“Any way you look at it…well, it must have been an awful situation,” Dallas remarked.
He sighed. “Yeah. And when my grandparents were killed Newt was right there demanding the will be read and his part dished out to him. He threw a hell of a fit when he learned he had no part. Burt and Elsa had cut him out completely and willed everything to me.”
Disbelief parted her lips. “Oh, my. I’ll bet that has caused some problems between the two of you.”
“I was fifteen at the time, so the ranch wasn’t legally handed over to me until I was twenty-one. Before the transfer happened Newt did his best to persuade me to sell this place and give him part of the money.”
“Hmm. Why did he think he deserved it?”
Boone tried to chuckle but the sound was more like a sickened gag. “He’s always moaned about sacrificing everything he’d ever wanted when he had to leave Arizona. I’m not exactly sure what it was that he wanted so much—but he claims the move ruined his life. Anyway, Newt believed that gave him a right to inherit something.”
“But obviously you didn’t want to sell.”
“Not on your life,” he muttered. “My grandparents worked their rears off to make this place go. It was their life. And I’ve made it mine, too.”
“Yes. I can see that.”
His gaze swept back to her face. “You think that’s a crime or something?”
A wan smile tilted her lips as she shook her head. “Not at all. I just meant that I can see where your devotion lies.”
He let out a heavy breath, then shook his head. “Maybe I seem greedy to you, Dallas. After all, there’s a lot of land with this ranch. I could sell part of it and give the money to Newt. But what would that accomplish? He’d simply drink it away and kill himself more quickly in the process. I can’t see that being a smart move on my part.”
Her gaze fell to her lap. “No,” she said with a sigh, “that wouldn’t be smart at all. I just wish—” She glanced up at him. “There was some way you two could patch up your differences. Do you visit with him at all?”
He placed his mug back on the tray. “Funny, isn’t it, you’d think I’d find it easy to completely turn my back on him. But I can’t. Whenever I drive into town, I usually drop by to check in on him. I tell myself I’m doing it for my mother. But deep down, I guess there’s a part of me that wishes someday I’ll walk in and find him a changed man.”
A gentle smile tilted her lips and Boone’s gaze automatically zeroed in on them just as they had for most of the night. The taste of her, the feel of her, was haunting his senses and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and let himself forget every word, every wall that stood between them.
“Change is hard for some people. And Newt probably believes he can’t be any other way than what he is. Does he have anything to do with Hayley?”
“I won’t let her go around him unless he’s been off the hooch for a day or two. So that’s not very often. She loves him simply because he’s her grandfather and about the only other relative, other than me, that she has. But I… It doesn’t come that easy for me.”
His restless thoughts pushed him to his feet and without thinking he walked over to the twinkling Christmas tree. The sight of it warmed him. Or was it Dallas’s presence making everything seem special?
He looked over his shoulder at her and as he did, the telephone sitting near her elbow caught his eye. Since lunch, he’d not bothered to check his messages. For all he knew, horse clients were waiting on a return call from him.
“Did you check the answering machine this evening before we left for town?” he asked as he strode back over to where she sat.
“Why, no. I wouldn’t feel right listening to your personal messages,” she told him.
“I never receive a message that personal,” he assured her, then punched the play button on the machine.
Three messages had been left. The first one by a woman looking to purchase a buckskin mare. The second was Marti, informing Dallas that the part for her truck had arrived, but the company had shipped him the wrong one. He’d ordered another pump and expected it to arrive tomorrow afternoon. The third call was from Dallas’s sister-in-law, Lass.
“Hi, Dallas! Did Fiona give you the news about the babies? Brady is over the moon—especially with Johnny and Bridget expecting at the same time!” She giggled, then said, “Grandmother Kate says if this keeps up, she’s moving out to the horse barn. But all joking aside, things are great here. All the kids rode yesterday and I remembered to put Peter on Tumbleweed. We’re getting ready for the employee party tomorrow night. I hope you can be home by then. Gosh, I miss you so much! Love you, Dallas. Bye.”
The recorder clicked off and Boone looked down to see Dallas wiping fingers beneath her eyes. The display of emotion not only surprised him, but it also stabbed him right in the middle of his chest.
“Dallas, are you crying?”
She sniffed and did her best to offer him a wobbly smile. “I’m sorry, Boone. I don’t usually sprout waterworks. And I understand they grate on a man.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “It’s just that hearing Lass’s voice…got to me.”
Moving around the coffee table, he sank down on the cushion next to her and reached for her hand. “You’re homesick.”
“Maybe a little,” she conceded, then looked almost apologetic. “But I’m enjoying my time here, Boone. Please don’t think that I’m not. This day has been wonderful. Getting the tree this morning. Our dinner and the play tonight. I’ll never forget any of it,” she added huskily.
“Neither will I—ever forget,” he admitted.
Her misty green eyes searched his face and he wondered why it felt like something or someone was squeezing his heart.
“Really?”
Suddenly Boone couldn’t fight himself any longer. He tugged on her hand and she fell forward and into his arms.
“Oh, Dallas…Dallas. None of this is supposed to be happening. You’ll be going soon. And I can’t follow. But while you’re here—” He pressed his cheek against hers. “I keep telling myself that it’s okay to want you. Like this.”
He found her mouth with his and as her lips opened and her arms slid around him, he realized that he was not the same man she’d met two nights ago.
When he ended the contact of their lips and began to trail a track of kisses down the side of her neck, she whispered, “This scares me, Boone. Really scares me. When I leave this ranch I don’t want to leave my heart here with you.”
“And I don’t want you to leave it with me.” Forcing the words through his tight throat, he rubbed his cheek against the skin bared by the V of her sweater. “Because I—I would only break it. Ruin it. And I never want to hurt you, sweet Dallas. Never.”
Her fingers dipped into his hair and clamped against his scalp. Boone lifted his head to look at her and as their gazes met he groaned with sheer longing.
“Then kiss me and tell me good-night,” she implored. “Otherwise, I might forget all the reasons we can’t be together.”
He searched her eyes while foolishly wondering why he couldn’t have met her many years ago before the patterns of their lives had already been set, before he’d become a hollow man.
“And what are those reasons?” he had to ask, even though he already knew how she would answer.
“A thousand miles,” she said sadly. “My home and family. And that’s just for starters.”
Everything inside of him suddenly felt heavy and dying. “A thousand miles,” he repeated softly, then before he could change his mind, he pressed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “Good night, Dallas.”
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes shadowed with something like disappointment, and then suddenly she pulled herself from his arms and hurried out of the room.
Boone sat where he was for several minutes before he finally managed to push himself to his feet. The twinkling lights on the tree seemed to mock him and with a heavy heart he quickly turned them off and left
the room.
On the way to his bedroom, the slit of light beneath Dallas’s door beckoned to him and for a moment he paused and reconsidered his decision to tell her good-night.
If he pushed, she would give. But in the end that wouldn’t make him feel good about himself.
No, he had to put wanting her out of his mind. Like he’d told her, he’d made this ranch his life. And he couldn’t give it up. Not even for her.
Chapter Nine
Dallas spent a fitful night trying to force herself to fall asleep. But at the most, she’d gotten only broken naps that had made her feel even groggier the next morning.
When she staggered into the kitchen it appeared that Boone had already been there and gone. Dallas was glad. Facing him this early was not how she needed to start her day.
Shoving back her heavy hair, she walked over to the coffeepot. After she poured herself a cup and took a careful sip, she gazed down the cabinet at the black phone attached to the wall.
Oh, God, how she missed her cell phone and the convenience of calling her family and friends anytime she wanted or needed them.
She missed the hustle and bustle of the Diamond D, the ranch hands and horses, jockeys, grooms and hot walkers. She missed the sound of the thundering hooves as the colts and fillies galloped the track. But mostly she missed her family, her riding stables and the children. Everything that was important to her was back in New Mexico.
And yet so much of her was dreading the day she would have to leave this quiet and lonely ranch. It didn’t make sense, but the feelings were there anyway.
After a quick breakfast she dressed in jeans and a heavy gray sweater, then as she stepped outside topped it with her denim ranch jacket.
On the way to the barns she noticed the sky had cleared and the wind had calmed somewhat. It was going to be a beautiful day, she decided, even if her heart was all mixed-up inside.
She was behind one of the smaller barns, checking over the six horses she’d purchased, when Hayley came trotting across the dusty corral.
“Dallas, where’s Dad? I’ve looked all over and can’t find him.”
From the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the girl had obviously run all the way out here. “Is something wrong?” Dallas asked quickly.
“No. Well, sorta. I need to ask him something. And I don’t have much time. I gotta find him. Is Mick around? Maybe he knows where Dad is.”
“I haven’t seen either one of them. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Hayley released a dramatic sigh. “My best friend, Jennifer, has invited me to go with her and her family to Las Vegas on a Christmas shopping trip. They’re gonna spend the night there and go to a movie and all that cool kind of stuff.”
The girl’s obvious excitement brought a smile to Dallas’s face. “That sounds like lots of fun. Do you think your father will give you permission to go?”
The girl tilted her head from one side to the other. “I don’t know. He’s stricter than my friends’ fathers, but sometimes he lets me go places. But this time…I just gotta go! I could pick out something for Dad’s Christmas present without him seeing and—”
She stopped in midsentence as a troubled look fell over her face.
“What’s wrong?” Dallas asked quickly.
“I just remembered. You’ll probably get your truck back tomorrow and then you’ll leave the next morning, and if I go to Vegas with Jennifer I’ll miss being here—with you.”
In spite of the heaviness in Dallas’s heart, she gave the girl a reassuring smile. “Oh, honey, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to take a trip just because of me. Christmas is coming! It’s a time to do special things.”
She studied Dallas for a thoughtful moment. “You mean, you think I should go for it?”
Bending, Dallas tenderly cupped her gloved hands around Hayley’s face. “It would make me happy for you to go and have fun.” She swallowed as more emotions tightened her throat. “And who knows, maybe I’ll be coming back someday to buy more horses and we’ll get to see each other again.”
“Oh, yeah. That would be great. Or maybe I could talk Dad into driving down to New Mexico to see you? I know he likes you,” Hayley added with childlike certainty. “He doesn’t ever talk to any woman the way he talks to you.”
He might like her, Dallas thought dismally, but not enough to warrant a trip to New Mexico. And neither of them were really cut out for a long-term, long-distance relationship—and Dallas didn’t think she’d survive a fling with Boone. It was already going to be hard to say goodbye…?.
Dallas tried to clear the knot of emotions in her throat. “Well, it would be nice if the two of you came down for a visit. I’d like that,” she added huskily.
The sound of a vehicle suddenly caught Hayley’s attention and she looked around Dallas’s shoulder. “Oh, there’s Dad now! I’ll talk to you later, Dallas!”
Dallas turned to see the girl climb over the corral fence and race to where Boone was getting out of the old work truck. He spotted Hayley almost immediately and waited at the side of the vehicle until she reached him.
Even though she was fifty yards away and couldn’t hear a word being said, Dallas felt as though she was eavesdropping, so she turned her attention back to the horses. She’d find out soon enough if Hayley got to make the trip with her friend.
A few minutes later, she was smoothing a hand over the rump of the brown mare, when Boone’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.
“Do the horses still look okay to you?”
Her heart tripping rapidly in her chest, she turned to face him. He looked a bit tired, but other than that there was nothing in his expression that said he was thinking about last night and the way they’d parted.
“They look good,” she said. “I just thought I’d have a little visit with them this morning. And tell them about the long trip they have ahead of them.”
“You might hope they didn’t understand. The most any of these have traveled in a horse trailer is about a hundred miles. That’s when I picked them up at auction.”
She looked away from him and over to the opposite end of the corral, where the horses were milling around a hay manger. “I’ll make sure I make plenty of stops to let them rest. And I’ve brought a water barrel so that I can take this water they’re accustomed to back with me for the trip. Horses rarely like to drink when they’re on the road. Especially if the water is different.”
“Good thinking.”
Jamming her hands into the pocket of her coat, she turned her attention back to him. “Thanks. I try to be prepared. I just wasn’t prepared for a truck breakdown. But…things happen for a reason.”
He lifted his gaze away from her to stare off at the distant mountains. “I suppose Hayley talked to you about going to Vegas?”
“Yes.”
“I gave her permission to go. But it wasn’t until afterward that I realized I should’ve consulted you first.”
“Me? Whatever for? She’s your daughter.”
He turned his gaze back to her and this time she could see all sorts of emotion traipsing across his face. “Yes. But you might not…feel comfortable staying here at the ranch with just the two of us. If you don’t, I’ll take you into town to the hotel.”
He was giving her a chance to escape. From this place, from him and all the heated attraction that flared between them. But now that she’d been given the chance, she realized she didn’t want to run from it all. She wanted to stay right here with him.
Oh, God, what did that mean? she wondered. That she’d already fallen in love with the man?
Seeing he was waiting for a response from her, she said, “That won’t be necessary. I’m a grown woman. I certainly don’t need a twelve-year-old chaperone to make me feel comfortable with you.”
His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath and for a moment she thought she saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
“Actually, I’m surprised that y
ou’re letting Hayley go. She’s not talked to me that much about going places. And without you going along on the trip…well, I was expecting you to give her a resounding no.”
Humor suddenly slanted his lips and as always, she was surprised at how different he looked when he smiled or laughed. The man deserved to be happy, she thought. And oh, how she wished she could be the woman to make him that way. But their lives were so mismatched that she’d be crazy to let herself think they could ever merge them together. Last night he’d made it pretty plain that he wouldn’t give up this ranch for anything or anyone. So that meant if Dallas ever wanted a relationship with the man, she’d have to do all the giving. Could she be happy with that?
The answer is inconsequential, Dallas, because Boone isn’t going to ask you to give up anything. Not for him. You’ve kissed the man a few times and you’ve felt something growing between you. But it isn’t love he’s looking for.
“I’m friends of the Harrisons—the family she’ll be going with,” he explained. “I trust them to take good care of Hayley. And this is a nice opportunity for her. Since Mick is the only hired hand I have, I don’t have many chances to take my daughter on trips away from the ranch. It puts too much of a load on Mick. So I want to give her this chance to go out and enjoy herself. Especially since it’s Christmastime.”
Dallas shot him a broad smile. “So there is a bit of Santa Claus in you, after all,” she teased. “I thought if I kept looking I might find it.”
A sheepish grin touched his face. “I guess I do come off as a bit of a Scrooge. But I’m not totally heartless.”
Her expression sobered as she looked up at him. “No. I never thought you were.”
He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, I’ve got things to do.”
She nodded. “I’ll go see if I can help Hayley gather her things for the trip. Will you be taking her into town to meet your friends?”
Christmas With the Mustang Man Page 13
