Macy gathered her belongings, making sure to take the paint samples. Hopefully tomorrow the local painters she’d hired would start work upstairs. Macy didn’t know how long she’d be here at Wild River, but indefinitely wasn’t in the cards. She had a life to return to, but while she was here she wanted to accomplish as much as possible.
Later that night Macy sat up on her bed, tired of tossing and turning. Plaguing thoughts kept her from sleep, and she’d learned not to fight it. She rose from the bed and put on her silk robe. She felt stifled in her room, but it wasn’t the place or the heat that really bothered her. Her future loomed large in her mind tonight.
She left Rocky soundly sleeping at the foot of her bed and envied his ability to sleep like the dead. What a watchdog. The door creaked as Macy opened it and tiptoed out of the room. The hallway, devoid of windows, was black as pitch. She padded her way down the corridor, feeling her way. Her shoulder bumped the wall with a soft thump. She quickly righted herself and continued, moving with more confidence now.
She stepped on something. Sharp pain shot through her foot. Her toes curled. Caught off guard, she went down with a loud bang, her body hitting the hard tiled floor. “Ow! Oh, ow! Ow!” Her voice boomed through the hallway.
Her body folded like an accordion. She grabbed her foot.
“Macy?”
Suddenly, Carter was there, bending over her. He came down on one knee and looked her over, searching her eyes first. The hallway was no longer dark as death. Carter was backlit with light coming from the living room. Water droplets covered his chest. He was wet. All over. Only a towel covered him from waist to thigh. Her heart in her throat, the pain in her foot dulled. She stared at him.
“Are you hurt?”
“I…I stepped on something.”
Carter reached behind her and came up with Rocky’s rawhide bone. One end was gnawed to an arrowhead point. “Yep, that looks painful,” he said.
Macy stared at his bare chest. Underneath those cotton shirts he wore lay a plank of hard abs and brawn fit enough for
“Let me take a look.” He lifted her leg and examined her foot. His hazel eyes scoured her from heel to toe as his fingers lightly caressed the pad of her foot. A tremble coursed the length of her leg where he held her firm. As she leaned back to allow his perusal, her robe slipped off her shoulders, trapping her arms. “Looks okay. No blood.” He lowered her foot down carefully.
“Th-that’s good.”
He leaned closer and used one finger to wipe away a droplet of water at the base of her throat. His slight touch heated her skin. “Didn’t mean to drip on you.”
On bent knee, his gaze flowed over her like a rapidly moving river, taking all of her in. She was wearing a soft pink nightie that barely covered her thighs. He went there and then farther up to view the cleavage between her breasts. “Macy,” he said, eyes blazing. “Where were you going?”
“I, uh, couldn’t sleep. I was going to stretch my legs. Maybe get a drink of water.” Thankfully, she was heading in the opposite direction of his bedroom, so he wouldn’t think she was desperate for something erotic and sinful.
A lock of moist hair fell onto his forehead. A few beads of water ran down his face, and he dripped on her again. Oh wow. On second thought, yes, definitely something sinful. She peered at his chest again. It was hard not to. “What were you doing?”
“I couldn’t sleep, either. Took a swim.”
“I gathered. You, uh, you do have swim trunks on under that towel, right?”
His eyes gleamed. “What if I said no?”
Macy took a big swallow. “Then I’d know you like to go skinny-dipping in the moonlight.”
“Nah,” he said, sending her a crooked smile. “Sorry to disappoint you. It’s not fun to skinny-dip without a partner. Ready?”
Her eyes widened. “For a skinny-dip?”
Carter winked. “Maybe one day, Hollywood. Are you ready to get up?”
“Oh, um.” She nibbled on her lower lip, feeling foolish. She had to learn not to make assumptions. “Yeah, I should be okay to stand.”
Without hesitation, he gripped her hand and put his other arm around her waist. “Easy now.” He bore the brunt of her weight as he set her onto her feet with care. He held her steady, but another spike of pain ran up her limb from the pressure of standing.
“Oh!”
Lowering his head to her level, Carter caught her attention. “You okay?”
She was in his arms again. How could she not be okay? “It’s just a little sore.”
“Hang on,” he said, then she was lifted up, and immediately her arm wound around his neck. He carried her caveman style to her bedroom. With care, he lowered her onto her bed. She clung to his neck a moment too long.
It was dark and intimate and they were barely dressed.
“Macy.” He held warning in his tone. He was half on, half off her bed, and she lay underneath him.
He hesitated, glanced at her mouth, and she held her breath. Something flashed in his eyes and her desire escalated. What had gotten into her? She wanted to make love with a man she’d known only a few days.
Carter blinked and took a deep breath before bringing his mouth down to lay claim to her lips. It was sheer heaven, having him kiss her again. Her heart pounded against her chest. His mouth was hot and demanding, but the kiss lasted only a few seconds before he pulled away. Carter rose to full height and stood over her bed. He spoke with a low rasp. “Get some rest, Macy. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She waited for him to walk out and shut the door before she slammed her head into the feather down pillow. Her foot ached, her ego was bruised and now she had nothing but counting ceiling tiles to look forward to tonight. She mumbled, “Yeah right, Carter.
Seven
The painters were in and out in three days and Macy was pleased at how the interior of the house was shaping up. It was amazing how much better the inn looked with a fresh coat of paint. The colors she’d chosen were soothing and subtle but with enough character to add charm and a sense of home. It was like putting the first brushstroke on an artist’s canvas. The rest of the picture was hers to create.
With workmen making repairs, the place was shaping up nicely. Macy was proud of what she’d accomplished in such a short time. By the middle of her second week at Wild River, she had everything under control.
“How do you like it, Rock?” she asked of her furry blond companion. They stood facing the front of the inn.
Rocky turned his eyes toward the house and gave a quick little bark. There were times Macy wondered if the dog was half human. He seemed to know what she was saying most of the time.
“Yeah, pretty great. I think so, too.”
A team of landscapers were working diligently to tear up the weeds, retill the soil and ready the ground for the white iceberg roses she’d ordered to line the path leading up the house. Masons had already inlaid cobblestones in various areas of the garden.
Things were moving fast.
If she wasn’t careful, she’d be through here before she was ready to head home to Hollywood. She was almost broke and the thought of what she faced when she returned-life without her mother and without a plan of action,
