Sizzling Summer Nights Read online

  “Everything all right?”

  Hannah nodded, and seemed awfully interested in her fingernails all of a sudden. “When I was in college my mom would phone and say my dad wanted her to call and see how I was doing. It was a lie. I’m not sure why she felt she needed to do that. I asked her once, but she kept insisting it was my dad’s idea.”

  “Must be a mom thing.”

  “Yours, too?”

  Seth nodded. “Yeah, when I was on the lam.” At least he got her to smile.

  They climbed back on the ATV and rode around for another hour without finding the cap or Clint. Murray was doing some repairs on the calving shed and told them Paxton was searching for a bull that had wandered off.

  “I should’ve brought a radio with me,” Seth muttered, although he hadn’t seen the bull and he had phone service. “Have you seen enough for now?”

  Hannah wrinkled her pink nose and nodded. “You feel guilty, don’t you?”

  “A little.” He shrugged. “I shouldn’t, though. Nobody expected me to come back as an indentured servant.”

  He took a shortcut back to the barn, sorry that he hadn’t thought sooner about Hannah not having the cap to shade her face.

  After he parked and they both climbed off, he said, “If you’re feeling adventurous later, you could try driving the ATV.”

  “I’ll use my adventure points back at the motel.” She grinned up at him. “Unless you’d prefer to teach me about all-terrain vehicles.”

  “Nope. Your idea has a great deal of merit. Let’s roll with that.”

  “Hey, you trying to avoid me?” It was Clint, walking out of the smaller west barn on the other side of the corrals.

  “I wondered where you were hiding.” Seth steered them toward him. “Damn, you’re filthy.”

  Clint pulled off his work gloves and used the bandana from his back pocket to mop his sweaty face. “Somebody left me to steam clean the diesel retriever all by myself. But I won’t name names,” he said, grinning. “You must be Hannah.”

  “I am, and the reason you got stuck with all the work.”

  “That’s okay. Glad to see my baby brother has good taste.”

  “Baby brother.” Seth snorted. “He says that to annoy me.”

  “Looks like it’s working,” Hannah said, shading her eyes and squinting at him.

  Clint laughed.

  So did Seth. “You know if Mom is home yet?” he asked his brother.

  Clint looked past them. “There she is now.”

  She’d just turned down the quarter-mile driveway in her silver SUV, inching along, as usual.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys after I clean up,” Clint said. “I think Lila’s in the house doing wedding stuff.”

  Obviously his mom had spotted them. Instead of driving around to the garage, she parked in front of the house where they were headed.

  “Did you warn her that I was coming?” Hannah asked, starting to tense.

  “Warn her? Why? Were you planning to do something scary?”

  “Scary?”

  “You know. Like karaoke?”

  That got him a punch in the shoulder that he’d expected, but it was worth it to see the fire in her eyes. So different from the way she’d looked talking to her father.

  Seth didn’t know why he hadn’t been able to let that go yet. Except that any father who made his child look so deflated like that needed someone to knock some sense into his thick head. Imagine, having an amazing daughter like Hannah and treating her like a disappointment.

  He knew a little something about that, but that had only been the one time, and even though the experience still stuck in his craw, there was no doubt in his mind that his father, both his parents, loved him.

  As they neared the SUV, Hannah’s steps slowed. “Do you think she knows about what happened? Can you tell by her expression?”

  “Hannah, honestly. Don’t sweat it. She was visiting a sick neighbor. She couldn’t have heard anything. And if she did, it’s no big deal.”

  “Well, hello,” his mother said, sliding out of the SUV, shading her eyes and smiling at Hannah.

  “Hey, Mom,” Seth said. “This is Hannah Hastings. I was just showing her the ranch. Hannah, this is my mom, Meryl Landers.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you.” She clasped both Hannah’s hands and gave her a light squeeze. “I’ve heard nice things.”

  “Me, too,” Hannah said softly. “About all of you.”

  “Well, good. I hope that means you two are staying for supper,” Meryl said, releasing Hannah. “Seth? Hannah, would you, please?”

  Hannah looked at him. “I’d love to,” she said, and he supposed if you didn’t know her, her hesitation wouldn’t have shown.

  “Wonderful. I’m going to get started on it right now.” Meryl grabbed her purse. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. I almost forgot. Would you two mind bringing in the groceries?”

  Hannah glared at him.

  Seth could only shrug.

  * * *

  THE MINUTE ALL the groceries were put away or set out on the kitchen island, Hannah grabbed Seth by the arm and nearly pulled him off balance, “Excuse us for just a minute, Mrs. Landers?”

  “Meryl, please.”

  “Meryl,” Hannah repeated, and walked briskly to the living room.

  She dragged him past the couch and chairs, straight into the family room. Only to stop short when they spotted Lila on the telephone, a whole table full of wedding paraphernalia spread out around the floor in front of her like a rug.

  “No, no. We’d decided on a choice between the bourbon-glazed salmon and beef tenderloin for the main, and crab cakes for the appetizer.” Lila noticed them and gave a rather tired wave to him, a brighter one to Hannah. “Could you hold on for one second, please?” she said, before she put her phone in her lap. Then she grinned at them. “Hannah, right? I hope we can talk later?”

  Hannah smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “Great,” Lila said, then waved again as she put on her game face.

  Seth was unceremoniously pushed out of the family room and down the hall until she locked them both in the guest bathroom.

  Everything about her said fight-or-flight, from the rapid breathing to the dilated pupils. “We have to tell her.”

  “My mom? She could already know.”

  “If she already knows, then she’d expect us to tell her.”

  “What?”

  “Seriously, we have to tell her. Although maybe we should wait until after dinner. I don’t want to ruin her appetite. That would be terrible. And maybe we should wait until everyone’s here. Do Lila and Clint usually eat dinner with you? And what about your father? Oh, God, you think he knows?”

  “Hannah—”

  “Maybe I should just go. I could say I’m getting a migraine, and that would only be a little fib because I already have a headache. I wanted to meet your parents when everything was nice so they would think I’m nice, and now they’re going to see that I’m a sarcastic bitch who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.”

  “Are you going to let me talk?”

  She blinked. “Yes, of course. Go ahead.”

  He took hold of her arms, and Jesus, he could feel her trembling. “Hannah, honey, you’re getting all upset for nothing. I told you, none of it was your fault.”

  “Right. I never said I was a government spy. Out loud.”

  “Nathan was there. He knew you were being facetious.”

  Hannah stared at him, her mouth open. She clamped a hand over it. He pried it away and she said, “How could I have forgotten about Nathan? He heard me be an idiot.”

  “This is ridiculous. My parents wouldn’t believe it for a second. No one with half a brain would—”

 
“That isn’t the point. I goaded Avery and Jasper, and that’s why they’re badmouthing you.”

  “The minute I said I wanted nothing to do with the whole thing, I lit the fuse. Not you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me,” he whispered, “like you really are a spy.” He felt bad teasing her when she trembled again.

  She lowered her gaze, the worry lines on her forehead unsettling. “I fanned the flames, though.”

  “I promise, it’ll be okay. We’ll wait until everyone’s in the kitchen, which should be in about thirty minutes. They know Jasper and Avery, so it won’t come as a surprise that they got out of control. Then we’ll sit down and have a great meal.”

  Her eyes closed and he watched her pull herself together. It made him want to kiss her until every bad thing that had ever happened to her was erased from her memory. “Good plan,” she said, and opened the bathroom door.

  She found the way back to the kitchen without a wrong turn, which was kind of impressive considering how the house was laid out. Seth stayed close behind, hoping she didn’t have a meltdown. Maybe he was wrong to ask her to stay. But he really wanted her to meet his family. He couldn’t say why it was important to him. It just was.

  “What can I do to help?” Hannah asked, sounding normal.

  “You can finish cutting up the vegetables for the salad,” Meryl said, wiping her hands on her apron as she moved over to check something boiling on the stove. “If there’s anything you don’t like, just put it in a separate bowl.”

  “Everything looks great to me.” Hannah washed her hands first, then used the big knife and started cutting carrots.

  Seth went to the fridge and brought out water and a pitcher of iced tea.

  “Smells good in here.”

  Seth turned. “Hey, Dad, you just get home?”

  “Nah, I was in the stables.” He smiled at Hannah when she glanced over her shoulder. “Hello.”

  “That’s Hannah,” Seth said, winking at her. “This is my dad, Doug.”

  “We’ll have to shake hands later,” she said, “but it’s lovely to meet you. Boy, there is no question that you’re the father of your sons.”

  That made everyone but Hannah laugh. She just turned pink.

  “You’re right,” Clint said, walking in behind him, fresh from a shower, his hair damp. He went straight for the silverware and loaded up his hands. “We all look like Dad, but thankfully, we have Mom’s sweet temperament.”

  “Now, you just hold on there...” their dad grumbled good-naturedly.

  More chuckles. A smile from Hannah. Seth was glad she looked more relaxed.

  “Seth, honey, why don’t you take care of drinks and salad dressings?”

  “I will, Mom, but first there’s something you guys need to know. Last night the BLM meeting was about what you’d expect. Jasper Parsons was the pain in the ass we all know and don’t love, and Avery Phelps is his new sidekick.”

  “Drunk, as usual, I’m guessing,” Clint said.

  “Too true.” Seth’s gaze was on Hannah. “Anyway, Avery followed us to the Full Moon and started flinging crap around. Everything’s a conspiracy, everyone’s out to get him.”

  “So I heard,” Meryl said. “That man knows how to make a nuisance of himself better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “Nah,” his dad said. “Jasper wins hands down.”

  Hannah’s head was bowed. The knife had stilled.

  “So, this morning, Jasper found us getting coffee. The guy from the BLM happened to be there at the same time. So Jasper got on this kick that I was in cahoots with the government and that Hannah was a government spy—”

  “But only because I’d said that the night before. At the bar. To Avery, but I was kidding.” Hannah had turned around, her face flushed. “He asked if I was a spy and I said yes, just being a smart aleck. I never meant for it to—”

  Clint burst out laughing. “I wish I could’ve seen that. Avery’s eyes must’ve bugged out of his head.”

  Seth smiled and hoped his brother’s reaction would help ease Hannah’s tension. “Obviously Hannah was being facetious. We were with Nathan and Woody, and they knew it. Anybody who overheard wouldn’t think otherwise. But then, this morning, after the fiasco with Jasper, we stopped by Abe’s. The rumors were already flying. About how I’m letting down my family again. Dragging the Landers name through the mud.”

  For some reason, Seth’s chest tightened. He could feel his gut twisting into a knot. And it finally hit him.

  He’d been so busy worrying about Hannah, he hadn’t realized he wasn’t all that sanguine about having this conversation. He kept his gaze on her, fearing that if he looked at his father he’d see something. A wince, a shake of the head. Or that his mom would look away, even for a second.

  Fear gripped him. That he’d disappointed them again. That all his efforts to make things right couldn’t quite erase the shame and grief he’d brought down on his family.

  And he also knew that if that happened, he’d resent it forever. All because he’d held back and never dealt with the one thing that had hurt the most, the thing that had been eating at him for ten years now.

  Guess Hannah wasn’t the only one with issues. Well, he wasn’t going to stand by like a helpless kid. No matter what he saw when he looked at his folks, he and his dad needed to have a talk.

  “Oh, I heard that nonsense in town,” his mother said, pouring green beans into the colander in the sink. “And I was only in the market for twenty minutes. You’d think people around here would have enough to do.”

  The rest of the room was so quiet he could hear the cows lowing from the back pasture.

  Hannah was staring at him...or rather through him, and he couldn’t quite figure out what she was thinking. And when he finally looked into his father’s eyes, he just saw his dad. Not a single feather ruffled.

  In fact, he seemed more concerned with what was on the stove. As for his mom, she just smiled at him, and slapped his dad’s hand when he tried to snitch a piece of chicken.

  “Is that it?” Clint asked.

  Seth nodded. “That’s it.”

  “Good. ’Cause I’m starving. I’ll go get Lila and let’s get this show on the road.”

  Relieved by his family’s reaction, for Hannah’s sake, and for his own as well, he didn’t understand why Hannah was swiping a tear from her cheek.

  Right before they all sat down, he found a moment to get her alone in the kitchen. “You okay?”

  Tears welled again, and his gut clenched until he watched a smile lift her lips. “You,” she said, her voice a little stuffed-up, “have the most wonderful family in the whole world.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  She put her hand right over his heart. “I do,” she whispered. “I do.”

  17

  THE MOTEL LOBBY was deserted. No one stood behind the front desk, which suited Hannah fine. That left a clear path to the elevator. She didn’t have to smile, wave or make small talk. Not that having to do any of those things would’ve killed her.

  She couldn’t remember ever being on such an extreme emotional roller coaster over the course of one day. In a way she was lucky, certainly luckier than a lot of women her age. She liked her job, and she was largely successful at it. That made for many days, weeks even, of smooth sailing—no drama or crazy stress. Just as long as she stayed away from her father.

  Her social life wasn’t too bad. She’d dated different guys here and there, but no one who’d rocked her world. Even that she hadn’t sweated. In the back of her mind, she’d always assumed it would happen someday. Generally speaking, her life was good, not great, but pretty damn good.

  Spending five days in Montana had completely screwed up everything.

  “W
hat are you so busy thinking about?” Seth pushed the button for their floor.

  “Tonight. Dinner. You.”

  “It didn’t look like all those thoughts were happy ones.”

  She smiled at his concern. “Okay, I confess. A thought or two about my dad might’ve sneaked in.”

  “Anything you want to get off your chest?”

  The elevator door closed just in time.

  “The exact opposite,” she said, and put his hand on her left breast.

  He rubbed her nipple through the layers of her top and bra. She stretched up and he bent his head until their lips met. The amount of electricity generated between them in that fraction of time could’ve powered the motel.

  “Oh, God, I forgot to tell you.”

  His hand stilled. “What?”

  “Tomorrow. We’re invited to a barbecue. At the Sundance.”

  “Oh, Jesus,” he said, sounding stricken. “That would mean getting out of bed.”

  “Right,” she said. “We don’t have to go.”

  The elevator stopped. Torn between wanting him to keep using his thumb versus hurrying so they could get naked, she finally gave in to common sense and got moving.

  “Something else before I forget...”

  “Yes,” he said, patiently trailing after her down the corridor.

  “I know you feel badly about Clint having so much work, so I think you should go out to the ranch tomorrow and give him a hand.”

  “Hell, I don’t feel that badly.”

  “Liar,” she said over her shoulder. “Besides, I have things to do in the morning.”

  Seth rubbed his shadowed jaw. “I can tell he’s worn out. What with the wedding planning...”

  “So, yes, go. While I’m feeling generous. But only because I’m happy I get to sleep with you tonight.”

  “Just sleep?”

  She turned to face him, her back against their door. “What do you think?”

  “I’d hate leaving you,” he murmured, kissing the side of her neck. “You’re going home soon.”

  “Not tomorrow. Besides, I’ll be busy for a few hours. Then we can meet up at the Sundance around six and eat food we don’t have to cook. And I’ll get to see Rachel. She’s been so busy with trail rides and stuff with the guests.”