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

by A. L. Mercier

But he still wanted to see it. He picked up the picnic basket and the tent while she grabbed her tote bag. They held hands as they walked the trail back to his truck. As he helped her into the truck, he snuck a look back into the trees. Nothing. As he got into the truck and started the ignition, he thought he caught a flash of color, but it was gone too quickly to tell what it was. Then again maybe he was looking for things that weren't there.

  He'd drop her off and go home, get Ryan to come back and help him check things out.

  When they turned on the access road to the Bar T, Lizzie broke the silence. "Thanks for going on the picnic with me, Jake. I had a good time."

  "I had a good time too, Darlin'. I'm sorry that our night had to end so quickly though."

  "It doesn't have to end yet, you know. You can come up to the loft with me for a while, maybe see if you can do that unconscious trick again."

  He groaned inwardly. He wanted nothing more than to do that very thing. "I'd love to, Darlin', but I've got an early morning and a long day tomorrow filled with lots of meetings."

  He heard the disappointment in her, "Oh," but it couldn't be helped. He'd be distracted until he and Ryan went back to the cove.

  He pulled to a stop in front of the stairs to her loft then turned to meet her gaze. "You know I'd love nothing more than to stay so we could love each other into oblivion. I can't get enough of you." He pulled her over to his lap and kissed her gently on the lips.

  "It's okay, Cowboy. I should probably get a good night's sleep, too. I've got a luncheon scheduled with Katie, plus I've got to start entering data into the system tomorrow. While I'm here, I'm going to bring the Bar T into the age of technology."

  "It seems your day is going to be as crazy as mine. What do you say we meet at Joe's for a drink and some dinner tomorrow night?"

  "What time?"

  "How about six-thirty?"

  "I'll be there."

  He leaned in and planted a deep, sensual kiss on her ravaged mouth. His cock throbbed again. Damn. He pulled back, adjusting his hat.

  "I better get going or my good intentions will be shot to hell."

  She rubbed herself against him. "No one asked for good intentions."

  He let out a cross between a laugh and a groan. "You're not playing fair."

  She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, then kissed him briskly on the lips. "Playing fair is overrated." When he leaned in to give her another kiss, she quickly pulled back. "But I know you've got a long day ahead of you, so it's probably best we say goodnight now."

  He chuckled. "Tease."

  "Yup." She grabbed the picnic basket and opened the door. "See you tomorrow, Cowboy."

  They walked up a few steps leading to her door before he stole another kiss. A few more steps, another kiss, all the way to the top. Then Lizzie licked her lips and turned the key in the lock. He kissed her yet again, savoring the favor, enjoying the feel of her lips against his, the brush of her tongue driving him mad. He reluctantly pulled away.

  "Night, Darlin'." He kissed the tip of her nose, then turned to leave only to pause halfway down the steps and turned back to her. "You do realize that you lost the bet?"

  Her jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? How am I the one who lost the bet?"

  He laughed. "You asked for sex."

  "So?"

  "So, you lost. I won. And I can't wait to collect."

  24

  Lizzie

  "So?" Katie prodded.

  "So what?" Lizzie asked, straight faced, taking a bite of her caramel sundae. The juke box was playing Tim McGraw singing a song about living like you were dying. This time they were on the other side of the diner, the side with the ice cream fountain which was, as usual, packed full of teenagers at the counter, in the booths and tables.

  Katie laughed. "You know darn well what. You. Jake." She made a circle with the index finger and thumb of one hand, and then slid her index finger of the other hand through it. "Sex."

  Lizzie looked around to see if anyone was looking or listening, but apparently the teenagers thought twenty-six-year-olds were boring because they weren't even paying attention when sex was mentioned. "What about it?"

  "Well, who won the bet?"

  Lizzie paused with her spoonful of ice cream halfway to her mouth. "How did you know about the bet?"

  "You probably don't want to know."

  Lizzie groaned. Damn Chance Creek gossip vine. "It had to be Jake. The man needs to keep things like that to himself."

  "Wasn't Jake." Katie swallowed her ice cream then twirled the spoon in the air. "Ira Langenfeld overheard you the night you and Jake were locked out behind the Town Hall."

  "Good grief." Ira Langenfeld was the town drunk, funny and harmless, but really good at carrying gossip over to Mrs. Kennedy at the hardware store. "I'm never going to be able to face Mrs. Kennedy again."

  Katie laughed. "Obviously she's not the only one who knows."

  "Oh God. Who did you hear from?"

  "Esther Burkhardt."

  "Esther Burkhardt?" She was going to hell for sure. Esther Burkhardt worked in the church office with Reverend Ellison. So if Esther knew, that meant—"Oh God."

  Katie laughed.

  "This is so not funny."

  "It is to me."

  "I'm not feeling your love, best friend. You should be sympathetic. I'm going to be the subject of sermons for months."

  "Right. I'm going to be sympathetic when you've got that smug I-got-banged-hard-and-long-and-came-more-than-once look written all over your face that can only mean one thing. One of you won the bet last night."

  "Maybe, maybe not."

  "Oh puh-leeze." Katie rolled her eyes. "So, who won?"

  "How do you know anybody won?"

  "Again, the smugness makes it obvious."

  She was feeling pretty smug. "I don't think anyone really won or lost since we both jumped each other."

  "It's so not fair. You're back in town, what, a month? And you get jumped. I'm in town for over six and I'm jumpless. There's something seriously wrong with this situation."

  "All you'd need to do to rectify that is approach the man, but instead you choose to take the high ground and let pride win."

  "We're not talking about your brother, we're talking about you. And you know what? Since your avoiding the conversation, I think you lost." Katie sat back and gloated when Lizzie didn't say anything. "You did." Katie looked smug as she leaned in closer. "Since I'm not getting any, I want details. I need details. Good Lord, how I need details."

  Lizzie snickered. "If you'd just jump my brother and get it over with, you would be getting some."

  Katie's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Again, that's not going to happen."

  "Why not? You want him, he wants you. I don't get it."

  "Actually you do get it, but I don't, which is why I need your details, so stop trying to change the subject."

  "Well, let's see." As they ate their ice cream, Lizzie told Katie about the picnic in Archer's Cove.

  "So, he just dropped you off at your door, kissed you goodnight, and left?" Katie asked incredulously.

  Lizzie sighed. "Yep, and I really wanted him to come in for more dessert, but he said he had to get up early and that he had a busy day today."

  "Maybe you wore him out."

  "Maybe, but he seemed distracted."

  "Maybe he's got something big going on at the Rocking K."

  "I don't think so. He wasn't distracted until we heard someone in the bushes."

  "Someone was watching you?"

  Lizzie nodded.

  "Is nothing sacred?" Katie asked.

  Lizzie frowned. "Seems the answer to that is no. Jake told me he and Brand used to spy on people making out near the pond too."

  Katie smiled slyly. "The little perverts."

  Lizzie snickered. "See? I knew you'd agree with me, which is why I'd like your opinion on something."

  "Sure. Shoot."

  "I came up with a plan."

  "
What kind of plan?" Katie questioned.

  "Well, I've decided that Jake and I are going to go out on dates and we're going to have wild, crazy sex, but that's it."

  "Ah, so you're going to make him your fuck buddy."

  Lizzie crinkled her nose while she contemplated the phrase. It sounded so cheap and tacky but what else could one call it? "I guess that's as good of an explanation as any. The closeness I feel with Jake when I'm 'with' him is just what I need right now. I'm not sure why exactly, but why not go with it, you know? I've never let myself do something just for me. I've always thought of everyone else but me."

  "So, you're sleeping with him, you're liking it, and wanting to keep on doing it. And that's all."

  "Yes."

  "That might work if you weren't in love with him."

  "I can handle that part."

  "If you say so."

  "I do."

  "Then it sounds like a good plan, but there's only one more thing wrong with it."

  "What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with my plan. It's fool proof."

  "Therein lies your problem," Katie said around a mouthful of ice cream.

  Lizzie shook her head in confusion. "You've lost me."

  "Jake."

  "What about him?"

  "He's the fool."

  Lizzie laughed as Katie talked in circles. "What?"

  "Does Jake know about this plan?"

  "No, but can you really see him having a problem with having lots of sex?"

  "A problem with the sex, no. A problem with the emotional detachment, yes. Lizzie, the man is, was, and always will be in love with you. He's definitely going to have a problem with the fact that you don't want love to enter into the equation."

  Lizzie took a drink of her iced tea while she contemplated Katie's words. "That's just too bad. No matter how I feel about him, we still have the same problem. I'm not staying, and he's got his feet firmly planted here."

  "Well, if you can keep your heart out of it, I say more power to you."

  Lizzie sighed. "That's a big if, but one risk I'll have to take."

  "Easier said than done?" At Lizzie's nod, Katie continued, "Well, just be careful."

  "I will."

  "Now, come on and clue me in. You lost the bet?"

  Lizzie smiled. "Yes, I guess I did."

  "So you're going to be Jake's sex slave for a weekend?"

  "Yes." And looking forward to it more than any liberated woman should.

  "Oh the hardship of that, huh?" Katie said with a laugh. "That bet was a win-win situation, no matter how you look at it."

  "And I'm so glad I made it."

  Katie laughed. "I'm sure you are. What else is new since I saw you last?"

  "My parents are going on a Caribbean cruise in a couple of days, but I'm sure you already heard that from…" Lizzie flitted a hand through the air, "…someone." At Katie's nod, Lizzie continued, "I have no idea how Mama talked Daddy into it, but they're going."

  "So, Mr. and Mrs. T are gonna have a sex-filled vacation. Good for them."

  Lizzie inwardly cringed at the thought of her parents having sex. "That's just so…"

  "Healthy?" Katie supplied.

  Lizzie knew she was being childish, and now that she wasn't with Jake contemplating that very act, she could seriously think about the situation. Who was she to say anything derogatory about her parents when she also enjoyed sex just as much? If her parents had a healthy sex life, more power to them. "Yes, healthy is a good way to put it. I'm glad they're going to get away and relax. They've worked so hard for so many years and I'm just glad that I can help out enough that they can get away. It seems they have a lot of traveling planned for the future."

  "Well, good for them. It's wonderful to see a couple so happy after all those years together."

  Lizzie nodded. Her mind drifted to a future with Jake before she squashed the thought. "I agree."

  They sat in silence while they finished their ice cream sundaes. Lizzie motioned to the waitress for the check. "This is my treat, Katie. You bought lunch last time you came to visit me. You know, it really isn't fair that you got to graduate a whole semester ahead of me."

  Katie shrugged. "If you hadn't driven into that truck, you'd have been able to graduate with me. Always trying to do the impossible."

  Lizzie laughed. Katie was the only one with whom she could joke about the accident. Leave it to Katie to make light of a tragic situation. "You are such a brat, but I love you for it."

  "Ditto."

  "Well, with all the meetings we've got set up and trying to enter all those numbers into the new computer system at the Bar T, I'm not going to have a whole lot of spare time."

  "And the free time you have you'll spend with Jake. Can't blame you there. Tall, dark, and handsome cowboy." Katie fanned herself with her hand and Lizzie laughed. But the laugh died quickly when Katie asked, "Have you told him?"

  "No. It just never seems like the right time."

  Katie reached across the table and patted Lizzie's hand. "Honey, I don't think there is ever a good time."

  "You're right, I know you are, but I just haven't found the opening yet. But I will. Soon."

  "Good. He's got a right to know, Lizzie, and I know he'll be understanding about it. It wasn't your fault."

  "I know it wasn't, but it's still hard."

  "Yes, but you're tough."

  Lizzie laughed. Yeah, real tough, she thought sarcastically. Her smile faded as she saw Amber walk in the door, look around, and as soon as the other woman spotted her, she stalked towards her table. Great.

  "Well, well, if it isn't Lizzie," Amber said snidely. Then she looked around. "Where's Jake? You're not really foolish enough to leave a hunk of a man like that alone are you?"

  Katie rolled her eyes and Lizzie grinned. It was time to give back to Amber she dished out so regularly. "As a matter of fact I did leave Jake all alone today. He's got this little ol' ranch to run, and if I were to tag along and bother him all day, he'd never get his work done. Then his business would suffer, and well, I'd just rather let him do what he's got to do so when we get between the sheets, there's nothing standing in our way."

  After a long moment of silence, Amber's face turned a really ugly shade of red. "So, you and Jake are back together, is that it?"

  "Yep."

  Amber leaned in, her low-cut tight t-shirt stretching impossibly tighter across her large breasts. "I do so love a challenge. You see, Lizzie, I've wanted Jake for a long time, and I think he and I would be very good together."

  "Is that right?"

  "Yeah, that's right. He's everything I want, and I don't like to lose."

  Lizzie leaned forward, nearly nose to nose with Amber. "Well honey, you already lost and you're the only one who can't see it."

  Amber straightened. "You are such a bitch."

  "If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black."

  Amber sniffed, stuck her nose in the air, thrust her breasts out, then abruptly turned and walked away.

  Lizzie and Katie snickered as Amber stalked out the door of the restaurant.

  "That broad has serious issues," Katie said.

  "Yeah, and she really, really wants Jake," Lizzie added.

  "Well, that's too bad because he just happens to be in love with you."

  "I don't know about the 'in love' thing."

  "Well, I do."

  As Lizzie slid out of the booth, she noted a more than a few heads turned their way, people were grinning and whispering. "Let's get out of here. We've already drawn enough attention with that little confrontation."

  They went up to the register to pay the cashier when they saw Todd and Sierra standing at the entrance. Katie nudged Lizzie in the side and Lizzie nodded. "That reminds me. I want the skinny on that situation."

  "Later. Here they come."

  Todd walked up with a possessive arm around Sierra's shoulders. "Elizabeth. Katie." Todd nodded in greeting. "Every time I see you around, Elizabeth, you're eating." Tod
d laughed. "Never could keep up with your appetite."

  "Well, I've only been back for a short while and I'm checking to see if the food is as good as I remember. So far everything has been right on."

  "That's good. Glad you're enjoying being back home," Sierra said. The woman looked tired. Anyone who didn't know Sierra would miss it as she was impeccably groomed, makeup placed just right, yet her eyes gave away her fatigue. Lizzie wondered if the other woman was ill.

  "Thanks," Lizzie replied. "We better get going Katie. We're going to take a walk around the town square before we get back to work."

  "We are?" Katie asked and Lizzie elbowed her again. "Oh, that's right. I wanted to show Lizzie the fountain that Adam and Cami had put in."

  "In conjunction with the Garrison Foundation as a sponsor, of course," Todd cut in. "We spare no expense at trying to improve things here in Chance Creek."

  Lizzie mentally shook her head. It had always been about money with Todd and it seemed that hadn't changed one bit. "Well, we better get going. Nice to see you again."

  "You too," Sierra replied.

  They walked out the door and started walking down the street in companionable silence. As they passed the Cut N' Curl, Lizzie looked in the window noting the three stylists hard at work with cuts and styles. She could use a trim.

  Across the street Simmons' General Store was busy as usual. "Look, over there," Katie said pointing to an empty display window. "We could see if the Simmons' would let us put a display in that window and in the toiletry section of the store."

  They passed Lou's Blooms, and Lou sent them a wave. Lizzie and Katie waved back.

  "I don't see why they wouldn't. We don't really have much capitol to work with right now, so we'd have to do a little finagling, and you know how Mr. Simmons likes to wheel and deal, all the while giving you the latest on his six children."

  Katie groaned. "Please tell me you're going to be the one to do it."

  "I so don't think so."

  "How are we going to decide fairly? Flip a coin?"

  "I was thinking rock, paper, scissors."

  Katie stopped. "Wanna do it now? I'd rather know if it's gonna be do or die."

  Lizzie snickered. "It really won't be that bad."

  "Oh yes, it will."