The Rancher Returns

by Brenda Jackson

  The kiss they’d shared last night had been a game changer. This one sealed their fate.

  * * *

  Gavin knew at that moment that kissing her would never be enough. What he really wanted to do was sweep her off her feet, open the damn door and head straight to the bedroom. But he couldn’t do that.

  He wanted her to admit how much she wanted him, too. He’d give her time; he’d remember their deal. The one he had initiated. The one he intended to end in his favor. There was no way she would leave the Silver Spurs without them making love.

  He finally broke off the kiss. As he drew in a deep breath he watched her draw in one, as well. Studying her mouth, he saw her lips were wet and swollen, and he had to fight back the urge to kiss her again.

  “Why did you kiss me?” she asked, touching her finger to her lips.

  He smiled, tempted to replace her finger with the tip of his tongue. “For the same reason you let me kiss you. I want you and you want me.”

  From the look he saw in her eyes, he knew she was angry. Why? Because he’d stated facts when she preferred hiding behind denials?

  “I’m going inside now.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning around ten.”

  She nodded, then quickly opened the door and went inside. When the door closed behind her, Gavin shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed back toward the main house. He knew she was confused. Confusion came with the territory when you tried to deny the truth of your feelings. However, she was smart. He knew she would figure it out. Eventually she would see things the way he did.

  He would make sure of it.

  Six

  Layla, feeling tousled from a restless night, stepped out on the porch with a cup of coffee in her hand. She took a sip. She needed the hot liquid as much as she needed more sleep. Kissing Gavin was hazardous to her health when the aftereffect was a frazzled mind.

  What could she have been thinking to agree to the deal he’d put on the table? What woman in her right mind would agree to have sex with a man who counted on her to fail at the most important project of her life? She kept assuring herself that she had nothing to worry about because her research wasn’t wrong.

  But what if it was?

  She shook her head, refusing to second-guess herself or allow something as insignificant as sex to undermine her confidence in years of research. She lifted the cup to her lips again, took another sip and smiled. She couldn’t wait to show Gavin just how wrong he was. She would leave the Silver Spurs with Jesse James’s loot and she’d keep Gavin out of her panties.

  She glanced over at the main house and tried to ignore the heat that settled in her stomach. Ms. Melody had called to invite Layla to breakfast, but she’d declined saying she needed to read over a few reports. The last thing Layla wanted was to run into Gavin. She would see him at ten and that suited her just fine. The man had a way of making her distracted.

  And then there was that kiss she couldn’t stop thinking about. The one that still had her lips tingling this morning. While getting dressed she’d tried to convince herself not to worry about that kiss—not to worry about anything, especially not Gavin Blake. Agreeing to his deal meant nothing more than a reason to work harder to find James’s stash. She hadn’t lied to Ms. Melody. Layla had used this morning to review several documents. It was important to make sure she hadn’t missed anything in her research.

  Layla checked her watch. Gavin would be arriving in an hour. That wasn’t a lot of time to prepare to see him again. But then she doubted she would ever be prepared for the likes of Gavin Blake.

  * * *

  “So what have you decided about the dig, Gavin?”

  Gavin glanced up from his breakfast plate and met his grandmother’s eyes. He’d been in bed when she’d returned last night, but there was no getting out of the conversation this morning. One thing was for certain, he would not tell her about the deal he’d struck with Layla.

  “Layla is showing me the site this morning. I want to check it out for myself before I make a decision.” He then resumed eating, hoping to end the conversation.

  “So when are you leaving for Mississippi?”

  He looked up at his grandmother again with a raised brow. “Who said anything about me going to Mississippi?”

  She lifted her own brow. “Yesterday you mentioned you had important business to take care of there.”

  Now he recalled mentioning it. “I changed my mind and won’t be leaving after all.” He resumed eating again, knowing his grandmother was eyeing him suspiciously.

  “Why?”

  He lifted his head again. “Why, what?”

  “Why are you hanging around here?”

  He held her inquisitive gaze. “Do you have a problem with me hanging around here, Gramma Mel?”

  “Not as long as you don’t have some shenanigans brewing in that head of yours, Gavin.”

  If only you knew, he thought. He pushed his plate away. “Breakfast was good as usual. I’m surprised you didn’t invite Layla to join us.”

  “I did. But she made an excuse for not coming. I wonder why.”

  He stood. His grandmother was fishing for information and he was determined not to get caught. “I have a call with Phil to go over the books. I’ll be in my office for an hour or so.”

  “Alright. And you may have changed your mind about going to Mississippi, but I’m still scheduled to go to that library conference in Cincinnati. It lasts a week, and I booked it before I knew you were coming home.”

  Gavin knew his grandmother enjoyed going to those conferences. “You should go,” he encouraged.

  She looked at him as if he wasn’t trustworthy...of all things. “Is anything wrong?” he asked her.

  “You tell me, Gavin. You’re not fooling me one bit. I know that look. You’re up to something and whatever it is, I hope you don’t get caught in your own trap.”

  “What trap?”

  “I’ll let you figure that one out. But keep something in mind.”

  He lifted a brow. “What?”

  “Layla is not Jamie.”

  He frowned deeply. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I think something good could develop between the two of you, if you let it. But you won’t. You’re afraid she will be like Jamie. Whether you choose to believe me or not, your mom loved you and your dad. I would sit and hear her crying for him at night when he was gone.”

  “Then why did she leave?”

  “Loneliness drove her away, Gavin. The Silver Spurs isn’t meant for everyone and she was miserable here. Not everyone can handle the isolation.”

  “But that was no reason for her to desert me and Dad.”

  Without saying anything else he turned and walked out of the kitchen toward his office.

  * * *

  A lump formed in Layla’s throat when she heard the knock at the door. She didn’t have to look out of the peephole to see who it was. Gavin had said he would arrive at ten and it was ten on the dot. She glanced down at herself and then wished she hadn’t. Why should she care what he thought about how she looked today? And why had she decided to wear her hair down instead of back in a ponytail?

  She opened the door and Gavin stood leaning in the doorway. He filled the space, looking like he needed to be some woman’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why did the man have to be so over-the-top gorgeous? Why did she want to drool, drool, and then drool some more?

  And why did she want to snatch him inside and have her way with him?

  She had no right to think any of those things, no right to fantasize. She had to stay focused on her work. “Good morning. I’m ready,” she said, grabbing her jacket. He moved aside when she stepped out and closed the door behind herself.

  “Good morning, Layla. I ho
pe you slept well,” Gavin said as they walked off the porch.

  He slid his hand to her elbow to help her down the steps and she wished he hadn’t. Immediately, a spike of desire shot through her and she was tempted to snatch her arm away.

  “Nice day, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s nice.” She glanced over at him as he kept his hand on her elbow while he led her to his truck and opened the door.

  “And speaking of nice,” he said, gripping her elbow a little tighter as he helped her up into the passenger seat. “You look good this morning. Real nice.”

  “Thank you.”

  He closed the truck door and as she watched him move around the front of the truck to the driver’s side, she couldn’t help thinking that he looked pretty good himself. Real nice. A pair of jeans hugged masculine thighs, a pullover sweater and a leather bomber jacket with the crest of a SEAL on the back graced broad shoulders. In her book there was something about a man who wore a leather bomber jacket, whether he was a biker, a model or a navy SEAL.

  She kept her gaze trained on him. When he opened the door and slid onto the leather seat, she couldn’t help but appreciate how the fit of his jeans tightened on his thighs.

  “You went riding around your ranch dressed like that?”

  “No. We finished early so I had time to change before joining my grandmother for breakfast. She missed your presence at breakfast by the way.”

  “I told her about the report I had to review this morning.”

  He didn’t say anything and she wondered if he believed her.

  “You okay?”

  It was only then that she realized she was still staring. She snatched her gaze away from his thighs, regretting that he’d caught her ogling him. “I’m fine.”

  A smile curved his lips and her insides felt like they’d turned to mush. “Just checking,” he said, snapping his seat belt in place. “I don’t want you to start admitting you want me anytime soon.”

  Layla frowned, remembering what he’d said last night. “Trust me. That won’t be happening.” She spoke with a degree of confidence she wasn’t feeling, especially when he shifted gears, causing those thighs to catch her attention again.

  She forced her gaze out the window to view the pastures, valleys and hills they passed. Not for the first time, she thought the Silver Spurs was beautiful. Already they’d passed the new barn and several other smaller buildings. And there were several fenced rolling plains filled with cows. The sun peeked through a bevy of trees that layered the countryside and she knew it would be a beautiful day even with the chill in the air.

  “Sleep well?”

  She glanced over at him, wondering why he would ask. Did he assume that she hadn’t? Well, she intended to crush that assumption right then and there. “Yes, like a baby, straight through the night.” Maybe she’d laid it on too thick since most babies didn’t sleep straight through the night.

  “Glad to hear it. So did I. I slept so well that I almost overslept this morning.” He didn’t say anything for a minute. “Which way?”

  She lifted a brow. “What?”

  “Directions. Gramma Mel said the spot is just past the old barn. Which way do I go after that?”

  The barn he was talking about was a big empty building painted red. According to Ms. Melody, it hadn’t been used in years but the structure looked sound. More than once Layla had been tempted to take a peek inside but the doors were bolted up. She wondered if Gavin would allow them to keep their excavation equipment stored there. Since he seemed in a pretty good mood this morning, it might be a good time to ask. “And about that old barn?”

  “What about it?”

  “I’m going to need a place to store my heavy equipment, like the loader backhoe and tractor, for the excavation. May I use the old barn?”

  He glanced over at her and she could imagine what he was thinking. Why should he do anything to help her when he was counting on her to fail? He surprised her when he said, “Yes, you can use the old barn.”

  She smiled. Since he was being so generous she decided to go for the gusto. “There’s also a smaller building next to the barn. I understand it used to be the old bunkhouse.”

  “What about it?”

  “May I use that, as well? I’ll need somewhere to test soil samples and such.”

  He looked at her again. “Are you trying to take advantage of my kindness, Layla?”

  “Yes, I guess I am, Gavin.”

  A husky chuckle escaped his lips. “At least you’re honest. Yes, you can use that old shack, as well.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She didn’t say anything for a minute as they drove. “Make a left turn at the next tree and drive another couple of miles,” she said. “You can park in the clearing next to the stumps. I’ve marked the exact spot where we’ll be digging.”

  “Okay.”

  The rest of the drive was done in silence. She was glad when he finally brought the truck to a stop a short while later.

  * * *

  Gavin drew in a deep breath. With his hands still gripping the steering wheel he stared straight ahead at the view out of the windshield. He needed to get his bearings. Everything about Layla was getting to him. The way she looked, her scent, the way she wore her hair. The way that same hair had blown in the wind when his truck whooshed across his property.

  “I can tell you miss coming here.”

  Did she make that assumption because of the way he was still sitting here, trying to keep his mind and body under control? Yet, she was right. He had missed coming here.

  “Yes. As a kid I used to come to this area a lot. There’s a huge lake not far from here. It separates our land from the Lotts’ property and it’s on the Lotts’ land. But that didn’t mean anything to me. Not even the no-swimming-allowed sign Sherman Lott had posted. I used to sneak into the lake and go swimming as a teen every chance I got. On a good day I would swim for hours without getting caught.”

  “And on a bad day?”

  He chuckled. “On a bad day Sherman Lott would call my grandmother and report me for trespassing.”

  She lifted a brow. “Honestly? He would actually call and tell on you?”

  “All the time. He didn’t like anyone swimming or fishing in that lake. But I had a lot of years of good fishing there, as well.”

  He smiled, remembering how defying Mr. Lott had pleased him immensely. “Time to look around. But before we get out there’s something we need to do.”

  She lifted her brow. “What?”

  “Kiss. More than anything, I want to kiss you, Layla.”

  * * *

  Layla couldn’t believe he’d said that. Kiss? Hadn’t they done that enough already? Not that she was counting but he’d kissed her twice. Why was he going for three? Why was she hoping that he would?

  “Kiss me?” she asked, softly, hoping he didn’t pick up on the yearning in her voice.

  “Yes, kiss you. It’s either that or talk you into my truck’s backseat.”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip. “And you think doing that will be easy?”

  “No, but it will be worth all the effort I plan to put into it. So how about unbuckling that seat belt and leaning a little over here? I promise it will be painless.”

  Being painless, Layla thought, was the least of her worries. “Haven’t you gotten enough? Of kissing me?” she asked, studying the look in his eyes.

  “No, I haven’t gotten enough, so lean over this way. Let’s engage in something pleasurable.”

  The urgency in his voice was so intense, it sent shivers through her. She knew they shouldn’t kiss again. Doing so would lead to assumptions on his part that she’d rather he not have. But she’d had a hard time forgetting how pleasurable their last two kisses ha
d been. Both times his tongue had stroked hers to a feverish pitch, until she had greedily responded.

  Frustration spilled from her lungs in a sigh and with very little control left, she unsnapped her seat belt and leaned closer to him. In spite of her misgivings, she was prepared to give him the kiss he wanted because it was a kiss she wanted, as well.

  He leaned in to meet her and their lips touched. On her breathless sigh, he slid his tongue inside her mouth and began mating with her tongue. She felt his intensity all the way to her toes.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They were sitting in his truck, kissing like oversexed teenagers. Like they had nothing better to do and all day to do it. How crazy was that? But the insanity was lost as she tasted him. He tasted primitive, untamed and wild with lust. How could she detect such a thing in a kiss? Was this a warning that she should back off? That Gavin Blake would be the one man she couldn’t ignore?

  The latter gave her pause, but not enough to stop her tongue from mingling with his. Not enough to refrain from following his lead when he deepened the kiss. Not enough to stop the moan escaping her throat.

  Layla knew then that she was a goner.

  Seven

  Gavin greedily devoured Layla’s mouth. Never before had any woman escalated his arousal to such a state. And never had any woman made him want to kiss her each and every time he saw her.

  Every bone and muscle in his body throbbed with a need for her that went beyond desire. Intense heat curled inside of him, threatening his control. And the one thing he was known for was control. So why were his brain cells faltering under the onslaught of such a delicious kiss? Why was his body making urgent demands for him to make love to her right here in his truck? Damn. What could he say?

  Nothing. He was totally at a loss for words, which was a good thing since he didn’t have time to indulge in any. He preferred using his mouth for this kiss. He intended to get his fill. But a part of him wasn’t sure he could ever get his fill of Layla. He saw her and he wanted her. That wasn’t good. He had to get control of his body and of the situation. And he needed to do so now.