Her Bucking Bronc (6 page)

“Yeah, I guess I did.” She held out her hand.

He took it in his big paw with a shake of his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. I never expected that.”

She twisted her mouth in a grimace. “Me neither.”

His laugh was big and deep. It echoed through her bones as though she was making him part of her. Hannah’s stomach did a weird flip.

She was no longer angry. Now she was afraid. Dylan was much more than her general contractor. She wasn’t ready for it.

Chapter Four

Dylan woke before the sun, as was his habit. He lay in bed for a few minutes and stared at the white ceiling. The concrete footings would be hardened to allow them to start constructing the first floor of the building. The days would be longer and the work harder.

To put a twist in his day, and his life, Hannah had surprised the hell out of him yesterday. The apology and the gratitude were something he hadn’t expected. Especially after they’d kissed.

His dick took that moment to wake up and join in the fun. It had been some time since Dylan had slept with anyone and that heat between him and Hannah was enough to give him blue balls. He couldn’t take it any further or he would risk his paycheck and possibly his mind.

Hannah was too damn sexy. She was the opposite of what he had dated previously. Being a big guy, he would normally gravitate toward the petite curvy packages. He’d not had occasion to run into a tall, voluptuous Valkyrie who carried a gun and had a personality as big as a bulldozer.

Yet here he was lying in bed with his hand on his dick, thinking about her. Remembering the taste and feel of her mouth beneath his. He didn’t get a chance to touch those luscious curves but damn he wanted to. His blood surged with the need to do more than kiss her.

As he moved his hand up and down his shaft, images of what Hannah might look like naked slid through his mind. What color her nipples were. What her sensitive spots would be. He wanted to find the passion within her, heat and sweet mixed together. There was no doubt in his mind she would be loud and full of fire.

Knock-knock-knock.

“Fuck.” Dylan kept his hand on his dick and squeezed. Maybe whoever it was would go away.

Knock-knock-knock.

“
What?
” His voice was hoarse and sharp.

“Dylan, I need you.” Hannah’s voice threw him for a loop.

“Hannah?”

“I have an emergency. I need your help.” She sounded desperate.

He jumped out of bed and reached for the doorknob. And he was naked. And hard.

“One sec.” He grabbed his jeans and yanked them on commando. His dick might not ever forgive him.

By the time he opened the door, he was cutting off his circulation. Hannah stood there in the gray early morning light. Her hair was a messy cloud and she wore a pair of raggedy shorts, flip-flops and a tank top. Without a bra.

Dylan’s muffled dick strained against the zipper that trapped it. “What’s wrong?” he managed to squeeze the words out.

She burst into the hotel room, her hands flying as she talked. “The kitchen appliances. I ordered them through my supplier. I’ve worked with them for years. Years! I find out from social media that they’re out of business!” Her voice grew in volume with each word. She punctuated the air with her fist.

“It’s not even six o’clock.” Dylan kept his voice calm while inside he wanted to shout. “Could you turn the volume down while you talk?”

“What?” She stopped and her breasts jiggled with the abrupt movement. He tried his damnedest not to look.

“People are sleeping. This is a hotel, remember?”

“Shit. I’m sorry.” She sat down hard. On the bed.

Jesus please us. He might not ever get the jeans off again.

Dylan sat on the chair across the room, which was a grand total of six feet away. “The appliances?” he prompted.

“Yes, the Jorgensen family has been in business for at least fifty years. And apparently they closed their doors two days ago. No phone call, no nothing.” She pressed her fists to her knees. “Their phone’s been disconnected.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard of a supplier closing its doors. “I have a supplier I’ve used in the past. I’m sure he can get you what you need.”

“You don’t understand. I paid them already. All of it.”

Dylan’s heart thumped. “What?”

“That’s how they give me a big discount. I pay them upfront and they order them for me wholesale.” Her eyes were wide with panic. “I don’t have another thirty thousand dollars for appliances.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, something like that.” She flopped back on the bed.

Dylan had to close his eyes because his dick was not about to give up. Especially since she was lying on the sheets that were probably still warm from his body.

“Do you have a receipt?”

“No. I’ve never gotten one when I placed an order. Just when they delivered. The Jorgensens have been supplying Cindy’s since my granddaddy bought the first range from them.” Her hands fluttered around like a flock of birds.

It surprised him. Hannah seemed like the type to have every piece of paperwork in military-like order. To know she handed over thirty grand for appliances without even a slip of paper made him doubt the universe.

“You have nothing that says you handed them a small fortune?”

“A text message. A canceled check.”

He blew out a breath. “Any chance they’re going to give you the money back?”

“I don’t know.” She put her hands over her face. “I told you I needed help.”

And she came to him. Instead of her brother. Dylan told himself it was only because he was her general contractor. There couldn’t be any other reason.

“Why don’t we get dressed, have breakfast and drive out to the Jorgensens’ store? If no one is there, I have a guy who has a warehouse of scratch-and-dent appliances. He’ll give us a good deal.” Dylan didn’t want to think about what would happen if they couldn’t get the money back eventually. They would have to cut back on the rest of the budget, in finishes or in décor for the interior. They might even have to eliminate the Devils’ Corner.

“I’m dressed.”

He shook his head. “You’ve got some cotton things on, but I wouldn’t say you’re dressed.”

She sat up abruptly, showing him those spectacular tits in motion again. Hannah glanced down. “Oh.” She looked at him. “I brushed my teeth.”

He snorted and leaned back against the scratchy fabric of the chair. Her gaze dropped to his chest and the air between them grew heavy. His body pulsed with need, with unrequited lust.

“You were sleeping.”

“Yep.” He lied because he wasn’t about to admit he was masturbating. Especially considering he’d been fantasizing about her while doing it.

“I’m sorry.” She jumped to her feet. “How about you come out to the ranch for breakfast? I’ll get home and shower while you get ready.”

“You’re inviting me to your home?”

“I need to cook when I get stressed. I’ll make some pastries.”

As if there was any doubt he would go, the promise of sugary concoctions made it a slam dunk. “Sure. I just need the address.”

While she was texting him the ranch’s location, he watched her body, seeing more skin than he’d been privileged to view before. He was right about how incredible her body was. His hands itched to touch her.

That wouldn’t stop him from going to her house, though.

She reached for the door then paused. “Thank you, Dylan.”

His first name rolled off her tongue so smoothly. He found he liked the sound of it in her whiskey voice.

“Anytime, Hannah.”

She glanced back at him with those doe eyes and then she darted out the door, closing it behind her. Dylan ran his hands down his face and wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself into.

Dylan spent the next twenty minutes taking a cold shower and shaving. He’d spent lonely nights in his hotel room. He wouldn’t admit it, but he missed Hannah. Whenever she came to the jobsite, he found his blood pumping and he felt alive. It had become more than a job. For the first time in a long time, he looked forward to going to work.

He’d had trouble sleeping since the precious three seconds where he’d felt her body against his. His dreams had been full of visceral, carnal images of what she looked like beneath the T-shirt and jeans. The memory of her lips nearly brought him to wet dreams.

None of the food anywhere in or around Tanger compared to Hannah’s cooking. No wonder her restaurant was her life. The woman had a gift, plain and simple. It was a shame she wasn’t cooking at Cindy’s any longer. He had become personally invested in making the new restaurant the best it could be.

And if he were honest with himself, it wasn’t just because of her cooking. He liked her for all her quirks.

When Dax Blackwood showed up at the door as Dylan was leaving his hotel room, he was surprised and, if he were honest, disappointed. Dylan wanted to hop in his truck and meet Hannah for breakfast, not dilly-dally with her brother.

“Morning.” Dax smiled and held out his hand. “It’s good to see you.”

Dylan shook the other man’s hand. “Morning.”

Dax’s smile faded. “I’m here about Hannah.”

“Is she okay?” Worry flooded Dylan’s gut. She’d only been gone twenty minutes.

“No, she’s not okay. Something must’ve happened and she won’t talk to me.” Dax ran his hand down his face. “I’m going to tell you a few things and I’m sure my sister is going to burn my ass for it, but I don’t care at this point.”

Dylan’s heart picked up speed. “Then tell me.”

“I’m worried about her and I think you may know what’s going on.”

“I don’t know why. I hardly know her.” Dylan didn’t add that he did fantasize about her. Dax didn’t need to know that. Ever.

“She had a loss two years ago, and well, she’s had trouble getting out of bed some days. When the restaurant burned, she got worse.” Dax paused and Dylan didn’t want to know but did want to know what the other man was going to tell him. “When she walked into Lucas’s office all full of fire, I saw the old Hannah, and the only change I could think of was you.”

“Me?” Dylan’s brows went up. “What did I do?”

“I’m just guessing here, but I think you made her feel again. She’s been in my house the last few days baking like a madwoman, but she won’t talk to me.” Dax speared him with an intense gaze. “Did anything happen at the jobsite?”

Dylan thought back to the day they had started grading. “She came by with steak sandwiches she’d made for lunch and—”

“Wait, she made you her steak sandwiches? With the pretzel rolls?” Dax’s eyes widened.

“Yeah and they were so good, I can’t eat anything else without comparing them. The next day she brought bear claws.”
And then I kissed her, again and again.
Dylan had replayed that moment over and over in his mind. He couldn’t stop himself.

“She started baking again, but she’s not the same. She’s almost manic.” Dax put his hands on his hips and squinted up at the sun. “I’m going to ask you to do something and it’s going to sound crazy, but I need your help.”

Dylan nodded. “I’m in. What do I need to do?”

* * * * *

Hannah took the world’s fastest shower and put on actual clean clothes, including a bra. She was mortified, and yet strangely aroused, when she’d found herself with little clothing lying on Dylan’s hotel bed. It had smelled of him.

Then she really looked at him and discovered the most amazing classically sculpted chest. It took a lot of strength to not touch him and feel the fur between her fingers, lick the warm, bronze skin.

Sweet biscuits and gravy.

She hadn’t showered or washed her hair in at least two days. It was a wonder he’d accepted her breakfast invitation.

She ran the brush through her wet hair and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. The oven beeped and she raced into the kitchen. Hannah threw herself into baking and had the scones in the oven in record time. It felt good to have the dough between her fingers.

Newly returned from her trip, Mama emerged from her bedroom dressed in a pretty pink outfit. She was a petite, older version of Hannah, with her brown hair liberally sprinkled with silver. She had a pep in her step that had been missing. Mama even looked healthier, with a sparkle in her blue eyes.

“Morning, sweetie.” Mama brushed a kiss on Hannah’s cheek before heading to the coffeepot.

“Where you headed?” Hannah slid onto the stool on the other side of the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the family room. She wasn’t anxious. She was just waiting for the scones to be finished.

“I’m going shopping with Sophie.” Mama smiled, happy to have Dax back together with his high school sweetheart. The two women had become fast friends again, leaving Hannah at home, which was fine by her. She was certain they were talking about potential wedding plans and Hannah wanted no part of that.

“Have fun.” She picked up her now-cooling coffee and sipped it, wishing for her espresso machine. She pushed the idea away because therein lay thoughts she didn’t want to let out of their cage. Sooner or later, there would be no safe topics to think about, but she wasn’t there yet.