by Janet Dailey
"How long has it been since you made love for the sheer pleasure of it?" His voice was low, faintly drawling in its curiosity.
"I... " How could she say "never" "I... I don't know. "
Something grim flickered across his expression. Jordanna wondered why her answer had displeased Mm. She had admitted how very special she had felt in his arms. Most men would have been puffing up with conceit if a woman told them that.
Laughter and loud voices from the party suddenly intruded into the moment. He gave her a crooked smile of regret, an expression with no emotion behind it, and rolled away from her. Her body felt cool without the warmth of him beside her.
"It's time we were rejoining the party. " His clipped explanation hung in the air as he began to dress.
"Yes, " Jordanna agreed, but couldn't shake the confusion his strange attitude had caused.
It haunted her as she stepped into the black gown and pulled the straps over her shoulders. Drawing the material snugly around her waist, she raised the zipper, but the hook at the top defied her fingers. She walked over to him. His shirt was tucked into his pants and he was buttoning the front. She turned her back to him.
"Would you fasten this for me, please?" When her request was met with silence, Jordanna glanced questioningly over her shoulder. His hands were on his shirt front, halted in the act of buttoning the shirt. At her glance, he moved to fasten the hook, his gaze cynical and hard.
"You're having your share of trouble with it tonight, aren't you?" There was something taunting in his remark as his fingers brushed against her spine.
A frown drew her brows together until Jordanna remembered she had needed her father's assistance earlier when he must have been outside on the rooftop patio. She had forgotten that.
Someone tried the door to the den. The attempt was immediately followed by a knock. "Jordanna? Are you in there?"
She recognized, her brother's voice. "Yes, Kit. " The hook was fastened and his touch was withdrawn from the sensitive skin of her backbone. "Thank you, " she murmured but he had already turned away. Before her brother could knock again, Jordanna hurried to the door, nervously running a hand over the sides of her hair.
When she finally opened the door, Christopher's face wore a frowning smile of bemused concern. "I've been looking all over for you, " he began and stopped as he looked beyond her.
"Excuse me. " A low voice said and Jordanna turned to find the tall, dark-haired stranger behind her. His suit jacket was suspended from the hook of his finger, and swung over his shoulder. His bronzed features were devoid of expression as he met her look. "Thanks for sharing the peace and quiet... and the Scotch. " He lifted the glass in his hand before inclining his head in a mocking gesture and brushing his way past them into the hall.
"Who was that?" her brother asked.
She was jolted by the realization that she didn't know his name. A bubble of hysterical laughter rose in her throat What would her brother say if she told him she had just made love to a total stranger with glorious abandon? What was more absurd, not five hours ago she had declared she was swearing off men! Had she taken leave of her senses? It she had, Jordanna hoped it wouldn't be the only such experience. The way she felt had to be what Kit had been talking about. All this warm, wonderful confusion lingering inside had to be a sensation that would be repeated. She wished she could tell her brother how right he had been, but their relationship wasn't close enough.
"A guest, " Jordanna finally answered his question. "We never got around to introductions. " They had met on an elemental level where names had been superfluous... until this moment
"Dad said you were in here. "
"I've been... relaxing" she said, in case her appearance needed explaining.
His dark gaze skimmed her face. "You look rested ... and refreshed, considerably less tense than you did earlier, " he admitted, but his eyes seemed to probe.
Jordanna didn't want to be examined that closely. It was all too new. "I guess I'd better be rejoining the party before I'm accused of being rude, " she declared with a mock grimace, but her brother didn't move out of her way.
A teasing light danced in his eyes. "You'd better put your shoes on first. "
At his remark, her bare toes curled into the carpet A self-conscious warmth flooded her skin as she laughed and turned away. "I wish I didn't have to wear them. "
Brig abandoned his drink on the first table he came to. A grim kind of anger was simmering in his veins. What had started out as a tasting kiss had become a hunger he couldn't control. Not only had his appetite been satiated, but he'd also had the satisfaction of knowing she had enjoyed her experience. He could still feel the smooth softness of her body against him, the sensation lingering. Damn, but she had been a helluva woman when her wall of inhibitions had finally crumbled. He had been surprised by the invisible barrier and determined to have all of her or none.
Someone jostled his shoulder, snapping the thread of his reverie. Brig glanced around the crowded room. On the far side, he saw Fletcher Smith and turned in the opposite direction, hating himself for doing it. Max was standing twenty feet away, part of a clustered group.
A growing self-disgust welled inside Brig. Earlier he had viewed his cousin's flirtation with Olivia Smith with searing contempt. He had been derisive of a man who would take another man's money and his woman. But he had done just that.
Long, impatient strides carried him back to Max. "I'm leaving, " Brig announced curtly.
"So soon?" his cousin frowned.
"Tell Smith I'll be in touch. " Brig started toward the foyer.
"You can tell him yourself. He's standing right over there, " Max declared.
But Brig didn't respond. He was already halfway to the door. He didn't like himself very much at the moment—nor what he'd done, nor the fact that he had derived so much pleasure from doing it.
When Jordanna returned to the party with her brother, she looked for the stranger, but there was no sign of him. After nearly an hour of discreet searching, she finally admitted he had left. His identity was a mystery to her, one she wanted to solve. She wanted to see him again, to discover if the wild wonder of him had been only an illusion.
The next day, a janitorial company came to the apartment to clean up after the party. The living room was being vacuumed and Jordanna wandered into the dining room where her mother was supervising the storing of personal silver bowls and flatware.
"Livvie, " Jordanna began her question hesitantly, wanting to sound only mildly interested, "last night at the party, who was that man I saw you talking with?"
Her mother stiffened, her swift glance sharp and wary. "I spoke to everyone who attended. You'll have to be more specific than that, Jordanna. "
The curt response was concealing something else. Guilt? A shock wave rocked Jordanna. What if that man had been one of her mother's lovers. The possibility twisted her stomach into a churning mass of revulsion.
"Never mind. " She didn't want to find out who he was anymore. It was better if she didn't know. She hurriedly retreated from the room, leaving her mother staring after her in confusion.
Alone, Jordanna kept trying to convince herself that he hadn't been her mother's type. But what did she know of the kind of man her mother found attractive? It wasn't possible, she kept insisting. But the question remained no matter how much she tried to ignore it
Chapter 7
As Jordanna pushed open the door leading from the fire stairs to the top floor, her brother stepped out of the elevator. Perspiration flowed freely over her face, curling wisps of wet hair clinging to her temples and forehead. The rest of her long hair was pulled to the nape of her neck and secured by a circular, combed holder. Dressed in a forest green jogging suit with cream yellow stripes, she was puffing heavily.
Christopher stopped. "What's wrong with the elevators?" he mocked. "Or are you naturally so energetic?"
"I rode the elevator halfway up and took the stairs the rest of the way, " she said breathlessly an
d halted to rest her hands on her hips. She blew the stale air from her aching lungs and flexed the cramping muscles in her legs. "I've been out jogging, " Jordanna panted, trying to stay limber.
"So I guessed, " he inserted dryly.
"I've got to get into shape for the mountains, " she explained between gasping breaths.
"Another hunting trip?" Christopher took the key she handed him and unlocked the apartment door.
Jordanna nodded. "We're leaving the second week in September—another three weeks. " She entered the apartment ahead of him, still struggling to catch her breath.
"Where are you going this time?" He closed the door and returned her key. Jordanna dropped it in the slashed pocket of her jacket, and mopped the perspiration from her neck with the sleeve.
"Idaho. Somewhere around the Salmon River, I guess. Some rancher named McCord is guiding us back into the sheep country. " She continued to pace the living room to keep from getting stiff. "Dad has made all the arrangements. "
Fletcher always handled the details of planning a hunt. Normally Jordanna had more interest in the arrangements he made and discussed them with him, but not this time. She couldn't concentrate on anything. The memory of that July party and the man she'd made love to that night kept crowding into her thoughts. She had never mentioned him again after that one, abortive attempt the next day. She wanted to forget him, but she couldn't forget the way he had made her feel.
At first she had tried to recapture the emotion with other partners. Their kisses hadn't lived up to her expectations and Jordanna had backed out of their embraces because they demanded nothing from her but submission. She had experienced something more fulfilling and she wanted to find it again. Not even the ache of frustration could make her settle for less.
"How long will you be leaving Mother alone this time? Three weeks? A month?" Her brother's questions were vaguely angry.
Jordanna's temper was always easily aroused, but lately it didn't take much provocation to rile it. "Probably three weeks. But she won't be alone, " Jordanna snapped. "You'll be here. And, whoever she's sleeping with now. " A sharp pain stabbed at the thought of who it might be.
"You can't resist an opportunity to put her down, can you?" he accused. His mouth was pressed into a tight line of control, but the flashing darkness of his eyes betrayed his anger. "You use her mistakes to rationalize away any guilt for leaving her behind, while you and Dad go off alone to some forgotten corner of the earth. "
"It so happens that we aren't going alone this time, " she retorted. The breath was back in her lungs and they were operating normally as the blood flowed hotly through her veins.
Her statement made Christopher momentarily forget his anger. "You aren't? Since when? Dad never takes anyone hunting with him except you and a guide. "
"This time Dad is taking a friend. He isn't going to hunt, he's just tagging along on the trip. "
He eyed her skeptically. "Who is going with you?"
"A friend of Dad's. His name is Max Sanger. " Jordanna didn't know the man all that well. Her father included her on his hunting trips, but she was excluded from activities involving male friends. His evenings out were strictly his own. Jordanna didn't participate in them.
"Max Sanger?" Her brother appeared stunned by her answer. "Are you positive?"
"If you don't believe me, ask Dad. "
"I will. " His handsome features were set in an expression of grim purpose. That surprised Jordanna. "Where is he? In the den?"
"I imagine. " There was a trace of haughty unconcern in her shrug. But when her brother strode off for the den, curiosity impelled her to follow him.
The door to the den was already standing open when Jordanna rounded the corner of the hallway. Her brother was inside, issuing a clipped greeting to his father. "Hello, Dad. "
"What are you doing here, Kit? I don't recall asking to see you. " At the bitter scorn in her father's voice, Jordanna slowed to a halt short of the doorway. She'd never heard her father speak to Kit with such contempt before. It shocked her.
"I wasn't aware that I needed an invitation, " her brother countered in a hard, flat voice.
"What do you want? If you're here looking for your mother, I have no idea where she is. Ask Tessa. " There was a rustle of papers being shuffled.
"At the moment, I want to talk to you, " Christopher stated.
"We haven't anything left to say to each other. And I'm busy with some reports. "
Jordanna knew her father had resented the way Kit had rejected his financial support and moved out in favor of making it on his own, but she never realized how embittered he had become toward his own son.
"Jordanna tells me you are leaving on a hunting trip soon, " her brother continued.
"Since when have you been interested in any of my hunting trips?" her father snapped.
Disbelief that it was actually her father speaking like that, despite the fact that it was his voice, carried Jordanna into the doorway. He was seated behind his desk. His expression was filled with a derision that made her flinch.
"Jordanna also mentioned that you aren't going alone this time. " Her brother had tipped his head to one side, a hint of challenge in the angle.
"That's right. " Her father removed his glasses and leaned back in the swivel armchair. As he did, he noticed Jordanna standing in the doorway. Immediately his attitude changed to one of aloof interest
"She said Max Sanger is coming with you. Is that right?"
"Max has scheduled his trip to coincide with ours, " he admitted, his gaze narrowing faintly. "He isn't going hunting He's just taking a vacation in the mountains. "
"But why is he going with you?"
"I believe McCord, the rancher who will be serving as our guide, is related to Max, his cousin or something I imagine that had something to do with his decision to come with us, " her father explained with reasonable logic. "Plus, I've expressed an interest in some stock he is considering selling, as well as a land development project he's started in California. I think he wants to discuss the possibility in more detail. "
"But you don't mix business and hunting, " Christopher accused.
"So I've told him, but Max remains to be convinced. " Fletcher Smith smiled with mild amusement.
"Why are you letting him come with you when you've always objected to others accompanying you in the past?" There was a doubt still needing to be put to rest before her brother was convinced that her father didn't have some other ulterior motive.
"I have objected to other hunters, " Fletcher qualified the statement. "Because it meant sharing the skills of a guide. Max is simply corning along for the adventure of the trip. "
"In that case, " Christopher paused, still wary, although Jordanna couldn't understand why, "you wouldn't object if I came along?"
His gray head lifted slightly in a gesture of surprise. "This is still a hunting party, Kit. The purpose is to shoot a bighorn ram. It isn't a trip for the squeamish or the faint-hearted. " He studied the slender man facing the desk. "You've never expressed an interest in coming before. Why now, Kit?"
"I reject your sport, not you. Whatever else you may think about me, I am a man, I won't faint at the sight of blood, " Christopher assured him with dry humor. "I want to go with you, Dad. "
Fletcher Smith sat forward in his chair. A shudder seemed to quake through him. He looked suddenly very old and tired... and vulnerable. His brown eyes were haunted with love as he gazed at the young man.
"You don't know how many times I've wanted to hear you say that, son. " His voice shook, revealing how much he had been moved by Kit's last statement "Why haven't you? Why did you wait until now?"
"Because... this is one trip I have to take. " Her brother seemed to choose the words of his answer with care. "May I come with you?"
"Yes. " A wide smile beamed from her father's face, making him look young and invincible again. His sparkling gaze swung to her. "How about you, Jordanna? Do you think you can put up with your brother for three
solid weeks?"
"I doubt it" But there was a faint smile on her lips. She could see how pleased, how proud her father was that Kit wanted to come with them. No matter how angry Kit could make her, she was grateful and happy that he had taken this step to heal the break with their father. "But I guess I'll survive the experience. "
It was nearly dusk. The distant peaks were catching the first flames of sunset Tugging the gloves from his fingers, Brig walked toward the rough log house. There was no buoyancy to his stride. His steps betrayed his bone-weary tiredness as the spurs jingled on his boots. A dusty, matted cow dog trotted at his heels.
He'd been pushing himself hard, harder than he would have pushed anyone else these past weeks. The last cutting of hay was up and he could only hope it was enough to get him through the coming winter. He'd ridden up to the high camp where Jocko was grazing the sheep to take him supplies.
Lifting his gaze to the sky, he remembered the shepherd's warning that the mountain creatures were preparing for an early winter. It had been a clear blue day. How long could he leave the cattle in the lush grasses of the high valleys before he'd have to bring them down to the winter pastures close to the ranch house? He had hoped to gain part of September, but with this hunting expedition and now Jocko's warning he couldn't risk it.
Impatiently, Brig slapped his gloves against his thighs. The herd would have to come down next week. The mottled cow dog left his side to trot over and flop in the shade of a tree. Brig's smiling glance resembled a tired grimace.
"That's what I'd like to do, Sam, " he told the dog Its tail hit the ground once in response to its name.
Gripping the wooden hand rail, Brig climbed the steps to the back entrance of the two-story log structure. He removed his straw Stetson as he entered the door and hung it on a wooden peg A short, stocky man in blue jeans and a plaid shirt was standing in front of the kitchen stove, stirring the contents of a pot. Barrel-chested with narrow hips, he glanced at Brig when he entered.
