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She cleared her throat. “Please call me Ileana.”
A lazy smile spread across his face. “You can count on that, too—Ileana.”
She blurted another hasty good-night to him, then ended the call. Mac leaned back on the bed and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Maybe hanging around here in New Mexico for a few more days wasn’t going to be as cold and lonely as he first feared.
Chapter Three
The next evening, a few minutes before six, Ileana managed to wind up the last of her hospital rounds and hurriedly changed from her work clothes into a royalblue sweater dress and a pair of tall, black suede boots. The dress had only been worn once, two years ago, when she’d attended a charity dinner with her parents. Ileana rarely bothered to vary her wardrobe from slacks or professional skirts and mundane blouses. No one bothered to look at her sideways. And if they did, it was because she was a doctor and they wanted to hear what she had to say about a patient or ailment.
But this morning, she’d grabbed the dress from her closet and convinced herself that her mother would be pleased if she dressed for their dinner guest tonight.
Shutting the door on her private workspace, Ileana hurried down the hallway toward the nearest hospital exit. She was almost past the nurse’s station, when Renae called out to her.
“Dr. Sanders, is that you?”
Stifling a sigh, Ileana paused and looked back at the nurse. “Yes, it’s me, Renae. I’m on my way home. Was there something you needed before I leave?”
The tall nurse with wheat-blond hair and bright blue eyes stepped out from behind the high counter. “No. Everything is quiet.” Her gaze ran pointedly over Ileana’s dress and boots. “My, oh my, you look—so different! I’ve never seen you dressed this way! And you’re wearing lipstick!”
A faint blush warmed Ileana’s cheeks, making them match the shell-pink color she’d swiped over her lips. She felt incredibly self-conscious. Which was absurd. She was thirty-eight years old. She could wear what she wanted, whenever she wanted, she tried to reassure herself. “I break out of my rut once in a while, Renae.”
The other woman smiled. “Well, you should do it more often, Doc.” Renae’s expression turned impish. “You wouldn’t want to tell me what the occasion is, would you?”
Renae would be the first one to admit that she did her share of contributing to the hospital gossip grapevine. But Ileana certainly didn’t have anything to hide. Her personal life was as flat and uninteresting as a cold pancake.
“Mother is having a dinner guest, and she doesn’t like for me to show up in wrinkled work clothes.”
Renae started to reply but paused as the sound of approaching footsteps caught both women’s attention. Ileana looked around to see Mac McCleod striding directly toward them. He was wearing a jean jacket with a heavy sheepskin collar, and his cowboy hat was pulled low over his forehead; but the moment he neared the two women, he tilted it back and smiled broadly.
“Good evenin’, ladies.”
Renae gave him one of her sexy smiles, and Ileana thought how perfect a companion the young nurse would be for the Texas cowboy. She was full of life and nothing—not even a man like Mac McCleod—intimidated her. Whereas Ileana felt like Little Red Riding Hood standing next to the big scary wolf.
“Good evening, Mr. McCleod,” Renae greeted him. “Fancy seeing you here again.”
He glanced briefly at the nurse before settling his eyes on Ileana. The direct gaze heated her body more than a huge shot of whiskey ever could.
“Yes,” he said to the nurse. “Dr. Sanders was kind enough to invite me to dinner.”
The sound of his voice was low and sultry. Or at least it seemed that way to Ileana. But she could be overreacting. Either way, she was ready to leave the hospital and break the odd tension that had suddenly come over her.
“Oh, how nice,” Renae responded while casting a shocked glance at Ileana.
“We’d better be going, Mac. Or we’ll be late.” Ileana quickly grabbed him by the arm and urged him toward the exit. To Renae, she tossed over her shoulder, “See you tomorrow.”
As the two of them headed down the wide corridor, he asked, “What’s the rush? Afraid I’m going to pester you to see Frankie before we leave the hospital?”
“No,” Ileana replied. “It wouldn’t make any difference how much you pestered me. The answer would still be no. At least for today.”
“So she’s still too ill for visitors?”
Now that they were away from Renae and nearing a revolving door that would take them outside the hospital, Ileana dropped her hand from his arm and purposely put space between their bodies. Even so, she was intensely aware of his spicy scent, the sensual swagger of his posture and the pleasant drawl to his voice.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Are you sure she’s getting everything she needs at this hospital? Maybe if you sent her to Albuquerque or Santa Fe? I mean, I’m not doubting your ability as a doctor, but she might need to be in a more high-tech facility.”
Ileana paused to pull on the black coat that was draped over her arm, but before she could swing it around her shoulders, he took the garment from her and graciously helped her into it. Ileana couldn’t remember the last time a man, other than a relative, had done such a personal thing for her. It made her feel awkward, yet sweetly cared for at the same time.
She’d never been really hurt or abused by any man, but her natural shyness and private nature had kept them at bay for years. Now it was a habit she couldn’t seem to break out of. Everyone thought of her as a plain old maid, and she couldn’t seem to change her own opinion of herself. But seeing her in this stranger’s eyes was giving her new hope.
Looking up at him, she smiled. “I’m sure you mean well, Mac. But there is no high-tech machine that can cure Frankie right now. And even if there were, our hospital here has up-to-date equipment. No, the only thing that can help Frankie is medication and total rest.”
He let out a long breath, and she could clearly see that he was frustrated, but his demeanor changed as quickly as the snap of two fingers. Once again he was smiling down at her. For a moment Ileana forgot that they were standing to one side of the door and that people were coming and going behind them. She was momentarily mesmerized by the subtle glint in his brown eyes, the faint dimples bracketing his lips, the dent in his chin.
“Well,” he said softly, “that just means I’ll have to stay here in Ruidoso longer and get to know you a bit better.”
Dropping her head, she cleared her throat as she tried to gather herself together. “Um…we’d better go. It’s a fairly long drive to the Bar M,” she told him.
Out in the parking lot, a north wind was whipping across the asphalt, rattling the bare limbs of the aspens and shaking the branches of the blue spruce trees. Ileana huddled, shivering inside her coat, as she gave him general directions to the ranch, then climbed into her truck and waited for him to do the same.
Soon a dark, fairly new-looking pickup truck pulled directly behind hers. She steered her own vehicle onto the street while carefully watching in the rearview mirror to make sure he was following. After a maze of turns and several traffic lights, they hit the main highway that would take them east to the Hondo Valley.
The Bar M was nearly thirty miles away and in the daylight, a beautiful drive through the mountains. But night had fallen more than an hour ago. As she drove, Ileana’s gaze switched from the white line on the highway to the headlights following a respectable distance behind her, while her thoughts raced faster than the speedometer on the dash panel.
What was the man really trying to do? There was no reason for him to flirt with her. In fact, the whole idea seemed ridiculous. But he had flirted, she mentally argued with herself. At least, it had felt that way to her. So why? Was he still thinking he could charm her into letting him see Frankie?
Yes. That had to be the reason. A man like him didn’t look twice at a woman like her for romantic reasons. And during the evening ahead, she was going to do her best to remember that.
Since Mac McCleod was a guest who had never visited the ranch before, Ileana purposely parked in front of the house so that they could enter properly through the main entrance.
When he joined her on the small stone walk leading up to the long porch, he paused to look around at the area lit by a nearby yard lamp.
“This is quite a beautiful place. I’d like to see the ranch and the drive up here in the daylight sometime.”
“Yes. Even though it is my home, I never take the scenery for granted,” she replied, then gestured toward the house. “Shall we go in? It’s very cold this evening.”
“It’s damn—sorry—it’s darn cold to me,” he said as he followed her to the door. “It gets cool where I come from but not anything like this. We’re lucky if we see a frost, much less snow.”
“Oh, come June and July we’ll get some very warm weather,” she told him. “But with the high altitude the nights remain cool.”
She opened the door and gestured for him to enter, but he shook his head and smiled.
“I’d never go before a lady. You lead the way.”
Even though Mac’s mother had left the family, he’d obviously been raised with manners, Ileana thought. And a whole lot of charm. Something she needed to ignore. But everything inside her was so aware of the man, so pleased to be in his presence. And the reaction made her feel more foolish than she’d ever felt in her life.
As they moved from the foyer into the long living room, Ileana was relieved to find her mother sitting on the couch. The moment Chloe spotted them, she rose to her feet and quickly joined them.
“Mac, this is my mother, Chloe Sanders. Mother, this is Mac McCleod,” Ileana promptly introduced.
“Mr. McCleod, I’m very happy you decided to join us tonight,” Chloe told him as she reached to shake his hand.
He took her hand, but rather than shake it, he simply held it in a warm, inviting grip. As a smile dimpled his cheeks, Ileana could see her mother succumbing to the man.
“It’s my pleasure, ma’am. Having you two ladies for company sure beats the lonely meal I had last night.”
Chloe chuckled softly. “Eating alone isn’t much fun. But my husband sometimes travels so I have to do it at times. Are you married, Mr. McCleod?”
Mac gave her a lopsided grin. “No. I’m a single man. And call me Mac, ma’am. Ileana already does.”
Chloe’s brows inched upward as she glanced over at her daughter. Ileana smiled awkwardly as her mother’s gaze swept over her sweater dress and her stacked heel boots.
“Does Cesar have dinner ready yet?” Ileana asked quickly.
“I think it will be a few more minutes,” Chloe said, then looped her arm through Mac’s. “Come along, Mac, and make yourself comfortable. I was just having a small glass of wine. Would you like to join me?”
“Only if Ileana will share one with us,” he said.
“Usually Ileana doesn’t drink anything but water,” Chloe said. “But maybe she’ll make an exception tonight—for you,” Chloe added.
Ileana didn’t know why her mother was speaking in such a coy manner or why Chloe expected her to drink a glass of wine when she knew her daughter didn’t like alcohol. But then, this whole issue with Mac McCleod was strange. His presence must be rubbing off on her mother, too, she thought.
“Only a very small glass,” Ileana told her.
Mac took a seat in a stuffed armchair situated a few feet from the fireplace, which at the moment was cracking and hissing with a roaring fire. Ileana took a chair across from him and crossed her legs. Then realizing she didn’t feel comfortable, she rested both feet flat on the floor and folded her hands in her lap.
Across the room, at a small wet bar, Chloe asked, “So have you been in Ruidoso for long, Mac?”
“Only since yesterday, ma’am.”
“How do you like this area?” she asked, as she handed him a glass of wine.
He thanked her, then said, “It’s very beautiful. But it’s not Texas. No offense, ma’ am.”
Chloe laughed softly. “I know what you mean, Mac. Texas is your home, so nothing could compare.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “That pretty much says how it is.”
Chloe handed Ileana a glass with a very short amount of red liquid in the bottom, then took a seat on a nearby couch.
Ileana said, “I’m sorry my father couldn’t be with us tonight, Mac. He’s away on business right now.”
“Is he a cattleman?” Mac asked.
“No. Daddy knows about cattle, but he’s mainly an oilman,” Ileana explained.
“Wyatt owns and runs a natural gas exploration business,” Chloe added. “He was doing that when we married—oh so many years ago.”
Mac looked back and forth between the two women. These people were well off financially. Even more than he’d initially thought. “This ranch, do you run stock on it?”
“Oh, yes,” Chloe answered. “It’s been a working ranch for nearly seventy-five years. For the most part, we raise horses, and I train them for the racetrack.”
He looked intrigued now, and Ileana wasn’t surprised. Her mother lived and worked in mostly a man’s world, at an exciting sport. Whereas Ileana worked at a job that was oftentimes depressing and complicated. Men were rarely drawn to her occupation.
“Thoroughbreds or quarter horses?” he asked Chloe.
“Both.”
Mac looked over at Ileana and was struck at how lovely she looked with her face bathed in a golden glow from the fire and the tail of her simple ponytail lying against one shoulder. There was a quiet dreaminess about her expression that was both soothing and inviting at the same time, and he found himself wishing he was going to have dinner with her alone.
“What about you, Ileana? Are you familiar with horses?”
“Ileana is an excellent horsewoman,” Chloe spoke up before her daughter could answer his question. “But she rarely takes the time to ride.”
“Keeping others well is important to me, Mother.”
Chloe smiled, but Mac got the sense that there was sadness behind her expression. As though she didn’t quite approve of her daughter’s lifestyle.
“Yes. And I’m very proud of you, darling. You know that.”
The room went quiet after that, and it suddenly dawned on Mac that he’d been so caught up in conversation with Ileana and her mother that Frankie, the reason for this visit, had totally slipped his mind.
“Ileana tells me you’re from Texas, Mac. What part?” Chloe asked.
“South Texas, ma’am. About forty miles north of Corpus Christi. I’m a deputy for Sheriff Langley Nichols in Bee County.”
She nodded slightly. “I have a brother-in-law and nephew who both served several terms as sheriff here in Lincoln County. We know all about the dedication you men put in your jobs. You’re to be commended.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Ileana’s mother smiled. “Call me Chloe.”
At that moment, an older man, tall, with a thick head of salt and pepper colored hair, appeared in an open doorway of the room. He politely inclined his head toward Mac, then turned his attention to the mistress of the house.
“Supper’s ready, Chloe.”
“Thank you, Cesar. We’ll be right there.”
The two women rose to their feet, and Mac followed behind Ileana as they left the living room and entered an adjoining room to their right. The rectangular space was furnished with a long cedar table that seated ten. The top was made of board planks while the legs had been roughly hewed from small cedar post. The matching chairs were worn smooth from years of use. Above the table, a lamp fashioned like a kerosene lantern hung from a low ceiling and cast a dim glow over the dining area. Across the way, heavy drapes were pushed back from a double window. Beyond the blackened panes, Mac could make out the tall branches of a spruce tree whipping in the cold wind.
In the past year, his brother had married a ranching heiress, a daughter of one of the Sandbur Ranch families. Since then, Mac had had the pleasure of visiting the huge ranch, and he could safely say that this house was nothing like the huge, elaborate homes there. This Bar M Ranch house was much smaller in scale and far more rustic in furnishings and appearance. As Mac helped both women into their chairs, he decided the Sanders family was only concerned with two things. Comfort and practicality.
After Mac took a seat directly across from Ileana, the man called Cesar served them a salad that was full of ripe olives and bits of corn chips. The concoction was so tasty Mac forgot that he didn’t like salads.
“Ileana tells me that you’ve come to Ruidoso to see Frankie Cantrell,” Chloe said, once all of them were eating.
Mac hadn’t expected her to bring up the subject so bluntly, but he was quickly seeing that Chloe wasn’t bashful about speaking her mind.
