The Winner Takes It All: Winning Back His Wife / In Her Rival's Arms / Royally Seduced

As soon as the door closed, Leanne sat on the couch. “I’m sorry about your fall.”

“Thanks. I was at the wrong place, wrong time.”

“Well, you’re in the right place now. Hood Hamlet will be good for you. It won’t be long until you’re exploring Main Street.”

“I can’t wait.”

Colorful prisms of light reflected off Leanne’s diamond ring and danced around the living room. She stared lovingly at her ring.

“Congrats on your engagement,” Sarah said.

Leanne beamed. “Thanks. I still can’t believe I’m getting married.”

“Have you set a wedding date?”

She nodded. “The Saturday before Christmas. We hadn’t been together long when my fiancé, Christian, proposed on Christmas Day so we thought a year engagement sounded good.”

Very good. A year was long enough to get know someone, but not so long you would feel you’d wasted a lot of time if it didn’t work out. “Cullen said you’re a member of OMSAR. Does Christian belong, too?”

“No. He climbs and thought about joining, but he thinks I need something of my own, since we work together.”

“Smart guy.”

A dreamy expression filled Leanne’s brown eyes. “Very smart and smokin’ hot. Ever since we got together I feel like I won the lottery.”

“I know that feeling.”

“With Doc?”

Cullen had treated her with such respect from the moment they met. No other man in her life had ever done that. The cascade of memories made it hard to breathe. How had it gone so wrong? She nodded.

“How did you meet?” Leanne asked.

“I was attending the Red Rocks Rendezvous. We both lived in Seattle at the time and a mutual climbing acquaintance introduced us. A few hours later we ended up in the same self-rescue clinic.”

“Sounds like fate.”

“Only if fate has a really bad sense of humor.”

Leanne’s brow wrinkled. “Doc mentioned you’re getting a divorce.”

Sarah ignored the pang in her heart. “Yes.”

“I’ve gotten to know Doc pretty well the past few months,” Leanne said. “At first I thought he took himself way too seriously and had a stick up his butt. But he’s a good guy.”

“Cullen is a great guy. Not many men would bring their future ex-wives home to care for them.”

“This is none of my business, but I’m still going to ask.” Warmth and concern sounded in Leanne’s voice. “Is there a possibility the two of you will reconcile?

Sarah’s heart thudded. Her biggest fear was allowing him to get close to her again. “No chance. We eloped in Las Vegas two days after we met. It was impulsive and romantic. The first few months were like living in paradise. But we shouldn’t have jumped into marriage without getting to know each other better.”

Oh, no. She touched her mouth. She’d said way too much.

Compassion filled Leanne’s eyes. “Love knows no logic.”

Neither does lust. Sarah kept telling herself what she’d felt for Cullen was lust not love. She’d been too afraid to let him fully inside her heart, afraid he would leave her like everyone else in her life had. But what they’d shared had been nice—at times, wonderful—while it lasted. She only wished it could have lasted a little while longer.

Like forever.

The next morning Cullen unlocked the cabin’s front door. He yawned wide enough for a hummingbird to fit inside. His restless nights had caught up with him. He had one thought on his brain—sleep. He’d considered pulling off the road and taking a catnap, but he didn’t want to keep Leanne. He also wanted to see how Sarah was doing. He’d pulled out his cell phone more than once during his shift, but he hadn’t wanted to wake them.

He stepped into the cabin. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and something baking made his mouth water. He wasn’t used to coming home to such pleasant smells. Caffeine would mess with his sleep, but his stomach growled for whatever was cooking.

Feminine laughter filled the air—something Cullen had missed hearing. Sarah’s laugh seeped into him, filling up all the empty places inside with soothing warmth. He might have a great place to live in a wonderful town with a supportive community, but something was missing from his life—a woman.

After the divorce things will be better.

His mantra didn’t make him feel quite as good as it had a couple of weeks ago.

In the living room he saw the backs of Sarah’s and Leanne’s heads. They sat on the couch.

“Good morning, ladies,” he said.

Leanne turned and greeted him with a wide smile. “Hey, Doc. Just in time. The muffins will be ready in a few minutes.”

Sarah looked at him. No smile. No excitement in her eyes. Nothing.

He would have appreciated some reaction from her. Maybe she was tired. Or hurting. But he hoped not.

“Busy shift?” Sarah asked.

Cardiac arrests, fractures, appendicitis, a gunshot victim and two car accidents. Not to mention earaches, asthma attacks, fevers and cuts. “Typical.”

“That’ll change next week,” Leanne said. “Full moon.”

“Thanks for the warning.” He noticed the two were looking at a magazine. “How did things go?”

“Fine,” Sarah said. “I went to bed a half hour after Leanne arrived and woke up an hour ago.”

“Easiest gig I’ve ever had. Sarah is the perfect patient.” Leanne held up a thick bridal magazine full of glossy photographs. “She also has great wedding-planning advice.”

“Wedding planning, huh?” That surprised Cullen. “I suppose Sarah knows all about being married by an Elvis impersonator.”

Leanne’s mouth formed a perfect O. She looked at Sarah. “You didn’t tell me that.”

She shrugged. “I figured getting married in Vegas implied an Elvis impersonator.”

“He had that jiggling-leg thing going on.” Cullen demonstrated. “‘Darlin’, do you take this man…’”

Leanne laughed. “Where is my cell phone? No one will believe this. You sound like Elvis.”

Sarah nodded. “We bought a wedding package that included a video of the ceremony. Each time I watch it, I’m amazed how well Cullen has nailed the voice.”

His heart kicked in his chest. “You still watch the video?”

Sarah’s gaze flew to the magazine. “I used to. It’s packed away in a box somewhere.”

Cullen hadn’t expected she’d kept the video. He was sure she’d destroyed all evidence of their wedding. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d gone so far as to toss her wedding ring into the garbage. He’d thought about getting rid of his, but he’d decided to wait for the divorce to be finalized.

The oven timer buzzed.

Leanne stood, walked to the kitchen and removed a muffin tin from the oven. “I hope you like blueberry.”

A tight smiled formed on Sarah’s lips. “I love them. So does Cullen.”

He remembered lazy mornings when he wasn’t working. Sleeping in, having sex, taking long showers together, going to the corner coffee shop to pick up coffee and muffins.

Leanne put the muffins on a dinner plate and carried them to the living room with salad plates, napkins, a butter knife and butter.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to take off.” She placed everything on the coffee table. “Christian is finished with his shift. We only have one day off the same since the chief put us on different squads.”

“Go have fun,” Sarah said. “Thanks for staying with me and making muffins.”

“Happy to help out. I’ll be back when it’s my turn.” Leanne grabbed her tote bag. “Be sure to go through the magazine and see what else you come up with.”

“Will do,” Sarah said.

“I’ll walk you out,” Cullen said.

Leanne fell in step next to him. “Ever the gentleman.”

He opened the door and followed her outside.

“I’d been wondering why you haven’t been dating,” Leanne said.

“I figured it would be better to wait until the divorce was official.”

“When will that be?” she asked.

“My attorney knows Sarah is staying with me. He thinks everything can be settled shortly.”

“Sarah’s great.” Leanne pursed her lips. “You’re sure a divorce is what you want?”

“Positive. Sarah wants one, too, so don’t get any ideas. Half the town has tried setting me up on blind dates. I don’t need them interfering in my estranged marriage.”

Leanne held up her hands. “Just asking. And since Sarah’s staying with you, you’re not quite as estranged as you were.”

“Thomas.”

A knowing grin lit up her face. “What?”

Cullen let it go. He knew she was only trying to help. “Thanks for staying with Sarah.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “See you soon.”

He went back inside to find Sarah looking at the bridal magazine. The muffins sat untouched. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

She closed the magazine. “I was waiting for you.”

That was polite. He sat next to her. “Do you want me to butter yours?”

“Thanks, but I’ve got it.” Sarah placed a muffin on a plate. She awkwardly sliced the top then added a pat of butter. “These smell so good.”

Cullen took one. “Leanne’s got a thing for muffins and chocolate.”

Sarah rested her plate on her lap. “She’s nice. I like her.”

“I thought you might,” he said. “Leanne reminds me of you.”

“I’m nothing like her.”

“You both work in male-dominated environments. You’re competent and intelligent. You ski and climb.”

“Okay, I see the commonality.” Sarah bit into the muffin. “But I wish I cooked as well as she does.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

She swatted his arm. “I’m not that bad.”

“I’m joking. You’re a good cook.” He noticed the bridal magazine on her lap. “I’m curious how you know so much about wedding planning, when we eloped.”

She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I told you I was engaged.”

“I assumed it was a short engagement.”

“Two and a half years.”

He drew back. “That’s a long time.”

“Longer when you add in the years we dated.”

“When was this?”

“Four years before I met you.”

He did a quick calculation. “You must have been really young when you met him.”

“Too young. And stupid,” she admitted. “But I thought I knew better.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“You and I got married two days after we met. I figured it didn’t matter.”

He set his half-eaten muffin on his plate. “What happened?”

She stared at the magazine. “Dylan entered my life at a time I felt very alone. I thought I was so lucky he wanted to be with me. There were some red flags, but I charged ahead with wedding plans. That morning…”

Cullen leaned toward her, feeling as if a cornice of snow had collapsed on top of him. “The morning of your wedding day?”

She nodded. “I was in a small room at the back of the church. I’d worked two jobs to buy my wedding gown and pay for the reception. I was fixing my veil when Dylan entered. He said he’d been up all night thinking about things, about us, and had come to a conclusion. He couldn’t marry me. The wedding was off.”

Anger surged at how badly Sarah must have been hurt. Cullen balled his hands. “What a loser.”

She shrugged. “He said I wasn’t anything special. I would have held him back. I don’t blame him for not wanting to marry me.”

“Don’t say that. The guy had some serious issues if he thought any of those things about you.”

“Yeah, issues with me.” If Sarah was trying to sound lighthearted, she hadn’t succeeded and that bothered Cullen even more. “But I got over him. Moved on. Met you.”

The conversation they’d had outside the wedding chapel in Las Vegas rushed back.

Why don’t we go inside and make things official? If we elope, you won’t forget about me when we get back to Seattle or leave me standing at the altar after we’ve dated for years and I’ve planned a spectacular wedding for us.

Cullen remembered his reply.

I would never leave you like that.

Guilt lodged in his throat. He had left her. The minute she mentioned divorce he’d hightailed it out of the apartment. Had mentioning divorce been a test? To see how committed he was? Part of him wanted to be angry if she’d been testing without his knowing it, yet…even if she hadn’t been doing that, he’d failed. He’d run the second he had a chance. No wonder she’d freaked out on him whenever he tried to contact her about the divorce. “I’m sorry.”

“No apologies needed. Getting jilted happened way before you.”

“I know, but I left you, too. If I’d known…”

“Would it have changed anything?” she asked.

He thought long and hard. Things hadn’t been going well between them. She’d been pulling away from him. He hadn’t like how out of control he felt around her. “Probably not.”

Sarah’s lip quivered. “I appreciate your honesty.”

“I appreciate your telling me about this.”

A marble statue had a warmer smile than hers. “Better late than never.”

Except it was too late to do anything about it now. Or was it?

CHAPTER SEVEN

WOULD IT HAVE changed anything?

Probably not.

Cullen’s two words reaffirmed Sarah’s actions of a year ago. He’d even apologized. Something she’d never expected him to do. She should feel relieved she’d been spot-on about their relationship. Marriage had never tied them to each other as a couple, as husband and wife. Instead of relief, a heavy sadness bore down on her. She leaned back on the couch, looking at the wood-beamed ceiling.

“Need a refill?” Cullen asked from the kitchen.

“No, thanks.” She flexed her left hand to stop it from shaking. “My cup is full.”

She’d known things were over between them. She was used to the heartache and resentment over her failed marriage, so she wasn’t sure why what Cullen had said bothered her so much.

Face it. Some people weren’t cut out for marriage. Like her. Her parents. Must be something in the DNA.

She glanced at the cover of the bridal magazine. The beautiful model dressed in a couture gown with perfectly applied makeup and coiffed hair glowed with a radiance Sarah envied. The woman wasn’t a bride, but more thought had gone into the carefully executed photo shoot than into their eloping.

Her appetite disappeared.

Cullen returned to the living room with a steaming cup of coffee. “You look better today.”

“I’m getting there.” Physically, at least. Emotionally was another story. She rubbed her thumb against her fingertips. “You must be tired after working all night. Go to bed. I’ll be fine while you sleep.”

He raised his cup of coffee. “I got my second wind.”

Maybe she should take a nap and give them a break from each other. She nearly laughed. Running off was Cullen’s typical avoidance tactic, not hers.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

He’d been honest before. It was her turn. She met his gaze. “I’m surprised you’re still here.”

He sipped his coffee. “Where would I go?”

“Anywhere I’m not.”

“That’s—”

“What you used to do,” she interrupted. “Whenever things were really good between us or when we’d disagree, you always disappeared to the hospital, some mountain-rescue thing, wherever else you could go.”

He tugged at his polo-shirt collar. “I only did what I needed to do.”

“Exactly.”

She had never entered into the equation. It was almost as if he were different people. The Doctor. The Mountain Rescuer. The Lover. The Husband was the one role he hadn’t seemed to embrace.

“I don’t want to argue,” he said.

“We’re not arguing,” she countered. “We’re having a discussion.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Let’s take a short walk outside instead.”

She drummed her fingers on the sofa arm. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Running away.”

“I invited you on a walk.”

“You’re trying to change the subject because you don’t want to talk.”

“All you want to do is talk, even when there’s nothing to discuss.”

Ouch. His words stung. “I’ll shut up, then.”

“That’s not…” He dragged his hand through his hair. “Let’s go for a walk. I don’t want us to fight.”

“This isn’t anywhere close to fighting,” she explained. “Sometimes when my parents fought, the police got involved. One of my stepfathers burned our clothes in the front yard. And my ex-fiancé…”

“Did he hurt you?”

“Not physically. But Dylan’s words could be as powerful as a fist.”

Cullen reached for her.

She moved away from him. His compassion and tenderness were not what she needed right now. “I’m not proud I allowed it to happen for as long as it did or wasn’t the one to break up, but at least I knew where I stood with him.”

“You know how I feel…felt about you. There’s no reason to bring this up now.” He stood. “I’m going for a walk. If you’d rather stay inside…”

“No.” The word spewed from her mouth like lava out of Mount Etna. “I want to go outside.”

“Then let’s go.”

Five minutes later she found herself standing on Cullen’s driveway in her boots and wearing a jacket. The sharp scent of pine wafted on the breeze. Sunlight kissed her cheeks. She breathed in, filling her lungs with the crisp mountain air.

“Isn’t this better than arguing inside?” Cullen asked.

“It’s nice, but the inside wasn’t so bad,” she said. “The best part of disagreeing is making up.”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s because you never stuck around for the make-up sex.”

Cullen started to speak, then pressed his lips together.

Humming a little tune, Sarah walked away from him. For the first time in a long while, she had the upper hand. She wanted to savor the moment.

Leaves and twigs crunched under her feet. She walked along the edge of the road.

He caught up to her. “So, is there a statute of limitation on make-up sex?”

Sarah froze. That was…unexpected. She looked over at him.

Wicked laughter lit his eyes. “Seems I missed out.”

She raised her chin. “Your loss.”

His charming smile unleashed a colony of bats in her stomach. “Yours, too.”

Darn him. This was what he always did. Turn off the serious side. Get all sexy and fun and flirty. Make her insides hot and gooey. He hadn’t changed one bit.

She casually lifted one shoulder, but her heart pounded like a jackhammer. “You win some. You lose some.”

He stepped closer to her. Too close for anything other than kissing her.

He wouldn’t, would he? She gulped, not sure what she wanted the answer to be. Okay, she knew. But yes wasn’t the correct response if she wanted to play it safe.

He cocked a brow. “So the statute…”

It was up to her. Temptation flared, only to be tempered by common sense. What she wanted warred with what she needed, but self-preservation reigned supreme.

Her fingernails dug into her palms. “Expired.”

Sarah marched down the road as if her life depended on putting distance between them. Her abdomen ached. She kept going. She didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t care.

Cullen grabbed her hand. “Slow down. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’re mad at me. Even madder than you were inside.”

She pursed her lips. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of being right.

“I know this because you have a crease between your eyebrows.”

Sarah touched the spot.

He moved her finger. “Right here.”

She felt the line, but still wasn’t going to admit it.

Cullen glanced to his right. His eyes widened. “Look.”

Sarah had no idea what he wanted her to see. “What?”

“Shhh.” Cullen touched her lips with his finger, then positioned himself behind her. His chest pressed against her back. He brought his left arm around her and pointed. “A doe and two fawns.”

Awareness hummed through Sarah. He emanated heat and strength. Her pulse raced.

She couldn’t focus. Bigfoot could have been standing in front of her and she wouldn’t have noticed him.

Her reaction made zero sense. She was still angry, resentful and hurt over their breakup. Their marriage was over. Yet her body didn’t seem to understand that.

“See them?” he whispered.

The warmth of his breath against her neck gave her chills. Her gaze followed the length of his arm until she saw the deer. A momma and her two babies, munching on a bush. Her breath stilled. “So cute.”

“I’ve seen these three around the cabin,” he said quietly.

The deer ate without glancing at them. The fawns were more interested in keeping an eye on their mother, who paid close attention to both of them.

Sarah wished her mom had cared as much for her. Wished Cullen had, too. She shoved her left hand into her jacket pocket. “I haven’t noticed them or any others.”

“You will. You haven’t been here long.”

It felt as if she’d been here forever. “I’ll be on the lookout.”

The doe stiffened. She looked in their direction, then past them, as if she sensed something.

A car drove down the road. The sound of the engine splintered the silence.

The deer bounded into the trees, her two fawns following.

If only Sarah could go back to Bellingham. She wanted to pretend none of this had happened—her accident and her injuries and her reaction to Cullen. She wanted it to all go away.

He faced her. “They’ll be back.”

What she and Cullen had shared once would never return. A sigh welled up inside her. She parted her lips.

He lowered his head to hers and kissed her.

Sarah’s heart stalled.

His kiss was gentle and sweet. He didn’t touch her except with his lips. But that was enough.

Her nerve endings stirred to life as if awakened from a deep slumber. Pleasurable sensations pulsed through her. She’d forgotten how wonderful his kiss was.

He backed away from her.

Sarah took a step back herself. Swallowed. “Why did you do that?”

“Make-up kiss.”

She laughed.

“The statute of limitations for a make-up kiss has to be longer than for make-up sex,” he said.

“If it isn’t, I doubt I’ll press charges.”

He grinned wryly. “That’s generous of you, Lavagirl.”

Her lips tingled. “Only repaying your generosity, Dr. Gray.”

His smile spread, matching the heat spreading inside her. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

If she weren’t careful, he could overwhelm her. “But we shouldn’t make kisses a habit.”

“You’re probably right about that,” Cullen agreed. “As long as we don’t argue, we should be fine.”

Probably. Should be. He’d left a lot of wiggle room.

That meant it would be up to her to make sure nothing more happened. And even though Sarah knew better, she was kind of hoping there would be more kisses.

Cullen couldn’t believe he’d kissed Sarah.

A momentary lapse? If that had been the case he would have kissed her with more passion. He’d been careful to keep things under control. Not easy with the images of make-up sex shuffling through his mind. But he had still enjoyed the kiss.

Had he run away, as she said?

Cullen had left a few times whenever he felt his control slipping or was too overwhelmed by her. But she had to be exaggerating the number of times, caught up in some revised history of their marriage to make her feel better, less guilty for bringing up the topic of divorce.

He peeked into her room. She was sound asleep.

Good. Cullen needed sleep himself. Caffeine was keeping him going at the moment. But he wanted to do something first. He entered his room, closed the door and made a call on his cell phone.

“Hey, Doc,” OMSAR rescue leader Sean Hughes said. “How’s Sarah?”

“Napping. She’s looking better.”

“Good to hear.”

Cullen adjusted the phone at his ear. “I’m signed up for your ready team tomorrow, but I want to stay home with Sarah.”

“No worries,” Sean said. “We’ll get it covered.”