Cameron's Quest (7 page)

They were soon on the highway and before she
knew it, approaching the turn-off for Thunder Creek and
Cam
’s
ranch.

****

“This is it,”
Cam
said, turning to Lacey with a smile. “We’ll bypass the main buildings for now
and go straight to my place so you can get settled in.”

“Wow! It’s beautiful! You sure do get plenty of
snow,” she replied.

“Yes, and winters here are much colder than you’re
used to. The air out here tends to dry your skin pretty quick, too.”

“I’ll have to remember to moisturize. Don’t need
to start wrinkling up like a prune.”

Lacey’s laughter was a boon to his soul. He reached
for her hand, and she glanced toward him. “You’d still be beautiful to me.”

He heard giggling coming from the back seat. For
a moment there, he’d forgotten they had an audience. “Okay, girls. Fun’s over.
Tuck your ears back under your hats and prepare to dismount.”

They were driving through the main ranch yard.
Cam
was proud of how pristine it all looked. The house
and outbuildings had all received a fresh coat of paint last summer, and the
snow made everything look clean. “That’s where my nephew, Luke, and his family
live. You’ll meet them later.”

He drove on down his driveway, and as they
turned the last bend,
Cam
wasn’t disappointed.
Gasps and comments came from all four women.

“
Cam
, it’s
gorgeous! You never told me you lived in a log house.”

“Now, Lacey, a guy has to have a few surprises
up his sleeve,”
Cam
said, smiling.

“How many houses are on the property?” Lynne
asked.

“Just Luke’s and mine. His sister, Leah, and her
husband will be building out here come spring.”

“Didn’t you say you had a brother?” asked Abby.

“Yes, but he remarried and moved to the Grayson
spread to run things there.”

Rena had been strangely silent since they’d
passed the barns. Now she spoke. “Dad, how many people work the ranch?”

“We have quite a few full-time wranglers, and some
casuals we call in during our busiest months. Why?”

“Well, it seems like such a big ranch for just
you and Luke to manage.”

“You haven’t even seen a tenth of it yet. This
property is way too big for two men to manage. We passed the bunkhouse on the
way here. I’ll introduce you around later today or tomorrow.”

“Great!”

Cam
watched in the rearview mirror as Rena settled
back in her seat, a satisfied smile playing around the corners of her mouth.
She was probably looking forward to meeting their wranglers. That one was a
born flirt. He’d have to warn the men to keep their hands off.

Then again, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
They were all good men…honest and trustworthy. If she were to become attracted
to one of their wranglers, she’d be more tempted to stay. Wouldn’t she?

He braked to a stop in front of the house,
strode ahead to unlock the door as the girls stepped down from the truck, and then
returned for their luggage. He would have to make two trips, and that was with
each of his ladies carrying the smaller cases. “Guess you don’t believe in
traveling light.”

Lacey stopped on her way up the porch steps,
turned, and glared at him. “Since we aren’t sure how long we’re staying, we
thought it best to come prepared.”

“Touché! Point taken. You’re welcome to stay as
long as you like. Sorry if I stepped on any toes.”

“Besides, we’re women,” said Rena. “We need more
than blue jeans and T-shirts.”

“Yes, I imagine you do. Hadn’t thought about it
like that.” He chuckled.
Cam
set one suitcase
down on the verandah and pushed the front door open with a flourish. “Welcome
to my home.”

Their startled expressions spoke volumes as he
watched them enter. They stopped just inside the doorway.

“
Cam
, is this
for real? Is it yours?” asked Lacey.

“Every inch of it. Designed and built it with my
own two hands,” he said, a note of pride entering his voice.

“It’s so lovely.”

“Well, it’s warm at least, which is more than I
can say for the temperature out here.” He grinned as they shuffled out of his
way, allowing him entrance. He set the suitcases at the bottom of the stairs
leading to the second level. “Make yourselves at home while I fetch the rest of
the cases. I’ll get a fire going shortly.”

Central heat was okay when he had to be away,
but when he was home, he preferred the ambiance of a fire.
Cam
trudged back to the truck with a jaunty step.
They’re here.
His girls had arrived, and going by that heated kiss
at the airport, Lacey wasn’t averse to his advances any more. Suddenly he
frowned. She wouldn’t just be allowing him liberties because he’d paid for
their vacation, would she? Ah, hell! He hoped their being here was more than a
vacation. Time would tell.

When
Cam
returned with the last of their cases, the girls were nowhere to be seen. They’d
removed their coats and boots, making use of the coat rack behind the door and
lining their boots up neatly on the rubber mat. An eruption of giggles drew his
glance to the loft, and there were his daughters, standing and looking into the
master bedroom.

Cam
shucked his boots and coat and joined them
upstairs. “What’s so funny?”

“Uh, we were just laughing at Mama. She saw your
huge bed and her feet took flight,” said Lynne.

“Yeah, she fairly flew across the room and
landed on top with a big bounce.” Rena looked almost stunned by her mother’s
antics, as did Lynne and Abby.

“Well, she’s never had a proper bed. We’ve all
had singles,” Abby admitted, almost apologetic for her mother’s behavior.

Cam
stepped into the room to see Lacey sitting
primly at the edge of the bed, her cheeks flushed and rosy with embarrassment.
He walked closer and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Anytime you want that
bed to bounce, call me. We’ll rock it together.” He pulled back to discover her
cheeks an even darker red, her eyes lit with…desire?

“That’s a deal, cowboy.”

Cam
’s surprise must have shown on his face for she
giggled as she pushed to her feet.

****

 
“So, what
are the sleeping arrangements?”
Oh, shit!
What a bloody fool I am. Why am I always putting my foot in it around this man?

 
Hot
color crept into her already heated cheeks. It didn’t help that their daughters
were giggling from the doorway, avid curiosity registering on each face.

“You can have this room, Lacey. There’s a set of
bunks in the second bedroom and a smaller bedroom at the end of the house.”
Cam
turned to the girls, removing his attention from her,
at least for the moment. “You want to draw straws for the single room?”

“Abby’s the early bird. You know, ‘early to bed,
early to rise’?” Lynne shrugged her shoulders. “Rena and I tend to stay up later,
so we’ll share.”

“Then come right this way.”
Cam
showed Lynne and Rena to the bedroom next to the master, separated by a full
bath, then continued on down the hall to the third bedroom, furnished with a
double bed.

“Oh! This is lovely!” said Abby as she twirled
around in the center of the room. “I’ll sleep very well here.”

Cam
smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it. There are
towels in the bathroom, but the linen closet in the hall is fully stocked
anytime you need more. I’ll leave you girls to unpack while I go down and
rustle up some dinner.”

There had been no trace of the man’s belongings
in the room he’d assigned her. Lacey realized
Cam
was giving up his bedroom and felt uncomfortable with the arrangement. “Ah,
Cam
, where are you sleeping?”

“Downstairs. I thought you’d all be more
comfortable together up here.”

“But…”

“No buts. I moved to the den for the time being,
that’s all. It has a perfectly good hide-a-bed, and it’s time it saw some use.
Any other questions?”

“When’s dinner? I’m starved.”

“Rena, you’re always hungry,” said Lacey with a
laughing smile aimed toward her daughter. “How you eat so much and remain so
tiny is beyond my comprehension.”

“It’s called metabolism, Mama. We got it from
you.”

All three girls were trim and curvy, not an
extra pound on any of them. Lacey herself had never had a problem with weight
gain, except when she was pregnant. Back then, she’d felt as wide as a Mack
truck and as ungainly as a beached whale. It took a lot of hard work to tighten
those abs after their birth, and after meeting up with Cameron again, she was
glad she did. In her mind, sagging flesh was not appealing. Just look at the
way
Cam
had kept himself in shape. God, the
man was gorgeous!

She watched as he walked away, his body
disappearing from view as he went downstairs and headed for the kitchen. She
turned away from the railing and entered her room to unpack, but she couldn’t
resist another bounce on his bed. Lacey lay back and enjoyed the plush firmness
of the mattress beneath her. She could envision
Cam
here with her, entangled in the sheets as their bodies entwined. She closed her
eyes and remembered.

Cameron’s charming good looks and masculine
build had appealed to her from their first meeting. He’d been such an attentive
lover, making her feel she was special, very special. When wrapped in his arms,
she felt the world disappear as her body melted into his. They’d spent some of
their time sightseeing but always ended up in his room at some point each day.
He’d taught her love and laughter such as she’d never dreamed.

It had been an idyllic two weeks, their time
together cut short by the death of her uncle in a boating accident. She’d
wanted to run to
Cam
—to say good-bye—but how
would she explain knowing where he was staying to her family? In the end, she’d
left, her heart heavy at losing him…at not knowing how to reach him.
Ireland
was a big place, but not as big as
Canada
. She
took comfort in thinking he’d find her, someday, somehow. And he had, but was
it too late for them?

 
“Mama, I
thought you were going to unpack,” said Lynne as she came in and bounced on the
bed.

Lacey opened her eyes, blinking to shed her
thoughts of the past. She smiled at her daughter. “I was, but the bed looked so
inviting. I lay down and forgot everything else.”
Well, almost everything.

“Abby and Rena have already gone down to the
kitchen. Better get a move on or you’ll be late for dinner. I’ll help.”

It didn’t take long for the two of them to
unpack Lacey’s belongings and store the cases in the closet.

“Thanks, Lynne. Such an efficient young lady.
The task felt rather daunting when I came in and saw those suitcases sitting
there.”

“No problem, Mama. Let’s go join the others.”

“You go down. I’d like to freshen up a bit.”

“Mama, you look fine. Come on.” Lynne grabbed
her hand, pulling her along as she crossed the hall to the stairs.

“This is such a beautiful house.
Cam
must’ve planned on having a family at some point to
build one so big.” The thought of
Cam
with
someone else gave Lacey no pleasure at all.

“He’s a big man. Probably just needed the space.”

“Hmmm, maybe.” Lacey wasn’t so sure.

Cam
was filled with nervous anxiety as mealtime
approached. He was putting the finishing touches to a dinner he’d cooked for
his girls, four of the best cooks in
Ireland
. Would they like his simple
home-cooked offerings? Zakia had baked up a new batch of treats in honor of his
visitors, among them an assortment of pies for dessert. She’d even sent over a
tablecloth, which transformed his simple eat-in kitchen to a dining spot worthy
of a queen.

He smiled as he heard the girls chattering on
their way to the kitchen. They sounded excited.

“Hey, Daddy-o! What’s cookin’?” Rena asked.

Her words caused him to smile even wider. “Mashed
potatoes, roast beef, mixed vegetables, and gravy. There are salad fixings in
the fridge if you’d like to fix one, and pies for dessert.”

“Do
you
want salad?” she asked.

“Not in the mood for it tonight, but you go
ahead and help yourself.”

“Nope, I want to save room for pie.” Rena
laughed and went to the fridge anyway. “Oh! Look, Abby! Apple, lemon, and
coconut cream.”