The Proposal & Solid Soul - Brenda Jackson [107]
“Yes, then maybe you’ll realize that you’re not immune to me as you want to believe. Good night, Kylie.”
The phone had already clicked in her ear before Kylie could recover her power of speech.
“MOM, ISN’T THIS PLACE simply beautiful?” Tiffany asked in a high-pitched voice that was filled with enthusiasm and wonder.
“Yes, it is,” Kylie replied, trying to direct her gaze out of the cabin window and not on Chance and Marcus as they brought in the items out of the truck.
Especially on Chance.
Instinctively, she took one hand and checked her pulse at her wrist, not surprised to find the strong beat racing beneath her fingertips. Already Chance was having an effect on her. He had shown up at her place wearing a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt. The moment she’d seen him those wacky hormones of hers began soaring. She wished there was some type of injection she could take to build an immunity against him.
“Mom, you don’t sound excited about being here. Are you okay?”
Kylie turned to meet Tiffany’s concerned gaze and suddenly felt guilty. The last thing she wanted was her daughter worrying about her needlessly, which would place a damper on all the fun she’d planned for the weekend. “Yes, sweetheart, I’m fine, and it’s going to be a wonderful and fantastic weekend. Now let’s put this stuff down and go outside to see if Marcus and Chance need our help.”
Once they had stepped back outside, Kylie glanced around. The spacious log cabin that sat on the shore of a huge lake blended well with the surroundings. Trees of all kinds provided plenty of shade, as did a sprawling front porch that had several wooden rocking chairs and a rustic porch swing. Kylie had to agree with Tiffany’s earlier assessment. The place was beautiful.
“The air is so crisp and clean here. I can’t wait until Marcus teaches me how to fish, and Mr. Steele said he would help. Isn’t that nice of him?”
“Yes, that is nice of him.”
They walked back toward the truck while Tiffany excitedly rambled on about what fun she planned to have and what a nice man Chance was.
“Need us to help carry anything else inside?” Kylie asked Chance and Marcus when they reached them.
“No, Dad and I can handle things, Ms. Hagan,” Marcus said, not giving Chance an opportunity to respond. “But remember we don’t use electricity, so you and Tiffany might want to unpack and get familiar with the inside of the cabin. Right, Dad?”
Chance smiled. “Right.”
Kylie could feel Chance’s eyes on her but she refused to look at him. She was beginning to feel ridiculous and out of sorts because a part of her was still upset about yesterday. He, however, was acting like their conversation never took place. To her chagrin, he was in the best of moods.
“So what’s for dinner?” Tiffany would have to be the one to ask.
“I thought it would be nice if we grilled something outside on the open fire,” Chance said. “Any ideas?”
Kylie saw the opportunity to make peace and seized it. She glanced over at Chance. “Anything but hamburgers,” she said softly, as a tentative smile touched her lips.
Chance met her gaze, immediately recognized their private joke and smiled back. “Okay, no hamburgers.”
“What about a hot-dog roast?” was Tiffany’s suggestion.
“That’s a great idea and we have plenty of hot-dog sticks to use,” Marcus chimed in.
“Okay, all that sounds good,” Chance said, as an amused grin eased up the corner of his mouth. “But because I need something a little bit more filling, I’ll throw a couple of steaks on the grill, too.”
He lifted the last box into his strong arms. “Come on, let’s go inside and get this show on the road.”
KYLIE INHALED A DEEP breath as she stepped out of the bedroom she and Tiffany were sharing. More than a dozen candles were strategically scattered about and a couple of huge lanterns blazed in the corners of the living room.
She couldn’t help but smile, thinking of all the fun they’d had so far. Chance had given both her and Tiffany a quick lesson on camping and had shown them how to assemble a tent in case they ever needed