Wild Western Nights

by Sara Orwig

  She didn’t want to leave Texas with her heart in knots once again over Gabe. And she didn’t want to rekindle anything between them. If she had to tell him about Rebecca, then it was imperative to have distance between them so she could keep her wits about her. Once he knew the truth, Gabe would come after her with marriage on his mind, no matter what he felt in his heart. He hadn’t changed that much in all the years.

  “I have to dress, Gabe. I’ll see you in about half an hour.”

  His heated gaze raked over her again, making her tingle as if his fingers had drifted over her. He was aroused, studying her intently, standing with his fists clenched.

  “You don’t know what you do to me, Maddie,” he said in a deep, hoarse voice.

  “There was a time when I would have melted had I heard you say that,” she admitted. “But not any longer, Gabe. That time is gone. I’ll see you shortly for dinner.”

  They stood in tense silence, their gazes locked. Desire flamed in the depths of his eyes. She felt hot, tingling, wanting him beyond anything she had thought possible. Yet she stood rooted to the floor, resisting what her body clamored to have.

  He turned and was gone, closing the door behind him.

  She sagged and gulped deep breaths. Longing shook her.

  She’d resolved to tell him the truth about his child. Now she would have to find the right moment to do so.

  Five

  Gabe showered and dressed in a charcoal suit with a white shirt and red tie. Gold cuff links gleamed in his French cuffs. With mounting anticipation, he waited in the living area of the condo, gazing at the city spread below.

  When Maddie entered the room, his heart missed beats. In a simple red, sleeveless dress that ended above her knees, she crossed the room. Her blond hair was caught up on her head and pinned, hanging loosely in back. The vee neck of the dress revealed luscious curves and her long, shapely legs were as gorgeous as he remembered.

  Drawn to her, he approached. “You look stunning,” he said in a husky voice. Big brown eyes held his gaze, and her full lips were an invitation. He could sit and look at her all evening long.

  “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself,” she said in a subdued voice, and he focused more intently on her.

  She looked stunning, composed and poised, yet he had the feeling something was dreadfully wrong. Maddie wasn’t the open book she used to be. She no longer shared her life. Not any of it, least of all her concerns. He couldn’t shake the feeling there was something he had missed and the feeling strengthened as he faced her.

  “Ready for an evening out in a dazzling city?”

  She gave him a glorious smile that almost made him think he was making a mistake about her feelings. “Ever so eager to see the sights,” she replied lightly.

  He walked up to wrap his arms around her. “I want you, Maddie. More than ever.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t, Gabe. No matter how I may feel about you, there’s no future between us. I love Miami as much as you love the ranch. That says it all.”

  He inhaled deeply. “I want you anyway. We can make love with no thought of tomorrow or Texas or Florida.”

  “That sounds like the Gabe I know,” she said, smiling at him and stepping away. “One of us will cling to reason and logic. Now, I’m ready for this night on the town.”

  He took her arm, and they left, going to the waiting limo.

  Gabe took her to a private club high above the city. The place suited him tonight, with its candlelight, roses on linen-covered tables and a combo playing old ballads as a few couples moved about a small dance floor. Adding to the ambiance, the view of the city was spectacular. Lights twinkled, and in the far western sky, the last rose streaks of sunset splashed across a darkening horizon.

  As soon as they were seated at a table by a floor-to-ceiling window, Gabe ordered drinks and stood to take her hand. “Let’s dance, Maddie.”

  When she walked into his arms, he drew her close, dancing to a ballad he knew she liked. She smelled like roses and lilacs, and she was soft and warm in his embrace. The dress was a thin barrier. He ached to make love to her. And he wished he knew how to get her to tell him what worries she had. He hoped she had meant what she said. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have questioned whether or not she meant what she said.

  “Maddie, what’s worrying you?” he asked quietly. “You used to share your joys and concerns with me.”

  She gazed at him with eyes that told him nothing about her feelings. “I have things back home on my mind, Gabe. I have never been away from work for long. I can do a few things long-distance, but not much. I’d like to wind up the business with the ranch and get that behind me. I had another talk with an agency this morning. I think I’ve decided to go with the one you suggested. Mr. Trockburn has been helpful.”

  “Ed’s a hard worker and efficient. He’ll do a good job for you.”

  “I think so. He’s coming to the ranch Monday morning.”

  “Is that all?” he asked, searching her face for some clue, wishing she would share everything with him the way she used to do.

  “Yes. Since when did you start worrying about me?” she asked too sharply, making him wonder if she had truly forgiven him for walking out. “You haven’t known the problems I’ve faced over these past six years,” she added.

  “No,” he answered. “I’m beginning to regret more and more about the past, and that’s one of the things I wish I could change. I want you in my life now, Maddie. I really do,” he said, meaning it with all his heart.

  “Don’t be silly, Gabe. That’s your physical reaction talking. You weren’t thinking about me while we were separated, so it’s ridiculous to look back over it in regret now. We both made our choices.”

  “Doesn’t mean I might not regret some of the ones I made.”

  The music ended and a faster number played. She began to dance, smiling at him with an inscrutable look. Tantalized, he wanted her more than ever. He danced with her, both of them moving fast, her hips swaying.

  He could feel beads of sweat on his forehead, but he didn’t think it was from dancing. It was from watching Maddie. She was a flame, sexy and taunting. She slanted him a hot look, filled with temptation. She was flirting with him now, with her sultry glances, her sensuous moves. He had to control the urge to yank her into his embrace and kiss her.

  He unbuttoned his coat, moving around her. When the number ended, he caught her, spinning her around and dipping her low. She wrapped her arms around him as she looked up into his eyes.

  Their gazes locked as he raised her slowly. If he could, he would take her out of here right now, back to his condo and into his bed. He knew she would not consent, so he didn’t attempt anything. She stood facing him, their gazes still holding. He drew her to him. Only inches away, she stopped.

  Another ballad started and wordlessly they began to dance. She followed his lead, moving into his embrace. They were in perfect rhythm, falling into patterns they had practiced so many times through the years.

  She was light as a feather and followed his lead perfectly. He knew so much about her and also so little. In some ways, she might as well be a stranger he had just met. In other ways, she was closer to him than any woman had ever been.

  When the music ended, he took her hand. “Let’s sit out a few.” At their table he held her chair, letting his fingers drift across her nape and brush her shoulder lightly.

  Gabe sat facing her. As they sipped their glasses of wine, several times she caught him studying her intently. He knew her too well. His questions indicated he sensed something amiss in her life, and knowing Gabe, he perceived it included him. He had always been sensitive to her feelings. She’d been right to have assumed he would still be that way.

  It used to make her feel close to him. Now it disturbed her that he could read her so well. Once again, urgency tugged at her. She needed to tell him about Rebecca. But it had to be the right moment. She suspected when she told him everything, it would change how he
felt about her. He might not forgive her. It might mean the end of her friendship with him.

  He still made her heart pound just looking at him. He looked incredibly handsome. Always appealing to her, he was even more so in the charcoal suit with his impeccable white monogrammed shirt and gold cuff links. He looked what he was—a multimillionaire filled with self-confidence and a zest for life.

  Tonight, there was a sober side to him, but she suspected it was because he thought something was bothering her.

  She wished she could stop thinking about their situation for the night. She longed to relax and enjoy being with Gabe. But it was impossible to turn off one of the most pressing problems she had ever had.

  It was difficult to keep her mind on Gabe’s conversation, but she tried to concentrate. If he realized how worried she really was, he wouldn’t let up until he got some kind of answer.

  “Maddie, dammit. What the hell is bothering you?” Gabe asked quietly.

  She blinked and realized she had been so wrapped in her thoughts she hadn’t heard a word he had said.

  “Sorry, Gabe. I really am having a great time. Selling the ranch is pressing, and I got lost in my thoughts about it.”

  “I think it’s more than that. You’ll sell the ranch.”

  She smiled at him, trying to push her dilemma out of her mind and concentrate on giving all her attention to Gabe. “You’re right. I shouldn’t worry about the sale.”

  “You used to share every little joy and sorrow with me, and I guess I still expect you to do that. It worries me when you don’t. Old habits are hard to break.”

  “Maybe you’re too much of a take-charge person for me to share my worries with tonight. You’d step in and rearrange my life.”

  He held his wineglass and studied her. “I couldn’t possibly step in and rearrange your life unless you asked me to,” he said, and she wished she could take back her words. She could see Gabe mulling over what she had told him.

  “Here comes our waiter to take our order.”

  After they had ordered, Gabe stood and came around to hold her chair. “Dancing is always good. I can hold you and it helps to move around and work off steam.”

  To her relief, it was a fast number and it did help to move and stop thinking for a few minutes. She wanted to be in his arms, wanted to kiss him. She had fought this attraction since he had pulled her into his embrace to kiss her their first night together, but she wanted to make love with him. Just one more time. She was already in love with him. Making love would not change her feelings for him. But after she told him the truth, everything else would change.

  She danced around him, watching him, seeing her desire mirrored in his eyes. He wanted her, there was no question or doubt. He had made that clear since that first moment on the highway.

  Brushing against him, she circled him. His blue eyes flamed with blatant lust. Some locks of her hair fell free, and she shook them from her face.

  Gabe reached out to take her wrist, turning her then holding her hand as they danced. He pulled her close for another dip that left her clinging to him, gazing into his eyes and thinking about kissing him.

  The music ended and he slowly raised her up. He wanted to kiss, and she did, too, but they were in a public place. She didn’t want to make a spectacle. She turned to walk back to their table, but a ballad started and Gabe drew her into his embrace, holding her close to his heated body.

  “You’re hot.”

  “Not half as hot as you are,” he said, giving the word a whole different meaning. “You burn me to ashes by dancing around me, tempting me, teasing me.”

  “I didn’t hear a protest at the time.”

  “Never a protest. I want you alone with me. I want to peel you out of that red dress and kiss you until you’re as on fire as I am,” he whispered in her ear. Her heartbeat raced, and she wondered if he could feel it.

  “Kiss you all over. From your head to your toes. Slowly,” he continued, barely moving, his warm breath tickling her ear as he whispered to her.

  “Stop trying to seduce me,” she said, twisting to look up at him.

  “I think you want the same thing I do. You dance as if you do. Your eyes are filled with desire. Your body language says loving is what you want.”

  “So you’re right. That doesn’t mean it will happen.”

  He placed one hand on her cheek. “I’m going to love you, Maddie. We’ll make love together, I promise you, before you try to walk out of my life again. I’m going to tie your heart to mine so you won’t want to say goodbye.”

  She drew in a deep breath. His words thrilled her. She couldn’t help but respond to the note of steel in his voice. Revealing the truth about Rebecca would forever change her relationship with Gabe. She wanted this one night with him. One night of loving Gabe and being loved by him. Before she confessed, she wanted a memory she could hold forever.

  He took his hand from her cheek.

  “Gabe, you know I want the same thing you do, but it makes parting hurt more.” Even as she spoke, she thought of Rebecca. Maddie had a future with Gabe, but not one filled with love and shared joys.

  “There’s no way we can predict what the future holds.”

  The music ended and Gabe took her hand. “Our dinners are served. I saw the server stop at our table.”

  When they sat to eat, Gabe barely touched his dinner while he talked to her. She ate a thick, juicy steak that was delicious.

  “I don’t eat as much beef in Florida as I do seafood, but here, the steaks are wonderful,” she said, thinking more about Gabe’s blue eyes than about her dinner. “You haven’t eaten much of yours.”

  “I’m hungry for something else,” he drawled.

  She sipped her water, gazing over the rim of her glass at him, knowing both of them were thinking about hot kisses and making love.

  Her cell phone rang and when she stood, Gabe came to his feet.

  “Sorry, Gabe. I need to take this call. I’ll be back.” She fished out her cell phone and left, trying to put some distance between them before she answered the call from home.

  When she finished talking to Rebecca, she left the lobby and returned to the table. Gabe had eaten a little more of his dinner.

  She kept the conversation impersonal while they finished their meal and then they returned to dancing. An hour later, when the musicians took a break, Gabe took her arm. “Let’s go somewhere else. I told you I’d show you Dallas.”

  “You have. The views here and at your condo are spectacular. I saw a lot today. I shopped and bought this dress for tonight.”

  “You did well. It’s gorgeous. I’ve told you what I think about it. Or have you forgotten?”

  “Yes, you’ve told me, and no, I haven’t forgotten. That wouldn’t be possible.” Since she would have only one night with him, she wanted it to last. She hoped to draw it out and make each moment a memory that she could hold forever.

  They left the club, and he drove to another one. Before he stepped out of the car, he shed his coat and tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. “Put your purse in the trunk. You won’t hear your cell phone anyway.”

  She did as he asked and walked with him toward the entrance. Lights glittered on the outside, and a flashing neon arrow pointed downstairs to a basement area where the rock beat blared loud and fast.

  The place was dark, packed, with strobe lights blinking. She laughed when they danced. He looked at her quizzically.

  “What?” he shouted above the deafening music.

  “You. Here,” she shouted back, dancing around him. “The cowboy—not your usual.”

  As he grinned, he unfastened more buttons of his shirt. She removed the remaining pins from her hair, letting it fall free while she gyrated to the heavy beat. The music prohibited conversation.

  It was sexy and fun to dance wildly, to let go and forget everything else. Gabe was too appealing, locks of his brown hair falling across his forehead. With his shirt unbuttoned and his steamy moves, he wove
a web of seduction. Even in his fancy black Western boots, he was a dream dancer, light on his feet, his obvious enjoyment contagious.

  One piece led into another without pause, and she lost all sense of time.

  Finally, Gabe took her hand and jerked his head toward the door. She followed him as they threaded through the crowd and then stepped into cool, fresh air.

  She laughed. “That was exhilarating.”

  “We can go back to the club, drive around and take in the city then get a nightcap or go to my condo.”

  “I’ll opt for the last choice,” she said.

  “What I wanted exactly,” he said with obvious satisfaction as he held the car door for her to climb inside.

  They arrived at his condo and she settled for her usual nighttime drink of milk while Gabe had a cold beer. They had a balcony with a spectacular view and the evening air had cooled. A faint breeze made the balcony even more comfortable.

  Gabe pulled his chair close to hers, holding her hand while they reminisced.

  “Will you take anything back to Florida from your childhood home?” he asked.

  “Sure. I’ve been packing boxes. I’ll have them shipped. It’s expensive, but not as costly as driving here and back to get them. There’s no furniture that I want. Mom took the few things that I would have been interested in.” While she talked, Gabe released her hand to play with strands of her hair. She tingled with awareness of his touch.

  They continued talking about incidental things and events, local people and what they were doing, but she was more aware of Gabe’s fingers brushing her shoulder and nape, turning locks of her hair in his hand. His white shirt was still open by several buttons, revealing glimpses of his muscled chest and brown chest curls. He was incredibly handsome, more so now than when they were younger. She looked at his mouth, remembering his kisses, wanting to kiss him now.

  “Do you have any furniture from your family home?” she asked.

  “Actually, I do. When Jake made the deal with Dad about the house, Mom asked me to pick out what I would really like to have and talk to Jake about what was agreeable with him. There really was not that much I wanted, so it worked out fine.”