Kane grinned cheerfully and indicated his map. “We’re taking the scenic route. I’ve rented some horses for the day. I thought it’d be fun.”
“It’s expensive and it’ll take twice as long,” she remarked sternly and appeared to disapprove with a look. “You do realize we’d have to take the longer trail.”
Her tone concerned him, but he wasn’t going to let that interfere with his plan. “Oh, I realize that,” he muttered then grinned cheerfully. He was actually counting on that. “I’ve already paid to rent the horses. It’s my treat.”
“That’s not really the point,” Riley remarked.
Kane looked at her with a smile that mocked her. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
She stared at him a moment in silence then raised a brow while hiding her smile. “We’re going to be in the saddle almost four hours one way, you know that?”
“Yippee ki yay,” Kane said with a grin.
She appeared surprised then laughed and shook her head. “If this is what you really want to do, I’m game. Just remember, when you can’t walk tomorrow, I was the voice of reason.”
“I look forward to your teasing.”
“You’re going to regret those words, I promise,” she informed him while holding back her laugh.
“Hmm, a challenge,” he announced cheerfully. “I accept.”
Riley shook her head and transferred the contents of her backpack into the saddlebag behind the saddle. She took the horse from the stable boy and swiftly mounted without hesitation or instruction. Kane took his horse and looked at Casper on the back patio in the near distance. Casper grinned and gave him two thumbs up. Kane mounted with little trouble and rode at a leisurely walk alongside Riley down the dirt driveway.
†
Casper piled bacon and eggs onto his plate from the overflowing buffet table within the empty dining room. There were many items including French toast, muffins, fresh fruit, home fries, and sausage in addition to the mounds of eggs and bacon. It would appear Casper had the entire breakfast buffet to himself that morning, and he wasn’t about to let anything go to waste. His peaceful breakfast alone was interrupted when Collin and Chrissie entered. They looked around the mostly empty dining room then approached Casper by the buffet table. They each took a plate and checked over the morning offerings, which included hot beverages and a variety of fruit juices.
“What time did Hayes get here?” Collin asked Casper as he poured a cup of coffee.
Casper attempted to balance his loaded plate and didn’t bother looking at Collin. It would be a tragedy if he lost any of his food to the floor.
“He called and said he wouldn’t be here until this afternoon,” Casper replied casually.
Collin and Chrissie exchanged looks and appeared equally surprised by the news.
“By the time he gets here, there won’t be enough time to reach the expedition site and return before dark,” Collin announced as irritation set in. “They’ll either have to sleep outside tonight at the site or wait until tomorrow morning to go. It’s going to put us a day behind.”
“It’s taken care of. Kane went with Riley to the site,” Casper offered and attempted to balance his filled plate of food as he headed for the long table.
As he sat down, Collin joined him with his coffee and no food on his plate. He sat at the end of the table and stared at Casper, who didn’t bother looking at him.
“Your friend went with Riley instead?” Collin suddenly demanded.
Casper cast a strange look at Collin. “Yeah, she insisted she was still going this morning, and Kane didn’t think she should go alone, so he went with her,” he remarked but wasn’t about to let the odd comment go unquestioned. “I don’t understand. Is there a problem with that?”
“Well, no,” Collin remarked and suddenly appeared tense. “But it probably should have been me going. I wonder why Riley didn’t just come and get me.”
“Maybe she wanted to go with Kane.”
“He’s not a museum employee,” Collin remarked.
“So? Maybe she thinks he’s cute. He can be quite charming,” Casper said while digging into his scrambled eggs. “I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”
“She’s strong-willed and pigheaded,” Collin scoffed while leaning back in his chair with disgust.
“Maybe she took him along just to make Hayes jealous,” Chrissie chimed in as she sat alongside Collin at the table with her plate of fruit.
“You haven’t met Frank, the crazy bastard who owns rights to the find,” Collin announced with an irritated sigh. “I don’t think taking Kane along was such a good idea. Frank is completely paranoid.”
“I’m sure Riley can handle him,” Chrissie remarked and appeared less interested in the whole subject.
Collin didn’t appear convinced but seemed willing to let it go. Casper played with his food a moment, although he didn’t look up from his plate. It was obvious there was now something more on his mind.
Chapter Twenty-two
Kane and Riley rode their horses alongside each other on the wide, well-groomed path at a leisurely walk. The forest was peaceful and secluded in the morning hour. It almost seemed as if they were the only two people alive. Kane actually found the ride hypnotic and relaxing. It was possibly the first time he’d felt relaxed since Selena had been killed. Even though he was sharing the lengthy morning with Riley, the woman he’d assume kill then look at, he couldn’t help feeling content. He found it odd that she hadn’t spoken throughout most of the ride. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Obviously, it was good for him. He didn’t really want to talk to her anyway. He preferred the solitude while riding in such peaceful surroundings. Mindless chatter from the woman who later kills his girlfriend was the last thing he needed. Still--? Her silence somehow bothered him. He resisted looking at her. She glanced at him several times and smiled almost playfully.
“Almost two hours in the saddle and not one complaint from you,” Riley teased, finally breaking the silence.
Kane was almost relieved that she finally spoke. He wasn’t even sure why. He smiled and shrugged. “I did a lot of riding when I was a boy. I always wanted to be a cowboy. Then I turned twelve and discovered girls--”
“Should have found yourself a nice little cowgirl,” she teased and seductively raised her brows.
“At twelve, I wasn’t that smart.”
Riley laughed softly and studied the scenery, again falling silent. Kane finally felt compelled to look at her. He studied her a long moment in silence and became curious about her for the first time. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but he wanted to know more about her.
“What is between you and Hayes?” Kane finally asked. He couldn’t believe he asked that question and immediately cursed himself for saying it aloud.
She glanced at him and appeared almost surprised by the forwardness of his question then resumed looking at the scenery and smiled. “I was fifteen when I first started working with Hayes at the museum,” she informed him with a grin. “He’s my best friend, and I love him very much.” There was an odd silence. “But there’s nothing between us.”
Kane studied her and appeared deep in thought.
She caught his look and suddenly chuckled. “You have that look of doubt.”
“No, I believe you,” Kane replied, feeling slightly embarrassed, and couldn’t help but smile. “How did you come to work for Hayes at such a young age?”
“I’ve always been fascinated with the museum,” she casually replied. “I practically lived there during the summer while growing up, so they let me help out. I kind of knew my way around more than most, so when Hayes was hired as curator, they put me on as his helper.” She appeared humored and grinned slyly at Kane. “He absolutely hated me. Of course, when Hayes first showed up, he hated everyone. He was a miserable prick most of his life. His parents were very rich and twice as unfeeling. It took me the entire summer to turn him into a caring human being.”
Kane was
amused by her candor. “Killed him with kindness, huh?”
Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, no, the opposite,” she announced while laughing. “I fought fire with fire. It was a battle of the wills, and mine was stronger.”
“Sounds risky. You could have been fired,” Kane remarked but couldn’t help feeling intrigued by her boldness. “You’re lucky it worked out.”
“At fifteen, I had very little to lose,” she announced with a shrug. “It actually wasn’t that difficult. Despite our feuds behind closed doors, I did everything in my power to build him up to those who mattered, including giving him credit for my ideas. I made him look good. Eventually he turned into the man I built up in everyone’s mind.”
Kane desperately wanted to know the connection. Hayes death obviously had fueled her revenge. It just didn’t seem possible that she wasn’t in love with him. He just couldn’t understand what happened.
“You seem very protective of him,” Kane finally remarked. “I suppose that’s why some would assume there’s more to your relationship.”
“Believe me, almost everyone at the museum has assumed there’s more to our relationship, but none of the rumors are true,” she informed him. “I suppose I could fight the battle and insist profoundly that there’s nothing between us, but I allow them to think what they want to maintain Hayes’ image. He denies there’s anything between us to others, but I know it makes him feel good that they think there is.” She grinned at Kane and casually shrugged. “His ego can use the stroking.”
“I’m surprised you’d do that for him,” Kane replied. “I mean, sacrifice your reputation to build Hayes’ ego.”
“Ours is a complex relationship,” she informed him. “Make no mistake, Hayes would die for me; and I’d almost certainly kill for him.”
Kane stared at her with a sobering realization to her comment. She had so little in common with her evil counterpart from the future, but there was no mistaken this was the same woman. Scarred Riley was lurking just beyond her eyes, and he couldn’t deny the thought chilled him.
†
The wine cellar was a stunning work of art. The massive, stone room was filled with racks containing hundreds of bottles of wine. The wine varied in type and vintage. There were two, heavy wooden tables with chairs in the center of the room. Bessie removed one of the slightly dusty bottles and showed it to Casper while grinning proudly. Casper eyed the bottle then looked at her with surprise.
“That’s some old wine,” he announced.
She carefully replaced the bottle to its rightful place in the rack. “I’ve been collecting vintage wine for over twenty years,” she remarked. “My family used to own a vineyard. Sadly, it was taken from them a long time ago. I guess this is my way of holding on to that ideal.”
“Have any of your family’s label?”
Bessie grinned with delight to his interest and quickly darted down the aisle. She removed another bottle and showed it to him. Casper glanced at the bottle and nodded his approval.
“Think you’ll ever drink it?”
She frowned and shrugged. “I doubt it. I was saving it for my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We never even made it to our tenth.”
“I’m sorry to hear,” Casper said gently.
“I’m not,” she replied a little too quickly. “He never wanted any part of the whole country inn thing. Once he was out of the picture, I was finally able to fulfill some of my dreams.”
“Then you should celebrate on your twenty-fifth anniversary of being an innkeeper,” Casper suggested.
“Somehow I don’t think I’ll feel like celebrating,” she remarked with a depressed sigh. “I enjoy the company, but it’s an empty existence.”
“You know what you should do,” he announced boldly. “Have singles weekends or maybe wine tasting events. Attract guests with which you have something in common. You’re totally missing the boat. You can create your own fulfillment.”
Bessie appeared to consider his suggestion. “You know, you may be right.”
“I know I’m right,” he informed her while grinning proudly. “I have a sharp mind. The world doesn’t know how lucky it is that I use it for good and not evil.”
She laughed softly and affectionately touched his arm. The phone was heard ringing from upstairs, alerting her. “I’d better get that,” she announced and hurried up the stairs.
Casper watched her run up the steps, tilted his head, and appeared to entertain a wayward thought or two. He quickly dismissed his inappropriate thoughts, walked along the aisles, and looked around casually. A few minutes passed when someone was heard on the stone steps. He walked out of the aisle expecting to see Bessie. Selena walked along the wine rack and removed one of the bottles without even looking at it. She took the bottle and headed for the stairs. Casper appeared surprised and hurried after her.
“Hey, wait,” he announced.
Selena stopped and appeared surprised to see him in the wine cellar. Her look revealed her loath for him. “What do you want?” she asked curtly.
“You can’t take a bottle of wine without permission,” he informed her. “That would be rude.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she snapped. “I’ll pay for it.”
“You don’t understand,” he remarked more sternly. “Bessie collects wine. That may be part of her collection and not for consumption.”
“What’s with you?” Selena demanded with look of disgust in her eyes.
“What’s with me? What’s with you?” Casper remarked boldly and glared at her snobby expression. “You certainly don’t care much about anyone other than yourself.”
“I certainly don’t care about you or what you think, if that’s what you mean,” she retorted and continued toward the steps with the bottle of wine.
Casper darted in front of her and cut off her path to the stairs. His agility considering his size almost certainly surprised her, and she wasn’t getting past his large frame that now filled the doorway. “You’re not taking that bottle with you--not without Bessie’s permission.”
“Why? Are you going to tell on me?” she asked as her upper lip curved into a sneer.
“Yes, I will.”
“Fine,” she scoffed and shoved the bottle into his chest.
Casper attempted to catch the bottle. It fell from his hands and shattered on the stone floor. Both stared at the shattered bottle and spilled wine.
Selena was only momentarily surprised then snorted a laugh. “I guess you’re in trouble.” She casually walked past him and up the stairs.
Casper stared at the broken bottle with his mouth hanging open then looked after Selena with surprise. He shook his head with disgust and immediately turned hostile. “There’s no way I’m being best man at that wedding.”
As Casper searched the wine cellar for a dustpan, he heard a loud, female gasp.
“Oh, my God!”
He hurried toward the stairs and saw Bessie staring at the broken bottle. Casper immediately fidgeted and obviously felt terrible.
“I’m so sorry, Bessie,” he quickly attempted to explain. “It was an accident--”
Bessie took a deep breath then offered a tiny smile and waved her hand. “It’s okay, Casper,” she announced and seemingly produced a dustpan and brush from nowhere. “It happens. It wasn’t worth very much.”
Casper stared at her a moment then smiled while shaking his head. “You are one classy lady.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Kane and Riley arrived in a clearing near the exploration site and stopped their horses alongside a large tree. Both dismounted and tied the horses to the tree while looking around. Everything appeared quiet. For some reason, it bothered Kane. There was a dusty four-wheeler parked near a tent by the stream. The cave was fifty yards away with an entrance that was barely visible if one wasn’t looking for it. It seemed as if their friend, Frank, had purposely moved brush and branches closer to the cave entrance to conceal it. Kane remembered the unflattering things Hayes had said about
the man they were about to meet. They approached the cave entrance.
“Wait until you meet this guy,” Riley announced with a look of humor. “He’s one of those survivalist types jacked up on caffeine. Don’t be surprised if he greets us with a shotgun.” Riley stopped him just outside the cave entrance. “Frank, it’s Riley!” There was no response. “Frank!’
There was still no response. Riley shrugged and entered the cave.
“Is that a good idea?” Kane asked as he uncertainly followed her through the opening.
The cramped cave was dimly lit by strategically placed lanterns lining the walls. The cave itself had been around since the eighteen hundreds. Most of the support beams were rotted and leaned on frightening angles. Kane wasn’t getting good vibes from this particular expedition, although Riley hadn’t a care in the world. A lantern further down was extinguished, leaving a large, dark area nearly fifty feet ahead. Riley removed a small flashlight as Kane followed her.
“Maybe we should wait for an invitation,” Kane remarked.
“We were invited, remember?” She then appeared to consider and grinned. “Well, I was. He might shoot you on principle,” she teased.
He glared at her. “Not funny.”
Riley hid her smile but remained amused by his concern. “Are you scared of the dark, Kane?”
“No, the man with the shotgun is enough.”
Riley paused within the cave, turned toward him, and suddenly moved uncomfortably close while grinning deviously. “Maybe it’s me you’re afraid of.”
There was a distinct possibility that was the case. He wasn’t sure he liked her being so close to him, especially in such close, dark quarters. He certainly couldn’t let her think it had anything to do with her.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Kane wished he sounded more confident. A rabbit darted past them and into the cave, startling him. Kane jumped and looked around. Riley took another step closer to him and maintained her playful tone.
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