A Moment To Love

by Jennifer Faye

  “At one point in time, this was the General Store and the Pony Express stop. The most popular place in town, next to the saloon.” Cord paused in front of a dilapidated hitching post.

  This setting definitely suited Cord. He’d make a sexy old-fashioned cowboy. In her mind, she added a holster with a pearl-handled revolver on each lean hip as a set of leather chaps trailed down to a pair of dusty boots with silver spurs on his heels.

  She pictured him all dressed up and modeling on the resort’s billboard. Once they fixed this place up to resemble its former rustic charm, it’d be the perfect backdrop for the ad campaign. She took a couple of steps back to take in the full scene.

  “Hey. Be careful.” Cord lurched forward, grabbing her arm and yanking her toward him.

  What in the world? The unexpected collision of their bodies knocked the air from her lungs. She glanced up at his intense brown eyes. Her heart somersaulted.

  “What’d you do that for?” Her gaze lowered to his lips, inches from her own.

  “I didn’t want you to fall.”

  Too late to worry about that.

  He continued to hold her close. A fluttering sensation returned to her stomach. She didn’t move, didn’t turn away. She continued to stare at him, willing him to kiss her. It wasn’t logical, but she didn’t feel like being sensible at the moment. For once, she wanted to live in the moment.

  Cord cleared his throat, breaking the spell. Realizing he was talking about something totally different, she swallowed hard. “What?”

  “Turn around.”

  With him still holding her arm, she pivoted around and saw some rotted wood planks covering a big hole in the ground.

  He released her. “The mine preceded the town, so make sure to keep your head down and stay alert for cave-ins. In an old mining town, you never walk backward, or you might end up falling down a mine shaft.”

  She worried her bottom lip as she looked upon Haggerty with a renewed respect for the dangers lurking in the shadows. Her investors and insurance company wouldn’t be happy about this discovery. Still, HSG had overcome bigger obstacles. Her father’s motto was, If there’s a will, there’s a way. She’d definitely find a way to make this work.

  Alexis continued looking around until she found herself standing once again outside the mine entrance. If it weren’t so dangerous, she’d love to sneak a peek inside the mine shaft. Her father had always teased that she was a daredevil, but climbing into a hole beneath the earth’s surface with untold hazards was just plain stupid. Not to mention the thought of running into more snakes or bats. The thought had her quickly retreating.

  “Tour’s over,” Cord called over his shoulder as he headed for the vehicles. “I’ve got work to do, and we have that stop to make at the sheriff’s office.”

  She pursed her lips as her gaze strayed to his very fine backside. She grew frustrated with herself for noticing his finer assets when he was once again threatening to make trouble for her. He was just trying to get her worked up. He wanted a little fun at her expense. Except it wasn’t going to work this time.

  “We both know you aren’t serious.”

  “Sure am. I don’t want you getting any other foolish ideas about coming out here alone. Anything could happen to you, and no one would know.”

  She had to take twice as many steps to keep up with his long strides. “And if I promise not to come back alone, can’t you promise to drop the trespassing thing once and for all?”

  “Why should I? You’ve wasted a large chunk of my day already.”

  “You’re really enjoying dangling the sheriff thing over my head, aren’t you?”

  He flashed a small grin. “Something like that. I’ll make up my mind when we get back to town.”

  “Of course you will.”

  He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from his truck and tossed her one. “Here.”

  He was right. She was letting him get her riled up over nothing. He wasn’t going to press charges. Thank goodness. She could just imagine the headline: HSG President Arrested For Trespassing. New York City could be a very small place at times—almost as small as Whistle Stop.

  She twisted the top off the bottle and took a long swallow. Time to change subjects. “I love this place,” she mused. “I can now see the appeal of being a landowner. And having all of this to explore.”

  “You don’t own any land?”

  She shook her head. “Just a condo in New York. Although I’m home so little since my father had his latest heart attack that I barely remember my own address.”

  The concern reflected in Cord’s eyes made her realize her slip of the tongue. She wanted to kick herself for not being more careful around him. Cord made it easy for her to let down her guard and be herself. Still, she and her father had agreed to keep his health condition under wraps for business reasons.

  “Sorry to hear about your father. Will he be okay?”

  She nodded. With the proverbial beans spilled, she didn’t have anything to lose by confiding in him. She’d longed to talk to someone about her concerns. Back in New York she had a couple of girlfriends from college with whom she still kept in contact, but she rarely confided in them. She’d learned at an early age that most things were better kept to yourself or they’d come back and bite you. But she got the distinct feeling that her secret would be safe with Cord. And he appeared to be a good listener, as long as she avoided the subject of buying Haggerty.

  “During my father’s last attack, his heart was damaged. The doctors have warned that he can no longer work the long hours his job demands. Nor can he deal with the stress. The thing is, I can’t convince him it’s time to retire.”

  Cord’s eyes filled with understanding. “Is that why this deal is so important to you? Because it’s important to your father?”

  “Yes. He raised me as a single parent, but that didn’t stop him from working morning till night. As far back as I can remember, I did my homework at the table in his conference room. In fact, I swear I spent more time at HSG than I did at our town house. His administrative assistant became a surrogate aunt to me.”

  “Doesn’t sound like an easy childhood.”

  “My father did his best,” she said defensively. “For the longest time, I believed he put in all of those long hours and avoided a personal life because he was a workaholic.”

  “I take it with you being on the other side of the desk that you’re seeing things differently.”

  She nodded. “This job will swallow you whole if you aren’t careful.”

  “Has it swallowed you yet?”

  “Not quite.”

  “That’s good. Just be careful it doesn’t. There’s so much more to life than work.”

  She eyed up Cord, a down-to-earth man. She considered revealing how she had an escape plan should she ever need one—her trust fund. The account held sufficient funds for her to start over anywhere—not that she’d ever bail on her father.

  What would this rancher think of her if he knew she was a trust fund kid? He’d probably get an even worse impression of her. Spoiled. Snobby. Those were just a couple of adjectives that came to mind. She wanted Cord to like and respect her, so she kept quiet. Besides, it wasn’t as if it was a slush fund for parties and vacations. She’d specifically earmarked its use for emergencies only.

  “Enough about me.” She turned to him. “What do you enjoy when you aren’t working?”

  He rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “I like to end the day kicked back on my front porch. There’s beauty in a sunset and grace in the silhouette of a horse racing along the horizon.” He hesitated as though embarrassed to be letting on that he wasn’t a roughened cowboy, but rather a man who could appreciate the simple things in life.

  “Those do sound beautiful. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get to witness them while I’m here.”

  “The beauty of the land is all around you. Take a look. I mean, really see the beauty in the simplest parts of nature. You’ll be amazed by the secrets
of this land.” He pointed to a little red flower in the distance. “Even in this harsh terrain, this plant refuses to be defeated.”

  Just like him, she thought, standing tall against all adversity.

  “You know, I was warned about you.”

  “Maybe you should heed the warnings.”

  His facial expression didn’t give any hint of his feelings. It was almost as if he wasn’t surprised. Why would that be? Why would he let the townspeople of Whistle Stop assume he was some unfriendly hermit, when in fact he could be quite friendly?

  Cord averted his gaze. “Now that you’ve seen Haggerty, is it what you were imagining?”

  She wanted to ask more about the residents of Whistle Stop, but she decided not to press him for answers. “I think it’s the most amazing place I’ve ever been. I can see why you’re so protective of this place.”

  His gaze jerked back to her. “You really mean that? You think this place is special?”

  “I do.” Her pulse started to race as he continued staring at her. “This place is loaded with a rugged charm and rare beauty.”

  He lifted his bottle to drink. When a trickle of water trailed down his chin, she longed to reach out and run her finger over his damp skin, over the place where his vein pulsed. She wondered how he’d react if she gave in to the impulse.

  “There’s a far more beautiful sight.” His voice was deeper than normal. The sweet words drizzled over her like thick, rich caramel.

  “Where would that be?”

  Their gazes connected and held. “The woman standing right in front of me.”

  Her gaze searched his. Could he read the desire in her eyes? Did he know how much she’d been longing to feel his lips pressed to hers? The heat was definitely affecting her now. There was no other acceptable explanation for her overwhelming yearning to have him kiss her.

  When his hand claimed her hip, her heart soared. With a tug, he pulled her closer, and her body willingly obliged. This shouldn’t be happening. It wasn’t right. They were opponents. But, somehow, out here in the desert miles from civilization, reality no longer seemed quite so important.

  Her gaze slipped to his lips. The breath hitched in her throat, and his head dipped toward her. This was it. The moment of no return. Her eyelids drifted closed. His mouth grazed hers, and her resistance melted away. For the moment, a truce let their differences fade into the background, and they melted together. His tongue gently probed her lips, parting them with ease. Their tongues moved in unison, as in a well-rehearsed dance.

  When Cord sucked on her lower lip and ran the tip of his tongue over it, her fingers tightened on his shoulders. Shivers of need zinged through her, bringing her body to life. She should have pulled away, but she couldn’t—not yet. His lips were as sweet as a Choconut Bar—no, definitely sweeter— and she was on a sugar high. Her very being craved more of his kisses—of him.

  Much too soon, he pulled back.

  Knowing he wasn’t coming back for more, she let her eyes flutter open. Reality careened in on her, knocking her back to earth. She knew better than to put herself out there—she’d only end up getting hurt. But in this one particular instance, it’d been worth it. She licked her lips, savoring the memory. All the while, she knew it could never happen again.

  She mustered up every bit of self-control and moved away. “We can’t let that happen again.”

  His eyes flashed with surprise then grew dark. “You’re right.” He turned toward his truck. “Time to head back.”

  Alexis watched his retreating back. She didn’t want things to end like this. “Cord, wait.”

  Without a backward glance, he climbed inside and fired up the engine before stomping on the gas, spraying the area with dirt. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one unsettled by that mind-blowing kiss. But could they move past it?

  Her fingers pressed to her tingling lips. She reminded herself that a kiss was just a kiss. Something she’d done in the past. She was making too much of it. Wasn’t she?

  She climbed into the SUV, still wondering what had gotten into her to let down her defenses with Cord. There wasn’t a chance it could lead anywhere. They were adversaries over a very important deal. And when he realized that she was right about knowing what was best for both of them, his wounded male ego wouldn’t be able to deal with it. She’d forever be the woman who stole away his land—his heritage.

  With a resigned sigh, she glanced down to fasten her seat belt and noticed something sticking up between the passenger seat and the center console. Her fingers worked into the narrow space and yanked out her camera. It must have gotten jostled off the seat.

  How could she have forgotten her camera? It had to have been Cord’s sudden appearance and him bandying about threats to have her arrested that had her forgetting the main reason she’d come out here. She needed photos to send to her father. She could imagine him checking his e-mail every hour on the hour waiting for them. She didn’t have a choice. She had to get pictures. It was her job.

  Until she’d set foot in Whistle Stop, she’d been fine with putting her life on hold to work her way up through the ranks at HSG. But it hadn’t worked out like she’d hoped. At one point she’d thought being in charge—being president of HSG—would make her happy, but it hadn’t. There were too many people to please and no way of pleasing everyone. With so many hoops to jump through, there was never any time left to smell the roses.

  She didn’t know if it was the sense of community she’d witnessed in this small desert town or spending time with Cord, but the nagging sense of wanting more than a successful career grew each day she was here.

  A trail of dust behind Cord’s truck beckoned to her, but she continued to hesitate. She’d be fine here on her own. He had already given her a stern lecture about the hazards of this place.

  In all honesty, it shouldn’t be too hard to follow his tire tracks back to the main road. After all, it seemed like it was pretty much a straight shot.

  She wouldn’t even be sitting here contemplating all of this if he hadn’t planted those worst-case scenarios in her mind. She was certain he’d been exaggerating—trying to keep her off his precious land. Well, she wasn’t falling for his scare tactics. She’d be fine on her own. She clutched the little camera and headed back to Haggerty. Cord’s stern warnings echoed in her mind. She stared down at the clay, watching every step she took.

  She snapped pictures of the General Store, the telegraph office and the opening of the mine. She even made a point to trek over to the graveyard. This place was special with a reverent air about it. Knowing that Cord’s family was buried here, she intended to ensure it remained as is by thoroughly documenting its current state.

  While standing there taking photos, she decided the chain-link fence she’d originally envisioned wouldn’t do this place justice. A high stone wall would be more in line with the landscape and would ensure privacy. She wondered what it’d take to convince Cord that she would do her best to secure the graveyard.

  Her footsteps picked up the pace as she headed back to the center of the ghost town. A few more photos and she’d be on way her—most likely to the sheriff’s office, after the way Cord tore out of there. Oh well, she’d deal with him later. Right now, she had to get the rest of the pictures she’d promised her father.

  She paused by the remains of the church where Cord’s ancestors had been married. She carefully checked for the snake. Not spotting it, she stepped just inside the opening.

  A nostalgic feeling came over her as she snapped pictures. Her imagination conjured up images of life back in the old days. She leaned back against one of the adobe walls, resting her hand on the sun-warmed clay. What would it be like to have someone pledge their undying love and then to grow old together? A wistful sigh passed her lips.

  Something tickled the back of her hand. She wiggled her fingers, causing the sensation to cease. Lost in her fantasy, she pictured the women in their prairie skirts and the men with their chaps and side arms.

&nb
sp; The image of Cord intruded into her daydream, ruggedly handsome, all done up like an old-fashioned cowboy. She imagined he’d followed her back here. A smile tugged at her lips as she savored the thought of him making a play for her, his fingers grazing over the back of her hand as his mouth nuzzled a sensitive spot on her neck.

  Once again, she noticed the tickling on her hand, and as much as she wanted it to be Cord’s fingers caressing her, she knew it couldn’t be. He was long gone, and by the sour look on his face, he wouldn’t be back any time soon. So if he wasn’t touching her, then that meant…Oh no! Could it be another snake?

  She tensed. Her chest tightened. She glanced down. There sat a tan insect bigger than a half dollar with numerous legs.

  A scorpion.

  Its long tail lifted and curled, ready to strike her.

  Panic crowded in, smothering her common sense.

  A scream ripped from her lungs.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cord pressed his boot down hard on the accelerator and clutched the steering wheel as the truck bounced over the rough terrain, jostling him in the seat. He seriously reconsidered his threat to have Lexi charged with trespassing. It’d certainly teach her a lesson and keep her at arm’s length, just in case he lost his mind again and decided to kiss her.

  He sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the sheriff. He hadn’t been friends with Will since a fight in third grade. After all of this time, Cord couldn’t even remember what their disagreement had been about except that it had something to do with playing baseball. Things had been quiet between them for the longest time, until Cord’s ex-wife had stirred up that hornets nest of lies. Ever since then, Will had been giving him strange looks. Cord always shrugged it off. If the man wanted to think ill of him, there was nothing Cord could say to change his mind.

  Cord shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror. He squinted to see through the cloud of dust. Not making out Lexi’s vehicle, he eased up on the gas pedal. As the air cleared, it only confirmed his worst thought—Lexi was missing.