by HELEN HARDT
“I know she’s not. She’s not afraid, either.”
“Nope. There’s not much that scares Dusty.”
“Why is that?”
Sam fidgeted, but said nothing. Zach sensed a story there, but Sam wasn’t going to offer it.
“She seems intelligent, too. She did an amazing calculation in her head yesterday,” Zach said.
“Yeah, she’s a whiz with numbers,” Sam said.
Zach touched his napkin to his lips. “Tell me, why didn’t she finish college?”
“She told you about that?”
“Yeah, she said she only went for a year. Was it money?”
Sam cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if you ask her about that. It’s not my story to tell.”
“Are there problems at your ranch?” Zach asked.
“Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Look, I care about your sister. I only want to help her.”
“Care about her? You hadn’t seen her in seventeen years until yesterday.”
“I…like her.”
“Aw, geez,” Sam said. “Not you too.”
“What do you mean by that? She said she didn’t have a boyfriend.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I’m just tired of chasing away her potential suitors, that’s all.”
“You mean there’s a lot of them?” A wave of possessive jealousy punched Zach’s gut.
“More than you can imagine. My baby sister’s a regular stud magnet. And she’s usually not interested, so I’m the one who has to get rid of the persistent ones.”
A thrill tingled through Zach. So she wasn’t interested in most of them, but she definitely seemed interested in him. Then again, she had run away from him twice now.
“Why isn’t she interested? Are they all losers or something?”
“Nah. She’s just…” Sam stopped. “Look, you really need to ask Dusty these questions, man. I’m not comfortable with this.”
“Fair enough.” Zach stopped pushing. He would ask Dusty. Tonight. “By the way, Dusty and I ran into Angie this morning. She invited us all to some shindig tonight in the Westminster Room at our hotel. Dallas and Chelsea are going.”
“Hang out with our self-important older brother and his prima donna wife? Count me out. Besides, Sam and I were going to cruise the bars.”
“Look, I don’t want to hang out with Dallas any more than you do, but cruising the bars? Grow up, will you?”
“And stop having fun? I’m not that old, bro.”
“Then put off your cruising until tomorrow. Dusty and I need the two of you to go to the Bay thing tonight.”
“Aw, Zach. Name one reason why we should go hang out with Angelina Bay. And Chelsea. God.”
“Free beer?”
Chad smiled. “Now that’s one good reason, brother.”
* * *
The Westminster Room at the Windsor Hotel could have doubled for the Queen’s parlor at Buckingham Palace. At least that’s how it seemed to Dusty. The Bays were apparently as rich, or richer, than the McCrays. Dusty felt underdressed in her black skirt and creamy silk blouse, though Zach had assured her she looked gorgeous. Most of the women wore cocktail attire. Not that Dusty had any cocktail attire.
Zach looked luscious in black trousers and a white oxford, no tie. A smattering of ebony chest hair peeked out from his collar. Sexy. Sam and Chad had already arrived and were hanging out at the bar, having engaged a few available women. Dusty shook her head.
“Your brother’s a bad influence on my brother.”
“Darlin’, my brother’s a bad influence on everyone. But I think Sam can take care of himself.”
“If you say so. It seems the two of them are cut from the same cloth.”
“Both about six-four, good looking, what do you expect?”
“I expect my brother to act his age.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that.”
Dusty sighed. “Now what?”
“We pay respects to our hostess, I guess.”
“You can’t wait to see her, can you?”
“Now just a minute—”
“Cool off. I’m just joking.” Dusty smiled at him. “I can charm the pants off anyone. Just look how I fared with Diablo.”
“Darlin’, I don’t doubt it for a minute. Come on.”
Zach grabbed her hand and led her to Angelina, who was talking to a tall, nice looking man. Angelina looked quite pretty, much to Dusty’s dismay, in a dark plum satin dress that fell below her knees, accented by strappy black sandals. Dusty felt frumpy in her skirt and blouse and black pumps. Angelina’s hair had been let loose from the Mary Ann bunches and fell in dark waves to her shoulders.
At least my hair is just as nice as hers, Dusty thought, and longer. She shook her head, the red-blond waves falling midway down her back.
“Zach!” Angelina gushed, leaving the dark-haired man. “I’m so glad you came. And Donna. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Dusty,” Zach said, his lips pursed. “Thank you for having us.”
“Make yourselves at home. We have plenty of food and drink. The deejay’ll be firing up in a half hour or so. I hope you’ll save me a dance.”
“Sure.” Zach cleared his throat. “Come on, darlin’,” he said to Dusty. “Let’s get a drink.” He led her to the bar.
“What would you like?” Zach asked her.
“A glass of Merlot sounds nice,” Dusty said.
“Merlot for the lady,” Zach said, “and Wild Turkey neat for me.” Zach placed a ten dollar bill in the tip jar.
“I changed my mind,” Dusty said to the bartender. “I’ll have what he’s having.” What the hell? She needed a little something wild to get her through this evening. There was Mary Ann to deal with. And Zach was eventually going to ask her why she had run that afternoon. She was surprised he hadn’t brought it up yet.
“You want to sit down?” he asked.
“Let’s go see what Chad and Sam are up to.” She gestured to a table where the two men were chatting with two young women.
“Darlin’, we’d be third wheels.”
“Come on.” She pulled on his arm. “They’re our brothers.”
“So?”
“I’m sure they’re dying to talk to us.”
“Doesn’t look that way to me.”
She led him to the table anyway. “Hey, Sam, Chad.”
“Hey, Dust.” Sam turned to his companions. “This is my baby sister, Dusty. Dusty, meet Sydney Buchanan and Linda Rhine.”
“And this is my big brother, Zach,” Chad said. “You all want to sit down?”
“We’d love to,” Dusty cooed.
“Sydney’s a barrel racer,” Sam said. “I’ve been telling her all about you.”
“Are you competing?” Dusty asked.
“Yeah. Day after tomorrow. You?”
“Day after tomorrow. Good luck to you.”
“You, too. Though I doubt you’ll need it. Sam told me about your best time. Thirteen point nine seconds is awesome.”
“Sydney’s real good, too,” Sam said. “Her personal best is fourteen point one.”
“That’s exceptional,” Dusty said. “I see you’ll be some real competition.”
“You want to dance, darlin’?” Zach asked her. “They’re firing up the music.”
“Sure.” Dusty shivered as Zach took her hand and led her to the small dance floor. “I didn’t know you danced.”
“I don’t. But I wanted to get away from that table.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to hang out with you.”
“So we’re not going to dance then?”
“Depends on what they play. In fact, excuse me for a minute.”
Dusty watched as Zach approached the deejay, whispered to him, and handed him a folded bill. As he walked back toward Dusty, the harmonious voices of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill began to sing “Like We Never Loved at All.”
<
br /> “This is our dance, darlin’,” he said, taking her into his arms.
He didn’t try to hold her in the traditional dance pose. Both of his arms went around her body and pulled her close. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck. As her body met his, she melted into him. Soft cotton shirt. Warm hard man. So good.
“Mmm,” she heard herself say.
“What’s that?” he whispered.
“Nothing. It’s just…this feels so nice.”
“Sure does.”
He pulled her even closer, and she snuggled her cheek against his shoulder, breathing in his crisp masculine scent.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he whispered.
She chuckled softly. “Yes.”
“Have I told you how much I want to kiss you?”
“No.”
“In that case. I really want to kiss you. I can’t think of anything else when I look at those sweet lips of yours.”
Dusty’s skin tingled. She sighed into his chest, her nose nuzzling the exposed black hair. Without thinking, she brushed her lips against it.
“That’s nice, darlin’.” He reciprocated by leaning down and pressing his mouth to her neck.
She shuddered.
“You want to go up to my room?” he asked.
Her heart beat so hard against her chest, she was certain he could feel it. “Can’t we get something to eat?”
“Sure. If you want to.”
When the song ended, he took her to the buffet line and they filled their plates with prawns, oysters, bruschetta, and myriad other goodies. They replenished their drinks and sat down at an empty table.
“Great spread,” Dusty said.
“Angie never does anything halfway,” Zach replied, munching on a chicken wing.
“It was nice of her to invite us.”
“I suppose so. I’d rather be at a quiet dinner with you.”
Her cheeks warmed. “You make me feel all…”
“All what?” The corners of his mouth crinkled. God, his smile was something out of heaven itself.
“All…I don’t know…mushy inside.”
“Good.”
He sucked an oyster off its shell, and the slurping sound made Dusty want to grab him and kiss him senseless.
“Tell me something, darlin’. Why do you keep running from me?”
“It’s complicated—” she began, but thankfully was interrupted by Sam and Chad, accompanied by Sydney and the other girl. Dusty couldn’t remember her name. Lori? Lila? She had to stop drinking Wild Turkey.
“We’re heading out,” Chad said. “We’re going for a late supper at Amici’s. You all want to come?”
Dusty started to answer, but Zach beat her to it. “No, thanks. We have plans.”
“We do?” Dusty said after they’d left.
“Sure we do. Don’t we?” He winked at her.
“Could you excuse me for a few minutes? I need to use the ladies room.” Dusty scurried away, trying to ignore Zach’s bewildered look. When she reached the restroom, she grabbed onto the counter and stared into the mirror, breathing deeply.
Get a grip, she told herself. Get a grip.
* * *
There she went, running off again. Zach shook his head. He wanted this woman with a passion he’d never known. She was so damned beautiful, and kissing her was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. And he had experienced a lot. He was going to make love to her tonight. He had to. He’d been nursing a case of blue balls since he first laid eyes on her.
“Where did your date wander off to?”
Angelina’s voice. Sheesh, just what he needed. He turned to face her.
“Ladies’ room.”
“You look a little lonely over here.”
“I’m fine.”
“Can we chat for a minute?”
“What about?” Zach checked his watch. He looked over Angelina’s head to the door of the ballroom. Damn, Dusty wasn’t going to take off again, was she?
“Oh, I don’t know. Things.”
“You’ll have to be a little more specific, Angie.” He sipped his Wild Turkey and the liquor burned his throat. Good stuff.
Angelina licked her lips and tugged on the lower one with her teeth as she eyed him. “Honestly, Zach, I had forgotten how handsome you are. You look great tonight.”
“Thanks.” She wanted something, and she wasn’t going to get it.
She smiled coquettishly. “You’re not going to return the compliment?”
“You always look great, Angie. You know that.”
“It’s nice to hear it sometimes.”
“Okay. You look beautiful. Now what is it that you’re after?”
“What makes you think I’m after anything?”
Zach chuckled under his breath. “We’ve known each other for years. You come over here, all flirty and fluttery. You want something.”
“You do know me, don’t you?” She curled her lips upward. “I thought we might be able to get together and talk.”
“About what?”
“About us.”
“There’s no us, Angie. You broke up with me, remember?”
She sighed, her lips twisting into a pout. “Zach, I made a huge mistake letting you go.”
“Nah, it wasn’t a mistake. Things were never right between us.” He checked his watch again and glanced to the door. No Dusty.
“We could try again. We could recapture it.”
“Recapture what? There was never much more between us than friendship, no matter how hard we both tried.”
“Of course there was. Don’t you remember our lovemaking? That was phenomenal, Zach. Don’t you ever wish we could go to bed again? Just once?”
“I’m sorry, Angie.”
“My room’s right upstairs.”
“So’s mine.” Zach shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Where the hell is she?
“Okay, we’ll go to yours.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I’ll make it worth your while. I haven’t been able to think about anything except your luscious body.”
“Christ, Angie. Shut the fuck up, will you?”
Dusty entered the ballroom and he silently thanked God.
“It’s over, okay?”
“You’ll change your mind.”
Angelina walked away, swinging her considerable assets. She was a beauty, no doubt. Funny thing, though. Zach wasn’t even slightly tempted. Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off the golden-haired goddess walking toward him. She looked a little flustered, but she was still the most delicious thing he’d ever seen.
“You all right, darlin’?”
“Fine.” She plunked down in a chair. “I think I’ve had a little too much Wild Turkey, to tell you the truth. I don’t usually drink hard stuff.”
“Why did you tonight?”
She sighed. “I thought it would help me feel a little more at ease. You know, with Angelina and all.”
“Angelina is nothing compared to you.”
“That’s sweet of you to say. But you and she—”
“That’s over.”
“I know. I just… Never mind.”
“What is it, darlin’?”
Before she could answer, his brother Dallas and his wife approached the table. “Hey, Zach. Who’s this?”
Trust Dallas to get straight to the point. “Dusty O’Donovan. Her pa used to work at the ranch back in the late eighties. You remember?”
“Can’t say that I do.”
“Sure you do. Her brother Sam was best friends with Chad.”
“Sounds vaguely familiar.” He held out his hand. “Dallas McCray.”
“Nice to see you,” Dusty said. “You look a lot like Zach, don’t you? Except you’re a little gray around the temples, and your nose is slightly larger. But still a very nice nose. And both your eyes are brown, of course.” She hiccupped. “Excuse me.”
Zach cringed as the blond woman nex
t to his brother pursed her lips. What the hell was wrong with the bitch tonight? He thought Dusty’s hiccup was charming. She was a little tipsy. Otherwise she probably wouldn’t have mentioned Dallas’s gray hair or his nose. But hell, it wasn’t a damn secret. Dallas was still a chick magnet at thirty-five. Of course, Chelsea kept him on a short leash.
“This is my wife, Chelsea,” Dallas said.
Chelsea held out her hand to Dusty. “Chelsea Beaumont McCray, of the Kennebunkport Beaumonts.”
“Oh God,” Zach said under his breath.
“Charmed,” Dusty said.
Zach’s smile widened. Oh, his little darlin’ knew how to deal with Chelsea.
“That’s a lovely outfit,” Chelsea cooed to Dusty.
Damn. Dusty was sensitive about her appearance tonight. Why couldn’t Chelsea leave well enough alone?
“Thank you,” Dusty said sweetly. “You look splendid as well. I’ve never seen a lovelier shade of pink.”
“It’s Vera Wang,” Chelsea said. “And it’s not pink, it’s bashful.”
“Excuse me?”
“Bashful. The color?”
“Oh. Of course.” Dusty put her hand on Zach’s forearm.
A slight touch from her, and his loins ignited.
“It was lovely to meet you both, but I’m extremely tired. I worked with Zach’s bull all day and—”
“What?” Dallas said, his tone incredulous. “You let her near that brute, Zach?”
“I was with her the whole time.”
“You don’t have the sense God gave a goose. If Pa were here—”
“Well, he’s not. And you ain’t him, Dallas. The big brother routine got old twenty years ago.”
“I wasn’t in any danger,” Dusty said. “I’m good with bulls.”
Chelsea eeked out a small disgusted sound. “I can’t bear the beasts myself. They’re ugly. And they smell.”
“Only if they’re not properly cared for,” Dusty said.
“Pooh,” Chelsea said. “You couldn’t pay me to go near one of them.”
“I’m betting if the price were right, you’d hang with the bulls,” Zach said.
Dallas looked at him sternly but said nothing.
Chelsea laughed it off. “Maybe. If the price were the new suede outfit I saw today. Only four thousand three fifty.”