by Em Petrova
“The hell we aren’t,” he growled.
Her heart lifted and fell again, realizing she was right no matter how much he protested.
“This can work between us if you give it a chance. I didn’t come here looking for anything at all, and then I saw you and dammit, I knew. I knew.”
Her breaths came faster, her chest heaving against his. “Easton, stop.”
“You may not want to hear it, but it’s true. You’re afraid and you’re running from the work it would take to keep this going between us.”
“Easton, it hasn’t even started!” She tried to withdraw, and he let her move an inch before planting a hand firmly on her back.
“Hasn’t started?” He searched her face, gaze roaming from her eyes to her mouth and then back up to meet her stare. “Oh, it’s started all right.” He slammed his mouth across hers, forcing out a gasp, which he devoured on small flips of his tongue. She succumbed to the feel of him, and dammit, in that second her heart admitted she loved him, always had, even if she’d never utter the words.
When she tore her mouth away, she stood staring at him. “I have plenty of conflicts I run toward.”
“But not me.”
Tears burned in her throat suddenly.
“You don’t believe I’m serious about seeing you. Lilah, this isn’t only attraction and you damn well know it. If you’d admit it—”
“No,” she said in a cool voice while her insides raged with a storm of tears, “I don’t know anything of the kind. And I don’t believe it can work.”
He let her go. Fell back a few steps, hands fisted as he stared at her. Everything in her cried out to make this right, to run into his arms and say they could make a go of it.
But deep down, she knew she was doing the right thing. He’d return to the rig and she’d be here, picking up the pieces of herself that he’d managed to shake apart in his short time on the ranch.
“You’re serious?”
She nodded.
He tore off his hat and punched a hand into the hollow inside. The dark hair stood out on his head and she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze. One look from him could break down the very short, unstable wall she’d just erected around herself.
He pushed out a hard sigh. “Fine then. I won’t trouble you with my presence any longer. I’ll drive you back.”
“It’s okay,” she said thickly, “I’ll walk.”
He stared at her for another long minute, but she couldn’t look higher than his broad chest. “All right,” he grated out.
With that, he got into his truck and drove out to the road, leaving her standing alone in a field of fireflies, her heart in shreds.
Chapter Seven
Pulling into the muddy lot among all the other beat-up trucks, seeing the small units that housed a couple guys at a time… Both felt surreal. Easton got out and slung his duffel over his shoulder.
His emotions were up and down. On one hand, it was great to be back on the rig. But on the other, he missed Paradise Valley with a bone-deep sadness. The high grasses swishing around his feet, the smell of fresh hay were among the top of his list.
But the highest was the feel of a beautiful woman in his arms. Knowing how he’d left things with Lilah made him want to turn around and get back in his truck.
“Dalton!” one of the guys called out.
He turned to see him jogging his direction. Easton moved forward to meet him, bringing out a smile he didn’t quite feel.
“Heard you’re our new fearless leader.” He clapped Easton on the shoulder.
“That’s what I heard too.”
“Don’t tell me your nerves are hittin’? Man, you’re the most levelheaded guy in this outfit. What they did to you, giving you probation, didn’t seem to affect their decision at all either.”
He nodded. “That’s something, isn’t it?”
“Plus you get a bunk all to yourself. No sharing with Mike and smelling his feet.”
Easton wrinkled his nose at the memory of that odor. “That’s worth more than the hike in pay.”
The man laughed and pointed to the cabin. “Your humble abode, chief.”
Easton punched him in the arm lightly. “Catch you in a bit.”
His crew. These men would be working beneath him, taking his directions and relying on him to keep them safe… alive. He was finally getting his shot. Too bad it came with such a steep price.
Leaving behind Lilah was like carrying a dozen concrete blocks around his neck. He had some thinking to do, that was certain. He’d just have to do it after his shift finished for the day—no more distractions, and especially with a crew to watch over.
The crew leader’s space was the same as the others, except he wouldn’t be sharing it with someone with stinky feet, like his friend had said. Easton tossed his bag on a recliner and looked around. Simple windows with white blinds, basic furnishings and the same small refrigerator and hot plate to heat a can of soup if he wanted.
He sighed to think of Aunt Maggie’s delicious meals. The last supper he’d had with the family was the most important, though. He’d held Lilah’s hand under the table, gotten to feel how smooth her skin was.
He clamped his hand into a fist, almost feeling that warmth again. But she was gone from him, miles away. And she hated him now.
Letting out a sigh, he checked out the sleeping arrangements. Sure enough, only one twin bed filled the space that two normally would. He stared at the simple gray bedspread for a minute before turning back for the door.
The bell in camp rang, alerting them all that their shift would begin soon. He quickly pulled off his cowboy hat and crushed the hard hat down on his head. Then he went out and walked from cabin to cabin, knocking on doors. Some guys came out right away and others he had to knock on twice, telling them to get up.
This life was a hard one. Long hours, never seeing their families. He couldn’t remember why he liked that part. Maybe it was getting away from his bratty little sisters that had been the real allure.
But half an hour later, with his crew gathered around and him giving a pep talk, he knew why he loved it. Mining a resource like oil was important for the country, and not everyone could do the job. But he could and he’d do it with pride.
When he finished talking, one of the guys closest to him swiped a knuckle under his eye. “That was like the Gettysburg Address, boss. I’m touched.” He sniffed.
Easton grinned and removed his hat with a swoop of his arm as if it was a top hat. “Glad to appeal to you roughnecks. Now let’s get to work.”
During his time off, Easton had still busted his ass, but this was different work, and his body felt its effects. When he took a water break, he stretched his back and knew that bunk wouldn’t do anything for his aches and pains. Once again, he wondered why he loved this job.
His first day seemed to be going well, though. The men respected him and his friends gave him crap about being a bigwig crew leader every time they passed by him. He stood back, watching the operation. The heavy equipment was in motion, and that was always a time to look out. Most injuries resulted from heavy equipment or from driving from one site to another with very little sleep.
He caught a movement and turned his head in time to see a young guy named Dane wobbling.
“Shit!” Easton took off for the man, holding up a hand to stop the crane driver. Dane pitched forward and caught himself before he fell, but then Easton had him by the shoulders.
“Are you all right?” he shouted into his man’s face. “Were you hit by something?” He checked his eyes for signs of being dazed. He’d seen more than one man go down around here with a blow to the head.
Dane shook himself. “Dunno what happened.”
“Can you walk with me?”
He nodded, and Easton put his arm around the big man, helping him to safety. “Mike!” he called out. The man raised his head. “We need ya to drive Dane to camp so he can get checked out by a nurse. Bring Willis back with ya.”
Mike came forward to take over for Easton.
“Thanks, boss,” Dane said before making his way off with Mike.
Easton stood there a moment, watching them go and praying Dane didn’t collapse. Could be heat stroke—Texas was known for being two floors down from Hell. Then he returned to the job, and somehow the first twelve hours as crew leader came to an end. Afterward, the supervisor gave him an approving nod. “Nice work, Dalton.”
Exhausted from his first nerve-racking day back on the job, he clomped into his cabin and closed the door. Silence met his ears, rather than the constant chatter that took place in Paradise Valley. From kids to the wives who always had some story to relate about their work or offspring, to the low rumble of his aunt and uncle at the head of the table talking quietly between them, the house was constantly noisy.
His ears rang as he sank to his recliner and turned his head to look at the window. The daylight was long gone. Morning would come all too soon. And his mind was far too awake to take advantage of his physical exhaustion.
After stripping off his clothes and standing in a hot shower for twenty minutes, he should be less keyed up, but that was far from reality.
That shower had installed images of Lilah in his mind. Of soaping her delicate curves and pulling her against him, skin to skin, before driving into her.
At the time each kiss had felt like he was going fast, but now he saw that he should have taken things further with her. Dammit, she should have known without a doubt in her pretty little head that he wanted her. He’d made a huge error and now he’d probably lost her. She’d believed he’d been toying with her emotions and no wonder. He didn’t have the right kind of words to tell her how he felt because he hadn’t known either.
Believing Katie had been it for him for so long had messed him up, made him unsure. But now that he was away from Lilah, he knew exactly how he felt.
He loved her.
She’s always been in the background of his life in Paradise Valley, and seeing her again had shaken him like a tree in a tornado. She’d twisted him all up with her scream over finding a newt.
He smiled to himself, toweling the water droplets from his biceps and chest. His wet hair dripped down his nape and wet his back, and he held both ends of the towel to dry it off.
It had taken only a couple days for him to realize Katie had been nothing more than the chase to him. His brothers had been right, after all.
But Lilah… He envisioned her sweet smile and that one curl that always tumbled into her sea green eye. He sighed and climbed into the narrow bunk, face down. Lilah was a woman who made men do crazy things.
He wasn’t sure how just yet, but the last thought in his head before he succumbed to the labors of the day was that he had to find a way to show her how important she was to him—so he could return to her and be greeted by those passionate kisses she’d given him several times before.
* * * * *
Lilah got out of her truck, squinting against the glare of the sun. A bark of a dog sounded from her right and the familiar pup ran at her. With a laugh, she bent to greet the big, wiggling puppy that was all gangly legs and big paws.
“How are you, boy?” She scratched its ears hard as she remembered he liked it, and the pup leaned into her hand, tail thumping the dirt and raising a little cloud around her feet. She laughed again, realizing how strange it felt to feel joy. Since Easton had left Paradise Valley, she hardly felt like smiling.
Hearing the dog’s bark, the ranch owner appeared from around an outbuilding, shading his eyes with a hand. “Oh it’s you, Miss Sherman. Good to see you.”
She straightened from petting the dog, but it continued to bump her shins trying to get her to start again. “Hi, Mr. Greer. How are things up here?” On the drive up to the house, she’d closely looked at the devastation the fire had wrought—two outbuildings had been torn completely down and lay in piles of ruin, waiting to be hauled away. And half of his land was still blackened, the grasses just beginning to sprout some green here and there but nowhere near enough for cattle at this point.
He came toward her with a long, loping step, his hat tugged low over his eyes. As he reached to shake her hand, she noted the new creases between his brows. He was in his fifties but had aged considerably since the fire. Hopefully, what she’d brought with her today would help ease the burden some.
She clutched his hand, hard, horny calluses and all, and gripped it while looking into his eyes. She sucked in a shallow breath. Every time she touched a man now, she only thought of Easton’s hands, how they felt against hers, on her body…
He smiled and released her. Then he went into details about some victories on the ranch—the pigs were thriving with five new litters. And the utility companies had agreed to smaller payments until they got on their feet and granted them help through some government program.
“I’m glad to hear you’re getting a leg up, Mr. Greer. I’m here to do some calculations on your land today, but there’s another reason.” She reached into her back pocket and came out with a thick envelope. Inside was a card from Mr. Dalton himself, asking the Greers to take the money offered and pay it forward to the next unfortunate family once they got on their feet. After Lilah had read the handwritten words, she’d choked up for a long time afterward.
“What’s this?” He took it gingerly between two fingers, his expression guarded.
“Some friends of mine had the same thing happen to them some months back and they know how it feels to be in your position.”
He opened the envelope and immediately handed it back. “I can’t accept this, Lilah.”
Since they were suddenly on a first name basis, she said, “Yes, you can, Dave. Read the card before you decide.”
He swallowed hard, his throat working as he removed the card from the envelope. His gaze traveled down over the words, a red flush of emotion creeping over his face. He pushed out a breath and lowered the letter. “Pay it forward, Dalton says. When we can.”
“Yes.” That part had touched Lilah the most, how Mr. Dalton had put into motion something that would grow and affect the good people all over Texas in time.
He swallowed again and gave a hard nod. “I’ll call him and thank him first thing. And thank you too, for delivering it. It will surely help with those rents the neighbors have asked us for keeping our cattle on their land.”
She touched his arm. “That it will. Now if you don’t mind me stomping through your fields, I’ll get to work.”
He waved toward the burned pastures. “It’s all yours, honey.”
She flashed a grin and turned for her truck. Each time she reached through the open window, she thought of Easton telling her to get it fixed. She needed to ask her father if he could do the job some weekend, because she simply didn’t have time to put it in the shop for such a silly job. She needed her wheels to get to various ranches.
Minutes later, she was engulfed in a world of wildlife. The happiest part of her job was seeing a return of insects and other small creatures to the scorched land. She spent more hours than necessary simply to escape from the reality of her world.
Having Easton leave her life so abruptly shouldn’t affect her so profoundly, yet it had. She missed him. Every. Damn. Hour. Every. Damn. Day.
Two weeks he’d been gone. She tried like crazy not to think of those burning blue eyes of his or the way he’d grabbed her with all the authority of a film hero grabbing the girl. How many times had he spun her against him and ravished her mouth?
Not enough.
Part of her was angry with herself for giving in to those kisses, while another part told her off for not letting things go further. To have one night with Easton Dalton? Well, it would have been something to remember.
She moved a few steps, staring at the ground. When she spotted a small tail camouflaged among the burned and new grasses, she sucked in a gasp. Crouching, she spied the newt.
And promptly burst into tears.
For a long minute, she let the
tears fall, biting back more uncontrolled sobs. If her classmates could see her now, they’d find her behavior typical for Lizard Lilah, crying over a reptile. When really she was crying over Easton.
Long ago she’d given her heart to him and that had only been buried over years of separation and believing he was just a jerk who’d used her for a tray of cupcakes. But something deep inside had sparked in her when she’d set eyes on him again. And he’d shown her all the interest of a man who wanted things to go further. Hell, he’d told her as much, and she’d pushed him away.
Her eyes blurred over, and she wiped them with a sleeve. Straightening, she looked over the field, not seeing the world of hurt the fire had brought but the newness of a world sprouting life around her. That was what happened with Easton. If not for the fire, she wouldn’t have even been in Paradise Valley. If he hadn’t gotten in trouble with his job, he wouldn’t have come to stay. Their paths would never have crossed.
The sci-fi buff inside her said it was fate—star-crossed lovers. But that didn’t explain why the universe had pulled him away again.
Maybe to help me realize how I really feel about him.
God help her, she loved the man. He’d woken her up, shaken her to the bone. And now he was gone.
But was it forever? part of her asked.
It didn’t have to be. She could call him, ask him to come see her the first chance he had. Sure, his work would keep him away for weeks at a time, maybe more now that he’d been promoted. Maybe they could still make it work, explore the promise of more.
Another tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away. How could it ever work, really, though? She was here, he was there. If they managed to get married, have a family… She’d be left to deal with everything alone. But it happened to military wives all the time, and they survived, right?
Some hope rose inside her, yet she wasn’t convinced of her plan of action just yet. She needed more time to think. Whatever she decided had to be absolutely right for both her and Easton. She couldn’t risk her heart again without knowing without doubt it would be cradled in those big hands of his, cherished and protected.
