Just Say Maybe: A Thistle Bend Novel

by Tracy March

  If the rain would just chill.

  Another bolt of lightning practically grazed the Jeep. A large tree down beyond the drop-off exploded into fire with a deafening crack. Bryce jerked back, his head slamming against the headrest, his foot against the brake. Holly slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes bugging wide. Thunder rocked the Jeep as a torrent of rain tamed the fire, drowning it within seconds.

  “Oh my God.” Holly held out her shaky hands. “I’m trembling.”

  Bryce could have done and said the same, but there was no way that was going to happen.

  Knight in shining armor.

  Superhero.

  Holly was looking for both of those and more. He was determined to shred that road down to the lake, and get her out of there safely.

  The sharp, pungent zing of ozone filled the air as Bryce shifted the Jeep into park, reached over, and pulled her as close as he could, considering the restraint of their seatbelts. He held her quivering hands in one of his, intent on keeping it steady. “That was sick. You can even smell it.” He took a deep breath of the thin, electrified air, giving his adrenaline a second to settle. Leaning in, he brushed his lips on Holly’s cheek, and whispered in her ear, “You okay?”

  She gave him a sidelong glance. “You might not promise adventure, but you sure do deliver.”

  He planned to deliver all right, but first they had to get down to the lake. Water was rising by the second while they were sitting still. He shot her a superhero smile and said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

  Eager to prove himself to her, he shoved the Jeep back into gear, battling to keep it bridled as it bumped, splashed, tilted, and pitched along a stretch of road riddled with hairpin turns and dangerous drop-offs along the side. The rain slacked off enough to give him an unobstructed view for a second after each swipe of the wipers. He took full advantage of the sight line, pushing the Jeep faster, flirting with control.

  Bryce rounded a blind curve at speed, bounding over a crop of rocks that had the Jeep tipping up on two wheels, driver’s side off the ground. He instinctively shifted his weight toward the door. The Jeep landed with a thud and a spray of muddy water onto his window.

  Holly gave him a tight-lipped smile and shook her head. “Easy there, cowboy.”

  He figured they were a little beyond halfway to the lake when a sign came into view.

  DANGER: Loose Rock.

  And, within yards, another.

  WARNING: High Water.

  “This could get interesting,” Holly said. “This pass is iffy on a dry and sunny day, much less one like today with the rain pouring down, lightning dancing all around, and thunder rattling the ground.”

  “Isn’t there a song that goes like that?” Bryce joked. But his humor fell flat when they turned the corner. He stopped the Jeep and stared ahead.

  Crap.

  Where there’d been a shallow stream of water trickling over the road on their way up, there was now a deep, raging current gushing across, cutting farther into the cleft in the pass.

  Bryce dared not think about what that might mean for future access to the lodge—he had to focus on the present. The Jeep was made for fording rivers and streams, but with discretion. He’d likely be accused of having none if he tried to cross this one, and that might be the best-case scenario.

  But the water could run like that for hours…

  Holly gave him a pointed look. “We’re going through it, aren’t we?”

  Her determination turned him on nearly as much as imagining her in classy lingerie.

  “Hell yeah we are,” he said, knowing he should be more hesitant.

  Never underestimate the force of flowing water.

  Bryce had learned that lesson early on in his search-and-rescue days. He’d worked a case in Virginia where a young mother had driven her car into just two feet of water. The car had been swept away into a roiling river that had overflowed its banks—along with the woman and her four-year-old son. Fortunately, both had been rescued and survived, but Bryce had never forgotten the lesson. Never even flirted with challenging it.

  Until now.

  He eased the Jeep into the torrent, the froth on the water making it impossible for him to judge its depth. If it got deeper than the tops of the tires, they were screwed. The Jeep would become buoyant and…He clenched his jaw, working to maintain a steady speed through the rushing flow, creating a bow wave that helped him maintain momentum and push water away from the engine bay.

  Bryce stole a glance at Holly. He could tell she was holding her breath; that made two of them. Seconds passed like minutes as they made their way across the rutted pass, the force of the water threatening to lift the Jeep and put it at the mercy of the current.

  Just a few more yards…

  The second they cleared the water, Bryce sighed, nearly in unison with Holly.

  Rain pelted the Jeep the rest of the way to the lake. Every time the sky lit up with lightning, Bryce tensed, bracing for another fiery explosion. Thankfully, none came, although the thunder roared nearly as loud.

  After what seemed like forever, he pulled the Jeep into the parking area adjacent to Turquoise Lake, which appeared steel blue in the throes of the storm. “Let’s sit here and wait it out.”

  “Deal,” Holly said. “At least we made it down this far. We’ll have a muddy go most of the way back to town, but that’ll be nothing compared to the gauntlet we just came through.” The rain took on an odd tick as it hit the windshield, and she tipped her head to one side. “That’s hail.” She rolled her eyes. “This storm’s got it all.”

  Bryce leaned forward to check it out, yet there was no need for him to look more closely. Hail the size of quarters began pummeling the Jeep, clacking on the hood, bouncing on the ground outside, and splashing in the lake. Within a minute, the ground was covered with white balls of ice, as if they’d had an instant snowstorm in early June.

  Holly shook her head, a what-could-possibly-happen-next look on her face. She reached over and threaded her fingers between his. Bryce’s adrenaline was still running on full octane, and her touch sent a jolt of desire through him as sharp as the lightning that continued to flash around them. Thunder crashed, and Holly flinched.

  He pushed his seat back as far as it would go. “Come here,” he said, and tugged her into his lap, cradling her with one of his arms behind her, the other across her lap. She settled in with her legs stretched across the passenger seat, fitting just right despite the cramped space—a killer turn-on with hail pelting the Jeep and the storm raging around them.

  “We need to get rid of these before we poke each other’s eyes out.” He took off his cap, tossed it into the backseat, and did the same with hers. Another blaze of lightning was immediately followed by a deafening crack of thunder.

  Holly tensed in his arms and met his gaze. He pulled her closer. “I’ve got you,” he murmured. She lifted her chin, her lips mere inches from his. “Yes, you do.”

  Bryce’s heart hammered. He brushed his lips against hers—light and teasing. But a hitch in her breath pushed him to kiss her deeply, fully, with his hand splayed at the back of her head, and his fingers tangled in her hair. Hail battered the Jeep as she kissed him just as hungrily, flicking open the top two buttons of his shirt and smoothing her velvety fingers over his pecs. He flexed instinctively, the feathery sensation shooting straight to his cock, which strained against the confines of his jeans.

  Bryce traced his hand along her neck and down to the V where her shirt was buttoned. He hesitated there until Holly covered his hand with hers for a moment, still seducing him senseless with languid sweeps of her tongue. She slowly opened the top button of her shirt, giving him the permission he longed for.

  Heat pulsed through him as he took her lead, gently opening several more buttons, inching her shirt aside, revealing her bra. He pulled away from their kiss long enough to get a glimpse of her in the sexy light blue lace, teasing himself. The sight of it had him raising his hips, pressing his
cock against her soft curves. He touched his forehead to hers as he trailed his fingers along the scalloped edge of her bra, the satiny swell of her firm breast.

  “God, Holly,” he said as the hail gave way to rain. He lazily brushed his fingers over the delicate lace covering one of the cups of her bra, and continued around to her back to unhook it. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve imagined this.”

  “That makes two of us,” she said shyly. Her lips curved up at the corners, and he smothered them with a kiss, the hook of her bra between his fingers.

  The rumble of tires on gravel and the hazy glare of headlights stopped him short. Bryce broke off their kiss just as a red SUV pulled up next to them and parked.

  Holly tensed and he pulled his hand from behind her. She quickly clutched her shirt closed and sat straight, stimulating him even more in spite of their new neighbors.

  He glanced over to see the silhouettes of two people in the SUV. They weren’t fully visible through the rivulets of rain on the windows, so neither were he and Holly. Even so, if the people in the SUV had been curious, they could’ve easily figured out what was going on.

  Holly kissed him on the cheek and carefully slipped back into the passenger seat. Bryce gripped the steering wheel and shook his head, grinning. “What are the odds?” He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out, working to regain control over his body.

  “Guess we’re going to have to do the next best thing,” Holly said.

  Bryce gazed at her and raised his eyebrows. “What’s that?”

  She lifted one shoulder and gave him a sly smile. “Go eat pizza.”

  Chapter 11

  “This place has been my favorite since they opened—right after I graduated from law school.” Holly sat across the booth from Bryce, trying to remember ever feeling this nervous at Pie in the Sky. She loved the Bohemian décor—eclectic and whimsical, with bright gauzy curtains, colorful lanterns, and pillow-stacked seating. Alternative music played low in the background. Despite the familiar surroundings, the vibe in the place was different this late afternoon. It wasn’t every day that she showed up in town with a super-hot stranger like Bryce.

  Or every month. Or every year.

  For the first time since their awkward meeting in her office they sat face-to-face, and Holly had to force herself not to stare. Up close and across from her, Bryce’s shoulders appeared sturdier, his eyes greener, his jawline more chiseled. Everything she already liked, in HD. Locals who knew her were stealing glances at him, their expressions curious.

  Holly couldn’t blame them. “I should’ve warned you that you’d be the center of attention, at least for the locals.”

  But probably for everyone.

  “Is it my outfit?” he joked, flattening his palms beneath his collarbone and smoothing them over his pecs and abs. Of course he’d been referring to his flannel shirt, but Holly couldn’t tear her thoughts away from what was underneath. From how his smooth, tight pecs had felt beneath her fingers.

  She grinned. “Most people in Thistle Bend like to know everything about everyone, and this unusual occurrence will certainly have people chattering.”

  “Unusual occurrence?”

  Holly shot him a gaze that told him he already knew what she meant. “You. Me. Eating together. I’m not saying this is an official date, but whatever it is, they’re not used to seeing me with a sexy stranger.” She could only hope they’d contain their curiosity, and save their questions for another time and place. “Don’t be surprised if they interrupt our dinner just to find out something they can tell.” Better to warn him than allow him to be blindsided. She lifted her shoulders. “They’ve been known to be impatient when it comes to juicy news. That’s what you get in Thistle Bend. We’re like one big family.”

  “Sometimes dysfunctional?” he teased.

  She lifted her glass of beer. “Charmingly, but yes.”

  Bryce toasted her, took a swallow of his beer, and licked his upper lip, which increased her appetite for more than just pizza. Awareness swirled through her. She could stare at his kissable lips for hours, yet this time she risked only seconds and looked away.

  “Back to that sexy-stranger thing.” He pressed his shoulders back and nodded. “I kinda like that.”

  The guy had every reason to be cocky, as far as Holly could tell, yet he seemed to keep his ego in check. That worked fine for her—she didn’t want a guy she had to build up. She wanted a man who was fully constructed. Confident and smart. Self-reliant and kind.

  A man just like Bryce.

  “And back to you not calling this an official date.” He reached across the table and smothered her hand beneath his.

  Strong and warm and raspy.

  Holly’s thoughts blurred as she imagined his hands all over her—the ways he would’ve touched her had the people in that SUV not arrived at Turquoise Lake.

  “Do we need a notarized certificate to make it official?” he teased, brushing his thumb against her palm.

  “I think a handshake agreement would suffice.”

  “That’s not very lawyerly.”

  “Busted,” she said, working up her nerve. She massaged one of his fingers, her touch featherlight. “It’ll definitely take another kiss.”

  Holly knew better than to tease about a kiss—at least the kind she had in mind. Their kisses were starting to lead somewhere, and offering him another of them only tempted her to go further with him.

  His eyes widened a little, then settled, his lips curving up at the corners. “I like the way you do business, counselor.”

  She gave him a wisp of a grin. “Only with select clients.” She tipped her head toward the other diners. “And not in front of an audience.”

  Beneath the table, he nudged his ankle against hers, and left it to rest there. “Maybe we should skip the pizza and go straight to dessert.” He winked.

  “Not a chance.” She was craving comfort food, and pizza always did the trick. Not only was she hungry, she also needed something tangible and familiar to ground her while her routine life was becoming anything but. Meeting Bryce had quickly altered her reality. But wasn’t that what she had hoped for all these years?

  Sure, she had doubts. But men like Bryce rarely came along anywhere, much less in Thistle Bend. If she ignored their chemistry, she’d never know what might have been. She could work through her issues with the lodge, and she hoped everyone else could, too. Bryce seemed to have the best interests of the place and the townspeople at heart. The least she could do was support him.

  As if on cue, the waiter delivered their pizza—a thing of beauty with lightly browned crust and oozy cheese, half pepperoni and half pineapple.

  “Wow.” Bryce leaned forward and inhaled. “Mmm, spicy pepperoni.”

  Holly mirrored him, drawing in a deep breath. “Mmm, sweet pineapple.” She served up the slices. “No compromise on pizza toppings?”

  “Never. Especially when it involves pineapple.” He shook some parmesan cheese onto his slice. “No fruit on pizza.”

  Holly cut the pointy end off her slice and ate it. Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes for a second, savoring the sweet-and-salty combination. She swallowed reluctantly, looking forward to her next bite. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Bryce gave her a sultry look that had her heart clamoring. “And I’m dying to find out.”

  He almost had her asking for a to-go box right then and there. If she wanted her fill of fresh pizza, she’d best dial back the flirting.

  Holly made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “This place used to be the company store for Colorado Fuel and Iron back in the mining days.” She doubted Bryce could come up with a flirty retort for that. “But it wasn’t like a lot of small mining-town company stores that had a corner on the market on all the goods and groceries, and they could rip off the miners. There were other merchants already established in Thistle Bend, selling stuff people really wanted, like dry goods, food, and beverages—so this company store ha
d competition. The miners didn’t trust Colorado Fuel and Iron, so they were happy to support the mom-and-pops. That helped keep more businesses open in town, and kept the company store’s prices down.”

  Bryce chewed thoughtfully, seeming interested. “Does everyone around here know the history of this place—even back to the mining days?”

  “A lot of us do. Most of us love living here, and we can’t believe how lucky we are that the town didn’t die when the mines closed, like so many other small towns in the area did. Believe it or not, some buildings in Thistle Bend were moved here from nearby towns that were abandoned by nearly everyone. Now they’re just a sign along a dirt road, and maybe a few cabins.”

  Bryce took a swallow of his beer, nodding. “It’s too bad about those towns. But I like that people here have deep connections to Thistle Bend. A sense of history and roots is important in a community.”

  Holly couldn’t help but think that he’d rather the townspeople not have such vivid memories of the lodge, but she wasn’t about to say so. She’d had enough of thinking about the lodge for a little while. Right now she preferred to focus on Bryce.

  “Is it like that in Costa Rica?” She took a bite of pizza.

  Something beyond her shoulder caught Bryce’s attention. “Incoming,” he muttered through a mouthful.

  Old-timer Dean Dooley stepped up to their table, standing back a bit to give his protruding belly some space. Holly’s heart warmed at the sight of him—short and stout, with jolly cheeks and a permanent smile. His slicked-back wavy hair still had some blond in it and, at his age, Holly guessed he was helping it along.

  “Fancy seeing you here, Holly,” he said, his tone implying that it was remarkable that she was there with an unfamiliar man.

  Holly shot Bryce a told-you-so look. She held up her finger, chewed quickly, and swallowed way too fast. “You too.” Hating to disentangle her feet from Bryce’s, she slipped out of the booth and gave Dean a hug.