"Some people find big cities energetic."
"As I said, it depends on the mood."
They boarded the gondola, and once again Cole sat next to her as they rode down. But this time she didn't bother to move. She didn't know if her relaxed buzz came from the wine or the end of a long day or just the desire to stop fighting her attraction so hard, but whatever the reason, she found herself enjoying Cole's masculine presence and didn't even protest when he put his arm around her shoulders.
They were halfway down the hillside when the gondola came to an unexpected swinging stop. She put her hand on Cole's thigh to steady herself.
"What just happened?" she asked.
"Looks like we've stopped."
"I know that, but why?"
Cole shrugged, looking completely unperturbed by the event. "No idea, but at least we have a good view while we wait to get going again."
"True, but I'd prefer it if we were still moving."
"We're fine, Maggie. We're not going to suddenly crash to the ground."
"Logically, I know that, but I can't help but notice how high up we are at the moment."
"You need to think about something else."
"Good idea. I just wish I could think of something else besides that thin cable preventing us from crashing to the group."
He smiled. "Just remember you asked."
"Asked for what?"
"Something else to think about." He pulled her toward him, covering her mouth with his as his other hand ran through her hair, holding her in place. He tasted like the wine they'd drunk earlier: hot, dizzying, delicious… She was quickly becoming addicted to the way he teased her lips apart, the slide of his tongue against her teeth, the dance of their tongues, the smell of his musky cologne. She even liked the rough edges of his shadowy beard against her cheek, the way he held her so possessively as if there was no way he was letting her go.
The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere. She put her arms around his neck and brought his head back down after he paused to catch his breath. She didn't want air; she wanted him. She wanted to protest when his lips left hers but as he slid his mouth down the side of her neck, she shuddered with need.
Cole pulled her on to his lap so she was straddling him, so she could feel his growing hardness against her groin and all sorts of wicked thoughts ran through her. She wanted their clothes off. She wanted to explore every inch of his body and have him do the same to her. She wanted to be as bad as the bad boy she was kissing. She wanted to say yes to today and to hell with tomorrow.
And then the gondola jolted into motion again. The swinging broke them apart and the cool air that parted them put a damper on the fire that had been blazing between them.
She suddenly became very aware of where she was and what she was doing and just how far she'd let things go. She scrambled off Cole's lap and sat back in her seat, tucking her hair behind her ears, taking in one deep breath after another as she tried to slow her racing pulse.
Cole shifted somewhat uncomfortably as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at her through desire-laden eyes. "You are something else, Maggie."
She didn't know what to say. She couldn't apologize. She couldn't pretend she hadn't just lost herself in the attraction between them. She couldn't lie about her desire. So she didn’t say anything. And Cole now seemed as much at a loss for words as she was.
"That was a little too close," she said, as they neared the ground.
"I was thinking it wasn't close enough," he muttered, looking her straight in the eyes. "I want you, Maggie. I think you know that. I think you want me, too."
She drew a quick breath at the bluntness of his words, the deliberateness of his gaze. She'd never had a man state his intention in such a way. No pretty words. No fancy dinner first. No pretense. It was both refreshing and terrifying.
"Tell me I'm wrong," he commanded.
She swallowed hard, relieved she was saved from answering when the gondola came into the station. The attendant opened the door, and they got out. They walked toward the parking lot with tension now between them. She knew Cole was still waiting for an answer.
When they reached the motorcycle, she said, "Even if I want to be with you, I won't. I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because for you, I'm just a side trip, one of many stops on your endless adventure. But for me, you'd mean more."
"It doesn't have to mean more."
"It does, because I don't sleep with people I don't care about and I'm already starting to care about you, Cole. You don't want strings or an anchor, and that's exactly what I want. Tell me I'm wrong," she said, throwing his words back in his face.
He gave her a long stare. "Damn, Maggie. You know I can't tell you that."
She should have felt relief, but instead she felt disappointment. "That's what I thought. So let's just call it a day, all right?"
Before Cole could answer, her phone rang. As she took it out of her purse, she was shocked to see her father's number. "This is my father. He's calling from Germany; I have to take it."
"Of course," he said.
She walked away from the motorcycle, not really needing privacy for her call but rather a moment to catch her breath and regroup.
Chapter Seven
"Hi, Dad," she said as her father's deep baritone came over the phone. Her dad had one of those voices that naturally commanded attention, and she couldn't help straightening her shoulders as she prepared herself for whatever was about to come. Since her father called her so infrequently, she was worried that something was wrong.
"Maggie. I'm glad I caught you," he said. "I only have a few moments."
She wasn't surprised to hear that. Their conversations never lasted more than a few minutes. "Are you all right? Are Jared and Keith okay?"
"Everyone is fine as far as I know."
"Then what's going on?"
"Well, I don't know exactly how to say this, so I'll just say it—I've met someone."
His words shocked her to the core. She'd always thought her father's closest relationship was with the Army. "Are you talking about a woman?"
"Of course I am," he said impatiently.
"Who is she?"
"She's a nurse—a widow. She has a grown son." He cleared his throat. "Her name is Helen."
"Okay," she said, not really sure what to say to his news. "Will I get to meet her at Thanksgiving?"
"Only if you come to Germany. That's why I'm calling. We won't be able to come to California for Thanksgiving."
"But I thought we were going to have a big celebration dinner at my house."
"Do you even have that house yet?"
"I'll have it by then. I really wanted to bring the family all together. Keith said he'd come for sure, and Jared is trying to make it work. Are you sure you can't come? I think it's really important for us to be together."
"Helen really wants me to meet her family, and that's the best time for them. It's just a turkey dinner, Maggie. We'll figure out another time to get the family together."
A surge of disappointment ran through her. "I was really counting on Thanksgiving."
"I didn't think it was set in stone. You can always come to Germany—I'll pay for your ticket."
And spend Thanksgiving with her father's new girlfriend and a bunch of people she'd never met before? She couldn't think of anything worse. "I don't know."
"Well, think about it. I know Helen would love to meet you. I have to run. We'll talk later."
"All right. Bye—"
The call disconnected before she could finish her sentence. That was her dad; when he was done talking, the conversation was over.
She walked back to Cole with a heavy heart. She was not just reeling from the fact that her father had once again put an end to her dream of a family holiday but also that he'd replaced her mother with a new woman.
Cole gave her a questioning look. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm fine."
"You d
on't look fine. What's going on with your father?"
"He's in love with a woman named Helen," she said. "He can't come to my house for Thanksgiving because Helen wants him to be with her family. I asked him months ago to make sure he could come for Thanksgiving but he always changes the plans. It doesn’t matter what I want, only what he wants."
"Sorry," Cole said, genuine compassion in his eyes.
"I shouldn't be surprised. It's always been this way. If I don't go to my dad, I don't see him."
"That sucks."
She appreciated that Cole didn't try to make excuses for her father. "It does. Hopefully, my brothers will still come, unless my dad talks them into going to Germany, which is a definite possibility."
"Maybe you should consider joining them."
"I don't want to meet his new girlfriend. I don't want to be nice to a bunch of strangers," she said grumpily.
"Well, you don't have to decide right now, do you?"
"No, that's true."
"You know what you need?" Cole asked.
She gave him a suspicious look. "If the answer is sex or more wine, I'm going to say no."
He laughed. "Don't knock sex and wine. They can cure a lot of heartache."
"Or cause more," she said cynically.
"Well, I was actually talking about something else."
"What?"
"I'll surprise you."
"I'd rather just know where we're going."
"So you can come up with a dozen reasons why not?"
"That sounds like we're going someplace I definitely don't want to go."
He handed over her helmet. "Sometimes you just have to enjoy the ride and not worry about the destination. If you don't like it when we get there, we'll leave. Deal?"
"Deal," she said, getting onto the bike behind him.
She was actually happy to leave the driving and decisions to him for a few moments. She needed to breathe through the pain of the blow her father had just delivered. She should try to find a way to be happy for him. It wasn't good for anyone to be alone, but somehow it still stung a little. He wasn't just getting involved with a woman; he was choosing her and her family over his own. But Maggie was quite sure he didn't see it that way. In fact, he'd probably hung up the phone thinking she was being unreasonable as usual.
As Cole drove them down the highway, she tried to let the bad feelings go. She had a lot to be happy about. She couldn't let her father take her down. He'd ruined too many of her holidays already. She'd make Thanksgiving work whether he was there or not.
Cole took a curve a little faster than she would have liked, but she wasn't afraid. She'd somehow come to trust him. It was way too fast, and she was probably crazy to put her faith in someone she'd known a few days but deep down in her gut she knew that Cole was someone she could depend on. Still, she tightened her arms around him, happy to have a reason to hold onto him, because as soon as they got off the bike, she was going to let him go.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Cole drove through the downtown area, stopping in front of Schaeffer's Ice-Cream Parlor and Candy Shop.
As they got off the bike, Cole said, "What do you think of my idea now?"
"It's the best one you've had all day. I love Schaeffer's ice cream. They make it from scratch in the back."
"That's what I hear. You look better now, Maggie; the color is back in your face."
"Thanks to the sun and wind."
"You liked the bike ride more than you thought you would, didn't you?"
"Maybe, but my expectations were very low. They tend to stay in that range when it comes to motorcycles and men."
He grinned. "I'll have to see what I can do to raise those expectations."
"That wasn't a challenge."
"Too late. I've already taken it that way."
"Fine. You can start impressing me by buying me a double scoop of ice cream."
"You're on." He opened the door and ushered her inside.
The ice-cream parlor and candy store was a pink and white confection of sugar and sweets. Pete Schaeffer and his wife Lily worked the ice cream counter while their two high school daughters were behind the candy counter.
Pete and Lily were two of Maggie's favorite people. They were both in their late forties and had been married for eighteen years. They'd left their other jobs to open their dream of a business two years earlier and the parlor was quickly becoming one of Napa's favorite stops.
"Hi, Maggie," Pete said with a friendly grin. He had thinning brown hair and an engaging pair of dark eyes.
"Hi, Pete—Lily," she added, waving to the woman who was finishing up with another customer.
"What are you going for today?" Pete asked. "Triple decker banana split?"
"Not today."
"Wait—is that what you usually order?" Cole interrupted with surprise in his eyes.
"It's a house specialty. I've tried it a few times."
"Like just about every time," Pete corrected. "Maggie can put it away."
"You don't need to tell him that, Pete," Lily interrupted. "Maggie doesn't want her date to know all her secrets, do you dear?"
"He's not my date. He's just…" She couldn't think of the right word, so she said, "He's Mrs. Stratton's nephew."
"Great to meet you," Pete said, reaching across the counter to shake Cole's hand. "Your aunt is a classy lady."
"The Stratton buys a lot of ice cream from this store," Maggie put in.
"So today, whatever you want is on the house," Pete added.
"I'll take a double scoop of mint chip," she said.
"I'll go with a double chocolate mocha," Cole said.
"Coming right up," Pete replied.
"This place is amazing," Cole said. "I feel like I'm in the middle of a giant swirl of cotton candy."
She laughed. "I feel like I gain five pounds every time I walk in here, which you've probably surmised is way too much."
"I'm an ice cream fan, too," he confessed. "My favorite dessert."
"I love to hear that," Peter said, interrupting their conversation to hand Maggie her cup of mint chip. "Don't be a stranger while you're in town."
"I'm sure I won't be," Cole promised.
"This place was Pete and Lily's dream business," Maggie said, as Lily handed Cole his order.
"That's right," Lily said, putting her arm around her husband's waist. "Pete and I met in an ice-cream shop near our college dorms. We were both ice cream addicts. That first year we made a goal to try every single flavor. Along the way, we fell in love and made a promise that one day we'd open our own place. It took us twenty years, but it finally happened, which just goes to show that some dreams take a little longer, but as long as you don't quit, you can't fail."
"I admire your commitment," Cole said.
"Enjoy your ice cream," Lily told them.
They sat down at a table by the window as more customers flooded into the store.
"What did you think of their story?" Maggie asked him as she spooned ice cream into her mouth.
"It sounds like one of those romance novel plots my mom likes to read."
She smiled. "Your mom reads romance novels?"
"I think a more appropriate word than read would be devour. She used to have hundreds of books in our house. Now she puts them on her tablet. But whenever she isn't painting, she usually has her nose in a book."
"Are you a reader?"
"I used to read the financial pages from cover to cover. Now, I read maps. I plot out places I want to go. I don't want to read about them. I want to see them for myself."
There was a certain romance to his life, she thought. But she wondered how long it would take for him to feel a longing for a home-cooked meal and a place to call home. "Where will you go when you leave here?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking about Hawaii. It's been years since I've done any island living. Have you been there?"
"I went to Maui for a week when I was in college. It was beautiful. I'd love to go back so
me time or maybe try one of the other islands. And now I'd spend more time touring the island and less time sunbathing and looking for cute guys," she added with a self-deprecating smile.
He grinned. "I'm sure they were looking right back."
"And probably having a difficult time seeing beyond my massive sunburn. I cooked myself to a crisp in about an hour the first day I was there. After that, I was coating myself with sunscreen and wearing long sleeves and long dresses."
"You have beautiful but very fair skin."
She flushed a little at the appreciation in his eyes. "I wouldn't call my skin tone beautiful. I'm pale and I freckle easily."
"You only see your flaws; I see so much more."
She wanted to ask him what else he saw, but that would probably sound like she was begging for compliments. "How long will you be in Hawaii?"
He shrugged. "I have no plans."
"Really? Even though it sounds fun to have no plans, I don't think I could live with such a lack of structure."
"It took me a while to unplug from technology, to not feel like I was idling the day away. Years of stress and work habits don't disappear overnight, but then one day you wake up and you feel happy just to see an amazing sunset or walk on a deserted beach."
"You're very convincing, but I don't know…there's something that doesn't quite add up."
"What do you mean?"
"I just have a gut feeling that you're not as much of a beach bum as you'd like me to believe."
"You think I have a secret life?"
"Do you?"
He smiled. "You have a big imagination."
"Well, that's true." She paused. "Ice cream was a good idea. I feel better."
"Good. So what are you doing tonight, Maggie?"
"I thought I'd try baking another apple pie. I have to get it right sometime. What about you? You don't appear to be spending much time with your aunt."
"She is taking me to dinner at some highbrow place that apparently requires a coat and tie," he said with a sigh.
She smiled at the look of distaste on his face. "Oh, the horrors."
"I used to love wearing a good suit, but now a tie just feels like it's choking me."
"I'm sure the food will be worth a little discomfort. I wonder if she's taking you to Echo—it's a new restaurant in town, very chic and very expensive."
Falling Into You (Bachelors & Bridesmaids Book 5) Page 7
