“Oh, how very strange, two requests in one day. I’ve already given it away to Lulu—you know, the lady in town who makes the interesting pieces out of wood. She has that shop.”
“Right.” Annoyance flared in his gut and he clamped his lips together. How the hell did Lulu get that one past him? These boards were nice, an interesting grain and a good size, too, with enough age on them to give whatever was made from them a beautiful patina. “Been to her place already then, have you?”
“Yes, today. I got the paint for the kitchen and decided to shout myself a coffee.” She swiped her tongue over her lip and Riley’s blood spiked. He swallowed and kept his gaze on her. “I couldn’t help but go into her shop and look around. I bought a couple of pieces for the house. A setting for out here and a mirror for one of the bathrooms.”
“Hmm, I have to admit she does some pretty nice stuff. Bit of a strange fish but clever anyway.”
“Strange fish! What a thing to say. I found her lovely—colorful but lovely.”
“Whatever.” He double-checked that he’d done everything he needed to do and took his leave before his body convinced him to dismiss the plan and have his way with her now. The fact that Lulu got one over him annoyed him more than it should. Funny how he believed he had more right to the timber than anyone because he was spending time in her bed. He’d never been possessive before. This wasn’t part of the plan. It didn’t fit in with the kind of relationship they’d agreed on.
Am I going to be able to stick to my guns? he thought later that night while working out the costing for her bathrooms. It might be a good idea to go home to the ranch for a couple of nights. His mother always seemed able to put things into perspective easier than he could. It would be worth putting up with her matchmaking just to have her ease his mind.
With a final check of the figures, he signed the quote and folded the sheet before slipping it into an envelope. Why not slip it into the mailbox now rather than deliver it tomorrow?
He grabbed his car keys and headed to his truck.
Sassie had quite a hold on him already, and that niggled in the back of his brain. He wasn’t ready to settle down yet. There was still too much he wanted to achieve, travel, learn. He wanted to build up his property portfolio. Once he took the plunge, children would no doubt follow, and he’d be tied to commitments and routines that would hold him back.
The lights were on in the old house. The glow spilled out over the front garden, casting soft shadows over the riot of weeds and flowers. Sassie had made noises about getting help to clear it, but so far nobody had come forward and started work. He might tell Alice. Her boy could do a bit to earn spending money.
Riley left his vehicle running and got out, slipped the envelope into her mailbox. The pull to walk through the gate and push open the front door was hard to ignore. He wanted to take her in his arms, ease her into the bedroom, and take her in their bed. The bed he’d bought in a rash move, thinking things could be more than they were. His mistake. She’d been very clear on what she wanted. More so than he had.
He jammed his truck into gear as he headed for home. The apartment he shared with a couple of his classmates was a typical bachelor pad. Messy, noisy, and no place for romance. His heart was in the old house he had scorned, with the woman who had turned his life upside down. How the hell was he going to be able to step back now that she had a hold on him? Riley was in the unimaginable place of falling for someone who didn’t want anything more than his body.
The next week dragged by. He didn’t hear anything from Sassie regarding his quote nor did he see her around town when he was going about his business. Beth was ecstatic to have him home for a change, and Audrey teased him about Sassie.
“Just give in and tell her how you feel, brother. Hell, I don’t know why you have to make such a big deal about it. You were bound to fall for someone sooner or later.” She pulled a face at him before dunking the pot under the suds in the sink and flicked bubbles his way.
“Mind your own business, brat. I don’t need advice from you.” He gave her a gentle shove out of the way and reached for another plate to dry from the dish rack.
“I’m not cleaning up after you two, so behave.” Beth looked over her glasses at them and tsked. “Thought you might have grown up some.”
“Come on, Mom. Life’s too short not to have fun.” Audrey’s face changed as she realized what she’d said. She dipped her head and concentrated on the job at hand.
Riley shared a glance with his mother. It had been long enough for Audrey to get over her fiancé’s death but there were days when it still hit her hard. They’d all tried to help her along since Dylan had been killed by Bulldozer, the stud bull she refused to put down or part with, and most days it worked, but still, she had to grieve and get over it in her own time.
“Well, why did you come out here then if you didn’t want advice? Huh, tell me that then,” Audrey goaded him. Thank goodness she’d found her sass again.
“If I admit to it, you can’t hold it against me.”
Audrey shared a look with their mother and glanced back at Riley. She placed the last dish on the rack and pulled out the plug. Taking the tea
