“Great! The kids will be happy.”
She laughed. “Yes, I’m sure they will be.”
“I’ll make the arrangements for next weekend. Will that work?”
“Yes, that will work.”
“And. Kylie…?”
“Yes?”
“The kids aren’t the only ones who’ll be happy. I’m going to be happy as well. Good night.”
Before she could say anything, he hung up the phone.
Chapter 7
A few days later Kylie was praying that at some point her life would resume a sense of normalcy. Since she’d told Tiffany of her decision to go camping, her daughter had been nothing but a bundle of mass excitement. So much, in fact, that Kylie had to wonder whether being with Marcus was the primary reason for her daughter’s happiness or the camping trip itself.
With teenage exuberance, Tiffany had gone on and on about all the things she planned to do, like swimming in the lake, fishing in that same lake, having a picnic by that lake and taking oodles and oodles of pictures of that lake. And she intended to do a lot of bird watching and had even checked out a library book on the various species. Of course that meant she would need a pair of binoculars, which her godmother had been quick to buy for her.
Kylie hadn’t talked to Chance anymore until he’d called early Saturday morning saying he would drop off a list of items she might want to bring along. The cabin’s kitchen was well-stocked with cooking utensils, but he thought it would be good if they cooked outside on the grill or a camp stove. He’d gone on to tell her that although the cabin had electricity, usually he and Marcus enjoyed faking it by using candles and lanterns.
Anticipating his visit, she had been a mass of nerves, and once she opened the door not even the loud wail of a fire truck siren could intrude on her jolting awareness of him. She pulled in a deep breath. And then another. Neither did a thing to stop the pounding of her heart or the barrage of sensations that overwhelmed her.
Standing before her in jogging pants, a T-shirt and a pair of what appeared to have once been expensive tennis shoes, Chance Steele was the epitome of everything hot and spicy. He looked like a man capable of doing anything he pleased, whether it was in the boardroom or in the bedroom. Especially in the bedroom. However, at that very moment she had to concede that there was nothing sophisticated about Chance’s appearance. He looked like a man ready for some play time, and his darkly stubbled jaw, which meant he hadn’t yet shaved that morning, only added to his sharply male features.
“Here’s the camping checklist I told you about,” he said, breaking into her heated thoughts.
She took the paper he handed her. “Thanks.”
“The only things you’ll need to bring for you and Tiffany are the items listed under the first-aid section.”
She nodded and quickly scanned the list, okay with everything she saw on it until she noted the snake bite kit. She lifted her gaze back to his. The eyes that met hers were dark, sexy and full of sexual interest he wasn’t trying to hide, which made her thankful for two things: that she was a woman and that she was decently dressed. “Snake bite kit?”
A smile touched his eyes. “Yes, just as an added precaution. But I have one if you have trouble finding it. It’s a rather popular item this time of the year.”
An uninvited shiver ran through her. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. She cleared her throat. “Would you like to come in? Tiffany and I were just sitting down to breakfast. You’re welcome to join us.”
“No, thanks. I’m on my way to the gym. It’s tradition that my brothers and I play basketball every Saturday morning. It helps get rid of any competitive frustrations we might have before the start of a new week.”
She lifted a brow. “Competitive frustrations? Does that happen often?”
“I guess with four adult males it can’t help but happen occasionally, given the closeness of our ages and our competitive natures. Then of course there’s Donovan, who often forgets that I’m the oldest and he’s the youngest.”
It wasn’t the first time she felt that an extreme closeness existed between the Steele brothers. It was there in his tone whenever he spoke of them. “Well, enjoy your game.”
“I will. And just so you’ll know, I’m catching a flight out first thing Monday morning to Dallas. I’ll be there until Thursday. Marcus will be spending time with my brothers until I return.”
“All right, thanks for letting me know,” she said, missing him already, although she didn’t want to feel that way. “Have a safe trip.”