A Kiss in the Dark

by Karen Foley

  “Look at me.”

  And when he reached his own climax, their gazes were locked on one another in raw intimacy, until with a last shudder of pleasure, he smiled into her eyes and tugged her down until she lay replete against his chest.

  He pressed his lips against her hair, and his hands stroked soothingly down her body. When she turned her face up to his, he kissed her sweetly and she could see the tenderness of his expression. If they had been characters in a romantic movie, this would be the scene where he’d confess that he’d fallen in love with her.

  “Christ,” he said ruefully, “maybe now I can get some sleep.”

  She mentally rolled her eyes, laughing at her own fanciful daydreams. He was only hers for ten short days, and she told herself that she was okay with that. She’d wanted this. Wanted him. They still had another week to be together, and Lacey intended to enjoy every minute of it.

  He tucked her closer against his side, and one hand traced lazy patterns on her shoulder and arm. “Are you okay? I don’t think you’ve said more than five words since we came inside.”

  A reluctant smile tugged at her lips. “The words yes, yes, oh, yes don’t count?”

  He chuckled. “Maybe if you added, ‘Please, Cole, make love to me again,’ I’d feel better.”

  Lacey laughed softly and didn’t object when he drew her closer. “Cut me some slack. I’m not as comfortable with all of this as you are.”

  “Comfortable? Hell, lady, I’ve been in a serious state of discomfort since I first met you. All I can think about is you,” he murmured into her ear, his breath warm on her cheek.

  Lacey understood exactly what he meant, because it was the same for her. Rolling toward him, she rose up on an elbow to look at him. “When I came down here, I fully intended to step out of my comfort zone and live a little, but I never expected you. Or this.”

  “Any regrets?” he asked softly.

  Only that she had to leave, eventually. She traced a fingertip along his jaw. “Not yet.”

  His mouth tilted in a half smile, but his expression was serious. “I think about that first night a lot. What if I hadn’t been hanging out at Sully’s? What if I hadn’t volunteered to answer your call for a tow?”

  “Then we never would have met.”

  “I’m not so sure,” he mused. “Sometimes, things are just meant to be.”

  Lacey smiled. “I think you’re a romantic. It’s one of the things I like best about you. You’re so honest about your feelings. About everything.”

  Cole didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her down until she lay with her head on his shoulder, mostly because he couldn’t meet her eyes.

  * * *

  COLE WAITED UNTIL Lacey fell asleep before he slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of loose pajama bottoms. Moving silently into the family room, he pulled out his laptop case and the thick sheath of paperwork that he had brought with him from Norfolk. He sat down and began to thumb through the dozens of accident reports that had been filed by the Black River Mines. Many of them were vehicle accidents that had occurred inside the tunnels, but several involved injuries sustained from falling debris. By the time the accident reports had been filled out and a safety inspection team had been sent in to investigate, the area had been cleaned up and the risks mitigated.

  Cole pored through the reports, wondering how Buck Rogan could have addressed each deficiency and corrected it so quickly. Unless the reports had been falsified, there was no way he could have.

  Withdrawing a set of blueprints from a document holder, he rolled them out on the coffee table and studied them. They detailed each level of tunnels within the Black River Mines. Cole had put a small mark near where each accident had occurred. Or, he amended silently, where Buck and his foreman claimed each accident had occurred.

  He traced his finger along the length of one tunnel, to where it abruptly ended deep inside the mountain. Fifty feet of rock and shale separated that main tunnel from an older network of tunnels that had been abandoned years earlier for safety reasons. The tunnels that made up Rogan’s Run Mine No. 5 weren’t shown on the blueprint. As far as Cole knew, they weren’t on any current blueprints. The Bureau of Mine Safety had deemed Rogan’s Run Mine No 5 too unstable to mine, despite the rich veins of ore that existed.

  What if Buck had found a way to access those tunnels without anyone knowing? He would have to pay the workers a substantial fee in order to guarantee their silence. Cole knew how tempting that could be to a man with a family to support.

  If Buck Rogan really was capable of that kind of duplicity, there was no telling what else he could do. Cole glanced back toward the bedroom. He wanted to come clean with Lacey about his real purpose for being in Black Stone Gap, but he couldn’t risk that information leaking out and getting back to Buck. But he promised himself one thing: Lacey would never enter those tunnels, not if there was the smallest chance that something could go wrong.

  9

  LACEY COLLAPSED GRATEFULLY onto the picnic table bench. The heat and humidity of the day had completely sapped her of whatever energy she had left, which, considering how much she’d expended the previous night, wasn’t a whole lot.

  In the end, she’d agreed to spend the morning with the rescue team, and the afternoon with Cole at the Pikesville County Fair. It was a small event by any standards, but as far as Lacey was concerned, that only added to its country charm.

  Cole had been amused by her fascination with the quilt displays. She had lingered so long over one particular quilt that he’d finally offered to buy it for her. Lacey had adamantly refused, and had let it fall back onto the display rack.

  He’d just shrugged. “If it would make you happy, then I’d like to get it for you.”

  She couldn’t explain to him that it wasn’t so much the quilt itself, although it was beautiful, as the bittersweet memories it evoked. She’d had one almost like it when she was a little girl. She remembered her parents tucking it securely around her at bedtime, and how safe it had made her feel. The quilt had been lost when she and her mother had moved to New Hampshire.

  “Thanks anyway,” she had told Cole. “It’s just that I had one sort of like this when I was a kid.” She smiled, embarrassed. “It brought back memories, that’s all.”

  Cole had looked at her quizzically, but hadn’t pressed her. And he hadn’t bought the quilt. She glanced up at him now from the picnic table, grateful for the overhead canopy that gave some relief from the sun.

  “I’ll go grab us a couple of cold drinks,” he said. “Will you be okay?”

  Lacey smiled at him. “I’m fine, just a little tired.”

  He braced his hands on the picnic table and leaned down to plant a warm, hard kiss against her lips. “That’s my fault,” he murmured. “But when the options are sleep or make love to you, it’s a total no-brainer. I just wasn’t thinking about the fact that you’d be exhausted.”

  Lacey couldn’t help it. She reached up and drew him down for another kiss. “Hey,” she responded softly, “you don’t hear me complaining.”

  He pulled back, his eyes warm. “I’ll go grab those drinks and be right back.”

  Lacey watched him go, and then stretched out sideways on the bench, lifting her feet up and smoothing the skirt of her sundress down over her legs. She closed her eyes and tipped her head from side to side, stretching her tired muscles.

  “Looks like you could use a good massage.”

  Her eyes flew open, and for a moment she couldn’t focus on the tall figure standing in front of her. When she did, she sat upright, shoving her feet back under the table and smoothing her skirt over her knees. It was Buck Rogan.

  He extended a hand to her now. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Delaney.”

  Lacey accepted his outstretched hand. “Hello, Mr. Rogan.”

  “Oh, please,” he said, laughing as he released her hand. “Call me Buck. When I hear Mr. Rogan I look around for my old man.”

  “Okay, but only if you call
me Lacey.”

  He chuckled. “Agreed.”

  He was well dressed in a pair of lightweight chinos and a blazer. Despite the heat, he looked cool and distinguished.

  He indicated the bench opposite her. “Do you mind if I sit down for a moment?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “I was going to give you a call tomorrow to talk about my project.”

  He frowned, clearly puzzled. “Really? Cole spoke to me about that this morning, and I understood those plans had been scrapped.”

  Lacey frowned. She knew that Cole had spent the morning in Buck’s office, but when he’d come back to the house just before lunch, he’d only said that the meeting had gone well. If he and Buck had discussed her project, he hadn’t mentioned it to her.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t follow. Cole told you that my plans to test the prototype had been scrapped?”

  “Yes, ma’am. He didn’t say why, but I got the impression that you had found another testing site.”

  Lacey bit back the denial that sprang to her lips. Her gaze slid away from him and she searched the surrounding crowds for Cole, but there was no sign of him. She had no idea why Cole would have told Buck such a thing when it was blatantly untrue. But she didn’t want to expose Cole as a liar to the man who was now his boss. She knew how much he needed this job, and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.

  “Hmm,” she said instead, pretending to consider his words. “I think I know why he said that, but it was definitely just a misunderstanding.” She actually had no idea why he would have said that, and her mind scrambled furiously for an adequate reason for Cole’s statement. “He knows that I’m terrified of being underground, and probably thought he was doing me a favor.”

  That, at least, was a partial truth and for all she knew, Cole might have thought he was doing her a favor.

  Buck sat down. He put one arm on the picnic table, drummed his fingers and considered her thoughtfully. “I assure you that you would be perfectly safe in my mines. I don’t go into them much myself anymore, but I have a foreman who I would trust with my life. You would have nothing to worry about.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  They spent the next few minutes talking about STAR and what Lacey was looking for in terms of a testing environment. Buck was attentive and cordial.

  “Based on the parameters you’ve described, I think I know exactly which mine would work best for you,” he said when she had finished explaining about the field test. “Now that Cole is my lead engineer, I need to take care of his girl.”

  Cole’s girl.

  Before she could protest that she wasn’t Cole’s girl—not really—Buck continued.

  “You know what they say…happy wife, happy life. Oh, I know you’re not married, but I’ve seen that boy’s face when he talks about you. Same way his daddy looked when he talked about Cole’s mama.”

  “You knew Cole’s parents?” she asked, curious in spite of herself.

  “Shoot, I grew up with Cole’s father. When I took over the mines, he was the foreman.” His face grew pensive. “Best damned foreman I’ve ever seen. He had a real way with people, and he couldn’t have been prouder of Cole than that first day I hired him as an engineer, straight out of college and still wet behind the ears. A damned shame what happened.”

  He grew quiet, remembering. Lacey knew she shouldn’t ask, but she was dying to know. “What happened?”

  “You don’t know? Well, I guess it’s natural that Cole wouldn’t want to talk about it. In fact, it’s why he high-tailed it out of here five years ago.”

  It took all of Lacey’s self control not to reach over and shake the man. What had happened? She sat patiently and waited.

  “Cole left the Gap after a rescue mission went bad.” He paused, gauging her reaction. “His friend was trapped in one of the vertical shafts, and Cole had this plan on how he was going to get him out.” Buck snorted. “It went so foul it still stinks to this day. Not that anyone ever blamed Cole, mind you.”

  Lacey stared at him. In her mind, she could see the scene clearly and a shiver went through her.

  “The shaft collapsed, and three miners died, including his friend,” Buck elaborated, reading the unspoken question in her eyes.

  Lacey’s chest constricted. She thought of her father and how his death still haunted her, nearly twenty years later. Did Cole have nightmares about his friend? She now understood his reluctance to rejoin the rescue team.

  “I’m sure it wasn’t Cole’s fault,” Lacey said. “Mine rescues can be a tricky business. There are no guarantees.” She was repeating the very words that she and her mother had been told all those years ago; words she hadn’t wanted to believe then, because she’d needed to blame someone for what had happened to her father. But she didn’t want Cole to take the blame for what had happened to his friend.

  “You’re right,” Buck said. “Coal mine rescues can be unpredictable, but—” He broke off abruptly and waved a dismissive hand. “That’s all in the past, and as far as I’m concerned, Cole’s come back to town with a clean slate. I was surprised to see him, though, but I guess the need for redemption can be a powerful thing.”

  The implication was clear to Lacey—Buck thought that Cole was to blame for his friend’s tragic death. Lacey decided that she’d heard enough.

  “Well, it’s been nice talking with you. I will definitely give you a call tomorrow to set up a time for the testing.”

  Buck took the hint and rose to his feet. “It was my pleasure, ma’am. Enjoy the rest of your day.” He tipped an imaginary hat to her, before he turned and strolled away.

  Lacey sank back down onto the bench, her mind whirling. Why had Cole told Buck that she wouldn’t be using the Black River mines to test STAR? And why did Buck insinuate that the accident had been Cole’s fault? If she didn’t know better, she’d think there was some bad blood there, but he’d had nothing but good things to say about Cole’s father.

  She found that she didn’t want to ask any favors of Buck Rogan, but she’d do it in order to test STAR. The prototype represented years of hard work and sacrifice. But it also represented hope. Hope that no other miner would have to die the way her father had died. The way Cole’s friend had died. Testing STAR was her single most important mission right now. There was no way she’d go home without accomplishing that.

  “Was that Buck Rogan I saw you talking with?”

  Lacey dropped her hands away from her eyes and stared up at Cole. He stood by the table holding two glasses of lemonade in his hands and staring after Buck with an expression of concern.

  “Yes.”

  “What did he want?”

  Lacey accepted the proffered lemonade and took a long swallow. “Nothing, really,” she fibbed. “He was just being friendly. You were gone an awfully long time. What kept you?”

  “I ran into someone,” he said, and swung his leg over the bench and sat down facing her. “So what did the two of you talk about?”

  Lacey put the lemonade down and carefully swiped a fingertip across her lips before looking at him directly. “He was under the impression that I no longer wanted to use the mines as a testing environment for STAR. I told him there had been a misunderstanding, and that I very much wanted to bring STAR into the mines.”

  For a moment he just stared at her, and then he blew out a hard breath. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.

  “I wish you wouldn’t do this.”

  “Look, Cole, I’m sorry to be blunt, but this has nothing to do with you.” Lacey didn’t know why she suddenly felt the need to defend her decision. “I need to get into the mines to test STAR. You know how important this is to me. It’s why I came here. My company is depending on me to do this. I have to do it.” Aware that people were beginning to look at them, she lowered her voice. “You had no right to interfere.”

  Cole leaned forward and tried to take her hands in his, but Lacey pulled them away and looked expectantly at him, waiting for his resp
onse.

  “There are things you don’t know,” he finally said, his voice rough.

  “Then tell me!”

  “I can’t.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake.” Lacey threw up her hands. “You have to give me something. And not just that you have a bad feeling.”

  Cole set his drink down on the table. He looked around, taking in the fair-goers at the surrounding tables and seemed to come to a decision. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Before she could protest, Lacey found herself hauled to her feet and practically dragged alongside him as he steered her through the crowds.

  His features were set in grim lines and a small muscle worked in his lean jaw as they made their way through the congested fairgrounds to where the truck was parked at the back of a field. There was no one else around, and the air was redolent with the scent of freshly cut grass. Once there, he turned to her.

  “I can’t let you do it, Lacey.”

  Lacey tugged her arm free of his grasp. “We’ve been over this already.”

  “Let me bring you to a mine where safety won’t be an issue.”

  Lacey narrowed her eyes at him. “Where? West Virginia?”

  “What does it matter, so long as you have a safe environment in which to perform your tests?”

  “But why drive hours, when I could do it right here in Black Stone Gap?”

  Cole stared at her and a muscle worked in one lean cheek. “I’m trying to protect you, damn it.”

  Lacey tamped down her rising annoyance. Maybe she should have felt appreciation, but she’d heard the same message for nearly her entire life from her mother. She didn’t want Cole to see her as fragile or needing to be saved.

  “This is part of my job, Cole.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “I’ve dedicated the past several years to developing this unit. I want to help make the mines safe for people like you. I want all miners to come home to their families when their shift is over. I’m sure that’s what you want, too, isn’t it?”