by Addison Cole
There was no denying that Reed Cross was sex on legs, with magnificent muscles and a perfect dusting of dark chest hair, the exact opposite of the waxed and manicured actors and metrosexuals she was used to. Reed was handsome, but even if he had gained weight or come back marred in some way, she knew she’d feel the same way she did right now, because he wasn’t just good-looking. He still owned a piece of her heart.
Surely those frenzied emotions were just the remnants of first love that every woman felt when they saw the first guy they’d ever fallen in love with. Right? As desperately as she wanted someone to take her to heaven and back, she was pretty sure Reed shouldn’t be that person.
She watched him place his tools in the back of his truck and grab a water bottle from the cab. He tipped his head back and drank it down. She couldn’t help imagining his warm lips on hers. What would it be like to tangle with all that masculinity? Maybe Sable was right and she had acted a little witchy, but wouldn’t any ex-girlfriend after a guy told her he’d never—ever—leave his hometown, and because of that, she’d been forced to end the relationship, only to find out less than a month later that he’d taken off for what looked like forever?
She looked down at the stack of papers beside her and realized she’d been working for nearly eight hours. Wasn’t she supposed to be visiting with her family and fitting in work here and there? A shiver ran down her spine with the realization that she just might be the workaholic Sable accused her of being. Did that mean she’d become an ice queen, too?
The way her insides thrummed at the sight of Reed, she didn’t think there was anything icy about herself. But there was no way she’d do anything more to solidify that image in her sister’s mind.
Or in anyone else’s.
Grace needed to prove to herself that she wasn’t an ice queen. She could flirt with the best of them. She was a pro at flirting. A goddess of flirtation.
She gathered her scripts, determined to prove Sable wrong, and traipsed across the yard. Who better to practice flirting with than Reed? She knew he would give her the positive reinforcement she needed, and after the way he’d leered at her, there was no chance of being rebuffed.
Or was there?
The closer she came to him, the faster her heart raced and the more she wasn’t buying her own lie. What if he turned her away? A man like Reed probably had half of the townies after him. Younger, prettier women dressed in stupid Daisy Dukes and cowgirl boots, with perfect little bodies and sweet dispositions.
She slowed her pace, trying not to think about Reed with other women. Of course he’s been with other women. He’d probably already made his way through at least a dozen of the women in town. Girls she’d grown up with. Why wouldn’t he? All men really wanted was to get lucky.
That thought made her a little nauseous—and jealous. Mostly because Reed had never been that way, but also…the idea of him in another woman’s arms bothered her far more than she liked.
She stopped walking when she was close enough to see every dip and groove in his six-pack abs. When he lowered the water bottle, their eyes met—and held. His blue eyes were as dark as the night sky, and the intensity in them held her captive, making her feel naked and strangely feminine at once. She was a cutthroat producer, able to work in a man’s world without feeling intimidated. She was strong and professional and hadn’t thought of herself as anything remotely close to feminine since…we were together in high school.
She looked down at her summer dress, suddenly wondering why she’d chosen it. Was it because Reed had always insisted she was feminine? Did she look too country bumpkin? Oh, no. Now what craziness had infiltrated her brain? She was worried about what she was wearing for the benefit of Reed?
Intimidation trampled through her, unfamiliar and uncomfortable, as Reed’s stare continued to burn a path between them. Maybe she was an ice queen, because she was melting beneath the heat of his smoldering gaze. He took a step toward her, and her nerves took over, shattering her determination.
This isn’t failure, she told herself. She knew how to flirt. She just didn’t want to flirt with him after all.
At least that’s what she told herself as she spun on her heel and hurried away.
Chapter Four
REED SAT ACROSS the dinner table from his aunt Ella and uncle Roy, in the house where they’d raised him. It was a simple three-bedroom rambler, far from extraordinary in any way, but it felt much larger and full of love in ways no other home ever had. Reed’s mother, Lily, was Ella’s sister and had died in childbirth. His father, Frank Gilbert, had abandoned him to Roy and Ella as a baby. Although Reed had lived with Roy and Ella since he was two days old, his aunt and uncle had always hoped Frank would return, and for that reason he’d always called them Aunt Ella and Uncle Roy rather than Mom and Dad. Reed had only seen his real father once. He was four years old at the time, and the only thing he remembered from the visit was the scars on the back of one of Frank’s hands and forearm. When Reed was nine years old, after years of hoping his father would claim him, he desperately wanted to belong to Roy and Ella. To be a Cross, not a Gilbert. To shed the sadness of his past. Unable to have children of their own, they had been thrilled to adopt him, though by then the endearments of aunt and uncle were already ingrained. But that didn’t mean Reed thought of them as anything less than his mother and father.
Reed was glad he was there for them now, as Roy recovered from his heart attack. But being there came with a heavy dose of guilt for leaving all those years ago and not visiting often enough. Some might say catching his girlfriend and business partner in bed together was the worst thing a man could endure. Reed knew otherwise. It had been a blessing in disguise, the catalyst to sell his business and return home to rebuild his relationships with his relatives. He’d thought it was odd that he’d felt worse about selling his business than he had about losing his girlfriend, but after seeing Grace, he knew he’d never been in love with Alina.
He was done making any more half-hearted attempts at filling the emptiness in his heart.
“How’s the Montgomery job going?” Roy asked. He was getting stronger every day, but Reed knew it was killing him not to be healthy enough to handle the renovations himself. For as long as Reed could remember, Roy had worked from sunup until well past sundown, and he had never failed to take his wife out every Saturday night. He’d also made time to teach Reed about building, renovations, historical preservation, and everything in between, while doling out important life lessons. They’d tossed footballs, reviewed school projects, and talked about everything from dating to his father—a sore subject for both of them.
“She’s a beauty of a house.” Reed speared a piece of steak with his fork, thinking about the headstrong look in Grace’s eyes as she’d pranced across the grass in that pretty little dress. He’d been sure she was going to give him a hard time, until she’d turned tail and scurried away.
His uncle arched a gray brow. “And?”
And he’d wished she had given him grief or said something. Anything. Reed shrugged. “Nothing. It’s not that big of a job, although I did find some sheathing that needs replacing. It’s a gorgeous porch.”
“Is that why you look like your insides are trying to climb out?” Roy asked. “You’ve dealt with these situations before.”
Reed ground his teeth together, annoyed with his own transparency. While he and Grace had kept their relationship a secret from Grace’s family for fear of one of her younger siblings accidentally exposing them, he’d never kept it from his aunt and uncle. He’d been so head over heels with her he’d wanted to share his happiness with the people he loved most, and he’d finally invited her for dinner. They were careful not to spend too much time at his house, as his classmates lived on the same street and he didn’t want to cause trouble for Grace. Unfortunately, his aunt and uncle had also borne witness to the longing that had eventually driven him away from the memories, and away from them.
There was no sense trying to hide his disc
omfort. “Grace is in town visiting her parents.”
Roy and Ella exchanged a curious, and concerned, glance.
“Don’t worry,” Reed reassured them. “It won’t interfere with my doing the job.”
Roy set his normally jovial, and now serious, gray-blue eyes on Reed and said, “The job’s the last of my concerns.”
“Your hearts were once one, honey,” Ella said with an empathetic gaze. Her dark hair was flecked with white around her temples, and crow’s-feet lined her warm brown eyes. Ella was a petite woman with narrow shoulders, pin-straight posture, and a kind word always at the ready. She’d been the best mother Reed could ever hope for, and although she’d always been as dainty as Roy was rugged, Reed had noticed an unfamiliar strength in Ella since Roy’s incident. Where Roy had always been an overprotective husband, now it seemed Ella had taken on the same role toward him.
“It’s been a long time. I’m fine.” Reed shoveled food in his mouth to try to bury the lie.
Ella and Roy had always sat beside each other at meals, and until now Reed hadn’t thought much about it. But now he understood that urge to be as close as possible to the person they loved. And he was feeling the same way about Grace.
Ella set her hand on Roy’s, and with a warm gaze locked on her husband, she said, “The heart never forgets a first love.”
Reed looked around the cozy dining room. The walls were littered with family photographs. There was one of him and Roy standing in front of a church that Roy had renovated and another of Reed standing by the river holding up a fishing pole with a perch proudly displayed. A photo hanging across the room showed his gap-toothed smile beaming out from behind one of Ella’s homemade birthday cakes, six candles brightly lit. There was a lifetime of memories within these walls.
“Anyway,” Reed said, needing to change the subject. “I was glad not to find too much decay in the foundation of the porch. Marilynn had been prepared to reduce the size of the porch rather than replace it because of cost.” Thinking of Grace and the flowers he used to sneak up to her porch, he said, “Who knows what memories we would have been casting aside.”
“You’re just as nostalgic as your uncle,” Ella said warmly. “But, honey, memories live in our hearts. Whether the physical place or person changes or remains the same makes no difference. Someday you’ll find a woman who will fall in love with that old-school charm of yours.”
If his track record was any measure of his relationship abilities, he wouldn’t bet on that.
Reed rose to clear the table, and Ella reached for his hand. “Honey, leave the dishes. It’s Saturday night. Why don’t you go out, relax, and have fun for a while? You could go to the county fair.”
He remembered wanting to take Grace to the fair when they were in high school, but the stupid rivalry crap had gotten in the way.
No, thank you. He’d stay as far away from that fair as he could.
“I have painting to do at my place. Besides, I saw the guys this morning.” His butt was still sore from taking the first ride on that wild horse. But man, had it been exhilarating. He’d become reacquainted with Shane Jericho when he’d first arrived back in town and was working on a barn renovation. They’d been the ultimate rivals in high school, but they’d instantly hit it off. Shane and a couple of his siblings ran their parents’ cattle business and horse ranch. Funny how a few years could change people.
He wondered just how much Grace had changed.
“Yes, but working with horses at dawn is not exactly relaxing,” Ella said.
“I’m not here to relax, Aunt Ella. I’m here to help.” Although he had to admit that after working in the hot sun all day and thinking about why Grace had practically run away from him, he could use a drink—or three.
“Reed, honey, we appreciate how attentive you’ve been, and heaven knows that it’s wonderful to have you back home for good,” Ella said. “But you’re a young, good-looking guy, and there are plenty of pretty women in our town. Go out. Have some fun.”
He was tempted to do just that, if only to take his mind off Grace. Some of the guys were going to a creek party tonight. A few laughs might do him some good.
“Go on, boy,” Roy urged. “Get out of here, and give me and my woman a little privacy.”
“Well, if you put it that way.” Reed laughed.
Forty minutes later, he parked his truck alongside a few dozen others at Jericho Ridge and followed the sounds of laughter and live music toward the creek. The air smelled of burning wood, pine, and sweet perfume. His boots sank into the dirt as he came to a clearing at the bottom of the hill. The night was alive with couples bumping and grinding to the music along the creek bank. Between ending his partnership, moving, and taking over his uncle’s business, he hadn’t really taken any time to relax. He made his way through the crowd, scanning the familiar faces he’d come to know over the past few months. It was still weird, seeing them as friends rather than rivals, but the air buzzed with positive energy, and he felt the stress of the day falling away.
“Hey, Reed!” Shayla, the redhead who worked at the Stardust Café where he often stopped for coffee before work, waved from down by the water.
He smiled, waved, and headed for his buddy Chet Hudson, a firefighter, who was standing near the band with Trace and JJ. He made his way toward them and spotted Sable playing the guitar. His mind immediately went to Grace, and he scanned the crowd again, looking for the tall brunette whom he seemed to irritate at every turn.
“Reed.” Chet slapped him on the back. “How’s it going, dude? I wondered if you’d make it tonight.”
“I wasn’t sure I would, but I’m glad I did.” Especially knowing Grace might be here. “How’s it going?”
“Hot women, cold beer, good music. Life is good,” Trace said, clinking his beer with JJ’s. He reached into a cooler at his feet and handed a cold bottle to Reed. “Here you go, brother.”
“Thanks.” He cracked it open and took a long swallow. “I forgot Sable played in a band. I thought she just owned that garage in town.”
“Surge,” Chet reminded him. “Her band has been together since high school.”
“I remember,” Reed said. “They played at halftime our senior year. Seems like a lifetime ago.”
“Cougars!” Trace hollered.
“Mustangs all the way,” Reed retorted.
Chet nodded in agreement. He was from Meadowside, too.
“Don’t start that high school crap,” JJ said. “The last thing I want to see is you two tumbling in the dirt over whose team is better. It sure seemed like everything back then, didn’t it?”
Trace bumped shoulders with Reed. “Anyway. Sable’s hot, right? She’s single, too. You should take a crack at her.”
Reed laughed under his breath and took another swig of his beer, noticing the way Chet’s eyes narrowed at Trace’s remark. “Thanks, but uh…” I’d rather find Grace. “I’m cool.”
“If I had a dollar for every time I heard that lie,” Beckett Wheeler said from behind him. Beckett was a bigwig investor and another of Reed’s former rivals—but then again, weren’t they all?
At six foot two, Reed and Beckett stood eye to eye. “Hey, Beck. How’s it hanging?”
“Long and straight. You?” He flashed an arrogant grin.
Reed laughed. It was hard to believe these were the same guys he’d stared down across the football field.
“Well, Reed Cross,” Beckett said in a hushed tone. “Don’t turn around, because there’s a whole lot of pretty women checking out the cool guy.”
Reed turned, and a group of twentysomethings he didn’t recognize smiled flirtatiously, whispering to one another as they eyed him up. Reed smiled, but his eyes fell beyond the group to Grace, wearing the same summery dress she’d had on earlier in the day. She stood by the bonfire with her sisters Morgyn and Brindle, who were chatting, their gazes gliding over the crowd, while Grace fidgeted with her beer bottle. He recalled that nervous habit from when they were kids. It wa
s a soda bottle back then, but the way she tapped her index finger on the glass told him she wasn’t comfortable.
He watched her for a few minutes, drinking in the way her hair kept falling in front of her eyes and the little shake of her head she used to brush it away, only for it to fall right back again. Another familiar mannerism. She used to do the same thing when she was younger. At least some things haven’t changed.
“Dude!” Trace hollered.
Reed turned just in time to see JJ shove Trace into the creek, then double over laughing. Trace reached up and hauled JJ into the water. Chaos ensued. Women screamed and shouts filled the air as people began kicking off their boots and shoes. Guys tore off their shirts, and girls egged them on, running barefoot into the water.
“Let’s go!” Brindle grabbed Morgyn’s hand, dragging her off the bank. “Come on, Grace!”
Reed’s attention homed in on Grace as she backed toward the woods. He remembered skinny-dipping with her in this very creek when they were alone at night, and it saddened him to see her trying to escape the fun.
“Woo-hoo!” A guy sprinted past and into the water. A group of women shrieked as he splashed them.
Seconds later the creek was full, leaving only a few stragglers on the banks. Reed tugged off his boots and socks, then closed the distance between him and Grace.
“Reed?” Her eyes widened as he reached for her arm. “No!”
“You’re not in the city anymore, Grace.” He hoisted her into his arms and she pushed at his chest. “It’s time to have some fun.”
“Put me down! What do you think you’re doing?” She fought and kicked as he neared the edge of the creek. “My shoes! My dress!”
He flipped her sandals off and they tumbled to the dirt. “I can take your dress off, too, if you’d like.” He laughed, lost in the feel of having her back in his arms.
