Where Would I Be Without You (32 page)

The rain and wind had stopped as
I ate the best home-cooked meal I had eaten in a long time.  As I let Mr. Walker drive me to Julies place, the dark storm brewing clouds dissipated and the remnants of the evening sun shone on a hillside revealing a tree-covered town with all the makings of Mayberry.  The handsome yet cocky man in the café offered to help drop me off and unload my luggage yet was sent on home with a ‘you’ve been naughty’ look from Cindy Walker.

Mr. Walker did some type of explaining about this man, Colton, and his ungentlemanly ways and how he also was a property lawyer and moved back home to take care of his
father's faltering health and take over the family's ranch.  Then I heard him explain the last time Colton acted that immature he was pining for Julie’s hand just after she made prom queen.  So, if I was getting this just right, the only reason, the cowboy hunk acted so immature, was that he liked me.  Great.  Just what I didn’t want right now.  An immature thirty something man, pining for my attention like we were back in high school.

Nevertheless,
I had to laugh at my comment in reply to his accidental leaking of my boss’s mishaps.  At least, I had hoped it was accidental.  ‘You might fit the bill of a centerfold cowboy, but honey you are definitely a day late and a million dollars short on this gal.’  He didn’t seem to have too much to say after that, and I had hoped it was a mistake he made when he let slip the comment about my boss.  I could damn myself for mentioning it to Julie but that was done, and they didn’t know the whole story.

Trying to replay the evening experience,
I really didn’t even see where I set the man off.  After all, I had tried to keep my pride after falling in the mud, and I really wasn’t in the mood to talk property law with a handsome stranger.  And I didn’t feel the need to answer his twenty questions about what type of property law book was I writing and why only six months.

However,
I could not ignore the fact that he was definitely handsome.  His soft brown hair looked like he was growing out what was once a very nice clean professional cut.  He definitely looked like he did some of the labor work on his parent’s ranch that Walker mentioned about.  A few natural blonde highlights streaked through his hair, but those eyes.  They had a talk all their own.  Their intense blue was mesmerizing, and I felt they held an earnest appeal to them.  His skin was looking a bit tanned from too much sun, which only meant he wasn’t off hiding in an office all day.  Unlike myself who had been spending too many hours behind a desk or in a courtroom.

Now
I was going to spend a few weeks of doing as I saw fit and preferably out in the fresh country air.  I was definitely ready for some sun and relaxing, catching up on a pleasure book or two instead of law review update books.  I couldn’t wait to see this garden Julie had mentioned.  It was obviously something we both loved to do, by the way we spent half an hour talking about it over the phone on just that subject as she had tried to find something cheerier to talk about after I had spent too much time crying about my recent endeavors.

Well,
one thing was for sure; Julie had not lied.  The small, yellow and white farmhouse inside town, just blocks off main street, was ‘quaint, cute as a lady bug, and just you wait until you see the garden I started out back, I’ve been working on that since I was a little girl.’.  She talked of white picket fence and a white arbor with purple clematis starting to fill its arch.  Cobblestone paths and a nice size porch with a white porch swing were all there.  Older trees filled the yard that had all the leaves shading the side yard.  I caught sight of a double size rope hammock hanging between two old trees.  Yes, this was definitely the type of house I needed to relax and recoup with.

Now if only the town hottie didn’t strangle
my mental status of recuperating, I should be refreshed and ready to move on with a new career plan in no time.  However, his tall muscular build replayed in my mind as he turned to leave the café.  The way his rear end filled out his Levi’s had me imagining peeling them down.  His large hands that looked a bit tanned, running the entire length of my body.  His piercing blue eyes staring into mine as I breached an orgasm.

Why was
I having these lusty visions even just days shy of catching Hugh in that compromising position and suffering through his corrupt analogy of how everyone has a place in his world, and I wasn’t stay at home wife material.  I was partner material.  However, only if I continued to partner with him on the side in fun.  Oh, the partners were not too happy when I caught that comment on my recorder.

Looking back the whole situation seemed so surreal.  How it all came about wasn't clear to myself.  It happened so quick and out of the blue.  For two years, I worked hard at that firm.  Then the news my mom finally felt she needed to share with me about my absent father seemed to come about the same time, I felt the need to be reckless.  I was reckless, as I was the one that came on to Hugh.  I should have known better.  I considered myself a very smart, career oriented woman and this was not a move I had imagined I should make.

Neither should I make a move on one very hot and sexy Colton Charpel.  From the sounds of things, he had his hands full doing this or that for everyone including Julie.  I came here to relax and collect my wits not have a seduction relationship with a man that even when he was being a jerk, I was attracted to him.  Maybe I needed my head examined.  Perhaps I had men issues to work out about my dad.  Lord knows I grew up thinking he was a soldier who died quickly after I was born and that my mom played him up to be the man he never was.

I could see why she did, but I could not see why I felt like I needed a man in my life to make up for it.  I had to hold strong to my convictions that a man in my life was not what I needed.  A well-deserved break after six years of college and five years of working hard at property law, with never a vacation taken, I deserved this.  I did.

The rain had passed, and the air felt humid.  The crickets and bullfrogs were in full force.  The smell of the fresh clean air after rain was always one of my favorite smells.  For some reason, here it smelled even better than back in the city.

I looked about the house and everything I could need was there but much food.  There was some canned goods, but the refrigerator was empty.  The house had a very cottage charm about it, and I picked the room that Julie told me had the best bed.  It was done in all whites, white lace curtains, white linens, white furniture and a huge white dresser.  The only color in the room was the soft yellow walls.  It wasn't like my old apartment of dark colors and dark furniture.  However, it was a refreshing change.

Come morning I woke with the soft yellow hue of the wall's color and the early-morning sunlight filtering in through antique lace curtains, I woke feeling if a very bright light had been flipped on.  Normally, I woke before dawn to get a workout in from the confines of my dark bedroom while watching the news.  I didn't think to pull the room shades down the previous night as I fell asleep from pure exhaustion from my first day in town, and my earlier weeks experience.

After
I had gotten all my clothes away, the phone began ringing, and I hesitated to answer it.  Once I did, I had not regretted it.  Cindy Walker wanted to make sure I was settled in and knew where things in town were at and a quick apology for Colton Charpel.  As far as finding things in town I figured if I walked the two miles top to bottom in town I would have a general idea where everything was at.  Nonetheless, it felt good to have a female voice ask how I was doing.

As far as
my mother knew, I was on assignment in Wyoming for a large property dispute.  I had not wanted to talk about what had happened at work because I knew my mother's cast iron will would have convinced me to move to Utah and practice law there.  She also would have lectured me on the poor ethics of dating your boss.  This I knew all too well.

After
taking a good look at the house in the morning light, I was pleased with my decision.  I figured everything I needed was here except basic food.  So donning on my jogging attire of black bike shorts and a black full tank sports bra I grabbed my credit card, slid it into the back pocket of my mp3 jogging holster, and took off down the block at a slow jog.

The other houses seem to be waking as well and there were several houses that looked similar to Julies but with different shades and landscaping.  After a polite hello to two men out walking their
dogs, I cut over to Main Street and began heading in the direction of what I figured was the east end of town, where Cindy had mentioned the local grocery store was located.

Some shop owners were sweeping walks and setting out sale signs on the sidewalks.  Not much fancied
my eye, but I did think about getting a straw cowgirl hat for gardening.  Perhaps when I walked into town next time.

Not but twelve or so blocks from the rental was the café. 
That was a warming thought.  Something about those Walkers made me want to eat my every meal there except then I would surely stack on the pounds.  That was not part of my new career plan.  However, one meal, once in a while, might satisfy my need for some friendly conversations and local town gossip.  Hopefully, other than my own.

Jogging past the café, Cindy caught
my eye.  I waved a very friendly wave at her and felt my heart fill with possibility.  Possibility that good people like the Walkers could help me see the humanity in people again, and this Mayberry type town would refresh my soul.

Several more blocks and
I spotted the small grocery store across and down the street.  I didn’t think to look both ways before crossing as there seemed to be no traffic.  A blare of a horn from a large tan truck and a familiar face stopped me in my tracks, just as one hand went over my heart, my other hand instinctively laid on the hood of his truck.  I knew it was stupid of me to jog across the street without looking but truly, my mind was in another place.

Chapter Three

I watched him g
et out of his truck with a hardy slam to the door.  I thought for sure he was going to cut me down to size or make some smart-ass comment about me not looking.  Instead, he sauntered around to the front in large strides and leaned his hip against the front grill of his truck then crossed one booted foot over the other.  He looked so incredible sexy that my defenses were immediately withdrawn, and I laid a huge sexy smile of my own across my face.

“You alright?”
  He looked to be asking with a genuinely sexy smile.

“Yes.” 
My breath was wavering from a I just got the scare of my life to, I am ok because of your mesmerizing blue eyes.  They had a calming effect on me, along with his slow verbal drawl in questioning my wellbeing.

“
You sure?”  He let his eyes travel over my morning attire and instantly could imagine how nice that would feel if I was naked.  For all I knew that was what he was imagining.  He was a man after all.

"I'm sure.  Silly of me to cross without looking.  A lot on my mind."  Now I sounded a bit like a nervous woman.

So, I guess he wanted to take his game up a notch.  "Your green eyes are incredible in this morning light.  You look nice all natural with your hair in a ponytail and running clothes on."  Then he reached out and touched my hair, and my body went on alert.  Shit, this was not in my plan.  This man was a distraction, and I needed to stay away.

I
watched his eyes travel my body again as he complimented me, and I kept my eyes focused on his incredible blue eyes.  I was afraid if I let them wander anywhere else I would get caught red handed.  His eyes felt like warm sunshine sliding up and down my existence.  Which was silly because I didn’t think he was really that attracted to me, just perhaps being a man of inquisition.

“Hope Forrester
, by the way.  I don't know if I told you my last name.”  I held out my hand that I just now removed from the hood of the truck to keep my balance.

Leaning off the grill of his truck, he held out his hand to shake
mine.  “Colton Charpel.  And, I must apologize for my, uh, rudeness I displayed back at the Walker Café last night.  It won’t happen again.”  His soft inquisitive glances stopped, and he looked me in the eye with a friendlier how ya doing smile versus I want to eat you alive glance.  I must have read him wrong, and he was just sizing me up like a man might do without realizing he was doing it to another woman.

J
ust like that, I wondered if a true gentleman lay beneath that exterior of light blue denim shirt that seemed to be holding a rather muscular build.  Now my mind was off in what seemed like a direction I truly had no interest.  The last thing I needed was a man complicating my life.  A man was not something I planned on writing into my new career plan.  “Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot.  I did have a terrible drive up and really the fall into the mud somewhat messed up my mood.  However, those Walkers sure are nice folks, and the food was wonderful.”

“Yes Bob and Cindy are a staple in this town.  You heading to get some groceries?  I can give you a ride back.”

His offer seemed sincere, and I hadn’t planned on grabbing but maybe a bag worth of groceries.  Not enough to need a ride, and I still didn’t like the way my body’s reaction to this man was betraying my need to steer clear of all men for a while.  “No that’s quite alright.  Thanks anyhow.  Nice seeing you again.”  I turned and walked towards the grocery store that was only a block away.