Steel Toes & Stilettos (Sweet & Rugged in Montana Book 2) Read online

  Maybe it was the sunshine or the fresh air. Or maybe it was the company. It was probably a combination of all of the above. All she knew was she was content. Her normal restless energy was gone and the constant chatter in her brain had faded away.

  “I take it your life isn’t simple,” he said.

  She got the feeling he wanted to ask more. Every time he looked at her she got the suspicion that he was taking note of everything about her. He had this way of making her feel like she was the most fascinating person on the planet.

  It wasn’t true, of course, but the effect was heady. She’d never been the center of someone’s universe before.

  Maybe he was one of those guys who made everyone feel that way. He was a good listener and he seemed to be genuinely interested in other people. She shouldn’t take it so much to heart, but she did.

  It had been a long time since someone cared enough to try and get close, past the defenses and the pretenses. Overlooking the obvious to see what was beneath.

  He shifted, sitting upright and brushing off his palms. “What brought you to Los Angeles?”

  She sighed. She didn’t want to think about LA or her clients or the life she was going back to. She liked her life…normally. But sitting here in this peaceful Shangri-La, it felt so far away and she loved that. But he’d been answering her questions honestly and he deserved the same.

  “I fled New York after breaking up with my ex.” She gave him a rueful grin. It was the pat answer she gave whenever anyone asked that question so it just sort of slipped out. “I guess I’d just needed a change. I needed to stand on my own two feet.”

  “Being independent,” he said. “That’s a big deal for you, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “My father was controlling.” She made a face. “I was an only child and he’d always been protective to the point of overbearing.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. It was hard for Cole and me to give Alice her independence when she went off to college. It was hard to remember that she was a grown-up and not a little girl anymore.”

  She nodded. “Exactly. My dad will probably never see me as a grown-up, but the distance helps.” She smiled as she reached for a piece of cheese. “It’s hard to admit but we have a better relationship now that I’ve moved across the country than we ever did when I lived ten blocks away.”

  “So you were trying to escape your family then,” he said.

  She nodded. She almost didn’t continue, but she had to. “And my ex.”

  She cleared her throat, ignoring his stare as she toyed with the food. She never really talked about this with anyone, least of all a strange man, or a man she’d just kissed. But again, he had been so forthright about his divorce, and he seemed genuinely interested.

  And honestly, she wanted him to understand. Because her current hangups with dating were largely based on her experience with Rick. Not that she and Dax were dating. They weren’t. They couldn’t. It would be pointless since she was leaving so soon.

  But she wanted to.

  “Are you all right?” Dax gave her shoulder a touch to get her attention.

  She nodded quickly, struggling to swallow that last bite. “Mmhmm. I was just just...uh…thinking.” About how I finally want to date someone for the first time in years and I can’t.

  How unfair was that?

  She shook her head. “Sorry, I got distracted. I was going to say that my ex was a major part of my leaving.”

  He gave a sympathetic wince. “Tough breakup?”

  “Kind of, but not like you might think.” She cleared her throat. Man, this was hard to talk about. “I wasn’t heartbroken, not like I should have been. I mean, we’d been together for five years, we were engaged…I should have been more upset. Instead I felt...”

  His gaze never left her face even as she struggled for the right word.

  “Relieved,” she finally said. “That sounds cold, I know, but it was a relief.”

  “How so?”

  She shrugged. “I may not like how overprotective my dad was—is—but I was used to it. I think subconsciously we all seek out what we know, even if we don’t like it.”

  Dax nodded. “It’s our comfort zone.”

  “Exactly. I guess I fell into a cliché,” she said with a little laugh. “I was set to marry a man who was just like my father.”

  “Controlling?” he asked with a sympathetic wince.

  She nodded. “At first I thought his protectiveness was sweet. But then it turned suffocating.” She took a deep breath as she thought back to that dark time and how far she’d come. “It started to feel like he didn’t trust me to make my own decisions.”

  “That must have been difficult,” he said, his voice a soothing murmur.

  She looked over at him, studying him. Funny how at first sight she’d thought he was such an old-fashioned chauvinist, but now… Well now she didn’t know what to make of this guy. On one hand he was old-fashioned. His lifestyle was simple, like something from another time, another era.

  But not necessarily in a bad way.

  For the first time in her life, she could understand the appeal of a slower pace, of a life that wasn’t spent competing and constantly running.

  What was she thinking? She shook her head. This was a vacation—no, a working vacation—she wasn’t actually looking to live here.

  As if reading her mind, Dax shifted, gathering up some of the uneaten food. “We should probably get moving if we’re going to see all of the venue sites Alice has lined up before supper.”

  The rest of the day was spent slowly making their way around the property, which never lost its awe-inspiring appeal no matter how long she gazed at the horizon or tried to digest the sweeping views.

  She experienced the oddest sensation of being exhausted but rested as they drove back to the main house. Exhausted from so much walking and exploring, but rested in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

  Maybe this was why people took vacations to remote parts of the world like this.

  Huh. Maybe her next vacation wouldn’t be to a crowded beach but to a ranch…just like this one.

  She hadn’t realized she’d let out a little laugh until he glanced over with a smile of his own. “What’s so funny?”

  She shook her head. “Just thinking how much a person’s perspective can change in the course of twenty-four hours.” She paused for a second, unsure of how much to reveal. But then she looked at who she was talking to. A man who seemed to take everything in stride and who inexplicably seemed to understand her without her having to rationalize or explain. Taking a deep breath, she spit it out. “You know, when I first showed up here, I fully expected to hate it.”

  She glanced over and saw his grin spread wide across his face. “No kidding,” he drawled.

  Laughing, she smacked his arm. “I guess that was pretty obvious, huh?”

  “Let’s just say you did not seem thrilled to be in this fine state of ours,” he said, ever the diplomat.

  She pursed her lips as she thought about her behavior the night before. Had it really only been one night? “I guess I was a bit of a brat, and I’m sorry about that.”

  He reached over and clasped her hand in his. She felt the warmth of it all the way to her toes. “No need to apologize. I didn’t give you much reason to be happy to be here.” He gave a little shrug. “I guess it’s obvious that I’m not as keen on my sister’s plans for a guest ranch as she is.”

  “No kidding,” she said, imitating his cowboy drawl and making him laugh.

  “Yeah well…” He gave her a sidelong look that made her heart attempt to jump out of her chest in response. “I was wrong.”

  She thought he might not say anymore but then his voice lowered and his tone softened. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Her heart did a backflip before wringing itself out to dry. Oh mercy. How had he managed to put so much emotion into one little phrase. I’m glad you’re here.

  She was glad too, even though a
little part of her was already feeling homesick for this place and for him. Which was utterly ridiculous because she hadn’t even left yet, not to mention the fact that she’d only just arrived. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she’d first spoken to Dax Deckland.

  How on earth could he have this much sway over her emotions already?

  The silence between them grew heavy. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad too.”

  That was it. That was all she could manage. It was the truth, though. No matter how hard it might be to walk away, she’d never regret meeting this man. Maybe he’d been sent from above to show her that her heart wasn’t made of ice after all.

  Yes, that had to be it. He was a sign that she could feel something deeper than just apathetic admiration for a man, after all.

  Maybe once she returned home to LA she’d meet someone and feel this same way. She’d meet someone who lived in her world, in her city, who fit into her life and she into his.

  Much as she tried to convince herself, her heart just wasn’t in it. Her heart had turned into a brat, it seemed. I want this man, and this life, and this world.

  She shook her head at her own silliness.

  Her heart would get over it.

  Chapter Seven

  Dax wasn’t sure what had come over him but he had a restlessness inside him that he couldn’t wrangle.

  Actually, he knew exactly what had come over him. It was a severe case of wanting. He hadn’t felt anything like it since…ever. He’d never felt this way—not even about keeping the ranch. He loved his life, but at this particular moment he would give it all up if it meant he got to keep Katy by his side.

  Heck, he’d sign over the deed to the ranch for one more kiss.

  This was lunacy, pure and simple. It was an infatuation that would fade once she left.

  He shifted in the driver seat at that thought. He didn’t want her to leave. What on earth? Yes, that kiss had been phenomenal, but he wasn’t one to lose his head over a kiss…or anything else, for that matter.

  He was the steady one in his family. The calm one, the reasonable one.

  But there was nothing reasonable about the way he felt right now—like he wanted to hold her close and never let go. That feeling had grown since the kiss so he couldn’t entirely blame hormones or pheromones or whatever it was that had made his world tip upside down at the feel of her lips beneath his.

  No, this feeling had taken on a life of its own. The more time he’d spent with her, the more they’d talked, the more she’d shown him her real self, the more he’d fallen in love.

  Love?

  The word echoed through him. No, it couldn’t be. His heart started racing as the house came into view. No way. This couldn’t be love. Granted, he’d never really fallen in love before. Not even with Shannon, and they both knew it. But still, it didn’t work like this. Real love took time to develop.

  Didn’t it?

  There had to be another explanation. He just couldn’t think of one. And now that the word had been let loose in his mind, it seemed to reverberate, bouncing off his skull and sending shockwaves throughout his entire body.

  This was love. He had fallen in love with Katy Hunter.

  He stepped on the brake too hard as he came to a stop in his usual parking place beside the main house.

  “Sorry,” he said as they both lurched forward a bit at the sudden stop.

  “No worries,” she said with a smile.

  That smile. Holy cow, that smile. She was radiant and so at ease. It seemed the more time she’d spent touring the ranch, the more she’d relaxed. He could see the effect this place had on her and it was magnificent.

  He knew his family loved it here—Twilight was their home, after all. But he’d never seen anyone take to it like she had.

  Like he did every day.

  She clearly felt it, the majestic energy, the sweeping, humbling serenity. And it suited her. He’d watched her nervous energy settle into something enchanting. A peacefulness that made her features soften with joy and her lips turn up in a small smile he guessed was unintentional.

  She was beautiful in her strappy heels, with her quick speech and her rapid-fire wit. But this was another side of her that he felt blessed to witness. It was a side of herself he’d guess she was just now discovering for herself.

  He helped her out of the car and held onto her hand even after he should have let it go. She didn’t pull away and for that he was grateful.

  His mind started to get away from him as he led her to the house. What was he thinking? It wasn’t like this could lead anywhere.

  But his heart wasn’t listening. She was here now, it seemed to say in return. Hold onto her, hold onto this moment, for as long as you can.

  That was what he would do. He would make the most of this little time they had together. He would make sure he spent as much—

  “There you are!” Alice’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts as they entered the family room where Alice, it seemed, had been waiting for them.

  Her pixie features lit up with excitement as she caught sight of Katy walking in behind him. He saw her gaze drop to their intertwined hands but she didn’t so much as blink.

  He let go quickly anyway, suddenly absurdly self-conscious.

  “You must be Katy,” Alice said as she walked toward them, her hand outstretched.

  Katy snapped back into her work mode, as Dax had come to think of it. She was all polite, polished perfection. The only thing missing were her heels and her snazzy clothes, but even wearing hiking boots and a casual outfit, she conveyed poise and professionalism just by the switch in her demeanor.

  Alice was clearly impressed. He watched with some amusement as his little sister chatted excitedly with Katy, asking her about her trip so far and filling her in more details about the guest properties, answering some of the questions he hadn’t had answers to this morning.

  Alice was wide-eyed and eager, and so very in her element that he couldn’t help but be impressed. This was a side of his sister he’d never truly seen. Oh, he’d watched her start up this business but he’d never had much to do with it before.

  Her knowledge and her confidence were impressive. He barely heard James walk into the room and stop beside him.

  “Who is this?” he asked, only half joking. “And what happened to my baby sister?”

  James hesitated for a moment too long and when Dax turned he saw James watching her with an intensity that made him nervous. Not for the first time he found himself questioning just how close his old friend and his little sister had grown.

  James looked over at him with a grin that made Dax feel guilty for having suspicions. “I guess your little sister is all grown up.”

  Dax grumbled something incoherent. He wasn’t entirely sure he liked his friend noticing just how grown up his little sister was. But then Alice distracted him. He heard her asking Katy about her dinner plans and he experienced a surge of panic.

  “If you’d like, James and I could grill up some steaks,” his sister was saying.

  Dax took a step forward. “Actually, uh—” All eyes were on him and Katy gave him a questioning look.

  Well heck, he hadn’t meant to do this in front of an audience, but there was no turning back now. “I was, uh…” He glanced over at his sister but she didn’t get the cue that she should give him privacy. He settled for lowering his voice as he turned to face Katy. “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight in town.”

  She blinked at him and he saw a hint of pink creeping up her cheeks. “Dax Deckland, are you asking me on a date?”

  The air went still around him and he was intensely aware of all the eyes on him. He cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”

  A heartbeat of tense silence followed. But then she grinned and it lit up her face, making her eyes dance with laughter. “I’d love to.”

  Chapter Eight

  Hours later Katy still wasn’t sure what
she was doing.

  This was craziness, she chided herself in the mirror. After Dax’s shocking proposition, she’d hurried back her guest home and taken a shower, taking her time getting ready and primping and fussing like a nervous schoolgirl.

  Her belly kept doing flip-flops with eager excitement as she waited for him to pick her up at her door at five on the dot.

  He hadn’t told her he’d come to her door but she knew he would. He was just that kind of guy. To her surprise, the thought of his chivalry didn’t make her uncomfortable and she didn’t wince.

  If anything she found herself giving her reflection a goofy grin in the mirror.

  Oh mercy, she had to get control of herself. This was ridiculous. How on earth had she gone from being irritated by this man’s very presence to having a full-blown crush on him.

  This is more than just a crush.

  Shush. She silenced that part of her brain that refused to keep quiet. It couldn’t seem to leave well enough alone. No matter how much she tried to use reason, there was a little part of her that was impervious to it.

  She had taken to calling that voice the brat. It just seemed so fitting. The brat didn’t seem to care that she was leaving in two days. It certainly didn’t care that she’d never be coming back—unless, of course, Hannah decided to have her wedding here, in which case she’d probably need to come back for preparations and for the actual wedding.

  A glimmer of hope had her sucking in a deep breath as she applied one last layer of lip gloss.

  But she was a professional, she reminded herself. She would not try to talk Hannah into Twilight Ranch as her venue if she didn’t like the looks of it once Katy gave her the rundown.

  She narrowed her eyes at her reflection. And she would not, under any circumstances, try to use her position as event planner to sway Hannah’s decision.

  She already felt the pull of temptation. Having an excuse to come here and spend more time with Dax? It sounded like heaven.

  A knock at the door startled her out of her girly daydreaming. It was only quarter to five. Either Dax was early or—