Authors: Cheyenne McCray
She felt his presence the moment he walked into the kitchen and she glanced up from straining the fresh squash that she’d just steamed. When he reached her she caught his warm, masculine scent and a part of her sighed with longing. His hair was damp and he wore clean wranglers and a blue T-shirt that went with the blue of his eyes. The T-shirt stretched across his biceps and showed his powerful muscled chest that she’d had the opportunity to view when he’d taken his shirt off.
With a smile she said, “Have a seat. The table is set.”
“I’ll get the beans.” He picked up the pot and she grabbed a bowl of salad and a trivet.
They reached the table together and she put the trivet down for him to set the beans on, then put the salad bowl on the table. “I just need to grab the squash,” she said and left him to get the serving pan that she’d put the veggie into.
Everything else was on the table, including sliced chicken breast, iced tea, the cornbread, salsa, hot sauce, and salad dressings along with grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, and onions to put on the beans if he liked to dress them up like she did.
When they were seated, he took her bowl and ladled pinto beans into it before passing it back to her. They loaded their plates and began eating. It pleased her to see him tearing into dinner and he seemed to enjoy every bite.
“Phoebe said to give her a call and you can photograph her place tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll draw you a map and give you her phone number.”
Jessie nodded as he took second helpings. “How long have you and Phoebe been engaged?” she found herself asking.
He paused and swallowed the bite of cornbread he’d just taken. “Close to six months now.”
“Why the wait?” She tilted her head to the side. “Is it going to be a big wedding?”
He took a drink of his iced tea then set the glass on the table. “I’d have a big get together but Phoebe prefers a small one. She even wanted to just get it done at the courthouse in Sierra Visa.”
“Are you two compromising?” Jessie couldn’t help herself from asking more questions. Something made her want to know more about him and the woman he was going to marry.
“It won’t be too big, but I do have lots of friends in these parts who would feel slighted if they didn’t get invited.”
Jessie nodded, but she had the feeling that it didn’t matter what Zane wanted. If she had read the woman right, Phoebe was all about Phoebe.
Maybe she wasn’t being fair. After all, she’d only seen the woman throwing a hissy fit and hadn’t spent any time with her.
“How did you meet her?” she asked.
“She married the guy who owned the ranch she now owns. Nice guy. Older guy. They met at his cousin’s wedding back in Phoenix and they hit it off,” Zane said. “She moved out here and they ended up married two months later. They didn’t really seem to go together, though.” He continued, “I knew Mike for years. He had never been married and I was happy for him.”
“Did they divorce?” Jessie asked.
“No, Mike was killed.” Zane shook his head. “I was as shocked as everyone else around here. At the viewing and funeral I talked with Phoebe. She called on me a week after his funeral. She was lonely and needed someone to talk to. We kinda hit it off and things moved kinda fast.”
“How did Mike die?” Jessie asked.
“He was working on a truck in front of the ranch house,” Zane said. “He had it jacked up and the jack slipped out and the truck crushed him.”
“That’s awful,” Jessie said.
Zane nodded. “Yep, it sure was. Just a sad deal all around.”
Something made her keep going. “How long did you date before you proposed?”
“Five months.”
“That’s fast after the death of her husband isn’t it?” Jessie winced. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t worry about it. You just said what you think, which is the same as everyone else around here.” He paused then flipped the conversation. “You have someone you’re seeing?”
“Nope.” She pushed her hair over her shoulder and held back a frown. “Not anymore.”
“Bad breakup?” he asked.
Considering how personal her questions had been, she felt compelled to answer. “It wasn’t pretty.”
He wiped his hands with a napkin and put it on the table. “How long ago?”
She gave him a pained smile. “As long as you’ve been engaged.” She wasn’t sure why she let it out when she added, “Doesn’t seem that long ago that he screwed around on me.” Up until now the pain had stayed fresh for far too long.
Maybe that was why she was so fascinated by Zane. He was safe. She could flirt with him and that was as far as it would go. He wouldn’t hurt her.
Apparently he saw the pain in her eyes because he put his hand over hers. “I’m sorry, honey.”
His touch caused her to go still. It sent warmth throughout her and something more. From his expression he was having the same reaction and he moved his hand away from hers.
“Better I find out when I did than later.” She did her best to give a casual shrug. “So that’s my exciting love life for you.”
“Yeah.” He studied her. “It’s better to find out before it’s too late.”
With a half-smile she said, “You could say I dodged a bullet.”
He looked like he was deep in thought. “Sounds like that’s exactly what you did.”
The way he said it made her wonder if he was realizing that he was in the path of a bullet himself.
• • •
After dinner, Jessie and Zane cleared the table, put away the leftovers, and washed the dishes. She thought about how companionable and comfortable it felt, like they’d done it together a thousand times before.
Not a good way to be thinking, Jess.
When they finished putting away the last dish, she tilted her head to look at him. For a long moment their eyes met and held. She felt captured by his gaze, as if she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
“I need some fresh air.” She finally managed to get the words out.
“You probably don’t get enough of that in the city.” He looked as if he was fighting for something neutral to say. “Come on out to the patio. You’ll be able to see the stars real well—it’s a clear night.”
“We don’t get a good view of the stars in the city, either.” She moved with him to the French doors that led to the kitchen and out onto the patio.
This is not a good idea,
she told herself.
When he closed the door behind them, she walked out from under the porch and tilted her head back and looked up. “Beautiful,” she said as she looked at the bright swath that made up the Milky Way. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the stars more beautiful than they are tonight.”
“I could never leave this.” His voice was low, soft. “It’s in my blood. The ranching, the land, and even the stars.”
“I can’t blame you.” Her gaze met his. “In your place, I know I couldn’t.”
He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “How long have you lived in Tucson?”
“About ten years.” She shoved her hands in her front pockets, trying to figure out what to do with them. “I left Houston to go to the University of Arizona. I fell in love with the area and that was that.”
“Some things are easy to fall in love with.” The way he said it, as if his words carried a heavier weight, made her look back at him. His eyes were focused on the stars again but then he moved his gaze back to her. “I have some paperwork to do before I hit the sack. You’re welcome to make yourself at home.”
“I brought my e-reader, so I think I’ll finish up a story I’ve been enjoying.” And keep as far away from Zane Cameron as she could for the rest of the night. “Thanks for being so hospitable.” She gestured toward the Heavens. “And for sharing the incredible view with me tonight.”
They fell into step and then he held the door open for her and she stepped into the house.
“Do you remember where your room is?”
She frowned. It was a huge home, bigger than she’d thought it was. “I think so…”
He cocked his head in the direction of the hallway. “I’ll show you, just to make sure you get there without getting lost.”
When they entered the hallway she was beyond aware of him. Her entire body seemed on fire and she felt as if he was touching her despite the fact that there were a couple of inches between them as they walked side-by-side.
He stopped in front of a doorway. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She smiled even as she trembled a little. She wanted him to kiss her so badly that she could feel it through every inch of her being. But that wasn’t going to happen.
The way he was looking at her… It made her wonder for a moment if maybe his restraint wasn’t as good as she’d thought it was. If he kissed her, she didn’t know if she’d be able to walk away.
“Good night, Jessie,” he said softly.
Tension vibrated between them. “Night,” she said.
He gave her one last, long look and then he walked away. She let out her breath as she watched him until he went around a corner and she couldn’t see him any longer.
She rubbed her temples and closed the bedroom door behind her. For a moment she stood at the foot of the bed, wondering what it would be like to have the delicious Zane Cameron in it with her.
Chapter 4
He’d barely slept.
Zane dragged his hand down his face as he sat astride his Quarter horse and watched Jessie climb into her Mustang. The engine rumbled when she started it and her reverse lights came on as she backed out of her parking place. They flashed off as she started to go forward and then she headed toward the gate. She was probably going to Phoebe’s to take photographs.
All night he’d thought about Jessie being in a guest bedroom just down the hall from his own room. No matter how he’d tried, he hadn’t been able to get his mind off of her. Images of seeing her in the bed, naked, kept coming to his mind. Hell, he’d kept thinking about how she’d looked tonight during dinner and how comfortable it had been being around her. How genuinely sweet she was. How natural.
If he was feeling like this about another woman, he had no business marrying Phoebe. It wasn’t fair to her or to him. But that wasn’t the real reason for realizing he needed to split with her. For some time he’d been feeling edgy about the upcoming wedding. That was the reason he’d put it off.
Phoebe had a smile that lit up any room she was in and she loved the spotlight. He’d enjoyed her company and she’d acted the part of a loving woman who’d wanted to settle down and raise a few kids. After he’d asked her to marry him, he’d begun to feel like that was exactly what she’d been doing. Acting. Something just didn’t feel right anymore. He’d thought that maybe it was just pre-wedding jitters on his part.
Recently he’d started to feel like he’d been blinded by her brilliant smile and her sweet personality. Yesterday had proved that she wasn’t all sweetness—she’d shown a side that he’d never seen from her before. A woman couldn’t act like she had and not have that be a part of her.
And then there was the grumblings of the hired help and comments his brother Wyatt made. It wasn’t like him to talk ill about a woman, not even in a joking way. But he’d seen something in Phoebe that Zane hadn’t.
Until now. Phoebe had pushed things fast. Faster than he would have liked and he just got caught up in all of it. Now he realized it needed to change.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose then looked in the direction Jessie had left. He couldn’t see her car anymore, just a trail of dust she’d left in her wake.
• • •
Jessie slipped the cell phone back into the holster at her waist. She’d just tried to call Phoebe again to tell her she was on her way, but no answer. For the time being she could take photographs of the outside.
She could have stayed at the ranch and taken more photos but she’d felt the need to get away from the place where she felt Zane's presence everywhere she went.
This was crazy. She couldn’t spend another night in the same house with him alone. Maybe if Danica made it back she’d stay. But not alone. Not again.
It had been a sleepless night as she’d thought of him and the time they’d spent together that evening. As chaste as it had been, there’d been a sexual undercurrent that was too dangerous to play with.
She glanced at a road sign and then at the map Zane had drawn and left on the breakfast bar for her along with a brief description of the house. The dirt road into Phoebe’s was graded and fairly smooth beneath her Mustang’s tires.
Jessie came over a rise and saw the woman’s home just below and she had a good view of the house. It would make an excellent shot from this elevation.
She pulled her car off to the side of the road and parked before grabbing her camera and tripod. Not too far from the car was a good place to set up.
It wasn’t long before she fell into a rhythm. Sun felt warm on the back of her neck and everything smelled fresh and clean. She hummed a country song to herself then paused as she saw movement in the backyard of the home on the patio. From the angle she was at now, she had a good view. It might be a good opportunity to get a few candid shots.
Phoebe looked beautiful through the zoom lens and Jessie could see what Zane saw in her as far as looks went. She had a sweet, almost innocent expression. Jessie had a strong feeling that the woman had cat’s claws that would come out any time she felt like her territory was being threatened, though—just like what had happened yesterday.
Jessie started to lower her camera when a man came into view. He was good-looking with light brown hair and a male model handsome face, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Maybe he was Phoebe’s brother or another relative who was visiting her.
But then the man grabbed Phoebe’s arm and drew her close and kissed her.
Jessie’s mouth dropped open. Zane’s fiancée was kissing another man. She automatically took one shot after another without really thinking about what she was doing.
When she lowered her camera she frowned. She raised the camera and looked through it again, wondering if maybe she had imagined that the kiss between Phoebe and the man had been a passionate one. When she looked through the lens, they were no longer on the patio.
Jaw set, Jessie stowed her camera equipment in her car before slipping into the driver’s seat and starting the vehicle. She drove along the road to Phoebe’s house. In moments she was parked in front of it, camera in hand, and walking up to the front door.