Kade: Armed and Dangerous (8 page)

“The craftsmanship is beautiful.” Kelsey glanced at Kade. “Your father must be talented
with his hands.”

The second she said it, a hot flush swept over her, and it was all she could do not
to clap her hand over her mouth. Instead she studied the playhouse, trying to regain
her composure.

Kade’s laugh was soft, sensual as he leaned close. “Thank you, darlin’.”

“Come inside.” Trent dodged through the door. “I want to show you all my stuff.”

Kelsey followed, doing her best to ignore Kade. No easy feat considering the effect
his presence had on her erratic pulse.

The playhouse was snug, but the three of them managed to squeeze inside and sit on
the green floor. She scooted beside the child-sized table and chairs, and she was
sure Kade made a point to press as close to her as possible.

The warmth of his skin seared her as his arm rubbed against hers, and his jeans were
rough against her bare thigh. His masculine scent surrounded her. She considered telling
him to move away, but she was afraid her voice would betray the desire he stirred
inside her.

“This is a great place to hide, so that’s why I call it my hideout.” Trent pushed
open blue shutters and pointed out the window. “You can see the driveway from here
and the front door, but no one can see us. So if I want to be a spy, I can check out
things from here.”

He dug in a toy chest under the window, tossing out toys left and right. An orange
ball bounced across the room and action figures clattered to the floor. “I have these
old binoc—binoco—How do you say it, Dad?”

“Binoculars.”

“Oh, yeah, binoculars.” Trent didn’t miss a beat resuming his chatter. “Anyway, I
can see really far with these. Grandpa gave them to me. I’ve got all kinds of spy
stuff. Dad said that if something ever happens and I need to find a hiding place,
I should come here and he’ll know where I am.”

Kelsey captured the orange ball with one hand as it rolled across the floor. “Do you
play out here a lot?”

Trent nodded, his brown hair flopping into his eyes. He swiped the hair away with
his grubby hand. “Mostly when Grandma says her ears need a break.”

Kelsey giggled and Kade grinned. He said, “Why don’t we show Kelsey around the ranch?”

“Sure.” Trent started to head out the door.

“Hold on,” Kade said. “Forgetting something, Trent?”

Trent turned back. “What?”

“Your toys.”

The boy scrunched up his face, wrinkling his nose. “Do I have tooooo?”

“Yes.” Kade gave Trent a look that said, right now.

Trent scooped up all his toys and tossed them into the box, the crash loud enough
to bring down the roof. After they were all picked up, he whirled and scampered out
the door and vanished into the windbreak.

Kelsey pitched the orange ball into the toy box, wondering where Trent had disappeared
to.

As she went through the little doorway on her hands and knees, she felt Kade’s gaze
on her backside. She didn’t know what got into her, but she paused for a moment. She
imagined Kade’s palm on her bottom, a slow rub that made Kelsey want to moan. Heat
burned her and she scrambled out into the trees.

After Kade crawled out, he shut the door and stretched his limbs. His muscles rippled
beneath his snug T-shirt, and she couldn’t help remember how good he had looked earlier,
clad only in boxers. Trent came crashing through the windbreak and grabbed Kelsey’s
hand, bringing her attention back to the boy. “Dad, let’s show her the plane.”

Kelsey’s voice pitched a little higher as she glanced at Kade. “Plane?”

He shrugged. “I told you, I’m a pilot. I have a twin-engine Cessna.”

“And it’s really, really cool.” Trent pulled her hand.

Goose bumps broke out up and down her arms as she forced herself to go with him through
the trees until she saw the small craft sitting on the dirt landing strip.

Kelsey stopped abruptly and Trent almost fell backward. “It’s, uh, nice.” As she grabbed
the boy’s shoulders and steadied him, her heart pounded and she felt blood drain from
her face. She swallowed, trying to force the lump out of her throat. “Ah... anything
else you want to show me? Your grandma’s garden?”

Trent pulled her hand. “I’ll show you the inside of the plane.” Panic gripped her
and she couldn’t get out a word.

“Trent!” Sadie’s cry came from the house. The woman had a mild easygoing manner about
her, but could she ever yell.

Kade watched Kelsey with a thoughtful expression as he patted his son’s shoulder.
“Better see what Grandma wants.”

Trent frowned and put his hands on his hips. “But, Dad, I wanna show Kelsey the plane.”

“Go.” Kade’s stern tone obviously meant he didn’t expect any further argument. “You
know your grandma doesn’t like it when you don’t answer right away.”

“Trent!” Sadie called again.

“But, Daaaaad.”

“Now.”

“All right,” the boy grumbled, and took off for the house, disappearing through the
trees.

Kade studied Kelsey for a moment before he said, “You like small planes less than
commercial airlines.”

“Far less.” She smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to stop her hands
from trembling. She turned her back to the plane and gestured toward the house. “Why
don’t you show me something else?”

“Want to talk about it?” His voice was calm. Grounding.

She almost wished she could tell him, but the pain was too great for her to get the
words out.

She shook her head and started walking through the windbreak.

“No.”

When she glanced at him, his eyes were dark, concerned. “All right.”

Gradually, her tense muscles relaxed as he took her on a tour of the ranch. The farther
she got from the plane, the better she felt. He showed her Sadie’s greenhouse and
garden, then the henhouse and corrals. Kelsey laughed when she saw Trent’s family
of potbellied pigs, and at the antics of Sadie’s baby Alpine goats.

When it was dusk, they strolled back toward the house. Kade came up short and studied
her. “Enjoying your stay?”

“Very much.” She smiled and nodded. “It’s wonderful here.”

“Have dinner with me one night.” His voice was low and husky, sending shivers down
her spine. “We’ll head into town to a nice little restaurant I know. Just you and
me.”

A fluttering sensation gathered in her belly and she struggled to calm it. She took
a deep breath of clean evening air and said, “I—I don’t know.”

They stood in front of the house, just outside the porch. Light poured through the
windows and teased the gold in Kade’s chestnut hair. An overwhelming urge came over
her to run her fingers within that thick hair, to press close against his hard body
and kiss him like the world was on fire. Like there was no tomorrow, only today. Only
the two of them.

Kade trailed his finger down her arm and she gasped at the sensual contact. “It’s
just dinner, Kelsey.”

She stepped back, away from his disturbing touch. “I’ll think about it.” She forced
herself to turn from him, and hurried into the house.

Even as she left him outside, she wondered why she couldn’t just let go and spend
some time with this man.

What’s wrong with me?

Why don’t I just go for it?

And the answer came to her as clear as day.

She didn’t want to lose her heart, and with Kade, that was something that would be
only too easy to do.

Kelsey tucked her glasses into their case, then rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her
temples throbbed from spending the afternoon transcribing notes from her interview
with Chuck. Since her deadline was a couple of weeks off, she had time yet to start
writing the feature.

She closed her eyes and relaxed in the study’s leather chair. Against her will, her
thoughts wandered to yesterday evening, when Kade had suggested they go to dinner.
Alone.

No matter how much she tried to tell herself it would be a mistake, she couldn’t help
wonder what it would be like to be with him. That one kiss she’d shared with Kade
had unraveled her more than any amount of intimacy she’d ever shared with Davis.

With Davis it hadn’t been making love, it had just been sex, and she’d never enjoyed
it. He’d called her a cold fish. Told her she was terrible in bed. She’d never known
what to do, and with him it was over before it started. No foreplay. No cuddling.
Just Davis relieving his needs.

She’d thought that was all there was to sex until Theresa and her friend Calinda had
started in on the topic one day at lunch. Kelsey started wondering if she’d been missing
something. Perhaps Davis had been not only a sorry excuse for a husband, but a poor
sexual partner as well.

Why did she believe it would be any different with Kade?

Well, let’s see. The way he’d kissed her, as though he wanted to taste her everywhere.
The way he touched her, and how careful and protective he was with her. The way that
he looked at her, like she was the only woman on earth. The way he made her feel,
like a fire burned deep within her soul—an ache, a need that only he could fill...

And she could imagine him filling her in every possible way.

With a shiver and a sigh, Kelsey opened her eyes and looked out the window. It was
a beautiful day, and she was tired of being cooped up. She stood and stretched her
stiff limbs, then wandered out of the study and into the kitchen. Delicious smells
came from a pan of ground beef simmering on the stovetop, next to a pot of bubbling
red sauce.

“Need help?” Kelsey asked when she saw Kade’s mom at the counter shredding a head
of lettuce.

“You can grate the cheese.” Sadie pointed to a block of cheese on the counter as she
scooped lettuce into a colander. “I’m making a batch of enchiladas for the Frontier
Homemakers’ dance and potluck tonight.”

After Kelsey washed and dried her hands, she started grating cheese onto the plate
Sadie provided. “Sounds like fun.”

Sadie took a bunch of green onions and chopped them into small pieces on a wooden
cutting board. “I was hoping you might like to join us.”

Kelsey glanced up from the growing mound of cheese. “I don’t know how to dance to
country-western.”

“Nothing to it.” Sadie shrugged and scraped onions into a small bowl. “If Kade’s not
too tired after work, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind showing you how to two-step.”

Heat warmed Kelsey’s face at the thought of dancing with Kade. “I wouldn’t want to
impose.” She finished her task and set down the grater. “What else can I do to help?”

“Would you mind chopping these?” Sadie handed Kelsey two plump tomatoes. “And nonsense
about imposing. I’m sure Kade would enjoy it. He’s quite good.”

“I’m sure he is,” Kelsey murmured as she took the knife and cutting board Sadie handed
her.

Sadie scooted an enormous baking dish onto the counter. “Besides, you’ll have a chance
to meet some folks you’ll be interviewing.”

“True.” Kelsey nodded as she sliced one of the tomatoes. Who knew, she might enjoy
herself. An image of Kade holding her close flashed in her mind, and her hands trembled.
The knife slipped and she barely avoided cutting her thumb.

She needed to get her mind off Kade or she’d end up slicing off a finger.

Before she could think better of it, Kelsey asked, “Does Kade usually go?”

“When I can convince him.” Sadie began filling and rolling tortillas and placing them
into the pan. “He tends to shy away from these things.”

Kelsey gave an inward sigh, mentally shaking herself. She couldn’t allow herself to
trust so easily and to want so much so soon. Especially a man who continually invaded
her thoughts and made her feel as if she were melting inside every time he looked
at her. She was only there for three weeks and then she would be gone.

Kade would be out of her life forever.

Why did that thought make her feel so hollow?

After debating whether to wear a skirt or slacks, Kelsey opted for a new pair of jeans
and a silky blouse in shell pink.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of Kade asking her to dance with him—if he went.
She could almost feel the warmth of his body close to hers, his arms wrapped around
her, his lips brushing her ear...

Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Get a grip, Kelsey.”

She was acting like she was in high school again, getting ready to attend one of the
functions where boys lined one wall and girls grouped together against the other.

Memories of her younger sister’s first school dance abruptly came to Kelsey. She closed
her eyes, remembering how pretty Naya had looked in her indigo dress. How her brown
eyes had sparkled and how nervous she’d been the first time a boy asked her to dance.

Kelsey had been fiercely protective of her younger sister and had refused to let Naya
out of her sight that night. But in the end, just a couple of years later, Kelsey
hadn’t been able to protect her. She hadn’t been able to do anything to prevent her
sister from dying.

As she wiped away a tear, Kelsey forced the thoughts from her mind. It didn’t do any
good to dwell on the past. No good at all.

While she jerked a brush through her hair, she studied her reflection in the mirror.
She couldn’t help see herself as Davis did, remembering all the times he told her
how fat she was.

Stop it.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. Funny that he used to tell her she was
beautiful before they were married. But how quickly things had changed, and how controlling
he’d become. She’d been stupid. Naive.

She slammed the brush down on the bureau and clenched her fists. She’d finally come
to her senses and ditched the jerk. Taking several deep breaths, she cleared her mind
of all unwanted memories.

The only problem was that the image that filled her mind next was of Kade walking
through the house in his boxers yesterday. He was so good to look at. Not to mention
good to taste.

With a groan, she touched up her makeup, going to a little extra effort on her appearance.
At the last minute, she decided to paint her toenails bright pink with quick-drying
enamel polish. When she finished, she tucked her blouse into her jeans, slid on a
pair of sandals, and headed to the kitchen.