CASEY

by Lori Foster

  He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes. I met her while having lunch. I thought she was a waitress and didn't realize she was the owner of the place until we'd already been flirting back and forth a bit and things were ... in progress."

  Startled, Casey asked, "Ceily was flirting with you?"

  "So?"

  Uncomfortable with the idea, Casey shrugged. "So she doesn't...that is, she normally..."

  "I know." Damon grinned. "She's discriminating. She told me so."

  Emma suddenly turned to Casey. "Well, I suppose we should call it a night." She attempted to usher him – inconspicuously – toward the door.

  Casey refused to budge. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." Her smile didn't touch her eyes. "It's just that it's way past my bedtime and it has been a busy day. I'm ready to drop."

  B.B. agreed with that and headed for the bed. Casey decided he'd pressed her enough for one day. He'd made enormous headway already. "All right." He went to the door, but brought Emma with him.

  Damon didn't move, he just crossed his arms and watched them. In his underwear. Casey really didn't like him much at all.

  "I'll see you tomorrow when I get home. Will you have your cell phone on you so I can find you?"

  "Yes. I should be done visiting the hospital by then, but I'll need to think about a run back home."

  Damon asked, "We're leaving already?"

  Casey scowled at him, but Emma said over her shoulder, "I'll explain in a minute." Then to Casey, she said a firm, "Good night."

  He smiled. Then he laughed. His timid little Emma was long gone, and in her place was a woman more exciting than he'd ever known. "Good night, sweetheart." He bent and kissed her, but kept it quick and light with Damon looking on. "Sweet dreams."

  EMMA SHUT THE DOOR behind Casey. She apparently heard Damon approaching, because she pretended to faint, falling back against him. "Oh Lord, what a day," she said.

  Damon caught her under her arms and laughed. "Made your knees weak, did he?" Seeing her so happy made him happy too. From the second he'd gotten a good look at her, he could see she positively glowed, and not just from too much sunshine. Casey had a startling effect on her, and that told him all he needed to know.

  Groaning, Emma straightened, but went to the bed to flop down. "It's too incredible." She stared at Damon in what he could only call wonder. "He wants to see me."

  Damon pretended to gasp as he followed her over to the bed. "No! He wants to see a gorgeous, sexy woman? How strange. What do you suppose is wrong with that man?"

  Fighting a smile, Emma smacked at him. "It's more complicated than that, and well you know it. And he doesn't just want to see me a little. For as long as I'm here, he asked that we be exclusive."

  "He's a possessive ape. I picked up on that right off."

  "He is not an ape."

  Damon noted she didn't challenge the possessive part.

  "And Damon, we might be here a lot longer than we'd first planned. Or at least, I'll be. That's what I meant about making a run home. I'll probably need more clothes. But there's no reason for you to stay."

  Damon could think of several reasons to hang around, and first and foremost was his astounding reaction to a certain small-business proprietor. Then there was the stretch of land Ceily's grandfather was supposedly going to sell. And his own dissatisfaction with his life...

  Emma spent several minutes explaining her father's condition to him, and Damon, as usual, did his best to be a good listener. He had such wonderful, caring parents himself, he couldn't imagine the emptiness she had to feel, knowing hers cared so little for her. Yet, she still suffered with her own sense of responsibility toward them. It was another mark of Emma's generous spirit, and one of the reasons she was so easy to love.

  "What are you going to do?"

  Propping her elbows on her knees, Emma buried her face in her hands. "I don't know," she wailed with only slightly exaggerated frustration. "I want to be with him. God, to be truthful, I still have feelings for him."

  He'd assumed that much all along, of course, which was one reason he'd insisted on accompanying her on this trip. Emma didn't love easily, but when she spoke of Casey, the love she felt for him was more than apparent. "And how does he feel?"

  She shook her head and straightened. "At first, it was almost like he thought he'd been slighted...because he hadn't gotten to...uh..."

  "Make love to you?" Yeah, Damon could see that. Hudson might consider her the one that got away. He'd been controlling things, keeping Emma at arm's length – right where he wanted her, not too close but within reach. Then suddenly she wasn't around at all and he'd likely floundered with mixed feelings. Far as Damon was concerned, it served him right.

  But the way Emma avoided his gaze when she nodded, Damon wondered if the sex issue had already been seen to. It would explain her glow and the heat he'd witnessed in Hudson's eyes. He almost grinned. "I take it once isn't enough?"

  She punched him in the arm. "You know me too well."

  "I was talking about him, actually but, yeah, I know you too well. And there's no reason to blush. If you're happy I'm happy."

  Absently, she began to stroke B.B., and the big dog gleefully dozed off. Emma was good with her hands and she loved touching. If you sat by her, you could expect to get as many pets as the dog. She made a perfect massage therapist – and she'd make an even better lover.

  "I know getting involved with him, even temporarily, is beyond stupid." She winced. "When I leave, it's going to make it so much harder. But I just can't resist grabbing this opportunity."

  Watching her closely, Damon asked, "So who says it has to be temporary?"

  She blinked at him, laughed a little nervously. "Because it's just sex."

  "Did he say as much?"

  With an uncertain look, she shook her head. "No."

  Damon squeezed her knee. "Then I think you need to stop making assumptions and give the guy a chance. If he just wanted sex, seems to me his little co-worker Kristin was more than willing."

  She thought about that, then nodded. "True."

  "And you definitely need to shake off that dark cloud. You're in Buckhorn two days and already you're reverting to that silly girl I first met."

  "I wasn't silly."

  He grunted. "You had no clue who or what you were. You kept trying to fade into the background, to disappear completely, which was very silly because a woman like you is always noticed."

  Her eyebrow lifted this time. "A woman like me?"

  "Smart, sexy, warm and sincere. Men have built-in homing devices for women like you. You can't be in the vicinity without males perking up – and I don't just mean their attention." He bobbed his eyebrows so she wouldn't misunderstand. "You're around, and men know it."

  That had her laughing. "You are so absurd sometimes."

  "No more absurd than you. Forget the past, doll. Forget the girl you used to be and the boy you always thought he was. Just take it day by day and see what happens. If Casey Hudson possesses even half the sterling qualities you always attributed to him, I'll be shocked if he doesn't fall madly in love with you." In fact, Damon thought the poor guy was already halfway there. He looked at Emma as if he wanted to eat her up, and he didn't even try to hide it.

  "Now—" Damon stood to stare down at her "—it's time to hit the sack. I'm seeing Ceily again tomorrow."

  "You are?"

  "Indeed. She's a charming little minx, I'll say that for her."

  "If you say that to her, she's liable to clobber you."

  Damon grinned. "I can handle her, don't worry. But she suggested I be ready early, and I'm beginning to realize that, around here, that means crawling out of bed before the sun comes up."

  Emma gave him a long look, no doubt wondering how involved he planned to get with Ceily. He could understand her surprise. Hell, he was still reeling himself. Of all the women in Buckhorn, she was probably the last woman he should be spending extra time with, all things considered.

  Bu
t as usual, Emma didn't pry except to ask, "So you're going to be staying too?"

  He sauntered toward his own room, but when he reached the doorway, he looked back at her with a smile. "The infamous Casey Hudson sees me as competition, despite my assurances to the contrary, and I'm finding that amuses me a lot. So, yes, doll, I'm staying. In fact, wild horses couldn't drag me away." Damon couldn't wait to see how the town's golden boy worked this one out.

  In the meantime, he'd be working on buying some land – and seducing Miss Ceily. Things looked promising.

  And here he'd feared Buckhorn, Kentucky, might be boring. It was anything but.

  MORGAN STOOD at the grill, turning burgers, rolling wieners and brats, and seasoning pork ribs. As the official cook for the day, he'd opted for a wide variety to please all the family who'd turned out for the impromptu get-together. All around him, the kids were playing and the animals were running about up on the porch, he could hear the wives chatting and laughing. Life was good.

  He glanced over to where Casey and Emma sat beneath a tall elm tree, practically glued together. It was just like old times, except that two of Gabe's fair-haired daughters were with them, watching as Emma taught them how to weave clover buds together for ankle bracelets. The girls loved them, and when Casey made a larger one and placed it on Emma's head like a tiara, they giggled.

  Sawyer walked up to him. It was his day off so he wore jeans and a tan T-shirt. "Out of the ten days she's been in town, this is the fifth time Case has had her over for dinner."

  Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I knew they were getting tight. But that's sounding pretty serious considering he doesn't usually bring his dates around that often."

  "Hell, the days he hasn't brought her here, he's spent with her somewhere else. Everyone in town and on the lake has noticed, which I think might have been his intent I've never seen him chase a woman like this."

  Shrugging, Morgan said, "Usually they're chasing him." He expertly flipped a burger, then stepped back as flames shot upward from the grease. "Misty told me that the gossip among the young ladies is getting kinda nasty. With Emma around, they're all out of the running, and apparently they're not too happy about that."

  "What kind of gossip?"

  "Oh, that Case feels sorry for her. That he's using her. That she's using him." He shrugged. "Typical catty stuff. Misty was fit to be tied when she got home."

  Sawyer smiled. "I take it she straightened them out?"

  "That she did. But stop grinning, cuz your wife was right there with her and just as adamant about stopping rumors."

  "You're on fire," Sawyer told him, then waited while Morgan retrieved a slightly charred hot dog and moved it to another part of the grill. "You know Honey dotes on him. If Emma makes him happy, then she's all for it."

  "She does appear to keep him smiling."

  "True. And if she's around, he's by her. Or watching her. Or watching that no one else is watching her. It's bound to cause talk."

  Grinning, Morgan said, "Reminds me a bit of me back in my day."

  "Reminds me a bit of any guy in love."

  Nodding thoughtfully, Morgan said, "Yep. That's about it, I suppose."

  Jordan strolled up with three frosty colas, one already opened and half gone, the other two for his brothers. Gabe followed along behind him. "What has you two over here gossiping like old women?"

  Shoeless and in a sleeveless shirt, Gabe leaned against a tree. "We could see your frowns from the porch."

  Accepting his drink and taking a healthy swig, Morgan nodded toward Casey. "Think he's in love with her?"

  Gabe snorted. "That's what has you all puckered up? Well, let me set you straight – yes. He loves her."

  Jordan used his wrist to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Hear, hear."

  Sawyer said, "Hmm."

  "You like her, don't you?" Gabe glanced over toward Emma in time to see his youngest daughter climb into her lap and give her a hug. "Because I like her fine. She's a pretty little thing. And she's damn good with cars. Almost as good as me." He shook his head. "Gotta admire that."

  "She's damn good at neck rubs too."

  Gabe squinted his eyes. "Do tell."

  Grinning, Sawyer said, "Morgan helped Howard dig out a tree stump. And by 'helped,' I mean he did it himself. He seems to forget he's an old man now."

  "I'm in my prime, damn it." Then Morgan raised his nose. "Just ask Misty."

  "Yeah, well, prime or not, he pulled more than a few muscles showing off. Emma happened to be here when he started complaining and within minutes she had him blissfully relaxed and half-asleep."

  Gabe stared over toward Emma. "Wonder if I could get her to show me how to do that."

  "She showed Misty."

  "And Honey." The two brothers grinned at each other.

  "Needing help with Elizabeth, are you?" Jordan taunted Gabe.

  "Naw, but the woman is insatiable. I figured if I could get her to sleep a little more..."

  After everyone stopped chuckling, Gabe said, "You're fretting for nothing. Because if I know women – and you know I do – Emma is as much stung as Casey is. It's almost embarrassing, the way she looks at him."

  Jordan elbowed him. "Like anything could embarrass you."

  "Hey, I'm an old married man, completely oblivious to lecherous looks." He grinned sinfully as he said it.

  "We all like her," Morgan pointed out. "But isn't she here only temporarily?"

  Sawyer nodded. "That's what concerns me the most. Yet she's the only female Casey has brought around the family this much."

  "That oughta tell ya something, I suppose."

  Morgan rolled his eyes at Gabe. "Yeah, it tells us that he loves his adoring uncles and values our approval."

  "She has mine."

  "Mine too."

  Sawyer shifted, running a hand through his hair and sighing. "She left here because she didn't like it, or because she had some mighty big personal problems. Whichever, I'd hate to see Case hurt."

  "He's smart. He knows what he's doing." Jordan clapped Sawyer on the shoulder. "Of course, a man's finer senses tend to warp a little when he's getting his heart drop-kicked by love."

  Morgan nodded. "It's cruel the way a woman can lay you low."

  Gabe said, "As long as she's laying me...." The others lifted their drinks in a salute.

  Just then, Misty yelled from the porch, "You got the meat ready for me?"

  Morgan smiled while the others quickly turned their backs to snicker. "Always, sweetheart, always." Then under his breath to his brothers, "She can't get enough."

  Jordan raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, well, your wieners are on fire."

  Morgan hurried to move things around on the grill. Gabe glanced up, saw that Elizabeth had joined Misty in setting out side dishes, and yelled, "You ladies getting...hungry?"

  She smiled back with a look guaranteed to knock the wind out of him. "Ravenous."

  Gabe clutched his heart. "Oh God, I asked for that, didn't I?"

  Sawyer called to Honey, "Be right there, sweetie." And he blew her a kiss.

  Jordan said, "I like Emma's friend, Damon."

  "He loosened right up, didn't he? When I first met him, he was such a starched shirt. Nice enough fellow, but so...precise." Gabe said that as though it were a dirty word. "Put my teeth on edge. Never thought he'd be the type to hang around here this long."

  "He's still starched, but it's just his way." Sawyer nudged his brothers as he saw Damon come around the corner of the house, led by Amber and looking far from starched at the moment. Judging by his bare wet feet and wind-tossed hair, Amber had taken him along the bank hunting crawfish and minnows again – a pastime Damon apparently enjoyed, much to everyone's surprise.

  Amber had insisted on his first such adventure, but since then he'd gone along willingly and they'd fallen into a routine of sorts. Whenever Damon came to the house with Emma, Ceily usually accompanied them, and they'd go to the shore with Amber and any of the other kids who were in attendance tha
t day.

  Sawyer also noted that Damon had his pant legs rolled up, his shirt mostly unbuttoned, and Ceily tucked close at his side. "Ceily sure likes him."

  "Likes him?" Gabe grunted. "She's totally besotted, always sashaying around in front of him, batting her eyelashes and whispering in his ear. And he enjoys it – you can tell that much."

  "Good for her." Morgan pointed a metal spatula at Gabe. "'Bout time she found someone."

  "Hey, I got no problem with her being happy," Gabe groused. "It's just that I always figured it'd be someone local. I hope like hell he doesn't break her heart, or worse, talk her into moving away."

  "Moving away would be worse than a broken heart?"

  Jordan scowled at Morgan, then asked Gabe, "Why would she move away?"

  "I understand he's a well-respected architect back in Chicago." Sawyer shrugged. "Can't see him giving that up."

  The men all looked up as a scuffle started between Garrett and Shohn, who were a little too close in age at nine and ten not to compete at every turn. Adam, only slightly more subdued at thirteen, stood to the side shaking his head until Honey raced into the yard and said quite loudly, "That's enough!"

  The boys broke apart, grumbled a little and, with Honey prodding them along, headed to the porch.

  Morgan shoved a platter of hamburgers at Jordan. "Here, carry this. We better feed the savages before they turn on each other."

  Laughing, Jordan took the food. "I can remember Mom saying the same thing back in the old days."

  Gabe snickered. "Yeah, but usually she was saying it about Morgan."

  "Last time I talked to her, she said she'd be coming to town soon. Seems Casey spoke with her yesterday when she called. He mentioned Emma a few dozen times, and now she's more than a little curious."

  Sawyer laughed at Jordan. "Nosy is a better description." The brothers all agreed with fond smiles. "I expect she'll be here before too long."

  Their mother lived in Florida with Gabe's father, Brett. After losing her first husband and divorcing her second, she'd found true love. It made them all glad to see her so happy, and since she got to Kentucky at least six times a year, they didn't mind that Brett had talked her into retiring in Florida.