Scout's Honor (8 page)

“I never said he was in his right mind,” she
shot back with a grin. “But after Antonio…” She let her words trail
off.

“Four
years is a long time to carry a grudge, sweetie
. Your problem is, you’re spending too much
time in the rarefied atmosphere of the
Côte
d’ Azur and Runner’s Cay. You need to get out
and meet men who work at regular jobs. They’re a different breed,
and you might find you like them.” Robby’s gaze strayed over her
shoulder, and he smiled as he pointed in the direction of the Straw
Market. “Now, there’s a likely-looking prospect for homespun
values.”

Anna followed the direction of his hand, her
gaze settling on an obese man decked out in madras shorts and a
garish flowered shirt. “Too fat,” she said.

“Not that one, darling. The other one.”
Robby gestured again
.

Other one? Anna took a second look, and her
jaw went slack. Lean hips, faded jeans, half-tucked shirt, with
sandy-brown hair falling over the collar. Mitch.

“He’s looking this way,” Robby said. “I’ll
wave him over.”

Anna lunged for Robby’s hand, but she was
too late. Mitch had seen her and was already walking toward the
cafe patio, a broad smile on his face.

“Oops,” Robby said. “Sorry, honey. He’s got
a broken nose. I’ll tell him I made a mistake and get rid of him.
He sure looked good in profile, though.” Robby paused for a moment,
watching Mitch’s approach. “Actually, he looks pretty good even
with a broken nose.”

“Stop it, Robby,” Anna hissed. Her smile was
forced as she stood up to greet Mitch. “Doing a little shopping, I
see,” she said, nodding at the woven straw hats he was
carrying.

“Hi, Anna,” he said, reaching for her hand
and holding it a trifle longer than was necessary for a
greeting.

“You two know each other?” Robby asked,
noticing the lengthy handclasp. “How convenient.”

Mitch turned to the other man with a
quizzical glance. He released Anna’s hand and held his out for a
shake. “Mitch Summers. You must be Nick.”

“Nick Torrey?” Robby’s eyes widened as he
took Mitch’s hand. “Goodness, no. I’m Robby Grange.”

Mitch’s eyes did a quick shift from Robby’s
handshake to Anna’s face, and a grin curved his mouth. “Nice to
meet you, Robby.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure.” Robby
smiled as he dropped Mitch’s hand and gestured to an extra chair.
“Please join us. We’re just getting ready to order some lunch. Your
first time in the islands?”

“How can you tell?” Mitch asked, settling
into the chair.

“Only first-timers buy the hats. Looks like
you’ve got enough there to outfit a whole army.”

“You’re close. They’re for my scout troop
back home.”

Robby rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Don’t
tell me. You’re a troop leader. Anna mentioned you were a boy
scout, but I thought she meant something else.”

Anna wanted to slide under the table. If
there was any way she could have discreetly strangled Robby, she
would have done so with relish.

“Oh? What else did Anna mention about me?”
Mitch asked, his face full of innocent interest.

“Only that you—” Robby stopped abruptly,
then smiled tightly. “Here comes the waiter. I always recommend the
fresh catch of the day. I’m sure it’s divine.”

Anna’s heel kept up a steady pressure on
Robby’s foot in a warning he couldn’t miss. “Try the cappuccino,
Mitch,” she said. “Robby and I were just saying how good it is
here.” She smiled sweetly.

“Very good,” Robby said as he jerked his
foot out from under hers.

He signaled the waiter and ordered another
round of coffee before continuing the conversation in a
less-hazardous vein. “How long are you staying?”

“Anna and I have some business to attend to
on Friday. Depending on how it goes, I’ll either leave Saturday
morning or spend a few more days sightseeing.”

“You should have Anna bring you out to
Eleuthera. I own a resort there, and I’ve already offered her one
of the cottages. The two of you could have a wonderful time.
Swaying palms, moonlit beaches . . . We have it all at Sand Bay,
and I was just telling Anna she needed a—”

Anna aimed a desperate kick at Robby’s shin,
but it was Mitch who winced and grabbed his leg.

“Excuse me,” she said with a gasp,
thoroughly embarrassed.

“I’ll live.”

“Darling,” Robby drawled, “I don’t think
I’ve ever seen you blush.”

She shot him a “drop dead” glare and turned
to Mitch. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her, still rubbing
his shin.

“Goodness, look at the time,” Robby said.
“I’ll have to skip lunch or end up on a mailboat. It’s been
delightful meeting you, Mitch.” He held out his hand. “I’ll expect
both of you on Saturday. But if Anna can’t make it,” he added with
a coy smile, “you’re welcome to come on your own.”

The innuendo of his words wasn’t lost on
Anna, and she was surprised at the fleeting spark of anger she
felt.

“We have a wonderful cook at Sand Bay,”
Robby continued. “I’ll treat you to a Bahamian feast.” He stood up
and kissed Anna on the cheek, then backed away from the table.
“Remember what I said about life, dear. Some things are worth the
risk.”

In a flurry of words and waves he was gone,
and Anna and Mitch were left alone at the table. She watched Robby
disappear into the crowd, until politeness insisted she face Mitch
and say something.

“Looks like you’ve made a conquest,” she
said. “Robby doesn’t offer free rent to every pretty face he
meets.” She meant the remark to embarrass him, but Mitch’s chuckle
didn’t sound embarrassed.

“Pretty face, huh? Is that a personal
opinion?” He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out
next to hers.

“You know what I mean,” she said
, snapping her menu open. Taking a deep
breath, she tried to corral her thoughts. Figuring out Mitch
Summers was becoming a full-time job, and one she had yet to
master. Most men would have been offended by Robby’s faintly veiled
proposition. That Mitch wasn’t offended meant one of two things: He
was either very assured about his masculinity or, knowing Mitch, he
didn’t realize he’d been propositioned.

She peered at him over her menu,
scrutinizing the ageless face with the boyish grin and twinkling
eyes. “Do you even know what was going on?”

He shrugged. “I think your friend made a
pass at me.”

Well, at least he got that part right, she
thought. “And you’re not offended?”

“Jealous?” he asked in a softly teasing
tone.

“No.” she snapped, knowing he was
uncomfortably close to the truth. “But most men would feel
threatened by Robby’s invitation unless they were . . .” She gave
him a startled glance as the thought went through her mind.

His grin faded. He leaned forward and cupped
her face with one hand, pulling her toward him with gentle
force.

Anna didn’t have time to react before his
mouth descended on hers. The clatter of plates and the sound of a
hundred chattering voices disappeared as their lips met and his
tongue trailed across her mouth, caressing and teasing with an easy
pressure. She responded in spite of herself, opening her mouth to
receive the full sweetness of his kiss. The melting feeling he
inspired was too seductive not to explore.

His fingers tangled in her hair, urging her
closer, as his other hand grasped hers on the table. Their fingers
entwined, and his thumb stroked hers in tempo with the forays of
his tongue into her mouth, pulling them nearer to the edge of
desire.

Anna fell deeper into his web of sensual
enchantment, forgetting the
café
, forgetting the noise, forgetting the warm
sunshine as she followed his lead into the magic of the kiss.

“Ahem. May I take your order?”

The request came from another world, a world
Anna didn’t recognize until Mitch broke away with a reluctance
echoed in her own heart.

“You are too special,” he whispered, gazing
longingly into her eyes.

“Two specials it is, sir,” the waiter said
as he snapped his ticket book closed and walked away.

Dazed by the ease of her response to Mitch’s
kiss, Anna let her gaze roam over his face. She ran a delicate
fingertip along his bottom lip, and a heartbeat passed before his
mouth curved into a grin.

“Is there any doubt in your mind who I want
to make love with?” he asked in a husky drawl.

She slowly shook her head from side to side.
“Women. No doubt about it.”

“Not women, Anna . . . woman,” he corrected
her. “You, Anna.”

The summer breeze carried the name from his
lips to her heart, filling her with a yearning for more—more of his
words, more of his touch. But a part of her heart still didn’t
believe, couldn’t believe the feelings he inspired, didn’t want to
believe the feelings he revealed. “Why me, Mitch?” she asked
softly.

He released her hand and settled back in his
chair. He broke their visual contact by glancing out at the crowds,
and his fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the tabletop. Anna
wondered if he would answer her question at all.

“That’s hard to explain,” he finally said,
and sighed heavily. “Especially to a woman who doesn’t believe in
love at first sight.”

“You can’t be in love with me. You don’t
even know me.”

“Okay, Anna. Forget about being in love.” A
sly twinkle lit his eyes as he met her serious gaze and leaned
forward. “How about just making love?”

His suggestion was enough to bring another
blush to her face, and she was grateful that the waiter’s arrival
with their lunch saved her from the necessity of a reply.

She looked at the pasta salad set before her
and frowned. “I don’t remember ordering this,” she said to the
waiter.

“The gentleman ordered for you, ma’am. Two
specials.” He flipped open his ticket book and showed it to her, as
if that settled the matter. “Would you like another
cappuccino?”

“No, thank you. I think I’ve had
enough.”

“And for you, sir?”

“Beer, please. Whatever is on tap.”

The waiter moved to another table, and Anna
concentrated on moving pasta shells around on her plate, ignoring
Mitch’s steady gaze. After a few minutes of embarrassed discomfort
she decided to take the conversational lead.

“Do boy scouts still rub sticks together, go
camping, and all that other stuff? Colorado must be wonderful for
camping.”

“Mostly we use matches now, but camping is
still a big part of scouting, especially with my troop,” Mitch
said, following her lead. “I’m not really a troop leader. I just
help out with the major camping trips. I hope that doesn’t lower me
in your estimation.”

She caught the flash of a crooked grin out
of the corner of her eye. “I’ll try to hide my disappointment,
considering you’re about as close to a troop leader as I’m ever
going to get.”

“We could get a lot closer if that would
help.”

“That’s a very generous offer,” she said
dryly.

“We scouts are a very self-sacrificing
bunch, invaluable to have around if you’re ever in a jam.”

“Next time I’m in one I’ll give you a
call.”

“How about tonight?”

She stabbed a piece of artichoke heart and
cocked her head, making sure he didn’t miss the determination in
her eyes. “I thought the motto was ‘Be Prepared,’ not ‘Be
Persistent.’ ”

“Sometimes persistence is the best
preparation.”

A profound realization slowly dawned on her
as she perused his attractive face and relaxed posture. She had
been mistaken when she’d written off his laid-back style as
nonaggressive. Mitch Summers was as aggressive as they came. He was
just a lot friendlier about it than most people. He was moving in
on her from every angle, at every opportunity, and she liked it,
even if she was unsure of the outcome. She couldn’t remember
another time in her life when a man had stolen kisses so easily, or
when she’d enjoyed them so much.

It doesn’t mean he’s right for you, she
reminded herself. Physical attraction might be an important part of
a relationship, but it certainly wasn’t enough. As far as she could
tell, it was the only thing they had going for them. Still, it was
an interesting situation, very interesting.

“So tell me about camping, Mitch. I’ve never
been camping. St. John and I went on safari in Kenya a few years
ago, but we had a cook, guides, tents you could stand up in. I have
a feeling you and the Scouts do it a little differently.”

“Africa.” The word rolled off his tongue
with a touch of envy. “I’d love to go to Africa . . . Australia . .
. Hong Kong. Lots of places I haven’t been. Is there anyplace you
haven’t been?”

She thought for a minute. “Hot Sulphur
Springs,” she said with a smile. “I’ve never been to Hot Sulphur
Springs, or Alaska, or Moscow. I guess you could say I’ve never
been to the cold places.”

“I’ll make a deal with you. You take me to
Africa and I’ll take you to Hot Sulphur Springs. First-class
accommodations, and I’ll do all the cooking. Deal?” He held out his
hand.

She lifted one finely sculpted brow in a
look of pure skepticism.

He sweetened the offer. “I’ll even throw in
a bona fide wilderness camping trip, with a tent you absolutely
cannot stand up in.”

Laughter bubbled up from deep inside as she
grabbed his hand and gave it a hearty shake. “Deal. But first you’d
better tell me about camping. I always like to know what I’m
getting into.”

“You’ll love it, Anna. You’re a natural-born
camper, I can tell.”

“Another judgment call?”

“Yeah.” A grin flashed across his face as he
met her eyes. “You’re going to love camping with me. First you
start with a map, then you pick a mountain or two, preferably with
a trout stream close by, and then you pack your gear. Packing the
gear . . . that’s the important part.”