Kiss Me (Fool's Gold 17)

As it had the first afternoon she’d arrived, the house impressed her with its high ceilings and open floor plan. While the furniture in place worked, she could easily imagine other styles fitting well with the moldings and hardwood floors. In the least expensive neighborhoods of Beverly Hills this place would get at least three million. On the exclusive streets, the price would come close to doubling.

At the front door she paused to check for an alarm system, then remembered where she was and laughed quietly. She doubted Zane went in much for motion sensors or perimeter alarms.

She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. The night was even more still out here, and cold. She was surprised she couldn’t see her breath. It would be warmer down in Fool’s Gold, but the ranch was at a higher elevation. Her toes curled against the freezing temperature of the painted wood, but she didn’t retreat. Instead she walked to the railing and looked down at the storybook town nestled on the shore of the little lake. Then she stared up at the inky, black night.

There were thousands of stars. Even on the clearest night in Los Angeles, she’d never seen half this many.

“I should have paid attention in astronomy class,” she murmured, then smiled. “Okay, I should have taken astronomy in the first place.”

She tilted her head in an effort to find something easy like the Big Dipper and the North Star. She found the former, but couldn’t remember if the North Star was off its handle or did she need to look for the Little Dipper first. Then, as she took in the endless sea of twinkling lights, she became aware of a...presence.

Milliseconds before she turned, she heard a footfall. Had she been anywhere but Zane’s ranch, she would have panicked. Strange footsteps at night in the city were never good news. But this was different. Despite her unfamiliarity with her surroundings, she felt safe. Besides, the odds were good that she knew who was out here with her.

She turned and saw Zane approaching. In the dim light of the porch, he was little more than a shadowy silhouette, but that only added to his appeal. He wore a thick, leather jacket that hung open. Unlike her, he still wore the clothes he’d been in that day. He was imposing and more than a little out of her league. She probably should have run for the hills, or at least her room. Instead she hugged her arms to her chest and wondered if she’d been in bed long enough to make her hair stick up in weird places.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked as he approached, then stopped by the railing next to her.

She shook her head. “I guess I’m too excited about the cattle drive.”

“It’s keeping me up, too, but not from excitement.”

The simple statement caught her unaware. With a few words, he expressed a vulnerability that made her heart squeeze, even as her hormones hummed a Dixie Chicks song about cowboys and being taken away.

It was the night, she told herself. Or maybe it was just the man. Regardless, wouldn’t this be a good time to suddenly be witty and charming? Or even gorgeous. She would settle for gorgeous and not funny, as long as she didn’t have to talk too much.

“I know it’s a big responsibility,” she said when she neither transformed into a supermodel nor thought of anything brilliant to say. “But you seem to have everything figured out. I’m sure it will be fine.”

He sighed. “Want to guarantee that in writing?”

“Would it help if I did?”

“No.” He stared up at the sky. “I couldn’t get them to leave.”

“Yes, well, you tried.”

He grunted. She guessed that trying and failing didn’t count for much in his world. Yet another strike against her. She screwed up all the time.

“At least everyone seems really nice,” she said.

He turned so he stared at the house. His face was in the light now, and she could see the humor crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Even Andrea?”

She thought about the other woman’s forceful personality. “Well, she’s not easily likable, but I’m sure that once we get to know her, she’ll be lovely.”

He stared at her. “You’re a ‘glass half full’ kind of person, aren’t you?”

“I try to be.” She leaned against the railing as well, mimicking his pose by putting her elbows on the wood and gazing upward.

“I think it’s important to have a positive attitude in life,” she said. “To look for the opportunities.”

“You’re too busy worrying about everyone’s feelings to see an opportunity coming a mile away.” His gaze narrowed. “How’d you and Maya get to be friends?”

Phoebe blinked at him. He’d barely known her forty-eight hours, and in that time, they’d spent less than an hour or two talking. Yet he’d managed to sum up her character in a single sentence. Even more amazing...he’d been right. How did he do that?

She was too busy helping people to advance her career. She often made choices based on her heart rather than her desire to get ahead. From what she’d figured out, opportunities went to the ruthless, and she could never seem to act in a way that put her best interests first. Not if it meant stepping on someone else.

She shook her head, then returned her attention to Zane. “What was the question?”

“How’d you and Maya become friends? You’re nothing alike.”

“You mean she’s a successful TV producer on the fast track and I’m not?”

He shrugged. “I was thinking more in terms of personality.”