Straight From The Hip

CHAPTER FIVE

NICK STOOD in the kitchen and watched Izzy move through the living room. She walked deliberately, touching every piece of furniture as she made a full circuit. She completed the return trip in the opposite direction, then paused. A few seconds later, she walked into the center of the room and stopped. From there, she went first to the sofa, then back to the middle. She crossed to the window and returned to the center.

She was learning the room. By the time she was finished she would know where everything was and find it easily. In a couple of days she would be able to hurry through the house like everyone else.

Even as he watched her turn and pace and count, he was distracted by her long bare legs. Her shorts barely covered her butt and her tight T-shirt outlined her full breasts. Normally he would have been able to ignore her athletic body. Normally he could appreciate the show and move on. Normally he hadn’t spent a long, agonizing night lying next to a beautiful woman, her legs tangled with his, her head on his shoulder, her breasts nestling against his arm.

He told himself that the price was worth it. She’d proven her strength—not only in avoiding a crash and burn after her nightmare, but by being able to move on from their fight. He’d taunted her. She’d risen to the bait, but hadn’t gotten trapped in anger. She was strong and determined—someone he could admire. Now if only he could see her naked.

Stop it, he told himself. Izzy was a client, someone he was helping. He had no business thinking about kissing every inch of her, of touching her until she begged and then losing himself in her. It was unprofessional. It was sexist. And being hard all the time was damned unpleasant.

The point of all this was she hadn’t given up, which meant she was one step closer to having the surgery. There were more—

“You have some serious stalker tendencies,” she said, turning to face him. “It’s borderline creepy. You should go talk to someone about it.”

“I’ve been here ten minutes. Why did it take you so long to figure out you weren’t alone?”

She continued finding her way around the room. “My bat sonar isn’t fully installed just yet.”

“You need to work on that.”

“You need to get a life. Do you watch me in the shower?”

The image dropped into his brain and there was no way he could ignore it. “Do you want me to?”

She tilted her head slightly. Her long, dark, curly hair tumbled over her right shoulder. She walked toward him, stopping only inches away. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“You need a woman. Seriously. It’s bad enough that the blind girl can figure it out. That’s got to be embarrassing.”

It was, but he wouldn’t admit it to her. “I’m playing your game. That should make you happy.”

“Maybe. I take it you don’t have anyone you’re seeing right now. I’m guessing it’s a geographic thing. It’s hard to date when your life is in the middle of nowhere.”

“My work keeps my busy.”

“So you’re between relationships? Or are you the type who doesn’t get involved?”

Why were they talking about him? “I don’t get involved.” Why was he answering her questions?

Her eyes were hazel, the irises a kaleidoscope of color.

“So typical,” she said. “Were you burned by love? Did someone break your heart?”

“No.” No one got close enough to break anything. “What about you?” he asked. “Why aren’t there a pack of guys at your beck and call?”

“I prefer one-on-one to a pack,” she said. “I don’t do serious, either. It’s too much trouble. I like my men easy and pretty. Although I guess pretty is less important than it used to be.”

It was as if a light clicked off inside her. One second she was flirty and confident, the kind of woman who made men look even when they didn’t want to. The next, her shoulders slumped, her chin dropped and her energy faded.

She turned away, obviously lost in defeat.

He grabbed her arm. “Don’t,” he told her. “Don’t give in. You have to stay strong. It’s worth it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, I do.” He wanted to shake her until she figured out there was a process and she had to keep moving forward.

“Were you really going to let me go home?” she asked.

“You could have gone home.”

“You were a bastard on purpose. I suppose I should thank you.”

He would like it better if she were yelling or throwing things. Anger had power behind it. This acceptance would kill her…or at least keep her from getting well.

“Don’t thank me,” he said, frustrated. “Get pissed off. Yell at me. Hate me.”

“Why? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Sure I have.” He was a guy—there had to be something he’d done. “I think you’re an idiot for wasting the opportunities you’ve been given.”

“Like I’m buying that.” She pulled free and turned to leave.

“You’ve wasted your life. You’re a Titan. You could have done something with all that money, but you haven’t. You’re useless. Being blind just makes it obvious to everyone else. Because you’ve always known the truth.”

She turned back to him, her expression more annoyed than angry, but at least it was better than defeat.

“You have some serious psychological problems,” she told him. “I don’t think your geography has anything to do with why you’re not in a relationship. I think it’s you.”

“What’s your excuse for being alone? Since when are relationships too much trouble for a woman? It’s what you all live for.”

“You are seriously grasping here.”

“Whatever works.”

“What’s your end game?” she asked.

“For you not to give up.”

“And then what? Do I get a cookie?”

“You get your life back, Izzy. That has to be worth something.”

“According to you, it isn’t. I’m useless.”

“So be mad at me. Have something to prove.”

“You know, you need a strategy,” she told him. “Right now you’re just bouncing around from point to point. There’s no cohesive argument here.”

“I’m thinking on my feet.”

She smiled. “Not your greatest strength, huh?”

He relaxed a little. “I do okay.”

“The people who say that are your employees, aren’t they? You have to pay them a lot of money to get them on your side.”

“You’re saying I don’t inspire loyalty?”

“I’m saying you have issues.”

“So do you.”

“One or two.”

“Like not having the surgery.”

She poked him in the chest. “We are so not having that conversation.”

The fire was back. Good. As long as she stayed strong, she would make it.

“We have to have it sometime.”

“Not today.”

She looked at him. If he didn’t know better, he would swear she could see everything. Her eyes were so damn beautiful…just like the rest of her. Without thinking, he reached toward her and cupped the side of her face. Her skin was smooth and soft.

“You can’t hide from me forever,” Aaron said as he walked into the kitchen. “You can run but you can’t hide. I’ve always loved that saying. I have proposals that need your approval and a lot of other details you keep avoiding.”

Nick dropped his hand and Izzy took a step back. Aaron rounded the corner, then came to a stop.

“Oh, my,” he said, glancing between them. “You could cut the tension in this room with a knife. What have you two been up to? It’s bad. I can tell. I’m just going to back out and we can pretend I was never here.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Nick said. “I’m leaving.”

“But you’re the one I have to talk to.”

Izzy heard footsteps retreating. Based on the sound and cadence, she knew Nick was the one who had left.

“What did I miss?” Aaron asked, sounding intrigued. “You both looked guilty. There’s something going on between you two.”

“Not that much,” she said, thinking that last night had been about comfort. He’d kept her sane through a rocky couple of hours. But what had today been about?

“Honey, I know sexual tension when I see it and it was filling this room. Come have a seat and tell Uncle Aaron everything. Start at the beginning and talk slow. My love life sucks so I’ll have to live vicariously through yours.”

He took her hand and led her to the sofa. When they were seated, the cushion moved as if he were getting more comfortable or angling toward her.

“Tell me everything.”

“There’s nothing to tell. We were arguing.” Sort of. “Nick wants to make sure I don’t give up. Sometimes he’s a jerk about it.”

Aaron sighed. “Don’t you love it when he gets all manly. I know it makes my heart beat faster.”

She laughed. “I find him annoying.”

“I don’t think so. The way he was looking at you.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. Like he hasn’t eaten in three days and you’re the buffet.”

Something deep inside her belly quivered to life. “Nick is nice,” she said cautiously, aware she was at a serious disadvantage. She couldn’t tell what Nick was thinking by looking at him.

“Nice? He’s a lot more than that. Have you seen those muscles. Oh. Right. Probably not. Well, they’re there and they’re fabulous.”

She’d felt them when he’d dragged her out of Lexi’s house and again last night. He’d been strong and safe and, well, kind. Not exactly a word she would have expected to use where he was concerned.

“You’re not seeing anyone, are you?” Aaron asked. “I don’t want Nick hurt.”

“What? You should be worried about me. I can’t wear makeup or fuss with my hair. I have to shave my legs by feel, which is probably not pretty.”

“You’re beautiful and sexy and something tells me you’ve been fighting off the boys since you were thirteen. It’s not about makeup, Izzy, it’s about you. Nick is drool-worthy. Believe me, I know. But he keeps to himself. No one gets in, because he makes sure they don’t.”

The compliments made her feel good, but she was more interested in what Aaron hadn’t said.

“Why doesn’t he get involved?”

Aaron was silent.

She sighed. “If you’re making a face, I can’t see it.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry. He has a past. Most of it, I don’t know either. Some I’ve figured out. Some he’s told me. He was raised in foster care. I don’t know what happened to his parents. He’s smart. Scary smart. Went to college on a full scholarship when he was fifteen or sixteen. It’s never good to be the smartest kid in the room. Then he grew up and…” Aaron paused. “The next few years aren’t clear to me. Anyway, he ended up here with this ranch and his business.”

Talk about a lot of gaps, she thought, wondering how many were because Aaron really didn’t know and how many were because he didn’t want to tell her.

“Did he buy the ranch or was it in his family?” she asked.

“He bought it and fixed it up.”

“Specially for the corporate retreats?”

“Specifically for the kids. The corporate stuff happens to pay the bills.” The sofa shifted as Aaron stood. “Like I said, don’t hurt him.”

“As if I could. I’m not here to get the guy. I’m here to get better.”

Aaron said something and left, but she wasn’t paying attention. Until that second, she hadn’t been willing to admit the truth to herself. But there it was, at last. Her admission of something she’d been avoiding since she’d first found out she’d lost nearly all her sight. She wanted to get better. To heal. She didn’t know if that meant having the surgery or adjusting to what she had, but at least there was a goal.

It had been a long time since she wanted something. It felt good to have a purpose and maybe, just maybe, get it right.

“YOU’VE DONE THIS a thousand times,” Rita said calmly, as Izzy wrestled with getting the pad in the right spot.

“Jackson’s going to hate me pretty soon,” Izzy muttered, smoothing the pad in place. “Does this look right?”

“Don’t ask me,” Rita told her. “You’re the one saddling the horse.”

“You can be very frustrating,” Izzy told her, as she made a couple of adjustments. “Okay—that should be good.” She bent over to grab the saddle.

“I would appreciate a little cooperation,” she told the horse. “Just don’t step on me.”

“Jackson is too much a gentleman for that,” Rita said.

“I hope you’re right.”

She raised the saddle to what she hoped was the correct height and lowered it onto his back. When it was in place, she made sure the right stirrup was still hooked out of the way, then walked around him and checked the saddle placement by touch.

“This seems good,” she said quietly, patting Jackson as she went. She secured the saddle in place, grabbed it with both hands to make sure it was tight, then fumbled for the stirrup. “Now for the real test.”

She swung herself up into place. Except for the fact that she felt too far off the ground and dangerously vulnerable in a blurry world, it was good.

“I did it,” she said, oddly proud of herself.

“Yes, you did. Next time you’ll do it faster.”

“Why do I have visions of you holding a stopwatch?”

“I have no idea. I’m not the stopwatch type.”

Izzy removed the saddle and pad, putting both away before returning to Jackson’s side and offering him a piece of apple. “You were very good for me and I appreciate that.”

“Next we’ll get you exercising the horses,” Rita told her.

Izzy wasn’t too sure about that, but she would deal with that fight when it was time. For now she was getting through each day, making progress, albeit slowly. She was learning how to function. Sometimes she was pleased with her progress, other times she still wanted to scream at the heavens, complaining this shouldn’t have happened to her.

At least the nightmares hadn’t returned. Not since that night Nick had shown up and comforted her.

“Tell me about Nick,” she said.

“What do you want to know?”