Branded (25 page)
Authors: Cindy Stark
He took her chin, kissing her firmly on the lips.
“This is going to take longer than a chat on a street corner. Can you trust me
enough to wait? There are some confidential things, things that might take
time to explain, and I’d like to get you home first.”
Impatience pushed at her, but she trusted her
man. “Fine. But I can’t wait long. I feel like everyone knows everything
except me.”
“You’ll know soon enough.” He took the leashes in
one hand and hers in the other as they started walking back toward her
apartment.
“Wait. I actually do know something you don’t.”
“Really?” He seemed surprised.
“I have your money. Your dad’s money. At least
most of it. Aunt Claire cooperated and gave the police the information she had
on what was put into that account in Singapore. Some of it was from another
heist my father pulled off. The rest was from your dad. My aunt spent some of
it hiring Riley to look after me and installing a security system at her
house. The police suggested I divide it percentage wise and give it back to
both parties including you and your brother.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I already knew that.”
“What?” she turned to him with a surprised look. “How
could you? I’ve only known for a couple of hours.”
“It’s all part of the story. You’ll have to be
patient.” They reached her apartment, and he paused on the front step. “Think
we can pack it all tonight?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Want to buy new instead? Apparently, we have
millions.”
“Honestly? It doesn’t matter as long as I have you.”
She pulled him toward her, pressing her lips to the man who would hold her
heart forever. “I love you, Xander. I’ll always love you.”
He laughed. “You sound so dire. Are you always
like that?”
She smiled, remembering the words she’d said to
him. He must have been worried he’d lose her back then. “Just kiss me.”
“Not until I tell you I love you.”
She took his face in her hands, letting her gaze
soak up the beautiful sight of him. “I believed you the first time you told
me, back in Seaside.”
He widened his eyes. “You weren’t asleep?”
She shook her head. “But you can say it again and
again.”
He kissed her long and slow. “I love you,
Nicole. For now and ever, if you’ll have me.”
“Forever, Xander.”
Stormy and Apollo barked, seeming to sense their
joy.
Xander took a moment to ruffle both of their fur.
“I think they approve.”
“You like our little family?” she said to the
dogs, making them bark even louder. She turned to him. “This is good, Xander.”
Her heart felt like it might explode from happiness.
He pulled her back into his arms. “
So
good, Nicole.”
The End
Chapter One
From the corner of her eye, Lily Chandler caught a
blur of black as it dashed into the road. She slammed on the brakes. The
tires on her little white Honda screamed as she swung off the pavement and onto
the grassy area at the side of the road, narrowly missing a ditch.
When the car had come to a standstill, she
plastered a hand against her chest, trying to slow her racing heart.
"What the hell was that?"
Hannah eyed her as though she'd lost her mind.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you trying to kill us?"
"No." Lily glanced across the isolated
two-lane highway, searching for the critter that almost lost its life.
"There was something in the road. Didn't you see it?"
"Uh…no." Her friend looked around.
"It was probably a skunk or raccoon. We have those out here, you
know," she said with a tinge of sarcasm.
Lily narrowed her eyes. "I know that."
Actually, she had no idea what she'd find in the small town of Aspen, Utah, but
she wasn't about to admit it. She scanned the surrounding green pastures one
more time for the little beast who'd stolen a year of her life.
"Can we go now?"
Lily sighed as she pulled out onto the
never-ending stretch of blacktop. Her bug-spattered windshield showcased
nothing but farmland alive with early summer grass. Occasionally, a house had
popped up on the horizon, but not often enough for Lily's comfort. Somewhere
up ahead was Hannah's brother hauling a good portion of their possessions in
Hannah's truck. Everything else had been left in a storage shed in Salt Lake
with the hopes that she and Hannah would be returning soon. "I'm starting
to wonder if this was a good idea."
"Are you kidding?" Her friend tilted
her head, the action making her auburn ponytail shake. "Don't second
guess this now. When I left home seven years ago, I swore I'd never move
back. I'm only going now because you begged."
"I didn't beg." She hadn't. But moving
in with Hannah's family seemed preferable to being homeless. Two weeks ago,
they'd both been fired from their respective jobs at a local newspaper in Salt
Lake City, all because their boss hadn't been able to keep his zipper zipped.
His wife had found out, and now the paper was slowly disintegrating from all
the bad press and soon to be split assets. If it hadn't cost her a job, Lily
would have been happy the jerk had been found out. She could totally
commiserate with her boss's wife. She'd dealt with similar humiliation and
pain when she'd caught her fiancé cheating with her sister.
Hannah folded her arms. "This was your
idea. No complaining. I warned you my family lived in a rural area."
"Rural?" Lily let go a nervous laugh.
"To an L.A. girl, rural is like…subdivisions. Like the outskirts of Salt
Lake. Places where people still live. Not this…vast emptiness." She
gestured to the hills that didn't stop until they touched the sky. "If a
person got lost out here, they may never be found."
"Ain't that the truth," Hannah said with
a laugh. "Let me rephrase then. My parents live in a backward, podunk,
God-forsaken town." Her friend pretended to shudder. "And look.
We're here." Hannah pointed to a sign stating, Aspen, population: 250.
"Welcome to my version of hell."
Only two-hundred fifty people? There had to be
that many living on their block in downtown SLC. Lily forced a smile and
slowed as the speed limit dropped considerably. What if the people here didn't
like her or couldn't relate to her? She was a city girl through and through.
The little town was cute, though. Baskets of pink
and purple petunias swung from streetlamps, and all of the buildings were in
good repair. It was like going back in time fifty years.
"Sorry to postpone our arrival. Mom asked if
I could pick up a couple of things before we head out to their place."
Hannah nodded toward a building with Andersen's Grocery painted on the side.
"Do you mind if we stop?"
"Not at all." Lily cruised into the
small parking lot, grateful to have arrived. "I'd like to look around the
place I'm going to be calling home anyway."
Hannah snorted. "Don't get too
excited."
Her friend seemed really down on her hometown, but
Lily hoped it wouldn't be that bad. More than that, she hoped they'd both have
new jobs before long and be headed back to civilized Salt Lake. Lily
shouldered her purse and headed down the short street as Hannah went inside the
store. The air was fresh, if a bit cooler than it had been in the city. She
inhaled again. Like
really
fresh. Like it almost had a sweet taste to
it. That was certainly a nice change her lungs would appreciate during her
morning runs.
In the same parking lot as the grocery store,
stood a small strip mall with a pizza parlor, a beauty salon, and Betty Johnson
Real Estate. A small "help wanted" sign tucked into the corner of a
window near the door of the real estate office snagged her attention. She'd be
headed there first thing after they got settled in.
A gas station took up space on the other side of
the strip mall, and a bit farther down was a bigger building with the words
Swallow's Bar and Grill. The other side of the street housed a cute little
bakery and coffee shop. The town's version of Starbucks, perhaps? She'd
definitely check it out later. Ahead of her was Randall's Western Outfitters
that apparently carried clothing, tools and more. Everything a girl could
want, all in a few short steps. It would certainly provide a different
shopping experience than Rodeo Drive.
The door to the western outfitters store swung
open in front of her, and she had to stop short to avoid running into it.
"So sorry, Miss," said the older guy in
a worn cowboy hat when he realized he'd almost plowed the door into her face.
He totally looked the rancher part with short, gristled whiskers, accompanying
denim jacket, and carrying a large bag of something over his shoulder.
Lily shook her head. "It's fine. You
couldn't have known I was here."
The wrinkles around his grass green eyes creased
when he smiled. "Still, I apologize."
She was about to respond when another man came out
right behind him, carrying two identical bags.
"Dad—"
The younger guy stopped short when he saw Lily.
"Well, hello."
He was a taller version of his father, with the
same beautiful green eyes. His biceps bulged beneath his dark blue T-shirt
from holding the weight of the two bags, and an interesting tattoo peeked out
from beneath one of his sleeves. A hint of short brown hair hung below a
khaki-colored ballcap, and she was surprised to find he wore small, thick
silver hoops in his ears. Apparently, the small towns of the world were
finally catching up with everyone else.
"Um…hi." She felt silly now, impeding
him and his dad.
"Did you want something, Luke?" his
father asked.
He hesitated. "I'll tell you in the
truck." He nodded toward a big black pickup, and Lily couldn't help but
feel he'd just dismissed his dad.
The older man seemed to pick up his cue as well.
He winked at Lily, nodded and headed toward the vehicle.
"You're new in town." The younger guy
smiled, making Lily feel slightly giddy inside. She wasn't quite sure what to
make of him. Hannah had been dead wrong in her assessment of the men in this
town if this guy was any indication of who she'd find here.
"I just arrived. I'm going to be staying
with my friend's family for a while." A soft breeze blew several blond
curls into her face, making them stick to her lip gloss. She tried several
times to remove them, but kept missing some. He reached out, holding the weight
of his load with one hand, and pulled the last hairs away from her lips.
"Thanks." She tugged her long tresses
to one side, away from the breeze, to keep them under control. The attraction
she felt for this guy was awkward, surprising, and a little exhilarating.
"What's your name?" He continued to
stand there as though the heavy weight he carried meant nothing to him.
"Lily. Lily Chandler."
"I'm Luke Winchester. It's nice to meet
you." His lips tilted into a grin, and she couldn't stop herself from
mirroring the gesture. "Who are the friends you're staying with?"
"The Morgan family. Do you know them?"
"Of course."
At her puzzled expression, he continued.
"You're obviously not from a small town, 'cause here everybody knows
everybody."
"Lily?" Hannah yelled from down the
street. "Let's go."
Luke turned his gaze to her friend, his demeanor
cooling. "Hey, Hannah. Welcome back," he called out.
Hannah sent him a heated look and then got in the
car, slamming her door.
Lily raised her brows. "Ouch. You and
Hannah have some sort of history?"
He shook his head, a disappointed look hovering in
his eyes. "A slight misunderstanding. She'll get over it one of these
days. In the meantime, promise me you won't believe everything she tells
you."
Interesting. She couldn't wait to hear Hannah's
side of the story. "Okay." She would give Luke the benefit of the
doubt. For now.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lily
Chandler. I'm sure I'll run into you again."
He held out a hand, and she took it. His fingers
were strong and warm, and they sent a fascinating spike of energy coursing
through her. "Nice to meet you, too."
She let go of his hand and turned, walking toward
her Honda. She desperately wanted to look back at him, but she was certain he
still watched her. She could feel the almost physical touch of his gaze. When
she reached down to open the car door, she dared a glance in his direction. A
swift current whipped through her when their gazes connected. He nodded as
though affirming they'd meet again and turned.
Lily blew out a slow breath and slipped into her
car, trying to pretend Luke Winchester hadn't shoved her pulse into overdrive.
Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet
Border Collie named Boo in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She
currently writes romantic suspense and contemporary romances.
To find other books by Cindy, visit her website at
www.cindystark.com