The Trouble With Mini Cows (Fidalgo Island Book 1) Page 12

  She decided she needed to get well and truly away, so she loaded up Daisy and headed over to Gran’s. She checked the voicemail messages, but there wasn’t anything for her or anything that sounded related to Gran’s grand escape. Same with the mail, which she piled up on the kitchen table. She had to move the small key she’d found out of the way. Might as well go see if she could figure out what it went with. She walked through the house and the basement, but didn’t see anything with a lock on it to even try.

  She checked the empty barn, and while there were some locked cupboards, the key didn’t fit any of them. It was on the way back across the yard that she spotted the garage that belonged to the cottage, the original renovated mini cow barn. She hadn’t bothered to go in there, since clearly the cows had been relocated. Now that she was looking, she could see that there was a padlock on the door. She quickened her pace. Sure enough, the key fit, but it took a bit of fiddling for the lock to actually release.

  She gaped when she opened the door. Partly it was the cold that rushed out, and part was pure shock at what she was looking at. The entire inside of the otherwise ordinary two-car garage had been renovated into a walk-in refrigerator—heck, drive-in refrigerator. Commercial racks formed neat aisles, and on them was cheese… and butter, lots of butter. Chest freezers at the very back held five-gallon tubs of ice cream. It was a dairy paradise.

  It must have cost a small fortune to do this, she pondered, and she knew Gran didn’t have that kind of money, not unless she’d also won the lottery and failed to mention it. One more piece of the puzzle to think about. She locked up again and went back to Nate’s, dreading talking to him when they came face to face.

  By the time Nate did get home, Tess couldn’t decide if she wanted to yell at him for teasing her or hide for a week. She was in the barn when she heard his truck pull in, and she consciously lingered, spending a little extra time with Ferdie, the cutest calf in the world. He was such a sweet little fellow, and, unlike Nate, seemed content with a gentle scratch behind the ears and some nonsensical baby talk. Ferdie had followed her around the barn since she’d rushed in like the devil was after her earlier. He was so short that she was afraid of tripping over him, but he managed to stay just out of harm’s way while still sticking his curious nose in everything she was doing.

  When her stomach started to growl she knew she couldn’t hold off any longer, so headed back to the house with reluctant steps. She was relieved to see the kitchen empty, and headed quickly upstairs to change, hoping to avoid Nate for just a little longer.

  When she reached the top of the stairs, he was just coming out of his room, a towel wrapped low on his hips and his wet hair in loose spikes.

  He smiled at her. “Hey, want me to warm up the pizza now?”

  She couldn’t take it: a sexy, half-naked man smiling at her and talking about cooking—okay, reheating, but it counted—and she stepped back to put a little more space between her and his bare chest. But she’d forgotten that she’d only just arrived at the top of the stairs.

  Panic took hold of her, and her arms flailed to grab hold of something as she felt gravity pull her backward. She watched Nate’s face turn grim in a flash. A reflexively quick arm reached out and grabbed her before she tumbled down.

  She found herself flat up against that hard, damp chest she’d been trying to avoid, while trying to quell the adrenaline rush from nearly killing herself. It wasn’t true what they said about things suddenly switching to slow motion—time seemed to have sped up instead.

  “Jesus, Tess. Don’t scare me like that.”

  She couldn’t speak, and just tightened her arms around him.

  He rubbed her back awkwardly, seemingly to reassure himself that she was still there and in one piece, his own heart pounding against her ear.

  “Tess, are you scared of me?”

  She shook her head slightly against him, still not ready to let go.

  “Then why’d you back up like that?”

  “I…”

  She didn’t know how to answer, how to put into words that he had the power to overwhelm her and she had too many other problems right now.

  “Am I making a total fool of myself here and coming on too strong? Have I misread things?”

  She stilled—she could do it. Lie and tell him she wasn’t interested. She was pretty sure he’d back off completely. She tightened her arms, as though that would keep him from going out of her life. Deep down she knew that was inevitable, but she didn’t have to initiate it, did she? The slightly rough texture of the terrycloth made his warm, damp skin seem even more inviting. She yearned to move her hands and explore a little, but she didn’t dare.

  “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?” she finally managed.

  “Because someone emptied my hamper and nobody brought the clean ones up yet. All I have up here are dress shirts and suits, which I’ve had enough of for the day. Does that mean you’re not uninterested?”

  It took Tess a minute to parse the double negative, then she pouted into his bare shoulder. “Why don’t you go grab some clothes from the dryer and put in the pizza?”

  “Like that, is it? Okay. Sooner or later I’ll drag an expression of interest out of you. For now, neutrality is progress. Oh, and Tess?”

  “Yes?”

  “Now that I’ve recovered from your near-death, unless you want this to start moving even faster, you might want to put a few inches between us, stat.”

  She suddenly became very aware that her hands weren’t the only part of her pressing into him. She was molded against him from her head to her hips, and there didn’t seem to be any gaps. Reluctantly, she pulled her arms back to her sides and eased her head back. He kept his large hands loosely on her shoulders, as though he were afraid she was about to step off the edge again. She kept her eyes pinned straight ahead, not quite sure what to say at this point. If she told him she thought his ribs had some kind of polarized magnetic pull, first sending her away and then snapping her in, he would probably laugh so hard she’d literally sink through the floor in embarrassment and they’d be back where they’d started.

  “Ah, hell, might as well go for broke.”

  He dipped his head, and his lips pressed gently but insistently on hers. Warm and firm, they teased her, hinting at more then pulling away, coming back again. She closed her eyes and stopped trying to analyze it.

  She wanted more. She tried to rise on her toes to get closer, but his hands on her shoulders held her firmly in place. She sighed a little against his mouth and her arms started to reach for his neck to pull him down farther, closer. Nate broke the kiss and pulled her arms down, although he continued to hold her hands. Her lips tingled.

  His eyes smiled into hers, and he gave her a friendly peck on the end of her nose.

  “I think you’re trying to take advantage of my weakened state.”

  “I’m… you?”

  “Yes, for all I know you just want me for my body.”

  She could feel her eyes widen to the point of cramping.

  “I want to know that you’ll still respect me in the morning.”

  Tess choked, and Nate pounded her sympathetically on the back.

  “And what is it they say about buying cows when the milk is free? Very apropos, don’t you think?”

  “You’re comparing yourself to a cow?”

  “Only situationally. You’re here because of cows; I want you to want to stay for so much more.” Every part of his face except his dancing eyes was the epitome of virtue and innocence.

  He raised one of her hands and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “We aren’t going to make love until you literally can’t stand not knowing what it will be like for one more minute.”

  He was being convoluted on purpose, she was sure of it.

  “Umm, we aren’t? Is this some kind of reverse psychology or something?”

  “Yes. But just because you know that doesn’t mean it won’t work. You’re going to be thinking about us together when
you go to bed tonight. About how well we fit together. Imagining how much better we’ll fit when I’m inside you.”

  She gulped, already starting to picture it, as he’d intended. Damn him.

  He reverted to brisk professionalism despite the towel. “But… you’re not quite there yet, so I’m prepared to wait, proactively. Feel free to come on in if your imagination gets the better of you tonight.” He grinned, and that devious dimple flashed. “Oh, and Tess? I’m not going to miss an opportunity to show you how good it will be.” His smile stretched into a friendly leer.

  She blinked at him. She hadn’t expected that, any of it. She was suddenly desperate to get a second opinion. She wanted to ring up Sarah right then and there for her input. But she wasn’t quite sure she could convey the nonverbal parts accurately, and she simultaneously wanted to keep it to herself, a private, delicious secret. Besides, Nate was still standing there with his arm around her shoulders. “I… I’m going to go take a shower now,” she announced.

  Nate smiled at her sympathetically. “You’ll get used to it.”

  “To what?”

  “Not knowing which end is up. Although I’d appreciate it if you try to remember when it comes to the stairs.” He turned and headed down them, whistling a catchy tune, as though nothing had happened.

  When she came downstairs, Nate had not only gotten dressed in navy sweatpants and a long-sleeved white tee, he was just pulling the pizza out of the oven. Two glasses of red wine sat waiting on the island counter.

  “Want to watch a movie while we eat?”

  Tess smiled with relief—no awkward conversation to worry about. “Sure, what did you have in mind?”

  “I’ve got a couple of things queued up that I haven’t had a chance to watch yet. There’s that latest space action flick.”

  Tess frowned.

  “Or that camping horror one that just came out.”

  She frowned harder.

  “Or that remake of the art theft mystery.”

  “Oooh! I’ve been wanting to see that.”

  “There we go, then. Why don’t you carry the wine to the living room and I’ll bring the pizza?”

  Tess nodded and picked up the two wine glasses. Daisy trailed behind her as she walked into the living room. She set the glasses down on the nearby credenza, but there was no coffee table or other flat surface to put plates on.

  Nate came in carrying the two plates loaded with pizza slices and carefully set them down by the TV. “I figured we could balance everything—here, you sit down and I’ll hand you yours, then I’ll get the movie started.”

  Tess obeyed, but found sitting down on the cool leather of the sofa that she was a bit chilly. She rubbed her arms briskly.

  “There’s a throw behind you if you want to grab it now.”

  She swiveled and pulled down the grey fluffy throw from the back of the sofa, and arranged it carefully over her knees. Nate handed her a plate and then a glass of wine before pushing various buttons on the remote. As the movie started, he sat down close beside her and put his glass gingerly on the floor.

  “Watch that Daisy doesn’t get into that.”

  “Will do.”

  Tess really was hungry, so it took a few minutes to notice that Nate had slipped his left arm behind her and was eating and drinking with just the one hand. It was so high school, particularly after what had happened upstairs, that she wanted to giggle, but forced herself to focus on the movie. When she was done with her pizza, Nate whisked the plates back to the kitchen and refilled her glass. Sitting down again, he pulled her up against his side and tucked the throw in around her.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

  “Not really, more like relaxed and sleepy.”

  She looked away from the movie to raise an eyebrow at him.

  He just smiled and ran his fingers gently along the curve of her hip. She leaned into him with a sigh and went back to trying to watch the movie, although she couldn’t have said what happened after that point. All her attention was on the gentle warmth emanating from his fingers. She felt warm and safe, with nowhere she’d rather be.

  She was deeply and deliciously asleep when he half woke her up by gently pushing her shoulder.

  “Tess, I can’t stay in this position all night. Come on, it’s time to go upstairs.”

  “Mrppph.”

  He sat her up, but she still leaned against him. She supposed she was technically awake, but she didn’t think she could move.

  “Want me to carry you?”

  “Umph,” she assented.

  He picked her up in his arms, half over his shoulder so she wouldn’t bang her head or ankles as he took her up the stairs. Even that didn’t shift her feeling of boneless relaxation. He pushed open her door with his foot and lowered her down on the white duvet cover.

  “You could stay.” She patted the bed beside her absently. He’d made a really nice, warm pillow downstairs, and she’d gotten very comfortable. She wanted to sink back down into that.

  “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” He leaned over and kissed her firmly on the mouth, but right when she was starting to really wake up, he pulled away. “I’ll be collecting a rain check on that.”

  She pouted as he turned to leave. “Aren’t you going to help me get undressed?” Tess wasn’t entirely sure why she was teasing him like this, but she really didn’t have the energy to wriggle out of her jeans.

  He turned back and studied her through narrowed eyes. She saw the muscle in his jaw clench, but he came back to the bed, and with a surprisingly gentle touch unlaced her shoes and pulled them off. When he undid the button on her jeans, she raised her hips so he could slide them down her legs. His breath whistled out.

  She smiled sleepily.

  “I think I like those even better than the pink ones.”

  She struggled to remember what underwear she’d put on after her shower. Oh yeah. The out-of-season Christmas ones from the back of her drawer with mistletoe on them. She shivered slightly.

  He pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed up over her and turned to leave again.

  “Um, Nate? Bra?”

  “Can’t you sleep in it?”

  “No, it leaves marks.”

  He efficiently came around to the side of the bed and put his hands under her back, unhooking her bra and drawing the straps down each arm without raising her shirt. He was fast and efficient, and didn’t look at her once. It was her turn to narrow her eyes at him.

  If he noticed, he didn’t say. He finally met her eyes with a predatory look. “You’d better be prepared for payback tomorrow night. Heck, make that tomorrow morning.”

  This time he really did leave the room, and Tess settled back into the pillows with a happy sigh and a grin that wouldn’t leave her face.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The next morning Tess awoke to sunlight on her face and birds chirping in the lilac tree outside her window. She smiled with satisfaction as she stretched her arms over her head. She couldn’t remember when she’d slept so well, and something exciting was happening today, what was it? Oh… she sat up abruptly.

  He’d said this morning. Had he meant it? She listened carefully. The house had that absence of sound that happens when there’s nobody else about. And what had he meant exactly? She jumped out of bed and raced into the bathroom, showering and brushing her teeth as fast as she could. She got dressed, but paused briefly when it came to underwear. Her choices were limited, since she hadn’t brought the clean laundry up yet, and none of them were particularly sexy. Oh well, if it came to that he’d have to deal, and she put on the plain white ones.

  She was surprised at how disappointed she felt when she got downstairs to discover the house was indeed empty. He’d left a note on the kitchen counter to say he’d taken Daisy with him to the office (did they allow that?) and she was to have the cows milked, and be ready to go at seven. Please, he’d added, and she forgave all the other high-handedness right then and there
.

  She rushed through her chores, or at least she tried. The cows immediately knew that they didn’t have her full attention, and reciprocated by taking forever to milk. Even Ferdie butted the back of her knee a little harder than necessary. She tried to calm down for them, but she was a mass of nerves. Anticipation churned with curiosity and impatience and just a hint of anxiety. What was he planning? Was this just dinner? Retribution? Sex? All three? Or the answer that had always foiled her in school: none of the above. Maybe he’d forgotten what he’d said; maybe he’d changed his mind overnight and he was going to let her down easy.

  There were no emails or phone calls from Nate to give her a clue. By lunchtime she was such a mass of nerves she didn’t think she could take it any more. She broke down and sent him an email. She wasn’t intentionally coy, but she didn’t want her nerves to show either so she left it at: What’s the plan for tonight? And then she waited. And waited. And waited. She refreshed her email. She turned her browser off and back on again. She turned her computer off and on again. Nothing she did produced a response.

  By 4:30, when she headed out for the afternoon milking, she’d reached a place of peace. She would handle whatever came her way with aplomb. She would remain cool and collected—sophisticated. The very embodiment of the sexually mature, modern woman. She told herself that three times in the mirror to make it stick.

  She finished up with the cows by six and then indulged in a leisurely bubble bath in Nate’s Jacuzzi tub. It was a really fabulous tub. She frowned slightly, thinking that Tiffany must have had plans beyond bathing when she picked it out. Well, Tiffany wasn’t here now, and Tess had temporary claims on both Nate and the tub. She dragged herself out and got dressed in the best that she’d brought with her, which wasn’t much—her favorite pair of jeans that made her butt look better than it did without them, and a navy silk stretchy top. She hoped Nate realized she hadn’t brought a dress or anything appropriate for a city restaurant. At a quarter to seven, she heard a key in the door and Daisy came flying in to the living room with a happy bark. She jumped up to lick Tess’s face and raced back the way she had come before returning to repeat the whole happy procedure. Tess went to get some answers at last.