Cheyenne took a last glance in the mirror before heading downstairs when Jake texted that he was waiting. The floral sundress she had purchased fit snuggly across her breasts and flared from the waist to end just below her knees. Her heels didn’t seem quite appropriate so she settled on sandals. She would have worn her linen slacks and cashmere sweater but after his comment about her clothes, she had decided to dress casually. The bright red, blue and yellow flowers suited her, she thought, as she touched up her lipstick, this time a pale pink shade.
She was glad for the sandals when he insisted they walk. She was happy to be casually dressed when he turned into Brenda Kay’s.
“Again?” she asked as they slid into a booth near the back.
“It’s rib night,” was all he said as Brenda came to the table.
“Well if you don’t look a sight.” She set water glasses on the table. “Heard there was a ruckus at the Pelican. Damn it, the one night I didn’t get down there, but it was too busy for me to get away.”
“You didn’t miss much,” Jake said and Cheyenne coughed.
Brenda looked at her and back to Jake’s bandaged hand. “I can see that. How are you going to eat ribs with a broken hand?”
“Carefully.” He smiled, then grimaced and touched his bruised cheek.
Cheyenne was surprised by his good nature. Granted, he hadn’t spent the night in jail, but he had been injured and she didn’t know if he had gotten any more sleep than she had. He sported his wounds like a banner, almost as though he were proud of the fight he had been in.
She could only shake her head and shrug when Brenda looked back at her.
“Beer?” she asked.
Cheyenne shook her head again. “Not for me. I’ll stick with water.”
Jake laughed lightly and ordered a soda.
While they waited for their meal, which Cheyenne assumed was ribs whether she had ordered them or not, she studied Jake more closely. The split in his lip looked better, but she could see the fingers on his right hand were slightly swollen. She reached over to lightly touch the scabbed knuckles.
“Does it hurt badly?” She felt so guilty at having caused him injury.
“Cheyenne?” He didn’t say any more until she raised her gaze to his. His brown eyes were intense, his smile gentle. “None of this,” he gestured with his other hand, “was your fault.”
“But I—”
“You were being accosted. Every other man in the bar would have done the same thing. I simply got there first.” Irrationally, she heard pride in his voice.
“Your hands are your life, you idiot,” she said without thinking, but he only smiled wider.
“You have no idea what I am capable of with only one hand,” he whispered across the table and she could feel a blush rising. Honestly, she had never blushed so much in her life until she encountered him.
“Whatever are you thinking, Miss Tucker?” he teased. “I might have simply been implying I was ambidextrous.”
She changed the topic instead of bothering to comment. “Tell me what happened after I was hauled off to the slammer.”
Their ribs arrived, served up on brown paper as had the fish and chips. The waitress set down a pile of napkins, refilled her water and took Jake’s glass to get him another soda. Jake waited until she left before answering her.
“The excitement was over by the time I came to.”
She gasped. “You were knocked out completely? Damn it, I told the sheriff to let me see to you, but he hauled me off like a common criminal.”
He grinned as he picked up a rib. “Well, actually…”
“You know what I mean.” She looked at the pile of ribs, wished for silverware, then with a sigh, picked up the sauce-slathered meat and took a bite. A moan of pleasure escaped. They ate in silence for several minutes. When the waitress brought another serving of ribs, Cheyenne looked at her in surprise.
“All you can eat,” she replied as she set that down along with Jake’s soda.
“One serving is all I can eat,” she said.
Once again, Jake was silent as he cleaned off rib after rib, licking his fingers in-between bites. By the time he was done, he had barbeque sauce smeared all over his bandage as well as his mouth.
She bit her lower lip as his tongue snaked out to lick sauce off his lips. When he was finished, he sat back with a sigh.
“How did you know where I was?” She picked up their conversation now that he was done.
“It wasn’t hard to figure out. You weren’t at the Inn and you didn’t answer your cell phone. Cam said the sheriff had gotten to you so at least I knew you would be protected from Blaine.”
“That was his name?”
He nodded. “Johnny Blaine. I don’t know him personally but I hear it’s not the first time he’s been in trouble. Cam says he takes up jail space more often than not.”
“Then he shouldn’t be allowed to drink,” she said, indignant. “If that had been the case, I wouldn’t now have a police record.”
He laughed. Was it a good thing that he seemed to laugh quite a bit around her?
“Until last night, I bet you’ve never done one thing that’s not strictly by the books,” he said.
“I most certainly have,” she automatically replied, then snapped her mouth shut. He must think she broke the law on a regular basis.
“What? Been late for work? I know, you actually called in sick to work but you weren’t.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t lie about something like that.” That didn’t mean she hadn’t committed other offenses. She thought about the time she stole a box of mac and cheese from the little grocery on the corner in order to feed herself and her sister. She had never visited that grocery again, afraid the owner would recognize her.
She sipped her water in contemplation. Surely there was something in her life that would show him she wasn’t as straitlaced as he thought. She didn’t want to think about why that was so important to her.
“There was an incident on my way down here,” she said. “I was in the drive-through at Starbucks.”
He nodded and smiled. “Of course, a Starbucks. Not a McDonalds.”
She huffed. “The place is hardly relevant. I was sitting in my car waiting to order and a girl, a woman, jumped out of the passenger side of the car in front of me, yelling. She raced to my car and tried to get in but of course it was locked. She looked behind her where the man driving the car had gotten out and was coming after her.”
Cheyenne closed her eyes as she remembered the scene. “She was very frightened, yelling something I couldn’t understand as he stood by the rear of his car, yelling right back at her. When she realized she couldn’t get in my car, she took off and the man started after her.”
Her heart pounded even now, thinking about it. “I lifted my foot off the brake and my car rolled forward, just as the man stepped between his car and mine.”
Jake’s eyes rounded. “You pinned a man between your cars?”
“I couldn’t think of anything else to do. That girl was scared out of her wits and it was the only way she could get away.”
He lifted his glass in salute. “Well, here’s to you.”
When she didn’t say any more, his eyebrow rose in question. “That can’t be the end of the story because you are here, which means you eventually moved out of the Starbuck’s line.”
She narrowed her gaze, only to have him grin.
“It’s not at all funny. He pounded on the hood of my car. Someone in line must have called the police because the minute we heard sirens, he pushed against my car enough to get loose. Or maybe I released the pressure on the brakes, I’m not sure. Anyway, he got in his car and sped away.”
“And you got your latte and drove happily away.”
“I most certainly did not. The police made me pull off to the side and park so I could give them a statement. I was terribly behind schedule by the time they were done. I couldn’t take time to go through the whole line again.”
“That might have taken what, a day off your schedule? By the way, how many days do you have left?”
“Twenty, and I’m glad you think this is all fun and games, but I have a very real job to do and you are making it extremely difficult.”
“Because I won’t give in to my uncle who has probably devised a three hundred day worldwide tour to keep me busy and out of trouble?” He scowled. “And to make him more money?”
She had no idea if that were true; Sebastian hadn’t given her the particulars of his plans.
“More money is always nice,” she said.
“Who needs it? Do you have any idea of my net worth? I’m not bragging; I’m simply saying enough is enough. Money can’t buy happiness as they say.”
At an earlier time in her life, Cheyenne would have adamantly disagreed with him. When there wasn’t enough money to eat, when she had lied about her age to get a job to keep a roof over their heads—yeah, money might not buy happiness but it sure could help keep body and soul together.
As though sensing her mood, Jake changed the subject. “So, getting back to last night. My opinion somewhat changed about you.”
Oh, this can’t be good.
“Not only did you fight dirty, but you used a few choice words on Blaine.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Not exactly what I would want anyone to recall about me.”
“That’s a good thing,” he said, placing his uninjured hand over hers on the table. “You were take-no-prisoners warrior woman, and I was extremely glad you were on my side.”
His praise, such as it was, made Cheyenne want to melt into a little puddle at his feet. It was no wonder he had groupies and adoring fans worldwide. And though she refused to be one of the mob because of his music, his soft words and good nature were fast turning her into his biggest admirer. That only made her responsibility to Sebastian Donovan more difficult to fulfill.
“If you think so highly of me, will you please consider my request to return to Chicago?”
He removed his hand from hers. “I am considering it.”
She perked up. “Good. There are flights out of Seattle every day.”
He shook his head. “Considering is not agreeing. Besides, this weekend is the Mermaid Festival, and I agreed to be on the committee. I can’t run out on that.”
“They celebrate mermaids?”
“From what I’ve heard, one of the first families on the island was Abel Lockburn and his brothers. They were shrimpers from the mainland, and the legend goes that once they were caught in a fierce storm. Their mast was broken and they were floundering at sea, far from the mainland. All was lost until a mermaid rose from the rolling waves and commanded the seas to calm, then she led them to this island, where they decided to settle.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugged. “Who am I to dispute legend? Besides, anything that helps the economy of small islands like Lockabee is cause for celebration. From what I understand, there will be several thousand people here over the two days.”
Cheyenne groaned. “This weekend was bad enough. I’ll have to hide in my room.”
He laughed. “Most certainly not, but I’ll make sure you have an escort so you don’t start any more brawls.”
She started to argue but from the twinkle in his eyes, realized he was teasing.
“If you wouldn’t put yourself in harm’s way, I wouldn’t have to brawl.”
He placed a hand over his heart. “You are my hero.” He slid out of the booth and stood with his back toward her, which was a good thing because Cheyenne’s breath caught and she knew her face would have given her away. She was falling for Jake Smith. Everything about him in this rustic setting called to her. He was laid back and friendly, good natured and gentlemanly. Yet he fiercely came to her rescue.
She had never been drawn to Joseph Donovan, other than in an awestruck sort of way. That persona had been too far out of her league, whereas Jake Smith was down to earth. She knew it was silly to compare the two when they were the same people, yet it really did seem as if Jake had shaken off the rich and famous cloak. Could someone change so completely in a few short months?
She would have laughed at the thought if it hadn’t struck an intimate chord within her. She had done almost the opposite, coming from nothing and building a thin veneer of respectability around herself. She’d worked her way through community college and decided upon graduation that she would never be poor again. She would have the best clothes, the latest phone. She would get her nails done weekly and her hair highlighted regularly. She had managed to become an assistant to one of the world’s most famous people and she wasn’t about to fail at her assignment.
Jake wondered at her expression as she slid from the booth. He didn’t want the professional and efficient mask of Miss Tucker to slide into place when he enjoyed Cheyenne so much more.
“It’s early, let’s take a walk down to the docks.” When she hesitated, he took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. She relaxed and gave him a smile.
As they walked, he tried to think of something to say. He really knew little about her. She had always been in the background of his life, like a shadow doing his uncle’s bidding. Now she was constantly in his thoughts.
“It’s funny that you’ve worked for my uncle all these years, yet I really know nothing about you.”
“An efficient executive assistant should be inconspicuous.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “Do they give you a book in school with a list of rules?”
That made her smile, which made her whole face light up. He wanted to be the one who made her smile all the time.
“Tell me something about yourself.”
The smile wavered and he wanted to retract the statement, but she tilted her head slightly and looked at him.
“I have a sister down in Sweetwater, Texas.”
He waited.
“I had a mother, of course, until she…left.” The pause was short but he caught her hesitancy. Had her mother died as his had and she was hesitant to mention it?
“Ah, so we have something in common. You didn’t mention a father.”
“Oh, my parents were married,” she replied before slapping a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening. “I shouldn’t have said…”
“The fact is, my mother once told me that she and my father were married, but she had no license and my uncle never believed her.”
“Still, I shouldn’t have said…”
“It’s okay, Cheyenne.”
They had reached the top of the pier and stopped. She removed her hand from his arm and folded her arms across the top of the wood railing. She looked off into the distance and the only sounds were the call of the gulls and the gentle slapping of waves against the dock.
He studied her profile. She was pretty, not classically beautiful like the models and dancers who had once been a part of his life. Pretty was better. There was no artifice about her. She was what she was. A very efficient assistant to an imposing man. As such, she was cool and reserved, emotion rarely crossing her face.
At least, that was the way he remembered her in Chicago. Since she had tracked him down here on the island, she had become outspoken, tenacious in her quest to get him to return home and fierce in her defense of him in the bar fight. All qualities that made her seductive as hell. He recalled thinking earlier if he weren’t hurting so badly, he would take the proper Cheyenne Tucker to bed for a good romp. He wondered which set of emotions would prevail if he put a move on her.
“Let’s pretend again. We’re merely two ordinary people out on a date.”
“Is that even possible?”
He turned toward her and pulled her close. “Let’s find out.”
He half expected her to resist when he brushed his lips against hers. Instead, she tilted her head and stepped even closer. That answered at least part of his question. Then he wasn’t thinking at all as instinct took over. He reached up and plucked the clip from her hair, letting the soft tendrils flow through his fingers as he cupped her face. She smelled of sunshine and roses. Her eyes drifted closed and he kissed her deeply. Immediately, the music flowed through him but he wasn’t letting go or running off this time. Not when he held a living, breathing symphony in his arms.
She moved against him as he ran his hands down her back, never breaking contact with her luscious lips. He swallowed her soft moan when he pressed her hips against his. He would have done even more had he not been vaguely aware of their surroundings. Slowly, he lifted his mouth, continuing to pepper her face with kisses.
“Come back to the cottage with me,” he whispered, and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue.
Her arms loosened from around his neck, her palms slid down to press lightly against his chest.
“I can’t.” Even as she said the words, she turned and kissed his cheek.
He leaned back just enough to see her face, keeping her securely in his embrace. “If it’s my uncle you’re worried about…”
“That’s not it,” she replied. “There’s too much difference between us. You’re rich and famous and—”
“Are you after my fortune?” He pretended to glare at her, eyes dancing.
“I don’t want your money,” she cried with very real indignity.
“Good, because neither do I.” He tightened his hold on her. “It causes nothing but trouble.” He didn’t let her protest further, just covered her lips with his in a kiss that was soft and gentle, yet hopefully told her exactly what he did want.