Desperado: Deep in the Heart, Book 2 (18 page)

It was right here, under a majestic Texas sky.

Cody watched the woman from his position on the porch. She appeared lost in a world of her own. He couldn’t imagine what she found so interesting in a paddock full of cow chips and knee-high grass, but it had her riveted. Maybe she was lonely. Maybe she hadn’t really wanted to be here. He hardened his heart against those thoughts. She and Annie had gotten attached to one another in some sisterly fashion he couldn’t fathom. She and Mary had gotten together like ticks on dogs’ backs. If she was feeling out of place now, that was her problem. Stormy had wanted to be here. So now she was. He wasn’t going to go running out there and make sure she was all right.

He wanted to. He wanted to so much he knew it was a bad idea. It was only her first night here. He’d vowed to get through the next four days without compounding the mistake he’d made once. That meant he had to avoid tripping over her at every loose moment, like this one, which called to him to go see her. With the darkness and the quiet they’d get to talking—and maybe more. No, best he head back inside and not worry about a woman who claimed she could handle herself.

“Cody, ask Stormy if she wants some Key lime pie for dessert!” Ma called from the kitchen. “I tried a new recipe I found in
Southern Living
magazine just for her.”

Key lime pie? What the hell for? he wondered. There was no need to go out of their way for Stormy’s sake. Why couldn’t they eat what they were used to, such as a quick bowl of ice cream before bed? He preferred not to think about how Key lime pie would taste on Stormy’s lips. Stomping out the door, he realized the scout had wandered about half a mile down the fence line. A frown fixed on his face. No good shouting. He’d have to go after her, or risk appearing rude by hollering.

He caught up with her, calling to her when he was about fifty feet away. “Stormy!”

“Yes?” She turned to face him.

“Ma wants to know if you want some Key lime pie. She made it special for you.”

“Oh. How nice of her!”

He could see the pleasure on Stormy’s face even in the darkness. It irritated him. “You shouldn’t be walking out here so late without a light,” he said gruffly. “You might come upon a snake.”

“I see snakes all the time when it’s full light and I’m in a crowded room. Sometimes they just can’t be avoided.”

An uncomfortable thought crossed his mind. What was she referring to? “I don’t quite get your drift.”

“Never mind.” Stormy took off walking toward the house.

“Hang on a minute,” he said, catching her by the arm and gently turning her around. “You’re not implying that I’m a snake, are you?”

She shrugged. “If the skin fits, wear it.”

“Now, look, Stormy. If you’re going to stay in my house for four days, we’re going to have to get along.” He meant there to be no nonsense on this point.

“You’re right. I apologize. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of an opportunity to take a cheap shot. Especially as you’ve been a wonderful host for the six hours I’ve been here.” She turned again and headed away.

“Stormy, we should talk.” He caught up with her and turned her around to face him. “We should talk about what happened.”

She stared up at him with eyes that were round and captivating and hurt. Cody swallowed hard. “Or maybe not,” he murmured, sliding his hand up to frame her face with his hands.

This is such a bad idea, he thought as he lowered his lips to hers. He moved close against her so that they melded together. Such a bad idea, but it feels so good.

Chapter Twelve

Stormy pulled away instantly. “I think I’ll go try some of your mom’s pie.”

He kept her from turning away. “Wait a minute. I know something’s bothering you. I’d like to fix it.”

“By kissing me?” She gave him an assessing look. “I think that adds to the problem.”

Cody lowered his head, knowing she was right. “Okay. In fact, I apologize for the way I treated you the other day. I behaved like a jerk.”

“It’s over and done.” She rubbed her hands over her arms. “But just in case you think that I’m staying here because I want to be near you, I want to make it clear that I’m doing this for Annie, because she asked me to. I’m doing it for Mary, because she needs a friend. And I’m doing it for me, because…well, I’ve got my own reasons.” Her eyes never strayed from his. “But they have nothing to do with you.”

“All right,” he said carefully. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do,” she replied softly. “We knew what we were doing when we made love, Cody. We knew there was no future involved. Staying in your home doesn’t mean I want to have a convenient, ongoing bedtime relationship. Once was enough for me.”

He grimaced. “That isn’t what I want, either. Will you tell me one thing, though? Will you tell me
why
you did it?”

“Why I let you be my first, you mean?” Stormy looked away. “I don’t know, quite honestly. But I do know it wasn’t a good idea.” She turned to walk off into the night, calling over her shoulder, “I’d relax if I were you, Cody. You’re looking real hard for the trap I set out, but there wasn’t one.”

The dry grass crackled softly under her footsteps as she walked away. Cody closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe he’d kissed her. He couldn’t believe she had rejected him. His brain wasn’t working right, because he knew better than to touch that woman. Stormy was right. There was no future between them.

Four days and three nights stretched like an eternity before him. He couldn’t sit at the table every night with her, and wake up every morning to her in his house without going mad. There were some things a man had to do, and there were some things he just couldn’t do.

He couldn’t stay here.

Sloan glanced at Cody as they finished artificially inseminating the triple-registered, black and white spotted Arabian mare. “One down, four to go.”

Cody grunted. “Good.” He was bunking at Sloan’s for the next two days, run out of his own house like a frightened dog. Thank goodness he’d promised Sloan his help with the mares. The timing was right, because it gave him a good excuse for avoiding Stormy. On the last night of her stay, he’d go home ever so casually and shake her hand. The next morning he’d wave as she drove off in her rental car—and say goodbye to the passel of trouble from California.

“Wanna get some grub?” Sloan asked.

“No.” Shaking his head, Cody said, “I’m going to grab some water.”

“I’ve never seen you eat so little. Something the matter?” Sloan went behind a wooden partition in the barn and rummaged through some equipment.

“Nope.” And that was all Cody intended to say on the subject, even to his friend.

“When’s the scout leaving?”

He shrugged and swigged water. “Saturday night’s her last night. Then she’s back to La-La Land.”

“You ever been to California?” Sloan squinted over at him.

“Nope. And I ain’t going. I don’t like beaches, can’t stand sand getting into everything. I can get dirty right here at home. Palm trees and earthquakes leave me cold, too.” Cody sighed, wiping his face with a rag. “Can’t see any reason to go someplace like that.”

“Where would you go, if you ever took a vacation?”

“Why the hell would I?” Cody couldn’t imagine it. He hadn’t taken a break from the ranch in years.

“Annie and Zach are,” Sloan pointed out.

“Yeah, but they’re looking for some romance before the baby. I don’t need romance.”

“Hmm.” Sloan strode to the back of the barn and looked to make sure the next horse had been readied for insemination. “Romance has its good points. Women have their good points. I just can’t remember any myself.”

“That’s why you and I are friends.” Cody held the horse still while Sloan went to work. “You understand about a man needing his space.”

He heard a grunt. From the other side of the spotted mare, Sloan glanced at Cody. “Seems to me, though, that there’s a difference between space you have to have and space you’re just hanging on to out of habit. I heard you’d been spending plenty of time with that red-haired gal.”

“It’s all business, Sloan. Just like this is business.” Cody slapped at a bothersome horsefly.

“Oh, well. I heard plane fare out to California is high as a cat’s back anyway,” Sloan commiserated.

Cody eyed him sharply. “Montana. Wyoming. If I went on vacation, those would be the places I would choose. Something tells me California is not my cup of joe. But I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m going to the French Riviera one day.” Sloan grinned at him. “I want to sit on the beach and look at the girls without their bikini tops.”

“You’d waste money just to sit around and look at breasts?”

“Damn right.” Sloan stood, too, and thumped Cody on the back. “I like beautiful things. I heard France has got plenty of beautiful things.”

Sloan walked back into the barn to retrieve some equipment, but Cody sank down onto a wood block, keeping his eyes on the mares. Staying in his home was a woman with a set of breasts which were quite attractive. Stormy was built like a man’s dream come true. It made him shift uncomfortably just to think about it. The day was hot, and the sun beamed down on him like yellow fire, and suddenly Cody thought about being with Stormy again. The clinical act he and Sloan were performing on these horses had to be done, but there had been nothing clinical about getting inside Stormy Nixon.

Just when Stormy had become used to Cody’s absence in the house, and finally relaxed enough to enjoy herself, he came back. This was especially annoying, despite the fact that it was his house. She and Mary and Carmen had enjoyed themselves thoroughly the three days Cody had been gone. They’d shopped, they’d stuffed themselves with delicious food, they’d picnicked in a hot field under an ancient live oak tree. Carmen and Mary had treated her like a beloved sister whose visits were cherished. Never in her life had Stormy been so happy.

Then he came back, destroying the girls-only feeling the women had delighted in. Instantly, all the other emotions came flooding back to Stormy, as she met Cody’s dark brown eyes for a fast peek. He was darker from the sun, and looked rough and sexy in worn jeans and a faded western shirt. His jet-black braid enhanced his swarthy features. Stormy swallowed as desire and wistfulness hit her all at once.

“Mary behave for you?” he asked, as she dried dishes in the kitchen.

“We didn’t have any trouble at all. In fact, we girls just kicked up our heels and had a great time.” She wouldn’t look at him, though he picked up a cup towel and started drying alongside her.

“Guess you’ll be glad to get back home tomorrow.”

Home was a small apartment with a huge rent bill every month. Big deal. Stormy shrugged. “I’m happy wherever I am.”

“You don’t have friends or family anxiously waiting for you to get back?”

She laid the towel over her shoulder and shot him a questioning look. “I have a job, and acquaintances. I have a boss who tries to take care of me.”

“No family?”

Stormy turned her back to Cody. “Not in the usual sense. My folks aren’t into family quality time. We don’t see each other much.”

“No boyfriend?”

Slowly, she turned back around. “Why are you asking?”

He loomed large as he stood beside her in the small kitchen. She couldn’t help noticing how wide his shoulders were—those same shoulders she’d clutched in the throes of sexual awakening.

“I don’t know why I’m asking. It’s not any of my business,” he said. “I guess I want to know.”

Her heart skidded inside her chest. He knew she wasn’t serious about anyone if he’d been her only lover. It had to be a male territorial thing on his mind. Either he wanted to know that she had a boyfriend so that he could forget about her more easily—or he wanted to know that she didn’t so that he could satisfy himself that he’d marked her as his appropriately.

“I don’t think it really matters,” she said smoothly, tossing the cup towel onto the drainboard. “I’m going to sit out on the porch with your mother for a while, and then I’m going to bed. I doubt I’ll see you in the morning, as I have a very early flight. However, thank you for your hospitality. I have enjoyed my stay here with your family.”

She neatly sidestepped him and left the kitchen. “Oh, and by the way,” she said, poking her head back into the room just in time to see the struggle on his face, “I talked to Jonathan today. He says he’ll be in contact with you soon about paperwork and details for the movie.”

Swiftly, she made good her exit. She had to. They’d been heading into dangerous waters. For a moment, it had felt cozy. The two of them, sharing a task and making conversation—but he had run off for three days. His retreat had been okay with her, but she didn’t want him thinking that just because it was her last night in Desperado, he had to be nice to her.

She joined Carmen on the porch, taking a seat on the wooden step and shaking her head at the offer of a cigar. “Where did Mary run off to?”

“She’s in her room talking on the phone to one of her friends. Here lately she’s had more kids calling the house.” Carmen took a long drag. “Guess it didn’t take long for them to find out she had an honest-to-goodness Hollywood person staying with her.”