But Gina wasn’t the woman for him.
“She’s temporary, Jules,” he finally admitted. “Pretty all right. Hell, some might think she was downright beautiful but she made it clear when she signed on that she’s just passing through. A smart man doesn’t involve himself with a woman who’s just temporary.”
“Don’t you think she could be convinced to hang around?” Jules narrowed her eyes and impatiently tapped her fingers on the table. “You’re hot and the best man I know next to your brother.”
Mitch laughed. “I appreciate the props but, honey, she left a family she obviously loves and I can’t imagine she’d be away from them for long. One thing I’ve learned about Gina is that family comes first with her.”
Jules smiled. “I like her already. Maybe I’ll head out in a few days just to say hi and introduce myself. It has to be tough surrounded by guys all the time, even if the cowboys at the Buck River are the hottest men in a three county radius.”
Mitch scowled.
Cowboys were hired for experience and definitely not for their looks but since Gina had been cooking for the hands, he’d noticed the guys dawdling at the table every day after meals. Now that he thought about it, it seemed those guys took great pleasure in teasing the petite brunette and checking out her fine ass whenever possible.
He didn’t like it. Not one little bit.
Intellectually, he knew none of this was his business but he was honest enough to admit, if only to himself, that if she let one of those cowboys put his boots under her bed, it wouldn’t set well with him. Over the past few weeks, he’d lingered over that last cup of coffee at breakfast just to watch the way she moved as she set out platters of homemade biscuits, pancakes, and crisp bacon. Mitch noted the way she rolled her pretty, big, brown eyes at the occasional crude joke from one of the cowboys or how her nose wrinkled when she laughed.
It was downright wrong of him to notice those things, especially since he knew she wouldn’t stay. But would it be so terrible of him to kiss her, to seduce her, to take her? A man deserved his pleasures but honor prevented him to acting on what he most wanted.
An honorable man didn’t play with a woman’s feelings. Years ago, he’d made the mistake of ignoring his wife’s unhappiness with ranch life and with him. He’d done his best to keep her and by the time their marriage had screeched to its inevitable end, Mitch realized he had only prolonged her misery. Looking back, he could say in all honesty that Dawn was a good woman but their marriage wasn’t meant to be.
The feelings they’d had for each other simply hadn’t been strong enough.
Gina was different from any woman he’d met since the divorce and it was impossible to deny his interest and the longer he was close to her the more he longed for a deeper, more personal connection. Sex appeal sizzled from her every pore reminding him that he’d been too long without a woman to satisfy his needs.
It had been obvious to him since the moment she’d walked through his front door that Gina had a big, kind heart that fit nicely with her sassy personality and sense of humor. No, he wouldn’t play with her but damn, if he didn’t want to.
“My brother sure got quiet, didn’t he?” A slow grin slid across Dawson’s face.
Jules laughed. “Yep. Obviously he’s a man with a lot on his mind.”
Mitch shrugged. “The only question rattling around in my brain is how to shut the two of you up. Yeah, I like the new help. So what? It’s not your business.”
Dawson sighed. “Guess he told us.”
Mitch finished off his coffee and eyed his brother. “I have a few more stops in town before wrapping up business for the day. Are you ready to get out of here?”
Jules cleared her throat. “Would it be okay if I borrowed Dawson? I have some new shelving to install at the store and I could use some help. I thought maybe he could come over to the house afterwards for dinner and a movie.”
“Dawson doesn’t need my permission.”
“Just being polite.” She looked from him to Dawson imploringly. “Can you help me out?”
“Be happy to,” Dawson said. He reached for his wallet and tossed some cash on the table. “My treat.”
Mitch watched his brother and Jules head off for their errands, knowing Dawson could use the distraction. He was pretty worried about the man these days. A break was overdue and Juliette was the perfect person to keep him occupied until he was emotionally ready to dive into a new relationship. Couldn’t happen soon enough, as far as he was concerned but who was he kidding? No expert on good relationships, Mitch knew he was the dead last man on Earth who should give his brother pointers when he wasn’t all that swift at taking advice himself. Feeling frustrated and morose, he stared out the plate-glass window and watched Dawson and Juliette drive away in Jules’ little car.
A hard dose of truth smacked him like a punch forcing him to face the fact that he was lonely. He wanted some intelligent conversation and, yes, he needed sex. The pretty little Yankee living under his roof was a total sweetheart and at the moment it was hard to imagine a reason why they shouldn’t get to know each other a little better. Life could get pretty boring for a man who surrounded himself with horses, cattle, and sweaty cowboys.
Gina Leoni wasn’t a woman who would be any kind of permanent in his life but there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with enjoying her company while he could. Mitch reached for his phone, scowled at it for a second, and then impulsively tapped out a number.
Gina hung up the phone, blew out a breath, and then sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. “Wow. Okay. Calm down, Gina,” she whispered aloud. “It’s all innocent. It doesn’t mean a thing.”
The sudden image of that night on the patio bloomed in her mind. She recalled the way his gaze slid over her body and how each word he’d spoken had gone low and raw, edged with an intensity that had thrown her slightly off-balance. Since then, however, he’d been nice but professional so Gina convinced herself that she’d been the victim of an overactive imagination.
Now this call.
Mitch sure knew how to throw a woman off her game.
Take steaks out of the freezer, he says.
Hmm.
We’ll have dinner together.
How was it possible for a desperately lonely woman to avoid all that cowboy charm? Or that sinful, heavily-accented voice?
Nerves danced in her belly. The thought of sharing a quiet, intimate dinner with the man she reluctantly fantasized about both scared and thrilled her. Confusion threatened her composure but she was also intrigued. Since her arrival, she’d covertly watched him, admiring his muscular body, the almost craggy lines of his face, and the way his eyes hinted at a playful side belied by his sheer masculinity. Though she’d tried her best to keep her mind from going where it shouldn’t, imagination was a tricky thing. Every night she’d fallen into bed and wondered how it would be to share that space with him. How easy it was to visualize his legs tangled with hers or to feel his big, rough hands on her sex-starved body.
Now, after Mitch’s call, she had to wonder if her imaginings could become reality.
She had zero business getting involved with her employer but she was certainly tempted. After her rotten marriage to Anthony had ended, Gina honestly believed she was through with men but Mitch was different from any guy she’d ever met. Strong, trustworthy and hard-working, he was the kind of man who’d never let a woman down. Had she actually applied the word ‘trustworthy’ to Mitch? A man she barely knew? Surely the lessons of the past hadn’t abandoned her already. The sad, painfully violent relationship with her ex had sent her running on a road to nowhere and before long it would begin again. Gina knew she couldn’t stop until Anthony finally accepted the fact that she didn’t belong to him.
Going about the business of pulling thick steaks from a freezer, Gina felt an overwhelming burst of happiness blast through her veins. It had been so long since a man had expressed interest in her. Amazing! And though she knew none of this would last, she hummed a li
ttle as she wrapped two large potatoes in foil, poked them with a fork, and set them aside to bake later. It wasn’t until she’d gotten halfway through chopping veggies for a salad that her phone rang again.
Thinking it might be Mitch, she reached for the phone and smiled until she saw her mother’s name pop up on her screen. Gina’s first instinct was that something might be wrong at home so couldn’t help the sharpness of her voice as she answered.
“Mom! Is everything okay?”
“Of course, mia, everything is good here. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. You haven’t called home since you got the job in Texas. I can’t believe you are there and cooking for real cowboys. Imagine that! How are you settling in?”
Gina blew out a relieved breath and sank into a chair at the kitchen table. “You scared me, Mama.” Closing her eyes she leaned back against the wooden back of her seat. “I’m fine. Everyone has been very nice and my employers are a dream. Cooking for these men isn’t much harder than feeding my army of brothers, the only difference being that sometimes these guys smell like horses and they talk with a sexy accent.” She laughed a little. “You should hear them. It’s just like in the movies that Papa loves to watch. How is he?”
“How is he? He is missing his princess and worries constantly that Anthony will find you. You should come home so that we can better protect you.”
Same song just sung on a different day.
Love for her mother filled her up. She was so relieved Maria Leoni couldn’t see the tears her daughter knuckled from her cheeks. “You’re making me homesick.”
“Then come home. Anthony won’t bother you here.”
“He will, Mama. He already has. Remember that night just two days before I left New York? He broke down the door trying to get to me and I thought Papa would have a heart attack fighting him off. Then my brothers got involved. There was blood, police, and chaos. Mama, I’m sick of chaos.”
“But you didn’t have to run.”
“I did. Why can’t I make you understand that I need time alone without the constant stress of Tony showing up to harass me. And my brothers. Why should they have to live in constant protector mode? It’s not fair.”
Her mother went quiet, then sighed. “None of this is fair, mia. Take all the time you need. Just remember that we’ll all be here for you when you decide to come home.”
“I’m not sure where home is anymore.”
Maria gasped. “It is here. This will always be your home.”
Gina desperately wanted to comfort her mother and wished she could take back the hastily spoken words. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her but with every day that passed, she felt she’d found a place at this beautiful Texas ranch. There was an ease about the people here and a no-nonsense attitude that soothed her yankee sensibilities. “Of course, Mama, but I’m a grown woman. I can’t continue to hide with you and Papa. I have to make my own way.” Changing the subject, she asked about her four brothers and received a quick report that they were well but worried. “You didn’t mention Michael.”
Michael was the baby of the family and only twenty. He looked up to her ex and unfortunately tried to mimic many of Anthony’s behaviors. Not a good role model, her former husband.
“He is confused but understands that Anthony didn’t behave as a good man should.” There was a long pause on the line.
“What?”
“I shouldn’t tell you because you’ll only worry but Michael was approached by Anthony a few days ago. Your brother was coming home and was stopped by Tony just a few blocks from the house. Luckily, Frank Jr. pulled Michael away before he could answer any questions about you.”
Thank God for her oldest brother.
“Are you sure? Mama, I can’t let Tony find me. If he knows I’m in Texas, he’ll hunt me down. He is so bitter after the divorce. I would never have left had Tony accepted our marriage was over. You know how irrational he has become.”
“How could I forget? His threats have turned my hair gray. He’s a monster. But please try not to worry. Both your papa and I, along with your brothers, have told Michael that he must tell Tony nothing. Michael will listen. You must trust.”
Trust? Gina wasn’t so sure she was capable of it any longer. She only prayed that her baby brother wouldn’t be so foolish as to believe a word from Tony’s mouth. Her safety very much depended on it.
Chapter Three
Thick steaks sizzled on the grill, the delicious smell reminding Mitch that it had been a long time since lunch and, after consuming far too much coffee earlier at the Dixie Pig, he was in dire need of food. Now he stood on the covered patio in his backyard, spatula gripped in one hand, and admired the beautiful brunette who currently lounged on the big, padded sofa nearby. Next to the grouping of outdoor furniture sat a tile-topped table where they would finally have a dinner alone. Just the two of them.
Nice to know he was still capable of a great idea, he admitted, mentally rolling his eyes. A man could get awfully complacent but there was no excuse for at least trying to live an interesting life. Hadn’t he had this very conversation with his brother earlier when he’d poked and prodded him about getting out there and meeting someone? Mitch was man enough to admit it was time to take his own advice. Now that Dawson was off with Jules, this was as good a time as any to get to know Gina better.
A slight breeze blew tonight and every now and then it would whip beneath the slatted-wood ceiling of the patio and ruffle her dark hair. At the moment, she sat with her head resting back and her eyes closed giving Mitch the pleasure of looking at her as much as he wanted.
There was a cautiousness about Gina Leoni, a skittishness that made him want to know more about her. He knew she was running from something and that worried him. If she’d tell him what was going on, maybe he could help. A man didn’t pry though. People around here minded their own business and he’d always believed that was a pretty good rule to live by.
But he couldn’t help himself.
What secrets swam behind those dark eyes and why in the hell would a woman who so obviously loved her family have travelled so far from them? Mitch understood family loyalty. His dad had been a monumental shithead and, even now, not worth a second thought, but between his mom, Dawson, and himself, there had been affection so deep it was nearly painful. Maybe their often violent circumstances had worked to make them closer. They’d been like soldiers enduring battle in war torn lands. The only difference was that their battlefield was at home. Burying Mom had been the single hardest thing he’d ever done but through it all, he’d had his brother. They were tight. Always would be. It was a reality Mitch accepted all the way to his soul.
Putting the spatula aside, he walked to the end of the table, where he reached into a galvanized tub filled with ice and extracted two icy long-necks. He started toward her and saw her eyes were now open and staring straight at him. Gina smiled slowly making Mitch’s belly go tight.
Lord, he loved a smiling woman.
“You look deep in thought,” she said.
“I try to think every now and then.”
She laughed as he’d hoped she would, thanking him as he handed off a beer. “Would you like something else? I think I have a bottle of wine in the kitchen somewhere. Whisky, too.”
“No, this is fine,” she took a sip as he ignored the two big chairs flanking the sofa and sat next to her. “Mm, I love shockingly cold beer in the summertime.”
He leaned back, kind of lost all of a sudden, as she rubbed her bottom lip against the top of the brown bottle leaving him to wonder how that mouth would feel pressed against his or how her lips and tongue would feel cruising over his throat and chest. She had a mouth made for sin and kissing her could become an obsession. Restlessly he shifted, imagining those lips sliding over his cock to take him deep.
He shifted again.
Whoa!
He was hungry for a whole lot more than food and Mitch knew he wouldn’t make it through dinner if he let his imagination go all
crazy on him. Already, he entertained thoughts no self-preserving, intelligent guy would contemplate. Common sense told him that she wouldn’t be around for long. Gina Leoni was a heartbreaker and he needed to remember that. He wouldn’t mind playing but dreaming about anything more than a few long, mind-blowing nights between the sheets was downright dangerous. Mitch had been burned by a woman before and he wasn’t looking to repeat the experience. Still, he was intrigued.
Gina’s expression turned dreamy as she casually rolled the cold bottle over her chest. The skimpy top she wore was held in place by miniscule straps and sexy as hell, showing off her full breasts and accentuating a slender waist that he wanted to test with his fingers. He couldn’t blame her for the scanty clothes. Summers in Texas were blazing hot but nothing matched the sinful heat she generated.
His dick twitched behind the fly of his jeans.
Well, howdy ma’am.
Damn it.
When she rolled the bottle across her chest again, she closed her eyes and sighed. “Oh, that feels so good. I thought New York was hot in the summer but this is crazy.”
Mitch watched helplessly as several beads of condensation dripped from the brown glass to roll slowly down her sternum. When the drops disappeared between her breasts, Mitch’s mouth went dry. He had the insane urge to lean over and search out those lost drops with his tongue. “Can get steamy here. Summers are long too,” he managed.
He’d resorted to discussing the weather.
Pitiful.
Suddenly Gina’s belly rumbled loudly and her eyes went wide. The light from the overhead ceiling fan was fairly dim but it was impossible to miss the way her cheeks colored. She laughed and lightly patted her noisy belly. “That smell is driving me nuts,” she said. “Will it be much longer?”
Mitch looked at his watch. “Nope. About five more minutes and we’ll eat.”
True to his word, he pulled off the steaks noting the plates Gina had set nearby. Already they’d loaded the table with foil wrapped potatoes and a bowl of salad and assorted dressings. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed a meal outdoors and Mitch realized he’d missed it. As a rule, he and Dawson did their own things each night, either in a rush, or just too damn tired to stress much about food.
Texas Hot Page 3
