Cowboy 12 Pack

by Cynthia D’Alba, Paige Tyler, Elle James, Donna Michaels, Shoshanna Evers, Randi Alexander, Cora Seton, Beth Williamson, Sabrina York, Sable Hunter, Lexi Post, Becky McGraw

  Alex nodded, and they both sipped their drinks, watching the horses in a companionable silence. This was exactly what she wished for her boys. All her boys. Not just her sons, but the Dalton cousins, too. Kade and Kevin had been a part of her heart for as long as she could remember. If they wanted to be single, that was okay. She just didn’t want them to be lonely. Her heart ached at the thought. And after she and Hannah had both witnessed envy in the cousins’ eyes whenever Cole and Jordan or Connor and Kerri were around, she and her friend had vowed to help fate find happiness for all their boys.

  As if fate heard her thoughts, the phone rang with Hannah’s name appearing on the screen.

  She glanced at her husband as she answered the call. “Hi. So…what’s the verdict? Is Brandi going to be there?”

  “Yes, and I didn’t even have to prod,” her friend said.

  “Well, that’s a first.” Leeann gave her husband a thumbs up and he smile.

  “I know. She seemed happy at the prospect of gaining more clients, which I’m sure she will, but we both know that’s not the real reason for the party.”

  “True,” she replied. “Kade has already confirmed he isn’t on duty that day, and that it’s not a drill weekend, so he’s agreed to attend.”

  “Super. He thinks it’s to celebrate my new back yard, too?”

  She sat back in her chair and smiled. “Yep.”

  “Okay, then I guess our work is done,” Hannah said, and Leeann could almost see her friend nod through the phone. “We won’t push. Just get those two together in a relaxed atmosphere and let nature do the rest.”

  “And don’t forget about fate.” She clinked her glass with her husband’s as she continued to talk. “You’ve seen them together.”

  “I most certainly have. They’re fated, and you can’t escape fate.”

  “True.” Over the past year, she’d watched both her sons give it a go to no avail. “Cole tried, but he proved it’s impossible, so we just need to toss Kade and Brandi together every once in a while and let fate do its thing.”

  “Agreed. Starting with my party.”

  Her friend’s voice came through the phone loud enough to make Alex smile.

  “Yes.” She nodded with a grin. “I’m excited. I have a feeling it’s going to open doors for our Pennsylvania transplant…and not just in a business aspect.”

  WALKING OUT OF the meeting he’d called with his platoon leaders just before final formation, Kade was pleased to hear each MOS, Military Occupational Specialty, had accomplished their goals that weekend. Scheduled and planned weeks in advance, the training had gone without incident, injury or anyone AWOL.

  All and all, it had been a good drill.

  “First Sergeant Dalton,” his superior, Captain Hernandez called from behind.

  He swiveled around. “Yes, sir?”

  “Just wanted to make sure I can count on you to attend the meeting with the full-timers this Wednesday at oh-nine-hundred to discuss last minute issues before annual training next month.”

  “Of course, sir,” he replied.

  “Good.” The captain slapped his shoulder and they fell into step together. “Now, let’s call final formation and send these soldiers home.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Twenty minutes later, Kade walked through the nearly deserted armory, mentally cataloging information he’d need to bring to the full-timer’s meeting that week, when he passed the collage of photos on the bulletin board by the door. The one of Sergeant Bobby Nylan never ceased to pull the breath from his lungs. He stopped to silently pay homage to the fallen soldier.

  “It’s not your fault, you know,” Lieutenant Turner said, appearing by his side out of nowhere.

  Kade turned to Jace. “Not your fault, either.”

  “I was the first medic on the scene.”

  “And we both know he’d lost too much blood…and body parts to be saved.”

  The doc sucked in a breath, and then let it out slow as he nodded. “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

  Kade turned back to the photo of the soldier who’d been his responsibility for such a short time. “No, it doesn’t.”

  He’d let the man down.

  The overwhelming urge to hit something shook through Kade, shooting a wave of heat up his body that burned his scalp.

  “You did your job,” Turner said, still staring at the photo. “We all did.”

  “Yes, we did.”

  Too bad it wasn’t enough.

  “So…” Jace twisted to face him, subject change apparent in his steady gaze. “How’s your back?”

  “Fine.”

  “And Brandi’s arm?”

  “I’ve no idea.”

  And he hadn’t thought of the woman for oh, a good half hour now. The doc just had to go and bring up the sexy designer. Now the memory of how soft, hot and responsive she was would haunt him for the rest of the day. Great.

  “So, you haven’t seen her since Thursday?”

  “Nope.” A whole three days had gone by since the woman begged him to be insider her. If it weren’t for drill, Kade probably would’ve come up with a reason to accidentally run into her.

  Bad idea.

  Very bad idea.

  Instinct told him the connection he’d felt when she’d shoved his hand on her hip was not going to go away just because he willed it.

  A familiar knot began to form in his stomach. The more he saw her, the stronger the feeling got, so keeping his distance was a smart maneuver…and a necessary one.

  “I’m seeing her on Thursday,” Jace stated, smug smile on his lips.

  Funny how the knot in Kade’s stomach morphed to the size of a watermelon. He clenched his jaw to keep from asking something stupid, or saying what he most certainly did not want to hear.

  “Yeah, I’m taking her stitches out at two,” the doctor clarified with a big grin splitting his damn face. “Oh, buddy. You should see your expression.” Jace snickered, hand cupping Kade’s shoulder. “You don’t know it yet, but you, my friend, are snagged.”

  Then the idiot released him and laughed as he walked away. Laughed. There was nothing funny about the foreign emotion shaking him up from the inside out. Turner was just lucky they were still in the armory, and in uniform, or the merry doctor would be stitching Kade’s hand after plucking his missing teeth from the wound.

  “It’s called disgust,” he said, and would’ve been happy to elaborate to the doctor’s retreating back when his phone started to ring. Thrilled with the interruption, he fished the cell from his pocket and frowned. His cousin usually never called when he had drill. “Jen, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, sorry to bother you, Kade.” she said. “But they’re running more tests on Brock’s grandmother and we’d like to stay. Could you pick Cody up from Brandi’s? Kevin is still in Dallas on business.”

  Brandi’s? Shit. Why couldn’t it be Kerri or Jordan watching his nephew? Well, not technically his nephew, but close enough. The little boy called him uncle, so he treated the little rascal as such.

  “Sure,” he said, cursing his luck as he pivoted on his heel and headed to the locker room to change into his civilian clothes. Heaven forbid he should show up at the designer’s door in his fatigues. “Take as long as you need.”

  His cousin’s sigh echoed through the phone. “Thank you so much, Kade. We really appreciate it.”

  Now he felt like shit. He knew how much Brock’s grandmother meant to them both, and how worried Jen had been when the woman had been admitted with chest pains last night.

  By the time he pulled up to the cottage, he had his emotions under control and hoped to God he could say the same about his body. A few good, solid inhales on his way to her door helped to firm his resolve. He was not, under any circumstances, going to throw her on the couch and pick up where they’d left off on Thursday. He was not.

  Knocking a little louder than necessary, he stood back and waited.

  The sexy designer opened the door, and her eyes wid
ened while color rushed to her face. “Kade?”

  The blush deepened the brown of her mesmerizing gaze, and his gut took an invisible blow.

  “I…what…” She drew in a breath. “Why are you here?”

  Apparently she didn’t get the memo. “Jen’s tied up at the hospital. She called me at drill and asked if I could fetch Cody.”

  “Oh. I hope everything is okay.”

  He shrugged. “More tests.”

  She stepped back to let him in. “Cody’s asleep on my bed. We had a great day on the beach. He’s tuckered out. Do you want me to wake him?”

  Once his brain caught up to her questions, he shook his head. “No. Unless you’d like me to leave.” He had no idea why he was acting and feeling so strange around her.

  Probably because he wanted to throw her on the couch and pick up where they’d left off last Thursday.

  She shook her head, the pretty blush deepening as she turned and began to pick plastic dinosaurs up off the floor. “No, of course not. Why would I want you to do that?” Dropping the toys onto the coffee table, she avoided his gaze and bent to pick up some more. “I mean, it’s not like I have anything to be embarrassed about. Oh, wait…yeah…yeah, I do.”

  A strange giggle-hiccup followed her words along with inaudible mumbles and head shaking. He wondered briefly if she was having some sort of seizure until she stood and brushed past him to shove a box of crackers from the coffee table into a kitchen cupboard.

  “And the award for biggest poopyhead goes to…yours truly.” She slapped a hand over her chest and laughed.

  God, she was adorable. He knew he should stop her, but he honestly couldn’t get enough of the ruffled unrufflable woman.

  She swiped the salt shaker from the table and cradled it to her chest with both hands. “I’d like to thank the academy, and a stupid ex-boyfriend for making me the idiot I am today.”

  “Okay, enough.” He sprang into action, removing the shaker from her hand and cornering her against the fridge when she stepped back. “Hey…hey. It’s all right. Calm down.”

  She shook her head and closed her eyes. “God, I’m so embarrassed, Kade. And so, so sorry for what I said…and did to you…”

  “Brandi, look at me.”

  She opened one eye.

  “Both eyes, Brandi,” he said, a smile tugging at his mouth.

  The other eye opened.

  “That’s better. Now, listen to me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  The snort that left her throat caused her head to jerk back and hit the refrigerator. “Yes, I do. A good number of things. But I am really sor—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips, intending to stop her apology, but…ah hell, he hadn’t expected the instant awareness that spread through his body, heating his spine. She must’ve felt it too, because her brown eyes widened, and she trembled against him.

  That’s all it took to send him to the same state he was in last Thursday on the couch. Just one touch. That was it. One miniscule touch. He had no defense. He was done. His brain shut down and need, fierce and consuming, took over.

  Cupping her face, he closed the distance between them and covered her mouth with his.

  Damn, he knew it.

  He knew those tempting lips of hers would feel soft and supple…and hot.

  When she let out a breath of acceptance and slid her hands up around his neck, he discovered heaven. There was no other word for the feeling of completeness that came over him. Everything about the woman in his arms was right. Her touch, her curves, her lips. Christ, her lips. She kissed him with a matching wild abandon, lips drinking and drinking like she’d been thirsting for him, and only him. And if they hadn’t needed air, no way in hell would he have stopped.

  With a reluctance he’d never known, Kade broke the kiss and set his forehead against hers, careful not to touch the bruise on her temple. Spurts of warm air hit his neck, signaling she too was having trouble getting her breathing under control.

  “Wow,” she said with a gush. “That…was…”

  “Wow,” he finished for her, and she laughed.

  “Yeah, like firecracker wow.”

  He drew back to frown down at her. “Just firecracker?”

  She smiled. “Okay, maybe an M80.”

  “Unkewl Kade…” Cody appeared out of nowhere, standing next to them, rubbing his eyes. “What’s an M and M 80?”

  They broke apart, and the sound of Brandi’s head smacking the refrigerator went unnoticed by his nephew who blinked up at him.

  Jesus. How much had the little guy seen?

  “Is it wike chocwit?”

  Completely at a loss as to what the right thing was to do—ask the four-year-old if he’d seen the kiss, and if so, address the kiss, ignore the kiss…ask Brandi for another kiss. No…no…that would be bad. At least, not in front of his nephew.

  “Cuz I wike chocwit.” The little boy continued to talk, apparently oblivious to the battle going on in his uncle’s thick head. Heads.

  Knowing he needed to respond, Kade swooped up the sleepy child and went for the fail-safe maneuver; he tickled his tummy. “No, an M80 is like a firecracker, but bigger,” he said, looking pointedly at the silent designer.

  She smiled, and his heart actually rocked in his chest. Rocked. That wasn’t good. Movement. Damn. No. That was not good. He didn’t need a woman making him feel his heart. Causing his heart to move. Life was much easier without that complication. Hell, he’d managed just fine without that complication for over thirty-two years.

  Suddenly, he didn’t feel so good.

  Time to go.

  He transferred his gaze to the little boy in his arms. “What do you say? You ready, buddy?”

  “I guess. Can we get some ice cweam? Bwandi said I could get chocwit ice cweam fwom Fostews aftew my nap. And I napped. Isn’t that wight, Bwandi?”

  “Yes, you did,” she said, stepping close to ruffle his nephew’s hair. “I’m sure your uncle will get you some ice cream.”

  Two small hands grabbed his jaw and turned his face. “Can we, Unkewl Kade?”

  He grinned. “Sure. Go gather your stuff,” he replied, setting the child down. “We’ll stop for it on our way home.”

  “Yippee!”

  He chanced a glance at the silent woman, but couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling. Was she sad? Mad? Relieved? He had no idea. He only knew he had to leave.

  “Come on. I want chocwit.” Cody tugged his hand. When he didn’t budge, his nephew glanced up. “Come on, Unkewl Kade.”

  “Don’t you have something to say to Brandi?”

  Big blue eyes blinked up at him. “Oh. Yeah. I fowgot.” He turned to his babysitter. “Do you want some ice cweam, too?”

  Damn. That wasn’t what he’d meant. His heart stopped for a full beat. A full beat. Shit. More movement. Once again, the sexy woman interfered with the beating of his heart. Not good.

  “Awe, thanks, sweetheart, but no,” she replied, kneeling down, staring at his nephew eye-level. “You two go ahead. Enjoy.”

  “We will. Thanks for pwaying with me today,” Cody said, body slamming her with a hug.

  She laughed and hugged back. “Anytime.”

  “Okay, Cody. Let’s go.” He set a hand on the boy’s shoulder, really needing to get out of the small cottage. Breathing was becoming a chore. “I think someone could use some alone time.”

  The pretty designer’s smile turned sad. “Yeah. I think someone could.”

  Now he felt like an ass. He knew she was self conscious and confused. No doubt trying to figure out what the hell just happened in her kitchen. But he had no answers. He was at a loss, too. He needed to regroup, and that wasn’t going to happen in her presence. So, rude or not, yeah, he was kissing then running.

  The alternative was feeling, and hell no, he was not having any of that.

  FOR A MONDAY, the day didn’t actually suck. Brandi had half expected the sky to fall or a horse to run into her car or a handsome
sheriff to kiss her like she was his last breath then leave her high and dry. Oh wait, that last part happened yesterday.

  Though, she shouldn’t be so hard on the sheriff. Heck, after their incredible kiss, she’d had the urge to run, too. He just beat her to it. The man made her feel too much, that was the problem. And the last thing she needed was to feel with her heart. But, damn, if there was a way to keep her heart out of it, she wanted more of his delicious kisses.

  Shaking her head to rid her mind of the Kade-induced fog that had clung to her ever since their lips met, Brandi gathered her purse, and what was left of her wits, and exited her rental car for her meeting with Jordan at the restaurant.

  Based on their requests and the measurements she’d gathered at the McCall’s last week, Brandi was confident the master suite plans on her tablet were going to please her friends. Especially their standup shower.

  Smile tugging her lip, she entered the quiet restaurant and stood just inside the door to allow her eyes to adjust.

  “Hello,” she called, slowly making her way toward the kitchen.

  Incredible smells of fresh garlic, butter and onions filled the air, and Brandi’s stomach promptly growled, reminding her it was time for a snack. She fished a cereal bar out of her purse and knocked on the swinging kitchen door as she pushed inside.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Brandi.” Kerri smiled at her from in front of the stove where the incredible smells percolated. “Jordan is upstairs in the apartment. She said to tell you to go on up when you got here. So, go on up.”

  “Okay,” she replied, readjusting the strap on her shoulder before she bit into her bar.

  Kerri stepped forward, smile twitching her lip. “Wait… Don’t you have something to tell me?”

  “No.” She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  Her friend’s smile widened. “Connor and I noticed Kade’s truck outside your house last night…”

  Cereal bars didn’t taste so good when you choked on them.

  She coughed and shook her head again. “He was just picking Cody up for Jen.”

  “Uh, huh.” The cook folded her arms across her chest and regarded her closely.

  Damn, she looked like her sister.