Читать книгу Sizzling Summer Nights - Debbi Rawlins, Debbi Rawlins - Страница 12

4

HANNAH STARTED DOWN the staircase, but was so busy rereading a text from Seth confirming their date that she nearly missed a step. She grabbed the oak handrail and managed to hang on to the mug of coffee she’d gotten from the kitchen earlier.

It was her third one. She was more than half awake. Hopefully this would finish the job. The last thing she wanted was to be yawning all day. And all because some idiot had raised his voice outside her window at 6:00 a.m.

She didn’t know who it was, or who he’d been yelling at. All she really knew was that it had something to do with the upcoming town meeting and grazing permits. She’d have to ask Rachel about it later. Without letting on about the rude wakeup call. Anyway, it was Hannah’s own fault for being too snug under the covers and not closing her window.

Chatter drifted from the dining room, but she stopped for a moment to look out at the Rocky Mountains through the expansive two-story windows. Lucky her, she was staying on the same floor as the family, and not in the separate wing where they put regular Sundance guests.

She envied Rachel, growing up in this house, with this view every day. Today the sky was clear and a perfect blue; not even the slightest trace of smog blurred the edges. Hannah had been living in Dallas an awfully long time, and on the rare weekends she went home to see her parents, she always ended up too stressed to truly appreciate the beautiful country mornings.

It was hard to believe the McAllisters’ original house had started off as a modest-sized log cabin over a hundred years ago. It probably hadn’t been all that much bigger than the current foyer that spilled into the dining room on one side and the living room on the other.

Sitting at the table with Rachel’s mom were three other guests. Carol, whom Hannah had met last night, smiled. The other two women sent her bored looks before returning to their muffins.

“Good morning, Hannah,” Barbara McAllister said with a bright smile. “Rachel’s looking for you. She’s taking a group on a trail ride this morning and wanted to know if you’d like to join them.”

“Ah, sounds like fun,” she said, lying through her teeth. She hadn’t been on a horse in fifteen years. “But I can’t. I have a date.”

All three women turned their heads to give her a second look.

“Didn’t you just arrive yesterday?” The blonde stared with a hint of accusation in her narrowed eyes.

“Yes, I’m Hannah,” she said, crossing to the table with her hand extended. She should’ve left out the date part. Rachel had warned her many of the guests came here looking for vacay sex.

“Kimberly,” the woman muttered, accepting the gesture with a limp handshake.

The third woman made no effort to introduce herself so Hannah let it go.

“You work fast,” Carol said with a laugh. “We were just telling Mrs. McAllister she should’ve had more good-looking sons.”

“Available ones,” Kimberly added. “We came too late. They’ve all been snatched up.”

Shaking her head, Barbara laughed. Trim, petite and with the same lively green eyes as her daughter, she looked more like she was pushing fifty instead of sixty.

“If it’s any consolation, Rachel and I were in the same sorority together for three years and she never told me they were hot. Just that she had brothers.” Hannah gave Barbara a private smile as she came around the table and took the chair beside her.

“That’s just wrong.” Carol’s warm smile made up for the other two sourpusses. “And you’re still friends.”

“Yep. Not sure why.” Hannah nodded to the coffee Barbara offered. “Thank you.”

“Have you eaten yet?” Barbara asked. “We have more muffins and fruit in the kitchen, and Hilda is making omelets.”

“I had a muffin earlier, but thanks—”

“To be honest...” Kimberly cut her off. “I think Rachel should take their pictures off the website. It’s almost—I don’t know, false advertising or something.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sakes, this isn’t a dating service.” Barbara gave Kimberly the mom glare, that said, open your mouth again and I’ll wash it out with soap. It was clear where Rachel got her backbone. “Anyway, if you are looking to...what is it?” She paused, waving a hand. “Hook up,” Barbara said finally, and Hannah nearly spit out her coffee. “With so many hired men in the area, they outnumber the women three to one.”

Kimberly blushed and sulked at the same time.

Carol burst out laughing.

The mystery brunette stared at Hannah. “Is it the guy who was sitting at the bar last night?” she asked. “At the Watering Hole?”

Hannah hesitated, tempted to ignore her. “Oh, were you there? Didn’t see you. But to answer your question, yes.”

“Well, wasn’t that nice of Rachel to fix up her old friend,” the woman said in a snippy tone.

Several juicy remarks sat primed on the tip of Hannah’s tongue, but she restrained herself. Both women were very pretty and wouldn’t need any help hooking up for the week. As long as they kept their rude mouths shut.

The front door opened and Hannah recognized Rachel’s laugh. “Hey, look who I found,” she said, drawing everyone’s attention as she passed through the foyer.

Seth walked in behind her. He yanked off his black Stetson.

“Mornin’, Mrs. McAllister. Ladies,” he added with a brief nod at the other three women, and then he looked at Hannah. “Hello, Hannah.” He gave her a slow, bone-melting smile. “Sorry I’m a little early. I figured I’d talk to Jesse for a while...”

“But I dragged him in here,” Rachel said, her devilish grin directed at Hannah. “So, I guess that’s a big no on the trail ride, huh?”

Determined to play it cool, Hannah rolled her eyes. Not easy with her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. He wasn’t wearing anything special. Just the typical cowboy get-up, boots, jeans, a blue button-down shirt. But he’d rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, exposing tanned muscular forearms, and for some reason that made her mouth go dry.

“Seth, it’s so nice to see you.” Barbara had shot to her feet and was skirting the table. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am, it has,” he said, bending as she pulled him into a fierce hug. He looked so tall next to her. And his shoulders were much broader than Hannah remembered from last night.

“How’s the family—”

“The omelets are almost ready.” Hilda said, as she pushed through the swinging door from the kitchen. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw him. “Oh, Seth, look at you...so tall and handsome.”

Barbara stepped aside as Hilda rushed toward him.

“Hi, Mrs. Carter.” He smiled and moved his Stetson out of harm’s way in the nick of time.

The wiry housekeeper threw her arms around him. “I saw your mom at the market. She said you’re here for good, this time.”

“That’s right. Dad’s retired so I’m helping Clint run the Whispering Pines.”

Hilda stood back, still holding on to one of his large hands. “Your mother is so happy. Did you know my Ben is back, too? He bought a ranch.”

Seth nodded. “I ran into him at the hardware store a couple months ago.”

Kimberly noisily cleared her throat. Once she had everyone’s attention, she looked at Hilda. “Are our omelets getting cold?”

Throwing her hands up, Hilda muttered something in Spanish as she hurried toward the kitchen with Rachel on her heels.

“Come sit, Seth,” Barbara said. “Have breakfast with us.”

He darted a look at the other three women. Carol’s smile was friendly. Kimberly and the brunette had their fangs out. Hannah would be taking several giant steps back if she were him.

“Have you eaten?” he asked her.

“Yes, but if you want—”

He shook his head. “I’d rather get on the road while it’s not so hot. If that’s okay with you.”

“Sure.” Hannah pushed her chair back, aware of the evil looks aimed at her.

“Thanks for the offer,” he said to Barbara.

“Anytime, Seth. You’re always welcome here. I hope you know that.” She patted his arm. “Where are you two headed?”

Seth swept a gaze over Hannah as she left the table. He kept it brief but managed to linger a second too long on her bare legs. Long enough to make her a little flustered. “Glacier National Park,” he said.

“Oh, you’ll love it, Hannah. There’s so much to see, you could spend a week watching the wildlife,” Barbara said, just as Hilda came from the kitchen carrying plates of fluffy golden omelets.

Rachel held back the swinging door, and Barbara rushed over to help serve.

Hannah stopped. She’d almost forgotten. “I need to run upstairs and get my purse.” She glanced down at her white shorts, pink tank top and strappy white sandals. “Am I dressed okay for the trip?”

“You look good to me,” he murmured, his gaze missing nothing all the way down to her polished blue toenails.

Hannah didn’t think it was her imagination that his voice had lowered. Or that his eyes had darkened. She hurried toward the stairs, aware he could watch her from where he was standing. She was also aware that Kimberly and her pal were breathing fire by now. Mostly he’d ignored them, though not in a discourteous way. But she had the feeling they weren’t used to being outclassed by a woman who was barely a six.

“Hannah, wait.”

On the second step she turned. One bad thing about an open floor plan, you couldn’t get away with much. They weren’t visible to everyone in the dining room but it was possible they could be overheard.

Seth came all the way to the stairs. “You should bring along some walking shoes,” he said, then leaned so close that his breath tickled her ear. “It’s going to be a long day. Wouldn’t hurt to bring a change of clothes and some toiletries. I’ll leave that up to you.”

He straightened away from her and gave her another one of those irresistible smiles. Might as well hog-tie her and throw her in his truck. Like she could say no to anything that came out of his mouth.

“I have a question,” she said.

“What’s that?”

Standing on the second step gave her a two-inch advantage over him and this time she did the leaning, and whispered, “Why didn’t I get a hug?”

“I was saving up for this.” His hand cupped the back of her neck and he kissed her, the tip of his tongue taking a languid swipe with the promise of more to come.

Her toes curled over her sandals and she clutched his shoulders for balance. “I figured it was something like that,” she said, pulling back and grinning. “Give me a few minutes to pack.”

The self-satisfied gleam in his eyes caused a burst of excitement in her chest. Mingled laughter coming from the dining room abruptly changed the mood.

“Take your time,” he said, settling his hat back on his head. “I’ll be outside.”

“Chicken,” she whispered.

Seth just smiled and stayed right where he was...where she knew damn well he could watch her jiggling behind all the way up the stairs.

* * *

ALMOST THREE HOURS LATER, they entered the park. They’d made a stop that took them twenty minutes out of their way when Hannah realized she’d forgotten sunscreen. Seth wished they could’ve gotten an earlier start but he was lucky to get the whole day off, plus it was possible they’d spend the night, too. That would make up for a hell of a lot. Damn, he hoped it worked out. Since their time was limited, he’d decided Going-to-the-Sun Road was the best thing for them to do. The scenery was spectacular and it would give her a taste of everything from glacier-carved lakes and valleys to stunning jagged peaks. And wildlife. She seemed interested in spotting different critters and there would be lots of them.

“I can’t believe all the snow,” Hannah said, twisting around in her seat and staring out the back window at the snow-topped mountains all around them. “It’s crazy.”

“Considering it’s only June there really isn’t all that much. We’re lucky Logan Pass isn’t blocked. That’s where we’ll cross the Continental Divide.”

She made the strangest noise. Kind of a strangled giggle. “I’m sure it won’t be nearly as exciting as it sounds.”

Seth chuckled. “Maybe it will, who knows?”

“How many times have you been here?”

“Over a hundred.”

She swung her attention to him. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. I used to camp out here with my brothers when we were teenagers. Usually at the end of July or in August, when it’s warmer. Less likely for the higher elevations to be blocked by snow.”

“Oh, my God.”

He slid her a quick glance.

Her gaze had wandered beyond him out the driver’s window. “I think I just saw a bear.”

“You might have.” Unlikely at this elevation, but it was fun to see how excited she got over everything.

“He wasn’t all that far from the road.” Eyes narrowed, she craned her neck to see behind them.

“Do you want me to slow down?” Seth asked, even though they were practically crawling.

“For the bear?”

“No,” he said, trying not to laugh.

“I knew that.” She shifted so she was facing straight ahead. “I read there’s a bunch of scenic turnouts. Would you mind stopping at a few?” It took all of three seconds for her to whip around again. “I’m never going to see everything.”

“That’s right, you won’t. Not in one day.” He should’ve warned her about first-timers overload. “So better you save yourself from whiplash and just concentrate on what’s ahead.”

“Am I annoying you?”

“Of course not.” Trying to avoid the scurrying chipmunks, he kept his eyes on the road. But he found her hand and squeezed it. “It’s fun being here with a virgin.”

“Yeah, well, I hate to disappoint you...”

Seth laughed. Hannah was sharp, had guts and a great sense of humor, as she’d proven last night at the Watering Hole. And she had a slightly gullible streak that surfaced now and then. What he hadn’t figured out—yet—was just how much of it was her yanking his chain. But either way, she made him smile, and few things had done that in the last couple of years.

“Hey, I should’ve told you before now. Cell service is about to get real spotty. It’s like that throughout most of the park, so if you need to call or text anyone, now’s the time.”

“Nope. I’m good.”

Hell, he realized something else he should’ve considered and pulled the truck over the second he could.

Hannah dragged her gaze away from a pair of marmots lounging in the underbrush and looked at him. “Do you have to make a call?” she asked. “Because I definitely don’t.”

“We should talk about tonight.” He checked the rearview mirror to make sure they were in the clear, then met her soft brown eyes and almost forgot why he’d stopped.

“I’m cool with staying overnight. I assume they have lodges or motels here?”

“They do,” he said, lifting a hand to her cheek because he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He stroked her smooth skin with his fingertips, touched the soft silky strands of her hair. He liked how the different shades of brown shimmered in the sunlight. “I don’t know about availability so we’ll have to call around.”

Her lids drooped as she pressed her cheek against his palm. “Do you think we’ll have trouble?”

“Not in June. It’s just that the accommodations in the park can be a little rough.”

Her sleepy eyes widened. “We have to camp?”

“Not that bad.”

“I don’t actually mind camping. I just prefer a heads-up.”

He watched her chest rise with the deep breath she took. The tank top she was wearing wasn’t too snug but fit close enough that it distracted him if he wasn’t careful. Damn, he wanted to kiss her.

His cell rang, startling both of them.

It took some effort to dig for it in his jeans pocket. Especially with a partial erection in the way. Which he figured Hannah had also noticed because she turned abruptly to look out her window.

He saw that it was Paxton, one of the men from the Whispering Pines. That usually meant trouble. “Yeah, Paxton...”

“Hey, boss. You busy?”

Seth knew that sheepish tone all too well. And calling him boss? “What do you want?”

“You happen to be anywhere nearby?”

“Why?”

“I kinda lost the key to the medicine cabinet.”

“Kinda?” Seth glanced at the dashboard clock. Already noon. Paxton should’ve given the pregnant mares their meds by now. “Either you lost it or you didn’t.”

Paxton noisily cleared his throat. “I had it earlier. Then I misplaced the damn thing. It’s gotta turn up. You got one, don’t you?”

“Where’s Clint?”

“He and Lila left for Kalispell about an hour ago. Won’t be back till late.”

Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. Kalispell was closer to the Whispering Pines, but he wouldn’t ask Clint to drive back. The poor guy deserved the time off with Lila. Hell, what he truly deserved was to be able to count on Seth for a change.

He looked over at Hannah. She’d been gazing out the window but she turned to him with a smile. She could only glean so much from his side of the conversation but she mouthed, “It’s fine.”

Cursing to himself, Seth exhaled slowly. She’d never know how much he appreciated her understanding. Though he doubted she understood their entire day and night together was about to be ruined. Maybe the whole week. He didn’t know if he could take another day off. But, hell, he owed his brother. His whole family.

After a nervous silence, Paxton asked, “You want me to give Clint a holler?”

“No. It’ll take me about three hours,” he said, and couldn’t quite look at Hannah.

“Sorry, boss,” Paxton mumbled.

“Yeah. I know.” Seth disconnected the call and put the phone down with too much force. “Son of a bitch.” He turned to Hannah. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, please. I can curse with the best of ’em.”

He managed a smile. “About everything. I have to get back to the Whispering Pines.”

“I guessed as much.”

“After that, it’ll be too late to come back here.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes. Just a flicker and then it was gone. She wouldn’t sulk or make him feel bad, like so many other women he knew. The thing was, they could still drive to Kalispell afterward, just to have dinner and spend the night. For that matter, there was a motel in Blackfoot Falls. But either option seemed too tacky. He wouldn’t feel right doing that to her.

“Shouldn’t we be getting back on the road?” she asked softly. “I’m not trying to rush you. It just sounded kind of important.”