Page 12 of One Scorching Summer

Jorja countered. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Seriously? I disagree. Find the common ground. You and Rake … It’s a female-male thing. The attraction between you deserves to be explored. It’s palpable, Jorja. Electric. Levi and I both felt it. I mean, how long has it been since you and Johnny split?”

“Over a year.”

“What happened between your family and Rake’s was practically a century ago. Time to let bygones be bygones, don’t you think? How long do you want to carry that water? It’s got to be exhausting.”

“It is. I just want to let go of it somehow.” Jorja groaned and pulled a quilt around her.

“Let’s watch a movie.” Nettie pointed the remote at the TV.The Wedding Plannerfilled the screen.

“Thanks for all of this. For being you. Being my bestie. Being honest.” Jorja sipped the drink. “Oh, damn. Yum.”

“I love you, too.” Nettie handed Jorja another quilt.

“I adore these quilts. They’re like a grand hug.”

Buried under several of Nettie’s grandmother’s quilts and full of food, their bodies humming from deep tissues massages and pampering, the women were asleep before the movie finished.

CHAPTER THREE

Sunday…

Face up and quilts kicked to the floor, Jorja was wide awake when the sun broke the horizon. Ready to begin her day, she padded to the bathroom to attend to business and apply antibiotic ointment on the scrapes, which were healing nicely. She dressed, sliding cash into a pocket of her running shorts, and tip-toed down the stairs carrying her shoes, not wishing to disturb Nettie. In the kitchen, she scribbled a quick note before going outside to stretch.

Humidity was high. The steps to the trail were slick with dew and shaded, like the trail. She punched the code into the gate lock and stepped onto the trail.Sweet.People were already on it at this early hour, probably intent on getting outside ahead of the predicted heat which would bring on sauna-like conditions—weather that was typical of August, not early June.

Jorja secured her sunglasses over her ball cap, checked the laces of her sneakers, and picked up a jog, heading in the direction of the Ulen Bakehouse. Nettie had raved about their coffee and pastries when they passed it on their way to the spa yesterday.

The restaurant was situated close to the river and nestled among the trees. There was even a sign that directed users of the trail to a dogleg, which led to the establishment. Her mouth watered as she eyed the freshly baked sweets, deciding on two blueberry-lemon croissants—one to eat with her coffee outside and one for Nettie. She ventured back outside to eat. The deck was on the riverside, with tables that could seat four or more. To one side of it, a lower narrow deck jutted out, closer to the water. It was empty. Running its length was a metal counter with brightly painted stools, perfect for singles and smaller parties, and since it was only her, Jorja chose a stool in the dappled shade.

She slipped off her sunglasses and became transfixed by the water’s movement while breakfasting. Time suspended while she finished the croissant—one of the best ever—and leisurely sipped the extra-large black coffee, daydreaming about a certain devastatingly handsome rancher with eyes the color of the sky after a summer rain, hard-packed muscle, and a voice that wrecked her insides, reducing her to a quivering wet mess. A man whose kiss rendered her insatiable and aching all night.

She had been a hair’s breadth away from shattering in the private hall at Beugy’s.What if I had?

Need had woken her after midnight. She turned off the TV and eased off the couch still wrapped in quilts. Nettie puffed peacefully, a hint of a smile on her face. Jorja had retired to her room where she took care of herself. However, she did not sleep well. Rake starred in her dreams again.

Her hand shook as she drank from the insulated cup. What would it be like to be with him? Just once?

The universe answered with its twisted sense of humor and her stomach dropped like a stone.

Rake approached from the direction opposite from where she had come, in running shorts and a sleeveless tee, chattingand laughing with a bronze-skinned, dark-haired beauty dressed similarly. A different one than yesterday afternoon, and a lot younger. They seemed very comfortable with each other. Frequent flashes of white broke up his tanned features and made him all the more tantalizing. She had to hand it to him. The confirmed bachelor got around, just like the rumor mill claimed.

Jorja slid on the sunglasses, confident she was incognito with the shade’s help, and propped herself up on her elbows, watching more closely. She didn’t so much as move.

The man had a sixth sense. He glanced up and zeroed in on her immediately. At the same moment, this companion answered her phone and stepped aside to sit on a bench, signaling to him that she was going to be awhile. Despite the dark shades covering his eyes, she felt the intensity of his stare. His grin turned into a smirk, and he waved.

What the hell? She was doing her thing, and he was doing his.Leave me alone.Rattled, Jorja shrank into herself.

Rake said something to his date and kissed the top of her head, then strode purposefully toward Jorja.

No. This was not going to happen. She was wholly unprepared for the force of this man. Jettisoning to her feet, she upset the coffee with her elbow when reaching for the pastry bag in an effort to hightail it back to the trail. What was left splashed onto the countertop, the deck, her shins, socks, and shoes. The stool that she had been sitting on tipped and clattered loudly to its side. Heat blazed through her body.

“Shit.” Jorja blotted up the mess as best as she could with the meager supply of napkins. The brown pastry bag with Nettie’s croissant, which she clutched, was the only thing unaffected. “I am not in the mood to dick around with him.” She muttered, appalled at being caught gawking, and the resulting mess. She set the stool on its feet and checked it for damage. It didn’t seem any worse for the mishap.

“You’re not in the mood to dick around with who?”

Too loudly. Her mom constantly reminded her about keeping things to herself.Please ground, open up and swallow me.Her voice was flat.“What do you want?”

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