The Rancher's Rules

by Lucy Monroe

  Zoe edged toward the hallway, tightening the towel around her. “I’ll get dressed and then we’ll talk.”

  His head came up, his gray eyes looking right through her. “You’ve got to help me, Zoe. Jenny’s one of your friends and you introduced us.”

  And that made her responsible for the health of their relationship? Evidently to Tyler it did. She sighed. Seeing Tyler’s tough-guy-in-leather persona dropped completely to reveal his vulnerability tugged at her heartstrings.

  She edged one more step toward the hall. “I’ll help you. Don’t worry. Just let me get dressed.”

  Tyler nodded. “Is that coffee I smell? I could really use a cup. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “Sure, the mugs are in the cupboard to the left of the sink. Help yourself.”

  “Thanks.” He stood up and took a step, then stopped in the middle of the kitchen. His big shoulders started to shake. “I really love her.”

  Zoe’s heart melted. She stepped forward and tugged Tyler back into his chair. Patting his shoulder, she said, “I know. It’s going to be all right. She cares about you too.”

  Tyler used his fists to wipe the tears from his scruffy cheeks. “You think so?”

  Remembering Jenny’s rapturous listing of Tyler’s attributes in the teacher’s lounge that week, Zoe smiled. “I know so.”

  “Thanks.” He put his beefy arm around her and gave Zoe a rough hug. “You’re a good friend to have, Zoe.”

  Using one hand to keep her towel firmly in place, Zoe put the other one around Tyler and hugged him back.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Zoe jumped back from Tyler at the sound of Grant’s angry voice. Unfortunately, Tyler still had a grip on her, and her towel stayed with him. She screeched.

  Grant bellowed.

  Tyler looked past Zoe’s now naked body and said, “Hi, Jenny. What are you doing here?”

  “I don’t know. I came to talk to my friend. At least I thought she was my friend. I did not expect to find her naked with you in the kitchen.”

  Jenny spun around and ran out the door.

  Tyler chased after Jenny, Zoe’s towel still dangling from his hand.

  Zoe stood rooted. Shock warred with embarrassment at her predicament. Grant yanked the floral print tablecloth off the table and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “Get dressed.” He glared at her. “You can explain when you are decently covered.”

  Still shocked from the unbelievable string of events in the kitchen, she did not register his words at first. She had returned to the bathroom, shut the door and dropped the tablecloth in a pile of purple pansies on the floor before she fully comprehended Grant’s imperious demand.

  She did not owe him an explanation. Grant was her friend, not her lover. Hadn’t they established that yesterday?

  Besides, it should have been obvious that she was not trying to seduce Tyler. The man was a basket case, and had taken off after Jenny without even a glimpse at Zoe’s naked body. If the facts did not speak for themselves, there was not much she could add to them. Jenny was another matter entirely. Zoe would have to explain everything to her friend and hope Jenny was rational enough to believe her.

  If only Tyler had let her get dressed when he’d first got there. But in his misery he had been oblivious to her scanty covering. Men.

  Feeling annoyed at men in general and Grant in particular, Zoe stepped back into the shower. In her pique, she refused to rush herself. Grant could just wait for her, and for any explanations she might deign to give him.

  Half an hour later, Zoe reentered the kitchen. This time she was fully clothed, in a pair of comfy cotton pants she had batiked the year before, a matching mock turtleneck and an oversized sweatshirt from her alma mater. Her tennis shoes squeaked as they hit puddles of water left from her dripping body earlier.

  Grant sat at the kitchen table, a mug in his hand. The set of his shoulders and his thin lips let her know that he had not gotten over his initial reaction to finding her in the kitchen with Tyler. She frowned at him, letting him know she did not appreciate his attitude.

  She walked by him and grabbed a paper towel from the counter. Going back to the puddles of water on the floor, she knelt down and wiped them dry. “You can stop glaring at me. Tyler and I were not in the middle of some hot and heavy loveplay when you got here.”

  Grant’s chair scraped the linoleum as he pushed away from the table. “You could have fooled me. You were wearing nothing but a towel and Tyler when I walked in.”

  Zoe looked up to meet Grant’s gaze. Mistake. His eyes were filled with fury and he loomed over her like an avenging angel. Trying to scoot back and gain some distance, she lost her balance and fell back onto her bottom with a plop. “Correction. I was wearing the towel and hugging Tyler. He needed comfort.”

  “If you comfort every guy who needs it with your naked body, I’m surprised your reputation isn’t already shredded.”

  Putting her hands beside her and her feet under her, she pushed up from the floor. She landed two inches from Grant’s chest. She met his eyes unflinchingly, giving him glare for glare. “That was a rotten thing to say.”

  She was so close she could see his nostrils dilate, a sure sign that Grant was furious. Zoe prepared for a rip-roaring argument with him. Instead he wrapped his arms around her, settling one hand on the small of her back and the other behind her head. Yanking her forward, he lowered his head and stopped.

  Zoe felt like a deer caught in her daddy’s headlights. She knew this meant danger, but she was too shocked to move. “Grant, I don’t think—”

  His mouth cut off the rest of her words. His lips were warm and she could taste coffee on his tongue. The tongue he roughly plunged into her mouth, still open to finish her statement. It felt good. He tasted wonderful.

  Using the hand on the small of her back, he pulled her body into alignment with his. Electric shocks sizzled along her front where her legs, pelvis and breasts made contact with the hard contours of Grant’s body. Of their own volition her arms lifted, and she locked her hands behind his neck.

  The bones in her legs turned to warm candle wax and would not hold her up. They didn’t need to. His mouth was no more possessive than his hands. He held her against him like a vise.

  In the back of Zoe’s mind, she knew this would not last. Anger had prompted Grant to do something he had made it very clear he did not want to do. Kiss her. She already felt the pain of his withdrawal, although it had not happened yet.

  Refusing to give in to it, she determined to enjoy the sensation of being in his arms while it lasted. Relaxing against him, she gloried in the feel of his tongue branding her mouth, his hands holding her so strongly. She moved her lips under his, exulting in the groan that issued from him. He lowered his hand and cupped her bottom.

  She could no more stop herself from rocking her pelvis against him than she could hold her breath under water indefinitely. She needed this. Too much.

  He responded to her movements by backing her against the counter. He lowered his other hand to her bottom and lifted her until she sat on the very edge of the counter, her thighs open and Grant between them.

  He didn’t waste any time getting as close as he could get with only the layers of clothes separating them. He pressed his hardened shaft against the juncture of her thighs, and with only a small wiggle of her backside he was hitting her where it counted most.

  She moaned at the feelings that rocketed through her at the contact. She wanted to be naked, with him buried deep inside her.

  He squeezed her breast. She could not get enough air. Twisting her mouth from his, Zoe gulped in necessary oxygen. Grant moved his mouth to her ear and pressed wet, breathy kisses against it. Zoe felt herself spiraling out of control. She had never responded this way before, and if she didn’t know better she would think she was about to climax.

  He spoke into her ear. Whispering encouragement. “That’s right, querida. Let go.”

  He
thrust hard and fast against her. She ground herself against him.

  “Yes.” He yanked her shirt out of her pants. The first touch of his fingers against the naked, heated flesh of her stomach made her suck in her breath.

  He moved his hand up under her shirt until he met her bra. Finding the front clasp, he undid it with a minimal amount of fumbling. She arched against his palm. When his thumb and forefinger closed over one nipple, she went rigid. He pulled and squeezed, moving his lips back to cover hers. His tongue plunged inside again. This time she met it with her own, thrusting her tongue against his in a dance as old as time.

  The shudders took her by surprise. She yanked her head away from his and screamed. “Grant—”

  “See, Jenny, I told you I didn’t have anything going with Zoe. You think she would be making it with Grant on the kitchen counter if she was interested in me?”

  A woman should not have to deal with this after her first ever orgasm in the kitchen. Between the look of abject horror on Grant’s face and the glee on Tyler’s, Zoe felt like punching someone. Jenny was giving her a look of wary hope, her freckled face streaked with tears and her red hair in a wild cloud around her head. Zoe decided that as a fellow woman and friend she could not disappoint her.

  Grant pulled his hand out from under Zoe’s shirt as if he’d just realized where it was. He would have stepped away, but Zoe hooked her arm around his neck and pulled. He was not going anywhere. “That’s right.”

  Jenny swallowed. Even though she had not done anything wrong with Tyler, Zoe felt guilty when her friend scrubbed at her cheeks. “Then why were you naked and hugging my Tyler?”

  Grant tried to pull away again, but Zoe held on. She whispered in his ear. “Work with me here. You owe it to me for the crack about sleeping around.”

  He stopped straining against her hold. Zoe let go of him and pushed until she had enough room to slip off the counter. Taking Grant by the hand, she led him to the table. “Sit.”

  He sat.

  She patted his cheek and smiled. She turned back to Jenny and Tyler. “Do you two want some coffee?”

  Tyler looked at Jenny for her answer. She shrugged. He said, “Yeah. That would be good.”

  “Fine. Sit down, and I’ll explain how you found me hugging your Tyler wearing nothing but a towel.”

  Jenny frowned, but she sat down. Turning toward the coffeemaker, Zoe felt her still swollen nipples rub against the fabric of her shirt. Embarrassment swept through her. Changing her mind about pouring the coffee, she headed toward the hallway. “Grant, you get the coffee. I’ll be right back.”

  Tyler asked, “Where is she going?”

  “Don’t be an idiot. What do you think we walked in on? I think she wants to put herself back together,” Jenny replied.

  “Oh.”

  Her cheeks hot enough to fry eggs, Zoe headed for the bathroom. She felt a little guilty about leaving Grant to face Jenny and Tyler alone, but not too guilty. He deserved something for that stupid look of horror on his face after the most beautiful experience of her life. Taking her to new sensual heights aside, Grant had clearly not changed his mind about his rule. He still didn’t want to kiss her.

  Well, this time he had done a whole lot more, and she was not sure she would ever get over it. Sighing, she looked in the mirror over the sink.

  Her pupils were still dilated with passion and her mouth looked thoroughly kissed. Running cold water over a washcloth, Zoe let the liquid cool the heated skin on her hands and wrists. She bathed her face and smoothed the tendrils of hair that had escaped from her French braid. She refastened her bra and tucked her shirt back into her pants.

  There was not much else she could do, unless she wanted to take another shower and change her clothes. She didn’t. She wanted to get the discussion with Jenny over and start looking for apartments. Preferably without another all-out confrontation with Grant.

  Coming back into the kitchen, she noticed that Grant and Jenny were both glaring at Tyler, and that Tyler looked like a man waiting for the executioner. Zoe’s patience snapped.

  “You can both wipe that look of nasty displeasure right off your face. Tyler has not done anything wrong, and I’m in no mood to deal with assumptions.”

  Tyler turned a grateful smile on her and Jenny’s soft brown eyes widened at her tone. Zoe nodded. “I mean it. You want the truth, or not?”

  Jenny looked at Tyler, then at Zoe. “I want the truth.”

  “Me too.”

  Zoe ignored Grant. She sat down at the table and looked her fellow teacher square in the eye. “Fine. I was taking a shower this morning when I heard someone pounding on the door. I thought it was Grant, because he was supposed to come over and go apartment-hunting with me. You with me so far?”

  Jenny nodded.

  “Good.” She took a deep breath. “As you know, it was not Grant. It was Tyler. And to be honest I don’t think he even noticed I was wearing only a towel and still wet from the shower.”

  “I told you,” Tyler said.

  “He was really upset. I guess you two had a fight?”

  Jenny nodded.

  “Well, he was beside himself at the thought of losing you, and he came over to beg me to talk to you.”

  “I couldn’t stand to lose you, Jenny. I love you.”

  Hearing Tyler’s declaration did nothing for Zoe’s mood. She gave him an impatient stare and went on. “He hugged me when I promised to help him, and that’s when you and Grant walked in.”

  Jenny’s shoulders slumped. “I guess I owe you an apology.”

  Zoe shrugged. “Just talk it out with Tyler.”

  “I will.” Jenny stood. “Come on, Tyler. We need to talk.”

  Tyler jumped up like a well-trained pup, which was pretty amusing considering how big he was. His look of eagerness resembled a pet as well. Jenny stopped at the door. “I am sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

  Zoe did not want to know. “I forgive you.”

  They left. She stood up, grabbed the coffee mugs and carried them to the sink. “You ready to go apartment-hunting?”

  “Don’t you think we should talk first?” Grant spoke from right behind her. She had not heard him move. How strange.

  “About what?”

  “A couple of things come to mind. The first being, why didn’t you just go get dressed when Tyler got here?”

  She lost it at the residual anger she heard in Grant’s voice. “Because I like entertaining men wearing nothing but a towel. Why do you think?” She turned around and brushed past Grant. “Maybe you should go do your Carlene thing, and I’ll search for apartments by myself.”

  “Forget it. We’re going to discuss what happened here.”

  She spun around to face him. “I’m through discussing Tyler. Either you believe the worst of me or you trust me. It’s your choice.”

  As she said the words, she realized that she owed Grant the same consideration with Carlene.

  “I’m not talking about Tyler.”

  She sighed. The big confrontation. “Do we have to discuss the other? I already know you’ve got a rule against kissing me. I figure you’ve got one against what happened to me on the counter as well.” She looked at him. “Can’t we just leave it at that?”

  Grant’s frown speared her. “At what? At the place where we both realize that I should not be kissing you but I keep doing it?”

  “Uh, I think we did more than kiss. Well, I did anyway.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “I know.”

  “I’m sorry you didn’t. Is that what’s bothering you?” Men could get really cranky when they were left hanging, or so she had been told.

  The look of horror was back. “No.”

  “I’m losing my patience here. There isn’t anything we can do about what happened. Like I said, I know you did not want to do it. For some reason neither of us understands you have kissed me twice in the last week although you are firmly against the idea.”

  He sat down in the chai
r and dropped his head in his hands. He looked so much like Tyler had earlier that Zoe laughed.

  His head snapped up. “It’s not funny, damn it.”

  She stifled her giggles. “I know.”

  He fisted his hands against his legs. “We’ve got to do something about this attraction between us.”

  He had already ruled out the most logical course of action—giving in to it. “Like what?”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t spend so much time together for now.”

  Fear clawed at her insides. Was he saying that he wanted to end their friendship? He couldn’t be. He had promised last night that he would not give up on their relationship even if she fed his boots to the goat.

  “Please clarify.”

  He smiled. It was strained, but nevertheless a smile. “Sometimes you sound like a college professor, not a kindergarten teacher.”

  So? She’d talk like a blithering idiot if he would just explain what he meant by not spending time together. “Do you mean like not going with me to look for apartments, or not spending Christmas together, or what?”

  He frowned. “I promised to take you looking for a place to live and I will.”

  “Okay.”

  “As for Christmas—we’ve spent every Christmas together since I was eleven years old. I’m not about to stop now. Besides, I like being in the good graces of my folks.”

  Relief seeped into her in tiny increments. “What exactly are you saying, then?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “No more time together on kitchen counters, I guess.”

  She had been the one on the counter, but who was keeping track? “That’s doable.” Tongue in cheek, she promised, “If it will make you feel better, I’ll stay out of kitchens with you entirely.”

  “Maybe that would work.”

  At the look of serious relief on his face, she didn’t mention they were in one now. Or that their first kiss had happened in the entertainment room. Why burst his bubble?

  “Well, then, shall we go apartment-hunting?”

  He nodded. “Get your coat. I’ll drive.”

  He definitely made a better driver than navigator, so she did not argue. Gathering the paper with her listings circled, her coat and her purse, she followed Grant out to the truck.