Somewhere Along the Way (5 page)

Cassie jumped back from Luke. Tilly’s son, Jimmy, was in his early fifties. He’d moved in with his mother after a divorce and never moved out. He was normally vaguely pleasant, but at that moment he had a disapproving look on his face. Cassie fought back a nervous, guilty giggle.

“She’s probably still in the kitchen.”

“I can see why she called me.”

Luke stood straighter and looked about to say something, but Cassie caught his eye and silently pleaded for him not to. Luke kept his comment to himself, but didn’t look happy about it. Cassie decided introductions could wait for another day. She closed the hatch of her SUV. “Well, we’re off to make a delivery.”

Jimmy didn’t look convinced. He walked to the house without saying another word.

Suddenly feeling the cold, Cassie bolted for the warmth of her car. She settled into the driver’s seat while Luke quite happily took the passenger seat. With both hands on the steering wheel, Cassie said dryly, “I bet he doesn’t let Tilly come over again until you’re gone.”

Luke ran a warm hand up and down one of her thighs. His caress held a promise of more. “That’s probably for the best, Cupcake.”

Cassie knew Luke was right, but thought it safer not to agree. She started the car and pulled out onto the road, trying to ignore how her body was throbbing with need for his touch. She wasn’t an inexperienced virgin. She’d slept with a few men. Some had been better than others. None had made her feel the way Luke did.

Just a look from him, a heated glance, and Cassie was squirming in her seat. How could she walk away from something like that?

He’d asked her that question, and she honestly didn’t know the answer.

She was beginning to fear that maybe she couldn’t.

***

Luke considered himself a levelheaded man. He didn’t rush into decisions. He gathered information, came to logical conclusions, and acted upon them. He admitted his family had the ability to derail him sometimes, but he’d never met a woman before who made him feel off balance—excitedly so.

If it was simple female companionship he was seeking, that was plentiful back in New York. He couldn’t imagine he’d be alone long if he flew off to that beach he’d considered traveling to. Neither option held appeal anymore.

What had Cassie said? She didn’t want to be just a woman he’d slept with on his vacation. He’d denied it would be like that, but her concerns were valid. Although he was enjoying stepping out of his life, he had no intention of staying in Defiance. Eventually he’d have to go back.

Not wanting to think about that yet, he turned his attention back to Cassie and her beautiful profile. She was concentrating on navigating the snow-covered streets. The care she took while approaching each stop sign was endearing.

The feel of her hand on his cock was still vivid enough to keep him uncomfortably hard. He wanted to tell her to pull over so he could taste her sweet lips again. They were as irresistible as the frosting on her sugared cupcakes. If their exchanges so far were anything to go by, sex with her was going to be phenomenally tasty.

“How did you start a baking business?” he asked. It wasn’t the most thought-provoking question, but he hoped it would distract him temporarily from how much he wanted her. He literally ached for her.

She glanced at him quickly then kept her eyes glued to the road. “It started with the cupcakes. I enjoyed baking them for my guests. I’d send them away with boxes of them. Some guests went to town and told people about them. Tilly made some calls and before I knew it, Bonnie and Greg were ordering cases of them for their restaurant. Now I sell to quite a few places.”

“What did you do before you moved here?” Luke asked.

Her lips pressed together unhappily. “I worked in a sandwich shop in downtown Detroit.”

He knew he had touched upon a topic she wasn’t comfortable with by the way her expression tightened. “I imagine living in Defiance is quite different.”

“It is,” Cassie said abruptly. “I’m happy here. Happier than I can ever remember being.”

He gave her thigh a supportive squeeze. “And you’re afraid being with me could change that?”

She glanced at him again quickly. “I don’t want to get all heavy, and someone like you could never understand.”

“Like me?” He frowned.

She took a corner with extra care. “You’re good-looking, obviously successful at what you do. Bet you went to a private school.”

“And you are a gorgeous, independent woman who runs both a bed and breakfast and a side business. We’re not as different as you think.”

“No? Have you ever been so hungry you stole food by hiding it in your coat? Did you ever sleep beneath trash bags in a park because your mother was binging on drugs with a boyfriend, and anywhere was safer than your home?”

“No,” he said slowly, absorbing what she’d said. She didn’t come across as a woman who had been through the life she alluded to. Imagining her in either situation she’d just described filled him with anger and sadness, along with a desire to protect her even though the threat she described was in the past.

“You said you had no family. What happened to your mother?”

Cassie shook her head once. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. I haven’t spoken to her since I left Detroit. I lived with her until I was eighteen. Then I got my own place, but she followed me. She said she needed me. All she did was steal money from me, bring strange men into my apartment, and apologize. I’m so sick of people who think they can do whatever they want as long as they regret it afterward. Being sorry isn’t enough. Not if you go right back and do it again.”

Even though her tone was calm, she seemed tense. He needed to hear the rest of her story. “You said Emma inspired your move to Defiance.”

Cassie shrugged. “I was feeling trapped in my life in Detroit. Then I heard Emma’s story.
She sounded so brave. I wanted to be like her. And the way she described this town . . . I didn’t think places like it existed. I was ready to defy my mother and everything she represented, and I thought a place named Defiance might be the answer. Even when I came here—I think I did it half expecting to be disappointed. But I wasn’t. The original owners of Home Sweet Home welcomed me like family returning home to them. My neighbors watch out for me because they know I live alone. That’s why I went to Emma’s funeral. I wanted to thank her for bringing me here.”

With each word, and each picture she painted of her journey, he found it more difficult to breathe. More than anything else he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her. “Cassie . . .”

Something in his tone made her frown. “I don’t want your pity. I’m telling you this to show you why we don’t make sense.”

He gave her thigh another squeeze. He couldn’t deny they had had very different childhoods. He’d never known a day of hunger. He’d never been cold. But if she thought he pitied her, she was wrong. “All you’ve proven is you’re even more amazing than I first thought.”

Cassie blinked back tears as she pulled into a parking spot in front of a coffee shop. “I’m not. I’m really a hundred times more messed up than you think. I haven’t even told you—”

With his hand around her chin she was forced to look at him. “Stop, Cassie. Stop trying to push me away before we have a chance to get to know each other.”

Her eyes burned with an emotion he couldn’t determine. “What do you want from me, Luke?”

He gave her a light kiss because he didn’t know how else to answer her. He didn’t know how to answer himself.

She kissed him back with a hunger that he was careful not to take advantage of.

She was afraid he would mess up her new life?

Didn’t she know she was turning his upside down?

“Tell me everything. What is Dr. Andrade like?” Bonnie pulled Cassie aside as Luke helped Bonnie’s husband, Greg, carry the boxes of cupcakes to the kitchen of the small restaurant. There were only about thirty tables in the whole place, but they were always full. Fresh cut flowers on every table, beautiful linens, and the best food in fifty miles made it worth the drive—even in a snowstorm. It also happened to be the place to hang out to know what was going on in the town.

“Excuse me,” an older woman asked from a nearby table. “May I have more coffee, please?”

Bonnie held up one finger at the customer. “In a minute, Dot. Dr. Andrade is staying at Cassie’s place. I need to get the scoop.”

“Is that who just walked through with your husband? Oh, he’s good-looking. Will he be here long? My daughter works right around the corner. I can have her here in five minutes.”

Two younger women from the next table chimed in. “That was Dr. Andrade? He is hot. Is he really single?”

Bonnie flipped her long blonde braid over her shoulder and waved an impatient hand at them. “No one is bringing anyone in here to meet him. He’s already taken.” She pulled Cassie through the “Employees Only” doorway. Once they were alone, Bonnie gripped Cassie’s hand with excitement. “Do you know how many women are going to be disappointed when they find out Dr. Andrade is off the market.”

Cassie gently removed her hand from Bonnie’s. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, it’s me. Bonnie. I’m not going to judge you. I think it’s wonderful to finally see you with a man.”

Cassie’s eyes widened, and she referenced the door behind her with thumb. “You mean, Dr. Andrade? He’s just here to help me drop off your order. Maybe have breakfast. Then he’s heading back to New York.”

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest and shot Cassie a skeptical look. “Really? So the two of you were snowed in last night, all alone, and nothing happened? That’s the story you’re sticking to?”

Cassie raised her chin with determination. “No. I mean, yes. Nothing happened.”

With a tap of her foot, Bonnie countered, “Edward from the hardware store came in about five minutes ago to pick up his lunch order. He said Jimmy told him you were kissing Dr. Andrade in your driveway.”

A hot blush spread up Cassie’s neck and warmed her cheeks. She didn’t like getting caught in a lie, and she was still adjusting to small-town life. “It might have looked that way, but Luke was actually helping me carry boxes to my car.”

Bonnie chuckled. “You’re such a bad liar. And I don’t understand why you’re so embarrassed. Hell, if I had hooked up with someone like him, I’d be bragging about it.”

That brought a reluctant smile to Cassie’s face. “You’re married.”

Bonnie squeezed Cassie’s shoulder. “Yes. Which is exactly why I have to live vicariously through you. Come on, spill.”

Cassie was used to bottling up her feelings. Things were safer when kept secret. Money was better hidden. It wasn’t like that in Defiance. When she had first moved, she’d been uncomfortable when she’d discovered she was a frequent topic of discussion. However, time had shown her it wasn’t malicious. Her first summer, before she’d been able to afford her own lawnmower, a couple of her neighbors had taken turns helping her out. She, in turn, took them homemade chicken soup when they were sick. The gossip chain became something Cassie was grateful for once she realized it was how the town stayed connected. Of course, she’d never had something like this spreading around. What she felt for Luke was scary enough without trying to defend or explain it. “We kissed. That’s it. But he really is leaving.”

Bonnie’s face split in a huge smile. “Just tell me, was it as wonderful as we’re all fantasizing it would be?”

Cassie smiled right back and admitted, “Better.”

Bonnie fanned her face with one hand. “I knew it.” She looked Cassie over with a critical eye and tucked a loose hair into Cassie’s ponytail. She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out lipstick, then turned Cassie in the direction of a mirror on the wall. “If you want a shot at keeping a man like that, you have to put in a little effort.”

“He’s not staying,” Cassie repeated, but she applied a light coat of the pink lipstick.

Bonnie handed her mascara and eyeliner. “Yet.”

Cassie applied both. “Won’t it seem strange that I came in here without makeup, and I’m walking out there with it on?’

Bonnie nodded and unbuttoned the two top buttons of Cassie’s blouse. “No, now he won’t notice. Well, he’ll notice, but he won’t put much thought into it.”

Cassie protested, “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is. You keep saying you want to settle down and have a family here. How are you going to do that without a man?”

Cassie’s hand went automatically, protectively, to her stomach. She’d been very careful to go out of town for treatments. No one knew her secret. “It’ll happen one way or another. But hooking up with a man who is just passing through is not part of my plan.”

Pursing her lips, Bonnie said, “Cassie, I adore you, but you have to stop hiding in your bed and breakfast.” Cassie opened her mouth to say something, but Bonnie started speaking again before she was able to get a word out. “Look at us. I took a chance on you, and we’ve become friends. You don’t know what’s possible until you try. And if you’re afraid of getting your heart broken? Darling, that could happen to any of us at any time. Aunt Bea’s husband left her after forty years. He’s not going to find better than her, so he’ll be back. But she’s not sitting at home moping about it. There is no shame in taking a risk on love.” She paused. “Unless you sleep with half the men in town, then it’s a little much for most people to handle.”

Feeling overwhelmed, Cassie rubbed one of her temples with her index finger. “There’s not much chance of that happening.”

“Exactly. So don’t worry. Even if you get pregnant, I bet that man makes beautiful babies.”

Babies?

Cassie closed her eyes and grimaced. As the only man I’ve been seen with in public, if I am pregnant, people are going to assume it’s his.
Oh, my God.

Bonnie hugged her. “I was joking. Use a condom and have some fun. Girl, loosen up. No matter what happens, you’ll have an amazing story to tell.”

“Tell?”

Bonnie smiled cajolingly. “To at least me, and maybe Tilly.”

“Tilly?” Cassie’s voice went up several octaves.

“She was a wild one when she was young. Her parents tried to send her to an all-girls’ school to calm her down, but she gave them a run for their money. Don’t let her fool you. She has some good stories about dating before she was married. Ask her sometime.”

Cassie was grateful to hear Luke and Greg approaching. Bonnie’s attitude reflected what Cassie loved most about Defiance. The town definitely had boundary issues when it came to getting involved in each other’s lives, and Cassie found that both heartwarming and terrifying.

Very similar to how she felt each time she spoke to Luke.

Some risks did pay off. She’d risked everything on this town, and it had changed her life for the better. She walked out of the storage room with Bonnie and met Luke’s eyes. The warmth of his smile and the way he didn’t disguise how happy he was to see her took her breath away. The slight pink that warmed his cheeks when his eyes fell to her cleavage made her almost giddy with pleasure.

I won’t know what’s possible if I don’t give this a try.

And I’ll spend the rest of my life asking myself what might have happened.

***

Especially after hearing about Cassie’s childhood, Luke enjoyed watching her with her friends. It was obvious Cassie and the restaurant owner were close. And if the grilling he’d received from the husband was anything to go by, her friends were more than a little protective of her. He’d half expected Greg to come right out and demand to know what his intentions were. Which wouldn’t have gone well since Luke didn’t know yet himself. All he knew for sure was the ten or so minutes they had spent apart had felt like an eternity.

Bonnie shook Luke’s hand then looked to her husband as if asking his opinion. Greg shrugged and nodded in what appeared to be a non-verbal endorsement of Luke. Bonnie continued to shake Luke’s hand, but now with more enthusiasm. “You two are staying for breakfast, right?”

“If Dr. Andrade—” Cassie started to say, but Luke cut her off.

“We’d love to.” Luke placed a possessive hand on Cassie’s lower back. He wasn’t used to feeling possessive about a woman, not even one he’d dated for a prolonged time. He’d considered himself above jealousy, but he sent a warning look to a man he’d caught watching Cassie when they’d walked in.

Bonnie led them to a booth and gave them menus before heading to the kitchen with her husband. He and Cassie looked over the menus long enough that it became awkward. Without looking up from his, Luke said, “I’ll book a room in a hotel.”

Cassie put her menu down. “You don’t have to.”

Luke closed his menu and let out a long, slow breath. “I don’t want to leave, Cassie, but I can’t imagine spending another night at your place without spending it in your bed.”

Cassie bit her bottom lip and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “I’m not worried about that anymore.”

That must have been some storage room talk.
Luke’s heart began to thud loudly in his chest.

“But,” Cassie started and Luke’s hand clenched on the table, “I don’t want to believe this is anything more than it is. That’s what will hurt. Stay with me during your vacation. Then go back to New York. No expectations. No explanations needed.”

Luke frowned. He told himself he should be happy. It wasn’t the first time he’d been offered something temporary and casual. Women could often be just as blunt as men in this modern age. He usually applauded their frankness. This time however, he wanted to shake the woman saying it. “Didn’t you say that was exactly what you didn’t want?”

She shrugged, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I changed my mind.”

“Cassie, look at me.”

When she raised her eyes to his it wasn’t lust he saw in them, it was an emotion that twisted his gut. She would let him into her bed, but that was as far as she would trust him. He wanted more. “That’s not good enough.”

Her eyes burned with an emotion akin to anger. “What do you want?”

He took her hand in his and laced his fingers through hers. He searched for the words to describe how he was feeling.

A waitress appeared at the end of the booth. “Are you two ready, or are you still deciding?”

“All I know is what I don’t want,” Luke said, not taking his eyes off Cassie.

“I said yes,” Cassie answered, sounding defensive.

“I’m getting a hotel room.”

“Um . . . I’ll just give you a few more minutes,” the waitress said before retreating.

Cassie’s fingers tightened on his. “I don’t understand you.”

Luke raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “What do people in this town do when there is this much snow?”

“Do you mean like going to the movies? Bowling? Like a date?”

He rubbed her fingers back and forth across his bottom lip, while imagining how her soft lips would feel circled around his shaft. “Yeah, like a date.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered.

“What?” he asked huskily.

“Whatever you want to do.” Cassie’s lips parted and her eyes warmed with desire.

He leaned across the booth and pulled her forward until their lips almost touched. “You’re not making it easy on me, Cupcake. Tell me what you want.”

She licked her bottom lip. “I only know what I don’t want, and that is to not know what it could have been like with us.”

“I’ll just pack you up something to go,” the waitress, who had returned without being noticed, said.

Neither Luke nor Cassie so much as spared her a glance. Luke was lost in Cassie’s eyes and had an inner debate between what he wanted to do and what he thought he should do. “I don’t want to rush you. I want you to want this as much as I do.”

Cassie closed her eyes for a moment as if gathering her strength and said, “I already do.”

He kissed her across the table, feeling as excited as he had before his first date in high school. With Cassie, everything felt new. “Then what are we still doing here?” He helped Cassie into her coat and quickly threw on his own.

“Are we going bowling?” Cassie asked as they walked out of the restaurant. She tossed her car keys to him, and the wink she gave him was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

He held the passenger door of her car open for her and growled softly in her ear, “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“So, no hotel?”

It was a coy question that didn’t require an answer. Luke sprinted around to his side of the car.