Page 55 of A Rancher's Bride
Grey eyes examined him before the man glanced out the window, coffee held in mid-air. “Weren’t you engaged to Miss Talisman for a number of years?”
A blunt question after everyone else had inched around this topic. Still, it wasn’t something Luke needed to hide. “We were, but we called it off in August. It was mutual, and we’re still friends.”
“And now you’re with Kelli.” Timothy put his cup down. “Relax, son. I’m not accusing you of anything. I find it interesting that Kelli’s been at Silver Stone for a long time, and you’re just now discovering what a good match you are.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to see things that are right before our eyes,” Luke admitted with complete honesty.
Something in his tone must have made that clear because Carlyn nodded slowly. “You know anything about Kelli’s family? She reminds me of someone.”
That was a shot in the dark. Luke opened his mouth then closed it.
Damn. He didn’t knowanythingabout Kelli’s family. No way was he was going to confess that, though.
He scrambled for something else to say. “Not sure where there might be a connection. Who does she remind you of? Maybe we can figure out if there’s a reason.”
Timothy suddenly straightened, fidgeting with his coat. “Oh, it was just a random thought. Nothing to worry about. I’ll think about it a bit more. See if I can’t figure it out on my own.”
The other man stood abruptly, catching Luke unawares.
He had to scramble to his feet as Timothy offered a farewell handshake. “Sorry, have to run. Forgot I was expecting a call.”
“No problem,” Luke assured him.
But Timothy Carlyn was already gone, the square cut of his shoulders ramrod straight as he rapidly marched away.
Luke watched him go, thoroughly confused, and now thoroughly curious.
Why had he never asked Kelli about her family before?
13
By the time Saturday came to a close, it was late. Jack and Diane were curled up by the fire, which meant she and Luke had retreated to their bedroom.
They sat on the bed, and she finally got to tell Luke all the things she’d chatted about with Sadie Petrie. Luke was quiet as she shared, but he nodded at all the right places.
Then he turned out the lights and made love to her, teasing and touching until she squirmed with desire. Sexual satisfaction stole in and wrapped her up as tightly as the grip he used to hold her against his body.
The next two days passed quickly, and Kelli should have felt exhausted. Truth was, between the excitement and the sex, she was running on sheer adrenaline.
It’s not as if she hadn’t worked around the clock before, but she didn’t want to miss a thing.
Monday she and Luke joined the Petries for dinner. Joseph Petrie apologized for monopolizing them, but Kelli didn’t mind. Sadie was a hoot, and neither of the couple blinked an eye when she ordered a steak the size of Luke’s then stole a few slices off his plate to boot.
They were back up in the room when Diane announced all four of them were going dancing for the evening. Kelli was tempted to leap at Luke with a squeal of delight.
Instead she patted his cheek mischievously. “Told you we needed our jeans.”
Jack laughed. Diane pulled him from the room, but none of them wasted any time before regrouping and heading downstairs.
“This isn’t a part of the hotel that’s been booked off for the gala and our all-inclusive setup,” Jack warned them. “It’s the regular hotel pub, but it sounds as if they draw a good crowd.”
“So it’s not an open bar.” Kelli shrugged. “Not a problem. I don’t want to drink, I want to dance.”
The place was strangely packed for a resort hidden in the mountains. When she said something about it to Luke, he shrugged.
His arm was draped around her shoulders as they made their way into the crowded room. “There are a lot of staff working places like the Palisade. I imagine when they get time to kick up their heels, it’s nice to not have to travel far.”
She glanced around, eyeing the couples already on the floor. Checking out which guys looked as if they could keep the beat.
