Chapter 59
Garrett did his damnedest to not make any sort of derogatory comments regarding Meredith’s parents. Aside from having pointed out the obvious fact that they clearly were fair-weathered people, who required their daughter to excel even beyond their own personal achievements in order for her to be deserving of their respect, their attention, their affection.
Just thinking of how they’d treated her made his hands tighten on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. Until he noticed and he lightened his grip, so as to not agitate or upset her further.
What he really hoped for was that today’s confrontation proved to Meredith that she had the ability to lead her own charge, to stand up for herself and to pave her own way, without the need of someone else’s approval. Without having to feel as though she had to meet their expectations.
Meredith Jane had her own expectations. She held herself to her own standards. That was all that mattered.
Therefore, he felt wholly certain that, while she wasn’t thrilled to have put her parents in their place today, she was proud of herself for having done so.
More accurately, he mentally amended, she was proud of demonstrating her own personal verve and her inner strength.
He could see it in the way she sat a little taller in the seat next to him. Hitched her chin a notch. And occasionally grinned.
Sure, the corners of her mouth quivered with emotion, but Meredith kept it all in check.
And Garrett admired her even more for it.
As they pulled into the long and winding drive on the ranch, he slid another glance her way and asked, “You in need of picking some flowers, darlin’?”
“Always. It takes a lot of petals to extract the amount of fragrance I need.”
“How do you do that, exactly?” he asked, earnestly wanting to know.
“I line a bowl with cheesecloth and put the petals in there, pouring some water over them. I let them soak overnight, then squeeze out the liquid in the morning, into a saucepan so I can simmer it all down to a more concentrated scent.”
“Clever you.”
“It’s rudimentary, I can’t claim to be terribly clever, but…thank you.” She smiled a bit steadier, a bit brighter, this time.
That pleased Garrett.
She added, “The particular blooms I use for Wildflower Passion are very delicate and faint. A gentle wafting of aroma. So I need large bouquets to meet inventory demands. And by the way, OMG, Garrett,” she suddenly, excitedly said, “sales are picking up by the hour!”
Her enthusiasm pleased him. He reached a hand over, clasped hers and brought it to his lips.
“So, yes,” she told him. “I definitely need more flowers.”
“Let me help you,” he offered.
She gazed at him for several moments. Then she told him, “You really are the most.”
“The most, what?” he inquired, thinking she had another Kool Kids term for him.
“The most everything,” she simply told him.
Garrett chuckled. “Well, if it keeps you diggin’ on me, darlin’, I’ll take the compliment.”
“As if you have anything to worry about there,” she murmured. And snickered playfully.
They reached the trainer’s quarters and Garrett hooked up Storm’s elaborate trailer while Meredith started her hunt for her flowers.
Before he retrieved his horse, he joined her. She gave him a rundown on what she was looking for, specifically, and then they spent a good hour collecting what she needed.
Once they had the stems in water at Garrett’s house, they collected Storm and headed up to the ridge. They rode first, following the fence line with the mustangs on the other side, running free.
Then they picked more flowers, different varieties this time, for Meredith’s current mix-and-match experiments.
They returned to the house and Meredith asked, “You as hungry as I am, cowboy?”
“Famished.”
Meredith puttered around the kitchen, but didn’t find anything too noteworthy to work with, so she finally gave up and said, “We’d be better off in town.”
“At a restaurant, is what you’re sayin’, right?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
They’d already tended to Storm and he was content in his master suite of a stall Garrett had secured for him.
They left the ranch and headed back to Meredith’s, where she set up her flowers in their cheesecloth-lined bowls with lids on them. Then she freshened up and they had an early dinner at The Prime Cut.
Garrett hoped she was now a million miles away from her earlier drama and heartbreak.
In fact, he was more than happy to keep the good vibes and the good times flowing, so he suggested they pop into Tristan’s for some dancing.
Meredith said, “I will never say no to that.”
They hit the dance floor and had some beers…and by the time they made it back to Meredith’s apartment, she was humming a pretty little tune in between chatting about what flowers she thought would make for a second product line and…
“What the hell am I gonna call that line?” she mused as he let them into her place.
“Depends on what your end result is, correct? Doesn’t the scent influence the name?”
“It does…And as it stands at present, I’m mixing something a bit darker and more exotic. Provocative. Sultry and suggestive.”
She seemed to try out all of those words to see which ones fit the best, which ones might lead her to that end result she’d mentioned that would define the fragrance—and potentially help her to select a name.
She’d poured herself a glass of water in the kitchen and sipped…while her gaze remained on him.
Talk about sultry and suggestive.
She set aside the glass and snuggled up to him. She ventured, “I’m suddenly leaning toward Wildfire Rumor…or something similar. Something sexy.”
“You, Meredith Jane, are sexy. Damn sexy.”
She grinned up at him. “I’m hoping to get a little sexier.” She winked.
With a chuckle, he told her, “You get any sexier, honey, and I’m going to spontaneously combust.”
“Please, as if,” she scoffed with a laugh. And then said, “What I really mean is that I’d like to diversify the scents. Ensure they’re distinct and not copycats of each other, not close cousins so that customers don’t question which one they’d should chose, but instead want both of them.”
“That’s a brilliant marketing strategy.”
“I’m just hoping to branch out.” She gave a small shrug. Then Meredith added, “And as you mentioned a few days ago…Now is certainly the time for me to do that. I have a spotlight shining on me right now with this contest. It’s the perfect opportunity to pull another rabbit out of my hat. I want to utilize the attention coming my way. Even if it brings some unsavory peeps out of the woodwork, like my parents. This is a chance I can’t squander.”
“You’re pretty damn amazing. You know that, right?”
He didn’t even bother waiting for her reply.
Garrett lifted her into his arms and carried her into her bedroom.
And spent the rest of the evening proving just how sensational he thought she truly was.
***
Meredith hit the jackpot, the lottery and the clearinghouse sweepstakes all in one fell swoop.
No, she hadn’t heard news of the contest yet, but with so many other miraculous things falling into place, she was bouncing on the balls of her feet with exhilaration and high-voltage energy.
The web orders for Wildfire Passion were multiplying like bunnies in the springtime.
She was actually keeping up on the demands on her supply—with help from her friends who were picking more flowers with her and the boutique employees who were stepping up to fantastically run the shop.
And she’d finally—finally!—struck the perfect chords with her samples for her second line. It was such an arousing scent, she added a little to the bath she’d drawn after whipping up a batch of inventory. She luxuriated in the bubbles and the sensuous aroma.
Then, after she’d toweled dried and slipped into a black satin and lace nightie that had recently been discreetly delivered to her doorstep, she dabbed a few drops at the pulse points of her wrists and just below her ears.
She paused…got a bit wicked…and dotted a little of the fragrance on her inner thighs.
She fluffed her curls on her bare shoulders, strolled out to the living room and poured some wine. She literally counted the seconds before Garrett came through her door.
And smiled excitedly when she didn’t even make it to ten.
“Well, well,” she murmured. “Your timing is spot-on, cowboy.”
He grinned as he removed his hat, slid his gaze over her, his eyes smoldering, and mused, “Looks like we’re stayin’ in this evening…”