Chapter Three
Presley crawled into her tent with her bedroll and untied it.
After she unrolled it, she placed the blanket on top of it.
She’d love to walk down to the creek to wash off a little.
Zipping the tent closed, she pulled her sweat dampened T-shirt off over her head and pulled on a red one.
Rummaging through her bag, she found soap, and a towel then crawled from the tent.
Getting to her feet, she looked around.
It was beautiful here.
Birds were chirping, but it was otherwise, tranquil.
Should she let someone know she was heading for the creek? Everyone else was sitting on the logs surrounding the fire pit with hot dogs on sticks. Jaxon was nowhere around. Spotting Chip, she headed for him.
“Chip? Is it all right if I walk to the creek to wash off? I feel so sweaty.”
Chip smiled at her. “Of course, do you need me to go with you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just want to wash some of this trail dust and sweat off me.”
“I understand. I’m sure we’ll all be heading that way eventually. Do you want me to start a hot dog or burger for you? ”
“Sure. A burger would be great, please. I won’t be awfully long. Thanks,”
she said then walked down the path that led to the creek.
She could hear it before she arrived.
When she stepped from the brush, she gasped at the beauty of it.
Large boulders sat on the opposite side, and the water was so clear, she could see the bottom.
She wished she’d brought her swimsuit because she would definitely get in.
Squatting down on the shore, she put her hand in the water.
It was cold. She smiled when she saw a school of fish swim by in front of her.
Reaching for the soap, she turned to see Jaxon standing by the shore a little way down from her.
He hadn’t seen her, or if he had, he was ignoring her.
She wouldn’t doubt it if that were the case.
He seemed to avoid her as much as possible.
The conversation they’d had earlier surprised her in that he’d spoken to her that much.
As she watched, he took his cowboy hat off and dropped it to the ground then he pulled his T-shirt out of his jeans.
Reaching behind his neck, he tugged it off over his head. Presley couldn’t stop the gasp when she saw his hard, solid pecs and six-pack stomach. The man was built for a woman’s dreams. She’d never seen his chest or belly in the ER. The doctors had been too interested in getting his jeans cut from him, and she was glad she hadn’t seen his abs, or she really would have embarrassed herself by either drooling or touching him. He was magnificent. He must work out but also working the ranch would make muscles too. When he glanced toward her, she quickly looked away. The heat poured into her cheeks. So she dipped the soap into the water along with the washcloth then ran it up her arms. She heard his boots on the rocks along the bank as he walked toward her.
“Where is everyone else?”
he asked her.
“I suppose they’re making their hot dogs and burgers.”
She couldn’t look up at him.
“I had to cool off a little first. You too, huh?”
“Yes.”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth when he sat down on the gravel and bent his knees, resting his wrists on them. His hat lay between them and she really, really , hoped he had put his shirt back on.
“What are you doing here?”
“Here? I’m trying to get the dust off me.”
“Not here at the creek, here at Bur Oak.”
“Oh. I have a decision to make on a job. I’ve been offered a position in the Recovery Unit, and I wanted time to think about it.”
“What’s holding you back?”
“I don’t know. It’s better hours, better pay, but…”
She shook her head.
“You’ll figure it out. ”
“I know. I believe everything happens for a reason,”
she said as she looked at him.
Jaxon shook his head. “That’s bullshit.”
“Skeptic, huh?”
“Yes. Did you get your tent set up all right? I see you had some help.”
“I did. I was having problems with one of the poles, so Rodney helped me.”
She knew he’d changed the subject because it was making him uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Turning her head, she looked at him and immediately wished she hadn’t since he didn’t have his shirt on.
“If you saw I was having problems, why didn’t you help me?”
“You didn’t ask,”
he said and shrugged.
Her gaze roamed over that magnificent chest and down his six-pack stomach. Her eyes followed the trail of hair that arrowed down from his belly button to disappear into his jeans. God! She was such a sucker for a sexy happy trail, and his was mouth-watering. He wore a chain around his neck, the type the military wore for their dog tags, but he had what looked to be two wedding bands on it. One was a lot larger than the other one, and she had a feeling they were his and his wife’s .
“I wanted to see if I could do it myself. Besides, you were busy helping Bett. She seems to need a lot of help.”
“Meow,”
he said quietly.
“Excuse me? I am not into catfights. She’s after you and if you can’t see that—”
“Of course I can, but why does it bother you?”
“I didn’t say it bothered me.”
“You didn’t have to.”
She snorted. “Oh please. Women like her love the attention. I’d rather try to do things on my own.”
“I have to help if she asks me because she’s a guest.”
“Do you sleep with them too, if they ask?”
Why did you ask that?
“You asking?”
She stood so quickly she got a head rush. “No! I am not asking.”
“Good, because there is no fraternizing between guests and staff,”
he growled as he stared up at her.
“I know that, and you don’t have to be so rude about it.”
His eyebrows rose. “You think I'm rude?”
“You didn’t have to snap my head off.”
“I don’t want you getting ideas.”
He stood and looked at the creek. She could see a muscle twitching in his cheek. Why was he so angry ?
“Oh, dear God! Conceited much?”
Turning to the creek, she squatted down when a few of the others came through the brush.
“It’s so beautiful here,”
Bett said then she looked at Presley and Jaxon then she narrowed her eyes. “Did we interrupt something?”
“Not a thing,”
Presley said as she stood. “I need to go eat. I’m starving.”
She made her way through the brush back to the campsite. One of the couples sat there on the log.
“We saved you a burger like you asked. For some reason, they’re delicious cooked over a fire.”
“That’s true.”
Presley smiled as she took a seat beside them.
As the day wore on, some of the guests took walks or cooled off in the creek. Presley watched Bett do her best to get Jaxon’s attention. He kept busy around the site and taking care of the horses. The sun began to set, and the temperatures started to drop quickly. Jaxon kept the fire going then stood and walked into the woods again. Presley watched him go. A few seconds later, Bett followed him.
****
Jaxon walked through the woods. He’d pick up some logs, but he wanted to get away from everyone for a few minutes, he was so angry with himself for the way he’d spoken to Presley and because he’d wanted to kiss her. As he marched through the brush, he hacked at branches with the machete he’d brought along, as if it were his feelings he was chopping down. You haven’t been involved with a woman since Bethany, and now you just decide you want to kiss one? If he were honest with himself, he’d admit he wanted her. Be buried deep inside her. Damn, his dick was getting hard. He wanted to watch her face when her orgasm took her over the edge. Damn it! He paused when he heard a twig snap then silently swore when he saw Bett walking toward him.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I wanted to see if you needed help.”
“Of course not. I would have asked Chip if I did.”
She moved closer to him. “Do you like her?”
“Look, I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone. I suggest you go back to the camp.”
She touched his arm. “I could make you feel good.”
Jaxon removed her hand. “I feel fine.”
“Really?”
She started to step forward, but he stopped her .
“Please go back to the campsite. I’m getting more firewood, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Bett stared up at him and narrowed her eyes. “The offer is always open.”
Spinning on her heel, she disappeared. Jaxon picked up some logs and headed back to the group. Presley was nowhere around. Chip sat on a trunk along with a few of the other guests. Bett sat across from the pit staring at him. Jaxon dropped the wood and then sat down.
A few minutes later, Presley and one of the other women entered the camp. They sat on the other log and stared into the fire.
“How many camping trips are there each week, Jaxon?”
Rodney asked him.
“Two. Another one will go out on Thursday for two nights, it’s also the cattle drive. There is a trail ride every day and a bonfire on Wednesday nights. Devin takes the longer camping trip group.”
“Do they come to this spot?”
“No. It’s a different one, closer to the Glaciers. That’s why it’s a longer trip.”
“Is that something we can sign up for when we get back if we’re interested?”
Presley asked him.
“Yes, you can sign up for anything you’d like. Any of it. Trail rides too. We never turn anyone down on the activities. Even if its last minute. On Wednesday nights, along with the bonfire, is a hayride. Chip runs the hayride. There are also two trips to the local towns.”
“Is it the same activities every week?”
a man asked him.
“Yes, it is.”
“Do you do this year-round?”
Presley asked him.
His eyes met hers across the fire. “No, ma’am. We open on the first of March then close the end of August. There’s just not much for anyone to do in the winter.”
“Then why are there fireplaces in the cabins?”
another woman asked.
“In March, it’s still cold enough some nights to have a fire.”
“What do you do all winter?”
This from Bett.
“I relax some, but I still have to work the ranch. Feeding horses and cattle. Cleaning the barns. Things like that.”
“What days do you get a break?”
Presley stared back at him.
“I work all the time, but I usually take Sundays off after I help out in the barns.”
“I want to get in that pool. Do you swim there, Jaxon?”
Bett asked him.
“No, ma’am. That’s for the guests.”
He looked at Bett.
“I asked you to call me Bett. Please. ”
“I’ll try to remember.”
Jaxon glanced away from her.
As the sun dipped behind the mountains, the cooler air moved in. Most of the people moved closer to the fire or headed for their tents. When Presley stood, he looked over at her.
“I’m beat. I’m off to bed. What time do we get up tomorrow?”
“Chip and I will get you all up around seven if you’re not up by then. We’ll have breakfast and then head back. Once you get back, you can do what you want for the rest of the day.”
“I think I’ll find the pool when I get back. Goodnight, everyone,”
Presley said as she headed for her tent.
Jaxon watched her enter her tent and heard the zipper closing the flap. Exhaling, he stared into the fire. The warmth from it reached out to him. Little by little, people entered their tents until it was just Bett, her friend, Chip, and himself. He couldn’t get into his sleeping bag until the two women headed to their tents and he had a feeling that Bett was waiting him out. Chip yawned then excused himself to walk into the woods.
“This is what’s bad about camping. Going to the bathroom in the woods,”
the other woman said .
Jaxon bit back a grin as he remembered his cousin, Roark, telling him that Priscilla had asked about a porta potty. He’d made her go on a camping trip with him when she was following him around to do an article on him for a magazine. Roark got a good one there. Priscilla was an amazing woman, and Roark adored her.
Jaxon huffed thinking about Bethany. She’d been the love of his life, and no other woman ever appealed to him until now. He looked toward Presley’s tent and mentally shook his head. Why her? Why after all this time was he interested in another woman? Taking a deep breath, he stood and stretched. The women were moving into their tents, and he was more than ready to get some sleep. Plenty of wood sat next to the log, and he’d keep the fire going. It would be chilly in the morning too. After one more glance toward Presley’s tent, he took his boots off and crawled into his sleeping bag. Hopefully, he’d drop off quickly.
****
Presley jerked awake and glanced around, but she couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black inside the tent. Rolling over, she reached her hand out to where she thought the lantern sat on the ground. She had to use the bathroom. Pffft! What bathroom? After lighting the lamp, she moved to the zipper, slowly raised it, and peered out. She could see the fire and two figures in sleeping bags close to it. Shit! It was cold! After pulling her shoes on, she grabbed a roll of toilet paper and crawled from the tent then stood. The full moon lit up the camping area. She wasn’t sure what to do. The thought of going into the dark woods alone terrified her. What if there were bears out there? Just ready to pounce while she peed. She shivered and this time, not from the cold. Looking over to the two sleeping bags, she knew she’d have to wake one of them. Tiptoeing over to them, she was shocked to see Jaxon with the sleeping bag down to his waist. Wasn’t he cold?
Squatting down beside him, she whispered, “Jaxon.”
His eyes snapped open almost immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I have to, uh…pee.”
She was thankful it was dark to hide her blush.
“Oh. All right.”
He unzipped the sleeping bag the rest of the way, pulled his boots on, and stood. After grabbing another lantern, he led the way.
She tripped over a tree root and almost did a face plant but fell into the back of Jaxon.
“Sorry,”
she muttered.
“Here, take my hand. ”
Placing her hand in his larger one, she felt a zap all the way to her toes. She wasn’t sure if he felt it, but he did glance back at her. Anytime they came to a log or something she could trip over, he’d let her know.
“You can go here. Just go behind the bush. I’ll turn my back.”
“Thank you.”
She lifted the lantern high in front of her then moved behind the bush to do her business. When she finished, she walked back out to where he stood. He still had his back to her. Such a broad back it was too. Glancing up to the night sky, she thought it was beautiful. Thousands of stars twinkled above. She’d never seen so many. It was so quiet. The only sounds were crickets and bullfrogs.
“Are you ready to go back?”
Jaxon asked her.
“Yes. It’s so beautiful here.”
“You wouldn’t think that in the winter when the snow’s up to your ass.”
Presley chuckled. “Such a wonderful way to put it.”
Jaxon shrugged. “Just telling it like it is.”
She’d love to see him smile since he never seemed to. Maybe all his teeth had fallen out since she’d last seen him. She laughed, and he turned to look at her.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing. ”
“Really? You just laugh for no reason?”
He stood in front of her staring down into her face.
She had to tilt her head back to look into his face. “How tall are you?”
“Six-five. Why?”
“Just wondering. I guessed you were that tall. I’m five seven, and you’re almost a foot taller than me.”
“It all evens out where it’s supposed to, darlin’. Come on, let’s get back.”
He took her hand and led her back. When she realized what he’d meant, she gasped making him chuckle. “Just got it, huh?”
“I refuse to answer.”
“You just did.”
Turning to face her, he cupped her face in his hands. “I hate myself for wanting to do this.”
Slowly he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Presley moaned and stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck.
His hands moved from her face to her shoulders, down to her waist.
Then he grabbed her butt and pulled her tight against him as he deepened the kiss.
God! The man could kiss! Their tongues dueled.
A rough groan tore from him then he slowly lifted his head.
“Why?”
she asked.
“Why what?”
“Why do you hate yourself for wanting to kiss me? ”
“Because I don’t want any type of relationship.”
“With me or anyone?”
“Anyone. It would be a waste of time.”
“You could waste time with me,”
Presley said as she stared up at him.
He hissed in a breath. “Hell of a thing to tell a man,”
he muttered as he took her hand and led her back to the campsite. He let go of her hand by her tent. “Goodnight.”
He walked toward his sleeping bag but stopped to place some logs on the fire before taking his boots off and crawling back into the sleeping bag.
Presley stood by her tent watching him.
She’d love to invite him into her tent, but she knew he’d refuse.
Too bad.
She couldn’t explain this need she had for him.
When he’d laughed earlier, she wanted to spin him around to make sure it was him who had laughed.
It was a great laugh, and she wanted to see him smile so much.
Seeing him grimace in pain was not the same.
Maybe before she left Bur Oak, she would and since she was staying for a month that might be possible.
She just couldn’t decide what to do about the offer the hospital had made, and she needed time away to think but being around Jaxon Callahan was turning her brain into mush.
It was a big decision, and she’d told the administrator of the hospital she needed time to think about it because she did love working in the ER, but she hadn’t given it a thought since seeing Jaxon.
Sighing, she watched as the chilly air formed a cloud in front of her.
Damn, it was cold!
Crawling back into her tent, she zipped it closed, removed her shoes, and slid down inside the sleeping bag.
As she closed her eyes, she could see Jaxon’s beautiful light grey eyes.
He was the sexiest man she’d ever met, and she’d seen a lot of men come through the emergency room, from patients to doctors, but not one of them stopped her heart like Jaxon Callahan had when she saw him.
It didn’t matter how much pain he’d been in.
She saw that shiny black hair and that handsome face, and she wanted to do anything to take away his pain, and she’d never felt that way before.
With any other patient, she’d work alongside the other nurses and doctors then move on to the next one.
Not with him.
She’d checked up on him regularly.
Even going as far as calling in after her shift ended to see how his surgery went.
She’d talked to one of her fellow nurses to get the information.
When she went up to his room the next day, he wasn’t happy at all to see her.
She thought back to that day.
“Hello, Mr. Callahan,”
she said as she entered his room .
“Who are you?”
he growled and narrowed his eyes at her.
“I’m one of the nurses from the ER. I was there when you were brought in.”
“So, why the hell are you here now?”
“I just wanted to see how you’re feeling.”
“Since when did ER nurses make visits to patients?”
“I know you were in a lot of pain—”
“No shit. I’m fine. Go away and leave me alone.”
She’d stood there staring at him. Taking in his mussed hair, the scruff on his face and his beautiful eyes. Which were red-rimmed and glaring at her.
“Did you hear me? Go away,”
he’d practically shouted. She’d spun and walked out of the room. Tears had pooled in her eyes because she knew that even though he was in pain from the surgery, it was probably nothing compared to the pain he’d felt over losing his wife.
It didn’t stop any of the feelings she’d had for him. Once she realized just how far from Idaho Falls he was, she knew she didn’t have a chance with him. Now she was here on his guest ranch, and he’d kissed her but he hadn’t been happy about it at all, and she wanted so much more. So very much more .