A Fine Line Read online

  “Thanks.” She hoped her pride didn’t show.

  “Furthermore, stop hating me. We work together. This is not a contest.” His expression was very serious. “Personal problems and personal conversations are behind closed doors. We are both professionals and capable of maintaining a professional relationship. If you have a problem with me, bring it in here. I don’t want one personal word outside this room.”

  How dare he. “That works both ways.”

  “One more thing before you leave.” He hesitated and a small smile crossed his face. “You’re still as pretty as you were in high school.”

  “Thanks. You look a lot better. Age is becoming on you.”

  “Mine were expensive. Yours are natural.”

  “Thank you. You really do look attractive.” She smiled at him. “There’s not much of the old Dickie in you.”

  “It’s Rich. Remember that.”

  She stood and made a mock salute. “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “Dismissed.” Rich stood and admired the well-packaged form before him. “Read the notes on Dunhurst I’m sending you.”

  He watched her leave the room. We’re not kids anymore, Chloe. This time you’re going to be playing by my rules.

  ~~~ Two ~~~

  Chloe stashed the airline ticket in her purse. Checked the kitchen one more time to make sure there were plenty of cans of cat food left in plain view for her neighbor. She read over the note she had left. One can in the morning along with one scoop of dried food. “I’m so sorry, Muffin. You’ll be fine and I’ll be home in a week.”

  At exactly three o’clock in the morning, she walked out of her apartment building to a waiting cab. She fought to stay awake as the cabbie drove out of the city. I should have gone to bed earlier. She pulled her ticket from her purse and looked it over once again. North Dakota? Soft white flour? She didn’t know the difference between hard wheat and soft wheat. She was lucky she knew wheat when she saw it in the field. The hum of the car’s engine caused her eyes to close for a moment or two. Maybe it was three. She chided herself. I need to stop this. I need another cup of coffee.

  She paid the driver and grabbed her bags. It didn’t take nearly as long to check in at the airport as she thought it would.

  “Coffee. Where will I find coffee?” she asked an airport employee when she realized that everything in plain sight was closed. The man pointed to a twenty-four restaurant at the far end of the corridor. She ordered a cup. Hot and tasting as if it were boiled for hours, she drank it. She needed the caffeine. Damn, I wish I had gone to bed earlier. Nerves had kept her from sleeping, and now she wondered how she was going to endure the long trip.

  She was sitting, drinking the brew that passed as airport java, when Richard Warren strolled up to her.

  “Hi,” he said brightly. “I get the impression that you’re not much of a morning person. Where’s your coat? You might need it.”

  “Packed. It’s mid-May. The odds of my needing more than a sweater are nil.”

  “Hope you’re right.” He pulled out the chair across the table from her in the little café and sat.

  “So who else is going besides you?” she asked over the rim of her paper cup.

  “I only bought two tickets. Who were you expecting?”

  “I hate you, Dickie.”

  He laughed. “Got your ticket?”

  “Of course. I’ll tell you what. I’ll give it back to you, and then I’ll go home.”

  “Doesn’t work that way.”

  She wanted to wipe the grin from his face.

  “Is that coffee any good?”

  “No, it’s lousy.”

  He went to the counter and ordered an orange juice and then returned carrying a small carton. “Ready?”

  She stood as he took her carry-on luggage from her. “My laptop is in there, be careful.”

  He nodded and together they headed towards the gate.

  “Do you always fly first class?” Her heels on the hard floor created a staccato that echoed in the almost empty early morning airport.

  “I thought you’d be more comfortable and we’d be able to talk.”

  “Where exactly are we going?”

  “Martin. It’s a nice little town northwest of Fargo. I’ve been there a few times. Accommodations are simple. It’s a line shack that has been modernized. Michael Bergen owns one of the farms we’ll be visiting. He’s growing the wheat for us in cycles to test it during the various temperature changes. Naturally, we want to see how it will do for integrated pest management. Are you familiar with that?”

  “I know what IPM is.” Stop treating me like an idiot.

  “Good. I’ve got a map and the layout. It’s a big farm and we’ll be there for a while. When we’re done at Bergen’s, we’re going to Texas, and then back up to Tennessee before we return home.”

  “Dick…Rich, I’m sure you want to discuss this project, but I need to catch up on some sleep.” In spite of the coffee, her body screamed for a few more hours of slumber. The need permeated every bone in her body.

  “I understand.”

  They boarded the jet and took their seats. Chloe wanted the window and Rich willingly gave it to her. Her eyes closed when they were in the air, but he could tell she was not sleeping soundly.

  “Chloe, lean on me, you’ll be more comfortable.”

  She made a face at him. “I’m not about to do any such thing.”

  He watched her close her eyes. This was going to be a long trip in more ways than one, yet he’d looked forward to it.

  Maybe she really did hate him. Damn, why can’t she manage to at least be affable? They were kids back then. Certainly she’d grown-up. He reached over and nudged her wobbling head to his arm. She was even prettier than he remembered. Beauty and brains were a rare combination and he admired them both.

  So Bobby was the safe date. Could have fooled me. He thought back to her and Bobby together. She was always hanging on Bobby and he’d smile at her so brightly. He could still see them together, her long blonde mane and Bobby’s tall athletic build. All the guys were envious of him. He had the prettiest girl in the whole school.

  ***

  Rich tried hard to be a gentleman, but it seemed that no matter what he did, Chloe pushed him aside. He just breathed a sigh of relief when their luggage managed to follow them when they changed planes at O’Hare.

  “Now what? I’m starved,” she said.

  “Rental car and there’s a decent restaurant not far from here.” He pointed in the right direction. “We’re going to be roughing it for a few days so enjoy tonight’s dinner.”

  “Great. What’s that mean? Are we going to be existing on cans of sardines?” Her sarcasm was evident.

  He chuckled when he thought of the accommodations. “Probably tuna.”

  “That’s not funny.” There was no spunk in her voice.

  “You asked.” He strode up to the auto rental counter and picked up the key to his vehicle. He turned back to her and said, “I’m hungry, too”

  In a few minutes, they had their things loaded into the SUV and were on the road. Almost an hour later, they entered the tiny town of Martin. When they pulled into the parking lot of the small restaurant, Chloe let out an audible sigh. He glanced over at her and instantly recognized that she was not her usual self. She didn’t seem to have any energy in her.

  Later, he noticed that most of what she had ordered for dinner was on her plate. “Are you that upset with the idea of spending a few days with me? I really don’t bite.”

  “I’m angry that you didn’t tell me, but at this point I just don’t care. I’m tired and nothing seems to appeal to me. I guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was. Sorry.” She pushed her plate away.

  “That’s okay. You can catch up on your sleep once we’re at the cabin. I could use an extra hour or two.”

  “Cabin?”

  “Cabin…line shack whichever suits you. It’s not much.”

  She didn’t even bother to glare
at him. He knew something was wrong. Normally feisty and ready to argue, she acted as if it really didn’t matter.

  As they left the restaurant, he immediately became aware that the air temperature had dropped considerably. She retrieved her lightweight jacket from her luggage, but it wasn’t enough to keep her warm. He pushed the heat in the SUV to its highest setting and drove in the direction of the line shack.

  It wasn’t exactly a palace, but he knew the accommodations were ample. He’d been there before with a couple of guys who had developed this new strain of wheat and they all had managed quite well. The only real privacy was behind the closed door of the bathroom. I’m not planning to molest her and she obviously has no designs on me. There shouldn’t be a problem. She’s not a stranger.

  Two hours later, through blinding snow and sleet, he stopped in front a small cabin. He blew a few relieved breaths and uncurled his white-knuckled fingers from the steering wheel. He’d driven in snow plenty of times, but never in unfamiliar territory or in this kind of storm. He was grateful they had made it and he hadn’t sent them skidding off the road. She stirred from her intermittent slumber.

  “Stay here. I want to get the heat going in there. I want you to be warm.” Sleet. Even I didn’t expect sleet this time of the year. He opened the cabin door and immediately turned on the propane gas space heater and then he checked the water heater. Michael Bergen had made sure there were fresh supplies in the refrigerator and everything looked clean and inviting. A quick survey told him they’d be fine. He took their luggage inside, then turned off the ignition, and offered his hand to Chloe. She accepted it and allowed him to help her across the slippery ground.

  She stood next to the large space heater and shivered. He reached into a closet, found an extra blanket, and wrapped it around her. It was then that he realized her face was flushed and her skin was warm.

  “Would you like tea or coffee?” he asked.

  “If I drink either one at this hour, I’ll be up all night.”

  He poked through the cabinet and found a tin that contained an herbal tea. “Will this do?”

  She nodded.

  He fixed her a cup, then turned on the small heater in the bathroom, and drew a bath for her. He could tell she was getting sicker by the minute. “Do you have any aspirin with you?”

  She nodded and wandered over to her suitcase. She withdrew a few clothing items and swallowed something. She lost her balance and he grabbed for her.

  “Leave me alone.” She batted her hand at him.

  “No way. You’re too sick. I’ll give you the privacy and respect that a woman deserves, but you’re sick. I’m not about to leave you alone.” He picked up the night things she had taken out and escorted her to the bathroom. “Don’t you dare lock this door and don’t you dare fall. That’s an order.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” she answered in hardly more than a whisper.

  He left her in the warm bathroom and listened carefully as she got into the tub. A few minutes had passed when he heard her soft voice.

  “Dickie, I don’t…have…strength…too…sick.”

  Eighteen years ago, he would have killed to see her naked body, but tonight it didn’t matter. He opened the door, grabbed a towel off the warmer bars, and helped her to her feet, swathing her in the warm terry. He picked her up and carried her to a bed. She was burning hot with fever.

  “Taking a hot tub bath was the wrong thing to do.” He retrieved a washcloth and ran it under cool water and placed it on her forehead. He fixed her a glass of cold water and forced her to take a few sips. She seemed to know he was there, but there was no protest from her. He looked in her suitcase to see if he could spot what she had taken. She had brought a small container of Motrin with her. He tried asking her if she’d taken one or two tablets, but she only mumbled an incoherent reply. He sat next to her on the bed and watched her breathe. Guilt crawled over him. He’d brought her to a remote place, and she probably needed to be in the emergency department of a hospital.

  Heat radiated from her body. She was burning with a fever, and he knew he didn’t have sufficient skills to handle the situation. The thought of trying to drive sent his stomach into a knot. The easiest solution would be to call for an ambulance. He tried his cell phone and then hers. There was no signal. Damn! I’ve always had a signal here.

  With no other option, he had to take care of her, yet he had no idea how. He freshened the washcloth under cold water. Keep the body cool and keep it hydrated. His mother’s words played in his brain. A simple cold for him was disastrous for his little brother, and often the care of his brother fell on him. He never questioned it. He accepted it as normal even though he knew that other kids had no such responsibilities. The images played in his mind.

  It seemed to take forever before her fever began to break. Once he was certain it was on the way down he took a quick shower and changed into sweats before returning to her side. Little strands of her once white blonde hair that had turned to a honey color escaped from the casual ponytail she had worn all day. What was still contained was only the last two inches of her silky straight tresses. He slipped the covered elastic off and put it on a table.

  There were four double beds in the room and four bunks tucked into two corners. His intention was to sleep as far away as possible from her, but as he stared at her, he knew he only wanted to stay at her side. He wanted to peel the covers off of her and check out her body. He’d seen it, but not really. He was trying not to notice, except he had. Pale brown nipples accentuated white globes. He wanted to run his fingers over them and follow the lines they had created on her body. It was as if he could feel her silky smooth breast cupped in his hand. The sensation of her beaded nipple in his palm felt so real he rubbed his hand on his thigh in an attempt to erase the feeling.

  He knew he was swelling and he knew his thoughts of her were completely out of line. I’m her boss. I’ve had a crush on her from the time I was twelve. That means nothing now. He touched her flushed cheek and stared at her ruby red lips. She’s sick as a dog and I’m mooning over her as if I were a teenager.

  He got up and fixed her another drink of cold water. Then he tried to get her to take a few sips. Her attempt to sit up only caused the sheet to slip and expose one breast. Air went into his lungs, but refused to leave. He marveled at its beauty and forced the exhale. He lowered her back onto the bed, then pulled the cover over her. She mumbled something before returning to her fitful slumber. If she remembers anything, she’ll really hate me tomorrow. “I’ll never hurt you, Chloe. There’s no reason to hate me.”

  He readjusted the thermostat so it wouldn’t get too warm and then settled into the bed next to her. Unsure if he’d fall sound asleep or not, he wanted to make certain he would hear her. He knew he had drifted off to a light slumber when her moaning awakened him. She was sweating and it seemed as though she had broken her fever. He rinsed out the washcloth, and wiped her face and arms. He fixed her another drink of water and this time she drank it.

  “More,” she whispered. Her voice was hoarse and raspy.

  He refilled the glass and she drank most of it before settling back down. Convinced it was a positive sign, he let out a small sigh of relief. Checking his watch, he decided to make a pot of coffee. This time he sat on the bed next to hers, and watched her toss and turn. She threw her pillow onto the floor, grabbed the other one beside her, and rolled to the far end of the bed kicking the sheet off of her body.

  Slender and muscular, her body was deliciously curved. Her tummy was flat, almost concave and below it was a neatly trimmed triangular patch of golden honey curls that were exposed for just a split second before she put her back to him. His libido kicked into gear and his common sense tried to rein it back.