by Ginna Gray
“I can be spontaneous,” Wyatt objected, clearly offended.
“Oh, pul-leeze.”
“All right, you don’t believe me. I’ll prove it. I’ll...I’ll go with you on this little jaunt of yours.” The words shocked him as much as her. The idea of spending days cooped up inside a tiny home on wheels appalled him.
“What?” She grabbed her middle and doubled over with laughter. “Don’t be absurd,” she said finally, wiping her eyes.
“It’s not so crazy. It’ll kill two birds with one stone. It’ll demonstrate to you that I can be flexible and at the same time prove that just because we’re different doesn’t mean we’re incompatible. It’s perfect,” he insisted perversely.
Maggie stopped laughing and stared. He meant it. Holy Mary and Joseph!
Her nerves began to hum like a struck tuning fork. She cleared her throat and groped for the right words to change his mind. “Look...Wyatt...it won’t work. You wouldn’t make it a week away from your wheeling-dealing world of big business and high finance. I’m talking about living simply in a very small space for perhaps weeks. I’m talking about kicking back and letting life happen, enjoying yourself with no cares, no worries, no schedules to keep, no agenda. When was the last time you took a vacation that didn’t involve some sort of business deal, at least in some remote way?”
“What difference does that ma—”
“When?”
Wyatt gritted his teeth. “All right, never. Satisfied? But that doesn’t mean I can’t. Let me prove it to you.”
“No. Absolutely not. Besides, I travel alone.”
“What’s the matter, afraid I’ll prove you wrong? Or are you just afraid that you won’t be able to resist me if we’re together for very long?”
Her eyes widened. Then, slowly, she began to shake her head. “No. Oh, no. No you don’t. I’m not falling for that.”
“Falling for what? We’re obviously at an impasse. I think my suggestion is the ideal way to break it.” A taunting half smile tipped up one corner of his mouth. “What’s the matter? Running scared again, Margaret Mary?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then let me come along.”
It was a direct challenge. His eyes dared her to refuse. Plucking at her gauzy skirt, Maggie chewed her lower lip and shifted from one foot to the other, forcing herself to hold that mocking stare. Damn him. How did he know she could not resist a challenge?
“I may be gone for a month or more. You can’t stay away from your business that long, and you know it. Even if it ran all right without you, you couldn’t stand to keep your nose out of it.”
“A month?” Wyatt repeated with something less than enthusiasm.
“That’s right. Maybe more.”
He had not counted on that, it was plain. She watched him struggle to come to grips with the idea. Finally he clenched his jaw and gave an abrupt nod. “It won’t be easy, but I can manage to be away for a while.”
She sighed and gave him a disgusted look. “Oh, all right, you’re on,” she said against her better judgment. “Be ready to go in ten minutes.”
“You mean from now? Tonight?”
A smug grin twitched her lips. “What’s the matter? Too spontaneous for you?”
“No. No, I, uh...I just didn’t realize you were leaving tonight is all. I assumed you’d be spending the weekend here. I’ll just go grab my overnight bag and call my secretary and tell her to clear...my...” He stopped and ground his teeth as a smug grin spread over her face.
“Your schedule?” Maggie inquired sweetly.
“Yes,” he snapped. “As soon as I’m done and I’ve said goodbye to Asa I’ll be ready.”
“Okay. But I’m serious. If you’re not in the RV in ten minutes, I leave without you.”
Chapter Seven
“Aren’t you driving a little fast? This rig doesn’t seem all that stable. Feels top-heavy.”
Maggie glanced at him. He thought he saw her mouth twitch, but in the dim glow of the dashboard he couldn’t be certain. Other than to speed up, she didn’t reply.
Since leaving Asa’s place an hour or so ago, she hadn’t said much and he hadn’t pressed her to talk. He had a hunch she was having second thoughts about allowing him to come along. If so, he didn’t want to push her.
Wyatt looked out the window, but all he saw was his own reflection in the glass. He wasn’t sure exactly where they were, just that they were heading generally northwest. Maggie certainly hadn’t volunteered any information, either about their whereabouts or their destination. He wondered if she even knew where she was going.
He had expected to be bored out of his mind, but it was kind of nice actually. With the radio tuned to a CW station and turned low, the glow from the dash bathing the cab with warm light, the rhythmic thump of the tires on the pavement, the silence seemed almost companionable.
Of course, he was out of his mind to be doing this. His brother had thought so as well.
Eric had been present when he’d explained his abrupt departure to Asa. The old man had taken it well, considering that Wyatt had just informed him he was taking an extended trip with his granddaughter. Asa had leaned back in his chair and studied him through narrowed eyes.
“It should prove to be an interesting experiment. We’ll talk when you get back.”
Asa’s calm acceptance had aroused Wyatt’s suspicions. “You don’t seem particularly upset.”
“Should I be?”
“Depends on how you look at it. I’m going to be honest with you. I intend to seduce your granddaughter.”
“Jeez, Wyatt,” Eric groaned. “You didn’t have to be that honest.”
“It’s all right, my boy,” Asa assured him, never taking his eyes from Wyatt. “I think Maggie can handle the likes of your brother.” He blew a puff of cigar smoke at the ceiling and sent Wyatt a Cheshire cat smile. “Have a nice trip.”
“Wyatt, you can’t just take off like this, with no warning,” Eric protested. “What about the business?”
“You and the staff can run things for a while.”
“But...what if a crisis comes up? What’ll I do?”
“Handle it.” He glanced at the mantel clock. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Wyatt, wait!” Eric followed him into the hallway and Wyatt swung back, clearly aggravated.
“What? Dammit, I don’t have time to chat.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Probably,” he admitted grimly. “God knows, I’m not anxious to tour the country in an RV.”
“Then tell Maggie you’ve changed your mind.”
“I can’t do that. It was my suggestion.”
“Good Lord.” The look of shock and revulsion on Eric’s face would have been funny another time. “I think you have lost your mind. Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”
“Hell, I don’t know. She was about to leave and I was trying to stop her, and all of a sudden it just popped out. Anyway, I can’t change my mind now. That’s exactly what she’s hoping for.”
“What do you care? Why are you even doing this?”
“Because I want her,” Wyatt snapped.
Eric groaned. “Oh, Lord. I’ve heard that tone before. Poor Maggie. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Look, I have to go.”
He barely made it. Maggie was easing down the drive when Wyatt sprinted up beside the rig and jerked the door open. On the run, he slung his briefcase inside, jumped on board and collapsed in the passenger’s seat.
Maggie spared him a glance. “So you made it after all.”
“Jeez, you...you could have sl-slowed down a li-little,” he gasped.
She shrugged. “Your ten minutes were up.”
Of course, Eric had been right, Wyatt mused. He was crazy for doing this. His schedule was full through next month and there were a dozen things hanging fire that needed his attention. His secretary had nearly gone into a tailspin when he’d told her to cle
ar his schedule indefinitely.
He would handle what he could by telephone. The rest, Eric and his staff would just have to deal with the best they could. For once they could earn their exorbitant salaries.
A short while later he was still mentally planning what to assign to whom when Maggie took an exit ramp off the highway and brought the rig to a stop in a lighted rest area. Three eighteen wheelers and a minivan with an SMU sticker on the back door were parked nearby.
“Why are we stopping here?”
Maggie propped her forearms on the steering wheel and gave him a pointed look. “If we’re going to share this tiny space for the next few weeks I think it’s time we set some ground rules. We should have done it before we left Asa’s.”
“Why? Have I done something wrong? And what do you mean ‘few weeks’? Surely we won’t be on the road that long.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. It all depends. If that’s too long for you, you’re free to leave anytime you want. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head to make you stay.”
“Oh, I’ll stay.” You can bet on it, sweetheart, he added silently.
“Fine. But as long as you do, this is how it’s going to be. You are just along for the ride. I call the shots, and I don’t want to hear any complaints or suggestions. We stop when and where I want. We leave when I’m ready. And I’ll drive as fast or as slow as I want. Got that?”
“Loud and clear,” he drawled. “Anything else.”
“As a matter of fact, there is. You are not to contact your office or conduct any business.”
“What! Now wait just a min—”
“No, you wait. Let me remind you that the purpose of you tagging along is to prove you can adapt to my way of life. That means no schedules, no wheeling and dealing.
“Also, just so we’re clear on the subject, the bedroom is mine. You sleep in the bed above the cab. You’ll do your share of the work and stay out of my way. Oh. And no hanky-panky.”
“Not even a little?” Wyatt said with a lecherous grin.
“I mean it. So make up your mind now. If you don’t want to abide by those rules you use that telephone over there and call Eric or whoever to come and get you right now.”
“You’re a hard woman, Margaret Mary,” Wyatt said, both annoyed and amused. “All right. We’ll play it your way.” For now, he added silently. But if she thought he was going along with that no business nonsense she had another think coming. He would just have to contact his office on the sly, whenever he got the chance.
“Fine. We might as well spend the night here, then.”
“What?” Wyatt looked around. “You can’t be serious. These places are dangerous. You hear on the news all the time about people being robbed and murdered in rest stops.”
“We’ll be fine. I do it all the time.”
He looked horrified, but before he could say anything, Maggie jumped out. Muttering, Wyatt got out as well.
The whole time she went about setting up the motor home he followed her around arguing his case for camping elsewhere, but she refused to budge. Most of the time she acted as though he weren’t there. In the end he had no choice but to accept her decision.
“You can have first turn in the bathroom,” she said when they were locked in for the night. “Just remember, our water supply is limited, so the rule is to conserve. That means get wet, turn the water off, soap up, turn it back on to rinse.”
Wyatt looked so appalled Maggie laughed. “There are other camping rules, but I’ll save those for another day. I’m not sure you can handle them all at once.”
“Funny,” he retorted, sounding anything but amused.
While Wyatt showered, Maggie closed the privacy curtain between the cab and the interior of the RV and all the curtains over the windows. She dug out sheets and a light blanket and tossed them onto the bed Wyatt would be using. He had probably never made up a bed in his life, but she’d be darned if she’d do it for him.
She grinned to herself as she turned back the covers on her own bed. It ought to prove interesting; there was less than three feet of clearance between the queen size bed above the cab and the ceiling, which made it a bear to make up.
Wyatt emerged from the bathroom barefoot, wearing only his trousers and drying his wet hair with a towel. He carried the rest of his clothes over one arm. He smelled of her soap and shampoo and a marvelous male scent that made her nose twitch and sent little prickles over her skin. The sensation made her uncomfortable, and she ducked her head and scuttled past him into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
Wyatt frowned when the lock clicked. Did she really think he would force himself on her? Tossing the damp towel over the back of a chair, he walked over to inspect the high bed he would be using and spotted the folded linen. He looked at the closed bathroom door. So, that’s the way she was going to play it. She probably thought he wouldn’t be able to manage and come running to her for help. Which would give her the ammunition to boot him out.
He shook out the bottom sheet and held it high. Lips pursed, he studied the elasticized corners, then the high mattress. It didn’t look so hard. He hoisted himself up onto the bed, scrunched up and crawled to the other side.
It took him fifteen minutes of wrestling with the mattress just to get the bottom sheet to stay on and another ten to secure the top sheet and blanket.
While he worked he heard Maggie’s electric toothbrush whirring and small bumps and knocks as she moved around. Wyatt imagined her removing her makeup and slathering on night cream, brushing her wild curls a hundred strokes.
After what seemed an eternity of struggle, he got the feather pillow stuffed into a linen pillowcase. Finally, exhausted, he shed his trousers and climbed up into the bunk. With a sigh, he stretched out full-length on his back, his hands stacked beneath his head. He closed his eyes and was about to drift off when he heard the shower turn on.
Suddenly he was wide awake.
He told himself to ignore the sound, but all he could think about was Maggie standing naked in the shower, hosing herself down with the hand-held sprayer. The water shut off, and he imagined her lathering a washcloth and rubbing it all over her body, covering her skin with sudsy bubbles that slid downward in slow motion over her slick skin.
Sweat beaded his upper lip. The water came on again and he pictured the warm spray sluicing away the lather, water sheeting down satiny skin, gathering in her navel, dripping from the tips of her breasts. He clutched the sheet on either side of his thighs, and immediately the two bottom fitted corners popped loose from the mattress.
He cursed and kicked at the bunched material as the water shut off. He heard the rattle of shower curtain rings, and groaned as he imagined Maggie stepping naked from the tiny tub, reaching for the towel, long wet curls clinging to her back, her skin sleek and rosy, beaded with water. He ached to lick every droplet from every inch of her.
Wyatt’s body responded predictably to the erotic thought and he groaned again. It was going to be one hell of a difficult trip.
Damn, he wanted that woman. He wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting any woman in his life. Why? He hadn’t the slightest idea.
The bathroom door opened. Moist air rolled out, warm and evocative, redolent with scents that were uniquely feminine: talc and flowery soap and perfume. And sweet, clean woman. Wyatt ground his teeth as the heady combination filled his senses and sent fire streaking to his loins.
He turned his head and felt as though he’d received a punch to the midsection. All he could do was stare. Damp curls cascaded around her creamy shoulders in a fiery cloud. A provocatively cut, coffee-colored satin gown clung to every sweet inch of her delectable little body. Even with those ridiculous bunny slippers on her feet she still looked sexy.
Maggie scowled at him. “I don’t have a robe with me. I wasn’t expecting company, so just keep your eyes to yourself.”
“Yes ma’am.” Smiling, he looked back at the ceiling.
The bathroom light we
nt off, leaving only the soft glow from the bedroom. He heard Maggie walk into the room, heard her moving around. Then her voice floated to him, soft and sleepy. “‘Night, Your Nibs.”
Wyatt ground his teeth. “Good night, Margaret Mary.”
The bedroom light clicked off, then he heard the faint squeak of the bedsprings.
He squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, yeah. It was going to be one helluva hard trip.
* * *
It seemed to Wyatt that he had just fallen asleep when he was jerked awake by a siren that sounded as though it was right outside the RV.
He jackknifed up and banged his head on the ceiling. “What the— Ow!”
He grabbed his head, then his ears as the siren wailed on with an ear-splitting, scale-climbing Whop-whop-whop-whop! Whop-whop-whop-whop! Whop-whop-whop-whop!
“Holy—” The damned thing was right outside. “Maggie! Maggie, are you okay?” he yelled, but he couldn’t hear his own voice for the screaming siren. He tried to scoot to the edge of the bed and jump down and got caught in a tangle of sheets. “Of all the stupid— Maggie! What the hell’s going o—”
The siren shut off with stunning abruptness, but the magnified silence lasted only seconds before it was shattered by Maggie’s voice calmly blaring over a bullhorn.
“Step away from the trailer. I repeat, step away from the trailer. NOW. If you don’t step away from the trailer with your hands above your heads I will shoot you where you stand.”
“Holy hell,” Wyatt muttered, frantically fighting to free himself from the covers. He bucked and kicked and cursed, banging his head and knees on the overhead. “Damned...stupid...son-of-a-dirty—” Finally he freed his legs and jumped down, just as Maggie’s amplified voice ordered,
“Stop! Stop at once or I’ll shoot!”
Spitting out an obscenity, Wyatt tore through the RV and into the bedroom. His heart jumped right up into his throat at the sight of Maggie sprawled on her stomach, squinting down the barrel of a shotgun which was stuck out the window. The bullhorn lay on the bed beside her.