by Karen Kelley
He finished washing the cow’s udders, tossed the water, and sat on the stool.
As he started milking, he thought he should probably have his head examined for thinking for one second she’d change her mind about writing her article, and until she’d started asking her questions this morning, he’d thought exactly that. Nikki was a reporter and she was just like all the rest of the reporters with whom he’d crossed paths.
Except she was The Barracuda.
He covertly watched her out of the corner of his eye as she put the lid back on the feed bucket, making sure it was on good and tight.
“Tell me about your books,” he said when she leaned against the fence.
For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Her expression changed from relaxed to guilty. Maybe not guilty, probably not guilty, but he’d at least made her damned uncomfortable.
“Uh, what exactly do you want to know?”
“Is this your first?”
“Yes.”
“What do you do when you’re not writing? I’m guessing you have a job. Some way to support yourself.”
“Of course I have a job.”
He waited to see what kind of lie she would come up with this time.
“I work in a library. I’m the…head librarian.”
He covered his snort with a cough. “Now why didn’t I ever get lucky enough to have a librarian who looked like you? The only ones I knew were old or married.”
Her smile was wobbly.
Yeah, she was full of lies and he was a fool if he fell for them. Maybe it was time to up the ante and see just how important getting the story was to her.
He finished the milking and stood.
“I thought we might spend the day together…and the night,” he said, letting his fingers trail down her arm, then taking her hand.
Her pupils widened, desire flaring. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He took her hand and handed her the milk bucket. “I have it all planned out. Have you ever been camping?”
She shifted the bucket to her other hand. “Camping?” Her expression showed surprise.
“Yeah, pioneer women did it all the time.” He frowned. “I’m surprised that you’ve never experienced sleeping under the stars. You haven’t run across camping out in your research?”
Her face lost some of its color. “Well, yes, of course I have, but I would’ve needed a guide and there wasn’t really anyone…uh…available.”
He grinned. “It’s a good thing we met then. I’ll be able to show you all about camping.”
“But who’ll milk Bessie Two?”
“One of the ranch hands. Believe me, you’ll enjoy this as much as you do the chores here at the ranch.”
Her smile wobbled. “Oh, goody.”
Yeah, The Barracuda had met her match. He had a feeling after camping out beneath the stars, she’d be more than ready to cry uncle and give up on her pursuit to expose his private life.
“We’re going camping, Marge! Did you hear me? Camping!”
“Both times.” Marge sighed across the phone. “Okay, that’s it. I want you to give up the story and come in. You don’t belong on a ranch, let alone doing everything you’ve had to do. You’ll feel lots better when you sink your teeth into a nice, juicy politician.”
No, she wouldn’t, because Cal wouldn’t be there. “Listen, I’ll give it a couple more days and see what happens.”
“If you’re sure.”
No, she wasn’t. Not anymore. But she’d never given up on anything in her life and she wasn’t sure how to let go of this story.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“You don’t sound sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“You haven’t fallen for this guy or anything, have you? He’s one of the ten most eligible bachelors in the area. Hell, the whole country. I think he’s even ranked number three or something. I doubt it would be very hard to fall for him.”
She straightened. “Of course I haven’t fallen for him. You know me better than that.”
“Good. Cal left a string of broken hearts when he hooked up with Cynthia, and now she’s been added to the list. I’d hate for your name to be on it as well.”
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I’m The Barracuda.”
“You’re right.” Marge laughed. “Just be careful. I’d hate it if you got eaten by a bear.”
Nikki’s head jerked around. “They have bears in Texas?”
“Beats me.”
Great, one more thing to worry about. They said their good-byes and Nikki flipped her phone closed, then quickly moved away from the outhouse.
She wasn’t looking forward to camping at all. Cal would be able to protect her from wild animals, wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like he hadn’t grown up here. He knew the land.
She snorted. If he knew her real reason for being here he’d probably gladly feed her to the bears.
She went back inside and threw a few things into a bag. Cal said to pack light and suggested using a bag so it could be tied on the packhorse. This trip was not sounding good.
As she started to turn away, she caught sight of a blue fog forming in the corner. She froze. Gas leak? Doubtful since there was no gas, only wood-burning stoves and a fireplace.
There was a deep, sad sighing, and then the mist faded away. A cold chill ran down her spine.
She grabbed her bag and hurried to the porch, deciding to wait for Cal there. As the screen closed behind her, she looked over her shoulder. Nothing. But she knew she hadn’t imagined what she’d seen.
Ghosts didn’t exist, dammit. If they did, then everything she’d grown up with had been false information. The whole structure of what her life was about would be in question. But was she ready to start believing in what she couldn’t taste, see, or touch?
Would she start to question other things as well? She didn’t think she was ready to delve deeper than the surface of what her life was about. She was afraid of what she might see.
Celeste bypassed Brian’s office and took the long way around to the spa. She couldn’t believe that he’d kissed her last night or that for a split second, she’d kissed him back. Heat rushed up her face.
Or that she’d enjoyed it so much.
And then she’d done the unthinkable: she’d run away as though she was a virgin or something—which she wasn’t. Why couldn’t she have said something intelligent or witty? She’d traveled all over the country, seen a lot of things—she should have had a zippy comeback.
Except she’d never been the type of woman who could be provocative. What you saw was what you got.
Maybe she wouldn’t have to face him today. One could only hope.
She opened the door and stepped inside the building and was surrounded by peace and serenity. Boy, did she need that this morning. She waved to Rhonda, who was on the phone.
Rhonda mouthed something, but she couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell her, so she just held up one finger to indicate they’d talk after Rhonda got off the phone. Then Celeste went on toward her room.
Yesterday had been busy as she learned the lay of the spa. She’d also met the other two women and some more of the guests. Her first massage wasn’t until later this morning, but she wanted to go through the supplies to see exactly what she could use. But first she wanted to light her candle so the warm vanilla fragrance could fill the room.
But when she opened her door, she realized what Rhonda had been trying to tell her.
Brian looked up, holding the candle to his nose. “Nice fragrance.”
“Vanilla,” she said. What was he doing here? She didn’t want him here. But the wild beating of her heart gave lie to her thoughts.
“Come in and close the door.”
She hesitated.
“Please. I won’t try to kiss you.”
Heat rose up her face as she closed the door. “I didn’t think that you would.” No, she’d been too busy thinking about the kiss they’d already shared.
“It was inexcusable.”
She wouldn’t go quite that far.
“Believe me, I don’t usually pounce on my employees.”
She studied him. “Why did you kiss me?”
He hesitated. “You’re a beautiful woman.” He set the candle down. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on a date. I guess I got caught up in the moment. It won’t happen again.”
He started toward the door, and as he passed her, she caught the scent of his aftershave. It wrapped around her, daring her to let him walk out of the room without saying anything.
She knew she would have to make the next move. “I enjoyed the kiss. It startled me, was all.”
He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “You did?” He grinned and Celeste saw the change in him. Suddenly he wasn’t her boss or even a businessman—he was just a man, and a very handsome one at that.
“Yes, I liked it very much.”
He frowned. “I don’t date my employees.”
Fear coursed through her. Was he going to fire her? “I don’t date ex-bosses,” she quickly said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you go. I think I’ll have to make an exception to my rule.” He turned serious. “Your job will never hinge on what happens between us, though. I want you to understand that.”
“I do.” And she meant it. From the little things she caught from the other people who worked for him, Brian was honorable.
He left and she let her breath out. Okay, that had gone well. Warm fuzzies began to swirl inside her. She liked the way they felt.
Chapter 19
The Scotts did not give up. They only bared their teeth and advanced. That thought didn’t keep Nikki’s gaze from darting around. She expected a ferocious rabid bear to jump out from behind a tree and eat her at any minute. If there were ghosts, then there were probably bears. At the very least, aliens ready to swoop down and kidnap her.
She was losing it.
How the hell was she going to survive the camping trip? She was beginning to think maybe everything her parents had tried to teach her might not exactly fit with this situation, either. They hadn’t taught her anything about survival in the wilderness. Nikki didn’t even watch the reality shows. She’d only seen the occasional commercials. A lot of good that would do her.
If something happened to Cal would she have to exist on worms to stay alive until someone discovered her malnourished body? She’d read somewhere that worms were pure protein. Starving sounded a lot easier then eating a worm.
“How are you doing back there?” Cal asked.
“Just fine. Great, in fact. I don’t suppose you brought a compass with you or a radio of sorts?”
“Don’t need them.”
So in other words, if something happened and she perished out here, she could justify placing all the blame on her parents.
Great, now she was starting to question everything she’d been taught. If not for what she’d learned from her parents, she wouldn’t be where she was right now. She’d done damned good as a reporter, risen to the top in record time. She wasn’t about to let this silly little article be her downfall.
She grimaced. Sitting in the saddle was another story, though. God, her thighs felt as if they’d been rubbed raw. The Thigh-Master had nothing on straddling a horse and riding up and down hills all morning. She’d probably scraped off a good two layers of skin.
“We’re almost there.”
Since they’d been riding for at least three hours, she would hope so.
“It’s over that hill.”
Oh, good, another hill. That really stretched the muscles. Feel the burn.
But she and Taffy made it up the hill. And Cal was right again. It was beautiful. From this viewpoint, she looked down on the river and the lush greenness of the area. The water was so clear she could see the rocks on the bottom. And the trees must’ve been hundreds of years old, with limbs that stretched far and wide.
Taffy was surefooted as he made his way down the hill. It was all she could do to hang on, but they made it without her tumbling over headfirst. And then she could hear the water flowing over the rocks. There was a crisp freshness about the air, too.
Something stirred inside her, but she quickly tamped it down. She was not going country. It might be a nice place to visit but she certainly didn’t want to live there.
When they stopped beneath a tree, Nikki gingerly swung her leg over the saddle and eased her feet to the ground. She gripped the saddle horn until she thought her legs would hold her up, then turned and gritted her teeth as she smiled at Cal. “That was fun.”
He chuckled. “The soreness will go away.”
Okay, so he’d seen through her act.
“It happens to the best of us,” he said.
At least she knew why cowboys were bowlegged. It was from all the calluses they built up over the years on their thighs. Cal pulled a small jar out of his saddlebag and tossed it to her. She caught it, then frowned.
“Liniment,” he said. “It’ll ease the soreness.”
“Thanks.” For nothing. He was the one who’d made her sore. Oh, she wasn’t even going there. At least not right now. But later—look out!
She watched for a moment as Cal unbuckled his saddle. Something was bothering her. She glanced around. “Where’s the cabin?”
“Cabin?”
“Yeah, you know, where are we going to sleep?” If there was a cabin here, it must be hidden in the trees.
He pointed toward the extra horse that carried supplies. “Everything we need is right there.”
“No cabin.” Unless he’d brought an inflatable one. She didn’t think that would keep any bears out.
“Sleeping bags,” he said.
“Are there bears?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never seen one.”
“But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.”
“Used to be black bears around. Like I said, I’ve never seen one.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at her. “I’d be a lot more worried about mountain lions. Now they can get real nasty if you’re not careful.”
Great.
Her stomach suddenly rumbled. It had been a long time since her morning Danish and she was starved.
“What’s for lunch?” she finally asked as she watched him remove Tornado’s saddle and set it on the ground. It had to be way past noon.
“Fish.”
Fish? Oh, Lord, her mouth began to water. She could almost taste the succulent, tender meat. Her gaze went to the packhorse and the two fishing poles that were strapped to the horse.
“In the river, right?” she asked.
“You catch on real fast.”
“Yeah, I’ve been told that before.” She frowned.
“Not exactly like the pioneer women would’ve done it,” he continued. “Most of the time all they had was a cane pole, string, and probably a safety pin for a hook. We’ll have to pretend.”
“Darn.”
Taffy turned and looked at her as if to ask when he was going to get his saddle off. Another guilt trip. The horse had carried her all this way without complaint. She wasn’t that heavy, but she wouldn’t want to carry someone on her back for three hours.
How hard could it be to remove a saddle? Nikki pulled up on the strap to unbuckle it like she’d seen Cal do. Except nothing happened. She gritted her teeth and pulled harder.
“Need some help?”
“No,” she managed to say. Just another inch. There! She gripped the leather tightly with one hand and let go with her other one, unhooking the strap.
The leather straps through the metal rings were all that held the saddle on. She pulled up and loosened them—much easier than the other strap. Now all she had to do was remove the saddle.
She stretched on her toes and did exactly as Cal had done, sliding one arm under one end of the saddle and her other arm under the other end. She pulled the saddle toward her and slid it off, taking the w
eight.
The weight of the saddle surprised her. She staggered back and landed on her butt in the grass. Ow! Who would’ve thought a saddle would be that heavy?
“You okay? Need some help?”
She blew the hair out of her face. “No.” She wiggled out from under the saddle and stood, then bent at the waist and picked it up, but this time she was ready for the weight. She staggered over and dumped it beside Cal’s.
Then she smirked at him, except he wasn’t even looking. He was unloading the packhorse. Not that his approval mattered. She didn’t need it. The saddle was off the horse and she’d done it without his help.
He finished unloading the camping equipment from the packhorse, putting everything to the side, then scooped up the reins. “We’ll water the horses, then see if we can catch a fish or two.”
As empty as her stomach was, it would take more than one fish to fill her, but the sooner they watered the horses, the sooner they would get to eat.
She grabbed Taffy’s reins and walked beside Cal to the river. The body of water was wide and didn’t look very deep. If she wanted, she could walk right out into the middle of it and never get more than knee deep.
She only hoped there were plenty of fish. She didn’t see any.
When the horses finished drinking, Cal staked them out so they could eat the grass but not wander off.
“Have you ever fished before?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“You’re in for a treat then.”
Hadn’t he said the same thing about milking?
Cal grabbed the poles, bucket, and a small shovel. Okay, her curiosity was getting the better of her. “What’s the shovel for?”
“To dig the worms.”
Of course—she should’ve guessed. Great, she thought sarcastically. The worms would be sacrificed to the fish, and then the fish would fill their stomachs. She had a feeling the worms got the short end of the stick. After all, they weren’t hurting anyone as they dug through the earth. Not that she cared at this point in time. She was hungry. But not hungry enough to eat a worm. Hopefully, the fish would find it a tasty treat.