8
He was leaving tomorrow.
Katie and Ian had seen each other every day since the first time they made love.He’d put in his hours at ND Manufacturing while she worked at Lina’s, made soups to sell, and created a meal for the night’s dinner.The fact that Ian joined her for dinner made the preparations extra special.Would he comment on the smoked paprika in the fish tacos?What about the nutmeg in the stuffed shells?And would he like the veggie pesto burgers she planned for this evening’s meal?The key was the cayenne pepper, and the dollop of balsamic aioli on top.Add a simple salad and a side of roasted potato wedges drizzled with olive oil, a few shakes of kosher salt, and a toss of chopped rosemary, and you had a seriously delicious meal.
Of course, Ian would be looking for a sweet afterward.You’re the only sweet I need, he’d told her one night after she placed a triple fudge brownie on his plate.He’d pushed back the kitchen chair, pulled her onto his lap, and nuzzled her ear.You’re the only one who can satisfy this craving...
Heat swirled through her as she recalled how she’d made him moan with need, his breath choppy, jaw clenched, as she touched, teased, and definitely satisfied his craving.Each time they made love, it was more intense, more consuming, more passionate.How could that be?What did it mean, and how would she survive when he left?Ian never stayed the night but left the cabin in the early morning hours so he could wake up at Jack and Dolly’s.
I don’t want there to be any suspicion about us.I can’t do that to you.When he smiled, those blue eyes could convince her to believe anything—and she had.One day, we’re going to wake up together in the morning.That’s my dream.
It was her dream, too, but that required a conversation about how that would happen.He was heading back to California and a fancy college, while she was staying in Magdalena.Her time would be taken up with business classes at the community college, shifts at Lina’s, and working on her soups.But what about Ian?Would he be lured back to his old life, one that didnotinclude her?Or would he miss her as much as she already missed him?He’d told her they belonged together, but what exactly did that mean?She tried not to think about it, but Ian Finnegan owned her heart and had long before they slept together.
Of course, they didn’t spend all of their time in bed.No, they also continued their “commitment to personal exploration” on the couch, the recliner, the kitchen table, the deck.The desire wouldnotstop, and it wasn’t just sexual.Being with him made her heart happy, her existence, complete.
Ian enjoyed taste testing the various soups she created, insisted one day her label would be sold nationwide.They strategized ways to make that happen as he helped her chop vegetables, taste broths, and decide on which herbs to incorporate.She’d never imagined herself in a man’s T-shirt minus bra and undies as she cooked.Or that the man who owned the T-shirt would be sitting next to her, bare-chested, barefoot, in sweats, his gaze devouring her as thoughshewere his next sample—which she often was…
For the first time in her life, Katie allowed herself to dream, to believe in love and hope.
“Hey, why so quiet?”
They’d just finished dinner—veggie pesto burgers, potato wedges, green beans, and homemade applesauce—and sat on the couch while the chocolate-chip-oatmeal cookies baked.Ian claimed her culinary creations were better than anything he’d ever tasted.Not even the five-star places compare,he’d said as he sampled her latest offering.And do you know why?He’d leaned toward her, his voice husky.Everything you make is filled with love.He’d mentioned the “love” word a few times, more in the past three days.
“Katie?”He placed a hand on her shoulder.“Talk to me.”
“I…” She would not let him see her tears.A waterfall of tears wouldn’t stop his leaving, nor should it.Ian had been the sensible one, telling her they didn’t need to make their relationship physical a.k.a.have sex.But no, she’d practically insisted.Well, now he was heading home tomorrow, and sure, he said he’d be back…but would he?A person can say they’re going to do anything, and they can even mean it when they say it.But then, they actually have todoit.
The darn tears threatened again, snuffed out thought and logic as she considered the possibility that she’d never see him again.A single tear slid down her cheek.Why did she have to pick a guy who lived on the other side of the country?One whose upbringing and life had been nothing like hers?
“Hey, don’t cry.”Ian swiped a tear with the pad of his thumb.“We’ll figure this out.I promise.”He pulled her to him, buried his face in her hair.“I am going to miss you so damn much.”
She lay her head against his chest, bit her bottom lip to stop fresh tears.“Who would have ever thought we’d end up like this?”Certainly not Katie.If anyone had told her she’d be head-over-heels for the arrogant rich kid from California, she would have laughed at the thought, and then she’d have called themdelusional.
But it had happened.
“Wearegoing to figure this out, okay?I’ll fly in during fall break.It’ll be short, but I can’t wait until winter break.”He stroked her hair, sifted it through his fingers, his voice turning hoarse.“That’s too damn long.”
It will feel like forever.“What will your parents say when you tell them you want to come back to the town you called a prison?”From what he’d told her, his father was not an understanding or compassionate man.As for his mother, who could say?
“They’ll call me crazy, but that’s because they haven’t met you.Before I came here, I only knew that I wanted to work on engines, annoy my father, and be free.I thought freedom was screwing with my old man, traveling the world, and partying without ever looking at a price tag.”He blew out a long sigh.“What a bunch of BS.”His voice dipped, his lips pulled into a smile.“And then I met this girl…” The smile spread as he trailed a finger along her jaw.“The first time I saw her, she had an ax in her hand.That’s when I knew.”
“Knew?”
He clasped her hands, held them against his chest.“Knew she was different.”Ian placed the softest kiss on her lips and murmured, “Knewshewas the one.”Another kiss, this one longer.“I’m not giving you up, not when I’ve finally found you.I’ll handle my parents.Once they meet you, they’ll love you as much as I do.”
“What?”What?
“I love you, Katie Layton.Today, tomorrow, always.Don’t ever forget that.”
10 years later…Magdalena, New York
Ian snatcheda T-shirt that readO’Reilly’s Bar and Grille, pulled it over his head, and tucked it into his faded jeans.He had another hour before he was due at work, if you could call it that.Bartending was fun and relaxing, definitely entertaining.He’d learned more about the town since he started helping out at the bar than the whole summer he’d spent in Magdalena ten years ago.
Of course, maturity had something to do with it because back then, he hadn’t been interested in anyone buther.Katie Abigail Layton.Shebecame his world, filling his head, his heart, his soul with such need he couldn’t draw a clean breath without thinking of her.
He pulled on his boots, blew out a long sigh.He should have paid closer attention to the rest of the town and less attention to the girl with the curves and the sassy ideas.But he’d been twenty-one and had never met anyone like her.
Foolish.Damn idiotic.He’d really believed it would all work out, that his family would leave him alone once he told them he’d found someone he wanted to share his life with…
