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“You sure do.” Jayson laughed. “See you Saturday.”
The steering wheel jerked in Ace’s hand as he hit a pothole. The snow had mostly melted, only patches left on the dark, wet earth.
He pulled up to his ranch house and parked. He scratched the back of his neck as he assessed his place. What would Charlee think? Big, but older farmhouse, even older barn, and a run-down bunkhouse that’d been in use back when this was a prosperous ranch, before the previous owner had sold off a good deal of his land. He’d fallen on hard times during the last recession and had ended up selling what was left to Ace and retiring. The corrals were in decent shape like everything else, and he had good stock.
Ace kept things fixed up, but everything could use a coat of paint or two. He hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought, with everything else that had gone on over the years. It was home, comfortable, and he’d always been happy with it. Now, he was pretty sure it was time to buy some paint.
With Ossie at his heels, he headed into the house. The screen door squeaked as he opened it—the hinges could use some oil. His living room was nice enough but could use a woman’s touch. Pretty clear it was a bachelor’s home. He needed to clean up the newspapers before she came over, and it would be a good idea to pick up his socks. He had a habit of taking off his boots and socks before he put his feet up to watch the game on his TV. Maybe he should look at getting some furniture polish or something.
He scooped up his socks on his way to the dining room. The furniture was dark and dated, as were the cabinets in his kitchen, and the drapes were heavy and didn’t let in a lot of light. Charlee’s cabin was so open and bright and much more modern. What would she think about living in an older farmhouse? Would it matter to her?
A couple of times he’d had a woman over that he’d been dating. He had never worried about what they thought about his place, and they never seemed to mind. Why was he thinking about all of this with Charlee?
Because Charlee was special. Really special. And what she thought mattered to him.
Knowing her, though, she’d probably feel right at home.
He’d worked up an appetite digging out Charlee’s car and changing her tire. For lunch, he threw together a baloney and cheese sandwich, grabbed a couple of pecan sandies out of the cabinet, and pulled a soda out of the fridge. He sat at the kitchen table and thought about the last few days. Eating lunch alone now made him think about all the cooking they’d done together.
Hell, he hadn’t had so much fun in as long as he could remember, and definitely not with any other woman.
Jayson was right that Ace had always had a thing for Charlee. He just hadn’t known he’d been wearing his heart on his sleeve all this time. Had Charlee noticed? Probably not. He’d spent his time teasing her over the years, but he hadn’t had the guts to do more than that.
But now, things were different, a lot different. Charlee was his, and he intended to win her heart so that she knew he belonged to her just as much.
He finished eating, wiped his hands on a paper napkin, and grabbed his laptop off the counter, where he’d left it last. He typed in his password, pulled up a browser, and searched the web for paint. He’d start with the farmhouse first.
Muted sunlight madeits way through Charlee’s car windows as she drove to her hair salon. Clouds hung low in the sky, but snow wasn’t in the weather forecast. Apparently they’d gotten quite a bit of snow in Prescott, but not the kind of storm they’d had in the Bradshaw Mountains, where her cabin was. The weather changed on a dime in Arizona, so the snow was already melting and they probably wouldn’t get more anytime soon.
She’d scheduled the next few days off, but since she was back before she’d expected, she might as well see how the salon fared with the holiday traffic they would have gotten. It would be closed since it was the day after Christmas,
It was quiet when she entered the salon. Smells of chemicals, shampoos, conditioners, and hairspray filled the shop. She flipped on the lights and frowned at the site of disorganization at the front desk and some of the stylists’ stations. They had known she had the days after Christmas scheduled off. Apparently, some members of her staff had felt they could wait until after they got back from having time off for Christmas to make everything look the way she wanted it.
Tension made her body ache and she forced herself to relax. It was Christmas, after all, and she could cut her employees some slack. It wasn’t fun to have to work Christmas Eve, she knew from many years of experience as a stylist. It was a necessary fact that they would be busy up until Christmas Day, no way around it to keep all their clients.
As the owner, Charlee had often worked with her staff up until Christmas. This year was different. She’d needed to get away from Christmas and all the festivities this year. She’d felt so alone, even with people surrounding her.
And then she’d ended up spending the holiday with Ace. A smile touched her lips. It had been a pretty amazing Christmas with him. She’d had so much fun when they’d played games, all the laughing and talking they’d done. The incredible passion they’d shared together was enough to make her toes curl.
Her smile broadened. She couldn’t help it. She was such a fool to have doubts about exploring a relationship with Ace. He was a good man and she knew it through and through. She’d known him forever, and he wouldn’t hurt her intentionally. He wouldn’t hide things from her and end up being somebody different than she’d thought he was.
Ace was the kind of man a woman would be lucky to have.
Charlee blew out her breath. Maybe she would call him, just to say hello. She bit her lower lip. Should she? What would that say to him?I’m interested.Did she want to put herself out there like that?
Why not?
She reached into her purse, just as her phone rang. She brought it out and stared at the screen.
Ace.He’d been thinking about her, too.
Her heart pounded as she sat in the most comfortable chair they had in their waiting section. She connected the call and brought the phone to her ear.
“Hi.” Her voice came out softer than she’d expected.
“Hey, Charlee.” Ace’s sexy murmur came over the line. “I missed not making you breakfast. Seems I got used to it.”
“It was only three days.” Charlee smiled. “But I have to admit, I kinda got used to it, too.”
