Anna DePalo - Tempted By The Movie Star

Cade was leaving the cabin with the canister vac in hand as she approached. He put it down and walked to meet her. “Here, I’ll take that back for you.”

“Thanks, I’ve got it.” She pulled the bucket out of reach so fast she sloshed water on her jeans. Felt kind of good, actually.

His brows lifted. “A little possessive of that bucket, aren’t we?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.” Sweat trickled down her back. “I carried it all the way here and I intend to finish the job by myself.”

“You have grit, Geena Lysander. I like that.”

“Thank you.” She lowered her voice. “Let me ask you something.” She put the bucket down and swallowed a groan of relief.

“Sure.”

“Has it occurred to you that linking Matt’s name to the academy could be a good thing for business?”

His expression grew wary. “It might have.” He moved a step closer and spoke quietly. “But he needs this place as an escape and that could ruin it for him.”

She decided not to address that particular assumption. It could be true, but maybe not if she planned her strategy in advance. “So the thought that Matt could be a draw has crossed your mind.”

“Yes, ma’am, but we dismissed it immediately. I hope that’s not the road you’re heading down.”

She noticed his use of we. “I’m not heading down any road. I’m still trying to read the map. Matt says he doesn’t want your privacy invaded, meaning all four of you—Rosie, Herb, Lexi and you. According to what I’m hearing from him, it’s not about his need for privacy. It’s about yours.”

“See, that’s the way he is, always looking out for the people he cares about. Which means we need to look out for him. This situation has made him think that he’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”

“But that’s not necessarily true.”

Cade tugged on the brim of his hat. “No, ma’am, but as long as he thinks it is, then Thunder Mountain can continue to be his sanctuary. Which is fine with us.”

“When you say us, do you mean the four of you?”

“Uh, there’s a few more than that involved.”

“Who?”

He hesitated.

“If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Guess not. You’ve been trustworthy so far.”

“Cade, I care about Matt. I’d never do anything to hurt him.”

He met her gaze and seemed to be evaluating what to say. Finally he nodded. “Okay. Ever since Matt got this part, we’ve recognized his potential to help the academy. The primary group on site includes Mom, Dad, Lexi and me, plus Damon and Phil. Then there’s Ben Radcliffe, who teaches saddle making for us, and his wife, Molly, who set up the curriculum. Finn’s wife, Chelsea, is in marketing, so she immediately saw the possibilities, but she also knows that Matt’s a private guy who cherishes this ranch. The upshot is that no one’s said a word to him about helping to publicize the academy.”

“So you guys are miles ahead of me. I had no idea.”

“And now you know.”

“I do. Thanks for trusting me with this.”

“You can’t tell him.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled. “And now you’d better take that water where it belongs before he sends out a search party.”

“Aye, aye, sir!” She snapped him another salute and picked up her bucket. She was pleased that he chuckled as she walked away. Cade was one of the good guys. In fact, they all sounded terrific and she wished she could meet the rest of the brotherhood.

When she reached the cabin, she left the bucket on the cement stoop and opened the door.

Matt had taken off his hat and had his back to her as he vigorously cleaned the inside of a window. He didn’t turn around. “I was about to go looking for you.”

“It was more of a challenge than I thought.” But watching his tight buns flex inside well-washed denim and his back muscles shift beneath his white T-shirt was reward enough.

“Did you find the outside faucet?” He leaned over to rub a spot near the bottom of the window.

Lordy. “I did.” She paused to clear the lust from her throat. “After I figured out that getting water from one of the sinks or from the shower wasn’t practical, I went looking for a better alternative.”

“Should’ve known you would.” He gave the window one last swipe and turned around. “Did you run into Cade? He just left a bit ago with the vacuum.”

“Yep, I saw him.” She hoped her expression didn’t give anything away.

“The windows over there were a lot dirtier than these, apparently.” He gazed at her. “Which is lucky for us or Cade would have shown up a lot earlier to fetch the vacuum.”

“You mean early enough to catch us...kissing?” Matt had done a lot more than kiss her, and she wouldn’t mind having him repeat the process now that they were alone again.

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry about that. I forgot he’s amazingly fast at windows.”

“You also were looking proficient at the window-cleaning gig when I walked in here.” She still had a buzz going. “How fast is Cade at vacuuming?”

His eyes darkened. “Too damned fast, I’m afraid.” He tossed down the towel he’d been using on the window and came toward her. “Especially when you look at me like that. But I don’t dare grab hold of you. I know what will happen.” He reached out and brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek and sucked in a breath. “There’s something so sexy about a woman who’s been outside getting sweaty.”

She laughed, although her heart was pounding. “I can’t imagine what.”

“Can’t you?” He brushed his knuckles lightly over her throat. “Your skin’s already nice and warm, plus it’s damp, which makes it so easy to slide my hand—”

“All right, I get it.” She gulped and stepped back.

“Your glasses are fogged up again.”

“I know.” She quickly cleaned them on the tail of her shirt. “You’re right, we can’t do this. Cade and Lexi will show up and find us rolling around on the floor.”

“Rolling? Really?” His smile had a definite touch of wickedness. “I don’t know about you, but I find it’s a lot nicer if you stay put.”

She groaned. “We need to start mopping this floor before I say to heck with what Cade and Lexi find us doing. Are you finished with the windows?”

“I’m finished with the inside. If you’re willing to mop, I’ll go take off the screens and do the outside.”

“I’d rather have you do me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her before scooping up the towel he’d dropped and snagging the spray bottle of window cleaner. “So would I.” He went out the door, transferred the bucket from the stoop to the inside, and left her to work out her frustrations with some vigorous mopping.

* * *

Matt vowed that he’d concentrate on the windows. He’d taken off the screens without once looking inside the cabin. Then he’d washed an entire window while managing to ignore whatever was happening on the opposite side of the glass. Feeling noble and in control, he’d decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek inside to see how Geena was coming along with her mopping.

He was still watching her when Cade clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and drop the spray bottle. Luckily it was plastic. When he turned to confront a grinning Cade, he discovered Lexi was there, too, looking highly amused.

Matt glared at both of them, but mostly at Cade for startling him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a guy with a loaded spray bottle in his hand. I could’ve hit you in the face with a blast of window cleaner. That stuff has to be bad for your eyes.”

“Couldn’t resist, bro. But I regret to inform you that most women don’t go for the Peeping Tom routine. If she catches you doing it, I guarantee she’ll think it’s creepy that you’re staring in the window while she’s mopping the floor. You’ll lose points, bro, major points.”