Burning with Desire

by Patricia W. Fischer

  “Kyle—”

  “No, Mother. Just give me a few days.”

  A long pause. “Even if there was someone on the inside of the resort, an employee who could tell you what’s going on, it would help us figure out what the next step should be.”

  He slid on his coat and zipped it up. “Maybe you should send one of your attorneys down there, see if they can find someone.”

  “I could, but I have no idea who to trust when they get down there. To whom do they talk?” she whined.

  “I don’t know, Mom. Even if I left right now and drove down there, how would I know any better?”

  “That’s a fair thing to say.”

  His finger hovered over the red button to end the call, but she didn’t say anything. He wondered if she was still on the line. “Mother?”

  “Did you see the magazine?” she growled.

  Here we go. “Thanks for sending that, Mom. For rubbing my nose in it again.”

  “You know I don’t blame you for him being your dad.”

  You damned well better not. “Glad to hear it.”

  “The affair was my fault. Our fault. All of us, but I don’t want you to be anything like him.”

  “Mom, I know who I am and it sure as hell isn’t Jason Crowe.”

  She sniffed mournfully. “I miss Patrick.”

  “I know you do, Mom. I miss Dad too, but it’s been ten years.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt him; I really didn’t.”

  Good Lord. She does this every stinkin’ time she’s not getting what she wants. “Mom, it’s history. I’ve got to go.”

  “Please, Kyle.”

  “Mom, I can’t talk about this right now. I’ll call you soon.” He hung up before she had a chance to inject the right amount of guilt to get him to crumble.

  As he walked next door, he allowed the crisp air to cool down his anger. He got out of all that celebrity crazy for a reason. Here, no one looked at him with pity or around him to see if his famous parents were close by.

  Here, no one had their hands out or wanted something from him.

  Here, he could simply be a former vet and first responder and help people who truly needed it.

  Yet, the desire to fulfill the promise he’d made to his grandfather burned in his gut.

  Dammit. I can’t have both.

  A hard gust of frigid wind whipped around him, shaking his angst loose for a moment and helping his brain refocus on the evening at hand.

  Gabriella.

  In the illuminated room upstairs the shadow of someone walked back and forth across the window.

  Wonder if that’s Gabriella’s room. He stood in front of her house like John Cusack in Say Anything, except he didn’t have a boom box.

  His heart raced as his breath came out in quick puffs of white vapor.

  Why this particular evening had him so tightly wound, he had no real idea. For the first time in a long time, he wanted to make a good impression when it came to a woman.

  Breathe, Cavasos. Just breathe.

  Chapter Five

  At exactly seven, with his gifts in hand, Kyle knocked on their door once before it flew open.

  “Cat Man! How’s it hanging?” Trinity gave him a fist bump before she stepped aside. “Come on in. Gabby’ll be down in a minute. She’s fighting with her mother on the phone.”

  “Sounds familiar.”

  “Fight with your mom, do ya?”

  More than I should. “From time to time.” He stepped around the neatly stacked piles of boxes. “You got unpacked.”

  “We got the trailer and car unpacked. Tomorrow, we’ll start getting this stuff where it needs to go. I’m guessing it won’t take long. Helped that they had the big stuff here for us to use.” Her eyes went wide. “Did you bring us groceries?”

  He held up the bags.

  She pointed to the kitchen. “You know where it is.”

  He liked this kid. She had a confidence about her that most girls her age didn’t, but having Gabriella as her mother, he didn’t find it at all surprising.

  While he unloaded the cooler bag, she pulled the other items out and set them out on the table. “Dude, Oreos! Doritos. Dog food. Cat food. You rock.”

  “Figured you didn’t have time to get to the store today.” In their refrigerator sat a couple of individual yogurts, a small apple, three cheese sticks, and a half-eaten pint of blueberries. In a small, clear box remained one square of chocolate topped with a decent layer of what looked like powdered sugar. “Looks like you needed some help here.”

  “This is a great start.”

  Large flowerpots sat in the corner. Those same plants sat in his grandmother’s kitchen. Cilantro. Bay leaves. Cumin. Poblano and serrano peppers. “I didn’t know what fruit and vegetables you needed or if anyone was allergic. I see the plants made it okay.”

  “No allergies here. With Gabby being a chef, we eat just about everything.”

  He unpacked the refrigerated items as Trinity spread out the other contents on the kitchen table. A flash of red caught his attention. A small bunch of dried ancho peppers hung next to the pantry.

  Delicious flashbacks of his grandmother’s kitchen played through his mind as Trinity continued.

  “We weren’t sure what would be available up here herb wise, especially with the longer winters, so she brought her own.” The teen ran her long fingers through her dark hair before pulling it back into a loose ponytail. “Besides, you can’t make good Pico de Gallo without cilantro and some good serranos.”

  His mouth watered at the mention of the familiar herb. “It’s been years since I’ve had good Pico.”

  “Impressed you know what it is.”

  “My grandmother used to make it all the time. She was a good woman. Great cook.” Funny how seeing something like plants could bring back such a sweet memory. “You two get some sleep?”

  “We crashed hard for most of the day. Only got up a few hours ago. Figured we could hit the grocery store after dinner.”

  “Monroe Grocery closes at eight.”

  Trinity’s eyes went wide as she checked her watch. “Seriously? Why?”

  “Small town. They roll up the streets early here.”

  “That’ll take some getting used to. Lone Star Crossing’s close enough to San Antonio, even if the local stuff wasn’t open, we didn’t have to drive far for what we needed twenty-four seven.”

  “Texas? That’s a long way from here.” Lone Star Crossing? Why do I know that town?

  He folded up the cooler bag and tucked it in an empty drawer. “How long were you driving?”

  “What’s today? Wednesday? We left Sunday.”

  “Damn, that’s a lot of driving.”

  “Pulling the trailer and bringing the animals, Gabby wanted to give us enough time to get here. She officially starts at the diner on Monday, but I’m sure she’ll drag me up there before then.”

  Belle wandered in and shook her tail when Trinity poured her some dog food in a bowl that sat near the back door. The old dog plopped down and pushed the nuggets around with her nose.

  “How is Belle liking the snow?”

  The corner of Trinity’s mouth twitched. “Not sure. She’s seemed to think it was okay, but she only ventured out about five feet outside the back door.”

  “Something I forgot to tell you, make sure to dry her paws when she comes in from the cold.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “They can get frostbite between the pads of their feet.”

  “Oh, wow. I’ll make sure we do that because we want to keep our sweet Belle safe. Isn’t that right, puppy?” Belle closed her eyes in bliss and groaned as Trinity scratched her back.

  “How old is she?” Kyle leaned against the counter, admiring the teen’s kindness.

  “We guess close to twelve or thirteen. Gabby found her eating out of the dumpster behind the resort where she worked. Brought her home and has taken care of her ever since. She has a thing for strays.” The confidence in Trinity
’s eyes waned for a moment before she yanked opened the cookie bag and removed two Oreos. She paused. “Ever had a Brownie Picante?”

  Her abrupt change of subject made the corner of his mouth twitch up. “Can’t say that I have.”

  She grabbed the lone chocolate square out of the refrigerator and handed it to Kyle. “Try it.”

  Although Kyle wasn’t into sweets, he accepted the gesture without question. “Thanks.”

  “Come. Sit. Gabby will be down in a minute.”

  “Thanks. What is it?” The red streaks through the powdered sugar worried him.

  “A spicy brownie.”

  “What’s the spice?”

  “Crushed ancho pepper.”

  Holy shit! “Aren’t those hot?”

  “Only if you use too much.” She motioned him to eat it. “Don’t tell Gabby I said this, but hers are the absolute best ones on the planet. She’s a magician when it comes to balancing flavors.”

  The small bite of chocolate didn’t appear to be anything amazing, but he’d had experience with anchos that had cleared his sinuses. “What’s in it?”

  “Quit being a wuss and eat it.”

  Kyle smirked at her directness. As soon as the treat touched his tongue, Kyle thought he’d gone to heaven. The moist brownie gently rested on his palate as the combination of the chocolate, butter, and cinnamon layered perfectly while the subtle bite of the ancho pepper blended with the powdered sugar.

  She’d created a perfect, decadent moment in a dessert that had every nerve ending of his body buzzing.

  An instant addiction developed.

  He licked his lips after finishing the last of it. “Got any more of those?”

  “Good huh?” She smirked and motioned for him to follow her to the living room.

  The remaining sweet sat in his mouth and offered a temporary distraction to what the house looked like when the heat was up and the lights were on.

  Depressingly brown.

  The couch, chairs, throw rug, curtains, and walls were all some uncomplimentary shade of tan.

  Even the cheap paintings and fake flowers had very little color.

  Anyone who walked in here would get instant Seasonal Depression.

  At least they had a big picture window in the front, which would allow plenty of natural light in, but right now, the heavy brown curtains were drawn.

  Thankfully, the brownie’s burn lingering on his tongue helped lift his spirits. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in this house. It’s, um—”

  “Totally dreary.” Trinity rolled her eyes. “I mean seriously. It’s like they shopped at the burlap bag store. It sucks the life out of you as soon as you walk in.”

  “That’s one way to put it.”

  “I mean between Gabby and I, there’s already enough brown in his place.”

  The teen’s honesty made him laugh out loud. “Brown is a good color.”

  “Depends on the brown. Like Gabby and I are more like melted milk chocolate with whipped cream mixed in brown. Totes fab.” She patted the wall behind her before plopping down on the very boring couch. “The paint color on the cans I found in the garage, the swatch said, Drab Brown. Can you believe that? Drab. Brown.”

  “Sounds like the paint-naming guy sucked at his job.” He took a seat across from her in one of the well-worn khaki-colored La-Z-boys.

  “Indeed.” Quick footsteps on the stairs alerted them to Gabriella’s arrival. “Getting the ten-cent tour, I see.”

  He rose to his feet. “Yes, Trinity said she planned to color up the place.”

  “She’s always got great ideas.” She motioned for him to sit and she took the chair next to him.

  “You want to tell him what you wanted to do?”

  Trinity’s eyes lit up. “I’ll use some of my big canvases, paint them, and we’ll clean things up, get some of our stuff out and it’ll look, like, one thousand times mucho improved.”

  Nodding at her enthusiasm, Kyle asked, “You’re a painter?”

  “Paint. Sketch. Draw. Design, not that I expect I’ll get much of that at the high school here.”

  “I hear the art teacher is pretty good. She might surprise you.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “I like that you’re positive. Gabby needs that.”

  Gabriella squeaked, but kept her composure. “Thank you, Trinity. Positive people are always a good thing.”

  “How do you know or care about art?”

  “My younger sister, Meredith, paints.” His response flowed out of him without pause. He mentally kicked himself since he hadn’t planned say anything about his siblings.

  “Oh, where is she?” Resting her elbows on her knees, Gabriella leaned toward him.

  “Lives in Southern California.” He about bit his tongue in half to keep himself from saying anything else. The last thing he wanted to do was give any inkling of who his family members were, especially with the press already buzzing about Meredith’s art show in the next couple of weeks.

  “California, huh? Good for her. A lot of artists out there.”

  “A lot of people who think they are artists out there.”

  The teen’s smile morphed into a curious smirk. “That’s what I hear, not that I’ve even been out there. Gabby and I have only lived in Texas. Barely been outside of the state otherwise.”

  “Not been outside of Texas? Why?”

  Laughing, Gabriella asked, “You been to Texas?”

  “A time or two.” Like when my dad helped build the set for Jason Crowe’s popular sci-fi flick His Alien Bride—and to visit my grandparents’ hotels.

  “It’s a big place. Lots of things to do there and places to go.”

  “Plus Abuela likes to keep her kids close by.” Trinity smoothed out her already smooth pants. “I love her, but man she can be smothering.”

  “Moms can do that,” he chuckled.

  “Yes, they can.”

  Kyle enjoyed her snarky humor. Trinity reminded him of himself at that age. Full of hope and frustration. Not knowing that life was about to hand you a bag of crazy you had no idea existed. His phone buzzed again. He ignored it.

  Standing, Trinity excused herself for a moment and disappeared down the hall.

  As soon as her daughter was out of earshot, Gabriella explained, “My mom, Abuela, just misses us, that’s all.”

  “I have no doubt. Texas is a long way away.”

  Standing, Gabriella rolled her shoulders and then her head from side to side. “Sorry. It was a long trip. My shoulders are all out of sorts.”

  “I bet.” His mouth went dry as she moved. I can think of a good way to work out the kinks.

  Her dark hair cascaded about her shoulders. She wore jeans and a dark blue, long-sleeved T-shirt that fit her like a glove.

  He took note of how perfectly the fabric hugged her curves. He never thought he’d be more jealous of a shirt than he was right now. Suddenly, his jeans felt uncomfortable. He shifted his weight to subtly adjust himself. Get your mind out of the gutter. Refocusing on the dull colors in the room brought his simmering libido down to controllable levels. “Moving to Marietta. A big change like this must be difficult for both of you.” I know my big change came out of nowhere.

  “Not really. We were both ready for something different.” Clearing her throat, Gabriella nodded. “It’s not every day that we get the chance to go on such an amazing adventure. Isn’t that right, T?”

  “Sure.” Her less than enthusiastic response dulled the conversation for a moment as she entered with her phone in her hand. Her fingers sailing across the screen. “How far is Bozeman again, Kyle? That’s where the closest art store is.”

  “If the roads are clear, you can make it in about thirty to forty-five minutes.” An unexpected push on his leg made him look down. Cookie the cat rubbed up against him, spreading her white fur all over his carefully chosen outfit.

  “That won’t be bad. Maybe we can head over tomorrow,” Gabriella added with all the happiness of a stressed Disney Pr
incess.

  “If the roads are clear. Otherwise, I’d suggest you wait until you’re comfortable driving in this weather.” He reached down and pet the cat. “Or I could drive you.”

  “How chivalrous.” Trinity scooped up her messenger bag and the most recent issue of US Weekly fell out. “Kind of like a knight in shining…you know, you should pose for me sometime.”

  “What?”

  “Trinity Elise!” her mother shrieked.

  Holding her hands up in surrender, Trinity cringed. “Sorry, my brain tends to jump from idea to idea like frogs on hot rocks so hear me out.”

  Kyle’s heart slammed into his ribs as the teen stared at the magazine cover then at him a few times. Stuffing his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look casual, he shrugged. “What is it, T?”

  “You’ve totally got a movie star jawline.” She tiled her head as her eyes narrowed and her finger tapped the cover. “Anyone ever tell you, you look like this actor, what’s his name…”

  Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

  She snapped her fingers as her eyes went wide. “Jason Crowe?”

  “From time to time.” His knee nervously bounced at a rapid tempo.

  “It just occurred to me, you seriously look like him.”

  Since he hadn’t read the article, he had no idea if any photos of him or his siblings were on any of the pages. His heart pounded so fast, it hurt. Casually, he lifted a shoulder despite his impending panic. “Jason Crowe, huh? Sorry kid, not the best compliment. That guy’s a jerk.”

  Trinity nodded and tossed the tabloid on the coffee table. “You’re right. He can’t keep it in his pants for five seconds. Kind of like Gabby’s ex-boyfriend, Derrick.”

  Again, Gabriella squeaked at her daughter’s commentary. “And now you know my dating history. The end.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “Fair enough.”

  Cookie jumped on the armrest next to Kyle. He scratched the cat behind the ears and she purred loudly before she settled into his lap. He appreciated the cat’s approving purr even as his angst bubbled below the surface.

  Trinity pointed. “You know, that’s totally cool Cookie likes you.”

  “You mentioned she didn’t like many people.” A large pile of snow-white cat hair quickly accumulated on his jeans. That—along with the spilled powdered sugar from the brownie—made him look far less presentable than he’d hoped to be this evening.