by Sara Orwig
She dismissed the thought as ridiculous. She had never been deeply, truly in love in her whole life. The sheriff of Verity, Texas, was certainly not going to capture her heart. Even though he was a billionaire, successful and sexy beyond any other man she had ever known, he was a rancher, a cowboy, a sheriff and a West Texan, as remote from her world as the moon from earth.
She was astounded that she had liked making love and being out with him. She paused to think about the past evening. She’d had the best time ever, made love with the sexiest man ever. It had been a night she would never forget, even though she wanted to. She didn’t want this heart-pounding, breathtaking reaction. This rancher was not the man to fit into her life and she needed to get over this intense response to him.
She half expected making love would shoo away the pesky attraction, but it hadn’t. At least, not yet. She wanted to get him back into the proper perspective—that of an ordinary man, like all others in town. Then, when she left Verity, she’d simply forget Wyatt.
She showered, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and followed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee into the kitchen.
He was seated at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee. When she entered, he came to his feet, his gaze drifting over her. Tall, lanky, moving with a lazy ease that hid the strength he had, he set her heart pounding despite her resolve. “I thought I’d have a little fortification before I head home,” he said. “Can I pour you a cup?”
“I’ll get it, thank you. Sit again and I’ll join you.” She poured a cup and carried it to the table. He stood waiting, holding out her chair, and as she walked up, they gazed at each other. Once again, she was held by his blue eyes that conveyed so much heat, it was difficult to catch her breath.
Without looking at it, he took her coffee and set it down with one hand. He slipped his other hand across her nape and drew her close to kiss her. All her intentions to view him the way she did other men dissolved and vanished.
While she returned his kiss, his arms banded her waist. Shoving the chair away, he drew her fully against him and it was as if they hadn’t made love only a short time earlier.
When he finally released her, both of them were breathing hard. “I’m not staying the rest of the night,” he said, more as if to remind himself than to inform her.
She sat at the table, her coffee in front of her.
“You’ve been a surprise in nearly every way,” she said, looking intently at him.
“I have to say that you have, too. You’re not at all like your sister.”
“No, we’re not alike, but we’ve always been close. Mom was sick from the time Desirée was little until we lost her when Desirée was seventeen, so in some ways I guess I’ve been a mother to her all her life. Our mom was a model, then later she was involved in advertising and always busy. I took care of Desirée.” She couldn’t count the times she’d been there for her sister, willingly, patiently. “I’m the one who gives the impression of liking men, but that’s really Desirée. I’ve been intimate with very few—I can count them on one hand easily. My sister? She could count them on one hand in high school. She collects men like some women collect jewelry. I’ve talked to her about her lifestyle, but she’s headstrong and there are parts of her life I can’t influence.”
“At least you tried. A sister can’t do anything else. I’d hate to try to change my sister.”
“Ah, being stubborn runs in the family,” she said lightly and he chuckled.
“Takes two to have ‘stubborn.’” Finishing his coffee, he set the cup in the saucer, carried it to the sink to rinse and placed it in the dishwasher. “I’ll go now, Destiny.”
She followed him to the door of her suite, her gaze running from his thick, dark brown hair, down across broad shoulders to his narrow waistline and then down his long legs. He carried his jacket and tie on his arm.
“Thanks for telling me about the Wrenvilles,” she said. “And thanks for the dinner. The evening has been great, Wyatt.”
“It has,” he replied. His voice had lowered and his eyes darkened, making her draw a deep breath. “Go out again with me tonight.”
“I can’t, but thank you. I have a dinner date. Your mayor and his wife have invited me to their house. I couldn’t refuse after such a nice letter.”
“Maybe I’ll see you later today,” Wyatt said. They gazed at each other and she wanted him to kiss her again.
Instead of leaving, he stood there and her heart began to drum. She placed a hand lightly on his forearm. “Wyatt,” she whispered, wanting his kiss, wanting him to stay.
“See you later,” he said as he turned and left.
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind him, she stepped inside and locked her door. She wanted to see him again, go out with him again, even though they were at cross-purposes. With their lifestyles and careers, there was no future in any relationship between them. She had a busy life in Chicago, family in L.A. and this Wrenville project, plus her Calhoun heritage. All things Wyatt wanted no part of and would not be compatible with him. Plus, he had never opened himself up to her. She had already been warned that Wyatt kept part of himself shut away, so she didn’t want to get into a relationship that would be any risk to her own heart. And Wyatt would be a heartbreaker.
What would happen when he learned she was a Calhoun? Destiny wondered whether he would even speak to her. No matter what he’d said, that old feud had not died yet or Wyatt wouldn’t be so disturbed by it.
Destiny planned to be gone in a few days. It shouldn’t take long to draw some conclusions about the murders. She wanted to check out old papers. Talk to locals. She wanted to find the oldest generation, talk to some of them and get their account of the story. She would be gone and soon Wyatt Milan would be forgotten.
She went back to her bedroom, eyeing the empty bed, the covers awry, seeing Wyatt there with the sheet across his middle, his lean, muscled body sexy, irresistible to her. She might not feel as if she was in danger of falling in love with him, but he was the sexiest man she’d ever met and one of only two she had really been attracted to. But what she felt for Wyatt was more intense. Maybe it was because she was older now. But at twenty-nine she still couldn’t fully understand her own reactions.
She planned to make her announcement this afternoon about her Calhoun heritage. Would that end the relationship with Wyatt? A pang chilled her. Or should she keep her heritage secret? Instantly, she shook her head even though she was alone. If she did a show on the Wrenville house, some way her bloodline and her Calhoun ancestors would come out. This was the time to get the most drama out of revealing her ties to Verity and the feud before someone else broke the news. She just hoped it didn’t make a world of difference to Wyatt.
She changed to cotton pajamas—not what she would have worn with Wyatt, yet what she found comfortable. As she slid into bed she could feel Wyatt’s presence there, smell his scent. She thought about the evening, still surprised at how she had reacted to him and the effect he had on her. Had the evening meant anything to him?
She didn’t really know him well enough to discern what he felt. So many times men she had dated and never been intimate with had claimed to be in love with her. She’d never reciprocated those emotions. In fact, she had never really been in love. Yet she had known clearly how the men felt, and when they wanted to be intimate, some of the men had proposed. It was different with Wyatt. They’d been physically intimate and yet he remained a mystery, as closed off and as much a stranger in some ways as he was when he had first walked into his office to meet her. She couldn’t fathom her own feelings because she was in new territory with Wyatt. Her dealings with him in one day were light-years from those with any other man she had ever known.
One refreshing thing with Wyatt—he wasn’t impressed by her fame, her television show, any of that. He seemed to be truly interested in her and honest with her. Sh
e didn’t need to turn on the charm with him because she felt she had his full attention all the time she was with him. And he had some rare qualities that she liked—easygoing, loyal to his family and evidently close with his siblings, straightforward with her, obviously the town trusted him. He was a leader, a take-charge person, which she liked even though in her own situation, she would have been better off if he had given in to whatever she wanted.
How had she gotten so involved with him almost instantly? Her actions went against all her beliefs and all the advice she’d given to her sister over the years. One thing she knew—Wyatt was going to be difficult to forget. What was worse, he might be difficult to deal with in the coming days. She hoped he would not interfere enough to wreck her intention to have the Wrenville unsolved murders on her show. She had her own plans regarding the Milans and the Calhouns and Wyatt was not going to like what she intended to do. He wasn’t going to like it at all.
Four
To his dismay, Wyatt could not shake Destiny out of his thoughts. He had slept only a few hours and then stirred, wanting her beside him. He had yearned to seduce her from the first moment he saw her and though she didn’t disappoint him, she had shocked him.
Destiny conveyed hot sex. Everything about her appeared wanton, steamy and earthy, from her riot of red hair down to her long, shapely legs. Yet she’d told him she had been intimate with only a few men, and no one in the past several years.
Her sister, however, looked virginal with her Dresden Doll beauty, yet Desirée was the one who liked men and went from one relationship to another.
Yes, Destiny had surprised him. He wondered if she had ever been in love and decided to ask her the next time he had a chance.
He thought of Katherine, the woman he had thought was the love of his life. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, she was the most beautiful woman he had known and he had loved her with his whole heart, opening himself in every way, planning a lifetime with her, expecting them to be wrapped in their love that he thought she felt as deeply as he.
It still hurt to think about the pain of their breakup. He should have seen it coming when she began to find excuses for not seeing him, but, as the saying went, love was blind. When she finally had broken it off, it had been crushing. Eventually he had gotten over Katherine, but since then he tried to keep that emotional part of his life shut away and out of his thoughts. He didn’t want to risk his heart again, make himself vulnerable, get hurt like that again. He thought of his brother Nick who suffered deeply from losing his wife. Like Nick, Wyatt had no intention of giving his heart again—at least not for a long time. Hot, satisfying sex was fulfilling, but falling in love was too big a risk.
There was no risk to his heart with Destiny. She was desirable and sexy, and they’d enjoyed each other in bed, but they each could walk away without emotional damage. Their lives were vastly different and they were each accustomed to getting what they wanted so there was no danger of falling in love.
If he couldn’t talk her out of it, Destiny would check out the Wrenville place and story, pack and go out of his life, and neither one of them would look back.
In the meantime, sex with her had been fantastic. Last night had been all he had hoped and then some. She was the sexiest woman he had ever known. Just thinking about her made him hot. He wished he could have stayed the rest of the night and made love again this morning but if he had been seen leaving her suite early this morning that would have stirred a firestorm of gossip and questions, including from his own family. He didn’t need that drama in his life.
Then why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Destiny was a walking, talking, gorgeous threat to his peace of mind. In spite of all logic, he wanted her with him in his bed, in his arms right now.
He needed to back off. She was too unpredictable; he couldn’t figure her out, which was unusual. Most people never surprised him. He didn’t want Destiny falling in love with him. Her sister had been enough worry when she wanted him to go back to California with her.
He had to laugh at himself. Destiny fall in love with him? She was very much her own person, highly at odds with him over the Wrenville murders and her show. He couldn’t imagine her in his life all the time. From the moment she rode into town in her big red limo, she had done nothing except stir people up. He had found a tranquil life on his ranch and in Verity and after the pain from his breakup with Katherine, he wanted peace and quiet. He guessed Destiny hadn’t had peace and quiet in her life since she was five years old. She thrived on attention.
There was no way either of them would fall in love with the other. Destiny may have already moved on and shoved last night out of her mind.
Remembering the night, he paused, standing still, lost in memories. He didn’t know how long he stood there, but he finally realized time had passed and he was still lost in thoughts of Destiny. He had to get to the office and he was going to be late if he didn’t get moving.
Swearing under his breath, Wyatt hurried to get down a fast breakfast of cereal and leave for work.
He wanted to keep up with what Destiny would do at the Wrenville house. Writing the governor had been a smart move on her part because Wyatt couldn’t overrule the governor. If it had just been the mayor, Wyatt could have seen to it that she wasn’t legally allowed on the property. He’d finally gotten in touch with the governor’s office to confirm Destiny’s letter. She had the right to look at the old house, search it, take pictures and there was nothing he could do.
She also was free to search for a letter and a fortune or anything else she might find, but the property still belonged officially to Verity and so would anything she found.
How he wished he could legally keep her off the property, but that wasn’t going to happen. She had outmaneuvered him with the governor’s permission and he had to give her grudging admiration for it.
At the office he entered to find Dwight filing papers. Dwight ran his fingers through his tangled hair. “Morning. We’ve been getting calls. I sent them to the mayor’s office. People want to know if Destiny is going to film the Wrenville house today. They want to know if she’ll talk to reporters again today. The hotel called and said their lobby is filled with people waiting to get her autograph.”
“Oh, hell,” Wyatt said. “She’ll be gone soon. Just keep telling them we don’t know what she’s doing or when she’s doing it.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying. Mabel Lake called and wanted to know since you took Destiny out last night if you’re dating. I told her that was a business evening.”
“Thanks for that one and it was a business evening,” he said, thinking it partially had been. “As much as any man who takes her out is going to spend a purely business evening. With her, that isn’t possible.”
“I don’t imagine so,” Dwight said wistfully. “Do you think she’ll come here today?”
“I don’t know what that woman is doing,” Wyatt said, causing Dwight’s eyes to widen. “I don’t have any control over her. She has a letter from the governor of Texas giving her a big welcome and an invitation to put the Wrenville murders on her show. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Mercy. How did she get a letter from the governor?”
“She wrote him, Dwight,” Wyatt replied, thinking most men would do whatever Destiny asked. Her show was popular and he imagined the governor had watched her show and knew what she looked like.
The phone rang and Dwight answered, his face wreathed in a smile until he glanced at Wyatt and his smile vanished.
“I’m fine,” he said. “He’s right here and headed toward his office, Ms. Jones. I’ll transfer your call.”
Wyatt hurried to his office and picked up his phone. “Good morning,” he drawled in a deep voice.
“Morning, Wyatt,” she said in a honeyed tone that made him think of last night and wish he was with her.
“I wanted to let you know we’re going to the Wrenville house to look it over for the show.”
“You’re sure this will be a show?”
“No, not at all yet. I’ll have to get everything ready and present it. I thought perhaps you’d like to drive out and see what we’re doing, maybe show me where the men were murdered.”
Wyatt wanted to refuse to do anything to promote the Wrenville house. On the other hand, he wanted to see Destiny. “I’ll drive out later today,” he said as if the words came without thought.
“Good. I have a few questions for you. We’ll see you later, Wyatt. I should run now,” she said. “Bye.”
She was gone. Longing struck him. He wanted to see her, hold her and kiss her. He glanced at his calendar and saw calls and meetings listed. He phoned Dwight and asked him to move the 1:00 p.m. meeting. As he stared at the paperwork on his desk, he realized Destiny was already disrupting his life, just as he had feared. How much worse would it get?
It was one o’clock before he told Dwight he was leaving. After a short drive out of the east side of town, he turned into the Wrenville house. The long drive from the highway to the house was overgrown with weeds that were tamped down from recent activity. He pulled up in the drive that circled in front of the house and stopped.
He hadn’t been at the place in years, had only driven by on the highway. The house was in worse shape than he had remembered. Paint was gone, the boards gray and weathered. One step had fallen in leading up to the porch, but it had been partially repaired and he suspected it was the work of the mayor getting ready for her visit. He intended to catch Gyp and talk to him about not informing him about Destiny’s visit.
