Emma led them into the great room. Brikelle was proud of all of her hard work. The house was perfect: not overdone, but tasteful and lavish. She loved it. Emma introduced them to friend after friend. Some were close to Colt’s age, some middle-aged, some older. A lot of them were down to earth and fun to talk to. Some of them seemed to look down their noses at Brikelle or dismiss her immediately after they met her. A lot of the women were eyeing Colt like the eye candy he was. Brikelle fully appreciated how good he looked. Except for their date to the Timbermine, she’d usually seen him in jeans and a T-shirt, which he wore well, but it was great see him in a classy V-neck shirt, the material just perfect to showcase his lean chest, shoulders, and arms, and really nicely fitted chinos that she’d picked out on their shopping trip.
Colt stayed close to her side as they met everyone and then went outside to join in some of the activities. Brikelle didn’t know what she’d expected with a fancy party, but they played croquet, cornhole, bocce, badminton, outdoor ping-pong, and even spike ball, and most of the women were in dresses and heels like her.
They took a break for lunch, and then some of the couples went out wave running or water-skiing while a few of the older people headed to their rooms to rest.
“What would you like to do?” Colt asked.
“Swim and ride the wave runners,” she said quickly. “If that’s okay with you?”
“As long as I’m with you.” He winked.
They walked hand in hand to their room. Of course, it was Brikelle’s favorite suite that Emma put them in, the one decorated around the teal vase and the lake. The view was unreal. Colt shut the door behind them, grabbed her hand, and tugged her into his arms. “I’ve been dying to do this all day.” He proceeded to kiss her until her head was spinning. Their attachment grew stronger with each kiss, look, and conversation. She could hardly catch a breath when he finally released her mouth.
“Why have you been dying to do that?” she whispered, hoping she didn’t seem needy and insecure.
“Because you sparkle. You’re happy, talented, and fun to be around and so beautiful in that dress I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Neither could any of the other men at this odd party,” he growled. “Perverted old men.”
Brikelle giggled and tapped her hands on his firm chest. “James and Ezra are close to your age.”
“Are you kidding me? They’ve got to be in their late forties and …” A horrified look crossed his face. “You don’t find them attractive, do you?”
“No, dear.” She smirked and tickled her fingertips along the nicely formed muscles of his shoulders.
“Don’t do that.” He moaned and pulled her close again. “How in the world are we going to sleep in this room together tonight?” His mouth captured hers again, and it was a kiss that had her going onto tiptoes and pulling his head tighter to hers.
Brikelle forced herself to break away. “I’m going to put my suit on.”
“Honestly, Bri.” Colt ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know that I can do this. We need to either run to Vegas quick and make this official, or I might need to tell Emma the truth. The only other option I can see is to tell her we’re fighting and we need some space. Anything but be alone in here.” His eyes studied her hungrily.
Brikelle let out a nervous giggle. She’d never had a man affect her like Colt did. The thought of running to Vegas and making this official gave her butterflies in her stomach. Was he serious? She tried a different approach, even though she was tempted to agree to the quick marriage. “I didn’t see you as a man that had self-control issues.”
He gestured to her. “If you could see yourself …” He shook his head. “And now you’re going to put on a swimsuit? It’s torture for me to only kiss you.”
Brikelle kind of loved that she had this kind of influence on him. “I got the impression you were a good Christian man.”
“Unfortunately,” he muttered.
That made her laugh. “The other night at your house, you said we could stop at kissing. Can I trust you to do that?”
Colt’s eyes were filled with indecision. He looked her up and down and swallowed hard, then bowed his head and murmured, “You know you can.”
“You are a good man.” Brikelle gave him a quick kiss, then pulled away. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back into his embrace. She smiled at him. “Tonight’s hours away, big boy. Maybe by then you won’t even like me anymore.”
He rested his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. “Not possible.”
She blinked up at him and trailed her fingers over his stubble. “I’m kinda falling for you, Colton Jepson.”
“Good, because I’m way past falling. I’m lying on the ground, begging you to have mercy on my heart.”
Brikelle wanted to remember those words forever. She stilled in his arms and really focused on him. He was a passionate, caring guy, and someone else hadn’t had mercy on his heart. She wondered sometimes if he still struggled from the aftereffects of that Cally person. “You’re more than good enough, Colt. You’re successful, smart, fun, kind—you’re everything any woman in the world would want and more. Cally, or whatever her name was, is an idiot.”
Colt licked his lips; his blue eyes soft. “Thank you, Bri.”
“Do you still … think about her?”
His eyes looked conflicted but he said, “Cally’s in the past. Do you want us … to have a future?”
Brikelle loved that he’d asked and prayed Cally stayed in the past. “I do, Colt, even if you do have a beastly dog.”
Colt grinned at that.
The door pounded behind them. Colt released her and opened it up.
“Hello, my sweethearts,” Emma said. “Are you two taking a nap, or going to the beach or the pool?”
“Beach and pool,” Colt said.
“Oh, good. Ezra can’t figure out how to run that wave runner thing, and I told him you were so smart and handy that you could get it running.”
“Sure. We’ll change and be right there.”
Emma’s eyes twinkled as she waved and sauntered away.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think Emma was matchmaking me with my wife.”
Brikelle grinned. “I’ll always love her for getting us together.”
“Me too.” Colt drew her close again.
Brikelle held up her hands. “You’re supposed to go help Ezra.”
“Ezra can wait. I’m going to kiss my wife.”
She laughed, but it was smothered by his lips lighting up her world.
Chapter Nine
Friday turned out to be a long, but fun day. Colt still thought this party was kind of weird, but maybe when he and Bri were old they’d want to host a bunch of friends for a weekend and play old people games, eat way too much, and be surrounded by those they were most comfortable with.
He was pretty impressed with the group as a whole. He’d worried too much about them being uppity. Sure, some of the women cast jealous glances at Bri, but that was to be expected. He glanced over at her as she slipped a lifejacket around her back. She probably thought he was teasing with her earlier in the room, but the way she looked in her swimming suit right now had his blood pumping and he knew his earlier naïve plans of cuddling through the night were not going to happen. He’d sleep on the floor or in the recliner and pray he could make it through this weekend with his willpower intact.
He took her hand and they waded through the water to the waiting wave runner. One of the boys who’d been a bellhop was holding it. Colt had easily fixed Ezra’s problem earlier today by simply placing the button in the kill switch. The motor wouldn’t start without it. That was a standard safety feature, so when someone was thrown from the wave runner, the button that should be attached to their wrist would pull free and the wave runner would stop and circle back to them.
“You want to drive first?” he asked Bri.
She turned to him with sparkling brown eyes. “Can I?”
�
�Sure.” He helped her onto the front and then climbed up behind her. It was a three-person, so they could fit comfortably, but he held on to her waist.
She wrapped the kill button cord around her wrist, pushed the button to start the engine, and then gunned it.
“Whoa!” Colt clung to her and about unseated them both.
Bri giggled as they roared off into the lake and she turned one way, then another. Colt gripped the seat with his thighs like a bull rider, as holding on to her was proving to be squirrelly, but he didn’t want to let go. She pulled the handle hard to the left, giving it full throttle. The engine was a 1050, so there was plenty of power.
They spun in a circle, and the velocity was suddenly too much. Colt held on to her as they both flew off the machine. Colt plunged into the water, while Bri went a different direction. The cool water embraced them and they popped up quickly with their life jackets’ help. Colt ran a hand over his face and eyes to clear the lake water. Bri was a few feet away.
“You’re crazy,” he said to her. “Were you trying to throw us off?”
“Yep!” She splashed some water in his face. “Big boater and skier, I figured you could handle a little swim in the lake.”
“I’m driving from now on.”
The wave runner had circled back to them, which automatically happened when the pull cord was ripped away. “Not if I get on first.” Bri scrambled onto it.
Colt grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into the water. They both went under again. The playfulness of the moment made him grin.
He pushed her away from the machine, held on to it, and launched himself up. Bri grabbed on to his arm and yanked, throwing him back into the water. She triumphantly held up her arm with the kill button key on it. “You can’t go anywhere without this, buddy.”
Colt leaned back his head and laughed. “I didn’t figure you to be quite this feisty.”
“Really? Even after I called your dog a beast and yelled at you the first time we met?”
He helped her onto the machine first and climbed up behind her. “That’s a good point. I should’ve been more careful how I chose my wife.”
She whirled around in the seat and pinned him with a teasing look. “Sorry you didn’t marry well.”
Colt squeezed her around the waist and laughed. “Oh, I did. I definitely married up. Just try not to kill us on this thing.”
“Just try and hang on.” Bri laughed and pushed her thumb all the way forward. The machine shot off, and Colt couldn’t do much more than hang on.
Bri dressed for dinner in the spacious bathroom, thinking back over the fun, carefree day. She couldn’t remember ever just letting loose like this and playing an entire day, but being with Colt was what made it really fun. Her family was great, but out of necessity they worked a lot. They had five hundred cows to milk twice a day, cows and calves to feed, fields to plant and harvest, and a small fortune in equipment that was always breaking. She’d worked every morning and every evening during school and all day long in the summers. Most people claimed college was hard, but even though she woke at four a.m. to work as a janitor and took a full class load every semester, she’d thought college was a lot of fun. She was able to join some clubs, go on dates, and have a little bit of free time.
To simply play all day today was foreign, but she loved it.
She eyed herself critically in the mirror. The flowered dress was strapless and came a few inches above her knee. She felt a little too daring in it, but she wasn’t showing cleavage like most of the women at the party seemed pretty expert at doing, and the length of the skirt was long enough she’d be comfortable. Her hair was in soft curls down her back. She felt pretty, and it gave her a little thrill to think how Colt would react. He’d expressed quite a few times how attracted he was to her. She hoped what they had was deeper than attraction, but it was fun to see him be so interested in her.
She exited the bathroom to see Colt waiting in the bedroom, wearing a button-down shirt and navy-blue slacks. She was glad he hadn’t shaved his beard; it looked good on him. Incredibly good. He was so handsome her breath seemed to catch in her throat and her pulse started racing.
He had his phone in his hand, but glanced up, blinked, and then his eyes swept over her a couple of times before coming to rest on her face. “Bri, wow.” He set his phone on the nightstand and gestured with his hand. “Look at you. Wow.”
Brikelle smiled and walked slowly to him. “You look really hot,” she said.
“Thanks, but it’s nothing compared to you.”
“Thank you. Shall we go to dinner?”
He shook his head. “You expect me to go down and socialize with people I don’t know when all I want to do is look at you?” His voice lowered. “And kiss you.”
Brikelle’s eyes widened. “Why, Mr. Jepson. You are quite the charmer.”
“Mrs. Jepson. You’re far too appealing to me.”
Him calling her missus broke the spell of enchantment he had over her, and she backed away. She wasn’t a missus, not even close, and they were playing with fire being alone in this room. How in the world were they going to get through the night with all the emotions that kept swirling around them every time they simply saw each other? She said a quick prayer, and memories of all the great things he did trickled through her mind—making her laugh, treating her like a lady, spoiling her and buying her all these clothes, doing this sham of a marriage so she and his crew could be assured work …
“You’re appealing to me too,” she said. “But it’s not all about how you look.”
He cocked his head to the side and studied her.
“You’re a gentleman, a hard worker, you’re fun to be with, and I love teasing you. Those things are more important to me than how handsome you are.”
He nodded. “Thank you. You’re more than physical to me too.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
He laughed. “Let’s go to dinner.” He offered his arm. She took it and released a pent-up breath. Maybe they could get through this weekend without jeopardizing their future.
Everyone was seated at the long, rectangular table when they arrived. There were thirteen in all: six couples and Emma. The women were dressed impeccably and Brikelle felt another surge of gratitude for Colt and their shopping trip.
Dinner went well, and Brikelle made some great contacts and enjoyed herself. It was kind of strange for her to be served like they were in some English manor instead of a mansion in Eden, Utah, but Emma seemed to be in her element and was all smiles.
After dinner some of the couples decided to play card games, but there was a James Bond movie playing in the theater downstairs as well.
“What would you like to do?” Colt asked as he took her hand and stood.
“Could we go on a walk around the property?” she asked.
“I’d love go with you,” Emma said.
Brikelle whirled. She hadn’t realized their hostess was standing there. “Yes, please do,” Brikelle said.
Colt offered his elbow to Emma and kept a hold of Brikelle’s hand. They walked out onto the back patio and around the pool area and gardens, then down to the beach.
“I just wanted to thank you both for coming,” Emma said. “I know this party isn’t something that’s done often, but it means the world to me.” She sniffed. “It’s miserable being alone, but having friends like the two of you takes away so much of the loneliness.”
Brikelle’s heart went out to the elderly lady. She’d also enjoyed being around her the past week and a half. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, dear. Listen to this old woman whine.”
They made it to the beach and walked in the firm sand toward the east.
“You just make sure to enjoy each other,” Emma said. “You never know how much time you’ll have together.”
Brikelle’s heart plunged, and sorrow for Emma and fear of having something happen to Colt overwhelmed her. She was just getting to know Colt and she hoped the
y had much longer together than anyone could predict.
“Joshua told me that you’re an Idaho girl like me.” Emma changed the subject.
“I am. Farm girl straight from Burley town.”
Emma laughed. “I know all about being a farm girl. I grew up in Sugar City.”
“Really? Sugar beets?”
“Oh yeah, worked until my fingers bled as a little girl.”
“And look at you now.”
Emma nodded. “Most of my life has been lots of hard work, but I enjoyed it because Scott was with me. We worked together and relied on each other, and even though sometimes I wanted to beat him with a stick, I always loved him.”
They all laughed and turned back toward the house. The sun was dipping toward the western mountains, and the lake glittered in the embrace of the green valley.
“I see great things for you two,” Emma said.
“Thanks,” Colt murmured, squeezing Brikelle’s hand. Brikelle got a rush of nerves. His voice had been uncertain and that hand squeeze seemed to indicate he might be ready to tell Emma the truth. How would she react? Brikelle didn’t want him to say the words, and not just because they could hurt Emma or lose her business. She wanted her and Colt to be real, to be true. She glanced at her ring finger. Did she have the right to this gorgeous diamond and this even more gorgeous man?
They made their way slowly back to the house, and Brikelle held her breath as she waited for Colt to bring up that they weren’t actually married. He opened his mouth and she tensed, clinging tighter to his hand. “So how did you and Scott meet?”
Emma giggled. “We both went to Utah State University and I got to know some of his close friends through my business classes. They all thought it was odd that a woman was in business. Even though it was the seventies and supposedly forward thinking and all of that, most women still graduated in home economics, nursing, or teaching. Business was still for the men. But Scott’s friends grew to like and respect me. He was in the master’s program, so I’d never met him.”
How to Design Love Page 9
