Читать книгу The Texas Renegade Returns - Charlene Sands - Страница 8

Two

Cara entered her cottage on Windsor Farms and tossed her purse down on the sofa. Her hand touched her stomach reflectively. Turmoil wasn’t good for the baby. And she’d certainly had that today with Alex showing up at her office. Was it seeing Alex and hearing about his kidnapping that churned inside her? Or was it a case of morning sickness hitting her in the evening? She didn’t know. She’d never been pregnant before.

How could she label the queasiness that gripped her stomach?

The history on her computer screen would alert anyone checking that she’d been boning up on symptoms of pregnancy. Only a short while ago she’d discovered she was carrying Alex’s child and since then, she’d kept her eyes and ears open to anyone who mentioned “baby.”

Leaning against the top of the sofa with one hand, she spread her fingers wide across her belly with the other. According to her cell phone app, the baby was the size of a strawberry. That put a smile on her face. Imagine that? Protective instincts kicked in for her little strawberry and her tummy gushed with warmth. She’d do anything to keep her child safe, including keeping him away from his father until she was certain she knew what kind of man Alex del Toro really was.

Right now, she hadn’t a clue. His touch still did things to her. He wasn’t a man she could easily forget. She sent a quick glance heavenward. “Thank you,” she remarked to the love gods. Alex hadn’t tried to kiss her tonight.

“Darn him,” she mumbled. Had she secretly wanted him to kiss her?

She exited the living room and strode down the hallway that led to her bedroom. As she passed her workout room, she shook her head. “Nuh-uh.” Her limbs felt like Jell-O. She didn’t have the energy for her regular stair-climb program. She continued down the hall, passing the guest bathroom, certain now that her tummy was beginning to settle and she wouldn’t be making a quick trip to the toilet to purge her meal.

She reached her bedroom and wiggled off her heels, slipped out of her blazer, blouse and then unzipped her skirt and shimmied out of it. She pulled on a comfy gray sweat suit she’d lived in since her college days at USC, then barefooted her way to the kitchen. She hadn’t had much to eat today. Period. What to Expect When You’re Expecting didn’t have to tell her the baby needed nourishment.

She knew she needed to eat, but the problem of her Alex-or-baby-induced queasiness was the issue.

She clicked on the light and blinked against the brightness. White cabinets and stainless-steel appliances wowed her. Her state-of-the-art kitchen kicked culinary butt and put a glow into her heart. She’d had the place overhauled to fit her lifestyle. Her four-bedroom cottage on the hills of her father’s land at Windsor Farms had gone from country to contemporary after an extensive overhaul.

She loved walking in here. Almost as much as she loved comfort food, but sweet-potato fries, mac and cheese or double-nut chocolate ice cream weren’t on her agenda today. She was in baby mode and didn’t mind the sacrifice.

Opening her fridge, she pulled out a bowl of fresh-cut berries. She dumped them into her Cuisinart along with a banana, added two dollops of plain yogurt and a few ice cubes, then pushed the puree button. She got an earful of grinding noise and then the machine purred while whipping it all together. Voilà, the perfect smoothie was born. She poured herself a tall glass and took a big swallow. Icy chills raced straight up to her brain. “Oh.”

Once her brain thawed, she took another sip and actually tasted it this time. Delicious! And just what the doctor ordered. There was no rebellion from her tummy, no nausea. A quiet hum coursed through her body. She’d done a good job of mothering tonight. Baby came first. She could get used to smoothies for dinner.

She brought the smoothie with her as she walked into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. Under her, cushions of chocolate leather creaked with newness. Aside from the updated kitchen, the living room was her second-favorite place in the cottage. She closed her eyes and guzzled down the rest of her smoothie.

Briiiing, briiing. She had the only cell phone in the world that rang with an ordinary ring. She didn’t want to think about what that said about her. Reaching into her purse, she grabbed her phone and answered on the second ring. “Hello.”

“Hi, Cara. It’s me, Gabriella. I hope you don’t mind me calling this late.”

“Hi, Gabriella. I don’t mind at all. I’m up.” Cara stared blankly at the remnants of her fruit smoothie riding up the sides of the glass sitting on the cocktail table.

“That’s good. Are...are you alone?”

There was so much hope in her voice, Cara hated shooting Alex’s sister down. “Yes. I’m alone.”

“Oh,” she said. Then there was silence on the other end.

Had Alex told Gabriella about his plans to hijack her from the office today? “Alex still doesn’t know about the baby. I didn’t tell him.”

“I, uh, I understand. Alex said he had something special planned for you tonight, but that’s all I could get out of him.”

“I’m sorry, Gabriella. I know he’s your brother and that you’re concerned about him, but I can’t tell him about the baby right now.”

“Cara, I—I want you to know I’m not pressuring you. I’m very excited about my niece or nephew and, well, I’m so happy now. More than I ever thought possible. I’m so deeply in love with Chance that I want to see everyone happy, especially you and my brother.”

“Oh, Gabriella, I wish things were different, but the facts will never change. You know how complicated it is between Alex and me. What he did to me, the way he betrayed me...”

Gabriella’s voice lowered to a whisper. “It’s unforgivable. Sí, I know. If it wasn’t for the innocent child you carry, I would understand if you never forgave him. But he’s my brother. And you’re my friend. With the baby on the way...it should be a happy time for both of you.”

“You’re a good sister, Gabriella. And a good friend to me.”

Gabriella’s friendship was important to Cara, and they were becoming closer each day. Though no two people could’ve started out any rockier. Gabriella had walked in on Cara crying on Chance’s shoulder when she’d found out she was pregnant with Alex’s child. Cara had thought herself the biggest fool for sleeping with him right after he was released from the hospital and right before his true identity was revealed to the world. Twice she’d been fooled.

Gabriella found Cara in Chance’s comforting arms and assumed the rancher she’d come to love was playing with her heart. She’d run off and Chance had to do some fast talking to convince Gabriella he wasn’t still in love with Cara.

Only Gabriella and Chance knew about her pregnancy.

“That means a great deal to me, Cara. I want so much for us to be good friends and I thank you for your trust in me.”

Trust she didn’t dare give to Gabriella’s brother. “I know you had no part in the deception. You explained it all to me.”

“Sí. I am angry with my papa. He kept me in the dark about Alejandro. He never told me my brother lived under an assumed name. He never told me what my brother planned to do, only that business took him away from Mexico.” Gabriella’s voice trembled. “Alejandro almost died, though. It is hard for me to stay angry with my brother.”

Cara saw her point. “We can be friends, Gabriella. We won’t let Alex come between us. If you forgive him, it won’t change our friendship. I am grateful to have you to talk to now that you are with Chance.”

“My papa is not happy I have moved into Chance’s home. He feels like he has lost control. And he worries. I have been sheltered most of my life, but now I have grown up. I have a good man. I will not let him go.”

“Chance is a good man. And he’s lucky to have you, Gabriella. I wasn’t the right woman for Chance, but you are.”

“He had nothing to do with Alejandro’s kidnapping.”

Cara pictured Gabriella as a four-year old child growing up without her mother. How sad for her. How devastating for the whole family to lose a woman they all loved to murdering kidnappers. She understood why Gabriella couldn’t stay angry with her brother. Learning of his disappearance had to rekindle horrible memories for her. “I’d bet my life on it. Chance isn’t made that way.”

Gabriella’s sigh of relief carried over the phone line. “I’m glad you believe it.”

“Will you promise to keep my secret a little longer, Gabriella? I know it’s asking a lot of you, but...I’m not ready to—”

“I understand. When I lost faith in Chance, I didn’t know where to turn or what to do. Time will help you decide. We will keep your secret. Chance and I... We will not betray you.”

That made her the only del Toro who wouldn’t. Cara didn’t hold Gabriella’s bloodlines against her though.

“And remember, I am here, whenever you need me.”

“Thank you, Gabriella.”

The conversation ended, and Cara clicked off her phone. Tonight, Alex had revealed to her that he’d regained most of his memory and, on the drive home, he’d asked for her promise to keep it a secret. If he believed it would help him clear Chance’s name and find out who’d had him kidnapped, Cara wasn’t going to stand in his way.

It was one more secret to keep.

A quiet sigh blew from her lips. If only she’d fallen head over heels in love with Chance McDaniel. Life with him was easier. He was a good, honest, simple man.

Unfortunately, only Alex del Toro put butterflies in her stomach. Among other things. It was getting crowded in there. Butterflies and babies.

Cara laid her hand over her plank-board belly where a little strawberry grew.

And a teeny-weeny smile emerged.

* * *

“You know, your sister is a much better rider than you are,” Chance McDaniel said over his shoulder.

Alex nudged his horse, and the mare caught up to Chance’s mount as they traveled the McDaniel land, far into the hills. “That’s because while she was out learning French and English and taking riding lessons on our land with only the best horsemen in all of Mexico, I was busy learning the family business.”

Chance lowered the brim of his hat to the morning sun. “Yeah, well, look where that got you. Cara is barely speaking to you. You’re in hot water at the Cattleman’s Club and you’re still not sure if the people who kidnapped you are planning a second course with you on their menu.”

Dios! Chance was right. And Alex hated to stand corrected. Alex adjusted his black Stetson on his head and blew out a sigh. “There’s nothing better than having a morning ride with my friend to clear my head. Gracias, McDaniel. You are overly kind.”

A smirk spread wide across Chance’s face. “I’ve been told that before. By your sister.”

Alex laughed. “She’s the kind one. My sister has a heart of gold. If you ask me, you got damn lucky the day Gabriella came into your life. And if you ever forget that...”

Chance gave a slow nod of his head. The right side of his mouth cocked. “Nope, never gonna forget that. Your little sis gave me a run for my money. If she’d made it all the way back to Mexico, I would’ve tracked her down and brought her home, where she belongs. I know what I’m getting with that woman.”

Alex believed him. Chance was crazy about Gabriella. And his little sis loved Chance enough to defy their father. In some ways, Gabriella had been smarter and stronger than he’d been. Pleasing bullheaded, powerful and ruthless Rodrigo del Toro had become an obsession for Alex. He’d wanted to make his father proud. To prove himself worthy of taking over Del Toro Oil one day. Coming to America, posing as Alex Santiago and living the life he’d always wanted was too big a temptation to refuse. Alex hadn’t thought too much about the repercussions of that decision. He hadn’t thought about hurting the friends he’d made here. And he certainly hadn’t thought he’d fall in love with the daughter of his rival, the heir to the very company Del Toro Oil hoped to buy out.

Alex swiveled his head from one end of the range to the other. Rolling hills covered with budding wildflowers and prairie grass lay across the land. No one was in sight. “Listen, Chance. I asked to ride out here with you for two reasons. I think you know what I’m going to say, but let’s get out of the sun.”

“Fine by me.”

Alex pulled up on his reins and his mare halted under a mesquite tree. He dismounted first and ground tethered his palomino. Chance did the same. Under the umbrella of long outreaching branches, checkered light filtered down and partially blocked the sunlight. The two of them sat down on a blanket of coarse grass. Alex leaned back against the tree and yanked a blade of grass from its root as he stared out onto McDaniel land.

“I’ve told you before, I will clear your name of any wrongdoing in my kidnapping.”

“Crock of crap as it is.”

“I never thought it was you. Not your style.”

“What in hell does that mean?”

His face cracked into a small smile. “You’d try to punch my lights out in a fistfight. You’d challenge me to a duel. You’d kick my ass if you thought you had cause. You’re no coward. You’d face me head-on. Only a coward would have me run off the road and shanghaied, left to rot in a Mexican town.”

“Glad you have such a high opinion of me.”

“You and me, we’ll be family soon. I hope our friendship is strong enough to survive this.”

“I’m hoping so, too. Didn’t much like it when Cara fell in love with you. I thought she and I had a future together. We fit. We came from the same background. But I stepped aside so that she could be happy. And look how you’ve hurt her.”

Alex drew a deep breath. “I know. Believe me, I’m trying to make up for that. But it’s trickier than you might imagine. For the past few weeks, since my memory has returned, I keep rehashing the details. I’ve got people poking around behind the scenes, trying to tie it all together, trying to figure out the mystery. And only one name keeps cropping up. It all makes sense. It’s the only person with something to gain by having me kidnapped. I think Paul Windsor got wind of my real identity. He never liked me. He never wanted me with Cara. After we got engaged, I think he hired those thugs to come after me. They roughed me up and dumped me across the border.”

“You think he figured out who you were? Didn’t want to see his daughter tangled up with you and decided to get rid of you?”

Alex began nodding his head. “Yeah. I’m almost certain it was him.”

“You got any proof?”

“Some. But what I do have is motive. If he knew what I was up to with Windsor Energy and that I planned on marrying his daughter—”

“He’d want you out of the picture.”

“That’s right.”

“Okay, let me know if I can help with that. Even though Cara’s old man never gave me any trouble when we were dating, if he’s guilty of this crime he needs to be off the streets. It’s hard thinking anyone in the club could do something this criminal. I guess you never know about people.”

Alex nodded.

Chance looked him up and down, with warmth vacant from his eyes. “Of course, you had me fooled, too. You succeeded in deceiving me and everyone who called themselves your friend. Once, I thought you could do no wrong.”

Alex tossed the blade of grass down. A breeze picked it up and it landed ten feet away. His eyes homed in on the sliver of grass and his mouth quirked. If only he could do that, get from point A to point B that quickly. He knew where he wanted to be, back in everyone’s good graces. He’d had the world by the tail and he’d let it slip through his fingers. He might never live down what he’d done. His gaze slid to Chance sitting right next to him. He’d been his best friend. And how did he repay him? By stealing his girl and lying to him. Alex was lucky Chance gave him the time of day.

“I hope I can make it up to you. I’ve been thinking, since my father is still in Texas and will be staying at my house until Gabriella is properly wed, what if I gave you a wedding? Gabriella can have the wedding she has always wanted, big or small. I know you are itching to get hitched, as you say.” Alex smiled. “It’d be my honor to do this for both of you.”

Chance lowered his head. Apparently, he found the grass interesting as he stared, unblinking. Overhead, branches rustled in the wind and chirps from nearby crickets interrupted the silence. “Well, now,” Chance said, lifting his lids and squaring their gazes. His voice rasped, “That’d be a darn good start at repairing the damage. I think Gabriella would love that.”

Quiet breath released from Alex’s chest. “I’ll ask my sister today.”

“That’ll make her happy,” Chance said.

“I hope more than Cara was.” Sensations whirled in his gut. He still smarted from Cara’s brisk dismissal of him last night. She wasn’t cutting him any slack. At least he’d gotten a chance to tell her his feelings for her were stronger than ever. He wasn’t going away. His stubborn streak ran a mile long. “She’s not thrilled with me these days.”

“If you love Cara and want her back, this thing with her father isn’t going to help. You go after him, you stand to lose Cara, too. She’ll be hurt by this.”

Alex couldn’t deny that. “What choice do I have?”

Chance shrugged. “None, I guess. You’re right. It’s tricky.”

“I appreciate you hearing me out, Chance. I hope one day you’ll fully welcome me into your family. Giving you a wedding is just the beginning.”

Alex put out his hand.

Chance gave it a glance and then nodded. As they shook on it, Chance said, “If Gabriella wants this wedding, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

He smiled.

It would be the best deal he’d made all year.

* * *

Gabriella could be dangerous with a rolling pin in her hands, but she’d forgiven him for the most part, so he ambled to the doorway of Chance’s kitchen, eyeing his little sister working at the counter. Wearing an apron decorated with cherry-topped cupcakes in pink and white and chunky turquoise jewelry around her neck, she stood beside the range top, rolling floured dough into paper-plate-size circles. Steam rose from the griddle and she wiped at the beads of sweat on her face with her forearm, her long dark hair pulled back out of her eyes. She lifted her creations and dropped them onto the heat. They sizzled.

He leaned against the door frame and watched his sister’s precise movements with amazement. She’d never been an adept cook. Living with Chance had changed his sister. “Tortillas like Tía Manuela used to make.”

Gabriella turned sharply at the sound of his voice and blinked rapidly. “Alejandro?”

“I had business with Chance today. He let me into the house a minute ago.”

“You remember Tía Manuela?”

“We would go there on Sundays after church. She’d make us a batch of warm tortillas and fill them with potatoes and beans. They were delicious and we’d always fight over the last one.”

Gabriella’s dark eyes grew round. “She would tell you to let me have the last one.”

“And I would because I knew she would make up another batch just for me. I would then eat three more and mi hermana could not keep up with my appetite.”

The memory was a good one. Alex smiled as his little sister’s eyes watered. “Alejandro, I am happy your memory has returned.” She turned off the burner and took a step toward him and embraced him. She’d only recently learned that his amnesia was gone.

He nodded. “Yes. I am haunted with memories of playing tricks on my sister and having the wrath of Papa come down on my head. As you know, I remember everything.”

Alex was grateful most of his memories with his sister were good ones. He hadn’t given her too much trouble while growing up. Except for normal harmless big-brother antics, Alex and Gabriella had a loving relationship. He, like his father, had been protective of her, and she didn’t always appreciate being sheltered and overprotected. He recalled her rebellion when Papa had allowed Alex to move out of their secured mansion to live in an apartment in Mexico City...to become a man.

Gabriella had cut her long luxurious hair to a bob style that measured no more than three inches around her head and had a tattoo inked on her shoulder. By then a furious Rodrigo del Toro had had enough. Luckily, Gabriella’s tattoo disappeared on its own after one week as she’d claimed. That single saving grace resulted in her not being punished. But she’d definitely made a statement. Alex had admired her guts in her temporary rebellion.

Gabriella pulled away from their embrace to take his face in her gentle hands and stare into his eyes. “I wish those awful things had not happened to my brother. Do you know any more about the ones who did you harm?”

He glanced away from her soul-searching eyes. “It is better not to discuss it. You do not need to know the details.”

“I am not a child. I can handle the details. I’m concerned for my big brother,” she said, studying his face. “I will not wilt away knowing the truth. Are you in danger now?”

“I’m cautious, Gabriella. But I feel the danger is over. I plan to find out who did this to me and do my best to put to rest any rumors that Chance had anything to do with my abduction.”

For Gabriella’s safety, Alex wasn’t going to confide in her about his suspicions. The fewer people who knew his memory had returned, the better leverage he would have. “And you, my sister...you are no wilting flower. You have made me proud standing up to Papa. He has babied you long enough. You are in good hands with Chance. He will take care of you.”

Her mouth opened instantly. “Alejandro!”

“Let me finish. Chance will see to your needs, I have no doubt, and you will take care of his. You will be equal partners. Is that not what marriage is all about?”

Her expression softened as she contemplated. “Sí, it’s what I always believed marriage to be. Alejandro, please be careful.”

Alex used his thumb to wipe a spilled tear off her cheek. “I will be. Until I find out who was responsible for the crimes, no one but family will know my memory has returned. I revealed my secret to Cara last night. She owns my heart, Gabriella, and I only hope she will one day forgive me, but she has promised not to tell anyone and I trust her.”

“I will continue to keep your secret. You know you can count on me.” Her smile was big and warm and shining with love. “Today is a happy day. I will focus on that. Will you stay for some of Tía’s tortillas?”

“You don’t have to ask twice. I wasn’t leaving until I had me a bellyful.”

She chuckled, her light, joyous laughter stirring memories of their childhood at Las Cruces, their family’s estate. “Now you sound like Chance.”

“And every other Texan in the county.”

Gabriella’s smile radiated through the kitchen, brightening his mood. She turned to the griddle as Alex stepped beside her. “I have another surprise for you.”

“What could be a better surprise than your memory returning?”

“Well,” Alex said, “I have a great deal of making up to do.”

“Agreed.” With spatula in hand, she flipped the tortillas over. “There are so many you have deceived.”

The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Gabriella was a little too eager to agree with him. “And even though you were my tagalong little bra—” The spatula smacked his forearm. “Hey, that’s hot!” Damn, his sister was quick.

She grinned. “You were saying, I was a—?”

“The best sister in the world?” He rubbed the sting from his forearm.

“Better,” she said with a nod. She wielded the spatula his way and gestured for him to go on.

“I want to throw you a wedding, Gabriella.” All joking aside, Alex couldn’t think of anything he wanted more for his sister. “Before Papa returns to Mexico, you could speak your vows at my home in Pine Valley. I’d make sure you’d have the wedding of your dreams. Whatever you wanted, I would provide.”

Slowly, Gabriella lowered the spatula. He eyed the thing and was glad his arm was out of danger now. Lifting his gaze to his sister again, he marveled as the sweetest expression stole over her face. Growing up, Gabriella had never been a problem to him. He simply loved to tease her, and now it was important to him that she allow him this honor. “Oh, Alejandro.”

Tears of gratitude and love swam in her eyes and his heart warmed. “That is very kind of you. Chance and I want to be married quickly, but we have not made our plans yet. We want nothing big, but only to be married with our family and friends in attendance.”

“Done.”

“Are you certain?”

“I’m sure. Let me do this for you and Chance.”

She began nodding. “Gracias, Alejandro. Thank you. Thank you. My heart is filled with happiness today.”

“Mine is, too, mi hermana. You deserve it.”

She smiled again and offered him a seat. “Let me finish cooking. I will give my big brother the entire batch of tortillas.”

“With beans and potatoes?”

“Sí. It is your favorite.”

* * *

Alex left Chance’s house with a full belly. Why was it that food from the past always tasted better? Always satisfied more? Up until a short while ago, Alex didn’t really know which foods were his favorites, which ones were held over from his childhood, which foods turned his stomach. Now all of it was back, and Tía Manuela’s fresh warm tortillas had put a smile on his face as he gunned the engine of his SUV and drove down the path that led him off McDaniel’s Acres. Before he reached the gate, his gaze hit upon a blonde woman entering the stables. His mind flashed, familiar and female, and his heart pumped hard against his chest.

Cara?

He braked suddenly and parked the car on the side of the road. Taking brisk steps, he entered the stables and squinted from lack of sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted, he scanned the aisles, searching for the woman he’d seen just seconds ago. Footprints marked the ground and hay rustled, but otherwise all was quiet. How far could she have gone?

Then movement caught his eye. Down along a row of stalls, all the way at the end, he found Cara with her arms folded on top of a stall door, her eyes fixed on a mare. Her hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail and secured with a rubber band. She wore white jeans and tennis shoes, obviously not riding gear, and a flimsy pale blue button-down blouse. The ball cap on her head screamed Dallas Cowboys in bold blue-and-silver lettering.

Alex couldn’t keep from staring at her and strained to hear the soft, soothing words she granted the horse. Finally, his feet moved and he headed down the long aisle, catching the eye of Striker, the mare he’d taken out this morning with Chance. He clucked his mouth, and the horse’s ears perked up. Cara stayed focused on the mare, even as his boots parted hay and crunched as he moved closer.

Without her knowledge, he took in every graceful move she made. Relished each uttered sweet word drifting to his ears. When he stood within five feet of her, she turned her head to one side and found his eyes. He was caught off guard by the softness on her face, the kindness in her expression. He’d expected anger or rebuke when she noticed him, but instead her lips lifted slightly.

Alex halted and caught his breath. His heartbeats fired rapidly. “Cara.”

“Hello, Alex.”

He drank in her blue depths and the mellow tone in her voice. Dios, how he loved her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Visiting my friend.” Her gaze dropped over the stall to a bay mare. “I rescued her a few months ago and Chance lets me keep her here.”

Alex moved closer to glance at the horse that had put Cara in a melancholy mood. The mare was average size, probably a mustang, marked with two white stockings on her front legs and a coat that was a little duller than the ones in Chance’s well-cared-for string.

“I thought you were afraid of horses?”

“I’m getting over that. This horse has changed me. She’s special.”

“She must be to get you to come into the stables without blinking an eye. What’s her name?”

“Mercy.” She stared at the horse. “When I laid eyes on her that was the first thing out of my mouth. Mercy. She was abused and neglected. There were maggots living in her coat. They were eating her alive. I didn’t think she’d survive. She was starved and jittery. It broke my heart to see an animal suffer that way.”

“Terrible. How often do you come to visit?”

“As often as I can, but it’s not always possible. Chance has been good about it. He gives me updates on her condition.”

“She’s going to survive.”

“I think so. She’s still nervous with people. She’s got trust issues and I don’t press it. As long as she’s cared for, I’ll wait until she’s comfortable enough with me before I step inside her stall.”

“That is probably wise. I’m sure she appreciates your visits. She will come around.”

She shrugged and directed her gaze to the recovering horse. “It’s not a hardship for me. I...I missed her today.”

The hint of sweet vanilla teased his nose as Alex stepped closer to Cara. He inhaled deeply to savor her scent over the more potent musty barn smells of earth and straw. Images flashed in his mind like a flip book, one scene after another. Cara giving him cooking lessons. Cara just stepping out of the shower. Cara sprawled out across his bed, waiting for him. “I know something about missing someone you care about.”

The slightest flicker in her eyes told him she’d heard his comment. “Cara, look at me.”

Her eyes closed as if she was in silent prayer. A few seconds ticked by, and he used that time to move a step closer. His heart hammered hard as he waited. And finally she turned and opened her eyes. They fluttered like butterfly wings.

She wasn’t as immune to him as he’d feared.

“Alex, what are you doing here?”

“I met with Chance earlier. We rode.”

“I mean, what are you doing here?”

“I got lucky. I was pulling away after seeing Chance and my sister when I spotted you coming in here.”

“Oh.” She nibbled on her lip and looked away. No eye contact. He wondered if his candor broke through some of her defensive walls. “Did you follow me?”

They’d already wasted enough time, months, and he’d be damned if he let her slip through his fingers now because of his foolishness and her pride, so he told her the absolute truth. “I am not following you, if that’s what you’re asking.” He couldn’t blame her for wondering. Yesterday, he’d hijacked her from her office. Today was simply a blessed accident. “But as soon as I saw you, I followed you inside the stable.”

Her eyes lifted to his.

He brought his hand to her face and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. Breath puffed from her chest in a whispered sigh as she closed her eyes and absorbed his warmth, telling him what he wanted, needed to know, with unspoken words. “You haven’t forgotten what it was like between us?”

Her head moved. “No.”

“We had heat, Cara.” He drew deep from the well of her sweet scent and brought his mouth to hers. His lips hovered over hers and he rasped, “We still do.”

She kept shaking her head, but her eyes betrayed her. She still cared, she still loved him. No longer fierce and protective, those orbs of blue welcomed him with timid acceptance. He had to prove to her he wouldn’t hurt her again. If she gave him another chance, he would show her pleasure and try his damnedest to make her happy.

“Alex.” He took her plea as invitation and not rejection.

He thumbed her chin up and brought his mouth down. A squeaky noise erupted from her mouth as soon as their lips met and Alex smiled then, unable to hide his satisfaction. She was everything to him and he wanted to be everything to her. Again.

Her mouth was exquisite and he wanted more...already, so much more. He’d been too long without her, and the evidence wasn’t too far south of his belt buckle.

He put his hands on her waist and drew her up against him. Her body fit him perfectly. She was snug against him as the kiss deepened. He nipped at her lower lip and she opened for him, her breaths as ragged and rapid as his own.

He swept through her luscious mouth and groaned as she met his demands. Licking her with his tongue, he tasted the sweetly heady combination of wholesome and sexy all rolled up into one. Cara had been forbidden fruit, the daughter of his rival, his best friend’s girl, yet he hadn’t been able to keep away from her. He couldn’t now. Her taste permeated his core, giving him an erection that strained fiercely, killing him in small measures. His juices flowing hot and liquid, he splayed his hands around her backside and with a quick, gentle jerk, her hips collided with his. “This is our heat, Cara.”

She answered with a low, aching moan rushing from her lips.

He let his hands roam over her jeans and cursed the damn sequined pockets barricading him from feeling more of her. He ached to touch bare skin, to feel her warmth and curve his hands over the twin swells of her cheeks. He broke contact with her mouth only long enough to take another ragged breath. “I remember you. What we had.”

“Alex.” She jerked her head back far enough to meet with his eyes. She gulped air, her eyes liquid clear and hungry. “We can’t...”

He blocked out her refusal and grabbed her hand. Tugging her along, away from the stalls, away from any daylight, he found an empty office at the end of the barn that was no longer in use. He pulled her inside, noting an old pine desk and dusty papers covering a metal file cabinet. The door locked and the plastic blinds were already lowered on the indoor window.

She glanced at the desk, her brows arched in silent thrill. He was way beyond that, thrill too shallow a word for what he felt for her, but he could not take her on that filthy desk. He thought too much of her. She deserved more. He settled against the wall, and pulled her to him. She landed flat against his chest, her curvy body flush against him. He groaned at the perfect fit, the way she filled in the hollow spaces both of his needy body and his vacant heart. He’d blown it with her. There was no sugarcoating the obvious. He would make her remember the couple they’d once been one little gasp, one smoldering kiss, one fantastic orgasm at a time.

He cupped the back of her neck and jerked her head forward. Her mouth was a breath away. “You have no idea...what you do to me.”

Cara started to make a quick retort—she was sharp with her tongue—but he was quicker. He crushed his mouth to hers, staking a claim that was long ago decided. She didn’t pull away, didn’t rebuke his bold move bringing her inside the abandoned office. She was torn, though, with indecision; he tasted it in her kiss, her slightly stiff body against his. He hoped to melt her, to make her see the truth about them.

Alex was not a patient man. But he’d wait for Cara as long as it would take. But not before he left his mark on her. Not before he gave her a memory they would never forget.

His senses pulsed as he deepened the kiss and murmured soft, loving words. He broke through her rigidness, nuzzling her throat, his nose tickled by silky locks of her hair. He touched her shoulders and smoothed his hands down her arms. Her body responded with little tremors that he felt under his fingers. “You’re so beautiful, Cara.”

“So are you.... That’s why this is so hard for me.”

“I’m sorry for all I have done to you, sweetheart.”

“Don’t...say any more,” she whispered. And in that whisper he knew she asked not for apologies that were hard to accept but for something more carnal. Something he’d planned to do for her anyway. “Let me make it up to you.”

Already his hands were on her waist, his fingers nimble on the button of her jeans. He unfastened it and took the zipper in his thumb and forefinger. She didn’t protest, didn’t jerk away, but the tremors escalated and there was a twinge of movement toward him, enough encouragement for him to continue. He held her hip steady with one hand and inched down the teeth of her zipper with the other. Her jeans separated over her belly, and she splayed her legs open. For him. Alex dipped his hand inside her heat, brushing his thumb and pinkie finger against her firm, smooth thighs. Lacy material covered his destination, and he moved it away with a single finger slide.