Long Time Gone (Rough Riders) (2 page)

The breathy way she drew out his name was sexy as all get-out. It nearly escaped his notice that she’d said…no. His eyes narrowed. “You turnin’ me down, darlin’?”

She placed her small hand over the top of his and traced the rough edges of his knuckles. “Good lord. Look at how big your hands are.” Then she trailed her fingers over the back of his hand and up his forearm. “How do you get such ropy muscles?”

Since she’d touched him first, Cal cupped her cheek with his other hand, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. “Answer the question, Kimi.”

Looking completely flustered, she said, “Can you repeat it?”

“Will you go out with me?”

“I suppose… But you can’t pick me up at my parents’ house.”

While he waited for further explanation, he feathered his thumb across her cheekbone. “Why not?”

“Carolyn is an adult so there’s nothin’ my folks could’ve done about her dating a McKay. I, on the other hand, am
not
of legal age, so they can keep me from seein’ you.” She smirked. “If they find out about it.”

“So you’re sayin’…?”

“I’ll go out with you, but only if we can meet someplace.”

Cal wasn’t the type to sneak around. But as he looked at her, touched her, he knew he’d break all the rules for the chance to spend time with her. “I’ll agree, if you’re sure there’s no other way.”

Kimi’s gaze roamed over his face. Whatever she saw made her smile and Cal felt like he’d passed a test. “There isn’t any other option. So how about if we plan on doing something after the wedding? I’ll have my mom’s car and none of my family will question what I’m doin’ on that day once the reception is done.”

“Sounds like a date.” He slid his hand down and outlined her lips with the pad of his thumb. “Fair warning, darlin’. I’m gonna have my mouth all over yours as soon as we’re alone.”

Her breath caught.

He murmured, “You ever been kissed?”

“Yes. Lots of times.”

Jealousy speared his gut. “By school boys,” he scoffed.

“So?” She attempted to retreat.

But Cal held steady, his gaze firmly focused on that pouty mouth of hers. “So get ready to understand the difference between havin’ a boy kiss you and havin’ a man devour you,” he said with a gruff edge.

On the next pass of his thumb across the center of her lower lip, Kimi opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the knuckle below his thumbnail. Then she pulled his hand away from her face and returned it to the table. She leaned in. “Fair warning, darlin’,” she mimicked, “I’m gonna expect a kiss that blows my hair back.”

They were close enough that he could plant his mouth on hers and level her with a kiss so hot not only would it blow her hair back, it’d blow her skirt up too.

A shadow fell across the table.

“Break it up,” Carson growled. “Come on, Cal, we gotta git.”

Cal kissed the inside of Kimi’s wrist before lowering her hand to the table. “See you Sunday, sweetheart.”

“Keep the groom outta trouble,” Kimi said to Cal without looking up at Carson. “No strip clubs. And he’d better not be hung over when he pledges his life to my sister or I’m holding you responsible, Calvin McKay.”

Like he had any control over his wild brother. But Cal knew Carson would be on his best behavior—at least until Carolyn bore his last name. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Chapter Two

Holy crap.

Holy, holy crap.

After Cal and Carson walked out, Kimi kept it together. But her knees were still weak when she climbed into the car. She pulled out a cigarette and hoped her sister didn’t notice how badly her hands shook as she struck the match. Besides, who’d believe one encounter with Calvin McKay had the power to affect her that profoundly? She wouldn’t have believed it herself half an hour ago.

Carolyn slammed the door and turned to look at her accusingly.

As usual, Kimi bristled. “What?”

“What happened between you and Cal?”

“Nothin’.”
Such a lie. I think the man just changed my life
. “We talked. Why?”

“Well, the phrase ‘struck dumb’ doesn’t apply because Cal did more than stare at you and mumble. He was really forward.”

“Forward?” Kimi snorted. “For godsake, Carolyn, you sound like Aunt Hulda. And maybe Cal’s actions are a McKay thing since it sounds like Carson has been pretty
forward
with you.”

“Don’t try and change the subject. You two seemed to be having a flirting contest.”

“Oh, there’s no contest—Calvin McKay wins, hands down,” she murmured.

“That’s because he has a lot of experience.”

Kimi drew in another lungful of smoke and exhaled. “Is this where you tell me he’s too old for me?”

Carolyn sighed. “Will you get mad if I say yes?”

“Yeah, but I wanna hear your reasons why you think the man—who, at twenty-four, is
exactly
the same age as your fiancé—is too old for me.”

“Because you’re almost two years younger than me!”

“So?”

Her sister’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “So, have you spent time with guys who aren’t high school students but have been out in the working world for several years?”

“You’re kiddin’ me, right? I barely ever get to see
any
guys, let alone get to shoot the breeze with them in an unchaperoned situation since I live in a convent most of the year.”

“Were you serious at lunch? When you said you wanted to drop out of school?”

“No! I just like to tease Aunt Hulda since she’s footing the bill for our
ed-ja-kay-shun
. Of course Mom took the opportunity to jump on me for it and call me ungrateful.” It was just another indication that her mom had never understood her sense of humor—or anything else about her. “So don’t you dare say anything to her about me flirting with Cal.”

“I’d never do that.” Carolyn said. “Did you know that Thomas tried to fix me up with one of his friends?”

“A coal miner?”

“No. A college guy.”

“And?” Kimi prompted.

“And I’d already met Carson. I couldn’t help but compare them. But there was no comparison. At all.”

Kimi thought back to Cal’s sexy taunt.
Get ready to understand the difference between havin’ a boy kiss you and havin’ a man devour you.
“How do you think Cal compares? Bein’s he and Carson are twins?”

“I don’t know Cal well. Yet. But even in the short amount of time I’ve spent with him, I’ve found him to be more introspective. He doesn’t seem prone to the same impulsive behavior that Carson deals with.”

“So Cal isn’t a brawler?”

“Only if he’s backing his fight-lovin’ twin,” Carolyn said dryly.

“Well, I appreciate the concern, sis, but Cal is outta my league.” She sighed. “That’s not to say I can’t admire him and practice my flirting skills because he’s so good lookin’. Lord, his smile just lights up that whole handsome face of his. And those blue eyes…”

“They’re something, aren’t they? The whole McKay family has that eye color.”

“Maybe all your babies will too,” Kimi teased.

Carolyn blushed. But she didn’t say anything else.

After taking one last drag of her cigarette, Kimi flicked the butt out the window. The scenery flew by. Nothing changed here. The desolate landscape depressed her. It always had.

Aside from Carolyn’s giddiness about her husband-to-be, it shocked Kimi that her sister had signed on to live in the vast void of Wyoming for the rest of her life. They’d both talked of getting out. Moving on. Kimi had selfishly hoped Carolyn would move to Chicago with her friend Cathy. Then she’d have a place to go when she finished her sentence at St. Mary’s, because there was no way in hell she was ever coming back here. No way.

One more year. She could survive that. She’d taken extra classes the past two years so she could graduate a year early—not that anyone in her family besides Aunt Hulda was aware of her plans. Catholic school had been tolerable with Carolyn around as a buffer. Everyone adored her big sister and that admiration had provided Kimi with a layer of protection from the holier-than-thou girls populating the school. Now that Carolyn had graduated, the torture had already begun for Kimi during her summer classes.

She hated her classmates’ judgment and supposition. They called her a fast girl just because she paid attention to the opposite sex when she had the chance. Kimi wasn’t fast or loose—as evidenced by her virginal status. But just to entertain herself, she’d adopted the attitude of a wild child. Let her classmates whisper and talk about her. It amused her that her only transgression had been detention for getting caught smoking.

“Kimi? You all right?”

She tamped down her melancholy. “I’m just tired.” She dreaded being left alone with her mom and dad while Carolyn and Aunt Hulda worked on the wedding dress. But she’d sworn not to cause any family problems. Her sister had enough to deal with. “This will be a quick trip for us.”

“Does that mean you won’t see any of your friends while you’re here?”

“What friends? I’ve been livin’ in Montana for six years. That’s longer than I went to school around here.”

“I recognize that disjointed feeling,” Carolyn said softly. “Like you don’t belong here and you don’t belong there.”

That startled Kimi. Carolyn never said things like that. She always looked on the bright side of everything.

“But Carson changed that,” Carolyn said.

“How so?”

“Now I know exactly where I belong. With him.”

Kimi reached over and squeezed Carolyn’s knee. “You are such a sap. Are you gonna cry during the wedding ceremony?”

“Probably.”

“Then I’ll make sure to tuck some extra tissues into my bra.”

Carolyn lifted one brow. “Extra? How is that different from how you dress every day?”

“Hey! I’ve never stuffed my bra!” Kimi cupped her breasts and lifted them up. “No need to. More than a handful is a waste.” She paused thoughtfully. “Or do guys say more than a mouthful is a waste?”

“Good lord, Kimi.”

She laughed. “You started it.” She cranked up the radio. By the time the chorus to “California Dreamin’” started they were both singing along. She let her worries float away and embraced these last few days with her sister before both their lives changed.

***

Kimi decided sitting in silence in the sun porch while Carolyn and Aunt Hulda sewed the wedding dress was a far sight better than being berated by her father as he sat in front of the TV.

No surprise he hadn’t given her a hug when he’d seen her, even when it’d been eight months since she’d been back here. Sometimes she wondered how her mom had gotten pregnant so many times when her father never showed her—or anyone else—the slightest bit of affection.

Her brothers didn’t say much to her—they mostly steered clear of the uncomfortable situation.

Carolyn got up early Sunday morning to make the entire family breakfast, even though it was her wedding day. Aunt Hulda huffed about it but didn’t say anything when her nephews scarfed down the food with scarcely a thanks and walked away from the table.

Kimi shooed Carolyn out of the kitchen, telling her to get ready while she tackled the dishes. She needed a moment alone to get a handle on her anger. This family expected so much from Carolyn—and Kimi when she was here—but gave so little in return.

One more day. Thankfully she had her date with Cal McKay to look forward to tonight. Part of her had wanted to tell her father about it after he’d started spewing crap about the McKays last night. Part of her had wanted to ask her mother what was wrong with her for saying nothing in defense of her daughter’s future husband. But she knew it’d be a waste of breath. Plus, it’d make things worse for her sister, since Caro believed their mother had stood up to their father, when in actuality, she’d just shut up. Kimi’s responsibility as Carolyn’s maid of honor was to manage the stress and drama so the bride could focus entirely on the happiest day of her life.

Her brother Thomas walked into the kitchen as she wiped down the last counter. Perfect timing; right when she’d finished.

He leaned against the wall and studied her.

“What do you want?” Kimi demanded.

“Why are you so defensive?”

“It’s a habit, ingrained from the years I lived here. Besides, you can’t blame me for bein’ suspicious. You never track me down just to talk.”

“That’s true. And I am sorry about that, Kimi. I guess that’s why I was hoping you’d stick around the rest of the summer. We could talk and stuff.”

Kimi draped the rag over the edge of the sink and squared off against her brother. “It’s the ‘stuff’ part that bothers me, Thomas.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m pissed off that you, Stuart and Marshall manage to do all the household
stuff
during the rest of the year when Carolyn and I aren’t here. But the second we’re back, you guys turn into Dad.”

“You calling us lazy?

“No, I’m calling you selfish.”

Thomas scowled. “You should talk. And you’re making a lot of assumptions that you’ll have a choice in this
stuff
that happens next.”