by Somer Hayes
“Get over here, you.”
I rushed around the counter and lunged at him. He picked me up easily, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, grabbed his face, and kissed him hard.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Turns out I couldn’t wait till tonight to see you. Which is why I need you to get out of my head. I’m a very busy man. You shouldn’t be distracting me like this.”
“Well, I’m very sorry. I’ll do my best to stay out of your thoughts from now on.”
He palmed the back of my head and kissed me. “Can you take a little break?” he murmured against my lips.
I smiled into his and reached behind him to flip the lock and the sign to ‘closed.’ He carried me through the building and up the stairs where my bed still waited. We fell into it together, kissing, touching, pulling clothes from each other’s body.
Tripp had a way of watching me, touching my face, and cradling my head that made me feel like he was so present in the moment like he was interested in me as a person and not just my body.
But when he rolled on top of me, and I felt his hardness, I knew he wanted my body too. I parted my knees, and he settled his big body over mine. He kissed me and looked me in the eyes as he entered me. I felt my body give and stretch to accommodate his sizable length. He buried himself deep within me, then withdrew, then moved in me again all the while whispering sweet nothings and how much he wanted me. I reveled in the attention and love he was showering me with. We found a rhythm, and before long, I felt the first tingles of release.
I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him in even deeper, and soon I cried out his name, shattering beneath him.
“Ah, God, Hannah,” he groaned in my ear, and I felt his release pulse deep within me.
We lay there quietly catching our breath and enjoying a few stolen moments out of our day. His fingers drew lazy circles over my arm. I ran mine through the sprinkling of hair on his chest.
“I could get used to this,” he murmured in my ear.
I sighed. “I know. If only we didn’t have all those pesky responsibilities of running businesses.”
He chuckled, and I loved the feel of his chest vibrating under my cheek. Regretfully, I sat up. “I should get back to work.”
“Boo…”
“And I don’t want to tell you what to do, but considering you’re such a busy man, you might want to do the same.”
He pinched my butt, and I squealed. “You not telling me what to do would be entirely new territory for me.” But he climbed out of bed and found his jeans.
“There’s a first time for everything, I guess. Now scoot. I’ll see you tonight.”
“There’s my bossy girl,” he said.
“Your bossy girl?” I hoped my voice didn’t sound as vulnerable as I felt at that moment.
His face sobered, and he straightened to come over to me. “Listen, I know we haven’t talked about… this,” he motioned between us. “But you’re all I can think about. When I’m away from you, all I want to do is get back to you. When I’m finally with you, I want to touch you, listen to what you have to say next, and show you new things. I think without realizing it is happening, and I’ve started thinking of you as mine.”
His gray eyes held mine, and his jaw clenched a tick, just enough to tell me that hadn’t been easy for him to say. “You feeling any of that on your end?” he asked me.
“I think,” I began, then had to stop to swallow. “I think we’re feeling the same things. I’d just been too scared to hope you could return the feelings.”
I looked up into his eyes and about melted at the soft, tender way he was looking at me. “You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he told me.
“Well, maybe you don’t either,” I countered.
He didn’t reply. He just bent down to kiss me. Then he pulled his shirt over his head, put his boots on, and went to the stairs.
“See you tonight, my girl.”
Then he was gone.
It took me several minutes to get myself put back together and downstairs. I let his words sink in. I let myself believe them. An unfamiliar warmth uncoiled in my belly and spread through my limbs. A smile claimed my face. I wanted to dance, cry, laugh, scream. I wanted everyone to know.
I was Tripp Maverick’s girl.
Maybe it was wrong, but it made me feel special. I knew I should learn to feel that way on my own merit, but the fact that a man of Tripp’s caliber wanted me, made me feel like the most special person in the world.
It was a dangerous feeling. One I knew I’d never want to be without.
But maybe, just maybe, my luck was turning around, and even I could find true happiness.
21
Tripp
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
The question came from the oldest of my younger brothers, Beau. A veterinarian, he was at the ranch checking on the herd ensuring there were no injuries we’d missed after the storm.
“Nothing. Piss off.”
“For months now I’ve listened to you bitch and moan about getting out of the office and back to the ranch. Now here you are, and you’re so distracted that you just let that calf pee on your boot.”
“Aw hell,” I muttered and moved out of the offending stream. I looked over at my brother, a lankier, nosier version of myself. He had his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun so that he could attempt the infamous Maverick stare-down. I rolled my eyes. “Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Is it Dad?” he asked the question casually, but I could hear the undercurrent of worry.
“Nah.”
“Tripp? The truth.”
“Dad’s fine. Or at least his new version of fine anyway.”
“Then what is it? And don’t try to tell me it’s nothing. I know you better than you think I do.”
He was right, dammit. Of the five of us, he was probably the most like my mother—caring and intuitive.
I cursed but decided they’d all find out and give me hell about it anyway. “I met a girl.”
He squinted. “So? You meet lots of girls.”
I gazed out over the mountain range and admitted he was right. I’d let a lot of women warm my bed at night but never had much interest in keeping them around during the day. “I like this one.”
Beau didn’t react for several long moments, but when he did, I immediately regretted telling him. He threw his head back and let out a loud ‘whoop.’ “Never thought I’d see the day, big brother.”
I spat. “Yeah, well, neither did I.”
“Where did you find her?”
“She has a business downtown, a bakery, and she leases the space from us. She got a little behind on her rent, and we worked out a deal.”
“Oh my God. Tell me you’re joking.”
“Not that kind of deal, numbnuts.” I shook my head and hoped that’s not what he truly thought of me. “She’s cooking at the bunkhouse. It was supposed to be temporary until I could hire someone to replace Marty, but now we’re just taking her wages off her overhead at the bakery.”
“So this is the new cook I’ve heard about.”
That caught my attention. “Heard what about?”
“Oh, you know, that she makes a really delicate soufflé,” he replied dryly. “Just that she’s the hottest thing they’ve seen on this ranch in… well, in ever.”
I cursed.
“Heard Jake made a run at her.”
“This conversation is telling me I need to work them harder if they have so much time to gossip with the likes of you,” I told him.
He laughed, unfazed. “Give them a break. Once they know you’re together, they’ll leave her alone. You know that.”
I supposed that was true, but I still didn’t like what the thought of other men looking at her did to my insides. Maybe I should have been a little clearer from the beginning.
Look, but don’t touch. And also, don’t look.
“You know what this means, right?” Beau asked me.
“What?” I asked warily.
“I’m staying for dinner.” He flicked the brim of his hat at me with a grin, then sauntered off toward the truck.
“Aw, hell. Here we go,” I muttered and followed him to the truck like a lost dog. I supposed if I planned to keep her around, meeting my family would be inevitable. Guess I might as well get it over with.
“Just try to act like a normal human being, okay?” I asked when I got in the truck.
“Oh man, you do have it bad for this girl,” he replied, and for that, he got a punch in the shoulder.
I pointed the truck in the direction of the bunkhouse and thought I should be experiencing some sort of trepidation like I had in the past when I’d brought other girlfriends home. Instead, I felt a bud of excitement. I was looking forward to Beau meeting her. I was… proud to call her mine.
Whoa. That was new territory.
But one I didn’t hate.
I parked around back and saw we were one of the last to arrive. Beau followed me to the back door, and when I opened it, I found chaos.
Hannah was in the kitchen with an apron around her waist and a spatula in her hand which she was using to point at the men she was yelling at.
“Bill, I heard that. Dinner is at six o’clock every day. I’m not going to change my or anyone else’s schedules to accommodate your bottomless pit of a stomach.” She redirected the spatula. “Jake, I swear to the Lord above if I catch you sneaking one more cookie out of that jar before dinner, I’m going to smack you upside the head.”
She turned and saw me hovering just inside the door. “Tripp, where on God’s green earth did you find these heathens?”
Before I could answer, a hand named Caleb called to me. “Boss, help. She’s meaner than Marty.”
Hannah spun. “And you whose name I don’t know yet. You mind your own business.”
Caleb sunk into his chair and pulled his hat down to his eyes.
I shook my head at the scene—a bunch of tough, hardened cowboys taking their marching orders from a tiny little girl covered in flour.
“And I see you’ve found another one,” she continued and eyeballed Beau. “I suppose you’re hungry, too?”
I could sense the laughter lurking just under the surface, but he had the good sense to keep it in check. “Yes, ma’am. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“I don’t suppose I can say otherwise. Go on and have a seat. I’ll have everything out in ten minutes.” Then she raised her voice so the dining room would hear her. “And I don’t want to hear another word about how hungry any of you are until then.”
Beau followed me to the table and was greeted by several of the men. He took the seat next to me, and with his eyes on Hannah, leaned over. “She’s fearless.”
“She’s too bossy for her own good.”
“Maybe you like her because you’ve met your match?”
I scoffed at that. “She only likes to think she’s in charge.”
“Mmm hmm,” he replied, and I had a sneaking suspicion he didn’t believe me. The nerve.
As promised, ten minutes later she was sweeping into the dining room with several platters of meatloaf, baked potatoes, corn, and green beans. The men grunted their approval and dug in.
I caught her eye and winked. She gave me a quick smile then went back to the kitchen.
“I saw that,” Beau said.
“Shut up.”
He took a bite of his meatloaf and groaned. “This is almost as good as Mom used to make.”
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
I glanced up and saw her in the kitchen fussing over the icing on what I hoped was dessert for us. I heard the door open, and when her eyes rose to see who had come in, her entire body stiffened. I watched her set her jaw and studiously go back to her work, careful not to look back up.
Into the dining room came three men I was only vaguely familiar with—temps my father had hired in my absence. I studied them, trying to place them and figure out why Hannah might have the reaction she did to them. She looked as uncomfortable as she had at breakfast that morning.
I had an unsettling thought that made my gut clench. Was one of them an ex-boyfriend? An ex-lover? I looked at them more closely and prayed not. They all three were twenty years older than her, grizzled and greasy.
An even more upsetting thought struck. Had one of them hurt her in the past? Physically or emotionally? My fist clenched in my lap, and I made myself take long, deep breaths to calm my brain back into rational thought.
I wanted to go to her and make her tell me what was wrong, so I could fix it for her. But if I knew one thing, it was that she was fiercely independent and private. She told me she’d tell me more in her own time, and I knew I should give her the time and space she needed to feel comfortable enough to open up to me.
I glanced again at the men and hoped it would be sooner rather than later that she did.
“I haven’t had a meal that good in recent memory,” Beau announced next to me, patting his stomach theatrically.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the cook.” I shoved away from the table and made a point to walk past the temps. Two of them nodded a greeting my way. The third kept his eyes on his plate. I decided he was the one to watch.
We went to the kitchen, and when Hannah noticed us, she straightened from her work on dessert. “Hannah, I want you to meet…”
“Beau Maverick. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Price. I’ve heard wonderful things.” He stepped in front of me and offered his hand.
She wiped hers on a towel before accepting his handshake. “Beau? So you’re Tripp’s brother? It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. I just had to say hello and offer my compliments to the chef.”
I rolled my eyes but bit my tongue. Smooth talking bastard.
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Sorry it was a little crazy when you got here.”
“Not at all. Looks to me like you’re whipping this place into shape.” He turned to me. “It’s about time you hired a decent house manager around here. Not to mention one who can make a mean meatloaf.” He gave Hannah a wink.
She looked from him to me, then back to him.
“Don’t mind him,” I told her. “He thinks he’s charming.”
She laughed. “Are you two sticking around for dessert?”
“Wish I could, but I need to get back to my office. I was helping Tripp check on some of the herd.”
“Here, I’ll send some with you.” She cut into the flaky dessert, put a slice on a napkin, and handed it to him. “Tripp?”
“Though it pains me to say it, I’m going to pass.” I patted my gut. “I put too much meatloaf in here.”
“Sucks to be you,” Beau said around a mouthful of the cake. “This is awesome.”
I looked at Hannah. “See you later?”
“Sounds good. Bye, Beau. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. And now that I know I can get a decent meal around here, I hope to see more of you very soon.”
“Of course. You’re always welcome.”
“Ugh, don’t encourage him,” I told her, then reached down to press a quick kiss on her temple. When I straightened, the man I’d decided to keep a closer eye on was watching us, a strange glint in his eye. I narrowed my eyes at him, and his gaze dropped back to his plate.
A strange sense of unease niggled its way into my gut and set up residence. I was missing something, but I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
22
Hannah
I managed to duck out of the bunkhouse before my father could corner me. I could tell by the way he watched me that he was waiting for an opportunity to speak to me. I didn’t know what his game was, but I was sure he had one, and I wanted no part of it. To my knowledge, he hadn’t mentioned our relationship to anyone at the ranch, and I hoped it would stay that way. If Tripp were right, the temps would only be there for another week or so. I could stick it out.
On my way to town, my phone rang, and I recognized the number of my insurance agent. I answered immediately.
“Hannah? This is LouAnn. Wanted to let you know the check for totaling your Jeep came in.”
“Thank goodness. Can I swing by and pick it up this morning?” I was grateful to Tripp for letting me borrow a truck for as long as he had, but I didn’t like feeling indebted to people. If I were being completely honest, driving something as nice as his truck made me nervous. I couldn’t afford to damage it.
“You bet. Tom wanted me to mention he’s got something similar on his lot and to go talk to him if you think you’re interested.”
I loved my old Grand Cherokee, high mileage, dings, and all. It was the perfect size for me and got me around for deliveries even in bad weather. “I’m definitely interested in checking it out.”
“Perfect, I’ll let him know to expect you.”
Tom was LouAnn’s husband, and they owned not only an insurance agency but a car lot that happened to be adjacent. “You guys have a real racket going, you know that?”
The sound of laughter floated through the phone. “Don’t think for a minute it was by accident.”
“Of course not. See you in a bit.”
I hung up and changed my course to pick up the check and take a look at the Jeep on Tom’s lot. It was the same body style as my old one, just a little newer and with slightly fewer miles. However, this one was a dark gray, and the color of it reminded me of Tripp’s eyes. We took a spin around the block, and after promising me an extended warranty, I handed over the check.
“What are the odds that you’re asking the exact same price for this Jeep as what my insurance payout was?” I asked him with a wry smile.
“Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?” he replied.
I laughed. I knew he was giving me more than a fair price and wasn’t about to talk myself out of the deal.
“Thank you, Tom.” I stuck my hand out to shake his, but instead, he pulled me in for a hug.
“Any time. You know that.”
Tom and LouAnn were close with the Miller family and had always been kind to me. Sometimes it was difficult living in a small town when you came from the background I did. Other times, it felt like a real blessing. Good people lived here.
