by Lori Foster
“Yup, and the opossum even visits around back when they put out scraps.” Looking at his chest, she placed a hand there, smoothing it over his pectoral muscle. “It’s a nice place, despite the name. They hired me to take some photos during business hours. It’s right over the county line, maybe forty minutes from here?” She peeked up at him, then away. “Are you...maybe interested in—”
“What time should I pick you up?”
His ready agreement made her blink, then laugh. “You do make it easy, Boone.”
Opening his arms, he said softly, “I’m as easy as it gets, at least when it comes to you.” She didn’t seem to realize that she was one of two big reasons he’d returned. He’d need to explain that to her, and soon.
Her hands slipped up his shoulders to his neck. “I’ve never asked out a guy before. Thanks for making it painless.”
“You’ve never had to ask, I’m sure.” From everything he’d heard, April had her pick of men whenever the mood suited her. But she’d chosen him, and he felt encouraged. “It’s not that late yet.”
“Have you forgotten you’re in Buckhorn?” she teased. “Ten around here is considered plenty late. Everything is closed in town.”
He brought her arms down to lace his fingers with hers. Her hands was so small in his, so soft and warm, that his voice dropped to a low rough whisper. “I didn’t forget, but you could come back home with Sunshine and me. The house isn’t much yet, but the deck is nice.”
For a moment there, she seemed to consider it...and then she pulled away. “The thing is, I want to. I really do.” She picked up the folded blanket, bundling it against her chest as she swept him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. It’s just...”
“Don’t. You don’t owe me any apologies.” Boone took the blanket from her and dropped it back to the ground. He didn’t want barriers, even softly quilted ones, between them.
Near their feet, Sunshine stretched and groaned, worn out from her visit.
The drone of departing family faded away.
They were as alone as they were likely to be for a while, and he didn’t want to waste a second.
She said, “It’s ridiculous that I’m still so embarrassed about it, but—”
“Shh. It’s okay. I get it.” He really did.
A silky tendril of hair teased over her cheek, and she roughly tucked it back. “Well, I wish I did. I’m starting to feel a little dumb about it.”
“You shouldn’t.” Boone trailed his fingers over her skin. God, what he wouldn’t give to touch her everywhere, feel her everywhere.
Kiss her everywhere.
“You’ve built it up in your mind, remembering the embarrassment and how I fucked up.” He gave a short, wry smile. “I swear, if there was some way you could recall that day the way I do, it’d change things for you.”
Drawing a breath, she stepped closer. “How do you recall it?”
“A gift. The sweetest gift I’ve ever gotten.”
Lips twitching, she said, “Boone Barton, mine were not the first boobs you ever saw.”
He gave another quick smile. “No, but my life was upside down then, a damned landslide of confusion and guilt. I knew Dad was sick, I knew I hadn’t been the son I should’ve been... And then there you were, blond, beautiful and so damned sweet.” He rested his forehead to hers. “It was like...” How the hell could he describe it without sounding like a sap?
Gently, she asked, “Like what?”
Boone gave a gruff laugh. “A nightmare broken up by a rainbow. Hell, I don’t know. I just know it carried me through. I’ve thought about you a million times, April. Every damn day.” He touched his mouth to hers in a light kiss and whispered, “Every damn night.”
Her lips smiled against his. “Just because I flashed you?”
“Because you showed me you. Because you chose me.” Impossible not to put his arms around her, so he did. Doubly hard not to hug her close, so he didn’t even try to resist. “I was feeling every inch of my reputation, and a lot of disappointment because of it. The idea that you, one of the nicest girls in the entire county, by far the prettiest, no doubt the smartest...”
“Boone,” she protested with a self-conscious laugh.
“The idea that you came to me meant I still had time to get it together, that I could do better.” Have better.
Have her.
“It meant I wasn’t a total fuckup—and that maybe I hadn’t lost my chance.”
She studied him for a long time. Skipping much of what he’d said, she asked, “You were aware of me?”
The surprise in her tone almost leveled him. “What, am I blind?” Could she really not know what a struggle it had been for him? “Lady, you show up and heads turn. Every hetero guy in the vicinity goes on alert. It was true when you were seventeen, it’s true now. But you need to know, it’s not just how you look.” It was so much more than that. “It’s you, April. It’s everything about you.” Her big heart, her warm smiles, her openness and caring.
“And you want me?” she asked. “You wanted me back then?”
“Don’t ever doubt it.” Hell, resisting her back then had been his only redeeming act. “If we’d had just a little more time, I’d have proven it.”
A slow smile curved her mouth. “Huh.” Snuggling closer, she slid a hand up his chest to his shoulder. “I was so hung up on you back then.”
He wanted her to feel the same way now.
Her fingers stroked through the hair on his nape. “You need to know, though. You were never an f-up. People admired you. Not just the girls, but the guys, too. We all thought you were so grown up.”
An f-up? Her reserve was adorable. “That’s what I’m talking about, that right there.” He kissed the end of her nose. “You never seemed to know I was a jerk.”
“Because you never were.” Her small, gentle hands held his face. “No one saw you that way.”
“I only care that you didn’t.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “When I heard you were back, I came to see you just to get even.”
“I know.” Tension thrummed through his body. Her admission, the way she gave it, made him feel like he was on a precipice to something momentous. Something with her. “What can I do? Just name it.”
Her lips curved in a small smile. “You don’t need to do anything else.”
“But—”
“You’re here with me, getting to know my family all over again. Spending time with me. Sharing your feelings.” She said softly, “You’re already doing everything right.”
Well...then maybe it was okay. “You still don’t want to come over, though?” He exhaled a breath, trying to figure out the next step. “It’s the house itself, isn’t it?” She’d stood there in his cramped living room, her back to the patio doors, dropped her top and put a whole new spin on his world.
Somehow he’d find the will to gut the house tomorrow, to make it all different if that would help her get through it.
If it would help them get together.
He wanted both his family home and April Kasper.
Do I want too much?
“I should have remodeled already.” He blew out a breath. “I should have—”
“You’ll do it when you’re ready,” she said, interrupting. “Besides, I don’t want you to change anything for me.”
He’d change everything for her—but he’d planned to update the house anyway. What better motivation did he need than this woman? “It’s going to be completely different.” Once he got started. “The bones are there, it just needs to be modernized.”
April bit her lip. “It’s not the house, Boone, I promise. It’s the situation I put myself in. I feel...hesitant. That’s all.” She gave him a small smile. “Give me a little more time?”
“I’ll give you anything you need.” A lifetime, if she’d only
take it.
“Right now, I only need this.” She leaned in...
And Boone did what he’d been craving to do from the moment he’d gotten home to Kentucky.
He kissed her. Really kissed her.
Should have eased into things, but he didn’t.
Couldn’t. Not when her lips parted and she made a breathy little sound of yearning.
Accepting that invitation, he tilted his head, fit his mouth to hers and traced her lips with his tongue, each stroke delving deeper until they were locked together, her body held flush against his, her heartbeat aligning with his own, their breaths coming fast and loud. Boone had to concentrate hard to keep his hands on her back instead of exploring her curves and hollows, the sleek lines, the gentle swells.
He wanted to have her. All of her.
For now, he’d settle for this, the hottest, sexiest kiss he’d ever imagined.
Her tongue dueled with his. Her hands knotted in his shirt, keeping him close. She made those sweet, hungry little sounds—and Sunshine barked.
Startled back to the here and now, Boone lifted his head. He and April stared at each other. In the dim light he saw the heaviness of her eyes, and the gloss of her damp lips. He was just about to reach for her again...
Sunshine lurched to her feet in an alert stance.
Out of necessity, Boone released April and scanned the area. All he saw was tall trees and a few lampposts.
“Something spooked her,” April said.
“Probably a rabbit.”
Staring out into the surrounding woods, Sunshine’s fur rose and she rumbled a growl.
Or maybe not. Boone turned to the dog. “Sunshine, stay.”
She looked at him like he was nuts.
“Ah, hell.” Boone made a grab for her, and barely caught her collar before she tried to lunge. “No, you don’t,” he said around her growls. She stayed focused on the woods. “We’re not playing chase tonight.”
“Here.” April grabbed the dog’s leash and latched it on her collar.
Briefly, Sunshine continued to tug. More park lights flickered on, but they were in the parking lot, not out on the grassy areas. Mosquitoes would be out in force soon.
It signaled the end of their day together, a day Boone didn’t want to give up yet.
“Easy, girl. There’s nothing there.” He held tight to Sunshine’s leash while petting her, and she finally lost interest in whatever was in the woods. With a disgruntled “woof” she stopped straining away.
“We should go,” April said, looking around. “We’re the last ones here.”
Good thing, given that heated kiss.
Feeling a little uneasy, Boone glanced at the woods again. Nothing moved, but he couldn’t see very far into it. “Yeah, let’s go.” He held Sunshine’s leash in one hand, the tote in the other, and April carried the blanket.
On the way to their cars, she stayed close by his side, occasionally patting the dog with her free hand. “So, about Saturday...?”
“Count me in. Why don’t I give you my number and you can text me the details?” Then he’d have her number, as well.
Not a bad plan.
Once she loaded the stuff into her car, she drew out her phone and entered his number.
Sunshine waited patiently beside him. “I wish we’d ridden together.” Boone didn’t like the idea of her driving home alone, even though he’d be behind her most of the way.
“Next time we will,” she promised with a smile.
Next time. He liked the sound of that. “Thank you for inviting me along today. It was fun.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed you. Thank you for coming.”
The area was so quiet and still. “Let me know when you get home, will you?”
A puzzled frown drew her brows together. “You do realize I drive around here all the time, that I did so the entire five years you were gone?”
“Yeah, I do.” But he was back now, and no one in her family trusted Phil, and something...something just didn’t feel right about letting her go. “Call me anyway?”
Her chin lifted. “Actually, I’d like to know that you got home safely, too. You live out in that cove all alone. I’m at least in a community.”
The smile came from his heart. “Then we’ll check on each other.”
She blinked, gave up with a shake of her head and muttered, “Fine, you win.”
He hadn’t yet, but if things kept going like this, he’d see the finish line in no time.
* * *
NORMALLY APRIL GOT peeved at overbearing men who thought they had to protect her. After all, she had an entire family full of them. But that first phone call to Boone had turned into a nice hour-long chat where they’d talked about everything and nothing.
Since then, they’d talked every night, and she saw him twice for dinner in town. She didn’t admit she went to the diner in hopes of running into him, and he didn’t ask.
They just...found each other, sat together and enjoyed themselves.
Never in her life had she had such a connection with a guy who wasn’t a relative. Oh, she knew the truth.
She was fast falling in love with Boone Barton all over again.
In fact, maybe even at eighteen he’d already been the real deal for her, because her heart felt happier whenever she was with him, or talking to him.
Sometimes even thinking about him—and she thought about him nearly every minute of every day.
By the time Saturday rolled around, she felt sure they had something special.
He picked her up in his truck, and then apologized for it even though she’d already told him that she liked it. The truck was just old enough to have character, but was clean enough to look well loved.
Boone took care of things—his truck, his dock and especially his dog.
Eventually he’d do something with the house and maybe then, April thought, she’d be able to see herself in it.
Crazy for her to still harbor those ridiculous feelings, but nothing had ever hit her like that. She couldn’t remember any other time in her life when she’d been so embarrassed.
“You know what?” The truth dawned on her as they pulled into the parking lot of the Plump Possum. “I’ve been pretty spoiled.”
Half smiling, as if he thought she was joking, Boone turned off the engine. “What brought that on?” He got out and walked around to her side to open her door.
Tonight she wore one of her favorite sundresses with her best cowboy boots. It was part of the Plump Possum’s charm that they encouraged a country vibe. The dress had little cap sleeves, a low scoop neck and a flared skirt that hit her midthigh. Little white flowers sprinkled a navy background. The brown leather belt around her waist matched her boots.
Boone liked her hair loose, she could tell. He touched it often. Touched her often.
She saw only admiration in his gaze, and it warmed her from the inside out.
Wearing her camera around her neck, she caught his big rough hand and started them forward. Country music spilled out through the closed doors and windows, interrupted only by the muted din of the crowd, but the wraparound wooden deck was empty.
“I’ve been pampered all my life,” April said, going up one step so she could meet Boone eye to eye. “Everyone has always indulged me.” She slanted him a look. “Everyone except one very gorgeous guy who turned me down, despite me getting half naked.”
“I don’t know about gorgeous,” Boone said with a grin. “But you can have me now.”
“Such a generous offer.” Yes, she wanted him. So very much. Enough that she needed him to understand. “I think that’s why it hit me so hard. I’d never offered myself to anyone before...and I’d never been denied. I had a double whammy that night, and for once I couldn’t get what I wanted.”
Boone gave he
r a long, amused look. “That’s what you think, huh?”
Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned closer and breathed in. He always smelled so good that she wanted to curl up against him, nuzzle into his neck and just fill her head with his scent. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I’m so spoiled that I obviously don’t know how to deal with not getting my way.”
“Bullshit,” he said mildly, letting his hands rest on her hips. “It hit you hard because you were a virgin.”
She grinned at how he said that, as if he’d take the blame for her coming on to him. “I’m still a virgin, just so you know.”
“You...” His face went blank. “What?”
“You heard me.” Beneath her feet the boards trembled as footsteps approached; they were no longer alone. Before someone else intruded, April went on tiptoe, gave him a firm smooch, then hauled him into the bar.
“April—”
Over her shoulder, she said, “Don’t let it bother you, okay?”
“I’m not bothered,” he replied...sounding bothered.
Or maybe more like intrigued.
“Good.” Would Boone assume she’d waited for him? Maybe.
Had she been waiting? She’d certainly dated, and she’d had fun. But yeah, no other man had tempted her. She hadn’t consciously made comparisons to Boone, yet no one else had measured up.
She wasn’t ready to admit that to him. Not yet.
So she drew him into the main room, gestured at the scene before them and asked, “What do you think?”
Boone’s brows went up as he looked around.
It was like stepping back in time. Peanut shells littered floors made of wide wooden planks that continued up the walls. Antique signs and flags, as well as various horns, served as wall decor. Vintage lights filled the interior with a soft golden glow, and a long row of stools shaped like horse saddles framed an old saloon-style bar top. Sectioned off in one corner, a mechanical bull called to the daring.
“Are those rifles on the walls?”
“They’re props,” April explained. “So are the horns and antlers.”
On a raised stage in the very back, three women laughed their way through karaoke. The music was loud enough to drown out the worst of their vocal mistakes.
