Amanda chewed the inside of her lip and sighed as she looked at the dark screen. She looked across the room and caught sight of the top of the champagne bottle peeking over the back of the couch. She tossed her phone on the bed and went straight for the bottle. After a deep swig, she considered the remains of the dessert. The ice cream was completely melted, but the sweet smell still lingered in the air. She reached for the spoon and took another bite, then washed that down with another sip of the champagne.
At least her night had gone according to her original plan. Alone with ice cream and pie in her pajamas.
* * *
Sam sat behind the wheel of Zach’s truck, pushing back on his rising disappointment as he waited for the gates to Pleasant Lane to open. The slow parting of the heavy wood and steel was usually a comfort to him. After a long drive from Los Angeles or fresh off a flight to Ontario Airport, through the town he never really felt good calling home, arriving at this family cul-de-sac hit a reset button for him. He knew what waited on the other side. He knew he’d have the space and the freedom to refill his well before he went back out to deal with the BS parts of his chosen path.
But he’d had no plans to pull back through those gates tonight. He should have been back at the ranch, slowly, sweetly putting in his best work between a certain pair of luscious thighs. He should have fallen asleep with a certain Cha-Cha in his arms. He could have easily seen himself waking her for an early morning kiss so he could sneak out before the other guests started milling around. He should not be alone in Zach’s truck waiting for his cock to deflate, thinking about who he was going to risk waking up, his brothers or his grandmother.
He didn’t think Amanda owed him a thing. The complete opposite. But man, did he wish the night had gone differently. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. His attention had never been snatched up by a woman so quickly. So easily. He wasn’t sprung, exactly, but damn, was he interested. He wanted more time with Amanda. He wanted to get to know her. He was relieved that his desire to see her again wasn’t completely unfounded. She’d been shocked to see him, but there was no mistaking the heat between then, or the bold-ass way she knew how to flirt.
The gate stopped at its fully opened position and Sam drove through, down the dark lane lit every twenty-five yards by iron lampposts. He drove past Jesse’s house and his grandmother’s home at the center of it all and pulled the truck to a stop in Zach’s driveway. He cut the engine, then hopped out, locking it before he dropped the keys in the terra-cotta pot on his porch. He took his time walking back toward his grandmother’s house. He heard a few high-pitched barks as soon as he stepped on the porch, but Poppy quieted down as soon as he put his key in the door.
“Hey, girl,” he whispered to the terrier mix as he scooped her up from the floor. “You up all alone?”
“Is that my baby baby?” he heard his grandmother Miss Leona say from down the hall. He walked into the kitchen and found her standing at the kitchen counter in her billowy pajamas, with a hot cup of something in her hands. He crossed the title floor and kissed her on her cheek, catching a whiff of the hot and very spiked cider in her mug.
“It’s late, young lady. What are you doing up?” he asked.
“Oh, the girls are still out. I can’t sleep until I know all of my babies are settled back in the barn.”
“Lilah and Corie are grown, Grandma. They could be out all night. No need to wait up for them,” Sam said, knowing she wasn’t going to listen to him, no matter what he said. Her grandma mode was strong, and Lilah was the baby of the whole Pleasant bunch. Ever since she took off running from the bunk-ass arranged marriage his uncle had tried to stick her in, she’d been living with their grandmother. Lilah was smart as hell and savvy to boot, but she was soft-spoken and kind of shy. When she went out with Corie, who was always looking for trouble, even he raised an eyebrow at the quality of their evening plans. Miss Leona felt responsible for her while she was figuring out what she wanted from her life without her father interfering.
“You know damn good and well I’m not worried about Corie,” his grandmother said. “I’m just up in case Lilah needs me to bail Corie out of jail.”
“Makes sense. You want me to wait up for them?”
“Oh no. They should be back soon. They just went to Claim Jumpers.” The cowboy dive bar on the other side of town was where all the locals went to kick back.
“Gotcha.” Sam set the dog down and took a seat at the kitchen island. He took his hat off and set it on his knee, then scrubbed his hands over his face.
“Everything going okay with Helene’s wedding?”
“Yes, ma’am. Happy bride. Happy guests. I think tomorrow will be real special for them.”
“Well, I’ll be there for the ceremony.”
“Not staying for the reception? Don’t you want to catch the bouquet?” Sam teased. His grandmother hadn’t so much as looked at another man since his grandfather had passed away nearly twenty-five years ago. Sam only had a handful of memories of Grandpa Pleasant, but he did remember how happy his grandmother had been in his company, how they behaved like teenagers until the very end.
“I can’t. I’ve made other plans. I have a date.”
Sam pressed his hand to his chest and leaned all the way back. “Ah. Excuse me?”
“I have a date.”
“Well,
