He reached up and gently shoved a strand of her hair away from her face. “I was hoping that you’d meet my horse in the morning and agree to work with her. It’s too long of a drive for you to come back and forth from Tulsa every day, so I figured you’d move in here, where you’ll be available to work whenever you want to. And if you’re staying here, why not sleep in my bed each night?”
“Did you manipulate things so that this would all happen?” She gazed at him searchingly. “Did you decide to alibi me knowing that Mark would break off our engagement, that I’d come here to speak to you and that I’d wind up in your bed?”
He laughed, a deep low rumble that she found ridiculously pleasant. “You’re giving me far too much credit as a super mastermind.” He sobered and his eyes took on that glow that created a new heat to flow through her.
“I waited five days before coming forward with that alibi. I had assumed Mark would do something to help you. When he didn’t, I stepped forward. I knew there would be repercussions to my actions, but I certainly didn’t anticipate you’d wind up here in my bed. But if I’m perfectly honest with you, it’s what I wanted. It’s what I’ve wanted for a very long time.”
“You never gave a hint that you were interested in me before.”
“I told you that I would have never interfered in your relationship with Mark if I truly believed the two of you really belonged together. But it was obvious when Mark didn’t even bother to visit you in jail that you deserved better than my brother. Marrying him would have been the biggest mistake of your life.”
Greta felt as if her head were about to explode. The night had been a surprise on so many levels. She scooted toward the edge of the bed.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m going back to the guest room, where I probably should have stayed.”
“There’s no reason you can’t finish the night out here,” he countered.
“I don’t want to make this into anything but what it was, an impulsive sexual encounter with a man I barely know. I won’t wake up in your bed, because that makes what we just did into something different.” She frowned, knowing he probably didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. “I’ll just tell you good-night.”
She slid out of the bed and found the T-shirt on the floor. She pulled it on over her head and then left his room and went back to the guest room next door.
She went directly to the bathroom, turned on the light and stared at her reflection in the mirror. What on earth had she just done? What had she been thinking?
As if her life weren’t complicated enough already, she’d just had mind-blowing sex with Tyler Stanton. And he’d made it clear that he didn’t intend for it to be a one-night thing.
What did he really want from her? He certainly couldn’t be in love with her. He didn’t know her well enough. And she certainly didn’t know him well enough to be in love with him. Until tonight she hadn’t even been sure if she liked him at all. He’d certainly never given her any indication that he liked her.
She turned off the light and left the bathroom and got into bed, her mind still whirling with questions. To her surprise, she fell asleep almost immediately.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon awoke her the next morning. She was shocked to realize it was after eight, later than she normally slept. She’d expected Tyler to show her the horse and be on the road by this time. He had an important job to get to.
Maybe it was the cook fixing breakfast and Tyler had already left for work, she thought as she dressed in the clothes she had worn the night before.
He’d probably arranged for a ranch hand to show her the horse and then he’d call her later in the day to see if she was interested in working with the wild filly.
Once dressed and with her teeth brushed and hair combed, she followed her nose down the hallway and through the great room to find a large, airy kitchen and Tyler standing with his back to her in front of the stove.
Tight jeans cupped his taut butt and clung to his long legs. He also wore a blue flannel shirt and was barefoot. She’d never seen him so casually dressed and so relaxed. It was definitely a good look on him.
“Good morning,” she said.
He whirled around and smiled at her. “Back at you. Coffee is in the carafe—help yourself—and bacon and eggs will be ready in just a few minutes.”
“What can I do to help?” She walked to the counter with the coffee machine and an awaiting cup.
“Nothing. Just have a seat at the table and relax.”
She poured her coffee and carried it to the round glass-topped kitchen table. “Don’t you have household help?” she asked, realizing for the first time that she’d seen no staff since she’d arrived the night before.
“I have the house cleaned once every two weeks by a team that comes in and I have a laundry service that picks up dirty clothes each week, but other than that I don’t keep anyone full-time except two ranch hands. I spend so many hours at work that it seemed silly to me to have cooks or maids just hanging around all day with nothing to do.”
“Speaking of work, shouldn’t you be there now?” she asked.
He forked bacon out of the skillet and onto an awaiting platter covered with a paper towel. “I took the day off. How do you like your eggs?”
“However you make them,” she replied. “You have a reputation as a workaholic. Do you often take days off?”
“I can’t remember the last time I didn’t go into work. But the company can run fine without me. I have a great general manager, and if any problems arise, somebody will call me.” He cracked several eggs into a bowl, added a dollop of milk and began to whisk the concoction.
“Mark never had any problems taking time off,” she said. “And he’s vice president of the company.”
“It’s a title, not a life calling, for Mark. Mark likes to think of himself as a trust-fund baby. Unfortunately, there was very little trust fund other than the family business. Mark shot through his cash in the first two years after my parents’ deaths.”
He paused to pour the eggs into the skillet. “Mark has always preferred play over work.” There was no censure in his voice. It was just a statement of fact that Greta knew to be true.
Greta sipped her coffee and wondered now how she’d ever thought she could find happiness with Mark. She’d suspected from the very beginning of their relationship that he was cheating on her. She knew he didn’t possess much of a work ethic. They’d had very little in common and had never really talked about what their future together would look like.
But he had been so charming and attentive when they were together, and he’d always managed to sweep away her suspicions about him and other women. Tyler was right. Marrying Mark would have been a terrible mistake.
Greta shunned the limelight and Mark craved it. She loved her work as a horse trainer and he’d been bored by it. Despite their engagement and wedding plans, Mark’s interest in her had begun to wane the minute he’d found out she wasn’t a blood Colton but rather adopted. A recent fact that had been revealed that she was still trying to come to terms with herself.
“Here we go.” Tyler set a plate in front of her and then took a seat next to her at the table with his own plate in front of him.
“Thank you, but you really didn’t have to cook me breakfast. You could have just shown me the horse and I’d have been on my way.”
He grinned, his blue eyes sparkling in amusement. “But then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of your company while I ate breakfast.”
“Do you cook breakfast for all the women you sleep with?” she asked, and a faint warmth filled her cheeks.
“All the women I sleep with?” He raised an eyebrow. “If you knew how few women I’ve slept with over the last couple of years, you’d feel sorry for me and offer to be my lover every single night.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a piece of work, Tyler Stanton.”
“Yes, I am, but what I’m sayi
ng is true. I’m not a player, Greta.”
“Then what are you doing with me?”
He sobered and gazed at her for a long moment. “To be honest, I’m not really sure, but I like what I’m doing with you so far. Now, eat up before it gets cold.”
While they ate, she was grateful that he kept up a light conversation, talking about the changes he’d made to Stanton Oil since his parents had died in a car accident ten years ago. At twenty-two he’d stepped in as president of the company and eventually had appointed his two-years-younger brother as vice president.
“I had to work twice as hard and twice as long as anyone else to earn the respect of my employees. To most of them I was a snot-nosed kid who’d just graduated from college with a business degree but didn’t have the age or wisdom to run the company.”
“But you proved them all wrong,” she replied. She knew how respected Tyler was in the business world.
“It took time but I now enjoy a good relationship with everyone who works for me,” he replied with a touch of pride in his voice.
She was vaguely surprised that there was no morning-after awkwardness. He was warm and easy to talk to, showing her a side of him she’d never seen before.
By the time they’d finished eating and she’d helped him with the cleanup, she was ready to see the horse he’d told her about.
He helped her into her coat and then he donned a casual leather jacket and they left the house by a back door in the kitchen. In the distance several outbuildings rose up, certainly nothing like the big cattle operation at the Colton ranch but enough pasture and room for a few horses.
The early-November sun was warm, and as they drew closer, she identified the outbuildings as a small barn and stables. There were two corrals, a large one in the distance and a smaller one with a shedlike structure that would provide shelter from the weather. In the small corral a black Thoroughbred filly danced nervously as they approached.
“Oh, Tyler, she’s beautiful,” Greta exclaimed.
“And so far completely unbreakable,” he replied.
When they reached the fence, the filly backed to the opposite side. She pawed the ground and shook her head in a show of spirited temperament.
The excitement of a new challenge rose up in Greta. “She has good lines. Do you intend to race her?”
“No, nothing like that. I just want to be able to ride her. I want her to trust somebody and find some peace.”
Greta looked up at Tyler, surprised and touched by his words. The man continued to keep her slightly off balance. He was proving himself to be nothing like she’d originally thought.
She looked back at the filly and her heart ached with the need to soothe, to cure. The physical wounds the horse had sported when bought by Tyler had apparently healed.
Her coat looked shiny and full, and while she was still a bit on the thin side, she looked healthy. But she was obviously tormented by the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her human owner and those scars were deep inside her.
“I want to work with her,” she said firmly.
“Great!” Tyler smiled with pleasure. “I hear you’re one of the best in the business, so I know she’ll be in good hands. You know, the easiest way is for you to move in here so that you can work with her whenever you want. It’s silly for you to drive back and forth from here to Tulsa.”
She knew he was right. Often when she was training a horse, she stayed on the ranch where the horse was located. Besides, things had been so tense at home lately. The idea of a couple of weeks away was definitely appealing.
“I’ll drive home now and pack some bags and come back here later this evening,” she finally said. She didn’t know if her decision was a mistake or not, but as she looked at the filly, she knew with certainty she wanted to help her, to train her to trust again.
He nodded. “I have two ranch hands. Bill Naters takes care of upkeep and lawn work and whatever else needs to be done. He’s here off and on. Raymond Edwards is here full-time during the days and works mostly in the stables and with the horses. Just tell him whatever you need and he’ll see to it that you get it. You can usually find him either in the stables or in the barn.”
They began the walk back to the house. “Should I expect your return by dinnertime?” he asked once they were back in the house and she had grabbed her purse to leave.
She looked at her watch. “Yes, I should be able to make it back here by early evening.”
He opened the front door and together they left the house and headed toward her Jeep in the driveway. “We’ll go out to dinner. Do you like steak?”
She smiled at him. “I grew up on a cattle ranch. I cut my teeth on a T-bone.”
“Dumb question,” he replied with a charming grin. “There’s a great steak place not far from here. How does that sound for dinner?”
“Wonderful,” she replied. Dining out was definitely better than just the two of them eating in. She still felt more than a little bit vulnerable where he was concerned and she was determined to make sure that he understood that the arrangement between them was strictly professional from here on.
Last night had been an anomaly that she didn’t expect to be repeated, no matter how much she might entertain a weakness for a repeat.
She opened the Jeep door, but before she could get inside, he took her by the arm, twirled her around and pulled her close against his chest.
“What are you doing?” she asked, both loving and hating the instant responsive heat his nearness evoked.
“Just one more thing before you go,” he murmured softly.
“What’s that?” she asked breathlessly.
“This.” He slanted his lips down to capture hers in a kiss that seared her from head to toe.
Someplace in the back of her mind she knew she should jerk away...halt the kiss...do something to stop the insanity. Instead her arms automatically reached up to circle his neck and she leaned into him as the kiss deepened.
When he finally released her, her heart pounded too fast. She murmured a quick goodbye and slid into the safety of the Jeep.
It was only when she was on the road and headed toward Tulsa that she allowed herself to think about Tyler and that deep, unexpected kiss.
It had been a definite sign that despite their night together, he still wanted her. And as crazy as it was, she still wanted him, too.
She’d never indulged in a strictly physical relationship before, but that was what this was...desire built on nothing more than some kind of wild chemistry between them.
The sane thing to do was to drive home and not return to Tyler’s place. But she hadn’t felt quite sane in months. Besides, she desperately wanted to work with the horse that showed such distrust of people. There was also a desire for her to be away from her own home, gain some distance from everything that had been happening there.
Work had always centered her and it had been too long since she’d utilized her talents as a trainer. For the past couple of months she’d been busy planning a wedding that was no longer going to take place.
Working with the horse at Tyler’s place would be a good escape for her. She no longer had to play the socialite and appear at public events in fancy designer dresses with Mark and her parents. It was a role she’d never been comfortable in.
Surely when she returned to Tyler’s later this evening, she’d be able to make him understand that what had happened between them last night wasn’t going to happen again.
Chapter 3
Tyler watched the horse he’d named She-Devil when he’d first brought her home and realized just how temperamental, how emotionally damaged, she was. She remained backed up against the opposite side of the corral, her body tensed as if she was expecting something bad to happen to her.
Raymond Edwards, his ranch hand, joined him at the corral. “I saw you had Greta Colton out here. Is she going to work with the filly?”
“Yes. She left for Tulsa to pack some bags and will be back here sometime later this eve
ning.”
“Good. I’m glad she’s on board. She’s one of the best trainers in the area. If anyone can help that poor tormented soul, she can,” Raymond said.
“I told her you’d be available for whatever she needs,” Tyler replied.
“Of course.”
Tyler clapped the thin, wiry cowboy on his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Raymond.”
Raymond smiled at him, revealing a missing eyetooth that had been knocked out in a bar fight when he’d been young and stupid. “You’re an easy boss. I’m heading into the stable now to clean out the stalls. I look forward to learning from Greta.”
Tyler nodded and watched Raymond disappear into the stable. Raymond didn’t live on the property. For the past five years he’d worked for Tyler, he’d arrived each morning at dawn and left around six. Tyler kept four saddle horses and Raymond saw to their needs and kept the stable and riding equipment meticulously clean and maintained.
With a final glance at She-Devil, Tyler turned and headed back toward the house. Greta. His brain instantly filled with a vision of her. He’d been surprised to see her on his front porch, but nothing had surprised him more than her appearing in his room the night before.
He’d wanted Greta Colton long before Mark had ever met her. He’d sent Mark to meet Greta with the specific intent of getting her interested in his filly and close to him.
The moment he’d first seen her she’d stirred something inside him. Even after making love to her last night, he hadn’t had enough of her. He wanted more.
Once Mark had become engaged to her, Tyler had tried to spend as little time as possible around her, although there had been occasions when they’d all been together. Still, Tyler had kept himself distant, not wanting to ruin anything for his younger brother by giving away his own feelings about her.
Since the age of nineteen, when their parents had died, Mark had struggled with life. He’d squandered what little inheritance he’d received, and when he’d been flat broke, Tyler had offered him the position of vice president of the family company, along with a generous salary and few real responsibilities.
The Colton Bodyguard Page 3