Totally Texan

“None taken,” Ruth replied with more laughter. “I know how you feel about the country. Or should I say the woods?”

“They’re one and the same to me.”

“Uh, right. So back to Grant. What’s up with him?”

Kelly cleared her throat one more time, then told the unvarnished truth, leaving nothing out.

Afterward, there was silence on the other end of the line, then Ruth whooped like a banshee. “Oh, my God, I wish I’d been there to see that.”

“You mean you’re not furious at me?” Kelly asked in surprise.

“For being clumsy as a lame duck?”

“I have no leg to stand on,” Kelly said, “and no pun intended.”

Ruth whooped again.

Kelly simply held her silence, confused about her cousin’s reaction. “It sounds like you think he deserved what he got?”

“Not at all,” Ruth said, her voice still dripping with humor. “It’s just that he of all men—the county stud—got burned where it hurts most.”

“Ruth! I can’t believe you said that.”

“Well, isn’t that what you did?”

“He had on jeans, Ruth. Surely—”

“When it come to scalding liquid, jeans ain’t that thick. You can bet his gonads took a hit.”

“I guess they did,” Kelly admitted in a meek voice.

“Let’s just hope, for the sake of gals still chasing him, that his pride is just burned and not charred.”

“Ruth, I’m going to strangle you when I see you.”

Her cousin’s giggles increased.

“You’re making me feel awful.”

“Honey, don’t worry about it,” Ruth said. “Grant’s a survivor. He’ll be fine. He may never come back in the shop, but hey, that’s the way it goes. Other than emptying hot coffee in customers’ laps, how’s business?”

Later, after they had talked at length about the shop, Kelly finally made her way back into the kitchen, then heard a knock on the door. She stopped midstride, then turned around and headed back to the living room. Frowning, she opened the door, only to receive the shock of her life. Her mouth gaped open.

Grant stood on the porch with flowers in hand.

Before he said anything, she felt his gaze roam over her.

She tried to swallow, but it seemed her tongue had grown too large and was about to choke her.

“It’s obvious you’re not expecting company.” He shifted his feet. “But may I come in, anyway?”

Three

Kelly felt her breath grow shallow. Of course he couldn’t come in. There was no reason for him to be here. Certainly no reason for him to come in.

Yet she continued to stand with the door open, her common sense beginning to crack. Surely she wasn’t going to give in to this insanity.

She wasn’t even dressed, for heaven’s sake. She had nothing on under her robe, but at least it was made of thick terry cloth, impossible to see through.

Grant cocked his head and grinned. “These flowers are sure hankering for some water. I don’t know how much longer they’re going to survive.”

Kelly shook her head and smiled. “I noticed they are a little droopy.”

“See, I knew we were bound to agree on something.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re full of it?”

“Yep,” he said.

That nonchalant honesty was followed by a chuckle, a deep belly chuckle that sent Kelly’s already hammering pulse skyrocketing. It amazed her that this man aroused her sexual nature where others hadn’t. And not from their lack of trying, either.

Even so, she hadn’t looked at men through any eyes except passive ones for a long time.

So why was he different?

Kelly didn’t know. For more reasons than one—none of which she cared to analyze, especially with him camped on Ruth’s porch as if his boots had been embedded in concrete—he frightened her.

“How ’bout I promise just to stay long enough for you to put the posies in water.” It wasn’t a question, though his raised eyebrows made it one.

Realizing her common sense had deserted her, Kelly stood back and gestured with her hand.

Grinning, Grant removed his hat and, in two long strides, was across the threshold. Kelly closed the door and followed him, managing to keep a safe distance between them, but giving him a once-over in the process.

Not only did he look great in another pair of faded jeans and a blue T-shirt that exactly matched his eyes, but his height and the broadness of his shoulders seemed to dwarf the room, making it much too small for both of them.

With her pulse still hammering much harder than it should have been, Kelly wanted to move farther away, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. There was no place to go that would put enough space between them.

“Got a vase?” he asked, that grin still in place.

“Uh, I’m sure Ruth has one around here somewhere.”

“Maybe you ought to go and look.”

A short tense silence followed, before she stated, “Maybe I should.”

He chuckled again. “Hey, I’m harmless. Really and truly.”

Kelly raised her eyebrows and smiled. Sure you are—like a rattlesnake on a mission. The cure for that was to keep her wits sharpened. She reached for the flowers. “Have a seat while I look for a vase.”

“Sure you don’t need any help?” he asked, handing them to her.

“I’m sure,” she said, with more sharpness than she intended. But jeez, this man was getting under her skin, and the worst part about it, she was giving him carte blanche to let that happen, especially when she knew he’d deliberately let his hand graze hers. Light though the touch was, it left her quivering with awareness.

She finally located a vase, filled it with water and crammed the flowers into it. She then made her way back into the living room, setting the vase on a nearby table. He was bending over the fireplace, stoking the dying embers of the fire back to life.

No question he did have one cute rear end. And right now, she was privy to staring at it without his knowledge Then, realizing what she was doing and the track her mind was taking, she shook her head violently and said, “Thanks for the flowers.”

He straightened and whipped around, his gaze narrowed on her. For a long moment, their eyes met and held. Finally Grant’s gaze slid away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. His being here was simply not going to work if she didn’t get control of her scattered emotions. God, she was acting like a teenager in the grip of hormones, for heaven’s sake.

“It’s a peace offering,” he said, rubbing a chin that had the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow, which only added to his attractiveness.

“If that’s the case, then I should be showing up on your doorstep.”

“Actually, it was just an excuse to see you again.” He paused and looked directly at her. “Any problem with that?”

Yes! “You certainly don’t mince words,” she said, stalling for time. Now was the perfect opportunity to tell him she wasn’t interested in him, or any man, for that matter. Instead, she heard herself say, “Do you want to sit down?”

“I’d like nothing better, but are you sure that’s what you want?”

“No,” she said in a slightly unsteady voice, “I’m not sure of anything right now.”

He plopped down on the sofa and concentrated on the fire while she sat on the edge of the chair adjacent. “I didn’t offer you anything to drink,” she said inanely.

“A beer would be nice.”

She stood. “Ruth has some in the fridge.”

“I don’t like to drink alone.”

“I have my coffee.”

His belly chuckle followed her all the way to the kitchen. With her heartbeat still out of sync, she fixed the drinks and returned to the room. Meanwhile, he’d sprawled his long lets out in front of him. Unconsciously, she eyed his powerful thighs and the bulge behind his zipper.

When she realized where she was staring, she whipped her gaze up, only to find him watching her with heat in his eyes. She took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. Both her face and lungs felt scorched.

He really should go.

She eased back down in the chair and watched as he took a swig of his beer. After setting the bottle on the table beside him, he said, “What brings someone like you here?”

Kelly gave a start. “Someone like me?”

“Yeah, a real classy lady who looks and acts like a fish out of water.”

“My cousin needed my help, and I came to her rescue.”

“Nothing’s that simple.”

“Perhaps not.”

He reached for his beer and took another deep swig. “But that’s all you’re going to tell me. Right?”

“Right,” she said bluntly, though she felt a smile tug at her lips.

“So you’re either carrying a lot of baggage or a lot of secrets, Kelly Baker. Which is it?”

“I’m not telling.”

“If you’re not willing to share, how are we going to get to know each other better?”

She didn’t know if he was smiling or smirking. She suspected the latter. “Guess we’re not.”

“Man, you know how to pull the rug right out from under a fellow.” He stood, lifting his shoulders up and down as if to stretch, before stoking the fire once again. That motion called attention to his sexual agility and charisma once again. God, the man just oozed it.

“You know the fact that you will barely talk to me makes me more curious than ever,” he said.

The tension heightened.

“You know what they say about curiosity.” She interlaced her fingers.

“Yeah, it killed the cat.” He grinned and the atmosphere eased.

“So what about you?” she asked, watching him plop back down on the sofa.

“What about me?”

“I bet you’re not willing to open your life to a stranger.”

He shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

She started to say, everything, then caught herself. “Whatever you’re comfortable telling me.”

“Hell, if I have anything to hide, I don’t know it.”

“Everyone has secrets, Mr. Wilcox.”

His features turned grim. “Mr. Wilcox? You gotta be kidding me.”

Her face burned. “I don’t know you well enough to be on a first-name basis.”

“Bullshit. The fact that you got me hot the first time I saw you puts us on familiar territory.”

“Funny,” Kelly retorted, though she knew her face was beet-red.

The lines around his mouth deepened, suggesting he was about to grin. “All right, Grant,” she said.

“Ah, now that’s better.” He polished off his beer, then got back on the subject. “I guess the most important thing about me is that I have trouble staying in one place.”

“Why is that?”

“Army brat. My dad was constantly on the move, so we didn’t stay in one place long enough to put down roots and form long-lasting relationships.

“Are you an only child?”

“Yep. Both my parents are dead.”

“Mine, too.”

“Ah, be careful now, or you’ll tell me something personal.”

She glared at him and he laughed; then continued, “It was only when I attended Texas A & M University that I learned what settling down meant. That was tough for a roamer like me, until I met my best friend, Toby Keathly.

“Toby was majoring in forestry at A & M, and since I also loved being outside, we bonded. I ended up majoring in forestry myself and spent all the time I could with Toby in East Texas, where he grew up.

“With the money I had inherited from my parents, after graduation I purchased several hundred acres in Lane County and built the log cabin where I now live. Soon after that, I formed my own company, and traveled around the world. And now, with the signing of this new contract for cutting timber, I’m as content as a pig can be.”

“That’s quite a story,” Kelly said.

“It’s my boring life in a nutshell.”

She laughed without humor. “There’s nothing boring about you.”

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“There’s one thing you left out.”

“Oh?”

“Your personal life. Women.”

“Not much to tell there, either. What experience I’ve had with them taught me one important thing.”

“And what was that?”

“They like men who can offer them security—home, family, steady job, the whole package—a package that’s as foreign to me as some of the countries in which I’ve lived.”

“Do you really believe that?” He sounded like a throwback from the 1950s.

He paused and gave her a look. “Now you’re meddling.”

“Ah, so when push comes to shove, I’m not the only one with secrets, or is it baggage?”

“Touché!”

That word was followed by an awkward silence, then he rose. “Guess I’d better be going. It’s getting late.”

She didn’t argue, although she experienced a twinge of disappointment she couldn’t believe she was feeling about this impossible man.

“Thanks for the beer,” he said at the door, turning to face her.

“Thanks for the flowers.”

“Wilted and all, huh?”

He was so close now that his smell assaulted her like a blow to the stomach, especially when she noticed that his blue eyes were centered near her chest. She glanced down and saw that her robe had parted.

Before she could catch her next breath or move, the tip of his finger was trailing down her neck, her shoulder, not stopping until he had grazed the exposed side of her breast. Her mind screamed at her to push him away, but she couldn’t. She flinched, not from embarrassment but from the lust that stampeded through her, holding her rooted to the spot.

His eyes darkened as he leaned toward her. In that second she sensed he was going to kiss her, and she was powerless to stop him. He moaned, then crushed his lips against hers; she sagged into him, reveling in his mouth, which was both hungry and urgent, as though if he didn’t get it all now, he wouldn’t get another chance.

When they finally parted, their breathing came in rapid spurts. Her emotions, at that moment, were so raw, so terrifying, that all she could do was cling to the front of his shirt.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I walked through the door of the coffee shop,” he rasped.

She wanted to respond, but couldn’t. She didn’t know what to say.

Grant spoke again, “Look, I’m leaving now, but we’ll talk later.” He peered down at her with anxious, searching eyes. She seemed on the edge, and he sensed that more than his kiss had propelled her there. “You’re okay, right?”

No, I’m not all right!

She swallowed, then nodded. After he had left, Kelly had no idea how long she stood in a daze before she made her way to bed, where she lay across it and sobbed her heart out.

How could she have let her guard down like that, betray her husband—the love of her life—by letting this stranger kiss her? What had come over her? She didn’t want to expose her heart ever again for fear of the pain and hurt she knew it could bring. She had promised herself that. And it was so important for her to keep that promise.

The sad part was she didn’t know how to right the wrong she had just committed.

Grant had just finished chopping and stacking more wood that he didn’t need. But who cared? If swinging an ax made him feel good and kept his frustrations at bay, then that was A-OK.

Unfortunately, his manual labor had not worked out as planned. He couldn’t get Kelly off his mind even though he hadn’t seen her in two days. He could still smell and feel her soft skin, as if his flesh had absorbed hers. Actually, he could damn near taste it.

That type of thinking could get a man in big trouble, because it had to do with dependency, need and becoming emotionally connected to a woman he barely knew. With Kelly Baker that was out of the question. She wasn’t going to be around for long, it seemed, and he could tell she had too damn many secrets.

Still, that one kiss had turned him inside out, made him feel higher than a kite. Who was he kidding? It had made him want more. He couldn’t get her breasts off his mind. Even though he’d only managed to peek at the side of one and barely touch it, he knew it would be as firm and delicious as a newly ripened peach.

Just thinking about tasting that white flesh made his mouth water.

Careful, man, he told himself. You’d best put the brakes on or you’ll scare her off for sure. If he ever expected to see her again he’d have to take it easy, use finesse. Even then, she wouldn’t be a pushover.

Yet he’d seen the desire in her eyes, felt the heat radiate from her body. She wanted him, too, only she might not want to admit it. Therein lay the problem. But he had no intention of giving up. If he weren’t mistaken, underneath that veneer of ice was a hot, explosive woman.

While she was here, why not test the waters and find out?

With that question weighing heavily on his mind, he cleaned up his mess, then made his way into the cabin, where he showered, dressed, then grabbed a beer. The bottle was halfway to his mouth when he heard a loud rap on the door. “It’s open,” Grant called out.

Seconds later, his foreman and friend, Pete Akers, entered, his weathered face all grins.

“Wanna beer?” Grant asked without preamble.

Pete’s grin spread as he quickened his pace. “Thought you’d never ask.”

Once the foreman had his beverage in hand, they made their way back into the great room and sat near the roaring fire.

“Damn, but it’s colder than Montana out there.”

“How would you know?” Grant asked, giving Pete a sideways glance. “You haven’t ever been out of East Texas, much less to Montana.”

“Makes no difference.” Pete’s tone was obstinate. “I know cold when I feel it.”

“Then get your bald head over here by the fire.”

Once Pete had done just that and sat down, they quietly sipped their beers, both content with their own thoughts.

“What’s with all that wood?” Pete finally asked. “Looks like you cut enough wood for an Alaskan winter. And here it is nearly March.”

“So you noticed?”

Pete quirked a thin brow and gave Grant a penetrating look. “How could I not?”

Grant shrugged. “Guess I just needed to work off some excess energy.”

This time both of Pete’s brows went up. “Surely you’re not stressed about anything, not when things are all going your way.”

“Can’t argue about that.” He wasn’t about to mention his fixation with the new woman in town, so he stuck to business. “Buying that tract is something I never thought would happen. And I think it’ll pay off handsomely.”

“Put your company on the map is the way I see it,” Pete commented.

“Hopefully. In the meantime, I got a whopping lot of bills to pay at the bank. Don’t forget that. As you know, the timber wasn’t cheap—neither was that new equipment I had to buy.”

Pete blew out his breath. “I know. When you put things in perspective, I guess you’ve got a helluva good reason to be stressed.”

“Stressed is probably the wrong word,” Grant admitted with a frown. “Actually, I’m excited and confident that this tract will turn a profit and get me out of debt. So update me.” He set his empty bottle down and gave his foreman a straight look.

“I’ve already placed both crews.”

“Equipment and all?”

“Yep,” Pete said in an animated voice, as though proud of that accomplishment.

“Have you found another foreman?”

Pete frowned. “I thought maybe you and me together could handle it. You know how I am about hiring people I don’t know.”

“But you know everyone around these parts.”

“That’s why I ain’t hiring nobody.” Peter cocked his head. “Get my drift?”

“That’ll work, especially since none of the other tracts are cuttable right now due to the poor conditions.”

“Let’s hope the rain continues to hold off.”

“It will. I’m convinced my luck has changed and all for the better. So where did you put the log sets?” Grant asked, back to business.

“I put one crew on the northwest side next to the county road and the other on the south end next to the old home place.”

“I’ll work the south end,” Grant said, knowing it would be the most difficult site to cut.

“The saw heads are already buzzing and it looks like we’re going to be able to get twelve to fourteen loads per day.”

“Man, if we do that for six weeks to two months, then I’d be on easy street for sure.”

Grant grinned and raised his hand. Pete hit it in a high-five just as Grant’s cell phone rang. Frowning, he reached for it, noticing that the call was from Dan Holland, the landowner who had sold him the timber.

“What’s up, buddy?” Grant asked without mincing words.

“I’m afraid we got a problem.”

Four

Did he regret the kiss?

Probably.

Kelly figured that was the reason she hadn’t seen him today. Of course, she didn’t know for a fact. As always, her mind was her own worst enemy, taking off like a runaway train, imagining all sorts of crazy things.

Since she’d been in charge of the shop, she’d seen Grant only once. He hadn’t been a regular customer so why would he stop in again?

The truth was, she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. If only she hadn’t let that happen, she’d be just fine. But she’d made an unwise choice, and choices had consequences. She wanted to see him again, even though she kept reminding herself that would be foolish.

Kelly’s life was back in Houston. She would soon be gone from Lane, Texas. More to the point, she couldn’t wait to get back to her real job, and to the challenge it offered.

“Kelly, phone for you.”

Jerking her mind back to reality, she smiled at Albert, went into the small office and picked up the receiver. It was her boss, John Billingsly.

“How’s it going?” he asked in a pleasant tone.

“Do you really want to know?” Though she had a deep respect for John and thought of him as a friend as well as a boss, he wasn’t exactly high on her fan list now. After all, if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be stuck here.

His sigh filtered through the line. “You know I do, or I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Actually, things are going better than I thought they would down here, though I hate to admit that.”

He chuckled. “I know you’re still unhappy with me.”

“And will be for a long time.” Although Kelly had spoken bluntly and truthfully, there was no rancor in her words.

“You know how much I care about you, Kelly. I only want what’s best for you.”

“I know.” And she did. At times she sensed he would like to be more than her boss, yet he’d never once crossed that professional line. She thought there was more to his feelings than he had ever expressed, however.

“So just stay put for a while longer,” John said, “to give your body and mind a chance to completely heal. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No,” he said in a soft but firm tone.

She knew he was right, though she was loath to admit that. Both John and Dr. Rivers, her psychiatrist, had told her that, but it was John who had made a believer out of her. He hadn’t exactly threatened the security of her job, but he had certainly threatened her pending promotion, a position she wanted badly.

She remembered that day so well. He had called her into his corner office. When she’d taken a seat, John had gotten up, come around his desk, sat in the chair closest to her and taken her hand. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not struggling?”

Kelly couldn’t. Tears clogged her vision as her shoulders began to shake. “Have I hurt the firm? If I have, I’m so sorry.”

“I won’t lie and say you haven’t made some bad decisions and choices recently, because you have. But I think you know that yourself. You haven’t damaged the firm—not yet. That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

“Thank God.” Kelly had hung on to his hand and squeezed it.

“You have a chance to become a partner in this firm,” John said, “but only if you get control of your emotions and become the attorney we know you can be.”

But that’s the person I was before my daughter and husband were killed by a drunk driver, she’d wanted to scream.

As if John had read her thoughts, he’d added, “You have to come to grips with your loss.”