“They live out of town then.”
She frowned. “Well, no, but they’re very busy. They both have successful careers.”
“But they make an appointment to see you.”
She came to her feet. It wasn’t that comfortable sitting on the ground. And how the hell had he turned the conversation to her life? He wasn’t the reporter; he was a football player.
“It’s not like that,” she said.
“If you say so.”
“I do.” But now that she thought about it, he was right. They made appointments to see her. It was the same way during holidays. She went to their house at Christmas and spent exactly four hours there. They opened their one present-something practical-then went to a restaurant and ate dinner.
But she enjoyed her time with them and she really hated that they might be moving to Washington. Damn it, he was making her question her life again and she didn’t want to examine it too closely.
Because she was afraid of what she might see?
“I think I’ll take a walk.”
“You okay?” He didn’t look up.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” She wasn’t, but she really doubted he would ask her anything else if she used that as an excuse. Men usually shied away from that sort of thing.
Cal watched her walk away and was riddled with guilt. Why had he pushed her about her parents? How the hell was he supposed to know her family had a business arrangement with her?
Maybe he’d suspected it from the little things she’d told him here and there, but he hadn’t realized it was as bad as what she’d just told him. What was worse, she didn’t seem to mind.
No wonder she’d gotten the nickname The Barracuda. Look at how she was raised. He shook his head and went back to preparing their meal.
Once the fire was burning good, he set the skillet in the center and waited for the oil to get hot. He’d already rolled the fish filets in cornmeal.
When he thought about families who made appointments to see each other, Cal realized that he and Brian were getting close to doing the same thing. They’d made an appointment to go riding on Friday.
No, it wasn’t the same as Nikki and her parents. He and Brian still had meals together and they dropped in on each other all the time. They didn’t have to schedule time to see each other, but apparently Nikki did.
What? Did he feel sorry for her now? Was he going soft? No, Nikki wanted a story and she’d do anything to get it. He wouldn’t forget that fact, either.
He glanced up as she returned and couldn’t help but notice the rise and fall of her breasts, the gentle swing in her hips. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t know any state secrets because it wouldn’t take much to make him guilty of treason.
He focused on placing the fish in the skillet. They sizzled when they hit the hot grease. “Hand me a plate,” he said.
“Do you and your brother come out here often?” she asked after she handed him a couple of plates.
She eased to the ground. She was still sore. Maybe he’d rub the liniment in the places she wouldn’t be able to reach. He closed his eyes and counted very slowly to five.
“Not as much as we used to,” he said.
“Why?”
“No time, I guess.”
“Am I the first girl you’ve ever brought out here?” she asked as she looked around.
Nikki might have put her pole down but she was still fishing. “You’re the first.”
“Then I’m honored.”
He busied himself opening the can of pork and beans, then dumped them into a pan.
“Tell me about football. When did you get started playing?”
Was she planning on dragging his career through the mud, too?
“I started in peewee. I was eight.”
She smiled. “I bet you were cute.”
He relaxed. Maybe she just wanted to know more about him. “Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re a handsome man. Did all the cheerleaders start drooling when you walked by after you got older?”
“Who said they ever stopped?”
She laughed. “Oh, that was bad. I didn’t know you had an ego that big.”
Something about her was different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He wondered if she sensed the change, too. Maybe she would get her story, but he had a feeling she would get a whole lot more than just an article about him and Cynthia.
Cal finished frying the fish and set the pan of pork and beans on the fire. As soon as they were warm, he poured some on the two plates and added a filet of fish to each. “Here you go,” he said and handed her a plate.
“Is this how people traveled a long time ago? A couple of tin plates, a couple of forks, a spoon, and some iron pans?”
“I don’t know, but then I’m not the one doing research. I’m sure they didn’t have it this good, though.”
She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. That’s right, feel the guilt. Maybe he should just tell her that he knew who she really was.
“This is so good,” she said as she closed her eyes and took a bite.
She acted as though she hadn’t eaten a hot meal in days. And she probably hadn’t. He had a feeling she’d bought some food when she went shopping because the stove at the cabin still hadn’t been used. All the wood was still in the pile. Nope, she didn’t fool him for a second.
But she was right about the fish. It had been a long time since he’d eaten fresh fish and it tasted as though the best five-star chef had cooked it.
They didn’t speak again until they’d finished off the last of the fish and almost all the beans. Cal set his plate down.
Nikki looked up and caught him studying her. “I guess you probably think I’m a pig for eating so much.”
“You have a healthy appetite.” No, he was thinking a lot of things, but it wasn’t that she ate too much.
“Most men are put off by a woman who eats too much.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Good.”
“Would it bother you if it did?”
She grinned. “No, I love to eat and I don’t care who knows.”
“I didn’t think it would bother you. Not much does.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She set her empty plate on top of his. “So why did you and your last girlfriend break up?” she asked out of the blue.
Just when things were going well, too. “Is it important?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I don’t want to do the same thing.”
“Is our relationship that important to you?”
When she looked at him, he could almost believe that it was.
“Isn’t it to you?”
He thought of her milking Bessie for the first time, or Bessie Two, as she called the cow. Then he remembered the excitement on her face when she rode a horse for the first time. Skinny dipping, making love. Even fishing today.
And then it hit him. The reason why he made excuses to be around her. He liked watching her reaction to everything she did and saw. He liked her tenaciousness. He liked a hell of a lot about her.
“Yeah, I think it could be,” he said.
“Then tell me about her. Did you love her?” She set her plate down and lay back on the grass staring at him.
And looking oh so innocent, except he knew better. He picked at a blade of grass. If he told her the truth, Cynthia would become a laughingstock. There were some people who would like that. Cynthia was certainly no
