“This time I hear you have a mama and pups,” a tall blond-haired man said, pushing back his hat and smiling at Jake. “Are the dogs fire victims?”
“We’re glad to see you, Charley, and yes, we do have a mama and pups. The fire probably is why she wandered away from her home.” He said hello to the girls. “I think all of you know my neighbor Claire Blake.”
Claire spoke to them as they greeted her.
“We’ll get the dogs and be on our way. The girls can’t wait to have the little pups.”
Claire stood back out of the way as the Andersons gathered the animals and the bedding. Jake followed them to the car, and she went with him.
In minutes they waved goodbye to the Andersons, and she turned to smile at Jake. “Thank you. I’m sure the Andersons will do right by the dogs. And Charley told me to notify him if I have strays on my ranch and he’d come get the dog and find it a home. That’s just wonderful.”
“They’re really good about it, and they don’t seem to get overloaded or want to stop,” he answered. Jake turned to face her. “Right now, I want to volunteer to help fight the fire,” he said, knowing he needed to get away from her and try to forget their kiss. “I’m sure they can use extra hands. That fire is a record breaker.”
“I think I should volunteer to help, too. I can’t get out there and fight the fire the way you can, but I’ll bet there are some things I can do.”
He studied her a moment as he nodded. “You’re probably right. We’ll head down to the firemen’s temporary headquarters. Meanwhile, c’mon, I’ll show you where you can stay,” he said, and she turned to walk with him into the cabin. They went through a wide hall with a polished hardwood floor and paintings of Western landscapes in gold frames hung on the walls.
They entered a spacious room with another highly polished hardwood floor. The room held an enormous wide-screen television, a game table and groupings of chairs and sofas. Down another hall, she glimpsed a movie room and a large dining room with a fruitwood table that would easily seat over twenty people. She noticed the surroundings, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering to her host. He walked close beside her, and she was aware of his height, of their shoulders and arms brushing lightly with each step.
And then she thought about her loss, about not even owning a house any longer, of not having a home, and she hurt again.
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Everything I see makes me think about my house. I’ll get accustomed to dealing with the loss, but right now, it’s too recent.”
“I’m sorry about your house, but your reaction is understandable, and you don’t need to apologize. You don’t need to explain it to me, either.” He stopped in front of open double doors. “I’m across and down the hall where that door is open. This suite will be yours. Let’s go look. I’m sure the bed has clean linens.”
She barely heard what he said, because she was still thinking about him being “across and down the hall,” which was oh so incredibly close. He looked the type to sleep in the buff—and then she tried to drop that thought as if it were a burning cinder. She looked up at him while he talked, but all she could think about was how handsome he was, and then she was lost in memories of his kiss.
She forced herself to focus on what he was saying. “...and I have someone who cleans every two weeks when I’m away and then comes once a week when I’m here. I have a cook when I’m here for very long, and I have a garden crew.”
“Do they all drive out from town?” she asked, barely aware of what she said to him, because she was too conscious of his broad shoulders, how close he stood and his riveting dark gaze that kept her pulse racing. Now they were under the same roof, just down the hall from each other for how many nights? How was she going to be able to resist him? They obviously had something between them, or they wouldn’t have shared a kiss that she didn’t think she would ever forget.
“Most everyone who works for me lives around here,” he continued, and she tried to focus on what he was saying. “There are houses scattered nearby—actually in walking distance. You just don’t see them because of trees and bushes.”
“Don’t go to any trouble because I’m here. I can get along rather easily. A roof and a bed will be sufficient.”
He smiled and nodded. “I’ll get us some sandwiches. We may be working all night. You know where the kitchen is. You can meet me there.” He left her to go to his suite, and she stood a moment to watch him walk away. He had long legs encased in tight jeans that were faded with wear. When he passed out of her sight, she turned to enter her suite and get ready to go.
The moment she stepped into her suite, she shook her head. It was furnished with antiques, which she loved, recognizing some very old and very fine pieces, or else excellent reproductions. Her bed was larger than king-size with a frilly white canopy and a white bedspread.
“Some cabin,” she said, shaking her head. There was no way his two-story mansion in the woods could be called a cabin, except that was what he called it. It was too big and too elegant. And now she would be spending the night with him here...alone.
* * *
Jake let out his breath when he entered his suite. If he kept busy the whole time Claire was with him, he probably could get by without kissing her again. He knew he had to try. He thought about his brother who had married her sister and how their lives had never been the same since. They were cut off from their families, living far, far away and keeping their whereabouts secret.
He couldn’t stop the response he had to Claire, but he knew he needed to resist her. “Yeah, right,” he whispered as he passed through his big sitting room into the bedroom. The suite held a custom-made bed, a large desk across the room and beyond the desk a big TV screen. He stopped by a table and picked up a remote control, pushed a button and in minutes he began to get pictures of burned acres, of parts of his ranch, pictures still being taken by Hap Green and sent back to him showing the fire and the damage already done. Hap didn’t fly into the smoky parts, but the fire had already destroyed large areas, and they could get some shots of it in the distance. Jake shook his head and put down the remote, leaving the pictures on.
He got ready to go. He was certain the firefighters could use his help some way, and probably the workers would be glad to have Claire’s help.
He went into the bathroom to use the facilities, and when he came out, his eyes lit on the huge bed. Unbidden, images of Claire sprawled out on the sheets assailed him. His breath grew ragged as he imagined him joining here there, making love to her. The thought nearly sent him up in flames.
He groaned and raked his fingers through his hair. “Damn,” he whispered. Claire in his bed. He shook his head. “With her family and yours,” he said aloud to himself, “that’s the way straight to trouble.”
So why was it exactly what he wanted?
Four
In less than half an hour, Claire joined Jake in the kitchen to eat a sandwich before they left. To take her mind off the fire and her loss, he tried to talk about something else.
