Willow Smoke (17 page)

Cassie’s
eyebrows shot up. “If that’s true, it will be the first time.”

“He’s
fun. He treats me like I know something. I think he respects me for who I am.”

“You
sure he’s not just trying to get into your pants?”

Daisy
wrinkled her nose. “I wish he was. He’s too bothered by our age difference.”

“As
he should be. Does he know how old you are?”

Daisy
shook her head. “And don’t you dare tell him. If you do, I’ll never forgive
you.”

Cassie
leaned against her tack room doorway. “I might like to interfere, but I won’t.
You know that. I guess there’s some big lesson for you to learn in all of this;
I just hope it’s not the same old one.”

“Which
is?”

“You
can’t make family out of a mirage.”

“I’m
not looking at him as family.” Daisy stood. Her fingers curled into fists and
rested rigidly on her hips. “Nicholas Underwood
is
a
nice
man.
He’s
experienced.
He’s
too
old,
and
that
makes
him
safe.”

Cassie
studied
Daisy
for
a
long
moment
and
then
she
glowed.
“Well,
I’ll
be
damned.
Do
you
mean
you’re
looking
at Nicholas
Underwood
as
a
sex
object?
Why,
you
calculating
girl,
you!”
She
paused.
“You
may
be
right.
If
he’s
as
gentle
and
good
as
you
think.”
Cassie
pushed
away
from
the
doorway
and
resumed
pacing.

Again, she stopped in
front of Daisy. “Just
be
careful,
Daisy.
You’re
dealing
with
a
lot of emotions that you haven’t ever
touched.
And
you’re
dealing
with
another
human being. I don’t want you hurt, but
you
don’t want to hurt him, either.”

“Are
you
telling
me
that
you
didn’t
have
relationships
with
men
without
assuming
they
would
lead
to
wedding
bells?”

Cassie folded her arms
across her chest.
“Okay,
you win.
You’re right. It’s hard for
me to let
you go. But you will, whether I want you to or not. Just be careful. Practice
safe sex. Give me a call if he turns out to
be
a
louse.
Clint
will
take
care
of
him
if
it
comes to that.”

“Cassie!”
Daisy
scolded.
“I’m
hoping
you
and
Clint
will
help
Nick
find
some
good
horses
to
buy.”

“Humph.
Not
until
I
know
he’s
treating
you
like
a
lady.”

“Then
I
might
have to move up my time schedule a little.” Daisy gave Cassie a little smile.

“Shit.”
Cassie turned and stomped into the tack room. Daisy laughed softly and walked
back to her barn.

- o -

“Look
what the cat drug in. Thought maybe you forgot the address of your office.”

Nick
shot an exaggerated grimace at his partner and plant manager, Thomas Harrison.
Bald as a billiard ball, with skin as dark as walnut
and
teeth
as
white
as
fresh
snow,
Tom
matched
Nick’s
height
but
outweighed
him
by
another
fifty
pounds. Not fat, just muscle. The man’s
smile was infectious.

“Had
to
come
by
and
make
sure
everyone
wasn’t
loafing.
So
how’s
it
going?”
Nick
moved
through
the
lobby
to
his
office
and
sat
down
at
his
desk.
Harrison
slouched
on
the
leather
couch.

“We’re
on
schedule.
Should
have
two
model
X-Tens
finished
by
the
weekend
and
two
T-Nines
by
the
end
of
the
following
week.”

“Good. Our buyers don’t
like to wait.”

“Anyone
who
can
afford
these
high
priced
canoes
isn’t
used
to
waiting.”
Harrison
leaned
back
and
smiled.
“But
maybe
waiting
would
be
good
for
them.”

“Right.
How’s
the
experimental
model
coming?”

“Another
three
weeks
or
so.
You
going
to
test
it out, or do you want me to line up
somebody
else?”

“No.
I’ll
do
it.”
Nick
fiddled
with
a
pencil.
He’d
always
taken
pride
in
testing
each
of
the
prototypes
before
giving
the go-ahead to craft more of them for sale.

Manufacturing
handmade
precision
canoes
required
a
lot
of
time
and
labor.
His
business
would
never
be
high
volume,
but
it
would
be
top
quality.
That was
why
he’d
be
the
first
to
take
the
experimental
canoe
to
the
Boundary
Waters
of
Minnesota
and
paddle
it
through
its
paces.

Nick
frowned
at
the
circles
and
squares
he’d
been
drawing
on
the
notepad.
It
would
seem
odd
being
away
from
her
for
that
long.
He
brightened.
Maybe
he
should
take
her
along.

“So
who’s
the
woman?”

Nick
slammed
the
pencil
on
the
desk.
“What?”
He
glared
at
his
best
friend.

Tom
Harrison
rolled
his
eyes
toward
the
ceiling.
“Come
on,
Nick,
we’ve
known each
other
since
we
were
eighteen.
You
don’t
get
this
way
unless
there’s
a
woman
problem.”

“What
way?”

“Ignoring
your
business.
Ignoring
your
friends.
You
were
like
this
before
you
asked
Ashley
to
marry
you,
and
then
again
when
you
were
mulling
over
the
divorce.
It’s
like
you
avoid
everything
else
to
focus
on
a
woman
that
matters.
For
fifteen
years
you’ve
been
hot
footing
around
with
the
ladies
now
and
then,
but
you’ve
been
able
to
concentrate
on
business.
Now
look
at
you.
You
walk
in
here
like
a
randy
dog
with
his
tail
between
his
legs.
So
who
is
she?
And
when
do
I
get
to
meet
her?”

Nick
raked
fingers
through
his
hair
and
stared
blankly
at
his
inquisitor.
“How
many
times have I
threatened to fire you?”

“Countless. Don’t
matter. You won’t. We
owe each other.
Besides, I’m the best
damn
manager
you’ll
ever
find.”

Nodding,
Nick
admitted,
“That’s
the
truth. Do
you
ever
wonder
what
might
have
happened
between
us
if
we
hadn’t
been
thrown
together
in
Special
Forces?”