by Sara Orwig
“Allison is a good-looking woman and you’ve known each other all your lives and you’ve worked together. For you, love just happened. Besides, you probably got married to get out of rodeo competition with me and save face since I beat you most of the time,” Ryan said with good-natured teasing.
“Oh, sure. I’m so scared of you and your super talent for bull riding,” Jared remarked drily. “If you end up married to your cook, I’ll remind you of this conversation.”
“Like I said, she’s going back to Tennessee. She has no interest in the ranch,” Ryan said, having a hollow feeling at the thought of the ranch without Jessica.
“Too bad. Will said Jeb has told him about her cooking. If he’s gushy about how great it is, it really is. Jeb doesn’t come out with praise for anything.”
“Amen to that one. Jeb was in shock. Jessica and her fire-engine-red sports car.”
“You better try to hang on to her.”
“I’ll hang on as long as I can,” he said, clapping his good friend on the back. “By the way, I heard you sold the Houston mansion. I’m happy for you.”
“It was beautiful and I’ll always be grateful for the inheritance from your dad.”
“He was always grateful to your dad for saving his life. He never forgot.”
“I appreciate it and Dad would have had he lived to know. It just wasn’t the place for me and I didn’t need it.”
“None of us wanted it, so it’s just as well. I’m not sorry it’s gone from the family. It got you and Allison together, so that was good.”
They ordered burgers and after lunch as they stood on the sidewalk, Ryan shook hands with Jared. “Come see me soon,” Ryan said. “You’ll have a delicious dinner.”
“I’m having some pretty good ones at home now.”
He laughed. “Take care.”
The two men parted and Ryan headed to the small office he kept in Dallas. His thoughts were on Jessica. He needed to go out with someone else and get his mind off her—get involved with someone who could distract him from Jessica. Right now the idea of taking someone else out held no appeal for him. He wanted to go dancing again with Jessica. He wanted it all with Jessica...and that wasn’t going to happen. He couldn’t imagine a year like the past week, trying to keep his hands to himself and avoid kissing her.
Was he falling in love?
He wasn’t, and if it ever happened, he probably wouldn’t realize it until she was gone out of his life.
Thinking about her, he was anxious to see her and be with her. He would be in Dallas until the weekend. If he had good sense, he would get busy and find something to keep him away on the weekend, too. On impulse, he called Jeb and asked him if everything was okay.
“If you mean Jessica, she’s fine,” Jeb replied.
“I thought I’d check and see.”
“Another dog wandered up and of course she took it in and called me. I took it to the vet and had it dipped and cleaned up and now it’s staying with the rest of the dogs.”
“I’m sure that made Jessica happy.”
“Yeah. She cooked some kind of chicken casserole for us. I picked it up and we had it for supper. I’ve never been as wrong about anyone in my life as I was about her and her cooking. That woman is the best cook I’ve ever known.”
“That’s rather high praise coming from you,” Ryan said. “I wanted to let you know I’ll be home late Friday afternoon. See you then or on Saturday.” Actually, he wanted to go to the ranch now. He missed being with Jessica. She had become a part of the ranch life he loved, and he missed it. But most of all he missed her. He gave in to temptation and called her.
The moment he heard her voice, he felt a pang of longing. He wanted to get his plane and fly home in the next hour. He couldn’t tell her he missed her, but he did. He missed her more than he would have imagined possible. When had she become so much a part of his life that he missed her when he was away from her?
“What’s been happening?” he asked casually, though her activities were the last thing on his mind. All he could think about was holding her and kissing her. He longed to ask her to go to dinner and dancing, but that wouldn’t be what she wanted, so he bit back the invitation.
He listened while she told him about the new dog. “Another dog to add to the collection?” he said. “Jessica, word will get out and people will start dropping their animals at the RD Ranch.”
She laughed as if he had made up the most ridiculous idea.
I miss you. He mouthed the words, wanting to say them but knowing the sentiment would not make her happy. He settled back to talk, listening to her argue that people couldn’t possibly find out that they have new strays at the ranch and the strays now had a home and the RD Ranch would take any and all stray animals.
He didn’t want to break the connection and end the call. It went on for the next half hour and he still wanted to continue talking to her, but she said she needed to go get something out of the oven and she cheerfully told him goodbye as if she didn’t care whether or not they talked.
Even though he wanted to go to the ranch, Friday night Ryan accepted an invitation to go see Will and his family. He had dinner with them and stayed at the condo he kept in Dallas for occasions when he had to stay in the city on business. Saturday morning he flew back to the ranch early.
He called Jessica to tell her he was on his way back and when he entered the house, he found her in the kitchen. He felt as if he had been away from her for weeks instead of days. She turned to smile at him when he entered the room. Dressed in jeans and a V-necked red knit shirt, she looked breathtaking. He wanted to cross the room, take her into his arms and kiss her, but he knew better than to do so. He felt a tightness inside him and his voice developed a rasp he couldn’t control.
“Hi. I missed you and you look great,” he said, crossing the room but standing several feet away. He got down a glass to get a drink of water just to keep from reaching for her.
“Thank you. I hope you had a good week. Would you like some breakfast?”
“Thanks. I ate before I left Dallas. What’s been happening here with you?”
“I’m trying new recipes. By the time I’m ready to open a restaurant, I want some new recipes that are uniquely my own. Maybe we’ll have one tonight.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, wanting to take her out dancing again but certain she would refuse.
“I’ll have a cookie and a glass of milk,” he said, pouring the milk and then getting one of her chocolate-chip almond cookies from the cookie jar. He sat at the table to talk to her while she moved around the kitchen.
“Let’s drive to Lubbock to eat dinner tonight, Jessica. No dancing, just a nice dinner if you’d like that best. Want to?”
She turned again while she thought it over. “Yes, thank you. Dinner out should be fine. But that’s a long drive.”
“Not out in these parts. I’ll get reservations.”
The doorbell rang and Jessica headed for the front entrance. “I’ll answer the door. You and I are the only ones here at the house today. It’s probably a delivery,” she said.
Ryan followed her to see who was there. It was so unusual to have someone come unannounced to the front door that he was curious about it.
She glanced out and looked over her shoulder at Ryan. “It’s not a delivery. It’s a new four-door white sedan.”
“Wait a minute and let me see,” he said, moving quicker as she looked out a window, peering around to see the front of the house.
Her face paled and she turned to look at Ryan. “I don’t believe it. It’s Carlton.”
Nine
“Jessica, wait,” Ryan said. “Let me go. You don’t even have to talk to him unless you particularly want to. Just wait in the kitchen and I’ll take care of this. Do you want to talk to him?”
“No, he sure as hell is not, so I’ll talk to him. You go on. Don’t give it another thought.” Staring at him, she remained immobile as if caught in indecision.
“Go on, Jessie. I’ll handle this. I don’t mind,” he said.
She nodded and passed him. He reached the door, taking the knob in his hand and pausing to glance over his shoulder. Jessica was nowhere to be seen, so Ryan swung open the door. A brown-haired man in a charcoal suit paced the porch and whipped around to face Ryan, striding toward him.
“I’m Carlton Thorpe. I’d like to see my wife, Jessica Thorpe.”
“I’m Ryan Delaney and this is the Delaney ranch, Mr. Thorpe. And Jessica is no longer your wife. She’s Jessica Upton now and she said she doesn’t care to see you. You’ve had a trip for nothing.”
“Look, she’s my ex-wife. I came from Tennessee to see her and I’m not going back without doing so. One way or another.”
Ryan tilted his head to look at Thorpe. He had looked up Carlton Thorpe and knew a bit about him—that he was wealthy and from a prominent Memphis family. His light brown hair and light brown eyes were like the picture of him on the computer. The man should have no trouble finding women who were attracted to him.
“You won’t see Jessica if she doesn’t want to talk to you. You don’t have rights to force her to and you’re not going to try, not on my ranch.”
“I love her and I want her to come home.”
Ryan still stood relaxed, watching Thorpe carefully. “She told me clearly that she doesn’t want to talk with you. So that’s that. Now, I can call Sheriff Rickle and have you removed from my property if I have to, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“Dammit. I need to see her,” Carlton said, doubling his fists and moving toward Ryan.
“Thorpe, as far as her ever coming home to you again, it’s not going to happen. I’m in love with Jessica and hope to marry her, so you might as well give up talking to her and go on your way.”
Carlton Thorpe’s mouth dropped open. With a flushed face and clenched fists, he stood there gulping for air. “You can’t keep me from seeing her. And she can’t marry you.”
“Yes, she can. She is legally divorced. Like I said, you’ve had a long trip for nothing.”
The two men faced each other. Carlton clamped his mouth closed, standing with his fists still balled. Ryan faced him, waiting, watching for Carlton to swing at him. He kept his stance relaxed, but he was ready.
Suddenly Carlton turned and went down the steps. He strode to the car, climbing in and switching on the engine. With a squeal of tires, he pulled away. The car shot down the road, leaving a plume of dust rising behind it.
Ryan watched until the car was out of sight. He pulled out his phone to call Jeb.
“Hey, Jessica’s ex, Carlton Thorpe, was just here.” He filled his foreman in on the conversation. “I want you to get some guys to watch in case he comes back. He doesn’t belong on the ranch. He’s not welcome here, so just tell him to get off our property. Anything else he wants, he can try a phone.”
“Sure. I’ll pass the word and we’ll watch for him. What’s he driving?” Jeb asked.
Ryan gave him a description of the car.
“We’ll watch. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks.” He ended the call, pocketed his phone and went inside, pausing to lock the front storm door and then the inside door before heading back to the kitchen.
I’m in love with Jessica and hope to marry her.
The statement reverberated in his thoughts. A declaration that he loved Jessica. He stopped in his tracks to think about it. He had declared that strongly and with sincerity.
How much of that statement was true?
How easily the words had rolled off his tongue. He had told Carlton that to send him on his way back to Tennessee, but had there been any truth to it? What did he feel for Jessica?
Lost in thought, Ryan stood in his front hall. Was he falling in love for the first time in his life? Was it real love, or did he feel so strongly about her because he wanted her back in his bed to make love to her again? He had never had a woman decline his offer to make love again. Was that what made him want her so badly? Or was it because she was living in his home, in his life regularly?
Was what he felt infatuation? Lust? Or real love? He had never been in love, so he couldn’t answer his own questions.
Ryan frowned. Jessica was upsetting his usually happy-go-lucky life and for the first time he wasn’t sure how deep his feelings went.
In the kitchen he found her stirring a mixture in a bowl. She looked up, put down the bowl and washed her hands, drying them and turning to him. He saw the concern on her face, though she obviously tried to hide it.
“Thank you. I take it he’s gone.”
“For now.”
“He doesn’t give up easily,” she said. “I called home to see if either of my parents had let him know where to find me. My dad talked to him when they returned home, but he didn’t tell him where I am. I also talked to Lydia, who had talked to my brother Derek.” She shook her head. “I think it was through my brother-in-law or my brother. They’re close with Carlton.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Hopefully, that’s the last you’ll see of Carlton unless you want to see him again.”
“I don’t know why he persists. Maybe it’s his ego.”
“I think he’ll give up this time.”
She shot him a concerned look. “You didn’t threaten him, did you?”
“No. I didn’t.”
She crossed the room to hug him. “Thank you, Ryan. This has been the best possible place for me to find work and live. Thank you for hiring me and for talking to Carlton.”
She hugged him lightly, but Ryan’s heart thudded at her first touch. He was so glad to hold her. His arms tightened around her waist and he pulled her closer against him. He had longed for her all week. His mouth covered hers and he kissed her hard, his other hand winding in her silky hair. Everything inside him heated. He was instantly aroused, wanting her with a desperation that he had to bank.
He leaned over her. She was soft, tantalizing, gorgeous, and he was burning with desire. He had to back off, to go at her pace when all he wanted to do was carry her to bed and make love to her all weekend long. He raised his head. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted. She opened her eyes to look at him.
“I’ve missed you, Jessie. I want you,” he whispered, and lowered his head to kiss her again.
She slipped an arm around his neck, holding him while she kissed him in return. In seconds her arm tightened. He picked her up, carrying her to a sofa, where he sat and cradled her head against his shoulder while he leaned over her to continue kissing her. He didn’t want to stop or let her go. He was afraid to touch her elsewhere because it might break the spell, cause her to make him stop kissing her. He would take a chance later, but right now he couldn’t bear to release her.
He had missed her, longed for her, dreamed of her, but he hadn’t realized how much until she’d touched him and then he’d come apart with need. He held her as if she was necessary for his existence.
He kissed her passionately, letting go all his pent-up need. He poured into the kiss all the hunger for her he had tried to ignore all week while he was in Dallas. How many times had he reached for a phone and then pulled away, trying to give her space and peace of mind?
Now she was in his arms, warm, soft, sexy, making him hard with desire. Erotic visions of her from the time they had made love danced in his thoughts. He wanted all barriers of clothing gone between them. He wanted her bare body in his arms, held close against him, there for him to tou
ch and kiss and fondle.
Her beauty took his breath away and made his heart pound. Her kisses set him on fire. He grazed her smooth throat, sliding his hand lower, so slowly, moving down beneath her knit shirt to caress her. With a moan she twisted slightly and her breast filled his hand, her softness making him want more. He ached to make love to her, to thrust himself into her softness, to become intimate, as close as possible to her, to pleasure her until she couldn’t bear more.
Was this love? Was he really in love? He raised his head to look at her and he paused to pull her knit shirt slowly over her head. Next he unfastened her bra and pushed it off. He cupped both breasts.
He couldn’t tell her his feelings, because it would upset her. She didn’t want his love, didn’t want a serious relationship or any kind of intimate relationship. Nothing beyond kisses and caresses. And he had to honor her wishes.
How could he be in love with someone who didn’t love him in return? Was he totally wrapped up in lust, wanting her for hot sex and nothing else?
He shifted, moving her onto her back on the sofa while he hovered over her. He continued kissing her as his hand slid down the length of her.
He yanked off his shirt to toss it aside, returning to kissing her because he was afraid she would make him stop at any moment.
Instead, she unfastened his jeans, freeing him, an indication that she wasn’t going to stop. His heart pounded with excitement. Desire mushroomed, building until he was burning with need. For a fleeting moment the thought crossed his mind that he was getting involved with a woman who would want a total lasting commitment, something he wasn’t into. Could he deal with that—or with the hurt he would cause by not making that kind of commitment?
Ignoring the thought, he stood up to step out of his clothes. He pulled her into his embrace, his hands peeling away her jeans and lacy panties, the bra having already fallen away. Kissing her, he picked her up and carried her to the nearest bed.
He flung away the covers and placed her on the bed. When he climbed onto the mattress, she rolled over so he was beneath her. She leaned down to him, her blond hair a curtain falling over her shoulders.
