Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) (29 page)

             
Kit was just opening her room door when the hotel phone rang.  It was Nick.  “Hey, I just got a call from Ian.  He said he’s been going through the tracks and things look good enough that we won’t need to record on Monday after all.  I just thought I’d let you know.”  She thanked him and told him again that she’d had a nice night and hung up.  Her mind was already planning ahead.  She wondered if she could talk Joey into taking an early flight.  Just the thought of going home to Wyoming for a couple of days before going back to school Tuesday energized her, and she was happily checking into flights when Joey walked in fifteen minutes later.

             
Kit got off the phone and asked, “Well, how’d it go?”

             
Joey laughed at her tone.  “Fine.  It was actually fun.  I don’t think he’s used to girls trying to keep him at arms length.  He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with me.”  Joey smiled her widest.  “I was almost tempted to tease him.  How did your date go?”

             
Kit felt her eyes light up.  “The ocean was great!  I’d never been to a beach before and I loved it!”

             
Joey chuckled. “And the gorgeous and wealthy superstar?”

             
For some reason, Kit felt self-conscious as she said, “Nick is very nice.  You know that.  It was fun.”  She changed the subject.  “I don’t have to record Monday after all.  Could we go home?”

              They found a five thirty a.m. flight, and were back in Wyoming in time to drive straight to church. 

When they walked in just a few minutes late and sat with the family, the look on
Rossen’s face and Mimi’s smile as she reached for her, were worth all the rush and lack of sleep.  Over Sunday dinner, they told all of their stories, and then Kit fell asleep on a lounger on the deck with Mimi cuddled close and Rossen in the chair beside them.

Chapter 15

             
Nick woke up Sunday feeling better than he’d felt on a Sunday morning in a long, long time.  It was early and he realized he hadn’t been home by midnight on a Saturday night since he could remember.  And his head was completely clear.  He’d had nothing to drink at dinner or at the beach last night with Kit.  It felt good.

             
Thinking about her, he laid there and smiled.  He'd never been around anyone like this girl in his life.  She was the absolute antithesis of the average rock band groupie.  She hadn’t wanted to be seen with him and didn’t even act like she wanted him physically.  She got spooky and shied away if he stood too close or even looked at her with a little too much interest. 

There were p
eople who would have given anything if they could be on stage with him, but she didn’t even seem to realize she had world class talent.  And her mind was amazing.  He’d never known anyone in his life who could think and remember and understand the way she could.  Dr. Mitchell had tried to tell him, but he hadn’t believed him.  It had seemed too implausible.  She had her music memorized after hearing it played one time through and she seemed to understand what he was trying to do with a song by only looking at him.  It was like she was reading his mind.  He shook his head when he realized he was actually thinking about a beautiful woman’s mind for a change. 

             
Playing beside her through the hours had been an uncanny experience.  The music had flowed in perfect rhythm and their voices melded like magic.  He couldn’t have found another player and singer like her if he spent the next twenty years of his life looking.  Dr. Mitchell had indeed dropped the ultimate gift into his lap when he'd shown up with her.

              He smiled again, thinking about her last night at the ocean.  She'd laughed out loud when the waves flowed over her bare feet and she'd played in the foamy surf like a small child.  But she definitely didn’t look like a small child.  She was the most physically exquisite creature on the planet.  Watching her in her white sundress in the sea breeze had been incredible, and when she’d turned to him with that glossy mane of hair and those brilliant blue eyes, she'd made him feel eighteen again.

             
Even when they'd been working together and he’d been trying to be professional, he’d sometimes had trouble focusing on the music and not how attractive she was.   And she had known it.  Every time she’d subtly pulled away from him. 

             
That was intriguing as well.  It had been years since a woman had turned him down for anything.  Kit was never overt about it, but she never gave him an inch of encouragement.  Taking his hand last night was the closest she'd come to flirting, and if he were honest, she had probably only done it because he'd asked.  She had coolly avoided his kiss last night and never looked back.  That had
never
happened. 

             
He shook his head with a rueful half smile as he got up to shower.  The one who wasn’t offering was more intriguing than any girl he’d ever met. 

             
Ten minutes later when he called her hotel room to ask her to do something with him that afternoon, he was stunned to learn she was gone.  Just gone!  Both she and Joey had checked out at four o’clock that morning.  He knew they’d planned to stay until Monday evening and he wondered what had happened.  He called Dr. Mitchell to see if he knew what had come up, and was told that when Kit had found out she wouldn’t be needed Monday, she’d decided to go home early.

             
Nick put down the phone with mixed emotions, foremost being disappointment.  He’d really wanted to see her today.  He shook his head again with a self-deprecating smile.  Apparently the feeling wasn’t mutual.

             
He puttered around through the morning and early afternoon and finally decided to call her.  Maybe there had been an emergency at home.  He’d never even told her how pleased he’d been with her work at the studio and had made no plans for her return.  There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her to come back.  He needed her professionally, but much more so than that, he couldn’t wait to see her again.  He called Dr. Mitchell and got her cell phone number. 

             
                                          ****

             
Rossen was sitting on the porch enjoying the view of Kit and Mimi Star sleeping in the chair beside him, when the phone in the pocket of her dress rang.  She’d only had it since she’d gone off to school and he’d never heard it ring before.  He didn’t think she usually even carried it when she was here.  The sound of it now was troubling to him somehow, and when she answered it and then said, “Nick.  Hey.” with a sleepy smile, something in his heart landed with a sickening thud.

             
Mimi started to wake and reached for him with a dah sound and he stood to pick her up and walked back into the house.  As he fixed her a bottle and gave it to her, he waged a battle in his head and heart.  He’d encouraged Kit to go to school, and to LA.  And he knew somehow it was the best thing for her, but he also knew who the Nick on the other end of that call was and his heart was sick.

             
She’d come home tired, but happy, and both she and Joey had told the whole family what they’d been up to and who they’d been with.  He’d wanted her to spread her wings.  At the time he’d recommended college, he’d had no idea she’d spread them this far, this fast.  This wasn’t exactly what he’d bargained for.  In a way, he was thrilled for her.  What an opportunity to use her gifts.  But in a way, it was killing him too.

             
He tried to bury his feelings and focus on the sweet baby in his arms.  Somehow, the fact that Kit had spent half the night getting home as soon as she could helped a lot, but he wasn’t even sure he should be happy about that, or encourage her to stay away next time.  He finally decided he was only human and that being grateful she'd come home wasn’t a bad thing.  By the time he took Mimi back out twenty minutes later, Kit was not only off the phone, but already back to sleep.

             
                                          ****

Back at school, Kit continued to strive to make this semester count.  She took two more CLEP tests and went out with Nate again and two other guys from their college ward.  She was still working out with Matt and not only had she already earned her green belt, but he'd become her best friend outside of the Rockland family.  He'd given up on any romantic notions with Kit and their friendship had become Kit’s favorite thing about college.  Sh
e still loved her sculpture, and Matt appreciated it too.  He would sometimes bring something to do and come and sit in the clay lab with her while she worked.  He'd figured out several ways to cheer her up when she was homesick, and Kit knew he would brighten her spirits when she needed it most.  She’d almost worried that he still liked her, until he started hitting on Joey when they were there.

             
Her art class was going well.  She was learning new techniques and ideas she’d use her whole life.  She was going to be able to get internship credits for her horse bronzes and the pieces she had in private galleries.  Spanish was the only class she had to work at and it was only because her heart wasn’t in it.  She had no real interest.  It was just a class to her and even her friendship with Ethan didn’t perk it up.  He kept trying to hold her hand and she had resorted to showing up late and hoping there were no seats available near him.

             
In guitar she was enjoying the music more than ever.  Dr. Mitchell had arranged to get her some credits for her work in LA and she could now read music, slowly, but well.  Nick had asked her to come back the fourth weekend in September and she was trying to cram everything in so she could take that Thursday, Friday and Saturday in LA, as well as spend some time at home Sunday and Monday.  Joey was going back with her again and she was trying to tie up all her loose ends, too.

             
When Kit went home to Wyoming, she tried to leave school and homework behind in Logan.  Except for talking to Rossen about some of what she was doing there, so he would know she wasn’t missing out, she came home to bask in being home.  She had all but quit nursing Mimi Star, a fact she truly regretted, but didn’t see any way around.  She'd begun to fix her a bottle just like Rossen did and it made her sad every time she did it.  Mimi Star was four and a half months old and she could wiggle faster than they could keep track and Rossen had put a play pen in his office filled with every toy possible.

             
They still took her on rides with them and Kit tried to ride at least once every time she came home.  Her friendship with Rossen was her greatest treasure, but there were times when the pressure to keep it platonic was so at odds with what she was really feeling, that it was almost hard to be with him.  Man, she hated the stupid rules.

             
The Wednesday before she was to go back to California, she was tired to the bone.  She’d gotten everything done and was spending the afternoon enjoying Rossen and Mimi as she worked beside him in his office.  They could do this without pressure to stay away from each other and his engineering work had almost become a haven for their relationship.  For some reason, Rossen didn’t feel like working together was against the stupid rule, so Kit tended to spend a lot of time in his office.

             
                                          ****

             
After dinner, Rossen turned on the TV to watch a ball game.  He loved having Kit home, but it was hard sometimes, too.  This life they were leading was definitely not what he’d have chosen, if he could choose.  Kit sat on the couch beside him and fell asleep within seconds with Mimi asleep on her lap.  Her head fell against his shoulder and her hand relaxed onto his thigh.  He’d known she was tired, but holy cow, that was fast!  And she was so gone!  He hadn’t seen her this tired since right after Mimi was born.  What was she doing at school to wear her out this much?  He’d have to ask Joey how it was all going again.

             
Twice Kit’s head slid off his shoulder.  The third time he eased off the couch, picked up Mimi Star and gently laid Kit down full length.  He put a pillow under her head, covered her with a throw and pulled a Love Sak over beside her to finish watching the game.  Eventually he leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes too, content to rest beside her with her little daughter.  When Kit turned on her side and draped her arm over his shoulder, none of them woke up, but they all three rested easier than they had in a whole month.

             
Naomi found them there at midnight.  She turned off the TV, turned out the lights, and went to bed, wishing she was wiser and knew how to solve everything for them.

             
When Kit woke up sometime in the night and realized he was there under her arm, she rolled over close to his head and wrapped her arm around his neck, deciding that all stupid rules were off when he was asleep. 

When he woke up toward morning with her arm around his neck and her head close to his, he just basked in the feel of her near him as she slept.  He could smell her shampoo and reveled in the feel of her arm on his skin.  He wasn’t going to worry about keeping his distance from her in her sleep.