The Traveling Kind (7 page)

His voice trailed after her. “Tonight’s the big night, isn’t it?”

She didn’t think that remark was worthy of a response so she closed the door on him. Yet, in the quiet of her bedroom, the encounter outside the bathroom door started her thinking about how many things they shared besides a common bathroom. They ate at the same table, slept under the same roof, drank from the same water jug out in the hay fields. She had spent more time with Shad under a variety of circumstances than she had with any other man in her life except for her brother. It was an unsettling discovery to realize how much he’d become a part of her life in two short weeks.

Chapter Four

Charley was ready promptly at six o’clock that evening when Chuck came to pick her up. She had left a casserole in the oven and salads in the refrigerator for Shad and her brother to have as their evening meal.

As they walked to his car she was conscious of Chuck’s approving glance sweeping over her. The long-sleeved shirtlike dress was made out of a silky material, navy blue in color with white polka dots. It had a wide matching belt at the waistline and a flared skirt. It was one of the most flattering dresses she owned, its dark color a complement to her honey-colored hair. She wasn’t sure but she thought she might have chosen it out of spite, dressing with care simply because she had been maneuvered into accepting a date she didn’t want.

The evening spent with Chuck Weatherby wasn’t the ordeal that Charley pretended it was going to be. He was an undemanding companion and it was easy to relax with him. She would have enjoyed it more if she hadn’t been aware that he wanted their relationship to become something permanent and binding. If her conscience hadn’t bothered her, it would have been a perfect evening.

After a long and leisurely meal at a restaurant in Ketchum, Charley wasn’t surprised when Chuck suggested that he take her home. He wasn’t the kind of person to stay out until all hours of the night, and with the exhausting week she’d had, she willingly agreed to his suggestion.

As they started out on the long drive back to the ranch Charley gazed out the window at the shimmer of stars in the night sky. They made the perfect backdrop for the magnificence of the moonlight-bathed mountain range. The combination of natural tiredness and the contentment of a good meal and pleasant company soon had Charley nodding off.

When she caught herself almost falling sound asleep, she sat up straighter in the car seat and glanced self-consciously at Chuck. There was a faint smile curving his mouth that indicated he had noticed her lapse.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t realize I was so tired.” Her eyelids felt as if there were lead weights attached to them.

“Use my shoulder for a pillow,” Chuck offered. “Otherwise you’ll end up with a crick in your neck.”

“But, I—” She’d started to protest that she wouldn’t fall asleep again when she was interrupted by a big yawn that refused to be postponed. She realized she was only kidding herself. She wouldn’t stay awake for the entire ride. “Okay,” she accepted his offer and shifted closer to lay her cheek on his shoulder. Almost immediately her eyes closed.

“You realize that we should be driving back to our own home.” It was the first remark he’d made in a long while that intimated his desire for their future. Charley stiffened and would have spoken, but he went on. “No, don’t say anything,” he said. “I’ve heard it all before, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you, Charley. And I can’t explain what it is that makes me be so certain that someday you will wear my ring. It’s just a feeling I have. I guess that’s why I won’t give up even though you’ve made it clear that I’m wasting my time.” Charley didn’t know how to fill the silence that followed his statement. After a few minutes he said gently, “Go to sleep.”

When she finally closed her eyes, she didn’t open them again until the car slowed to a stop in the ranch yard. She sat up slowly, stretching her shoulders and blinking away the sleep in her eyes.

“Your brother left a light on in the house for you,” Chuck observed as he turned off the motor.

Charley noticed it, too. “Why don’t you come in for a little while and I’ll fix some coffee?” she suggested.

He hesitated a split second, then accepted. “All right.”

Before Chuck had a chance to climb out of the car and walk around to her side, she had the door open and was stepping out. He waited for her by the hood of the car and walked her to the house. The coolness of the mountain air was fresh and invigorating, chasing away the last remnants of sleepiness.

As she entered the house her gaze was automatically drawn to the lamp left burning. Shad was sitting in a chair beside it, illuminated by its pool of light. Although he was fully dressed, his large hands were busy with a shirt in his lap. He looked up when she entered, but Charley didn’t notice. She was too busy staring at the glint of silver flashing in and out of the shirt material, certain her mind was playing tricks on her.

“I didn’t expect you home so early,” he said. “Gary went to bed about twenty minutes ago.”

His voice broke the spell and she met his gaze, partially aware that Chuck was standing beside her. “What are you doing?’’

“A button came off this shirt. I’m sewing it on,” Shad replied in a tone that indicated it was the logical thing to do. “There’s plenty of coffee still hot in the kitchen.”

“Thank you.” She glanced at Chuck and saw him eyeing Shad with a measuring look. She realized the two men hadn’t formally met. “Chuck, this is Shad Russell, our new hired man. This is Chuck Weatherby, a fellow rancher and neighbor.”

“No, don’t get up.” Chuck waved him back into the chair when Shad started to gather his sewing together to stand.

“You two probably want the living room to yourselves,” Shad said. “I’ll finish this in my room.”

“Don’t bother,” Charley inserted quickly. “Chuck and I will have our coffee in the kitchen.” When she glanced at Chuck to obtain his consent, she noticed his expression appeared oddly tight-lipped. He was usually good-natured and easygoing.

“That will be fine,” he agreed with her suggestion.

She started to suggest that Shad have coffee with them, then bit her tongue just in time. After another glance at Chuck, she moved toward the kitchen while he trailed in her wake. The coffee smelled hot and fresh as she took two cups from the cupboard and filled them with coffee from the pot. She carried them to the kitchen table where Chuck was sitting.

“Do you take cream or sugar?” She didn’t remember.

“Neither.” His expression appeared grim. “Does that man sleep here in the house?” His voice was pitched low so it wouldn’t carry into the living room.

She was startled by the question and a little bit angry at the implication that Shad wasn’t fit to live under the same roof. “Where do you think he sleeps? In the barn with the animals? He sleeps in the spare bedroom upstairs.”

“I don’t like it.” He picked up the cup and stared into the black liquid.

“You don’t have to like it as long as Gary and I are satisfied with the arrangements,” she retorted.

“It’s you I’m worried about, Charley,” he explained. “It isn’t proper for a strange man to be staying here with you.”

“Perhaps it wouldn’t be if I lived here alone, but my brother lives here, too, in case you’ve forgotten,” she reminded him somewhat acidly. “My reputation is hardly in jeopardy.”

“I don’t think you understand my concern.” There was a wealth of patience in his voice. “You are a very attractive woman. The proximity of living under the same roof with you is liable to give the man ideas.”

Living in the same house with Shad was giving
her
ideas, but she couldn’t very well tell Chuck that. “Please,” she said wearily. “It was such a lovely evening. Let’s don’t end it by arguing.”

Pausing, he appeared to consider her request before he responded. “You’re right,” he agreed and pushed his cup aside without having drunk any coffee. “Thanks for the coffee, but it’s time I was getting home.” As he stood up Charley started to do the same, but he forestalled her. “I’ll show myself out.”

Stopping at her chair, he crooked a finger under her chin and leaned down to kiss her good-night. He was not inexperienced. The pressure of his mouth was warm and ardent, but it left her unmoved. Charley saw the vague disappointment in his expression when he lifted his head and knew her response had been inadequate but she refused to fake what she didn’t feel.

“Good night, Chuck,” she murmured.

His smile was faintly sad as he left the kitchen. She remained at the table until she heard the front door close and his footsteps on the porch. She rose, leaving her coffee untouched, and slipped her hand into the silken pockets of her skirt to wander into the living room.

In the shadows near the front door she paused and listened to the car start and drive away. Her gaze was drawn to Shad, seated in the overstuffed chair. She watched his large hand using the slim needle with such deftness as it made the last few passes to secure the button to the shirt material. Tying a knot, he lifted the thread to his mouth and bit it in two.

“I would have sewed that button on for you,” Charley drifted out of the shadows. “You didn’t have to do it.”

“You’ve spoiled me enough already.” He pushed the silver needle into the strawberry pincushion and returned it to her sewing basket by the chair.

“How?” She tipped her head to one side, a heavy mass of tawny hair spilling over one shoulder. She didn’t recall going out of her way to do anything special for him.

“Doing my laundry,, fixing all those delicious home-cooked meals, and keeping my room clean,” Shad replied, gliding to his feet in one motion.

She laughed softly and came closer. “That hardly constitutes being spoiled.”

“Maybe not to some,” he agreed with a slow smile. “How was your evening?”

“Fine.” Charley gave a noncommittal answer because she didn’t feel like talking about it. Aware of the penetrating study of his gaze, she avoided it.

“Didn’t he kiss you good-night?” He sounded both curious and vaguely surprised.

She lifted her head, a little defiant. “Yes, he did.”

Reaching out, he held her waist in his hands and maneuvered her into the lamplight so he could see her face clearly. The weight of his hands was heavy, holding her in place while his gaze wandered over her features.

“Funny. You don’t look kissed,” he said at last. The pressure of his grip increased, pulling her slowly closer to him. His eyes seemed to change color, growing darker and becoming sober. His mouth began a slow descent, stopping before it reached her lips. While the warmth of his breath caressed her skin, she drank in the intoxicating smell of him, a combination of after-shave, soap, and that individual scent that was his alone. “Chuck is a good man. He’d make a wonderful husband and a loving father for your children. He would be good for you, Charley. You really should marry him.”

It wasn’t at all what she had expected him to say. She flashed him a surprised and irritated look. “Everyone keeps trying to throw me at Chuck. First Gary and now you. What is this—a conspiracy?” she protested, pulling an inch or so back from his face to glare at him. “Everyone wants me to marry him, but no one bothers to ask me what I want.”

“I think I know what you want.” His gaze centered on her lips. The desire that burned in his eyes stole her anger. “I’m no good for you, Charley. We both know it. But it doesn’t seem to matter, does it? It doesn’t change anything.”

“No,” she whispered and stopped listening to her common sense.

His mouth came down those last few inches to settle onto her lips with tantalizing ease. A sweet rush of forbidden joy ran through her veins as her hands slid around his neck and she melted into his arms. A steel band circled her waist to press her tighter to his length while his other hand tunneled under the thickness of her hair to cup the back of her head.

The driving hunger of his kiss parted her lips, giving him access to the most intimate recesses of her mouth. She was caught in a whirl of sensation, all golden and consuming. Her sensitive fingers were alive to the blunt texture of his hair. She was crushed against the hard contours of his lean body, her flesh throbbing at the muscled tautness of his.

A tiny cry of intense longing broke from her when the hotness of his mouth moved to her throat and burned a nuzzling path to her ear. He tugged at an earlobe with his teeth and teased a hollow with the tip of his tongue. The roughness of his breathing was no better controlled than her own. He lifted his head, pulling away to create a small space between them while his hand absently rubbed the small of her back.

“Where do we go from here, Charley?” It was a low, husky query. “You tell me.”

Unwillingly she opened her eyes and looked down the road. Eventually he would leave her. She knew it as certainly as she knew her own name. She pulled her hands from around his neck and pushed at his forearms to end their encirclement of her. It cost her a lot to deny him.

“We don’t go anywhere from here,” she said, “not together.”

Shad accepted her answer with a trace of fatalism. Withdrawing his arms from around her, he raised a hand to cup the side of her face in his palm. A calloused thumb brushed her lips, tracing their moist and swollen outline.