by Kristi Gold
In reality, her resistance to intimacy with Mitch had more to do with her fear of falling for him. He wasn’t really commitment material, something he had made quite clear today. Granted, he had spent nine years with one woman, but he hadn’t asked that woman to marry him. No, siree, Bobby…who happened to be groaning loud enough to call the cattle home.
That did it.
Tori vaulted out of the feather bed and her feet hit the cold hardwood floor, reminding her that the weather was not conducive to taking a walk. However, she would rather face the elements than endure one more thwack of the headboard hitting the wall in a torrid tempo.
Not bothering to turn on the lamp, she snatched her robe from the bedpost and slid her feet into the ridiculous furry brown gorilla slippers Stella had given her as a gift for serving as maid of honor. The other two bridesmaids had received frogs and pigs, so she supposed she got the better end of the deal.
The floor creaked beneath her feet as she felt her way along the wall. She finally reached the small living room illuminated by a lamp in the corner—a good thing considering the area was littered with unpacked boxes. Grabbing her leather jacket from the coat tree, she yanked open the door and stepped onto the porch. The moderate breeze flowed over her and until that moment, she hadn’t realized how hot she’d been. She could attribute that to the down comforter, or her own desire for Mitch that she’d warred with all day long…and most of the night.
“I figured you’d be out soon.”
With her heart lodged firmly in her throat, Tori spun toward the sound of the deep voice to find a dark figure silhouetted against the limited light. She laid one shaky hand against her throat. “God, Mitch, you scared the hell out of me!”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
She walked to the glider where he now sat and hovered above him. “What are you doing here?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“And you walked all the way here to alleviate your insomnia?”
“I decided you’d probably need some company eventually.”
“You were certainly taking a huge chance that I would come outside.”
“Not really. I know Stella and Bobby’s habits well enough to know they’d eventually drive you out of the house. If you hadn’t come out when you did, I probably would’ve left in an hour or two.”
“An hour or two?”
His gaze raked over her in a slow excursion. “If you’d agreed to stay with me, then you wouldn’t be traipsing around in the cold in your nightgown.”
He was nothing if not tenacious. “Okay, I’m here, you proved your point, so you can go back to bed now.”
“Not until you come back to my house with me.”
“I really don’t think that’s necessary. They can’t keep going at it all night.”
“Wanna bet?”
No, she didn’t, because she wasn’t at all sure when Stella’s and Bobby’s antics might end, possibly not before dawn. “I would have my own room?”
She could see a flash of white teeth before he said, “Do you think I’m going to make you bunk with Buck?”
“That never entered my mind.”
“But you thought I might offer my own room.”
“That thought did cross my mind.” Several times, in great detail.
“You can stay in the bedroom on the opposite side of the house from mine.”
“I’m still not sure that’s wise.”
He released an impatient sigh. “Would you rather spend a week listening to the Stella and Bob parade on a nightly basis?”
No, she wouldn’t. But she wasn’t sure she could trust Mitch not to pursue the lovemaking issue. And worse, she didn’t really have a lot of confidence in herself not to eventually concede.
The glider whined as he pushed out of it to stand before her. “Tori, I do solemnly swear I am not going to pull any funny stuff while you’re in my house. Not if you don’t want it.”
She did want it, and that was the problem. Yet she didn’t think she could stomach more nighttime sex noise that didn’t involve her. And Mitch. “Okay. Let me just grab a few things and I’ll spend the night tonight.”
He inclined his head. “Only tonight?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you behave yourself.”
“The door has a lock. Then you can be assured I won’t bother you while you’re sleeping.”
Predictably, he hadn’t said he would adhere to that when she wasn’t sleeping. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
As she pulled open the screen, Mitch said from behind her, “Nice slippers.”
She turned and stuck out a gorilla-covered foot. “Yeah, I like to monkey around now and then.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Oh, yeah?”
Releasing a groan, she turned away from all that charisma and hoped she had enough strength to keep turning away for the remainder of the week.
Mitch felt a little guilty over being grateful that Bobby had a penchant for hamming it up in the bedroom. But Tori really would be more comfortable in his house. She’d also be nearby in case she changed her mind.
“This is it,” he told her as he pushed open the door. “Nothing fancy, but it does have its own bathroom.”
Tori walked into the room still wearing her leather jacket over her nightclothes. When the light hit the pale blue gown, he could see the outline of her bare legs all the way to her thighs beneath the sheer fabric. Best not to look there if he intended to go back to his own room and get some sleep.
She set her duffel down on the red plaid spread and faced him. “It looks comfortable enough.”
“The bed was from my room in the old house but it has a new mattress.” Mitch was having a hard time not looking at her breasts.
When Tori clutched the jacket closed, he realized he’d been caught. “You know, the old house is nice enough,” she said. “Why did you build a new one?”
The memories had been too much for Mitch to bear—memories of the time he’d spent with his mother during the summers when his dad had been too busy for them both. Memories of the last days of her life. Too many ghosts, and facts that Tori didn’t need to know, even though he had the strongest urge to tell her.
Instead, he said, “I wanted something that was solely my contribution to the ranch, a symbol of my putting down roots here. Buck was resistant at first, but I finally talked him into living here and letting Bob use the old place instead of staying with the other hands in the bunkhouse out back. He did insist we bring in some of the furniture so he’d feel more at home.”
Tori pointed at a picture hanging on the opposite wall. “Did he insist on that, too?”
Mitch moved closer to her to see what had caught her attention. Damn. He’d forgotten all about that stupid photo of him on a pony wearing a red felt cowboy hat, complete with a jockey string cinched beneath his chin and matching red chaps. “Yeah, that was definitely his idea.”
“Nice outfit,” she said, grinning. “I think it’s adorable.”
He could say the same about her with those damned ape house shoes hugging her feet. He gestured toward the closet. “You can hang your stuff in there.”
She glanced at the bag on the bed. “I didn’t bring that much stuff. Since I wasn’t planning on staying, I’ll have to borrow some clothes from Stella.”
Right now, he’d like to help her shed her clothes. “Tomorrow, you can bring whatever else you need.”
She propped both hands on her hips. “Now what makes you so sure I’m going to stay here for the remainder of my visit?”
“Because you want to get some sleep.”
“True, I do.” She stretched her arms and yawned, causing the jacket to gape, revealing the outline of her breasts and the shading of her nipples.
If he didn’t get out soon, there was no telling what he might do. “If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll go to my room now. Buck’s two doors down, but he shouldn’t bother you.”
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“Actually, I do need something from you.” She perched on the end of the bed and patted the mattress. “Come here.”
Before he could sit, she pointed a finger at him. “I only want to talk, so get rid of that look on your face.”
He scowled. “What look?”
“The one you always give me when you have certain things on your mind.”
Good going, Mitch. He might as well have I Want You, Tori tattooed on his forehead. “Fine. I won’t look at you.” He didn’t dare sit by her, either, not if he wanted to control himself. “I’ll just stand here and you talk.”
“All right. I have an idea I want to run past you.”
If it didn’t involve them assuming a prone position, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it. “Okay. Shoot.”
“I’ve been thinking about us, our relationship, and I’ve decided we need to start over.”
“Start over?”
“Yes. As friends. Maybe then we won’t be so inclined to skip ahead to the next step.”
“We’ve already gone way beyond the next step, Tori. We can’t go back.” Nor did he want to. He wouldn’t take back one moment of their first night together.
“It’s all a mindset, Mitch. Besides, we do have a few things in common, a good basis for a friendship.”
Mitch could think of one in particular—they were damn good together in bed. Or at least in the bed of a truck, since they hadn’t actually made it into a real bed. “What things?”
“We’ve both lost our mothers.”
“True.” Their shared loss had made him feel even closer to her. “What else?”
“We like to dance.”
“Friends don’t dance, at least not as close as we do. You’re going to have to do better than that.”
She sat silent for a moment, then snapped her fingers and pointed. “I’ve got it. We both know about the breeding process.”
Mitch couldn’t help smiling over Tori’s obvious chagrin. “Yeah, we do.”
“You know what I mean. Anyway, I think if we build on that friendship, then when I leave here, we’ll both be the better for it.”
In other words, she was saying she wanted nothing more than friendship. That should have been okay with Mitch, but for some reason, it wasn’t. “I’ve never really had a woman friend before.”
“You and Mary Alice weren’t friends?”
He could’ve gone all night without Tori mentioning her. “Maybe years ago, when we were younger. But basically, we didn’t talk all that much.”
“I see.”
Mitch was surprised by her sober tone. “Mary Alice and I are over. We should’ve been over a long time ago.”
She leaned back on her bent elbows, thrusting her breasts forward and adding to Mitch’s increasing discomfort. “Why did you finally break it off after nine years?”
He wasn’t sure he needed to go there, either, but it would be better if Tori knew up front his opinion on the subject wasn’t bound to change. “She wanted to get married and as I’ve told you, marriage isn’t something I plan to undertake.”
“Did you love her?” Mitch could tell she regretted asking when she looked away and said, “Never mind. That’s none of my business.”
No, it wasn’t, but he wanted her to know the reality of his relationship with Mary Alice. Taking a huge risk, he sat on the edge of the mattress, keeping his hands clasped together between his parted knees. “She didn’t want me exactly. She wanted my money and my name. She’s always been that way. When I didn’t bend to her will, she went looking for someone who would, namely Brady Stevens.”
“Now he’s quite a catch.”
“Yeah. He always kind of reminded me of an anemic perch.”
Tori’s laughter started out as a chuckle then grew into a full-fledged guffaw. Mitch tried to refrain from joining her, but he couldn’t.
“Cut it out in there!” came the very irritable voice of Buck.
Tori slapped her hand over her mouth until she recovered. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about your grandfather.”
“Don’t worry about him. In fact, I’m not sure he’s really awake. He’s been known to talk in his sleep.”
“Does he walk in his sleep?”
“No. And if you’re worried, neither do I.”
“I’m not worried.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “Speaking of sleep, it’s past one. We both need to go to bed.”
“I’m all for that.”
“Alone.”
Double damn.
Mitch rose from the bed then faced her. “I’ll think about the friends thing.” When he wasn’t thinking about making love to her.
“It’s not going to be that difficult, I promise. In fact, I’ll prove it.”
Taking Mitch by surprise, she came off the bed and wrapped her arms around him. “See? We’re hugging and that’s all it has to be.”
He kept his frame as stiff as a split-rail fence post and his arms loosely around her. Right now it would take him a split second to back her up and lay her down on the bed so he could try a little urging.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Mitch. Sweet dreams.”
The sweetest dream was in his arms, but he wouldn’t make a move now. If she wanted to be friendly, he could do that. At least tonight. He swept her bangs away and kissed her forehead. “’Night, Tori.”
Again, neither of them moved away, same as it had been earlier that day. And the real shocker came when Tori, who’d insisted on friendship only a few moments earlier, grabbed his neck and brought his lips to hers.
As far as kisses went, this one had little to do with simple friendship. Simple need, yes. It was hot. It was deep. It was killing Mitch not to take it further.
Tori pushed away first and Mitch held up his palms. “That was not my fault.”
She slid both hands through her hair. “I know. It was mine. It won’t happen again.”
Mitch headed for the door but before he walked out, he turned to her and said, “You just keep telling yourself that, Tori. Maybe then you’ll start to believe it.”
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Six
She could not believe she’d been such a fool.
That was the first thought that entered Tori’s mind when the sun streaming into the window hit her face. She’d been a complete and absolute idiot last night. What had possessed her to kiss Mitch after she’d been so adamant about establishing a friendship with him? Well, that was obvious. Mitch had possessed her since the night she’d met him. The little devil.
Rolling to her side, she checked the clock, then bolted upright. Almost noon. Why hadn’t Mitch woken her? Probably because he was determined to avoid her after her behavior last night. She sure as heck couldn’t blame him. But on the other hand, she wasn’t going to let him. She still had a job to do.
After a quick shower, she completed her morning routine and then slipped on a plain gray sweatshirt and a pair of Stella’s low-riding, pre-pregnancy jeans. They were a little loose, but they would have to do since Tori hadn’t brought enough casual clothes to last through the week.
After slipping on a pair of sneakers, she hurried into the living room to find it deserted. The kitchen showed no signs of life with the exception of a couple of coffee cups and a discarded copy of the weekly Quail Run Herald on the dinette table. Although she was sorely tempted to peruse the news and find out if anything had been added to the usual gossip, she didn’t have time. Her next stop would be the barn in hopes that she could catch a few minutes with Mitch.
Tori left the house and walked the path at a fast clip, admittedly driven by anticipation and excitement over seeing him again. When she caught sight of several men gathered in the arena adjacent to the barn, she pulled up short. She walked to the pen and propped one foot on the bottom rung, shading her eyes against the sun to survey the activity. Two cowboys on horses turned profile conversed with the other onlookers standing near the roping chute. One of those cowboys happened to be Mit
ch Warner.
His long leg, the one she could see, dangled at the horse’s side, bypassing the stirrup. He had one large hand draped casually on the saddle horn, the other resting on his thigh encased in faded jeans. He wore a black felt hat, a pair of brown rough-out boots and a confidence that couldn’t be ignored, even at this distance. Tori cursed the fact she still hadn’t retrieved her camera because this picture was definitely worth a thousand words.
Old West magnificence. Raw machismo. Undeniable magnetism.
Mitch Warner was all those things and more.
Tori tried to overlook the sudden rush of heat, the heady bout of chills, the desire for him that never seemed to let go. In her head, she knew it would be best to return to Stella’s and wait until later to catch up with him. In her heart, she knew she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until she had a longer look, before someone noticed her presence.
Too late, she realized when Buck sauntered around the pen and headed toward her with a bowlegged gait.
“Hey, missy,” he said as he stood next to her, one ragtag boot propped on the rung not far from her foot.
“Hey, Buck.” She nodded toward the gang who so far had failed to heed her appearance. “Are they about to brand a calf?”
“Nope. They’ve been playin’ all morning. Breakaway roping just for the fun of it.”
“I’m not sure I understand the ‘breakaway’ part.”
“They rope the calf, then let go of the rope. Then a man goes into the pen, takes the rope off the calf and they do it all over again. Best time wins.”
“What do they win?”
“Braggin’ rights. That’s about it. Most of those boys don’t have all that much. Mitch employs as many as he can full-time. Sometimes he gives the others part-time work when he has something extra he needs done. Next week, they’ll help him move the rest of the herd in closer to the barns before winter sets in. Easier to feed them that way.”
Tori surveyed the motley crew, men of all shapes, sizes and ages. Then she noticed the twenty-something man on the horse next to Mitch, a ruggedly handsome man with massive shoulders, longish golden hair and a winning smile. But her attention was soon drawn to what he was missing—his right arm below his elbow. “Does he work here?” she asked Buck, pointing to the cowboy.