by Sara Orwig
“You can’t resist, can you? Some things never change.”
“You bring out my wicked side,” he drawled, and reached out to give her a quick, impersonal hug.
It should have been impersonal, but it wasn’t for him at all. He held the pickup door for her. As she passed him to climb in, he caught a scent of perfume, something exotic, making him think of holding her and kissing her. His gaze slid down the length of her, the tight jeans over her trim ass, her long legs. For a long, heated moment, he wanted her with all his being. Common sense reminded him that was not going to happen. She slid onto the seat, and he closed the door, drawing a deep breath, wishing he could at least kiss her once more. Only he would want more than once. Right now, he wanted a night of endless kisses.
“I’m glad you’re trying to save the calf,” she told him when he was in the pickup and headed toward the county road.
“I found a small herd in that canyon on the far west side of the ranch. This calf looks about a week old. The mother isn’t in great shape, but both of them and a dozen others have survived. For once, mama isn’t trying to run me off. She either senses I’m trying to help her baby, or she’s too sick and weak herself to try to chase me away.”
“Oh, my. She’s really sick. We’ll do what we can.”
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” he murmured, thinking how polite they were with each other. She hadn’t been cautious and polite when he’d kissed her the other night, however. His pulse jumped at the thought, and he wondered if he would get the chance to kiss her this time. He had a feeling she would stay the night to sit with the calf if need be.
“No problem.”
“I own the ranch now,” Luke added. “I paid off Dad’s debts, the mortgages, the loans and the incredible bills. I’ll bet guys left here without their pay. Some of them may have taken livestock to make up for missing pay, and I hope they did. It bothers me that Dad might not have paid guys that worked for him. We used to have good guys that did a fine job.
“I’ve already hired a man to run the place. Reuben Lindner. He came with all kinds of good qualifications. Do you know him?”
She shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t mean much. I’m not a rancher.”
“I’ve got a builder, too, Abe Ellison.”
“That one I do know. He built my clinic. He’s good at ranch buildings, barns and houses, too. You have an excellent builder, but that’s no surprise. I think he does a lot of business in Dallas as well as in Royal.”
“Soon they’ll finish demolishing the house so they can start building a new one.”
“One like you have in Silicon Valley?” she asked.
Surprised, he glanced at her. “How do you know about my Silicon Valley home?”
“It’s been in magazines, and I’ve read about all the electronic gadgetry and amazing things for houses of the future.”
“So you read about me?” he asked, surprised. Her cheeks flooded with pink and he wanted to reach out and put his arm around her.
“Sure, when I see something in a magazine or the paper about a former schoolmate, I usually read it,” she said, looking out the window. “Thank you for the chance to save the calf. I’m glad you didn’t just put it down.”
“Maybe you can work some more of your magic.”
“I’ll try.”
“You have a cute kid, Scarlett.”
Her eyes sparkled with joy. “He’s my whole world now. Mom adores him, too. All of us do. So does Toby. Carl’s too little now, but eventually he and my brother’s little girl, Ava, will play together.”
“Your ex-fiancé didn’t want kids?”
“Just the opposite. He comes from old money and was under a lot of pressure from his family to have a baby, an heir. When he found out I couldn’t get pregnant, he almost broke up with me. So then we decided to adopt. But then the adoption proceedings began to drag out, and Tanner left. I debated with myself about taking my name off the list, and while I was thinking it over, the agency called. I’ve told you the rest.”
“That must have been a difficult decision, deciding to raise a baby on your own.”
“It was, but it was the best decision I ever made. Even though I’m a single mom, because of living with Mom and having Toby and Naomi close, they approved the adoption without Tanner. I’m so glad I went ahead. I love little Carl so much, and he’s such a sweet blessing. I don’t expect to have any more children.”
“He’s cute, all right.” He winked at her. “It’s just a shock to see you with a baby.”
“I’m happy. Carl and my job are everything to me, Luke. I think I was meant to care for others and for animals. It’s what I’ve done all my life.”
“It’s a good thing there are people like you in the world. The world needs your help.”
“I have a good life,” she said.
“We both do. You’re doing your thing and love it, and I’m doing mine and I love it, as well.”
“And never the twain shall meet—isn’t that how an old saying goes?”
“I don’t know about that old saying. My job is pretty much my whole life. Dad and I have grown apart through the years, which is sad, but that’s the truth. He’s the only one of my family left. I have no relatives.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, giving his wrist a squeeze. The minute she touched him, he felt a current buzz through him, and he took a deep breath. She released his wrist instantly, and her cheeks were pink again. She didn’t glance his way, but her breathing was deeper and she had a reaction just as much as he did, which made him want her in his arms more than ever.
“Good or bad, no matter what you have, family is important. I feel like I should have done more but all I can do is go from here and try to make things better. I want to save the ranch and you’re helping save the animals. That’s a start.”
Coming home isn’t turning out to be what I expected. It’s worse, but with your help, we’ve saved the surviving animals. I may lose this calf, but the rest seem mostly okay. None of the other animals are as sick as this calf.”
“As I said, I’ll do what I can.”
He smiled. “You always do more than anyone could expect. While you’re here, I’ll check the livestock we’ve found and see if any others need your attention.”
He turned in the familiar road that used to lead to his home. When they drove to the barn and parked to get out, he could hear the mother cow bawling. She stood in the corral by the barn. “She wants her baby,” he said.
“I’ll check her over and give her something to calm her. Let’s look at the calf first, though. He may be critical.”
The dogs stood in the back of the pickup, and she walked around to tell them to get down.
“They’ll stay in whatever area I’m in,” she told Luke. He smiled.
“I guarantee you, I would, too,” he said and she shook her head, but she returned his smile.
Luke took her arm to lead her to the barn. He didn’t need to hold her arm, but he couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her. He ached to pull her into his arms and kiss her again. It was good to be with her and had seemed natural and right to be with her and baby Carl. He knew it was ridiculous for him to feel that way, but he couldn’t help it.
He scowled. Scarlett hadn’t even wanted him on their property, and she was only with him because she was such a softie for animals in trouble. She still felt something though, because she reacted slightly each time he touched her. He needed to think about the tasks he had to get done, but this darn woman was in his system and he had no clue how to stem these feelings.
His hand was clasped lightly on Scarlett’s upper arm, sending waves of longing within him to turn her around, haul her against him and kiss her again. Another one of her bone-melting kisses that could make him shake with longing, almost explode into flames, and want to make out with her for hours.
“Luke, where’s the calf?” Scarlett looked up at him, speaking loudly, and he realized she had asked him more than once.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought and memories about you and me and this barn,” which he hadn’t been, but he was now. He saw her faint blush.
“Keep your mind on today and the problems here. That was a long, long time ago. Forget it.”
He leaned closer. “There’s no way in hell I can forget a single moment I spent with you, especially if I was kissing you, and when we were in this barn, we were definitely kissing. If you don’t remember, I can tell you exactly—”
“Don’t you dare bring that up, Luke Weston!” She glared up at him. “Where’s that sick calf?”
When Luke led her to a stall, she pushed ahead of him and knelt in the hay, opening her bag and bending over the calf.
“Text if you need me,” Luke said. “I’m going to look and see if there are other animals I want you to check before you leave here.”
“Sure,” she said without looking up, and he wondered if she really even heard what he said.
He walked through the barn and remembered years earlier how they had made love several times in this very barn. He could remember it so clearly, and he guessed that she could, too.
For several long moments, he just stood motionless inside the barn, staring into space, thinking about Scarlett and lost in memories of making love. With a groan, he tried to get her out of his thoughts, focus on the animals that needed looking after. But it was impossible to shake taunting images and memories of times when he had held Scarlett in his arms, both of them naked while he had run his hands all over her, kissed her and spent hours making love to her.
Right or wrong, he wanted one night with her now. Was there a chance in hell of that happening?
Four
Scarlett worked swiftly. The calf was malnourished, ill and, like some of the other sick, weaker horses and steers, wild animals had tried to bring it down. It was dinner to them. She hoped she could save the calf. She left to find the mama cow, and it didn’t take long to get something to quiet her. The cow had cuts, too. Every weak or injured animal was prey for wild animals, but Scarlett suspected the mama cow had gotten attacked when she was trying to protect her baby or fend off predators that were after the calf.
Luke ordered dinner again, and they ate hamburgers about ten that night.
“I think the calf will make it through the night, but I’ve sent Toby a text to come get the calf in the morning first thing and get it to the Royal Veterinary Hospital. It’s been attacked, probably by coyotes, and I’m surprised it survived.”
“That was probably its mama’s doing. Even a pack of coyotes would think twice before taking her on in a fight.” He met her gaze, and a smile flickered on his lips “I’ve said it before—you’re a miracle worker with animals. I mailed you another check. You should get it tomorrow.”
“You paid your bill.”
“This is extra. Take it and use it to save some animals. You said that you take in the big animals, horses and cattle.”
“Yes. I’ll take any animal that’s abandoned and needs help.”
“Then you consider this check a donation and you cash it and use it to help the animals.”
She smiled at him “Thanks, Luke. That’s nice.” He had a lantern that ran on batteries hanging from a rafter, and it shed a soft, golden glow over the stall. The calf was in the next stall, and they had moved to the adjoining one when they ate their burgers. She could hear the calf breathing and could tell what was happening from where she was.
A golden light spilled over Luke, and she couldn’t resist reaching out to take his hand. “Thanks,” she said softly. “Whatever you sent, it’s welcome and will help some animals.”
She released his hand just as quickly and knew she shouldn’t touch him. However, the moment she started to take her hand off his, he placed his other hand over hers to keep her from pulling away. His hot, hungry gaze held her transfixed more than his hand, and her heart pounded with excitement. Too swiftly, she remembered being in his arms, recalled his kisses that could make her pulse race and set her ablaze with desire.
He was all she wanted, and he had hurt her so badly before. She never wanted to go through that kind of hurt again and she couldn’t bear even a tiny bit of hurt for Carl, but it was Luke, and he was holding her hand, looking at her as if she were the only woman on earth, desire glimmering in his eyes. He stood and pulled her to her feet.
Common sense said to pull away, to move, to say no to him. She couldn’t. She wanted him. Her gaze lowered to his mouth, and then she looked up to meet his eyes again.
“A kiss isn’t going to hurt, Scarlett,” he said in a husky, coaxing voice that was as sexy as a caress. Her heart throbbed as she looked at him, and, hard as she tried, she couldn’t say no and couldn’t move away.
“If we kiss, we won’t be able to stop,” she whispered. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. “A kiss—that’s all. Just a kiss between old friends. You’ll forget all about it,” he said, drawing her to him.
And then she was in Luke’s embrace, devoured by blue-green eyes, his delicious mouth hovering above hers. She wanted his kiss, wanted to kiss him in return. Common sense was a small voice of protest that faded fast beneath the hungry look he gave her. There was no mistaking his intention. When he leaned closer, her heart pounded until she thought he would hear it. She wound her arms around his neck, turned her face up and closed her eyes as his mouth brushed ever so lightly against hers.
Scarlett moaned, spinning in a swirl of desire, wanting him and wanting him to remember kissing her. She wanted to kiss him until he was as hot, as eager, as consumed with desire as she was. Holding her tightly against his hard, muscled body, he ran his hand down her back and over her bottom, pulling her up against him while he spread his legs and pressed her intimately against his thick erection.
He leaned over her, his tongue stroking hers, his kiss making her want to kiss him ravenously in return, until he wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting anyone. She wanted him to remember their kisses when he was back in Silicon Valley in his glitzy, high-tech world. She didn’t want him to walk away without remembering or looking back or realizing he might have shaken up his own world when he kissed her.
She ran her fingers through his hair while she thrust her tongue over his and shifted her hips slightly, moving against him, hearing him groan. Luke had taken her heart when she was sixteen years old. She thought she had gotten over him, but when he kissed her like this, she realized she had never gotten over him completely. He could walk back into her life, make her melt, set her on fire with longing and lust. She wanted to ravish every inch of him, and she wanted him to ravish every inch of her.
Scarlett knew the magic he could cause when he had been a kid in high school, and her heart thudded faster at the thought of making love with him now that he was a man. But if she did, she ran the risk of really falling in love with him. The deep, real kind of love that she couldn’t get over. What mattered even more now—she didn’t want Carl hurt. If Luke was really in her life, he would be in her baby’s life, too. And Carl could so easily love Luke. She couldn’t bear for Luke to break Carl’s heart.
She had barely shed tears over Tanner walking out and had chalked it up to being grown and not a high school kid.
But now she knew she hadn’t cried over Tanner, because she hadn’t really been in love with him. Sure, he was fun and exciting and they were compatible, but something had always been missing. That spark, that flame of passion that she was feeling right now in Luke’s arms.
The thoughts spun through her mind as she kissed Luke, and then thoughts were gone and feelings took over completely. Desire overwhelmed her. Luke was holding her, kissing her until she couldn’t think of anything except wanting more of him, o
f his hands, his mouth, his strong, muscular body, his thick, hard cock. She and Luke didn’t belong together—there could never be marriage or anything lasting. There couldn’t even be anything, except maybe tonight. How much would she get hurt if they made love once? How much would she get hurt if they didn’t?
She didn’t want to look back with longing or regret. Life was meant to be lived.
She moved her hips against him slightly again, rubbing his thick erection, sliding her hands down his back, down over his butt. He raised his head to look at her.
Desire darkened his blue-green eyes and made her heart race. He wanted her, and she knew it when she looked into his eyes.
“Luke,” she whispered just his name, but she meant more than that. In that whispered plea, she was telling him she wanted to make love tonight, to do all the things she had dreamed about. She slid her fingers around to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt and pull his shirt out of his jeans.
He already had the hem of her shirt in his hands, and he drew the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. She heard his gasp of pleasure as he looked down at her and unfastened her lacy bra to push it away. He cupped her breasts in his hands and groaned, a guttural sound of longing and approval.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, running his thumbs lightly over her nipples. “Scarlett, you’re so beautiful, so soft. I want you.”
She reached up to slip her hand behind his head and pull him down to kiss him, running her tongue over his lower lip first, then darting it up to touch the corners of his mouth, before plunging deep inside when she pressed her mouth against his and kissed him passionately.
Her hands fluttered over his muscled chest, unfastening the buttons to push open his shirt, then drifted down to undo his big belt buckle and pull off his belt. While they kissed, she unbuttoned his jeans. As she pushed them away, he returned the favor and peeled off her jeans. She stepped back to hook her fingers in her lacy panties, drawing them down slowly while he watched her.
Scarlett stepped out of them, moving her hips in a slow circle as she took his thick rod in her hands to rub against her legs before she knelt to take him in her mouth, her tongue stroking him.
