by Mari Carr
Vicky waved her hand in the space between them.
“What do you mean?” He scooted his chair closer to her.
“She spends a lot of time at the house, you know? Always has. Now every time she stops over in the evenings for dinner, or drinks after, you two end up chatting in the corner until you realize the rest of the group has wandered off. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. There’s something there. Things drawing you together. You have loads in common. If you start to fall for her or the other way around and things hit a bump in the road. Well, I could see that terrifying her. In her mind, she’d be risking a lot by dating you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Maybe you’d better ask her.” Vicky glanced away. “I’d prefer to be direct, but I won’t break her confidence. I think of her as the daughter I never had. Well, I suppose now I have two or three. What a nice benefit to you boys. Lucy has been part of our family since the first day she tagged along with her dad on a call. Cindi was the same. Popped in when her tire went flat and Jake rescued her, never did leave again. Now Jody…”
She continued to ramble, as though he could be that easily distracted.
“Ma—”
The hiss of airbrakes deploying caught his attention. He looked between Vicky and the yard. Torn.
A laugh erased the worry lines in her forehead. “Go ahead, run out and play. I’ll be here later if you need some advice.”
“I might just take you up on that.” He hugged her one last time. “Thanks.”
“Anytime, Sammy. Anytime.”
He raced out the door, shutting it carefully before leaping the stairs entirely. A green car-carrier hogged most of the free space in the yard. And there, on the second level, sat his gleaming Maserati.
Sam focused on suppressing a happy dance, which would subtract at least half the cool-points he’d gained with the coupe in the first place, while the crew unloaded her. “Oh, how I missed you.”
“You want it here, or in the barn?” the driver and his assistant asked while Sam signed a receipt. “Hope you’re not going to leave this beauty out in the open.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.” He thought of the space he’d cleared in the equipment storage facility. The Garage Mahal could easily accommodate a dozen extra vehicles in addition to the tractors. “But I think I might have to take her for a spin first.”
That and he’d have to dig up some soft covers to keep the dust under control. He’d resigned himself to the fact that maintaining the gleaming finish he had in the city would be impossible. The promise of open road and more satisfying driving consoled him.
“Sounds like fun.” The assistant said his final goodbyes to the Maserati, then climbed into the passenger seat of the rig with one last backward glance.
The truck took off slowly, but kicked up a cloud. No doubt, Sam would need those blankets. He stared at the barn for a full thirty seconds before deciding. What the hell?
He jogged to the building and swung inside.
The dim interior prevented him from noticing Cindi until he nearly plowed her over.
“Oomph.” She grunted when he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from bouncing off his chest and onto her pretty ass.
“Shit. Sorry about that.” He grinned. “Guess I got a little excited.”
“About what? I thought I heard something.” She peered around him. “Holy crap!”
“They delivered my car.” He kept beaming.
“I see that.” She brushed past him, intent on examining the sleek lines and gleaming paint.
“It’s a—”
“Maserati Grand Turismo S.” She impressed the hell out of him. “Excellence through passion and all that.”
And then he did something absurd. Before he could think better of it he asked, “Know how to drive a manual transmission?”
“I hardly ever grind the gears.” When he winced, she laughed. “Kidding, Sam. I’ve been driving stick since I turned sixteen.”
He resisted the joke at least two of his brothers would have made. Seth was probably too much of a gentleman to go where Sam had in his mind.
“I’ve never let anyone drive her before.”
“I’d settle for a ride.” She smiled.
Ah, fuck it. It’d be worth a few hundred miles off the clutch to see Cindi’s face light up. Her somber tone at dinners this past week had roused suspicions. His dad had flat out asked if Sam was screwing around with her. When he’d crossed his heart and said no, JD hadn’t seemed much happier. A guy couldn’t win sometimes. “Catch.”
She snatched his keys out of the air. “Sweet!”
They tucked into the sleek interior. Cindi had to move his seat up a solid six inches and adjust the mirrors, but somehow it didn’t bother him to watch her getting comfortable in his car.
“Buckle up.” The wattage of her grin made up for sacrificing time behind the wheel. “I hope you don’t have any objection to me obliterating the speed limit on those long, straight stretches east of here.”
“I’m pretty sure Silas will bail us out if we need him to.” Sam smiled. “Go for it.”
She put him at ease by rolling across the yard, dodging the bigger dips that were nothing for a pickup but potentially damaging with less than five inches of clearance. When they reached the main road, she used her signal, then eased onto the blacktop.
The instant rubber settled onto the clean surface and she’d straightened out, she gunned the engine. Sam admired the quick flicks of her slender wrist and her short-shifting technique. He doubted he could have accelerated as smoothly.
Her skill turned him on.
He whooped, adjusting himself discreetly as he rolled down the window to bask in the buffeting ripples of the wind.
Content to revisit his childhood stomping grounds, Sam studied the countryside. Some things, like infinite lines of hay bales stationed at regular intervals across the Smith’s spread, looked identical to his memories. Others, like old man Miller’s farm, had changed completely. Instead of the simple, red-painted wood structure, a sleek, modern facility occupied the prime real estate at the intersection of two county highways.
As though she could read his thoughts, Cindi filled him in. “Mr. Miller passed away about a year ago. His sons sold out to one of those agriculture coalitions. Impersonal, but they do have some revolutionary ideas for improving productivity we, I mean Compass Ranch, could put to good use.”
“You’re allowed to claim us.” He smiled at her. “It takes a hell of a lot of people to make an operation as big as ours run smoothly. You play an important part.”
She didn’t answer him. Her concentration stayed on the road as they cracked triple digits on the speedometer while still in fourth gear.
“When you come to the juncture with 203, take it north. I want to show you something.” He grinned when she accelerated through the corner and up the gentle slope of the hill. The skill she harnessed had his engine revving twice as fast as the Maserati’s.
Competent, gorgeous and full of surprises. Damn. “Slow down.”
Cindi pouted as she let off the gas.
“It’ll be worth it, I promise.” He couldn’t help but laugh.
“Not sure that’s possible.”
“I’ll prove it to you. Turn off here.” A narrow drive led up to a gate. Sam fished a copy of the ranch’s master key from his pocket. He hopped out and unlatched the padlock. A heavy chain banged against the metal post as the panel swung open.
“Where are we?” Cindi peered around the wooded path.
“You’ll see in a minute. Go slow. It’s paved but rocky in spots. Especially after a hard rain.” He nodded when she advanced at a snail’s pace. “Has it stormed a bunch this summer?”
There was a time when the weather was as important as his morning edition of The Wall Street Journal. Recently, it hardly mattered except for determining the view out of his sky-top office. He had migrated daily between climate-controlled environments—his apartment, his ca
r, the garages on either end of his commute and his office.
He hated how disconnected from nature he’d become. Sam breathed deep of the crisp mountain air.
Before they’d driven more than a quarter of a mile, a wider clearing opened up. Large stones ringed the lookout.
“Oh. Wow.” Cindi stopped the car and rushed toward the edge of the circle.
“Careful.” Sam caught her, banding his arms around her waist from behind. “It drops off fast right on the other side of those rocks.”
Pebbles bounced from their toes off the ledge, tumbling for a long while until he could no longer hear the disturbance in the brush. For long minutes they stared together at the sky, the land, and—far in the distance—the main buildings of Compass Ranch. Cindi didn’t attempt to squirm from his hold. She filled his arms with warmth and softness.
He traced her gaze toward the cottage she’d claimed as her home and felt her sigh. The foreman’s cabin, where Colby, Lucy and Silas lived, seemed closer when viewed from up here. Everything in sight held memories for him.
“See that ridge over there?” Sam pointed as he whispered in her ear.
She followed his finger with her wide-eyed stare.
“Mmm hmm.” As though it were too much to speak, she purred her assent.
“My brothers and I used to hang out up there all the time. It was the place we spent our last night together. Silas told us he was leaving and we raced our horses up there for one final bonfire.” He closed his eyes as he remembered the pain of losing his brother.
“There can be other times.” Cindi spun in his arms. She rested her hands on his chest as she peered up into his eyes. “You just took a break. Soon, the four of you can enjoy each other’s company again. All of you together.”
“Fuck, I miss Sawyer.” He clutched her tight to his chest and buried his face in her sweet smelling hair. Simple strawberry shampoo had never seemed so delicious before.
“I’m sure he would say the same.” She petted his shoulders, soothing the trembling he wished he could blame on the occasional gusts of wind buffeting their hideaway and stirring the layers of her tiered sundress.
“There won’t be any coming home for JD.” He hated the crack in his voice.
“You can’t come home to a place you’ve never left.” Cindi drew back so he could meet her stare. Tears brimmed and overflowed, decorating her cheeks with glistening diamonds. “His spirit will always be a part of this place. Our home.”
“Cin.” He had to know more about her. How could she understand him so perfectly? “Where’s your family?”
She squirmed free of his grasp, making him wish he’d kept his big mouth shut. She crouched, perching on one of the boulders. He dropped one hand to her shoulder, supporting her while she bent to scoop up a handful of the fine dirt at the base of the stone.
Grains of sand ran through her fingertips and spilled onto the current of air supporting three hawks as they swirled and dived through the canyons. Their cries made the only sound for long seconds. Sam resigned himself to the fact that she didn’t intend to answer.
When the last granules dropped from her hand, she whispered, “Gone.”
“How?” He sat beside her, entwining their fingers.
“My mom died of breast cancer.” She shook her head. “My dad couldn’t stand the loss. He killed himself the same night. They didn’t tell me she was sick. I was away at college. Our— Someone who worked with my father called and gave me the news.”
“Jesus.” He couldn’t help himself. He tugged her into his lap and surrounded her with his arms, absorbing her shudders. “How could they do that? Steal those moments from you?”
She didn’t respond right away. Then she cleared her throat. “If things start to go downhill faster than expected, I’ll call Sawyer. I hope you understand.”
“We’ll do it together.” He tucked his chin against her crown. “He should be here.”
“It’s just four and a half weeks right?” She hiccupped. “Surely that’s not too long.”
He cupped her jaw in his palm and tipped her face toward his. “JD’s a stubborn old bastard. I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
Somehow saying it out loud made him believe it a little more.
Cindi nodded. “You’ve already tried to reach your brother, haven’t you?”
He couldn’t lie to her. “Yeah. I’ve called and texted him at least a dozen times and even considered sending a letter. They usually have opportunities to communicate at port. Something. I’m not sure why he hasn’t responded.”
“It’s not your fault he’s missing.” She tugged him lower, then rubbed her lips across his. “You’re doing what you should. Hang in a little longer.”
Sam sipped from her mouth, digesting the solace she offered. He closed his eyes as he pressed their bodies together as tightly as he could, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. He traced her gums, the roof of her mouth and flicked along her similarly seeking muscle.
They groaned into each other.
When they separated, a wave of dizziness assaulted him, though not from the heights they stared out at.
Afraid of losing his balance, he tugged her backward, away from the edge. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the car. But holding her close wasn’t enough to soothe the desperation corroding his guts.
“Sam?” She mewled his name.
“Yeah, kitten?” He growled against the curve of her neck.
“You were right.” She sighed. “That was so worth it. Better even than the view from the Eiffel Tower.”
“The one in Vegas?” He nodded. “The lights on the strip are impressive, and it’s an awesome place to watch the Bellagio fountains across the street.”
“True, but I meant the real one. In Paris.”
“Right.” Why had he assumed she’d never traveled abroad? Maybe she’d taken a class trip in high school or a once in a lifetime jaunt with some friends.
“I’d say it even beats the cable car from Montjuïc in Barcelona or the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb or the observation deck on the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.” She grinned up at him. “None of those places meant as much to me as Compass Ranch. And I never shared the view with a man like you.”
Christ, he’d agree with her on Paris, Montjuïc and Sydney but he wouldn’t know about Kuala Lumpur since he’d never been there. “How have you gone so many places?”
She shrugged. “Does it matter? This is the one I love most.”
The power of her conviction, and the one little L word nestled in the middle, hit him in the gut. What would he do for a woman who aimed that passion at him instead of his home? A hell of a lot. “Why didn’t you come see me after…?”
“The day we kissed on the porch?” She cocked her head at him.
“Yeah. I mean, you’ve been up to the house for dinner, sure. But we never really discussed that day. Or the night in the barn.”
“I figured you had enough on your mind without complicating things.” She rested her head on his shoulder as he approached the car.
“Maybe I like obstacles.”
“Maybe you don’t understand all the issues at play.” She worried her lip between her teeth.
“Tell me what you’re hiding.” He set her on the hood of his car, not giving a fuck about his precious paint job. “We can work through it together.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “You’d never understand. I have certain…needs.”
“Share and I’ll do my best to satisfy them.” He’d never craved being what someone wanted so badly.
“Not possible.” She hung her head. “Even now, with you here, I’m thinking of…other things. It’s not fair.”
“Let me take your mind off everything but me.” He ran his hand up her thigh, inching her skirt higher and higher.
“You can try,” she whispered.
If he’d ever heard a challenge so sweet he couldn’t remember it.
He thought his dick had taken extra notice when hi
s pants buzzed. Until it happened again and again in rapid succession. Damn, cell phone on vibrate. With a curse, he jammed his hand in his pocket and hit the silence button, then threw the device through the open car door.
“You should get that.” Cindi glanced back and forth between him and the front seat.
“Is that really what you want me to do right now?” He kept one hand on her waist, steadying her on the inclined metal surface.
“Hell, no.”
“That’s what I thought.” Sam stepped between her spread knees, buried his fingers in her hair and kissed the shit out of her. He prodded the delicate straps from her shoulders and peeled the fitted bodice of her dress off her voluptuous breasts, prettier than he remembered.
He set a world record for unhooking a strapless bra with one hand while he entertained her with a series of sultry kisses over her mouth, neck and collarbones. By the time he reached her chest, he’d bared the creamy skin there to the glorious sun and his hungry, questing lips.
She arched into his hold, nudging one nipple into his mouth. He accommodated her request by suckling slow and light at first, building to a hard, quick flutter of pressure.
“Yes!” she shouted into the expanse of nature surrounding them, cocooning them in the blissful peace of the spot and their shared timeout from reality. “More, please.”
“Happy to oblige, ma’am.” He relished the rumble of her chuckle through her breastbone as he slid his lips across to the matching mound on the opposite side of her chest. The light, salty zest of her skin tasted like perfection to him. Better than a million gourmet meals.
Still, other delicacies appealed to his appetite.
He pressed her shoulders with one hand and caught her with the other until she steadied on her palms, braced behind her ass. “Okay, kitten?”
“Hell no.”
He paused in his descent, keeping his grip on her waist.
“No, no.” She laughed, using one hand to muss his hair. “Keep going. Faster.”
Sam grinned as he spread her thighs wider. Pretty floral panties were revealed to his seeking gaze. He nuzzled the damp spot between her legs, breathing deep. She smelled better than the roses on the fabric would have.
