River Road (River's End Series, #4) (12 page)

Quiet followed his proclamation. He didn’t even glance her way, but crossed his arms over his chest and kept glaring out towards the view. She finally leaned her elbows on the table and tapped her pink fingernails. “You’re wrong. You’re actually quite stimulating to have conversations with. But you’re right that this is limited for me. Vacation. But I didn’t mean to give you some kind of crisis of conscience. I was thinking, I don’t care if you try to deny it, we have a physical attraction to each other. Am I wrong?”

He sighed. The woman was relentless, and completely didn’t know the meaning of shy or embarrassed or just leaving something alone. “I suppose not.”

He didn't glance her way, but he sensed she smirked when he caught the shaking of her head. “Oh, for God’s sake, AJ, you can’t deny that you check me out.”

“I don’t deny it.”

“But I didn’t mean to come across as if I were using you. I don’t think I see you as just a giant hunk I want to touch and fuck.”

He sighed. She was not one to mince words. “Where are you going with this?”

She shifted, leaning forward, and her hand came nearer to his. He stared down at it. She stretched it towards him as if to shake his. “Hello, my name is Kate Morgan.”

He finally met her gaze. She smiled, raising her eyebrows as if in challenge. Then she nodded towards his hand near hers. “Now you.”

He rolled his eyes, looking confused, but eventually he touched her hand with his, and the zing of her touch jolted up his arm.

She shook his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

His head jerked up.
What the hell?
“What?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to be my date for dinner? You know, like you’re not just a piece of meat that I think can’t speak or have an intelligent conversation. You already have, just now, several times, in fact. So I’d really enjoy your company at dinner. My treat.”

His astonishment left his mouth hanging open. He expected any number of reactions from her. Never to look or speak towards him again. Pack up and leave. Try it all again. Because she was right, the sex was mind-blowing. And now, almost hesitantly asking him on a… a date? He’d never been on a date before. Not really.

“AJ? Please? It’s the least I can do. Just dinner.”

“I’m not supposed to date the guests.”

She cocked her head. “The no-fraternizing thing? I think we did all kinds of fraternizing last night. Come off it, AJ, that ship has already sailed.”

She was right, and the thought of it was so tempting, his heart began thumping loudly in his chest. Anticipation? Desire to do that? Maybe. It wasn’t something he felt very often in his life. Simple pleasure to do something? Was he pleased she asked?

“What do you have in mind?” He wanted to take his fist and punch his own jaw. All he had to do was say no and lay low for a few days until Kate Morgan drove that fancy little sports car of hers down the road, and hit the highway, never to look back again. She’d be gone soon enough. A figment of his imagination. Another woman he screwed and forgot and never knew. But no, he let her almost convince him.

“I am a surprisingly decent cook. Only a few basic dishes, but anyway, have dinner with me.”

“Where?”

“My cabin?” Her face scrunched up like she had no idea why his tone sounded so fishy.

“I can’t go inside those.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, AJ. This isn’t the eighteen hundreds. You’re not the outdoor slave who can’t go near the big house. You’re the Rydells’ employee. You can enter their freaking guest cabins if you’re invited by the guest. It’s just dinner. Jack Rydell can kiss my white ass if he thinks he can dictate whom I choose to have my dinners with.” Her teeth grinding and her neck muscles straining, she thumped the table with her fist.

AJ finally had to smile. She was unlike any woman he’d ever spent time with. Not that there were many. She was all fire and opinions and confidence. And very attractive in her fierceness.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Please, AJ? I feel guilty. It’s not a feeling I’m used to enduring and I’d like it to go away now. Appease me. Let me make last night up to you.”

When did anyone ever care about how he felt? Let alone try to make something up to him? Perhaps her caring about his opinion was the aphrodisiac he couldn’t refuse. He finally nodded his head.

She smiled and ignored his hands-off signals by sliding her chair back, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his cheek before he could duck; then she let him go, suddenly standing on the edge of his deck. He barely blinked in the time she accomplished all that. She was a firecracker, sparkling everywhere she went. “Tomorrow night, at say, seven? Sneak on down and come inside my… cabin. Be the bad-boy ranch hand I know you are.”

He rolled his eyes and she smirked and laughed out loud as she waved, her grin growing huge when she gave him an exaggerated, lurid wink and raised one eyebrow. She was so lively and engaging, it was almost impossible not to respond to her or try to resist her charm. Her confidence was enticing to him, and yes, she was pretty dang likeable.

A SOFT TAP ALERTED Kate. She peeked over the loft railing and immediately spotted AJ. He stood at cabin number eight’s back deck, her cabin for now, and had just tapped using only his fingertips on the glass to alert her he was there. She felt like he was trying to be a ghost, he was so silent. Perhaps he was hoping she wouldn’t hear him? Of course, she knew his participation in coming tonight was hesitant, at best. The door was wide open, with the screen shut and her music playing loudly. The sun beat down on his back. He held his hat in his hand and shuffled around in nervous circles. Kate’s heart did a weird little skip. There was something oddly endearing about the big, beefy cowboy. He was so cautious and unsure of himself, yet his huge, bold, strong physique broadcasted confidence, self-reliance, and a loud, commanding presence. It surprised her how nervous she made him. She didn’t intentionally do it, but there was something inside her that melted in response to his anxiety around her. And when did any man ever make her feel all melting and gooey inside?

Never.

She shook it off and quickly descended the stairs, going barefoot in shorts and a tank top. Smiling, she approached the screen door. He was turned halfway around from her, perusing the new landscape he’d been installing all day. It was a bit disconcerting. He spent the entire day working below her cabin. Now, he was planting a riot of colorful flowers, adding compost and sprinkling water on them before finishing off with beauty bark.

She almost spent the day out sunbathing in her bikini just to flirt with AJ. She normally would have lapped up a man’s attention. But with AJ? She figured out it would merely embarrass him. Now, she was starting to realize she didn’t want to do that. He didn’t take her flirting lightly at all; he took it seriously. She chose to hide in the cabin to avoid upsetting him in public or drawing undue attention to them as a couple. He appeared distinctly uncomfortable as she slid the screen door open, and almost jumped at the sight of her. She smiled and motioned for him to come in. He stepped over the threshold, both hands clinging to his hat. His hair was damp still, and the blond strands were loosely shoved off his forehead. He had shaved too and his chin was smooth. He wore a clean shirt and jeans. Glancing down, he asked, “Should I take my boots off?”

His voice was so unsure. He fidgeted some more before looking up at her and her heart melted. Okay, the big, tough man had no idea what to do with her. She had all the control, but instead of flaunting it like she usually did, she wanted to soothe and comfort him, if only to convince him she wasn’t any better than he was, or more important. He didn’t have to be any better than he already was. But his anxiety and unsureness with her remained.

“Only because it’s hot. It might feel good. But just make yourself comfortable.”

He stepped off to the side and slipped them off. “I should. They’re dirty from—”

“Planting flowers? Making an honest living? I know, I watched you most of the afternoon while I was in here working.” She motioned toward the coffee table where she stacked her laptop and files. He eyed the pile, and a flash of surprise appeared on his face. “I make an honest living too. I slacked off too much last week, and have a lot to catch up on.”

He glanced around the cabin. Unease showed in the way his worry lines bracketed his mouth. “AJ? Why don’t you sit down? Can I get you a drink?”

He sat as quickly as she suggested it, perching on the edge of the lone chair across from the couch. “Sure. Water would be fine.”

She bit her lip. She felt as if they were on a bad blind date. He was so nervous, she’d have sworn his face was turning paler. Was she that hard to be around? Or was disobeying one of Jack Rydell’s rules really that big of a deal? Did AJ actually fear getting fired? Just for being inside the cabin with a guest? The thought again ignited her blood until it was burning through her veins.

She put more ice in a glass, filling it with water from a pitcher in the fridge, and poured a glass of wine for herself. She brought both beverages to the living room. With anyone else but AJ, she might’ve suggested they sit on the deck and enjoy the dipping sun as it set over the horizon. It streamed through the sliding window as brightly as if they were outside. The rushing river echoed from further down the gully. “Do you mind if I have some wine? My brain hurts and I feel like relaxing.” She motioned toward the pile of paperwork.

“What is it you do again?” His face remained down, but he was staring at the paperwork.

“I run a consulting business. Other businesses hire us to examine how they run their company, from their financials, to internal operations, to how they determine their target customers for marketing.”

“You said you owned it?”

“I did? Yes, I do, I mean…” She tucked her legs up under her, settling into the couch, and sipping the wine. “I’ve owned it for about five years. It was my father’s, full disclosure. When he retired, I took over.”

“What are you doing with that?” He indicated the stack before her.

She smiled, swirling the liquid around the wide-mouthed glass. “Well, for example in this firm’s case they wanted us to focus in on their advertising efforts, so we are presently studying this client’s marketing strategies. So I’ll evaluate and then design a campaign around what their needs are. Whom are they targeting? What age group? What income level? Whom do they want their customers to be? I’m designing and recommending new advertising to best reach their target customers. We also design the pertinent ads to go with the advertising, whether they be billboards, commercials, radio, TV or internet. Maybe include some travel sites, Facebook. Anyway, that’s a brief overview of what I worked on today.”

“You must have had a lot of schooling to understand and provide that service.”

“Yes, I got my master’s degree from UW.”

“You really own your own business? How many employees work for you?”

“Currently? Twenty.” He shifted around, clearly becoming more uncomfortable. She sighed, leaning forward and setting her glass on the paperwork. She rubbed her hands together. “I work in a high-rise in downtown Seattle, and live in a twenty-story building in a condo. I’ve never lived anyplace where I had a patch of grass or even enough room for a potted plant. I don’t know anything about growing stuff or farm animals, and this is the longest I’ve ever been away from the city for my entire life. I understand we are quite different. I also understand how uncomfortable you are just being here because of Jack Rydell’s rules concerning you and me as employee and guest. But AJ? We crossed that line pretty hard the other night. So now? We could just hang out together, learn something more about each other, and our different lifestyles, and chalk it up to a good experience to expand our horizons. What do you say?”

He lifted his head. “I feel inadequate, you know, culture-wise, education-wise, and career-wise. I don’t see any benefit or value you could get from speaking to me. Other than showing you how to get on a horse, what could I possibly offer someone like you? Except of course…”

She bit her lip. He could barely say the word. Oh, big stud muffin wasn’t really all that studly or a muffin. She sighed and shook her head. “I made an erroneous assumption about that subject. I won’t do it again. I’m looking right at your face, not your…”
Dick? Penis? Manhood?
All the options filtered through her brain and made her internally grin while picturing his blushing reaction to what she was about to say. Instead, she just grinned widely at his narrowed-eye look. “Your muscles. I’m talking
to you
. Not trying to get something from you.”

His mouth twitched. “My muscles?”

“Delicate ears. I understand that now. I may be a teeny, tiny bit crass and casual in the way I talk. I figured with your ‘no swearing’ policy you wouldn’t appreciate it.”

He tilted his head, and his cheeks finally relaxed into a smile. His entire body seemed to sag a fraction of an inch, as if he had released the tight rein he had on it. “You do realize I work as a ranch hand, right? Even you can’t touch the crassness and rudeness I’m used to.”

“Well, yes, I assumed that would be the case, but oddly, with you, I find it’s not. You’re not crass, rude, or crude. With you, I want to tamper down my naturally sullen mouth and be more polite.”

“What? You’re protecting my fragile ears?”

She laughed out loud as he lifted his mouth in amusement. “So fragile. I don’t want to damage your sensibilities.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, reaching for the water and letting a quarter of the cup slide down his throat, making his Adam’s apple bob up and down. She doubted he realized how much he was turning her on just by the sexy way he drank water. But releasing her runaway attraction to him, she now realized, wasn’t welcome. Not like she first guessed he might have embraced her sexual, animalistic magnetism toward him.

But. She kind of liked AJ too.

“So I made pork chops in a sweet and sour pineapple sauce. It goes over rice, and I’m also serving a green salad. Think you’ll eat that?”

“Sounds like a treat. I don’t know when I’ve had anyone cook dinner for me. Thank you, Kate.”

She smiled, and an odd little thrill traveled down her spine. Was it his unexpected solemnity and manners? Maybe. He was oddly sweet, concerned, punctual, polite, and spiritual. None of the qualities she first thought attracted her to him.

Last week, she might have suggested he have her with whipped cream for dessert. But since she didn’t think that was on the table anymore, or would be appreciated, she held her tongue. With a little sigh of disappointment, knowing that would not be the case, she begrudgingly liked the man more now than at her initial introduction.

“So tell me about the bull riding. I honest to God—” She interrupted herself, almost biting her tongue. “Does that offend you? I might say it a lot. Not something I’ve ever considered excluding from my vocabulary.”

He shrugged. “You don’t have to censor yourself for me.”

“Okay, I honest to
goodness
—” She smiled at the emphasis, and he responded in kind. He had a great smile; it was all sweet with an “ah, shucks” quality. His nose must have been broken at some point and the crooked cleft it left only added character to the rough, weathered planes of his face. “Don’t even remotely know how you could voluntarily get on the back of one of those things, and I’ve only seen it on TV.”

He grinned. “Never once scared me. It’s just a matter of balance and having no fear. There’s technique, of course, and training, but I was a stupid idiot who thought I had the world in my hands. So I just went after it. Easy way to get money, I believed. Until I got hurt.”

“What happened?”

“The bull threw me and kicked me in the head. Knocked me out pretty good, too. Anyway, after that, I was advised to stop. Some guys did it for the glory, you know, just to win and make a reputation for themselves. They have this burning passion for it. Not me. I was just trying to make money, and do something honest.”

“Get by?”

He nodded. “Yup. To get by.”

Something squeezed in her heart. She had a sad, almost disconcerting feeling that was all AJ had ever done in his life. Just get by. All alone. He found solace in the church and a community he wasn’t really part of. Like the outsider looking in, he liked what he saw inside and quietly observed. It shamed her to realize she had so clumsily missed that quirk about him, and it only took two seconds of actually listening to him, beyond her assumptions, before she managed to understand him. She would have given anything now to go back two nights ago and not do what she’d done. It was a selfish pleasure and usually appreciated. This time, however, it almost kept her from seeing his deeper personality inside. Yet, he could mount a thousand-pound bull and literally command it. Juxtaposed between a total macho man and a lost, unsure, almost sensitive boy, he only intrigued her more.

“What’s it like?”

He smiled. “It’s the wildest ride you’ll ever take. I liked doing it for the crowds. That part was fun. People were always amazed, and when they cheered, it was a rush. So I guess I did appreciate some parts of it.”

“Were you disappointed you couldn’t continue with it?”

He shrugged. “Not sure I thought much about it at the time. Just couldn’t do it anymore, so I started looking for the next job I
could
do.”

The timer on the oven dinged. Kate rose to her feet and nodded toward the table she set. “It should be only a few minutes. Go ahead and sit down.”

He walked over to the table setting, and took the chair out. She could almost smell his awkwardness in her presence. She pulled out the pork chops and dished up the rice and pineapple sauce, along with the green salad before bringing the two plates over. He waited a minute for her to sit, but she waved at the food. “Just go for it. We don’t need to be all mannerly.”

He dug in. And ate and ate and ate. She refilled his plate three times when his eyes lit up so happily each time she asked if he wanted more. She was flattered by his eagerness and delighted to see the visible satisfaction it gave him.

“You don’t eat like this often, do you? No way you’d hold on to that physique if you did,” she teased, sipping her wine, and pushing about a quarter of her uneaten food to the side.

“Well, I usually just make a sandwich. I don’t cook. But I suppose I do eat a lot of calories.”