Simmons Brothers Series: Boxed Set Page 6

  And under the table, Pete squeezed Lana’s hand to see her bright smile bloom again.

  I can’t go back now, he thought.

  The euphoria lasted until night.

  Lana couldn’t believe that she had done it. She had somewhat mastered the art of doing house work and cooking, thanks to Pete. She knew she had to thank him so she decided to find him after dinner. After she had cleared the table, she went upstairs, knocking on his door.

  Hearing his voice, she felt her heart speed up and this time she didn’t try to stop it. She knew by now that she was starting to like Pete as much more than an employer, but she knew that falling for him could be messy, far messier than she’d ever planned on her life being.

  He was putting on a t-shirt when she entered and she caught a glimpse of his chest before she turned away blushing. As he fired off a stream of apologies she said,

  “It’s nothing. Get dressed first.”

  She was trying very hard not to think of the broad shoulders and toned muscles that she had glimpsed as she turned around. His hair was messy as if he had just gotten out of the shower and he said,

  “I’m very much used to walking around half naked,” he said.

  “I don’t blame you,” she laughed and then blushed, again.

  “You needed something?”

  “I came to thank you for everything you did,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “No thanks are necessary, Lana. I like seeing you learn and gain some confidence in your skills,” he said. “You’re a good student, not that I was much of a teacher. I just helped you understand the recipes.”

  There was a small silence before he said,

  “I have something for you.”

  “What is it?” She asked, thinking it was another recipe but was taken aback when he thrust a large bag into her hand.

  Opening it, she saw a drawing book and sketch pencils. The whole set.

  “Is it alright?” he asked, when she didn’t say anything. “I wasn’t sure if you needed anything else. “

  “It’s perfect,” she said in awe. Her dark eyes shimmering when she looked at him.

  “You said you liked sketching so I thought I would get you a set so you could use it when you take a break from working.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered and hugged him, surprising herself. She wasn’t normally that forward.

  Lana knew she shouldn’t have done it but something had come over her. His warmth mingled with hers and she felt the hardness of his chest against her face before his strong arms came around her, holding her gently. Her heart was thrumming like a humming bird as she felt the tug of emotions inside her. She moved away quickly, embarrassed by just how strong her feelings for him actually were.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, smiling warmly. “You should go to sleep, it’s getting late.”

  “Good night,” she said running out and berating herself for having tempted fate.

  Chapter Eight

  It was three days later that she got the chance to sit down and sketch.

  Now that she was getting better at cooking, she was finishing things faster. She wasn’t a pro or anything, but at least she wasn’t messing up nearly as much as she had in the beginning. Lana knew that she probably wouldn’t ever be a phenomenal cook, but she also knew that she wouldn’t stop always trying to improve her skills. The guys seemed to be enjoying her food but there was a downside to it which was that Pete wasn’t spending as much time with her as he used to.

  It was expected, he had only tried to help her but she couldn’t help but feel lonely. She wished he was around and she missed his presence. Going to his office felt too forward but on the third day she decided to sketch something and give it to him.

  After she finished hanging the laundry, she thought that she would sketch the overlooking ranch area. Maybe do a rough sketch of the ranch house. She sat down on the soft grass and began to sketch, losing herself in her drawing. Soon she found her mind wandering and settling on another subject all together.

  By the time she was done, she had sketched Pete instead of what she had originally thought of. Even she marveled at the resemblance but she couldn’t give that to him. That would be too mortifying.

  Fate it seemed had other ideas.

  “Nice day, isn’t it?” came Pete’s voice.

  She yelped and tried to hide the paper but he was already near and he had seen it, intrigued.

  “What are you trying to hide?” He said jokingly. “Is that a bill?”

  He took it from her and stared at it as the joking expression disappeared and she reddened under his scrutiny.

  “It’s terrible,” she said, her voice low.

  “It’s perfect,” he whispered, his green eyes dark and very serious. “You did it from memory?”

  She nodded and brightened at the compliment. He sat down beside her and continued to examine it.

  “How did you do it?” he said.

  “I just did,” she said pathetically. “It’s not bad?”

  “It’s great,” he said. “I love it. I can keep it?”

  “I was going to sketch the house for you, but I ended up drawing you instead,” she said. “I guess I got sidetracked.”

  “I know how you feel?” He grinned, his green eyes smiling at her.

  “Not likely,” she said pushing his shoulder as he roared with laughter.

  “I’ll treasure it,” he said. “Work done?”

  She nodded. “Nothing else to do for now.”

  “How about I teach you how to ride a horse?”

  “That’s scary,” she said.

  “It’s easy once you get used to it. I’ll teach you,” he said with enthusiasm.

  He tugged her up with him, pulling a little too hard when she landed in his arms. Looking down into her dark eyes, Pete fought the urge to kiss her. She has such a lovely, full mouth. He didn’t try to deny that he wanted to know what she tasted like, when she was relaxed and enjoying herself. Would she be potent and sweet or cool as a summer breeze? As they walked toward the stables, Pete could tell that she was both a little scared and excited. He’d work with her until the fear was a thing of the past. A worker met them, greeting her politely.

  “Get Prissy out, won’t you?” he said.

  The worker nodded and went inside, bringing out the beautiful horse that she had seen before.

  “Up you go,” Pete said.

  “You can’t be serious! Pete, I can’t do it!” she said with sudden nervousness.

  “Prissy is gentle, she won’t harm you. Come on!”

  He picked her up, pushing her onto the horse’s back and she took in the unfamiliar feeling of sitting on a mare’s back.

  “I’ll lead you and then you can do it on your own,” Pete said. “Don’t be scared.”

  She nodded, petrified and at first it wasn’t bad with him leading the mare. But when he let go, the mare started to trot and she kept her hand tightly on the harness, biting back her shrieks. She wasn’t tempting it to run but slowly she became comfortable. Pete was right, Prissy wasn’t rough, and it was almost as if the horse knew that she was a beginner. Finally, she tempted fate and Prissy took off.

  It was unlike anything she had felt and she was exhilarated. Prissy ran around the stables and Lana saw Pete with a smile on his face as she got the hang of it. Finally, Prissy stopped and Pete helped Lana down.

  “That was amazing!” Lana said.

  “I told you,” Pete said.

  It was then she noticed that he had his hands on her waist and he wasn’t letting go. They shared a heated gaze which was broken by a voice.

  “Pete, I need to talk to you,” Jaimie’s voice cut in.

  Pete let her go and waved as he left; making Lana wonder if he’d been about to kiss her. Almost immediately she knew that she wouldn’t have stopped him. It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered what it’d feel like to have a man like that kiss her and not stop with just a kiss.

  It w
as in that reverie that she made her way back to the farm house.

  “You and Lana are getting closer,” was Jaimie’s first comment as he walked into the stables with Pete.

  Pete was instantly on guard, but he didn’t deny the accusation. Putting Prissy back into her stall he said, “Yeah, so?”

  “You know what I am going to say,” Jaimie said calmly.

  “It’s nothing like that,” he lied knowing that it was exactly like that and he liked her far too much by now.

  “I don’t want anything to be more awkward than it has to be,” said Jaimie. “It’s best if you control yourself.”

  “Thanks for the talk, dad.”

  “You know that’s not fair,” Jaimie said. “I never say anything about your love life, or that of Mark and Drew. But now that she is finally settling in, you need to be careful.”

  “What if I’m tired of being careful?” Pete asked, more to himself than Jaimie. “Maybe I’m tired of waiting for the rest of my life to start.”

  “If that’s the way you feel, then we’re going to need a new housekeeper, eventually,” Jaime said.

  “You planning on kicking me out if I get married?”

  “No,” Jaimie said. “The house belongs to all of us, but we might want to think about putting up some more housing, should you and Lana decide that this is more than just a passing flirtation.

  “Anyway, I have to go to town, you guys need anything?”

  “Not that I can think of,” Pete replied. “Lana picked up enough food for a small army earlier.”

  “Alright,” Jaimie said with a nod. “I’ll be home for supper.”

  Pete shook his head and Jaimie walked off. As Pete brushed Prissy’s mane, he sighed as he thought about his rather serious affliction of liking the beautiful and young Lana Jones.

  Too late Jaimie, he thought. Too damn late.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  Lana shrugged as an answer to the question. She was hanging the laundry and Pete wasn’t doing anything to help her as he stood, leaning against the wall. She knew he had something on his mind, he had been distracted since the day before but she didn’t want to pry.

  At least he hadn’t pushed her away, that would have made her sad.

  “Isn’t it your day off?” Pete asked.

  Lana nodded. The last three Fridays, she had lingered in the house, reading books or wiling away the time. The four brothers worked all the time so they didn’t even notice the days which made it easier on her. She was too awkward to make friends in town though she had recently found the urge to do so. She didn’t want to limit herself, guarded as she was.

  “You want to hit the town?” Pete asked.

  “I wouldn’t mind,” Lana said. “Where will we go?”

  “Here and there,” he said vaguely. “You’ll like the town, it’s a nice place.”

  “I know, I just don’t know if I’ll end up being too awkward,” she admitted.

  “Just be yourself and you’ll be fine,” He said. “Okay, tomorrow, after lunch, we’ll go have some fun in town.”

  “You seem really enthusiastic about it,” Lana said smiling.

  “I like going out,” he said. “Especially with a beautiful woman.”

  A sudden gust of wind caused the sheets to cover Lana. She was laughing as she tried to take it off herself and then rough hands did it for her until she was face to face with Pete. He was too close, closer than she had thought he would be. It was something that flustered her but she just couldn’t get herself to move away from him.

  “Lana,” Pete said, his voice rough as he cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “Do you know how badly I want to kiss you?”

  “No,” she said, closing her eyes as she inwardly scolded herself. Pete was grinning when she opened her eyes again.

  “Then I’ll show you,” he said. Before she could evade him, Lana felt gentle, but firm lips touch hers and inside her a fire ignited. She’d never been kissed quite like this before and wasn’t sure how to respond.

  Pete pulled back a look of concern marring his features. “Don’t you want me to kiss you?”

  “It’s not that,” Lana said, blushing. “It’s just…I’m afraid this is just one more thing I’m not particularly good at.”

  “Oh,” Pete said, flustered. “Well, they do say that practice makes perfect. Why don’t you kiss me this time?”

  “I can’t,” Lana said, her blush deepening.

  “Surely I can’t be that bad.”

  “Oh, you’re not!” she stammered. “I…I don’t know how.”

  “Darling,” Pete smiled. “Kissing’s easy. Close your eyes.”

  When she did, Pete touched her chin again, tipping her pretty mouth up toward him again. This time when he touched her lips, he felt her soft gasp. Slowly he taught her to kiss him back, his hand tangling in the soft waves of her dark auburn hair.

  “You’re a fast learner,” Pete said when she pulled back.

  “You’re teasing me.”

  “Actually, I’m not,” Pete grinned. “Let’s go make supper.”

  The next day, she didn’t know why but she was dressed carefully for her date with Pete.

  No, it wasn’t a date, she told herself. It was an outing. That was it.

  And she tried not to be disappointed.

  No one really noticed that she was dressed nicely but she did mention to Jaimie that she was going out.

  “Have fun,” Jaimie said, smiling before he left.

  Lana tugged on the dress she was wearing. Had it been too much? Maybe she should have opted for something more casual but now that she had worn it, it was too late to change and she didn’t think that it was going to matter too much. Her hair was loose and she had put on a smidgen of red lipstick.

  Pete was prompt, in his usual shirt and jeans, and he smiled when he saw her.

  “It’s a change,” he said. “I like it.”

  “Aren’t we going to take your truck?” she asked as they walked past the truck.

  “What about a walk?” He suggested. “It’s not that far going down.”

  “Why not?” she said. It would give her more time with him.

  They quickly got into a conversation and she marveled how easy it was to talk to him now that she had gotten over her initial nervousness. They shared some details about their respective childhoods and then he asked about her sketches.

  “I have a lot now,” she said.

  Lana had been walking around the ranch to get some good scenes for her sketches to the point where she had become acquainted with some of the workers. They couldn’t resist asking what she was doing and then complimenting her sketching. She hadn’t caught the attention of the other three brothers which was good; she could only handle one brother at a time.

  “You could probably sell them,” he said. “If you learned more on it.”

  “That’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “But it’s impractical to think anyone would want to buy a sketch. After all, I’m not that talented.”

  “That’s an excuse and you know it,” he said. “You just need time to refine what people are looking for.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” she said. “The only thing I can do is sketch. I can’t even paint.”

  “You won’t know until you try,” he said. “You should give it a chance.”

  “I’ll take it into consideration,” she promised.

  The walk to town seemed to take no time at all and she wondered where he was taking her. The two passed the diner and he pointed out some landmarks for them until they stopped in front of an arcade.

  “Seriously?” she asked. “There’s an arcade here?”

  “It’s a pretty big town,” he said. “Let’s have some fun. Winner buys lunch.”

  “You’re on.”

  The arcade was dimly lit, with the large individual games on the perimeter and the more skill based games in the center. She discovered she had a hidden talent when she and Pete playe
d ski-ball and eventually she gained enough of an edge that their initial bed ended in a tie. Still, she hadn’t had so much fun in so long she couldn’t remember. The place was swarming with youngsters ranging in age from six or seven through to teenagers. She and Pete were easily the oldest patrons in the place, but that didn’t bother Lana. She hadn’t had a day like this is far too long and being with Pete only made it all the better.

  “This is great,” she gushed. “I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this.”

  “We’ll come every Friday then,” he laughed as they sat down.

  “I would love that,” she said shyly.

  They shared another loaded gaze before she looked at the clock. Three hours had flown by like it was nothing.

  “Oh no, I didn’t make anything!” she said.

  “We’ll take some food when we go back,” he said. “You hungry?”

  She nodded and they left the arcade to go to the diner.

  “What’s your favorite food?” she asked.

  “Cookies,” he said immediately. “Especially chocolate chip straight from the oven. My mother was a master at cookies.”

  “You have the choices of a ten-year-old,” she grinned.

  “I always liked cookies. My mom used to bake them for us and keep them in jars so that we could snack on them whenever we wanted. It was a treat after the horsing around we did.”

  His eyes looked misted with the memories of his past and seeing it, Lana had an idea. They entered the diner and immediately the lady behind the counter greeted them.

  “Pete, you’re back again,” The lady said. “Not early enough though.”

  “Had work Loretta,” Pete said. “This is Lana, she’s our new housekeeper.”

  “Mighty young to be a housekeeper,” Loretta said. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is mine,” she said.

  “Why don’t you two sit down and I’ll get you something nice,” Loretta said. “I’ll pack something for the three wolves back home too.”

  Lana giggled and the two of them sat down. Loretta was good on her promise, bringing them plates of food that filled Lana up easily and she could see how much Pete enjoyed the food. She was seized with the urge to do the same for him. She wanted to make him happy with her food too and the thought made her blush.