a slight smile. “I’m guessing you’d like us to leave you in peace?”
Cameron returned the other man’s expression with relief. “You guessed right.”
Vincente looked as though he might like to protest at this arrangement, but Grant slung an arm around his shoulders, forcing him to walk away with him. “Nice meeting you, Laurie. Enjoy your evening.”
When they’d gone, Cameron turned to Laurie with an apologetic expression. “In this town everyone knows everyone else. It makes them think they have a right to intrude on your business.”
“I like it. It’s very different from what I’m used to.”
It wasn’t just something to say. She had been here only a few days, but she liked the feel of this town. It saddened her that she was here under false pretenses. What is this? This is what I do. I trap the bad guys. I can’t suddenly feel sentimental and regretful about it.
“Where exactly in California do you live?”
“San Diego.” It was true, even though she hadn’t been back there in what felt like forever. Lately it had been one undercover job after another. Home felt like something other people had.
The food arrived just in time for her to avoid any further details. While they ate, Laurie turned the talk to what she should see during her vacation. She was an expert at keeping the conversation away from herself. Unwilling to ask too many questions about his business this early in the relationship, she steered Cameron onto the other topic that interested her. She was surprised to find he was quite willing to talk about Carla.
“Can I ask why she was out on the lake at night?”
“Carla was a keen sailor. More than keen. It was her passion. She took part in competitions. She spent every spare minute practicing. The night she died, I was going to a function where I had to stay over. It was a foul night, and there was a storm brewing. She was determined to go out on the lake. There was a big, twenty-four-hour race coming up and she said her night vision was bothering her. I tried to persuade her not to go, to come with me instead.” A corner of his mouth creased in an expression of remembered frustration. “She wouldn’t listen. We argued. If I’d tried a bit harder, maybe stayed home with her...”
The compulsion to touch him was overwhelming. Reaching out, Laurie covered his hand with hers. “You couldn’t have known how it would turn out.”
He turned his hand so he could grip her fingers. “It means a lot, being able to talk about her. Other people tiptoe around me, thinking if they don’t mention her the pain might go away. Dino, as you may have noticed, is the only one who doesn’t.”
“What was she like?” Asking wasn’t just part of the job. She was curious about Carla the person. Carla her cousin.
He smiled. “Well, I think we’ve already established she was stubborn. She was also beautiful, clever, talented and witty. She used to tell me I was lucky to have her and I’d have to work hard every day to keep her.”
“Yet it sounds like she was as devoted to you as you were to her.”
“She was, but that last bit was true.” He tossed back the last of his beer. “Carla had many admirers, including a very persistent secret one.”
Laurie tilted her head on one side, considering that statement. “Persistent and secret don’t seem to go together.”
“Whoever he was, he used to send her an arrangement of red roses in the shape of a heart once a week. No message, no other gifts. Just the flowers.”
“That’s quite sweet, really.”
“Carla thought so, too. I thought it was creepy.” He laughed. “Maybe I was just being macho and possessive.”
“You were together a long time. Did you have any plans to get married?” It felt like an intrusive question, but he’d been open so far and she was curious about why, when he clearly loved Carla so much, they hadn’t made their relationship permanent. His face clouded slightly, and it was clear the question provoked a memory that made him uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Cameron shook his head. “It was the one subject on which we couldn’t agree. Yet it was such an important one. Looking back now, I wish—” He broke off, taking a moment to collect his emotions. “Carla didn’t want to stay in Wyoming, and I could never see myself living anywhere else. I wanted the whole fairy tale. Marriage, kids, big goofy dog, family life, all the things my own folks had. Carla wasn’t the maternal type. Her own childhood had been traumatic.” He hesitated, and she sensed this was a big part of who Carla was. Even though she had learned recently that she was related to Carla, she knew nothing about her early life. Clearly Cameron wasn’t ready to go into details. “We could never meet halfway on it. Now, in hindsight, I think if I’d done it her way, upped and left Stillwater, gone to live in a big city, she wouldn’t have been on the lake that night.”
His eyes were twin pools of anguish. There was a trace of guilt in his expression and something more. A plea for reassurance. Carla just went down a notch or two in Laurie’s estimation. Sure, cling to your independence. Stick to your principles. But at the risk of losing a man who loved you to distraction? A man like Cameron Delaney? No, Carla, I can’t understand where you were coming from. Mind you, her rational mind kicked in, let’s not forget we are talking about a likely criminal mastermind...even though Carla may not have known about that facet of his life.
“I’m a great believer in fate. I think there is a time and a place for everything and, while we control some aspects of our destiny, there are other things that are meant to be.” Her hand was still in his, and she clasped his fingers tighter. “You may never know what it was, but it’s possible there is a reason why Carla was meant to be on the lake that night.”
Cameron didn’t reply, but she thought some of the tension went out of his frame. Looking around, Laurie was amazed to see the restaurant was empty and they were the only ones left. A glance at her watch told her it was close to midnight. How had all those hours passed without her being conscious of them? Cameron settled their tab and escorted her out to the car.
When they reached the vacation village, Cameron walked Laurie to her cabin. This was always the tricky part. Make sure he wants to see you again without coming on too strong. For the first time ever, she felt a pang of regret at that necessity. It would be so easy to give in to her instincts right now and invite Cameron in for coffee. To explore where this attraction might take them. Instead, she rose on the tips of her toes, touched her fingertips to his shoulder and pressed a chaste kiss onto his cheek.
“Thank you for a lovely evening.” Determinedly, she ignored the insistent tingle that shimmered through to her nerve endings as her lips brushed his flesh. His delicious scent invaded her nostrils, and she resisted the temptation to press her face into the warm curve of his neck.
His face was in shadow, but she was aware of his eyes probing hers. “Can we do it again?” Somehow she sensed those words didn’t come easy. Cameron was fighting an internal battle. Whether he was winning or losing wasn’t clear.
“I’d like that.”
When he’d gone, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Years of training had conditioned her. She scrutinized the room, checking for signs that anything might be out of place. The cabin looked exactly as she’d left it. Except for one thing.
In
