Vibrant Heart: Book 1 in the Great Plains Romance Series (2 page)

Then again, why should he? Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity he’d been looking for. She was from out of town and didn’t have enough luggage to be staying long. If he played his cards right, he could have the pleasure of that passion, taking care of his own needs in the process, without ever having to see her again.

He turned into the lane leading to the farm and parked his truck near several other cars, lined up along the lane. He practically jogged up the lane to make sure he caught up with her, his plan for seducing her falling neatly into place in his mind.

Chapter Three

Melanie glanced in her rearview mirror. Was he following her? Maybe he wanted something more from her. She remembered the subtle curl of his lips. They would certainly deliver a powerful kiss. She shook her head, dispelling that vision. He was probably coming for the wedding, although she hadn’t recognized him as someone her father knew. A friend of the bride, of course.

Melanie hadn’t met the bride yet. She tried to remember what her father had told her about his wife-to-be, but truth be told, she hadn’t been all that interested in hearing about her father’s love life when her own was so...nonexistent. The bride wasn’t originally from Nebraska, but she’d moved to Bender about a year ago. Melanie couldn’t remember from where—Minneapolis maybe? It was some big city, but that was all Melanie remembered because she’d been shocked that someone chose to leave the city to move to Bender, Nebraska.

Melanie saw Raymond’s beat-up old Ford truck, his “Ray’s Repairs” logo emblazoned across the tailgate, and smiled. She wasn’t really here for the wedding anyway. Maybe her luck was finally turning. She parked close to his truck, making it impossible for him to leave without asking her to move her car. Now she’d be sure to run into him.

She pulled down the visor to look at herself in the tiny mirror. Her reflection was downright horrifying. Mascara and eye shadow had pooled in murky rings below her eyes. She was afraid to look any further, assuming her entire ensemble was ruined.

She glanced at her watch. The ceremony was scheduled to start in the barn at any minute. She could sneak into the house, clean herself up, and probably make it to the ceremony before it ended. Grabbing her still-damp luggage from the backseat, she headed for the back door to the house.

“Need a hand, darlin’?”

She couldn’t stop the frustrated groan that escaped her lips. She wanted to turn around and educate this cowboy about his crassness but ignored him—partially to avoid his chiseled features, but mostly to hide her raccoon eyes—and stormed to the back door instead. She threw open the screen door and stepped forward. While holding it open, she twisted the handle on the main door.

The cowboy reached out and held the screen door for her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, just as someone opened the door from inside, nearly pulling her off balance. The cowboy grabbed her elbow to steady her, but Melanie jerked away, startled by the shock and warmth the contact spread throughout her arm.

A short blond woman stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a frown on her lips. “You think you can sneak in like this on today of all days?” The older woman shook her head and stepped aside, waving Melanie through the doorway.

Melanie fumbled with her suitcase, trying to push through the door as fast as she could so that the cowboy wouldn’t touch her again.

“Oh Lord,” the woman said to Melanie. “Honey, you’re a fright. Don’t just stand there, Jake. Be a gentleman and help her out.”

“No, really, it’s okay.” Melanie finally got both herself and her suitcase through the doorway and into the mud room just off the kitchen.

“Nonsense!” The older woman put her hand on Melanie’s arm. “Make ‘em work for it, hon. They’ll appreciate it later.” She winked, as if the two women were sharing a secret, then turned to Jake. “Now you get her settled in upstairs, then you and I are gonna be having some conversating, young man.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jake grabbed Melanie’s suitcase and headed for the stairs at the far end of the kitchen.

“Don’t you worry, darlin’,” the woman said to Melanie. “You just get yourself cleaned up.”

At the top of the stairs, Jake stood waiting for her. She didn’t see her suitcase anywhere.

“I put it in the tub. Didn’t want to get mud everywhere.”

“Thank you.” Melanie turned into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Finally alone again, she leaned against the sink and sighed heavily, forcing herself to relax. The flight, the drive, the flat tire, the cowboy Jake—she’d survived it all. Now to clean herself up, go find Raymond, and show him what a mistake he had made letting her go. From this point forward, this weekend would be nothing but sweet satisfaction.

She looked in the bathroom mirror and saw that the visor mirror had been kind. She would need a total redo—and in record time. She toweled her hair off, pulled it into a loose ponytail, then washed all the makeup and dirt from her face, hands, and knees. The only other dress she brought with her, a soft turquoise sun dress that fell just above her knees, was a little too informal for a wedding. Then again, they were getting married in a barn, so it would have to do.

Car doors slammed outside. Were people leaving already? Surely they would stay for the reception. But what if Raymond didn’t? He wasn’t the schmoozing type, especially since he quit drinking. Melanie put on just a hint of mascara and a nice plum lipstick to highlight her best features. She pulled the ponytail holder from her hair and let her auburn tresses fall around her shoulders. The rain water had left her hair soft and radiant. She stepped back to survey the result. Not too bad—pretty without looking like she was trying too hard. She smiled. Raymond wouldn’t stand a chance.

Chapter Four

Jake frowned at the bathroom door, considering whether he should throw it open and teach her a lesson about manners. Beauty was no excuse for being rude, and slamming doors went beyond rude, especially after he had helped her change her tire. Maybe he should have just left her stranded on the road, getting soaked by the rain. He turned his back to the door and counted to ten, clenching and unclenching his fists. It took him until nine to be able to push the anger back down. Picturing her clinging wet dress helped, although his anger was replaced with a new kind of intensity. Damn. He didn’t realize just how long he’d gone without the feel of a woman beneath him, and now just the thought of this one was turning him into a jumbled mess.

Usually Jake’s charm and smile could land the woman of his choosing in his bed—and all too often a woman not of his choosing. When he was younger, he had followed in his father’s footsteps and bedded anyone who spread her legs for him. His mother had put a stop to that soon enough. She taught him to respect women, which he interpreted as being upfront and honest that he was only looking for a few minutes of fun, not a lifetime of commitment. After seeing how his father’s roaming affected his mother—and how genuinely happier she was when she finally left the womanizer—he also understood the need to have only one play toy at a time and to not draw from the same pool right away. In the bedroom, he treated his lovers well, cherishing their bodies with his hands and his tongue, making sure they walked away just as satiated as he did. Of course, that approach only brought more women to his bed, including some incredible beauties who were adamant about never leaving it. Learning which women to avoid had not been without its own drama. Yet none had ever affected him as quickly or intensely as the woman on the other side of the bathroom door.

She was probably embarrassed by how the afternoon storm had ruined her outfit. He turned around and pressed his hands against each side of the door frame, leaning forward until his face was just inches from the closed door. If he said something to her now, told her how beautiful she looked despite the makeup running down her face, she’d hear him. But he bit his tongue and sat down on the top stair instead. Women didn’t always appreciate such compliments, especially when they were upset about something. He imagined her without all the heavy eyeliner and bright red lipstick. A more natural look would let her violet eyes shine through. He wondered what she would look like first thing in the morning, her face clean, her hair mussed just enough that he would feel compelled to push a stray lock from her eyes.

“Aw, hell.” He whipped off his cowboy hat and gripped it tightly until the brim was crushed. Those were the kinds of visions that he could not dwell on or he’d never make it to the ceremony. Instead of trying to compliment her, he’d bust through the bathroom door and turn on all his charm. He knew there were several bedrooms to take advantage of up here, and with everyone else at the ceremony...

She threw open the door, startling Jake. They stared at each other a moment, before she finally spoke. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Jake stood, his eyes traveling the length of her body. “Maybe not a babysitter, but certainly a bodyguard.” He nodded in approval.

She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. He fought the urge to reach out and touch her flowing auburn locks, especially as what he really wanted to do was grab her shoulders and pull her into an electrifying kiss. Scowling, he shoved his hat on his head and followed her down the stairs to the kitchen, where she was immediately cornered by the friendly blond. Jake groaned. His mother, God love her, was too much of a busybody by far.

“Oh sweetie, you look so much better. I thought we were gonna have to hose you off at first.” His mother laughed, winking at the woman as Jake entered the kitchen. “Now you take this tray.” She handed a tray filled with fresh strawberries, bananas, and oranges as well as various cookies to Melanie. “They just love my chocolate fountain! Can’t get enough of it. And Jakey, make yourself useful and bring some more sodas.” She glanced at Melanie. “I’m so glad you decided to come today. Jake’s just as bad—I can never get him to come visit anymore. He’s always too busy working.”

Violet eyes glanced back at him, a hint of bewilderment evident. And something else. Did he see amusement spark in those violet enticing eyes? He bristled.

She didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who used her looks to her advantage. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was pretty sure that she didn’t know the power she could wield over men. So why would she be amused by his mother’s chattering? Jake hefted up several cases of soda, more determined than ever to find out just who this woman was.

Chapter Five

Melanie let the blond woman rattle on as they walked outside and around the house. She was too busy trying to focus on her goal at hand to contribute much to the conversation. Having the cowboy walking several paces behind them was more distracting than the woman’s chatter. Melanie turned her head back and forth, trying to release some of the uncomfortable tension. She wished Jake would go back to the kitchen or perhaps run an errand. He didn’t need to be nearby when she ran into Raymond.

They rounded a corner and saw the barn, her father’s pride. He had designed and built it himself. It didn’t actually hold any farm animals or machinery; rather, it was her father’s refuge. The main floor had moving walls that could partition off as little or as much space as needed for whatever project he was tinkering on. The upstairs loft was where her father liked to do “book work,” as he called it, which was anything that didn’t involve grease. The loft’s wall of windows looked out over his eighty acres of farmland. When Melanie still lived at home, she would often find him in the loft, working late into the night. Sometimes she thought he even slept there, especially after he moved in an old couch he found at a garage sale. That was when Melanie realized that her parents’ marriage wasn’t as idyllic as it appeared.

The sofa was also where she and Raymond had first been together after he started staying in the barn. Melanie blushed at the memory. It was not her proudest moment. Raymond had shown interest in her but never acted on it—not until he fell off the wagon and Melanie found him fumbling with the lock on the barn door. They hadn’t even done much that night, just kissing that led to some sloppy fondling. But the next morning, Raymond ushered her out into the early morning light as quickly as he could and tried to avoid her for weeks, despite her protests that everything was fine. Just when she thought she was past the humiliation of his rejection, he started meeting with her in secret once again, and everything seemed to be working out as she’d hoped. Then she got the publishing job. Now her cheeks burned as she remembered his empty promises to eventually join her in the city. Luckily the blond woman was too busy chatting away, talking about recipes and secret ingredients, to notice Melanie’s flushed face. Melanie refused to look back at Jake, convinced that he could somehow see into her innermost thoughts.

In the barn, Melanie scanned the people standing in small groups, engrossed in their own conversations. No Raymond. Shuffling after the blond woman, she placed the tray of food on a long serving table set up along one wall, then moved to stand under the open stairway to the loft before she got sucked into another one-sided conversation with the chatty woman. From here she could look for Raymond while pretending to watch the clusters of people—and without being cornered by any of the guests, mostly members of Bender’s small community. They meant well, but she could only tolerate their questions for so long, and their conversations invariably hinged on one idea: When was she going to move back and get married? They couldn’t fathom the idea that someone might not want to live the quiet, rural life. They didn’t understand that she liked the vibrancy of the city just as much as she liked the relaxed rhythm of the country.

Many of the faces were new to her—probably friends of the bride, although they could just as likely be friends of her dad. Melanie’s dad was active in Alcoholics Anonymous and was always bringing home “strays,” as her mother referred to them. In fact, he had been Raymond’s sponsor, which made Raymond family in her dad’s eyes. When Raymond needed to sever all ties to his drinking buddies, he’d moved out to the farm and started working for her dad. Melanie had been in her final semester of college, although she still lived with her parents and helped out on the farm. She’d been immediately enamored by the tall, dark Raymond, who was undoubtedly wild at heart. The secretive nature of their relationship had made it all the more exciting. But clearly she’d found it more exciting than he had.