She looked miffed when he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back so he could see her face.
“Something wrong?” he said gruffly.
“What makes you ask that?”
He shrugged. “I told you. You’ve seemed out of it all evening. Did something happen today?”
He saw her swallow. “Not much. I got lost in the woods. A woman who raises chinchillas nearly shot me.”
His eyes widened in amazement. “You ran into the chinchilla lady?”
Katie nodded.
“Getting fed up with Vulture’s Canyon?”
“No,” she replied quickly. “In fact, this place is starting to grow on me. Are . . . are you? Getting fed up, I mean?”
He picked up another curl and rubbed it between his fingers. His cock buzzed pleasantly at the sensual sensation. He wanted to bury himself in the wild mess of Katie’s hair.
“I’m not feeling any need to go anywhere at the moment.” He met her eyes. “But I do wish you’d tell me whatever it is you’re hiding, Katie.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“What do you mean?” she squawked.
“You’re hiding something,” he said levelly. He rolled his eyes when she looked outraged. “Unless Errol moves at the rate of an inchworm, I seriously doubt his rehab appointments last for most of the day. You’re gone all the time. I’m not upset about it; I’m just curious. What the hell are you doing during the day? I mean . . . this is Vulture’s Canyon. What is there to do?”
She just stared at him openmouthed. He could almost hear her mind churning out the excuses.
“Katie,” he warned softly.
“Oh, all right. I’ve found a job.”
“What?”
“A job. You know, the thing you do to get money and pay the bills. Not all of us are multimillionaire film directors.” She threw him a dark glance, but he wasn’t buying her wounded act.
“Explain, Katie.”
She sat back and began to fidget with one of the couch pillows. He was confused by the way she wouldn’t look at him. Jaysus. What had Katie gone and done this time?
“I . . . I took a job with the county working as a financial advisor for people in need.” She glanced at him nervously from beneath long lashes. “You know . . . like, helping people who can’t read file their taxes or giving financial information to people who are considering a land sale or something and can’t afford legal advice.” When he didn’t say anything because he was so busy trying to figure out why she was so anxious, she continued. “Monty told me about the job. They had just gotten a grant from the state to start the service. There are a lot of people in this county who are illiterate, or who might be pushed into doing something stupid thanks to coming into contact with people like Miles Fordham. It’s a much-needed service,” she added defensively.
“I agree,” he replied, taken aback by her fierceness. “It sounds like the perfect job for you.”
She gawked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You . . . you think it sounds like the perfect job for me?” she asked shakily.
He shrugged, becoming more bewildered by the moment. “Yeah. It’s a perfect fit. You can use your education, and you always wanted to do stuff for people in need. All those Junior League events you planned for different charities—”
“I hated the Junior League,” she mumbled, although she didn’t seem much aware of what she was saying. She looked transfixed as she stared at him.
“Yeah. You never fit very well with all those other girls. But you always wanted to help people, so—” Air po
pped out of his lungs when Katie threw herself against him. “What the . . . What’s this all about?” he asked, his confusion rising to concern when Katie started to kiss his jaw, cheeks and lips feverishly and he felt the dampness of her tears on his skin.