by Lori Foster
Heat crawled up Autumn’s chest, into her neck, then settled in her face. “It’ll die down.” At least, she hoped it would. “Pay no attention to the gossip.”
Folding his arms, his expression intent, Mike said, “Most of the women seemed to think Chuck was a catch.”
“Ha!” Ember made it clear what she thought of that. “For desperate women without options, maybe. Trust me, Chuck might look okay on the outside, but he’s rotten through and through.”
“From what I heard,” Mike said, “I agree.”
Oh, how she loved her sister’s loyalty. Yes, Mike was right that they often clashed, but when push came to shove, she knew without a doubt that Ember would back her up. Every single time.
Now, though, with Tash taking it all in, appearing more concerned by the moment, Autumn felt she had to speak up for herself. “Chuck is welcome to do whatever he wants—”
“Including visiting you?” Tash didn’t look too happy with that prospect. He glanced toward Sadie and said, “Don’t put your fingers on the fence, honey. That’s it. Stay back at least a step,” before turning to Autumn and adding, “You actually want to see that ass?”
Wishing her past wasn’t the center of attention, Autumn shrugged. “I doubt I’ll ever run into him, but if I do, I’ll be pleasant.” It might kill her, but she’d manage. “Nothing more.”
“See?” Tash said to Mike. “Nice.”
As if disappointed in her, Mike shook his head.
Fed up with the macho posturing, Autumn propped her fists on her hips and glared at both of them. “What would you have me do? Cause a scene?”
Umbrage brought Ember closer to her. “I vote you punch him in his throat.”
Tash said, “Probably not a bad idea.”
“I like how you think.” Putting his hand on Ember’s nape, Mike offered, “But how about I talk to him for you?”
Autumn’s jaw loosened. Here she’d been all distracted with the familiar way Mike touched her sister—and the way Ember allowed it after all her bluster—and Mike dropped another bombshell. “Why in the world would you do that? You don’t even know him.”
“I know him.” Smiling with anticipation, Tash said, “I’ll take care of it.”
“What?” Okay, so Mike’s offer made a little more sense—only a little—since he lived on the farm with them and knew them well. But Tash? Just because he’d hired her for design work didn’t mean he had to get involved. “Seriously, that’s nice of you, but not necessary.”
Tash didn’t look convinced. “If he’s telling people he plans to see you—”
“He’s a blowhard. Don’t worry about him.”
“He’s obnoxious,” Mike added. “And I’d relish a chance to tell him so.”
When she got Mike alone... “I can handle it.”
Tash wasn’t ready to give it up. “It sounds like he plans to hassle you. I never liked him, so I should be the one to—”
“Okay, whoa. Enough already.” Autumn made a T with her hands. “Time-out, both of you.” When she had their undivided attention, she said, “First, the day hasn’t come when I need a man to speak for me. Got it?”
Her sister grinned.
Tash and Mike shared a look.
“If it ever does, I’ll let you both know, but until then, I’m entirely capable of handling this on my own.”
Mike started to say something, but she didn’t let him.
“Two, neither of you are responsible for me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. And three, I don’t want to—” Ember’s elbow caught her in the ribs and she oofed. Holding her side, she protested. “Hey!”
Unrepentant, Ember grinned. “This is your first time having two guys argue over you. Stop resisting and just enjoy.”
Horrified by that statement, because it made her sound unwanted by, and inexperienced with, men, and it was also patently untrue, Autumn considered smacking her sister. “They’re not.”
Just because both guys were trying to be...well, gallant or something, it didn’t mean anything beyond that—definitely not what Ember inferred.
To make it all the more confusing, though, Mike reinforced the nonsense. “This is one of those times when you should probably listen to your sister, Autumn. Since she’s often the recipient of male competition, she’d know it when she sees it, right?”
Autumn disagreed. “She’s just trying to embarrass me.” Seeing Ember’s grin backed up that theory. Her sister could be a terrible tease.
Staging a thoughtful frown, Mike said to Ember, “I thought you were going to work on that?”
With that direct hit, Ember’s face pinched...and she turned to walk away. “See ya around, Tash. Autumn, give Sadie the good news about the yard equipment for me.” Ignoring Mike, she headed off for the house. Normally that’d be a five-minute walk, but her angry strides would get her there quicker.
A trail of water dripped from her wet hair, down her back and off her shorts. Autumn was surprised it didn’t turn into steam.
She peeked at Tash, but he was watching her, his gaze speculative.
Mike, on the other hand, tracked Ember’s every step with blatantly hungry eyes.
Because Mike seemed the easier male to tackle, she asked, “What in the world was that about? Now you’ve got her upset again.”
Rolling one shoulder, he said, “She’ll forgive me.”
“Maybe—if you apologize?”
Drawing his gaze away from Ember’s retreat, Mike shook his head. “You know your sister well, and I realize the two of you are close, but you don’t understand this. Trust me, she’s enjoying the game.”
Just then, they all heard the door slam. Hard.
Autumn winced. If that was true, Ember hid it well.
Chapter Seven
“Sadie,” Tash said, “watch where you’re going, honey. Don’t trip over the dog.”
Loving how he divided his time between his daughter and the adult conversation, Autumn smiled. She’d love to go to Sadie and start showing her around, but sibling loyalty forced her toward Mike.
She stared up at him, sought the right words and finally asked, “That’s what Ember is to you? A game?”
He half smiled at her seriousness. “I thought outside of family, games were the only type of relationships your sister wanted.”
He couldn’t be more wrong. Clearly Mike didn’t know Ember as well as he thought.
Mike took in her gaze, then frowned. “No? Did I miss the mark on that?”
“Big-time, I’m afraid.” On the surface, sure, Ember was all fun and games. But deep down? Autumn knew her sister was a very wounded soul.
“Huh. So now I have more to think about.” Lower, he said to himself, “Not that I could think about her more than I already do.”
Autumn was wondering how much she should share with Mike when Tash took her hand and gave her fingers a squeeze. A silent message?
His touch, along with the look in his eyes, effectively stole all her steam. Her own life wasn’t ideal enough for her to give advice to anyone else. Still, she couldn’t resist, and saying, “Make Ember mad, she’ll come after you. But if you hurt her feelings, she won’t talk to you for a month. You might want to think about that.”
His simple and sincere “Thanks for the tip, hon” cleared away the last of her annoyance.
Mike and Ember would be good together, once they got past the misconceptions.
Turning away, she watched Sadie hug Pavlov. She laughed when the dog put a wet doggy lick up the side of her face. Matilda and Olivia loved her attention. Even the skittish chickens were venturing closer, lured by her gentle manner. “She has the touch.”
Using his fingertips, Tash raised her chin. “Reminds me of someone I know.”
Effectively caught in his dark gaze, Autumn suffered an excess of emotion. She knew s
he made a difference in the lives of animals, and she didn’t discount the assistance she gave her parents, or the support she supplied to Ember.
But this, with Tash, was different. At least for her.
For Tash? She didn’t know. Was his gentle touch a residual effect of seeing Sadie so happy? Or was it her, specifically, that drew him?
True, she wasn’t as experienced as Ember, but neither had she been a complete wallflower. She’d known plenty of men, dated some of them and understood the way things worked. Sort of.
But this? His familiarity? It kept her guessing.
That he’d attempted to defend her was one thing. Lots of good men stepped up when they thought it was necessary. Thanking her for inviting him and his daughter over? No biggie. Even smiling at her—he was so damn handsome he could frown and tempt a saint.
But holding her hand? Touching her face? Saying such sweet, heartfelt things? Mike was her friend, but he’d never done anything like that.
So what did the gesture mean?
Of course, Mike noticed. “If you two want a moment, just let me know. I’ll look after Sadie.”
Smiling, Tash moved his hand to the small of her back. “Actually—”
Her phone dinged with a text. “Oh, sorry.”
Feeling conspicuous in the extreme and assuming it was Ember, she fished the phone from her pocket...and stalled at the sight of Chuck’s name on the screen. Oh, no.
Pinning on a smile meant to belie her angst, Autumn said, “Sorry. Just a second.”
She turned her back on them and took a few steps away for privacy before quickly reading the message.
Hey there im back in town would love to see you when are you free
The lack of punctuation forced her to read the message twice before the arrogance of his assumption—that she’d even be willing to meet with him—finally sank in.
The urge to text him back, to tell him to go to hell, had her fingers twitching, but she drew a slow breath and opted to wait. She needed time to formulate a plan. She wanted Chuck to know that she was one-hundred-percent fine without him, that she wasn’t at all affected by what he’d done. An angry reply wouldn’t convey that. It would show too much emotion, and she’d wasted enough emotions on him.
Despite her assurances to the guys, she wasn’t ready to face him, to pretend nothing had happened. No, she didn’t give a flip what Chuck did. But she did care what he thought.
She cared what everyone thought.
Damn it, she wanted the world to know that Autumn Somerset was fine and dandy on her own.
After a bracing breath, she turned back to the men...and immediately saw their suspicion.
Oh, no, no, no. That would not do.
“It was Chuck, wasn’t it?” Mike growled his name like a curse. “What did he want?”
Amazed that he’d nailed it so easily, Autumn gave a short laugh. “Mind your own business, Mike.”
Tash’s jaw flexed. “So it was him. Did he want to get together with you?”
Apparently, she stood between mind readers.
Feeling like a third wheel at a testosterone party, Autumn scowled. “Boys, put on your listening ears.” When they each gave her questioning looks, she announced, “I am every bit as capable as you are.”
Forgoing agreement or denial, they continued to watch her.
Great. One more time, then, as firm as she could make it. “I can deal with Chuck without your help.”
“He’s a freaking idiot,” Mike said with disgust.
She couldn’t argue that point. “Yes, so?”
“Ignorant men don’t respect women.” Taking her hand again, Tash drifted a thumb over her knuckles in a caress that seemed even more gentle in comparison to his tone. “Obnoxious, ignorant men ignore a woman’s wishes. The fact that he’s been talking about you proves he’s an obtuse ass. No reason you should have to deal with that.”
“Correction,” she said. “There’s every reason for me to deal with it, but zero reason for either of you to step in. You have to trust me. Both of you,” she added, when Mike started to edge away. “I won’t have it looking like I need a guy to fight my battles.” Especially not to Chuck. “Got it?” She underscored the order with stiff posture and a stern frown.
Tugging at his ear, Mike gave in, but he wasn’t happy about it. “Fine.”
Tash reluctantly nodded, then ruined his agreement by saying, “But if I overhear him being disrespectful, all bets are off.”
Both men looked so primed for battle, she half expected them to beat their chests. She, with her big bones, could never play the little damsel in distress. Just the thought of it seemed silly, causing a laugh to bubble up out of nowhere.
“You guys, he didn’t threaten my life. He didn’t physically abuse me. I was jilted, that’s all, and as I keep insisting, I’m well over it. Now can we let it go?”
Tash’s mouth twitched, too. “Can I blame Mike? His concern was contagious.”
With a pointed look at Mike, she said, “We’ll definitely blame him. And you’re both forgiven.”
When Sadie laughed again, they all turned to see her walking along the pig enclosure, Pavlov right behind her and the pigs following from the other side of the fencing. When she turned back, they did, as well.
“She’s a little Pied Piper.” Autumn’s mood lightened. Kids had always done that for her. Seeing their innocence and open joy in life helped to put things in perspective.
Mike held out his dirty shirt, grumbled and pulled it on. To Tash he said, “Mind if I let Sadie pet the pigs? They’re gentle.”
Tash deferred to Autumn. “It’s okay?”
Knowing Sadie would love it, she agreed. “Mike will make sure she doesn’t get hurt. But we could all—”
Tash cut her off and said to Mike, “Thanks.” Tugging Autumn toward the barn, he added, “Can I have a minute?”
Now why did that make her hormones do jumping jacks? “Okay, sure.” She glanced back at Mike. “We’ll make it quick.”
His mouth curled. “Now what fun would that be?”
The suggestive question didn’t help to slow her pulse.
Contrary to how movies always depicted them, barns were not romantic sanctuaries, at least theirs wasn’t. Inside, a combination of scents filled her head. Earth, animals, the sweet smell of hay. A variety of tools hung from the walls, filling most of the space.
It was cooler inside, but not by much. Dust motes danced in the sunlight filtering through cracks in the aged wood. Feed barrels clustered in every corner.
She’d been in the old barn at least once a day since she and Ember had taken over the shelter, and yet now, it felt entirely different.
Closer, more private, and yes, even romantic...because Tash was here with her.
The second they cleared the doors, he led her to the side so they wouldn’t be seen, prompting her heartbeat to punch into overdrive. Her hand remained in his, feeling really small and maybe...vulnerable? Dumb. Hands weren’t vulnerable, but it was connected to the rest of her and suddenly all of her nerve endings tingled with a vague sense of sizzling responsiveness.
Years had passed, but how many times had she thought about being alone with Tash Ducker? Of being this close to him, having his undivided attention?
They’d both matured, but still it felt so familiar, and because he’d never been all that aware of her back then, it also felt unnerving. And sad.
That, of course, was the source of her vulnerability.
No man, definitely not Chuck, had ever made her this breathless, this alert.
Now here they were, and Tash watched her with probing intensity, yet he didn’t say anything.
Mustering up her pride, she freed her hand and took two steps away to stand against a rough post. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” His gaze dropped to her mout
h...then heated. “I wanted...”
Her stomach took a free fall. “What?”
Pausing, his brows came down in a private struggle.
Refusing to be that same backward girl from school, Autumn said, “Tell me.” And then she held her breath.
In a gruff whisper, he muttered, “Chuck.”
Chuck? Yeah, not the topic she’d hoped for. “What about him?”
“Is he going to be a problem for you?”
Irritation erupted. Damn it, here she was, all breathless and primed, and he brought up stupid Chuck again. “I already explained a couple of times now that he’s not.” Did Tash really think her so weak that she didn’t know her own mind? “I’m thirty-two years old. I run my own business and a rescue farm. I deal with my family—and trust me, that’s sometimes a challenge—so it’s really starting to irk that you think I can’t handle one stupid annoying ex.”
Her vehemence sent his brows up in surprise. Raising his hands in the universal sign of surrender, Tash shook his head. “Not what I meant, so stop killing me with that glare.” He dared a step closer, a smile slipping into place. “Trust me, Autumn, I’ve known very few people as strong and steady as you are.”
Oh, freaking great. He shared the same compliments she always got from her mother. Just what a girl wanted to hear. Soon he’d be telling her she was sturdy, too. “So what exactly did you mean?”
By tracing her cheekbone, the line of her jaw, he defused her anger as quickly as he’d brought it on. “I’m just saying, it took me a long time to get over my divorce from Deb. And now that she’s passed away, I don’t know what I think or feel other than occasional anger at the situation. Anger that she was obviously unstable, anger that she didn’t make Sadie a priority.” His chest expanded on a breath. “Rage that she had my daughter lie to me.”
His admission had her stepping closer. “Your situation is very different from mine.”
“Don’t do that.” He framed her face in his big, warm hands. “Don’t downplay what happened to you, okay? I see your strength, Autumn. I know you can handle anything. Hell, I’ve seen you do it.” His thumb touched to the corner of her mouth, then brushed over her bottom lip. “I also see a very caring, gentle woman and there’s no way you’ll convince me you weren’t hurt by what that bastard did.”
