Her Rocky Mountain Protector Page 11

  “That’s the worst idea I ever heard.”

  “Why? I trust you.”

  “That’s your first mistake. You shouldn’t.” He started to pace. “You don’t want a man who will take what he wants from you then leave. And I am leaving, Gina. As soon as Fletch is well enough, I’m gone.”

  She nodded. “I know. That’s what makes this work. You can show me how a man is supposed to treat a woman, and when it comes time for you to leave, I won’t try and stop you.”

  “It isn’t always a clean break. You could get hurt.”

  “I’ll be sad when you leave, but if I know that it’s coming, I can deal with it.” She walked toward him. “I just want to know what it’s like to be in a normal, healthy relationship. One where I get to be an equal partner. One where a man doesn’t control me, make me do things that I don’t want to do.”

  She blinked and glanced away. He went to her and turned her face toward him. He saw the pain and hurt. He wanted to erase all of it.

  “Hey. Shh.” He bent down and brushed his mouth over hers, once, then twice, listening to her soft moans of wanting.

  “You said the other day you wanted me,” she said. “Have you changed your mind?”

  He answered as his mouth captured hers in a hungry kiss. He drew her close, careful not to be too rough. He pressed her body against his, letting her feel his desire. “Does that answer your question?”

  She was breathing hard. “Oh, yes. I want you, too, Grady Fletcher.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  HE WAS nothing but a coward.

  Later the next morning Grady pulled into Shady Haven’s parking lot, unable to forget how twelve hours ago, he’d run out on Gina. Facing the enemy in a foreign country had been easier than dealing with

  this 110-pound woman.

  All night Gina had invaded his sleep, along with his peace of mind. Any rational thinking on his part had disappeared because he was actually considering her crazy idea.

  Worse, it was affecting his concentration with the dogs this morning. Even Josh had noticed he’d been distracted. Finally, Grady had ended the struggle and decided to go visit his grandfather. But if the old guy brought up Gina Williams, he wasn’t going to be held responsible for his actions.

  Grady walked inside and the receptionist looked up and smiled, then she pointed toward the recreation room. There was no doubt his grandfather was the social one in the family. Grady headed down the hall and found Fletch sitting at his usual table with a younger woman. Lori Hutchinson Yeager.

  What was she doing here?

  He walked over and his grandfather smiled at him. “Hey, son, I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”

  “Here I thought you might be lonely. I’m glad to see you’re not.” Grady turned his attention to Gina’s pretty blond sister. “Hello, Lori.”

  She nodded. “Hi, Grady. I didn’t mean to take up all your grandfather’s time. It was important that I clear up something with Joe.” She smiled at his grandfather. “We’ve just finished with our business.”

  Grady sat and asked, “And exactly what business would that be?”

  His grandfather spoke up. “Watch your manners, son. Miss Lori is nice enough to come out here and correct a grave mistake she found.” He nodded to Lori. “Tell my grandson, Miss Lori.”

  “Of course,” Lori said. “Grady, I can understand your concern, but this is good. I mentioned something to you a few weeks ago about a questionable parcel of land of my great-grandfather Billy had the papers for. We discovered that he didn’t really own it, at least not legally. He took it from your grandfather saying he hadn’t paid the taxes. Since I took over running the bank this past year, I discovered the taxes assessed on the property were three times the normal rate.” She sighed. “I’m not proud of what Billy did. So I hope after today, I’ve corrected the issue about the land. It will be returned to Joe.”

  Grady wasn’t sure what was going on. “Fletch doesn’t need another old abandoned mine.”

  “That’s what is great about this, Grady,” Fletch began, “It isn’t a worthless mine. It’s prime land just outside of Destiny. It belonged to your grandmother and now, thanks to Miss Lori, we have it back.” His grandfather grinned. “And I’m going to deed it over to you.”

  Grady was skeptical of all this, but the look on his grandfather’s face was priceless.

  Lori smiled. “Well, I should get back to the bank. If it’s all right with you, I’ll have Paige Larkin start the paperwork.”

  Joe looked at his grandson. Grady nodded.

  “Okay, then,” Lori said. “In a few days the papers will be ready to sign.”

  She stood and so did Grady. That was when he noticed the roundness of her stomach. Gina’s sister was expecting? “I’ll walk you out,” he offered.

  “I’ll be right back,” he told Fletch, then he escorted Lori down the hall.

  “I hope you’ll accept my apology for the actions of my great-grandfather,” Lori said. “As I told your grandfather, I’ve been trying to correct a lot of Billy’s mistakes. Thank goodness, I’m nearly at the end of the list.”

  “I appreciate your efforts,” Grady told her. “You’ve made Fletch happy. He needs something to look forward to.”

  Lori stopped at the building entry. “I’m glad.” She hesitated. “I can’t thank you for all the help you’ve given to my sister and nephew.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “It’s still nice that you’ve been helping Zack with Bandit.”

  “And if I want to spend time with Zack’s mother?”

  That brought a smile to her lovely face, reminding him of Gina. “You don’t strike me as the type of man who asks for permission.”

  Maybe he’d changed. “How about if I ask if you’ll watch Zack one evening?”

  “Of course I would.” She grinned and headed to the door, then looked back. “He loves to sleep over at Aunt Lori’s house.”

  * * *

  It was a date. She had a date with Grady.

  That was all, Gina told herself as she kept changing her outfit. She didn’t exactly have many choices of what to wear.

  “Here, put on these,” Lori offered. She held up a pair of expensive jeans. “They’ll look great with your teal sweater.”

  “I can’t wear your pants. What if I spill something on them?”

  “Come on, sis. They’re a pair of jeans. I’ll buy more after the baby comes.” She rubbed her bottom. “That is if I ever lose the weight.”

  “You look great. And more importantly, your loving husband thinks so.”

  She held out the pair of denims to her. “Then wear them.”

  Gina relented and stepped into the jeans. Thank goodness the fabric had stretch in it, or she would never get them zipped. She turned from side to side to get a look. Not bad. She slipped on the sweater and put on another loan from sis, a pair of high-heeled sandals. She stood. Okay, she looked taller. What would Grady think?

  Just then the doorbell sounded and her heart began to pound. “Oh, he’s here.”

  “Slow down,” her sister coaxed. “It won’t hurt him to wait a few minutes. You’re worth it.”

  Gina agreed, knowing she had to reprogram her way of thinking. From now on men were going to treat her right.

  After applying lipstick, she grabbed her purse and walked out to the living room to find Grady talking with Zack.

  Oh, my. He looked so...wonderful. Dressed in a burgundy Western shirt that was fitted over those broad shoulders and tucked neatly into a pair of killer black jeans.

  Her son turned around. “Oh, Mom,” he called. “You look so pretty.”

  “Thank you, Zack.” She felt the heat rush to her face as she glanced at Grady. “Hello, Grady.”

  “Hi, Gina.” His gaze was
dark and intense, then he smiled as he made his way to her. “Your son’s right, you do look pretty.”

  More heat shot to her face. “Thank you.”

  She managed to kiss her son goodbye before he walked out the front door with Aunt Lori.

  The room grew silent as Grady stood at the closed door, his gaze moving over her body. “What you do to a pair of jeans should be outlawed.”

  She found she was a little breathless. “You should be happy. I can’t eat much in these.”

  He walked to her, leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “We’d better get out of here, or I might just decide to skip food all together.”

  She swallowed. “Oh, no you don’t, Grady Fletcher, you promised me dinner.” She grabbed his hand and hauled him toward the door and they laughed all the way to the truck.

  * * *

  The trip to Durango took about forty minutes. It wasn’t that Grady didn’t want to take Gina to dinner in Destiny. He just didn’t want everyone watching them, speculating on their relationship. What they were doing or not doing was no one’s business.

  Damn. What was he doing? He was too old to start the dating game.

  Grady parked in the public lot and escorted Gina the two blocks to Main Street and Francisco’s Restaurant. Although he’d made a reservation, he took her into the bar and sat. “Would you like something to drink?”

  At first she turned him down, but when the waitress suggested their famous margarita, Gina agreed to try it. Once the large glass arrived, she looked intimidated, but took a sip. “This is good.”

  Grady took a drink of his beer. “Just be careful. Tequila has been known to sneak up on you.”

  “Are you talking from experience?”

  He couldn’t help but smile. “Could be. In my younger and not-so-wiser days.”

  “I never had the chance to do much of anything. I got married when I was barely out of high school. I never went out much, or had girlfriends.” She took another sip, then said, “I guess I’m overdue some experience...life.”

  They exchanged a glance that told him she wasn’t talking just about the alcohol and his gut tightened. There was so much he wanted to share with this woman.

  Finally the waitress took them to their table in a quiet corner. It was next to the fireplace and the sound of soft music filled the room. Gina sat at an angle to him. He found he liked her close, close enough to touch.

  “This is lovely, Grady,” she said. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  It was hard to believe that she’d never been taken out to a nice meal. “You’re welcome.” He had to stop thinking about all the “firsts” he wanted to share with her. The waitress handed them menus and Grady opened his. “I hear the seafood is good.”

  Gina started to look hers over. “Oh, there’s so much. Will you order for me?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Tonight, Gina, you’re making your own choices.”

  She looked at him, her green eyes leery. She glanced over the list again. “Well, then, I’m going to have...the penne pasta and scallops.” She closed the menu and handed it to the waitress.

  “I’m a pretty basic meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I’ll have the rib-eye steak, medium rare.”

  The waitress smiled then walked away.

  Gina liked that she wasn’t nervous with Grady. Maybe it was the margarita that helped her relax, but she found herself at ease with him. “There’s nothing basic about you, Sarge.”

  He gave her a stern look, then his expression softened. He reached for her hand. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me why you think that.”

  She took another sip of her drink and said, “Maybe later. I don’t think I need to inflate your ego any more.”

  “Wait a minute. I have an inflated ego?”

  She laughed. “I was teasing. It’s that you’ve accomplished so many things, and you’ve probably done everything very well.”

  He took a drink of his beer. “You just don’t know my failures.”

  She studied his handsome face. “There can’t be many. You had a long career in the army. I can see the respect you get from Josh. I suspect all the men in your unit felt the same about you.”

  It was endearing to see him blush. “Aren’t you the wise one?”

  Gina felt the warmth of his hand caressing hers. It sent shivers up her arm, making her aware that she was female. She glanced away and took a breath for courage before she turned back to him. She caught his gaze on her. The things this man could do to her with only a look.

  She sobered. “I know a lot has changed with your accident and retiring from the military... But, Grady, you’ve already started a new career that you love. I’d say, all in all, you’re a pretty lucky guy.”

  Grady didn’t want to get into his past or his future. This was only about tonight. He squeezed her hand. “I feel lucky that I’m with the prettiest woman here.”

  She smiled at him and his gut tightened. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “Someone should be telling you that all the time.” He just couldn’t be that guy, he added silently. “You’re special, Gina.”

  “I guess we should start each other’s fan clubs.” She giggled and he found he liked the sound. That was the problem. He liked too many things about this woman.

  * * *

  About two hours later Grady pulled up in front of her house. He turned off the engine and sat back wondering what was going to happen next. He knew he didn’t want the evening to end, but it also wouldn’t be wise to stay. No matter how much he wanted Gina, he wouldn’t take advantage of her. If he did take things further, it wouldn’t change anything between them. In the end, he’d be leaving town.

  He walked around the truck, opened the passenger-side door and helped Gina out. They made their way along the walkway and up the steps. She put the key into the lock and opened the door.

  She turned back to him. “Would you like to come in for some coffee?”

  With any other woman that would be a signal for something else, but with Gina, she was most likely going to fix him coffee. “Sure.”

  He followed her inside the dark house as she dropped her purse on the table. He stood close enough to catch her intoxicating scent, and had to fight to resist her as he followed her into the kitchen. Turning on only the under-counter lights, she busied herself filling the coffeemaker. Once finished, she turned around and looked up at him. “It’ll take a few minutes to brew.” She seemed nervous. “I had a good time tonight. The food was delicious.”

  Hell, she sounded about as unsure of this as he did. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  She stepped closer. “I have you to thank for that. You made me feel...special.”

  “God, Gina. You have no idea how special you are.” He couldn’t stop himself—he pulled her into his arms and lowered his head. “Let me show you.”

  His lips brushed over hers and when he heard her gasp, he went back and captured her mouth. With her sweet body pressed against him, he lost any rational thoughts of going slow.

  Gina followed his lead. Her arms circled his neck and she opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. And he did. His tongue dove inside, brushing against hers, tasting and caressing. That only made him want more.

  He finally tore his mouth away. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he breathed, then continued the contact as he placed openmouthed kisses along her jaw, working his way to her graceful neck.

  She sucked in a breath when he touched a sensitive spot. “Oh, Grady. I wanted you to kiss me, too.”

  “Let’s see if we can keep agreeing.”

  He dipped his head and took her mouth again. She whimpered as he pulled her closer. The things this woman did to him made him forget everything.

  Suddenly the sound of a phone star
tled them back to reality.

  “I’ve got to get that.” Gina pulled away and reached for the phone on the counter. “Hello?” She paused and said, “Lori, is something wrong with Zack?” She paused. “It’s okay. I know you wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.”

  Grady stepped away, trying to regain some control. Maybe letting things get this far wasn’t a good idea. Gina wasn’t ready.

  He turned around when she ended the call. “I’m sorry, Grady. I’ve got to go get Zack. He’s sick.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she told him as they walked out the door. “Zack is my responsibility.”

  “If I drive you, then you can sit with him in the backseat.”

  She paused.

  “Come on, Gina. You’re wasting time.” He guided her to his truck, realizing that the wind had picked up. There was rain in the air. “I’m a friend who wants to help you get your sick son home.”

  She finally smiled. “I hope you’re not sorry that you volunteered.”

  Grady had a long list of things he was sorry about, but getting to spend more time with Gina Williams wasn’t one of them.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later Grady pulled up in front of Gina’s house again. He got out and hurried around to the back door and opened it.

  “Gina, go unlock the front door and I’ll carry Zack inside.”

  She didn’t argue and hurried up the walkway.

  “Hey, Zack. Put your arms around my neck, and I’ll carry you inside.”

  The boy groaned. “Grady, my stomach really hurts.”

  “It’s going to be better, son. You’ll be in your own bed.”

  No sooner had he lifted the boy out of the truck than Zack groaned, alerting Grady to what was about to happen. In a flash, Grady turned the child away as everything in his stomach came up and went all over the side of the truck and into the gutter.

  “Well, that should make you feel better,” he said.

  Gina came running. “Grady, I’m sorry. Here, I’ll take him.”