A look of approval flickered in his gray eyes. “That’s very kind of you.”
“Accidents happen,” she said, feeling a little self-conscious with Luke watching her so intently. She unwrapped her sandwich, wiped away some of the mayo, and then bit off a small piece.
“So are you coming back to Harmony Springs for your additional spa treatments or fitting them in before we leave?” Luke asked before taking a big bite of his sandwich.
Taylin took a drink of water to wash down the sandwich before answering. “I haven’t decided. It might be fun to bring my twin sister, Ashlee, back up with me one weekend.”
“Are you two identical?”
“No,” Taylin said with a laugh. “We may look similar enough to pass for identical, but we couldn’t be more opposite in all other aspects of our lives.”
“How so?”
Taylin had just taken another bite of her sandwich. She held up her finger to signal she needed time to swallow, and Luke apologized for asking so many questions.
“I don’t mind,” Taylin said after taking another drink of water.
In between eating her lunch, Taylin talked about Ashlee and her penchant for frequently changing jobs and boyfriends. She made sure to include many of Ashlee’s good qualities so she didn’t make her sister sound like such a flake. Ashlee was just a little lost about what to do with her life right now, but Taylin knew she’d figure it out one day.
By the time they finished their lunch, Taylin realized they hadn’t talked about Luke and his family. She reached inside her backpack and pulled out the boxed key lime cheesecake she’d picked out for their dessert. Maybe he’d open up while he ate his piece of cake.
“As good as that looks,” Luke said, patting his flat stomach. “I don’t think I can eat another bite.”
Taylin was full too, and she’d only eaten half of her sandwich. “We can eat it later,” she said, putting the dessert back inside the backpack along with the rest of her sandwich. She pulled out a couple of the complimentary mints she’d confiscated earlier from a bowl by the front desk. “How about a mint?”
“Thanks.” He tore open the package and ate the mint, stashing the wrapper inside his empty chip bag.
Taylin placed the soft mint in her mouth and felt it start to instantly melt on her tongue as she began cleaning up the lunch.
Luke helped by taking all of the wrappers and neatly stuffing them inside the plastic container that still held a few shriveled grapes. Once everything was contained, Taylin secured the trash into a side pocket of the backpack.
“Do you mind if we just sit for a minute?” Taylin asked, bending her knees and loosely wrapping her arms around them. “I’d rather not get back on the horse right after eating.”
“Sure.” Luke leaned back against the trunk of the tree, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “It’s been kind of nice spending time up here without a camera following us,” he said, glancing over at her.
“Yeah, it has.” She remembered the cameraman’s parting words and was suddenly curious about what he’d meant. “Speaking of Rick… what was all the talk back there about all good things coming to an end?”
He froze and held her gaze for a long, drawn-out moment. She stifled a laugh, finding his sudden discomfort a little entertaining.
“Well?” she asked, determined to get an answer since he seemed so uncomfortable.
“Um…” He sat upright and rubbed his palms across his jeans. “Rick was, uh, trying to give me dating advice.”
Taylin stared at him, speechless. That was the last thing she expected to hear coming from Mr. I’m-not-ready-for-a-relationship. But maybe that excuse was just strictly reserved for her. Maybe he was ready for a relationship with someone else.
“Oh.” Although she desperately wanted to ask him whom he wanted to date, she tried to play it off as no big deal. “He doesn’t strike me as a relationship guru.”
Luke shrugged. “He made a few good points.”
“Really?” She moistened her lips. “So, what did he say?”
“More or less he told me to seize the day.”
What? As in enjoy the moment—like this moment—and not worry about the future? She quickly glanced away, her mind jumping to all sorts of dangerous conclusions. It took a great deal of self-control not to ask for further clarification.
For several long seconds, no one spoke, but Taylin could feel his eyes still lingering on her. Unable to resist, she raised her face and met his gaze.
“The thing is… I haven’t dated since my divorce.” The corner of Luke’s mouth edged up. “Actually, I haven’t wanted to date anyone since my divorce. Until I met you.”
His admission caught her by surprise. Warmth spread through Taylin as if she’d just slipped into one of the heated mineral pools at the spa. Still, she held back, curbing the impulse to throw her arms around him. She remembered the earth-shaking kiss he’d given her and then promptly apologized for right after. When she kissed him again—because no matter what she told herself, she did want to kiss him again—she did not want another apology.
“Are you ready to take his advice, Luke? Or will you change your mind again once you return back to Mitchel Creek?”
He grinned. “I like how you tell me exactly what’s on your mind.”
That made her laugh. “I don’t tell you everything on my mind.” Like how much she wished he would lean over and kiss her breathlessly.
His gray eyes narrowed a fraction. “What else is on your mind?”
“Ha! Like I’d tell you.”
His focus drifted down to her mouth, almost as if he’d read her thoughts. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes when they lifted back up. “Fair enough.”
Taylin wasn’t sure what was going on. She felt stunned by his revelation and couldn’t think of one thing to say.
“I have a confession,” he said a little hesitantly.
“Oh?” Her heart skipped a few beats as she waited for him to expound. She saw the muscle in his jaw tighten, and he swallowed hard.
“The way you make me feel scares me… so much that I made up that stupid rule about not dating co-workers.”
This man was just full of surprises. She shouldn’t ask him to clarify, but couldn’t resist. “So, how do I make you feel?”
A smile creased his face, revealing an even row of white teeth. “I should’ve known you would ask.”
“You don’t have to answer,” she said quickly, giving him a way out if he wanted it.
His eyes held hers as he took a hold of one of her hands and slipped his fingers between hers. “Every time I’m near you I can hardly think straight.” Taylin’s pulse doubled as Luke slanted forward and whispered, “And you make me want things I thought I’d never want again.”
His sweet declaration barely registered, since she was having a hard time thinking straight too. A soft sigh escaped as his mouth covered hers. His warm lips were firm, yet soft, as he tenderly caressed her mouth, kissing her so perfectly she might melt. Letting go of any negative thoughts, Taylin lost herself in the moment and returned the kiss. She savored the subtle taste of peppermint on his tongue as feelings she’d never experienced before flooded her body.
All too soon, Luke gradually eased back. “Taylin,” he said pressing his forehead to hers. The husky tone of his voice sent a shiver through her.
He didn’t say anything more, and Taylin guessed he already regretted his actions. She pulled away so she could look into his eyes. “If you’re fixin’ to apologize again, then you can forget about gettin’ a slice of cheesecake.”
He grinned. “I wasn’t planning on apologizing.” His thumb made a slow circle across her palm. “At least not for kissing you.”
“Are you sure you aren’t saying that just so you can have dessert?”
“I guess I deserved that,” he said with a laugh.
“Maybe a little.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so rude to you.” He surprised her when he bent his head and placed a lingeri
ng kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, he almost looked sad. “Vivian, my ex-wife, kind of screwed me up.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
He looked away briefly and nodded his head. “Yeah, if you want to hear it.”
“I do.” She scooted over next to him, and they both leaned back against the tree trunk.
His fingers tightened around her hand as he talked about his tumultuous marriage of three years to a woman who broke her marriage vows more than once. Taylin was staggered by how many times Luke forgave Vivian, only to have her cheat on him again.
“Just before our anniversary,” Luke said. “I’d had enough and contacted an attorney. Vivian was upset and begged me not to go through with the divorce. She even agreed to see a marriage counselor our pastor had recommended.” Luke gave a derisive laugh. “I really thought she’d changed and I hoped we could finally start our family.”
His voice faltered, and Taylin gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. She almost told him he didn’t need to tell her anymore when Luke cleared his throat.
“Not long after our anniversary, I had to spend the weekend in Billings doing a rotation at the hospital there, but it got cut short and I came home early. Vivian wasn’t at our house, and she didn’t answer her cell phone. I didn’t want to call her mom to see if she knew where Viv was because she blamed me for Vivian’s indiscretions.” He glanced down at Taylin. “That’s another long story I don’t want to go into right now.”
“I understand,” Taylin said softly.
“Thanks.” He held her gaze for a few heartbeats before looking straight ahead to continue the story. “Anyway, I found Vivian’s laptop in the kitchen, and when I opened it up, her email popped up on the screen. There was an open message from some ritzy spa about an hour from our house Vivian had wanted to go to. The email was a confirmation for an overnight stay for two.”
Taylin bit at her bottom lip, guessing what came next. She felt sick to her stomach as Luke told her about arriving at the spa and catching Vivian with a former lover in a sensual couple’s massage session. No wonder Luke had reacted so angrily about the couple’s massage the previous day. “I’m so sorry, Luke.”
“I was such a fool.” He swallowed and turned to look at her. “Later that night, Vivian told me she was pregnant and I wasn’t the father. Since I’d already started the process, our divorce was finalized in a matter of weeks. Seven months later, she had a baby boy. I managed to avoid her for a while, but then I kept running into her and her new family, and I knew I couldn’t stay in Montana any longer.”
Hearing the full story wiped away any fears about Luke ever getting back together with his ex-wife. His situation was nothing like the man’s her friend Jessica had dated. “So you came to Georgia.”
“Yeah, I came to Georgia. My plans were to work hard, fish any chance I got and avoid women.” The wariness in his eyes faded, and he gave her a small smile. “I just didn’t count on meeting someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Taylin said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.”
“I promise it isn’t meant as an insult.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. “I find you irresistible, Miss Nichols.”
“Why, Mr. McKay, I believe that is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He laughed and slipped his arm around Taylin as she snuggled in close to him. His warm body felt wonderful, especially since it felt like the temperature had dropped ten degrees since they’d stopped to eat their lunch.
She tipped her head back and looked at the sky, startled by the bank of dark clouds moving in. “Oh wow, it looks like Oscar was right after all.”
Luke followed her line of sight and frowned. “I can’t believe how fast that moved in.” He let her go and got to his feet. “We better start back right now.”
He helped Taylin stand up, and she felt the first drop of rain hit her cheek. Putting on his cowboy hat, Luke quickly grabbed the emergency blankets and wadded them up. “Can you store these in your backpack while I get the rain ponchos?”
“Sure.” She stuffed them in the backpack, wishing she’d remembered to bring her denim jacket.
Luke handed her a yellow colored poncho made of thin plastic. “Put this on. We’re about to get wet.”
She slipped it on, not caring how unflattering it looked with the hood covering her head. With Luke’s help, she mounted Starlight. Thunder rumbled overhead, and seconds later, the sporadic drops of rain turned into a downpour.
Keeping her head down, Taylin followed behind Luke and Princess. The poncho kept her relatively dry, but it did nothing to combat the cold seeping into every bone in her body. It was a good thing the horses knew the trail, because it soon became unrecognizable from the mud and puddles of water.
A loud rumble of thunder sounded overhead, followed by a flash of lightning. Starlight jumped, and Taylin gripped the horn on the saddle to keep from falling off. Her frozen fingers hurt as she righted herself.
She glanced up and saw Luke coming toward her. “You okay?” he asked, pulling up alongside her.
No. She was terrified of the lightning and freezing. “Yes,” she said, unable to hide her chattering teeth. “Let’s keep going.”
The brim of his cowboy hat shadowed his face, but she could still read the concern in his gray eyes. He nodded his head and took the lead again. The wind whipped at Taylin’s thin plastic covering, and she prayed it wouldn’t rip. The journey back seemed to take forever. Hopefully the storm would move on as quickly as it had hit. In order to keep going, Taylin imagined submerging herself into the large Jacuzzi tub in her suite. She might even sleep in there.
They couldn’t have traveled for more than ten minutes when the rain turned to hail. The pea-sized chunks of ice stung when they hit the exposed flesh of her hands. Starlight didn’t like being struck anymore than Taylin did. The horse tried to increase its pace, but the muddy ground impeded its attempts.
Suddenly, a low rumbling noise shook the air, and Taylin waited for the flash of lightning to follow. But the lightning never came, and the rumbling steadily grew until it sounded like a roaring freight train.
Something large hit her shoulder, and she jerked her head up to see what it was just as Starlight reared back on her hind legs, throwing Taylin from the saddle. She hit the ground hard, scrambling out of the way of the horse’s frantic hoofs. She called out to Luke and watched in horror as a large pine tree uprooted in front of his horse.
Taylin cried out again when Princess’s legs buckled and the horse rolled over on top of Luke. The horse flailed on the ground and then clambered to its feet before galloping away. Taylin crawled on her hands and knees over to where Luke lay on the ground not moving.
“Luke!” she screamed, grabbing onto his arm. He didn’t respond, and Taylin crawled around to get in front of him. She was vaguely aware of the chaos around them. Another tree ripped from the ground, and a large branch landed a few inches from Luke’s head.
“Luke, we have to get out of here.” She shook his shoulders. “Come on, Luke. Wake up.”
Although his cowboy hat was gone, the hood of the poncho still covered his head. With trembling fingers, Taylin pushed back the plastic material and gasped. Luke’s ashen face had rivulets of blood running down the side.
Inside, Taylin was frantically screaming, but her subconscious remained calm as her medical knowledge kicked in. Moving her fingers along his whisker-covered jaw and down his neck, she felt for a pulse.
She thanked God when she felt the evidence of his beating heart against her fingertips.
Chapter 16
There was a good reason why Luke didn’t drink. The morning after the party was never worth it. His head ached like someone had taken a two by four and whacked him a few times. He tried to move, but the pain shooting through his entire body made him stop.
“Luke! Oh thank goodness you’re awake.”
He forced his eyelid
s open, and the moment his gaze landed on Taylin, everything came back in a rush. At least the blow to his head hadn’t affected his memory. That had been one wicked storm. Luke was fairly certain they’d just experienced a tornado.
“How long have I been out?” Feeling the hard, wet ground beneath him, Luke wanted to sit up, but the old injury to his shoulder radiated pain down his arm and made him stay put. His ribs were tender too and he wondered if he’d broken a couple of them.
“Too long for my liking.” Taylin bit at her bottom lip. “I’m not sure what knocked you out. It could’ve been when you hit the ground or when the horse rolled over you. Probably both.”
That part he didn’t remember. It was no wonder his entire body ached. He hoped both of the horses were okay. He glanced up at the sky and, for the first time, noticed the emergency blanket sheltering them from the rain. Ingeniously, Taylin had used the broken tree limbs scattered around them to hold up the blanket. The other blanket was draped over his torso.
“Nice shelter.” He tried to smile but knew it came off more as a grimace. He was becoming increasingly aware of other possible injuries as a throbbing pain pulsated in his left leg. “I can’t believe you were able to move me all by yourself.”
“I didn’t move you.” Her teeth chattered, and he could see her visibly shaking. “I tried, but you’re a big guy. How much do you weigh anyway?”
“Probably twice your weight.” He couldn’t help smiling. “Sorry, I hope you didn’t hurt yourself trying.”
She shook her head. “No, but we both must have guardian angels lookin’ out for us because not one tree branch landed on us, only around us.”
“Wow, the way my head feels I was sure a tree had to have hit me.”
“You had me worried.” Taylin reached out to touch the side of his head. Her fingers were like ice. “The bleeding was pretty bad when I first found you, but it’s only a small gash.”
“You’re freezing,” Luke said as he reached up and took her hand. He wished he could do something to help her, like warm her up. Unfortunately, the poncho was cold and wet.
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 Page 15
