She glanced over her shoulder and saw the elderly woman who’d raised the five Cameron siblings. Kaitlyn faced Wyatt and hugged him again. “I’d better get over there and talk with her.”
“I’ll be seeing you,” he said and drew back.
“Sure,” she said.
Wyatt touched the brim of his western hat and she smiled before turning away and letting Wayne escort her to where Aunt Grace was sitting.
Her skin felt hot as Wayne touched her waist and guided her through the crowd. As they walked he lowered his head and spoke into her ear. “I’m glad to hear you’re back for good.”
This night was not going at all like she’d planned. She’d thought she’d say hello to everyone then leave. She was back in the valley and she knew she’d have to face the Camerons sooner or later, so she’d figured she might as well get it over with. But now Wayne was telling her he still loved her and Wyatt was talking about her and Wayne getting together again… It was all too much.
“Kaitlyn, dear.” Aunt Grace’s blue eyes studied Kaitlyn who knelt on one knee beside the older woman’s chair. “It’s about time you made your way back.”
“I’ve missed you.” Kaitlyn hugged her. The Camerons’ aunt had been like a mother at times to Kaitlyn when she was young after her mother died.
“We’ll sit down and talk sometime soon.” Aunt Grace patted Kaitlyn’s hand that was resting on the arm of her chair. “I think we have a lot of catching up to do.”
A pang went through Kaitlyn and settled in her chest like a hard knot. As much as she cared for Aunt Grace, she didn’t want to share what was going on inside her.
“Your daddy was a hard and lonely man,” Aunt Grace went on. “But I do think he cared about you.”
Yes, her father had cared for her, but they hadn’t stayed in touch much after she left the valley, even though she had tried. It was true he’d been a hard man. After her mother had died when Kaitlyn was young, he had grieved over her mother’s death so much that he hadn’t wanted anything to do with any family or neighbors. It hadn’t been easy growing up without hugs and other outward shows of affection from her daddy.
He’d always been a strange man. It was difficult to think of her father that way, but it was true.
She had planned to try yet again to get him to let her into his life more. He’d been older and sick, and she had known he wouldn’t be around for long. At least now she knew he was in a good place.
Kaitlyn lowered her eyes and looked at the elderly woman’s hand that rested on hers. Age spots dotted the fragile-looking skin. But when she looked up she saw no frailty in Aunt Grace’s eyes. She saw a strong woman with the wisdom of someone who had lived a long and hard, but fruitful life.
“We’ll have a glass of iced tea and a few of Danica’s cookies,” Aunt Grace said with a nod. She looked up at Wayne. “You make sure our Kaitlyn makes her way over here.”
Kaitlyn glanced at Wayne who winked and she felt a strange twist in her belly. Seeing the Camerons again… None of this was going as planned. Say hello to everyone and then slip back into her own world. Instead they were attempting to draw her inside, as if to make her a part of the family again.
“And that boy,” Aunt Grace gestured to Wayne, “Is a war hero. Three medals including the second highest given in the service.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes widened as she looked at Wayne. “That’s amazing.”
Wayne looked uncomfortable. “None of that now, Auntie.”
“I’m proud of you, boy.” She looked him up and down. “From the time you were a little boy I knew you had it in you. Protecting your brothers and sister. Never saw a more dedicated young man.”
Kaitlyn nodded. She’d seen that in him while he was growing up, too.
“We’d better find Zane and Jessie,” Wayne said, clearly wanting to get away from anymore talk about himself.
“All right.” It would get Kaitlyn off the spot, too. She gave Aunt Grace a smile and kissed her soft cheek. “It’s good to see you again,” she said and got to her feet again. “Once I say hello to Zane and his new wife, I need to get back home.”
“Stay a while, girl.” Aunt Grace spoke in a tone that told Kaitlyn the woman would be keeping an eye on her.
Wayne settled his hand on Kaitlyn’s shoulder. “I’ll watch over her,” he said and gave his aunt a quick grin.
“You do that.” Aunt Grace nodded. “This girl is special.”
Kaitlyn’s skin tingled and she resisted looking down to avoid the elderly woman’s gaze. Instead she managed another smile. Wayne gave his aunt a nod and guided Kaitlyn away toward a grouping of tables.
They ran into the youngest Cameron male next. His hair was lighter than his brothers’ but he had the Cameron blue eyes, too, and was just as powerfully built.
Dillon wrapped Kaitlyn in a big bear hug. “Where the hell have you been?”
“In Phoenix.” She smiled at him, feeling somehow happier to have returned. “But now I’m back.”
He raised a brow. “To stay?”
She nodded. “I’m taking over the Rocking B.”
“That’s great.” Dillon grinned then sobered a little as he put his hand on her shoulder. “I was sorry to hear about your dad.”
“Thank you.” She pushed her hair over her shoulder. “What are you doing these days?”
“Working my ranch.” He gestured east. “Built a place on my portion of Cameron lands,” he said. “Well, it’s good to have you back.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “About damned time.” After one more quick hug, Dillon said, “I’ll let you go so that you can see Zane and Jessie.”
“Good to see you, Dillon.” She was amazed at how much lighter being around the Camerons was making her feel.
“You’ve survived seeing most of the family.” Wayne was smiling when she looked at him. “To think, only Zane and his woman to go.”
“His woman.” Kaitlyn laughed and lightly elbowed Wayne in the side, finding herself enjoying his teasing.
Zane Cameron was just a sexy as his brothers with his blue eyes and black hair and powerful build. He had his arm resting around his beautiful new wife’s waist as they stood and talked to a couple that didn’t look familiar to Kaitlyn. The man and woman congratulated the newlyweds and then moved on.
The moment the couple stepped away, Zane spotted Kaitlyn and a slow grin curved the corner of his mouth. “Well, hell. It’s about time you showed up, girl.”
He enveloped her in a hug, his arms big and warm around her. When they stepped apart, he introduced her to the beautiful redhead. “This is Jessie Porter Cameron,” he said. “My wife.” Pride was evident in his words.
Jessie held out her hand and Kaitlyn took it. “Congratulations,” Kaitlyn said.
“Thank you.” Jessie’s vibrant smile was warm and welcoming. “I take it you go back a ways with my husband?”
“Quite a ways back,” Zane said as he held his wife close. “Kaitlyn’s like family. She’s just been away far too long.” He paused. “We were all sorry to hear about your dad.”
“Thank you,” she said, not knowing what else to say.
“How long are you staying?” Zane asked.
“I’m here for good.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m taking over my daddy’s ranch.”
“That’s great news.” Zane smiled. “It will be good to have you around again.”
Kaitlyn felt like squirming. She didn’t plan on being around much… Things were just too hard these days.
But the easy ways the Camerons talked to Kaitlyn and talked about her had the effect of making her feel more warm and welcome than she had ever expected.
Another couple came up to congratulate the newlyweds and Kaitlyn and Wayne parted ways with Zane and Jessie.
“We’ll be seeing you later, Kaitlyn,” Zane said like it was a promise.
Several people recognized Kaitlyn and all of them offered condolences. She smiled and thanked them as Wayne stood at her side.
W
hen Kaitlyn and Wayne were alone again, he said, “Now I can have you all to myself.” He smiled down at her and butterflies tickled her belly, as she felt swept away to the past before alcohol had ruined their young lives together.
Before she knew it they were on the dance floor, dancing the two-step. She was rusty—it had been so long since she’d danced, but Wayne was amazing and soon had her dancing as if the years hadn’t passed at all.
The band was great and she found herself laughing and feeling lighter hearted than she had in years, as if every weight on her soul had fallen away. Right now her troubles didn’t seem so important, not important at all.
After several fast tunes and different country-western style dances, the band struck up a slow song. Kaitlyn was still laughing and was out of breath as Wayne brought her into his arms and danced with her head beneath his chin.
Her laughter faded but she couldn’t stop smiling as he held her close and they moved slowly around the crowded dance floor.
“It’s great to have you back.” Wayne murmured the words in her ear.
She felt so good that right then she couldn’t remember why she had been holding him at a distance. She hadn’t been drinking all night, avoiding alcohol like Wayne did. Yet she felt intoxicated. Intoxicated on being with him again, as if no years had passed since the good times, and as if the bad times had never happened.
As he held her close on the dance floor, she breathed in his familiar scent that filled her in a way that made her want him. She knew she shouldn’t even be thinking that way, but right then it didn’t seem to matter. There didn’t seem to be any way she could stop it if she wanted to.
Wayne couldn’t believe he had Kaitlyn in his arms again. Before he’d found out that she was married, he’d prayed that she’d come back to him… Only he’d had to tuck away that hope.
But here she was and he didn’t want to screw this up again.
He held her close, loving the feel of her soft body against his, the way she felt in his arms, her familiar orange blossom scent. It carried him back to the days before he’d almost lost everything in his life that he cared about, and before he’d lost Kaitlyn.
If it wasn’t for her, he might still be in that dark place that had held him captive. She’d been there for him, every step of everything he’d put her through. She was the one who got him a sponsor, who got him into a rehab program, who continually had believed in him and encouraged him.
But he wouldn’t help himself and finally it was too much for her and she’d had to walk out that door.
As they danced, he gripped her tight, wanting to hold her, to never allow her away from him again.
It had been a huge wakeup call for him when she’d left, and he’d scrambled to put back the pieces of his life. They always called it hitting bottom and everyone’s bottom was a different place. When he realized all the words and promises weren’t bringing Kaitlyn back and he’d lost the love of his live, he was at his bottom.
As he came out of the dark place he’d been in, he’d realized he needed to more than quit drinking. He needed to prove himself worthy of her. He’d put everything he had into succeeding in the Army and becoming Special Forces and serving his country. Every day he’d thought about Kaitlyn and that she’d be there when he had proved himself.
Of course that hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped it would, but he knew he’d always love her. And always be grateful to her for saving his life.
And now, here she was—he’d been given a second chance.
Don’t screw this up again, Cameron, he told himself again. Don’t screw this up.
Chapter 3
Perspiration rolled down the side of Kaitlyn’s face as Wayne drew her from the dance floor and away from the crowd. She couldn’t stop laughing at the way she’d just managed to tangle her feet with his on the dance floor and almost took them both down.
“Looks like I need more practice,” she said with a grin as he took her back to the side of the house and beneath the sycamore tree, away from the party.
“And I think I need to cool off.” He rested his back against the tree and held her hands in his. She was still grinning as he drew her close to him, slid his hands to her waist, and pressed her body to his.
She caught her breath as he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. She braced her hands on his shoulders as if to push him away then found herself lost in his kiss. The years tumbled completely away, as if those years in between had never happened. That they were two young people who’d been in love forever.
Her arms seemed to slip around his neck of their own accord and she found herself hanging onto him, her knees almost weak from the power of his kiss. Memories of the good times they’d had, before his addiction, before she left him, were what came back to her. The fun, carefree days.
A kind of magic surrounded them. A magic that pushed away the years, pushed away everything that had happened in their lives to pull them apart. Tingles raced through her belly and to her limbs, and her head felt light.
His scent was warm and masculine and she breathed in, drawing him into her. His hands moved from her waist and traveled up her curves to the sides of her breasts and back down again, as if relearning her body, yet not taking it too far.
She leaned into Wayne, wanting him, needing him. She felt her hunger rise and soon she was kissing him with such intensity that she knew she could lose herself in him. Something inside her kept knocking at the back of her mind but she ignored it, pushed it aside. For the first time in a long time she felt alive.
Vaguely she was aware of voices, bringing her back to reality. She pulled away from Wayne, her palms slipping down to his chest, her breathing hard and her skin tingling.
“What you got goin’ on over there, boy?” a male voice said.
Kaitlyn’s face felt warm and Wayne held her tighter to him. “Get lost, Rich. Find another show to watch.”
The man laughed and Kaitlyn rested her forehead against the curve of Wayne’s neck. Her shoulders started to shake and he caught her by upper arms and moved her back a bit so that he could see her face. He looked concerned until he realized she was laughing.
Her sides ached as she giggled and his lips quirked with amusement. “Remember when my daddy caught us kissing by the barn?” she said when she caught her breath. “And the time your whole family ran across us at the river me in my panties and you in nothing but your birthday suit when we were skinny dipping? I about died from embarrassment.”
Wayne gave a slow, sexy grin. “We did have a gift for getting caught at awkward moments.”
She nodded and hiccupped down another laugh. “Well, it’s getting late and I think I should get home.”
He looked disappointed, but he put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. “I’ll follow you home and make sure you get there safely.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s only a mile from here.”
He tugged on a lock of her hair. “And on my way home.”
“Not necessary,” she said as they walked toward the parked cars.
He kept his arm around her shoulders. “Where are you parked?”
She shrugged. “I walked.”
He raised an eyebrow. “A mile in the dark?”
“Hey, it’s not the first time.” She smiled up at him. “I walked it plenty from the time I was just a kid.” She pulled a small but powerful flashlight from her jeans pocket. “Besides, I have plenty of light.”
“Well, you’re not walking back tonight.” He caught her by her hand and she laughed as he pulled her toward a big black truck. She hadn’t had a drop to drink but she still felt drunk—drunk on laughter and just being around Wayne again.
She stuffed the flashlight back into her pocket then stepped onto the running board. He helped her into the big truck before he strode to the driver’s side. He took off his western hat before climbing in and set the hat on the console between them.
Her belly flipped as he started the powerful engine and backed the
truck out of the driveway. It roared as he put it into drive and stepped on the gas. She looked at Wayne and studied his strong profile that was illuminated by the dashboard lights. She wanted to touch him, to taste him again.
“I was going to write you a million times.” He glanced at her then returned his gaze to the road. “I overcame my demons because of you… You saved my life.”
The ache she’d felt when they’d talked about it earlier returned. “But I left.”
“I had to have that to hit bottom,” he said. “It all worked together to get me to where I am. I wouldn’t change it. And now here you are.” He gave her a smile. “I always thought you would come back into my life.”
His words tumbled through her head as she grew quiet.
For a moment there was silence between them. Then she tilted her head to the side as they drove over the cattle guard to the dirt road leading from the Bar C. “Where do you live now?”
“I have a ranch two and a half miles from yours,” he said. “We share a fence line at your north pasture.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You bought the old Johnson ranch?”
Wayne nodded as he watched the road. “Yep. Call it the Diamond K.” He glanced at her. “Where have you been all this time?”
She shrugged. “Tempe and Phoenix. I went to Arizona State for four years and got my business degree. I met my ex my third year at ASU. We were married after I graduated with my Masters.”
“What kind of work did you do?” Wayne asked.
“I was an office manager for a tech firm.” She pushed hair behind her ear. “Steven insisted I quit once we started trying to have children.”
Her voice trailed off. It was a subject she didn’t want to get into any further. Wayne seemed to realize that and didn’t ask her anymore about it.
She studied his profile. “Your aunt said you’re a war hero.”
“I served in Afghanistan,” he said after a moment. “They think that makes me a hero.”
“Aunt Grace said you received three medals including the second highest award given in the service,” Kaitlyn said. “They don’t give that to just anyone who serves.”
Lace & Lassos Page 2