Heart of Fire: a Moonbound World series (Witches of Whitewood Book 1) (13 page)

J
amie woke
up cold and wished she’d stayed in Kyle’s tent. Granted, the man generally got up at four in the morning to make biscuits, but at least until he woke up, she would’ve been warm.

She changed into fresh trail clothes before braving the frosty morning. It always amazed her how cold Colorado dawns could get, even in the summer. But when she crawled out of her tent, it wasn’t dawn. Not even close. Judging by the sun and the crowd down at the corral, it was closer to eight, which meant it was almost time to leave.

How could I have slept so late?

Of course, she’d always slept soundly after sex, why hadn’t Kyle come to find her when she didn’t show up for breakfast?

Alice jogged past her, dressed in a cute, sparkly pink shirt. When Jamie called her name, Alice stopped, startled.

“Jamie, we’ve been looking for you all morning.”

“And no one thought to check my tent?”

“Well, you’re always up before the rest of us, I guess we just assumed you were out somewhere.”

“What’s wrong?”

She wrung her hands, and Jamie’s heart stuttered. Someone was hurt, or Brady had shown up, or someone had run away. This was not a
we-don’t-know-where-we’re-riding-today
kind of emergency. Either that, or Alice was a way-over-reactor.

“Kyle’s gone.”

“Gone like…what?” She couldn’t seem to catch her breath, like there were suddenly holes in her lungs and everything just leaked out. “Gone?”

“We woke up this morning, and one of your brothers was here.”

Jamie glanced over at Kyle’s tent, but everything looked normal. Sure, his shoes weren’t there, but his “house” was still up. She didn’t see Paul or Brady’s stuff. Maybe he’d just to go up to the ranch house for supplies, and Brady came down to watch the camp while they were all gone. “Did anyone see Kyle this morning?”

Alice shook her head, red curls floating around her shoulders. She really would make a good match for Ray, if he would get his head out of his ass. She was cute.

Men
. Sometimes they didn’t know what was good for them.

“Jamie!” Brady’s voice rang across the camp, and he was not happy. “God, Jame.” He approached her, a stern look on his already intense face. “What the hell is happening here?”

“I don’t know.”

Brady was dressed for work, chaps covering worn jeans and his tan Carhart coat over a stained gray t-shirt. He wasn’t dusty from riding, and a quick look past the corral told her why. He’d driven. The prairie road to camp wound through the hills but took about half as long to drive as it would have taken to ride a horse out here.

He only drove the truck to camp when speed was of the essence.

“Well, something happened, and Kyle wouldn’t talk about it, so I’m asking you why the best chef and highest-recommended employee I’ve hired this year came to my room this morning to quit his job.”

Jamie full-on stopped breathing this time.

Her brother reached in his pocket and produced her cell phone, holding it out toward her. “And I wouldn’t mind knowing why he handed me your phone and told me not to bother cutting him a check for time served.”

Alice started to slink away, but Brady held up a hand to halt her progress. “When you get down to the corral, send my brother up here. He’ll be the one with the blonde on his arm.” He let the redhead go and focused on Jamie.

She could have melted into the ground at his angry glare.

“Look, I’ve tried talking to Kyle. None of the campers seem to know what happened, and you’ve just turned four shades of white. I’m trying not to get pissed off about this because you’re my baby sister, but I’m losing my patience.”

Jamie turned the phone over and over in her hand. She didn’t want to open it. She knew what Kyle had seen—text messages from Charity, asking if she’d slept with Kyle yet, and how long it would be before she could have her old job back.

Detailing how exactly Jamie would go about seducing him. Sure, Charity had suggested surprising him in his tent, but that’d been days ago, before things had changed.

Before she started to fall for him.

“Have you read the text messages?” Jamie asked.

She didn’t have to look up at her brother to know he had. His frustrated silence spoke volumes.

“You know I didn’t tell her she could use that cabin.”

“I read’em. I know you didn’t.”

Jamie finally braved Brady’s anger and looked up. The softening of his angular features did nothing to help the helpless feeling that crept all over her. Tight pressure built behind her eyes, and she’d cry if either of them said another thing about it. “Did you find her?”

“I called Tyler as soon as I read your messages.”

“The sheriff?” Tears spilled unapologetically now. She’d ruined Charity’s life by not standing up to her…and Kyle’s. And her own.

“He’s not going to arrest her. Just clear her out. Get her a bus ticket or something.” Her brother pulled her into his arms, and she collapsed against him.

“I fucked up so royally, Brady.”

“I know.”

He patted her back, but she didn’t feel comforted. It was impossible to explain how completely she’d ruined everything. That would require explaining her sexcapades, in addition to her scheming, and she already felt like enough of an idiot for being manipulated by Charity in the first place.

“What did Kyle say when he left?”

“Nothing.”

“Absolutely nothing?”

“Just that he had to quit and couldn’t explain it. He thanked me for the job and told me not to pay him. Why would he do that?”

“Because he got his pound of flesh.” Lana’s voice cut to the quick.

Jamie turned to see Paul approaching with the blonde viper in tow. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she countered, “Because he’s a good man.”

Paul took the heavily-laden saddle bag Lana carried and handed it to Brady. “Hey, James,” he said, wrapping his arm around Jamie’s waist.

If Paul could be counted on for anything, it was taking all the serious out of a moment.

“You’re staying in the kitchen, Paul.” Brady handed the parcel back. “I’ll take the trail ride.”

Jamie threw her hands between her brothers. “What’s going on?”

“Someone needs to cook, and I don’t trust Paul out there with seven single women.” Brady pushed their brother in the direction of the campsite and took Lana’s arm. “I can’t spare anyone else on staff right now.”

If it was possible for Lana to look genuinely disappointed, she almost managed it.

Jamie tried to insert herself again. “I can take my own trail ride.”

He ignored her and gave the bimbo a little shove toward the corral, using his sternest tone—the one he reserved for his horses. “Tell them not to go anywhere until I get there.”

Brady turned on their brother. “And I wouldn’t trust you within ten feet of that woman. You get in the kitchen and clean up from breakfast. I expect to see a full dinner on the table by five o’clock, when we get back.”

Paul scowled as he left, but he did leave.

Jamie stomped her foot on the ground and screamed at Brady. “Stop giving orders and tell me what in the hell is going on here.”

“You’re going home.”

“What?” Her heart thudded in her ears.

“This is all Mom’s idea, so you can blame her, but she told me everything. I’m sick of dealing with this drama and bullshit. Apparently, my life is one big fucking soap opera these days. And I have a ranch to run.” He stopped, pressed his eyes shut, and shook his head. “But Mom seems to think you’re in love with this guy…”

“Mom said that?” Tears rolled down Jamie’s cheeks.

Brady rolled his eyes. “Look. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to find Kyle and figure out if he’ll come back. He cooked the best meal I’ve had in years, and for that, I’ll forgive him whatever magnanimous stunt he’s trying to pull. He’s obviously trying to protect your honor by quitting and not pointing fingers. So I know he’s a good guy—”

“He is,” she said.

“But I’ve got a business to run, and if I don’t have a chef in the morning, we may have to cancel the next couple weeks of pre-paid customers, which will hurt my bottom line.”

She swiped at the tears. “You’ll give him a second chance?”

“Jame, you have to know,” he pulled off his cowboy hat and wiped at his forehead, “Charity was a gold-digger and an idiot. I only hired her in the first place because she had references out the wazoo, which she probably fabricated, given her cooking abilities. But Kyle is a good chef. And I need a good chef.”

Jamie took a step back and found the tree there to support her. She looked up into the tangled ceiling of the forest and shook her head. “He’s not going to forgive me.”

Her big brother squeezed her shoulder. “You still have to try.”

* * *

K
yle stood
in the hot shower in the bunkhouse for a good fifteen minutes, just letting the streams of water run down his body. The cold river had never really gotten him clean enough.

He had no idea what he’d do or where he’d go next. Lana owned their house now, and all he had was the junk he’d unloaded into the bunkhouse from his car.

No family, no money, no job. And he didn’t even have Jamie.

Kyle dried and dressed, trying to ignore the running commentary in his head. Funny how, when he’d unpacked these things at the beginning of the week, he’d felt like he could stay in this place forever. And now, a mere four days later, he was back here, ready to leave.

With nowhere to go.

Where he’d end up was beyond him. When he drove in to the little Colorado mountain town, he remembered thinking…
I could live here
. Now, he just wanted to get away from Springhill. And the ranch and the trail. And Jamie.

Dammit, Jamie
.

She’d been plotting for his job all week. Playing hard-to-get, just like she’d been coached. Well, whoever this Charity chick was could have her. She could have Jamie and Brady and this whole damn place.

Jamie, who’d given him the best sex of his life, who was beautiful and independent and fiery.

Kyle was going to leave her behind. His gut tightened. He didn’t want to leave her anywhere, but he should. Quitting had been the right move, and hopefully leaving would make it better.

Why don’t I feel better?

As he slung the big satchel over his shoulder, he opened the door to the bunkhouse and his whole body froze.

Jamie.

Standing alongside the barn, eyes red, hair disheveled.

His heart skipped at the sight of her, and he didn’t know where to begin. So, he walked past her.

She stuttered something at him, but he ignored it.

Maybe that’s what he could do. Ignore her, like she’d ignored him initially, and then played him.

“Kyle.” Once she finally managed a word, the sadness was so deep it arrested him.

He shook his head. “What?”

“I just need to talk to you.”

“I hear that a lot lately.” He faced her, not relishing her tear-streaked face as much as he thought he would. “Was that all part of the plan? Fuck me once then do the push-pull to really get me hooked in? You didn’t just want to get me fired? You wanted to crush me, too, is that it?”

“It wasn’t about that.”

“Don’t.” He held a hand. “Don’t try to explain, Jamie.” Kyle started walking back up the hill, and she ran after him.

Jamie yanked his arm. “So, it’s okay for you to lie to me, but it’s not okay for me to lie to you?”

“I told you the
truth
,” he said, anger seething inside. “When I shouldn’t have. And I put my job and my future on the line for
you
.”

“I know.” She reached for him, but he brushed her off. “Kyle, please. Just let me explain.”

“I think your text messages explained everything just fine.” He took a few steps backward, away from her, trying to distance himself from her and the creeping feelings. The more he watched her and saw remorse, the more he needed to rid himself of her.

Lana had lied to him most of their married life. She’d tricked him, controlled and used him. He didn’t like the fact that emotions made him vulnerable to women, and he wasn’t about to be ruled again.

The part of him that wanted to comfort her, tell her everything would be okay...it drove him crazy. That way led to heartbreak.

“But, at least I know. And I’ll take the survivable pain, today, over crippling pain years from now when you play me for the la—”

“Years?” Her voice was small, her eyes sad and hopeful all at once.

“Okay, so I was ready for
years
, with you, Jamie. Are you happy now? You want to twist the knife just that little bit more?” He dropped his bag on the ground and turned in a circle. “Is this payback for lying to you?”

“You said
years
,” she repeated, taking a step toward him.

“Yeah, I was ready to talk about that,” he said. “If you were.” The picture played out in his mind and his throat dried up. “Until I rolled over in the tent last night, looking for a place to stash the
conveniently remembered
condoms. Looking for my clothes, so I could go—” His voice broke and he shook his head to clear away the emotion, but the pain was too raw. “So I could go and find you again.”