Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (31 page)

             
“Well, I am tired so I’m off to bed. Where are you sleeping?” her friend, her expression mischievous, turned to query.

             
“I thought I would lie down on the couch,” Amanda admitted.

             
“Okay, good night then.”

             
“Good night, Jenny,” Amanda called after her friend. Amanda spread her blankets out, turned off the TV and lamp and tried to get comfortable enough to sleep. She tossed and turned until nearly one in the morning before moving to her bed. Cade was still out cold when she lay down beside him. It took her several minutes to get past the oddness of having a man in bed beside her before she drifted off to sleep.

              The next morning Amanda woke and lay still for a moment as she tried to pin point what was out of sorts. The arm across her, she finally realized; a smile pulling at her lips as her memory returned. She rolled over to face the man behind her to find him frowning at her in confusion. He likely had little if any memory of the night before, she realized.

             
“Good morning,” she greeted.

             
“What the hell happened?” he demanded.

             
“What do you mean what happened? Don’t you remember?” Amanda couldn’t help having a little fun at his expense.

             
“Damn it, Manny, don’t play games with me; what happened?” he looked almost panicked.

             
“Relax, Cade, you passed out, your virtue intact so no need to be repulsed,” Amanda felt rather hurt at his reaction.

             
“I’m not repulsed, Manny, but a man doesn’t like to take a woman to bed and have no memory of it. If I did that to you…” Cade shoved a hand through his hair. “This is why I don’t drink,” he muttered.

             
“I brought you here to sleep it off and that is exactly what you did,” she reiterated.

             
Cade stared at her a moment, his blue eyes fathomless. “You scare me sometimes, Manny.”

             
“You feel alright?” Amanda asked; she was trying to decide whether she was still hurt at him or not.

             
“Yeah, before your dad hired me I was known to over drink a fair amount; I’ve never been prone to hangovers,” he informed her.

             
“Good,” she offered awkwardly. “I should let you up,” Amanda started to move.

             
“Wait,” Cade stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you earlier, Manny. That is a lousy way for a man to treat a woman and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you.”

             
“Thanks, Cade. I’m sorry I was having fun at your expense.”

             
“Thanks,” Cade smiled at her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Amanda felt odd laying there beside him in her bed. It felt almost surreal. He was sexy in the mornings; she realized and squirmed slightly at the thought. His blue eyes were vivid, his strong jaw stubbled in an appealing way and his body as great as ever. The man was a dream to look at. Amanda’s eyes slid across his broad shoulders, flat stomach, and narrow hips and felt herself blush at the places her thoughts were going.

             
Amanda couldn’t resist running her hand over the light smattering of dark hair that covered his chest. His chest hairs felt rough under hands but the skin beneath smooth and warm to her touch. She let her hands trail over his well-muscled shoulders and then back down his chest to his stomach and up to his hip. Cade watched her, not reacting until her hand slid over his hip and caused him to breathe in sharply.

             
Feeling both embarrassed and exhilarated, Amanda flushed at his response and let her hand trail back down his hip along his pant line until she reached the button of his jeans and he grabbed her hand; he was laughing as he did.

             
“Your curious little hands are getting a bit bold,” he accused. Amanda knew she was blushing, she also felt heady and oh so very alive. When Cade reached out for her chin to pull her close to kiss her, Amanda leaned against him only too happy to kiss him back. When his hands went sliding under her shirt she made no move to stop him and shuddered slightly under his touch. Amanda let her own hand slide over his back and chest, but each time her hands started dipping lower, Cade stopped her and chuckled before returning them to his chest.

             
“I need to go,” Cade broke their kiss. “I have to be at work in just over an hour and a half.”

             
“You’re only forty-five minutes from the ranch,” she pointed out.

             
Cade grinned and kissed her again. “I know,” he finally told her. “Tell me, Manny; how many would I make?” he rolled until he had her pinned.

             
Amanda felt heat climb into her cheeks.

             
“One?” he asked, and watched her. “That’s what I thought. You have school to finish; I have school to finish and whatever you are telling yourself at the moment: you don’t do casual relationships, Manny. You deserve better than a quick roll before I rush off to work,” Cade’s voice was strong with conviction.

             
Amanda felt mildly embarrassed that he could see through her so easily. “How many would I make?” she turned the tables on him.

             
Cade laughed. “I set that one up for you didn’t I?”

             
Amanda smiled in return.

             
“The only one that counts,” he assured.

             
“Mmm, hmm; that’s a cop out,” she accused. “Besides, I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

             
“No, Manny; I don’t. There haven’t been as many as you probably think there have been. When you wear a certain attitude people make assumptions without asking.”

             
“You’re side stepping the question,” she accused.

             
“Does it matter to you?” his gaze held hers.

             
Amanda shook her head. “Not really but I figured if you were going to put me on the spot, I’d put you on the spot.”

             
Cade smiled and kissed her and things heated up again. With a groan, he pulled back. “I’ve got to go, Manny.”

             
“But I don’t want you to,” she argued.

             
He chuckled, “I’ve got to.” He kissed her again and moved to get up. Amanda grabbed his belt loops and held on; she was smiling as she did.

             
“Manny, I’ve got to go,” he was laughing now. Amanda released her hold and sat up to watch him as he pulled on his undershirt, then his shirt, and finally his boots. She sighed; she really didn’t want him to leave. Brazen or not she wanted him to come back to bed and stay there with her and she didn’t have sleeping on her mind.

             
“So you’re going to leave me sitting here frustrated?” she demanded. Cade stood and leaned over to kiss her lightly.

             
“Me too, sweetheart, but I really do have to go.”

             
“You’re mean,” she accused.

             
“Where are my keys?” he asked as he grabbed his jacket.

             
Amanda grinned and didn’t answer.

             
“Manny, where are my keys?” he was smiling and trying not to laugh.

             
Amanda sighed, tossed aside the covers and stood to move to the kitchen where she had left them on the counter.

             
“Morning, Cade,” Jenny offered with a huge smile.

             
“Morning, Jenny,” Cade’s cheeks flushed. “Walk me out?” Cade turned to Amanda. Amanda followed him outside and to his truck.

             
“Thanks for not letting me get behind the wheel last night,” he told her as he turned to lean against his truck and pulled her to lean against him.

             
“I couldn’t let you get yourself hurt or worse,” she informed him.

             
“You really don’t know how hard it is to leave,” he told her before kissing her again and then pushing off the truck, “but I have to.”

             
“I’ll see you later?”

             
“I’m sure you will,” he opened his truck door. “Right now we both need to be focused on school.”

             
“I know,” she agreed with a sigh.

             
“Bye, Manny.”

             
“Bye, Cade,” she stepped back as he closed the door and turned with a sigh to return inside.

             
Amanda reentered the living room to find Jenny waiting, her eyes bright with curiosity.

             
“I notice you didn’t remain on the couch all night.”

             
“No, I couldn’t get comfortable,” Amanda admitted as she lowered herself into an arm chair she had found at a junk store. She had added it to the room and loaded it with several pillows to bring color into the room.

             
“I imagine you were much more comfortable in bed with Cade,” Jenny teased.

             
“I was; slept like a baby.”

             
“Are you going to keep me in suspense all day?” Jenny finally demanded impatiently.

             
“What?” Amanda frowned at her friend and then broke into a grin. “We made out but he turned me down in the most frustratingly polite manner possible.”

             
“What?!? Omigosh. I’m surprised that he walked; what did he say?”

             
“That we need to finish school and that I wasn’t in to casual relationships and that I deserved better than a quick roll before he left for work.”

             
“Wow, in an odd, still turned you down kind of way; that’s romantic.”

             
“It’s frustrating.”

             
“I can just see it now had he stayed,” Jenny looked off into the air thoughtfully. “‘Mr. Jennings, this is Cade. I’m sorry but I’m going to be late because I’m in your daughter’s bed taking her virginity.’”

             
Amanda pulled one of the pillows from behind her and threw it at Jenny with as much force as she could muster. “That is not funny!” she informed her friend around a laugh.

             
“You are a brazen hussy! You are so going to burn in hell,” Jenny was laughing as she said it.

             
“You take that back!” Amanda threw another pillow at her friend.

             
“No; it’s true!”

             
Amanda stood and looked around for a weapon, her gaze landing on a sachet bag of potpourri. “You take it back or I’m going to make you eat this!” Amanda threatened as she crossed the room.

             
“You want murder on your conscious too; in addition to trying to seduce an innocent man?” Jenny, already reaching for a pillow to ward off Amanda’s attack, was laughing.

             
A moment later, Jenny was hitting Amanda with the pillow as Amanda tried to reach around it and shove the potpourri in her mouth.

             
“Take it back,” Amanda was laughing so hard she could barely speak.

             
“No!” Jenny made it to her feet and stumbled as she tried to flee. Amanda grabbed her around the waist a moment later and tried to shove the potpourri into Jenny’s face. The two were laughing so hard they could hardly stand.

             
“If it had been my brother in
your
bed?” Amanda demanded as Jenny managed to lock Amanda’s hands under her arm.

             
“Then I guess you wouldn’t burn alone,” Jenny admitted. “I’d be a hussy too.”

             
“That’s what I thought,” Amanda panted and gave up her quest for revenge. Trying to catch her breath, she collapsed into the floor. Jenny collapsed beside her.

             
“Are you okay?” Jenny demanded.

             
“What do you mean?” Amanda turned her head to look at her friend.

             
“Does it hurt that he turned you down?”

             
“My pride but I really think he thought he was doing the right thing,” Amanda admitted.

             
“I need to get ready for work. What are you doing today?”

             
“Going to see Daddy.”