Charlene Sands - Exquisite Acquisitions

“Th-that’s good.”

He leaned closer and used one finger to wipe away a droplet of water at the base of her throat. His slight touch heated her skin. “Didn’t mean to drip on you.”

Drip all you want. Macy swallowed and forced a glance into his eyes. “It’s okay.”

On bent knee, his gaze flowed over her like a rapidly moving river, taking all of her in. She was wearing a soft pink nightie that barely covered her thighs. He went there and then farther up to view the cleavage between her breasts. “Macy,” he said, eyes blazing. “Where were you going?”

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep. I was going to stretch my legs. Maybe get a drink of water.” Thankfully, she was heading in the opposite direction of his bedroom, so he wouldn’t think she was desperate for something erotic and sinful.

A lock of moist hair fell onto his forehead. A few beads of water ran down his face, and he dripped on her again. Oh wow. On second thought, yes, definitely something sinful. She peered at his chest again. It was hard not to. “What were you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep, either. Took a swim.”

“I gathered. You, uh, you do have swim trunks on under that towel, right?”

His eyes gleamed. “What if I said no?”

Macy took a big swallow. “Then I’d know you like to go skinny-dipping in the moonlight.”

“Nah,” he said, sending her a crooked smile. “Sorry to disappoint you. It’s not fun to skinny-dip without a partner. Ready?”

Her eyes widened. “For a skinny-dip?”

Carter winked. “Maybe one day, Hollywood. Are you ready to get up?”

“Oh, um.” She nibbled on her lower lip, feeling foolish. She had to learn not to make assumptions. “Yeah, I should be okay to stand.”

Without hesitation, he gripped her hand and put his other arm around her waist. “Easy now.” He bore the brunt of her weight as he set her onto her feet with care. He held her steady, but another spike of pain ran up her limb from the pressure of standing.

“Oh!”

Lowering his head to her level, Carter caught her attention. “You okay?”

She was in his arms again. How could she not be okay? “It’s just a little sore.”

“Hang on,” he said, then she was lifted up, and immediately her arm wound around his neck. He carried her caveman style to her bedroom. With care, he lowered her onto her bed. She clung to his neck a moment too long.

It was dark and intimate and they were barely dressed.

“Macy.” He held warning in his tone. He was half on, half off her bed, and she lay underneath him.

He hesitated, glanced at her mouth, and she held her breath. Something flashed in his eyes and her desire escalated. What had gotten into her? She wanted to make love with a man she’d known only a few days.

Carter blinked and took a deep breath before bringing his mouth down to lay claim to her lips. It was sheer heaven, having him kiss her again. Her heart pounded against her chest. His mouth was hot and demanding, but the kiss lasted only a few seconds before he pulled away. Carter rose to full height and stood over her bed. He spoke with a low rasp. “Get some rest, Macy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She waited for him to walk out and shut the door before she slammed her head into the feather down pillow. Her foot ached, her ego was bruised and now she had nothing but counting ceiling tiles to look forward to tonight. She mumbled, “Yeah right, Carter. As if I could get any sleep now.”

The painters were in and out in three days and Macy was pleased at how the interior of the house was shaping up. It was amazing how much better the inn looked with a fresh coat of paint. The colors she’d chosen were soothing and subtle but with enough character to add charm and a sense of home. It was like putting the first brushstroke on an artist’s canvas. The rest of the picture was hers to create.

With workmen making repairs, the place was shaping up nicely. Macy was proud of what she’d accomplished in such a short time. By the middle of her second week at Wild River, she had everything under control.

“How do you like it, Rock?” she asked of her furry blond companion. They stood facing the front of the inn.

Rocky turned his eyes toward the house and gave a quick little bark. There were times Macy wondered if the dog was half human. He seemed to know what she was saying most of the time.

“Yeah, pretty great. I think so, too.”

A team of landscapers were working diligently to tear up the weeds, retill the soil and ready the ground for the white iceberg roses she’d ordered to line the path leading up the house. Masons had already inlaid cobblestones in various areas of the garden.

Things were moving fast.

If she wasn’t careful, she’d be through here before she was ready to head home to Hollywood. She was almost broke and the thought of what she faced when she returned-life without her mother and without a plan of action, and the relentless paparazzi-was something she didn’t want to dwell on. Not when she found it easier and easier to sink into life at Wild River.

She strode to the old gazebo. Her heart warmed every time she looked at it. The eternal optimist in her saw this gazebo restored to its one-time elegance. And as long as she was being hopeful, she imagined it as a glorious outdoor stage for a summer playhouse theater with her at the helm. Wouldn’t that be the icing on the cake?

Bill Fargo stepped up. He’d been meeting her at the house every afternoon since that time when they’d shared a glass of iced tea. It had gotten to be such a routine that when Macy packed her small cooler, she always brought enough lemonade, cookies or fruit for two.

“Ready for a break, Bill?”

“I am.”

“I brought Mara’s lemon cookies today.”

“My stomach’s grumbling already.”

Macy retrieved the cooler from the house, and they sat on the gazebo’s steps this time. Rocky nuzzled Bill’s knee, and he began stroking the dog’s coat. Rocky liked Bill and so did Macy, though she didn’t know very much about him.

“Did I ever tell you how I met the woman of my dreams and told her flat out, on that first night, we were destined for each other?”

Macy shook her head, the whole time smiling. Bill told the best stories. “No, but it sounds romantic.”

“It was back then. We were both in our twenties. We didn’t know each other at all. I saw her laughing in a group of my friends. I walked right up to her and we were introduced. It was 1972 and I was just out of college. Oh, her laugh was wonderful. I knew then, I was going to marry her. I told her that night. She thought I was crazy.” Bill got a distant look on his face, as if reliving the moment. “When you know, you know.”

Macy’s encounters with love were nowhere close to that. She’d probably never been truly in love before. She didn’t have a good track record with the few men whom she’d thought she’d loved. She’d forgotten them pretty easily. And her mother? She’d had disastrous results in the love department, so Macy was curious at what Bill Fargo had meant.

“But how do you know? For sure, I mean?”

But his answer was interrupted when Carter pulled up to the inn and bounded out of the Jeep. Rocky took off, racing toward him, and the cowboy bent to give the dog several loving pats on the head. Then he strode over to them. The sight of him got Macy’s heart pumping hard.

“Hey there,” he said to them both.

They returned the greeting and Carter took a seat to the right of Macy, sandwiching her in between the two men. “Thought I’d stop by and see the progress.”

“It’s coming along,” Macy said.

“Macy’s doing a fine job. I’ve been checking on the house every day, and the transformation is outstanding,” Bill added.

Carter nodded, then glanced at the opened cooler. “Those cookies for anyone in particular?”

“Mara made them. Want one?”

Carter grinned. “Does the sun shine?”

Macy handed him a cookie. “The rooms are all painted, and I think you’ll like what you see in there.”

“Okay.” He didn’t seem all that interested. “Glad you used the McManus brothers?”

“Yes. They’re very good painters. Thanks for the recommendation.”

“You’ll find that true of most the workmen in Wild River. They need the jobs. It means putting food on the table and keeping their kids clothed. They take pride in their work.”

After a few minutes of jawing, as Carter would say, Bill rose and thanked Macy for the cookies then excused himself to get back to his rounds.

Carter finally bit into his cookie, and his face lit up. “These are better than I remembered.” He finished one and then took another from the batch. Then matter-of-factly, he asked, “You coming to dinner tonight?”

“Oh, I uh…” With the back of her hand, she brushed curls away from her forehead, buying time to think. She’d deliberately kept her distance from Carter, working late and missing meals with him. Humiliation was a hard thing to recover from, and after nearly throwing herself at him, she’d wanted to dig herself a hole and jump in. But she’d also been a little miffed at him, too. He wasn’t interested in her, and he’d made that abundantly clear. “Why do you ask?”

His shoulder went up in a shrug. Could it be he missed having dinner with her? “I have a craving for barbecue pork ribs. I thought maybe you’d like to try them. There’s this little place outside of town… They make ribs you’d sell your grandmother’s soul for.”

His devotion to food made her chuckle. “Really?”

He sent her a sincere smile. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Except for a few quick trips into town for clothes and supplies, Macy hadn’t ventured off the ranch. The idea excited her. “Sure, I’d love to go. But I’ll need an hour to shower and change.”

He nodded. “You might want to disguise yourself a little. The Bear Pit has a crowd every night.”