What The Rancher Wants... (Mills & Boon Modern)

by Monroe, Lucy

  Win obliged willingly, letting his gaze shift to the sofa where his niece still slept. He’d put the kids in the study because all the bedrooms were on the upper levels, he’d move them to the bedroom when they were asleep. He carried Jared to the floor and saw about changing the little guy’s clothes. By the time he was finished, Shelly had woken up.

  She knelt in the middle of the sofa that looked a whole lot bigger under her than when he sat on it and rubbed sleep from her eyes. “Uncle Win, where’s Mommy?”

  Win scooped Jared off the dresser and used his free arm to pick up Shelly. He carried them out the door and through the courtyard toward the kitchen. “Your mommy let me have you two for company for a few days. You know how lonely Uncle Win gets when you aren’t around.”

  Shelly contemplated Win, her gaze serious as only a four-year-old’s could be. “Mommy said she needed a break. She was crying. Is she done crying, Uncle Win?”

  Pain lanced through Win at the question. Shelly had seen too much of Leah’s unhappiness.

  He carried her and Jared through the kitchen door. “Yeah, sweetpea, I think she’s done crying, except for maybe a little because she misses you.”

  “Uncle Win.”

  He set the kids down at the table and knelt down to Shelly’s eye level. “Yeah, sweetpea?”

  Shelly’s lower lip trembled and her baby-soft brown eyes filled with moisture. “I want my mommy.”

  Hell.

  Carlene stepped forward. Her smile was bright enough to light a stadium. “Good morning. You must be Shelly. I’m Carlene. You know, sometimes I want my mom too.”

  Win watched his niece’s eyes widen. “You do?”

  Carlene nodded, her expression sincere. “You bet. She lives in Texas. That’s a long way from here. When I miss her, I try to do things I like to do with her so I won’t miss her so much. Do you think that would work for you?”

  Shelly pursed her lips in thought, but she’d stopped crying. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you like to do with your mom?”

  “I like it when she rocks me and reads me a story. Mostly she holds both me and Jared,” Shelly said.

  Carlene nodded with enthusiasm as if Shelly had just revealed the secret to eternal youth. “You know, I like to rock little children and read to them too. Maybe you’d let me rock you and Jared—what do you think?”

  A little of Shelly’s unhappiness faded from her eyes. “I guess.”

  Carlene smiled that thousand-watt smile again. “Okay. What do you say we have some breakfast first?”

  “I’s hungry,” announced Jared. “I’s wants beck-fast.”

  Carlene and Shelly both giggled and Win relaxed. Everything was going to be just fine. He met Carlene’s eyes over the top of Shelly’s head and mouthed a “thank you”. She shrugged and returned to cooking pancakes.

  He walked over to her and kissed her softly on the temple in gratitude. “Thank you. You’re one in a million, honey.”

  She turned startled eyes to him, her lips soft and inviting. The only thing that stopped him from accepting that invitation was the presence of the two little people at the table. They stared at Win and Carlene with identical looks of interest on their faces. He sighed. Another time.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CARLENE tossed her cotton nightgown in the overnight bag along with clothes for the next day.

  Taking advantage of the fact that she had managed to get both Jared and Shelly to take an afternoon nap, she had left Shorty in charge and rushed to her apartment to pack for her overnight at Win’s. She didn’t want the children to wake up while she was gone, although she couldn’t have said why. They undoubtedly knew Shorty much better than they knew her, but she felt the need to be there in case they woke wanting their mom.

  She made quick work of her packing and was back in her car in a matter of minutes. She flipped on the air-conditioning. Summer in Oregon’s desert wasn’t as scorching as west Texas, but it was hot enough. She breathed an air of relief as the refrigerated air from the vents cooled her skin.

  If only she could cool her reaction to Win as easily. She’d fought him over watching his niece and nephew not because she truly had a problem with taking care of the children, but because she didn’t want another link between herself and Win. She felt the strings tying her to her sexy boss tightening each day. His desire beat at her whenever they were in the same room together and that wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t a corresponding cadence inside of her.

  There hadn’t been another incident like the one when he’d kissed her until she’d forgotten common sense. Win had been a perfect gentleman, but that didn’t alleviate the pressure she felt. She got the sense that Win was just biding his time until she surrendered to the feelings between them. He seemed to think that them making love was a foregone conclusion.

  The thing that terrified her was that she was beginning to wonder if he was right.

  She went to sleep every night with his image fixed firmly in her mind and woke up each morning anticipating seeing him again. His prominence in her thoughts both scared and exhilarated her. She’d never felt this drawn to another man, not even Grant. She wanted Win, but she wanted more than a short-term affair.

  She wanted it all and Win acted as if marriage was one step away from maximum-security prison. She sighed. Was it any wonder that she was scared? Well, one thing was for certain. She wasn’t going to stay the nights at Win’s after tonight. He’d have to find someone else.

  Despite its celebrity part-time residents, Sunshine Springs was a small town with small-town attitudes. She wasn’t about to risk her prospects of getting hired as a teacher again by living with Win. It didn’t matter if she slept with him or not, plenty of people would take it as a foregone conclusion. Look at the way the principal at the grade school Zoe taught at had reacted to her living with Grant. Grant had been Zoe’s best friend for pretty much all of her life too. Tyler had told Carlene all about it and she knew better than to push her own luck.

  High-school teachers got just as much, if not more, scrutiny. Especially one with her track record.

  She pulled her car to a stop near Win’s house. It would make the perfect house for a family.

  A sudden image of a little boy with Win’s startling blue eyes and black hair playing in the courtyard fountain took her breath away. More staggering than the vision of the little boy playing in the pond was the absolute certainty that the child belonged to both her and Win. It seemed so real that she was surprised to realize that she hadn’t yet gotten out.

  She shook her head ruefully and stepped out of her car. The heat was doing things to her brain, that or the knowledge that she was tempted to chuck all her requirements out the window and give herself to Win, no commitments.

  Making a baby with Win would be fairly easy.

  Making a family with the man would be another matter entirely.

  The cry woke Carlene from a fitful sleep. She sat straight up in bed and tried desperately to make sense of the shadowy images she could barely make out in the darkness. This wasn’t her bed. This wasn’t her room in her cozy little apartment either.

  Another cry rent the air. “Mommy!”

  Everything crystallized in Carlene’s brain. She was sleeping in the guest room next to Shelly and Jared’s. When the cry was followed by audible sobs, she jumped out of bed. Taking no time to put on a bathrobe, she rushed from the room. Where was Win? Couldn’t he hear Shelly’s heart-rending cries? Carlene stepped on a toy and let out a squeak as she stumbled into the children’s room.

  The night-light that Win had put in at Shelly’s request illuminated the distraught little girl sitting in the center of the double bed. Carlene didn’t hesitate. She put her arms out and Shelly flew into them.

  Locking her arms around Carlene’s neck, Shelly choked out words between her tears. “I’m s-scared. I want my mommy.”

  Carlene hugged the little girl fiercely. “Shh, sugarbear. It’s going to be okay.”

  Co
ntinuing to speak softly to Shelly, Carlene crossed to the rocking-chair in the corner of the room. It was a roomy, old-fashioned wooden rocker; the kind Carlene’s mom had used to rock her when she woke scared in the night. She sat down and cradled Shelly on her lap. Rubbing the little girl’s back, Carlene continued to speak comforting words and rocked the chair in a soothing motion until Shelly’s crying subsided.

  She didn’t stop rocking until Shelly’s limp posture and deep breathing indicated she had once again fallen asleep. Even then, Carlene stayed in the chair, holding the child. The feel of the small body tucked against hers filled Carlene with longing. Win said she was too young to be worried about her biological clock, but what about her heart’s desires?

  Stifling a sigh, she stood up. Carlene put Shelly back into the bed, tucking the covers around her small form. She turned and checked on Jared, surprised he had slept through his sister’s upset. His blanket had slipped down and Carlene pulled it up to cover him before turning to leave the room.

  She stepped into the hall and stifled a scream as a shadow unattached itself from the wall and came toward her. “Win.”

  “Is she okay?”

  Carlene nodded, her heart beating too frantically for her to form a proper response.

  He had obviously come straight from bed. His hair was disheveled as if he’d recently run his fingers through it. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt or shoes and the top button on his Levis was undone. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch the muscled planes of his chest. All in all, he looked much too tempting for her peace of mind.

  He wrapped his fingers around her upper arm and tugged her through the doorway into the open-air corridor that looked out over the courtyard. “Thank you.”

  She turned so that she could see his profile in the moonlight. “You’re welcome. Why didn’t you come in?”

  “I told you. Children need a woman’s touch.”

  “Win, that’s silly. Are you saying you don’t think a father has a responsibility to comfort his children?” She whispered, not wanting to risk waking Shelly again.

  Win’s teeth flashed in the darkness as he smiled. “Don’t get on your high horse, honey. I’m not saying that at all. It’s just that right now, Shelly wants her mom. It makes sense that she’d accept more comfort from a woman.”

  “What about her dad?” Carlene asked, “Don’t you think she misses him as well?”

  Win snorted. “It wasn’t her dad she was calling for.”

  Carlene had to acknowledge the truth in that statement. She shivered. The night chill reminded her that she’d forgotten to put on a robe, so did the expression in Win’s eyes.

  She tried valiantly to stay on topic. “That doesn’t mean the children don’t miss their dad.”

  He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, sending frissons of excitement through her as well as welcome warmth. “Mark travels a lot. They’re used to him being gone for a few days at a time. This is the first time that Leah has left them with anyone for even overnight.”

  “Your sister must really be feeling pressed against a wall to have left them here.”

  “Yes.” He pulled Carlene against him and wrapped his arms around her back. His heat enveloped her. “It’s too cold out here for you wearing nothing but that thin gown.”

  She smiled at the censure in his voice and pulled back slightly so she could see his face. He looked dangerous in the reflected light of the moon.

  “I was in too much of a hurry to find my robe. Besides, you’re the one that pulled me out here instead of letting me return to my room and my warm bed. Why did you?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “About Leah?”

  His head lowered until his lips were centimeters from hers. “No.”

  Thoughts of Leah’s emotional crisis faded as the flames of Win’s desire reached out to lick her. She shivered again, but this time not from the cold. “Oh.”

  He smiled and lowered his mouth the remaining distance for their lips to touch.

  Win waited a heartbeat, his lips pressed against Carlene’s. Would she reject him? Desperation seized him as gaping hunger gnawed at his insides. He needed her softness so much, but he couldn’t afford to push her tonight. He wanted her to agree to stay while Shelly and Jared were with him.

  She gave a small, feminine moan and her lips softened under his. Exultation filled him as he deepened the kiss. He had been aching to taste and touch her since that one steamy encounter on his couch. Letting his hands slide down her back, he pressed her body more firmly against his. It felt so good.

  Too good.

  If he didn’t sit down, he might well fall down. The acknowledgement of his weakness made him want to laugh. None of his men would believe that this tiny mite of a woman could bring him to his knees like this. Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her along to a wrought-iron lounger situated at the corner of the outdoor corridor. He liked to lie in it and watch the rain come down during a storm.

  Without allowing their lips to break contact, he laid her on the cushion covering the lounger and came down on top of her.

  She gasped as his body settled against hers.

  Suddenly her fingers were all over him, touching his chest, his back, and finally burrowing into his hair as she pulled his face closer. She parted her lips and he eagerly accepted the invitation she offered. He swept her mouth with his tongue, reveling in the sounds of need emanating from her.

  He wasn’t sure, but he thought that her tiny little moans alone might be enough to make him spill his seed.

  Still kissing her, he slipped to lie on the narrow width of cushion next to her. He kept one thigh locked over hers and pressed his erection against her hip, enjoying the sweet torture the position elicited. He wanted to touch her. He needed to touch her.

  He undid the buttons on her prim cotton nightgown, pleased when she made no move to stop him. It was a far cry from the black lace he had been fantasizing her wearing, but the sight of her to-die-for body outlined by the thin cotton in the hall outside the kids’ room had sent his temperature through the roof. It had also had an instant hardening effect on his sex.

  Once her buttons were undone, he pulled back slightly and parted the soft white fabric to expose the perfection of her breasts. Strawberry-pink, velvet-soft nipples pointed proudly from the center of the creamy white mounds and it was all he could do not to bury his face between them.

  He sucked in his breath. “You are incredible, honey. You know that? Looking at you is like being up close and personal to a piece of art.”

  The skin of her breasts flushed and he didn’t think it was from arousal. “Win?”

  “Hmm?” he asked as he slipped his hand inside and cupped one of her full breasts.

  Damn. It felt as if he’d died and gone to heaven. Her nipple tightened under his palm and he couldn’t resist brushing his hand back and forth, back and forth until she was pressing her generous flesh against the callused skin of his palms.

  “I want to taste you.”

  Her head moved restlessly on the cushion. “Yes. Please. Win. Yes.”

  Pushing the fabric of her gown further to the side he lowered his head and closed his mouth over the puckered flesh.

  She groaned and arched against his mouth. “Win, that feels…It’s so…Please, don’t stop.”

  He was happy to oblige. Hell, he was ecstatic. He suckled her sweet little nubbin while using his hand to gently squeeze and caress her other breast. He took her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinched lightly. She cried out and arched against him, pressing his face into her breasts. Man, she was hot.

  He could not wait to feel the slick warmth of her most private place. He wanted to touch it, to taste it, but most of all to bury himself in her until all that sweetness surrounded him and was branded with his touch.

  He gripped her nightgown and started edging the fabric up until he could feel the bare skin on her leg. So soft. She was so incredibly soft. He inched his fingers
up her thigh, seeking the tender flesh between her legs.

  “Win? What are you doing?”

  Did she really need him to explain it to her? He encountered the soft cotton of her panties. He rubbed her through the cotton, satisfied when it grew damp under his touch.

  She gripped his shoulder, her fingernails digging into his skin. She would leave her mark on him and he didn’t mind. Not at all.

  “Win, please…This is too…”

  He slipped one finger under the elastic of her panties and yes, right there. Yes. Wet. Hot. Slick feminine flesh.

  “You can’t touch me there,” she shrieked.

  He mentally disagreed even as he wondered at the panic in her voice. She acted like a nervous virgin.

  Lifting his head, he tried to reassure her. “It’s okay, honey. I like touching you there. I’ll like it even more when we get your panties off. So will you.”

  Her eyes, which had been cloudy with passion, widened with something that looked like fear. “I don’t want to take them off.”

  He begged to differ. “I think you want to, but you’re scared. Tell me what’s scaring you. I’ll go slow. I swear.”

  “It’s not that. It’s just that I’m not sure I’m ready to make love with you, Win.”

  He felt irritation rising in him. “Why the hell not? You want me. You can’t deny it.”

  He rubbed his finger over the feminine flesh hidden by her panties to prove his point. It worked too. She arched against his hand even as she shook her head.

  “Don’t shake your head at me, damn it. I won’t let you lie to me. Not now. Not ever.” He leaned over her, letting her see that he meant what he said.

  She stared back at him, her eyes filled with some emotion he didn’t understand. Finally, she nodded. “You’re right. I do want you. Very much, but I am scared. Win, I don’t want to be somebody’s convenient bed partner for a short affair. Not even yours.”

  “I told you. I’m not looking for a sleazy affair,” he ground out.

  “Then what exactly are you looking for, Win? We both know it isn’t a wife.”