Page 14 of In Bed with the Rancher

He smiled. “I guess you’re not so isolated. Is he bringing the dogs tonight?”

“No, because you’re here. You’re a good replacement for the dogs,” she said and he laughed. He had even white teeth and a dazzling smile.

“I hope that’s the first time in my life a woman has told me that.” He let out a small laugh and she smiled.

“Now, do you want the upstairs tour or would you prefer to just go back to sit by the fire?”

“Let’s sit by the fire.”

“Want a cup of hot chocolate?”

“Sure. I’ll go to the kitchen with you,” he said, walking close beside her to the big white-and-blue kitchen that had state-of-the-art appliances.

“Have a chair and I’ll get our cocoa.”

“I’ll help,” he said, following her to a cabinet and watching as she stood on tiptoe to get down white china cups and saucers.

“Let me,” he said, reaching up to get the cups, standing close to her and making her think of being in his arms when he had kissed her.

“I know you’re doing this because Molly told you to keep me awake. How long did she say to keep me from sleeping?” he asked, leaning against the counter and watching her as she got out the cocoa.

Ava was aware of his proximity and his gaze on her. He was close beside her, his voice a deep, enticing rumble.

“As late as I can,” Ava answered, more aware of him standing close than their conversation. “She wasn’t emphatic about it because she said this isn’t her area of expertise, but she thinks that’s what we should do.”

“I’ll cooperate with you, but I have to tell you, this has been a day with both very good and very bad events. And damn exhausting events.”

“I agree. I’m glad I could help, but the storm was terrible and I’m sorry for your injuries and the loss of your belongings. Your memory should return.”

“Damn, I hope so. I don’t like not knowing who I am or anything else about myself. On the good-news side—I’ll heal. Molly said my injuries—the cuts, the blow to my head—shouldn’t be too long-lasting or serious. I’ll have a scar on my shoulder, though. She said as soon as I can, I should get a CT scan. That’s routine, just to make sure my head is okay.”

She picked up the cups and turned. At the same time, he turned to face her, and when she looked into his thickly lashed brown eyes, the moment changed. She could remember his kiss and her gaze lowered to his mouth. When she did, her lips parted while her heartbeat sped up. She looked up to meet his gaze again and could see his intent.

She couldn’t get out the refusal that she knew she should say. She could barely get her breath. He took the cups from her hands and set them on the counter. His fingers closed on her wrist. The minute he did, she took a deep breath and forgot about the cocoa.She shook her head. “We shouldn’t,” she whispered, too aware of how close she stood to him. “We agreed we wouldn’t.”

“One more kiss won’t change our lives and it’s been a long day. Kissing you was the bright moment,” he said in a husky voice. She shook her head, but she leaned slightly toward him and her lips parted again. It had been the best part of the day and she wanted to kiss again, too, even though she knew she shouldn’t, that if they kept kissing, it would be tougher to deal with what was ahead. They had no future and she wasn’t ready for any relationship. She wasn’t ready at all. “I just can’t,” she whispered, but she stood rooted to the spot, unable to move away, unable to look away.

He leaned closer. “Ava, this has been a hell of a day except for you. If we can catch just a few minutes of bliss, I’m ready to go for it. You’re the best thing in my life today. You looked like an angel when I first saw you—I still see you as an angel in my life. Maybe an angel with the hottest kisses. Come here, Ava,” he coaxed in a deeper voice, drawing her to him, and she couldn’t tell him no when she wanted desperately to kiss him. When his warm lips touched hers, her heart thudded.

His mouth covered hers, claiming her in a fiery kiss, while his arm circled her waist and she kissed him in return.

She finally raised her head. “We shouldn’t—”

“Yeah, we should,” he whispered, kissing her between words, “and we’re not going to cause disasters because of one or two more kisses on a cold, rainy night.” He wrapped his arms around her to hold her as he took possession of her mouth again.

She slipped her arms around him, and his hard, muscled body against her felt wonderful. Her heart pounded and she wanted to stop thinking, stop trying to do the smart thing, the right thing, and just kiss for the next hour.

Instead, she thought about how she would get hurt again. She had no idea what was waiting for him back in his real life.

Seconds, minutes, she didn’t know how much time later, but she finally leaned away and he let her go.

Breathing hard, they both gazed at each other for a moment. She turned away from him so she wouldn’t go right back into his embrace.

“We have to stop,” she said. “I would bet my cabin and land that there is a woman in your life.” She took a deep breath and faced him again.

“We can still have cocoa and sit and talk,” she said and her words were breathless while her heart still pounded. She wished she sounded light-hearted, just cheerful and friendly, instead of out of breath as badly as if she’d just run a marathon. She couldn’t even stop looking at him. She didn’t want him to know how she really felt, how attracted she was to him, though she suspected he knew full well.

He took her hand. “C’mon, skip the cocoa. Let’s just sit by the fire and talk.” He released her hand and she nodded. He left space between them as they went to the family room and sat in front of the gas logs.

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