Chapter Eleven

“Come on, Gramps.” Sela took his book of puzzles and started back to the kitchen. “Breakfast is ready. Come and get it.”

“Ah. I see how it is.” He stood and followed her to the kitchen. “Yesterday morning, ya stood in here and bellowed breakfast is ready like some carny after a mark. Today, you come and get me, practically whispering it in my ear.”

“Gramps.” Please, don’t go there. Not in front of him.

“Who are you trying to impress?” He waved his arm. “Mister I just want your gold here? How do we know he doesn’t work for Johnson.” He gave Ceno a glare. “Well, son. Do ya?”

Sela closed her eyes and prayed for a sinkhole to open up and swallow her. What would he say if he knew what she’d done? She’d never live it down. Especially if she ended up pregnant because of her stupidity.

“Do I what, sir?”

“Look at him sitting there so pretty. He acts as though he doesn’t know what I mean.” He banged his fist on the table. “Do you work for that good-for-nothin’ Johnson? That’s what.”

“No, sir.” Ceno tilted his head. “I told you last night that I don’t work for him.” Ceno took a deep breath and leaned forward. “My brother Reno asked me to go out and find some gold. I could get it the easy way, by going to a pawnshop. I chose, instead, to help you and your granddaughter. I need gold, and you might have it. An arrangement between us is good for you, and it’s good for me. If I find gold on your land, I will pay you what it’s worth. I don’t think you can say as much for Cal Johnson, after what I’ve heard about him in the short time I’ve been in the area.” He leaned back and held the old man’s gaze.

“Read me. I know you want to.”

“How did you—” Her grandfather sat back in his seat wide-eyed.

“What? How did I know you want to read me to see if I’m telling you the truth?” Ceno laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. So, I’d rather you looked into me for your answers.” He clasped his hands and waited. “Well?”

“I can’t.” The old man shook his head. “My son could have, and Helen, but my sense isn’t that strong. It never was very strong in my family. Helen’s side of the family was always stronger.”

“What are you two talking about?” Sela asked as she filled her grandfather’s plate, carefully giving him the correct serving size for his diet. She shifted her gaze between them, trying to figure out what they were doing.

“You know,” her grandfather said, his gaze not leaving Ceno’s. “What we talked about last night.”

“Don’t start that today.” She plunked his plate in front of him. The table shook with the force of the dish hitting the tabletop. “I’m not listening to any more about some strange, Pennsylvanian Dutch hooey you and Dad kept going on about.”

Standing, she put her hands on her hips. “One more word about that superstitious malarkey and I’m shoving all this food down the disposal!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ceno said as he wrapped his arm around his full plate and pulled it closer. “I’m eating, not talking, ma’am,” he said with that endearing accent her grandfather had deemed fake. Why did it have to sound so good if it was fake? Would he sound as sexy if he had some other kind of accent, and would she forgive him for lying to her if she found out everything about him was as phony as her grandfather claimed?

Thankfully, the rest of breakfast passed in silence as both men shoveled food into their mouths so fast it almost made Sela smile. Leave it to the desire to have a full belly to bring peace and silence to the table.

Still, she couldn’t help stealing little glances at Ceno. What if her grandfather was right and there was something different about him? He did have strange eyes. The blue, so light, it almost appeared white was rather startling in his tanned face, especially when they’d been almost glowing the night before. Also, the white blond hair didn’t look quite right with his dark complexion.

Right, and half the contact-wearing blonds in Hollywood are weird looking, too. Sela gave a mental snort and tried to keep her attention on her breakfast instead of Ceno. Every time she looked at him, she blushed. If she kept it up, Gramps would figure them out, and he’d go running for Betsy.

Why had she asked him to stay? Had it been some kind of gratitude for his making JC pee himself and then filling her gas tanks? Was it because she’d never gotten such hot or intense looks from any man, let alone a gorgeous hunk of manhood like him?

Sela took another bite of her eggs, glad she’d finally come to a decision. Right after breakfast, she would tell him she shouldn’t have brought him home, and he would have to leave. Whatever it was that had convinced her to invite him to dinner and then sleep with him had been a mistake and she would rectify it—right after breakfast.

 

“How far is Hot Springs?” Ceno asked as she rounded another curve. The mountain roads were anything but straight.

“About another fifteen more miles.” She pressed her lips together and wondered if all men were so impatient or just the two she had with her.

“Oh.” He sat back in the seat and glanced back at her grandpa. “Are you sure you’re comfortable back there, sir?”

“I’m fine.” Gramps waved his hand and went back to staring out the window. “I just like looking at the scenery.”

“As long as you’re okay. I don’t mind sitting in the back.”

“Nah.” Gramps shook his head. “Your legs are a lot longer than mine. It would be pure meanness to make you sit back here.” He grinned. “Though I’ve got no shortage of orneriness, I’ve never been a mean cuss.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The two had reached an uneasy truce over breakfast. Uneasy because it was obvious her grandfather still didn’t trust Ceno, while their guest apparently had no idea how to treat a man who had shown such obvious disdain for him.

“You’re welcome, I guess,” her grandfather mumbled as he turned his attention back to looking out the window.

“We need to shop first. Otherwise, most of the stores will be closed before we’re through eating.” Reaching up, she turned up the fan on the air conditioner and groaned. “Not again.”

“What?” Ceno held his hand in front of the vent. “You need a recharge.”

“I can’t afford one.” Sela turned off the air with a sigh and rolled down the windows.

“Sure you can.” Ceno grinned. “You have a resident mechanic, remember?” Just buy one of those cans of refrigerant that has gauges, and I’ll get this thing charged up in the parking lot after we shop.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Can you guess what I’m going to say next,” Ceno asked with a smile.

“Who’s asking?” She gave him an unsteady smile. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you...” Sela bit her lip. “Don’t get me wrong. But why are you here?” Her eyes burned, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. “What did I do to deserve you falling into my life the way you have?”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

She glanced Ceno’s way with a smile. “Maybe we’ll make a good gold-hunting team.” So much for asking him to leave.

“Maybe.” He reached out and patted her leg.

“Hands to yourself, mister!” Gramps pounded the back of the seat. “I might be sitting in the back, but I’m not blind.”

“Gramps, really!” Good grief. At least she had her grandfather to keep her from doing something stupid... again. “I’m sure Ceno didn’t mean anything sexual by that. Did you?” She glanced at him through the corner of her eye as she rounded another curve.

If the look he gave her was any indication, he couldn’t wait to get her alone again.

Sela shivered and tried not to glance at his way. There was something about that smoldering look that had her fingers clenching the steering wheel and butterflies wheeling around inside her stomach.

Whatever was happening between them wasn’t something she’d expected when she asked him to dinner. Frankly, she wasn’t sure it was something she wanted more of either. He was hot, and he was damned good in bed, but something about him scared her. It was too bad she hadn’t felt that way before she had sex with him.

Could she risk giving her heart again? What if he turned out to be no better than her ex-husband, Jack? Was that what scared her?