Rancher's Choice
Page 25
“We’ll see.”
“Yes, we will,” he replied imperturbably. She could get her back up all she wanted, but she’d listen to him on this or she’d be back in bed before she knew what hit her.
“Anyway, I’m off on vacation for a couple of weeks,” Larry said, interrupting their battle of wills. “I didn’t know how much longer you would be staying at the ranch, so I wanted to be sure and say goodbye, in case you’re already gone when I come back.”
“I’m glad you did,” she told him, ignoring the pang that struck her at the reminder of how little time she had left with Jackson. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for thinking you could be involved in the rustling, even if it was just momentary.”
“Kaly was actually your biggest supporter,” Jackson volunteered. “She refused to believe you had anything to do with it.”
She made a face. “When I saw your phone number posted on the barn wall, and it ended with the same digit as the number the biker had thrown away, well, I’m afraid my faith in you slipped.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Larry said. “It’s all out in the open now.”
“No hard feelings?” Kaly offered her hand.
“None,” he affirmed, clasping hers in both of his. Jackson watched the scene as long as he could before moving to the bed and glancing pointedly at their hands. Larry hurriedly released her and backed toward the door. “I better be going now. Hope you’re well soon, Kaly.”
She watched him depart, then looked at Jackson. “He seemed a little cautious around you,” she observed.
“Could we please stop talking about Larry?” he asked in frustration. “We have something more important to discuss.”
“How’s my favorite research assistant today?”
Jeff breezed through the door, and Jackson silently cursed his brother’s timing. It seemed as though fate was conspiring against him. He turned and paced to the window again, leaving Kaly and Jeff to their conversation. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could stand. His patience, never his strongest suit, was running dangerously low.
“There you are, Jeff,” Carrie said cheerfully as she entered the room. “You’re looking great today, Kaly. Maybe I should have Peg serve lunch up here. We could all eat together then.”
That was it, Jackson vowed. The last straw. “No,” he said flatly. Turning around, he walked purposefully over to his brother and took him by the arm. Ignoring Jeff’s bewilderment, he led him over to his wife and guided them both to the door. “You two go have lunch together. Go on a picnic. Go do anything. Just leave us alone for the next couple of hours, would you, please?”
Carrie’s eyebrows rose at his inexorable attitude, but Jeff chuckled and walked her out of the room. “Okay, sure, we can take a hint. Not that you know how to give one. More like a bulldozer, isn’t he, Carrie?”
Jackson shut the door firmly on them and faced Kaly again. She was watching him in concern.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked faintly.
“What’s wrong,” he muttered, as he crossed over to sit on the bed next to her, “is that we have about as much privacy around here as in a bus station.”
“What do we need privacy for?” she whispered, her answer already apparent as his head descended.
“For this.” His mouth met hers with carnal demand, and she was helpless to do other than respond. His arms went around her, pulling her close, crushing the flowers she still held. “I was so afraid I had lost you,” he said in a tortured murmur. He took her face in his hands and looked down at her solemnly. “I love you, Kaly. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. Is that what you want, too?”
Kaly’s heart leapt. She smiled dreamily into his taut face, which was stamped with impatience as he waited for her response. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want. I love you, too.”
His lips covered hers again, and he swept the flowers to the floor as he pressed her back against the pillows. He dragged his lips away from hers reluctantly to demand, “Say it again.”
Kaly obeyed willingly. “I love you,” she said, her lips moving against his chin. “I feel like I’ve waited forever to be able to say that.”
Jackson frowned slightly. “Why couldn’t you tell me before?”
“I wasn’t sure how you felt. You never gave me any indication that you might feel the same way.”
“Never gave you any indication?” Jackson’s tone was amazed. “What do you call it, then? I made a fool of myself every time you so much as looked at another man. We slept together most every night. You gave yourself to me in the sweetest, wildest ways imaginable, and you never thought I loved you?”
She struggled to put her fears into words. “I didn’t know what to expect from you. Everyone was always warning me about your reputation.” Her voice dropped so that it was barely audible. “And you made your distrust of women
He tipped up her chin. “It’s true that I’ve kept women at a distance. There’s never been anyone before that I couldn’t walk away from. But you managed to get closer to me than any woman ever has.”
Her eyes misted and warmth filled her heart. “I’m glad.” Their kiss was wild, rife with hope and passion before turning tender. Their lips parted, and he rubbed his forehead against hers. “We have a lot of decisions to make, but for right now you need to concentrate on getting well.” His voice lowered. “And on keeping your fiancé happy.”
“I don’t know.” She sighed, turning her face to kiss his palm. “He’s a very demanding man. I’m not sure I’m up to it.”
His navy eyes gleaming with wicked intent, he lowered his mouth to hers and whispered, “Let me give you some pointers.” Then lips met and hearts took flight, as they temporarily dropped plans for the future to celebrate the present.