“Appreciate that,” I murmured, watching as Lana pulled out a box and a bag of fries. Something was mesmerizing about the way she moved around the kitchen—purposeful but graceful, like every motion was part of a dance she’d performed a thousand times.
“Caleb? You still there?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I shook my head, forcing my attention back to the call. “Storm’s messing with the signal.”
“I asked if everything’s okay with Scout and the rest of the animals? Any problems I should know about?”
My eyes flicked to the ammunition box on the table, then to Lana, who was now dumping fries onto a cookie sheet. “Scout’s good. Lana just fed him. Nothing we can’t handle. Just focusing on keeping the barn animals fed and the house warm.”
“Good. I appreciate you two holding down the fort. We should be back in two, maybe three days.”
“Take your time,” I said, watching as Lana swayed slightly to music only she could hear as she added chicken fingers to the cookie sheet. “Everything’s under control here.”
We wrapped up the call with promises to check in tomorrow, and I set my phone on the table, still watching Lana. I’d noticed she was attractive from the moment we met—anyone with functioning eyeballs would—but there was something different about seeing her like this, comfortable and in her element. The way the kitchen light caught the highlights in her hair, the curve of her neck as she bent to adjust the wire rack in the oven, the small smile that played on her lips as she hummed softly to herself.
She turned suddenly, catching me staring. “Everything okay with Jake and Ella?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. They found Nora. She’s safe.”
Her face lit up. “That’s wonderful news!”
“They’re staying at some estate for a few days.” And then I suddenly remembered the name. “MacGallan’s place. Giving everyone time to recover before heading back.”
“I’ve stayed there myself. It’s a gorgeous place,” she said, turning back to the counter and picking up the box.
I pushed myself up from my chair, grimacing as my leg protested the movement. I’d pushed it too hard today, and I was paying for it now. Still, I managed to make my way over to the kitchen counter without my crutches.
“Need help with anything?” I asked, leaning against the counter for support.
She glanced at me skeptically. “You should be resting that leg.”
“I’ve been sitting all day. Standing for a few minutes won’t kill me.” I nodded toward the chopping board. “I’m pretty handy with a knife.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. But there’s no need to chop french fries and chicken nuggets.”
“I suppose not. I’ll just set the table then.” We worked in companionable silence until I needed to sit down, which was a mistake. Because all I could see was her jeans caressing the curve of her ass. I started to tap the table, my eyes on her backside the whole time.
“So,” I said finally, “gold bars hidden on my brother’s property.”
She laughed, the sound warm and unexpected. “Just another day at the ranch, right?”
“Apparently.” I picked up my water glass and took a gulp. “What do you think we should do?”
“About the potential fortune buried in the backyard?” She opened the oven and slid the cookie sheet inside, then set a timer for 35 minutes. “I’d say we keep looking. Find the rest of the boxes, figure out the cipher.”
“And Margret? Our mysterious note-writer?”
She took the chair across from me and sat down. Thank God. My jeans were starting to get uncomfortably tight.
“We keep our eyes open. Trust no one outside this house,” she said.
“Wise woman,” I murmured, watching as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Shoot. Paper plates okay with you?” she asked, popping up out of her chair.
“Whatever we have is fine,” I said, tracking her movement back to the kitchen cupboard. “I’m not exactly a formal dining kind of guy.”
My leg throbbed with a dull, persistent ache that I was trying to ignore. The day’s exertion had definitely set back my recovery, but I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. We’d found something—something real—and that spark of discovery had awakened something in me I thought I’d buried years ago.
