Crazy Little Thing Called Love (3 page)

“Don’t worry about it. I stopped to help.” He
shoved the baseball hat backwards onto his head, “Can you pop the
trunk? I’ll get the spare.”

Green. His eyes were green. Without the cap
shielding the sun she got her first look at his full face and
couldn’t think of anything else. They were green, not emerald but
almost jade and strangely soft and warm for a man as masculine as
him.

“Oh, um, yeah.” She forced herself to turn
away and pop the trunk like he asked.

Uncomfortable. He definitely made her
uncomfortable in all those dark, dirty places in her body that
hadn’t reacted to a man in far too long. Uncomfortable in her
clothes, like she didn’t really want them on around him.
Uncomfortable in her skin, like she’d really like to know what it
would feel like to have those big hands on her.

She pushed those uncomfortable thoughts
aside. It wouldn’t do to react to him like that. Still, she hadn’t
remembered him being so gorgeous.

Not true, she hadn’t remembered him at all
until she saw that driver’s license. He’d been older than her if
she remembered correctly, not that she was certain she did. The man
definitely didn’t look old though. She forced herself to stop
staring as he dropped to the ground and went to work.

“So you’re from Fate?”

“Yeah, originally. Born and raised but I
escaped when I was eighteen.” She frowned when the words came out
so easily.

He tilted his head and looked up at her
curiously, “What brings you back?”

“A friend of mine is getting married
tomorrow, I’m a bridesmaid.”

He chuckled, “You don’t sound too happy about
that.”

She’d have to do a better job of hiding that
fact if a guy that didn’t even know her could see that. Her father
would pick up on it in a second. So would Molly and that wouldn’t
be very nice. She was supposed to be happy for her friend getting
married, not bemoaning the fact she was arriving home ringless to
face a town she’d been avoiding for a decade.

“Let’s just say the dress is less than
flattering.” She shrugged indifferently.

“I doubt anything would look too awful on
you.”

Her breath hitched. Had that been a
compliment? Was he hitting on her? Surely not, the heat was going
to her head.

“This is a nice car.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks.”

She looked the cherry red Audi R8 over with a
careful eye. It was more than just nice really. It was also fast
and expensive. She didn’t regret her impulse buy; the car had more
than performed as she sped from Denver to Fate with the windows
down and the music blaring. Still, her 4Runner probably would have
been better suited to an empty west Texas highway.

“Have to admit I never thought I’d see one of
these in Fate though, trucks, SUV’s, the occasional mustang but
this…” He whistled and she found herself grinning again.

“I was just thinking common sense said I
should have brought the 4Runner.”

“Common sense and fun don’t always go hand in
hand.” He chuckled, “I bet she handles like a dream.”

“That she does.” She nodded, “Can’t imagine
you behind the wheel though, no offense.”

“And why’s that?” He turned to give her a
knowing smirk.

“Really?”

“You think you’re going to hurt my
feelings?”

“Fine, just don’t come crying to me because
I’m going to say I told you so.” She pulled in a snort, “For
starters, the Ford truck over there. It’s built for power and
function, not speed. Second, you don’t strike me as a gear head
since you mentioned it’s a nice car but not the model and third…”
She smiled sweetly, “You’re way too big for it.”

“You know what they say about making
assumptions.” His grin never faltered as he shrugged and started
tightening the bolts on the new tire.

“Hilarious.” She found herself smiling at his
back.

She was crazy. Talking to him like that? Who
said stuff like that to men they just met? Not smart to tease him
when he could get up and leave her on the side of the road at any
second.

“Sorry.” She reigned in her smile. “That was
forward.”

He chuckled, “But it was entertaining.”

“My specialty.”

“Good to know.” He grinned, “My turn. First,
that Ford is for the ranch and you’re right it is functional
because it’s a work truck.”

“Makes sense.”

“Second, this baby is an R8 which I know
because I like cars, all cars, like the ’67 Impala in my barn.” He
pushed to his feet and swiped his hands on his jeans, a slow grin
worked up his face, “And third, if you already think I’m too big,
you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Her breath caught in her chest again. There
was that sexy innuendo. There was that playful mischievous look
that said he knew exactly how to be bad and how to be oh so good at
it. And she wanted to play along so much; to flirt like there was
no tomorrow because he was gorgeous and because she’d be leaving
town in forty-eight hours.

“Well, looks like that’s it.” His voice broke
her out of her seriously inappropriate thoughts.

“Done already?” She barely managed to find
her voice and couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Yeah. It’s a spare so I wouldn’t drive it
too far though. Bert’s is the garage in town. It’s shut down for
the night but he opens at 9 tomorrow. I’d have him get you a real
replacement then.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“I kind of like the sound of that.” He
grinned as he came to stand just a foot from her chest.

She looked up that big broad chest and just
kept looking. She was average height, in the pumps she could even
be considered tall but she had to crane her neck to look into those
soft green eyes when he was this close. She swallowed hard.

She wasn’t that crazy was she? Maybe she was.
Maybe the good people of Fate were right after all. Oh hell, why
not…

“You want to take her for a test drive?”

His dark eyebrows lifted slightly, “More than
you know.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Her voice
quivered ever so slightly and she watched his eyes dart to her lips
and then back up.

Oh she was playing with fire. She hadn’t done
that in a very long time. She couldn’t, shouldn’t, but they were
just talking about driving the R8 right? Yeah, that’d be her
reasoning for acting a little crazy this time.

“Ten minutes ago you were worried I was an
ax-murderer. Now you want me to… test drive your car?” He
chuckled.

“What’d you say about common sense and fun
not going hand in hand?”

“Touché.” He smiled again, a slow parting of
lips as amusement tinted those light green eyes, “Unfortunately, I
have plans tonight so I can’t.”

“Oh.” She fumbled and averted her eyes
immediately.

Plans. Yeah of course he did. He probably had
a wife or a girlfriend or at the very least a date. He’d probably
be having a nice night unlike her.

She’d be stuck at the rehearsal dinner with a
dozen people she hadn’t seen in years and she’d be alone. All the
other bridesmaids would be married and would have their husbands
and each other to talk to. She on the other hand would have nobody.
Just like she’d have nobody to go to the wedding with tomorrow
either.

“Rain check?”

She cleared her throat at his offer, “Oh, no,
that’s okay, I understand I just…”

“You owe me one remember?”

A smile curved her lips, “You wouldn’t say
that if you knew who I was.”

“How about you tell me and we find out?” He
raised one dark eyebrow.

She was crazy, absolutely crazy. Why was she
playing with fire when she knew better? She’d sworn off bad boys.
She didn’t date men with that glint in their eye anymore. She
didn’t give in to the crazy. She forced the words out.

“I’m Blue.”

“Blue?” He green eyes narrowed slightly,
“Like the color?”

“Like the flower actually.” She sighed at the
same explanation she’d been giving all her life and kicked her
accent up a notch, “Bluebell Montgomery Carter.”

“Bluebell Montgomery Carter.” He repeated her
name slowly and surprise flickered in his gaze before it trailed
down and back up in a solid sweep.

“Yeah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She kept
her chin up, waiting for the fallout.

“Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine Bluebell.”
He winked playfully and took a step back with an easy grin. “Be
sure to have Bert look at that tire when you get into town.”

“I will.” She paused as her bravado faltered,
“Thank you. For everything. I really do owe you.”

“Oh, I’ll think of a way you can pay up.” He
smirked, “See you around Bluebell.”

Zach West watched the little red sports car
pull back onto the highway and disappear in a cloud of dust before
he took his baseball cap off and scratched his head. What the hell
was he thinking? He wasn’t because he’d obviously been leading with
the head south of his belt buckle.

He didn’t mind helping out a beautiful woman
on the side of the road, in fact, it was a nice bright spot in his
otherwise boring day, but Bluebell Montgomery Carter was not his
type. Sure he liked blondes. He particularly liked them with big,
innocent looking blue eyes and a cupid’s bow mouth that’d just
about tempt a priest but gorgeous or not that woman was missing one
very critical requirement. He liked his women easy.

Not sexually easy, though that didn’t hurt
either. He liked them easygoing, laid-back, and casual. He liked
women that didn’t ask things of him, didn’t demand things he
couldn’t give. He wasn’t sure what that said about him, wasn’t sure
he wanted to look too hard at it either. So he didn’t. Easy.

There wasn’t anything casual about a woman
that drove into Fate in a brand new Audi R8. There wasn’t anything
laid back about a woman dressed in silk and stilettos in the middle
of a hot day in Texas. There wasn’t anything easy about a woman
that was the sole heir to the Montgomery ranching business and
daughter of his father’s old enemy. So no, Bluebell was not his
type but she was damn cute and he’d always had a weakness for the
crazy ones.

And she was obviously a little bit crazy.
Driving an R8 into Fate was one thing, driving an R8 into Fate and
believing she could float under the radar was ludicrous. Accusing
him of being a serial killer in one breath and flirting with him in
the next? Comical. Knowing his last name, knowing their family
history and thinking she could get away with not telling him who
she was? Crazy.

His cell phone ringing broke him out of his
thoughts and he grinned as he realized it was his youngest brother
Riley and pulled it to his ear, “Yeah?”

“Where are you? I thought you’d be back an
hour ago.”

“Got distracted but I’m on my way now, just a
few miles from town.”

“Well hurry up, I want to get that part
installed before we head over to Sully’s. If we’re late we won’t
get a good seat for the game.”

“I know. On the way.” He tossed the phone
down on the seat and pulled back onto the highway.

Even if he hadn’t seen her crazy firsthand
he’d still have the stories to go off of because yeah, he knew who
Bluebell Montgomery Carter was. He’d lived in Fate all his life
after all and small towns liked to talk. And talk they had, ever
since news got out that Molly had invited her friend to be in the
wedding the town hadn’t stopped buzzing.

He should have put it together the minute she
refused to tell him her name. He probably would have if he hadn’t
been distracted by the long legs under that short dress when she
stepped out of the car. He had a vague memory of a little girl with
a silly name but not much more. Now that he’d met her he had to
admit the name kind of fit with those big blue eyes, golden blonde
hair and pretty little body.

It was really too bad she was part
Montgomery, not that he’d ever really bought in to the feuding
family stuff. Maybe she wouldn’t care he was a West either, it
wasn’t like she hadn’t flirted too and she’d known all along who he
was. So yeah, maybe he could take her up on that rain check, after
all, she did owe him.

Zach liked gorgeous women. He liked blondes.
He liked them a little bit crazy occasionally and he really liked
it when they were only in town for a day or two and couldn’t
possibly want anything more from him than some great sex.

That managed to put a smile on his face the
rest of his drive over to the ranch. His family had owned the strip
of land for generations. The Triple Star Ranch was his now, had
been ever since his father’s unexpected heart attack when he was
eighteen. He’d resented it at first but at thirty-six years old he
liked to think he’d come to terms with the life he’d been
dealt.

Parking in the dusty circle drive in front of
the main house, he jumped from the truck and strolled up the big
front porch and through the shiny new red front door. The smell of
sawdust greeted him and he grinned. He’d always loved this house so
when his mother insisted she couldn’t take care of it anymore and
wanted to move to a smaller place he’d happily taken it over. He’d
been working on updating it ever since.

He loved construction, loved creating
something from scratch. He loved remodeling too, seeing the scars
and dings of abuse and righting them, setting them back to
something beautiful. He loved working with his hands, getting
dirty. The backbreaking type of work most people hated he loved
because he could lose himself in it, no thinking, just doing, and
when he was done, something new existed where before there had only
been destruction.

He knew innately that had his father lived
he’d never have ended up working the ranch. He loved it sure but
his true passion didn’t lie in the cattle or horses or grain
fields. He’d rather be doing something that had a purpose and an
end. Ranching never ended, every day it was the same, wake up
early, work late, do it all over again the next day. He was lucky
he had his brothers to do a lot of the things he didn’t like and he
could always delegate so that the employees on the ranch could
handle the day to day work, not that he was good at letting go of
the reins.