Stranger in the Moonlight (Edilean 7)

“You’re not upset by this?”

“I . . .” Travis began, and smiled. “No, I’m not. This is hard to admit, but maybe I went to work for him because I wanted to know if I could cut it with my old man. It’s not easy being the son of Randall Maxwell. Sometimes when I was doing stunt work the guys would ask me why I was risking my neck every day. They liked to tell me that if they were me, they’d be on a private jet sipping champagne.”

“But not you,” Kim said. “At least not then. I think you did come to like those things.”

“I did. I had lots of champagne. Lots of—well, other things.”

“Must have been nice,” Kim said quietly.

“N

ot really. You know something? I received more actual caring from Joe Layton than I did from . . . well, from most anyone I ever met. Can I tell you a secret?”

“Please do,” she said. She was smiling at his words about Joe, the man who was going to be his stepfather. Joe lived in Edilean, so maybe Travis would too.

“I want to open a camp.”

“What kind of camp?”

“A free one,” Travis said. “It’s been in my mind for years and I thought I’d try it in California, but ever since I saw the preserve around Edilean, it’s stayed with me. Joe could build it, Penny could manage it, and—”

“She wants to retire.”

“After years with my father this would be a retirement.”

“Your mom could decorate the place.”

He pulled her up to face him. “How do you think you’d be at teaching kids how to make macaroni necklaces?”

“I taught you how to make a house for a doll, so I can teach anyone anything.”

“Taught me? Ha! You ordered me around.” He was unbuttoning her shirt.

“Please tell me you aren’t going to ask me to shut down my business and work for you.”

“I’d never dream of it,” he said as his lips touched her neck. “But I can tell you that my secret plan is to take over managing your finances.”

“Would you please?” she whispered as his mouth took her breast.

“Think I can get you to give me a recommendation to your local law firm?”

She drew back from her mouth on his ear. “Our very own McDowell, Aldredge, and Welsch? You have to be born into that law firm.”

“Marriage not good enough?” he asked, but then his mouth was on hers.

An hour before, the last thing Kim wanted was sex, but now all she wanted was release.

“I think we have a future,” she whispered.

Travis drew back from her. “What?”

“I think we have a future,” she repeated.

“You . . .” He began, but stopped. “You really did think I was going to leave you?”

“Yes. I mean no. I just couldn’t figure out where we were going to live.”

“Your house, if I can get you to move your stuff out of the garage. Joe said—”