11
TRAVIS SLOWLY SAT UP in bed and looked around Christine’s room. The sun was just beginning to rise and light streamed through the window shades. He was reluctant to look for the emerald. This might be his only chance to search, but it felt wrong.
He looked at Christine as she slept next to him. He was beginning to believe she hadn’t taken the emerald. He thought she was the only one who had the opportunity, but he didn’t have hard proof. Did he immediately decide she was the one because it gave him a chance to follow her? Had he just been fooling himself so he could see her again?
No, he wouldn’t do that to Aaron. This emerald was important to his friend and it was worth a lot of money. Aaron wasn’t a millionaire, but he took care of his large and extended family. The winnings and that emerald made a big difference to his family’s future. Travis had failed Aaron and he had to make it up to him. He wouldn’t have pursued Christine unless he truly believed she had stolen the gem. He couldn’t afford to second-guess his instincts and he wasn’t going to be distracted by her again.
Travis rose from the bed and looked at the shelf across the room. There were a few decorative boxes. She could have placed the gem in one of those.
“What time is it?” Christine asked sleepily.
He froze when he heard her voice. “It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”
Christine slowly sat up and pulled the sheet around her naked body. She yawned and flipped her long hair from her face. “Where are you going?”
“I was going to sneak back into the bed-and-breakfast,” he lied.
There was a beat of silence. “Oh, okay.”
Travis could tell from her tone that she didn’t believe his answer. “Where did you think I was going?” he asked as he walked back to the bed.
“I don’t know. The first thought that crossed my mind was that you were leaving. Leaving town.”
He was surprised that her mind had jumped to that conclusion. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No,” she admitted as she glanced out the window. “But I know that Cedar Valley is too small for you. Too quiet.”
It was the quiet that had woken him up before dawn. He had avoided silence for as long as he could remember. “I’ve been to smaller places.”
“I would love to hear all about it,” she said as she watched him crawl back into bed. “What do you think of Cedar Valley?”
“It reminds me a lot of you,” he said as he tugged the bedsheet from her hand.
“Really?” She tilted her head back as if she didn’t know if she should take it as a compliment. “How?”
“It has a natural beauty,” he said softly. “It’s caring and nurturing.”
“Sometimes too caring,” she whispered.
He didn’t know if Christine was talking about Cedar Valley or herself. “And after a while, you can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Her lips twisted with bitterness. “Don’t worry, the feeling doesn’t last.”
Travis frowned as his slow, sweet seduction took an unexpected turn. “What do you mean?”
“My dad lived here all his life and when he was having financial problems, he just got up and left. Never heard from him again. I assume he found a more exciting life.” She turned her head away. “My mom left when she got remarried. She couldn’t wait to get out of here.”
“And you stayed behind.”
“More like got left behind. I hate feeling like that. I think I get a little too attached to people because of it.” She sighed and made a face. “Not to scare you or anything, but I had considered staying in Vegas for one more day. It didn’t feel right to leave.”
Travis stared at her. If she had stayed one more day she might not have gotten away with the emerald. “Why did you leave?”
“Because everything was perfect. I didn’t want to mess things up by staying. It was my first one-night stand, and I didn’t want to get it wrong.”
He smiled at her confession. “Your first, huh? Why wasn’t that on your bucket list? Or do you have a separate one for sex?”
“A bucket list for sex?” Christine laughed and shook her head. “I can barely get through the one I have now.”
“What would be on that bucket list?” His body hardened as he thought about Christine’s fantasies. Would they be sweet and romantic or would they shock him? “What is the one fantasy that you want to do more than anything else?”
The light in her eyes flared. Travis knew he was the star of that fantasy. He felt humbled and powerful at the same time.