Page 17 of Unexpected Temptation

K ane turned when the bell above the door chimed.

He smiled when he caught sight of Jaylen.

His eyes brightened when Amelia came into view.

Right away, Kane could detect the possessiveness of Jaylen’s hold on her.

He didn’t feel bad. He had known Jaylen would want to keep her.

But he still considered his friend a lucky bastard.

Kane came around the counter and held out his hand to Jaylen.

Kane felt Jaylen studying him as he shook his hand. Besides being happy to see them, he didn’t show any desire for Amelia.

Kane looked down at Amelia. He reached out and tapped her nose with a finger.

“How are you doing, Sprite?”

Amelia scrunched up her nose.

“Sprite?”

Kane chuckled. She couldn’t get any more adorable in her jeans, tennis shoes, and what looked like Jaylen’s flannel shirt tied at her waist.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to call you.”

Amelia frowned at both men when they laughed.

“Do you really have to?” she asked.

Kane just grinned and nodded his head.

Jaylen laughed when he heard her sigh. He pulled her tighter against his side.

“Hey, there are way worse nicknames,” Jaylen told her.

“Yeah, like Butthead,” Kane said. “That’s what I call Jaylen once in a while.”

Amelia’s gaze zipped to Jaylen. She relaxed when she caught his smile.

“And I call him a Dickhead.”

Amelia looked between the two and then shook her head.

“What did you guys stop by for?” Kane asked.

“I need some meds for a few horses, and we’re also looking for a cookbook for Amelia. I know you have a couple of long aisles that have odd and ends.”

“Well, I don’t sell cookbooks, but I know they have some at the grocery store. Look on the racks at the checkout aisles. Some women’s club in town makes one up every year. I hear there are some pretty good recipes in there. Someone told me Sandra’s meatloaf recipe’s in there.”

Both Amelia’s and Jaylen’s eyes lit up and locked on each other.

“We’ve talked about that meatloaf a few times, and it was almost becoming an obsession for us,” Jaylen said. “We’ll definitely be picking up one of those today. We’re also planning on going to the restaurant to eat lunch. Can you come with us?”

“Yeah, let me get your supplies, and I’ll go tell Joe I’m leaving.”

Within thirty minutes, the three were seated in a booth.

Kane watched Jaylen and Amelia as they got comfortable on the opposite side from him.

He noticed Jaylen had her pulled snugly against him, and Kane wondered with humor if they were going to be able to eat that way.

He also saw the changes in Amelia after only a few days.

Her hair was down instead of back in the braid like when he’d met her.

She seemed tinier than he remembered, but he thought it might have something to do with Jaylen’s flannels, although it was clearly too large, it still looked good.

She looked much better in it than Jaylen did.

What was most noticeable was the light of happiness that hadn’t been present before.

It seemed Jaylen was right for her, and she was perfect for him, he decided. Despite the size difference, they fit, and he could tell there were some pretty deep emotions swirling between the two after the short amount of time they’d been together.

“So, Amelia, are you thinking of sticking around now?” Kane asked.

Amelia stiffened and glanced at Jaylen. The fiery ray of affection in Jaylen’s eyes sparked something inside of her. She relaxed against him before she glanced at Kane.

“Yes, I’ll be staying. At least until he gets sick of me,” she said in a joking manner, but the men could tell from the tone of her voice that there was deep-seated insecurity she was trying hard to hide from them.

Jaylen bent and placed a kiss on her temple. “And I can tell you that’s never going to happen, so you’d better get used to having me around. A lot.”

Amelia studied his expression and saw only a reflection of tender care and warmth. “I can’t see me ever getting tired of you,” she whispered.

“Good,” Jaylen said, bent, and placed a hard kiss on her mouth.

****

“H ey, Amelia! I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”

Amelia looked up and felt the warmth from a blush she knew appeared over her cheeks. She smiled up at the waitress, Sandra, as she placed three glasses of water on their table.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Amelia remarked. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I’m glad everything worked out between the two of you. You look good together. Maybe someday you’ll tell me how you met.”

Jaylen chuckled as Amelia’s blush darkened.

“What can I get for you guys?”

“Meatloaf,” the men declared.

Both Amelia and Sandra chuckled.

“What about you, honey?” she asked Amelia.

Amelia grinned. “I think we’re all wanting the meatloaf specials.”

“Any drinks?”

“Water’s good,” they said and watched Sandra walk off.

Kane took a drink of his water, then eyed them over the rim before he set it down.

“Now that I know you’re staying here, I hope you can get this guy to town more often.”

Amelia glanced up at Jaylen with a furrow between her brows.

“I’m not sure what kind of influence I’d have over him. I don’t have a problem with whatever he decides.”

Kane chuckled. “Oh, I think you’ll be surprised.”

Jaylen just grunted and then changed the subject.

Amelia shrugged. She sat back and shifted her gaze out the window, watching the people on Main Street as the men discussed any storm damage that might have occurred and the acquaintances they knew.

Jaylen spied Sandra heading their way with her arms full of plates.

“Here you go,” she said and laid a plate before each person. “If you need anything else, holler.”

They waved her off as they dug in.

Several minutes later, Amelia pushed her plate away and groaned.

“Oh, Lord,” she said and sat back.

Jaylen glanced at her plate. “That’s all you’re going to eat?”

“Yes. If I eat any more, you’ll have to roll me out of here.”

The men laughed, then continued eating.

Kane pointed to her plate with his fork.

“Mind if I help myself to your beans?”

“Not at all,” Amelia answered and pushed her plate between him and Jaylen. “Have at it, you guys.”

She sat back and watched in amazement as both men cleaned their own plates and then went on to clean up her half-full one.

“ Where in the hell do they put it? ”

Both men stopped at her whisper.

Kane pointed his fork at her again, but looked at Jaylen.

“Does she do that a lot? Think out loud or think no one can hear her?”

Jaylen chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

“Not a lot. But I love it when she does.”

Amelia scowled at both and crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re not supposed to hear me whisper. You both must have the hearing ability of bats. From now on, I’m going to work really hard not to do that again.”

“I hope not,” Jaylen said and went back to eating.

As she waited for the men to finish, she tipped her head back enough to see part of the room. A few of the women looked at the men with a hungry yearning in their expressions, while one glared at her. She relaxed back against the padding when Jaylen pulled her tightly to his side.

She talked with Sandra a bit when she stopped by to fill their glasses.

“How about dessert?”

Both men nodded.

“I’ll take the apple pie,” Jaylen said.

Kane held up his hand. “And I’ll take a cherry if you have it today.”

“Yup, we sure do. We also have coconut cream.” Sandra turned her head toward Amelia. “How about you?”

Amelia waved a hand in front of her. “No. It sounds delicious, but I can’t eat anymore.”

“What’s up with you guys the rest of the day?” Kane asked.

Jaylen wrapped an arm around Amelia as he waited for his pie.

“We need to go to the grocery store. It’s up to Amelia if she wants to check out some of the shops in town.”

“I love what I’ve seen of this town so far, and there are a few shops I’d like to check out. But I’d rather get what we need and head back up the mountain.”

Jaylen felt his heartbeat rise in his chest when she talked about their home.

Every minute of the day since he’d met her, he’d wanted her to feel comfortable and start thinking this was the place she was supposed to stay.

He sometimes got an uneasy feeling that what he had was nowhere near what she was used to, and she would end up miserable.

He didn’t have maids or cooks, and frankly, he didn’t want them, even though he could well afford them. He loved the cabin where they lived, but knew he’d have to move forward with a house big enough for the family he hoped they’d have someday.

“What does your family think of you staying here?”

“They don’t know.”

Kane’s eyes widened. “Don’t you think they’re worried about you?”

“Actually, no, I don’t,” Amelia murmured in a voice filled with pain. She turned her head to face the window and blinked back tears.

Jaylen leaned back a bit so Amelia couldn’t see him and shook his head slightly. Kane tilted his head forward, indicating he saw Jaylen and understood as his gaze studied her desolate features.

After the pie, the three parted ways on the sidewalk. Kane set off toward his store, and Amelia and Jaylen went to the truck.

A little way down, Jaylen stopped in front of a clothing store and parked. He turned off the truck and then faced Amelia.

“I know we didn’t plan on this today, but I think we need to get you some clothes. You definitely need a warmer, sturdier coat and boots. Jeans and thick sweatshirts would be good too.”