While It Lasts (Sea Breeze 3)

“I didn’t mean to see anything. I was coming back to talk to you about… I was just…” she couldn’t say it. I needed her to finish that thought. She was coming to talk to me? Why?

“I was pretty sure you were ready to run me over with your truck that night.

Why would you have come back to talk to me?”

Eva twisted her hands nervously. I’d never seen her act nervous before. “It’s about Jeremy and me,” she began. I waited hoping she was going to shed some light on their screwed-up relationship.

A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Grabbing Eva’s shoulders, I shoved her behind me and faced down the big ass cows standing a few feet away from us. They were out of the fence. How the f**k had they got out of the fence?

“What are you doing?” Eva squealed slapping at my back as I pinned her against the tree with my body. I wasn’t much of a barrier between her and the cows but at the moment this was the best idea I had.

“Stop hitting me!” I demanded. “And tell me how the hell I get these big ass motherfuckers back in the gate.”

Eva stopped slapping me only to shove me hard. “Oh for crying out-loud, Cage. They aren’t going to charge us.” She pushed her way out from behind me and shot me an amused smirk. “They aren’t bulls.”

Who the f**k cared if they were bulls are not? They were freaking huge.

Eva walked toward them without an ounce of fear and began hollering at them to go on. She stomped her feet causing them to back up and then they slowly began to move toward the fence that had been left open. She glanced back at me over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, “They’re ferocious beasts aren’t they?”

I was torn between feeling like an idiot and laughing at how damn cute she looked herding cattle.

Once she had the last one back in the fence she closed it and put the lock in place. “Might help if you lock them up next time,” she chirped in a playful tone.

“You’re enjoying this just a little too much,” I replied.

She shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I gotta admit your gallantry at attempting to save me from the big bad mean cows was noble in a moronic sort of way.”

“Moronic, huh?” I liked seeing her playful and amused. So far, all I’d seen was the uptight version of Eva Brooks.

“You can’t be a very good cowhand if you’re scared of the cows.”

I let out a sigh, “Well, damn there went my future plans.”

What looked like the tugging’s of a smile played on her lips but vanished just as quickly. The playful glint in her eyes disappeared as well. What had I done to put her back in a bad mood? I liked the Eva I’d just gotten a glimpse of, not this sad snarky one that had reappeared.

“We’re not engaged. Jeremy and I are friends. Very good friends.”

Confused, I dropped my eyes to the ring on her left hand just to make sure I hadn’t imagined seeing it. The diamond was still there professing to the world that she was an engaged woman. Who the hell was she engaged to? The only guy I’d seen her with was Jeremy.

“You wear that ring for fun?” I asked jokingly in hopes of getting the fun Eva back but instead her face fell.

“No. I don’t wear it for fun. I’m not engaged to Jeremy. I’m engaged to his brother.”

Eva

I’m engaged to his brother? Why had I said it like I was still engaged to Josh? He was going to find out the truth. I’d darted away so fast that he couldn’t ask me any more questions but he would ask someone. Not that I thought he was really curious about me but because he was confused. I didn’t want him curious about Josh. I didn’t want him to know about everything that had happened.

I wanted him to still look at me with that appreciative sexy gleam in his eyes. The gleam I would continue to ignore. I liked having someone look at me with something other than sympathy. Once he knew, those sexy smirks and stripteases he did outside for my benefit would all end. He’d feel bad for poor Eva.

Until he’d shown up, I hadn’t realized that everyone looked at me differently. They were careful with me. Cage didn’t look at me like I was breakable. Ten months ago, I hadn’t been ready for someone to look at me differently. I’d wanted them to remember Josh when they saw me. Now I needed someone, anyone, to just see me. Not the tragedy. Just me.

Cage didn’t know my past. He didn’t know the pain I’d suffered. He didn’t measure every word he spoke to me and he didn’t hold back punches. He treated me like he did everyone else. With him, I felt normal again. It was about time I felt like a human again.

The screen door slammed behind me and I jumped.

“Damn Charles North thinks he can just go on up to my hunting camp whenever he damn well pleases with a bunch of banker friends of his,” Daddy grumbled as he walked into the kitchen.

Charles North was my mother’s sister’s husband. My mother had passed away when I was seven so I never really got to know her sister or her sister’s husband. All I did know was that my dad was not a fan. My Aunt Kim only ever called when she wanted something. She acted like Daddy owed her something because my momma was killed in a car accident. Daddy hadn’t been driving but that didn’t seem to make a difference to my aunt. She still blamed him.

“What happened?” I asked, reaching into the cabinet to get him a glass.

He took it from my hand and went about pouring himself some lemonade.

“Your Aunt Kim called and informed me that Charles would be going fishing up at the camp this weekend. He was bringing friends with him. No one asked me. They just took it upon themselves to make these plans. Well, I told Josiah that he could take Jeremy up to the camp this weekend and they could go fishing. I am not changing that.” Daddy shook his head and took a really long swig of the lemonade.

“You going up there?” I asked as he finished his drink and set it on the table in front of him.

“Yeah, got to. I’ll head out in the morning. Cage knows what to do out there and then he will be gone on Sunday. That’s his day off. He already told me he had a ride back to the beach for the day.”

Cage would be gone all day Sunday? I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting too hot outside so I should be relieved but I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to go. I’d be left alone out here all by myself.

“Okay,” I managed to reply.

“I’m gonna go into town and get some more barb wire for the fence. Damn bull keeps tearing up that piece of the fence down by the lake. Guess he wants out to take a swim,” Dad grumbled as he headed for the door.

I waited until I heard Daddy’s truck leave the drive before heading outside. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing. It was a spur of the moment decision. Cage had walked into the barn just a few minutes ago. I’d watched him from the kitchen window.

I headed to the barn.

Opening the door, I stepped inside and had to squint to see clearly. The only light streaming into the barn was from the cracks in the roof, so it was dark compared to the bright sunshine. The familiar smell of hay and wood hit me as I turned to see if Cage was still in here. I’d had my back to the window when Daddy had been in the kitchen so it was possible he’d left and I’d missed him.

“Looking for something?” Cage asked from behind me.

I turned around to face him and almost swallowed my tongue when my eyes met his naked chest. I’d admired it from afar but never up close. It was better up close.

“An engaged lady shouldn’t be looking at another man like she wants to take a lick.” The teasing tone in his voice told me he didn’t really mind my gawking at him at all. He was enjoying it.

“Who said I wanted to take a lick?” I replied, surprised at my own response. Was that flirting I had just done? I wasn’t sure I’d ever flirted.

Cage ran a hand through his hair and let out a short deep laugh. “Maybe we ought to change the subject.” Cage was nervous. Had my comment just made him nervous?