“You shouldn’t have to suffer any indignities. That wasn’t a part of the deal when you came here.”
“Maybe not, but I know a lot about duty, and so do you. If your people need you to bite your tongue, you do it.”
A small smile transformed Owen’s usually stern face into a virile expression that had surely been the downfall of many a woman. Delfyne reminded herself that she had to be careful here. She had exercised poor judgment in the past with men who were far less potent than Owen, and with men who would have at least been acceptable to her family. Money was not enough for a royal. Especially not a royal who was already promised. Duty wasn’t the only important lesson she had been taught. Honor had been hammered into her since she was two. But still…Owen was smiling and her knees were misbehaving, getting wobbly. Her heart was hammering, her breathing was…
“You needn’t smile,” she said, aiming for dignity and haughtiness. “Why are you smiling, anyway?”
“You.” That smile grew, as did her consternation and susceptibility.
Delfyne forced a frown. “What about me?”
Owen reached across the table past his coffee cup and touched Delfyne’s wrist right above the spot where her bracelet of bright yellow ceramic suns and turquoise beads dangled. “You try so hard to be just an everyday woman with your inexpensive bracelets and your insistence on scrubbing bathtubs and on blending in, but you can’t scrub the princess out of you, Princess. She’s there, always. She lives inside you.”
Delfyne struggled to ignore Owen’s touch. It was such a small touch, just one finger whispering across her skin. A mere breath of a touch, but she felt the effects swirling inside her and turning her to very soft butter. And his words…
She stared at his fingertip lying against her wrist. “I love my bracelets,” she said and immediately regretted it. She sounded like a forlorn child. “They’re one of the few things I wear just for me.”
Owen uttered a low curse and without another word circled the table and hauled her up beside him. “I love these damn little bracelets, too. They drive me insane, the way they jangle and hit against your skin. I wait every day to see what each one looks like, what new part of you is revealed.”
With that, he took her hand, raised it high and placed his lips against the most sensitive inner portion of her wrist, doing terrible, wonderful, exciting things to her body.
“I can hardly think when you flip your silly little bracelets. They make me crazy. You make me crazy.”
“You’re making me crazy, too,” she managed to whisper. “Owen, I—” She cupped his jaw in her palm and nudged his face up so she could look into those tortured blue eyes. She knew he didn’t want to do this, that he was just answering the siren’s call that she had been feeling, too. She intended to say so. That’s all she intended to do, but in the next instant that stupid, spontaneous part of her personality that had caused her so much trouble in her lifetime took over and she raised up on her toes and pressed her lips against his.
The minute her mouth met his, she felt a sense of finally being where she wanted to be, doing what she had been struggling against as well as an intense desire to want more, to do more.
“Kiss me,” she commanded, not caring if she sounded like a princess for once.
As if she’d handed out a royal decree and he was obeying, Owen didn’t hesitate. He slanted his mouth over hers. He devoured her, teased her, licked at the seam of her mouth and came inside. His warmth became her warmth, his taste became her taste. He was delicious. She was delirious.
His wide palms spanned her waist and pulled her tight against the length of his body, introducing her to a heaven she had heretofore never experienced, the just-right fit of a man who was made to please a woman.
He slid his hand lower down her spine.
“Yes. Do that,” she demanded as he caressed her.
He complied and heaven grew brighter, closer…not close enough. Then his other hand cupped her breast and all sensible sensation ceased.
“This is insanity,” he moaned against her lips. “I shouldn’t even be touching you.” But he didn’t stop.
“You’re right. I know you’re right, but…touch me.” She practically breathed the words.
She twisted and plunged her fingers into his hair. Her bracelets slapped against his head.
As if that jangling touch of ceramic against skin pulled her out of the vortex of sensation that had held her captive, Delfyne became aware of the sounds of the ranch. Lydia was right next door in the kitchen.
She didn’t want what was happening here with Owen to seem cheap or tawdry or clandestine, but both of them knew it could lead nowhere. And the fact that it was even happening…would she never learn to think before she acted?
Delfyne suddenly leaned back, bleakness filling her heart. Men who knew she would never be available for the long-term had tried to take what little they could get before. The mere fact that she was off-limits had seemed to be a bonus in their eyes. And now, with Owen, she was so off-limits. They both knew that and…
“I—you were right. I can’t,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
Owen froze. He eased back. “No. I’m sorry. I should never have touched you, Delfyne. The fact that I did…that’s inexcusable under the circumstances. Andreus asked me to protect and watch over you. I stepped over the line.”
Despite her own misgivings, his words appalled her. “I’m an adult, Owen. My mistakes are my own.”
He opened his mouth. She placed her palm over his lips. “I don’t care what task Andreus assigned you. What happens between you and me has nothing to do with Andreus.”
“All right then, there are a whole lot of other reasons why I shouldn’t have been kissing you.”
“Agreed.” She backed off and gazed up at him, her arms crossed. “But I get to take half the credit.”
He frowned.
She gave him a look she had been trained to give since birth, the one that brooked no argument. She was a royal and she knew how to get her way.
To her consternation, Owen only smiled. “Nice try,” he said. “But I suddenly seem to be impervious to commands. I was always stubborn.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Sometimes it has been.” And something dark appeared in his eyes, something she didn’t want to ask him about because she knew he blamed himself for many things.
“How about a simple request, then?” she asked. “I’ve been kept under wraps for much of my life. I need to feel like an adult, to take credit for my own actions now and then.”
He groaned. “That’s the kind of request I can’t refuse. I understand what you mean all too well.”
She smiled. “All right. We’ll watch ourselves from now on. Now, I should get back to work.”
Slowly, he shook his head. “I have a request,” he said. “Fair is fair.”
Uh-oh. For some reason, that didn’t sound good. But Delfyne waited.
“When you first came here, you told me that you wanted to do everything and that’s why you were playing maid at last night’s party. But no matter what your motivation or mine, I know that Andreus meant this summer to be a positive experience for you. Just because he didn’t want to let you go off alone doesn’t mean he wanted you to have a less than wonderful summer. If you’re going to be in Montana, you shouldn’t be kept hidden away serving food to people and having no other life. We’ve introduced you as a working guest on a ranch vacation. If you’re a guest, you should do more than just work. You can do other things without revealing that you’re a princess.”
His brows were drawn together as if he wasn’t quite sure where he was going next with this line of thought.
“What are you suggesting?” she asked.
“A night on the town.”
“Won’t that attract attention after last night?”
“Delfyne, I think you’re going to attract attention no matter what.”
She thought about that. “All right. What will we do?”
Owen shrugged. “There’s a dinner and a dance at the Hall, a local watering hole with a view that’s not to be missed. If you’re going to visit Montana, you should at least witness that view. So we’ll eat, we’ll talk, we’ll let someone else worry about the olives.”
“Ah, the olives again. That really bothered you, didn’t it?”
He clearly wasn’t going to answer that one. “Are you going to make me beg?”
She couldn’t hold back her smile. “Might be fun.”
His expression hinted at exasperation. He looked like a big cat, as if he wanted to start pacing in his cage. Delfyne knew this wasn’t easy for him. She’d heard that he pretty much never socialized. If he was going out on the town, he was doing it for her. And darn it, she was going to see a part of the world she hadn’t yet seen.
“No begging. I’m going,” she said. “I’m holding you to your word. A night on the town and a good view.”
“It’s a deal.”
Delfyne could barely conceal her excitement at this unexpected turn of events. “What should I wear?”
He gave her a big grin. “Bracelets.” And then he walked right out the door.
Well, the man was certainly insufferable. But a part of her was bubbling up inside. Owen didn’t treat her like a princess. He didn’t let her social standing prevent him from treating her like a normal woman.
Even if he was constantly aware of who and what she was. And so was she.
The barriers were still there and always would be.
“But not for tonight,” she whispered. Tonight she would go out on the town as a regular woman on the arm of a tall, handsome cowboy who made her whole body react in a completely improper, unprincess-like manner.
CHAPTER EIGHT
OWEN hadn’t been to the Hall in more months than he could remember. Maybe it had been years. Probably it had. For the past few years, ever since James had died and Faye had left, he had thrown himself into the ranch and into making money. Neither ranching nor investing were easy ventures, but the intricacies of foul weather, transient employees and the ever-changing stock market had been low-stress challenges compared to walking into the Hall with Delfyne and trying to pretend that the woman on his arm was no big deal.
She was stunningly beautiful in a plain ivory sheath with some sort of halter top that bared her shoulders. Her dark hair was pulled back, thickly braided and looped in a satiny style that emphasized the beauty of her long neck and lent credence to the school of thought that assumed every princess was born beautiful and poised and graceful. Tiny pearl teardrops were at her ears, but at her wrists, in a brazen denial of her station, the pearls on her bracelet were separated by miniature red and somewhat gaudy ceramic roses. A two-inch chain with a rose attached dangled from the catch. Owen tried not to think about removing that bracelet with his teeth.
He had to put those kinds of thoughts to rest completely now that he knew how little self-control he had around her. His job tonight was to make sure she had a wonderful evening and that no one read too much into her being here with him.
That one, he knew, might prove problematic. They were barely five feet into the room when he knew he was right. He saw Nate Hawkins nudge the man next to him and the two of them turned around and stared. At Delfyne.
And then Nate smiled. He gave Owen a “just between us men” thumbs-up sign that made Owen bristle. There was no way he wanted Nate to get the wrong idea or to indulge in public speculation that Delfyne was sharing Owen’s sheets.
A slow thudding ache began to form behind Owen’s eyes. He glanced down at Delfyne, who was smiling up at him. “Relax,” she said, placing her hand on his arm. “I’m fine, in case you’re worried, but you look very tense.”
“I want this to go well for you.”
“It will. Is that the gorgeous view you told me about? It was pretty from outside, but seen through windows framed in all that golden pine makes each view look like a fabulous photograph.” She slipped her hand down his arm and pulled him toward one of the windows at the back of the restaurant.
“Hey, Owen!” someone called to him.
“Owen, it’s good to see you. Introduce us to your lady,” another someone called followed by a wild whoop.
Owen didn’t stop. He called out hellos and motioned that he would introduce Delfyne later as he followed her toward the center window. Even though it was still light outside, the sun was sinking, and brilliant gold and red tints colored the earth and painted the mountaintops.
“Owen, it’s so terribly beautiful. Achingly so. Why didn’t Andreus ever tell me about this?”
He certainly didn’t intend to mention that when her brother had been here just after college, he’d been at an age when he was most concerned with drinking and women followed by more drinking and women. And on his last trip, he’d been more concerned with helping Owen than taking in the scenery. “Maybe he wanted you to see it for yourself,” he said. Which could also be the truth.
Delfyne laughed. “You’re being diplomatic. If my memory serves me well, and I think it does, he more than likely spent his time here spreading the Andreus love around and sampling your wine and beer. I’m just glad that I got to see your Montana for myself. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”
“Hey, Owen. What’s up? What are you hiding over here for? Come on and introduce me to this gorgeous creature.” The super-gruff voice came from Owen’s right on the other side of Delfyne, and Owen didn’t even have to look to know who it was.
“Delfyne, this is Angus Watts. He owns the ranch beyond mine. Delfyne is my guest for the summer, Angus. She’s the sister of a friend.”
Angus nodded thoughtfully. “Pleased to meet you,” he said to Delfyne. “Owen, you should know that Molly and Martin are buzzing about Delfyne. Martin’s been talking about her stirring up those people from Lambert and how their attitude ticked you off. Lots of questions flying around, including how you and Delfyne are…well, I do beg your pardon about all the gossip, Delfyne,” he said, bowing slightly to her. “But Owen here is practically a hermit. Any woman who talks him out of his shell is going to cause a stir. And when that woman is a beautiful stranger who serves drinks one day and shows up in a knockout dress as the sister of an old friend the next, well…mosquitoes and the people of Bigsby will buzz. Molly even said that dress doesn’t look like a knockoff, whatever that means.”
Owen growled. He opened his mouth to speak, but Delfyne let out a delicious laugh that stopped him cold. “Oh, about that dinner the other night,” she said with a smile. “Owen was indulging me by letting me act out a part for a few hours. It’s silly, I know, but that’s a job I’d never had the chance to experience, so I bullied Owen into letting me play dress-up for the night. It was an enlightening experience. I hope that I did my job well.”
For half a second Angus stared like a besotted bull. Then he grinned and shook his head. “Acting? Oh, pretty lady, I’m sure you were positively wonderful,” Angus said, causing Owen to stare at him sharply. Angus’s eyes were locked on Delfyne, and Owen could read all the signs too clearly. Already his neighbor was enchanted with Delfyne.
“Positively wonderful,” Owen drawled, and for half a second, steadfast Angus blushed red and looked embarrassed at his words.
“As a matter of fact, I was probably just okay. I think I must drive Owen nuts,” she said.
Angus laughed. “Lucky Owen. I can’t believe you talked him into a game of pretend. That’s not like Owen at all.”
Because Angus was right, and also because Owen didn’t want to examine that fact too closely, he decided it was time to move to a new topic. “Thank you for warning us about the buzz, Angus,” Owen told his friend. “I’ll talk to Martin.”
“That’s good. Talk to Molly, too. You know how she likes to be queen of the town. She’s going to feel hurt if she thinks you’re keeping her in the dark.”
“No,” Delfyne said. “I’m the one who was responsible for the charade, so I’m the one who has to clear
the air.”
“That’s not necessary,” Owen said.
“Yes, it is. I don’t regret getting to step outside myself, but Angus is right. I didn’t even think about the ramifications of my game. And no one knows better than I how wrong and hurtful deceit and trickery can be.” There was something in her voice, something pained and sad and defeated.
“What do you mean by that?”
But she shook her head. “I’m going to talk to Molly right now.” She turned to go.
“Oh yeah, and you better head off Nancy,” Angus told Owen. “She might need time to adjust to you being here with a new woman.”
Immediately Owen felt Delfyne turn to him. “A woman upset with you? I…Am I going to cause trouble with you and your girlfriend?” she asked, and Owen could have slugged Angus.
“Nancy’s not Owen’s girlfriend, but she really wanted to be,” Angus began before Owen held his hand up to cut him off.
“She’s an old friend,” Owen said. And that much was true. Whatever had or had not gone on between him and Nancy, she didn’t deserve to be criticized unless the criticism was going to go both ways. She’d been a good friend to him and it wasn’t her fault that he hadn’t been capable of giving her all that she needed.
“Should you…go see her?” Delfyne asked. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’ll stay with Delfyne,” Angus volunteered. “I’ll even help her locate Martin and Molly.”
Owen gave his friend a long look. “You’re certainly feeling chatty and sociable tonight, aren’t you?”
“That I am,” Angus agreed, looking at Delfyne with more than casual interest. Well, why not? Owen had introduced Delfyne as a guest and the sister of a friend. Nothing personal about it. No reason why Angus shouldn’t be interested.
Except she’s a princess. She’s not available to anyone, he wanted to shout. But that couldn’t be spread about. It was going to be a long evening of fending off men who wanted to meet Delfyne, Owen realized as he saw Nate coming at them from the left.
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