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He stood up, gathering the cup and a tissue with a red stain on it. Keena was about to ask him what he had given her, but he told her, “Don’t worry. You’ll rest better than you ever have.”
As soon as he told her that, she let go of a huge yawn, stretched her arms over her head, and fell back on the bed. Ryan clicked off the lamp at her bedside and strolled out the door, closing it behind him. Not until she was descending into dreamland did she remember that she was naked under the blanket and hadn’t hidden herself when she stretched with Ryan standing right there.
“You’re beautiful” echoed in her mind, and all discomfort from embarrassment and her ankle slipped away.
Chapter Seven
Keena stood in front of the medicine cabinet in her bathroom and bounced up and down, placing pressure on her left foot. She couldn’t believe it. Whatever herb had been in that drink Ryan had given her was incredible. She expected it to ease the pain like taking a Tylenol, or make the swelling go down enough to be tolerable, but not total healing. That juice should be patented and sold! And he’d also been right about her falling asleep. She’d slept like a baby the rest of the night, waking refreshed.
Squinting at her reflection, she considered whether she looked younger too and then shook her head. “The results of finally getting needed rest. She’d cried late into the night for almost two weeks. Of course she would have looked more haggard than she did right now.
In the shower and while dressing, she tried to recall some of what Ryan had said to her last night, but the memories wouldn’t come. The one thought that came to mind with any certainty was Ryan telling her she was beautiful. He had known just when to say it, when she had been questioning her attractiveness to him. The man knew how to get a woman where he wanted her, that was for sure.
Deciding that she would find him and thank him for his help in getting her to her cabin and in helping to relieve her pain, she left her cabin heading back to the dining area in the main lodge. This time, she wore her boots. She would never again venture off her porch with those stupid flip-flops.
In the dining area, the scent of fresh-brewed coffee, bacon, sausage, and blueberry waffles teased Keena’s nose. She paused to scan the room but didn’t spot Ryan. He was never here when she was even though she had come at different times around mealtime. Maybe the ranch hands weren’t allowed to eat around the guests. No, that wasn’t true. She spotted a group of them, including Jerry, in the corner, laughing loud and enjoying stacked plates of food. Luna Mountain Ranch was serious about everyone being like family.
Keena crossed to the buffet table against the wall and began serving herself some food. Knowing she would be hiking today, heading out with most of the guests to the spot where they would camp overnight, she knew she would get sufficient exercise not to skimp on the syrup or the sausage. She stacked two sausage patties and two waffles on her plate. Then she topped the waffles with warm whipped butter and blueberry syrup. A cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar rounded out her breakfast, and she turned from the table.
“Morning, Keena,” Mirabelle chirped on her way past
with a fresh pan of fried potatoes. Keena eyed them. They looked so good, but she resisted.
“Good morning, Mirabelle.” Keena followed the older woman back to the buffet table. “I was wondering if you had seen Ryan this morning.”
Mirabelle tsked and shook her head. “Not you too, Keena. I thought we discussed this last night.”
Keena’s eyes widened. “Oh no, it’s not like that. I am so not chasing him around. Trust me.” She smiled. “Actually, he—”
“Morning, ladies.”
Keena swung around to face Ryan. Just when she was asking for him and thinking the man must never eat, here he was. For some inexplicable reason, shyness came over her, and she could do nothing more than nod in greeting. Then she remembered, last night she’d had nothing on under the covers while he was there in her cabin.
Mirabelle said something about needing to get back to the kitchen and toddled off. Ryan stood there looking at Keena like she was his on the breakfast menu. She lowered her gaze to her plate. He stepped closer. She fought against a tremor of desire. They were in the middle of the dining room, for goodness sake.
“I think I’m feeling really hungry this morning,” he murmured.
Her gaze snapped to his face. He was playing games all of a sudden, not referring to food but to tasting her. The knowledge made her excited and scared at the same time. Could she do this? Could she play this game? She’d never made a habit of teasing and flirting with a man, and doing so with Ryan might be dangerous.
Rather than rise to his bait, she said, “I wanted to thank you for your help last night. I can’t believe how much better I feel, like I was never hurt at all.”
“Oh, honey, please. That old trick?” Jade wrapped herself around Ryan’s arm and pouted up at him. “So that’s where you went off to when we were rudely interrupted last night.” She cut her eyes toward Keena and dismissed her in a heartbeat. “Some people don’t know how to stick with their own.”
Oh no she didn’t!
“Jade, I think—” Ryan began.
Keena held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I was just going to have my breakfast. Please, both of you enjoy your day.” She turned her back on them and picked her way through the tables. When she came to the Turners’ table, she stopped and smiled down at them. “May I join you?”
Mr. Turner pulled out a chair next to his wife. “By all means, young lady. Have a seat.”
Refusing to cast another glance in Ryan and Jade’s direction, Keena tucked into her food even though her appetite had fled. She couldn’t blame Ryan for the incident per se, although if he had dismissed Jade last night and told her he flat out wasn’t interested, then she wouldn’t keep coming back, which probably meant he was into her.
She immersed herself in conversation with the older couple, and soon her plate was empty. When the Turners finished their breakfast, they stood, wishing her a good day, as they were planning to spend a little time fly fishing. Keena hadn’t tried that yet. She had no wish to have to unhook the fish and toss them back into the pond. She shivered just thinking about touching a live one.
Now that she had nothing to distract her, she couldn’t help searching the room for Ryan. Finding his eyes on her was not what she expected. He sat in an opposite corner of the room with Jade sitting across from him, leaning far forward in an attempt, Keena was sure, to give him a good peek down her blouse. A plate of food sat in front of Jade, but Ryan had none. So he still hadn’t eaten. Maybe he was shy. Yeah, right.
Keena rolled her eyes, stood, and cleaned up her mess before heading for the door. She pulled her sunglasses down, which she had pushed up onto her forehead when she entered the building, and headed outside. She made it down to the stables before he caught up to her.
