Page 29 of New in Town

Grey and Brett had been together when Laurel called for a ride home, they were working on plans for the upcoming weeks to turn the cattle out. Brett claimed he had a meeting lined up to purchase some new heifers and asked Grey to pick up the ladies from Sterling Vineyards instead. He didn’t believe Brett. Who scheduled a meeting on a Friday night? But he did want to see Maddie, so he had agreed nonetheless.

The three women rise from their table and turn to him as he nears. Maddie’s warm eyes sparkle when they meet his gaze. Despite his nerves, he feels a smile spread across his face at the sight. She traded her sundress for denim shorts and a skintight, black tank top tonight, and as he’s taking her in, she’s quickly closing the distance between them.

She launches herself at him with enough force that he has to catch her, wrapping his arms around her waist to steady her. She throws her arms around his neck, her fingers threading together at the back of his neck. “Hi, Grey,” she breathes, mere inches from his face. The noise around them and the noise in his head all fall away, his focus on her. It would be so easy for him to kiss her right now, to close the distance between their lips.

“Hi sweetheart,” he murmurs back, tightening his arms around her.

“You’re here. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I told you, I’m at your disposal,” he reminds her, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair. Her cheeks flush pink at his comment and she ducks her head, as if to hide the reaction. He catches her jaw and lifts her face back up. “It’s cute,” he says softly. “It’s so fucking cute how you blush for me.”

“Are you two going to keep whispering sweet nothings to each other for a while? Should I order myself another glass?” Gracie asks beside them.

He lifts his hand from Maddie’s face, signaling a vulgar gesture in Gracie’s direction. He hears her and Laurel breaking into a chorus of laughter as he unwraps his other arm from around Maddie. They’re still joking behind him when he leads them to his waiting truck, his chest constricting as Maddie slides her hand into his for the walk.

He learns quickly, though, that trying to get three wine drunk women to leave a vineyard is worse than herding fifty cattle. Gracie wants to turn around and buy a bottle to take home to her husband. Then when she returns Laurel thinks she should do the same to take to Mary, Floyd’s wife.

With Laurel back, the girls decide they want to stop for a picture in front of the vineyard. He offers to take it, but they insist he be in it. This results in them having to wait for another patron to pass by and stop and take it. Two bottles of wine and a handful of photos on Laurel’s camera roll later, he gets them walking again, finally reaching the parking lot.

A few steps from the truck, Maddie uses their interlocked hands to pull him to a stop, as if she wants to ask him something. Then she decides against it and begins walking once again, dragging him along with her. He is at her mercy. But really, he thinks he’s been at her mercy since they met.

* * *

It’s dark by the time he drops Gracie off and pulls up in front of Maddie’s bakery apartment. He turns to Laurel in the back seat. “Laurel, are you okay alone out here if I walk Maddie up real fast?”

“I’d prefer it instead of having to watch the mushy goodnight,” she says with a wink.

He jumps out and walks around to open Maddie’s passenger seat door. Her energy fizzled on the drive, and she slides out sleepily, leaning her body against his on the walk to her door. He keeps an arm around her as she fishes out her keys.

“I’d ask you to come up,” she says, resting her hands on his chest. “But you have to take Laurel back.”

“I’d love to though, in different circumstances,” he answers, shifting to hide the way his cock just reacted to the idea of going upstairs with her. What he doesn’t say is that he wants the circumstances of their arrangement to be what changes. She gives him another one of her torturously soft kisses on his cheek before opening her door.

She stops before crossing the threshold, though. “Tonight, Laurel and Gracie said you aren’t one ofthosetypes of cowboys.”

“What type is that?”

“The heartbreaker type. But look at you! And then there’s the way you flirt with me…”

He takes a step closer and cups her face in his hands. “Maybe because I like flirting with you. Just you.”

She holds his gaze for a beat, her eyes drawing him in. “I like it too,” she admits nervously.

He doesn’t feel right having this conversation like this, rushed outside her place after her night out. What if she wakes up tomorrow and regrets saying these things to him? What if she doesn’t mean them? She hadn’t even been the one that called him for a ride. Before he can change his mind, he plants a kiss on her temple and guides her inside.

Back at his truck, he climbs in and absently runs his hand through his hair.

“So are you going to tell her?”

He jumps in his seat at the question. “Shit, Laurel. Sorry I uh… forgot you were back there. Come sit up front so we can go,” he says with an apologetic laugh.

“I’m flattered. You didn’t answer my question though,” she points out, coming around to the recently vacated passenger seat.

“Tell her what?”

“Come on. Brett told me. We don’t have secrets.”

He rolls his eyes. He should have guessed that, his best friend went from the most closed off guy you’d meet to a lovesick puppy when Laurel came along. It was nice to see, and also fun to relentlessly tease him about.

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