Unlike her mother, Paige had no patience with silly flattery. Where Erin would soothe, smile, and charm, Paige batted away unwanted attention with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
Erin used to say that Paige needed a man who wasn’t afraid to give back as good as he got. The local boys had always been intimidated by her sharp tongue and keen intelligence. She didn’t play games or hide her strengths to pump up their male egos.
Chuck had hoped that she would meet someone while away at college. Unfortunately, his daughter spent most of her time with her nose in a book. According to Erin, she dated. One time, his wife tried to assure him that Paige wasn’t a virgin. Why she thought that was something he wanted to know, or would find reassuring, Chuck didn’t know.
No father wanted to hear that his little girl was that grown up.
Since Paige’s return to the Double C, she had turned down more dates than she had accepted. Lyle Wilson, the owner of the next ranch over, was the most persistent. He finally wore her down. They went out on a semi-regular basis. Usually, when Paige felt restless. Lyle was convenient. Easy going. And it was obvious he wanted much more than Paige was willing to give.
Chuck felt sorry for the man, but he knew Paige wasn’t leading him on. She made it clear upfront that she wasn’t interested in anything permanent. The fact that Lyle kept coming back was a testament to his determination. She hadn’t wanted to date him, but she changed her mind. He figured it was only a matter of time before he had a ring on her finger.
It wasn’t going to happen. As much as he would love a grandbaby to spoil, he knew Lyle Wilson was not the man for Paige. As his beloved Erin had said, their daughter needed a man who was her equal. Smart. Strong. Willing to let her be herself while not allowing her to run roughshod over him.
Lyle Wilson was pleasant. A little too pleasant. Chuck couldn’t put his finger on the problem. Except for the fact that Lyle preferred running his ranch from the comfort of his office instead of getting his hands dirty, there was no reason for Chuck to object to the man’s designs on Paige. It was her choice.
Deep down, he knew, as did Paige. Lyle Wilson was not the man for her.
He had begun to wonder if that man existed. Chuck gave Nate a considering look. It was early days. But maybe. Just maybe that man had finally arrived. Caleb Landis’ son. Wouldn’t that be something?
“You’ve been here a grand total of…” Paige looked at her watch. “Three hours and already you’ve decided I’m a smartass?”
“Better than a dumbass.”
“Should I thank you for that distinction?”
“Sure.” With Chuck behind him pouring a cup of coffee, Nate felt safe giving Paige a wink. “I never turn down a woman’s gratitude.”
When Paige rolled her eyes, Nate felt a zing in his stomach. She wasn’t pissed off as she had been earlier. This was fun — for both of them. Something had changed.
When they met at the airport, Paige was all bristles and borderline resentment. The bristles were still there. Nate would be surprised, and a little disappointed if they weren’t. The difference was in the temperature of the barbs she threw at him. No longer icy. The temperature had risen to a nice, comfortable level during the ride to the ranch.
As they sat drinking some of the best coffee he could remember, Nate felt another uptick in the heat index. He doubted Paige would have called it flirting. She was still under the misguided idea that he was interested in her friend Lottie. Being under no such delusions, Nate knew exactly what was going on.
This was a prelude. Not the dance itself. That would come later — if they decided to act on it. The attraction. The desire. The need. Call it what you wanted. Nate knew the signs. Right now, he was happy to play around the edges. All the reasons not to act were still there. However, Nate realized, if Paige gave him any encouragement, he would drop kick any obstacles without the slightest twinge of regret.
“The light will be good for another few hours. Why don’t you take Nate on a mini-tour? I’ll take care of dinner while you’re gone.”
“But… I mean, don’t you want to talk?” When Nate and her father gave her blank looks, Paige sighed. “Hello. The movie? The reason Nate is here? I thought you would want to lay everything out right away.”
“There’s plenty of time for that.”
“No, there isn’t.” Paige barely refrained from hitting her head on the hard, cherry wood table. “Shooting starts in two days.”
“That soon?” Nate frowned. His father hadn’t mentioned a timetable. Nate was under the impression this was still in the planning stages.
“I didn’t see any reason to dilly dally.” Chuck joined them, taking a seat next to Nate. “It’s a small production. Digital, not film. I called in a few favors from my Hollywood days. Once I started, what I thought would be a slow rolling ball quickly picked up momentum.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ll explain everything at dinner.” Chuck poured a dollop of cream into his cup, slowly stirring, with a benign smile on his weathered face. “Go. Stretch your legs. Between the two plane flights and the drive to the ranch, you must need to move around. Some fresh air will do you good.”
“Dad…”
“Steaks!” Chuck slapped Nate on the back. “Thick and juicy. Our own beef, too. We still run about a hundred head. Prime, grass-fed Montana Angus. Once you taste it right off the grill, you’ll weep every time you have to order that inferior crap most restaurants serve.”
“Sounds good.”
Nate looked at Paige and shrugged.
“Fine. Grab your jacket. It cools down early this time of year.” As she passed her father, she leaned close. “This isn’t over.”
“Of course not, honey.” Chuck smiled. “It’s just beginning.”
THE DOUBLE C never failed to impress.
Paige was proud of her home. The sweat and labor her parents put into it during the early days of their marriage was a tradition Paige happily carried on. It wasn’t a sense of duty that made her keep the tack and saddles in the barn immaculately tended. Nothing forced her to muck out the stalls when she could easily have handed the job over to one of their day laborers.
It was love. Love for the land and every building on it. From the sheds to the main house. Paige grew up here. She crawled on the grass in the front yard. Toddled by her mother’s side as she gathered the morning eggs. Learned to ride like the wind, her sturdy pre-teen legs gripping the sides of her horse — no saddle needed.
This was Paige’s home.
If sometimes she yearned to know what was beyond the gently rolling fields, Paige shrugged off those feelings. In college, she had a small taste of something different. It was heady. Exciting. A world of endless possibilities.
If her mother hadn’t gotten sick, who knew? Part of her always assumed she would end up back here.
After.
A few years of adventure before she had any serious obligations to anchor her in one place. Unknown places. Exotic. Heady. New. She had wanted to see them as only a young woman could. Unfettered by anything but the desire to taste a culture far different from her own.
That changed the day her father called with the news that her mother wouldn’t see another year. In that instant, Paige left behind the girlish dreams and took on the mantle of an adult. It wasn’t just her mother who needed her to be strong. Her father was lost without his Erin. Forgoing a few years of travel was a small price to pay.
There was still time for that. Nowhere was it written that she couldn’t take time away from the ranch to see those far off places that littered her dreams.
Someday, she promised herself.
They walked in silence. It wasn’t awkward. Neither felt the need to reach for unnecessary words. Nate was content to take it all in. Paige enjoyed the company. Which surprised her. One of the best things about her life was the time she had to simply think.
They were grand thoughts or troubling ones. Usually, she went over the endless list of things that needed do
ing. Fix the fence in the south pasture. Order feed. Replace the valves in her old truck.
What she did every day didn’t shake the world. But it did keep her firmly on its axis.
“Do you love it here?”
An interesting question. But then, Nate was turning out to be an interesting man.
“When I went away to college, my new friends would ask how I could stand growing up in the middle of nowhere?”
“What was your answer?”
“I usually smiled and didn’t say much. How can you explain Montana to someone who has never been here?”
Nate understood what she meant. Traveling extensively had taught him many things. One of the most important was that no two places were alike. A person growing up in a rural environment might think the city was the city. They would be wrong.
New York was no more like Paris than Montana was like Nebraska. Make a list. The differences would soon start to outweigh the similarities. Bright lights and traffic. A blanket of stars and uninterrupted fields. It was what the eye didn’t see. The people. How they spoke. Thought. Lived their daily lives.
Until you walked on Montana soil, you could never understand.
Mountains to one side of the Double C and wide-open rolling fields on the other. The main house was painted a welcoming blue and white. Three stories. Not a box, though close, the sloping roof prevented it from resembling a large Christmas present without the bow.
It was large and welcoming with room for a family to grow. Paige was an only child. Nate wondered if that was by design or because Chuck and his wife weren’t blessed with other children.
A ranch this size. Two people with plenty of love to share. When he factored all that in, Nate had his answer.
“I can’t imagine growing up without my brothers. An only child. Way out here. It must have been lonely.”
“I had Lottie. Though there were weeks during the winter when we only spoke on the phone.” Paige stopped by the main corral. Two horses came over to nudge at her hand, hoping for a treat. She never left the house with her pockets empty. Half a carrot for each.
Rollie, the five-year-old sorrel mare finished first. She nipped at her companion, hoping Winter would drop his half-eaten carrot. The palomino gelding was as placid as they came. However, he wasn’t a pushover. The horses were companions. Had been for a long time. He knew her tricks. Calmly, he chewed and swallowed. Then to show her what he thought of her, he turned away with a swish of his tail.
Paige laughed at their antics. Except for her parents and Lottie, animals had been her playmates during the first few years of her life. School widened her social circle. There were times when she preferred her company to be of the four-legged variety. Less drama.
“I have never been bored. Not a single day, hour, or minute.”
Restless was different from bored. But that wasn’t something she wanted to get into. Not with Nate.
“I get restless.”
Paige’s eyes shot to Nate. He looked at the mountains, not her. He wasn’t reading her mind, simply stating a fact about himself. That was a relief. She didn’t want him in her head, rooting out her thoughts.
Kindred spirit.
Paige heard the words spoken in her mother’s voice. No, she didn’t need Nate in her head. Between her own thoughts and her mother, it was crowded enough up there.
“Why?”
“Hmm?” Nate turned Paige’s way, his blue eyes losing their faraway dreams to focus on her. It was disconcerting — and exciting.
“Why do you get restless?” Why do your eyes make my stomach flip over and make my mouth dry? “Your life is exciting.”
Nate’s eyebrow lifted, asking the question without words. Nice trick, Paige thought with a sigh.
“Google, Hollywood. It’s what we common folk use to get information.”
“What do you think we non-common folk use?”
“Minions.” Paige’s eyes twinkled, letting him know she wasn’t completely serious.
“And they use—?”
“Google.”
“Googling minions.” Nate’s lips twitched. “I don’t think I’ve met any of those.”
“Sure you have. You have an assistant.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“Technically. Sure.” Alice was essential when Nate worked on a movie. And when he wasn’t.
“Does she… it is she, right?”
Nate nodded. Why did he suddenly feel defensive? One second, Paige made him smile; the next, he wanted to swat her smartass. For a man who was known as the easy-going Landis, the rollercoaster of emotions this woman elicited perplexed him.
“Naturally,” Paige smirked. “Hence, Googling minion.”
Nate wanted to wipe that smug little smile off Paige’s mouth. Cliché as it might be, kissing her seemed like the perfect way. Since he had wanted to do it from the moment he saw her, it didn’t take a lot of effort to talk himself into it.
Nate knew the kiss was coming, but somehow it ended up surprising him as much as it did her.
The feel of a woman in his arms. The touch of her lips. Her taste. Nate knew these things well. Very well. He might not know the number of women he had kissed since his first at the age of thirteen. That didn’t mean he had lost his appreciation for the process.
Kissing was one of his favorite things. It wasn’t just a prelude to sex. To Nate, knowing the proper way to join his mouth to a woman’s was an art. He wouldn’t call himself a master. That connoted someone who knew it all. Nate considered himself an eager student. Proficient. Well versed. Yet always willing to learn.
On the job training of the best kind.
What Paige taught him in the first few seconds of the kiss was staggering. Her touch burned him. Her lips were beyond soft. Her taste? Addictive. Feeling her body next to his didn’t give him the usual thrill. It overwhelmed, saturating his senses.
It wasn’t a kiss.
It was the kiss.
The second the thought entered his brain, Nate felt a surge of panic. No, he quickly argued with himself. Not ready. The idea was so new, so unexpected, he shoved it out of his consciousness. He trailed his mouth along the sweet line of Paige’s jaw, happy to concentrate on the physical — not the emotional. Analyzing the burst of feelings was for another day. Far, far in the future.
It became easier when Paige’s arms stole around his waist, pulling him closer. He knew the moment she stopped fighting with herself and gave in to the kiss. Her body relaxed against him, her subtle curves fitting perfectly. Two parts of a puzzle. Shit. There it was again. The idea that this was how it was supposed to be. That everything until now led him to Paige.
Nate tore his mouth away, his breathing harsh — ragged. The idea was to break the connection that made his brain turn fuzzy and his heart beat in an odd, unfamiliar cadence. It was smart to stop before things got out of hand.
Nate didn’t realize his arms were still around Paige. It felt so good to have her close. It never occurred to him that his heart wasn’t going to stop trying to jump out of his chest as long as she pressed so near.
“Should I apologize?” Please, don’t ask me to apologize.
“That would be silly.”
Paige gently pried herself away. Not because she didn’t like the feel of his arms around her. Because she liked it too much.
“Paige…”
“It was a kiss, Nate.”
“No argument here.”
“Wipe that grin off your face.”
Paige almost smiled back. He was so damn charming. All he had to do was stand there, lips quirked, blue eyes bright as the clearest sky, and she wanted to forget why this was a bad idea. She struggled, searching. Right. Lottie. Best friend rules. She was already treading on thin ice. The cracks were getting bigger and bigger — moving closer with each passing second.
It wasn’t fair that danger had to come wrapped in such a big, sexy package, but there it was. She needed to keep this professional. At best, friendly. Onc
e more, she had to explain it to Nate. And while she was at it, it wouldn’t hurt to remind herself why this thing between them would not go any further.
“I realize this isn’t an original thought. You must have heard it a thousand times.”
“Nate—”
“My mother assures me that compliments, as long as they are sincere, are a good thing.”
“Nate—”
“You’re so beautiful. You smell like honey and fresh air. And the way you taste! I could—”
“Nate!” Paige’s shout was louder than necessary. Because she needed to stop herself as well as Nate. She liked his words. Too much.
“The kiss was…”
“Go on.” Nate’s smile widened. “Stroke my… ego.”
Oh, boy. The man wasn’t dangerous. He was lethal. Paige knew she was in trouble when she wanted to laugh at a line that would have made her cringe if delivered by anyone else.
The difference was easy to figure out. Nate’s ego was very, very healthy. However, his ability to make fun of himself was just as pronounced. A sense of humor was the ultimate aphrodisiac for Paige. Life could destroy her if she couldn’t laugh at it now and then. In her experience, finding a man who understood that was next to impossible. Combined with a mouthwatering package, it made Nate almost irresistible.
Almost.
“I liked it.”
“Careful. Hold back on your gushing.”
“Very nice.”
“Weak,” Nate sighed. “But I’ll take it. For now.”
“Once, Nate. It can’t happen again.”
“Can’t? Or Won’t”
“Jesus.” Paige tossed her hands in the air. “I thought you were a stuntman, not a lawyer. Forget the semantics. We kissed. I liked it.”
“Me too.”
“Now we have it out of our systems.”
“We do?”
Nate didn’t sound convinced. Paige tried to sound like she was.
“I don’t want to clog things up, Nate. I’m still holding on to the hope you might be able to talk my father in off the-the proverbial ledge. Though that possibility is becoming more and more remote.”
Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) Page 6
