Page 22 of Due North
Probably because I ran back to the house like the hounds of hell were after me. I even spilled the coffee I had taken out all over my boots.
“I was busy and just stopped out with coffee for you. I didn’t know you already had company,” I said, the last word coming out with far more distaste than I’d planned.
“You knew Tobi was coming out to the riding arena this morning. She ended up offering her services.”
“Ha!” I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. “I bet she did!”
“What?” he asked defensively. “It turns out that Tobi has a lot of experience with roping, so we decided to partner up on Mondays. It will streamline everything and help me get the guys out on horseback much faster. I’m excited about it.”
My head nodded and shook at the same time. “I’m sure you are. When’s your first date?”
“My first date? With whom?” he asked, confusion filling those deep wells of dark brown.
“Tobi, of course!” I said with feigned enthusiasm. “I saw you hugging. Looked cozy. Well, I had better get these eggs back to the house.”
I turned to leave, and he grabbed my jacket before I could take a step. “What are you talking about right now? I wasn’t hugging Tobi in the arena.”
“You lie like a rug, son,” I said, using my fake Texan accent to imitate Dawn’s husband Beau. “I saw you holding her in your arms.”
A light of recognition came on in his eyes. “Oh! No, I wasn’t hugging her,” he insisted. “She slipped on a patch of sand, and I caught her right before she fell. I was giving her a second to get her feet back under her again.”
“Sure, okay, that’s great. Glad you were there for her. Gotta go,” I said, yanking my coat sleeve out of his hand and sashaying toward the door.
It didn’t matter if that was the truth or not. Caleb North could do whatever he wanted with any woman he wanted. I had no right to say otherwise.
“Hey!” he said, whipping me around so hard he had to grab the front of my coat to keep me from falling. “I have no interest in Tobi What’s-Her-Name,” he said, his arm swinging out to point at the arena. “I’m only interested in one woman, and I can remember everything about her! I can even remember her last name! It’s Douglas. She wears a head of fiery red hair that matches her temper, has the deepest blue eyes I ever did see, and the best pair of plump lips that I have dreamt about kissing for the last two years!”
His head lowered to mine and he glanced up into my eyes for a heartbeat before he attacked said plump lips. His were chilled but soft, mine warming his the longer he worked them over. His tongue traced a trail across my bottom lip until I sighed, and they fell open, allowing him access to a new level of my being. His tongue took its time stroking and teasing mine until he couldn’t hold back the moan waiting to escape. It was like a bullet to my heart. He wanted me, not Tobi. The thought dragged a moan from my throat when his soft, velvety tongue slid alongside mine to welcome it home.
The kiss ended naturally. We both needed air, and our lips fell away, leaving us nothing but heaving chests as our eyes locked. His were creamy chocolate-filled desire topped with a dollop of lust. I suspected mine looked the same. There was no way I was hiding how much that kiss had changed me. It had changed me at my core. I had found a home in Caleb North and what broke my heart the most was how I could never make my home with him. I don’t know how long we stood there gazing at each other without words before a voice called out from the house.
“Did you find any eggs? The baby is awake!” Dawn yelled out to me.
“Coming!” I called back without turning.
“Go. We’ll talk later,” Caleb promised, tossing his chin toward the house. “Poppy is scared when she wakes up but you’re not there.”
I didn’t answer. I just spun and ran for the house. The truth was far scarier than I imagined it to be. Somewhere along the way, I had caught major feelings for the guy I work with every day. As a chef, I knew that was a recipe for disaster.
Eight
I jogged into the kitchen after dinner to grab a drink. It had been a long day, made longer by my mind’s need to keep replaying the kiss in the barn over and over like it was on repeat. My body reacted every time, and I walked around at half-mast for the better part of the day. Thank God for long winter coats. Stepping inside the house earlier tonight to see her in her apron serving chili and cornbread turned half-mast into full, and then I started thanking God for tall tables. Now, I was going out to sit at a campfire where I would listen to her soft voice and giggles to add an extra layer of torture to my day. I was going to think about how amazingly right her lips felt on mine for a long time to come. We could never be together, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t cherish that memory and preserve it as the most beautiful and innocent experience of my life thus far. That wasn’t an exaggeration, either. Laying my lips on Cecelia Douglas changed me.
“Earth to Tex,” Heaven said from behind me, and I spun around, almost falling over until I caught myself on the sink.
Dawn took a step forward. “How much have you had to drink tonight, Tex?”
I glanced down at the bottle of root beer in my hand. “Only two of these. You startled me, and I spun too quickly. I was lost in thought.”
“We hadn’t noticed,” Heaven said, tongue in cheek.
“You know,” Dawn said, turning to Heaven. “Cece was equally lost in thought today. Every time I turned around, she was wearing a goofy grin on her face.”
“Oh, right,” Heaven said, shaking her finger at Dawn. “You mean the one Tex had on his face all day too?”
I took a drink of the root beer. “You two are comedians tonight,” I said on an eye roll. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Dawn hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “We were just getting ready for the bonfire, but you said earlier that you wanted to talk to us.”
