He looked at her with a steady gaze. “I certainly did. But I’ll settle for the onion rings.”
She shook her finger at him. “Friends, Harvey.”
“Of course,” he said but kept smiling.
After she checked up on people at the other tables and took more orders, she went behind the bar. Hector, the new guy, arrived and he took over his share of the tables. She caught Harvey staring at her, watching her over his beer bottle and for some reason tonight it set her a little off base.
“I could use some company,” Harvey said when she went back to check on him. “When you’re not so busy, I’d love to talk.”
“It’s happy hour, so that’s not likely to happen.” She shrugged. “And we stay busy long after it’s over. You’ll have to find some lucky girl.” She nodded to his empty. “Another?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I’ve actually got to go. Just thought I’d drop in.” He leaned forward again. “Can I talk you into going out for another drink this week?”
“I like you, Harvey,” she said. “And I enjoyed the time the other night, but I told you I just want to be friends.”
He gave a slow nod. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She smiled. “Have a good night, Harvey.”
“See you at breakfast,” he said as he slid off his stool.
“All right.” She gave him a little wave and walked away.
It was a busy night, but when a tall figure walked through the doorway into Nectars, Tess knew that it was Gage before she even got a good look at him. She did her best not to give a silly smile like a giddy teenage girl. She went for a more reserved, maybe even flirtatious smile.
“What can I get you, cowboy?” she asked as he came up to the bar.
He gave her a slow and sexy grin that made her stomach swoop. “How about another kiss?”
“That’s on our select menu.” She braced her hands on the bar and managed to keep a straight face. “That particular menu is only offered to special patrons.”
He put his big hand over hers and the heat of his touch sent a quiver through her belly. “I’d better be the only man on that list.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Oh, yeah?”
He gave a solemn nod. “Yeah.”
She leaned closer to him, but staying out of kissing distance. “I agreed to a date, Mr. McBride. One date.”
He moved his hand so that he was now holding hers. “Speaking of that date, are you free Saturday morning?”
She studied him. “As long as I can get a sitter for Jenny.”
His green eyes held hers. “I’ll pick you up at nine.”
“If I can get a sitter,” she repeated. “Where would we be going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He rubbed her knuckle with his thumb and she found herself wanting him to touch her everywhere. They could head to the broom closet—
She cleared her throat. “What should I wear?”
“Something you wouldn’t mind getting muddy in,” he said with a smile.
Her eyes widened and she laughed. “Don’t tell me you want me to mud wrestle another woman because that’s not happening.”
He grinned. “Now, there’s a thought.”
“Ha.” She extracted her hand from his as she glanced around the bar. “I’m starting to get dirty looks. I need to get to my tables.”
He studied her eyes. “I’ll be right here waiting for you, honey.”
Before she left to take care of her other customers, she gave Gage his usual and hurried to get back to work. She had to avoid looking at him because he unsettled her so much that it made it hard to concentrate on her job.
As she made the rounds she smiled and chatted politely with each customer, all the time aware of Gage waiting for her at the bar. She wanted to hurry so that she could get back to him, which was completely insane. Maybe he should leave so that she could focus better.
But she didn’t want him to leave. She really didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him here, teasing her, flirting with her.
“Did you hear who’s back in town?” Tate’s low drawl came from Gage’s left as he pulled up a bar stool and sat at the bar. “I didn’t think Harvey Norton would show his face in Prescott again but I saw him in the restaurant yesterday morning at breakfast.”
“At the Hummingbird?” Gage looked at his brother who nodded.
Tate smiled at Tess as she returned with Gage’s beer. “Hey, Tess.”
“Hi, Tate.” Tess set the beer in front of Gage. “The usual?”
“Yep,” Tate said.
She smiled at him. “One Rolling Rock coming right up.”
“Did you get her to go out with you yet?” Tate asked as she walked away.
Gage couldn’t help a grin. “Taking her out Saturday.”
“About damned time.” Tate returned his grin but then sobered. “You just take care of that girl. She’s not one of those women you go through like tissue paper. Tess is special.”
Gage watched Tess as she walked toward them with Tate’s beer in hand. “She sure as hell is special.”
Tate thanked Tess for the beer when she set it in front of him and then she moved away to help other customers.
When Tess was out of earshot, Tate said, “Not to mention, Megan will kill you if you break Tess’s heart.”
Gage nodded. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen sisters more protective of each other than those two.”
Gage and his brother talked until Tate had to head on home. Tate’s parting shot was “Don’t forget what I told you about Tess.”
When it was closing time, Tess said, “You’re here a little late, aren’t you? Don’t you get up at the crack of dawn?”
Gage gave her a smile. He’d nursed two beers from happy hour to closing and his head was clear. “I like watching you work.”
She shook her head. “Next time I’ll trade you places. You work behind the bar and I’ll watch you.” She braced her forearms on the bar in front of him and leaned forward. “Just because I said yes to one date doesn’t mean I want you hanging around.”
Even as her mouth said the words, her eyes told him differently. She’d loved having him stay and she hadn’t minded him watching her. The smile she gave him every now and then was cute and so damned sexy all in one.
When she was ready to leave, she turned off the lights and grabbed her purse. Gage walked with her as they headed out the back and into the night. He waited while she locked up the place then fell in step beside her as they headed toward her car and his truck.
“I see you parked close to me,” she said.
“What can I say?” He looked down at her petite form and her short blonde hair that gleamed beneath the lone parking lot light. “Even my car likes to be close to you.”
He loved her smile. “You can’t stay every night I work and walk me to my car.”
“Who says I can’t?” He settled his hand at the small of her back as they reached her vehicle and she turned to face him.
“Gage…” She bit her lower lip before she continued. “This might be moving a little too fast for me.”
“Too fast?” He moved so that he had her between him and the car. He kept his voice low as he searched her beautiful eyes. “Honey, I’ve been trying to get your attention for so damned long. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked you out. I’d say this is nowhere near fast enough.”
“But—”
He captured the rest of what she was going to say with a kiss. He took her by the upper arms and held her as he moved his mouth over hers.
She didn’t resist him, didn’t hold back, and his hunger for her grew. She moaned softly and slid her palms up his chest and over his shoulders.
With a groan he pressed her up against the car, lightly pinning her body. She caught her breath and he deepened the kiss. Her body was so soft against his, and he could feel her desire rising up with his own.
Damn, he wanted her, and he wanted her more than he could ever have imagined. But
at the same time he knew he had to take it slow with her. He wanted her to know she was special to him and he wasn’t planning on jumping into bed with her the first chance he got.
She wiggled against him, as if trying to get closer than they already were and she kissed him with a kind of fervor that about drove him crazy.
His mind was going places it had no business going with her. Not yet.
He gripped her shoulders and held her still as he broke the kiss. She looked up at him with big blue eyes, her lips parted. She looked almost surprised, like she didn’t know how she could have lost control.
“Damn, Tess.” He searched her gaze. “You make me crazy.”
Her chest rose and fell, like she was trying to catch her breath. “I—I should get home.”
“We’ll take it slow.” He gently stroked her hair behind her ear. “I won’t rush you, so don’t worry. Okay?”
She bit her lower lip then nodded. “Slow is good.”
He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “I want you to know that I care about you and I just want to get to know you better. I want to be with you. I’ll go at whatever pace you’d like.”
She studied him, as if trying to read his intentions and judge how sincere he was being. “Thank you,” she finally said. “I haven’t really dated anyone since…since Steve passed away. I guess I’ve avoided anything that felt like it could potentially develop into a relationship. This is kind of scary.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make you feel good about us, Tess.”
She returned his smile but hesitantly. “There is no ‘us’. Not yet.”
“Key words.” He gave her a little grin. “Not yet.”
She looked away for a moment before turning her gaze back to meet his. “Okay, one step at a time.”
He nodded. “One step at a time.”
“And we go at my pace,” she said.
“I promise.” He smiled. “Your pace.”
Hair prickled at his nape. He felt like they were being watched. He looked over his shoulder and saw a shadowy figure across the street, arms folded as he leaned up against a car, facing their direction.
A slow chill rolled over Gage. It looked like it could be Harvey Norton. As a matter of fact, he was sure it was Harvey.
“What is it?” Tess asked as his jaw tightened and anger burned through him.
Gage brought his gaze to hers. “Let’s get you into your car and then I want you to lock your doors and wait for me.”
“What?” She looked confused.
“Just do it,” he said, his anger rising as he glanced back in the direction where Harvey still watched them. “Please,” he added as he met her eyes again. “Trust me.”
She paused, then gave a nod and used the remote to unlock the door to her car before she opened it and climbed in, shut the door, and locked it.
He turned to face Harvey, intending to go across the street and confront the bastard. But when Gage looked again, Harvey was gone.
Chapter 9
Harvey shook with rage as he melted into the darkness. If he didn’t want to give his position away, he’d take his tire iron out of his car and start swinging it as hard as he could at anything in his way.
Preferably Gage McBride. He’d love to bash in Gage’s skull, slit his throat, and leave him to bleed out.
Gage had ruined his life, had taken everything from him. Harvey had lost his house, his money, and even his bitch of a girlfriend had left him.
Thanks to Gage, Harvey had nothing. He worked for Sanderson, a rancher, mucking shit from stalls and doing other jobs far beneath what he should be doing. But he’d been forced to work for anyone who would hire him so that he’d have enough money to live on.
He’d lost a lot, but worst of all, he’d lost his freedom.
For three long years he’d bided his time in prison. Plotting…planning for the day he’d get his revenge. And it was finally here.
And even now, Gage was still stealing from him. Again.
Tess belongs to me, Harvey thought as he clenched his hands into fists.
Yet he’d caught her with Gage.
The bitch. Harvey ground his teeth. She’d flirted with him, had even gone out for a drink with him. But she’d been kissing Gage. The bitch was probably fucking him, too.
Harvey wanted to go back and beat the shit out of Gage and drag Tess home with him and put his mark on her.
He forced himself to calm down. Instead, he’d take everything from Gage the way everything had been ripped away from him.
The ladies had always liked Harvey. He knew he was better looking than Gage and Harvey knew how to play women. Harvey would have Tess, one way or another, and he’d teach her a lesson about screwing around on him.
Chapter 10
Tess paced her living room, holding her hand to her belly, which fluttered like crazy. Gage would be here at any moment. Despite the fact that she had seen him at the bar frequently for ages, she was nervous. It was crazy. She had no reason to be nervous.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Jenny came into the living room, followed by Glenna, the teenager who babysat on weekends when Tess needed her.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Tess smiled at Jenny. “I was just thinking.”
“You must be thinking hard. Your face was all scrunched up.” Jenny turned to Glenna. “I want to play Barbies. Superstar Barbie wants to go to the salon.”
“Good idea.” Glenna swung her long, thick braid over her shoulder. “I think she’s due for a makeover.”
The doorbell rang. Tess felt another burst of nerves and mentally chided herself.
“Is that almost-Uncle Gage?” Jenny ran to the door.
“Probably.” Tess followed her and looked through the peephole. She took a deep breath. “Yep.”
“I want to open the door.” Jenny reached for the bolt lock and turned it, then turned the lock on the doorknob. She hurried to open the door.
Gage stood there, looking so sexy in Wranglers, a dark blue T-shirt, and a western hat. His T-shirt stretched over his biceps and fit his chest just right. How could any man look that hot?
“Hi, almost-Uncle Gage,” Jenny said with a big smile.
He grinned. “Hi, Jenny.” He met Tess’s eyes and gave her a smile that she knew was meant only for her.
There went those damned belly flutters again.
Tess swallowed. “Come on in.” She introduced him to Glenna whose cheeks reddened as he gave her a smile and touched the brim of his hat. Tess had never seen the teenager appear tongue-tied or shy before.
“Ready?” Gage asked Tess.
She nodded. “Kiss?” Tess held out her arms to Jenny who ran toward her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek and hugged her. Tess kissed Jenny’s cheek in return. “Be good for Glenna.”
“I will.” Jenny took Glenna’s hand. “We’re going to play Barbies now,” she said to Gage.
“Have fun,” he said to the girls. Glenna blushed again and Jenny beamed before she started to lead Glenna to the bedroom.
“You look great,” Gage said to Tess when the girls had disappeared into Jenny’s bedroom.
She looked down at her own T-shirt and jeans. “I take it I’m dressed okay for mud?”
He laughed. “Perfect.”
“Hold on.” She grabbed her keys and the small woven purse she’d decided to take with her to hold the few things she might need. They headed out and she locked the door behind them before she dropped the keys into her purse.
“We need to stop by my place and then we’ll head on out,” he said as he helped her into the passenger side of his truck. He went to the driver’s side and climbed in.
When they were on the road she found herself almost as tongue-tied as Glenna had been. “So what are we doing?” she managed to ask.
“Ever been out on an ATV?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “It always looked like fun but I’ve never had the opportunity.”
“Well, now’
s your chance.” He looked at her. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Tess.”
She found herself smiling. “I am, too.”
It wasn’t too far to his place. He had a small ranch but had a sprawling home that from the outside looked to be over three thousand square feet.
A huge building sat on some property set back from the house. “I run my well and pump service business out of that building and keep my heavy equipment there,” he said as he drove to the building. “We’re so busy that we work weekends, too. I managed to arrange to have some time off today.”
“I’m glad,” she said and he rewarded her with a quick grin.
They went around the back of the building. A trailer with a strapped down four-wheel ATV was behind the shop.
He backed up the truck to the neck of the trailer and parked. Before he could climb out, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of the holster on his belt, checked the caller ID screen and answered with, “Hi, Joe.” After a moment, he frowned. “Damn, I’m sorry to hear that.” His brow furrowed as he continued to listen. “No, you’re right, we can’t leave Mrs. Johnson without water. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it.”
When Gage disconnected the call, he blew out his breath and looked at Tess. “One of my men’s uncle was in a car accident and he needs to get down to the hospital. He was heading out to put a new pump in Mrs. Johnson’s well when he got the call. She’s a sweet little old lady who lives on the other side of Prescott, down the road from where I grew up.”
“And she needs water,” Tess said. “I understand.”
“If you still want to get muddy, why don’t you come out with me?” he said. “It’s possible it won’t take too long and we can still do something this afternoon.”
“Sure.” She nodded. “I’m up for muddy one way or another.”
“Good.” He started the truck again and started driving it around the shop. “We need to take the pump rig.” He nodded in the direction of a big truck. “It has all the tools I’ll need, and the right pipe is already loaded. But I’ll have to load a new pump for her well.”
Fencing You In Page 5
