Fortune's Hero

by Susan Crosby

  He looked startled for a second, as if he’d forgotten she was there.

  Which totally annoyed her.

  “Out to the river, then along it for a while. Everything’s greening up.” He dug into dinner again. He didn’t gaze longingly at her or reach for her hand or indicate in any way that he wanted her to stay.

  Even after dinner while they were doing dishes, he didn’t touch her. Finally she folded the dish towel over the oven handle and plunked her fists on her hips. “So, one night was enough for you?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “You slept with me once and the need is gone?”

  He stiffened. “Did I say that?”

  “You haven’t kissed me since breakfast.” She craved him.

  “What is it you want?” he asked, crossing his arms.

  “To make love with you again.” Really, was he that dense? “Wasn’t last night good enough?”

  “Last night it stormed. We didn’t have to worry about anyone driving up and seeing your car.”

  “Which doesn’t answer my question.”

  “Hell, yes, it was good. Unless you were in a coma, you already know that.”

  “So, it’s only worry about getting caught that’s stopping you now?”

  He leaned toward her. “Victoria, if I lay a hand on you right now, I won’t stop. I can’t take that chance.”

  It was all she needed to know. She grabbed her purse and headed outside. He followed and watched as she got into her car. She didn’t head for the driveway, however, but the back of his barn, where her car would be well hidden unless someone paced the entire property.

  She came back up to him and waited expectantly for his reaction.

  His eyes glittered as he scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom, dropped her on the bed, then landed on top of her. “You’re a problem solver.”

  “When I have a need.”

  He dragged his lips along her jaw. “A need. That’s a good word.” He kissed her then, finally, with heat and demand and a need of his own. “What do you think your cousins would say if you stayed here with me?”

  She pulled back a little. Had she heard him correctly? “You want me to?”

  “When you got in your car I realized how much I didn’t want you to leave. If your car stays where it is…”

  “My cousins had mixed reactions.”

  He rolled onto his side, although he kept his body close and his hand on her arm. “Had?”

  “I packed all my clothes and brought them with me.” She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “I was hopeful. Let’s not overcomplicate things. It’s a week, cowboy. Six days, actually. That’s all.”

  “After that we do business via phone and email between Atlanta and here?” he asked.

  “If you decide my plan will work for you.”

  “How will you handle your parents?”

  “I’ll call a lot. Do you lead off every round of lovemaking with unromantic conversation?” she asked, a little exasperated. “Do I need to go out to the living room and have you come get me again?”

  He smiled, a slow, sexy smile, then worked the snaps of her shirt and pushed the fabric aside. “Red,” he said, sliding a hand over her lacy bra. “Thank you.”

  “I aim to please.”

  He laughed then. She didn’t know why nor did she care. She only knew she would get to spend the rest of her vacation with him—and that he appreciated the things she did for him.

  She reached for his buttons. He grabbed her hand and eyed it. “You got a manicure.”

  “And a few pairs of gloves.”

  “Like I said, a problem solver. So, what are you gonna do about this problem I seem to have developed in the past little while?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Time marched by. She had no idea how many minutes passed, but at some point she was able to say, “Problem solved?”

  He pulled her up and planted a kiss on her mouth. “Damn, you’re good.” Then he rolled her flat on her back and said, “But I’m better.”

  And then he proved it.

  * * *

  Days passed. Spring took hold; the countryside came alive with bluebonnets, red-orange Texas paintbrush and yellow gorse. Victoria’s vacation was coming to an end, but her business plan wasn’t ready yet.

  Maybe she’d stalled a little, spending more time with the animals than on the computer. Dragging her heels wasn’t usual for her, but she’d mastered it in the past week. If Garrett noticed, he didn’t say anything. He spent a lot of time working with the adult dogs, getting them trained so that he could find them homes. Two new dogs had joined them. Garrett was running out of room in a hurry.

  Victoria had made two trips into San Antonio to speak to financial experts, but the trips had resulted in producing even more questions. Maybe she was in over her head. She didn’t doubt her marketing abilities. What she doubted was coming up with an estimate of costs for him, both start-up and ongoing. He needed to know exactly what he would be getting into. That was critical to her.

  It was Saturday afternoon. They’d gone to town to run errands, but not together. She’d visited her family, catching up, surprised to find Emily still living at Wendy’s.

  And now Victoria and Garrett were in his workshop, working independently. She watched him don magnifying glasses so that he could insert small stones into earrings. He’d finished a saddle with matching stones earlier in the week. The client would be picking up the items on Monday. Victoria wanted to be there to see her reaction.

  Actually, she wanted to be there to see every client’s reaction to every item he worked on. She’d fallen totally, completely, forever and always in love with him. How that could happen in two weeks was a mystery, but she knew it with all her heart. He was everything she hadn’t known she was looking for.

  “I’m going to tell my parents I’m staying on another week,” she said, testing the waters with him. Since she could only see the back of his head, she couldn’t tell what his reaction was—except that his shoulders jerked a little.

  “Why?”

  “I haven’t completed the plan, and there are aspects of it that I can’t take care of in Georgia. I need to be in Texas.” Which was sort of the truth. It would be easier being able to talk to her sources in person rather than through some form of technology, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

  “Your parents weren’t happy when you took a second week. What do you think they’ll say to a third?”

  “My father could fire me, I suppose, but I’ve decided that wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

  He set his tools aside and spun his stool to face her. “In what way?”

  “I haven’t been happy there, at least not with the work. I’ve enjoyed hanging with my family more, but selling 401(k) plans isn’t what I went to college for. Plus maybe the lesson I’ve learned these past couple of weeks is that working for and with my family is too easy. I haven’t stretched. No one has asked me to or expected it of me. I’ve been stagnating.”

  “Stagnating? Really?”

  “Now that I’ve seen a different side of the working life, I can identify what I’ve been feeling. You’re happy with your work. It’s obvious in everything you say and do. I want to be happy with my work, too.” She shut down her computer and closed the lid.

  “Do you plan to stay with me?” he asked.

  “That would be my preference.” It felt as if they were making a business deal, no emotions involved in their decisions. “Would you mind? Things have worked out okay here, haven’t they? We haven’t argued. I cook. I clean up after myself.”

  “You do pretty up the place. I’ve never had place mats before. Or flowers on the table.”

  Or a willing woman in your bed every
night, all night. “See? I do have value.”

  “I never denied that.” He came up to her. “How much of your decision is personal and how much is business?”

  “It’s mostly personal.”

  “Is ‘mostly’ fifty-one percent or more than that?”

  She sat a little taller, prepared to hear him tell her she had to go after he heard her honest answer. “Closer to ninety-five percent.”

  He looked more serious than he ever had. “You know marriage will never be part of the equation with me.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you really? I don’t mean this to come across as egotistical, but I see the way you look at me. I know that women think they can change a man’s mind. Mine’s set.”

  He was standing right in front of her now, his gaze not wavering from hers. “Okay.”

  “Okay what?”

  “Your mind is set.” The words dragged painfully along her throat. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was better that she knew the truth. And maybe, just maybe, she could change his mind.

  “I’ve had a good time, Victoria.”

  “Me, too.” Her heart began to ache. She wanted—no, needed—this extra week with him, even if she left with a broken heart.

  His kiss wasn’t soft or tender, but flatteringly uncontrolled. She gave it back to him and took more for herself. He wrenched open her shirt, taking only a second to admire her hot-pink bra before he had her naked from the waist up, his hands and mouth busy until her breasts felt heavy and her nipples hard. He managed to get her jeans down to her ankles, then unzipped his own and joined with her in a powerful thrust. The planes and angles of his face were sharply defined, his mouth a serious line, his jaw like iron as he slipped his hand between their bodies and brought her up fast and hard. He pulled her close as he reached climax at the same time, their bodies one, their satisfaction mutual.

  In the quiet aftermath, they held each other until their breathing quieted and slowed. Only the sound of the dogs barking, indicating someone was probably arriving, got them moving. He shoved his shirt in his pants, kissed her hard, then picked up her cell phone from the bench and put it in her hand.

  “Call your parents,” he said. He grabbed his hat on the way out.

  She scrambled to get dressed, although she wouldn’t go out into the yard unless he came and got her. She took a deep, shaky breath and dialed her mother.

  “Hi, sugar,” her mother said. “I was just about to call you. What time does your flight arrive tomorrow? We’ll pick you up.”

  “I’ve decided to stay another week.” Victoria’s pulse was pounding in her ears. “I got involved in a project here and I want to see it through.”

  “You have a job, Victoria. People are counting on you. Hold on. What, James? Yes, it’s your daughter. She’s not coming home.”

  “Victoria,” her father said a second later. “What’s this nonsense?”

  “I need one more week, Dad. I’m helping someone get a business started.”

  “Your cowboy?”

  “He’s not my cowboy. He’s a very talented artist. I’m helping him develop a web presence.” Emotion crept into her voice. “He saved my life, Dad. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”

  A long stretch of silence followed. When he spoke again, he’d lost his irritated tone. “All right, sweetheart. I understand. But one more week is it. You’re putting a lot of extra work on your brother.”

  “Count on me for Sunday brunch,” she said.

  “I’ll send the jet Saturday afternoon,” he said, making sure she’d come home.

  “Sunday morning.”

  “Saturday night,” he said. She didn’t argue.

  Victoria pushed the off button and cradled her phone against her chest.

  “You played the he-saved-my-life card,” Garrett said from the doorway, startling her.

  “It was the only reason that would work with him.”

  “But is that how you feel? You’re not doing this… You’re not here now because of what happened at the airport?”

  “That was originally why I came, but it’s not why I stayed. Who’s here?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Estelle’s son Jimmy. She asked me this morning if I might have part-time work for him. He’s nineteen and going to college, studying to be a vet. Knows horses. I figure whatever plan you’re making, it’ll include having to hire some help.”

  “It’s the only way you can increase your time in the shop.” Unless you take me on permanently.

  “Well, then, come talk to him with me and see what you think.”

  They found him hanging over the stall of the most skittish horse, talking in a soothing voice. Garrett wondered if that was how he sounded, like a new father trying to calm a crying baby. Victoria went up beside him and introduced herself.

  So. She was staying for another week. He’d been geared up for her taking off tomorrow. This change of plans was a blow to his self-control, as evidenced by the way he’d made love to her in the workroom. He was still a little shocked he’d done that in the middle of the day. It was damned satisfying, too, the way she wanted it as much as he did. The way she was ready so fast, as if she’d been thinking about it already.

  As she talked to Jimmy, Garrett studied her. He could look at her naked forever. She hadn’t worn anything to bed the whole week, even though he’d told her it wouldn’t bother him if she did. She said she was surprised at how good it felt not to get tangled up in anything—except him, she’d added, slipping a leg between his.

  She was a pretty good cook, too. Better than he was, although she didn’t know the first thing about barbecuing steaks. She never seemed bored in the evening, never complained about how dirty the work was taking care of the animals. He did notice she looked at her fingernails now and then with a little yearning glance, and he hadn’t seen her hair not in a braid all week. He missed the dark curtain it had made when she was on top, how it cocooned them in their own private world.

  She’d already turned his world upside down. After one more week with her, would he be able to right it again? Would she stay in touch because of the business? Would she come back to visit now and then—and expect to share a bed again?

  Could he handle that?

  That night he showered with her, shampooing her hair then towel drying it after. She’d brought her own products when she moved in, so her hair smelled exotic to him now, not the same as his. She wore a short silk robe that looked completely out of place in his humble home as he brushed her hair, drawing sounds of pleasure from her the whole time.

  After a while, he lowered her robe and massaged her back, tracing her spine, bone by bone, her body so incredibly delicate and yet so strong, getting stronger every day.

  She wasn’t a princess. His expectations had been all wrong. Maybe she was used to the good life, an easy life, but she carried her own weight on his ranch, worked hard and without complaint.

  What had she told him before? “You don’t have to be what people expect you to be.” She wasn’t. And for years he’d been doing exactly that himself—living up to expectation. Not showing everyone how much he’d changed, preferring to be alone rather than trying to change people’s minds about him.

  Maybe they’d changed their minds on their own, however. No one seemed afraid of him. No one crossed the street rather than walk past him like they’d done years ago.

  He knew he hadn’t been that person for a long time, but who else did? A few. The vet. Estelle, probably. Other merchants he did business with.

  Victoria—although her view of him was from behind rose-colored glasses. He knew he was still her hero. He hadn’t done anything, intentional or otherwise, to change her mind about that. As she’d said, they hadn’t argued. Their many, ma
ny differences hadn’t come into play much during the week, probably because they were both blinded by passion. He hadn’t felt so much older or less educated. He’d stopped thinking of her as being short, but enjoyed the way he could tuck her under his chin and hold her there.

  Knowing they had another week, he could slow down a bit, figure her out more.

  Or maybe he needed to speed things up. He was struck by the feeling that something was going to happen to take it all away.

  “You have the best hands,” she said with a sigh, bringing him back to reality. It would have to do for now.

  Chapter Ten

  At the sound of a car coming up the driveway several days later, Victoria hurried the final two steps into the barn. She’d helped feed the animals, then had showered and spent the morning in the house making phone calls, but had taken a break to bring Garrett some iced tea. She set down the glass as he emerged from the workroom to look out of the open barn door.

  “Looks like your cousin Wendy’s car,” he said.

  Victoria peered out, too. “It is. I hope everything’s okay.” She stepped into the yard as Wendy parked. Emily sat beside her. They both waved.

  “Until you got here, it was rare for anyone other than the vet or Lenny to come by, and that’s only business,” Garrett said.

  “Your point is?”

  He gave her a look teetering between humor and exasperation. “It’s just an observation.”

  “Well, when I’ve gone home, you’ll have your peace back.” And how do you feel about that? she wanted to ask. Every day they were becoming more of a team, the rhythms of doing barn and household chores a routine now. She did get a little lonely for her girlfriends and a little frustrated with the drive into town when she wanted to buy something, she admitted that. It was a huge change for her. But she had so much to make up for it.

  “We brought MaryAnne,” Wendy said, hugging Victoria. “She’s been cleared to appear in public. Hi, Garrett. I haven’t seen you in ages.” She hugged him, as well.

  “Since before you gave birth,” he said. “Are you going back to work at Red?”