Color dotted her cheeks and she tried to pull free, but the masculine hands on her back intensified their pressure to keep her close. She rushed into an explanation that seemed ridiculous now as she stood in his embrace. "I had a few things I wanted to say to you."
His voice was filled with humor. "Do you have to act typically female now? You don't really want to talk."
"Yes, I do," Dayna countered with a frown. "What do you mean, typically female?"
"Hard to get," Brand answered easily, bending his head and nibbling lightly on her earlobe.
Dayna closed her eyes in response. It was costing her a great effort to think clearly. "Men," she started and then paused, forgetting what she was going to say as his lips followed the dainty contour of her ear. She gave her head a slight shake and pulled away from his mouth. "Men always think that when they don't get their own way," she managed to say with a steadiness she wasn't feeling.
"What would you call it?" he queried, his tongue caressing her neck with a feather-light stroke.
"Women aren't as casual about sex. And that's what I want to talk to you about," she said quickly, pressing her hands against his chest. It didn't really separate his body from hers, but it did stop his affectionate assault on her neck.
"I'd prefer to think of it as making love," he said lightly, completely ignoring her reproachful tone.
"Love is not what some men are thinking about," Dayna answered, lowering her gaze and focusing on his smiling mouth. She worked hard to repress her natural feminine instincts, which were aroused just by the sight of his lazy, almost insolent, smile.
"That's true of some women, too," Brand said in answer to her last comment. The hand that had been resting lightly on her back moved to the curve of her slender neck. His eyes shifted to the strands of silky, copper-colored tresses sliding through his fingers as he played with her soft-textured hair. He twined the mass of it around his hand, and Dayna felt the firm pressure of his palm on the back of her head, where it held her face still beneath his gaze. "What about you, Dayna?" he asked with husky softness.
"I think," she managed, "you'd just better let me go. You assume too much. And," she added, drawing a deep, calming breath; "I think you've been allowing other people to assume too much about us."
"No, I haven't. But maybe you have. You're the one who's been looking all day for me. Remember?"
Dayna bristled beneath the mockery in his eyes. "I just told you why I was looking for you."
"Sounds good," he answered with a taunting smile.
"You're not really listening, are you?"
"Sure I am. But I'm also a patient man, Dayna. And when something is inevitable, I'll wait for it."
Dayna was given no space or time to hold on to her senses. Her breathing quickened as his mouth pressed down and parted her lips, demanding possession. Her limbs went weak and she felt herself floating, whirling, and then came the sensation of falling. She wasn't aware of how she got there but she found herself lying on a soft bed of hay, her body intimately entwined with his, his strong thigh wrapped over hers and holding her tightly against him. All her senses were caught up in the passionate, demanding kiss, the ravaging, erotic play of his tongue demanding and receiving an immediate response. Her hands slid down his back and then worked inside his shirt and over his bare rib cage to revel in the excited heat of his masculine flesh.
His uneven breath fanned her skin as his lips and tongue made a trail down the curve of her neck. "I lied to you," he mumbled. "I did tell Bonnie to call you." The need she was fighting burst out anew, as his hand slid beneath the waistband of her blouse and caused a blaze to sweep through her body. With a gentle, teasing hand he sought first one breast and then the other, turning her flesh hot and damp. His mouth savored the taste of her, suffusing her with waves of sensation. And then his lips slid from hers, and she trembled with pleasure as he lowered his head. Dayna knew all was lost. She felt the intense desire she aroused in his strong body, the hard rise of passion heating her when he shifted and placed one leg between her own. Dayna tightened her arms around his back but his head lifted suddenly, startled, as a sound pierced the haze of sensations and emotions and froze the passion boiling her blood. The barn door closed with a bang that made her jump. A male voice called out, "Hey, Boss, I got… Ooops!"
Dayna tensed, frantically trying to push Brand away, but he stubbornly remained close. To her relief, the ranch hand at the door was so embarrassed by his intrusion that, after giving them no more than a cursory glance, he looked away. "S-sorry," he stammered.
Brand moaned so softly only Dayna heard. The hay rustled beneath her as he reluctantly slipped his arm out from under her. Shielding her with his back, he called the man by name, his irritated tone indicating the frustration he was feeling. "What do you want, Joe?"
Carefully keeping herself hidden behind Brand's broad shoulders, Dayna sat up, trying to make some order of her clothes while Brand received a strained apology. "I'm really sorry, Boss. I thought you were alone."
The hardness that had been in Brand's voice was gone, replaced by a controlled, commanding tone as he took one more deep breath. "It's all right. What did you want?"
"I got those two horses loaded in the trailer. I'm going to drive them over to Chino Valley now."
Brand rubbed the back of his hand across his brow, the sheen of his bronzed flesh indicating the aroused state he had reached. He nodded. "Fine, but come see me right away when you get back."
The wrangler tipped his hat toward the green eyes peeking out over one of Brand's shoulders. Dayna shifted, settling next to Brand, and as she came into fuller view, she received the ranch hand's admiring smile. With private amusement, Dayna watched the quick results of the withering glare Brand leveled at him. Nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away from Brand's dark scowl, the man turned and made a swift retreat.
Dayna frowned as the door closed behind him. "Will he mention what he saw?"
Distractedly, Brand answered, "What did he see?"
"I don't know," Dayna replied, looking down to make sure her blouse was buttoned. "That's what's worrying me."
She pulled hay from her hair and Brand smiled, lending a helpful hand and straightening her blouse. "He didn't see anything," he assured. "But he wouldn't say anything even if he had. Does it bother you that much to have your name linked with mine?"
"That is why I was looking for you," she reminded him. "I wanted to stop it." She looked away with frustration. "And now you've just made it worse."
"I've just made it worse?" he queried in a tone mixed with irritation and amusement.
Dayna threw him a look. "From what I've learned so far, it seems the ranch hands have been doing enough talking already. And I think you're responsible," she blurted out. "That is why I was looking for you in the first place. To tell you I want it to stop." Stronger words of reproach were on her tongue, but she remembered something else and grimaced. "Oh! I completely forgot. W.R. wants to see you. Tom's here and…"
"I know," Brand interjected.
"You do?" Dayna replied as he rose to his feet and began buttoning his shirt.
"Bonnie told me before you came. Once you came in I forgot. It's not too hard to guess why, is it?"
She could feel his gaze on her as she looked down at her clothing to see if she presented a respectable appearance. She knew he was waiting for some response. Standing up, she brushed the hay off the back of her jeans. "You're very single-minded."
"And you weren't?" he asked with a grin. "You were as intent on making love as I was."
"No, I was not," she denied, grabbing a few quick breaths. "You're just too experienced." An unreadable expression she had never seen before flickered in his blue eyes before he looked down and tucked his shirt back into his jeans.
"W.R. seemed angry. So I'd hurry if I were you."
He took a step toward her. Their eyes met and all the inner emotion that had been present since the first time she had looked into that blue gaze
was there again. "Have you any idea what you do to me?" he demanded.
She knew what he did to her. She acted illogically when he was around. She doubted they were thinking about the same thing. "I know," she teased. "Love at first sight."
He sighed heavily. "You're such a cynic." Dayna opened her mouth to say more but his hands covered the sides of her face and his mouth descended on hers. Slowly insistent, his lips played with demanding gentleness, coaxing and persuasive. He stared down at her with a fierce hunger that numbed her senses, and then abruptly he released her.
A rosy hue suffused her face as his gaze reminded her of the closeness they had just shared. If he had drawn her back into his arms, she would have melted against him. But he didn't. He headed for the door and Dayna puzzled over how easily he switched off emotions as she joined him.
As they walked up the hill Dayna saw the looks exchanged among the ranch hands they passed. Brand might have been unconcerned about the attention they were receiving, but Dayna was thoroughly disconcerted by it. Unwittingly she was causing the very gossip she had sought to prevent. There seemed only one solution and that was to stay away from Brand. If she didn't, she'd end up being involved in a whirlwind romance that could do her more harm than good. There was something else she needed to remember—Alexandria Minter.
Brand frowned at the worried lines he saw. What was she thinking now? he wondered. She was the most stubborn, strong-willed woman he had ever met. He smiled to himself at the thought, for it was those very traits which annoyed him that also attracted him to her.
Attempting to lighten the mood between them, he regaled her with what he called "frontier wisdom" about one of the guests' unsuccessful attempt at riding a horse. Dayna smiled in response to the humorous account. There was something special about him and she knew now more than ever she had to stay clear of him.
Her frown deepened and he said, "A penny for your thoughts."
Caught by surprise, Dayna sought a safe topic to satisfy his curiosity. "Why do the ranch hands call you 'boss'?"
"Why not? That's what I am. I am foreman, or did you forget?"
Dayna laughed lightly but she was still perplexed. As Brand opened the lodge door for her, she commented, "I would think they would use that term for W.R."
Following her inside, he shook his head. "They never have. He's always been W.R. to everybody."
"What do they call Tom?" she asked, watching him carefully to see if he disliked his employer's son.
A smile hovered at the corners of Brand's mouth, but he said, in a serious, deadpan manner, "Tom."
Dayna threw him a look of exasperation, and laughingly rebuked him. "You're impossible."
He smiled with amusement, glancing toward W.R.'s office. Talking on the phone, a stern-faced W.R. stared back. Tom, more relaxed than his father, sat with one foot propped on a nearby chair. Brand nodded to both of them. "I'd better go." His eyes caressed her face, warming her inside all over again. She needed protection. Not just from him but herself.
"Before you go, Brand, I want you to know that what happened in the barn won't happen again. In fact, it's all your fault it ever happened."
"I'll take the credit." He laughed softly but his smile faded at Dayna's sharp retort.
"I mean it, Brand," she said a little too loudly. Sara looked up from behind the counter, and Dayna repeated in a whisper, "I mean it. You make sure my name isn't linked with yours. I don't want people believing we're having some—some…"
"Love affair," he finished softly. "Seems to me you should have thought of that sooner," he mocked, the twinkling glints in his blue gaze reminding her of what had transpired between them in the barn. "Now, why don't you face the truth? You weren't fighting me. I told you, Dayna, we're destined to meet." A slow, lazy smile formed again, conveying that what he meant was much more intimate than the simple, spoken implied words.
Dayna released a shaky breath as Brand entered W.R.'s office. Inside, he greeted Tom Reardon warmly as an old friend. The exchange answered Dayna's question about the friendliness of their relationship. She watched until Brand slouched down in the chair across from the desk and next to Tom's, and then she started for her room.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she realized she wasn't sure what she was feeling, but of one thing she was certain. Brand Renfrow could only mean trouble for her. He wasn't much different from any other man, just more persistent. She had to remain indifferent to him.
Chapter Seven
A shiver swept through Dayna, but the predawn chill was well worth the sight before her as she sat on the horse and watched the absolutely spectacular sunrise. It was overwhelming. Streaks of light appeared above the mountains, turning the sky above the ragged cliff tops rose and gold. A gentle breeze swept her hair forward as she looked over her shoulder toward the chuckwagon that had accompanied them on the trail ride. A handful of wranglers, through their quick work and expert skill, managed to set before them a breakfast of flapjacks and sausages by the time the sun was warming the land. Sipping the hot coffee in her cup, Dayna realized that in just days her attitude toward the vast rugged land and the people who lived there had completely changed. That rough breed of men no longer seemed alien to her. She appreciated their honesty, which was rare in more metropolitan surroundings, and their casual, easygoing manners and friendliness complemented their genuine hospitality.
Conversation was lively and informative while they ate, the ranch hands sharing some of the land's history with the guests, relating the story of a five-year war during the 1880s between a sheep-herder and a cattleman that resulted in the death of nineteen men and a period of vigilantism that sparked one lynching not far from where they were sitting.
When they returned to the lodge, Dayna anticipated doing nothing the rest of the afternoon but lazing around the pool.
The sight of the sheriff's car outside the lodge piqued her curiosity and she decided to go out to the front entrance and investigate.
She could have kicked herself the minute she opened the door and came face to face with Brand. He was leaning casually against one of the porch uprights, his arms folded across his chest, and he saw her immediately.
Deep in discussion with the sheriff, W.R. was a little slower in noticing her. "We don't know who's doing it, but it's becoming pretty obvious now with so many head lost that it's not an accident," W.R. said with a note of impatience.
"You aren't the only ranch to be hit," the sheriff assured. "Sounds like a rustling operation."
Dayna was nearly at the edge of the building when the sheriff made his reply. She frowned, wondering if she had heard him correctly, but continued on to the pool area.
She chose a shady spot under one of the lawn umbrellas placed around the pool, but within minutes she began to feel the wilting effect of a sizzling midmorning sun. The temperature was much hotter than she'd anticipated for this time of the year. According to the newspaper, a cooling trend was supposed to arrive in a few days, but that didn't give much comfort now.
With a large glass of ice water in mind, she rose from the chair and walked back toward the lodge. A searing heat of a different sort bore into her back. She sensed Brand's presence even before she whirled around. Lazily, he leaned against a palm tree with his arms folded across his chest, offering a smile that Dayna resolved to ignore. "Have you been standing there long?"
"Not as long as you've been baking in the sun." His features softened as his gaze slowly traveled along the glistening flesh of her shapely legs in her white cotton shorts. The sun was cool in comparison with his smoldering look as his eyes came to rest on the beads of perspiration that had formed in the deep V-neckline of her halter top.
"I have to drive around the ranch," he offered. "I could include a little sightseeing tour if you'd keep me company."
"No, thank you," Dayna answered, turning away.
"You're really not very polite sometimes," he drawled in an easy manner.
"Yes, I am," she countered, truly offended. A
s a travel agent it was imperative she display a friendly, polite manner and she couldn't ever remember anyone accusing her of being anything but amiable.
"Maybe I used the wrong word." His blue eyes narrowed speculatively, making Dayna feel as if she was being dissected and examined with every step he took toward her. Inches from her, he stopped, a taunting grin hovering at the corners of his mouth. "Maybe 'friendly' would have been more accurate."
"I am friendly," Dayna insisted.
"Not to me," he protested, lightly.
"I don't think you know what the word 'friendly' means. You confuse it with a much more sensual emotion."
"Where you're concerned the two feelings go hand in hand. But if you come with me, I promise to follow your definition of 'friendly.'"
Dayna tilted her head skeptically at him, not really believing someone as tenacious as he would keep his word about making no advances.
Drawing his breath in deeply, Brand wiped a hand across his mouth and, raising his right hand, he swore with mock seriousness, "I promise today to behave myself. Boy scout's honor."
"That's supposed to be reassuring?" Dayna queried. "I doubt very much you were ever a boy scout."
"I was a volunteer helper with the forest rangers when I was sixteen," he said lightly. "Would that count?"
"Nothing really would convince me," Dayna answered.
One side of his mouth lifted in a lopsided grin. His voice was confident. "But you'll go with me."
"Yes," Dayna sighed heavily, wondering why it was so difficult to say no. "Yes, I'll go," she confirmed, convincing herself he might just say something about Alexandria Minter. The idea of poking around and asking questions of other people about the matter really didn't appeal to her. If he said something incriminating she could go appeal to W.R. with the information. That would be much simpler. She nearly laughed in self-derision as she looked up and met the warm and sparkling blue eyes staring down at her. Nothing where Brand Renfrow was concerned was simple.
"I'll be back down in five minutes."
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