Christmas With the Mustang Man (11 page)

He cocked a brow at her. “You think I'm trying to impress you?”

Her green eyes roamed his face. “I'm not sure what you're trying to do,” she murmured.

Before Boone could stop himself, he closed the short distance between them and slipped his arms beneath the robe and around her waist. The contact caused her to let out a soft gasp and, in what felt like the gentle stroke of fingers, her warm breath brushed his cheek.

“I can tell you one thing. I know exactly what I
want
to do.”

Surprise flickered in her eyes and then with a sense of dismay she whispered, “Boone.”

“Yeah, I know. Yesterday morning I said I wasn't going to kiss you again. Ever. So call me a weak-willed bastard. A liar. Whatever you want to call me,” he murmured. “It'll be worth it.”

Her lips parted as though she was going to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she groaned and reached for him. As her soft curves pressed against him, she whispered, “Boone, this is insane. You don't know me. Not really. And I—”

He brought his forehead against hers. “You want this as much as I do,” he finished for her.

Her hands flattened against his chest, then slid slowly upward until her fingers clamped over his shoulders. The fact that she was gripping him as though she never wanted to let go filled him with a strange mixture of hot desire and a tenderness he'd never quite felt before.

“I'm not— I don't do this sort of thing, Boone.”

The fragrance of lilacs clung to her hair and the sweet, old-fashioned scent seemed perfectly sexy on her. He rubbed his cheek against her temple as the warmth of her body spread through his. “What does that mean? You don't kiss men?”

“Not a man I just met,” she said in a breathy voice. “This is reckless behavior. And I'm not a reckless, impulsive person.”

Beneath the silky fabric of her pajamas, her soft flesh yielded to his hands and he desperately longed to push the garment aside, to feel her satiny skin against his palms. But he didn't allow himself to take such a liberty. As she'd just said, they didn't know each other. And she was not the sort to give herself to just any man.

“Do you think this is normal behavior for me?” he asked lowly. “I can damned well tell you it isn't.”

She moved her head just enough to rest her cheek against his and Boone was stunned by the hunger she evoked in him.

“Then what are we doing? Why is this happening?”

“I don't know. And I don't want to know,” he said gruffly.

Unable to wait another second, his hand came up to capture her chin and he tugged her mouth around to his. The sweetness of her lips was everything he remembered and more, and though he tried to temper his desire, he couldn't slow the frantic search of his lips or the probe of his tongue.

This time it was Dallas who ended the kiss and as she backed out of his arms, he wiped a hand over his face and tried to douse the heat that was still burning his loins.

“I think—” She stopped and gulped in a deep breath of air. “I'd better go get dressed.”

His body aching, he took a step toward her. “You
putting on clothes won't change anything,” he hoarsely pointed out.

Pink color splashed across her white face. “And what would?” she countered. “Us falling to the floor and going at each other? Just to end the agony?”

He stepped close enough to reach for her hand and felt relief when she didn't pull her fingers away from his. “That's a crude thing to say.”

Her nostrils flared and though he could see she was trying to hold on to her determined resistance, he could see a wavering look flicker in her eyes.

“That's because I'm feeling crude,” she responded in a low, husky voice. “And stupid. And—and wishing I'd never stepped foot in this place!”

Yesterday, as they'd worked together, Boone had felt a kinship with this woman, a bond that he'd never felt before. And somewhere along the way, he'd let himself start to believe that she was different, that she might see and understand what he was about and why he chose to live as he did. Obviously, he'd been a fool to ever think she could be
that
different.

“I'm sure you probably are wishing you'd never left your paradise to come up here and get stuck in such a wasteland!”

Her eyes popped wide at the same time her mouth fell open. “It's not the land I'm having a problem with. It's the man who owns it!”

Before he could get a word pushed off his tongue, she jerked her hand free of his grasp and hurried out of the kitchen.

As Boone watched her disappear through the open doorway, her words echoed in his head.

For years he'd blamed the isolation of this ranch as
the main reason his marriage had failed. Now he had to wonder if the blame rested solely on his shoulders.

He wasn't a charmer or a Romeo. He wasn't a partier or traveler or even a decent conversationalist. He didn't have money or possess a list of valuable assets. Other than Hayley he didn't even have a family. Unless he counted his drunkard father, but Newt didn't want to be counted so that left him out.

So what did Boone have to offer a woman like Dallas? he asked himself.

Nothing, he thought with grim acceptance. Nothing at all.

B
y the time Dallas summoned up enough nerve to return to the kitchen, Boone was nowhere to be seen. A dirty plate in the sink told her he'd eaten something and gone on about his business.

Which was probably for the best, she told herself. If the two of them didn't keep a safe distance between them, something crazy was going to happen. And she didn't want to go home with a suitcase full of regrets.

She'd fixed herself a bowl of cereal and taken three bites when Hayley staggered into the kitchen.

“Goodness, I didn't expect you to be awake this early,” Dallas said with surprise. “Since school is out I thought you'd be sleeping late.”

Rubbing her eyes with both fists, Hayley yawned widely. “I do usually sleep until about seven-thirty or eight on the weekends, but today is different.”

The child's comment brought a curious arch to Dallas's brows. “Oh? How so?”

Hayley held up two fingers as she walked to the refrigerator. “Two reasons. The first one is that you're here. And the second is that we're going after a Christmas tree. Remember?”

Oh, yes, she remembered too much, Dallas thought wryly. Her discussion with Boone about the Christmas tree and gifts had led to something she'd not anticipated.

Yesterday, after he'd made a big issue of vowing to never kiss her again, he'd turned around and done that very thing. He wasn't trying to hide the fact that he wanted her and yet he seemed to hate himself for it. The whole matter had left Dallas feeling confused and angry and more than a little worried. When she was around Boone, she couldn't seem to think with her head. And once he started touching her, she lost all will to resist.

“Yes. I remember.”

“Where is Dad, anyway?” Hayley asked as she placed a packaged cinnamon role in the microwave.

In spite of the cold milk in her cereal, Dallas's lips began to burn with the memory of Boone's kiss. What would the girl think if she knew just how close Dallas had been to her father? Would she resent another female in his life?

It doesn't matter, Dallas. From what Hayley told you, Boone doesn't want another female in his life. Not likely on a permanent basis. He wants sex from you. Nothing more. The man won't even talk to you if it's not about horses.

“I don't know,” she answered as casually as she could. “I suppose he's already gone outside to work. Does he usually leave the house this early? I mean, on the days you don't go to school.”

“Sometimes. It just depends on if anybody is coming to buy horses. Or if him and Mick are gonna do extra work. Like round up some of the cows and give them shots or something like that.”

The girl carried a glass of milk and her sugary sweet roll over to the table and sat down next to Dallas.

As Hayley began to eat, Dallas wanted to tell her she should be eating a hot breakfast full of protein and whole grains. But children her age weren't interested in such things. Besides, Dallas had no business trying to play mother to a child she'd never see again once she left this ranch.

“Have you known Mick for a long time?” Dallas asked.

“As long as I can remember. He and my dad have been friends forever. Since they were little kids.”

“Does Mick have a wife and family?”

Hayley giggled as though that idea was extremely amusing. “No. Why? Do you think he's cute?”

Dallas practically gasped. “Hayley, that's a silly question.”

She looked at Dallas and grinned. “I don't think it's silly. But I think my dad is the best-lookin', don't you?”

Dallas absently stirred her cereal as she tried to come up with a safe answer. “Well, both men are attractive,” she answered carefully.

“Do you like to go on dates?”

Hayley's question was asked with a candor that only a child could possess.

“Sometimes,” Dallas answered. “If I really like the guy.”

The girl let out a wistful sigh. “I can't go on a date until I get sixteen. Dad's already set the rules. And that's a long time from now. I'll be getting old by then.”

Dallas smiled to herself. “Fathers sometimes soften. Mine did. And perhaps Boone will allow you to go on a chaperoned date before you reach sixteen. At least that's something to hope for.”

Eager light flickered in Hayley's brown eyes. “Do you think he might do that?” Without waiting for Dallas to respond, she shook her head. “Naw. Dad rarely ever gives in. And I don't have a mom to stand up for me.”

Hayley's last remark wasn't said in a sad way or as a means to gain sympathy. It had simply been a matter-of-fact statement. And somehow that made this girl's situation seem even sadder to Dallas.

“My mom was always stricter than my dad,” Dallas told her. “So having a mom around doesn't always mean you'll get your way.”

“No. But it would be nice to have one, anyway.”

Dallas thoughtfully stirred the last dregs of her cereal around in the bowl. “You know, it's just been you and your father for a long time. You might resent a woman coming between you,” Dallas suggested.

“She'd have to be a mean person for me not to like her. And I don't think Dad would ever marry another mean woman. Shoot, I don't think he'll ever marry any woman again. So I guess it doesn't matter,” she said with a shrug of one shoulder.

“No,” Dallas murmured. “I guess it doesn't.”

 

A half hour later, after they'd tidied the kitchen and Hayley had dressed in jeans and a thick sweatshirt, the two donned coats and sock caps and headed outside to the barn.

“I'll show you the horses that I picked out,” Dallas said to the girl as they walked across the hard-packed earth.
“I hope they're not any of your favorites. I'd hate to think I was taking away a horse that you loved.”

Although the morning sun was up, a cloak of clouds was beginning to cover the sky, making the morning even chillier. But Hayley seemed impervious to the cold. Every three or four steps she was skipping and smiling.

“I only have one favorite horse. And Dad keeps him separated. His name is Rock. I'll show him to you.”

As they neared the main barn, Dallas noticed two different trucks parked alongside the building. She recalled one of them as belonging to Mick. The other she'd not seen before.

“Looks like your father has company. It may be a while before he can take us to get the tree,” Dallas suggested.

Hayley grimaced. “We can't wait all day!” she exclaimed. “I have to get ready for the play tonight.”

The two strode on into the barn and quickly ran into Mick, who was in the process of saddling a big sorrel horse.

“Well, good morning, ladies,” he greeted with a wide grin. “What's brought you two out so early this morning?”

“We're looking for Dad,” Hayley informed the ranch hand. “He's going to take me and Dallas to find a Christmas tree.”

This caused the man to pause and settle a curious gaze on Dallas. “A Christmas tree? Are you kiddin' me?”

“Why, no. It is the Christmas season,” Dallas politely reasoned.

“Well, yeah, but Boone—”

“Decided it would be a nice tradition for Hayley this year,” Dallas added before he could say more. The poor
girl already had enough rough, male influence in her life without adding more to it, she thought.

“Sure,” the man replied, “Hayley's a good kid, aren't you, Button? You deserve a Christmas tree and a load of gifts beneath it.”

“I don't want much of anything,” Hayley told Mick, then reached over and clasped Dallas's hand as though she'd already been given the gift of her presence and that was enough. The idea caused Dallas's throat to tighten with raw emotions.

“Where's Dad? And where you goin'?” she asked Mick.

“Boone is showing horses to a customer. And I'm riding out to check a few feeders. But if you ladies don't want to wait around on Boone, I can drive you over to the bluffs to find a tree.”

The guy didn't waste any time, Dallas thought. “Thank you, Mick. But I think this is something Boone wants to do with his daughter.”

“I'm gonna go ask him when he'll be ready,” Hayley announced.

Before either adult could stop her, the girl whirled and ran out of the barn.

Staring after her, Mick shook his head. “Boone won't like being disturbed. Hayley knows that.”

At Hayley's age, Dallas had been a huge daddy's girl and trailed after Doyle like a puppy dog. And during that time, she'd learned, mostly the hard way, that men didn't want to be interrupted when they were in a serious conversation.

“She's excited,” Dallas explained.

“Yeah. First time I've seen her like that since…well, her grandmother was alive.”

He directed his startling blue eyes at her and Dallas thought she saw a look of faint accusation in them.

“Just what are you up to, Ms. Donovan?”

Totally stunned by his out-of-the-blue question, Dallas stared at him. “Excuse me? I'm afraid I don't understand.”

“Really? You don't?”

The sarcasm in his voice suddenly painted a clear picture. This man didn't trust her and apparently believed that where Boone was concerned she had hidden motives. The idea was ludicrous.

“Ahh. I see,” she said finally. “Well, you needn't worry about your friend. Boone and I have already made a deal for the horses. And though it's really none of your business, I paid him top dollar and was glad to do it. So if you thought I was trying to use my…uh, feminine charms to cheat him out of the horses, you couldn't be more wrong.”

He barked out a laugh of amused disbelief. “Believe me, Dallas, it wasn't the horse deal I was thinking about.”

She absently stroked the sorrel's nose as she looked at this man, who apparently considered himself Boone's protector. “Oh? Then what could possibly be on your mind? I'm just biding my time until my truck is repaired. I'm sorry if my presence bothers you, but I'll be gone soon. Maybe you should hang on to that thought so you won't be so worried about me carrying off the ranch,” she added sarcastically.

Frowning, he looked away from her. “I'm sorry, Dallas. Forget I said any of this. It's not my way to behave like a bastard. But Boone isn't being himself and I'm worried about him.”

“Why?”

He let out a long breath as he rested a forearm on the
sorrel's saddle. “There's no way you could know, but Boone went through a terrible time with his ex-wife.”

“I do know.”

This jerked his head around to Dallas. “You do? How—”

“How doesn't matter,” Dallas replied. “I understand that things were difficult around here.”

Mick swore softly. “
Difficult
wasn't the word for it. Joan was a mental wreck and she put Boone through hell. Oh, she wasn't that way in the beginning,” he continued as though reading the questions in Dallas's mind, “but it didn't take long for her to unravel. But by then Boone was all wrapped up in her—especially after she got pregnant. He wanted things with her to work. In my opinion he hung on far too long.”

Desperately trying to hang on to the woman he loved? Dallas wondered. Or had his main concern been for his daughter? Either way, she hated to think of such a strong man as Boone having to endure such a tragic situation.

“I don't think we should be discussing Boone's personal life,” Dallas told him. “Besides, it has nothing to do with me.”

“It shouldn't,” Mick agreed. “But I think Boone is a bit taken with you.”

Dallas mentally groaned. Was the simmering chemistry between her and Boone so obvious that this man could see it? “Taken with me? In what way?”

He looked at her. “I think he's attracted to you. And—”

The remainder of his thoughts went unsaid as Hayley came racing into the barn with Boone not far behind.

Clearing his throat, Mick quickly began to tighten the saddle cinch. Dallas stepped away from the horse and waited as Hayley, then Boone, reached her side.

“Dad's ready to go now, Dallas!” Hayley announced with excitement. “Are you?”

She glanced at Boone to see he was studying her and Mick with guarded speculation. The idea made Dallas want to curse. The two men were behaving as though they'd never seen a woman before, especially on this ranch. And maybe they hadn't, Dallas tried to fairly rationalize. With the drive from here to the nearest blacktopped highway taking nearly forty minutes, it wasn't like friends and neighbors were constantly popping by. Perhaps Dallas was an anomaly that had disturbed their mundane routine.

“Sure.” She caught Boone's gaze with hers. “What about your customer?”

“He's coming back tomorrow and bringing a vet with him. He wants to make sure that whatever he buys is sound.”

“Well to hell with him!” Mick exclaimed. “You should have run his a— You should have run him off the place.”

Mick's blunt suggestion caused Boone to roll his eyes. “I don't care if he brings an army of vets out here. They'd find all the horses I have for sale are sound and healthy. Otherwise, they'd be sequestered away from the others. Anyway, I think he was a bit peeved because I refused to let him get near Midnight.”

“Midnight?” Mick looked thoughtful. “I don't remember a horse around here by that name.”

“The black stallion. He belongs to Dallas now.”

The knowing glance that Mick directed at Dallas caused her cheeks to turn pink, but thankfully Boone didn't notice as he was already curling his arm around Hayley's shoulder and urging her out of the barn.

Dallas followed a step behind them.

 

The bluffs, a place that Mick had mentioned earlier, was a good five miles from the ranch house, and with no direct road to follow, Dallas got the impression that they were simply driving to another spot in the desert. But halfway there, the landscape began to change to low mountains and dry creek beds. Slabs of rock and jagged outcroppings suddenly appeared and the faint trail that Boone seemed to be following turned even rougher.