snapped, refusing to bask in the praise or take the advice. “Somebody has to see to all the details. I’d like to know who it’s going to be, if not me.”
“Delegate,” Cole advised. “You got me on this ladder, didn’t you?”
Mimi Frances looked flustered for a second, then a smile spread across her face. “Yes, I did, didn’t I? Well, let me just go outside and see who’s lurking about with nothing to do. Thanks, Cole.”
He gave her a wink. “Any time, Madam President.”
Mimi Frances went off in search of more recruits. Cole came down the ladder, slid it a few feet across the floor, then turned to Cassie. “Okay, your turn.”
“My turn?” she echoed blankly. “To do what?”
“You were assigned streamer duty, too. So far, I’m the only one who’s done a lick of work. How could you stand there and look Mimi Frances in the eye, knowing that you hadn’t done a blessed thing she asked you to? That woman is counting on us. The success of this entire reunion rests on our shoulders.”
“Oh, please,” Cassie said with a groan. “Besides, you’re doing a fine job. I’ll hold the ladder.”
“Not that I don’t trust you, darlin’, but I think I like the idea of me holding it for you a whole lot better.” He handed her the tape, plucked her off the ground and set her on the first rung. “Climb.” He paused, his gazed locked with hers. “Unless you really are scared of heights.”
She frowned at him, then dutifully kicked off hershoes. She was halfway up, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her dress had hiked a good three inches up her thighs, when she paused and scowled down at him. “If I catch you looking up my skirt, Cole Davis, you’re a dead man.”
“The thought never crossed my mind,” he lied cheerfully, then dutifully averted his gaze, at least until her back was turned.
“You can’t have changed that much,” she retorted, shooting daggers at him when she caught the direction of his gaze.
“Maybe I have,” he said. “You haven’t spent enough time with me to find out.”
“And I’m not likely to,” she told him, slapping a wad of tape on the streamer, then sticking it to the wall before descending.
Cole stood right at the bottom waiting for her, just far enough back to give her a little room to maneuver her way toward the floor. Then he braced one arm on either side of the ladder so that when she reached the last step she was all but in his arms.
“Want to place a bet on that?” he taunted, his mouth next to her ear. She almost tumbled off the bottom rung and into his waiting arms, just as he’d anticipated. He was starting to enjoy keeping her off balance, literally and figuratively.
“Back off,” she commanded.
Cole recognized the heat in her tone. Cassie had always had a temper. It was slow to flare out of control, but once it did, it was as lively as the fireworks the town had planned for the Fourth of July. He’d missed that kind of excitement in his life.
He stood his ground. “Not just yet.”
She looked over her shoulder and straight into his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
For the longest time he just lost himself in the depths of her furious, flashing eyes. He ignored the whisper of dismay in her voice, the cry of old wounds in his soul. Finally he sighed.
“I wish to hell I knew,” he said softly.
Then and only then did he take a step back and, after one last lingering look, turn and walk away.
It was a strategic retreat, nothing more, he told himself. He needed to spend a little time getting his head together before he had that confrontation with her he’d been thinking about for the past two days.
Otherwise he was liable to spend the time kissing her senseless, instead of getting the answers he wanted.
Chapter Five
C assie hadn’t felt this jittery since her first date with Cole more than ten years earlier. After he’d walked away, when she finally managed that last shaky step from the ladder, her knees all but buckled.
“Delegate,” Cole advised. “You got me on this ladder, didn’t you?”
Mimi Frances looked flustered for a second, then a smile spread across her face. “Yes, I did, didn’t I? Well, let me just go outside and see who’s lurking about with nothing to do. Thanks, Cole.”
He gave her a wink. “Any time, Madam President.”
Mimi Frances went off in search of more recruits. Cole came down the ladder, slid it a few feet across the floor, then turned to Cassie. “Okay, your turn.”
“My turn?” she echoed blankly. “To do what?”
“You were assigned streamer duty, too. So far, I’m the only one who’s done a lick of work. How could you stand there and look Mimi Frances in the eye, knowing that you hadn’t done a blessed thing she asked you to? That woman is counting on us. The success of this entire reunion rests on our shoulders.”
“Oh, please,” Cassie said with a groan. “Besides, you’re doing a fine job. I’ll hold the ladder.”
“Not that I don’t trust you, darlin’, but I think I like the idea of me holding it for you a whole lot better.” He handed her the tape, plucked her off the ground and set her on the first rung. “Climb.” He paused, his gazed locked with hers. “Unless you really are scared of heights.”
She frowned at him, then dutifully kicked off hershoes. She was halfway up, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her dress had hiked a good three inches up her thighs, when she paused and scowled down at him. “If I catch you looking up my skirt, Cole Davis, you’re a dead man.”
“The thought never crossed my mind,” he lied cheerfully, then dutifully averted his gaze, at least until her back was turned.
“You can’t have changed that much,” she retorted, shooting daggers at him when she caught the direction of his gaze.
“Maybe I have,” he said. “You haven’t spent enough time with me to find out.”
“And I’m not likely to,” she told him, slapping a wad of tape on the streamer, then sticking it to the wall before descending.
Cole stood right at the bottom waiting for her, just far enough back to give her a little room to maneuver her way toward the floor. Then he braced one arm on either side of the ladder so that when she reached the last step she was all but in his arms.
“Want to place a bet on that?” he taunted, his mouth next to her ear. She almost tumbled off the bottom rung and into his waiting arms, just as he’d anticipated. He was starting to enjoy keeping her off balance, literally and figuratively.
“Back off,” she commanded.
Cole recognized the heat in her tone. Cassie had always had a temper. It was slow to flare out of control, but once it did, it was as lively as the fireworks the town had planned for the Fourth of July. He’d missed that kind of excitement in his life.
He stood his ground. “Not just yet.”
She looked over her shoulder and straight into his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
For the longest time he just lost himself in the depths of her furious, flashing eyes. He ignored the whisper of dismay in her voice, the cry of old wounds in his soul. Finally he sighed.
“I wish to hell I knew,” he said softly.
Then and only then did he take a step back and, after one last lingering look, turn and walk away.
It was a strategic retreat, nothing more, he told himself. He needed to spend a little time getting his head together before he had that confrontation with her he’d been thinking about for the past two days.
Otherwise he was liable to spend the time kissing her senseless, instead of getting the answers he wanted.
Chapter Five
C assie hadn’t felt this jittery since her first date with Cole more than ten years earlier. After he’d walked away, when she finally managed that last shaky step from the ladder, her knees all but buckled.
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