Reunited...with Baby

by Sara Orwig

  Luke had rounded up some cattle, less than a dozen head. She thought of the big herds they’d had when Luke was in high school. She heard a twig snap and looked around to see him approaching again.

  “Unless you’ve changed a lot, I know you love hamburgers more than steaks. I’m having dinner brought out here.”

  She tilted her head to look up at him. “How on earth did you get dinner delivered to this ranch? There isn’t a café for twenty miles.”

  He grinned and shrugged. “My money’s good for some things. I should’ve asked you who to call, but I remember Rusty’s. They’re still in business. We’ll take a break and eat. Okay?”

  She smiled. “Okay. If I’d known you were going to do that, I would have asked you to get more apples for the horses.”

  “If we’re still here, I’ll try at breakfast. A couple of the horses are back on their feet already. You’re a miracle worker, Scarlett, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re helping. I’d hate like hell to have to put all these horses down. That would be about my last straw.”

  “You’re not going to have to put any down, so forget that. I don’t care how bad they are, we’re going to save them, but if you’d come much later—”

  “I already lost some before I got here,” he said, frowning as he glanced at the horses. “I better get back to work.” He turned to leave. “I’ll call you when dinner arrives.”

  She barely heard him because she had already turned back to a gash she was stitching. The smaller white horse stood patiently, but she wondered if it would collapse any minute. It didn’t seem to care what she did or that she was even there.

  By midnight there were still horses that needed tending to, and Luke was still fixing a stock tank. She wanted to keep working but, mindful of little Carl and her mother, she walked into the shadows, trying to get out of Luke’s earshot before calling home.

  As expected, her mother began to argue for her to come home, reminding her again that being with Luke was going to dredge up all kinds of pain.

  “Do you really want to go through all that again?” her mother asked.

  “Mom, I’m taking care of very sick horses and some of the cattle need attention. They’re in dire shape, and I’m not abandoning them to die when I can save most of them.”

  “My heavens! How awful. I haven’t heard anything bad like that about the Double U. Even so, Scarlett, I’m worried about you.”

  “Mom, this is my job, to save animals. This is why I became a vet. I’m needed here and we can already see a difference in some horses.”

  “Scarlett, Luke is going to hurt you again. Maybe even worse this time because you’re not kids anymore. Please get out of there and come home. Baby Carl and all the family need you. You don’t want to go through all that loss and hurt again, and that’s what will happen if you stay.”

  “No, I won’t. I won’t let it happen.” There was a long pause, and she knew her mother was giving up and could not continue arguing.

  “Take care of yourself, then. We love you,” her mom said. “And before you start to get caught up in old feelings with that man, just remember that Luke will go home to Silicon Valley in a few days and you won’t hear from him until the next time he pays a visit here.”

  She sighed. “I love you, Mom, and I love my family. Luke’s dad has done a terrible thing, and bearing witness to it makes me so thankful for all of you. I’ll take care of myself, I promise,” she said, wondering if she really could keep that promise, or if she would just cave if Luke wanted to hug or kiss her. She almost laughed aloud as she ended her call. Her amusement fled when she looked back and saw the lights, the weak horses, the cows in another pasture. Was she being foolish and risking her heart to try to save horses that might not survive no matter what she did?

  But she felt she had to stay. She had taken an oath to help animals, and she took that oath seriously.

  She just hoped she could resist Luke, but then again, she might not have any reason to worry about resisting him. He probably had a woman waiting in Silicon Valley for his return.

  Her attention was taken again by the ailing horses. She suspected Luke was right about the cattle. There were few left that he had found, and she imagined nearly all the Double U cattle had been rustled long ago. Luke said he would continue searching for more when daylight came, but so far he hadn’t found any. She continued to nurse the horses, wondering if she would have to work through daybreak. Dinner had given her another spurt of energy, but that was beginning to fade. She glanced at Luke as he repaired holes in the water tank, going over them a second time.

  He was the golden boy from Royal who had gone west and made a fortune in Silicon Valley. He hadn’t been interested enough in her in high school to want to continue their relationship, to want her with him or to want to return to Royal to be with her. How many times did she have to remind herself that he really had no lasting interest in her? He had liked to kiss and make love, but he could turn around, walk out the door and forget all about her without a moment’s regret. Walking out on her didn’t make her blood run cold, but thinking Luke would do that to Carl did. She couldn’t bear that kind of hurt. She glanced at him again. Flickering lantern lights spilled over him, turning his skin golden and highlighting his firm, muscular back and chest, his powerful shoulders and biceps, his flat stomach. She tingled as her gaze ran over him. Her mouth had gone dry, and her heart thumped swiftly. She wanted his arms around her, his mouth on hers. She could remember his kisses. Absolutely. Too well, she could recall his mouth on hers, making her quiver with eagerness, with steaming lust, with hunger for his hands and his body.

  He turned to look at her. Startled, she realized how she stared as his gaze narrowed. She spun away and bent over a horse to cleanse and patch a wound while her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

  She lost track of time until she glanced at her watch and saw it was after two a.m. About ten minutes later, Luke appeared and caught her wrist, lifting it as she was about to give a horse a shot.

  “I think you should call it a night.”

  “Luke, there are still horses here I haven’t treated. I don’t want to stop.”

  “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Yes, but I can keep going and I want to.”

  He studied her and nodded. “Okay, a little while longer.”

  When he turned and left, she went back to work. The next time he appeared, he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Scarlett, it’s late,” he said. His voice was husky, his hand lightly squeezing her shoulder.

  She turned to look up at him. He stood close, and her heart beat faster as she shook her head. “I can’t quit.”

  “Yes, you can, for a little while. Come on. Let’s get a couple of hours of sleep before the sun comes up. I’ve got a blanket in the back of the pickup.”

  Luke was bare chested, too appealing, too sexy, too damned handsome. His looks had only gotten better over time. Her gaze drifted to his mouth, to scorching-hot memories of his mouth on her body.

  “You remember just as much as I do,” he said in a deep, husky voice that played over her like a caress.

  She drew a breath and met his gaze, her cheeks burning. “I may remember, but that’s all. It won’t go any further than that,” she whispered.

  “Scared to kiss me, Scarlett? After all this time, it won’t mean anything.”

  “Don’t try to goad me into doing something in anger that I wouldn’t do otherwise,” she said, annoyed with him, and with herself, because she wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him until he would wish he hadn’t pushed her into it. But she knew better than to do that.

  “Okay, Scarlett, go back to work. So will I. I’ll come back in half an hour or so. If you want to quit before then, just let me know.”

  “Of course I will,” she said sweetly, running her hands lightly over a horse, feeling its bones and wondering
how it could even stand. She forgot about Luke as she went back to work. She finally began to feel tired, but she still didn’t want to stop. As she worked, Luke appeared again. He reached out, and his hand closed on her wrist. “C’mon. Let’s get a little sleep. The sun will be over the horizon in a couple of hours. We’ll get back to this when the sun comes up.”

  Nodding, she didn’t argue. She left him, hurrying to the barn and the tiny room with minimal facilities. Even so, she felt refreshed when she stepped out. She was so tired it shouldn’t matter if they both slept in the back of his pickup, except she knew it would.

  “Luke, we can’t both sleep in the back of your pickup.”

  “Why the hell not? There’s nowhere else—all of West Texas has rattlers, so the ground is out. The front seat isn’t big enough. You can keep your hands to yourself, and so can I. Don’t tell me you find me that irresistible?”

  She knew the last part was said in jest, but she was tired and frustrated because she didn’t want to end up handing him her heart again, and, if they made love, she was afraid that was exactly what would happen.

  Annoyed, she stepped close to stab his chest with her forefinger. “You know you’re attractive. You know I feel something, and I know you feel something, too. If we get in the back of your pickup, we won’t sleep. I’m realistic enough to know that and honest enough to admit it. I can sleep inside on the front seat, and that’s where I’ll be. The sun will wake me.”

  “You sleep where you want, but after that little speech you just made, there’s no way in hell I can resist,” he growled, drawing her into his arms and leaning down, looking directly into her eyes. Her heart thudded. He intended to kiss her and she couldn’t resist him, either. Especially when he was holding her in his arms and his mouth was only inches away, his blue-green eyes glimmering with raw, unsuppressed desire.

  “Luke,” she whispered, wanting him, knowing she was crossing a line she would regret, yet still unable to say no to him. The look in his eyes made it crystal clear that he, too, wanted her with all his being. Then his mouth was on hers, opening hers, and his tongue slipped inside, going deep, stroking and making her tremble, sending lightning streaking through her.

  Desire shook her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against him and kissing him in return, pouring all the pent-up longing and aching need that she felt for him into that kiss. She wanted him to remember kissing her, to want her the way she had wanted him. She hoped her kiss haunted him, caused him to lie awake at night to deal with the desire and the memories. And she wanted to relish this moment in his arms, being kissed by him, a dream fulfilled if only for a few precious minutes. His erection pressed against her, urgent, hard, ready, and she wanted him with all her being. But then she remembered her tears, her heartbreak, her longing—he had walked away without a qualm. She wasn’t going back to that.

  She tore her mouth from his and then stepped away. “I’ll be up with the sun,” she whispered and turned to climb into the front seat of his pickup, lock the door and lean back against the seat.

  She fought the urge to turn to see what he was doing. She fought an even greater urge to go back and join him, but she wasn’t climbing into the back of his pickup this first night he was in town and sleeping with him. Scarlett released a shuddering breath. Was she ever going to really get over him? She thought she had—she told herself she had when Tanner Dupree entered her life, but after Luke’s mind-blowing kiss tonight, she knew that Tanner had never held the appeal that Luke did.

  It didn’t matter. She wasn’t the woman for Tanner. She wasn’t the woman for Luke. Once again, she faced the fact that Luke was a billionaire businessman now, young, successful and handsome. He would not want to tie his life to a small-town vet.

  Deep inside she hurt, but she also felt resigned. She had faced reality about Luke a long time ago. Now, being the newest billionaire on Forbes’s list, he lived in a whole different world. Particularly when he returned to Silicon Valley. She had seen pictures of his mansion and read about all the fancy electronic conveniences he had. He would go back to his world once he got his family ranch taken care of, and she wouldn’t see him again, maybe ever. Worse, someday he might bring one of those gorgeous women to the ranch. Scarlett knew she should keep that prospect in mind.

  And as much as it pained her, she had always known deep down that he had moved on and she would never be part of his life.

  * * *

  Luke gazed up at the twinkling stars. One of the things he had always loved about being on the ranch—no city lights to hide the beauty of the night sky. He saw the stars, but his thoughts were on Scarlett. He wanted her in his arms and was disappointed she wouldn’t sleep beside him. If she had, they would have had more kisses.

  His pulse quickened. Remembering the feel of her lips pressed so sweetly against his was going to keep him awake, which sucked since he was totally exhausted. What a way to kill his slight chance for some sleep here.

  He had forgotten what a force she could be. When he had drawn his pistol, he was just thinking of putting down a suffering, hopelessly injured horse. He never thought about Scarlett jumping up and confronting him, standing right in front of a pointed gun. Fortunately, he had the safety on, but for a split second, she had surprised him. And then he remembered it was Scarlett and he should have known better. She was fiercely protective of her animals—he didn’t have to be around her since she became a vet to realize that. She had been that way when she was fifteen years old. Probably when she was four years old, too.

  He smiled in the darkness and placed his hands behind his head. He’d been lucky in business and done well. He had gotten accustomed to people being at his beck and call and doing his bidding, and that especially held true for his female companions. His life was filled with his pick of pretty, flirtatious women saying yes to whatever he wanted. But now he was back at his childhood home, and right away Scarlett told him to get off her property and go to hell. His smile grew. If she didn’t agree with him, she would let him know in no uncertain terms. And it would be not only “no,” but “hell, no.” Clearly she didn’t have a qualm about telling him what to do and what he wasn’t going to do.

  His smile faded. He knew it was all kinds of wrong, but he wanted to go out with her. He wanted to take her to bed and make love for hours. She was as off-limits to him as much as if she had married that oil jerk who walked out on her, but his heart obviously hadn’t gotten the memo.

  Luke thought of the three women he’d seen the most this past year—gorgeous women who were fun to be with, sexy in bed, with dream bodies. They would never give him trouble or tell him to go to hell. He had to forget Scarlett, and as soon as he returned to California, he would look these women up and go out with whichever one he enjoyed the most.

  Luke groaned. He had about an hour and a half and then the sun would be up. But now that he had a chance to get some shut-eye, Scarlett still filled his every thought. She was like a powder keg with a short, lighted fuse. At the same time, she was hot, luscious, sexy enough to make his blood boil. Her kiss should send steam out his ears.

  He ached to hold her, to make love to her, to ravish her from head to toe. But as much as he wanted her, he knew he couldn’t seduce her. He’d hurt her when he left before, and he didn’t want to do that again.

  That thought moved sleep further away. Thoughts of making love to her conjured up images that would keep him up another hour, he was sure. He might as well just get up and go back to work.

  “Damn, woman, either get out of my thoughts or into my bed so I can get over you one way or another,” he ground out, all the while knowing neither were going to happen.

  With a muttered curse, he got up, trying to be quiet and move carefully so he didn’t shake the pickup as he crawled out and went to work.

  * * *

  It was almost 9:00 a.m. when he returned to the pasture where he had parked and he saw Scarle
tt. She picked up her bag and approached him. Just watching her walk toward him turned him on. She had a sexy sway to her hips and an enticing walk. Wind caught locks of her hair and blew them across her forehead. He pushed his brown Resistol to the back of his head and waited.

  “I’ve looked over all the livestock. You really are a miracle worker—the horses are on their feet. It may be my imagination, but they all look better, too.” He grinned down at her. “How’re you doing this morning with less than two hours’ sleep?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, turning her back on him as she stepped up to a black horse to run her hands over it.

  “When you’re ready, I’ll drive you home, Scarlett. You’ve been a fantastic help, and you’ve saved these horses. Whenever you have it ready, give me the bill.”

  “Sure.” She peered up at him, her brow furrowed with concern. “You didn’t get much sleep either. You were already up and gone when I got up.”

  “Yeah,” he said, not wanting to tell her that he hadn’t slept a wink after their smoking-hot kiss.

  “I’ll work for about an hour more, and then I think you’ll be able to take care of them with no problem.”

  With a sigh, he moved on, going back to his truck to start making some calls now that it was morning. He needed to hire all sorts of people as quickly as possible to start getting the ranch up and running again.

  An hour later he looked up to see Scarlett approaching.

  “I think you can take me home now,” she said. “At least until you find some more animals. Here’s my bill.”

  He took the bill without even looking at it, his fingers brushing hers. He saw the flicker in her eyes, felt his own pulse jump in return. How could she do that to him? Even after all these years, she caused a chemical reaction in him from just barely having contact with her.

  “I’ve been making calls and have already got someone hired to get a crew out here to start working. This afternoon I have an appointment to talk to a highly recommended Dallas contractor about the house. But those are my problems...nothing you need to concern yourself with.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Come on, how about I take you to breakfast before dropping you at your place?”