by Diana Palmer
Before she could think of an excuse without telling him the truth, he walked up to stand in front of her. Placing one finger under her chin, he tipped her face up until their eyes met. “Is it because of what happened to Mitch? Are you afraid something like that will happen to me?”
“Yes…I mean no.” Kaylee shook her head. “That’s not it at all.” She tried putting more distance between them, but she found that he’d backed her up against the wall.
“Which is it, Kaylee?” he asked, gazing down at her from his much taller height. “Does the idea of my getting hurt frighten you?”
“I don’t like to see anyone injured,” she said evasively.
She suddenly found it hard to take a breath with him so close. Colt had taken his shirt off for the therapy session and the well-developed muscles of his chest and abdomen glistened with a fine sheen of perspiration from the exercises she’d had him doing. She’d never seen him look better.
“You know what I think?” he asked, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
Kaylee shook her head. She couldn’t have formed words if her life depended on it.
“I think you’re more worried about me than you’d like to admit,” he said, his warm breath stirring the hair at her temple. “Whether you like it or not, I think it would matter a great deal to you if I got hurt.” His lips skimmed the sensitive skin along the column of her neck. “Am I right, honey?”
She closed her eyes and tried to regain control of her senses. How was she supposed to respond when her heart was racing ninety miles an hour and her knees were threatening to collapse?
When his arms closed around her, Kaylee’s eyes flew open and she brought her hands up to his chest to push him away. “C-Colt, I—”
“It’s okay, honey,” he said a moment before his mouth descended to hers. “All I’m going to do is kiss you.”
From the first featherlight touch of his lips on hers, Kaylee was lost. If she’d had the ability to think, she might have protested, but feeling his strong arms surround her, the warmth of his hard, muscled chest beneath her palms, and she was lucky to remember her own name.
Her eyes drifted shut, and as he coaxed her to open for him, the last traces of her will to resist dissipated like mist beneath the rays of a warm summer sun. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but as Colt’s tongue stroked hers, her body tingled to life and she shamelessly melted against him. She wanted to taste him, wanted to once again experience the thrill of his kiss.
Her heart pounded and her breathing became shallow as he explored her thoroughly, eliciting responses from her that she’d kept buried for three long years. When he brought one hand up to cup her breast, the sensation of his thumb chafing her hardened nipple through the layers of her clothing caused her stomach to flutter and deep need to pool in the pit of her stomach. No other man had ever made her feel the way Colt did, never caused her to lose the ability to think straight.
He shifted his hips and the feel of his arousal sent heat streaking through her with an intensity that robbed her of breath. He wanted her as she wanted him.
The realization that her feelings for Colt could very easily come back full-force hit like a physical blow and helped to clear her head. If she didn’t put a halt to things, and very quickly, she was in danger of making a fool of herself. Hadn’t past experience taught her that the physical desire he had for her wasn’t the same as an emotional bond?
The thought brought back some of her sanity and she whimpered as she pushed against him. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow herself to fall for him again.
“Please…Colt. Let me go.”
He leaned back to stare at her. “We need to talk.”
Kaylee shook her head as she pulled from his arms. “I have to get Amber up from her nap. Annie called this morning and asked if we would go shopping with her.”
He caught her by the arm. “You’re going to have to listen to me sometime, Kaylee.”
Looking down at his strong hand holding her captive, she pried his fingers from her wrist and stepped away from him. “There’s really no point, Colt.” She turned toward the door. “We’ve never been on the same page, and I seriously doubt we ever will be.”
Colt watched her walk from the room, head high, her damnable pride wrapped around her like some kind of protective armor. How the hell was he going to get through to her? How could he explain about that night three years ago if she wouldn’t listen to him?
He sat heavily on the weight bench and stared off into space. What he needed was Kaylee’s undivided attention. But how was he going to get that?
The only time they were alone was when Amber took a nap, and Kaylee insisted on conducting his therapy sessions during that time. He’d tried a couple of times over the past week to talk to her while she put him through the exercises, but each time she’d turned into a no-nonsense physical trainer with all the personality of an army drill sergeant.
Short of putting a gag in her mouth and tying her up, Colt didn’t have any idea how he was going to get her to listen to him.
“You look like your mind is about a million miles away, Colt. Is something wrong?” his sister-in-law Annie asked from the doorway.
Looking up, Colt started to shake his head, but ended up nodding instead. “I’ve got a hell of a problem and her name is Kaylee.”
Annie gave him an inquisitive look. “Anything I can do to help?”
Colt blew out a frustrated breath. “You wouldn’t happen to have some rope and a gag with you?”
“No, those aren’t items I normally carry around in my purse,” she said dryly. She walked over to sit beside him on the weight bench. “Although, come to think of it, there are times when I could use them on your brother to get him to listen to me.”
“He is a stubborn cuss, isn’t he?” Colt asked, grinning.
“No more so than you and Morgan.” Annie smiled. “Now, what can I do to help?”
“Do you and Brant have plans for tomorrow night?” he asked as an idea began to take shape.
To Colt’s relief Annie shook her head. “No. Brant doesn’t have a rodeo or PBR event scheduled this weekend, so we’re free. What do you need us to do?”
“I think Kaylee could use a night out. Would you and Brant bring Zach over and watch Amber while Kaylee and I go down to Laramie?”
Annie smiled. “Sure. I’ll call Morgan and Samantha and have them bring Timmy and Jared over, too. I think it’s time the Wakefield cousins got to know each other.”
Colt nodded. “Could you keep this under your hat while you and Kaylee are out shopping today? I’d like to surprise her.”
“Are you sure about this?” Annie looked skeptical. “Take it from me. Women like a little advanced notice when they’re being taken out on a date.”
He shook his head. “This isn’t a date.”
She gave him a knowing smile. “Whatever you say, Colt.” She rose to her feet when they heard Kaylee and Amber coming downstairs. “Where are you taking her?”
Where was he taking Kaylee?
“Probably out to eat,” he finally said. “And maybe a movie.”
His sister-in-law grinned. “If that isn’t a date, what would you call it?”
“I—” He stopped to consider what he would call his night out with Kaylee. “I’m not sure, but it’s definitely not a date.”
When he followed Annie into the great room, he watched Kaylee smile and reach to hug his sister-in-law. “It’s so good to see you again, Annie.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” Annie said, hugging Kaylee back. She bent down. “And you must be Amber.”
Grinning, Amber nodded and held up her arms for Annie to pick her up.
Envy stabbed Colt’s gut when Annie picked up his daughter. In the three weeks since he’d found out about her, Amber had gotten to where she jabbered at him and laughed at just about everything he did, but still wouldn’t allow him to hold her.
As Kaylee gathered her purse and jacket, the two women started
talking about making a stop at Baby World so Annie could look at something called a layette for the baby she was expecting in a couple of months. Fishing his wallet from the hip pocket of his jeans, Colt held his credit card out to Kaylee.
“Buy whatever you want or need.” When she started to refuse, he hurried to add, “If you find the furniture you want for Amber’s room go ahead and buy it. I’ll drive down tomorrow to pick it up.”
Kaylee finally took the plastic card from him, but he noticed that she was careful to keep from touching his fingers. “Hopefully they’ll have a sale,” she said, tucking it into her shoulder bag.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me what it costs. Get whatever you like.”
Annie set Amber on her feet. “Are you ready to go spend your daddy’s money, Amber?”
“Daddy,” Amber said, nodding and pointing at him.
Colt’s chest tightened, and he couldn’t have stopped his ear-to-ear grin, nor could he have strung two words together to save his own life. It was the first time his little girl had called him “Daddy,” and he couldn’t believe what an incredible feeling it gave him.
Chapter Six
“Colt, keep your elbow straight and your shoulder elevated so that your arm is parallel to the floor,” Kaylee said, stepping close. “Now bring it across your body.”
Taking hold of his arm to lift it to the proper position, she did her best to ignore how hard his bicep was, how being so close to him affected her breathing. She quickly placed one end of a long narrow strip of thin rubber in his left hand, then took the other end and stood at his right side.
“Keeping your arm straight, pull this back as far as you can without pain,” she instructed.
“That should be easy,” he said, testing the stretchy band.
When he actually started the exercise, Kaylee noticed him wince when he had the band stretched almost even with his shoulder. “That’s far enough. Now, slowly let it retract.” She waited until he had returned his arm to the rest position. “Next time, don’t go quite as far as you went the last time. I don’t want you experiencing any pain.”
“No pain, no gain,” he said, pulling on the rubber again.
When she noticed sweat popping out on his forehead and a muscle jerk along his lean jaw, she calmly took the band from his hand and started for the door. “That’s it.”
“Hey, I wasn’t finished,” he said, frowning. “You told me I needed to do two sets of ten. I only finished seven out of the first set.”
She spun around to face him. “I also told you to stop before you felt any kind of pain.”
“It didn’t hurt that much,” he insisted, his expression belligerent.
Anger swept through her and, stepping forward, she poked his bare chest with her finger. “Look, Mr. Macho Cowboy, I told you absolutely no pain. What part of that statement don’t you understand?”
He picked up a towel to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. “I understand it fine. I just don’t happen to agree with it.”
“Then you’ll have to find another P.T.” She walked down the short hall to the great room before he caught up with her.
“I don’t want another physical therapist,” he said, taking her by the upper arm.
She looked down at his big hand, then met his determined gaze head-on. “I don’t work with patients who refuse to follow my instructions.”
They stared at each other for several long seconds in a silent battle of wills before he finally nodded and let go of her arm. “All right. I’ll do what you say, but only on one condition.”
“You’re going to set conditions?” She laughed at his audacity. “You certainly are a piece of work, aren’t you?”
His charming grin sent her pulse into overdrive. “Yeah, but that’s what you’ve always liked about me.”
“Give me a break,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So what’s the condition?”
“I want you to go down to Laramie with me to pick up Amber’s furniture this afternoon,” he said earnestly. “We’ll leave around five.”
She looked at her watch. “By the time we get finished with your exercises it’s going to be too late. The store will be closed before we could get there.”
He shook his head. “I called earlier. Baby World doesn’t close until eight on Friday nights.”
“But I really should stay here and—”
“Please?”
He looked so hopeful, she found herself nodding before she could stop herself. “All right. But remember your end of the bargain.”
“What’s that?” he asked, frowning.
She lightly tapped his shoulder with her finger. “No pain.”
“Oh, yeah.” He grinned. “Not a problem.”
Kaylee thought he’d given in a little too easily, but she didn’t have time to wonder about it when the sound of her daughter waking from her nap came from the baby monitor clipped to her belt. “I’ll go get Amber and be back down to finish your strengthening exercises.”
“Why don’t we knock off for today?” he asked, draping the towel around his neck.
She narrowed her eyes. “You just spent the last ten minutes arguing with me about how you want to push yourself, and now you want to quit for the day?” She frowned. “Are you in pain?”
He laughed as they started up the stairs. “Nope. I just thought you might want to start getting ready to go out.”
When she stopped dead in her tracks, he bumped into her from behind. A sizzling thrill ran from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. Quickly putting distance between them, she turned to face him. “We’re just going to pick up a youth bed, mattress and chest. This isn’t a date.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “It’s definitely not a date.”
“If this isn’t a date, Colt Wakefield, what would you call it?”
Colt glanced at Kaylee from the corner of his eye as he steered the truck onto the main highway toward Laramie. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her quite this angry. But at least she was talking to him again. It sure as hell beat the dead silence he’d endured from the time Brant, Annie and Zach had shown up to watch Amber. For a few minutes when they’d first arrived, Colt hadn’t been sure Kaylee wouldn’t refuse to go with him.
“It’s just a night out,” he said calmly.
Maybe Annie was right. Maybe women didn’t like being surprised about things like this.
“You set this up, didn’t you?” Kaylee accused. “It wasn’t just a coincidence that Annie and Brant dropped by as we were getting ready to leave.”
Setting the cruise control, he leaned back for the hour’s drive to Laramie before he answered her. “I’m not going to lie to you. I did arrange for them to watch Amber this evening.” He checked his watch. “And by now, Morgan, Samantha and their boys are there, too.”
She glared at him across the truck cab. “Why?”
“Because I thought you could use a break,” he answered honestly. “You’ve been busy cooking and helping me with therapy, and I wanted to show my appreciation. That’s why I decided to treat you to supper and a movie.”
“Don’t you think it would have been more considerate to ask me, instead of arranging everything first?” She still sounded irritated, but not quite as angry as she had only moments before.
“I wanted to surprise you,” he said defensively. He purposely failed to mention that he’d known she wouldn’t have gone otherwise.
“You certainly achieved your goal. I feel like I’ve been blindsided.” She gazed out the passenger window for several long seconds before she spoke again. “Could you promise me something, Colt?”
“What’s that, honey?” he asked, tensing. From the tone of her voice, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she was about to ask of him.
“Please, don’t play games with me. I’ve never been good at them.”
The emotion he detected in her quietly spoken request had him disengaging the cruise control and steering the truck to the shoulder of the road. He killed
the engine, then turned to look at her. She was staring down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap.
“Kaylee, look at me.” When she shook her head, he cupped her chin and gently turned her head until their gazes met. “I give you my word, I’m not playing games. A lot has happened in the past three weeks and I thought you could use a little time to relax.” The feel of her satiny skin against his calloused palm quickly had his temperature rising. Dropping his hand to keep from pulling her into his arms, he took a deep breath. “Tonight is about two old friends getting together to catch up and have a few laughs. That’s all.”
She stared at him a moment longer, then, looking resigned, she nodded. “All right. But I’d like to get back to your place early. I know Amber is satisfied with Annie watching her, and she’s going to love playing with Zach, and Morgan’s boys, but she’s used to me putting her to bed. She might be frightened if I’m not there.”
“That works for me,” he said, starting the truck and pulling back onto the road. It wasn’t the evening he’d planned, but he’d take what he could get. “We’ll pick up the furniture, then stop at the Broken Spoke Steakhouse on the way back.”
“Is that the place offering a free meal to everyone at the table if one person orders and manages to eat their biggest steak?” she asked, sounding a little more relaxed.
“That’s the one. It’s a thirty-two ounce piece of prime Black Angus beef. But the kicker is, you have to eat a huge pile of fries along with it. Whenever Mitch came home with me, we’d stop there.” Colt chuckled. “And they lost money on the deal every time.”
“It doesn’t surprise me,” she said, shaking her head. “Mitch was a bottomless pit. He could eat more than any person I’ve ever known.”
Colt grinned. “It amazed me that he never gained weight.”
“I know,” she said, laughing. “I used to think that was so unfair. Mitch ate like a horse and stayed thin, while I dieted and gained weight.”