Chapter Four
Grady walked alongside his mother, as they made their way to his truck. He reached for the door and opened it, gesturing for his mother to climb inside before he strode around the front of the vehicle and slid onto the leather seat.
As he started the engine, he chanced a glance at his mother and saw her staring at him with a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“Don’t,” he warned.
She chuckled. “Don’t what?”
“Get any ideas about Savannah and me.”
“It’s too late for that, Grady. She is a truly beautiful woman. You’d be foolish not to be interested.”
“I never said I wasn’t interested, but you know my views on settling down.”
“Ah, yes. The carefree bachelor lifestyle. But I saw the way you looked at her, and the way she looked at you. And if I’m not mistaken, you mentioned seeing her again later.”
“It’s just dinner, Mom.”
“Grady, you need to think about settling down. I want grandchildren.”
“You have grandchildren. Denise has kids, remember?”
“But none from you.”
“Oh, come on, Mom. It’s only our first date.”
“So, it is a date then?”
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “I fell right into that one.”
“Yes, you did,” she laughed.
Grady shook his head as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He had always been adamant about not wanting marriage or children, but something about Savannah made him want to get to know her better and see if there could be something between them. It was a surprising thought for someone who valued his freedom above all else.
At six-thirty, he arrived at Savannah’s home and hesitantly picked up the pink rose before getting out of his truck. His nerves were on edge.
“Get a grip man,” he muttered to himself as he walked up to the door and rang the bell.
When Savannah answered, his heart skipped a beat as he took in her outfit: jeans, a blue blouse, and boots that made her look incredibly sexy.
“Hi,” she greeted him with a smile. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” He removed his hat and wiped his feet on the welcome mat before entering her house. A grin spread across his face when he saw Bentley. “Hey, buddy.” He gave the dog some affectionate scratches behind the ears before turning back to Savannah. “You look beautiful. This is for you.” He handed her the rose.
“Thank you. Let me put this in water, then we can go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As she walked away to tend to the flower, he couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over her figure from head to toe.
“You’re a stunning woman, Savannah,” he complimented her.
“Thank you, and you are a very handsome man.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. You may want to grab a sweater. It might get chilly later.”
“Okay.” She reached for a cardigan hanging on the hall tree and draped it over her arm before grabbing her purse and keys.
Grady opened the door for her and took her keys to lock it before handing them back. He took her hand, led her toward his truck and opened the passenger door for her. Once she was seated inside, he walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in.
They drove into town and pulled into the diner parking lot. Grady got out of the truck and walked around to open Savannah’s door for her, offering his hand to help her out.
“You certainly have good manners, Grady,” she commented with a smile.
“My parents raised me right.” He held open the door to the diner and gestured for her to enter before following behind her.
They navigated through the tables and Grady greeted several people with handshakes before they both sat down on a bench.
“Hey, you two.” Connie greeted them. “The usuals?”
“Savannah?” Grady raised an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll have a club sandwich, Connie. Thank you.”
“I’ll have my usual. Thanks, Connie.”
“I’ll be back soon with those. Let me grab your drinks first.”
“That woman is incredible,” Savannah remarked as she watched Connie go back to the counter and return with glasses of sweet tea for them.
“She really is. Everyone around here loves her. So, tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?”
He shrugged. “Anything. Everything. Have you ever been married?”
“Yes, I was married but we’ve been divorced for three years now.”
“How long were you together?”
“Four years, but we were married for three.”
“Do you have any kids?” Grady watched as she nervously bit her bottom lip and shook her head.
“I did. A son, three years ago,” she said, shaking her head again.
“Did something happen to him?”
“Yes, he died from SIDS when he was only four months old.”
“Damn, Savannah. I am so sorry for your loss.”
“It’s okay. There’s no way to predict or prevent SIDS. I took all the recommended precautions, like not placing him on his belly to sleep and not sleeping with him on my bed or sofa. But over two thousand children still die from it in the US every year. I did everything right, but he still died.”
Grady shook his head in sympathy. “That must have been incredibly difficult for you and your marriage.”
“What made it even harder is that my husband blamed me for our son’s death.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He said I wasn’t paying enough attention to our son. That if I had noticed something was wrong, I could have saved him.”
“That’s unfair and ridiculous. You can’t be expected to watch over your child every second of the day.”
“But that’s what Kirk thought. He believes Zach would still be alive if I had just paid more attention. He blamed me completely for his death.” Savannah wiped a tear from her cheek. “But what really hurt me was that he filed for divorce the day after the funeral.”
“That’s incredibly harsh and unforgivable. I can’t imagine going through something like that with a partner who doesn’t support you.”
“I’ve gone to therapy and accepted that it was not my fault. It was no one’s fault. Sometimes these things happen, and it’s out of our control. I still miss my son every day, but life goes on, and I’m taking it one day at a time.” She smiled sadly at him.
“I have a feeling this is why you no longer have a dollhouse. Call me crazy, but—”
“No, you’re exactly right. Kirk was so angry about Zach’s death. The day he told me it was my fault; we had a huge fight and he busted the dollhouse. I’d had it since I was a little girl.”
“What an ass,” Grady snarled.
“I agree with you.” She took a deep breath. “So, tell me about yourself. What’s it like running a ranch?”
“Busy.”
“I’ll need more details than that.” She chuckled.
Grady laughed too. “That’s really the best word to describe it. The Triple C Ranch has one hundred thousand acres, so there’s always something to do.”
“That sounds incredibly vast. What does Triple C stand for?”
“Coleman Cattle Company. At the end of the month, we’re going on a two-week cattle drive with forty-three thousand head to the north pasture.”
“That’s a lot of cows,” she said.
“Cattle, actually. Bulls are specifically used for breeding, steers are male cattle that have been castrated, cows are older females that have had at least one calf, and heifers are young female cows that haven’t yet had a calf. But they all fall under the category of cattle.”
“Got it.” She smiled. “Do you use horses to round up the cattle?”
“We use haulers for part of the way now, and we bring horses with us to move the herd the rest of the way. We also have ATVs and even a helicopter to keep an eye on them. With such a large number of cattle, we need all the help we can get.”
“What do you do?”
Grady grinned. “I fly the helicopter.”
Savannah’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can fly?”
“Yes, when Robert Coleman hired me, he asked if I was interested in learning how to fly. And of course, I said yes. I’m actually the only foreman who knows how to fly. Warren Coleman knows as well, but not Wes.”
“Wes is Shay’s husband, right?”
“Yes, and he’s afraid of flying while Maverick looks like he’s about to faint at just the mention of it.” Grady laughed along with Savannah.
****
Savannah was having such a good time with Grady. He was not only good-looking but had a great sense of humor and wonderful manners.
Once Connie set their dinners on the table, they dug in, and conversation flowed as if they’d known each other for a long time.
As they finished, Connie took their empty plates and placed the check on the table. Savannah reached for it, but Grady snatched it up and shook his head.
“No way.”
Savannah gasped. “The only reason I came here with you was to buy your dinner.”
Grady raised an eyebrow. “The only reason?”
She laughed. “You know what I meant.”
He sat back, folded his arms, and stared at her.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. You’re just giving me a rough time. Don’t you like it when a woman pays?”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but to be honest, I was kind of hoping this was a first date, and I’d never let a woman pay on the first date.”
“A date, huh?” She smiled.
“Unless you consider it something different.”
“Like what?”
“Like taking a friend to dinner.” He leaned forward and stared at her. “I’m not interested in being your friend, Savannah.”
She tilted her head. “What are you interested in being, Grady?”
When he grinned, her heart slammed into her ribs.
“You’ll have to figure that out.”
She laughed. “Alright. I’m game if you are.”
“So, what do you want to do now?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” She looked at her watch. “It’s early yet.”
“How about we stop in at Dewey’s for a while?”
“Okay.”
Savannah picked up her purse, slid from the booth, and when Grady put his hand toward her to help her, she took a hold of it. He didn’t let go until they stopped by the cash register. He paid Connie, waved away the change, then took Savannah’s hand again and they walked to the truck.
He opened the door for her, and she slid onto the seat. After closing the door, he strode around the front, then got in behind the steering wheel. He glanced at her, then started the truck and drove them to Dewey’s.
“It’s packed, isn’t it?” she said as she sat forward looking for a place to park.
“We might have to walk a little.”
“That’s fine. I’m glad I wore low heels.”
He chuckled. “I remember a friend of mine telling me that on his first date with the woman who is now his wife, she wore heels and they had a way to walk to the restaurant, so he gave her a piggyback ride.”
Savannah laughed. “That’s funny.”
“Creed said when he offered, he was sure she’d turn him down, but she didn’t.”
“Creed and Abbie McBride?”
“Yes. Do you know them?”
“Yes. They came into the shop right after I opened. They’re a wonderful couple. I’ll have to ask her about that the next time I see her.”
“I’m sure she’ll laugh.”
Grady pulled into a spot, hopped out, then made his way around the truck, but Savannah opened the door and stepped out.
“Do you dance?”
“No,” he said as he took her hand.
“Not at all?”
“I’ll slow dance.”
“That’s all I need,” she said with a grin.
When they entered, Grady pushed through the crowd to get to the bar. They lucked out by finding a couple of empty stools. After sitting down, he waved at one of the bartenders.
“Hi, Grady, what can I get you?” a beautiful redhead asked.
“Hey, Siobhan.” He looked at Savannah. “What would you like?”
“Chardonnay, please.” Savannah smiled at the women.
“Alright. Grady?”
“A beer. Whatever’s on tap.”
“I’ll be right back with those.”
“She is stunning.”
“Yeah, she is. She’s married to a good friend of mine.” Grady glanced around. “He’s usually here, but I don’t see him.”
“Here you go.”
“Hey, Siobhan, where’s Liam?”
“He’s on his way. Let me know if I can get you anything else. Enjoy your night.”
“Thank you.” Savannah smiled. “Liam, huh? That’s a sexy name.”
Grady shook his head. “I guess.”
“Don’t worry, I like yours too.”
He chuckled. “Thank God.”
“I think that was sarcasm.”
He picked up his beer and drank it and she knew he was hiding a grin.
“The band sounds good.”
“They never have a bad band here. Scarlett wouldn’t allow it,” Grady said.
“I met her the night I was here. She is great.”
“Yeah. She’s also married to a good friend of mine.”
“Hey, Grady.”
Savannah turned to the male voice and bit her lip. He was really handsome. Grady stood and shook the man’s hand.
“Liam, this is Savannah Collins, Savannah, Liam Flynn.”
“Hi, Liam. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He took a seat on the other side of Grady.
Savannah watched as Siobhan came toward him. He stood, leaned over the bar, and kissed her, making everyone along the bar cheer. Savannah laughed. She just loved this place. Everyone was great. There wasn’t a person she’d met who wasn’t nice.
When the band played a slow song, Grady stood, put his hand out for her, then led her to the dance floor. As they slowly swayed to the music, Savannah knew she could fall for him. But she also knew he could break her heart.
“What are you thinking?” he murmured next to her ear.
“That you could break my heart.”
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “I don’t want to do that.”
She huffed out a laugh. “I don’t want you to, either. I like you, Grady, but if you’re not interested in a future, I can’t continue to see you. What would be the point?” She shook her head. “I know it’s too soon to know anything about what will happen between us, but I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life. I want a meaningful relationship.”
“Maybe I do too.” He sighed, then shook his head. “Look, I’ll be honest, I’ve never been interested in settling down, but I like you too. Maybe too much.”
“Too much?”
“It’s our first date, but I know I want there to be more. How about we see if this goes anywhere?”
“Okay. But if you break my heart, Grady Henderson, I will cut some very important parts off you.”
“Shit,” he said and shuddered, then laughed.
After about an hour, they decided to leave. It was getting more packed by the hour.
“I’m going to use the restroom first,” Savannah said.
“Alright, sweetheart, I’ll be right here.”
She smiled, hopped off the stool, then made her way through the crowd.
Grady picked up his beer and took a drink. Noah Conway sat beside him and after kissing his wife, Scarlett, he and Grady talked.
“Hi,” a female voice said from beside him.
Grady looked to his right to see a pretty blonde staring at him.
“Ma’am.” He nodded.
She sat on the stool beside him and ran her fingers through the hair on his arm.
“You’re about the sexiest thing in here,” she whispered in his ear.
Grady looked at Noah to see him grinning, then back at the blonde.
“I’m not interested, darlin’.”
“I bet I could change your mind.”
“Maybe, but I’m with someone.”
“Well, I don’t see her.”
“She went to the restroom.”
“Can I tell you something?”
Grady shrugged. “I guess.” He picked up his beer again.
She leaned closer, put her lips next to his ear, and whispered, “I’d love to give you a blowjob.”
Grady inhaled and coughed on the beer. Noah smacked him on the back, while laughing. “I’m curious what she said, though I can probably guess,” he said.
Grady had tears in his eyes trying to catch his breath, then he saw Savannah standing behind the woman with her arms folded. Oh, shit.
“Savannah,” he said once he could talk.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked in a way too innocent tone.
The blonde looked at Savannah, dismissed her, then looked back at him. “You want my number?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Savannah said.
“I think he can answer for himself.” The blonde got off the stool and stared at Savannah.
“Did he tell you he was with someone?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts.” Savannah shook her head, then raised her eyebrow.
The blonde looked at Grady and he shook his head. After taking a deep breath, the blonde walked off.
Grady tilted his head down and laughed. Savannah sat on the stool again, and he looked at her to see her trying not to laugh. He glanced at Noah to see him laughing too.
“Can we go now?” Savannah asked.
“Of course.” He stood, waved Siobhan over, paid her, and told her to keep the change. He took Savannah’s hand, slapped Noah on the shoulder and they walked outside. He opened the door for her, and she climbed inside the truck.
Once he climbed into the truck, he looked at her to see her looking out the side window and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Savannah looked at him and burst out laughing.
“I told her I wasn’t interested.”
“Well, apparently she thought she could change your mind.”
He shook his head. “That’s what she told me.”
“Just what did she say—”
“Nope.”
“Oh, come on.”
“No.”
“You’re no fun. Maybe I should go back inside and ask her.”
“Don’t you dare. It’s not important. I’m not interested in her. Only you.”
“Okay. But I bet I could get it out of you.”
“Please don’t. Some women are a little too forward with men they don’t even know.”
“I see. So, she apparently told you exactly what she wanted.” Savannah sighed.
“It doesn’t matter.”
She shrugged. “If you say so.”
“Don’t be mad about it.”
“Oh, my God. I’m not mad at all. You told her you weren’t interested and she couldn’t take no for an answer. And men wonder why women don’t like women.”
“Well, I can certainly understand why now.” He started the truck and drove to her house.
At the door, he took her key, unlocked the door, and handed it back.
“Would you like to come in for a while. It’s still early.”
“Sure.” He removed his hat, wiped his feet, then entered, and hung his hat on the hall tree.
She pushed the door open and Bentley ran barking at the door.
“That’s some watchdog you have.”
“Yeah, until you talk to him, then he’s all over you. Hi, baby,” she said.
“Are you talking to me?” Grady teased.
Savannah laughed. “Do you want anything?”
Grady’s desire for her was intense, his heart pounding as he stepped closer to her.
He could see the fire in her eyes, the way she bit her lip in anticipation.
“I want a kiss,” he whispered, his voice husky with lust.
She raised her face to meet his, her breath hot against his lips. “I think I can do that,” she replied, her voice dripping with desire. He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss. The moment their lips touched; a bolt of electricity shot through him.
When she moaned softly into his mouth, he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. She responded by putting her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. He deepened the kiss, groaning when she touched her tongue to his.
He could feel her body responding to his, her breasts pressing against him as she arched into him. He slid his hands down her sides, feeling the curve of her hips. She whimpered as he pulled her even closer.
His hands roamed over her body, exploring every inch of her. He cupped her ass, squeezing it as he pulled her even tighter against him. He could feel his cock hardening in his jeans, straining against the fabric as he imagined what it would feel like to be inside her.
He slid his hand between them, cupping her breast through her blouse. She gasped at the contact, her nipples hardening under his touch. He rubbed his thumb over the fabric, teasing her as he deepened the kiss even more.
She moaned into his mouth; her arousal evident as she squirmed in his arms. He slid his hand down her stomach, teasing at the waistband of her jeans before slipping his fingers inside, moving them along the elastic of her panties, then dipped them inside to her slit.
She gasped as he touched her, her body trembling with pleasure. He stroked her gently, feeling her getting wetter as he teased her clitoris. She arched against him as she moaned his name.
He continued to stroke her, his fingers working in a steady rhythm as he kissed her deeply. She was close, he could feel it.
She cried out as she came, her body shaking. He continued to stroke her, prolonging her orgasm as he kissed her deeply. When she finally came down from her high, she looked up at him with a satisfied smile.
“Oh, my God! That was incredible,” she whispered, her voice husky with desire. He smiled back at her, knowing that this was only the beginning.
“I want you, Savannah. I want to be buried deep inside you,” he murmured against her neck, then kissed her there.
“I want you too, please.”
He picked her up. “Bedroom?”
She placed her head on his shoulder and pointed toward the stairs.