In the Arms of the Rancher

by Joan Hohl

  Hawk smiled in understanding. “Your father remarried, and you found out you were not an exception to the rule.”

  Kate frowned. “What do you mean? What rule?”

  “That two women can’t live in harmony in the same house.”

  “I did try,” she said defensively. “Well, maybe I didn’t try hard enough.” She gave him a wry smile. “I had everything the way I wanted it.” She sighed. “But you know the old saying…a new broom sweeps clean.”

  “Hmm…” Hawk nodded. “So you took off for parts unknown. Right?”

  “Yes. My father had insisted on paying me, and since I really had nothing much to spend money on, I had quite a bit saved.” She shrugged. “I had a car of my own and took off to see something of the country. I landed, all but broke, here in Vegas and got lucky.” She smiled. “Not in the casinos but by meeting Vic.”

  “And your brother and sister?” he asked, lifting a brow.

  “Oh, I hung around, gritting my teeth, until after Erin was born. She’s the youngest.”

  “You don’t like kids?”

  “I love kids,” she said. “I just didn’t want to spend years raising another woman’s kids, or even helping, to tell the truth.”

  “Okay, so you don’t want to go back to Virginia,” he said. “And that brought on the idea to go back to Colorado with me?”

  “Hawk, really, let’s just forget it,” she said, now feeling sorry for presenting the idea. Pushing her chair back, she stood up before he could rise to help her. “Look, Hawk, I’m an idiot. Just forget I said anything. Okay?”

  “No,” he replied mildly. “I’m still ready to hear the rest of your plan. I’ll be waiting in back tonight when you go for your car.”

  “But, Vic will be there,” she protested.

  “So?” Hawk shrugged, drawing her gaze to his wide shoulders. “I’ll say hello and good-night.” He grinned. “That is, if I may follow you home.”

  Like the fabled phoenix, Kate’s hopes rose from her ashes of defeat. “All right, Hawk. Not only may you follow me home, but you may come in for a drink.”

  “Now you’re talkin’,” he said. “You’d better get on the ball before Vic fires you.”

  “As if,” Kate shot back at him as she hurried back to the hostess station.

  Hawk left soon after. He didn’t stop at the hostess station but rather touched his fingertips to his lips and blew a kiss at her. “See you later,” he called, striding from the restaurant.

  Kate couldn’t wait. She wanted this over with. Her nerves felt like a mass of tangled live electrical wires. Fortunately, the rest of the night passed swiftly. There was only one hitch.

  Close to quitting time, Kate’s cell phone beeped with a text message. It was from Jeff and contained the same garbage as before: I’m sorry. Forgive me. I love you. And I know you love me. So don’t do anything stupid, and call off the lawyer.

  Exhaling, she lifted her hand to delete the message, then paused, deciding to keep it instead. She’d show the message to Hawk. Maybe, just maybe it might convince him to help her.

  Hawk was leaning against his rental car when she walked across the parking lot. Good heavens, he was one hunk of a man. Kate felt a chasm yawning inside her, a crevasse of longing and want. Being with him last night had been more than she had ever imagined making love with a man could be.

  Love? Kate nearly staggered at the thought and came to an abrupt stop. No. She shook her head and straightened her shoulders. Love was an illusion; she had learned that the hard way. What she and Hawk had shared had been sex, great sex, but sex all the same. And in all honesty, she wanted to share it with him again.

  “Hey,” he called, drawing her from her musings. “Why are you just standing there?” Pushing himself upright, he started toward her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she answered, getting herself moving again. “I’m fine. I…er…was thinking.”

  “Where’s Vic? I thought he always walked you to your car.” The gentleness in Hawk’s eyes had been replaced by a frown.

  “He’s doing some paperwork. He was going to escort me out here, until I told him you would be here.” Smiling, Kate unlocked and opened her car door. “I think I’ll go home now,” she added, sliding behind the wheel before glancing up at him. “Are you going to come?”

  Hawk groaned. “Oh, lady, that is a loaded question, especially as I’m feeling loaded for bear already.”

  Cringing inside due to the unintentional double meaning of her question, Kate flushed with embarrassment. She felt foolish and not too bright. Not having a clue how to respond, she turned the key in the ignition, firing the engine to life, and began backing out of the space.

  Laughing softly, Hawk strolled back to his car. Kate saw him squeezing his long body inside as she drove past him and into the street.

  Although Kate couldn’t tell if he was following her during the drive home, Hawk pulled his vehicle alongside her car just as she was stepping out of it. The devil was still smiling.

  “I amuse you, do I?” she asked, swishing by him to the entrance to the building.

  “Oh, Katie, you have no idea what you do to me,” he said, standing close to her, whispering in her ear.

  Kate’s heartbeat seemed to skip and her breathing grew shallow. Inside the lobby her hand trembled, so she had trouble getting the key into the lock.

  “You want me to get that for you?” Hawk’s expression was somber, but amusement laced his voice.

  “No, thank you,” she said through gritted teeth, stabbing the key into the lock, turning the knob and striding through the lobby to the elevator.

  Hawk was blessedly quiet until the elevator doors slid shut, closing them in together. “You angry at me?”

  Growing warm inside, Kate shot him a glaring look. “Are you trying to make me angry?” Her attempt to sound harsh failed miserably.

  The elevator jerked to a stop, the doors slid apart and Hawk stepped out of the car, turning to hold a hand out to her. “You want to come?” he said, his lips twitching with laughter.

  Ignoring his hand, head held high, Kate walked past him, saying smartly, “Grow up, McKenna.”

  His lips no longer twitching, Hawk roared with laughter. He laughed all the way through the living room to the kitchen, where Kate stopped, spun around and placed her hands on her hips.

  “Do you want a drink or not?” she demanded, trying mightily to control her voice.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied nicely.

  Kate shook her head. “You are something, Hawk,” she said, her mock frown giving way to a flashing smile.

  He strolled to her, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it over a chair on the way. Coming to a halt in front of her, he lifted the wrap from her shoulders, sent it flying on top of his jacket and raised her head with his hand to rub his rough thumb over her parted lips.

  “You think so, huh?” he said, low and sexy. “Well, I think you’re something, too. Something special.”

  Oh…oh…Kate’s senses were going crazy. Her lips tingled from his touch, burned for the taste of his mouth on hers. Her entire body ached for his. Hawk. His name echoed through her mind. Hawk.

  Closing her eyes to shield herself from the heat glowing in his, Kate gave herself a mental shake, telling herself to get it together. Before anything else, they had to talk, discuss the suggestion she was now sorry she had ever thought of, never mind mentioned to him.

  “Uh…a drink,” she said, her heart racing as she stepped back and turned to the refrigerator. “What would you like? Beer, wine or something stronger?”

  “What are you having?” He smiled. She feared his smile was for her sudden ineptness.

  “Well, as I don’t often drink beer and never drink the stronger stuff, I’m having a glass of wine.” And I can’t get to it soon enough, she thought. Opening the fridge door, she withdrew a bottle of white zinfandel. “What can I get you, Hawk?”

  “Do you have any red?” He was close, too close, peering ov
er her shoulder.

  “Yes, on the rack at the end of the countertop.” Kate sighed with relief when he moved away from her.

  They carried their wine into the living room. Kate motioned for Hawk to have a seat, while she kicked off her shoes before curling up on a corner of the couch. Her pulse rate increased when he chose to settle at the other end of it.

  “Okay,” he said, taking a swallow of his cabernet. “Tell me exactly what you had in mind.”

  Kate set her glass on the table next to the couch because her hands were shaking again. “I did, Hawk. I asked you to marry me.”

  One of his brows shot up. “Kate, tell me what you had in mind,” he repeated concisely. “Were you thinking of a convenience marriage, one that is purely platonic?”

  “Oh, no,” she said at once. “I’m…I wouldn’t dream of asking that of you. I had thought, as we seemed to be getting along so well, we could deal with each other for maybe four to six months.”

  “Live together, work together, share the same bed for half a year? Then go our separate ways, still friends, no harm done?”

  Feeling her face grow warm and wanting to look away from his direct, riveting gaze, Kate held her head high, drew a steadying breath and answered, “Yes.”

  He was quiet for a moment, a long moment, staring into her eyes as if searching her soul. Kate held her breath.

  “Okay, you’ve got a deal.” Smiling, Hawk raised his glass to her in a silent salute.

  A tremor still rippling through her body, Kate grasped the stem of her glass and returned the salute. “Thank you.” Her voice was rough, barely there. She gulped a swallow of wine.

  His nearly empty glass in his left hand, Hawk slid down the length of the couch to her. He held out his right hand. “Shake on it?”

  Shivering, almost giddy with relief, Kate set her glass aside and placed her palm against his. His fingers curled around her hand. They shook, and then with a light tug, Hawk pulled her to him. He murmured, “A shake and a kiss. That will really seal the deal.”

  After reaching across her to set his glass next to hers, he drew her into his arms and captured her mouth with his own in a searing kiss.

  Sealed indeed. The thought, recognizable if fuzzy, floated through Kate’s mind. Or was she herself floating? She didn’t care, not while Hawk was igniting a fire deep inside her with his devouring kiss.

  When Hawk drew his mouth from hers, Kate found herself stretched out on the long couch, with Hawk stretched out next to her, or rather practically on top of her.

  How did she get into that position when she didn’t remember moving? How had Hawk managed the move without her noticing? Did it matter at all?

  No. The answer was there, at the forefront of her mind. The only thing that mattered was that she was there with Hawk, secure and safe in his arms.

  “That was some seal,” he murmured close to her ear, stirring all kinds of delicious sensations throughout her entire body. “But maybe we should do it again…just to make sure.”

  He didn’t give her time to answer. She didn’t need time. Kate’s lips were parted, ready and eager for the touch of his mouth to hers.

  A second later there was a muted beep. Breaking off the kiss, Hawk raised his head to frown at her. “Was that your cell phone, or am I hearing things?”

  Heaving a sigh, Kate pressed her palms against his chest. “Yes, please let me get up.”

  He groaned. “Can’t we ignore it?” Still, he shifted, sliding from the couch to the floor.

  Scrambling over him, she searched around for her purse, which she’d dropped absentmindedly when she’d come in. Finding the purse on the chair just inside the door, she dug out her cell, certain about who was calling before she looked at the display.

  She was right. Softly echoing Hawk’s groan, she returned to where he was lying on the floor, now with his hands behind his neck, cradling his head.

  “Don’t tell me,” he drawled. “The sky is falling and we must run and tell the king.”

  Flipping to the text message she’d received earlier from Jeff, she handed the phone to him.

  Hawk skimmed the text message and snorted, but before he could speak, she took the cell phone from him and flipped to the text message she’d just received, then handed the cell back again.

  Before reading the new message, Hawk jackknifed to sit up. Shaking his head, he skimmed the text message. Then, tilting his head, he glanced at her and said wryly, “This clown has a one-phrase song, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah,” Kate answered, sighing. “He always has. Cyrano he’s not. More Scarface. Now, do you see why I’m ready to skip town, so to speak?”

  “Yes, but can’t this lawyer you’ve hired take care of it?”

  “Hawk, you’ve read those text messages. If Jeff has the powerful friends he claims to have and I feel certain he does, I really don’t believe he’d spend more than a few hours in the lock-up, if that.”

  Hawk smiled. “Look, Katie, actually don’t look so down and defeated. We’ve just sealed a contract of sorts. We can be in Colorado within a week.”

  “It will seem awful quick to everyone.” She tried a smile and was pleased when it worked. Hawk was very reassuring. “I’ll talk to Vic tomorrow at work. I’ll explain the situation to him.”

  “No, you won’t.” His tone was flat, adamant.

  Kate blinked. “Why not?”

  “We’re going to pull this off like the real thing,” he said in the same tone as before. “You know, love at first sight, head over heels, the whole razzle-dazzle. We do have this physical attraction going for us. I’m sure we can appear the picture of not-so-young love.”

  “I beg your pardon,” Kate said indignantly. “Speak for yourself when it comes to age, mister.”

  Hawk grinned. “You know what I mean, woman. Neither one of us will see our early twenties again. Hell, I won’t see my early thirties again.”

  Suddenly relaxed and easy with him, Kate nodded. “I suppose you’re right. That would be the best way to go about it. While I do want the news of our marriage to get back to Jeff, and it will, the chances of the truth getting to him as well are too high even if I tell only Vic.”

  “I know.” Hawk nodded. “Vic would tell Lisa, and who knows where the information would go from there.”

  “You’re right,” Kate agreed. “I certainly wouldn’t want Jeff showing up at your place.”

  “Ahh…Katie, you won’t have to worry about that. I’m certainly not afraid of him. Besides, I’m a crack shot with a pistol or rifle. I have a foreman and a wrangler who are almost as good with a weapon as I am. Added to that, I have a dog, a very big dog that can bring down a wolf…or a man if necessary.”

  Kate stared at him warily, not sure if he was putting her on or not. “You wouldn’t…” She didn’t finish; she didn’t have to. Somehow she knew he would if necessary.

  “Shoot a man?” he asked. “I did, while I was in the air force. I didn’t like it. It was him or me. Sucker lived.”

  Kate could accept that answer. She nodded. “Okay, we do it your way. I’ll simply say it didn’t work out when in four or six months I return to Vegas…if I decide to return to Vegas.” Before she could as much as raise a hand, she yawned.

  “The mood’s gone, isn’t it?” Hawk looked and sounded disappointed, but his smile held understanding.

  “I’m afraid so,” Kate admitted. “I’m very tired. Stress, I suppose.”

  “I can imagine, being bugged and frightened by that SOB.” He got to his feet. “Okay, I’m leaving now. I’ll meet you at the restaurant tomorrow. We should be together and have our act together when we talk to Vic. That work for you, Kate?”

  “Yes, Hawk, that works for me.”

  He went to the door, Kate behind him. At the door he turned to gaze into her eyes.

  “One kiss?” he asked.

  Her answer came with the lift of her head. His kiss was warm and gentle and comforting.

  “Sleep well, Kate.”

 
; “You, too, Hawk.”

  Right, Hawk thought. He’d be lucky if he slept at all. What had he just committed himself to? Marriage? Sure, he had thought maybe someday, with the right woman. But he had never met that right woman.

  Pulling into the line of cars at the valet service at his hotel, Hawk unfolded himself from the car, handed his keys to the valet, accepted his receipt and strolled into the casino.

  Since he was positive he wasn’t going to sleep well, Hawk decided to pass some time playing poker. Within less than an hour, and with the loss of a couple hundred-dollar bills, he pushed away from the table and went to his room.

  Standing sleepless once more at the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the busy Strip, Hawk sipped the beer he had removed from the small in-room bar, contemplating his future, at least the next four to six months of it.

  Starting tomorrow afternoon he had to play a man madly in love with Kate Muldoon. He smiled. Well, it shouldn’t be too onerous. Kate was a lovely woman, easy to be with, a comfortable companion and fantastic to be with in bed. In truth, she was a wonderful woman to make love with.

  Love.

  Was it possible for a man used to being on his own for the most part ever to find real love…if there was such a thing? And, if he should find that woman, would she be willing to spend the major part of her life stuck with him in the lee of mountains located in the back of beyond?

  Hawk sighed, wondering if Kate, never mind any other woman, would even last as long as four months.

  Hawk was, at that point in time, firmly stuck between anticipation and a strange sensation of something he couldn’t put a name to.

  A wry smile shadowed his mouth. If nothing else, Kate being at the ranch should discourage Brenda, the daughter of Hawk’s foreman, Jack, from her intentions, whatever they were, in regard to him.

  Nine

  F ortunately Hawk had warned Kate that the ride would be bumpy after they left the macadam road. His truck was a big workhorse, and it had been comfortable up until he turned onto the private dirt road.

  “Almost home now,” he said, smiling at her while keeping his eyes on the excuse for a road. “Are you okay?” Obviously he had noticed her death grip on the handle mounted above the door window.