by Lori Foster
“Come on.” April led him over to the bar and ordered them each a beer. “We’ll grab a table, and I’ll take some photos from there.”
Mr. Arnold, the owner, an older guy with a big handlebar mustache, also worked as the bartender tonight with his wife, Wilma, at his side. The two of them looked like they were ready for a hoedown.
After introducing them to Boone and getting two beers, April asked Mr. Arnold, “Are we all set?”
“Yes, ma’am. Everyone is signing a waiver before doing karaoke tonight, so you’re clear for the photos.” He nodded his head toward the stage. “Seems getting a picture taken is an incentive. The line hasn’t slowed down.”
She laughed. “And the other employees?”
“They signed, too. I have regulars who’ll take seats at the bar when you’re ready for that shot. Got ’em all cowboy hats. Everyone is onboard.”
“Terrific. Let me sit with Boone a few minutes, get a feel for what I want, and then I’ll get started.”
As she turned with him to go, she almost plowed into... Phillip.
He stood there smiling at her, looking ridiculously pleased to see her while pretending not to notice Boone. “April. How’ve you been?”
Oh Lord. She pasted on a smile. “I’m fine, thank you. Excuse me.” As she made to move around him, Phillip’s face fell.
And damn it, she felt guilty.
Boone said near her ear, “Trust me, he’ll survive.”
“I’m sure he will.” She resisted the urge to look back. “I just...”
“You have a hard time not being nice. I know.” Slipping his arm around her, maybe to ensure she didn’t give in, he added, “Look how nice you’ve been to me.”
“You deserve it.” They found a little round corner table with a reserved sign on it that Mr. Arnold had set up for her. From there she could almost see the entire bar with a good shot of the stage.
The noise level dropped a little as the girls finished and a man and woman took the stage. Boone pulled his chair closer to hers. “Is there anything I can do to help out tonight?”
“All you need to do is keep me company.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “And maybe a kiss every now and then?” She’d never been so obsessed with a man’s mouth, but Boone felt good, tasted good and made her feel amazing things.
“My pleasure.” He leaned in, brushing his mouth over hers... When she sighed, he came back for another, then one more until the kiss went on longer than she meant it to.
That’s what he did to her, made her forget herself, made her want more.
And helped her to put the past behind her.
As they eased apart, she knew: tonight would be the night.
Boone had been patient, but her patience was at an end.
* * *
BOONE ENJOYED WATCHING April work. It seemed half the people in the bar knew her, and the other half wanted to.
They all tried to pose for her camera, whether openly or while pretending to get caught in a candid shot.
Everyone loved her—and why wouldn’t they?
He sure as hell did.
It was funny that before returning to Buckhorn, it was the memory he’d adored. April with the easy smiles and flirting glances, the smart girl with a big heart, the young woman who’d kept him on his toes and made him learn new meanings of resistance and control.
Yet, in such a short time of getting to know this new, more mature woman, he realized the memory couldn’t begin to measure up.
The miracle of it all was that he still had her interest. Few people got a real second shot at life, but April was giving him another chance and no way in hell would he blow it.
In between taking photos, she came to him, each time putting her mouth to his. It was like extended foreplay, and he was about to go nuts.
Looping her arms around his neck, she gave him a quick, smiling kiss. “I’m sorry I keep getting drawn away.”
After dancing with one of her girlfriends, her face glowed.
Boone tunneled his fingers into her hair and drew her in for another kiss. “I’m enjoying myself,” he said against her lips.
“Sitting here by yourself?”
“Watching you,” he confirmed. “I could do this the rest of my life and be happy.”
Twin dimples appeared in her flushed cheeks. “I’ll be done soon, and then I want to get you alone.”
Before he could process that and all it promised, she was off again. Her next few photos were more arranged, and Boone made sure to stay out of the way even though everyone else tried to crowd into the shots.
She’d just finished and was heading back to Boone when a young man stopped her, leaning close to say something.
April’s smile froze, then faded. Her gaze darted away and she ducked around the man.
Another stepped in her path, making her draw up short. He, too, said something that Boone could tell upset her.
Already headed for her, Boone assessed the situation. There seemed to be a small rowdy group of friends, four of them, and they were focused on April—laughing at her expense.
He watched her shove past a guy, bump into someone else—and Phil stepped into his path.
Boone collided with him, almost knocking the other man over.
Phil caught himself by hanging on to Boone.
Focused on getting to April, Boone said, “Move.”
Instead, Phil used his hold on Boone to draw closer. “This is why she needs me.”
Boone looked past him, but now April faced the men, her chin up and her eyes narrowed. Instead of intimidated she now looked furious, and pride swelled inside him. “Pretty sure she doesn’t need either one of us.” But luckily, she wanted Boone.
“Without me, she makes a fool of herself.”
Boone looked down at Phil’s hand still on his arm, which prompted the other man to remove it. Phil even took a hasty step back.
“You’re an idiot, Phil.” Boone made to step around him. “Get lost.”
“Everyone knows.”
That blurted comment made Boone pause. “Everyone knows what?”
“What she did,” he said, sneering, “and that you didn’t want her.”
Something washed over Boone, an icy mix of dread and rage. He closed the space between him and Phil until their chests bumped, this time deliberately. Crowding Phil back, he demanded through his teeth, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“They know!” Phillip exclaimed, slinging a hand behind him to indicate the unruly group. “They know she flashed you, she was so desperate to get laid.”
Boone’s gaze flicked over to April again. Arms now crossed and expression deadly, she faced the group of guys, all of whom looked sheepish. A small crowd stood behind her, and Boone realized they were backup.
As he’d already noted, everyone loved April.
“You,” Boone said, not taking his gaze from April, “are a fucking fool.”
“Me?”
Finally, he looked at Phil. “She was kind to you, but you killed it. I can guarantee her kindness is over. In fact, if you were smart, you’d start running.”
“You’re threatening me?”
Boone smiled. “If I don’t, she will.”
Phil actually laughed, sounding almost giddy. “She’ll know that you spread it around—I’ll make sure of it.”
“Actually, she knows I’d never do anything like that.”
“You’re wrong,” Phil said. “She’s going to—”
“Excuse me.” April wedged herself in between the two of them, her back to Boone.
He put his arms around her middle and brought her with him when he stepped back, ensuring she didn’t touch Phil.
Then he left his arm there.
He wasn’t entirely sure what April would do, but he knew he didn’t want to mis
s it.
Surprised by this new turn, Phil blinked fast. “April. I was just looking for you.”
“You found me,” she said sweetly, before putting two fingers in her mouth and giving an ear-splitting whistle that brought the commotion in the bar to a standstill.
Someone killed the karaoke music. People pressed forward. The bartender got up on a stool so he could see better.
April looked around at everyone—then pointed at Phil. “Anyone who wants to listen to Phil spread nasty rumors about me, have at it.”
Phil blanched as a round of “boos” exploded. Boone started grinning.
Holding up a hand, April said, “If you expect me to run off because of it, think again!”
This time it was cheers that nearly deafened Boone. God, was another woman like her anywhere? He didn’t think so.
There definitely was no other woman for him.
Lastly April said, “And in case anyone is wondering, this is Boone.” She turned and hugged him tight. “And he’s pretty awesome.”
More cheers, and although he felt a bit like a spectacle, Boone wouldn’t have changed a second of it.
“Don’t go away,” she whispered.
“I’m not budging.” He wasn’t about to miss the rest of the show.
She turned to Phil. “That was low, even for you.”
Defensively, Phil said, “It wasn’t a lie.”
“Nope, it wasn’t.” She tilted her head. “How did you know? And don’t try telling me you heard it from Boone.”
“How else?” Phil snapped. “The two of you blabbed about it long enough at the park, then again just out front.”
Boone remembered Sunshine growling at something in the woods... “You were skulking around eavesdropping? That’s pathetic even for you.”
“Anyone could have heard you.” His gaze went back and forth between them, then settled on April. He poked a finger very near her face. “The way you carried on, I thought you’d fuck him right there where anyone could—”
Boone didn’t exactly mean to do it, but the next thing he knew, Phil was crashing back into an empty table and April stared at him with wide-eyed disbelief.
Belatedly, he retracted his fist. “Um.”
“Wow,” April whispered with awe. “You’re fast.”
Yeah, too many years getting into trouble had made him quicker than some. Problem was, April didn’t like overbearing men. Would she see that punch as him trying to take over? He tried to think fast, and could only come up with, “It was...reflex?”
With a short laugh, she said, “Okay, sure,” and glanced at Phil as if it didn’t matter. “You definitely hit harder than I do.”
“I, uh, I know you prefer to handle things yourself.”
She laughed. “I do, but that involved you, too, right? The jerk spied on both of us, implied nasty things about both of us. You had a right to react.”
Boone would have said something about that, but the dumb ass was upright again, one hand braced on the back of a chair, the other on the wall, while blood trickled from a split in his lip. He looked utterly dazed as he stared at Boone.
“What?” Now that Boone knew April understood, he felt free to speak his mind. “Don’t tell me no one’s ever done that to you before.”
“You...you hit me.”
With a roll of her eyes, April said, “You had it coming. Look around, Phillip. Do you see any sympathy?”
To the contrary, most people either ignored him or glared at him.
April tsked. “Given all the disdain you have for Buckhorn, it’s a good thing your business isn’t here. Now why don’t you mosey on before Boone really loses his temper?”
With a shove to the chair and a repugnant scowl, Phil stalked away.
Good riddance.
“That was quite the show,” the owner said, stepping up beside them.
Boone almost winced. “I haven’t had to apologize for fighting in a very long time.”
“You call that a fight?” Mr. Arnold grinned.
Nonplussed, he said, “I didn’t mean—”
“One punch and it was over.” He grabbed Boone’s hand and gave it several hardy pumps. “Glad I got to see it.”
Until today, no one had ever shaken his hand over a punch.
“Come back anytime,” Mr. Arnold said, and April promised him they would.
They would—because they were a couple. Boone started grinning again.
While she and the owner discussed their next meeting to view the photos, Boone stood there thinking of the turns his life had taken.
April constantly took him by surprise.
She laughed when he thought she’d be pissed. When four guys tried to intimidate her, she turned the crowd into her own cheering section. She faced off with Phil, but didn’t deny him the right to do the same.
Best of all, she’d waited for him.
That was the real kick to the heart, and it was enough to leave him reeling.
After the owner walked away, April smiled up at him. “You ready to go?”
Boone nodded.
“Good. Let’s head to your place.”
CHAPTER SIX
SUNSHINE FINALLY SETTLED DOWN, thank God, and good thing because Boone really needed to concentrate on April. When they first arrived, she spent all her time greeting the dog rather than looking at the house.
She was avoiding it, he knew, and it made him want to hold her all the more.
“Want a drink?” he asked, after they’d walked Sunshine outside to do her business. The dog still trailed them, but now she was just happy, not ecstatic.
“I’m good, thanks.” After tugging off her boots and leaving them by the door, she strolled over to the living room. Her fingertips trailed along an old photo hanging on the wall, and then along the back of a chair, until she stood before the patio doors that led to the deck.
Boone could see her reflection, at least until he turned out the kitchen light. With the living room now dark, and with the spotlight outside, she’d be able to see the lake beyond.
He handed Sunshine one of her favorite chews, and as the dog trotted off to enjoy it, Boone joined April.
Shifting nervously, she said, “Nothing much has changed inside, has it?”
“No.” And he didn’t want to talk about his father right now, so instead he kissed the top of her shoulder. “I’ll get to it, I promise.”
“I know.” She moved closer to the door. “Sunshine isn’t used to company, is she?”
Boone shook his head. “No.”
“Will she mind me...being here? I mean, you know.”
Yeah, he did. The dog was his constant shadow, but she’d learned that he sometimes needed privacy. “The chew will keep her busy for a while, plus this time of night she’s usually asleep. She’s probably ready for bed already.” He knew he was.
When she said nothing else, Boone asked, “You okay?”
“Yes.”
There wasn’t a lot of confidence in her tone, so Boone turned her to face him. “April, look at me.”
Eyes a little wider than they should have been, she stared up at him and attempted a smile.
“We don’t have to do this—”
Her expression fell, then turned into a scowl. “Are you changing your mind?”
“What? No. I wouldn’t... Jesus, I’m dying to have you.” Then with his own scowl. “How the hell could you think that?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Well, I sort of thought you’d jump my bones as soon as we got here, and I’ve been a little antsy about it, but instead you’ve—”
“Tried to put you at ease.” He gestured at the area where she stood. “Since you have that memory of being here...”
April released a long breath, then dropped her hands. “If you’d kiss me, we could make a ne
w memory. What do you think about that?”
Yeah, she didn’t have to tell him twice. He reached for her and their mouths met, hungry and hot. When April slipped her hands inside his shirt, he paused long enough to skin it off. He loved how she touched him, with excitement and curiosity and more.
“I’ve wanted to touch you forever,” she whispered.
Don’t rush her, Boone told himself. Even though he was already half hard, every muscle tensed with need. This was a huge step for her, and he drummed up every ounce of patience he could.
“I’ve wanted you the same way.” More, if anything. “No bad feelings now?”
“How could I have bad feelings?” Looking at his chest, she spread her fingers and stroked him. “Coming here feels right, not at all bad, not in any way.” Blue eyes met his. “Not with you.”
His heart thundered. I love you. It was too soon to say it but he felt it all the same, the words echoing in his head.
Stepping back, her gaze locked with his, April opened the buckle on her belt and dropped it to the floor.
Boone caught his breath and held it. His abdomen clenched. Heat exploded inside him. His cock was so hard it hurt, but he didn’t dare move a muscle.
No way in hell did he want to interrupt her now.
She reached back, opening the fastenings of her dress, and then without pause pulled it up and over her head. It joined her belt on the floor.
Standing there in tiny white lace panties, she waited.
Boone took his time looking her over. He’d seen her in a bikini and known she was hot, but now, with her full breasts bared, her nipples already puckered...
“Even better than I remembered.” He tugged her in again, holding her breasts and looking down at her. “So fucking beautiful.”
“Somehow,” she whispered, “you make cursing sexy.”
He gave a gruff laugh. “I can’t censor myself, not right now.” Her breasts were warm and heavy in his hands. Perfection. He wanted to see the rest of her. He wanted to have all of her, in every way.
But before they got too far, he needed to ensure that privacy he’d mentioned.
Lifting April into his arms, he said to Sunshine, “Stay.”
