Kidnapped at the Gun Show

by Lavender Daye

  More silence.

  Crawled through the parking lot.

  More silence until the moment they passed Paige and Emma standing next to their car. Rage, pure and simple, was the sound coming from Sara. No real words, just a growl of real disgust. Probably what she felt for him, too.

  “Sorry, darlin’. I didn’t want to do this, but you wouldn’t talk to me any other way.”

  The silence was back, and he couldn’t blame her for not wanting conversation. He hit the freeway and set the cruise control. He’d borrowed a friend’s hunting cabin for the week but hoped they wouldn’t have to stay that long. He had a lot of hopes for this adventure, but they all hinged on Sara’s forgiveness.

  An hour and a half later, he turned down a dirt road and got his first words from his captive.

  “Where are we?”

  “Piney Woods of East Texas.”

  “Duh. I know that much. Where, exactly? Or are you planning to rape me and dump my body in a shallow grave in the woods?”

  “Fuck, Sara. Do you really think I’d do that to you? Was I ever rough with you when we were together?”

  More silence, then finally he heard a very soft “No.”

  “I have never, and never will, raise a hand to you in anger. That’s a promise, an oath before God.”

  “I know.”

  She sounded wistful, like the world she knew had fallen away and she just wanted to survive. Not unexpected, but definitely not what he’d hoped.

  “I’m having a little trouble figuring you out, Kale. You left me with no idea of what went wrong between us. Well, I guess your decision to sleep with Kathy had something to do with it. And then you just vanished.”

  He parked the truck in front of Riley’s cabin and got out. Opening her door, he said, “I didn’t sleep with Kathy.”

  “Yes, you did. You got her pregnant and abandoned her.”

  “Not possible, since I never laid a hand on her.” Kale fished the key out of his front pocket and unlocked the cuffs. Taking each wrist in his hands, he massaged the red spots where the rubber had chafed.

  She slid out of the truck and socked him in the chest. Stomping to the cabin door, she said, “I hope there’s running water in this place. I need a bathroom.” She turned hard eyes on him. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m going to have to find a bush out here.”

  Kale hurried to unlock the door. “Straight down the hall and to the left.” Wisely, he waited until she was inside to laugh.

  He went back to the truck and pulled her bag out of the large metal toolbox mounted in the truck’s bed. Emma had packed a few things for her last night and passed them to him early this morning. Sara’d be pissed when she saw just how complicit her friends had been, but he knew she’d be happy to have her things while they were here. It was a little rustic, but Riley liked his creature comforts, so electricity and running water were a priority. And the only bed in the place was a plush king with lots of pillows and high-end sheets.

  The only thing missing was a phone line. And because of the location, cell service wasn’t consistent. Sara stood in the doorway, cell in hand, glaring at him.

  “How long do you plan to keep me here?” she asked. “I have things to do—what the hell are you doing with that suitcase?”

  She was a fire-breathing goddess, and he couldn’t suppress his smile. Which did him absolutely no good. She threw her cell at him, since it was the only weapon she had, and screamed when he caught it.

  “You won’t need this, since there isn’t a tower for miles. And I didn’t coerce your friends into helping me. I told them the facts, and they believed me. More to the point, they believed you would understand, once you got over being mad.”

  Kale walked past her, brushing against her as he passed through the doorway, then carried her bag into the bedroom.

  “I’m not sleeping with you, Kale, so don’t even think about sharing that bed with me.”

  “Darlin’, when I lay down in that big warm bed with you, sleeping will be the last thing on my mind.” Kale laughed at her growl of frustration. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t hold it in. She was a wildcat in anger, and he hoped her wild spirit would be part of their passion.

  “I hate you, Kale.”

  “No, I don’t believe that, Sara.” He reached out, his fingers barely touching the soft skin of her throat. “I think you’re scared of how you feel about me. When you’re ready to talk about what happened three years ago, we’ll work it all out.” She was frozen in place, but he leaned forward anyway and skimmed his lips across the curve of her shoulder where it joined with her throat. Her trembling response told him more than words would.

  But he didn’t mention it, didn’t want to push her too far, too fast. Instead, he walked away, putting space between them in the guise of taking the groceries into the kitchen.

  He heard her step off the stoop and into the gravel drive. After a year of surveillance work, his sense of hearing was acute, and he could track her movements without looking. He knew she wouldn’t go far. There was nowhere to go, really. The Piney Woods stretched for miles in all directions, and the road they’d taken into the area was a simple two-lane blacktop. Sara was smart enough to know she needed to stay within sight of the cabin.

  He left her to her thoughts for the time being and pulled out a pot and some provisions from the refrigerator. He started a pot of chili, watching her through the kitchen window while he chopped an onion and added it to the cooking meat. Sara’s hands were stuffed in the pockets of her jeans, her brows down while she paced between the wooden bench and the picket fence surrounding the septic tank. Thinking things out. Working it through. It was a good thing.

  He hoped.

  For all he knew, she was planning to strangle him and take his truck back to civilization.

  After a while, she sat on the bench and wrapped her arms around herself. It was a warm day for late January, but the wind was a little brisk and she looked cold. Kale rifled through the linen closet and found a light blanket. Lost in her thoughts, Sara looked up in surprise when he dropped the blanket across her shoulders.

  “Thanks.”

  “Figured it out yet?” he asked, keeping his tone gentle, as nondominant as possible. A stretch for him, but she needed to feel in control, and he’d do whatever it took to make her feel safe.

  “What?”

  “You’ve been out here for over an hour. Have you decided what to do next?” Kale sat next to her and kept his eyes focused on the trees in front of them, giving her space.

  “No.”

  “Want me to help?”

  When she turned her head to stare at him, he ignored the urge to meet her gaze. If he did, he’d want to kiss her senseless, and that wouldn’t get them anywhere near the truth. She had to hear the facts and come to him willingly. The physical attraction they still had would get in the way until she was ready to decide.

  “What kind of help can you give me?”

  She sounded irritated but curious. Kale let his eyes drift closed for just a moment. They were making progress.

  “I can tell you what happened the day before I left town.”

  “You mean, the day Kathy told me about your affair?” she said, her voice a ragged whisper of raw pain.

  “I didn’t sleep with her, Sara. But I was told you slept with Howard Finch while I was out of town. Hell, I even had pictures of the two of you together. So I didn’t come home, just disappeared and let you do whatever you wanted. But I never stopped loving you.”

  “You had pictures of me with Howie?” She sounded incredulous, which made sense. “He was a friend, but we never dated.”

  “Yeah, I know. The pictures weren’t real. I know that now. I was hurt. Pissed off. I overreacted.” Kale turned on the bench and faced her, taking her hand. “I used it as an excuse to bolt.”

  “Why did you leave?” she asked.

  “Our relationship was moving fast and I freaked. I was stupid.”

  She tugged until he let
go of her hand and moved far enough across the yard to avoid further contact. “Who gave you the pictures?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Well, since I have pictures of you with Kathy, yes. It definitely matters.”

  “You have pictures of me with Kathy? Impossible. We never dated.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  Kale kicked at the gravel path, watching her pace across the small space while he thought about the words he’d have to use. Finally, he decided to screw the rules his grandmother had drummed into him since birth. “Look, what I have to say isn’t pretty, and I apologize up front, okay?” He waited for her nod before continuing. “Kathy was a skank. I know she was your friend, but she spread her legs for just about every man in town. And personally, I’m not interested in everybody else’s leftovers.”

  She’d stopped pacing and was staring at him like he’d grown another head. “Sorry, I know it’s not nice to talk about the dead like that, but it’s the truth.”

  “What? Kathy’s not dead. She moved to Nevada last year.”

  “I was told she died in a car wreck a year after I left town.”

  Sara returned to her spot on the bench. “Who’s been telling you these things?”

  “Denny Cooper.”

  “Interesting. He’s the one with the picture of you and Kathy.” Sara shook her head, sadness washing over her face, and Kale had an immediate urge to punch someone, with Denny high on the list.

  “Where can I find the sonuvabitch?”

  “He moved to Nevada with Kathy.”

  Kale stared at her, both of them fools to believe the stories they were fed. So much time wasted because of lies.

  “I shouldn’t have believed his story.” Kale shuffled his boots through the gravel, hoping the worst of the conversation was over.

  “Why did they do this? It doesn’t make sense,” Sara asked.

  “Hard to tell what motivates some people. Jealousy? Pure meanness?”

  Sara sighed. “We were casual friends, not really close, but – wait. You used all this as an excuse for what?”

  Busted.

  “Honestly, I had some relationship issues to work out. I’ve been figuring things out.”

  Sara placed her hand on his knee and squeezed. “Commitment issues?”

  “Sort of. I’m working on it.” He tugged at her hands. “It’s been three years. What are we going to do now?”

  Her face glowed as regret was wiped away and replaced by a sensual awareness he’d missed for three years. A smile teased at the corners of her mouth, a mouth made to fit his.

  “I believe I saw a king-sized bed inside. I wonder how resilient it is.”

  Chapter 3

  Feeling about ten pounds lighter, Sara popped off the bench and headed for the door. He loved her. After months and months of self-doubt and sadness, she felt like a feather floating on a breeze. And the feather was about to get flattened if she didn’t hurry. She could hear Kale’s footfalls as he followed her inside. She sprinted to the bedroom and skidded to a halt.

  The bed was turned down, and a large box of condoms was conveniently opened and waiting on the bedside table.

  “Sure of yourself?” she asked, facing him. The slow grin was contagious, but she didn’t want to go there. This scene smacked of a setup. “Looks like you had big plans to get me in bed.”

  “Can’t blame a man for being prepared, baby.”

  And he didn’t look a bit contrite.

  “This is why you carried me out of that gun show. You wanted to screw me one more time before you ran off again.”

  “No, Sara. Keeping you close is all I plan to do.”

  The walls were closing in on her, and so was her throat. She hadn’t seen or heard from him in three years, and she’d just offered to let him into her body. Smooth-talking bastard.

  But the things he’d said about Kathy made sense, in a weird, psycho way, and when she added what she already knew, it was reasonable to accept his apology for leaving her.

  Damn it. Changing the way she thought about Kale was going to take some time. Should she really let him seduce her into bed? Her body was shouting, “Yes! Yes!” while her brain, the sensible part of her, was putting on the brakes.

  Stupid brain.

  She backed up until a wall supported her. “I don’t know what to do, Kale.”

  To his credit, she didn’t see him nudging her toward the bed. If anything, he was as frozen as she was.

  “What do you want to do, Sara?” His tone calmed her a little but didn’t push her one way or the other. This was the man she remembered, the calm, controlled, considerate lover she’d made love with all those years ago.

  “I want—I want what we had before.”

  His body visibly loosened, the muscles in his arms and chest becoming less rigid as she watched.

  “I won’t force you. I hope you know that, Sara.” He moved to the left and sat down on an old wooden kitchen chair someone had placed near the bedroom window. It looked fragile enough to collapse under his weight but didn’t. He almost looked relieved.

  Almost.

  Was it because the chair held his weight, or because they were working things out?

  The bulge in his pants was very evident, the length reminding her of her past life. The time when they were together and sex was hot-and-heavy fun.

  Lately, not so much.

  In fact, in the three years they’d been apart, she’d slept with a total of two men, both of them unremarkable. Hard to get excited about a new guy when you were still in love with an old flame.

  “Sara?”

  She jerked her head up, realizing she’d been caught admiring the goods. Kale was grinning like a soap star getting a Daytime Emmy, and her face felt like she’d been sleeping in the sun.

  “Umm, sorry?”

  He laughed. “Don’t be sorry, honey. Look all you want. In fact, I’ll strip if you want.”

  The blush surged outward from her face and covered the rest of her body. She couldn’t see it, but she could certainly feel it.

  “Honey, maybe we should put this on hold for a few minutes. How would you feel about a bowl of chili and conversation?”

  Sara took a deep breath and let her body relax. “Chili sounds good. And conversation sounds even better.” Maybe getting reacquainted was what they needed more than sex. Sure, the sex would be great when it happened. Of that, she had no doubt.

  Kale stood and offered his hand. When she placed her palm in his, the warmth of his skin traveled up her arm and filled her chest. She’d missed this man more than she’d known.

  He led her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, going so far as to pull out a chair at the little table for her. For the first time, the scent of his chili penetrated her glazed-over mind and she realized how hungry she was. Breakfast was a faint memory when she factored in all the events of the day.

  She watched Kale move around the small kitchen like he belonged there. The space was compact but surprisingly well appointed. Whoever owned the place liked his creature comforts and could afford to have them wherever he was.

  Kale started talking about the chili recipe, joking about how it evolved from a packaged mix to his own special mixture, and she silently thanked him for removing the pressure of immediate sex. Kale had grown since she’d last seen him, not in height or weight but in maturity.

  Sara watched him serve her as he spoke, mumbling answers or comments but mostly observing him. He exuded self-confidence but without arrogance or brazen sexuality. Self-assured, controlled, but most of all he appeared happy in his own skin, and she wished she felt the same way.

  “Thanks,” she said when he put the bowl in front of her. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was. Guess I was fixated on my anger.”

  “Not a surprise. Sorry about kidnapping you, but I was out of options.”

  Swallowing quickly, even though the chili was burning a path down her throat, she said, “What?”

  “I took som
e vacation time, hoping to reconnect with you. I’ve been thinking about you. Hell, you’ve been on my mind constantly for a while now.”

  “Oh.”

  “I hoped to convince you to come home with me. I need you in my life.”

  He looked so calm, talking about his feelings. Not the same man who’d walked away without a word. He was more open, quicker to smile now. The years had been good to him. She had no idea how the changes she saw in him had come about, but they were attractive nonetheless. Sara wasn’t sure how to deal with the new and improved Kale. And his request, so carefully couched as a statement, left her speechless.

  “I wanted to discuss it with you. After finding out about what our so-called friends did to our relationship, I was hoping we could work things out together.”

  Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Sara didn’t want to jump into the river without an idea of how deep it was. She needed a clear picture of what he had in mind. “Explain, please, in simple words. My brain is already a little fried from all these revelations.”

  He grinned. “I’m hoping we can explore getting back together or starting over. I’d like a chance at a real relationship with you.”

  Kale took another bite of chili, and she waited, wanting to hear more before adding her own thoughts. Well, she had to find her brain first, but it was warming up.

  “Once I figured out what Kathy and Howard did, I kept thinking about where we would be now if they hadn’t interfered.”

  “It was three years ago, Kale. We’ve both moved on.” Okay, so it was a lie on her part, but he didn’t know it. Didn’t need to know it.

  “Maybe, but I’d like to get to know you again.” He sipped his iced tea, his expression a little too pensive for her peace of mind. “I’ve changed, Sara. My lifestyle has evolved since I left Dallas. But I’m hoping you’ll be able to embrace the changes. I think we might find what both of us need.” He reached out to stroke the back of her hand where it rested on the table. “Would you be willing to try with me?”