angel and she’d pissed a lot of people off in her thirty-one years. But he wouldn’t tarnish her reputation any more than it was already tarnished.
“She broke it off with me.”
Nikki raised her eyebrows.
“Why? Do you snore or something?”
“I guess you’ll find out tonight.”
Before she could ask any more questions, he stood, then reached a hand down to her. “Come on, we’d better wash the plates before it gets dark.”
She followed him down to the river, but then she surprised him by taking off her shoes and socks. He wondered just how far she would go. Hell, he already knew the answer to that.
But much to his disappointment, she rolled up her jeans and waded into the water.
“It’s cold!” She tiptoed out as quickly as she’d gone in.
“This river has always had the coldest water. I think that’s why the fishing is always so good.” He set the plates down and toed off his boots. His socks were next. He needed to let them dry out anyway since he’d been in the water with them on. If his grandmother were still alive, she’d give him what for.
“Okay, where’s the soap to wash the dishes?”
“We don’t need any.” Cal picked up one of the tin plates and walked into the water. She was right about it being cold. “This is how the pioneers washed the dishes.” He bent over and scooped up a handful of sand off the bottom of the river and began to scrub the plate.
“You’re washing our dishes in mud?”
“It has a built-in scouring pad and the fish eat all the stuff at the bottom of the river so it’s clean.”
He glanced at her. She still didn’t look like she bought what he was telling her. He set the plate on the bank and grabbed the bean pan, then handed it to her. “Try it.”
“Oh, yeah, give me one of the pans,” she said, but she was smiling.
She dipped the pan in the water, scooped up sand off the bottom, and began to clean the pan. “We may have something here. If we market it just right we could come up with a new cleaning product.”
He laughed. “Like what? Clean with the cleaner solution-mud.”
Her laughter joined his. “You’re right, that might not work. Darn, and there go my visions of making millions.”
They quickly finished washing the dishes and turned them upside down on the bank to dry.
“My feet are freezing,” she said as she hurried the short distance back to the camp.
She sat in front of the fire and stuck her feet close to the dying embers. He sat down next to her and grabbed her feet then began rubbing them.
“Better?”
“Much.” She lay back, pillowing her head with her arm. “I could get used to this.”
“Are you saying you’re starting to like the country?”
“I don’t think I’d go that far.”
He worked his massaging motions up her leg, kneading the calf, then repeated with the other one.
“Umm, right there,” she said.
“I want to make love with you,” he said.
“I know. I want the same thing.”
Nikki was in way over her head. Maybe she didn’t realize what she was doing or that she was getting in deeper than even she realized, but Cal knew when a woman was more than interested.
“It probably won’t work out between us,” he warned. That was the closest he’d come to telling her he knew the real reason she was here.
“I understand.”
Their gazes locked. Without losing eye contact, she brought her hand from beneath her head and slipped the metal button of her jeans through the buttonhole.
It was as though something had passed between them, a silent understanding. No recriminations, no regrets.
Chapter 21
“You’re sure no one is at the old homestead?” Celeste asked Brian.
“Positive. Cal took Nikki camping. The only thing here is a few animals and, of course, the ghost.”
Celeste had to admit she’d been curious about the place where Brian’s great-grandparents had lived. Well, more about the ghost he’d told her haunted the place. When she’d mentioned she’d like to have some fresh mint to make one of her specialty drinks, he’d told her that mint grew wild up by the old place, then offered to take her.
Brian had liked her idea of a small area where they could make tea or fruit smoothies and gourmet coffees. Betty was even making tiny cupcakes and cookies. So far, the guests loved the little extras.
He stopped the pickup in front of an old house that wasn’t much more than a shack and got out. “I haven’t been here in ages.”
She eyed the weatherworn building with trepidation as she got out of the pickup. It was worse than she could’ve imagined. “I can see why.”
He was frowning when he looked at her.
She laughed at his disgruntled expression. “What I can’t understand is why anyone in their right mind would want to stay here. It looks really bad. That reporter must be regretting her decision to do the story on your brother. I know I would, and I’ve stayed in some really run-down places.”
He looked at her curiously for a moment and she knew she’d said a little too much about her past.
“Yeah, she must want it pretty bad,” he finally said.
She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced around, taking in the pen, the cow, and the calf. “I can’t see anyone staying here, die-hard reporter or not.” She liked the idea of getting back to nature but this was even a little too much for her.
“The guests are rare. I think they enjoy the absolute quiet.”
“Cock! Cock! Cock!”
She jumped, throwing her arms around Brian when a possessed rooster drunkenly flapped across the yard as it made a beeline for the barn. Her heart jumped to her throat.
“Damn! Scared the hell out of me, too,” Brian said as he held on to her as tightly as she held on to him.
“Was that the ghost?” she asked.
“That was the rooster, but something is seriously wrong with it. It acts rabid.”
“Or psycho.” She looked up at him, and suddenly, the rooster didn’t matter. His blue eyes were fastened on her lips in a way that made her think he wasn’t thinking about the rooster, either.
“You said you enjoyed my kiss, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good, because I’m going to kiss you again.” He didn’t wait for her answer but lowered his mouth to hers. At first he only brushed his lips across hers.
Celeste trembled from head to feet, then pressed closer and parted her lips. His tongue stroked hers. She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, wanting more, needing this connection. She returned his caresses with a passion she hadn’t known existed inside her. When he ended the kiss, they were both breathing hard.
“Wow.”
That was all he said. Just wow. But it was enough for her to know he was affected by the kiss as much as she had been. She stepped away, putting a little space between them. Heat rose up her face when she realized just how she’d reacted to his touch.
“I…I’m sorry,” she said, stumbling over the words.
“I’m not,” he told her.
