He glanced back at the jumbled mess of a stockroom and flipped off the light. “I’m afraid they may be lost forever.”
Chapter 11
Sunday morning, Charli woke up and slid out of bed. She’d never wanted to sleep in more.
Well, that was a lie.
She wanted to sleep in every day, but most days weren’t her “day off,” when she should be able to sleep in. But last night’s encounter with Paige and Aiden changed that. In order to give them their dream wedding, Charli knew she had to move fast. Push hard. And do some general scrambling to get things done.
To Charli’s delight, Paige had agreed to let her decorate the newly renovated Town Square for the wedding. Which meant Charli would also need to rework her dollar allotments for each project. Which meant she would have to do some returns of smaller items and come up with something equally awesome for less.
She rubbed her eyes and stretched. God, she was tired already.
Yet how could she not jump at the chance to give the adorable couple the wedding of their dreams? Former Army Ranger Aiden Marshall had survived multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and had lost his best friends in the process. When he’d come home, he’d been lost, and Paige’s love had saved him.
Charli sighed.
She’d move glaciers if need be to give them a wedding of pure heaven. They deserved nothing less.
From the top of the comforter, Pumpkin stretched her little poodle paws and yawned. Her pink tongue clacked against her tiny teeth as her mouth closed.
“Come on, sleepyhead. We’ve got work to do.”
Pumpkin gave a slow “you’ve got to be kidding me” blink, then laid her head back down.
“I’m making scrambled eggs,” she taunted in a singsong voice.
The dog’s fuzzy topknot came up, and when Charli shuffled from the room, Pumpkin leaped from the bed and followed.
When Charli got to the kitchen, she grabbed the glass carafe from the coffeemaker and went to the sink. She flipped on the faucet, and, as the carafe filled with water, she glanced out the window to the bright sunshine peeking over the hilltops. Being on the second story did have an advantage for the amazing views. Her gaze shifted from the wide-open meadow, where cows grazed, to the movement she’d caught in Reno’s garden.
She snapped off the faucet and watched as the man moved about the raised beds with a large wire basket. He looked at ease in that garden. At peace. And she really hated to go annoy him. But that wouldn’t stop her.
Last night, they’d shared something more than just amazing kisses. They’d had a moment where she thought they’d truly connected. It had been brief, but she hadn’t imagined it.
After Deputy Bennett’s interruption, Reno had crept back into that dark place where he seemed the most comfortable. No matter how she teased or taunted, he’d not taken the bait. Much to her total disappointment, he’d been a complete gentleman. And when the opportunity for a good night kiss arose, he’d given her a smile instead.
A while later, when she’d arrived at the ranch, his truck was nowhere to be found. She’d marched up the stairs to the apartment, then spent half the night wondering where he’d gone.
Around four in the morning, she’d woken to the sound of tires pulling into the gravel drive. She’d been too tired to get up and go look, but she figured he’d finally come home from wherever he’d been.
Where had he been?
A girlfriend’s?
Maybe.
Her eyebrows scrunched together.
She hoped not.
She hadn’t seen him with anyone, nor had his mother mentioned that he was seeing someone. And though he had kissed her socks off last night, she couldn’t imagine that the women of Sweet would let a man like him slip through their fingers.
Just one more solid reason she should be sticking to her man-ban resolution.
Charli poured a scoop of coffee grounds into the filter compartment, punched the ON button, and went in search of her flip-flops. After she washed her face and made some semblance of her unruly morning curls, she poured two steaming mugs, spooned in sugar, and headed down the stairs. Pumpkin, sensing Bear wasn’t far, ran ahead.
As Charli made her way across the neatly clipped yard, her flip-flops made a snick-snick-snick sound and gave away her surprise appearance. Well, that and the fact that her dog had pounced on Bear and proceeded to engage him in a game of yap and tag.
The garden gate creaked as Charli nudged it open with her hip and stepped inside. Reno’s head came up, and she couldn’t tell if his intense glare was caused by the bright sunshine or if he was unhappy about the intrusion.
“Morning,” she said, and received a dark-headed nod. “I brought you coffee.” As she joined him in the tomato, onion, and jalapeno aisle, she handed him the mug.
His hair was damp, and the silver at his temples gleamed in the sunlight. The fresh scent of soap clung to him. Though he’d apparently showered, his dark eyes looked sleepy, and a beard shadowed his jaw. His jeans were faded and worn and hugged his lean hips with just the right amount of snugness. A clean, slightly wrinkled, white T-shirt lay over his broad shoulders, and the sleeves cupped a pair of sizeable biceps.
As he accepted the mug from her hand, his gaze slid from her eyes down the length of her body. He took that trip slowly, like he wasn’t in any hurry. When his gaze came back up, a smile tilted that sensual mouth, and those rarely seen dimples made an appearance.
Charli sipped her coffee if only to calm her racing heart.
“Thank you.” His voice was low and rough. From lack of sleep no doubt. His lips pursed over the rim of the mug, and he sipped. “Perfect.”
Okay, it was only a cup of coffee and two spoonfuls of sugar, but the compliment made her smile.
“Careful you don’t get bit by mosquitoes,” he said. “There’s some spray over there by the gate.”
“I’ve always been pretty fortunate.” She glanced down to her sleep shorts and tank top. “They don’t seem to like me. Even when we were in the Bayou last fall.”
“Lucky you.”
She looked him over again, from his boots to the eyes that watched her with interest. Desire. Hunger.
Yes.
Lucky her.
“I guess I just don’t taste very sweet.”
“That would be a matter of opinion.”
“Is that a compliment?” She laughed. “Because I’ll take it.”
Those amazing dimples flashed again.
“Are you flirting, Mr. Wilder?”
“Nope.” He sipped his joe. “Just being polite.”
A grin swept her mouth. “Uh-huh.” Why the possibility sent a sizzle of exhilaration through her electrical system was anybody’s guess. Then again, when a man like Reno showed any kind of interest at all, a woman would be out of her mind not to care. And isn’t that what always got her into trouble?
He started to move down the aisle. She followed.
“So what’s with the mile-high wire fence?” she asked.
“Keeps the whitetail out. They’ll eat most anything, and within a couple of nights, they’ll ravish your entire garden.”
“Ravish. Now there’s a fascinating but seldom-used word.”
He chuckled as he reached for a Roma tomato and tested its ripeness. She couldn’t help but remember what those large hands and strong fingers felt like on her skin.
“Gardening in Texas is a challenge,” he said. “If the deer and other critters don’t get to it, the drought and heat will.”
“Yours seems very prosperous.”
“The fence . . . and my mom help.”
“Yes. I talked to her out here the other day. She seems to really like getting her hands in the dirt.”
He moved farther down the aisle, pulled off a ripe cherry tomato, brushed it against his shirt, and handed it to her. She popped it into her mouth, closed her eyes, and moaned when the sun-warmed sweetness burst in her mouth.
“From the watering system to
the layout, my mom helped plan out the garden. It’s hers as much as it is mine.”
“Tomatoes, green beans, okra, sweet potatoes . . . you have quite the crop.”
“We share,” he said. “Anyone who’s down on their luck, we share vegetables and beef.”
“Because that’s what neighbors do?”
“Absolutely.”
“I can’t imagine that happening where I live. Once I actually saw two women in the seafood aisle of Trader Joe’s arguing over who deserved the last package of salmon.”
His dark brows pulled together. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.”
“I could never live somewhere like that.”
“I often wonder why I do.”
He brushed off another cherry tomato and popped it into his mouth. “You come up with an answer?”
She shrugged. “Originally, I moved to California to get as far away from my father as possible. I went to college at Pepperdine—for which I might be repaying student loans the rest of my life.” She chuckled. “I made friends there, and I just stayed.”
“Friends are a good reason to stay.”
“I don’t see them that much anymore. Most are married. A few have kids. Everybody’s busy. And then there’s all the travel involved with my job.”
He shook his head. “Sounds lonely.”
At the sound of understanding in his tone, she looked up. In his eyes, she recognized that kindred spirit again. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
Then he looked at her with a directness most people never mastered. “So why do you stay?”
A sigh lifted her chest as the deeper meaning behind the simple question sank in. “I don’t know.”
A myriad of emotions grabbed hold of her heart, and the reality of her feelings pumped new energy. She might not have all the answers, but one thing she did know? She was always open to new adventures.
Maybe it was time to rethink this merry-go-round she called life. Maybe it was time to push the button and get off the ride. She glanced at her surroundings—the beautiful rolling hills, the green meadow, and the amazing man looking at her like he was genuinely interested in what she had to say.
Maybe it was time to make a different plan.
“I was planning to make some scrambled eggs.”
He reached down, pulled a sweet onion out of the ground, and handed it to her. “Maybe you could add some of this.”
“Maybe you’d like to share?”
He gave her a hesitant look, then finally said, “Sorry. I’ve got plans I can’t cancel.”
With an über polite “Have a good day,” he picked up his overflowing basket of vegetables, and, once again, she was left with nothing but a view of his retreating backside.
An hour later, Charli finally pulled herself together enough to get in the Hummer and head into downtown to start her work on the candy store. This morning, she’d treated herself to an omelet of vegetables fresh from Reno’s garden. Seated in his brother’s kitchen looking out the window at the picture-perfect scenery outside had been wonderful. Eating alone took away some of the flavor. She’d wanted conversation. Instead, she got a begging dog whose cute little paw-waving dance made her hard to refuse.
It wasn’t until Charli was headed down Main Street that she realized most of her conversations with Reno were focused on her. He shared little of himself. A situation she’d make sure to remedy the next time she had the chance. There were too many mysteries about the man. Other than the fact that Jana and Joe Wilder weren’t his birth parents, that he’d been named after a city, and that he’d lost both his brother and father in a short period of time, she knew squat. But it didn’t take Einstein to know there were stories galore locked up behind those warm brown eyes. Secrets that had dug their claws into his soul and wouldn’t let go.
In her mind, he was like the treasure in an Indiana Jones movie. If she wanted to capture the prize, she would have to don her fedora and go on a little expedition. The risks might be high, but even Indiana got a happily ever after.
Didn’t he?
She eased the Hummer to a stop in front of Goody Gum Drops, gathered up her dog, and walked up to the door. She slid the key she’d been given into the lock, stepped inside, and set Pumpkin and her purse down. She turned. And gasped.
The entire ceiling had been covered in the missing ceiling tin tiles.
Charli raised her hand to her mouth and walked farther into the store, looking up at the impeccable workmanship. There could be only one person who could have installed those tiles. Her heart gave a quick thump against her ribs.
So he hadn’t been out all night with a woman or carousing around town. He’d been working. For her. So she could meet her deadlines and move on to provide the perfect place for a wonderful couple’s wedding.
This morning, he hadn’t said a word.
Tears filled her eyes.
She didn’t need to go on an expedition to find out what kind of man Reno might be; he’d just confirmed what she already knew in her heart.
For the candy-store reveal, Reno made sure he wasn’t within coercion range. He’d suffered through one, and that had been enough. Plus, he didn’t want anyone to know he’d been involved in any way. Especially his brothers. He’d never hear the end of it. They were bad enough now as it was.
Guilt and nothing more had made him go back to the hardware store the night he’d taken Charli to Sweet Pickens. Guilt had made him drive the boxes of ceiling tiles over to the candy store. Guilt had made him put the damn things up.
Nothing more.
In the past few days, he’d done a good job avoiding her—even if there had been a couple of times he’d taken the longer route just to catch a glimpse. He’d managed not to be within arm’s distance, where he could catch the scent of whatever flavor-of-the-day body lotion she wore. Or where he could view those naturally ripe lips of hers inviting him in for a taste. Or lose his mind again and pull her into his arms.
It had seemed necessary, so he’d developed a mantra: Do not get close. Do not get involved. Do not get attached. And when his brothers were around, he added: Do not give them any kind of ammunition to fling at him like monkey shit in the zoo.
He needed to use his military skills and stay in neutral territory to save his skin. And his sanity. Not to mention his heart.
No time seemed better than now as he sat on horseback and rode out to check fence lines with Jesse at his side.
“Heard Goody’s was having a candy sale today after the big reveal,” Jesse said in his discreetly meddlesome manner. “Thought maybe you’d want to go over there and pick up something for Izzy.”
Reno tipped his hat farther down on his forehead to avoid the sun’s glare. “Maybe you could go get her something.”
A grin tilted Jesse’s mouth. “You know I’m a chips and salsa guy. I’d have no idea what to pick out.”
“Just buy something pink, and I guarantee it will be a hit.”
“What if I buy the wrong shade of pink?”
“She’s a two-year-old, for crying out loud.” Reno shook his head. “You think she has a preference over light or dark?”
“I think you’re the one with the sweet tooth, and you’d do a better job.”
Reno pulled Cisco to a stop and glared at his brother. “Are we really arguing over what kind of candy to buy our niece? Or are you just butting your nose in where it doesn’t belong?”
“Nose is exactly where it’s supposed to be. In your business.” Jesse tugged the reins on Ranger, the big bay he preferred to ride even though the horse had a stubborn streak. “Shelly Dworshak brought her schnauzer in yesterday for a rabies vaccine. She said she saw you and Ms. Brooks sharing barbecue, and you looked mighty cozy.”
Reno felt his eyes roll and hit the back of his head. “Shelly Dworshak is a nosy woman who wears Coke-bottle glasses and wouldn’t know a possum from a raccoon.”
“No need to be so insulting. Or get so defensive.” Jesse leaned back in the saddle. �
��Unless you got something to hide.”
“Nothing to hide, little brother.” He kicked Cisco into gear, and the buckskin took off at a gallop. Damn. Reno needed to watch his responses. His brothers were pros at yanking out information, then making of it what they wanted. Any kind of defensive tone with them was like confirmation.
Jesse caught up, turned his horse, who did a sidestep while his rider pried deeper. “Thought you’d want to know that Mom invited the delightful Ms. Brooks and her crew to the barbecue.”
“Well, that was nice of Mom.”
“Those parties can get out of hand once in a while, you know.”
“Stop going around the block, brother. Say what you mean.”
“Not often you go home alone afterward.”
“And what makes you think I’d go home with Ms. Brooks?”
“She’s hot?”
“Then why wouldn’t you or Jackson try to go home with her?” Aside from the fact that he’d have to kill them.
“Because we weren’t seen eating barbecue with her. Because we didn’t spend three days painting a mural for her even after we swore we were pissed off that she and her TV show were here to rape and pillage our town. Because—”
“Jesus, Jess. You’ve got an imagination on you.”
“Jesus, Reno. You’ve been throwing out “Back the fuck off” signals since the minute she moved into Jack’s apartment.”
He had?
Oops. Time to detour. “How old are you?”
Jesse’s blue-eyed glare made him want to laugh. “Thirty-two.”
“No shit? I could have sworn you were still in high school.”
“Funny.”
Before he urged the horse into high speed, Reno did a quick spin on the conversation. “So how’s it working out with your new vet assistant?”
Jesse threw out an arm to stop him, grasping Reno by the shirtsleeve and almost yanking him from his mount.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, but he knew. Damn it. He knew.
“We love you, bro.” A rare look of concern pushed down on Jesse’s brows. “And there isn’t a single one of us that doesn’t want to see you happy. Diana was a wonderful girl, but she’s gone. It’s time for you to open yourself up to the great big world out there. Dad and Jared may be gone, but do you think for one minute they’d want you to mourn them forever?”
Candis Terry - [Sweet, Texas 01] Page 14
