by Joanne Rock
“Will you be there?” Frankie asked, thinking it would be more fun with Annabel in attendance. Besides, she’d need a barrier if Xander was there.
“Maybe.” She checked her phone again, her brow furrowing as she squinted to see it despite the sunlight. “I’ve been messaging Maya to convince her to come home for the summer and attend some of the TCC events, but I haven’t heard back from her yet.”
“I’d like to meet her,” Frankie murmured, remembering the story Xander had told her about Maya not knowing the identity of her birth parents. She definitely had that in common with Xander’s adopted youngest sibling.
When they finished their visit a little while later, Frankie thanked her and tucked away the idea of asking Xander about the meet and greet after the TCC meeting. Checking with him about that sounded easier than Annabel’s other suggestion—that she give romance a chance with Xander.
That sounded risky. Dicey.
And it had the potential to hurt her badly.
Yet in the past, she’d prided herself on never giving up without a fight. Not her dream of breaking free from her family’s constraints. Not her hope of attending college. She’d even tried bronc riding.
Was she going to start running from a challenge now? Frankie ground her teeth together, not ready to be the kind of woman who turned tail and ran at the first bumpy patch in the road. Ever since she’d left home, she’d told herself she was going to embrace every possible new experience to make up for the suffocating world of her childhood.
Maybe she wasn’t ready to give up on Xander yet.
* * *
Maya Currin stared at the fifth text from her sister, Annabel, and huffed a sigh.
She loved Annabel and missed her sister more than anyone else back home. But no matter how many sweet notes she got from her, Maya wasn’t going back to Houston this summer.
No way. No how.
Stabbing the phone icon on her screen, she called her sister to tell her as much so she could move on with her day. Sitting by herself at a picnic table under the pine trees while four hundred tween-aged campers finished their lunches, Maya waited for Annabel to pick up.
“Maya!” Annabel squealed with the soft Texas drawl that Maya missed in this corner of the world. “Where in the world are you, and why haven’t you come home yet? I haven’t heard from you in ages.”
“No guilt-tripping allowed,” Maya snapped, more sharply than she’d intended. Then, softening her tone, she said, “I miss you too much already.”
“Sorry, sweetie. Is everything okay? Are you still at school?”
Maya had just finished her freshman year at Boston College, but she was too mad at her father to return home this summer. Not that she needed to share that part with Annabel and drag her into that drama.
A few campers ran past her toward their next activity, shoving each other and laughing, their footsteps pounding the packed dirt under the pines.
“Everything’s fine. I just decided to take a summer job at a sleepaway camp on Cape Cod.” She’d applied to as many jobs as she could think of to justify the time away from home.
She’d turned eighteen this year, and her father still hadn’t told her the story of her birth and how he came to adopt her. Even though he’d promised. Why was he hiding the real story? What was he so afraid of her finding out?
“A job?” Annabel sounded deflated. “Do you get any time off? I wanted you to go to some of the fancy Texas Cattleman’s Club events for the opening of the Houston chapter.”
“Really?” She asked only because she was hungry for news of home. Even though she was mad at her dad. Even though she wouldn’t go home until he told her the truth.
For now, she just missed Annabel. The sleepaway camp was okay, but it wasn’t home. She even missed the Houston heat, since Cape Cod was having a cool spell. She wore a hoodie in the middle of the day.
“Yes! It’s the summer of galas and parties. I thought maybe you could be a guest on my blog and I could make you over.”
It meant a lot to her that Annabel wanted to hang out. That she mattered to someone back home, even if her father thought she was still a kid who couldn’t be trusted with the most basic information.
Like the name of her birth parents.
“That sounds fun,” she admitted, her chest hurting while a long line of junior campers walked past with their counselor toward the archery field. “I’m sorry I can’t be there. I’ll be working all summer.”
Annabel made idle chitchat a while longer, until Maya heard the bell that precipitated the next activity change.
“I’m sorry to cut you short, but I have to get back to the stables,” she told her older sister as she hurried to her feet. “We’ll catch up soon, okay?”
She disconnected fast, before the mixture of homesickness and anger at her father became apparent in her voice. No need to upset Annabel.
Maya would figure out how to get back at her father soon enough. For starters, she was certain it would get his attention if she didn’t return to school in the fall.
He wouldn’t be able to ignore her then.
* * *
Finishing up a few phone calls on the private flight home from Amarillo, Xander tipped his head back in the leather seat and wondered about his next call.
To Frankie.
He had missed her during this unexpected trip. He hadn’t seen her for three days, since he’d been called away on Currin Ranch business with zero warning.
He didn’t appreciate his father orchestrating the trip that had ended up being more executive-level than Xander had been led to believe. Attending stock sales was part of the job as foreman, but Ryder had asked him to meet with several ranch owners in Amarillo while he was there.
Was that his father’s way of coercing Xander into taking a more active role in the business? By doubling up his work responsibilities?
With the TCC planning committee meeting just two days away, Xander knew tensions were ratcheting up in the group since Sterling and Ryder were locked in a power struggle. Whereas even a month ago he hadn’t really cared about the new Texas Cattleman’s Club branch, Xander found himself wanting more buy-in now. Was that because he was starting to put his grief to rest for good? Or was it because Frankie had taken an interest in the TCC and he wanted the group to be a warm, welcoming place for her?
Possibly a little of both.
Either way, he couldn’t deny that knowing her had brought him back to life in a lot of ways. He hadn’t completely balked at the Amarillo venture, for one thing. And even though he hadn’t appreciated not being consulted about the added meetings, he hadn’t found them as tedious as he might have in the past months.
His brain was kicking back to life to the point where he wondered about the possibility of stepping into the role that awaited him at Currin Oil—the CEO position once his father stepped down.
Maybe he was even ready for more with Frankie. At the very least, he wanted to see her again. That in itself was a huge step forward for him.
Dialing her number, he stared out the plane’s window as the flight neared Houston. The light on the wing blinked back at him in the dark.
“Hello?” Her voice, soft and sexy, triggered a wave of longing and lust.
Damn, but he’d missed her.
“It’s Xander.” He regretted not calling her before now, since he’d been the one to walk away last time. He’d messaged her that he was going out of town, but she hadn’t replied. “I’m going to be back home in about an hour.”
“You’ll be pleased to know the ranch is still standing.” Her voice struck him as carefully neutral.
He hoped that didn’t mean she was upset with him. Because he’d been looking forward to seeing her all day. He hadn’t expected to miss her as much as he had.
“I’m more interested in how you’re doing.” He gripped one of the armres
ts as the jet hit a pocket of turbulence. “I’ve missed you.”
The silence on the other end lingered a beat too long.
“I assumed you’d moved on,” she finally replied. “When I woke up without you, I figured maybe that was your way of letting me know things had cooled off.”
He closed his eyes, regretting that he’d hurt her. She’d probably observed more of his bachelor ways than he’d realized over the last year.
“Not even close.” Thinking about that night together in her cabin revved him up even now. “I wanted to talk to you, but when my dad asked me to take the Amarillo trip for the stock sale, I couldn’t say no. His plate’s full with Texas Cattleman’s Club responsibilities and the ongoing battle with Sterling.”
“How’d the sale go?” she asked, drawing him into a conversation that lasted straight through the landing and well into his ride home.
She’d seemed interested in every aspect of the sale, from the business side to questions about the trends in breeds he was seeing. She knew a surprising amount about cattle, but she also had questions about the possibility of sheep and goats at Currin Ranch, ventures that had been discussed as ways to diversify and grow the business.
It wasn’t until he steered the truck under the ranch’s welcome sign that he realized how long they’d talked.
“How do you feel about company when I get home?” he asked, wanting to see her.
Touch her. Talk to her more.
“I’m not really dressed for company. Maybe tomorrow?”
Disappointment stung. Right up until a wicked laugh floated through the phone.
“Unless you don’t mind seeing me in my nightclothes,” she added, a sly note in her voice.
Desire for her surged and he tapped the gas harder.
“I’ll be at your door in five minutes.”
Nine
Xander wanted to romance her.
He’d missed her, and tonight, he planned to show her how much.
But when Frankie answered the door of her cabin in a sleep T-shirt and nothing else, any words he’d been going to say dried right up and vanished. With no makeup and her dark hair tousled, she robbed the rest of his reason when she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him.
She was warm and soft, every delectable nuance of her body apparent through the well-washed fabric of the tee. He coiled his arms around her waist and hoisted her against him. He toed the cabin door closed behind them with his boot and carried her deeper into the cabin, every step causing sweet friction, making him burn hotter. Harder.
Her lips were perfect, molding to his one moment, sliding down to the hollow of his throat the next. She was as hungry for this as he was, as restless for what they’d found the other times they’d been together.
When he started up the stairs to the loft, she locked her ankles around his waist, anchoring them together. Every step tantalized him, the movement eliciting a throaty moan from her in a way that only compounded the teeth-grinding need he felt.
Reaching the bed, he deposited her in the middle of the comforter, the scent of lavender and warm woman rising from the linens while he wrenched off his shirt and unfastened his belt. Her green eyes tracked his actions, lingering on his chest before dipping lower.
Without taking her gaze off him, she reached for a condom on the bed and shifted to her knees while he removed the last of his clothes.
“May I?” she asked.
“Hell, yes.” He couldn’t have been more eloquent, his whole world narrowed to the all-consuming need.
She tore open the package with zero finesse, but her hands were careful—oh, so damned careful—as she rolled the condom in place. He nearly didn’t survive the process, especially when she stroked her hand from base to tip, as if to test her handiwork. The touch wrenched a groan from him, desire for her so intense it ached.
He skimmed off her T-shirt and tipped her back against the comforter, positioning himself over her. Locking eyes with her, he slid inside her, joining them. Her breasts pushed against his chest and he claimed her mouth, kissing her over and over, letting the heat build as he rocked his hips.
Her nails raked his back, her teeth sinking into his shoulder. He appreciated the sting when he was so damned close to losing it. Forcing himself to slow down, he listened to her breathing, taking her where she needed to go.
She was close, too, and it wasn’t long before her back arched hard, her release coming in one sweet wave after another. He didn’t have a prayer of lasting after that, so he let himself follow her, the pleasure so perfect he couldn’t remember ever feeling this close to anyone.
And this time, he wasn’t going anywhere.
When their breathing finally slowed, he hauled her back against him to keep her close to him, making sure she knew how much he wanted her right there.
All night long.
* * *
Frankie slid from her bed before dawn.
Not to leave. Just to put on the coffee and revel in the most perfect night ever.
As the pink fingers of sunrise crept toward the horizon, she leaned on the kitchen countertop and stared out over the hayfields behind her cabin, thinking she could get used to this. She had succeeded in turning her crush on Xander into something more—something tangible—and it had led to the best sex of her life. She understood now why it had to be temporary. That Xander couldn’t give more than this because he’d lost the love of his life.
The reality of it had settled in after her talk with Annabel, when she’d realized that she wasn’t ready to give up whatever it was that they shared. Temporary or not, she wanted him in her life. And maybe—just maybe—it would be okay this way. Because Frankie had to focus on getting into vet school anyhow. There could still be a middle ground where they simply enjoyed the here and now without worrying about when it ended. Yet, as much as she reassured herself of that, something still felt...off about her thoughts. Maybe she was just overthinking things. They barely knew each other, after all.
Things had progressed so fast between them, but she was only just beginning to get to know him.
The scent of coffee filled the kitchen, the sound of the machine percolating punctuated by a chime that let her know the brew was set.
“Good morning.” Xander’s voice was a welcome, deep hum across her senses as she straightened from the countertop.
Bare-chested and sporting a pair of half-buttoned jeans, he was absurdly handsome in her kitchen as he leaned a hip against the stove. His dark hair looked like a wild woman had raked her fingers through it over and over during the night.
Which, of course, she had.
“I must have been lost in thought.” Pleasure smoked through her at the memory of how thoroughly she’d lost herself in being with him. “I didn’t even hear you come down the stairs.”
“You were probably too busy fantasizing about what we could be doing right now if you’d stayed in bed with me.”
How could he turn her on so thoroughly when they’d just been together hours before? Her belly flipped at the idea of being with him again.
“Maybe I was.” Happiness curled around her at having him here with her. She pulled mugs down from a cupboard. “Or maybe I was just surprised we made it through a night together with no one running out the door.”
She didn’t mean to break the mood, but that’s exactly what her comment had done. She could see it in the way his smile faded.
“I regret leaving that night. I’m so sorry if I upset you.” He slid onto one of the counter stools at the narrow breakfast bar that took the place of a table in her small cabin.
Carrying the two mugs over to him, she sat on the stool next to his. “I don’t know why I brought that up—”
“It’s fine. I knew my dad was wrestling with some problems that night and went outside to talk to him. I should have left you a note.”
“Xander, I know you’re not ready for anything more. I’m fine with that.” She’d been bracing herself for him to walk away since that first night.
“I didn’t leave because I wanted to break things off. But you deserve to know the truth about why I’ve been so hell-bent not to repeat what happened with Rena.”
“Anyone would have been heartbroken to lose their fiancée,” she assured him, her hand covering his forearm.
“She ended our engagement right before the accident.”
Frankie’s coffee cup froze on the way to her lips. Her gaze flew to Xander’s. The stark truth of the words was reflected there.
“I’ve never told anyone,” he continued, taking a sip from his steaming cup. “Not a single soul. We’d argued the night before she went on the trip with her girlfriends. I told her she was overreacting when she said she wanted to call off the wedding. That she was just having jitters and it would be fine when she got back home.”
She slid her palm under his and squeezed it, not wanting to interrupt when the memory was clearly painful to him.
Setting his mug back on the white tile counter, he stared down at their clasped hands.
“After she’d fallen, when I drove like a madman to get there, hoping somehow I’d reach her bedside before she died, I was too upset to figure out whether her parents or her friends knew that she’d called it off.” He shook his head before he peered up at her again. “I’m still not sure if they knew she was ready to start a new life without me.”
“I’m so sorry.” Frankie’s heart ached for how much he’d had to grieve for at once. “That had to have made losing her all the more difficult and stressful. You had to deal with navigating what people did or didn’t know, and at a time you were devastated and could have used their support.”
“It’s in the past. It took me some time, but I’ve moved on.” He slid his hand from hers to take another sip from his mug.
