by Jess Bryant
He looked like the type of man that Blue shunned, the kind that made her a little uncomfortable in all the right places. He looked like the kind of man that drank beer and swore and kept women around just long enough to make them fall for him before he moved on to the next. He looked like the kind of man that she always, always avoided because he looked a little dark, a little dangerous and a lot sexy.
Well-worn blue jeans clung to long legs. A tight gray t-shirt stretched across a broad chest, the sleeve rode up on one side giving just a glimpse of black ink curled around the muscular bicep below. His face was shaded by the brim of a dusty baseball cap but she could just make out the dark five o’clock shadow gracing his square jaw.
“Need some help ma’am?” His voice was like gravel, deep and kind of scratchy, in the way only a complete bad boy could pull off.
“I um… I blew a tire.”
“I can see that.” One corner of his mouth twitched up, “You need help fixin’ it?”
“No. I mean yes, I mean…” She sighed heavily, “The thing is, I don’t have the tools to fix it so while I do need help, I doubt there’s much you can do unless you have superman strength and can lift a car with your bare hands.”
“No ma’am.” He chuckled lightly, “This things pretty small but I doubt I can lift it.”
“I figured.”
“I have some tools in my truck if you’d like the help though.” He shrugged and a smile tugged at his lips again, “Course you’ll have to get out of the car.”
She looked him over again. So he’d noticed she hadn’t made a move to get out of the car or even roll the window down. And he was right, if she wanted his help she’d have to get out of the car. She was out of other options so she’d take the help but that didn’t mean she was dumb.
“Can I see your driver’s license please?”
He snorted and shook his head like she was crazy but pulled his wallet from his back pocket. The movement pulled her eyes down from that impressive chest and she automatically noticed the bulge at the front of his blue jeans. And she’d thought the chest was impressive?
She pulled her eyes away feeling like a pervert even if it did happen to be at eye level through her window. The man was a remarkable specimen. Tall and broad and thick, he looked like the kind of guy she wished she’d had sitting in the passenger seat to show off to the people of Fate. She’d proudly parade a guy like him around if he was her date to the wedding.
“Here you go.” He held the card against the window and broke into her daydream, “I ain’t an ax murderer ma’am.”
“Isn’t that exactly what an ax murderer would say?” She smiled sweetly as she punched the remaining number into her phone and listened to it ring.
“Good point.” He chuckled again and the sound roused the butterflies that had been dormant in her stomach for years.
The answering machine picked up at the ranch house just as she’d expected so she left a message, “Daddy it’s me. I had some car trouble and a man stopped to help me. His name is…” She squinted at the card and her stomach clenched tight, “Oh hell… I mean, shit, I mean… sorry, Daddy, delete this message I’ll be home soon.”
She slammed the phone down and took a deep breath. How had she been stupid enough to think he was a stranger? In Fate there was no such thing as strangers. Damn it.
“Well that wasn’t exactly the phone call I thought I’d be hearing.” She heard his deep chuckle and steeled all of her defenses against it.
“Yeah sorry, I um… I recognized your name. You’re Zach West?”
“That’s what they’ve been tellin’ me all my life.” He leaned down with his face close to the windshield, “Do I know you?”
“Yes. No. I mean…” She let out a frustrated breath, annoyed she was stuttering again when he looked so amused, “I’m originally from Fate but I moved away a long time ago. I recognize the West name, the Triple Star Ranch right?”
“Yes ma’am.” He nodded, “Seems you’ve got me at the disadvantage. Want to tell me your name?”
She chewed her bottom lip; thankful her Ray-Ban’s hid a good portion of her face. It was possible he wouldn’t recognize her. She’d been gone a long time and it’s not like they’d known each other back then. But the minute she said her name he’d know exactly who she was.
“I’m not so sure I want to.”
His lips pursed, “And why’s that?”
“Maybe I’m afraid if I tell you who I am you won’t want to help me anymore?”
She could see his head tilt out of the corner of her eye but she refused to look up. He was studying her. She could feel it, could feel him trying to figure out just who she was and why she’d be reluctant to say her name. And then he stood to his full height and she held her breath, waiting for him to state the obvious and walk away.
“Don’t have much faith do ya ma’am?” He snorted as he tucked his license and wallet back into his pocket. “How about I get my tools and you go ahead and get out of the car?”
She watched him walk back towards his truck and didn’t mind watching in the least. Oh he had a nice ass to cap it all off. Deep voice. Great chest. Big Package. Nice Ass. No doubt her first suspicions had been accurate. He was too good-looking not to be trouble with a capital T. She had no idea how right she’d been when she came to that assumption.
Zach West. How was that even possible? Sure Fate was a small town but that small?
The West ranch was the only ranch other than the Montgomery Oaks in fifty miles. She’d grown up hearing the stories of how Johnson Montgomery, her great granddaddy supposedly stole acreage from Wayland West to start his own operation. A West helping a Carter would be like a Barnes giving an olive branch to a Ewing.
Her father and Ellis West had been bitter rivals when the other man had been alive. Rumor said it had something to do with her mother picking Lyle over Ellis. She had no idea what the truth was.
As far as she was concerned the family feud had ended with her parents. She had no problem with the West’s. She hoped that was enough to earn her the help of one of them today.
“Thanks for stopping.” She kept her Ray-Ban’s firmly on her face as she stepped from the car, “Sorry about thinking you might be an ax murderer.”
“No worries ma’am. It’s smart to be safe, even in a small town like this, strangers are still strangers.” He tossed a jack and a small tool box down near the front tire that was shredded. “Then again, I still ain’t figured out just how much a stranger you are.”
Strangers. Yes, he had a point there. It’d be easier if she could remain a stranger at least until he finished helping her. She chose to ignore the obvious question looming in the air of her identity and changed the subject.
“Can I help?”
His grin was dazzling, “In those clothes? I doubt it.”
Blue suddenly felt very self-conscious which didn’t make a lick of sense. She was dressed in her favorite navy blue silk shift dress with the little pink patent leather belt cinching her waist and the matching Steve Madden pumps. Somehow standing next to him in a t-shirt and blue jeans she felt completely out of place. She frowned and he chuckled again.
“I’d hate for you to get all dirty for no reason. You’re obviously going somewhere fancy.”
“I have to go to dinner tonight with some old friends.”
“Don’t worry about it. I stopped to help.” He shoved the baseball hat backwards onto his head, “Can you pop the trunk? I’ll get the spare.”
Green. His eyes were green. Without the cap shielding the sun she got her first look at his full face and couldn’t think of anything else. They were green, not emerald but almost jade and strangely soft and warm for a man as masculine as him.
“Oh, um, yeah.” She forced herself to turn away and pop the trunk like he asked.
Uncomfortable. He definitely made her uncomfortable in all those dark, dirty places in her body that hadn’t reacted to a man in far too long. Uncomfortable in her clothes, like she d
idn’t really want them on around him. Uncomfortable in her skin, like she’d really like to know what it would feel like to have those big hands on her.
She pushed those uncomfortable thoughts aside. It wouldn’t do to react to him like that. Still, she hadn’t remembered him being so gorgeous.
Not true, she hadn’t remembered him at all until she saw that driver’s license. He’d been older than her if she remembered correctly, not that she was certain she did. The man definitely didn’t look old though. She forced herself to stop staring as he dropped to the ground and went to work.
“So you’re from Fate?”
“Yeah, originally. Born and raised but I escaped when I was eighteen.” She frowned when the words came out so easily.
He tilted his head and looked up at her curiously, “What brings you back?”
“A friend of mine is getting married tomorrow, I’m a bridesmaid.”
He chuckled, “You don’t sound too happy about that.”
She’d have to do a better job of hiding that fact if a guy that didn’t even know her could see that. Her father would pick up on it in a second. So would Molly and that wouldn’t be very nice. She was supposed to be happy for her friend getting married, not bemoaning the fact she was arriving home ringless to face a town she’d been avoiding for a decade.
“Let’s just say the dress is less than flattering.” She shrugged indifferently.
“I doubt anything would look too awful on you.”
Her breath hitched. Had that been a compliment? Was he hitting on her? Surely not, the heat was going to her head.
“This is a nice car.”
“Oh, yeah, thanks.”
She looked the cherry red Audi R8 over with a careful eye. It was more than just nice really. It was also fast and expensive. She didn’t regret her impulse buy; the car had more than performed as she sped from Denver to Fate with the windows down and the music blaring. Still, her 4Runner probably would have been better suited to an empty west Texas highway.
“Have to admit I never thought I’d see one of these in Fate though, trucks, SUV’s, the occasional mustang but this…” He whistled and she found herself grinning again.
“I was just thinking common sense said I should have brought the 4Runner.”
“Common sense and fun don’t always go hand in hand.” He chuckled, “I bet she handles like a dream.”
“That she does.” She nodded, “Can’t imagine you behind the wheel though, no offense.”
“And why’s that?” He turned to give her a knowing smirk.
“Really?”
“You think you’re going to hurt my feelings?”
“Fine, just don’t come crying to me because I’m going to say I told you so.” She pulled in a snort, “For starters, the Ford truck over there. It’s built for power and function, not speed. Second, you don’t strike me as a gear head since you mentioned it’s a nice car but not the model and third…” She smiled sweetly, “You’re way too big for it.”
“You know what they say about making assumptions.” His grin never faltered as he shrugged and started tightening the bolts on the new tire.
“Hilarious.” She found herself smiling at his back.
She was crazy. Talking to him like that? Who said stuff like that to men they just met? Not smart to tease him when he could get up and leave her on the side of the road at any second.
“Sorry.” She reigned in her smile. “That was forward.”
He chuckled, “But it was entertaining.”
“My specialty.”
“Good to know.” He grinned, “My turn. First, that Ford is for the ranch and you’re right it is functional because it’s a work truck.”
“Makes sense.”
“Second, this baby is an R8 which I know because I like cars, all cars, like the ’67 Impala in my barn.” He pushed to his feet and swiped his hands on his jeans, a slow grin worked up his face, “And third, if you already think I’m too big, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Her breath caught in her chest again. There was that sexy innuendo. There was that playful mischievous look that said he knew exactly how to be bad and how to be oh so good at it. And she wanted to play along so much; to flirt like there was no tomorrow because he was gorgeous and because she’d be leaving town in forty-eight hours.
“Well, looks like that’s it.” His voice broke her out of her seriously inappropriate thoughts.
“Done already?” She barely managed to find her voice and couldn’t look him in the eye.
“Yeah. It’s a spare so I wouldn’t drive it too far though. Bert’s is the garage in town. It’s shut down for the night but he opens at 9 tomorrow. I’d have him get you a real replacement then.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“I kind of like the sound of that.” He grinned as he came to stand just a foot from her chest.
She looked up that big broad chest and just kept looking. She was average height, in the pumps she could even be considered tall but she had to crane her neck to look into those soft green eyes when he was this close. She swallowed hard.
She wasn’t that crazy was she? Maybe she was. Maybe the good people of Fate were right after all. Oh hell, why not…
“You want to take her for a test drive?”
His dark eyebrows lifted slightly, “More than you know.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Her voice quivered ever so slightly and she watched his eyes dart to her lips and then back up.
Oh she was playing with fire. She hadn’t done that in a very long time. She couldn’t, shouldn’t, but they were just talking about driving the R8 right? Yeah, that’d be her reasoning for acting a little crazy this time.
“Ten minutes ago you were worried I was an ax-murderer. Now you want me to… test drive your car?” He chuckled.
“What’d you say about common sense and fun not going hand in hand?”
“Touché.” He smiled again, a slow parting of lips as amusement tinted those light green eyes, “Unfortunately, I have plans tonight so I can’t.”
“Oh.” She fumbled and averted her eyes immediately.
Plans. Yeah of course he did. He probably had a wife or a girlfriend or at the very least a date. He’d probably be having a nice night unlike her.
She’d be stuck at the rehearsal dinner with a dozen people she hadn’t seen in years and she’d be alone. All the other bridesmaids would be married and would have their husbands and each other to talk to. She on the other hand would have nobody. Just like she’d have nobody to go to the wedding with tomorrow either.
“Rain check?”
She cleared her throat at his offer, “Oh, no, that’s okay, I understand I just…”
“You owe me one remember?”
A smile curved her lips, “You wouldn’t say that if you knew who I was.”
“How about you tell me and we find out?” He raised one dark eyebrow.
She was crazy, absolutely crazy. Why was she playing with fire when she knew better? She’d sworn off bad boys. She didn’t date men with that glint in their eye anymore. She didn’t give in to the crazy. She forced the words out.
“I’m Blue.”
“Blue?” He green eyes narrowed slightly, “Like the color?”
“Like the flower actually.” She sighed at the same explanation she’d been giving all her life and kicked her accent up a notch, “Bluebell Montgomery Carter.”
“Bluebell Montgomery Carter.” He repeated her name slowly and surprise flickered in his gaze before it trailed down and back up in a solid sweep.
“Yeah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She kept her chin up, waiting for the fallout.
“Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine Bluebell.” He winked playfully and took a step back with an easy grin. “Be sure to have Bert look at that tire when you get into town.”
“I will.” She paused as her bravado faltered, “Thank you. For everything. I really do owe you.”
“Oh, I’ll think of
a way you can pay up.” He smirked, “See you around Bluebell.”
Chapter Two
Zach West watched the little red sports car pull back onto the highway and disappear in a cloud of dust before he took his baseball cap off and scratched his head. What the hell was he thinking? He wasn’t because he’d obviously been leading with the head south of his belt buckle.
He didn’t mind helping out a beautiful woman on the side of the road, in fact, it was a nice bright spot in his otherwise boring day, but Bluebell Montgomery Carter was not his type. Sure he liked blondes. He particularly liked them with big, innocent looking blue eyes and a cupid’s bow mouth that’d just about tempt a priest but gorgeous or not that woman was missing one very critical requirement. He liked his women easy.
Not sexually easy, though that didn’t hurt either. He liked them easygoing, laid-back, and casual. He liked women that didn’t ask things of him, didn’t demand things he couldn’t give. He wasn’t sure what that said about him, wasn’t sure he wanted to look too hard at it either. So he didn’t. Easy.
There wasn’t anything casual about a woman that drove into Fate in a brand new Audi R8. There wasn’t anything laid back about a woman dressed in silk and stilettos in the middle of a hot day in Texas. There wasn’t anything easy about a woman that was the sole heir to the Montgomery ranching business and daughter of his father’s old enemy. So no, Bluebell was not his type but she was damn cute and he’d always had a weakness for the crazy ones.
And she was obviously a little bit crazy. Driving an R8 into Fate was one thing, driving an R8 into Fate and believing she could float under the radar was ludicrous. Accusing him of being a serial killer in one breath and flirting with him in the next? Comical. Knowing his last name, knowing their family history and thinking she could get away with not telling him who she was? Crazy.
His cell phone ringing broke him out of his thoughts and he grinned as he realized it was his youngest brother Riley and pulled it to his ear, “Yeah?”
“Where are you? I thought you’d be back an hour ago.”
“Got distracted but I’m on my way now, just a few miles from town.”
