by Kirk, Cindy
Adrianna knew that Ryan and Betsy used to meet everyone for breakfast before their son was born, but she’d never been sure she was welcome. Until now. A warmth flowed through her veins.
“When’s the party?” Tripp asked.
Mary Karen gave him the date and he glanced at Adrianna.
It was well within the one-month timetable of her and Tripp’s romance and it would definitely be odd if they didn’t attend.
“I think it sounds like great fun,” she said. “I’ll be there.”
“We’ll be there.” Tripp smiled at her, his tone slightly chiding. “You’re part of a couple now, sweetheart.”
Couple. Sweetheart. The words were bittersweet.
If this was real, she’d be on top of the world. But it wasn’t. Being with Tripp in a fake relationship was like having a maraschino cherry in reach but only being able to look, not touch.
“Well—” Adrianna pulled to her feet “—this part of the couple needs to head home. I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“I’m so glad you came.” Lexi gave her a hug, then whispered in her ear, “I have a good feeling about you and Tripp.”
“Come back anytime.” Meg’s eyes were warm “Don’t be such a stranger.”
The words only confirmed her earlier realization. She had been keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’d always been more reserved, but she’d taken a step back after her parents had died. Once the scandal erupted...
“I’m leaving, too,” Mary Karen announced, moving to the door. She shifted her gaze to Tripp. “If you and Adrianna decide to have a big family, Travis and I will be happy to give you a few pointers.”
“Good to know,” Tripp said with an easy smile.
“I had a perfectly lovely time,” Adrianna told her hostess.
“I did, too.” Mary Karen giggled. “Especially because we didn’t have to discuss The Garden of Forking Paths.”
“Adrianna, call me,” Lexi called out from her seat in the great room. “We’ll do lunch.”
“I will.” When Adrianna turned toward the door, Tripp turned with her.
He looped an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Not necessary.” The words left her mouth before she realized they hardly sounded like a woman falling in love.
“It is unless you want me to kiss you right now in front of everyone,” Tripp said with a wicked grin.
Adrianna felt her face warm. “Come on, then.”
Tripp chuckled. “As you can see, she’s quite infatuated with me.”
She jabbed him with her elbow. An audible oof escaped his lips. He quickly rallied and caught up with her, taking her hand and waving a quick goodbye to Cole, Charlie and her friends.
Once the door closed behind them, he released her hand.
“I think that went well.” He sounded quite pleased with himself.
“I was shocked to see you.”
“I could tell.”
“Meg said Cole was at work and then all of a sudden you show up with him.”
“If you’re asking if I came over deliberately knowing that you would be here, the answer is no,” Tripp said in a casual tone. “He mentioned something about his wife having some women over for a book club, but it didn’t register.”
“Why were you with him?” The second the words left her mouth she realized she’d overstepped. After all, where Tripp went—and for what reason—wasn’t any of her business.
Tripp just smiled. “Cole wanted to show me what the P.I. has uncovered. Ryan will use the information in his efforts to get Keenan’s case reopened.”
“I didn’t know Cole was so heavily involved.”
“Cole is bankrolling much of the costs,” Tripp said. “Even with Ryan donating his time, there are still court fees and a detective doesn’t come cheap.”
Adrianna remembered her friend’s despair when Keenan was convicted. “Betsy would be over the moon if he was freed.”
“So would I.” Tripp’s blue eyes turned serious. “Keenan is a friend and a good guy.”
“What I don’t understand is why he wouldn’t let anyone help him earlier. Why did it take two years behind bars?”
Tripp shrugged, but she had the feeling he knew exactly why.
They reached her Subaru and he opened the door for her. Instead of slipping behind the wheel, Adrianna turned, resting her hand on the top of the door. “Even though we want to make everyone believe our relationship is real, there’s no need for you to go overboard.”
“Surely you’re not referring to that simple kiss on the cheek?” His lips twitched. “Adrianna, that’s the kind of kiss I’d give my grandmother.”
“Oh.” Adrianna didn’t know what else to say. It had felt like more at the time, but perhaps she was the one who’d overreacted.
“Going overboard would be doing something like this.”
Before she knew what was happening, he’d wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. Curling a finger under her chin, he lifted her face and closed his lips over hers.
The kiss started off slowly and she decided this wasn’t so bad. A nice little kiss like they’d shared before. Unlike that night, this time Tripp didn’t step back.
Like a volcano that had lain dormant for many years and was beginning to stir, the longer the kiss continued, the hotter it burned. Something clenched low and deep in her belly. When his tongue swept her lips, she opened her mouth to him.
Suddenly close wasn’t close enough. She laced her fingers through his hair and pressed her body against his. They fit perfectly together.
Where she was soft, he was hard. Very hard.
She abruptly pulled back, her heart pounding, her lips tingling and her body aching with need.
“Good night.” She gave him a little shove back and slid behind the wheel of her car, pulling the door shut.
She paused for a couple of seconds before starting the vehicle. When she realized she was waiting for him to say anything—or do something—she cursed herself and turned the key.
She lifted her hand in a wave and drove off, leaving Tripp standing beside the driveway, a strange look on his face.
Perhaps he was wondering what had just happened. She understood his confusion. She hadn’t expected such passion between them.
Oh, she’d once hoped for such a thing, but had given up on that long ago. Of course, she’d learned the hard way that lust didn’t equal love.
It was a lesson she’d be wise to keep in mind.
* * *
The next day, Tripp found himself daydreaming through two important meetings. The heat that had exploded between him and Adrianna last night had been a surprise.
Okay, maybe not that much of a surprise. She was a beautiful, sexy woman. Ever since he’d moved back to Jackson Hole, there had been something in the air between them. Something he tried very hard not to think about.
While he’d been married, despite Gayle’s unfounded accusations, he’d never given Adrianna—or any other woman—a second thought. Yet, now he couldn’t stop thinking about the very woman Gayle had accused him of secretly wanting.
Tripp raked a hand through his hair. Perhaps this thirty-day thing wasn’t such a good idea after all. If only his mother hadn’t been so happy when she’d stopped by his office yesterday.
He knew his parents wanted him to find someone special, to get married again and give them some grandbabies. They couldn’t understand that lately his job had kept him too busy for serious dating. They’d find it even more difficult to understand that once he had time, that woman could never be Adrianna.
Tripp knew it made no sense, but in his mind, to be with her would somehow lend credence to Gayle’s accusations.
He told himself there were hundreds of other single women in Jackson Hole.
But they’re not Adrianna.
Tripp shoved aside the thought and refocused on the problem at hand. Kissing Adrianna had reawakened the desire he’d thought had died with his wife. Whic
h meant he had to proceed carefully. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. Even though she never spoke of her past relationships, something told him she’d experienced difficult times. Perhaps she was still carrying a torch for some long-ago boyfriend.
A knife twisted in his chest. Not because he was jealous but because he didn’t like the thought of someone hurting her. Despite her cool, composed demeanor, Adrianna was a sensitive soul. That was why his protective instinct had reared up when Winn Ferris started showing an interest in her.
A knock sounded at his door and he glanced up.
Speak of the devil.
“Winn.” Tripp rose to his feet, forcing a friendliness he didn’t feel into his voice. “Come in.”
Why the heck hadn’t Paula told him Winn was in the outer office? He could have come up with some excuse about a meeting.
“No one was at the desk, so I thought I’d see if you had a few minutes.” Winn strode into Tripp’s office as if he owned the place. Dressed in a dark suit with a gray shirt and tie, he looked every inch a successful businessman.
“You caught me between meetings.” Tripp gestured to a pair of large leather chairs. “Have a seat.”
Instead of retreating behind his desk, when Winn sat, Tripp settled himself into the matching chair. “What brings you to the hospital this morning?”
“I need some help,” Winn said, looking surprisingly serious. “Dad suggested I speak with you.”
Tripp knew the mention of Jim Ferris, chairman of the board of trustees, had been deliberate. Whatever Winn wanted, alluding to the fact that his father had specifically thought he could help his son almost guaranteed he’d get what he wanted.
Unless, of course, he wanted Adrianna.
“I’ll be happy to help.” Tripp kept his tone even and a smile on his lips. “If I can. But if it’s about golf-course development, that’s outside my purview.”
“Let me give it to you straight.” Winn leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “My father has a good rapport with the older, more established members of the community. I need access to the younger, influential ones. That way I can learn firsthand their concerns about the development I’m proposing. I’ll know what information to provide to assuage those concerns.”
“Where do I fit in?” Tripp had a sinking feeling he knew where this was heading, but just in case he was wrong, he didn’t want to assume.
“Dad tells me that you’ve got a lot of friends in this town.”
“I grew up here,” Tripp acknowledged.
“Your friends are considered to be part of the new breed of movers and shakers. Men like Nick Delacourt, Gabe Davis, Cole Lassiter, Ryan Harcourt and Joel Dennes. Not to mention all the physicians.”
Tripp found it interesting that Winn had only mentioned the men in the community, not any of the influential women.
“What exactly are you getting at?”
“I’m not part of that group,” the dark-haired man said bluntly.
“Most of the men you’ve mentioned belong to the Jackson Hole Young Professionals Organization. They’re also active on various chamber of commerce committees.”
“I’m aware of that.” Winn waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t have time for committees and clubs right now.”
“To get something out of organizations, you do have to put in time” was all Tripp said.
“Again, let me give it to you straight.”
“By all means.”
“I want you to get me invitations to all the social events this group of yours holds.” Winn’s eyes never left Tripp’s face. “That way I’ll get to know these people and be able to pick their brains.”
Tripp started to shift in his seat, but stopped himself just in time. This was worse than he’d imagined. “Winn, I’m sure you understand that unless it’s an event I’m personally hosting, I have no control over the invitation list.”
“I don’t believe you.” Winn’s lips lifted in a sardonic smile. He rose to his feet and strode to the window overlooking the Elk Refuge. After several seconds he turned. “One word from you would get me an invitation. We both know that. Dad wasn’t in favor of your being chosen for this position. That’s something else we both know. But he’s been supportive and set aside his personal feelings.”
“Go on,” Tripp said when Winn paused.
“If you refuse to help me, if you try to sabotage my entry into this group, I’m afraid my father will see you as someone who’s holding a grudge against him. I think he might be disappointed enough to make sure the other members of the board are aware of this as well.”
“You’re threatening me.” Tripp was no stranger to such politics. While he wasn’t surprised that Winn would do something like this, it disturbed him that Jim would stoop to this level.
“Threat is such an ugly word.” A slight smile lifted the corners of Winn’s lips. “And totally inaccurate. I’m simply making you aware of what might possibly happen should you choose to decline my request. I came here to ask a favor of a man I consider a friend.”
Tripp rose to his feet once more and reviewed his options. He wasn’t at all cowed by the man’s threats, but he’d learned long ago to think before rashly responding.
“Rumor has it Dr. Fisher and his wife will be hosting a retro party in the next week or two. Getting an invitation to that event would be a good first step.”
Tripp made a great show of glancing at his wrist. “I’m going to have to cut this short. I have a meeting at noon.”
“I appreciate your time,” Winn said with a smooth smile. “Just remember, if word gets back to my father that you’ve told your friends about our little arrangement, well, he won’t be pleased.”
A knock on the door sounded.
“Come in.”
“Mr. Randall, the meeting you have scheduled—” His personal assistant, Paula, paused, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”
“That’s okay, Paula.” Tripp walked to his office door. “Mr. Ferris is leaving.”
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Randall.” Winn strolled across the room, that irritatingly smug smile still on his lips. “Be sure and give Adrianna my best.”
Paula waited until Winn was out the door to speak. “I didn’t mean to run him off. Actually, your noon meeting has been canceled.”
“That’s okay,” Tripp assured her. “We’d completed our discussion.”
“If you’re sure...”
“I am.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t at my desk when he arrived.”
“No worries.”
“Shall I put him on the list?”
Tripp knew she was referring to the list he’d given her of people whose calls he always wanted to take.
“Uh, no,” Tripp informed her. “Mr. Ferris is more of a business acquaintance than a friend.”
After his visit today, that category was where he was going to stay.
Chapter Nine
The building that housed the ob-gyn offices where Adrianna practiced was within a short walk of the hospital. If she forgot to bring her lunch, Adrianna usually walked over and had a salad in the cafeteria.
Today, she decided to entirely bypass the hospital. The truth was, she didn’t want to take the chance of running into Tripp. The scorching kiss of the other night had muddled her thinking. She didn’t want to see him until she had time to process what had happened.
Instead, she headed downtown to Hill of Beans for her favorite nonfat iced latte and a side salad. When she saw the crowd she almost turned back, but decided it would take her longer to walk somewhere else. Besides, any place at noon was bound to be busy.
Thankfully, the line moved quickly. While most of the customers were getting their lunches and coffees to go, Adrianna planned to stay. But by the time she’d gotten her food and paid, the tables were full.
She was ready to ask for a to-go container when a woman seated by the window waved her over.
“You can sit with me if you’d li
ke,” the dark-haired young woman dressed in a maternity business suit offered.
“Thank you. I’d love to join you.” Adrianna recognized the woman as Karla Anderson, one of her patients.
Karla had recently moved back to Jackson Hole from Kansas City to take a job in county government. At the moment, that was about all that Adrianna could remember about her. Other than, of course, she was six months pregnant.
Adrianna placed her salad and latte on the table, then stowed her tray before taking a seat.
“You just missed your boyfriend,” Karla told her.
Adrianna froze. “Who?”
“Tripp Randall.” Karla raised a glass of tea to her lips. “Someone at work was telling me today that you two are a couple.”
Adrianna should have been surprised that news would travel so fast, but she wasn’t. “Was he alone?”
Karla nodded. “He got his food to go. I’m surprised you weren’t meeting him for lunch.”
“I wasn’t sure how long the delivery I had this morning would take,” Adrianna said smoothly. “How have you been feeling?”
“I have more energy,” Karla said. “Although, I’m still having some trouble sleeping...but I think that’s stress.”
Adrianna lowered her voice. “Are you still working long hours?”
Karla had taken a position as a community planner and had been practically living at the office for the past two months.
“Work is actually going better.” Karla took a sip of tea. “It’s my personal life that’s in the toilet.”
Adrianna knew very little of Karla’s home situation, other than she was single and the baby’s father didn’t live in the area. She’d gently tried to probe for more details—believing that the more she knew, the better she could treat the whole person—but Karla had put up a brick wall. Today, it appeared that wall stood on the verge of crumbling.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Adrianna murmured.
“Justin—he’s the baby’s father—has been pressuring me to return to Kansas City,” Karla said with a sigh.
Adrianna dipped her fork into the salad dressing she’d gotten on the side, then stabbed a piece of romaine before responding. “Is that where he lives?”
