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“Neither am I,” he said, his temper evident in spite of his efforts to remain calm. “And I’m not thrilled about looking like an idiot! Any way you cut it, the horse was stolen while I was in charge.”
“Maybe.”
Colton had trouble hanging on to his patience. “Anyway, as I said, it’s over. Let’s forget about Black Magic.”
“Amen,” Cassie whispered, wishing she could close the door on their past as easily. She toyed with her food, barely tasting it, watching Colton surreptitiously and wishing that all the questions raging in her mind would vanish. “You know,” she finally said when the silence stretched long between them, “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
He shoved his plate aside. “Sometimes things don’t go as you plan.”
“Would you have come back on your own?”
“You mean, if I hadn’t been forced?” he asked, rubbing his shoulder unconsciously. “I don’t know. Probably not. There’s nothing here now,” he said, unwittingly cutting her to the bone. He thought aloud. “Mom and Dad were killed in the fire, and Uncle John died last year. I suppose I might have come back to see Denver once in a while, but I’m not sure about that. In case you don’t remember, we haven’t always seen eye to eye.”
“I remember,” she said softly, the memory of Denver intruding upon them at the lake all too vivid. Despite the years that had passed, her cheeks felt hot. “But you own part of the ranch now. John left half of it to you.”
Colton’s lips curled at the thought of his wayward uncle. “It was just the old man’s way of trying to tie me down. He knew I didn’t want anything to do with the ranch, not after the fire. Neither did Denver. But, at least in my brother’s case, it looks as if good old Uncle John won. Denver’s settled down and become a family man,”
“The ultimate sell-out,” Cassie observed, forcing a cool smile she didn’t feel.
“Not if it’s what he wants.”
“And what is it you want, Colton?” she asked, afraid she’d never have the opportunity to question him again. “Danger? Thrills? What?”
“Why do you care?
”
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to know,” she admitted. “Because all your life it seems that you’ve either been running from, or racing to, something. I just wondered what it was.”
The smile that had touched his eyes faded, and his lips thinned a little. “You never did understand me, Cass.”
“Because you never let me.”
They were suddenly alone, just the two of them in this crowded room. The quiet conversation and soft clink of silverware dissolved. Cassie heard only the sound of her own breathing and the loud thudding of her heart.
Colton drew in a swift breath, looked as if he was about to say something, but held his tongue.
The long, silent seconds ticked by until the waiter deposited their check on a corner of the table.
As if thankful for the intrusion, Colton snatched up the ticket, reached into his wallet, peeled off some bills and stood in one single motion. “I think it’s time to go.”
“Past time,” she agreed sadly.
They drove back to the parking lot of the clinic where Colton’s truck sat beneath the barren branches of a young maple tree. Cassie flicked off the engine and waited. “I guess I should say thank you,” she said, sliding Colton an uneasy glance.
“You don’t have to.” He reached for the door.
“No”—without thinking, she placed a restraining hand on his shoulder—“I want to. Thanks.”
Colton winced, and belatedly she realized she’d gripped his injured muscles. She tried to draw away, but he stopped her with his free hand, enfolding her fingers as his eyes met hers. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “And as for dinner, you’re more than welcome, Cass. Maybe we should consider this the beginning of the end.” When she didn’t reply, he glanced down at her hand, still resting lightly, teasingly against the soft leather of his jacket. “The end of the feud.”
“I think it’ll take more than one meal,” she said, grinning despite the tension she felt in the small, confined space. She slithered her hand away from his and saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
“Probably.” His eyes locked with hers for an instant, and Cassie’s veneer of self-control slipped. She realized in that one sizzling glance that Colton wasn’t as immune to her as she’d thought. She recognized the shading of his gray eyes, the slight flare of his nostrils, the restraint in the skin stretched taut across his features. Though they weren’t touching, their bodies separated by inches of worn upholstery, Cassie could feel the heat in his stare, noticed the scorch of desire in the twist of his lips.
“I—I’ll see you later,” she said, willing her voice to remain steady.
“Right. Later.” Colton grimaced, and again he reached for the door. This time, however, he swore, and instead of lifting the handle, he twisted back, caught the back of Cassie’s head in one hand and pulled her face to his.
