Passion in Bloom (Hometown Heartstrings #2)

Chapter 20

Roarke

D riving to the ranch from Heather’s cabin followed the same route as when I left from my cabin. The only difference was that instead of glancing in the direction of her place and checking that her car was there, that David wasn’t at her front door, and that nothing seemed amiss, I knew without a doubt that she was fine and safe that morning. I knew it because I’d held her in my arms all night. And I’d woken up with her and saw to us both coming.

“Shit.” I shook my head, almost amused that I had to make time to run to the store for more condoms. I’d used up the last four I had, and I’d thought that they’d expire and collect dust.

While I wouldn’t make the mistake of presuming anything, I wanted to be prepared if she was in the mood. If her frisky and seductive attitude this morning was any indication, she would want to fuck as soon as we were both off work again.

“I’ll see you tonight,” she’d said in a farewell when I left to head to work, an hour before she’d go to the bank.

I’d committed the memory to my mind of her lying in bed, naked and sated, smiling up at me after that quickie.

It sounded like such a casual line to say. A see ya later . But she meant it. I was staying here until I found something more reliable. She’d expressed that last night, that I could crash here until I had something else set up. It wasn’t a permanent offer. The other cabin was still available, just needing a good cleaning first. But she was there with me when I saved different properties to check out. I’d asked her if she wanted to look at any with me, intrigued with how curious she was about the pictures of that two-story farmhouse that needed to be flipped.

I wasn’t moving in, and while I appreciated her offer to give me a place to stay, I wondered if she was using that as an excuse to get closer to me.

Still, she was uneasy about opening up. Too many questions remained about David. She had baggage. She had a past she wanted to leave behind her. But those could very well be sources of drama and trouble in the future.

I wanted her in my future, somehow. I really liked the idea of knowing I could spend more time with her, whether it be fucking, talking, or joking about real estate like we were experts just because we’d watched House Hunters in the past.

I had to understand more about her before I dove in fully in. For someone who was so ready to swear off women and not want their drama, I had to be realistic about what could stand between me and Heather. Something more than a convenient offer to stay over while I was looking for a new residence.

Gavin and I were slated to repair more fence out in the back of the property, but for a change, Eric came along too.

“It’s not a bad idea to have another with us,” my friend joked as we rode out on the horses. “In case you wanna get in a fight with the wire again and have to go to urgent care.”

I rolled my eyes as we rode out. Those stitches had already dissolved and my skin looked fine now.

“What about a fight with an out-of-town asshole?” Eric said. His tone suggested he was only partly joking.

“You seen him around?” Gavin asked us. “I haven’t.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t run into him.”

“Me neither,” Eric said.

Even if he did cross paths with David, I couldn’t see him stepping up to fight the man who was clearly possessive of his cousin.

“He’s gotta be around here somewhere,” Gavin says.

“No one’s seen his rental car parked anywhere?” I asked. That would be one of the first and easiest ways to locate someone in a town as small as Burton. Some outer areas had more buildings and weren’t laid out in as open of a street plan, but no one could truly hide for long around here where everyone knew everyone else’s business.

“Marty and I were chatting yesterday,” Gavin said. “He said a trooper pulled him over for speeding on the highway in a different rental car.”

Changing up his rides? That had to be a direct and deliberate method of staying hidden from Heather. Or Marty. Or me . That idiot had to realize that plenty of us would look out for her in town.

“He mentioned your cabin being flooded too,” Gavin said.

I nodded, recalling how I’d texted Marty that I was staying with Heather before I drove to her cabin last night. I’d only forwarded him that update in case something happened with Nevaeh and he’d need to know where to bring her or find me.

Once more, at the thought of my niece, I wracked my brain for what she could be up to and where she could be staying.

“How bad is it?” Eric asked.

“It’s ruined.” I shook my head as we neared the area where we’d need to check the fence. “Too much water damage to salvage it. Todd said that the owners are talking about tearing them all down someday soon.”

The older man nodded. “Hell, when I rented my cabin years ago, they were old and dated. I can only imagine they’re worse now.” He grimaced slightly. “I still feel bad that Heather’s staying in one. It’s not her style.”

“It’s not so bad.” I saw last night that she’d put her style on the cabin and made it as homey as it could be. She wasn’t putting down a solid future there, but she seemed content. “They just need good cleaning and tidying.”

“True.”

“You staying at Heather’s then?” Gavin guessed.

I hated that he’d assume that , but I didn’t see a reason to be confrontational about it.

“I am,” I replied.

Eric didn’t bat an eye, seeming unbothered about this news. Then again, since he’d asked me about standing up for Heather when David stopped by, maybe I’d implied my intentions toward her then. Not just as a concerned man being neighborly and looking out for her, but as an interested guy determined to go above and beyond to be close and keep her safe.

“You two hooking up now?” Gavin asked.

I sighed, annoyed that he’d be this nosy. I checked myself from getting an attitude about his questions though because this was a small town. Getting in everyone’s personal business was a sport around here.

Still, put on the spot like this, I wasn’t sure what to say.

Heather was open to let me stay over in a time of immediate need. She was able to open up and extend her hospitality to my flaky niece, too.

But there was no doubt in my mind that she was still defensive and guarded. She might let me in her bed, but she had to be clinging to this need to be independent and wanting me not to interfere with her plan of ignoring David.

“She’s skittish,” I replied instead.

Eric coughed and nodded. “She is. I could tell something changed her in the city.”

“Has she ever told you about her time in Chicago?” Gavin asked.

He shook his head.

“She won’t talk to me about it either,” I said.

“Are you able to, uh, work with that?” Gavin asked. “Her being skittish and all?”

“Yeah.” To an extent. I needed answers. I didn’t want to feel like she owed me some answers about her past, about David and what happened in Chicago. Her privacy was a right she could insist on.

But if she was open to starting something with me, whatever we could compromise on, it was only fair that we did so with a foundation of honesty. The one thing no women ever wanted to give me.

“Yeah, I can work with her,” I said, almost feeling like I was asking for permission to freaking woo her, talking about this with Eric in the conversation. “I’ve been patient. I will stay patient.”

“She doesn’t like to be pushed,” Eric advised.

“I see that,” I said with a laugh. Who does? I hated the manipulative intention of someone demanding anything of me.

“And I want her. I want her to stay and be around. I want to see where this can go. Whatever we’re doing.” I shrugged, hating the slight awkwardness that crept up on me with my words. This was what she didn’t want. She didn’t want me to intervene and get in her business. I’d like to assume that having sex erased some of her antagonism in that regard, but I wasn’t necessarily talking and gossiping about her. But about myself. About what I wanted.

And I want you, gorgeous. I want something real with you.

“I’ll be damned,” Gavin said, chuckling. “It finally happened.”

I smirked at him, knowing his humor would be coming at my expense.

“You got tired of being a bachelor after all.”

“Oh, shut up.” He made it sound like I’d always been single, just dating and living an easy life of hookups and no attachments. “You forget that I was married once.”

“And divorced,” he finished for me.

“Sounds like you’re moving on,” Eric commented.

I was, and that acknowledgment captured me and held me still for a second.

I was moving on. I wanted Heather for something far more than a hookup. She didn’t apply to my former lifestyle of sleeping around when the mood struck. Whatever connection we had, it signified the potential for something stronger. Something more lasting and true.

I never thought I’d think like this again after Veronica.

After my divorce, I’d convinced myself that I was done. I’d given monogamy a real chance, and it hadn’t worked out.

It wasn’t wise to think that I’d only have one shot of committing to a woman. Nor was it smart to stereotype and assume that all women would do me wrong like my ex had.

I didn’t know all of what I was walking into with Heather, but I sure as hell intended to stick around and see where it went.

For once, the thought of staying committed to a woman made me smile, not grimace.