"You must be Brielle Storm. It's such a pleasure to meet you," the woman said before stepping forward and giving Brielle a startling hug. Yes, Brielle was used to the friendly people in this town, but she still wasn't used to getting a hug instead of a handshake.
The woman stepped back and said, "I'm Misty, and this is my husband, Bryson Winchester."
"Wait. Winchester? That name's familiar."
"Well, I'm sure you've met his brother, Hawk," Misty said with a laugh. "All the single women around here make sure to meet him."
///
"That's right," Brielle said. How had she not noticed the resemblance?
"It's too bad you're taken already. Hawk and Bryson's mother has been itching for Hawk to settle down, especially since Bryson and I got married last year, and now we have a baby on the way." Misty's cheeks glowed as she ran her hand over her stomach.
"How far along are you?" Now she could ask, Brielle thought with relief.
"Only five months. The baby is due in November."
"Congratulations," she told Misty with a smile. "It was so good to meet you. I hope we run into each other again."
When Bethel's attention was diverted, Brielle practically sprinted back over to the water tank. She arrived just in time to see a shirtless Colt pushing himself out of the water and up onto the bench, the sun glinting off his hard pecs and rippling down his washboard abs. Hunger sat low and heavy in her stomach - how she wanted to climb right in the tank with him and …
That was so not the appropriate place for her mind to wander while in the midst of so many people, especially with the sound of children's laughter all around her. What had Colt turned her into? When he looked up and their eyes met, his smile increased in wattage, and she felt her knees grow shaky.
"Come on, Brielle," Colt called out, "give it a shot. But I seriously doubt you could hit the target even if you were standing three feet away."
"Oh, Colt, Colt. That was the wrong thing to say." Brielle stepped to the front of the line, and the boy who was about to throw gladly handed over the ball.
"Don't throw like a girl," Colt taunted her.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him, then looked at the target, wound her arm back, and released. The ball flew fast and straight and sank him on the first throw. When he popped back up from the water, his eyes held a look of amazement.
"I'm proud I throw like a girl, Colt. I did tell you that I have four brothers, didn't I? I've been throwing since I took my first steps. I pitched on our softball team in high school, and I was beyond pissed off when they wouldn't let me play baseball. The girls won the district playoffs and went to state my senior year."
"I never would have taken you for a ball player, Princess." This time, princess was spoken with reverence.
"There's still a lot you don't know about me, cowboy." She threw another ball and sank him again, wearing a huge grin while she did so.
After Colt's turn in the tank was over, she gave him a longing smile when he stepped from the changing tent, his hair wet, his cheeks glowing, and his shirt hugging his damp body. Neither of them said a word as he rushed to her, lifted her in his arms and gave her an explosive kiss.
"We can either sneak off into the woods or go out on the dance floor," he whispered.
"The woods, please. After seeing you all slick and wet, I'm burning up."
That was all Colt needed to hear. Grabbing her hand, he led her away to a much more private place.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Colt felt like a teenage boy as he slipped off into the woods with Brielle. That's how she made him feel all the time, lightheaded and excited. He never wanted the days to end - or the nights.
She was passionate and stimulating, adventurous, and just all-around amazing. And how she made him feel about himself was the most thrilling of all. She made him feel invincible.
He would never forget the talk he'd been given when he was getting ready to head off to college and his dad had taken him fishing down by the lake. His father had told him that if he ever found a woman who made him believe in himself, he'd be a fool to let her go, because that was the type of woman a man held onto forever.
Colt had found that woman. He just had to make sure she loved him enough to get past the information he hadn't given her about himself. Sure, he hadn't actually lied, if he wanted to get technical. She'd just assumed he worked for her. But not telling her the truth was a lie - some might call it the sin of omission.
He pushed that from his consciousness, because they were now far enough away from the townspeople that he could ravish her, make her forget about anything other than how great the two of them were together.