by Susan Fox
She craved so many things that Reno seemed capable of giving her, and not even the reminder that it was foolish to crave them from him was enough to stop the wanting. The only sure way to stop it was to leave the ranch.
Reno announced at breakfast that next morning that she could spend the morning with him.
“If you’re so determined to push yourself, you might as well have something productive to do.”
She saw right off that there was no way for her to turn him down that wouldn’t make him suspicious. She’d overheard a conversation he’d had with Mary the afternoon before which had ended with “I want to know the second she makes any calls.” He’d carried a cell phone ever since, so it was clear that the very least he expected was that she’d try to call a car rental agency. Perhaps if she spent the morning with Reno he’d let down his guard.
Caitlin went along with him to the cookhouse, then kept to herself near the door while he went over the day’s work assignments with the men. Several of the men didn’t realize she was present until they turned to go out.
Reno got a pickup and they drove out to make the rounds of stock tanks and windmills. He wouldn’t allow her to get out to open and close the gates, but because the pickup had an automatic transmission, he let her drive it through while he worked the gates.
Reno drove slowly to avoid a bumpy ride, and they left the windows down while it was still relatively cool. Caitlin welcomed the warm, fresh morning air and found herself slowly relaxing with him. While they checked stock tanks, they looked over the cattle. Reno used the cell phone to report a couple of cows that needed a closer look, but they kept on the move all morning. Caitlin ignored the mild headache that persisted. It felt so good to be out of the house that she was afraid to mention it to Reno.
By the time they drove back to the ranch house at noon, Caitlin was fighting to stay awake. The long morning had exhausted her, though all she’d done was ride in the truck and occasionally drive it through an open gate.
Reno parked in the drive near the back patio, but when she got out and was about to step off the running board, he caught her and swung her into his arms. He looked down into her flushed face. A half smile curved his handsome mouth.
“Flash those blue eyes at me, honey, call me bad names, but I’m going to manhandle you all the way to the kitchen.”
The outrageous words startled a laugh out of her that made his smile widen gently.
“And as long as everything has to be my way, I’d like to see more smiles. Improves the scenery.”
The lightness between them sparked a sudden feeling of closeness that Caitlin found irresistible. She’d never seen Reno like this, and she was fascinated by this hint of a new side to his stern personality. He’d caught her so by surprise that she could only stare.
His expression sobered a little and his voice went low. “If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t care if someone sees what I do next.”
Caitlin felt heat flood her cheeks and she looked away from him. Reno intended to begin again what he’d started with that kiss her first night home from the hospital. She got the message loud and clear, and the sweet warmth that pulsed through her made her tremble with as much anticipation as fear.
Reno’s arms tightened on her briefly before he started toward the house. Caitlin held on, stealing a glance at his rugged face as she felt herself being drawn deeper into the vortex of his strong appeal.
She took a long nap that afternoon and awoke feeling relaxed and a little stronger. Reno came to the house at four o’clock and found her sitting on the verandah by the front door. He stepped outside.
“I gave Mary the night off. I thought we might go into Coulter City for supper.”
Caitlin tensed and he saw it. “No need to dress up. If you feel like it, we might catch a movie after.”
She looked away from him and focused into the distance. “That isn’t a good idea.” And it wasn’t. The terrible rush of joy and excitement that had burst up at his suggestion was something she felt compelled to resist
Reno walked over to her and crouched down by her chair. “You can’t say no,” he pointed out quietly. That got her attention and made her look at him.
“It’s just supper, maybe a movie. Someplace away from here, someplace public. Would do us both good to get out.”
Caitlin’s gaze fell from his. The someplace public part was something she’d rather avoid. She didn’t want to attract anyone’s notice. Just because Reno seemed to have changed his mind about her didn’t mean anyone else had. The opposite kind of notice—like that of the salon owner the day she’d gotten out of the hospital—was almost as bad. She hated to be thought of as a heroine almost as much as she hated for people to think she was a murderess.
Reno’s low voice was somber. “You’ve got to face people sometime, Caitlin. You’ve lived your life in the shadows too long.”
His perception rattled her and she looked at him. “I’d rather live in the shadows.”
Reno glanced away from her a moment, as if he were framing his next words. When he looked back at her, the intensity in his eyes made her gaze waver.
“It’s safer, maybe. But lonesome.”
Caitlin’s gaze did slip from his then. Reno’s words pushed at her and she had to deflect them. “Loneliness doesn’t bother me.”
“It bothers you every minute,” he said quietly.
The accurate statement made her restless. She started to reach for her cane, but Reno caught her hand.
“Loneliness bothers me, too. I get tired of it.”
Reno’s admission made her look at him. The intensity was back in his eyes and he lifted his hand to run the back of a finger down her cheek. “It’s only dinner.”
Caitlin. couldn’t help the confusion of her feelings. She’d tried so hard to stay away from Reno, tried so hard to resist his appeal. But after spending a good part of the day with him, the craving to be close to him was powerful. And he was touching her, sending her thoughts into chaos and her emotions into a mad whirl. It was suddenly impossible to tell him no.
CHAPTER NINE
THE restaurant Reno took her to was one of the finest in Coulter City. She’d worn a blue silk blouse with long sleeves and white cotton slacks. Reno had worn a dark suit jacket over his Western shirt and stone-washed jeans. Together, they looked casual, but well-dressed enough to fit in with some of the diners who were more elegantly dressed. They were led to an out-of-the-way table right away because Reno had made reservations.
Caitlin felt self-conscious with her cane as they crossed the room. Several of the seated diners looked up as they passed, and the hurried whispers in their wake increased her discomfort. When they reached their table, Reno pulled her chair out and seated her before he took the chair beside her. Their backs were to the wall, so they had a clear view of most of the restaurant. Caitlin caught sight of her cousin’s blond head several tables away and felt her discomfort increase.
Madison was staring at her, her blue gaze searching Caitlin’s face for a few moments before she abruptly looked away. Caitlin looked away, too, jolted by her cousin’s presence.
Madison St. John hated upset of any kind, and her cousin, Caitlin Bodine, seemed to be a steady source. Knowing Caitlin had returned for her father’s funeral—and seeing her there—had brought back strong memories of Beau Duvall.
Those memories were poignant and upsetting enough, but the memories Caitlin had stirred about their childhood together were even more poignant and upsetting. Madison didn’t want to remember how much she and Caitlin had meant to each other once, how much they’d relied on each other for the love and support and sense of family their caretakers had been incapable of giving them.
Madison had been terrified when she returned from New York three weeks ago and found out about the fire and Caitlin’s injuries. She’d agonized over whether to send flowers or whether she could forgive Caitlin enough to visit. The dilemma had torn her apart. But when the crisis passed and she found out
that Caitlin would be all right, she’d ended up doing nothing.
They’d been as close as sisters once, inseparable until Beau had come between them. Madison never let herself think about how much she missed her cousin, because the truth was, she’d missed her terribly. When she thought about Caitlin, she inevitably thought about the reason for their break, and when she let herself think about that, she was reminded of Beau.
Even now, as she sat alone at her reserved table, it was hard not to be reminded of Beau and the terrible way he’d died. She’d heard that Reno no longer held Caitlin responsible for Beau’s death—and because they were together in the restaurant tonight, it must be true—but Madison wasn’t able to be so forgiving. Because of Caitlin, everything she’d wanted had been taken away from her, everything bright and beautiful, until all she had left was money and things and frivolous little obsessions.
She’d managed to fill her life with expensive possessions to make up for what she’d lost, but it was at times like these, when she was forced to think about Caitlin and Beau, that all of the rich, wonderful things her grandmother’s money could buy suddenly seemed like so much tinsel and frosting.
Knowing she couldn’t think about how shallow and secretly desperate her life had become, she caught the waiter’s eye and gave him an impatient signal. When he arrived, she distracted herself from her pain at his expense, launching into a minor tirade about the salad, the wine and the abysmal lack of service, his in particular.
It made her feel important when he rushed off with her salad and wine in his haste to replace them with something more suitable. When he returned and set them before her so solicitously, he made her feel cared for, cosseted.
He never guessed that she felt excruciating guilt for her pitiful little game. But he’d waited on her many times before, so he knew how the script went. He played his part well, lavishing her with attention and creating the illusion of devotion as he hovered nearby to mollify her complaints and cater to her every whim.
But then, he knew she always left him a huge tip, rarely less than a fifty-dollar bill. He was like everyone else in Coulter City who lusted after her money. They all allowed her to play her rich bitch role to the hilt because they wanted her money.
No one wanted her, no one but Caitlin and Beau had ever wanted her. But Beau was dead and she wasn’t sure her memories of him made it possible for her to mend things with Caitlin. No one but the two of them had ever seemed to notice she was alive or cared a thing for her until her grandmother passed away and left her a mansion and a fortune.
Madison’s revenge for being valued only for her money was to put everyone who wanted it through the ordeal of tolerating her to get it. The more money they hoped to get, the more she put them through.
The real truth was that if anyone ever truly cared about what happened to her, or found something about her they could genuinely love, they could have every dollar and diamond she owned.
Madison felt the shame of lonely tears gathering behind her eyes. She glanced speculatively toward the waiter and considered the crisp fifty-dollar bill in her handbag.
Caitlin eventually relaxed and managed to ignore her cousin’s presence, but she felt untold relief when Madison finished her meal and swept out of the restaurant.
Reno was the perfect host. He drew her into a discussion about what she’d been doing these past years, and he’d seemed impressed with what little she felt comfortable telling him about the SC Ranch in Montana.
They’d finished their meal when Reno brought up the Broken B.
“I’m transferring the Broken B and all of Jess’s holdings to you.”
Caitlin glanced over at him in surprise.
“I’ve got a lawyer looking into tax liabilities to see what the cheapest way is,” he went on. “If the liability goes too high, I’ll look into making you a partner, and then gradually switch ownership of everything over to you. But you’ll be in charge and benefit from the profits right away.”
Caitlin picked up her napkin and rubbed it roughly over her lips, panicked. She set the napkin aside and shook her head. “I can’t accept it.”
Reno seemed unperturbed by her refusal. He leaned back in his chair and casually raised his left arm to rest it across the back of her chair. “You’re the only heir Jess should have named. Everything he owned is yours by birth and by moral right.”
Caitlin shook her head again and looked at him. “Everything Jess owned was his to do with as he pleased. He made his wishes clear in his will. Besides, the results of the blood test haven’t come back.”
“Some wishes shouldn’t be honored,” he said grimly. “And that damned blood test was meant to hurt you, so I don’t really give a damn what it shows. Whether you were Jess’s natural daughter or not, you were raised with his name, so whatever he owned belongs to you.”
Caitlin was stunned. “I can’t accept it.”
“And I don’t want it,” he argued gruffly. “Any of it. I’ve got my own place, I don’t need to take what rightfully belongs to you.”
She continued to shake her head. “Your generosity is commendable, but everything belongs to you. I can’t accept it.”
Reno leaned toward her and eased his arm off the chair back onto her shoulders. “You’re not going to fight me on this, Caitlin.”
She looked at him again, defiance shining through her shock. “You can’t give me something I won’t take.”
Reno leaned even closer. “I’ll give you anything I damned well please,” he growled, and managed to make it sound like a sensual threat.
Flustered, Caitlin glanced away from him and reached for her water glass for a sip. Her head was whirling.
“Would you like dessert now? Or later?”
The quick switch of subject jolted her. Her “Whatever you’d like,” came out sounding breathless as she set her glass down.
Reno’s low chuckle sent an avalanche of pleasurable tingles over her skin.
“I’ve got a feeling the universe is about to bend to my will,” he said in a rough whisper.
His subtle revision of her words the other night made Caitlin turn her head. Her eyes flew to his.
But Reno had looked from her to signal the waiter. When he rushed to their table, Reno prompted her to choose a dessert.
Still shocked, Caitlin gave in, ordering a dessert while her mind frantically searched for a way to refuse Reno’s generosity. But when she felt Reno’s strong fingers gently stroking her shoulder and she glanced his way, she saw the smoldering intent in his gaze. She realized instantly that Reno had much more in mind than their dispute over Jess’s will.
After they left the restaurant, Reno took her to a movie at the new multiplex on the edge of Coulter City. They agreed on a suspense film. Caitlin was hoping it would take both their minds off their mutual attraction, but the strong chemistry between the lead actor and actress—and the steamy love scene—only managed to make things worse.
She’d never been particularly affected by a movie love scene, but she was suddenly sensitive to it. It didn’t help that Reno’s arm rested possessively across the back of her seat or that he’d reached over with his other hand to catch her fingers and toy absently with them.
By the time they got out of the theater Caitlin’s emotions were wildly excited. The fact that Reno settled his arm around her waist and kept her solidly against his tall, hard body all the way to the car sent a tortuous longing through her.
She was grateful when their seat belts ensured their physical separation. But the moment Reno turned onto the highway for home, he reached for her hand and gripped it gently. The electric sensations between them sent a new rush of excitement through her.
In spite of the distance she’d tried to maintain these last days, her feelings for Reno had deepened dangerously. Tonight they’d gone deeper still. Her heart was in a turmoil of fear and soaring hope. The craving to trust Reno was strong, but her deep belief that his interest in her was temporary made everything painful for her.
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She dreaded what might happen when they got back to the ranch, and realized that whatever happened, it would be her fault If she’d refused to go with Reno tonight and avoided him more persistently, there would be none of this edgy anticipation. There would also be no terrifying fear and no wild, sweet hope to heighten it.
She sensed Reno’s expectation, saw it every time his eyes met hers. She felt it in the languorous way his fingers traced over the back on her hand. Caitlin felt herself melting, felt a longing so forceful and primal come over her that she was losing her ability to withstand it.
By the time Reno parked his car in the drive near the front of the house, it was all she could do to sit rigidly in her seat and not look at him.
Without a word, Reno switched off the lights and the engine, then got out of the car. Caitlin’s eyes followed him in the security lights of the ranch headquarters as he walked around the front of the car to her door. Neither of them spoke as he opened the door and she stepped out. Reno took her cane and slid his arm around her waist for their silent walk to the front door.
When they stepped inside, the house was still and dark. Only dim light from outside penetrated the thick sheer panels that had been drawn closed for the night. Reno led them partway into the entry hall before he stopped and turned toward her in the dimness.
He reached up and removed his Stetson, tossing it toward the hall table. Caitlin tried to step back, but he tightened his arm around her waist and drew her close.
“I want you, Caitlin.” Reno’s voice was rough and persuasive. He lowered his head and his lips stroked warmly over hers. “More than I ever wanted any woman, I want you.”
Caitlin swayed dizzily, and her fingers gripped his arms. His lips teased gently over hers, and she turned her head slightly to break the contact. Reno pulled her closer and his lips persisted. His mouth captured hers tenderly, and his hand came up to the back of her head to hold her steady for the sensual onslaught.