by Liv Brywood
A shrill ring punctured the air. Aaron released her hand as she lunged for her phone. Brad’s face popped up on the screen a second before she answered the call.
“How’d it go with the tax firm?” she asked.
“I handled it. They had some questions about first quarter, but we were able to provide documentation for the large withdrawals,” Brad said.
“Good. There’s a nine a.m. with the ad agency tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it. Can you sit in on it with Tina? She’s lead on that project anyway since it’s primarily marketing, but I want to make sure we’re on the right track with PR.”
“I’ll take care of everything while you’re gone,” Brad said. “How’s your sister doing?”
“I don’t know yet. We’re pulling into the hospital right now.”
“Keep me posted. Don’t worry about what’s going on here. I’ll take the reins until you’re able to get back to the office.”
“I don’t think it will take more than a day or two,” Violet said. Aaron glanced at her, his brows knitted together. “But I’ll keep you posted when I know more.”
“Sounds good. Take care.”
As she ended the call, Aaron pulled into a parking space near the ER entrance.
“You’re planning on returning right away?” Aaron asked.
“If Nicole’s in a coma, I can’t do anything for her. The company needs me. My parents will keep me updated and I’ll fly back if something changes,” she said.
Aaron’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond. He obviously didn’t understand her situation at all. As much as she wanted to stay by her sister’s bedside, she couldn’t. There were seventy-five dedicated employees counting on her. They’d been working tooth and nail for years for a fraction of what they were worth. She couldn’t let them down now. Not after everything they’d been through together.
Aaron hopped out of the truck and ran around to open her door. When he reached up to grab her waist and hoist her down, she gasped. His hands weren’t anywhere near an erogenous zone, but electric zings of hunger arced through her body.
As her feet touched the ground, she flung her arms around him and pulled him close. The stress of being pulled between her family and her work wasn’t anything new, but to have both realms blow up at once… She pressed her face against his chest and clung to the back of his shirt. Terrified by what she might find, she wasn’t ready to go inside.
“Shh.” Aaron stroked her hair. “Whatever happens, at least you’re here. Even if she’s unconscious, she’ll know.”
“I’m sorry. I’m under a lot of pressure right now.”
When she tried to move out of his arms, he pulled her close.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
He brought his hands up to cup her cheeks. The rough pads of his thumbs caressed her jawline, coaxing her lips apart. A puff of air rushed across her lips. She sighed, unable or unwilling to stop him as he brought his mouth down to cover hers.
The soft brush of his lips awakened a need she’d kept suppressed for years. She’d tried to date from time to time, but she’d been too busy with work. And no one could ever kiss her the way Aaron did. Even now, standing in the parking lot in the middle of one of the worst days of her life, she couldn’t resist him.
She tangled her fingers in his hair. As she drew him down, his tongue swept across her lips. She parted them and let herself drown in the ecstasy of being in his arms. When his tongue slid across hers, she whimpered and molded her body against his. The rigid length of his erection pressed against her belly.
He slid his hands down her back and tugged her shirt out of her slacks. As his hands met her flesh, she shivered. This was so wrong. She’d regret it tomorrow, but right now, she couldn’t do anything but surrender to him.
Footsteps snapped her back to reality. He had her pressed against his truck in the middle of a hospital parking lot. The sheer inappropriateness of the situation blanketed her with shame. She pushed away.
“Aaron, I can’t. We can’t. I’m only here for a few days.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered.
His eyes shimmered as if lit from within. He’d always had an otherworldly quality about him, but she couldn’t lose her focus. She needed to check on her sister and then get on the next flight home. She couldn’t afford to open any doors to her past, especially not this one.
“We should go in,” she said.
She stuffed her shirt back into her pants and wrapped her arms across her chest. As she hurried toward the sliding glass doors, his footsteps trailed behind her. She shouldn’t have let him kiss her. What a mistake.
When she reached the nurse’s station, she asked for directions to her sister’s room.
“I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over,” the nurse said. “You can come back tomorrow at eight a.m.”
“I need to see her right now,” Violet said. “I flew two thousand miles to get here.”
“Nicole Olsen is her sister,” Aaron said when he reached her side.
“I’ll check with her doctor and see if she’ll approve it,” the nurse said.
Violet wanted to reach over the counter and grab the woman by the throat. There was no way in hell they’d keep her from Nicole. If she had to tear the hospital apart to find her sister, she would. Fortunately the nurse returned quickly.
“Dr. Paster said you can go in for five minutes, but then you have to leave. She needs to rest.”
“Is she awake?” Violet asked.
“No. She’s still in a coma. I do want to warn you, she’s on a breathing machine right now and she’d hooked up to several IVs. It may look scary, but we’re doing everything we can for her,” the nurse said.
“Thank you,” Violet said.
Nothing could have prepared her for the chaotic tangle of tubes and machines in her sister’s room. A metallic beep created a continuous background rhythm. Violet’s knees buckled slightly, but Aaron grabbed her elbow to help support her.
An ICU nurse stood by Nicole’s bedside with a chart.
“How’s she doing?” Aaron asked.
“Stable for the moment. But it’s hard to say what will happen long-term. She has a severe head wound, broken ribs, a broken leg, and a hip fracture. She’s lucky to be alive,” the nurse said. “The doctor approved five minutes of visitation time. Don’t touch any of the equipment and watch out for the lines. If you need anything, press the red call button on the wall. It goes directly to the nurse’s station.”
“Thank you,” Aaron said.
Violet took several cautious steps toward her sister’s bed. Pale and deathly still, her sister’s chest rose and fell in time with the breathing machine.
“Oh my God.” Violet covered her mouth with her hand.
Aaron immediately went to her side and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. “Do you need to sit?”
“No. I just… I can’t believe it.”
A thick gauze bandage encircled her sister’s head. A series of straps held a breathing tube to her nose. Black circles ringed both eyes, and her golden hair lay in tangles against the pillow.
As the room swayed, Violet leaned into Aaron. They only had five minutes, so she needed to pull it together and let her sister know she was there. She slowly approached the bed. IVs poked out of both hands, so she carefully slid her hand under her sister’s so she wouldn’t move the equipment.
“Hey, sis,” Violet said. “I flew in from San Francisco to see you.”
Her sister’s chest continued to rise and fall. The rhythm hadn’t changed since they’d stepped into the room.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but you’re going to be okay.” When her voice cracked, she took a moment to compose herself. “The doctors are taking good care of you. Aaron’s here too.”
He lightly squeezed Violet’s waist. She didn’t know what she would have done without him. There’s no way she’d still be standing if she’d tried to come alone. She spoke to
her sister in soft, soothing tones until the nurse returned.
“It’s been five minutes.”
“Okay.” Violet leaned to kiss her sister’s cheek. “Hang in there. I know you can get better. You’re a fighter, so don’t give up.”
She let Aaron guide her toward the waiting room. When they reached a row of empty chairs, she collapsed into one.
“I had no idea,” she whispered. “She’s…Oh, God. She’s…what if she doesn’t make it?”
Aaron slid into the seat beside her and put his arm around her. He drew her against his chest and held her while silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
“The last time I spoke with her we fought,” she said. “She kept telling me I needed to repair my relationship with our parents. But she doesn’t understand the issue.”
“I noticed some tension between you and your dad,” he said.
“They’re still mad at me for staying in California. They helped put me through an MBA at Stanford, expecting me to return to take over the family beekeeping business. But after experiencing the Bay Area, I didn’t want to leave. San Francisco is unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s huge and full of life.”
“Houston’s a big city.”
“It’s not a cosmopolitan town by any means,” she said. “I built a life in California and I have no intention of coming back to Texas. I know my parents had certain expectations, but I never agreed to their terms.”
“You make it sound like Texas is a hell-hole,” he said.
“No. It’s not bad, but I don’t belong here. I want to be able to stand on my own two feet. I don’t need them to support me. I’m an adult now and I’m happy with my life. I wish they could be happy for me.”
“Don’t you ever miss anything about home? Texas,” he quickly added.
“I miss some of my friends…you,” she whispered.
“We used to have a lot of fun together.”
“Yeah.” She pulled away and smoothed her hair. A pointless trip down memory lane would only confuse things. “Anyway, it looks like I’m going to have to stay here longer than I had anticipated. I can work remotely for now, but eventually I’m going to have to get back to the office.”
“I understand.”
When he stood and averted his eyes, her heart dropped. She should have kept her hands to herself in the parking lot. She didn’t want to give him any ideas. But she also couldn’t stomach pushing him away. She hadn’t meant to hurt him back when they were young and full of childish dreams, but she’d hurt him all the same.
As they walked toward his truck, he casually asked, “Would you like to come over to the ranch for lunch tomorrow? I could give you a ride back to the hospital afterward if you want.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
As they sat in comfortable silence on the drive back to her parents’ home, she stole quick glances at his profile. He’d turned into one hell of a sexy cowboy. Too bad they lived in different states. She needed to stop thinking about him as anything other than an old friend. After her sister woke up, she’d return to California to get on with her life, and she’d leave him in Texas where he belonged.
Chapter 4
Aaron rearranged the place settings on the picnic table for the third time. Did forks go on the left side of the plate or the right? If only Remy were here. His brother would know exactly where to put everything.
“I’m going to run inside and get the potato salad,” Zack called from the grill. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Aaron glanced at the grill. Tendrils of succulent smoke curled up from the barbecuing chicken. The sweet scent of molasses filled the air. His stomach rumbled. He’d been too nervous to eat breakfast. Zack had given him hell, but Aaron had hardly slept the previous night.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Violet and the kiss they’d shared. Soft, sensual, and filled with promise, when she’d kissed him, the last ten years seemed to fall away. It was as if she’d never left. But she had. His traitorous heart didn’t care, but he knew better than to start fantasizing about her.
A loud pop came from the grill. He jogged over to inspect the chicken. Zack would have his ass if he messed with the food, but what good would it be if it was crispier than a tortilla in a deep fryer?
He grabbed the tongs and flipped the first piece. As sauce slipped off the meat, flames burst up through the grate. He jerked back.
“Back away from the grill,” Zack ordered. He bounded down the steps from the house and thrust a cold bowl of potato salad into Aaron’s hands. “Take this.”
“I was trying to help. They were burning.”
“I had it under control,” Zack said. “They’re supposed to be lightly charred on the outside. It helps lock in the flavor.”
“Whatever you say,” Aaron grumbled.
“What’s crawled up your craw today?”
“Nothing. I want everything to be ready when Violet and her parents arrive.”
“It will be,” Zack said. “Calm down. Grab a beer and relax.”
Aaron took his brother’s advice and opened the ice chest at the end of the picnic table. He fished around before grabbing an IPA. After using the edge of the table to pop the top off, he took a long swig. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but one beer would help take the edge off.
“I heard you went to the hospital last night,” Zack said.
“Yeah. She’s in bad shape.”
“She’ll pull through. She’s a fighter.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what it would do to her family if she didn’t make it,” Aaron said.
“God willing we’ll never find out.” Zack slathered sauce across the chicken. “How’s Violet holding up?”
“As well as you’d expect. She seems antsy to get back to work, but she said she’ll stay until her sister wakes up.”
“You’re pacing,” Zack said.
Aaron stopped walking and sighed. His heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stay still.
“I haven’t seen you this wound up since Tracey,” Zack said.
Aaron had dated her briefly a few years back, but it hadn’t gone anywhere. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but she hadn’t been it.
“I’m fine.”
“Keep chugging beer and you will be…hot damn.” Zack’s jaw dropped. “No wonder you’re walking around like you’ve got a bee in your bonnet.”
Aaron turned to find Violet strolling across the field that separated her parents’ house from his. The air in his lungs whooshed out. Her light-brown hair fluttered behind her as a gentle summer breeze bent stalks of freshly planted wheat around her ankles. A rose-colored sundress clung to her curvaceous figure. With every step, the fabric caught on a new curve, giving him a different tantalizing glimpse.
His bear roared to life, clawing at his chest and rolling around in a frantic attempt to get free.
“Calm down, bear,” he mumbled under his breath.
The creature wasn’t having it. Sharp claws pierced his fingertips as he fought the shift. She didn’t know about his thousand-pound furry little secret, and he had no intention of dropping that bomb today. He dug his claws into his palm and forced his bear back into his chest. The beast flailed for a moment before relenting. It sat on his lungs, making it hard for him to draw in another breath.
“Hi Aaron.” She gave him a quick hug before releasing him. “Zack, I haven’t seen you in years. How have you been?”
“Zack’s engaged,” Aaron said quickly. “Kim should be around here somewhere.”
He gave Zack a pointed look. His brother laughed in response and pointed the grilling tongs toward the house. “She’s finishing a green salad. She insists on making us eat our greens.”
“She sounds like a smart woman. I can’t wait to meet her,” Violet said.
“Grab a seat,” Aaron said. “Can I get you something to drink? Cola, beer, wine?”
“Wine? Things have c
hanged around here. I can’t remember ever seeing a bottle of wine on this ranch. I thought you were strictly a beer man,” she teased.
“It’s Remy’s new favorite hobby,” Aaron said. “My brother considers himself too cultured for beer. He’s around here somewhere. Everyone’ll be joining us for lunch as soon as Zack rings the chow bell.”
“Almost done,” Zack said. “Give me about thirty more seconds.”
Aaron slid onto the picnic bench and motioned for Violet to sit by his side. His bear leaned toward her as he caught a subtle whiff of her perfume. She smelled like sunshine and honey. Not surprising considering her parents were world-renowned beekeepers. Maybe she’d been out checking the hives earlier.
“Your ranch looks amazing. You’ve done a lot of work since I’ve been gone,” she said.
“We built the second barn a couple of years ago and repainted the house.”
“The back porch is new too. I love the swing.”
“Want to try it?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Before they could stand, Zack returned with a huge tray of steaming chicken. “Not so fast, guys. You have to try this fresh off the grill. You can swing all you want later.”
Violet’s soft laughter sent a rush of desire down Aaron’s spine. He hadn’t heard her this happy in years. But maybe it wasn’t real. With her sister lying unconscious in a hospital bed, how cheery could she possibly be? He pushed the cloudy thought away and focused on the melodic sound of her voice.
Kim arrived with a huge bowl of strawberry, almond, and spinach salad. “It took me a bit longer to whip up the dressing than I had anticipated.” After setting the glass bowl down, she circled the table and leaned over to hug Violet. “It’s so nice to meet you. Aaron hasn’t stopped talking about you all day.”
“Kim,” Aaron growled.
“All day, hmm?” Violet’s eyes glittered with amusement.
“Not all day. Maybe part of the day,” he admitted.
“I see.” Violet grinned at him before returning her attention to Kim. “How did you and Zack meet?”
“We were contestants in a barbecue competition,” Zack said. “She kicked my ass and then I fell in love with her.”
