That Night With the Rich Rancher (7 page)

He leaned forward to brush a kiss on that perfect shoulder.

“Tony, you’re not even listening,” she snapped, her voice taking on the stubborn note he had heard her use too many times. Right now, he didn’t care, because he knew how to end her annoyance.

He trailed kisses to her throat and up to her ear while his hands traveled over her, pulling the sheet down as they set out in exploration. Suddenly, she pushed him down and moved over him to sit astride him. She had tossed aside the sheet completely and was naked. It still startled him to realize what a sexy body she had.

“This weekend has opened possibilities I never thought of when I was bidding,” she said in a throaty voice while her hands played over his chest.

He cupped her full breasts, their softness sending his temperature soaring. He was fully aroused, hard and ready and wanting her as if they hadn’t made love ever.

“I’ll leave you with memories that will torment you,” she whispered, leaning down to shower kisses over his chest.

He sighed as she moved down his body, her hand stroking his thick rod as she trailed kisses over his abdomen and lower. When she reached his erection, he groaned.

He relished her ministrations, but he didn’t want their last time to be like this. He wanted to be inside her. In one smooth motion he rolled her over so he was on top. His mouth covered hers in a demanding, possessive kiss at the same time that he grabbed a condom from the bedside table.

In seconds he entered her, taking her hard and fast while she locked her legs around him and rocked wildly against him in return.

He wanted to bring her to more than one climax, as he’d done before, but this time was too unbridled, too untamed. The second he sent her flying over the edge of an orgasm, he joined her, reaching the stars together on a hell of a ride.

When they slowed and their breathing became regular, he stayed inside her, too exhausted to move. Finally he kissed her lips and said softly, “You can’t imagine how beautiful and sexy I think you are.”

A smile lit up her eyes, though it did not grace her mouth. “I hope so. I don’t want you to forget this weekend,” she whispered.

He gazed into her eyes and doubted if he ever would.

This time with her had been special, but now they would be going back to their real lives. While they should be more neighborly in the future, they were still the same people, with the same personalities. Lindsay was not his type—she was way too serious for him and far too stubborn. He suspected today would be goodbye.

He pulled out of her and rolled over.

“I should get ready to go home,” she said.

He turned to her. “I’ll fly you home if you want to have someone pick up your car. Or I can take you home when I go.”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll drive home. I’d better get in the shower now. It’s time,” she said.

He caught her arm and she pulled up a sheet to cover herself while she paused getting out of bed.

“Lindsay, more water is a poor return on your money. For your bid and for this weekend, you should get a whole lake of water in return.”

To his surprise she smiled, standing to wrap the sheet around herself in toga fashion. She walked to the other side of the bed to put her arms around his neck. When she did, he placed his hands on her tiny waist, wanting to kiss her instead of listening to whatever she had to say.

“Maybe not such a poor return,” she said in the throaty voice that conjured up images of them in bed together. “We’ve made some inroads on our fighting that will make a huge change in our relationship. At least the fights in the future might not be so bitter.”

He grinned. “We’ll see how long we can both hold on to our tempers. All I have to do is remember you like this,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lightly as he ran his hands over her back.

“I need to shower,” she said, stepping away from him.

“Shucks. I hoped I was irresistible,” he drawled, and she smiled.

“You are, Tony. Far too much,” she said as she walked away from him, picking up the navy bathrobe on her way to the shower.

After her last statement he was tempted to catch up with her and kiss her again. He wanted to hold her, to see how truly irresistible he could be. But they were getting ready to go home and return to their regular lives and there would be no lovemaking in their future. With a sigh he pulled out some fresh clothes and went down the hall to another bathroom.

* * *

All the time she showered, Lindsay wondered how much this weekend would change how they treated each other at home. Tony was still Tony, telling her what to do. She hadn’t said anything to him, but she wanted to check his pumps by herself. She wouldn’t put it past him to be bluffing with his invitation to come look. After all, he was a Milan.

One of her earliest memories had been her grandmother telling her to never trust a Milan. Could she trust Tony now?

The Tony she had just been with for the past twenty hours was a man she would trust with her life. That thought startled her; it was completely at odds with how she’d been raised. Then again... Had her grandmother just been passing down family opinions that could have gone back generations?

Thirty minutes later, dressed and ready to go, Lindsay joined Tony in the living room. He came to his feet when she entered, his gaze sweeping over her, making her tingle. To her surprise, reluctance to see the weekend end filled her. After all, she and Tony had always known it wouldn’t—couldn’t—last.

Even in jeans, boots and a navy Western shirt, Tony looked sexy and handsome. A short while ago, as they’d talked about ranching, she’d felt the old annoyance with him for telling her what she should do. Now, simply looking at him made her heart beat faster.

She looked down at the red dress she’d worn last night and wore again now. “I have to go back to my hotel in this. It’s four in the afternoon, so I may turn heads,” she said, forcing a grin that never made it fully to her lips.

He crossed the room to place his hands on her shoulders. “Lindsay, in that dress, you’ll turn heads any hour of the day or night. You’re gorgeous.” He reached out to play with her hair, which fell about her shoulders. “I like your hair down.”

For some reason she hadn’t put it up when she got ready. She couldn’t say why.

“Thank you. I’m ready to go. You know what the drive is like back to the ranch. Are you going home today?” She knew he was driving her to her hotel, but wasn’t sure where he was headed after that.

“No, I have an appointment in Dallas in the morning. Otherwise, I would have pushed harder to go home together.”

“I see.” She gave one nod. “Well, now we go back to our real lives and the real world. But it was a wonderful, magical weekend that I never, ever expected.”

“My sentiments exactly,” he said. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want this to end, but I know it has to and it won’t be the same.”

“Afraid not,” she agreed with him. “I’m ready. Shall we go?”

“Yes. But how about one last kiss?” He took her in his arms and he kissed her, hard, as if his kiss was sealing a bond that had been established between them this weekend. His lips were making sure that she would never forget his lovemaking, even though she knew it wouldn’t happen again.

She kissed him in kind, wanting just as much to make certain he couldn’t forget her, either.

He raised his head. “How about a picture of the two of us to commemorate the occasion?” he asked, pulling out his phone. “Do you know how few selfies I’ve taken? I think one—with a friend and my horse at a rodeo.”

She laughed. “I rank right up there with your horse. Wow.”

He grinned as he held out the phone and took the shot, then he showed it to her. “You’re gorgeous, Lindsay.”

“Look at that picture the next time you think about dumping trash on the entrance to my ranch.”

He shook his head. “I’m still telling you that I did not do any such thing. You might have annoyed someone else, you know.”

Startled, she studied him. “You really mean that?”

“I really mean it.”

“If you didn’t do it, then I owe you an apology,” she said, still staring at him. But, even if she had accused him of something he didn’t do, there was bound to have been things he did do. And he still had those take-charge ways that drove her nuts. Besides, he liked to play the field and never get serious. No, Tony was not for her.

“One picture, Lindsay, just of you, so I can look and remember. Okay?” he asked, stepping away and taking her picture as she placed her hand on her hip and smiled.

“We have to go. I need to get home,” she said, shouldering a delicate, jeweled purse that matched the straps on her dress.

“Sure thing,” he said, taking her arm to walk her out to the car. As she slid onto the passenger seat, her skirt fell open and she glanced up to see him looking at her legs. She tucked her skirt around her while he closed the door and walked around to his side of the car.

He was quiet on the ride to the hotel, and so was she. As he drew up to the front entrance a short while later, he stepped out and talked to a valet, then came around to escort her into the lobby. “I’m glad you were the high bidder. But I don’t want to say goodbye.”

“We both know the weekend is over. Really over. Reality sets in now, Tony. As we’ve already agreed, it might be a little better than it was.”

He nodded. “You take care.”

“You, too. Thanks for a weekend that was worth my bid.”

“That’ll go to my head. I didn’t dream I could bring such a price.” He smiled as he stepped away. “Goodbye,” he said, turning and walking out of the hotel.

She stood watching him, unable to understand the feelings of sadness and loss as he walked away.

Four

W
hen he vanished from sight, she turned to go to her room to change to jeans and get her things to drive back to her real life at her ranch. She wished she had gotten a selfie for herself and then she laughed at herself. If she had, at the first ornery thing he did, she would have erased it. And she didn’t expect one weekend to change Tony’s alpha-male ways or his flitting from woman to woman.

Even if he changed, which couldn’t happen, she didn’t care to break her rule about avoiding entanglements with cowboys and ranchers. Tony would be the last man on earth she would want to fall in love with because it would be disaster for each of them from the first minute. They were both ranchers, with clear ideas of how they wanted to run things and opposing ideas on most everything. Life with Tony would be a continual battle. Unless he retired and just stayed in the bedroom. That thought made her laugh out loud as she drove all alone in her car, heading west out of Dallas and back to her ranch.

* * *

Midmorning on Tuesday as Tony sat at his ranch desk and worked at his computer, trying to find Texas water sources, his phone rang and he answered to hear his brother Wyatt.

“I thought I better call and see if you survived Saturday night. I heard you didn’t come home until Monday evening.”

“Keane, my foreman, always knows how to get hold of me. You didn’t know I was worth so much money, did you?” Tony asked.

Wyatt laughed. “You brought in a fortune at the auction. And it was all for a good cause, so thanks. You really contributed, but don’t let it go to your head. Even though this is bound to bring another slew of admiring females into your life.”

Tony hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe, but there’s one thing I do know. I will never bet with you on saddle bronc riding events again.”

Wyatt gave a belly laugh. “How’d the date with Lindsay go, bro? I was worried what she might want to do with you. I gotta tell you, I had no idea she could look like she did.”

Tony recalled the blonde beauty who was such a surprise. “Lindsay’s looks sent me into shock, and once I caught sight of that red dress, the evening instantly improved. But you shouldn’t worry. We did fine together.”

“I figured her looks would smooth things over. Don’t know if you know yet, but the two of you are all the gossip in Verity and in the sheriff’s office. I’ve been asked more than a few questions. I think around my office, they’re waiting for a report from me about how the evening went.”

“Civilized. That’s what you tell them. We just set aside our differences—for charity.”

“I’ll bet you did,” Wyatt said, and Tony could hear the amusement in his brother’s voice. “No way in hell would you fight with someone who looked like she did Saturday night. And she must have wanted something from you badly to pay that kind of money.”

“Yeah, she wants more water.”

“Don’t we all. She should know you can’t help her out there. No rain in the forecast, either. Hang on a sec, Tony.” Wyatt put him on hold while he consulted with one of his deputies. When he returned, he was back on what appeared to be his favorite subject. “Like I was saying, some people will never look at Lindsay the same way. Those who didn’t see her at the auction are curious as hell. I don’t know why she keeps those looks hidden.”

“She’s not interested in dating cowboys or ranchers. She doesn’t want anyone telling her how to run her ranch. You can figure that one out.”

“Definitely. I was shocked to see who had won the bid,” Wyatt remarked drily.

Tony would agree with that. “We had a good time Saturday night, but she’s still Lindsay, all stubborn and serious. But we did agree to ease off the fights from now on.”

“Thank heaven for that one. My life will get a hell of a lot more peaceful. Call when you come to town.”

“Sure, Wyatt.”

After he hung up, he stared at the phone, thinking about Lindsay, and he was tempted to pick up the phone and call her. Then reason reared its head. Beneath all that beauty, he reminded himself, she was still the stubborn, obstreperous woman she had always been. She was as wise to avoid ranchers as they were to avoid her. She was not his type. Still...that weekend with her had been the sexiest in his life, and she had been the sexiest woman he’d ever been with.

He had to shake his head to get rid of the images that flooded his mind. The two of them in bed, in the Jacuzzi... No, he had to leave things alone. The weekend was over and it wouldn’t happen again.

Breathing a sigh, he turned to the ledger he needed to work on and tried to forget her and the steamy memories of their weekend.

* * *

The next few days slipped by without a cloud in the bight blue sky, the drought growing more severe as water dwindled in the creeks and riverbeds and strong, hot winds warmed the parched earth. Lindsay threw herself into work, trying to forget the weekend with Tony, but she was unable to do so. It surprised her how much she thought about him. Even worse, she finally admitted to herself that she missed seeing him. She gritted her teeth at the thought. She didn’t want to miss Tony. She didn’t want him or the weekend they’d had to be important. Her reactions to him continually shocked her.

All her adult life she had avoided going out with men who would want to tell her how to run her ranch. She had managed, until Tony. That was the road straight to disaster. She didn’t want to marry a take-charge male—and a Milan, to boot!—and then fight over running everything. There was no way she would be in agreement on everything or turn her ranch over to someone else to run. She shook her head, knowing she needn’t worry. Tony wouldn’t ever get close to proposing to her. He wasn’t going to propose to any woman. He was not even the type of person she wanted to go out with again, and she was certain he felt the same way about her.

It was done. They were done. It was that simple.

Turning back to work, she forced him out of her mind. Soon she wouldn’t even think about him.

But that resolve didn’t stop her from mulling over his property. That afternoon when she drove her pickup along the boundary between her ranch and Tony’s, she stopped, switched off the engine, got binoculars and climbed up on her pickup to find out if she was close enough to see his pump on the water well nearest her land.

It was visible in the distance, but she couldn’t tell whether it was old or new. Damn. Time was running out for her.

How much longer could she go without rain?

Her other neighbors were buying water and having it piped or shipped in.

Tony had told her to come look at his pumps. If he still had the old pumps and he had dug deeper—if he was telling the truth—then that would be the best thing for her to do. She frowned. Why did it rankle so much to do what he told her to do?

As she looked at his land, she couldn’t keep from moving her binoculars in a wide swing, curious whether Tony worked in the area. She didn’t see him and she hated to admit to herself that she was disappointed. She missed his company. Now she was sorry she hadn’t accepted his dinner invitation for Friday night, instead telling him to call her this week if he still wanted to take her out again. She hadn’t expected to hear from him and so far, she had been right. It was Thursday and he hadn’t called, so he must have had second thoughts when he got home.

She hated to admit that she was disappointed, but she told herself it was for the best. Still, she couldn’t stop the memories... She remembered being in his arms, his kisses, his blue-green eyes that darkened to the color of a stormy sea when he was in the throes of passion. How could he be so handsome and so sexy? Maybe it had been the tux. Or his naked body that was male perfection. Or his—

Her ringing phone cut off that steamy train of thought. Shaking her head as she wiped her brow, she yanked her cell out of her pocket expecting Abe, her foreman, but the caller ID read T. Milan. Her heart missed a beat as she stared at the phone until the next ring jolted her out of her surprise. She said hello and heard Tony’s deep voice.

“How are you?” he asked politely, and suddenly she was suspicious of why he was calling, but at the same time, she was happy to hear his voice.

“I’m fine. Actually, I’m at our boundary line and looking at your closest well trying to see your pump.”

“Hey, are you really? I’m not far. Stay where you are and I’ll join you and give you a closer look.”

She laughed. “You don’t need to.”

“Of course I don’t need to, but I’m already headed that way, so don’t drive off.”

“I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. I called to ask about dinner tomorrow night.”

So he hadn’t had second thoughts after all. She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her lips.

“How about something simpler than last weekend?” he continued before he had her answer. “Like Marty’s Roadhouse? I know it’s two counties away, but if we go anywhere around here, you’ll be besieged by cowboys wanting to take you out. Also, we’ll be the top of the list for local gossip.”

“I don’t want either to happen.”

“We’ll do a little two-steppin’ and eat some barbecue and discuss what you can do to get water.”

She should say no. They could talk about water on the phone or when he arrived in a few minutes. Common sense told her to decline. But then she thought about dancing with him. If she just had some self-discipline and had him bring her home after dinner, an evening with him couldn’t hurt. “That would be good,” she said.

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six. We’ll have a good time dancing.”

She heard a motor. “I think I hear you approaching.”

“You do. Stay where you are.”

“See you in seconds,” she said, and broke the connection. Amused, she pulled on leather gloves and parted strands of barbed wire that formed the fence that divided their property. She had been climbing through or over barbed wire since she was little. She straightened to watch him approach.

He drove up in a red pickup, stopped and jumped down. As he came into view, she saw that he wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tight jeans, boots and a black broad-brimmed hat.

She knew she was going against good sense getting involved any more deeply with Tony. So why did her entire body tingle at the sight of him?

“You look great,” Tony said as he approached her and reached out to tug her braid. “I never realized how good you look in jeans.”

She laughed. “Until last weekend, I never realized you could look at me without getting annoyed.”

Grinning, his gaze roamed down her legs again and every inch of her felt his eyes on her. “Oh, darlin’, those jeans do fit you. I just should have taken a second look.” He looked into her eyes and her breath caught. How could he cause such a reaction in her now? She had known him all her life and until last weekend she’d never once had this kind of response to him just saying hello.

“I’m glad you said yes to tomorrow night,” he said, the amusement fading from his expression.

Her smile vanished when his did. “Tony, we’re probably doing something we shouldn’t. You and I have no future with each other in a social way.”

He didn’t argue with her and, instead, continued to stare at her. He shrugged and stepped closer to run his finger along her cheek. The feathery touch sizzled and she had to draw a deep breath and resist walking into his arms.

“It’s just a fun Friday night, Lindsay. Surely we can do that just one more time.”

She knew the more time she spent with him, the more she could get hurt. Tony would not change, and neither would she. At the next problem to come up between them, he would be telling her what to do and she would be angry with him all over again. She needed to stay rooted in reality for the good of her ranch, because she couldn’t afford to be sidetracked by him. “Come on,” he urged. “We’ll have a good time dancing. Marty’s on Friday night is fun.”

“Until the fights break out.”

“That doesn’t happen often and if it does, we’ll get out of there. I have no intention of spending any part of my night in a brawl.”

“So it’s two-stepping and eating.”

He caught her braid in his hand again as he gazed into her eyes. “Plus some kissing.”

She drew a deep breath, wanting him to lean closer and kiss her now yet knowing at the same time that she shouldn’t want any such thing.

His phone rang and he looked at it. “I have to go, so let’s look at the pumps another time. I have an appointment, but I thought as long as I was close, I’d come say hello. Tomorrow night can’t come soon enough.” He looked at her as if he still had something he wanted to say. Silence settled between them and she wondered what it was and what was keeping him from saying it.

“I’ve missed being with you,” he finally said. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and an odd expression came over his face. “You seem shorter.”

She laughed. “I am. I’m not in my high heels like last weekend.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, still staring at her. “But you weren’t always wearing heels last weekend,” he added in a low voice. “Oh, dang,” he said, on a ragged exhale. “I shouldn’t, but I’m going to anyway.” Pulling her closer, he kissed her.

Her heart thudded and she couldn’t catch her breath. His kiss was thorough and sexy, making her heart race. And she responded to it instantly.

When he released her, he was breathing hard. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow night at six. Leave your hair down so I can see if it looks as good as I think it did last weekend.” As she laughed, he grinned while he placed his hands on her waist to pick her up and set her on the other side of the fence. She remembered how easily he’d carried her in his arms Saturday night. He went back to his pickup in long strides, climbed in, waved and drove away.

Her lips still tingled as she stood there staring after him in a daze. “I should have said no,” she whispered to herself. “I should not be going out with him. He’s still Tony, all alpha male, a man I’ve always fought with.”

Each hour she spent with him only meant more trouble. She knew that as well as she knew her own name. But she’d already accepted, and besides, it was just dinner and dancing, in a place with lots of people. And talking about water. Far from romantic. She wasn’t going back to his ranch afterward. Their evening together would be meaningless.