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Chapter Two
Stay here? With him? Oh, God, nothing about this trip was turning out the way she’d planned, Dallas thought desperately.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather get back to Pioche. I’ve already interrupted your evening.” She couldn’t imagine spending the night under the same roof with this man. Even if several rooms separated her from this rancher, she’d still know he was close by. She doubted she’d get a wink of sleep.
“The way I see it, you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
Her spine stiffened. She didn’t like anyone, especially a man, telling her that she’d run out of options. She was a doer, a thinker and a fighter. She didn’t just give up on something because it seemed hopeless. Even as a child her parents had bemoaned the fact that Dallas would obstinately refuse to accept the word no. Now, years later, she was still slow to accept it.
“I certainly do have a choice,” she said primly. “I’ll call a wrecker and hitch a ride back into Pioche with him. It won’t kill me if it’s late in the night when I get there. And if my truck can’t be repaired by midmorning, I’ll rent one.”
His features tightened and Dallas realized it was the most emotion he’d shown since she arrived.
“Look, Dallas, I understand this place doesn’t have the luxuries you’re probably accustomed to. But it should be comfortable enough for you to bear up for a night or two.”
It wasn’t exactly sarcasm she heard in his voice, or accusation. He’d merely made a flat statement. As though he knew her inside and out and had already decided she was too soft for his type of life. The idea irked her, but she did her best to keep it hidden. She didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the man. She’d not driven over a thousand miles to go back home with an empty horse trailer.
Trying not to let irritation show in her voice, she said, “That’s not the issue at all.”
He continued to look at her and Dallas suddenly realized that Boone was the first man in a long, long time who made her remember that she was every inch a woman, complete with desires and frustrations. The notion jolted her even more than being stranded on this remote ranch with him.
“Really? I get the impression that you’re not comfortable with the idea of staying here overnight.” He folded his arms against his chest as he studied her with a thoughtful eye. “If you’re worried about being alone—with me—forget it. I may not look like a gentleman, but I am.”
It was herself she couldn’t trust. Not him. Glad the darkness hid the heat blazing on her cheeks, she said, “I’m not worried about that, either.”
“Good. Then you should realize that getting back to Pioche tonight is senseless,” he stated. “Might as well stay here and deal with the horses in the morning while you wait for a tow truck.”
His suggestion did make sense, Dallas thought. And she supposed she could endure being under this man’s roof for one night. God only knew she was exhausted from the long drive and to think of rattling back over all those rough miles to Pioche tonight was enough to make her ache all over.
She shrugged with resignation. “That does sound less complicated. As long as you’re sure I won’t be a bother to you.”
His expression a smooth blank, he moved a step closer. “If you get to be a bother, I’ll let you know about it. Do you have any bags with you? Or did you leave them at the hotel?”
Seeing he considered the matter settled, she answered, “They’re in the backseat. I didn’t take time to unload them at the hotel. Guess that turned out to be a good thing.”
After fetching her two leather duffels from the truck, he walked off, leaving Dallas to follow on his heels. As they tromped toward the house, she tried not to think of the night ahead or the predicament she’d gotten herself into.
When they reentered the kitchen, Hayley had already disappeared. With his head, Boone motioned toward an arched doorway.
“Follow me and I’ll show you to the room you’ll be using,” he told her. “You might want to freshen up before we eat.”
“Sounds great,” she murmured.
The remainder of the house was larger than the impression Dallas had gotten from the outside view. After they passed through a long family room and into a narrow hallway, it seemed like they walked forever. Or perhaps it only felt that way to Dallas because the two of them were alone and she was having all sorts of trouble keeping her gaze off of Boone Barnett’s backside.
Good grief, the long drive from New Mexico had done something to her, Dallas thought. It wasn’t like she was starved for masculine company. A woman couldn’t be starved without first getting hungry. And Allen’s deception had practically killed her appetite for romance.
Practically, but not completely. Dallas still dated on occasion and she’d not given up entirely on finding the love of her life. Giving up on anything that was important to her just wasn’t in her nature. But men and marriage were things she now viewed in a guarded, practical way.
At one point in her life, she’d planned for her work with horses to only be a part-time career, until she began the full-time job of being a wife and mother. Having a husband and children were the things she really wanted and once she’d gotten engaged to Allen, she was certain her dreams were coming true. She’d been certain of him and his love for her.
Yet she couldn’t have been more wrong. Only days before the wedding Allen had come to her with a confession. His desire to marry her had been motivated by his wish to be a part of the Donovan wealth, not by love. He’d told her that his conscience had prevented him from going through with the marriage. And, Dallas supposed, once their engagement had ended, it had been that same “conscience” that had sent Allen running back to an old flame.
Since that humiliating heartbreak, no man had made her heart go pitter patter. That is, until tonight, when she’d met Boone Barnett.
“We keep this room ready,” Boone told her as he opened a door to their right, “just in case someone needs or wants to stay a few days here on the ranch. Believe it or not, I’ve had a few people suggest I turn the ranch into a resort, so that people can come and enjoy the quietness. They don’t stop to think that once it became a resort there wouldn’t be any quietness around here.”
Glad that his voice had interrupted her tumbling thoughts, she said, “Back home, the Diamond D is so busy that sometimes the place feels like a minimetropolis.”
He carried her bags over to a double bed covered with a white down comforter. The feather-filled blanket sank as he placed the bags on the edge of the mattress. Dallas longingly imagined her body sinking into the softness and sleep temporarily blotting out her problems.
“Are your riding stables located on the family ranch?” he asked.
Her gaze drifted up to his face and suddenly she was imagining him lying beside her, his big hands reaching for her.
Startled by the erotic image, she quickly glanced away from him and swallowed. “Yes. But there’s a ridge of mountain separating them from the main working area of the ranch. So I’m out of the way and the seclusion lets the children pretend they’re riding in the Wild West.”
“Well, there’s no pretending needed here,” he said dryly. “This is the Wild West.”
Dallas would certainly agree. Ever since she’d arrived on Boone’s ranch she’d been having all sorts of wild thoughts and feelings.
He gestured to a door in the far right corner of the room. “There’s a bathroom with a shower. And feel free to use the closet or whatever else you might need.”
She said, “Thanks, but I doubt I’ll be here long enough to hang up my clothes.”
His mouth slanted to a vague smile. “I wouldn’t be too quick to say that. Pioche isn’t exactly overrun with mechanics and parts-supply shops. In fact, I just know of one.”
Even so, she wasn’t going to let that keep her stranded. Christmas was less than a week away. Back on the Diamond D decorations would abound in every room of the house and even extend to the horse barns, where large stockings filled with peppermints and licorice and fresh fruit would hang by each stall door for the horses to enjoy during the holiday. Parties would be held for the house staff, ranch hands and office employees. Then later, family and friends would gather for rich food, warm drinks and lively dancing. Christmas was always the best of times on the Diamond D and Dallas had never missed being home for the holidays. Somehow, someway, she had to get back to New Mexico before all the merrymaking started.
Smiling with as much confidence as she could muster, she said, “Let’s hope the problem will be easy to fix.”
“With vehicles, you never know.”
Did she imagine it, or did his brown eyes momentarily slide from her face down the length of her body? Just the idea that he might be looking at her in that way sent heat crawling up her neck and onto her face.
You’re thirty-two years old, Dallas. Not eighteen. All sorts of men have looked at you “that” way. Boone isn’t any different from them. The difference is that you’re looking back.
“Uh…the room is lovely,” she said with a sudden rush. “I’m sure I’ll be quite comfortable.”
A quirk of a smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Glad I could oblige,” he said. “So whenever you’re finished here, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
With that, Boone left the small bedroom and once he was out of sight a long breath whooshed from Dallas. Oh, dear, oh, dear, she silently moaned. The last thing she needed was to have a breakdown in the middle of nowhere and be forced to stay overnight in a stranger’s house, with a man who had enough sex appeal to curl her toes. And for all she knew, he was probably married!
But if her instincts were right, Boone Barnett wasn’t some woman’s husband. The house simply didn’t have that feminine feel about it. And he’d said that Hayley’s mother wasn’t around. That could only mean the woman had died or lived elsewhere.
Trying to ignore her tumbling thoughts, she slipped out of her jacket, grabbed a hairbrush from one of her bags and headed to the bathroom.
A few short minutes later, she entered the warm kitchen to see Boone placing plates and silverware on the table. As she walked toward him, he glanced up from the simple task to acknowledge her approach.
“I hope you can eat pizza,” he said. “We don’t always eat fast food, but today has been…hectic.”
“Don’t worry about me. I eat anything and everything,” she replied. She noticed only two plates on the table, and asked, “Won’t Hayley be joining us?”
“She mostly eats in her room. And I see three slices of the pizza are missing.”
So he and his young daughter didn’t usually gather around the table for an evening meal together, Dallas pondered. Was that what happened when there was no mother around to hold things together? Except for Boone, Hayley appeared to be alone. The idea bothered Dallas. During her childhood, she’d been swaddled in love and support from family. And over the years that hadn’t changed.
“Is your daughter the only child you have?” The question popped out of Dallas’s mouth before she could stop it.
“Yes. Her mother and I divorced when Hayley was only two.”
His statement brought Dallas up short. That meant he’d been alone for ten years or so! How had that happened? Even though the population in this area appeared to be scarce, surely there were young women around just waiting for a man to propose matrimony, especially a man that looked like Boone Barnett. But maybe one failed marriage had soured him, she decided. Just like Allen’s subterfuge had left her wary of men and doubting she’d ever find one who could really love her.
Trying to turn off her curiosity about this rancher, she watched him carry the pizza over to the table. “Is there anything I can help you with?” she offered.
“No, thanks. I can manage.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to take a seat. “Just relax. I’ll bring the rest over. Is soda okay for you? Or water?”
“Water, please.”
While he went to fetch the last of their meal, Dallas eased down in the wooden dining chair. While she’d been in her room, he’d used the short time to make a salad. Two bottles of dressing and a shaker of Parmesan cheese sat alongside the food. As Dallas looked at the simple meal, she couldn’t help thinking how different it was for her family.
The Diamond D had always employed a cook and maids. If anyone came in from a late night of work, he or she didn’t have to scrounge up a meal. A substantial plate of dinner would always be left in the warming drawer or the refrigerator. And after it was eaten, there was no need to bother cleaning up the mess. Someone would come by later and take care of the chore.
But Boone wasn’t so privileged to have such extensive hired help. He didn’t even have a wife to help him with household tasks, much less share the responsibilities of caring for Hayley. The fact that he had any time left to train horses amazed Dallas.
Returning to the table with their drinks, he took a seat directly across from Dallas and she firmly told herself not to think of the quiet supper as anything more than an intake of food.
Carefully avoiding his gaze, she said, “After we eat, I’ll call the hotel and let them know I won’t be showing up tonight. I had reservations at the old hotel in town—the one with the saloon downstairs below the rooms. I understand it’s a favorite with tourists and the locals.”
He handed the salad bowl to her. “That’s what I hear.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she could only assume that the establishment wasn’t a social spot he frequented. But then she’d already gotten the impression that Boone wasn’t the socializing sort.
Ladling a small amount of salad onto her plate, she said, “You were saying earlier that a cell phone won’t work out here. Do you mean just for the time being, or do cells never work here on the ranch?”
“I meant never,” he answered. “You might get a usable signal in town, depending on the service you use. But even that is iffy. You might be able to send a text message from here. I don’t know—I’m not up on that technical sort of stuff.”
She offered the bowl of salad to him. “I see. Well, it’s mostly like that on our ranch, too,” she told him. “We live between mountain ranges and the signal is blocked.” Smiling, she shrugged. “When city folks show up on the Diamond D they think they’ve stepped in the twilight zone. Some people just can’t manage life without their technical gadgets. I use them, but on the other hand I can happily exist without them. And sometimes simpler is better. Take my truck, for instance. If the engine wasn’t controlled by a computer system, I could probably adjust the carburetor with a screwdriver and be on my way.”
As soon as her words died away, she realized she’d been rattling and her cheeks blushed with embarrassment. She opened her mouth to apologize for all the chatter, but immediately pressed her lips back together. She wasn’t going to apologize for being herself. Besides, it didn’t matter if she was getting on Boone’s nerves. He’d already ripped hers to shreds.
For the next few moments they both busied themselves with filling their plates. As they began to eat, Dallas remained quiet and so did Boone.
Eventually, after she’d downed a whole slice of meaty pizza, he decided to speak. “Progress means changes and I don’t like changes. I suppose that’s why I like living here. It keeps me away from most of it.”
There was nothing wrong with being a bit old-fashioned; she was behind the times on some things herself. And if Boone chose to live that way, that was his business. After all, he was a grown man. But it was a different situation with Hayley. As a child, she probably had no say in the matter, and Dallas couldn’t help but wonder how the young girl felt about living in such a secluded way. Surely Hayley missed doing the typical things that tweens and teens enjoyed, like calling and texting friends or spending the evening at the mall or the cinema.
Even though Dallas had grown up in the country and understood what it was like to live without the lights and excitement of town, she’d not been nearly as isolated as Hayley. Getting from the Diamond D to civilization was easy compared to the trip between Pioche and White River Ranch. Plus, she’d had siblings and neighboring friends no more than three miles away. Clearly, the distance between Hayley and her friends had to be much greater.
“Carburetors haven’t been around for years,” he said after a moment. “You’re too young to know about such things.”
His remarks interrupted her thoughts about Hayley and she was glad. Questions about this man and his daughter were beginning to consume her and that couldn’t be good. Once she left Nevada their paths would most likely never cross again.
Smiling vaguely, she said, “I’m thirty-two—that’s not so young. And the mechanics—well, I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy and the man who repairs the old trucks and tractors on our ranch is like a granddad to me. When I was around Hayley’s age, I’d trail along with him just to hear him tell stories—not about machinery, but about horses. I guess I digested more about motors than I realized.”
He cast a thoughtful glance at her. “Is running the stables your only job?”
Was he actually curious about her, Dallas wondered, or simply trying to maintain a conversation? Either way, she was surprised he was bothering to ask questions.
She said, “My younger sister is a doctor and my older sister a nurse. I’ve been asked a jillion times why I didn’t follow them into a medical field. But that’s not me. Nothing outside the ranch is me, I guess. I have a degree in livestock-and land-management. But the one thing I’m truly good at is horses. Pitiful, isn’t it?”
For the first time since she’d met him, the corners of his mouth turned upward enough to constitute a genuine smile. The sight of it was like a ray of sunshine melting right through her. Oh, dear, the man was doing something to her and he wasn’t even trying, she thought desperately.
“I wouldn’t call you…pitiful.”
Her mouth like cotton, she reached for her water glass. The crystal clear liquid had a faint metallic taste, as though it had come from deep within the ground. And she supposed it had. During the twenty-mile trip out here, she’d not spotted any creeks or rivers. Only windmills. It was a harsh land toiled by an even tougher man, she decided.
“Well,” she said, “blame my lack of outside interest on my father. By the time I was old enough to walk he had me down at the barns and exercise track. For years, I didn’t know life beyond the four-legged creatures existed. And by the time I was old enough to realize there were other things in the world, I wasn’t interested in pursuing any of them.”
His head bent over his plate, but not before she saw the corners of his mouth turn downward. “You told Hayley that you didn’t have a husband or kids. Is that true?”
Two years, or even a year ago, his question would have filled her with pain and an utter sense of loss. Now she was stronger. Now she could think of Allen and thank God that she’d not made the horrible mistake of marrying him.
“It’s hard for a tall girl to get a date,” she joked, then when he didn’t appear to be amused, she added in a more sober tone, “Seriously, the right man just hasn’t come along. I came close to marrying once but he… Well, that didn’t work out. And since then most of the men I’ve dated always ended up trying to pull me away from the ranch and what I do. And I end up pulling back. A tug-of-war tears people and marriages apart. I’m smart enough to know that.”
Lifting his gaze to hers, he said softly, “Yes. I believe you are just that—smart.”
Even though his face was impossible to read, she could tell from his voice that he’d meant the comment as a compliment. Though she didn’t know why, the idea was ridiculously pleasing to her.
As Boone watched Dallas fork a morsel of food to her mouth, he couldn’t help thinking how the day had turned out to be a strange one. First thing this morning, he’d found a mama-to-be cat in the barn. Since he had no cats and his nearest neighbor was at least ten miles away, he didn’t know where she’d come from or how she’d gotten to the ranch. In any case, she’d made herself at home and trotted along behind him as though she was certain he was going to be more than happy to be her master. And then his old ranch horse, the gelding he’d had for more than fifteen years—the one who was so ill-natured he kicked or bit any four-legged creature that happened to come near his end of the feed trough—had eaten his breakfast snuggled up to a mustang mare, as though he’d found himself a little angel. Now here Boone was sitting at the supper table with a woman.
What were the chances of a new truck going on the blink? he asked himself. Damn little to none, that’s how many. And if someone had told him a woman with pretty red hair and a soft smile would be warming up his kitchen tonight, he’d have declared the person crazy. Yeah, the day had been unusual, he decided. And the night was just starting.
“How long have you lived on this ranch?” she asked.
For a moment his gaze was caught on her lips and the way the plush curves moved as they formed words. The gentle tilt at the corners of her mouth implied she was constantly smiling and he tried to imagine what it might be like to live with a woman like her, a woman who wasn’t staring at him with vacant eyes and an expression of utter detachment.
She’s not Joan. But she could still cause you a ton of trouble. Especially if you don’t get your eyes off her lips and your mind back to business.
Boone shifted in his seat. “Ever since I was born—thirty-nine years ago.”
“That’s a long time,” she replied, then laughed contritely. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re old. I just meant that thirty-nine years is a long time for anyone to be in one spot.”
“You’ve stayed in the same spot all your life. Or so you said,” he pointed out, while thinking it had been ages and ages since he’d had a conversation like this with a woman.
There were occasional times, when his father was sober enough to have Hayley visit, or when she stayed overnight with friends, that Boone would go into town for a beer and a willing woman. But those instances were not just rare, they were different. This woman was different.
“That’s true. I have lived my whole life on the Diamond D,” she admitted. “And I don’t plan to leave it, either.”
