“I like being a veterinarian. I really think you should give it some thought, Jase. School’s hard, and you have to be at the top of your class to get in, but I’ll bet you have the brains for it.”
“He’s a great student,” Cole acknowledged immediately.
“I had tutors most of the time,” Jase admitted. “My father didn’t want me to go away to school.”
She’d bet he didn’t. The wrong person might see his bruises. And a man like Brett Steele wouldn’t want to lose control of his prized possessions. His own sons. She stole a quick glance at Cole’s darkly etched features. He’d managed to escape his father’s world, but now he was trapped all over again. What had that done to him? He was removed from everyone, keeping a distance from the rest of the world, yet trying desperately to keep the same thing from happening to Jase.
She sensed that Cole had to let Jase inside of him. Into his heart. His mind. He had to allow himself to love Jase, to care about him. Obviously he felt affection and a need to protect the boy. And that made him vulnerable. Brett Steele had effectively tied Cole to him, to this place so haunted with his chilling ghost. The elder Steele was certain that his money and his influence would enable him to reach his sons from beyond the grave. Cole was trying to find a way to fight back, to give Jase a life. He just didn’t seem to understand that he and his brother would have to save themselves together, that it was a package deal.
“Do you go to a regular school now?” Maia shivered as Cole flicked a switch and the barn went dark. He waved her through the open door to the covered walkway. The floor was constructed to drain the water away from the center as the heating coils embedded in the concrete path melted the snow. Drifts of snow were piled high on either side, cutting the wind.
“Cole wants me to go to a private school, but I don’t mix too well with other kids.” Again Jase glanced nervously at his brother as if he feared he was revealing too much and would be reprimanded.
“You might like it if you try it,” Cole said with no inflection. “You wouldn’t have any trouble academically. You’re really smart, Jase, and you know it.”
“That doesn’t make me socially acceptable,” Jase muttered.
“Is anyone ever socially acceptable?” Maia asked.
Cole made a snorting sound of derision. “I’ll bet you were the most popular girl in school. Prom queen. Cheerleader.”
Maia winked at Jase. “What do you think?”
“I think you should have been if you weren’t,” Jase said honestly.
“You don’t have to find me flannel pajamas, and I’ll still make you a pizza,” Maia declared. “That was a nice thing to say.”
“I said it first.” Cole crowded closer to her, keeping his body between her and the elements as best he could. She was wearing only the thin scrubs and couldn’t control her continuous shivering. “You’re making me crazy, Doc.” He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to the heat of his body.
“I’m a mess,” she said, drawing away. “I’ll need that washing machine.”
He pulled her back to him, slipping his arm around her waist so that she fit even closer. “I don’t think you know how cold you are, Doc. You’re turning blue. You look good blue, but it clashes with your spunky attitude.”
“I’m not spunky.” This time she stayed near the intense heat pouring off his body. Warming her. It felt good, and she was chilled to the bone. He smelled masculine. She’d never smelled a man before, but inhaled deeply, taking him into her lungs and trying not to rub her head against his chest like a cat. It wasn’t just the way he felt and smelled, it was the way he made her feel. “No one says spunky anymore.”
She’d never been so physically close to a man before. She moved around too much to form really close relationships with people. She’d certainly never experienced such tremendous physical attraction before. Cole Steele made her feel ultrafeminine, completely aware of herself as a woman—and him as a man. “The word ‘spunky’ is definitely out,” she affirmed.
As the walked, her body moved against his in a perfect rhythm reminiscent of dancing. She could feel her color rising, or maybe it was her blood pressure, as she remembered the feel of his body pressed so tightly against hers when they’d danced together. The last thing she needed was to be trapped for any length of time on his ranch with him. She had no idea if her self-control was that strong.
Cole raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. Jase grinned at him, genuine amusement on his face. “I’d have to agree with Cole on this one, Doc. You are one spunky woman.”