That McCloud Woman Read Free Page A

stopped at an angle in front
of the picket fence that surrounded the house, and Alayna slipped from behind
the wheel and to the ground. She quickly ducked back inside, stretching to grab
a sack of groceries from the passenger seat. With the movement, the hem of her
dress rose, exposing a tanned calf, then the tender flesh behind her knee. At
the sight, Jack felt his pulse kick and heat crawl up his neck.
    "Hi!"
she called brightly as she turned and headed toward him. "Sorry I'm
late."
    Jack
frowned, tugging the bill of his cap low over his forehead as if to hide the
truth of where his eyes had strayed. "No problem."
    She
stooped to give the cat that greeted her a loving pat. "I see you met
Captain Jinx."
    Jack's
frown deepened as he watched the flea-bitten, stump-tailed cat arch beneath her
hand, purring its contentment. "Yeah."
    She
straightened, lifting her gaze to his, a teasing smile curving her lips when
she saw the look of disgust on his face. "You don't like cats?"
    He
lifted a shoulder. "They're okay."
    She
laughed softly as she shifted the sack of groceries to her hip, then looked
back down at the cat. "He's not really mine. He just appeared one day and
stayed."
    "Did
you feed him?"
    Alayna
glanced up, her forehead wrinkling at the unexpected question. "Well, yes.
As a matter of fact, I did. Why do you ask?"
    He
lifted a shoulder again. "That would be enough to convince him to
stay."
    Alayna
stared at Jack a moment, caught once again by the sadness in his eyes, the
emptiness there, wondering what had robbed them of their life, their sparkle.
She wondered, too, if she fed Jack, as she had the cat, would he stay long
enough to finish her remodeling job?
    At
the outrageousness of the thought, she shifted the sack of groceries in her
arms. "What would you like to see first? The cabin where you'll be
staying, or the house?"
    Jack
glanced over his shoulder toward the house. He didn't care one way or the other
about his own accommodations. But the house and its distinct architecture had
intrigued him from the moment he'd first caught sight of it. "The house,
if you don't mind."
    "The
house, it is." Alayna led the way, with Jack following. When they reached
the kitchen door, she juggled sack and purse, and he quickly stretched an arm
in front of her, caught the screen door handle and pulled it open. "Thank
you," she said, offering him a grateful smile as she passed by him.
    Feeling
the warmth of her smile and catching a whiff of the flowery scent that trailed
her, Jack stared after her a second, watching the subtle movement of her hips
beneath the sacklike dress, and the rhythmic sway of her hair across her
shoulders and back. He wondered what the texture of her hair would feel like
between his fingers, what she'd taste like when aroused. When he realized where
his thoughts were taking him, he frowned and quickly stepped inside, letting
the door close quietly behind him.
    In
the kitchen, Alayna set the bag of groceries on the counter, then began to dig
out the items that needed refrigeration. "Would you like something to
drink?" she asked, crossing to the refrigerator. "I made lemonade
this morning, or I might be able to scare up a beer. Frank might have left one
or two behind."
    Jack
looked around the kitchen, admiring the old glass-front cabinetry.
"Lemonade's fine," he murmured absently. He crossed to the breakfast
nook, tucked into a bay window, and ran his hand across the faded wallpaper,
letting his fingers tell him the wall's history.
    Alayna
watched him as she pulled the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator.
"Frank didn't do much in there," she offered. "My first
priorities were the kitchen, my bedroom and bath." She took two glasses
from the cabinet and filled them with ice.
    "There's
beaded paneling beneath this paper."
    In
the midst of pouring lemonade, Alayna glanced Jack's way and saw that he had
pulled a knife from his pocket and was carefully scraping at the paper near the
window frame. "What?" she asked,