Fool Me Once (20 page)

Josh
turned back to Olivia, but she had fallen asleep wrapped in a blanket. In spite
of the dark circles that rimmed her eyes, she looked beautiful. He tucked the
blanket around her feet and moved forward, sticking his head into the cockpit.

“Thanks,
A.J. Your timing was perfect, as usual.”

The
pilot grinned. “My pleasure sir. I assume that was your primary target?”

“Yes.
And the beauty of the whole operation is that nobody will ever know who did
this, and people in the trade will be suspicious of each other for a long
time.” He watched the countryside fall away beneath them. “So the mission was a
complete success.”

A.J.
hiked his head back. “The woman. Is she all right?”

Josh
nodded. “As far as I can tell. Right now she’s exhausted.” He clapped the pilot
on the shoulder. “Have you been in contact with the airport?”

“Yes
sir. The jet is standing by with long range fuel tanks. Oh, and sir?”

“Yes?”

“The
yacht left around four thirty. Blazek couldn’t find it if he tried.”

“Excellent.”
Josh stifled a yawn. “It’s been a long night.”

“Yes,
sir.” A.J. kept his eyes on the horizon. “We’ll be there soon, sir.”

* * *

Olivia
stirred, and was immediately aware of a steady, low-pitched sound. She was
tired; so very tired, and she tugged at a fleecy blanket, pulling it up under
her chin. Her shoulders ached, painful reminders of the events of the past
twenty-four hours. Memories flooded her consciousness with a rapid-fire slide
show of images. Eliska, the yacht, Blazek and then the relief of finding
herself in Josh’s arms, knowing that she was safe. Vague impressions hovered at
the back of her mind; a helicopter, billowing explosions and then Josh lifting
her effortlessly, and tucking her into bed with great tenderness.

She
opened her eyes. Sunlight flooded in through a small window and she propped
herself up on one elbow to look out. Clouds blocked her view of what lay below.
Curiosity forced her to her feet, a blanket clutched around her shoulders. Head
reeling, she steadied herself against the wall then reached for the door.

Josh
lay sprawled in a seat by the window, shade drawn and eyes closed. The
beginnings of a beard reminded Olivia that he’d been awake even longer than she
had. He stirred in his sleep, long legs twitching restlessly.

Olivia
sat in the seat opposite and watched his steady breathing. Here was a man who
embodied everything she desired. Forget the good looks and the easy charm. She
smiled to herself. Well, perhaps that wouldn’t be easy, but once past those
attributes, the man underneath was even more appealing. The quiet confidence
that she had come to know was in direct contrast to the devil-may-care front he
so cleverly put forth to the world. And it was that confidence that appealed to
her. His devotion to what he believed in and his willingness to act on his
convictions were more of a turn-on than his smoldering sexuality. In the bright
light of day, she could no longer deny it. She loved him; it was as simple as
that. With a soft sigh on her lips she went back to the small cabin. Knowing
their destination suddenly didn’t seem so important.

* * *

The
aircraft touched down and Josh looked out the window. He’d give anything for a
shower and some clean clothes. The jet taxied off the main runway, heading for
the section reserved for private aircraft. His Cessna sat on the tarmac,
awaiting their arrival.

“Where
are we?” Olivia came out of the small cabin, absently smoothing her rumpled
clothes. She looked out of the window then looked back toward Josh, her eyes
shining. “We’re in Montana, aren’t we? I can see the mountains.”

“I
hope you don’t mind. I thought this would be the perfect place for us to
recuperate.” He gestured to a man striding across the tarmac. “Kyle brought the
Cessna and a change of clothes for you. They may not fit very well, but they’ll
do for now.”

Olivia
looked down at herself. The blouse and shorts she had put on in what seemed
like another lifetime were dirty and badly wrinkled. “Anything would be better
than this,” she said. “Thank you for thinking of it.” Her hand went to her
mouth. “What about my passport? My clothes from the yacht? My laptop?”

Josh
grinned. “They’re en route already. They’ll be delivered to the ranch tomorrow
along with my stuff. Your government is very efficient, I’ll say that much.”

Olivia
gave her face a quick wash and stepped into a pair of soft jeans. They were too
short, but she didn’t care. A simple white shirt carried with it the distinctive
smell of being dried outside in the sunshine. It was pure bliss to put on clean
clothes. She tossed her dirty clothes in the bag then remembered the ring.
Digging it out of the pocket of her shorts, she shoved it into the pocket of
her jeans and stepped into the cabin.

Josh
stood up quickly. “That was fast,” he said, smiling at the bare skin between
the bottom of the jeans and her sandals. “But something’s missing.”

She
ran her fingers through her hair and smiled up at him. “Sorry about that, but
the selection was somewhat limited.” She paused, noting the devilish sparkle in
his eyes. “What are you going on about, anyway?”

He
held up the necklace. “Your outfit doesn’t look complete without this.”

“My
necklace!” Her eyes widened. “Where did you find it?”

His
fingers brushed the back of her neck as he slipped it over her head, sending
delightful sensations dancing across her skin. He planted a quick kiss on her
neck and she turned to him, eyes questioning.

“I’ll
tell you later,” he promised, and his eyes dropped to her lips. “We have a lot
of catching up to do.” With a casual intimacy, he took her hand, weaving his
fingers between hers. “Come on,” he said, striding across the tarmac. “Let’s do
some flying.”

* * *

“Oh,
Josh. It’s beautiful!” Olivia didn’t know where to look first. Piloting the
Cessna with a sure hand, Josh had been following a meandering valley flanked by
gently rolling hills. In the distance the Rockies dominated the horizon, bold
and massive against the blue sky. “Is it much farther to your ranch?”

“We’ve
been over it for a few minutes now.” He reached across the console and squeezed
her hand. “That building we just flew over with the green roof is my home.”

The
aircraft touched down lightly and an old army Jeep sped toward the airstrip.
“Our welcoming committee,” he said, bringing the aircraft to a stop and
flicking switches with a practiced hand.

“Welcome
home, son.” A short grizzled man eased his small frame out of the jeep, a black
Stetson shading his eyes. He nodded toward Olivia. “Howdy ma’am.”

“Olivia,
I’d like you to meet Clint Jackson, the toughest foreman for miles. Clint, I’d
like you to meet Olivia MacMillan.”

The
foreman removed his hat and extended his hand. His grip was firm, yet gentle.
“Don’t you listen to him, ma’am. He’s been riled at me ever since I caught him
in the barn, drinking his Pappy’s whiskey.” A slow grin lit his face. “And that
was back when he was thirteen years old.”

“And
he’s never let me forget it.” Josh laughed, giving the old man a quick hug.
“How’s everything, Clint?”

“Just
fine, now that you’re home.”

Josh
scanned the rolling countryside and his whole body relaxed. “I missed this
place,” he said, reaching for Olivia’s hand. “I can’t speak for Olivia, but
I’ve done enough traveling for a while.” He opened the back door of the Jeep
with a flourish. “Your chariot, madam.” Their eyes met, and she knew he was
recalling the limousines they had so recently utilized. There was no
comparison; the Jeep won hands down. She turned her face to the sun and breathed
in sweet, pure air. No wonder Josh was so grounded, so confident. She sensed
instinctively that this land tolerated no half measures. In this beautiful but
unforgiving environment, a man could find his true worth. Her fingers touched
the rough stones of her necklace and she turned to find him regarding her with
a knowing smile.

“Welcome
to the Bar M. My little piece of heaven.”

Cattle
grazed in the distance, dark spots against the lush green grass of early
summer. Josh pointed out the buildings clustered around the main house, and as
they drove past the stables a horse whinnied impatiently. “That sounds like
Zorah, my horse. I’ll introduce you later.”

Olivia
smiled to herself. “He’s a quarter horse, right?”

He
gave her an odd look. “That’s right. How did you know?”

“I
dreamed about you when I was in the warehouse. You were on a quarter horse.”
She smiled self-consciously. “I knew you’d come for me.”

His
eyes held hers and they were full of promise. “There was never any doubt about
that.”

They
pulled up at the rear of the house. The roof extended to cover a broad
verandah, and on either side of the stairs hollyhocks competed for space with
zinnias, petunias and bachelor’s buttons. A grey tabby cat lay curled in one of
the wicker chairs on the verandah, ignoring their arrival.

“Josh!
Welcome home.” A rotund woman bustled out, the screen door slapping behind her.

Josh
greeted her with a kiss. “Maisie, I’d like you to meet Olivia MacMillan. She’ll
be staying with us for a while. Olivia, this is Maisie Jackson.”

Olivia
shook hands with the smiling housekeeper. “I hope I’m not imposing, Mrs.
Jackson.” She glanced at Josh. “This was a last-minute trip.”

“Oh
pish.” Maisie waved her hands dismissively and led the way into the house.
“It’s a pleasure to have some company. Josh never brings anyone home. I keep
telling him to get away for a while, find himself a nice girl, but he thinks
them cattle can’t get along without him.” She poked Josh in the chest with a
stubby finger. “He tells me to mind my own business, but it’s high time he
settled down.”

Josh
rolled his eyes. “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

The
interior of the house was simple and beautiful. The ceiling of the great room
rose two stories high, with roughly hewn beams supporting the roof. Large slabs
of slate formed a hearth in front of the fieldstone fireplace, and evidence of
a recent fire confirmed Olivia’s suspicion that it could get cold here at
night…even in the summer. A large picture window overlooked the river that
meandered lazily through the property. Josh stood silently beside her as she
absorbed the view in silence. The mountains in the distance appeared so perfect
they might have been painted on a canvas the color of cornflowers.

“You
must feel…” she paused, looking for the right word. “You must feel
claustrophobic in London. Or any city for that matter.” She walked closer to
the window. “There’s something about seeing into the distance like this. I feel
like I can stretch my eyes.” She laughed self-consciously. “I guess that sounds
rather silly.”

He
touched her elbow. “Not at all. I know exactly what you mean. But it’s good to
hear someone put my thoughts into words.”

She
smiled up at him. He looked completely disreputable, his clothes rumpled and
the beginnings of a beard on his angular jaw. In spite of that, he’d never been
more appealing. She placed her palm along his cheek. “Josh…”

“There
you are.” Maisie bustled into the room. “When would you like dinner? I can have
it ready any time.”

Josh
shrugged and deferred to Olivia.

“Let’s
eat whenever you usually have it,” she suggested. “That may help our internal
time clocks to get re-calibrated.”

“Good
idea.” Josh turned to Maisie. “Six o’clock will be fine, Maisie. I hope it’s
something informal. We’re both tired.”

“Couldn’t
get much simpler. Stew, fresh rolls, and apple crisp for dessert. You can eat
in the kitchen if you’d like.”

Olivia’s
eyes lit up. “That would be wonderful. It looks so cozy.”

Maisie’s
ample bosom swelled at the compliment. “I’ll leave everything set up for you
then.” She shot a pointed look in Josh’s direction. “I’m sure you want to have
a shower before dinner.”

Josh
placed a hand at the small of Olivia’s back, guiding her to the stairs.
“Subtlety has never been Maisie’s strong suit,” he murmured as the housekeeper
returned to the kitchen. “But she has a point. I can’t remember the last time I
had a shower.”

He
ushered her into a spacious bedroom decorated in the soft, natural colors of
the prairie. “This is the guest room. I’ll meet you downstairs in an hour.”

Chapter Ten

“That
was delicious.” Olivia finished the last of the apple crisp. “Now all I need is
a cup of tea and I’ll know I’m truly in heaven.” She gathered up the dishes and
placed them in the sink. “If you show me where everything is, I’ll make the tea
while you get a fire started. You promised me an explanation about the
necklace.”

Olivia
placed the tray on the floor in front of the fireplace. Josh knelt on one knee,
positioning logs on top of the crackling kindling. He stared into the fire, his
face burnished by the reflected glow.