Heartstealer (Women of Character3 (12 page)

Being this close to Jacie right now
he didn't care if all she wanted was a one-night stand. It wasn't his usual
style, but he wanted to capture some of this woman's zest for life.

Caught in a spell, he let her mouth
catch his more fully. She took his breath and his body's response was immediate
and inflammatory.

Cupping her jaw with one hand, he
let his fingers tangle in her hair as he threaded them through the fine
strands. She leaned her head into his hand and her eyes drifted closed.

He pressed kisses along her
forehead, his mouth loving the supple warmth of her skin. He drew the scent of
her into him, fingers tightening as he enticed her mouth to his with slow,
teasing pecks.

Sloan groaned. "I
haven’t sat on the front porch like this since I was a teenager." He
captured her mouth again. He felt the smooth, muscled contours of her body, the
flat belly and soft breasts. One of her long legs wound around his. He groaned
in pleasure, liking the feel of her against him. The meeting of lips became
more desperate and frantic. He could hardly draw a breath he wanted so much
more.

She tipped her head back, her
breathing as uncontrolled as his. He pulled a ragged lungful of air into his
deprived lungs, letting his hands drop to her waist. Smelling the dampness of
impending rain on the air, he wondered if his senses had ever felt so
heightened or charged.

He pulled back, grimaced, looked at
his watch. He reached for her hand. "I’m damned reluctant to end the
evening, but morning will be here before you know it."

She moved away from him jerkily.
"Y-you're right, it's late."

"Do you recall what I said a
few minutes ago about secrets?" he asked. "Here’s one. You
scare the hell out of me."

"I can’t believe
that." Brushing back her hair, she said, "You always seem so in
charge."

"Well, when I get close to you
my heart pounds and my mouth goes dry."

"Me, too." She pressed
her fingers into the metal seat. "Maybe that reaction will go away if we
keep doing it. Kissing," she added, one brow raised impishly.

Sloan grinned at her.
"That’s a theory I’d like to check out." He kissed the
side of her neck.

Jacie put her arms around him again
and let him half pull her into his lap. It felt so good being this close to
him. His fingers moved under her jacket and lifted the hem of shirt, splaying
across the skin of her back. His hands were warm and large, burning her skin.
She arched into him, then put her hands behind his head and into his silky
hair.

Sloan stood, bringing Jacie with
him. She clung to him, locking her ankles behind his hips as they continued to
kiss with increasing heat. He walked toward the door of her cabin and then
leaned her back against the closed door. He pressed his body against hers,
feeling the softness of her breasts against him, her soft moan in his mouth.

Leaning down he turned the doorknob
and pushed the door open. Sloan jerked his head back suddenly as he got a whiff
of the air inside the cabin. He turned so his back was to the cabin and pushed
her down so she stood on her own feet. He urged her backwards away from the
front door.

"What?" she asked,
startled.

"It smells like gas. Wait
here." He walked into the dark cabin. All of the cabins were laid out the
same and he knew the layout like the back of his hand. He strode toward the
kitchenette, but turned back when he heard her behind him. He gripped her wrist
as she reached to switch on the living room lamp.

"Don't," he said quickly.
"I think there’s a gas leak." He pulled her back toward the
door. "How long has it been like this?"

"I don't smell anything,"
she said hesitantly.

He hurried her out of the cabin and
down the porch steps. "Are you kidding, you can't smell the gas? It's not
real strong, but I noticed it right off."

"No, honestly . . . it's kind
of a joke in my family, but I have on-again, off-again sinus problems.
Sometimes I can't smell anything."

"I can't let you stay here.
You'll have to spend at least tonight in the lodge. I'll have the gas supplier
in here the first thing in the morning. Right now I'll get you set up in a room
at the lodge. I'm really sorry about this, Jacie."

He walked around the side of the
cabin and closed the valves on the upright gas tanks.

"I've shut the tanks off. That
will give the air time to clear in there." He led the way back to the
lodge. "My God!" he said, shaken. "How long were you in your
cabin today?"

"On and off all day."

Sloan gripped her hand and led her
back to the lodge. He felt like he’d been doused in cold water. Just
outside the lodge front door, he stopped and pulled her around to him. "You
mentioned earlier feeling dizzy?"

"Yes. It just came over me
suddenly," she said slowly. "I had taken a short nap on the couch
earlier and felt dizzy when I got up." She began to look scared.

A shudder passed through him. What
would have happened if he hadn't come with her to the cabin? "I'm going to
call a doctor―"

"No way!" she stated
emphatically. "I feel fine now."

"I'll know you're fine when I
hear it from the doctor."

She stepped back from him, her lips
tight and her jaw obstinate. "You can go ahead and get the doctor out at
this hour, but he won't be happy when I refuse to see him. I'm not dizzy
anymore. No nausea. No symptoms."

He could see she meant it.
"Dammit, I don’t like the idea of you not being checked out."

As they reentered the lodge Michelle
was washing glasses behind the bar. Sloan was surprised to see Donny, his ranch
hand, leaning against the bar talking with her.

"Hi Donny, Michelle."

Donny looked a bit nervous, but
Michelle greeted them cheerfully. "Hi. I thought you were both going to
turn in. Are you back for more dancing?"

"Sloan discovered a gas leak
at my cabin. He's giving me a room here tonight."

"A gas leak?" Michelle
said. "That's weird."

Sloan pulled a key off the wall.
"Here's your key, Jacie."

Good night again," Michelle
said. "If you want, boss, I'll call the gas company first thing in the
morning."

Sloan shook his head. "No, I
can take care of it. I can't understand how it happened." He looked at
Donny and Michelle. "Good night." He gripped Jacie’s elbow.
"Let’s go upstairs. I'll show you where your room is."

He led the way up the wide
staircase, stopping at the second door from the wide landing. "You'll have
to share a bathroom with Michelle and Renee, it's the third door down."

"That's okay." She took
the key from him and put it in the door lock.

"I’m sorry about the
inconvenience. I'll find a way to make it up to you," he promised.

"That's not necessary,"
she said, looking at him over her shoulder.

"I'm sure I can think of
something," he murmured, giving her a slow grin. "It’s too bad
our night was interrupted like this. Good night, Jacie."

Ω

When Sloan went back downstairs
Michelle and Donny had disappeared. He locked the doors, left the lodge and cut
back across the parking area to Jacie's cabin. He had a strange uneasiness
about the gas leak. He entered the cabin and opened all the windows. Although
he had turned the tanks off, there was still a faint odor inside.

Reaching for the flashlight hanging
on the kitchen wall, he flicked the switch and lifted the porcelain top of the
stove. Everything looked fine to his untrained eye. He maneuvered the kitchen
stove away from the wall and immediately saw that the gas line from the tanks
to the stove had worked its way loose. He pushed the flashlight closer and
noticed scratches on the copper tubing that attached to the stove. A curl of
unease wound through him. It looked like the line could have worked its way
loose, but he didn't know for sure.

He pushed the stove back toward the
wall. Why should he be suspicious that someone had deliberately disconnected
the line? He had no reason to think any such thing, yet he couldn't shake the
notion that this wasn't an accident. Each summer he had the gas company do any
maintenance and check all the lines, but someone could have been careless.

A short time later he left the
cabin and walked the short distance to his house. His mind went around and
around. The low-down, anxious feeling in his gut wouldn't let go. By the time
he walked inside his house he knew he had to make a phone call to Con,
Jacie’s brother.

He walked immediately to the phone
and pulled a slip of paper from a nearby clipboard. He punched in several
numbers and waited impatiently until a voice came on the other end. It was an
answering machine.

"This is Sloan Wright out at
Timber Falls. I want to talk to you about your sister."

He hung up the phone, feeling
unsatisfied that he hadn’t been able to talk to Jacie’s brother.
She’d said her brother would be out of town for awhile. Maybe he was
overreacting, but he couldn’t take a chance. Was someone intent on
ruining Timber Falls or could they have a personal vendetta against Jacie?

Early the next day on a bright,
clear morning, the small engine plane circled over one of Timber Falls’
largest meadows. The wide, flat area had been designated for their skydiving
jumps. Jacie turned her attention from the plane’s window to Emma beside
her. Emma had elected to do the first jump. Her husband John wasn’t
jumping but had accompanied her in the plane for support.

"Now, we’ve gone over
all the basics," Jacie raised her voice so she’d be heard over the
plane’s engine and the wind rushing outside the open door.
"I’ll be jumping with you, Emma. Do you remember what we talked
about?"

Wide-eyed, Emma nodded. "I
think so. Yes, I think so."

"If you have any last minute
questions or concerns, now is the time. How are you feeling?"

Emma shivered as she looked toward
the open door. "Kind of sick, but okay."

"I’ve been there,"
Jacie said. Meticulously, she checked her pack and Emma’s one last time.

She stepped over to the door and
braced one foot against the threshold. She looked back at Emma and held out her
hand. "Ready?"

Emma gave her husband a quick kiss
and then moved to join Jacie. Jacie admired her grit, knowing how the fear
could make you exhilarated and terrified at the same time.

"We’re all set,
we’ll just ease up to the door carefully." Jacie pushed back her own
hesitation in this last moment.

The pilot gave the signal and she
looked into Emma’s excited, terrified eyes. They stepped forward together
and there was no hesitation.

She breathed deeply, feeling the
familiar updraft of air as it pulled them toward the heavens. They began their
descent, swirling, the air rushing past them as the plane continued onward. She
nudged Emma’s legs into the proper position, knees bent, and smiled at
her, delighted by the wonder on Emma’s face. That had been the same
exhilaration she had felt until the accident, and then she had lost it. But
little by little, it was returning, filling her with the indescribable joy of a
successful jump. It was the freedom and release that went with her occupation.

She released the chute and they
shot upwards again. Jacie took a picture of Emma, the wonder on her face.
Slowly, gently, they dropped to the green pasture where others waited to offer
congratulations.

They landed without incident. She
unclipped Emma’s harness as fellow guests gathered around a stunned,
smiling Emma. Jacie saw Sloan standing on the sidelines. She hadn’t known
he would be here today but she was glad he’d come.

Her heart beat faster. She stood in
the midst of the chatter and the congratulations and hugged the parachute to
her chest. She saluted him with one hand. He smiled and shook his head and she
felt wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Sloan approached her. "That
went very smooth," he commented, his face thoughtful.

"Yes."

"You’re scheduled for
one more today?"

"MaryAnn will be
jumping." She flicked back her sleeve and checked her watch. "In
about ten minutes, then we’ll break for lunch."

"I’ll hang around to
make sure everything is set."

"I appreciate your vigilance
Sloan, but I don’t want to take you away from your other work."

"These jumps are part of my
work. Anything on this property is my concern."

Some of her exhilaration faded.
"Of course I understand that. I just didn’t want to hold you
up."

He threw her an assessing glance.
"Jacie, if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be. I might
not be crazy about skydiving but I’m going to make sure things go well
and everyone is happy." He paused and he gave her a slow once-over.
"I’d also like to mention you look great in that outfit."

"Sometimes you say the nicest
things, Sloan. I’m tempted to throw my arms around your neck and kiss
you."

"I’m not stopping
you."

Jacie moved close and reaching up,
dropped a kiss on the side of his jaw.

The plane flew in and landed
further up the road they used as a runway. "Okay, I have to go," she
said cheerfully. "I’ll see you after the next jump."

"Sure thing," he said.

When the plane was once more in the
air, Jacie watched Sloan’s figure become smaller below them.

Jacie turned her attention to
Maryann beside her. "Jacie, I can’t believe I’m doing this. My
friends won’t believe I’m doing this," MaryAnn said excitedly.

"You’ll have the
pictures to prove it," she reassured MaryAnn, but was surprised in the
next moment to feel the plane begin an ascent.

She stood. "Be right
back," she said cheerfully.

She walked to the front and found
the pilot trying to right a coffee cup he had tipped over. She leaned past him
and set the cup in its holder. "Bill, what’s going on?"