by Cora Seton
Her heart leaped at getting a message from him. She couldn’t resist and nodded.
“He asked to speak to Adriana.”
“What? Why? Are you sure?” Lacey jumped from her seat, unable to remain in her chair at Cole’s betrayal.
“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t know why. I just forwarded his call to the bar.”
Why would Cole want to speak to Adriana? Duh, because she’s hot, why else? “I better get back to work.”
Kendra looked at her with that enigmatic face that revealed nothing and finally nodded. “Go.”
Lacey stomped out of her boss’s office. It took all her willpower not to slam the door back against the wall. She didn’t even look in to see if the new hire needed any help. Instead, she marched across the lobby, through the main gathering room, past the indoor bar and outside where Adriana was restocking for happy hour.
“Why did Cole call you?”
The bartender turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Good afternoon to you too, Lacey.”
She kept her fisted hands at her sides. She’d never felt like strangling someone so much as she did her coworker right now. “I’m not in the mood to be polite. Why did Cole call you?”
Adriana laughed. “Honey, he wanted advice.”
“About what?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” She turned, continuing to add beer to a cooler as if nothing were wrong.
“Because I’m asking you and he’s not here.”
“Yes, I am.”
Lacey whirled at the sound of Cole’s voice. At the sight of him, she pressed her hand to her chest as if she could slow the pounding of her heart. He stood there stark naked except for his boots. Her body reacted immediately to all that muscle, warming her from the inside out.
He gazed at her warmly, his green eyes filled with humor. “I was kind of hoping you would be as happy to see me as I am to see you.”
Her gaze immediately riveted to his hard cock, sticking straight out as if tempting her to touch it. A whistle from Adriana reminded Lacey of where they were and she stepped in front of him to shield him from the guests at to pool. “What are you doing?”
“I’m enjoying the facilities. I tried to check in at the desk, but no one was there.”
She stared up into his eyes. “You’re a nudist?”
He grinned as he shook his head. “No, but I was willing to try anything to get you to talk to me.” His smile disappeared. “And we need to talk, Lacey.”
Joy and excitement competed with anger and distrust as she contemplated what she should do.
“Honey, if you two want to talk, you better do it somewhere else because there are three ladies making a beeline over here.” Adriana, pointed toward the pool with the beer bottle in her hand.
Lacey looked over her shoulder to see Ginger and a couple much younger women heading straight for the bar. As much as she liked the older woman, she wasn’t ready for a decision made by committee. “Come on.”
She grabbed Cole’s hand and headed for the staff room. It wasn’t until they were in the lobby that she remembered the new employee. She didn’t want her to see Cole. With no options left, she pulled him outside and around the corner to a semiprivate and shady side of the building.
She let go of his hand. “So—”
In one swift movement, Cole wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. As his tongue swept into her mouth, her body tingled. Her arms were trapped by her sides, but she still leaned into his kiss, his hard cock pressing into her stomach.
When he finally released her, she stumbled and he grasped her shoulders to steady her. “I wanted to do that since the last time I saw you.”
How was a girl supposed to think when he pulled a stunt like that and stood there in the shadows naked, far too enticing to walk away from? “Where are your clothes?”
He shrugged. “I left them in my truck. That was what Adriana said nudists do here.”
She should have known Adriana was behind this whole naked thing. She would—“That’s why you called and asked to speak to Adriana. She put you up to this, didn’t she?”
Cole shook his head. “I just asked her advice on the best way to get you to talk to me.”
“Well, you got my attention, so talk.” She folded her arms over her chest and kept her gaze focused on his face, slightly shadowed by his hat, which he’d donned once outside. To look anywhere else would make her melt.
Cole’s focus was strictly on her. “I went to Orson.”
She stiffened. “And?”
“I spoke to the deputy chief there. You wanted me to believe you back then, but I was still young and still believed everything my parents said, including that the town manager pulled in a favor and had the arson charge dropped because he was such a good friend of your family.”
What? She opened her mouth to deny it, but Cole shook his head and held up his hand.
“I know. I didn’t realize exactly how selfish my parents could be in regards to their reputation. That came later. But when you told me you didn’t start the fire here and I found that so easy to believe, I started asking myself why I could believe in you now and not then. That’s when the pieces came together for me.”
No wonder he was so sure she’d been guilty of the Orson fire, but she hadn’t expected to hear he’d gone to the station. “Why did you go?”
“I had to know who or what had started the fire. You wanted me to believe you about the Orson fire and the other night I came so close to lying to you, just to make you happy, but I couldn’t do it.” Cole broke eye contact and squinted at the desert. “I don’t want to ever lie to you, even if it makes you feel better. It’s not who I am.” He brought his gaze back to her. “Can you understand that?”
She nodded. That she did accept. That was just who he was. And he had known who she was, which is why it had hurt so much that he’d believed the arson charge. “What did the deputy say?”
“That’s the hardest part, and I’m hoping you can forgive me.”
She didn’t say anything, too afraid he was going to say that they found she had somehow caused the fire.
“Lacey, the fire was an accident, but you didn’t cause it.”
She dropped her arms as her body relaxed. Relief like she’d never known powered through her so fast, she leaned against the wall of the building for support. She should have called the station a long time ago, but a tiny piece of her was afraid of what she’d hear. Now it was truly in the past. “So who caused the fire?”
“I did.”
“What? No. There’s no way you would have started that fire, even back then.”
Cole’s eyes grew misty. She wanted to reach out to him, but his body language kept her at bay.
“It was an accident, but one I caused. Remember that night when you suggested whoever cleaned up fastest would undress the other?”
She nodded, puzzled.
“I wanted to undress you, so I threw the charcoals from the hibachi right outside the door, but they were still far too hot. We made love while they smoldered.” He looked away briefly. “I was a little quick on the draw back then. But after I left, they continued to smolder, eventually setting the wall on fire.” His face turned anguished. “With you inside.”
“You wore me out and I fell asleep. My father called me, which is what woke me. I went to get out, but the door was on fire. My dad yelled at me to grab a blanket and cover myself. I did as he said and ran through.”
Cole knelt at her feet and grasped her hips. “Lacey, I almost killed you. I could never have forgiven myself had that happened. You were my world and you still are. There will never be anyone else for me. Can you forgive me for wasting eight years that we could have been together?”
Even on one knee, he wasn’t much shorter than her standing. She cupped his head in her palms and gazed into his bright-green eyes. “Cole, it was an accident. You had no way of knowing back then that that would happen. You weren’t a firefighter, just a fledgling cowboy.”
“And a clueless one at
that.”
She shrugged. “We all make mistakes, especially at that age, and to be fair I may have expected too much from you. But to lose eight years…” She shook her head. “I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me for the rest of our lives.”
Cole eyebrows rose. “Are you proposing to me, Lacey Winters?”
She leaned forward and gently kissed him. “I guess I am.”
Giving a shout, he scooped her up into his arms and twirled her around. “Now that’s my kind of proposal.”
“Cole Hatcher, put me down this instant.”
“My pleasure.” He dropped her knees, but held her tight against him. “Lacey, I love you. Always have. Always will. My answer is yes, I want to be your husband.”
“I love you, Cole.” She’d planned to say more, but his lips caught hers in a clothes-dropping kiss and she let him sweep her away.
*
Cole woke. It was still pitch dark and Lacey lay by his side, sound asleep. At least it wasn’t another one of her nightmares that woke him.
A thump, like a tennis ball hitting the outside of her casita caught his attention. That must have been what he heard. He glanced at the clock and groaned silently. It was barely after two. They hadn’t fallen asleep until almost one. Carefully, he rose from the bed so as not to wake Lacey. After the celebratory dinner they had with the staff and their lovemaking, she was exhausted.
Thwap. Thwap. Thwap.
The sound was definitely something hitting the outside of the adobe structure. Quietly, he made his way to the living room and the sliding glass doors on the back side of the casita.
Thwap. Thwap. Thwap. Thwap.
Silently, he opened the slider far enough to squeeze through. Once outside, he could hear a muffled splat right after the thump on the front of the house. As he crept along the side wall, the crunching of tiny rocks beneath someone’s feet sounded loud in the quiet night.
Thwap. Thwap.
He peered around the corner then pulled back and grinned. The teenager in him could appreciate the fun the college kid was having. Cole waited, knowing the perpetrator would be riveted to his handy work once he shot again.
Thwap. Thwap. Thwap. Thwap.
Cole stepped out. “I’m thinking the more you shoot, the longer it will take for you to clean this up.”
The young man jumped at least a foot at his voice. It took all Cole’s control to keep a stern look.
The college kid turned the paintball gun on him, his eyes wide with fear.
He walked a little closer. “That may hurt, but it’s not going to stop me, so I’d think twice about shooting.”
Indecision flashed over the kid’s face while Cole contemplated the number of steps he’d need to tackle the young man to the ground.
The front door opened and they both looked at Lacey wrapped in a silky pink robe. “Cole, what’s going on?”
Shit. So much for stealth. Cole ran for the kid.
The young man panicked and Cole almost tripped as hard balls hit his chest and stomach and burst across his naked body. He closed his eyes against the onslaught as one hit the side of his head before wiping the florescent green paint away and running straight out.
Ignoring Lacey’s gasp, he leapt, bringing down the fast little son of a bitch.
“Let me go.” The young man squirmed, making it difficult to keep a grip on him with the wet paint smeared over them both.
“I can take it from here.” Cole looked up to see Hunter emerge out of the darkness.
“Great. Hope you don’t mind getting dirty.” Cole pulled the kid up with an arm around his waist, thwarting any chance of escape. Green paint was everywhere.
Hunter pulled a zip tie out from his back pocket. Who carried zip ties with them? Then again, it made sense.
“I’ll hold him while you do the honors.”
Hunter nodded and quickly had the kid under control.
Lacey ran over. “How could you?”
The kid looked at her and shrugged. “I knew it was you. I saw you. You ratted out my friends, so you deserved it. Wait, I need a picture to show them.”
Cole shook his head. “You can take a picture tomorrow after you’re done washing all this off and you better hope it comes off or you’ll be painting the entire house.”
The kid pouted. “You can’t make me do that. My father will—”
“What makes you think I’m going to tell your father? No, I think we will have you take care of this under the watchful eye of Detective Anderson before he actually brings you in and books you for trespassing and criminal mischief.”
“And for attempted robbery.” Hunter nodded to Cole then pulled the kid toward the main building.
Finally free to focus on his fiancée, he turned toward her and pulled her against his body.
“Cole! You’re getting my robe green.” She squirmed as hard as the kid had.
“Then take it off.”
“What?”
In a second, he’d pulled the knot from the belt that held the ruined robe closed and slipped it from her shoulders. Her reaction was to plaster her body against him. He chuckled.
“Someone might see,” she whispered to his chest.
“Lacey, we’re on a nudist resort.”
She just hugged him tighter.
“What do you say we go inside and wash this stuff off?” He grinned. “I don’t think we’ve made love in your shower yet.”
Her head came up at that and a small smile graced her dainty lips. “I’d like that.”
He warmed at the thought of washing her. Growling, he scooped her up and strode to the front door.
Her squeal of delight was cut short when she groaned. “I hope he can get my casita clean.”
Cole kicked the open door wide and shrugged. “Not to worry, you won’t be living here long.”
Her eyes widened before she slapped him with a cock-hardening kiss. By the time he reached her bathroom, he couldn’t wait to thrust inside her. He stepped into the large, tiled shower and let her feet down then turned on the water.
Thanks to the cold night, it actually flowed chilly at first and Lacey glued her body against him.
“Are you cold?” He grinned, loving how she needed him for so many things.
She pulled back a little as the water warmed up and pressed her pointed finger into his chest. “Listen, Cole Hatcher, not everyone is hot like you.”
He grasped her finger with his hand and brought it to his lips, watching her mouth as it opened in anticipation. “I’m only hot because you make me that way, Racy Lacey.”
She smirked. “Well, if I’m a cowboy’s match, you better get to work putting the fire out, Mr. Firefighter.”
He moved her hand behind her and lowered his face until it was only inches from hers. “No, I don’t think so. I want to see exactly how big this fire can get first.”
She sucked in her breath before his lips claimed hers and she was lost to the flames only he could stoke.
Epilogue
‡
Wiping her hands off on her skirt as she strolled back to the house at Last Chance Ranch, Lacey halted at the sight of Cole riding in on Sampson, a strong black quarter horse who wouldn’t let anyone near him but Cole. She waited for him to bring the “Beast” as she’d nicknamed him, to a stop.
Cole jumped from the saddle, looped the reins over the fence and pulled her in for a searing kiss that had her forgetting everything but him.
When he finally lifted his head, he winked. “Missed you.”
She looked at the sky then back at him. “You were only gone two hours. Did you find the spot?”
His grin widened. “I did. Do you want to see it?”
Her stomach turned somersaults in anticipation. “Yes, but I want to show you something first.”
“Sounds good to me.” He swept her up in his arms and headed for the ranch house.
“No, no. Cole Hatcher put me down.” Really. The man had a one-track mind. It was amazing she could still walk
.
His frown had her laughing as he released her.
“Tell you what. Why don’t we pack a cold dinner and while we’re out, we can make the most of our private time.”
“I’ll be holding you to that, Racy Lacey.”
“Shh, Cole, your grandparents are around.”
He stroked his finger over her cheek. “You’re blushing again.”
She swatted his hand aside and took his other one. “Come on.” She couldn’t wait to show him the progress she’d made with Angel. The dainty Arabian was finally starting to trust her. It would be hard leaving her to go back to Poker Flat for work tomorrow morning, but she loved her job too, so she’d just have to spend extra time with the horse when she came home.
She stopped outside Angel’s stall. “Okay, I want you to stand right there. Don’t move a muscle.”
Cole tipped his hat at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m not a ma’am…yet.” But she would be soon. She looked at the modest diamond engagement ring on her left hand. Cole had wanted to buy her something expensive, but she’d chosen something more moderate to save money for the horses.
She approached the stall, then looked back to make sure Cole stayed where she put him. Assured he would behave, she called Angel by name.
The white horse raised her head and looked at her.
Stifling the urge to click her tongue, something the atrocious former owner must have done often, she instead kept her voice high. “Come show Cole what you like to do now, sweetie. Can you give me some lovin’?” She patted her own cheek.
The horse turned around, its brown eyes focused on her.
“Come on, Angel. You know I love you, sweetheart.”
Trying to keep her heartbeat steady, Lacey focused on keeping her own excitement down and her breathing even.
The horse moved toward her and she patted her cheek again.
Angel brought the right side of her face, the side that hadn’t been marred, to Lacey’s right cheek and rubbed. Gently, Lacey moved her hand to stroke the horse up her nose and around her ears. “That’s a good girl.”
After a few minutes she turned away and looked at Cole. Pride was shining clearly in his eyes. “I’m glad you two are learning to get along. The minute I saw her I knew she was the perfect horse for you.”
