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dinners. And fundraisers. They don t count. Anyway, I want to hear all about this tempting stud. I hear the date stretched out for more than one night. Grace gritted her teeth. He s just a man Melanie introduced me to. That s all. He was here for the rodeo. 117 Desiree Holt Oh. Grace could almost see the wheels churning in her daughter s brain. Is he a sponsor? Or someone with the rodeo association? No. He isn t. He isn t? Silence, then Bridget squealed. Ohmigod, he s a competitor! Mom, you had a date with a cowboy! Ohmigod, I want to hear all about it. Can we have lunch? No way was she going to put herself in position for her sharp daughter to cross- examine her. She d give too much away. I m having lunch with a client, she said. And then I ve got a really busy week. You re avoiding me. This must be some cowboy. Whatever he is, he s gone now, so there s nothing to talk about. Gone? Bridget s surprise was obvious. Gone where? To the next rodeo, my darling daughter. End of discussion. Time to hang up. You can t hide from me forever, Bridget told her. I ll get you when you least expect it. That s what Grace was afraid of. Listen, Bridget& Oops. Gotta go. My cell phone s ringing. I ll catch you this week. Grace hung up feeling decidedly unsettled. Maybe it was a good thing after all that she was having lunch with Curt. He was just what she needed to get this entire past week out of her head. * * * * * You are certainly one surly son of a bitch, Clay Morgan said to his friend. They were sitting on the front porch of the ranch house with second cups of morning coffee. Clay had been a champion bronc buster until a broken leg finished him. He d taken his substantial winnings and bought this cattle ranch outside Houston and seemed to be running a successful operation. It was what had given Ben the idea for himself. Ben had been at the ranch for a week, resting Hotshot and putting himself back together. During that time Clay had been doing his damndest to engage Ben in some kind of conversation without any results. He was having the same dismal luck this morning. Usually when Ben visited the two men spent afternoons riding out to check the herd, riding fences with the hands, or just sitting on the porch talking about life and the good old days. Evenings they d find a good steak house or Mexican restaurant, take their time over food, then hit a bar and size up the women. But this time Ben had kept pretty much to himself, refusing all of Clay s offers of entertainment or activity, instead just sitting on the fence rail watching his horse romp and play or riding out by himself to find a place away from everyone. Most questions had received a one-word answer. 118 Rodeo Heat Ben knew Clay was right. He was surly. But he couldn t seem to shake himself out of it. Gotta be a woman, Clay mused. Yup. Nothing but a woman turns a man into a grizzly bear. You think you could just shut up for a while? Ben snapped. Oho! Clay grinned. I m right. And it must be one hell of a woman to put you in this kind of a mood. What did she do, turn you down? No, she didn t. And I said shut up. Ben could feel Clay s eyes on him, studying him. So she didn t turn you down, the man said finally. That s not the problem, is it? You did your usual walkaway and now you can t seem to let this one go. Try to tell me I m wrong. Ben said nothing, just worked on his coffee. Clay snapped his fingers. Got it. She left you before you could run off and you re pissed. He leaned over to look at Ben. Or maybe it s a lot more than that. Don t tell me you actually fell for some broad. Ben glared at his friend and stood up. You better do something about this, buddy boy, Clay called after him. You ve got to compete this week and you can t do it unless your head s on straight. Either go and get her or wipe her out of your mind. Ben s answer was to slam the door behind him as he walked into the house. But that afternoon he drove into Houston by himself and spent a fair amount of time shopping for some very particular things. He spent a long time searching for exactly what he had in mind. When he finally located what he wanted, he had them gift-wrapped, then took them to a UPS store and had them packaged and shipped, with a short note tucked inside. Now it was out of his control and Clay was right. He needed to concentrate on the upcoming rodeo. * * * * * What the hell am I doing here? I must be losing my mind. All week long Grace had been closing doors again, shutting herself up in her nice, neat, well-ordered existence. She ignored Joyce s remarks about her suddenly snippy personality and deftly avoided her daughter. Shuffling numbers and financial projections, reading spreadsheets, preparing financial statements all had her marching to the same old tune. Good, she told herself. This is who I am. Two lunch dates with Curt Sanderson had turned into a third, for dinner. Tonight when he d driven her home she d taken a deep breath, deliberately pushed Ben Lowell out of her mind and invited Curt to come in. There was no mistaking the gleam in his 119 Desiree Holt eye, not then and not now. He d been after her for a long, long time and he could see the door to paradise cracking open for him. At least paradise as he saw it. Grace looked at him now lounging on her couch, holding a glass of wine. He d removed his jacket and tie, tossing them over the arm of a chair and opening the top two buttons on his dress shirt. Grace noted the exposed skin was smooth and wondered if he was one of those men with a hairless chest. A picture of Ben s chest flashed into her brain, with its thick dark curls layered over rock-hard abs. Stop it! But instead of Ben, her young stud , she was facing a man several years older than she was and, she was sure, on the down side of his sex drive. Sex isn t everything! Really? No but it would do until something better came along. Stop it! she told herself again. Grace took a healthy swallow of her wine, deliberately banishing the teasing images from her mind. This was what she wanted. This was what her life should be. Sedate. Mature. Safe. You know, he said, leaning forward, wineglass held loosely in one hand, I ve always thought you and I would make a good couple, Grace. Her stomach knotted and tension raced through her body. Here it comes. Oh? she tried to make her voice casual. What do you mean? In what way? We re both mature people, not looking for adventure in life. Right? Speak for yourself. I suppose, she said, noncommittal. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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