A Time To Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance) (7 page)

“I’d love to see them sometime. I adore looking at art,” she said.

“Well, I would love to show you. How about now?”

“Now? Don’t we need to get back to work?” he asked.

“Nah. Sometimes I need a break.”

“Yes, but they probably need me there tonight.”

“If you don’t want to come see the paintings, it’s okay. Just say so,” he said as he stood up and offered a hand to pull her up. “I mean if you’re scared to be alone with me…”

“Scared to be alone with you? What would give you that idea?” she asked with a nervous laugh.

“I just know how much of a stud I am, so it can be hard to keep yourself from mauling me,” he said winking. Realizing he was being funny, her stomach finally unclenched as she slipped the helmet over her head.

“I think I can contain myself. Now, let’s go see your mother's art,” she said as she pointed at his helmet. With that, he slipped it on and started up the Harley once again.

***

A few minutes later, they pulled up to Brice’s home. It was a modern looking log cabin set over the side of a mountain with no backyard, but a steep slide straight into a ravine. The views were spectacular, although the sun had already set.

Brice keyed the front door which had a bear carved into it. As they walked inside, he turned on the lights and Eva almost let out an audible gasp. She’d never seen such a beautiful log cabin. Every feature was top of the line, and the shock must have been apparent on her face.

“You okay?” he asked her as she continued looking around the open floorplan.

“This is your house?” she asked, making sure he was in the right place.

“Um, yes. Surprised?” he asked, obviously pleased with himself.

“A little…”

“Why? Be honest.”

“Because I thought you were just some mountain man who lived in a small cabin with one of those tacky deer heads on the wall and a tiny little TV…”

“Ouch. So you thought I was a dumb redneck with no taste?”

“Well, not exactly…” she stammered as she realized she’d offended him.

“It’s okay, Eva. I love how you say what you think no matter who you offend,” he laughed as he walked into the kitchen and picked up a bottle of wine. “You like white?”

She nodded. “Sorry I offended you.”

“I’ve got pretty thick skin. You met my Dad, right?” he said with a chuckle as he popped the top and poured two glasses.

“It’s just you don’t look the part of a man who enjoys art and wine and the finer things.”

“Well, Miss Eva, you’ve got to stop thinking in black and white. People are shades of gray. I don’t fit into a mold, and neither should you.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you don’t have to be defined by what other people think of you, or what you’ve done in the past. You can create a whole new definition of yourself that doesn’t fit any mold ever created. People like that are far more interesting to know than people who shove themselves into some template of who everyone else thinks they’re supposed to be,” he said. His words darted around in her brain for a moment, first shocking her with his intellect and then wondering whether he knew more about her than he let on.

“You know what I did to Gracie, don’t you?” she finally asked as they stood silently in the kitchen sipping wine for a few minutes.

“I do.”

“And I suppose you only see her side?” she asked taking another sip.

“Well, the facts as I know them are this. Your mother left her nothing but an old car and a thousand bucks. She left you three hundred thousand dollars, and you left town without a thought of sharing it with your sister. You blew the money and now you’re back because you’re broke. Stop me if I’m wrong,” he said refilling his glass and topping hers off.

Eva walked across the kitchen and into the living room. Staring out the floor to ceiling windows across the mountain landscape peppered with amber lit houses, she sighed.

“It’s all true. But it sure sounds a lot worse coming from someone else’s mouth,” she said.

“Do you feel bad about it?”

“I didn’t until I came here. I thought I deserved it all. I took care of my mother while she was sick, and Gracie wasn’t there.”

“But wasn’t that because Gracie was here working? And she and your mother had a falling out at some point?”

“Yes, but I felt entitled. We grew up with nothing, and that money made me feel important. And free.”

“How do you think Gracie felt, though?” he asked. The question made her stomach feel like a knife was stabbing through her.

“Left behind. Unimportant. Betrayed.”

“It’s good you realize that now. What are you going to do about it?”

“Do about it?” she asked turning to face him. “I’m flat broke. What can I do about it now?”

“I’m not talking about money, Eva. Everything isn’t about money. I’m talking about repairing your relationship with her. About being honest and caring.”

“I’m trying, but trust me, she wants nothing to do with it. She’ll never trust me again.” Of course, Eva wasn’t planning on being around long enough for it to matter. She only had to convince the attorney so she could get the money, but the thought of it all was making her feel nauseated.

“As I see it, you’ve got to do something so different that she can’t help but see you’ve changed.”

“What if I haven’t changed, Brice? What if this is me? Conniving? Only in it for myself? Only interested in money and material things?” she challenged as she stared at his crystal clear blue eyes.

“You’re a horrible liar,” he said sitting his empty glass on the end table next to the sofa.

“Excuse me?”

“You play like you’re impenetrable, Eva, but what you really are being is a scared little girl who thinks if she surrounds herself with enough stuff other people will think she’s worth something. That doesn’t work on me because I already see your value. Stuff doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t mean crap if you’re always alone and never feel real love,” he said walking slowly toward her.

“You don’t know anything about me, Brice,” she said turning around and facing the window, so she didn’t have to see him moving closer to her. He slid his arms around her waist slowly, and she wanted to push them away but couldn’t. Electricity shooting through her body, she wanted to melt right into him, but instead she closed her eyes and allowed him to take the wine glass from her hand.

“I saw the real you today, Eva,” he whispered into her ear, sending a wave of heat up from her belly to her neck. “You took charge and helped my Dad. You’re smart and funny and sarcastic. You’re caring and beautiful and tender hearted. I already know who you are because I can see myself in you,” he said softly as he kissed her gently on the top of her head. “I believe in you. Now you just need to believe in yourself.”

Feeling certain he was about to kiss her, she slowly turned in his arms, looking up at him with a smoldering look. He leaned in closer, and she could feel his warm, wine scented breath cascading across her face.

“Are you ready?” he whispered softly.

“Yes…” she moaned as she closed her eyes waiting for fireworks.

“You won’t be able to see the art work with your eyes closed,” he said with a laugh as he released her waist and stepped back.

“What? Oh… right…” she stammered, embarrassed she’d obviously misread the situation. Trying to put herself back together, she realized how silly her fantasy had been of him kissing her. He was her boss, after all. Why would he kiss her anyway?

With a sly smile, he pointed down the hallway. “Right this way.”

She walked a few feet behind of him, highly aware her face was still red from blushing. How did he do these things to her?

“This one is my favorite. She painted it about three weeks before she passed away.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“This was the barn that was on my grandparents’ property when my mother was a child. She found some old photographs of it and painted it as she remembered it since it was torn down years later.”

“I love the colors,” Eva said touching the vibrant red color.

“Me too. Now this one over here is of me and my cousin, Allie. She passed away at sixteen, so this one means a lot to me.”

“She died?” Eva said with her hand on her chest. “At sixteen?”

“Suicide.”

“Oh, wow. I’m so sorry, Brice.”

“See?” he said with a slight smile.

“What?”

“Your heart is so full of good things, Eva. Show that side of yourself to other people, and you will change their minds about who you are,” he said looking down at her.

“I think you see more than there really is,” she said quietly as she looked down. His fingers touched her cheek and tipped her head up to look at him.

“Oh, hell…” he said gruffly as he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. Covering her mouth with a ferocity she’d never felt before, she gave in. He parted her lips with his tongue as she felt herself pressed against his strong chest. A jumble of lips and warmth and wetness, they each struggled for a breath between kisses. His hands traveled up and down her back as she ran her fingers through his messy hair.

Moments later, they both pulled back enough to balance their ragged breathing. Brice leaned back against the wall and looked up.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, Eva. I just couldn’t help myself anymore…”

Eva wiped her mouth and just stood there, unsure of what to say or do. Why had he pulled away? No man had ever pulled away from her, and she was completely confused on why Brice did.

“Are you angry with me?” he asked finally looking at her.

“Of course not,” she said leaning against the other wall. “A bit confused, but not mad,” she said, hoping he would say something to explain his sudden disinterest in her.

“I took advantage of the moment, and that was wrong. It won’t happen again,” he said before turning and walking back to the kitchen for another glass of wine. Eva stood there, fighting back tears, wondering why he regretted kissing her. She certainly didn’t regret it.

After the kissing incident, Brice had hurried Eva out of his house and onto his bike as soon as he’d had a few cups of coffee and the wine had worn off. He dropped her off at O’Malley’s and watched her go inside to finish her shift. The days that followed were uncomfortable for Eva as she felt Brice trying to pull back and remain her boss and not her kissing partner.

They worked around each other, but he seemed to be trying to avoid eye contact with her. She wondered if he regretted the kiss because it wasn’t very good or because he realized she wasn’t worth it after all. With her ego bruised, she tried to shrug it off and focus on getting to the money she was due.

As she walked into the house after working a long night, Eva heard what sounded like Gracie crying in her room. The door was open only a crack, but she could see mounds of tissues on the bed beside Gracie. Randy was nowhere around, so Eva slowly pushed the door open.

“Eva, leave me alone,” Gracie said through a stuffed up nose as she turned to look at her sister. It was obvious she’d been crying for quite some time by the sheer number of tissues all over the bed.