by Sara Orwig
As he helped her into the truck, he looked at her shining hair and could imagine winding his fingers in it. Instead of being fun, the evening might be pure hell as he struggled to keep his hands to himself.
“Ryan, this is a whole new world for me. I’ve never known cowboys and been to Texas. I’m excited about tonight. It’s difficult to remember you’re a businessman and not a rancher all the time.”
“This is what I love. I love the ranch more than anything else. I hope to retire from the business in Houston early and just be a rancher.”
“Why not retire now if you love the ranch that much? You can afford to.”
“I have some things to prove to myself and to my brothers. They’ve succeeded in the business world and I think I should. I want that company bigger before I step down. I’ve already expanded it from only a drilling company. Now we are exploring and have natural-gas wells. I want a well-rounded energy company. I want to know that I can do it. I know I can do the ranching.”
“I suppose most of us set our own challenges,” she said, looking out the window, and he realized the conversation was taking too serious a turn for her.
He caught her hand in his and changed the subject. “You’ll like the dinner. They’ll have all sorts of food to eat because people will bring their specialties to add to the dinner.”
“Should we be bringing something?”
“I got beer and wine today when we were in the store and they loaded it into Roy’s truck. I got enough for a gift from both of us.”
“I could have cooked something.”
“Oh, no. We’re not letting everyone know what a cook you are just yet. They’ll all be hovering trying to hire you away from me.”
She laughed. “I think you exaggerate, but okay.”
She hadn’t taken her hand out of his. He shouldn’t have been holding her hand, but she was warm and soft. He liked the contact, liked having her close beside him, liked knowing she would let him hold her hand. This was not the woman for him to be drawn to, but he was and had been from the first moment he saw her step out of her car. He didn’t care about dinner or the party; he just wanted one dance with Jessica tonight. Whether he should or he shouldn’t didn’t matter. One dance couldn’t hurt anything.
* * *
Jessica spent the first hour just meeting people or talking to some she remembered from the grocery store. Children had been invited and there were pony rides and games for all ages. People were as friendly as they were in Tennessee. The accent was different, but the warm smiles were the same.
Ryan stayed at her side, constantly introducing her, sometimes draping his arm casually across her shoulders. Some very beautiful women stopped to talk to him and she was aware of some curious looks from them. It was obvious he had known some of them well and whatever relationship they’d had, they had stayed friends, which didn’t surprise her. Ryan was so laid-back and easygoing she couldn’t imagine him having a serious commitment and she needed to remember that.
They saw Molly and Jas with Benny and within minutes they’d talked Jessica into joining Molly in the women’s three-legged race.
“If we count the beat and walk in time, maybe we can keep in step,” Molly suggested.
Laughing, feeling silly yet ready for the fun, Jessica agreed.
Someone shouted “Go” and they were off, laughing together as both tried to count and keep in step. To her surprise, they crossed the finish line seconds ahead of the next two. Molly lost her balance and they both went down laughing.
Ryan gave her a hand to pull her to her feet while he congratulated them.
The next game, she played an egg toss with Ryan that they lost when they were down to only three couples.
Afterward they walked away from the games. “You and Molly did that race like pros,” Ryan told her. “She’s a runner—or she was until Benny was born.”
“I didn’t know. I was running nearly every day, too, until I got pregnant and for a long time afterward. I picked it up again about four months ago, so maybe that’s why we were good together.” She fanned her neck with her hand. “This has been fun.”
“I’m glad. I hope you worked up an appetite. You barely eat.”
“I’ll eat. It all smells wonderful.” But Ryan was more enticing than the food. As she glanced at him, he turned to meet her gaze and an electrical charge crackled in the air. From the way he inhaled and his eyes darkened, she suspected the look they had just shared had affected him, too.
Ryan grabbed her hand and took her over to the cooking area. The smell of the cooking meat was mouthwatering and she was interested in seeing all the open pits and turning spits with slabs of meat or whole chickens. There were grills with men frying fish and tables lined with covered dishes.
When a dinner bell rang, lines formed at the long row of tables with a delectable-looking array of food.
She couldn’t begin to try everything and selected a corn casserole, grilled asparagus, some steaming baked beans, grilled bass and jalapeño corn bread. She tried a tiny bowl of chili. After a thin slice of coconut cream pie, they left the picnic area. The sun had set and lights and torches burned. Games were still being played, but Ryan took her hand and headed toward the barn, from which they heard music from fiddles while someone called square dances.
“Know how to square-dance?” he asked.
“No, but I have a feeling I’m going to learn.”
“That’s right. Just follow me and do what they say. You’ll catch on.”
The barn was filled with huge fans stirring the air. While fiddlers tapped their feet and played, one man called out the dance steps. Couples danced and a big group circled the dirt floor, dancing around the barn while spectators watched from the lofts and lines formed at the soft-drink chests and the lemonade and tea fountains.
“Let’s join them,” Ryan said, taking her hand and pulling her with him into the circle to dance with the others. In seconds she was dancing around the barn, aware constantly of the tall cowboy at her side. She found it impossible to think of Ryan any other way except as a cowboy. Sometimes she remembered his status in the business world, his billion-dollar wealth, the power and influence he must have, but seeing him here, in his element, she forgot the other part of his life.
As she held hands with two men she didn’t know and they circled the dance area, she couldn’t keep from smiling. It was fun to dance, play games and turn loose of fears and responsibilities for a while. She had gotten separated from Ryan and she glanced over her shoulder at him to find him watching her. Once again they could have been shut away from the world. She felt the sparks and wondered why she had found this with him. It could lead nowhere, because this wasn’t the time in her life for a love interest and this Texas cowboy wasn’t the man, because someday she definitely would go home to Tennessee. She reversed directions, following the caller’s instructions, and gave herself over to the thrill of the dance.
It was one in the morning when she finally told Ryan she was ready to go home. They told people goodbye, said their thanks and soon were in his truck on the way back to his ranch.
“That was so much fun tonight. Thank you for asking me. I had a wonderful time. Also, I’ll never forget all the delicious food. I wish I could get that chili recipe.”
“I don’t know. There were about eight people who brought chili. I’ll ask and see what I can find out. You could get recipes from all of them and try them. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I did, too.”
“Now I know how to square-dance. What fun it was.”
When they reached the ranch and walked inside, he turned to face her. “Let’s sit outside and talk for a while. You can sleep later in the morning. You don’t need to cook on Sundays. I’ll manage.”
“I don’t mind cooking on Sunday. I don’t have any reason to take it off,” she said, thinking about
his invitation to sit and talk. She constantly was torn between being with him and doing the sensible thing, going on her way. It was always too enticing a prospect to spend more time with him. “I’d like to go to church in the morning, like I usually do at home. But then I’ll be ready to cook.”
They got drinks and sat on the patio. It was a cool evening and once again the garden lights showed off the fountains and the waterfall in the pool.
“It’s an oasis out here,” she breathed.
“I think so.”
“You should come see Tennessee. I think it’s so beautiful and the flowers are gorgeous in the spring.”
“I’ve seen Tennessee and it is pretty. So are the ladies who live there.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Ryan. So where’s the woman in your life? I’ve been waiting for her to show up. I know a lot of ladies talked to you tonight.”
“She hasn’t shown up, I guess. There’s never been any one special person for a long, meaningful relationship. Just lots of friends I have fun with.”
“You don’t take life or relationships too seriously, do you?”
“Life is a blast. No, I guess I don’t take some things seriously, but there are a few I do. My family is important to me. As for relationships—I’m not into long-term or serious relations. Don’t worry about that.”
She nodded. “Tell me about the rodeos. I haven’t ever been to one. What do you do?” she asked, trying to get away from being so personal.
They talked until she realized it was after three in the morning. “Ryan, I have to go in.”
He stood and walked with her, switching off lights and locking the house. In the kitchen she turned to face him. Only a small light burned, which created a coziness that seemed more intimate. His prominent cheekbones were highlighted and a lock of his hair fell on his forehead. But it was his brown eyes that caught her attention and made her heart beat faster, because there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. Desire was blatant and she could barely get her breath.
When his gaze lowered to her mouth, her lips parted. He stepped closer. She should stop him, say something, move away. Instead, she was held by the expression in his eyes. She wanted his kiss as much as he wanted hers.
One kiss should not be devastating. One simple kiss wouldn’t be more than what they had already done—gone to the party together, gone to town together, gone to his family’s lunch before the Delaney Foundation meeting. They had been crossing the line constantly from the first and it hadn’t been life changing. They were not in love, not seeking a relationship, not involved except as employer and employee. It would be just a simple good-night kiss, something she hadn’t had in over a year. What harm could that be?
Ryan stepped close and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Tonight was a super night.”
“It was for me, too. Thank you.” Ryan held her shoulders lightly, rubbing them slowly, his hands barely touching her, yet she tingled from his touch. Her gaze lowered to his mouth. “Ryan, we shouldn’t—”
“It’s meaningless,” he whispered. “Just a kiss after an entertaining evening together. A light, friendly kiss that ends the evening. You won’t melt or fall in love and I won’t either, but this is the icing on the cake for tonight and something I’ve wanted to do since you stepped out of your red car.” One arm slipped around her waist and his focus was on her mouth.
While her heart drummed, he leaned down, his mouth covering hers. Her heart slammed against her ribs. His tongue went deep and her tongue played over his. She felt hot, light-headed, falling in a dizzying spiral. She wanted to lean away and tell him that he had been wrong. It was more than just a “friendly kiss,” more than the “icing on the cake.” It was the most fantastic kiss ever.
Never in her life had a kiss been like this. Her toes curled, her body heated and her heart pounded. She had been wildly in love when she had married, but kisses then had never been like this. Not once. As long as she lived, she would remember Ryan Delaney’s kiss. All they had done together—the socializing, the dancing, the eating together, the games, the grocery shopping—all of it could be forgotten. But not this kiss. His kiss changed everything.
One kiss became many until she realized how long they’d been standing there. She was on fire with longing, a physical need that made her tremble.
Trying to catch her breath, she stepped away from him. His eyes were dark as midnight, intense with desire. His hand was still on her waist and his fingers tightened as he started to draw her back to him until she shook her head and moved farther away.
“Ryan, no more kisses,” she whispered, staring at him. Why did his kisses make such a difference? They barely knew each other, so it wasn’t because she loved him. His kisses were hot, filled with passion that melted her and set her ablaze with need. She ached right now, wanting him, wanting to kiss all night, to walk right back into his embrace.
“Good night, Ryan,” she said breathlessly, and turned, blindly heading into the hall and hurrying to her suite to close the door and gasp for breath as if she had run a mile to get to her rooms.
Tomorrow she wouldn’t cook for him. She’d avoid him for the day and get her emotions under control. Was she so terribly vulnerable that his kisses had set her on fire? Maybe his kisses had seemed so hot and sexy because she hadn’t kissed anyone in over a year and for a long time, kisses had not been great with Carlton. No, his kisses had never been like this.
There was no reasoning away her intense reaction to Ryan. His kisses were unforgettable, the most seductive ever. She needed distance between Ryan and herself. With kisses like that, she would soon be in his bed and she would never be able to separate a physical relationship from an emotional relationship.
Was she going to have to quit this job that seemed so perfect in every other way? The isolated ranch, the friendly people, Ryan himself—all had been more than she had hoped to find. A job doing something she liked to do where she could relax and not be pulled in all directions by Carlton and her family. All changed because of a few kisses that Ryan had said would be meaningless.
Had they been meaningless to him? He hadn’t looked as if they had been. He had looked as shocked as she had felt, which compounded the problem. If she had had the effect on him that he’d had on her, then it was mutual, something unique they had found only with each other, and that made kissing Ryan incredibly special. She rubbed her temples, wishing she could take back the kisses, turn the evening back to the way it had been until that moment. Fun, a little sexy, exciting, tempting, but nothing earthshaking.
She doubted if she would sleep tonight.
Lost in her thoughts, she got ready for bed, switched off the lights and lay in the darkness thinking about Ryan and the sexiest kisses she had ever known.
* * *
Sunday morning she rose early to shower and dress in a T-shirt and jeans. She hurried to eat breakfast and then returned to her room, where she changed for church. She took the van, driving carefully, wondering if he would stop her or call her to see what she was doing and where she was going.
She wore a new white linen suit and pale yellow blouse she’d bought in Dallas. She had pale yellow high-heeled pumps. Going for a more sophisticated look, she’d put her hair up in a roll on the back of her head.
She was halfway to town when she noticed a car coming up behind her. As it got closer, it looked like Ryan’s black sports car. Why would he be following her into town? He wasn’t flagging her over, so she stopped glancing at it until they drove into town. Her curiosity grew. Maybe he hadn’t intended for her to take the van except to go for groceries on Saturday. When she parked in the church parking lot, he pulled up beside her and climbed out.
She stepped out and her heart missed a few beats as she looked at him. Wind caught locks of his black hair, blowing them slightly. The businessman was back instead of the cowboy because he wo
re his charcoal suit with a white dress shirt. The French cuffs were fastened by gold cuff links. He had a red tie and his fancy black boots. She waited as he came around his car to her and she hoped when he was close, he could not hear her pounding heart.
“I don’t think you’re here because you want to go to church with me,” she said. “Did you not want me to take the van except for groceries?”
“I don’t care when you take the van. I’m here to go to church with you and whatever else you do.”
“That’s nice, but why? You don’t need to accompany me.”
“Except for at the grocery, if you start appearing in town alone, without me, you’re going to have guys in the next six counties asking you out. Word will get around that the gorgeous blonde who works on the RD Ranch is divorced. If I’m at your side, they’ll all stay away and lose interest because they’re not taking someone else’s woman, to put it plainly. If you want to maintain your quiet lifestyle at the ranch, you should keep me at your side when you’re out in the local scene. In Dallas it doesn’t matter. Here it does. Now, want me to go to church with you?”
“Yes, thank you. You know the people around here. It’s difficult for me to imagine that I would stir that much interest or notice, but you know better.”
“I sure as hell do. As gorgeous as you look, I’ll bet money every cowboy in West Texas will know about you.”
“Maybe I better go back to the ranch.”
“Nope. Just let me take your arm so it looks as if you belong with me.”
“Sure, Ryan,” she said, smiling up at him as he placed her arm inside his and he held her hand. “This seems a little old-fashioned.”
“It sure as hell is. Around here some things don’t change much.” His eyes swept her from head to toe and when they met hers, she noticed a look of approval. “Did you buy that suit in Dallas?”
“Yes, I did.”
“It’s gorgeous.” His smile could light the nearby church on a dark night. “I’m glad I heard you drive the van away. Shall we go?”