Still, he couldn’t seem to shake the memory of that tiny, fleeting glimpse of fear he’d caught earlier.
“I’m sorry if my father said something to upset you,” he offered, treading carefully, still hoping to get an honest explanation.
“He didn’t,” she insisted. “Your father doesn’t scare me. He never has.”
“But he tried to,” Cole guessed. What he couldn’t understand was why his father would do such a thing. For days now he’d been doing everything in his power to bring the two of them together. Was he just trying a different tactic with Cassie? Maybe a little reverse psychology, since his blatant scheming obviously hadn’t worked on Cole?
“I have to go,” Cassie said, ignoring his question. “I need to get out there to Jake before he gets it into his head to hitchhike back home.”
“I imagine my father’s keeping him company.”
The color drained out of her face at that. “All the more reason for me to go. I don’t want him influencing Jake in any way.”
“Are you suggesting he did a lousy job with me?” Cole said.
She shrugged. “If the shoe fits…” Her expression turned intense. “I meant what I said earlier, Cole, I don’t want Jake out here. And I don’t want you encouraging him to come. Are we clear about that?”
Her implication—that he and his father were somehow lousy role models for her son—grated. Added to the heat and tension that swirled in the air every time he and Cassie got together, it was more than Cole could take. He was overcome by a need to do something about it, to rattle her so badly she would lose that distant, disdainful expression.
Before he could consider the ramifications, he reached out and hauled her into his lap and settled his mouth over hers, muffling her gasp of protest.
She tasted of cinnamon and maybe a lingering hint of mint. Her lips were as soft as he’d remembered, if not nearly as willing as they had been even the other day at the picnic. She struggled in his arms, bit down on his lower lip. He winced at the taste of blood, became more determined than ever to tame her, to remind her of the way she had once melted in his arms.
He framed her face with his hands, looked long and deep into her flashing eyes, waited for the anger to die, then slanted his mouth over hers once more.
This time she shuddered, then relaxed in his embrace before kissing him back. Temper gave way to passion, chilly disdain turned to fiery acceptance.
They were both breathless and panting when he finally released her with a great deal of reluctance. She stared back at him with dazed eyes. Slowly her gaze cleared and the temper came roaring back. It was like watching water come to a boil, simmering slowly at first, then suddenly bubbling up and over.
“Damn you,” she murmured, then shot to her feet. “I won’t let you do this to me, not again.”
She whirled around and stalked from the room without another word. A smile crept across Cole’s face as he watched her go.
“When it comes to you, Cassie, and most of those rules you’re so intent on reminding me of,” he said softly, “they were made to be broken.”
“And then he kissed me,” Cassie told Gina, all but quivering with outrage. “Can you imagine?”
“The man’s a cad,” Gina agreed, barely containing a grin.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Never,” Gina denied, though her smile spread.
“You are laughing at me.”
“It’s just that the whole time you’re trying to sound so outraged, there’s a very becoming blush on your cheeks.”
“Because I’m furious.”
“Why? Because he kissed you or because you liked it?”
“I did not like it,” Cassie said emphatically.
Gina looked skeptical. “He’s lost his touch?”
“I never said that. It’s not important whether or not he’s a good kisser. The point is that he had no business kissing me in the first place. We were fighting. It was a sneaky, low-down way to make me forget that.”
“He wants you back,” Gina said.
“Don’t be crazy. He doesn’t want me back any more than I want him.”
“If you say so.”
Cassie scowled. “I do,” she said, even though her conviction was weakening.
“Okay, then. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re not going to be swayed by a few harmless little kisses, then, are you?”
There had been nothing harmless about those kisses. They had been devastating, Cassie admitted to herself. She could deny it to her friend from now till doomsday and it wouldn’t change the truth. She sighed. Everything was so blasted complicated.
“Let’s forget about Cole,” she said.
“Okay by me.”
“I want to hear about you. Who is that handsome man you were with over the weekend? I’ve never seen him before. Is he a friend from New York?”
Gina suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I have no idea who you mean.”
“The man who was following you around like he’d never met such an exotic creature before.”
“Oh, him,” Gina said, then shrugged. “He’s a nuisance. Nothing more. He’s probably gone by now.”
“I don’t think so,” Cassie said, glancing pointedly outside, where the very man under discussion was lurking on the sidewalk.
Gina followed the direction of her gaze, then sighed heavily, her expression miserable. “Well, hell,” she muttered under her breath.
Cassie studied her intently, saw the genuine worry in her friend’s eyes. “Gina, what’s really going on? Who is he?”
“Nobody important,” her friend said staunchly, but she slid out of the booth. She gave Cassie a hug. “See you later. If you ask me, you ought to consider what Cole’s offering.”
The comment was enough to throw Cassie and keep her from asking all the other questions on the tip of her tongue as Gina left Stella’s. She watched idly as Gina marched up to the man, appeared to exchange words with him, then took off alone in the direction of her car. Another example of true love not running smoothly, perhaps?
And speaking of that, what the heck had Gina meant with that comment about taking what Cole was offering? As far as Cassie could see, he wasn’t offering a blessed thing. A few stolen kisses didn’t add up to anything…except maybe trouble. And frankly she had more of that in her life these days than she could possibly cope with.
Dismissing that and Gina’s odd behavior, she went back to work. Stella’s was as busy as ever at lunchtime. Cassie was on the run until almost two.
“Go,” Stella said, taking her last order from her. “I know you have to get your mother to the hospital. And I don’t want to see you anywhere near here in the morning. I can manage. You stay right there until she’s out of surgery and you know how she’s doing.”
“Thank you, Stella. You’re an angel.”
“Good heavens, don’t be spreading that around,” the older woman pleaded. “The only way I keep my customers in line is having them think I’m a tyrant.”
Cassie laughed. “I hate to tell you this, but you don’t have anyone in town fooled.”
Stella looked genuinely disappointed. “Well, shucks. I guess I’m just going to have to work a little harder at it. Now, scoot.”
“Hey, how about getting that burger over here before I starve to death?” Hank Folsom hollered.
“Keep your britches on, Hank,” Stella shouted right back. “If you don’t like the service in here, you can just march right through the door and get your lunch someplace else.” She winked at Cassie. “How was that?”
“Tough as nails,” Cassie assured her. “Unfortunately, it’s an idle threat. There is no place else in town to get a burger.”
“I know,” Stella said with satisfaction. “Works out real nice, don’t you think?”
Cassie was still chuckling over that when she got home and found her mother sitting on the sofa in her best dress, her suitcase sitting beside her. Jake hovered nearby, looking worried. They had told him about
the surgery the night before, talking about it only in the most upbeat and positive way, but it had clearly rattled him.
“I’m going to the hospital with you,” Jake said, shooting a defiant look at Cassie.
“I made arrangements for you to stay next door.”
“Well, I’m not going to.”
“Let him come,” her mother said. “He’ll just worry if he stays here with Mildred, and he’ll be company for you.”
Cassie finally relented. “Okay, give me two seconds to change and we’ll head on up to Laramie to the hospital.”
The screen door banged open just then. “She’s not going to Laramie,” Cole said. “I’ve made arrangements for her to go to University Hospital down in Denver. The doctor there has consulted with her doctor. Her records were sent to him yesterday once your mother okayed it.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open. “What right did you have to do that?” Cassie demanded finally. She looked at her mother. “You knew about this?”
“I knew it was a possibility,” Edna said.
Cole regarded Cassie evenly. “I told you at the beginning that I was going to see that she had the best care possible. We’re going to Denver. I’ve got my plane all fueled up.”
Jake’s eyes widened, oblivious to anything except Cole’s announcement. “We’re going in a real plane? One of those ones I saw at the airport on the way into town?”
Cole grinned at his enthusiasm. “That’s right. If you’re good, I’ll even let you take the controls for a minute.”
“Over my dead body,” Cassie said at once.
Before that could erupt into a full-fledged battle, her mother said quietly, “I think if Cole’s gone to all this trouble, then we should do as he says. We’re certainly not going to drive all that way.”
Cassie stared at her. “Mom, you’ve always sworn you would never set foot in an airplane.”
“This is different.”
“How?”
“I’m sure Cole knows what he’s doing.”
“He just told a nine-year-old he could operate the controls,” Cassie pointed out.
“It’s not as if I’m going to nod off and take a nap while Jake flies us to Denver,” Cole said mildly. “And I know you want your mother to have the very best chance she can have. The surgeon in Denver comes highly recommended.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Cassie asked.
“Because he didn’t have an opening in his schedule until yesterday. The minute he called me, I spoke to your mother and made the arrangements.”
Cassie felt as if the entire situation, already terrifying enough, was spinning wildly out of control. It wasn’t just that the four of them would be stuck in close quarters in that tiny plane, it was the fact that Cole clearly intended to be right by her side all through her mother’s surgery. On the one hand the gesture was both generous and kind. On the other, it would inevitably tighten the bond between them. Worse, it would keep him and his son in close proximity for hours, if not days.
In the end, though, Cassie knew she had no choice. The only thing that mattered was getting her mother the finest treatment available. And while the doctor in Laramie was surely good, the one in Denver would have greater experience and perhaps a more experienced support staff, as well.
Swallowing her pride—and her fear—she finally nodded. “Let’s go, then.”
In the plane Cole was true to his word. He allowed the awestruck Jake to take over the controls, if only for a few minutes. It was an experience Cassie knew her son would never forget. By the time they landed in Denver, his case of hero worship was stronger than ever.
They checked her mother into the hospital, then saw her settled into the private room Cole had arranged. When the surgeon came in to speak to her, Cassie was impressed with his warmth, his reassurances and his detailed explanations about what her mother could expect in the morning. In his early fifties, he was clearly both experienced and compassionate. For the first time since she had learned of her mother’s diagnosis, Cassie could see hope in her mother’s eyes.
“He seemed like a nice man,” her mother said, following the surgeon with her gaze as he left the room.
“We couldn’t have found a better doctor,” Cole said.
“Nice-looking, too,” Cassie teased her mother. “No wonder there’s a little color in your cheeks.”
“Stop with that,” her mother said, clearly flustered. The pink in her cheeks deepened. “All I care about is how good he is with that scalpel of his.”
A few minutes later a nurse came in. “We’re going to give your mother a little something to help her relax and get a good night’s sleep.”
“Then you all might as well run along,” Edna said. “I’m in good hands.” She reached for Cole’s hand. “And it’s all thanks to you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “All you need to do for me is get well and live a long and healthy life.”
“I’m going to do my best.” Her gaze locked on Cole’s. “Keep an eye on my girl for me, okay?”
Cole glanced Cassie’s way. “Always,” he said softly.
Trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach caused by Cole’s promise, Cassie gave her mother a kiss. “See you in the morning, Mom. I love you.”
Now that the time had come to leave, Jake looked shaken. He edged close to the bad. “I don’t want to go, Grandma.”
She brushed the hair out of his eyes. “I’m going to be just fine,” she reassured him. “Go with your mom and Cole. Get something good to eat and see the sights. This time tomorrow you can come back here and tell me all about them.”
Jake still looked reluctant. Cole squeezed his shoulder. “Come along, son.”
Even though he spoke casually, in a way men spoke to young boys all the time without it meaning a thing, Cassie froze. Hearing him call Jake son, no matter the context, made her tremble. How long? she wondered, exchanging a look with her mother. How long would it be before Cole realized that the boy he was addressing really was his son?
Cole did his best to relieve Cassie’s tension over a quick dinner in a fast-food restaurant. He enumerated all of the surgeon’s qualifications and cited all of the latest cancer recovery statistics. But nothing he said seemed to get through to her. She listened, she nodded, but her fingers continued to shred napkin after napkin until there was a pile of white fluff on the table in front of her.
Finally he reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “Enough,” he said gently. He glanced pointedly at the normally effusive Jake, who had grown increasingly silent as the meal went on, clearly picking up on her mood.
Cassie’s gaze flew to her son. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
He shook his head. “I’m scared,” he admitted.
“You heard Cole. Grandma’s doctor is the best. She’s going to get well.”
Jake regarded her hopefully. “You believe that?”
“With all my heart,” she said fervently.
“Then how come you’re acting like you’re scared, too?” He pointed to the mound of shredded napkins.
Cassie stared at them, looking vaguely startled. “Oh, dear, I guess my mind was on all sorts of things.”
“What things?” Jake promptly wanted to know.
She forced a grin. “Cabbages and kings.”
“Mom!”
Cole wanted to protest, as well. He’d hoped Jake might get a straight answer out of her. He doubted he could. If it wasn’t her mother that had her looking so worried, then what could it be?
Only after they’d gone to the hotel near the hospital and settled Jake in bed did Cole get a chance to ask. He was pacing the suite’s living room when Cassie finally joined him. He hadn’t been at all sure that she would. He had the oddest feeling that he was the cause of her nervousness, though why that should be he couldn’t imagine. And surely that kiss they’d shared hadn’t rattled her so badly that she was scared to be in
the same room with him. It wasn’t as if he was likely to try to ravish her on the eve of her mother’s surgery.
“Jake asleep?”
She nodded.
“How are you?”
“Scared, just like he said.”
“About your mother?”
She shot him a startled look, then glanced away. “Of course,” she said hurriedly. “What else?”
“That’s what I was wondering.” He studied her intently. “You’re not scared of me, are you? Of being here in a hotel room with me overnight?”
A glimmer of a smile passed across her face as she gestured around the suite. “It’s not as if we’re in cramped quarters, Cole. We won’t even be sleeping in the same room.”
“More’s the pity,” he murmured.
She frowned at him. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“Cole, we can’t go back.”
“Then how about going forward?”
She shook her head without giving the notion a moment’s consideration. That grated on him more than he could say.
“You always were too blasted stubborn for your own good.”
“Then I’m surprised you’d want to bother with me.”
“Unfortunately, you’re still the only woman who’s ever fascinated me.”
“Cole!”
The protest was only halfhearted, which he considered encouraging. “It’s true,” he said, stepping closer until he could lift his hand to her cheek. Her skin was like cool satin, but it warmed beneath his touch as if he’d stirred a fire to life below the surface. He rubbed the pad of his thumb across her lips and felt her shudder.
It took every bit of willpower he possessed not to claim her mouth and satisfy the urgency already building inside him. Not tonight, he warned himself. Taking advantage of her vulnerability was no way to win her heart. It would just give her more ammunition to use against him.
Slow and steady, he reminded himself. Like the tortoise. Winning, not speed, was the goal. In fact, in the past few weeks he’d begun to wonder how he’d ever lost sight of that goal, even for a single second.
Do you take this rebel? Page 10
