chuckled. “I didn’t mean it as an insult.”
She bit off a response. Nikki and Jamie entered the kitchen, carrying more empty glasses and bottles. Rachel smiled, trying not to be grumpy because she no longer had Matt to herself. It was a small miracle that they’d managed to be alone for the fifteen minutes.
As soon as Matt heard Nikki’s voice, he straightened and picked up the bottle he’d left on the counter. “You recycle?”
Puzzled, Rachel nodded and pointed to the blue bin near the mudroom door. The question wasn’t necessarily odd, but his tone was more impersonal. He wouldn’t have lied about Nikki....
“Have you been cleaning up?” Jamie asked, depositing glasses in the sink. “Stop it. Today is supposed to be your day off.”
“Right.” Rachel sighed. “My mom has a headache so I’m pitching in.”
“Put me to work,” Nikki offered.
“No, but thanks.” Rachel hung the towel. “The dishwasher is full. We can let it run while we rejoin the party.”
Matt separated the new crop of bottles and carried them to the bin. “We need to shove off,” he said, and Nikki nodded solemnly. “I wanted to see your mom,” he said to Rachel. “Tell her I’ll come by again, would you?”
“Sure.” She tried not to look surprised, but she wasn’t aware Matt and her mother knew each other well enough that he’d pay her a special visit. “I could get her now.”
“No, don’t. I’ll be around for a while.”
Nikki swung a startled look at him. Clearly, she had other ideas.
5
“S HE HASN ’ T GOTTEN over you,” Nikki said, the moment they were bumping over the Sundance’s gravel driveway, headed for the highway.
“Who?”
“Oh, come on. You know I mean Rachel. Who I like very much, by the way, so you have my blessing.”
“Gee, thanks. I’m relieved.” Matt shook his head. The beer hadn’t mellowed him. He was irritable but couldn’t figure out why, and Nikki wasn’t helping. “To illustrate how little you know, she was sixteen when I left.”
Nikki laughed. “So you never...got down and dirty with her?”
“Were you not listening? Rachel was sixteen, Nik. Jesus.”
She sighed and let her head fall back against the headrest. “My brother, so honorable. Why can’t I find someone like you?”
It was his turn to laugh. “Careful what you wish for. I thought I’d have to plug Trace’s eyes back in his head when he saw you.”
She let out an unladylike snort. “Guys like him? Uh-uh. Hot? Yes. But he knows it. Uses it. No, thank you. I’ve had my share of those dogs. No more. I’m done.”
“You’re sure about that?” Remarkably cheered, Matt glanced over at her. “Because I don’t think you made yourself clear.”
She brought her head up. “You’re an ass.”
Matt just smiled. She’d called him worse. “I think you’re wrong about Trace.”
“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the way he was flirting with those two women?”
“I saw him being polite. The blonde was doing the flirting. But I reckon it doesn’t matter.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she murmured and stared off mutely into the darkness beyond her window. A few seconds later she asked, “How far away are we?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Want to go to the Watering Hole?”
“You’re gonna turn into a drunk trying to put off meeting Wallace.”
“So?” She paused. “What do you think? Watering Hole?”
“I’m not dying to see him either, you know.”
“Yeah, I do.” She fidgeted a minute, and then turned on the radio. Only garbled voices blasted from the speakers, so she obsessively pressed buttons.
The connection was poor this far east of Kalispell. He’d already told her earlier. “You won’t find anything.” He tugged at his collar, trying to loosen it. She was making him edgy. Coming out of nowhere, it struck him. “The chocolate cake—I finally got it.”
She turned off the annoying static. “What are you talking about?”
“You hate chocolate cake. I’d
She bit off a response. Nikki and Jamie entered the kitchen, carrying more empty glasses and bottles. Rachel smiled, trying not to be grumpy because she no longer had Matt to herself. It was a small miracle that they’d managed to be alone for the fifteen minutes.
As soon as Matt heard Nikki’s voice, he straightened and picked up the bottle he’d left on the counter. “You recycle?”
Puzzled, Rachel nodded and pointed to the blue bin near the mudroom door. The question wasn’t necessarily odd, but his tone was more impersonal. He wouldn’t have lied about Nikki....
“Have you been cleaning up?” Jamie asked, depositing glasses in the sink. “Stop it. Today is supposed to be your day off.”
“Right.” Rachel sighed. “My mom has a headache so I’m pitching in.”
“Put me to work,” Nikki offered.
“No, but thanks.” Rachel hung the towel. “The dishwasher is full. We can let it run while we rejoin the party.”
Matt separated the new crop of bottles and carried them to the bin. “We need to shove off,” he said, and Nikki nodded solemnly. “I wanted to see your mom,” he said to Rachel. “Tell her I’ll come by again, would you?”
“Sure.” She tried not to look surprised, but she wasn’t aware Matt and her mother knew each other well enough that he’d pay her a special visit. “I could get her now.”
“No, don’t. I’ll be around for a while.”
Nikki swung a startled look at him. Clearly, she had other ideas.
5
“S HE HASN ’ T GOTTEN over you,” Nikki said, the moment they were bumping over the Sundance’s gravel driveway, headed for the highway.
“Who?”
“Oh, come on. You know I mean Rachel. Who I like very much, by the way, so you have my blessing.”
“Gee, thanks. I’m relieved.” Matt shook his head. The beer hadn’t mellowed him. He was irritable but couldn’t figure out why, and Nikki wasn’t helping. “To illustrate how little you know, she was sixteen when I left.”
Nikki laughed. “So you never...got down and dirty with her?”
“Were you not listening? Rachel was sixteen, Nik. Jesus.”
She sighed and let her head fall back against the headrest. “My brother, so honorable. Why can’t I find someone like you?”
It was his turn to laugh. “Careful what you wish for. I thought I’d have to plug Trace’s eyes back in his head when he saw you.”
She let out an unladylike snort. “Guys like him? Uh-uh. Hot? Yes. But he knows it. Uses it. No, thank you. I’ve had my share of those dogs. No more. I’m done.”
“You’re sure about that?” Remarkably cheered, Matt glanced over at her. “Because I don’t think you made yourself clear.”
She brought her head up. “You’re an ass.”
Matt just smiled. She’d called him worse. “I think you’re wrong about Trace.”
“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the way he was flirting with those two women?”
“I saw him being polite. The blonde was doing the flirting. But I reckon it doesn’t matter.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she murmured and stared off mutely into the darkness beyond her window. A few seconds later she asked, “How far away are we?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Want to go to the Watering Hole?”
“You’re gonna turn into a drunk trying to put off meeting Wallace.”
“So?” She paused. “What do you think? Watering Hole?”
“I’m not dying to see him either, you know.”
“Yeah, I do.” She fidgeted a minute, and then turned on the radio. Only garbled voices blasted from the speakers, so she obsessively pressed buttons.
The connection was poor this far east of Kalispell. He’d already told her earlier. “You won’t find anything.” He tugged at his collar, trying to loosen it. She was making him edgy. Coming out of nowhere, it struck him. “The chocolate cake—I finally got it.”
She turned off the annoying static. “What are you talking about?”
“You hate chocolate cake. I’d
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