“Archer won’t let him get away with,” Cami argued.
“You’re asking me to let it go?” he asked her coolly.
“Eisner isn’t worth going after, Rafe,” she told him firmly as she propped her hands on her hips in determination.
“Why?” he asked her again. “Afraid you’ll have to testify?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she assured him tightly, but he knew better. He could see the concern in her eyes, in her expression.
Pushing away from her, he stalked to the door, slamming out of the house and moving to the porch as he watched the plow slowly making its way up the lane.
Pulling one of the slim cigars from the pocket of his shirt, Rafe dug the lighter out of his jeans pocket and lit up before leaning casually against the porch post.
That was just fine, he thought as one of the plows took out another length of the new fence and barely missed taking out the corner of the old shed that housed Clyde Ramsey’s pride and joy, his shiny dark-green tractor and all its attachments, still covered and looking all but new. No doubt that was the plow Deputy Eisner was operating.
Rafe could see the other man, in the glass-enclosed cab seconds later as he used the plow to carelessly push the snow from the driveway. It wasn’t easy going for Eddy. The heavy, wet snow had the motor straining as Eddy pushed it harder than he should have, evidently simply intent on checking on his niece and getting out of there. Eisner, though, he was making it count. Amused mockery filled the deputy’s face as another fence post met the force of the edge of the plow.
Rafe glanced to Eddy Flannigan again and watched as the older man shook his head and ran his hand over his face at the next post Eisner tore out. Fury tightened Eddy’s expression as he shook his head angrily a second later.
Looking up, Eddy caught Rafe watching, grinned, and shot him the finger. That was Eddy Flannigan. Bastard.
Rafe was considerate, he returned the gesture.
Then a frown creased the man’s face as Rafe heard the door open, then close behind him. All eyes were watching now. Her uncle’s, Eisner’s, and Sheriff Archer Tobias’. And Rafe knew why.
Cami.
He could feel her, smell the sweet, clean scent of her.
Rafe didn’t move other than to lift the cigar to his lips and inhale slowly as he grinned back at the other man.
Eddy wasn’t a Callahan fan, but neither was he an enemy. At least he didn’t poke his nose in their business. At least he hadn’t before now. And he sure as hell wouldn’t be once Rafe filed his lawsuit. His lawyer would be contacting the town soon, Rafe promised himself, because that fence was too far from the center of the lane for it to have been an accident.
“I’m so sorry,” Cami whispered behind him. “I’m so very sorry, Rafe.”
And she was. He could hear it in her voice, in the low, husky tone of regret, and the echo of sadness.
“Sorry’s not going to replace my fence.” He shrugged as though he really didn’t care about the fucking fence, and he didn’t, it was the intent behind it that pissed him off. “Why don’t you just get on out there and let her uncle and boyfriend know you’re safe so that crew can get the hell off my land before they finish destroying it?”
“My boyfriend?” Outrage filled her voice. “Just to start with, Rafer Callahan, I do not do boys. And second of which, there’s no one here that I’m seeing.”
“And you haven’t been going out with Archer?” He finally threw the accusation at her, amazed he had held it in this long.
Her eyes narrowed back at him, the soft gray of her eyes beginning to flicker in anger.
“Archer and I are friends, Rafe—”
“So were Jaymi and I,” he reminded her harshly. “Or did you forget that?”
“Oh, trust me, I’m reminded of it often.” The bitterness that flashed in her eyes surprised him.
“What do you mean by that?” he growled, careful to keep his tone of voice low, his demeanor controlled.
“Exactly what I said.” She wasn’t nearly as careful about her demeanor. She was all but straight up in his face. The only thing that kept her from going nose to nose with him was the fact that she was half-pint-sized and not nearly tall enough. “Every time I turn around, every time I hear your name, I’m reminded in detail exactly how close you were.”
It wasn’t anger glittering in her gaze, it was pain. A sense of loss, and if he wasn’t mistaken, guilt.
“Why would it matter, Cami?” he questioned her roughly. “You knew Jaymi and I were sleeping together at the time. I never lied to you.”
She wanted to turn away from him, she wanted to rage at him, but she was far too aware of the fact that her uncle, Archer Tobias, and his deputy were still working their way to the driveway.
“At least Jaymi was honest enough to have her relationship in public,” he continued as she glared up at him, her fists clenching at her sides.
“What the hell are you talking about? Are you trying to accuse me of something, Rafer?” she questioned through gritted teeth.
“Why, yes, kitten, I guess that’s exactly what I’m doing,” he informed her bitterly. “At least Jaymi wasn’t ashamed of me. And she sure as hell wasn’t ashamed of being my lover.”
“You think I’m ashamed of you?” He could see the anger now, it was glittering in her eyes, flushing her cheeks. “You think I’m not agreeing to your demands because of shame?”
“What other reason could you have?” he demanded. “Come on, Cami, you acted as though we barely knew each other at Clyde’s funeral and you cut me off three years ago. What else could it have been if not shame?”
“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it could have been the fact that there are other things I’m not willing to deal with besides whether or not anyone knows what the hell I’m doing?”
“Oh, yeah. What?” he snarled, feeling the anger and the lust suddenly rising, pounding through his veins, engorging his dick and burning through his veins.
She was almost shaking now. “Fuck you, Rafer!”
His lips twisted with mocking anger. “Go home, Cami. I have better things to do than deal with your shame or your fear.”
“My anger or fear.” She stepped closer. “Just let me show you my shame and fear.”
Rafe didn’t think he had ever been as surprised by a woman as he was by Cami in that moment. She was against him in a second, on her tiptoes, the fingers of one hand fisted in his hair as she pulled his head down, bringing his lips to hers.
In that second, he lost the anger, the accusations, and his common sense.
Rafe jerked her against him, his lips slanting over hers as he pulled her against him and poured every ounce of the hunger and need burning inside him, into her impulsive kiss. He took control of it. He stole it, and fought to bind whatever part of her that he could to him, whether it be shame, lust, or fear.
His tongue stroked against her lips, pushed forward and caressed her tongue, fought with it, and drew the hunger from whatever depths she pushed it to whenever she needed to hide it.
No, this wasn’t shame, but he was damned if he knew what it was, or what she was trying to prove. He knew something raged inside her, something dark and angry that the pleasure he gave her seemed to tempt, even as pleasure seemed to burn through those emotions.
When he pulled back, releasing her slowly, he watched as her eyes fluttered open, and her gaze seemed rife with regret and a pain that went so deep he froze in shock.
“Cami-girl?” he whispered. Sweet Lord, who put that agony inside her?
“It’s not shame, Rafer.” She stepped away slowly. “But that doesn’t mean it’s anyone else’s business either.”
Turning, she moved quickly away from him and all but ran to where Archer’s black, official SUV finally pulled into the small parking area close to the snowmobiles Logan and Crowe had driven earlier.