She turned her beautiful brown eyes on him and said, “Thank you for giving me this chance, Nick.”
“You know I’d do anything to help you. That’s what friends are for.”
“You’re a better friend than most.”
You wouldn’t think that if you knew what was going on in my mind.
BY THE TIME they took care of the animals and Nick washed up, it was after nine. He stood on the patio grilling burgers, corn on the cob, potatoes, and vegetables. Most women would bitch about working all evening and eating so late. Hell, most guys he knew ranked their next meal right up there with sex. But Trixie had never questioned his habits the way others did. He watched her sitting in the grass with Pugsly on her lap by the picnic table, gazing out at the horses. Goldie and Rowdy ran around her playing, stopping for pets and kisses every few minutes. As much as Nick loved his solitude, Trixie made his days better. He couldn’t define the reasons, especially since she talked too much, challenged him all the time, and had become a hell of a big distraction, causing him to think about shit he didn’t want to think about. But there was no denying that he was happier when she was there.
She set Pugsly down and pushed to her feet, brushing the grass from her shorts. The setting sun cast a glow around her, giving her an angelic appearance. Nick laughed to himself. The saucy temptress was far from angelic.
“That smells incredible,” she said, coming over to him with Pugsly waddling behind her. Rowdy and Goldie took off toward the field. “I always forget how good of a cook you are. I am so glad you’re a Gruff Gus.” She plucked a cucumber from the salad they’d made and popped it into her mouth.
“A what?”
“Gruff Gus. I think the saying is really Grumpy Gus, but you’re gruff and growly, not grumpy.” Her smile played mischievously in her eyes. “If you were friendlier, some woman would have probably broken down your walls and changed your mind about marriage by now. Then I’d miss out on all the great meals you make, so thanks for being a growly guy.”
“They’re just burgers, Trix.”
“Just burgers are those skinny slabs of something that looks like meat that you get at McDonald’s. You make thick, juicy burgers with cheese and onions inside them and special Braden spices.” She pointed to the foil packets on the grill. “And you grill tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms to go on top and all the yummiest sides to go with them.”
“If you say so.” It never failed to amaze him how appreciative she was of the things he did every day and thought nothing of.
“I do, and I know what I’m talking about. You, Mr. Braden, are a catch.”
“And you of all people, Miss Jericho, know that’s not true. I’m an impatient workaholic and a perfectionist who’d rather hang out with my horses than with people.”
“Maybe you’re right. You’re not marriage material,” she said snarkily, and snagged his hat off his head, putting it on her own.
She was the only person he’d allow to do that shit. She looked damn cute in his black hat.
She peered into the stone pit as she walked past. “I see you haven’t used the firepit since I was here last.”
“You do this to me every time you visit.”
“What?” she asked with an innocent flutter of her long lashes. “Try to get you to enjoy the things you have?”
He shook his head.
She planted her hand on her hip. “You don’t have to invite people over to use it, you know. But inviting friends and family over every once in a while would make your house homier.”
“My house is homey enough,” he said, transferring the food onto platters.
“Let’s sit at the picnic table!” She moved the place settings from the patio table to the picnic table, setting their plates side by side, as she always did, and went back for their drinks and the salad.
Nick carried over the rest of the food and condiments and set a plain hamburger on a plate in the grass for Pugsly. He whistled, and Pugsly waddled over as they sat down. Trixie sat so close to him, her arm brushed his. She’d never known the meaning of personal space where he was concerned.
He’d never forget the first time they’d met. It was at Mr. B’s, his uncle Ace’s restaurant and microbrewery in Peaceful Harbor, where Graham and his cousins were celebrating after a race. He’d dropped by to join them, and Trixie had been there teaching his cousins Sam and Cole to do the two-step. She was all attitude in cutoffs and a plaid shirt tied over her belly button, giving his cousins shit for not following along. She’d set her eyes on Nick with a challenging smirk and said, You gonna jump in and show ’em how it’s done, cowboy? Or are the hat and boots just for decoration? She’d stuck to him like glue after that, giving him sass about everything, eating fries off his plate, and using him as a human cushion to lean against. The funny thing was, she hadn’t been flirtatious. She’d simply acted like she’d known him forever, and it had felt that way to him, too.
As they filled their plates, she said, “Catch me up on things.” She plucked a tomato from the salad he was putting on his plate.
“A’right. Did Jillian tell you Zev and Carly got engaged? They’re getting married over the holidays.”
“No. I haven’t talked to Jilly in a couple of weeks. I need to call her and let her know I’m here. That’s great news! I’m happy for Zev. After what happened when he was young, I thought he was destined to be a bachelor forever, like you.” She stacked tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers on top of her burger and smothered it in ketchup.
“We all did.” Zev had fallen in love with his childhood sweetheart, Carly Dylan, when they were kids. Carly was best friends with Beau’s first love, Tory Raznick, and the four of them had been inseparable, until Tory was killed in a tragic car accident right after Zev and Carly had finished their first year of college. Tory had been like a sister to Nick and his siblings and like a daughter to his parents. Her death had devastated everyone, but it had broken Beau and Zev. They’d distanced themselves from the family. Beau had buried himself in work outside the area, and Zev had broken up with Carly, quit college, and taken off with nothing more than a backpack over his shoulder, leaving Nick to try to fill the voids his brothers had left behind and hold their grieving family together.
In the ten-plus years since, Beau had built a thriving contractor business and had fallen in love again and married Charlotte Sterling, the owner of the Sterling House. Zev became a successful treasure hunter and reconnected with Carly, and Nick had learned the hard truth about what putting one’s heart on the line did to a man.
She put the top of her bun on her burger and said, “I still can’t believe Zev and Carly reunited in such a flukish way.”
After a decade apart, Zev and Carly had reconnected at Beau and Charlotte’s wedding at the Sterling House, the same place the awards banquet for Trixie’s race had taken place.
“Jilly says that the inn has magic in it.” Trixie nudged his arm. “Considering that’s where Char and Beau met and Zev and Carly reconnected, I’d say she’s right.”
Nick didn’t believe in magic, but something had definitely changed him that night he’d watched over her at the inn. “It’s bizarre, don’t you think? Zev traveled all over the world and met thousands of people, but he told me there hadn’t been one woman who made him feel a damn thing. And the second he saw Carly, he felt like he’d been holding his breath for all those years and could finally breathe again.”