Instant Gratification (Wilder #2)(71)

“You don’t know the meaning of the word,” she teased joking around the ball of emotion in her throat.

“I didn’t, no. But you’re not the only one who could block out dates.” He reached into a different pocket and pulled out a small calendar, flipping through it, revealing several highlighted weeks. “I’m going to try to work two to three days a week. Here’s the weekends I can get to you. We won’t be strangers again. Now open the bag.”

He’d sent gifts over the years. Sometimes a medical book, sometimes a piece of jewelry. She’d liked everything while secretly wishing for his presence instead. She opened the gift bag and pulled out a T-shirt, which read: I SURVIVED THE SIERRAS.

She stared at it for a moment, and then looked at him. There was a sparkle in his eyes as his mouth slowly curved, and she laughed.

Laughed with her father.

And in that moment, she felt a new inner peace. She could leave, it was going to be okay. He was going to be okay.

The question was, was she?



That night, Stone knocked on Emma’s door, feeling both anticipatory and a little off his game knowing this was, in all likelihood, their last night.

She opened the door looking a little unsettled herself.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey. I didn’t know what to wear for our…training session.”

Ah, yes. Not a date. A training session. Interesting that she felt the need to play word games with herself to keep from jumping in with both feet.

As for the attire, she’d settled on a simple white t-shirt, denim shorts and sandals. She looked good enough to eat, and his evening, spent on paperwork, was most definitely beginning to look up. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Emma.”

“I didn’t know I’d feel this way, but right back at ya.”

Doc had stopped off to see Stone earlier, so he knew father and daughter had spent some time together. There’d only been one thing Doc hadn’t wanted to do—sell—and yet in spite of doing it anyway, he’d seemed in relatively good spirits, which meant the visit had gone well.

It meant something else, too, something he’d already figured out—that though Emma was adept at hiding her soft side, it was there.

Too bad they didn’t have more time to explore it, and not for the first time he wished he’d found a way to help Doc convince Emma not to sell. “Were you busy today?”

“A case of chicken pox and a well-baby check,” she said. “Oh, and Missy Thorton letting me know that my dad paid for my entire education. Yeah, that’s all.”

He lifted a brow. “I take it that was news to you.”

“Uh, yeah. Big news.” She blew out a breath. “Listen, I really need to get out of here for a while.”

“I have just the thing. I asked you once before and you said hell no, but let me ask again.” He held out his hand. “Trust me?”





Chapter 24




Did she trust him? Emma stared up at Stone.

Hell, no, came her mom’s voice. Don’t trust any man that good looking with those wicked badboy eyes and the smile that promised all sorts of naughtiness. Say no and get the hell out of Dodge, darling.

Emma had always listened to her mom, always.

But she’d also always followed her gut, and her gut happened to have the louder voice. It was saying that her mom had always acted out of love but that she hadn’t always been right. It was saying that Emma had to decide for herself what was right.

But mostly, it was saying you aren’t done with this man.

“Emma?”

“Yes. I don’t trust me, but oddly enough, I trust you.”

With a smile, he took her hand and pulled her outside. “You should know, I’m grumpy,” she said.

“Shock,” he said.

“And irritated.”

“More shock.”

That tugged a laugh out of her. “And I don’t think anything about us being alone together is a good idea, much less being naked.”

He slid her a speculative look. “No one said anything about being naked except you. And you keep saying it.” He flashed one of his slow, killer smiles. “You’re going to miss me.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Oh yeah was right. She was going to miss him. So damn much it hurt to think about, so she’d managed not to think at all for the most part. “Did you bring me the instructions you promised?”

“Worked all afternoon on it,” he said, and gestured for her to get into the Jeep.

“Isn’t this TJ’s vehicle?”

“Yep. He has my truck.” The top was off, but the evening was warm enough. She got in and let the light wind roll over her as he took off. “Where’s my instructions on relaxing?”

“Coming.”

But he just kept driving.

Just outside of town, on the narrow two-lane highway cutting up through two majestic mountain peaks, he finally handed her a folded up piece of paper.

She unfolded it. He’d written only one line:



Close your eyes.



“Sort of self explanatory,” he said when she just stared at him.

Fine. She closed her eyes.

“How do you feel?” he asked.