Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Wesley
Lucky Shot
The last thing Wes expected to find as he drove along Beach Boulevard was a woman walking in a sequined gown and heels in the snow. Pulling up beside her, Wes put down his window and stopped his truck while he grinned at his good fortune.
“Excuse me, can I give you a lift somewhere?” Wes said.
Shelby had her hands in her coat and her face tucked down as low as possible to ward off the cold, but she looked freezing. He leaned over and opened the passenger door.
“Get in before you get hypothermia in those ridiculous shoes.”
She did as instructed, and he turned the heat on full blast. Then reached out his hand to grip her bare knee and began to run his hand up and down her freezing leg.
“What the hell were you thinking going out in this cold with nothing on?”
“I’m wearing a dress and a coat,” she said through chattering teeth.
“Not appropriate for forty-degree weather, and why would you try to walk in the snow in those shoes?”
“Desperation,” she said, but kicked off the absurd shoes on his floorboard and tucked her feet up under the dash where the heat was pouring out. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you found me.” She leaned her head back with her eyes closed and slowly let the tension run out of her body as she warmed up.
“Why didn’t you just call me if you were stranded or needed a ride?”
She didn’t move, didn’t say anything, just sat there basking in the heat of his car.
“Oh, I get it.”
Her eyes popped open, and she turned her head to look at him. “Get what?”
“Either you don’t want to spend any more time with me, or you’re worried what people will say, or both.”
“No. That’s not true,” she said defensively.
“Then why haven’t you reached out? Did you see my email?”
“Yes, just this evening but I was at a stupid event my mother was hosting with her women’s committee.”
“And you’d rather walk in the freezing cold than call me?”
“I didn’t plan on attending this event, and it was getting late. But I didn’t plan on having to walk.”
“Where were you going to walk?”
“My truck is parked at my parents’. It’s not that far. I thought I could easily make it without freezing to death.”
“Aside from the fact that it’s winter, we just had a blizzard, you aren’t wearing pants, or snow boots, and the breeze along the coast is intense?”
“I forgot.”
Wes gritted his teeth. “I notice you just glossed over my other question. So I’m going to take your lack of a response to my multiple attempts to spend more time with you to mean you’re not interested.”
“Correct, I’m not interested in being the sheriff’s hookup,” she said, looking out at the road. “Could you just drop me off at my parents’ house please? It’s 607.”
“Buckle your seat belt.” Wes gripped the steering wheel, annoyed, but put the truck into gear and slowly moved down the street.
“Fine,” she huffed and made a big show of putting it on. Which only forced him to notice how high her skirt rode up her creamy, shapely thighs. And he couldn’t help but recall exactly how those legs felt wrapped around his hips as he drove into her, and she screamed his name.
“What do you mean you don’t want to be my hookup? Isn’t it a little late for that?”
“Yes, and I’m not saying I regret it, I’m just saying now that I’m going to be staying in town for a bit, I’d rather not be in the spotlight of the town gossip mill.
My brother already thinks you defend me too much, and I can just imagine how all your little admirers will treat me if they know I’m just warming your bed at night. ”
“Technically you haven’t been warming my bed, which I view as the real problem, not to mention you are apparently allergic to keeping warm. You still don’t have a proper coat or boots for winter.”
“It’s right here,” she said pointing to her parents’ massive mansion behind a gaudy gate.
And he couldn’t help but wonder if that was the real reason she didn’t want to spend more time with him.
She was a Shepherd and he was Hart. They came from different worlds and he didn’t get along with her family at all.
“I know where it is, and I think I can read between the lines. Don’t worry, I won’t reach out to you anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said as she opened her door.
“Just that I get it. I’m not the kind of man you’d want to bring around. I got it.”
She pressed a button on the intercom. “It’s Shelby—please open the gate.
” Then turned back to narrow her eyes at him in the SUV.
“Last I checked you didn’t ask to take me on a date, Wesley—you just said you wanted me to warm your bed.
Maybe that works for your little badge bunnies, but I’m not interested in joining that club.
Good night.” Then she walked away down the driveway, forcing him to admire how her hips swayed and legs flexed as she quickly made her way to her truck.
He punched the steering wheel and spotted headlights coming up behind him so he had to drive away. He’d totally messed this situation up. She thought he was the one ashamed of her, or that he only wanted to sleep with her. He did, but he also wanted everyone to know. He wanted to claim her as his.
*
The next day Wes was still at a loss for how he was supposed to handle his situation with Shelby.
He wanted to spend time with her, and it sounded like she wanted the same thing, but there were several reasons they should try to keep their situation under wraps at least to start.
So he did the one thing he could think of, after swinging by the local outdoor supply store, he drove out to Old Man Shepherd’s place.
Shelby’s truck was the only car in the driveway, so he knew the coast was clear of any of her family.
He had the day off, and was dressed casual in jeans, winter boots, a sweater, and his thick blue winter coat.
Shelby looked through the side window before opening the door and he could see her eyes go wide with surprise. But she opened up with a tentative smile. She looked cozy in fitted jeans and a thick cream-colored sweater.
“I wanted to see if you had any free time today and if you would like to go out with me?” Wes said feeling like a lovesick teenager asking a girl to prom. He held out the large bag from his earlier shopping trip. “Instead of flowers I wanted to bring you something more important.”
“Flowers?” She accepted the bag.
“Don’t guys still bring flowers to women they’re interested in dating?”
“It’s called courting, and yes I believe they still do,” Pops said as he shuffled through the foyer with a cup of tea. “Let the young man in, Shelby Bell.”
“Oh sorry, come in.”
Wes opened the screen door and stepped into the warmth of the house. He noticed Mr. Shepherd shuffled slowly down the hall to what he thought was probably his study. Wes took off his coat and hung it on an empty hook near the front door.
“I don’t understand,” Shelby said.
“That’s my fault—I made this more complicated than it should be. Shelby, I like you, and I’d like to see you while you’re in town. This is my attempt at apologizing and maybe trying to butter you up a little so you’ll agree to go out with me.” He gestured to the bag. “Open it—it might sway you.”
Her smile was shy but her cheeks were flushed with pink and it only made him want to see the deep red blush she had whenever he kissed her.
She ushered him into the sitting room just off the foyer and set the large bag down on the coffee table.
Then like a kid on Christmas she pulled the white tissue paper the store clerk used to wrap the items he’d picked out for her.
First she pulled out a red winter coat, with a fur-lined hood attached, and held it out.
It was high quality, and rated for below-zero temperatures.
“A winter coat?” she said.
“Try it on. I wanted to make sure you had enough room for a thick sweater underneath, or a sequined gown, whatever you’re up to that day.”
She laughed. “Wesley, you shouldn’t have done this. It’s too much.”
“No it’s not. Go on, try it.”
She unzipped it and he stood to help hold it as she slipped each arm in, then reached down to zip it up from the knee length.
“Perfect,” she said surprised. “It’s really warm.”
“That’s because it’s a proper winter coat. Now you won’t freeze to death, and I’ll sleep better at night. Keep going—there’s more.”
Leaving the coat on, she tucked her hair behind her ears and reached into the bag again. Next she pulled out gloves, then a box.
“Boots? How did you know what size?”
“I have two other pairs in the car in case I guessed wrong.”
Her eyes went wide with surprise. “You don’t.”
He just nodded. “You want room for wool socks but not so much room your feet get cold.”
She sat down and slipped on the black boots with fur lining and laced them.
“How do they feel?”
“Amazing, and a perfect fit, but I can’t accept all this.”
“Yes you can.” Then Wes reached into the bag and pulled out the fleece-lined skull cap he got her in red to match her coat and moved closer to pull it down over her head. She let him and looked up as his hands held her face.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear about wanting to spend time with you in and out of bed. To be honest I haven’t dated much and didn’t think you’d be interested in being caught with a Hart.”
“I guess it could complicate things, but more for you than me.”
“What do you mean? I heard my dad encouraging my brother to run for sheriff against you.”
“Oh really. Well how about you let me worry about that. What I don’t want is you getting any heat from your family for spending time with me.”
She nodded. “I don’t really care what they say.”
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, needing to be sure she wanted his attention.
She reached up, gripping his sweater and pulling him closer. “Yes.”
And that’s all the permission he needed. Finding her mouth eager for his was like winning a prize. He couldn’t help the wave of desire for her as he moved closer, and she stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss him back.
But her soft hum of pleasure reminded him he wanted to take her out before they unraveled and they definitely couldn’t get naked in her grandfather’s house. Ending the kiss, he ran his thumb along her full bottom lip.
“Does this mean you forgive me, and you’ll go out with me today?”
She nodded while sucking in a breath. “I just need to make sure Pops has what he needs. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here.”
He watched her unzip her coat and fan herself as she walked down the hall to check on Mr. Shepherd. A minute later she was back.
“He’s snoozing. I left him a note to call me when he wakes up, or to expect me back in time for dinner.”
“That works,” he said with a forced smile, disappointed she wouldn’t be staying with him. But he could understand the whole reason she was in town was to help her grandfather out.
She grabbed her bag at the door, and he put his coat back on.
“So where are we headed today?”
“Do you trust me?”
She paused. “Is it weird that I do? Maybe it’s the badge.”
He laughed. “I’ll take it.”
She locked the front door and then he opened the passenger-side door of his truck and waited for her to get in, then went around to the other side.
“You really did have backup sizes,” she said, noticing the two other boxes in his back seat.
“I told you I’m trustworthy.”
“That’s a great quality.”
He started up his SUV and pulled back out of the driveway.
He succeeded in getting her to forgive him and trust him.
Now he needed to see if he could woo her enough to spend all her spare time with him while she was in town.
There was something about this woman he didn’t want to let go of anytime soon.