“Me too,” she said. “From the beginning I was afraid this was too good to be true... I guess it was.”
“You’re wrong about that.” He pulled her into his arms. “What’s to stop you from returning? You could just do what you have to do and then come back to Wyoming.”
“I don’t know, Griff. You said everything happens for a reason. Maybe this just wasn’t meant to go any further. Maybe it would be easier to just let go.”
“Let go?” he repeated blankly. “Is that what you really want?”
“No, it’s not. Part of me wants to stay, but my life is so unsettled right now that I don’t think I’m in the right frame of mind to make good decisions. Maybe some space would be a good thing for both of us to figure things out.”
“I don’t want space,” he said. “I want you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she said with a strangled laugh.
“I know enough,” he said.
“Oh yeah? What’s my favorite color? My favorite song?”
“I know everything I need to know,” he amended. “And I know that last night was too incredible for it not to mean something.”
She met his gaze with a sad smile. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“Come back to Wyoming, Cassidy.” He plied a soft, achingly tender kiss to her lips. “Come back to me.”
CHAPTER NINE
Dubois, Wyoming - Christmas Day
GRIFF WATCHED his brother’s family with a sudden and fierce stab of pure unadulterated envy. The floor was littered with shredded wrapping paper. Snort, the family retriever, was chewing an enormous rawhide bone with a red bow stuck to his head. The kids were sucking on candy canes while watching the latest Disney flick, and Denise and Derrick were not too discreetly making out in the kitchen. For the first time ever, he felt like an outsider looking in.
He’d always figured he’d be married by now, maybe even with a family of his own, but had pushed those thoughts out of his mind when Jessica jilted him. He hadn’t thought about it again until Cassidy had come hobbling into his life. Although they’d only had a few days together, it was still enough to know. Their chemistry was through the roof but they’d also connected on a deeper level. He just knew there was potential for more than what he’d had with Jessica. He understood why Cassidy had to go, but still felt cheated.
She’d insisted she had no intention of reconciling with her douchebag ex, but he couldn’t help wondering if she’d change her mind once she got on that sailboat with him. He was driving himself crazy thinking about her. He wanted like hell to call, but she had enough to deal with already, without him pressuring her.
“Whassup, bro?” Derrick plopped on the couch beside him and handed him a beer. “You’ve been real quiet since yesterday.”
Griff shrugged. “Got a lot on my mind.”
“I really liked her,” Derrick said. “Denise did too.”
“Yeah.” Griff smiled. “She’s something, isn’t she? I’d hoped to talk her into staying for a while. She needs a place to land after her divorce, so I offered the condo I’m working on. She’d have her own space but we’d still have had a chance to see where things might lead.”
Derrick looked surprised. “Didn’t you just meet a few days ago?”
“Yeah. But there’s just something there. How long did it take for you to know Denise was the one for you?”
“I knew the first time I kissed her,” Derrick said. “No other women ever had that effect on me. Not even close.”
“That’s pretty much how I feel,” Griff said. “My gut tells me Cassidy just might be the one.”
“Then it really sucks she had to go. What are you gonna do?”
Griff sighed. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Part of me wants to go down there after her, but I’d only look like a world class dick if she’s changed her mind about getting back together with her ex.”
“You think she’ll do that?”
“Dunno,” Griff said. “I’d like to think not but she is on the rebound. On top of that, her ex is a fucking world famous heart surgeon.” He wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, but he knew she needed space to figure out what she wanted. “I figure if this thing between us means anything to her, she’ll come back. If she doesn’t...I’ll just have to deal with it.” He was afraid that would be easier said than done. “I think the best thing for me right now is to get back to work.”
“But I just got home. We’ve got a lot to catch up on,” Derrick said. “Why not take off a few more days?”
Griff shook his head. He wasn’t about to sit around wallowing in misery. “I only need a few days to finish the condo. I want to have it ready to rent out by New Year’s Day. Speaking of which, I’d made a New Year’s Eve reservation at the Couloir Restaurant. It’d be a shame to waste it. Why don’t you take Denise? The two of you need some time together without the kids.”
“’Preciate the offer, bro, but it’s probably too late to line up a babysitter for New Year’s Eve.”
“Bring them to me,” Griff said. “I should have furniture in the condo by then. You can just drop them off and I’ll drive them home in the morning. You can have a night all to yourselves.”
Derrick grinned. “I really like how you think. I owe you, bro.”
***
Boca Raton, Florida - December 26
Cassidy entered the heart clinic waiting room with two Starbuck’s venti’s in hand. Between frantic but fruitless apartment hunting, and trips with Liz to the hospital, she’d been living on caffeine. She spotted Liz immediately in the nearly empty room. “Coffee?” She offered her friend both cups. “I have holiday spice flat white and peppermint mocha. Your choice.”
“Peppermint mocha sounds divine.” Liz accepted the cup with a tired smile. “You’re an angel, Cass.”
“Any word yet?”
“No.” Liz shook her head with a worried frown. “He’s been in surgery for over six hours. Mom was such a mess that I made her take a sedative. How much longer do you think it’ll be?”
“Hard to say, but don’t fret, Liz. If there were going to be complications, you would probably know by now.” She looked around the waiting room. “Where’s your mom and Mandy?”
“I asked Mandy to drive Mom home. She agreed to go as long as I promised to call as soon as Dad comes out of the operating room.”
“I expect he’ll be taken to recovery any time,” Cassidy reassured her.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did, Cass. I thought we were going to have to wait another week or more. How did you convince Doug to get him in so quickly?”
“I promised to sail to the Bahamas with him.”
Liz’s jaw dropped. “You’re not getting back together.”
“No, we aren’t. But he refuses to believe it.”
“But you’re still going with him? I don’t understand.”
Cassidy shrugged. “I made a deal so he’d delay his trip and do the surgery. He kept his part of the bargain so what choice do I have but to go?”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Liz said.
“It’s no big deal. He’ll realize soon enough that it’s not going to work and then we’ll head for the closest port.”
“And then what?” Liz asked.
“That’s the question I still haven’t answered,” Cassidy said. “I still don’t know what to do. If anything I’m even more confused now than I was a week ago.”
“Oh?” Her friend’s black brows arched. “Why’s that?”
Cassidy hesitated to reply. She’d been back two day but hadn’t told Liz anything about Griff. Between Christmas and all the trips to the hospital, there just hadn’t been time or the right opportunity—not that Cassidy was ready to talk about him. It was too soon and too new. She still hadn’t quite figured out how she felt and what to do about it. Right when she was about to answer, Liz’s gaze darted to the door. Doug had entered the waiting room wearing his surgical scrubs and an unreadable expression.
“How is he?” Liz asked.
Doug pulled off his surgical cap and ran a hand through his prematurely graying hair. He had beautiful hands, soft and manicured with long fingers, but it was the velvet caress of Griff’s callus roughened hands that she remembered with a tiny tremor.
“It was a bit touch and go for a while,” Doug replied, “but we were able to complete all of the grafts. He’s in recovery now and will be taken to his room in about an hour.”
“He’ll be okay, then?” Liz asked.
Doug nodded. “He’ll be back on the golf course in a matter of weeks.”
“Thank God,” Liz said with a sigh of relief. “I can’t express how much we all appreciate what you did.”
“You’re welcome, Liz. I’ll be checking in on him in the morning, but after that, one of my partners will be taking over for his follow up and rehabilitation.”
“You said an hour for recovery? That gives me enough time to get my mom. I’d better go now. I know she’ll want to be here when he wakes up. Thank you again, Doug,” Liz said, snatching up her purse. She gave Cassidy an air kiss. “Call me later?”
“I will,” Cassidy replied. She watched Liz fly out the door with a vague feeling of abandonment to be left alone with her ex. They’d spoken only in passing since the phone call. She studied him for a moment in silence. His brown eyes were bloodshot and he looked bone tired. Six hours on his feet working on a beating heart had to be mentally and physically exhausting.
“Here.” She offered him the coffee. “You need this more than me.”
“Thanks,” he said and took a sip. “Are you packed?”
She grimaced. “Can we please talk about this?”
“We have a deal, Cass,” he reminded her with a dark look. “I held up my end of the bargain.”
“I know you did and I really appreciate it, but I still think this trip is a big waste of time.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but you owe me the opportunity to change your mind.”
She owed him? His choice of words really irked her. “Exactly what do you think I owe you?”
“You drive a damned nice car, Cass. You also got a generous settlement but you’d be a lot more comfortable if you came back.”
“Is money all you think about? I never wanted money, Doug. That isn’t why I married you. I wanted you.”
“And I still want you,” he said.
“No you don’t,” she insisted. “We don’t care about the same things anymore. And that isn’t going to change. I’ll go with you because I agreed to, but I’m not having sex with you.”
“There’s only one cabin,” he reminded her.
“Then we take turns sleeping or you can camp out on deck,” she answered.
“To hell with that! You’re not even giving me a chance,” he said.
“Because I don’t want to do this. I’ve met someone else, Doug. Someone I really like. So you see? There’s no point in going through with it.”
His gaze narrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“You never gave me the opportunity.”
“Who is he?” he demanded.
“It doesn’t matter. You don’t know him anyway.”
“You should have told me you were fucking someone else, Cassidy. You used me. I don’t like it.”
“I used you?” She regarded Doug for a long bewildering moment, wondering what she’d ever found appealing. She couldn’t even fathom spending the rest of her life with him. Cassidy felt as if she’d had a moment of epiphany. Maybe she just hadn’t known the difference until she’d met Griff, but three days with the Wyoming cowboy had changed her entire outlook.
She raised her chin and met Doug’s gaze. “You gave up six hours to do something for me. I gave up eight years for you. I’d call us even.”
Cassie left the heart clinic knowing it was decision time. She couldn’t stay with Liz. She’d already imposed on her friend for far too long. And she had no desire to find a new place in Florida. She thought once more about Griff’s offer and realized she couldn’t just let it go. She didn’t know if they had any possibility of a future together, but there was only one way to find out.
***
Jackson, Wyoming — December 27
Griff was standing on a ladder, paint roller in hand when his phone rang. He mumbled a curse. He was half inclined to ignore it, but then thought of Cassidy. His heart sped. He’d waited days to see her name on his caller ID. Hope had him reaching for his pocket, but eagerness and paint-coated fingers made a disastrous combination. Just as punched the answer button, the phone slipped through his fingers and dropped into a five gallon bucket of paint.
Griff stared down at it stunned. What the fuck were the chances of that? He scrambled down the ladder and dipped his hand into the bucket that was. After a few seconds of blind groping, he retrieved the phone. He sucked in a breath and released it on a long stream of colorful curses as he hastily grabbed a shop towel to clean it, knowing already that it was a lost cause.
The call had been from Cassidy. Would she call back or would she think he didn’t want to talk to her? He had to call her back. But her number was stored in his fucking paint-covered phone. He had no choice but to go to the phone store and replace the damned device, but he had furniture being delivered to the condo. He shut his eyes and blew out an exasperated breath. He didn’t need this aggreavation right now. Maybe he could get in touch with her through Liz? Shit. He didn’t have her number either. All of his contacts were in the damned phone. Unless the cellular carrier could pull the contacts for him he was totally screwed.
***
At Griff’s recorded greeting, Cassie ended the call and dropped her phone into her purse, reeling with disbelief. She’d left three messages and he hadn’t returned any of the calls. It didn’t make sense when he’d asked her in no uncertain terms to come back to Wyoming. Had something happened to him? Or had he suddenly changed his mind about her? Maybe he’d met someone else? Or reconciled with his ex? Both of those thoughts had her heart dropping into her stomach. But Griff didn’t seem the fickle type.
He’d told her he hadn’t been in any relationships since his breakup. Maybe he was just pissed off about her bargain with Doug? That seemed the most plausible conclusion. She hoped she’d be able to smooth things over once he learned she hadn’t gone with Doug. But how could she explain when he wouldn’t pick up the phone?
She’d packed her car up with plans to drive it to Wyoming, but it now seemed that Griff’s offer was no longer on the table. Considering her remaining options, it seemed that all roads led back home to North Carolina. After saying a tearful good-bye to Liz, Cassidy headed north on the interstate, but ten hours later still found herself second-guessing her decision.
As she approached the exit to Rocky Slope, she eased off the accelerator and prepared to make the turn, only to have her hands freeze on the wheel. What the hell was she doing returning to North Carolina when the man of her dreams was in Wyoming? When she’d married Doug eight years ago, she’d had her future all mapped out, but nothing had turned out as she’d planned. Maybe it was time to go with her gut for a change. Nineteen hundred miles was a helluva long way to drive if she was wrong, but she couldn’t just let it go when her heart called her westward.
CHAPTER TEN
Jackson, Wyoming – December 31
Griff answered the door with a low whistle at his first eyeful of Denise. With her hair and makeup done, and wearing a clingy black dress, she was a real knock out. “Wow! You look fantastic. I don’t remember ever seeing you so glammed up.”
“You can quit looking at her now,” Derrick glowered. With his sleeping daughter cradled in his arms, the effect lost much of its intended menace.
“If you don’t want other men looking at her, you’ll have to cover her up or take her home,” Griff taunted.
Denise laughed. “It’s your own fault Derrick! You bought me the dress.”
“I was only thinking of me when I saw you in it.”
She gazed at her husband
with a sexy smile. “If it helps to ease your mind, sweetheart, you’re the only one who’s gonna see me out of it.”
Griff experienced another sharp pang of envy. He wanted what they had. And he’d begun to think it might happen with Cassidy, but it seemed the stars had aligned against them. He’d bought a new phone but the store was so backlogged from Christmas that they hadn’t been able to work on pulling his data and now they were closed for the New Year’s holiday. Contacting her would be his first priority for the New Year. If she hadn’t reconciled with her ex, he’d vowed to book the next flight to Florida.
“Please, c’mon in,”Griff said, stepping back to let his brother and sister in law inside.
“Is this gonna be your new house, Uncle Griff?” Kaden asked.
“I’ll only be here part of the time,” Griff answered. “Once I have it rented out, I’ll come back to the ranch.”
“Is that your plan?” Derrick asked.
“Right now it is, but it all depends on who rents it.”
“Have you heard from her?” Denise asked.
“Not yet. I got my new phone, but I still don’t have my contacts. I keep hoping she’ll call me back, but maybe she thinks I don’t want to talk to her.”
Denise offered a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, Griff. It’ll all work out.”
“I brung some movies for us to watch,” Kaden interrupted, holding up his backpack.
“Great!” Griff replied. “Which ones?”
“I gots our favorites, X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“I’ve got the DVD player all set up,” Griff said. “Why don’t you go ahead and start one up while I make us some popcorn. Do you think Kelsey will wake up or do you want to put her in bed?” Griff asked Derrick.
Derrick turned to Denise with a blank look. She reached out for the sleeping toddler. “I’ll put her to bed. She’ll probably sleep through the night.”
“She can have the second bedroom on the right.” Griff pointed down the hall.
Derrick’s gaze never left his wife until she disappeared from view. He shook his head with a sigh. “I’d almost forgotten how damned fine she looks in a dress. Thanks again for doing this for us, Griff. Denise has looked forward to it all week. You’re still gonna come and watch football with me tomorrow, right?”
A Cowboy's Midnight Kiss (Romancing the Stones) Page 8
