Chapter Seven

“Well?” Sela stared at him, waiting for his reply.

“I’m who I said I was.” He entered the bunkhouse and began opening windows. “My brothers and I are what you would probably call a jack-of-all-trades. We dabble in a lot of things. Reno and I have been known to do a little prospecting. We’ve found a bit of placer gold we’ve used for our circuit boards. But we’ve never found anything substantial. We know where to look, and we know what to look for, but we’ve never had much luck in the past.” He smiled. “I’m hoping that will change.”

“Why would you think your luck would change, just because you’re here?” She tilted her head to the side and frowned up at him.

“Believe me.” He grinned, his teeth practically glowing white in the dim interior. “My luck has already changed. Perhaps yours will, as well.”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever.” Turning, she waved toward the far wall. “There are clean linens in the closet next to the bathroom. The breaker box is near the back door, and the breaker for the hot water heater is marked. The valve for the main water line is right below it. Turn that on before you flip the breaker. I don’t want to burn up the hot water heater.” Sela turned to go back into the house. “Make yourself at home here. Don’t stay up too late. Breakfast is at nine. If you miss it, lunch isn’t until twelve thirty.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ceno gave her a mock salute and followed her back outside. “I’ll get myself to bed as soon as I get my things from the car and take care of business in here.”

“Fine.” Stopping, she looked up and met his gaze. “Thank you for helping me today. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sela didn’t know what else to do or say. Something about the man drew her to him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he’d been her knight in shining armor earlier or because he had treated her like a lady. That was something the people in town had never done. For some reason, most of the men in town thought it was okay to treat her like a hooker. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her color or because she was divorced. She’d yet to figure that one out.

Was he bending closer, or was she moving toward him? It was difficult to tell. She didn’t think she was moving, yet they kept growing closer together.

His face, mere inches from hers, seemed to loom in her vision as she stared at his full lips. Her mouth grew dry as he gently grasped her shoulders and drew her closer still.

“Stop me before I do something that will make you hate me.”

Slowly, Sela shook her head. She trembled as he drew her into his arms and bent, his lips pressing lightly to hers.

“Sela! Get your little, round rump in this house!”

The spell broken, she stepped back and licked her lips. “I-I’d better go see what he wants.”

“Yes,” Ceno said as she turned and hurried away. “Better go see what he wants and get back to the safety of your home. Goddess only knows what kind of wild things are lurking around out here in the dark.”

Crossing her arms, she rubbed away the goose bumps and hurried into the house. That was a close call. She should probably thank her grandfather, but she’d never admit she’d almost fallen into a stranger’s arms. What was wrong with her anyway? She’d never allowed a guy to kiss her on the first date, and she’d just kissed Ceno after knowing him for less than a day.

“Good grief, Sela. When did you start being such a floozy?” She pressed her lips together and marched into the house. “What did you need, Gramps?”

“I wanted to make sure your new friend wasn’t satisfying another appetite out there.” He downed his small glass of whiskey and then turned it upside down in the sink.

“Gramps, really.” Her cheeks burned at how close she’d come to doing something she’d rather not admit to out there in the dark.

“Really, what?” He narrowed his eyes and grasped her upper arms. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for that cowboy wannabe out there.”

“Cowboy wannabe?” She frowned and sidled around him to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “What do you mean by that?” She unscrewed the top and took a long drink.

“I don’t know where that rascal is from, but I guarantee you he’s not from anywhere in this country. Fancy Texas drawl or not.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” Sela followed him into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. Drawing her feet beneath her, she leaned back against the arm and waited for his explanation.

“Your father told you about our family... gift, didn’t he?” Pausing, he sighed at her obvious confusion. “We know things.” He shrugged. “Every one of us has a gift. It’s nothing definite, and it’s nothing we can prove, but we know things, just the same. Take Cal Johnson, for instance. I’ve known something was off with that polecat for years.” He shook his head with a sigh. “There’s something off with that boy out there, too.” He nodded in the direction of the bunkhouse. “Mark my words.”

“I don’t—”

“Didn’t you notice anything strange about him, or were you too busy admiring the pretty packaging?”

Sela’s cheeks burned, and she shifted her gaze to the photo of her grandmother on the wall behind his head. Was it her imagination, or was her grandmother’s smile a little wider than the last time she’d looked at her? Surely, her green eyes weren’t sparkling just a bit brighter, too, were they?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced at her grandfather for a minute and then back to the portrait of his wife. She stared at it for a moment, her heart pounding. The portrait looked just the way it should. Her grandmother’s soft smile and vacant gaze looked nothing like she’d just witnessed.

God, I need a drink.

Sela gave herself a mental shake of the head and turned her attention back to her grandfather.

“Right.” He winked at her, a knowing smile on his face. “Keep telling yourself that when that spell, or whatever it is that hides his true self from you, wears off. You’re not going to be able to hide from the truth anymore.”

“Oh, Gramps.” Tears burned her eyes as she thought about his illness. Soon, dementia, or whatever it was that caused his fantastic ramblings, would get so bad she wouldn’t be able to keep him at the ranch. “Please don’t talk that way. It scares me.” She met his rheumy blue gaze. He looked so—so normal.

“I know you think I’m some crazy old man.” He shook his head with a sigh. “If only your grandmother’s sight had passed to you as well. Then you’d understand.”

“Grandpa...” Sela waved her hand. “Please don’t.”

“Don’t what?” He stood and started to pace. “Don’t tell you the truth? Don’t point out the differences in people?” He rubbed his whiskered jaw and dropped back into his chair. “Don’t try to save you from someone who isn’t being truthful to you... who could break your heart?”

“I know you’re just trying to protect me.” She took a deep breath. “I’m just not sure I need protection from Ceno.”

She wasn’t sure why. It was as though something told her she could trust him. Why else would she have brought him home? Was it that strange seeing gift her grandfather kept telling her about, or was she just plain stupid?

“Honey, you need protection from anyone who’d hide their true self from you. Don’t you see that?”

“What could he be hiding, and why?” She sighed. “He knows we don’t have anything. And if it’s the gold he’s after, what difference does it make? We wouldn’t even know about any gold if it wasn’t for him.”

Reaching up, she brushed the tears from her cheeks. “I mean, it’s not as though he’s making advances and he’s only here to get me into bed.”

Then, what was that in front of the bunkhouse, sweetheart?

If Ceno hadn’t made an advance out there, she’d certainly like to know what that was. She was sure he’d been about to kiss her when her grandfather called her back to the house. Sela could have sworn it was her grandmother’s voice whispering in her ear, not her own conscience.

“We don’t know that, sugar. He could just be another of Johnson’s men taking a different route to get Cal what he wants.”

He had a point. Apparently, Johnson would stop at nothing to get her property in his name.

“He’s here to search for gold, not to play around with my fat ass.” She downed the last of her water, crushed the bottle and set it on the end table.

“Don’t you dare let me hear you say something like that again. Grown woman or not, I’ll paddle that little plump rump of yours.” Gramps glared at her for a moment. “You’re shaped just like your grandma, Helen, God rest her soul.” He stared off into the distance. “She was the most beautiful woman in the state. She could have won Miss Arkansas if I hadn’t talked her into running away and marrying me.” His eyes focused on Sela. “You look just like her.”

“No, I don’t. I’m too dark complected to look just like her.”

“Color makes no never mind. If it did, do you think your daddy would have married your mamma?” Standing, he crossed the room, smoothed her hair back from her brow and pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead. “I see your grandma in you every day.” He blinked, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

Gently grasping her chin, he tilted her head back. “Please be careful with Ceno. There’s something... off about him. I don’t know if I can survive losing you, too.”

Standing, Sela threw her arms around his neck and inhaled the familiar scent of cherry pipe tobacco, peppermint, and whiskey.

“Oh, Grandpa. I love you, too.” She kissed him on the cheek and gave him one more squeeze before she stepped back. “I’d better go do the dishes and get my butt in bed. I don’t know what the heck I thought when I told Ceno breakfast would be at nine, sharp.” Her cheeks warmed as she gave her grandfather a wry grin. “I told him if he misses it, he’s S.O.L.” She raised her brow and met his gaze. “So are you, so I hope you’ve had your last shot of whiskey.”

“I have,” he said with a nod. “I refuse to be sleeping off alcohol with a stranger in our bunkhouse. And, just so you know, Betsy’s out of the gun safe and standing sentry by my bed.”

Sela turned and headed for the kitchen and the dirty dishes. “I hear ya on that one, Gramps. I hear ya.”