She tossed him that sexy smile as she went to him. “Patrick, tonight I went to a seminar at the Healthy Living Clinic in Portland and attended a water aerobics class.” She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “I could never be with another man, not after what we shared.”
“Dammit, Cyndi. Don’t say that,” he pleaded, fighting hard not to grab her.
In the dim light he could see her whiskey-brown eyes. “It’s true. I never expected to see you again after that night. I left because I was afraid of what you would think… I was the one who seduced you.”
Like she was doing to him now. “This isn’t a good idea,” he said. “You and me.” It was too late; he lost the battle and drew her against him. He leaned closer and placed a kiss on her lips, then pulled back. He closed his eyes, momentarily savoring her. “Damn, you taste good. You smell good, too.” He inhaled deeply. “I’m about at the end of my patience.”
Cynthia put her arms around his neck, not wanting Patrick to pull away again. “I don’t want your patience. I want you.”
He gave her that look that took her breath away, then he lowered his head and his mouth captured hers. Sensation raced through her, and she heard the sound of her own moans as his hands journeyed down to her bottom, pulling her against his aroused body. He coaxed her mouth open, and she felt a shocked delight as he slipped his tongue inside to dance with hers.
His fingers were slow, yet eager to touch her. They moved under her T-shirt and cupped her breasts through her bra. She wanted more contact and worked at the snaps on his shirt until she could feel his warm skin.
It was his turn to groan as he broke off the kiss. “You are sin, Cyn.” His breath caressed her face, then he trailed kisses along her jaw and moved to her ear. “Damn, what is that perfume you have on? It makes me crazy.”
Cynthia’s smile widened. All she had on was her NoWait oil. “I guess I need to put it all over my body.”
He groaned again. “You’re killing me.”
“Oh, no. We can’t have that. I’ve got plans for you.”
He raised his head and smiled at her. The old Patrick was back. “And what are those plans?”
“You still need to teach me to ride.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I believe you know how to ride.”
Before she could react to his sexual innuendo, his mouth crushed hers once again. This time his need had intensified; his hunger was evident. He broke off the kiss, his breathing rough. “I want you, Cyndi.”
“I want you, too.”
Patrick took her hand and led her into the tack room. He knew he was acting crazy, but he wasn’t about to stop. He flipped on a single light in the center of the small room, then led her to a cot on the back wall.
“It’s not the Grand Hotel, but I can’t wait to have you.”
“I feel the same way,” she breathed as he began taking off her blouse, then stripped off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He stopped and kissed her once again as they worked at removing the rest of their clothing.
Hearing a noise, he suddenly froze and drew Cyndi against him. “Listen. Someone is in the barn.” Leaving her at the bunk, he grabbed his shirt and went to investigate. Out in the center aisle he found Forest checking on the horses.
Patrick had forgotten that his foreman always did a walk-through before he retired for the night.
“Hey, Pat. What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Just getting some fresh air before I turn in,” Patrick said, lousy at lying. He wasn’t about to broadcast that he was with Cyndi. Not that Forest would say anything.
Hell, he was the one who was crazy. He drew a deep breath and released it. Sex in the barn. What had he been thinking? That was the problem, he hadn’t been using his brain at all. Not when Cyndi was around anyway. Thank God he’d come to his senses.
After he watched his foreman leave, he returned to the tack room to find Cyndi sitting on the cot. He was relieved that she’d put on her blouse.
“It was Forest,” he told her.
“Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Maybe we should get back to the house. We have an early day tomorrow.”
Cyndi blinked in surprise, but he didn’t give her a chance to argue as he led her out of the room. Things got a little more complicated when they got to the house. He stopped in the kitchen, trying not to look at her mussed hair and her swollen lips.
“You should go up to bed. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.” He glanced away from the hurt look on her face. “And I have some paperwork to finish up.”
She hesitated and he felt his resolve weakening. He wanted nothing more than to follow her and crawl into bed with her. She finally nodded then went upstairs. This was for the best, he told himself. He wasn’t cut out for relationships, for that happily ever after.
But for once in his life he truly wanted it.
For the first time since she’d arrived at Tanner Ranch, Cynthia wanted to stay in bed. She didn’t want to face Patrick. His rejection had hurt her. How dare he play with her emotions? She wanted to think it didn’t matter, but Patrick had come to mean a lot to her. More than she wanted him to.
Cynthia thought back to their night together. He’d been so free with his caresses, his loving. That first night she’d believed he could care about her. So how could he reject her so easily now? Was this payback because she’d left him in the hotel room?
Five more days, Cynthia thought as she got dressed in her jeans and boots. After pulling her hair into a ponytail, she applied sunscreen, then headed for the door. She stopped and grabbed her NoWait oil off the dresser and quickly put some on. Even though she wasn’t irresistible to Patrick, she liked her new trim body.
Downstairs, Cynthia was surprised when she found Patrick in the kitchen. He was at the stove cooking breakfast, and when he glanced over his shoulder, her stomach did a somersault. Darn, there was that feeling again.
“Good morning.”
She wasn’t ready for this. “Good morning,” she managed, wondering how she was going to get through the next few days. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. It’s my turn to cook.” He carried two plates to the table and sat down across from her.
Cynthia tried to concentrate on her food, but she couldn’t seem to get the eggs down. Instead, she pushed them around on her plate as Patrick talked about the morning routine.
There was a long, silent pause, then he spoke again. “About what happened last night,” he began.
“Nothing happened,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow. “A lot happened. And I’m sorry. I promised that we’d stick to business.”
Her heart ached. “Please, don’t apologize. We both got carried away. It won’t happen again.” She got up and carried her plate to the sink, then walked out the door.
A tear ran down her cheek, and she brushed it away. She only had five more days then she’d be gone, hopefully busy with her movie project. She wouldn’t have to worry about Patrick Tanner anymore. Suddenly more tears streamed down her face and she couldn’t stop them. This time she didn’t even try.
That evening Cynthia had left Patrick a note. As promised, she let him know that she wouldn’t be there for dinner. Once again she went to the clinic, in an effort to concentrate on Dr. Richie’s lecture on self-esteem.
When applause broke out, Cynthia realized she hadn’t heard much of the talk. She stood and was beginning to file out of the room, when a woman moved through the crowd toward her.
She was young and slender, with long straight brown hair. She had pretty eyes, but they were partially hidden by oversize glasses. A little makeup would help her pale complexion.
Cynthia had seen her many times before and knew she worked for Dr. Richie.
“Ms. Reynolds, I’m Abby Edwards. I’m Dr. Strong’s PR representative.”
“Hello, Ms. Edwards,” Cynthia said and shook her hand.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m such a big fan.”
Cynthia had always had trouble handling her celebrity status. “Thank you.”
“If you have a moment I would like to talk with you.”
“Sure.”
They separated themselves from the departing crowd.
Abby adjusted her glasses, then turned serious. “Dr. Richie wanted me to speak with you. He’s so happy that you’ve been attending his seminars and using his oil. He would approach you himself but he’s afraid he’ll draw attention to you and he knows how important privacy is—to all his clients.”
Cynthia was pleased. “I appreciate that he’s so considerate. It’s nice that I can come here and just be me.” Sometimes she wondered who that was. She thought of Patrick. She found herself wishing she could be the woman he needed. Whoa, hold it right there, she thought. Since when did she need to rely on a man?
“If I may be so bold, Ms. Reynolds, you look terrific. Not that you didn’t before, but there seems to be a glow about you. I hope you feel that Dr. Richie and NoWait have contributed to that.”
“I do. I’ve never felt in better shape. As you know I already sent Dr. Richie a letter stating that.”
Abby nodded. “And he was happy to receive it. Since you feel so strongly about the program, there is something else we would like you to consider. How would you feel about letting Dr. Richie use your name to promote the program?”
Cynthia was taken aback by the request. She had never done endorsements before, and wasn’t crazy about doing this, even for Dr. Richie. “I’ll need some time to consider it. So I’ll have to get back to you.”
“Of course, that’s understandable.” Abby Edwards smiled, then reached out her hand and Cynthia shook it. “I’ll give you a call in…two weeks?”
“Sure. Goodbye.” Cynthia turned to leave and saw Kelly coming into the room. They’d made a date to meet for dinner.
“When you didn’t come out to the car, I wondered if I missed you.”
“No, I was talking to Dr. Richie’s PR person. She wants my endorsement of NoWait.”
Kelly raised an eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t say you’d do it.”
“Of course not.” Together they walked through the doors into the hall, passing several couples holding hands, or with their arms around each other. Some pairs were boldly exchanging kisses. “I said I’d get back to her in a few weeks. I’ll just hand it over to my lawyer.” She smiled sweetly. Although her sister was a divorce lawyer, she handled a lot of Cyndi’s affairs.
“Good, this NoWait oil hasn’t been thoroughly tested. I’d hate to see you on a TV infomercial selling the stuff, then end up being sued.”
“Always the practical one.”
“Someone has to be.” They pushed through the doors that led to the parking lot.
People turned as they walked by. She was recognized, but most fans just smiled at her, a few asked for autographs, and she willingly obliged.
“Where do you want to eat?” Kelly asked.
“I don’t care. Just someplace quiet. I really don’t feel like being bothered tonight.”
Kelly sighed. “Well, that’s what you get for being famous.”
Cynthia thought about her life. She’d been doing that a lot lately. Maybe it was because she’d turned thirty-five and time seemed to be slipping away. She had no one special to share it with—no husband…no children.
“Kel, did you ever wish your life had gone in another direction? That you hadn’t become a lawyer?”
Kelly paused at the driver’s side of her Mercedes. “The only other thing I wanted to be years ago was a fireman.” She shrugged. “I love being a lawyer, but I’ve been thinking about doing more pro bono work. Forest has been telling me about the shelter kids.”
“Forest!”
“Yes, Forest.” Kelly climbed in the car.
A surprised Cynthia got in the passenger side. “I didn’t know you were seeing Forest.”
“We haven’t exactly been seeing each other.” She put the key in the ignition and started the car. “Okay, we had dinner once, and he brought me lunch at the office.” She smiled. “No man has ever done that for me.”
Cynthia was envious and happy at the same time. “You deserve special treatment.”
“Anyway, he suggests I donate time for the kids at the shelter.”
“Some of those kids were at the ranch the other day. Patrick and Nora have been teaching them to ride.” Cynthia thought about Davy, wondering how he was doing, whether someone was taking care of him, reading him a story and tucking him into bed at night. Or if he was afraid. She shivered. “I got to help, too. So you’re serious about helping out?”
“Yeah,” her sister announced. “It’ll be a nice change from couples bickering over who gets the beach house or the cabin cruiser.” She raised a hand. “Okay, so their money keeps me in a lifestyle I’ve come to love. But I’m realizing there’s something I’ve missed in my life.”
From an early age, Kelly had been the original material girl. “Oh, my, that’s quite a revelation.” Cynthia was thinking the same.
Her sister glanced in her direction, then pulled out onto the street. “What about you, sis? There was a time when you wanted to teach school. I know Mom had pushed you to keep making movies, and we all relied heavily on your financial support, especially me for college. I always wondered if you gave up your dream to give me mine.”
“Oh, Kelly, no.” She touched her sister’s arm. “I was happy that I made enough money to help out the family. If I’d wanted to go to college, I could have.”
Kelly looked doubtful. “Mom didn’t exactly make the decision easy for you. She was good at encouraging guilt. You’ve made her life pretty comfortable. You’ve even helped our father. God, I hate to call that man that.”
“I just helped that one time.”
Cynthia remembered when their father had called her out of the blue. In the previous twelve years he’d never called or paid child support. And they had gone without a lot as kids. She’d ended up giving him money, but only after he promised to stay out of their lives.
“You bought him a house.”
“And it’s all the way across the country,” Cynthia stressed. “He would have sold his story to the media and made our lives a living hell. It was simpler to help him out.”
“When is it going to be time for you, sis? When do you take time for some happiness?”
She laughed. “You make me sound like a martyr. I do plenty for me. I’ve had a great career.”
“But are you happy, Cyn? I don’t think you have been for a long time. You’re in a rough business. It’s cruel and you deserve better. I think finding Patrick could be a good beginning.”
“What are you talking about? Patrick Tanner is teaching me to ride. There’s no beginning.” Cynthia had to push aside any dreams of a man like Patrick in her life. He wanted nothing to do with an actress.
“Not according to Forest. He says Patrick has feelings for you. Of course, he’s just as stubborn as you.”
Cynthia would love it if that were true. “One minute Patrick can barely stand having me around, then the next he’s kissing me. It’s confusing. As things stand now, there’s no future for us.”
“Never say never. Forest let it slip that there was a woman in Patrick’s past. She did quite a number on him and he doesn’t trust easily. You could change that.”
“No, I’m staying clear of the man.” Cynthia had had her fill of his rejection. She didn’t need him telling her again that he didn’t want her.
Why did love have to hurt so badly? Her heart tightened in her chest. Oh, God, no. She sucked in a gasp. She couldn’t be falling in love with the man. But it looked like it was too late. She was well on her way.
Seven
The following day, as usual, Cynthia had gotten up at six o’clock and was downstairs by six-thirty. For a change she decided to fix bacon-and-egg sandwiches for breakfast. She knew that she should be watching her diet, but with the amount of exercise she’d been doing and her NoWait
oil, she could splurge a little.
She had also increased her muscle tone, especially in her legs and rear end. She rubbed her tender bottom. All this was due to the fact that she’d been riding a horse. No wonder cowboys had such great-looking backsides.
When Patrick came through the back door she tried not to be affected by his overwhelming presence, but it didn’t work. Her pulse pounded in her veins as she gave his well-toned body the once-over. She’d worked with a lot of the leading men in Hollywood, but it was Patrick Tanner who made her lose control. Lord, he had her hormones doing a jig.
“Good morning,” she managed.
“Good morning,” he greeted her and took off his hat, causing his blond-streaked hair to fall across his forehead. Cynthia had trouble drawing air into her lungs when he ambled over to the coffeemaker. She quickly took the bread from the toaster and slapped together the makings of a sandwich. Just a few more days and she’d be gone. There would be an end to the temptation.
“I made us egg sandwiches.”
Patrick leaned a hip against the counter and took a sip of his coffee. “Sounds good,” he lied. It didn’t matter what she cooked, he hadn’t had any appetite lately. He eyed Cyndi’s shapely little backside in her jeans and his body stirred. Not for food. He went to the table and sat down. That wasn’t any better. She sat across from him, giving him a perfect view of those incredible brown eyes and that sexy mouth.
Food. He needed to concentrate on food. He reached for his sandwich and took a huge bite, but his gaze was drawn back to her. His eyes lingered on her slender hands and long fingers as she held the bread. Her nails were short. His gaze returned to her face, scrubbed clean of any makeup, her red hair pulled into a no-nonsense braid. There was no sign of the pampered Hollywood starlet he’d once thought she was. Cyndi had worked hard, both at riding and ranch chores, and without complaint.
Patrick identified the problem. He wanted her. Had done every day, every minute since that night at Morgan’s. Nothing he’d done had made it stop, either. For the past few days he’d tried to keep his distance. It wouldn’t have been so hard if he hadn’t had the memories of their one night together. But he’d already known what it was like to touch her, caress her flawless skin, then sink deep inside her. He groaned.
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