by Judy Angelo
He shrugged. “I’m not an educator but from my layman’s perspective I don’t see why not. Why don’t you lay out your proposal and I’ll have someone from the ministry of education have a look at it? It might be worth getting the opinion of an expert.”
“Consider it done,” she said, relieved that he was taking her suggestion seriously. “It will be in your hands before this week is out.”
“Sounds good to me. Anything that will prepare the boys for high school and for life, I’ll support one hundred percent.”
That made her pause and shake her head. “You’re so dedicated to those boys. It’s such a pleasure to find a wealthy man who cares enough to give to others.”
That made him frown, but he looked more thoughtful than angry. “You find that strange? Most of my business associates have charities that they support wholeheartedly. Some of them give away millions every year.”
Now it was Indie’s turn to frown. “Really?”
Stone nodded. “Really.” He pulled in his legs then sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “You know, rich people tend to get a bad rap but you’d be surprised at how many of them actually do a lot for the disadvantaged. The majority, I should guess.”
Slowly, Indie nodded. “I think you may be right. All my adult life I’ve been dashing from country to country, working for various non-profit organizations, feeling good about myself for helping others. I never really gave enough thought to those people behind the scenes who may not have participated directly but were critical to the success of the projects through their financial contributions.” She gave Stone a crooked smile. “I stand suitably chastised.”
“You do, do you?” He gave her a suspiciously mischievous grin.
“I do.”
“Well, I know one way you can make things up to us rich folks.”
She chuckled. “How?”
“You can have dinner with me tonight.”
Had she heard right? “Did you just ask me out?” she demanded playfully.
“I did.”
“So where are we going to have this dinner? At Café Out-in-the-Middle-of-Nowhere? We’re practically in the wilderness.”
“I’m inviting you to dinner at my house.”
“At…your house.” Now that was different and sort of…intriguing.
“It’s just a cottage, really, no bigger than yours. Behind the main school building. My home away from home. So…are we on for dinner?”
Indie nodded. “I’d love to, just as long as you don’t poison me with your cooking.”
He laughed out loud. “Don’t you worry about that. My meals come fully catered, complements of the home’s resident chef.”
“Oh.” She pouted, feigning disappointment. “And there I was, thinking you were going to make a special effort just for me.”
“Maybe next time.” Stone got up and gave a leisurely stretch. “I’d better get going so I can tidy up before you come. So you’ll be over around six?”
“Six is fine with me.”
“Want me to come get you?”
“I’m sure I’ll find it.” Indie got up, too. “The compound is big but not that big that I can’t find you.”
“Great. I’ll see you at six then.”
He headed for the front door with Indie right behind him. As he let himself out she couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders. It must be because he was standing in the narrow doorway. It made him look big and strong, every bit the macho man.
He waved goodbye and as he walked away Indie stood in the doorway, staring after him, a soft smile on her face. Lady Luck was definitely on her side today. She couldn’t have wanted a better turn of events.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Stone splashed water on his face and stared into the bathroom mirror. What was it about Indiana Lane that had him sweating like a damn teenager every time he was in her presence? For God’s sake, he was a thirty-three year old man, way past the sweating and trembling stage. Was he regressing? That made him smile at his own reflection. That was a laugh. It must be the setting, all the way out here in this wilderness as Indie had called it. He couldn’t remember reacting this strongly to a woman. Not since high school, anyway.
But now here he was, totally captivated by the woman with the emerald green eyes. And that was why, when he’d seen that opening, he hadn’t been able to resist asking her over. At her place he’d acted nonchalant, like he’d already ordered dinner and everything was arranged. No such thing. He’d had to send a message to Cook real fast to fix a special dinner for two. Luckily, he already had wine chilling in the fridge.
He grabbed a towel and dried his face then headed for the living room. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he needed to tidy up before Indie got there. He wasn’t the neatest of souls and his mind immediately went to his mother. She’d been at him since he’d been able to understand the words 'pick up your clothes'. Where that was concerned, he was still a failure. Sorry, Mom.
At twenty minutes before six Cook’s packages of food arrived. Stone slipped them into the oven to keep them warm then he went and got dressed in dark slacks and a creamy silk shirt. At three minutes before the hour of six there was another knock at the door and the long-awaited lady stood there looking elegant in gray slacks and a peach-colored top that showed off her bare shoulders.
“Welcome.” He held the door open for her and as she stepped past, her perfume brought back memories of that first night they’d dined together. That night she’d looked exquisite, like a perfectly painted porcelain doll. Tonight was different. Tonight she looked relaxed, natural and so inviting. He wanted to bend down and press his lips to the smooth skin of her shoulder then to her collarbone, her neck, then her lips.
He began to grow hard again and he had to step back and take a deep breath. What was with him tonight? Just the sight of her, her fragrance, had him thinking crazy thoughts. She fit so well into this earthy, untamed setting that his thoughts ran to things hot and wild – like her, straddling his hips and making mad love to him.
Stone shook his head. If he didn’t slow down he was going to get himself in a whole lot of trouble.
“So,” he said, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, “welcome to my home.”
“You already said that.” She gave him a look of amusement then her eyes scanned the room. “You were right. It looks just like my place.”
He spread his arms wide. “See? We’re all equals in this place. No need to bash the rich guy.”
“I wasn’t going to.” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Not unless he gives me reason to."
“I won’t.” He put his hands up and backed away. “Trust me, I know when I’m in the presence of a warrior woman.”
He’d meant that as a joke but at his words she looked a little hurt. “I mean, you look like you can defend yourself,” he said quickly, trying to do damage control.
“It’s okay,” she said, her voice punctuated with a sigh. “Part of the territory, being taller than most other women. People see you as a whole lot tougher than you actually are.”
“I didn’t mean that-”
“It’s okay,” she said again, her voice insistent. “Let’s just eat.”
That shut Stone up for a while. This was something she was obviously sensitive about and pressing her further would only make things worse. As much as he found every inch of her to be a tantalizing treat now was not the time to tell her that. She would think he was just trying to make her feel better. Great going, Stone, you just put your size twelve foot in it. Wanting to melt her frosty mood, Stone turned on the CD player and the sounds of Shania Twain's 'From This Moment' filled the room. The soothing sounds should calm her down. As he went to pull out her chair he saw that her mouth was just a little less tight and the furrow between her brows gone. Whew.
He lifted the white wine from its bed of ice and poured her a glass. Then he got the meal from the oven – salmon in a light lemon sauce with wild rice and a vegetable medley. Indie’s eyes widened at
the sight of the elegantly prepared trays. “Cook did this?”
“Yep. A man of many talents. He can serve the Queen of England, if called on.”
Indie nodded. “I have no doubt.”
After that, it was as if that awkward moment had never happened. They fell into easy conversation, with Indie plying him with questions about his family back in Canada. He told her about his older sister who lived in Vancouver and was a professor of Medieval History at the university there, and his younger brother, also a businessman, who had moved to Australia with his young wife and infant son. And then there were his mom and dad, stalwarts in the Toronto community, members of the Chamber of Commerce and philanthropists in their own right.
“The Hudson wing at the Toronto City Hospital is named after them."
“So that’s where you get it from, this philanthropy thing."
He shrugged. “I do my own thing.”
“Yes, you do,” she said, her voice a sultry whisper that made Stone wonder if they were still talking about philanthropy. Somehow, it didn’t sound like it.
Indie had leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her hands folded in front of her, her chin resting on those folded hands. And she was looking at him with half closed eyes, her lips slightly parted.
And if she kept that up she was going to get a whole lot more than dinner tonight.
Stone clenched and unclenched his hands under the table. If Indie only knew what he wanted to do right now. Then again, maybe she already did, and that was why she was playing temptress tonight. And he wanted to make a move, no doubt about that. But he had to be sure.
“All right,” Stone said, picking up his napkin and giving a last swipe at his lips, “looks like we’re done here.” He got up and held out his hand to Indie. “Why don’t we head to the living room? There’s something I want to show you.”
“Oh. All right.” Indie took his hand and rose to stand beside him.
It took a whole lot of willpower for him not to drag her into his arms and kiss her breathless. But no, now was not the time.
Stone led Indie to the small sofa in the living room then crouched down in front of the VCR on the TV stand.
“Old movies,” Indie guessed.
“Yes, but not just any old movies. My old movies.” Stone slid the first tape in, pressed play then went to sit at the other end of the couch. “These are recordings of my earlier trips to South Africa. I made a lot of cultural mistakes and maybe you can learn from some of them. And I had a lot of fun.”
They settled back in the chair and watched shots of Stone arriving in South Africa, meeting with government officials, then his first meeting with Moekebi. The child was thin but with eyes so bright and full of life you couldn’t help but be buoyed up by his spirit. Then there was the opening of the boys’ home and the installation of the teachers. And, to Stone’s horror, there was also a clipping of him in native dress doing a traditional dance. He’d forgotten about that.
Indie howled with laughter at that one. “Oh, my Lord, what were you thinking?” She was laughing so much tears filled her eyes. “No, that was not the act of Stone Hudson. That had to be Gladstone doing that dance. There’s no way a ‘Stone’ would be doing that. You can’t even dance!” And with that she burst into peels of laughter again.
“You’d better take that back,” he growled. “Or else.”
“Or else what?” Her mouth curled in amusement and defiance.
“Or else you’ll be punished,” he said, moving closer.
“Yeah? How?” she challenged, her eyes flashing in the light.
“Like this,” he said with a groan, then he was reaching for her, unable to deny himself any longer. He dragged Indie off the sofa and onto his lap and then he dipped his head and was kissing her with all the desire he’d been holding back for so long. As his arms circled her, pulling her close, his mouth held hers captive, demanding her response, and when she gave it, kissing him back with a fervor matching his own, he moaned.
When Stone finally lifted his head and looked into Indie’s eyes they were no longer sharp but had turned misty-green with passion. She sighed and leaned against him, soft and pliable in his arms.
It was too much. He lowered his head and kissed her again, this time more softly, more sweetly, more deeply, until she was clinging to him.
“Stone,” Indie whispered, “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
Stone’s heart swelled inside him. Indie wanted him. Could it be possible that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her? He could only hope. But her whisper was enough to give him that hope.
“Oh God, Indie,” he groaned. “I want you…too much. But I’ve got to stop now or else…” He didn’t say the rest. He knew exactly where this would end if he didn’t regain control. Stone slid Indie off his lap and back onto the sofa. Then he got up and shoved his hands into his pockets. As he looked down at her he shook his head.
“It’s okay,” she said with a small smile. “I understand.” She got up and reached out to touch his arm. “Walk me to the door?”
He stared down at her, his eyes burning into hers. “See you tomorrow?
She lifted her eyebrows. “We’ll see.”
“Have dinner with me again.” He’d said that on an impulse, but he meant it.
“I’ll do better than that,” she said. “Tomorrow I’ll fix dinner for you.”
That took him by surprise. Things could not have worked out better. “I’ll be there at six.”
She went on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek then she whispered in his ear, “I look forward to it.”
******
Twenty-four days to the deadline and things were heading in the right direction. And the surprise was, she hadn’t even been the one to send them down that road.
Just like she’d planned, he’d kissed her. Because he wanted to. She hadn’t had a thing to do with it. Well, almost nothing.
She had to admit that she might have had just a tiny bit of influence on him. She’d worn that perfume she knew he’d fallen in love with that first night they’d had dinner together. She’d seen his reaction when he breathed in the fragrance. And then she’d worn her killer blouse, the one that revealed a whole lot of shoulder and just a hint of cleavage. And, to top it all off, she’d given him the ‘eye’ just like Tessa had taught her, keeping her eyes half closed and setting her lips in an inviting pout.
And then he’d kissed her, so her preening must have worked. Or he must have really, really liked her. She liked reason number two better.
The fact was, she wanted him to like her. For real. Because, for her, all of this was growing a lot more serious than just like. She was beginning to fall in love.
It was strange. Could a woman fall in love in the space of six days? According to the Psychology books she’d read it was men who would usually say they’d fallen in love at first sight. Women spent more time in getting to know the man before admitting to such feelings.
But, from that first meeting, she’d felt that connection. It was freaky but the mere sight of him had set her body blazing. Had he felt the same way? Was that the real reason he'd kissed her last night?
She drew in a deep breath, the thoughts bumping around in her head, and stared out her bedroom window at the sun rising over the plains. With all she had to do, today was going to be hectic. And she would have to fix dinner for Stone. Well, actually, she planned to ask Cook to do it. Cooking was not exactly one of her best skills. Fishing? Yes. Maybe even catching some wild game, like birds or rabbits. But cooking? Please.
She pulled the mosquito netting aside and slid out of bed. She might as well get started early. She was looking forward to a productive day and, if all went well, a very exciting evening.
Anita came to get Indie just after eight o'clock so she got a chance to have breakfast with the boys. Then after they'd filed away to their classes she toured each room and got to know them individually. The little ones were really excited to have her, and climbed onto her lap and pulled
her hair which was growing a little longer. They wouldn't let her leave until she'd read them a story and then another until finally, hugging them and laughing at their antics, she was able to slip out.
She toured the other classes and was able to note their needs. Later she would write a requisition list. After that it was time to examine the housing facilities and determine what needed to be done. By the time she'd done her tours it was almost three in the afternoon, she'd missed lunch, and she hadn't even had time to speak to Cook yet.
Of course, when she did speak to him he was none too pleased at the short notice and he held nothing back in telling her so. Still, after much cajoling and wheedling, she got him to agree to prepare a simple meal of chicken stew with mashed potatoes and sweet corn.
That settled, she hurried back to her cottage-cum-office where she did paperwork until about five o'clock. At that point she had to break to get herself ready for her dinner date. She was pleasantly surprised when the meal arrived at five-twenty, long before she'd even had a chance to dress and fix her hair. Not that there was much to fix, it was so short. But still, she wanted to look her best.
This evening she softened her look, forgoing the slacks for a flowing, ankle-length dress with a slit that ran up her left calf and halfway up her thigh. She knew she had nice legs. She'd received her fair share of compliments. And tonight she planned to give Stone a peek so he could see what he was missing.
And that idea was all her own. No Tessa, no Cosmopolitan Magazine, all Indie.
She set the table and, on an impulse, she set a short, fat scented candle in the middle and lit it. She'd found the candle in one of the kitchen cupboards and why should she let it go to waste? More importantly, she was trying to draw this man in so she might as well go all the way.