Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
A slow, wide grin spread across Tate’s lips and he brought his thumb to brush along the lower one. “Rylee Black.” Her name felt strange on his tongue. She was so… different. And in the very best ways possible.
At the sound of her name, a spark flared in her eyes.
He lost track of how long they stood there, taking each other in.
When he’d seen her at the meeting, he couldn’t help but notice how she’d changed.
Gone was the rough and tumble girl who insisted she could keep up with the boys next door.
In her place had been a strong woman who carried herself like she was ready to take control of a board room.
Or maybe it was the strut of a model who knew she owned the runway.
Perhaps both. Not a hair had been out of place, and she wore heels that could pierce the heart of any man foolish enough to attempt to steal hers.
But now?
He hadn’t worked out his own intent before he reached out and pinched a strand of her wet, tangled hair between his finger and thumb.
He rubbed it together, one side of his mouth curving into a grin.
He’d forgotten just how much he’d liked this wild creature.
She’d been a force to be reckoned with. Right now, she looked more like herself—or the girl he’d once known.
Smudges of mud coated her cheeks and more mud was plastered to her clothes. Her hair was spiked out every which way. She looked like she could have been raised out here in the mountains.
And, dang, was she stunning.
Rylee exhaled, drawing his focus to her face. She blinked a few times, her eyes flared wide. And that was when it landed on him how intimate his reaction had been. His hand dropped to his side and he took a step back. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and took another step back.
Tate jerked his chin toward the hallway. “The bathroom is just down that way. You should…” He coughed. “You should shower to warm up. But ease into it. Heating up too fast can be dangerous.”
She blinked again like he’d grown two heads. “I’m n-not… That’s not…” She blushed and held out the clothes. “Look, I only c-came over here because I h-heard something.”
His brows knit together. “You… heard something?”
Her throat bobbed, drawing his attention to her slender neck. But when she spoke again, he hitched up his focus to her eyes once more. “Yeah. The p-power went out. And I was going to check on the f-fuses, but then there was a crash and—”
Tate frowned, glancing at the door as if he expected the intruder to follow her here. “Did you call the sheriff?” He shook his head. “Never mind. That doesn’t matter. First, you need to warm up. Get changed and then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”
“But—”
“Now, Rylee. I’m not going to ask again.”
Her face scrunched into a scowl—one he might have found adorable if she wasn’t shivering and turning blue right before his eyes.
“I’m going to set a fire and when you’re done, come out here and wrap yourself up in a blanket.” He held up a hand before she could protest. “No arguments.”
She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. But as soon as the storm stops, I want to go over there and figure out what it was.” Rylee stomped off toward the bathroom and Tate pulled out his phone.
He hesitated. Calling the sheriff when he didn’t even know what they were dealing with didn’t seem like a good idea. It was probably nothing. He and Jason could go over to her place to check it out when he got back from wherever it was he’d been going lately.
It wasn’t normal for Jason to be out so often. Perhaps he’d finally found someone who had stolen his attention.
When Rylee came out of the bathroom, the living room was several degrees warmer. He’d considered waiting by the bathroom door so he could lead her through the house but thought better of it. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was a creeper.
He stood up and smiled. She offered him a shy smile back and moved across the room to sit on one side of the couch.
He’d given her one of his t-shirts and a pair of sweats.
She was practically drowning in his clothes, but he couldn’t say he hated it.
Her hair was still damp and tucked behind her ears. “Thanks for the clothes,” she murmured.
“Of course.” He took a seat.
Rylee folded her legs beneath her, curling up as small as she could on her side. His hands curled into themselves to stifle the desire to reach over and touch her again. This was all so surreal.
He hadn’t thought about her in ages and suddenly she was here and consuming his every waking thought. He wanted to know more about her. What had become of her after she’d moved. Why was she back?
“Is everyone already asleep?” she asked, picking at a speck of lint on the couch. “I didn’t want to wake anyone, but I didn’t really have anywhere else I could go.”
The house had been quiet a good while. His sisters didn’t usually stay out late. Tate scrubbed at his jaw and brought his eyes back to her. He searched her face, nearly forgetting to answer the question. “Yeah, everyone is asleep.”
“But not you?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to get to sleep. Especially if Jason is out.”
Her smile was like a shot of pure sunshine. It was sweet and warm. He wanted to bottle it up and keep it forever. “How is Jason?”
“He’s good.”
Rylee ducked her head, folding her hands into her lap. “That’s not all that descriptive since the last time I saw him was when he was a child.”
He laughed and she joined in. It caught him off guard. He didn’t remember her laugh being so magnetic when they were younger. The soft, lilting cadence of it was only magnified when she let go. Tate’s own amusement faded as he reveled in the sound of it.
When she caught that she was the only one laughing, the sound choked off and she looked away, color flooding her cheeks.
Tate leaned forward, wanting to assure her… of something, but he didn’t know what. Instead, he glanced toward the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink? Do you still like your hot chocolate covered in Lucky Charms marshmallows?”
The way her eyes both widened and brightened could have knocked him off his feet. “You remember?”
He chuckled, rising. “Yeah, that’s sorta hard to forget.”
Rylee rose as well, following him to the kitchen. “Yeah, but still. That was fifteen years ago.”
Tate eyed her as he rounded the island and pulled out the ingredients for hot chocolate. Then he grabbed the box of cereal. “What happened?”
When she frowned with confusion, he clarified.
“When you moved away.”
“My dad died,” she said quietly.
“I knew that. But…” Tate rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, then blew out a breath. “I mean what happened after you moved away?”
Rylee’s slow blink and the sideways look made it clear she might not be ready to discuss her life.
So it surprised him when she finally spoke.
“I moved in with my aunt.” A small, grateful smile tugged at her lips.
“She’s something else. Doesn’t care a lick about what other people think of her. I love her dearly.”
“Sounds familiar,” Tate said, not caring that Rylee shot him a startled look.
“Anyway,” she continued, “she raised me in the city. She married a man with money and for several years she and my uncle were my family. He passed away a couple years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too. He was a great guy. A little rough around the edges, but he adored Roxy. And he gave me everything I could have wanted. He loved me like I was his own.” She lifted a shoulder and blew out a breath.
Then another smile stole across her features.
It was bittersweet. Sadness intertwining with a look of adoration and nostalgia.
“I really think he was the only man who could handle my aunt.”
“So, she doesn’t care what other people think… am I correct in assuming she lives life on her terms?”
Rylee laughed. “And then some. She’s always lived life out loud. It’s like we’re all just going through the motions in black and white but Roxy? All she sees is color.”
He found himself smiling despite himself. He wanted more. To hear all about this crazy aunt of hers. “Sounds like the stories you could tell would fill a book.”
Her eyes flicked up to meet his. “One time shortly after I moved in with her, she told me to get ready because we were going on a date.” Her blush returned. “You remember what my wardrobe used to consist of.”
“Overalls and boots.”
“Yup. But I did have one dress Dad insisted on getting me for Easter Sunday. So I wore that. Roxy didn’t bat an eye.
Didn’t tell me that I needed to dress up better.
Though, she probably should have. Anyway, she took me to this fancy restaurant.
I’m talking like one of those five-star places that empty a bank account with one order.
She swept in there, holding my hand even though she got crazy looks.
I guess kids didn’t usually go to places like that. ”
Tate leaned forward, captivated.
“Well, we sat down at our table and she told me to order whatever I wanted.” Rylee wrinkled her nose and glanced up at the ceiling. “I told you it was shortly after losing my dad?”
Tate nodded. She was getting emotional, her eyes bright with tears.
“So I told her I wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
His brows lifted. “I’m guessing that restaurant didn’t have that on the menu.”
Rylee shook her head. “Not even close.”
“So what did you get instead?”
Her smile returned as she met his gaze. “I asked for the sandwich and when the waiter told me to pick something else, Aunt Roxy rose to her feet and pointed at the man. She said she didn’t care what it would take, but I would be getting my sandwich.
Apparently, she knew the chef. She made sure the waiter understood who Uncle Allistair was and how disappointed he’d be to hear his favorite niece didn’t get what she wanted. ”
Tate gaped at her. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” she said, popping the “p.”
“Let me guess. You got some obnoxious version of a PB&J with jelly reduction or some nonsense.”
She laughed again, which spurred his own laughter.
“Actually, the chef sent one of the waiters out to the bakery next door for fresh sourdough and down the block to the little neighborhood market for peanut butter and grape jelly. It was delicious even though Roxy was impatient for them to hurry up and get it done.” Rylee sighed, placing her cheek in her hand.
“And it was the first memory I have where I realized everything would be okay.”
Tate blew out a surprised breath. “Wow. That’s… uh…”
“Yeah.” Rylee laughed. “That’s Aunt Roxy for you.”
At that moment, the side door opened and Jason entered the kitchen.
He paused on the threshold, his eyes bouncing from Rylee to Tate and back again.
Then a small smile tugged at his lips. He didn’t utter a single word as he headed for the cupboard and pulled down a glass.
He filled it with ice water, took a long drink, then placed the glass in the sink.
He turned, nodded, and muttered, “’Night, Tate.
” Then he glanced at Rylee. Curiosity shone in his gaze, but he didn’t ask any questions.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be giving Tate the third degree.
Jason would want the whole story, and who his visitor was.
Thankfully, that wouldn’t be happening tonight.
Tate waited until his brother was gone, then turned to Rylee. “I got some blankets out for you. I think it’d be best if you stay here tonight. It’s late. If there’s a problem with the electrical, it’s not going to be easy to fix anyway.”
She had an argument coming, but he held up a hand.
“It’s not an imposition, so don’t even think that. I’ll come out to your place in the morning and we can figure out what happened. And what you heard in the basement.”
Rylee winced. “Yeah. I guess that’s a good point.
” Her crooked smile was absolutely adorable.
He wanted to follow her to the couch and hear more about her life, about Roxy, and what her plans were.
There was a pull to Rylee that he couldn’t explain.
Most surprising was the fact that he didn’t mind it.
The connection he shared with her was solid and real. Exhilarating.
But he held back.
Tate nodded toward the hall. “You can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” she said with a strangled sort of laugh. “The couch is fine for me.”
He could have put up a fight, but once again, he chose to keep his mouth shut. The Rylee he remembered was more stubborn than the goats over at Sagebrush Ranch. He should just count himself lucky that she agreed to stay until the storm let up. So all he said was, “Sleep tight, Ry-Ry.”
She stiffened. It was small, but he caught it. Her eyes locked with his briefly then she slipped away from the island and headed for the couch. “Thanks, Tate. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”