A Kiss in the Dark (7 page)

7

L
ACEY
WAS
SO
INTENT
on her discussion with Carr, she failed to immediately notice Cole’s truck when it pulled into the gravel parking lot. It was only when Carr tapped on her arm, interrupting her enthusiastic spiel about the various applications of the GPS units, that she followed his gaze to where the truck was parked. The sight of Cole striding easily across the grass toward her caused her breath to catch.

He smiled as he came closer. “So, how’d it go?”

Lacey could scarcely form a coherent thought. Late-afternoon sunlight slanted through the overhead trees and played across his features as he made his way toward her. A light breeze molded his T-shirt briefly against the smooth muscles beneath and then fluttered it away again. His eyes gleamed with warmth and pleasure, and Lacey found herself wondering if he would kiss her, the way he had when he’d left her that morning. Instead, he stopped just short of her and rested his hands easily on his hips. He made no move to touch her.

She and Carr were standing near the entrance to the Rod and Gun Club, having wrapped up the last segment of the training just minutes earlier. It had taken nearly twice as long as she had estimated to get through the first phase, but it wasn’t because the rescue team was slow in comprehending the mechanics of the GPS units. Rather, they were intensely interested in how the units worked and how they might be used to improve their rescue operations. Lacey had found herself bombarded with questions and what-ifs and she’d been pleasantly surprised and flattered by the team’s obvious interest. The day had flown by.

Carr was holding her GPS unit in his hands. “It went better than I had hoped, although I still think Lacey might need to extend her visit.” He grinned at her and gave her a friendly wink.

“Actually,” she said quickly, “the team has done a great job getting the hang of the units. We even went out and did a couple of practical demonstrations. I think, overall, it went really well.”

At Carr’s request, she’d called Julia and had ordered a unit for each team member and agreed to conduct some field exercises with them. But with Sheriff Hathaway at the hospital, she still had not made firm plans on where she would test STAR. Since Carr was filling in for the sheriff, Lacey hoped to spend some time with him, outlining her requirements.

“I came by around 4:30,” Cole was saying, “but you were still pretty well involved.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost six now. Hungry?”

Before she could answer, Carr’s pager started to beep. He yanked it from his belt and glanced at the display, and then punched a number into his cell phone. As Lacey listened, she realized he was receiving an emergency call.

He flipped the phone closed and glanced at Lacey. “Looks like I’ve gotta run. Three kids have gone missing in the hills, and a fourth kid thinks they went down an abandoned mine shaft.”

Without waiting for a reply, he ducked into the building and Lacey could hear him barking commands to the team members still inside.

“C’mon,” muttered Cole, hefting her presentation materials in one hand, “let’s get out of here.”

Lacey turned to him. “Shouldn’t we stay?”

“Trust me,” he said grimly, “the best thing we can do now is keep out of their way.”

As if on cue, the doors of the club burst open and Skeeter and Harlan came through at a jog, rescue equipment thrown over their shoulders. The Armstrong twins were right behind them, and then Poke and Carr. Lacey watched as they loaded the gear into several trucks. She couldn’t help but be impressed with the efficiency they demonstrated. There was no confusion about what needed to be done. They had everything stowed and ready to go in less than two minutes.

“Hey, Mac,” called Carr. “How about coming along? We could use another hand.”

Beside her, Cole raised both palms. “No, thanks.”

Carr shrugged and then climbed into one of the trucks. He plunked an emergency light onto the roof and waved farewell before following the other vehicles out of the parking lot.

Lacey turned to Cole. He was walking toward his own truck, his steps long and purposeful. She caught up with him and waited while he secured her belongings in the bed of his truck.

“I hope you didn’t refuse because of me,” she ventured.

He glanced at her. “My refusal had nothing to do with you.”

Lacey frowned. “Then why wouldn’t you go with them? They’re looking for a bunch of
kids,
Cole. I’d think that would be enough for most people to want to get involved.”

He sighed and then turned to her, and Lacey saw something in his expression that made her chest constrict.

Regret. Resignation.

“It’s not as easy as that, Lacey.” He passed a hand over his face. “There are things you don’t understand. Things I’d rather not talk about.”

Before she could prevent herself, she put a hand on his arm. He angled his head to look at her, and his lips curved in a small smile.

“I don’t do mine rescues,” he said in explanation. “The last time I got involved in one of those, it was a complete disaster. I swore I’d never do it again.”

Lacey knew her face went pale, but she couldn’t prevent her thoughts from returning to the day that the rescue efforts for her father had been suspended. Amidst the chaos of emergency crews, the dozens of media personnel and the throngs of townspeople, she hadn’t fully understood what was happening. But she would never forget the faces of the rescue workers as they had murmured words of regret and sympathy to her mother while Lacey had clung to her hand, unable to comprehend that her father wouldn’t be coming home. Had something like that happened to Cole?

“Carr said they could use an extra hand,” she persisted. “Maybe you could just, you know, help them track where the kids went into the shaft, and then leave the actual rescue to the team.”

“Trust me,” he said, with a laugh that sounded bitter, “they don’t want me on the team any more than I want to be on it. Carr was just being polite.”

Privately, Lacey disagreed. Carr had sounded pretty sincere to her and she sensed just from being in his company for one day that he wasn’t the type of person who said something unless he meant it.

She watched as he shoved her gear into his stow box, not looking at her. “About my staying with you,” she began. “Are you sure—”

Cole smiled then, a rueful smile that revealed the indents in his lean cheeks. Lacey felt her stomach do a slow, backward roll.

“I’m absolutely sure. I want you to stay at my place while you’re here.” He held up his hands. “No strings attached. If something happens between us…well then, it’ll be because you want it to happen, okay?” He dipped his head to look into her eyes. “But I can’t leave you at the Blackwater Inn. It’s not safe. Is that fair enough?”

He was completely sincere. It was there in his eyes and his earnest expression. God, she was weak. She had absolutely no willpower to resist him. Especially not when he looked at her like that.

She was prevented from answering by the sound of a truck engine rumbling closer. Turning, she saw Carr’s pickup truck making its way toward them down the gravel road, followed by the other two vehicles that had headed out at the same time.

They watched as the men got out. Carr threw a bundle of gear over his shoulder. “What, still here?” he called with a roguish grin. “I thought for sure you two would be—well, never mind what I thought.”

“False alarm?”

“Yeah, we got a call about a mile out that the kids were found. They’re fine. Didn’t go down a shaft at all. They were just pulling a prank on one of their friends, and about scared the poor kid to death.”

Harlan came around from the side of his pickup, hefting a bag that must have weighed a ton as if it were no more than a briefcase. He was a big man of few words, but Lacey sensed that very little escaped his notice. While the members of the rescue team took great enjoyment in teasing Poke and the Armstrong twins, they took no such liberties with Harlan. Lacey admitted to herself she was more than a little intimidated by the man. Now he nodded in her direction and disappeared inside the club to put away the equipment.

“Well,” said Lacey, “I’m glad the kids are safe.”

Carr grinned. “We all are, trust me.” He shoved his hat back on his head. “Listen, we’re heading into town for a drink and a bite to eat. Why don’t you join us?”

Cole hesitated. “Thanks anyway.”

“C’mon, man. Bring the lady out and show her a good time.”

“Maybe another time.”

Carr turned to Lacey. “You know, you really hooked up with the wrong guy, ma’am. Now if it had been
me,
I wouldn’t be such a cheapskate. I’d be wining and dining you—”

“Okay. Fine. We’ll join you.” Cole gave the other man a friendly glower. “Just don’t feed her that line when we all know how
you
treat the ladies.”

Carr looked chagrined. “Well, I
would
at least feed her.”

Cole looked over at Lacey. “Does that sound okay to you?”

“Sure. Why not? It sounds like fun.” She gave Cole a bright smile.

He gave her a tolerant look. “You know,” he said several minutes later, when they were in the truck and following Carr out of the parking lot, “we don’t have to do this. We could go somewhere else, just the two of us.”

“Why? Aren’t you and Carr friends?”

Cole shrugged. “We’ve been good friends since we were kids. He was pretty upset with me when I left Black Stone Gap, and now that I’m back he likes to give me a hard time.”

“Well, he speaks highly of you,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind having dinner with him and the other guys. It really does sound like fun.”

Lacey realized she was hungry, and she’d enjoyed spending time with the rescue team. But when they pulled into the congested parking lot of a club called
The Bootlegger
, with country music blaring through the humid air courtesy of exterior-mounted speakers, Lacey realized they weren’t just going out for a bite to eat. This place looked like a true boot-scootin’, country-Western club. Lacey leaned forward in anticipation. She wondered if she could persuade Cole to teach her how to country dance.

The atmosphere inside the club was loud, smoky and festive. Lacey was surprised and a little dismayed by how crowded it was. Even at this hour, the place was nearly packed.

Country music filled the low-ceilinged room and throngs of people milled around an enormous bar, or crammed tables that ringed a large dance floor. Somebody—one of the Armstrong twins, although she couldn’t tell which one—waved them over to an area at the far end of the bar. Cole took her arm and steered her expertly through the crowd.

“This place is insane!” she shouted to him, although her voice was nearly inaudible above the din.

Cole grinned and bent his head to her ear. “This is nothing. Wait until the live band kicks up around nine o’clock. Then you’ll know what crazy is.”

Cole procured a stool for her at the bar with Carr, Skeeter and the Armstrong twins on either side of her, then took up position directly behind her. Even without looking at him, Lacey was acutely conscious of him standing close to her, his large frame acting as a shield when the other patrons squeezed by. Within minutes, she found herself with a glass of iced tea in her hands as Cole took a long swallow from a bottle of beer.

He leaned down to speak directly into her ear, and Lacey caught the tantalizing scent that was his alone. Her pulse quickened. She had a nearly overwhelming desire to turn her face and trace her lips along the strong line of his jaw. Memories from the preceding night came flooding back, and she was helpless to prevent the warmth that slid along her veins.

“I ordered us a couple of sandwiches,” he was saying, oblivious to the effect he was having on her. “We’ll stay long enough to eat, then we can get out of here.”

Lacey looked up to tell him she wanted to dance first, but something had caught Cole’s attention farther down the bar. One moment his expression was warm and relaxed. The next instant, his features were taut and Lacey caught a glimpse of steel in their depths before he quickly averted his gaze.

Curious, she looked to see a man leaning negligently against the far end of the bar. He was well-dressed in a sports jacket and slacks, in striking contrast to the other men in the club, who wore blue jeans and boots. He smiled as he chatted with the bartender. Lacey guessed him to be in his early forties. He had a little bit of a paunch, and his hairline was receding, but she decided he had a nice face. As if sensing her scrutiny, he glanced in her direction and for a moment, their gazes met. He smiled and raised his bottle toward her in a friendly toast, and Lacey found herself smiling back at him.

“Who is that?” she asked Cole.

“My new boss, Buck Rogan,” he said curtly, and nodded in the man’s direction.

As they watched, the man pushed away from the bar and threaded his way toward them. Beside her, Cole stiffened, but when she glanced at his face his expression seemed cordial enough.

“Evening, ma’am.” The man named Buck stood just outside their small circle. Up close, Lacey could see he was older than she’d originally thought, maybe in his early fifties. “Hello, MacKinnon. My foreman tells me he hired you on as our new engineer. Welcome aboard.”

Cole nodded. “Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Really.” The word was laced with mild sarcasm and even a touch of amusement. “I seem to recall you once told me that you’d see me in hell before you ever worked for me again.”

To Lacey’s surprise, Cole laughed, although it didn’t sound genuine to her. “Well, I said a lot of things back then, I guess. I was young, and it was an emotional time.” He thrust his hand out to Buck. “I hope we can let bygones be bygones.”

Buck’s eyes narrowed briefly, as if he also wondered at Cole’s sincerity. Finally, he smiled and took Cole’s hand, pumping it firmly. “Of course we can. Your daddy was the best foreman that ever worked for me. I heard about your troubles in Virginia and I’m glad that I can help you out, the economy being what it is. I always have room on my payroll for a good engineer.”