Waking Hearts (21 page)

Ollie feathered his lips over hers and whispered, “But, Allison, I will rock you like—”

A loud bang came at the door.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Tracey shouted. “We’re dying out here. Break’s over.”

They froze. Ollie realized he still had a handful of Allie’s ass and her legs were locked around his hips in a very promising position.

“Allie?”

She slapped his shoulder. “Let me down!”

Her heart pounded against his chest. He didn’t want to let her down. If he let her down and she ran—

“Please.” Her head fell against his chest. “I can’t… I can’t think about this right now. I need to go back to work. I won’t flirt with that guy, okay? Lesson learned.”

Wait… what?

“Allie—”

“Please let me go,” she whispered. “I need to get back to work.”

Without another word, he released her, carefully sliding her down his body. She let out a small breath when her belly raked against his erection, but he stepped back and let her straighten her clothes before she slipped out the door.

What had just happened?

Chapter Thirteen

AVOIDING SOMEONE IN A SMALL TOWN was difficult. Avoiding someone when you lived in their house was darn near impossible.

Allie had never been so grateful she had four noisy, time-sucking children.

“Allie?”

Ollie almost caught her in the hallway, but she slammed Loralie’s door closed. “Gotta get the baby dressed!”

Loralie looked up at her with wide eyes. “That wasn’t nice, Mama.”

“I know it wasn’t. I’ll say sorry later.”

Much later. Possibly never if she could manage it.

She went to the dresser and pulled out some grub clothes for Loralie that wouldn’t be ruined at Allie’s dad’s store while she heard Ollie pace for a few minutes before he walked away.

Tracey had taken mercy on her the night before and given her a ride home so she wouldn’t have to wait for Ollie to close up. By the time she heard his boots on the front porch, she was in bed. And she ignored the quiet tap at her door.

Saturday morning, she had the excuse of heading to the feed store with Chris and Loralie while Kevin and Mark worked in the shop with Ollie.

Saturday was her father’s busiest day because Smith Feed doubled as the local garden shop. It had been Allie’s idea to expand the ornamental plant section and sell more than vegetable starts. Because of it, her father’s shop was busy every weekend, and he sold more pet food too.

Of course, it also meant he always needed extra help. Some days it grated on her that every Saturday was spent working. Today it was a relief, even if she was exhausted.

Large hands cupping her backside. Her cheek. The bite of his teeth at her shoulder as he held her against the door.

“Allison, I will rock you…”

She stepped away from the memory that had kept her up all night and dressed Loralie. Then she snuck to the door and listened.

“Mama, what are you doing?”

“What?”

Loralie giggled. “Are we playing?” Her little girl put her ear to the door. “I’ll play too.”

Sighing, Allie realized that she was being ridiculous. She cracked the door open, only to see Ollie leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth set in a firm line.

“Good morning, Ollie!” Loralie ran to give his legs a quick hug. “I’m hungry,” she said, then ran down the stairs.

Deserter.

“Morning.”

“Hey.” She waved at him. Because she was lame. “I, um…”

It never paid to forget how quick bears could be despite their size. With a quick shove at the wall, he was on her, pressing her back and planting his lips on hers like he owned them.

Every single thought fled.

So… he maybe owned them a little.

“I wanted”—two quick kisses and a sucking taste of her earlobe as he whispered—“to talk to you. And you ran off.”

“This isn’t talking,” she managed to gasp out.

“Mo-om!”

Allie shoved him back a second before Chris and Mark’s door flew open.

Saved by the second grader.

“Why can’t I stay and work in the barn?”

Mark yelled from behind him, “’Cause you’re too little, dork!”

“Do not call your brother a dork,” Allie snapped.

Ollie asked, “Hey, Mark, you want to be sweeping with the little broom all day?”

“Sorry, Chris,” Mark mumbled a second before he slipped out the door and headed toward the stairs.

The one thing Chris was horrible at doing was sitting still. If he was let loose in Ollie’s barn without strict supervision, the seventy-year-old building might just come crashing down.

Allie tried to find a better excuse. “Chris, if you stay with the older boys, then no one will be at the store to play with Loralie. That’s no fun for her.”

His lower lip trembled. “But—”

“You love Grandpa’s store. And you’re always such a good helper, telling people where things are and how they work.”

“But Kevin and Mark—”

“Hey.” Ollie reached over and mussed Chris’s hair. “You need to help your mom with the baby today. You and me will do something later, okay?”

Chris considered this. “Just you and me?”

“Yep. Today’s going to be all work anyway. It won’t be any fun. But I’ll throw the ball with you later if you want.”

“Okay!” Chris bounced down the hallway with Allie following at his heels.

The coward’s way out?

Allie preferred to think of it as a strategic retreat.

Breakfast passed in much of the same blur. Allie made a quick batch of pancakes for the kids while Ollie watched her with heated eyes. With four children around, he couldn’t say anything, and yes, she absolutely took advantage of that.

“See you later!” she called as she herded the younger kids to the car. “Kevin, make sure you help with your brother. Mark, listen to Kevin.”

Ollie leaned against a porch post, and she could have sworn there was a hint of a smile on his face. But what worried her wasn’t the smile, it was his eyes. They were amused. Like he was enjoying this. As if this was a game.

The problem was, Allie was worried it
was
a game. One that she had no idea how to play.

“HEY!” Jena waved at her when she pulled up. “How are you?”

Allie was in the front, watering the bedding plants that everyone would be planting soon. Fall rolling around meant that daytime temperatures dropped and people could finally plant cool-weather plants and fill pots with something other than cactus.

“I’m fine,” she said, staring at the stream of water. “Just… fine. What are Caleb and the boys doing today?”

Her best friend walked over with Becca babbling on her hip. “Bear has a science project due on Monday that he conveniently forgot about until last night.”

“Of course.”

“I think Low is heading over to Ollie’s place to work on the car with Kev.” Jena hiked the baby higher. “You look weird.”

Her eyes darted up. “What? No. No, I don’t. I don’t look weird.”

“Yep. Now you look even weirder. What happened?”

Allie blinked. “You mean, other than my ex-husband being killed, my house being broken into, and me being forced to take up residence with my boss?”

Jena pursed her lips. “You’re right. Look as weird as you want. You’ve had a long week.”

“Ollie kissed me last night. And this morning.” A burst of hysterical laughter left her throat, and Allie slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Whoa.” Jena’s eyes popped open. “What? Back up. Kissing?”

Allie nodded.

“Like
kissing
kissing? Or on the cheek? A slight… brush?”

She shook her head. “Hike me up against a wall, grab my ass, and pull my hair kissing.”

“Nice!” Jena grinned.

“No! Not nice. Not…” She pulled her friend to the side and shut off the hose that was, at this point, only wasting water. “This is
not nice.
This is… confusing. And not well-timed. Probably completely irresponsible.”

“Allie”—Jena patted her cheek—“the rest of us have been waiting for this since Joe left. You’re living in the man’s house. He’s only got so much self-restraint, even if he is Ollie. I’m only surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

Allie fell silent and went back to watering the plants. She walked away and continued on the next rack.

“Allie?”

Nothing. She had absolutely nothing to say. Her brain was mush, and it was all Ollie’s fault.

“Allie.” Jena sounded more concerned and less amused. “Did you not want him to? Did he—”

“I kissed him back.
Trust me
, I kissed him back. I just don’t know what to do with this.” She shut off the hose again. “He’s Ollie. He’s been my friend since we were kids. And he always… He’s always been there.”

Her heart was pounding. Just thinking about changing the boundaries with Ollie had her panicked.

Jena asked, “Are you not attracted to him?”

Allie gave a startled laugh. “No, that’s not the problem. Why do you think Joe hated Ollie so much? I’m sure he knew…” She squeezed her eyes tight. “I tried not to think about it. I
couldn’t
think about it, you know? But you can be sure attraction has never been the problem.”

“Then what?”

“My
life
.” She started to roll up the hose. She took a few minutes, concentrating on the routine movement. Feeling the heat. Getting out of her head for a precious moments.

“Your life?”

Allie walked to a row of garden benches her dad had placed under a shade cover and sat down. Absently, she noted a car in the parking lot with two guys inside. They were just sitting there. Weren’t they going to get out? They must have been baking out there.

Jena asked, “What about your life?”

“It’s crazy. I work all the time. I have four kids. My ex-husband was murdered by mobsters… maybe? And they broke into my house looking for something.” She looked up helplessly. “This doesn’t happen to real people. This is a bad movie. And then, here comes this guy—this amazing guy!—who has been my friend for years. And now he wants… I don’t know!”

Jena smiled softly. “Did you ask him?”

“No! Because he kissed me. And it was amazing. And I freaked out.”

Jena sat down next to her and bounced the baby on her knee while Becca babbled and swung her little arms. “Freaking out is kind of understandable. The first time I had sex with Caleb, I turned into a hawk and left him in the middle of the desert right afterward.”

Allie blinked. “That was stupid.”

“It really was. But… I panicked.” Jena shrugged. “There had only ever been Lowell. I didn’t know how to be with anyone else. So I get the fear.”

That car was still sitting there. What the hell?

“I am fully aware that I have baggage,” Allie said. “I know how to survive in a bad relationship; I don’t know how to be in a good one. And Ollie deserves to have someone amazing.” Her throat started to close up. “He
is
amazing. He deserves a lot more than a messed-up woman with four kids.”

“You’re not messed up. You’re Allie. You’re awesome. Strong and smart and funny. A great mom. One of the most optimistic people I’ve ever met, even when things are falling apart.”

Allie let out a watery laugh. “Does that make me optimistic or just stupid?”

“Not stupid. And your kids are great.” She kept bouncing the baby as Becca let out a burp that would make a prizefighter proud. “They’re like a bonus prize with all your awesome.”

“Four kids are a bonus prize?” Allie glanced at the baby. “You do realize she’s got spit-up all down her front, right?”

“I feel it dripping on my arm. I’m aware. Don’t distract me.”

“Okay.”

Jena bumped Allie’s shoulder. “Allison Smith, you are a gift. And one seriously hot mama. You think Ollie doesn’t see that? I think he knows exactly what he wants. The only question is: are you brave enough to ask?”

Allie wasn’t listening to her anymore. There was something about that car that was making her nose twitch. She glanced back at her dad’s shop. She could hear Loralie and Chris playing a game behind the large terra-cotta pots in the landscape supplies and the low drone of conversation from her father and a farmer who’d come in a few minutes before.

She took a step toward the parking lot, but the minute she did, the dark sedan peeled out, raising dust as it roared back down the road.

“Who was that?” Jena rose to her feet, wiping Becca’s chin with a cloth diaper.

“I have no idea.”

BY the time she got home from her job at the feed store, Allie was exhausted. Physically, yes. But emotionally, she was wrecked. She’d been thinking about what to do with Ollie all afternoon between juggling two kids, a constant stream of customers, and a dark luxury sedan that was eerily similar to the one driven by the men who’d broken into her house.