“Don’t worry about Darby,” he told Mandy.
She gave him a pitying smile. “I’m not worried about Darby.”
He raised his brows in a question.
She gave him a pointed glare. “I’m worried about you.”
“Ready to go?” Caleb asked his wife.
“Ready to go,” Mandy confirmed.
As Danielle passed Travis on the way to the door, Seth heard him mutter, “Pretty cocky in your confidence.”
She paused without looking at him. “You wrangle the bulls. I’ll wrangle the judges.”
Travis leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
Her lips flattened out, and a blush rose on her cheeks.
What the hell was the matter with his little brother? Didn’t he know the woman was helping them?
“In your dreams,” muttered Danielle. “And in my nightmares.”
“Good luck,” Travis told her out loud.
She turned her head to meet his gaze, and Seth watched his brother give her an insultingly insolent once-over. Then his lips curved into a cocky smile. As he watched her walk away, lust was all but naked in his expression.
The door closed behind them.
“What is wrong with you?” Seth asked.
Travis blinked at him. “What?”
“Danielle is helping us. She’s doing us a favor.”
Travis dropped into an armchair. “If you want a shark on your team, she’s the one to call in, all right.”
“What is your problem with her?”
“You mean my problem with the uptight city chick who won’t give the dusty cowboy the time of day no matter how many favors he does her?”
Seth pointed at his brother. “Put your libido on hold, and check your ego at the door, and let the nice lady lawyer help us out here.”
“I hauled her sorry ass halfway across the Eldridges’ field, and she didn’t even have the grace to say thank you.”
“Get over it.”
Travis slumped back in his chair, the fight seeming to go out of him. “She’ll do a good job for you, Seth. She’s laser-focused that way.”
Seth dropped into another chair. “How would you know that?”
“From Caleb. From her. I’ve heard what she says, and I’ve seen what she does.”
“And you’re so into her, you can’t see straight.”
“It’s better when she’s not around,” Travis admitted. Then he gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Did you get a look at her?”
“She’s pretty,” Seth admitted. Not that he was remotely attracted to her. Which was odd, when he thought about it.
Maybe he’d been too focused on Danielle’s role as a lawyer to think about her in any other way. Or maybe he’d been so completely satisfied by Darby last night that he didn’t want sex today.
Well, except with Darby. If Darby was here, sex would be all Seth was thinking about.
“Seth?” Travis’s hard voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“You better not be thinking about Danielle.”
Seth blinked his brother back into focus. “I’m not thinking about Danielle.”
“Good.”
No. Not good. It was fine to have a thing for Darby because she was a beautiful, sexy woman. But if it went beyond that, Mandy was right: he was going to get himself into a whole lot of trouble.
* * *
Darby tacked the new poster on the bulletin board in the foyer of City Hall. Captioned “Jobs for Lyndon Valley,” it was bright, friendly and positive. Children frolicked in the background on a wildflower-strewn meadow, while a rugged, working-class man gazed with satisfaction at his shiny new transport truck. Smaller print listed the economic benefits of developing local transportation options, including a trucking co-op.
It was late afternoon, and Darby had been putting the posters up all around town. They’d revamped the website, and they were working on a few new radio spots.
“New tactic?”
Seth was right behind her.
“I don’t think it’ll incite any bar fights,” she responded, pushing in the bottom tacks.
It had been three days since she’d seen him and made love with him. Still, the mere sound of his voice had the power to send tingles skipping along her nervous system. She wasn’t sure what would happen if she turned to look at him.
“Interesting.” He was obviously reading over her shoulder. “A trucking co-op?”
“Keep the jobs local,” she responded. Then she drew a bracing breath and turned. “Who wouldn’t be in favor of keeping the jobs local?”
“Kind of like apple pie and motherhood.” His deep blue gaze bore into hers.
“Perennial favorites,” she responded.
“How are you doing?” he asked in a lower tone.
“I’m fine.” She didn’t want to talk about anything that alluded to their night at her place, definitely not while standing in a public lobby. “Is the citizen discord staying under control?”
“A few public arguments and some letters to the editor, but nothing serious.”
“Good night, Mr. Mayor,” called a cheerful, female voice from across the foyer.
“Good night, Sally,” Seth responded over his shoulder. “Good luck to the boys.”
A thirtysomething woman gave a wave in response.
“My receptionist,” he explained to Darby. “Her six-year-old twins have a baseball game tonight.”
“Your staff seems to like you,” Darby observed.
As she had at the Rodeo Association dinner, she couldn’t help but notice how positively the city workers seemed to react to Seth.
“They’re a great bunch of people.”
Several more called and waved on their way out the door.
Darby knew she should say goodbye, as well. She hadn’t expected to see Seth here. Okay, maybe half of her had hoped she would, but the other half had definitely hoped she wouldn’t.
Her physical attraction to him was strong as ever, stronger, if that was possible, and it remained a colossally bad idea.
“I’ve missed you,” he told her quietly.
“You can’t do that,” she responded, equally quietly.
“I mean talking to you, debating with you. Life’s a little dull when you’re not around.”
“We can’t be seen together,” she told him.
“We can if it’s official business.”
“What official business do we have, other than fighting?”
“Persuasion. I need to persuade you to join my side.”
“You’ve tried.”
“Have you ever seen the art gallery?”
“Excuse me?”
“City Hall has an official art gallery. All citizens are welcome. I’m thinking it might help you understand our roots, the importance of a strong ranching community in the Valley. Now that I think about it, I realize it’s vital for the cause that you take a look.”
“An art gallery isn’t going to change my mind, Seth.”
“You don’t know that until you’ve seen it.”
“Isn’t it closed?” she asked, taking note of the steady stream of staff exiting the building.
“Not yet. Besides, I have the keys.”
Would it hurt to tour the art gallery with Seth? Neither of them would change the other’s mind. And it would give them a few more minutes together. She’d missed him. She hadn’t realized until that very moment just how much.
He cocked his head. “This way.”
Giving in, Darby slung her bag over her shoulder and fell into step beside him.
“It’s mostly oil paintings,” he explained in a loud voice as they crossed the reception area. “But some of the
m date back to the 1700s. I’m sure you’ll find them compelling.”
“I’ll look at them,” she responded for the benefit of the people moving through the lobby. “But you won’t change my mind.”
“There’s one of my great-great-grandfather’s original homestead,” Seth continued. “Back then, the ranching community worked incredibly hard. It was a tiny house. I can’t even imagine how they lasted through the winter with four boys.”
They left the lobby, taking a small marble staircase with polished brass railings to a short hallway half a story down.
“Is the house still there?” she found herself asking, feeling oddly curious about his ancestors.
“The potbellied stove, the chimney and a bit of the foundation. Mandy thinks we should restore it.”
“You should.” Darby agreed with Mandy.
She couldn’t even imagine having that kind of family history at her fingertips. Her mother hadn’t owned real estate. And she was pretty sure her grandparents had never put down roots. The only thing her mother ever said about them was that Darby’s grandfather was a drunk of a salesman, and her grandmother should have known better than to marry him.
They’d had one small photo album in the apartment, and it contained a few pictures of her grandparents around a spindly Christmas tree. That was all Darby knew of them.
Seth pulled open a glass door, and lights automatically came up in the gallery.
It appeared to be a series of small, connected rooms, compact but immaculate, with cream-colored walls, polished,pine benches and diffuse spotlights on each of the paintings.
“It goes in approximate historical order,” he explained, pointing to one of the walls.
“I see a theme here,” she noted, moving slowly along the oil paintings of fields, log cabins, mountains and cattle.
She quickly found herself absorbed by the early lives of the settlers. Making her way from painting to painting, she stopped to gaze at some beautiful horse portraits.
“Madeline Parker,” said Seth, his voice low. “She was born in the Valley in 1901. Extraordinarily talented. Her paintings have become quite valuable. There’s even one hanging in a museum in Houston.”
“Did she paint anything besides horses?”
He turned and indicated the wall behind them. “We have one of her landscapes.”
Darby moved, positioning herself five feet from the scene of flowers and mountains. The painting showed a small, aging house in the background and three horses in the distance.
“It’s breathtaking.”
Seth motioned to the picture next to it. “This one is my great-great-grandparents’ house.”
Darby gazed at it for a long moment, easily imagining a close-knit family moving around the little house, laughing, eating, sleeping, working. She turned to look at Seth’s profile. “So that was the original Jacobs ranch?”
“Yes. It’s higher up in the hills than the main compound now, so it looks quite different.”
“You should live up there,” said Darby, turning back to the painting. “Seriously, Seth. If I were you, I’d turn that old foundation into a brand-new house.”
“You think?”
“Mandy’s onto something. I think your great-great-grandparents would definitely like that.”
“You know this how?” he asked indulgently.
“Because, if I was anybody’s great-great-grandparent I’d be thrilled to know they lived in the same place I had lived.” She paused. “Well, of course, I don’t mean in that crappy, basement apartment. Nobody’s grandchildren should be forced to live there. I mean, if I had a beautiful homestead on a gorgeous piece of property, I’d love it if it carried on through the generations.”
Seth didn’t respond, and she let her gaze linger on the painting for a long time before moving around the corner to the next gallery.
It took nearly an hour for them to make it through, ending up with the newest oil paintings of Lyndon City and the rodeo fairgrounds.
“What’s through there?” she asked, pointing to a narrow stone archway with a velvet rope across it.
“Want to see?” he asked on a definite note of mischief.
“Are we allowed?”
He unhooked the velvet rope. “You really aren’t getting the part where I’m in charge here, are you?”
“That doesn’t mean we should break the rules.”
He gestured for her to go first. “Seriously? You’re that straight-laced?”
She started down the passage. “You think I’m straight-laced?”
“I didn’t. Not until now.”
“Well, I’m not.” She gave her hair a little toss. “I can be quite the maverick.”
He choked out a laugh, as a metal door loomed up in front of them.
“What?” she demanded. “You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it?”
“I was going to make a roping and riding joke, but that would be completely inappropriate.”
What was completely inappropriate was Darby’s reaction to his words. Arousal shunted through her body, bringing a rush of heat to her skin.
“You asked,” he intoned behind her.
She reached for the doorknob.
“It’s locked,” said Seth, reaching into his pocket, fishing out a key.
She stepped aside.
“I’m sorry,” he told her as he inserted it into the lock. “I shouldn’t be so crude.”
“No need.” She struggled to keep her voice neutral. “I’m sure it would have been a very funny joke.”
He opened the door wide, revealing a small, windowless, carpeted foyer.
“What’s this?”
“The mayor’s residence,” he answered in a soft tone. “That way.” He pointed to a hallway in front of them, leading to the main floor and public rooms. “I’m happy to give you an official tour.”
Then he pointed to a small staircase at one side, his intense gaze locking on to hers. “That way is a shortcut to my private suite.”
Under the spell of his blue eyes, her stomach did a free fall, memories of their lovemaking blooming in her mind, desire coalescing between her legs.
He waited, obviously letting her be the one to decide.
“Can we?” she whispered, half to him, half to herself, wondering if she dared.
“Totally up to you.” He took her hand, wrapping it in his strong fingers, bringing her knuckles to his lips for a gentle kiss.
How much worse could it get? she asked herself. They’d already made love twice. They were, for all intents and purposes, indulging in a clandestine fling. How could doing it once more change anything?
He reeled her in, placing the other arm around her waist, easing her against him. “What do you think?”
She nodded, slowly at first, then more decisively.
“Maverick,” he muttered, a grin spreading across his face as he turned her for the staircase.
Decision made, they rushed up to the landing, coming to a hallway outside Seth’s private door. He let them in, clicking it firmly shut behind them, immediately hauling her into his arms for a long, deep kiss. His hand held the back of her head, anchoring them together, while hot lips urged hers apart and his tongue plundered.
He pushed her blazer off her shoulders, tossing it aside. Then he stripped off her tank top, stopping the kiss only long enough to get the top over her head.
When he popped the button on her jeans, she kicked off her shoes. In a moment, she was naked, his warm palms running over her skin.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, kissing her ear, her cheek, the crook of her neck. “I miss you all the time. I think about your scent. I think about your taste.”
His forearm wrapped around
the small of her back, pulling her tight, while he teased her nipple to a peak, eliciting a moan from deep in her throat. Her body was beginning to sing, her skin flush with reaction.
His kisses moved down her neck, to her shoulder, to her breast. His strong hands kneaded her bottom, and he moved lower and lower, kissing her belly, her navel.
“Seth,” she hissed.
His breathing was ragged. “I’m sorry. I know this is too fast. But I can’t wait. I want to kiss every inch of your body. All of it. Right now.”
His hands slid down her thighs, urging them apart. She braced her hands on his head. Soon, his kisses became excruciatingly intimate, and she dug her fingertips into his thick hair.
“It’s not too fast,” she assured him.
If anything, it was too slow. They’d spent too much time apart. She’d thought of him, dreamed of him, ached for him. Her legs began to tremble; she wasn’t going to be able to stand much longer.
He rose, his eyes dark as midnight, scooping her into his arms and carrying her to the bedroom.
He deposited her on the thick four-poster bed, watching her with sheer animal possession as he stripped off his jacket and tie.
Arousal still shimmered through her body. She lay there naked, loving his gaze on her, loving the rushed determination as he took off his clothes. She reveled in the sight of his broad chest, muscular shoulders, rock-hard abs.
He, too, kicked off his shoes and stripped off his pants. In seconds he was naked, and she sat up, perching on the edge of the bed, reaching out to him, wrapping her hands around his solid body. She leaned forward, tasting the salt of his chest, his belly, farther downward until he gasped.
He braced his hands on her shoulders, easing her back onto the bed. Then he followed her down.
“Don’t wait,” she whispered to him, parting her thighs.
“You sure?”
“Now, please, now.”
“With pleasure.” He smoothly entered her body.
Her head tipped back, and she moaned with satisfaction as he filled her tight, sending hot tingles of pleasure from her belly to her toes. She kissed his mouth, squeezed him against her, lifting her hips to meet his long, hard thrusts.
Everything in her world disappeared. Nothing mattered but Seth. Nothing existed but Seth. Her climax built and built to impossible heights, hovering on the brink, tearing his name from her lips, until a rush of light and sound catapulted her over the edge.
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