Kade more than liked the thought of Kelsey staying in Arizona. “Thinking about moving
away from Frisco?”
Kelsey didn’t answer for a moment, as if deciding how much she should say. “Before
I left, I considered moving to Tucson, but I wasn’t sure if I would like Arizona.
Now that I’m here, I know I would, and I’m ready for a change. When I finish this
feature, I plan to interview with
Tucson Today
magazine.”
With a sigh, she turned to Kade. “Now about my questions for you...”
“Why don’t we sit in the swing and you can fire away?” He hooked his thumbs in his
belt loops, which helped him keep his hands off Kelsey. He’d probably only scare her
off, and that was the last thing he wanted.
She glanced to the swing and back to Kade.
He smiled. “I promise I don’t bite.”
“I know for a fact you do bite,” Kelsey said, then heat crept up her face as she remembered
his kisses and how he’d nipped at her lower lip.
“Got me there.” Kade eased his big frame into the swing that was wide enough for three
grown adults. “How about I promise I won’t bite... for now?”
She tried to glare at him, but the mischievous glint in his eyes made it hard to be
irritated or even mad at him.
His face grew serious as she settled into the cushioned swing. “I can tell you about
the Border Patrol, and some of what we do, but due to the nature of my job you can’t
use my name.”
Kelsey tipped her head to the side. “Do you mind if I ask why?”
“I work intelligence.” He watched the intent expression on her face as he spoke. “A
lot of what I do is classified.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
Kade stretched out his long legs. “I can put you in touch with Miguel Martinez, Special
Operations Supervisor. You can talk to him on the record.”
“Thanks.” Kelsey turned her cell to record mode. “What’s a day like for a Border Patrol
agent?”
“Among other things, tracking and cutting sign,” Kade said.
Kelsey adjusted her glasses as she glanced at him. “Can you ex-plain?”
“A trail begins when we locate sign of people crossing the desert.” Kade leaned back
and relaxed against the swing’s cushions. “We usually start our search along roads
the Border Patrol maintains.”
Kade loved the light in her eyes when she was obviously in journalist mode, wholly
focused on what he was saying.
“What types of sign?” she asked.
“Sign can be footprints, a scrap of clothing,” he said, “or garbage that’s been discarded.”
Kelsey scrawled a note on her pad of paper. “How do you maintain the roads?”
“By pulling tires behind the vehicle.” Kade raised his arms and laced his fingers
behind his head. “That makes a relatively smooth surface to help us more easily see
footprints. Even if the UDAs try to eliminate their sign by walking backward, or by
using other methods, we can usually determine where they’ve crossed.”
“When you locate sign, how do you know how old it is?” she asked.
“By a variety of factors.” He found himself studying Kelsey’s soft lips and had to
make himself get back on topic. “We look to see what effect the weather may have had
on the tracks, such as raindrops and wind. If it’s been awhile, detail will diminish.
We can even tell if the UDAs are walking in daylight or after dark.”
Kelsey glanced from the note she’d written on her pad. “How on earth would you do
that?”
“If the tracks head up to a bush, even though the person could’ve walked around it,
more than likely they were walking at night.” She chewed the end of her pencil, staring
at her notes. “Any other methods?”
“Animal tracks assist in aging the trail. Most desert animals move around at night,
so if we find animal sign on the trail at five o’clock in the afternoon, it may not
be fresh.”
He wanted to grin because her expression was so serious. “What happens once you find
a trail?”
“We have to describe it to other trackers who haven’t seen it.” He shifted and put
his arm on the back of the seat. “Rather than relaying several types over the radio,
we locate the most distinct tracks and describe them.”
Kade pushed off with one foot and the swing started to rock. “Other agents work ahead
to find the trail on roads that intersect the path. If an agent picks up the trail,
he’ll attempt to match the sign described by the agent who originally cut the sign.
We continue until we catch the UDAs, or until we can’t follow the tracks any longer.”
She paused while she made a note. “How large are groups that come across the border?”
“These days twenty to thirty UDAs at a time is normal.”
For quite a while, Kade continued answering Kelsey’s questions, giving her a better
idea of what the Border Patrol was about.
Somehow the interview itself faded away, and they moved on to other topics. He shared
information with her about the Southwest and his family, and she chatted about her
job and living in San Francisco. She was amazed at how easy it was to talk with Kade,
and how much she enjoyed his company.
A door slammed and then Trent tore around the corner of the house, waving a piece
of paper. “Kelsey Kelsey Kelsey,” he yelled, then skidded to a stop. “Look what I
drew.”
She smiled and caught the paper Trent thrust in her lap.
“It’s a picture of you and Dad that I drew all by myself. Do you like it?” He hopped
up and down on one foot, blue eyes flashing and brown hair flying in time with his
movements. “Do you, do you?”
With one finger Kelsey traced the crayon figures, surprised at the detail the almost-nine-year-old
had drawn. In the picture, Kade wore a blue shirt and jeans, with Kelsey in pink,
and they stood side by side. “It’s wonderful.” She looked from the drawing to the
boy. “You’re very talented.”
Trent grinned from ear to ear. “You really like it?”
“Love it.”
Kade reached for the picture. “Let me see, son.” He studied it with the seriousness
of a true connoisseur. “A fine work of art.”
“I drew it for Kelsey.” Trent’s grin broadened, obviously happy with his dad’s appreciation.
“I can make you one, too.”
“When you do, I’ll hang it on my wall.” Kade wrapped his arms around Trent and brought
his son onto his lap.
After giving his dad a quick hug, Trent wriggled free. “Can we get everything ready
for tomorrow?”
Kade nodded and ruffled his son’s hair. “Sure.”
A lump formed in Kelsey’s throat as she observed the affection between father and
son. What she wouldn’t give to have a son like Trent and the kind of relationship
he had with his father.
“We’re going fishing for my birthday.” Trent jumped up and down in front of Kelsey
like a jack-in-the-box on an overdose of caffeine. “Wanna come? It’d be so cool if
you’d go with us. Please?”
She glanced at Kade and then back to Trent. “Sure, if it’s okay with everyone else.”
“Fine by me,” Kade said.
“All right.” Trent spun in circles, and Kelsey wondered how he managed to maintain
his balance. “That’s so cool. I’m gonna go tell Grandma to pack a lunch for three.”
As the boy dashed away, Kelsey’s stomach flipped. “Sadie and Chuck aren’t going?”
Kade gave her his slow, sensual smile that sent tingles from her head to her toes.
“Mom and Chuck have friends from out of town visiting for the day, so it’ll just be
the three of us.”
“Oh.” She tried to sound casual, not to let on that the prospect of spending the day
with Kade, without Sadie and Chuck around, made her more than a little nervous.
“We’ll have Trent to chaperone, if you’re worried about us being alone,” he said as
he studied her.
“I’m not worried.” She shook her head. “But will I be interfering? Did you intend
for tomorrow to be a father/son day?”
He smiled, his eyes warm and welcoming. “You’re not interfering. Trent wants you to
come and so do I.”
“Thanks.” She took a deep breath and smiled in return. “It sounds like fun.”
Kade stood and looked down at her. “It’s about time for dinner. You coming?”
“Sadie made lasagna.” Kelsey shut off her phone’s recording device, grabbed her notepad,
and got to her feet. “Can your mother ever cook.”
“You’ve got that right.” Kade patted his stomach. “I might have to start counting
calories like my sister.”
“Ha. You don’t have an ounce of fat anywhere on your body,” Kelsey retorted.
He grinned. “I guess you’d know that now, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, God.” She hid her face with her notepad, trying to cover her furious blush. “That
wasn’t what I meant, and you know it.” But yes, she knew for a fact that Kade was
solid muscle. Everywhere.
“Great dinner, Mom,” Kade said after he took the last bite of his third helping of
lasagna.
He loved watching Kelsey’s lips as she wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. “It was
wonderful,” she said. “And I loved the spicy dressing you made for the tossed salad.”
“Glad you liked it.” The telephone rang just as Sadie spoke. “I’ll get the phone.”
She pushed back her chair, and left the room.
“How long will you be staying here, Kelsey?” Trent asked.
She gave Kade’s son a warm smile. “My flight is scheduled to leave the eighteenth.”
Trent took a drink of his apple juice, slurping it through a straw. Then he asked,
“How many days is that?”
“A little over two weeks away,” Kelsey replied.
“Oh.” The boy cocked his head. “That’s not very long, is it?”
She stood and started gathering dirty dishes to take to the sink. “Fifteen days.”
“Kade.” His mother appeared in the doorway holding the phone. “It’s your sister.”
“All right.” Kade stood, took the phone from Sadie, and headed into the study. “Hi,
Sis.”
“Hey there, big bro,” Dara replied. “So, Mom tells me there’s a woman staying with
you all at the ranch.”
Knowing what was coming next, he stared at the ceiling. “Yeah.”
“Mom says Kelsey is intelligent, attractive, and nice, and Trent really likes her.”
He rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh.”
“And Mom says you have the hots for this woman.”
Well, hell.
Kade shook his head. “Can’t believe everything you hear.”
Dara giggled and he could picture her impish grin. “Mr. Confirmed Bachelor is having
second thoughts, isn’t he?”
Kade glanced through the door and saw Kelsey talking with Trent. He liked how she
crouched down to his son’s level so that they were eye to eye when they talked, and
she focused on him like he was the only person in the room.
“Don’t get carried away,” he said.
“Ha.” Dara laughed, and then lowered her voice as if someone might overhear. “So,
tell me, have you laid one on her yet? A big of smack?”
“Never kiss and tell,” Kade said, still watching Kelsey talking with Trent. “Did you
just want to bug me or do you have anything else to say?”
“Nah, just wanted to gloat.” Dara laughed. “Gotta get the twins to bed. Give Trent
a kiss for me, and love to Dad.”
After he said his good-byes and sent his love to his niece and nephew, Kade punched
the off button and set the phone into its cradle. He sauntered into the kitchen to
where Kelsey was chatting with Trent. She was sitting in a chair now, her back to
Kade.
“Yeah, Dad takes me fishing lots,” Trent was saying. “He always does stuff with me,
like playing catch, and games and trucks.” Kade stood behind Kelsey, breathing in
her incredible scent. He wanted to run his hands in her honey-blond hair, to feel
the silken strands sliding through his fingers.
She stiffened and turned to look up at him. “Kade.”
“Don’t let me interrupt.” He grabbed the back of Kelsey’s chair and leaned forward.
He sensed the tension in her as if his presence unnerved her.
Trent flipped his hair out of his eyes. “I was telling Kelsey what a cool dad you
are and how you’re always doing stuff with me. You’re lots cooler than Bobbie’s dad.”
“Is that so?” Kade released the chair and walked around Kelsey to ruffle his son’s
hair. He could feel the difference in her as soon as he moved, as audible as a sigh.
“Yup.” Trent gave an enthusiastic nod.
Kade crouched beside his son. “I was just on the phone with your aunt Dara. She said
to give you a big ol’ smack on the cheek for her.”
Trent screwed up his face. “Ewwwww.”
Kade laughed. “How about a bear hug? And we’ll just tell her that I gave you a kiss.”
“Okay.” Trent threw his arms around his dad and squeezed him tight.
God, being hugged by his son was one of the greatest feelings on earth. Trent smelled
of dirt, sweat, and dog, and Kade couldn’t imagine anything better.
When Trent pulled away, Kade said, “It’s bedtime and we need to get up early to go
fishing. You’d better take your bath and brush your teeth. And don’t forget to wash
your face.”
Trent groaned and pouted. “Aw, Daaaaad. I wanna play a video game.”
“No.” Kade stood and forced himself to look stern. “In the bathroom. Pronto.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Trent glared at Kade, stomped off to the bathroom, and shut the door. Hard.
Smiling, Kelsey got to her feet. “I’d better get to bed before I get into trouble.”
He caught her wrist and pulled her close to him. “If you’re not good, I might have
to turn you over my knee.”
“Just try it, cowboy,” Kelsey murmured, but her cheeks turned red and he was sure
she was imagining him following through with his threat.
Damn, she’s cute.
He held back a grin as she dodged past him and escaped into her room.
“Dad Dad Dad Dad.” Trent’s voice shattered Kade’s sleep. “Wake up, Dad. It’s my birthday.
Wake uuuuup.”
Kade pretended to remain asleep as Trent shook him. Finally, he opened one eye. “Son,
are you sure today’s your birthday? I could swear—”
“Daaaaad. It’s July fourth, my birthday, and you promised to take me to the lake today,
remember?” Trent jumped on the bed and bounced on Kade’s chest, the boy’s brown hair
flying in all directions. “Come oooon, Dad. Get uuuuup.”