Sweet Texas Fire (25 page)
Authors: Nicole Flockton
“I might have to arrange for an interior designer to come in next year and change the layout of the office. I’ll make my office as far away as possible from everyone,” he grumbled.
Shey laughed and lightly punched him on his arm. “You wouldn’t. Any other time of the year you like to look out and see everyone working. The king surveying his kingdom.” She paused and took a sip of her own beer. “It’s only this time of year you act like a bear with a sore head.”
“I should fire you.”
“Not the first time you’ve said that. I imagine it won’t be the last. It’s lucky I know and love you.”
Kyle leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I know.” He lowered his voice so only Shey could hear what he had to say next. “Thanks, Shey. For being you.”
Twenty minutes later, after his obligatory thank-you-for-your-hard-work speech, he headed toward the door. The people who had been working with him for a few years knew his habit of cutting out early. They never questioned him. They knew better. His staff liked their jobs too much. He paid them handsomely for their loyalty.
“Kyle, wait.”
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Shey. “Yes?”
“Have a nice holiday.” She winked before she turned and headed back to the party.
The noise from the party faded as he made his way toward the bank of elevators. He glanced at his watch—it was close to ten p.m. The sensible part of him said he should wait until morning to set off for his Margaret River house. He ignored it. The car was packed. At this time of the evening traffic would be light. There would be no snarls slowing down his journey.
Solitude beckoned. He would answer her call.
• • •
Kyle inserted the key into the door that led from the garage into his kitchen. He placed his case on the ground, stretching his arms above his neck to loosen his tight muscles. The silence shrouded him. He welcomed the feeling of calm that always washed over him when he walked into this house.
He’d bought it a year ago from a couple no longer able to maintain the residence plus the ten acres of land surrounding it. He’d managed a few weekend trips during the year to enjoy the house and the Margaret River surf. But he had to admit he hadn’t managed a trip here for the last couple of months. While the house had been renovated in recent times, the vines and fruit trees had been neglected. The garden was a total mess. He’d hired a caretaker to look after the house when he wasn’t there and to do basic maintenance on the trees and vines. He had to make some decisions soon about what he was going to do with the area. Ripping it out and putting in a pool and pool house seemed a good option.
He clamped down on thoughts about property maintenance. He was here to forget it was Christmas. He’d deal with the garden in the New Year when Ted, his caretaker, was back from sick and annual leave and Kyle had his mind firmly focused on the present. Not on the past.
Kyle wandered through the house with the familiarity of someone who always walked through it in the dark.
He stripped off his shirt and made his way to the French doors overlooking the back of his property. The moon cast a bright white glow over the yard. He blinked and then blinked again. He reached over to the wall and flipped the switch. Light flooded the outside of his house.
“What the hell?” Where once slightly overgrown rows of vines resided, now sleek, straight rows greeted him. Vines that looked as neat and organized as the ones on the neighboring property.
Kyle closed his eyes; surely tiredness was causing this hallucination. He opened them and the sight remained unchanged.
Was this why he’d been signing all those checks recently? Who gave permission to tend to the vines? He hadn’t, that’s for sure. What was happening here? What didn’t he know about? But he bet Shey knew. If it weren’t so late, he’d call her and ask what the hell was going on.
A yawn ripped through him. Tomorrow. He would sort it out tomorrow. With one last look, he doused the lights and made his way to his bedroom, shedding his trousers and tossing them into the laundry room as he passed. He should take a shower, but fatigue sank its claws into him.
Fighting off another yawn, he entered his bedroom and made his way to his bed. A thought tugged at the back of his mind, a thought that things weren’t quite right in the house. A thought he should take notice of, but was too tired to try to understand.
Tomorrow everything would make sense.
• • •
Jordan Hastings washed the shampoo out of her hair while listing all the things she needed to do that day. There was nothing more invigorating than getting up as the sun rose out of the sky to begin a brand new day.
She needed to check and make sure the new shoots were growing straight, obtaining maximum sunshine on the budding fruit stock. She also needed to make sure there was no sign of mildew on the vines. After being neglected for so long, she wasn’t expecting much from this year’s harvest. With the grapes she did manage to grow and harvest, she hoped to experiment and come up with new blends, new flavors infused into the wines.
Jordan couldn’t wait for her dad to recover from his broken leg so he could help her when it came to harvesting the grapes. Good thing she happened to be visiting him when he had his accident. She tried not to think his fall was caused by hearing about her broken engagement. Or how her former fiancé had won the Golden Wine award for “Most Innovative Wine” for the wine she’d created. She tried to convince herself none of those things was the reason her father lost his balance on the ladder, fell and broke his leg. But she couldn’t help but feel responsible.
Jordan forcefully shut off the water. She wasn’t going to think about her loser ex. The only important male person in her life was her father, and she planned to keep it that way for a long time. She wasn’t going to be fooled by a handsome face again.
She shoved the shower curtain aside and screamed.
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“…a short and sweet book about finding healing after a tragedy and letting love in.” —4 stars, United Indie Book Blog
For more books by Nicole Flockton, check out:
“This was a wonderful book of two people both following their dreams to the ends of the earth, and learning a valuable lesson along the way. I loved the character of Daniel so very much that the man had me in tears on a regular basis. Tears of frustration, joy, anger and hope . . . I am taking away a message of when we find love, we should not let our goals or perfect sea of life get in the way - sometimes you need to bend the rules a little to get what you want.” -- 5 stars, Contemporary Romance Reviews
“Once again, Nicole Flockton has created a couple with a wonderful and immediate chemistry - one you can believe in. Another winner from the pen of Ms. Flockton!”—My Written Romance
“If you want a fun and entertaining read, don’t miss Daniel’s Decision by Nicole Flockton”— 4 stars, Harlequin Junkie
Praise for the Lovers Unmasked series:
“I just loved this story . . . If you like a good, fun and oh so sexy read, make sure you don’t miss
Seducing Phoebe
.” —Harlequin Junkie
“A fun and ultimately satisfactory read, this is the last of the series but can be read as a stand-alone book, and is certain to become a favorite of many.”—I Am, Indeed
“I loved this book! There was angst and the return of an ex-boyfriend on the eve of the heroine’s wedding to a man whose ‘been there’ for her all along.”—Caribbean Accent Book Reviews
“This was my first time reading a book by Nicole Flockton and it will not be my last. If you enjoy a true romance book then this is the one for you!” —Tiffany Talks Books
“Flockton does a fabulous job of making Dawn's pain real and developing her as a multi-dimensional character. I felt horrible for Dawn, but I didn't pity her. I respected her for coming through such a devastating experience. There's often a fine line between writing a character that annoys readers and a character readers feel for. Flockton does a fabulous job here.”—Shana Galen, RITA finalist and author of
If You Give a Rake a Ruby
“An extremely emotional and sweet romance that will break your heart, make you cry and make you smile, don’t miss
Rescuing Dawn
by Nicole Flockton.”—Harlequin Junkie
In the mood for more Crimson Romance?
Check out
Sweet Texas Kiss
by Monica Tillery
at
CrimsonRomance.com
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