Restoration (Wolves 0f Gypsum Creek Book 4) Read online

  Natalie’s heart was pounding in her chest, every nerve aware of the man holding her in his arms, and found that she couldn’t say no. When the next song started up, a slow love ballad, she let him pull her closer, even though she was sure she could already hear murmuring from the crowd.

  As they floated around the dance floor, she realized that his body fit perfectly against hers, and unable to stop herself, she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Shocked at her thoughts, she tried to pull away, but he held her tight, his eyes focused on her face until she looked up at him.

  When their eyes met, a bolt of electricity shot through her and her knees went weak. Desire bubbled to the surface, and she desperately wanted to look away but couldn’t make herself. Instead, she held his gaze as they spun around the dance floor, the rest of the world fading until it was only the two of them, only vaguely aware that this was one of the most intimate moments of her life.

  When the music ended, and the spell was broken, she stepped back from him, her breath coming in short gasps. Her first instinct was to flee, to run from the strength of the emotions she was feeling, but before she could, he pulled her back into his arms.

  She knew that he was going to kiss her, but could do nothing to stop him, didn’t want to stop him. A sigh escaped from deep inside her when his mouth came down on hers, forcing her mouth open, and letting his tongue slip inside.

  Her body responded, came to life in his arms, a response so swift and sudden that she nearly collapsed in his arms. When he finally ended the kiss, she was panting and clinging to him, but it only took a few seconds for her to remember where they were standing.

  Looking around, she realized that half the town had just witnessed that kiss, and her face flamed red, desire replaced by humiliation. She’d just kissed a stranger in the middle of the dance floor, and it hadn’t just been a little kiss either.

  Suddenly outraged that a stranger would have the nerve to kiss her that way, she slapped him, then walked out of the tent with as much dignity as she could manage. Once outside, she slipped her shoes off and ran for the store and the sanctuary of her room. She’d acted like a fool tonight, and it would be the talk of the town for a long time to come.

  She was just about to walk into the side door that led straight up to the apartment on the second floor when she realized that what she needed was some fresh air. Heading for the trees, she shifted, letting her wolf side out, feeling the confusion and humiliation drain away.

  Hours later, she finally made it to her room, exhausted but much calmer, she fell into bed and was asleep almost immediately. But dreams of the handsome stranger haunted her all night, her mind and body reliving the kiss that had rocked her world and left her wanting more.

  ***Dillion***

  David found Dillion in the diner the next morning, and from the look on his face, he wasn’t pleased with him. He got a cup of coffee from the counter, sat down across from him and took a long sip, his eyes sizing Dillion up.

  “I’m not sure if I should punch you or congratulate you,” he finally said.

  Dillion breathed a sigh of relief; last night after he kissed Natalie, he’d watched her walking away wondering if he’d just made a huge mistake. He’d woken up this morning knowing that he had.

  “I’m sorry about that; I just couldn’t help myself. But Natalie did just fine defending herself,” he said, touching the place on his cheek that was just a little bit sore.

  “Well, she probably shouldn’t have hit you, but…” David trailed off, clearly trying not to laugh.

  “I shouldn’t have kissed her,” Dillion said, even though he wasn’t a bit sorry he had.

  David studied him for a moment. “Why did you kiss her? I hope it wasn’t just to prove you could or something stupid like that.”

  Dillion shook his head. “I meant it when I said I couldn’t stop myself,” he said.

  “What do you plan to do?” David asked, “I don’t want to see my sister hurt.”

  Dillion had to think about that for a second, wrestling with the same thing he’d been wrestling with all morning. Part of him wanted Natalie, wanted her in a primal way that almost couldn’t be ignored, but the other part knew that it would be a mistake, that one or both would be hurt in the end.

  Deep down, he knew that what he felt for Natalie was something unique, something like love at first sight, and that he’d be a fool to walk away from it. But he also knew what his father was capable of and how dangerous it would be to love someone, how easily his father could use that love against him.

  “Nothing. I’m not planning to do anything. I shouldn’t have kissed her and it won’t happen again,” he said with more conviction than he felt.

  David nodded, but he could tell that his old friend didn’t believe him. “Well, just be careful,” he said, then got up from the table. “You ready to go look at Millie’s house? Natalie should be here, but she’s hiding in her room.”

  Dillion winced, then realized what David had said, “Why?”

  “Oh, she’ll be overseeing the restoration and furnishing of Millie’s house,” David said, trying not to grin.

  ***Natalie***

  Natalie pushed off the covers and got out of bed, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. If she’d had her way, she would have holed up in her room all day and avoided the worst of the gossip. But her brother had just announced that he’d found a contractor for Millie’s house and was going to meet with him.

  Groaning when she looked in the mirror, she jumped in the shower and took the quickest shower of her life. She threw on an old tee-shirt and a pair of shorts, pulled her hair up and secured it to her head, then flew out the door. The store was busy that morning, and a few heads turned her way when she came down the stairs, but there was no whispering as she’d feared.

  Of course, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t start once she was gone, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She’d made a fool of herself and would have to pay the price. She crossed the street, noticing that the town was much quieter this morning now that the festival was over, and climbed the porch stairs. Millie wasn’t on the porch that morning, and she was glad; she was late enough already.

  She reached for the doorknob, but hesitated, the sense of gloom the old house gave her descending over her. Before she could open the door, her brother came bursting through it, laughing.

  When he saw Natalie, he grinned at her and opened his mouth. She held up her hand and said, “One word out of you about last night, and you’ll be sorry.”

  “I was just going to tell you—” David started to say, but Natalie interrupted him.

  “Where’s the new contractor? Who is he? Where did you find him?” she asked, hoping to divert her brother from teasing her.

  David grinned at her. “He’s inside; why don’t you ask him yourself.”

  Natalie took a deep breath and stepped inside the gloomy old house, shivering as she walked down the hallway. She headed for the kitchen knowing that Stephanie would be there, but only made it as far as the dining room before she spotted the handsome stranger who’d kissed her standing by the window.

  She stopped and stared at him, wishing he’d just disappear; when he didn’t, she demanded, “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m measuring these windows,” he said, pulling a measuring tape out of his pocket.

  Natalie’s heart was pounding in her chest; she knew the answer to the next question, but she had to ask it anyway. “Are you the new contractor?”

  The man grinned at her and nodded. “I’m Dillion Mathews,” he said. “I’ve known Millie since I was a kid and she asked me to come help with her house.”

  It took a minute to fully sink in that not only was her mystery man still here in Gypsum Creek but that he would be for a while and that she was going to be working with him. “This can’t be right,” she said. “It’s just not possible.”

  This was her chance to get what she always wanted, to use what she’d learned and
bring a little sophistication to the mountain. But that was only a stepping stone to what she really wanted, to run one of the top resorts in the world, but this man was standing in her way.

  Her attraction to him was going to be a major problem, and she knew it. Just watching him measure a window had little pinpricks of desire racing through her body, and the worst part was that she was sure he knew how he affected her.

  He turned from the window and smiled at her. “I think this job is going to be the most fun I’ve ever had.”

  Chapter Five

  ***Dillion***

  Dillion watched the emotions play across Natalie’s face and felt just a little bad. Of course, he hadn’t known either until this morning that they’d be working together. He was tempted to tease her, to see if he could make her blush, but that seemed like a dangerous thing to do at that moment.

  But the kiss hung between them, and he’d almost convinced himself that kissing her again might be the right thing to do when she said, “Whatever happened between us last night isn’t going to be repeated; don’t try to kiss me again.”

  It was like she’d read his mind, but he wasn’t going to let her know that. “I wasn’t planning on it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Once was enough.”

  Natalie was speechless for a second, her mouth hanging open in shock, then managed to say, “Good.”

  Dillion felt terrible, but he had to stop what was happening between them, or he’d lose his mind. Making her hate him seemed like a good way to do that, but he hated to see the hurt in her eyes, wanted to tell her that all he’d been thinking about was kissing her again.

  “I’ve got work to do, so if you’ll excuse me,” he said, then walked out of the room before he pulled her into his arms.

  He watched her leave through the kitchen window, feeling bad that he’d had to hurt her, then pushed her from his mind and let the house take over. For the rest of the day, he explored the house from top to bottom, starting in the crawl space under the house and finishing in the attic.

  When he got back to his campsite, he had sheets and sheets of measurements and enough pictures that he was ready to begin making drawings of what he wanted to do. Many rooms in the house wouldn’t need much work, but the kitchen had been remodeled in the 1950s and would have to be completely redone if the house was going to be restored to the way it was in the 1920s.

  Millie’s house was a dream come true for a contractor like him, and he was already making a mental list of the crew he would assemble to get the job done. But first he had to have a plan, and that was going to take a couple of days to put together—enough time, he hoped, for him to get over his crush on Natalie Rayburn.

  ***Natalie***

  Natalie was afraid to walk into Millie’s house the next day, afraid that she’d find Dillion there, but when she walked in, she found only Michelle. She was standing in the front room with Millie and Stephanie looking at everything in the room.

  “I don’t think I need to keep all of this, especially if it goes someplace where it’s loved,” Millie said, “but it’s not going to be easy to part with all of it.”

  “We don’t have to do it today,” Michelle said, patting the old woman on the back. “For now, we’ll just catalog and appraise it all, then pack it away. When it’s time to furnish the house after it’s restored, we’ll tackle that problem.”

  “What’s going on?” Natalie asked, stepping into the room.

  Michelle looked relieved to see her. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here; you can help in here. I’ve got to get the kitchen packed up, and I have no idea what I’m going to do with all the food.”

  Natalie was still confused. “Wait, I’m missing something.”

  “Dillion wants the house packed up; everything has to go,” Michelle said, gesturing around the room, which was packed with knickknacks and furniture.

  “Everything?” she asked, thinking of the rooms and rooms of furniture upstairs.

  “Everything,” Michelle answered. “And while we’re packing it all up, we’re going to catalog and appraise it all.”

  Natalie groaned. “I have no idea how to do that,” she said, wondering what she’d gotten herself into; this was not what she’d gone to school for.

  “That’s okay; I’m here to help,” Michelle said, giving her a big smile.

  Natalie really did like her sister-in-law, but right at that moment, she was feeling left out, feeling like she was just the hired help rather than the supervisor for the project. But she had more or less run away yesterday, so it was her fault.

  Still not ready to give in, she asked, “What about Millie and Stephanie? They can’t stay here with the house empty.”

  “Your brother arranged for them to go stay with your mom; you’re supposed to stay here in town with us,” Michelle said, then seemed to understand what was going on. “Let me guess: David forgot to tell you?”

  Natalie nodded. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Sorry, I thought you knew,” Michelle said, letting out a sigh. “Dillion wants the house empty when he works on it, and that includes people, so Millie and Stephanie are headed to your house, and you can stay with us.”

  Natalie had to admit that the plan was a solid one, especially since the house David and Michelle would be moving into was almost ready. In a few weeks, she’d have the apartment to herself, and now that she thought about it, she liked that idea.

  She shrugged. “I guess that’s fine; I just wish someone would have told me,” she said, knowing she was being childish.

  Michelle smiled at her. “Well, now you know. Are you ready to get a little dirty?”

  ***Dillion***

  Dillion closed his sketchbook and stretched; it had taken him three days to finish his plans, but they were finally done, and he was pleased with what he’d come up with. Thanks to the pictures they’d found in the attic, he had a pretty good idea what the house had looked like in the 1920s, and his designs reflected it.

  Now that he’d started this job, he knew that he’d been meant to come back here to bring the old house back to life. It wouldn’t be an easy job, there would be a lot of delicate work that needed done, but he had a crew on the way and knew that when they were finished, it would be like stepping back in time.

  The kitchen would be the hardest room, tearing it down one layer at a time until hopefully the oldest layers were exposed was going to take a while. So, that’s where he’d planned to start; just as soon as the demolition crew showed up, they’d begin the process that he was sure would take months.

  He’d only been over to the house a couple of times over the last few days, stayed only long enough to get measurements. But long enough to see Natalie and feel the same desire that had been haunting him since he saw her for the first time.

  As busy as he’d been with his plans, she’d still found a way to sneak into his thoughts. At times he considered throwing caution to the wind and just going for it, but then he’d remember his dad and threat he posed and discarded the idea as reckless.

  He was just going to have to act like an adult and control his desire for Natalie; it was the only intelligent thing to do. But it wouldn’t be easy, not with her under his feet all the time, with her green eyes and alluring smile—not that she smiled at him very often.

  Thinking about her green eyes full of anger made him smile; she was even more attractive when she was angry, he decided. Then he realized that he was thinking about her again and got up from the table in disgust; he needed a distraction, and fast, or all that reserve he’d been working on would be gone.

  Knowing exactly what he needed, he put away his sketchbook and pens and cleaned up the campsite. Satisfied that everything was in order, he headed into the woods, feeling the power inside him beginning to build, he let it flow. Then in an instant, he was a wolf, his muscles straining to run. He shook himself, then took off through the trees.

  He ran until he was exhausted, until his mind was clear, then headed home. When he got b
ack to camp, he made himself some dinner, then climbed into bed, but almost as soon as he closed his eyes, thoughts of Natalie sprang into his mind. The memory of kissing her pushed its way in and took root so firmly that he could almost feel her lips on his.

  Rolling over with a big sigh, he gave up fighting the desire and let his imagination run wild until with a smile on his face he fell asleep. His dreams were far more vivid than his imagination was, but whether awake or asleep, the desire he felt for Natalie was real and powerful.

  ***Natalie***

  After days spent cataloging what to her looked like a lot of old junk, Natalie was excited to get to work and had every intention of helping so that the job would go faster. She threw on an old pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, pulled her hair up, and covered it with a hat. She was out the door by eight thinking that she’d be right on time.

  But when she got to Millie’s, it was clear that there had been work going on for a few hours. All the kitchen cabinets were out in the front yard, a pile of old boards was stacked on the porch, and the door was standing wide open.

  She climbed the porch stairs looking around her, wondering what time Dillion had started working, when a man pushed past her out the door with a stack of boards in his hands. He piled them on the others, then went back inside without a word, so she followed him.

  Inside there were loud screeching noises that made her cringe and her teeth ache. She followed the sounds back to the kitchen where she found Dillion and two other men slowly pulling nails out of the cabinets. Looking around, she realized that they’d almost removed everything from the kitchen and that it was nothing but an open room with some pipes sticking out of the floor.

  “What have you done?” she screeched.

  Dillion looked up from the nail he was pulling and then back down. “Give me a minute.”

  Even through her alarm, her attraction to him came roaring to life, and she had to swallow several times to get the desire to fade. But after only a few seconds of watching Dillion struggle with a rusted nail, she had to turn away.