She's Far From Hollywood

by Jo McNally

  Nell walked into the living room of the cottage wearing a soft, swishy skirt with a lacy top, and twirled in the middle of the room. She’d probably faint if she knew how expensive the ensemble was.

  Bree smiled. “You look terrific, Nell. Very cosmopolitan.”

  The older woman blushed. “Well, that’s a word that’s seldom been used in my direction. But I must admit, I feel pretty in this skirt. Wait until the gals see me in this getup!”

  “You’ll knock their socks off at dinner, Nell. And my green cotton dress will be comfortable for shopping on the second day.”

  Nell tilted her head and gave Bree a serious look. “Are you sure you’re okay watching things here while I’m gone?”

  “Of course. It’s only one night. If anything serious happens, I can call Ty or Cole.”

  “Would you really call Cole?” Nell’s eyes were sharp. “You seemed a little cool to him last night.” Bree did her best to keep her face neutral. Nell had no idea how much things had warmed up between Cole and her at the cottage.

  “We...uh...declared a truce.”

  They stepped onto the porch with two glasses of wine. Bree looked over her shoulder at the ever-darkening horizon. “It looks like we could have more rain.”

  Nell stopped and looked up at the sky. “If we have a thunderstorm while I’m gone, I need you to do something, and you probably won’t like it.”

  “I know, I know. Make sure the horses and pigs are inside, close the barn doors, try to shoo the chickens under cover, bring Shep in the house...”

  Nell was shaking her head. “No. I mean, yes, do those things before you head home, so you don’t have to come back in the rain to do it. But I need you to go to Cole’s if there’s a bad storm.”

  Bree laughed. “Nell, I’m not afraid of storms. I don’t need to run to Cole for comfort!”

  “It’s not you who needs comforting.”

  Her laughter faded. Surely Cole wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms. He was a grown man. He was a soldier. A soldier... Her eyes closed in understanding. He’d been in battle. And battles were loud. Guns. Mortars. Missiles. Land mines.

  She met Nell’s worried eyes. “He gets flashbacks during storms.”

  “Pretty bad ones.” Nell nodded. “I was driving home a few months ago and stopped by to deliver some goodies from the church bake sale. A sharp spring storm was rolling in. He was white as a ghost. I thought he was ill, but it only took one clap of thunder for me to realize he was having a panic attack.”

  Bree felt tears welling in her eyes at the thought of Cole, with all his pride, being found in such a fragile state. That must have just about killed him.

  “So now, if I know a storm is coming, I’ll go to him, or he’ll come to my place, and we’ll play cards and talk and do anything we can think of to keep him distracted from what’s happening outdoors. During the last storm, he was so anxious that I put him to work reorganizing the jars of canned produce in my pantry. I said I needed them to be alphabetical, and he spent an hour in there trying to figure out what was in each jar and putting them in order. When he came to dinner a week later and saw them all back where they’d been originally, he realized I’d made up the task just to keep his mind occupied.” Nell winked at Bree. “That’s one of the few times I’ve actually gotten a kiss from Cole.”

  Bree didn’t say anything about having already earned a kiss from him.

  “So you want me to go to his house and what...reorganize his sock drawer?”

  Nell just shrugged as she turned away, ever the matchmaker.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  The sock drawer sounded like the perfect solution. She and Cole could organize socks together if it stormed.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “OKAY, NORA,” BREE SAID, stretching like a cat on the cottage’s worn sofa as she held the phone to her ear. “When are you headed to Gallant Lake again?” Her cousin was flying from Atlanta to spend time with Amanda after the baby arrived. Bree and her cousins were as close as sisters. As the oldest, widow Nora was the clucking mother hen of them all.

  “I’ll probably go up a couple weeks after the baby is born, but Amanda will be fine,” Nora said. “Women have babies all the time. I’m more concerned about you. I saw the rehab story on GMA this morning, and they made it sound like you’d had some kind of mental breakdown.”

  “Damn that agent of mine! I told Sheila to drop some subtle hints that I was being treated for exhaustion in Utah. She wasn’t supposed to make me into headline news. What if someone in Russell sees all of that and recognizes me?” Bree stood and started to pace. The idea of having to leave here was chilling.

  “You said you’ve changed your looks, right? Just keep a low profile, and let the publicity flush out your stalker so you can go home. You must be dying to get back to the beach house. And speaking of the beach house, you’ll never guess who called me after the story aired this morning.”

  “Who?”

  “Your ex-husband.”

  “Damian?” Bree froze. The last thing she needed right now was her ex-husband interfering in her life. “What is he calling you for? You didn’t tell him where I was, did you?”

  “Of course I didn’t tell him where you were. He said he couldn’t reach you and was worried, but I didn’t buy it. He asked me to remind you that if you’re feeling stressed, he’d be happy to take the house off your hands if it would help.”

  That figured. The only communication she and Damian had had since the divorce revolved around the house. He was furious she’d won it from him, and was constantly trying to renegotiate the agreement that he’d pay the mortgage and taxes, in hopes of forcing her out. Those expenses were substantial for the lavish home that had been featured in Architectural Digest just months before their divorce. He must really be getting desperate if he was resorting to calling her family about it.

  “As if you’d ever give up that gorgeous house,” Nora continued. “It must be torture for you to be away from Malibu. I can’t imagine you, of all people, being trapped in corn country.”

  A steady rain started to fall in the darkening evening, but luckily there were no signs of severe weather.

  “The next time Damian calls, tell him to go to hell, Nora. I’ve got to go close up the windows. It’s starting to rain. Call me if you hear anything from Amanda.”

  “Will you be okay there by yourself?”

  “Oh, sure. Nell’s animals are safely in the barn, except the cattle, of course. I love the sound of rain on the tin roof of the cottage. The smell of the fields after a good rain is incredible. And you should hear the bugs and frogs singing once the rain stops.”

  “Who are you, and what have you done with my cousin? She’s a tall redhead, wears designer clothes and thinks dirt is vulgar? Ring any bells?”

  “Very funny. She’s still here. But I have to say it’s been quite the experience for me so far. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve done in the past two weeks.”

  “Yeah, well, when you come up to Gallant Lake to see Amanda’s baby, I expect to hear every detail. Take care and stay safe out there, farm girl.”

  Bree closed the windows and picked up her book, which was nearing its conclusion. The brave knight was rushing to rescue his love from their enemies. Would he reach her in time...?

  A flash of light woke Bree, but it was the roar of thunder that propelled her to her feet. It was dark, and she hadn’t heard the storm approaching. Wind gusted against the walls of the cottage, and another flash of lightning flickered outside the windows.

  Cole!

  She’d promised Nell she wouldn’t let him be alone if it stormed. The clap of thunder sounded like cannon fire, even to her. Her heart jumped, and she grabbed a jacket and bolted out the door. The storm was bearing down as she ran toward his house,
with nearly continuous lightning dancing across the sky. The heavy rain hadn’t started yet, but the sky lit up with a brilliant blue light as she dashed from his driveway to the front porch.

  He yanked the door open after her second knock.

  “What?” he barked at her, blocking the doorway. What was she supposed to say? Hi, I’m here to babysit you... She suddenly felt ridiculous. What if Nell was just looking for some way to bring her and Cole together by making up a story about Cole being afraid of storms? Her face flushed in embarrassment.

  “Umm... I thought...do you...want company?” She shrugged innocently, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for her to drop by his house at ten o’clock at night. Sheets of rain started sweeping across the yard behind her. She worked up the courage to meet his eyes and took in a sharp breath. Nell hadn’t exaggerated. He looked raw.

  His face was ashen, and his body more rigid than she’d ever seen, which was saying something. There were tight lines of tension around his eyes. His mouth was drawn thin. Another flash of lightning brightened the sky, and his entire body flinched. That was when she felt her heart break for him. She reached for his arm, but he jerked away from her, closing his eyes as the thunder rumbled loudly.

  “Please, Cole. I didn’t want to be alone during the storm. Let me in.”

  He glared at her for what seemed like an eternity then stepped back.

  “Suit yourself.”

  She walked past him and breathed a sigh of relief. She was in. Now what?

  He slammed the door closed and started pacing the floor of the living room. Most of the lights were blazing, highlighting the gleaming hardwood floors and sweeping staircase in the main hallway. She moved down the hall, figuring she’d find the kitchen back there. Sure enough, a cheery yellow country kitchen stretched across the back of the house.

  “I could really use a beer. How about you?” she asked with false bravado. He watched her silently, clenching and unclenching his hands. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles. She tucked the top of each bottle under the hem of her tank top and twisted off the caps. His eyes were on her every move. Okay. She was taking his mind off the storm. That was good. She flashed him a smile before putting a bottle to her lips.

  “Come on, admit it, I look good drinking beer out of the bottle. Who knew?” He took the bottle she offered him, but he didn’t drink from it or return her smile.

  “Nell told you to come.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Yes.”

  A rumble of thunder rattled the windows. A muscle twitched in his cheek. It took all her strength not to reach out to him.

  “What did she tell you?” He was staring at the beer in his hand.

  “Not much. She said storms remind you of...being overseas.”

  “So you’re not afraid of thunder?”

  “No, but I’d rather be with you than alone.”

  “Why, because you and I are so close?” He took a deep swig of the cold beer, emptying half the bottle.

  She laughed, determined to lighten the tension. “Okay, I confess. I really came to see Maggie.” She dropped to her knees next to the dog, who promptly rested her head in Bree’s lap.

  Cole’s face softened fractionally and he set his beer on the side table. “You’re a great pair. One lies and the other swears to it.”

  The atmosphere in the room relaxed, but not for long. A brilliant yellow light filled the windows, and the resulting thunder sounded like someone had set off dynamite in the front yard. Bree let out a yelp of surprise and jumped to her feet, losing her balance. Cole cursed and reached out to catch her. His hand tightened on her arm at the crash of the thunder. He shook his head slowly and set a hand on her other arm. The thunder rolled on forever into the distance, rattling the windows.

  Without thinking, she reached out and ran her fingers across the tattoos on his left arm, following the rough ridges of his scars as she brushed over his T-shirt and up to where the tat peeked out at the base of his neck. Then her hand traveled up to rest on the side of his face. Instead of pulling away, he closed his eyes and leaned into it, like a child desperate for comfort. She stepped closer and whispered his name.

  When his eyes opened, there was nothing childlike about the look she saw there. His grip tightened on her arms, as if he was afraid she’d slip away. After another blazing flash of lightning, he spun and pushed her against the wall. She wondered if he could hear the pounding of her heart over the sound of the rain against the windows. When the thunder roared, he dropped his mouth onto hers.

  His body flattened hers against the wall. Their teeth clashed together and his tongue pressed inside before she started standing her ground. She twisted her fingers into his short hair and tugged. He grunted and set one hand beneath the cheeks of her bottom, lifting her feet off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held his bottom lip in her teeth. She felt as though her body was burning from the inside out.

  His fingers dug into the soft skin of her thighs, yanking her legs higher as he pushed her against the wall.

  “Bree...” He grazed his teeth across her chin and down her neck. She felt him take a little bite of the skin at the top of her shoulder. Her head fell back as his mouth ran lower, trailing kisses and nibbles over her breasts.

  “Cole...oh my God...”

  She didn’t know how they got upstairs, but apparently he carried her, kissing her the entire way. He paused at the foot of a large bed.

  “If you want me to stop, tell me now.”

  “Don’t stop...please...”

  She was airborne, and gave a squeal of surprise before hitting the bed he’d thrown her onto. They stared at each other. She didn’t want either one of them to overthink this, so she sat up and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, yanking it over her head. A hiss came from his lips. He moved to the side of the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. He pulled off his own shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. Bree shifted her hips and pulled her shorts down, discarding them along with her underwear. She’d never felt so brazen and bold. She reached for her lacy bra, but he stopped her.

  “Don’t.” She had a hard time inhaling.

  He climbed onto the bed and ran his hands slowly up her legs, across her thighs, over her waist and up to her breasts. He was naked now, and she felt him hard against her. She whispered his name. She was vaguely aware that a storm was still raging outside, but it was no match for the passion between the two of them. He twisted his hand into the side of her bra and yanked. It fell apart under his assault, pulling across her skin. She took a sharp breath and closed her eyes. She’d never in her life wanted anything as much as she wanted this.

  “It’s been a long time...” Cole breathed the words across her ear as he tore open a wrapper and rolled on a condom. “This first time might just be for me, Bree. I won’t be able to wait for you, but I’ll make it up to you before the night’s over... I promise...”

  “Yes...okay...fine...” Her words came out in gasps. She just wanted him inside her. Right now.

  And then she had him. No preamble. No gentleness. He filled her, and her blood burned brighter than the lightning flickering in the windows. He was urgent, but not rough. Demanding without causing pain. His eyes were closed, and there was an edge of desperation to his moves. The thought danced across her mind that he was using her. That he didn’t know or care who she was. She was a means to an end. A distraction from his nightmares.

  And she didn’t care, because it was perfect.

  She tossed her head back and forth on the sheets and heard herself saying shocking things. Dirty things. Demanding things. He was grunting his answers to her, his breath hot on her neck. Everywhere their bodies touched was slick with perspiration. No. It was sweat. Good old-fashioned sweat. She dug her nails into his back and felt him flex his hard muscles against her fingers. She was ready
for him to take what he needed. This was a gift she was giving freely.

  Then he stopped moving. Her eyes flew open and she let out a whimper of protest. Cole was holding himself up, his arms braced on either side of her. He stared down, and she watched as his face softened. He lowered his head until they were eye to eye. His words nearly caused her to detonate on the spot.

  “Come with me, Bree. I won’t go without you. Come with me...”

  He knew who he was with. He knew it was her. And it mattered to him. Their bodies fell into a slow, seductive rhythm, and their whispers were less vulgar, more intimate.

  “Do you like this, baby?”

  “Oh, yes...please...”

  “Am I making you happy, Brianna?”

  “You have no idea...”

  “Are you ready to fly, sweetheart?”

  “Yes! Yes... Oh...” She could barely grind out the words as she felt her body catapulting into ecstasy. She cried out his name and, just as he promised, she was flying. His hands grasped her hips tightly and he took what he needed before falling on top of her, breathing heavily.

  When she finally came back to her senses, Bree could hardly believe it. She’d just had wild, rough, crazy sex with a man who spent most of his time infuriating her. And she wanted to do it again. Laughter bubbled up in her chest, causing him to lift his head and stare at her in consternation.

  “You find this funny, Hollywood?”

  “I find this many things, Plowboy. I just can’t articulate them all. I’m overwhelmed. Completely overwhelmed.”

  * * *

  OVERWHELMED.

  Yeah, Cole thought, that about summed it up. He rolled off her and drew her close to his side, keeping his arm wrapped tightly around her.

  “Ow...” she murmured as he squeezed her.

  “Really? After what we just did, a hug is making you say ‘ow’?”