Wild with You (12 page)

“Lisa,” Chad supplied. “Brody dated her for a while in high school junior year. Nice girl. With nice—­”

“Chad,” he snapped before his brother could comment on Lisa's breasts. Yeah, he remembered the girl and why he'd asked her out in the first place.

“Your brother was telling
Lisa,
” Kat continued, “that he respected her too much to kiss her when she'd been drinking.”

“Now how is that embarrassing for you, Doc?” Josh said.

“I was stuck in the woods, listening to a boy I had a crush on lecture a drunk girl—­who looked like she wanted to abandon her clothes and jump him—­about the right time for kissing, when Abby Greenwald, the most popular girl in my class, found me.”

“Hey, I know Abby,” Josh said. “She works at the animal shelter near the university.”

“Of course she'd end up surrounded by puppies.” Kat shook her head. “Abby Greenwald teased me for the rest of the year, telling everyone I'd been spying on Brody and Lisa.”

“While Brody
talked
to the girl,” Chad said. “Man, it is a miracle you ever got out of your own way for long enough to get laid in high school.”

Brody growled, biting back the words,
I did just fine in high school.
Because what he'd done back then, who he dated, it didn't matter now that he took one look at Kat, smiling and joking with his family. He wanted to make her
his
. Upstairs, alone, away from these idiots he loved with everything he had.

Josh pulled out his notebook and pen. “I'm writing that one down. So I can tease you later, Doc. Next time you try to make me do one of those stupid memory card games, I'm going to remind you of your ‘huge Brody Summers crush.' ”

Kat laughed. “You'll still have to do the memory exercises.”

“So I guess you're trying to tell us you spent last night talking with my brother?” Chad said.

“Enough,” Brody said, pushing back from the table. He set his half-­empty bottle of local brew on the table and reached for Kat's hand, drawing her up. “I trust you guys can make sure the bottles land in recycling?”

Chad nodded. “We got it, bro.”

“Where are you going?” Josh called, as Brody led Kat out of the kitchen.

“To talk to your doctor,” Brody called.

He led her up the stairs and into his room. After the solid wood door closed behind them, he turned to Kat. He captured her hips in his hands, holding her in front of him. “So about this crush—­”

“It was nothing,” she said, her smile fading.

“Did it start before or after I helped fix your lucky shoes?” he asked softly.

Her wide-­eyed gaze met his and she stepped back, trying to break away from him. But he went with her, until her back pressed against the wall.

“You remember?” she said.

He nodded. “As soon as you told me who you were, I put the pieces together.”

“I can't believe you remember that day. Or me.” She let out a low laugh. “I thought you were cute before, but that day . . . the way you smiled, your skills with the Super Glue . . . you became my high school fantasy.”

He stared into her eyes, his body tightening with each word, driven by desire and something more. Moving closer, he placed one hand on either side of her head, his body inches from hers. “Just how wild were these fantasies?”

She shook her head. “It wasn't like that. Most of the time I'd see you in the hall and I just wanted you to smile at me.”

He frowned. “I didn't ignore you, Kat.”

“No, but you weren't a part of my life either,” she murmured, her gaze focused on his chest. “And I wanted your attention, all that kindness, focused on me. Just for a little while.”

Every muscle in his body froze. Back then he'd thought she needed new shoes. He'd been blind to the fact that friendship would have carried her a lot further.

“And a kiss,” she added, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I would have liked a kiss too.”

The vulnerability in her green eyes took him back to the Falls Hotel parking lot. He ran the back of his hand over her cheek and she closed her eyelids. She didn't let anyone in. She didn't let them see the helpless girl she'd been. But he'd caught a glimpse. And now he wanted to take care of her.

“Kat, look at me,” he said, capturing her face between his hands. She obeyed, opening her eyes and staring into his. “I'm going to kiss you now.”

His lips captured hers, soft at first before demanding more. A low growl escaped as she opened up to him, her tongue brushing his. Her fingers dug into his shirt as if she wanted to keep him right here, kissing her.

Don't let go.

But she pulled back, breaking the kiss. “Do you know what I'm picturing now?” she murmured, her hands running down his chest, heading lower and lower. “Do you want to find out if it lines up with your mental picture for tonight?”

“It does, Kat. Trust me.”

She let out a low laugh. “You might want to hear the details first. We made caramel sauce today.”

He listened, her words turning him on as she described all the ways she planned to cover her body with caramel. Hell, every time she rocked her hips against his, she could feel the hard proof that he liked the idea of licking her clean. But it wasn't the just caramel sauce that left him aching to strip off her clothes and take her on the bed.

It was Kat.

He was falling for the woman behind the fantasy.

 

Chapter 14

O
N
W
EDNESDAY
MORNING
Kat watched Josh move around the kitchen, gathering ingredients for a chili. She'd spent three nights in dessert heaven. Now it was time to leave the sugar haze behind and face reality. Her time in Independence Falls was limited—­and so were her nights in Brody's bed.

“After yesterday's brownie disaster, I'm ready for some real food. What about you, Doc?”

And there it was, another clue she couldn't ignore.

“I love a good chili.” Though she couldn't envision eating it off Brody's body.

But then yesterday's brownies hadn't worked either. Plus they'd come out of the oven hard as rocks, stumping both her and Josh. She'd never claimed she could bake, but she had a growing faith in Josh's ability to follow a recipe. Of course, the chocolate syrup she'd picked up to go with the brownie disaster had added a fun twist to her night—­especially when Brody offered his well-­defined abs as her plate.

Josh stirred the pot once, set the wooden spoon beside the stove. “It just needs to simmer for a while.”

“Why don't you have a seat,” Kat suggested. “While it cooks.”

“Don't tell me you want to play another one of those card games.” Josh slid into the chair beside her at the handmade kitchen table. His red curls fell across his forehead. “I feel like a freaking kindergartener matching shapes,” he added.

“No more games.” She set her pen down and interlaced her hands. “You don't need them, do you?”

“What?” His eyes widened.

“You remembered the brownies we made yesterday. And you knew who I was when I walked into the kitchen.”

“How do you know I didn't look at my notes? You've been spending every night here. Do you even still have a room at the hotel?”

“I do.” She didn't point out the fact that he'd recalled a detail about her living arrangements or that she'd kept it for her own sanity. Even though she'd spent the past few nights with Brody, she needed to know she had a place to go that was hers, even if it was only a temporary room.

“How do you know I didn't check my notebook before you came down? After I heard you screaming my brother's name and calling him a god in the shower this morning.”

“That was yesterday morning,” she pointed out, burying her embarrassment. She thanked the same higher power she'd linked with Brody's name that Josh's older brother was out on another rescue, his second this week. “You remember,” she said, focusing on her patient.

“Maybe.” Josh shifted in his seat, staring down at the table. “I guess your cooking therapy is working.”

“It's possible. Though it hasn't been long. I would guess you were on the road to recovery when I showed up. There is a lot we don't know about the brain. Sometimes ­people who suffered accidents like yours only lose their short-­term memory for a few months. Some a few days. And sometimes it just comes back. Especially in patients who underwent brain surgery.” She reached out and covered his hand. “Your memory has been coming back for a while now, hasn't it?”

“Yeah. But it is confusing. I'm not always sure I can trust it.”

She squeezed his hand. “That's normal. It may take a while. And it might not come back completely.”

He glanced up at her, his eyes bright with panic. “Does this mean I'm done? With the trial?”

“I'll need to confer with Dr. Westbury. This hasn't happened with any of the other patients. We've seen progress, but after months of following an established therapy plan.”

She left out the part that he'd barely qualified. Hearing that others were so much worse off than him wouldn't help. And it might make him feel guilty about his recovery. But she couldn't risk skewing the outcome of the trial. For reliable results, they needed some semblance of uniformity.

“I can help you establish a long-­term plan,” she continued. “The confusion and the fear might linger for a while. The medication will continue to help with the depression, but the rest is about building a life that works for you.”

“I can't go back to driving trucks and hauling timber.”

“Is that what you wanted?”

“After we sold the business, I was thinking about picking up more shifts with Eric Moore's crews. Though I don't think they want me out there operating heavy machinery or chainsaws.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. “Maybe you could take on a different role?”

“I'm not sure I want to. Before the accident, I thought about buying some land and starting a vineyard. I'd toyed with going back to school to study viniculture.” He smiled. “Megan really likes the idea.”

“When I get back, let's talk about how to make your plan a success.” She withdrew her hand and picked up her pen.

“You're leaving?”

She nodded, scribbling a quick note in his chart. “I'm taking the red-­eye back to New York tonight.”

“Why?” She heard the panic in his voice. Like many of the patients she met with, she'd quickly become a crutch for him. She made a quick note to find a therapist for him to meet with on a regular basis. Managing his feeling as he navigated his recovery would become a priority now that he'd regained pieces of his short-­term memory.

“I have some personal business to attend to in New York.” She smiled. “Your siblings know. And I will be back Friday morning. You're stuck with me for another week after that. But this was a previously scheduled appointment I couldn't cancel.”

“Must be an important patient if you're flying back across the country.”

“It's personal.” She closed the file and pushed back from the table. “You might want to check on your chili while I pack up. Your sister agreed to drive me to the airport and she should be here soon.”

Josh headed for the stove and paused, turning to her. “Thanks for taking a chance on me, Doc. I picked up bits and pieces from Chad and Brody. I know coming back here wasn't easy for you. But I feel like I've been lost in a maze for months now. It's nice to find a way out.”

“You're welcome. And for the record, ‘easy' and I aren't exactly on speaking terms. I like a challenge.”

“One more thing, Doc.” He kept his focus on the steaming pot. “Do you think we could keep this between us until I finish finding my way out? I'm not ready to tell my brothers and sister. Megan knows. But I can't help feeling like I'm going to jinx myself. And there are still moments when I can't recall what happened five minutes ago. I know you and Brody are—­” He waved the wooden spoon through the air. “—­a thing. But—­”

“I won't say a word.” He was her patient and his needs came first. “We can talk more about how and when you want to share the news with your family, but for now my lips are sealed.”

B
RODY
WORE
H
IS
sour mood like a cloak. When he'd joined the Willamette Valley search and rescue squad he'd envisioned saving lives, not arriving too late to do a damn thing.

He stepped inside the kitchen, expecting the sweet smell of pie. Heck, he'd settle for cookies or cupcakes. Something sugary and sweet followed by a long shower with the doctor who'd taken over his kitchen.

Not to mention his bed, his mind—­and possibly his heart.

“Where's Josh?” he demanded.

His little sister looked up from a pile of magazines. “He is in the apartment over the barn with Megan. I think he's planning to move out there. For the privacy. It's probably a good idea. I stayed here on Monday while Liam was on a job site overnight, and I swear it sounded like you were rebuilding furniture in your room.”

Ignoring his sister, he peered into the pot on the stove and frowned. “That's not a pie.”

“Josh made chili today,” Katie said. “I think he's moving on from dessert.”

He didn't give a damn what Josh cooked. But Brody thought bringing chili to bed was a stretch. Sure, he could work with the leftover chocolate syrup. Or heck, he would settle for tasting her. Either way, he wanted to devour Kat, make her scream over and over, then slide inside and take her. He wanted to lose himself in her, erasing the memories from his god-­awful day.

He ran a hand over his face. “Where is Kat?”

“I drove the doctor to Portland. She's flying back to New York tonight, remember? It was part of her deal from the beginning. She mentioned it the first day. Some appointment she couldn't break.”

“What?” He shook his head, feeling as if he'd entered the twilight zone.

“She's coming back on Friday,” Katie said. “Though we might want to talk about the look on your face. The next time she heads east, I have a feeling she plans to stay there. On the ride to the airport, she suggested that Josh is making progress and said she doesn't think he'll need her help long-­term. But you kind of look like you might.”

“I just had a bad day.” Brody went to the cupboard, took out a bowl, and filled it with chili. If sugar and shower sex weren't in the cards, he might as well eat.

“What happened?” Katie closed the magazine, her teasing tone replaced with concern.

“A mountain biker reported a motionless body by a campsite. A ­couple of us hiked out to check on the guy and found a body. We carried him down on a stretcher. One of the guys found an ID at the site. He was a veteran, fought in Iraq. Who knows how long he'd been living up there with next to nothing to eat?”

“That's awful, Brody.”

“Yeah, it was.” Brody took a bite of the chili. It was worse than the brownies. He associated chili with meat and spice. This had neither. “Good thing Josh is making progress. His cooking stinks.”

“Dr. Arnold didn't get into specifics,” Katie said. “But Josh will need to find a local therapist. And we have to maintain a stable environment for him. I'm not sure what that means for Megan.”

“She isn't part of the long-­term picture.” Brody took another bite of the bland bean dish. “We can't justify the expense of keeping her on if we can trust Josh is safe here by himself.”

“I'm not talking about her paid position,” Katie said. “Have you seen the way he looks at her?”

Like he wants to get laid.
Brody knew the feeling, and he'd be willing to bet he looked at Kat the same way. But shit, if he was being honest, he wanted a helluva lot more than kinky sex. He wanted a place in her life. The opportunity to take care of her long-­term.

But now she'd flown back to New York to attend to God knows what, offering a striking reminder that her life was there and his was here.

“I think Josh is falling for Megan,” his sister said, pulling him back to their conversation.

“I wouldn't count on Josh lining up to reserve the Willamette Views Vineyard for his special day anytime soon,” Brody said. “Not in his condition.”

“You might be right. But speaking of weddings.” Katie held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. An enormous square rock sparkled under the kitchen lights.

“About damn time.” Brody dropped his spoon and took her hand. “When did Liam propose? And how have you been sitting here this whole time without saying a word?”

“I was waiting for you to notice,” she said.

“Sorry.” Brody shook his head. He'd been so focused on Josh's doctor that he hadn't noticed the rock on his little sister's finger.

“Liam proposed last night under our trees,” Katie said. “He wanted to wait until after Georgia's wedding.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your trees?”

“The place where—­”

“You know what, I don't think I want to know.”

She picked up the magazine. “I'm looking for a dress. We're thinking soon. Probably a weekend in Vegas. I want to save our money for the house and the stables. They're breaking ground next week, and once it's done, I'll be able to take in dozens of neglected or abused animals.”

Josh was supposedly on the road to recovery—­though Brody wanted to talk to Kat about what that meant. He needed details. Was his little brother regaining his memory or simply learning to follow a recipe?

He'd sit down with Kat when she got back. And they'd discuss a lot more than his little brother's memory. But right now he needed to focus on the fact his baby sister was getting married. And heck, Chad was close to asking Lena to spend the rest of her life with him.

Brody picked up his spoon and dug into the chili. If they all moved on, leaving the house they'd grown up in, where did that leave him?

Carrying a stranger's body down the mountain on a damn litter so that the veteran could receive the honor he deserved.

Pushing the depressing memory from today aside, Brody nodded to the magazine. “What are you thinking for the dress?”

“You want to talk bridal gowns?”

He nodded. It beat thinking about the questions pilling up in his mind about his little brother's doctor, or his long hike carrying a corpse.

Katie's face lit up as she launched into a detailed description of her ideal wedding gown. Half the words—­bustle and chiffon—­were meaningless to him. But he loved seeing her smile as if life had granted her everything she wanted.