by Lynn LaFleur
“Right. And how long would that last if we start caring about each other?” She splayed her hand over her chest. “Don’t you think I want that closeness with a man? I’m human, Lainy. I think about sex a lot.”
Tired of the sympathy in Alaina’s eyes, Kelcey waved her hand as if to erase their conversation. “You’d better go see what Rye needs.”
“Okay. Call my cell if you see Bob before I do.”
Once Alaina left, Kelcey straightened the desk again until it was organized the way she wanted it. Finished with her duties for now, she decided it was time for a short break. Even though as Alaina’s assistant she should greet everyone who came in the B-and-B, she had no desire to meet Bob. Or any other man.
Slipping on her long cardigan, Kelcey walked out the back door of Stevens House. The cool morning would turn into a pleasant afternoon, at least until showers moved in later tonight. They would be welcome after a month of above-average temperatures and less than an inch of rain.
Thoughts of rain brought back her conversation with Alaina about the creek on her property. Kelcey turned north in search of the small waterway.
The sound drew her before she saw it. No more than five feet wide, the creek bubbled over rocks on its journey. Shaded by oak and cedar trees, it would be the perfect place to picnic.
Kelcey tapped one finger against her lips. Maybe Alaina should think about putting some picnic tables here. Not everyone wanted to sit on the ground, even on a blanket. Alaina planned to leave a lot of the twenty-two acres she owned natural, but also planned landscaping for part of it, including walking trails for her guests. How lovely to stroll here on a path edged with wildflowers to have a picnic with your lover.
Kelcey sighed. It would be so romantic.
The click of a camera had her quickly glancing over her shoulder. She’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t heard Dax approach. He stood six feet away, a camera raised to his eye. She heard a click again before he lowered the camera and grinned.
“Gotcha.”
She’d managed to avoid him all morning, worried that he’d want to talk about what happened between them Saturday night. Out here in the open, with just the two of them together, she couldn’t avoid him any longer. “What are you doing?”
“Taking pictures.”
Self-conscious, she hooked her hair behind her ears. “Surely you can find something better to take pictures of than me.”
“I don’t think so.”
The intense look he gave her out of those dark brown eyes curled her toes. Literally. She had to order them to relax before she could turn and face him. “You’re just out taking pictures?”
“For my mom. She’s making a scrapbook for Alaina to give her for her grand opening.”
Kelcey relaxed at the word “scrapbook”. It was one of her favorite pastimes. “Your mom is a scrapbooker?”
Dax nodded. “She’s been doing it for years. Even has her own craft room in her and Dad’s house. She started making the book for Alaina right after the remodeling started. I’ve been taking pictures every week and downloading them to her computer. It’s up to her which ones she has printed.”
“I’d love to see some of her scrapbooks.”
“Are you into that too?”
“Yes. I have wonderful scrapbooks from high school on.”
“Nothing before that?”
“No.” Her life had been a huge mess before the age of ten when she went to boarding school. There hadn’t been anything she’d wanted to remember enough to put in a scrapbook.
“Well, if you ever want anyone to work with, my mom would love the company.”
She hadn’t met Beverly Coleman yet, but Alaina and Emma adored her. “I’m sure I’d enjoy that.” A sudden breeze blew a tendril of hair on her cheek. She pushed it behind her ear. “She and your father must be so excited about Alaina’s and Rye’s engagement.”
“They don’t know yet. They’ve been out of town.”
Kelcey remembered Alaina and Emma talking about Beverly and Kenneth going to the coast over the weekend. “They picked up your grandfather from his cruise, right?”
“Yeah.” Dax chuckled. “Pops is amazing. He’ll be seventy-four next month, but I think he has more energy than I do.”
“I’m eager to meet him.”
“You will, Sunday at dinner.”
Kelcey cringed at the mention of dinner at the Colemans. She didn’t feel she had any right to be a part of family traditions. “I won’t be going to your parents’ house Sunday.”
A frown furrowed Dax’s brows. “Why not?”
“Because it’s a family dinner, Dax. I’m not part of your family.”
“You’re Alaina’s and Emma’s best friend. That makes you family.”
“Dax—”
“I promise you, if you don’t show up Sunday, my mom will hunt you down and drag you there.”
She wouldn’t argue with him. She simply wouldn’t go on Sunday. That would solve everything.
Another breeze ruffled her hair and she could smell a hint of rain on the air. She looked up to see puffy clouds quickly building up in the sky. “The rain must be coming earlier than the weatherman predicted.”
“Yeah.”
She heard his camera snap. Kelcey returned her gaze to Dax just as he snapped again. “Why are you taking pictures of me?”
“Because you’re lovely.”
Warmth traveled up her neck and into her cheeks. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments, especially from men. “Maybe it’s time for you to have your eyes checked.”
“Did that last month. I have perfect vision.” The camera snapped again. “C’mon, give me a smile.”
Kelcey couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Dax, stop it.”
The rapid click-click-click of his camera proved he held down the shutter button, taking many pictures only seconds apart. “Pose for me.”
“I don’t know what to do. Besides, you’re supposed to be taking pictures for your mother.”
“I can do both.” He turned the camera at a ninety-degree angle and snapped again. “I’m sure Alaina would love some pictures of you and Emma.” Click-click-click. “I should get the three of you down here. The creek makes a great background for pictures.”
A sudden gust of wind molded Dax’s T-shirt to his chest and stomach. He always wore his long hair back in a ponytail. Kelcey had a vision of his unbound hair blowing in the breeze. She knew it was soft from touching it Saturday night.
Other parts of him hadn’t been soft Saturday. She’d felt his hard cock pressed against her tummy. It hadn’t been the first time an aroused man had pressed up against her, yet she’d never regretted pushing him away. She regretted that with Dax.
He let his camera drop to the end of its leather strap and rest on his chest. “There’s a great spot about fifty yards up the creek where it widens and the water creates a deep pool. It’s shaded and very peaceful. Want to see it?”
Kelcey hesitated. Although she enjoyed his company, she knew spending time with him would only cause her more frustration. “I’d better get back to work.”
She thought she saw disappointment in his eyes before he glanced away. That emotion was gone when he looked back at her. “Alaina’s a slave driver, huh?” he asked with a grin.
“She hides her whip in the desk drawer.”
“Hmmm.” He rubbed his finger across his mustache. “Wonder if she takes it home to play with Rye?”
Kelcey’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She couldn’t believe he said that. “Dax!”
“What?” he asked, his tone completely innocent although his eyes twinkled with laughter.
“I don’t think Alaina is into…that kind of thing.”
“I have no idea if Rye is either, but I’ve always believed what two people want to do together is cool, no matter what it is.”
So many images popped into her head at that statement…images that came from her imagination since she hadn’t experienced anything like that i
n real life.
Dax lifted his camera and snapped a shot of the creek. “The bank by that pool would’ve been a great spot for Alaina to build her B-and-B if she hadn’t been so determined to refurbish Stevens House.”
“Yes, it would’ve been nice for her place to be on the water, but…”
Kelcey stopped. She couldn’t believe the perfect name for Alaina’s place had been under everyone’s noses all along. “Dax, does this creek have a name?”
“Yeah. Crystal Creek. Why?”
My gosh, that’s perfect. A huge smile turned up her lips. “Dax, you just solved the biggest problem Alaina has.”
“Great.” He frowned, obviously confused. “What did I do?”
“You came up with the perfect name for Stevens House.”
Eager to tell Alaina her idea, Kelcey took off at a jog for the mansion. “What did I come up with?” Dax called out.
Without turning around or slowing her pace, Kelcey shouted, “The Inn on Crystal Creek!”
Chapter Six
Alaina squealed when Kelcey told her the name she’d come up with for the B-and-B, which made Emma come running to make sure everyone was all right. Emma joined in the squealing after Alaina told her what Kelcey had said. Holding on to each other, they jumped up and down while turning in a circle.
Emma pulled out of the circle first. “Now I know the name of the restaurant too.”
“What?” Kelcey and Alaina asked at the same time.
“Café Crystal.”
Alaina beamed. “It’s perfect! I can’t believe I didn’t think of such a perfect name.”
“You were trying too hard,” Kelcey said. “I wasn’t trying at all, so it came to me when I was talking to Dax.”
“However it came to you, I’m so happy with it. Okay, now that we have a name, we have a lot to do, like order the invitations.”
“I’ll do that today.”
“I’m going back to the restaurant,” Emma said. “I’m getting really good with the nail gun.”
Once she left, Alaina looked at Kelcey again. “Does that scare you as much as it does me?”
“Definitely.”
Kelcey giggled with her friend until Alaina turned serious again. “Several things before I forget. Bob got tied up at his other job, so we rescheduled for Wednesday. I spoke with Ally Briscoe at the Lanville Journal about my website and brochures. She’s the newspaper’s bookkeeper, but she’s also an amazing graphic artist. She’s coming Wednesday too. Michaela and Jax Greene are coming Thursday to interview me and take pictures for the article and ad in the paper. UPS delivered the accounting software I ordered, so it can be installed whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now.”
“Great! I’ll let you play while I go back upstairs before Rye yells for me again.”
Alone in the office, Kelcey unwrapped the accounting software and slid the DVD into the disc drive. While the software installed, she went to the kitchen for a Coke and a couple of Emma’s peanut butter cookies. With her sugar fix close by, Kelcey opened the program, prepared to work.
The sound of rain pattering on the window glass captured Kelcey’s attention. It surprised her to see how dark it had become outside. Sunset wouldn’t occur for another hour, yet the thick, gray clouds made it appear much later.
Everyone had left half an hour ago. Alaina told her she and Rye were headed to Rye’s parents’ house after they cleaned up to tell them about the engagement. Since Kelcey would be responsible for her own supper tonight, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t stay and finish up the work she’d started. Another thirty to forty-five minutes and she’d have all the accounts set up and the files the way she wanted them.
A rumble of thunder sent a chill up Kelcey’s spine. She’d never been crazy about thunderstorms. Emma loved them while Kelcey would be happy if she never experienced another one.
When a flash of lightning lit up the room, Kelcey knew it was time to go home.
She shut down the computer and straightened the folders on the desk. After making sure everything was secure in the office, she locked the door and headed toward the parking lot.
The clouds opened up as she made a fast dash for her car. The downpour quickly soaked her clothes and made her hair stick to her head and neck. Shivering, Kelcey started the motor and turned the heater on high. Blessed heat poured from the vents in only moments.
Once she’d stopped shivering so badly, she put the car in gear and backed out of her parking place. Rain fell so hard, she could barely see out of the windshield, even with the wipers on the highest speed. Logically she knew she should wait until the rain let up before she tried to drive, yet she had no idea when that might be.
Alaina’s house was only a few miles away. Deciding she could make it if she took it slow, Kelcey pulled away from the mansion. Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning flashed and lit up the entire sky. Ten minutes later, Kelcey wondered if she’d made a mistake in attempting this trip. The drive to Alaina’s house normally took about twelve minutes and she guessed she was only about halfway there. Turning around would be silly, so she continued on, gripping the wheel and leaning forward in her seat to better see out of the windshield.
Through the driving rain, she saw Dax’s house about one hundred feet ahead. That meant Alaina’s house was only another mile away. She could do this. She’d be one big knot of tension when she pulled into Alaina’s driveway, but she could do this.
A bright flash of lightning quickly followed by a booming crack of thunder caused Kelcey to jerk the wheel. Her tires hit a deep puddle on the side of the road. She screamed as she lost control and headed straight for a tree.
* * * * *
Dax looked up from his laptop when Walker lifted his head, ears cocked. “What did you hear, boy?”
The dog growled low in his throat. Dax didn’t know how Walker could hear anything over the rain pounding on the roof. He leaned over and rubbed the top of Walker’s head. “It’s okay. No one would be out in this storm.”
He no sooner said the words than Walker jumped up and ran to the front door, barking nonstop. Walker didn’t act that way for nothing. That meant he’d heard something—or someone—outside.
Laying his laptop on the coffee table, Dax hurried to the door and pushed Walker aside. A blast of cold rain immediately hit him in the face and chest when he opened the door. Blinking against the rain that flew into his eyes, he looked up and down his road for a sign of whatever Walker heard.
The German Shepherd raced past him and leaped off the porch. Dax almost yelled for Walker to come back when a flash of lightning lit up the area. He saw the small car plowed into a tree less than seventy-five feet from his house.
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
Dax took off running toward the car. His heart began to pound the closer he got. It looked like Kelcey’s car.
Walker had his front paws on the driver’s door, scratching as if trying to get in. Dax grabbed his collar and pulled him back. Jerking open the door, he saw that the airbag had deployed. Kelcey sat with her head back and eyes closed.
His heart dropped down into his stomach.
“Kelcey! Can you hear me?”
She rolled her head toward him and opened her eyes. “Dax.”
She knew him. That had to be a good sign. “Can you move?”
“I think so.” She straightened in her seat. “So far, so good.”
He didn’t give her a chance to do anything else before he unhooked her seat belt and slowly slid his arms beneath her.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting you out of the car.”
Scooping her up in his arms, he pushed the door closed with his hip and headed for the house. Walker ran ahead a few feet, stopped and looked back at him, then ran ahead again.
“I can walk, Dax.”
He ignored her protest and kept walking. By the time he made it the short distance to his house, they were both soaked. He walked through the front door, kicked i
t shut, and headed straight for the couch in the living room.
“Don’t you dare put me down on that beautiful couch. I’m soaked.”
She was also shivering. First order would be to get her dry and warm. Dax continued on through his bedroom and into the master bath. He let her slide down his body, holding her close to be sure she didn’t fall.
“I’ll call for the ambulance while you get dry.”
“No. I don’t need an ambulance. I’m fine. The airbag and seat belt kept me from hitting anything.”
He frowned. “You should be checked out. I can take you to the ER—”
“NO. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
“You’re shivering.”
“I’m wet. So are you.” The dog let loose a loud bark, then shook the water from his fur. “So is Walker.”
Once he was certain she wouldn’t fall, Dax released Kelcey and crossed to the towel cabinet. He removed two thick, fluffy towels and handed one to her. “I’ll give you some privacy so you can dry off. Or take a shower if you want to. I’ll leave some sweats for you on the bed, okay? Then I’ll throw your clothes in the dryer.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He peered closely into her eyes. They looked clear and as blue as usual, her pupils reactive the way they should be. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Kelcey smiled. “I promise I’m okay. I just need to dry off and drink something warm.”
“Coffee or hot chocolate?”
Her eyes widened a bit. “Oooh, hot chocolate please.”
If she could get so excited about chocolate, she must be okay. “Hot chocolate coming up. Let’s go, Walker.”
He closed the bathroom door behind him. Quickly searching through a dresser drawer, he located a gray sweatshirt and matching pants and laid them, along with a pair of socks, on his bed. Grabbing more socks and a pair of navy sweatpants for himself, he headed for the laundry room with Walker by his side.
After stripping off his wet clothes, he swiped the towel over his body and donned the sweatpants and socks. He took a beach towel from the cabinet above the dryer and dropped to his knees before Walker.