Solid Soul (10 page)

She nodded. “I never realized there was so much to know about camping.”

“There is but it’s an excellent way to get back to nature. My mom agreed up to a point, which is why my parents purchased this place. She didn’t mind
getting back to nature but wanted all the comforts of home while doing so.”

He grinned as he moved around the room to put out the candles and lanterns. “I hate to say this but we had more fun when we left her at home. Dad was too laid back to worry about us turning over in the canoe or eating berries off the bushes without washing them first. And the only reason we have hot and cold running water is because she refused to let us bathe in the lake. Good old Mom always came with a strict set of rules.”

Kylie chuckled. “Haven’t you figured out yet that’s one of the things we’re best known for? Your mother sounds like my kind of woman. I would love meeting her one day.”

And I intend for you to do just that, Chance thought as he glanced over at her. Mom would be happy to know that her oldest son has found love again.

All the candles were out but one, and the luminescent glow from that one candle seemed to focus on Kylie, making her skin shine with an ethereal radiance. Her hair had been up in a ponytail earlier but now she’d taken it down, and the mass of braids fell in soft waves around her shoulders.

“Well, I guess I’ll call it a night and—”

“Will you sit on the porch with me for a while?” he asked.

Kylie looked at him then shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The corner of his mouth tipped upward into a smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?”

“Possibly,” she said slowly. “But I won’t absolutely admit to anything.”

Chance chuckled. “I didn’t think you would.”

“Now who’s thinking too much?”

“Oh, that’s real rich,” Chance said, laughing. “Come on. I think you’ll get a kick out of watching the stars.” He reached out and offered her his hand and, only after hesitating briefly, she took it.

Chance was right. She was getting a kick out of watching the stars. Sitting here on the porch and rocking in the chair made Kylie realize all the little things she’d hadn’t taken time to do before.

“Sure you don’t want to come over here and share this swing with me?” Chance asked.

She chuckled as she glanced over at him. “I’m positive.”

“But you aren’t sitting close to me.”

“I’m close enough, Chance.”

“I beg to differ.”

She shook her head grinning. “Tell me something. Are your brothers like you?”

“No, I’m one of a kind.”

“Thank God.”

“Hey,” he said with affront. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say I’m glad after you were born that they broke the mold. I can’t imagine another one like you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You would.” After a brief moment of silence she said, “Tell me some more about your brothers.”

“All right. Like I told you that day at the Racetrack Café, Bas is eighteen months younger than me and he’s the troubleshooter for the company.”

“He’s also the one engaged to be married, right?”

“So we hear.”

She stopped rocking and looked over at him, studied his features from the glow of the moon. “Why do I have a feeling that it’s one of those ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ deals?”

“Because it is. Cassandra Tisdale and Bas are as different as day and night.”

Kylie raised a brow. “Tisdale? As in Tisdale who owns a number of car dealerships around town? As well as those two restaurants?”

“Yes, the dealerships belong to her father and the restaurants to her uncle. Same family.”

“Why do you think Ms. Tisdale and your brother aren’t compatible?”

“Because they aren’t.”

“He evidently thinks they are.”

“Remember you’re the one who thinks too much. In this case, I don’t believe Bas is thinking at all. But I have all the faith in the world that he’ll come to his senses before doing something stupid.”

Kylie frowned. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Quite.” After a brief moment he said, “But only because I know my brothers, and Bas in particular. All through his life he’s been known as the ‘not so stainless Steele.’”

“Meaning?”

Chance frowned at the memories. “He was considered the black sheep of the family because he used to get into so much trouble. I guess you can say he went through quite a rebellious stage while growing up. You name it, he probably did it. It was a good thing my father was good friends with Sheriff Blandford since Bas had a penchant for straying to the wrong side of the law. Most of the time it wasn’t him but the crowd he hung out with. But you know what they say about guilt by association.”

Yes, she knew. “So when did his future change for the better?”

“When he was about twenty. He dropped out of college after deciding he wanted to see the world. He was gone for a year without us knowing where he was most of the time. All we know is that when he returned he had a new outlook on life. He went back to college, graduated with honors and then came to work at the Steele Corporation, starting from the bottom. He was determined to learn everything he could. Now he’s a vital asset to the company. I depend on him to keep me in the know and to put out small fires.”

“What about the other two?”

“Morgan is Morgan. He has this thing about finding the perfect woman and until he does he won’t settle for less. Then there’s Donovan, who thinks he was born to have fun. He’s serious enough while at work but otherwise there’s really never a serious moment with him. My mother predicts he’ll probably be the one who lives the longest because he enjoys life too much to get stressed about anything.”

“Does that also mean he’s having too much fun to settle down and get married?”

“So he claims. He just hasn’t met the one woman to tame his game.”

“Quite an interesting bunch.”

“Yes, they didn’t refer to us as ‘Forged of Steele’ for nothing.”

Kylie lifted a brow. “‘Forged of Steele’?”

“Yes. We were known for our endurance. We thought we could outlast anything.”

She decided not to ask their endurance in what. “The possibility that Marcus might be a chip off the old block now has me worried. Should I be?”

Chance chuckled. “No, he’s a good kid.”

“Yes, I noticed and I’m appreciative of that. I was prepared not to like him, you know.”

“Yeah, I know, and it was likewise with me and Tiffany. But I like her. You did a good job raising her, Kylie.”

“So did you with Marcus.”

“Thanks.”

Kylie stretched and then stood. “Well, I think I’m going to call it a night.”

“Already?”

“It’s probably close to two in the morning, Chance, and I still have to take a shower. That checker game you played with the kids lasted quite awhile.”

“Only because your daughter didn’t know how to play. I’ve never heard of such a thing. That’s un-American.”

“Well, I hate to tell you but her mother doesn’t know how to play checkers, either.”

“Then I guess I’ll add that to my list of all the other things I intend to teach you.”

“Don’t do me any favors.”

“Trust me. It will be for my benefit as well as for yours. The more you know and understand, the better off we’ll both be.”

Kylie knew they weren’t talking about checkers but about the intricacies involving a male and female.

But was she willing to learn?

Chance lay in bed and could only stare up at the ceiling as he heard the shower going, imagining Kylie, naked and standing beneath a full spray of water that flowed down her breasts, flat stomach, thighs…

He tried tuning out the sound and turning his attention to his snoring son, who was sleeping on the opposite bunk. Damn, he sounded just like Donovan. Chance chuckled as he remembered that while growing up no one wanted to share a bedroom with Donovan because he snored.

After a few moments he released a groan and decided listening to Kylie in the shower was a lot better than putting up with Marcus. He smiled,
thinking he had really enjoyed their conversation on the porch tonight. She seemed interested in his family, which was just as well, since if he had his way the Steeles would be her family one day.

God, he loved her.

Heat sizzled along his nerve endings at the thought of just how much. A slow, sinful grin touched his lips when he thought about what he’d told her last night. There was a lot she didn’t understand about man-woman relationships and he intended to teach her. Things had definitely changed since her last date, especially in the bedroom. If he remembered correctly, that was the year the Hubble Telescope was launched into space, Nelson Mandela was finally freed from prison and George Bush Senior was president.

Hell, she probably wasn’t aware that these days men and women who were in a serious relationship openly discussed such things as foreplay and orgasms, or that trying different positions in the bedroom was now the norm and not the exception. And she’d probably be startled to know that oral sex was pretty popular these days.

A slow smile rolled around his lips. Yes, he would enjoy teaching her all the finer things in life with one goal in mind: to make her fall as deeply in love with him as he was with her.

“W
ell, Lena, how do I look?”

Lena stood with her hands on her hips and gave Kylie an assessing stare. The two of them had been shopping for gowns to wear to this weekend’s ball and it seemed as if Kylie had hit the jackpot.

“Girl, that dress is gorgeous and it looks fabulous on you,” Lena said. “But of course you have the figure for it. You have more curves than the Daytona Speedway. You’d be nuts not to buy it.”

With her courage bolstered, Kylie looked down at herself. Lena was right. The dress was a sexy
black form-fitting georgette mini with a halter crisscross bodice and a low-cut back. She had to admit it did look rather flattering on her, though it showed more skin than she would like.

“You don’t think it’s too daring?” she asked Lena.

“Heck, no, like I said you have the body for it. Everyone can’t say that. I most certainly can’t.”

Kylie frowned at her friend. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with your figure.”

“That losing fifteen more pounds won’t hurt?”

“Don’t complain. A lot of men like full-figured women. You have a small waist, nice size hips, a gorgeous pair of legs—”

“Strong bones and a good set of teeth,” Lena tagged on. They laughed, remembering other times they had gone shopping together when they were much younger and faced with the same dilemma. Kylie always thought she was too thin and Lena had made up in her mind years ago that at size sixteen she was too thick.

“So, are you going to buy it?” Lena asked as she walked around Kylie, admiring how the dress fit.

“Probably not,” Kylie said, still looking down at herself. She felt half-naked wearing it. “But it’s gorgeous, though.”

“And it has your name on it.”

Kylie glanced up at Lena. “You think so?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t. Besides, since you’ve decided to be my date for the ball what I say counts, right?”

“Right.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Kylie grinned. “I’m going to take it.”

An hour or so later they were back in Lena’s car and exiting the mall. “You never told me how things went last weekend with the camping trip,” Lena said.

Kylie glanced over at her. “Didn’t think I had to. I’m sure Tiffany told you everything you needed to know.”

“Yeah, but she didn’t mention anything about you and Chance.”

“Was she supposed to?”

“I guess not, if the two of you are keeping your affair a secret.”

Kylie gave her friend a direct stare, although Lena’s eyes were glued to the road and didn’t notice it. “Chance and I are not having an affair.”

“Oh. The two of you just meet every so often to lock lips, right?”

Kylie rolled her eyes heavenward. “So, we kissed a few times, no big deal.”

“I would think after fifteen years of abstinence that for you it
was
a big deal. And you even admitted he was a good kisser.”

“Oh, my gosh, he’s the best,” Kylie breathed and then regretted that she’d admitted it.

Lena laughed. “Bingo. So how did you manage to keep those overzealous hormones under control?”

“It was hard but I managed.”

“And the two of you didn’t kiss not even once?”

“No, not even once. Marcus and Tiffany kept us much too busy. They wanted to do everything and by the end of the day we were too tired to do anything but sleep.”

“Oh, how sad.”

Lena and Kylie looked at each other and burst out laughing again. A few moments later, Lena said, “You know he’s coming to the ball, don’t you?”

Kylie tried to keep her attention on an object outside of the car’s window. “What Chance does is his business.”

“And he’s bringing a date.”

Kylie jerked her head around. “What!”

Lena laughed out loud. “Gotcha!”

Kylie frowned. “That’s not funny, Lena.”

“It is, too. You should have seen the way your head snapped around. It’s a wonder you didn’t break
your neck. For someone who claims what Chance Steele does is his business, you were definitely interested in that piece of news.”

“Well, is it true? Is he bringing someone?”

Lena shrugged. “Don’t know. Cassandra Tisdale mentioned at committee meeting yesterday that her cousin was going to be in town that night from D.C. and she was going to ask Chance to be the woman’s date.”

“Good for her.”

“Umm, do I detect a little jealousy in your voice?”

“Not on your life.”

Lena smiled. “Okay, if you say so.”

Lena was right, Kylie thought as she got ready for bed that night. She was jealous. Of all the nerve!

She had to admit that Chance had been on his best behavior last weekend, probably because she didn’t give him the chance to be otherwise. After that first night when he had invited her to sit out on the porch with him, she had gotten smart and made sure the opportunity never presented itself again. She went to bed when Tiffany went to bed and she stayed there.

Still, she thought things had gone rather well that weekend and Marcus and Chance had been perfect
hosts. They had seen to all of her and Tiffany’s needs, and with Tiffany and Marcus carrying on more like siblings instead of a couple the majority of the time, it was as if the four of them were a family.

Chance had been wonderful with Tiffany when he showed her the proper way to use a rod and reel, after Marcus had thrown up his hands and given up. And then there was the time Chance taught Tiffany how to paddle the canoe, and how he was the only one who actually seemed interested in her obsession with bird-watching. Seeing them together actually made her wonder if perhaps Tiffany had lost out by not having a father figure in her life all these years. At least Tiffany would have the chance to spend time with her grandfather this weekend. Kylie’s parents had called a few days ago and asked if Tiffany could go with them to Disney World for the weekend.

Since both Friday and the following Monday were teachers’ planning days, things worked out perfectly. Kylie would put her on the plane Friday morning and then pick her up from the airport on Monday evening. That meant she wouldn’t have to worry about her daughter while she attended this weekend’s ball.

The phone rang and Kylie glanced over at the
clock, knowing it was Chance. How could he talk to her every night and not mention he was taking someone to the ball? It didn’t matter to her one iota that she hadn’t taken Lena’s advice and invited him herself. It was the principle of the thing.

She frowned when she picked up the phone. “Hello.”

“How did things go at work today?”

This was how they began their conversation each night. He would ask her how things went with her job and she would ask how things went with his. They would hold a pleasant conversation for a good forty-five minutes and then they would say good night. Sometimes she wondered about the real purpose of them talking, other than to hear the other’s voice each day.

“Things at the shop went okay. Business has really picked up this week. I got a lot of pre-Thanks-giving orders.” Then she said, “I closed early. Lena and I went shopping for gowns for the ball this weekend.” She wondered if he would mention if he were going, or more specifically if he had a date.

“Did you find something you liked?”

“Yes.”

“What color is it?”

“Black.”

“I bet it looks good on you.”

“Lena thought so.”

“Did she?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause and then he said, “Marcus is going away this weekend.”

Kylie raised an eyebrow. This was news to her since Tiffany hadn’t mentioned it. “He is?”

“Yes. Cyndi’s parents are coming through on their way to—”

“Not Disney World?” she asked, immediately jumping to conclusions and hoping they were the wrong ones.

“No, Busch Gardens in Virginia.”

Thank goodness.
“Oh.”

“Why did you think they were going to Disney World?”

“Because that’s where Tiffany is headed this weekend.”

“Ahh. And you thought that perhaps they had manipulated their grandparents so the two of them could be in the same place and at the same time.”

“It’s been known to happen.”

“I’m sure it has but I doubt they would go that far.”

“Hey, you never know,” Kylie said.

There was another pause and then Chance said, “We’re going to have to start trusting them at some point, Kylie.”

Tucking a braid behind her ear, she took a deep, frustrating breath. “I know but for me it’s hard, Chance, because I remember all the tricks I used to pull to be with Sam.”

“Yes, but is it fair to judge them by what you did?”

“No.”

“All right, then.”

Kylie tilted her lips in a smile. Even if he were bringing a date to the ball, she still enjoyed her nightly talks with him. Although she had decided that they could never be lovers, it seemed that he had made up his mind that they would be friends. And deep down she didn’t have a problem with that.

She’d always had Lena as another female to bounce her ideas and thoughts off of, but there had never been a guy she felt close enough with to do the same. Lately she had asked Chance’s opinions about a lot things, including how she should handle situations that had arisen at work. Being the savvy businessman that he was, he had always given her good, sound advice.

“So, how are things going at the Steele Corporation?” she asked.

“There was a development today that I wished could have been avoided.”

“Oh? What?”

“We had to let a man go who’s been with us for over ten years.”

She heard disappointment, as well as regret, in his voice. “Why?”

“We found out he’d been stealing from the company. He was padding figures and having the products delivered elsewhere. Bas had suspected him for a while but we only got the proof we needed today to do anything about it.”

They talked for the next thirty minutes or so and that night Kylie slept with an inner peace that she hadn’t known in a long time.

“So you think they will have their first date this weekend?” Marcus asked before biting into his sandwich.

Tiffany smiled. “Yes. They’re going to that ball although they aren’t going with each other. I can’t see how it won’t turn into a date with the both of us gone for the weekend. Didn’t you see how they were looking at each other last weekend when they thought no one was noticing? I think we did the right thing by contacting our grandparents.”

Marcus nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

Tiffany took another sip of her soda, smiled and said, “Just think, Marcus, if we actually pull this off, you’ll be the big brother I’ve always wanted.”

Marcus grinned. “Yeah, and then I can give Rhonda Denton my full attention. I think she likes me.”