Page 19 of The Rancher's Cinderella Bride

“Frankly, I hope not,” she said and they both laughed.

Once they were on their way, he made an effort to keep the sports car well below the speed limit and his attention firmly on his driving, even though he’d have preferred to just sit and look at her. How could she have changed that much from just makeup and hair color? Part of it was also the dress, he admitted. He had never seen her in a sexy dress like the one she was wearing tonight.

“Your parents and Justin’s are still coming tonight, right?”

“Oh, yes. And both sets of my grandparents. Justin has a table reserved with friends so he’s going to have to explain why I’m not with him, which is good. You know he’s listed as one of the twenty most desirable bachelors in the Dallas area. And so are you, for that matter.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know why the hell I’m in there. I’m a cowboy. I don’t give a damn about these country clubs. I only belong to this club because of family and because it’s convenient sometimes since it’s in Dallas and near the area where I live. I shouldn’t be on that list.”

“Of course you should,” she said, rubbing his knee lightly, her voice a sultry drawl. “You fantastic man—you are sooo sexy and handsome.”

He knew she was teasing and he glanced her way to give her a smile. He had to drag his eyes back to the road. Three days ago he would have laughed, paid no attention to her and gone on to some other topic. Right now, he was breaking into a sweat, on fire and thinking of getting her into bed. She sounded like the same ol’ Meg, but she didn’t look the same and it made a boatload of difference.

“We’ll sit with my family—not my parents, of course,” he said, trying to get his thoughts on their conversation and off erotic images of them scorching the sheets. “My dad lives out of the country and my mom is out of the country with friends now. We’ll be with my half brother, Blake, and his wife, Sierra. And my brother Cade and his wife, Erin.”

“I don’t know Blake very well. He wasn’t around those years you and I saw a lot of each other.”

“My half brother and I have different mothers and those mothers didn’t get along. Cade and Blake became friends in high school and Cade pulled him into the family—at least as far as the brothers are concerned.”

“I’ve met Blake, but not his wife.”

“Sierra is great. You’ll see. And so is Cade’s wife, Erin. When Nathan and his wife were killed in the car wreck, Cade became their little girl’s guardian. Amelia is a doll.” Cade had stepped up big-time at a dark hour when the family had been devastated by a drunk driver. Gabe had a lot of respect for his brother.

“Blake and Sierra have a little girl, too,” he explained. “Emily, born in January. The kids won’t be there tonight, but you’ll get to meet them at some point.” He glanced her way and saw a sadness overtake her face. No doubt, talking about his late brother reminded her of her own lost sibling. He quickly changed the subject. “I can’t wait to see your parents go into shock when they see you.”

“I went by their place before I went home to dress. They know I’m a blonde now. And they know I’m going with you.”

He scoffed. “I can imagine the reception I’ll get.”

“Well, you’ve lived with that attitude since your dad bought mine out. My family hasn’t spoken to you or any Callahan in years and tonight won’t be an exception.”

“No doubt you’ll be hearing from Justin tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up on your doorstep.”

“I’m not going home tonight, remember? I’m going home with you. My moving in with you should put an end to Justin.”

Gabe grinned. “Justin is burned toast. I hope he realizes it.”

Minutes later, as they approached the club where valets waited, Gabe slowed the car and glanced at her. “Here’s your last chance. I can still drive out of here and take you home. I guarantee you when Justin sees you tonight, he isn’t going to want to give you up. He’ll want to marry you more than ever. A whole lot more than ever.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m still me. I don’t look that different.”

“Oh, yes, you do. For a while, I didn’t recognize you. I promise you the ‘new you’ will change how Justin feels about you.”

“That’s exciting to hear. Maybe I should act sexier,” she said in a sultry drawl. “That way I won’t seem like such a kid to you. Has my new appearance changed how you feel about me?”

He pulled the car over to the side of the road, so other vehicles could pass them, and turned to her. As he wound his fingers in her hair that was now so soft and silky, he looked at her wide-eyed expression.

“Meg, I’m trying to be your friend, like a brother to you. Don’t push the sexy come-on tonight unless you want to face the consequences. Kissing you is fantastic and I’m no saint. I can only resist so much. The way you look now makes me forget completely the relationship we’ve always had. Be careful what you get yourself into, unless that’s really what you want.”

This close, he felt her sweet breath on his face and all he wanted to do was lean in and kiss her. That and peel her out of that enticing black dress.

“Okay,” she said. “Friends forever. I get it. Don’t worry. In a little while I’ll look like my old self again.”

Reluctantly Gabe released her and turned to drive up to the valet.

“I can feel my freedom already. I’m so happy, Gabe. Thank you again.”

“You can show me your appreciation when we get back to my place tonight,” he said, smiling at her, and she laughed. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax and get back to their familiar relationship, but he suspected that wasn’t going to happen again in their lifetimes. There was no way to forget how she looked tonight. Or how she could kiss.

---