Chapter Five
“Well,” Willow grinned, “now we better understand the stunned look you still had at lunch today. Abby is gorgeous.”
“What’s going on?” Arlene, his cousins’ mother, was sitting on the other side of the table and had obviously missed what had happened. “One minute you’re introduced to Abby, and the next she runs away.”
“Carson met a woman in Spokane yesterday,” Ellie said. “He didn’t know her name. Now it turns out, the woman he met and Abby are the same person.”
“Although,” Willow said with one of her slow smiles, “it was way more than a mere meeting, wasn’t it?”
Ellie, Rose, and Laura inhaled simultaneously but before they could say anything, there was a movement behind them. June and Abby were approaching the table.
Ignoring everyone else, Carson stood up and pulled out the chair next to him for Abby. George woke up as he sat down again and crept out from under his jacket on to his leg.
Without looking his way, Abby sat down.
“What a coincidence, Abby,” Willow said with a big smile. “Meeting Carson again, isn’t it?”
“It is, indeed,” Abby said primly, still not looking at him. “I love your town,” she quickly added. “It’s like something straight out of an old Western movie. June tried to explain it to me, and I’ve seen pictures, but it’s really beautiful.”
Fortunately, everyone else around the table had stories to tell about Marietta and soon the conversation moved to the late 1800s, when what their forefathers had thought was copper in the mountains turned out to be fool’s gold.
“By 1899,” Arlene was saying, “many folks had left, but a few hardy souls, plus European immigrants, chose to stay here, put down roots, raise cattle, and work the land.”
“What a lovely story.” Abby was clearly interested.
George, hearing her voice, barked.
Surprised, Abby turned her head. “What …?”
“Meet George,” Carson said. “I got him today so I couldn’t leave him alone. He’s still trying out his bark.”
George climbed all over Carson, trying to get to Abby.
Clearly worried, she looked at Carson. “He won’t bite?”
“Nope. He’s a lover. Like me,” he added softly.
She ignored his last remark as she touched George, but he was close enough the see the blush creeping up her neck.
A waiter brought drinks.
“I’ve ordered a glass of white wine for you,” Carson said softly.
Those green eyes met his in a millisecond. “Thanks.”
As the drinks were handed out, everyone ordered food.
“Abs,” June said, “they make trout with almonds that I think you’ll like.”
“Sounds great, thanks.” Abby said, returning the menu to the waiter.
While waiting for their food, other people stopped by to chat, but of course, most of them just wanted to meet Abby. Somehow, George ended up on Abby’s lap and by the time the food arrived, he was fast asleep.
“Don’t mind the people, sweetie,” Arlene said with a smile. “They mean well. People around here care for each other. They’re unfortunately also very inquisitive. By tomorrow morning the whole town will know about you, and I won’t be surprised if everyone also knows where you met Carson.”
Abby gasped, a sound that went straight to Carson’s loins. Damn, just that sound took him back to his bed in the hotel room with Abby. This was so not the time and place to be thinking about what had happened between him and Abby.
“Let me take George while you eat,” he said to stop the memories.
“He’s sleeping,” Abby said, stroking George’s head. “He’s not bothering me.”
His eyes dropped to the V of her top where the swell of her breasts was just visible.
“… busy weekend,” Ellie’s voice interrupted his lustful thoughts. “Thursday late afternoon is June’s book launch at the library and next weekend it’s the Marietta Harvest and Beer festival.”
“Is the festival next weekend already?” June asked.
“Oh, yes,” Rose said, smiling. “And that means it’s time for a trip to Bozeman. June, I’m sure you need a new dress for your book launch, and then there’s Saturday night’s dance. What do you say?”
“Great idea,” June said. “Abby is looking for stackable storage baskets or boxes for our house, do you know of a place where we can find that?”
“Oh, yes,” Arlene said. “I know exactly where such a store is in Bozeman. What about Monday? You probably need the storage boxes as soon as possible.”
The women’s voices rose as they excitedly planned their trip to Bozeman.
Dylan who was passing behind his chair, touched his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked as he bent down on the other side of where Abby was sitting. “You still have a sledgehammer-on-the-forehead kinda look.”
Turning his head slightly, Carson shook his head. “I … I wasn’t expecting to see her again.”
“You have feelings for her?”
Carson shrugged, crossing his arms. “How would I know? She’s gorgeous and sweet and funny and … well, let’s leave it at that, but I don’t know anything about her, except that she’s into decluttering and organizing …”
Dylan sighed. “I don’t know, it sounds perfect to me. Why don’t you ask her to do something about your house?”
“I like my house …”
“Do you, really?” Dylan asked. “Or are you just still rebelling against Mom?”
Before Carson could answer him, he was walking away.
Beside him, Abby put money on the table before she handed George to him. “Annie and Craig are leaving, I’m going with them.” Getting up, she smiled. “Thanks, everyone for a lovely meal.”
“Remember we have lunch at my place tomorrow,” Arlene said.
“It’s very kind of you, Arlene, thank you.”
While she was talking, Carson also got up. “I’ll take you.” With George tucked closely under his jacket, he also left money on the table before he took Abby’s hand.
“It’s really not …” she began, but he bent down.
“We should talk, don’t you think?” he said under his breath. Around them, voices hushed, everyone was looking their way.
“Okay, fine.” Pressing her lips together, Abby pulled her hand from his and turning around, headed for the exit.
His eyes dropped down to the way her jeans fit around her very sexy butt. Oh, man, if he wasn’t mistaken, he was in deep trouble.
*
Overwhelmed and tired, Abby rushed outside.
The crisp, cool fall air was lovely. She was burning up.
Sitting so close to the cowboy all night had the same effect on her as it had last night.
His musky, earthy scent had slowly been driving her crazy all through the meal.
She had no idea what anyone else had said.
“There’s Craig and Annie, I’ll go with them …” she tried again.
With his hand behind her back, he gently steered her toward a humungous truck.
“Hang on,” he said as he opened the door and set George inside. “Let me help you.” He held out his hand.
“I can get into a damn truck by myself,” she muttered crossly. She had no idea why she was so grumpy, she never was. It had just been a long, strange day.
He moved to the side and grabbing something above her head, she tried to pull herself up. Two warm hands caught her around the middle and the next moment she was placed inside, ever so gently.
George immediately climbed back on to her lap. Oddly comforted, she stroked his head as June had showed her.
“He likes you,” Carson said as he started his truck and slipped on to the road.
“I don’t know dogs,” she said. “We weren’t allowed to have any.”
“You’ve also been in foster care, like June?’”
She nodded. It wasn’t a part of her life she liked to talk about.
“Dylan and I wanted a dog so badly when we were kids,” Carson said. “My mom was very controlling and liked the house neat and tidy. Dogs weren’t allowed.”
His words hung in the air around them.
“Then you probably won’t even like me,” she said. “I also like to be in control of things and I love tidying up. It’s what I do for a living.”
His low chuckle stoked the embers, still glowing from last night. “So I’ve heard. And seen. Thank you for folding my clothes so neatly this morning.”
“This morning? It feels like ages ago,” she murmured.
Picking up her hand, he placed both their hands on his leg. “Even knowing you like to tidy up and organize doesn’t change the way you make me feel.” He turned left into a street.
“The whole thing is ridiculous,” she said, opening the window to inhale some much-needed fresh air. “We don’t know one another, and we couldn’t be more different. My suggestion is we forget about the whole hotel-bedroom scene and move on. I’ll be leaving in a few days anyway.”
He parked the car in front of Annie’s B & B and turned toward her. “I have another suggestion.”
Still stroking George’s head, she looked at Carson. “What?”
“We spend time together while you’re here and see whether this is real or not.”
“I’ve come here to work. I’ll be busy during the day and when I do have time off, I want to spend it with June.”
Picking up her braid, he played with it. “I know, but when you’ve finished tidying up June’s place, what about mine?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t really want anyone decluttering your house, do you?”
“You’re right,” he nodded. “Dylan says I’m still rebelling against my mother. Maybe it’s true. Will you help me organize my house—even if it’s just a little bit?”
Sighing, she looked at him. Every crazy thing she felt for the cowboy last night was still there.
Spending more time with him, though, was so not a good idea.
She was leaving within a week. Ten days tops.
“You can’t just do a little. It’s all or nothing.
For me at least. I’ll never sleep knowing I haven’t done my job properly.
I have to get back to Seattle as soon as possible.
My schedule is full for the rest of the year.
I’ll have to think about whether I have time. ”
“While you’re thinking,” he said as he picked up George and put him on the back seat before lowering his head, “I’m going to kiss you again. Let’s see if last night’s magic is still there …” His words disappeared into her mouth as his lips closed possessively over hers.