Ready for the Rancher

by Zuri Day

  “Worse could happen. But you’re frowning.”

  “I guess I’m trying to figure you out. You’re as different from Dennis as night is from day. I only met your dad a time or two but I remember him as a quiet man. I’d say you were more like him.”

  “I can be quiet,” Ryan replied. “I guess we have that in common.”

  “So Dennis must be more like your mom.”

  “They are almost exactly alike.”

  “It will be good to see them again after all these years. And you’ll be there, too, Dennis says.”

  Ryan nodded.

  “Do you get back often to visit?”

  “A few times a year, holidays mostly. But since my dad’s diagnosis, I’ve tried to go more frequently, and with the business about to open I thought that now, before that happened, would be a good time.”

  “What’s going on with your father, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “He has chronic kidney disease.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  “How long has he had it?”

  “Apparently much longer than anyone realized. He battled diabetes and high blood pressure for years. No one knew how much havoc was being wreaked on his kidneys. The symptoms were always attributed to what we already knew.”

  Adam observed the hurt reflected in Ryan’s face as she nervously bit her lip. Clearly, she loved her father. For a Breedlove, that kind of family devotion was a very endearing trait.

  “Is that what made you want to study...”

  “Naturopathy? That was part of it. But I’ve always had compassion for anyone hurting. I watched people struggle and wanted to help them, especially as a little girl.”

  Adam watched as another flicker of pain flitted across her face. He wondered who caused it even as he felt an urge to protect her from it ever happening again.

  “My parents thought I’d be a nurse. But I can’t stand the sight of blood, which in the field of nursing is a bit problematic.”

  “Then you’d definitely not fare well at a meat-processing plant.”

  “Definitely not. During my senior year of high school I went to a job fair and discovered alternative-based medicine. It’s where I first heard the word naturopathy. Before the hour was over I knew what I wanted to do. Now, I’m here.”

  “About to open your own business?”

  “Yes. Me and a partner are opening our own practice in a strip mall not far from here.”

  “What services will you offer?”

  “My specialties include whole food nutrition, that’s a plant-centered diet, and energy healing that includes therapeutic massage.”

  “Hmm.” Adam’s eyes brightened. “I’ve got a few kinks. Can you work them out?”

  “Kinks I can get rid of, but your eyes are sending a more kinky vibe. I’m not sure I can take care of that.”

  “But you could try.” He reached for Ryan’s hand. It was soft and delicate, engulfed in his much larger one. Her nails were manicured and squared. She wore no rings. “Yes, I think you should try. These feel like magic hands.”

  “They’re healing hands,” Ryan corrected, slowly pulling her hand out of his while looking in his eyes.

  It was as though Adam felt every cell on her delicate skin. He wanted the time to touch more of it, all of it, everywhere. “For someone who’s sick, healing is magical. And I get the feeling that for any number of ailments that I might encounter, your...magic...could be the cure.”

  The teasing continued, flirting increased and lust heightened through six incredible courses. Just as they finished up a decadent concoction of sweetness that gave dates, coconut, gelato and cacao nibs new meaning, Adam checked his watch. The timing was perfect. The show was set to begin in the Jewel, a two-thousand-seat state-of-the-art arena named for Adam’s grandmother. Between the two of them a bottle of Krug had disappeared. Alcohol always stirred Adam’s libido and it appeared to stoke Ryan’s fire as well.

  The arm that held Ryan’s slid to her waist as they neared the elevator. She wasn’t petite exactly, and her body felt toned, but her five foot five was overshadowed by his six foot two, even with her sexy stilettos. He felt protective and probably wouldn’t have been able to keep his hands off her even if he hadn’t remembered her aversion to the fast-moving car.

  “Are you ready for magic?” he asked as they descended.

  She turned to him, her eyes sincere. “I thought it had already begun.”

  Adam squeezed her waist gently and then dropped his hand. It wasn’t Ryan’s fault that she’d lit him up like a match soaked in gasoline. His body was burning with desire. He hoped in time the enchanter beside him could help douse the flame.

  Five

  Her birthday wasn’t for another two weeks, but Ryan knew that no celebration she could dream up or afford would top what was happening tonight. Since this was the only date she’d have with Adam, she intended to make the most of it. The champagne helped her push thoughts of possible repercussions or regrets to the back of her mind. As they ascended the stairs to enter the Jewel arena, she was aware of both admiring and envious eyes. Adam cut a suave figure as he walked next to her in a suit tailored to the perfection of his lean frame. The finely spun black wool matched his close-cropped curls, soft, she knew, because her hand had brushed across them in the elevator when she’d picked an imaginary piece of lint from his suit jacket collar, just to be able to touch them. The white shirt he’d paired it with emphasized his bronze skin and dark brown eyes. He walked with assurance and purpose, seemingly comfortable with all of the attention afforded him. For Ryan, this was a whole new world, one in which she wondered if she could ever be comfortable. Adam had called her beautiful but her dress, as much as she liked it and as pretty as it was, paled in comparison to the diamonds, beaded gowns and designer everything that surrounded her. She saw more than one woman sweep her from head to toe and decide she was hardly worthy of Adam’s attention, much less his arm. The devil on her shoulder told her they were right. She tried to ignore them by going within as Brooklyn would tell her, to summon an inner angel to counter those negative voices with the truth, that she was enough, just the way she was.

  It also helped still feelings of inadequacy by looking past judgmental faces and focusing on the elaborate entryway. It was, in a word, magnificent, and the interior, too. She thought it impossible for any space to outdo Zest but that feat had been accomplished. When it came to glitz and glam, Las Vegas was known for its gaudy, sometimes garish displays. But in this room the theme of jewels was understated and sophisticated. The ceiling twinkled with them, like stars in the sky, a 3-D effect allowing one to believe they could reach out and touch them, while in actuality they were more than thirty feet away. They reached a center aisle dividing the orchestra section from the lower tier. Adam led them down that center aisle toward a curtained entry.

  “I probably should have warned you sooner,” he said softly as they passed through the curtain and mounted a short flight of stairs. “But you’re about to meet my parents.”

  She stopped their movement. “What?”

  “They won’t bite you,” he said, and the dazzling smile he shared with her chased the initial panic away. “But just so you know, my mom’s a matchmaker who’ll try to learn your life between acts. You’re under no obligation to allow her to pry, or to answer questions, no matter how skillful her attempted extraction. Are we good?”

  “I guess so,” she responded. They continued around the corner and up another short flight. “Though had I known I was going to be meeting your family I may not have drunk that last glass of champagne.”

  “Don’t worry, Ryan Washington. Just be yourself.”

  They entered a private box to the right of the aisle. It contained ten chairs, of which six were occupied. A beautiful couple sat in the two front left chairs. They turned and smil
ed. At once Ryan knew they were Adam’s parents. He had his dad’s eyes and his mother’s smile. There was another couple beside them of similar age and a handsome young man behind them stamped with the Breedlove beauty that the girl beside him clearly adored. She took in this tableau within the seconds it took to cross the wide aisle and enter the booth.

  Both older men stood. “Mr. Chapman!” Adam returned the middle-aged gentleman’s hearty greeting and kissed the hand of the woman smiling at them from her seat. “Sherry, you look lovely as always.

  “Greg, Sherry, this is Ryan Washington. Ryan, the Chapmans. Greg works at CANN and both are longtime friends.”

  Ryan shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Sherry, I love your necklace.”

  “I was just going to say the same about yours. I’ve never seen a design quite like it. So...bohemian chic!”

  Ryan’s hand went to the chakra necklace she’d purchased during a visit to Taos, New Mexico. Made with crystals ranging from amethyst to yellow topaz to trapiche emeralds, the jewelry had cost a small fortune, a graduation present to herself. “It’s one of my favorite pieces.”

  “Dear, you wear it very well.”

  They continued to where the woman Ryan assumed was Adam’s mother stood with his father, a thought that was confirmed when he gave both a warm embrace.

  “About time you got here,” the man said. “The doors will lock once the show starts and this is one you don’t want to miss.”

  “We were here,” Adam responded. “Just finishing dinner at Zest.”

  Ryan noted a suddenly raised brow above the kind eyes that viewed her. “You had dinner at Zest?” she asked. She looked from Adam to Ryan. “The lovely woman on your arm must be special indeed!”

  “Ryan had never been there,” Adam answered. “Mom, Dad, this is Ryan Washington. She’s Dennis Washington’s sister. Remember the guy who used to beg for Gabe’s cinnamon rolls every time he came to the house?”

  “The young man who that one summer practically lived in our pool?” Mrs. Breedlove asked.

  “That was Dennis,” Adam responded with a laugh. “Ryan, these are two of the greatest parents in the world, my mom, Victoria, and my dad, Nicholas.”

  Victoria stepped forward and pulled Ryan into a light embrace. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Ryan. You look lovely tonight.”

  “It is my pleasure,” Ryan responded. “I’m looking forward to the show.”

  She offered a hand to Adam’s father but he brushed it away. “Handshakes are for business deals,” he said, giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. “Hugs are for friends of the family.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Breedlove.”

  “Please, call me Nicholas.”

  “Okay, Nicholas. Thank you.”

  “And I’m Victoria.”

  “All right.”

  “Had I known you were bringing a guest,” Victoria said to Adam, “I would have rearranged the seating. It would have been great for your date and me to get to know each other better.”

  “Exactly what I was afraid of,” Adam retorted, which earned him a frown from Ryan, a laugh from Nicholas and a slap on his forearm from Victoria. “Looks like the show will be starting soon. We’d better take our seats.”

  After a quick introduction to one of Adam’s younger brothers, Noah, and his date, the two settled into comfortable, spacious seating where Ryan proceeded to be mesmerized by the best and most beautiful show she’d ever seen in her life. Valdemar was more than a magician; he was a creative genius who transported the audience to imaginary worlds.

  A magnificently performed trick left Adam’s eyes bright with wonder, and Ryan even more thrilled to have been invited, to be the woman sitting beside him enjoying the show. When in the finale everything on the stage seemed to disappear, Ryan joined Adam and everyone around her in an enthusiastic standing ovation. The handsome Valdemar had almost convinced her that magic was real and dreams did come true. Ryan allowed herself to enjoy the moment but knew from experience that magic was for arenas like this and dreams were for sleeping. No matter how beautiful, eventually one woke up and the dream came to an end.

  “Was that not the most spectacular show ever?” Victoria beamed, squeezing Ryan’s hands in her own.

  “I’m speechless,” Ryan responded. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Victoria turned to Adam. “Are you two joining us backstage? There’s going to be a brief meet and greet and reception for the cast and special guests.”

  Ryan looked at Adam. She could have drowned in the depth of desire she saw in his eyes. They’d rarely spoken throughout the magical performance but she knew he’d felt the energy emanating from the stage as deeply as she, and was fully prepared for him to turn down his mother’s invitation for a romp in the nearest hotel suite.

  Instead he placed an arm around Ryan. “Would you like to meet Valdemar?”

  “Of course.”

  He looked at his parents. “After you,” he said.

  Valdemar was as quietly introspective in person as he was gregarious and commanding onstage. They met other people, too, familiar faces Ryan had seen on television or in magazines. People were gracious, but Ryan couldn’t help feeling that she didn’t belong. She was glad when they left the Jewel and arrived at the car, where the driver stood at an open door. Happy that the trek through the hotel was over, Ryan climbed inside. Once seated, she immediately leaned forward and removed her shoes.

  “Oh my goodness, my feet are killing me!”

  Adam settled in beside her. “May I?”

  Desire, already pooled at the base of her core, splashed and bubbled over, sprinkling her feminine flower with dew. “Sure.”

  He hit a button. The privacy partition raised. His eyes bored into hers as he pulled her feet into his lap and ran a large hand over the sole of her foot. His gaze dropped then as strong, sure fingers began massaging her heel, pressing against the ball of her foot and caressing her toes one by one.

  “Am I doing it correctly?” he asked.

  Ryan closed her eyes and leaned into the limo’s cushiness. “That feels so good.”

  He finished one foot and reached for the other. Ryan was vaguely aware that music had been turned on, barely recognizable because so was she! Who cared that he was out of her orbit? At the moment she wanted nothing more than for this man, Adam Breedlove, to make hot and passionate love to her, to send her to another world. Would he think her too easy if she asked for what she wanted, nothing deep or serious, but a night filled with mind-blowing pleasure, the kind she would have bet money that Adam could provide? He was Dennis’s friend, something that would have normally been problematic, except one, she’d never been attracted to any of his other friends, and two, what happened between her and Adam was something that Dennis didn’t need to know. She and Adam had flirted all evening. Had he been dropping real hints about how he wanted the evening to end, or just testing the waters? When she felt his fingers leave her heel and proceed up her ankle and gently squeeze her shin, she threw caution to the wind and decided to find out.

  She lowered her foot so that it touched his leg, slowly ran it up his muscled thigh until it rested near his crotch. Her eyes flittered open to find his narrowing as he sucked in a breath. It was all the encouragement she needed. That single simple intake of air unleashed a torrent of physical craving from inside her, brought out a boldness not normally possessed. She brought her feet to the floor and shifted her body closer to him, placed a hand on his chest and leaned in.

  “May I?” she asked in a whisper, catching his answer with her lips.

  Adam responded by opening his mouth and swiping his tongue in a manner that suggested that she do the same. She did; their tongues touched and danced and mimicked each other, even as she felt Adam’s arm slide around to her waist and down to her butt. Having expected a kiss that was har
d and demanding, as powerful as Adam’s long-legged strides, she was surprised at the softness with which he approached her, how he nibbled her lower lip and kissed her cheek before sliding his tongue back into her mouth. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, as if savoring the taste of her. His leisurely kiss, deep and hot, drove Ryan crazy. She moved closer, her hands finally able to play in the curls the way she wanted before sliding down and over broad shoulders and back to the nape of his neck. Adam’s hands moved in time with hers, one sliding beneath the silky fabric of her dress and tickling her thighs. She moaned, her hips moving of their own accord, to a rhythm she wanted to dance with the partner beside her. Then something happened.

  The car stopped.

  Ryan opened her eyes and took in the red door of her condo, softly lit by the porch light she’d turned on when they left.

  “We’re here already?” She sat back, straightening her dress. “That was fast.”

  “Too fast,” Adam said.

  She looked into his eyes, wondering if she should voice her desire. With this next question there’d be no turning back.

  “Would you like to come inside?”

  Adam’s smile was slight as he shook his head. “No. I want to go home.”

  Her heart fell. A man like Adam? She should have known. She gathered her purse and made a move for the door.

  Strong fingers clamped around her arm, holding her fast. “Wait! I want you to come with me so that we can...finish what we’ve started. Would you like that?”

  Ryan laid her head on his shoulder. “I’d love that.”

  She watched Adam push a button and tell the driver, “Elvis, change of plans. Take me home.”

  Ryan closed her eyes as she felt Adam’s lips against her temple, his hand stroking her hair. Those blasted whispers tried to push through the haze of happiness and warn her that she was just being used and would then be tossed away. She shut her mind and refused to listen. She was a twenty-first-century woman who knew what she wanted. If in fact Adam was using her, so be it. Because tonight she planned to put his hard, strong body to good use, too.