Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) Read online

  Nick put down the phone with mixed emotions, foremost being disappointment. He’d really wanted to see her today. He shook his head again with a self-deprecating smile. Apparently the feeling wasn’t mutual.

  He puttered around through the morning and early afternoon and finally decided to call her. Maybe there had been an emergency at home. He’d never even told her how pleased he’d been with her work at the studio and had made no plans for her return. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her to come back. He needed her professionally, but much more so than that, he couldn’t wait to see her again. He called Dr. Mitchell and got her cell phone number.

  ****

  Rossen was sitting on the porch enjoying the view of Kit and Mimi Star sleeping in the chair beside him, when the phone in the pocket of her dress rang. She’d only had it since she’d gone off to school and he’d never heard it ring before. He didn’t think she usually even carried it when she was here. The sound of it now was troubling to him somehow, and when she answered it and then said, “Nick. Hey.” with a sleepy smile, something in his heart landed with a sickening thud.

  Mimi started to wake and reached for him with a dah sound and he stood to pick her up and walked back into the house. As he fixed her a bottle and gave it to her, he waged a battle in his head and heart. He’d encouraged Kit to go to school, and to LA. And he knew somehow it was the best thing for her, but he also knew who the Nick on the other end of that call was and his heart was sick.

  She’d come home tired, but happy, and both she and Joey had told the whole family what they’d been up to and who they’d been with. He’d wanted her to spread her wings. At the time he’d recommended college, he’d had no idea she’d spread them this far, this fast. This wasn’t exactly what he’d bargained for. In a way, he was thrilled for her. What an opportunity to use her gifts. But in a way, it was killing him too.

  He tried to bury his feelings and focus on the sweet baby in his arms. Somehow, the fact that Kit had spent half the night getting home as soon as she could helped a lot, but he wasn’t even sure he should be happy about that, or encourage her to stay away next time. He finally decided he was only human and that being grateful she'd come home wasn’t a bad thing. By the time he took Mimi back out twenty minutes later, Kit was not only off the phone, but already back to sleep.

  ****

  Back at school, Kit continued to strive to make this semester count. She took two more CLEP tests and went out with Nate again and two other guys from their college ward. She was still working out with Matt and not only had she already earned her green belt, but he'd become her best friend outside of the Rockland family. He'd given up on any romantic notions with Kit and their friendship had become Kit’s favorite thing about college. She still loved her sculpture, and Matt appreciated it too. He would sometimes bring something to do and come and sit in the clay lab with her while she worked. He'd figured out several ways to cheer her up when she was homesick, and Kit knew he would brighten her spirits when she needed it most. She’d almost worried that he still liked her, until he started hitting on Joey when they were there.

  Her art class was going well. She was learning new techniques and ideas she’d use her whole life. She was going to be able to get internship credits for her horse bronzes and the pieces she had in private galleries. Spanish was the only class she had to work at and it was only because her heart wasn’t in it. She had no real interest. It was just a class to her and even her friendship with Ethan didn’t perk it up. He kept trying to hold her hand and she had resorted to showing up late and hoping there were no seats available near him.

  In guitar she was enjoying the music more than ever. Dr. Mitchell had arranged to get her some credits for her work in LA and she could now read music, slowly, but well. Nick had asked her to come back the fourth weekend in September and she was trying to cram everything in so she could take that Thursday, Friday and Saturday in LA, as well as spend some time at home Sunday and Monday. Joey was going back with her again and she was trying to tie up all her loose ends, too.

  When Kit went home to Wyoming, she tried to leave school and homework behind in Logan. Except for talking to Rossen about some of what she was doing there, so he would know she wasn’t missing out, she came home to bask in being home. She had all but quit nursing Mimi Star, a fact she truly regretted, but didn’t see any way around. She'd begun to fix her a bottle just like Rossen did and it made her sad every time she did it. Mimi Star was four and a half months old and she could wiggle faster than they could keep track and Rossen had put a play pen in his office filled with every toy possible.

  They still took her on rides with them and Kit tried to ride at least once every time she came home. Her friendship with Rossen was her greatest treasure, but there were times when the pressure to keep it platonic was so at odds with what she was really feeling, that it was almost hard to be with him. Man, she hated the stupid rules.

  The Wednesday before she was to go back to California, she was tired to the bone. She’d gotten everything done and was spending the afternoon enjoying Rossen and Mimi as she worked beside him in his office. They could do this without pressure to stay away from each other and his engineering work had almost become a haven for their relationship. For some reason, Rossen didn’t feel like working together was against the stupid rule, so Kit tended to spend a lot of time in his office.

  ****

  After dinner, Rossen turned on the TV to watch a ball game. He loved having Kit home, but it was hard sometimes, too. This life they were leading was definitely not what he’d have chosen, if he could choose. Kit sat on the couch beside him and fell asleep within seconds with Mimi asleep on her lap. Her head fell against his shoulder and her hand relaxed onto his thigh. He’d known she was tired, but holy cow, that was fast! And she was so gone! He hadn’t seen her this tired since right after Mimi was born. What was she doing at school to wear her out this much? He’d have to ask Joey how it was all going again.

  Twice Kit’s head slid off his shoulder. The third time he eased off the couch, picked up Mimi Star and gently laid Kit down full length. He put a pillow under her head, covered her with a throw and pulled a Love Sak over beside her to finish watching the game. Eventually he leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes too, content to rest beside her with her little daughter. When Kit turned on her side and draped her arm over his shoulder, none of them woke up, but they all three rested easier than they had in a whole month.

  Naomi found them there at midnight. She turned off the TV, turned out the lights, and went to bed, wishing she was wiser and knew how to solve everything for them.

  When Kit woke up sometime in the night and realized he was there under her arm, she rolled over close to his head and wrapped her arm around his neck, deciding that all stupid rules were off when he was asleep.

  When he woke up toward morning with her arm around his neck and her head close to his, he just basked in the feel of her near him as she slept. He could smell her shampoo and reveled in the feel of her arm on his skin. He wasn’t going to worry about keeping his distance from her in her sleep.

  Naomi came back in at five thirty to start breakfast before the girls had to catch their plane. She found the three of them still there and scooped up the waking baby before she disturbed them. She knew Kit’s bags were packed and waiting by the garage door. Joey had told her some of what Kit had been doing at school and Naomi knew she had to be exhausted. She let them sleep, fed Joey and Mimi, and packed a breakfast Kit could take with her, before waking her at the last possible moment.

  Kit smiled at Naomi and raised her head to look around. When she saw Rossen was still asleep leaning on the couch beside her, she leaned over to gently kiss the top of his head, then gave Naomi an impish grin and whispered, “Don’t tell him,”

  Chapter 16

  Nick himself was in the limo that met them at the airport at ten thirty California time. Kit was finally awake. She'd touched up her makeup and hair and had e
aten the breakfast Naomi had sent, and felt ready and excited to face the next three days. When Nick climbed out of the car at the curb to help them with their bags, looking just like the star he was, she was honestly glad to see him.

  They headed straight to the studio and as they drove, Bryan Cole called Nick’s phone. He answered and handed it to Joey. Nick and Kit smiled at each other as they listened to her side of the conversation. Bryan was apparently cajoling Joey into spending the day with him instead of just waiting at the studio with Kit. She was giving him flack, but they both knew she'd eventually give in.

  She did, and Kit was glad. She knew Joey had been bored last time, but they didn’t really want her hanging out in the city alone.

  Nick was watching Kit and she knew it, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. She knew he was interested in her, but she truly felt it was no more than the interest he had in a hundred other girls in this town. Still, she was actually a little glad when they unloaded and had to face the cameras and fans at the studio.

  Bryan was already there, waiting in a sleek Porsche with tinted windows. Joey ran from one car to the other as Nick put his arm around Kit to shield her as they pushed through. Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell brought up the rear with relatively little trouble.

  Once inside, they got geared up and then Nick began talking Kit through the lineup while they waited for Shane and Joss. He took her to a quiet corner and began to play and sing her parts to her. He was so close she could feel his breath on her skin and smell his aftershave and she unconsciously backed away from him.

  They would be working on Nick’s own music all day. One of the songs was a his and hers duet about finally coming home, that he told her he'd written on that Sunday morning when she’d left without saying good bye. It was the perfect combination of ballad and classic rock and roll, and Kit loved it, although she still worried a bit about something tender she saw at the back of his eyes.

  Shane and Joss showed up and they worked the rest of the morning straight through, the seven of them focused and intense. Just before one o’clock, they started on Coming Home, and the song came together almost effortlessly. Nick and Kit’s voices were as if they were made for each other and the harmonies flowed between the rocking back beat and hot guitars. Kit was having a great time dancing and singing with Nick beside her as she played. They sang to each other time and again and she knew without a doubt it would be a new big hit for him. Her guitar was a living thing in her hands.

  Kit was into the music and singing her heart out when she glanced up and into Nick’s soul. The look in his eyes as he watched her rock out shocked her to her toes. She hit two wrong notes in a row as she dropped her eyes to dance away. Nick groaned, and his guitar screeched into silence as he let it fall to hang from the strap over his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair. The others stopped playing in bewilderment, looking at each other and wondering what the heck had just happened. Kit never hit wrong notes, and Nick was not a temperamental musician and nobody else had a clue.

  Nick started to slip the shoulder strap over his head. “Let’s break for lunch and try it again after. Somebody . . . Shane, call and order us some lunch, would you?” He set his guitar down and stalked out the door. Kit set hers down and followed him. Behind them, the other four and Ian in the control room all remained silent, until finally Shane said, “Okay. So . . . What sounds good for lunch?”

  Kit followed Nick up the stairs to the second floor, where he stood looking out some big windows into a garden courtyard behind the building. He ran a hand through his hair again as she came to stand beside him. She leaned against his shoulder as she quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

  He gave a self-deprecating laugh as he wrapped her in a hug to rest his cheek against her hair. “What are you sorry for?”

  She shrugged in his arms. “I’m not entirely sure. I just know you’re upset with me and I’m sorry.”

  He pulled back far enough to look into her eyes and then turned away to stare out the window again. His voice was gentle and almost sad when he said, “I’m not upset with you, Kit.” Finally, he turned to her again and asked, “How old are you?”

  At first she didn’t even want to answer him and when she did, it was her voice that was sad, “Eighteen.”

  She stood beside him looking out the window in silence, unsure of how to comfort him and wondering how they even got to be here in their friendship at this point in time. They'd been together a total of three and a half days, really with a three week span between. It was the fifth time in two weeks she'd found herself apologizing for that look in a man’s eyes and she honestly didn’t think she'd led any one of them on.

  Nick was by far the most troubling. He wasn’t some punk college kid and she'd grown to have a great deal of respect for him. She finally decided to try to downplay things and be as cheerful as possible.

  She took his hand and said, “Come on. Let’s go eat, I’m starving! We’ll play this afternoon and be fine. Maybe we can try that song again in the morning when we’re fresh and not tired.”

  They ate and played and got through the afternoon, and when he asked her to have dinner with him, she was surprised. She agreed to, even though she was unsure it was wise. He rode with them in the limo to drop them at the hotel and left her to change, saying he’d be back to pick her up in an hour.

  Joey came in as she was dressing and mentioned, “This gorgeous rock star just drove up in an awesome Maserati downstairs and is about being mobbed by fans. You might need to rescue him.”

  Joey was having dinner with Bryan, so Kit didn’t worry about leaving her as she went to rescue Nick.

  She came through the revolving doors in a slim fitting black dress that just brushed the top of her knees and two and a half inch black heels that put her height at five eleven. Her hair was almost the color of her dress and she felt pretty as she walked toward him with a smile on her face. Cameras flashed over and over in her eyes as he disentangled himself from the crowd to take her elbow and help her into the waiting sports car. He smiled over at her as he pulled away from the curb and said sincerely, “You look like a million bucks.”

  She smiled back shyly. “Thank you. It’s probably a good thing. It would be a shame not to look pretty in this car.” Tonight he looked like a rock star and had an almost animal grace behind the sleek wheel.

  He drove far into the foothills, the car purring over the winding, hilly road. He finally pulled into a small elegant restaurant. A valet took the car and they were shown discreetly to a quiet table overlooking the entire city with the ocean behind it in the setting sun. She'd never been anywhere even remotely close to this kind of elegance, and she sat and stared out at the lights below, wondering what the man across from her was thinking. She looked up into his brown eyes, trying to read his thoughts, but their chocolate depths remained a secret.

  This afternoon, when she'd told him she was eighteen, she had fully expected him to walk away and even wondered if he would ever have her come back again to play. Then he'd asked her out with totally unfathomable eyes, and now she was wondering what was up with him more than ever.

  She was glad she'd worn the dress and was trying to figure out why he had decided to reveal this more luxurious lifestyle with the car and the opulent restaurant. Even braving the crowds at the hotel to pick her up was more of a publicity move than he'd indulged in much with her before.

  When the server came, they ordered and Nick chose a glass of wine with his meal, but didn’t even ask if she wanted one, and didn’t seem to notice when she ordered only water again with hers. While they waited, he talked to her about growing up in New York City and how California was different. Occasionally he asked her a question about her own life, but she usually gave him one word answers and coaxed him back into telling more about himself with another question.

  When the meal ended, he sat for a moment looking into her eyes in the candlelight, but when she looked away to study the city lights spread out below, he stood up and helped her out of her cha
ir. Taking her hand, he walked to the car in silence. She almost felt like he was trying to decide something in his head as he went.

  ****

  He was trying to decide something. He’d never felt this way about a woman in his life and didn’t know whether to flat out run from these feelings, or try to get close to this girl. She was only eighteen. And although she was exquisitely beautiful and graceful, and unbelievably talented and smart, she was also unabashedly sweet and innocent, and obviously clean living and wholesome. He honestly questioned whether he even had any right to be with her after the life he'd led.

  He wasn’t necessarily a bad guy, and now he was considerably more respectable than he’d been at times in the past, but he’d had his moments. No one could describe his lifestyle as clean living, no matter how much of a stretch they tried. Although she was the first girl he’d ever been truly fascinated by, she was still one of a long line of hundreds of girls and he knew it and he was sure she did too. He also knew she'd seen how he felt about her today before lunch. And where most every other woman he had known would have been thrilled, Kit hadn’t hesitated to shy away.

  For whatever reasons, she wasn’t just another groupie, happy to be included in his life for however much time he gave her. It both intrigued him and challenged him. At the same time, he hesitated to even consider being with her for fear of ruining something so pristine and unspoiled. As all these thoughts went through his head, the one that finally won out was the simple truth that she was absolutely worth trying to obtain for his own and that was what he really wanted.