The Difference a Day Makes (Perfect, Indiana: Book Two) (12 page)

“Jeez. All that testosterone must be
such
a burden.” Paige slammed the door and cranked the window down. “Go ahead. Take your dicks out and compare them. I’ll wait.” Crossing her arms, she stared out toward the orchard and away from them. “I’m not going to watch, though. Size doesn’t matter.”

His tension dissipated, and he fought the urge to laugh. Noah was right; nothing fazed her. Ryan unbuckled his belt with a flourish, biting the inside of his cheek when he heard her utter a few choice expletives under her breath. He raised his brow and stared at Ted. “Let’s see what you got,
kid
.”

“Asshole.”

“Yeah? I have one of them too. Wanna see?” Ryan unbuttoned his jeans and caught Paige peeking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Ted shook his head, climbed into his convertible, and peeled out in a spray of gravel. Fastening himself back up, Ryan worked his way around the hood of his truck and slid into the driver’s seat. Paige sat stiff-necked beside him with an air of haughty superiority. Dang, she did that well.

Half the time he was with her, he didn’t know if he was coming or going, and he liked that. She gave him something to think about other than the usual shit hammering away at his sanity. “Are you going to be mad at me all day?”

“Why do you bait Ted the way you do?”

He shrugged and started the truck. Had she not heard the implied put-down he’d just received? Was he supposed to take Ted’s insults lying down?
I don’t think so.

“Really. I want to know what it is about him that brings out the worst in you.”

“You think
that
was the worst?” He glanced her. “Not even close,” he murmured. She stared at him with that one eyebrow still raised. Ryan kept his eyes on the gravel driveway and turned his truck onto the highway toward Evansville. Noah had nothing on his little sister when it came to commander stare-downs. The silent stare rattled his nerves, and he blew out an exasperated breath in surrender.

“Don’t you think I’m aware every single day that Ted doesn’t want me at L&L? His resentment toward me is palpable.” He snorted. “The weird thing is, I have a lot of respect for the kid. He’s got an outstanding work ethic, does a fantastic job, and despite the fact that he annoys the shit out of me, I like it when
the three of us are in the same space and working together. Being at L&L calms me. It’s…” He shook his head and concentrated on the road.

“My brother didn’t include him in the hiring process. Ted is supposed to be a full partner. Plus, he’s the primary business administrator. He’s frustrated, that’s all. It’s not you he resents.”

“Really? ’Cause it sure feels like that vibe is aimed my way.” Again sounding like an eight-year-old—a whiny eight-year-old. He glanced at her again to gauge her reaction. She was still staring. “Would it make you happy if I made more of an effort to get along?”

The smile she graced him with stole his breath, and when she slid a little closer to him on the seat, he remembered why it was so important they take his truck. Mini Coopers had bucket seats. “So I gather you and Ted were together last night.” Petty, but he couldn’t help himself. He was jealous, plain and simple. “I thought you were babysitting for Ceejay and Noah.” Damn, if that smile, with all of its warmth, didn’t disappear from her face.
It’s official. I’m an idiot
.

“That’s not really your business.”

“He made a move on you.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I got that much from the conversation.”

“Still not your business.”

Based on the interaction he’d witnessed, she’d turned Ted down, so he let it go. “What do you want to do first—eat or talk?”

Her brow furrowed. “We can’t do both at the same time?”

“Nope. I’m not spilling my guts in some restaurant full of unfamiliars.”

“Oh.” Her expression turned pensive. “We could get takeout and find a place where we can talk while we eat.”

“There’s a park on the Ohio River by the levee.” He warmed to the idea. “I think I have an old blanket in the tool chest in back. We can have a picnic.” Steering the truck onto the exit toward Evansville, he processed the fact that he was happy. Paige did that for him, even when she bullied him into being a better man. Too bad she’d only be around for another week.
Damn.
He was in trouble, because it was going to sting like a bitch when she left.

Paige hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Ryan since she opened the door for him. Lord, he was one good-looking cowboy. His eyes had been devastating enough; the rest of the package did her in. When he smiled, one side of his mouth curved down slightly, while the other quirked up. The overall effect was entirely too sexy and kissable to resist. Plus, he had that double-dimple thing going for him. One set bracketed that adorable crooked mouth, and the other indented his upper cheeks. Even his long hair turned her on. He wore it neatly brushed and tied back today. Along with the Stetson, jeans, and boots, it made him look like he’d walked straight off the set of an old western movie. Hot. She was having a difficult time keeping her hands to herself. Hadn’t she sworn to be only a friend?

Hmmm. Maybe friends with benefits? No. Not a good idea. She wouldn’t be able to keep her heart out of it, and it wouldn’t be fair to him. She turned to watch the passing scenery. It took about two minutes before she couldn’t resist the pull he exerted over her and turned back to stare some more.

“You have something on your mind, darlin’?”

She managed to tear her gaze from him. “I have lots of things on my mind. Why?”

“You keep looking at me like that, and I’m going to have to pull over somewhere and kiss you again.”

“Kissing is your one-size-fits-all solution to everything now? Maybe it’s time to shop for a new bag of tricks.” She made the mistake of looking back just in time to catch one of his dimpled, lopsided grins. Her heart ratcheted up a notch, and her mouth went dry.

Her phone started chirping her mother’s ringtone.
Crap
. She didn’t want to lie today. It was too nice out, and all she wanted to do was enjoy the day. She fished her cell out of her purse and hit Ignore. Maybe she’d get lucky and her mom would leave a message instead of calling back.

Ryan sent her a sideways look. “Who don’t you want to talk to, Paige?”

“That was my mom.” She squirmed under the intensity of his blue-eyed scrutiny. “I thought we were going to get our lunch before we launched into my petty problems.”

Ryan shrugged a shoulder. “I can wait.”

Good.
She turned to face the approaching city, and a billboard caught her attention. “Hey, look at that.” She pointed. “The World’s Toughest Rodeo is going to be in Evansville next weekend.” She grinned at Ryan. “I’ve never been. You grew up on a ranch, right? Did you go to lots of rodeos?”

“You’re looking at a junior saddle bronc champion three years running.” He tipped his hat at her. “My uncle and cousins will probably be there. They raise rodeo bulls. In fact, six out of the past ten years, the Malloys have been named Stock Contractor of the Year.”

“Cool. Let’s get tickets. I’d love to see a rodeo, and you can visit with your uncle and cousins.”

Ryan glanced at the billboard they were about to pass. His expression turned inscrutable. “Aren’t you leaving next weekend?”

She averted her face so he couldn’t see how the reminder affected her. What did she have to go home to? Facing her parents and friends with no job? “I can leave on Sunday. That leaves Friday or Saturday for the rodeo.”

“I haven’t seen any of my family since I left the VA hospital,” he murmured. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea right now.”

“What? Oh, Ryan.” Thoughts of his suicide letter brought a lump to her throat. How long had he been estranged from his family? “Don’t you think they’d appreciate knowing where you are, and—”

“You don’t understand,” he snapped.

“Help me to understand, then.” She put her hand on his shoulder, reveling in the hard muscle under her palm. He didn’t answer, and she took her hand away and surveyed the approaching city as they entered the outskirts of Evansville. “There’s a deli in that strip mall to the right. Let’s stop and pick up some food.”

His jaw muscle twitched and his expression kept its closed-for-business look as he turned into the lot and parked. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and took out some cash. “Would you mind doing this part? Get me whatever you’re having. I’m not picky.” He handed her some cash, and his Adam’s apple moved up and down. He’d gone pale, and a fine sheen of perspiration covered his forehead.

“Are you OK?” Paige ran her hand over his shoulder again. He covered it with his and squeezed.

“I will be.”

He glanced at her, and she caught the panic in his eyes.

“Go on, now. I’m hungry.”

She didn’t want to leave him until whatever he was going through passed. “Ryan—”

“I’ll be fine,” he gritted out.

“Sure you will.” She could apply some of that one-size-fits-all strategy too. She scooted over, cupped his face with both hands, and kissed him. The sudden intake of his breath and the instinctive pull back only firmed her determination. She ran her tongue over the tight seam of his mouth until he groaned and opened for her. He took over in a big hurry. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her close. Relief and a whole lot of heat sluiced through her.

She broke the kiss to nuzzle along his neck to his ear. He smelled so damn good. She inhaled, with her face planted in the sweet spot just beneath his ear. Too bad that scent couldn’t be bottled. She’d take a whiff a few times a day at least. “Better?”

The low chuckle coming from him caused a butterfly riot in her middle—and lower.

“Yeah, I guess you could say I’m
better
.” He stroked her hair. “I could get addicted to your kisses, Paige.”

That last part came out almost a whisper, his tone hesitant, vulnerable. Her heart wrapped around his words and took them in deep. Blinking hard, she forced herself to back out of his arms. She couldn’t fall for Ryan Malloy. She had plans, and staying in Perfect was not one of them. “Food.” She slid over and opened the door. “I’ll be right back.”

It was still too early for the lunch crowd; there weren’t any other customers in the deli. Which was a good thing, because she didn’t want to interact with anyone. She placed her order and used the wait time to get herself back under control.

Paige crossed the lot and climbed back into the truck with the bags and bottles. She found Ryan staring at another shop and followed his gaze to…the Quilter’s Depot? A colorful quilt in a starburst pattern hung in the window. “What are you looking at?”

He nodded toward the display. “Would you mind if I went into that shop for a minute?”

She glanced at him in surprise. “You want to take up quilting?”

“I just want to check something out.”

“Sure.” She set their lunch stuff on the seat. Curious, she reached for the door handle. “Let’s go.”

The shop had an old-fashioned metal bell that tinkled when they walked in. More quilts hung from dowels along the walls, and bolts of fabric formed aisles on either side, arranged according to color. Quilting frames of various sizes, thread, needles, and batting took up the rear, along with a large display of books. Paige followed Ryan as he checked out each quilt. An older woman with silver hair and a tape measure dangling around her neck approached them.

“May I help you?” She smiled a warm welcome.

Ryan’s gaze didn’t leave the array of quilts. “Are these for sale?”

“They are. All of them are handmade and locally produced by the Amish.”

“Are there templates or some kind of pattern book for something like that?” He pointed to one of the quilts.

“That particular pattern is called Drunkard’s Path, and yes, we have several books containing templates for that design and many others.”

“How much is the Drunkard’s Path quilt?”

“Ryan, what are you thinking?” His sudden intensity mystified her. He practically vibrated with focused attention on whatever it was that had caught his attention.

“I’m thinking I might take up quilting.” He grinned at her and reached for her hand.

Her breath tangled in her chest on its way out at the teasing sparkle in his eyes. “Really?” She cleared her throat, embarrassed by her breathless tone.

The salesclerk turned a tag attached to the quilt. “This one is four hundred and fifty. Would you like to look at some of the pattern books?”

“I would, and I’ll take the quilt.”

Dazed, Paige let Ryan lead her to the rear of the store and stood a few paces behind him while he and the older woman went through a number of the pattern books and packages of plastic templates. What was this sudden fascination all about? She followed him to the cash register with his armload of stuff and waited while he and the salesclerk took his new, very expensive bedspread down from its place, folded it up, and added it to the pile of templates and books stacked on the counter. He pulled a card from his wallet and handed it over.

A smile lit his face, and excitement shone from his eyes as he handed Paige the sack holding his new books. He thanked the storekeeper, snatched up his wrapped quilt, and headed for the door.