A Moment in Time (37 page)

      
Lolita, on the other hand...

      
Swallowing hard, he raised up on his elbows and gazed down at her shadowy form.
 
Their two hearts slowed, hammering together as one to the cadence of the ancient dance between man and woman.
 

      
Dance?
 
He tensed, wondering and remembering Chief Byron's words.

      
"
Woman with hair like fire was doing her tribal mating dance.

      
"For you.
"

      
And it had worked.

Chapter 13

      
Jackie slept like the dead, exhausted from keeping pace with the greatest lover of the nineteenth
and
twentieth centuries.
 
What a man!
 
She rolled out of bed with every muscle aching, reminding her of all the ways he'd touched her.
 

      
A smile curved her lips as she washed and dressed, eager to see him, yet dreading it at the same time.
 
They'd talked very little after that first time, mutually eager to make love again.

      
And again.

      
She waved her hand in front of her face as heat crept to her cheeks.
 
For an old-fashioned guy, Cole Morrison was very creative in the hay.
 
Literally.

      
But now she had to tell him about Goodfellow's offer.
 
Sadness gripped her heart and her stomach lurched.
 
Why had fate thrown her back here to fall in love and have her heart broken?
 
It was too cruel.
 
Too gut-wrenching.

      
Too damned typical of Jackie Clarke's life.

      
Dragging in a shaky breath, she climbed down the ladder to find Todd and his father seated at the rough wooden table,
 
eating breakfast.
 
"Good morning," she said quietly.

      
"Miss Jackie," Todd said, "we're going to Oregon."

      
Her heart constricted again.
 
"Oregon?"
 
When were they leaving?
 
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat woodenly at the table, avoiding Cole's gaze.
 
She couldn't look at him right now, knowing they would soon be separated forever.

      
"Jackie?" Cole asked quietly.
 
"Are you...feeling all right?"

      
She blinked and shot him a sidelong glance.
 
"Of course.
 
When are you going to Oregon?"
 
So Cole had decided that dream was going to happen, after all.
 
Good for him.
 
Not so good for her.

      
"That depends...on a lot of things," Cole said, his tone sober.

      
She felt his gaze on her, but she couldn't look at him just now.
 
Did he pity her?
 
The fallen woman who'd been fun for a night, and who'd soon be out of his life for good?

      
Oh, cut it–

      
A soft knock at the door made her jerk, sloshing hot coffee over the rim of her cup and across the back of her hand.
 
She dried it on her skirt, then blew on the reddened skin while Cole answered the door.
 
Don't let it be Smith or Goodfellow or Merriweather.
 
Should she hide?
 
Her heart vaulted into her throat and she gripped the edge of the table, prepared to make a dash for the loft.

      
"Chief Byron, come on in," Cole said as he swung open the door.
 
"There's some mush on the fire."

      
The chief shuddered visibly.
 
"Thank you, no."

      
Todd chuckled and Jackie couldn't suppress her own small grin.
 
The chief was definitely a welcome visitor just now, distracting her from her dismal thoughts.
 
Later, she would find Cole alone and tell him all she had to tell.

      
And destroy everything once and for all.

      
He had a right to the truth, and she had to make sure he took Todd to Oregon.
 
Her dreams were dead, but there was still hope for his.
 
Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath and took a sip of Cole's bitter coffee.
 
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
 
She'd be all right.
 
She was tough.
 
Strong.

      
Right.

      
"An eagle told me it is a good day for fish."
 
The chief's dark eyes twinkled.
 
"I thought Son of Pale Eyes might like to catch fish."
 

      
"Can I, Pa?"
 
Todd leapt to his feet, his enthusiasm unmistakable.

      
"I could be mistaken, but I'd say that's a boy who definitely wants to go fishing," Cole said, chuckling.
 
"Where were you planning to go?"

      
"Near beaver dam, down the pass."
 
The chief nodded.
 
"Good fishing there."

      
Cole rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
 
"That'll take most of the day."

      
"Please, Pa?"
 
Todd tugged on his father's sleeve.
 

      
Cole chuckled again and tousled his son's hair.
 
"Sure, but take a dinner pail for you both."

      
"We will eat fish," Chief Byron insisted, straightening.

      
Cole winked at his son.
 
"Probably, but take something along just in case."

      
Jackie's mind worked overtime.
 
She would be alone with Cole all day.
 
Alone.
 
She could spend more time in his arms before shattering any feelings he might have for her.
 
Okay, so maybe it was selfish of her to want to make love with him again before telling him the truth, but she felt like being selfish.
 
Dammit.

      
"And be back
well
before dark," Cole said as his son threw together a noon meal for two.

      
"Thanks, Pa."

      
"Don't forget your fishing pole, Huck."

      
"Pole."
 
Chief Byron snorted.
 
"I will use only hands and spear, and we will see who catches more fish."

      
Todd's little-boy giggle warmed Jackie, but it was a bittersweet warmth.
 
Soon, both Todd and his handsome father would be out of her life.

      
The boy raced out the door ahead of his elderly companion, who lingered and looked back over his shoulder, his dark eyes glittering with mischief.
 
"Pale Eyes will not go to the mine today."
 
With a knowing smile and a nod, the chief followed Todd.

      
And left Jackie alone with Cole.

      
The morning after was always awkward, she reminded herself and took a sip of coffee.
 
She watched the play of rippling muscles through Cole's shirt as he cleared the table.

      
"You want some mush?" he asked, holding the black iron pot by its handle.

      
"Get serious."
 
Jackie made a face and he laughed.
 
That eased the tension between them and she flashed him her biggest smile.

      
He set the mush aside and stood staring at her.
 
"You should do that more often," he said, his voice warm and vibrant.

      
She shivered as the rich timbre washed over her.
 
"Do what?"
 
She rose and walked toward him.

      
"Smile."

      
She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.
 
"Good morning," she said in a husky whisper.

      
"I think you already said that."
 
He wrapped his arms around her waist, though she sensed some fleeting–thank goodness–reluctance.

      
She gazed up at him, then stood on tiptoes and kissed him very softly.
 
He responded and she relaxed in his embrace.
 
"It bears repeating."
 
She held his gaze with hers, carefully studying his reactions.
 
"Cole, let's have a picnic."

      
His dark brows arched in surprise.
 
"Today?"

      
"Sure, why not?"

      
"I really should go to the mine."

      
"Why?"
 
She kissed his chin, his jaw, the lobe of his ear.

      
He sucked in a sharp breath.
 
"Mine?
 
What mine?"

      
Capturing her chin in his hand, he claimed her mouth in a breathtaking kiss that left her dizzy with desire.
 
She wanted him every bit as much now as she had yesterday.

      
As their lips parted, she sighed.
 
"A picnic, Pale Eyes."

      
He chuckled and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around the room.
 
"You're turning me into an outright lazybones, woman."

      
"Nothing lazy about you, big guy."
 
She rubbed herself against him in what she hoped was invitation–or maybe a command performance.
 
She should have watched more Mae West movies.
 

      
"You're makin' me crazy again."

      
"Good."
 
She rubbed the heel of her hand along the hard ridge at his fly.
 
"Is that a pistol in your pocket, big guy, or are you just happy to see me?"
 
He turned crimson and she laughed.

      
"I'm
very
happy to see you."
 
He kissed her again.

      
Sighing as their lips parted, she asked, "How far is the waterfall from this beaver dam the chief mentioned?"
 
She licked her lips and watched Cole's eyes widen and his nostrils flare.
 

      
"Far enough."
 
His deep voice rumbled through her and zeroed in on her hormones.
 
"Are you really going to make me wait that long?"