The Rancher's Cinderella Bride

by Sara Orwig

  He leaned closer, slowly, and her heart beat faster. When his mouth brushed hers, heat engulfed her. She closed her eyes, winding her arm around his neck. His arms tightened around her, drawing her against his hard length as his mouth covered hers and his tongue stroked hers.

  She felt in free fall, her insides clenching while her heart pounded. She forgot everything except his kiss, his arms holding her tightly and their bodies pressed together. Tingles raced through her and she moaned softly with pleasure, sinking into a kiss that set her ablaze. Sliding her hand across his shoulders, she trailed her fingers over his nape and into his thick hair.

  She had no idea how long they kissed. She only knew she didn’t want to stop. When he finally raised his head, he gazed silently into her eyes and she felt as if she were seeing him for the first time in her life.

  “Wow,” she whispered. “Now I know why the ladies like you,” she said, trying to keep the moment light though she was stunned how his kiss had ignited such desire in her. She stepped back and from the look of him, he was as surprised as she felt.

  “Thank you, Gabe, for tonight,” she said, or hoped she said. Her thoughts were still on his kiss and she fought an urge to walk back into his arms and kiss him again. “I had a wonderful time and we were seen by so many people.” She felt as if she was babbling, but she couldn’t think straight. Gabe’s kiss had scrambled her thoughts and she was trying to return to the world as it had been before he held her tightly and kissed her.

  “I think this fake engagement is going to be easier to do than I first thought it would,” he remarked drily, still looking intently at her. “You and I wasted our time playing with marbles.”

  “Not really. Our friendship was important. Tonight was perfect and a million thank-yous for agreeing to the engagement.”

  “I’m beginning to look forward to it. I’ll call you. I’ll try to plan something where you’ll be seen by another segment of people you might know.”

  “That would be excellent. I’ll get a fancy dress for the occasion. I’ll even wear makeup.”

  He grinned and touched the tip of her nose. “I like you the way you are. You know, now I’m glad you called me for help, and believe me, I’m willing to help you.”

  “Thanks. Calm down a little, Gabe.”

  “After our kiss? I don’t think so, darlin’. Want to try again and see if we get the same result?”

  She leaned closer and squinted her eyes to look at him as she poked his chest with her forefinger. “We’re not going to fall in love.”

  The twinkle was back in his blue eyes. “You don’t think?”

  “I know. You can’t get serious and I definitely will not get serious with you.”

  “That doesn’t mean we have to avoid kissing, does it?”

  “I know you’re laughing at me again. No, it doesn’t mean we won’t kiss. Maybe all the ladies you kiss fall in love with you, but I won’t, so yes, we can kiss.”

  “I’m so glad to get your permission,” he said, his voice filled with so much laughter she had to smile. “You’ve given me another challenge, Meg.”

  “Oh, no. Once again, that’s a fact. I’m not going to fall in love with you and you won’t with me. We’re definite opposites. Good night, Gabe. Thank you, and it was fun.”

  “Oh, darlin’, was it ever fun,” he said, suddenly sounding sincere.

  She turned to unlock her door. “I don’t think I’ll invite you in tonight. We’ll save that for next time, when I’ll show you my house.”

  “Sure, Meg. I’ll call you,” he repeated as he headed toward the steps.

  As he drove away, she closed and locked the door and leaned against it, lost in memories of his kiss. How could his kiss have been so sexy? Her lips still tingled and she wished she could have gone on kissing him. Had she gotten herself into a predicament with this fake engagement?

  It had never occurred to her she would have the slightest sexual response to Gabe. She had never even thought about kissing him. She had known him all her life without that happening and she hadn’t given it a thought.

  Till now.

  Tonight he had turned her world upside down. And she no longer saw him the way she had before. Would she ever in her life see him again without that hot, tingling response she felt?

  Gabe would be aiming for seduction. As he said, he liked a challenge. He also liked the ladies and parties...and a daredevil lifestyle that took her breath away, because it was the same as her brother Hank’s lifestyle had been, and that wild living had gotten him killed.

  Surely she wouldn’t succumb to Gabe; she wouldn’t go to bed with him. She had known him all her life and would never run the risk. One hot kiss wouldn’t make a difference.

  Except his kiss was different from all other kisses she had ever experienced. Not that there had been lots of different guys, but she suspected if there had been, Gabe’s kiss still would have melted her. “Mercy me,” she groaned. The man was sinfully sexy, and she suspected she’d never view him the way she once had again.

  What was she saying? She could not be attracted to Gabe. Absolutely not! Kisses were one thing. Falling into bed with him was another.

  She moved through her house, switching off lights and going to her room. She just needed some sleep. But when she crawled into bed, sleep was the last thing on her mind. She lay there, gazing into the darkness, her lips still tingling and memories burning their way into her thoughts. She may not want to admit it, but she still wanted to kiss him again.

  She sat up in bed. “I’m not going to fall into bed with you,” she whispered in the darkness. That wild, woman-chasing cowboy would be nothing but heartbreak. It was just one month. One month wasn’t a long time. Surely she could resist him for that long. It could be a lot of kisses though, because it wasn’t going to be just weekend dates. She planned to stay at his house with him. She’d simply have to guard her heart and keep kisses to a minimum.

  Did she have the willpower for that? She suspected it was going to be difficult to resist him. He wouldn’t have trouble resisting her, so maybe there was nothing to worry about. She just had to take care, remember who he was and how he felt about a serious relationship, and that wild lifestyle he had. He raised rodeo bulls for a living—big, mean, thousand-pound animals. He liked to compete in bull riding. He flew his own plane. He had a motorcycle and a sports car. And he loved the ladies and parties. There wasn’t a serious bone in his body.

  She had to make each date move things along to convince her family and Justin that she and Gabe were serious. The minute Justin was out of her life, she would thank Gabe and send the sexy hunk on his way.

  When had Gabe changed to a “sexy hunk” from the friendly kid she grew up knowing? She hadn’t been around him in the past few years because they moved in different circles after school. She knew a lot of local ladies loved going out with him. She paid little attention when one of her friends talked about wanting to date him. Such conversations left her slightly amused at most. But his kiss wasn’t amusing. It was sexy enough to wrap around her heart and carry it away.

  She punched her pillow behind her, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. “You may be my knight to the rescue, Gabe Callahan, but you’re going to be trouble,” she said in the dark, empty room. Moonlight spilled in the window. All she could see was Gabe’s blue eyes and his cocky smile. “About six feet, three inches of sexy male and you’ve already rocked my life. We’ll kiss, but I will not go to bed with you. I mean that,” she whispered, and sighed. She knew she’d better stick to that conviction if she wanted to get through this pretend engagement with her heart intact.

  She sighed again, getting up and opening a bottom drawer to rummage through sweaters. She pulled out a raggedy brown bear and shook it. Gabe had given it to her on her ninth birthday. “Why didn’t he stay the way he was when he gave you to me?” she asked the be
ar. “A nice kid I had fun with instead of this sexy man who makes me want to keep kissing him all night.”

  She hugged the bear that she had loved ever since receiving it, even taking it to college with her.

  She went back to bed and sat cross-legged, putting the bear in front of her. “I will get through this engagement and Gabe and I will have fun like we always have. I will not go to bed with him and when the month is over—or hopefully, sooner—I will thank him, give him a big present and we’ll go our separate ways. I am not going to fall in love with him like one of his women he’s had an affair with.” She poked the brown bear with her finger. “I promise and you’re my witness.”

  She’d bet anything that Gabe hadn’t even thought about their date or their kiss or anything else about her. He was probably wishing this month would zip on past. Either that or peacefully sleeping.

  She’d asked him to take her somewhere fancy next time and told him she would look more like the women he usually dated. Right now, she was a million miles from that look, but wonders could be achieved with the right makeup, a new hairstyle and some knockout clothes.

  She told herself that if she changed her look, more people would notice her, would see her with Gabe and believe their engagement.

  Who was she kidding? She knew the real reason for wanting to change.

  She was already annoyed with him for treating her as if she were a kid while she was having to fight an attraction to him. She’d make him see her as the grown woman she’d become.

  After all, wouldn’t it serve him right if he had a little fight of his own to deal with?

  Three

  Late Saturday night after he was home, Gabe sent a brief text asking Meg to go to a dinner dance at the Downly Country Club in honor of its renovation. She sent a return text immediately, accepting his invitation.

  He thought about their deal—a month-long fake engagement. Her request had surprised him. But it was her kiss that had stunned him, and from the wide-eyed look he had received, she had been as shocked as he had. He had never expected kissing Meg to be anything except sweet and he had been amused when he’d teased her about it beforehand. He’d expected his request to throw her into a quandary, that they’d have a sweet kiss and that would be all there was to it. He had never envisioned what had actually happened. Maybe he should have guessed because he’d had a sexual reaction to her at the ranch, but he’d never dreamed kissing her would be akin to a nuclear meltdown.

  Her searing kiss had shifted their relationship forever. He would never again view her the same way he had before. With that kiss he wanted her in his bed.

  His common sense rejected that possibility completely. She was still Meg, still his best friend, still Hank’s big sister. She was earnest, sweet, trustworthy, intelligent, and if she had a real relationship he was sure she would be into commitment and marriage. He suspected that had never really happened. They had lost touch through her college years and he didn’t know if she’d had boyfriends, but he would bet the ranch there was no guy in her bed on a regular basis at any point in time.

  Meg was the type to equate love, kisses and bed with vows, marriage and home.

  Regardless, the woman had caused him a sleepless night. She had him all wound up and wanting to hold and kiss her. That reaction still stunned him. He’d never thought about kissing her and never for one second expected any kind of positive reaction on his part. Now Meg’s steamy kiss was something he had to deal with in the coming month.

  Just remembering her kiss could put him in a sweat. He wanted to pick up the phone and ask her out tomorrow night and seduce her. But that would make him a sneaking, dirty rat who could no longer be called her best friend, and he would feel like the jerk of the year if he didn’t propose to her. Neither outcome looked good.

  He hadn’t imagined what he’d felt and it wasn’t because he hadn’t been out with a woman in a long time. And it wasn’t faulty memory. As impossible as it seemed, Meg was hot and sexy.

  He had thought, as sweet as Meg was, this fake engagement might get tedious before a month was over. Now his worries had swung the other way. Now this fake engagement might be too tempting to resist seduction.

  He didn’t like Justin and was happy to see that she wanted to break off seeing him. But now he could understand why Justin was all for this marriage of convenience.

  Gabe groaned. “Damn, how will I get through a month with her?”

  He thought he would plan to be out of town on business a lot of the time. A month wasn’t long. At least it wasn’t long until he thought it would mean thirty nights when he might be with her, kissing her, having to resist temptation. He put his head in his hands.

  When he told her he would go along with the fake engagement, he hadn’t given a thought to kissing her. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  Saturday night he needed to keep a clear head and not do anything he would regret later. He had to keep one thought paramount in his mind: Meg was the marrying kind, and if he ever took her into his bed, he’d have to marry her for real.

  And that was the one thing that could never happen.

  * * *

  After a restless night, the last thing Meg needed was a day with her family. But the next day, after joining her family at church, she took a homemade peach cobbler to her parents’ house for Sunday dinner.

  As they sat around the dining room table, eating slices of tender roast beef and mashed potatoes with brown gravy, the topic she was loath to hear came up.

  “I saw Justin’s mother last night and she said he was out of town. If we’d known, you could have gone to dinner with us last night,” her mother said.

  “Thanks. I ran into an old friend and we went out last night,” she said, glancing around the table. Her dad didn’t react; he was concentrating on his meal, the gray in his light brown hair shining in the dining room chandelier. He still wore his best brown suit and tie from church. Carlotta Aldridge, her paternal grandmother, sat on his right. Carlotta’s short, straight brown-and-gray hair hung just below her ears. She was the grandmother who had spent hours reading to Meg when she had been small. Carlotta wore her favorite color, a frilly pink dress. Next to her was Meg’s paternal grandfather, Mason Aldridge, whose thick gray hair was slightly curly above his long, thin face. He had been a rancher all his life and it showed in his weathered brown skin and rough, callused hands. He had taught Meg to ride a horse and take care of her pets.

  Seated beside Meg was her maternal grandmother, Lurline Wills, whose round, jolly face had bright blue eyes and a perpetual smile. Meg and her brothers called her Lolo. Meg’s maternal grandfather was Harry Wills, another oil and gas man who had worked with her dad most of her life and was as angry and bitter as her dad toward Dirkson Callahan. They were all talking, set to enjoy another delicious Sunday feast, and she was going to end their peaceful Sunday gathering.

  “Who’s the old friend?” her mother asked, passing hot rolls around the table. “Here’s honey. Also raspberry jam,” she said, passing small dishes.

  “Gabe Callahan and I went out. It was fun to see him again,” Meg said, taking a roll and aware all conversation had stopped and the room had gone silent.

  “Oh, dear. Megan, we don’t speak to the Callahans,” Grandma Lurline said, frowning and pushing her glasses up on her nose to stare at Meg. “We haven’t spoken to any of those dreadful Callahans for years.”

  Meg glanced around the table and smiled while everyone else frowned. Both sets of grandparents sat scowling at her. “Gabe and I have always been friends. We had a very good time,” Meg said cheerfully. “And we do speak to each other. As a matter of fact, we’re going out again next weekend.”

  Her mother dropped her fork. “Oh, no. Megan, you can’t do that.”

  “Of course I can,” Meg replied. “I’ve got a date with him.”

  “
What about Justin?” her dad asked, his face getting red.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m not dating Justin. I’m sorry if spending a little time with Gabe upsets all of you, but I have my friends and Gabe isn’t responsible for what his father did or does. Dirkson Callahan hurt his sons, so don’t blame Gabe for his dad’s actions. And as for Justin—I’ve said all along, I am not interested in Justin and he isn’t interested in me. We’re not getting engaged or married. We’re finished.”

  “Justin and his family think you’re serious,” her mother said. “Justin has said you are both talking about marriage and making plans. That’s what Francis told me.”

  “That isn’t my view because we’re not making plans.” She picked up her fork and speared a slice of meat. “Mom, you, Grana and Lolo have worked hard fixing a wonderful Sunday dinner. Let’s enjoy this delicious roast.”

  For an instant, all of them stared at her in silence and then her mother smiled. “You’re right. We can talk about it later. We did work too hard on this to let it get cold and go uneaten,” she said, smiling at the others. The grandmothers nodded as her mother picked up two bowls to pass around the table. “Here are fresh squash and sliced tomatoes from Dad’s garden.”

  Conversation picked up again and Meg relaxed, talking about the dinner and the garden, and avoiding any mention of Gabe or Justin.

  It was late afternoon when she got in her car to go home and her mother came rushing out the back door.

  “I wanted to talk to you before you go,” she said after Meg rolled down her window. “I hope you rethink seeing Gabe Callahan. You know our families don’t get along.”

  “Gabe and I had a good time. We’ve been friends forever,” she said. “I’m going out with him next weekend.” Difficult as it was, she faced her mother, realizing the woman had more gray hairs streaked in among the brown hair around her face. Meg felt a pang because she was going to worry her family, but she had to worry them or end up married to a man she didn’t love.