Along Came Merrie (6 page)

“You want me to help you to the downstairs living room? We have a TV with satellite, so I’m sure you can find something to watch while I whip us up some breakfast.”

“That would be great.”

Braden swooped her up in his arms. She gasped at the suddenness and threw her arms around his neck to balance herself.

“I can walk,” she protested.

“I don’t want you to fall down the stairs.”

“I can make it down the stairs just fine. Besides, I need to put a T-shirt on.”

He turned toward one of the back bedrooms and entered it, setting her on her feet as he rummaged through a dresser drawer. She realized this was his room and looked around. Stark, white walls. Plain, sensible furniture. One picture of a very old family portrait, showing a teenage Braden and Leo standing next to a sitting man and a woman, hung forlornly on the wall. Merrie assumed they were his parents. She wondered if a quarter would bounce on his tightly made bed. Not a single stitch of discarded clothing lay around.

He handed her a T-shirt and spun around, giving her a little privacy. She dropped the towel and slipped the extra-large shirt over her head. After she tugged it down over her hips, the garment’s hem touched her thighs.

“All right,” she said.

He turned around and took in her form, his eyes widening a little. For a long moment, they simply stared at one another. Could he hear how her heart thundered in the silence of the room? Surely her heartbeat echoed through the near-empty chamber, pumping an off-kilter rhythm. What was happening to her? She didn’t want this attraction, so she broke their locked gazes by bending to pick up the damp cloth. He took a step toward her, so close she could smell him—clean and fresh of the wild outdoors with an underlying hint of male spice. Braden took the towel from her, tossed it on the bed then scooped her back up in his arms to head for the stairway.

Up close and personal, she studied his profile—the hard angles and planes that told of a rugged life. A cowboy lived under the sunshine and in the elements. He’d lived most of his life outside and it wasn’t hard to picture him riding a horse across the plains. She liked how he held her, how he cradled her in his arms against his chest, and she had a sudden flash of running her hands over those smooth pectorals. Merrie raised her gaze to his lips and she wondered what they would feel like against hers. Soft? Unyielding? Dominant?

At the bottom of the stairs, he happened to look down at her and froze. She brought her gaze from his mouth up to stare into his crystalline blue eyes. The color rivaled the beautiful Caribbean waters she’d seen in travel magazines.

“Your eyes are gorgeous,” she said.

Braden lowered his lashes and didn’t acknowledge her compliment as he hurried into the living room and placed her gently on the sofa. When he turned to walk away, she grabbed his hand, reluctant to let him go.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” she said.

“They’re just eyes. Yours are…pretty too.”

“They’re just plain ol’ brown.”

He shifted closer and stared deeply into them. Merrie’s body heated and her heart shifted from beating quickly to full-out hammering.

“No, there are tiny flakes of gold in them,” he murmured. “I’d say they’re more amber than brown.”

She wanted to kiss him. She had no clue when he’d gone from savior to sexy but Braden McClintock was one piece of male who stimulated all her buttons. Just as she moved closer so she could put her mouth on his, he blinked and straightened. He abruptly left her—left the room—leaving her wondering what the hell had just happened. She thought they were about to share a wonderful moment, but obviously, she’d read him wrong.

Story of her life. Always a day late and a dollar short, as her Great Uncle Clarence said. The Walden’s had terrible luck, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she was attracted to a man who didn’t seem to want her back. She picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels, trying desperately not to replay the almost kiss in her head.

Chapter Six

Listening to Braden bang around in the kitchen forced her to give up any hope of concentrating on the television. Soon, the aroma of breakfast permeated the air and her stomach rumbled. She’d been on a diet of soft foods such as oatmeal and soup, so when Braden appeared with eggs and toast, Merrie felt as if she’d been shown heaven.

He set the plate on the coffee table. She picked up the toast then bit into it, closing her eyes in pleasure.

“Mmm,” she said. “That is so good. Thank you, Braden.”

He shrugged. “Just let me know if you start feeling nauseous.”

“Aren’t you eating with me?”

“Actually, I have to get going,” he told her. “I’m meeting with a client to look over some of my horses.”

“Oh. Is this a big horse ranch?”

“No, a small one, but it keeps me busy.” He gestured to the front door. “Leo is at the clinic. He should be there until lunch or if he gets an emergency call. The ground floor bathroom is under the staircase.”

“I’ll be fine, Braden,” she assured. “I’m sore but there’s no longer any sharp pain.”

“Good,” he murmured. He stared at her for a long moment before he brushed one tanned finger down her bruised cheek. “You’re safe here, Merrie.”

Her mouth dried up as she stared into his eyes. “I know,” she whispered.

Braden gave her one last searing look and withdrew his finger. She keenly felt the loss of his touch. At the doorway, he hesitated before reaching in his back pocket to take out his cell phone. He touched the screen then laid it on the coffee table near the plate.

“I’ve unlocked it,” he told her. “Leo is speed dial number two if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

The sound of the closing door echoed through the house, or at least it seemed that way to her. Alone for the first time since she’d woken up in the house. Rooted to her spot, she craned her head to listen for the truck engine. Once the rumble faded, a stillness, void of any white noise or hum of nature, hung in the air. The men had explained she’d be safe in their home, but the unpleasant, dead quiet of the house unsettled her, made her imagination want to run to dark corners and reveal the boogeymen waiting for her there.

She rubbed her arms and shook off the imagery. It dawned on her what a long day it would be in the house alone, although it had been an interesting morning. In the few days she’d known Braden McClintock, she’d come to learn he was a stoic man. He rarely smiled and usually only talked when he needed to say something.

He was not the type of man she typically dated. Most of her boyfriends were closer to her own age, fun loving party boys whose brains were located in their pants. It was one of the many reasons why she’d decided to move away. She came from a small town and after dating most of the eligible bachelors, she’d managed to get a reputation and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to her mother.

She’d gotten sick of boys but Braden was not a boy—he was all man. Of course, there was the fact that he’d rescued her, which left her confused. Was she attracted to him because he’d helped her, taken her in and protected her? Was she transferring her gratitude into something more? She didn’t want to be one of those silly girls who convinced herself she was falling in love when it was a simple case of hero worship.

More than a little unsettled with her thoughts, she turned on the television back on and watched a movie while she ate her breakfast and pushed Braden firmly to the back of her mind.

* * * *

After a couple of hours, her bladder needed relieving. Carefully, she limped to the small restroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open then Leo called her name. She hurriedly finished her business, washed her useable hand, and when she opened the door, found him looming in the doorway, one fist raised to knock. Startled, Merrie gave a high-pitched squeal. When Leo reached out to steady her, she ended up tripping into his arms.

For a minute, she just stared into his eyes and he gazed back. Her heart beat frantically from the fright he’d given her but it soon gave way to something different. Awareness sizzled along her nerve endings as if she’d gotten too close to a live wire. His gaze flicked briefly to her mouth and, briefly, hunger flared in the dark depths of his eyes.

Then he dropped his arms from around her and stepped back. He didn’t say anything as he spun on his heel and walked away. She took a deep, steadying breath, turned off the light and ambled back to the couch. Leo was in the kitchen. Sounds of his puttering around as he made lunch reached her. She picked up his e-reader and opened it to browse his books. Suddenly he set down two plates, each one with a sandwich and potato chips. He disappeared back into the kitchen and when he returned, he carried two cans of soda. He handed her one and she took it with a grateful smile.

“Thank you for lunch,” she said.

He shrugged. “I don’t like eating alone. I’m a boring self-conversationalist.”

She chuckled. “Well, I’ve had nothing but daytime talk shows to sit through, so even if you spouted out mathematical equations for the next hour, I’d much prefer your company.”

“Um, thanks?”

They ate their lunches in comfortable companionship. She couldn’t help but sneak peeks at him, admiring his sharp profile. The heritage of his ancestors resided in his features, softened only slightly by a different way of life. The raven hue of his hair shimmered with blue in the sunlight. His eyes were so dark it was hard to tell the irises from the pupils. He caught her studying him.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“You’re a very handsome man,” she answered, deciding to be straightforward with him. “You and Braden both are. Why aren’t you two married? Or at least involved with someone.”

“Braden was married a long time ago,” he replied. “It didn’t work out. As for me, I’ve spent most of my life getting to where I am today. I wasn’t a disciplined student so it took me a long time to accomplish my goals. I never had time to pursue a relationship.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-eight. Braden is forty. How old are you?”

“I’ve just turned twenty-three. But I’ve decided that I’ll stop aging when I hit twenty-nine.”

“Oh, yeah? Good luck with that.”

“Thanks,” she replied breezily. “So Braden told me this is a small horse ranch.”

“Keeps him busy. Used to be a cattle ranch years ago, when his great granddad first started it. Braden’s father, Clip, began the transition to horses.”

“And how did you come live with them?”

“My father used to work for Braden’s dad.” He took a long drink of his soda. “I would come with him and hang out with the horses, and I was good with them. When my father was killed in a car accident, Clip went to my mother and offered to raise me. I have seven other siblings, all younger, so she agreed.”

“Ouch. That must have stung.”

“No, not really. I understood but I also didn’t mind because I liked it here. Braden was a great older brother.”

“I’m envious,” she murmured.

He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, I don’t mean because of your loss,” she hurried to explain. “I meant having something there for you, someone to care for you. My mother was too much into her drugs to give a shit about me, and I never knew who my dad was.”

Concern and sympathy flooded his eyes. “That’s rough.”

“That’s life,” she corrected. “I’ve never been one of those ‘oh, woe is me’ kind of girls.”

Admiration replaced the sympathy in his expression. “So you’re headed to Cheyenne for fun and action?”

“No,” she said emphatically. “I was headed there to try to find a better job, a better life.”

“What skills do you have?”

“Well, I know my way around a dairy farm but I want get away from that type of employment. I can type and I’m good with people, so figured I could find an office job.”

He pursed his lips. “Well, if you want, my office assistant is on a two-week vacation and I’ve been swamped answering the phones as well as trying to deal with patients.”

She widened her eyes. “I could help you!”

She saw his gaze flicker over her bruised cheek. After four days, the swelling had abated and the bruise had changed from dark hues into a faint yellow. She covered the blemish with her hand.

“Makeup will hide this,” she said. “Please. I’ve never been a sit around type of person. I like working.”

He thought for a moment longer before slowly nodding. “All right, but you’ll let me buy you some clothes. As sexy as you look in that T-shirt, I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate if that’s all you wore each day.”

As his words sank into her brain, her mouth fell open. He just said she was sexy.
Really?

He cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have said that. Never mind, Merrie, I—”

“Please,” she interrupted. “It’s okay. I…I think you and Braden are sexy as well. It’s normal to feel that way. I’m walking around half-naked and you’re both my knights in shining armor.”

A frown briefly touched between his eyes before smoothing out. Whatever he’d been thinking—or maybe about to say—vanished as he stood, picking up her plate.

“Are you finished?” he asked.

She nodded, suddenly confused. What had she said to make him shut down? He returned to the kitchen where he clinked the dishes as he put them in the sink. Then he turned back to face her.

“I have a few house calls to make,” he said. “Let me deal with them then afterward we’ll head into town. You can borrow some of my sweats for now.”

“Leo, are you okay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“We were having a nice conversation and suddenly you just…turned cool.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Forgive me, Merrie. It’s just me acting stupid. Rest for now and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Leo turned to leave but before he closed the door behind him, he shot her a wink, leaving her feeling very confused. Not too long ago she’d wanted very much to kiss Braden and now she longed for the same with Leo. What kind of woman did that make her? Sure, she’d had lustful feelings for different men at the same time, but she’d never had the thought or desire to act upon those feelings. She’d never considered herself a girl who’d enjoy a threesome, but today she would’ve gladly succumbed to her desire for both men.