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  Last night he’d found some measure of internal peace and slept like a dead person. Ronnie had taken off so quickly, he knew she wouldn’t appreciate him chasing after her. But hell and crackers, she’d been the most passionate lover he’d ever been with.

  Normally, he’d have been the one to hightail it out of the bedroom or escort someone out. This time, he’d been the one left behind. Another new experience. It didn’t bother him as much as he thought. Relationships with women had been fleeting and never left him feeling as satisfied as he did right about then.

  He stretched and cracked a few joints into the still morning air. It was the weekend, which meant he might see the kid at any time.

  Jack liked Ace. He was brash for a ten-year-old, but smart, too. He could do anything if he had faith in himself. Confidence wasn’t something easy to achieve. Jack knew that too well. He didn’t have someone to guide him and fumbled his way along the bumpy road to adulthood. The only reason Jack had graduated high school was because his father paid for it.

  It was a pitiful thing when a thirty-year-old man had no marketable skills and read at a third-grade level. This house was going to give him the opportunity to learn who he was. Leaving the only world he knew behind was a fresh start.

  Ronnie was an unexpected bonus. The electricity between them hummed from the second they met. Experiencing passion with her hadn’t quenched his thirst. Not even close. Now he wanted her even more.

  He got up and took a hot shower. The plumber had replaced the hot water heater but warned that the plumbing probably needed updating. Jack wasn’t ready to tackle that and was grateful for the hot water.

  This journey he was on with the house, and now with Ronnie, was unfamiliar territory. Until Jack was comfortable in his new skin, he wanted to leave people he knew in the past at a distance. No time to think about what tomorrow would bring. He had to get busy working.

  Jack had finally finished the last cabinet door and was starting on the cabinets themselves. They were in good shape and just needed a light sanding. He was on the last bank of cabinets on the left side of the kitchen. He’d missed lunch and his stomach growled in protest. He wanted to finish up so he could start painting them. Silly as it was, he wanted Ronnie to like the kitchen. He’d even ordered the big professional range, which now sat in the corner, waiting.

  Just like Jack was.

  It was a new experience for him to think about someone else before himself, and he’d felt good about it. He had wanted her to stay the night but hadn’t asked. She needed some time to herself of course.

  It was too soon to think about the future. Yet his daydreams centered around her. He was supposed to be discovering who he wanted to be, not falling in love. He guessed that was the kind of thing someone couldn’t schedule, though.

  “What kind of countertop are you going to put in?” Her voice echoed through the kitchen as though he’d conjured her.

  He turned and smiled. “I was thinking quartz. White maybe.”

  She shook her head making her boobs jiggle just a bit. He couldn’t help but look at them, wanting to see them unfettered again. It had been less than a day since they’d had sex, and his dick pulsed, reminding him.

  “Soapstone. You need to put character in here.” She held up her hands to frame the sink where the old one sat. “And a farmhouse sink. Copper. That would look—” She spotted the stove and her mouth fell open. “Holy shit.”

  He grinned, pleased with himself. “Do you like it?”

  She ran her hands along the six-burner stove, and he envied the damn appliance. “It’s gorgeous.” Her eyes were bright. “Do you cook?”

  He shrugged. “I can make a mean omelet. But I know someone who makes the most delicious pastries, and I’m hoping she’ll make them in my new stove.”

  “Ah, so it’s all about your sweet tooth?” She walked toward him.

  “Of course. I’m selfish and hungry.” He smiled. “Where’s Ace?”

  “Helping Patty weed her garden.” She pursed her lips. “He needed time to himself.”

  He leaned back against the countertop as she reached him. “What do you need?”

  She pulled him down for a kiss, and he forgot what they were talking about. Their tongues tangled and danced around each other. He groaned and pulled her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed his now aching cock into the heat from her core. Thank God she was wearing shorts and a tank top. She could be naked in seconds.

  “I still don’t have any condoms.” He kissed her neck, breathing in her scent of something flowery mixed with something sweet.

  “Damn, my purse is in the car.”

  He moved to her collarbone, licking and tasting her skin. He pulled the tank top down on the left side, exposing her breast. He licked at the already hard nipple. “We could stop.”

  “No, no I don’t think so.” She slid down his body to stand, then pulled off her clothes. Seeing her beautiful self in the sunlight filtering through the window behind her was an ethereal experience. His entire body hardened with need.

  “Are you sure?” Jack had little brain cells working but he didn’t want to make her do something she wasn’t comfortable with.

  “I’m on the pill for other reasons, but I haven’t been with a man in years. I’m clean.” She reached for his jeans. “Are you clean, Jack?”

  “I got tested about six months ago. Been celibate ever since. I have papers I can show you.”

  “No time for that. I can’t wait.”

  He shook with anticipation. “Are you saying we’re gonna go bareback, baby?”

  She released his dick and squeezed him. When she dropped to her knees and pulled him into her mouth, he closed his eyes. Her hot mouth and tongue sucked and lapped at his engorged staff.

  “I ain’t gonna last long if you keep doing that. I need to get inside you.” He pulled her up by her armpits and set her on the counter.

  “The tiles are cold.” She laughed and pulled him close, spreading her legs. “I need you, Jack.”

  He pressed against her wet heat and teased both of them. She groaned and leaned back, thrusting up those beautiful breasts. He suckled and lapped at her nipples, his hot breath gusting on her creamy skin.

  “Jesus, don’t tease me, Jack.” She wiggled forward. “More. Now.”

  He entered her inch by inch, shaking with his own need. He reached between them and flicked her clit, and she tightened around him like a vise. He sucked hard on her nipple as he reached her core, the sensations buffeting him from all sides. It was the perfect moment with the perfect woman.

  When he began to move, she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. He thrust into her fast and hard, the sensation of being flesh to flesh beyond words. It wasn’t long before his balls tingled, and he knew he wouldn’t last.

  “I’m gonna come, baby. Please come for me.” He suckled her nipple, biting it as he pinched her clit at the same time.

  She let loose a low-pitched moan and tightened an impossible amount around him. Jack lost all sense of reality when he came inside her. Pleasure ricocheted through him and stars exploded behind his eyes. It was the most powerful moment of his life.

  After a few minutes, his voice returned. “That was my first,” he ground out.

  She stilled. “Are you saying you were a born-again virgin?”

  He chuckled and kissed her neck. “First time I was with a woman without rubber between our skin.” He looked into her eyes. “First time I made love.”

  She smiled and he couldn’t form a coherent thought at the happiness he saw in her face. One thing he knew, his life had just changed and there was no going back.

  Chapter Eight

  Time rolled forward, eating up the days faster than she could keep up. Ronnie spent a precious forty minutes every afternoon in Jack’s arms. Each evening the three of them worked on the house. She and Ace spent more time at his house than their own apartment. Not that it was a chore. Jack made everything better because she sa
w the care in everything he did.

  It was hard to believe how much her life had changed in the month since they’d met. She knew she was in love with him but she hadn’t voiced that aloud. Her protective instincts told her to keep the thought to herself until she was more sure. What she was supposed to be sure of, she didn’t know, but old habits were hard to break.

  Today, they were going to a horse auction. Not much of a date, but he wanted to purchase a couple of mares for his newly cleaned barn and start his dream for real. She was excited to be part of picking the horses.

  If she were honest with herself, this felt more like a first date. She wore her best blouse and skirt along with a pair of sandals Patty had given her for her birthday. November was finally cooler in Texas and it would be a good day to spend in a building full of horses.

  She’d never invited Jack to her apartment because she was embarrassed to admit that she and Ace lived in a studio apartment above the laundromat. It was only four hundred a month and included utilities. They slept in bunk beds and cooked on a hotplate, but they were safe and together.

  Jack’s house had become her dream, and she’d even started baking in his enormous professional-grade oven. When she’d made three times as many pastries, she sold them to another local restaurant and had a little extra money to spend on her son.

  Life was good, and it was because she’d met Jack Reilly. She dropped off Ace with Patty and Oscar and headed for Jack’s house. When she pulled into the driveway, a black pickup truck with a horse trailer sat there instead of the red fancy car.

  Jack walked toward her from the barn wearing a cerulean blue shirt and jeans. The man looked good enough to eat, and the shirt brought out the incredible color of his eyes. He smiled, and she couldn’t help the broad smile in return. She was truly in love with this man.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He pulled her close and kissed her quick. “Do you like my new ride?”

  She knew he had money, that was obvious, but he didn’t live like a rich man. He’d done ninety percent of the work in the house by himself. But the man liked nice vehicles, that was for sure. The truck was brand new and seemed to have every bell and whistle possible.

  “I needed something to tow a horse trailer, so I sold the Flying Spur and bought this fine truck.” He patted the tailgate.

  “Flying Spur? Is that what you called that car?” She had to admit the truck was a nice one.

  “That was the model name.” He almost seemed embarrassed to admit that. “This one is a horse farm vehicle. First step.”

  She laughed and climbed into the truck. The plush seats were going to be a nice ride to the auction. They arrived in under an hour, then spent time looking at all the horses before he bid on the two mares he wanted. It was the most relaxing afternoon she’d spent in years. Being around these intelligent, beautiful creatures brought her peace.

  “I need to use the restroom.” She kissed Jack and headed in. When she was washing her hands, someone called her name.

  “Ronnie Graham?”

  Ronnie turned to find Beatrice Cartwright at the sink beside her. The gun store owner had sold her the pistol that rode in her purse.

  “Miss Cartwright! It’s so good to see you.”

  Beatrice waved her hand. “Call me Bea, please. It’s so good to see you. I was just telling a friend of mine that I need to have you make another cake for us. Nothing I make is even has as good as yours. You have mad skills.”

  Through a strange sequence of events, Ronnie had made a cake for party Beatrice had hosted when she reopened the gun store. Beatrice and her friends were extremely sweet.

  “Whenever you want me to make a cake, just text me. I’m happy to.” She smiled and they chatted about the weather and the auction. “My boyfriend and I escaped for the day. I know a horse auction isn’t romantic, but it feels that way to me.”

  Ronnie laughed. “It sounds romantic to me. I’m here with my, ah, boyfriend, too. He’s starting his own horse farm to board and breed quarter horses. We’re here without my son, so it feels like a date.”

  The two women walked out arm and arm. The man that waited was a big dude with a short military style haircut, and his face lit up when he saw his girlfriend. That kind of love was something Ronnie wanted. The big cowboy had dark hair and blue green eyes that looked very familiar.

  “Look who I ran into.” Bea squeezed Ronnie’s arm. “The best cake maker in hill country.”

  “Ronnie?” He took her hand with his big, callused paw. “is that you?”

  Her heart slammed hard against her ribs. “Laz?”

  He pulled her into a hug. “I can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other.”

  She was lost in the memories of hanging out with her Graham cousins. Laz, Grant, and Sam were her favorite cousins. Affection and nostalgia swamped her for a moment as she reveled in her cousin’s embrace.

  “This is my cousin, Ronnie.” He grinned at an astonished Beatrice. “You didn’t tell me she made that cake.”

  “I, uh, didn’t even make the connection. It’s not like Graham isn’t a common name.” Beatrice took her hands. “I’m so glad to hear she’s part of the tribe. I hope you’ll come visit us soon.”

  “She can have dinner with us tonight, Bea.” Laz tugged on her braid and she almost lost her shit.

  So much had been lost when her mother took them away from Briar Creek. Here was one of her best friends from childhood back in her life. She had to stop living in the past and look to the future. Hopefully with Jack.

  “No, she’s on a date with her boyfriend.” Bea took hold of Laz’s hand and moved to his side. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go on a double date afterward together?”

  “Anything you want.” Laz looked behind her. “You know when your boyfriend mentioned you, I meant to swing back over to go to that restaurant you work at. There he is now. Seamus Reilly right?”

  Ronnie turned to see Jack, his expression frozen, staring at Laz. “Jack?”

  “You call him Jack?” Laz frowned.

  Jack shook the cowboy’s hand. “Good to see you, Ranger. I use my middle name. It’s Jack Reilly.”

  “I researched you after we met. You’re Seamus Reilly, the leprechaun boy, right? I used to visit your family’s restaurants all the time. Good damn barbeque.” Laz kept speaking although no one else was.

  His offhand comments slammed into Ronnie. Jack had spoken to her cousin without her permission. It was a stark reminder that he was still a stranger. No matter if she was falling in love with him or not.

  Bea looked at Ronnie, and her expression was full of dismay. As was Ronnie’s heart. Was he Seamus? Perhaps that’s what the S was in his name. And what restaurant? And how did he know one of the most powerful men in Texas?

  Who was this man? Had she fallen for a consummate liar?

  With a glare at Jack, she managed to keep her head held high. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

  Confusion and hurt swirled inside her, along with anger. She stayed in the bathroom and tried to sort through her thoughts. She’d opened herself up for love and that all meant hurt. What was she going to do?

  *

  Jack said good-bye to Laz and his girlfriend Beatrice and paced outside the ladies room, his gut a volcano of burbling lava. It was inevitable that his former life would crash into his current one. The horse auction had been the best day he could remember, and his love for Ronnie was a steady beat inside his heart.

  Then he’d seen the confusion and hurt in her gaze when information he should have shared with her came from a stranger. There were things they didn’t know about each other. That was painfully obvious.

  It was at least fifteen minutes before she emerged from the ladies room. Her arms were crossed and her expression shuttered. She wore the cutest pink skirt and white blouse along with strappy white sandals. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “Before you say anything, I want to say I’m sorry.”
He waited while she moved toward him. She stopped three feet away. “There are things we haven’t told each other.”

  “No shit.” She let out a huff of frustration. “You lied to me, Seamus. How dare you talk to my cousin about me? You didn’t even mention seeing him. And why didn’t you just tell me who you were instead of being vague about changing your name?”

  He winced at that name coming from her mouth. “There are things I didn’t tell you because they’re painful, but I owe you the whole story if you’ll listen. You’ve got every right to kick me in the balls and tell me to go to hell.”

  She glanced away and appeared to be contemplating just that. “You lied.”

  He heard the anger in her voice and moved closer. She stepped back and held up her hands. “That’s the last thing I wanted to do, baby.”

  She pursed her lips. “I can’t do this here.”

  “Let’s go outside. There’s a picnic area out back, and since it’s three o’clock there’s not likely to be someone else there.”

  She nodded tightly and gestured for him to lead the way. After an awkward walk, they emerged outside. To his relief, the picnic area was empty. She sat on the bench and watched him, her expression still guarded and distrustful.

  “To start with, I only asked your cousin if he knew you, nothing more. I told him your story wasn’t mine to share and that he should stop by Beans to see you.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “I was born Seamus Jackson Reilly in Dallas. My parents had started a restaurant about a year before I was born. That one restaurant had the best barbecue in the area, and they grew the business fast. When they opened their fifth restaurant, I had just turned five, and they started to do television commercials.” He swallowed before he continued. “They dressed me as a leprechaun and I became their mascot.”

  He waited while she processed what he’d said. When recognition flared in her eyes, she put her hand to her mouth.

  “Meat Place BBQ? The best meat in Texas. Holy shit. You’re Seamus the Leprechaun?” She shook her head. “I used to sing along with that awful jingle.”