by Sara Orwig
“Try the places we’ve suggested,” Wyatt said.
“Frankly, I think the buried treasure is just a crazy myth,” Tony said. “I’ll be shocked if you find anything.”
“You may be right,” Jake replied, “but I’ve thought about this off and on the past couple of years. Right now I have some time when I can get away, so I’m glad the Milans are letting a Calhoun onto their land,” he said, smiling at Madison, who smiled in return.
“Let us know how it comes out,” Wyatt said, heading for the back door.
Madison and Jake followed. Wyatt and Tony each put on his hat and on the porch, Jake shook hands with first one and then the other.
“Thanks again for not objecting to my search.”
“You’re agreeing to give us the treasure if you find it and we’ll get our ancestors’ bones, too. Sounds like a good deal to me,” Wyatt said, his blue eyes searching Jake’s.
“Right. I hope to find the deed that gives us some McCracken land. He won’t miss it. He has a big ranch.”
“Well, I better get on home,” Wyatt said.
“I have to go, too,” Tony said. “I’m going out tonight.”
As the brothers went down the porch steps, Jake and Madison stood at the top step watching them go. Jake wanted to drape his arm around her, but he fought the impulse.
As soon as they stepped inside, he reached behind him to close the door and lock it and then he turned to face her. She had walked away a few steps.
“Madison, come here,” he said in a deep voice.
She turned and he didn’t wait for her. He closed the distance between them and took her into his arms.
Eight
Madison’s heart skipped a beat and she drew a deep breath. She was in Jake’s arms—where she’d fantasized about being all night. More than anything she wanted his kisses. Right now. She gave no thought to the future, to a relationship with him; she thought only of this moment. She felt desire and a need to wipe out the years of bad feelings between them. “I want to forget,” she said, looking up at him. “I want our loving to destroy the bad memories, the anger and hurt for both of us.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “In some ways, it’s as if we just met and in some ways, it’s as if I’ve known you forever.”
Before she could answer, he leaned closer and his mouth covered hers, making her forget conversation.
She tightened her arms around his waist, holding him close, kissing him passionately in return, her heartbeat racing. Desire swept through her as she ran her hands over his back and then tugged his shirt out of his jeans.
Clothing was an unwanted barrier. While he continued to kiss her, he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom, where he stood her on her feet.
“Jake,” she whispered, stepping back to unbuckle his belt, wanting to make love while at the same time wanting to prolong the kisses and caresses for hours. It was Jake she was making love to and that seemed the best thing possible and so incredibly right.
They made love all through the night and when she woke right before dawn, she found herself lying against him, their legs entangled, her head in the hollow of his shoulder, her hair spread over his shoulder, arm and chest. Jake held her with one arm and combed long strands of her hair from her face. Rising on his elbow, he tucked her against him and smiled down at her while he continued to comb her hair from her face in slow, feathery strokes that made her tingle.
“You are so beautiful, Maddie.”
“Thank you.” She smiled sleepily. “You’re the only person who has ever called me Maddie. I like it.”
“Good. You were right, what you said. Making love to you does help soften the past. It’s a rediscovery of you, but we’re both different people now. You can never get back the past.”
“I know you can’t,” she said. “We can’t go back and pick up from where we were.”
He shook his head. “No. We can start from here and see where we go, and so far, it’s good.”
They were both quiet, her thoughts in turmoil over the revelations and changes, the emotional upheavals again in her life. What did she feel for Jake now? Would she ever rekindle the feelings she’d had for him?
She couldn’t answer her own questions. There had been so much hurt and anger between them; once that was gone, what did they have? In some ways she barely knew him. Their lives had gone separate ways.
She sat up and pulled a sheet beneath her arms, turning to look down at him.
“I’ve decided we’ll talk to you about leasing land on my ranch.”
For a moment he was silent while his eyes narrowed. “All right. I’ll let someone know. We’ll set up an appointment with you.”
He pulled her down again beside him. They were both silent and she suspected the moment had changed for him as much as it had for her.
“Thanks for the change of heart.”
“Now that I know the truth, why wouldn’t I talk to you about leasing our land? Our lives have had another monumental change.”
He drew her close to hold her and they were both quiet. Finally she moved away and again pulled the sheet under her arms. Holding it close, she stepped out of bed. “Today is Sunday and I’ll go to church. You and the guys can search. I don’t care. I told Stoney and Darren to go to church if they want.”
“I’ll go home and regroup, then. That’s what my guys did last night.”
Smiling, she walked out of the room, aware of his gaze still on her and the questions still in her mind. She didn’t know the answers. All she knew was she didn’t want to lose him a second time.
Upstairs, she gathered fresh clothes and went to shower, moving routinely, her thoughts still wrapped up in Jake and the changes that had transpired. Already, she wanted to get back with him and she wanted more of his kisses and lovemaking.
* * *
Jake showered, shaved and pulled on fresh clothes. All the time he dressed he thought about Madison and her willingness to talk to his company about leasing Milan land.
He sent a text to Lindsay and to his brothers to tell them about the change in events. He also explained that he had told Madison the truth and she had flown to Dallas to confront her father and the judge had verified it.
Lindsay answered promptly with a brief text: Hooray!
He got a congratulatory one from Josh, while Mike urged him to get a lease signed soon.
He glanced out the window, but instead of seeing the land spreading away from the house, he saw her green eyes and lush body. What did he really feel for her?
He couldn’t answer his own question. Lust was paramount now. Already he wanted to make love to her again. He couldn’t get enough of her, and her appetite for lovemaking seemed as insatiable as his, which made him desire her even more.
He combed his hair and went to find her.
* * *
On Monday they spent another day searching and finding nothing except dirt, roots and rocks. At the house, Jessie Lou had the night off, and Jake had agreed to grill steaks.
Madison turned when she heard Jake enter the kitchen and her heart missed a beat. His black shirt emphasized his muscles and his dark eyes and hair, his broad shoulders. She thought about their lovemaking and fought the urge to go kiss him.
“Want a drink?” she asked instead.
“I’ll get a beer. I’ll pour wine for you.”
“Just a small glass, thanks. I have the steaks ready for you to grill.” They got drinks and he carried the steaks outside. While they waited for the grill to get hot, they sat with their drinks.
“Whenever you want, we can set a time to discuss leasing land.”
She was surprised. “Don’t you need to look it over first?”
He shook his head. “We’re far more familiar with this ranch than you’d guess. Several ranche
s around here, in fact. Geologists have studied this area off and on through the past three years. This isn’t the only likely spot, but it’s a choice one.”
“My, oh, my. I knew nothing about that.”
He smiled. “Enough about business. You look great,” he said, pulling his chair close to hers and holding her hand. “I want to take you out soon. Some night when we haven’t spent a day digging and searching for treasure.”
“Name the time.” She grinned as she said, “We’ll start all sorts of rumors the first time we’re seen together. Has word gotten back to your parents in California?”
“Not yet, but I imagine it will by tomorrow from Lindsay.”
“Lindsay,” Madison repeated his sister’s name. “I’ll bet she’s not one bit happy. Lindsay does not like the Milans and I’ll have to admit that Tony probably makes things worse.”
“That he does. I know that for a fact. Don’t pay any attention. She’ll be friendly if I am.” He paused to raise her hand and brush a feathery kiss on her palm. His breath was warm, his kiss making her tingle. She drew a deep breath and wanted to be in his arms. He looked up into her eyes while he continued to hold her hand.
“You’re definitely hungry?” he asked in a raspy voice.
“I’m famished,” she whispered, looking at his mouth. He wanted to make love. His dark eyes conveyed his desire and she responded. Her body grew warmer, and she wanted to step over and sit in his lap. “Jake, we should eat,” she whispered.
“Come here, Maddie,” he said, taking her drink from her other hand to set it on a table. His fingers tightened around her hand and he tugged lightly. She stood and he pulled her closer, down to his lap, where he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
In minutes she pushed against his chest and sat back. “Jake, we’re not wasting dinner.” She could barely say the words. She stood and walked away from him.
He followed and stepped to the grill to put the steaks on.
“I’ll get the rest of the dinner on the table,” she said, going inside. She inhaled deeply, trying to cool herself, to get through dinner before it got burned or wasted, but she couldn’t stop thinking about afterward and making love the rest of the night. Once again those nagging questions bombarded her, questions about a potential relationship with Jake, about a future. She banished them from her mind and glanced outside to see him standing in front of the grill while a dark cloud of smoke rose and dissipated into the air. Jake was incredibly handsome. It was difficult to think about dinner when all she wanted was to go back to bed.
The steaks were thick, juicy, delicious, but after a few bites her appetite vanished.
“You’ll go back to Dallas soon, won’t you?” she asked him. “I’ve been told you’re rarely at the ranch.”
“That’s right. I’d like to be here, but I’m too busy. I’ve blocked out this week and next week. How long are you here on the ranch before you’ll go to New Mexico?”
“I go after Christmas to New Mexico and come back here in late spring for about a month.”
“Any chance you’ll stay in Dallas some of that time?”
“Maybe,” she said, smiling at him.
“I want to see you after this search is over.”
“I’d like that,” she replied. They gazed in silence at each other. She could see desire in his dark eyes while all she wanted was to be in his arms.
“I don’t think you’re any hungrier than I am,” he said. “I seem to remember that I was promised a visit to your suite upstairs, but that’s never happened.”
She stood and he came to his feet at the same time. “That’s because we never get that far when heading to a bedroom. C’mon. I’ll show you around my digs.”
Smiling, he joined her, draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her close against him. She was aware of his height, his warmth. She tingled with anticipation and fought the urge to stop to kiss him now.
“When I’m in Dallas or farther away and I call you, I want to be able to envision you in your room. Right now that’s a blank.”
“So you’re going to call me?”
“Yes, I am,” he said, turning her to face him as they stopped at the foot of the stairs. “I want to see where this is going.” His gaze roamed over her features. “We’re not the same people we were and we have a lot that has happened between us.”
“In some ways we hardly know each other at all.”
“That’s right, but what I know, I like,” he said, his voice getting husky and her heartbeat quickening while her gaze went to his mouth.
“That tour upstairs is going to have to wait a little longer,” he whispered before he leaned down to kiss away her reply.
* * *
Over an hour later they were still in the bed in his suite. They were lying facing each other and she loved the feel of him toying with long strands of her hair.
“You know, Maddie, I haven’t even seen your artwork except the few pictures you showed me downstairs. You’re a famous, successful artist but I’ve always ignored your publicity. You must have other artwork here. You must have a studio somewhere in this house, too. By the way, I haven’t seen the whole house, either.”
“I think it’s your fault that we have limited our seeing the house to the kitchen, the family room, library and your bedroom.”
He grinned, flashing snow-white, even teeth. Locks of his dark hair fell over his forehead. “I want to see your bedroom and your studio.”
“Then I suggest we get dressed and you keep your hands to yourself and I will try to do the same.”
“Keep your hands to myself?” he said.
“You know what I meant.” Aware of his steady gaze, she stepped out of bed and began to pick up her clothing. “I will go up and shower and you come up when you’re ready.”
“Or we could save time and shower here and both go up together.”
“I don’t really think that would be a time-saver at all. See you upstairs,” she said as she left the room.
She showered, dressed in cutoffs and pulled on a bright pink T-shirt. As she brushed her hair, she heard a light knock.
“Anybody home?” Jake stood in the doorway. He was barefoot, wearing jeans and shirtless.
“Oh, honey,” she said, crossing the sitting area to him to wrap one arm around his waist and run her hand over his muscled chest. “I would never keep a handsome man like you out,” she drawled in a sultry rasp.
He grinned and started to lean down to kiss her. She moved back. “I’ll give you the tour first,” she said, taking his hand and walking into the hall. She released his hand to wave her fingers. “To the east is the wing with three bedrooms and one smaller bedroom suite. Here in the center of the house...” She glanced at him and momentarily lost her train of thought. Jake had stepped back, leaning one shoulder against the wall with his feet crossed and a hand on his hip while his gaze roamed slowly over her legs.
She tingled and forgot the tour. Her mouth went dry and the temperature around her spiked. “Jake, you’re not paying attention,” she whispered.
“Oh, I’m paying real close attention. Those are the best-looking legs in Texas and that is saying a lot.”
“Thank you, but I believe you’re ready for glasses. I can’t live up to that description,” she said, crossing the distance to him. “Do you want the tour or not?”
He looked down at her, his gaze going to her mouth, and her heart skipped a beat. She tightened her arm around his waist, turning her face up slightly.
“Yeah, give me the tour,” he replied and his voice was as raspy as her own.
Surprised, because his words did not match his actions, she waved her hand in a semicircle. “Here in the center are two large bedroom suites. One was my parents’ all the years we were growing up and they still stay there if they come to vis
it me.” She moved on to another bedroom suite. “I have taken this one because it’s so large and more convenient than being in one of the wings. Now to the west wing,” she said, facing west. “There are four more middle-size bedroom suites. One was mine growing up, one was Wyatt’s, one was Nick’s and one was Tony’s. Although Nick rarely sees his ranch, they all have their own ranches now and my dad deeded this one to me. Nick prefers Dallas and Austin. I think he keeps his ranch for an investment.”
“You said they gave you the ranch three years ago?”
“Yes, after they started living in Dallas so much. I was out of school and beginning to do well with my painting and Dad said he was giving me the ranch partially because of the success I had made of my art. He helped the others buy their ranches.”
“Did it ever occur to you that he might have been so generous to make up for what he did when you were going to elope?”
Startled, she stared at Jake as she shook her head. “No. No, I don’t think so.”
Jake looked around, dropping the subject.
“Down this hall past the bedrooms is a large room I’ve had converted into a studio,” she said, leading him into a room that had tables, two oversize sinks, easels, racks with brushes and tubes of paint. Canvases, some finished, some in various stages from pencil sketches, were on easels, propped on the floor and hanging on the walls.
He walked over to look at them. “You’re really very talented,” he said. “I’m impressed.”
“I’m glad,” she said, smiling at him. “Now, back to my suite.” She took his hand and they entered her suite, where she paused to look around.
She glanced at the familiar surroundings of the sitting room, the red, white and green decor, the antique mahogany furniture, the polished plank floor with a thick red area rug in the center. He followed her to an adjoining room, where she held out her hand, waving toward the bedroom.
She walked inside with him, where the same red, white and green decor was used. A four-poster mahogany queen-size bed stood in the center of the room. As she turned to say something to him, the words never came. Looking at her mouth, Jake stepped close to slip his arms around her.