Honor Unraveled (26 page)

Kathy frowned. “But you aren’t giving up on your home-cooking menu choices, are you? They may not be the healthiest, but they sure satisfy a hearty appetite. For a treat once in a while, it’s nice.”

“Oh, of course not—they’re too popular! I’ll be adding more selections to the menu. More salads. Fruit smoothies. A few gluten-free items.” Ivy went to the sink to wash her hands. For the next several hours, she lost herself in various concoctions. She had Kathy taste test a fruit slaw in a ginger curry sauce.

“That’s delicious! You could serve this, couldn’t you?” Kathy asked.

“Possibly. It would be a great side dish. Might be something for a special now and then. It would be dependent on the fruit available to us. You really like it?”
 

“I do. It has a delicate, sweet, and savory flavor. Very nice.” She nodded over toward the hall entrance to the kitchen. “Why don’t you ask Kit what he thinks?”

Ivy looked over, startled to see him. He was frowning at the counter, which was covered with various dishes. Ivy shut her eyes, waiting for him to lecture her about wasting food and keeping Kathy from her duties.

“What’s going on?” he asked, parking himself on one of the counter stools.

“I was trying out some new recipes.” She grimaced. “I kind of lost myself in it. I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize? Food is your business. Looks pretty tasty.”

“You know”—Kathy smiled as she looked at Kit—“the first time I met Kit he was raiding my kitchen. The boy’s always been fond of food.”

Kit laughed. “When I was really hungry, I knew where to come.”

“The day I met him, I’d roasted four chickens to make cold chicken salad for Mr. Bladen’s guests. I caught Kit filling a tray with all of my banquet food.” She looked down at the counter, her face becoming solemn. “I knew Mr. Bladen didn’t let Ty have friends over.” She glanced at Kit again. “And you were so skinny and wild looking, I didn’t think you were with any of his guests.”

“What did you do?” Ivy asked.

“She loaded up my tray and sneaked me back to the basement, where Blade was, telling me all the while that I’d better hurry before Bladen saw me. I’ve loved Kathy ever since.”

“Oh, he was a bad one.” Kathy shook her head. “Dennis got tired of having him break into the garage and hot-wire Mr. Bladen’s cars. He finally started leaving the keys in the garage so Kit would quit fussing with the wires.”

Ivy smiled at Kit, remembering him the way Kathy described him. He caught her smile and returned it with one of his own. His gaze outlived his smile, and the moment morphed into something else. Something intense. Something private.

“Oh, look at the time, would you! I have to go check on my laundry!” Kathy hurried out of the kitchen, leaving the room to the two of them.
 

Kit got off his stool and came around the counter. Ivy’s mouth went dry. Her heart started an erratic beating. He prowled over to her, stopping only when she was backed against the counter. He pushed some dishes aside and lifted her up to sit on the cold granite. Stepping between her legs, he cupped her face in his hands.

“There’s a vicious rumor going around that you’d like to go out on a date with me,” he said.

Ivy bit her lower lip. “It’s not a rumor.” She put her arms up around his neck. “Your sister and your friend have been campaigning for you.”

“They’re relentless.”

“I would like a date with you.”

“Good. I’ve been working on something that’ll be fun.”

“I can’t wait.”

He bent forward and kissed her. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his lips against hers, the clean scent of him, the rasp of his whiskers against her skin. He opened his mouth against hers and slipped his tongue inside. The hot, wet feel of him made her body tense in anticipation of even greater contact. She opened her eyes and realized his eyes were already open, watching her. She smiled and broke away. “You don’t close your eyes when we kiss?”

“Never. I don’t want to miss a minute of any time I spend with you.”

“Hey—sorry to interrupt you two,” Ty said as he stepped into the kitchen. “Kit, I think you may want to come down and talk to Rocco.”

“Okay. Why didn’t you radio?”

“I could have, but I didn’t want to interrupt you if you were”—he looked from Kit to Ivy—“doing what you were doing. Oh, Christ. It can probably wait.”

Ivy laughed. “No worries. We were just talking.”

“Right. What’s with all the food?” he asked, cutting a piece of the gluten-free chocolate torte and leaning over to taste it.

“We were trying out some new recipes.”

He looked from Ivy to Kit, then back again. “Oh.
Oh
. Ew.” He put the fork down.

“Not like that. Kathy and I were working on some new dishes. They’re for the diner. Try that torte.”

He took the taste. “Mm-mm. Good.”
 

“’S’goin’ on?” Angel asked as he and Greer stepped into the kitchen.

“Ivy’s been cooking,” Ty told them.

“These for us?” Angel asked, dipping into the fruit slaw.

Greer fetched a few more forks and started sampling different dishes. Ivy looked at Kit, who still stood between her legs. She smiled. And he smiled. And for a minute, she felt as if she’d found her home, found the exact spot where she belonged.

“See? I told you it wasn’t an issue with the food. And now the locusts have descended, it’ll be gone in no time. I’m going back to work. If you guys feel like earning your keep, come on down.”

“Yeah. We’ll be there,” Angel said as he reached over Greer for a taste of another dish. “In a while.”

Ivy was sitting in the living room with everyone else, waiting for Ty’s foreman, Dennis, to announce dinner. She was playing a game of I Spy with Zavi, who found everything she spied far too quickly. He climbed up onto her lap and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“When’s Cousin Casey coming home?” he asked.

Ivy smiled. “Do you miss her?”

“I do.”

“Won’t be long now. Camp is over in a couple of weeks.”

“I want to go to camp.”

“You’ll have to ask your dad. And you’ll need to get a little bit bigger.”

Kit walked into the living room and came straight toward her. Seeing him, Rocco came over and collected his son. Ivy watched Kit’s approach. The energy in the room shifted. He was a leader, and while the men in the room acknowledged him, he only had eyes for her. She wanted to look over at Mandy, to summon strength from her friend, but doing so felt like admitting a weakness. A fear.

Instead, she watched Kit stop in front of her and sit on the coffee table. He was wearing an old pair of jeans with a couple of small tears in one thigh and a wide rip over one knee. His shirt was tucked in, and his khaki belt emphasized his lean waist. A warm flush started an upward migration from her neck to her face.
 

“Iv”—he leaned forward slightly, putting his hands on his knees—“you’ve had two sucky dates so far.”

“Well, technically, only one was sucky,” she said. His lips thinned.

“It’s my turn now. Will you go out with me tonight?”

She smiled. “Sure. Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“What should I wear? A dress or jeans?”

“Definitely jeans.” He smiled. “And not your favorite pair.”

Ivy narrowed her eyes. “What are we doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

Either she was seriously absorbed by Kit’s nearness, or the room went silent. She considered her answer. Maybe it was a casual question, but it deserved a truthful answer. “I do.”

He grinned and stood, offering her a hand up. “Good. Let’s go.”

“What about dinner?” They were standing body to body in the small space between the couch and the coffee table. Her high-heeled sandals gave her precious little height compared to him.
 

“Kathy packed us a cold meal.”

“A picnic! I love those.”

He looked down at her, touching his index finger and thumb to her cheek, stroking down to her jaw, watching the path they made as if to confirm the softness they reported. “Yeah.”

“I’d better go change.”

“Okay. Old sneakers and layers, with a long-sleeved top.”

She frowned. “Are we going spelunking?”

“We’re gonna do a lot of things.”

And, wow. Did the room get hot suddenly, or was it just her? She didn’t trust herself to touch Kit only a little, so she scooted sideways and tried to keep it together as she crossed the room. She was halfway down the hallway before she heard footsteps behind her. Mandy was there, hurrying after her, a hand covering her mouth, her eyes smiling. She didn’t stop until she bumped a shoulder into Ivy. They rounded the corner and both of them broke out into giggles.

“Why does he have to be so hot?” Ivy complained as she leaned back against the wall and glared over at her friend.

“He’s my brother. He’s not hot.”

“Did you see his face when he walked into the living room?”

“Did you see yours?” They laughed.

“What should I wear?”

“Probably not your granny panties.”

“I don’t have granny panties.”

“Really? They’re comfortable.”

“You don’t!”

“No.” Mandy laughed and pointed Ivy toward her room. “He’s not going to wait forever.” She shook her head. “Then again, it’s Kit we’re talking about.”

Ivy hurried into her room. “Where’s he taking me?” she asked as she tore through her drawer, looking for the right set of sexy underwear.

“No idea.”

“Should I bring my bathing suit? He didn’t mention swimming.”

“I would. And another change of clothes. And—”

“Wait a minute. It’s only one evening. I don’t need all of that.”

“You’re right. And if there’s water, you can go naked.”

Ivy changed into a set of lacy black boy-cut briefs and a matching push-up bra. She slipped into a pair of her chore-day jeans, then pulled on a pink tee that hugged her form. She grabbed her hair and held it up behind her. “Up or down?” she asked.

“Down. But take a clip in case it gets hot.”

Mandy got up and hugged Ivy. “I’ll go tell him you’re on your way. Have fun, ’kay?”

“I will.”

She paused at the door and looked back. “Hey, Ivy—remember what you said to me when Rocco and I were at Winchester’s? You said no man had looked at you the way Rocco was looking me in a long, long time. Well, that’s how Kit looks at you.”

Ivy watched the door slowly close behind Mandy. Her friend was right, and that was both exciting and terrifying. Ivy shoved a few toiletries into her purse and grabbed a pullover, then hurried down the hall. Kit was standing at the hallway to the garage. He looked her over twice, down fast but up slowly. Ivy watched a grin lift a corner of his mouth.

She held her arms out. “Will this do?”

“Oh, yeah.”

They walked through the garage to where the team’s red Jeep was parked. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. I think I should blindfold you.” He held her door for her. The top was off.

“No blindfolds.”

Kit walked around and got in on his side. “It’s a secret place I’m taking you. Blade and I used to hang out there when his dad went out of town.”

Ivy frowned. “You two had a secret place and you never took me?”

“It wasn’t a place for girls.” He looked at Ivy and grinned. “Then.”

“What changed? Why is it okay to share it with me now?”

Kit turned the Jeep around and they headed toward a dirt service road that led across Ty’s property. “I guess I grew up. Besides, Blade said he was cool with my sharing our hideout.”

“Hideout, huh? Sounds romantic.”

“Wait till you see it.”

They drove for a little ways down the long dirt road that cut over to BLM land. “Ty looks good, I think. The shadows are gone,” she said.

Kit nodded. “He does.”

“Do you like Eden?”

“I do. She’s perfect for him.”

“He pleaded your case, you know, and not just for this date.”

Kit made a face and shook his head. “Bastard.” He looked at her. “Did it work?”

She laughed and hit his arm. “We’re on a date aren’t we? Or whatever this is.”

“It’s a date.”

Ivy felt her humor dissipate as she looked at the hard profile of the man in the driver’s seat. “I’ve missed you. Every day.” He was her first thought on rising and her last at night.

Kit reached over and took her hand. He kissed her knuckles. “You don’t ever have to miss me again. It’s your choice what happens now.”

She threaded her fingers through his and held his hand over the center console as she looked out at the land they were driving through. There were rocky hills of granite outcroppings, juniper and pines in irregular groupings. The grass was browning in the summer heat. Ivy closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, soaking up the warmth of the sun, the sweet, fresh air swirling around them, and the feel of Kit’s hand holding hers.