Page 14 of Still A Cowboy
His lips curved, but the pain didn’t leave his eyes. “Where’s the fun in that?”
She tightened her hold on his arm, guiding him the last few steps. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous.”
“I must have impeccable timing.”
She didn’t answer, but her grip stayed firm as she helped him reach the landing. And Willa realized she wasn’t just helping him because he needed it. She was doing it because she wanted to.
Cal fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to his apartment. Willa followed him in, letting the door swing shut behind her.
The place was tidy, but the small table near the window was cluttered with a laptop, notepads, and a stack of folders. She hadn’t expected him to set up a whole office in the few days he’d been here.
She glanced at the table, her curiosity getting the better of her. “You’ve been working?”
He noticed her looking and rubbed the back of his neck. “Some stuff came in from the office. Nothing urgent, just keeping an eye on a few things.”
“Does that mean you have to head back to Texas soon?” she asked.
Cal shook his head as he opened the cabinet, pulling out a bottle of pain meds. “No. I can do most of it remotely. That’s part of why I stepped away. I built the business that way.”
He downed the pills with a quick sip of water and carefully lowered himself into one of the worn, comfy chairs by the window. He stretched out his leg with a slow exhale and settled in like he planned to stay a while.
“I figure I can do a little nighttime sightseeing from here,” he said, glancing out at the street below. “Feels a little like Jimmy Stewart in that old movie,Rear Window.”
Willa crossed the room, drawn in before she could talk herself out of it. She looked out the window with him, the quiet street glowing soft under the scattered lights.
“Let’s just hope nobody starts murdering their neighbor and carting off their body parts,” she said.
Cal smiled, his voice low. “You never know. Small towns have secrets.”
“Wild Rose Point’s secrets are usually more along the lines of who’s been sneaking extra pastries from Abe’s before sunrise.”
He turned his head slightly, studying her. “Still sounds like a mystery worth solving.”
She kept her eyes on the street, trying not to let the calm between them feel like something bigger. “Good thing you’ve got a front-row seat.”
He suddenly leaned forward, his attentionsnagged on something across the street.
“What is it?” she asked.
Cal pointed with a slight tilt of his head. “Second floor of that building. Curtains wide open.”
Willa shifted closer and saw a man appear in the window, wearing a sharp black suit and one of those fancy Venetian masks. A moment later, a woman in a lace robe and a matching silver mask stepped into view. She gave the man a playful push, and he caught her around the waist, spinning her toward the window in a way that didn’t look innocent.
Willa blinked. “Wait. Is this…?”
Cal squinted as if he wasn’t sure if he should answer. “Looks like… role-play?”
The man dipped the woman low, spinning her out of view. They came back a moment later, moving closer to the window.
“That’s an upscale rental house called the Driftwood Manor,” Willa said, still watching. “Real fancy. People rent it for the view of the beach.”
“Yeah. I looked at that place online when I was planning the trip,” he muttered. “But it was too big. Didn’t need that much space.”
“Apparently someone else needed the space,” she said. Willa let out a quiet laugh and pulled over the chair beside him. If the entertainment was going to continue, she might as well get comfortable.
The man and woman disappeared into theshadows with the curtains still wide open.
Cal made a sound of agreement. “Guess I won’t need cable here.”
