4. Dating Without a Safety Net
Chapter 4
Dating Without a Safety Net
Leo’s blue eyes flashed from across the white-linen-covered table where they’d just finished sharing a chocolate lava cake in Fall River’s fanciest eatery, the restaurant at the Grand Majestic Hotel.
“You sure you got every last scrap of chocolate?” As it had been all night, his tone was charmingly amused. He seemed to enjoy each of Neve’s fumbles—even her snort-laugh when she really got going—and she basked in the warm glow it kindled inside her.
She inspected her shiny spoon. “I think so. Oh wait, there might be a dollop on the tablecloth. Or is that a splash of sauce?”
The creases at the corners of his eyes deepened with a smile. “You know, we can always order a second one.”
She placed her spoon on the plate. “Chocolate is my kryptonite, but I couldn’t eat another bite. In fact, I shouldn’t have had any bites to begin with.” She patted her stomach, and his eyes drifted there. “That was delicious and way too decadent.”
He looked around the dining room. “They do a nice job here.”
“Not as nice as Silver Summit’s restaurant, or so I’ve heard.” Neve had only been to the Silver Summit once, and the little she’d seen of it hadn’t included its highly acclaimed restaurant.
“We could’ve gone there tonight, but I wanted to take you someplace special for our first date.”
Was he planning more dates? All right by me .
“And your restaurant isn’t special?”
“Not when you’re there every day. But you’ll get to decide for yourself in just a few weeks, right?”
“Yes, at San Juan County’s wedding of the year.”
“Got a date for it?”
“I’m a bridesmaid.”
He tilted his head. “Bridesmaids don’t bring dates?”
“Are you offering?” She regretted the words as soon as they tumbled out of her big, fat mouth. Audacious was not her style, yet here she was, being brazen as hell.
“If the spot isn’t already filled, yeah, I’d love to be your date.”
Propping her elbow on the table, she dropped her chin into her cupped palm to corral the yes on the tip of her tongue. “The spot’s open.”
“Then I’d like to fill it.” He winked a baby blue. “I think this is the part where you’re supposed to invite me.”
She’d almost forgotten how fun it was to flirt! “Hmm, I get the distinct impression you’re inviting yourself.”
“Then I accept.”
She barked a most unladylike laugh. “You don’t hold back, do you?”
“Not when I want something.” He gave her a smoldering look that had her tummy executing backflips.
She picked up her fork and began scoring parallel lines on the tablecloth. “Can I ask you something?”
He spread his hands in invitation. “Of course.”
“Why me?”
“Not sure I follow.”
“Why did you ask me out? Why do you want to come to the wedding with me? ”
He leaned forward, placing his weight on tanned forearms bared to the elbows. “Because I like you, Neve. You’re smart, funny, and kind. Oh, and did I mention beautiful?” The compliment hung in the air. “I’m having a hella good time with you tonight.” He leaned back, all ease. “Just like I knew I would.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
Heat rose from her chest to her cheeks. She hated that her fair skin gave her away so easily. “I’m sure you’re surrounded by smart, funny, beautiful women every day.” Who know how to sail through compliments with the utmost grace.
“Maybe, but none of them play hockey. Do you know how sexy that is?”
Neve nearly spat out the wine she’d just swallowed.
His expression shifted to one he probably used when he got down to business. “Let me put it this way: Yes, you’re all those things, but there’s so much more under the surface that I’m dying to uncover. You’ve got mountain-girl steel that I’m drawn to. A lot. You’re also approachable, down-to-earth. No airs, no pretenses, no gamesmanship. That counts for a lot in my book.”
Neve squirmed in her seat. She wasn’t good with admiration of the personal variety—not that she was used to fielding that much of it. Praise her as a vet in her comfortable clinic setting, and she was likely to agree with the person complimenting her. But over a romantic dinner with an attractive man? She was a fish out of water.
“And one more thing.” Now that sexy sparkle was back. “Any woman who not only runs a grueling race like the one last summer but places in the top twenty will always get my attention. You’re damn refreshing, Neve. I admire that about you.”
“Um, thank you.” She looked around at the empty dining room. “Oops. Guess we closed the place.”
“At eight thirty,” Leo deadpanned.
“Welcome to Fall River.”
“Is there somewhere we can go for an after-dinner drink, or does everything button up early?”
Neve tapped her chin. “The Brothel is closed for the season, and we don’t want to go to Dell’s.” An errant shiver moved through her. Definitely not Dell’s . “That leaves the Miners Tavern.” Or her place, but she wasn’t ready for that step. Plus, it was a mess .
“Can you stand to spend a few more minutes with me? Or is this a school night and you have to be back by a certain time?”
She giggled. “It’s definitely a school night, but my curfew’s not until nine thirty, so I’m yours for another whole hour.”
Oh God, that didn’t sound forward!
“Good, because I’m not ready to drive back up the mountain just yet.” The devil lights reappeared in his eyes.
Unbidden, her blush intensified, heating her skin all the way to her scalp and making it prickle. “I would love to.” She had been warming to the idea of getting to know him better, and the urge gained speed. “But I have one condition.”
He raised both eyebrows. Fine strands of silver threaded through his thick hair, catching the light and giving him a distinguished air. How old was he anyway? The creases at the corners of his eyes and the crinkles around his mouth gave him the appearance of a forty-something, but if he’d spent his life outdoors, he could easily have been in his early thirties. Either way, he was young for a man sitting atop an empire, and she found that intriguing. Not because of the riches, but because he was obviously an overachiever. They had that trait in common.
“The condition is that I buy the drinks,” she insisted.
“Whatever the lady wants.”
While the wind whipped and the sky flung stinging miniature crystals outside, a crowd of locals was busy livening up Miners.
Dixie offered a cool greeting and gestured toward the dining room. “Pick a table.”
Wow. Okay . Neve loosened her scarf. “I think we’ll sit at the bar.”
“Suit yourselves.”
Leo bent down to Neve’s ear as he ushered her toward two open bar stools with his fingers lightly pressed into the small of her back. “Is she always so friendly?”
“She’s probably tired after a long day.” Or pissed off that Leo was escorting Neve, though that didn’t make a lot of sense. Dixie was one of the townspeople constantly urging Neve to “find a man who deserved her.” Not that Leo deserved Neve, but she was warming to the idea of finding out.
The only two open bar stools beside each other happened to be in Reece’s section. Of course they did. He was smiling at something someone said, but when he noticed them, the smile melted away, and his eyes flickered with a curious gleam.
This was him playing protective big brother to her “kid sister.” Ugh.
He placed a coaster in front of her and gave her a pointed look. “Margarita with all the fixings or a shot this time?”
“A glass of red wine.” She really wanted the margarita—Reece made the best ones she’d ever tasted—but a sudden orneriness overtook her, and she wanted to throw him off his game. Show him he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did.
Without missing a beat, he turned to Leo. Though his tone was pure nonchalance, his mouth firmed a fraction. “Left your mountain top to slum tonight, Cantrell?”
Leo’s smile widened, as if he enjoyed the odd jab—odd because Reece didn’t usually jab. “I wouldn’t call having dinner with a gorgeous woman ‘slumming.’” He sent Neve an appreciative sidelong glance. “I wanted to see how the fun half of the county lives. Glad I did because the other half is a lot of fun.”
Reece slapped Leo’s coaster down on the bar top a little harder than necessary, though Leo didn’t flinch. There seemed to be some kind of silent pissing match taking place between the two. Fortunately, it was broken up by Charlie Hunnicutt sauntering over with his usual grin and an extended hand. After Charlie and Leo exchanged the obligatories, Charlie slid his arm around Neve’s shoulders and pulled her in for a side hug. He dropped a kiss on her head, as natural as could be. Only months before, Neve could have spent a pleasant evening pretending they were an item, and Charlie would have played along. He had been her plus-one for years, and he’d been great at it. Not only was he good-looking—he was a Hunnicutt after all—but he was built to take care of himself and her when she needed a bodyguard.
But he’d gone and fallen head over heels for Joy Holiday. The audacity .
Leo’s brows cinched together, and Neve elbowed Charlie, who released her and took a step back. With her eyes on Leo, she pointed at her hugger. “We’re not … he’s not …”
“We used to be each other’s plus-ones,” Charlie explained. Joy chose that moment to park her chin on his shoulder, and he pivoted and pulled her in for a handsier version of the hug. “Now Joy’s my plus-one.”
Neve nodded. “Joy’s his plus-everything.”
Recognition danced in Leo’s eyes. “Zoe Saldana. Nice to see you again.”
Joy bore a remarkable resemblance to Zoe Saldana that everyone except Joy could see. The main differences were her height—Joy was taller—and her striking amber-colored eyes.
“Nice to see you too, Leo.” Joy reached out her hand for a shake and threw Neve a subtle wink, as if to say, “Good job, girl!”
Charlie lifted his chin toward Reece’s back. “Did you hear about the big guy’s latest heroics today?”
Reece froze and shot Charlie a warning scowl over his shoulder before returning to his drink prep.
Neve shook her head. “No, but I bet you’re going to tell me.”
“Damn straight I am because you know he won’t say anything.” Charlie immediately launched into a narrative about how Reece and Cade had been working trail maintenance when Cade had heard a cry for help. Conversation dropped to a dull drone as people began leaning in to hear the tale.
And there was another personality quirk she and Reece shared: He wasn’t comfortable with anyone shining the spotlight on him. Predictably, he moved off to the bar’s other section but seemed to keep one ear cocked—probably to correct Charlie in case he overembellished.
As Charlie unwound his tale—Reece’s tale—he had the full attention of his audience. “Guy and a girl from New York. Tourists. They get into an argument, and she takes off. Wasn’t familiar with the area but went stomping into the woods anyway. Apparently, she was going to teach him a lesson. A lesson about what, I’m not sure. Obviously not on survival in the woods in November. If Reece and Cade hadn’t been in the right spot at the right time, she could’ve been stranded overnight without food or water or any survival gear. No bueno. ”
“Wow, Reece, does she realize how close she came to freezing to death?” someone piped up. “Good thing you were there to save her ass.”
Charlie glanced over his shoulder. “Did I mention she’s a New Yorker? Not from around here,” he drawled. “Good thing for her Mr. Super Search and Rescue himself was Johnny-on-the-spot.”
Reece rolled his eyes and sidled back over. “Believe me, there were no heroics involved. And give the credit to Cade. He heard her. I didn’t. He also hustled to pull together our gear so we could take the lady to the closest emergency clinic.”
Charlie arched an eyebrow. “But you had to perform some kind of medical aid and get her to urgent care, right?”
“I freed her from some underbrush, taped up her ankle after making sure it wasn’t broken, and helped her to my truck. That’s the extent of it.” He flicked his eyes at Neve and held them for a beat. “I thought about bringing her to your clinic to save myself the two hours’ driving time to Durango.”
“Why didn’t you?” Neve shot back. She held back the urge to prod him about his “sore knee,” but hey, he had confirmed what she already knew, which was that he had lied about it earlier. She didn’t see a need to expose him in front of everyone—Reece always had a reason for doing what he did, even if it made no sense to her. Her silence gave her the opportunity to play protective older sibling too.
Swiveling his head toward her, Leo interjected, “I thought you only worked on dogs and cats.”
“And bunnies and hamsters and birds and God knows what else,” Charlie threw in. “So why not humans too?”
Neve tossed out a casual hand, explaining, “People stop by sometimes to get a quick look at this or that so they can determine whether they need to make the long drive for more medical attention. It’s not something I do on a daily or even monthly basis, but it happens from time to time. If it’s in my wheelhouse and I can save someone in my community the trouble and expense of going to urgent care, then I’m happy to help.” She returned her gaze to Reece, who now leaned against the back of the bar, arms crossed over his chest. He leveled her with a look that—if she didn’t know better—bordered on admiration.
“What?” she protested. “You do the same thing. Case in point, you drove that clueless woman all the way to Durango, even though—and this is only a guess, but I know you, Reece Hunnicutt—you had way better things to do with your time.”
Luanne placed a tray on the bar top. “Cade says they were supposed to finish up some trail work and get started on the town’s holiday lights afterward.”
Neve gave Reece a triumphant smirk. “Nailed it.”
He wagged his head back and forth. He was wearing a Henley the same sage green as his eyes. The fabric clung to his pecs and biceps, showcasing them in a way that would have made a men’s clothing catalog model envious. “So why didn’t you bring her by and save yourself the trouble?”
His chiseled cheekbones blazed red. “You weren’t too happy to see me when I was at the clinic earlier.” His eyes did a sly slide from her to Leo and back again. “So I figured it would be best if I didn’t bother you a second—”
“Third.” Neve held up three fingers. She was half teasing, though he didn’t seem to tune in to her humor.
“Right. A third time. Anyway, I decided it would be easier on everyone if I took her to urgent care.” He shrugged. “Less liability that way too. Transfers her care to qualified professionals.”
“Was the boyfriend going to pick her up?”
“No idea. Not my problem. I was irritated enough at having to skip the trail maintenance, and Germaine was plenty irate with me for standing her up.”
Neve’s radar went on high alert. “Standing her up? Did you have a date with her?” she yelped. Oh dear God, say it isn’t so!
Joy chimed in. “Germaine is set on landing herself a Hunnicutt hunk—her words, not mine—and Reece is the last available Hunnicutt standing. So I think that answers that.”
His relaxed pose evaporated, and he brought himself upright, his spine like a steel rod. He shook his head. Vigorously. “No, it’s not like that. She’s got the decorations over at the visitor’s center, where she works. I was supposed to pick them up from her there. She stayed late, waiting on me, but I didn’t have cell service, so I could let her know I was running late. By the time I remembered to text her, I was back in the mountains with no reception, and I couldn’t reach her. Pretty sure I earned top spot on her shit list. ”
“Not if she’s gunning for the ‘last available Hunnicutt,’” Neve scoffed. God, Germaine was a pain in the ass—and a hussy! She always had been. First Noah had been her target. When he and Hailey had gotten together, she had set her sights on Charlie. Now that he was taken, it sounded like she was trying to get her claws into Reece. Neve fumed at the notion.
“And I’m probably on the barkeep’s too after showing up twenty minutes late for my shift.” He pointed at Noah, who was filling a pitcher of beer.
“Nah,” Noah drawled. “You’re wound too tight to just blow off your commitments without an explanation, so I figured you had a good reason.” He looked at Reece and grinned. “And don’t worry. I’m docking your pay.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less.” Reece chucked a coaster at his head.
“Anyone who didn’t already know could easily guess you’re brothers,” Leo said dryly.
Oops. Neve had nearly forgotten he was seated right next to her … and that she was on a date with him. “Do you have any siblings, Leo?” They hadn’t covered families over dinner.
“Brother and sister, both younger.”
An awkward beat passed as all eyes riveted on them. Neve felt like one of those movie characters who had just been captured and stood surrounded by pointy spears or sword tips aimed right at her chest.
Leo broke the ice. “So back to this woman in the woods, Reece. What ended up being wrong with her?” He poked his thumb in Neve’s direction. “Could Neve have helped her?”
“She twisted her ankle or maybe sprained it. It would have been hard to walk out of there, but she could have done it without our help. Problem was, she had no clue where she was going and no idea what to do. She was in a panic and wasn’t thinking straight. Her mental state was more dangerous than her swollen ankle.”
Charlie guffawed and looked around at his audience. “He makes it all sound so easy, doesn’t he? And according to Cade, she was leaning on our boy here way more than she needed to. Didn’t she ask you to pick her up and carry her at one point?”
Sheepishness overtook Reece’s features. “Well, I kind of had to. There were ruts in the trail and a small rockfall we had to maneuver.”
Joy clapped. “Ooh, and another woman succumbs to the Reece Rescue Syndrome. ”
“I doubt that very much. She was just happy that someone saved her from her bad decisions.”
Par for the course when it came to Reece. Fate had a way of depositing the wounded and needy in his path, and being Reece, he always came through with a huge helping of humility.
“Then maybe you should ask her out,” Charlie prodded. “You have a lot working in your favor. She’s on the rebound, and you just saved her life. Chicks dig that.” He turned wide eyes on Joy. “Or so I’m told.”
“No way, Charlie Hunnicutt,” Dixie barked. “That dummy is obviously not the brightest bulb in the box, and Prince Reece needs someone smart to keep up with him. Like the doc here.”
Wait, what?
Leo let out a mirthless chuckle. “ Prince Reece? Is there some blue blood flowing through this town I wasn’t aware of?”
Reece’s beard didn’t hide the blaze in his cheekbones. “It’s a joke Dixie made up.” He gave her a pointed look. “A really bad joke.”
Neve elbowed Leo. “I’ll fill you in later.”
Now Reece directed that pointed look at her . Was it because she had insinuated there would be a “later” with Leo? That was none of his big-brother business.
Charlie stepped into the awkward silence and steered the conversation in a different direction. Neve wanted to hug him for it. “So, Cantrell, what’s the latest on our railroad tracks?”
The two men delved into conversation about a joint project aimed at reviving Fall River’s train from its glory days when the town thrived on mining. Instead of transporting miners and supplies, though, this train was going to bring in tourists looking for a unique experience in the Colorado Rockies. The whole town was primed for the upscale enterprise, but the plan had hit a number of speed bumps that were delaying its completion.
Neve was interested in the venture insofar as its benefits for their town, but the details didn’t capture her attention. Fortunately, Joy came to her rescue when she slid beside her.
She dropped her voice so only they two could hear. “You look fabulous, and the effect seems to be working on one male in particular. Let me see the nails. ”
Neve recoiled with embarrassment and felt that familiar flush. But it was impossible to say no to Joy, so Neve held out her hands for inspection. “Don’t look too close. I already chipped one.”
“Hazards of the job, I expect. But they look great. Luanne did a really nice job.” Joy looked around and held her thumbs up to the manicurist currently bussing a table. Neve mouthed, “Thank you,” and Luanne grinned back.
Neve sighed. “It’s hard to be a girlie girl when you’re being slobbered on all day.”
“Slobbered on is what you’re going for, lady, and I’m not talking about the kind that comes from your fur babies.” Joy poked a playful elbow against Neve’s upper arm.
Neve stifled a laugh.
Joy whispered beside Neve’s ear, “Leo is perfect for you, you know. Not to mention downright delicious.”
Reece chose that moment to deliver their drinks. Other than one slightly raised eyebrow, he didn’t give away whether he’d overheard Joy’s comment. Not that it mattered. Not anymore.
Neve raised her glass to Leo’s, and he gave her a flirty wink that set off a few sparklers in her belly. This dating-someone-else thing might actually work.
Yep, she was definitely on her way to getting over Reece.