A Santini's Heart (The Santinis Book 10)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Well, I better get home.” Did he imagine her voice was deeper? “Early morning. Thanks again for dinner.”

  She grabbed her bag and headed out the door before he could even respond. If he had blinked, he would have missed her. Shaking his head, he got to work on the dishes. She had been acting strangely the last few months, but he hadn’t thought she was attracted to him. Or, had it just been a strange day?

  Depression could always make people do things they wouldn’t normally do. She wasn’t depressed on a regular basis, but this had been a hard day for Tia. He had five siblings, and he didn’t know what he would do if he lost one. To lose the only sibling…well, that had to be hard.

  There had been times, though, that he had thought she might be attracted to him. With just a look, he would forget his own name for a minute or two. Carlos had chalked it up to wishful thinking. Add in the business aspect of their relationship, and it caused all kinds of problems for both of them.

  He shook his head and started to rinse off their dinner dishes to load them into the dishwasher. Carlos wasn’t sure what it all meant, but it definitely gave him more to think about.

  Tia woke the next morning at the buzz of her alarm. It sounded as if an explosion had been detonated in her head. She slammed her hand down on her alarm clock, then rolled over onto her back. Her head pounded and her mouth was dry. It was her own fault. She should have known not to hang around the ranch the night before. He had been too hard to resist. The whole package was. A beer, some good food, and a good looking man. A grumpy man, but attractive nonetheless.

  She shouldn’t have lingered there, talking about Adrian. Part of it was good for her. Other than her parents, no one loved Adrian as much as she did, except Carlos. The short time they had been friends had forged a connection she knew would have lasted decades. So she had stayed and talked. Then there had been that moment in the kitchen. No more late-night meals with beer and laughter for her. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize and her hands off the grumpy man.

  By the time she had gotten home, she had been ready to collapse, and worse, there had been messages on her phone she had ignored. All well-meaning, but she didn’t need people to sympathize with her. She had ignored all the messages. It was a dick kind of move, but she had learned not to allow that to bother her. Her grief was personal. The fact that she felt comfortable letting Carlos see her pain, or at least share in it, should bother her. Except, it didn’t. Their mutual love for her brother was the one thing that kept her from punching him.

  She sat up, stretching her arms over her head. Damn, she ached. She knew yesterday she had worked hard on the stalls and her lessons with clients because she had been trying to keep her mind off of her brother. Then, dinner had seemed like a good idea, and it went well…until that long moment in the kitchen. It was those times that made her want to run away and hide, and Tia was not a woman who ran away from a challenge. But, he had those sleepy bedroom kind of eyes that made her want to sigh every time he looked at her.

  She shook her head and slipped out of bed. She didn’t need to be thinking about Santini or those gorgeous eyes of his. He was a sexy man and, while she ran the ranch with him, he was essentially her boss. Add into the fact that he acted like he was still in the Marines, it made him off limits. She didn’t like anyone telling her what to do and, sometimes, Carlos couldn’t help himself. She needed to put their relationship back to normal today. Erecting the wall between the two of them was the only way she would keep from making big mistakes.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, she dressed, and went to the kitchen for her coffee. She thanked the good Lord for timers on coffeepots. It was the only thing that saved her. It was still dark outside, but she had work to do. After filling her travel mug with coffee, she stepped out onto her porch, locked her door, then turned to find her truck with a flat.

  “Dammit,” she muttered to no one in particular. With a sigh, she unlocked her front door, set her coffee just inside the door on a table, then she went to work on her truck. She was just happy that she had a regular size spare.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was driving down the road to the ranch. She liked the drive normally, but after the start to the day, and almost no sleep the night before, she felt out of sorts. Worse, the only time she had any sleep, she had been plagued by dreams of Carlos Santini. And they were definitely not PG-13. If it had been a movie, it would definitely have been an R, if not NC 17. There were things she did in her dreams last night that she had never done in real life. She really didn’t need to start fantasizing about him. Again.

  It was common for any heterosexual woman to fantasize about a man like Carlos. He was funny—when he wasn’t being a pain in the ass—and he could be sweet like last night. He had come home early because he knew yesterday was going to be hard on her. Add in the looks, and any sane woman would lose her mind.

  Tia had never been that sane.

  So, after some beer and good food, plus that moment in the kitchen, she had left with lingering feelings. Even now, she could remember the way her body had trembled, the tightening of her nipples. And he hadn’t even touched her. That meant he was a dangerous man—which she had always known. Tia needed to remember the ranch, and getting tangled up with Carlos would be a huge mistake if it didn’t work out. Dammit. When it didn’t work out. Relationships never worked out for her because her focus was always the ranch. Carlos would be amazing in bed, and a lot of fun on a date, if last night was anything to go by. Still, there would be an end to their relationship, and it could jeopardize everything they had worked for these last few years.

  She pushed those thoughts aside. She had a full day of work to keep her busy, and then she would have to check out the damned tire and figure out what went wrong. There were things that she should be paying attention to, other than fantasizing about Carlos.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Carlos sipped his coffee while he sat on the top step of the front porch. He liked the morning, when everything was still quiet, right before dawn. No matter what was going on his world, a nice cup of coffee as he watched the sunrise was the best way to start the day. He had been thinking he needed to get a dog for the last few months. They had barn cats, but they weren’t considered pets. They stayed in the barn, ever vigilant against pests. Mornings like this, though, made him think that he needed a dog. Life would be better if he were sitting there with a dog, sharing the tranquility of dawn in Arizona.

  Carlos chuckled. If he told Anthony, he would tell Carlos he needed a woman not a dog for company.

  Carlos was starting to think his brother would be right.

  Even though it was dark, he saw the plume of dust in the air telling him Tia was on her way. He hadn’t had much sleep last night, even after he had taken a cold shower. His thoughts had strayed back to Tia and that moment in the kitchen. She worked for him, in a way, and he needed to be careful. But after last night, he knew there was interest. He hadn’t had a real relationship since before he was deployed. Since then, there had been a few interesting women, but none of them had made him want to settle in for a long relationship. Truthfully, no woman tempted him the way Tia did.

  She parked in her usual spot. Dressed for work in a pair of jeans, t-shirt and boots, she held onto her travel mug as if it was the holy grail. Irritation shimmered in the air around her. Of course, that was nothing new. She always seemed to be annoyed around him. Except for last night. Last night they had been almost…friendly.

  She was scowling when she stomped up to the house.

  “Bad morning?”

  She nodded. “Flat tire.”

  Without another word, she brushed passed him and into the house. Probably needed more coffee. She was in a pissy mood, but at least it had nothing to do with him. He always knew when to stay out of her way, and this was one of those times. What had he been thinking? Because of that one moment, or even a night of comradery, that she would show up and be his BFF today?

  She walked out a moment later, lett
ing the screen door slam shut behind her. He rolled his shoulders. Carlos didn’t know why things like that bugged him, because when his brothers did those things, he ignored it. With Tia, it got under his skin. Still, he said nothing.

  “I thought you just got new tires,” he said.

  “I did. A month ago. I’ll have to take a look at it later.”

  He nodded. “We have a full schedule?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, we better get to it.”

  She gave him a side glance, but said nothing. After another sip of coffee, she trotted down the steps and he followed. Routine was good for him. There were still moments when he would wake up with sweat-soaked sheets and the smell of cordite and gunpowder filling his senses. Keeping a routine was important.

  It had started small, with the operation being run by Adrian and Tia. When Carlos had arrived, they had talked of becoming a formal business, and Carlos had wanted to help. The dreams of establishing a ranch had seemed to dissolve the night Adrian had died. It had taken him a lot of work to get Tia to agree to sell him a major percentage of the ranch. And as much as they sometimes irritated each other, they had found a common purpose and thrived.

  Since the grand opening of the ranch, they had been overwhelmed with the response. Truth was, there was a good chance they would have to hire some full time people and train them soon. Equine therapy was definitely making strides with PTSD sufferers, but there was also good research with other conditions like autism. He wanted to expand their outreach to those areas, and if the benefit did as well as his mother had said it would, they would be overrun with requests.

  He followed Tia, watching the way her hips swayed. If there was ever a woman who had been made for a pair of jeans, it was Tia. Perfectly rounded hips, not too skinny. He could imagine digging his fingers into her generous flesh as he thrust…

  He tripped over his own feet and almost fell. She glanced over her shoulder, the same damned frown on her face. Then, seeing that he hadn’t fallen, she turned back around. She said nothing, as usual. The woman was damned contrary. He knew she had a tender heart, but she rarely showed it when it concerned him. And that irritated him even more.

  She turned into the barn and he followed, drawing in a deep appreciative breath. He loved the smell of horses and hay and everything that went with it. When he’d first arrived on the ranch, the scent of manure wasn’t something he thought he would ever get used to. Not that it was his favorite scent, but it was familiar, and that was important to him.

  “Who do we have coming in today?”

  She sighed. He hated the sound of it. It told him that she would rather he just go away.

  “I have the schedule on our work board. I share it with you all the time.”

  He knew that, and he had even read over it on his computer that morning. But he was trying his best to get her to talk. Tia had a legendary temper, but if she concentrated on something else, she tended to forget she was mad.

  “I saw it. Just was making conversation.”

  She turned abruptly and he almost ran into her.

  “I appreciate it, but I just need to work through my mad. Once I do, I will be nice to you. Otherwise, just steer clear.”

  “Now, Tia, you know I can’t let you do that.”

  “And why can’t you let me do that?”

  “I want to help.”

  “I don’t need to be fixed. I don’t need the legendary Santini smile or that “gee, shucks,” manner to make me feel better. I need work. Physical work.”

  “I—”

  “Stop. Just stop. Just leave me alone and I will be better off. I’m not broken.”

  She said it so loud, a few of the horses whinnied. Tia settled her hands on her hips and sighed as she looked down at the ground. She mumbled something under her breath, then she looked up.

  “I didn’t say you were broken.”

  “The attitude, Santini. I know you well enough to know you don’t like any kind of agitation. I want to be mad. Let me work through it. I don’t need you making it worse.”

  “I’m not trying to make it worse.” But now he was getting mad. Why couldn’t the woman just accept what he offered at face value?

  “But you are. You always do. In fact, you make it ten times worse. Just…go away.”

  Then, she turned and strode off. It was odd behavior from a woman he never really could get a handle on. Carlos wanted to follow her and insist she tell him what was wrong. Fortunately, he had been raised by a smart woman, and had contended with his evil sister Elena. He knew when to let a woman have time to cool off.

  He glanced at his horse Merry—named for her Christmas Day birth four years earlier. He shook his head.

  “Women are just not worth it. Except for you, love,” he said as he approached the paddock.

  Merry seemed to nod in agreement before letting him pet her.

  “Lots of work today. I better get to it.”

  And with that, he decided to start the day. Tia wasn’t the only one who did better when she was busy.

  By six, Tia was ready for a gallon of sweet iced tea. It had decided to turn damned hot, and worse, there was a storm brewing in the west. She could see the thunderheads as she stomped up to the house. She hadn’t talked to Carlos since this morning. They had been cordial in front of their clients, but both of them had avoided working together. It was like each of them knew there was trouble coming down the road. It simmered in the air between them.

  She stepped onto the covered front porch, just as she heard a crack of thunder. Dammit, she wasn’t going to get home before the rain. And worse, if this was going to be a bitch of a storm, she really didn’t want to be around, but part of her knew she had to stay. Storms were always tricky business with horses, and while Carlos could probably handle it, she was enough of a professional to make sure he wasn’t tested.

  Someone was trying to just mess with her. She had been close to grabbing Carlos and kissing him earlier. It was the reason she had stepped away, said horrible things, and then pretended it was his fault. They would be better off if they both kept their distance.

  Still, they did have a business to run, so she needed to check in with him before she left. She took off her boots, which were covered in muck and dust; placing them beside his boots that were in the same state. She walked down the hallway looking for him. He had done a fantastic job of making her old home his. He’d refinished the floor on the first level, and had given the walls a fresh coat of paint. He also demolished the wall between the kitchen and dining room, creating an open feel to the entire place like it was a different house. The kitchen itself spoke of a man who liked to cook. He’d installed a six-burner Viking stove, along with lots of open shelving. He’d arranged the items on the shelves for form and function, but somehow it looked like it had been fashioned for a show on HGTV.

  The mix of concrete and granite countertops seemed to work somehow, along with the new ceramic tiles. He understood Arizona, and he knew it would keep the hottest room in the house cool during the summer.

  “Santini?”

  “Out here,” he said, just loud enough for her to hear. She followed the sound of his voice to the back porch. When she caught sight of him, she stopped and stared.

  The heat of the day had apparently gotten to him also. He stood on the porch, holding a bucket of water, but that was not the part that had captured her attention. He had no shirt on.

  The man was trying to kill her. She had seen him without his shirt before, but this was different. Sweat glistened on his back as he lifted the bucket high above his head and tipped it over. Water sluiced over his sculpted muscles.

  Holy Magic Mike. He turned and shot a smile over his shoulder. Life was not fair. Or someone up in heaven had a sick sense of humor.

  “I can fill a bucket for you too.”

  There was no mistaking that flirtatious tone. Okay, that was taking it too far. The man knew what he did to women. Standing there wet, dripping with sensuality and almos
t nakedness, there was no way he didn’t know how sexy he was.

  She would not show it. She was good at hiding her feelings, and she could do it now.

  “I think I’ll pass.”

  “You know you want to. It was a bitch of a day.”

  “And a storm’s about to hit.”

  A clap of thunder sounded overhead, as if on cue. He laughed and stepped closer. She should have known what he intended to do, but her brain was still on the fritz from seeing him go all Channing Tatum on her. He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the house and onto the porch just as the sky opened up. Rain poured down on them.

  “One of these days, I am going to kill you,” she shouted over the rain.

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  She snorted. It was insane. They were both standing there in the rain, as if nothing else was going on.

  “We need to get inside.”

  “Yeah, got any towels?” she asked.

  He pointed at the table. They were soaked from the downpour.

  “Brilliant, Santini.”

  “How was I supposed to know?”

  “The thunder, the clouds?”

  He shrugged and grinned at her. She knew that silly little smile worked on women. She had seen it with her own eyes. Hell, she had felt it herself. When a Santini man smiled at a woman, it was like the entire world faded away leaving just the two of them. It should be stupid. The rain was still drenching them, and they both just kept standing there. But somehow, she couldn’t get herself to move.

  Then, his gaze dipped down her body, and back up. She knew without looking down that her clothes were stuck to her body.

  “Get a gander, Santini?”

  Carlos took his time bringing his gaze back up to meet hers. “Yeah.”

  She rolled her eyes as she walked back into the house. Standing around with a wet Carlos in the vicinity wasn’t a good idea. He followed her into the house and caught her by the wrist. He didn’t have to yank hard to get her. She fell against him.