Luck of the Draw (6 page)

“Are you blushing, Houdini?”

“Shut up.” She finished getting her worm on the hook.

“It’s okay. It’s my natural charisma. It’s impossible not to be affected by it.”

She held her pole out to him. “Do you need me to bait your hook, pretty boy?”

Breck gave her that grin, which unfortunately made her heart pitter-patter. He ignored her question about the worm and stepped closer. Rowan’s breath hitched when he leaned toward her, his mouth a mere inch from her ear. “Many before you have succumbed to my charms, and many will do the same after.”

Those words stilled the rapid beat of her heart. She wouldn’t let herself fall under his spell. Not when she had a baby to think about and not when he obviously made chasing women a sport. And she’d been stupid enough to fall for it.

Rowan stepped away. “You call that charm? I call it harassing me. If you don’t stop flirting, this isn’t going to work.”

Breck reached for her, but she pulled back. “Hey. I was just kidding.”

“Well you joke too much. Some things are serious and you need to learn to treat them that way.”

Rowan’s hands trembled as she walked away. She was overreacting. She knew it, but couldn’t find it in herself to stop, either. She wished like hell they weren’t out here. That she could just go home, but she couldn’t stop thinking of the fuzzy image on the ultrasound. How would she ever be able to tell him about the baby if he treated everything like a game?

Chapter Six

Breck wasn’t playing his hand very well. He didn’t even know what game they were playing, but it was about time he folded. He gave Rowan a minute alone by the water. Or maybe he was giving himself one, too. The tension between them seemed to come and go—when it was gone, he couldn’t remember enjoying being around a woman more, but when it fogged over them, it was almost suffocating. Like this moment.

He could feel the tension rolling off Rowan. He’d been known to put his foot in his mouth and this was one of those times. He shouldn’t tease her about their night together.

Breck grabbed the chairs and headed her way, hoping to lighten the mood. “So I just stab the poor, fat, little worm, huh?”

Rowan already had her line in the water. “Yep.” Her voice was tense.

He opened a chair and she sat. He put the worm on the hook before tossing his line into the water and sitting beside her. “Nature’s a funny thing, huh?”

“It is.” Another simple answer.

The silence tugged at him. He didn’t know why he cared so much if she was mad at him, but he did. “So what’s the deal with Shakes? He beat around the bush when I asked this morning.”

Breck waited. Wondered if she would look at him when she spoke. If lightness would return to her voice, but it didn’t. If anything, she looked sad.

“Everyone in Shamrock Falls knows and loves Shakes. His wife left him, and the town has pretty much taken care of him since. He was close friends with my parents so I’ve grown up with him around. He’s getting older and having a harder time. I feed him pretty often.”

“That’s hard…it’s really nice of you though.”

“I’m not the only one who does it.” She watched the water and he watched her, both frustrated and upset over the tension between them.

Still, he thought about Shakes and how at ease he’d seemed in Rowan’s house. He had a feeling she fed him more often than the others did. Rowan took care of people; he saw that about her. Who took care of her, he wondered?

Breck tried to keep the conversation going. “It’s beautiful out here.” Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe it—the huge lake. Green as far as the eye could see around it, meeting the cloudy sky above.

“It is.”

“All right. You’re killin’ me here. I’m sorry. It feels like I’ve said that a million times, but I have to tell you, it’s not just me. I’m willing to call it a draw if you can bring back that snappy girl who tossed comebacks at me left and right. You’re too damn quiet right now.”

Her cheeks pulled tight as he saw her almost smile. “A draw, huh? Now I get the cards references.”

“I can toss some more at ya, if it’ll make you smile.”

Rowan sighed. He thought it would mean she was giving in a little, but she still had that lost, closed off look to her. “I’m not mad at you at all. I just have a lot going on and you’re here so I keep taking it out on you. And like I said, I fish to think so I’m usually quiet out here.”

He got that. He didn’t want to screw up tradition. In a way, poker was that for him. When he was lost in a game, he didn’t think about or notice anything except his cards and the other players. If this was that for her, he’d keep his big mouth shut.

Plus, who knew—maybe he’d end up getting something out of this whole fishing thing himself. “Quiet? I can do quiet. You won’t even know I’m here.” Breck turned to face the water, and they were both silent as they fished.

They were out there for three hours, and neither Rowan nor Breck caught anything. Or let their guards down.

When the rain finally made an appearance, starting off with a slow trickle, they packed up and headed to Rowan’s truck. Breck had the urge to apologize again but didn’t think it would do any good. Not because he thought she was mad at him, but because she was closed off to him. And somehow hurt. He was caught between letting it go because it probably wasn’t a good idea to break the walls down, and finding a way to try and make it all okay.

He missed teasing her. Missed feeling as though she liked it even when she didn’t want him to think she did.

The phone was ringing when they got home. Rowan ran inside to get it, Breck leisurely walking behind her. The view was nice. Her hips were curvy. The perfect spot to hold his hands, he remembered. They swayed as she made her way to the house. Heat curled inside him as he admired her.

Rowan paced little tracks of mud across the kitchen floor as she spoke to what sounded like a potential guest. He watched her, a little twinge in his gut at the thought of having someone else stay here with them. Strangers in the house would take some getting used to.

When she hung up the phone she spun toward him, a smile from ear to ear. All evidence of the uncomfortable blanket that had covered them for hours was gone. She had little circles of red on her cheeks that matched her hair and with the hat, freckles, and her excitement, she looked really young for a second.

“So?” Breck prompted.

“I have guests coming!”

He held out his arms for a hug and she surprised him by jumping into them. Breck squeezed her tightly. She fit nicely in his arms.

Rowan laughed. He wasn’t sure why this was such a huge deal to her, but he liked seeing her like this.

“Have you not had many guests?” he asked when he set her down. He expected her to look embarrassed, but figured she was too happy for that.

“I haven’t been open long. When we…ummm…when we met, I was just about to. It’s been slow ever since and I really could use the money.” At that a little shadow of something crossed her face.

He wanted it gone and the happiness back. “So this is big, then? We need to celebrate. What’s there to do around here?”

She got the smile back, but it held a little mischief. “Look at you, trying to be a gentleman.”

“Hey!” He laughed. “I’m always a gentleman. I even offered to buy you a drink the first night we met.”

“Yeah, to liquor me up!” With that she clipped his hip with hers. Or tried to, but she was much shorter than he was.

Breck wrapped an arm around her and ushered her toward the stairs. “Go get changed. I’m a gentleman, but I’m not taking you out dressed like that.”

“You know, I’m a liberated woman. I don’t need you to take
me
out. Hell, maybe I’ll be the one to take
you
.” With that, she winked and walked away.

Breck couldn’t stop watching the spot where she’d stood. The woman could be such a firecracker. He loved watching her spark.

…

Upstairs, Rowan texted both Betsy and Sidney to make sure they would be at Lucky’s. Sidney was almost always there with Kade, since the place was busier than ever. Any time she could break away from her sewing, Sidney would be helping out. The exciting part was that Sidney was almost as busy with her own clothing business as Kade was with Lucky’s.

Though her friends would likely be there anyway, she needed to make sure she’d have backup. A girl couldn’t go out with the father of her unborn baby without her girls in her corner. Especially when said father didn’t know there was a baby coming at all.

Guilt squeezed around the barrier she tried to keep it behind. She hated lying. Hated keeping something so important from Breck, but she had to believe she was doing the right thing. She needed to get to know him before she just tossed something like this into his lap.

After a confirmation from both her friends, Rowan jumped in the shower. She dressed in a pair of tight jeans, which were a little tighter than they used to be. She’d need to put them away soon. She added a tank top and her favorite sweater on over it, red with a wide neck so it hung off her shoulders.

And yes, heels. Sure she’d regret it later—it wasn’t the smartest thing to wear during fall in Washington—but when something good happened, a girl wanted to look good, damn it.

Breck was again waiting for her when she got downstairs. Unlike when they went fishing, he’d changed this time. He wore black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt that was slightly dressy and yes, hot. Good to know hormones didn’t affect her ability to notice a good-looking man when she saw one. And Breck was definitely that.

He’d shaved and she found herself missing the stubble on his jaw, but he hadn’t bothered with his hair and she liked that. The tousled, dark-haired look was definitely her favorite.

She wasn’t sure her mind should be heading in this direction at all, but for tonight, she wanted to just have fun. Be herself instead of the mopey person she’d become the past two days.

“I was right earlier.” Breck finally said. They stood about ten feet away from each other, her eyes on him and his on her.

“About what?” Rowan tried to play off the fact that her pulse sky-rocketed.

“You’re tryin’ to kill me.”

“I don’t recall you saying that.”

He shrugged. “But you are. You’re testing my strength here. I’m steering clear of women and attachments, remember?”

She gasped. Yes, she knew that. “If your strength is tested that easily, maybe that’s why things haven’t gone too well for you.”

“Who said it was always on such a hair trigger? Maybe it’s just you who ups the ante.”

Funny how his words didn’t upset her now. Just having gotten the phone call for a reservation made her feel lighter…more herself. Regardless of what happened with Breck, she would find a way to do this on her own.

Rowan tried to laugh it off. He was a flirt; she knew that. It was just how he was, but suddenly it sent unsettling warmth through her.

She hoped her voice came out steady when she tried to be just as carefree as Breck and said, “You’re always playing a game. Maybe it’s not that you’re such a good player, but you just give yourself good odds.”

Breck barked out a bigger-than-life laugh. “Touché, Houdini.” He held his arm out for her. “Come on. I’m shutting my mouth now and we’re going to have a good time.”

Rowan found herself linking her arm through his and letting him lead her out.

But his words still weren’t far from her mind.
I’m steering clear of women and attachments, remember?

They took Breck’s car to Lucky’s. It was, of course, raining when they got there, so Breck pulled up and let her out by the front door. Rowan waited inside for him.

When the door swung open and he stepped inside, he shook water off his head, letting it fly at her.

“Hey!” What was the point in dropping her off if he was going to get her wet?

Breck’s head was faced down, but he looked up enough just to see her and wagged his eyebrows. He had this delicious, sinful look in his eyes that sent her hormones into overdrive. Some of his hair was plastered to his forehead and it made her flash back to that night. The way sweat stuck to their skin as they clutched each other.

Her knees went weak.

“You are such a big kid,” she said playfully, trying to keep herself in check. It was amazing how the silly things he did made her feel so buoyant, when she let them.

“I’m fun. Come on. Jace texted me to make sure I came with you.”

“Of course Jace is here. We’re always here.”

Rowan jumped when she felt Breck’s hand at the small of her back. He looked down at her, cocking an eyebrow like he often did. “My touch has an effect on you, huh?”

Yes. Yes it did. “Yeah, it gives me hives,” she tossed back at him.

With a playful shake of his head, he walked toward the bar section of Lucky’s. Rowan had tended bar here for a couple months before opening her bed and breakfast. Kade had since hired a few other people to help.

She spotted Kade, along with Sidney, Betsy, Jace, and some random woman who was no doubt Jace’s flavor of the week. The man was a revolving door for women. She was glad to see Betsy in a conversation with Sidney and hoped she wasn’t letting Jace’s date get to her.

Just then, Sidney looked up and caught her eye. She and Betsy rushed from the table, bounding toward her. Uh oh. She knew their looks meant trouble. They were probably on pins and needles to properly meet Breck.

It was Sidney who spoke first. She held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Sidney.”

Rowan noticed his forehead wrinkle like he could tell something was up, but he pulled his hand from her back and shook Sidney’s. “Breck Wilder.” His voice was low, sexy.

“Are you hitting on my friend?” Rowan shook her head.

“What!” he looked at her innocently.

“You do it and you don’t even realize it. You get that sexy, low voice going every time you talk to a woman.”

“You think it’s sexy? If you do, I’ll use it all the time.”

Betsy gasped, but a smile hid behind her shock. How she could work with Jace and be surprised by flirts, Rowan didn’t know. Then Sidney giggled. Great. The flirt had already won over her friends.

Breck turned to Sidney now. “Nice to properly meet you. You’re Kade’s fiancée, right?” He gave Rowan a look that said,
Ha!
“And you’re Betsy? Jace has mentioned you a few times.”

Betsy’s cheeks immediately flushed crimson. Rowan didn’t know if it was because Jace mentioned her or just because Breck had that effect on women.

As Breck spoke to Betsy, Sidney fanned her face and mouthed,
Oh my God.
Yes, the man was gorgeous. She knew that. Sidney acted like she’d never seen a good looking man before. Hell, she was engaged to one!

Rowan rolled her eyes.

“If you’ll excuse us, Breck, we need to chat with Freckles for a minute.” Sidney eyed him.

“I’ll see you later,
Freckles.
” Breck grinned before walking away. Betsy and Sidney each hooked an arm through both of hers as they ushered her into the back office.

“He’s gorgeous!” Sidney squealed as soon as the door was closed. “I mean, I noticed the other day, but I was worried about you, so I didn’t fully take in the experience.”

“The experience?” Rowan echoed.

Her friends ignored her. “Did you tell him yet?” Betsy asked.

Rowan fought to hold her guilt at bay. She was trying to do the right thing. She had plenty of time to tell him once she knew him better. “No…it’s only been a couple days,” she added the second part to try to make herself feel better.