "Matt and I just got here a little while ago. We saw you and Ryan out there tearin' it up. You guys are good."

  Katie flung an arm around Ryan's shoulder. "Yep, lots of practice, and it helps that Ryan's got all the right moves," she punctuated the statement with a wiggling of her eyebrows and her body. Everyone laughed. Everyone except the man who walked up behind Katie at that very minute.

  "Brand, have a seat," Matt said as he pulled out the chair next to his with another of his devious grins. Lizzie knew exactly why he offered that one too. It was the chair directly across from Katie's, the one with the clear view of Katie and her date. And, it was the one chair where Brand would sit and stew for the rest of the night. Maybe Matt was onto something. A little forced proximity might just make a difference.

  Katie's smile froze on her lips and her cheeks flushed red. Lizzie knew just how she felt. She knew that at that very moment time had stopped, and Katie's heart had leapt into her throat, and it felt like a million butterflies were line dancing in her stomach. Oh yes, she knew because she had experienced the very same sensation a few minutes earlier. Brand took a seat opposite Katie and kept his eyes trained on her, nodded. "Mary Katherine."

  The flush in her cheeks deepened, this time with anger, not embarrassment. Nothing ticked Katie off faster than to be called by her full name.

  "Brandon Patrick."

  Lizzie grinned and mentally gave Katie a high five then looked up to see Jake still standing beside her, the exact same spot he had been since he had walked up. Her inner radar was focused on him just as his attention centered solely on her. She couldn't help but notice how nicely he filled out those jeans. Damn, he was all hard-muscled sex appeal, and when he wore black like he was tonight, all she could think was yum. Which wasn't a new thing and made her wonder if he'd done it on purpose. She cleared her throat and asked, "Where's your date?"

  She thought she heard him mutter "right here" under his breath right before he reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the chair with easy strength. "You don't mind if I dance with Lizzie, do you Matt?"

  He waved them off with a, "Dance away." She shot him a cutting look that promised retribution before Jake hauled her onto the dance floor. Just as they found the quick two-stepping rhythm, the upbeat music segued into a popular country ballad. Good lord, was everything conspiring against her?

  Where was his date, she wondered, frantically looking around the Town Hall for someone to come save her before it was too late, and she fell under his spell again. Then she saw them. The two blondes were seated at a table with two other cowboys, and a feeling of relief she didn't want to admit settled over her. She had been ridiculously jealous at the thought of Jake with another woman and she hated it.

  Then the reality of the situation hit her with startling clarity.

  The blonde bimbo wasn't his date, which meant... No one was coming to her rescue.

  7

  Lizzie

  Maybe the problem lay in the fact that deep down she didn't want to be rescued.

  Jake pulled Lizzie into his arms, engulfing her in the scent of soap and man, with just a hint of pine. She inhaled deeply and sighed. Damn.

  Lizzie swayed with him to the music, her heart swooned as her body melted against his. She rubbed her hand up and down his back, savoring the feel of the soft cotton of his t-shirt and the heat of his body. Couples moved around them, some young, some old, but all enjoying dancing with their partners, just as she was relishing the closeness of being with Jake. No matter how hard she resisted, neither pride nor fear would ever win when she was in Jake's arms. She could fight him but fighting herself wasn't as easy.

  Continued dalliance with Jake would leave her vulnerable. Not to mention complicate every other working piece of her life. Lizzie was unsure which hurdle stood tallest: Her own pride or her core-deep fear of the love she'd always known for this man. He had, after all, hurt her more than any other person ever had and would ever again if she had any say about it. It was easy enough to blame the past for both her hesitancy and her lack of self-control, but the truth couldn't be denied whenever Jake was near. She wanted him.

  Jake's hand at the small of her back sent a tingle up her spine. His free hand grasped hers, enveloping it with his, and her breath caught. They swayed in time to the slow, sultry music while the emotions inside her swirled to life. With every second that passed, Lizzie lost a little more of herself to the moment, to Jake.

  She lifted her head to try to stave off the dizziness that assaulted her. He did that to her.

  She loved that Jake was over a foot taller than she. His height gave her a straight-on view of his chest, and oh, what a marvelous chest it was. The deliciously hard muscles clearly defined in his snug black t-shirt sparked memories. Her hands slid slowly over every inch of his hot, taut flesh, her fingers sifting through the dark hair that peaked out from the neckline of his V-neck tee. A few whisper-light touches were all it took to harden his nipples.

  His legs brushed against hers as they continued to move slowly to the beat. She could indulge herself just this once. She rested her head on his chest, snuggled into him, and sighed. It felt so good to be in his arms, if only for a little while. No one else felt like Jake.

  "You don't mind if I cut in, do you?" purred a feminine voice. Lizzie looked over her shoulder and got slapped back into reality when she saw Amber Worthington standing behind her. The bimbo stood there dressed in a super short, skintight skirt that barely covered what she so obviously wanted to flaunt. Her low-cut shirt so tight her fake breasts nearly popped out of the V-neck. The woman had a body made for sin and Lizzie had the body of a teenager. If she had one-fourth of what the other woman had up top, she wouldn't feel nearly as inadequate as she did right now.

  Amber's timing really sucked. She should let Amber have her turn. Maybe it was for the best. But, damn it, it didn't feel right. Not for her.

  As she started to step out of his embrace, Jake's arms tightened, holding her close. She glanced up, unable to see past the underside of his clean-shaven chin as he said, "Maybe some other time."

  Amber was not a woman to let a minor thing like rejection slow her down. Beyond a fleeting expression of shock, she didn't give any sign she was discouraged. "I'll hold you to that."

  The sway of her hips as she walked away was designed to have any red-blooded man panting. If Jake was panting, he as doing a good job hiding it. She watched his face as they danced, her feet automatically taking the appropriate steps as she mentioned with feigned nonchalance, "You could have danced with her, you know."

  "I didn't want to."

  Thank God. "Why not?"

  He pulled her closer, spun her around quickly in a half circle then flashed her a killer grin that had her heart leaping in her chest and told her, "I'm dancing with you."

  "She's after you, you know."

  He shrugged a shoulder.

  "Oh come on, Jake. You're not the least bit interested?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  He raised a brow. "What?"

  It was her turn to shrug a shoulder. "Why aren't you interested?"

  "She's not my type."

  "She doesn't need to be your type to have sex with her."

  "I'm a grown man, Lizzie. As much as I appreciate your looking out for my interests, I know what I want. The only one I'm interested in is you."

  "Oh. Well." What was she supposed to say to that?
She couldn't think of a thing. As always, he'd muddled her brain.

  "Yeah. Oh." When she didn't respond, he asked, "Do you have a problem with that?"

  Did she? She shook her head accepting the truth. "No."

  "But?"

  "I'm only here for six months, Jake."

  "I'm well aware of that."

  "Getting started back up would probably be a mistake."

  "Probably."

  "But even if we did, it would have to be casual."

  "Uh-huh."

  "And we wouldn't have to be exclusive."

  "Meaning?"

  "You could see anyone you wanted to, not just me."

  "I appreciate that."

  Argh. The man was driving her crazy with his vague responses. She had no clue what he was thinking. "Are you trying to frustrate me?"

  "I was, but Amber interrupted," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  Argh, again. "I didn't mean sexually."

  He tightened his arm around her, dipped her, and with wicked grin told her, "Now that's a shame."

  "You should have danced with her."

  "If I'd wanted to, I would have." He pulled her upright.

  "People are going to think we're back together if you don't dance with anyone else."

  "What's wrong with that?"

  "What's wrong with that?" she asked incredulously. Was he daft? "Everything is wrong with that."

  He tipped up her chin and met her gaze. "Do you really care what people think?"

  "No, but I don't want them to think you're taken or that there's more going on between us than there is."

  "Works for me."

  "Damn it, Jake. We are not exclusive."

  "You know, Darlin', I heard what you said the first time. Doesn't mean I have to agree. Want to know what I really think?"

  "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."