Falling for the Hometown Girl

by Shelli Stevens

  The waitress arrived just then, saving her from responding.

  “Two thirds of the Marshall siblings in here today? Not a bad Sunday.” She grinned. “What can I get you both?”

  “Afternoon, Mardie.” Cal was all charm and dimpled smiles again. “I’d love a bacon cheeseburger. Extra bacon. And a Budweiser.”

  Mardie nodded and glanced at Katie.

  “Chicken burger, everything on it. Can I have extra fries? And iced tea for me, thanks.”

  No beer for her. Not only was it barely one in the afternoon, but there was some lingering resentment at alcohol for encouraging her to ask Hunter to dance last night. That one dance had gotten her into this mess.

  “So how are the bachelors?” Cal asked, obviously ready to change the subject. “Crazy? Tipping cows? Drunk all the time?”

  “No, they’re pretty tame for the most part.” She bit her lip, hesitant to mention Hunter. Though Cal would probably hear about him eventually. “Actually, the best man is originally from Marietta.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Hunter Richardson.” She bit her lip. “I think he was in your graduating class.”

  “Hunter.”

  Something about the way Cal said his name had Katie glancing closely at him. There was a strange, pinched expression on his face.

  “Yeah. He moved to Seattle. Owns a big gaming company that does really well.”

  “Really?” Cal nodded, looking a little more relaxed. “Good for him.”

  “So you remember him then?”

  “Vaguely.” He paused. “Is he... cool? Respectful and all?”

  “Oh, yeah, he’s been great.” She grimaced. “The groom who’s staying with us, Lance, not so much.”

  Cal narrowed his eyes. “He bugging you?”

  “No more than any other rich, entitled, city boy.” She kept her tone bright. “He’ll be gone by the end of the week. All of them will be.”

  Hunter included. The thought made her stomach sink and her smile falter.

  “Sounds like you may miss some more than others.”

  She tried to answer, and her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  “Damn. I think I nailed. You’re looking downright flustered, kid.”

  “Stop it. I’m not flustered.”

  “Which one is it? Not the groom. Not Hunter. So it’s gotta be one of the other guys?”

  “There’s only three of them staying with us.” She paused, curious about something he’d said. “Why wouldn’t it be Hunter?”

  Mardie dropped off their drinks and disappeared again.

  “Well, he’s a little different.” Cal shrugged and took a sip of beer. “Quiet type. Kind of weird really.”

  “He’s different than he was in high school.” A bit angry at her brother’s analysis, her words sharpened. “And even if he wasn’t, there’s nothing wrong with being different.”

  Cal stared at her for a moment. “Holy shit. It’s Hunter. He’s the one who’s got you all worked up.”

  Her eyes rounded. “I am not worked up.”

  “No. No of course not.” Cal’s lips twitched. “Just maybe, a little interested or something?”

  “No. He’s only here for a week. I’m not that stupid.” Her cheeks warmed. “Besides, I’m dating Jim.”

  “Jim’s a good guy.” Cal nodded, looking relieved.

  “He is.” Her agreement was maybe a little too enthusiastic. “He’s a really good guy. Everyone loves Jim.”

  Though Wyatt didn’t seem overly thrilled by him.

  “You sound like you’re trying to talk yourself into this.”

  “I’m not.” Maybe she was.

  Cal stared at her for a moment. “Be careful with Hunter. Whatever you decide.”

  Be careful? He’s choice in words had her frowning.

  “I’m an adult. Fully capable of making decisions, no matter the consequences.”

  “I know you are.” Cal’s gaze darkened. “I’d just hate to see you get hurt again.”

  Her throat tightened. “Again?”

  “I don’t know what happened when you went off to college in Seattle, Katie, but I know something did.” Cal’s hands tightened around the beer bottle. “Wyatt and I both suspected, even if you never told us. And we’d hate to see you hurt again.”

  Something had happened. She hated she hadn’t concealed it better than that from her brothers.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know you guys are a little overprotective, and I love you for it, but you need to get over all that.”

  Cal’s rich, loud laugh drew several glances. “Yeah, you can pretty much count on that never happening.”

  Amusement and frustration warred. Desperate to get off the topic of her, she changed subjects. “Anyway, back to you. This other ranch you’re working at... are you happy?”

  His brows furrowed as he seemed to think about it. Then he gave a short nod.

  “You know? I think I am.” Cal took another drink of beer, seeming lost in his head for a moment. “It’s a great ranch, on a beautiful piece of land. Walter started it up when he was twenty and has been damn successful with it. That is until he got sick.”

  “I don’t understand, he doesn’t have a wife? Any family? I don’t even know who this guy is.”

  Cal shrugged. “He’s kind of a recluse. Wife died twenty years ago. He’s got a niece out there, but she never replied to his letters.”

  “Is she from Marietta?”

  “I think so. I don’t know much about her. From what he says, she might be in Livingston now.”

  “Hmm.” Her stomach sank. “That’s really pretty sad. I feel so sorry for him.”

  To be so sick with what sounded like a terminal disease, and to not have anyone to help you. From what she gathered from Cal, the man had been forced to place an ad to get a foreman to help out.

  “Don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a little hard to handle at times, but he’s a solid guy who’s lived a good life.”

  But to have it wind down in such a fashion. Irritation pricked at this man’s niece. Maybe there was a perfectly acceptable reason she’d stayed away, but Katie wasn’t sure she was buying it.

  “Anyway, enough of the heavy stuff.” Cal reached over and squeezed her hand. “When am I invited over for dinner next?”

  “Every night since you moved out.”

  Their food arrived, saving him from responding, but she didn’t miss the quick flicker of unhappiness in his eyes before he dug into his food.

  While she reached for her sandwich, she vowed to decipher the reason sooner than later.

  “Why did we decide to go to a cattle ranch again?” Lance groaned, shifting on his horse.

  Hunter grinned. He’d been enjoying the horseback rides more than he figured he would, and they were gearing up for the cattle drive in the morning. Which, he’d been told, meant moving the cattle to summer grazing grounds.

  While he was pretty sure he could handle it, Lance and Dan were going to have a hell of a time doing the drive if they were already sore after a half-hour of riding today.

  Hunter’s only disappointment in the ride today was that Katie wasn’t leading it this time. Wyatt was. And the fishing expedition earlier, that had been with one of the ranch hands.

  He knew he couldn’t really be all that disappointed, though, because he’d had her all to himself on their morning hike.

  The memory of the hike—and the way she’d felt in his arms—heated his blood a notch and had him shifting in the saddle.

  Dinner was in less than an hour and he was looking forward to it for more reasons than just the food. He wanted to see her again, even if it was surrounded by a bunch of mostly men.

  “Let’s head on back,” Wyatt called out from up ahead, turning his horse around on the widened part of the trail.

  “You guys did great.” Claire, who’d come riding with the group too, smiled at them all.

  Hunter gave a brief smile in return. She seemed nice enough, though not
a Marietta native. It always struck him as odd that someone would willingly move to Marietta. Especially if they’d ever lived in a big city, which he suspected she had.

  Too many people got stuck in a small town and were miserable because of it. His mother, he’d always sensed, was one of them.

  Was love to blame? It only seemed likely.

  Turning his horse to follow the golden couple in front of him, he hardened his resolve to never fall that hard for a woman.

  “I’m not sure I’ll be up for tomorrow.” Lance shifted on his horse as he came abreast Hunter.

  Hunter gave him an amused glance. “Take some ibuprofen and soak in the tub tonight. You’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t know. My balls hurt.”

  Now there was something Hunter could’ve gone the rest of his life knowing. He grimaced and shook his head.

  “And I’m getting kind of tired of all this outdoors shit.”

  Just like Hunter had predicted he would, and had said as much, but Lance had denied it.

  A quick glance back at Dan showed the man to be as miserable as his cousin.

  “Let’s try and get through the cattle drive tomorrow and see how you feel after that. I think once you’re caught up in it, it’ll be a rush.”

  “Hell, I even have mosquito bites or something. I just figured it’d be a lot of getting drunk around a bonfire. Dancing naked under the stars. Screwing the cowgirls we meet at cheesy small town bars.” Lance’s scowl deepened. “But there’s been entirely too much... exercise.”

  Hunter laughed, while at the same time hoping Claire and Wyatt couldn’t hear Lance’s awful words.

  “You’ve been in town the last couple nights until midnight or beyond. You’ll need to stick around the ranch for some bonfire time.”

  “There’s nothing to do here,” Lance muttered.

  Dan grunted his agreement.

  “And there’s no women.”

  There were women, but he wasn’t about to remind Lance of that. Claire was taken and, as far as he were concerned, Katie was off limits. Besides, Lance shouldn’t have even been looking. Bachelor party or not.

  “I guess there’s that one.” Lance nodded with his chin at Claire. “Hot as shit, but is engaged to our big alpha cowboy up there.”

  She wouldn’t go near Lance, even if she’d been single. Hunter didn’t know much about her, but it was pretty clear judging by the irritated looks she’d shot Lance throughout the day.

  “I guess there’s that Katie girl too,” Lance mused. “On the tall side and small breasts, but a pretty enough face.”

  Hunter’s teeth smashed together. “You’d do best to stay away from her.”

  “Why? Got an itch to tap that after kissing her in the bar?”

  If they hadn’t been on horseback, Hunter might’ve tapped his fist into Lance’s face.

  “Have some damn respect for women for once in your life.” The words erupted from Hunter, harsher and louder than he had hoped.

  Wyatt glanced back, his expression one of wary curiosity.

  Damn. Hunter clenched his jaw and kept his gaze straight ahead on the trail. Hopefully, Wyatt had only heard that last part, and not what Lance had said that preceded it about Wyatt’s sister.

  The heavy weight of Lance’s stare didn’t make Hunter feeling the least bit remorseful at his outburst. It had been long overdue. Years.

  It was only back at the ranch, when they’d left their horses with the ranch hands and gone separate ways from Claire and Wyatt, that Lance rounded on him.

  “You’ve got a total hard-on for that Katie chick.”

  Hunter didn’t reply, but kept his brisk stride toward the cabins.

  “You should act on it, buddy,” Lance called out from behind him, a nasty edge to his tone. “Get her into bed, before somebody else beats you to it.”

  Freezing in his tracks, Hunter sucked in a slow breath to calm himself, before turning to face the other man.

  “If you want to cheat on your fiancé, do it with the girls you meet in bars.” Hunter’s words held a hint of menace. “I’ll only say it one more time. Stay the hell away from Katie.”

  Lance narrowed his eyes. “You’re my wingman. The best man in my wedding. And you think you can talk to me like this?”

  “I’ll talk to you however I damn well see fit. I call a spade a spade, and an asshole an asshole. And right now, you’re being one.”

  “This is bullshit. I don’t need to take this from you.” Lance stomped past him, snarling, “Dan, let’s go to town for dinner and get off this ranch.”

  Hunter watched him go. Maybe he should’ve felt a little guilty, but there was only relief. This working ranch bachelor party had been a bad idea, and every day that passed just proved it more. Lance didn’t do well outside the city, even on what should’ve been a vacation.

  When he reached his cabin, Hunter went inside to grab a quick shower before dinner. By the time he strode into the main house, it was pretty calm and quiet. None of the ranch hands had sat down at the table yet, and Claire and Wyatt were missing still. But he followed his nose and to the kitchen, where there were faint sounds of movement.

  Soft sizzling greeted him, and the smell of oil and chicken became clearer.

  He stepped into the kitchen and gave a small groan of appreciation. Both at the sight of Katie bent over, pulling rolls out of the oven, and what was cooking on the stove.

  She was so damn sexy. The idea of anyone else touching her—Lance, or hell even that Jim guy she was dating—sent jealousy through him.

  He couldn’t leave Marietta without having her in his bed. And if things went his way, he wouldn’t have to.

  “Fried chicken?”

  The soft drawl had Katie squeaking in surprise and jerking upright. She almost dropped the rolls, and juggled the pan over to the counter just in time.

  “You make it a habit of sneaking up on women, Hunter Richardson?”

  He grinned, the easygoing, sexy grin that made her heart flutter. Why couldn’t she have this kind of reaction with Jim?

  “No. You get in trouble for that kind of thing in Seattle.” He teased, moving to investigate the chicken she was frying.

  She brushed him aside, in a rush to turn the chicken pieces over before they burnt in the hot grease.

  “You’re early for dinner.”

  “Am I?”

  “At least fifteen minutes. Are your friends out there waiting already?”

  A beat went by. “They’re not going to make it to dinner tonight.”

  Something about his tone had her pausing. “Oh really? They have other plans or something?”

  He glanced away, running his hand along the granite countertop. “Wanted to check out Marietta, I think.”

  Her brows rose. “On a Sunday night? Should be hopping.”

  He gave a soft laugh at her sarcasm. “Sounds about right.”

  “I wish they would’ve let me know ahead of time. I would’ve adjusted the amount of food I cooked.”

  “They should’ve. Sorry, Katie. It was a last-minute decision for them.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I’ll eat their share.”

  She laughed and slid a glance over him. “Now you don’t look like a man who’s used to putting away six pieces of chicken at dinner.”

  His brow lifted. “No? What do I look like?”

  Like a man who spent a lot of time honing muscles in a gym or in mother nature. From what she’d discovered about him so far, she didn’t think it was the gym.

  While she hadn’t seen him with his shirt off, she’d wager there was some nice muscle definition on those abs.

  Oh don’t even think about it, Katie. Don’t imagine Hunter with his shirt off.

  Her breath caught. Without answering, she lowered her lashes—afraid he’d see her thoughts in her eyes—and turned back to the stove.

  He knew. Of course he knew. Because he laughed again. That easygoing, sexy laugh.

  “Anyway, forget them. Th
ey’re missing out.” He leaned against the counter and snagged a roll. “This is going to be amazing.”

  “Excuse you.” She snatched the roll back from him. “You do not touch my dinner until I serve it to you.”

  His smile widened. “Always follow the rules, do you?”

  “Most of the time,” she said primly.

  “I’d love to hear the story of when you don’t follow them.”

  “You already know one of them.” She shot him an accusing look, though couldn’t help the hint of a smile with it. “Kissing successful gaming developers, when I’m already dating someone.”

  Heat flared in his eyes and he moved closer. “Yeah, about that. Any decision made yet?”

  Chapter Nine

  Her heart jumped and kept racing. “No.”

  He grunted and touched her cheek with the back of two fingers. “Anything I can do to help you along with making that decision?”

  Visions flooded her head, fast and furious. Some ridiculously inappropriate. Her cheeks went hot and her breathing quicker.

  A familiar smell hit her nostrils.

  “Oh, son of a biscuit!” She turned back to the pan and pulled a burnt piece of chicken from the oil. “You’re distracting me.”

  “You don’t swear much.”

  “I don’t swear at all.” She breaded another piece of chicken and set it gently into the oil. “No need for it.”

  “You’re not like other girls, Katie Marshall. You fascinate me. Always have.”

  If she wasn’t blushing before, she certainly was now.

  “Do you have any kind of filter? You always seem to say exactly what’s on your mind.”

  “Like you just said. There’s not much need for it. Though maybe it’s a bad thing that I speak my mind.”

  “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “In certain situations, it certainly removes the games and gets right to the point.”

  “I don’t play games with women,” he said softly, then paused. “I mean, like dating and sex and stuff. I’ve played electronic games with them of course.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes he was so literal. In a way that might be off-putting to some, but she found it sexy in a way. A sign of his intelligence. It was so very Hunter.