Page 192

“What? Is it wrong to want to be adored? To want romance? With flowers and wine and sweet words that make my stomachflutter?” She sighed dreamily. “I used to live like tomorrow may never come, you know, less discriminatory with the guys I dated, staying out until all hours. And do you know where that got me? Not far, that’s for sure. I had tons of great sex, but great sex doesn’t equate to true love, and in my case, it equated to a lot of lonely nightsafterthe great sex.” She shrugged, smiling like she was amused by her life. “Ten years of working the same job, several years of night classes for a business degree that I’ve never used, and wondering why my life wasn’t going where I wanted it to, and then Brianna met Hugh and everything changed.”

She could have been reciting the soundtrack to his life.

“I took stock in my life and what I wanted out of it, and a year ago I told my boss, Mack, whom I adore, that I wantedmore, and he totally got it. I mean, where was I going as a bartender and a waitress? I confessed my dreams, poured my heart out to him, because really, he is so much more than a boss. He’s always been like an older brother I could tell anything to. I admitted that I wanted to do something to help others, something exciting, breathing life into the dreams of others. And trust me, I know how stupid that sounds, but Mack connected me with his friend Shea Steele, a public relations rep to the rich and famous, and she’s been mentoring me in PR day in and day out. I’ve probably got more diverse experience than half the PR reps out there. It’s been a wild and crazy ride, but I’ve always tried to face my fears, and this was just one of a few that I hadn’t conquered. My dream of owning my own business.”

“So, this trip?”

“This trip is about breaking free. Starting over. I quit my job, and I’m going for it.” She leaned in close and whispered, “Like our hookup. My last bite of cake before my big diet.”

He smiled, but inside he felt the burn of longing. He didn’t want to be a last bite of cake. He wanted to be the whole celebration.

“So, you’re going into PR for the rich and famous?” he asked.

“No. No offense to you, but I feel like celebrities don’t really need the type of PR help I want to give. I mean, so much exposure comes from justbeingrich and famous. I want to help the little guys, and I don’t care if that means earning peanuts, or not gaining exposure for my business as quickly as I might if I helped bigger names. I want to focus on nonprofits, companies and people who are doing good in the world in bigger ways. This trip is about getting ready to dive in feetfirst. Brianna is taking pictures for my website and brochures, which is fitting, considering it was Brianna and Hugh who gave me the inspiration to do all of this. I was there the day they met, and looking back? It was nothing short of magical that the two of them would meet so randomly. And even though they met at the tavern, I couldn’t imagine it happening twice, and I worried that it was also putting me in a bad place to meet the kind of person I would like to be with in the future. Someone stable and loving, and interested in the world around them, not just the next good lay.”

She held his gaze for a long time, and he wondered if she was thinking that he belonged in that group of people, too. He wanted to tell her that it was Hugh’s relationship with Bree, and the way it had sated Hugh so completely, that had Eric carousing less with random women and focusing on fleshing out the things that were important to him, like creating a scholarship for his foundation, the Foundation for Whole Families, that helped families affected by drug use. The foundation gave him fulfillment vastly different from what racing or women ever could.

But he held his tongue, because surely these coincidences would seem far-fetched to Kat, and perhaps even contrived. Neither definition entered his mind, but the wordfatecertainly did.

“Now,” she finally said, “I’m ready for everything. A fulfilling career and hopefully, a loving, stable relationship. Maybe I don’t deserve that, but I want it.”

She made him want that, too.

“I already have contracts with four nonprofit clients Shea sent my way. They were too small for her, but perfect for me. So, to answer your question, I’m not really looking for a husband, but I’m definitely trying not to attract the wrong kind of guys anymore.” She leaned her head back against the seat and laughed. “I’m not very good at that, am I?”

“On the contrary. I think you’re very good at not finding the wrong type of guys.” Eric took her hand in his again. “Maybe it’s your definition ofwrongthat’s off.”

CHAPTER 3

WESTON,COLORADO, WAS a small ranch town, markedly different from the fast-paced city life Kat was used to. Here, dressing up meant a nice pair of Levi’s and shinin’ your boots, and she loved it. She’d been to Hal Braden’s ranch a number of times, but the breathtaking view of rolling hills and green pastures never failed to fill her with a peaceful feeling, which shockingly overrode the nervous energy of riding in the rental car in close proximity to Eric. Small talk had come surprisingly easy, even if most of it was laced with flirty comments and naughty innuendos. The more time Kat spent with Eric, the more she liked him. But she couldn’t ignore the warning bells going off in her head. The man was a definite player, and she was over that part of her life.

It was well after midnight when they finally pulled down Hal’s dark driveway.

As they stepped from the car, Eric pointed to the horses in the pasture. “Do you ride?”

“No, but it’s on my list of fears to conquer.”

“How’s that going for you? Conquering your fears?”

Kat watched her handsome driver with interest as he rounded the car and grabbed his bags from the trunk. He’dasked her several personal questions on the drive over, like what she did with her time now that Brianna was gone and how her best friend traveling so much affected their relationship. Most guys wouldn’t give a hoot about such things, or even think to ask. She liked that about him. He wasn’t as self-centered as she’d originally pegged him.

“Okay,” she finally answered. “I’ve got a few left to overcome.”

“Like?”

“Gosh, I don’t know. Like flying, maybe, as you saw.”

“You did great on the plane tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can do better. And my other fears are sort of silly. I know you’ll laugh, but I used to be afraid of driving fast.”

He arched a brow.

“Don’t worry. I totally love driving fast now. Of course, fast in Richmond means sixty-five miles per hour. Nothing like the high speeds you and Hugh drive.” She reached for her bag, and he touched her hand.

“I’ve got it.”

“It’s okay. I can take it.” She didn’t want to lead him on, but there was no denying the heat between them, which had only gotten stronger on the drive over.