Climbing from his truck, he looked toward the workshop and debated on whether or not to go over and see Callie. Lord knew he could use a distraction, and spending time with her always made him feel better, but tonight he was in a dark mood and knew he should probably just stay away.
He’d gone all of ten feet when he changed his mind.
There was no rush, no urgency, but with every step he took, Ford felt like this was what he was supposed to be doing. When he stepped into the workshop, the sight of her instantly made him feel better than he had all night.
She must not have heard him enter because she didn’t look up or say anything.
Her honeyed hair was up in a messy bun, and she was weaving a strand of twinkly lights through the vines she’d used to make the wreath for the front door. She was looking pretty intense as she worked…and then he heard her small sniffle. And then another. Then she wiped a hand over her eye.
That’s when he realized she was crying.
“Callie?” he asked quietly as he walked over to her. She turned her back to him but he could tell she was wiping away her tears. Ford came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “What’s going on?”
Her head bowed forward. “I…it’s just something in my eye. Probably some dust. It’s nothing.”
He didn’t believe her for even a minute. Carefully he turned her around and then tucked a finger under her chin to get her to look at him.
Those big blue eyes were full of sadness, and all he could do was pull her in close and wrap his arms around her. She went willingly, and Ford rested his head on top of hers and waited for her to talk to him.
He had no idea how long they stood like that, but he wasn’t in a rush to step away. So he held her, and found that he was taking just as much comfort in her as she was hopefully taking from him.
“My mom’s moving away,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
This time he did move back a little, and he was relieved when she looked up at him. “When?” he asked just as softly.
She shrugged. “If all goes as planned, probably by the spring.”
Ford knew enough about Callie and her mom to know they were close, so he knew how upsetting this had to be for her. Pulling her back into his arms, he said, “I’m sorry.”
“I know it’s going to be a good thing for her. She deserves to do something for herself, but the selfish part of me hates that it means she won’t be here in Eagle’s Ridge with me.”
Not knowing what to say, he simply nodded.
“She’s not sure of where exactly she’s going to go, but her and some of her friends from her book club are going to do it together. We never traveled anywhere when I was growing up—except that one trip to Disneyland—so she’s so excited about this. And all night I was trying so hard to be supportive, but as soon as I got in my car to come home, I just…I cried.”
He hugged her a little closer and kissed the top of her head.
“This is going to be her big adventure and there’s no way I’m going to hold her back, but…”
“You’re going to miss her,” he finished. “And that’s completely understandable and you know she’s going to miss you too. This can’t be easy for your mom, either.”
“I know. And that’s why I have to be supportive and excited for her when I’m around her and save my breakdowns until I’m home.”
If this is what she considered a breakdown, she was lucky.
It occurred to him that he could distract her with his own tale of woe from the evening, but he quickly realized he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not right now. So he decided to distract her another way.
“What are you working on out here? More wreaths?”
With a soft laugh, she pulled back and stepped out of his arms. “I am. Doing something like this is normally very soothing for me. When I got home, I came right out here rather than going into the cottage.”
“And did it help?”
Callie shook her head. “Unfortunately, it was so quiet out here, and I’ve already made four of these wreaths so I didn’t even have to think about what I was doing.”
“So your mind immediately went to your mom.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
Stepping around her, Ford examined the wreath. It looked exactly like the one she had given him for his grandmother’s front door, but now he took the time to look at the details. It seemed so simple at first glance, but when he realized how much time went into weaving the lights and how tedious that could be, he was more than a little impressed. The vine was fragile, and he knew he’d more than likely crush some of it if he tried to do it himself.
Unable to help himself, he reached for one of Callie’s hands and studied it. It was small and delicate. Her fingers were slim and smooth. No wonder she could do work like this. He looked at her face and saw her studying him, her expression serious.
And Callie rarely looked serious or intense. Her features were always relaxed or smiling. This was…different.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “I was just noticing how intricate this work is,” he said gruffly. “I’m a little in awe of what you do.”
“Me? But…what you do is so much more—”
Ford placed a finger over her lips and shook his head. “I’m in awe of you,” he repeated, and slowly pulled her in close again.
Callie’s lips parted on a soft gasp as her eyes met his. And those beautiful eyes seemed to have a million questions in them, and Ford only had one answer.
He kissed her.
Slowly. Sweetly. He savored her as she melted against him. She hummed as her arms wrapped around him and in that instant, Ford knew what he had to do.
He lifted his head and looked down at her. Her lips were wet and her cheeks were flushed and she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. So many nights over the last week they’d been like this, and right now, Ford knew he wanted more.
“Come home with me, Callie,” he murmured against her lips before resting his forehead against hers.
“Yes.”
Never had a single word sounded sweeter.
Seven
They didn’t go to the main house. Once they stepped outside, Ford led them over to the guest cottage. Callie was going to question it, but it really didn’t matter which house they were going to as long as they were going there together.
Her heart was beating like wild.
This was happening.
Like really happening.
Without a word, she unlocked the front door and let them in. As soon as the door was closed, Ford spun her around and pressed her against it and kissed her again.
God, how she loved the way he kissed!
As much as she wanted to wrap herself around him, she wanted her coat off—among other things. Her shimmying to remove the garment only served to make Ford kiss her with more urgency. Once her coat hit the floor, she shoved his from his shoulders, and that’s when she finally allowed herself to rake her hands up into his hair and pull him close.
His hands on her bottom squeezed and then lifted her. Callie’s legs wrapped around his waist and not once did either come up for air.
For a week, it had been like this, these hot-and-heavy kisses, but there’d always been a little more…control to them. But this kiss? It held every kind of promise, and she wanted him more than she’d ever thought possible. And it wasn’t about some silly crush she’d been harboring for far too long; this was about the man she was coming to know and still wanted to know more. This was about an undeniable attraction between the two of them. Callie knew that Ford wanted her just as much as she wanted him, and it was a pretty heady feeling.
Lifting his head, Ford breathlessly gazed at her. “You’re killing me,” he said, and immediately began kissing her cheek, licking the shell of her ear.
She knew exactly what he meant. “Why are we still at the door?” she whispered even as she arched against him.
His grip on her tigh
tened as he moved them into the main room, and then he strode straight through to the bedroom. Gently, he laid her down on the bed and stood back and looked at her. For some reason, her mind went to that first night when he came back and she’d found him in her bed, and she started to laugh softly.
“What’s so funny?”
“The last time you were in this bed…”
And he laughed a little with her. “That was certainly awkward.”
Callie leaned up and rested on her elbows as she grew serious. “After you went upstairs, all I could think of was how excited I was to have had you in my bed for even a few minutes.”
He looked at her oddly.
Maybe now wasn’t the time for confessions, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“Back when I was younger, I…I had a crush on you.” She kept her gaze firmly on his, because if this was going to change anything between them, she wanted to know it right away. She didn’t want to hide from how he might react.
“I don’t…I mean…how is that possible? We didn’t really know each other,” he said, but there was no condemnation in his tone. If anything, he seemed a little in awe.
Callie shrugged. “It’s just the way it was. I always thought you were cute and…”
“Cute?” he repeated with amusement, one dark brow arched.
“Well, I was fourteen at the time so…”
He studied her intently for a moment, and she began to fear that he was going to say this was a little weird and retreat.
But he didn’t.
Instead, Ford pulled his thermal Henley up and over his head and kicked his boots off. Callie’s mouth went dry at the sight of him. His chest was so perfectly sculpted that her fingers immediately began to twitch with the need to touch him.
“How about now?” he asked solemnly as he moved closer to the bed. “Do you still think I’m cute?” He placed one knee on the bed and began to lean over her.
Silently, she shook her head. “No. You’re so much more, Ford.”
That seemed to please him, because suddenly he was stretched out on top of her and nothing had ever felt so good.
She was glad he didn’t try to offer any excuses as to why he didn’t remember her or notice her when she was younger, and it felt good to have shared with him how she’d felt all these years. But more than anything, she was glad that he was here with her and kissing her and…
“Callie,” he murmured, switching his attention to her jaw and her throat.
She loved the way he said her name, the vibration of his words against her skin. His hands began to move over her—caressing, gently squeezing, and she thought for sure she was going to burst into flames. Never before had a man’s touch made her want so much.
Together they worked to pull her sweater over her head. Ford’s gaze was hot as his eyes raked over her, and she was thankful that she had been feeling a little festive today and opted for red lace.
“Damn, Callie,” he said in husky whisper. One strong hand came up and cupped her breast. “So pretty. So damn pretty.”
Unable to help herself, she smiled. Resting her hand on his nape, she guided him back down to her—she needed the skin-on-skin contact and wanted to feel his lips on other parts of her.
In a flash, his mouth quickly replaced his hand, and Callie found herself arching off the bed with the gentle tug of his lips. It was hot and exquisite, and still she wanted more. She panted his name as they moved together on the bed and before she knew it, her jeans were slowly sliding down her legs, and the feel of Ford’s hands smoothing down her thighs just amped up her anticipation of what was to come.
In nothing but her bra and panties, she watched breathlessly as he stood and stripped out of his jeans and then his boxers.
And then she forgot how to breathe.
Ford Garrison was better than her fantasies.
And she’d had many about him.
And as much as she could say that she’d waited a long time for this, it wasn’t true. The man she was with right now was so much more than she’d ever imagined, and as he came back down on the bed and covered her body with his, Callie knew she would have waited a hundred lifetimes for this.
For him.
* * *
Ford woke up and felt mildly disoriented.
It was dark and he was exhausted—and then he felt Callie’s warm, naked body curled up beside him, and he instantly relaxed. With his arm wrapped around her, he tucked her in closer and kissed the top of her head softly so he wouldn’t wake her.
Not that he wouldn’t mind waking her up and going for round two.
Beside him, she hummed in her sleep and snuggled closer. Normally, he wasn’t the kind of guy who fell asleep after making love to a woman, or a snuggler, but right now he was feeling pretty damn content. He was warm and comfortable and for the first time in…ever…he felt peace. And that was saying something after the bombshell at his parents’ house earlier. He should be—
Nope. Not gonna go there, he told himself. Right now, he was feeling far too good to think of anything bad.
Instead, he thought about Callie and how she had completely taken him by surprise. This sweet and sassy little kindergarten teacher had a lot of fire to her, and he couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt this satisfied and exhausted and yet ready to go at it again.
A slow smile spread across his face at the idea of doing just that.
Only…he hesitated. She’d had a rough night as well with her mom and he probably should let her sleep. It would be the decent thing to do. The gentlemanly thing.
But Ford had never considered himself to be much of a gentleman.
Slowly, carefully, he maneuvered so he was eye level with her, and then placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and then her lips before he moved lower.
He kissed her throat, her collarbone, her shoulder. And then moved lower.
By the time he slid his tongue around her nipple, Callie was panting his name and reaching for him.
“I thought I was dreaming,” she said as she moved against him. “But this is so much better.”
He suckled a little and then switched to the other breast. “You like it?”
Her hands raked up into his hair and gripped a little hard. “So much.”
“Then you’re going to love what comes next…”
And by the amount of times she cried out his name, he felt pretty confident that she did.
* * *
Two days later, Ford was whistling while he worked.
Like a damn cliché, and he didn’t even care.
He felt good. Really good. And the reason for that was waving to him from across the property. Callie was just getting home from work, and because Ford was an observant man, he found an excuse to be outside at that time just so he could see her.
And if it weren’t for the fact that he had workers pulling up carpet inside the house, he’d be walking right over to Callie and dragging her into the cottage and showing her how much he’d missed her today.
“Mr. Garrison!”
Looking over his shoulder, he saw one of the workers—Shawn—standing out on the porch. “What’s up?” he called back.
“Just wanted to let you know that all of the hardwood underneath the carpeting looks to be in good condition. There’s no water damage or rot and surprisingly, it’s all level. I don’t think there’s going to be an issue to do some light sanding and then doing a fresh coat of stain.”
Ford almost sagged with relief. So far he had been riding a roller coaster with this house. On one hand, it was in desperate need of work, but it was structurally sound and that meant that the updates were moving along at a good pace. “Thanks, Shawn,” he said, and then looked up at the sky and thought of his grandfather. “And thanks, Gramps, for being so amazing at what you did.”
There were few things Ford appreciated more than a well-built structure. With a solid design and the use of good materials, you had a quality home. Add to that combination a team of builders who paid g
reat attention to details and…well…you couldn’t lose. At that rate, you should have a home that could last forever.
That’s what he was finding with the ranch.
And it killed him to think that this forever home wasn’t going to be part of his family much longer. And that reminded him, he really needed to go see his grandmother and talk to her. If he could at least put on a brave front and get some input from her, maybe—
“Hey, you…”
He blinked and there Callie, was standing before him. He smiled and pulled her in for a steamy kiss. “Hey, yourself.”
She hugged him and rested her head on his chest and sighed.
“Rough day at school?” he asked lightly.
“You have no idea. Kindergarteners get more and more exhausting the closer we get to Christmas. I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge,” she said with a small laugh.
“Are you kidding?” he asked, pulling back to look at her. “Have you made those popsicle-stick snowmen yet? I would think that would keep them busy for hours.”
Callie swatted at him playfully. “Do you know how much glue and glitter we have to remove from hair and clothes every day with these crafts? I’m telling you, it’s rough. Practically like tiny combat.” Then she stopped and gasped. “Oh gosh…I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.”
Cupping her cheek, Ford smiled at her. “It’s okay, Callie. I didn’t take offense to it and besides, you’re kind of right. Not all combat happens out in the military field. Sometimes it happens at work, and it comes in all shapes and sizes.”
“Even in a classroom full of five-year-olds?” she asked lightly.
“I would imagine especially there.”
“Whew! That’s a relief.” She looked around and saw Shawn coming out with rolled-up carpet. “Flooring time, huh?”
He nodded. “All of the original hardwood that my grandfather put in way back when is still there and, according to my guys, it’s in good condition. That’s a big savings, and it will add value to the house for when—”
Ford: 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Page 10
