Hot Like Fire (5 page)

"I like going to Uncle Kahron and Auntie Bianca's,"
Kadina said.

Garcelle's eyes shifted momentarily up to the
rearview mirror. "Hershey, right?"

Kadina nodded. "I love that lazy dog. She always
lays her head on my lap and then falls asleep. I
don't mind that, until she farts in her sleep. Whoo.
Talk about rotten eggs and stinky feet."

Garcelle laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"Worst."

In just one short week, Gacelle had fallen even
harder for the little girl with long ponytails and a
toothy smile. "Remind me to stay upwind of Hershey," she quipped as she parked her Cabrio in
front of the house.

"I will," Kadina promised, with a giggle.

Garcelle lifted the box holding the containers of
food from the cracked backseat. "Do you want to go
horseback riding now while I work?" she asked as
they climbed the stairs together.

Kadina held up her latest Cheetah Girls book. "I'll
just read and wait for you to get done. That cool?"

"That's cool with me."

They walked into the house, and the coolness of
the central air felt good after the sweltering Carolina summer heat. "I wonder if Uncle Kahron likes
all the changes Auntie Bianca made around here?"
Kadina asked.

Garcelle hoisted the box higher as they moved
into the kitchen. "It looks much better, so he
should love it," she said as she began to place the
containers in the fridge.

The masculine decor of dark tones, large leather
furnishings, and even larger electronics had been
replaced with a more contemporary and comfortable style. It was a good mix of colors and textures so that a woman, man, or family could be comfortable in their surroundings.

Kadina settled onto the new window seat at the
rear of the kitchen, but she never opened the book
she held in her hand. Instead, her eyes were focused out the window. "Aunt Bianca is good for
Uncle Kahron," she said suddenly.

"Seems that way," Garcelle told her as she emptied the container of beef stew into a large pot on
the stove.

"She makes him happy."

Garcelle stirred the stew as she looked over her
shoulder at Kadina. "Yes. Being in love can make
someone very, very happy."

"So if my dad fell in love, would that make him
happy again?" Kadina asked, her voice barely above
a whisper.

Garcelle bit her bottom lip as she turned the
burner on low and placed the lid on the pot. She
went to sit beside Kadina on the window seat. "I
don't think that your dad is unhappy. He's just
grieving. And that takes time, you know? You can
tell that he loved your mother very much."

"Would it be wrong for him to love someone else?"

"Well, I think this is something you should talk
about with your dad, sweetheart." Garcelle reached
over to pat her hand comfortingly before she rose
and walked back over to the sink to wash out the
now-empty container.

"Garcelle?"

Garcelle turned the water off in the sink and
turned to face Kadina.

Kadina shifted her gaze from the window to Garcelle. "Is it wrong for me to want him to love someone else?"

"No, no, baby, it's not wrong at all," Garcelle told
her. "When my mother died, I was much older than
you, but as much I missed her and as much as I knew
my father missed her, too, I knew she wouldn't want
him to spend the rest of his life alone. I bet your
mother feels the same way. In fact, I believe she has
the power from heaven to send just the right woman
to him."

"Really?" Kadina asked in obvious doubt.

"Oh yes, honey. So, no dipping your little nose all
up in your daddy's love life." Garcelle winked at her
playfully to lighten the mood.

"You sure? 'Cause I think you might be just what my
daddy needs," Kadina told her, with confidence, as
she rose and crossed her slender arms over her chest.

Garcelle tossed her head and laughed until tears
formed in her almond-shaped eyes. "Me?" she
balked. "Oh no, baby. Nothing doing. Trust me.
Your daddy and me? You are hilarious."

Kadina strolled across the kitchen. "Don't you
think he's cute? Ithink he's cute."

Garcelle tossed her hair over her shoulder as she
leaned her ample bottom against the counter's
edge. "You know what? I will admit your papi is
beyond cute."

Kadina's grin widened.

"But," said Garcelle.

Kadina's grin dropped quicker than a bag of
weights.

Garcelle stroked her cheek. "Love you lots,
Kadina, but your daddy and me? No way. No how."

Kade rode his white Appalachian horse, Star,
along the outer perimeter of the herd. He used the horse and his own skill to help guide the herd to the
northern area of Strong Ranch.

His muscles ached from the exertion, the sun
beat down on his back and shoulders, and sweat
made his clothes bond to his frame, but he loved it.
He was focused on working in conjunction with his
ranch hands and his brother to get the herd moved
before nightfall.

He wanted to get home early tonight and actually
spend some time with Kadina. He also had some
more unpacking to do. Walking around a house
where most of the furniture was still covered with
sheets and the rooms were filled with boxes didn't
give one the feeling of home, which he wanted to
provide for his daughter. Plus, Garcelle had been
a good sport to work later than he'd first asked so
that he could get the herd shifted.

Garcelle.

Kadina filled his nights with her daily adventures
with Garcelle. He smiled and shook his head at the
thought of Kadina talking with Garcelle's Spanish
accent. It tickled him when she called him Papi instead of Daddy. And he came home one night to
find her listening to merengue music in her room.

All of that he didn't mind, but he had to draw the
line at letting her loosen her ponytail to wear her hair
like Garcelle or letting her learn how to belly dance
like Shakira. A dance that Garcelle had demonstrated
very well at Kahron and Bianca's wedding reception
a couple of months ago. Very, very well.

Her hips had almost hypnotized him that night.
Left, then right, and then left again. Round and
around. Clockwise and then counterclockwise until
he didn't even remember his steps carrying him
closer to the dance floor. Closer to her.

Shaking his head for clarity, Kade motioned for
one of the hands to move up and take his spot
before he steered his horse over to Kahron, who
was riding his own horse, Midnight. "Thanks again
for helping out," Kade said as he made his horse
match the trot of his brother's.

Kahron had an odd expression as he placed his
signature aviator shades atop his head. "Yeah, you
thanked me already. It's no problem."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Kade said, shifting his
weight on the custom-made saddle.

They rode and worked the herd in silence.

Kahron dropped his shades back down over his
eyes as he cleared his throat. "Something on your
mind?"

Kade frowned as he brought his horse to a stop
outside the fence and watched the hands steer the
cattle through the open gate. "Nah," he protested.

"How's Kadina adjusting to the new house?"
Kahron asked.

"Pretty good, actually." Kade shielded the setting
sun from his eyes with his hand. "Having Garcelle
around is making the transition smoother."

Kahron nudged Midnight around. "Yeah, Garcelle is great."

Kade swallowed a lump in his throat as he steered
his horse back in the direction from which they'd
traveled. "Yeah ... great."

He didn't miss the sidelong glance his brother cast
him. "I'm not about to lose another housekeeper, am
I?" Kahron asked, referring to his startling record of
hiring-and firing-fifteen housekeepers in a very
short span of time. Garcelle was number sixteen.

Kade shaped his handsome, square face into a
frown. "What do you mean?"

"Not trying to steal her away for good, are you?"

Kahron squinted his eyes as he looked up at the
fading sun. They took the lead, guiding the rest of
the group across the grassy land.

"Man, please. We just started having civil conversations," said Kade.

"Good. Because I don't think I can take another
housekeeper hunt." Kahron steered his horse to the
front as they neared a narrow trail. "With Bianca
working so many hours at her practice and doing
her share at her father's horse ranch, we need
the help."

"Everything okay with the newlyweds?" Kade asked
as the trail widened, and he steered Star beside his
brother.

`Just not feeling so much like typical newlyweds
since we got back from our honeymoon."

Kade nodded in understanding at the long look
his brother gave him. "Oh."

Kahron reined in his horse. Kade rode ahead a
bit before he, too, stopped and looked over his
shoulder at his brother. "What's the holdup?"

The dozen or so hands came to a stop as well.
Kade frowned as Kahron waved them on. "What the
hell?" Kade muttered as his brother rode back
toward him.

"How in the hell do you do it?" Kahron asked
before Kade could even open his mouth to question him.

"Do what?"

"Man, Bianca and I hit a dry spell for a couple of
weeks, and I'm frustrated as hell. You haven't seen,
smelled, touched, tasted, or been near a woman for
years, and you're cool as can be!"

Kade laughed a little to shake off the slight embarrassment he felt.

"I'm not judging you or saying you need to find
something to screw,"said Kahron. "I'm just asking
what techniques you use to get it off your mind.
Help a brother out."

Kade shrugged. "Rolling over to the other side of
the bed when it is cold has a way of softening thi jigs.

Kahron released a heavy breath. "I guess I just
need to adjust to married life. Going from twice a
day to once a week is a helluva switch, you know."

Kade laughed and slapped his brother on the
shoulder. "I got two words for you, little brother.
Cold ... shower."

"A cold shower?" Kahron balked. "Hell, I can
think of another way to get wet that don't have jack
to do with a cold shower."

Kade cleared his throat playfully. "Speaking of
jack-"

"I asked you to teach me something I don't
know." Kahron flung his head back and laughed so
loud that it bounced across the woods.

Garcelle and Kadina were in the den, laughing
over rerun episodes of In Living Color, when Garcelle saw something appear at the window and then
disappear. Garcelle rose from the sofa and made
her way over to the window. She looked out into the
ebony darkness of night. Her mouth twisted into a
frown at the sight of a package, which was illuminated by the porch light.

"Is that my daddy?" Kadina asked from behind her.

"No, not yet," Garcelle called over her shoulder
as she made her way to the front door to open it.

"Now what's this all about?" she asked aloud at
the sight of the package and a balloon sitting there.

She bent down a bit to open the card attached to
one of the curly ribbons at the base of the balloon.

Kade-

Just a hint of things that will
go down between us ... in due time.
Call me at 555-0000.

XOXOX0v

Garcelle slapped the small card closed, with an
eye roll. She straightened back up to her full height
and eyed the pink and white box as she crossed her
arms over her chest. I wonder what is in that box.

She was just reminding herself that it wasn't her
box to open when Kade's SUV pulled in front of
the house. Her eyes shifted from the box, and she
watched him climb the stairs to the porch.

Nearly every inch of his uniform and his Timberland boots were dusty. Sweat had thinned the fullness from his curls-curls that were now plastered
against his head. There was a streak of something
dark and caked across his nose.

Despite all of that, the man's good looks could not
be denied. Like it or not, her pulse raced, and she
felt something electric touch every part of her body.

"Is that for you?" he asked as he reached the top
step.

Garcelle shook her head. "It's for you," she told
him softly as she lifted her hands and twisted her
hair up into a knot.

"Me?" he said in obvious surprise. He squatted
down and took the lid off the box.

Garcelle leaned forward to peer into the box as
well. She made a face of disgust.

"Damn," Kade said in a drawn-out fashion as he
lifted a mini-whip and massage oil out of the box of
tricks.

"Tricks from a trick," Garcelle muttered under
her breath. She was glad Kadina hadn't come out
and found the box first. How would she explain the
gargantuan chocolate dildo nested in the bottom
of the box?

"Huh?" Kade asked, looking up at her as he
dropped the items he held back into the box.

Garcelle shook her head and feigned confusion.
"Nothing."

"Is this from you?" he asked as he rose to his full
height.

Garcelle cocked a brow. "No disrespect intended,
Kade Strong, but you must be out your-"

Kade held up his hands. "Why don't I just read
the card before you flip?"

"Yes. Do that," she told him, with attitude.

Kade actually chuckled before he read the card
and then tore it in half. He scooped up the box.
"You want any of this before I toss it?" he asked.

Garcelle held up a hand.

"It's all new," he joked, with a twinkle in his warm
brown eyes, which lit up his face.

Garcelle almost dropped four of her fingers.

Kade laughed as he made his way down the stairs,
with the balloon floating in the air behind him.
Without hesitation or a pause in his movements, he
dumped all of it into the large garbage container
sitting in the front of the house.

Garcelle was surprised by the move. She bit her
bottom lip as she watched him make his way back up the steps and onto the porch. "Didn't you want
your ... gifts?" she asked him, her accent heavy.