Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) Read online

  It was his turn to be pleased.

  “Aside from the permit—it’s never fun to deal with that stuff—how’s your day been?”

  He found himself telling her all about the hose breaking and nearly freezing to death—though he skipped the hangover part. He also told her about his night with his friends. He’d made a conscious decision not to make any big deal of seeing Anne. She was his friend, one of his closest, and she was part of his life. He came with his crazy aunt and uncle and his friends. He wanted Caroline to be one of his friends too.

  She didn’t seem upset when he’d talked about an event that included Anne either, which he’d been relieved about.

  After about an hour she began to pack her stuff up. “I’ve got a hearing. I need to head over there.”

  “Can I walk you over? I have to get back home to finish all the stuff I had to put off earlier. Plus I need a good night’s sleep since I’m taking you out tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be sure to eat a hearty breakfast. I have a new outfit.”

  “Score. I can’t wait.” He took her trash and threw it out with his and opened the door. It was cold as they headed up the block to her office. The cold was a good excuse to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. She moved into that spot against his side like she was meant to be there.

  As they neared the corner where they’d veer left, he gave her a quick kiss. “I know you need to look badass and all businesslike when we turn this corner and you put your job back on. So I wanted to steal a kiss from you now.”

  “Thanks for that.”

  They turned the corner and while he kept an arm around her, he didn’t kiss her when they parted ways. He took her hands, squeezing them briefly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Yeah. You will. Have a good rest of your day, Royal.”

  “You’ve pretty much made that part happen already.” He waved as he stepped away, and she put a hand on the door to go inside.

  “I’m in so much trouble with you, aren’t I?”

  He laughed. “Oh, yes.”

  Chapter Seven

  Royal knocked on her door and whistled when she opened up. She wore a pale blue button-down shirt—with the right amount of buttons undone at the throat. Her belt was wide and it emphasized that va-va-va-voom shape of hers. Damn her curves made his mouth water, and suddenly he questioned his choice to take her out instead of keeping her all to himself.

  He made a circling motion with his finger, and she rolled her eyes, spinning slowly so he could appreciate the way her jeans cupped that butt of hers just right.

  He paused at the footwear. “Wow. Those are some boots.”

  “I bought them last weekend. I have to admit I’ve been wearing them all the time except when I was at work.”

  They had little skulls embroidered all over them, but the way they were constructed, at a distance, it looked like lace. “Darlin’, they say Caro. Like in big bold letters. I like ’em.”

  “Yeah? They even look awesome when I’m in my pajamas.” She blushed a little and he got close enough to take a sniff. “I do like your perfume.” He kissed her throat, just below her ear.

  She had him all revved up just from her smell.

  “Now all I’m going to be able to think about is you in those little sleep shorts and a tank top with those boots. Don’t know if you sleep in those or not, it’s just what my fantasy brain cooked up.”

  Surprised laughter bubbled from her. “Thank you.” She slid her arms around his waist, and he shifted closer, bending his knees to kiss that mouth.

  She was delicious. Soft and sweet against him. She hummed, snuggling into him, and a deep sort of tenderness and protectiveness bloomed through his gut, so unexpected it made him pause a moment.

  “Well come on then. I have a big dinner cooking right now, and then I plan to show you off on the dance floor.”

  “I hope you’re not expecting me to know any fancy dances. I’m a fail in that department.”

  “Sugar, you just follow my lead and everything will be just fine.”

  She locked up and strolled with him down to the street where his truck was parked. He opened her door and helped her up.

  “Maybe I need one of those extra steps that extends down from the running board.”

  “Hush up.”

  He kissed her again and jogged around to the driver’s side.

  “How’d your day go with your friend? I forgot to ask you yesterday at lunch.”

  “It was a really good day. Melissa Gallardo, you might remember her?”

  “Ah, yes. She’s taking over for the Proffits right? She was younger, your age I’m guessing.”

  “Yes. She and I went to school together but never really became friends until just a few years ago when we reconnected online. Anyway, I spent too much money on clothes, ate a lot of great food and caught an action flick.”

  “If you bought what you’re wearing now, I’d say it was worth the price.”

  A reflection of her flattered grin greeted her as she gazed out the window once he’d left the main road.

  Her breath caught as they turned off the main road and hit the drive leading up to the house.

  Royal’s house. A place he’d built along with several of his friends, sat up on a rise so it looked over all fifty acres of what was now Watson Organics.

  “I bet you have some pretty great sunrise-watching from your place.”

  “I do. Sunsets too, from the front of the house.” He hoped she’d be around a lot. Enough to see exactly what he meant. Sunrise from his bed was one of his favorite things about the house. He bet it looked marvelous on her naked skin.

  He parked and helped her down, liking the excuse to touch her. “Come on in. I’ll give you the tour. Watch out for Spike, he likes to get under your feet.”

  “Spike?”

  “Spike is my cat. He’ll be at the door. He knows when the truck pulls up, and he’ll be annoyed I locked him out of the back of the house where the kitchen is.”

  When he unlocked the front door, there was indeed a pretty, fat tortoiseshell cat waiting there.

  The cat chattered at Royal, who bent to scoop it up and scritch under the chin. “I know. But you’re a stone-cold chicken thief and you can’t be trusted with my dinner.”

  This was given a snort and a purry sort of last chiding sound before two different colored eyes shifted to Caroline.

  “Caro, this is Spike.”

  Caroline moved slowly, giving the cat enough time to register his displeasure, before she stroked her fingertips over the cat’s head and then scratched him behind the ears.

  “Hey, Spike, what’s up?”

  There was something very charming and utterly disarming about the way Royal reacted to his cat. It was sweet and funny, and that he was good with animals wasn’t that much of a surprise to her. But it was sexy anyway.

  Royal gave her a grin before putting the cat on his feet. “Now that the introductions have been given, would you like a tour of the house?”

  She nodded. He took her coat and hung it in a closet just off the entry, along with her bag. Then he slid his hand into hers and drew her down three steps and into a large, open room. Slate tile in varying shades of earthy red lined the floor and a large, cream-colored rug was the base of a seating arrangement. Two couches faced one another with a low table between. A fireplace framed the far wall.

  “Wow, the blue of those couches is fantastic.”

  “Thank you. I wasn’t convinced it would work with the tile in here. But a friend pushed me on it and I’m glad I listened.”

  There was a slight pause before he said friend, and she knew he meant Anne. She wanted to sigh. She wanted to not think about this woman who clearly was a big part of his life even now. She wished it didn’t matter. Wished she was mature enough not to be bothered.

  For the moment though, she’d sweep it under the rug. Her feelings or not, it was too early to discuss it.

  He led her to the left. “This
is my office.”

  Wow, if only her home office was this nice. Large windows fronted it, leading out to a big, wraparound porch. A big, L-shaped workspace dominated the room, with a computer on one part and a flat desk/worktable taking up the rest. File cabinets were neatly built into the far wall along with bookshelves filled with binders and books about farming techniques.

  At that moment she realized, truly understood, just what this land and farm meant to Royal. And how big a job it was. Cowboy boots and wranglers or not, this man was a CEO in his own right.

  “I’m out in the earlier part of the day. In the fields I mean. But I come back here in the afternoons to escape the heat and the noise. Always work to be done, but this room gives me a perfect view over the hoop tunnels and the orchard.”

  “This is a great workspace. I have workspace envy right now.”

  He grinned. “I just finished that worktable a few weeks ago.”

  “You made that?” Good gracious, he did woodworking too?

  “I did. I like to be busy I guess. The table I wanted was ungodly expensive so I was able to do it exactly how I wanted for like a third of the price.”

  “I’m super impressed.”

  “Good. Come on.”

  He took her hand again and led her through a set of doors he’d closed off. “These are great at keeping the house cooler and also locking Spike out of the kitchen if I’m cooking in the slow cooker and not around.”

  Spike wound through their legs and then shot into the hall when the doors opened up.

  “This is what I think of as the heart of the house. When I’m done working, I come back here.”

  More windows, these took up pretty much the entirety of the back of the house. An open space, the large kitchen flowed into the dining area to one side and a living room with a television and media center on the other.

  “It smells really good in here.”

  “I’m a pretty good cook. I’m roasting a chicken. I have a barter going on with some of the other organic operations in the area. The chicken is free range, fed organic feed. It’s fresh, which makes such a difference. I didn’t make the bread though. Picked that up at the Honey Bear.”

  She grinned. “I’m addicted to their sourdough twists. Also did you know they had cinnamon rolls without the raisins if you ask?”

  He barked a laugh. “I’m going to have to introduce you to Lily Murphy. Nathan’s wife. She hates raisins but ordered the rolls with the raisins and picked them out because they had more frosting on them. Now William makes the raisin-free ones with just as much icing.”

  “Clearly she’s got good taste.” In men too, because Nathan Murphy was gorgeous. “Raisins are a blight. Gross. They’re an offense to grapes, which are wonderful.”

  “Note to self, no raisins in anything I make for Caroline. I like raisins. I eat them by the handful.”

  “Ew. Well, I knew you had flaws. You were too perfect otherwise. The plus is, now I can get trail mix and pick around the raisins and not feel bad. You can have all mine.”

  He sidled closer. “Too perfect, huh?”

  He made her laugh. It had been a long time since a new romance had made her so giddy. “Stop that. You know what you look like. Plus this house? Wow.”

  “I built it. Well, not all of it. That’s when Trey and Jacob lived here. Jacob and his older brother helped me with the plumbing. Trey did a lot of the electrical along with another friend of ours. I knew what I wanted. This piece of land had a house on it, but it was small and didn’t have much of a view. It was a waste. So I lived there while we built this one.”

  “How long did it take? I can’t imagine. I mean, I like to be active, but painting a room is as DIY as I’ve ever managed to get. I’m super impressed. This place is fantastic.”

  “All told, from start to finish, it took three years. I’m still not completely done. Some of the bedrooms upstairs don’t have furniture yet. I fill spots as I can afford it and when I find the perfect pieces.”

  She strolled to the French doors leading to the back porch, which was a little wider than the front. There was patio furniture out there and a huge gas grill as well.

  “I’m still working on the landscaping. We razed the old house so I’m pulling that land into a large garden. I’ve been hitting garden shows to get ideas.”

  She’d underestimated him.

  Oh sure she’d thought he was smart and funny and handsome. The way he’d told her about the organic operation had impressed her. But there was a whole other side to Royal she hadn’t even suspected. Creative. Artistic. He was the kind of person who got an idea and then made it happen.

  That was amazing.

  “Just for your information, I love gardening. I mean, I’m no landscaper, but I had a big back garden in Seattle with raised beds for my veggies. If you ever need help or company to go to a garden show, I’m totally up for it.”

  Surprise flitted over his features and then he smiled. “I’ll be taking you up on that, Caro. You can bet.” He pulled out a chair. “I’m going to pull the chicken out of the oven to rest a bit. Want a beer or some wine?”

  “Why don’t I get that? I’ll set the table while you deal with the food? A fair distribution of labor.”

  He pointed. “Plates are in the cabinet there. Silverware in that drawer.”

  “You want wine or beer?”

  “There’s a nice bottle of red over there on the sideboard. Glasses on the rack.”

  They worked to get the food ready and it was an easy, natural flow. They had a good rhythm, and she found the space natural for entertaining and having multiple people moving around at once.

  He was also a really good cook. All the more reason to keep him around.

  He clinked his glass to hers. “To new beginnings.”

  She heartily agreed.

  Royal hadn’t expected her to pitch in the way she had. She’d told him he’d cooked so she’d clean up. So he perched on the counter and watched her move around his kitchen as she rinsed and put things away, loaded the dishwasher and all that stuff.

  As they worked they talked. An easy back and forth. He’d learned she loved action movies and historical romance novels, as well as going to the batting cages and ice skating.

  She carefully edged around the subject of her father, though he knew, as she’d told him the Friday before, it was an important part of her life. On one hand, he liked that she respected him enough to not shove it in his face, but on the other hand, he found himself wanting her to open up and share her struggles with him.

  Once they’d finished up, they headed out.

  By the time they walked through the front doors at the Tonk, things were in full swing. The dance floor was packed, tables full of laughing, drinking people. He loved the place on a Friday, so full of energy.

  He also wanted to show her off, he couldn’t deny it to himself.

  Plenty of men looked at her and then to him as he kept an arm around her shoulders. It was the way of things round those parts. Caroline was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, obviously, but there was no harm in letting folks know she was with him.

  He wanted her comfortable in town. First, because he liked her. He liked her, and he wanted her to feel positively about her new home so she’d stay. And because he knew there were rumblings about the whole case and her trying to prove her father’s innocence. He didn’t like that one bit. Mindy and Shep got a free pass, but somehow Caroline was going to get shit on because she believed differently? Because she’d done the work to look into the situation, which he knew damned good and well 99 percent of the shit talkers in town didn’t bother to do?

  He wanted his friends to like her. He hung out with them all the time and knew if they gave her a chance—and that night was a step in the right direction—she’d find her place in their group as well.

  He saw Jacob and Trey first, along with Cassie and Shane Chase, and Joe and Beth. Trey waved when he caught sight of them and the others turned.

  �
�Do you mind if we sit with my friends?”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  He kept a hand at the small of her back as they wound through the crowd to get to the table.

  He pulled her chair out and sat close, his arm around the back of her chair. “Hey, all. Caroline you know Jacob and Trey.”

  She waved.

  “I bumped into Caroline and my dad last week on their way to the courthouse.” Shane turned to his wife. “This is Cassie.”

  Cassie raised her glass. “Nice to meet you. My mother-in-law adores you. She’s a good judge of character.”

  “Thank you for saying that. I’ve decided I want to be Polly Chase when I grow up.”

  Beth had been frowning until Caroline said that and her expression softened.

  Cassie laughed. “Right? She’s incredible. You should see her with a group of small children. She’s like the baby whisperer.”

  Shane’s smile widened at the interplay between the women. “Just give her a wide berth if you see her on the road.”

  “Well that’s how Shane and I met. Polly rear-ended my car on my first day here in town. So it’s not all bad that she’s a menace behind the wheel.”

  “And this is Joe Harris and Beth Murphy.”

  Caroline tensed ever so slightly. He wouldn’t have even known if his forearm hadn’t been touching the back of her neck.

  “We were in the same class, Beth. Nice to see you again.”

  Beth nodded. “I remember. Welcome back to Petal.” Joe also murmured a hello.

  “There’s a pitcher on the way. Do you want anything else?” Trey asked them.

  “Beer is just fine with me. I’m still stuffed from dinner.”

  One of Royal’s favorite songs came on, and he stood, holding a hand out to Caroline. “Darlin’, you said you liked to dance so I hope you were serious.”

  She took his hand and he brought her to her feet. “I’m totally serious. Just remember what I said about the fancy stuff.”

  He bent to her ear. “Remember what I said about letting me lead.”

  “I get the feeling it would be impossible not to.” He heard the amusement in her tone and it made him smile.

  Though they were surrounded by people on all sides, it was just him and Caro out on the floor. Despite the difference in their size, she fit him easily. “You were so full of it to even pretend you can’t dance.” He spun her easily and drew her back to him.