by Lori Wilde
“Sassy. I like that.” His big thumb stroked the controller.
“You guys playing?” Katie asked Gabi and Joe and reached for a second controller.
“We’re spectating this round.” Joe slung his arm around Gabi’s shoulder and drew her, chair and all, closer to him.
The monitor above their table scrolled the instructions and the rules of the game. People throughout the bar could join the game and pick which team they wanted to be on. Katie was on the red team, Ryder on the blue.
The first category was potpourri.
“I hate potpourri,” Gabi said. “It’s such a mixed bag. You never know what you’re going to get.”
“Like a box of chocolates.” Joe kissed her forehead.
“Actually, no, not like a box of chocolates. In every box of chocolates I’ve ever bought they have a diagram drawn into the lid telling you which chocolate is which, so if you bother to read the lid, you do know what you’re getting in a box of chocolates.” Gabi planted a palm in the center of her husband-to-be’s chest and rested her head on his shoulder.
“You’re saying Forrest Gump’s mother was yanking his chain?” Joe ran his fingers through Gabi’s hair.
“Yup.” Gabi sighed contentedly.
“Don’t look,” Katie told Ryder. “They’re getting sickening.”
“You’re just jealous,” Joe said. “’Cause you’re not in love.”
“Hmph.” Katie grunted and poked Ryder in the ribs with her elbow. “First question is about to come up. Eyes on the screen. It moves fast once the questions start. Speed counts. You get extra points—”
The first question popped up. What year did Masters and Johnson publish their seminal tome Human Sexual Response? Along with the question were four multiple-choice answers.
Some yokel in the back of the pub snickered loudly. “Semen-al.”
Ryder guessed wrong. Katie got it right.
“How did you know that?” he asked.
“I watched a television show about Masters and Johnson.”
“Guess I’m behind the eight ball on pop culture questions. I don’t own a TV,” Ryder said.
“I know—” Katie bit her tongue. She was about to say, I know, I was in your apartment, but then realized where she was and who she was with and finished lamely, “—no one who doesn’t have a TV.”
She need not have worried. Gabi and Joe weren’t listening. They were deep in the throes of a passionate kiss.
“Jesus,” Ryder said. “Save something for the honeymoon.”
“Jealous,” Joe mumbled around Gabi’s lips.
“You both just missed answering the second question when you weren’t paying attention,” said the waitress, who dropped by to see if they wanted anything else, and they all ordered coffees.
“Darn it,” Katie said. “We gotta focus.”
“At least we’re even,” Ryder said.
“We’re not even. I aced the first question. You’re down by one. Ooh, new question.” Katie bounced on her seat, read the screen. The first rubber condom was produced in what year?
What was with these questions? When did potpourri category get so sexy? Katie had no idea, punched in an answer at random, and got it wrong.
Ryder, however, got it right.
“Lucky guess,” Katie accused.
“Yes.” He grinned impishly. It felt good to see him having fun. “But it still counts.”
“These are hard,” Katie grumbled.
“That’s what condoms are for,” Gabi teased.
Which land mammal has the largest penis to body ratio?
Seriously? But she knew this. She’d heard this fun fact on a morning radio talk show. Rapidly, she clicked “barnacle” as her choice.
The monitor turned red. Indicating she’d guessed wrong. No. No way. She knew it was the right answer. “Hey! I was robbed. The barnacle does have the largest penis to body ratio.”
“I’m not even going to ask how you know that,” Gabi mumbled.
“The barnacle might have the largest penis,” Ryder said. “But the question asked for a land mammal.” Ryder had nailed it, answering with African elephant.
“Oh yeah.” Katie’s cheeks heated and she avoided meeting anyone’s gaze, particularly Ryder’s, training her eyes on the screen. The next question was about chewing gum, thank heavens, and both she and Ryder got it right.
“Neck in neck,” he said, leaning in so close she could smell his woodsy aftershave.
She grinned at him, and he grinned back. “Might end up a draw.”
“For sure,” he murmured. “The draw is a given.”
Gabi snapped her fingers from her perch in Joe’s lap where she’d migrated. “You’re missing the questions again.”
The game continued, and Ryder quickly lost his edge as the category changed from potpourri to Katie’s wheelhouse, books and authors. She aced every single question in that round.
Ryder scored one. He’d known Poe was the author of “The Pit and the Pendulum.” “I only know that one because of you,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“You gave me a book of Poe’s short stories to read.”
“I did?” She wrinkled her nose.
“You don’t remember?”
“I gave a lot of books to a lot of people.”
“And here I thought I was special.”
You have no idea how special! “I’m impressed,” she said, “that you read it. From what I remember you weren’t much of a reader.”
“I . . .” He cast a sidelong glance at Joe and Gabi, and from his expression she could tell he wanted to say more, but not in present company.
What was on his mind? His demeanor had certainly shifted from how he was when they’d gone to see his father to now. It was as if a switch had been flipped.
The topic of the third round category popped up. Military. Ryder chuckled, rubbed his palms together, and said, “You are so dead.”
But Katie had once worked for Lockheed Martin, an aerospace company with military contracts. She knew a thing or two about the military. She missed a few questions, and Ryder gained on her, but in the end, her score beat his.
She did a little victory dance in her seat. “Get the Harley tuned up. Looks like we’re going for a ride.”
“Um,” Joe said. “I believe you owe the man a home-cooked dinner, although why he would want that from you is beyond my understanding.”
“What do you mean? I won.” Katie waved at the scores on the screen. “Katydid beat Wasabi.”
“You spotted him twenty-five points, remember?” Gabi knocked her fist gently against Katie’s noggin.
“Oh yeah. Pooh.”
Ryder’s smile turned devilish. “Can’t wait for that delicious meal.”
“She might cook for you, but if you’re holding out for delicious, you’re going to be waiting a looong time,” Joe joked.
“Enough, brother,” Katie said. “He gets it. I’m a terrible cook. But a bet is a bet. I’m going to fix the best meal I know how.”
“What?” Joe laughed. “Take-out chicken from Froggy’s?”
Ryder got to his feet. “We’ll arrange a time for dinner later,” he told Katie. “For now, I’m going to go back to the KOA. No way am I spending the night at the ranch until Katie works her magic and cleans up that hell hole.”
Katie hopped up, grabbed her jacket from around the back of her chair. “You’re gonna need a ride back to the ranch to get your Harley.”
“That’s okay,” Joe said. “We’ll take him to the ranch. It’s on our way, and that way you won’t have to make a special trip out of town.”
Curses. Foiled in her attempt to get Ryder alone to discuss those meaningful looks he’d been sending her.
The half smile he gave her was contrite, as if he felt the same way. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
“Yep. Back at it.” She made a gung-ho gesture with her arms like she was ready to tackle the world.
Questio
n: Was she ready to tackle the interesting feelings stirred up inside her after spending another day with Ryder?
Chapter 14
“Tell me everything that happened in LA.”
It was seven p.m. that same evening and Gabi was standing on Katie’s front porch, a bottle of vodka in one hand, and a carafe of grapefruit juice in the other, and her overnight bag thrown over her shoulder.
“And don’t even try to pretend that you and Mr. Pure Sex Walking didn’t hook up last Christmas,” Gabi went on. “I picked up on the innuendo over trivia.”
Katie arched an eyebrow. “Am I to assume you’re spending the night?”
“Yes. Drinking will be done.” Gabi jutted out her chin, and stood her ground. “Slumber party!”
“No sleeping ever gets done at slumber parties.” Katie could tell her friend was not going to be dissuaded. “I have to get up early tomorrow and wade through Jax Southerland’s shambles of a life.”
“You’re not punching a time clock. You’re the boss.”
“My crew arrives at eight. I need to be there to let them in.”
“We’ll be in bed by midnight,” Gabi vowed. “I promise.”
Katie held the door open wide, feeling grateful, despite a sigh rising up in her. Gabi was such a good friend. She was so glad she’d responded to Gabi’s Pinterest post those fifteen months ago. “C’mon in.”
Gabi trooped over the threshold, and headed straight for the kitchen to mix up the cocktails. Resigned to talking about Ryder, Katie trailed after her.
“So . . .” Gabi had to stand on tiptoes to reach the glasses on the top cabinet shelf. “Start from the beginning . . .”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
Gabi dumped sea salt in a saucer, dampened the rims of the glasses, and rotated them in the sea salt. She measured out a shot of vodka in each glass, filled it with grapefruit juice, bitters, stirred vigorously to mix and served it over ice. “We’re drinking. You’re dishing. Spill it.”
“Where’s Joe?” Katie asked, stalling.
“Joe and Ryder are cutting down trees at the farm as we speak. Bonding. Doing guy things. Probably talking about us.”
“But it’s dark.”
“You know how well the Christmas tree farm is lit, and I think they just needed to work off some stream. We invited Ryder to spend the night with us instead of wasting money at the KOA. I’ve got nowhere else to be but here.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.” Gabi pushed the salty dog into Katie’s hand. “A toast.”
“To what?”
“Our hot guys.”
“Ryder’s not my guy.”
Gabi rolled her eyes. “Okay, to hot guys in general.”
“To hot guys.” Katie clinked her glass with Gabi’s, and then took a long swallow of the tangy citrus drink.
“Now, back to Ryder. Details. I want details. When did the attraction begin?”
“Ryder lived with our family during his last year of high school, after his dad kicked him out.”
“I know. Joe told me . . . Continue.”
“I had a secret crush on him.” Katie mumbled, staring into her glass at the grapefruit pulp clinging to the ice cubes.
“Well of course you did. What red-blooded American teenage girl wouldn’t have a crush on a hottie like Ryder?”
“Hey, watch it. You’re about to marry my brother.”
“Just a statement of fact. I’ve got eyes. But my heart belongs to Joe always and forever. Rest assured, I am not lusting after your guy.”
“He’s not my guy,” Katie protested.
Gabi took a pull off her straw. “Okay, so you’ve been crushing on Mr. Pure Sex Walking for over a decade, and—”
“You make it sound like I’ve been mooning over him for thirteen years. It’s not like that. I was engaged. I was with Matt . . .” Katie fished an ice cube from her glass, sucked on it.
“And yet you still fantasized about Mr. Pure Sex Walking from time to time.”
“Yes, but fantasies are fantasies for a reason,” Katie admitted sheepishly. “And stop calling him that.”
“Why? Ryder is sex walking—those muscles and sinew, that thick tanned skin, his lanky movements, eyes that ooze bad-boy charisma.”
“Nothing is going to come of this relationship, so don’t even try to play matchmaker. We hooked up. Once. And that’s how it’s going to stay. A one-time thing.”
Gabi hopped onto the bistro barstool beside Katie. “How come?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. I want to know.”
“Well, for one thing, I’m T-ball and he’s major league.”
“Oh, shut the front door.” Gabi snorted. “He is not out of your league.”
“You said it yourself. He’s pure sex walking and I’m certainly not.”
Gabi snorted and rolled her eyes. “You are smoking-hot gorgeous. Ryder would be lucky to have someone like you.”
“Smoking-hot gorgeous?” Katie swept a hand at her faded mismatched pajamas, hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, and fluffy pink bedroom slippers. “You have a generous definition of gorgeous.”
“Girl.” Gabi flapped a hand. “Pretty is from the inside out. Clothes and makeup aren’t what make a woman gorgeous. It’s her smile, her laugh, her heart, her humility. You’ve got all that times ten.”
“Guys are more superficial.”
“That’s a bit sexist. Painting all guys with the same brush.”
“You’re right. It’s just that men, in general, are so visual. The pretty package is what lures them in. That’s how I snared Ryder in the first place. I was wearing that snug-fitting red sheath dress of yours.”
“Katie Cheek, stop it. Ryder knew you when you were a skinny teenager with braces and thick glasses and frizzy hair. You didn’t hoodwink him by cleaning up nice and putting on a designer dress. He knows the real you.”
That thought thrilled her so much she didn’t dare entertain it for long in case she started believing it. “Mom’s been showing you the family picture albums again, huh?”
“What can I say?” Gabi shrugged. “I asked to see Joe’s baby pictures for the wedding video, and I got deluged with the entire Cheek family history. I’m not completely sure your mom remembered which baby was which, so she threw all the pics at me.”
“I think after the first couple offspring, she might have lost track.” Katie laughed. “Six kids are a lot to take care of.”
“And your mom makes it look easy, but back to the high school crush. You were swooning over Ryder as a wide-eyed fifteen-year-old, but feeling inadequate. I’m guessing he had no idea how you felt about him.”
“I think he got an inkling there at the end.” Katie pressed a palm to her face. Her forehead sweltered from embarrassment. To cool off, she downed the rest of icy salty dog, felt her head spin pleasantly.
“How so?”
“I kissed him,” Katie confessed, and told her the kissing-the-plum story.
“Ooh, that sounds sexy. No wonder you threw yourself at him. Kudos to you for being brave enough to go for what you wanted.”
“I didn’t plan it. The kiss was completely impulsive.”
“Many of the best kisses are.” Gabi smiled, her eyes faraway, as if remembering an impulsive kiss or two of her own.
“And stupid. Very stupid.”
“How do you mean?”
“I actually launched myself at him and knocked him to my bedroom floor . . .” Katie went on with the story. “And when I attended your fund-raising gala in LA, he was there guarding Les Ketchum, and he saw me racing up the stairs, my chest burning from wasabi reaction, and he thought I was Ketchum’s stalker, and he tackled me.”
“Knocking you to the ground.”
Katie nodded. “Spread eagle. He pressed me into the floor. I’m not a big believer in coincidence, but I . . . I think we both considered it fated somehow that we ended up in the same place, in the same position we
were in the last time we were together, and we simply got swept up in the moment.”
“Been there.” Gabi smiled wickedly. “With Joe.”
“Eww.” Katie plugged her ears. “You’re talking about my brother. TMI.”
“Getting swept away can be fun.” Gabi giggled.
“It might have been fun,” Katie said, and hardened her jaw. “But it certainly wasn’t smart. If I had known you were falling for my brother at the same time I was in LA getting tackled, I certainly wouldn’t have hooked up with Ryder that night.”
“Why not?”
“Because now there’s a reason for him to come back to Twilight. If he wasn’t serving as Joe’s best man, I wouldn’t ever have to see him again.”
“He would have come back anyway, Katie. He had to check on his dad after his stepmother died. But I still don’t get why you’re ruling him out as a serious love interest.”
“It’s way too complicated.”
“How so?”
“For one thing, Ryder lives in LA and I’m Twilight all the way. You’ve met my family. We’re entrenched in this town and each other’s lives.”
“He’s from here. Maybe he’ll move back. Especially now that his dad is widowed and alone, they might make up.”
“Those two mix like matches and gasoline.” Katie shook her head. “I don’t ever see Ryder coming back here for good. This town was not very nice to him. There’s nothing for him here.”
“Ahem.” Gabi cleared her throat and stared at Katie pointedly.
“What?”
“You. You were here for him.”
Katie grunted and shook her head. “What man would give up his job and LA for Podunk, Texas, and me?”
“I gave up LA for Joe.”
“Yes, but you were looking for small-town life.”
Gabi made a noise of impatience. “Dammit, Katie, you’re a wonderful person and I’m so proud to call you my friend, but I swear sometimes you don’t give yourself enough credit. Let your light shine, woman. Maybe Ryder agreed to be Joe’s best man because he wanted to see you again. Ever considered that?”
“No.” Katie swiveled from side to side, shaking her body as well as her head for emphasis. “He came for Joe.”
