The Rancher Next Door

by Susan Mallery

  Finally he straightened and stepped off the cot. He tugged off his boots and socks, then shoved down his jeans and briefs. His arousal sprang free, hard and ready, jutting toward her. She studied his body—the broad shoulders, narrow hips, long legs. He was everything she’d ever imagined a man to be.

  He reached for her boots and pulled them off. The rest of her clothes followed. He loomed over her, looking at her. In a moment of self-consciousness she pressed her hand against her stomach to cover the silvery lines that were a legacy of her pregnancy. She was short and curvy and far from model perfect.

  Jack pushed her hands away and bent to kiss the slender marks. “How could you think I wouldn’t want all of you?” he asked.

  His casual acceptance made her eyes burn with unexpected tears. “Good line,” she said softly.

  “Not a line. The truth.”

  He returned to the cot, sliding next to her. His mouth lowered onto hers while his fingers moved between her thighs.

  She told herself to be relaxed and adult about the whole thing. Control was important. She took deep breaths and swore to herself that she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself.

  She was wrong.

  The second he slipped into her waiting dampness and found that single spot of surrender, she actually screamed. Out loud. No doubt the horses were startled. Katie felt heat flare on her cheeks, but before she could try to explain or apologize, he was touching her in a circling rhythm that made her both tremble and tense.

  She clutched him, needing to hang on. She wanted to explain that it wasn’t usually like this for her. That she could be unresponsive on occasion and for him not to take it personally. But speaking would have required more effort than she was willing to make. Because his fingers were pure magic and she didn’t want to think about anything else except the steady movements around and over, drawing her deeper and deeper into herself. Closer to that place of perfect pleasure.

  Even as he kissed her, his fingers slipped inside her waiting warmth. He stroked slowly, making her legs fall open even more. Then he returned to the core of her femininity and began the dance again.

  But this time was different. Her feeble attempts at control were useless. She was so incredibly close that she wasn’t able to prepare herself. One minute she was trying to catch her breath and the next the world dissolved into a million wonderful sensations. Everything felt exactly right—as if this was what she’d been born to do. Be with Jack, have him touch her and take her to paradise.

  Even as she shivered from the last lingering contractions of her climax, he moved over her. She reached down to guide him inside. He filled her, stretching her slightly, making her draw her knees back. Their arms came around each other, and his mouth lowered to hers.

  There was no awkward moment of discovery. Their movements were instantly correct, as if they’d always been intimate. The weight of him, the heat of him, the feel of his skin—everything was so right.

  Their kiss deepened, tongues matching the thrusting movements of him inside her. The tension returned. Katie moved her hips to bring him in deeper, then felt the first flutter that promised another release. Delight filled her. She’d rarely been one to climax this way, yet she couldn’t imagine it not happening with Jack. Her body tensed in preparation. She reached down to grasp his hips. Muscles tensed and bunched with his movements. The combination of sensations was too much for her, and suddenly she was caught up again. Her muscles contracted in pure ecstasy.

  He raised his head. She opened her eyes. They looked at each other. More pleasure swept through her. Despite the intimacy, she couldn’t turn away. Then he tensed. His face tightened, and his body shuddered. He gave one last, deep thrust and was still.

  Jack lay tangled in Katie’s embrace. Their hearts pounded in unison as the heat from their bodies combined to blanket them in the warmth of surrender.

  Home, he thought hazily. He’d finally come home. For the first time in his life he felt completely at peace. As if she was the one place he’d always belonged.

  He rolled onto his side, pulling her with him. She opened her eyes and stared at him. Color stained her cheeks, neck and chest, more proof of her release. His hands sought and found the gentle curve of her hip, then moved to her rear. The feel of her silky skin made him want her again.

  “Impressive,” she said with a slight smile. “And wouldn’t we give the town gossips something to talk about if they were to see us right about now?”

  Not just the gossips, he thought. Members of both their families would be unamused. His mom wouldn’t care, but Nora would want blood, as would Aaron.

  Reality returned with a thud that made him roll away from her. He sat up and stared at the pile of clothing on the floor. He didn’t want to get involved with anyone, he reminded himself. And if he had to sleep with a woman, Katie was the worst choice possible. Relationships didn’t last—he had plenty of proof of that. He was tired of the people in his life leaving him. No way was he going to fall for Katie a second time.

  “This was a mistake,” he said bluntly, sitting with his back to her. “Getting involved would be a disaster for both of us.”

  There was a moment of silence. He didn’t turn around because he didn’t want to see the expression on her face. Hurting her hadn’t been part of his plan, but he wasn’t about to take the words back.

  “I don’t know which part of your comments to address first,” she said at last. “The part about this being a mistake or that getting involved would be a disaster.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll admit this wasn’t especially well thought out, but ‘disaster’ seems harsh.”

  He finally forced himself to look at her. Something dark flashed through her eyes, but otherwise she didn’t give anything away.

  “You don’t want to get involved, and neither do I,” he said. “And you’re not the sex-only type.”

  “Are you?”

  He sighed. “No.” This wasn’t going well. He tried a second time. “Katie, making love with you was terrific, but we can’t do it again.”

  She sat up and slid past him. “I don’t recall asking you to,” she said as she grabbed her clothes and quickly put them on.

  He watched her, knowing this was ending badly and not sure how to make it better. When she was dressed, she gave him a quick, insincere smile.

  “Thanks so much for the afternoon delight. It was a thousand thrills and all that.”

  “Katie, don’t,” he said, standing up and grabbing her hand. “Don’t leave like this.”

  She glared at him. “How do you want me leave? We had something pretty special, Jack. Don’t panic. I don’t mean a rekindling of our relationship, just that the lovemaking was incredible. At least it was for me. I wasn’t expecting a marriage proposal at the end of it. Just a few minutes of sweet talk, a hug or two, then a chance to go our separate ways. But you couldn’t let that happen. You had to make it into something ugly.”

  He was lower than a snake’s belly. “I didn’t—” He swore. He had meant to send a message, which she got. So why wasn’t he happy? “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “You’re flattering yourself. I’m not hurt, I’m angry. Although you should be thrilled to know that I now agree with you. This was a mistake. One I have no intention of repeating.”

  She walked out and slammed the door behind her. Less than a minute later, he heard her horse cantering away.

  “Sleeping with the enemy,” Stephen Remington teased two days later. “Whatever do the neighbors think?”

  Katie fought hard not to blush. Stephen didn’t know what had happened between her and Jack at the line shack. He was joking about the fact that she was living at the Darby ranch. Word had spread in the small town, and her current situation was all the buzz.

  She looked up from the chart she held, pausing in the act of pretending to write notes. She raised her eyebrows. “They’re all a-twitter, as you can imagine, but they’ll recover. Some faster than others.”

  She glanced out t
he big front window. Stephen’s medical offices were directly across the street from the Clip ’n’ Snip Hair Salon—Nora Darby’s place of business. No doubt Jack’s sister was there now, telling her many customers exactly what she thought about her brother and the oldest Fitzgerald woman sharing a ranch, if not a roof.

  “All joking aside,” Stephen said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. “How are you holding up?”

  She set down the chart and looked at her friend. They were seated in the reception area of Stephen’s medical suite. So far the afternoon had been quiet, with only a couple of appointments. They were alone, and Lone Star Canyon’s new physician was a kind man who was genuinely concerned about her welfare. Who better to talk with?

  “I’m doing okay,” she said, knowing that it was nearly the truth. “Shane adores living with the Darby clan. Hattie spoils him and Jack is the father he never had. There are horses, dogs, video games. What’s not to like?”

  Stephen studied her. He was tall and lanky. The white lab coat he wore identified him as a medical professional, but he would still garner respect and authority without it. His reddish blond hair came to the top of his collar. He had freckles and hazel eyes. He looked like a candidate for a cereal box—the all-American boy makes good.

  “You told me all about Shane,” he said. “But what about Katie?”

  “Katie is a mess,” she announced, thinking about the last time she’d spoken with Jack. The man had made her so angry, she’d wanted to put her fist through the wall. Fortunately she knew the consequences for the hand’s many delicate and necessary bones, so she’d resisted.

  “What seems to be Katie’s problem?”

  She smiled. “I’m not comfortable talking about myself in the third person.”

  “Okay. Then what’s wrong with you?”

  That made her laugh. “Wow. Talk about blunt. What is wrong with me?”

  Stephen waited patiently, a look of expectancy on his face.

  “It’s hard to explain,” she said, in part stalling and in part telling the truth. “I’m having some issues with Jack. He makes me crazy, but not in a good way.”

  “How does he make you crazy?”

  “He’s difficult and stubborn.” She couldn’t believe all the things he’d said to her after they’d made love. That it was a mistake. How could he? They were both still naked, and he was spouting that getting involved would be a mistake. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get involved with him or not, but it was as much her decision as his.

  “He presumes,” she continued. “Like it’s all up to him and my vote doesn’t count. Is this a male thing? Does he expect me to sit around quietly while he makes all the decisions?”

  Stephen blinked at her. “Want to tell me what we’re talking about?”

  “Not really.” No way was she going to share that she and Jack had done the wild thing. She still couldn’t believe it herself.

  He nodded toward the glass door. She followed his gaze and saw a young mother carrying an infant. “My two-thirty is a well baby visit. You’re saved by her timely arrival. But don’t think I won’t grill you later.”

  “Grill away,” she said and watched him greet the woman. He led them to an examining room and closed the door.

  Katie stared after them. Stephen was a nice man. Good-looking, intelligent, successful. He listened. He didn’t have any huge, obvious flaws. He would be a great catch.

  She doubted she could be less interested.

  Damn, she thought. Why did it have to be Jack? One would think that eleven years away from the man would have been enough time to get him out of her system. But that hadn’t happened. She’d been fooling herself since she’d arrived back in Lone Star Canyon. She’d thought that everything was fine. That she was in control. But she wasn’t. Not where he was concerned.

  For her, nothing had changed.

  It had taken being in his arms for her to see the truth. Touching him, making love with him had opened her eyes to the fact that she was still in love with him. She was beginning to think she’d never stopped loving him.

  Love. Was it possible?

  She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She didn’t want that to be true, she told herself. Anything else would be okay, but not loving Jack. Just two days ago his cold rejection after their lovemaking had burned down to her soul. She still felt the ache of the wound.

  While she’d felt connected and bonded when they’d made love, he’d felt nothing. Worse, he’d instantly regretted what they’d done. She’d fallen in love, and he wanted out.

  She’d lied when she told him she didn’t want to do it again. Despite everything he’d said, she couldn’t stop thinking about how great they’d been, how right they’d felt together. At least it had felt right to her. Obviously Jack had felt something else.

  He’d turned a wonderful moment into an ugly memory, and she would never forgive him for that. Unfortunately nothing could change the fact that she was stuck loving a man who didn’t want her.

  He was the enemy of her family. His sister hated her, her father hated him. Half her siblings would never speak to her if they knew what had happened, and the same could be said for his brothers and sisters. She was homeless, struggling to help her son make an adjustment to a new town. Her father’s second marriage was dissolving. Oh, and she’d just realized she was immune to the only other single, attractive man she knew. Could it get worse?

  Her brain, ever helpful, supplied an answer. Yes. Of course it could. She and Jack had made love without using protection, so she could very well be pregnant.

  Oh, joy.

  Chapter Ten

  K atie arrived at the Darby ranch a little after three. She parked her Explorer next to Nora’s car and grimaced. Apparently discovering that her life was a mess, that she was still in love with Jack and that she might be pregnant wasn’t bad enough. Now she had to deal with Nora and her bad temper.

  “I don’t think so,” Katie murmured as she turned off the engine.

  A flash of movement caught her attention. She turned and saw her son riding in one of the corrals. Teacher meetings had given him the afternoon off. He was obviously taking advantage of the free time to have fun. Shane was a far better bet than Nora, Katie thought with a smile, and stepped out of her vehicle. She would spend a couple of uncomplicated hours with her son until Jack’s sister left.

  She walked eagerly toward the corral, hesitating only when she saw the tall cowboy leaning against the fence rails. Her heart kicked into overdrive, her palms got all sweaty and she had a sudden urge to run in the opposite direction.

  Through careful planning—apparently on both their parts—she and Jack had managed to spend the past few days avoiding each other. The last time she’d seen him, she’d been furious and hurt and stalking out of the line shack after they made love. Since then she’d thought of a thousand clever ways to start a conversation. She wanted him to know that she was fine, completely untouched by what had happened between them and prepared to put it firmly in the past.

  Now, as her steps slowed, she found herself unable to remember even one witty opening line. Her insides felt all funny. She loved him. She always had. Going away, marrying someone else, having a child and starting a new life hadn’t changed the fact. Katie had a bad feeling she was going to love Jack forever. There were a thousand reasons for them not to be together—the biggest one being he wasn’t interested. So what on earth was she supposed to say to him now?

  Katie continued walking toward the corral. When she reached it, she put her foot on the bottom rail and watched her son. Shane rode straight and tall in his battered saddle. Jack had obviously found the child-size support in some dusty corner. No doubt it had been well used by at least two generations of Darby kids.

  The small bay gelding moved in a slow circle, responding to her son’s eager commands with the patience of an animal used to the enthusiasm of children. A sawhorse with horns had been placed in the center of the ring, and Shane held a rope in his hands.


  “He’s got this idea about running off and joining the rodeo,” Jack said by way of introduction. “I told him he needed to learn to rope first. I figure that’ll buy you at least two years.”

  His voice was light and friendly and didn’t give anything away. Katie glanced at him, but he was watching Shane. She looked from him to her son. Shane waved at her.

  “Look at what I can do,” he called, then circled the short rope over his head and tossed it toward the stationary target. It flew less than ten feet, then tumbled to the ground about halfway to the sawhorse.

  “You’re getting there,” she yelled. “It takes lots of practice.”

  “I know, Mom,” he said, with the slightly frustrated air of a child dealing with a not very bright parent. “I didn’t expect to do it right the first day.”

  Katie held in a smile. “Very wise.”

  Her son collected the rope and tried again. His seat had improved. He was steady and comfortable in the saddle. “He’s about ready to go out on the range,” she said conversationally, careful to keep her attention on Shane.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Jack told her. “He’s not going to be ready to ride the roundup this year, but next spring he’ll pull his weight.”

  Shane continued to send his rope toward the fake steer and continued to miss. He didn’t give up or get frustrated. When he accidentally caught his horse’s head in the noose, he laughed.

  “I can’t believe the change in him,” she said, more to herself than to Jack. “This is what I wanted when I moved back here. I wanted my son to have a happy life. I wanted him to experience the best a ranch has to offer. Back in Dallas I was afraid he would spend so much time in front of his computer that he would forget how to have fun anywhere else.”

  “He’s a good kid, Katie. Honest, smart. Quit worrying and enjoy yourself.”