Chapter 4
“You must have worked the early shift today,” Erin says as she walks toward the garage where I’m putting the finishing touches on the arbor.
“I did.” I grin over at her, happy to see her. Although I’ve known her for less than a year, my brother’s fiancée has quickly become one of my favorite people. “And you have good timing because I’m about finished with this. I need you to put your stamp of approval on it before I move on to the bar.”
Erin’s green eyes shine as she looks it over. “Oh, Chase, it’s so beautiful. And I know that it’ll be great for not only my wedding but also for so many others who want to have their special day out here on the ranch. It’s exactly what I wanted.”
“Thank fuck,” I mutter and close my eyes, propping my hands on my hips. “You have no idea how much pressure this was. I didn’t want to have to tear it apart and start over again.”
“No, you did a great job.” She tilts her head to the side and taps her lips, examining it. “I wonder…”
“Wonder what? If you want something changed, now’s the time to say something.”
“No, not changed. It’s exactly what I asked for. I just wonder if Summer will be able to hang the flowers on it the way we discussed in her shop, or if I’ll have to change my mind on some of those decisions.”
“Nope, no changing your mind on your wedding vision.” I shake my head, and Erin laughs.
“I can compromise,” she says.
“No. You want it a certain way, and that’s how you’ll have it. I’ll get with Summer about it and make sure it all works out for you.”
“I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for that.”
“For what?” Rem asks as he joins us, looping his arm around Erin’s shoulders and kissing the top of her head.
“I’m going to take point on speaking to Summer about the flowers on the arbor,” I fill him in. “So Erin doesn’t have to worry about it. She has enough to figure out.”
“Appreciate it,” Rem says with a nod, admiring my handiwork. “You did a hell of a job there, Chase.”
I look up at the arched arbor and nod in agreement. This might be one of my best pieces to date. “Thanks. I’m happy with it, but I’m just glad that Erin likes it.”
“Love,” she says. “I love it.”
“Hey, I have a question.” I turn to both of them and scratch the back of my neck. “I was in the flower shop the other day, and the ladies there mentioned that Charlie Lexington is the best wedding planner in the valley.”
Rem’s eyes narrow. “And?”
“And…have you considered hiring her to help you out?”
“I have,” Erin confirms and side-eyes her fiancé, “but Remington shot it down. Rival family, and all that ridiculousness.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” Rem insists, but I shake my head.
“Maybe it is, just a little,” I reply, and Rem turns his eyes back to me. “We don’t have beef with the Lexington siblings, Rem. Our parents had beef with their parents.”
“I still have beef with their dad,” Rem says, shaking his head. “He’s an asshat when it comes to property lines. Nothing has changed there. I caught a fence that was moved just last week.”
“That’s not Charlie’s fault,” Erin reminds him. “And yeah, I could use the help. Look, my aunt used to be the best event planner in Seattle, and she volunteered to come out here to help, but there’s no need for her to fly back and forth if there’s already someone who lives right here who’s just as good. Charlie has relationships with the vendors and knows all the ins and outs of this place. My aunt Alecia doesn’t.”
“You two are ganging up on me,” Rem says.
“Nope.” I grin at him. “I had no idea that Erin was already thinking about it. Talk about it some more. Maybe Charlie won’t take the job, but it might be worth the ask. Anyway, I have to go figure out this arbor situation with Summer.”
Erin bounces over to me and pulls me down to her so she can kiss me on the cheek. “You’re the best almost-brother-in-law ever.”
“I’m going to tell Brady and Ryan you said that. No take-backs.”
I laugh as they walk away, and then I pull my phone out and call Paula’s Poseys, smiling when Summer herself answers the phone.
“Hey there, Blondie, this is Chase. How do you feel about a field trip?”
“A field trip?” I can all but hear her frown on the other end of the line. “I have several hours left of work here, Chase. I’m sorry, I can’t just leave. I wish I could, though.”
“Yes, she can,” Sharla calls out.
“Honey, you need to get out of here for a while. Go hang out with the handsome cowboy,” comes Ida’s voice.
“It’s actually work related,” I put in and explain the situation with the arbor. “I’d like to come pick you up and bring you out here so you can look at it in case you need to change anything for the wedding.”
“Hmm.” She sighs on the other end of the line. “Okay. I can be ready to go by the time you get here. I’d like to see the arbor.”
“Great, I’ll be there in thirty. See you soon.”
Immediately after ending that call, I place another to Old Town Pizza and put in an order for carryout, then get into my truck and head for town.
The pizza’s ready for me when I get there, and when I pull up in front of the floral shop, Summer’s waiting out on the sidewalk.
“They kicked me out,” she says as she hops up into the truck. “Like, physically shooed me right out of my own business. But Ida’s going to take Lily home for me, so that’s nice of her. You got pizza?”
“I did,” I reply with a grin, and I can’t help but reach over and tuck her hair behind her ear the way I did earlier today. Keeping my hands to myself is proving to be harder and harder, and thankfully, she doesn’t seem to mind. “It’s good to see you, Blondie.”
Summer grins and then wrinkles her nose. “You saw me just a few hours ago, at lunchtime.”
“Still good to see you.” I pull away from the curb and head back for the ranch. “How was your day?”
“I sound like a broken record, and I know it’s annoying, but it was busy,” she says with a half laugh. “Do you care if I roll the window down for fresh air?”
“Not at all.” I actually prefer to ride with the windows down in the summertime, so I roll mine down, too, and smile over at Summer, who’s letting her hair fly all over the place, with her eyes closed and a small smile on her delectable, plump lips.
God, she’s fucking gorgeous, with all that golden hair and smooth skin. I want to pull over to the side of the road, pull her into my lap, and kiss the fuck out of her for hours.
But she made it clear long ago that she’s not interested in that.
And it just might kill me.
I turn off the highway onto the ranch road, and before long, we’re parked in front of the garage.
“God, it’s gorgeous out here,” Summer says, surprise hanging heavily in her voice.
“Haven’t you ever been out here before?”
“No, Erin and I did all of our planning in my shop. Look at that view of the mountains.” She stands, hands on hips, staring at the mountains with awe written all over her face. “You know, I was born and raised in Montana, and it runs through my blood, but I never get tired of looking at the mountains.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” After a moment, I gesture to the garage. “It’s in here.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, I got distracted. This is amazing, Chase. You built this?”
“With my own two hands,” I confirm. “But Erin is concerned that you won’t be able to hang the flowers the way you discussed.”
Summer taps her finger on her lips, the same way Erin did earlier, as she examines the arbor. “Yeah, we can do it. I’ll have you add a few discreet hooks here and there, and it’ll be totally fine. We can also use zip ties and twine. I can hang flowers on just about anything.”
She turns to me and narrows her eyes. “Chase Wild, you could have shown me this over a FaceTime call, and it would have been a lot faster. I feel bad that you came all the way into town to get me, when I could have saved you the trouble.”
“But then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of showing you around the ranch, would I?”
She gazes longingly at the mountains. “Well, I would like to see it. And you have pizza.”
“Pizza and a tour sounds like a good deal to me.” I hold her door open for her, then round the front of the truck and climb into the driver’s seat. “We’ll keep these windows down and eat on the way, if that’s okay.”
“Are you kidding? I can eat pizza anywhere.” She opens the box and takes out a slice, passes it to me, then takes one for herself. “I do notice, however, that you’re always feeding me.”
I glance her way, and my breath catches in my throat. Christ, she looks good on my ranch, the sun shining through her blonde hair, watching me with happy blue eyes as she munches on her pizza.
“Why do you think that is?” she continues.
“We have to eat,” I reply with a shrug. And I love watching this woman eat. The way she eats is sexy as fuck, and she’s unapologetic about enjoying every bite.
“Plus,” I continue, “I like spending time with you. Two birds, one stone.”
She glances my way and then back out the window. “So, what was it like to grow up out here?”
“Heaven.” I finish my pizza and move to get another slice, but Summer’s already holding it out for me. “Thanks. Growing up here was the best there is. We were hardly ever inside, unless there was a blizzard. We spent most of our time with our dad in the barn or on horseback.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse,” she mutters, and I frown over at her. “What? I may have grown up in Montana, but my dad was a senator. I lived in the city.”
“Well, we’re going to change that and get you on a horse in the near future.”
“Maybe,” is all she says as she chews on her pizza. “That barn is big.”
I grin and nod as we approach the barn. Lucky and Bruiser, two of the ranch hands, are just walking outside.
“Hey there,” I say to the men. “This is Summer Quinn. She owns the floral shop.”
“We’ve met,” Bruiser says with a nod. “Hello, ma’am.”
“Hi,” Summer says with a smile.
“How was your niece’s recital?” I ask the big man, whose eyes go gooey at the mention of his niece.
“She was the star of the show,” he says proudly. “I’ll show you pictures tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait.”
“How far out are you goin’?” Lucky asks. “There’s a grizzly in the north pasture.”
“Holy shit,” Summer breathes next to me.
“I wasn’t planning on going that far. I’ll show her where the new event venue will be, and then we’re headed back over by the lake.”
“Good idea,” Lucky says with a nod. “Have fun, you two.”
I nod and pull away from them and feel Summer watching me.
“What’s up, Blondie?”
“I have so many questions. First of all, how old is Lucky? He looks really old.”
“He is.” I smile and then shrug. “I have no idea how old he is. He was old when my dad was a kid. But that might be all the time he’s spent in the sun showing. What other questions do you have?”
“You know about Bruiser’s niece’s recital?”
“Sure. They might be employees, but they’re family, too. We have to trust them with the most important thing in our lives: our home.”
“I like that,” Summer says slowly. “That’s actually really sweet. And finally, grizzly bears?”
“You’re not new to this area. Bears are a fact of life.”
“I can honestly say that in my almost thirty years of living in Montana, I’ve never seen a griz in the wild.”
“Wow.” I blink at that. “Well, maybe someday, you will.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need to see them.”
“They’re not scary if you aren’t being an idiot. Just don’t try to pet them.”
“Still don’t need to see them.” She shakes her head adamantly, making us both laugh. “No way. I’m good. Oh, is that where it’s going to be?”
I nod when she points straight ahead. “Yeah, the old barn has been dismantled piece by piece. The concrete slab is down, but I think they’re going to hold off on construction until after the wedding so the ceremony’s not in the middle of a construction zone.”
“Oh, I like that idea,” Summer says with a nod. “This is absolutely…I can’t catch my breath.”
She covers her chest with her hand, and I slam the truck into park, all of my attention immediately focused on her.
“What’s wrong? Shit, are you allergic to something?”
“No, it’s not that.” She takes a long, deep breath and then turns to me. “It’s just so pretty.”
She pushes out of the truck, and I take my own breath, calming my racing heart. Jesus, she scared the shit out of me.
“That view in the background,” she says, turning a circle to take it all in. “That’s priceless, Chase. Erin’s photos are going to be spectacular.”
“I hope so because they’ll be splashed in every magazine and gossip site on the planet,” I reply. “Her father is an uber-famous football hero, and don’t even get me started on the celebrity roster of the rest of her family. It’s mind-blowing.”
“I’d heard that Erin was related to a lot of famous people,” she murmurs.
“Leo Nash is her uncle.”
That stops her in her tracks. “What?”
“Yeah. And you know the country singer, Sidney Sterling?”
“Who doesn’t? She’s my favorite.”
“Married to her cousin.”
“Stop lying.”
I cross my fingers over my heart. “I wouldn’t lie to you, sugar. So, yeah, we want this to be just perfect, not only for them, but for our girl, as well.”
“Well, in my personal and professional opinion, it doesn’t get any better than this. Wow.”
Summer crosses her arms over her chest and just stands there, gazing at the mountains. There are cows out in the field, grazing. We can hear the buzz of bees, and a bird chirps overhead as it flies by.
It’s about as serene as it gets.
“Come on, we have more to see.”
Reluctantly, Summer hops back into the truck and grabs another slice of pepperoni as I drive us back the way we came, and then around to where the lake is.
“You have a whole lake on this property?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ever gone skinny-dipping?” She quirks an eyebrow at me, and the thought of swimming naked with this woman immediately takes up residence in my brain.
“More times than I can count.”
“Fun.” She hops a little in her seat, and then I make my way around to where I want to build, and before I can say anything, Summer holds up her hand. “Stop. Oh, God, stop right here.”
For the second time, I throw it into park, and Summer hops out of the truck.
“What is it?”
But she doesn’t answer. She walks slowly over to the water’s edge, then turns and surveys the area.
“There should be a dock right here,” she begins. “A place to fish, maybe. And a house, right there, with a view of the lake from the kitchen window.”
The sunlight, beginning to fade now, dances on the crown of her head, and as she turns to me, those deep blue eyes are full of wonder.
And it’s right here, in this moment, that I know without a doubt that I’m going to spend as much time as humanly possible with Summer Quinn.
“Why hasn’t anyone put a house here?” she demands, frowning.
“I’m getting to it,” I finally reply.
A slow smile spreads over her gorgeous, plump lips. “Are you really?”
“Yeah, really.” God, my heart, and other key parts of my anatomy, aches. “I’ve already had the plans drawn up and everything. I’m just waiting to get past the wedding to move forward with it.”
“Thank God,” she says with a sigh. “Because this spot, right here, needs a home. It’s absolutely perfect. Tell me all your plans. I want to know.”
“Really?”
“Oh, absolutely. Spill it.”
I nod slowly, resisting the urge to pull her to me and kiss her. I’ve been so fucking attracted to this woman since the moment she moved to town, and now here she is, daydreaming about my house with me. “Well, you’re right on the placement of the dock and the house. Single story, with a wraparound porch. I want to screen in part of it so I can sit out on warm summer nights like this and not get eaten alive by mosquitos.”
“Smart,” she says with a nod. “Go on.”
“I want a big shop over there.” I point to the spot I showed Remington. “With lots of space for any project I might dream up. But there will still be an attached garage on the house.”
“You need a greenhouse,” she says, pointing to the west. “There’s not going to be a lot of shade there, and it would be perfect for a greenhouse. You can plant vegetables, flowers, you name it.”
“I hadn’t thought of a greenhouse, but I do want some killer landscaping.” I rub my chin, watching her. “What else would you do?”
“I’d have a regular outdoor garden next to it, and probably flower beds all around the house. Flowering trees and bushes, too. Although there are already so many gorgeous wildflowers in the woods, you really don’t need them. You’d want a birdbath and a bird feeder. Maybe a little water feature to add the sound of running water. It’s so soothing.”
Did this woman climb inside my brain and look at all my plans for this place? Because that’s what it feels like. I feel naked as I stand here with her, and she lays out for me exactly what I want for this property.
“I’m sorry,” she says, shaking her head with a little laugh. “I totally got carried away. This is such a great spot. I couldn’t help but daydream a bit. You’re going to have a gorgeous home here, Chase.”
“Look.” I take her shoulders in my hands, relieved when she doesn’t flinch or back away from me, and turn her so she can see the sunset on the other side of the lake. “This is another reason why I want this spot.”
“Oh, Chase.” She brings a hand up to cover mine and, to my surprise, leans back against me. “That is just…amazing.”
Yeah. It’s fucking amazing.
When the sun has set, and the sky begins to darken, Summer turns to me with a grin.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. I needed that.”
“You’re welcome. Should we head back?”
“Yeah, probably. Ida took Lily home and fed her, but I don’t like to leave her home alone for too long.”
We climb back into the truck, and with the windows rolled up now, we make our way back to the highway and into town.
When I park in front of her house, Summer turns to me. “I think we should go out on a date. Not as friends.”
I quirk up a brow, and her eyes widen right before she slams her hand over her mouth. Her cheeks redden, and she shakes her head. “Oh, God, I can’t believe I said that out loud. I meant to say thanks for a nice evening.”
She stares at me, and I feel the smile spread over my lips.
“And you’re not saying anything. You know what, I think I’ll just go now, before I embarrass myself more.”
“Whoa.” I reach out and snatch up her hand, keeping her where she is. “I think I was stunned speechless. You absolutely should have said that out loud, sugar. I don’t know what you want if you don’t say it.”
“I could have been more eloquent,” she mutters.
I grin and pull her hand up to my lips. “Nah, I think you did just fine.”