was all he needed to hear. “Thank you,” he murmured, already turning and heading toward the back. He spotted them, three women, apparently all older. The two who faced him looked up as he approached their booth. The one sitting with her back to him, long silver hair streaming in luxurious waves over her slender shoulders, did not.
“Excuse me, ladies. My name is Rance Sleighter,” he began. Then the third woman glanced up, and he completely lost his train of thought. Desire slammed into him with all the force of a tornado. Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been this.
She was stunning, simply gorgeous. And younger than her hair color would make one think. Her brilliant emerald eyes, slightly upturned to give her an exotic look, were fringed with long lashes. Not false. Silver, like her hair. He took a moment to register the unusual color, still dumbfounded. Unable to help himself, he let his gaze travel over her, aching to touch her creamy skin with his mouth, to trace over the curve of her luscious lips, before claiming her with a kiss. A necklace with an unusual purple stone nestled in the hollow between her perfect breasts.
Women didn’t affect him so suddenly or powerfully. Not ever. Still marveling at the heat of his desire, he had to admit she might be the most exotically beautiful woman he’d ever met. The metallic glimmer of her hair added rather than detracted from her appeal.
His. Something clenched in his gut. His.
Even as the knowledge settled deep inside him, their gazes locked. Jumping slightly, she actually gasped. “You,” she said faintly.
He couldn’t respond. Or move. All he could do was stare and battle the urge to haul her up against him and claim her as his.
Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face. The two older ladies tittered. “Don’t worry, sonny,” one said. “Most men have that reaction when they meet Jade.”
Jade. The exotic name suited her. Pushing down his strong and almost violent arousal, he collected himself and managed to nod in what he hoped might be a passable semblance of a greeting. “Nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Amber,” the middle-aged one continued. She had fiery red hair and similar colored eyes. “Jade’s mother. And her—” she pointed “—she’s Opal. My mother. Three generations of Burnetts right here at one table.”
He nodded at Opal, the oldest woman. Her red hair had faded to gray and red tinted the short, spiky tips. Yet the eyes were the same vibrant green.
“What can we help you with?” Jade asked, her mouth curving in a sensual smile so delectable he knew he had to taste it as soon as possible.
“I...” Once again he found himself at a loss for words. This irritated the hell out of him. He earned his living with words and he’d traveled the world covering stories, for Pete’s sake. In the course of his work, he’d certainly met tons of beautiful women, all sexy, and photographed most of them, too.
Yet none had knocked him off his game. He shifted his stance, hoping his arousal wasn’t apparent to them.
“Yes, the Burnetts. I was told to talk to y’all,” he began, his voice coming out a bit more raspy than normal. “I was hoping you could answer some questions for me.”
The three women shared looks and smiles, as if his simple words reminded them of some private joke. “Oooh. I adore a man with a Southern accent. We can definitely try, honey,” the oldest of them replied. “What do you need to know?”
Judging by the way everyone else he’d talked to had reacted, he figured they’d shut him down really quickly. He braced himself and went ahead with the rest of his request. “I’m trying to find out information about the Loch Ness–type monster reported to be living in your lake.”
Again that shared secret glance among them. “Have people been talking about her?” the middle-aged woman asked.
Her. He made a mental note to file that information away for later. Even though Jade sat silently, every fiber of his being vibrated with awareness of her.
“No,” he admitted. “And that’s the problem. Every time I mention her, people shut down. They act like I’m crazy or overly familiar.”
At this, Jade looked down. Her mother and grandmother continued to smile benignly.
“Why exactly do you want to know?” Opal asked. “And think carefully before you answer. This is important.”
“All I can do is give you the truth. I’m a fairly well-known photojournalist. I even have a couple of books under my belt.” Despite having appeared on various national news programs as well as several late-night shows, rarely did anyone recognize him. He preferred it that way. “Currently I’ve been traveling the world checking out stories of beasts like yours.”
“And have you found any you could report on?”
“Not yet.”
“I can’t quite place that accent,” Jade put in, her green gaze meeting his and sending another jolt straight to his groin. “Like my grandmother said, I can tell it’s Southern. Where exactly are you from?”
“Texas.” Which might be a short answer, but actually said everything there was to say. He’d learned people up north had some strange ideas about his home state. So far, he’d done as little as possible to disabuse them.
“Really?” Interest showed in Jade’s expression. “I spent a couple of summers there when I was younger. What part are you from?”
“Houston.”
“Oh. I spent more time in Dallas.” The soft lilt in her voice had him leaning in to hear her speak.
Just then the waitress arrived with the women’s lunches. This one stood short and was built like a truck—all muscle with a no-nonsense air about her. “Excuse me,” she said, bumping his shoulder with the edge of her tray. “I need to serve these ladies their food while it’s still piping hot.”
Of course he stepped aside. Five more seconds. If he could have had five more seconds, he would have found out if Jade was actually willing to talk to him about the lake creature.
Once their meals had been served, the waitress gave him a quizzical look and strode off.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped back from the table. While the polite thing to do would be to excuse himself and let them eat their meal in peace, no one had answered anything.
“Really, I don’t think you want to be interrupting our lunch,” Opal said, her mild tone nevertheless containing a hint of reproach.
“I agree,” Amber chimed in with an arch look and a frown.
“I’m sorry,” he began, focusing his attention on the woman he most wanted to speak with. Jade.
Face once again downcast as she cut up the chicken on her salad, Jade didn’t acknowledge his presence. The rigid set of her delicate shoulders spoke volumes of her disapproval.
He didn’t exactly blame her. Still, time was short and courtesy warred with necessity. “Darlin’, I just need a few seconds,” he began. “One quick question. Maybe two.”
“Please go.”
