Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
K elsey practically floated into the library on Thursday. Being Luke’s girlfriend was amazing. He was kind, considerate, sexy as hell, and even cooked. She’d gone back to her apartment to pick things up a couple of times, but had now spent a week living with Luke.
Living with him? They hadn’t discussed the situation long-term, but yeah, for now, they were living together.
Part of her said they needed to have that conversation, that it was important to make sure they were both on the same page. But another part of her said to shut up and just enjoy what was happening in the moment. For now, she was listening to that part. As well as to her therapist, whom she’d finally seen a few days ago. She’d been supportive of Kelsey’s take-it-slow approach with Luke and had helped her work through some of her lingering fear.
As Kelsey opened up the library, her assistant, Marci, arrived. Marci was a grad student at nearby Williver College, studying education. She planned to teach elementary school. “Morning, Kelsey! What’s going on today?”
“The usual,” Kelsey said. “Can you handle story time today? I have a few things I’d like to work on upstairs.”
Marci nodded as she locked her purse in a cabinet behind the counter. “Sure thing. How are plans coming for the Halloween event?”
Earlier in the week, Kelsey and Luke had come up with an idea to host a library event at West Arch Estate next weekend. Luke and his partners would open the pumpkin patch, offer hayrides, and, of course, pour wine for the adults. Meanwhile, Kelsey would host a cookie-decorating area and story time with a craft. She and Marci had brainstormed what to do on Tuesday.
“Good. Barley and Bran said they’d donate the cookies for the decorating. We just need to get the decorating supplies.”
Marci flipped her shoulder-length brown hair over her shoulder. “Sounds great. I hit the craft store yesterday and picked up a bunch of stuff. Today I was planning to print off coloring sheets.”
Kelsey grinned. “We will be more than ready come next Saturday. Would you shelve books while I check my e-mail?”
“Sure thing.” Marci took off while Kelsey sat at the desk to the left of the counter and pulled up her e-mail. She scanned it quickly and saw a message from Darryl Gray, the historian.
Kelsey’s pulse sped as she read. He’d found some information about Bird’s Nest Ranch. They were still waiting for the results from the testing the archaeologist had done in the hope of finding out when the house had burned down. But Darryl’s findings had nothing to do with the fire.
She reread what he’d written: “I’ve found evidence from 1894 that the Bird’s Nest Ranch was a brothel.”
Marci appeared at the desk. “Everything all right?”
Kelsey realized she’d gasped and that she was staring, wide-eyed, at the monitor. She shook her head to clear away the surprise. “Yes. It’s fine.” She pulled out her phone and texted the others—Crystal, Brooke, and Alaina—to tell them the news.
Their responses were almost immediate. To a person, they were shocked and dismayed.
Crystal asked if Dorinda still owned the ranch at that time. Kelsey couldn’t tell from Darryl’s e-mail, so she dashed off a response asking for more information.
He got back to her within a few minutes saying that he didn’t know. He’d found a newspaper article with a line mentioning the “Bird’s Nest Brothel above Ribbon Ridge.” He said he would continue to research it because his interest was piqued. He’d no idea there’d been a bordello in the area.
Kelsey sent the information to her friends along with her disappointment at learning that Dorinda’s homestead had become a house of ill repute. Everyone shared her chagrin and looked forward to finding the truth. Crystal was particularly passionate, texting that she was more committed than ever to finding out Dorinda’s story. They all wanted to know if she’d somehow been driven to open a brothel or if something else had happened to oust her from the home she’d built.
Kelsey set her phone aside to respond to a few other e-mails. A few minutes later, it rang. She expected it to be one of the girls, so she didn’t look at the screen before picking it up and saying hello.
“Kelsey?” The feminine voice was a bit familiar, but it wasn’t Brooke or Crystal or Alaina.
“Yes? Who is this?”
“It’s Lisa Putnam.”
Shit. Noah’s mother. Kelsey’s stomach dropped to the floor, and her mouth went dry. “Um, hi.”
“I know you must be surprised to hear from me. How are you?”
Kelsey had always liked Lisa. She’d often wondered if she’d been aware of her son’s violent nature, but nothing the woman had ever said or done had led Kelsey to think that she was. That made Kelsey ponder whether Lisa had been abused by Noah’s father. But they’d divorced when Noah was twelve, and he’d simply vanished from Noah’s life. In retrospect, that should’ve been a huge red flag.
“I’m fine.” Kelsey didn’t ask how Lisa was. She didn’t care. She didn’t want these people—Noah’s family—in her life.
“I’m so glad to hear it. I’m sure you know that Noah got out of jail.”
“Yes.” And I already have a restraining order. The judge had granted it for a period of one year. It had been easy to get, and renewing it wouldn’t be difficult.
“He’s staying with me. I wanted you to know how sorry he is. He’s in counseling and doing really well. I just thought you’d want to know.”
Actually, she didn’t. Anxiety tripped through her, and she began to shake. “Lisa, I’ve moved on with my life.” She couldn’t even bring herself to say she was glad he was doing well. She didn’t want to feel anything where it came to him—good, bad, ugly. She’d worked damn hard to push him out of her life, and she needed him to stay there.
“I understand,” Lisa said quietly. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“Thank you, and please—” Kelsey swallowed her apprehension and summoned the steel she’d strived to hone. “Please don’t call me again. Good-bye.” She hung up without waiting for a response, then went into the settings on her phone to block Lisa’s number. In fact, she’d blocked Lisa ages ago. It must’ve been a new number.
Kelsey stood and went to open the box of books, which patrons had ordered from other libraries. As she busied herself with shelving them in the pickup area, her adrenaline settled and she began to relax. She forced herself to think of something other than Noah. Dorinda and the ranch. Rather, the brothel. Ugh. Okay, not that.
Luke, duh. Luke would cheer her up. Just conjuring his handsome face with his super-sexy stare made her smile. Much better. She finished the shelving and planned to go upstairs to work on the exhibit for a bit. Story time was in full swing, and Marci had it handled.
As if he’d been summoned right out of her brain, Luke walked into the library at that moment. Kelsey’s heart tripped as she caught sight of him. He wore dark jeans, his scuffed work boots, and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows over a blue T-shirt. He scanned the interior before his gaze landed on her. His eyes lit, and his lips curved into a smile.
She met him in front of the checkout counter. “You finally made it in.”
“Technically, I came in the other day, but I think we’ve agreed to forget about that.”
Because that was when he’d brought the stupid flowers. She winced. “Sorry. Well, I’m glad you’re here now. Do you want a tour?”
“Of course.” He arched a sexy brow at her. “I hope it includes your office.”
She laughed. “I don’t have an office. There’s a conference room and kitchen upstairs. Will that do?”
“I don’t know. Let me check it out.” He raked her from head to toe with a provocative stare that made her shiver.
“Come on, I’ll show you around before you thoroughly distract me.” She linked her arm through his and took him on a tour of the downstairs. When she was finished, she led him toward the stairs. “I’ll take you up to show you the Ribbon Ridge exhibit space.” She gave him a sidelong look. “ Not the conference room.”
He huffed out a breath and donned a look of mock disappointment. At least she thought it was a put-on. Maybe it wasn’t.
“You’ve put together an impressive library,” he said as they climbed the stairs.
“I owe it to the Archers and their generosity. It wouldn’t have been possible without their grant.”
He chuckled. “They can afford it.”
“Sure, but not everyone who can would give back the way that they do.”
“Very true. And they do it because they want to, not for the tax breaks.”
They reached the exhibit space, and she showed him around everything she’d set up.
“Also impressive,” he said. “I keep forgetting to ask if you’ve had any news from the archaeologist. Do I need to worry they’re going to classify my vineyard as some valuable historic site?”
She shook her head. “You were there. She said she didn’t think that would happen. But no, we haven’t heard anything. We did learn today that the ranch became a brothel at one point.”
He turned to look at her. “A what?”
“A brothel.”
His brows climbed his forehead. “Whoa. That gives our property some unintended character.”
“The historical society is doing more research,” she said. “We’d love to know how that came about.”
“Yeah, me too. Let me know when you find out.” He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “In the meantime, I have something for you.”
She saw the mischievous glint in his eye and was instantly curious. “You do? Does this involve the conference room?”
He laughed. “It could . But no.” He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Then he took her hand, and her breath caught. What was he doing ?
When he didn’t drop to one knee, she relaxed slightly. He clasped something around her wrist. She held up her wrist and saw the filigreed book charm. She gasped, then smiled. “It’s the bracelet from Oktoberfest! How did you do that?”
He grinned. “I might’ve taken the vendor’s card that night when your back was turned. And I might’ve called her to buy it.”
Kelsey turned her wrist this way and that. “I love it.” She rested her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Thank you.” It was perhaps the most thoughtful gift she’d ever received.
She moved closer until their chests were touching, stood on her toes, and kissed him. He swept her up against him, and when the kiss was over, she was breathless.
“I suppose I should let you get back to work.” His tone echoed with regret.
Suddenly, the conference room idea had extreme merit. She grasped the edges of his shirt over his chest. “So you wanna see the conference room?”
His eyes glinted with desire. “I thought you’d never ask. Really. And I was so disappointed.”
She waggled her brows at him before taking his hand and leading him into the conference room. Once they were inside, she closed the door. “Um, there’s no lock.”
“Does your assistant come up here?”
“Just to take a break, but she’s busy with story time and will be for at least”—she glanced at the clock on the microwave on the counter—“another fifteen minutes.”
“Then we’d better get busy.” He reached out and took her hand, pulling her against him. He framed her face with his hands and kissed her long and deep.
Kelsey melted into him, all the while thinking this wasn’t her best idea but unable to put a stop to it. Except… She pulled back. “Do you have a condom?”
His lips spread in a sexy, arrogant grin that did crazy things to her insides. “In my wallet.” He pulled it from his back pocket, withdrew the aforementioned item, and tossed the wallet on the table. He turned his attention back to her and held up the wrapped square.
She snatched it from his fingertips and reached for his waistband, popping his button open. She thrust her hand lower and cupped his rigid length. “Mmm, you’re quite ready.”
He growled out her name before tugging her against him and kissing her. He speared his tongue into her mouth as he thrust his hips into her hand. She rubbed her hand along his heat while desire pooled in her core.
He pivoted with her and set her on the edge of the table. “You wore a skirt today. How fortuitous.” He slid his palms up her thighs, squeezing her flesh, until he found the waistband of her underwear. She lifted herself off the table as he worked them down and pulled them off.
She undid his jeans all the way and coaxed his cock from his briefs. Using her teeth, she tore open the condom wrapper.
“God, I love it when you do that. So sexy,” he said, swirling his thumb over her clit.
Pleasure pulsed through her. Whenever he stroked her there, it seemed an orgasm was never far away. He already knew her body so well. She thrilled to his touch.
She rolled the condom over him and cupped his balls. He groaned and leaned in to kiss her. He clasped her hips and brought her to the edge of the table, meeting her there, his cock nudging her opening.
She opened her thighs wider and clasped the base of his shaft, guiding him into her. He thrust inside, burying himself to the root, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Everything else was a blur of movement and pleasure as he stroked into her with fast, hard snaps. She wanted to cry out but couldn’t. She clutched the back of his neck and kissed him harder as her orgasm slammed into her.
He came right after, groaning into her mouth. She held him close as reality came back to her.
He withdrew, and she pointed him to the doorway that led to a bathroom. She found her underwear and set herself to rights. A moment later, he came out, his lips curved into a satisfied smile she was sure he’d wear all day.
“You’ve thoroughly corrupted me,” she said.
He walked to her and kissed her cheek. “Guilty. Without regret, by the way.”
She let out a laugh. “Come on, I need to get back downstairs.”
He walked down with her, and she saw him out. “Feel free to drop by anytime.”
He winked at her. “I will accept that invitation.”
She held up her wrist. “Thank you for the bracelet. I love it.”
He stared at her a moment, and she had the sense he was going to say something. Instead, he kissed her softly. “See you later.”
She closed the door and watched him walk away, happiness swelling in her heart.
After spending his Monday morning outside in the vineyard, Luke walked into the winery to grab lunch. He headed to the kitchen and was surprised to see both of his brothers and Hayden there. “Guess we’re all on the same schedule today.”
Cam smiled at him. “Guess so. We’re heating up Mom’s leftover stew.”
Luke opened the cupboard to grab a glass and froze for a second. He and Kelsey had eaten dinner at his parents’ last night. They’d had stew. Which meant Mom had dropped this off this morning.
He turned from the cupboard and exhaled. “What did she tell you?” He waited for the barrage of questions, or, perhaps more accurately, the ration of shit.
Cam’s smile broadened to a grin. “She really likes Kelsey.”
This wasn’t news to Luke. She’d been thrilled when, after inviting him to dinner last night, he’d asked if he could bring along his girlfriend. That single word had sent her into paroxysms of delight.
Not that Luke had any problem with that. He was pretty giddy himself. In fact, he was counting the minutes until Kelsey got here. They were going to spend the afternoon finalizing details about the Halloween event they were hosting this Saturday.
“So what’s the scoop?” Hayden asked, stirring the stew, which they were reheating on the stove top.
Luke poured himself some iced tea from the fridge. “There’s no ‘scoop.’ We’re dating. What’s the big deal?”
“Good question,” Hayden said. “It’s not like when Cam got serious about Brooke. That was a massive deal.” He shot a teasing grin toward his best friend, which earned him an eye roll from Cam.
Jamie leaned against the counter near the door. He was drinking a glass of what looked like apple cider.
Luke inclined his head toward the glass. “Is that the cider for this Saturday?”
Jamie glanced toward Hayden and Cam. “See how he tries to deflect?”
Luke shook his head, then leaned back against the counter next to the fridge. “Clearly you all want details. Ask away.”
“Are you guys living together?” Jamie asked. “My running route takes me by the house, and I notice her car is still there.”
“Wow, sounds serious,” Hayden said.
Damn, they had to open with a tough one? He and Kelsey hadn’t discussed the living arrangements long-term. They were just happy being together. “She’s still staying with me, yes. Her apartment, as I’ve pointed out, is crap.”
“Is she still looking for a place?” Jamie persisted.
“Yes.” Maybe. Probably not. Luke made a mental note to ask and to also reiterate that she was welcome to stay as long as she liked. Which, he supposed, suggested they were living together—at least in his mind. It wasn’t as if anyone was sleeping on the futon.
“Well, I’m thrilled for you,” Cam said. “I hope this works out better than Paige. Speaking of her, I heard through the grapevine”—he winced—“sorry, pun not intended. I heard she interviewed at Bellwether last week.”
“Yeah.” Luke hadn’t heard from her since she’d shown up at his house. “Do you know if she got the job?”
Cam shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think they offered it to someone from the area. Can’t imagine the prospect of her living nearby made you too excited.”
No, but then it also hadn’t made him upset. “It doesn’t affect me. She’s in the past.”
Hayden stirred the stew again. “Clearly, since you’re all hot and heavy with Kelsey. Which is cool. I like her a lot. This Halloween event is going to be great.”
“I think so too.” Luke wasn’t looking for their approval, but it was nice to have. Especially since he liked Kelsey more than a lot.
In fact, he was pretty sure he was falling in love with her. He thought about her constantly and could hardly wait to be with her when they were apart. And when they were together, he never wanted their time to end. Living with her—yep, he’d call it that, at least to himself—felt so comfortable. She didn’t care that he might want to tune out and watch Sports Center or work outside in the yard. She was as busy as he was, doing library stuff or reading a book. They shared this companionable silence that he’d never experienced before.
“Stew’s ready,” Hayden said. He looked over at Luke. “You joining us?”
“Sure. Kelsey will be here in about a half hour so we can walk through what’s left to arrange for Saturday.”
Cam grabbed bowls from the cupboard. “You sound really happy. I’m glad.”
Luke turned and set his glass down on the counter so he could pull spoons from the drawer. “She’s pretty special.”
Yeah, things were serious. He hoped she felt the same way.