Tomorrow's Promise (The Hawks Mountain Series) (11 page)

Chapter 11

FAITH SAT BESIDE Cole in the reception area of the Paws and Claws Animal Clinic and Wildlife Sanctuary and waited for Dr. Hunter Mackenzie to pronounce his final verdict on whether or not Faith had a job.

Dr. Mackenzie was seated behind the receptionist desk reading the pitiful resume Faith had managed to scrape together and handwrote last night. As he read, she studied him. Granny Jo had told her that he’d met his wife Rose when she applied for a job as his receptionist. She had been a surrogate mother for her close friend, and the friend and her husband had died in a car accident, leaving Rose to carry the twins she’d conceived and to take care of them after they were born. Rose and Hunter had fallen in love and married, and he adored his adopted twin daughters.

Maybe Granny was right. Maybe there were a few good men. Faith glanced at the man beside her and then shifted in the uncomfortable, molded plastic chair.

“You okay?” Cole kept his voice low.

Cole had stayed until they knew what Hunter would say so she’d have a ride home. At first, she had wanted him to leave and let her call him when the verdict was in, but now she was glad he’d insisted on waiting with her. Just his presence beside her gave her the courage to face Hunter’s final decision, no matter what it would be. She wanted to grab Cole’s hand and siphon off the strength she knew she’d find there, but she didn’t. Instead, she clutched her hands together in her lap until her fingers ached.

Faith offered him a weak smile. “I’m fine. Just a bit anxious.”

Just before the feeling left her fingers, Cole pried her hands apart, enclosed one in his, and smiled down at her. “Relax. I’m sure you’ve got this in the bag.”

His reassurance helped calm some of the anxiety she’d been feeling since she’d gotten out of bed that morning. She didn’t understand why she was feeling so uptight. After all, she’d had job interviews up and down Carson’s Main Street and managed it without balancing on the edge of a nervous overload.

But none of them had been your last option. This one is,
a little voice inside her head taunted.
What will you do if you don’t get this job? Go back to “cleaning” Cole’s clean house?

She shivered as a chill of apprehension danced up her spine. “What if—”

Cole squeezed her hand gently. “Think positive. I am. He’d be crazy not to hire you.”

A smile teased at the corners of her mouth. “You’re prejudiced.”

“Yup.” He winked, and her heart nearly burst from her chest.

What was there about this man that had the power to make her believe that the sun would always shine on her days, and that there really was a tomorrow waiting just around the next corner?

Whoa, girl! Dangerous thinking
. Just like that kiss was last night.

Cole was no different than any other man she’d ever come in contact with in her life. Her father had stood stoically aside while her mother pounded her Bible and berated Faith and declared she’d go to hell for her transgressions. Sloan had taken all she had to give and given nothing but heartache in return. Cole had lied to get his way, something she’d forgiven him for, but couldn’t forget. All in all, her scorecard with men registered a big, bold, fat zero.

“Faith.” Dr. Mackenzie’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She would have stood, but her legs were just too shaky. Finally, she forced herself to her feet and approached the desk. “Yes?”

He waved the resume in the air. “Not much here.”

Heat suffused her face. She lowered her gaze to her hand still holding Cole’s. “No, sir.”

Dr. Mackenzie smiled. “When I hired my wife, she knew nothing about this business, but she became one of my greatest assets. I have a young boy who works with me and has no training, but he’s better with my animals than I am.” He waved the paper again. “Words on paper don’t always tell me the best things about a person. I’ve learned to rely on my instincts. And my instincts tell me you’re a good person.” The handsome vet smiled at her. “The job’s yours if you want it. You can start tomorrow, but please call me Hunter. Sir is way too formal for a place where cleaning up animal poop is a regular part of a day’s work.”

IN THE CAR, FAITH leaned back against the seat, a huge smile across her lips. “I can’t believe it. I’m gainfully employed,” she announced because she had to hear the words to make sure it was true.

“That you are.” Cole started the squad car and steered it out of the parking lot. “And I think we need to celebrate. Can Granny Jo keep Lizzie a few hours longer?”

“Probably. Why?”

He grinned at her, and then quickly shifted his gaze back to the winding road leading from the vet’s office to the main highway. “Because I’m taking you to dinner at the Lodge at the Lake.”

In her heart, Faith knew this would probably be playing Russian roulette with fate, but the idea of going out to dinner and spending the evening with Cole was too tempting. “I’ll call Granny.”

Granny Jo not only agreed to keep Lizzie longer, she’d insisted on keeping her overnight and ordered Faith to relax and enjoy celebrating getting a job.

TIKI TORCHES stationed strategically along the railing illuminated the darkness. Candles in glass globes placed on each of the tables cast a golden glow over the Lodge at the Lake’s patio diners. Cole leaned back, comfortably sated by his lobster dinner. When she’d told him she’d never had lobster before and seemed reluctant to choose from the expensive items on the menu, with her permission, he’d ordered lobster, loaded baked potato, and a salad for her.

Faith laid down her fork and placed her open palm against her stomach and groaned. “I think if I put one more forkful of food in my mouth, I’ll burst.”

He frowned. “That’s too bad. I’m told the chef here is famous for his desserts, but I guess you won’t have room for the
crème brûlée
then.”

Faith’s mouth curled up in an enticing smile. “I have no idea what that is, but just the name sounds heavenly. Want to share one with me?”

Dessert wasn’t the only thing he wanted to share with her, but he pushed that thought aside, nodded, and motioned for the waiter. The young man sidled up to their table, and Cole ordered one dessert and two coffees. When the order came, there was only one dessert spoon. Cole picked it up, broke through the caramelized crust, and then scooped out some of the creamy custard beneath it. He held out the spoon to her. “Try it.”

As her lips closed around it, a hot stab of awareness zipped through Cole’s lower body. He tried to avert his gaze, but he might as well have been trying to drain the lake with a sip straw. As though that hadn’t been enough of a strain on his libido, once she got the custard off the spoon and into her mouth, she licked her lips and sighed. He stifled a groan and averted his gaze to the moon-washed lake. But, as if magnetized, his attention went back to her.

“You have to try some.” Faith extended the spoon to him. “I was right. It’s heavenly.”

Cole shook his head. “I just can’t fit any more food in me.” He indicated that she retain the spoon. “You finish it.” Then he tortured himself by watching her eat the rest of the creamy dessert.

Despite being outside in the cool mountain air, by the time they’d finished dinner and paid the guest check, Cole was certain the temperature on the patio had risen to near the boiling point.

“Could we take a walk by the lake?” Faith asked.

Cole was stunned into silence. He’d been certain she’d want to go home right after dinner. Evidently, his hesitation made her think he didn’t want to do it.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. You must be tired, and you’ve already done so much for me today. If you’d rather go home . . .”

Even though he knew it probably wasn’t the brightest move he’d ever made, he was not about to end this evening any faster than he had to. He immediately accepted her suggestion. “Walk by the lake it is.” He took her arm and steered her toward the staircase that led from the upper patio to the lakeside below.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, his hand slipped down her arm to encase her hand in his. For a long time, they strolled silently, hand-in-hand, soaking up the sights and sounds of the night.

The wind blew across the surface of the lake and produced tiny waves that rushed the shore and lapped gently at the bank. The moving water caught the reflection of the full moon and caused splashes of silvery light to dance over the surface of the lake. A dog barked in the distance. Night creatures skittered through the underbrush, disturbed by the intrusion of the humans in their midst.

Faith’s contented sigh broke the silence. “I feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. Having a job and an income, even if it’ll only be until Rose comes back to work, is such a relief. I can even plan a small birthday party for Lizzie.”

“It’s Lizzie’s birthday?”

A balmy breeze blew in off the lake, ruffling Faith’s hair across her cheeks. Before she could push it away, Cole’s fingers brushed her face, captured the flyaway strands, and anchored them behind her ear. His touch ignited a flame deep inside her that warmed her through and through.

“Her birthday is in a few weeks. She’ll be three. I was afraid I’d have to make believe it was just another day. But not now.” She grinned, trying not to acknowledge what his touch was doing to her insides, but pleased that she would be able to give Lizzie something she’d never had before. “Not that she’d know, of course.” She moved away, out of his reach.

For a moment he stared at her, then asked, “Am I invited?”

Faith laughed in an effort to make light of the moment. “She’d never forgive me if I didn’t invite her favorite fella.”

“I’ll come, but you have to let me get the cake. My sister has a little business making cakes for special occasions, and this is definitely special. After all, how often does a gal turn three?”

Cole took Faith’s hand and guided her over a fallen log. As she stepped over it, her foot caught on a broken twig protruding from the limb. She stumbled and would have fallen if Cole hadn’t caught her in his arms. Instantly, her laughter died. She stared up at him, acutely aware of the thump of his heart against her chest.

“Cole.” His whispered name hung on the lake breeze.

Lord help him, Cole knew what he was about to do was exactly what he’d promised himself he wouldn’t do again, but her lips were just too close, too tempting, too inviting. He leaned down, slowly closing the space between them. Her warm breath feathered his face just before his lips touched hers.

The kiss they’d shared the other night had been passionate, but brief because of Lizzie’s interruption, but tonight there was no interruption, and it seemed to go on forever. Cole kept telling himself to stop, but everything inside him defied the command. Instead, he folded Faith closer in his arms and intensified the kiss.

Faith moaned deep in her throat and tightened her arms around his neck, pulling his lips down hard on hers. Heat shot through Cole like a flaming arrow. Caution raised its ugly head. This was going too fast. Against his will, he lifted his head and gazed down at her desire-soaked eyes.

“I think we’d better get out of here.” He didn’t recognize the raspy voice that had said those words.

Faith slammed back to earth with a resounding
thump
. Instantly, she released him and stumbled backward as though she’d been burned. Cole caught her again, but this time kept her at arm’s length. She lowered her gaze. “Yes, I guess we’d better.”

Slowly, and this time without touching, they made their way silently back the way they’d come. Faith’s entire body burned with need and gave no sign of cooling. Her lips still throbbed from the kiss, but she couldn’t believe how she’d responded to Cole. If he hadn’t stopped the kiss, she knew she wouldn’t have been able to. God help her, she’d wanted it to go on forever. Truth be known, and as dangerous as it could be to her heart, she wanted him to kiss her again and again until she forgot everything but Cole Ainsley.

COLE PULLED THE car into her driveway and turned off the ignition. He held out his hand. “Give me your house keys. I’m going in first to make sure everything is all right.” Recalling what had happened the last time she came home, Faith laid them in his palm without question. “Stay here until I call you.” Cole left the car and hurried to the front door. Seconds later, he disappeared inside the house.

Several long minutes passed before a light came on in the living room window. While Faith waited, she relived their kiss over and over. Her body thrummed with the need to go further. Cole reappeared on her porch and motioned for her to get out of the car. She climbed out and made her way to the front porch where he waited for her.

“Everything is okay,” he said, handing her keys back to her. “Lock the door after I leave.”

She tucked the keys in her pocket and nodded. “I will. And . . . thanks for everything, Cole.”

“Everything?”

She couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the intimation in his voice. Was he referring to the kiss they’d shared by the lake?

He shifted slightly, and the light from the window illuminated his face. His dark gaze bore into her, sending shivers of desire coursing over her, reigniting the flames that had consumed her at the lake. His look silentl
y
said the same thing she’d been saying to herself since they’d pulled part on the lake shore.

I want you.

The fire she could feel eating at her inside burst into a consuming flame, turning her resistance to ashes. At that moment, she made a decision she knew she might come to regret later, but right now . . .