Before he went home, Wyatt drove to the upper parking lot at Mammoth Hot Springs and sat in his Bronco for a while. He stared at the pale travertine terraces deposited by spring flow without really seeing them.
He was still reeling from his reaction to Kyle this afternoon. Sure, he’d suspected how it would be between them, but when he’d finally felt her body against his, it had opened a window he’d merely peeked through before. If they hadn’t pulled apart when they had, he felt certain he’d have made an idiot of himself by letting her know how he felt.
Hell, he had let her know. On the mountain when he’d let testosterone and jealousy lead him into a fistfight, when he’d challenged her to figure out why he didn’t care for Nick, and again today. But she was so caught up in Nick, she was oblivious.
Twilight snow began to fall as he parked the Bronco and limped across his yard. When he’d been there earlier to shower, he’d checked the front of his house for quake damage. Except for a pot of earth lying on its side, a leftover from summer geraniums, all had looked intact. But had he really left a light on in the kitchen?
Wyatt pushed through into his hall and smelled the comforting aroma of baked potatoes. Before he could reach the light switch, he heard, “Surprise!”
He stopped. “Alicia.”
Stunned, he took a second to remember he’d given her a house key. And another to realize that in the day’s events he’d forgotten to call and tell her he was back.
She launched at him, her face a pale oval against the darkened hall. On impact, her soft weight was all womanly curves. Kisses rained on his cheeks and tickled his moustache while she murmured, “I called around three and checked with Iniki that you were back, but I made her promise not to tell. I hid my Navigator around back.”
“This is a surprise.” The scent of roses wafted from her.
She pressed close. “I was afraid something might have happened on the mountain.”
“It did,” Wyatt said over her shoulder as he gave her a hard hug.
He flipped the light switch. Her black hair made a smooth fall over her shoulders. The cushy material under his hands was some kind of dark velvet that suggested silkier skin beneath.
He stepped back.
Her dark eyes widened when she saw his wrapped ankle.
“The quake set off a slide in the canyon. I turned my foot on a stone, but nothing serious.” He wasn’t ready to tell her about Thunder. “Let me get out of uniform.”
“I can draw a hot bath … for two?”
“I had a shower earlier.” He moved toward his bedroom. She didn’t follow.
The changes were subtle. A pair of candleholders he remembered from her place graced his nightstand. Thick wax columns smelled of spice. A foot-thick swath of feminine items peeked from his open closet door. A leopard print cosmetic bag lay open on the bathroom counter, with little jars and bottles spilling out.
What in hell was he going to do?
Alone in Wyatt’s kitchen, Alicia used the corkscrew on one of the good bottles of wine she’d bought. Her hand trembled, and she spilled red drops that stained the white counter.
She ought to be in the bedroom with Wyatt right now, but this wasn’t turning out the way she’d hoped. She’d left the front hall dark so their opening kiss would be more romantic. He’d turned on the overhead light. And she’d never known him to pass on one of her candlelit bubble baths. What had he meant about something happening on the mountain?
She told herself he must be exhausted from a long day in the saddle, especially with an injured ankle. It would probably be a good idea to back off and let him unwind.
Ten minutes passed. The potatoes were in, and they would keep. The salad waited to be dressed. The steaks were seasoned.
Wyatt spoke from the doorway. “Dinner looks wonderful.” He sounded distant.
“I was shopping for goodies this morning at the Pic and Sav when the big one hit. That’s a story.” She knew she was babbling.
“Are you okay?” His gray eyes flicked over her without the interest she’d expected after their time apart.
“Cut my hand on some glass.” She displayed a strip of bandage on her palm.
“I’m glad that was all.”
Alicia waited for him to pull her into his arms, but he turned his attention to the wine label, a California Cabernet. She poured for him.
“Nice,” he nodded after sampling. “You know, a guy could do a whole lot worse than to come home to all this.”
“You want to start the steaks?”
“In a bit.” He pulled out a chair, sat at the table and studied his hands. “We lost all three of the horses in the quake and came out by chopper. A big landslide … almost killed Nick Darden of USGS.”
Alicia sank into the chair next to Wyatt. “No wonder you seem upset.” She took a gulp of wine. “Is he all right?”
“Should be. We were damned lucky.”
Seeing the haggard look of Wyatt, she recalled his affection for Thunder. “I’m sorry about the horses.”
“They were good friends. Old Gray broke his neck … I had to shoot him.”
Her stomach turned. “Oh, dear.”
They sat for a moment in silence. Then it occurred to her that there was a piece missing from his explanation, and though it probably wasn’t the time or place … “What about Kyle Stone?”
“She was there. Up the hill on some rocks.” His shoulders tensed and he evaded her eyes.
Creeping dread came over Alicia as Wyatt drank off his wine in a single draught. In his room, her clothes, her candles, her cosmetics. With all her heart, she wished she hadn’t been so bold.
“So what were the sleeping arrangements up there?” It was like walking out onto a frozen lake, but she couldn’t stop.
“Alicia, don’t do this.” He wouldn’t meet her accusing stare. “We had a common bunkroom for the three of us.”
“No side deals?”
“For God’s sake,” he snapped. “Unless you count Darden sniffing out his old girlfriend.”
“You can lie to me, Wyatt, but don’t lie to yourself.” Blood beat in her temples. “I saw the way you kept making mooneyes at her in the Lake Hotel sunroom.”
“Get off my back. I just can’t stand to watch her make the same mistake she made years ago with Nick. She can do better than that.”
With an almost audible click, everything came into focus. The countertop with wine stains. The hum of the refrigerator and the furnace fan stirring warm air, frost forming patterns on the window above the kitchen sink.
“You poor son of a bitch,” she said. “You’re in love with her.”
Wyatt shoved back his chair, dragged Alicia up, and kissed her. It had always been good between them, and he could make it happen again. The last thing he wanted was to lie alone tonight and think about Kyle and Nick.
He should be glad he’d come home to find Alicia part of his welcome. How much darker would his hall have been without her embrace? How empty his bachelor housing?
She was out of his arms. The space she left felt cold. With her back to the refrigerator, she challenged, “If you can honestly tell me you’re not in love with Kyle Stone, I’ll stay.”
“Don’t play games.”
With a sigh, Alicia said, “I love you, Wyatt.”
A test. He reached his hand palm forward and she matched hers to it. He twined their fingers and squeezed but did not answer.
Her tears spilled over, mascara running. “I thought maybe you and I were each other’s answer. You could have been mine.”
Closing his eyes, Wyatt said, “I’m sorry.”
Two hours later, he sat alone in the living room recliner with an ice pack on his ankle. The TV was off and the only light rose from the candles Alicia had left behind. He’d brought them out from his bedroom and eaten steak, salad, and a piping hot baked potato by candlelight. Just because he was by himself didn’t mean he had to be a slob.
The spicy scent rising from the melting wax reminded him of Alicia’s bedroom. Torn between the desire to call her and the wisdom of leaving it alone, he mentally toasted her and drank off the last of the red wine.
He set his empty glass down so hard it fell over with a clink. Kyle was up at the hotel with Nick, and here he sat trying to pretend it wasn’t eating his heart out.