Fourteen

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Stevie's phone chimed with another alert. Theywere coming more frequently now. Evidently, the winter storm that the weather service was predicting was increasing in intensity and would be swinging into their area by the end of the week at the latest.

Shit. She had no more time to procrastinate.

Hopping up from her desk, Stevie grabbed her coat from the hook behind the door. She shoved her arms into it and felt for the key to ensure it was still in her pocket. It was.

"Hey, Tara!" she called to the receptionist as she grabbed her phone from her desk and started toward the door. "If Nico comes in, tell him I ran to the nursery."

Tara gave her a thumbs-up because she was on the phone.

"Oops." Stevie smiled sheepishly, then mouthed, "Sorry."

Holding her coat closed, she headed out into the frigid temperatures. They had no precipitation, so no sleet or snow meant no ice. Yet. Since the roads were clear, she could make the twenty-minute drive to the nearest nursery without incident. If she lived in a perfect world, they would have a plant nursery in Coyote Ridge. For as long as she could remember, that had been her plan. To open one. Only when she'd had the opportunity—thanks to her inheritance—she'd gotten cold feet. Instead, she'd gone a broader route, choosing the landscaping business because she knew it was the more resilient of the two options.

She didn't regret a single second. With Nico as a business partner, they'd made a name for themselves. And word of mouth was spreading. Just yesterday, they'd gotten a call from a real estate developer in south Austin looking for a unique perspective and wanted them to design the landscaping for their model homes. Nico hadn't been thrilled with the idea, but Stevie had talked him into entertaining it. After all, the goal was to eventually give Nico the ability to work solely on the design and not have to worry about the rest of it. They needed to have a steady client base for that to happen.

But right now, Stevie wasn't worried about Nico or potential clients. She was worried about the plants in the greenhouse. The upcoming freezing temperatures were going to wreak havoc if she didn't do something. She'd learned her lesson last year, but it had been too late because, by the time she realized the germination mats wouldn't cut it, she'd lost most of her vegetables and the few flowers she could grow in the colder season.

This year, she was determined to do things differently. Or at least that had been the goal. Unfortunately, like last year, she'd been banking on a relatively mild winter, so this cold snap caught her unawares.

So off to the nursery she went, hoping Byron Cartwright would have what she needed.

Forty-five minutes later, she was standing in the nursery, debating the benefits of various ways to heat a greenhouse, when she heard a familiar voice.

"Holy shit, dude," Byron said, his handsome face lighting up.

Stevie stepped to the side to see Stone approaching. His gaze briefly shifted to her before he grinned at Byron.

"Stone fuckin' Jameson. When'd you get back?"

Stevie watched as Byron and Stone exchanged one of those back-slapping hugs that men engaged in. Only theirs wasn't quite as platonic as she was expecting it to be. When Byron cupped the back of Stone's neck and pulled back only enough to meet his gaze, she thought for a second they were going to kiss.

Only they didn't.

She shook her head and looked away, giving them a moment to catch up. What was wrong with her? Just because Stone liked guys and Byron liked guys did not mean they'd ever liked each other. For one, Byron was her age.

Oh, wait. She was also her age and that hadn't stopped Stone from being with her. Or Nico, who was only a year older.

"Do you know Stevie Shepherd?" Byron said from behind her.

"I do, yes." Stone's voice was warm and friendly. "Was hopin' to run into you again."

"How do you two know each other?" she asked, realizing as soon as the words were out that it didn't sound casual.

Byron's grin was wide. "We had a thing back in high school."

Stevie's eyebrows lifted. "A thing?"

For fuck's sake, stop talking.But for some stupid reason, she couldn't help herself.

"You know I don't kiss and tell," Stone said in that seductive baritone.

Damn him for being so freaking sexy.

"Anyway." Byron laughed. "You in town for a while?"

"Back for good," Stone told him.

"Maybe we can grab a beer and catch up."

"I'd like that."

She cleared her throat, waiting for Byron to acknowledge her. "I'm gonna go with the radiant heat for now. If and when I ever build the greenhouse I want, I'll go with solar."

Byron nodded. "I'll grab the heaters and bring ‘em to the front."

"Thanks." When Byron walked away, she glared at Stone. "Are you stalkin' me?"

"Oh, hey," Byron called out, turning around. "I pulled what your mom's lookin' for. It's ready when you are."

That wicked smirk slowly pulled at the side of Stone's mouth. "Thanks, man."

When Stone pivoted back around to face her, Stevie realized it was too late to make a quick escape. Her face was hot, her embarrassment impossible to ignore. She'd accused him of stalking her. Ego, much? Geez.

"Buyin' stuff for work?" Stone asked, nodding toward Byron's retreating back.

Taking a deep breath, she blew it out slowly and resigned herself to this conversation.

"A little of both. Personal and work," she admitted. "I grow a variety of flowers and plants that we use in Nico's designs. Plus, I've been growin' some root vegetables and leafy greens. They're all temperamental, so this weather's not helpin' matters. I lost everything last year."

Realizing she was rambling, she stopped and forced another smile.

"Is that what you enjoy doin'? Growin' thing?"

She met his gaze. "I enjoy doin' lots of things."

Stone held up his hands in front of him. "Didn't mean to offend."

And she hadn't meant to be defensive, but he brought that out in her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, meeting his gaze. "Stressful day."

"Understood."

His hazel eyes were warm and far too sexy for her to stare into for long. Whenever she did, she felt that familiar stirring deep inside. Despite the anger she still harbored, her body still ached for his. Stevie had never been able to deny her attraction to him. She remembered the first time she talked to him, back before their first milkshake date. Every cell in her body had come to life, and she'd floated on a cloud for days afterward. It was like the guy had a magic touch, and he knew exactly where to aim it without having to make physical contact.

"Damn, it's good to see you," Stone whispered.

Stevie swallowed hard and found herself nodding. She didn't want to agree with him, but it was good to see him. Really good. Too good.

Time to go."I should go pay for my stuff," she told him, forcing her eyes toward the front of the building.

"I hope to see you around."

"Yeah. Maybe." Stevie walked away, wondering whether he'd forgotten he had invited her and Nico over for dinner. She had no intention of going, but it would really chap her ass if he'd already forgotten.

Then again, maybe it was for the best.

***

This was a setup. Had to be.

After picking up the stuff his mother ordered from the nursery, Stone had driven around for a while. At first, he hadn't had a destination in mind, simply driving the backroads of the country town he'd grown up in. At some point, he started looking for land that was for sale, finding only a couple of tracts. Neither were large enough for what he needed, but he'd kept going.

About two hours in, he found himself on the highway heading to Embers Ridge. He wasn't sure what prompted him to think about Dead Heat Ranch, but as soon as he did, he wanted to take a look at the place, see if it was still up and running.

It was, so he'd stopped in to talk to Jerry Lambert. He figured the guy was old enough now he might be willing to sell. It had taken about three minutes to learn that Jerry no longer ran the ranch. His five daughters did. Stone didn't even need to ask to know that selling wasn't an option. Jerry had gotten a phone call and told Stone to look around. He'd wandered for a few minutes, and the next thing he knew, he was back in his truck, heading home.

The brief detour had given him absolutely no clarity on his life. The only thing he realized was that, at least right this minute, he didn't miss the chaos that came with ranch life. What that said about him and his future, he wasn't sure because if he didn't have ranch life, what did he have?

When he pulled up to the house to drop off the stuff he'd picked up for his mother at the nursery, he was grateful to see her standing outside. He wanted to talk to her. About what, he didn't know, but of all the people in his life, his mother was always the one who would give him straight answers when he asked difficult questions.

They never got around to the difficult questions, though.

When he pulled into the driveway, Deborah was standing in the yard, an iPad in her gloved hand. She looked like an Eskimo, complete with her Ugg boots, her sherpa-lined coat, and matching beanie, all bundled up like it was negative twenty, not a relatively comfortable forty-one degrees Fahrenheit. He was pretty sure she had on her robe underneath her coat.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked as he approached.

"I hate cold weather," she said, smiling brightly. "But I do like my cold weather gear."

Obviously.

Deborah glanced at the iPad screen, then to the yard, back to the screen. "Since you're here, I need a favor."

He held up the bag he'd gotten from the nursery. "Another one?"

"When you get a job, I won't ask you to run errands. Until that day happens…"

Touché.

She let the sentence hang, and since he had no recourse, Stone waited for her to relay what she needed him to do.

"Can you drop this off for me?" She dug in her coat pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"What is it?"

"A check?"

He took it when she passed it over. "Where?"

Her smile made him regret stopping to talk to her.

Now, as he drove out to D S Landscape Solutions to drop off the check, he wondered why his mother couldn't simply pay with a credit or debit card online. He'd asked, of course, but her answer had been a shrug and another mischievous smile. Hence the reason he thought this was a setup.

Especially now as he stood inside what looked to be a nicely renovated double-wide trailer. Based on the layout, he was pretty sure it had once been someone's house. Some of the walls had been removed, replaced by structural support posts that surprisingly didn't look awkward. What was probably once the living room was now a reception area, complete with a desk but no receptionist.

On the other side, the space that likely had been reserved for the kitchen and dining area was now some sort of design spot. There were three small round tables, each with three chairs. On the tables, catalogs were set out. Probably a way to pass the time while waiting. The same went with the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. It was currently playing the mid-day news and the news cycle was all about the winter storm that was coming. He'd gotten his fill of warnings for the day, so he continued to scope the place. At one end of the house, some sort of refreshment station was set up. Two counters were separated down the middle by a small hallway that led to a bathroom, complete with a sign on the door.

Stone waited several minutes, expecting someone to appear, but no one did. He figured someone was here because there was one of the Dodge Rams with the company logo and one of those sporty new Ford Broncos parked in the small lot reserved for customers. Since he'd seen the same Bronco in the parking lot of the nursery, he figured it belonged to Stevie.

Was she here? Or had she gone out on a job? Was she with Nico? Did they have a receptionist or something?

Of course, whoever worked here could very well be out in the metal building adjacent to the house. There were several trucks with the same logo parked in front of it.

Figuring he would walk over to the building to see if he could find someone, Stone started for the door.

That was when he heard voices coming from the other end of the house. It looked like there were two rooms, one at the far end and one on the right, and a short hallway creating a path along the exterior wall.

He walked that way, hoping he could interrupt and pass over the check and be on his merry way. The last thing he wanted to do was run into Nico or Stevie and leave them with the impression he was stalking them. His run-in with Stevie had been awkward enough. More so because she clearly expected him to be stalking her.

Both rooms' doors were closed, but he could hear muffled voices behind one. He raised his hand to knock but paused when he heard his name.

That was definitely Nico and Stevie.

"Yeah? Where'd you see him?"

"At the nursery."

"And?"

"And nothin'. Did you know he used to have a thing with Byron Cartwright?"

"I didn't." There was a hint of amusement in Nico's voice.

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?"

"I don't know." Stevie groaned. "I really wish…"

Stone held his breath, waiting for her to finish that sentence. What? You really wish what, Stevie?

Nico changed the subject. "Did y'all get a chance to talk?"

"No."

"You reconsidering havin' dinner with him?"

"No," she said adamantly.

Nico laughed.

Howwas that funny?

"You said no but nodded. So which is it?"

"I absolutely hate that he's so damn…" She growled.

"So damn what?" Nico asked. "Handsome? Sexy? Infuriating?"

Stone grinned. Good to know he could be both sexy and infuriating.

"Yes," she said. "All of the above."

"I think we should have dinner with him. Fifteen years is a long time."

"It is. It's a long freaking time for him to have never called."

Ouch. He deserved that.

"Maybe he had a good reason." Looked like Nico still saw the good in people.

"How is it so easy for you to forgive him for what he did?" she blasted.

Nico's voice rang with sympathy when he said, "Because he didn't do anything to me, Stevie. We had one night together. You were the one datin' him. He didn't owe me anything."

"He didn't owe me anything either," Stevie countered.

Yes, I did, Stone thought. I owed you the truth. You deserved at least that much.

"I think you should have dinner with him," Stevie said. "Maybe y'all can find some common ground. Maybe even find what you had with him back then."

Was Nico interested in what they had back then? As in one night, no holds barred? Or would he be open to something more?

"Stevie, it's dinner," Nico huffed. "Nothin' more."

"You don't know that."

Yeah. You don't know that.

"I do. But if you're not goin', I'm not goin'."

Well, hell.

Stone heard the faint sound of movement, and instinct told him he needed to hustle out of the way because someone was coming. But he didn't back away from the door. He wanted to hear more. He wanted to hear them change their minds. He didn't know why he cared so damn much, but he did. Seeing them again … Stone wanted a chance to catch up. He wasn't expecting anything other than dinner and some conversation. Maybe some laughs tossed in.

Liar.

Fine. He was hoping for more, but he had no expectations. After all, it had been fifteen years since he'd seen them. All three of them had changed over the course of that time. Stone wasn't sure he would have anything in common with them anymore.

"Let me know when you're ready to go," Nico said. "If the weather gets bad, I'll drive."

Stone stepped back because Nico's voice came from just on the other side of the door.

And then it opened, and there he was.

Stone instantly held up the check. "Here."

"Hey," Nico greeted, taking a step back, his forehead creased with his surprise.

Stone peered around him to see Stevie sitting at a desk, her eyes wide.

"It's a check," he explained. "My mother asked me to drop it off."

"She could've paid online," Stevie stated.

Of course she could. Not only had she set him up, but now he looked like a fucking moron.

"You could've given it to Tara," Nico told him.

Stone glanced at the empty reception desk, assuming that was where Tara belonged. Nico peeked out of the office.

"Ah." He looked at Stevie. "You know where she went?"

"No idea."

"Here," Stone said, shoving the envelope in Nico's hand. "I should go."

As he made his way to the door, he could still hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

I thinkyou should have dinner with him.

If you're not goin', I'm not goin'.

Stone paused with his hand on the doorknob. He glanced down the hall to see Nico staring back at him.

"About dinner tomorrow…" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm gonna have to get a raincheck. A lot of stuff goin' on."

Nico nodded, but he didn't argue, didn't suggest a better day.

Not that Stone had expected him to.

Feeling like an idiot, he walked out the same way he'd come, not bothering to look back. Even as he got in his truck, he swore he could feel Nico's eyes on him.