Summer Love: A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology

by Piper Rayne

  God, she was an emotional mess.

  Braking at the light, he flexed his fingers on the wheel. “It’s not right that you’re living in that shitbox apartment, working as a paralegal.”

  “Is that what Bradley told you?” He was such an idiot, always needing her to be more than what she was. “I summarize depositions. One day, if I’m good at what I do, I’ll get a promotion.”

  He shook his head, like he refused to accept it. “You’re an interior designer. You get off on color and texture and…” He flapped his hand, as if struggling to find the right words. “Design shit.”

  I do. This time she looked at him—unable to believe how much he’d picked up about her over the years—and his profile made her catch her breath. The strong jaw, the thick, black hair that always looked like someone had run her fingers through it.

  He’d rolled his cuffs and shoved them up to his elbows, revealing muscular, tan forearms.

  Would you snap out of it? He’s Bradley’s client. “That may be true, but I couldn’t even afford the ‘shitbox’ on the salary of an entry level interior designer here.”

  “But you two had a deal. You put off building your career so he could launch his. Well, you did it, you got him there, and now it’s your turn.” He cut her a look. “He owes you.”

  “The only thing I wanted from him was love. And trust. Without either of those…I don’t want a damn thing.” And you know what? She didn’t appreciate Matteo’s judgment. “Look, my life took a turn, and I swerved. New York’s an expensive place to live, and I’m doing the best I can.” She couldn’t wait to get to her apartment, make dinner, and get lost in a book.

  She didn’t need these reminders of the current state of her life. She was rebuilding, and screw anyone who didn’t get her choices.

  He reached for her hand, clasping it in a reassuring squeeze, and it snapped her out of her dark mood. In his eyes, she saw…admiration.

  “You miss him?” he asked.

  “I don’t miss the man he’s become.” After he signed you, his first big client. “I miss the life we’d once believed in. He used to love visiting my family, and we had this dream that we’d work our asses off, save our money, and then retire in Calamity. We wanted to raise our kids in the mountains. But instead, as soon as he started to make money—”

  “He started buying things.”

  She looked down at her ringless fingers. “Like that stupid wedding ring.”

  “The upgrade.”

  With his first bonus, Bradley had bought her a three-carat diamond to replace the tiny Montana sapphire he’d slid on her finger during the ceremony. When they’d met, he’d been rebelling from his wealthy family. Instead of going to Princeton like all the other Whitfords, he’d chosen Cornell, where they’d met. “I hated it.”

  “You like simple jewelry. Pretty, delicate.”

  What a funny thing for him to notice about her. “Exactly.” He’d never revealed any of these things before, this awareness of her, and it sweetened the well of bitterness that lived inside her. “You really don’t need to drive me. Those endorsement contracts aren’t going to sign themselves.”

  “I’m driving you.”

  “You’re always such an easy-going guy. I’m not used to seeing you so snarly.”

  “I’m not snarly. I’m pissed at him for being a scumbag. I had a lot of agents coming after me, and the only reason I chose him was because of you.” Someone cut him off, and he stomped on the brake. Strong, corded thigh muscles flexed beneath his jeans.

  “Me? What did I have to do with it?”

  “He was like all the other smooth-talking agents, trying to flatter me, making promises. The difference was that he was happily married to a down-to-earth”—he shot her a look with that deeply dimpled grin of his—“and smoking hot wife. You’re one of those wonder women, like my mama. You work full-time but have enough energy left over to take care of the people you love.” His smile faded. “And now he’s just another cheating scumbag.”

  “But he’s good at what he does.” Why am I defending him? “He got you some good deals.”

  “If he’ll cheat on his wife, he’ll fuck anyone over.”

  It shouldn’t have landed so squarely in her righteous heart, but it did. “Well, I can’t argue with that.” She’d never wanted to climb on someone’s lap and hug them as much as she did in this moment.

  Thank you for getting me.

  Just…thank you.

  Except she didn’t want to stop there. No, she wanted to kiss his wide, sensuous mouth. The man was always smiling. It would be like tasting happiness.

  “I like what you said to the sidepiece, that at least you’re not fucking someone’s husband, that you’re living life on your own terms.” Eyes on the road, he chuckled. “You’re a badass, Quinn Ellison.” His smile softened. “I’ve missed you.” It came out so warmly, she believed him.

  She’d been close with all of Bradley’s colleagues and clients. Many of them had used their apartment as a crash pad, and she’d fed them, hung out with them…she really missed the companionship. It had been ripped from her so abruptly, she hadn’t quite adjusted to it. “I’ve missed all of you, too.”

  “I don’t mean it in a generic way. I mean you. I miss you.” He watched the road, traffic thick. “You’re real, you’re smart. You’re good in here.” He tapped his chest.

  “I’m guessing Kristina isn’t the warmest hostess?”

  “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t hung out with them since you moved out.”

  That shouldn’t feel like a victory.

  But it did.

  She had to slide her hand under her thigh to keep from touching him. In gratitude, of course. Nothing more. “I noticed you didn’t acknowledge her.”

  “Look, I probably shouldn’t say anything. I haven’t talked to you since the Superbowl, but you should know…lots of people saw it go down. She didn’t even try to hide it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “One of the guys showed up at his office to go over contracts and saw her in there with him.”

  “What did he see?”

  “He saw her rubbing her tits all over him, bending over, ass in the air. Touching him, laughing at everything he said.”

  “And Bradley?”

  “Far as I know, at that point at least, he didn’t give her the time of day.”

  Oh. She wasn’t expecting that. “So, when did it change?” It helped to know he’d at least tried to be faithful.

  “No idea. I just know she’d been working him for a long time.”

  A light went off in her head. “You don’t think she got herself pregnant, do you? Intentionally?”

  “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  The idea made her sick. “Okay, let’s stop talking about it.” She’d spent months sorting through every moment of the last couple of years, looking for clues, things Bradley might’ve said, places he’d said he was going. “I’ve given the whole thing enough of my energy. I don’t care anymore. He’s changed. That’s not the man I married.”

  In college, Bradley was on track to play professional baseball. When he threw out his shoulder, he decided to become a sports agent. He’d already had some connections in New York, so that’s where they’d gone. For a couple of years, they’d loved each other hard, exploring the city, laughing at this crazy, new world. United in a common goal, they’d barely noticed their struggle to make ends meet.

  But then…he’d started making big money, and all those family values he’d repudiated suddenly became his guiding principles. He’d started buying things, going out to the cool clubs.

  And then he’d asked for a divorce.

  And the future she’d wholeheartedly believed in had crashed and burned.

  “Fine. We won’t talk about the sidepiece but let me just say this. You were an equity investor in his business, and now it’s his turn to invest in yours. Instead of buying a house in the Hamptons or a diamond ring—that money
should go to you.”

  She turned towards him. “Let me ask you something. Step into my buy-one-get-one-free flats for a minute. If your wife made ten times as much as you, but she cheated, got pregnant with another man’s baby—”

  He winced, raising a hand to stop her. “I get it. I wouldn’t take a fucking dime.” Focused on jockeying through traffic, his lips pulled into a taut line. “Okay, then, why stay here? If your end-goal is to go home, what’s for you in the city?”

  “The earning potential is higher here. Besides, there’s not a lot of opportunity for interior designers in Calamity.” Though, the very idea of going home made her soul rise up and clap its hands like a congregant listening to a rousing gospel song.

  “With all the celebrities and wealthy residents? That surprises me.”

  Every cell in her body strained to listen, desperate for him to have a real solution. “Right, and a lot of them bring their own designers in from New York, LA…Chicago. I mean, I’m not disagreeing with you. There is a lot of wealth, even though it’s a small town. Calamity has some amazing designers, but there’s just not enough work for me to set up shop there and hope I can make a career of it.”

  Looking contemplative, he rubbed a finger over his lip. “Look, some of the guys and I bought a place.”

  “In Calamity?”

  “Yeah. You know I’ve been coaching at Cassian’s football camp for years, and I like it there.” He shrugged. “The house needs a lot of work.”

  “Matteo, I would love to design it, but you can’t invent a job for me. I’m looking to build a future for myself—and that means I have to live where there’s opportunity.”

  “It’s not just a house. It’s a ranch, and the place is outdated. You could live there while we’re renovating it.”

  “You bought a ranch?”

  “Yeah, and if we hire you—a bunch of high-profile guys renovating a big spread in Calamity—it could jumpstart your career there. We could document the transformation on social media, get some press. You could establish a name for yourself.”

  “Oh, I see where you’re going with this.” And she loved it. Her creative juices started flowing, and she hadn’t even seen the place. Didn’t matter, in her mind she was already walking down antique store aisles.

  She’d been dreaming of designing a ranch house her entire life. “I love it.”

  “So, what do you say? You want to design the place?”

  Yes. “Don’t you need to confer with the other guys?”

  “Nah, they’ll agree with me.” He gave her a smile filled with promise. “I found the right person.”

  Chapter Two

  “Where are the other guys?” Quinn stood on the stone patio overlooking a sprawling meadow. Matteo’s ranch sat in a stunning valley created by the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges. Hawks soared in a bright blue sky, the Snake River rushed by, and in the distance a herd of elk gathered to graze.

  “It’s nice, right?” He stood beside her.

  A light breeze fluttered her skirt and carried the scent of wildflowers. “It’s unbelievable. And rare to get this many acres.” She swung around to face her new boss. “It’s so much bigger than I imagined. What’re your plans? Are you guys going to do a time-share kind of thing?” She could tell from his slightly embarrassed expression that they hadn’t considered their options yet. “It doesn’t matter. You literally just bought it. You have time to figure things out.” Though, why would they invest in something this big if they didn’t have an objective? A place like this was a legacy ranch. She couldn’t even imagine the cost. “How many of you went in on this?”

  Normally, the most confident man around, Matteo’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah, the realtor said people buy land like this to preserve the natural habitat. She talked about safeguarding the land for future generations. I like that.”

  He’d always intimidated her. Not just his body with all its spectacularly honed muscle or his looks—with his square jaw and gray eyes, he was the hottest man she’d ever seen—but it was also his charisma, his charm. He had this magnetic energy that caused heads to turn wherever he went.

  And he didn’t seem to notice or care.

  But right then, she saw a whole other side of Matteo Candella. The man was hiding something from her, and she had a terrible suspicion what it might be. “When can I meet the other guys? I’d like to get a sense of what everyone’s looking for, as well as a timeframe for when you expect it to be done.”

  He pulled a hand from his pocket and scraped it through his shiny, black hair. “There’s no hurry. Training camp starts next month, and we’ll be busy with the season through February, so…we’ll probably just give you a lot of leeway. You’re the expert, after all.”

  Yep, a picture was forming. And it was too unbelievable to contemplate. “Okay, but are you guys going to freshen it up”—because as far as lodges go, this place was pretty damn perfect—“and flip it?” Which would be a tragic loss. “Or rent it out?”

  He palmed the back of his neck. “I, uh, I’m definitely not selling it. I guess I could rent it out for part of the year.”

  “How do the other guys feel about that?”

  “We don’t need to worry about them. They’re more like silent investors.”

  In a rush, her heart swelled so big it hurt. “Oh, my God, you crazy man.” She smacked his hard chest. “You bought this for me, didn’t you?” She wanted to throw herself into those big, strong arms and just stay there for a hundred years.

  Who in the world would do such a thing?

  Because a place like this—in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? It cost in the tens of millions of dollars.

  He did this for me.

  To give me a career.

  “No.” He tipped his chin, going all mulish. “Like I said, it’s a good investment.”

  “Matteo, when did you buy this place? Because I’m getting the feeling the idea came to you in the car while we were talking two weeks ago.”

  Given his size, it would be hard to call him “cute.” But in that moment, his grin? He was adorable. “It’s an idea we’ve thrown around for a while. But it wasn’t until I got here that I met with a realtor and made it happen.”

  “So, you haven’t even closed on it?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I made an offer they can’t refuse.”

  “I don’t even know what to say. I want to yell at you for doing something so completely ridiculous. I mean, you know I can build my own career, right? But at the same time…it’s a done deal. You’re doing this.”

  “I’m doing this.”

  “Oh, my God, I’m just too grateful and touched to be angry.” She wanted to climb him like a tree, wanted to thank him with her mouth and her hands. Instead, she kept it professional. She scanned the acreage, the massive lodge, and the magnificent mountains. “The thing is…you live in Seattle. How much time are you going to spend here?”

  “Six months out of the year.”

  She set her hand on his arm, and his eyes went hot. He kept his gaze on the point of contact. “I can’t believe you did this.” Her limbs felt as shaky as if she’d just run five miles.

  “He should never have let a woman like you go.”

  Oh, man. He was killing her with sweetness. “But he did, and I’m fine.”

  “No. That woman in New York? The one who was working to become a paralegal? That’s not you. And you…Quinn, you deserve to have all your dreams come true. If he was stupid enough to let you go, he should’ve set you up in your own business.”

  “He’s having a baby.” She hunched a shoulder. “He’s got more pressing concerns.”

  “There’s nothing more important for a man than to take care of the people in his life.”

  She couldn’t believe the vehemence in his tone. Or how it excited her. He was a man of passion and honor, and she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to know him. “What do your parents think? Do you think they’ll move out here with you?” As soon as he’d gotten his first bi
g paycheck, he’d put a million dollars into the bank account of every single member of his family. He’d enabled his parents to retire and his siblings to choose the paths that were right for them.

  “They’ve only ever lived in Southern California as people struggling to make ends meet. I think they want to have a little fun before they consider settling down out here.” With a contemplative expression, he surveyed the area. “What do you think I should do with the land?”

  “Well, you’ve got a lot of options. My parents and their friends talk about turning a place like this into a luxury eco-tourism ranch.”

  “What would that look like?”

  “It’s all about driving awareness to wildlife and land preservation, so you’d offer these grand vacations where people would get to experience the Tetons. They could hunt and fish, ride the rivers and hike the mountains. Exposing them to the beauty of the area makes them understand that we’re guardians of it—not conquerors.”

  “I like that.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded solemnly.

  “Well, then, since you’re going to live here half the year, it would make sense to build some high-end cottages along the river. You’d offer adventures like horseback riding and hiking, heli skiing, and animal tours.”

  “If I do this, I don’t want it to be about hanging out with Matteo Candella.”

  “Yeah, I get that. If you want anonymity, you can just buy it with an LLC, and then you’d hire full-time adventure guides to take the guests fly fishing and hunting, white water rafting…” She smiled. “Actually, my mom’s a fly-fishing guide.”

  “You serious?”

  She nodded. “Yep. My dad works for an outfitter in town.”

  “Very cool. I like this idea a lot. Except for the hunting. Nothing more shameful than looking a majestic beast in the eyes and then shooting it dead with a gun.”

  “It’s called harvesting, and it’s necessary. With fewer predators, the elk and deer populations are out of control. But we can argue about it later.” She grinned up at him, and his gaze drifted to her mouth. Her body tingled as if she’d just come in from the cold and stepped in front of a warm fire. Um, yeah, keep it professional. “In any event, you’d hire a chef, a cleaning staff, and some guides…and you’ve got an insanely awesome business.”