“How long will you be staying, Mr. Wallace?” asked the fresh-faced young man at the check in counter.
“Four days,” Cash said. “To start.” Get out of my head, Dixie Rose.
“How would you like to pay?”
Cash tossed a credit card on the desk. He clenched his teeth as the desk clerk ran it through the machine and didn’t relax until the card was accepted. He’d had to charge some farm supplies a couple of weeks earlier and wasn’t sure of the limit on the card. He sighed.
“Well, what do we have here?”
He turned and looked into the whiskey brown eyes of Penny Sykes. She stood hip shot with a cover up (barely) over her bikini. It was good to see that bikini again, he thought.
“You have one Cash Wallace,” he said sotto voce, “who was thrown out of his sister’s place due to the fiancé staying with her.”
“Not enough room?” she asked.
“Too much big brother.”
She chuckled. “Sounds serious.”
“She was.”
“Your sister?”
“Yup. She thought I’d crimp her style.”
Penny looked him up and down. “What crimps your style?”
He grinned. “Not much.”
“Mr. Wallace? Your card.”
He turned his attention to the desk clerk and signed the registration paper.
“Here’s your key. I’ll have someone come out to help you with your bags.”
“No need. I only have the one.” He lifted his duffel and shifted his laptop bag higher on his shoulder while the clerk explained how to get to his room. “Thanks,” he said when the clerk told him to enjoy his stay. He turned back to Penny.
“I’ll show the way. You’re just down the hall from me.”
“Well, isn’t that serendipitous.”
With a cute smile, Penny swiveled and walked to the elevator.
* * *
Ten minutes later Cash and Penny were in his room and gazing out the sliding glass door to the beach below. Cash had his hands in his pockets. It was that or they’d be all over Penny.
“You want to?” Penny asked.
Cash gulped. Clenched his hands into fists. He glanced over her.
“Huh?”
She grinned. “To go to dinner later?”
“Oh. Sure. I’d love to.”
The look in her eye said she probably knew what he’d been thinking about.
“Knock on my door when you’re ready. Say, 7:30?”
“Seven thirty it is.” He led her to the door. His hand almost reached the doorknob before she dragged a fingernail—a long, deliciously pink fingernail—up his chest. A shiver raced up his spine.
“You just going to shove me out the door, handsome? Or are you going to make me miss you?” She leaned in.
“Um.” He hesitated a fraction of a second before putting his hands on her hips. He pulled her in slowly, as slowly as the smile that bloomed on her face.
He touched his lips to hers once, twice. She opened her lips and, as far as he was concerned, invited him in.
His tongue swept inside her mouth. Her hands slid up his chest, around his neck and tightened. Her tongue slid around his. He heard a muffled groan but didn’t know if it was his or hers. Capturing her in his arms, he changed the angle and the tenor of the kiss. Her breasts pressed into his chest. He pressed his hips into the cradle of her thighs and lost his concentration.
She pulled back and giggled. “Sorry,” she said looking down between them. “I’m still wet and chilly.”
She opened the door and slipped out.
Cash leaned against the door but it, too, was cold. He stood up straight.
“I think I’m going to miss you more.”
* * *
“Damn!” Cash snatched up his keys and strode into the hall. In the nick of time, he stuck his hand in the rapidly closing door and went back to retrieve his door key. “I’d leave the udders in the field if they weren’t attached.”
Now capable of unlocking his hotel room, he trotted downstairs and went to the front desk. It was empty. He waited, one foot tapping until a young man came out. Good. I need to have time for a nap.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Yeah. Are there any men’s clothing stores around here?”
“If you drive straight into town you’ll find Kaufman’s Department store on the right.”
Cash was on his way before he’d finished talking.
“But you’d probably prefer… Oh, well.”
Outside, Cash muttered, “Can’t make a woman believe you’re a commodities broker if all you wear are jeans and khakis.” He drove toward the town and found the store right where the desk clerk said it would be. One step inside and he realized he should have specified a store rooted in the current century.
“May I help you?”
The perky blonde batted her eyelashes at him. She wore a yellow double-knit pants suit and over-large plastic glasses studded with rhinestones. She had rings on many fingers. She looked like someone else’s grandmother.
“Uh,” he started.
“I’ll bet you’re looking for something for your mother.”
“No, ma’am. Sorry. Is there another store…”
She tittered. He didn’t think he’d ever heard someone actually titter.
“I love playing with you young men,” she said and gave a real laugh. “We usually get a few youngsters who get lost on their way to the men’s shop.”
Youngster? I guess thirty-five is young if you’re as old as…nope, not even gonna guess.
“And the men’s shop is…?”
“Two more blocks.”
“Thank you. You are as lovely as a daisy.”
“Why, thank you. Come again, and soon. Toodles!” she added as he swung open the door.
Cash escaped and made his way to the real men’s store. He managed to find some light gray slacks and a pale blue shirt in his size. Satisfied, he went back to his room, showered, shaved and finally believed he’d get to Penny’s door on time.
“Next time I want a nap I’ll set an alarm.”
Checking his watch, he hot-footed it down to Penny’s room and knocked. He waited, then knocked again. Finally he heard her on the other side of the door.
“I’m going to unlock the door but you have to give me a minute before you come in, okay? I took a nap after my massage and am running late.”
He put his hand on the knob and a smile on his face. “Sure, I’ll give you a minute before I come in.”
“You don’t sound very convincing.”
He wiped the smile off his face. “No, really. I will.”
“Uh-huh.”
He heard the lock click, counted to three and opened the door. He was just in time to see a heart-shaped derriere disappear into the bedroom. Perfect timing.
“That wasn’t a minute,” Penny said from behind her now closed door.
“Really? My watch must be fast.”
She scoffed and said, “I’ll be out in ten minutes. Ten whole minutes.”
“I can hardly wait.”
Since he knew that ten minutes could mean anything from fifteen minutes to an hour and a half, he wandered the room and admired her suite. It was nice. Maybe he should have gotten a suite. Would she think he was cheap? Wasn’t it funny they both ran late because they were napping? Wasn’t it great she had fulfilled a teenager’s fantasy by running across the room practically naked?
“How do I look?”
He jolted and turned.
“Too bad you got dressed.”
She looked down at the pink dress with red roses and green stems and leaves scattered over it. “You don’t like it?”
He shook his head. “The dress is lovely. You are gorgeous.”
“You’re a funny guy.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
She gave him a coy smile and twirled around. The floaty dress lifted almost enough.
“You look beautiful.”
“How sweet.”
He checked his watch. “You only took eight minutes.”
She picked up a tiny bag and slipped her wrist through the loop. “You want me to go back to my room for another two minutes?”
He looked closely. “You got dried, dressed and put on make-up in eight minutes. I’m going to have to call either the Association of Beautiful Women or Ripley’s Believe it Or Not.”
“You are one funny guy, Mr. Cash Wallace.”
“You are one surprising, beautiful woman, Miss Penny Sykes.”
She looked pleased with herself and, hopefully, with him. He lifted his arm for her to take. “Shall we?”
“Let’s do it,” she said sliding her hand around his elbow. He wished she hadn’t phrased her comment in just that way. He was going to need another cold, wet bathing suit.
* * *
They were seated in the resort’s upscale restaurant without fuss. The tables were covered with linen and every one of them had a view of the water.
“So what brings you to Barefoot Bay?” Cash asked.
It’s too soon for the whole truth. But no lies.
“I recently inherited some money so I decided on a nice, long vacation.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I have enough money to do what I want.”
“No, I mean you must have lost someone close to you.”
Penny froze for a brief moment and hoped Cash didn’t notice. She considered her answer carefully.
“Close enough.”
“Hmm. You had a reclusive, paranoid uncle who kept his savings in a mattress? Or a wayward cousin who turned out to be a Hollywood star?”
She grinned. “Getting warm.”
“Should I keep guessing or are you going to tell me?”
She shook her head. “Not even a clue.”
Cash dug into his salad and chewed thoughtfully. “Your identical twin, who you were separated from at birth, won the lottery and died while celebrating, leaving you all her winnings. The lawyers finally found you after years of accumulated interest and several PIs searching for you.”
Deliberately widening her eyes, she dropped her fork. “How did you guess that?”
His eyes went wide. “I’m right?”
“No, not at all. I just wondered how you guessed that.”
He dropped his head. “I walked into that one, didn’t I?”
“No. You jogged. You ran. You flew. Anything but walked.”
Heads turned as the two of them laughed out loud.
“I’m not usually nosy but you intrigue me, Penny.”
She toyed with the last few pieces of lettuce in her bowl. “You intrigue me, too.”
Now what was she going to do? She hadn’t lied, but she hadn’t told the complete truth either. And she liked this guy. But she was set on her course. She was determined to have a fling with him and walk away with her heart intact.
Their dinner was served.
“How do you feel about crab?” Cash asked gazing at her lobster casserole.
“I feel good about crab.” She scooped up some of her casserole and set it on his plate then grinned as he transferred several meaty looking crab legs to her plate.
They grinned at each other and dug into their dinner.
Ten silent minutes later Penny leaned back and sighed. “I’m stuffed.”
“It’s all those crab legs you ate.”
“That, plus the salad, casserole and two garlic-cheese biscuits.”
“I didn’t want to point out the obvious.”
She laughed and threw her napkin at him. It landed in his lap. She was having the time of her life. He was funny and intelligent and had the most beautiful eyes. I’m doomed.
“You trying to tell me I’m sloppy?”
“Well, I didn’t want to state the obvious.”
With a chuckle, Cash ordered the chocolate cookie and ice cream.
“No! I can’t eat another bite.”
“Who said it’s for you?”
“Ah!”
“Okay, okay. You can taste it.”
They split it pretty evenly she thought. He took the first spoonful of cookie and ice cream, she took the second. Back and forth, their spoons changed position until they had a little spoon war over the last cookie crumb and melted ice cream. As Cash signed the check, she realized they hadn’t stopped talking throughout the dinner. She even spoke of spending “some” time on a cattle ranch which prompted him to discuss cattle futures, feed lots and sorghum grass. She had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him her opinion of anyone feeding asparagus to cows.