Tough Love: Back to Buckhorn

by Lori Foster

  Or maybe because she bit that full bottom lip the same way he’d always imagined doing.

  Or it could be those hot little panties she’d soon be slipping into...

  “She’s moving back?” Shohn asked.

  “Here for a visit, far as I know. Her mom got hurt pretty bad when she fell from her horse. Zoey will be helping out. But the mom had been staying with the uncle—”

  “Who was Gus’s coach.” Adam let out a low whistle. “Surely he doesn’t blame her?”

  “No way,” Shohn said. “Not after all this time.”

  Garrett shrugged at them both. “Don’t know.” But he remembered Coach Marchum being a real asshole. “She didn’t seem interested in going there, though, and I couldn’t see taking her straight to the bookstore without letting her clean up first.”

  The water shut off and they all looked up again. True to her word, she’d made it quick. And right now, she’d be stepping out.

  Naked. Wet.

  Knowing he needed to get his thoughts back on safer ground, Garrett turned to Shohn. “What did you need to talk about?”

  Sitting back in his seat, his gaze speculative, Shohn sprawled out his legs. “Remember that damned fire at the lake? The one where everyone scattered before you could figure out who’d started it?”

  “I do.” What had probably started as a group of high schoolers roasting marshmallows and indulging in a little necking, got out of hand when a knucklehead decided to toss in some fireworks. They’d gone off and started a dozen small fires. No real damage, but next time could be different, so it wasn’t something they’d entirely overlook. “We’re still asking some questions about that, but you know how it is. None of the kids want to be a snitch.”

  “I was hoping you’d found a name or two because there was another fire like it at the park.”

  Garrett sat forward...until Shohn waved him back.

  “The fire was already cold when I found it, and whoever set it did a good job of keeping it contained. But there were fireworks wrappers left around the area.” He shook his head. “Bottle rockets and dry conditions do not mix in the woods.”

  “And we both know which knucklehead has a tendency to dick around with bottle rockets.”

  “I’ll snoop around,” Shohn said with a nod. “See if he was camping out that night.”

  Just what this situation didn’t need. “Shit.” Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Garrett fought off a headache.

  “Not enough sleep?” Adam asked.

  “I’m fine.” But yeah, he’d been up most of the night with his shift, then had talked with a few Scout leaders about letting their kids come in for a tour. He still had a dozen things to do today, and—

  He froze as he suddenly heard singing. Off-key singing.

  They all grinned.

  Garrett didn’t mean to laugh at her, but wow, she sounded bad, maybe even worse than she’d looked. “She’s probably using the blow-dryer and doesn’t realize how loud she’s being.”

  “Or,” Shohn said, “she doesn’t care.”

  Adam cocked a brow. “You think?”

  “If I’m remembering right, she always was a little out there.”

  “Yeah?”

  “A real free spirit,” Shohn explained.

  Garrett narrowed his eyes. “Thought you didn’t remember her?”

  “Not with how she looks now, no. But since you jogged my memory, it’s coming back to me.”

  Adam watched him. “You going to take her up on dinner?”

  Shohn scoffed at the idea. “No offense, but you saw her. He’ll find a way out of it.”

  But how? Garrett didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

  When the singing suddenly stopped, he froze. They all listened. Hell, Garrett even held his breath. But she made not a single sound on the stairs.

  And then suddenly she was there, striding barefoot down the short hall to the kitchen.

  The air left his lungs in a low exhalation.

  Without even realizing it, he pushed back his chair and stood.

  Shohn and Adam did the same.

  They all gawked at her.

  Zoey held her dirty clothes wrapped in the gray T-shirt. Freshly washed long brown hair hung in soft waves, pulled over one shoulder to cover her left breast.

  Supershort, white-cuffed shorts left her entire long, shapely legs bare, and the peach-colored halter emphasized the shape and swell of modest B-size breasts.

  Her bare shoulders were lightly kissed by the sun, her green eyes bright with amusement, her mouth—God, that mouth—curved as she appreciated his reaction.

  With a small curtsy, she said, “Better, right?”

  They all nodded.

  Adam got it together first, at least enough to say, “Incredible.”

  Zoey laughed.

  “Hard to believe,” Shohn murmured, “that you’re the same woman.”

  Her small nose wrinkled. “Throw-up has a way of making everything pretty icky.” She turned those big green eyes on Garrett. Her teeth sank into that plump bottom lip as she searched his face, then her smile widened. “What do you think?”

  He thought he wanted that mouth, in about a dozen different ways. He cleared his throat. “Dinner sounds great. I’m off next Saturday.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  TONIGHT SHE’D GET to take Garrett to dinner.

  Zoey smiled, thinking about how nicely her first week back had gone, especially given how she’d dreaded it. She’d expected unfriendly reunions, awkward greetings and ugly stares of condemnation.

  Instead, for one reason or another, she’d seen Garrett almost every day. The town was small, so every time she turned around she ran into him.

  Each and every time he stopped to talk with her.

  Each and every time her infatuation with him grew.

  Never mind that he was a big, sexy hunk with an easy smile and a hero’s personality. He was...well, everything else, too. Friendly, respectable, admired, liked—not just by her, but apparently everyone else, as well.

  A few times she’d seen him at his sister’s bookstore when Amber invited her for lunch. Amber didn’t close the shop during her visit, but it was a slower time for her and few people stopped in.

  Yet somehow, each time, Garrett showed up.

  Amber also took her to dinner—at Nadine’s house, with Shohn and Adam and some of the other cousins there, again, including Garrett. She loved Nadine’s pet hotel, and she really enjoyed seeing Nadine and Shohn interact.

  They all had pets, and all swore they’d be giving her plenty of business once she opened her grooming salon.

  It seemed to Zoey that Amber’s family went out of their way to make her feel welcome. It was so relaxing being with them, because she didn’t have to worry about running into someone who might still blame her for what had happened so long ago.

  She knew those people still existed in the town, just as she knew Amber’s family had never been part of the hate crowd.

  Because the invites always included Garrett, Zoey almost felt like Amber was playing matchmaker, but if so, Zoey enjoyed her efforts. It had given her a chance to see Garrett with his family, how he played with the animals, helped out in the kitchen, thanked his sister for a burger, carried Nadine a drink.

  So attentive—to everyone.

  She’d also run into Garrett at the hardware store when she bought a grill and needed supplies to fix up the house she’d bought. He’d chatted with her, lingering, making her self-conscious over her paint-stained T-shirt and ragged jeans—not that he’d been anything but pleasant.

  The owner of the hardware store had slid many suspicious glances her way, but after Garrett came in, he spent his time bragging about Garrett’s handyman skills, claiming he’d learned fr
om his uncle Gabe. The owner’s wife smiled at him as if he were her own son. They’d talked for maybe twenty minutes, and every minute or so someone new greeted him, including several women. But he hadn’t been drawn away. She figured that was likely why the women gave her dirty looks, and not the incident from her youth.

  So far, she’d run into him at the grocery, at the ice-cream shop, the gas station and Amber’s bookstore. She’d even seen him during one of her many visits to the hospital. Her mother was doing better, but on top of the broken ribs her blood pressure was high and the pneumonia really left her exhausted. Zoey did her best to make her more comfortable, telling her over and over how much fun they’d have once she was well again.

  Somehow, she’d make it so.

  Garrett was there checking on an older woman who’d almost set her house on fire when she forgot her dinner in the oven. She’d inhaled a lot of smoke, but would be fine.

  Such a great guy—and tonight she’d have him all alone, with the opportunity to talk beyond polite pleasantries.

  Maybe he’d give her some tips on fixing up her old house, given the amazing job he’d done to his own.

  Thanks to a recommendation from Amber, she’d bought the furnished two-story “fixer-upper” sight unseen. And she had no regrets. The second she’d walked across the squeaky wood floors, touched the crystal doorknobs, admired the stained-glass window in the stairwell, she’d fallen madly in love.

  The aged, scarred and worn furniture still had charm. Everything—the house and the furnishings—needed a ton of work to spruce it up, and she looked forward to tackling it all. On top of pleasing her aesthetically, it also had a huge sunroom in the back that led to a fenced yard, making it practical for her animal-grooming business.

  And when her mother was ready, the spare bedroom with a bathroom just across the hall would work out perfectly. After she’d set up her own bedroom, Zoey had worked on the guestroom, tearing out old wallpaper, using Spackle on the walls where needed and adding fresh paint. She’d decorated with colorful throw rugs, fresh bedding and privacy curtains at the windows.

  Best of all, Zoey thought as she opened the gate at the farthest part of the property, the land connected to the lake. She could already smell the water, and filled her lungs with the fresh scent. After moving away, she’d missed swimming, boating, just lazing in the sunshine.

  It had taken all of her savings to move back and set up shop here, but so far she was on track to open her business in a few more weeks, and then, with determination, she’d make it all work.

  Laying her cell phone, towel and sunglasses in the shade of a tree, she walked out on the rickety dock, tested the water, found it nicely tepid and went down the ladder. Until she knew the depth, she didn’t trust diving in.

  After working on the house all morning and afternoon, scrubbing walls and floors, cleaning closets, painting trim and making repairs, she needed to cool off and relax her aching muscles.

  Along the shoreline, frogs protested, splashing as they jumped in. Once in, she closed her eyes, held her breath and submerged herself in the green water, going down as far as she could to try to reach bottom.

  She came up for air, pleased that it was so deep. The wide cove would accommodate a boat, but with a farmer on one side of her, and woods on the other, the area was quiet and peaceful.

  Going to her back, she hooked one foot through the ladder and floated, letting the hot sunshine caress her mostly bare body. How long she stayed like that, she couldn’t say, but somewhere along the way exhaustion took over and she might have even dozed.

  A trickle of cold water on her belly brought her jerking upright with a gasp. She found Garrett crouched down at the end of the dock, his wrists hanging loosely over his knees, an icy bottle of water dangling in one hand. He wore a black cowboy hat tipped back, and a very intent look on his face.

  Her foot was still caught in the ladder, leaving her awkwardly thrashing until she freed herself. She went under again twice before finally getting upright. Breaking the surface of the lake, she slicked her hair back and stared up at him.

  Mirrored sunglasses kept her from seeing his eyes, but somehow she just knew he was looking at her body, not her face.

  “Wanna tell me why you had yourself all hog-tied in the ladder?”

  “To keep from floating away.”

  Voice low, he murmured, “Guess it worked then, huh?”

  “Ummm...” Legs kicking as she dog-paddled in place, she squinted her eyes against the glaring sunlight. “What are you doing here?” He hadn’t been to her house before.

  “Besides taking in the view?”

  “Were you?”

  “Yeah. For a while now.”

  Her stomach bottomed out. How long had he been there? Had she looked at all appealing...or like a drowned rat? After seeing him so often in town, you’d think she’d be used to his impact.

  Not so. He got close, and she went breathless, became anxious and chatty—just as she had in high school.

  “Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Besides that.”

  Straightening, he set the water bottle aside, went for her towel and returned. “Come on out and we’ll talk about it.”

  Zoey blinked up at him.

  He stood right there, her towel hanging in his big hand, watching her. And waiting.

  Shoot. “I had two suits to choose from,” she told him. “A nice, modest one-piece and a bikini. I figured on being alone, so I chose the bikini. Now, though, with you here, I almost feel naked.”

  “Because you almost are.” Unsmiling, Garrett stared down at her...or at least, she assumed he did. Those damned sunglasses hid so much.

  Did he look flushed?

  She chewed her lip, nodded at his shirt and said, “You could skin down and join me instead.” As soon as she said it, her stomach tightened more. Would he? Oh, she hoped so.

  The barest of smiles teased his mouth. “You trying to get me out of my pants, Zoey?”

  What woman wouldn’t? She grabbed the ladder for support. “You look—” hot “—too warm.”

  His smile expanded. “That might have more to do with you in that little bit of nothing, than the summer sun.”

  Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  “Wish I had more time today, because I think we’d both enjoy it,” he continued.

  She knew she would.

  “Why don’t we make that another date? Maybe for my next day off?”

  So...he considered dinner tonight an actual date? Not just a way for her to thank him? “Okay.”

  He checked his watch. “I gotta get back to work soon.”

  A hint for her to hightail it out of the water. “Right.” Besides the hat, he wore a dark blue T-shirt with the fire station logo over the left side, matching uniform pants and a thick black belt with a pager attached to it. It wasn’t a uniform, but on Garrett, it had the same effect.

  Dropping the towel, he crouched down again and stretched his right hand down to her. “Up and out with you.”

  Leaving her no choice, she reached up and took his hand. He lifted her, caught her other wrist, too, before she could climb the ladder, and literally hauled her out and onto the dock.

  Lake water pooled on the weathered boards below her feet and dripped from her hair, down her arms, her chest, her legs. Uncertain what to do, she stood there beneath the sweltering sunshine in an agony of expectation. When Garrett said nothing, did nothing except breathe deeper and look at her, she decided it might be best if she covered up.

  He circumvented her effort to reach for the towel.

  “I’ve got it.” Keeping his attention on her, he absently, blindly, bent and snagged her towel before she could.

  She waited, but he didn’t offer it to her.

  Fighting the urge to cross her arms over her c
hest, Zoey shifted from one foot to the other. Her dark suit wasn’t different from what most women wore on the lake. It might even be less revealing than many.

  So then why did he stare at her as if he’d never seen anything like it before?

  “How long were you in there?” he asked, his voice a little rough.

  She had no idea. “What time is it?”

  “Three-thirty.”

  “Oh.” She winced. They were supposed to do dinner in two and a half hours and here she was, waterlogged. “Over an hour I guess.”

  Keeping the towel in one fist, he reached out with the other hand and touched her shoulder, across her collarbone.

  That touch made her shiver in reaction.

  “You’re turning pink. Did you put on sunscreen?”

  By dinner she might be even pinker. Her plan had been to cool off, then get in the shade to relax for a bit before preparing for their date. But she didn’t want to admit to him that she’d forgotten the sunscreen, or that she’d been so tired she’d all but passed out in the water. “Why did you say you’re here?”

  There came that suggestive smile again. “I hadn’t yet.” He moved closer and draped the towel around her shoulders.

  Which meant his arms went around her, too.

  Standing near enough that she felt the heat of his body, he held the towel closed under her chin. “I need to change our dinner plans.”

  Well, darn. Hoping to hide her disappointment, she nodded. “Okay.” Would he have a good reason to cancel...or had he just changed his mind? “I understand.”

  “Don’t know how you could since I haven’t yet explained.”

  She couldn’t think with him so close, his warm hands resting casually above her breasts. “Sorry. I’m listening.” And melting.

  Silence ticked by. “Do I make you nervous, Zoey?”

  She shook her head hard in denial and said, “Yes.”

  Laughing, he released the towel and smoothed her wet hair over her shoulders. “Real clear, honey.”

  Honey?