Taking Charge

by Ruth Cardello

  Her cheeks warmed even more at the thought of masturbating while imagining herself with David. Stop that. What is wrong with me?

  I’ve had an emotional day. That’s why I feel out of control. I feel alone, and that’s the only reason David is such a temptation.

  Lucy opened the door before David could knock. His large, muscular frame filled the doorway. Even shadowed from the sun, his blue eyes were gorgeously brilliant. And his lips looked every bit as amazing as she’d imagined a moment before. It was all she could do to not lean forward and test if there was any possibility that his kiss would live up to her fantasy.

  She needed to gain control of herself as well as the situation. She gripped the door handle tightly and stood, blocking his entrance. “Thank you for your help today. I’m sorry I hit you. I was still all wound up from talking to Ted.” She paused and chewed her lip before saying, “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “No apology necessary.” His smile was as warm as the sun shining behind him.

  Lucy took a deep breath, then realized her mistake. He smelled as good as he looked. Masculine. A city woman might smell cattle or horse, but those familiar scents faded to the background for Lucy. David didn’t need cologne; he was heady enough. He’d worked hard, and the light shine of sweat on him was a turn-on that had her biting her lip again. I have to get him out of here before I bookend this day with bad choices. “I’d offer you something to eat, but I’m sure you’re anxious to get home, and it’s a long drive. I should have a check for you tomorrow. I can mail it or have someone take it to you in Fort Mavis if you need it sooner. Whatever you prefer.”

  David removed his hat, and the sun brightened his thick blond hair, giving it an almost halo effect. “I’d rather you invite me in.”

  Lucy leaned on the door handle for support as her knees almost buckled. I’ve watched too many vampire movies. They can’t hurt you unless you invite them in. David is not here for my blood or my ranch. But he does want something.

  Me.

  Oh God.

  This is a bad idea.

  A really bad idea.

  I swore I would get back control of my life and my ranch.

  Is this a test? To see if I’ll take the easy way out again? I won’t. No matter what my sex-starved body thinks, I won’t say yes this time.

  I need to free myself from owing anyone anything.

  “I have work waiting for me or I would.”

  He made no move to end the conversation. “Your home business? Sarah told me you were starting one.”

  Thank God I didn’t tell Sarah the details. I’ll have to talk to her about how much she’s sharing with David. “Yes. Hopefully it’ll bring in enough revenue after the first few months to pay you the rest of what I owe.”

  “I’m not worried about the money, Lucy.”

  “You should be. We didn’t even sign anything.”

  He held her gaze. “Contracts don’t matter with honest people, and crooks will always find a way around them. I trust you, Lucy.”

  “Trusting people is the quickest way to lose everything.”

  “Is that what you believe?”

  “It’s a hard truth, but I’m learning to deal with it. What do they say? ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . .’”

  “You’re no fool, Lucy.”

  “Not anymore, I’m not. I’m done letting others decide how things should be done. I’m going to save this ranch, and I’m going to do it my way.”

  David leaned in, his mouth hovering above hers. “You don’t have to do it alone.”

  Lucy licked her bottom lip and let out a shaky breath. It would have been so easy to forget everything else and give in to him. Then what? “Yes, I do. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

  His breath was a soft caress on her lips. “Would it be a mistake?” His voice held strength and a confidence just as attractive as the rest of him. What would life be like with a man like him at her side?

  Even as her eyes began to close in preparation for his kiss, she told herself she didn’t want this. She couldn’t risk losing herself again . . . no matter how strong the pull between them was.

  “A package for you, Miss Lucy,” an amused male voice said from the bottom of the steps. She and David jumped apart. “I would have left it without interrupting, but it’s a heavy box, and I’m supposed to have you sign for it.” The postman smiled as he handed the box to David and took out a tablet for Lucy. “Sign right there, if you don’t mind.”

  Lucy scanned the box in David’s arms. It had to be from Technically Anonymous Pleasure. After seeing the poor-quality photos for some of the items in the catalogue, Lucy ordered one of everything with the intention of taking pictures for her website. The company was normally discreet with its labels, but Lucy wanted to rip the box away from David just in case. She reluctantly turned her attention to the tablet, signed the electronic form, then handed it back to the postman, who thanked her and left.

  Looking at David, she said, “I’ll take that now.”

  He bounced the large square box against his chest. “It’s too heavy for you.”

  “I don’t want or need your help. Give me the box.” She reached out for it and pulled before he had a chance to release it. Meeting resistance, she pulled harder. His release of the box, along with the way she’d braced herself to pull harder, sent her stumbling backward beneath the weight of it.

  And this is how I die, crushed beneath a box of sex toys.

  David was beside her in an instant, stopping her fall by putting an arm around her waist. Once she was steady on her feet, he reached for the box. She clutched it to her and started to retreat, but was blocked by the arm still supporting her. Opposing emotions rushed through her. She loved the feel of him against her, loved his strong touch. At the same time, she’d just learned the risk of leaning on anyone, and she was furious with herself for being tempted to do it again.

  “Easy, Lucy. I told you it was too heavy.” His amused tone only confused her more.

  There is nothing funny about my whole life falling apart and nothing amusing about how desperately I want to make the right choices this time. “And I told you I could handle it.”

  David frowned. “Was I supposed to let you fall on your ass?”

  “If that’s what I wanted—yes.”

  “I can’t do that, Lucy. I’m not the kind of man who can walk away when someone is in trouble.”

  Sweat began to bead on Lucy’s forehead from the exertion of holding the ridiculously heavy box. Do they wrap their toys in bricks? She turned to the side and bent to put the box down, but dropped it, barely missing both of their feet. She hated that she hadn’t been strong enough to make her point by holding the box. Tears welled in her eyes.

  She knew enough about David’s history with Tony to believe David was sincere. Sarah had told her how David had hunted Tony down when he thought the horse trainer had gone unpunished for a tragedy David had felt was Tony’s fault. Tony had been drinking himself to death when David found him. Another man might have gloated over the irony, but David had not only stayed and sobered Tony up, he had also guided the man back to a career he was gifted in.

  But I don’t need to be saved.

  I need to do this on my own.

  She met his eyes, and for a moment her resolve wavered. He had the kindest eyes she’d ever looked into. What would we be to each other if we’d known each other before all this? If I wasn’t already a tangled mess on the inside?

  Why ask myself what might have been, when all I have is here and now?

  “Keeping this ranch is my priority now. My only priority. I know how ungrateful that sounds, but I asked you not to come. I warned you. Good-bye, David.”

  He bent closer again, so close Lucy’s resolve began to dissolve. “I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’re safe, Lucy. Wyatt hired me to help look after the outbuildings, and I agreed to bring some of my horses over to give work to some of the men who were here today. Wyatt
seems to think they’ll need it.”

  The room spun. “Wyatt can’t hire you. This is my ranch.”

  David caressed the side of Lucy’s face, running the back of his fingers down one side of her neck. “Wyatt’s worried about you. He thinks you need someone to watch over you. I agree.”

  The pleasure of his touch confused Lucy. She felt vibrantly alive, and her miserable morning was too easy to forget. No. No. No. She pushed his hand away. “I don’t care what Wyatt thinks, and I don’t care what you do, either. I’m telling you to leave. I don’t want you here.”

  “Then why do you look like you want to kiss me so damn much?” he asked.

  Lucy turned away from him. She wrapped her arms around herself. She could lie to him and say he was wrong, but they’d both know it wasn’t true. “You say you want to help me, David, but you don’t listen to me. I will save this ranch, and I will do it myself.” She turned back to face him. “Haven’t you ever needed to prove something to yourself so badly that an easier way of doing something was impossible to consider?”

  David nodded. “And that was usually right before I fell on my face.”

  She sputtered angrily and was about to tell him off when he raised his hand to caress her cheek again. “We’re at a standoff, you and I. My daddy always said the secret to solving a disagreement was finding a compromise both could live with. Wyatt needs help outside, the men who were here today need jobs, and I need to know you’re okay.”

  He ran a mesmerizing thumb across her parted lips. “You need to save the ranch on your own. What if I promise I won’t step in to help again unless you ask me to, and in return you let me pay for the use of your barns and fields to train my horses.”

  “You can’t pay me. I owe you money.”

  “Then charge me and deduct as we go. I’ll pay you a fair rate for the lease of your facility.”

  “Why would you do that?” Besides to sleep with me, because that can’t happen.

  As if he heard her, he dropped his hand and stepped back. The sadness she felt at the absence of his touch was as confusing as fighting the pleasure from it had been. “I’ve been thinking about getting my own place for a while. This would be a way to test how I like it. Working with Tony has been good for me, but like you, it’s time for me to see what I can do on my own.”

  “You can’t stay in the main house.” Lucy blushed right after she blurted her thought out.

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Wyatt suggested I stay in the old workers’ quarters. None of the men who were here today will be looking to stay there. It’ll be perfect.”

  Perfectly crazy.

  Am I honestly considering this? “If I say yes, it doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to anything else. I want to be clear about that.”

  A twinkle lit his eyes. “Why, Miss Lucy, what else might I think you were agreeing to?”

  A reluctant smile pulled at the corners of Lucy’s mouth, but she pressed her lips together and told herself to be strong. Knight-in-shining-armor David was difficult enough to resist, so any hint of naughty playfulness put Lucy at risk of stripping right then and there and begging him to take her. She hoped he couldn’t see the need in her eyes when she said, “I really do have a lot of work to do.”

  He replaced his hat, tipped it politely, and sauntered out the door.

  After he was gone, Lucy sat down heavily on the box in her hallway. I said David could work here.

  It’s proof that I’ve lost my mind.

  She remembered how perfectly his Levis had hugged his tight ass and muscular thighs. David would likely be working with his horses in the paddocks across from her house.

  Talk about an office with a view.

  David smiled his way back to his truck to get the overnight bag he’d thrown in there impulsively that morning. He could have left his things at the hotel he’d checked in to, but a smart man was prepared for all possibilities. He’d shower, change, make a few calls, then collect the rest of his things from the hotel after Wyatt returned.

  She said yes.

  His expression sobered when he thought about why he didn’t want Lucy to be alone. He studied the main house. The sheer size of it was testament to the success Lucy’s family must have once had with cattle ranching. Years of neglect, though, had diminished its value. Alone, it didn’t seem valuable enough to merit York’s level of interest.

  Wyatt had said York wanted the land. David scanned the rolling fields beyond the house. During his first visit, he’d heard the ranch was over ten thousand acres. Once again, a nice setup, but there had to be more for someone like York to be willing to blackmail Lucy to get it.

  When in doubt, follow the money. David didn’t know what York thought would be so profitable about owning Lucy’s land, but with a few phone calls he was confident he could find out—and soon. Unlike Lucy, David had no problem turning to others for help. He was a better man because of the people who had come into his life when he’d been in need, and he gladly paid that kindness forward whenever he could.

  Accepting help didn’t take away from a person’s achievements. Lucy would see that in time.

  David never took his natural intuition for granted when it came to working with horses. Many of the same rules of interaction overlapped species. Trust needed to be earned. Any rider who thought a horse should trust them just because they held the reins was quickly disappointed. Riding was a partnership acquired through clear communication, consistency, and mutual respect. He was betting the same recipe could win Lucy’s trust.

  David smiled as he walked into the bunkhouse and chose a room. The building was old but had been well cared for until recently. The walls were bare, but the furniture was good quality and the bedding spoke of a family who cared about the people who had worked there. He liked the physical evidence of what he felt he knew about Lucy already. She was a good woman who’d come from a good family. She’d pull through this rough patch just fine.

  And then she’ll be mine.

  David pushed back a curtain to see the main house. He wondered what Lucy was doing. Was she wishing as much as he that he’d taken that kiss she seemed to want to give him?

  There’ll be plenty of time for that later.

  He thought about the business she was starting. She’d told Sarah she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. He knew she’d gone to school for marketing. Most likely she didn’t want to say much about her business until she knew she could do it. He could respect that.

  I’ll have her telling me all about it by the end of the week.

  He turned and began to strip for the shower. He’d removed his shirt and shoes when his phone rang. When he saw the caller, he considered ignoring it but knew she was genuinely concerned. “Hello, Sarah.”

  “So, did you get there okay? What was it like seeing her again? Did you ask her out? Are you still there with her? I know I should have waited for you to call, but I’m dying from curiosity here.”

  With her barrage of questions delivered in her fast Northern accent, David held up a hand to calm Sarah even though she wasn’t in the room with him. “Easy. I didn’t call because there’s nothing to say yet.”

  Sarah exclaimed, “Nothing? You drove out to see a woman you’ve been heartbroken about practically the whole time I’ve known you. I want to hear everything.”

  “I wasn’t heartbroken. I liked her, that’s all.”

  “Really? So you’re on your way back?”

  “I’m staying here.”

  “What was that? Could you speak up? You’re staying with Lucy?”

  “In the bunkhouse. Sarah, don’t go making a big deal over this. She has an empty barn here, and I’ve been considering finding a place of my own. I’ve decided to lease the barn and work some horses here—see how it goes. That’s all there is.”

  Sarah let out a gleeful sound. “I can’t wait to tell Melanie. She and Charles had better get married soon, because we’ll probably have another wedding on the horizon by the end of the year. I am so happy fo
r you. You and Lucy are perfect for each other. I’ll call her and say so as soon as I hang up with you.”

  “No!” David barked. He then softened his voice. “It would be better if you don’t say anything to anyone right now.” A thought came to him, and he went with it. “We’re working things out. If you push Lucy, she may ask me to leave. Again. You wouldn’t want to be the reason we don’t work out this time, would you?”

  Sarah gasped in horror. “No. I hadn’t thought of that. I talk to her all the time, though. I can’t not call her. Should I pretend I don’t know you’re there?”

  David rolled his eyes skyward. Stopping Sarah was like trying to hold back the weather. “Don’t lie, just don’t make her feel weird about having me here. Also, have Tony call me. Normally, I would come back and settle things on that side before shipping some horses out here, but I can’t leave right now.”

  “Can’t? Is something wrong there?”

  “Yes, Sarah, but I don’t have the full picture yet.”

  “I’ll have Tony call you. Hey, Mason is flying in next week with Chelle. They’d love to see you, and I’d love to see Lucy.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” David promised.

  Chapter Five

  Later that evening, Lucy stood by the stove in her kitchen, waiting for the water to boil. She’d spent the late afternoon tweaking her website and telling herself she didn’t care that David was one building away. I doubt the bunkhouse is stocked with anything perishable. I should ask him to join me for dinner.

  Bad, bad idea.

  I could make him a plate and take it to him.

  Or I could do what I know I should, and stay the hell away from him until I get myself under control.

  She’d moved the box that had been delivered to her father’s office, but she hadn’t opened it. She didn’t want Wyatt to walk in and see what she’d ordered because she was afraid he’d think she was turning the ranch into a brothel. And if David saw it? He’d think I’m the type of woman who uses those things.