“She doesn’t.”
His brother’s blue eyes bore into Colt. “You’re starting to care for her. What are you going to do when you can’t stop your feelings from getting involved with business?”
Colt snorted. “I want to take her to bed, if that’s what you mean by ‘care for her.’ You should know something about meaningless sex.”
Nolan nodded. “Touché.”
“Besides, I want to settle down eventually. I definitely want kids to fill Pebblebrook with, but I want my dude ranch and my life in order first.”
Laughing, Nolan shook his head. “There’s no perfect time to start a family and settle down. You need to do it when you find the one or you’ll be left alone, trying to fill a void you caused.”
Colt wasn’t worried he’d fall for Annabelle. They wanted vastly different things and just because he ached to strip her down and have his way with her, didn’t mean he was ready to monogram her initials on the plush towels in his master bath.
Tugging on his reins once more, Colt settled into an easy pace. “I’ve got a rancher from Oklahoma coming in two days to pick up forty head of cattle.”
“Can’t help you there. I’m on call for the next three days, starting tomorrow.”
“Weren’t you just on call?” Colt asked.
Nolan’s horse jerked to the side before Nolan eased him back. “I was, but I picked up some extra shifts for a coworker. He’s taking his wife on a surprise second honeymoon.”
“You’re going to work yourself to death.”
Nolan cast a sideways glance. “I could say the same for you. But we’re doing what we love, so it doesn’t feel like work.”
There was nothing else Colt had ever wanted to do. Nothing could pull him from Pebblebrook. He was anxious to have Hayes come back, and maybe he could help out for a bit until he decided fully what he wanted to do. Beau had been filming a movie in parts unknown for the past few months. Some action film where he would surely win the lady and save the day.
“Storms are coming in,” Nolan stated, nodding toward the darkening skies.
Colt pulled on the reins. “We’ll head back.”
Colt couldn’t recall the last time all four of them were together, but he was definitely going to call Beau and see if he could fly home for Hayes’s homecoming. Maybe they could even all go visit their father. Better yet, maybe they could bring him to the ranch for a day.
Emotions threatened to overtake him at the idea of all of them there once again. Colt may be the youngest, but he had the most to prove. He wanted this property to thrive bigger and better than it ever had. He wanted his brothers to see just how hard he worked to make sure Pebblebrook remained the greatest ranch in Texas. And even though his father didn’t always know what was going on in the world around him, Colt was going to honor him and personally see to it that his dude ranch came to fruition.
He’d set this dream in motion, so failing now would be a sure sign that he couldn’t handle tough times. There was no way he’d let this scenario end without him getting the land and the house.
And letting Annabelle Carter appeal to his compassionate side was not an option. The only place he wanted her was in his bed.
* * *
“The truck?” Annabelle asked as she climbed into the cab. She set the basket from last night between them and reached for her seat belt. “Did I get a promotion?”
Colt dangled his wrist over the steering wheel and shot her a smile that shot straight to her heart. The instant response wasn’t welcome, but she had no way of stopping it. At this point, all she could do was hang on for the ride.
“I need to run into town real quick and thought you’d enjoy a few minutes of air-conditioning before we hit it hard today.”
Annabelle stretched her denim-covered legs out. “You’re the boss.”
“I do like how you keep saying that, sweets.”
She let out a groan. “Ms. Carter still works fine.”
Tipping his hat, he pinned her with his striking gaze. “You’ve arched that sweet body against mine, you’ve kissed me, and you’ve imagined us as lovers. We’re beyond formalities.”
Annabelle’s breath caught in her throat. She’d never met a man so blunt...and so dead-on with calling her out on her feelings. But she was a different woman than she was even a month ago and she wasn’t about to be intimidated by Colt Elliott.
“That may be,” she stated as she leaned closer, pleased when his eyes dropped to her lips. “But you’ve had the same thoughts, and you’re no closer to getting me there than you were days ago.”
Colt reached out, curling his fingers around the back of her neck. He captured her mouth, parting her lips, tangling his tongue with hers. The intensity of his touch, the urgency of the demanding kiss should have scared her, but Annabelle was too turned-on, too stunned at his actions to be frightened.
This was nothing like the sweet, delicate kiss he’d first given her. This was a toe-curling, body-tingling kiss like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
Annabelle fisted her hands in her lap, refusing to reach for him...but she wasn’t going to deny she didn’t want this to end.
Colt’s grip on her neck softened as he trailed his fingers around to her jaw. Gently, he nipped at her lips before easing back. He stroked the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip and Annabelle couldn’t stop her tongue from darting out and tasting him.
“I’d say we’re one step closer,” he murmured.
Annabelle was just digesting those words when he pulled back and reached over to start the truck. She had a snappy comeback, something snarky about his arrogance taking place of his ego, but when he extended his arm and waved, Annabelle cringed. She turned to see her father standing on the porch, cradling a girl on each hip, and from the look of his face, he’d witnessed everything.
Great. Nothing like having your father see you make out with the enemy. Just when she thought this situation couldn’t get any worse.
Nine
At the end of the day Colt was still cursing himself for losing control with Annabelle earlier. Not that he regretted finally getting to taste those sweet lips again. No, he was more irritated with himself than the fact that he’d let her goad him. He did everything on his terms, his timeline.
The kicker had been looking up and seeing Neil on the porch, holding Emily and Lucy, that pup frolicking around his feet. Colt didn’t mind that her father had seen them because he honestly didn’t care what the old man thought. But he sure as hell didn’t want an audience when his seduction of Annabelle was finally complete. He wanted to get her alone, to prove to her that they were indeed closer to intimacy. They’d been dancing around the subject for days and it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to what they both wanted. There was no way she could deny that, not after the way she kept responding to his kisses.
Colt had put Annabelle with Ryan today because he’d needed some time to think. When he was around her, he felt his control slipping by the second. He still had a ranch to run, and besides, he’d wanted to sneak away to visit his father.
Today had not been a good day for Grant Elliott. He hadn’t recognized Colt at all. No matter what happened in Colt’s life, nothing hurt more than looking into his father’s blue eyes and seeing the blank stare, the confusion.
But his father had talked about a dude ranch. Colt had listened as his dad went on about all the things he’d incorporate onto the farm. The small cabins he’d build on the east side where the view of the pasture was breathtaking at sunset, the horses he’d bring in special for children who came to visit. He’d even mentioned having programs for physically handicapped riders who wanted to see what ranching was all about.
Colt knew his father was in there somewhere because he’d mentioned all of his original plans. Ranching had been so ingrained into the Elliott patriarch, that it was something Colt didn’t think would ever be lost to this nightmare disease.
He had asked the nursing staff about the possibility
of bringing his father home for one day when Hayes returned but, in the end, they decided to play it by ear. As much as Colt wanted his father at Pebblebrook, even for a short time, he would do whatever was best for his health.
Colt shut off the engine and grabbed his hat from the passenger seat. As he stepped from his truck, Colt headed toward the barn, but froze for a split second before taking off in a dead run. Annabelle lay on the ground just inside the structure, Ryan kneeling over her and patting the side of her face.
“What the hell happened?” Colt asked, skidding to a stop and dropping to his knees.
“She passed out, Boss.”
Her color was off, perspiration dotted her forehead. He glanced at her body and noted that the white tank she’d worn was clinging to the dampness on her torso. He jerked his hat off and started to fan her.
“Get some water,” Colt demanded, never taking his eyes off her pale face. He felt the pulse on her neck. Steady, thankfully, but he didn’t like seeing her on the damn ground.
While Ryan rushed to the office, Colt eased his arms beneath her knees and her back. Carefully, he lifted her and stepped back to take a seat on a bench. Her lids fluttered as her head fell toward his chest. Ryan came back with a bottle of water and handed it to Colt.
“Want me to call Nolan?” Ryan asked.
Colt shook his head. “He’s at the hospital. She’s coming around.”
Slowly, she turned her head, her brows dipping as if she was hurt. “What happened?” Colt asked again. “Were you in here when she fainted? Where’s Josh?”
“Josh took off early because his daughter has some dance recital.” Ryan pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the back of his neck. “Ms. Carter and I had been out herding the cattle from the west field and we’d just gotten back. I walked around the side to turn the hoses on and when I came back in, she was all flushed. I asked if she felt all right, but she went down. I was fast enough to catch her before she hit her head, though. Scared ten years off my life.”
Yeah, Colt was still trying to get his heart rate back under control after seeing her motionless on the ground.
“What else should I do?”
Colt shook his head and focused back on Annabelle. “I’d say she got overheated. It happens. Why don’t you go ahead and tend to the horses and get them put away? I’ll take care of her.”
Ryan gave a clipped nod. “Yell if you need me.”
Cradling her with one arm, Colt set the water bottle on the bench beside him and smoothed the stray, damp tendrils from her face. Her lids fluttered again and he silently pleaded for her to open them and give him hell for holding her.
He’d seen many cowboys go down due to heat and lack of hydration, but none of them had affected him like this. She’d worked herself to the point of exhaustion, and it was all his fault.
“Open those eyes, sweetness.”
She fluttered once again. “You never ask nice,” she murmured.
Relief spread through him as swiftly as a Texas storm in the spring.
Finally, those bright green eyes met his and for the first time in several minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, starting to ease up.
“Stay still.” Damn it, he needed to hold her another minute. “You passed out.”
One shaky hand came up to her forehead as she blinked in confusion. “I did? Where’s Ryan? We were going to—”
“Forget it. He’s outside tending to the horses and you’re done for the day.”
He helped her sit up, but kept a hold around her shoulders. Colt reached for the water bottle and brought it to her lips. “Drink.”
She took the water from him and sipped, then swiped the bottle across her forehead. Condensation slid down the side of her face, down her neck, and disappeared into the scoop of her tank. He shouldn’t be thinking how sexy she looked right now, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d been away from her all day, then to come back and see this...his emotions were in overdrive.
“You have to take care of yourself,” he stated, his tone much harsher than he’d intended.
With careful movements, she slid from his lap and set the bottle down on the bench. “My welfare is none of your concern. I take care of myself just fine.”
He came to his feet, going toe to toe with her. “Clearly not. And your welfare is my concern when it affects your work.”
When she squared her shoulders, but rubbed her forehead as if her head ached, he felt like an ass. She was gearing up for a fight and he was just angry he hadn’t been there to make sure she was fine.
“Damn it.” He raked a hand down his face. “Get in the truck, I’ll take you home.”
“I’ll ask Ryan.”
Colt leaned forward, towering over her until she reached for his shoulders to stay upright. “When you need anything, I’ll be the one to deliver it. Get. In. The. Truck.”
Her eyes searched his face. “Something happened.”
“Yeah, you passed out and scared the hell out of us.”
She shook her head, her hands softened against him. “Something else. You’re angry at me, but there’s a sadness in your eyes I haven’t seen before.”
Colt hated how she homed directly in on the nugget inside him he tried so damn hard to keep hidden from the world. “Don’t analyze me, sweetness. Unless you want to get into your secrets.”
“I just thought...” She took a step away and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “Nothing. Forget I asked.”
When she turned to head toward the truck, Colt grabbed her arm and hauled her side against his chest. “I had a bad day. That’s all. It’s nothing I want to talk about, but, thanks. I’ve never met anyone who knows what I’m feeling or thinking without me saying a word.”
Those captivating eyes turned to him. “Maybe one broken heart recognizes another.”
“Who broke your heart?” he whispered.
Her eyes went to his throat, as if she couldn’t look directly at him. “Who hasn’t?”
Those two words spoke volumes. She’d been broken, perhaps she still was, but she was a damn fighter. She stood before him ready to discuss what pained him when she was clearly just as shattered. But he wasn’t asking, he couldn’t. Getting involved on an emotional level was not an option. How many times did he have to remind himself of that?
Colt gripped her chin between his thumb and finger, tipping her head to capture her lips. Softly he caressed her mouth with his. His knees weakened the second she slid her hand over his forearm. The kiss was so innocent, definitely not the stepping-stone to sex he typically delivered. But this was the most relaxed he’d ever known her to be. Her body literally eased against his as she returned the passion so delicately.
“Maybe someday you’ll trust me,” he muttered against her lips.
Her hand tightened against him. “It’s not my trust you’re after.”
Colt grazed her lips once again. “Maybe not, but if you trust me, then you’ll be more likely to give me everything else I want from you.”
Annabelle eased away as she blew out a sigh. “We both know that would be a terrible idea. I’ve still got months to go and we’re already...”
“What are we? Because this could be so much better.”
She glanced out the doorway. With the light breeze blowing in, strands from her ponytail danced around her shoulders. “I can’t get involved with you, Colt. I already have to explain this morning’s kiss to my father when I get home.”
“You didn’t go home for lunch?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t face him. After all that’s happened—”
“Nothing has happened.”
She turned her attention back to him. “Yet, right? You fully intend to keep this up until I give in.”
Why answer such a rhetorical question? They both knew what was going on, they were adults. Colt wanted Annabelle and the feeling was mutual. He knew desire when it stared back at him.
/>
“Come up to the house.”
Those green eyes widened. “What?”
“For dinner. We’ll talk.” He held his hands out. “Nothing more. I swear.”
Unless she wanted more, then who would he be to turn her down?
“I need to get home to the girls.”
“Bring them.”
What the hell was he saying? He never dated a woman with a baby, let alone twins. Never brought kids back to his home. But why shouldn’t he now? It was no secret that he wanted Annabelle. Perhaps appealing to that side of her would make her come around.
Annabelle laughed. “Wow. You’re letting your desperation show, Colt.”
Yeah, maybe he was, but he wanted her trust, damn it. He was running out of patience. His body ached for her, responded to her when she merely cast a glance his way. He’d never felt this urgency toward one woman before.
“Give your dad the night off and bring your twins to the house. I know Winnie will have a feast prepared. She always does.”
He could see her thinking, but refused to take no for an answer. “One dinner, darlin’. That’s all. I think you could use a break.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll bring Emily and Lucy in my own car and you will not touch me. Deal?”
Colt winked. “Sure thing, but what happens when you touch me?”
With an unladylike growl, she spun around and headed out the barn. “In your dreams.”
“Every damn night,” he muttered to her retreating back.
Ten
“You’re not seriously going over there.”
Annabelle slipped on her flip-flops and picked Emily up. “I’m only going for dinner. Anything I can do to stay on his good side and figure out his ulterior motive, I’ll do it.”
“I saw you doing it in his truck this morning.”
The accusing tone, the knowing glare had guilt surging through Annabelle. She’d been home for nearly thirty minutes, long enough to change clothes and feed the girls, before he said anything. But she refused to allow him to turn this around on her.
Twin Secrets (Mills & Boon Desire) (The Rancher’s Heirs 01) Page 8