Kiss Me (Fool's Gold #17)(79)
Instead he pulled her sleeping body close to his and lightly kissed her hair.
Tomorrow, he promised himself. He would end this tomorrow. Was it so wrong to want to have this one night to remember?
* * *
ZANE AWAKENED THEM both early. By the time Chase stirred, he had both their tents down and was on his third cup of coffee. Phoebe had promised she could act completely normal, but looking at her from across the fire, he wasn’t so sure. There was no way anyone could see her dreamy expression and not know something was different.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What? You keep looking at me. I know my makeup can’t be smudged. I’m not wearing any.”
It didn’t matter; she was still beautiful.
“You look different,” he told her. “Satisfied.”
Color flared on her cheeks. “You’re only saying that because you know the truth.”
“Uh-huh.”
He doubted that, but maybe she was right. Or maybe the weather would be enough of a distraction to keep everyone from figuring out the truth.
“How long is it going to rain?” she asked as she fingered a pole holding up the canvas sheet they put up to protect the fire and the seating area around it. “It sure got cold and damp in a hurry.”
Zane shrugged. “No way to tell. The storm is supposed to hang around for a few days, but maybe it will blow over.”
He hoped it would. Traveling in the rain wouldn’t be fun for anyone. And he couldn’t simply turn them around, head to the ranch and be there in time for lunch. They were at the farthest point from his house. It was a full two-day ride back.
Phoebe finished her coffee. “I’m going to check and see if my things are dry,” she said as she stood.
He nodded, then watched her go.
Cookie had started a second campfire on the far side of camp. Phoebe’s clothes and sleeping bag were getting a dose of smoky warm air in an attempt to get them dry before they headed out. Zane knew the old man wouldn’t tease Phoebe. Instead he would save his comments for Zane.
“Hey,” Chase said as he approached. “The rain sucks.”
“Agreed.”
His younger brother settled on a log. “I checked on the cattle. They’re fine. The clouds don’t look like there’s going to be any lightning or thunder, but they look plenty wet.”
Zane nodded. “Storm’s supposed to last two days. I was hoping it would hold off until Saturday.”
Chase sipped his coffee. “Everybody okay?”
There was something about the question. Zane stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just checking.”
Had Chase heard something in the night? Zane shook his head. Not possible. His tent had been some distance from the others, and the rain had blocked out a lot of noise. Nothing about his brother’s expression told what he was thinking.
“We’re heading back today, right?” Chase said.
“That’s the plan. I wish it wasn’t a two-day ride.”
“There’s—”
Chase stopped speaking and stared at his coffee. Zane knew what he’d been about to say. Reilly’s place. It was only about an hour’s ride. The old man would give them shelter until the worst of the storm passed, and even send out a few of his men to watch over the cattle until then.
But Zane wasn’t about to impose on his neighbor. Not now and not ever.
He glanced at the sky and wondered how long he could take a stand in weather like this. Whatever his issues with Reilly, his guests’ safety came first.
“I better see how everyone’s doing,” he said as he tossed the rest of his coffee into the fire.
“Before you go,” Chase said and held out something in his hand. “I wasn’t sure if you had enough with you.”
Zane stared at the three condoms resting on his brother’s palm. Then he glanced at Chase, who was grinning.
“Way to go, big brother.”
Not knowing what to say, Zane rose and stalked off. But not before he took the condoms. He might be stubborn, but he wasn’t a fool.
* * *
FOR THE FIRST time since starting on the cattle drive, Phoebe wasn’t having fun. It was wet and cold, and the bad weather showed no signs of letting up.
Lucy rode next to her. The girl was soaked to the skin, and Phoebe was afraid she’d started to shiver.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Lucy nodded, but when she tried to speak, her teeth chattered.
This couldn’t be good. Right now Phoebe was so darned happy that she could have survived a seven-day blizzard, keeping warm on the glow left over from her night with Zane, but there were more people on this cattle drive than just herself.
C.J. rode up. Her face tightened with obvious concern. “Lucy, honey, don’t you have a raincoat? Your jacket is dripping.”
“I’m ok-kay,” the girl muttered. “I’m having fun.”
C.J. glanced at Phoebe. “We can’t go on like this,” she said. “The kids will get sick.”
Phoebe nodded, but before she could decide what to do, Rocky slipped in the thick mud on the trail.
The large horse sidestepped quickly and nearly went down. Phoebe shrieked as she clung to the saddle. After a couple of steps the long-legged horse managed to catch his balance. When she was able to breathe and relax her death grip, she looked up and saw Zane riding up.