by Em Petrova
“No, there’s definitely attraction between us. Always has been, if I’m honest. Of course, he never acted until we were alone on the ranch.”
Jessamine’s bright blue eyes bored into her own. “For someone who’s found a bunch of reasons to walk away, you sure defended him just now. Are you certain you’re seeing things clearly?”
Sucking in a hitching breath, she tried to make sense of her sister’s words. After closer examination, she realized she had just defended Knox, and not once when they were in each other’s arms did she feel as though he was just using her as a balm to his wounds.
Meeting her sister’s stare, she whispered, “Did I make a huge mistake?”
“Only you can say that. I agree this has happened quickly, and it’s been a whirlwind couple weeks for you. But sometimes that’s how love is. I mean, I knew Jake for months before I actually started talking to him and seeing him as more. It was only when we were together in Colorado that I allowed myself to feel things.”
“I think that’s what happened. It’s all too confusing, Jess.”
“Falling in love usually is.”
She bit down on her lip.
“Do you want it to end?” Jessamine asked.
The thought of never seeing Knox again hurt. On the other hand, she didn’t want to become just another of his lanky blondes leaving his office, with her hair disheveled and her skirt wrinkled either.
“I’m afraid I’ve gone too far. I laid my feelings on the line.”
“He did too,” Jessamine reminded her.
“True. But did he mean it?”
“Only you can tell.”
“When we were together, it felt real.”
“But you don’t believe in fairytales and that’s exactly what this is. The rich, handsome rancher-slash-business-tycoon falling for the dairy maid.”
“I wouldn’t consider myself a dairy maid.”
Jessamine waved a hand. “Don’t you think you deserve a happy ending too? What if it is the real deal, Kizzy? You’re amazing—you have so much to offer. You’re just as smart in business and you know your way around a ranch too.”
She swiped at her nose again with the tissue. “What are you saying?”
“Is it possible that you’re a perfect match?”
The things he’d said to her during the marriage proposal, hope lifted inside her. Quickly, she tamped it down—she couldn’t delude herself.
“I shouldn’t have run away. I should have stayed and talked to him more,” she said finally.
“Probably, but you didn’t. Now you can try to remedy the situation and if he really does love you, he’ll forgive you for running away and talk through it rationally.”
“What would you do? Go back? Call him?” She plastered her hands over her face. “I’m so torn.”
Jessamine rested a hand over hers and squeezed. “Only you can say that. But I know you, Kizzy. You don’t run away from your problems—you face them head-on and with a gleam in your eye.”
Lowering her hands, she looked at her sister. “You’re right. I have to see him again.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I really do. When I left, I took his car.”
Her sister’s eyes widened, and then a loud laugh burst from her. Kizzy joined her, and suddenly it seemed like the world wasn’t about to crumble anymore.
* * * * *
“Davis, it’s KC.” Knox rubbed a hand over his face. For the first few hours after finding Kizzy was gone, he’d been in denial. She’d just gone to pick up a few necessities at the store in town. She’d be back soon.
Then she hadn’t returned, and now he was finally coming to terms with the fact that she wasn’t coming back. God, what an idiot he’d been.
“Good to hear from you, KC,” Davis said with enthusiasm. “When do we get to see our fearless leader again? The place is holding up without you, but we all hate passing your empty office.”
“Soon,” he said noncommittally. “Listen, I wondered if Kizzy is there.”
“Kizzy?”
“Yes, my assistant.”
“There’s a Kelsey sitting at your assistant’s desk, but no Kizzy around. Did you lose your assistant?” He laughed, and Knox ground his teeth.
“Who the hell is Kelsey?” No one could take Kizzy’s place.
“She’s a temp.”
“I see. All right, I’m calling because I’m going to be away a while longer. There’s a lot to oversee here, and I can’t make it back. I trust you to keep things running while I’m gone, Davis.”
“You can rely on me, KC, for as long as you need.”
He didn’t say that it might be the case and soon Davis would have more on his desk than he could handle. Once Knox’s plans to split from the company were enacted, he’d be out of the loop, other than for a few meetings per year and cashing the shareholder checks.
But he didn’t say those things, because it wasn’t public knowledge yet. And two, he didn’t know if he could stay on the Amazing Grace. Without Kizzy, he could hardly look at the place.
A thought hit him. A few weeks ago, he would have called Kizzy to get what he needed. But now he had only himself to rely on.
“Davis, I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ll be in touch.”
“Good hearing your voice, KC.”
He hung up with his employee and opened a search window on his phone. He typed in the words: Dalton Ranch, Texas.
In a blink, an image popped up, along with a map.
His heart beat fast. If she hadn’t returned to Houston, she could only have gone home to her family.
He sat back, phone cradled in his hand. Waking to find out she’d left had gutted him. Then he’d quickly realized he was to blame.
She was right to have denied his proposal. While he’d meant every damn word he’d spoken, how was she to know that? She was right, as always. He should have given it time before speaking. No wonder she thought he was in haste, rash and probably trying to dupe her in some fashion. Who could blame her for not wanting to be a casualty in this whole mess of the past two weeks?
He did love her, though, more than words could even express. A dozen old adages ran through his mind—time would tell, things will shake out… None could make Knox feel better about the situation.
Looking back, he’d relied on Kizzy too much, and as more than a personal assistant. Of course she would believe he was emotionally distraught and tossing out marriage proposals to make himself feel better.
There had to be a way to show her how he felt, to make her believe.
Glancing at his phone, he couldn’t help but envision Kizzy standing next to that big ranch house in the photo or leaning on the miles of fence surrounding her family’s ranch.
A few hours’ drive and he’d be there with her. He could look into her eyes and apologize and try not to beg her not to walk away from what could be something great.
She was the greatest thing in his life—who was he kidding?
Decision made, he went to find Caroline and tell her that he’d be leaving for a while but would return soon. Then he walked outside and located Corbin. He told him he was going after Kizzy, and the ranch hand gave him an odd look.
“You’re not surprised she’s gone, are you?” Knox asked.
He crooked a finger for him to follow, and they went to the barn door. With a wave to the parking area in front of the garage, he said, “Do you see somethin’ missing?”
Knox stared for a moment. “Damn, she took my car.”
Corbin issued a low chuckle. “What a spitfire. You’re lucky as hell, man.”
Knox drew up straight. “I am.”
“Don’t let her get away.”
“You’ll hold down the fort while I go after her?”
Corbin gave a nod. “Count on it.”
He clapped his old friend on the shoulder. “I do.” When he started across the yard, Corbin called out to him.
“How ya gettin’ there without your car?”
“Dad’s truck. See ya soon, man.”
He ran into the house again and packed a bag. Then he grabbed the truck keys and headed for the highway, Kizzy’s beautiful face a beacon leading him into the sinking sun.
* * * * *
Someone shook her shoulder, and she rolled over.
“Kizzy. Wake up, honey. You’ve got company.”
Her brain battled through the fog of sleep and dreams about Knox. She cracked open her eyes and stared up at her Aunt Maggie.
It all came flooding back to her—fleeing the Amazing Grace and coming back home, spilling her guts to Jessamine and then finally ending up in the guest room of the Dalton Ranch, which was just as much her home as the smaller spread where she’d grown up.
She pushed onto her elbows, still not comprehending her aunt’s statement. “Company? You mean Cohen Mortgages?”
Aunt Maggie closed her fingers on her shoulder once more and gave her another small shake. “Wake up. Someone’s here to see ya.”
She threw a look at the clock on the nightstand. “But it’s eleven o’clock.” She’d just fallen asleep an hour before.
“I know, honey. C’mon. He’s waiting in the living room for you.”
He.
The pronoun bounced through her head and blasted out the rest of the sleep fog like a wrecking ball.
She bolted upright. “Knox is here?”
“Said his name’s KC.”
“Oh God.” She leaped out of bed and wrapped her arms around her middle, unsure what to do.
He came all this way to find me.
Aunt Maggie gave her a long, appraising look. “You want me to tell him to go?”
“No! I mean, thank you, Aunt Maggie. I’ll speak to him. Go on back to bed.”
“If you need me, just call.”
“Thanks.” Heart pounding, she turned to the door. Wearing nothing but a long T-shirt that had belonged to some older male relation, she considered dressing but decided it was best to just get this confrontation over with.
She took a deep breath and went out of her room and down the stairs.
Knox was standing in the living room, looking lost and out of place. His back was to her, and she saw the set of his proud shoulders had dropped to a slump.
“Knox, what are you doing here?”
He turned at once and set the framed photo he was holding down on the sideboard with a dozen others. A glance told her it was the last family photo they’d taken, just her parents and her siblings and their spouses. She was the only one alone, on the edge of the group.
It hadn’t bothered her then, but now, looking at Knox, she ached to have someone special to pass through life with.
A lump formed in her throat.
He cleared his as he took a step toward her, gaze working over her face and messy ponytail to the short hemline of the T-shirt she’d worn to bed.
“Kizzy. My God, every time I see you, I’m stunned by how beautiful you are.”
Her lips popped open.
He shook himself. “That isn’t what I came here to say.”
She moved closer to him, drawn by the dark burning look in his eyes. “I’m sorry I took your car. I would have returned it.”
He slashed a hand through the air. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here to tell you I’m sorry for scaring you off with my proposal. I meant it—I want you, Kezziah Dalton. But not because I’m sad about my father’s passing or because I need your help on the ranch and with the company.”
She blinked up at him.
“It probably sounded like a train wreck at the time, and I wish to hell I could take back every word and do it right.”
“Knox…”
He pressed the pad of his thumb over her lips, sealing off anything she was about to say. “Baby girl, I’m in love with you. Not because of the notes you take and the emails you send on my behalf. Not because you always have the right file on hand or the answer to my question. I was already half in love with you long before we left Houston, and then when I saw you on the ranch… Well, it all just clicked into place for me. Here.” He lightly thumped his chest with a fist.
“Knox, I was wrong too,” she said in a rush before he could interrupt. “I was scared of being a mistake to you.”
He shook his head hard. “Never a mistake. The only thing that matters to me now.”
“I don’t want any of your companies, the ranch or the money. I’ll sign a prenuptial if that’s what you want—”
His expression blanked. “Why would I want that? I meant everything—you’ll have part because you’d be my wife.” His voice broke. “Kizzy… I won’t ask again—I realize it’s too soon. But I’m asking you to give us a chance. Please.” He extended a hand, and how could she hold back?
She slipped hers into his grasp, and he folded his fingers around hers. The warm love bloomed from the touch and spread through her body, and then she was stepping into his arms, pushing onto tiptoe to crush her lips to his.
“My God. Thank you.” His murmur against her lips brought shivers to her spine.
She slanted her mouth over his and kissed him for a sweet, endless moment. When she drew back to look into his eyes, she shook her head. “I was stupid to run.”
“I scared you away.”
“I love you, Knox.”
“You’re the world to me.”
“I stole your car.”
He burst out laughing, just as she and Jessamine had earlier over the grand theft auto. With a hand planted on her spine, he dragged her against his hard body again. “Doesn’t matter. It’s all just stuff. The company, the ranch, the bank accounts, all of it means nothing without you. All I’m asking for is a chance.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down for another kiss. The soft melding of their lips sealed the feelings that had been galloping through her for weeks now. After breaking the kiss, she searched his eyes. The truth loomed there in a glow of love.
“We need to take things slower,” she said.
He nodded. “I agree.”
“We start small.”
“Date nights?”
She nodded. “And meeting my family.”
He looked around at the living room. “Your aunt seems nice, for a woman who was dragged from her bed at a late hour.”
She giggled and dropped her forehead to his broad chest, pulling in breaths of his clean scent. “Poor Aunt Maggie. She’ll show you just how upset she is tomorrow after she’s cooked you a huge country breakfast.”
“It’s going to be hard to go slow with you, especially if you’re wearing this bit of nothing.” He cupped her bottom, exposed as she stood with her arms around his neck.
Liquid heat pooled in her core. “Knox, the desire and love I feel for you are unequaled, but I have to give us both a chance to create a solid foundation for our relationship, and that means no rushing.”
“It doesn’t mean no kissin’, though, does it?”
Tipping her face up, she stared into his eyes. “No. Kissin’s allowed.”
When he slammed his mouth over hers, tingles shot through her limbs and swirled low through her belly. She might not be accepting his marriage proposal soon, but she wouldn’t hold back from showing him how much she loved him with all her heart and soul.
Epilogue
1 year later
Knox flipped over in his deck chair and stretched. Next to him, Kizzy lay facedown on her chair. The umbrella shielding them from the worst of the Hawaiian sun cast warm shadows across her bare flesh.
In a yellow bikini, the supple curves of her backside had him stirring with desire, and it had only been an hour since he’d last taken his bride.
She cracked an eye. “I thought I felt you staring at me. Are you lookin’ at my ass?”
God, he loved her drawl. He loved everything about her. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
She giggled and flipped over. She straightened her beach towel beneath her and settled on her back. “There. Now you can’t stare at my ass.”
“We’re on our honeymoon. I definitely should be staring at your ass.”
Despite her determination to ensure he wasn’t making a rash decision when it came to a relationship with her, things had progressed quickly. Sure, they’d started with walks in the fields on the Amazing Grace or strolls in the park in Houston. But within three more months, he had a ring on her finger and they’d never looked back.
When something was good, he knew it—and he grabbed on with both hands.
Reaching out, he skimmed his knuckles over her soft cheek, down her neck to the swell of her breasts.
“What are you doing now?”
“You know damn well what I’m doing.”
“We’re in the open.”
“There’s a reason I paid for a honeymoon with a private beach. So I can take you whenever I want.”
She arched as he ran a fingertip over her nipple. Under the yellow spandex, it hardened. His swim trunks were growing snug too.
“Don’t try to tell me you don’t want this.” He gently pinched her nipple, and she moaned.
When she opened her eyes again and gave him that long, deep look of wanting, he was off his chair and hovering over her. Capturing her lips, he drank in the scents of coconut sunscreen and warm skin.
She sank her fingers into his hair and drew him down, parting her lips for more. Pulling soft moans from his bride was now his lifelong goal. That and to make every day a happy one.
With Kizzy by his side, he couldn’t see a single dark cloud in their future.
Just as he angled his head to thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth, his phone buzzed a few feet away.
They shared a groan of irritation, and he drew back a fraction.
“Want to take a bet about whether it’s the new foreman or the new acting CEO of Cohen Mortgage Incorporated?” he rumbled.
“Either way, you have to answer.”
“Don’t have to…” He nuzzled her throat, and the phone continued to buzz.
With a growl of irritation, he flopped down in the sand and grabbed his phone. When he saw the number for the foreman he’d just hired, he answered the call.
While he spoke, he stared at his scantily-clad wife sitting inches away. She caught his gaze and the smolder intensified in her eyes. As he looked on, she skimmed a fingertip down the curve of her breast and hooked it under the triangular cup of her bikini. She tugged it aside to expose even more tantalizing flesh, and his mouth went dry.
