One Night With a Sweet-Talking Man Read online

  “An interesting operation, sir,” Jed shouted above the screech of the whirring saws.

  “Most of my lumber is sold to shipyards. We delivered the last of that two weeks ago,” Nathan said, moving outside. “We send it downriver on a raft to Napa. That’s easier and faster than freighting it down in wagons. We only have a skeleton crew of buckers and boom men now, for some smaller pieces that go to furniture builders in Napa and San Francisco.”

  “So you depend mainly on shipbuilders. But most ship hulls are no longer made of wood, since iron is more protective—especially in battle. How much demand can there be for lumber?”

  “Enough to keep us thriving. The shipping industry is booming. There’re more ships now than there’s ever been, and with a greater demand not only for more passenger cabins, but larger and more luxurious ones. That calls for a lot of wood.

  “Steam may be replacing sails on ships, but it leads to explosions and a greater potential for fires. And even when they perfect those steam engines, there’ll still be a demand for wooden masts and hulls.” Nathan winked at him.

  Jed laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “And there’ll always be a need for an old sea dog like you at the helm.”

  At the sound of an explosion, he spun around. “What the hell!”

  Nathan chuckled. “Nothing to be alarmed about. It’s just Bomber blowing up tree stumps that are too big to dig out.”

  “I’d have thought a blast would be too damaging to an area,” Jed said as they walked over to a nearby hill.

  “Not the way we do it. Bomber’s a master at the art. You’ll see for yourself.”

  They climbed the rise to where a man was sprinkling gunpowder at the base of a wide stump. “Bomber, this is Mr. Fraser. He was a crew member on my ship during the war.”

  The man looked up and nodded hello.

  “Captain Collins said you’re a master at the art,” said Jed. “Why gunpowder? Wouldn’t dynamite be easier?”

  Bomber shook his head. “Too powerful, Mr. Fraser. It takes too much along with it when it blows. Gunpowder and a long fuse is easier to control on a smaller job like this and will only uproot the stump. That way nothing more than you want is destroyed, and nobody gets hurt.”

  “The uprooted stump is then hauled away by oxen,” Nathan added, “and we use what we can as firewood here in the office and bunkhouse.”

  “If you two are gonna hang around, you best take cover behind them rocks up the hill here,” Bomber said as he ran a fuse up to the rocks.

  Jed and Nathan took cover as Bomber lit the fuse, then watched as the flame crept along it toward the stump.

  The hair on Jed’s neck prickled when he heard Garrett shout, “Where are you, Buffer?”

  Fearing the worst, he stood and saw Garrett racing up the hill toward the stump. “Garrett, get back!”

  Mindless of his own safety, Jed raced toward the boy, then knocked him off his feet, covering Garrett with his own body just as the gunpowder exploded.

  Rocks, earth, and hunks of tree roots flew through the air, raining down on him. When the smoke cleared he sat up, bleeding from the temple. “Are you okay, Garrett?”

  The boy was wide-eyed and shaking. “I think so, but your head’s bleeding, Mr. Fraser.”

  As Bomber and Nathan rushed up to them, Jed stood and lifted Garrett into his arms. “Let’s get you someplace where we can check you out.”

  At that moment, a barking Buffer came racing up the hill, with Caroline in close pursuit.

  “What happened? Is Garrett hurt?” she cried out.

  “He says he’s fine,” Jed said.

  “Jed, you’re bleeding!” she exclaimed. “Give him to me.”

  Jed stepped back. “I’ll carry him.”

  “We’re wasting time. Let’s get both of you down to the office,” Nathan said impatiently.

  A desk, chair, table, file cabinet, and cast-iron stove occupied practically all of the floor space of the room. By the time Nathan, Bomber, and Buffer followed them inside, there was barely enough space to move around.

  Caroline swept some papers off the table. “Put him here.”

  As soon as he set Garrett on the table Jed sat down in the nearby chair, feeling a little dizzy.

  Caroline gently ran her hands and fingers across Garrett’s back and shoulders, and then along his arms and legs. When she finished, she sighed in relief. “Looks like nothing’s broken.” Then she frowned. “Garrett Collins, you know better than to get that close when Bomber is blasting stumps!”

  “I didn’t know he was blasting there. I didn’t see a red flag.”

  Bomber shook his head apologetically. “He’s right, Miz Caroline. Got to talking to the boss and Mr. Fraser and forgot to put up one.”

  “Oh dear—Mr. Fraser!” She pivoted and looked at Jed sitting with his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about you. How are you feeling?”

  “Dizzy for a few seconds, but I’m fine now.”

  “Just the same, let me look at that wound.”

  Nathan lifted Garrett off the table and took Garrett’s hand. “We’ll wait for you in the buggy.”

  “Don’t let him out of your sight, Father,” Caroline called after them as the two men, boy, and dog left.

  “I’m fine,” Jed said. “It’s just a scratch. It’s even stopped bleeding.”

  She patted the table. “Just the same, sit over here and I’ll clean you up a bit. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  He sat on the table and dangled his legs over the edge. “If you haven’t anything stronger.”

  She came back with a cup of steaming coffee, and when he took a swallow of it, his eyes popped open in surprise. “Wow, you make a potent cup of coffee, lady.”

  She grinned. “I thought you’d like it. My father keeps a bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer.”

  Jed breathed in the tantalizing fragrance of lavender when she stepped between his legs to sponge away the blood on his forehead. His loins tightened in response to her nearness, and he fought the desire to pull her against him.

  “Am I hurting you?” she asked.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Well, do you want it lying down or sitting up?”

  Good God, she had read his mind!

  Then he saw she had picked up a bottle of iodine and was waiting for his reply.

  “Sitting up’s fine,” he grumbled.

  “I hate to do this, but—”

  “I know, it’s going to hurt you more than it does me.”

  “No, it’s going to hurt you, Mr. Fraser.”

  He gritted his teeth when the astringent liquid hit the open wound.

  “Fortunately it’s not a deep cut, but you really could use a couple of stitches to close it up,” she advised. “I don’t want it to start bleeding again.”

  He grinned at her and stood up. “Why, Miss Caroline—I didn’t know you cared.”

  As she blushed, he winked at her and left.

  CHAPTER

  4

  On the way back, they stopped at a spring to water the horses. Caroline spread out a blanket and unpacked the basket.

  “This was the best I could do on short notice,” she said as she laid out thick slices of bread, cheese, and fruit.

  After they ate and drank their fill of the cool spring water, Nathan stretched out in the shade and fell asleep. It wasn’t long before Garrett and Buffer curled up beside him and did the same. Jed sat silently watching Caroline repack the basket.

  She could feel his stare and felt a heated tingling in the pit of her stomach. “You’re staring at me, Mr. Fraser,” she said without raising her head.

  “I’m enjoying the view.”

  His low voice was seductive, and she felt a hot flush of response to it. She knew if she looked up, she would see the desire in his eyes. As flattering as it was to be wanted by a man as attractive as Jed, she dare not look at him.

  Sitting down, she leaned back against a tree trunk. “This is my favorite
spot. I come here whenever I feel the need to be alone. It’s always peaceful and quiet here.”

  “You shouldn’t wander these hills alone.”

  “Nonsense. I know this area like the back of my hand.”

  “So you’ve got everything you want right here?”

  “I’m contented here, if that’s what you mean. But I hope that one day I will marry.”

  “I can’t imagine a woman as desirable as you doesn’t already have a special man in her life.”

  “Right now I actually have two.” She glanced at the sleeping pair.

  “You need more than that, Caroline.”

  The soft lilt of her laughter was like the riffle of a harp. “No, thank you. I have my hands full with just the two of them.”

  “I mean you need a man to take care of your needs. To remind you of how beautiful you are, how pleasing it is to listen to your voice or hear the sound of your laughter.”

  His voice was hypnotic, drawing her deeper and deeper into the spell he wove so artfully. She yearned to close her eyes and succumb to the picture he painted. Hadn’t she often thought of what it would be like to be held and loved by a man she loved?

  Yet her needs paled beside the consequences of surrendering to such whimsy. The man in her fantasies must not be, could never be, Jed Fraser. No matter what the temptation, she must not weaken from that resolve.

  “And what of your needs, Jed? Do you have a special woman in your life?” A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I know the girls in Virginia were tripping over their party pumps to get your attention.”

  He couldn’t help grinning. “Now, how would you know that, Caroline? I don’t recall you ever attending a party in Virginia.”

  “Ladies do talk,” she said archly.

  “I’m surprised—you don’t strike me as the kind to kiss and tell,” he teased.

  “I’m not; I merely listen.”

  “All joking aside, did you really hate Virginia that much? There’s so much bitterness when you mention the word, and I hate to think you can’t put it behind you and get on with your life.”

  She lifted her chin. “Then perhaps you’d be wiser not to mention the word.” She stood up and went over to the spring. For a long moment she gazed into the water, her arms folded across her chest. Then she turned back with a smile.

  “You’ve avoided answering my question, Jed. Is there a special woman in your life?”

  “Very much so.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Are you married?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Now who’s being evasive? Either you are or you aren’t. But I won’t pry any longer. It’s none of my business.” She started to walk away.

  “I’m married to the sea, Caroline.” She halted and turned back to him. “I’ve loved her from my youth. No woman could ever hold my heart and soul the way she does.”

  “That’s very poetic, but not very realistic. You speak of my needs and then allude that yours are incorporeal. Yet your conduct shows that your needs are no less earthy than mine. Do you really believe you could never love a mortal woman?”

  “I would like to believe that there is a special woman for me out there. I just haven’t met her yet. Maybe my next port, or the one beyond that. But since I’d be gone at sea most of the time, I would make a poor husband—and father. Did you regret your father’s lengthy absences?”

  “I thought about him often and missed him when he was gone. But on the other hand, it made every moment he was home more precious to me. I would never wish for any other father.”

  “But how would you feel if it was a husband, the man you love?”

  “I couldn’t bear not being with him and would never understand why he wouldn’t feel the same about me; the man I marry must hold the love of his family foremost in his heart.

  “I want him beside me when I wake in the morning and close my eyes at night, not have him off on some distant sea or foreign country. I want to see his clothes hanging beside mine in the closet, smell his pipe smoke in the evening as we sit in front of our fireplace talking over the day, see him holding our children on his lap as he reads to them.”

  For a long moment she sat in reflection, then looked at him and smiled. “I guess we should wake the others and be on our way.”

  “As you wish.”

  He stood and reached out to pull her to her feet, his gaze never leaving hers as his warm hand closed around her own. A jolt of excitement went through Caroline, and she could see he’d felt it, too. His mouth was so close she thought he was going to kiss her, and she braced herself against her waning resistance.

  Then he released her hand and stepped back. “I’ll hitch up the buggy.”

  By rote, Jed harnessed Belle and then saddled his mount, his thoughts on his conversation with Caroline. She had cleverly fielded his questions, while finding out the answers to her own. Beauty and brains: a lethal combination.

  This battle of the sexes between them was developing into an interesting duel, but unfortunately it was coming to a swift end. Tomorrow, after he talked to the local attorney the captain had mentioned, he would be leaving for Clay’s. Maybe he’d stop back to say good-bye to the Collins family on his return to San Francisco.

  Caroline Collins was unquestionably the most mysterious woman he had ever known. She had an ever-changing shift of moods, and he would have liked to remain longer to try and figure her out, especially the reason for her resentment toward him. But there wasn’t any point to it; she had made her position very clear. She was looking for a land-based man who would give her the love she sought, and that certainly wasn’t him. He hoped she found what she was looking for, though.

  As for himself…

  Jed suddenly had a prickly tingling on the nape of his neck and sensed he was being watched. He turned his head and saw that Buffer had awakened and was standing up, watching him.

  “What?” Jed snapped. “You got something to say?” It was bad enough to be outwitted by a woman without having to cope with a damn dog.

  After several more seconds of the stare-down, the dog issued a low growl, then trotted back to the others.

  “Yeah, good riddance to you, too.”

  “Are you talking to me or yourself?” Caroline asked, suddenly appearing beside him. She put the blanket and picnic basket into the back of the buggy.

  “What the hell’s wrong with that mutt? Anybody can tell you that dogs usually like me,” Jed grumbled as he swung into the saddle.

  “Perhaps it’s that Southern accent of yours, Mr. Fraser.”

  Frustrated, he threw his hands up in the air. “You even resent our accents? Aren’t you carrying your resentment toward Virginia to an extreme?”

  “On the contrary, sir. I find your accent very pleasant and soothing—when you’re not shouting.” She sat down in the rear seat of the buggy. Nathan and Garrett quickly climbed on, and Nathan took the reins.

  “Granddad, since we’ll be home soon, can I drive the rest of the way?” Garrett asked later.

  “You know your mother says you’re too young to handle a buggy. Belle’s old, but she’s still got some run in her.”

  “Mama’s asleep,” the boy said. “Besides, how’s a person to learn if I can’t get to practice?”

  “All right, you can drive for a couple of miles,” Nathan said and handed him the reins. “But I’ll have the devil to pay if your mother wakes up and sees you.”

  “Driving’s not hard,” Garrett said proudly as they rode along. “I like it.”

  “I feel the same way about sailing, boy. I imagine you do, too; don’t you, Jed?” Nathan called over.

  Jed nodded. “Nothing can compare to it. You’re doing a good job of keeping that buggy on this bumpy road, Garrett.”

  He’d no sooner spoken when a bevy of quail, flushed from the surrounding brush, fluttered across the road. Spooked by their flapping wings, Belle reared on her hind legs and Nathan was tossed off the seat. The horse bolted, and Jed goaded Li
berty into a gallop to catch the runaway.

  Caroline awoke sharply when she was thrown out of her seat. She tried to reach Garrett, but the careening buggy rocked for the length of several gasps of breath, then the rear end collapsed. The horrifying screech of splintering wood combined with Garrett’s screams as the buggy’s tongue splintered and broke off and the vehicle tipped over on its side.

  Garrett, who had the reins wrapped around his fists, was dragged along the ground by Belle.

  Jed jumped from his mount onto Belle’s back and reined the runaway horse to a halt. Though the whole incident couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds, it left a trail of devastation behind it.

  Buffer was licking Garrett’s face by the time Jed dismounted. The dazed boy sat up and Jed quickly unwound the reins from Garrett’s bleeding hands.

  “Don’t move, son, until I can check if anything’s broken.”

  “I’m okay,” Garrett said, “but my hands sure sting.”

  “We can take care of them right away. Are your hands the only thing that hurts?” Jed asked as he continued to check the boy for any further injuries.

  “Yeah, but don’t tell my mother: I peed in my pants,” he whispered.

  “If that’s the only thing wrong, pal, I don’t think your mother will care.” He studied the youngster’s eyes. “I’d say you look pretty good for what you’ve just been through.”

  “Oh, she’s gonna care, all right. Me and Granddad are gonna be in trouble, ’cause I ain’t supposed to be driving the buggy.”

  Jed glanced up and was relieved to see Caroline and Nathan running toward them. “Well, we’ll soon find out.” He helped Garrett to his feet as Caroline rushed up to them.

  “Oh, thank God you’re okay! Thank God! Thank God!” Tears of joy streaked her cheeks as she hugged and kissed Garrett. She tenderly wrapped a handkerchief around one of his hands, then ripped the ruffle off one of the sleeves of her gown to wrap around his other hand.

  “That feels better, Mama,” Garrett said as she wiped away her tears with the skirt of her gown.

  “Are you hurt, sir?” Jed asked Nathan.