Crazy for the Competition (Hope Springs)

by Cindi Madsen

  “So…she’s your ex?”

  “Hell, no!” His indignant expression softened as realization dawned. “Ollie’s not my kid. He’s my little brother.”

  “Oh.” Quinn didn’t know what else to say, and with the amount of relief flooding her system, she was afraid anything more would give away her realization that her interest in Heath already felt more serious than it should.

  Was it bad that the other reason she felt so relieved had to do with the fact that she’d feel worse about taking Mountain Ridge away from a single dad? She would already have enough to feel guilty about if she got the property, after all.

  “No kids yet. Just to be clear.” Heath glanced toward the open garage door where Oliver had disappeared. “We’d better get out there. Ready?”

  Quinn abandoned the float materials, and Heath picked up the puppy, who went to licking the side of his face again. Tucking him under one arm, he put the other hand on Quinn’s back, and the butterflies from yesterday returned, no longer drunk but hyper.

  The simplest touches drove her crazy, the guy’s kiss made the world spin off its axis, and he took care of his little brother and had the cutest dog in the history of dogs. Apparently, it was, in fact, possible for him to get even hotter.

  Puff, puff, puff. Two days in, and I’m already in so, so much trouble.

  …

  Heath pushed into the Triple S and searched the crowd for Quinn. Earlier they’d had lunch with Ollie. When he’d invited her to his school music program on Thursday night, Heath had given her an out, telling Ollie she probably didn’t have time. But she’d smiled and told him she’d try to make it.

  The kid had enough people in his life who fell through, and he hoped Quinn wouldn’t be one of them, but the only thing he could guarantee was that he’d be there. While he’d moved back to Hope Springs to get Mountain Ridge, Ollie was one more reason he needed to get the property and make an actual home there, so his brother would always have a place to go. He felt a little guilty for leaving him on his own for so long, actually. Without Cam, Heath never would’ve gotten through having Dad as a parent, so he’d decided to watch over the kid and do what he could.

  If Dad wouldn’t take Ollie fishing and hunting, he and Cam would. He hoped Dad would, though, because those camping trips and wilderness survival lessons were his few bright spots in a sea of bad memories.

  I’ll have to have a talk with Dad about it. See if I can’t convince him that Ollie needs those kinds of memories with him, too.

  Heath shelved that to-do item for later and focused on why he’d come to Seth’s Steak and Saloon. After his and Quinn’s second round of float decorating this afternoon, she’d said, “Hey, if you’re out of your bathtub moonshine or you want to change it up, you should meet me and everyone else at the Triple S tonight.”

  So here he was. Usually he played it cooler, but the festival was in three weeks, and then the decision about Mountain Ridge would be announced, and things between them would be irrevocably screwed up. There was something about knowing their hangouts had a time limit that made him not want to waste any of it.

  He heard Quinn’s unmistakable laugh and spotted her with Cory Brooks on the dance floor. They were caught midspin, their arms tangled, and Cory laughed along with her as he tried to untangle them. Within a couple of seconds he gave up and they broke apart and started over.

  Without Cory in the way, he got a look at Quinn. Her hair was twisted up, that bright red strand threaded through the black, and she wore a silver sequined top that caught the light and a tight black leather miniskirt that drew attention to her legs. The tall black heels made the muscles in her calves stand out. Holy shit, woman.

  He didn’t exactly love watching her dance with Cory. In fact, a slight twinge went through him when his eyes narrowed in on the hand at her waist, right where his had been earlier today, when he’d guided her out of the garage and in and out of the diner.

  It’s not like I have any claim on her. The more he watched, though, the clearer it became they were more friendly than trying to feel each other up on the floor, which helped. Sadie and Royce danced next to them, spinning and not missing a step, but they stopped and said something to Quinn and Cory and then they all laughed, Quinn’s rising above the rest.

  Taking his eyes off her wasn’t easy, but he didn’t want to come across as too desperate, even as a desperate edge to be near her flooded his chest. He headed to the bar, sat on one of the stools lining it, and signaled Seth over. By the time he had a cold beer in his hand, the song had ended and Quinn and the rest of the group neared. She perched herself on the stool next to him and leaned in to kiss his cheek with her cherry-red lips.

  His heart stuttered, the sweet gesture giving him thoughts that went far beyond sweet.

  “Hey,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m glad you came.”

  He was going to joke that it was for the booze, but then he decided to be as straight with her as she was with him. “I’m sort of addicted to seeing you now, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  He got the uninhibited smile. Judging by her flushed cheeks, she was already a few drinks in—or maybe the color was from the dancing. Reluctantly he moved his gaze from her and greeted everyone else.

  Royce sat on the stool next to Quinn and pulled Sadie onto his lap. Before Sadie had shown up, the guy had been all business. She forced him to take time off, and on the road—since it wasn’t like privacy in a van was a possibility—he’d often overheard her half of their phone conversations. Heard the reassurances she gave Royce and knew he gave them right back. Heath saw the way they worked together and balanced each other out, too. Admittedly, a couple of times he’d caught himself thinking it’d be nice to have someone like that waiting at home.

  Eventually. First he needed to get things squared away with the lodge and then find the best way to promote it and their tours and other services, and then maybe he’d think about attempting a real relationship.

  He couldn’t even believe he was contemplating it, considering signing the contract for the band had almost been enough to give him hives. Long-term commitment had never been his thing, and he’d worried turning the music he’d used to escape into work might make him end up resenting it. So far that hadn’t happened, though, and a big part of it was how well he, Sadie, and Will got along. They made music they liked, and Sadie was big on being allowed to do things their way—she’d been beaten up pretty badly in Nashville and didn’t want to compromise who she was again.

  It meant they might never have millions of record sales, and honestly, that’d helped make signing the contract less overwhelming. The only thing he’d never experienced that type of panic over committing to was the lodge. Because he knew he’d be running it with Cam, they’d balance each other out, and work would be half play. For that, he’d gladly hand over his life savings, sign the dotted line, and spend day and night ensuring its success.

  That had to be his focus now. No thinking that a relationship—say, with the woman currently flashing him a smile—might be a welcome change from the norm.

  She’s the only thing standing between you and that lodge. Don’t let yourself forget that, Brantley. Or that this thing between us is running on borrowed time.

  Quinn helped herself to a drink of the beer he’d barely touched. Then she jumped to her feet and grabbed his hand. “Okay, now you get to dance with me.”

  He tugged against her, making her stumble into him, and caught her around the waist. “And if I refuse?”

  “You won’t,” she said, leaning close enough that her lips were within reach and then pulling away before he could capture them.

  Once they got on the dance floor, he said, “Fair warning. I can’t do any of those fancy moves.”

  “As I’m sure you saw, neither can I. Not even with Cory leading me, and he’s good at it. That’s why I picked a slow song for us.” She hooked her hands around his neck, and her body bumped against his.

  He wrapped his arms aroun
d her, bringing them tighter together. Maybe dancing wasn’t so bad. “You all have known each other for a long time, huh?”

  “Yeah, Sadie moved in sophomore year and we were instant best friends. Even before she and Royce were officially together, I knew it’d happen. Whenever I wasn’t grounded—which was, like, maybe once a month—the four of us were running around town or headed to another rodeo. Sadie would usually sing the national anthem, and then we’d sit in the stands and cheer on Royce and Cory. Sadie nearly had panic attacks during the bronc riding, which always made me feel even worse about the times I couldn’t go with her. I’d sit at home feeling left out and abandoned and wishing that I could go a few measly weeks without being grounded.”

  “You were grounded that much?” he asked, wondering what she’d done to get into trouble that often.

  “My parents thought I was a wild, rebellious child who needed to be contained—even now they think that. I tried to walk the line, I did, but it was just so boring. So I’d sneak out and inevitably get caught. It’s not like the people in this town are known for keeping secrets, and as you probably also noticed, I’m not exactly quiet. Even now I’m wondering how much gossip from this weekend is going to get back to them—how much I drank, who I was with, if I was out super late. It’ll be like high school all over again.”

  Heath dodged a faster-moving couple and pulled Quinn out of their path. “I suppose it’ll be bad if they find out you spent most of your time with me.”

  “Definitely. There’d be an intervention with the preacher who’s already scared of me.”

  He tensed, not sure why, since it wasn’t exactly a news flash.

  “Don’t take that the wrong way,” Quinn said. “They barely like anyone. But they don’t live here anymore, and the Triple S is like the Vegas of Wyoming, so…” She flashed him a smile and then shrugged. “Even if they do hear about it, they won’t be too surprised, and I’ll play it off as not a big deal. Just a night out with Sadie where I danced with lots of people—you and Cory now count as lots. Then I’ll get guilted into taking on some project I don’t want to at the office.”

  She glanced down and then back up, and the lights caught her brown eyes for a moment before they turned and his head blocked the glow. “It’s another reason why I want Mountain Ridge so badly. I hate working for my father. It’s like living in a fishbowl but not having the gills to breathe underwater as it slowly suffocates me. He’s always telling me what I’m doing wrong, no matter how many deals I close or how much I prove myself. I’m damn good at my job, but I don’t even like what I do.”

  The reminder of the property made it feel like she was slipping away, even with her pressed against him, and he splayed his fingers on the small of her back, wanting to touch every inch of her he could. “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel? Get a new job?”

  A mirthless laugh escaped her. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple.” She shook her head and sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “You think I can’t keep up? I might surprise you.”

  She nearly stopped moving. “That’s not it at all. Most people just don’t get it, even when I explain, and that makes it more frustrating.”

  He locked eyes with her. “Try me.” Usually he’d let it go, but there’d been something about Quinn, day one, that made him want to make it better. After seeing her cry at the wedding reception then school her features as if she had to fake being okay a lot, he didn’t want her to have to do that with him.

  “No matter how Americanized my family is, our Japanese roots are more important. So grown woman or not, when it comes down to it, respecting your elders and the approval of your family is put above everything else. It’s not something I can just turn off because it’d be convenient. If I do get Mountain Ridge, I’m not even sure how I’m going to tell my father—it’ll be an intense conversation. But at least I can call it leaving for another business opportunity, and he’ll still be able to manage a bit of pride that I’m starting my own business and honoring the family name, even if he’s not the happiest about me leaving Sakata Real Estate.”

  Sorrow flickered across her face, and a pang went through his chest. “If I don’t get it, I’ll have to stay where I am. I can’t disappoint him for anything less than my dream job, and I can at least justify the bed and breakfast by pointing out that I’m still working in the same career field he helped train me for.”

  The song ended, but Heath didn’t bother leaving the floor, simply kept holding on and swaying to a beat that was no longer there. “I guess I get that. Regardless of how screwed up my dad is, there’s still part of me that wants his approval. Even an acknowledgment that I turned out okay would be nice.”

  “Most people tell me I should get over it. Like I can simply accept going against my beliefs and my family and see their disappointment and not care. You’d think I’d be immune since they’ve disapproved of most every choice I’ve ever made for myself, but like you said, a part of me thinks I can still manage to make them proud.” She moved her fingers to the back of his neck, playing with the hair there, and his tensed muscles relaxed. “You don’t say much about your dad.”

  Another song came on, this one faster, and still they continued the slow tempo. He had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the guitar. “There’s a reason for that. It’s sort of a buzzkill subject.”

  She looked like she wanted to push, and he supposed that was only fair, considering what she’d confessed about hers. But he wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t doing it here.

  He tightened his arms around her waist, moved his lips next to her ear, and whispered, “Let’s just enjoy the rest of this dance.”

  …

  Heath’s whiskers brushed her cheek, and darts of heat zipped through her as she clung to his shoulders. Then she was turning her face and pressing her lips to his. All day she’d wanted to kiss him again, and between the dim lights and the crowd of people on the floor, they were sorta blocked from view.

  This was how she always got into trouble in high school. She’d tell herself she’d practice better self-control, and then she’d get caught up in the moment and her self-control would stick its tongue out at her.

  Speaking of tongues…Heath ran his across her bottom lip and then she couldn’t remember what she’d been thinking or why she’d even considered pulling back. With the heavy dose of lust pumping through her system, her thoughts turned pleasantly hazy and every inch of her body tingled with anticipation of more.

  More exquisite brushes of whiskers against her skin, another tempting taste of Heath’s tongue. More inches of their bodies finding each other on the dance floor.

  Suddenly people were shuffling around them, some leaving and some going, and she realized the second song had ended.

  Oops. Meant for that to be more of a quick, stealthy kiss.

  “You wanna get out of here?” Heath asked.

  Yes! But wasn’t that code for “and go back to my place and have sex”? She’d tried to be clear last night, but she’d also been afraid that if she’d said she was never going to sleep with him the kissing definitely wouldn’t have happened, and she’d wanted to see what it was like. Now she was thinking she was better off not knowing. “I…”

  “You want to hang out with your friends,” he said. “That’s totally okay.”

  “It’s not that. I just…” She glanced around. “Can we go somewhere else that’s not your bedroom? Remember what I said last night?”

  “How about we hop on my motorcycle and see where the night takes us?”

  “Can I drive?” That would help her keep control of the situation before it got away from her.

  “Hell, no,” he said and then slid his hand down and laced his fingers with hers.

  She should be insulted. Or pull away. Anything but blindly follow him. Quinn caught Sadie’s eye right before they reached the door. Her best friend’s eyebrows arched, and Quinn shrugged.

  “Be careful,” Sadie mouthed. Then she
mimicked a phone with her pinkie and her thumb and added, “Call me later.”

  Quinn nodded. If this went badly, she was all too aware that she might be calling in tears.

  Chapter Nine

  Without saying a word, Heath took off the same leather jacket she’d worn yesterday and wrapped it around her. There really wasn’t any way to be proper as she got on the motorcycle in her skirt, so she just did the best she could, knowing she was exposing a whole lot of thigh—at least she’d managed to keep her underwear from being on display.

  Heath’s gaze ran over her exposed legs, the heat in it enough to send jolts of electricity across her bare skin, and then he swallowed, hard. He leaned over the bike and kissed her, sliding one of his hands from her knee to her thigh but stopping a few inches below her skirt, leaving a clashing mix of relief and disappointment.

  He twisted his hat around so that the bill was behind him and climbed onto the seat in front of her. The entire frame of the motorcycle bounced as he kick-started the engine. It caught and roared as he twisted the throttle, a loud rumble that vibrated through her entire body. She wrapped her arms around him, and then they were off.

  As they buzzed out of town, she didn’t even care where they were going. For the past few years—ever since she’d started working at Sakata Real Estate—she’d forced herself to be more responsible. She’d held back going out too much, and while she’d still slipped here and there with a guy who screamed bad boy, she’d mostly stayed in line. Done what was expected of her. Even dated a guy because he was family approved and supposedly safe.

  Until now, she hadn’t realized just how much she missed not knowing where the night would lead. Missed simply jumping in without a second thought to everything she should be doing. It made her want to freeze the rest of the world so she could live in this moment for a while. The part before she’d have to tell Heath once again that she wasn’t going to sleep with him, no matter where he took her.