Thunderstruck

“Don’t make fun,” Cade said.

“I’m not! Rosie said you tamed that black gelding of yours by singing to him.” Damon turned to Phil. “Did you hear about that?”

“I did.”

Cade sipped his beer. “It makes a good story, but it wasn’t quite that simple.”

“Maybe not, but I couldn’t have done it.” Damon glanced over at Phil again. “See, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. If I tried singing to a horse he’d likely buck me off and then trample me to shut me up.”

She laughed. “I doubt it’s that bad.”

“No, he’s right,” Cade said. “He’s terrible. But lucky for you, bro, Hematite is gentle enough now that you can ride him without singing.”

“You’ll let me ride him?”

“I will if you’re nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

Of course he had to say it in that low, sexy voice of his. Phil resisted the urge to fan herself. He might not be a good singer, but she had no trouble imagining that husky voice murmuring to her as they made long, slow love in her refinished sleigh bed. Oh, he’d be nice, all right. Very nice.

And for once, she wouldn’t have to worry about a man being intimidated by the evidence of her construction skills. Damon might appreciate the effort she’d put into her home. She’d have fun showing it off to someone who understood how many hours she’d spent on it.

But in order to do that, she’d have to invite him there. And she knew as sure as her name was Philomena Hermione Turner that once she had that man in her house, she would eventually have him in her bed. So before she issued her invitation, she’d better be damned sure that was what she wanted.

3

THROUGHOUT HAPPY HOUR and dinner, Damon’s mind ran laps like a hamster on a wheel. He’d never had a problem like this. Because he flipped houses and operated alone, he’d never had to worry about mixing business with pleasure.

But here was Philomena Turner with her incredible blue eyes, sexy mouth and lithe body. She was in great shape because she worked her muscles hard just like he did. Now that he was over the shock, knowing that they had essentially the same job might be the most intriguing thing about her.

He envisioned what she’d look like all flushed and sweaty after a day spent using power tools in the heat of a Wyoming summer. Then he stopped thinking about it before he embarrassed himself by getting a woody. If she’d shut him down and made it clear she wasn’t interested, that would have helped. He’d never believed in chasing women who played hard to get.

Instead she’d traded smoldering looks with him in the meadow, and during dinner he’d caught her glancing his way several times. He had no trouble interpreting what those glances meant. She was considering having sex with him. To make matters worse, he was considering having sex with her, too.

That was probably a really bad idea. He had a hunch that Rosie had intended this all along. She’d put them next to each other at dinner around the cozy kitchen table and had kept tabs on them throughout the meal. She was convinced her boys should all settle down with nice women.

She’d be overjoyed if he became seriously involved with Phil, but he’d earn a bunch of demerits if they only had a casual fling. So the best solution to this mess would be finding someone else to help him build the cabin.

Cade was available, but he’d never shown the slightest interest or aptitude for construction. By the time the second and third cabins had gone up, Damon had been working alongside the adults and loving every minute. Cade had smashed his thumb with a hammer and sliced his arm with a handsaw before he’d finally been sent off to groom the horses, instead.

Too bad the old guy who had helped construct all three cabins wasn’t available, but he’d retired long ago. There had to be somebody else in town who would work cheap, though. He’d better have a heart-to-heart with Phil, explain the problem and get her to recommend someone.

He’d talk to her after dinner. They all had coffee and were finishing generous servings of apple pie à la mode—Rosie had made Damon’s favorite dessert and he’d thanked her for it. She really did love him, just like Phil had said.

Rosie also might think she knew what would make him happy. He’d learned that people tended to want for others what they’d always wanted for themselves, without taking differences into account. Maybe during this trip he’d find a private moment to explain to Rosie why flipping houses suited his personality while marriage and a permanent home did not.

When the meal was over, he got up and started clearing the table the way he always had. Rosie understood that about him, at least, and had never tried to talk him out of helping. She’d taught the other boys to pitch in during kitchen duty, but Damon had done it without being told.

Clutter bothered him, but dirty dishes drove him nuts. He didn’t have to worry about that with this group, though. With everyone helping, the dishwasher was loaded and the table wiped down in minutes.

“I have a case of Baileys in the pantry if anyone wants more coffee with a little kick to it,” Rosie said.

Damon exchanged a grin with Cade. The two of them had bought her the booze when she’d been laid up in the hospital. She’d forbidden anyone to bring her flowers because that would imply she was seriously ill. So instead they’d delivered a case of Baileys to her hospital room. She’d gotten the message—she’d have to live a long time in order to drink it all.

“Thanks for the offer,” Phil said, “but I should probably head on home.”

That was his cue. “Before you leave, could I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.” She walked over to him as if she expected him to blurt it out right here in the kitchen, in front of everybody.

“Let’s go outside.”

She blinked. “All right.”

He was aware of Rosie’s little smile and Cade’s lifted eyebrows. Ignoring their reaction, he ushered Phil out of the kitchen, through the living room and out the front door. Let them think what they liked. He was taking steps to end this potentially explosive situation.

She stopped on the porch. “Okay, we’re outside. What is it?”

“Let’s take a walk down to the barn.”

“Why?”

“Look, I’m not going to jump you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Not that it hadn’t crossed his mind, but he was a more disciplined man than that.

She smiled. “I doubt that’s your style. I picture you getting a woman alone and then charming her until she jumps you.”

“That’s not my plan, either.” Damn, but she looked good with the porch light gleaming on her red hair. “Believe it or not, I have something important to discuss, and I don’t want to do it where someone might come out and interrupt what I have to say.”

“Everyone in the kitchen thinks something is going on between us.”

“Well, it’s not, and if I have anything to say about it, it won’t.”

“Oh, really? When did you—”

“Let’s walk. We can go see Ringo.” He gestured toward the porch steps, and to his relief, she started down them.

“I’ve met Ringo a couple of times. He really is a great cat.”

“And a smart cat, too. He stowed away in the truck when Cade left Colorado to drive up here. He knew who to hook up with for a better life.”

“Cade’s a good guy. I wasn’t sure I’d like him after hearing how he’d run out on Lexi, but now that he’s back it looks like they’re resolving that situation.”

“I hope so. Those two belong together.”

“Seems like it.” She stopped and turned to him. “Okay, nobody can hear us unless we start shouting. Do you really want to pay Ringo a visit or can we just settle whatever’s bugging you right here?”

“I guess we can talk here.” He reached for his hat to tug the brim down, but he’d left it in the living room. Instead he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and that was where they were going to stay. “We need to find you a replacement.”

“Is that right?” She tucked her hands in her hip pockets and rocked back on her heels to look at him. The gesture emphasized the swell of her breasts under her blue shirt. “And may I ask why?”

“You don’t know?” Even now, with his plan foremost in his mind, he wanted to grab her and find out what that tempting mouth of hers tasted like.

“Not for sure. Spell it out for me.”

“I’ve tried to imagine us working together, and it always turns out the same way in my mind.”

“Which is?” A couple of dusk-to-dawn lights kept the inky darkness at bay, but didn’t make the area bright enough to see faces clearly.

That was just as well, in his estimation. He didn’t need to look into her eyes and discover they were hot with desire. “We end up having sex.”

“You could be right.”

He couldn’t see it in her eyes, but he sure as hell heard it in her voice. His fingers curled inside his pockets, and his groin tightened. In any other scenario, he’d haul her into his arms and the game would be on. “We can’t do that.”

“I can’t speak for you, but I’m fully capable of doing that.”

He blew out an impatient breath. “I didn’t mean we can’t, like we aren’t physically able.” He was so physically able. More so with every passing second. “I mean it wouldn’t be good.”

She chuckled.

“I didn’t mean that, either, damn it! Let me just say this. Rosie set us up.”

“I figured.”

“So we agree on that. Good. The thing is, in Rosie’s world, people fall in love and get married. If she figures out we’re seeing each other, then that’s what she’ll expect, but that’s not what I’m prepared to deliver, so the best plan is to find your replacement.”

“Whoa there, cowboy. Back up the forklift. How did we get from I’m not marriage material to you have to be replaced? I think you missed a few key points in the middle.”

He thought through what he’d said. She was right that he’d skipped over the embarrassing part, which was that he didn’t trust himself to work with her, especially knowing that she’d be fine with getting horizontal. “I don’t...” He paused to scrub a hand over his face. “I don’t think I can resist you.”

She didn’t respond.

“Did you hear me?”

“Oh, yes, I heard you. I’m just savoring that last comment. I may have aroused uncontrollable lust in a man before, but he’s never admitted it. I’m having a Cleopatra moment, a Helen of Troy moment, a Marilyn Monroe moment, a—”

“Okay, okay. Let’s get back to the heart of the matter. Who can we call in to take over for you?”

“Nobody.”

“Oh, come on, Phil. There has to be some guy who won’t charge a fortune and can do the job.”

“Not really. We need to be familiar with his or her work, because we can’t be bringing some unknown person in on this deal. It’s too important. That leaves the guy who built the original cabins and is now retired, you, me and Gerald Stiffle.”

Damon groaned. “Stiffle would be a disaster. He was incompetent when I left, and I doubt he’s turned into a master builder since I’ve been gone.”

“He hasn’t. I told Rosie he wasn’t an option when she asked whether you and I could get along and accomplish the job. She was ready to take him on if necessary.”

Damon watched his options disappear. “I can’t work with Stiffle. I’d have to go behind him and check everything he did. He’s okay for changing washers on faucets and junk like that, but even then, I’d worry.”

“Which leaves you with me.”

“Damn it.” He couldn’t keep watching the way her breasts swelled under her shirt with each breath, so he stared into the darkness. “Sure as the world I’m going to end up in trouble with Rosie.”

“Would you like me to talk to her, woman-to-woman, and explain the predicament we’re in?”

“No!”

“So you’ll talk to her?”

“I... No. Not about us, anyway. I was planning to explain to her sometime during this visit that flipping houses suits me, especially the way I do it. I live in the house until it’s done and then move to the next one, which isn’t a good lifestyle for a wife and family. I want her to give up on that idea because I like how I run my business and don’t intend to change.”

“So you could start with that discussion and segue into our particular circumstance. Then she’ll know in advance that if we sleep together it doesn’t mean anything.”

That hit him wrong. “Wait a minute. It would mean something, just not—”

“Okay, bad choice of words. It wouldn’t lead to love and marriage. Is that better?”

“It’s better, but I have trouble picturing me having such a conversation with Rosie. For one thing, she won’t believe me. I’m sure she’s convinced that if the right woman comes along, I’ll change my ways.”

“She may think that, but I don’t.”

He stared at her. “You don’t?”

“Why does that surprise you?”

His mind stumbled. “Don’t most women think a guy just needs the love of a good woman to turn his life around?”

“I have no idea. Maybe. I grew up surrounded by my dad’s working buddies. Some of them will never change, no matter what women get ahold of them.”

“You should try telling that to Rosie. I guarantee she’d argue with you about it. Sure, she might give up on the really bad apples, like the SOBs who beat their kids or abandon their families, but if a man’s decent, she wants to find him a soul mate.”

“Like I said, that’s her prerogative. But I don’t believe it. If you tell me you’re happy with your life as it is, I will believe you. I won’t harbor some secret plan to convert you to domesticity.”

“Huh. You’re even more unusual than I thought.”

“Probably. And now that we’ve had this deep discussion, I’m heading home. See you at dawn at the building site.” She turned and started toward her truck.

“Wait.” He followed her. “We haven’t settled anything.”

She turned back to him. “What’s to settle? We have to work together unless you want to trade me for Stiffle.”

“God, no.”

“Then I’ll be here at sunrise, and we’ll see what happens.”

He groaned. “Phil...”

“Look, I want to get this cabin built as much as you do. I love Rosie and Herb, and if Thunder Mountain Academy means they can live out their lives here, I want to do what I can to make that happen.”

“So do I.”

“Then man up, Harrison. We’ll work our tails off during the day, and if the close proximity leaves us frustrated at quitting time, then we’ll figure out what to do about that.”

“You think like a man.”

She smiled. “Spoken like a man who has a lot to learn about women.”

At the moment he had no interest in learning about women in general, but he sure wanted to find out what made this particular one tick. And what made her moan and cry out with pleasure. He stood with fists clenched as he battled the urge to reach out. He itched to make contact.

Her voice softened. “My original plan was to keep our relationship strictly professional. Then I met you.”

That admission snapped what little control he had. Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her forward and kissed her. It wasn’t an elegant kiss. Desperation made him clumsy, and he landed off-center.

She adjusted the fit and...he was lost. Her mouth was perfect. He’d kissed more women than he could count, and yet he’d never settled into a kiss that felt so absolutely right. Even more perfect, she tasted of apple pie à la mode, his favorite dessert.

He kept his hands on her shoulders because if he let them stray, the kiss would turn into something else entirely. He didn’t want that. For now, for tonight, he only needed the magic of his lips on hers.

They kissed as if they’d done this before, which was an eerie feeling. He explored with his tongue, and then she returned the favor. The sweet thrust of her tongue in his mouth jacked up his pulse rate. He knew how much he wanted her. To know that she wanted him was enough to make him forget all the complications this kiss would bring.

Gradually their breathing changed and became more labored. She eased away. “Not tonight,” she murmured.

“I know.” He released her because that was the right thing to do.

“We’ll see how it goes.” She backed toward her truck.

“Yeah.” But he knew how it would go. He’d never kissed a woman that passionately without following through. They would be lovers. It was a done deal now.

He watched until her truck’s taillights disappeared around a curve in the road.

“I waited until I heard her drive away before I came out here.” Cade walked up beside him. “I need to apologize.”

“Nah.” Damon turned to him. “I see how it was. Rosie and Lexi ganged up on you. When a guy’s sweetheart and his mom box him in, there’s not much to be done.”

“Even so, it’s put you in a difficult position. I can tell you really like her, but if you do anything about it, Rosie will start planning the wedding.”

Damon glanced at him. “You know all about that, don’t you, bro?”

“’Fraid so. But if you’re not ready for that kind of commitment, then—”

“I’m not. But you want to know the weird thing about this? Phil has no intention of trying to change me. She accepts that I’m a guy who isn’t into the white picket fence routine. She’s a-okay with a temporary arrangement.”

“Wow, that’s kind of different.”

“I know, but she’s different. She’s strong and she’s savvy. I’ve never met anyone like her. She grew up with guys like me and she has no illusions. She’d rather not be attracted to me, but she is.”

“Nothing new there. That’s the story of your life ever since you hit puberty.”

“But Phil’s so practical about it. Instead of trying to make this into something it isn’t, she seems fine with having a great time for a few days and then going our separate ways.”

“But then there’s Rosie, who expects you to ride off into the sunset together.”

“Yeah. So, um...” Damon rubbed the back of his neck. “Would you consider talking to her about Phil and me?”

Cade chuckled and shook his head. “Nice try. That’s your job, and somehow you have to make it stick.”

“Phil understands how it is with me. Why can’t Rosie?”

“Because you’re one of her boys. She has definite ideas about how our lives should turn out. She’s a fixer. That was what got her into social work all those years ago, and what prompted her and Herb to turn the ranch into a foster home.”

“We’re damned lucky she’s a fixer,” Damon said. “She saved my bacon, that’s for sure.”

“She saved all of us, and she...well, she can’t stop trying to help. She thinks matching you up with Phil was a stroke of genius, and before you go blaming it all on Rosie, it was Lexi’s idea to start with.”

“Wait, there’s the plan! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. I’ll talk to Lexi, who should understand given that she’s dragging her feet regarding you.”

“Hey! Tender subject.”

“Sorry. But see, I could talk to Lexi, and Lexi could talk to Rosie. How’s that?”

“It would have sounded great to me when we were in junior high.”

“Shit.” Damon sighed. “You’re right. I have to face Rosie, which will be damned embarrassing, and find a way to explain that Phil and I will be nothing more than friends with benefits.”

“Can I hide in the closet and listen?”

“No. And if there’s a rubber snake in my bed tonight I swear I’ll sneak over to Lexi’s duplex and duct-tape the front door while you two are in there doing it. So watch yourself.”

Cade just grinned at him. “It’s good to have you back, bro. Let’s go have another beer before we call it a night.”

“Sounds fine to me, but Lexi probably wants to take you home and have her way with you.”

“She probably does, but we need to drink another beer so she can slip out to your cabin and get rid of that rubber snake.”

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