"Is it true?" she asked. "Do you do everything with your boots on?"
"Maybe I'll tell you."
She laughed, the sound filled the room and made him react. For the first time since his dad had died, something made him feel.
He held her in his arms and forgot about gossips and new brothers. The dee-jay played a mix of old country hits by the likes of Alan Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Straight, and Keith Wells and new hits like the new song by Emma Jean Wells. He pulled Juliette closer as the beat of the country waltz filled the room.
A jolt of sexual awareness went through him. He glanced down but saw that Juliette had her face turned away from him.
"Do you think Ariana and Trey are going to work things out?" he asked.
"I think so," Juliette said. "My cousin isn't going to bend for anyone. She's learned the hard way that she can only rely on herself … and me. But she's stubborn, not stupid."
"Trey is, too," Wyatt said. Idiot. He had a gorgeous woman in his arms and instead of asking about her he was talking about his brother. Just once he wished he had the smooth charm his father did.
"So about you and the boots … "
He smiled down at her. "What about them?"
"Do you wear them all the time?" she asked.
"I guess you'll have to kiss me and see," he said.
"Kiss you? That's fast. How about we finish this dance first?" she said.
"If I learned anything as Boots's son, it was that life is too damned fleeting to waste time by not going after what you want.
"And you want a kiss?"
"And maybe more," he said.
Juliette made him feel young and alive. He wanted her for this night. Wanted to just forget about odd inheritance stipulations and new brothers and simply be Wyatt Kelly, legendary boot maker.
Chapter Two
‡
A kiss.
One kiss from Wyatt Kelly.
She'd been intrigued by him for a while. Of course the situation with his father and those two illegitimate heirs was interesting but it had nothing to do with her attraction to Wyatt.
"You're staring at my mouth," he said.
"You're the one who wanted to bargain for a kiss," she said.
He arched one eyebrow at her. "So you're thinking about it."
"That and a hell of a lot more. It's not often I get the attention of Wyatt Kelly."
She saw a slight flush spread across his cheeks. Interesting that a little teasing got to him.
"So … "
"So?"
She took his hand and led him toward the side of the ballroom. "What was it like to grow up with a ballroom in your house?"
He pulled her to a stop.
"That's what you want to know?"
"Yeah," she liked him and she wanted to know more about the man. Anyone could Google him and find out his net worth or the way Kelly Boots had dominated the global high-end boot market under his leadership. She wanted to know the things he kept to himself. The secret parts of Wyatt that no one else knew.
Damn.
Slow down, girl. He's a man and this is supposed to be fun.
But the truth was she was tired of fun. It had been too long since she'd felt like herself. Felt like she'd met someone who made her believe that the highs of attraction might be worth the pain that would come with the ending.
And her experience had taught her that everything ended.
"It was … I don't know. Normal. My mom had parties in here all the time and when she and Dad divorced Trey and I used it as a skate park for a while."
"Skate park?"
"Yeah, Abuelita's grandson visited from California when I was about ten and helped us build some jumps and ramps. When it turned rainy we brought everything inside. Dad was off with someone so there was no one to stop us."
"But someone did?"
"Yeah. Mom. She stopped by to pick up some china or something and went ballistic."
"Rebel."
He shook his head. "Nah, not really. We were just bored.
"So when you get bored you get reckless?"
"Doesn't everyone?" he asked. "That's why you're here with me in a dark corner, right?"
"I'm not bored. My business is crazy busy now and I've got-
"That's a load of BS, honey, and if you want to play it that way then you can move on."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"No lies. I don't like them and won't tolerate them. My dad … well, except for the Blue brothers, he was honest about everything else."
"How can you be sure?" she asked.
"I can't. But he's dead. So … why are you here with me if you're not bored?"
"Lust.
She could tell she surprised him when he laughed.
"Maybe a little bit of caution would be in order, Juliette."
"Hey, you wanted the truth. No use sugar coating it. I think you feel the same.
"Why do you think that?
"I've seen you watching me when I stop in Riva's every morning for my mocha latte."
"Yeah?" he asked. "Then why haven't you done anything?"
"I was waiting for you to make the move. This is Texas. All Cowboy code and what not."
And the truth was she had been burned the last time she'd made the first move. So why the hell was she here with him?
Stop thinking. She wanted one night. No strings.
"Well, my cowboy code … I don't think I have one," he said. "I'm more businessman than cowboy and I always have been.
"You're a gambler, Wyatt. How about telling me why you asked me to dance?" she said.
"Because I've been eyeing you in Riva's," he said with a wink, putting his hand on her waist and drawing her closer to him.
He leaned in and the scent of his spicy masculine aftershave surrounded her as he bent forward blocking out the party and the people until she could see only him.
Think only of Wyatt and this night.
His mouth brushed over hers, gently at first and she parted her lips under his. His tongue slid deep into her mouth and she sighed. He tasted … better than any man she'd kissed before.
She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss.
"Wyatt Kelly, remember who you are," a pissed off female voice said.
Wyatt pulled back slowly, dropping one more kiss on her lips before looking over her shoulder at the woman who'd interrupted them.
"I am, Mom. Boots would have done the same."
Wyatt kept his arm around Juliette but his mother wasn't going to be easily placated. "Why don't you go and check on Trey?"
"Wyatt Anderson Kelly, I will not be put off. I'd like a word," Paloma said. She was fierce. She had to be after she'd fallen in love with Boots at eighteen and then learned that Boots' heart belonged to all woman and never just one.
He glanced down at Juliette who smiled over at him. "It's okay Wyatt Anderson."
Juliette walked away but Wyatt knew that he'd see her again. This evening wasn't over and neither were the two of them.
"I need a gin and tonic and then we need to talk," Paloma said. "I heard those … Blue brothers are living here now."
"Mom, you know the terms of dad's will. Yes we are all living here now."
"I went by my suite," Paloma said.
Wyatt bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. Nicholas had altered the placard outside the suite to say South Fork. Wyatt and Trey had both gotten a kick out of it since their mom did go for ostentatious décor.
"Well, it's our home now. What did you need to discuss with me?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to interrupt. I raised you to be better than your father. Kissing a girl at a party is something your dad would do," Paloma said. She was nothing if not honest and she always had been.
"Mom-
"I'm sorry, darling, but the last few months have been trying," she said.
Wyatt cupped his hand under his mother's elbow and led her from the ballroom. He didn't know if it was just the usual drama or if something was truly upsetting her. She was hard to read that way.
"What's up?"
She sighed, tossed her hair over her shoulder and then levelled a very serious stare on him. "Are you and Trey mad at me?"
"Why would we be?"
"I might have known about the other boys … not their names or anything, just that they existed."
Might have known?
"Why didn't you say anything?" Wyatt asked.
"I broached the subject with Boots one time. And he said, ‘woman, leave this alone, Wyatt and Trey are my sons'. It was just a suspicion. I didn't want to press to hard and find out that it was true," she said. "I knew it though. He was gone so much when y'all were little and he kept saying things … "
"Mom, what do you want from me?" Wyatt asked. He patted her on the back. She'd gotten over Boots a long time ago, they all knew that. She hadn't been cut out for domestic life and she'd be the first to tell the world that. But she'd done the best she could and really Wyatt was happy to have had her as his mom.
"Just need to know y'all don't hold anything against me," she said. "I know I'm not mother-of-the-year but I love you and Trey and your happiness means a lot to me."