Did she really think Bram was good for her? A man whose kiss had her melting like candle wax in the sun?
By the time she'd finished with Susie Q, they had the tent up and were working together to start supper.
As they ate, Vala decided the problem with camp food was that the limited selection made meals somewhat boring. Not that she'd dream of saying so. Though no gourmet chef, with a full refrigerator, shelves of supplies, and a modern stove, plus microwave, she could cook a decent meal, but she certainly didn't want to be forced into trying to make do here and now.
After they were through eating, Bram served up his usual warning for dessert, a different one each time, about avoiding harm in the great Arizona outdoors.
"So a pair of pliers should be a part of every camper's gear," he finished. "Because of the fish-hook end of cacti spines, you need something more substantial than tweezers to pull them out."
"A kid at my summer camp got a fish-hook caught in his leg," Davis said. "He sure yelled when the nurse pulled it out."
She wondered if her son retained any of Bram's cautionary desert "dessert" teachings. It was hard to tell what impressed a nine-year-old and what didn't. Which was why she often repeated her warnings to Davis. She did not hover over him, she was merely being careful.
As night closed in around them and the moon rose, Davis was the first to opt for the tent. Vala told herself she'd give him enough time to get undressed and fall asleep and then she'd call it a day as well. Not that she was especially tired, but it was only prudent to avoid being alone with Bram.
"No more aches and pains?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "I guess I'm turning into a real horsewoman."
"I suppose. Too bad." He grinned at her. "I got to looking forward to our liniment sessions."
"You're incorrigible."
"No, ma'am, just an opportunist."
With the feel of his hands massaging her bare skin all too easy to remember, Vala decided retreat was the better part of valor. She faked a yawn.
"Ready to run off scared?" Bram asked.
She started to put on an indignant act, then gave it up as stupid. "Something of the sort, yes."
"No need. It's your call."
"My call? You expect me to--to--" She couldn't find the right words.
"To discover what you want?" He nodded.
"Are you that sure of yourself?"
"Nope. Hope springs eternal."
Despite herself, she smiled and relaxed. Even with the sensual awareness arcing between them, Bram was easy to be with.
"I wish I hadn't misunderstood your visit years ago," she said. "We might have become friends."
"Yeah--good friends."
Though she was aware it wouldn't have happened if her parents could have found any way to prevent Bram from coming near their daughter, she went on picturing her timid teenage self and brash Bram together.
"The kids at school would have had their socks knocked off when they saw me riding on the back of your bike," she said.
He chuckled. "I'd like to have seen that myself. You wouldn't have been too scared?"
She shook her head. "Not if I was with you."
He reached over and covered her hand with his. "You actually trusted the guy I was then?"
Turning her hand over, she clasped his. "I had a bad case of hero worship."
His grip tightened. "Wish I'd known. What about now?" "I don't know," she said honestly. "Being with you confuses me. I'll admit there's something between us, but I'm not sure I want to explore it."
"There's an old sixties song about regretting the path not taken."
"I realize I may regret it if I don't. But even worse, what if I regret it if I do?"
"Why would you?"
She sighed, enjoying the sensation of her hand resting safely in his. But there'd be nothing safe about allowing herself to see where the path with Bram would take her. "Maybe men don't experience loss in the same way women do," she said finally. "Neal is the only man I've known really well and I doubt that he's ever had such a feeling."
Bram released her hand, saying gruffly, "I'm not Neal."
"I'm not comparing you!"
"Oh, yes, you are. You have been from the moment I walked into that cafe."
About to come up with an indignant denial, she realized there was some truth in his words and she smiled at him.
"Guilty. And don't you wish you knew how favorably you stack up?"
That earned her a raised eyebrow. "Favorably?"
"You'd make a far better father than