AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Said she didn’t want to come across as doubting her ability to handle the endeavor, whereas, that wouldn’t bother you.”
Reed’s sawhorse holding his saddle stood close enough to Slade’s for him to nudge him. “She’s got a point.”
“She’s interfering again.” He glared at Brett over his shoulder. “Tell her to knock it off and mention that to Nicole herself. Now, quit bugging me. Both of you.”
The first thing Slade did when he arrived home was call Deb.
***
“I’VE GOT TO RUN. TENo’clock meeting with a new client,” Lily said, picking up her coffee cup.
“And I have errands to run.” Nicole finished off her coffee then told Allie, “Thanks for having me over this morning, and for your suggestion to foster. You gave me something to think about. Your home is beautiful. ”
She enjoyed the coffee, blueberry bagel, and small talk with sunlight pouring through the far wall of windows, spanning the den, dining, and kitchen area. Both Allie’s invitation to join them for coffee and the idea about fostering had come at an opportune time. For the fifth morning straight, she’d awoken thinking about Slade. If that weren’t annoying enough, instead of the sex scratching her itch, it seemed to have intensified with each passing day. On top of that, she owed him an apology, and she always paid her debts.
“Thank you. I love it out here.” Allie walked with them out to the front porch. “You’re not upset that Slade mentioned the coyote incident, are you? According to Brett, he was worried. Not that he’d admit, of course.”
Lily chuckled. “Not Slade. His protective streak is as strong as Reed’s though.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one suffering his interference, even if I do appreciate his timely arrival the other evening. And no, it doesn’t bother me that he told his brothers. It’s nice they’re close.” Probably as close as she’d been to Tony, a bond she envied, and missed. While she didn’t need anyone worrying about her, his concern had seeped through her armor and touched a soft spot she’d spent the week trying to harden again.
“Yeah, they are,” Allie agreed, following them down the steps to the long drive and their vehicles. “But, according to Brett, it still took a few years to get him to open up about his job as a military sniper.”
Lily opened her door and pointed to the east. “Our place is a mile in that direction, Slade’s another mile beyond that.”
With Lily right behind her, Nicole drove down the long road to the highway, glancing across the rangeland the Kincaids owned, unable to resist searching for Slade among the handful of riders. The ranch buildings were far enough away she could barely glimpse the roofs, the same with the hands on horseback, and she turned onto the highway cursing her weakness.What red-blooded, sane woman wouldn’t lust after any of the Kincaid brothers?That argument would work if Slade weren’t the only brother who turned her into an inferno with one look, or a simple touch. As if that weren’t enough, now she found herself sympathizing with the painful toll his years as a sniper must have taken on him.
Allie had mentioned joining them at Casey’s again tonight, and her first inclination had been to decline, but she’d never let a man dictate her life and wouldn’t start now. Besides, she was determined to go andnotbehave like a weak-kneed ninny when she apologized. Once she got that out of the way, maybe she would stop thinking so much about him.
The daily list of to-do tasks started with laundry. With only one small load, she hoped to finish shopping in the mercantile, grab a sandwich, and return home with plenty of daylight left to hang outside with Sam and scratch a few more chores off her list.
Right on schedule, Nicole entered Ina’s less than an hour later and took a seat at the counter, choosing the grilled chicken melt as Ina strolled over.
“Nice to see you again, Nicole. How’s that shelter coming along?”
Pleased she remembered her, Nicole replied, “Barn and cottage are cleared, ready for the contractors on Monday.” Which gave her only two days to plan on operating a shelter or accommodate numerous foster dogs.
“You’ve hired Baker Construction, I hear. Jim will do right by you. Dated his older brother a time or two. Before Howard, of course. What can I get you?”
Nicole ordered the sandwich special, bemused by Ina’s rapid-fire dialog and subject changes. Her parents were lucky enough to enjoy a long, loving marriage, like the Hendersons, their relationship also going back to high school. None of her teen dates had made a lasting impression, let alone a desire for commitment. A much bigger school in a large city filled with people and opportunities might account for that, but already, she could tell the merits of growing up here.
“Thank you,” she said when Ina came in with her order. Looking at the loaded plate, she groaned. “You didn’t tell me it came with fries and a salad, or that you put a whole chicken in the sandwich.”
“Just half a chicken, dear.” She patted her hand. “I’ll bring you a take-home box before you finish.”
Nicole stepped out of the diner feeling full but good, happy with the day so far. With leftovers for dinner, she wouldn’t have to cook, saving time before she left for Casey’s. She would apologize to Slade, be done with that chore, and then have fun. Maybe get up the nerve to try the mechanical bull after a drink or two, she mused, and dance with a hot cowboy. Someone other than the hot neighbor.
She stepped off the sidewalk to cross over to the cars, thinking about what she would say to Slade tonight, when a car came screeching out of a lane with the motor gunning. With only seconds to spare, someone acted faster than she could and grabbed her arm, yanking her out of harm’s way to land with a jarring thud on the concrete as the car sped away too fast to identify the driver.
Shaken, her heart slamming in her chest, she lay there a minute, struggling to breathe until her savior lifted off her. Shoppers converged on them, everyone talking at once, asking if she was all right, what happened, did anyone catch who that idiot driver was.
“Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, I just reacted.”
The older gentleman helped her stand, his concerned face swimming before Nicole’s watery eyes as she worked to get herself under control. “I’m okay.” She gave a weak laugh. “At least, I think so.” Her thigh ached, but so far, that was the only repercussion she could detect.
Ina and another woman were suddenly there, the one she didn’t recognize looking from her to the man. “Oh, my goodness! William, is she all right? These darn reckless teenagers!”
Ina interrupted, clapped her hands, and shooed everyone out of the way. “All taken care of. Let the poor girl catch her breath, everyone.”
