by Karen Kelley
“I don’t know, but then I’m not the one doing research. I’m sure they didn’t have it this good, though.”
She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. That’s right, feel the guilt. Maybe he should just tell her that he knew who she really was.
“This is so good,” she said as she closed her eyes and took a bite.
She acted as though she hadn’t eaten a hot meal in days. And she probably hadn’t. He had a feeling she’d bought some food when she went shopping because the stove at the cabin still hadn’t been used. All the wood was still in the pile. Nope, she didn’t fool him for a second.
But she was right about the fish. It had been a long time since he’d eaten fresh fish and it tasted as though the best five-star chef had cooked it.
They didn’t speak again until they’d finished off the last of the fish and almost all the beans. Cal set his plate down.
Nikki looked up and caught him studying her. “I guess you probably think I’m a pig for eating so much.”
“You have a healthy appetite.” No, he was thinking a lot of things, but it wasn’t that she ate too much.
“Most men are put off by a woman who eats too much.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Good.”
“Would it bother you if it did?”
She grinned. “No, I love to eat and I don’t care who knows.”
“I didn’t think it would bother you. Not much does.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She set her empty plate on top of his. “So why did you and your last girlfriend break up?” she asked out of the blue.
Just when things were going well, too. “Is it important?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I don’t want to do the same thing.”
“Is our relationship that important to you?”
When she looked at him, he could almost believe that it was.
“Isn’t it to you?”
He thought of her milking Bessie for the first time, or Bessie Two, as she called the cow. Then he remembered the excitement on her face when she rode a horse for the first time. Skinny dipping, making love. Even fishing today.
And then it hit him. The reason why he made excuses to be around her. He liked watching her reaction to everything she did and saw. He liked her tenaciousness. He liked a hell of a lot about her.
“Yeah, I think it could be,” he said.
“Then tell me about her. Did you love her?” She set her plate down and lay back on the grass staring at him.
And looking oh so innocent, except he knew better. He picked at a blade of grass. If he told her the truth, Cynthia would become a laughingstock. There were some people who would like that. Cynthia was certainly no angel and she’d pissed a lot of people off in her thirty-one years. But he wouldn’t tarnish her reputation any more than it was already tarnished.
“She broke it off with me.”
Nikki raised her eyebrows.
“Why? Do you snore or something?”
“I guess you’ll find out tonight.”
Before she could ask any more questions, he stood, then reached a hand down to her. “Come on, we’d better wash the plates before it gets dark.”
She followed him down to the river, but then she surprised him by taking off her shoes and socks. He wondered just how far she would go. Hell, he already knew the answer to that.
But much to his disappointment, she rolled up her jeans and waded into the water.
“It’s cold!” She tiptoed out as quickly as she’d gone in.
“This river has always had the coldest water. I think that’s why the fishing is always so good.” He set the plates down and toed off his boots. His socks were next. He needed to let them dry out anyway since he’d been in the water with them on. If his grandmother were still alive, she’d give him what for.
“Okay, where’s the soap to wash the dishes?”
“We don’t need any.” Cal picked up one of the tin plates and walked into the water. She was right about it being cold. “This is how the pioneers washed the dishes.” He bent over and scooped up a handful of sand off the bottom of the river and began to scrub the plate.
“You’re washing our dishes in mud?”
“It has a built-in scouring pad and the fish eat all the stuff at the bottom of the river so it’s clean.”
He glanced at her. She still didn’t look like she bought what he was telling her. He set the plate on the bank and grabbed the bean pan, then handed it to her. “Try it.”
“Oh, yeah, give me one of the pans,” she said, but she was smiling.
She dipped the pan in the water, scooped up sand off the bottom, and began to clean the pan. “We may have something here. If we market it just right we could come up with a new cleaning product.”
He laughed. “Like what? Clean with the cleaner solution—mud.”
Her laughter joined his. “You’re right, that might not work. Darn, and there go my visions of making millions.”
They quickly finished washing the dishes and turned them upside down on the bank to dry.
“My feet are freezing,” she said as she hurried the short distance back to the camp.
She sat in front of the fire and stuck her feet close to the dying embers. He sat down next to her and grabbed her feet then began rubbing them.
“Better?”
“Much.” She lay back, pillowing her head with her arm. “I could get used to this.”
“Are you saying you’re starting to like the country?”
“I don’t think I’d go that far.”
He worked his massaging motions up her leg, kneading the calf, then repeated with the other one.
“Umm, right there,” she said.
“I want to make love with you,” he said.
“I know. I want the same thing.”
Nikki was in way over her head. Maybe she didn’t realize what she was doing or that she was getting in deeper than even she realized, but Cal knew when a woman was more than interested.
“It probably won’t work out between us,” he warned. That was the closest he’d come to telling her he knew the real reason she was here.
“I understand.”
Their gazes locked. Without losing eye contact, she brought her hand from beneath her head and slipped the metal button of her jeans through the buttonhole.
It was as though something had passed between them, a silent understanding. No recriminations, no regrets.
Chapter 21
“You’re sure no one is at the old homestead?” Celeste asked Brian.
“Positive. Cal took Nikki camping. The only thing here is a few animals and, of course, the ghost.”
Celeste had to admit she’d been curious about the place where Brian’s great-grandparents had lived. Well, more about the ghost he’d told her haunted the place. When she’d mentioned she’d like to have some fresh mint to make one of her specialty drinks, he’d told her that mint grew wild up by the old place, then offered to take her.
Brian had liked her idea of a small area where they could make tea or fruit smoothies and gourmet coffees. Betty was even making tiny cupcakes and cookies. So far, the guests loved the little extras.
He stopped the pickup in front of an old house that wasn’t much more than a shack and got out. “I haven’t been here in ages.”
She eyed the weatherworn building with trepidation as she got out of the pickup. It was worse than she could’ve imagined. “I can see why.”
He was frowning when he looked at her.
She laughed at his disgruntled expression. “What I can’t understand is why anyone in their right mind would want to stay here. It looks really bad. That reporter must be regretting her decision to do the story on your brother. I know I would, and I’ve stayed in some really run-down places.”
He looked at her curiously for a moment and she knew she’d said a little too much about her past.
“Yeah, she must want it pretty bad,” he finally said.
&
nbsp; She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced around, taking in the pen, the cow, and the calf. “I can’t see anyone staying here, die-hard reporter or not.” She liked the idea of getting back to nature but this was even a little too much for her.
“The guests are rare. I think they enjoy the absolute quiet.”
“Cock! Cock! Cock!”
She jumped, throwing her arms around Brian when a possessed rooster drunkenly flapped across the yard as it made a beeline for the barn. Her heart jumped to her throat.
“Damn! Scared the hell out of me, too,” Brian said as he held on to her as tightly as she held on to him.
“Was that the ghost?” she asked.
“That was the rooster, but something is seriously wrong with it. It acts rabid.”
“Or psycho.” She looked up at him, and suddenly, the rooster didn’t matter. His blue eyes were fastened on her lips in a way that made her think he wasn’t thinking about the rooster, either.
“You said you enjoyed my kiss, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good, because I’m going to kiss you again.” He didn’t wait for her answer but lowered his mouth to hers. At first he only brushed his lips across hers.
Celeste trembled from head to feet, then pressed closer and parted her lips. His tongue stroked hers. She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, wanting more, needing this connection. She returned his caresses with a passion she hadn’t known existed inside her. When he ended the kiss, they were both breathing hard.
“Wow.”
That was all he said. Just wow. But it was enough for her to know he was affected by the kiss as much as she had been. She stepped away, putting a little space between them. Heat rose up her face when she realized just how she’d reacted to his touch.
“I…I’m sorry,” she said, stumbling over the words.
“I’m not,” he told her.
She couldn’t meet his gaze but chose to look at the ground instead. “I usually don’t act like this around people…around men. I mean, I’m not a virgin or anything, but I don’t have a lot of experience, and I guess you think that’s probably crazy….”
He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her close. “It doesn’t matter.”
Warmth spread through her but not like the heat of a moment ago. No, this was as though the sun shined down on her. It was a good feeling, not as good as kissing, but she enjoyed it.
He let go of her but kept holding her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you where the mint grows.”
She looked at the cabin. A shadow moved across one of the windows. “Can we go inside?”
“The cabin is technically rented.”
She looked at him. “I promise I won’t bother anything.”
He shrugged. “I guess so.” A slow smile curved his lips. “But I won’t guarantee you’ll see the ghost.”
“How did you know I was curious to see if there was one here?”
“I don’t know. Wild guess?”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “I bet I’m not the first girl you’ve brought here.” When his face turned a nice shade of red, Celeste had her answer and couldn’t stop her smile. “Shame on you.”
“What is it about girls and ghosts? They always want to check out the haunted houses.”
“It’s walking toward the unknown.”
He waved his arm in front of him. “Knock yourself out. I’d just as soon know where I’m going.”
“You’re not coming?” It was one thing to go in with Brian and another to go in by herself.
“This is what gets men in trouble,” he said on a sigh. “How can we say no? Okay, come on.”
They walked up the steps. The well-oiled hinges on the screened door didn’t make a sound when he opened it.
“Hello?” Brian called out.
“I thought you said no one was home,” she whispered, hugging his arm.
“There isn’t. I just wanted to see if the ghost would answer.” He laughed when she frowned.
Cold air washed over her. She squeezed his arm a little tighter.
“You don’t have to be scared. I don’t think there’s really a ghost here.”
“Yes, there is.”
“Huh?”
“I felt her.”
He scanned the room. “What do you mean, you felt her? How do you feel a ghost?”
“I felt a rush of cold air.”
“Then what you felt was cold air.”
She shook her head. “No, it was the ghost.” She was certain of it.
“What? Are you telling me you’re psychic?”
“No, but I can sense things.” She looked around the room. “Some people call it a gut instinct. Everyone has it, but most people don’t trust their feelings.”
“But you felt a ghost here?”
“I felt something.”
A window in another room crashed shut. They both jumped. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cabin. Not that Brian really had to pull very hard because she was right on his heels. This would not be a good time for her to linger.
“Enough ghosts for one day?” he asked when they were safely standing in the yard again.
“I think so.”
They looked at each other and laughed. She marveled at how much younger he looked when he was away from the business side of the ranch.
“Maybe we should grab some mint and head back.”
“That’s a good plan.” She followed him around to the back of the cabin. “A lighted path to the outhouse. You spare no expense for your guests.” It was all she could do to keep from laughing at her joke.
“Cal or Nikki must’ve put them up.”
They got the mint and went back to the pickup, but Celeste couldn’t resist one last look at the old house as they drove away. Her breath caught in her throat. Was that a woman standing at the door? If she was, it looked as though she might be crying.
“Tell me about the ghost,” she suddenly said.
“I don’t know a lot. For a long time, I thought I was imagining things, and I’m sure that’s all it was this time. The house is old and the window probably chose that moment to slip and crash shut.”
“I saw her at the door.”
His head jerked around and he stared at her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It looked as though she was crying.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m not letting anyone else stay there. Not if it’s haunted. The ghost might hurt someone.”
“We should have a séance.”
“You mean go back up there and sit around a table and intentionally call the ghost?”
“Not scared, are you?”
“No…yes.” He frowned.
“But don’t you want the poor girl’s spirit to be set free?” She sighed. “I feel sorry for her.”
He pulled in at the stables. “I don’t. She used to scare the hell out of me.”
“Maybe you needed the hell scared out of you. I mean, you were bringing girls up there to make out with.” She laughed when his frown deepened.
“I was a teenager.”
“And I was teasing you.”
“I guess I have been spending too much time on ranch business.”
“That’s okay. I can help you relax,” she joked, then realized the way her words sounded.
He let his gaze roam over her. “I think you can.”
His implication was clear. Celeste could feel herself blushing all the way to her roots.
“That wasn’t what I…uh…meant.”
“Now who doesn’t know when someone is joking?” He grinned.
She relaxed. “You’re right. Maybe we both need help.”
They got out of the pickup.
“Hey, we had a new colt born this morning. Want to see her?”
“I love horses! I once lived with some people who had a horse. They let me take care of brushing her and I was in seventh heaven.”
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen,”
she said as she stepped inside the barn. She stopped and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
Brian paused at the door. Why would she be living with a family that she wasn’t related to when she was only thirteen? He watched her as she walked to one of the stalls, then stopped before she peered inside and turned to look at him, a question in her eyes.
“Where were your parents?” he asked.
Her face paled.
It made him wonder what her life had been like before she came here.
Chapter 22
There was nothing sexier than a woman sliding the zipper down on a pair of cowboy-cut jeans. Cal’s hands stilled in the middle of rubbing Nikki’s feet. Her passion-filled eyes told him exactly what was on her mind. When she started to shove the jeans down over her hips, he reached up and grasped the waistband, tugging them down. He was thinking the same thing, and who would blame him?
“There’s a freedom in making love out in the open,” she said, her words soft and seductive. “I like the way it makes me feel—decadent and a little naughty.”
He liked naughty, and Nikki wore it well. “You’ve never made love outside before. Before the pond, that is.”
She shook her head. “My partners were always afraid we’d get arrested for having sex in one of the parks. It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying on my part, though.”
He laughed. “They just didn’t know the right parks.”
One eyebrow rose. “And you do?”
“I’m not sure I would now, but yeah, I know a few places where you can make out without getting caught. The way the press hounds me, it wouldn’t be smart to get back to nature.”
“Are…they that bad? I mean, they must help your career, too.”
“Some do.”
“Then you don’t despise all reporters.”
“No, there are a few I actually like.” He watched her closely and saw the look of relief on her face. It made him wonder why she would care what he thought, but as soon as she sat up and began to unbutton her shirt, it didn’t really matter.
Cal followed suit and unbuttoned his but kept his gaze on her as she slipped off her shirt and the only thing left was a wispy red lace bra.
“I always thought it would be nice to vacation in a nudist camp,” she said, the laughter back in her eyes. “What about you? Ever think it might be fun?”