Soon their instructor was back and showing Gina the rest of the stitches she needed for a simple baby blanket. This was relaxing. Gina was surprised she had enjoyed the task so far.
When they got up to leave, Mrs. Trevor stopped Gina. “Since we’re both new to town I’d love to have you over for tea. We can settle into the small-town society together.”
“I’m only here for a short time. I won’t be settling, but I’d love to have a cup of tea with you. Just call Mrs. Brodie. She’ll get the message to me.”
At the cabin, Mrs. Brodie got out and unlocked the door. “Will you be all right alone? You can stay with me until Graham gets back.”
“Thanks for driving me, Mrs. Brodie. I’ll lock the doors. I want to start our dinner.”
“Call if you need me, and please start calling me Jane or Mom Jane. Mrs. Brodie is so formal.”
“I’ll try.” Gina waved. Mrs. Brodie waited until she was inside before driving off.
Finally, some alone time. She hummed as she took out the roast.
* * * *
Mrs. Trevor let herself into her house. The house she’d bought as a cover. The first thing she did was remove the horrid white wig and pull off the thin layer of plastic formed to make her face look seventy instead of thirty.
In her bedroom, she changed to jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. There, she felt more herself. She hated this job. From her closet, she took a small phone and punched in the number five. The phone called her supervisor.
“Well, is she there?”
“‘Hello, Giselle,’ might be a nice greeting,” Giselle said. “But yes, I met her at the local knitting group. I was so bored I thought I’d scream. This place is a caricature of the small, homey town you see on television. Can I leave now?”
“You know you can’t. You are our best bet at kidnapping her, if needed. Once we confront our prisoner with the knowledge that we know where her sister is and can grab her at any minute, we should be able to get some information from her. The woman’s taken a beating to keep her sister safe.”
“I want to know the minute I can leave this godforsaken place.”
“Right, I get your point. Now behave and listen. I want you to get a picture of her and fax it to me. I’ll use it to convince our prisoner we know her sister’s location, and we’ll kidnap her if necessary. I won’t call again. Things are heating up. After you get the picture, or at least by the end of the week, you can leave. Go somewhere and hide. I’ll contact you within the month. If I don’t, you’re on your own.” The phone went dead.
Giselle wanted to throw it across the room and break it, but she didn’t. She’d be on her own? She should have known if things went wrong there’d be no support. At least she’d be out of this god-forsaken town soon.
* * * *
Graham hooked another trout. This outing had been good for him. Rand walked out of the water. “That’s it for me. Marian’s going to have dinner ready in thirty minutes. I have to clean these fish and get a shower. You’ve got four trout yourself.”
“Yeah, where your stream widens here is a great spot. I guess I’d better go home, too. Gina may have painted the whole house since she got home from knitting.”
Rand hooted. “I love it. I can’t wait to meet her. A woman who actually stands up to my brother.”
“I know, and she’s a tiny thing. I can lift her easily. But she’s like that little terrier dog Mom had years ago. She’d go after anyone she thought might hurt Mom. She’d bark and snarl.” Graham grinned. “Maybe the smaller ones have more spirit to make up for the lack of size.”
“Dirk says you’ve met your match. Are wedding bells going to ring soon?”
Graham threw a fish at Rand’s head. “Get away from me. Marriage, the furthest thing from my mind. Now, an affair, I can handle.”
Rand had ducked, and the fish hit the ground. “What a way to treat the poor thing.” Rand picked it up and started walking toward his home. “Just remember, Chelsea thought the same, and Dirk brought her around.”
Ignoring him, Graham walked across the yard to his truck. He put his fish in the cooler and swung into his seat. “See you.” Graham found he was anxious to get back. He told himself he was worried about what Gina had done next, but he knew he was lying to himself. He wanted to see her and to smell her special scent. Rand’s words made him uneasy.
The house had an aroma like his mother’s when he stepped inside. Wonderful fragrances of cooking came from the kitchen. He heard Gina humming to a tune on the radio.
He tiptoed to the door and peeked in. Damn, she had on those delectable shorts and that top again. She’d never have managed her sister’s job. Gina didn’t know how to obey an order. She was one of those stubborn women who went right on with their own agenda. He swung around and went out to get his fish. There was a wooden table out back where he cleaned and filleted them. It’d give him time to think about how to handle his much-too-bewitching guest.
* * * *
Gina waited anxiously for Graham to return. Her hands trembled a bit at the thought of his reaction to what she’d done since returning from knitting.
She’d put on the roast and a pot of fresh green beans. Then, being bored, she’d wandered into his man cave. His scent filled the space, and her body reacted, aching for his touch. She had to stop those thoughts. She’d started to walk out when she took another look at the room.
The place was a mess. She’d been trying to think of a way to increase his irritation and frustration. She had enjoyed the outcome from the last episode. But she was playing with fire. She knew it. In spite of her trepidation, she’d straighten the room up, just a bit.
One thing had led to another, and when she saw his manuscript she’d sat down and began to read. Since she had a degree in English, she easily spotted areas needing to be corrected or edited. The time had passed by quickly. She loved his voice and the story.
The ding of the oven brought her back to reality. She hurried out to the kitchen, and now she worried that he’d explode when he got back. And she’d get the brunt of his anger.
“I’m home,” Graham called out. His heavy steps came directly to the kitchen.
Gina gave a sigh of relief. Maybe she could keep him out of the man cave for the evening at least.
“Here’s the fish I caught.” He placed the fillets on the counter. “It’s rinsed and ready to freeze. Something tells me no good cook would have missed buying freezer paper the other day. Just point me to it.”
Gina laughed. “You are too funny. It’s on the back of the first shelf to your left.”
He got out the paper and expertly wrapped portions for two, then put them in the freezer. “There, I’ve earned my dinner for the next few days. How soon is our meal going to be ready?”
“Within minutes, but I can hold it until you shower.”
“I’m sure I smell like fish. I’ll be quick.”
Thank goodness, he wouldn’t have time to visit his favorite room yet. Gina set the table, filled their tea glasses, and carved the roast. She was pouring gravy into the gravy boat when he returned.
His dark hair was damp, and his scent of wood, musk, and leather had her pussy clenching, wanting to feel him deep inside her. Where had this wanton woman come from? She wasn’t anyone Gina knew. Montana and Graham had created a totally different persona in her.
Graham leaned forward and brushed his lips across her mouth. “Are you going to stare at me all evening or feed me?”
“Hah, I was thinking about a woman I met earlier today,” she lied. “Why would I want to stare at a stubborn man?”
His half smile made her want to throw herself at his feet. It wasn’t fair for any man to be so handsome.
He waited for her to sit before he did. When he tasted the roast, he shook his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think my mother taught you to cook.”
“Maybe we learned from the same cookbook.” She raised an eyebrow at him.
He didn’t answer. He was too busy eating.
Gina enjoyed the moment. It wouldn’t last. When he saw his room, hell would erupt directly at her.
After dinner, Gina and Graham went out to the porch. She brought the cake and coffee on a tray she’d bought. Once settled, she sat and enjoyed the quiet as much as she could. Her worry about his reaction kept her from completely relaxing.
“Tell me about your fishing expedition and your brother Rand.”
Graham sipped his coffee and was silent for a few minutes. “Rand always knew what he wanted, and he went after it. He just hadn’t expected to want to be a country doctor in Frontier City.” He told her a little about Rand and Marian. But Graham was a man of few words and soon stopped talking.
“You’re proud of him.”
“Yes, and of all my family.”
“Do you fish often?”
“When the mood hits me.”
“I really…” She’d started to say she liked his book.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m a little homesick.” Another lie. She’d told more lies since she got to Montana than in her whole life.
He nodded. “I knew the small town and all this empty space would get to you.”
“It’s not that. I love it here, but I can’t call and talk to my friends, my sister’s a prisoner somewhere, and I’m in limbo right now. You don’t want me here and don’t want me to stay with your mother.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want you here.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I’m a private person. It takes time for me to get used to change, as if I’d ever get used to having a woman around.”
“See, you have this thing about women. I don’t understand why. You love your mother and she’s a great person.”
“Even she left me alone when I needed my space. Most women can’t do that.”
Gina felt more and more guilty. She might as well confess and get it over with, or she wouldn’t sleep all night.
“I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning.” Graham stood just when she’d opened her mouth to tell him her guilty deed.
“All right,” she said and smiled. She gathered the cups and plates to take to the kitchen and breathed easier when he went into his bedroom. She’d never expected he’d be the type to go to bed by nine, but he was an early riser.
She went into her room and changed into an aqua silk lounging set and waited, giving him time to hopefully go to sleep. Then she’d go to his study and try to figure out what to do.
Gina crept out her door and tiptoed to the study. Darn, she’d done too good a job. Even if she tried to mess up the room, he’d know she’d been in here. Temptation led her to his book. She wanted to read more and do some editing for him. Maybe if she made progress he’d forgive her for the rest.
She sat in his chair, closed the blinds and door, and turned on the desk lamp. Time flew as she got caught up in the mystery. As she read, she edited. The door banging against the wall made her jump and scream.
“What have you done?” Graham stood in his partly fastened jeans. His expression and posture reminded her of a fierce warrior.
He moved like a panther into the room, checking each area, searching for familiar papers. “What did you do with the research papers on this table?” He pointed to a smaller side desk.
“They’re filed in a folder titled ‘Research’ for this book.” She pulled out a drawer in his equally messy file cabinet and showed him the neat entry she’d made.
“And what are you doing to my book?” He came closer, anger and fire in his eyes. He hovered over her.
She glared back at him. “You’ll thank me.”
“Thanking you is not in my thought processes at this time.”
Gina pointed to one of the pages. “I didn’t have anything to do this afternoon, and I got fascinated with your story. I edited it as I went along.”
“You edited my story to page one hundred?”
“Yes.”
“What do you know about finishing up a manuscript?” His hand had curled into a fist on the paper.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid he’d hurt her, not physically anyway. “I have a double major in library science and English. I’ve edited for a writer friend of mine on a regular basis. She likes my work.”
“She probably writes those sappy romances you women like.”
“That’s it.” She stomped his foot. “I am not one of
you women,
I’m me, Regina. Don’t call me Gina anymore. You aren’t my friend.” She started toward the door. Graham lifted her into his arms and strode toward his room, she hoped.
But he turned left and dumped her on her bed. “Stay here. Go to sleep.” He shut her door on the way out.
Her heart pounded, and desire flared in her abdomen. She’d so hoped they’d end up in his bed. What was he doing?
She got up and crept down the hall to peek in his study. He’d left the door open and sat reading his book from the first.
“Come on in. I know you’re there. You are the most annoying, fascinating, aggravating, bewitching, frustrating woman I’ve met.” He turned in his chair to face her. “I knew you’d never stay in bed. Has anyone ever told you curiosity can be dangerous?”
“No, my life has been very boring, until I met you.”