Breathless(17)

They shared a smile and Regan mused aloud, “I wonder how long you’d be sentenced by a judge for such a fowl deed.”

“Lord, save me,” Portia groaned in response to the terrible pun, and she shook the leg at Regan. “Tell me!”

“I was just watching you and Kent.”

“And?”

Regan mimed pulling back the string on a bow and letting an invisible arrow fly. “Right between the eyes.”

Portia shook her head. “So now you’re a mime?”

“No, I’m Cupid and don’t pretend you’ve no idea what I mean. You were looking at the man like he was a piece of chocolate cake.”

Portia put the last of the leftover chicken in a bowl, covered it with a plate and placed it in the cold box. “I was not.”

“Yes, you were. Aunt Eddy and Uncle Rhine saw it, too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Kent’s terribly handsome.”

Portia picked up a kitchen towel and busied herself drying the wet dishes Regan had set in the drain.

“So you aren’t going to admit he’s handsome either?” Regan asked.

“I don’t have to admit anything to you, Regan Marie.” They were playfully bantering the way they’d been doing their entire lives.

“Just wait until he pulls you into a corner and kisses you until your garters catch fire.”

“You’re always so scandalous.”

“You’re going to be scandalous, too, when he cracks your highly prized control like a dropped hen’s egg.”

“That will not happen.”

Regan studied her and said earnestly, “You need a nice man in your life, sister mine.”

“My life is fine just the way it is.”

“Okay,” Regan said softly. “I just want you to be happy, Portia. You’ve earned it. We both have.”

“I’ve been happy since the day Aunt Eddy and Uncle Rhine saved us. I don’t need anything more.”

Regan nodded and went back to washing. Her solemnity pulled at Portia’s heart but they finished the rest of the task in silence.

Seated in her office while waiting for Kent to join her, Portia thought back on her sister’s words and on the incident at the woodpile. What’s wrong with me? She was twenty-seven years old, far past the age of being rendered mindless by a man, yet here she sat. Granted Kent was more handsome than a man had a right to be, but what she sensed about him beneath the surface was attractive as well. He was funny, treated her respectfully, and unlike some of the other men she knew, he didn’t think her odd or less than a woman for managing the hotel. In fact, he seemed quite impressed by her business sense, and during the party, he’d even brought her a piece of cake. A small thing yes, but it had been a kind gesture nonetheless. However, she had life planned out with the goal of forming her own bookkeeping business at some point in the near future, and a man wouldn’t be penciled into the ledger, no matter how tempting she thought him to be. Having always prided herself on approaching difficult situations head-on she spent a few moments mulling over her options. It occurred to her that her thoughts about children building up an immunity to the pox might be a solution. Maybe if she asked him to kiss her, it would feed her attraction enough to bring about a cure for what ailed her. Lord knew she needed one because she’d never wanted to lick a man’s mouth before in her life. Her mind slid back to the image of the water trailing sinuously down corners of his lips and when her senses rose again, she hastily forced the image away. Yes, she needed a cure because the sooner she did away with this distracting attraction the better off she’d be.



Kent assumed that when he and Portia met to talk about the dude ranch, she would sit behind her desk, tell him what he needed to know, and send him on his merry way, but he wanted to spend some time with her, preferably away from her office. Even though he was supposed to be keeping his distance, he wanted to know her better. He was intrigued by both her beauty and the intense smarts underneath. She was no meek wallflower waiting to be picked and he liked that, too. He wondered if she’d be agreeable to talking outside. There were still a few hours of daylight left and they could conduct their business at one of the tables. That way he could enjoy her along with the view of the mountains and the cooling breeze. He might even be able to make her smile. He got the impression she didn’t share her smile much outside of family, so when he stuck his head in her office, he asked, “How about we talk outdoors? It’s too nice an evening to be cooped up inside.” He saw her hesitate.

She finally responded. “Sure, okay.”

Outside, they sat at the table opposite each other. As he savored the sight of her and the sounds of the breeze playing against the leaves, he said, “This is much better than being inside, don’t you think?”

“I do.”

“So, tell me what I need to know.”

Rhine had already given him a brief explanation of how the dude ranch worked, but Portia’s was more detailed. In truth though, only part of him was listening because the others were wondering how she’d react if he kissed her, what scent she wore hidden beneath the high collared blouses she favored, and how he might go about achieving answers to those questions.

“Kent? Are you listening?”

“Sorry. Got distracted there for a moment. Did you ask me something?”