Christmas With the Mustang Man (14 page)

“Neither will I—ever forget,” he admitted.

Her misty green eyes searched his face and he wondered why it felt like something or someone was squeezing his heart.

“Really?”

Suddenly Boone couldn't fight himself any longer. He tugged on her hand and she fell forward and into his arms.

“Oh, Dallas…Dallas. None of this is supposed to be happening. You'll be going soon. And I can't follow. But while you're here—” He pressed his cheek against hers.
“I keep telling myself that it's okay to want you. Like this.”

He found her mouth with his and as her lips opened and her arms slid around him, he realized that he was not the same man she'd met two nights ago.

When he ended the contact of their lips and began to trail a track of kisses down the side of her neck, she whispered, “This scares me, Boone. Really scares me. When I leave this ranch I don't want to leave my heart here with you.”

“And I don't want you to leave it with me.” Forcing the words through his tight throat, he rubbed his cheek against the skin bared by the V of her sweater. “Because I—I would only break it. Ruin it. And I never want to hurt you, sweet Dallas. Never.”

Her fingers dipped into his hair and clamped against his scalp. Boone lifted his head to look at her and as their gazes met he groaned with sheer longing.

“Then kiss me and tell me good-night,” she implored. “Otherwise, I might forget all the reasons we can't be together.”

He searched her eyes while foolishly wondering why he couldn't have met her many years ago before the patterns of their lives had already been set, before he'd become a hollow man.

“And what are those reasons?” he had to ask, even though he already knew how she would answer.

“A thousand miles,” she said sadly. “My home and family. And that's just for starters.”

Everything inside of him suddenly felt heavy and dying. “A thousand miles,” he repeated softly, then before he could change his mind, he pressed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “Good night, Dallas.”

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes shadowed
with something like disappointment, and then suddenly she pulled herself from his arms and hurried out of the room.

Boone sat where he was for several minutes before he finally managed to push himself to his feet. The twinkling lights on the tree seemed to mock him and with a heavy heart he quickly turned them off and left the room.

On the way to his bedroom, the slit of light beneath Dallas's door beckoned to him and for a moment he paused and reconsidered his decision to tell her good-night.

If he pushed, she would give. But in the end that wouldn't make him feel good about himself.

No, he had to put wanting her out of his mind. Like he'd told her, he'd made this ranch his life. And he couldn't give it up. Not even for her.

D
allas spent a fitful night trying to force herself to fall asleep. But at the most, she'd gotten only broken naps that had made her feel even groggier the next morning.

When she staggered into the kitchen it appeared that Boone had already been there and gone. Dallas was glad. Facing him this early was not how she needed to start her day.

Shoving back her heavy hair, she walked over to the coffeepot. After she poured herself a cup and took a careful sip, she gazed down the cabinet at the black phone attached to the wall.

Oh, God, how she missed her cell phone and the convenience of calling her family and friends anytime she wanted or needed them.

She missed the hustle and bustle of the Diamond D, the ranch hands and horses, jockeys, grooms and hot walkers. She missed the sound of the thundering hooves
as the colts and fillies galloped the track. But mostly she missed her family, her riding stables and the children. Everything that was important to her was back in New Mexico.

And yet so much of her was dreading the day she would have to leave this quiet and lonely ranch. It didn't make sense, but the feelings were there anyway.

After a quick breakfast she dressed in jeans and a heavy gray sweater, then as she stepped outside topped it with her denim ranch jacket.

On the way to the barns she noticed the sky had cleared and the wind had calmed somewhat. It was going to be a beautiful day, she decided, even if her heart was all mixed-up inside.

She was behind one of the smaller barns, checking over the six horses she'd purchased, when Hayley came trotting across the dusty corral.

“Dallas, where's Dad? I've looked all over and can't find him.”

From the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the girl had obviously run all the way out here. “Is something wrong?” Dallas asked quickly.

“No. Well, sorta. I need to ask him something. And I don't have much time. I gotta find him. Is Mick around? Maybe he knows where Dad is.”

“I haven't seen either one of them. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Hayley released a dramatic sigh. “My best friend, Jennifer, has invited me to go with her and her family to Las Vegas on a Christmas shopping trip. They're gonna spend the night there and go to a movie and all that cool kind of stuff.”

The girl's obvious excitement brought a smile to Dal
las's face. “That sounds like lots of fun. Do you think your father will give you permission to go?”

The girl tilted her head from one side to the other. “I don't know. He's stricter than my friends' fathers, but sometimes he lets me go places. But this time…I just gotta go! I could pick out something for Dad's Christmas present without him seeing and—”

She stopped in midsentence as a troubled look fell over her face.

“What's wrong?” Dallas asked quickly.

“I just remembered. You'll probably get your truck back tomorrow and then you'll leave the next morning, and if I go to Vegas with Jennifer I'll miss being here—with you.”

In spite of the heaviness in Dallas's heart, she gave the girl a reassuring smile. “Oh, honey, you don't want to miss the opportunity to take a trip just because of me. Christmas is coming! It's a time to do special things.”

She studied Dallas for a thoughtful moment. “You mean, you think I should go for it?”

Bending, Dallas tenderly cupped her gloved hands around Hayley's face. “It would make me happy for you to go and have fun.” She swallowed as more emotions tightened her throat. “And who knows, maybe I'll be coming back someday to buy more horses and we'll get to see each other again.”

“Oh, yeah. That would be great. Or maybe I could talk Dad into driving down to New Mexico to see you? I know he likes you,” Hayley added with childlike certainty. “He doesn't ever talk to any woman the way he talks to you.”

He might like her, Dallas thought dismally, but not enough to warrant a trip to New Mexico. And neither of them were really cut out for a long-term, long-distance
relationship—and Dallas didn't think she'd survive a fling with Boone. It was already going to be hard to say goodbye…?.

Dallas tried to clear the knot of emotions in her throat. “Well, it would be nice if the two of you came down for a visit. I'd like that,” she added huskily.

The sound of a vehicle suddenly caught Hayley's attention and she looked around Dallas's shoulder. “Oh, there's Dad now! I'll talk to you later, Dallas!”

Dallas turned to see the girl climb over the corral fence and race to where Boone was getting out of the old work truck. He spotted Hayley almost immediately and waited at the side of the vehicle until she reached him.

Even though she was fifty yards away and couldn't hear a word being said, Dallas felt as though she was eavesdropping, so she turned her attention back to the horses. She'd find out soon enough if Hayley got to make the trip with her friend.

A few minutes later, she was smoothing a hand over the rump of the brown mare, when Boone's voice suddenly sounded behind her.

“Do the horses still look okay to you?”

Her heart tripping rapidly in her chest, she turned to face him. He looked a bit tired, but other than that there was nothing in his expression that said he was thinking about last night and the way they'd parted.

“They look good,” she said. “I just thought I'd have a little visit with them this morning. And tell them about the long trip they have ahead of them.”

“You might hope they didn't understand. The most any of these have traveled in a horse trailer is about a hundred miles. That's when I picked them up at auction.”

She looked away from him and over to the opposite
end of the corral, where the horses were milling around a hay manger. “I'll make sure I make plenty of stops to let them rest. And I've brought a water barrel so that I can take this water they're accustomed to back with me for the trip. Horses rarely like to drink when they're on the road. Especially if the water is different.”

“Good thinking.”

Jamming her hands into the pocket of her coat, she turned her attention back to him. “Thanks. I try to be prepared. I just wasn't prepared for a truck breakdown. But…things happen for a reason.”

He lifted his gaze away from her to stare off at the distant mountains. “I suppose Hayley talked to you about going to Vegas?”

“Yes.”

“I gave her permission to go. But it wasn't until afterward that I realized I should've consulted you first.”

“Me? Whatever for? She's your daughter.”

He turned his gaze back to her and this time she could see all sorts of emotion traipsing across his face. “Yes. But you might not…feel comfortable staying here at the ranch with just the two of us. If you don't, I'll take you into town to the hotel.”

He was giving her a chance to escape. From this place, from him and all the heated attraction that flared between them. But now that she'd been given the chance, she realized she didn't want to run from it all. She wanted to stay right here with him.

Oh, God, what did that mean? she wondered. That she'd already fallen in love with the man?

Seeing he was waiting for a response from her, she said, “That won't be necessary. I'm a grown woman. I certainly don't need a twelve-year-old chaperone to make me feel comfortable with you.”

His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath and for a moment she thought she saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “I'm glad you feel that way.”

“Actually, I'm surprised that you're letting Hayley go. She's not talked to me that much about going places. And without you going along on the trip…well, I was expecting you to give her a resounding no.”

Humor suddenly slanted his lips and as always, she was surprised at how different he looked when he smiled or laughed. The man deserved to be happy, she thought. And oh, how she wished she could be the woman to make him that way. But their lives were so mismatched that she'd be crazy to let herself think they could ever merge them together. Last night he'd made it pretty plain that he wouldn't give up this ranch for anything or anyone. So that meant if Dallas ever wanted a relationship with the man, she'd have to do all the giving. Could she be happy with that?

The answer is inconsequential, Dallas, because Boone isn't going to ask you to give up anything. Not for him. You've kissed the man a few times and you've felt something growing between you. But it isn't love he's looking for.

“I'm friends of the Harrisons—the family she'll be going with,” he explained. “I trust them to take good care of Hayley. And this is a nice opportunity for her. Since Mick is the only hired hand I have, I don't have many chances to take my daughter on trips away from the ranch. It puts too much of a load on Mick. So I want to give her this chance to go out and enjoy herself. Especially since it's Christmastime.”

Dallas shot him a broad smile. “So there is a bit of Santa Claus in you, after all,” she teased. “I thought if I kept looking I might find it.”

A sheepish grin touched his face. “I guess I do come off as a bit of a Scrooge. But I'm not totally heartless.”

Her expression sobered as she looked up at him. “No. I never thought you were.”

He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, I've got things to do.”

She nodded. “I'll go see if I can help Hayley gather her things for the trip. Will you be taking her into town to meet your friends?”

“No. Mick will be driving out about lunchtime. He'll drop her by the Harrisons'.”

“I see. Okay. I'll, uh…see you later then,” she told him. And then what? she thought, as she watched him walk away. What would the two of them do tonight? Sit in the family room and stare at each other? Oh, Lord, she couldn't think about that now. She couldn't think about it at all.

 

A little before noon, Dallas and Boone stood in the driveway and waved goodbye to Hayley as she climbed into Mick's truck and the ranch hand drove away.

“Cash, clothes and a credit card. I think she has everything she needs to get by for tonight and tomorrow. If not, the Harrisons will take care of it,” Boone said as he continued to watch Mick's black Ford travel across the dusty desert floor.

As Dallas's gaze followed his example, she was amazed at how touched she was to see the girl leave. Before she'd climbed into Mick's truck, Hayley had given her father a tight hug and then she'd flung her arms around Dallas and hugged her close. And for a brief moment Dallas had felt like a real mother.

Now, as the black truck disappeared behind a distant
hill, she had to face the fact that she might never see Hayley again.

“She'll be fine,” Dallas said around the lump in her throat. “And maybe she'll be back before I leave for New Mexico.”

He darted a strange look at her. “Is seeing Hayley again that important to you?”

Directing her gaze to the ground, she blinked at the hot mist threatening to cloud her vision. “Don't get me wrong, Boone, my days are spent with children. Many of whom I've grown really attached to. But Hayley—there's something about her that makes me want to protect her. Love her.”

Suddenly his arm came around her shoulder and its comforting weight told her that he understood.

“C'mon, let's go in the house for a minute. I want to talk to you about something.”

The minute they stepped through the back door and into the kitchen, Dallas turned on him.

“What? Is something wrong?”

With a comical frown, he shook his head. “No. Why? Are you anticipating trouble?”

She blushed. “Sorry. I guess I'm…just feeling antsy. Christmas is nearly here and my family keeps calling, reminding me that I don't have much time to make the drive back home. I've never spent the holiday away from the ranch.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I guess they think the place will fall apart without me.”

“They're missing you. That's all. But I expect Marti to call tomorrow and say your truck is ready to go. That's why, with Hayley gone, I thought it might be a good time for you and I to take a little trip of our own this afternoon.”

She stared at him. “A trip? Where?”

He chuckled. “From the look on your face you're thinking it must be the end of the earth. But I promise it's only a couple of hours from here. Mustangs run in a certain area near the mountains. I thought you might enjoy seeing a herd of them in the wild.”

It was all she could do to keep from flinging her arms around him. “Oh, Boone! I would love it! But your work—I don't want to put you behind.”

He shook his head. “I don't think a few hours away from this place will cause it to go to ruination. And like you said—it is nearly Christmas. I'd like a treat myself.”

“So when do we leave?” she asked excitedly.

“As soon as you can be ready.”

“Give me five minutes,” she said and raced out of the room.

Ten minutes later, the two of them drove away from the ranch house with a backpack loaded with a thermos of coffee, a bag full of snacks and Dallas's digital camera. Once they reached the main highway, Boone turned north toward the distant range of mountains.

When he'd said the trip took two hours, she'd expected that time to be mostly highway travel. But they'd traveled less than an hour when he turned west onto a graveled road that wound through scrubby desert hill country. Eventually, the hills grew steeper and the juniper and pinyon became thicker, while sage grew tall along the rocky slopes.

When the road finally narrowed down to little more than a rough trail, Boone pulled the truck to the side and parked.

“We'll have to hoof it from here if we expect to see anything. If the horses do happen to be close by, they'll most likely be grazing on the other side of this ridge. There's a creek over there and shelter from the wind.”