His brows lifted. “A little possessive of that bucket, aren’t we?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” Sweat trickled down her back. “I carried it all the way here and I intend to finish the job by myself.”
“You have grit, Geena Lysander. I like that.”
“Thank you.” She lowered her voice. “Let me ask you something.” She put the bucket down and swallowed a groan of relief.
“Sure.”
“Has it occurred to you that linking Matt’s name to the academy could be a good thing for business?”
His expression grew wary. “It might have.” He moved a step closer and spoke quietly. “But he needs this place as an escape and that could ruin it for him.”
She decided not to address that particular assumption. It could be true, but maybe not if she planned her strategy in advance. “So the thought that Matt could be a draw has crossed your mind.”
“Yes, ma’am, but we dismissed it immediately. I hope that’s not the road you’re heading down.”
She noticed his use of we. “I’m not heading down any road. I’m still trying to read the map. Matt says he doesn’t want your privacy invaded, meaning all four of you—Rosie, Herb, Lexi and you. According to what I’m hearing from him, it’s not about his need for privacy. It’s about yours.”
“See, that’s the way he is, always looking out for the people he cares about. Which means we need to look out for him. This situation has made him think that he’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”
“But that’s not necessarily true.”
Cade tugged on the brim of his hat. “No, ma’am, but as long as he thinks it is, then Thunder Mountain can continue to be his sanctuary. Which is fine with us.”
“When you say us, do you mean the four of you?”
“Uh, there’s a few more than that involved.”
“Who?”
He hesitated.
“If you don’t mind my asking.”
“Guess not. You’ve been trustworthy so far.”
“Cade, I care about Matt. I’d never do anything to hurt him.”
He met her gaze and seemed to be evaluating what to say. Finally he nodded. “Okay. Ever since Matt got this part, we’ve recognized his potential to help the academy. The primary group on site includes Mom, Dad, Lexi and me, plus Damon and Phil. Then there’s Ben Radcliffe, who teaches saddle making for us, and his wife, Molly, who set up the curriculum. Finn’s wife, Chelsea, is in marketing, so she immediately saw the possibilities, but she also knows that Matt’s a private guy who cherishes this ranch. The upshot is that no one’s said a word to him about helping to publicize the academy.”
“So you guys are miles ahead of me. I had no idea.”
“And now you know.”
“I do. Thanks for trusting me with this.”
“You can’t tell him.”
“I won’t.”
He smiled. “And now you’d better take that water where it belongs before he sends out a search party.”
“Aye, aye, sir!” She snapped him another salute and picked up her bucket. She was pleased that he chuckled as she walked away. Cade was one of the good guys. In fact, they all sounded terrific and she wished she could meet the rest of the brotherhood.
When she reached the cabin, she left the bucket on the cement stoop and opened the door.
Matt had taken off his hat and had his back to her as he vigorously cleaned the inside of a window. He didn’t turn around. “I was about to go looking for you.”
“It was more of a challenge than I thought.” But watching his tight buns flex inside well-washed denim and his back muscles shift beneath his white T-shirt was reward enough.
“Did you find the outside faucet?” He leaned over to rub a spot near the bottom of the window.
Lordy. “I did.” She paused to clear the lust from her throat. “After I figured out that getting water from one of the sinks or from the shower wasn’t practical, I went looking for a better alternative.”
“Should’ve known you would.” He gave the window one last swipe and turned around. “Did you run into Cade? He just left a bit ago with the vacuum.”
“Yep, I saw him.” She hoped her expression didn’t give anything away.
“The windows over there were a lot dirtier than these, apparently.” He gazed at her. “Which is lucky for us or Cade would have shown up a lot earlier to fetch the vacuum.”
“You mean early enough to catch us...kissing?” Matt had done a lot more than kiss her, and she wouldn’t mind having him repeat the process now that they were alone again.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry about that. I forgot he’s amazingly fast at windows.”
“You also were looking proficient at the window-cleaning gig when I walked in here.” She still had a buzz going. “How fast is Cade at vacuuming?”
His eyes darkened. “Too damned fast, I’m afraid.” He tossed down the towel he’d been using on the window and came toward her. “Especially when you look at me like that. But I don’t dare grab hold of you. I know what will happen.” He reached out and brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek and sucked in a breath. “There’s something so sexy about a woman who’s been outside getting sweaty.”
She laughed, although her heart was pounding. “I can’t imagine what.”
“Can’t you?” He brushed his knuckles lightly over her throat. “Your skin’s already nice and warm, plus it’s damp, which makes it so easy to slide my hand—”
“All right, I get it.” She gulped and stepped back.
“Your glasses are fogged up again.”
“I know.” She quickly cleaned them on the tail of her shirt. “You’re right, we can’t do this. Cade and Lexi will show up and find us rolling around on the floor.”
“Rolling? Really?” His smile had a definite touch of wickedness. “I don’t know about you, but I find it’s a lot nicer if you stay put.”
She groaned. “We need to start mopping this floor before I say to heck with what Cade and Lexi find us doing. Are you finished with the windows?”
“I’m finished with the inside. If you’re willing to mop, I’ll go take off the screens and do the outside.”
“I’d rather have you do me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her before scooping up the towel he’d dropped and snagging the spray bottle of window cleaner. “So would I.” He went out the door, transferred the bucket from the stoop to the inside, and left her to work out her frustrations with some vigorous mopping.
* * *
Matt vowed that he’d concentrate on the windows. He’d taken off the screens without once looking inside the cabin. Then he’d washed an entire window while managing to ignore whatever was happening on the opposite side of the glass. Feeling noble and in control, he’d decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek inside to see how Geena was coming along with her mopping.
He was still watching her when Cade clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and drop the spray bottle. Luckily it was plastic. When he turned to confront a grinning Cade, he discovered Lexi was there, too, looking highly amused.
Matt glared at both of them, but mostly at Cade for startling him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a guy with a loaded spray bottle in his hand. I could’ve hit you in the face with a blast of window cleaner. That stuff has to be bad for your eyes.”
“Couldn’t resist, bro. But I regret to inform you that most women don’t go for the Peeping Tom routine. If she catches you doing it, I guarantee she’ll think it’s creepy that you’re staring in the window while she’s mopping the floor. You’ll lose points, bro, major points.”
“But she’s not just mopping. She’s tap dancing while she does it.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. Take a look.”
Cade moved to the window. “I’ll be damned. C’mere, Lex. This reminds me of those old black-and-white movies Mom likes.”
Lexi walked over and stood on tiptoe. “I can’t really see.”
“Okay, here you go.” Cade crouched down. “Get on my shoulders.”
“You know, I don’t think—”
“Do it. This is worth the price of admission.”
“I hope she doesn’t glance our way and see this.” Lexi climbed on Cade’s shoulders and he slowly got to his feet. “Oh, wow. She really is tap dancing. In cowboy boots, no less, and wearing her hat! I wonder if she has music. I can’t hear anything. Maybe she has music on her phone.”
“Maybe.”
“Well, that’s just cool. Look at her go! She’s—uh-oh. She saw us. Now she’ll probably quit.”
Matt expected that, too. But after giving them a smile and a wave, she continued with her routine as she worked her way toward the cabin door. When she finished, she spun back toward them and bowed. They all applauded and Matt whistled through his teeth.
“Let’s meet her at the door.” Lexi hopped down and they walked around to the front of the cabin.
Geena came out holding the bucket with the mop handle sticking out of it. She was breathing hard and her cheeks were bright pink. Matt couldn’t remember ever seeing a prettier sight, and he’d spent three years in the land of gorgeous women.
They all clapped and cheered, which made her roll her eyes and laugh. Setting down the bucket, she executed another little dance step on the concrete stoop and swept off her hat in a dramatic gesture, dislodging the pins in her hair. It tumbled out of its arrangement.
“That was awesome,” Lexi said. “No wonder you caught on to the dance moves so quickly last night. You’re a pro!”
“Sadly, I’m not. I haven’t tapped in a while, so I’m pretty rusty and so out of shape.”
Matt picked up the bucket and mop. He was willing to argue that point. He loved her shape. And her hair, which hung in glorious waves to her shoulders. He longed to comb it back with his fingers, cup her head in both hands and tilt it so he could kiss that smiling mouth.
“Would you please hold this for a sec while I fix my hair?” She handed him her hat.
“Sure.” He felt like telling her to leave it down because it looked sexy that way. He thought better of saying that out loud.
Drawing a deep breath, she retrieved the scattered pins and used them to anchor her hair on top of her head again. “The mop reminded me of a number we put together when I was taking dance. We combined moves from the Gene Kelly mop dance and Fred Astaire’s routine with a broom. You may not have seen either of those since they’re from really old movies.”
“I have,” Cade said. “So have Damon and Finn. When we first came to the ranch, before the cabins were built, we used to sit in the living room and watch those musicals with Mom. She’s crazy about them. She’d go nuts if you did a tap number for her.”
“I’d probably be too self-conscious to give a planned performance. I don’t even have the right shoes.” She took back her hat and put it on.
“That’s what made it so impressive,” Lexi said. “You weren’t wearing tap shoes. Did you have music playing?”
“Just in my head. I thought nobody was watching. Then I saw you guys at the window and my training kicked in. My dance teacher drummed into us that you never stop in the middle of a number when you have an audience. No matter what, the show must go on.”
“I’m glad you didn’t stop.” Matt had been smitten before, but after that dance routine he was completely dazzled. He could manage a two-step and a waltz without a problem, but he didn’t have the dedication to learn something as complicated as tap. Consequently, he admired the hell out of someone who’d had the determination to get good at it.
He had to laugh when he thought about the earnest conversation he’d had with Geena on the porch last night. They’d both announced that now was not the time to have a serious relationship. He’d been of a similar mindset when he told Cade and Lexi he didn’t want Rosie launching into matchmaking mode.
On paper, the timing of his sudden interest in Geena couldn’t be worse. His career was finally off to a promising start, but the film business was notoriously unstable. An actor could go from fame to obscurity in the blink of an eye.
Asking someone to share the ride when the journey was wildly uncertain wasn’t fair. His head knew that, but his heart wasn’t listening. He was falling for this amazing woman at an alarming rate and getting serious sounded like a terrific idea. If Rosie had any advice on how to turn a temporary fling into something more permanent, he was ready to hear it.
Chapter Eleven
The four of them ended up working together on the last two cabins, which was fine with Matt. He got a kick out of the way Geena interacted with Cade and Lexi, as if she’d known them forever. They treated her the same way. Apparently they recognized qualities in each other that made friendship easy.
Besides, he’d given up the idea of more sexy interludes with her during this cleaning gig. Too much risk of being interrupted and he was feeling increasingly grubby. Before he held her again he needed a shower and a closer shave than he’d managed early this morning.
On the way back to the house Cade got into a conversation with Geena about old movies, and that gave Matt a chance to mention the upcoming trail ride to Lexi.
“Should be fun.”
“I’ve never taken someone out who hasn’t been on a horse. Is that a stupid idea? You were planning to give her a lesson and I don’t want to jump the gun if you think she needs a lesson first.”
“Cade mentioned that she seemed really comfortable with the horses this morning. I’m not saying a lesson wouldn’t be helpful at some point, but greenhorns take trail rides all the time without any prior experience.” Lexi smiled. “She has to be coordinated or she wouldn’t be able to tap dance.”
“What’s that?” Geena called over to them. “Are you two talking about me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Matt glanced at her. “I wanted to get Lexi’s opinion on our trail ride plan. She thinks it’ll be fine.”
“Good, because I think so, too, especially if we meander over to Matt’s ranch and meander back.”
Cade laughed. “Considering you’re taking Navarre and Isabeau out in the middle of a warm day, you won’t get them to do anything but meander.”
“And that’s perfect for a beginner like me. If Lexi and I can find the time for a lesson while I’m here, great. After I know more I’ll try going a little faster.”
Lexi pulled out her phone and consulted the screen. “How about first thing tomorrow morning? I don’t have anything scheduled until ten.” She grinned. “And now that you’re used to getting up at dawn, we could work in a quick lesson before breakfast.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“Lexi’s phone reminded me of something,” Cade said. “Geena, you’d better take yours on the ride.”
“I would, anyway, in case my assistant needs to get in touch.”
“That’s good, because last I heard, hotshot here stowed his in the bottom of a dresser drawer.”
“No worries, bro.” Matt looked over at him. “I’d already planned to unearth it for the ride.”
“Well, good. Is the battery charged?”
Matt sighed. “Yes, Cade, the battery’s charged.”
“I’m delighted to hear it, because a gentleman would never take a lady on a trail ride without bringing his fully charged phone in case of an emergency.”
“You won’t have an emergency,” Lexi added quickly. “But it’s always good to be prepared.”
“Have either of you seen my new place?” He didn’t want to spoil the ambience by taking Geena to see peeling paint and rotting wood.
“Sorry, bro.” Cade shook his head. “Haven’t had the time. Mom and Dad said it has a lot of promise and that you got a good price on it.”
“Is that code for it’s a dump but with a ton of work it’ll be reasonably okay?”
“I don’t think it’s a dump,” Lexi said. “They wouldn’t have let you buy it if they thought that. But I wouldn’t expect it to look like a page out of a guest-ranch brochure, either.”
“No worries,” Geena said. “It’s exciting that you bought a ranch, regardless of what it looks like.”
“Yeah, it is.” He hadn’t cared what it looked like, either, until he’d invited her over there. But he wouldn’t worry about it. How bad could it be?
“I have a question,” Cade said. “Assuming you get it fixed up and maybe buy yourself a couple of horses, who’s gonna take care of the place while you’re in Hollywood being famous?”
“I’ll need to hire someone. Got any ideas?”
“I might. Let me give it some thought.”
“I wouldn’t mind having somebody lined up before I go back.”
“And when will that be?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Don’t forget you have that appearance for Preston’s Revenge next week,” Geena said.
“Right.”
“And I booked you into two morning talk shows after that.”
He nodded. “They’re on my calendar.” At one time he’d been excited about those publicity gigs.
“Don’t worry.” Her voice softened. “We’ll schedule some coaching sessions before you do any of it. But I’ll need my video equipment to do it right. I’d like you back in LA by Monday, at the latest.”
“No worries,” Cade said. “We can locate a caretaker for the ranch before then.” He turned to Geena. “Can you stay until Monday?”
“I can if I absolutely have to, but I’d hate to think this issue will drag on that long. Surely we’ll find a way to put a cork in it soon.”
Matt blew out a breath. “Or I could just accept my new image as a bad boy and move on.”
“Whoa, what?” Cade stopped walking and stared at him.
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