Page 9 of At the Rancher's Pleasure

They’d made love and it had been nice, fun...safe. They’d both worked hard to make it as good as it could possibly be...

But there had been more heat in one kiss with Sarabeth than he and Lexi had ever generated in bed. Honestly, Brett felt like he’d been attacked by a blowtorch. It had been wild and feral, a crazy connection of want and lust and the need to rip her clothes off...

Brett sighed. He was rapidly approaching forty and he’d had a lot of sex, but that kiss was unlike any he’d experienced before. Her soft lips tasted of coffee and berries, her scent was light, fresh and fragrant, and her body, the little he got to feel, was firm, toned and delightfully feminine.

He wanted her.

Brett, turning the corner, lifted his hand to the back of his neck. He shouldn’t be thinking of another woman, not so soon after a broken engagement. Hell, a few weeks ago he’d been convinced he’d marry Lexi, that he’d live with her for the rest of his life.

Yet here he was, after a quick, hard, lush kiss, balls deep in lust with Sarabeth...

He’d had two conversations with her...two!

How could he go from legally engaged to sexually enraged in the blink of an eye?

It made absolutely no sense and, because it was taking too much mental energy, he dismissed it as a one-off, a step out of time. Nothing was going to happen with Sarabeth Edmond, not now or ever. He needed to keep his distance from women, concentrate on his business and the ranch, fulfill his obligations to the Soiree on the Bay festival. In other words, he needed to keep his head down and his nose clean.

Brett sighed. He’d caused enough gossip lately, and having lived under the town’s collective microscope as a kid, he wasn’t keen to relive that experience as an adult.

He’d apologize to Sarabeth, tell her he got a bit carried away, that their kiss was an anomaly. That it wouldn’t happen again...

Approaching the squat, red brick building housing his lawyer’s offices, he felt his racing heart slow down, his lungs now fully able to take a big breath. He had a ranch to operate; he would not tolerate another distraction of the feminine kind. He could resist those big blue eyes, that beautiful, triangular face with its high cheekbones, her wide, sensuous mouth. A body that wouldn’t quit...

Brett felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and he spun around, frowning. He didn’t realize his fist was clenched or that his lip was lifted in a snarl.

Billy Holmes took a sharp step back and lifted his own hands. “Whoa, Harston, I come in peace.”

Brett forced his shoulders to drop and flexed his hands before holding out his right hand for Billy to shake. “Billy, hi. Sorry, I was miles away.”

“I could tell.”

Billy fell into step with him. “I’m glad I bumped into you. You’ve been away so you might not have seen the email I sent out convening a meeting of the festival’s committee.”

Billy went on to detail the time and date of the meeting and gave Brett a basic rundown of the agenda.

Instead of feeling excited or enthusiastic to get stuck in, Brett felt hesitant. Why was he feeling a little uneasy about getting involved with this festival? A small, bleak voice in his gut was telling him to stay away, but Brett knew that he wouldn’t...

Being invited to sit on the advisory committee, along with the other movers and shakers in town, was not something to be taking for granted. It told him—and the greater community, his employees and their families—that he held a certain amount of power and influence in Royal.

And for a man who was once derided and dismissed as the son of the town’s most embarrassing drunk, that wasn’t a small thing.

The moment she stepped into the Royal Diner, Sarabeth found herself wrapped up in Jaynie Prince’s arms and pressed up against her ample bosom. And being hugged like this reminded her of those dark days when she’d first found out about Rusty’s affairs, and the dawning knowledge that he’d never love her enough to quit seeing other women. Jaynie, whom Sarabeth met at a wine-tasting gala, had been her shelter in the storm, the only person she’d felt comfortable enough with to share her troubles.

They’d kept in contact over the years, but theirs was the type of friendship that could be picked up after two days or twenty years...

Sarabeth slid into a red leather booth and looked around the diner, smiling. “This place doesn’t change, does it?”

Jaynie’s smile was wide. “You certainly haven’t. God woman, how can you possibly be as skinny as you were in your midtwenties? Don’t they have food in California?”

“I have a fast metabolism, you know that,” she replied, laughing.

“Prove that you are normal and order one of Amanda’s special milkshakes.” Jaynie pointed to a board detailing the diner’s gourmet drinks. “If you have one and tell me that we’re celebrating our reunion, then I will feel morally obliged to ditch my diet and join you.”

“We’re celebrating our reunion, and I’m having a salted caramel milkshake.”

Jaynie grinned, placed their order with a waitress and leaned across the table, her mischievous green eyes dancing with glee. Jaynie’s eyes were clear and light, whereas Brett’s were a deep, mysterious evergreen. Remembering his mouth on hers, how shaky she felt in the knees and the liquid heat that rushed to that space between her legs, made Sarabeth blush.

“Are you having a hot flash or something?” Jaynie demanded, on a whisper as loud as a foghorn.

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