Burned by a Kiss Read online

  “Señor says to tell you hola. And that he’s glad you’re back.” Sierra beamed. “He says the Dos is on him to celebrate your safe return.”

  “Safe return from where?” Nick asked, and Santana shook his head.

  Emma lost her focus on the menu. “Santana’s just back from being deployed.”

  Nick’s gaze returned to him. “Deployed?”

  “Got back a few weeks ago. I was in the Middle East,” he said slowly, realizing that for the first time, he wasn’t feeling anxiety about retiring from the Navy. He didn’t feel bottled up; he didn’t feel spent.

  He felt just fine, the way he had in the old days, before his father had died, before they’d lost the ranch, before he’d realized that one more tour of duty would be one too many. Tempting the gods wasn’t wise. He’d come through four tours in better shape than most.

  Of course, the gods had quixotic personalities, and were trying to lure his younger brothers away instead. Maybe they’d follow the rodeo, maybe try out some caves in Belize. Romero hadn’t clarified.

  Hell, for all he knew, Romero had decided to join Luke and Cisco and give the military life a shot, now that they had no ranch to work.

  “Thank you for your service,” Nick said, and Santana started.

  “No need to thank me.” He passed around the beers, wishing he was sitting next to Emma.

  “I appreciate your agreeing to take the job as foreman,” Nick said.

  “Why? Do you get a tax credit for hiring a veteran?” Sierra demanded.

  Santana shrugged. “I’m taking the job, and I’m grateful for it, Nick.”

  When the waitress came over, they all ordered the same thing: Burgers, well-done, veggies on the side. The waitress left, and Nick lifted his bottle. “Thanks, guys.”

  “Stop being so nice,” Sierra snapped. “You got our ranch, you don’t need to rub salt in the wound by showing us what a prince you are.”

  Emma’s mouth fell open as she stared at Sierra. Nick looked startled, and Santana shook his head.

  “Sierra, Nick had nothing to do with the agreement our fathers brokered. I can work for him and help him make a success of things, or he’ll put the ranch on the market and it will be sold, as per the trust, which was an irrevocable trust, remember?” He looked at his sister, unwilling to hurt her, but knowing he had to make her understand. “Very likely Mr. Marshall made his brother agree to an irrevocable trust because he didn’t want to leave open the possibility that he might predecease Dad, and Dad might change the will in our favor. Given that Dad had shown that he was capable of making disastrous financial decisions, it was a wise business decision to make it irrevocable. If I don’t help Nick, and he can’t make it work or decides to sell, some developer is going to come along and pour concrete over our ranch, and change Star Canyon forever. Not to mention, I’m pretty happy to have employment for however long, doing what I know how to do best. What I love doing most of all.”

  Sierra waited as the waitress set down their plates.

  “Everything look all right?” she asked. “I can take your burgers back if they’re not how you like them.”

  “Mine’s fine,” Nick said with a smile Santana thought seemed very genuine for a man who wasn’t used to greasy spoons and roadside cafes.

  They all nodded, and when the waitress left, Sierra looked at Nick. “I don’t understand why you’d want to live at our ranch. You’re not a working ranch kind of man.”

  He shrugged, unbothered as he picked up his burger. “I need to do it. And since your brother’s going to help me out, maybe you’d be interested in working at the ranch, too.”

  Emma’s gaze met Santana’s over the open warfare that had been declared at the table. “I’m opening a bridal store, if you most know,” Sierra announced.

  Nick raised a brow. “How many weddings are there a year in Star Canyon? Based on the town rolls of five hundred people, give or take a dozen depending on the weather and when someone’s decided to look for greener pastures, I’d put the number at less than ten.”

  Sierra leaned back, her gaze cool. “So you’ve checked out our historic little town.”

  “A good businessman looks into what he’s investing in.”

  “So we’re an investment,” Sierra said, and Emma put down her burger.

  “Sierra, aren’t you hungry?” Emma asked.

  “Why did you decide to take over the ranch?” Sierra asked.

  “Maybe I’m looking for peace and quiet.”

  Sierra looked outraged, Santana noted, and outrage on his sister was a bad thing. “Sierra,” Santana began, but she sprang to her feet.

  “I don’t know why I agreed to break bread with the enemy. And you are the enemy,” she told Nick. “I came to dinner to protect my brother from your sneaky, opportunistic ways, because Santana has a good heart. He doesn’t want to believe that you’re conniving. But your father was, and I think you are, too.” She looked at Santana. “I can’t protect you if you decide to jump right into the lion’s jaws. But I’d look before you leap. I’m catching a ride back to Star Canyon.” She grabbed her purse and looked at Emma. “Sorry, Emma.”

  “It’s fine.” Emma snatched her purse up and followed Emma to the door, saying, “Thanks for dinner, Nick,” over her shoulder as she hurried after his sister.

  Santana stared after the two women as they departed.

  “I should offer them a ride home,” Nick said. He dug around in his pocket for his wallet. Patted his trousers for his keys.

  “Don’t worry,” Santana said with a sigh, as he realized what had happened. “Sierra is driving home right now in a very nice Ranger Rover. I’ll have the waitress go across the street and pick us up some more brew.”

  Nick stared at him. “Are you saying your sister picked my pocket before we ever got inside the restaurant?”

  “It’s probably best if we don’t discuss the particulars.”

  Nick leaned back in the booth. “How’s her driving?”

  “Passable.” No sense in telling the man that right now, his Range Rover was probably surpassing any previous record the odometer had ever experienced. The women probably had the windows rolled down, were very likely singing at the top of their lungs all the way back to town.

  “So is there a taxi service from here to Star Canyon?” Nick asked.

  “There’s a service, though I don’t know if I’d call it a taxi.” Santana lifted his bottle in a mock salute. “Have another beer, cousin. You’re going to need it.”

  • • •

  Emma followed Sierra out, not shocked at all that they were stealing a ride home. Sierra wasn’t easily intimidated, and she was tough like her brothers, and taking Nick’s fancy car for a joy ride would be a distraction for her. Emma decided her best option was to stick with her friend and make sure she stayed out of more trouble.

  Once home, Emma sank into the wicker seat on her white-painted porch, Gus and Bean happy to be out in the front yard, despite December’s chill. She pulled the blanket a little further around her, enjoying the bright stars in a velvety sky and a half slice of moon pinned among them.

  It was probably only thirty minutes later, after she’d gone in to make herself a cup of hot cocoa and returned to her wicker seat, that she heard a truck in her drive. She wasn’t totally surprised to see Santana park his truck and amble up to the porch.

  “Can’t sleep after a meal like that one?” he called, when he couldn’t make it farther without Gus and Bean joyously halting him for attention.

  “I thought Star Canyon was where all the excitement is, anyway.”

  “The excitement is where Sierra is. Can I join you?”

  “Help yourself.”

  He sank into the wicker seat beside her. “I tried calling. And texting. Figured I’d better drop by, make sure you were all right.” He looked at her. “You rode home with Sierra in a snit, in a car she stole. I was worried.”

  “Borrowed. We borrowed it.”

  “Still.” He let ou
t a long breath. “I didn’t realize my sister was as angry as she is. Is as angry as she is. In retrospect, I see her point.”

  “How did you guys get back to town?” Emma didn’t want to discuss their personal family issues.

  “By a mode of transportation I can assure you that Nicholas Marshall IV has never traveled before. In the back of Señor Hernandez’s truck he uses to haul hay.” He chuckled softly, and the sound sizzled along Emma’s nerves, surprising her. He was sexy, oh-so-sexy, which she’d always known—but it wasn’t just the sexy she found so attractive.

  “How did Nick feel about riding in a truck?”

  “The truck bed. We rode in the truck bed with the hay bales and a couple of farm hands that didn’t speak the world’s best English. Nick seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly. Or he has damn good manners and wasn’t letting on.” He laughed, and the sound was rich and full in the night. She leaned back, comforted by Santana’s strength. “Let’s just say the experience didn’t devastate him the way I would have imagined it might. Getting his white shirt dirty didn’t seem to faze him.”

  “I’m not surprised, actually.”

  “I have the strangest feeling that Nick and his father might have been cut from two very different pieces of cloth.”

  Emma watched Gus and Bean wrestling with a smile. The two German shepherd puppies scrabbled playfully, and then all of a sudden, sat up straight, their ears perked toward the bushes.

  “They heard their first owl,” Emma whispered.

  After a minute of watching the dogs try to figure out exactly what was hooting nearby, Santana said, “Do you think I’m nuts to work for Nick?”

  “No. It’s a great idea. Certainly no nuttier than opening a bridal shop in a town that has, as Nick pointed out, a handful of weddings a year.”

  “I thought my sister was going to go up in smoke when he said that.” Santana chuckled. “I shouldn’t laugh, but Nick’s clearly done some due diligence on what he’s getting himself into in Star Canyon. And Sierra didn’t want to hear a word of practical criticism of her new project.”

  Emma smiled. “Sierra is my dear friend. If she wants to open a bridal shop, I’ll support her. I’ll even put her business cards in my clinic.”

  He was silent. Gus and Bean settled at their feet, worn out from playing. “Have I mentioned I’m a little worried about Sierra?”

  She didn’t want to say it, but she was, too.

  “Ever since we found out about everything, she hasn’t been herself.”

  “You’ve lost the only home you’ve ever known. You’re taking a job with a man your sister refers to as the enemy, and you’re just now getting to grieve, Santana.” Emma considered her words carefully. “Maybe none of you have been the same ever since your father died. It would be very understandable.”

  “I think the reason I’m taking the job with Nick is to stay near the old place.”

  “It won’t drive you insane? Working there, but knowing it’s no longer your home?” Emma looked at him curiously.

  “There’s nothing I can do about the past. What happened, happened, and clearly none of us knew Dad the way we thought we did.” He leaned back, his shoulder brushing hers in a way that felt companionable. “I figure helping Nick manage the place keeps it in his hands, instead of letting somebody take it over that will chop it up into small lots for homes. I’m being selfish, I suppose.”

  “I should get everybody to bed,” she said softly. “I fall asleep early, in case I get an emergency call in the night. Routine is everything in my business.”

  He stood when she did.

  Oh, she had good intentions. She was trying to convince herself more than Santana. So when he leaned down to kiss her goodnight, Emma closed her eyes, almost relieved when his lips touched hers. Her whole body yearned to be close to his, as if she’d waited forever to be in his arms. She wanted so badly to pull his head closer to hers, get as close to him as she possibly could.

  “Wait a minute.” She pulled back, looked up at him. “Why are you kissing me?”

  He hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Since saying because I want to isn’t the answer you’re looking for…I guess I have to admit that I’m just as intrigued by you as Nick is by my sister.” He touched the curve of her cheek. “The only difference is that Nick doesn’t know why he’s fascinated by Sierra, and he’ll probably end up getting third-degree burns. I, on the other hand, know exactly why you fascinate me.”

  “You said everything had changed,” Emma reminded him, “I know everything has changed for you. You sounded very clear about having developed a sudden case of cold feet.”

  “I’m not going to say that I’ve handled this whole new-cousin-takes-over-the-ranch and you’re-all-adopted scenario very well. Probably I haven’t handled it one bit.” He shrugged and suddenly released her, as if he’d had second thoughts and was fighting temptation. “You’re right. There’s things I need to work out. You’re the one thing in my life that’s stayed constant, and I guess I’m drawn to that. Which isn’t fair to you. All I know is that when I’m around you, I want you like nothing I’ve ever wanted. Frankly, I’d give anything to be the man who deserves you, Emma Glass.”

  He gave the puppies a swift pat on their heads, delighting them, and let himself out.

  “And that,” she told Gus and Bean, “is how to run a guy off in record time.”

  Santana had wanted her—she’d felt it, in the way he caressed her face, the way his strong arms held her close. And he’d admitted it, with that husky, gentle tone in his voice, the passion barely disguised as he spoke.

  A shiver ran over her.

  For just the briefest of seconds, Emma desperately wished she’d been brave enough to ask him to stay—in spite of everything.

  But unlike Sierra, she wasn’t the kind of woman who took a lot of chances.

  She’d never taken a chance on anything, she realized, as she looked around her pretty blue-painted bedroom with the white comforter on the bed, her one frivolous luxury in spite of the pets and her veterinary work. Everything else in her life could be furry, muddy, covered with cat paws—but not her room. This was her sanctuary, her reservoir.

  But life in Star Canyon was about taking chances. Half of them didn’t work out. Half of them did.

  Proceed with caution had always been her motto.

  Yet if she’d thrown that motto out tonight, Santana would be in this bed with her right now.

  A knock sounded on her door. She opened it, her heart leaping. “Did you forget something?” she asked Santana.

  “We need to get your Jeep if you want to get to work in the morning.”

  She could call Jenny. Jenny would be happy to come by early and give her a ride to the clinic.

  Or…

  She held the door open. “Or you can drop me off in the morning.”

  Heat flared in his eyes. She nearly melted on the spot, alive with wanting him. On a limb, waiting for his answer, Emma wondered if she’d done the right thing. Maybe she sounded desperate, considering the conversation they’d just had. It had seemed so final.

  All she knew was that she wanted Santana in her arms more than anything in the world.

  He drew in a deep breath. For one wild moment, she thought he was going to turn her down flat.

  He closed the door, his gaze strange with darkness, and pulled her up against his chest, kissing her with the heat she needed. Had been waiting for forever. She clung to his sheepskin jacket, lost in what he was doing to her mouth. Her soul.

  She heard a moan, realized it was her. He pulled her to him even closer, his mouth harder on hers now, searching, tasting. She pulled back. “Santana—”

  He ignored her hesitation, pulled her back to him, his mouth demanding on hers. She felt fire start taking her over, melted against him with a moan. His mouth felt so good. He held her so tight, so hard, that she knew he wanted her. And she wanted him, so much she felt like she was falling into an abyss. But he caught her before she fell, his
arms strong, his kisses demanding and insistent, making her body awaken from a slumber she hadn’t realized had claimed her.

  “Take me to bed,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He stilled with a groan, his mouth angled against hers, then nudged her lips open, sweeping inside her, searching. Didn’t he want her? That thought was instantly perished as he crushed her up against her chest, carrying her down the hall to her room.

  He tossed back the white comforter with one hand and laid her down. He looked at her, his eyes dark and haunted. She waited, her breath coming in small pants.

  “Santana—”

  “You’re beautiful,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of seeing you like this. Being with you.” He pulled off her boots, dropping them to the floor. She moved, thinking to help undress him, but he pressed her back against the pillows. “I just want to look at it, just like this.” He picked up her hand, kissed her fingertips. “I’ve waited years for this moment.”

  Her heart raced in a mad tattoo. Slowly, he pulled off her socks, removed her jeans with the care that one would reveal a rare piece of art. She watched fire born in his eyes as he met hers, realized there was no going back from this precipice in their relationship. The dogs snuffled at the door, but Santana didn’t seem to hear. She lay still, wanting desperately to touch Santana, feel his hard muscles—recognized he was savoring every moment, every motion together. She’d never been the object of a man’s desire before—not this kind of intense desire—and it felt like her breath might stop any moment if he didn’t touch her. Hold her.

  He put his warm palm against her belly, stroked the lace at the top of her black panties, undid the buttons of her blouse one by one, pushing the blouse away from her black bra with a groan. Desperate for him to touch her, and to run her hands over every inch of her body, Emma squirmed. “Santana, don’t make me wait.”

  His gaze met hers. She couldn’t stand it another second. Rising to her knees, she tugged off his shirt, unbuckled his belt, tore off his boots. She got rid of his briefs, stunned by the strong body she’d previously only imagined. “My God.” She touched a wound on his abs, suddenly ill when she realized it was from a bullet.