“A few.” MacDuff grinned. “We’re lucky they’re in English. Since I refused to let Carlisle come and set it up himself, he felt no qualms about making it hard for me. He did agree to accept my phone calls.”
“Thank heaven for small favors,” Jock murmured. He began to load the first of the lights on a dolly. “I’ll take these back to the north bank, to that rock formation where we set up the poles.”
“For those other super-duper infrared lights that failed miserably,” Jane said drily.
“But look on the bright side,” MacDuff said. “We already have the heavy work done. All we have to do is set up Carlisle’s power source and attach it.”
“After you figure out how to do it,” Jock said.
“There is that small hurdle,” MacDuff admitted. “But it’s going to work.”
“If you say so,” Caleb said as he came down the bank toward them. “But I hoped you’d have a little more accomplished by the time I got here.”
Jane went still and then forced herself to turn and look at him. The same. All force. All power. The same mocking smile and riveting charisma. “We might have accomplished more if you’d been here to help. As usual, you managed to bow out of the manual work, Caleb.”
“Hello, Jane. That dew of perspiration on you is very attractive. Sort of a glow.” He smiled. “And you know my expertise lies in other areas. Anyone can do common labor.” He turned to MacDuff and shook his hand. “Though I did mean to get here a bit sooner. I was out of the country.” He looked at the dolly Jock was loading and sighed. “But it appears that I’m still going to be forced to do my part. The poles by the boulders?”
Jock nodded. “You take the dolly and I’ll finish unpacking that final crate.”
“I’ll do it,” Jane said. “Take another dolly and both of you go, Jock. You’ll be able to unpack them faster and get back for another load. It’s starting to get dark, and we’ll want to get the rest of this stuff off the bank and where it’s supposed to go.” She glanced slyly at MacDuff. “We wouldn’t want a random crow flying around to grab one of MacDuff’s miracle lights to line her nest.”
MacDuff flinched. “Sacrilege.”
“I’ll make amends by going back to camp and putting on the coffee while you’re all bustling around in the mist.”
Caleb looked over his shoulder as he reached the trees. “That might not be an intelligent division of labor. You’re so good in the mist, Jane.”
The mist surrounding them, the cool dampness beneath her body. Caleb over her, his hands on her breasts, no breath in her lungs, wild eroticism everywhere.
She met his eyes. “Yes, I am. But it’s my choice if I want to go there.” She bent over the crate. “I’ll see you all back at camp.”
“Pity…”
MacDuff glanced at her as Jock and Caleb disappeared into the woods. “I’ll finish unpacking that crate. You can go back to camp now. You’ve worked hard today. That’s not why I want you here.”
“No, you want my invaluable vibes to soothe Cira.” She smiled. “But I don’t mind pitching in. You may not get much work out of Caleb.”
“You’d be surprised. He works hard when he chooses. That pose just amuses him. And he’s right: His talent lies in other areas. I just needed another man I trust to help with these lights. And Jock and he work well together.” His lips twisted. “They’re on the same wavelength.”
“It’s a wavelength you’ve been trying to keep away from Jock since you found him in that sanitarium.” She shivered. “He was an assassin, MacDuff. I would have thought you’d try to discourage him from being around a man like Caleb.”
“Jock runs his own life now. And there’re no other men like Caleb. They’re both deadly. I just have to hope that they’re not too explosive together.” He shrugged. “Hell, I’m only asking them to help me with those damn lights. It will be fine. Caleb shouldn’t be here too long. He warned me he couldn’t give me that much time.”
“Then all the more reason I should finish here before I go back to camp.” Jane pulled out another lamp from the box. “Now hush while I work up some more of that ‘glow’ Caleb was so sarcastic about.”
* * *
It was nearly ten that night when Jane saw MacDuff and Jock come out of the forest and walk toward the campfire.
She tried to make her tone casual as she hurried toward them. “It’s late. I was beginning to worry. What happened?”
“Nothing.” MacDuff smiled. “We just got caught up in the moment. Or should I say hours?”
“We got caught up in Caleb,” Jock interjected drily. “He was in a fever, and we became infected.” He went to the fire and picked up the coffeepot. “We only meant to start the job, but then we thought, Why not? So we went at it full speed.” He poured coffee in his cup. “As full speed as possible in that mist and dark.”
“We got a lot done,” MacDuff said. “We finished the attachment on the first pole and Caleb almost finished the second himself.”
“And where is Caleb?” She handed MacDuff a cup of coffee.
“He said he only had a little to finish on the second pole and for us to go back without him.” Jock finished his coffee. “Now I’m going to grab a sandwich and then hit the shower.”
“Should you have left him alone?”
“What’s going to hurt him? We’ve never run across any wildcats or any other large animals.” MacDuff grinned. “And if Caleb did, I’d bet on him. He’s one of the most nimble men in the forest I’ve ever seen, almost like an animal himself. And if he fell in the lake, we’d just laugh at him. No, he’ll be fine.”
He’s undoubtedly right, Jane thought. She was being foolish to worry about Caleb. She had seen him on the hunt in a forest in the Alps years ago and she knew what MacDuff meant about him resembling an animal. Wild …
But things could still happen. That mist remained a complete mystery to them. There could be sinkholes and underground currents in that lake. Agile or not, he could fall and break his stupid head open.
“He’ll be fine,” MacDuff repeated as he munched on a bacon sandwich. “Trust me. I wouldn’t have left him if I’d thought there was a danger.” His eyes were twinkling. “I might need him too much in the next couple days. He truly swept us along with him tonight.” He finished his coffee. “Now I think I’ll follow Jock and try to get this mud off me. It was a good first day, Jane.” He was moving away from the campfire. “If you and Cira have a nocturnal get-together, you might tell her about it.…”
But the day wasn’t over for Caleb.
She stared at the mist rising from the forest. Good God, she actually wanted to go after him. How dumb that would be. Caleb was no child and could take care of himself. He would only be amused if he knew she was worried about him.
And she would want to slap him.
She should go to bed and forget about him, as MacDuff and Jock were doing.
But she would only lie there and not sleep. That would amuse Caleb even more. Okay, she told herself, stay here by the fire and wait until you’re sure he is safe. He’d told MacDuff he wouldn’t be long out there in the mist. It wouldn’t look weird for her to stay up a little longer and enjoy the fire.
She got another cup of coffee and settled down to wait.
* * *
Caleb didn’t come out of the woods for another two hours.
She smothered her relief as she jumped to her feet and started to leave the campfire and head for her tent. “The coffee’s hot,” she called. “You should have come earlier if you wanted anything to eat.”
“Stop right there.” He was running along the bank and barred her way. “I’m damp and I’m cold and evidently I’m going to starve, but I’m not going to do it alone. You’re coming back to the fire and keeping me company while I dry out.”
“We said what needed to be said last night.”
“You don’t have to talk. I might prefer that you don’t. But I always like to look at you. Come on.” He turned and headed back toward the ca
mpfire.
She hesitated. Then she slowly followed him and dropped down on the ground before the fire while he poured a cup of coffee. “There might be some rolls and cheese in that metal saver over there.”
“That you weren’t going to offer me. So I don’t have to starve?” He shook his head as he sat down and crossed his legs Indian-fashion. “I’m not hungry. The adrenaline is still pumping. I find it interesting that you’re annoyed with me but that you still waited up until I came back.”
“I wasn’t sleepy. I wasn’t waiting for you.”
He tilted his head and gazed at her appraisingly. “I think you were. Tell me, were you afraid Cira would strike me down out there in the mist? She wouldn’t do that. I told you: She likes me.”
“Why should I be afraid for you? As MacDuff said, he’d bet on you against anything you might run into.”
“But you still stayed up and waited.” He nodded. “I’d do the same. Only I’d probably go after you.”
“Finish your coffee. I’m not going to sit here and chat. You should have been back hours ago.”
“I told you: I don’t have much of a window to do what MacDuff needs me to do. He and Jock have time to play with those lights. I’ve got to help set them up and get out of here.”
“Why?” She shook her head. “Never mind. One of your commitments. It doesn’t matter. I never know what you’re doing. It’s none of my business.”
“And you like it like that.” He took another sip of coffee. “So do I, most of the time. But I liked it that you made it your business to sit here worrying about me tonight. It made me feel … warm. I think it might have erased that lingering bit of anger I was feeling toward you.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel all soft and fuzzy?”
He chuckled. “Heaven forbid. There’s nothing soft and fuzzy about you, Jane. But it should make you feel a good deal more secure. I really did want to punish you.”
“Bullshit.”
“But it’s gone now. Do you want to know what’s in its place?”
Lust. Heat. Erotic fantasy.
“No, I don’t.” She got quickly to her feet. “I’m going to my tent. Will you still be here in the morning? Or did you finish tonight?”
“I have a few more things to do, but I’ll be out by noon.”
She started toward the tents. “Have a good trip.”
“I’ll walk you to your tent.” He rose to his feet. “You’re in escape mode and you might be conveniently busy tomorrow morning. I consider that I deserve a prize for interrupting my business to help MacDuff. We’ve already discussed the fact that I’m not one of the good guys.”
“And I’m the prize? No way, Caleb.”
“Not the grand prize. Though I do think I deserve it. I just want to see you smile at me. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed seeing it during these last months.” He grimaced. “Though you were never very generous with me in that regard. You were always too wary.”
She stopped outside her tent. “And I’m supposed to grin at you like a Siamese cat to please you?”
“That would be nice, but not expected.” He smiled. “So I’ll smile at you and set the example. Good night, Jane.”
“Good night.” She stared up at him. The moonlight was dim, but the glow of the fire in the distance outlined his features: the curve of his lips, the indentation in his chin, the slash of dark brows over his eyes. Everything was sharp and defined in this light. Usually, she was so aware of the power and personality behind those features that she didn’t notice the details. But every feature was intriguing. “And I don’t need examples. And I wasn’t worried about Cira. I thought you might fall off that damn pole and bust your head. That happens even to men like you.”
He laughed. “It certainly does. And if I was that clumsy, I’d deserve it.”
“And it doesn’t change anything.”
“Then I’ll have to work on it.” He turned away. “I’ll be back as soon as I finish up my business. Sleep well, Jane.”
“I will. I won’t have anyone to keep me awake by doing—” She inhaled sharply, staring at him. Profile. Sharp silhouette. Black and white.
He looked back over his shoulder. “What?”
“Nothing.”
She turned and bolted into the tent. Her heart was jumping out of her chest.
She stood there in the dark for a moment, trying to get control.
It couldn’t be, could it?
Of course it could.
Okay, give yourself a little time to check and then try to make sense of it.
She should have been happy and relieved.
But she couldn’t imagine a worse scenario for her.
CHAPTER
4
An hour later, she was walking quickly up the hill toward the tent MacDuff always allotted Caleb when he was here.
“I’m coming in, Caleb,” she called sharply when she was a few yards away. “I thought I’d warn you. I’d appreciate it if you don’t cause me to have a heart attack or use one of your other methods of ridding yourself of people.” She pushed through the canvas opening. “Because I sure as hell don’t want to be here.”
“You’re angry.” In the darkness, she could see him raise himself up in his bedroll across the tent. “I told you that we don’t have to deal with this right now. It’s probably best that we don’t. Go away, Jane.”
“I can’t go away.” She was in the tent and fumbling with his lantern. “Oh my God, you think this is about sex? I’m not here to pay any debts, Caleb.” She finally got the lantern lit and turned to face him. “You’re naked.” She took his blanket and tossed it over him. “Get some clothes on.”
“Presently.” He was studying her. “I don’t feel the need of any barriers against you as I did two minutes ago. It may be better that I find out the problem first.”
“Suit yourself.” She came a step closer, reached down, lifted his chin, and glared down at him. “You’re the problem.”
“I gathered that. In what way?”
“Here.” She rimmed his left eye with her forefinger. “And here.” She touched the faint slant at the corner. “I thought I should remember her. But it was you.” She dropped his chin and stepped back. “It was always you, dammit.”
He stiffened. “I don’t like this. I believe you’d better be a little clearer, Jane.”
“Do you think I like it?”
“What is this about?”
“Not what. Who.” She tossed the sketchbook she was carrying under her arm onto his lap. “Lisa.”
His face remained impassive, but she saw the ripple of shock that went through his body. “What do you know about Lisa?”
“Not enough. All I know is that I have to sketch her every time when I wake up after going to sleep.” She dropped down on the floor next to him. “But I’m going to know more. Look at the sketches.”
“Oh, I intend to.” He took the sketchbook and opened it to the first sketch. He gazed at it for a moment. “She’s … changed.”
“Has she? I wouldn’t know. But you would. You’re related to her in some way, aren’t you? The shape of your eyes is so similar. Nothing else jumped out at me when she started making me draw these sketches. But that was very familiar. I thought I must have known her sometime in the past. Why else would I be drawing those damn sketches?”
“Why else indeed?” He turned to the next sketches. He went still as he reached the one that showed the blood pouring from Lisa’s cut lip. “When was this one?”
“The night before I left Lake Cottage. Who is she to you?”
He didn’t answer. He was going slowly through the last sketches, scanning every detail. “This is the last one? When?”
“Last night.” She repeated, “Who is she to you?”
“Every time you go to sleep? She reaches out to you then?”
“She says that’s practically the only time she can. She’s very angry about it.”
“She would be. Lisa’s never patient ab
out anything.”
“I found that out. I should have known she was related to you. You want things all your own way, too.”
“But I’ve learned sometimes I have to wait. You should have seen me when I was her age.”
“What is her age? She looks younger in those first few sketches, but I can’t tell now from the most recent ones.”
“Lisa is nineteen now.” He looked back at the last sketches. “And she’s evidently maturing rapidly with what’s going on with her. That’s not good.” He glanced up at Jane. “You mentioned she said it was the only way she could communicate. Then she is reaching you in other ways than through the sketches?”
“Briefly. She’s angry about that, too. She says she’s having to teach herself.” Jane looked him directly in the eye. “And I’m not answering one more question until I get answers myself. I have an idea I was pulled into this because of you, and I don’t like it, Caleb.”
“Neither do I.” His lips twisted. “Or maybe I do. I didn’t mean to do it, but it could be a way to get what I want. You know what a selfish bastard I am.”
“Yes. Now tell me who she is to you.”
“My sister. Lisa Ridondo is my sister.” He flipped back to the last sketch, in which Lisa was gazing down at the cliff. “Did she tell you where this cliff is located?”
“No, and that’s not enough information. Why did you say she’s changed? How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Five years.”
“Not exactly a close family relationship.”
“It was better for her.”
“Not if it ended with her being beaten up and forced to climb down cliffs.”
“It was better at the time.”
“Why?”
“I was a threat to her.”
“Evidently you let someone else take over that threat. She’s scared, dammit. She won’t show it, but she’s scared.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Not likely. Not if you couldn’t even stand being around her for the past five years.”
“Shut up.” He was suddenly on his knees beside her, his dark eyes blazing in his taut face. He grasped her shoulders and his fingers dug into her flesh. “Not now, Jane. I can’t take it now.”
Mind Game Page 6