Читать книгу Fool's Gold Collection Volume 3 - Susan Mallery, Susan Mallery - Страница 24

CHAPTER SIX

“DO YOU MIND?” MAY ASKED, her arms full of framed pictures. She paused in the middle of the living room, then turned to Heidi. “I’m intruding. My boys tell me all the time that I get too involved. I’m enthusiastic. Mostly that’s a good thing, right?”

Despite the fact that Heidi was now living in the bedroom next to Rafe’s, and that her grandfather was avoiding her, which meant he was either upset or still determined to seduce May, and that Heidi lacked money in her savings account, she found herself smiling.

“Not enough people are enthusiastic,” she admitted. “I don’t mind you personalizing the house. If you have a sofa or two in your suitcase, I’d love to see them.”

May laughed. “You don’t love the green-and-purple plaid?”

Heidi leaned against the hideous couch that had come with the place. “No. Weird, huh?”

“It was ugly back when we lived here. Now it’s ugly and old. Poor thing.”

She set three pictures on the sofa table. Heidi moved closer. She recognized Rafe at once, even though the photo was from at least a decade ago. He was wearing a black cap and gown, holding a diploma cover that clearly said Harvard. She wasn’t even surprised.

May followed her gaze. “Rafe was on an academic scholarship. There’s no way I could have paid for his books, let alone the tuition. But he worked hard and graduated at the top of his class.” She pointed to the middle frame. The man was handsome, in a rugged way, with an easygoing smile. He was leaning against a horse, one arm on the animal’s neck.

“My middle son, Shane. He raises horses. Breeds them. Mostly Arabians and stock for the rodeo. He’s in Tennessee right now. And this is my baby. Clay.”

Clay had the same dark hair as his brothers, and his features were similar enough to claim the familial relationship, but the similarities ended there. Clay was a whole new level of handsome. The plain navy T-shirt he wore outlined chiseled muscles and broad shoulders. He wasn’t smiling, but Heidi found herself wishing he would. Just a little.

“Wow,” she said, picking up the frame and staring at the picture. “He almost looks familiar.”

May looked uncomfortable and quickly took the picture back. “Rafe doesn’t like me to talk about Clay.”

Why? Was he in prison? Or worse, although she wasn’t sure what would qualify as worse.

“Then we won’t talk about him.” Heidi touched the other woman’s arm. “It’s all right.”

May nodded, her mouth tight with worry.

“Don’t you have a daughter, as well?”

May sorted through the other pictures she held and passed one to Heidi, showing the boys and their sister at the holidays.

Rafe’s baby sister was younger than Heidi had expected. The boys were obviously close in age, but Evangeline had to have been born six or eight years later. She didn’t look anything like the rest of the family, either. Her hair was a honey-blond, her eyes deep green.

“She’s lovely,” Heidi told May. “I notice you don’t have any other pictures of her. Is she…” Heidi paused, wishing she’d thought before speaking. “Did she, um, die?”

“Oh, no. She’s a classically trained dancer. I’ve only seen her perform a few times, but she’s wonderful. Elegant and graceful. I wish…” May drew in a breath. “We’re not close. We don’t speak much these days. Mothers and daughters. You know how that goes.”

As Heidi barely remembered anything about her mother, she couldn’t relate to any kind of mother-daughter relationship, but she nodded, mostly because she realized things in the Stryker household weren’t as they had first seemed. Not quite so perfect.

May quickly put out the rest of the pictures. Heidi saw that, except for the one photo of Evangeline, they were all of the brothers. Complications and questions, but not so many answers.

“We should probably come up with some ground rules,” May told her. “About the kitchen.”

“What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked, not sure what she meant.

“I thought it would be easier if we shared our meals. The four of us. I love to cook, so I don’t mind taking care of fixing dinner.”

Cooking wasn’t one of Heidi’s favorite chores, so she was thrilled to let someone else handle that. But sitting down across from Rafe every night would be difficult. Or tempting, which made the situation problematic.

“I already asked Glen and he said it was fine with him.”

Heidi held in a groan. “You’re welcome to cook anytime you’d like. I hope you’ll let me help. But, about Glen. You need to be careful. He’s a bit of a flirt.”

May blushed and turned away. She busied herself rearranging the pictures on the table. “I’ve heard a few things about him in town. Don’t worry. I won’t be taken in by his charm. It’s just nice to have a man to talk to. My husband died so long ago. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to have a man around.”

Heidi didn’t know how to press her point without sounding mean, so she hoped her warning would be enough.

“Is there any food you don’t like?” May asked.

“No.”

“Good. Rafe and I will go out tonight, but tomorrow I’ll be cooking. Maybe lasagna.”

“That sounds delicious.” Heidi suspected May’s lasagna didn’t come in a red box from the frozen-food aisle.

The roar of a large truck engine shattered the quiet. May turned toward the sound and clapped her hands together. “They’re here with the supplies. I can’t wait to see everything.”

Heidi followed her out onto the porch. Two trucks from the local lumber supply pulled into the yard, by the barn. From where she stood, she could see fence posts and two-by-fours, roofing material and what looked like a barn door. While the thought of getting the place fixed up was exciting, everything on the trucks represented more money she was probably going to have to pay back if she wanted May gone.

She wanted to complain, to say that until the judge ruled, this was still her house and her land. But she didn’t dare annoy May. The other woman’s generosity was the only reason Glen wasn’t sitting in jail. Right now Heidi couldn’t afford to speak her mind. Just one more thing on the list of what was very expensive these days.

Rafe pulled in behind the trucks. He climbed out of his car, wearing jeans, a plaid shirt and work boots—not exactly the high-powered executive she’d first met in the middle of the road. His jeans fit him well and, yes, his butt was very nice, but her interest was purely intellectual. She could admire a man and still not want to have anything to do with him. The long legs and narrow hips were Mother Nature’s way of messing with her head. And maybe her hormones.

Oh, but it had been a very long time since a man had held her.

She’d had a few boyfriends during her teen years, and a serious relationship when she’d turned twenty. Mike had been a “townie” living in the small Arizona city where the carnival had settled for the winter. Heidi had always heard about the dangers of getting involved with locals, but Mike had swept her off her feet and she’d quickly succumbed to his charms. She’d given him her heart and her virginity. But when spring came, he didn’t want to go with the carnival, and she couldn’t leave the only family she had in the world. Although she and Mike had promised to stay in touch, he had eventually stopped calling. She’d heard through a mutual friend that he’d found someone else and was engaged. The following winter, the carnival went somewhere else.

She’d gotten over her broken heart, had enjoyed her life. The men who traveled with the carnival were either too old or too much like brothers for her to consider as romantic partners. Then, just when she’d started thinking it was time to find another way of life, Melinda, her best friend, had fallen in love.

Her relationship had burned hot and ended badly. Melinda, a softhearted young woman who always believed the best about everyone, had been devastated. Depression had followed. Two suicide attempts had shaken the small carnival community. Heidi had been determined to keep her friend alive, no matter what. But Melinda had been more determined to die.

Heidi walked around the back of the house and headed for the refuge that was her goats. Watching Melinda suffer had made Heidi wary of love. Of the price it exacted. Very few of the carnival family were married, and she could only remember a handful of happy couplings. Which made her unclear on the benefits of falling in love. Could that kind of feeling really last, and was it worth the trouble?

As far as how long it had been since she’d found a man in her bed, that was a different sort of problem. One of the downsides of living in Fool’s Gold was that, in a close-knit community like this one, there were no secrets. Going out of town for temporary romance might have been appealing, but she didn’t know where or how to begin. She wasn’t the bar type, and goats weren’t exactly a guy magnet.

Glen always told her to be open to the possibilities. The next time one presented itself, she just might have to say yes.

* * *

HEIDI FINISHED PRINTING the new labels for her cheese and studied the result. The artwork was clean, the colors bright. The only way she knew to make more money was to sell more cheese. But would this new label appeal to consumers?

Glen was downstairs. She could show it to him and get at least one opinion. If only she knew a marketing person, she thought as she walked out of her bedroom and ran into something solid, warm and very male.

Heidi stepped back and looked up, then wished she hadn’t.

Rafe had spent the afternoon unloading lumber and other supplies for the barn and fence line. No doubt he’d worked up a sweat and had therefore wanted to shower before dinner. But none of that explained why he was standing in the middle of the upstairs hall, wearing nothing but a couple of towels and a sexy grin.

His hair was wet and standing in surprisingly appealing little spikes. He hadn’t bothered shaving, so he was a combination of rough and naked. He smelled like her goat soap. The towel draped around his neck did little to conceal his bare chest, and the one at his waist teased with possibilities.

“What?” she snapped. “You can’t get changed in the bathroom?”

That single damned eyebrow rose.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. And don’t think I’m going to sleep with you, because I’m not. You’re just stubborn enough that it wouldn’t distract you from what you want, and then I would lose twice.”

His mouth curved into a slow grin. “I don’t recall asking you to sleep with me, but if you did, no one would lose.”

Horrified to realize what she’d just said, Heidi turned and raced for the stairs. Laughter followed her down to the first floor, where she bolted outside.

Cool evening air filled her lungs, but it wasn’t enough to ease the burning on her cheeks. Stupid man, she thought. Stupid man who looked really good in a towel. Whoever said life didn’t have a sense of humor was fifteen kinds of wrong.

* * *

“DON’T TELL ME TO SLEEP with Rafe to fix the problem,” Heidi said. Perhaps not the most professional way to begin the conversation with her lawyer, but she wanted to be clear. After last night’s unfortunate verbal spill, she’d been avoiding Rafe and planned to continue to not see him. Perhaps forever.

Trisha shifted the folders in front of her. “You can’t ask me to help you, then tie my hands and expect a miracle.” She chuckled. “Okay. I won’t mention it. I wonder if Rafe would be interested in sleeping with me? I wouldn’t say no to that one, despite the age difference.”

A visual Heidi didn’t want, but at least the concept was a distraction.

“Rafe and May have moved in.”

Trisha winced. “I don’t like the sound of that. Getting them out could be a problem.”

“With what the judge said about us sharing the ranch, I didn’t think I could tell them no. The house is big enough.” She wasn’t going to mention her worries about Glen. As far as she was concerned, there’d already been too much sex talk.

“How’s it working out?” Trisha asked.

“May is lovely. Very sweet and motherly. She cooks.”

“Ask her to come live with me,” Trisha said with a sigh. “I would kill for a home-cooked meal.”

“Tell me about it. But Rafe is complicated.”

“His type always is.”

“I’ve heard more about what happened to May and her kids back when she worked for the previous owner. He was horrible to her.”

“That may be true,” Trisha said. “It shouldn’t have an effect on the judge, but everybody’s human.”

“What do you know about Rafe’s younger brother Clay?”

Trisha leaned back in her chair and sighed. “You don’t know?” She laughed. “You really should.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you seen his picture?”

“Sure. May put several out in the living room.”

“Oh, not that kind.” Trisha typed on her laptop, then turned the machine so it faced Heidi.

The photo of a man filled the screen. He was naked, the shot taken from the back—his butt front and center, so to speak. Trisha reached around and pushed a button. The picture changed to Clay Stryker in extremely tight bikini briefs. Unless he’d been Photoshopped, his, assets were impressive.

Heidi felt her eyes widen as she stared. “He’s a—”

“An underwear model. Also a movie butt-double. Trust me, the studios pay big bucks to get his ass up on-screen. Very successful.”

“Rafe talks about him like he’s a criminal. Actually, he doesn’t talk about him.”

“Probably embarrassed. Rafe is a successful business guy. Do you think he likes having his little brother posing half-naked on a Times Square billboard?”

Heidi didn’t know Rafe well enough to be sure. “But he’s family.”

“Not everyone thinks being family is enough. How’s the financial plan coming?”

Heidi would rather talk about Clay’s butt or nearly any other topic. “Not well. I’m going to try to sell more cheese, and I have a couple of pregnant goats. Their kids will bring in money.”

“Am I right in thinking they don’t go for a hundred thousand each?”

“Not exactly.”

“How did you buy the ranch in the first place?”

Heidi shrugged. “I won a small lottery jackpot. It was enough for the down payment, closing costs and the goats. We had a few dollars in savings. I’ve started playing again, but I don’t hold out hope I’ll win a second time.”

“Any rich relatives ready to die?”

“No.”

“Too bad.” She turned the computer around and closed the top. “You need to come up with a way to pay back a significant percentage of what Glen stole. The judge isn’t going to want to hear about a plan that takes a decade. I’m serious, Heidi. You could lose the ranch, and Glen could go to prison. For real.”

“I’ll come up with something,” Heidi promised, although she wasn’t sure what or how.

* * *

RAFE SURVEYED THE FENCE. Most of the posts were leaning or missing, and the material between had either disappeared or was hanging by a single staple. The job would go faster if there were no fence at all. As it was, he would have to check each of the posts, pull the ones that weren’t sturdy enough, get rid of all the old wire fencing and then start with new material.

“That’s a lot of work.”

Rafe turned and saw Glen walking toward him. The old man pulled a pair of gloves out of his jeans’ back pocket.

“So we should probably get started.”

“You planning on helping me?” Rafe asked. He would guess Glen had been eligible for social security for close to a decade. Sure, he looked wiry, but what about his heart? Rafe wasn’t interested in putting the old man at risk.

“I put in my years as a roadie. Besides, it’s not like you’re digging holes the old-fashioned way.” He pointed to the engine-powered auger Rafe had rented. “Hell, boy, I’ve been handling machines like that longer than you’ve been alive.”

Boy? Rafe hid a grin. If Glen was trying to intimidate him, he was going to have to work a lot harder.

“You want to drill the postholes, you go ahead,” Rafe told him, thinking it would be the easiest work of the day. The equipment would provide most of the muscle, and Rafe would handle the heavy lifting.

Rafe had barely pulled out the first of the leaning posts when two trucks drove onto the ranch. They headed right for the fence line and came to a stop only a few feet away. There was one guy in the first truck, and two in the second.

The first man climbed out and walked toward Rafe. He was tall, with dark hair, and there was something about him that seemed familiar. Almost as if Rafe had met him before.

The man laughed as he approached. “I wouldn’t have recognized you, either,” he said. “Not if I hadn’t heard you were back in town.”

Rafe studied the stranger. “Ethan? Ethan Hendrix?”

“That’s me.”

The two men shook hands.

“Welcome home,” Ethan said. “I remember you hating Fool’s Gold. I can’t believe you’re back.”

“I’m not back or home. This is temporary.”

Ethan glanced at the stacks of fence posts and rolls of fencing. “Looks pretty permanent to me.”

“My mother is planning to stay in town. I’m helping her out.”

“You always did take care of her.” Ethan motioned for the other two men to join them. “I’m going to let you have two of my best. Got a call from the lumber supply about what you were planning to do.” Ethan grinned, his dark eyes bright with amusement. “Last I heard, you were some finance guy. If you’ve gone soft, there’s no way you can do this yourself.”

“I haven’t gone soft,” Rafe told him, then introduced Glen, who waved away the words.

“I know Ethan,” the old man said. “And these two. Come on, boys. We’ll get started and show them how it’s done.”

Rafe and Ethan walked toward the larger truck.

“You never left?” Rafe asked. “I remember something about you wanting to get away, too.”

Ethan shrugged. “That was the plan. Life intervened. Turned out staying here was the best thing that ever happened to me.” He pulled out his wallet and removed a couple of pictures.

Rafe studied the pretty redhead and the three children. “You’ve been busy.”

“I’ve been happy,” Ethan said.

Rafe handed back the picture. “Good for you.” While he didn’t feel any regrets about his marriage having failed, he was sorry not to have children of his own.

“Where are you living?” Ethan asked.

“San Francisco. You still in construction?”

“Some. The company pretty much runs itself. Most of my time is spent building turbines.” His smile flashed again. “Windmills, to you laypeople. Wind energy.”

They talked about Ethan’s business for a few minutes.

“We should get together,” Ethan said. “I’ll talk to Liz about having you over for dinner. Remember Josh Golden?”

“Sure.”

“He’s still in town. Married, with a kid. Fiona is a year now. Time flies. We’ll have them over.”

They discussed the other mutual friends they’d had in school—who was still around and who had moved on. After a few minutes, Ethan glanced at his watch.

“I need to get back. Keep my guys as long as you want. They know what they’re doing.”

“I appreciate the help. You’ll send me a bill for their time?”

“Count on it,” Ethan told him. “From what I’ve heard, you can afford it.”

Rafe shrugged. “I get by.”

“I’ll be in touch to set up that dinner. It’s good to have you back.”

“I’m not back.”

Ethan opened the driver’s-side door of his truck. “People say that a lot around here, and yet they never seem to leave. You might be more ‘back’ than you think, Rafe.”

* * *

AT SEVEN-THIRTY THAT NIGHT, the sun had yet to drift fully below the horizon. Rafe sat on the front-porch steps of the old house, a bottle of beer between his feet.

It had been a good day, he thought, shifting slightly. His muscles protested the movements, reminding him that building a fence was hard work, even with a motorized fence-post digger and plenty of help. His shoulders ached. Despite the gloves he’d worn, he had a few cuts on his hands, along with several blisters. He should probably be pissed, but he felt a sense of pride when he studied the straight, strong fence line. They’d made a good start. With the help of the guys Ethan had sent, it would only take a couple of weeks to get the fence line finished. Then they would move on to the barn.

He checked in with his office regularly. Ms. Jennings kept him informed on the most important projects. His days usually consisted of meetings and negotiations, contracts and travel. At the end of twelve or fourteen hours, he’d done plenty but couldn’t point to any one thing that had been finished. When a deal finally closed, he was already so deep into the next one, he rarely stopped to notice, let alone celebrate.

He’d thought being stuck in Fool’s Gold would be like serving time in hell. Maybe it would come to that, but today it hadn’t been too bad.

His cell phone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket. “Stryker.”

“Miss me?”

He grinned at his friend’s words. “No.”

Dante chuckled. “How wrong you are, and you’ll know it, too, when I tell you what happened today.”

Dante explained how he’d filed court documents, charmed a judge and done his best to once again make sure the company didn’t just win, but also crushed the opposition.

“Impressive,” Rafe said, then took a swallow of his beer.

Instead of paying attention to the details that would gain him millions, he found himself listening to the sounds from inside. The low rumble of conversation and the familiar intro music to his mother’s favorite game show. Heidi had gone upstairs after dinner. Would she come down again later?

Except for raving about his mother’s lasagna, Heidi had been silent at the table. She hadn’t looked at him once and had resisted any attempts at conversation. May had fussed over her, wondering if she didn’t feel well. Rafe suspected Heidi’s actions were more about what she’d said yesterday than any health issues.

When had she started thinking about them sleeping together? And, while it was all fine and good that she’d decided she wouldn’t sleep with him, her announcement had had the opposite effect on him. He’d been unable to think about much else.

“You’re not listening to me,” Dante said.

“Sorry. Distractions.”

“Goats?”

“Not exactly.”

“A woman?”

“Any other business?” Rafe asked.

“That’s a yes. Goat girl? She’s not your type.”

“What does that mean?”

“Since your divorce, you’ve preferred a different kind of woman. Beautiful, sure, but the kind who wouldn’t know a real emotion if it bit her on the ass. Heidi’s different.”

“When did you become an expert?”

“I’m just saying.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

Rafe pushed the button to end the call, then slipped the phone back into his shirt pocket. He took another swallow of his beer, knowing Dante was right. Heidi wasn’t like the other women who drifted in and out of his life. She was more down-to-earth. Besides, his plans for the ranch included making sure his mother owned it and Heidi didn’t. All the more reason to avoid her.

The screen door opened, and the woman on his mind stepped out, into the rapidly cooling evening air. She walked onto the porch, then came to a stop when she saw him.

“Oh, sorry.” She started to turn around.

“Wait.” He moved to the side on the step, making room for her. “Join me.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

Her gaze darted around the porch, as if searching for an excuse to say no, then she sighed, and moved toward him.

She sat down, holding herself stiffly. The scent of vanilla drifted to him. For once, her blond hair was loose rather than in the braids she favored. She wore a long-sleeved T-shirt over jeans and boots. Nothing sexy or enticing. Nothing that should have appealed to him. Yet he was aware of her, of how it would be to close the distance and have her lean against him.

“The fence looks good,” she said.

“Uh-huh.”

“Glen said you worked hard.”

“You sound surprised.”

She glanced at him, then faced front again. “You seem like more of a manager.”

“Better at giving orders than taking them?”

Her mouth turned up in a smile. “We both know that’s true.”

“Fair enough, but I can put in a fence if I have to. Until now, I’ve done my best to make sure I don’t have to.”

She wasn’t wearing any makeup, he realized as he stared at her. Her skin looked soft, as did her mouth. He lowered his gaze to her hands. Short nails and a few calluses. She worked hard with her hands.

“May said you’ve found someone to take the cows,” she said.

He picked up the bottle and took a drink. “The price is fair. He’ll be by in a couple of days to get them.”

“They’re going to end up on someone’s dinner table, aren’t they?”

“Is that concern I hear in your voice?”

She sighed. “I don’t want them hurt. I just don’t want them here. Maybe a zoo would take them.”

He swallowed just then and started to choke. She watched him anxiously until he’d recovered.

“You okay?”

He nodded and cleared his throat. “You want to offer your wild cows to a zoo?”

“I can’t think of them being killed and eaten.”

“Where do you think your steaks come from?”

“That’s different. I don’t know those cows.”

“You don’t know these, either. You’re scared of them. Heidi, it’s a lot of money.” He told himself not to remind her of that again. After all, every cent she made would go toward paying off his mother. If she got enough together, she might be able to sway the judge.

“Let me think about it. If he would promise not to kill them, then I would be okay with it.”

“What’s he supposed to do with your herd?”

“You’re being logical. I just want to have my goats and not deal with other animals. At least not the kind you eat.”

“People eat goats.”

“Not mine.”

“Your goats do have a good life here.”

Heidi told herself that her awareness of the evening came from the natural beauty of the surroundings and the quiet of the night. The goats had already settled down, the birds had nested and the crickets were out. She was one with nature. She was calm.

Then Rafe shifted on the step and she jumped. Her heart thudded so loudly, she was surprised the crickets didn’t all scream in terror, assuming crickets made any sound other than the chirpy one.

So much for being calm.

It wasn’t her fault, she told herself. It was what she’d said before. About not sleeping with him. Now he knew she’d been thinking about it. The man had an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. He probably thought she was desperate to have him in her bed, when the truth was she’d only been thinking about sex as a way to convince him to not take her ranch. A really dumb idea, especially considering she was reasonably sure she wasn’t good enough—bed-wise—to convince him of anything.

“Heidi?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay? You look like maybe you’re in pain.”

“I’m fine.” Or she would be. Eventually. “Dinner was great.”

“That’s what you were thinking about?”

“No, but that’s the conversational gambit I’m putting forth.”

He angled toward her, his leg now millimeters from her thigh. “You can do better than talking about my mom’s lasagna.”

“Fine. Do you miss San Francisco?”

“Yes.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re in my hometown. You could at least pretend to have to think about your answer.”

“Why? I like living in the city.”

“The shopping and access to the ballet?”

One corner of his sexy, well-shaped, come-kiss-me mouth turned up. She found her attention very much settled on his mouth, and wondered what it would feel like against her own. If he, you know, wanted to—

She mentally slammed the door on those thoughts and stared out at the barn. The silhouette was very meaningful, she told herself. Or at least safer than Rafe.

“I like fine dining and easy access to work.”

“Missing the corporate lifestyle?”

“Yes. I don’t have enough power here. I’m not a ranch hand, I’m a power broker.”

Despite her awareness and the steady hum of need that had taken up residence inside her belly, she laughed. “Maybe you should go back. To make sure everything is okay.”

“I have staff. They make sure everything is okay.”

“Must be nice.”

“It is.”

“Are you rubbing in your richness? I’m very aware that you could buy and sell me a hundred times over. It doesn’t matter. I’m not a city girl. And I don’t like townies.”

“Townies? You don’t seriously call people that.”

“Yes. They live in towns. They’re different.” Some of them had hurt her best friend, and Heidi knew she would never get over that.

“You should embrace townies,” Rafe told her. “They buy your cheese.” He leaned back against the railing. “What markets are you in?”

She blinked at the question. “You mean like, what are the names of the stores that sell my cheese?”

The smile returned. “No. What market segments do you find most profitable? Organic, local, wine stores?”

“Oh.” She folded her hands together on top of her thighs. The faint tingling had faded, leaving her feeling uneasy and inadequate. “I sell in town. To places I can deliver to. During the festivals, I usually set up a booth.”

His expression remained expectant, as if he thought she was saving the best for last.

“That’s pretty much it.”

“How are you going to make a living doing that? You need to expand your market. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are obvious, but what about smaller organic and specialty chains? You’re within a few hours of San Francisco, and not that much farther from L.A. Both could be huge markets for you. Plenty of upscale stores, with shoppers interested in buying local and organic. You could try the food shows. Trade shows. Hell, send samples to Rachael Ray. What about your sales reps? What do they say?”

“You’re the only one out here with staff. I can’t afford to pay someone to sell my cheese.”

“It’s the only way you’re going to take things to the next level. Otherwise, you’ll be scrambling to pay the bills forever. One decent rep could pay for him- or herself in three months. You could put the rest of your profits back into the business. There are dozens of markets. Of course, that assumes you have extra cheese to sell.”

“I do.”

“Then—”

He stopped talking suddenly, as if aware of what he was doing. Helping the enemy. Because if she became successful, she could pay back his mother and win the case.

“All good ideas,” she admitted. “I’ll think about them.” Because they were smart business moves. Not that he had to worry, because even if she started right now, she couldn’t have them up and running in time. It wasn’t as if the judge was going to give her six or eight months.

“Heidi, I—” He stopped and shook his head.

She waited.

She thought he would tell her she couldn’t use his ideas, or that even if her business grew to be the size of Kraft foods, he would still win, or that she was completely out of her league with him. Instead, he muttered something she couldn’t quite hear, then leaned forward, grabbed her by her upper arms and kissed her.

She was so startled, she couldn’t react, really couldn’t even feel what was happening. Her brain couldn’t wrap itself around the action. Kissing her? Rafe? Why?

But instead of trying to answer the question, she became aware of the warmth—no, the heat—of his lips on hers. Of how they seemed to fit together. His kiss was firm—he was obviously in charge. Yet there was an unexpected gentleness. He offered rather than took and, as crazy as it sounded, she sensed he wanted her to yield. As if her giving in, her surrender, was important.

Somewhere during the first flash of confusion, she closed her eyes. In the darkness, she felt his mouth moving against her. Instinctively, she leaned toward him, raising her arms to his shoulders. His shirt was smooth, his muscles hard. His hands dropped to her waist. She felt the pressure of each individual finger.

Against her mouth, the kiss lingered; heat grew. She told herself to pull back, that Rafe was dangerous to her on more levels than she could count. That, in any circumstance, he played to win, and she rarely played at all. Yet she couldn’t seem to get the message to her body. Maybe because being close to him felt so good. She gave in to the inevitable and tilted her head, then parted her lips.

He swept inside, claiming her with a deep kiss that stirred long-dormant needs. Her blood moved more quickly. Her breasts began to ache and between her thighs a telltale throbbing pulsed in time with her heartbeat.

As his tongue danced with hers, he moved his hands up and down her back. His touch was part caress, part promise. She got lost in the sensations, wanted him to touch other places, to cup her breasts and maybe slip lower.

He broke the kiss, then pressed his lips against her jaw. From there, he trailed his way to her neck, then her collarbone. Lips teased, teeth scraped, each action making her shiver and ache and need. Wanting grew, until she was ready to grab his hands and place them where she wanted them most. Right at this second, being really stupid sounded like the best plan ever.

She’d barely moved her arms to grab his wrists when his phone rang. She heard the shrill sound, felt the vibration in his shirt pocket and jumped back. Her eyes flew open.

Rafe pulled out the phone. She saw his thumb hit the ignore button, but not before she saw the name on the screen.

Nina.

“Girlfriend?” she asked into the silence that followed.

As usual, Rafe’s expression was unreadable, his dark gaze steady as he looked at her.

“No.”

She waited. Whoever the woman was, she was important enough to be in Rafe’s contact list. While it was too late for Heidi to take back the kiss, it wasn’t too late to find out how dumb she’d been.

“My matchmaker.”

She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than a girlfriend. Better, she decided. He wasn’t involved. He was looking to get into a relationship, but not with anyone like her, of course. Which was fine. She wasn’t interested in him, either. Despite the evidence to the contrary.

She managed to stand and step back onto the porch. She crossed to the screen door and opened it.

“You should call her back,” she said, pleased her voice was so calm. “It might be important.”