“You didn’t see anyone leave my bus?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Still, the sheriff’s going to want to hear this since it could narrow down the timeframe. Do you mind finding him? He was in my bus a few minutes ago with plans to process the scene.” Blake grimaced. “I assume that means dusting for prints and making a mess of the place.”
“If you need somewhere to sleep…”
“The Wildes have a couple of spare bedrooms. I’m headed over to the house now.”
“Of course you are.” Her shoulders hunched beneath her sweater. “I’m just thankful you weren’t injured. I’ll go find the sheriff. Good-bye, Blake.”
“Night, Pris.”
He hurried the rest of the way to the house and took the porch steps two at a time. A light still burned behind the blinds in the big front room. Hopefully that meant Eden hadn’t gone to bed yet. He knocked softly then jammed his hands in his pockets. When the door swung inward, he let out a sigh of relief.
“I wondered if you’d come over.” Eden’s smile looked tired. “Come on in. My mom and dad were hoping for an update.”
He stepped inside and waited while she shut the door behind him. “Did you already talk to one of the deputies?”
She nodded. “He stopped by shortly after I left you at your bus. Said the sheriff might have more questions for me tomorrow, though I’m not sure how I can help since I don’t know anything more than what I already told him.” She laid a hand on his arm then led the way into the living room. “Have a seat and tell us what Howard had to say when he questioned you.”
Blake shook hands with her dad and smiled at her mom when the pair rose from one of the long leather couches. “Sorry to bother you so late, but the sheriff kicked me out of my bus.”
“No bother at all. Goodness, what a scare you had.” Dahlia waved toward the second couch. “Please make yourself at home. You’re more than welcome to use one of the guest rooms upstairs tonight.”
“I appreciate that.” After he sat, Eden curled up beside him on the soft leather cushion. “There isn’t a whole lot to tell. The sheriff thinks the foaming liquid in my shampoo bottle was drain cleaner. A supply is kept in the food truck, and pretty much anyone who made an effort could have accessed it. The same with my bus since I’m not certain I locked the door today on a couple of different occasions.”
Boyd leaned back in the corner of the couch and turned a thoughtful gaze on him. “So, unless Howard finds prints on the bottle or your shower door that don’t belong to you, he’s not going to have much to work with.”
“Doesn’t seem like it. I mentioned he’d find Eden’s prints on the door. The sheriff also asked if anyone has a reason to want to seriously injure me.”
Eden straightened. “Did you give him our suspect list?”
“Yes. Max already confronted me after a deputy grilled him. He’s not happy.”
She scowled. “Too bad for Max. Someone has a serious vendetta against you. I don’t care a lot about hurt feelings if shaking up a few people will keep you safe.”
“Hopefully the authorities will be able to arrest the person who’s responsible.” Dahlia gripped the arm of the couch. “But even if it takes a while to find conclusive evidence, maybe the mere fact that he’s been questioned will keep whoever it is from trying again. I don’t like the idea these attacks are so random.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” Eden shifted, and her knee pressed against Blake’s thigh.
“I mean the attempts on Blake weren’t very well thought out. What if the director had changed his mind again, and you’d been the one to ride Flint, after all? You could have been thrown because of the glass shard instead of Blake.”
“My job was to take a fall, anyway. I was prepared to hit the ground. Blake wasn’t.”
“I suppose, but I’m not naïve enough to think you two haven’t grown close over the last few weeks. It’s possible you could have been the one to use that shampoo bottle.”
The clock on the mantle ticked in the silence.
Blake cleared his throat. “I should probably stay away from Eden until this maniac is identified and arrested.”
She slid even closer and rested a clenched fist on his knee. “Not going to happen.”
“I didn’t mean you should keep your distance.” Her mother’s gaze softened as she studied her daughter. “I know you would never let yourself be intimidated. Backing down goes against your nature.”
“But it doesn’t hurt to be extra cautious,” her dad added. “And that goes for all the cast and crew you work with, Blake. Kara Fox could easily have been the victim cut by the chisel in the hay instead of you.”
He let out an unsteady breath. “True. I hadn’t even thought of that. Surely her husband wouldn’t have risked injuring her, so maybe we can eliminate him as someone who might have motive.”
Eden frowned. “It’s possible he read her script and knew you were to be the one on the bottom.”
“The script isn’t that detailed.” Blake could feel his cheeks heating. “Uh, the directions were simply to roll in the hay and keep any exposure to a PG-13 rating.”
Eden snorted. “Good to know you have creative license when you’re filming a love scene. I guess they want to keep the action spontaneous.”
“Pretty much. At any rate, Hayden would have risked serious injury to his wife by planting that chisel.”
“Maybe the barn incident was an accident.” Eden frowned. “Seeing you hauled off to get stitches could have given our psycho ideas.”
Boyd planted his elbows on his knees. “I suppose that’s possible, but it seems like a bit of a stretch. Especially since you aren’t prone to leaving your tools lying around. Someone removed the chisel from your work table. The person responsible could have borrowed it for an innocent reason, dropped the tool and lost it in the hay, but I’m not a big fan of coincidences.”
“Neither am I.” Blake let out a breath. “We speculated about who might benefit from severely injuring me before, and we came to the conclusion Max and Hayden had no reason to continue since they both got what they wanted.”
Eden straightened her legs and stood. “Namely, more stunts for Max, and zero reason for Hayden to suspect you’re messing around with Kara. My brain is too tired to think efficiently. I need sleep.”
“Yes, we should all turn in.” Dahlia rose to her feet. “Let’s go to bed, Boyd. Eden can show Blake where everything is.”
Her husband stood and slipped an arm around her. “Good idea. Maybe the situation will seem clearer in the morning.”
“Thank you for the use of a bedroom. I’m not sure when the sheriff will finish processing my bus.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Eden’s mom gave him a warm smile before glancing over at her daughter. “Good night, dear.”
“Night, Mom. Night, Dad.”
Her parents left the room, and Blake grabbed Eden’s hand to tug her back down next to him on the couch. He slipped an arm around her and squeezed. “Do I have to use a guest room tonight?”
She pressed her face to his chest and hugged back. “No. That’s why they left. So they don’t have to blatantly admit we’re sleeping together, even though I’m sure they suspect we are.” She let out a sigh. “I’m not in the habit of bringing men home, so this is a little awkward. Still, my parents realize I’m an adult, and they aren’t judgmental. I’m still living at home simply for convenience. Anyway, they wouldn’t think twice if it was one of my brothers.”
“But you’re their little girl.”
“I’m a grown woman.” She straightened. “Let’s go to bed. I really am exhausted.”
“Sounds good to me.” He held her hand as they walked to the stairs then up to the second floor. She led him down a hallway and into a pink bedroom. “Kind of girly.”
She grinned up at him. “Hey, I like pink. I suppose your bedroom is navy or brown or some other boring color.”
<
br /> “It’s black and white.” Pulling her into his arms, he bent to kiss her.
“Like a zebra, or maybe a penguin?” Her voice was breathless.
“Funny.” Backing her up, he pushed her down on the bed. “So, before I nearly poured drain cleaner on my head, you came out to the bus to see me. Were you planning to stay?”
“I wanted to talk.”
He dropped another kiss on her lips as he lay full length on top of her then rolled them to their sides. “We can still talk.”
She gazed into his eyes and slipped her arms around his back. “I had an interesting conversation with my grandpa earlier.”
“Jasper’s a great guy. What did he have to say?”
“He mentioned I look happy when I’m around you, so I shouldn’t let a little thing like the fact that you live in Los Angeles—”
“Malibu.” He nuzzled his nose against her neck.
“Whatever. Anyway, he thinks I should be open-minded and try to work on a relationship if that’s what we both want.”
“Do you?”
She nodded, her hair sliding against his cheek.
“Good, because so do I. With you, I feel grounded. Kind of like I used to when I lived in Blue Valley. Hollywood has such a transitory atmosphere.” He tightened his arms around her. “But when we’re together, no matter where we are…” He shrugged. “It’s hard to explain, but I feel like everything in the universe is in its place.”
“That must make me the queen of the heavens.”
“Wrapped up in one very fine package.” He ran a hand up her side to cup her breast. “Exceptionally fine.”
“Are we going to make love now?”
“God, I hope so.”
“Then let’s lose all these clothes.” She gave him a push to scramble off the bed and head into what he assumed was an adjoining bath. A quick glance over her shoulder sparkled with promise. “I’ll be just a minute.”
Sitting upright, he jerked his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor, then stood to yank off his jeans. With a tug on the spread, he sent decorative pink pillows flying. When the bathroom door opened a few minutes later, he was stretched out beneath the sheet, ready and waiting. Anticipation surged at the sight of her.
Eden crossed the floor wearing a silky robe that shimmered like the colors of the sea. Her dark hair hung in shiny waves over her shoulders, and somber blue eyes met his. When she untied the belt and let the material slide to the floor, he swallowed.
“You’re amazingly beautiful.”
She took a few steps to stop at the edge of the bed. Naked and vulnerable. “Blake?”
When he held out a hand, she took it. Her palm was small and delicate within his grasp.
“What?”
“I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Neither do I.” He lifted the sheet, and she slid in next to him. His chest expanded with a wealth of emotion as he gathered her close. “I’ll do my best to make sure you never regret giving us a chance.”
With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around him. “I can’t ask more than that.”
Chapter 16
Eden woke when streaks of light slanted across the bed. She blinked and yawned then snuggled closer to Blake. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was just before six. Normally she was up and showered by now, but this morning she was in no hurry to climb out of the warm nest of covers. Especially when the arm around her waist tightened, pulling her back against a hard chest. He placed one warm palm over her breast and lowered the other to creep between her legs.
“Good morning.”
She drew in a sharp breath as his lips traced a path along the side of her neck.
“Definitely.” She turned her head to glance up into sky blue eyes glittering with a look she’d come to recognize. “After last night, I’d call this a great morning.”
He stroked slowly with his right hand. “If you aren’t in a huge rush to get up, we can make it a truly epic beginning to our day.”
Her body tightened with need. “I could be persuaded.”
He reached over the top of her to grab the wallet he’d left on the nightstand next to the clock. Flipping it open, he pulled out his last condom. “Good thing I saved one.”
“Maybe you should stock up.” She pressed a kiss to the pulse at his throat while his magic fingers left her sweet spot to cover himself in a single deft movement.
One palm cupped her face as he settled between her legs. Slowly he kissed her as he sank deep inside her, captivating her with his tenderness. Filling her soul. They moved together until Eden couldn’t think beyond the moment and the man loving her, until the world around her shattered in an explosion of feeling.
Sweat dampened her skin and sent a shiver through her as he flopped down beside her. His chest rose and fell with the effort of breathing.
“Heaven.” He opened his eyes and turned to smile at her. “Being with you is spectacular. Phenomenal. Freakishly amazing. I could go on…”
She let out a long sigh. “You turn my brain to mush. How about mind-blowing?”
“Absolutely.” Tugging her closer, he kissed her. “Do we have to get up?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Well, damn.”
After a final kiss, she crawled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. “Quick shower, and then we’ll go get some breakfast. I’m starving.”
“Can I join you? In the interest of saving water?”
She hesitated then turned to study his innocent expression. She wasn’t buying it. “If you do, we’ll never get out of this room. I’ll be right back.”
Eden couldn’t stop smiling as she showered and shampooed then dried in record time and slathered on lotion. After taking her old flannel robe off the hook on the door and shrugging into it, she hurried back to the bedroom. Blake hadn’t moved.
“Are you going to get up today?”
He opened his eyes and gave her a slow perusal from the top of her wet head down to her bare toes. “Sure.” He flipped back the covers, climbed out of bed and strolled past her in all his naked glory.
“Show-off.”
He grinned. “It’s your fault I’m in a perpetual state of arousal lately.”
“Cold water is to the left. You might want to turn the knob in that direction.”
“Spoilsport.”
She dragged her gaze away from his retreating backside. “We sound like a couple of ten-year-olds.”
He stopped in the doorway and glanced back. “If I were ten, I wouldn’t need a cold shower.”
“Point taken.” After he disappeared into the bathroom, she let out a long breath then dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, ran a comb through her damp hair and fastened it back in a ponytail. After the water shut off, she knocked once then poked her head through the doorway.
Blake stood at the sink with a towel wrapped around his waist. His broad shoulders glistened with moisture. He glanced over and raised one brow. “Any chance you have a spare razor so I can shave?”
“Sure. There’s a bag in the middle drawer.” While he soaped his face, she brushed her teeth. After spitting out a mouthful of toothpaste, she took a swallow of water then leaned against the counter. “We became a little distracted last night and never did get around to discussing plans for after you finish filming.”
“I call what we did instead a worthy distraction, but what did you decide?”
“I’d like to come visit you in Hollywood.”
He halted the razor mid-swipe across his cheek. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “Seems like a necessary next step if we don’t want to kiss and say good-bye for good in a couple of days.”
“I don’t.” His eyes softened as he regarded her. “I’d kiss you right now if I wasn’t covered in soap.”
Her chest tightened at the caring so evident in his expression. “I know there’s no guarantee we can work out a long-term relationship, but—”
&n
bsp; “Have a little faith. I think you’ll be surprised what we can manage if we’re both willing to give a little.”
“I hope so. Anyway, I’m willing to try.”
“I’m all for that, but I didn’t expect you to agree so easily.”
She shrugged. “After I consider each side of a situation, I’m usually pretty quick to decide on the best course of action.”
“Like closing down your leatherworks website?”
“Exactly. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be going anywhere. I still have to talk to my mom about taking my place on the upcoming cattle drive, but I’m pretty sure she won’t mind. I’ll probably need a few extra days to wrap up the sale of the Pintos before I fly to L.A., but I’ll be along sometime next week.”
He finished shaving and wiped his face with a towel then reached out to tug her close. “That’s terrific, Eden.” Bending, he kissed her. “I’d better get dressed, unless…” He wiggled his brows and pointed toward the bedroom.
She couldn’t hold back a grin. “Not a chance. Get some clothes on while I head downstairs.”
Eden was still smiling when she reached the kitchen. She gave her mom a smacking kiss on the cheek as she turned away from the griddle where pancakes were cooking, then headed straight for the coffee pot.
“It smells great in here.”
“Have a seat. These will be done in a minute. I started cooking again when I heard the shower turn off upstairs.” She flipped the cakes then glanced over. “John Stafford stopped by a few minutes ago. He’s been trying to reach Blake, but he didn’t answer his cell.”
Eden sipped her coffee. “He must have turned it off since I didn’t hear…uh…” Her cheeks heated. “Anyway, he should be down in a minute. What did the dictator…I mean director want this time?”
Wilde Horses Page 18
