A Rancher's Honor

by Ann Roth

  “Will do.”

  Sly didn’t say another word, and for a while the only sounds were their cutlery against the plates.

  She tried again. “What would you be doing if I weren’t here right now?”

  “Probably eating in front of the tube.”

  “Sometimes I do that, too, or I read the paper.” Better either of those than focusing on the loneliness of eating alone. “And occasionally I work while I eat.”

  “Not me. I pay bills and do any paperwork after the meal. Less indigestion that way.”

  He seemed more at ease now. Lana relaxed, too. “My parents would agree with you,” she said. “When my sister and I were kids, they insisted on no television or phone calls during dinner. We tried to eat together every night, but once Liz and I started high school, we both had so many after-school activities that family dinners were hard to manage.”

  “What kinds of activities?”

  “Liz played soccer and joined the swim team, and I worked on the yearbook and the sets for our school plays.”

  Sly actually smiled. “With your artistic skills, I can picture you painting scenery.”

  “That’s exactly what I did. What about you, Sly?” Lana asked. “What sorts of activities were you involved in?”

  “Like your sister, I was into sports. Football, baseball. That’s how I was able to attend college—on a baseball scholarship.”

  “No kidding.” She’d never have guessed. There was so much she didn’t know about Sly. “Did you ever consider going pro?”

  “Sure. I figured I’d do that after high school. Then my coach took me aside and convinced me to get a college education instead. And he was right. As it turned out, I was an okay ballplayer, but not good enough for the pros.”

  “I used to think I wanted to go to New York and be a set designer for one of the theaters—maybe even Broadway,” Lana said. “Then in college I took a couple of child psychology courses and decided I wanted a career that involved kids.”

  “You made the right choice,” Sly said.

  “Seems that we both did.”

  “For me it was pure luck. The scholarship covered tuition, but I still needed money for books, room and board. I told you about finding work at a ranch, and here I am.”

  Lana nodded. “When I was little, I begged my parents to buy a ranch so we could live there. But they saw how hard my great-uncle Horace struggled to make ends meet. They didn’t want that. Cousin Tim inherited the Lazy C from Horace.”

  “Dealing with Mother Nature and crop prices is always a struggle,” Sly said. “But the work is rewarding. I enjoy it.”

  His face was lit up now. Lana smiled to herself. “How did you come to own all this?”

  “The rancher who hired me, a guy named Bill Hodges, respected my work ethic. When he asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said I wanted to own a successful ranch like his. He took me under his wing and mentored me just as a father would a son.”

  Sly sat back and stared into space a moment, as if remembering. “With his help, I was able to purchase a small spread north of town. A couple of years later, the state bought my land for that new freeway. I netted enough to buy this place.”

  Lana was impressed. “Are you still in contact with Mr. Hodges?”

  Glancing down, Sly shook his head. “A year after I bought this place, he passed away.”

  He’d lost so many people he cared about. Lana’s heart ached for him. “That’s a shame. He’d be so proud of you now.”

  “I like to think so. My turn to ask the questions. Did you have any serious boyfriends in high school and college?”

  “A couple of boyfriends, but nothing that lasted. Brent was my first real relationship. We met just before we graduated from college and dated almost three years before we got married.”

  Then four years of marriage and another eighteen months mourning the breakup... With a shock, Lana realized she’d spent eight and a half years of her life focused on Brent. And she had nothing to show for those years, except that she was sadder, wiser and older. She counted herself lucky to be free of him.

  Otherwise she wouldn’t be pregnant now.

  She touched her belly and smiled. “I’ll bet you had lots of girlfriends.”

  “A few.”

  “Anyone serious?”

  “There was one girl I was serious about in college.”

  His somber expression made her curious. “What happened?”

  “We talked about marriage, but her parents disapproved of me. I was a kid from a broken home and not good enough for their precious daughter. I didn’t even own a suit, and that was real important to them. Apparently she decided they were right—she broke up with me.” He gave a dismissive shrug.

  “Ouch. But a broken home? Your parents died.”

  “True, but it was more that I didn’t have two dimes to rub together, and they didn’t think I ever would.”

  Indignant on Sly’s behalf, Lana scoffed. “There are lots of college kids who start off poor and end up doing really well. You did. Those people were total snobs.”

  “Hey, it was a long time ago. I got over it.” Sly glanced down at his work shirt and faded jeans. His mouth quirked. “If they could only see me now.”

  * * *

  THE MEAL WAS winding down. Soon Sly could plead fatigue or evening chores and send Lana home. It was what he should have wanted. And yet he lingered at the table.

  Lana slanted her head his way. “A nickel for your thoughts.”

  Tonight he’d revealed more about himself than most people ever knew. Not just because she’d asked, but because she cared. A lot—too much. Usually when that happened, Sly felt hemmed in by a relationship and wanted out. He wasn’t about to analyze why this time felt different.

  “I was considering asking you to help me clean up this mess,” he teased.

  Lana arched her eyebrows. “That depends, Mr. Pettit, on whether you’re planning to bribe me with the brownies over there on the counter.”

  “Mrs. R made them, and they’re killer. Help me with the dishes and you can have as many as you want.”

  “For brownies, I’ll do just about anything.”

  “Anything?” he drawled, letting his gaze rove slowly over her.

  In the silence, desire hung between them in the suddenly thick air.

  Lana shifted restlessly in her seat, the sudden blush on her face and hunger in her eyes burning him like a heated caress.

  His body throbbed to life. He had a fair idea what Lana wanted tonight, but he wasn’t going there—not here. If they’d been at her place, sure. But at his ranch, in his bed? No way.

  He cleared his throat and stood. “Let’s get this done.”

  Fifteen minutes later the leftovers had been stowed in the fridge, the kitchen was clean and Sly had managed to corral his randy libido.

  With a smile tugging her lips, Lana held out her hand. “I’ll take that bribe now.”

  Sly pulled the plastic wrap from the brownie plate. “It’s a nice evening,” he said. “Let’s have our dessert outside.”

  Where the air between them was bound to be cooler.

  On the porch, Lana plunked down on the swing. His swing.

  Sly grabbed a brownie for himself, passed the plate to her and then bypassed several porch chairs to sit on the top step, a good five feet from her. Able to breathe better now, he sucked in the fresh air.

  Lana frowned. “Why are you sitting all the way over there on the hard steps when you could be sitting in a chair or sharing this nice, padded swing with me? And hey, in case you didn’t realize, you can’t trust me with these brownies.”

  Trust. A rarity in his life. She’d always been straight with him and he sensed that she always would be.

  Which explained
why, against his better judgment, he was beginning to trust her.

  He hadn’t wanted to do that—trusting someone only led to pain.

  “I don’t bite, you know,” she added when he remained silent.

  Oh, he knew. He was about to ask her to leave when she spoke.

  “I think I’ll have another brownie. They’re so delicious, I just might finish them all. Then I’ll get sick, and it’ll be your fault for not helping me eat them.”

  “Those things are really rich,” he said. “You’ll never be able to eat the whole plate.”

  “I’m pregnant, remember?”

  “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “That’s what people tell me.” She patted the seat beside her and smiled serenely.

  Sly gave up. “All right.” He ambled over and sat down, keeping the brownie plate between them.

  They ate and chatted about this and that, both of them pushing the rocker back and forth in the growing darkness. It would have been really comfortable if a certain part of Sly’s body wasn’t primed and ready for action.

  Down, boy, he ordered it. Not here and not tonight.

  “Now that we’ve heard the baby’s heartbeat, I’m ready to say something to Liz and Eric about pregnancy,” Lana said. “If it’s okay with you, I’m thinking I’ll do it after work tomorrow.”

  That she was checking with him first sat well in his chest. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll tell Dani then, too.”

  There was one brownie left. Sly was eyeing it when Lana divided it and handed him half.

  “What about your parents?” he asked as he polished it off. “When are you planning to give them the news?”

  Lana had been about to eat her brownie. Now she bit her lip and set it down again. “Liz and Eric will be excited and happy for me. If I know my sister, it won’t be easy for her to keep something this big to herself. Especially from our mom and dad. I should tell them right after I tell her.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I dread that.”

  “If family is as important to them as you say, they’ll support you no matter what.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” She offered a weak smile.

  “Because I’m the father and I’m suing dear old Cousin Tim.”

  She nodded.

  Sly swore. No matter how carefully he examined the situation, there was no easy way out. No out, period.

  Neither of them spoke after that. The swing creaked as he pushed it with his foot. In the distance, an owl hooted.

  “Know what I like about you?” he said after a while.

  “My ability to consume vast quantities of sweets?”

  “That, and the fact that no matter what, you’re always straight with me.”

  “I’m not wired to hold in my thoughts.”

  “Except when it comes to sharing them with your parents.”

  “I want to get along with them.”

  Her beautiful eyes pleaded with him to understand, and he lost himself in them. “I’ll come with you when you tell them,” he offered.

  She glanced away and her hands started their fidget routine, a sure sign that something was bothering her. “I don’t know, Sly. That probably isn’t such a great idea.”

  “They can hate me all they want. You’re carrying my baby, and you don’t want to face them alone. I want to be there with you.”

  “You’d do that for me? You’re a good man, Sly Pettit. I’m awful glad my baby will have you for a daddy.”

  Her warmth and sincerity went straight to his heart. She stroked his cheek, then leaned across the plate, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Nothing passionate, a light brush of her lips against his. But her sweetness was there, tempting him like a siren’s song.

  Fighting a losing battle to control his desire, and forgetting that on his ranch he wanted to keep his distance, he caught hold of her hand and kissed the sensitive inside of her wrist.

  He heard her swallow and felt her pulse bump against his mouth, pounding almost has hard as his heart.

  The brownie plate clattered onto the porch planking, a loud warning that what he was about to do was a bad idea.

  “Oops,” Lana murmured, her voice husky with desire. “There goes the dessert plate.” Her lips parted, her eyelids lowered and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Need roared through him, crushing the last of his tenuous grip on his control. He pulled her onto his lap and gave in.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sly’s mouth was hard, demanding. Weak with desire, Lana sank against him. Her mind blanked and her whole world shrank to just her and him, slowly rocking in the cooling night air. Hours later, or maybe it was only a few minutes, Sly pulled away.

  His breathing was labored, as if he’d just sprinted a quarter mile. “If we don’t stop now, Lana, I won’t be able to.”

  “I don’t want to stop,” she whispered. She tried to kiss him again, but to her frustration, he lifted her off his lap and deposited her on her side of the swing.

  “You’ve been saying you’re not ready.”

  “I am now.”

  “It won’t hurt the baby?”

  Lana shook her head.

  “You’re sure you want to do this?”

  Lana had never been more certain. Without hesitation, she nodded.

  Sly’s exhale sounded like pure relief. “First we have to get a few things straight.”

  “Let me guess what you’re going to say—you’re not into relationships,” she ventured.

  “Right. I like you, and I want to be part of your life while we raise our kid.” He glanced at his erection. “It’s obvious that I want to be with you sexually. But my feelings about a committed relationship haven’t changed.”

  What he’d described sounded like a committed relationship to Lana, but just now she was too impatient to quibble over definitions. “Got it,” she said. “Now, please, take me to bed.”

  Sly hesitated, searching her face a moment, before he grasped her hand, tugged her to her feet and pulled her inside.

  * * *

  FOREPLAY WAS SLY’S second favorite part of lovemaking. He enjoyed taking his time, but with Lana molded to him and kissing him hotly on the way upstairs, that proved challenging. Her passion and enthusiasm scorched him and nearly sent him over the edge. Halfway up, he lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way.

  “Mmm, you’re carrying me. Why?” she asked in a sexy voice that thrilled him.

  “I want to make sure we reach the bedroom while I still can.”

  Moments later he set her down. Standing a few feet in front of him with her gaze locked on his, she slowly removed her top. Her skin was flushed with desire. She wore a lacy black bra she almost spilled out of, and her taut nipples were clearly visible.

  “Now you,” she said.

  She didn’t have to ask twice. Sly unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt, then pulled the thing over his head.

  They shed their pants at the same time. Then he was down to his shorts, and she... In a black bra and a matching pair of bikini panties, she looked sexy as hell. So beautiful.

  His.

  Sly swallowed. “As much as I like your underwear, it has to go.”

  With a seductive look, Lana reached behind her and unhooked the clasp. The bra dropped to the floor.

  “Now I can see the changes in your body. Your breasts are bigger.” He cupped her reverently in his hands. “Heavier.”

  Lana’s eyelids drifted down.

  “Your nipples are darker.” Aware of her sensitivity, he lightly traced each rigid tip with his finger, pleased when she shivered.

  Continuing his study of her, he placed his palm over her belly, just as he’d watched her do to herself countless times. “Your stomach is slightly roun
ded.”

  “Y-yes,” she replied, as if talking were difficult. “Does that bother you?”

  Sly shook his head. “You’re perfect.” He let his fingers trail lower. “Warm, too, and smooth.”

  He reached the elastic band in her panties. As he disposed of them, Lana sucked in a breath.

  “You’re incredibly responsive,” he said, slipping his finger inside her. “It’s hot.”

  “It’s you, Sly. What you’re doing now... I don’t think my legs will support me any longer.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He lifted her off the ground and gently deposited her on the bed. “Now, where were we?” He parted her folds. “This part hasn’t changed at all. But maybe I should check more closely.”

  Lana tensed. He tasted her most sensitive place, enjoying her gasps of pleasure.

  In no time, she shifted restlessly and moaned. Moments later, she let go and shattered.

  After recovering she gave him a wicked smile. “Your turn, cowboy. On your back.”

  With her blond hair every which way and her proud breasts heaving, she straddled his thighs. His very own, very hot goddess. She wrapped her hand around his arousal. Sly saw stars. He stopped her before he lost control.

  Lana frowned at him. “Hey, I was just getting started.”

  “I don’t want to finish without you. Understand?”

  Still on his back, he positioned her where he needed her. One thrust and he was deep inside her, exactly where he wanted to be.

  Shuddering with desire, Lana contracted her muscles and squeezed him. Heat and pleasure roared through Sly, and he forgot about taking it slow. Gripping her hips, he thrust upward. Harder and faster and deeper, until he was mindless with need. Lana cried out and together they spiraled out of control.

  When he finally came down to earth again, she lay sprawled across his chest, her head tucked under his chin. Spent and utterly sated, he held her close. “Wow,” he said. “That was even better than I remembered.”

  She raised her head and smiled at him with lips that were swollen from the deep kisses they’d shared. “It was pretty amazing.”

  Keeping his arm around her, he rolled her to his side. After a while Lana’s breathing evened out. Sly figured she’d fallen asleep.