Read Online Renegade Moon (CupidKey) by Karen E. Rigley, Ann M. House - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen E. Rigley, Ann M. House
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driving Lee home and saving us a trip to the condos?”
“Good grief! Oh, all right. Put him in the car.” Iris flounced away, her high heels wobbling ungracefully on the rocky ground. They loaded Lee into Iris’s violet Corvette and she spun out of the parking lot, scattering rocks.
“Surprise, surprise,” Martin murmured, watching the Corvette’s tail lights recede, his face expressionless. Then, turning to Destiny with a smile, he handed her into the Suburban. “Here you go.”
“Don’t forget tomorrow,” Martin reminded Destiny as he dropped her off at her rental cabin.
“Okay. Thanks. Bye!” She waved and rushed into her cabin with great relief. With him to the rescue, she’d been lucky, Destiny scolded herself as she snuggled into bed. She knew better than to accept a date with someone she knew so little about. Yet, she hoped tomorrow’s picnic would be different. After all, she didn’t know much about Martin Montoya, either.
The buzz of her alarm woke her at eight the next morning. Emerging refreshed from a vigorous shower, she toweled dry and slicked perfumed lotion over her bare skin. She’d learned to apply lotion faithfully here in the high desert. A touch of blow-drying was all her hair required to fluff out into waves. A bit of makeup and peach-tinted gloss on her lips completed her efforts. The New Mexico sun had begun to tan her skin a soft honey shade, and she stared into the mirror, trying to see herself though someone else’s eyes. Then, pulling a face at her reflection, she turned away.
Since it was still too early to meet Martin, she decided to drive around, keeping an eye out for landscape shots. She took a side road away from the highway. A bunny dashed in front of her car and she stopped. A lizard zipped up onto a rock and performed pushups, daring her to invade his domain. She snapped his picture. He pumped more vigorously, then raced back under the rock.
“Thank you, Mr. Lizard.” She glanced around for another creature to pose. Perhaps a coyote or jackrabbit?
Galloping hooves announced Eric’s arrival on Pinto. Destiny’s breath caught as she gazed up at him. He looked like an Apache warrior mistakenly dressed in modern day jeans and shirt. Instinctively, she clicked her camera. Eric dismounted and padded toward her, his muscular body graceful, his face mysterious in the shade of his cowboy hat.
“I think you’ve taken enough pictures.” Shyness softened his words.
“I can’t resist a good subject.”
Eric grinned in that slightly crooked, heart-stopping way so unique to him. “So I’m classed with a lizard. I guess it’s better than the last time somebody wanted to take my picture. They wanted me to pose like a Hollywood Indian and wear beads and feathers.”
“Oh, you’re kidding.” Destiny slid her camera into its case.
Sadness touched Eric’s handsome face. “No. I’m not kidding.”
“And did you do it?” she heard herself ask, before she could stop the words.
Arching a brow at her, he replied, “I did.”
“You did?” she echoed, surprised, and relieved he didn’t act offended.
The grin returned. “Hey, I was sixteen and they offered me money. I didn’t work cheap, but they didn’t seem to care. Paid for a fun weekend.”
“Oh, Eric, you were a naughty boy, skinning the tourists,” she chided with a giggle. A vague headache teased behind her eyes and she pressed her fingertips to her temples.
“What’s the matter?” Eric demanded, grabbing her shoulders. His eyes burned into hers.
“Just a little headache.”
“Let’s get you out of the sun.” Eric helped her into the front seat. “Do you have anything to drink?”
“Orange juice in the thermos.”
Eric’s closeness diffused her pain, made her senses reel. He smelled of soap and warm male muskiness.
“Here,” he ordered. “Drink this.”
Destiny obeyed, sipping the juice, already feeling normal. If yearning for a man one hardly knew could be called ‘normal.’
“Good grief! Oh, all right. Put him in the car.” Iris flounced away, her high heels wobbling ungracefully on the rocky ground. They loaded Lee into Iris’s violet Corvette and she spun out of the parking lot, scattering rocks.
“Surprise, surprise,” Martin murmured, watching the Corvette’s tail lights recede, his face expressionless. Then, turning to Destiny with a smile, he handed her into the Suburban. “Here you go.”
“Don’t forget tomorrow,” Martin reminded Destiny as he dropped her off at her rental cabin.
“Okay. Thanks. Bye!” She waved and rushed into her cabin with great relief. With him to the rescue, she’d been lucky, Destiny scolded herself as she snuggled into bed. She knew better than to accept a date with someone she knew so little about. Yet, she hoped tomorrow’s picnic would be different. After all, she didn’t know much about Martin Montoya, either.
The buzz of her alarm woke her at eight the next morning. Emerging refreshed from a vigorous shower, she toweled dry and slicked perfumed lotion over her bare skin. She’d learned to apply lotion faithfully here in the high desert. A touch of blow-drying was all her hair required to fluff out into waves. A bit of makeup and peach-tinted gloss on her lips completed her efforts. The New Mexico sun had begun to tan her skin a soft honey shade, and she stared into the mirror, trying to see herself though someone else’s eyes. Then, pulling a face at her reflection, she turned away.
Since it was still too early to meet Martin, she decided to drive around, keeping an eye out for landscape shots. She took a side road away from the highway. A bunny dashed in front of her car and she stopped. A lizard zipped up onto a rock and performed pushups, daring her to invade his domain. She snapped his picture. He pumped more vigorously, then raced back under the rock.
“Thank you, Mr. Lizard.” She glanced around for another creature to pose. Perhaps a coyote or jackrabbit?
Galloping hooves announced Eric’s arrival on Pinto. Destiny’s breath caught as she gazed up at him. He looked like an Apache warrior mistakenly dressed in modern day jeans and shirt. Instinctively, she clicked her camera. Eric dismounted and padded toward her, his muscular body graceful, his face mysterious in the shade of his cowboy hat.
“I think you’ve taken enough pictures.” Shyness softened his words.
“I can’t resist a good subject.”
Eric grinned in that slightly crooked, heart-stopping way so unique to him. “So I’m classed with a lizard. I guess it’s better than the last time somebody wanted to take my picture. They wanted me to pose like a Hollywood Indian and wear beads and feathers.”
“Oh, you’re kidding.” Destiny slid her camera into its case.
Sadness touched Eric’s handsome face. “No. I’m not kidding.”
“And did you do it?” she heard herself ask, before she could stop the words.
Arching a brow at her, he replied, “I did.”
“You did?” she echoed, surprised, and relieved he didn’t act offended.
The grin returned. “Hey, I was sixteen and they offered me money. I didn’t work cheap, but they didn’t seem to care. Paid for a fun weekend.”
“Oh, Eric, you were a naughty boy, skinning the tourists,” she chided with a giggle. A vague headache teased behind her eyes and she pressed her fingertips to her temples.
“What’s the matter?” Eric demanded, grabbing her shoulders. His eyes burned into hers.
“Just a little headache.”
“Let’s get you out of the sun.” Eric helped her into the front seat. “Do you have anything to drink?”
“Orange juice in the thermos.”
Eric’s closeness diffused her pain, made her senses reel. He smelled of soap and warm male muskiness.
“Here,” he ordered. “Drink this.”
Destiny obeyed, sipping the juice, already feeling normal. If yearning for a man one hardly knew could be called ‘normal.’
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