The Duet

  “Cammie, you can’t just let her take them all at once,” I laughed, patting Dotty’s cheek.

  “Maybe she wouldn’t scarf them down so fast if you guys weren’t so stingy with them,” Cammie protested. “Don’t worry, Dotty, I’ve got your back.”

  “Hey. Are you in the stable?” a deep voice called from a few yards away. When Cammie and I turned toward the door, a sweaty Derek stepped through the threshold with a warm smile on his face. By the looks of his raised brows, he was pleasantly surprised by Cammie. Yeah, yeah, cowboy, she’s quite a looker.

  “Hey,” he said, cleaning his hands on a towel he had stuffed in his back pocket. “I’m Derek.”

  Cammie took the hand he had outstretched towards her and smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cameron Heart.”

  Derek glanced toward me. “The little sister! I didn’t realize you’d be visiting.” The touch of mischief in his eyes was impossible to miss.

  Footsteps behind him drew my attention to the stable door right as Jason stepped inside. I didn’t want him to, but still, he stole all of my attention. His hair was pushed back out of his eyes probably from the sweat that had also gathered across his neck and chest. His flannel shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the top few snap-buttons were undone. He had on a pair of dark brown leather work-boots and some faded Levi’s. Holy shit. Mr. Brooding Musician looked edible.

  Just like everyone else, Jason’s gaze flashed back and forth between the pair of us before finally pausing on me. A slow smile unfolded as he stepped toward me, but he paused a few feet away. I didn’t expect him to wrap me up in a hug or a kiss. He never touched me when other people were around. Another unspoken rule. But it still hurt to realize that we looked like two passing strangers. I had to pretend that I didn’t want to tackle him, that I didn’t know what he looked like beneath that flannel shirt.

  “You look just like you do on TV,” Cammie said, beaming at Jason. She wasn’t one to get star struck usually. We’d been around enough celebrities in LA for her to get used to them, but apparently Jason Monroe was a different story. Her cheeks were flushed and she was beaming from ear to ear. She looked absolutely gorgeous and for the first time in my life, I wanted to push my sister into the pile of horse poop sitting inside Dotty’s stall. Wow. Territorial much?

  Jason stepped forward to shake Cammie’s hand, and I stared at their hands touching, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

  “We’ll be out here the rest of the afternoon, but maybe we can all do something fun after dinner,” Derek said, beaming at Cammie.

  “Yeah, sure, sounds great,” I said, moving toward the door. I hated the dark, twisted feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. I hated caring that Jason might think my little sister was hot. I hated wondering what the hell was going on between us. And I hated not being able to look him in the eye as I passed by him for fear that he’d see all my emotions written across my face.

  It was probably time to tell Cammie the whole truth.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Tell me something I didn’t know, slut monkey.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”

  Cammie rolled her eyes and sat up on my bed across from me.

  “I’m your sister and your best friend. Well, pretty much your only friend, let’s face it. Of course I knew there was something going on between you and Jason. There’s no way you’d be able to resist while living with that man.”

  My mouth dropped open even wider and I wondered if my jaw was about to become unhinged.

  “The problem is, I can’t figure out exactly what is going on,” she said, narrowing her eyes on me.

  “Just sex,” I answered quickly, clarifying that fact for her and for myself.

  Cammie pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Okay, great. So you won’t mind if I try and hook up with him next, since it’s just a sex thing?”

  “That’s not even funny, Cammie,” I said with a sharp tone.

  “My point exactly,” she said.

  I pushed off the bed and straightened my blouse, suddenly pissed off at the world as a whole. “I’m going down to help LuAnne with dinner,” I said, leaving my bedroom and closing the door behind me with a sharp slam. My heart was beating a mile a minute, so I pressed my back against the doorframe and rested there for a moment, collecting my feelings and shoving them back down where they belonged.

  Jason had made it perfectly clear that things were complicated for him and that he wasn’t interested in anything beyond sex. Which meant, if I wanted things with Jason to continue, I had to follow his rules. But in that moment I realized that my body and my head were no longer on the same page. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep playing this game, pretending that I wouldn’t end up as the sole casualty when everything was said and done.

  A moment later, the front door opened and closed. I jumped off the wall and pushed my hair behind my ears, trying to get ahold of myself in case Jason was about to walk up the stairs. I held my breath, waiting for footsteps, but then I heard Cammie moving around in my room, and I knew I had to move. If she came out to see me standing there, she’d know something was wrong.

  LuAnne put me to work in the kitchen right away and I enjoyed every second of it. The busy work made time pass quickly and it kept me focused on chopping vegetables. Once I was done with my first task, LuAnne put me on chocolate cream pie duty and I, of course, obliged. I’d never made one before, but she gave me a recipe that was easy to follow. I was gathering ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator when I felt Cammie’s arms wrap around my stomach.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll stop trying to pry into your love life,” she whispered before letting me go.

  I smiled and turned around so I could hug her back. “I’m sorry, too. Let’s just not talk about it anymore.” I almost added a please but I didn’t want her to know how desperately I wished we could drop the subject forever.

  She nodded, and then together, we made a chocolate cream pie. Life was always better with my sister by my side, even when she tried to push issues that I didn’t want to talk about.

  “That pie smells so good,” LuAnne said just before she tugged on a pair of oven mitts and pulled out a roasted chicken from the oven. The kitchen was instantly filled with the most delicious smell of rosemary and thyme. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled and the boys flew through the front door.

  “Go shower, dinner’s ready in ten!” LuAnne yelled out to them. They grunted back with what I assumed were actual words before I heard their feet clamber up the stairs.

  Jason was inside the house.

  He was about to be naked and in the shower.

  Why were my hands so freaking sweaty all of a sudden?

  “I’m just going to go use the restroom really quick,” I said to Cammie and LuAnne as I stepped out of the kitchen. There was a small bathroom downstairs that sat just below the staircase, set back into an alcove, and it was the perfect place to give myself a tiny pep talk before dinner. I straightened out my blouse and fluffed up my hair. Good news: I smelled like chocolate cream pie. Or maybe that wasn’t a good thing? Shit, what if Jason hates chocolate?

  I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous I was being and then pushed off the bathroom sink. As I turned to leave, I heard a light tap on the bathroom door, and then a second later, the door handle turned and Jason pushed his way into the small space. I didn’t even have time to offer up a timid “Someone’s in here!” because he was already “in there” invading my space and pushing my back to the sink’s countertop.

  “What are you—”

  Before I could get the question out, he kissed me senseless, sealing his body to mine. His lips were demanding, and his kiss was impossible to keep up with. He was sweaty; I could smell the musk from his day of hard labor, but the heavy blend silenced my questions even more.

  When he pulled away and I fluttered my eyes open, I knew I looked as flustered as I felt.

  “Someone could hear us,” I whispered.


  He kept his hand tucked beneath my hair, just at the base of my neck as he shook his head. His gaze was pinned on my lips, filled with blood from his kiss. “You looked so sexy earlier but I couldn’t do a damn thing about it with Cammie and Derek around.”

  “So now you’re…”

  He smirked. “Doing something about it.”

  With that little cooler-than-cool statement, he unbuttoned my jean shorts and pushed them down my legs. He started working on his jeans, but I couldn’t find words as I realized that we were about to have a standing-up bathroom quickie. I stared at him as he slid his boxer-briefs down. Kept staring as his fingers slid gently up my inner-thighs. Then suddenly, I wasn’t looking at anything. I clamped my eyelids closed and pressed back against the cold bathroom counter as he gripped me tighter.

  His attentive fingers were more than enough to prepare me and it was impossibly hard to remain quiet as he slid into me. I bit down on his neck as he fisted my hair. My nails scratched his back and he scraped his teeth along my skin, teasing me, but never biting. The sex was rough and carnal and I couldn’t help but feel a little used.

  My head fell back against the bathroom mirror as I came hard, just moments before he whispered my name against my lips as his own release followed.

  As soon as we were finished, he zipped up his jeans and pulled my shorts back up so that he could button them for me. Without a word, he turned and exited the bathroom like he hadn’t just taken a blowtorch to my heart.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, surprised to find a tear trickling down my cheek.

  …

  “So what do you two have planned for your visit, Cammie?” LuAnne asked as the five of us sat down at the table for dinner. Jason had placed himself across from me, but I prided myself on not looking at him at all during dinner, especially after what had just happened in the bathroom. My eyes followed a strict fork-plate-chicken-fork-plate-chicken route so that I wouldn’t stray and glance up at him. Although I think I just looked like a cyborg.

  “I’m not sure. I think we’ll go explore the town tomorrow. Brookie told me there’s a few shops that are worth checking out,” Cammie replied.

  “That prom thing is tomorrow,” Jason said casually.

  My eyes jumped up to him. Dammit. Look away! I glanced back down to my plate.

  “Logan’s prom?” I asked, eyeing my green beans.

  “Yeah. I figured your assistant would have reminded you about it.”

  I cringed. “She would have had I actually told her about it. I completely forgot.”

  Cammie feigned shock. “Brooklyn, you got invited to the senior prom? I’m so proud!”

  I gave her an annoyed glare. “It’s a long story, but yes, apparently, tomorrow night I’ll be hanging out with a bunch of eighteen year olds.”

  “Can you imagine the sheer amount of suppressed sexual tension in that one place?” She shivered as if she could feel it right then. “I do not envy you.”

  I cringed. “Thank you for that, Cammie.”

  “Do you have something to wear already?” she asked, before cutting into a piece of chicken.

  Crap. Of course I didn’t have anything to wear. I hadn’t thought to pack an evening gown in my suitcase when heading to Montana. When Cammie saw the panic flash across my face, she clapped her hands together.

  “SHOPPING SPREE!”

  Derek and Jason laughed, but I just sat there wishing I could trade places with the chicken on the table. I’d rather have someone stick a fork in me than see Jason dressed up in a tuxedo.

  My heart couldn’t handle it. My hoo-hah probably couldn’t either. Maybe I could carry an icepack around in my underwear. To y’know, cool it off down there.

  …

  The next morning Cammie and I met up with Paulo, the fabulously grizzly taxidermist, at the one shop in Big Timber that sold dresses that you could get away with wearing to prom. We’d called ahead and had them open the shop an hour early so that there wouldn’t be any security issues. You’d think that wouldn’t be necessary, but teenage girls can be really scary. One time a fan jumped on my back while I was at a restaurant and my face fell forward onto my plate and I literally thought my steak knife was going to stab me. So yeah, I don’t fear dark alleys. I fear teenage girls.

  “Dress me up, bitches,” I said as I followed Paulo and Cammie into the shop. I had a thermos of coffee in my left hand and a pair of high-heels in the other.

  Paulo shot me one of those “girl, please” glares, but I just winked.

  “We need to find their sluttiest dresses,” Cammie mocked as we perused the store. It was small, and the entire front half was stocked with western wear and casual clothes, but in the back there were racks upon racks of formal dresses. Apparently it was the only dress shop in town.

  “I think you should wear this,” Cammie said, pulling out a pink taffeta disaster.

  I flipped her the bird and turned toward another rack.

  “You’ve got a nice butt and some decent tits. You should show them off,” Paulo said, holding up a red dress that should have been placed in the underwear section of the store. It was completely see-through save for the thin patches covering the crotch area and the breasts. I looked past the dress, to glare at Paulo who was wearing a fitted black blazer and a handkerchief tied around his neck. Most of his mischievous smile was hidden behind his beard, and once again I was left wondering how exactly a person like him existed in a place like Big Timber, Montana.

  “You can’t be serious,” I said.

  “Yup! Two to one. You have to try it on,” Cammie said, taking the hanger from Paulo and draping the “dress” over her arm.

  I should have kicked the two of them out right then because for the next hour, they just got progressively worse. I think they found every dress in that store that would make me look like a lady of the night. I was left scouring through the racks to find anything that would do a decent job of covering up my boobs. I wasn’t trying to give Logan a heart attack at his senior prom.

  Near the back of the store, there were a few dresses that were glitter-free, sequin-free, and that wouldn’t cut off halfway down my ass. That’s where I found a simple black dress that had a low-cut back and a hemline that hit my ankles. The material wasn’t what I was used to from the designers in LA, but it had a traditional cut, and I knew it would fit my frame well. I grabbed my size and snuck away to the dressing room while Cammie and Paulo took turns trying on tiaras and practicing their coronation waves.

  “Boo, you whore. Come out and show us the dress you just snuck in there,” Cammie said as soon as I closed the dressing room drape.

  “Did you just quote Mean Girls?” I asked, pulling my shirt over my head and unbuttoning my shorts.

  The drape flew open and Cammie stood there with her hands on her hips.

  “Cameron! Jeez, a little privacy please.”

  She tilted her head down in annoyance. “Paulo isn’t buying what you’re selling and I’ve seen your body before. So just show me the dress already.”

  To her credit, the shop owner was blushing and trying to hide her face in the magazine she was reading at the counter. But there was no point in fighting Cammie, so I let my shorts fall to the ground and then reached for the dress.

  “Let the record show that Brooklyn Heart actually wears some killer panties,” Cammie said, as she and Paulo applauded. I curtsied and then spun in a circle, because if you can’t beat them, join them.

  “Zip me up,” I said as the soft dress material cascaded over my skin. It fell to the floor around my feet, but I knew it’d fit better once I slipped the heels on. Cammie pulled the zipper up the side, where it lay hidden beneath my arm, and then she stepped back and I turned to the mirror.

  Damn. Not bad at all. I was used to wearing tailored gowns created by famous designers, but apparently Hawte Country Couture could design a decent dress.

  “It’s so gorgeous on you,” Cammie said.

  “Agreed, but you can’t wear a bra with that
back,” Paulo said.

  Cammie laughed. “Are you going to let Logan cop a feel while you guys slow dance?”

  I groaned. “I don’t think kids slow dance anymore. I think it’s all dry humping and heavy petting. Which is why I will be stationed by the punch bowl with the parent chaperones.” That was the plan at least.

  “Whatever, party-pooper. Let’s pay for this dress so we can go home and figure out how to style your hair.”

  Paulo perked up and smiled wide. “Will you let me do it?”

  I coughed and tried to resist the urge to say, “hell no.”

  “I used to style hair when I lived in New York,” he explained.

  Cammie and I both turned to him with shocked gapes. “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “That’s where I lived with my partner, but when I moved out here, he stayed behind to run the salon.”

  “Aw, I’m sorry Paulo.”

  He grunted. “Don’t be. I plan on moving back to New York once the bed-and-breakfast and the shop are up and running.”

  It shouldn’t have, but the idea of Paulo leaving Big Timber for good made me sad. Maybe it was the idea that everyone would eventually be moving on from Big Timber. Cammie and I would be going back to LA, Paulo would head to New York, and Jason would go wherever it was he planned on going next. I wouldn’t know because we didn’t talk about the future. I wasn’t even sure when he was heading to LA for the award show. He’d be there for the event, but for all I knew he was leaving again as soon as it was over.

  So our future was set. We’d have our time together at his ranch and then when I left, our little fling would be over.

  We’d be over.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I learned three things while getting ready for the senior prom:

  1. A twenty-seven year old woman should never say the above statement.

  2. Paulo could work a curling iron.