Her brows furrowed. “I’m not disappointed. In fact I asked him not to follow me, but I am shocked to see you here when I know you were Sheila’s date.”
“Let’s just say everyone’s night was pretty well ruined.”
“Because of me?” Her voice shook. “Is that what you drove all this way to tell me?”
“No,” he said in a wintry tone.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I wish to heaven I knew.”
“I think you were precipitous in hiring me. While you find the right housekeeper, I’ll finish out my first month before I leave. How does that sound?”
A bleakness stole over his chiseled features. “I thought you wanted the job.”
“I do, but you were the one who stated the arrangement was temporary in case one of the parties wasn’t happy about it. As I see it, you already find me the wrong fit.”
“Did I say that?” he challenged in a grim voice.
“In a way. You’re angry as blazes right now.”
His hands shot out to cup her hot face. “Maybe it’s because after the day we spent together, it shocked me to see you enjoying yourself with someone else.”
She’d asked him for honesty. He deserved it back. “You think I felt any different when I saw you there with her? On the day you hired me, Hank said you were busy on the phone with a woman named Sheila. That’s why he took me to your mother’s room to meet her instead of waiting for you. I wondered if she was someone important to you.”
His fingers tightened in her hair. “I’ve never been out with her. The only reason I told her I would meet her at the party was to be polite. But as you can see, I couldn’t even spend a whole evening with her once I saw you.” His eyes lit everywhere. “You’ve cut your hair.”
“I’ve wanted to change it since I got out of prison.”
“Either way, you’re a beautiful woman, Geena, and I have to have this before I take another breath.”
His mouth closed over hers before she could stop him. Her hunger for him was so great she didn’t want to stop him. He pressed her body against the truck with his and kissed her in so many different ways she groaned in ecstasy. Geena forgot where they were. She wrapped her arms around his neck in order to get closer. For a while she went where he led, giving him kiss for kiss, wanting to merge with him.
Her body literally trembled with desire. He had to have felt it and eventually relinquished her mouth. While she tried to catch her breath, he covered her throat with kisses before burying his face in her hair. “Tell me what really happened after you were arrested. When Kevin didn’t make contact, are you afraid he ran off with your brother’s lover?”
What? She couldn’t believe what he’d just asked her.
“No, Cole—” He had the wrong idea completely. “I never felt that way about Kevin. When I was away at college, I fell in love with a man and thought we would get married. We had several classes together and it was a wonderful time in my life. But I found out through a friend that he’d been lying to me all along and was only separated from his wife, not divorced.”
Cole held her tighter.
“He told me it was only a matter of time and begged me not to leave him, but I was too devastated by his lie to consider going back to him. I eventually got over it and dated other guys, including Kevin, after returning to Rapid City, but there was no one special. It’s hard to get your trust back after you’ve been betrayed.”
His hands slid up her arms and he shook her gently, forcing her to look up at him. “You don’t feel you can trust me?”
“You know I do!”
“Then explain to me why you won’t let me help you find the woman who stole your possessions.”
“Because it’s not your problem and I don’t want to be any more of a liability than I already am. You’ve felt sorry for me and have done more for me than anyone else would have done. You told me you’ve been overwhelmed at times by all the responsibility.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not your typical woman who answered an ad for a housekeeper. You think I don’t know your family has questions about me? You may not be harboring a fugitive, but if they knew who I was, I’d be a person of interest to them in the wrong way.”
His jaw hardened. “I was right,” he said in a savage whisper. “You need counseling to help you. Have you called that psychiatrist yet?”
“No, and I’m not going to. I’ll find my own closer to home when I’m ready.” She’d look for a P.I. online, too, and go from there.
“You’re not telling me something,” he ground out. “It means you’re afraid.”
“I could accuse you of the same thing,” she threw back at him.
His dark brows furrowed into a bar above his eyes. “Explain that to me.”
“Except for one reference about you giving up steer-wrestling after you got married, that’s all I know about your personal life. I never asked questions about your former wife because I didn’t feel it was my right.”
After a long silence he muttered, “Touché,” and let go of her arms.
She fought for composure because it appeared he still wasn’t ready to confide in her about the most crucial time in his life. “Why don’t we both agree this isn’t the right fit for either of us? I’ll work hard for the next three weeks before I leave. Hopefully you won’t have any complaints.”
In the semidark she thought his features had taken on a gaunt cast. She imagined her own complexion was probably the color of paste.
“Before I forget, here’s your mail.” She opened her bag and handed the bundle to him. “Goodnight, Colt.”
Geena couldn’t get away from him fast enough. When she entered the kitchen, Hank was there drinking coffee. She flew past him, returning his “Hi” over her shoulder, and kept on going to her bedroom.
* * *
Shaken by the passion that had flared between them, Colt stood there for a few minutes in order to recover. When he could finally move, his legs felt as heavy as that vital organ pumping blood through him—blood that needed to cool so he could think rationally.
He’d blown it, but there was no way in hell he would let her leave the ranch in another three weeks. They both had trust issues, but after a year behind bars, hers had to be worse. Unfortunately he’d come off acting like her bodyguard, pushing everyone else away while he kept her close. In the process he feared he’d alienated her.
Determined to set things right between them, he stormed into the house. Ignoring Hank, who stared at him in astonishment, he strode down the hall to her bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Geena? It’s Colt. I need to talk to you for a minute.”
After a pause he heard, “If you don’t mind, I’m exhausted. Could we do it in the morning at breakfast?”
Colt exhaled a heavy breath. “Tomorrow’s your day off.”
“I’m not going anywhere, so I’m planning to make the breakfast Martha asked me to make for everyone this morning.”
His hand absently made furrows through his hair. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. I want to. Maybe Lindsey will let me hold her baby. I’ve been dying to do that.” He heard a wobble in her voice that got to him. Everything about her got to him.
“If you’d told me, I could have arranged it.”
“I know. You can arrange anything.”
There he went again, trying to micromanage her life. The last thing he wanted was her resentment. So what do you want, Brannigan?
The answer terrified him for fear she didn’t want the same thing.
His eyes closed tightly. “Get some sleep, Geena.”
He turned on his heel and walked away, making a tour of the house to lock doors and turn off lights. Only by sheer strength of will did he eventually
head up the stairs instead of finding his way back to Geena’s room.
Hank was there, sitting on one side of Colt’s bed with his legs extended. The two looked at each other. “What’s going on with you and Geena?” his brother asked, point-blank.
Colt shut the door before backing against it. “I’ll answer that question when you tell me what’s been happening to you? I thought whatever went on between you and Lindsey was over before she started dating Travis.”
Lines marred Hank’s face. “It was over—for her.”
That answered one of Colt’s questions anyway. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Listen, Colt. I know you’ve needed me for the last six weeks. But after I get my cast off on Monday, would you care if I flew straight to Casper? Robert called here earlier to ask about the baby. We got talking about other things. Before I knew it he invited me to come for a visit if I wanted to. How about if I stay there until
Travis and Lindsey have moved back to their house? Some time away might help me to get my head on straight.”
Colt walked over to the desk and tossed the bundle of mail on it. Then turned to his brother. “I think it’s a great idea. He’ll like having you around, too.”
A look of relief crossed over his face. “Thanks, bro.” Hank got to his feet and hobbled over to give him a hug. Colt hugged him back hard, wanting Hank to get past this. If he met the right girl in Casper… No doubt
Robert was thinking the same thing.
“Our cousin is the best friend a man could have next to his own brothers.” Colt’s thoughts flew to Geena, who needed her brother. Colt wanted to be there for her, but not as a brother. Kissing her tonight had turned the fire into a near conflagration.
When Hank reached the door, he turned to him. “Maybe after I get back, you should do the same thing and spend some time with Robert. Geena has you more fired up than the bull that went after me.”
His brother had that right!
CHAPTER EIGHT
GEENA glanced at the wall phone in the kitchen. She picked up the receiver and pressed the digit for the upstairs guest bedroom. Martha answered on the third ring. “Lindsey?” she asked in an anxious voice.
“No, Mrs. Cunningham. It’s Geena. I have breakfast ready for all of you. Would you like me to serve it in your room or your daughter’s?”
“Oh—I thought you’d be away like you were yesterday, but no matter. Bring it to our room. We’ll eat around the table. Be sure there’s sugar for my cereal.”
For a moment Geena felt like Cinderella being given her instructions for the day. “I’ll be there shortly.”
After clicking off, she found one of the largest trays and stacked it while Ina and Laura ate their breakfast. On her way up the stairs she prayed she could manage the feat as well as Cinderella had done in the feature film.
Jim stood at their open door in pajamas and a robe with a big smile on his face. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! I hardly recognize you with that new hairdo. It’s very very becoming.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.”
“I’ll let Lindsey and Travis know breakfast has arrived. I’ve been salivating for more of your food since dinner the other evening.”
“That’s so nice of you to say.” She swept past him and put the tray on the coffee table. Martha was also dressed in a robe, brushing her hair. Her eyes swept over Geena but she made no comment.
“I hope you brought enough food for me.” Colt’s voice. She swung around. Unlike the others, he’d already gotten dressed. In jeans and a white polo, he was so handsome in his rugged way, she could hardly take her eyes off him, but she had to.
“If not, there’s more downstairs.”
He grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate. “Um. Crispy, just the way I like it. Why don’t I pop next door and see what I can do to get everyone assembled while this food is still hot?”
It was a good thing she hadn’t seen him as she was coming up the stairs or her body would have gone weak, causing her to drop the tray. While she was still trying to recover, Colt came back in the room holding Travis’s daughter. Her heart leaped at the sight of him with a baby in his arms.
He walked over to her. “Geena? Meet Abigail
Cunningham Brannigan, my niece and newest member of both families. Abigail was Lindsey’s grandmother’s name,” Colt informed her.
“How wonderful to have that connection.”
Geena’s gaze fastened hungrily on the baby wearing a tiny pink stretchy suit. She was wrapped in a receiving blanket. “Oh—she’s absolutely adorable.” When he handed the sweet-smelling baby over, Geena heard a muffled sound of protest from Martha, but it was too late. Colt had made certain Geena got the opportunity to hold the baby. She loved him for it.
The baby’s eyes were open. Her mouth had formed into a perfect O. “You dear little thing. Welcome to the world, Abby.” Unable to resist, she kissed her cheek, then held her against her neck and shoulder. The warmth of her little body tugged on all Geena’s motherly instincts. She wanted one like this of her own.
With Colt for the daddy.
She couldn’t stop thinking like that and started walking around the room, wondering what had happened to Janice. Had she delivered a healthy baby? Was it Todd’s? Had he made Geena an aunt? Or was it another man’s child? With this baby in her arms, Geena knew she had to find out the answers and she needed to do it soon.
Fighting the tears that had already moistened her eyelashes, she turned to Colt and handed the baby back to him. “Thank you for letting me hold her.” Her voice was so thick with emotion she needed to get out of there.
“If there’s anything else you want, phone me in the kitchen,” she announced to the room, then hurried out the door. Lindsey and Travis were just leaving the other room in their robes. Geena kept going. They’d already met her. She was the hired help after all.
When she reached the kitchen, she discovered Hank at the table. She’d made plenty of food and he’d helped himself. His eyes brightened when he saw her. “I think I’m going to have to marry you to keep all this fabulous food in the family.”
Her laugh was bittersweet. If Colt had said that to her…
“You seem happier today.”
“I am. My cast comes off tomorrow and then I’m taking a short vacation.”
“Where are you going?”
“Casper.”
At the mention of it, guilt swamped her because she’d turned down Colt’s suggestion to speak to the therapist there. To make things worse, he unexpectedly strode into the kitchen. “Did you save any food for me?”
“There’s plenty,” Geena assured him. “Sit down and I’ll serve you.”
She made him a big plate and poured both of them coffee. While he and Hank talked, she cleaned up the kitchen. In a minute Hank brought his dishes over to the sink. “If anyone wants to know, I’m leaving for the day. Danny’s picking me up.”
During her horseback ride with Colt, she’d learned Danny worked as Hank’s hazer when they did the rodeo circuit. “Have a good time. Just think—tomorrow you’ll be given your get-out-of-jail-free card.”
“After what you survived for a year, I can’t complain about six weeks’ deprivation.”
She stared at Hank in shock while Colt looked at both of them stone-faced. “You know?”
He nodded. “I sensed something was fishy the night Mandy and I walked into the kitchen. The next day when you told me you’d been hired, I wondered if it had anything to do with that call from the warden. So I called Warden James back.” The expression in his eyes softened. “She told me what’d happened to you.”
So Colt had kept his word. His good deeds just kept mounting up to the most marvelous man in the entire world. “And you didn’t mind too much?”
“Sometimes innocent people
get blamed for doing bad things. What was there to mind? I told you the other day you’re the best thing to happen to this ranch in years! The warden told me she was relieved to hear Colt had hired you. She’s been worried about you and hopes you’ll get all the help you need after what you’ve been through.”
He flashed her a sly grin. “It was one decision I’m thankful my big brother made. By the way, I love your hair. See ya later.” Hank gave her a kiss on the cheek before he left the kitchen.
“Geena,” Colt murmured, “will you please sit down for a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”
“All right.” Last night he’d been upset. This morning his mood was completely different. Benign, for want of a better word.
“Can we start over again?”
Her head went back. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. The warden had the right instincts from the beginning. You do need all the help you can get in order to pick up the strings of your life again. I’m afraid I’ve tried to solve them for you all at once.”
Colt was breaking her heart. This was probably the closest thing to an apology she would ever hear from his lips, but he didn’t owe her any apology. Quite the opposite. She owed him everything!
Her fear now was that he was apologizing for those minutes in his arms last night. She’d wanted it to go on and on. The thought of it never happening again was too terrible to contemplate.
“You can’t help it,” she teased with a quick smile. “That’s why you’re the head of the ranch. Everyone loves you and looks to you. This place would fall apart without you. I admire you more than you know.” I love you more than you know.
Lines bracketed his mouth. She’d forgotten he didn’t like compliments. “Nevertheless, to make up for my heavy-handed behavior, I’d like to do something you’d enjoy. I feel like playing.” He winked at her, reminding her of that other conversation they’d had. “Have you ever been to Devil’s Tower National Monument?”
“No, but I’ve heard about it all my life.” The idea of doing anything with him was so exciting she couldn’t sit still and got up from the table to clear his dishes.
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