Staring at the ceiling, she wondered if she should put something on. Like what? The girls had conveniently taken out her pajamas, and wearing the white negligee was not the message she should be sending.
Frowning, she rationalized what had happened: Making love in front of the fire—two lonely adults, too much champagne, weakened resolve.
Flinging the covers back, she stepped out of the bed and grabbed an oversized t-shirt and clean panties. Just as she heard the sound of the bathroom door, she slipped back into the bed, pulled the covers to her chest, and turned her face away from the door.
Eyes closed, she strained to hear the sound of Jared's footsteps. Either he was awfully light on his feet or maybe he'd gone somewhere else. When she felt his weight sink the opposite edge of the bed, it startled her enough to make her gasp.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Just tired. Goodnight, Jared. See you in the morning.”
Lacey waited, listening to the heavy silence until she finally fell into a troubled sleep.
***
Jared's jaw clenched tightly as he sat on the edge of the bed. He stared into the darkness until he heard Lacey's slow, even breathing, then turned to look at her.
I don't get it.
A couple of short hours ago they had been more intimate than he'd ever allowed himself to be with any of the women in his life. Now she was sound asleep, as though nothing had happened between them.
He shook his head. Maybe he was wrong after all. The thought sickened him. How could he have been fooled like that?
It’s official…I'm an idiot.
In her sleep, Lacey rolled toward him, her hair covering half her face. Carefully he reached out to take a lock of her hair, leaning forward so he could bring it to his cheek. So soft, finer than silk. As he brought it to his lips he remembered how it had felt draped over his chest. He frowned. It had felt so right to be with her. How could he be so wrong?
In the starlight streaming through the glass of the French doors, she looked like an angel. He stared at her for several minutes, wanting to remember everything about her.
Murmuring in her sleep as though she was having a bad dream, Lacey tossed and turned in the big bed. Jared brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, just like he had done hundreds of times for Jamie. Then he began to softly sing her favorite lullaby…
“Sugar Plum, you got some sweetness inside of you,
One that makes me laugh when I’m feeling blue.
Keep on smiling, keep shining, the whole day through…
Sugar Plum, I love you.
He watched Lacey’s face. Soon her furrowed brow relaxed, her frown replaced by a soft smile. He leaned closer to her and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away from her, her eyes fluttered and half opened. She raised her hand as if to touch him, but sleep overtook her and she snuggled deeper under the covers.
Jared sighed and stared at Lacey’s face for a long time, wanting to remember everything about her. Then he touched her hair one last time, bringing a silky strand to his lips. Finally he stood up.
He figured he might as well see how comfortable the sofa was because there was no way in hell he would get any sleep lying next to her.
His body ached for her all over again.
Looking back at her when he reached the door, he felt his heart ache as well.
***
A soft knocking at the cabin door stirred Lacey from her dream. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to recapture its essence before it disappeared. Jared. Something about walking…Jamie between them holding their hands…the smell of lemons…a well-worn path…stopping to pick flowers, stealing a kiss…
Lacey's eyes flew open. Her gaze darted around the room and in an instant, she remembered where she was, what had happened. Her body reacted to the memory with a throbbing tingle between her thighs. Just the thought of him sent her pulse racing.
Closing her eyes and sinking her head into the pillow. Dreams are one thing, but this is not going any farther. It can’t.
The sound of the front door opening and closing got her attention. When she looked up she saw Jared's face at the bedroom door.
“Good morning.” His voice sounded neutral.
Good. He probably felt the same, right? Both of them coming to their senses before the light of day was a good thing.
“Was that our breakfast arriving?” she asked, pushing herself up on both elbows.
“Yup. Smells good. I've already showered—if you want, I'll set up outside and you can clean up.”
“Meet you on the patio in about fifteen minutes,” she answered, grateful for the time to get her thoughts collected.
She watched Jared disappear from sight, then climbed out of the bed, gathering clean clothes and her toiletries. She knew a quick shower would help clear her head. And she would need a clear head if she was going to share breakfast with the man she had made love to the night before.
***
They ate silently, occasionally sharing thoughts about how flaky the croissants were, how fresh the peaches seemed. Two cups of coffee later and the silence felt more comfortable to Jared.
Lacey spoke first. “I wonder what time check-out is.”
“There's a flyer taped inside the cupboard in the kitchen. Three o'clock.”
“Oh.”
“Did you want to stay? We could go for a walk or...” His voiced drifted off, not finishing the sentence. Not really knowing what he wanted to say.
“I guess I hadn't thought that far. I figured you might want to get back early—make sure Jamie is okay. I didn't know if your animals needed care or…”
Jared stared at her. It was like she was a different person in the light of day. He wished like hell he could turn back the clock—be with the Lacey he had been with the night before.
“I was thinking,” she started again, “if you wanted to get back, I could give Kandy a call and ask her to come get me, and we could go to lunch and do some shopping on the way home.”
“Sounds fine. I really should get back to the ranch.” Truth was, it sounded perfectly awful. It was as though she couldn't wait to be apart from him. He felt a painful tug on his heart. Maybe she just needed some time. Time to think.
About what? They’d succumbed to the moment. No promises were made. Nothing more had been implied…by either one of them.
“Okay, it's a plan,” she said.
Her voice sounded overly cheerful to him. No matter what, it was obvious that last night meant more to him than it did to her.
Fine. He didn't need the aggravation.
“I'll clean up,” she offered, gathering the breakfast dishes.
Jared didn't answer her. Instead, he left her on the patio and busied himself in the cabin, packing his small leather bag. When he was finished, he placed it near the front door and leaned his guitar case against the wall.
Lacey looked up from the kitchenette. “I didn't get to hear you play your guitar,” she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Jared replied without looking at her. “Maybe some other time.”
Lacey didn't answer. Instead she brought her fingertips to her temples, rubbing them.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Just a little champagne headache, I think. I'm fine.”
“I was thinking of going for a walk—I promised Jamie I'd bring her one of those giant pine cones for her collection. Maybe the air would help your head,” he suggested.
Lacey nodded.
Jared reached for the doorknob and held the door open, waiting for her. When Lacey passed in front of him he followed close behind her, impulsively reaching for a curl. What was it about her hair that drove him crazy? Shaking his head, he dropped his hand and stepped forward so they walked side by side.
“There's a path over here. I saw it yesterday.” Jared pointed to the side of the cabin.
“It's so pretty here. So peaceful. You sure you don't mind me taking advantage of the rest of the day?” she asked.
> “Nope. Enjoy.” And he meant it. If things had turned out differently, he thought, they would have spent the day making love, soaking in the hot tub, and napping in the luxury of the four-poster. He sighed. He wished things had turned out differently.
“Here's one,” Lacey said, stooping to pick up a pine cone the size of a pineapple. “Coulter pine, right?”
“Right.” Jared smiled. It pleased him that she had been paying attention on the ride up.
“Look,” she said, pointing at a trailhead sign. “Manzanita Trail: two-point-five miles.”
Jared looked skeptically at her thin-soled sandals and gauze skirt. She was definitely dressed more for a day of shopping than for a hike, even on an easy trail.
Hands on her hips, Lacey declared, “The air seems to be helping my headache—do you mind if I go on ahead?”
“I should be getting back, anyway.”
He watched as Lacey took a deep breath.
Jared took the pine cone out of her hands. “Well—”
“Thanks for…everything. It was a nice evening. I had a good time.” Lacey finished his thought and looked away, staring down the trail, seemingly eager for the conversation to end.
“Sure.” Jared tossed the pine cone from hand to hand. He didn't feel right leaving her in the woods. But, she's a grown woman, for Pete’s sake. She should be able to take care of herself on an easy trail. He was being silly.
“See you around,” he said, forcing his voice to sound cheerful, then he pivoted and strode away from her.
***
Lacey watched Jared's figure until he disappeared from view around a bend in the path, identifying a wave of sadness flowing through her.
Too bad. Too bad our situations aren't different. It just wasn’t meant to be.
She would miss his company, she instantly realized, already wishing he was walking beside her as she started down the trail. She would miss him telling her about the bushes and trees and flowers along the trail.
Stop. He's everything you aren't looking for. And the same was true for him. She wasn’t what he wanted or needed. They were at an impasse.
It was over…after one amazing night together. She would have to be happy with that.
Concentrating on her footing as she walked, Lacey pushed away all the thoughts and feelings that had anything to do with Jared. Instead, she listened to the sound of the wind as it swished through the leaves of the trees, pausing at mysterious rustling sounds in the underbrush, hoping to see some wildlife.
The piercing cry of a hawk grabbed Lacey's attention. She shaded her eyes as she peered into the treetops, searching for the bird. A shadow streaked past as she took a step forward.
“Where are you?” she said as she took another step forward—forward into air instead of the uneven stony trail.
As Lacey tumbled out of control, she yelped in surprise, falling heavily onto a large flat stone with one knee. Stabs of pain shot through her ankle as starbursts exploded behind her eyelids.
Chapter Fourteen
Jared made quick time between Lacey and the cabin. His jaws ached with the tension he felt.
Damn. Why was it so hard to just stop thinking about her?
He entered the cabin and walked to the fireplace, putting the treasured pine cone on the mantel. He closed his eyes and rotated his neck, the restless night on the lumpy couch beginning to catch up with him. Suddenly forty felt older than he was willing to admit.
Damn.
He stirred the fireplace, checking for signs of burning coals, then walked slowly through each room. Then he allowed a few dangerous memories to seep into his thoughts…seeing her in the big bathtub barely covered by the bubbles, her gentle care of his wound, her eyes by firelight, the feel of her silky hair against his chest when she was on top of him, how much he loved every curvy inch of her.
Pausing in the kitchenette, Jared stared back toward the fireplace, his gaze stopping at the sheepskin rug.
He had felt powerless against the passion he'd felt for her. His pulse quickened, remembering the feel of her skin against his, her fragrance, the taste of her, how her body molded to his.
And her lips. Their kisses had left his mouth burning with fire, and the velvet warmth of her response to him had been amazing.
They were good together.
Forget about her, he commanded himself, angrily turning away from the scene of the previous night's passion. Tight-lipped and jaws clenched, Jared grabbed his leather tote and stormed out of the cabin.
***
Lacey scooted herself off the flat piece of granite so she was sitting, instead, on a soft bed of pine needles adjacent to the trail. Her ankle had swollen to twice its normal size; the skin over the bone reddening, black and blue shades developing quickly.
Gingerly she touched the growing lump, wincing at the twinge of pain that followed. Her eyes filled with tears of frustration, knowing the fall wouldn't have happened if Jared had been along. He would have warned her of the sudden drop in the trail, and she would have taken his arm for support if she'd felt her feet slip on loose stones.
Jared.
A loud fluttering in the treetops forced her to look away from her injured ankle. Directly above was the elusive hawk that had distracted her.
“Now you show up,” she said. “Where were you when my feet were firmly planted on the ground?”
The hawk tilted its head at the sound of her voice. Cack-cack-cack.
Startled at the bird's cry, Lacey took a quick sharp breath. “Calm down—I'm the one in trouble here.” She stared at the bird, trying to see it more clearly. “You're quite handsome, aren't you? Almost worth twisting my ankle over.”
The bird continued to look back at her.
Leaning back on her hands, she elevated her foot on a nearby boulder, hoping to lessen the painful throbbing. The hawk was a beautiful bird, brown and white breast feathers, slate blue wings.
Cack-cack-cack.
“You wouldn't feel like flying down the mountain and sending a certain cowboy in a pickup truck back to rescue me, would you?”
Cack-cack-cack.
“Didn't think so,” she whispered, closing her eyes at a sudden jab of pain.
A tear threatened to escape from behind her now tightly closed eyes, and her throat ached with the undeniable feeling of defeat. She should have asked him to walk with her. It was that simple. His eyes had clearly betrayed his disappointment that she hadn’t, and she had chosen to ignore it.
The knowledge of her regret twisted and turned inside her. He was a nice guy.
But not for me.
And it certainly wasn't fair to lead him on, she rationalized. Their night together had been a mistake…a wonderful mistake, she admitted, but still a mistake. It had happened, and now it was over.
She sighed heavily, and a flash of loneliness stabbed at her. She already missed him, missed the his touch, missed how he made her feel.
Cack-cack-cack.
She opened her eyes to see the hawk fly away.
Well, let's hope someone comes down this trail to rescue me.
***
Almost an hour into the drive home, Jared slapped the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Shoot. In his angry haste to leave the cabin, he'd left Jamie's pine cone on the mantel and forgotten his guitar.
Lacey would probably see the guitar and take it home with her, he thought. He considered his options.
Glancing along the roadside at the pine cones scattered there, regrettably he knew it was against the law to take a pine cone from designated park land.
He'd have to go back. At the first turnout, he turned the pickup around and headed back to the cabin.
Would she be there? He couldn't help wondering…hoping. Maybe she'd be back from her walk and they could clear the troubled air between them. He hated how he felt. Too many unanswered questions.
Sure, she was young. And a career woman, he reminded himself. In fact, she'd made it crystal clear that her career was pretty much th
e most important thing in her life.
Just like Courtney.
And he certainly didn't need to learn that lesson again. His marriage had been a series of too many disappointments, too many arguments, too many regrets. The only bright moment had been Jamie.
Career women were alike, he maintained. They were serious about their promotions, the corporate bottom line, and how to finagle as much money from the public as possible to reach their sales goals or whatever.
And so were men who were ensconced in their careers. It didn’t matter, male or female. It was the same. Goals and objectives were important, and hers were simply incompatible with his. It was simple.
Forget her.
Jared shoved this thoughts aside as he turned into the driveway of the bed and breakfast and parked. As he neared the cabin he noticed a note tacked to the door, fluttering in the breeze.
Mr. Dillon: the Ranger took your lady friend down the mountain to Urgent Care. She said to leave a note, that you might be back for your guitar. We have it up at the house along with the rest of the things. ~Mrs. Miller.
His heart in his throat, Jared immediately considered the worst case scenario: mountain lion.
I shouldn't have left her alone on the trail.
Swearing, he tore the note from the door and ran toward the main house.
As Jared flung open the kitchen door, he saw Mrs. Miller was on the phone, gesturing for him to take the receiver.
“It's the doctor. Here, you talk to him.”
“Mr. Dillon?”
“Is she all right? What happened?” Fear and anger knotted painfully inside him. The muscles of his forearm hardened beneath his sleeve as he held the receiver in a death grip.
“Just a bad sprain,” the voice replied. “Right ankle. She'll need to keep off her feet for a couple days. No hiking for a while.”
A war of emotions raged within him—exasperation, relief, worry. Why did he care so much? It felt as though it had been Jamie who’d gotten hurt.
COWBOY FOR SALE--A Second-Chances Spicy Romance Page 14