Lover's Leap (16 page)

“I’ll go out to the pool and get your tote bag and my stuff. We can get dry and change clothes. Do you want to shower off the chlorine first?”

“Yes.” This was the only swimsuit she owned, and she tried to take care of it. “The pool house has showers. I can go—”

“No, I still want to take a tour of the house. If I recall correctly, Eagle’s Way has five bedrooms with connecting full baths. Why don’t you pick one out? I’ll drop off your bag there.”

He turned and quit the house before she could do much more than stammer an okay.

Sighing, Sarah turned her attention to the house. It was chock-full of awesomeness, but the idea of exploring it had lost its luster. Instead of heading toward the kitchen—always her favorite part of a house—she took the stairs up to the second floor and peeked into the first bedroom she encountered. Queen-size bed, overstuffed reading chair and floor lamp, basket of essentials on a chest of drawers—definitely a guest room, she decided.

She crossed to the connecting bathroom and saw a whirlpool tub and separate shower and another basketful of soaps, shampoos, and lotions. Big, fluffy white towels hung on racks across from the shower, and a thick terry-cloth robe hung on a padded hanger from a hook on the back of the bathroom door.

Sarah glanced at her reflection in the mirror and frowned at the disgruntled look she wore.
Don’t be grumpy. He did what you wanted him to do
.

She heard a sound in the bedroom and turned. Cam set her tote bag on the bed. “Here’s your stuff, Sarah. See you in a few.”

“Thanks.”

He shut the door behind himself when he left. Sarah took her bag into the bathroom and switched on the hot water, stripped off her swimsuit, and rinsed it in cold water in the sink before choosing a lavender-scented soap, shampoo, and conditioner, and stepping into the shower.

She didn’t hurry. The hot water felt good, and the scent of the soaps indulged her senses. She consciously turned her thoughts away from Cam and onto the experience of breathing underwater. That had been pretty darn cool. She’d battled a little apprehension when she’d felt that tightening in her chest that signaled she’d needed air and Cam had offered her the regulator. Taking that first breath of air had been scary, then amazing once she fully comprehended that she didn’t have to go up in order to breathe. Now that she had a general sense of what scuba diving would be like, she absolutely wanted to get certified.

She turned around and lifted her face, placing her head beneath the shower spray to rinse the conditioner from her hair. With her eyes closed, she sensed the change. Something was different.

She opened her eyes and spied Cam Murphy standing in the doorway.

He was naked, tanned and taut and gloriously aroused. He watched her with narrowed green eyes that gleamed like those of a cat who stalked his prey in the forest.

Sarah’s mouth went dry. Her heart began to hammer. He took two steps toward her and pulled open the shower door.

“You do deserve romance, Sarah,” he said, his voice a low, pantherlike purr as he resumed their earlier conversation. “You deserve flowers and candy and candlelight and those other things I mentioned, and I’ll give them to you. I promise. However, there is another item on the list that I didn’t mention, but I know you desire.”

“There is?” she squeaked.

“Yes, there is.” His mouth spread in a slow, sensuous smile, and his voice dropped low. “At heart you haven’t changed, Sarah Reese. You still want excitement and adventure, and you want it even more than a dozen red roses and a gift of something sparkly.”

He stepped into the shower and set a stack of foil-wrapped condoms on the soap ledge. “I think we’ll save the flowers for another time and tackle the adventure now. Okay?”

He waited, giving her the chance to say no, the challenge in his eyes demanding she not.

She cleared her throat and squeaked out, “Adventure?”

“Diving a sunken Spanish galleon. Free-falling from a plane. Surfing Oahu’s north shore. Making love with me here, now.”

Her pulse leapt. “That’s pretty egotistical of you, Murphy.”

He shrugged. “Try me.”

Her heart pounded as he placed his hands against the shower wall on either side of her, leaned forward, and said, “Let me have you, Sarah. I have fantasies. Such fantasies.”

“Adventures.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Show me.”

He leaned forward and licked water off her neck. “I thought you’d never ask.”

ELEVEN

Sarah had a bounce in her step and a smile on her face as she walked from her car to Sage Rafferty’s front door for girls’ night out at Hummingbird Lake. She was gratifyingly tired, deliciously sore, and thoroughly satisfied. She’d had more sex in the past forty-eight hours than she’d had in the past decade. Hot, sweaty, earthy sex. Adult sex, not the angsty, emotional lovemaking of star-crossed teenagers. It was wonderful. He’d been wonderful, delivering the adventure he’d promised while keeping it light and fun between them, just the way she needed it. Risky, perhaps, to indulge this way, since she knew her heart was vulnerable to the man, but she was determined to stick with her decision to live in the moment when it came to Cam.

Sage answered her knock, then squealed when she spied the stack of sweets Sarah had brought as her contribution to the evening’s munch-fest. “Tell me you brought brownies.”

“I brought brownies, shortbread cookies, lemon bars, and chocolate-chip cookies.”

Sage beamed and stole the top tin off Sarah’s stack. Peeking inside, she said, “It’s times like this I’m glad I’m wearing elastic-waist maternity pants.”

“And how is little Parsley Lamb?” Sarah asked, using the silly pet name she’d adopted for Sage and Colt’s unborn son.

Sage patted her tummy. “I’m beginning to think Colton Alexander is destined to be a soccer player. The kid can kick.”

Sarah remembered how it had been, recalled the first time she’d felt Lori kick. She’d been so excited and at the same time so afraid. Missing Cam. Wishing he was there to share the moment with her. Remembered loss stabbed through her.
Don’t. Don’t go there. Live for the moment, Reese
. She smiled at Sage and said, “I can’t wait to hold him.”

“Me, either. Now come into the kitchen and unload, then we’ll join the others outside.”

“Who beat me here?”

“Nic, Ali, and my sister are out back. Celeste had a motorcycle club meeting in Creede, so she won’t be here until later. It’s such a pretty evening that we thought we’d sit outside and watch the sunset.”

“Sounds like a plan. I think … oh, for crying out loud, Sage. Your poor dog. What is she wearing today?” Sarah clicked her tongue in disgust as she knelt to pet Sage’s Bichon Frise, Snowdrop, who toddled into the room followed by Colt’s Lab, Shadow.

“It’s her new bathing suit. Every girl should have a yellow polka-dot bikini.”

“I’m so sorry, Snowdrop. This constant humiliation is obviously your cross to bear.” Sarah gave the bigger dog some attention, too, then asked, “What is Colt doing tonight?”

“He’s actually on his way to Denver to catch an early-morning flight to Saint Louis. He has a safety presentation at a conference there tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s the first consulting-related trip he’s taken in a while, isn’t it?”

“Yes. The man has become such a homebody. It’s the last one he’s making until after the baby is born, too.”

“She says smugly,” Sarah drawled.

Sage laughed and set about adding a selection of Sarah’s sweets to a tray with veggies and dips, which she then carried to the back door. “Grab the paper plates and napkins for me, would you, please?”

The dogs preceded the women outdoors, where Ali, Nic, and Sage’s sister, Rose Anderson, sat looking at the latest portraits of Nic’s twins. Sarah said hello, then wiggled her fingers toward the photos. “Ooh, let me see. Let me see.”

“Since these are gifts for their granddad’s birthday, we dressed them in cowgirl outfits and …” Nic’s voice trailed off after she looked up at Sarah. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Excuse me?”

“You. I know you, Sarah Reese. Let the rest of the class in on the secret.”

While Sarah thought about her response, Nic continued to study her. Abruptly, she shut the photo album and set it aside. She stared at Sarah, and her mouth dropped open. “You got laid.”

The other women went silent. They looked at Sarah, their expressions eager and curious.

Sarah blinked. “Now, why in the world would you say that?”

“Because I’ve known you forever,” Nic said. “It’s true, isn’t it? You slept with Cam.”

“Well, well, well,” Sage said, folding her arms. “Isn’t that interesting? Rose, I’ll have my five dollars now, thank you very much.”

“He moved faster than I expected,” Rose observed glumly. “Dang it, I hate losing bets to my sister.”

Ali beamed. “I knew you guys would get together. You set off sparks whenever you’re together.”

“Now, wait just a minute,” Sarah protested. “I haven’t admitted to anything.”

“You haven’t denied it, either,” Sage pointed out.

“Dish, sister,” Nic demanded.

Sarah pursed her lips. While she wasn’t one to roll her personal business out in front of anybody and everybody, these were her closest friends, and this was girls’ night out. “Okay, fine. Yes, I slept with Cam.”

“I knew it.” Nic slapped her leg. “What happened? When? Where?”

“Was it wonderful?” Sage asked.

“It must have been wonderful,” Rose said. “Look at her, she’s sparkling.”

“Well, I don’t believe in kissing and telling—”

Nic let out an unladylike snort. “Since when?”

“—so all I’m going to say is that it was … an adventure.”

“Define
adventure
,” Sage demanded.

“No. You guys don’t share the details of your love lives with me.”

Sarah knew the minute she used the word
love
that she’d made a mistake, and sure enough, Nic pounced. “Love life? Not sex life?”

Then out of nowhere, tears stung Sarah’s eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to chase them away. Ali noticed and leaned forward, patting her knees. “Sarah? What’s wrong?”

She shut her eyes and shook her head. “Nothing. I’m okay. Really. I don’t know where that came from.”

“Is it Lori? Does she know …?” Sage asked.

“No.”

Rose asked, “Is she still anti-Cam?”

“Yes, but …” Sarah shrugged. “That’s not the issue. Lori isn’t part of this. That’s the deal. For just this little while, it’s our time. It’s not about the past and not about the future. It’s not about anybody other than Cam and me.”

Nic asked, “Then why the tears?”

“I don’t know.” She blew out a heavy breath. “Well, I do know. It’s just that I … well …”

“You never quit loving him,” Nic said.

“No, I never did. Not completely, anyway. Not that I ever admitted it to myself before he returned.”

“It’s been pretty clear to those of us around you. Otherwise, you’d have fallen for one of the guys who wandered through your life.”

“Like Zach Turner,” Ali said.

Sarah shook her head. “We were never more than friends.”

“Exactly.” Sage took half of a brownie. “You made sure it never went any further than that.”

Sarah looked out at Hummingbird Lake, where sunlight danced on the surface like diamonds. In a voice just above a murmur, she said, “I’ve been waiting for Cam. All these years, I’ve been waiting for Cam.”

Celeste Blessing’s voice came from behind them. “That’s because you and Cam were meant to be together.”

The women looked around to see Celeste setting the kickstand of her Honda Gold Wing next to Sage and Colt’s bicycles. Sage called, “Celeste, you are earlier than we expected.”

Celeste approached, saying, “Our speaker didn’t show up, so we cut the meeting short.”

Rose waved hello. “We didn’t hear you ride up.”

“I walked the bike in from the road. Snowdrop isn’t fond of the sound of my motor, and I don’t like to disturb her. So, ladies, what have I missed? Discussion about Sarah and Cameron, obviously.”

“Were we talking that loud?” Sarah asked, sending an uncomfortable glance toward the other house on the point, which was occupied by a vacationing family from Texas.

Celeste waved a dismissive hand as she sat in an empty lawn chair beside Sarah. “No, dear. I have exceptional hearing. Now, have you finally relieved yourself of the burden of the grudge you held against Cam? You have forgiven him for the hurt and harm he did you?”

Sarah opened her mouth to say yes, but the words wouldn’t come. “It’s complicated.”

“I see.” Celeste shook her head sadly, then asked, “Has he forgiven you?”

Sarah bristled a bit at that. Sage defended her, asking the question so that she didn’t have to. “What has Sarah done that Cam Murphy needs to forgive?”

“She failed to defend him here in Eternity Springs. She allowed the myth of his wickedness to simmer unchecked for more than two decades.”

“Now, wait a minute.” Nic chose a carrot stick from the platter. “Cam the teenager was wicked. He was into trouble all the time. He did put Andrew Cook into a coma, and he did tell Sarah to take a hike when she needed him.” She crunched a bite of her carrot stick for emphasis.

Sarah chose a celery stick. “No, Celeste is right. He made mistakes, but he wasn’t wicked. He was an abused boy, and no one in town helped him. Remember, Nic? We knew his father was a beast. Everybody knew, but nobody helped him. I loved him, but I didn’t help him, either. Then I allowed him to be my dirty little secret … for twenty years.”

Shame flickered through her at the admission. She sighed heavily. “We both need to do some forgiving. I wouldn’t say that we’re there yet.”

Celeste reached over and patted Sarah’s knee. “It’s not an easy task, but it is a necessary one for you both. Cam, especially, has much work to do in that area. Primarily, he needs to forgive himself. How do you think he is coming along in that respect?”

Sarah took a bite of celery and considered the question. “I think that hinges on Lori. I think that unless she forgives him, he’ll never be able to forgive himself.”

“You’re probably right,” Ali said. “I know that whenever Mac did something that hurt the kids, it tore him up inside. Even if it was something simple, like failing to make it to a Little League game like he’d promised.”

Celeste accepted Sage’s offer of a glass of tea, then chose a shortbread cookie from the plate of Sarah’s offerings. “You know what must be done now, don’t you, Sarah?”

“Lori,” she replied with a sigh. “Lori needs to listen to him. I need to talk her into it.”

“That’s not going to be very easy, is it?” Rose asked.

Nic shook her head. “I love Lori dearly, but to quote Gabe’s father, ‘The girl is as stubborn as a two-headed mule.’ ”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Sarah agreed with a sigh. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t make her listen to Cam.”

“Balderdash,” Celeste said.

The younger women shared a look. Ali repeated, “Balderdash?”

“Lori is an adult,” Sarah said.

“True, but she’s not yet independent, is she? You still control the purse strings, Sarah. Use your power. Make her come home and sit down and listen to what her father has to say. She owes him the chance to explain himself, if nothing else.”

Sarah winced. “Oh, I don’t know, Celeste. That’s awfully manipulative. It’s something my parents would have done to me. I’ve never had that sort of relationship with Lori, and besides, she does have a right to her anger.”

“That doesn’t trump the fifth commandment.”

Honor your father and your mother
. Sarah brooded about it as she finished off her celery stick. Ali swatted at a mosquito, then said, “As one mother of young adults to another, I don’t know that I’d call Celeste’s suggestion manipulative. I’d consider it more of a reminder to Lori of all that you are doing for her.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“When you give birth to a child, you are obligated to feed her and shelter her and love her. You are not obligated to provide a college education. Mac and I have good kids, but the sense of entitlement we sometimes see in them and in their friends makes us wonder where we went wrong. I love Lori—you know I do, considering the fact that I’m still holding out hope that she and my Chase find their way back to each other one day—but if you ask her to give Cam a chance, she should at least listen.”

Nic nodded. “I agree. Call her home, Sarah. It’s time. You can’t leave Cam hanging indefinitely. Or yourself, either. You need to put it all behind you and move forward. This limbo isn’t good.”

But it is good. It’s great. I don’t have to share him, and I want more time
. She’d had roses and candlelight, but he hadn’t given her the sparkly thing he’d promised, and they’d only begun to work their way through the list of private adventures he proposed in the bedroom. “I’ll think about it. I promise. Now, can we change the subject, please? Surely one of you has something we can talk about. Rose, tell us how your latest book is coming along.”

When Rose Anderson first came to Eternity Springs to reconcile with her sister, she’d rented the Angel’s Rest garret and attempted another dream—she’d written a book, a medical mystery. The manuscript had not sold, but Rose wasn’t deterred. She’d enjoyed the process of writing and found it provided a soothing balance to her life as a medical professional. “It’s good. I’m trying to have it finished by the time Sage’s baby is born. The whole giving-birth metaphor works for me.”

While the conversation turned to details about Rose’s plot, Sarah’s thoughts drifted back to Cam. Forgiveness. Did she have it in her? Maybe. Probably. She was already halfway there. But forgiveness wasn’t the alpha and omega in their relationship. She could imagine herself forgiving Cam, but would she ever trust him again? Trust him in the all-in, no-doubts, complete-and-total-faith-in-him way that a real relationship needed?