by Sable Hunter
Cato saw Pepper look back over her shoulder and she realized Heath must be talking—obviously not to her or he would stop her so she could understand what he was saying.
Fortunately, Pepper enlightened her. “Heath said the BBQ was no big deal, just an excuse for people to get together.” She winked at Cato. “He also said women tend to make a big deal out of everything.”
Instead of getting mad, Cato laughed. “I think he may be right. We females can get emotional about things.”
That was what he was afraid of, Heath thought. But he kept any other comments to himself. When they mounted the steps, he opened the doors for the girls and he couldn’t help notice how good Cato smelled. A memory of honeysuckle after a rainstorm came to mind. It was like no popular scent he knew of. Heath had an idea that the arousing fragrance he was inhaling was just Cato herself.
“Let’s put her in the blue room,” Pepper told Heath, within sight of Cato.
“Don’t you think she’d be more comfortable in the wing with you and Ryder?” Heath asked with an odd look on his face.
“The blue room is perfect and the other rooms have already been set up for the McCoy cousins and their wives.”
That was all the explanation Pepper gave and Heath didn’t bother to point out that the blue room was virtually a part of his own. There were multiple connecting doors between his suite and the blue room and his sister damned sure knew it. The connecting suites had been used for his father and the staff who took care of him before he’d left the ranch and moved into town. There were intercoms and visual monitors hooked up so the nurse could check on his father while he slept. No one had stayed in that room since his nurse had vacated it and Heath hadn’t paid any attention to the equipment. Hell, he’d have to check all that stuff out now that someone—she—was so close. An uneasy feeling crept across his mind. Heath was in over his head.
“You two don’t know how much it means to me to spend this time with you. I moved to Texas on a whim and Avery is the only person I know here at all. My mother died a few months ago. She had cancer. Dad has been gone since just after I was born. So, my friends at work, Savannah being the one you know, are precious to me.” Cato knew she was rattling, but she couldn’t seem to stop. “Being deaf has its drawbacks, I won’t deny that, but I don’t think I’ve let it be the defining factor in my life.” She blushed, knowing she was saying more than she needed to say. “I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t want to be treated any differently. Being able to read lips is a plus, so you don’t have to worry about me. If I miss a few things people say, it will be fine. So please don’t think you have to do anything special or even make some kind of announcement. I just want to fit in.”
“I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” he said. Dammit, everything seemed to be conspiring against him. For example, did she have to look so good? And where was the aggressive personality? She was being sweet and he was a pushover for sweet. He tried not to notice how beautiful she was, but that was impossible. There was nothing about her that was unappealing. He glanced at her face, hungry to see her big brown eyes, but she was looking down. The sweep of her long lashes cast a delicate shadow on the exquisite curve of her cheek. Heath might be wrong, but she didn’t seem to have a devious bone in her body—what you saw was what you got, and he liked what he saw. Too much. Unlike other women he’d known, like Silver from the other night, for instance, there was no put on. She didn’t appear to wear any type of a mask. Cato was wide open, soft and without defense, like whipped cream or the gossamer wing of a butterfly.
When they reached the part of the house where his suite was located and he opened the door to her room, he wasn’t surprised to see that Pepper had left them. Hell, he hadn’t even seen her leave. “This way.” He opened the door for her, gesturing with his hand because he wasn’t sure she’d seen him speak.
“Oh, how beautiful,” Cato exclaimed as she took in the cool, soothing oasis of solitude. Everything was light colored wood, white or blue. French doors opened onto a patio surrounded by another tropical courtyard. “It makes me want to go to bed now,” she said as she took in the king size bed in the center of the room filled with fluffy pillows.
Heath could sympathize. He would like to make use of the bed himself if he could have her splayed naked across it. Touching her shoulder, he got her attention. “Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to go greet our other guests. When you’re ready, come down and meet everyone. Tonight we’re having a simple get-together around the campfire. Some of us will be sleeping under the stars. We need to get an early start for the cutting and the branding.”
“All right.” She gave him a sweet smile. “I’ll freshen up and offer my services to Pepper and Ryder. Maybe I can make myself useful.”
Heath dry-scrubbed his face. Lord, every word she said was a turn-on. Listening to her talk sent tingles up and down his spine. Sometimes she rolled her ‘r’s and sometimes she dropped them. There were times her vowels wobbled a bit and others when her voice would take on a faint sing-song quality. Heath knew that was because she couldn’t hear or control the timbre of her voice. He liked the way she sounded. And Lord help, he wished she wasn’t so fucking beautiful. “You’re a guest. We want you to have a good time.” He knew she needed to see his lips to speak, but every time she stared at his mouth he wondered if she was imagining his lips on hers. Before he did anything he’d regret, Heath hightailed it.
“Well, farewell to you too,” Cato mumbled, disappointed. Heath acted as if she were the carrier of some dread disease. Before she could change her mind and leave, Cato repaired her makeup, slipped on a pair of jeans that the salesgirl guaranteed would stop traffic and pulled on a feminine red western shirt which would show some cleavage but not get her butt thrown in jail. Before she left, she inspected the comfortable room she’d been given. The bathroom was gorgeous, tiled in bronze and cream tile. She opened the door of the shower and stepped in, fully clothed. Placing her hands on the cool surface of the wall, she imagined Heath behind her, rubbing his big soapy hands all over her body, cupping her tits, sliding down her front to cup her vulva. “God,” she groaned, wondering if she had time to masturbate. No, she wouldn’t do that—not when the real thing was this close. Doing without an orgasm would be an incentive to try and ensure the next one she enjoyed was with a partner.
Unable to resist, she checked out the closet, hanging up the few clothes she’d brought with her. “Now, what’s this?” There was a whole control panel of buttons, monitors and TV screens. “Wow, wonder if I get movie channels?” She flipped some switches and turned some knobs but nothing happened that she could see. “Well, foot. I guess I’m not hooked up. Oh well, time to be sociable.” Cato left the closet door standing open, just in case she’d figure it out later and be able to watch TV in bed. Yea, that sounded decadent.
Making herself at home, she wandered through the house. Where was everyone? Outside, she presumed. Heath’s home was gorgeous. She enjoyed checking out the warm wood walls and cool tile floors. The décor wasn’t overly masculine or feminine, it was a blend of textures and colors that just made her feel at home. A huge stone fireplace dominated one wall and the other was lined with rich looking bookshelves. She wondered if Heath enjoyed reading as much as she did.
Heading to the kitchen, she took time to admire how functional yet inviting it was. Cato was a sucker for a good kitchen and this one would be a dream to cook in. There was a large island and a long bar next to a trestle table big enough for the whole family and guests to sit and eat. Two walls of windows faced the back yard and a pair of patio doors opened up to a brick courtyard decorated with big pots of tropical plants and sturdy, comfortable furniture. When she was close enough to see outside, Cato noticed a group of people sitting around a fire pit in a grassy area down the hill. Scoping out the crowd, she saw Heath. “There you are.” Opening the doors, she went to join them.
As she drew closer, she stopped in her tracks. She recognized the McCoys, of cou
rse, but there were also other people she recognized—famous people. There was an Oscar winning actor, the handsome one who always wanted to take off his shirt. What was his name? If Heath knew he occupied her thoughts so much that she couldn’t remember the name of one of the winners of the ‘sexiest man alive’ title, he’d take off running for sure. God, and when she gathered her wits about her, she realized there were other celebrities—actors, actresses, NFL football stars, singers, even a Tour de France legend.
What in the hell was she doing here?
Maybe she should just leave. Before she could turn to go, a hand caught her arm. It was Ryder. “Come join us and let me introduce you to everyone.”
“This, I did not expect,” she admitted. Cato was impressed, but somehow she managed to shake hands and exchange polite greetings without making a fool out of herself. Cato didn’t think she’d ever wash her hand again. As requested, Ryder didn’t make a big deal that she was deaf, she just made sure Cato was looking in the right direction when people spoke to her or she repeated what they said. Everyone was very gracious. Finally, Ryder escorted her over to another man who stood as they approached. “And this is Heath’s best friend, Jimmy Dushku. Jimmy, this is Cato Vincent.”
“Hello, Jimmy.” She extended her hand. “How nice to meet you.”
The handsome man took her hand and kissed it. “My pleasure, beautiful lady. Let me get you a drink.”
“Thank you.”
Before Jimmy could fulfill his promise, Heath intervened. “I got it, here you go.” He handed her an ice cold bottle of beer. Cato didn’t particularly like beer, but she took it with a smile. Tonight she’d be adventurous, no quibbling.
“Why don’t you come sit with us?” Jimmy took her arm. “We’re just about to listen to some music.”
She allowed herself to be led away and did her very best to keep up with what was going on. “What’s for supper?” she asked, her stomach grumbling. In her excitement, Cato realized she had eaten nothing all day.
“Ah, a woman with a healthy appetite.” Jimmy winked at her. “I like that. To answer your question, I believe Heath is offering grilled prime rib. Right, buddy?”
“The food’s almost ready, I just checked.” He followed closely along behind them and when Jimmy came to a couch that sat a few feet from the fire pit and indicated for Cato to sit, Heath joined them.
They were surrounded by happy looking people milling around and sipping on drinks. As promised, in a few moments a well-known singer, Judah James, sat on a stool in front of them and sang a blockbuster he’d written and recorded Are You Real? Cato got a lot of enjoyment just watching the singer perform and the crowd’s reaction to him, especially Pepper. If Cato wasn’t mistaken, Heath’s sister had a crush on the handsome crooner—big time.
“Did you like that?” Jimmy asked, putting his arm along the back of the couch behind her.
“I did enjoy watching him sing, yes,” she began, then felt she needed to be honest. “I’m deaf, Jimmy.”
She saw a look of compassion come across his face. “You look perfect to me.” He smiled. “I’ll be your ears and you can be my eyes, as mine are busy gazing at your gorgeous face.”
“Jimmy,” Heath said lowly, catching his attention behind Cato’s back. “She’s off limits.”
“Oh, really?” Jimmy smirked and raised his eyebrows. “Private stock?”
“No, I’ll explain later.” He shook his head as Cato turned around to see what they were doing behind her.
“I think I’ll take a walk,” she announced, not knowing exactly what was going on, but feeling like she was in the middle of something. When both of the men rose, she smiled. “I’ll be back. I’m just going to go see what the girls are doing.”
The musicians were still playing, but the famous singer was now surrounded by some of Heath’s other guests. Cato saw a few more people she recognized, particularly some of Avery’s brothers-in-law, the other branch of McCoys. During the time she’d spent with Avery, she’d painted such a compelling picture about her family that Cato had begun to have daydreams about being a part of something so wonderful. She’d told her how all of them stuck together and what good men they were, how they put their women first in their lives and the many acts of kindness they performed for people in their communities.
Pepper joined her. “Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
Cato almost told Pepper that she’d been sitting very near her just a few moments before, but Pepper had only had eyes for Judah. Maybe she would, if she got an opening. “I was sitting with Heath’s friend, Jimmy Dushku. He seems nice.”
“Jimmy’s a hoot,” Pepper assured her. “He’s down to earth, likeable and a sweetheart. One would never know that the President was roused out of bed last year to be briefed on Jimmy’s whereabouts and activities.”
“What? Why?”
Pepper laughed. “He knows so many people and goes to so many different countries. I think he makes the government nervous.”
“Now, that’s power.” She let her eyes wander over to where Jimmy and Heath were sitting. But no matter how many handsome men she saw or how many movie stars or singers caught her attention, Cato only had eyes for one grouchy cowboy.
“I wanted to talk to you about some games I have organized for tomorrow after they finish with the steers.”
“Games?” Cato didn’t know what she’d expected from this weekend—just dancing, eating and drinking maybe.
“I want people to interact and not just break off into groups. So, I’ve organized several competitions and even a treasure hunt.”
“That sounds like fun. Honestly, I never expected to be surrounded by so many celebrities. It makes me want to stand on the sidelines and hide.”
“Stuff and nonsense.” Pepper waved her hand dismissively and put an arm around her. “They’re just people and most of them want to be treated like ordinary folk. I’m sure they get tired of being kowtowed to all the time.”
“How can I help you?” Cato asked, eager to pitch in.
“Well, I tried to think up games that could be played by either men or women. I came up with a few like skeet shooting, and pitching horseshoes. The guys might like to throw knifes or make some archery shots. Men love to be competitive. Let me show you my list and you tell me what you think.” Pepper pulled out a phone from her pocket and opened up the note app. “I thought about water limbo over by the pool or tug of war.”
“Those sound good. How about something more western, more cowboy oriented?”
“Like what?”
“Well, I’d like to learn how to rope things.” Cato offered. “Or how about playing Texas Hold-Em?”
“I love both those ideas.” Pepper entered them into the list. “Best of all, they need no equipment other than ropes and a few decks of cards. Brilliant!” Pepper put an arm around her. “I’m going to enjoy having you here.” They walked away from the crowd, down the hill toward a vine-covered arbor. When they were back into a well illuminated area, Pepper asked, “So, have you talked to Heath?”
“Briefly.” Cato sat sideways on a bench so she could see Pepper. “I thought I’d try to coerce him into a moonlight walk after supper.”
“Would you mind if I were honest with you?”
“No, I’d prefer it,” Cato encouraged.
“I’m trying to come out of my shell, romantically speaking, or at least I’m putting on a good front.” She smiled at Cato. “I invited several different men to the BBQ, mainly just to let my brothers know I had a mind of my own.” She looked over her shoulder. “If they had their way, Ryder and I would be old maids till the day we die.” Conspiratorially, she leaned closer to Cato. “I invited several eligible men to spice things up for both of us.”
“For me?” Cato didn’t understand. She thought the sisters had wanted her to spend time with Heath. “But—”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Pepper caught her hand. “I have a plan.”
Why didn’t that comfort her? �
��You’ve lost me.” Cato didn’t know how she felt about what Pepper had done.
“Do you like my brother?”
Cato considered her answer, then went for vague honesty. “Yes, Heath seems to be a very nice man.”
“When I saw you two together, his face was animated and it looked like he was enjoying himself so much.” Pepper’s face became sad. “He’s rarely happy anymore.”
“What happened?”
“What hasn’t happened.” Pepper looked off in the distance. “We lost our home and our mother during a storm. You might as well say we lost our father too, for he never really recovered. Heath pulled us all together and we moved north. I think he and Father thought the more miles they put between us and Belle Chasse the better off we’d be.”
“Wait a minute.” Cato stopped her. “Heath helped raise all of you?” She was beginning to get an entirely different impression about the man.
“Yes, and when it became clear we couldn’t be happy in Montana, we moved back. Highlands belonged to one of our ancestors, but I don’t know the details. We’ve been happy here for the most part, but it seems our family is never free of trouble.”
“I know about Philip’s trial, but not the details.”
Pepper wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s been hard. To think of gentle Philip being accused of murder is ludicrous. But Heath has had a hard time also.” She placed a hand over her heart like she was taking a deep breath. “He fell in love and was to be married.”
“Something happened to her? Did she die?” Cato was horrified.
“No,” she frowned, “the shrew left him at the altar.”
Cato was shocked. “How awful.” She couldn’t imagine any woman walking away from someone like Heath McCoy.
“I don’t why she did it,” Pepper shook her head, “but whatever happened, it changed him. He hasn’t had a real relationship since then with anyone. We know he has companionship, one night stands, but nothing serious. Heath declares he will never love again nor will he ever marry.”
