Sweet and Wild (15 page)

Twenty minutes later, she picked Marisol
up and brought her back to Long Knife Creek Ranch where she introduced her to
the two other girls.

Quinn headed back to the Shady H, hoping
to find Craig with some time to spare. Business or pleasure first, it didn’t
matter much. Both were equally important.

She didn’t find him anywhere around the
barn but she found Hal who told her Craig had headed to Emerald.

Even better.

Emerald seemed deserted when she
arrived. A lot had been done already to set the place to right, it made her
even more eager to settle in, and get things started. The yard had been cleared
out of all busted up cars, bits and pieces of metal and plastic and whatever
else Ted saw fit to discard. The porch had been emptied and the seat that once
hung from the stoop had returned.

She called for Craig and, after a
moment, he came out of the house. He paused on the top step and they stared at
each other, long and hard.

Pleasure first.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He started down
the steps toward her. As he neared, every part of her body thrilled in
anticipation. She drew in a deep breath to still her nerves, but reveled in the
butterflies that flapped crazily in her belly.

Damn, he didn’t even need to touch her
to make her body charge. She boldly let her gaze brush over him, taking him in
and secretly dreaming of how he’d feel next to her, holding her like a lover.
He was tall, with broad shoulders, impressive chest span and narrow hips. Long
muscular legs. Oh, to tangle her legs around his.

Stop
. Her blood pressure built with
volcanic pressure and she could imagine how red her cheeks had gone.

“I’m glad you’re here.” His voice was
rough.

“Oh yeah?”

He reached her side and looked down at
her. His eyes blazed as he reached out and caressed her cheek. She wanted more,
would demand more. She took a step closer so she brushed against his chest.
Slowly his hand drifted down from her cheek, over her neck, to her shoulder and
down to the small of her back, setting every nerve tingling with desire. Being
this close without kissing him was pure torture, but delicious and she wondered
if he enjoyed it as much as she did.

Quinn smiled contentedly. “Jacob has
given me his blessings to abandon Long Knife Creek and take charge here.” She
tried to keep her voice steady as his fingers played with the tips of her hair.

“Then you’re ready to move in?”

“Whenever it’s convenient.”

“Terrific. How ‘bout I show you what
I’ve been working on.”

Before the Lynches had sold their ranch,
Quinn had spent plenty of time at Emerald. She knew the house nearly as well as
her own. It had been warm and friendly, one Mrs. Lynch had been immensely proud
of, and with good reason.

Not much of the Lynch’s décor had
survived the Penney occupation. There were a few womanly touches throughout,
but mainly it had been turned into something that resembled a seventies rumpus
room. She didn’t know whether to laugh at the outrageousness or be sad for the
loss of Craig’s family home.

“Guess it can use a coat of paint or
seven,” she murmured, studying the dark maroon and yellow striped wallpaper and
matching curtains. “Which is good, because I love to paint.”

She would be doing a lot more than tearing
down wallpaper and painting to get the house back into shape. New carpet, new
floor in the kitchen and the bathroom. These projects would keep her busy over
the winter. Or longer as her budget allowed. For now she might just have to
settle for some conveniently placed throw rugs.

Room after room, her list grew by leaps
and bounds. One look at the house said enough. A huge project lay ahead. More
than once Craig stopped and turned to her as if to gauge her response to what
she’d seen.

“You having second thoughts?”

“Never.”

“You’re a brave woman.”

He had gotten a start on some of the
repair work. In the kitchen, he’d removed several cabinets and new ones were
ready to be installed. He told her that he had new counters on order to replace
the scarred ones in the kitchen now. Room by room, the place would return to a
state that a person could be comfortable living in.

“Let’s go out and see the stock.”

Good, finally back to her comfort zone.

Craig had kept most of the horses here. The
stock included eight mares, three of them expecting, two foals, two yealings,
and a tall, sour looking sorrel who stood in the corner, glaring at them as if
daring them to get near.

He intrigued Quinn. She loved a
challenge and she leaned against the fence and stared right back at him.

“What do you know about that demon over
there?”

“Him? Not much. Apparently Ted bought
him to put him up for stud. He’s got good lines but no one can get near him.
He’s a rogue.”

“He’s skinny and looks evil. I like
him.”

For the first time since she’d arrived,
Craig took Quinn by the arms and turned her away from the stallion. “Please
don’t do anything rash.”

Quinn smiled and raised her brow. “Rash?
Me? Come on. I see a horse who’s like a blank canvas, who could have a future.
I can’t let him waste away.”

Craig looked at her long and hard. Maybe
he doubted her skills and determination, but she had both in abundance.

“If you have to deal with him, please
make sure someone is here with you. I don’t want you in there alone with him.”

Maybe it was the charge of getting a
place of her own, combined with being near the man she’d fallen head over heels
for. Could have been the thought of the kisses they’d shared and the fact they
were absolutely alone. Quinn took a step toward him and his arms closed around
her. She pressed herself against him and slid her arms around his neck.

“Does that mean you’ll be around from
time to time?”

Craig tightened his hold and leaned over
so their faces were only inches apart.

“I hope so. I’ll need to check up on
things. Every once in a while.”

One of the reasons Quinn had sought him
out was to show him that the kisses the other night weren’t a one-time deal and
to find out if he felt the same. She felt no hesitation when she pulled his
head down so his lips touched hers. The kiss was soft, tender, and testing, but
as she smoothed her hands down his neck, she felt his tension. His muscles
bunched and held in check. What in the world would happen if he released the
passion dammed up inside? Surely she’d drown in the waves.

She met his kisses with a sense of
amazement and when his hands ran up her back, setting fire to her skin and her
mind, she moaned against his mouth. She wanted to feel him all over her body,
wanted nothing more than to make love to him until the flames were quenched.

With Craig, though, she doubted that
would ever happen. The flames that blazed would only succeed in building new
fires.

The sweet invasion of his tongue nearly
brought her to her knees and sent sizzling pleasure straight through her body.
She pressed herself more tightly against him, tangling her fingers in his dark
hair, her thumb sweeping against his rough cheek. In turn, his hands explored,
wandering down to the small of her back and further until he held her firmly
and she had no doubt whatsoever about the extent of his desire. The hardness of
his body scared and thrilled her all at once. She wanted more.

A vibration at her hip brought her back
down to earth. Her phone, she realized through the haze of desire. She
considered ignoring it, but she couldn’t.

Reluctantly, she pulled back. Craig kept
his arms around her as she reached for the persistent phone. It was the spa.

“Hello.” She hoped her voice wasn’t too
breathless. She didn’t want Alexis to know what she’d been up to.

“Your girls are done.”

Which meant her time with Craig was also
done, for the moment.

“Okay, I’ll be there. Thanks Alexis.
You’re awesome.”

Quinn disconnected the call and put the
phone into her pocket. Craig’s arms remained around her. She sagged against
him.

“I have to run. Marisol is finishing up.”

“I should get home too.”

“Thanks for showing me around.”

Craig rubbed her back. “You can move in
any time, if you don’t mind the work going on inside. I’ve got some guys coming
tomorrow to put in the cabinets and counters.”

“By the weekend I’ll start. I’m glad
they left some furniture. I think it’ll be a while until I have enough cash to
get new stuff, beyond the basics.”

She babbled and hated it. Apparently
Craig was aware of it too because a smile crept over his face.

He leaned down and shut her up with a
hard kiss then pulled back a fraction of an inch. “When can I see you again?”

“You tell me. My schedule is fairly
open.”

“I’m free for about an hour—no, I’m not.
Damn.”

“Craig, I don’t want us to be public
knowledge yet. I want Marisol to be comfortable with me first.”

“And your brother would probably tell me
you’re too young for me just before he killed me.”

“You’re right. He still thinks I’m
thirteen sometimes. I guess he’s just watching out for my best interests, or so
he thinks.” Quinn said seriously, but then grinned.

“Yeah. But I’m not going away. We’re
starting something and whatever happens, I want it to be meaningful.”

Quinn sighed. “As long as Marisol
doesn’t protest.”

“Why should she? She adores you.”

Quinn patted his cheek lightly. “Oh,
sweet man. She likes me as a friend, but I have a feeling her mind would change
if I became more to you. You know what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Craig nodded. “You’re right. She may not
take it well. At first. But we will tell her.”

“We will.”

“Soon,” he whispered and tickled her
mouth with his, nibbling her bottom lip lightly.

“Soon. For now I need to get her and
bring her back to you.”

“You do that.” Craig kissed her one last
time, a light brush that was no less thrilling as the others. Then he let her
pull away. “Let me know when you’ll be moving in. I’ll be happy to lend a
hand.”

She could’ve kept on talking to him, but
she broke away and went back to her truck, feeling Craig’s stare on her like a
physical touch.

***

“What do you mean hired Quinn to manage
Emerald?”

Craig eyed Robby and sighed. His
brother’s agitated pace wasn’t enough to be concerned about. Robby had a flair
for the dramatic. He always had.

“I hired Quinn to manage Emerald,” he
replied, emphasizing each word. “What’s wrong with that?”

Robby stopped in front of Craig and
glared at him. “What’s wrong? Don’t you think you should’ve discussed it with
me first?”

Craig felt his mouth fall open and for a
moment he was actually at a loss for words. But he regained his senses quickly.
“Why should I do that? It’s my ranch. I’m the one who bought it from the
Penney’s. The place hasn’t been in our family for a long time.”

Robby seemed to realize the error in his
thinking, but his brows furrowed. “You could have at least given me first refusal.”

Craig fought to keep his expression
emotionless. “First refusal? What in the world do you know about raising and
training Quarter Horses?”

Robby shrugged.

“That’s what I thought. You can’t run
cattle there. Quinn has at least the college backing and experience to go along
with it. You don’t.”

Robby huffed up, and stuck out his
chest. His indignation didn’t move Craig to apologize.

“That place was my legacy too, you
know,” Robby said tightly and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Craig studied his brother. Tall, lanky,
good-looking, Robby nearly always got what he wanted. Emerald Ranch hadn’t been
on his “must have” list.

“You had a shot at that before Mom and
Dad sold the place. Emerald could’ve been yours but you chose Hollywood.”

Robby shrugged. Some of that cockiness
drained as if just the mention of his stint in show business was the pin that
pricked his balloon of an ego.

“Still, I’d think there’d be plenty of
more experienced people out there who’d want that job. Why choose Q?”

“I want the two spreads to remain
separate. I’ve got my hands full here. I’m happy to hire Quinn to manage
Emerald. I’m looking for a manager. She’s looking for a ranch. Works out
nicely.”

Robby didn’t reply immediately but gave
him a narrow look. His lips turned down and his brows furrowed. “Is there
something between you and Quinn?”

Even though the question hit like a
punch to his gut, Craig kept his face free of emotion, remembering the promise
he made to keep things quiet. “What do you mean?”

“I saw the way you were looking at her
the night of Marisol’s party. Like you had a thing for her. More than that.”