“Yippee!” he shouted as he ran out of the room.
With a sigh, she picked up the empty plates from the table and put them in the sink. The men would be back soon, and she’d have to answer some questions. She had hoped to put it off for a while longer. But just how little could she get away with telling Lucas? She owed him some kind of explanation. And now she was forced to tell the truth. To a point.
The last fork dropped in the drawer with a clatter when the door opened behind her. Bracing herself for more questions, she turned to see the snow-covered cowboys enter, carrying her four suitcases.
“We’ll put them up in the bedroom,” Harley told her as they passed through the room.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas didn’t bother to look her way. She watched him walk out, the muscles in his back and shoulders bunching at the weight of the luggage in his hands. Her knees wobbled beneath her, and her heartbeat quickened. She still stared when he was no longer in sight.
Get a grip, Rache. She had seen men with well-toned bodies before. Well-toned? Okay, she relented. Hunky bodies. But none that kept her eyes glued to them and made her heart pound. There hadn’t been a man yet who could catch her attention and hold it for more than five minutes, especially after she’d found out how most of them were like Steven. And she had a feeling Lucas Callahan was more like Steven than all of them.
With a muttered reminder to keep her lusting thoughts under control, she started for the hallway and the stairs, only to find herself nose to chest with her cold host. Her heart leapt to her throat, and she silently cursed her reaction.
“I—I was just going to check on Cody,” she murmured, looking up. She instantly wished she hadn’t. Eyes like two pieces of burning coal gazed down into hers.
“He’s talkin’ to Harley.”
His voice slid over her like warm honey on a hot biscuit and left her speechless.
“Rachel Stevens, right?”
She could only nod.
One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that resembled a smirk. “That’s what I thought,” he said and moved past her.
She grabbed the banister for support. Lordy, if the man had horns and a forked tail, he’d be the spitting image of Lucifer, fire in his eyes and all.
With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure he had gone, she let the moan slide through her lips. She needed a swift kick in the rear, that’s what she needed.
You need a man, a voice whispered in her mind.
“That’s not likely,” she answered out loud.
“Who are you talking to, Mom?” Cody asked from above her.
Rachel looked up and forced a smile to her lips. Hoping her shaking knees would carry her, she climbed the stairs. “Just myself. I’m a great conversationalist. What are you and Harley doing up there?”
At the top of the stairs, Cody grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway to the room they’d shared the night before. “I was showing him how good I can read. He gave me some books.”
“That’s nice of him,” she replied, shaking the mental image of Lucas from her mind.
“You’ve got a smart boy there,” Harley said, when she stepped into the room. “I thought Cody might like to look at these. I’ve been storin’ stuff here since Lucas and I were teenagers.” He knelt beside a box on the floor, opened it, and pulled out a stout pile of children’s books. “Some of these belong to Lucas, but he won’t mind.”
“He might,” Rachel muttered.
Harley looked up at her, his eyes troubled, before turning back to Cody. “Why don’t we sit in that big chair over there? I bet you can’t read three of them to me in the next thirty minutes.”
“Bet I can,” Cody challenged, scrambling into the chair with an armload of books and making room for the big man.
“Lucas wants to see you down in the living room,” Harley told her, then settled next to her son.
Rachel held her breath, knowing the questions were going to start. It would be difficult, without giving too much away, but she’d have to answer.
Cody dragged his attention from the open book in his hands and looked up. “Where’s the living room?”
“Bottom of the stairs and turn right,” Harley answered.
Obviously enthralled with his bounty, Cody snuggled in deeper and began reading. It brought a smile to Rachel’s lips, but it didn’t last long.
Remembering the directions, she left the room and took the stairs slowly, gathering her courage. At the bottom, she turned right and entered the living room. After a quick glance around, she took a deep breath and faced Lucas. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”
“I have some questions,” he said without looking at her.
She knew her best defense was to play dumb. “About what?”
“There’s a lot of boxes in your trunk. It looks like you and Cody are on more than a vacation.”
“I have some things to take to Jenny,” she fibbed.
His gaze swiveled to hers and held her. “You’re planning to stay there for a while?”
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be there,” she offered. “Jenny and I haven’t seen each other for years.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Not—not recently, but yes, we’ve talked.”
“From Cincinnati?”
She swallowed the fear that rose in her throat. She never should have told him that. She and Cody had lived there for a short while, but only long enough to prove residency and get an Ohio license and her car tagged. Edward and Phyllis weren’t far behind them there, and they’d left as soon as they had enough money. Jenny didn’t have a clue they’d ever been there.
“Yes, from Cincinnati.”
“So if Jenny or Pete should call, and I tell them that her friend from Cincinnati is here, they’ll know who I’m talking about?”
Her pounding heart plummeted to a thud in her stomach. “No,” she whispered.
“I didn’t think so,” he said, his voice low. “Maybe you’d better sit down.”
Other than escaping, nothing sounded quite so good. Knees shaking, Rachel sank onto the nearest chair. Lucas sat on the chair across from her and waited.
“Mr. Callahan,” she began, attempting to still her spinning thoughts, “I’m not doing anything wrong, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Nobody said you were.”
Nodding, she absorbed the sliver of good news. “But you suspect I might be.”
“I’m concerned, is all.”
She choked back her laugh. Concerned? She’d been telling a few white lies, but this was a whopper. “There’s no need for you to be concerned,” she assured him. “We’ll be out of your house as soon as possible. We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for the snowstorm.”
“That’s what worries me.”
She got to her feet. “It’s not your job to worry about us.” Giving it a second thought, she said the only thing she could. “I don’t want you involved in this. The less you know, the better off we’ll all be.”
“And Jen will be safe?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense.”
Searching her mind for something to dissuade him from asking