Carrie Ann glanced down at her fury friend. Droplets of water repelled from her golden blond fur as she bopped alongside her. Aspen tentatively took a quick look back at the barn, but remained by her side. She heard Summer mutter traitor before shutting the door.
Rain slipped through the air in a delicate threadbare curtain. The dampness brought relief to the inferno brewing inside. Making her way past the cabin, puddles sloshed beneath her feet. A dark void shrouded her memory, but Carrie Ann was too stubborn and too angry to notice the sickening feeling free falling somewhere beneath her ribcage.
She paused to palm the wetness from her face, peering out over the vast meadow and beyond. Hidden mountains and trees turned emerald green from the storm cradled by the gorge. Every direction she turned, the majestic beauty stretched as far as the thunder clouds would allow. Lush, tall grass and colorful flowers of golden, lavender and blue, bent over, weighed down by the summer showers. The sheer enormity breathtaking.
Carrie Ann wasn’t sure how long she stood, breathing in the calm tranquility. She was soaked to the bone. Droplets fell from her nose and hair and her sweater sagged from saturation. Aspen turned circles, tail in mouth, floundering into a stumble. The pup gave a quick shiver the length of her body, shedding excess water.
Rain fell harder now. The sound amplified into a pounding fury on the red tin roof. She scooped up Aspen, holding her close to her chest for warmth, which earned her several puppy kisses as she jogged back to the cabin.
Kicking out of her boots at the back door, she headed straight for the shower, puppy in tow. After a long hot shower, she towel dried both their hair and fell into bed. Exhaustion forced her mind to settle.
*
Summer’s voice pulled her from a deep sleep. “You need to eat.”
A dull light broke through the blackness consuming her room. Lifting her head from the pillow, a tall wide silhouette took up most of the doorway. Carrie Ann jolted upright, momentarily lost in the darkness. She’d totally lost track of time and where she was. “Summer?”
“Yes, it’s me.” He pushed the door open a bit wider, illuminating her bed from the light in the hallway. “Come on, you need to eat something.”
“Wait. I’m…I’m not dressed. I’ll be out in a minute,” she said pulling the cover higher. Aspen half leaped, half tumbled, down from the bed dashing through the open door.
“I’ve already seen you naked,” he stated matter-of-factly. The tender sensual hum in his tone made every hormone in her body sizzle. “And I really don’t want my dog sleeping in bed with you.”
Carrie Ann groaned. The last thing she needed was another mutiny from down below or a scolding. “Whatever. It’s not like I’m trying to—”
“Let me try this again. Red,” he drew out her name mockingly. “Can you please keep Aspen off the bed and couches? I’m training her to sleep in her own dog bed. I know she’s adorable, but in a few months she’ll be full grown. Now, if you insist, throw some clothes on and come eat.”
A grin flicked at the corners of her mouth. She totally softened. God, sometimes he knew exactly how to handle her. “Okay.”
After slipping into a pair of black leggings and a powder blue V-neck T, she splashed some cold water on her face and made her way to the kitchen. Summer stood in front of the stove, barefoot, in a fresh white t-shirt and ancient black sweatpants sporting his red and yellow USC logo. The distinctive sizzle and smell of a fat juicy hamburger made her mouth water. Or at least that’s what she told herself, standing there holding her breath, examining the well exercised muscles of his back, flexing beneath the cotton fabric as he worked. The look of him, so relaxed and comfortable, tapped into some of her deepest most genuine memories. Though his wide shoulders still narrowed at the waist, his lean physique had filled out handsomely, seasoned with maturity. They young man she’d known so many years ago had become a man. And time had been very, very good to him.
Carrie Ann quietly cleared her throat.
He turned, blessing her with a potent dose of charisma wrapped into a warm soft smile. Summer walked toward her, ambling around the end of the kitchen island. She inconspicuously drew a breath of air through her nose, reveling in the fresh clean scent of male as he reached for a stool behind her, encouraging her to sit.
“Are you hungry?”
She gnawed on her lip, giving a small nod. A feeling of utter awkwardness married with an old acquainted comfort, easing her nerves a bit.
He took his time wandering over her face, registering her mood. Stepping back into the kitchen, he flipped the switch on a sleek chrome blender. The high-spinning powerful motor devoured its contents, blending them into a vibrant green smoothie.
“I see you still love to blend,” she half shouted over the loud noise. The puppy, already immune to the racket, barely lifted her head from her dog bed sitting in the corner.
“Some things never change.” His whiskey-rich eyes held to her features. “Like you. Sitting in my kitchen with no make-up and your hair all wavy. You haven’t changed a bit.”
Avoiding an oncoming compliment, she interrupted with a turned up nose, “What’s in that?”
“This is for hangovers, so I’m not sure it will help. But it certainly can’t hurt.” He poured the creamy concoction into a glass.
Slow to understand, a skeptical frown stretched across her face.
“Spinach, coconut milk, banana, pineapple, and honey.”
The effects of the night before still ravaged her body. Despite the color, she gladly raised the glass to her lips, hoping for any relief to the thumping at her temples and hint of nausea swirling in her stomach. The cold sweetness drew a yummy hum from her throat.
Warily, he watched her with a slightly glazed expression. “Do you want to try talking about last night again?”
There was nowhere to hide. Putting off the conversation would only delay the inevitable, not to mention the large black hole in her timeline was driving her crazy. Her eyes drifted to the grey grout filling the cracks between the square slate tiles covering the counter. She gave a small one-shoulder shrug.
“I’ll take that as a yes. What were you drinking last night?”
Feeling the penetration of his stare, she squared her shoulders and met his gaze. Being inundated with a profusion of embarrassment triggered a restrained insolence in her tone. “I only remember having two flutes of champagne. Not including whatever you must’ve given me.”
“I gave you water and a shoulder to lean on…” A flash of smug complacency. “And hips to grind against. I also made sure you didn’t fall on your ass when you dropped it low.”
Carrie Ann gasped in disbelief.
Summer lifted his hands, pumping his open palms toward the ceiling. “Boom, boom, shake, shake, drop—”
She shot him an outraged glance. Insinuation coated her voice, “I did not boom boom! Water my ass. What did you give me? Tequila? You know damn well I can’t drink that stuff!”
A thin smirk straightened the curve from his lips. Both brows lifted with absolute resolve, stealing any doubt she had remaining.
“I was trying to sober you up.”
“Yeah. I bet you were. That way you wouldn’t feel guilty luring me into your plane. Hijacking me to the middle of nowhere. Just because you dropped a cool million—”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I did,” his voice thickened, agitation gathered force. “You ought to be thanking me right now, Carrie Ann. Who knows where the fuck you would’ve wound up if I hadn’t been there.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t remember anything, do you?” He said through clenched teeth. “Tell me the last thing you remember.”
A break in the rain left the cabin quiet except the sounds of their labored breathing. Rising anger broke across the bridge of his nose and cheeks, turning them crimson. Summer was livid, but the resentment wasn’t meant for her.