Chapter 12
A cold, wet nose lying on her arm was enough to wake Meg from her sleep. Trying to maneuver under the heavy arm and leg that lay across her body, she turned to find two dark eyes inches from her face, startling her until it licked her chin…Duke.
She turned to see Colton still soundly sleeping and felt content, happy. She could get used to this, wet nose and all. She scratched Duke’s ears and whispered what a good boy he was. She carefully found her way out from under Colton, pulled his shirt over her head, and made her way to the kitchen where four little faces greeted her, tails wagging.
“Ah, its breakfast time, isn’t it?” she questioned the furry gang before her.
She let them out while she started a pot of coffee and gathered their food bowls to fill. She had watched Colton do this a number of times. Surely it wouldn’t be that hard. Their bowls were clearly labeled as was the large eight cup measuring scoop. She stacked them up as Colton did and carried them to the front porch, trying not to spill the contents.
“Shit, this is heavy. It weighs as much as Jax,” she proclaimed.
She lined them up, just as Colton would, in size order. She gave them all the okay to eat, including the hand signal for Boss that she learned by watching Colton so many times. Very proud of her accomplishment, she confidently stood, hands on hips, with a satisfied look on her face until she turned to the door to check on the coffee. A chill ran down her spine.
She watched her house in the distance, along with what appeared to be a prowler getting in his dark car and driving off. Who would be out this time of morning? What was he doing outside of his car, in front of her house? She didn’t get a good look at him or the car—too far away.
She pushed down the paranoia, reminded herself that she was safe. Nobody was looking for her, and if they were, they couldn’t find her. Living alone in a new town was starting to play games with her mind. This wasn’t the city—it was a safe little town. “Bad guys” don’t lurk in places like this.
Colton leaned against the wall near the hallway, arms crossed in front of him, watching Megan through the large picture window. He felt her get up – her absence had woke him from his deep satisfied slumber. He wondered how one night with her in his bed could leave such an imprint on his soul that he felt when she was gone.
He chuckled at the sight of her carrying the bulky bowls, balancing them as she made her way through the house. He almost helped her but was enjoying the show. Her final feat, signaling Boss, afforded him a cute little victory dance filled with bouncing breasts and wiggling hips that made the front of his pants twitch and heart swell. He was completely taken by her. He knew he had a lot of love to give someone, but this was overwhelming. He wondered…was it love in such a short time? If it wasn’t, he didn’t know how he would handle the real deal. This, whatever it was, was powerful and all consuming.
His mood quickly shifted when he noticed her joyful dancing quickly change to stone cold fear. She stood still and became pale, eyes locked on something in the distance. He followed her gaze in the direction of her house. He could see it through the dining room window from where he stood. He saw an unfamiliar car driving in the distance, not sure where it had come from or why it drained the light from her eyes.
He went to her. She snapped out of her somber mood and returned from wherever she had been when his arms circled her waist and a gentle kiss landed on her neck.
“I could get used to that, ya know,” she said, finding comfort in his embrace.
“Good, my plan is working,” he joked. “Where were you just now? Everything okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, everything is fine. Just lost in thought is all,” she said, reaching one arm around his neck, turning to kiss him.
“You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he mentioned while turning her to face him.
“I’m sure.” She smiled and kissed him sweetly, trying to convince herself as much as him that all was well.
“Okay, if you’re sure,” he said, kissing her again. “Thanks for feeding the gang.”
Her smile returned with the light in her eyes at the mention of her morning task. “Well, it was my pleasure. I was honored when Duke was nominated by the gang to wake me for food.”
“So, it’s Duke’s fault you left the bed so early,” he said, giving a surly look to the dog that lowered his head.
“Aww, it’s okay boy. It was time to get up anyway. They are starting to really grow on me. It was fun and quite the work out!” She laughed, flexing her muscles.
He pulled her in for a passionate kiss that she wished could have lasted forever, then said, “Shower, before coffee or after?”
“After, or you’ll see a side of me sure to scare you off for good.”
“In that case, I’ll go first…feel free to join me.” He smacked her ass as he went inside, headed for the shower.
Meg wandered through the house, headed for the kitchen for that cup of coffee she desperately needed. Grabbing a pastry from the box she had brought over the day before, she sat and thought about the past 24 hours. She really could get used to this, she thought. The companionship, his tenderness, and nights like last night. She knew this was a bad idea, but his hands, his mouth, and his devotion to her left her with a craving for more, much more.
She didn’t want to hurt him, and maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe they could stay this way forever. Forever. That’s something she hadn’t thought about in so long. The smile it left on her hopeful face was quickly replaced with regret and sorrow when the image of that man in the unfamiliar car flashed through her mind.
“What have I done? Oh Colton, what have I done?”
Colton had time on his hands, so he was off to find something special. His shift didn’t start until the evening, and he’d just dropped Meg and Jax off at Blooming Grounds after picking up the tot at the Taylers’. He was glad he had picked Meg up at the shop the night before as it meant more time with her. She was completely dependent on him, even though for only a few hours. He liked that. He wanted her to depend on him. He wanted to take care of her and Jax.
She was kind and outgoing, and she lit up every room she entered and had everyone around her completely mesmerized by her presence…especially him. Her beauty was beyond the surface, and after last night, she would always be his muse, controlling his every thought. She had him by the balls in a big way, and he was one hundred percent okay with that.
He felt so protective of her. There was something he was missing but didn’t know what. Watching her this morning so full of joy, just to see it ripped away at the sight of a car?
Something had a hold of her, and it pained him that she wouldn’t let him help. She denied anything was wrong, but this was more than just paranoia. She was haunted
. Colton wanted to fight her demons and ghosts for her, take her pain and give her pleasure. He would too – he would find a way in.
Meg loved her shop. It was fun and brought in so many of the townspeople and tourists alike. If they weren’t there for flowers, they were there for coffee and a light lunch or treat by day…wine and beer by night. It was new, fresh, and fun. What wasn’t there to love about this place?
Today, however, she would rather be somewhere other than Blooming Grounds. Thoughts of the night before had her wanting a certain man. As much as he made an “impression” in bed, it was everything else that had her distracted. He was so gentle and warm, took care of her at every turn. He made her feel special and cherished…something she hadn’t experienced until now. She was lost in tangled thoughts of him and how she could make a life with him in it work when an abrupt roar of laughter brought her back to present.
Her cheeks blushed when she noticed every eye, surrounding the corner table she was seated at, pegged on her. The Holiday Fair meeting—all of her friends were enjoying her embarrassment to the nth degree.
“Sorry, what did I miss?” she asked nonchalantly, trying not to trip over her own words.
“I think the real question is what did we miss, honey?” Granny Lou asked with a knowing look and wink.
“I think it’s pretty fucking obvious. Princess here got it on with Sparks!” Jessie delivered, straight to the point, crude as can be.
“Wait. What? You knew? I mean what? What are we talking about?” She continued to stammer, giving away everything, which lead to another roar of laughter.
Megan looked to Sam for help but received a shrug and raised eyebrows in return.
“I didn’t say a word, promise. I didn’t even tell them Jax stayed the night.” Sam squinted and made a pained face, realizing what she just gave to the piranhas. The laughter escalated to cat-calls and high-pitched whistles worthy of an obnoxious strip club bachelorette party.
Just when Megan thought her face couldn’t get any redder, it had. Evie came to the rescue like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, more interested in getting the “dirt” on Princess and Sparks than getting her out of that hole she had been digging.
“Come on guys, leave her alone, poor thing,” Evie said, followed by a subtle pause before delivering the punch line. “She’s probably speechless from reading her bible all night.”
Boom, there it was. She could almost hear the rimshot on the background drum now. Truth be told, she was enjoying the ribbing her friends were giving. It felt good to be “normal,” for a change, and have something she could share with them. Not that she would, but she could give them a teaser and let them wonder while keeping the rest all to herself.
“Okay, okay, I’m caught! Yes, Colton and I went on a very romantic date last night. We were at your Ranch, actually,” she said, nodding at Morgan. “It’s stunning. What an incredible experience – loved every minute of it! The food…”
“For the love of God, nobody cares about what you ate. We’ve been there. What the fuck happened next?” Jessie interrupted. “Sparks has been acting like a love-struck ass lately. Please, tell me he got laid and I can expect him to be back to normal on the next call because if I have to hear how friggin’ wonderful you are much longer, I’m tossing him in the next fire we’re called to.”
“Honey, he may need a hit from that fire hose. It sounds like he’s got enough heat brewin’ already,” Granny offered with wiggling eyebrows.
“Holy hell, ladies, leave our girl alone. Don’t piss her off, or she’ll leave all the Holiday Fair plannin’ to us!” Carigan chimed in, hushing the gossip brigade.
“Thanks for the compliment, Meg. I’m glad you had a good time at Pinecrest. You’re welcome any time, and you don’t
need a reservation. From what I hear, you guys left pretty close and cozy. No need to talk about what happened after. It’s pretty damn obvious by that big ol’ smile headed your way,” Morgan said, nodding toward the front of the shop.
Everyone looked toward the front entrance to see Colton walking toward the table, grinning ear to ear with bedroom eyes locked on Megan. He walked up behind her and bent down to give her a kiss while setting a box covered in ribbon in front of her.
“So, what did I just walk in on?” he asked. “Are they treating you okay? Don’t take their crap
. They are like a bunch of bratty sisters.”
They all noticed the sadness that crossed her face at the mention of sister, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived. He kicked himself for being insensitive.
Jax ran up to Colton, thrilled to see him, tugging on his pant leg, yelling, “Big fuck, big fuck!”
All eyes turned to Granny Lou and Jessie, each of whom already had their hands up and blaming the other.
“Hey, I say the F
word
a lot but never about Sparks. Geez, guys!” Jessie defended.
Lou was shaking her head with her eyes closed. “I would never…and I’m shocked you assume such a thing from an old lady…please, have some class.”
Colton laughed, enjoying the show while he picked up Jax. He decided to let them off the hook this time and said to Jax, “Sorry buddy, no FIRE TRUCK
today, kiddo!”
Giggles and a couple sighs of relief stretched across the room when Colton cleared up the language as simple toddler talk.
“So what’s in the box?” Carigan asked with excitement, getting the group back on topic…the box.
Jessie asked, “Need some privacy? We don’t need to know all of your kinky secrets.”
“Bite me, Jess,” he fired.
“You have Priss Pants for that!” she retorted.
“Touché!” Megan shot back, surprising the group.
“I thought bringing flowers or candy, or even dessert to the girl who owned the town flower shop with a coffee house inside would be tacky. So I brought you this…open it,” he said, nodding to the box in front of her.
Meg slowly opened the box, nervous about what could be inside. What was left after flowers, candy, and dessert? She pulled out a big glass fish bowl, filled with small colorful rocks at the bottom and a fake green plant buried within. There was a clear plastic bag inside, containing water and one blue and purple fish with big fan-like fins. The ladies at the table began to giggle at his gift. Of course, Colton would give an animal in place of flowers.
“What the fuck is she supposed to do with a fish? Seriously Sparks, I’m disappointed in you. Ask one of us next time,” Jessie scolded.
“Oh, no, honey. I think it’s romantic and just the right kind of gift,” Granny rebutted. He was bringing her into his world or inviting her into it, anyway.
“I love it! My first pet!” Megan said, not expecting anyone to understand but Colton. All the shyness she had exhibited, just moments before, dissolved and ended in a long, hard, hot kiss.
“Well, hot damn! If I knew there was going to be a show today, I would have brought my fan and some dollar bills!” Granny hollered with a high-pitched, two-finger whistle to follow, starting a chain of inappropriate cheering and whistling.
It appeared that Megan had just made a decision and followed it with a big statement. She had a man, and nothing was getting in her way, not even her past.
Jessie hollered, “Get a room!” earning her a nudge from Carigan.
“I think it’s sweet. Don’t be such a cynic, Jess,” she said.
Colton broke the kiss with a big Cheshire Cat smile and smacked her ass as he headed toward the door.
“I’ll see you tonight before my shift starts,” he said over his shoulder.
“Where were we?” Meg asked, picking up where they had left off as if nothing had happened. Each of the ladies looked at each other, and another roar of laughter filled the space.
She went on to tell them of her plan—the Holiday Bazaar would carry on through the week, as tradition dictated, and now be called the “Holiday Hoe Down Bazaar.” The big reveal that put her stamp on the event was the dance at the end of the week, which would be named the “Crystal Showdown Gala.”
The old Hickory Hill Barn would serve as their event venue. It was, at least, one hundred years old and had served as a school, a church, and even a barn in its day. It was rustic, worn, and perfect for the glamorous event, even if she was the only one who could see the glam in that old building at the moment. Much of her plan was inspired by Morgan’s ranch setting. Tables would be adorned with burlap and lace, along with shabby-chic center pieces, adorned with holiday red and white flowers, with strings of crystals anywhere they could stash them for their hint of chic.
She found antique chandeliers online for a steal to replace the stock barn lighting, her contribution along with the flowers. The event budget could handle the rest if area businesses donated wine, champagne, and beer, all local of course. Bakers donated desserts while local restaurants all chipped in for dinner service. Doc Charles, from the hospital ER, and his band agreed to donate their services as the entertainment for the event. She even managed to collect silent auction items from local businesses, as well as some not so local, but needed everyone’s help to gather more and handed a list to each of them to call on.
They all sat speechless, in complete awe of what this mad woman in front of them had accomplished in such a short amount of time. When she asked if they had any questions, she found a table surrounded by gaping jaws and wide eyes. Shock washed over them, and only crickets could be heard. It seemed they had a real party planner on their hands – this was the real
Meg Johnson.