Holly & Gabe

Chapter One

Calla

It was the middle of July, and hot. I had always assumed mountain living meant winter all year-round, but I had been very wrong. Now I could see why Jake and other folks endured the brutal winters. Spring and summer on the mountain were well worth the cost of winter. I was in love with the cabin. It had been six months since Jake brought me home and I never wanted to look back.

I meandered through the open meadow close to the cabin, enjoying the feel of the warm sun beating down on my bare shoulders. With my fair skin and red hair, I knew better than to challenge the sun in a game of strength, so I was lathered in sunscreen. I could enjoy the sun without worrying about being completely scalded.

After picking a few more purple wildflowers to complete the bouquet I had gathered, I began walking back towards the cabin.

“Come on, Evie,” I hollered at my little Pomeranian. She was practically buried in the long path of wildflowers but didn’t seem to mind.

She jumped and bounced as she ran to keep up with me. I had been pleasantly surprised to discover she also loved living in the mountains.

“Let’s go see if Daddy is back,” I said, happily referring to Jake as Daddy.

He wasn’t all that fond of my use of the word, but that was how my parents had always referred to each other when they talked to our pets when I was growing up. Old habits died hard, so Jake was Daddy and I was Mommy to our two fur kids.

We broke through the trees and I could tell Jake and Gabe were still out doing whatever it was they did. They had left in the morning to go do man stuff, taking Jake’s big old lab, Casper along with them. Casper was a Daddy’s boy.

I pushed open the cabin door and dug out an old vase for my wildflower bouquet. Then it was time for a little music. I appreciated the isolation most of the time, but I did like to break up the silence a little, especially when I was alone.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind as I peeled potatoes over the sink.

“Hey,” I laughed, as his hands moved up to cup my breasts. His mouth nuzzled my neck.

“Hey, yourself,” he said, close to my ear. “The whole mountain can hear your music.”

I laughed and quickly used the remote to turn down Adele’s husky voice.

“Did you enjoy your walk?” he asked, his hands still roaming over my body, making it very difficult for me to concentrate on the potatoes in the sink.

I pushed my butt against his groin. “I did. Did you have fun doing whatever it was you and Gabe did?”

He chuckled, slapped my butt and stepped back. “I did. I think he’s going to come by for dinner. He said he’d bring a few peppers from his garden. What do you think, steak and potatoes for dinner?”

I nodded. “That was the plan. There’s plenty of deer steak to go around.”

“Do we have time for pre-dinner dessert?” I asked, turning around to press my body against his.

He grinned and lowered his mouth to mine. “I don’t know. How fast can you get this dress off?”

I giggled, feeling especially naughty. “It’s a dress, does it really need to come off?”

He growled and swallowed my laughter as his mouth moved over mine, his tongue plunging deep inside.

Casper’s loud bark alerted us we weren’t alone. Jake peered out the kitchen window. “Holly’s here.”

“Dammit,” I groaned. “She’s early.”

Jake gave me a quick kiss. “This will have to wait until after dinner I suppose.”

I looked down at his hand that was furiously trying to tuck away the erection evident in his pants.

I stuck out my bottom lip and pouted. “I was really looking forward to a quickie.”

“Stop. You’re going to kill me.”

I laughed and walked to open the front door. “Hi, Holly,” I greeted my assistant who looked completely flustered as always.

“Hi!”

She carried a heavy bag up the stairs along with a laptop case. “Are you moving in?” I teased.

“Ha!”

“Here, sit,” I motioned to one of the comfortable Adirondack chairs positioned on the porch.

She plopped down in the chair and wiped her brow. “It’s hot. I didn’t know it got hot in the mountains.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Neither did I. Jake tells me to enjoy it while it lasts because it will be short-lived.”

Jake appeared just then carrying two glasses of lemonade. “Here you go, ladies. Chat away. I’m going to finish slicing those potatoes.”

“Thanks, babe,” I told him, taking the icy-cold glass.

Once Jake was back inside, Holly shook her head. “He cooks too?”

I laughed. “Yes, he does. He is the total package.”

She set her glass on the porch and pulled out her laptop and a file folder, handing me the file. “Here is a list of dates for the next book release. We need to figure out which conventions you’ll be attending and try and get the press tour dates set up.”

“Oh Holly, all work and no play make you a very dull girl,” I complained.

“You pay me very well to be a dull girl, and I’m here, so how dull can that be?”

“Thank you for coming,” I told her, reviewing the potential list of dates.

We got down to business, planning the next six months of my life. The book I wrote after my experience meeting Jake would be released soon. I was very excited about this book. The publishing house was also very anxious to get it on the shelves, anticipating big sales.

“Hey,” Gabe’s deep voice startled me. He hadn’t made a sound walking up to the cabin.

I looked up and smiled. “Hi, Gabe.”

Gabe didn’t bother looking at me. He was looking at my assistant who was engrossed in her laptop, tapping away.

“Holly?” I said, grabbing her attention.

“Hmm,” she said looking up and immediately looked at Gabe standing a few feet in front of her. “Oh,” she murmured.

I grinned. I could spot that look a mile away. It was an instant connection. “Gabe, this is Holly. Holly, this is Gabe. He is our closest neighbor.”

She nodded her head. “Nice to meet you.”

Gabe seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Jake’s inside,” I told him, giving him the excuse he needed to escape.

Holly turned to look at me. “You didn’t tell me you had a neighbor.”

“I’m sure I did. He’s staying for dinner and so are you.”

“No, I can’t. I need to get up to the lodge and use the wi-fi to get this sent over to the press guy. He’s been hounding me to get your schedule nailed down,” she said, focusing on the screen again.

“Holly, please stay for dinner. You can do all that when we’re finished. The lodge is five minutes away.”

She sighed, “Fine, but I can’t stay long.”

We got back to work, but my concentration had been blown out of the water. I had seen the way Gabe and Holly looked at each other. Never in a million years would I have thought they would be drawn to each other, but the chemistry was instant. I guessed Gabe had to be in his mid to late forties. He wasn’t exactly over-the-hill. Holly was my age, she turned thirty in a couple months. It could work, I mused.

“You ladies about ready for some of the best steak you’ve ever had?” Jake said, popping his head out the door.

“Damn straight!” I said, excited to be done with the tedious business of planning my schedule.

Holly reluctantly shut her laptop. “We have to get this nailed down, Calla.”

“And we will, but I can’t focus on an empty stomach.”

Jake had prepared a feast fit for a king. We chose to eat outside and enjoy the fresh air. Gabe and Holly were both visibly nervous.

“What beach you guys taking off to?” Gabe asked.

“Bora Bora,” he replied. “Calla insists on going somewhere warm. I told her it would warm up here, but she wanted the beach.”

I laughed. “Damn straight. I want tropical drinks while I lay on the beach, soaking up the sun on my vacation.”

Holly nearly knocked her glass over as she waved her hand in the air. “That reminds me, Calla. The dress shop has an appointment the week you get back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Holly, I don’t need a fancy wedding dress.”

“Yes, you do. I already have the reception hall reserved at the hotel. Everything is set, but you need to tell me where you want to get married. We really are running out of time,” she shrieked.

“Relax. We can get married right here or anywhere,” I assured her.

She shook her head. “No. You put me in charge of planning the wedding, so I want it to be spectacular. The wedding is going to be horrible if you don’t give me something to go on.”

I looked at her, trying to calm her without saying a word. “Holly, I trust you. You pick the place and I’ll show up. Go ahead and make the appointment with the dress shop. I’ll be there.”

She visibly relaxed. “Good. Thank you. Sorry, I just get a little stressed when I can’t get all the details planned.”

Gabe was staring at Holly with a look of interest and confusion. Holly’s neurotic tendencies were definitely stare-worthy, especially when she got herself worked up. The woman was my only friend, as well as my assistant, but she could be very difficult to handle at times. I loved her anyway.

“You’re sure you’re going to be okay with both dogs?” I asked Gabe. “I can leave Evie with Holly if it is going to be a problem.”

“She’ll be fine. How hard can it be? I know the little girl would prefer to stay with her big brother, anyway. You don’t want to separate them, they’re best buds,” he said, looking at the dogs curled up together in the shade of a pine tree.

I smiled at the scene. “They certainly did fall for each other fast.”

“I told you Casper would like her,” Jake said, for what had to be the hundredth time since I brought my little dog to the cabin on that first day.

“Are you going to have your phone on you?” Holly asked.

“No!” Jake practically snarled the word.

I patted his leg. “I will have it, but I won’t have it on. I’ll check messages, but unless it is a dire emergency, I am out of reach.”

“Two whole weeks of nothing but me, you and the beach,” Jake said, with a lascivious smile.

I nodded. “We’re going to need it, because the minute we get back, I hit the ground running. Holly and I were working out the schedule for August and it’s going to be packed.”

He groaned. “Are you sure you have to work that much? You wrote the damn book, can’t they just sell it?”

I shrugged. “I have to do some press. I don’t do all that much, not nearly as much as some authors.”

Holly vigorously nodded her head. “No, she doesn’t, and they get very upset about it.”

“They can get mad,” Jake stated. “She deserves a little downtime.”

I smiled, feeling very loved and protected.

“So, what’s this book about?” Gabe asked.

Holly blushed a deep shade of red as I busted into a fit of laughter. “Oh, a little romance, a little comedy, and a whole lot of hot monkey sex.”

Gabe nearly choked on the drink of beer he had just taken. Jake was grinning ear to ear, proud as a peacock that he had provided inspiration for the book.

“Well, shit. I didn’t know you were that kind of a writer,” Gabe choked out.

I shrugged, not embarrassed in the slightest.

“I better get going,” Holly said, getting up from her chair.

With a quick hug, I sent her off, “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Watching Gabe watch her leave reaffirmed my belief that there was a spark there, though Jake seemed oblivious to what was happening. I would talk to him about it later.