by Liz Isaacson
Doesn’t matter, she told herself, plucking another thistle from where it tried to hide right up next to the trunk of the shrub. This is a temporary arrangement. One week. One party.
“Right,” he said. “Both sets of my grandparents are still alive. I have a great-grandfather still living too. My parents are still married, yes, and I have eight brothers and sisters.”
“Eight.” Cora coughed, the surprise on her tongue quick and sour. “Wow.”
“You don’t need to remember all of them,” he said. “Two of my older brothers are married, and the sister just younger than me is getting married in a couple of weeks.”
“Well, maybe I should know her name,” Cora said. “Maybe we’d be friends?” She wasn’t sure why she’d phrased it as a question.
“Of all my sisters, Wren is definitely the….” He seemed to fumble for the right word, finally coming up with, “one you’d meet first.” He looked away quickly, his attention singular on the weeds now.
“How many brothers?” she asked.
“Three. All older.”
“So five sisters.”
“All younger.”
“Well, that makes it easy, doesn’t it?” She threw a beaming smile at him, thrilled when he returned it easily. That conduit between them blinked into existence again, and Cora had the strangest desire to sweep her hand down the side of his face just to feel the strength in his jaw.
Clearing her throat, she dropped her eyes to the ground. The dirt seemed like a deep, rich chocolate brown, and she sifted it for a moment, trying to get her bearings. She finally got herself back together enough to pull another weed from the ground.
When they met in the flowerbed, they both got up and repositioned themselves to get another section of garden weeded. “So,” Cora said, sighing. “Let’s do favorites next.”
“Favorites?”
“You know, favorite food. Color. What do you like? What do you not like? That kind of thing.”
“Don’t you think we should work out how we met first?”
“Oh, well, I thought we could just go with the karaoke bar.” She met his gaze. “Don’t you—I mean—do you—?”
“You think that’s romantic enough for your family?” He paused in his work too, his gaze all-assessing and combing her face.
Cora didn’t care what her family thought, not about this. “I thought it was pretty romantic,” she admitted with the shrug of one shoulder. “I mean, you went and talked to my friends while I was singing.” She ducked her head, wishing she’d brought a hat she could hide behind.
“You have a beautiful voice,” he said, drawing her attention back to him. “Like an angel.”
Cora had never been called an angel before, and she rather liked the way he looked at her with that adorable glint in his eye. She also had no idea what to do with these soft feelings inside her or why she had the urge to know everything about Brennan—not just what she needed to get through the party. But everything about him, so she could decide if their lives could intertwine and become one.
Startled by the treacherous path her thoughts had taken, she shook her head and got back to work. She needed Brennan for the next week, that was all.
She certainly didn’t need him to worm his way into the soft parts of her heart. She didn’t even have soft parts of her heart, and it would be better for both of them if they focused on putting on a good performance for the party and then getting back to their real lives.
Chapter Four
Brennan spent church obsessing over the exotic brunette who had talked his ear off the day before. He had the fruity smell of her perfume memorized, along with an insane amount of information that seemed to slip through his mind like water through a sieve.
On Saturday morning, he enjoyed the rare luxury of sleeping in, only to awaken with a start. He scrambled for his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed his alarm. He sagged back against his pillow when he realized he hadn’t. Not even close.
So maybe his dreams had been filled with the warmth of Cora’s hand in his, her hair brushing his forearm as she tipped her head back and laughed.
“Don’t be stupid,” he told himself as he stepped into the shower. “Today will be the last day you see her.” After all, the party was today, and then that was that. Cora had made it very clear over the past week that their relationship ended when the party did.
Brennan must’ve been imagining the fireworks between them whenever their eyes met. He hadn’t imagined the way his mouth turned dry and his pulse pounded. But his symptoms were obviously his alone, though she laughed at his jokes, gushed over the chicken parmesan he’d made from scratch, and taken to Sybil like they were bosom buddies.
He knew that she liked thrills, from riding a motorcycle to rock climbing to fighting fires. He knew she had strength in her lithe body and wasn’t afraid to show him she could do as much as he could.
She’d skipped college and had several boyfriends over the years. She hadn’t been super forthcoming about her past relationships, but Brennan supposed it wasn’t any of his business. They weren’t really dating, after all. That had been made clear too.
And yet, somehow, Brennan had allowed himself to think they could. At some point. Maybe after the party, he could text her and ask her out to a real dinner. Maybe she’d say yes.
Brennan dressed with care, wearing a pair of gray golf shorts and a navy, white, and black striped polo. He brushed his teeth twice and tried to feed Sybil three times.
When Cora’s bike rumbled into his driveway, he grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out the front door. The sight of the leggy brunette climbing off the motorcycle pressed his pulse into a frenzy, and he was struck dumb as he stared.
She took off her helmet and shook out her hair. It tumbled over her shoulders in brilliant waves, and she rested the helmet against her hip and grinned at him.
His ridiculous lips smiled back. Thankfully, his legs remembered it was time to go and he met her at the passenger door to the truck. “You bringing the helmet?”
She tossed the helmet onto the bench seat after he opened the door. “Sure, why not?”
Brennan liked this fun, flirty side of her. He’d seen a more withdrawn Cora as well, and a serious, driven version as well.
She chattered as they drove down Main Street, bypassing all the old brick buildings that lent Brush Creek so much of its charm. Vernal was the same way, with historical markers seemingly on every corner. Though not old by the world’s standards by any means, the cities and towns here in eastern Utah reminded Brennan that life didn’t have to be made of steel and glass to be wonderful.
The helmet rode on the seat between them, and Brennan didn’t like that. Cora quieted as they approached Vernal, and that set his nerves on high alert too. She directed him left and right until they pulled into a driveway that already held two minivans.
“Great,” she muttered. “Everyone’s here already.”
“We’re not late, are we?” He cut a quick glance at his watch.
“No.” She sighed. “I guess I didn’t tell you about my family’s insane time thing.” She turned her beautiful eyes on him, and Brennan’s breath hitched in his chest. “If they say eleven o’clock, you’re late if you show up at ten-thirty.” She shook her head, a half-smile dancing across her mouth.
Brennan chuckled, the sound easy and easing some of the tension between them. But his palms felt slick and his anxiety quivered near the surface. He wasn’t a great conversationalist, and he felt certain he was about to forget some very important detail that would ruin everything with Cora.
He unbuckled and got out of the truck, meeting Cora at the corner on her side. The curtain in the huge front window fluttered, which meant someone was already watching. He wasn’t sure if Cora had seen it or not. Easily, simply, like he’d done it a thousand times before, he slipped his hand into hers.
As a charge as powerful as lightning bolted up his arm, he tilted his head and brushed his lips against her temple. “You r
eady for this?” He actually smiled as he said it, as if they were sharing a truly intimate moment before facing six adults and five children, all of whom surely had perfectly good eyes and would be able to see this scam for what it was.
Cora looked up at him, and Brennan may have been imagining a lot of things. But there was no mistaking the edge of heat in her eyes right now. Automatically, his fingers squeezed hers. She gripped his hand too and nodded.
Buoyed up by the prospect of extending their relationship past this party, Brennan faced the house again. “All right, then.” He took the first step, gently towing her with him. “Helene and Matt. Edgar and Dani. Chris and Laura.” He’d at least get the names right.
The front door opened, and her mother emerged wearing a black cocktail dress that certainly didn’t fit at a Saturday afternoon backyard barbeque—what Cora had prepped him for.
She wore a sundress, sure. But the blue, yellow, and white dress was a far cry from the evening wear her mother had on.
“Cora,” she said, smiling though it felt a touch on the predatory side to Brennan. “Come in, come in.” She went first and Brennan waited for Cora to follow her. They embraced, and no matter what Cora said about her family, Brennan could see the affection her mother had for her.
When they parted, Cora smoothed her hands over her thighs to right her dress and looked at Brennan. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Brennan. Brennan, my mother, Laura.”
Her physical assessment of him happened in the blink of an eye, but Brennan still felt underdressed and way out of his league. “Ma’am.” He nodded at her, wishing he had a hat he could tip.
“I’ve heard so little about you,” she said, tossing a disdainful glance toward Cora.
“Mom,” she warned, rolling her eyes as if to say See? This is what I have to put up with.
“Well, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Brennan said, the words flowing easily out of his mouth. “Cora tells me the trees along the west side of the house were planted when you moved in. And then one for each child as they were born.”
Surprise crossed Laura’s face. While technically what he’d said wasn’t about her mother at all, he could tell it meant something to her.
“I’d like to see them,” he said. “See, I’m a landscaper.”
“A landscaper?” her mother repeated.
“He owns his own business,” Cora jumped in, almost wedging herself between Brennan and her mom. “They’re really successful. They have contracts with the city and the school district, as well as do residential stuff.”
Brennan put on a smile that was actually genuine. Listening to Cora talk about him like she knew him was satisfying. He reminded himself that she knew some things about him, but that she didn’t actually know him. “So I’d love to see the trees.”
“Right this way.” Laura pointed through a doorway. “Everyone’s in the backyard already. Did you bring the buns, Cora?”
Her shoulders stiffened, and Brennan’s heart skipped over a beat. He hadn’t seen any food. Hadn’t even known they’d been assigned to bring something.
“I forgot,” Cora said with a groan.
Her mom paused and turned back before entering a mudroom. “Well, how can we have burgers and pulled pork without buns?”
“I’ll go grab some,” Brennan said. He’d been to Vernal plenty of times; he could find a grocery store.
“Nonsense.” Laura’s hand curled around his forearm, drawing him into the mudroom with her. “Cora was supposed to bring the buns. She can go get them.” She arched one brow in Cora’s direction that spoke volumes.
Helpless and not sure what to say, Brennan fished in his pocket for the keys to his truck. “I can go with her.”
“Oh, we’ve all been dying to meet you,” Laura said. “She’ll be gone for twenty minutes. She’ll be fine. Right, Cora?”
Cora looked like she could burn this place to the ground with a well-placed look. “Right, Mother.” She fisted the keys in a way that looked painful and spun on her heel, marching toward the front door without a glance in Brennan’s direction.
He watched her go, that light dress complementing her tanned skin and dark hair. For a fleeting moment, he actually wondered if she’d come back. Then Laura opened the back door, and Brennan had no choice but to follow her to meet the rest of Cora’s family—alone.
Helene was a younger version of her mother, with the same brown hair and round face. Same chocolately brown eyes that saw far more than just what was on the surface. No wonder Cora had given him so many details about her life.
Her father turned from the grill, and Brennan instantly saw where Cora’s darker hair and skin came from. Chris smiled with those same gold-infused eyes, and out of everyone Brennan met in the next few minutes, he liked her father the best.
Cora’s nieces and nephew played in the secluded yard, and Brennan really did enjoy the huge trees on the west side of the house. They created a natural fence line, provided privacy from the neighbor’s nearby, and drenched the backyard in shade.
With the small deck and paved patio, the yard was an inviting place to be, and Brennan relaxed a little bit. At least until Helene said, “So how did you two meet?”
“Oh, uh.” Brennan picked up a plastic water bottle and twisted the lid before launching into the karaoke story.
“Cora sang?” Laura perched on the edge of the bench, her dress bunched tightly around her knees. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
“Her buddies had to practically drag her up the steps,” he said, remembering her struggle with Kent and Charlie—at least until she’d seen him. Then she’d sort of gone limp, and they’d gotten her on the stage fairly easily after that.
He remembered the way she sang right to him, her voice an intoxicating drug to his whole system. “It was just sort of like…magic.” He sighed, only realizing how soft and wistful it made him sound after he’d done it.
Both Helene and Laura stared at him like he’d grown four heads in a matter of seconds. He cleared his throat. “Anyway—”
“When did this happen?” Helene asked. “Seems like Cora would’ve mentioned…magically meeting a handsome man.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, realizing he and Cora hadn’t exactly worked out the details of their relationship. Or had they? The sun shone so hotly overhead, and Brennan wiped his brow. “I think it was near the end of March. I don’t get out to the karaoke bar much, but my brothers wanted to go.”
“Cora goes all the time,” Laura said, a definite note of disdain in her voice.
“Yeah, she likes it.” Brennan wasn’t actually sure if that was true, or she’d been dragged there by her firemen buddies. They hadn’t discussed her karaoke habits that much. Or at all.
“There’s so much about her I don’t understand.” Laura frowned, the lines deep between her eyes. “Like the firefighting. What woman does that?” She looked at him as if Brennan would confirm that it was a ridiculous career for a woman.
“I think it’s sexy,” he blurted, unsure of where the words had come from. All he knew was that a burning desire to defend her burned through him like a wildfire ravaging a forest. “She’s good at it too. She’s only been in Brush Creek for a year, and she’s the captain of her unit.”
“There’s only one unit in Brush Creek, isn’t there?” Edgar spoke in a low, deep voice, smooth and without emotion, but it still felt like he was undermining his sister.
“Right. One unit. It’s a small department. I think there’s eight of them. Cora and seven men. And the Fire Chief.” He took a long drink of his water, wondering how long it had been since Cora had left. His stomach grumbled for lunch, but they couldn’t eat without the buns. “She seems to really enjoy it, and becoming Captain of seven men isn’t easy.”
“Hmm.” Edgar looked over Brennan’s shoulder to the yard.
“What do you do?” he asked her brother, a note of accusation in his voice. He tamped it down, reminding himself this was just a show. Cora planned to text her sister
in a couple of weeks and tell her things with Brennan just weren’t working out.
Before her holier-than-thou brother could answer, Helene said, “She did tell you she wants to be a hotshot, right?”
Brennan nodded. “She mentioned it, yes.”
“You know that means she’s out in the wilderness for weeks on end,” Laura added, not bothering to phrase her words as a question.
“I’m not really familiar with what they do, no.” Brennan couldn’t help looking at his phone. Cora had been gone for seven minutes, and he was drowning without her. “But I’m sure we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“She’s doing all the physical tests in September.” Helene lifted her chin as if she and Cora had personally planned her training schedule and when she’d apply for the hotshots crew.
Laura shook her head. “You didn’t see her, but she looks so…manly. Too buff.”
Brennan almost choked. Cora was anything but manly or masculine. She had female curves he may have stared at a little too long more than once as they’d gotten together this week. With high cheekbones and a slender neck, Cora had rendered him breathless every time he’d seen her.
“See? He agrees.”
“No,” he said quickly, his face heating. “No, I don’t agree. She’s beautiful.”
“She’s too thin and her muscles bulge.” Laura glared at him, daring him to contradict her again. “You’ll see,” she said to Helene and Edgar, who both watched him with laser-sharp gazes.
“She likes to run,” Brennan said. “But she’s not too thin. She can lift three bags of bark. Five cubic feet bags of bark. She hauled tree limbs like they were sticks.” Working with her on her off-days this past week had been the most exhilarating time of Brennan’s life. “She’s a hard worker.” He shook his head, not quite believing how critical her mother was being of her, especially when Cora wasn’t here to defend herself. “She’s not too thin, and her muscles don’t bulge.”
He looked away from her family to watch the children, but he still caught the elbow Helene threw into Edgar’s side. They both looked dubious, and Brennan couldn’t sit there for another second.
