by Lori Foster
With his big hand on her belly, he asked, “You don’t want people to know we’re seeing each other?”
It wasn’t as if they were dating, so… “I’m a private person, Shohn. You know that.”
For a minute, he said nothing, just took his time exploring her body. When his gaze finally lifted to hers, it was sharp with resolve. “Come over to my place tomorrow after work.”
Oh, so tempting. Did he ask because he, too, felt the special connection? Nadine couldn’t keep her heart from filling with hope. Her stubborn pride, however, warned her to proceed with caution. “I don’t know…”
“I’ll convince you,” Shohn murmured. He left the bed amid Louie’s protests, going out of the room to retrieve the shirt and catnip. He set up a bed for the cat on the floor, and even managed to coax Louie to it.
Then he coaxed Nadine out to the hall, and up against the wall.
It was another two hours before he and Louie left—with the promise that she’d spend the night with him tomorrow.
* * *
NADINE’S AGREEMENT TO spend the night with Shohn set the tone for the next two weeks. The hours, even the days, passed in a blur of swelling contentment. She stayed over with him and Louie, and left for work in the morning. At her job, they kept things platonic.
But alone in his apartment, Shohn dedicated himself to showing her new ways of making love.
And it was making love, at least for her. With Shohn, well, he was incredibly wonderful to her. But didn’t everyone say that about him?
“A chip off the old block,” she’d heard many times, referring back to his father, Dr. Sawyer Hudson, who was much loved and respected by everyone in Buckhorn. “Just like his uncle Gabe,” many noted, meaning Shohn was a charming seducer, though the Gabe she knew was a dedicated family man who watched over his three beautiful daughters with unwavering determination.
“He does the family proud” was the favored compliment, and Nadine had to agree. Shohn was the real deal, a gentleman through and through, considerate and caring, protective and sexy to boot.
So maybe he treated her just the same as he treated everyone: kindly and with lots of attention.
Oh, how that man doled out the attention, especially in bed.
The evening sun sent crimson and purple across the horizon. Nadine loved sunsets, more so now that it meant she’d soon be seeing Shohn.
She was so sunk. Hopelessly, as Amber had claimed.
Sighing, Nadine finished scooping the backyard after the dogs had run and played. It was one of her least favorite jobs, of course, which was why she did it herself instead of pawning it off on Roxi or Fred. She owned the place, so the dirtiest jobs were hers to deal with.
Louie came to walk with her. Though he still doted on Shohn, he no longer freaked out when he couldn’t reach him. He now had the run of Animal House, too. Both she and Shohn trusted Louie to stay close and out of trouble.
At Shohn’s apartment, the cat preferred his bed in front of the patio doors because that’s where the sun usually poured in. He no longer felt the desperate need to spend every moment with Shohn.
But Nadine did.
She missed him horribly when they were apart, and rarely did an entire minute pass without her thinking of him. He was just such a heartbreaker…
“Hey, Nadine.”
Looking up from her bag of doggy doo, Nadine shaded her eyes and found Amber’s brother, Garrett Hudson, striding toward her. Talk about a heartbreaker. But unlike Shohn, Garrett didn’t even seem to realize it.
Tall, strong and with the fitness required to be a fireman, Garrett was another fine example of Buckhorn’s leading family. He wore casual attire of a sleeveless blue shirt, well-worn jeans and scruffy lace-up work boots. He had black hair like his cousin Shohn, but though he sported mirrored sunglasses now, she knew his eyes were the same piercing blue as his father’s.
His smile should have been one of welcome, but seemed more like an invitation to every woman who saw it.
Nadine straightened. “Hey, Garrett.” Maybe because he was only one year older than her and they’d more or less grown up together, she could be more objective in his company than other females. The fact that she’d been in love with Shohn forever might factor in, too. “What’s up?”
He pushed the sunglasses up to the top of his head. Sinfully long dark lashes framed those bright blue eyes, and offered even more impact for the weak of heart. “Is that Shohn’s cat?” He nodded at Louie.
Louie sat down next to Nadine’s foot and leveled his yellow-eyed stare at Garrett.
“Yes, isn’t he beautiful?”
“Not really, no.” Crouching down, Garrett offered a hand to the cat. “But he has a lot of character.”
“Character?”
“Sure.” Now that Louie seemed more receptive, Garrett tickled under his chin. “He’s like an antique. You can see the life he’s led through his imperfections.” He looked up at her. “Perfection is overrated.”
Being that he was so physically perfect, maybe he knew something she didn’t. “Okay.”
“You ever look at an older building and compare it to something new?”
“Not really.”
“The older homes,” Garrett mused, “even if they’re a little beat-up, always have more character.”
Nadine didn’t know what to say about that, so she went back to talking about Louie. “He’s a wonderful cat, and very smart.”
Garrett scooped him up and stood with Louie held to his chest. The cat rumbled his delight and leaned his head back on Garrett’s tanned shoulder.
That cat had more luck with hunks…
“Shohn wanted me to stop by to tell you he’ll be late.”
“Oh?” Had Shohn told his cousin that they were seeing each other? Sexually involved? Burning up the sheets on a nightly basis?
They weren’t dating, so that wouldn’t qualify as a description for their relationship. So far they’d both opted to spend their time alone together instead of in crowds.
She assumed Amber knew, though Nadine hadn’t seen her lately. But she doubted Shohn had shared with any of his other relatives.
“Shohn asked me to pick up Louie for him. He said he wrote Amber as an alternate, but she’s still at the bookstore doing inventory or something, and she didn’t answer. I was already out this way checking on a fire hazard at the local strip mall.”
Why didn’t Shohn want her to keep the cat? “Where is he?”
Garrett gave a very male-inspired look of amusement. “At the moment, not sure, but last I saw him he was saving some maidens in distress.”
Nadine tucked in her chin. “What does that mean exactly?”
“A camper and her girlfriends got stranded in the park when they lost a pack up in the hills. It had the car keys, wallets, cell phones, whatever women carry.”
“And Shohn was helping them?” Since that was his job, no reason for her to be jealous. Except for the way Garrett grinned about it…
“Shohn was doing what he does best—making ladies happy.”
Nadine ground her teeth together. “How?”
“He promised the sexiest one that they’d find the stuff.”
Worse and worse. “The sexiest one?” Weren’t campers supposed to be roughing it, like without makeup and toiletries and such? How sexy could they be?
“They were all pretty hot, but the tall blonde was something to see.”
“You saw her?”
“Yeah. I had a missed call from Shohn, so I stopped by the rangers’ station on my way home. Usually when he calls it means someone needs a lecture on campfires, but not this time. They were all there—three ladies and Shohn—and the blonde was all over him, anxious to…” Garrett lifted a brow, saying with emphasis, “Show her gratitude.”
A fist clenched around Nadine’s heart. She had to force herself to stand there, to keep her expression impassive when inside, she died a little. “Where are you taking Louie?”
“Amber’s going to keep him overnight.”
Overnight. Meaning Shohn would be otherwise occupied until morning? She swallowed her misery and lifted her chin. “I’ll need to call Shohn. I have to have his permission before I can hand over the cat.”
Garrett frowned. “Shohn said you’re a stickler about that stuff.”
And that was all he’d told Garrett, not that they’d been involved in…what? It had been hard enough to define their relationship when Shohn was still interested, but now? She had no idea what to call it except “too brief.”
“Yes.” Nadine did not want to call Shohn. “I’m a stickler.”
“You’re serious?” Teasing, Garrett leaned down to see her set face. “I mean, you know me, right? You know Shohn and I are cousins.”
“I heard the same thing from Shohn when he came to get Amber’s dog.” She stepped around Garrett, hauling the bag of doggy dung in her right hand. “Why can’t you people just write down the whole flipping family when you fill out the paperwork?”
Garrett drew himself up. “You people?”
Nadine kept walking. She needed to wrap this up and she needed Garrett to leave so she could suffer in her wretchedness alone. Damn you, Shohn Hudson. On the way in, she dropped the bag in the trash can.
Trying to convince her, Garrett said, “I save cats from burning buildings. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, sure.” Garrett had made front-page news the time he managed to find a cat in a burning apartment building. He was labeled a hero, and now, a year later, the term stuck.
Carrying Louie, Garrett followed her into the office. “You won’t be able to reach Shohn.”
“Why not?” She went behind the front desk and sat on the stool. “Will he be busy?”
“Yeah, he is.” Garrett eyed her with uncertainty. “He was heading back up in the hills with those ladies when I left. No cell reception.”
Great, they’d be alone in the dark woods together. He could play hero for them and probably gain more appreciation. Drumming her fingertips on the desktop, Nadine snarled, “There has to be a way to reach him.”
“For an emergency, sure.” Garrett tipped his head. “Nadine, this is not an emergency.”
Not unless a broken heart qualified.
No. She would not be a victim. So it was over? So what? She’d had a great time, and now she had some wonderful memories. Shohn would never know that he’d hurt her, because she refused to be hurt.
Decision made, she squared off with Garrett. “Tell you what. I’ll keep the cat tonight and take him to Amber in the morning.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Garrett considered things. “I guess that’d work, if you really don’t mind being put out.”
“It’s no problem at all.” And this way, she could avoid calling Shohn.
“The thing is,” Garrett said, “Amber was going to spend the night with our folks. Think you can take Louie out to the lake?”
“Sure.” More than anything, she wanted Garrett gone so she could give up the brave front. “That’s only another fifteen minutes away, since she lives close.”
“Can you be there around ten?”
She didn’t have any new pets due to arrive, so why not? “Ten. I’ll be there.”
“Then I guess it’ll be fine.” Garrett looked at Louie. “That all right with you, boy?”
Louie closed his eyes and purred louder.
Traitor, Nadine thought. “Here, I’ll take him now. You probably want to get home to…do whatever you do after work.”
“Shower, eat and, if luck is with me, I might rustle up some female company for the night.” He winked.
Well, that was rather blatant. “You don’t need luck and you know it.” Hoping Garrett would follow Nadine took Louie from him and started for the door.
“Don’t let the family rep fool you. I know the guys all like to tell it otherwise, but we have to work at it like anyone else.”
“Yeah, right.” She pulled open the door and waited. “I suppose you have a bridge you’d like to sell me next?”
“Someone’s got you snookered.” Amused, he tweaked a hank of her hair on his way out. “See you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” She didn’t plan to see anyone except Amber as she handed over the cat. Oh, God, the cat. It struck Nadine then. She looked at Louie and hugged him tighter.
She was going to miss him so much.
“Yeah, I’ll be at the lake, too. Uncle Jordan’s coming over to do a routine check on all the animals. That’s why Louie needs to be there then.” He chucked her under her chin. “Thanks for helping out, Nadine. I’m sure Shohn appreciates it.”
Numb, Nadine stood there staring as Garrett took his sexy self out to his truck, got in and drove away from the lot. Wherever Jordan went, Georgia followed. And if Jordan would be there as a vet checking on the animals, then more than half the blasted family would probably show up since many of them had pets of their own.
Louie rubbed his face against her chin and purred some more.
She readjusted the old cat, hugging him like a baby. “Oh, Louie, what have I gotten into?”
He didn’t have any answers, but he did fall asleep on her shoulder.
And Nadine, the sap, held him like that for more than an hour. After tomorrow, who knew when she’d ever get to see him again?
* * *
SHOHN WAS SURPRISED by the arrangements Garrett had made, but he wouldn’t complain about getting to see Nadine. She’d been pretty strict about keeping their relationship private, so he was both pleased and surprised that she’d agreed to bring the cat to him.
After spending too many hours scouring the park, backtracking everywhere the ladies had been while also fending off their collective advances, he’d known it was too late to call her. He’d have called her first thing this morning, but he’d slept through his alarm and since he knew he’d see her, anyway, he figured he’d just talk with her in person.
When she pulled up a little before 10:00 a.m., pleasure started a slow pulse beat inside him, spreading out until he was grinning for no damn reason at all. She made him happy without even trying. Hopefully soon he’d be able to show her off instead of keeping to her rules of privacy.
Anticipating talking to her, touching her, he walked across the crowded yard to where she’d parked her car. Much of his family was around. And why not? It was a gorgeous Saturday with plenty of sunshine. A perfect day for family to gather on the lake.
Amber got to Nadine before he could. Talking ninety miles a minute, she took Louie’s carrier and led Nadine to the house.
She didn’t want anyone to know they were involved, so he couldn’t very well move in on her without rousing suspicion. Instead, he took up a spot on the porch and looked around at his family.
Jordan was out in the yard with a few dogs. One was a rescue that Gabe had taken in. The dog was still shy, but getting used to the chaos of all the other animals.
Lisa stood under the shade of a tree, talking on her cell phone. Business no doubt. She worked too much, but seemed to enjoy it.
Adam tossed a football with Casey’s son Bronx, but when Kady showed up with a shapely friend, he paused to investigate and the ball hit in him the head. Bronx thought that was hilarious—and so did Shohn.
He watched Adam pretend to stagger until Bronx tackled him. Kady rolled her eyes, but her friend looked plenty impressed, especially when Adam threw Bronx over his shoulder in a fireman-carry and started in her direction.
Before Nadine, Shohn might have joined Adam in being interested. The girl cousins often brought their friends around, and usually the single guy
s made them feel most welcome.
But now all Shohn cared about was seeing Nadine. Where the hell was she? Whistling, he waited some more, but when Nadine didn’t come back out, he gave up and went in to look for her.
Amber was in the kitchen with Morgan and Misty. He didn’t see Nadine or Louie. Hedging a little, he asked, “Where’s my cat?”
Her head in the fridge, Amber waved a hand. “He went off with Rookie in the other room. He’s fine.”
“Thanks.” So where is my woman? No, he couldn’t say that. Nadine didn’t want anyone to know she was his. Shohn leaned against a counter. “So, uh…did Nadine leave?”
Cola in hand, Amber closed the fridge. “She’s around somewhere.”
Never one to miss much, Morgan lifted a brow. “Garrett took her out back.”
Shohn slowly straightened. “Why?”
Eyeing him, Morgan said, “He wanted to show her a shelter he built for our dogs. He thinks she could use something similar at the Animal House.”
Jealousy punched Shohn in the gut. What the hell was Garrett thinking?
Probably the very same stuff he thought when he looked at Nadine, and that burned his ass big-time.
And why not? His damned cousin thought Nadine was fair game. Which meant it was past time for Shohn to set the record straight to one and all.
“Whoa.” Morgan caught him before he could stomp off. He glanced at Misty, and then at Gabe’s youngest, Briana. Using his shoulder, he nudged Shohn into the dining room. “So.”
Anxious to be on his way, Shohn asked, “What?”
Morgan grinned. “Nadine is the one, huh?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The one you were mooning over a few weeks back?”
“What? No.” He didn’t moon. How dumb was that? “I just need to…”
“What? Kick Garrett’s ass? I don’t think so.”
Impotent frustration bunched Shohn’s shoulders. “I wasn’t going to hit him exactly.”
He just wanted to make things clear to Garrett, that’s all.
Morgan shook his head in pity. “You are so transparent. I grew up in a household full of men, and I was sheriff for years. Believe me, I learned to recognize intent. You,” he said, pointing at Shohn, “have got it bad.”
