Solitaire (17 page)

Kai sat on the small hassock in front of him. “Tell me what happened.”

The quiet tenor of Kai’s voice shook loose all his suppressed anxiety and worry. Slowly, Slade unwound the sordid chain of events. When he finished, Kai grimaced.

“I’m sorry, Slade. I didn’t mean to mention your mine to Cat. I had just assumed that you had already discussed the possibility of her working with you.” She reached over, apologetically squeezing his arm.

“It’s not your fault, Kai. Cat thought I had brought her to the ranch just to use her professional talents.”

“Does she still?”

“I took her on a picnic earlier today and we got that issue straightened out.” Slade shook his head. “And then I really blew it. I tried playing amateur psychologist by making her think she could repay me for saving her life by building the mine. How could I have been so stupid? Words were just pouring out of me. I was in such a panic, afraid that I was going to lose her. I didn’t want to, Kai, I spoke without thinking. It had a devastating effect on Cat. She’s probably still crying…”

With a sigh, Kai got up and went to the cabinet, pouring each of them a bit of brandy. She handed one snifter to Slade and sat back down. “Drink up, you need it.”

Sorrowfully, Slade downed the stinging brandy. He sucked air between his clenched teeth, holding the delicate crystal in his hands. Slowly, the knots began to dissolve in his gut as he sat with her in the intervening silence.

“She’s probably going to run,” he muttered.

“You mean, leave Mourning Dove?”

“Sure, wouldn’t you? Put yourself in Cat’s place. I’m barely able to get her to believe that I didn’t bring her to the ranch under false pretenses. And then I tell her she owes me.” Slade suddenly stood up, unable to stand the anger he was aiming at himself.

Kai watched him pace for several minutes. “What will you lose, Slade?”

He halted. “Cat.”

“You love her?”

“I didn’t realize that I did until a half hour ago. I had all these feelings about her, Kai. I never thought there was a woman who could tolerate my life-style, but I know she can. Cat’s just like me in many ways.”

“And does she love you, Slade?”

He ran his fingers through his hair in aggravation. “Who the hell knows?”

“I think she does,” Kai provided softly. “Slade, stop pacing for a minute and come and sit down.”

Slade sat, staring at Kai. “Sometimes, I see longing in her eyes and I hear the emotion in her voice, Kai. Every time we’re together, it’s so damned special.”

With a smile, Kai said, “I’ve been privileged to share a great deal with Cat since she’s been here, Slade. I know you’re very special to her, too.”

“Well, I just destroyed whatever was there.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Why don’t you go home and talk with her? Iron this out and tell her how you feel. Let her know that you really didn’t mean to make her feel guilty or hold her to building your mine. Tell her you were trying to make her address her fear.”

“I just thought that she’d want to face up to it. I saw it as a perfect solution to all of Cat’s problems.”

Gently, Kai reached over and patted his sloping shoulder. “That’s how you would have done it, Slade, if you’d been in her shoes. Let Cat tell you how she wants to handle her own healing process. Go on…go home and talk with her. I know it will do some good.”

Slade caught Kai’s hand, giving it a grateful squeeze. “We’ll have that talk,” he promised. “I’ve been wanting to make Cat a gift, anyway. Maybe, if I can persuade her to stay, I can get it done for her.”

Kai’s eyes twinkled. “Knowing how talented you are at making jewelry, I’m sure she’ll be pleased.”

“Better yet,” Slade said, hope in his voice as he rose, “let’s the four of us go to Houston in a couple of weeks. I can give it to Cat then. A sort of peace token for the way I’ve behaved.”

Walking with Slade to the porch, Kai waved to him as he left. “Houston sounds like a good idea. And don’t worry, your heart was in the right place, Slade. The words just came out wrong. Cat will forgive you.”

Throwing his leg over his horse, Slade managed a thin smile. “I hope you’re right, Kai. I’ll let you know. Think good thoughts for us, will you?”

“Always.”

Chapter Eight

C
at tried to repair the damage that her crying jag had done to her face. Slade had knocked at her door earlier, but she had refused to answer. She had to get a hold on herself before she faced him. She put color into her pale cheeks with a brush, and a rose-colored lipstick actually made her look almost normal. She winced, avoiding the look in her eyes as she combed her hair. She had taken a warm, cleansing shower and changed into some of her more practical clothes: a peach shell and a pair of no-nonsense khaki pants. Now, she looked more like her old self, before the trauma of the cave-in. The only thing different was that her hair was longer, making her look more feminine. Cat didn’t want to cut her hair even though she knew she was going into the jungle again.

No, I want it to grow. I don’t care.
And she didn’t question why she violently fought the idea of a haircut. Wasn’t that what Slade wanted? A mining engineer, not a feminine-looking woman? He’d made that very clear earlier. A life for a life. Okay, she owed him, and she’d pay up. Kincaids recognized that some things in life were sacred; you save a man’s life, he owes you. It was that simple. She shut her eyes, allowing the brush to lie on the vanity for long moments.

Cat tried to ignore the ache in her heart. Was she so mixed up after the trauma of the cave-in that she hadn’t read Slade accurately? She had thought she had seen and felt something special with him, but it had all been an act to maneuver her into going to Colombia with him. When she opened her eyes and warily stared at herself in the mirror, Cat could barely stand to look at the image that stood before her. There was hurt and pain in the depths of her emerald eyes, and anger. Yes, anger at being betrayed by Slade. He had deftly used her to get what he wanted–and he wanted a tough-minded mining engineer. Okay, he’d get it his way. She firmly placed the brush on the vanity, girding herself for the coming confrontation.

Cat allowed all the anger and hurt Slade had caused to rise and protect her. It gave her strength when she had none of her own to call on. Opening the door to her bedroom, Cat walked purposefully down the cedar hall to find Slade.

Slade heard a knock at his office door and he made a half turn in his chair. Cat was standing outside the sliding-glass door, and immediately he was on his feet.

“Come in,” he said, opening the door for her.

The coolness of air-conditioning hit Cat as she stepped through the entrance. She saw hope in Slade’s eyes, and his exhaustion, and tried to steel herself against feeling anything remotely human toward him. As he slid the door closed and turned toward her, she said, “I’ll pay off the debt between us, Slade. I’ve got another two weeks before I’m freed by the doctor to resume my normal activities. In the meantime, I want all the core-sampling reports, maps and any other geological items you can supply me so I can begin studying the mining situation in Silla de Montar Valley.”

Slade’s face softened and he took a step toward her. “Cat–”

She stepped away, arms rigid at her sides, her chin raised, eyes defiant. “No.”

Slade froze, all hope shattering like an emerald struck by a pickax. When he finally spoke, his voice was charged with feeling. “I have a spare office in the west wing of the house. I can have all those things brought to you.”

“Fine.”

“Look, you don’t have to jump into this with both feet. Kai said you still needed rest. I don’t want you working eight hours a day–”

“My life for your mine. That’s the way you wanted it, wasn’t it?” Cat’s jaw tightened. “I’ll work however long I want. Don’t try and set how many hours a day I can work even if I’m still mending.” Her chin quivered. “I’m surprised you waited this long. It was probably killing you to wait six weeks–six weeks that could have been spent down in Colombia instead.”

Slade’s eyes narrowed with barely contained fury. “That’s unfair, Cat. We need to talk.”

She smiled wearily, some of her anger dissipating. “Nothing’s fair in life, is it? You were raised with rocks. Well, so was I. I’ll be just as tough as the situation demands. If you’ve got all the core and mining information I need, you’ll have a rough blueprint for a mine in two weeks.”

Slade opened his hands. “Cat, I didn’t mean to make it sound as if you owed me. What I said was a mistake.”

Her smile was brittle, her eyes dangerously bright with unshed tears. “We all make mistakes, Donovan. My mistake was in trusting you and your intentions. You’ve made it clear what you want and I’m prepared to give it to you. Your mine for my life. Okay, you’ve got a deal.”

“Damn it, will you give me a chance to explain, Cat?”

“No!”

Slade wanted to strangle her. He also wanted to take Cat into his arms and erase the anguish he saw so clearly in her haunted expression. Her act was all a bluff on her part, and he knew it. And so did she. She was like brittle glass ready to explode right in front of him. But he didn’t dare call her hand, or she might run away. No, he’d have to play by her rules, allow her to retreat and hold him at arm’s length and maybe, just maybe, she’d gradually lower that shield she had in place and allow him a second chance. “All right,” he rasped, “you’ve got a deal.”

Cat swayed slightly, feeling light-headed. She took a step away, covering up her reaction by walking to the door. “Fine. Get me what I need to figure out a construction blueprint for you.”

He followed her out to the patio. “Come with me,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Cat nodded and walked a few paces behind him as they crossed to the western wing of the ranch house. She tried to contain her surprise when he opened the door to a spacious office replete with several personal computers, calculators and drafting board. Everything she might need to formulate the kind of mine required was present.

Slade made a slight motion toward the office. “This will be yours. The IBM PC is hooked up to the data bank at Texas A & M in Houston, by phone modem, should you need more mining information.”

She wondered if Slade had built this with her in mind, but bit back the question, not wishing to fight any more than necessary with him. Her strength had to be focused on the project at hand, not wasted on him. There was a cot in the corner complete with blankets and a pillow. Fine, she’d live, eat and sleep there. In two weeks, she ought to be able to come up with a decent preliminary blueprint to begin digging a mine.

“Thank you.” She stepped past him, deliberately avoiding touching him.

Slade went to the drafting board, pointing to a black buzzer on the phone beside it. “If you need anything, you can ring me in my other office.” He turned, pointing to a wall of cabinets opposite them. “Every core and drilling-sample spec I took on the mine is here. There are topographical maps of the valley, overburden, ore and basement-complex sample reports. I don’t think you’ll need anything else, but if you do, call me.”

Cat refused to look at Slade and went to the cabinet. Everything had been carefully labeled, numbered and categorized. Her assessment of Slade’s abilities grudgingly rose. She pulled out a roll of specs from the first cubbyhole. “I think I’ve got enough to keep me busy,” she murmured.

Slade nodded and retreated. “Dinner’s in two hours.”

She went to the drafting desk, unrolling the specs and studying them intently. “Have Pilar bring it in here, please.”

Well, what did he expect–for Cat to forgive and forget? Slade shut the door quietly behind him, a bitter taste in his mouth. This was a new side of Cat Kincaid: the brilliant, tenacious mining engineer who had carved out a name for herself in one of the toughest businesses in the world. He’d have to keep reminding himself of her steel determination, because she was certainly wearing it like armor now. And he’d forced her into donning it. Damn it, anyway!

* * *

Night melded with day and day with night. Cat immersed herself in the exploration of details that would help her determine what kind of mine shaft would be best suited for the Verde Mine. Slade had named the mine at the top of all the specs. “Green Mine”–that fit, she thought. Verde to her meant growth, as did anything green. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she pushed aside the computer keyboard and placed her pencil on the pad. What day was it? They all blended together when she attacked Verde’s challenge. Looking at her Rolex, now scratched from the cave-in, she saw that ten days had passed. A slight smile cut across her lips as she slowly rose. Dawn was crawling onto the horizon as seen from the wall of windows that faced east.

Sleep…. She took snatches of three or four hours at a time. Lying down with a groan, Cat closed her eyes. When she awoke, she would go back to her room, shower and get a fresh change of clothes. As she sank deeper into the embrace of sleep, Slade crossed her mind. To her chagrin, Cat had found that if she wasn’t actively pursuing her job, he would slip into her thoughts, catching her unawares. And every time that occurred, her pounding heart would underscore the wild, unnamed feelings that came on its heels. As much as Cat wanted to hate him, she could not. She was angry with him, and disappointed, and she would never trust him again…not ever.

* * *

Slade tried to contain his surprise when Cat came up to the sliding-glass door of his office on the tenth day. She had successfully avoided seeing him for nearly two weeks. Only Pilar’s insistence that Cat was in the other office and appeared well had kept him from seeing for himself. Slade knew he didn’t dare push Cat too far by showing up on her doorstep. He rose to open the door, but she beat him to it.

“Come in,” he invited, pulling up a stool.

Cat felt the heat rush to her face. Why did she have to blush? She stood just inside the office, holding his anxious stare. Slade looked as tired as she felt. There were shadows beneath his eyes, as if he’d slept little. His clothes were rumpled, which wasn’t like him. He always wore a crisp cotton shirt and dark blue jeans that outlined his beautifully narrow hips and well-formed legs. He was beautiful, Cat admitted weakly, her pulse pounding unevenly. As much of a bastard as he was, Slade still affected her physically, and she couldn’t ignore the sensations racing through her even now.