The Brazen (Calamity Montana)

I POKED my head out of the bedroom door, listening for any sound from Pierce, but the house was quiet. The only noise came from the gusting wind beyond the house’s walls.

It was still dark outside. Maybe another woman would have capitalized on this mountain lodge escape and slept in. Except my curse seemed to be the inability to sleep past six.

Tiptoeing down the hall, dressed in yesterday’s clothes, I searched for Pierce in the living room but it was empty. So I went to the kitchen and poked around until I found coffee grounds and brewed a pot.

“Oh, lord.” My first sip was pure bliss. This was better than any coffee I’d had in months.

My phone rang in my pocket and I plucked it out before the sound could wake up my host. “Morning, Mom.”

“Hi. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m okay.” I took my steaming mug to one of the enormous windows and looked out into a world of white. The snow covered everything and was coming down hard. “But it is still snowing like crazy up here.”

“I don’t want you on the roads in these conditions.”

I sighed. “The gym—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” She didn’t even have a car to get around town because hers was currently buried outside.

“I’m sure.”

“We can always put up a sign and just close.” It wouldn’t be the best customer experience, but I was running out of options.

“Pfft. That’s silly. I have nothing else to do today. Your dad is going to drop me off on his way to the dealership and your aunt will come down later to keep me company. Plus I have a book.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Sure. Say, I ran into Jacob last night.”

I stifled a groan. “Good for you.”

“He asked about you. Again.”

“That’s, uh, nice.”

Mom had been trying to set me up with Jacob for years. He was one of the only nonfamily members who worked at the dealership and had graduated with Zach. Maybe I’d consider a date with him, but he never actually asked me. He’d just ask Mom about me whenever she visited Dad at work.

“If you went to work at the dealership, you two could have a little office romance.”

I shook my head. “Thanks again for watching the gym.”

“Of course,” she said. “Now don’t hang up, your dad wants to talk to you too.”

“Okay.” I waited as they shuffled the phone around.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad.”

“Some storm.”

“Yeah. Sorry about this.”

“It’s no big deal. You just stay safe. There are plenty of us in town to help cover the gym. Zach is going to feed Clementine. I’d rather you not risk a drive home in this weather. It’s going to take the road crews some time to get everything plowed.”

And the highway to a ritzy mountain resort area wasn’t going to be a priority over the interstates.

“Are you safe?” Dad asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m not loving the fact that you’re trapped in a house with a strange man.”

“He’s not a strange man.”

“Keep your pepper spray close.”

I fought a laugh. “I don’t need my pepper spray.”

“You might.”

“Dad, he’s not going to attack me.”

“Just . . . be guarded.”

“Okay,” I drawled. “I love you.”

“Love you too. Keep in touch so we know what’s going on. And when you get home, I want to talk to you about something.”

Something either meant a job at the dealership or getting a car. He wasn’t happy that I’d been hoofing it around Calamity. But I didn’t want him to buy me a vehicle like I was sixteen again.

Neither Mom nor Dad knew I’d put my house on the market. They were going to love that little surprise.

“Bye, Dad.”

He blew me a kiss and hung up.

“Morning.” Pierce’s voice startled me, and I gasped, spinning from the window as he came into the kitchen. He held up his hands. “No need for the pepper spray.”

I giggled. “My dad worries about his daughters.” Me in particular.

“How did you sleep?” Pierce asked, going for the coffee pot.

“Surprisingly well considering I was in a strange bed.”

He filled a mug, then walked over, joining me at the window. A crease formed between his eyebrows as he took in the storm. “That doesn’t look good.”

“I’m sure in an hour or two it will clear, and I can get out of your hair.”

“There’s no rush. I’d rather you stick around until the roads are safe.”

That might take days, and as much as I didn’t like driving on snow-packed roads, it might be more dangerous to stay here alone with Pierce.

He looked insanely handsome this morning. His hair was mussed and he was dressed in a pair of black sweatpants that hung loose on his narrow hips. The hoodie he’d pulled on was the same brand and style as the gray one he’d given me to wear last night.

They’d smelled like him. Maybe that was why I’d slept so soundly.

He raised his mug to his mouth, and it was impossible not to stare as he took a drink. That jaw. Those lips.

Memory was a cruel companion to temptation.

Would he taste the same as he had that night at the motel? Would the kiss be as powerful? Or had I exaggerated it in my drunken state?

Maybe he wasn’t that good of a kisser. Maybe we had no chemistry. Or maybe . . .

I wasn’t going to let myself dwell on that maybe. He was a business associate, nothing more. This pull between us was something we just had to fight until the snowstorm was over.

A few hours. One day, tops.

“Would you like breakfast?” he asked.

“Only if you let me make it.”

“Was watching me fumble around last night that painful?”

“Not at all.” On the contrary, it had been oddly endearing to see him bested by a kitchen, to watch his composure break, just a bit. “But I might as well make myself useful.”

I hurried to the fridge, putting twenty feet and the island between us. Then I busied myself with scrambling eggs and chopping vegetables for an omelet.

Pierce took a seat at the island, finishing his coffee before pulling out his phone. “The road report is not looking good. It says emergency travel only.”

“Ugh.” Next time I decided to stalk a man to his home, I’d check the forecast first. “Sorry.”

“Didn’t we cover this last night?”

“I’m going to keep apologizing. It’s who I am. I don’t like being a burden or a nuisance.”

“I’d say you are neither.”

I gave him a small smile over my shoulder and went back to work, setting out plates and silverware. “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll attempt to stop apologizing if you let me take over meals. If I feel like I’m contributing, I won’t feel so guilty for invading. Besides, this kitchen is a dream.”

“Done.” He spoke the word with such authority, it was like he’d brokered a million-dollar deal, not meal assignments.

After breakfast was ready, we took our places at the island and dug in.

“This is delicious,” he said.

“It’s only eggs.” I shrugged. “Why are you back in Montana? Are you just here for vacation?” Nellie hadn’t told me why he was here, just that he’d be here all week.

“No, not vacation. Grandpa asked that I be the one to go through his belongings here.”

“Oh.” So I’d interrupted a personal week. This just kept getting better. Truly, my timing was epic. “I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Nah. I don’t really want to go through his stuff. Now that you’re here, I can procrastinate a bit longer.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I’m happy to help.” It wasn’t like he had anything else to keep me occupied.

“Hopefully there isn’t much. His office will be the worst and I’ll tackle that later.” He dabbed his mouth with a napkin and stood to collect our empty plates.

“How’s your headache today?”

He shrugged. “Still there but not as bad as last night. I’m sure I’ll be fine. What do you feel like doing today?”

“Whatever. You don’t need to entertain me.”

“Maybe I am hoping you’ll entertain me.”

The way he said entertain conjured images of lips and skin, and I ducked my chin to hide my blushing cheeks. If he took off those sweats, it would be entertaining for us both.

What was wrong with me? Would I have these thoughts about him if he hadn’t kissed me once? Yes. Pierce was the most handsome man I’d seen in my life. His appeal was undeniable and each time we touched, the electricity was palpable.

“Feel like watching a movie?” he asked as he did the dishes. “I haven’t sat down to watch a movie in ages.”

“Neither have I.”

“Work is my reason. What’s your excuse?”

“Same. I work a lot.”

“At the gym?”

“As of late, yes. I haven’t wanted to hire an employee to cover the day shift when I can be there myself.” That, and I couldn’t afford an employee at the moment. “Before we opened, I did a lot of remodeling work.”

“Yourself?”

“If possible. The friend of mine who bought my other building on First is a contractor. Whatever jobs I couldn’t manage on my own, he helped.” Kase was a good guy who did quality work, but he wasn’t exactly cheap, so unless it required more skill, able bodies or specialty tools than I had stashed at my house, I’d learned to do a lot myself.

“Impressive. Do you like it?”

“I do.” I nodded. “It’s very satisfying, working with your hands. Seeing a space transform because of your work. I’ve been exploring more and more ways to capitalize on it. There are quite a few influencers on social media who make a good living at remodels. I’m thinking of trying it.”

My phone was full of before and after photos I’d taken of various projects. The gym would have been a great one to start with, but I hadn’t really considered how I could leverage social media from small-town Montana.

“One of my vice presidents has a wife who started her own blog,” Pierce said. “She mostly does cooking videos and posts. Whole foods and vegan recipes. But she’s making quite a business of it.”

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth a shot. And in a way, I have you to thank for pushing me in that direction.”

“Me?” He grabbed a towel to dry his hands.

“You were honest the last time you were here. Brutally so.”

He winced.

“You were right.” I smiled. “I need to be in a better liquidity position. I don’t want to sell my properties when times are tough. And eventually, there won’t be any place to expand in a town the size of Calamity. There are only so many people. But there’s a whole world online and maybe I’ll have a message and platform that might ring true to others. And it could be a way to monetize what I’m doing already.”

He studied me, his gaze serious.

“What?” Oh, God, did I sound like an idiot?

“I don’t think you should give me any credit. I think it’s brilliant and you should own it.”

My chest swelled with pride. “Thank you.”

Pierce Sullivan was worth billions. Not millions, billions. That kind of money was unfathomable. For a man my age, he was by far the most successful person I’d met.

Yes, he’d probably had a leg up from his family’s wealth, but from what Gabriel had boasted, Pierce’s company and his success were not hand-me-downs. He was wealthy because of his own intelligence and work ethic.

“What will you do first?” he asked.

“I’ve spent the last few weeks getting my social media accounts established and picking the aesthetic I want. I’ve done a lot of research into affiliate programs and how to apply. I’m hoping to use my own place as the baseline.”

“Your own house that’s on the market?”

I touched the tip of my nose. “It’s coming off the market the second I get home.”

“And the farmhouse?”

“That one . . . I don’t know.” I sighed. “What would you do?” If I was stranded with Pierce, I might as well get his input.

“I don’t fully understand the Calamity dynamic the way you do.” He leaned against the counter and he looked so sexy, so relaxed, that a throb bloomed in my core.

I crossed my legs, willing it to go away. It didn’t.

“Do you think anyone who knows about the incident there will buy that house?” he asked.

“It’s unlikely. And anyone new to town and looking to buy it will inevitably hear the story. Gossip is Calamity’s favorite sport.”

He chuckled. “Then I’d use it as a vacation rental and a start for your blog.”

“Even though it’s done?”

“Is anything really done? Take an empty room and paint the walls. Stage it with different furniture. It doesn’t have to be a wreck to show an improvement. Content is content.”

“True.” I hadn’t thought about doing anything with the farmhouse, but it wouldn’t be hard to have some fun. Maybe I’d give it a modern cottage vibe by adding some bold colors to the walls or a unique wallpaper.

Now that I wasn’t trying to come up with a quarter of a million dollars, I could afford a few gallons of paint. Plus I had hundreds of before photos. Maybe I could work those into my feed too.

“I can practically see the gears turning,” he teased.

“I’m fighting the urge to whip out my phone and start jotting down ideas.”

“Do it.” He grinned and refilled his coffee mug.

“What about the movie?”

He jerked his chin to the windows and the snow that just kept piling up. “I think we’ll have all day. Besides, I’d better check in with Nellie.”

Pierce left the kitchen first, and the moment he was gone, I let the smile I’d been holding back stretch wide.

I loved my rental properties. And the gym, though taxing, had so much potential. But the last few years had drained me. For the first time in a long time, I was truly excited about a new adventure.

With my phone in hand, I made list after list, brainstorming ideas and blog post topics. An hour and two cups of coffee later, I left the kitchen and found Pierce in the living room. He’d built a fire and was once again lounging on the couch.

“Hey.”

He looked up from his phone. “Hey. I was just about to come and find you.”

My God, he was gorgeous. I swallowed hard and took my chair. “For what?”

“Nellie told me I wasn’t allowed to work all day. That it would be rude to ignore a guest.”

“I’m not really a guest.”

“Try telling that to Nellie. Besides, she’s right. Did you make your notes?”

“I did.” I held up my phone. “I’ll be busy when I get home.”

“And I bet you prefer it that way.”

“Most definitely. Ever since college.”

He set his phone on the coffee table and tossed an arm over the back of the couch. “Where did you go to school?”

“Montana State in Bozeman. You?”

“Harvard.”

We spent the next few hours talking about nothing and everything. Some facts I knew from what Gabriel had told me, but mostly, it was new. Discovering Pierce was like an adventure of its own.

The day passed without the awkwardness I’d feared. We ate lunch. We watched two movies. And after dinner, we retreated once more to the living room, where we talked in front of the fire and sipped a bottle of red wine that probably cost more than the most expensive car at my father’s dealership.

When Pierce had stoked the fire last, he’d also lit a candle on the coffee table. It and one small table lamp joined the yellow glow from the hearth. The scent of balsam fir filled the room.

“This candle smells exactly like this house should.”

He hummed his agreement.

The light from the fire flickered across his handsome features as he lay on the couch, his feet crossed at the ankle.

Not staring had been my biggest feat today.

Pierce groaned, shifting as a wash of pain crossed his face.

“Headache still?”

“Yeah. I’m just not feeling great. Started yesterday. Thought it was just from the drive and most of the day I felt a little better but . . .”

In the muted light, I hadn’t noticed the pallor of his face or the sheen of sweat on his brow.

I stood from the chair and walked over, putting my palm on his forehead. “You’re burning up.”

He shivered and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

There was a first aid kit under the sink in my bathroom. I’d spotted it last night in my search for towels. I rushed down the hall and grabbed it, cracking it open and digging for a thermometer.

“Hold still,” I told Pierce when I came back to the couch, sitting at his side. Then I held it to his forehead, waiting for the beep and reading. No surprise, it was high.

“You’ve got a fever.” I stood and held out a hand to help him up. “Come on. You need rest.”

He didn’t argue. He simply took my hand and got to his feet. Pierce shuffled more than walked down the hallway and I kept pace, wanting to make sure he didn’t need anything.

We reached the door to his room and I hovered at the threshold.

He went straight to the bed and collapsed on the mattress.

“I’ll get you a glass of water.” When I returned, his face was buried in his pillows and he was already asleep.

I set the glass on the nightstand and tiptoed out of the room, turning off the lights. Then I returned to the kitchen for another glass of wine. My pour drained the bottle and I took it to the trash, tossing it in, but as it landed, there was a crack of broken glass.

“Uh-oh.” There was a frame in the mix. I reached in carefully and pulled it out, shaking the glass away from the photo.

It was of a woman with sleek brown hair and a wide white smile. She was laughing at whoever was holding the camera. In the background, trees towered overhead and the chair she sat in matched those around the firepit out back.

She was gorgeous. Carefree.

“Huh.”

Who was she? And why was this photo in the trash?

“Not my business,” I muttered, then returned the frame to the garbage, giving the can one last glance.

Putting the photo out of my mind, I went to the living room to kill some time on my phone. When midnight hit, I yawned and decided to check on Pierce.

I opened his door and inched toward the bed. He’d kicked off his covers and his forehead was furrowed. His water glass was empty too.

I reached for it just as he shifted, cracking his eyes open. “Sorry.”

“I was awake.” The man looked miserable.

I put my hands to his cheeks, finding them clammy. “Shit.”

We’d never make it to a hospital. Fevers broke, right?

“Why can’t I stop thinking about you?”

I froze and met his gaze. “I don’t know. But it’s probably the same reason I can’t stop thinking about you.”

My confession came effortlessly. Too effortlessly. Tomorrow I’d probably regret it. With any luck, Pierce wouldn’t remember.

“Why did you kiss me at the motel?” I whispered.

He lifted a hand and skimmed his fingers across my mouth. “You have the most perfect lips I’ve ever seen.”

Had he not been delirious, I might have questioned the sincerity behind that compliment, but it was so candid, all I could do was smile. No man had ever praised my lips before.

“It was the best kiss,” he murmured, his eyelids fighting a losing battle.

“It was.”

His dark lashes fluttered shut and I waited a heartbeat, thinking he’d passed out again. I eased away from the bed, but before I could leave, his hand reached out and caught me.

“Kerrigan?”

“Yeah.”

“Stay.”

I sat by his side and brushed his hair off his forehead. “For a little while.”