Kiss and Tell (6 page)

“Let’s get out of here before they ask us to help.” Nancy tugged at her arm.

“What are they gonna do?”

Briefly, Nancy ran down the medical procedure for relieving the mare’s colic, and Leila’s eyes widened.

“That doesn’t sound like much fun for the horse
or
the doctor.” She glanced into the barn. Since when did Marsh get down in the dust and dirt—soon to be mud, what with the water from the hose—while he played Dr. Dolittle to an equine patient? This was a man who had graduated at the top of his class from Harvard Medical School.

He was also, apparently, a man who got more value from helping his friends—one of whom was Ben Sullivan—than from earning scads of money.

“Let’s make some lemonade,” Nancy suggested. “Something tells me Ben and Marsh are going to need it when this is over.”

“Lemonade…and a shower.” Leila followed her friend into the kitchen, unable to keep from looking back over her shoulder at the barn.

“So are you and the good doctor an item these days?” Nancy asked casually as she took a bag of lemons from the refrigerator.

She and Marsh? An item? “Oh, no,” Leila said hastily. “No, no. He’s staying up at our house. You know, since the fire?”

“Yeah, that was a shame, huh? I heard he lost everything, even his car. Grab a knife and help me with these, will you?”

Obediently, Leila began slicing the lemons that Nancy washed and put out on the cutting board.

“I also heard,” Nancy continued, “that Marsh’s homeowner’s insurance won’t cover the cost of rebuilding his place. There’s some legal glitch. He’s about fifty thousand short.”

“That can’t be right.”

“You’re the math expert,” Nancy said. “You should talk to Marsh about it. Apparently, on top of everything else, he’s having trouble getting a loan for that fifty thousand from the bank. Ever since our little savings and loan got bought out by that big corporate bank, people are getting turned down for loans left and right. Can you imagine? The town
doctor
refused a mortgage because he’s not solvent enough.” She was silent for a moment, shaking her head. “Let me tell you, there’s hardly anyone in town who doesn’t owe Marshall Devlin money. If he called in all of his loans and got tough with his accounts receivable, he’d be solvent enough, believe me. But he’ll never do that. Not while times are so tough.”

Nancy started talking about the Kavanaughs’ new baby, but Leila’s mind was still on Marsh. Simon had hinted that Marsh’s books needed an overhaul, but he hadn’t said anything about problems with the insurance company or loans being turned down by the bank. That was bad. That was
really
bad. If he needed help, why hadn’t he simply asked?

The sound of the outside shower going on caught Nancy’s attention, and she put the pitcher of lemonade and four tall glasses on a tray. “Grab a couple of towels from the hall closet,” she ordered Leila as she carried the tray out onto the wide, wraparound porch.

The screen door squeaked as Leila pushed it open. She walked across the dusty drive to the outside of the barn, carrying two thick towels in her arms. Marsh was standing under an outdoor spigot, letting the water cascade over his head.

He stood back slightly, pushing the hair out of his eyes and caught sight of Leila watching him. He smiled a greeting.

“Is the mare okay?”

“She’s not too happy with us right now.” Marsh let the water rinse the rest of the mud and muck from his body. “But I think she’s feeling a little better.”

He shut off the faucet and wiped the water from his hair and face with his hands. Leila held out one of the towels, but he didn’t take it right away. He stood for a moment and dripped, smiling at her.

Standing there with sparkling beads of water running from his hair down his broad shoulders and strong, muscular arms, it was easy to see why Nancy Sullivan found Marsh so attractive. He
was
attractive. But even more attractive than his obvious physical attributes was his intense pleasure at a job well done. As unpleasant as treating a horse with colic might be, Marsh truly enjoyed the fact that he’d been able to help.

“I don’t know you very well at all, do I?” Leila said as he finally took the towel from her hands.

He was drying his face, but her words made him pause and look up at her.

“I had no idea you subbed for the veterinarian when he was off the island.” Leila hung the second towel on a hook near the shower.

“The local vet retired two years ago. If the vet from the mainland can’t get over here—and he usually can’t, it’s a three-hour round-trip for him—I’m the closest thing to a vet there is on Sunrise Key.”

“And you’ve been doing this for two
years?
”

Marsh smiled. “I’m pretty good with horses and dogs. Chickens and pigs, however, continue to be something of a challenge.”

“I’m amazed,” Leila said.

“I’ve actually taken a few of those college courses in veterinary medicine. You know, the courses that link you to the professor via the Internet. It’s fascinating stuff, Leila. And I truly love working with the horses—even at times like this, when it can get rather nasty. Say, did you know I’ve learned to ride?”

“No.”

“It’s indescribable. Incredible. Riding on the beach, it’s like flying, only better.” He smiled sheepishly as he dried the back of his neck with the towel. “You probably think I’ve gone absolutely mad.”

“No, I don’t.” Leila laughed, shaking her head. “I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you got this passionate about
anything.
”

Marsh’s smile faded and he turned slightly away from her.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, you did mean it.” His voice was gentle, contradicting the harshness of his words. “But like you said, you don’t know me very well.”

Embarrassed, Leila looked down at the puddle of water that would surely evaporate quickly in the warm sunshine. “I’m sorry,” she said.

He touched her gently underneath her chin, lifting her head so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

“The fact is, there’re quite a few things I’m passionate about. Riding horses, delivering healthy babies, good salsa music, my American grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies, old Hitchcock movies, making love…” His gaze dropped languidly to Leila’s mouth. “Especially making love.”

He looked back into Leila’s eyes and she knew he was going to kiss her. Her heart flipped in her chest as he leaned closer—

“Ready for a glass of lemonade, y’all?” Ben Sullivan asked, coming out of the barn. “I’ll join you on the porch, after I hose down here. Stand aside, Doc, and let me get under this shower.”

Marsh let go of Leila, and she quickly turned away, heading for the porch and Nancy—and safety.

Oh, God, had she actually almost kissed Marsh Devlin? She and Marsh argued and fought. They didn’t talk about personal things like passion and making love, and they sure as hell didn’t
kiss.
Sure, sparks flew when they were together, but they were sparks that flared and burned out quickly, before catching fire. So why did it seem that lately all she had to do was exchange a single glance with Marsh, and the entire world was in danger of going up in flames?

All of this business with the mystery ninja must be setting her off balance.

As for Marsh, well, no doubt he was in a current low spot in his life, too. His home had just burned to the ground and he’d lost nearly everything he owned, some of it irreplaceable. To top it off, he was in a financial bind. He was overworked and tired. He had to be depressed, as well as lonely. He was looking for a little comfort, Leila told herself firmly. In his situation, who wouldn’t be?

The drive back into town was filled with tension. Marsh had spent the past half hour at the Sullivans’ sipping lemonade and alternately cursing and thanking God for Ben’s incredible timing.

Lord, but he wanted to kiss Leila again. Kissing Leila was heaven, and he wanted another glimpse of that paradise, though he knew kissing her would make him only want more. He wanted to make love to her. He wanted to show her, firsthand, just how passionate he could be.

Her words still stung. She had honestly thought he was cold and hard-hearted. Marsh wasn’t like Simon, it was true. Marsh wasn’t the type who turned cartwheels of joy at the drop of a hat. He was more careful about what he allowed the world to witness. With the sole exception of bursts of his too hot temper, Marsh was cautious about letting his feelings control him. But that didn’t mean those feelings weren’t there.

One kiss, he thought, glancing at Leila in the passenger seat. That’s all it would take. He could pull the jeep over to the side of the road, take her in his arms, and kiss her. Then she would know that the blood that flowed through his veins was hot. She would also know that he was the man who had kissed her as the clock struck midnight, as the New Year dawned.

And then she would have a heart attack, and run screaming from the jeep, away from him, Marsh thought wryly. Leila was starting to like him, but she wasn’t ready to be told that he was the man she was searching for. She had to find that out for herself. Marsh had to take this slowly, or risk frightening her away.

“How well do you know the Sullivans?” Leila asked, breaking the silence.

Marsh looked at her in surprise. “Not all that well. They’re down here with their horses every winter. I suppose I don’t know them as well as the people who live here year-round, though I consider Ben a man to be trusted. Why do you ask?”

Leila smiled at him. “I think Nancy has a crush on you.”

“Nancy Sullivan.” Marsh carefully hid his surprise. Why was Leila telling him this?

“I was thinking.” Leila glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. “How about if I invite Nancy over to dinner one of these nights and—”

Marsh hit the brakes hard and the jeep squealed to a stop. Good God, she was trying to set him up with her friend. “You can’t be serious.”

“She’s nice, Marsh. I think if you get to know her, you’ll like her—”

“I’m not interested in Nancy Sullivan.”

“How do you know, when you just told me that you don’t know her very well?” Leila countered.

“If I wanted to ask Nancy Sullivan out, I would have done so already myself,” Marsh said through tightly clenched teeth. Lord, this was an amazingly ludicrous conversation. Less than an hour ago, he’d come damn close to kissing this woman. They’d both been well aware of the undercurrents in the air. Dammit, Leila knew he was going to kiss her, and she hadn’t backed away. If Ben hadn’t interrupted them, he
would
have kissed her. So why was she trying to pair him off with one of her friends now?

“Will you lighten up?” Leila said. “God, you’d think I was trying to arrange for your execution. I’m trying to help, and you fly into one of your awful snits.”

“You’re trying to help? What, pray tell, are you trying to help me do, exactly? Get married? Settle down? Have a houseful of kids? Or is it more basic than that? Perhaps you’re only trying to help me get laid.”

Silence. There was silence in the jeep as Leila stared out the windshield and Marsh cursed his bloody temper.

“I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair.

“No, you’re right. I was butting in.
I’m
sorry.”

She glanced over at him, and he saw that there were tears in her eyes. For a moment, he had trouble catching his breath, as if someone had knocked all of the air out of him.

“Oh, Leila, I didn’t mean to say that—”

“Forget it.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “We fight all the time.”

“Not like that. I shouldn’t have said that.”

She got out of the jeep. “I’m going to walk over to Frankie’s.”

Marsh pulled himself up so that he was standing on the running board, looking at her over the canvas top of the jeep. “Leila, wait, please. I’m sorry—”

“I said, forget it.”

His temper flared. “Dammit, will you let me properly apologize?”

“Why? Will that make you feel better?”

She spun back to face him, and he saw that anger had replaced the tears in her eyes. Anger was better than hurt, but not by much. His hair was in his eyes again, he realized, and he wearily pushed it back, off his face.

“No,” he said quietly.

To his surprise, Leila didn’t turn and walk away. Instead, she stepped closer to the jeep. “Things are a real mess, aren’t they, Marsh? In both of our lives.”

“It’s true that my house burning down has been rather…inconvenient, but it’s just a matter of time before…”

“What? Before you rebuild?”

“Well, yes.”

“That’s not what I hear,” she said. “Not with the problems you’re having with your insurance company. Not with the bank loan you can’t seem to qualify for.”

Marsh ran his hands across his face. “Ah, the drawback of small-town life. Secrets aren’t secret for long, are they? As you’re fond of pointing out every chance you get.”

“I want to help you get your financial situation on track.” Leila took another step toward him. She looked lovely in the early afternoon light. The sun made her golden hair shine. And her face…God, he’d dreamed about her beautiful smile, her eyes dancing with pleasure and laughter. He’d fantasized about holding her in his arms. “Let me look at your books.”