A Maverick for Christmas Page 9

  She was nowhere close, right now, though. He checked his cell phone for the tenth time for her response, but there was none. He wondered why she hadn’t replied and decided he should shrug it off.

  Cade took a beer from the fridge, popped it open and took a long gulp. What a day. He felt as if he’d been probed and prodded every which way. In any other situation, he would have walked away, but this had been business. This article could bring in big business. He especially hadn’t liked it when the discussion had veered toward his personal passion. Cade didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about personal passions. In fact, he avoided anything or anyone that got him too worked up. He’d fallen in love once, and that woman had died. On top of that, the woman who had made family happen for his brothers, sister and father, had died suddenly, taking away the whole concept of family happiness with her. Since then, Cade had felt half-dead inside. He’d still longed for his own family, but without the terrible pain he’d experienced when he was younger.

  He checked his phone one more time. No messages, text or voice, from Abby. Maybe it was for the best.

  Cade worked all day with his brother Dean on Saturday to make up for the time he spent with the reporter on Friday. The two of them finally took off for a late dinner at the Hitching Post after seven.

  “I’m getting too much of this place,” he said. “I’m going to DJ’s for some good ribs next time I eat out.”

  “You didn’t like Ellie?” Dean asked. “I thought she was hot.”

  “She was tiring,” Cade said, sipping his beer and surveying the bar. “I’m glad you and I made good progress today. Her interview really cut into my time yesterday.”

  “Man, you’re getting old if you think she was tiring. I wish you would have handed her over to me,” Dean said.

  “That interview could mean a lot for us. I wouldn’t want you cluttering it because you wanted a good time. You can get a good time with a lot of women. No need to piss off this one,” he said.

  “And you think you didn’t piss her off?” Dean asked, starting his second beer. “She looked like she wanted more than dinner with you.”

  “I dropped her off at her hotel and went home. I’m not a complete fool,” Cade said.

  “Tell the truth,” Dean said. “You wouldn’t have minded going up to her room, would you?”

  The truth was Cade hadn’t been at all interested, but he wasn’t going to tell Dean that. “You gonna come into the shop tomorrow after church?”

  Dean blanched. “I gotta go to church?”

  Cade laughed. “Leona Moseley was asking about you the last time I went.”

  Dean groaned. “No way. She’s been after me for two years. Why do you think I don’t go to church without someone to protect me? It’s enough to make a man lose his religion.”

  Cade laughed again. “We all have to take turns. I took a turn two weeks ago. Dad is sick, so someone else needs to step up.”

  “Have some pity, Cade,” Dean said. “I don’t want to face Leona.”

  Cade groaned, but heard the sound of a familiar laugh from across the room. He tilted his head then searched the room. Nothing. Nothing. Noth— Cade’s gaze collided with the sight of Abby with a group of girls and a guy with his arm wrapped around her waist.

  A wicked twist of jealousy wrapped around his gut and throat like a python. What the hell was she doing here? What the hell was that guy doing touching her like that?

  Chapter Seven

  Abby forced herself to laugh at everyone’s jokes. The sound she made was hollow to her own ears, but she focused on being amused instead of heartbroken. She laughed at another comment one of her friends made, although she couldn’t repeat what made it so funny.

  Daniel squeezed her waist. “You want to meet me after my shift?” he asked. “We could go out.”

  “That’s too late for this schoolgirl,” she said. “I have a ton of work to do.”

  “So you’re blowing me off again,” he said. “I could give you a good time.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want to have a good time with you right now. Or anytime,” Cade said, taking Abby completely by surprise.

  She dropped her jaw in surprise.

  “Hey,” Daniel said. “The lady can decide for herself.”

  “Well?” Cade said expectantly.

  She narrowed her eyes at him for a long moment. How could he be so arrogant when he’d stood her up last night?

  “You were pretty busy last night,” she said then lowered her voice to a whisper. “With another woman.”

  “What did you say?” Cade asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

  “You heard what I said,” she hissed.

  “I didn’t,” Cade said.

  “Well, use your imagination. You were having dinner with a woman. One of my friends sent me a cell-phone photo of you enjoying a meal with a pretty woman last night when you told me you were working.”

  Realization flooded Cade’s face. “That was the reporter. My father was supposed to handle this interview, but he got sick.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, unable to conceal her disbelief. “It must have been a real hardship to spend the evening with her.”

  “Hey, maybe I’d better take Abby home,” Daniel said. “She seems upset and you’re not helping any,” he said to Cade.

  Cade’s face hardened with anger. “Not tonight, or any night for that matter.” He took Abby’s hand in his and tugged. “Abby and I need to talk. Have a good night,” he said and led her in a swift trot outside.

  “That was rude,” she sputtered as they stood a few steps outside the back door of the Hitching Post. “He was trying to look after me, which is more than you can say. Besides—”

  Cade shut her off when he pressed his mouth against hers. She made an unintelligible sound of protest that turned into a moan, when he changed the tenor of the kiss and slid his tongue past her lips.

  Abby sighed and lifted her hand to his shoulders. She pulled back and stared into his eyes. “What the hell were you doing with that woman last night?”

  “Exactly what I told you. My dad got sick, so I had to take the interview. The reporter’s questions were nonstop. She insisted on dinner. That was when I sent you the text.”

  “Hmmph,” she said, still suspicious. “You could have called me after the interview ended.”

  “I thought about it, but I figured you might be busy with classwork and I didn’t want to interrupt your sleep if you’d hit the sack,” he said.

  She stared at him silently.

  “Why are we arguing when you and I both know we want to go back to my place and be alone?” he asked in a husky voice that touched her in secret places.

  “Is that what you want?” she asked.

  “It was what I wanted last night,” he said.

  Her heart tripped over itself. “Then let’s go.”

  She got into his SUV with him, and at every stop sign he reached across the console to kiss her. Their stops grew longer and hotter. At the next-to-last stop, he gave her a long French kiss. It must have been a very long one because a car behind them beeped.

  Cade swore under his breath and raced forward. He glanced at her at the next stoplight, but set his jaw as if he were trying to steel himself from kissing her again. Finally, he pulled into his driveway and stopped the car just outside his front porch. He jumped out of the driver’s side of the car and rounded the vehicle to open her door. Then he helped her out and rushed her up the steps and inside his house, slamming the door behind them.

  Pushing her against the wall, he tangled his fingers through her hair and took her mouth. “Who was that guy back there? Is he important to you?”

  “No,” she admitted. “He’s just been asking me out for a week or so. I’ve turned him down.”

  “Except tonight?” he asked, and she could feel the tension in his strong body. The hint of possessiveness in his tone made her feel as if he’d turned her upside down.

  She took a deep breath. “How would you ha
ve felt if you’d received a text photo of me having dinner with another man when we were supposed to get together?”

  She felt him hold his breath then he released it. “I wouldn’t have been happy.”

  “Well, I wasn’t, either,” she said, meeting his gaze dead-on.

  “You didn’t have anything to worry about,” he told her.

  “How was I supposed to know that?” she challenged.

  “I’ll show you,” he said and took her mouth again.

  They tugged off each other’s clothes, and soon enough she felt her naked skin against his. He kissed her and touched her as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Abby could hardly breathe with the passion he expressed to her.

  As if he could no longer wait, he pulled on protection and took her against the wall. Abby wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him. It was the most exhilarating experience of her life. She almost couldn’t believe it was happening, but then he thrust high inside her, groaning his release.

  Abby had never felt so desired and so desirable. She’d dreamed of being with Cade, but the reality was so much more powerful than she’d ever thought possible. A burst of emotion rolled through her, stinging her eyes with its intensity and to her horror, tears began to fall down her face.

  Trying to shield her tears from Cade, she turned her head away, praying she’d moved fast enough.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, still holding her tightly against him. He slid his hand up to her cheek and felt the telltale wetness. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, sounding horrified.

  “No, no,” she insisted, swiping at her tears as he lowered her unsteady feet to the floor. “It’s ju—just—” She sniffed, damning her emotions. “When I saw that photo of you with her, I thought the other night had been a one-night stand, after all, and—”

  “It wasn’t,” he told her, cradling her against him. “I’m sorry you got that picture. You can check out the feature when it hits the stands. It was really important to the business.”

  Abby took a deep breath and tried to get herself together. She was appalled that she’d cried.

  “I promise,” he said, lifting her face to his. “Don’t cry anymore. It kills me.”

  She made herself smile. “No more crying,” she promised.

  He lifted her up and carried her down the hallway into his bedroom. Placing her gently on his bed, he followed her down. “You are so beautiful,” he told her. “You’re so much more than I realized.”

  Her swollen, battered heart eased just a little with his words and she curled into him. “You can skip the condoms,” she told him.

  “Why?” he asked, looking intently at her.

  “I’m on the pill for bad cramps and I’m pretty sure neither one of us has a social disease,” she said.

  He groaned in anticipation of pleasure. “You just made my day even better,” he told her and began to make love to her again.

  Two hours later, she pulled on one of his shirts and joined him in the kitchen. “Let me fix you some scrambled eggs and toast,” he said. “I’d like to offer you more, but I’m running low on groceries because it’s our busy season.”

  “I don’t need any—”

  “You’re not hungry?” he asked. “Because I’m starving.”

  Now that he mentioned it, she pressed her hand to her stomach. “Scrambled eggs sound good.”

  He pulled bread from the freezer and popped four slices into the toaster while he turned on the gas stove. She watched him, naked from the waist up, as he cracked eggs into a bowl and beat them silly. After pouring a little oil in the skillet, he tossed in the eggs and stirred them. Minutes later, both the toast and eggs were ready.

  Cade put the food on plates and nudged her to the table. “There,” he said, setting a plate in front of her. “I’ll have something better for you next time. And there will be a next time,” he said, meeting her gaze as he bit off a piece of toast.

  Abby took a tentative bite of eggs, surprised to find them cooked perfectly.

  “What? You don’t like the eggs?” he asked.

  “Actually you did a great job with them, not overcooked, not undercooked.”

  “You sound surprised,” he said.

  “Well, you’re a bachelor carpenter. You haven’t mentioned taking cooking classes,” she said and scooped another mouthful.

  “You thought I was completely useless in the kitchen?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she said. “I just didn’t think it was your forte,” she said. “Delicious. You didn’t even burn the toast.”

  He chuckled. “That’s because it was frozen. You can probably cook circles around me, but I can fix a few things worth eating. Steak, barbecued chicken, fish on the grill.”

  She smiled. “If it involves fire, you’re there. Right?” she asked.

  He met her gaze and grinned. “Stop looking at me and finish your eggs before they get cold.”

  Abby bit her lip and looked at him, anyway.

  He looked at her and his gaze held an irresistible mix of sensuality and Cade. “I mean it, Abby. Stop looking at me or I’m going to haul you off to my bed again.”

  “Would that be such a bad thing?” she asked.

  He shook his head and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Finish your eggs. I don’t want to be responsible for making you faint.”

  “Then you should have put on a shirt,” she told him and ate her eggs.

  Although they got a little distracted, Cade managed to help her get dressed and he bundled her up and led her to his car. “I don’t want you having to answer a lot of questions about where you’ve been,” he said and he drove toward her parents’ house.

  “I don’t mind if people know you and I are seeing each other,” she said. “Do you?”

  “I don’t like people poking into my business. I don’t want either of us to have to deal with gossips. I just want us to be for us right now,” he said and covered her hand with his. “Is that okay with you?”

  Warmth flooded her. When he looked at her that way, she would say yes to anything he asked. Plus he made an important point. Even though she had known Cade forever, they hadn’t shared an adult relationship very long. After what Laila had said to her the other night, Abby didn’t want to hear the opinions of any detractors. She was glad Cade felt the same way.

  He stopped in front of her house and pulled her against him once more. “You feel so good it’s hard to let you go,” he said.

  Her heart skipped over itself at his words, and she sighed. “That makes two of us.”

  “It’s supposed to be unseasonably warm for the next day or two. If the weather matches up with the forecast and you’re caught up on your classes, maybe I could take you for a spin on my Harley.”

  “I’d love that,” she said, remembering how envious she’d felt all those times Laila had ridden off with Cade on his motorcycle.

  “You’ll still need to dress warm,” he warned her.

  “Call me,” she said, knowing she would be pulling a late night for her classes in order to make time for a ride with Cade. It would be worth it, she told herself. She could sleep some other time.

  The following afternoon, Abby drove out to Cade’s house to meet him for their motorcycle ride. The temps were supposed hit the mid-fifties. For Montana in the winter, that was considered a heat wave. She was so excited she felt like a kid at Christmas. He approved her warm clothing. “Good job with the ski mask and gloves. Just hang on and lean with my body on the curves,” he said and put a helmet on her head.

  She mounted his prized Harley behind him and wrapped her arms around him as he started the engine. “You ready?” he asked.

  “I was born ready for this,” she said.

  He laughed and they were off. Cade steered the motorcycle toward the countryside. Although the roads were perfectly dry, some stubborn snow packs remained here and there. Abby knew this jump in temperature was just a tease. They would get snow again before the week was done. That knowledge made her all
the more determined to enjoy the ride.

  The moutains loomed with dramatic beauty over the plains, providing breathtaking vistas. A half hour later, Cade pulled into a small diner and parked the Harley near the door. He helped her off the motorcycle and Abby pulled off her helmet and ski mask. She was surprised to feel a little wobbly.

  Cade must have noticed because he laughed as he steadied her. “Still feel like you’re riding?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I can still hear the buzz in my ears, too.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said. “You just need some practice. I figured we could grab a bite to eat here. If you’re not hungry, they make good coffee and hot chocolate.”

  “Yes to the second,” she said and shook her hair as they walked inside. “I bet my hair looks crazy,” she said, raking her hands through it self-consciously, feeling it crackle with electricity.

  He sat across from her in a booth and shook his head. “You look beautiful. Your cheeks and lips are red and you hair reminds me of what it looks like after we—” He broke off as a waitress approached them.

  “How ya doin’, Cade?” the thirtysomething red-haired waitress asked with a wink and a smile. “It’s been a while, but I guess you don’t ride that Harley through a blizzard.”

  “It’s true, Dani. I’ll take a club sandwich and coffee. What about you, Abby?” he asked.

  “Hot chocolate,” she said.

  “You sure like ’em young these days, don’t you? Are you sure she’s legal?” Dani asked with another wink.

  Slightly irritated by the waitress’s remark, Abby smiled. “I look younger than I am. Must be all that clean living. I guess I need to dirty up my lifestyle a little so I can catch up,” she joked.