When he lifted his head again, her breathing was ragged and she was clutching his shoulders hard enough to make her fingers cramp.
“We’d better get back,” he murmured.
She nodded. “I want to live dangerously, but I’d rather not get arrested.”
Then a very familiar voice called her name. The tone was all too familiar, too. It usually meant she was in big trouble.
Kate turned her head to see her mother standing about ten feet away, gaping at her. And there was her father, looking equally amazed.
Busted.
10
THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE was strong enough for Hugh to figure out that these attractive fifty-somethings were Kate’s parents, even before she hastily pulled away from him and greeted them as Mom and Dad. Through the stumbling introductions on Kate’s part and the handshakes on his, Hugh took stock of the people who had produced such an amazing daughter.
Her father was the one who’d passed on the red hair. His was darker and flecked with gray, but no doubt it used to be the color of Kate’s. He was dressed casually, in a knit polo shirt and slacks, but his expression was anything but relaxed. His mouth was set in a firm line, as if he wanted to demand Hugh’s intentions.
Hugh didn’t blame him. Most fathers wouldn’t be happy to see their daughter in the arms of a guy they’d never met, and John Cooper didn’t know the half of it.
Kate’s mother, Emily, a trim brunette in a red silk pants suit, wasn’t smiling, either. But Hugh had hope that she might, eventually. The laugh lines around her mouth promised a sense of humor lurked in there somewhere, and meeting on the sidewalk like this was right out of a sitcom.
Still, he regretted making things awkward for Kate. Hell, he regretted making things awkward for himself. He hadn’t met a girlfriend’s parents since high school. All the women he’d been involved with had known in advance he wasn’t the guy they’d take home to meet the folks.
“We’ve been, uh, sailing.” Kate glanced at her watch. “And you know what? I think we’d all better get back to the Townsend House. It’ll be time for the rehearsal before you know it.”
“Now that’s a switch,” Emily said. “You worrying about whether we’re late or not. Anyway, I don’t think we have to rush. Your dad and I wondered where you were, and then we saw your car in the Townsend House parking lot so we decided to come and look for you.”
“You could have tried my cell phone,” Kate said. Then she flinched, as if realizing that sounded too much like you should have called first. “What I mean is, that’s a great way to—”
“I hate those damn things,” her father said. “Anyway, we found you without having to resort to that.”
They’d come specifically to get a look at him, Hugh decided. Kim had relayed Kate’s anxiety about the mix-up and, following their parental instincts, they’d decided something unusual was going on. They’d been dead-on.
Kate’s father focused his laserlike gaze on Hugh. “Stuart told me you’re in the movie business out in L.A.”
Hugh picked up on the subtext right away. You live clear across the country, so why are you putting a lip lock on a Rhode Island girl? “I have a condo in L.A., but I’m hardly ever there,” he said. “I do a lot of shooting on location. There’s a movie I’ll be doing down in Virginia next fall.” And why he’d said that, he had no idea.
“Sounds like an interesting life,” Kate’s mother said. “A little on the vagabond side, though. All that traveling must get tiring after a while.”
“Sometimes.” More each year. He hadn’t acknowledged to himself just how much the travel was bothering him lately, because then he’d have to question his whole lifestyle.
“Well!” Kate said. “I don’t know about anybody else, but I need to get back to my room and change.”
“Go ahead, dear, if you feel you need to.” Emily continued to gaze at Hugh, obviously not finished with him yet.
Hugh understood that Kate was trying to break up this little interview, but he doubted she’d leave him here alone with her parents. Her father continued to glare at him, but Hugh understood. If Hugh had a daughter, he’d glare at a guy like him, too.
“Our son, Nick, travels around a lot, too,” Emily said. “He’s a foreign correspondent, which gives him a chance to indulge his hobby of photographing exotic places. We hardly ever get to see him, except at events like this. I keep wishing he’d settle down, but so far he’s shown no sign of it.” Apparently Emily wasn’t as territorial as her husband, although she didn’t like that her son was a rolling stone, and probably wouldn’t want her daughter mixed up with one, either.
She didn’t have to worry about Kate getting mixed up with him, but he didn’t think she’d be thrilled about the weekend affair, either. “So you have a whole family of photographers,” he said.
Kate’s mother smiled for the first time. “Except for me. I teach belly dancing.”
“No kidding?”
Kate gave her mother an affectionate glance. “No kidding. She’s great, too.”
“I’ll bet.” Hugh was charmed. Kate might have inherited red hair and a talent for photography from her father, but her sense of adventure came straight from her mom. He could get along with Emily, not that he would ever have to test that.
John Cooper was a different story. “How soon are you going back to California?” he asked, his tone implying that it couldn’t be soon enough for him.
“Sunday afternoon.” He could see himself reflected in John’s sunglasses and had to admit he looked exactly like what he was—a good-time guy on the make. “How about you two?”
“We’re staying on a few days,” John said. “I thought Kate might be able to use my help at the studio. She and Kim have taken quite a bit of time off in the past few weeks.”
And you aren’t helping matters, stud. Hugh heard the unspoken message loud and clear. No, John Cooper didn’t have much use for him.
“That would be great, Dad.” Kate smiled at him. Then she sent Hugh a pleading glance. “You know, I really think we’d better go back and get ready. I’m not walking into Belcourt Castle looking like this.”
Hugh thought she looked fantastic, all windblown, healthy and well kissed. They’d wasted so much time since leaving the marina that there was no chance he’d be able to take her to bed, though. She might not be willing, anyway, now that they’d run into her parents like this. The whole program might be jeopardized.
At any rate, he was sure she wanted to shower, put on fresh clothes and try to regain her equilibrium. “I need to get changed, too,” he said. “Let’s head back.”
“You two go on, then,” Emily said. “We don’t have to change clothes and, as lovely as the Townsend House is, I’d rather stay out here and watch the boats, wouldn’t you, John?”
“I don’t know, Em. Maybe we should see if Kim and Stuart are—”
“John.”
“Right. Kim and Stuart are handling everything just fine. We’ll stay out here and watch the boats.”
Hugh grinned. Maybe ol’ John wasn’t so intimidating after all if his wife could rein him in that easily. “Then I guess we’ll see you both at the rehearsal.”
“Why don’t you ride over there with us?” Emily asked.
Kate looked quickly at Hugh. “I don’t know if—”
“Sure,” Hugh said. His hat was off to Emily Cooper. She didn’t trust him any more than her husband did, obviously. And he’d bet the keys to his Corvette that she’d decided to spend every spare moment this weekend keeping an eye on him. He’d let her do that. She had to sleep sometime.
EMILY WATCHED HER daughter and the stuntman walk away. She had a premonition about this one. Up to now, Kate hadn’t met anyone with her level of energy. Hugh Armstrong crackled with energy.
“He’s trouble,” John said. “I’m going to have a chat with Stuart. I think he set Kate up with a Romeo, and I don’t like it one damned bit.”
“John, don’t you dare say a word. Don’t interfere.
”
Her husband turned to her in amazement. “Don’t interfere? You’re one to talk! I seem to remember several times when you—”
“Moving to Florida gave me some perspective,” she said. “Besides that, Kim managed to find Stuart when I wasn’t even in the same state, so I’m starting to believe in letting nature take its course.”
“Em, the guy’s a playboy! Anybody with two eyes can see that!”
Emily took his arm and guided him down the sidewalk, away from the direction of the Townsend House. “Keep your voice down, darling. They’re not out of sight yet.”
“I don’t care if he hears me,” her husband grumbled, but he lowered the volume. “He’s from Hollywood, for Chrissake. You know the kind of thing that goes on out there. He’s going to dazzle Kate for the weekend and then take off, never to be heard from again.”
“I don’t think so. Did you see the way he looked at her?”
“I certainly did, and I was ready to punch him out.”
“John, he’s smitten.”
“Ha. Look, the guy’s thirty-five, same as Harry, and he’s never even been engaged, according to Stuart. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
Emily smiled. “Uh-huh. It tells me he’s ripe for the picking.”
HEART POUNDING, Kate lengthened her stride as she headed for the Townsend House. “The deal’s off.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“So I’m a coward.” She took a shaky breath. One run-in with her parents and she folded. She wasn’t thrilled to discover her limits, but there they were. “I’m not the kind of girl you’re used to out in California,” she said. “The fact is, I can’t carry on an affair with you right under my parents’ noses.”
“Kate, I’m really sorry about what just happened. Believe me, if I’d had any idea they’d show up, I wouldn’t have kissed you.”
She glanced at him, surprised that he’d have regrets. “You wouldn’t?”
“No. I told you I’d protect your reputation, and that’s what I meant. I didn’t think anybody we knew would be on that street. That was a mistake in judgment on my part. But, for the record, I don’t think even a kiss would tell anyone that we’re sleeping together.”
“Well, from now on, we’re not.”
He looked upset. “We could still make this work.”
“Maybe you could, but I couldn’t.” She felt very un-cool, very boring, but she couldn’t help it. “If my parents hadn’t seen us kissing, then it might have been okay. But I know my mother, and after this little incident, she’s going to be watching us very carefully for the rest of the weekend.”
“I’ll agree with you there, but don’t you think the wedding will keep her distracted?”
“Not my mother. She’s like one of those surveillance cameras in Circle K, constantly monitoring every aisle. I’d feel like I was back in high school trying to sneak out after curfew. No, thanks.”
“But late at night, after everyone’s asleep, we could—”
“I’m not taking that chance. I need to get my suitcase out of your suite, and I need to get it out before anybody knows it’s there. I should have thought of that before we left.”
They’d reached the lacquered front door of Townsend House. She took off her sunglasses and stuffed them in her purse. As she reached for the brass door handle, he grasped her arm gently.
She turned. “What?”
“This is how we’ll do it. Don’t come to the cottage. Let me pack up your stuff and take it to the reception desk. They must have someone who could bring it up to your room. That’ll look a lot less suspicious.”
“You’re right. Thanks. That’s very thoughtful.” She suddenly realized that if she decided to stay away from him this weekend, this could be the last private conversation they’d have. It was a kind of goodbye—goodbye to twenty-four hours of unbelievable sexual excitement, goodbye to her first risk-taking opportunity. “Hugh, if we were dealing with any other circumstances, then…”
“But we aren’t, and I’m not going to force the issue.” He smiled. “Of course, if you change your mind, you know where I’ll be. Oh, and while we’re on that subject, I’m planning to pay for the cottage.”
“No. That’s my treat. It’s the least I can do, considering everything.”
He laughed and rubbed her arm with easy affection. “Considering everything, I should pay for the cottage and then some. Ever since we left the airport, I’ve had an amazing time with you. So I will certainly pay for the cottage. I’ll stop by the reception desk before we leave for the rehearsal and take care of it.”
“Darn it, I wish you wouldn’t be so nice.”
He sobered. “Yeah, I wish the same thing about you. I—”
The door opened, and Stuart came out. “Hey, guys! Hugh, how’s it going, buddy?” He grinned and shook Hugh’s hand.
“I’m good,” Hugh said. “Real good. You got those bridegroom jitters under control?”
Kate hadn’t realized how tall Hugh was until he stood talking to Stuart, who was a couple of inches shorter.
“Just about.” Stuart looked a little stressed as he combed his fingers through his brown hair. “That trip to Block Island was essential, though. Kim and I thought about staying out there and saying our vows on closed-circuit TV. You guys could set up a monitor in Belcourt Castle.”
Kate laughed. “And after that I assume you’d both leave the country, because you could never come home again after a stunt like that.”
“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you, Hugh?” the groom asked.
“Most definitely.”
Stuart looked from one to the other of them. “Let me give you both some advice. If you ever decide to do the deed, elope.”
“You mean if either of us ever decides to do the deed,” Kate said quickly. For a second there Stuart seemed to be making them into a couple.
“Right.” Stuart glanced at them with a sparkle in his brown eyes. “That’s what I meant. Listen, Hugh, Harry’s upstairs getting dressed for the rehearsal. He’s in Room Twelve. He said it’d been nearly a year since you two hooked up.”
“That’s right. I’ll stop there before I go shower.”
“Yeah, that reminds me. I’d better get moving. The bride asked me to run out and buy her a bottle of aspirin.”
Kate frowned. “She has a headache?”
“Not yet. But with a full twenty-four hours left for more disaster to strike, my mom and stepmom are furious because they bought the same color of dress, and Gillian almost broke her ankle falling out of a tree this morning.”
“Gillian is four,” Kate explained to Hugh. “She’s the niece of a bridesmaid, and she’ll make a darling flower girl if they can get her into the outfit. She’s a bit of a tomboy.”
“Make that a major tomboy,” Stuart said. “She sprained her ankle and skinned her nose, but it hasn’t slowed her down one damned bit. Kim swears she’s a lot like you.”
Pretending to be brave but a big fat coward underneath? Yet Kate kept up the cheerful banter. Now was not the time for embarrassing self-revelation. “That makes her one terrific kid.”
“Foolhardy was the word Kim used.” Then he winked. “But I think that’s a gross exaggeration. See you two at the rehearsal.” He headed off down the walk.
Kate thought about her recent behavior and decided that foolhardy pretty well summed it up. This weekend was turning out to be a humbling experience.
Hugh glanced down at her. “So you used to climb trees as a kid?”
“I still do.” It seemed like such a tame activity compared to jumping into bed with Hugh Armstrong, Hollywood stuntman. “You can get some awesome shots from up there.”
“I’ll bet.”
Something about his tone made her peer at him more closely. “Are you okay?”
His smile flashed, cocky and assured. “Sure am. C’mon. Let’s get this suitcase drop under control, so I can go see my brother. We both have a wedding rehearsal coming up and I know you d
on’t want to be late.”
SOON AFTERWARD, HUGH stood in the bedroom of the cottage and forced himself to pack Kate’s suitcase quickly. It would be far too easy to linger over the scent of her perfume and the feel of her silky underwear. The room was full of her presence, and he was becoming more depressed by the minute.
He’d hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the door before leaving for the harbor, so the scene of the crime hadn’t been disturbed. The outfit Kate had worn yesterday lay in a heap near the bed, right where she’d dropped it when she’d stripped for him. The condom box was still on her bedside table, too.
He tossed it in her suitcase. They were hers, after all. She had all the control, so she might as well have the condoms, too.
Right now was the moment when he was supposed to focus on her flaws so that he wouldn’t be in such agony over her decision to end everything. Instead he was picturing her at four, a carrot-topped ball of energy who found the tallest tree in the neighborhood and climbed that sucker. If she was foolhardy, so was he.
Ah, but she wasn’t quite as foolhardy as he was. She was smart enough to call a halt to this affair before it got out of hand. He should be thankful rather than miserable. The very fact that he was miserable should tell him he was in a precarious situation.
He zipped up the suitcase and left the cottage. Maybe meeting her parents had messed with his head. Now he saw Kate as part of a family, and he…hell, he wanted to be accepted by that family. Not likely, considering his intentions toward their daughter, so he needed to give up any fantasy of being chummy with the Coopers.
He found the same woman at the reception desk who’d checked him in the day before. “I was storing this temporarily for Ms. Kate Cooper.” He hoisted Kate’s black overnight bag. “Now it needs to be delivered to her room.”
“I’ll see to it.” The woman regarded him with interest. “So we had you mixed up with your brother yesterday, didn’t we?”
“Yeah. People say we could be twins.”
She chuckled. “You know, I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a twin, especially if you looked exactly alike. Now Kate and Kim do, but with Kim wearing her hair in that Meg Ryan layered cut and Kate’s so much shorter, I have no trouble telling them apart. You and Harry are harder, because you really look alike. I suppose people tell you that all the time.”
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