by Cindi Madsen
Wes nodded at Connor as he got out of the truck. They’d met back in high school, right after Connor’s parents had divorced and Mama had rented a place in Huntersville, next door to the Turners. They’d played a lot of basketball in their driveways, and still got together for the occasional game—Dani was a hell of a ball player, too. When Wes told Connor about the business he was trying to get running, he’d offered to help however he could. They’d spent the past couple of months scouting locations and rating the tours, from beginner to extreme adventure.
Dani pulled out a map, spread it across the hood of his truck and pointed to an area in the Pisgah National Forest. “We’re thinking of trying Harper Creek Falls today. It’s supposed to be the place in North Carolina for people who want the most difficult hiking experience.”
Connor leaned over the map and noted the coordinates. “I’ll call it in. See where the property lines are and if we need any special permits. If we’re clear, we’ll go check it out.”
A few minutes later, Connor and Wes were in the helicopter, climbing higher and higher. Dani went with them most of the time, but apparently she had a wedding planning meeting to get to.
“So, you freaking out yet?” Connor asked.
Wes glanced at him, eyebrows drawn together. “I do this all the time. Why would I freak out?”
“I mean about getting married. You’ve got what? Five months?”
“Just over three,” Wes said. “I’m ready for the wedding to be done with already. Dani’s as mellow as they come, but with my family involved… Well, it’s becoming bigger than we expected, and I just want to be married. I want to call her my wife, and for everyone to know she’s all mine.” He banked the helicopter to the west and the city disappeared underneath them, trees taking over the landscape.
“I’m still not sure about the marriage thing. I might be ready to try to date just one, though. See what all the hype is about.” The truth was, he had tried it a couple times before. But not for a long time, and never to the point he fully let those women into his life.
“No shit, man? You’re ready to take off the training wheels and try a relationship?”
Connor slugged Wes’s shoulder and they both laughed. “Maybe that should be your next tour. Try dating one girl! More dangerous than rappelling or cliff diving!” He sat back in his seat. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say out loud, but he wanted to tell somebody. Wished he were holding a beer while he was doing it, though. “She’s different. I can’t get her out of my head, and I’m not sure I want to.”
“Then go for it.”
“It’s complicated.” Connor glanced out the windshield, focusing on the green. “Even if I could talk her into it… You remember my partner, Kaleb? She’s his sister.” He couldn’t believe he’d said it aloud. But he was thinking about her all the time, and it wasn’t like he could talk to Kaleb about it.
“Dude.”
“Right? And he knows me too well.”
“Which means he’s told you to stay the hell away from her.”
Connor nodded. “I just don’t know if I can.”
“If you’re serious about the girl, though…”
That was the question. How serious could he be? The thought of a full-blown relationship caused far more nerves than any of the tours he and Wes had gone on. But the thought of giving up on whatever this thing with Faith was made him feel hollow. And he was so damn sick of that emptiness constantly eating away at him. “I don’t know. I think I can do things different with her. I’m almost sure.”
Wes shook his head. “Good luck, man. All I can say is once you find the right one, it’s easy.”
Dating was one thing. Talking about “the one” was a different level entirely. The truth was, he’d never wanted that. All those heightened emotions… Too many bad memories haunted him. What if he was too much like his dad to make it work? He’d rather be alone than turn into him.
“There it is,” Wes said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “We touch down in that open meadow, then hike up to the falls.”
Adrenaline coursed through Connor’s veins. This was just what he needed to get his mind off everything. They unloaded the kayak and started up the rocky trail. “Did you find a place where we can dive from the helicopter?”
“Dani’s thinking Nantahala Lake. We’ve gotta figure out how high, though.”
“How far was the one from that video we watched?”
“Seventy-five feet into the Hudson, but he was a high dive World Champion.”
“So we’re going for eighty?”
Wes laughed. “I was thinking eighty-five.”
“Good, it’ll keep me from getting soft now that training’s over.” He’d been too exhausted during the eight weeks of BTOC to do much else. Part of him thought he shouldn’t do anything that’d pin him down again. But most nights weren’t nearly this exciting.
Most days weren’t as much fun as yesterday had been, either. He thought of Faith, covered in paint, leaning in to tell him he was going gray.
Connor readjusted the kayak, his arms starting to burn from holding it up. First he’d throw himself into this adventure. Then he’d try to figure out how far he was willing to push his boundaries with Faith Fitzpatrick.
…
Faith told herself she wasn’t purposely avoiding Connor, but the problem with lying to yourself was that you knew you were full of crap. She’d occasionally hear his low voice when he picked up Kaleb, so she’d stay in her room and wait until she was sure he was gone to get up and go for her run. Her time was improving—she could make it two miles without having to walk now. By the end of next week, she hoped to push it to three.
In the early afternoons, she’d go work at the park. Anna and Ella came one day, and one of Anna’s friends had helped Faith do the second coat on the gazebo. Mrs. Lowery had come by and told them that it’d do, which was pretty much the highest form of praise she gave.
With her “volunteer” work done, she’d spent a few days scouting apartments in Charlotte. She’d found several nice places, a couple close to the college. Too bad they all wanted to see her paystubs, which were impossible to produce, since her internship didn’t start until the beginning of next semester and was unpaid anyway. A couple of landlords said they’d take two months’ rent in advance, but with her money still tied up in the stupid condo she didn’t even live in anymore, she didn’t have that yet, either.
So for now, it looked like she’d be staying with Kaleb longer than she originally planned. She’d just finished filling out a couple of student loan applications to help her eventually get an apartment when she heard Kaleb’s and Connor’s deep voices in the living room, yelling at the TV screen, like that’d make a difference in whatever sporting event they were watching.
Guess I knew I couldn’t avoid a run-in with him forever. Faith undid her bun, shook out her hair, and did a quick makeup check—because she might go out, not to impress Connor. Yeah. She’d totally go out.
When she entered the living room, Kaleb was the only one on the couch. A twinge of disappointment went through her, as stupid as that was. She almost asked him about Connor, but then he’d want to know why she was asking, and she didn’t even know why.
It’s better this way. The more space she gave him, the more likely he was to move on to a new girl. Then she’d know she’d made the right choice and could stop thinking about his sexy laugh and handsome face.
She headed to the kitchen to grab a drink and ran into a solid brick wall of muscle. Connor’s hands gripped the sides of her waist as he grinned down at her. “I was wondering if you were going to hide in your room all night.”
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“You’ve been avoiding me for days.”
“No, I’ve been busy. Not everything’s about you, believe it or not.” Her blood pumped faster and hotter and her chest filled up with the breaths that had suddenly forgotten how to move in and out of her lungs. Now she was remembering why it was best to
keep herself from running into him. He was so frustratingly egotistical.
“Busy doing what?” His translucent gray eyes bored into her and she found it hard to focus with his strong fingers still gripping her waist, the heat from them seeping into her skin. One of his dark eyebrows rose higher than the other. “I’m making conversation here. Asking about what’s going on with you. I hear that’s what friends do.”
Faith expelled a shallow breath. “Still trying to find an apartment. I’d like one next to the college, but no one wants to rent to me unless I drop massive amounts of cash first. So it’s not going as smoothly as I hoped it would.”
“I can help. Just tell me which apartment complex and I’ll make some calls for you.”
She lowered her eyebrows. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. I’m pretty good at talking people into things.” One corner of his mouth turned up and her heart rate hitched right along with it.
“That’s okay. I got it.” She pushed past him, needing space so she could stop thinking about how nice his hands felt on her body, and opened the fridge. She pulled out a SoBe water, leaned back against the counter, and took a large gulp. “You look pretty paint-free.”
“Right back at you.”
Faith pulled a section of her bangs forward, sliding her fingernails down it. “I’ve still got a little here and there. Luckily it blends in okay.”
“I was going to help you with the other coat, but Mrs. Lowery told me it was all taken care of. She gave me another assignment, though.”
“Let me guess—it was so nice of you to volunteer for it.”
Connor laughed. “You got it. You’re now looking at the guy in charge of manning the Cornelius Food Drive. She wants to get it started at the festival and have the station be the drop-off quarters, so that the town’s got everything it needs by Thanksgiving.”
“I suppose despite her slave driver tendencies, Mrs. Lowery means well.”
For a moment they just stared at each other, like they were trying to see who’d make the next comment or move.
Then Anna came into the room, Ella trailing behind her and whining for something Faith couldn’t make out. “Sorry,” Anna said. “I thought Kaleb was in here, and I was going to see if he’d keep Ella entertained for a while. She’s being so dramatic tonight.”
Ella frowned, sticking her lip out so far it nearly touched her chin. “I not dramatic.” All day she’d been crying over little things, from asking to watch Sleeping Beauty again the second it’d ended, to not wanting to eat her veggies and tossing them to prove her point, to not getting the right princess cup.
Connor slung his arm over Faith’s shoulders. “Faith and I will take her out for ice cream. That oughta cheer her up.”
Within seconds, Ella’s face transformed to a huge smile. “Ice cream!”
“If that’s okay,” Connor said, way too late, because a “no” wouldn’t go over very well. And wait a second, he was volunteering her for this trip? This wasn’t the kind of going out she’d meant. In fact, this was the kind of going out that got her in deeper. The way her body reacted to Connor made it clear that being alone with him, at least until she found another guy to crush on, was a bad idea.
Kaleb came in. “I heard my name. What do you need?”
Faith was about to suggest Kaleb and Connor go, when Anna winced and threw a hand to her stomach.
Kaleb put his palm on her shoulder and leaned down to her eye-level. “Hon? You okay?”
She waved a hand through the air. “Fine. Just overdid it today, I think. Been on my feet too much.”
“You get her taken care of,” Connor said to Kaleb. “Faith and I are taking Ella for a treat.” He glanced at Anna, and she nodded.
“The car seat’s in the van,” Anna said, “so it’ll probably be easiest to take that. Keys are in my purse. I’ll grab them and then you can— Ouch.”
“I got it,” Faith said. “Go relax.” She eyed her brother, not liking the worry creasing his features. Was this normal? Kaleb mouthed “thanks” and helped Anna out of the room. Faith scooped up Ella, dug the keys out of Anna’s bag, and headed to the garage with Connor.
Once Ella was strapped in and the van door was closed, Faith dropped the keys in Connor’s open palm. “She’s gonna be okay, right?”
Connor wrapped his fingers around her hand, the keys smashed between them, and nodded. “She’ll be fine. It’s just regular pregnancy stuff.”
“And you know this how?”
“I’ve got two sisters,” he said, and her tensed muscles finally relaxed. He turned and opened the van door. Then he undid his act of chivalry by checking out her butt and making an appreciative noise as she climbed in. When she glanced back at him, he shrugged as if he couldn’t help it. How could he be so reassuring one second and such a one-track-mind guy the next?
And why did she find the combination so freaking hot?
He winked at her as he fired up the van and all she could do was shake her head. She bit back a smile at how out of place he looked behind the wheel of a minivan. There he was, his white T-shirt showing off his muscles, driving a giant vehicle that screamed your life of being cool is beyond over. And he still had a giant grin on his face. He had a couple-days growth lining his jaw, the dark stubble only emphasizing the strong line of it.
He caught her staring and waggled his eyebrows. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she worked to recover. “The minivan suits you. I think you should get one.”
“Sweetheart, I already have to beat the ladies off me with a stick. If I get one of these bad boys, I might cause a riot.”
“Do you ever stop?”
“I can go all. Night. Long.”
Faith’s mouth dropped open. She glanced back at Ella, who was watching the town go by out her window, and then reached over and smacked Connor’s arm. “Behave. We’ve got a kid in the car, you know.”
“I want to ask you something, actually. And since I’ve got you trapped, it seems like as good a time as any…” Connor slowed for a stoplight and glanced at her. “Go out with me Saturday.”
“Connor, I—”
“Don’t answer now. In fact, don’t answer until you’re gonna say yes.” He pulled up in front of the shop and glanced back at Ella. “Who’s ready for ice cream?”
“Me!” Ella tugged on the straps of her car seat, trying to get free. Connor was out of the van and helping her before Faith could even come up with a response to his first question—the hard question. The second one was so much easier. Who wasn’t ready for ice cream?
When they got into the shop, Connor leaned Ella over the display so she could see all the flavors. Her eyes widened as they took in the ice cream. Keeping one arm tightly around Ella’s waist, Connor scooted next to Faith and put his hand on her back. “So what’s your poison?”
Men who look like you.
“Pink!” Ella yelled, squirming to face Connor. “I want pink!”
“Shocker,” Faith joked, poking her niece’s stomach so that she giggled. “Let me guess, sprinkles, too?”
Ella bobbed her head enthusiastically.
Within a few minutes, they each had dishes filled with ice cream, all of them with rainbow sprinkles. Not that she’d admit it out loud, but Faith couldn’t get over how easily Connor handled Ella, not even flinching when she put her sticky hand over his.
Faith licked chocolate sauce off the back of her spoon. “So how many nieces and nephews do you have?”
“Two nephews. Three nieces—two of them are twins.”
Faith’s eyebrows shot up. That was a lot of kids.
“That’s what happens when you’ve got two older sisters who want big families. Then there’s me, and my little brother, who just started college at North Carolina State. When everyone gets together, it’s a madhouse.”
“I bet.” Faith scooped up another bite of ice cream with her spoon. “That must’ve been fun, growing up with so many siblings.” Kaleb had taken care of her, but she’d always
wanted a sister.
Connor glanced out the front window. “It’s fun now.”
Now? She was about to ask him why, but then he smiled and said, “Of course it’s that many more people telling you what you should do with your life.”
“And what do they think you should be doing? Something less dangerous? Because I’d have to agree.”
“No, they’re very supportive of my career.”
She frowned, a pang going through her chest. She was supportive. Ish.
“I wasn’t saying…” Connor placed his hand on her knee. “You went through something awful—something no one should ever have to deal with. I know it’s different for you.”
The dull ache that never quite went away throbbed at the mention of Dad’s death. In some ways it was nice that Connor already knew what happened to Dad, because she didn’t have to explain. But in other ways, it felt like he already knew too much. That he could peer inside her at the part she didn’t usually let other people see.
“But I want you to know that Kaleb and I know what we’re doing,” Connor said, his voice reassuring, the pressure of his hand on her knee increasing. “I’ve got his back, no matter what happens. Okay?”
Faith glanced at Ella, who was scooping up her mostly melted ice cream, happy as could be, then returned her gaze to Connor. One minute he was over-the-top flirting, and then he was staring at her in a way that made her feel like she could spill all her secrets and he’d take care of them. She was tiptoeing a line, and one wrong slip could send her tumbling into his arms.
They were really nice arms, too.
But she couldn’t go there. She swallowed and sat back. “It’s nice to know. But I’m still going to worry. I can’t help it.”
“I get it.” A grin spread across his face. “Just like I can’t help flirting with you because you’re so hot.”
And there went the sensitive guy. Still, the wicked glint in his eye was making her heart flutter in a way it had no business doing.
