out she lived in the same town. Which meant it was fate. He continued to smile after he’d thanked the barista.
Why she’d pretended not to know him was the question. She had her reasons, and he aimed to know them, too. The woman behind the counter said Natalie was single, so it wasn’t a boyfriend.
Paddy hadn’t achieved the success he had because he gave up when things got hard.
He’d simply keep at it.
He leaned back in his chair and watched the street outside as he drank his coffee. A new challenge was always fun. Especially when it concerned a pretty blonde with long legs and a smile that invited a man to sin and not repent.
“YOU REMEMBER THAT shithole of a bar we hung out in just outside Portland?” Paddy handed a coil of rope to his oldest brother, Ezra.
“Dude, you’ve got to be more specific than that. There are dozens upon dozens of shithole bars I remember. More I don’t.” Ezra snorted as he hung the rope up on a hook just inside the stable door.
Paddy laughed. It had been fifteen years since they’d started out, and that particular shithole bar had been at least a dozen years before. “Back at the beginning. Right before we headed to L.A. and made the first record with the label. The bar was next to a bowling alley. We had two rooms in that rattrap of a motel that was behind it.”
“Ah! Yes, I do remember that one. Damien got his ass jumped by those cowboys who heckled us and waited for him after the show.”
“Then we all jumped in, and you got arrested.”
“Wasn’t the last time.”
“And now you have pigs and dogs, and you only beat on your brothers.”
“I’m too old to beat up anyone but you people. Plus, I have great hands. Why you taking me down memory lane?”
“There was a girl.”
Ezra barked a laugh. “Yeah, well, you’ll have to be more specific with that, too. Even more of them than shithole dive bars.”
“Natalie. Long blond hair. Big blue eyes. Dimples. Juicy mouth. She worked in the bar. We had a thing. Hot, hard, fast, for two weeks before we left for L.A.”
“Hmm, sounds familiar, but, Paddy, you have a thing for blondes. There are stories like that from coast to coast and across Europe. They all run together after a time.”
“I do have a really fucking awesome life.”
Ezra rolled his eyes. “Does this story have a point?”
“She’s here. In town, I mean. This morning after our ride, I went down to get some coffee. She was there. At the counter. Hair is short now, but it exposes her neck.”
Ezra hummed his approval as he put things away.
“She’s a librarian.”
Ezra’s brows rose appreciatively. “Well, now.”
“Right? But she pretended she didn’t remember me.”
Ezra turned and then laughed so hard he had to brace his hands on his knees. “Man, I wish I’d have seen your face when that happened,” Ezra choked out in between fits of laughter. “I love how your ego paints it like she pretended not to know you instead of her just not remembering.”
“Har har. She remembered me. There’s no way she forgot it. It wasn’t a night or two. It was two really intense weeks. Plus, asshole, I’m unforgettable. Anyway, she didn’t deny knowing me. She just stepped around admitting knowing me. I know the difference.”
Ezra stood up, wiping his eyes and settling down a little. “Thanks for that. Totally made my day.”
“I’m asking you for advice. You give Damien advice all the time.”
“He’s an idiot. He needs it more than you do,” Ezra said, referring to one of their brothers, the drummer of Sweet Hollow Ranch.
“Yeah, there is that.”
“Okay, so hit me. What advice do you want? How to deal with the blow to your ego? Suck it up and move on. So what? There have to be dozens upon dozens of women who feel the same way about you, Paddy. You dumped her, and she does not have fond memories. You’re lucky she didn’t knee you in the gooch.”
“I didn’t dump her! It was fall, she was heading off to college and we were on the road. It was fine. No tears. No drama.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I liked her. I liked her then, and I want to know if I’d like her now.”
Ezra looked him over carefully as they left the stables. “So you want to what? Be this woman’s friend? See if she wants another turn in the sheets with you? This is your hometown, Paddy. Don’t shit where you sleep. If you charm her out of her panties and then it goes bad, then what? Do you really want some pissed-off ex-girlfriend who knows where you live?”
Paddy made a face. “It’s not like that. I can’t believe I haven’t bumped into her before now. It’s not like Hood River is a bustling metropolis.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve been out on multiple tours in a row and traveling in between.”
“True. Anyway, I don’t just want to nail her, though she’s gorgeous and all. Like I said, I want to see if we still click.”
“Cut the shit. You’re into it because it’s a challenge.”
Paddy sucked in a breath. “Okay, so maybe that’s part of it. But not all of it.”
“For whatever reason, you have an unhealthy level of self-confidence. You’re okay-looking and all. Chicks dig you, and you hate to lose. So go for it, but don’t be a dick.”
Which, come to think of it, was pretty good advice.
* * *
NATALIE WALKED INTO Common Grounds with a spring in her step. She’d had a really great dinner with her housemate and best friend the night before. They’d watched a movie, and she’d gotten eight solid hours of really good sleep.
It was sunny, a breeze came in off the Columbia and she was well and truly prepared for an excellent Friday.
She waved a hello at Bobbi. “Good morning! I think I’d like an Americano today with lots of room. What sorts of delicious, calorie-packed goodness do you have left in the case?”
Bobbi looked over to her left. “See, like clockwork.”
Natalie followed her gaze and nearly jumped when she saw Paddy Hurley sitting there with a grin on his face. The muted sunlight from the window he sat next to danced over his skin. Jesus H, he looked fantastic, his long legs stretched out, the denim straining at the thighs and over his crotch.
He packed quite a treat behind his zipper. Her belly and regions south tightened at that memory.
She
