Capturing Christmas Read online

  If it hadn’t been during an event and packed with females, Kash might have followed her inside. The woman was driving him utterly daft.

  Yesterday, she appeared wary but not terrified of him. He’d thought she’d seemed somewhat receptive to his request and held out hope she’d agree to speak with him.

  Yet, this evening, the glares she stabbed at him were intended to inflict bodily harm.

  Celia seemed hot one minute and cold the next, like a faucet connected to a malfunctioning water heater. How was he supposed to know what mood he’d find her in?

  He didn’t have time to deal with a female more fractious than a cranky bull on his worst day.

  With Ransom out of control, his father in denial, and an incredibly demanding business to run, Kash lacked the time or energy to decipher her actions. This was exactly the reason he avoided relationships.

  Women were all about games, coy glances, and hinted promises then they’d turn on a man in a minute with claws out and fangs bared.

  Kash just wanted to set the record straight with Celia, clear his good name, and move on. In time, he’d forget about her tantalizing fragrance and the way her hair shone in the arena lights. He’d eventually quit dreaming about how good it would feel to hold her. His mouth would stop watering for want of her kiss.

  Unable to wait for her to leave the restroom, Kash returned to his duties. He’d pointedly looked at her during the bull riding, but she pretended to ignore him as she snapped photos. His heart jumped clear up in his throat when one of his bulls whipped around and charged her direction. He was halfway over the chute when the bullfighters stepped in front of her and she hastened out of the way.

  Of all the photographers working the event, she was the one who edged too close, took risks, and placed herself in the most dangerous positions.

  In his opinion, she was also the one who captured the best shots. He’d seen one that afternoon in the newspaper when he sat down for a minute to eat a quick lunch. There was no denying her talent with a camera.

  However, he could question her motives and interest in him. She could adamantly refuse to admit it, but he’d seen a spark of awareness in her eyes yesterday when he’d tipped his hat to her and walked away.

  His head ached from trying to make sense of her actions by the time the bull riding ended. Kash wished he had time to track her down. Unfortunately, he had bulls that needed to be tucked in for the night and horses to check on.

  He’d just finished moving the bulls when he noticed Celia hurrying across the parking lot and decided to follow her. He urged Tru forward. The horse threaded his way among the last of the departing crowd and vehicles.

  Celia was so angry with Kash, she could barely hold her hands still enough to take photos. After he chased her to the restroom, she almost went to find the police she knew worked the event, but changed her mind at the last minute.

  Back in the arena, she focused on taking photographs, even during the bull riding when she knew he watched her every move.

  One bull almost caught her by surprise. She took three more photos before scrambling out of the way. Thank goodness, the bullfighters were right there or she might have ended up ground into the arena’s dirt.

  Shaken but exhilarated, she spoke with a few friends before leaving the arena and heading out to her truck.

  Cooper motioned to her, like he wanted to talk, but she was tired and ready to head home. She offered him a friendly wave and continued walking.

  Hurrying across the parking lot, she unlocked the truck, set down her equipment, then climbed inside.

  “Nuts, nuts, nuts,” she chanted, digging inside her console for peanut M&M’s. They were her go-to snack and usually helped calm her nerves. She’d already eaten all the candy she had in her camera bag.

  The search expanded to the jockey box then the pocket in the passenger side door. She unearthed a resealable bag filled with the rainbow-colored treats. As she yanked it open, a tap on the window next to her head made her jump and shriek in surprise while M&M’s rained down all around her.

  Celia looked into the face of a horse. The animal jerked back. A hand settled over his muzzle while Kash peered in her window.

  “Will you please talk to me? Please?” Kash pleaded.

  He looked harmless enough, especially with his horse, but that had gotten her into trouble before. Twice now, in fact. Upset and scared, Celia sent Cooper a text that said “SOS! My truck!”

  She glanced back at Kash. “I won’t talk to you! For gosh sakes, how many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone? I thought you would have gotten the message from our conversation earlier.”

  Kash held a hand up to his ear. “What?”

  “I said leave me alone!” She reached up to start her truck then realized she hadn’t placed the keys in the ignition. In her frantic search for candy, she’d somehow dropped them on the floor and kicked them beneath the seat. The only way to reach them would be to get out of the pickup and there was no way she’d do that with Kash standing right outside the door.

  On the verge of breaking down into tears, she put her hands over her face and took a shuddering breath. “Go away!”

  A tap on the glass of her passenger door drew her gaze across the cab to Cooper. He looked ridiculous with his makeup half removed and his hair standing on end from removing the wig he’d worn most of the evening.

  She clicked the lock and he opened the door. Rapidly, she locked it again before Kash could open her door.

  “What is the problem, girl? You scared me half to death.” As soon as he received her message for help, Cooper raced across the parking lot expecting to find someone holding Celia at knifepoint or a similar tragedy. Relief flooded over him when he discovered Kash standing outside her truck with a hangdog expression. Celia cowered in the driver’s seat with colorful candy splashed all over the inside of her truck.

  Cooper picked up several pieces and popped them into his mouth. “What is so all-fired important you’d scare five years off my life?”

  Celia tipped her head in the direction of Kash and his horse. “He won’t leave me alone and I dropped the keys under the seat. I was afraid to get out long enough to get them.”

  “There isn’t a single reason in the world to be afraid of that guy.” Cooper pointed his thumb at Kash and grabbed a few more pieces of candy-coated peanuts out of the cupholder.

  “I won’t go into details, but I have sufficient reason to believe he would hurt me if given the opportunity.”

  Cooper had the audacity to laugh. “Kash wouldn’t hurt a flea, except maybe his brother and that’s a whole other story you really need to hear. Honest, Celia, you need to listen to what Kash has to say.”

  Stunned by her friend’s defense of the perverted stock contractor, Celia glared at him before narrowing her gaze at Kash and opening her door. She stepped out, hastily fished her keys from beneath the seat and held them out like a weapon in Kash’s direction.

  “You’ve got thirty seconds then I’m leaving.”

  “What I need to explain to you will take far longer than that. Would you please meet me tomorrow before the rodeo? Please, Celia. It’s important.”

  “Only if it’s in a public place and I can bring along a witness.” She glanced over her shoulder as Cooper stepped beside her, crunching M&M’s.

  He draped an arm across her shoulders and smiled. “I’m free if someone wants to buy me lunch.”

  “Great. My treat,” Kash offered. He rubbed the horse’s neck as the animal swished his tail. “Will that work for you, Celia?”

  An indignant huff worked free of her lips. “Fine. I’ll meet you for lunch if it will convince you to leave me alone.” She reached inside her truck and tore a piece of paper off a notebook, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Kash. “Meet me there at eleven-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there. Have a good evening, Celia.” Kash tipped his hat to her, gave Cooper an appreciative nod then led Tru back in the direction of the pens behind the a
rena.

  Cooper gave Celia’s shoulders a squeeze. “You’ll want to hear what Kash has to say, Seal. Have you met his brother?”

  “No, but if he’s anything like Kash, I don’t think I want to.”

  Cooper chuckled then tossed an M&M into the air, catching it in his mouth. “Oh, he’s nothing like Kash. Not a thing. See you tomorrow for lunch. I might just skip breakfast so I make sure Kash gets his money’s worth.”

  Celia kissed the cheek Cooper had managed to free of makeup before he received her mayday text. She climbed inside the pickup. “You do that. Thanks for running to my rescue. I appreciate it.”

  “It’s what friends are for, right?”

  “For sure, Cooper. Thanks again.”

  Sheer exhaustion settled over Celia once her head hit her pillow an hour later. She awoke refreshed, but apprehensive about the upcoming meeting with Kash.

  To keep herself from dwelling on what he wanted to say to her, she downloaded the photos from the previous night’s rodeo onto her computer and looked through the images.

  One she’d taken of Cooper caught her eye so she played with the vibrancy and saturation, lightening a few areas and darkening others. She added a soft blur to the edges. When she finished, she printed it out and matted it in a frame.

  Her hall closet held an assortment of frames and mats of varying sizes because she frequently gave away copies of photos she didn’t plan to sell.

  She knew Cooper would get a kick out of the one she’d taken, so she quickly wrapped it in bandana print tissue paper and tied it with a piece of sisal twine.

  Determined to maintain the upper hand and appear professional, Celia dressed in a slim skirt with a summery blouse, slipped her feet into sandals and gathered her hair into an updo. She applied mascara, powdered her nose, and gave her lips a light coat of lip gloss. On the way out the door, she grabbed her purse and the gift for Cooper.

  The restaurant she chose for lunch was an easy drive from the rodeo arena, but offered a patio with outdoor seating. The idea of sitting outside with an easy means of escape if she felt the need to get away from Kash appealed to her.

  At a quarter after eleven, she pulled into the parking lot and hurried inside, asking the hostess for a table outside.

  She followed the young woman to the patio and took a seat at a table set for four, facing the door so she could keep an eye out for Kash.

  He strode in with Cooper five minutes later. It always took her a moment to recognize her friend without makeup covering his face and dressed as he was in a pair of cargo shorts and a polo shirt.

  Kash wore jeans and a bright blue cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He removed his hat and held it in his hands, giving her a respectful nod as they approached the table.

  Refusing to allow herself to think about the beautiful blue color of his eyes or how inviting they looked as he gazed at her, she handed Cooper the gift as he took a seat beside her.

  “What’s this?” he asked as he untied the string. “It’s not my birthday or anything.”

  “I know. I just thought you’d like it.” Celia had a hard time sitting still while Cooper folded back the paper and held up the barnwood frame in his hands.

  “This is great, Seal. Thank you, sweetheart.” Cooper kissed her cheek and admired the print that showed him sitting on a clown barrel, holding out his index finger and pointing it right at the camera. In the background, the crowd blurred into soft colors while a bull leaped out of the chute.

  “I thought you could add it to your collection.” Celia draped a napkin across her lap and took a sip from the lemonade she’d ordered.

  Kash’s enticing scent drifted to her on the slight breeze that blew around them. Baffled, she struggled to make sense how he could transform his scent from stinking like a reject of a dive bar to smelling like a model for a cologne company in a matter of minutes.

  When she’d first encountered him last night, his odor made her crinkle her nose in disgust. Later, as he chased her to the bathroom, she’d caught a whiff of his delicious scent and almost stopped in her tracks just to inhale it.

  Furious with herself for entertaining any ideas about the man except how to remove him permanently from her life, she lifted a curious eyebrow. “Well, Mr. Kressley. Here we are. Would you like to explain yourself before we order lunch?”

  Kash settled his hat on his knee and leaned back in his chair. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting a couple of minutes, I invited two more people to join us. Once they do, I’ll explain everything.”

  Cooper bumped her with his elbow. “You’re really gonna laugh about this one, Celia. I promise.”

  She glowered at him. “Like I was gonna laugh when Wayne proposed to me? Is it that kind of funny? If it is, I’m leaving right now.” Angry, Celia rose to her feet. Movement at the patio door drew her gaze. All the air whooshed out of her and she dropped back into her seat.

  Open mouthed, she stared as a man identical to Kash strolled onto the patio with an older man who held a fair resemblance to them both. Kash stood and pulled another chair up to the table then motioned for the two men to join them. His twin started to turn away to leave, but the older man gave him a push forward.

  “Celia, I’d like to introduce my father, Frank Kressley.”

  The older man removed his hat and smiled at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss McGraw. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, especially your talent with a camera.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Celia found her voice and smiled at the older gent. Her gaze shifted to the man Kash forcefully pushed into a chair between him and his father.

  Kash gripped his twin’s shoulder in a tight squeeze, causing the man to wince. “I believe you’ve already met my brother. Once back in Portland and then again last night. Isn’t that right, Ransom?”

  Ransom grimaced at Kash then turned a charming smile on Celia. She recognized the cocky, arrogant look on his face.

  Taken aback, she wondered how she hadn’t realized from his attitude and demeanor that he and Kash were two different people. She’d never seen twins who looked so completely alike. Unable to stop herself, she stared at them for a long moment.

  “I can see my good looks have left her speechless,” Ransom said. He leaned back in his chair while his brother and father scowled at him.

  “Don’t you have something to say to Miss McGraw, Ransom?” His father prodded. The tone of his voice made it sound like he reminded a greedy five-year-old to thank someone for giving him a cookie.

  Ransom kept his eyes on the table, refusing to meet Celia’s. “My apologies, Miss McGraw, for misleading you into believing I was Kash, and for getting a little rough with you.”

  Kash squeezed his shoulder again and Ransom cleared his throat. “And for the inappropriate things I said and suggested.”

  “And…” his father prompted.

  “And for letting you talk me into coming here today, Dad.” Ransom jerked away from Kash’s hand, lunged to his feet and knocked over his chair. “I’m done groveling to this bunch of…”

  Menacingly, Kash stood with both fists clenched at his sides.

  Ransom snapped his mouth closed then stormed off the patio toward the parking lot. Quietly righting the chair, Kash regained his seat.

  Frank released a weary sigh. “Guess he can find his own ride home since I doubt we’ll see him back at the rodeo.” He stretched his hand across the table and placed it on top of Celia’s. “My profound apologies, Miss McGraw, for any problems that boy of mine caused you. Kash warned him a few weeks ago to leave you alone. It sounds like he stirred up more trouble last night.”

  Celia nodded her head, in shock over what had transpired. She glanced at Kash. He studied her with concern and remorse in his eyes.

  “So your brother, he’s… you’re… you weren’t…” she stammered, still trying to clear the cobwebs of confusion from her thoughts. “It wasn’t you who…?”

  Cooper chuckled. “It’s all right, darlin�
��. It will all make sense after you eat a good lunch. I plan on stuffing myself.”

  “Of course you do.” Kash grinned at Cooper and accepted the menu the server handed to him.

  An hour later, Cooper glanced at his watch and stood. “I’ve got to get going, but thank you for lunch, Kash.”

  “You’re welcome. Let me settle up the bill and I’ll give you a ride back to the arena.” Kash leaned over on one hip and fished his wallet out of his back pocket.

  Frank stood and pushed in his chair. “Why don’t I give you a ride, Cooper? I’ll take care of the bill on our way out. Lunch today is on Ransom.”

  Cooper gave Celia an encouraging pat on her back, shook Kash’s hand then walked into the restaurant. Frank stepped around the table and held out a hand to her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss McGraw. I’m sure we’ll see you at the rodeo tonight.”

  Celia stood and smiled at the older man as she shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. It was very nice to meet you, and please, call me Celia.”

  Frank grinned. “I will. You have a nice afternoon, Celia.” He gently thumped Kash on the shoulder as he passed him and entered the restaurant.

  Thoroughly flabbergasted by discovering Kash had an identical twin brother who was an egotistical pig, Celia barely spoke during lunch. While her head processed the fact Kash wasn’t the bad guy she’d believed him to be, her heart whispered for her to sit up and take notice of the kind-hearted man with the mesmerizing eyes.

  Celia picked up her purse and left the patio through a side gate. Kash followed.

  When they reached the parking lot, she stopped to dig her keys out of her purse and he gently touched her arm. “Look, Celia, I’m sorry to spring Ransom on you, but I thought seeing the two of us together would be the easiest way for you to understand it wasn’t me who hurt you. Dad and I are both sick about what he did to you. If there’s anything I can do to make amends, let me know. I’m truly sorry.”

  Moved by his apology and concern, she reached up and touched his cheek with the palm of her hand. He’d shaved recently because his skin was smooth and felt so good against her hand.