Page 30 of Return of the Rancher

Farris urged his mother toward the car. “I’ll follow you back to the house.”

It was odd seeing Farris in the rearview mirror. Twelve hours ago—give or take—India had shared his bed. And if Farris was to be believed, he wanted her there tonight and every night India was in Wyoming.

At one time, that knowledge would have thrilled her. She would have taken it as proof that there was hope for their marriage after all. But now, all these years later, she was not so naive. Now she understood that a man could separate lust from love.

Farris had certainly done so. He had excised love and marriage from his life. All that was left was physical pleasure and satisfaction.

India was still confused about why he needed her for that. Farris was wealthy, charismatic, enigmatic, charming when he wanted to be. Oh, and handsome. She couldn’t forget that one. In a room full of either rugged cowboys or billionaire entrepreneurs, he would stand out.

Back at the ranch house, Farris helped his mother out of the car. As they headed inside, India lingered to gather the remnants of the picnic. When she walked into the kitchen to dump the trash and put a few things in the fridge, she found Farris waiting for her.

“Where’s Dottie?” she asked. India avoided looking at him while she went about doing her few chores.

“She says she’s going to take a nap, and that she might skip dinner.”

“Oh.”

Farris leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest.

India immediately felt guilty. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “The picnic was my idea. But I never meant to put Dottie in danger.”

He reached out and dragged her into his arms. “Don’t be ridiculous. You could have had that same meal in that same place a hundred times and never encountered a bear. The important thing is that you’re both okay. To be honest, seeing that bear on the car with you two inside scared me, too.”

India burrowed against his chest, drawing comfort from his embrace. “I realized pretty quickly that he wasn’t a grizzly, but it was still frightening. I’ve never been happier to hear a rifle shot and to see you.”

She felt his chest move as he chuckled. “Well, that’s progress. Maybe I should thank that bear.”

India decided she could stay in this spot for a very long time. Farris stroked her hair, his big hand warm and comforting on the back of her head. Letting him care for her was seductively appealing. She considered herself a strong woman. Even so, the knowledge that Farris would look out for her gave her a twinge of happiness deep inside.

They were standing so close together it was impossible for her to ignore the moment he became aroused. His sex pressed against her belly, thick and urgent. Even the stance of his body changed.

Before, he had been holding her to offer reassurance. Now his large frame vibrated with sexual energy. Every moment of last night’s madness came rushing back, swirling about them like a cloud of temptation and threatening to drag them beneath the dangerous, unpredictable undertow.

What India wanted was to stay exactly where she was. Forever. Instead, she forced herself to take a step backward...literally.

“I should go,” she said, not able to meet his gaze. “I should check on Dottie...see if she is okay.”

“Don’t,” Farris muttered. “Don’t go, Inkie.” He reached for her hand and pulled her back into his orbit. He tunneled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head. His lips found hers unerringly.

India was lost. She forgot that it was day and not night. She forgot that the housekeeper was somewhere nearby. She forgot that Dottie could walk in at any second.

Farris’s kiss was so unfair. It encompassed longing and tenderness. But also, lustful desperation. How was she supposed to withstand the double-edged assault?

He held her loosely. She could walk away easily. Yet she was trapped, trapped by her own need for this complicated, frustrating puzzle of a man.

His lips coaxed hers into parting, letting his tongue slide against hers. Desire curled in the pit of her belly. She inhaled the scents that were uniquely Farris, knowing she could pick him out in a dark room with her eyes closed.

He was her husband. Or he had been. She knew him intimately. His likes. His dislikes. Especially the ways to drive him wild in bed.

But what did any of that matter if the biggest secret of all was the one she could never fathom? Farris had ended their marriage, and she didn’t know why.

Remembering the pain his decision had caused finally gave her the courage to break free of his spell. “No,” she whispered. “No...” When she put her hands on his chest and shoved, he released her immediately.

India’s timing was fortuitous. A noise in the hallway signaled the housekeeper’s return. Farris’s jaw was taut, his gaze stormy. “I won’t apologize for wanting you,” he said.

“I never asked you to. I wanted that kiss as much as you did.”

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