He didn’t need gumption to sit beside her. He’d only needed the tears. “I had a dog run over about five years ago. Hadn’t had him long either. Just a few months. I cried like a baby right on the side of the road.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and just sat with her, watching the tiger.
“I didn’t want to see Lil again until I settled down. She doesn’t need me crying on her shoulder.”
“Mine’s right here.”
Though he’d offered, sincerely, in the spirit of friendship, his heart took that extra beat again when she tipped her head to his shoulder.
“I saw Lil.” He spoke quickly now before his mind went blank with the thrill. “She said to tell you she’s closing a little early, sending everybody on.”
“She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m staying tonight. I’ll bunk in the second cabin.”
“Good. That’s good. I’ll feel better knowing that. It’s nice of you, Farley, to-”
She tipped her face up and his tipped over. And in that moment, lost in her eyes, the comfort became an embrace. “Holy God, Tansy,” he managed, and pressed his mouth to hers.
Soft. Sweet. He thought she tasted like warm cherries, and now that he was close enough he could smell her skin, and that had warm in it, too.
He thought a man would never be cold, not a day in his life, if he could kiss her.
She leaned into him, he felt her come in. It made him feel strong and sure.
Then she pulled away, fast. “Farley, this isn’t-We can’t do this.”
“Didn’t mean to. Not just that way.” He couldn’t help himself and stroked a hand over her hair. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of the situation.”
“It’s all right. It’s fine.”
Her voice was jumpy, and her eyes were wide. It made him smile. “It was fine. I’ve been thinking about kissing you for so long I can’t remember how long it is. Now I guess I’ll be thinking about kissing you again.”
“Well, don’t.” Her voice jumped again, as if he’d poked her with a stick. “You can’t. We can’t.”
She got to her feet. So did he, but more slowly. “I think you like me.”
She flushed-God that was pretty-and started twisting the buttons on her coat. “Of course I like you.”
“What I mean to say is, I think you think about kissing me sometimes, too. I’ve got a powerful yen for you, Tansy. Maybe you don’t have the same, but I think you’ve got a little one any way.”
She pulled her coat together, still twisting at buttons. “I’m not… that isn’t…”
“It’s about the first time I’ve seen you all flustered up. Maybe I should kiss you again.”
The button-twisting hand slapped right out onto his chest. “We’re not going to do this. You have to accept that. You should be looking at-having a yen for-girls your own age.”
His smile widened. “You didn’t say you didn’t have one for me. What we need to do is for me to take you out to dinner. Dancing maybe. Do this proper.”
“We’re not doing anything.”
She got a line between her eyebrows-he’d liked to have kissed it-and her voice firmed up. He just kept smiling.
“I mean it.” Exasperated now, she pointed the index fingers of both hands at him. “I’m going to check in with Lil, then I’m going home. And-Oh, wipe that stupid smile off your face.”
She spun around, stalked away.
Her temper turned his smile into a mile-wide grin.
He’d kissed Tansy Spurge, he thought. And before she’d gotten her dander up, she’d kissed him right back.
LIL TOOK THREE extra-strength Tylenol for the stress headache and topped it off with a long, blistering shower. Dressed in flannels, thick socks, and a comfortably tattered University of North Dakota sweatshirt, she added logs to the flames in her compact fireplace.
Heat, she thought. She couldn’t seem to get enough of it. She kept the lights blazing, too. She wasn’t ready for the dark yet. She gave some thought to food, but couldn’t work up the energy or the appetite.
She’d called her parents, so that was crossed off the list. She’d reassured them, promised to lock her doors, and reminded them she had a refuge loaded with early warning signals.
She’d work. She had articles to write, grant proposals to complete. No, she’d do laundry. No point in letting it pile up.
Maybe she should upload her photos. Or check the webcams.
Or, or, or.
She paced like a cat in a cage.
The sound of the truck had her pivoting toward the door. The staff had been gone nearly two hours now, and Mary would have locked the gate across the access road behind her. They all had keys, but… given the circumstances, wouldn’t whoever might have forgotten something, wanted something, needed something have called first to alert her?
Baby gave a warning cry, and in the big-cat area, the old lioness roared. Lil grabbed her rifle. Farley beat her outside by a step.
In contrast to her thudding heart, his voice was calm as a spring breeze. “Why don’t you go on back inside, Lil, while I see who… Okay.” He shifted the shotgun he’d carried out, angled the barrel down. “That’s Coop’s rig.”
Farley lifted a hand in greeting as the truck eased to a stop, and Coop climbed out.
“This is a hell of a welcoming committee.” Coop glanced at the guns, then over to where the animals let the newcomer know they were on alert.
“They set up a ruckus,” Farley commented. “Sure is something hearing those big jungle cats carry on, isn’t it? Well.” He gave Coop a nod. “I’ll be seeing you.”
“How did you get in the gate?” Lil demanded when Farley had slipped back inside.
“Your father gave me his key. Lot of keys floating around, from what I understand. A lock’s not much good if everybody’s got a key.”
“Staff members have keys.” She knew her voice lashed out in defense because she’d been frightened. Really frightened for a moment. “Otherwise somebody’d have to open it every damn morning before anybody else could get in. You should’ve called. If you came by to check on me, I could’ve told you and saved you the trip.”
“It’s not that long a trip.” He stepped up on the porch, handed her a covered dish. “My grandmother sent it. Chicken and dumplings.” He picked up the rifle she’d leaned against the rail and walked into the cabin without invitation.
He put his arm around her shoulders and just sat with her, watching the tiger.
“I didn’t want to see Lil again until I settled down. She doesn’t need me crying on her shoulder.”
“Mine’s right here.”
Though he’d offered, sincerely, in the spirit of friendship, his heart took that extra beat again when she tipped her head to his shoulder.
“I saw Lil.” He spoke quickly now before his mind went blank with the thrill. “She said to tell you she’s closing a little early, sending everybody on.”
“She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m staying tonight. I’ll bunk in the second cabin.”
“Good. That’s good. I’ll feel better knowing that. It’s nice of you, Farley, to-”
She tipped her face up and his tipped over. And in that moment, lost in her eyes, the comfort became an embrace. “Holy God, Tansy,” he managed, and pressed his mouth to hers.
Soft. Sweet. He thought she tasted like warm cherries, and now that he was close enough he could smell her skin, and that had warm in it, too.
He thought a man would never be cold, not a day in his life, if he could kiss her.
She leaned into him, he felt her come in. It made him feel strong and sure.
Then she pulled away, fast. “Farley, this isn’t-We can’t do this.”
“Didn’t mean to. Not just that way.” He couldn’t help himself and stroked a hand over her hair. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of the situation.”
“It’s all right. It’s fine.”
Her voice was jumpy, and her eyes were wide. It made him smile. “It was fine. I’ve been thinking about kissing you for so long I can’t remember how long it is. Now I guess I’ll be thinking about kissing you again.”
“Well, don’t.” Her voice jumped again, as if he’d poked her with a stick. “You can’t. We can’t.”
She got to her feet. So did he, but more slowly. “I think you like me.”
She flushed-God that was pretty-and started twisting the buttons on her coat. “Of course I like you.”
“What I mean to say is, I think you think about kissing me sometimes, too. I’ve got a powerful yen for you, Tansy. Maybe you don’t have the same, but I think you’ve got a little one any way.”
She pulled her coat together, still twisting at buttons. “I’m not… that isn’t…”
“It’s about the first time I’ve seen you all flustered up. Maybe I should kiss you again.”
The button-twisting hand slapped right out onto his chest. “We’re not going to do this. You have to accept that. You should be looking at-having a yen for-girls your own age.”
His smile widened. “You didn’t say you didn’t have one for me. What we need to do is for me to take you out to dinner. Dancing maybe. Do this proper.”
“We’re not doing anything.”
She got a line between her eyebrows-he’d liked to have kissed it-and her voice firmed up. He just kept smiling.
“I mean it.” Exasperated now, she pointed the index fingers of both hands at him. “I’m going to check in with Lil, then I’m going home. And-Oh, wipe that stupid smile off your face.”
She spun around, stalked away.
Her temper turned his smile into a mile-wide grin.
He’d kissed Tansy Spurge, he thought. And before she’d gotten her dander up, she’d kissed him right back.
LIL TOOK THREE extra-strength Tylenol for the stress headache and topped it off with a long, blistering shower. Dressed in flannels, thick socks, and a comfortably tattered University of North Dakota sweatshirt, she added logs to the flames in her compact fireplace.
Heat, she thought. She couldn’t seem to get enough of it. She kept the lights blazing, too. She wasn’t ready for the dark yet. She gave some thought to food, but couldn’t work up the energy or the appetite.
She’d called her parents, so that was crossed off the list. She’d reassured them, promised to lock her doors, and reminded them she had a refuge loaded with early warning signals.
She’d work. She had articles to write, grant proposals to complete. No, she’d do laundry. No point in letting it pile up.
Maybe she should upload her photos. Or check the webcams.
Or, or, or.
She paced like a cat in a cage.
The sound of the truck had her pivoting toward the door. The staff had been gone nearly two hours now, and Mary would have locked the gate across the access road behind her. They all had keys, but… given the circumstances, wouldn’t whoever might have forgotten something, wanted something, needed something have called first to alert her?
Baby gave a warning cry, and in the big-cat area, the old lioness roared. Lil grabbed her rifle. Farley beat her outside by a step.
In contrast to her thudding heart, his voice was calm as a spring breeze. “Why don’t you go on back inside, Lil, while I see who… Okay.” He shifted the shotgun he’d carried out, angled the barrel down. “That’s Coop’s rig.”
Farley lifted a hand in greeting as the truck eased to a stop, and Coop climbed out.
“This is a hell of a welcoming committee.” Coop glanced at the guns, then over to where the animals let the newcomer know they were on alert.
“They set up a ruckus,” Farley commented. “Sure is something hearing those big jungle cats carry on, isn’t it? Well.” He gave Coop a nod. “I’ll be seeing you.”
“How did you get in the gate?” Lil demanded when Farley had slipped back inside.
“Your father gave me his key. Lot of keys floating around, from what I understand. A lock’s not much good if everybody’s got a key.”
“Staff members have keys.” She knew her voice lashed out in defense because she’d been frightened. Really frightened for a moment. “Otherwise somebody’d have to open it every damn morning before anybody else could get in. You should’ve called. If you came by to check on me, I could’ve told you and saved you the trip.”
“It’s not that long a trip.” He stepped up on the porch, handed her a covered dish. “My grandmother sent it. Chicken and dumplings.” He picked up the rifle she’d leaned against the rail and walked into the cabin without invitation.
