Lacey jammed her feet into the shorts and slipped the tank over her head. “When did you get to be so smart?”
“I had a good teacher’s assistant in my sex education lessons, sweetie.” Kendall gave her a gentle shove toward the door. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
Lacey raced down to the bottom of the stairs and paused with her knuckles hovering over the wood-paneled door. What was she thinking?
“Do it,” Kendall urged from the landing above.
Closing her eyes, Lacey knocked. Her breath caught in her throat and she willed the door to open.
Please, please, please
. Before she lost her nerve.
Footsteps echoed across the wood floor on the other side.
Her heart pumping hard in her chest, Lacey waited to open her eyes until she heard the squeak of the hinges.
Her eyes opened at the same time as the door.
“Lacey. What are you doing here?”
Her heart fell lower than her belly and she gulped back the knot forming in her throat. “Oh, hi, Cory. Is Nick here?”
“As a matter of fact he isn’t. He got word just a moment ago that his house is finished. He’ll be moving in this afternoon.” Cory grinned. “Perhaps I can help you.” He held the door wide. “Come in.”
Lacey raised a hand to her throat, air refusing to move in and out of her lungs. “Moving? He didn’t tell me he was moving.” A sinking feeling hit the pit of her stomach. Perhaps he hadn’t mentioned the move because he didn’t want to see her again.
“Yeah, this arrangement—him living with me—was only temporary until the contractors finished his house on the ranch he bought.” Cory’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”
“No.” She backed away. “I mean yes.”
“Want to leave a message? He’ll be back later to pack up.”
She shook her head, willing the tears not to fall. “No. It wasn’t important.”
“Are you working the Ugly Stick tonight?” Cory asked.
Lacey’s head moved up and down automatically.
“Good. I could use all the moral support from my friends since it’s Ladies’ Night.” Cory’s brows dipped. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave a message for my big brother?”
“No. I have to go.” Lacey turned and raced up the stairs and into her apartment before the dam burst and she lost it. So much for running on a hunch.
“What happened?” Kendall closed the door behind her. “What did he say?” She bunched her fists. “Did that bastard make you cry?”
Lacey stood in the middle of the room, staring around at what had once been her haven and now looked more like an empty shell of a room. “He wasn’t there.”
“Then you can tell him tonight after you get off work.”
“He won’t be there.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s moving out.”
“Well, that only makes it a bit more of a challenge.” Kendall pulled her into her arms. “You’re tough. You can handle it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Don’t go all Debbie-downer on me. Give the guy a chance.”
“Shouldn’t he be coming to me?”
“Did I wait for Ed to come chasing after me?” Kendall poked a finger at Lacey’s chest. “On advice of a really good friend, I went after him. And I got him.”
Lacey sucked in a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “Not every fairytale has a happy ending.”
Nick spent a couple hours at the shop, interviewing mechanics and making the repairs he’d promised. Before long, he’d be working the ranch and he’d only drop into the shop every so often as the owner, not the chief mechanic. The work had given him the outlet he’d needed to burn off his anger and rebuild his confidence. But now that his house was finished, he could spend his days working with horses he hoped to buy soon and cattle he planned to fill the pastures with. He’d finally have what he’d always dreamed of…a ranch and a place to call home.
It had only taken one load to empty his belongings out of Cory’s apartment. The rest of his stuff had been consigned to a storage shed and Cory helped him move the items using a U-Haul and Nick’s pickup truck.
Nick stood in the spacious living room with the cathedral ceilings and huge windows overlooking the pastures to the south. The folding chairs did nothing for the ambiance, but as soon as he could, he’d shop for furniture to fill his home.
Cory stood beside him. “Wow, this place is big compared to my little apartment.”
“You’re welcome to stay here with me.”
“I might take you up on that on the weekends and summer break. But for now, the apartment in town is more convenient to my college.”
“Thanks for helping me.”
“Yeah, anytime. Now I have to get going. It’s Ladies’ Night at the Ugly Stick and I need to wax my chest.”
Nick snorted. “Like you have any chest hair.”
Cory’s lips twisted. “I have a few.” His gaze spanned the living room. “You sure you’re not going to get lonely out here?”
“I’ll be fine.” Damn Cory for nailing the exact thought Nick had been avoiding. “Before long, I’ll be too busy to be lonely.”
“You should bring Lacey out here to see this. I bet she’d love it.”
Nick shrugged. “I’d think it would be too homey for her. She might think I wanted her to stay.”
Forever
.
Cory nodded. “She did say she wasn’t into commitment.”
“She did.” Nick shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I wonder if she really meant it.”
Nick had wondered that himself. He’d told her in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t in the market for a permanent relationship, but lately, he found his resolve slipping. “Why wouldn’t she mean it?”
“Just saying…” Cory nodded toward the bedrooms. “What are you going to do for a bed to sleep on?”
“Jackson and Audrey got a new one last week and offered to sell me their old one. I expect them to be here any minute.”
“I’ll stay to help unload, then I really have to go get ready.”
Nick’s lips twitched. “I wouldn’t dream of standing in the way of a man and his wax job.”
“Hey, don’t knock it.” Cory ran his hands across his chest and down his belly. “These abs are paying my way through school.”
“I told you I’d foot the bill for your tuition.”
“Yeah, but I’m glad I can do it myself. Makes me appreciate it more and actually study.”
“Good point. Let me know if you need anything. I’m doing pretty good with my investment portfolio.”
“Remind me to get with you when I’ve saved enough tips to start my own investments.”
“You got it.”
“Hello?” Audrey’s voice echoed through the hallway. She appeared around the corner carrying a potted plant. “There you are. Jackson’s untying the load on his truck.”
“I’ll help.” Cory left the room.
When Nick started to follow, Audrey laid a hand on his arm, balancing the plant in the other. “Wait. I have something I want to say.”
Nick smiled down at her. “Shoot.”
“First, this is a house-warming gift.” She set the plant on the floor. “Remember to water it at least once a week.”
“Thanks.” Nick stared at the plant, waiting for Audrey to get to the real point.
And she did. “I’m worried about Lacey.”
His heart flipped over and thumped hard against his ribs. “What’s wrong with Lacey?”
“She’s not been herself lately and it’s not like her.”
Nick frowned. “What do you want me to do about it? I’m not her keeper.”
“I know that.” Audrey laughed. “No one is Lacey’s keeper. She’s a force unto herself. Still I can’t help but think you two are perfect for each other.”
Nick backed away. “We’re just friends.”
With benefits
.
Audrey’s brows rose. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. It’s not a friendly look. It’s one suited more to a man in love.”
What was with everyone talking about love? “I’m not in love with Lacey.”
“Tell yourself whatever you want, I can see it in your eyes.” She shook her head. “I’m just afraid you two are going to miss out on a happily ever after if you don’t pull your heads out of your…well, you get the picture.” She crossed her arms.
“I should help the guys unload the truck.” Nick edged away from her.
“Let me tell you one more thing. It’ll take a lot of convincing to get Lacey to believe in love again. She was hurt pretty badly when her husband cheated on her. She had a lot of dreams about love and marriage that went up in smoke the day the Temptation Garden Club ladies felt it was their duty to burst her bubble in front of everyone.”
“I’m sorry she was hurt.” And he really was. Lacey deserved a lot better than what those snooty bitches gave her. He’d even heard through his clients about the incident, not knowing Lacey at the time. They’d been ruthless, mean-spirited and ugly to her. No one should be subjected to that kind of public flogging. “But I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”
“As I was saying, it would take a knight on a white horse swooping in to rescue her to make her believe in love again. Just saying.” She propped her hands on her hips and glanced around the room for the first time. “This is a really nice place you have here. It needs a woman and a half-dozen children running around to make it a home.”
Nick chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you you’re pushy?”
She gave him a wink over her shoulder. “Too many times to count. But I get what I want.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
“Oh, and by the way, the Temptation Garden Club is sponsoring an open house at the Double Diamond Ranch gardens tomorrow afternoon. Jackson and I will be there, and I understand Lacey will be there as well.” She turned toward the exit. “That’s all I had to say. Let’s get you moved in.” The owner of the Ugly Stick Saloon walked out of his house, leaving Nick feeling as if he’d been hit by an F-5 tornado.
“She doesn’t want commitment,” he called out after Audrey.
“Lacey doesn’t know what she wants anymore.” Audrey’s disembodied voice floated to him from the front of the house. “If you were paying attention, you’d know that.”
Jackson and Cory entered the living room carrying a heavy cannonball headboard.
Cory grunted under the weight. “Glad you could help.”
“Had to get my marching orders from the boss first,” Nick muttered.
Jackson chuckled. The Kiowa cowboy shifted the load to his other hand. “Audrey matchmaking again?” He shook his head. “Can’t get that woman to quit meddling.”
“Matchmaking, huh?” Cory’s gaze met Nick’s. “Good, someone needs to slap him upside the head so he’ll pay attention.”
“Nice, bro. Glad I can count on you to defend your only family,” Nick groused.
“It’s a king-size bed, brother.” Cory moved past Nick. “Awfully big for just one person.”
“Yeah.” Jackson winked as he went by. “It’s better shared. We had some good times in this bed. I almost hate getting rid of it.”
“Oh, quit your whining.” Audrey entered the house carrying the wooden slats that would hold the mattress. “The new bed is just as big and comfortable, and prettier.”
Jackson frowned. “Don’t understand why we had to get rid of a perfectly good bed in the first place.”
“I’m sure it will get good use in Nick’s house.” Audrey’s gaze caught Nick’s. “Won’t it?”
Nick really didn’t know. Would Lacey come all the way out to the ranch to visit him? Not if he didn’t ask her. Did he want her in his home? He glanced at the bare wooden floors and imagined a big, soft area rug with a naked woman lying in the middle, her legs splayed wide, ready for him.
“Nick?” Cory emerged from the master bedroom. “You all right?”
Nick shook his head and adjusted his jeans. “I’m fine. Just fine.”
Why was he superimposing Lacey in his new house? This house was to be his home for a very long time. If he brought a woman here, it would have to be a very special one. One he planned to have around for a long time.
“Come on, you can help me carry in the footboard.” Cory draped an arm over Nick’s shoulder and walked him out to Jackson’s truck. “You were thinking about her, weren’t you?”
“Who?” Nick played dumb. The images in his mind refused to fade. Lacey was there, even if she wasn’t physically.
“Lacey, you dumbass.”
“Why is everyone trying to throw Lacey at me?” Nick pulled away from his brother. “She’s not interested, I tell you.”
“You won’t know if you don’t ask. And based on the way she looked this afternoon when she came by to see you, she’s more interested than she’ll admit.”
“She came to see me?” Nick grabbed the front of his brother’s shirt. “When? Why? What did she say?”
“Calm down.” Cory pried Nick’s fingers loose. “She didn’t leave a message. But if it makes you feel better, she looked disappointed that I wasn’t
you
when I answered the door.”
“How could you tell?”
“She looked around me the entire time she stood there.” Cory’s eyes narrowed. “What is it with you two? You act as if you can’t stand to be away from each other, but you refuse to acknowledge it. Get real and do something about it before you lose her. I kinda like the thought of having her around.”
“For sex?”
“No. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I have my eye on someone else and I’m not sure she’d like sharing. I want Lacey around to keep you from going off the deep end.”
“I’m fine.” Nick grabbed the end of the footboard and slid it toward him. “Just fine.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s why you’re about to drop that—” Cory dove for the other end of the footboard before it cleared the tailgate and crashed to the ground. “If you don’t tell Lacey you’re into her, I will.”
“Don’t you dare.” Nick stared across the wooden cannonball posts. “I will when I’m ready.”
“Ha!” Cory grinned. “So you admit it—you like her.”
“Of course I like her.” Nick walked backward toward the house, refusing to look Cory in the eye. His brother was getting too pushy. “That doesn’t mean I love her.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“Who says I have to do anything?” Nick rolled his eyes and nearly tripped over the threshold into the house.
“She needs a reminder that not all guys are jerks. Her ex played her.”
“
My
ex played
me
.” Nick’s lips lifted on the corners. “Speaking of which, Julia came by this morning.”
Cory halted, forcing Nick to stop halfway through the door. “What the hell did she want?”