Close Enough to Touch (Jackson Hole 1)

COLE FROWNED AS HE CAME OUT of the bathroom, his eyes roaming over the small apartment. He could see almost every corner of it from this vantage point. It wasn’t as if there was any furniture blocking his view.

“Where’s your stuff, Grace?”

She buttoned her jeans and didn’t look up at him. “Thanks for that.”

“‘Thanks for that’? Really?”

“Yes, really. It was just what I needed. I had kind of a shitty day, in case you didn’t notice the fun at the ranch.”

He wanted to find out more about that. Who that woman had been, spouting nasty things about Grace. Whether any of them were true.

“You want that drink now? I’ve got beer at my place.”

“No, thanks.”

“Are you going to hang out here?” He very pointedly looked around the room. “Maybe do some meditating? You’ve got a hell of a feng shui thing going on here.”

“Screw you, Cole.” She opened the door and held it wide, raising her eyebrows in cool expectation. Cole was relieved not to see any of his friends out there this time, especially because he was buck naked.

“Uh, Grace? You want to close the door until I get my clothes on?”

She swept an impatient look down his body, but she closed the door.

“You’re really not much for pillow talk, are you?”

“No.”

Cole reached for his clothes. “So, you didn’t actually have anything to move in, did you?” He kept his voice calm, hiding his growing shock.

“I came here on a bus. There wasn’t a lot of space for furniture.”

“You just left it behind.”

“Something like that.” Her eyes dipped down as he stepped into his underwear. “That scar—that’s where you broke your leg?”

He glanced at the scar. “Come over to my place. Have a drink. Please?”

“I don’t want a drink.”

“Then just come over to my place.” What the hell did she do in here all evening? No wonder she was so quiet. There was no television. No stereo. Just a pile of books next to a sleeping bag in the bedroom.

He tugged on his shirt and shoved his feet into his boots. “Come on. Did you have dinner?” he asked, opening the door and trying to scoot her through.

“Yes,” she snapped. “I’m not a stray cat. I don’t need you to feed me.”

“Fine. Then just get naked and get in my bed. I don’t give a shit.”

That made her laugh, as usual. An insensitive jab. She even smiled as she willingly followed him to his apartment. But once she was in the apartment, she stood there, arms crossed as if she was uncomfortable again.

Cole tilted his head toward the bedroom. “Go on. You know where it is.”

“I thought you were offering a drink.”

“Oh, I’ll bring you a beer once you’re in bed, but not until then.”

Amazingly, she actually headed for the bedroom. He’d only been teasing. Mostly. But she just rolled her eyes and laughed her husky laugh and sauntered toward his room. He thought he saw her hands reach to unbutton her jeans, and Cole swallowed hard.

Shit. She made no sense to him. She was a mystery. A mystery inside a minefield. Somehow he couldn’t help but work his way through it, waiting for the violence to erupt at any moment.