Lover's Leap (14 page)

Pauline gasped and slapped her hand against her chest. “Why, Sarah Reese! That’s just mean.”

“So are your insinuations.”

“No insinuating about it. I saw it with my very own eyes. She kissed him, and he kissed her back.”

“They’re friends. I kiss Gabe Callahan all the time, and there is nothing shady about it.”

“Well, that’s because he’s Gabe, and Gabe is a good person. Cam Murphy is another kettle of fish entirely. He’s trouble, Sarah. You more than anyone should know that.”

Sarah put her hands on her hips and clenched her teeth. She was so angry. If she were a cartoon she would have had steam coming from her ears and fire shooting from her eyes. That poison-tongued busybody. She’d always been a gossip queen, but had she always been this malicious?

Sarah drew in a deep, calming breath. She wouldn’t say what she wanted to say. She wouldn’t.

Then Pauline had to go and say one more thing. “I feel so sorry for Lori, having that man’s blood running through her veins. Now I understand why you had so much trouble with her during those tween years.”

A thin, shrill squeal of fury escaped Sarah’s throat.
I’m going to hit her. I swear, I’m going to slap her so hard her head will spin on her shoulders
. She took two steps toward the old battle-ax and drew back her arm, her hand flexing for a slap. Whether she would have actually gone through with it was difficult to tell, because during her backswing, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm in an iron grip. “Mrs. Roosevelt,” Cam said with a winter’s chill in his voice. “Say what you want about me. I don’t care. But I suggest you refrain from speaking of Lori. I’m not at all opposed to suing someone for slander.”

Pauline sniffed. “Well, I never.”

Probably not in a very long time, anyway
. Sarah relaxed her arm, but Cam retained his grip. “Sarah, I think your mom is ready to head home now.”

“Yes,” Sarah agreed. “I’m sure she’s had enough … sun.”

Sarah turned away from Pauline Roosevelt, dismissing her without a word. The gossip queen gave another loud sniff, lifted her nose into the air, and marched back up her sidewalk toward her house. She did not, however, resist slinging one last insult from her front porch, referring to Cam’s maternal grandfather when she said, “Carlton Cavanaugh must be spinning in his grave.”

Her door banged shut behind her.

“Why, that battle-ax.” Sarah reached for the handle on the driver’s-side door. “The nerve of her. I swear, since she moved into the top gossip spot after Glenda Hawkins moved to Florida, she’s become ten times worse. I think Glenda slapped her down a time or two, and that kept her in check.”

“Don’t let her get to you,” Cam said. “That only feeds her power.”

“I know. I just—” She broke off upon hearing Celeste calling her name. Turning to the sound, she saw her friend hurrying toward the car.

Celeste wore cute capri pants in a warm gold with white angel’s wings embroidery around the cuffs, a matching blouse, and canvas espadrilles. Just looking at Celeste soothed Sarah’s temper.

“I just heard the news about Devin’s home run,” Celeste said as she walked up. “Tell him I said congratulations.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that.”

She bent down to peer inside the car and finger-waved. “Hello, Ellen.”

“Hello.”

Celeste reached out and patted Sarah’s hand. “I’m so glad I ran into you. There is something I think Ellen needs to see at Angel’s Rest. The rose garden is filled with butterflies. Since I’m on foot, why don’t you let me drive, and you can walk home? Cam, you’ll see her home, won’t you?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. As smooth as a state-fair pickpocket, she took possession of Sarah’s keys, slipped by her, and slid into the driver’s seat. “Ellen, shall we go look at the butterflies?”

“All right.”

Celeste started the car, and Sarah took a step back. Cam’s green eyes gleamed with amusement as he said, “I’ll be happy to see Sarah home.”

Celeste actually spun the tires as she pulled away from the curb. Sarah called out, “Fasten your seat belt!”

Cam said. “That was subtle.”

“Celeste can be impossible,” Sarah replied, flustered. “Cam, I’ve lived here all my life. I think I can find my way home by myself.”

“Ah, don’t spoil Celeste’s fun. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?”

“I heard back from Jack Davenport. He’s been out of the country and out of touch, but he has cleared us to use his swimming pool and scuba gear. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

Tomorrow?
Sarah’s pulse leapt with excitement, followed immediately by nervousness. Taking a scuba lesson meant getting in the pool. Getting in a pool meant putting on a swimsuit. Was she really ready to wear a swimsuit in front of Cam?
Oh, holy cow
. She was two sizes larger than she’d been in high school. Of course, she’d been stick-skinny in high school, but still.

Oh, stop it. I don’t have anything to be ashamed about. I look darn good in a swimsuit
.

Maybe if she repeated that to herself long enough, she’d come to believe it.

Bracing herself, she forged ahead. “Sure. That sounds great.”

“What time should I pick you up?”

She considered her workload for tomorrow. “How about two-thirty?”

“Two-thirty sounds perfect.” He gestured toward the Aspen Street intersection. “Shall we?”

As they began to walk, Sarah’s thoughts returned to her exchange with Pauline Roosevelt. “I think I’m going to bake up a recipe of prune brownies especially for Pauline.”

Cam’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. “Some things never change.”

That statement triggered a memory of Pauline at the Trading Post, accusing Cam of shoplifting. Cam had denied it, but her father had made him empty his pockets. Sarah remembered how his face had flushed red with anger and how her father had failed to apologize when those pockets proved empty. “You didn’t deserve all the grief you got around this town.”

He shrugged. “I deserved a lot of it. Face it, I worked hard to live up to people’s expectations around here. I’m glad Lori was able to grow up free of the burden of me. You did the right thing, Sarah.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I thought so at the time, but I don’t any longer. Living a lie is no way to live, Cam. Neither is letting fear make your decisions for you. I’m glad the truth is out. The fallout hasn’t been nearly as bad as I anticipated, and being free of the lie is exhilarating.”

“Will Lori feel the same way?”

Sarah hesitated. “Maybe not at first, but I think that by the time she comes home, the worst of the gossip storm will be over. For the most part, Celeste’s plan is working. People take their cues from me and from you and from the prominent citizens in town. Loud voices like Pauline’s just aren’t as plentiful around town anymore. Not like they used to be, anyway. The population loss the town suffered wasn’t all bad.”

Cam let a moment pass, then took the conversation in a new direction. “Have there been any developments where Lori’s concerned? Is she any closer to talking to me?”

Sarah delayed her answer by returning the wave of Ali and Mac Timberlake, who were walking their dog. When that excuse turned the corner, she decided to keep it simple. “I’m sorry, Cam. No.”

He let out sigh, then shrugged. “I have time.” Then he grinned and added, “Devin’s not about to leave before baseball season is over.”

The most direct route from the park to Sarah’s house took them along Aspen Street and past the post office, the Baptist church, and the lumberyard. They made small talk while they walked, and Sarah relaxed and enjoyed herself. If a time or two she said something that might be labeled flirtatious, well, it never hurt a girl to stay in practice.

As they approached the Taste of Texas Creamery, Cam paused. “So, as the owner of the best bakery in Colorado, would you be insulted if I asked if I could buy you an ice-cream cone?”

She considered the swimsuit question again, then thought,
What the heck
. “One dip, lemon chiffon. And sprinkles.”

“Sprinkles.” He repeated the request, obviously amused.

He held the door open for her, and they stepped inside and got in line. The crowd was an even split between tourists and townspeople. When one of the tourists asked a question about the local art scene, Sarah told them about Sage’s gallery, Vistas. As the tourists departed the ice-cream shop, a teary-eyed elementary school girl slumped in.

“Penny, are you all right?”

She looked up at Sarah, her little bottom lip trembling. “I’m supposed to buy an ice-cream cone.”

“Has something bad happened?”

She nodded. “Mortimer got out again this morning.”

“Oh, dear.”

“He ate the water hose at the Franklins’ house and a bicycle tire at the rental shop, and he got into the trash behind Miss Ali’s restaurant.”

Sarah repeated, “Oh, dear.”

“Who is Mortimer?” Cam asked.

Sarah lowered her voice so little Penny couldn’t hear her. “He’s a one-eyed Boston terrorist.”

Cam’s quizzical expression faded when he got it. “A dog?”

“Or the devil. I’m not sure I’d bet against that being the case. He’s at least possessed.”

Penny continued, “Then Mr. Roberts came to our house at lunchtime and said that Mortimer bit Jeremy. My daddy said enough is enough. Once Mortimer comes home or somebody catches him, Daddy is going to take him to Dr. Nic’s to be put to sleep.”

“That’s very sad, honey,” Sarah told her.

“I don’t think it was Mortimer’s fault. You know that Jeremy Roberts had to be teasing him. That’s what Jeremy Roberts does.”

Sarah couldn’t deny that charge. Jeremy Roberts was a menace himself.

Someone else in line said, “Putting that dog down is long overdue, if you ask me. It is a public menace.”

Sarah frowned at the insensitivity of the comment, but unfortunately, other local people in line felt like they had to chime in, too. “I’m their neighbor,” grumbled Mayor Hank Townsend. “Can’t say I agree with putting him down for no good reason, but the dog is a problem. He sounds like a mortally wounded pterodactyl when they put him outside.”

Alton Davis nodded. “He digs out every other day. Eats everything in sight even while he’s leaving what he ate the day before in nasty piles all over town.”

“He bares his teeth if you go near him,” Hank added. “I always knew he’d bite someone someday.”

“He’s a terrible dog.”

“He’s creepy-looking, too. That milky blind eye of his scares the kids.”

“But I love him!” Penny declared. “I don’t want him to die!”

From behind the counter, Jared Kelley spoke up. “Here, Penny. Let me get you your ice cream. Today’s not a good day for you to be standing in line. You like strawberry, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Cone or cup today?”

Tears swelled in her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Kelley, but I don’t think I want ice cream after all. I’m just too sad for ice cream.”

Cam jerked his gaze around to meet Sarah’s. He was obviously appalled. “Isn’t putting the dog down rather drastic?”

“No,” grumpy old Dale Parker declared.

“I don’t have a better solution to offer,” Hank added.

“Maybe Penny’s father here could reinforce the fence,” Cam suggested.

“Dog is a digger,” Hank said, shaking his head. “You’d have to pour cement six feet deep to keep that dog in the yard.”

“He’s a terrible dog,” Dale Parker groused. “Harry Leland owned the sire, and that dog was no better. Harry should have neutered that dog rather than bred him. It’s bad bloodlines.”

Beside her, Cam went stiff. Inwardly, Sarah groaned.
Not this again
. She opened her mouth to comment, but Cam spoke first.

He shot his words like bullets. “I’ll take him.”

For a long few seconds, the ice-cream shop went dead quiet. The sound of Jared Kelley’s ice-cream scoop hitting the floor happened at the same time three Eternity Springs residents let out groans and Penny gasped. “Really, mister?”

Sarah put a cautioning hand on Cam’s arm. “Cam …”

He hunkered down to eye level with Penny and promised, “Really.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Alton Davis whined.

Penny launched herself at Cam, throwing her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. “Thank you, mister. Thank you so much.”

Dale Parker gave a disgusted sigh. “Why would you want to go and do a fool thing like that? That dog is trouble with a capital
T
.”

Cam stood and stared around the ice-cream shop, meeting the gazes of each of the complainants. “I believe in second chances, and I do not believe that any creature is born with bad blood.”

With that, the last of the ice that had encased Sarah’s heart for more than two decades melted, and a breath of new hope stirred embers of a love that had never completely died.

TEN

“S’truth, Dad. That’s the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen. What are you doing with him?”

Cam held Mortimer secured in his arms. Black with white markings, the dog had an undershot bite that made his muzzle look square, small cropped ears, and a short, compact body. One of his eyes appeared to be damaged, covered with a milky film, and most likely blind. The dog rested quietly and peacefully, but that was all a sham.

Cam narrowed his eyes at his son and glared. “Don’t even start. I need you to go over to the Callahans’. Take the car. Nic has a stack of supplies for you to pick up.”

Dev said a cautious, “O-kay.”

“Don’t speed, but hurry. The keys are by the door.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cam glanced at the wall clock and marked the time. Probably take the kid fifteen minutes. He could manage fifteen more minutes. Shoot, the beast was behaving just fine now. Maybe he’d gotten the destruction all out of his system.

Cam’s legs were tired. He wanted to sit down. Maybe he could try. He took a careful step toward the recliner, then two. Holding his breath, he lowered himself into the chair.

The minute his butt hit the imitation leather, the dog let out the squeal. It was a shrill, thin-throated sound that could peel paint off the walls. Cam had laughed earlier when that guy used the description of mortally wounded pterodactyl, but he didn’t consider it funny any longer. He shot back to his feet and resumed walking the dog like a colicky baby. Anything to get it to shut up.

I should have asked Nic for a sedative when I called her
. If she wouldn’t prescribe one for the dog, maybe he could have talked her into giving him something for himself.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. The dog simply never stopped. If he wasn’t screaming, he was licking something. If he wasn’t licking something, he was eating something. Anything. Everything. By ten o’clock, Cam found himself fantasizing about getting in the car, taking him up into the national forest, and tying him to a tree with a pork chop tied around his neck.

Only he wouldn’t bet on a bear to win. He seriously could see this ten-pound concentration of wicked coming out on top of that struggle.

At one o’clock, Dev stumbled out of his room and knocked on Cam’s door. “You gotta do something, Dad. Anything. Please. I’m meeting the guys at five o’clock. I have to get some sleep!”

The dog was in a crate in the mudroom. The mudroom door was shut, the bedroom doors had been shut, and the sound still pierced the walls like a buzz saw. Cam groaned and pulled his pillow over his head.

“Dad!” Dev repeated.

“Oh, all right.” Cam threw off the pillow and rolled from his bed. As Devin retreated to his bedroom, Cam stalked toward the mudroom and the cacophony of ear-blasting noise. He glared down at the dog. “You are evil incarnate.”

Arf, arf, arf, arf, arf
.

Cam opened the crate, and the dog burst out like a bullet. He ran through the house, straight for Cam’s room. He leapt up onto the bed, curled up on Cam’s pillow, and immediately went to sleep.

Cam studied the scene in shocked consternation.
Now what?
Every dog trainer in the world would undoubtedly tell him the proper thing to do would be to use this as a teachable moment.

Yeah, well, in a match between a dog trainer and Mortimer, he’d take the Boston terrorist every time. He could make even that dog-whisperer dude turn in his leash.

Cam braced as the dog’s leg lifted and began to scratch behind his ear.
Fleas? Sure. Of course. Why not? Okay, then
. First thing tomorrow, come hell or high water, the dog was getting a bath. In the meantime … Cam grabbed the other bed pillow, yanked the top sheet free of the mattress, and carried them into the living area. The couch was a full foot shorter than he, but he didn’t care. It was quiet. Blessedly, peacefully quiet.

He fell onto the couch and into sleep. He woke up briefly when Devin tiptoed through the room carrying his tackle box and fishing pole, before drifting right back to sleep. The peace lasted until seven, when he awoke to the sound of retching.

The devil dog had eaten half of one leg of the khaki trousers he’d left draped over the back of the chair in his bedroom.

By the time he left the house to pick Sarah up for their visit to Eagle’s Way, he was exhausted. Scratched. Bitten. But the terrorist was in his crate in an empty house where he could dying-bird screech to his heart’s content. Cam had half a mind to rent a room at the Creekside Cabins in order to sleep tonight.

He knocked on Sarah’s front door, and when she answered, all thoughts of the one-eyed beast faded away. She looked gorgeous, her eyes bright with excitement, her lips glossy pink and smiling, wearing a swimsuit cover-up that was modest but oh, so appealing. She wore silly little flip-flops with sunflowers on them, and hot-pink polish on her toes. “You look great.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m excited. I didn’t realize just how jealous I was that Lori can dive and I can’t until I woke up this morning.” She gave him a once-over, then said, “You, on the other hand, look … tired.”

“My ego would be crushed, except Beelzebub ate it, like he’s eaten everything else.”

She fought a smile. The light in her eyes said
I told you so
. “Bad night?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll start to cry.”

At that, she laughed, and Cam’s spirits began to lift.

The drive up to Eagle’s Way showed nature in all her glory, from snowcapped mountains to wildflower-filled meadows to bubbling creeks and soaring hawks on a gentle wind. Nevertheless, Cam had a difficult time keeping his eyes on the winding road. Mother Nature didn’t hold a candle to his daughter’s mother sitting beside him.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was different about Sarah today. She seemed more open. Less worried. More approachable. Sexy, too, but that wasn’t new. She was always sexy.

“Is Jack in town?” she asked. “Will he be here this afternoon?”

“No.” Which was perfectly fine with him. He still chafed over the idea of the dates between his cousin and Sarah. “We have the place to ourselves.”

“Oh. Darn it, I was hoping to go inside. He invited me up once in April, but I couldn’t make it. Nic says it’s gorgeous. She came up here to see Gabe a time or two. He lived at Eagle’s Way when he first came to Eternity Springs.”

“We’re welcome to use the house,” Cam explained. “Jack told me where to find the keys.”

“Now I’m beyond thrilled.”

Sarah fished in her tote bag and pulled out a pack of Life Savers. She tore back the paper and offered it to him. “Want one?”

“You and your Life Savers. It’s nice to know that some things never change.” He glanced down at the end of the roll. “Green, hmm? Whatcha got beneath it, Sugar Cookie?”

The old line came out of nowhere, and they both froze. Cam was catapulted back into the past.

They sat facing each other atop a patchwork quilt spread across spring-green grass at the edge of a stand of aspen. A picnic basket weighted one corner of the quilt, its lid flipped up, its contents consumed. The cellophane wrapper containing one last sugar cookie lay forgotten as Sarah giggled and fished for the cookie she’d just accidentally dropped down her shirt because Cam had startled her when he spied a bald eagle in the sky
.

Cam forgot all about the eagle as one kind of excitement morphed into another when his gaze followed her fingers and locked on her chest. “Whatcha got under there, Sugar Cookie?” he drawled. “Gonna let me see?”

Sarah went still. Cam heard the wind whispering through the aspens as he waited for her to say something, do something. She moistened her lips with her tongue, and Cam held his breath. Then her fingers went to the top button on her blouse, and Cam’s heart pounded. His mouth went dry. His dick stayed hard
.

He’d touched her before, but she had never let him see her
.

Today, she did
.

Years later, with a little bit of rasp to her voice that suggested she might have remembered, too, she said, “Yellow.”

Cam cleared his throat. “Green is fine. My mouth is dry.”

He popped the candy in his mouth and sucked on it for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. He needed a distraction. “We should go over a few things before you even think about getting into the water, Sarah. Did you check out that website I told you about last night?”

“I did. There’s a lot of information there.”

“If you decide you want to get certified, you’ll need to know it. For today, I want to make sure you know the most important hand signs.”

After they went over the signals, he shared some of his favorite tourist stories until they arrived at the gate to Eagle’s Way. He thumbed down the driver’s-side window and punched in the security code. When the gate swung open, Cam drove onto the estate, then watched the rearview mirror to make sure the gate shut behind them. “Jack has given us free rein with the place. He’s just asked that we be sure we lock up and the security system’s on when we leave.”

“Has he had trouble with break-ins?” Sarah asked, sounding surprised.

“He didn’t say that.” Cam took a minute and chose his words carefully. He wasn’t exactly sure what Jack Davenport did for a living, but he knew it had something to do with the government. Jack didn’t talk about it. “Jack is careful of his privacy up here.”

“He’s careful of it everywhere. Before Gabe came to Eternity Springs, we rarely saw him around town. You wouldn’t know he was here unless you saw his helicopter fly over. That hasn’t much changed, to be honest.”

The house came into view, and Sarah breathed out a near-silent “Wow.”

A green metal roof topped the log house that nestled against the base of a hill. Its wall of windows overlooked an alpine meadow blanketed with wildflowers in brilliant hues of yellows and oranges and blues. The swimming pool and a pool house stood off to one side.

“Oh, man. Look at that pool. It’s like what you’d see at a resort. Gabe designed it, so I knew it would be awesome, but wow.”

“It is impressive. Bet the view from the house is spectacular.” Cam slowed the car as the lane before them forked. “Shall we go straight to the pool and tour the house after your lesson? Or would you rather see the house first?”

“Whichever you prefer. You’re the teacher.”

Sarah’s cellphone rang as Cam pulled into a parking spot next to the pool house. She checked the number and said, “It’s Lori. I could wait …”

“No, go ahead and answer it,” he replied. “Take your time. We’re in no rush, and it’ll take me a few minutes to check the equipment, anyway.”

“Okay.” Sarah connected the call and said, “Hello?”

Cam shut the car door quietly and headed for the pool house. Another time he might have hung around to eavesdrop on the conversation, but he needed a little space from Sarah right now.

He found the keys where Jack’s email had indicated they would be. He unlocked first the pool house and then the walk-in equipment closet. Flipping on a light, he whistled soft and low and murmured, “He could outfit a team of Navy SEALs with what’s in here.”

He chose items for himself first—a shorty skin suit, mask, snorkel, fins, weight belt, and a BC—a buoyancy compensator device. Next, he went back through the gear, looking for suitable sizes for Sarah and discovered a slight problem—no ladies’ sizes, no youth sizes. The men’s gear would swallow her. He thought for a moment, then murmured, “Okay, change of plans.”

He traded the shorty for a rash-guard top; grabbed a snorkel, mask, fins, and a weight belt for her; then exited the closet and carried the gear to poolside. A glance toward the car showed that Sarah was still on the phone, so he returned to the gear closet for a tank.

Always safety-conscious, he carefully inspected each item he intended to use, judged them good to go, then pulled off his T-shirt and shucked down his pants to his Jammers, the Lycra shorts he’d tossed into his suitcase before leaving Australia.

The hair on the back of his neck rose, and he turned to see Sarah watching him, her gaze warm and admiring. He’d seen that same look from other women many times aboard his boats as he readied to dive. He’d never wanted to preen in response—before today.

You’re pathetic, Murphy
. He pulled on the rash-guard top and said, “I ran into a minor hiccup, and we’re going to do this a little differently than I’d planned. Jack doesn’t have any suits small enough for you, so this won’t be a typical first lesson.”

“No wet suit?” Sarah clarified. “I’ll freeze.”

“The pool is heated. You’ll be fine.”

Her brow dipped in a doubtful frown. “So what do I do? Strap the stuff right against my back?”

“No. For today, we will give buddy breathing a try.”

“Buddy breathing is what?”

“We’ll share the regulator.”

“Like in the movies when the bad guy slices the hero’s air hose, but the heroine defeats the villain and saves the hero by sharing her air hose with him?”

Cam grinned. “Her regulator. And what movie was it where the heroine saved the hero?”

She waved off his question. “I want to point out that agreeing to this is an act of trust.”