Winter Awakening (Wyoming Fever Book 4)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Kate shook her head and Mack watched the overhead lights dance in her dark hair. “No, not yet,” she sighed and the tight band around his chest eased slightly. “I still need to finish getting the house ready for sale.” She paused and looked around. “Right now, this place is still stuck in the seventies.” She looked at Mack, grimacing at the idea. “The décor needs to be updated in order to get a good price. Otherwise, my mom will lose thousands of dollars when she sells.”

  “Don’t you need to get back to work?”

  Kate shrugged, her eyes shuttering. “I told my boss what was going on and asked for a leave of absence. I have a ton of vacation time accrued, so I’m still getting paid. But…” she looked away and shrugged as Mack’s internal warning signals screeched loud and clear.

  What was she hiding?

  “I have a plan,” she finally said. When she peeked up at him through her lashes, Mack knew he was right. She was definitely hiding something. It was the same look she’d always had when she tried to keep a secret.

  Leaning forward, he pressed a hand to the wall on either side of her head. “What’s going on, Kate?” he asked, his voice soft and smooth.

  She shrugged and looked away. Another warning sign.

  “Why? Are you sick of me?” she asked. Was that hurt in her eyes?

  “Nope. Never,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist.

  She rolled her eyes even as she slid her hands up his chest. “Your enthusiasm is a bit underwhelming, Officer.”

  He jerked her hips closer. “Does this prove my enthusiasm?” he asked, his erection pressing against her stomach.

  Kate’s grin widened. “I see that you’re still randy.”

  “Around you? Always.”

  She laughed, then went up on her toes to kiss him. “You’re such a charmer!”

  He growled as he bent down. She yelped in surprise when he tossed her over his shoulder. Those shrieks morphed into laughter as he carried her up the stairs. “Is this charming enough for you?” he asked, swatting her bottom when she squirmed.

  “No!” Kate laughed, clutching his belt for balance.

  A moment later, he flipped her onto her bed in the guest room, coming down over her. “How about this?” he asked, nuzzling her neck with his lips and teeth and tongue.

  Kate sighed, shifting her body under his. “Getting better,” she purred.

  “How about this?” he offered, nudging her legs apart to make room for his hips.

  “Nope,” she laughed. “You’re going backwards.”

  He lifted the hem of her sweatshirt, his strong, callused hand sliding up her side to cup her breast, pinching her nipple ever so slightly. “Is this better?” he asked, as he pulled the lace of her bra back, his thumb scraping over the swollen tip.

  Kate couldn’t answer him. His magical fingers had stolen her words away. Words were no longer possible. Not when Mack did things like that to her body!

  Chapter 10

  Kate wandered the aisles of the hardware store, but her focus was elsewhere. Her thoughts lingered around the previous night. Mack had been…focused. Relentless? Yes, that was a good term. But why? What was going on in his head? He’d made love to her with an intensity that…well, it had been highly enjoyable, but…what was it about? Usually, he was a bit more playful during their interactions.

  She picked up a door handle, toying with it as she thought. Last night had seemed odd. Satisfying and yet…not entirely satisfying.

  Tossing the handle back into the bin, she sighed and moved on. It wasn’t the sex. Well, it was the sex. She was really becoming…irritated by the sex.

  No, not irritated. Kate rubbed her forehead in frustration, at a loss as to how to move forward. Part of her plan was working brilliantly. She’d floated the idea of three different festivals over the next three months to the various local churches, clubs, and organizations. Right now, there were more vendors and exhibitors for each event than there was room. The mayor was completely on board. His conditional wariness had morphed into eager anticipation. She’d spoken to the business owners down along the expected festival perimeter and they were all enthused as well, asking what they could do to help. The festivals would bring customers for their businesses as well, so it seemed everyone was on board, eager to make her idea into reality.

  But…Mack. Every time she tried to bring up the subject of a future with him, he changed the subject. The future was off-limits. They came together for dinner and their conversations were animated and wonderful. After every meal, he’d help her clean up and then he’d take her into his arms. He’d make love to her until she was delirious with pleasure. Then he’d hold her all night long.

  Unfortunately, every morning she woke up alone. The coffee was freshly brewed, but she was alone.

  It was almost as if he were compartmentalizing his life and Kate was only allowed to occupy a small part of his world. It was so different from twelve years ago, when they’d shared all of their hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future.

  Granted, she hadn’t told him about her festival ideas. She had a few more issues she needed to nail down before her plan would become a reality. She was close! So wonderfully, amazingly close! Two days, maybe three…when she had the chief of police’s seal of approval and the zoning committee’s okay, then she’d have all the pieces in place. Then Kate could go to the mayor with a full budget. She was fairly certain that the mayor would approve the funding once she could add in the cost of permits and the price of police personnel.

  Paint. She needed paint. How tedious, buying paint. And she was going with white. She’d paint the walls white…maybe dove grey, then she could paint the trim white. Yeah, that was a better plan. Boring, but better. More sellable.

  She put in her paint request and waited for the paint to be mixed. As she waited, Kate leaned against a shelf, wondering why Mack refused to talk about the future.

  And as she stood there, Kate acknowledged the hurt at his refusal. Twelve years ago, that was all they’d talked about. Sitting in that cold house, lying on the hard floor, wrapped in blankets and each other, they’d talked about building a life together. She’d get her business degree and he’d renovate houses. She’d do the financial side of things and he’d be the expert. They’d even talked about how they’d start with the Victorian house. Even to the point of dreaming up…!

  Kate jerked away from the shelf. The yellow kitchen. He’d laughed at the idea of a yellow kitchen and yet…he’d painted the kitchen a warm, buttery yellow.

  “Ma’am?” the paint guy asked.

  Kate blinked. “Yes?”

  “Your paint?” he reminded her, gesturing to the gallons of grey and white paint. “It’s all ready.”

  “Oh!” she replied, forcing her thoughts back to the present. “Right! Thank you!”

  While Kate loaded the paint into her shopping cart, her mind whirled. The details. What were all of those details that they’d talked about?!

  After returning to her mother’s house, she eyed the boxes, the ones that she’d designated as trash. Her old notebooks! Which box had she dumped them in?! She hadn’t labeled the trash boxes, because they were trash! The other boxes, she’d been meticulous about labeling, listing the contents on a piece of paper taped to the outside of the box but the trash…darn it, she’d just dumped those notebooks into an old box and…!

  “Ha, found you!” she took the box down and dumped it out on the floor. Sifting through old high school papers that her mother had kept for some reason, she found what she was looking for. The notebooks! There were dozens of them. Some were her old school notebooks and others were more personal.

  When she finally came to the notebook she was looking for, she sat back on her heels and flipped slowly through the pages. As she read, Kate smiled dreamily, thinking back to the nights when she’d snuck back into her room, late at night, tired, but blissfully happy.

  When she found the page, Kate fell back onto her bottom, staring at the words. “Lemon kitchen wi
th a raised herb garden in the backyard.” Looking up, she bit her lip, smiling at the words and the memories. She’d always loved cooking and, even more than cooking, she loved watching people eat what she’d cooked. It had always been a thrill. Not enough to want to do it for a living, but enough that she’d shared with Mack how she’d love to have an herb garden right outside of her kitchen so she could use fresh herbs in her cooking.

  How many times over the past few weeks had she walked past those raised garden beds? She hadn’t realized what they were because it was winter and the plants were dormant. Plus, Kate hadn’t consciously thought about the wooden boxed areas until she’d remembered this notebook!

  She read through the rest of the journal. Sure enough, just about every plan they’d made had been realized with Mack’s efforts! And the house…it was beautiful! Actually, it was even more perfect than their plans.

  Closing the notebook, she stood up and went downstairs. Looking out the front room window, she stared at the Victorian. It was a masterpiece. Small, but quaint. Three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a half bath on the lower level. Eat in kitchen, family room, and a small room in the front – more of a parlor than anything else.

  “It would make a perfect office,” she whispered, staring at the front window, already picking out the furniture in her head.

  “Her” home office? Seriously? Was she taking over Mack’s house? But…they’d dreamed up the plans for that house together!

  She laughed at her ridiculous thoughts.

  She hugged the notebook against her chest, chewing on her lower lip as she considered the possibilities. Her heart raced. Was possible that she could achieve all of her dreams? Her own event business…plus Mack?

  Was she being greedy even thinking about shooting for the stars like this?

  Mack’s SUV pulled into the driveway before she could come up with an answer.

  Going on instinct, she stepped out of her mother’s house. Instantly, Mack’s eyes caught her movement. A wariness haunted his expression.

  “You’re not wearing a coat,” he said softly as soon as she stepped closer.

  Kate didn’t feel the cold and said so. Mack had on a canvas, lined jacket and a thick sweater underneath.

  Without a word, he shrugged off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. “Get inside, woman,” he grumbled. But he didn’t wait for her compliance. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hustled her inside through the back door.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, moving through the house and turning on lights. It got dark early these days, and the light added a warmth and coziness to the space.

  “I found my old notebooks,” she said, watching his features carefully.

  “What notebooks?” He moved over to one of the cabinets, carefully locking his service revolver into a hidden safe.

  “I used to write all the time, things like thoughts and hopes and dreams. When I’d get into a fight with my mom, I’d write about all of the horribly unfair things she’d said or done.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “What were the horrible things your mother did?”

  Kate shrugged, draping the coat over the back of the couch. “Oh, awful things like forcing me to study. Do my homework. Make my bed and clean up my room.”

  “Evil woman,” he teased.

  Kate moved closer, still hugging the notebook. “I also wrote about us.”

  His eyes grew even more wary. “What about us?” he asked, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a reusable water bottle. He never used the store-bought plastic bottles. He’d bought several reusable glass bottles and simply refilled them, putting them into the fridge so that he always had cold water.

  She watched him, admiring his economical movements. Plus, his actions were good for the environment. Was there anything about this man she didn’t like?

  No, not “like” she mentally corrected. Loved. Yes, she finally accepted the fact that she loved Mack. Hadn’t ever stopped loving him, actually.

  “The yellow kitchen,” she said, looking at the warm, welcoming space. “I mentioned wanting a yellow kitchen.”

  He looked around at the walls of the bright, sunny room. “I like the color as well.”

  “And a raised herb garden.”

  He didn’t bother glancing through the long windows to the backyard where the raised beds sat, ready for spring. “Herbs are healthy,” he said by way of an explanation.

  “And the gazebo in the back corner?” she asked, grinning now.

  “What about it?’

  “Does it have a ceiling fan?”

  “Yes?” he replied, taking a long swallow of water. “What of it?”

  She opened the notebook, flipping to the page she’d been reading earlier. When she found it, she turned it around so that Mack could see. “Here,” she pointed.

  He glanced down at the words, then shrugged. “Okay, so we’d talked about a gazebo with a ceiling fan. What of it?”

  “This house,” her eyes took it all in, “it’s everything we’d talked about while we hung out here.”

  He didn’t reply immediately. “There might be some similarities,” he commented.

  She laughed. “Literally everything we’d talked about.”

  He sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. Absently, she wondered how soon the scruff started after he shaved in the morning. Probably immediately, she thought.

  “Kate,” he sighed, then shook his head. “What are you trying to say?”

  She moved a step closer, her heart pounding. “I’m hoping that…maybe we could…find that dream, together.”

  He stared down at her, his dark eyes searching for something. She wasn’t sure what, exactly.

  “Tell me what you’re hiding from me,” he said, his voice harsh.

  “Hiding?” she asked, her mind going blank once again. “I’m not hiding anything from you.”

  She saw a muscle flex in his jaw. “Kate, you’re definitely hiding something.”

  “I’m not!”

  “Why did you go to the administration building the other day?” he demanded, furious now. “And what’s in those files that you hide in that drawer every time I come into the kitchen? Why did you meet with Gary Sinclair two days ago down at the train depot?”

  She pulled back, shocked. “Are you spying on me?”

  He glared down at her, shaking with fury. “I’m not spying on you Kate!” he snapped. “I’m a homicide detective, dammit! And in the course of my current investigation, I’ve seen you all over town. You’ve been talking to just about everyone and I’m sick of seeing you laughing with the fire chief, the mayor, the chief of police and every damn restaurant owner in the damn city!” he bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.

  Kate’s mouth had fallen open with his anger and she stared at him. Mack didn’t get angry! And yet, he was livid now!

  “Um…”

  “I’m sick of it, Kate! We can’t–”

  “Don’t!” she snapped, holding a finger up to stop his next words. “Don’t you dare say something you can’t take back, Mack!” After he closed his mouth and took a breath, she continued, despite the anger still simmering in his eyes and vibrating in the air between them. “Okay, I’ll acknowledge that I’ve been talking to a lot of people around town, and…” she lifted her finger again when he leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms protectively over his chest, shutting her out. “Don’t you dare, Mack!”

  When he didn’t move, she huffed a bit. “Wait right here,” she told him. Turning, she grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. It was huge on her, but it would keep her warm. Racing across the street, she grabbed not just her laptop, but the printouts and her notebook with all of her hand-written notes. Carrying it all back across the street, she burst into Mack’s kitchen, relieved that he hadn’t gone upstairs, although he still looked furious.

  “Here you go,” she said, spreading the printouts over the countertop. “We really need a kitchen table.”

  Mack looked u
p sharply, startled by the “we” in her statement. But he didn’t comment. The only other sign that he was aware of her words was a tightening of his jaw as he bent to study the papers.

  “What is all this?” he asked, struggling to focus on the words. At the moment, his thoughts were still picturing Kate hugging the fire chief. The big, gruff guy was handsome enough, but he was twenty years older than she was. And he was married!

  Damn it, Kate would never have an affair with a married man! He knew her better than that!

  So, why the hell was his gut churning at the idea of all of those men touching her?!

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  Mack looked up, startled by the worry in her voice.

  Before he could answer, she shifted some of the papers and continued. “I still have some details to work out. But I’ve gotten the basics figured out. And all of the essential services.” She pulled a spreadsheet out and laid it on top of the other documents. “I still need to speak with a few more store owners, but all of the local restaurants are eager for this to happen.” She pulled another sheet of paper out, but Mack’s mind was still spinning about the other statements she’d made. “And here,” she continued, pointing to a list. “This is just the vendors for the first event. And we’re completely sold out of space for the next three events!”

  Kate was wringing her hands together. He blinked at her, completely confused. First of all, Kate never wrung her hands. She was strong and confident and if she ever came to a situation that made her nervous, she would simply muscle her way through. She didn’t wring her hands!

  What the hell was going on?!

  Looking down again, he tried really hard to understand. He moved the papers around, recognizing several names on the page. Why did he know those names? Running a hand over his face, he blinked and looked again. It took him a long moment, but the words started to become recognizable. He noticed “quilt” and “dolls” and “Christmas ornaments”. Still, his jealousy clouded his reason.

  “You hate it,” she whispered as her face fell.