Becoming uncomfortable in her damp clothes, she shifted on the bed to try to get up, but cried out when the pain brought her slamming back to her current predicament. She glanced around the room for something to slip into before Ryan returned. The dresser that held the rest of her clothing was too far away. On the back of a chair, nearer to the bed, was a short terry cloth robe she sometimes wore when she stepped out of the shower. She thought she had left it in the bathroom.
Rather than reach for the robe, she struggled to undress first. With her things piled in a heap on the floor, she scooted inch by inch to the edge of the bed so she wouldn’t jar her ankle too much. As it was, the pain ricocheted up her leg over and over and forced her to pause and grit her teeth until it eased.
She had just reached her hand out to the robe, with one leg hanging over the side of the bed, when the creak of the front door opening reached her. She froze for a second, taking in her stark nakedness, and then she threw the comforter over herself just as Ryan appeared in the doorway. He stopped there, his blue gaze shifting from her to the clothes on the floor, to the robe, and back to her face.
To his credit, he said nothing but came forward with a small cup in his hand. Embarrassed and pissed off about it, Keena clenched the blanket in her fingers while glaring at him. Ryan set the cup down on the rough wood nightstand at the side of her bed and then walked around to retrieve her robe. He held it out.
“Would you like help getting it on?” he offered.
She snatched it but didn’t move to slide into it. “I’m good. Thanks.” He waited like she was going to give him a show, but she glanced at the cup. “What’s that, and is the doctor coming?”
He seemed stricken in place, just as he had been earlier before he left the room, as if he was coming to a decision. His eyes, when they focused on her, made her remember the cat-vision trick in the darkness. She wondered if he could do more than that. This was real life. People didn’t have X-ray vision. Still, she clutched the blanket tighter to her chest, annoyed that one bare thigh peeked out where she hadn’t had the strength to lift her butt to free the rest of the blanket. Ryan wasn’t acting like he found it enticing, and she figured he preferred Jade’s much paler skin. Whatever.
He sat down beside her, in an instant too close, too big, and too tempting. He put an oversized hand up to her cheek, engulfing the side of her face and making her want to curl on his lap. “The doctor is not coming,” he told her. “He has a twin birth to handle.”
“T-They always happen at the most inopportune times,” she said, trying to distract herself from his touch.
Ryan’s thumb grazed her cheek. He palmed her head higher, forced her to look into his eyes. When she did, a sensation like warm butter being poured over her head came over her. Her eyelids drooped, and she thought that maybe she needed to stop resisting Mirabelle’s tonic and get some rest. The sprain could wait until morning if she tried hard to keep still.
Clear thinking decreased, and although she tried, she couldn’t look away from Ryan’s stormy gaze. Man, she must be tired, or Mirabelle was a little heavy-handed on the liquor this time.
“I will give you some . . . herbs to help you heal faster. It’s a centuries-old recipe passed down to me,” Ryan explained.
Keena blinked up at him, her brain foggy now. “Herbs? Heal me?”
He moved closer, his lips inches from hers. Were the herbs in his mouth? Keena parted her lips in want of his kiss, if not the medicine. A man like him, strong, sexy, confident—not like Steven who had been a scarce inch taller than she and a little on the heavier side—had never been in her scope. Not because she didn’t think she was attractive, or at least that’s what she told herself.
“You’re beautiful,” Ryan assured her.
She uttered a heavy sigh, mesmerized by his nearness. “Can you read my mind?”
“Not always.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
He narrowed his eyes, focused on her, and as she tried to hold on to the question she asked him, to analyze his words, they slipped away from her mind as if they had been wiped clean.
“Close your eyes, Keena.”
She obeyed. The cup touched her lips, and soon cool, thick liquid ran into her mouth. The flavor was unlike anything she had tasted before, but it wasn’t disgusting. The drink was a mixture of what seemed like fruit juice and something else, a slight metallic flavor. She assumed that it was the herb he had mentioned. When he finished helping her to drink, Ryan ran a napkin over her lips, and Keena opened her eyes. The sleepiness receded. Her head cleared to the point that she began to feel refreshed.
She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. The red digital numbers clicked over to two thirty-five in the morning, and she frowned. “Damn it, Ryan, whatever that was you gave me nullified Mirabelle’s sleeping potion. Now I’ll be up all night and useless in the morning.”
He stood up, gathering the cup and a tissue with a red stain on it. Keena was about to ask him what he had given her, but he told her, “Don’t worry. You’ll rest better than you ever have.”
As soon as he told her that, she let go of a huge yawn, stretched her arms over her head, and fell back on the bed. Ryan clicked off the lamp at her bedside and strolled out the door, closing it behind him. Not until she was descending into dreamland did she remember that she was naked under the blanket and hadn’t hidden herself when she stretched with Ryan standing right there.
“You’re beautiful” echoed in her mind, and all discomfort from embarrassment and her ankle slipped away.
Chapter Seven
Keena stood in front of the medicine cabinet in her bathroom and bounced up and down, placing pressure on her left foot. She couldn’t believe it. Whatever herb had been in that drink Ryan had given her was incredible. She expected it to ease the pain like taking a Tylenol, or make the swelling go down enough to be tolerable, but not total healing. That juice should be patented and sold! And he’d also been right about her falling asleep. She’d slept like a baby the rest of the night, waking refreshed.
Squinting at her reflection, she considered whether she looked younger too and then shook her head. “The results of finally getting needed rest. She’d cried late into the night for almost two weeks. Of course she would have looked more haggard than she did right now.
In the shower and while dressing, she tried to recall some of what Ryan had said to her last night, but the memories wouldn’t come. The one thought that came to mind with any certainty was Ryan telling her she was beautiful. He had known just when to say it, when she had been questioning her attractiveness to him. The man knew how to get a woman where he wanted her, that was for sure.
Deciding that she would find him and thank him for his help in getting her to her cabin and in helping to relieve her pain, she left her cabin heading back to the dining area in the main lodge. This time, she wore her boots. She would never again venture off her porch with those stupid flip-flops.
In the dining area, the scent of fresh-brewed coffee, bacon, sausage, and blueberry waffles teased Keena’s nose. She paused to scan the room but didn’t spot Ryan. He was never here when she was even though she had come at different times around mealtime. Maybe the ranch hands weren’t allowed to eat around the guests. No, that wasn’t true. She spotted a group of them, including Jerry, in the corner, laughing loud and enjoying stacked plates of food. Luna Mountain Ranch was serious about everyone being like family.
Keena crossed to the buffet table against the wall and began serving herself some food. Knowing she would be hiking today, heading out with most of the guests to the spot where they would camp overnight, she knew she would get sufficient exercise not to skimp on the syrup or the sausage. She stacked two sausage patties and two waffles on her plate. Then she topped the waffles with warm whipped butter and blueberry syrup. A cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar rounded out her breakfast, and she turned from the table.
“Morning, Keena,” Mirabelle chirped on her way past
with a fresh pan of fried potatoes. Keena eyed them. They looked so good, but she resisted.
“Good morning, Mirabelle.” Keena followed the older woman back to the buffet table. “I was wondering if you had seen Ryan this morning.”
Mirabelle tsked and shook her head. “Not you too, Keena. I thought we discussed this last night.”
Keena’s eyes widened. “Oh no, it’s not like that. I am so not chasing him around. Trust me.” She smiled. “Actually, he—”
“Morning, ladies.”
Keena swung around to face Ryan. Just when she was asking for him and thinking the man must never eat, here he was. For some inexplicable reason, shyness came over her, and she could do nothing more than nod in greeting. Then she remembered, last night she’d had nothing on under the covers while he was there in her cabin.
Mirabelle said something about needing to get back to the kitchen and toddled off. Ryan stood there looking at Keena like she was his on the breakfast menu. She lowered her gaze to her plate. He stepped closer. She fought against a tremor of desire. They were in the middle of the dining room, for goodness sake.
“I think I’m feeling really hungry this morning,” he murmured.
Her gaze snapped to his face. He was playing games all of a sudden, not referring to food but to tasting her. The knowledge made her excited and scared at the same time. Could she do this? Could she play this game? She’d never made a habit of teasing and flirting with a man, and doing so with Ryan might be dangerous.
Rather than rise to his bait, she said, “I wanted to thank you for your help last night. I can’t believe how much better I feel, like I was never hurt at all.”
“Oh, honey, please. That old trick?” Jade wrapped herself around Ryan’s arm and pouted up at him. “So that’s where you went off to when we were rudely interrupted last night.” She cut her eyes toward Keena and dismissed her in a heartbeat. “Some people don’t know how to stick with their own.”
Oh no she didn’t!
“Jade, I think—” Ryan began.
Keena held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I was just going to have my breakfast. Please, both of you enjoy your day.” She turned her back on them and picked her way through the tables. When she came to the Turners’ table, she stopped and smiled down at them. “May I join you?”
Mr. Turner pulled out a chair next to his wife. “By all means, young lady. Have a seat.”
Refusing to cast another glance in Ryan and Jade’s direction, Keena tucked into her food even though her appetite had fled. She couldn’t blame Ryan for the incident per se, although if he had dismissed Jade last night and told her he flat out wasn’t interested, then she wouldn’t keep coming back, which probably meant he was into her.
She immersed herself in conversation with the older couple, and soon her plate was empty. When the Turners finished their breakfast, they stood, wishing her a good day, as they were planning to spend a little time fly fishing. Keena hadn’t tried that yet. She had no wish to have to unhook the fish and toss them back into the pond. She shivered just thinking about touching a live one.
Now that she had nothing to distract her, she couldn’t help searching the room for Ryan. Finding his eyes on her was not what she expected. He sat in an opposite corner of the room with Jade sitting across from him, leaning far forward in an attempt, Keena was sure, to give him a good peek down her blouse. A plate of food sat in front of Jade, but Ryan had none. So he still hadn’t eaten. Maybe he was shy. Yeah, right.
Keena rolled her eyes, stood, and cleaned up her mess before heading for the door. She pulled her sunglasses down, which she had pushed up onto her forehead when she entered the building, and headed outside. She made it down to the stables before he caught up to her.
“Ride with me.”
She kept walking. “There’s no group going out right now. They’re preparing for the overnight. You should know that.”
“I’m sure I don’t need a guide, and I can take care of you.”
She stopped walking at his suggestive words, feeling herself drawn to him, despite her better judgment. That fact made her hesitant. “I’m sure Jade will go with you. I haven’t seen her on a horse yet, but she’d try if you gave her some encouragement.”
His eyes narrowed. When he spoke, the calm way he had of speaking hadn’t changed, but she was pretty sure she’d ticked him off. “Are you jealous?”
She turned to walk away, but he caught her and made her face him. Keena looked around. No one was in sight, which was strange for a busy ranch, but then she remembered that at least one group of wranglers had been scheduled to leave early that morning with a few of the guests who wanted to join in the longhorn cattle drive. Come to think of it, Keena was surprised Ryan didn’t go with them.
“Let me go, Ryan. I just want to be left alone.”
He frowned. “Because you’re angry with me again. Why is that?”
“Give me a break,” she snapped. “Who am I? No one. It’s like you decided to find someone to pick on, and I’m it. If you want her, fine. Go to her, but leave me out of it. You’re not going to face me off against Jade. I give. She can have you.”
“Is that what you think?” His fingers tightened on her arms to the point of hurting. “I don’t play those games, Keena.” She winced, and he released her right away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Sometimes I forget my strength.”
He ran a hand through his hair staring at the ground as if he was recalling an important fact. Keena didn’t get him. She didn’t think if she stayed here year-round that she ever would.
After some moments, he took a step back from her. “You’re right. I should back off. I don’t get involved with the guests normally. I get women like Jade who chase me. I deal with it without hurting their feelings. I never chase, and I don’t know why I’ve done it with you.” He raised a hand to her cheek but dropped his hand again without touching her. “I admit to being attracted to you. Like you, I have no interest in anything serious. Neither do I want a slut. Do you get my meaning?”
Keena’s heart banged in her chest. One second he was backing off, and now? Now he was saying what? “You’re telling me you want us to . . .” She blew out a breath.
“Ride with me.”
She nodded.
In silence, they prepared their mounts. Keena was happy that she had continued to be allowed to ride Annabel. She was beginning to think of the mare as her own private horse, and she’d miss her when she had to leave. Soon they were on the trail, heading through the trees. For a half hour, neither of them spoke, enjoying the peace, the quiet, and each other’s company. Keena felt no need to fill their companionable silence with chatter, and from the peace reflected in Ryan’s normally stormy gaze, neither did he.
When they reached a body of water that Keena thought couldn’t be the one they’d stopped at before, she wondered at what point they had taken a different direction from their last outing. After dismounting like an old pro, if she did say so herself, she pivoted to ask Ryan where they were. But she sucked in a sharp breath finding that not only had he already dismounted, he had also zipped around both their horses and stood inches away from her.
Keena staggered back, and Ryan reached out to steady her in an instant. “Are you okay?”
“Would you stop moving like that?” she groused. “Sheesh, was your last job that of a spy or something? You had to sneak around making no noise?”
The grin that parted his lips lit up his handsome face. For the second time that day, Keena lost her breath. “Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. And then when you do it for the first time, you’re laughing at me.”
She moved away, pretending to be offended when it was just his nearness was driving her crazy. Ryan wasn’t fooled. He reached out with casual grace and ran the fingers of one hand along her palm as she passed by him. The sensual tease brought Keena’s feet to a standstill. With hear heart galloping in her chest, she watched Ryan move around her until he stood in front of her
once again.
He trailed his hands up her arms, to her shoulders, paused a second, and then continued up until he cupped her face. He tilted her back and then leaned down until their lips met. Had Keena enjoyed Steven’s kisses because she had loved him? Because one brush from Ryan’s mouth drove that name out of her head.
Ryan deepened the kiss. He tantalized the tip of her tongue with his before gliding farther and fisting one hand in her braids. His other arm came down around her waist, and he lifted her from her feet with ease and crushed her to his body.
Keena let out a moan that didn’t begin to express the pleasure kissing Ryan brought to her. And that intense feeling grew by exponential amounts when he released her hair in order to position his hand between her legs and squeeze her moist heat. Keena almost shouted against his mouth.
She wriggled in his arms and broke free, dragged a hand over her swollen lips, and tried not to stumble and fall on her ass. “W-Wait just a minute,” she rasped. On trembling limbs, she stumbled to a tree and held on to support herself.
“Are you okay?”
Ryan took a step toward her, but she held up a hand. “Don’t.”
He spun away so his back was to her, his hands pushed into his jean pockets. Keena chewed her lip watching his ass, wanting to touch him as he had touched her a moment ago. The memory of it almost weakened her knees. She shut her eyes, dragging in deep breaths. No man she had ever met had given her that much sexual pleasure with one kiss, one touch. She’d been on the verge of an orgasm, for Pete’s sake. Did he feel the same? Had Ryan been that close to losing control like she had been?
“You said you were looking to have an affair,” he said without turning around. “I’d like to think I would be a good match for that, for the time you’re here. No strings, just pleasure.”
She pushed a braid behind her ear and swallowed. This was what she wanted, and yet, she was terrified to take that step. It could be the wrong choice. “Tell me something you don’t mind a stranger knowing,” she blurted out as a way to prolong her decision.
Rein in the Night Page 5
