He stepped away from the door and closer to her. His nearness made her skin feel as though an electric current was racing through it, and that if he touched her they would both be at risk of getting hurt. Yet she doubted it was electricity, but rather something rarer—something that resembled love.
“Why?” he asked, and he gave her a look that made the current in her intensify.
“Huh? Why what?” she asked, only half-aware that there were even words coming from her mouth, as all she could think about was the way he smelled of winter air and Irish Spring soap.
“Why are you always so positive? How is it better?” he pressed, but this time his voice was softer, deeper.
“Like attracts like,” she said, staring at his lips and the way they were pulled into a sultry grin. “So if I was pessimistic all the time, I’d bring in the results I expected.”
“But isn’t it better to expect the worst and be happily surprised when the good happens, instead of hoping for the best and constantly being disappointed?”
“If you knew me a little more, you’d know that I’m hardly ever disappointed.” As she said the words, she knew they weren’t entirely true—her father disappointed her all the time. But by and large most of the other areas of her life were marked by their greatness.
He reached over and cupped her face in his hands. She basked in the warmth of his callused palms against her skin.
“What if I disappoint you?” he asked, moving slightly closer, so close that his breath brushed against her face and warmed her cheek.
He was going to kiss her. She could feel it in his touch and hear it in the lilt of his voice, and though she wanted it, there was a nagging voice in the back of her head that kept telling her how stupid it would be to let him. If he kissed her, the rules of their game would change. Their roles would be altered. Her job would be compromised. Heck, his entire future could be jeopardized.
“You won’t,” she said as his lips grew nearer to hers, so near that she closed her eyes and readied herself to feel his lips press against hers. “And we...can’t,” she said, nearly breathless.
But he didn’t stop. And she didn’t pull away.
His lips met hers. All the desire she had been feeling poured through her, and the only thing she could think about was the glory and excitement of his kiss. The ways his lips moved reminded her of him, the way he walked, the rhythm of his speech and the gentle strength that seemed to characterize him. In a way, it completed him and the way he made her feel. As their mouths moved together, giving and taking as they tasted one another, she could only imagine that having sex would have been even better.
She wrapped her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair. It was softer than she had expected and she rolled it around her fingertips as his kisses moved from her lips to her chin, and finally her neck. She exhaled and it came out as a gentle moan, and at the sound his muscles tensed.
He pressed his body into her as he walked her deeper into the back office until she was backed against the far wall. He moved between her legs, lifting them around his waist as he kissed her neck. He was as hot as his kiss.
“Rainier.” She said his name as though it was the last time she’d have the chance to whisper his name. “You... We... Mmm...” She moaned as he met her heat.
“I’ll go back to being a good little parolee, I promise. No one has to know.”
The nagging voice in the back of her head screamed that those were famous last words that would inevitably come back to bite her, but she pushed the thought to the side. Maybe no one would find out. It wasn’t wrong to follow her heart, not when her feelings for Rainier were stronger than anything she had ever felt before. This was right. They were right. And his kiss... Oh, his kiss...
His hands moved down her sides as he held her against the wall. She rolled her hips, letting her body show him exactly how much she wanted this.
He reciprocated, matching her movements with his own. The world around them disappeared and all she could think about was the pulsing need between her thighs and the fulfillment that his body promised.
She was pulled from her reverie when a man cleared his throat.
She opened her eyes to find Merle Fitzgerald standing at the open back door. She pushed against Rainier, who was still kissing her neck. He didn’t seem to notice.
“Hey, Rainier,” she said, wiggling out of his arms and lowering her feet to the floor.
Merle turned away slightly, giving her a chance to recompose herself. She stepped out of Rainier’s arms and readjusted her skirt, then patted her mussed hair.
Rainier turned and, seeing his father standing in the doorway, grabbed a book from the shelf and carefully placed it over himself. “Dad...” He looked at her and mouthed the words I’m sorry.
There was no possible way that he could be sorrier than her. The voice in her head had been right. His promise to keep this their little secret and “no one has to know” had already gone out the window.
Rainier ran his hand over his hair, flattening it where she had pushed her fingers through it. “Dad, what are you doing here?” he asked after clearing his throat.
Merle turned toward them. “I just wanted to take a look at the books and see how many reservations we had coming up,” he said, motioning toward the computer in the main office area.
Something about his posture and the way he said the words seemed off, almost as if he was lying to them. Yet right now Laura felt hardly capable of judging the situation. After what Merle had just seen, it would be strange if he wasn’t just a little bit off.
“Oh, okay,” Rainier said. “Can’t you look at that on the computer in the house?”
Merle frowned. “Yeah, but well... You know, I thought maybe this had a different schedule than ours. I just wanted to check.”
Once again there was something about what he was saying and how he was saying it that made her wonder what Merle was hiding.
“No worries, though. I’ll just look into it later,” he continued. “By the way, did you hear anything about what your brother found? Looks like Lyle and Steve are wrapping things up back there. I asked them about it, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. What do you guys know?” he asked, almost rambling as he spoke.
Something was definitely amiss with Merle, but Laura tried to tell herself that it was just because of the circumstances in which he had found them.
Rainier gave her a questioning look, almost as though he was hearing the same things.
“You’ll have to ask Wyatt. He didn’t tell us much,” Rainier lied.
His father wrung his hands as he walked to the front of the office and peered outside. Wyatt, Colter and Whitney were still standing in the parking lot, talking.
Laura couldn’t understand why Rainier had kept the truth from his father, but now wasn’t the time to question him.
Merle turned back to them and let the shade fall back in place in the window. “If you hear anything, tell me. I have to know. It can make the difference between the life and death of the ranch.”
Chapter Ten
Whitney’s eyes were red from the tears she had been shedding for the last hour, after they’d learned of the events that had taken place at the ranch while they were out of town. The entire family was huddled around the dining room table. Even Wyatt was there, holding Gwen’s hand. It felt a bit odd to have Laura sitting at his side during a family meeting, but Rainier couldn’t deny that something also felt very right about having her there. Everyone had been so welcoming to her, perhaps even more than they had been to him. It was almost as if she was already a member of the family.
He was getting ahead of himself. Just because they’d had one quick make-out session that had been rudely interrupted by his father didn’t mean that it was ever going to happen again, nor that it should. He wished it was easier to c
ontrol himself around her, but every time they were near one another it was as if the world ceased to exist and all the rules and regulations that dictated their behavior were nothing more than suggestions.
He was tempted to reach over and take her hand, to make her feel even more welcome and supported by him, but he resisted the urge. No one in the family needed to know what was going on. Based on his father’s reaction, it wouldn’t be prudent to tell anyone what was happening between them—it would only put Laura and her job at risk.
“I won’t hear of it,” Eloise said. “This will all settle down. You know how things go here—there’s always something that comes up, some hurdle that we have to overcome. We always find a way. It’s what makes us Fitzgeralds. The second we give up and roll over is the second we really lose.”
“Mom,” Wyatt said, his voice soft and filled with concern, “we need to face the facts. If we can’t find a way to get out of paying these taxes, this ranch is going to go up for sale. All the people here and you and Dad—you’ll all be without jobs. For once, you need to do what’s best for you. And I don’t think that hosting a wedding right now is even close to being in your best interest.”
Whitney and Colter were gripping each other’s hands so tightly that Rainier could see the white tendons in the back of Whitney’s.
Wyatt looked over to them. “You know I love you guys, and I want the very best for you,” he said, squeezing Gwen’s hand. “And your love isn’t going anywhere. It’s not going to lessen if you wait... I mean, look at me and Gwen. We wanted to get married as quickly as possible, too, but after we discussed it, we knew it wasn’t the right time for the family.”
Rainier glanced at Laura, trying to gauge her response to Wyatt’s proclamation, but her face gave nothing away. He couldn’t tell whether she agreed or disagreed. In fact, she’d been silent ever since they’d followed his father out of the office. Maybe she was feeling as conflicted over what had happened as Rainier was.
He wished he could take her out of here and they could just finish what they’d started. Though, admittedly, he would have been almost as happy to finally have a chance to just sit and talk with her. So much of their time together had been spent focused on the world around them, the taxes and the investigation. He wanted to know so much more about her—like if she was a sweets or salty eater, if she liked football, or any sports, for that matter. And he wanted to know more about her family. Maybe her family was more like his than he even realized. Maybe that was why she didn’t seem to react to his brother being so protective.
“Wyatt, you’re a smart man, and a lot of the time I think you’re right. I’ve never thought of you as having anything other than a great head on your shoulders,” his mother said. “But right now, you’re being an idiot. This is about so much more than a wedding. This party could show the world the kind of family we are.”
Wyatt leaned back in his chair but kept his mouth shut.
“Think about it,” his mother continued. “If we only have a few more weeks at this place, I want them to be the best weeks ever. I don’t want our memory of this place, of Dunrovin Ranch, to be destroyed by an evil man...a man with a vendetta. William may win. He may get his way. Bullies sometimes do. Yet he can only win if we quit fighting and give up the things that make us great. Let’s have this wedding. Let it be a symbol of our greatness. Even if we lose our home, we can still win, because we will have lived our lives to the fullest and have stuck together.”
A tear rolled down Whitney’s cheek unchecked. She stood up and, walking around the table, wrapped her arms around Eloise’s neck.
Rainier couldn’t hear what Whitney was whispering in his mother’s ear, but it had to be what they were all thinking...that his mom was an incredible woman. If he became half the person she was, he would consider himself lucky. She always had the right answer. She always had the right perspective. He couldn’t imagine a better matriarch.
“Mom, I agree with you,” Wyatt said. “But you are forgetting that we are dealing with human remains out there.”
Eloise nodded, putting her hands up, shushing his brother. “I know, but whoever those bones belonged to is long gone. They’re not going to know whether or not we have a wedding.” She gave a slight smile. “I mean, we should have some sort of memorial for him, but it may be months before we even learn who he was. In fact, we may never know. Those remains are the epitome of a cold case. Wyatt, do you really think Lyle and Steve are going to solve this?”
His brother’s features tightened, but Rainier couldn’t tell if it was because of anger or the fact that their mother was right in assuming the lead investigators on the case were probably not up to the challenge.
Laura looked over at him. She scrunched her face and it made her look cuter than ever. “Think we should go?” she whispered.
She must have thought this was going to lead to a fight. He wondered if this was just a unique set of circumstances, as it was his family that was on the brink of disaster.
He nodded and reached to take her hand, but she drew away from him.
She stood up and he followed suit. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Laura stated, “but I don’t think I should be involved with this—it seems like a family matter.”
His mother glanced at the two of them, looking as though she wished Rainier would voice his opinion on the matter. Truth be told, he agreed with Laura. Everything about the situation was complicated, but ultimately it was not his decision to make, but Whitney and Colter’s.
“I’m sorry, Laura,” Eloise said. “I didn’t mean to be rude. And I didn’t mean to drag you into this. Thank you again for everything you’ve done for us. Knowing that your father is looking into things is a huge burden off my shoulders.”
Laura twitched. “It’s an honor to help.” She leaned down and gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek.
Eloise reached up and gave her a hug, and as he watched, Rainier could have almost sworn that through déjà vu or something, he’d seen it before—or maybe it had been in a dream. For that was what Laura was to him—something sent to him in a dream, and just like a dream, she wasn’t permanent, but would dissolve into nothingness if he tried to hold on. Loving her was futile. They could never be. No matter how badly he wanted to see his dream become a reality.
Rainier grabbed her coat, which she’d hung near the door, and helped her slip it on. He followed her outside to the parking lot, where her car waited. Their footsteps crunched in the inches of freshly fallen snow. It had been snowing almost constantly for the last few hours. Lyle and Steve were smoking cigarettes beside the barn, their backs turned to them. Laura didn’t say a single word, and it wasn’t until she unlocked her car and opened the driver’s-side door that she finally turned around and looked at Rainier.
She nibbled at her bottom lip nervously, as if she wanted to say something to him but didn’t know how.
“I know,” he said. “I know what you’re going to say and you don’t need to worry about it. I know what happened back in the ranch’s office was a onetime thing and it’s not going to happen again, so you don’t need to feel bad about it. I’m just going to consider myself lucky that I even got the chance to kiss you.”
She glanced over at Lyle and Steve as if checking to make sure they couldn’t hear them speaking. “Why don’t you get in my car? We can talk in there.”
He walked around the side of her black sedan, but before he got in he ran his fingers down the felt reindeer antler that protruded from the top of the door. The thing really was ugly, and he couldn’t understand why she would’ve done something so silly to her car. Yet its tacky cheerfulness made him smile. He liked that she was willing to break from the stereotype and be the one parole officer who wasn’t afraid to let a little joy into her life.
He got in and closed the door. This wasn’t going to go well, but then he couldn’t say anything in his life was g
oing very well at the moment.
She was staring out the windshield as fat snowflakes fell from the sky and stuck against the glass.
“Do you think it’s ever going to stop snowing?” she asked after a long moment.
He wondered if this was her attempt to relieve some of the tension between them, or if she was simply trying to ignore what he had said outside.
“You’re from Montana, right?” he replied.
She nodded as she started the car, and cool air poured out at them from the vents.
“Then you know how it is. We can get all four seasons in a single day. Though,” he said, glancing over at the thermometer on her dashboard, “at thirty degrees, it may be fair to call today a winter one.”
She laughed and the sound made some of the tightness in his chest relax. “I always tell myself that as soon as I retire, I’m moving to Arizona.”
“So you want to be a snowbird, eh?”
She smiled. “You can’t tell me that thirty and snowing is better than seventy and sunny.”
“If you don’t like it here, why do you stay?”
Laura looked at him, then reached up and grabbed the steering wheel a bit harder than she had to. “Do you want to get out of here?” she asked, pointing at Lyle and Steve, who were now looking at the car.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. You hungry?”
They had eaten their fill; his mother had made sure of that when they had all come in, before they’d had their family meeting. Yet if going for another dinner meant that he got to spend more time with her, Rainier was willing to gorge himself.
“Sure, sounds good.”
He could tell from the look on her face that Laura had the same thought about his mother’s food. But she didn’t say anything and, putting her car into gear, made her way out of the parking lot and down the dirt road.
It was awkward as the silence filled the space between them, interrupted only by the occasional jolt as the car hit a rut or frozen cow pie. It wasn’t until they reached the main road that she finally turned to him.
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