“Have you ever had fresh milk?” Rian asked.
She surprised him with an eager nod. “We had a farmer who would deliver fresh eggs and milk every day in exchange for a new pair of shoes every six months. The farmer had a taste for fine shoes when he went out but he couldn’t afford my dad’s shoes so my dad worked out a barter with him. It suited them both.”
“That sounds like a good ol’ country arrangement between good folk,” Adeline said, approving just as Warren walked in.
The older man was spry, in good shape and hearty like most men who worked with their hands for a living. She sensed his innate integrity and felt immensely grateful to this man for giving the Dalton boys a reason to hope when they needed it the most. Unexpected tears sprang from an unknown place and she had to push them back with a sunny smile as she introduced herself. “I’m CoCo Abelli. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay while things are worked out with my father. It means so much to have a safe place to hide.”
“Don’t even think about it,” he said gruffly as he took his place at the head of the table. “Bradford Ranch is a safe haven.”
She smiled with true gratitude because that’s exactly what this place felt like—a safe haven. Maybe it was because of Rian but she couldn’t imagine being anywhere but here at the moment. “Your ranch is amazing. What a beautiful piece of land you have.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Adeline agreed as she ladled mashed potatoes onto her plate. “When I first saw it, forty some years ago, I was in awe. Truth be told, I was a bit jealous of Cora and her good fortune. She managed to land the best man in all of Kentucky and she got this amazing property to tend. But no one deserved it more than Warren and Cora. Good people.”
CoCo smiled at Adeline’s open generosity and marveled at how easy she was with admitting her own faults, even if they were from forty years ago. Everything about Adeline was sweet and unassuming. It made her wish she’d been able to meet this legendary Cora, as well. It also made her miss Miss Plix all the more, which was interesting because before all this, she’d shamefully forgotten about the older woman.
“Tell me about this pickle you’re in, young lady,” Warren said, tucking into his steak. “Rian tells me your father is being threatened and the FBI are involved. Are they any closer to solving the case?”
She looked to Rian. “I don’t know. We’re removed from the investigation. Rian is keeping me safe while the FBI do their thing.”
“I talked with the agent in charge and he said they were close to finding who was responsible. I’m sure it won’t take long now.”
Was it bad that she was disappointed? If the feds were close to nailing the bad guy, that meant that Rian’s services wouldn’t be required for much longer. CoCo swallowed the meat stuck in her throat and realized that put a damper on her mood. Snap out of it. You set up the perimeters and you knew this was temporary. Grab your bliss, while you can. She forced a bright smile. “Tell me about Rian. What was he like growing up? Was he always such a charmer?”
Adeline hooted with laughter, eager to share. “Oh, the stories Cora would tell about this young man. Of course, don’t tell Kane but this boy right here always stole her heart! She would say, ‘Heaven help the lady who finally catches this boy’s eye because he’s worth putting up with all the shenanigans he does.’”
“Hey now, no throwing me under the bus, Miss Adeline,” Rian warned with a half-serious glower. “Can I help it that the ladies dig me?”
“Tell me more about this little country player,” teased CoCo, enjoying how Rian was beginning to squirm.
Warren decided to get in on the fun. “There was this little gal down the road who had the biggest crush on Rian. She’d come around every day and try to get his attention and boy, she finally succeeded. Next thing I know, he’s asking for extra chores so he can earn a little more. Little vixen had talked him into going to some school dance. I never seen him so determined to buy some gal a fancy bouquet for her wrist. But he did it. Earned every penny.”
“Aw, what a sweet boy,” CoCo crooned, giggling as Rian rolled his eyes and looked ready to crawl under the table with embarrassment. “But that doesn’t surprise me. Rian is quite the gentleman when he chooses to be.”
And quite the animal under the right circumstances. Rian met her gaze and a heated moment passed between them. Oh, damn. Don’t go thinking about that or you’ll never make it through dinner.
Rian effectively changed the subject, saying, “I fixed the south gate. Just needed a little adjustment on the hinge. Now it swings open easily.”
“Good, good,” Warren grunted with appreciation. “Been meaning to get out there but time got away from me. Any other problems with the fencing on that side?”
“Nope. Kane did a good job of mending it.”
“Kane’s a good man. Glad to have him around more. So you think you might be coming around more often?” Warren asked, putting Rian on the spot. “There’s plenty of acreage for another house.”
“I’d love to but someone has to keep the business running smoothly and to do that I have to be in LA.”
“I understand. Just miss having you around is all.”
“And I miss being here,” he said with genuine emotion and CoCo was envious of the obvious connection between them. The lack of DNA meant nothing between these two; they were plainly family and that warmed her heart. “So when are you and Adeline gonna tie the knot?” Rian asked.
Adeline tittered and said, “We rather like living in sin. Seems so...I don’t know...exciting. But our pastor is none too pleased, that’s for sure. Thankfully, I keep him supplied with pies and he forgives us.”
Warren cracked a reluctant smile and CoCo just wanted to hug both of them. They were good people, whether they were living in sin or not, and their goodness had nothing to do with how many times they went to church. She liked that. She needed more of this in her life and less of...everything else her life had been comprised of up until this moment.
Deep stuff to contemplate over a plate of country mashed potatoes.
Deep, indeed.
* * *
AFTER DINNER AND some more chatting, they said their goodbyes and made their way back to Kane’s place, Rian barely able to keep his hands to himself. It was dark, except for the sparkle of the stars overhead and the fireflies buzzing lazily here and there. The night was warm but not overly so. He would be more than happy to ditch his clothes but CoCo had different plans.
“Do you ever swim in the pond?” she asked, gesturing to the huge pond on the property that Warren always had stocked with fish because fishing relaxed him. It was far enough from the house that Rian and Kane used to splash around without worrying that they’d wake the Bradfords when they decided to go midnight frogging.
“I used to when I was a kid. It’s plenty deep so the water’s clean. Nothing worse than brackish pond water, right?”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t know.” She tugged at his hand. “Let’s go put our feet in.”
“Why?” he asked, more interested in getting CoCo beneath him than playing splashy-splashy in the water. “I have something better in mind.”
“So do I.” And then she shocked him by stripping as she walked away from him, her dress landing in a heap on the grass as she walked gloriously naked to the small pier. She waved and then dived into the water. She popped from the surface with a gasp, laughing as she exclaimed, “It’s a little chillier than I thought it would be. Come warm me up, country boy.”
Crazy woman. He grinned and kicked his boots free, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. “I could’ve told you that,” he said, shucking his pants and then taking a running leap and landing in the water beside her. He reached for her and pulled her naked body into his arms, treading water with her holding on to him. He kissed her long and deep, loving the feel of CoCo against him. “You’re always surprisi
ng me,” he shared as he broke the kiss. Her eyes sparkled in the night air and her sweet smile lit up his heart. “Just when I think I have you figured out, you go and do something to turn my head inside out.”
“Good,” CoCo murmured, leaning back as Rian supported her. Her full breasts crested the water’s surface as if kissing the moon and he bit back a groan of pure desire as his cock began to harden. She rose slowly, her hair dripping down her back, and reached down to squeeze his growing erection. “Hmm, Mr. Dalton, we have a situation,” she said with a husky laugh.
“And what situation would that be?”
“Sex is difficult to manage underwater.”
He laughed and swam over to the shore, carrying her as he went until he climbed from the water, her legs tucked around his waist and her arms looped around his neck.
“A girl could get used to this,” she whispered and his heart skipped a beat, but not in the way that would’ve sent a warning down his spine. No, this was different and would be even more worrisome if he were thinking clearly.
He laid her gently on the ground and joined her, wasting no time in covering her sweet, lithe body with his, loving how his angles matched her curves. “Rian,” she breathed, his name like a prayer on her lips. He moved down her belly, pressing tiny kisses on the bare skin, causing goose bumps to riot, and then delved into that sweet place that he couldn’t get enough of.
“You taste so good,” he murmured, parting her folds gently and dipping his tongue to lap at the tiny, responsive nub. Her breathy moans and cries spurred him on and he listened to the changes in her breathing to know when to speed up or slow down. Within five minutes, her thighs began to shake and she stuffed a fist into her mouth to keep from screaming and he knew he’d hit the right spot. He rose with a satisfied grin, his pride swelling in concert with his cock as she rocked on her hips, squeezing her thighs together with a heavy moan as her orgasm slowly receded.
“You are pretty talented with that tongue,” she admitted, her voice a little scratchy, suddenly grinning wildly. “Challenge accepted.” And then she latched onto his cock and the tables were reversed. She sucked and teased, gripping his balls with a tender but firm touch, nibbling at the sensitive head and nipping now and then, which caused him to jerk, and then when he thought he couldn’t handle another minute, she added her hands to the mix and then he was lost, coming so hard he nearly fell down, his knees buckling.
He felt fevered and flushed but definitely satisfied. He dropped to his butt, joining her on the soft grass, and then fell back with a thump. She joined him with a sigh, cuddling up to his shoulder as if she were always meant to be there. They stayed a moment just listening to the night sounds, watching as the fireflies buzzed and the pond water lapped at the shore. She broke the silence first. “What was it like growing up here?” she asked.
It was sanctuary. He sighed. “Well, we didn’t meet the Bradfords until we were young teens. Before that, we were stuck with the old man and growing up with him was shit.”
“How’d you get your dad to agree to let you stay with the Bradfords?”
“We paid him off. Kane knew the only way to get our dad to sign off on letting us stay the summer was if we were working and we gave up a percentage of our cash. We lied about how much we were making and then gave the bastard fifteen percent of our cash each week. It was enough to keep him in booze and that’s all he cared about anyway so he left us alone.”
She fell silent, digesting the information, then said, “That was pretty smart to pay him off.”
Her praise lifted the sudden crushing oppression memories of his dad always evoked. “It was Kane’s idea,” he admitted. “But yeah, Kane was pretty smart to think of it. Kane was always fast on his feet. Except when it came to Laci.” He chuckled at the memory of how stupidly stubborn Kane had been when Laci was involved. “He got it into his head that Laci was better off without him tagging along so he left her. Broke her heart. Went and joined the military. It was a stupid move but he had good intentions. It took years before they found each other again.”
“Kinda romantic,” CoCo said, sighing. “Star-crossed lovers.”
“Well, if you’d been around when they were yelling at each other, you might not say that. They have tempers and Laci is pure country. She can give as good as she gets.”
“I wish I could meet her.”
The wistful comment twisted something inside him and he tightened his hold on her because he knew it wasn’t likely that CoCo and Laci would ever meet. It wasn’t as if they traveled in the same circles. “You’d like her. She’s down-to-earth, very nice considering she’s a megastar, but then I’ve never looked at her like that. I still remember when she was a wild country girl, running around in pigtails and overalls, barefoot and free. Now she’s all famous but she’s just Laci to me. Kinda like a little sister.”
“You mean you never had a crush on her?”
“Nah, she always had eyes for Kane and I just never saw her like that. I love her and always will but she’s Kane’s girl and always will be.”
“Now, that’s romantic,” CoCo said, rising on her elbow. “Have you ever been in love?”
He shook his head. “No,” he answered, pausing to ask about the guy she wouldn’t share earlier at the bar. “Tell me about the guy you fell in love with.”
She sighed at the memory. “It’s kind of embarrassing. I mistakenly thought that this guy was into me but I found out later that he was playing a game with me and two other girls. I dumped him as soon as I found out. You might know him. He’s the lead singer of a famous band. Although at the time, he was just singing in his parents’ garage—badly, I might add—and having trouble booking gigs.”
“Who is it?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
She bit her lip. “Promise not to laugh?”
“No,” he answered with a cheeky grin and she swatted at him. “Okay, okay, I promise. Who was it?”
She took a deep breath and answered with a slight cringe, “Jeremiah Stinger.”
“From Not Another Garage Band?” When she nodded, he tried to hold back his laughter but wasn’t very successful.
“Hey! That’s not nice. I was only nineteen and didn’t know any better. But in my defense, he used to be hot and I didn’t know he was such a douche until I caught him in bed with another girl, a groupie, of all clichéd things.”
“Yeah, musicians...they’re kinda all the same in my experience. I’ve had a few as clients. I think I prefer politicians over musicians and I hate politicians. There’s only so many times you can pretend you aren’t in the same room as someone getting a blowjob. Just awkward.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen things that have really left a mental scar. That’s why I prefer not to deal with musicians. Groupies are a pain in the ass.”
“Have you ever been offered sexual favors?”
He laughed. “Of course. Which is why the easiest rule to keep things straight is not to mess with clients—or the groupies of clients.”
She snuggled against him. “Poor you. Having to fend off blowjobs.”
“True story. Rough life.”
CoCo squealed with giggles as he grabbed her and began tickling, laughing himself as they rolled around, still completely naked—and neither minded. It was a perfect moment that he didn’t want to end.
Funny, lately, there’d been quite a few of those.
18
IT WAS THE DAY after Rian had finished helping Warren with the cattle and CoCo had helped Adeline do a little grocery shopping in the tiny town of Woodsville that Rian and CoCo found themselves back on the horses, enjoying a leisurely ride through the countryside.
“I’d forgotten how much I enjoy riding,” she admitted, loving the clean country air and the carefree feeling in her heart. “I
used to love it.”
“Warren used to say that wisdom could always be found in the company of a good horse.”
She laughed, agreeing. “He’s right. I lost all my wisdom once we had to put Gypsy down. For a brief moment I’d considered getting a new horse but each time I tried, I started crying. Suddenly, partying and going out with friends seemed so much more fun than dealing with my grief.”
“At least a horse won’t slip something in your drink,” he noted derisively and she supposed he was right. She should’ve stuck with horses. “Speaking of, what’s the deal with that friend of yours, Stella?”
CoCo sighed. “I don’t know. She’s a party girl. She loves a good time and isn’t afraid to go after one. I think that’s what I liked most about her when we first met. Believe it or not, I was a little shy when I first moved back to live with my mom. I didn’t really know anyone and Stella helped me break out of my shell.”
“Did you go to college?”
“Of course. Honor roll with a degree in marketing.”
“Wow. Impressive.”
She laughed wistfully. “Now ask me what I’ve done with that degree and you’ll be a lot less impressed.”
“So what happened?”
“Life happened, I guess. Getting a job was a lot less attractive than being footloose and fancy-free, plus no one was making me do anything so I didn’t. My mom couldn’t care less about what I do and my dad is so sweet and understanding that he never pushes me to do anything.”
“So why marketing?”
“My dad wants me to take over the company.”
“Do you want to?”
At one time she thought it would be exciting to work for the company that her father had built from the ground up but then working in general had lost its appeal and she’d stopped thinking about it at all. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s shoes, you know? I wanted to design a women’s shoe line but my dad was insistent that I stick to the menswear. I just didn’t have an interest. Eventually, I stopped sketching my own ideas and discarded the idea of working for my dad at all.”
Sex, Lies and Designer Shoes Page 13
