Crushing on Kate Read online

  Chapter 7

  Sunday night dinner was a tradition in the Hayes family for as long as Kate could remember. As a teenager, it used to annoy her that she had to make sure to be home by six o’clock on Sunday so they all could sit down as a family. She hated leaving her friends, but now that she was older, she looked forward to it. Her brothers and sisters all had so much going on, and it was hard to get them all together.

  It had been awhile since Cooper had attended, and from what she’d heard through the grapevine, it seemed as if he might be there to stay, at least until the next adventure came knocking. Hopefully it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

  She was about to walk in when Cooper flung the door open. Kate let out a surprised yelp as he scooped her up in a big bear hug. Cooper had never shied away from publicly displaying his love for his family. Kate laughed as he swung her around before placing her back on solid ground.

  “What was that for?” Kate asked.

  “I’m just happy to be home.”

  Kate pressed the back of her hand to Cooper’s forehead. “You feeling okay?”

  He swatted her hand away with a smile. “Can’t a guy be happy to be home?”

  “Of course he can, but you have never been happy to be home. You get antsy when you’re stuck in one place for too long.”

  “Nothing wrong with wanting a little adventure in your life.”

  “I know, and I love that you follow your heart and go wherever the wind takes you. I just wish it would bring you home a little more often.”

  “Well, I’m here now. Don’t start planning my departure just yet.”

  “I won’t,” she said and pulled Cooper in for another hug. As she pulled back, she felt something nudge her leg. She looked down to see Lady, Hadley’s newest foster dog. She was a senior golden cocker spaniel with curls on her droopy ears and a sweetness to her face that made Kate just want to rain kisses on her snout.

  “Hi, good girl,” Kate said and bent down to kiss and pet her. Lady jumped up, placing her two front paws on Kate’s thigh.

  “She likes you,” Hadley said, and Kate could see the notion taking form in Hadley’s mind.

  “Yes, she does,” Kate said giving Lady one last kiss on the snot before standing. “But no.”

  “No what?”

  “I don’t need a dog.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “It’s written all over your face, sis,” Cooper said, swirling his finger.

  “Dogs are good for the soul.”

  Kate’s eyebrow arched, and she turned toward Hadley. “Are you saying my soul isn’t good?”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  Cooper crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. “But you insinuated it.” Cooper always loved to instigate, and if there was ever a medal for such an honor, he would win hands down.

  Hadley narrowed her eyes at their brother. “Don’t you have a country you need to fly off to?”

  “I’m finding the entertainment here at home much more interesting.”

  Mason walked over, looking back and forth between Kate and Hadley. “What’d I miss?”

  Cooper grabbed Mason’s shoulder and leaned forward to give the details. “Hadley thinks Kate needs a dog to save her soul.”

  “She needs a hell of a lot more than a dog,” Mason said, and Kate gasped.

  “Need I remind you that I’m the good one?”

  Her siblings all burst out a laugh.

  “Like that time you told me my Buzz Lightyear would fly and threw it out the window,” Cooper said. “It didn’t fly.”

  “Oh my god, that was twenty years ago. And he only lost an arm. It made it more authentic to the movie if you ask me.”

  “Or the time you put scented oils in my chemistry set,” Mason added. “My room stunk for weeks. Every time I smell roses I have flashbacks.”

  “I wanted to make my own perfume. I didn’t mean to spill the bottle on your carpet.” Kate let out an annoyed sigh. “What else? Don’t stop now. Hadley it’s your turn. Let’s see. What could it be that you’ve been holding against me my entire life?” Kate strummed her fingers on her chin. “The time I dyed your Barbie’s hair with food coloring because I didn’t want to ruin mine. Or the time I ditched you at the movies because I wanted to be alone with my friends. Or maybe it was the time I told Sam you snored.”

  “You told him I snored? I don’t snore!”

  “You did when you had that nasty cold in ninth grade. Besides, you knew that. That’s why he called you Rumbles.”

  Hadley’s eyes widened then narrowed. “That’s why he called me that?”

  “On that note,” Mason said and patted Cooper on the back. Both brothers escaped to the kitchen as Kate stood there staring back at her sister. She could see the annoyance in the set of her face, but she couldn’t really be mad. It happened a million years ago.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Kate assured her.

  “No wonder he looks at me like one of the guys.”

  Kate laughed and maybe a little too loudly because the black ring around Hadley’s slate blue eyes darkened. “Because it has nothing to do with the fact that you throw back beers like they’re water, constantly wear jeans that are caked in mud and god only knows what else, and you drive a beat to hell pickup truck. You’re right. It’s the snoring.”

  “Shut up.”

  “What am I missing?” their grandmother, Betty, asked as she squeezed in between the two of them.

  “Hadley thinks her snoring is the reason people think she’s ‘one of the guys.’” Kate made sure to omit Sam’s name. It might not have been a secret for anyone with eyes that Hadley had it bad for their brother’s best friend, but it wasn’t discussed out loud.

  “Your grandpa snores like he’s sawing logs.”

  Hadley sucked in a startled breath, and Kate stifled a laugh.

  “Anywho.” Betty took Hadley’s face in her hand, turning it from side to side. “With a face like that and boobs as perky as yours, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  Hadley’s face went from beautiful porcelain to boiled lobster and their grandmother slapped her on the rear. “Now go take that cute fanny of yours outside. Your parents are grilling and your grandfather is about to sneak some of Mason’s new batch. Go keep him company.”

  Hadley didn’t hesitate and hurried off. Kate went to follow, but her grandmother’s hand wrapped around her wrist, halting her.

  “Did you need something?” Kate asked.

  “Is that anyway to greet your dear old grandma who will probably be dead in a few years?”

  “Grandma, don’t say that. We all know the world could come to an end, and you’ll still be standing.”

  Betty laughed, loud and boisterous. “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “But you’re right,” Kate said and leaned in to give Betty a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Grandma.”

  “That’s better. Now tell me dear. How are things going with Caleb?”

  Liquid fire flooded Kate’s body at the mention of his name. She could almost feel the strength of his hands holding her against him. The slide of his tongue against hers, the slick heat of him pressing inside her. Then the memory of him walking away was like a bucket of ice being dumped over her head. Anger swirled with disappointment and frustration, an awful combination that made her want to forget that morning in his office. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. There was something about Caleb James that seeped into her mind, body and soul and marked her, making it impossible to not think of him.

  “What things? There are no things?” she blurted.

  Betty’s eyebrow arched, and she patted Kate’s hand. “By the looks of it there are plenty of things.”

  “He’s a jerk.”

  “So was your grandfather. I nearly smacked him over the head that first time I met him, but I married him anyway.”

  “Grandpa is not a jerk.” Harold Hayes w
as a loving man with a heart of gold that would do anything for his family. In his old age, he did tend to lose his temper more, but it was usually directed toward an inanimate object that he couldn’t seem to fix. Never at any of them.

  Betty smiled lighting a spark in her blue eyes. “Sometimes the biggest jerks are hiding the biggest hearts. You just need to figure out what they’re hiding behind and why.”

  “And sometimes a jerk is just a jerk.”

  “True, but I have a feeling that boy is much more.”

  Deep in Kate’s gut, she had a feeling her grandmother was right.

  After dinner, they gathered out on the back deck, looking out across the farm. It was a hot, humid day, but as the sun began its descent into the horizon, the temperatures cooled, leaving them with a beautiful night.

  “Kind of quiet here without Matt and Shay,” Kate said as Mason sat beside her with a beer in hand. Their older brother and his bride were away on their honeymoon. Three nights in Maine, since neither of them wanted to be too far or too long away from their jobs.

  “Enjoy it while you can.” He didn’t show an ounce of emotion on his face, but Kate knew he was joking. He leaned back on his chair, tipping his glass to his lips.

  He would always be her little brother, but watching him turn into the man he was made her proud. He followed his dreams just like she did a few years back and come fall, he would be a business owner just like her.

  “I was thinking…” Kate said.

  “Did it hurt?”

  She ignored the quip. “I was thinking of making some custom growlers and was wondering if you’d sell them when you open the brewery?”

  “Depends. You going to pay me?”

  “I can give you a percentage.”

  “I’m kidding,” Mason said with a shake of his head. “You’ve known me my whole life. I’m never serious.”

  “It’s still hard to tell. You’re a weird one.”

  “Thank you. But in all honesty, I would love that. I actually wanted to talk to you about it, but then Matt and Shay decided to get married and things got a little hectic.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. Watching you go after your dream and refusing to give up until you made it happen…what can I say? It inspired me, gave me the push I needed to say screw it and go for it. So, if you want a display in my brewery, you got it. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Are you being serious?”

  Mason slumped back into his chair. “I can’t even be nice when I try.”

  Kate leaned over and wrapped Mason in a hug. He froze for a second then patted her awkwardly on the back.

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter 8

  The bell above his door sounded, a noise he was starting to get used to. Besides, it would’ve come in handy that morning when Kate was half naked on his desk. Dammit. He shook his head, ridding the image of her in tiny slivers of dark green lace and plastered a smile on his face to greet whoever just walked in.

  Terry waltzed in, wearing too high heels and a leopard print track suit. Her matching sunglasses covered most of her face, but there was no denying it was her by the big red hair, fluffed to new heights. She’d be the last person he’d expect to walk through his door unless she was there for something other than bike shopping, which seemed more likely.

  His smile faded as she teetered over to him. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

  “Don’t call me ma’am.”

  “Okay. What else can I do for you?”

  “I want to buy a bike.”

  Caleb slapped his hands together. This he could handle. “Who is the bike for? A grandson? Granddaughter?”

  She pushed her sunglasses onto her head and raised her chin. “For me.”

  If Caleb had to guess, he’d say she hadn’t ridden a bike in decades. He wasn’t one to question a sale, but he also didn’t want to be responsible if Terry wound up injured.

  “Dr. Stevens, you know him? Drake? Anyway, he told me I’ve gained a few pounds and should look into exercising. I told him I haven’t exercised a day in my life, and my husband’s not complaining about my extra curves. Then he started rattling off how being overweight can lead to all this nonsense, so here I am. I need a bike.”

  “Maybe Dr. Steven’s meant something a little easier, like walking.”

  “I walk every darn day of my life. That’s not exercising. It’s boring. Now riding a bike, feeling the wind in my hair, that sounds more like it. Now what do you say? Can you help me or not?”

  “What kind of bike are you looking for?”

  “A red one.”

  “Okay. We have red cruisers, mountain bikes, road bikes, fat tire bikes.”

  “As long as it’s red, I don’t care.”

  “Where do you plan on riding?”

  “Up and down my block. Nothing crazy.”

  “Then a cruiser would probably be best for you. I’ll show what we have, and if you find something you like we can discuss customizing it.”

  “Customizing?” Terry raised her hands in front of her. “Wait just a darn minute. Does that mean I can get it in leopard print?”

  “We can do anything you’d like. A red bike with a leopard print seat. A leopard print bike with red or black accents. A basket on the front. A horn. Can even customize the pedals for you or get you a matching helmet. Just depends what you’re looking to spend.”

  A smile spread wide across Terry’s face, making her look like a kid who just hit the jackpot on Christmas morning. “If I’m going to get healthy I’m going to do it in style, so I don’t care how much it costs.”

  “My kind of customer,” Caleb said with a laugh. She was willing to spend the money and also get creative. It was a challenge and one he was happy to accept.

  She opened her purse and pulled out a wad of cash the size of a brick. “Would this be enough?”

  “Geez you walk around with that much money in your bag?” Caleb pressed his hands to hers. “Put that away. Better yet go to the bank and deposit it.”

  “Who needs a bank? Can’t trust them anyway. They’ll rob you blind if you’re not careful, you know.”

  “It’s the opposite actually. Banks are there to protect your money.”

  “Charging you all kinds of fees and making me pay them for keeping my money. Psh. What kind of business is that? I’ll keep my own money, thank you very much.”

  “Maybe don’t carry so much of it around with you.”

  “You want me to leave it at home where my husband can get it? It’d be better off with the bank thieves.”

  Caleb pushed a palm into his eye, feeling the start of a headache coming on. “Okay then, maybe don’t pull it out like that. You never know who you can trust.”

  “Are you saying I can’t trust you?”

  “I’m just looking out for you.”

  “Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing. It’s okay, though. I have pepper spray in my bag, and I know how to use it.”

  Caleb almost jokingly asked if it was leopard print but didn’t want to put any crazy ideas into her head. “We’ll discuss payment after we figure out exactly what it is you want and need.”

  Terry shoved the wad of cash back into her bag. “Sounds like a deal. Now let’s talk.”

  Two hours later, Caleb was exhausted. Terry’s order would be enough to get him out of the red this month so the exhaustion would be well worth it. Besides, he actually liked Terry. She was a little over the top, but she was funny as hell, and he could tell she had good intentions. A big heart who loved and cared deeply for her family, friends and all the people of Red Maple Falls.

  She had dropped so many names he was tempted to ask her to draw up a chart that broke down all the townspeople. It was a small town, but there were so many people he still hadn’t met. And while that was his intention all along, avoiding society, keeping to himself, the longer he was in Red Maple Falls, the more he wanted to become part of the community.

  He looked at the ceiling and sm
iled. “Shut up,” he said, knowing damn well wherever his brother was, he was laughing at him at this very moment.

  ***

  Kate walked toward her studio with a to-go bag from the Happy Apple. She’d decided to get a head start on the growlers for Mason’s brewery and she’d completely lost track of time. She didn’t realize how late it was until her stomach started to rumble in protest.

  Luckily, Terry was always up for a to-go order and whipped her up a couple—even though Kate insisted on only one—of her sweet potato and apple stuffed pork chops with a balsamic and orange glaze. Kate’s mouth was watering thinking about it in the bag.

  Then Terry told Kate all about the new bike she was getting and how amazing Caleb was as Kate tried not to let her own opinion show on her face.

  Twenty minutes late, Kate was finally on her way back to her studio. She was just about to head up the front steps when she noticed the lights still on over at Caleb’s place.

  She’d barely seen him since that morning he stripped her down to her underwear and gave her the best orgasm of her life. He walked out on her though, making it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. He only tried to apologize because they were neighbors who were bound to see each other from time to time. Also, because the guilt had been sitting heavy in his gut from the minute he had walked away from her.

  Guilt or not there was no denying it was a mistake, two people caught up in a moment that never should have happened.

  But it did happen, and no matter how hard Kate tried to forget about it, she just couldn’t.

  Caleb had only been in her life for a very short time, but in that time, she got used to seeing him, and she missed their bickering and the rare smile that lit up his whole face. Missed the way his eyebrows would draw together when she’d get mad at him. And how amazingly delicious he smelled.

  She didn’t like being at odds with people; it simply wasn’t her, and she hated the uneasiness it caused her. So even though she might’ve regretted it, she took a deep breath and walked past her shop and toward the Chain and Spoke.