Chapter 12 #2
Laughter took over. They sounded like a bunch of preschoolers. Normally Erin would’ve told them to shut up. Shrinking back against the couch, she looked as though she’d rather disappear.
She met Lila’s eyes and quickly looked away.
“Baxter’s scared of you,” Tony said to Erin. “He wets himself every time you look at him. You’re going to be first AD. Can’t you give him the boot?”
Lila stared at her friend. Unlike everyone else, Lila wasn’t waiting for her reply.
Holy crap.
Erin wouldn’t look at her.
It didn’t matter. Lila had already seen the telltale twitch. So tiny, it was easy to miss. For anyone who didn’t know Erin inside and out.
The recent lack of enthusiasm, the avoidance, the short temper... Erin’s behavior hadn’t made sense. Exhaustion had nothing to do with it. What if it had something to do with the first AD’s position Jason promised her? She’d sacrificed a year of her life for a shot at it.
No, that was too extreme. Jason wouldn’t screw her over. He depended on her too much.
Now, Baxter, he’d been a problem from day one. Erin was angry about being saddled with him. Jason had forced the idiot on her in exchange for his uncle’s money. Lila had assumed that after they wrapped, that would be the end of Baxter. Now, she wasn’t sure what to think.
The timing had thrown Lila. Erin had met Spencer two months ago. And talk about falling hard. This thing with him wasn’t a passing fling, so it had been easy to miss the real reason Erin’s head wasn’t in the game.
Baxter must be an even bigger problem than Lila had guessed. Had to be. But what was worse by far, Erin hadn’t told her. Hadn’t turned to Lila for comfort or help. And that cut went deep.
Clint’s arm tightened around her. “Hey,” he whispered, “you okay?”
“Fine.” Her whole body had tensed, and her pulse ramped up. “Just tired.”
“You want to go?”
“I think I do,” she murmured, aware Erin hadn’t looked at her even once.
THEY DROVE BACK to town mostly in silence.
Clint felt helpless, something he’d just discovered he wasn’t good at.
He’d never been the controlling type, or maybe he’d just never been tested.
Clint had pretty much run the Whispering Pines since the day after he’d quit college.
Lucky for him, the operation ran exactly how he wanted it to run.
On the not so lucky front, the ranch had become the sum total of his life.
Right now, he’d do just about anything to get Lila to smile.
Except he didn’t think there was one damn thing he could say or do that would cheer her up.
She stared out the window at the semidarkness, fidgeting with her hands, and surely setting some kind of record for sighs per minute. He doubted she realized she was making a sound.
“I’ll go beat up Baxter if you want me to,” he teased, and she turned, eyes widening. “Say the word.”
Her unexpected grin lit up the darkest corner of his soul. “I don’t care about Baxter.”
“Something sure has gotten you down.”
With another sigh, she turned to look out the window again. Not many stars had made a showing yet.
“You know what we could do,” he said. “Drive over to Kalispell and look at the Christmas lights. Not just downtown, either. I heard some of the neighborhoods go all out.”
“Oh, that would be fun,” she said, “but not tonight. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you.”
“Nope. I just want to see you happy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You were great about going to the barbecue, and now I’m being a spoilsport.”
“I had a good time, and I’m glad I met Spencer. Interesting guy.”
Lila nodded. “I don’t think I could’ve picked anyone more perfect for Erin. At least that’s going well, so—” She stopped short. “So that’s great.”
Clint wished she would’ve finished what she’d started to say. Hell, he wished for a lot of things when it came to Lila.
She surprised him by reaching over and brushing a lock of hair off his forehead.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, snatching her hand back.
“But in a good way.”
“Yeah?”
He heard the smile in her voice, and he pulled the truck off to the side of the highway.
“What are you doing?” She straightened in her seat. “Is something wrong—?”
His aim was bad in the darkening cab. Their lips met clumsily. They both smiled, and then everything lined up perfectly: lips, tongues, lightly nibbling teeth...
He touched her hair, savoring the feel of the soft, silky strands. Her lips were soft, too, and so was her skin. He’d given up trying to understand how it could feel like velvet and satin at the same time. Her whispered sighs floated into the night.
Two hours ago he’d cut himself off, drank his last beer. But it was Lila and her seductive scent he should’ve been worried about. The sweet smell of her skin intoxicated him like no alcohol ever had. It made him think foolish thoughts. Made him long for things he had no business wasting energy on.
Knowing he could never have a woman like her for keeps didn’t dull the want.
They were five minutes from town. He wasn’t crazy about them sitting there, making out on the side of the highway, but there was no way of telling if she planned on inviting him to her room. Just coming out and asking didn’t feel right.
They broke apart for some air.
“Let’s run away for a week,” he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he knew it.
“Let’s.” She laughed. “Wait. Only a week?”
“A month?”
“Keep going.”
“Don’t tease me, Lila. That’s not funny.”
With a wistful sigh, she leaned in for another kiss. Her soft lips sent a jolt straight to his groin. “Who’s teasing?”
His heart lurched. Why was he being so stupid?
Just because he’d seen another side to her.
Yeah, he’d been surprised when she’d taken over the kitchen the minute she arrived.
The way she’d issued orders and went right to work sorting through pots and casserole dishes reminded him of his mom on holidays.
The kitchen turned into a well-oiled machine, and everyone knew who was boss.
He doubted Lila was the only actor who knew how to cook, but he’d expected her to be more like Erin, who’d clearly been out of her comfort zone. She was a mini-tyrant on the set, but in the kitchen she waited like a puppy for Lila’s instructions.
He caught a set of headlights in the rearview mirror. “Guess we’d better go.”
Lila glanced back. “Where?”
“Anywhere you want.”
She smiled. “How about Canada?”
Clint chuckled. “A minute ago I couldn’t get you to go to Kalispell.”
“Canada is less than two hundred miles away, right?”
The small SUV sped past them, and he eased the truck back onto the highway. “Yep, to the border,” he said, not sure what to make of her almost desperate tone. “With nothing but nowhere land on both sides.”
“Sounds perfect,” she said softly and kind of wistfully again. “Except we’re going back to town, aren’t we?”
He looked at her. “You’re serious?”
She smiled. “Jeez. Would you listen to me?” she said, shaking her head. “Being so selfish. You probably have a million chores to catch up on.”
No, he was the selfish prick. Something was really bothering her, and his mind kept rebounding to sex. He saw the turnoff for Cherry Point and made a split-second decision.