Oh, God, he never wanted to see that fear in Cyndi’s eyes.
Patrick opened the barn door and went inside. The dim lights lined a pathway down the concrete aisle. He went to each gate, checked the occupants and stroked them as he made his way to the end stall. He heard a familiar voice coming from Daisy’s quarters. Cyndi.
What was she doing here?
Patrick stood back, not wanting to disturb her, but he couldn’t leave, either. That had been the danger of Cynthia Reynolds. He couldn’t seem to stay away from her. She’d drawn him in from the beginning, more than any woman he’d ever known.
Cyndi’s soft, throaty voice drew him. To whom was she talking? He stepped closer, but stayed in the shadows.
“You don’t understand, Zach,” Cyndi spoke, then glanced down at the papers in her hand.
A script?
“I can’t do this again,” she continued. “I can’t let myself rely on another man. Someone who could make me depend on him. Who could make me weak.” She paced, her head down. “I loved my husband, and I was so alone after Jake was killed I didn’t want to go on.” She raised a small, clenched fist in the air as she continued to read to her audience—Daisy.
“My God! I didn’t even care about my child, my home—nothing. The pain consumed me so that I wanted to die.” Patrick heard tears in Cyndi’s voice. “Please, Zachary, understand if I let myself feel again…I’ll lose myself. And I never want to feel that helpless again, no matter how much I love you. So I can’t marry you, Zachary Payne. I can’t. I just can’t.”
Damn she had him mesmerized.
There was a long silence, then he heard Cyndi blow out a breath. “How’d I do, Daisy?” Her voice was back to normal.
The mare bobbed her head and whinnied softly.
“Oh, Daisy. This is such a great part. I had no idea. I was so busy learning to ride, I forgot the most important thing. The acting. Thanks for your help. Oh, I’m going to miss you,” Cyndi said to the horse. “In a million years I never thought that I’d be able to be this close to a horse. Now I can’t imagine not riding every day. I’m going to miss you and this place, its beauty and peacefulness. And of course I’ll miss Forest, Kevin and Nora.”
Cyndi sniffed and wiped her eyes. “And I need you to do me a favor and look after Davy. That little boy needs someone to care about him. And Patrick, too.” She patted the horse. “Of course you love him. Who wouldn’t love a stubborn, bull-headed, handsome man who takes care of kids and animals? He works too hard and keeps to himself. That’s not good.”
Patrick hated that she could see through him so easily. Hell, he liked his life. He didn’t need anything more. And even if he did, he couldn’t give someone like Cyndi what she needed. She would never be happy here…with him.
Before he could get away, Cyndi stepped out of the stall and saw him. She gasped. “Patrick, what are you doing here?”
He tried to act nonchalant. “It’s my barn.”
Cynthia hugged herself, realizing all she had on was Patrick’s shirt and a pair of sandals. He noticed, too. “I meant, I was just surprised to find anyone here.”
“You shouldn’t have come out here…alone.” He nodded to her attire. “Especially dressed like that.”
“I wasn’t planning on seeing anyone. Just Daisy.”
“I’m not angry.” He came closer. “I was…worried.”
She didn’t want him to be nice. “Don’t, I’m fine. I’ve taken care of myself for a long time.” She started to go by him, but he stopped her.
“Cyndi, don’t go yet.”
“Why? So you can walk away from me instead? Go ahead.” She motioned with her hand, holding her script. He didn’t move.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you earlier.”
She ignored his half-assed apology. “I shouldn’t have been surprised. You laid it all out for me from the first day. Our relationship was only business.” She started off, but didn’t get far.
“But I didn’t know how much I was going to come to care about you.”
She closed her eyes. He’d finally said the words she’d been longing to hear, but too late. Much too late. “Patrick, don’t say anything you don’t mean.”
“It’s true. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not good with words. I’ve enjoyed being with you. You’ve made me laugh and it’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about it. I care about you. I’m just not good at the commitment thing.”
“I didn’t ask for one,” Cynthia said, though she knew she wanted one. Wasn’t that what women in love wanted? More than a few days or weeks with this man? But she doubted a lifetime with Patrick would be enough.
“I know you didn’t.” He came closer. “Do you think we can go back to before? Even if we’re just friends?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You want to be friends?”
“If that’s what you want.”
God that hurt. How could he turn off so completely? “If you don’t want me…”
There was a deep groan as he reached for her and drew her against him. “Dammit, Cyndi. Are you trying to drive me out of my mind? Of course I want you. With my every breath.”
“Oh,” she managed, right before his mouth silenced her. Things were looking up. His tongue swept inside before she could think. But she didn’t want to think, only feel. His hands slid down her sides, inch by inch, molding her to him.
She whimpered when his mouth left hers. His gaze locked with hers, relaying his need. He swung her up into his arms and carried her into the stall where they stored bales of hay. “Ever heard the term a roll in the hay?”
“What is this NoWait stuff?” Patrick picked the bottle off her dresser the next morning. He’d begun to read the label when Cyndi snatched it away.
“I can’t go giving away all my secrets,” she told him. They might be sleeping together these past few days, but she wasn’t about to confess all her insecurities. “What’s my guarantee that you won’t sell the info to the tabloids?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Like that’s going to happen.” He leaned against the doorjamb, fresh from the shower, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. Every girl’s fantasy—a near-naked, sexy man in her bedroom.
He came to her. “You don’t need anything to enhance your beauty.” Those powerful blue eyes searched her face. “I happen to like the natural look.” He nodded to the bottle. “What is it? Some miracle oil to take off ten years?”
She felt helpless not to tell him the truth. “Ten pounds,” she finally confessed. “It’s to help take off ten pounds. That’s what the camera adds to my body.”
He frowned, then tossed her a slightly crooked grin. “You’ve got to be kidding. Your body is perfect.” His gaze traveled over her, and his hands cupped her breasts through the T-shirt she’d confiscated from him. “See, they fit perfectly.” His eyes darkened as his fingers skimmed downward over her stomach. The sensation caused her to suck in a breath as goose bumps rose on her skin. He didn’t stop his torturous journey, continuing over her hips, then he splayed his fingers, digging into her flesh, drawing her against his hard body.
She gasped.
“See? We fit perfectly.” His head dipped and feasted on her mouth. By the time he ended the kiss, they were both breathing hard.
“I haven’t been using it lately,” she confessed.
“Using what?” His mouth caressed hers.
“NoWait.” She couldn’t believe the things he was doing to her. “I haven’t been exercising, either.”
“Now, I wouldn’t say that. We had a pretty good workout last night.” He teased her lower lip with his tongue. “And this morning.” He deepened the kiss, causing her desire to heighten. With a groan, he released her. “And if I don’t show up this morning, Forest will come after me.”
He grabbed his shirt off the dresser and slipped it on. After buttoning it, he tucked it into his jeans.
He walked back to her. “You better never play po
ker, sweetheart. You’re too easy to read. And if I wasn’t expecting a mare to arrive in about fifteen minutes, I’d give you just what you’re asking for with those incredible brown eyes.” His gaze intensified as he hugged her to him. “Damn if I don’t want you again.”
“Well, we seem to have a lot in common, because I want you, too.” She kissed him.
He finally let her go. “Take your time getting ready. I won’t be finished for at least an hour. We’ll go riding then.” He sent her a wink and walked out the door.
Cynthia sank onto the mattress and tried to clear her head. She had come here to learn to ride, and she had, but in less than forty-eight hours she’d be going back to L.A. for the audition.
To read for the movie role of a lifetime.
She glanced at the script on the table beside the bed. It didn’t seem as important as it once had, before she’d taken the time to find that life had other things to offer, like a man to love.
Patrick finally got Bert Nichols to go home. It had taken him over an hour to assure the man that his mare would be just fine and well cared for while here. He understood Bert’s concern, but Patrick found it difficult to be patient when all he could think about was spending time with Cyndi.
He glanced at the house. Was she going to come down and ride? There was only today and tomorrow left. Then she’d be gone. His chest tightened. He knew it was for the best. Even though their time together had been near-perfect. No, it had been perfect. The days…their nights together. His body stirred, but he quickly shook away the feeling. No, it had to end. It was nearly time to move on.
Cyndi would go on location with her movie. He’d stay here and work the ranch, build his vineyard. That was exactly how he wanted it.
“Hey, Pat.”
Patrick turned to see Forest coming out to the corral. “What is it?”
“Are you going to be around today?”
“I’m taking Cyndi riding, but we should be close by. Why?”
The foreman shrugged. “Thought we’d planned to move the herd today. Kevin’s available this afternoon. The three of us could get it done in a few hours.”
Patrick really didn’t want to take the time today. “Wouldn’t hurt to put it off a few days. Why don’t you just go and check out the situation?”
“I could.” Forest smiled. “So you want to spend as much time as possible with Cyndi. Can’t say I blame you.”
As close as he and Forest were, Patrick thought he’d managed to hide a lot from his friend. He should’ve known better. “She wants to fine-tune some things.”
Forest winked. “So that’s what you call it.” He raised a hand. “Hey, it’s okay. Those Reynolds sisters are special. Sexy, intelligent, sexy and funny and beautiful. Did I mention sexy?”
Patrick laughed. “Yes, you did.”
His friend sobered. “Cyndi makes you happy. For that, she’s pretty special in my book.”
“And in two days, she’ll be gone.”
“But not forgotten,” Forest finished for him.
That was the problem. It would take him a long time to forget Cynthia Reynolds. Maybe he never would.
He was brought back to reality when he heard Cyndi call out his name. She was standing at the edge of the corral, dressed in jeans and a blue blouse with that long red hair glistening in the sunlight.
As he had been able to do so many times, Patrick pushed aside his feelings and went to greet her. No, he wasn’t going to brood about something that couldn’t be changed.
“Hi,” she said. Her hands slipped into the back pockets of her jeans. “You want me to saddle Daisy?”
“No.” He couldn’t resist any longer. He lifted her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. When he set her back down, she looked dazed.
“That was…a nice greeting.” She looked over his shoulder at Forest. “Aren’t we going to ride today?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I thought we’d try something different.” He guided her to the barn and Ace’s stall. He got a bridle and slipped it on the horse, then walked him out to the corral.
“You’ve only ridden Daisy. That might not be a good thing because when you start the movie, you’ll have to ride another horse anyway. So I thought we’d try you on Ace, who’s a little more spirited.”
Cynthia was nervous. Ace was bigger than Daisy and he was a stallion. But she trusted Patrick. The man wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
“Do you want me to get his saddle?” She started off toward the barn.
“No. I thought we’d go without.”
“Bareback?”
“Yeah, it’s fun. You can do it.”
She loved his confidence. “Okay, what do I do?”
He gave her the reins and showed her how to grip Ace’s mane. “I’ll give you a boost up.” He bent over and laced his fingers together. She placed her booted foot there and easily was lifted up onto the horse.
When Ace shifted under her, she automatically tugged the reins to bring him back. It was strange to feel the warmth of the animal through her jeans. Then Patrick grabbed a handful of the mane and swung up behind her.
“Just pretend I’m not here,” he said as his hard body pushed against hers, sending a warm shiver through her.
She glanced over her shoulder to catch his grin. “Like that’s going to happen.”
“Are you saying I’m bothering you?” His arms circled her waist and brought her closer to him.
She wasn’t able to concentrate on the horse. “You’re a little distracting.”
“Woman, you’ve been distracting me since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
Cynthia smiled as Patrick called to Forest to open the gate and she directed the horse out to the pasture.
She was enjoying the easy stride, feeling every movement of the horse. “Where are we going to go?”
“That’s up to you. Anywhere you want. Ace can handle our weight if we don’t run him for long.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to run him at all.” She directed the horse to the trail that led to the line shack. For whatever reason, she liked to think about Patrick being there. It seemed like his haven. Maybe she just wanted to create some more memories for him. Good memories that would take away the sadness from his eyes. The sadness that he’d covered with anger to keep people at a distance.
She would give anything to break through that barrier and let her love him.
Ten
Time was running out for them, but Cynthia refused to think about that right now. Their last few days together had been too perfect and too fragile to bring up anything about a future.
Cynthia had to accept the present for what it was. During their short ride to the cabin, she enjoyed Patrick’s playfulness, his touches, caresses and sexy talk. Neither of them brought up her upcoming departure.
By the time they reached the line shack, Cynthia had no doubt that they’d make love. If she couldn’t share his life, she wanted to leave something of herself in a place that was so special to him. She hoped that whenever Patrick came here, he would think of her.
Within seconds of the door closing, they stripped off their clothes. Then Patrick unrolled the mattress on the bottom bunk, spread a blanket, and before he had her on her back, she was in his arms. A giving lover, he made the outside go away. Nothing else existed but his urgent need. His wild mouth and wicked hands coaxed her to behave like a woman very unlike Cynthia Reynolds, to do things she would never do with anyone but Patrick.
When he pulled her beneath him, she saw the depth of desire in his blue eyes, saw the controlled strain on his face. She met his first thrust, wrapped her legs around him, trying to take him deeper and deeper into her soul. He whispered something about how sweet and sexy she was as he began to build the rhythm, increasing her pleasure. Her breathing grew rapid as she climbed higher, then a cry erupted from her throat as she flew apart. A rough sound exploded from Patrick as he joined her journey. Together they soared.
Afterward, Cynthia lay curled up in Pat
rick’s arms. She couldn’t seem to stop the tears. Her emotions were crazy. She knew without a doubt that she’d never loved anyone the way she loved Patrick.
His arms tightened around her. “What’s wrong?”
She quickly wiped away the tears. “Nothing.”
He raised up and looked at her. “Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?”
She took his hand and brought it to her lips. “No, you were perfect. It’s just that sometimes afterwards the emotions…just overflow.”
His sapphire gaze searched her face. Then he placed his fingers along her cheek. “I never want to hurt you.”
She covered his hand. “I know that, Patrick.” But he would, when he let her walk away. She placed a kiss on his lips, wanting to be close to him, to shut out the rest of the world for a little while longer. It would invade soon enough. The kiss deepened and his hands began to stroke her again. Their breathing grew ragged and he trailed kisses down her body. She arched her back, selfishly wanting everything from this man, and it wasn’t long before she dissolved in pleasure once again.
“Patrick! I love you,” she cried out.
She knew that had been a mistake when Patrick pulled away. For a long time there was only silence. She couldn’t stand it. “Patrick?”
He didn’t look at her as he stood. “We need to get back.” He began to slip on his clothes. After shoving his feet into his boots, he headed toward the door. Without turning around, he spoke. “I’ll wait outside.”
Patrick’s hands were shaking so badly he had to dig them into his pockets as he walked to the creek.
She loved him.
He shut his eyes as his heart thudded in his chest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was only to be a fling, then she’d go on her way, move on with the rest of her life. And he’d have some memories of their unbelievable time together. There weren’t supposed to be any lasting feelings, but even he knew there would be. Cynthia Reynolds would be hard enough to get out of his head…and his heart.
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