“Well, thanks. Would you guys like some coffee? I slept a little later than normal this morning. Come on in if you have time. By the way, Zach, I had the alarms installed yesterday.” He stood there ogling her, reminding her that she stood in her gown and robe. It wasn’t only her robe, he stared at, but at every inch of her height. A warming glow came alive inside of her at the sight of Zach’s quirked and tasty lips.
“We’re kind of busy this morning,” he stated. “I see you got the horses out. If you need me around here, let me know. Otherwise, I have to do some things with Tyler sometime today. Still on for dinner?” He narrowed his eyes at her, and a subtle darkness crept in to mix with his green. “What the hell happened to your green eyes?”
Heaven forbid. She hadn’t put in her contacts. She nervously played it off, “You have something against blue eyes?” She glanced back and forth at them as if guilty of nothing.
“Not at all.” His whole face lit up in a smile. “They’re beautiful ice-blue.” He blinked and lifted his gaze to the hayloft. Then, without a warning, he grasped her chin and stared right into her eyes. Beat, heart.
She backed a step away and shook hair into her face. “I planned on calling you after getting the horses out. How about dinner here? You wanted somewhere quiet to talk business. I can guarantee this place is quiet.”
“I already made reservations this morning.” Zach stuck his hands into his pockets, still focusing on her face. “A reservation can be cancelled.”
“No, no, it’s fine. What kind of place so I know how to dress?”
“Anything is fine where we’re going… Ah, probably not what you have on, though I admit I like your fashion sense, especially with the rubber boots.” He and Tyler both howled.
She ignored them. “Wait. Would you mind canceling the reservation? I’d love to cook for you two tonight. You don’t have home-cooked meals often, Zach.” If only he didn’t recognize her now with blue eyes. At the doctor’s, their gaze had held far too long. Kimber folded her arms and peered at Tyler. “I see you’ve picked up your older brother’s bad habit called snarkiness.”
“Can’t help it. I’ve been around it so long. Proud of it too, ma’am.” His smile blasted right through her, and she had to return it. His friendliness drew her in. Her smile remained upon facing Zach. His darkened mood wiped it off. Kimber hugged herself and trudged past them, but turned. “Six-thirty too late for you?”
Zach rubbed his forehead while gazing down her body and back up…slowly as if on purpose. “We’ll be here on time. Should I bring anything? Dress a certain way?”
“Yeah,” said Tyler with snark. “Your checkbook, partner.” He chuckled, and Tyler pretended to punch Zach in the gut with both hands in boxer fashion.
“Is my checkbook needed too? You’re a fast mover, Tyler.” Kimber laughed.
“Nah, you won’t need your checkbook until my dad says pay.”
Good because she hadn’t heard back from Jerry yet. Again, she couldn’t hold in a smile being in the company of those two Brysons. Maybe she and Zach needed Tyler between them all the time. “See you both later.”
“Later, ma’am,” called Zach. “I’ll get the horses feed ready and make sure they’re watered.”
“I already took care of the second feeding.”
“We’ll make a rancher out of you yet,” he replied in return.
She came to a halt with a straight face, yet, smiled. It sounded nice to hear him admit it.
“Wait a minute, ma’am,” said Tyler. “Hey, brah, ain’t you forgetting something?”
At that moment, a dog whined. Kimber widened her eyes. “I didn’t know you had a dog, Zach. Tyler?”
“We don’t here in Arizona.” Zach headed to his truck. He opened the door and brought out a mid-size, long-haired dog. “You do.” He plopped the dog into her arms.
Tyler chuckled. “I found her on the road between here and Boulder City. The poor girl has no tags, and she looks like she’s been neglected. My mama would whoop my behind if I left her there. I took a picture and left my phone number at the nearest rest stop.”
“But—”
Zach cut in, “You said you were lonely at night. Now you don’t have to be. I can’t keep her in the loft all day while I’m working, and she didn’t take kindly to Jake’s dog, Kasha.”
“You’re giving her to me?” Kimber’s gaze followed Tyler out the back door and down toward the fence where she took the horses.
“Maybe. You’re not allergic to dogs, are you? If it isn’t a problem, can you keep her here for me? It’s better for her here than locked up in the loft.”
Kimber put her down before dropping her. She tickled the dog under her white chin. “She’s so cute, but she needs a bath and a good brushing. Have you named her?” She kept one hand on her in case she bolted. “You could bring her here daily with you, but I’ll keep her here. I hope she likes horses.”
“She acted like they were no big deal over at Jake’s. I haven’t named her.” He called Tyler to leave. “Naming is your job, Red.”
The dog rolled over, and Kimber patted her gray belly. “I can’t tell what she is. Part border collie? But the gray—”
The pooch got up and shook sand from her stormy gray and white coat. “Looks a little like one. We have a couple on the ranch. She’s mixed though.”
“I’ll have a name for her by time I see you tonight. Do either you or Tyler have any food allergies?” She got a dumbfounded look from Zach.
“The reason I ask is because I’m allergic to turmeric. Weird, I know. I don’t know anyone else allergic to it. It can be a problem, but I carry an auto-injector with me.”
Zach blinked. His Adams apple got stuck trying to swallow, it seemed. He chewed at a corner of his bottom lip, snapped his fingers and pointed at her. Then he closed his hand, bringing it to his chest.
She repeated, “Do you or Tyler have food allergies?”
He cleared his throat, came closer then lowered his gaze to her lips. His eyes flicked back to hers. Usually, his dreamy orbs sparkled in the sunlight, but not now. They darkened like grass in an oil spill. Tyler headed toward them.
“Zach?” She asked again, nervous now due to his menacing look, and she wished to be somewhere else. On the other side of the planet would work. Had he figured it out?
“Uh uh.” Zach crouched and lifted the dog, squeezing her in a gentle hug.
She looked small in Zach’s strong arms. Kimber stroked her fur, but Zach fell back a step. “Thank you for this. I’ll take good care of her for you.”
His voice changed to a somber tone. “There might be something in the tack room to tie around her neck and a rope to keep her from running off until she gets to know you.”
“I hope she’s housebroken.”
“I’m positive she is.” Zach carried the dog with him. He glanced back at her with a frown, then he and Tyler entered the tack room.
Kimber trembled as he walked away. She folded her arms, squeezing them. Something happened. A wrinkle interrupted their… Their what? Their working relationship that finally worked for a short time? The fact he was kind to the dog said something about him, but his instant melancholy veneer said the opposite.
She rushed to her bedroom to dress for the day. She’d love to have a new dress to wear tonight. Now dinner was the last thing she wanted. Tonight, she wanted to be alone, but dammit, she’d blurted out the invitation. She couldn’t back out. This business meeting was her future. Hurriedly, she put in her contacts so he didn’t have to stare at her blue eyes any longer when he brought the dog up to the house.
She donned dark jeans matching the ones Zach wore today, but it was only coincidence, and she pulled on a rusty colored t-shirt. Downstairs she stuck her bare feet into her boots and met Zach and Tyler coming out of the barn. On the way, she glanced at Zach’s truck, a big black Dodge dually that looked about as bad-ass as him in a dark mood. The dog was on a long rope attached to a smaller rope tied loosely around her neck. She s
campered to Kimber with her tail wagging.
“Hey, girl, look at you. Thank you. I’ll get a collar from town today.”
“There’s a big box store out of town with a small farm supply store nearby. A quick search will find it.” Zach removed his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. “This should take care of what you need to get started.”
“I can’t take your money,” she replied.
“Problem solved. Tyler gave her to me. For now, she’s mine. Take it.” He stuffed the bill into her hand.
Tyler added another fifty dollars to the lot. He patted the dog. “Buy her the good food. At home, we always feed our dogs the good stuff. Dad’s rules. ‘If we can feed our cattle the best, we can do the same for those who work for us,’ he says. Get her a bed too.”
She reluctantly accepted the money from both of them. “All right, but only because you insist. You sure you two don’t want to name her?”
“Nah. Let’s go, Ty.” He nudged his brother’s shoulder.
“Nope, me neither. I have a hard-enough time with horses and calves,” Tyler replied on the way to the truck.
He got in Zach’s truck, and Zach followed, removed his hat, and laid it on the back seat. Zach glanced at her with foreboding bleakness. “See you tonight, but one day I’ll keep the reservations at the Golden Nugget.”
Grinning, Tyler leaned out the window until his hat fell off. Zach brought the truck to a crawl. Tyler jumped out, grabbed his hat, and got in while the truck still rolled. Zach drove out.
He had a sweet personality that drew Kimber in. Zach, on the other hand, had a weird way of asking for a dinner date. The timing certainly didn’t match the warning glimpse in his eyes. She patted her thigh for the dog. “Come on, no-name.”
She coiled up the rope and they went up the two steps. Inside, she slid the makeshift collar off the dog, measured it, and wrote it down with her list of items to pick up. “You better not pee on my floor, little girl.” How sweet of Zach to bring her over. Nonetheless, Kimber shivered when the sober look on his face flashed before her eyes.
***
Zach had nothing to say going down the road until they were almost back at the JL Ranch. “Wanna get a drink?”
“Yeah, I guess. Maybe some food.”
“Sure. Tyler, be honest with me—”
“Always, brah.”
“You can stop calling me brah anytime. Does Kimber look at all familiar to you?”
Tyler shrugged. “Not to me. Why, you think you know her? Is that the reason the tone of your voice picked up some ice?”
He rolled his window down then wiped his fingers across the back of his neck. “No, I don’t know her, personally, but I’ve seen her before. It’s been driving me crazy trying to figure out where…until today. Remember when you took me to the doctor’s office before I came here?”
“Yeah, of course.” Tyler nodded ahead. “Rob’s Place. What kind of food do they have here?”
“I never ate here, but the Scotch is damn good. Back to my question. I saw her there at the plastic surgeons, but she looked totally different.”
“Zach, they call it a plastic surgeon for a reason. Nope, I’ve never seen her before, but I don’t keep track of your women.”
Zach held his middle finger up to his brother, and Tyler laughed. “When’s the last time you saw me with a woman?”
“Too long, old man.”
He was right, but when Kimber mentioned her allergy to turmeric, it hit him in the face like a hardball. She had said turmeric right to the receptionist the day they waited. Then he peered into her blue eyes, not fake green, and he knew where they had captured him. The gaze that had followed him to the door in the office, stuck with him, hypnotized him, like today.
“Well, if you saw her, wouldn’t she recognize you? You’re soul mates. Looks like you get a second chance.”
“Something’s not right about that woman.” Zach exited the truck.
“What do you mean?” Tyler met him in the front of the truck and they walked into Rob’s Place and took a table along the wall away from the bar.
A good Scotch on the rocks would be perfect right now, but he’d pass. “I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“You’ve always been good at reading people, Zach. If your gut is telling you this, then I’d listen.”
“She had blonde hair in the doctor’s office. I knew she looked familiar the first day here, but I tried to picture where I’d seen a redhead, not a blonde.”
The wait person came over for their order. “Hello, gentlemen. What can I get you?”
Zach peeked up at the pretty woman standing closer to him than Tyler, but she smiled at his brother. “Sorry, we haven’t had a chance to look over the menu. Give us a couple minutes, please, but I’ll have a draft beer.”
“Bring me a bottle of something local.” Tyler picked up the menu. She left to get their beer and brought it over, set it down, and gave them time to view the menu.
“A prime rib sandwich sounds good.” Zach closed the menu and peered at his watch. It was too early for beer or lunch.
“I’ll have a Reuben and fries.” Tyler closed his and searched for the lady, but she noticed first, and headed back over with a wiggle to her walk and a smile.
“Rob said your first beer is on the house.”
Zach lifted his glass to Rob behind the bar. “Listen, bro, I’m not going to mention to Kimber what I told you. Maybe she’ll come forward with the truth. She seemed kind of nervous when I… Well, I guess my attitude changed.” How could it not?
“Hah, that’s putting it mildly. If she’s as good at reading people as you, she’ll figure you out, you know…whatever the hell it is.” They sat in silence for a little while. Tyler texted the whole time, but he put his phone away when the smell of food wafted toward them. “Here it comes. Let’s eat. Good beer.” Tyler tapped his bottle neck against Zach’s glass.
Chapter 11
For dinner, Kimber fixed roasted chicken with olive oil and lemon, apple and herb stuffing, mashed potatoes for the guys, green beans with bacon and garlic like her mom used to make, and a tossed salad on the side with field greens. She settled on unoaked Chardonnay for the wine choice, and beer. Cherry crisp with vanilla bean ice cream would finish off the meal.
The dog gave a gruff bark. Kimber peeked out the window. “Good girl.” Zach pulled in at six thirty-five. What mood had he brought with him? Her eyes widened. No Tyler? But Tyler’s head popped up on the other side of the truck as if he’d bent to pull a pant leg over his boot.
Kimber opened the door. The bathed and brushed doggie ran out wearing her bright pink collar and tag without a name. Albeit, she said the dog would have a name by tonight, it didn’t happen.
She went right up to Tyler—her rescuer. Zach patted the dog but peered up at Kimber with opposition in his expression. An alarm went off. Kimber held the door. “You’re right on time.”
“I’m five minutes late. What’s her name?” Zach inquired without hesitation, but had he asked out of spite?
“I’ve been too busy to consider a name as of yet.” As she spoke, the name Stormy came to mind. Was it a precognition of what the night would be like? She strolled inside as if everything was fine, but her world could fall apart beneath her feet. Deep breath. “There’s wine or beer, whichever you want. One of you can open the bottle of wine. I’ll be right back.”
“It smells good in here.” Zach browsed the kitchen, sniffing the air.
“Thanks. It did me good to cook for someone.” She rushed to her bedroom, closed the door, and leaned against it. The dog pawed at the wood. She opened it enough to let her in. “What is it, girl?” She knelt and pushed her face into the dog’s fur and came close to crying. Indeed, it felt good to hold a living, breathing soul.
“Hey, Kimber?”
What did he want? She couldn’t stay in here all night. Okay, Stormy, this is it. She opened the door and asked softly on the way out, “What do you need?”
Before she got down the hallway he came toward her, looking as tall and sturdy as an oak tree, and he kept coming. She backed up until she ran into a storage closet at the end of the hallway. Kimber held her palms up to him. “What?” Her heart sank. He knows.
He stared directly at her in the shadowed hallway. Zach closed his eyes a second. “I can’t hold it in any longer.” He flipped the light on in the hallway and cupped her face. Examined every inch, in fact. Her breath held and chin quivered. Without a doubt, he knew. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for a scar.”
“What the hell for?” Her words came out through gritted teeth.
“To see if I’m going crazy.”
Her heart beat rapidly, but now it wasn’t due to fear of him finding out. He was too close. The heat from his body along with the scent of him tonight slathered the front of her body with want. Dear God, don’t let him know. “Leave me alone, Zach. I don’t know what you’re thinking. What are you thinking?”
“You’ve looked familiar since the moment I saw you here. We’ve met before. I know where.”
“You’re wrong. I’ve never seen you before you came down from my loft, other than the plane and the restaurant.” She tried her best not to shudder when his body pressed against hers, but she did anyway because she’d lied to him. Her soul wouldn’t stop quivering. “You’re wrong, Zach. Dinner is getting cold.”
“Zach?” called Tyler from the hallway entrance.
She ducked under his arm to escape.
He spoke to her back, “I’m not wrong. But you didn’t have red hair.”
It brought her to a complete stop. Tyler walked back toward the kitchen. She closed her eyes while deciding what to say. “I would know if I’ve seen you before.” Damn liar!
“Do you have amnesia?”
“No. I’m serving dinner.” She entered the kitchen, and Tyler stood at the window. “Ready to eat, Tyler?”
“Yes, ma’am, it smells delicious. I grabbed a beer. Thanks for buying the good kind.”
Finding Kimber (Canyon Junction; Hearts In Love Book 2) Page 14
