Kade: Armed and Dangerous (12 page)

Kade glanced at the clock. “It’s barely five. Don’t you think that’s a little early?
Why don’t we just go back to bed?”

Trent rolled his eyes and bounced on his dad. “Come on, come on, come on. You promised
to take me fishing. You promised.” “Oh, yeah?” Kade tickled Trent in his most ticklish
spots until the boy squealed with laughter, flopping around like a fish out of water.

Trent squirmed out of Kade’s reach, tumbled off the bed, and Kade shot out the door.
“Kelsey Kelsey Kelsey Keeelseeeyyy. It’s time to go fishing.” He opened her door and
darted in.

Kade raised an eyebrow. After the first night, he figured she’d kept her door locked
to keep him out. Not that he’d invite himself in. She’d have to do the inviting.

“Happy birthday.” Kelsey’s sleepy voice came from her room, and then Trent was pulling
her through the door. Kade saw she wore the same pink T-shirt and shorts he’d seen
her in at the hotel.

“Good mornin’,” Kade said, noting all her sensual curves that the clothes couldn’t
hide.

“Too early to tell.” She ruffled Trent’s hair. “Hey, Taz, how about a shower first?”

“You look great.” He shook his head under her hand. “Just go like that. Come on.”

Kade caressed her with his gaze. “You look beautiful.”

Kelsey blushed, and Trent said, “How come you’re turning all red?”

“Never mind. Give me ten minutes to shower.” Kelsey ducked back into her room.

Once everyone was ready and the truck loaded, the trio headed to Parker Lake in the
Huachuca Mountains, the sun barely rising over the horizon.

The night before, Sadie had packed a picnic basket brimming with ham and cheese sandwiches
for Kelsey and Kade, peanut butter and jelly for Trent, and large slices of her Polish
coffee cake. Kade had loaded the fishing poles and tackle. They made good time, and
when they arrived, found they had the lake to themselves for a while.

After they’d caught a stringer full of fish, and Trent had broken his line for the
third time, Kade sat down to re-string the line. Kelsey settled next to him on the
picnic blanket and wrapped her arms around her bare knees.

Pink. She always wears pink, and it suits her,
he thought. She wore a button-up shirt and blue shorts, showing off her long legs.
A thick scar ran along her upper thigh, partially hidden by her shorts.

She inhaled and turned her face to the sky. “Mmmm, it smells wonderful out here. I
love the fragrance of pine and fresh mountain air.”

He forced himself to look away to check on his son, who was busy skipping stones across
the lake, surely scaring all the fish away. But what the heck. The kid was having
fun and it was his birthday.

Trent was a strong swimmer, and he knew the rules about not entering the lake without
an adult, but Kade didn’t want to take chances. He started re-stringing Trent’s line,
glancing at the boy every now and then as he and Kelsey talked.

“You’ve done a wonderful job as a single dad,” Kelsey said as she watched his son.

“He’s one hell of a kid.” Kade smiled. “I’ve always worried about him not having a
mom around, but he seems to be doing great.”

“That must have been difficult, to lose somebody you loved when you were so young.”
Her voice was soft and thoughtful.

Kade didn’t know what possessed him. He never discussed Lorraine, but talking with
Kelsey was easy. Natural.

He shrugged and said, “It was sad, but sadder yet that it was her own damn fault.
She was drunk and almost took other lives along with her.”

Kelsey put her hand on his arm, concern in her eyes. “You don’t have to tell me this.”

“It’s all right.” Kade took a deep breath and rubbed at his neck, releasing tension
in his muscles. “Thank God, Trent and those other folks lived. It’s a real shame Lorraine
died, but what’s done is done.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kelsey squeezed Kade’s arm, and to his surprise, he could see tears
glittering in her eyes. His throat tightened, and he regretted spilling his guts.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he said softly. “I have Trent, and he means the
world to me.”

He decided he’d better change the subject. “Have you gone fishing before?”

“Years and years ago.”

Kade glanced from Trent to Kelsey and saw a haunted look in her eyes.

“With my sister, mother, and even my father.” Her voice was as distant as her gaze.
“We loved to go.”

“Where do your folks live now?”

Kelsey was silent, and then she said, “They all died five years ago.” Her voice caught.
“I keep thinking I’ll get over it, but not a day goes by that I don’t miss Mother
and Naya. That I... that I don’t wonder why I survived the plane crash, and they didn’t.
Why wasn’t it me instead of them?”

“I’m sorry, honey.” Kade set the fishing pole down, put his arm around Kelsey, and
brought her close, holding her head against his chest. Ice chilled his veins at the
thought of her being in such a tragic accident, and the knowledge that she could’ve
died.

As he stroked her hair, he breathed in her scent of honeysuckle and sunshine, and
felt her tears through his shirt. He watched Trent as he rocked Kelsey, thankful that
his son had survived the collision that had taken Lorraine but wishing Kelsey’s family
had been as fortunate as his son.

“I’m sorry for crying all over you.” She tried to pull away, but he held on to her,
and she relaxed against him again.

It all made sense. “That’s why you’re afraid to fly.”

“Especially small planes.” She sounded like in a way she was exorcising her demons
as she spoke. “I’ll never go in one again. The charter we’d taken on a sightseeing
tour lost power and slammed onto the runway. I can still smell the smoke... and feel
the flames... and hear the screams.”

She turned her tear-streaked face to Kade. “I still don’t understand why they died
and I lived. Why I walked away with only this scar.” She rubbed her leg as if trying
to scrub away the memories of the accident.

He kissed her forehead and glanced at his son playing at the water’s edge. “You were
meant to survive. Like Trent. I’m sure your family would want you to live. To get
on with your life.”

“I know you’re right, but it’s so hard.” She was quiet, as if searching through her
feelings, trying to understand the reality she had to face when everything was over.

When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and full of regret. “That’s why I fell
into a relationship with Davis. Why he fooled me so well.” She sighed and shook her
head. “I put up with his abuse for so long because I was too devastated to lose again.
In truth I was stupid not to realize that leaving Davis would be the best thing I
could do to get on with living.”

Kade hooked a finger under her chin with one hand and wiped away her tears with his
other hand. “You’re not stupid, Kelsey. You’re intelligent and beautiful. It sounds
like this bastard took advantage of you at a fragile time in your life. And if I meet
the SOB, I’d like to make him pay.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “I can just picture you, dressed in white and riding
to my rescue.”

“I wear mostly blue.” Kade gave a gentle smile. But that smile faded as he searched
her eyes and the next question came to his lips. “Did he hit you?”

Kelsey stiffened and looked away. “Davis punched with words. He knew exactly how to
rip me to shreds without laying a finger on me.” A shuddering sigh rolled over her.
“He attempted to control every aspect of my life. I was an idiot to not come to my
senses sooner.”

It was an effort for Kade to control the anger burning in him. He swore under his
breath and pulled her closer. “So help me, that bastard better never stray across
my path.”

“Why did I just tell you my life story?” She drew away and met his gaze. “Why do I
trust you?”

He brushed his lips across her hair, breathing her scent. So beautiful, so sensual,
so sweet.

“What do you want from me?” Kelsey’s voice had a slight tremble to it, saying more
than her words, telling him of her fear of loss and betrayal. Her fear of repeating
past mistakes.

Kade ran his thumb over her forearm, to the inside of her elbow and back, feeling
the softness of her skin against his calluses. “What do I want from you? Nothing.
Everything. Whatever you’ll give me.”

Kelsey caught her breath as his words gripped her heart.
Nothing. Everything. Whatever you’ll give me.

Trent darted up from the lake. “Is my line fixed, Dad? I want to catch more fish.”

Kade squeezed her hand, sending dangerous sensations through her belly. He scooped
up Trent’s fishing pole and stood. “Hold your horses, kiddo.”

***

The moment Kade left, Kelsey felt alone. Like a part of her was missing. His scent
had been so intoxicating, his touch so sensual, surrounding her with his masculinity.
She’d bared her soul, and just by telling him she felt lighter, as though she truly
were alive again.

But did she dare trust him with her heart?

As she watched Kade with Trent, she couldn’t believe that voice inside her that said
all men were like Davis and her father. She couldn’t believe Kade would intentionally
hurt anyone.

She watched as Kade cast Trent’s line, then worked with his son with such patience.
Why did she feel like she could talk to him so easily? Perhaps it was the day. The
intimacy of spending time together with just the three of them. Yet they’d probably
spent a good hour chatting yesterday, long after the interview had ended.

While he settled Trent on a log to wait for fish to nibble, she took the opportunity
to study Kade. His blue shirt accented his vivid blue eyes, and when he laughed at
something his son said, that adorable dimple appeared in his cheek. Jeans molded his
muscular thighs, and even though he was a big man, tall and muscled, his movements
were as fluid as a mountain lion’s.

And those hands. Strong, large. She thought of the texture of his skin against hers,
how it felt when he’d held her face in his hands and kissed her, his calluses rough
against her cheeks.

Kelsey glanced from Kade’s hands to his face and froze. He was watching her with the
same hunger in his eyes that must have been apparent in hers. Yearning curled in her
abdomen like molten fire, and for endless seconds, she couldn’t tear her gaze from
his. Then a fish tugged on Trent’s line, and Kade turned back to his son.

God help her, but she wanted him. Needed him.

It took all her effort to stop staring at Kade. She fought to compose herself, gazing
out at the midnight blue of the lake, listening to the soft lap of the water against
the shore. His husky voice washed over her as he spoke to Trent in a low, even tone.
The boy’s answering voice, so high and sweet, took hold of her heart, never to let
go.

With her eyes closed, she focused on the wind whispering through pine and juniper
trees and drank deep of the scents of rich loam and pine. The breeze caressed her
face as softly as Kade’s touch, and she ached for him, wanting his fingers sliding
over her skin.

Kelsey opened her eyes, forced the thoughts away, and scooted to her feet. After brushing
stray pine needles from the seat of her shorts, she strolled to the edge of the lake
just as Kade helped Trent reel in a fish.

“It’s a big one, Kelsey.” The boy hopped along the water’s edge while Kade added the
fish to the stringer. “It’s really, really big. It almost pulled me in. It’s a catfish.
Do you like catfish?”

“Love ‘em.” Kelsey put her hand on Trent’s shoulder.

“I think that’s enough.” Kade pulled the stringer out of the lake and tossed it into
the ice chest they’d brought for that purpose. “We need to get back for cake, ice
cream, and fireworks.”

“Okay. But first I wanna show Kelsey how to make a wish in the lake.” Trent scooped
up a small rock and held it up to her. “You take a rock and squeeze it real tight.”
The boy wrapped his fist around the stone. “Close your eyes, make a wish, and throw
the rock into the lake. But you can’t tell nobody what you wished for or it won’t
come true.”

Kelsey laughed, delighted in the boy’s enthusiastic instructions.

Trent gripped the rock in his hand and shut his eyes even tighter.

His lips moved, then he leaned back and threw the rock into the water. He opened his
eyes and pointed to the ripples. “I threw it really, really far, and I made a great
wish. Your turn.”

She knelt and selected a flat round stone, then stood. Trent bounced up and down on
the shore with unbridled energy. “Come on, Kelsey. Close your eyes and make a wish.”

What did she wish for? She shut her eyes, feeling the smoothness of the stone against
her palm.

Kade.
His name popped unbidden into her mind, and a flush heated her body. But then the
thought of Davis chased away the warmth, leaving only cold. Reminding her that she
shouldn’t make herself vulnerable again.

“Kelsey,” came Trent’s sweet voice. “Are you going to make a wish?”

“Yes,” she replied, her voice too hoarse, filled with the pain of longing and the
emptiness of regret.

And then it came to her, as clear as that July summer sky. She wanted a child as wonderful
as Trent to call her own. With her eyes still squeezed tight, she brought the stone
to her mouth and kissed it, feeling its smooth contours with her lips, then pitched
the rock into the lake.

“Wow, you can throw far,” Trent shouted.

Kelsey opened her eyes to see Kade beside her, his intense blue gaze boring into her
as if he could see her dreams and know her thoughts. She shivered, longing to ease
her arms around him and feel the comfort of his body next to hers.

Trent bounded between them and crinkled his freckled nose. “Why’d you kiss the rock?
Do you think it’ll make your wish come true?”

She shrugged and tried not to look at Kade. “With all my heart, I hope so.”

Trent tugged on his dad’s sleeve. “Dad, your turn. Make a wish before we go.”