Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

Dellina felt her mouth drop open. “Excuse me? Break his heart? That’s not possible. We’re working together.” She conveniently ignored the recent kiss. “Sam isn’t going to fall for me.”


“I’m not so sure about that. Sam tries to withdraw from the world as much as he can. Especially when it comes to relationships. He’s had horrible luck with the women in his life. But the thing is, he’s basically a pretty traditional guy. He wants to be married and have a couple of kids. He wants a happy ending.” Taryn paused. “In the emotional sense, I mean.”

“I get that. Look, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not looking for Mr. Right. I’ve raised my sisters. I don’t need to do that again. Sam knows that. Even if he is looking for more, he’s not going to find it with me.”

“You’re sure he knows that?”

“We had a very clear discussion before we started working together. But like I said—it’s not an issue. I’m not his type.”

“Maybe,” Taryn said. “We’ll see.”

Dellina shook her head. There was no “seeing” involved. They were friends. Sure, she liked Sam and thought he was sexy, but he was some famous football guy. He would never be interested in a regular woman like her. He would want a supermodel or a... Well, she wasn’t sure what, but not her.

“If you should be worried about anyone’s heart, it’s mine,” she grumbled.

Taryn grinned. “Duly noted.” Her smile faded. “In the meantime, read this.”

She pulled a book out of the large tote next to her on the patio. Dellina was half expecting an older release from Sam’s mother. Instead she stared into the blue eyes of a beautiful woman smiling back at her from the front cover.

The title said it all. Getting the Man You Want: Tales from My Marriage to NFL Star Sam Ridge.

“Sam’s ex really did write a book,” Dellina breathed.

“With pictures and everything. You know how Sam guards his privacy. This would have devastated any man, but for Sam it was worse.”

Dellina started to hand it back. Taryn shook her head. “Keep it. Read it. Learn from her mistakes. Just don’t break Sam’s heart.”

* * *

SAM TURNED ONTO Forest Highway as he headed out of town. Dellina sat next to him in his car, her clipboard in hand.

“I’m thinking the drive out to Castle Ranch will be a good time for a little history on the area,” she was saying. “We can tell them about the first known residents. The Máa-zib tribe, then a few lines about the Spanish settlers. I’m not sure we need to go into the history of the ranch itself.” She paused and looked at him. “Do you think that would be interesting?”

He’d already turned on Mother Bear Road and was quickly approaching the ranch. “Is there time for much more information?”

She glanced around. “Not really. It’s a quick trip. Have you been here before?”

“No.”

He slowed at the sign and turned onto a paved driveway. He could see a large house that seemed to be in the middle of major renovation, along with a big barn. There was another house in the distance and some kind of fenced-in structure that was smaller than the barn, but obviously not a residence.

He parked by a pickup and a Mercedes, then turned off the engine. Dellina was already climbing out of the car.

The woman had energy, he thought, following her. As always, she’d dressed appropriately. A T-shirt and jeans over boots. And real boots—not the kind Taryn wore with ridiculous heels and exotic skins. Dellina was more casual. More approachable. Sexier.

He shook off the last thought and moved next to her.

“Horses,” she said, pointing. “They only have a few that they board. Mostly the horses are at Shane and Annabelle’s place. That’s a few miles away. On the other side is where Charlie and Clay live. Clay owns the Haycation Village.”

“Haycation?”

“People come for a week to experience ranch and farm life. A simpler time, only with Wi-Fi. Rafe, Clay and Shane are brothers. Rafe is a developer. Heidi raises goats. She makes cheese and soap.” Dellina pointed to the largest fenced-in area. “The brothers’ mother is the animal rescue person. That’s her elephant, Priscilla, along with her pony, Reno.”

He nearly confirmed that the “her” who had the pony was the human in the sentence, but stopped himself. It sounded familiar and, of course, this was Fool’s Gold and it was far more likely that Priscilla had the pony.

A pretty blonde with pigtails approached. She greeted Dellina with a hug, then introduced herself as Heidi Stryker.

“Come on,” Heidi said. “I’ve got several ideas for our Sunday morning with your kids. You can pick and choose the ones you think will be best.”