Then when Lindsay turned four, their marriage was on the rocks. Trey was more absent than present. He began to lose touch with his daughter, who clung to her in fear when they fought. This fueled Trey’s anger, sure Kate was turning his daughter against him. Kate shuddered and erased the ugly thoughts.
Did she trust Trey? The question nagged before coming full circle. Yes. With Lindsay, she trusted him. Colton’s concerns made her ask questions worth considering so she wouldn’t fault him—this time.
The timeframe that laid ahead ticked off in her mind: Lindsay’s month in California; Colton’s leaving for Chicago; endless free time to call Dan Devers and meet with Bennett Field; the arrival of furniture for the inn, all culminating with Lindsay’s return.
Life would be idyllic.
This left one loose end. Colton.
Why did thoughts of his leaving bring on a deep feeling of malaise?
The answer came quick and hurtful.
She was falling in love with him while Colton saw her as a goodwill project. A goodwill project!
****
The next day, Lindsay skipped into the kitchen as she unloaded the dishwasher. Her cheeks were bright as apples. Damp fringes of hair haloed her face. “Momma. Colton said we could sleep under the stars in Bessie. Like when he was a kid. Can we? Pleeeze.”
“How can we see stars when Bessie’s inside the barn?”
“He pushed Bessie outside. Pleeeze, Momma. Can we?” Lindsay jumped up and down. Her bright blue eyes were filled with anticipation Kate hated to dash into pieces.
“I don’t know, Lindsay. Let me talk to Colton.”
Lindsay slipped her small hand into Kate’s to drag her into the yard. It brought a painful squeeze in her heart to feel the small, fine-boned hand tugging her along. It would be so hard to let her daughter go to California for a whole month. Lindsay was what motivated her to build a good, stable life in Bear Creek.
They approached Colton tossing hay bales into the back of Bessie. How could she deny Lindsay the fun of sleeping under the stars? In typical Colton fashion, he’d managed to get his way without her being able to do a darned thing about it. The problem was she was beginning to enjoy his interfering. He made life fun. He made her feel safe with his brotherly concern. Eeuww-hew!
“Cowboy,” she said with a forced smile. “What’s this I hear about sleeping under the stars tonight? What if Lindsay’s allergic to hay?”
“It’s straw. Big difference. It makes a nice mattress to toss a sleeping bag on top. I’ve added several inches of loose straw to make it comfortable.”
“I don’t have sleeping bags.”
“Always have a back-up plan. I do.” Colton let his gaze wander over her casual stance and bare legs. She rarely wore shorts but it was hot. Shorts and a tank top were appropriate, so what was he staring at with hunger that was anything but brotherly. His eyes met hers. “I bought a couple in case you didn’t have any.”
“Well, you just think of everything, don’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s downright sinful that a country girl never took her daughter camping.” He spread around the last bale of straw and jumped up into the truckbed with the ease of an athlete. “Come on up, Half-Pint. See what you think.”
He extended his hands to Lindsay and swung her up and over the side onto the straw bales. She squealed in delight and sat down to dig into the soft bed of straw.
Colton smiled. “You think you can sleep out here with me and your mom in a sleeping bag and help us count stars?”
“Pleeeze pleeeze pleeeze.” Lindsay’s small shoulder wilted in a plea and soulful look.
“Maybe your mom needs to come up here and see how comfortable it will be.” Colton reached a hand down to Kate. “Hoist yourself up on the tire, and I’ll pull you up.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Knock yourself out.” He pulled back his hand and sat next to Lindsay.
“Just what I need. An audience.” Kate grabbed the side of Bessie’s truck bed, put a foot on the back tire and tried several attempts at hoisting herself into the straw. Quickly, she realized hooking her leg over the side was harder than she thought. It didn’t help that Colton and Lindsay laughed at each comical attempt until she landed hard on her backside.
Colton offered his hand again. “Come on, Kate. You’re the most stubborn woman I know.”
Kate brushed off the seat of her shorts and tried again. This time Colton caught hold of her arm and dragged her over the edge onto the straw. Lindsay giggled when they tumbled next to her.
“Okay,” Colton instructed. “Everybody on their backs. Let’s see how this will work out.”
Lindsay scrambled between them and lay on her back. Her tiny arms clasped behind her head like Colton as he chewed on a piece of straw. Kate followed suit and pointed to a fluffy white cloud floating overhead. “There’s a dog. What do you see, Lindsay?”
“A goat.”
“Where?” Colton and Kate said in unison, searching the sky.
“There.” Lindsay pointed to a cloud Kate thought nondescript.
“Can we sleep outside tomorrow?” Lindsay asked.
Kate laughed and didn’t bother to remind her of the trip to California. “Only if it’s a perfect day like today, honey.”
There was no denying life was a lot more fun with Colton interfering on a regular basis.
****
Inky cloudless sky and a sliver of moon made for perfect stargazing. The clear sky also meant a deep chill descended onto the mountaintop. With a straw bale at their backs and propped against Bessie’s cab, Kate and Colton sat cocooned in quilts with a sleeping bag draped over their knees.
At their feet, the top of Lindsay’s blond head was the only visible sign of the small lump nestled deep in her sleeping bag. She slept sound after the excitement of eating her first hot dog cooked over a campfire. Marshmallows were also placed on the forked green sticks Colton had whittled. When one fell into the embers, Kate smiled to see Lindsay watch in fascination as it flared, bubbled and burned into a lump of black ash. How many times had she done that as a child?
An old-fashioned, dented coffee pot Kate found inside the barn was cleaned and made the perfect campfire utensil to steam hot chocolate. The sweet liquid kept them warm inside as the temperature dipped. The sky winked with a million stars in every size.
“She’ll never forget this night,” Kate said as she and Colton talked in low voices. Neither will I, she thought. “Thank you. It’s such a nice memory to take with her to California although you shouldn’t have promised you’d see Lindsay when she comes back. You’ll be in Chicago.”
“I’ll make time.”
“Colton...I don’t know how to say this but you’re allowing Lindsay to become too attached to you. It’s not good. She’ll be disappointed once you leave.”
“That makes two of us.” He placed an unexpected kiss on Kate’s lips. His proclamation they were nothing more than friends was in direct conflict with his tongue that teased against her slightly parted lips and sent a shiver of desire racing south.
She broke away breathless and glanced at Lindsay. “I think we need to call it a night.”
“She’s fine.” Colton smoothed his hand over Kate’s jaw to tunnel his fingers in her hair and gently bring their lips back together. He made a slight sound deep in his throat when she responded with a flick of her tongue against his. Her fingers curled into his bicep.
His hand left her hair to skillfully snake beneath the layers of quilt, a windbreaker, and a flannel shirt. Her T-shirt was tucked into her jeans. He stilled. “Damn,” he whispered. “You’re wearing your sidearm and no bra?” His warm hand cupped the swell of breast through the tee.
“With all the layers...” She closed her eyes and melted into the comfortable bed of straw as he tugged loose the tee to touch skin and the erect nipple. He worked his thumb across it. Every nerve sparked in response to his touch. “Please. We need to stop,” she whispered.
Col
d air sent a chill over her midriff as he pulled back. “You don’t like it?”
“Of course I like it,” her voice quivered. “We can’t do this here. Not with Lindsay so close.”
“She’s sound asleep.”
“You say that because you’ve never lived with a child under your roof.”
“I’ve plenty of friends with kids. Judging by the growing numbers in their tribes, I doubt kids stop their getting some.”
“Well you won’t be getting some tonight.”
“How about you let me hang out on first base a little longer now that my motor’s running?” A glint of teeth shone in the night. His wolfish smile was broad enough to crease his dimple. Adorable.
Kate tried to ignore the fact her own motor was in overdrive and smiled. “That’s a real tempting offer, cowboy—”
Colton didn’t let her finish the thought, trapping half her body under his. His leg settled between her thighs. The hard impression of his desire matched the heat in his eyes. Kate doubted straw would ever smell this good again. “How about I tuck Lindsay in snug on Bessie’s bench seat? Then you and I will get under this sleeping bag and see if we can get from first base to second.”
“Colton Gray, you are impossible. In my world, friends don’t fool around just because it’s convenient.” The words came out smooth and detached when in fact she squirmed against the manly feel of him.
“Why not? It’ll be fun. I guarantee satisfaction or your money back.”
“Ha ha.”
“Whaddaya say?”
He covered her mouth with his and flicked his tongue. Kate moaned and deepened the kiss. Her body throbbed with desire as she relished the kiss, his hands upon her, the gentle rocking against her thigh that had to stop. She broke away breathless. “You didn’t let me finish my sentence before.”
“Can it wait?”
“I don’t think so.” She placed her shaking fingers against his lips to stop his protest. “I-I’ve…oh God. Must you do that?” She shuttered with the heat of his mouth and tongue against her neck and pressed against him. He moaned but she pushed on, “I-I’ve no intention of fooling around with a man who spent a long weekend in Knoxville with a woman, not a man, who you lied and said was your lawyer.” Colton lay still against her breathing wisps of hot breath against her neck. “I-I heard from a reliable source it was a hot, gorgeous blond who drove you to Knoxville. I can only assume you slept with her multiple times.”
“There’s the bucket of cold water I needed.” Colton pushed off her and hopped to his feet, giving her a hand up.
Kate disappeared over Bessie’s side with a thump and complaint when her feet slipped on the slick dew-covered ground, once again dumping her on her rear.
Colton was over the edge in a flash to help her up. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She pulled away afraid he’d draw her into another embrace she would have no desire to break. “You’ll need to wake Lindsay up. I can’t carry her up the stairs any more.”
“I’ll carry her.” Colton tugged Lindsay’s sleeping bag to the edge.
“Yeowwww.” Tinkerbelle emerged in a flash of gray fur, jumped to the ground and high-tailed it into the dark night.
“Just when I was making headway with the beast.” Colton slanted a look at Kate while he effortlessly settled Lindsay against his shoulder. Her small arms were quick to curl around his neck. Kate saw the affectionate gesture touched him when he cradled her close and kissed the top of her head. Lindsay tightened her grip.
The attachment Kate warned Colton about was already in place. Lindsay’s heart would be as broken as hers when Colton left Cutter Mountain.
****
While Kate tucked Lindsay into bed, Colton went to the kitchen. He hadn’t planned on kissing Kate tonight. In fact, he’d intended just the opposite. His preference was leaving with no strings attached. But like their first kiss, it came as natural as slipping his hand under her shirt.
Any fool could see Kate would attach their making love to his staying around. That wouldn’t happen no matter how willing her soft body felt beneath his. Regret for a lapse in judgment would follow. Well, he wouldn’t regret it but Kate sure as hell would.
He put on a kettle of water to boil water.
It was time to tell Kate the truth about Knoxville. She needed her own bucket of water. Seated at the table when she returned, he noticed she’d put on a bra. Bummer.
“You made tea and cookies? You hate tea.”
“Sit.” He picked up the teapot. Steam danced over her cup with the flow of dark liquid. “Hope you don’t mind I made it strong.” He glanced at her rosy cheeks and lips while adding spoons of sugar and cream to the tea. He couldn’t remember the last time he drank a cup of tea. He added another spoon of sugar. “Not bad,” he said taking a sip and watching her settle into the chair.
“Of course it’s not bad. You stirred in half the sugar bowl. So what’s this about?” She wrapped her hands around the warm waiting cup not sure she wanted to hear the words that had taken twenty-four hours to surface.
“Knoxville. If you want to dig into my personal life, we’ll sip tea and eat cookies. That’s how girls do it, right?”
“Sometimes. That’s how Mom and I like to talk.”
“Well, here it is. Sasha Silberstein was the blond. She’s my lawyer’s ex-wife. She’s a lawyer although she wasn’t when I, uh…dated her. She lives in Miami since divorcing Seth. He had her look into the Bennett Field matter for me.”
“Fine. I don’t care anymore. I’m tired. Is that it?”
“No. There wasn’t supposed to be any further problem from Bennett. Sasha was supposed to handle it. There shouldn’t have been any letter to appear. She screwed up.”
“There’s an interesting choice of words. Freudian, perhaps?”
“I’ll ignore that for now. She was a bartender when I met her. Before she married Seth. When she picked me up to go into Knoxville, she told me she’d gotten a law degree in the years since we dated, at Seth’s urging. I didn’t believe her at first and called Seth. He confirmed it and said he handed off the research to her. I trust Seth so I trusted her. I should have known better.”
Kate tried her best to show no reaction. Her body betrayed her. Small breaths labored under the weight that crushed her chest. She could only image how Colton had put his trust in Sasha. He hadn’t said so but there was no doubt in her mind that he’d slept with his ex-girlfriend-turned-lawyer and had intended to move on to her for his next fix. It took every ounce of reserve to keep from jumping out of the chair and ordering him to leave her house immediately.
It was painfully clear why he pushed to meet in a public place. She wanted to slap him. She sat on her hands. “This really angers me. You’re lucky I’m too tired to get off a good kick to the shins. In fact, I’m kinda glad she screwed up because now I get to handle it myself and meet Bennett Field face-to-face. I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say firsthand.”
“Uh, there’s more. And could you stop tapping your foot? It’s making me nervous.” He tossed back the rest of the tea like a shot.
She stilled with a gasp. “You didn’t. No. You did.” Kate’s eyebrows shot up near her hairline. His contorted face said she had guessed right. “How much did you pay him to stay quiet?”
“A bundle.”
Her muscles bunched then relaxed with a sudden calm. The guess about money was a jab in the dark, being the better of the two options in her mind. She’d expected to hear him confess he still loved Sasha. No time to waver or show her relief. “Serves you right. I think I respect Bennett Field a whole lot more than I do you at the moment. He’s kept your bribe and contacted me anyway. There’s a lesson in this. I hope you’ve learned it.”
“Money can’t buy you respect?” He raised an eyebrow.
“How perceptive.” Kate sighed. “I can’t believe I let you kiss me. Or that I kissed you back. Good night.” Her chair scrapped back.
Colton rushed the stairs to b
lock her way. “Is this how you work through problems? You get up and leave.”
“This isn’t a conversation I want to have. What can I say? I’m not real sorry you lost your money. Please. Move aside. I’m tired and need what little strength I’ve left to send Lindsay off tomorrow.”
“I don’t care about the money. I wanted to be sure some idiot didn’t squash your dreams. It seemed the least I could do.”
“That’s the most insane over the top explanation I’ve ever heard. What normal person does that for a stranger? A person they don’t love.”
Kate tried to move around him, but her words seemed to have turned him to stone. “Go back to Chicago. Tonight. I’ve enough drama in my life without having to cope with yours. No charge for the room. Consider us even. You’ve done more than your share around here.” Her weary tone was void of emotion.
“I’m not leaving until Lindsay’s gone. I’ll take off when she does.” He stepped aside.
“Super. I’ll fall apart then.”
“Stick it in a song,” he said as she brushed past him. “And while you’re at it, find the song you promised Trace.”
“You promised the song. You write it.” She closed the door at the top of the stairs, turning the latch.
Colton cursed under his breath and stood in the stairwell staring into the dark space.
Did he love Kate?
She was right. What crazy fool pays a fortune to keep a stranger away from a woman and her daughter? He’d almost fired Seth when Sasha showed up in Tennessee, but it was the Piranha who took his wrath for the mess. One of his own making, he reminded himself.
Seth said he was giving Sasha work. Seth was meticulous. Surely, he knew Sasha would arrive with every intention of combining business with sex. Sex they didn’t have.
He moved from the stairwell and locked the kitchen door behind him. Then he locked the entry door and went to his room. With each locked door his anger built.
He ground his teeth and dug his cell from his pocket. He punched in Sasha’s number. Any remnants of desire Kate had invoked fled upon hearing Sasha’s voice. “Pookie. I was expecting your call.”
Cutter Mountain Rendezvous Page 13
