by Kim Law
“Why do we have to ride out there on this thing?” he shouted over the roar of the motor.
He wasn’t sure she’d heard him until she leaned back into his chest and tilted her chin up. She angled in his direction. “Because I like it.”
And that was enough.
With her still pressed to him, he fought the urge to slide his hands from her sides on around to her front. Her body was just soft enough, and he found it a struggle to remember the type of women he normally spent time with.
She straightened in the seat and he silently groaned at the loss of her touch.
Instead of focusing on the woman who was quickly becoming an addiction, he took in their surroundings. She was flying through a heavily wooded area now, though they seemed to be sticking to a well-worn path. The occasional glimpse of the river and mountains to their left kept pulling his gaze. It was beautiful out here.
If the sound of the engine and the rushing wind wasn’t filling his head, he suspected it would be near silent.
Suddenly, Holly lifted slightly off the seat. His brain registered what she was doing a millisecond before the tire of the quad hit a rut. Mud splattered up on his jeans, a small clump making it all the way to his cheek, and Zack moaned out loud as he bounced hard on the seat. He barely kept from reaching to cup himself to shield his testicles from more torture. If his fingers weren’t clenched so tightly around Holly, he probably would have.
She settled back on the seat and let up on the gas. Slightly. Leaning back again, she shouted, “Sorry about that. I don’t normally have someone with me and didn’t think to warn you.”
“And you normally drive like this?”
She burst out laughing. “Of course. What’s the point of having something fun if you don’t have fun with it? If you’d let me get behind the wheel of your car last night, I would have driven it like this too.”
“You just killed any future opportunity to drive it,” he shouted back.
She laughed again. “You need to take more risks,” she yelled out. “Anyone ever tell you that?”
“I’m not sure where the word need comes from in that sentence, but I assure you I’m fine the way I am.”
Except for one thing. He was wrapped around a woman he couldn’t have, yet growing more and more certain he wanted. Holly was not the type to settle for a fling, and he had a career to get back to in Atlanta. He had no business touching her, but he couldn’t help himself.
He slid one hand to her front and flattened his palm on her stomach.
When she didn’t say anything else, merely sat up straighter and pulled slightly away, he leaned forward and followed her. He didn’t stop until he once again had his front pressed to her back. He put his mouth to her ear. “Tell me again why we had to come out on this thing instead of taking a car?”
He felt her back move against his chest as if her breathing had grown heavier.
“Because this is more fun.” She slowed again to take a tight path through a tiny part in the trees. He followed her lead, ducking his head in sync with hers.
“We could have gone over to the stables and saddled a couple of horses,” she suggested. “That would have been fun too.”
The memory of climbing up on the horse with her was not a pleasant one. He hadn’t been that out of control of his own destiny in years.
“If those were my only two options,” he began, “this is much preferred.” Plus, he was actually enjoying himself. Not that he was ready to admit it.
She hadn’t kicked the speed back up, so he took the time to enjoy the scenery. They were still in the trees, but the density was fast becoming sparser. He could see more glimpses of the river, and even picked out a small log cabin sitting alone against the riverbed. It looked to be only large enough to contain two or three rooms, and the roof rose up from the front and then stopped a few feet down the back. The side facing the river was at least half a floor higher.
“You should come with me tomorrow,” she told him as she slowed more, this time gently bumping them through a rut. The tire spun in the mud and he held tight as she shifted their weight and freed them.
“If it involves this particular vehicle, I’m going to go ahead and say no.”
“Spoilsport.” She laughed with the word and pointed out a flock of birds sunning in the middle of a meadow off to their right. “I promise it will be something that can be done via my car.” She shot him an evil grin. “Or yours.”
“What is it?” He was not letting her behind the wheel of his car.
“We’re going to go buy you some jeans.”
Not having to wear someone else’s clothes appealed to him.
And if he would be spending more time with Holly—which he fervently hoped he would be doing—then he would need something other than the clothes he’d brought.
“I could get down with that,” he said.
He slid his other arm around her and held her snug against him. He even caught himself smiling for no apparent reason. It was turning out to be a fun morning. All of that might change the minute she got him to the cabins. Probably Nick would still have no interest in seeing him. But the fresh air and Holly’s happy spirit made the thought of trying again less depressing.
He even managed a small hope that his apology would be well received.
They came out of the woods and nature’s beauty burst out around them.
“Wow,” he murmured. The river glistened in the sunlight, and everywhere he looked was green. Grass, trees, mountains. Even moss-covered rocks.
“Right?” she asked. She pulled the quad to a stop and turned it off. “I love this place. I come out here all the time.”
They both climbed off, his movements slower than hers due to the fact that his testicles felt more like they’d been vibrating directly on the engine than on the padded seat.
When he finally made it to her side, they stood watching the soothing waters with the Smokies as the backdrop. It looked like a good place to fish.
As if he knew anything about fishing.
She pointed to a small area across the river where there were no trees. “That’s where we were last night.”
He didn’t say anything. Just stood with his hands on his hips, soaking it all in. It was a nice moment, and he was glad she’d brought him here. If he were to imagine a spot where he might like to escape the craziness of life on occasion, something like this might come to mind.
When he looked around, he found Holly watching him.
“What do you think?” she asked.
He didn’t have to think. “It sure beats Atlanta traffic.”
She nodded. “I know. I couldn’t get over the constant noise in Chicago. And the sheer number of cars. Everywhere.”
“You never did tell me what you were really doing up there.”
“I told you . . .” She shrugged and turned away. “I went to see my cousin.”
She stuck with her story, but he got the impression it was a lie. At most, a partial truth. Which only made him want to know more. Instead of pushing, he continued his examination of the area around them. He could push later.
“What’s that?” He pointed to the log cabin he’d seen through the trees.
Holly followed the line of his outstretched arm to land on the building. A look of sadness once again crossed her face. It twisted at his heart. And it made him definitely want to know more.
“It’s my place,” she finally answered.
He raised a brow, shocked.
She shrugged. “It was an old house that had been on the property since before I was born. I had my dad and brothers fix it up for me a few years ago.”
“Yet you stay at the main house. Or is that just when your parents are out of town?”
“I stay at the house most of the time, yes.”
She started walking back to the quad as if the
conversation was over.
“Wait,” he said. He didn’t know what question to ask first, but it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it. Whatever it was. Before he could string together the right words to get an answer, a familiar honking sound ripped through the air.
He cringed at the squawk as two geese sauntered out of the woods and headed toward them.
“What is up with those geese?” he asked. They’d been beside his car that first day.
“They’re mine too,” Holly said. She pulled a pack of crackers from the front pocket of her shorts and tossed some in the direction of the animals. They honked as if in thanks.
“You have pet geese?”
“It’s more like I’m their pet. They chose to stay a couple of years ago. I just gave them names.”
“You named the geese?”
“Sure. Wouldn’t you hate to live somewhere and have everyone just call you ‘man’?”
Her back was to him as she tossed more crackers on the ground, and he simply stared at her. He had no words.
“You are one of the strangest women I’ve ever met,” he finally managed to mutter.
She nodded. “I know.”
He followed her to the quad and climbed onto the back of the seat, moving gingerly as he slung a leg over the cushion. “What are their names?” he asked.
Green eyes that he could look at for hours turned to him. In them was a mixture of sadness, teasing, and contentedness. She was the most interesting person who’d ever come into his life.
“Snow White and the Huntsman,” she said.
It took a couple seconds to come up out of her eyes and figure out she was talking about the geese. She’d named them after a movie. All he could do was shake his head.
And fight the urge to pull her close.
“Why don’t you stay out here?” he asked.
She started the machine. “Because I get lonely.”
Like she’d accused him of being last night. He peered back at the building and could see how someone like her wouldn’t like it out here. She needed people around her. She needed liveliness and laughter.
But then, why had she gotten her brothers to fix it up if she didn’t intend to live there?
With the question still rolling through his head, the motor revved and he reached for her waist.
Looked like answers would have to wait. It was time to go find his brother.
Chapter Eight
Holly eased the quad into the construction site, keeping an eye out for Nick. This time she’d done better than spring Zack on him unaware. One of the first things she’d done that morning had been to call both brothers and apologize. She should have warned them last night that Zack might show up.
Nick had seemed okay with things, but Cody was harder to convince. In the end, both men had agreed that since Zack was in town, they supposed they could talk to him.
She’d lined up Nick for today.
Cody would be Monday. He had other things going on over the weekend and had refused to change them.
When she cut the motor, she saw a familiar dark head appear in the doorway of one of the cabins. No words were exchanged, but with the pounding and power tools going on around them, they wouldn’t have been able to hear each other from this distance anyway.
“This is it,” Zack muttered. His breath tickled her ear. He’d been holding onto her tight since right before they’d stopped near her studio. He’d resumed the position when they’d climbed back on, and he hadn’t let go since.
As before, one arm circled her waist, his big hand splayed against her stomach, and his chest pressed to her back. It had made focusing on the drive more difficult than usual.
She wasn’t accustomed to a man being so close. Especially one who seemed to be made of heat and steel. She’d told herself the whole way out that it wasn’t pure, unadulterated attraction she was feeling. Just that he was a good-looking man. She’d feel that way with any good-looking man smooshed up against her.
Also, he smelled simply divine.
He shifted back when Nick headed in their direction, breaking their connection, and his palms slid to her sides. But he didn’t let go.
She turned her head to peek at him. He had a smear of dirt on his cheek. “You okay?”
His eyes shifted from Nick to hers, and she felt for a second as if a live wire were connecting the two of them. He nodded.
“You told him we were coming?” he asked.
“I did.”
Nerves vibrated inside her. She very much wanted the brothers to get along. Nick and Cody had no reason to believe it yet, but Zack was a good guy. She’d seen this more than once.
And he needed them in his life.
She’d seen that also.
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was lonely. He might love his mother, and he might have had a good life up until now, but he was missing something.
She also thought the twins could stand a third brother in their lives. They’d bonded quickly with each other, and that had only grown stronger over the last months. But they had gone to Atlanta looking for Zack. They’d wanted to know him.
Just because they’d had their feelings hurt didn’t mean that desire had gone away.
“Want me to stay?” she asked.
“You’re leaving?” Panicked eyes widened before her.
She gave him a gentle smile, and she would swear the simple act loosened his stiff shoulders. “You boys don’t need me hanging around. Nick said he’d bring you back.”
Zack didn’t say anything for a few seconds. His fingers tensed where they remained at her sides. “How do you know I can be of any help out here? I might just be in the way.”
“You fixed my granny’s grave, didn’t you?”
“Doesn’t mean I can do more.”
She pried his fingers from her waist before Nick reached them. “Then I guess you get to be the inferior one and let your little brother show you how it’s done.”
He gave her his “scary” look that she could so see through. She supposed being called inferior didn’t sit well with him. Instead of saying anything, she simply blew him a kiss and gave him an innocent grin.
“Zack.” Nick held out his hand when he reached their side.
Zack nodded in greeting. Holly watched him swallow. The man was a tangle of nerves. Finally, he seemed to remember protocol and stuck out his hand.
“Nick,” he started in his uppity, lawyerly voice. “Nice to . . .” He trailed off, and she could feel his chest expand with the breath he drew in. “I apologize about before.” His words were less clipped. “In Atlanta. You two caught me off guard.”
His free hand inched back to Holly’s waist, and she pressed her palm over the tips of his fingers where they gripped her. Not because he was hurting her, but because she wanted him to know she was there for him.
“I shouldn’t have been so rude,” he finished.
Nick eyed him, and then gave a nod. “I showed up on Cody’s doorstep without warning too. We spent the evening getting drunk. Having a brother show up out of the blue is tough. We should have called.”
The air went out of Zack’s chest, and Holly silently cheered. This might just work.
“And I shouldn’t have let two months go by without a word.”
Oh, that was so the right thing to say. She could see it on Nick’s face. He was the peacemaker of the family. But he was also the ringleader. He’d been the one to bring the brothers together in the first place.
He probably wanted this more than any of them.
“Maybe we should start over,” Nick said then. “Spend the day out here. Let’s see how it goes.”
She glanced at Zack when he didn’t immediately respond. This is it, she wanted to shout at him. Get off the quad and say yes.
But what she saw when she looked
at him choked her up. His eyes held timid hope. He had not been expecting Nick’s easy acceptance.
She had.
Though Cody might be a really good guy, he was the cautious one. He’d been hurt a lot in his life. Without him here for this meeting, Nick would open the door wider. He would give Zack more of a chance.
Zack’s hand was still at her waist and she gave it a squeeze.
He glanced at her, and she read his thanks. Then he looked back at Nick. “Thank you. I’d like that.”
He climbed off the vehicle, and the two men stood somewhat awkwardly together. She needed to get out of there. She felt as if she’d been dropped in the middle of a moment where she didn’t belong. She imagined it would be similar to walking in on a couple holding their baby for the first time.
Only, these two were grown men. And neither was likely to hold each other.
She revved the motor. “You’ll bring him back?” she asked Nick.
Two sets of identical—gorgeous—eyes turned to her. Man, she’d like to see pictures of their biological parents. The pair might have been worthless human beings, but they had passed along some good-looking genes to their sons.
“We got this,” Nick said.
She glanced at Zack to be sure, and her heart fluttered at the warm look he gave her. He really did appreciate her help.
“Don’t kill yourself heading back,” he said.
She nodded, and he stepped out of the way with Nick. He’d sounded like her brothers with his statement. As if he cared if something happened to her.
It was nice.
Holly roared off, and Zack was left standing there, watching the thick braid of her hair flap in the wind. He owed her for easing the way with Nick today, though, granted, he’d only been there a couple of minutes. He supposed things could change.
Not to mention, he still had to come clean about why he’d been such a son of a bitch in Atlanta. They deserved to know.
He turned to Nick. The first thing he noticed was that the pleasant look was gone. In its place was the same hardness from the previous night.
