A Christmas Baby Surprise: Reclaimed by the Rancher

by Catherine Mann

  Kenny tugged her wrist and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “Text me and let me know your plans. So I don’t worry.”

  His droll attempt to play mother hen made her smile. “Very funny. But yes... I’ll be in touch.”

  At last she had to face Jeff. He stood a few feet away, his expression inscrutable. In a dark tailored suit, with a crisp white dress shirt and blue patterned tie, he looked like a man in charge of his domain. A light breeze ruffled his hair.

  His sharp, intimate gaze scanned her from head to toe. “Let’s go” was all he said.

  Lucy sighed inwardly. So much for her sexy black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps. The daring bodice showcased her cleavage nicely. Big surly rancher barely seemed to notice.

  They descended the steps side by side, Jeff’s hand on her elbow. He helped her into the car, closed her door and went around to slide into the driver’s seat. The car was not one she remembered. But it had all the bells and whistles. It smelled of leather and even more faintly, the essence of the man himself.

  For the first ten miles silence reigned. Pastures of cattle whizzed by outside the window, their existence so commonplace, Lucy couldn’t pretend a deep interest in the scenery. Instead, she kicked off her shoes, curled her legs beneath her, and leaned forward to turn on the satellite radio.

  “Do you mind?” she asked.

  Jeff shot her a glance. “Does being alone with me make you nervous, Lucy?”

  “Of course not.” Her hand hovered over the knob. More than anything else, she wanted music to fill the awkward silence. But if Jeff saw that as a sign of weakness, then she wouldn’t do it.

  She sat back, biting her bottom lip. Now the silence was worse. Before, they had simply been two near strangers riding down the road. Jeff’s deliberately provocative question set her nerves on edge.

  “While we’re on our way,” she said, “why don’t you tell me what these conditions are? The ones I have to agree to so you’ll loan me the money?”

  Jeff didn’t answer her question. “I’m curious. Why doesn’t Kenny go out and get his own loan?”

  “He’s shoveled everything he has back into the farm. His credit’s maxed out. Besides, his solution is selling to Samson Oil. I explained that.”

  “True. You did.”

  “So tell me, Jeff. What do you want from me?”

  Nine

  What do you want from me? Lucy’s frustrated question was one Jeff would have been glad to answer. In detail. Slowly. All night. But first there were hurdles to jump.

  Though he kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road, he had already memorized every nuance of his companion’s appearance. Everything from her sexy black high heels all the way up to her sleek and shiny hair tucked behind one ear.

  Her black cocktail dress, at first glance, was entirely appropriate for dinner in the big city. But damned if he wasn’t going to have the urge to take off his jacket and wrap her up in it. He didn’t want other men looking at her.

  He felt possessive, which was ridiculous, because Lucy was definitely her own woman. If she chose to prance stark naked down Main Street, he couldn’t stop her. So maybe he needed to take a different tack entirely. Instead of bossing her around, perhaps he should use another very enjoyable means of communication.

  Right now, she was a hen with ruffled feathers. He had upset her already. The truth was, he didn’t care. He’d rather have anger from Lucy than outright indifference.

  He could work with anger.

  “We’ll talk about the specifics over dinner, Lucy. Why don’t you relax and tell me about your work in Austin.”

  His diversion worked for the next half hour. In his peripheral vision, he watched as Lucy’s body language went from tense and guarded to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be given the history between them.

  Later, when he pulled up in front of the luxury hotel in the heart of the city, Lucy shot him a sharp-eyed glance.

  He took her elbow and led her inside. “The restaurant here is phenomenal,” he said. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  Over appetizers and drinks, Lucy thawed further. “So far, I’m impressed. I forgot to eat lunch today, so I was starving.”

  Jeff was hungry, too, but he barely tasted the food. He was gambling a hell of a lot on the outcome of this encounter.

  They ordered the works...filet and lobster. With spinach salad and crusty rolls. Clearly, Lucy enjoyed her meal. He enjoyed the fact that she didn’t fuss about calories and instead ate with enthusiasm.

  Good food prepared from fresh ingredients was a sensual experience. It tapped into some of the same pleasure centers as lovemaking. It was hard to bicker under the influence of a really exceptional Chablis and a satisfying, special-occasion dinner.

  That’s what he was counting on...

  Lucy declined dessert. Jeff did, as well. As they lingered over coffee, he could practically see her girding her loins for battle.

  She stirred a single packet of sugar into her cup and sat back in her chair, eyeing him steadily. “Enough stalling, Jeff. I’ve come here with you for dinner, which was amazing, I might add. But I need to have your answer. Will you loan me the money, and what are your conditions?”

  Ten

  Lucy was braced for bad news. It was entirely possible that Jeff had brought her here—wined and dined her—in order to let her down gently. To give her an outright no.

  Watching him take a sip of coffee was only one of many mistakes she had made tonight. When his lips made contact with the rim of his thin china cup, she was almost sure the world stood still for a split second. The man had the most amazing mouth. Firm lips that could caress a woman’s breast or kiss her senseless in the space of a heartbeat.

  Though it had been two long years, Lucy still remembered the taste of his tongue on hers.

  “Jeff?” She heard the impatience in her voice. “I asked you a question.”

  He nodded slowly. “Okay. Hear me out before you run screaming from the room.”

  Her nape prickled. “I don’t understand.”

  Leaning toward her, he rested his forearms on the table, hands clasped in front of him. His dark gaze captured hers like a mesmerist. “When you walked out the night before our wedding, we never had closure. I went from being almost married to drastically single so fast it’s a wonder I didn’t get whiplash.”

  “What’s your point?” Her throat was tight.

  “Divorced couples end up back in bed together all the time. Lovers break up and hook up and break up again. I’m curious to see if you and I still have a spark.”

  Hyperventilation threatened. “We can talk about that later.” Much later. “You said you had two conditions. What are they?” For the first time tonight, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Was it pain? Or vulnerability? Not likely.

  He shrugged. “I want you to ask Kirsten to tell you what really happened that night.”

  “I don’t need to talk to Kirsten. I’m not blind. I saw everything. You kissed her and she kissed you back. Both of you betrayed me. The truth is, Kirsten and I have barely spoken since that night. She has shut me out. I think she’s embarrassed that she didn’t stop you.”

  “And you really believe that?”

  His tone wasn’t sarcastic. If anything, the words were wistful, cajoling. She’d spent two horrid years wondering why the man who professed to love her madly had been such a jerk. Or why Kirsten, her best friend, hadn’t punched Jeff in the stomach. She had seen Kirsten’s face when Lucy caught them. The other woman had looked shattered. But her arms had definitely been twined about Jeff’s neck.

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she muttered. Jeff hadn’t dated anyone at all in the last twenty-four months according to Royal’s gossipy grapevine. He was a young, virile man in
his prime. If he was such a lying, cheating scoundrel, why hadn’t he been out on the town with a dozen women in the interim? “And if I do go talk to Kirsten about what happened? That’s it? What about the other requirement?”

  Those chiseled lips curved upward in a smile that made her spine tighten and her stomach curl. “I’d like the two of us to go upstairs and spend the night together.”

  Eleven

  Go upstairs and spend the night together.

  His words echoed in her brain like tiny pinballs. “You mean sex?”

  Jeff laughed out loud, but it was gentle laughter, and his eyes were filled with warmth. “Yes, Lucy. Sex. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed us.”

  Oh, my...

  What was a woman supposed to say to that kind of proposition? Especially when it sounded so very appealing. She cleared her throat. “If you’re offering to pay me twenty thousand dollars to have sex with you, I think we could both get arrested.”

  His smile was enigmatic. “Let’s not muddy the waters, then. I promise to give you the money for Kenny as long as you have a conversation with Kirsten.” He reached across the table and took one of her hands in both of his. When he rubbed his thumb across her wrist, it was all she could do not to jerk away in a panic.

  “Steady, Lucy.” His grip tightened. “I think deep in your heart you know the truth. But you’re afraid to face it. I understand that. Maybe it will take time. So for tonight, I’m not expecting you to make any sweeping declarations. I’m only asking if you’ll be my lover again. One night. For closure. Unless you change your mind and decide you want more.”

  “Why would I do that?” she asked faintly, remembering all the evenings she had cried herself to sleep.

  “You’ll have to figure it out for yourself,” he said. That same thumb rubbed back and forth across her knuckles.

  She seized on one inescapable truth. “But I don’t have anything with me to stay overnight,” she said, grasping at straws. “And neither do you.”

  “I brought a bag,” he replied calmly. “And I ordered a few items for a female companion. I believe you’ll find I’ve thought of everything you need to be comfortable.”

  “And you don’t think this is at all creepy?” With her free hand she picked up her water glass, intending to take a sip. But her fingers shook so much she set it back down immediately.

  Jeff released her, his expression sober. “You’re the one who came to see me, not the other way around. If you want me to take you home, all you have to do is say so. But I’m hoping you’ll give us this one night to see if the spark is still there.”

  “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. He was breaking her heart all over again, and she was so damned afraid to trust him. Even worse, she was afraid to trust herself.

  Jeff summoned the waiter and dealt with the check. Moments later, the transaction was complete. Jeff stood and held out his hand. “I need your decision, Lucy.” He was tall and sexy and clear-eyed in his resolve. “Shall we go, or shall we stay? It’s up to you. It always has been.”

  Twelve

  Jeff’s heartbeat thundered in his chest. He wasn’t usually much of a gambler, but he was betting on a future that, at the moment, didn’t exist.

  It was a thousand years before Lucy slid her small hand into his bigger one. “Yes,” she said. The word was barely audible.

  He led her among the crowded tables and out into the hotel foyer. After tucking her into an elegant wingback chair, he brushed a finger across her cheek. “Stay here. I won’t be long.”

  Perhaps the desk clerk thought him a tad weird. Jeff could barely register for glancing back over his shoulder to see if Lucy had bolted. But all was well. She had her phone in her hand and was apparently checking messages.

  When he had the key, he went back for her. “Ready?”

  Her face was pale when she looked up at him. But she smiled and rose to her feet. “Yes.”

  They shared an elevator with three other people. On the seventh floor, Jeff took Lucy’s arm and steered her off. “This way,” he said gruffly as he located their room number on the brass placard. They were at the end of the hall, far from the noise of the elevator and the ice machine.

  He’d booked a suite. Inside the pleasantly neutral sitting room, he took off his jacket and tie. “Would you like more wine?” he asked.

  Lucy hovered by the door. “No. Why do you want me to go talk to Kirsten?” Her eyes were huge...perhaps revealing distress over the shambles of their past.

  He leaned against the arm of the sofa. “She was your friend from childhood. You and I had dated less than a year. As angry as I was with you, on some level I understood.”

  “Why were you angry with me?” she asked, her expression bewildered. “You were the one who cheated.”

  He didn’t rise to the bait. “It’s been two years, Lucy. Two long, frustrating years when you and I should have been starting our life together. Surely you’ve had time enough to figure it out by now.”

  “You didn’t come after me.” Her voice was small, the tone wounded.

  Ah...there it was. The evidence of his own stupidity. “You’re right about that. I let my pride get in the way. When you wouldn’t take my calls, I wanted to make you grovel. But as it turns out, that was an abysmally arrogant and unproductive attitude on my part. I’m sorry I didn’t follow you back to Austin. I should have. Maybe one good knock-down, drag-out fight would have cleared the air.”

  “And now...if I agree to go talk to Kirsten?”

  He swallowed the last of his wine and set the glass aside. “I don’t want to discuss Kirsten anymore. You and I are the only two people here in this suite. What I desperately need is make love to you.”

  Thirteen

  Lucy sucked in a deep breath, her insides tumbling as they had the one and only time she rode the Tilt-A-Whirl at the county fair. On that occasion, she had tossed her cookies afterward.

  Tonight was different. Tonight, the butterflies were all about anticipation and arousal and the rebirth of hope. Why else would she be here with Jeff Hartley?

  She nodded, kicking off her shoes. “Yes.” There were a million words she wanted to say to him, and not all of them kind. But for some reason, the only thing that mattered at this very moment was feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers one more time.

  She felt more emotionally bereft than brave, but she made her feet move...carrying her across the plush carpet until she stood face-to-face with Jeff. His gaze was stormy, his fists were clenched at his sides.

  He stared into her eyes as if looking for something he was afraid he wouldn’t find. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I thought I could put you out of my mind, but that was laughable. You’ve haunted every room in my house. Kiss me, Lucy.”

  With one of his strong arms around her back, binding her to him, she went up on her tiptoes and found his mouth with hers. The taste of him brought tears to sting her eyelids, but she blinked them back, wanting this moment to be about light and warmth and pleasure. He held her gently as he took everything she thought she knew and stripped it away, leaving only a yearning that was heart-deep and visceral.

  She wanted to say something, but Jeff was a man possessed. He found the zipper at her back and lowered it with one smooth move. Then he shimmied the garment down her body and held her arm as she stepped out of the small heap of fabric.

  Beneath the dress, she wore lacy underthings. Jeff didn’t pause to admire them. The lingerie went the way of the crumpled dress.

  Suddenly, she realized that she was completely naked, and her would-be lover was staring. Hotly. Glassy-eyed. As if he’d been struck in the head and was seeing stars.

  She crossed her arms over strategic areas and scowled. “Take off your clothes, Mr. Hartley. This show works both ways.”
<
br />   If the situation hadn’t been so emotionally fraught, she might have chuckled when Jeff dragged his shirt, still half-buttoned, over his head. His pants and socks and shoes were next in the frenzied disrobing.

  Underneath, he wore snug-fitting black boxers that strained to contain his arousal. Suddenly, she felt shy and afraid and clueless. Had she ever really known this man at all?

  He didn’t give her time for second thoughts. “We’ll be more comfortable on the bed,” he promised, scooping her up and carrying her through the adjacent doorway. She barely noticed the furnishings or the color scheme. Her gaze was locked on Jeff’s face.

  His cheekbones were slashed with color. His eyes glittered with lust. “You’re mine, Lucy.”

  Fourteen

  The bottom dropped out of her stomach. It was as simple as that. Even if he hadn’t said the words, she would have felt his deep conviction in the way he moved his hands over her body.

  He still wore his underwear, maybe to keep things from rushing along too rapidly. He was tanned all over from his days of working in the hot sun. His chest was a work of art, sleekly muscled...lightly dusted with golden hair.

  Even as she took in the magnificence that was Jeff Hartley, she couldn’t help but question his motives. As a rancher and a member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club in Royal, he was a well-respected member of the community. Had his reputation suffered when she walked out on him? Was there a part of him that wanted revenge?

  He loomed over her on one elbow, his emerald eyes darker than normal, his forehead damp, his skin hot. It was all she could do to be still and let him map her curves like a blind man. Need rose, hot and tormenting, between her clenched thighs.

  How could she want him so desperately while knowing full well there were serious unresolved issues between them? “Jeff,” she whispered, not really knowing what to say. “Please...” Despite what her head told her, her heart and her body were in control.