He climbed behind the wheel and shut his door. “So you ready to get your Italian on?” He winced. That sounded totally cheese-dick.
Her laugh was a comfort, the soft, raspy sound easing a bit of his tension. “Sure. I’m not really sure what that entails, but I’m up for the challenge. You should know, I come from a long line of fierce chefs and I have some experience with making sauce.”
This was good. Talking was good. “What sort of sauce?”
“Spaghetti sauce.”
He backed out of the long drive. “Oh, you mean gravy?”
“No, sauce.”
“Sauce goes on a sandwich. Pasta gets gravy.”
“Then why do they call it marinara sauce?”
“They don’t. It’s just marinara or gravy. It all depends what you put in it.”
She mumbled something under her breath.
“What was that?”
“I said I know an Italian that would probably school you on sauce.”
“Oh, really?” He laughed, loving her feisty side. “And who is this Italian you speak of?”
“She goes by Italian Mary and she eats little boys like you for breakfast.”
“Ha! I have to meet this woman. How do you know her?” He followed the road out of town heading where his father told him he could find some decent cuts of meat.
“She’s my aunt’s mother-in-law and she’s right off the boat.”
“I bet she calls it gravy.”
“No, she doesn’t,” she argued, her voice taking on a whole new sexy lilt. “First of all, she barely speaks English, but I know she calls it sauce.”
He relented. “Fine. But you have to introduce me to her so I can check her out.”
“She’s single. Want me to fix you up?”
He sent her a sidelong glance. “I like ‘em Irish.” When her smile trembled he quickly said, “I was joking. Relax.” Okay, it was definitely too soon for that.
She glanced out the window, her deep red hair streaming down her arm like silky ribbons. “Where are we going?”
God he wanted to run his fingers through her hair. “We are going to find some grade A pork butt.”
“What?”
Good. Her smile was back. “It’s the main ingredient in sausage.”
“What’s the real name?”
“Pork butt. That’s the name of it.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Oh, okay. Jeeze, you argue a lot for a person who doesn’t know the difference between gravy and sauce.”
“Oh, shut up.” She clicked on the radio and he grinned as his favorite CD came on.
“I like this song.” He turned it up as Dave Matthew’s voice filled the car. Keeping his attention on the road, he only spared her a glance every few seconds.
“Am I right side up or upside down,” she sang, her voice soft and melodic.
She rolled down the window and her hair flicked across the seat like the tail of a kite. The scent sank into him and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head as she pressed her face into the wind and smiled. At the end of his life, when he was old and senile, he’d probably still recall how beautiful she looked in that moment.
His body tightened and he reeled in his thoughts before he embarrassed himself. There was something about Dave Matthews Band that instantly put him in a good mood. Whipping out his best yodel, he sang, “Lovely lady, I will treat you swee-ee-eetly.”
She glanced at him, silently giggled, and he fell another peg. When she looked at him like that, laughed with him, it was incredibly freeing. He wanted to reach across the seat and touch her any way he could, but he resisted.
When the song ended the disk skipped to Crash Into Me. She didn’t sing or hum this time, but he could tell she was really taking in the lyrics. He didn’t know what made her look sad sometimes, but he saw it in the thoughtful turn of her eyes and the way her mouth seemed to wear all of her worries, barely holding in its secrets.
He wanted her to open up and confide in him. He wanted to know whatever she was working so hard to keep inside. Maybe then she wouldn’t frown as often, because she had a mouth made for smiles and he wanted to give her as many as he could.
There was definitely something between them. It didn’t seem normal to simply sit in silence and enjoy a person the way he enjoyed her, especially after only knowing each other a few weeks.
“You solving world peace over there?” he asked, and she blinked at him as if recalling his presence.
“Sorry. I was zoning out.”
“It’s okay. The scenery doesn’t need words sometimes.”
She glanced at the view, but there was nothing particularly breathtaking outside the car. “Can we listen to something else?”
“Sure,” He switched off the CD and turned on the radio. “You can put on whatever you want.”
She toyed with the dial for a few minutes then shut the music off completely. What changed? Did that song mean something to her? Bring back bad memories? Maybe she caught him checking her out and thought he was a creeper. Shit. He hoped that wasn’t it.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Nope.”
His brows shot up. He didn’t expect that sort of answer. Had he pissed her off? They were fine a few minutes ago and now she seemed upset, but nothing happened. “Want to talk about it?”
“Okay.”
Another surprising response. This girl was totally unpredictable.
“Tell me why guys get a pass when girls don’t?”
“Uh…what do you mean?”
“I mean, they can basically do whatever they want and no one questions them. If a guy sleeps with a bunch of girls he’s a hero, but a girl who does the same is a whore.”
“Um…” He didn’t know if this was about her or someone else. “Did someone say something about a friend of yours or something?”
“I…” She hesitated. “Have a friend.”
“Okay.” The friend was obviously her.
“She made a mistake. She was with a guy who had a reputation and now he’s moved on, but she can’t. He’s already slept with other people—her friends—and he just acts like nothing happened when her life is flipped totally upside down.”
“Did they have sex?” If someone hurt her he wanted to know who it was.
“Yes.”
He tried not to wince at the thought of her being so close to another guy. “Well, was she okay with that?”
“Sort of.”
His hands tightened on the wheel, but he kept his shoulders relaxed. “Kate, sex isn’t a sort of thing. It’s either consensual or it’s not.”
“Well, my friend was a virgin. Everything happened really fast and he never really asked.”
The pink of his knuckles bleached from his skin as his grip twisted tighter. “What do you mean he didn’t ask? Did you say no?”
“I’m talking about my friend.”
Sure she was. “Sorry. Did she say no?”
“I…don’t know. She…can’t remember.”
“Was she drunk or something?”
“No, but it happened after a party and she had a few drinks.”
He chose his words carefully, so not to scare her. “Katherine, if someone is too drunk to make a decision, it’s the same as not having a choice. Maybe your friend should report this guy so he doesn’t do the same thing to someone else.”
“No, it’s not like that. She could have stopped him, but it was already happening and it didn’t last long enough to make a big deal out of it.”
This guy sounded like a selfish jerk. No surprise he couldn’t last, but that wasn’t the appropriate thing to say. If this actually happened to her that was pretty messed up. “I’m sure that wasn’t how she’d imagined her first time.”
She scoffed. “Definitely not.”
“Well, I hope the next guy’s better to her.”
“I don’t think there will be a next guy.”
His gaze shot to hers then back to the road. “Come on, Katie. We’re you
ng. People screw up. She shouldn’t let one asshole dictate her future. This guy was obviously a loser. A good guy wouldn’t be like that. He’d know when she was ready and he’d ask.”
Her head tilted and her hair hid her face. “I guess.”
“Hey.” He really wanted a name, but he couldn’t ask her that. Unsure if touching her would piss her off, he chanced it anyway and grazed the back of his knuckle along the side of her knee. “Not all guys are assholes, Katie. And just because a girl mistakes one asshole for a decent guy, it doesn’t make her a whore. It makes her human.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded. “I know you’re right, but I just feel… sorry for my friend. She’s not having such an easy time lately.”
“Is she talking to anyone?”
“Well, there’s this one friend who’s been helping her. He’s sort of like a distraction, but…”
Shit. He was the distraction. “But he likes her?”
“Yeah.”
His ethics outranked his libido and all the heat inside of him cooled. But it wasn’t an easy shift, more like a fire hissing under a bucket of ice water. “Well, I’m sure if he’s a good guy he’ll pick up on her signals and wait until she’s ready.”
Her mouth twitched into what might have been a smile. “I think she likes him too, but she’s just not at a place where she can date.”
Fuck. All his plans for the day took a backseat, as he finally understood what she was saying. He was definitely the distraction and that was all he’d ever be to her, because some fucking douchebag screwed her over. But maybe with time, her heart would heal. He could be a friend, help her with that. “Who was he, Kate?”
She shook her head. “He’s no one.”
That was the truth. The guy sounded like a real no one. It was probably best he didn’t know his name. “You’re right. He is a no one.”
Accepting that she wasn’t ready for anything more than friendship, he looked for the silver lining. They were still hanging out for the day and they were going to make sausage and maybe later he’d talk her into some strawberry ice cream at the fair. But he’d scratch the whole plan to kiss her on the Ferris wheel.
Attempting to revive her mood, he said, “If you’re nice, I’ll let you pick out the butt.”
She chuckled. “I’m not exactly sure how to judge a pig butt.”
“Judge it just like you would a human ass. It should be firm, yet tender when you grip it, and meaty enough to take a fair swat. If you need to use mine as a guide that’s fine too.”
She snorted. “Can I swat it?”
“Only if I can swat yours.”
“Not a chance.”
When they arrived at the market they made a spectacle of swatting packaged meat. Katie picked out a decent pork butt then turned into a total girl when he grabbed the tub of intestines to case the sausage.
“You’ve eaten sausage before. What did you think the casing was?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think about that stuff when I’m eating.” She gagged and shoved the container away.
“Oh, stop. Irish people eat blood pudding. That’s way worse.”
Her lip curled and suddenly she looked a little green.
“Hey, you okay?”
Her fingers trembled to her lips and turned away. “Yeah.” Goose bumps rose on her arms. “I just got a little…” She shook her head. “I think the smell of raw meat is getting to me.”
He sniffed. “You can smell the meat? What are you, a vampire?”
Little beads of sweat glazed her brow. “I think I need to step outside for a minute.”
“Okay. Should I come with—”
She turned and raced for the exit.
“Shit.” Ditching the cart, he went after her, but she wasn’t out front. “Kate?” Where the hell did she go? “Katie?”
A soft moan traveled from around the corner of the building and he went to investigate. Kate was hunched over, one hand to the wall, and a pile of puke at her feet in the grass. He didn’t want to embarrass her, but he also didn’t want to leave her there throwing up at the side of the building. Stepping back, he looked for a vending machine and spotted one just inside the market.
Once he bought a bottle of water, he returned out front and lingered at the corner of the building. Shit, she was really sick. He hoped she didn’t have the flu. They should probably scrap the whole food plan for the day and take it easy.
She groaned and he chanced approaching. “I got you water.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at the grass and staggered toward the front of the building. Her coloring was off and she had a waxy sheen coating her face.
“Are you sick?”
“I didn’t have breakfast.”
“We don’t have to go back in there. There’s a McDonald’s we passed on the way in.”
“I don’t think I can keep anything down right now.” She chugged half the bottle. “I’m sorry. I’ve never just thrown up like that.”
He shrugged. “It happens. Do you feel better now that you got it out?”
She snickered with little humor. “Oh, it’s not out.”
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“Can we just sit for a minute? I don’t want to get sick in your car.”
He nodded and led her to a bench that wasn’t down wind. “I might have a granola bar in my car or something.”
“Thanks, but I think I just need to sit still for a minute.” Her hand rested on her stomach.
“Does your stomach hurt?”
“No.”
But her hand continued to hold her flat belly as if it was unsettled. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes. It was a nice day, so he didn’t mind waiting with her.
“I think I’m better now.” She sighed, her lashes casting shadows on her high cheekbones as she breathed in a deep breath.
“Want to head back?”
“What about the sausage?”
He shrugged. “If you don’t feel good we probably shouldn’t cook today.”
Her pink lips pursed as she pouted. “I really wanted to make sausage with you. I’m sorry, Ant.”
He nudged her shoulder. “Hey, it’s cool. We have all summer to try again.”
“Before you go to school?”
“Yeah.” The obstacles sure were piling up. She had baggage from whatever guy screwed her over and he was leaving for college in less than three months. Glancing at her, he debated if she was worth the effort. She twisted the empty water bottle into a ball and lobbed it at the nearby trashcan, making the shot. Yeah, she was totally worth it.
“What do you say we hit up another diner and grab breakfast?”
She smiled. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
They stopped at the same diner they ate at before. This time Kate ordered kielbasa with extra sauerkraut and hot mustard. When the waitress delivered their plates he stared at hers. “You sure that’s gonna help your stomach?”
“This is exactly what my belly wants right now. Don’t judge. Wanna bite?”
“No.” He wasn’t sure how she managed, but she devoured the whole thing. “I don’t think I ever saw a girl kill a sandwich like that.”
She shrugged. “I’m not a typical girl.”
“No?”
“Nope. I can hit a moving target with a compound bow from over a hundred yards away and you should see me field dress a deer.”
He blinked at her, unsure how to respond. One, he wasn’t sure what a compound bow was and two, he never killed a living thing in his life. “You hunt?”
“Since I was thirteen. My dad started teaching my brothers when they were old enough and I wanted to do whatever they could do.”
He couldn’t quite picture her cutting open a deer, but he liked imagining her dressed in camo. “Do you eat the stuff you kill?”
She nodded. “I don’t like hunting for sport. I think it’s wrong on some level, so we always use the meat. Big family, lots of mouths to feed.”
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“I’ve never hunted.”
“No? How come?”
He laughed. “They get antsy when you try to shoot things in the city.”
Her smirk was patronizing in the sexiest way. “I forget you’re not from around here.”
“You’re getting used to my accent.”
“I guess I am.” She sat back and patted her belly.
“You feeling better?”
She hummed happily and sighed. “The belly’s happy.”
Thank God, because he didn’t want to cut their day short, even if they weren’t cooking. “So do you have guns?”
“No. My dad does, but his are too big for me. My grandfather left my mom his old Winchester and I’ve used that one a few times, but I’m best with a bow.” She laughed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just never heard a girl talk about guns before.”
She waved a hand. “Everyone in my family knows how to shoot. It’s just who we are. It’s not a big deal. We keep the guns locked up most of the time.”
“Can you shoot a handgun?”
“I’m sure I could, but I only use rifles for hunting. Handguns are for other things.”
“So if a person broke into your home, would you shoot them?”
Her brow creased. “I don’t know. We don’t even lock our doors. I guess I would if I thought my life was in danger, but we don’t have a lot of break-ins around here.”
“Remind me to always knock when I come to your house.”
She laughed. “We don’t shoot people. Well, my grandfather shot my dad, but that was a different time.”
“Your grandfather shot your dad?”
“Sort of. Shot at him. No one really knows the whole story except my aunts and my parents. I think they exaggerate.”
He sat back and finished his soda. “Your family’s a little nuts, huh?”
She shrugged. “Not nuts. McCullough. The longer you know us, the more normal we seem.”
“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked as she approached.
He arched a brow and Katie asked, “Can I have a strawberry shake in a to-go cup?”
“Sure thing, hon. How about you?”
He loved that she didn’t hide her appetite in front of him. “I’ll take a chocolate shake.” When the waitress left, he looked at Kate for a long moment. Her coloring was back to its normal shade of perfect. God, she’s pretty. “I guess you just had a bug or something.”
How to Love Her: McCullough Mountain (McCullough Mountain Prequel) Page 7
