Chapter Four
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Addison tasted as sweet as melon dipped in honey, and once he started kissing her, Kai didn’t want to stop. In fact, he wanted to lay her down and explore much more of her.
But this was their first kiss, and they were being filmed. So eventually, but not too quickly, he exercised restraint and pulled back. Addison opened her eyes, gray as storm-tossed skies, and the look she gave him made his pulse throb.
She felt the same way. He was sure of it.
Which made him want her all the more.
One of the camera crew inched nearer, and Kai got a hold of himself. “Lunch,” he said huskily. “We’d better go back.” It was torture to stand up and break the spell of the moment. Instead he wanted to kiss Addison again. To explore her reaction to him.
But not now. Not with an audience.
“Isn’t it early?” Addison asked, following him.
“Time to make it,” he explained, looking back over his shoulder.
“Oh, right. Of course.” She sounded breathless, like their encounter had knocked her off-guard, too. He couldn’t help but reach out and twine his fingers around hers. She let him, which told him he had to be at least partly right.
But the not-knowing was already getting to him. Maybe Addison would be like every other woman he’d dated. Maybe she’d grow restless and leave—
He remembered a lecture his father had given him back when he was still in high school and he’d come home devastated that a pretty girl named Isobel had dumped him mid-party for another boy.
“Everyone wants the gorgeous girls, the fragile ones, the femme fatales,” Eric Ledbetter had said. “But most of the time, they aren’t worth the drama. Look for the sensible ones. Give them a chance. Most of them are pretty, too, and what’s more, they’re fun to be with. They won’t lead you around like a pet goat. They’ll partner with you, join in with you, play sports with you—do stuff. I wish you could hear me, Kai. It would save you a world of hurt.”
Kai sighed. Addison was anything but sensible. She was as quirky as all the other women he’d dated in his life. He wasn’t sure why he’d reacted like he had; she wasn’t going to stay—
Kai stumbled. Stopped in his tracks. Turned Addison to face him.
“Are you going to stay?”
He immediately wished he could take back his words. He’d never exposed himself like this while being filmed. The camera crew, who’d fallen back, rushed to take up positions around them, sensing a story.
Addison opened her mouth to speak, faltered, bit her lip and hesitated so long he thought she’d never answer. When she spoke, it was in a tone he couldn’t quite interpret.
“Yes.”
She pulled away from him and resumed walking, picking up speed as she went.
Kai followed her, half relieved, half filled with anxiety. She hadn’t sounded sure, no matter what she’d said. Now she was practically running from him.
But wasn’t that to be expected? She’d just got here.
He needed to back off. Give her room to get used to Base Camp—and him.
Instead, he strode after her, soon caught up with her and twined his fingers with hers again, needing to prove to himself he was master of this situation. She didn’t pull away, and he hoped that meant something.
When they reached the bunkhouse kitchen, Addison slipped from his grip and moved quickly to wash her hands. “Do you have an extra apron?” she asked with a glance at the camera crew, who’d followed them.
“Over there.” He pointed to a hook on the wall. “Want to dice some onions for me?”
“Sure.”
Once she’d tied on an apron, she fetched the onions, a knife and a cutting board, moving around the kitchen as if she’d lived here for years. When she noticed him watching, she said, “Relax, sailor—I can dice an onion. I swear. Cordon Bleu, remember?”
Kai chuckled. “Right. I’ll leave you to it.” He decided to let go of his worries for now. He couldn’t force an answer out of her, and he might as well enjoy spending time with a pretty woman while he could.
He got to work on the rest of the meal, a chili that was good, hearty fare for a cool fall day. After a few minutes, he lost himself in browning the meat.
“Garlic?” Addison asked a few minutes later.
“Um-hmm.”
“Green peppers?”
“That’s right.” When he finally turned to help Addison, he found she’d prepped all the vegetables—quite nicely, too. “You’re a pro, aren’t you?”
“Oh.” Addison blinked. “Well, you know—knitting is my real love.”
She needed to remember who she was—and who she was supposed to be. Cooking could be one of her hobbies, but she was Addison the surf-cap maker, the artsy kind of girl Kai liked to pursue—not the practical cook and party-thrower who could feed fifty people as easily as three. Felicity had told her to play down her cooking skills.
“Men don’t want competition; they want someone who complements them. Don’t tell him you’re a whiz in the kitchen.”
She guessed she’d already messed up.
Her short stint at cooking school had come about through savings from her high school jobs. When the cash had run dry, Addison had gone home, gone back to work and put herself through business school night courses.
It was nice to work in the kitchen with a real chef again, and she appreciated Kai’s flow in the way he worked, the care in the way he prepared the food—and the way he thought about the men and women who would eat it. Once the chili was bubbling on the stove, they worked on dessert. Baked apple slices with a honey drizzle. Soon delicious smells were wafting from the oven.
The rest of the inhabitants of Base Camp were far more relaxed at lunch than they’d been when she met them earlier. She enjoyed a closer look at the women’s dresses and couldn’t wait to get her own. She also enjoyed the way the men and women bantered. They all seemed so comfortable with one another. They had a shared history. Addison wondered if she’d ever feel like that.
Of course she wouldn’t, she told herself. She was only going to be here seventeen more days. Then she’d fly back to New York, take possession of an amazing penthouse and start working to attain her dream.
“Want a tour before your fitting?” Kai asked when the meal was over and she’d helped him clean up. She was beginning to get an inkling of the full days Kai worked, barely a chance between meals to take a break before it was time to get cooking again.
“Yes,” Addison said. That was an easy one to agree to.
Kai showed her the chicken house with its fenced in run and told her they got about two dozen eggs a day. Next came the horses. “Would you like to ride sometime?”
“Yes.” She’d never tried riding, but she’d give it a go. She hoped Kai was a patient teacher, though.
There were pigs in a sty and bison out in the pastures. Kai said they came closer sometimes, but Addison was fine with admiring them from a distance. He took her hand as they walked to the garden.
Addison liked it when he did that. Probably too much. She’d liked it when he’d kissed her, too, more than she wanted to admit—her legs were still weak from the experience. She couldn’t help hoping he’d try that again soon. He was bigger than the men she’d dated before, buff in a way that was new to her. Powerful. But gentle.
So hot she melted every time he was near.
Addison didn’t think she’d ever had a crush like this in real life. She kept telling herself she’d built up Kai in her mind to be something no real man could ever be.
But this felt real.
She turned away so he couldn’t see the smile she knew was tugging at her mouth. Felicity would crow if she could see her now. Addison could almost hear her. “See? Just say yes and see how much fun you can have!”
She was enjoying herself.
Far too much.
Would she make love to Kai before all was said and done?
She slid a look at him. Found him looking back. Heat suffused her body.
God, she hoped so.
Then she wanted to cover her face with her hands. Could he read her mind? She was in trouble if he could.
“We grow a lot of stuff,” Kai went on, and Addison breathed easier, realizing she hadn’t given herself away. “Boone, Samantha and Angus do most of the work. I help when I can. I love these heirloom tomatoes. Want to try one?” He bent down to pick a ripe one.
“Uh… yes?” Damn, she hated tomatoes. Addison knew that was weird; everyone else loved them, especially these old-fashioned varieties, but she’d never been able to stand them. She disliked marinara sauce, too. Try explaining that to most people. She’d choked down the chili at lunch and knew it was good, but she’d eaten it because she had to—not because she’d wanted to.
But the rules were the rules. She couldn’t tell herself Felicity wouldn’t find out, because the cameramen who’d trailed them all day were still following them. Reluctantly, she took the beautiful tomato, bit in and cringed.
“What’s wrong?” Kai asked. “Isn’t it ripe?”
Addison chewed and swallowed as fast as she could, then handed it back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Ugh. God, the most tomatoey tomato she’d ever had.
Kai took a bite. “It’s perfect,” he said when he had swallowed. He peered at her. “You didn’t like it, did you?”
“I hate tomatoes,” she confessed.
“Then why did you say yes?”
All Addison could do was shrug.
“Don’t worry; we’ll have her back before dinner,” Riley called as she, Avery and Addison rode off in a horse-drawn carriage driven by their neighbor, James Russell. Maud, James’s wife, sat in the carriage with the other women, grilling Addison until Kai worried that she’d be overwhelmed. He knew that both Maud and James were friendly—sometimes too friendly. The older couple were Regency enthusiasts, too, and had seized on the women of Base Camp as a kind of pet project the moment they’d met them. They loved to drive the women around in their carriage, run errands for them and help throw lavish Regency entertainment at the Manor. He hoped Addison knew she didn’t have to tell them everything just because they asked.
“Well? What do you think?” Curtis asked as soon as the carriage rounded a bend in the road and disappeared from view. Daisy nosed around in the dirt nearby, checking now and then to make sure her master hadn’t strayed too far.
“So far, so good.” He didn’t want to admit how good. He was afraid to jinx it.
“Maybe I should give Boone another chance to find me a wife,” Curtis mused.
“Your turn will come.”
“My advice to you is don’t let her out of your sight until you get her to the altar. You never know who might be lurking about waiting for his chance to snatch her away.” Curtis bent down and stroked Daisy’s ears absently when the dog came close.
“I’ll do that.” He knew Curtis was joking but knew, too, that joke had its limits. Like he’d thought, Curtis still bore the scars from losing Samantha.
He didn’t want to lose Addison, that was for sure, but she’d be surrounded by women at the Reed place. She’d be back in an hour or two, and he’d make sure to spend the rest of the day with her.
“Fulsom’s coming for dinner,” Boone told him a few minutes later when Kai entered the bunkhouse again. “Thought you’d want to know. He’ll have some people with him.”
Hell. “How many people? Do they expect us to feed them?” Martin Fulsom only appeared at Base Camp when he wanted publicity—and wanted to stir things up. He knew the value of controversy and drama on the show, and sometimes he liked to poke the hornets’ nest and make them all a little crazy.
Kai hoped that wasn’t his intention this time.
Boone shrugged. “I’m not sure. Do the best you can, I guess.”
“I wonder why he’s coming.” He thought about their depleted food stores. They had plenty for now, of course, but unexpected guests meant produce he should be saving for the winter would disappear.
“Renata said he wants to give us some kind of pep talk.”
“Why do I doubt I’ll feel peppy after it?”
Curtis laughed. “Because you’ve ridden this merry-go-round a time or two before.” He headed off to work, and Kai made his way back into the kitchen to start prepping dinner.
A moment later, Angus popped into the room and shut the door behind him again. “What’s going on? I heard Fulsom’s coming.”
“Then you know as much as I do,” Kai told him. “More mouths to feed,” he added.
“I’ve got some potatoes started in the greenhouse. Samantha’s helping.”
“That will be great—in February or March when they’re ready,” Kai said.
“At least we’ve got the bison. We could probably live on one all winter.”
“I think people will notice if all we eat is meat. It would hardly be sustainable if everyone did that.” Base Camp was all about balance.
“Hard times call for drastic measures.”
“Hopefully not that drastic yet.”
“Burgundy is your color,” Alice Reed said decidedly. “Would you like a burgundy gown?”
“Yes,” Addison said happily. Burgundy had always suited her. She loved the seamstress’s airy, light-filled studio in the carriage house at Two Willows, a beautiful old ranch with extensive gardens and a fascinating hedge maze.
“Or maybe forest green.” Alice fingered a length of fabric. “Maybe you’d like a green one?”
No, Addison thought. She wanted burgundy. “Yes,” she said with a glance at the cameras. Damn her sister.
“Or how about this?” Alice picked up another bolt of cloth, a kind of seashell gray. “This might be something to think about. Would you like a gray gown?”
“Yes.” Addison wanted to scream. She didn’t like the gray material at all. It would make her look sallow. The burgundy was obviously her best choice. And call her stupid; she wanted to look her best for Kai.
Alice cocked her head, studied Addison for a moment, then reached for a bolt of hot-pink fabric with yellow hearts embroidered on it. “How about this? I think it would look stunning on you!”
“Alice! That’s awful.” Avery hustled over from where she’d been standing with Riley near a rack of costumes.
Alice ignored her and waited for Addison’s answer, rustling the cloth at Addison as if to tempt her.
There was no way she wanted a gown made of that stuff, Addison thought.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You do not want a hot-pink gown,” Avery exclaimed. “Why would you say you did?”
“I… don’t want to impose,” Addison improvised quickly. She couldn’t explain what was really going on. That was against the rules. “Whatever you think is best,” she told Alice. “I’m just so happy to be here. I’ve watched every episode of Base Camp. I love looking at the gowns you sew.”
Alice dropped the hot-pink fabric, mollified and maybe a little embarrassed, although Addison wasn’t sure she’d really fooled her.
“Burgundy it is for the first one, then. Don’t worry; I’ll make it beautiful for you.”
“Thank you.” Addison was relieved. This darn yes thing was going to get her in real trouble before it was all over. She allowed Alice to take her measurements and perused the costumes with the other women while Alice altered some basic underthings for her and a simple light-blue gown she already had on hand that Addison could use for the time being.
“I’ll deliver several more in a few days. They’ll fit you perfectly, but these will do for now,” Alice told her when she was done. She helped Addison into an outfit, explaining the complicated underthings and letting her in on the secrets of Regency dress. “You’ll need help getting in and out of these clothes.”
“We all help each other,” Avery chimed in. “After a while you get used to it.”
“Thank you.” Addison loved her new outfit far better than the boho clothes Felicity had picked out. Now she looked like she belonged at Westfield. She turned in a circle, getting a better view in the mirror. “I love this dress.”
Riley, who was looking out the window, said, “It looks like a storm’s coming. It really feels like fall, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll be delivering coats for all of you soon,” Alice told her. “You’re going to need something warmer than the light ones I made for you earlier in the year.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Avery told her.
“We’d better be getting back,” Riley said.
Avery joined her near the door, but Alice held Addison back, scrutinizing her as if she was trying to read her intentions in her eyes.
She nodded suddenly, as if she’d found the answer she was looking for. “Do you like dancing, Addison?”
“Yes,” Addison answered truthfully.
“I think it’s high time Westfield threw a ball, don’t you?”
“Uh… yes?” Addison didn’t know if it was or not, but it sure sounded fun. She’d need to learn those fancy Regency dances, though. She loved it when the inhabitants of Base Camp performed them on the show.
“I think it should be a Halloween ball. With costumes. Don’t you think?” Alice pressed her.
Addison’s excitement deflated. Halloween ball? She would be gone by then. “Yes.”
“Good, it’s settled. You’ll take care of it, won’t you?” Alice was watching her with that knowing look on her face again. This was a setup, Addison realized. Alice had somehow figured her out.
But no; how could she have? She was being paranoid.
“Well?” Alice prompted. “Wouldn’t you like to organize a ball?”
Organize a ball?
Addison swallowed hard. She’d give her left arm to organize a ball. For the first time she considered the fact that the women of Base Camp ran a Regency B and B—with a ballroom.
Her fingers itched to start decorating it.
“Yes,” she agreed breathlessly.
You won’t be here at Halloween, a little voice in her mind pointed out.
She refused to hear it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Besides, there was only one answer she could give for the next seventeen days.