The Durango Affair

by Brenda Jackson

  She chuckled. “Anyone who appreciates good art…as well as a good-looking man. Besides, I think it would be a great idea for a charity fund-raiser. I can see you as Mr. February.”

  He lifted a brow. “Why Mr. February?”

  She shrugged, and then said, “I think of you as Mr. February because that’s the month this is, and so far it’s been a good one—morning sickness and all. Also, February makes you think of hearts, and it was this month I heard a heart…the one belonging to our baby…so, you being Mr. February makes sense even if what I just said doesn’t.”

  Durango looked at her with understanding because to him everything she said did make sense. No matter how long their marriage lasted or when it ended, the month of February would always have a special meaning to them. Without saying anything else he undid the top button while she snapped away with her camera.

  “Sexy. Yes, that was one sexy pose,” she said, looking up at him, deciding she’d taken enough pictures of him for now. Just then her pulse quickened due to the totally male look he was giving her.

  “You think so?”

  “Yes,” she said, unzipping the case to put her camera in. “I have to admit it was fun. When did you decide to get into photography?” he asked, leaning against the wooden rail of the outside deck.

  Savannah glanced up at him. A great expanse of mountain range was in the background and for a heartbeat of a minute she was tempted to pull her camera out again. He was giving her another sexy pose.

  “When I was a teen…sixteen, I think,” she said. “My grandparents bought me my first camera and I drove everybody crazy with it by taking pictures whether I had their permission or not. I caught Mom, Rico and Jessica in some very embarrassing moments.”

  “Um, should I be worried?” he asked, grinning.

  Savannah laughed. “No, I’ve grown up a lot since that time. Now I’m harmless.”

  Harmless? Durango wasn’t so sure about that. Since Savannah had come into his life, nothing had been the same. The people he worked with couldn’t believe it when he’d made the announcement that morning that he had gotten married. A number of them thought he was joking until Savannah had shown up at the ranger station at noon for their lunch date. Then he’d seen both understanding and envy in a lot of the guys’ eyes. He wondered what those same coworkers would think a year from now when he and Savannah went their separate ways.

  “I hope you like what I cooked for dinner.”

  Savannah’s words intruded, reclaiming his thoughts. “I’m sure I will. But you didn’t have to go to any trouble. I could have fixed something when I got in.”

  She laughed. “It’s the least I can do while you’re at work every day. I’m not used to being home all day. In fact, I pitched the calendar idea to my boss. If he approves the project, I’ll be busy. Do you think your coworkers will mind having their pictures taken?”

  Durango shook his head and grinned. “No, they’ll probably get a kick out of it. The thought of being featured on a calendar will boost a few of their egos, I’m sure.”

  He studied her, sensing something was bothering her. He hadn’t picked up on it earlier, but now without a camera in her hand it was becoming obvious. He couldn’t help wondering if she oftentimes used her camera as an emotional shield.

  “Did something happen today that I should know about, Savannah? Does it have anything to do with your mother or your brother?”

  He knew her mother was still in Paris and Savannah had spoken to her the day before. She hadn’t reached her brother until later in the day. He had been surprised but happy with her news and was looking forward to their visit to Philly.

  Durango watched as she took a deep breath and said, “No, it’s not about my family.”

  He nodded. That could only mean one thing. It was about his. “Did someone in my family call you today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  He saw the small smile that touched her lips before she said, “It would probably be easier to ask who didn’t. You have a rather large family.”

  Large and overwhelming, Durango thought, giving her his full attention. “And?”

  “And…er…everyone, although surprised by the news we had gotten married, seemed genuinely sincere in wishing us the best, which made me feel like a phony.”

  He understood her ambivalence because he’d felt the same way at work today. “You’re not a phony. Our decision to have a temporary marriage is our business and no one else’s.”

  “Yes, I know…but.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “But what?”

  “But everyone was so nice. Even your cousin Delaney called all the way from the Middle East. And all the Westmoreland spouses, those married to your cousins and brother, called to welcome me into the family. They said from this day forward we would all be sisters. It was the same welcome Jessica told me they gave her. Do you know how that made me feel?”

  She was staring at him with a strained expression on her face. He smiled at her. “No, how did that made you feel?”

  “Special. I’ve always dreamed of belonging to a huge family, but it’s not for real. Do you know what I’m saying? Am I making much sense?”

  Yes, he knew what she was saying and she was making plenty of sense. He remembered that one of the main reasons she had agreed to marry him was that she wanted their child to have something she’d never had—a chance to belong to a large family; a family who would always be there for you through the good times or bad; a family who stuck together no matter what; a family that instilled strong values in future generations and a family who proved time and time again that when the going got tough, they didn’t get going. They rallied around each other and gave their support.

  “Yes, I understand,” he said, after expelling a deep breath. “No matter what, there will always be a bond between us because of our child. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I know it, but I still feel like I’m being deceitful and that bothers me.”

  Not for the first time, Durango compared Savannah with Tricia. The more he did so, the more he was discovering there was no comparison. Both were city girls for sure, but where being deceitful actually bothered Savannah, Tricia hadn’t shown any remorse when she’d looked him dead in the eyes and told him that she’d played him for a fool.

  “I’m going to put dinner on the table now, Durango. I’ll let you know when everything is ready.”

  Feeling her need to change the subject, he asked, “Need my help?”

  “No. I can manage.”

  Moments after Savannah left, Durango turned to gaze out at the mountains. Today was a clear winter day and what he saw was breathtaking, a sight to behold, and it provided such a picturesque view that it made him appreciate his decision to settle down in these parts years ago.

  He’d always found comfort in looking at the mountains when something weighed heavily on his mind and today Savannah was weighing heavily on his mind.

  Although he had decided that Tricia’s and Savannah’s characters weren’t anything alike, he still felt as though he was reliving the past. It had been so quick, too easy to fall in love with Tricia, and he had done so, proudly wearing his heart on his sleeve. But once she had ripped that sleeve, he had decided it could never be repaired. Under no circumstances would he allow himself to be that vulnerable again.

  Durango knew the difference between lust and love and right now what he felt for Savannah was nothing more than lust. She had caught his eye from the first; they had made love, made a baby, and now they were married. But still the very thing that had drawn them together from the start was good old-fashioned lust. And they were taking it to a whole other level. Just the thought of what they had shared over the past few days made his breath catch, and last night, through the wee hours of the morning, had been the epitome of perfection.

  He would be the first to admit that during one of those moments, a part of him had analyzed, fantasized, even had gone so far as to consider the idea of more th
an a year with her. But then that rip in his sleeve, that deep gash in his heart, had reminded him that there were some things in life that a man never got over. The pain he had suffered that one time had completely closed his mind to the prospect of ever loving again.

  That’s the way it was and that’s the way it would stay.

  Later that night Durango and Savannah sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace. They had eaten and showered and were ready to relax.

  “Dinner tasted wonderful tonight, Savannah.”

  She smiled over at him. “Thanks. That’s my grandmother’s favorite dish,” she said of the steak and baked potatoes she had prepared.

  “So,” Durango said, stretching out to lie on his side. “How do you suggest we spend the rest of the evening?”

  She grinned at him and said teasingly, “I could take more pictures.”

  “I don’t think so. Let’s think of doing something else.”

  “Something like what?”

  “Something like finding out just how hot things can get between us.”

  His words made her pulse quicken and she watched his mouth tilt into a very seductive smile. “Um, what do you have in mind?” she asked, meeting his gaze and holding it tight.

  “Come here and let me show you,” he said, reaching out and gently snagging her wrist to bring her on the floor beside him. She watched his every movement as he removed her robe. “Aren’t you curious about the next step?” he asked.

  She glanced down at his lap and saw the size of his arousal through his robe and immediately, her feminine muscles clenched in appreciation and anticipation. “No, I have an idea how this is going to get played out,” she said, her breath almost catching in her throat.

  “Good.”

  “But I do have one request,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “What?”

  “Let me take off your robe.”

  He smiled. “Go for it.”

  When she had removed his robe she took her tongue and licked a section of his shoulder before she drew back and looked at him. “You have a beautiful body.”

  He chuckled. “You think so?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks, and I think you have a beautiful body, as well, and it’s a body that I want to get all into.”

  “Well, in that case…”

  He moved closer to her, growled low in his throat as he nudged her on her back. Like a leopard on the prowl, he cornered his prey and when he had her just where he wanted her he whispered softly, “Now it’s my turn to lick.”

  And he did just that, starting with the insides of her thighs before moving to savor another part of her.

  “Durango!”

  Only when he was nearly intoxicated with the taste of her did he ease his body over hers to take her hard and fast, putting everything he had into each mind-wrenching thrust and watching her features glow with the pleasure he was giving her. And when he felt the quivering deep in her womb where his child nestled, he threw his head back and rocked furiously against her the same way she was rocking against him.

  It pleased him immensely to know she was on fire, but only for him and with him. And when she arched against him and groaned from deep within her throat, he felt those same sensations that engulfed her rip through him as one hell of an orgasm slammed into him, lifting him to a place he’d never been before, pushing him high above the clouds, the earth, the entire universe.

  And when he drove into her again and then again, he was met with an immense feeling of satisfaction. Knowing she was reaching the same level of mind-shattering pleasure as he was put him in total awe of everything they were sharing. He couldn’t get enough of her. She was simply amazing. A city girl by day and a mountain wildcat by night.

  And as she continued to pull everything out of him, take what he’d never given another female, he could only think of the remaining months they would be together and knew when she left, his life would never be the same.

  “Get some rest, baby. I’m going to my office for a while,” Durango whispered in Savannah’s ear. After making love in front of the fireplace, he had picked her up in his arms to carry her into the bedroom and tucked her into bed. Quietly closing the door behind him, he went downstairs to his office.

  He immediately walked over to the window. The moon’s light cast a beautiful glow on the mountains, giving him a feeling of warmth, and for a while he stood there thinking that things couldn’t get any better than this. He loved where he lived, he enjoyed his job and for a short while he wasn’t living alone.

  Sharing dinner with Savannah had been wonderful and afterward they had showered together as if it was the most natural thing to do. But nothing could top the lovemaking that had come later. It seemed that each and every time they came together was better than the last, and that thought was beginning to bother him.

  Deciding he didn’t want to dwell on it any longer, he was about to take a seat behind his huge desk when the phone rang. So it wouldn’t disturb Savannah, he quickly picked it up, not bothering to check caller ID as he normally did. “Hello.”

  “What the hell is going on, Durango?”

  He leaned back in his chair, recognizing his oldest brother’s voice immediately. “Jared. And how are things with you?”

  “Cut the crap and answer my question.”

  Durango rolled his eyes. Jared, the attorney, was his no-nonsense brother. Marriage had softened him some, but he was still a hard case. “What makes you think something is going on?”

  “You got married.”

  Durango smiled. Yes, that would say it all. “It was time, don’t you think? You seemed happy, so I decided to try it.”

  “And you want me to believe that?”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Well, I don’t.”

  “Figures.”

  “And Ian isn’t talking.”

  Durango smiled. “That’s good.”

  “Mom’s overjoyed, of course,” Jared Westmoreland went on to say. “I think she e-mailed every single family member those pictures she got over the Internet.”

  “Okay, Ian’s not talking, but Mom’s happy, so what’s your problem, Jared?”

  “I want to know why you did it.”

  “The reason I told you earlier wasn’t good enough?”

  “No.”

  He wasn’t surprised. Of his five brothers, it was Jared who knew him the best. He could never pull anything over the brother who was nearly three years older and to Durango’s way of thinking, plenty wiser. Whereas other relatives would cautiously buy the story that he and Savannah had fabricated, he immediately thought of three members of the Westmoreland family who would not. Jared and his cousins Dare and Stone.

  The attorney in Jared would put up an argument no matter what Durango said, and because Dare—the current sheriff of College Park, Georgia—was a former FBI agent, he had a tendency to be suspicious of just about everything.

  And Durango dreaded the call he knew he would eventually get from his cousin Stone. He and Stone were only months apart in age and had always been close. Durango figured the only reason Stone hadn’t called yet to give him hell was because he and his wife, Madison, were somewhere in Europe on a book promotion tour.

  “Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or will I have to take drastic measures and start an investigation?” Jared asked, breaking into Durango’s thoughts.

  “Um, what drastic measures would those be?”

  “How does catching the next plane to Montana to check out things for myself sound?”

  Not too good. Durango sighed, knowing Jared was dead serious and because of that he decided to come clean. “Savannah is pregnant.”

  He heard his brother’s deep sigh. Then for a few moments Jared was silent, evidently taking it all in.

  “How far along?” Jared finally asked.

  “Going into her third month.”

  Silence again. Then Jared said, “It happened Christmas night.”
>
  Durango lifted an eyebrow. “How did you know?”

  “For Pete’s sake, Durango, do you think you weren’t missed at the card game that night? Hell, we’d all been counting on winning all your money. And besides that, I couldn’t help but notice you were attracted to the woman and we all saw you leave the reception to walk her to her room.”

  Durango smiled, remembering. “You all saw too much that night.”

  “Whatever.” Then moments later Jared asked, “The two of you made a decision to get married for the baby’s sake?”

  “Yeah, that just about sums it up. But our marriage is only temporary.”

  “Temporary?”

  “Yes, until the baby is around six months old. I didn’t want my child born illegitimate and I wanted to be around during Savannah’s pregnancy to bond with it and spend some time with them for a while afterward.”

  “And what happens after that?”

  “Then we part ways. But Savannah and I have agreed to always be there for the baby. She knows I want to be a part of its life and Savannah wants that, too. It won’t be easy with us living so far apart, but we’ll manage.”

  There was another long pause and then Jared asked, “And you’re okay with the temporary setup?”

  Durango frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I saw those pictures Mom is so proudly brandishing about town. At your wedding, you and Savannah looked good together, actually happy. If I didn’t know better, then I—”

  “But you do know better, which is why you made this call. Don’t let those pictures fool you, Jared. The only thing going on between the two of us is the baby. Six months after it’s born Savannah will go her way and I’ll go mine.”

  “And until then the two of you will live together happily as man and wife?”

  “More or less.” And at the moment he was thinking more because he was discovering that Savannah was such a giving person, he couldn’t imagine her giving less.