Part 11 (1/2)
He stared at her. ”John again?”
”No. I've been going through my father's papers,” she explained. ”Your birthday is May twenty-first.”
”That's right.” He took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down. ”There wa.s.something I wanted to talk to you about tonight.”
”I wanted to talk to you, too,” she heard herself say. ”I've put it off for awhile now but it's only fair that you know what's going on.” She took a deep breath.
”You're ending the cattle operation,” he said, his eyes dark and unreadable.
”Well, no-”
”No?”
”There was an article in the paper about a ranch near us that's raising some special breed of beef cattle.” She wished she could remember the name of thedam things. ”Saint something.”
”Santa Gertrudis?”
”That's it. Are they very expensive?”
”They are.” He leaned back in his chair. ”Sweetheart, I thought you wanted abed-and-breakfast operation, not a cattle ranch.”
”Eventually,” she said. ”But I need to keep money coming in so the ranch isself-sufficient.”
”Like its owner,” Cal said.
”Yes.” She finished the rest of her dessert while he discussed the merits of a new breeding program.There would be other times to talk to him, she promisedherself. And maybe she needed to do it somewhere private, without anex-girlfriend watching or a waitress interrupting to refill his coffee.
There was time,Addie told herself.Neither one of them were going anywhere.
Chapter 9.
”Ilet the little fellas watch TV after they put their pj's on,” Johnwhispered. ”And they fell asleep so I just left them here.”
”That's okay. I'll get them to bed.” Addie smiled. Matt lay sprawled on thecouch while Ian was asleep on the floor, his head nestled against an oversizepillow. ”I'll take them upstairs. Thank you for taking such good care ofthem.”
”No problem, Miss Addie,” the old man drawled. ”They're fine boys. Didn'tgive me no trouble at all, except for falling asleep before I could get themupstairs in their beds.”
”I'm glad they behaved themselves.” She had given them strict instructions toobey John and to go to sleep when they were told to, but she suspected Johnwas too softhearted to be strict with them. ”They were pretty excited aboutyou being here.”
”Did you two have a good time?” The old man grinned. ”It's sure nice when twoyoung people can go out and be alone together.”
”We had a lovely dinner,” Addie a.s.sured him, but Cal frowned. John stifled alaugh and moved toward the door. ”I'll be heading home now, though. I'mfeeling a bit sleepy myself. Good night, Miss Addie. 'Night, Cal.”
”Good night,” she said, before leaning over Matt to wake him.
”Don't bother the boy,” Cal said, stepping closer. ”I'll carry him upstairsfor you.”
”All right.” She followed him up the kitchen staircase and turned on a small,corner lamp so Cal could see. ”It's this one,” she said, pulling back thecovers on her son's bed. Cal deposited the sleeping child onto the mattressand Addie covered Matt with the striped sheet.
They did the same with Ian, who grumbled in his sleep and opened his eyesonce to stare blankly at the rancher holding him. ”Mr.Cal?”
”Go to sleep, boy,”Calwhispered. ”You're in your own bed now.”
Ian blinked twice before closing his eyes and rolling over on his side.”Okay,” he mumbled before falling asleep.
”Thanks,” Addie whispered, once the boys were settled in theirbeds.Calstarted for the stairs, but Addie stopped him. ”Wait,” she whispered.”I have that article up here, the one about the fancy cattle and how thatranch is making money selling beef that doesn't have additives or chemicals.”
She hurried past her bathroom and closets, through the narrow pa.s.sageway thatconnected her room to the children's, to find the magazine forCalto read. Sheheard his footsteps behind her as she knelt down and rifled through the stackof reading material next to her bed. She wasn't surprised to see the manstanding there, looking at her in the dim light that came from the bathroom'snight-light.
”I found it,” she said, coming to her feet. ”There's an auction every Juneand-”
”Addie.” He reached out to take her hand. ”Forget the cattle for a minute.”
”But-” His hand was warm, the skin rough around her fingers.
”I'm going to kiss you good-night now,”Calsaid. ”I'm done talking aboutcows.”
”Are you sure?” She couldn't help smiling up at him in the darkness. ”Thismagazine article has a lot of information you might want-”
”I'm sure,” he said.Caltook the magazine and tossed it onto the bed, thentugged her closer so that their bodies touched. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were against hisbody, and she had the overwhelming desire to rip off his s.h.i.+rt and bury herface in his naked chest. She remembered it being a very impressive part ofhim. ”No more ranch talk, sweetheart. I'm going to take advantage of being inyour bedroom for a few minutes.”
Oh, good,she wanted to say. Even though she had no business kissing the man,or starting something that she shouldn't really finish. But she was onlyhuman, she told herself, gazing up at the man who held her so gently. ”And howare you going to do that?”
He brought his mouth down to hers, brushed her cheek with his lips. ”Well, Ithought I'd kiss you for a while,” he whispered. ”Maybe a few hours.”
”Hours?”
”Mmm.” His lips moved across hers. ”Unlike our first date.”
”Please don't remind me.” The immediate physical reaction to his kisses wasall too familiar. She told herself she was lonely. She reminded herself thather hormones were raging out of control. She forgave herself for kicking offher sandals and pulling him closer.
”It's one of my fondest memories,” he murmured against her mouth. ”Up untilthe end, when you ran out of the motel room.”
She wasn't running now, she realized. That wide expanse of king-size bed wasonly inches away, but Addie knew she had to resist hauling the cowboy onto themattress. She was a respectable woman, a mother, a landowner and a woman ofreason and good sense. But he kissed her again, not so gently this time. Andthe respectable woman of good sense looped her arms around his neck and pulledhim even closer.
”We shouldn't,” she managed to say, once he'd lifted his mouth. Her bodytingled in all the right places and reminded her that she was courtingtrouble.
”Yeah,” he said. ”I know.”
”Although I suppose it's not that terrible, since we've done it before-”
”That one time doesn't count,” the man growled. ”Not really.”
Oh, it counted, she wanted to say. Enough to make a baby, despite thecirc.u.mstances.
”I have to lock the doors,” she managed to whisper into his chest.