Gage

  Seth leaned in front of me and snapped my picture.

  I didn’t pull my attention from the stage. “What are you doing, you idiot?”

  He texted something and pressed send. “I sent a text to Luke to see if your expression looked familiar. Told him you were watching a hot girl sing on stage. I’m calling it the ‘gobsmacked by a chick’ look.”

  “What the fuck is that?”

  “Just like it sounds.”

  “What it sounds like is something that came out of Willy Wonka’s candy factory.”

  Seth’s phone beeped, and he glanced at the text. He laughed. “Luke says it is very familiar and that he warned you that it would happen someday. He also says that he is posting it to Instagram.”

  “You guys suck. Now shut the hell up.”

  The song ended. The crowd went nuts. Summer took the applause graciously.

  “Fucking amazing.” I said it under my breath, but Seth heard.

  I knew he was staring at the side of my face, but I’d learned through the years it was easier to just ignore Seth when he was being irritating. “Yep, Gage Barringer is gobsmacked,” he said. “I think the universe just shifted on its axel.”

  “I think you mean axis.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing.”

  chapter 15

  Summer

  The long, exhausting day before had left my muscles feeling deliciously tired. The clock said nine. I could have easily stayed in bed for another hour, but I decided to take advantage of my free time. Once I got back to the Raven’s Nest, the busy day would start all over again and once things got rolling, I barely had time to breathe.

  I pulled the sweatshirt over my head. I’d had no right to keep Gage’s absurdly gigantic sweatshirt, but it was so big it covered my thighs and I could get completely lost in its warmth. Plus his lingering scent was a definite bonus.

  I had no idea how much I’d become attracted to the guy. And it wasn’t only because of the shallow, superficial, ‘oh my god, he’s hot’ reason. When he’d walked into the restaurant the night before, I’d felt the instant rush of excitement that I’ve felt for very few guys. Logan had produced that type of reaction at first, but his occasional cruel comment and never-ending selfishness had put an eventual end to the infatuation. I wondered how short-lived it would be with Gage.

  I pushed my feet into my fuzzy sheepskin lined boots, a necessity I’d discovered after several barefoot trips across the cold floor. I grabbed a carton of yogurt from the refrigerator and went out onto the porch to eat it. The morning temperature was brisk, but it seemed like a good way to wake up.

  Sometimes the air was so clear it actually hurt to take a deep breath, or at the least, it put my Los Angeles lungs into a mild state of shock. The landscape was filled with some of the richest colors nature had to offer. There were times when I could almost convince myself I was looking at a painting instead of my front yard.

  I’d been successfully ignoring everyone’s phone calls, and I refused to listen to my voicemail because I could only imagine the volumes of bitch rants my mom had left. But last night had been so perfect and so unexpectedly successful, I decided to answer my mom’s urgent ring. I was certain there was nothing she could say to ruin my mood. “Hello.”

  She paused, obviously shocked that a live person had answered. There was no other way to reason out a pause from my mom. Pause over, she flew right into her rant. “Summer Ray Donovan, you’ve got some damn nerve. I’ve left you dozens of messages. Everyone is trying to reach you.”

  “I’d say sorry but it would be a lie. I’ve been too busy to listen to the messages.”

  “Well, you might want to listen to them, sweetheart,” she said with every ounce of bitch tone she could muster. “Because one of them was from my lawyer.”

  “Your lawyer? Didn’t know you had one.”

  “I do now. You didn’t think I was going to let you get away with keeping that restaurant for yourself, did you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m suing you for my half. He was my dad, and I deserve at least half. I really should be getting it all, but I don’t want to be greedy.”

  “Grandpa left everything to me, and you need to deal with that. You were a shitty daughter, and you are just as fucked-up as a mom. If you’re having financial problems then come up here and help me run the restaurant.”

  “I don’t want to live up there. That place is a slice of hell. I want what’s owed me, and that’s not all. Your band members are looking into their legal rights too. You left them just as your careers were taking off. Clark has had some other offers, but since you aren’t taking phone calls, those chances will slip away too. Your selfish move across country has left a lot of people in the dust.”

  “Yeah, I’m the selfish one. All of you only care about how you can use me for your own financial gains.” Tears stung my eyes. I’d been such an idiot to think this was just going to all go smoothly. “Bring on the fucking lawsuit, Mom. Now I see why Grandpa disowned you.” I hung up. Once the first sob had pushed past my lips more rumbled out behind. I had no idea how serious she was or what I was supposed to do. I deleted all my voicemails for now. If lawyers wanted to talk to me, they’d have to fly to Montana and find me.

  I placed the yogurt on the step next to me. My mom always had a terrific way of ruining my day. I brought my knees closer and pulled the sweatshirt down over my legs. Montana was cold, but it was nothing compared to the woman who gave birth to me.

  The distinctive clip clop of a horse sounded in the distance. I shaded my eyes with my hand and squinted in that direction. A tall, dark figure on a gigantic horse came in to view. He was backlit by the sun, but it was not hard to recognize those uncommonly broad shoulders.

  Nervously, I swept the tears off my cheeks and pulled the sweatshirt a bit lower on my legs and then felt embarrassed about the fact that I was wearing it. But it was too late to dash inside and change. He turned the horse down the driveway. Its giant black and white head bobbed up and down as its hooves traversed the loose gravel.

  Gage stopped the horse in front of the house. Ranger and Rake trotted up next to him and sat.

  It took me a second to find my tongue, once again, completely out of character. “Gage Barringer, you are normally breathtaking, but sitting on top of that giant black horse— if I were in a nineteen thirties silent movie, they’d be bringing me some smelling salts right now.”

  He smiled and then dropped down off the horse.

  “Shouldn’t there be a saddle on that big pony?” I asked.

  “Don’t have one large enough. Chance belongs to my brother’s girlfriend. It’s a long but pretty fucking interesting story.” He seemed to notice for the first time that I’d been crying. His dark brows pushed together. “Something wrong, Hollywood?”

  I pulled my arms around myself. My hands were tucked deep into the oversized sleeves. “My mom is a piece of work, that’s all.” I sucked in an angry breath. The whole thing was so unbelievably awful that I almost felt as if I’d just imagined the whole call. I looked up at him. There it was again. He was listening to me. My god, I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed someone who would listen to me when I was feeling off. “She’s suing me for half the share in the restaurant, and I’m sure the house will be part of that too.” I laughed quietly. “I was so excited about all this. Now the mom monster has reared her ugly head. And there’s more.” I was spilling it all to this man, who seemed to be truly interested in what I had to say. “My band and my agent are pissed that I left. There have been some recording contract offers, but without me, there’s nothing.” Another set of tears broke free. Gage walked up the steps and wrapped his arms around me. It felt good to be standing there wrapped in his massive embrace, like I belonged there, like I was safe there. Unfortunately, he was the last thing I needed right now.

  I sniffled a few times and gathered my wits. He lowered his arms, but I could still feel his warmth swirling around me. I forc
ed a smile. “Enough of my pity moment. I would like to apologize for the fact that I have greedily hung on to your sweatshirt.”

  “That’s all right. I like the way it looks on you.”

  I peered down at it. The folds of fabric circled my thighs like a giant sweatshirt dress. “I’d take it off, but I have very little on underneath.”

  His brow arched. “In that case, hand it over right now.”

  I smiled and that absurd blush heated my cheeks again.

  “After your debut on stage last night, I couldn’t get near enough to let you know that you have an amazing voice. I can see why studios would want to produce your music.”

  “Thanks. I haven’t had coffee yet. Want to join me? You can tell me that fucking interesting story.”

  “Sure.”

  The horse was standing stock still right where Gage had dropped his reins. “He’s well trained,” I said.

  Gage looked back at the horse. “Nope, just kind of stupid. He hasn’t realized yet that I’m not holding the reins. Otherwise, he would have taken off at a gallop back to his stall and his hay.” He walked down the steps. The horse lifted its head in surprise as if now it dawned on him that he could have run off. Gage pulled a rope from his back pocket and hooked it to the red halter beneath the leather head set. He tied the reins in a knot. Then he reached up and gave the porch railing a few good yanks. “That should hold him.” He tied the rope to the railing. “Rake, Ranger, keep an eye on him.”

  His footsteps sounded extra heavy as he traipsed up the steps and followed me inside and into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and sat, stretching his long legs out far enough that they nearly reached the refrigerator.

  I grabbed the coffee pot and carried it to the sink, completely aware that he was watching my every move.

  “I’ve never liked that sweatshirt much, but I’m growing fonder of it every minute,” he said.

  “It’s roomy and warm, the two nonnegotiable conditions I have for bum around the house clothes.” I looked back at him. He reluctantly pulled his gaze from my legs. “Do you like it strong?”

  “Sure do.” The chair creaked beneath his weight as he leaned his forearms on the table. “How come you never said anything about being a singer?”

  “Because I’m not, at least not anymore. I’m a restaurateur, or at least I think that’s what it’s called.” I put the coffee in the basket and then went to the cupboard to get cups. My grandfather had collected an eclectic, yet practical, set of dishes and glasses in his many years, and it made me smile every time I opened the cupboard.

  “What’s so funny?” Gage caught the grin that I thought I’d hidden behind the cupboard door.

  I plucked out a big mug with a picture of pine trees for Gage and the tea cup that was more suited for an English tea for myself. “Nothing really. I just love the collection of stuff my grandfather had. There’s a little of him in all of it. And I’m giving you the gigantic mug. It’s more suited to your hand.” I sat across from him. Gage was really extraordinary to look at, and it was hard not to stare. “It also makes me a little sad to think about him sitting alone at his wobbly kitchen table with his moose mug and his rooster plate. I lost so much time being with him, mostly out of loyalty to my mom. Seems like I took the wrong side.”

  “You had no choice,” he said. “I mean a mom is a mom, right?”

  “Well, mine is less a mom and more a narcissist, but you don’t get to choose them, do you?”

  Gage looked down at the mug I’d put in front of him. The long dark sweep of his lashes gave him a boyish quality, but in truth, I’d never sat across from anyone who was more man.

  “How did your mom die?” I asked.

  I could see his throat move as he swallowed hard. “I’d gotten into a fight at school…again.” He lifted his gaze and smiled. “I’d been protecting the honor of Mindy, the girl I loved. Travis Pendleton had made fun of her Cinderella backpack, so I clobbered him out on the playground.”

  “Sounds like a perfectly chivalrous reason to clobber someone.”

  He stared wistfully at the cup in his hand. “My mom was on her way to pick me up from the principal’s office when a cement truck ran a stop sign, killing her instantly. I was sitting right across from the principal, acting indifferent like the little punk-ass I thought I was, when she got the call. I just remember her face going white as she held onto the phone and stared at me. I knew something bad had happened, but when she told me I was sure she was wrong. When you’re twelve, Moms and Dads don’t die. They’re these people that you immortalize in your mind. But my mom was gone, and if I hadn’t gotten into trouble, she would be alive.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. This was obviously something he’d carried with him since he was twelve, and no silly sentiments or pep talk were going to erase the guilt that had made its home in his heart.

  I got up and grabbed the brewed coffee. “I’ve got sugar but no cream. Unless you want to give raspberry yogurt a whirl?”

  “Black’s fine. I’ll save the yogurt experiment for another day.” He grinned up at me as I poured the coffee.

  “You, sir, are making me blush again. And, frankly, it’s really starting to throw me off my game.”

  “What game is that, Hollywood?” The rich aroma of coffee swirled around us in long fingers of steam.

  “The game where I prove to myself that I’m independent enough to make a go of things up here.”

  “I think you’re already doing a pretty good job of proving that.”

  I sat down. “Do you think so?”

  “I do.”

  I took a sip of coffee and sighed. “What is it about that first sip? Just opens your eyes and clears any leftover grogginess from your head.” I relaxed back. “So, the story about your brother, Luke?” My phone rang just as I asked it. It was Maxwell. “What’s up?”

  “There is a leak beneath the pot and pan sink. Water is seeping beneath the rubber mats. I can hear it squishing beneath my shoes.”

  “Shit. I’ll call a plumber. I’ll be there in a few.” I hung up. “The giant sink in the cleaning station is leaking. Do you happen to know a good plumber? They’re really expensive, aren’t they?”

  He shrugged. “I know one who’ll do it for a free lunch…and if you throw in a free lunch for his brother, he’ll do an extra good job. I’m sure Seth is still sleeping, but when he wakes up and sees that the refrigerator is empty, he’s going to get grumpy.”

  “You are quite the handy man. And, somehow, I can’t picture your brother grumpy. He seems like the kind of guy who would chuckle through a root canal.”

  His deep laugh suited him perfectly. “You’ve summed up Seth perfectly. Not much gets to him.”

  “Except for an empty stomach.”

  “Yep.”

  I pushed up from the table. “You can finish your coffee while I get dressed. And thanks so much. Lunch doesn’t seem like enough in this situation.”

  He leaned lazily against the back of the chair and peered up at me. “Well, I’ve been thinking nonstop about the caterpillar. You could put my curiosity to rest.”

  “What caterpillar?” I asked, and then understood. “It’s in a place where I easily forget that I have it.”

  “If that’s supposed to ease my curiosity, it’s having the opposite effect.” His blue eyes darkened some as they strolled brazenly down the bare half of my legs. “I think it’s only fair. One fixed sink for one glance at the caterpillar.” He held up his hands. “I promise not to touch your little insect friend.”

  I put down my cup of coffee and took a deep breath. I turned away from him and slid the end of the sweatshirt up above my panties. I could hear him breathing behind me, but he was sitting still as a statue. I pulled down the top of my panties. Knowing that he was looking at my naked butt cheek made heat swirl through me. Now I’d become highly aware of my own unnaturally rapid breathing. The caterpillar was on the top of my butt cheek climbing along a leafy branch. It had been a crazy idea and o
ne Logan had talked me into. I’d intended just to show him the caterpillar but then something deep inside urged me to lower the panties more. The branch followed the curve of my bottom ending scandalously close to the apex of my thighs, where the tattoo artist had added a tiny blue butterfly. His chair scraped the floor, and I startled and released my panties before revealing the butterfly.

  I dropped the sweatshirt, but his fingers grabbed the end. “Hell no, you can’t stop there. If you want your sink fixed, I want to see the whole damn thing.”

  “This seems a bit like extortion.”

  He slid the sweatshirt up. I held my breath as his calloused fingertips brushed over my skin. “Call it what you like, Hollywood, but you can’t leave me halfway down that branch. I’ve got to see where it ends.”

  I should have stopped him but something about the sensuality of the entire moment had me reeling. Slowly, his fingers dragged my panties down. They followed the seductive path of the tattoo, ending dangerously close to my pussy, that now ached for his touch.

  “There was some mention,” I said, my words breaking up between breaths, “about—” another shuddering breath, “not touching the caterpillar.”

  His finger traced the butterfly. “Never said anything…about the butterfly.” His words were as broken as mine. “Best fucking tattoo ever,” his voice was deep and hoarse, and the sound of it stirred my pulse.

  My phone rang again, startling both of us out of a situation that seemed to be taking our self-control to its limits. He lowered his hands. I fell slightly forward with disappointment and lightheadedness.

  I drew in a deep breath and turned around to face him. The hunger in his eyes only made me that much dizzier. “Well,” I straightened, trying to gain my composure and not having an easy time of it. “Now that you’ve seen it, you can stop thinking about it. Curiosity satisfied?”

  He shook his head. “I’m so far from satisfied, words can’t describe it.”