“Micah Hanson is one of the volunteers,” Cassie explained. “Okay, Rodney. Let’s go find him.”
Nash followed her but he examined the chalk drawings on the sidewalk along the way. Some of them were quite good. Many of them were funny and he had to smile.
At least he smiled until they reached the volunteer who was packing more chalk into a container to place on the sidewalk. The man, who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, was dressed in shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt. He had black hair and snapping brown eyes that now focused on Cassie.
“Cassie, hey! It’s good to see you.”
She went right over to him as if they were close friends. “Hey, Micah. How’s it going tonight? Is everybody behaving?”
“Except the volunteers,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “One of the dads came with liquor on his breath and I told him to go back home. His wife was with him and she stayed instead with their little boy.”
“Good job,” Cassie said.
Nash didn’t like the looks Micah was giving Cassie. They were definitely interested looks, and he wondered how much the two of them worked together.
Rodney was pointing to his chalk drawing behind Micah. “Come look, Cassie.”
“Give me one minute,” she told the little boy. “Micah, this is Nash Tremont. He’s staying at the B&B. He thought he’d enjoy this adventure, too.”
Nash extended his hand and Micah took it. But it definitely wasn’t going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He suddenly wanted to put his arm around Cassie and tell Micah, She’s mine. But that thought didn’t even belong in his head. They weren’t at that stage yet.
Yet?
What was he thinking? He may care for Cassie, but it could never work. His life was in Mississippi and hers was here.
“Excuse me, guys,” she said. “Rodney needs me.”
Leaving the two men alone, she knelt on the ground beside Rodney without giving a second thought to what she was wearing. In no time at all, two more children had joined her, a little boy and a little girl. Cassie was asking them questions and coaxing them to draw. They did...in as many colors as there were sticks of chalk in the bucket.
Micah said to Nash, “She’s good with the kids. They love her.”
“What’s not to love?” Nash asked before he thought better of it.
Micah narrowed his eyes. “How long are you staying at the B&B?”
“Awhile.”
“Are you from around here?” Micah asked.
Nash suspected the man was feeling out his competition. Nash wished he could say he was Micah’s competition. “No. I’m from Biloxi.”
“A long way from home,” Micah commented, probably just to make conversation.
“Business,” Nash said as if that explained it all.
“I see.”
Nash thought Micah looked relieved.
Claiming his home turf, Micah commented, “I’d better help Cassie. I think she needs reinforcements. She’ll soon have a whole herd of kids around her.”
Nash supposed that was true and with Micah helping her—
She didn’t need a clash between male egos or Nash watching her closely to see if her interactions with Micah were familiar or friendly.
Seeing a bench nearby, he crossed to it and sat. He had photos of documents on his phone. He could scroll through them for a while, at least.
He purposely did not pay attention to Cassie, Micah and the children.
It wasn’t long before he heard laughter. In spite of himself, he looked toward the kids and Cassie. Apparently, each child was explaining what they had drawn. They were sitting in a circle with Micah and Cassie, and Micah’s hand was on Cassie’s shoulder.
Friendly or familiar?
Nash stayed where he was.
Darkness had almost descended when the kids finally dispersed as their parents came to fetch them. By the light of one of the lanterns along the path, Nash noticed Micah give Cassie a hand up. Then they hugged. From what he could tell, they didn’t kiss. He supposed that was good news.
Minutes later Cassie sat beside Nash on the bench. She didn’t speak for a few heartbeats. Finally, she asked, “Why didn’t you come over and join in?”
“I thought three adults might be a crowd,” he said tersely.
Putting her hand on the back of the bench, she turned toward him and studied him for a long moment. “Are you talking about me and Micah?”
Nash shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him. Yet his words belied the shrug. “You two looked like something’s going on.”
“Yes, something’s going on,” she answered with some heat. Nash’s heart seemed to drop to his knees, but then she continued. “We work at the community center together, and we’re friends.”
“The two of you seemed a little chummy for just friends.”
That comment had Cassie rising to her feet. “Are you ready to go? I have to make sure all my guests are tucked in for the night.”
“Including me?” he asked, in what was supposed to be a teasing voice.
“Including you.” Her voice wasn’t teasing in return.
Their drive back to the bed-and-breakfast was quiet. Letting out a resigned sigh, he gripped the steering wheel tighter. He knew Cassie was annoyed with him so there just didn’t seem to be any point pushing conversation. However, he wasn’t the type to let things go, or to just let them simmer. Once they were inside and he saw no one else was around, he stopped at the counter in the kitchen and so did she.
“I’m going to get a glass of iced tea,” he said. “Can I pour you one?”
When she looked about to refuse, he pulled two glasses from a tray on the counter and went to the refrigerator for the tea. He poured two glasses before she could say no. Then he set one in front of her.
“Are you sure you and Micah are only friends?” he asked. “When I was talking to him, something about him told me there was more.”
“Maybe on his side,” Cassie explained. “He asked me out once but I said no. As I told you, my life is too busy to date.”
He’d questioned many suspects in his career, and he easily saw through that excuse. There had to be some reason she didn’t want to date, and soon he’d ferret it out.
Before she could turn away from him, or go to her room, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t join in with the spirit of fun tonight. But I can tell you why. I didn’t like the idea that you and Micah might be involved.”
“You were jealous?” The surprise in her voice almost coaxed him to smile.
He took a deep breath. “I’m not going that far.” When he noticed her lips turned up a little, he asked, “Do you like the idea of me being jealous?”
Her smile broadened a bit. “I’m not sure. I can tell you one thing. I’ve never kissed Micah.”
As he brought her closer to him, she didn’t pull away. “That’s good to know. Because I’d like to be the only one who’s kissing you, at least for now.”
As soon as his lips touched hers, he knew he’d felt more than jealousy tonight. They generated heat whenever they were together, and it was a heat that wasn’t strictly physical. That was what puzzled him most of all. He’d sworn he’d never get emotionally close to a woman again, but it had happened faster than he’d ever realized it could. He was still fighting the idea of caring too much. When he had Cassie in his arms, he didn’t think at all.
As he came up for air, he rubbed his jaw against her cheek. He knew there was a bit of stubble from his five-o’clock shadow, and he’d wondered how she’d like the sensation. She seemed to like it because she brought her hand to his cheek and rubbed it along his chin.
“Your stubble is sexy,” she whispered.
All he wanted to do was sweep her up into his arms and make love to her anywhere they could find a place to
land. Yet he didn’t want to push what was happening between them for lots of reasons. A short-term affair sounded great in theory. But in the long run, he didn’t think Cassie was that kind of woman. And for him—
He hadn’t had a serious relationship for so long he wasn’t sure he knew how.
Sliding his hands into her hair, he leaned back. “I think the two of us are becoming more than friends. I also believe we should both think about that before we act on it.” He lowered his arms. “And that’s why I’m going to go up to my room.”
She looked flustered but she quickly motioned to the glasses on the counter. “You didn’t drink your tea.”
He picked up his glass. “I’ll take it with me, along with the memory of that kiss.”
As he walked toward the stairs, he could feel her gaze on his back burning right through his shirt. He had to ignore the heat until he could think about the whole thing rationally.
But he had the feeling that rational and Cassie didn’t belong in the same sentence.
* * *
Storms rolled through Austin after midnight. Cassie had just fallen asleep. It had taken her a while because she’d been thinking about Nash. Maybe it was the thunder that had awakened her. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the bright flash of lightning at the windows. A loud crack made it sound as if lightning had hit something close by.
Usually she checked the weather before she went to bed each night in order to give a forecast to her guests by morning. But tonight, she’d been distracted. She hadn’t thought about the weather forecast.
The wind howled against the house as rain pelted the window. She hoped the electricity didn’t go out. Each room was equipped with a battery-powered lantern tucked into the closet. That detail was listed on the page of conveniences that was in the binder by the telephone in each room. She also had flameless candles and lanterns downstairs in case guests wandered down there because they couldn’t sleep. Still, she hoped the power would stay on.
Cassie was debating about making a cup of tea when the wind blew with a roaring gust. There was a streak of lightning and a second later a crack of thunder. Along with that, she heard a crash that sounded as if it came from the screened-in porch. She jumped out of bed and ran toward the porch. Switching on the overhead light, she covered her mouth with her hand.
A large tree limb had crashed into one of the screens and torn it. The wind blew her coral cotton nightgown against her legs. But she was almost unmindful of it as she tried to assess the damage. Not only had the screen been torn, but the giant limb had damaged the frame.
Suddenly Nash was standing there beside her, chest bare, hair tousled, a sleepy expression on his face. “I was going to ask what that noise was, but I see I don’t have to.”
Cassie’s hair was being tossed all about and rain was blowing in.
Nash took hold of Cassie’s arm and tugged her out of the porch. Then he slid shut the sliding glass door. “You’re getting wet,” he told her.
For the first time, she realized her wet nightgown clung to her. She should be embarrassed but she wasn’t. She was too worried about another expense. “I have to figure out how to fix the porch on my own. I really can’t afford a repair bill.”
Nash took her hand and turned her to face him. “Cassie, it’s not that bad. It’s an easy fix.”
“I suppose I can find a video on YouTube to tell me how. I’m just not sure what to do about the frame.”
“I can fix it for you.”
Now Cassie looked at Nash, really looked at him. His beard stubble, darker than it had been last night, was so sexy. Then there were his muscled broad shoulders, his strong arms, the brown chest hair that sprinkled his chest.
She swallowed hard. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Of course you can. I worked construction a couple of summers. I know how to do it. I promise. If you feel you have to help, you can paint the frame after I put it together. After a trip to the hardware store, a couple of hours ought to do it.”
“I can’t let you spend your time on this,” she insisted.
They were standing practically nose to nose and she could feel his body heat. He could probably feel hers, too. Her nightgown wasn’t much of a covering anymore as it clung to her breasts, to her waist, to her hips and legs. But to her amazement, Nash kept his gaze on her face.
“You have to learn how to accept help,” he scolded.
“I know how to accept help,” she said almost indignantly. “I just don’t want to be beholden to anybody.”
He cocked his head as if he was wondering why, and she was afraid he might ask the question. She knew better than to be indebted to anybody. She didn’t want to owe them because she couldn’t reciprocate.
She once had friends who she thought cared. She went to their houses and had supper with their families. Real families. They would watch movies and eat popcorn together. The problem was she’d never invited them to her house, or rather her mother’s apartment. The main reason—her mother was usually drunk by the end of the day.
Her mother’s disease had been a well-kept secret, at least from Cassie’s friends. If their parents knew about it, they never mentioned it. Her mother was good about her drinking, if anything could be good about it. She took in sewing. She tried to do that or errands in the morning so she could bring in a little bit of money and keep the grocery clerk from seeing her swaying. The post office clerk wouldn’t hear slurred words. But by early evening she was slurring, weaving and even blacking out. Cassie hadn’t known whom to turn to for help. She’d thought about telling one of her teachers but what if that had gotten her mother into trouble? What if they had taken Cassie from her and put her in some strange house somewhere? At least her mother cared about her.
But because Cassie hadn’t gotten her help, the inevitable had happened. The most horrific thing had happened. Her mother had run a red light, smashed into another driver and killed him. It was Cassie’s fault she was in jail for vehicular homicide.
Nash gently swiped dampness from her cheek. “Where did you go?” he asked. “Those looked like some heavy thoughts going through your head.”
Her throat was tight and her chest felt so heavy. She couldn’t return a light comment or shrug off the question. Not about this. Not right now. She remembered how after the accident all of her friends had ignored her, how she hadn’t received any more invitations to their homes. Thank goodness she’d been twenty-one so nobody could place her anywhere she didn’t want to be.
Her mind quickly swept over their conversation, and the present became more important than the past. Nash standing in front of her practically naked—well at least half of him was—was more important than any relationship she’d ever had with a man. She had to tell him something that was true.
“When I went to college, I had three part-time jobs. I’d received a scholarship but I still had to pay living expenses. There wasn’t anybody to help me. I’m used to making my own way. I found out when people gave me something, they expected something back. Sometimes I couldn’t give it.”
“Are you talking about men?”
“Not just men. I learned to pay my own way, keep my own counsel and be my own person. So here’s the deal. If you repair the porch, I’ll comp you three nights.”
“That sounds more than fair,” he agreed. “We can go to a hardware store tomorrow and get supplies.”
“There’s an independent hardware store that I use. He always gives me good prices. He’s fair, and I’d like to see his business keep on thriving.”
“Independent stores are having a hard time of it these days.”
She nodded. “They are.”
Cassie could still hear the sound of rain beating against the house, though the lightning and thunder had died away. She was about to escape to her room when Nash said, “But I’m not thinking about small businesses right now. Are you?”
/>
Standing here like this, so close to him, all she could think about was touching him.
“What are you thinking?” he asked her.
“That you look mighty good without a shirt.”
The corners of his lips turned up. But in his eyes, she saw a smoldering passion that seemed to be all for her.
“And you look mighty good in that color,” he said with a straight face.
Her voice was husky when she responded, “I’m sure your eyes are just on the color.”
“I’m trying hard,” Nash joked.
As Cassie had remembered past years with her mom, tension had strung her body. But now that tension faded away. Tonight, she was here with Nash. Maybe, just maybe, she shouldn’t think so hard about what was right and what was wrong, what was proper and what wasn’t. Nash leaned in and kissed her forehead. When he backed away, she found her hands going to his chest almost of their own accord.
Nash enclosed her hands in his. “Not a good idea if we’re not going to spend the night together.”
“But I...” Cassie began.
He cut in, “You’re still not sure. If we sleep together, I want you to be very sure. I’m not one of those men who will repair your porch and expect something in return. Everything about us has to be no strings, Cassie.”
“No strings,” she repeated, knowing in some ways that was how she’d lived her life.
Releasing her hands, he ran his thumb over her lips. “One kiss would lead to another and another and another. When that happens, I want us both to be on the same page.”
Slightly embarrassed, overwhelmed by the desire to have Nash kiss her, she said, “Good night, Nash.” Then she turned and walked to her bedroom. She was pretty sure as she did, he wasn’t just noticing the color of her nightgown.
Chapter Nine
When Cassie awakened the next morning, she remembered changing her nightgown from last night. It had been damp and Nash had...
She was up at daybreak for a very good reason. She was sure the storm had left debris on the property and she needed to clean it up before the guests awakened. Breakfast would be an easy one this morning—omelets—so she could spend the next hour doing what she had to do.
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