After Ben took her fishing, he’d dropped her off at the kitchen for another lesson. When she walked out of the building, she blinked in the brightness of the sun. She and Motley had finished early and Ben wasn’t there to pick her up yet. He’d told her that he had an errand to run and he’d be back soon.
Ten minutes seemed like thirty and Cara was growing restless sitting on the bench.
She decided to walk back to the treehouse. The exercise would do her good and the time to enjoy her boots.
Starting toward the road that led back to her lodge, she realized she’d left her keycard at Ben’s cabin. She couldn’t get into the treehouse without it. Her only option was to go to his cabin first and grab it.
The walk was long and by the time she got to his cabin, she was sweaty and thirsty, and ready to rest. She was surprised to see his golf cart pulled along the front.
Without another thought, she headed up the steps to the porch, hand mid-air ready to knock, and she stopped dead cold. A woman’s laughter billowed out through the open window.
Her breath caught as she waited, wondering what she should do. More laughter…Ben this time.
Her heart fluttered. Sweat beaded between her breasts. She shouldn’t be here…
She should leave.
But curiosity took over logical reasoning.
She quietly moved across the porch to the window into Ben’s kitchen and peeked in. She couldn’t see much. Angling her body on tiptoes and pressing her face against the screen, she then saw movement.
Ben was standing by his bed. Then someone else…She still couldn’t see…
A scratching noise behind her made the hairs on her neck stand. Oh no. Now what?
Squeak.
Slowly, she turned and her heart tripled in beats. A skunk! It was ten feet from her, staring at her with beady eyes.
She bit back a scream as she pressed her body against the exterior wall. “Go away!” she whispered. “Shoo!”
The skunk sniffed the trashcan, taking its sweet time rounding the bottom, scavenging. Cara remained frozen, afraid to breathe. Fear skidded down her spine and made her knees weak. She couldn’t run, knowing she’d be sprayed. Screaming wasn’t an option because the last thing she wanted was Ben and his secret visitor to catch her snooping. She decided patience was a virtue. She could wait the critter out. He would have to leave eventually. And so would Ben’s company.
Somehow Cara believed this served her right. Ben didn’t belong to her. And yet, why did she feel like she could vomit her guts up? When James had cheated, she had taken it lightly, but knowing Ben could be entertaining another woman dragged her through a horrible emotional ruin.
And the skunk looked at her with a smirk, at least that’s what it looked like. “What are you looking at?”
Time seemed to stand still. The critter nibbled at a morsel of food it must have found hidden behind the can.
Cara’s tolerance thinned.
The door handle jiggled and she took a small step to her left. “Oh, shit!” If she didn’t move soon she would be found there—a stalker crushed up against the outside of Ben’s wall.
Options darted through her brain. She could pretend the skunk caught her as she walked upon the porch. But it’d be hard to explain how she ended up at the far end of the porch, behind the trash can at the window.
She couldn’t bear the humiliation. Not when he had another woman in his cabin.
Would the skunk get spooked and bolt?
No, he was bravely still nibbling.
Grrr. Stupid skunk.
Waiting until the last possible second, she pushed off the wall and ran across the porch, almost making it to the safety of the corner of the cabin when she felt the cold splash against her thighs.
Silently cursing, she darted around the side and into hiding.
She brought her palm up and stifled a scream. “Oh. My. Goodness!” she murmured into her palm.
The squeaking of the door sounded…more laughter. A giggle. Heat spiraled through Cara, scorching her in anger.
She couldn’t move, could barely breathe because of the stink. But she stuck to the wall like glue on paper. Now being caught would be worse than smelling like rotten eggs.
“Wow, I think you had a visitor,” the woman said. “Stinky.”
“Those critters are pesky,” Ben said.
“Anyway, Cara would appreciate your sincerity,” she said
“Thank you for everything.” Ben’s voice was low.
“And thank you for the gift. It’s lovely.”
The woman stepped away from the cabin and into Cara’s view. She ducked deeper into the shadows, her hand dropped to her side at the same time her stomach flipped. Sofie. Cara’s world tossed upside down.
What was Sofie doing alone with Ben, in his cabin? And mentioning Cara’s name?
And he gave Sofie a gift too?
“That two-timing, snake,” Cara whispered.
Ben wasn’t who she thought he was…and Sofie wasn’t either. And worse, she was breaking the confidentiality she’d assured Cara of. Had she told Ben everything? About Cara’s past? Her fears? That she had fallen for Ben?
Why-oh-why had she trusted Sofie? Why had Cara told her everything?
Tears misted Cara’s eyes. She felt suffocated by the truth. How could she have not realized this was all a fantasy? Cara had walked onto this stage wide-eyed and willing. Ben had convinced her that she was special—different. She was different alright. Not all of the women fell in love.
She was a big fool.
Cara waited until she heard the light footsteps fade down the sidewalk and the door shut. Counting to ten, she peeked around the corner to see if the coast was clear. No one was in sight.
Darting toward the roadway, Cara ran as fast as her boots would carry her toward the only place she had at the moment.
By the time she reached the treehouse, she was shaking and tears had plastered tendrils of hair against her cheeks. She hadn’t moved that fast since high school track. Her heart was pounding and chest was aching as she gulped breaths of air.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” She kicked the railing.
No key!
Could this day get any worse? It wasn’t possible.
More tears flowed down her cheeks and her shoulders slumped.
And she stunk!
Stomping around to the back of the treehouse and kicking up dirt with her boots as she went along, she stripped from her clothes and dumped them into the nearby trashcan. She had a strong urge to drop the boots in also, but as she held them above the can, she couldn’t go through with it. Even if Ben gave them to her and it meant nothing to him, it still did to her.
She was naïve. Always had been.
When would she learn?
Cara should have guessed all of this was too good to be true. Including Sofie’s kindness!
Turning on the water to hot-as-hell temperature, she stepped into the shower and let the water run over her. She squeezed a dollop of shampoo into her palm and scrubbed her hair. Twice. Thankfully, the son-of-a-gun critter had missed her hair. Too bad it had better aim when it came to her legs. She scrubbed with body wash until her skin tingled and the water had gone cold. Grudgingly, she shut off the water and reached for a—
“Damn!” She didn’t have a towel. Figures! No clothes. And she still stunk. Wow, wasn’t life just grand.
“Here you go, darlin’.”
She popped her eyes open, wiped the water from her eyelashes and came gaze to gaze with a smiling, sexy cowboy—a guilty, smiling cowboy, which took away from the sexiness. Who was she kidding? He was sexier than ever. She wasn’t immune, not even when she wanted to be resistant to him.
She lowered her focus to the fluffy white towel he was holding and reluctantly took it from him. What other choice did she have? Parading naked in front of him wouldn’t happen.
Wrapping the material around her with a huff, she stepped out of the cubicle and swept past him. “I’m assuming you got in
to the place using the key I left at your cabin.” Her voice sounded icy to her own ears and she was grateful she could remain aloof. She didn’t care what the circumstances were or that he had every right to do what he wanted with whomever he chose. He stepped across a boundary!
“Eck! What’s that smell?” Ben scanned the line of trees.
“It’s me! Okay. It’s me!” She threw up her hands and almost lost the towel. She grabbed it before it hit her waist. Haughtily tugging it back up into place, she turned and continued inside the treehouse, stomping with each step.
“Did I miss something?” He followed her inside.
She couldn’t even look at him. Twinkling eyes and charming grin would only piss her off more. Rummaging through her suitcase, she grabbed the first thing she came to. “I was harassed by a skunk!” she snorted.
“You were sprayed. Was it here?”
“No!” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his grin. It burned through her. “There is nothing funny about this!”
“No, I guess you’re right. I felt like a shit when I went back to find you and Motley said you started walking. I’m sorry I was run—“
“Stop right there.” She held up her hand. “I don’t want an apology. You’re a free man who can do what he likes, when he likes, with who he likes. You owe me no explanation. I choose not to step into the minefield again!”
“Whoa!” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m definitely out of the loop here. I need more clarity to understand. This isn’t about a skunk spray, is it?”
“We really have nothing to talk about. I’d like to be alone.” She brought her chin and her shoulders back.
Disbelief filled his gaze. “I deserve an explanation. I’m sorry I was late, but—“
“This has nothing to do with you being late. It has to do with why you were late,” she practically growled the words.
Confusion made the lines deeper around his mouth. “Wait…I’m not following, but—“ Then his eyes widened and his lips thinned. “You were at the cabin, weren’t you? The skunk had sprayed you there. That’s why it stunk on my porch.”
“I wasn’t there spying on you.”
He squinted. “I didn’t say you were.”
“I decided to walk from the staff kitchen and realized I didn’t have my keycard to get in here. So, I went to your cabin and I found…well, I’m happy for the both of you. I plan to leave here as soon as I can manage to get this stink off my skin. Heaven knows, they won’t let me on a plane until I do.”
“Cara, you’re totally blowing this out of proportion. You should have knocked.”
“And join the club? No thanks. I’m not into kink.” Her hair was drying and tendrils were sweeping across her cheeks. She blew off several and tucked the rest behind her ear.
“Kink? You think Sofie and I are an item? She was there looking at my belts,” he scoffed.
“Oh, I bet she was.” She dropped her clothes on the bed and clutched the towel until her knuckles ached.
“The belts I make, sweetheart. I work with leather and she asked me if I could make one for her brother for his birthday. She stopped by to grab it.”
Her throat constricted. Her palms turned sweaty and she felt a bitter taste in her mouth. “She bought a belt off you?”
His ominous gaze met hers. “Exactly.”
“Okay, maybe you and Sophie aren’t sleeping together, but that doesn’t change the fact that I heard her mention my name. She’s breaking confidentiality if she’s told you about my past.” Her heart was beating so fast that she felt dizzy. She sat down on the end of the bed. “I told her things that I shared in private for her only.”
“Cara, she didn’t mention one word about your talks or anything you’ve mentioned in private. I asked her advice and she offered it. I wanted to make you something with leather. Plain and simple.” His mouth thinned.
Cara turned her back. “You wanted to make me something?” He chuckled and her skin crawled. She looked at him, arching a brow. “Why do you find this amusing?”
He sighed. “I find it aggravating and amusing, sweetheart. This is ridiculous.”
You can breathe. In and out. In and out. She was slowly moving toward her first panic attack in months. Concentrating on her thumb, she rubbed the inside of her wrist as she hoped to slow the fast beating of her heart. “What reason would you have to tell me the truth?” Her voice sounded eerie as if someone else was speaking. Her tongue was tingling and her lips were numb.
“Wow…could it be because I’m a good guy—could it be that I’m not your husband?” The unnerving words made the soft hairs on her neck stand up.
“That’s true, you’re not. I won’t let you get that far. You’re only doing your job. ” Once the accusation dropped from her lips she knew she’d gone past logic and said too much. But for the first time in her life she was capable of saying something, ‘talking back’ as James had called it. Speaking her mind had gotten her hurt many times, but now she felt the freedom of having an opinion. There was no threat of harm. No verbal lashings.
But the darkness in his gaze made her victory of freedom fizzle.
“Ben—“
He shook his head and stepped toward the door. His shoulders were tight—his jaw tighter. He dragged his hat low on his forehead, shielding his eyes, but she could feel the invisible lasers penetrating each layer of her skin straight into her bones. “Cara, I don’t think this has anything to do with not trusting me. I think for the first time in a long time you found someone you could trust, and that scares the hell out of you. This is an excuse to push me away so you don’t have to admit to your feelings. I understand because I’ve been there…not too long ago in fact. I pushed everyone away. I’m just sorry that your wall is back up.”
He left.
And the tears came.
His words scrambled confusion and hurt in her mind, leaving her exhausted.
Reasoning came to her—one by grueling one. Ben had been right. Why would he lie? He didn’t promise her anything, didn’t put himself on a pedestal to get her into bed. In fact, she’d practically thrown herself at him in his cabin. He’d only been kind to her. Not a manipulative kindness she knew from James, but the real kind—the kind that counts. James would never have thought of her feet and ankles and what shoes she wore. She’d been stung by a bee before, and he’d told her she better go put some cream on it…and that was the early years of their relationship. James was self-centered. Ben cared for people.
If Cara would have stood up to James he would have made her pay with cruelty. She stood up to Ben and she hurt him.
Two different men. Worlds apart. And she had to stop comparing Ben to James.
Sitting on the bed, she buried her face in her palms. What had she done? She’d lashed out at the wrong person. Her dam broke and she found her voice…at the wrong time. Finding her voice had meant losing her rationality and she’d wounded Ben. Being hurt in her past didn’t give Cara the right to hurt another, especially someone she cared for.
And yes, she cared for Ben. She loved him and he had no clue.
Prickles of sensation jetted down her back.
It was true, and she knew now more than ever.
She’d pushed him away. Seeing Sofie in his cabin had been a window, and exit sign, for her.
And here she’d let him walk away.
Grabbing her clothes she’d dropped on the floor, she hurried and put them on. In the fastest time she’d ever managed, she was dressed, boots on and started for the door. She didn’t even take into consideration that she smelled of skunk and her hair hung in damp locks around her face. She guessed this wasn’t the time for vanity.
But she couldn’t walk that far again. Her legs were already cramping.
Going back to the phone on the wall, she dialed the extension for Sofie’s office. When she picked up, Cara asked, “Can you do me a favor?”
Sofie picked Cara up and drove her to Ben’s cabin. He wasn’t there.
“I b
et he’s in the staff kitchen,” Sofie said.
“Mind driving me there?” Cara nibbled her bottom lip.
“Not at all. I always did like moments like these in the movies.” Sofie winked.
“I’m not sure what you mean?”
“Yes, I bet you do.” And she was quiet the short drive to the staff kitchen.
By the time she’d reached the lodge, she was rushed with one thing on her mind—making things right. She didn’t think far enough ahead that there could be other staff with him, so when she barged into the building, running, she came to a dead halt, sliding several feet on the waxed floor. Utensils clattered to plates and mouths fell open. Six sets of eyes were on her and only one pair she knew—Dade. They were as surprised to see her as much as she was to see all of them.
“I-I’m sorry to intrude. But-But I need to see Ben.”
“He didn’t warn you about the skunk population, did he?” One of the men said.
“You’re free to join us, if you’d like,” another chimed in. “We’re all used to the stink.”
“As nice as the offer is, I think it’s best I just speak to Ben.” She didn’t see him among the small crowd so she moved toward the door.
“Cara?”
She twisted on her boot heel. Ben stood at the door to the kitchen, his plate in hand and a bewildered expression on his face. “I wanted to speak with you.” She clasped her hands tightly together as her nerves got the best of her.
Ben set his place on a side table and strolled to her. “Let’s move outside, shall we?” He took her by the elbow and they stepped into the bright sun. He led her to the picnic table shaded by a large tree.
She sat down beside him and some of her anxiety faded. “I’m sorry I came here. I know it’s not appropriate, but I couldn’t wait a second longer to tell you that I’m sorry.” Her bottom lip trembled and she scraped it with her teeth.
****
Ben stared in shock. Not only were Cara’s cheeks flushed, but her lips were full and kissable, her hair wild about her cheeks. Her nipples were hard and he could see the outline through the thin, white shirt. He guessed she’d been in a hurry, pulled on her clothes, forgetting a bra in her haste. The thought brought him a smile. She never ceased to amaze him.
Ropin' Trouble (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 2) Page 13