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Dan seemed totally at ease, while Erin was at a loss, wondering if they should discuss what had happened between them. She didn’t know what to make of a one-night stand. She’d never done anything like this before. The few men she’d been with sexually she’d dated and had a relationship with. She’d never gone home with a guy she’d picked up in a bar.
Well, that wasn’t exactly how it had happened with Dan. There were extenuating circumstances that had brought her to Dan’s ranch. But that didn’t diminish the fact they barely knew anything about each other. They’d had carnal sex last night, and emotions shouldn’t get in the way. But Erin truly liked Dan. Sheesh, after last night, how could she not?
Darla served the food and then disappeared into another room of the house.
“Have some breakfast, Erin,” Dan said. “You should eat.”
“I’m not much of a breakfast person. Coffee and toast is fine.”
She made a production of lathering butter on her toast and then stared at it on her plate. Dan was so not a talker, so where did that leave her? She didn’t want to be the cliché woman clinging to a man. She didn’t want to ask, where did they go from here?
Dan sipped coffee and then cleared his throat. “I’ll drive you to your car after breakfast.”
“That’s not necessary. I called a cab.”
“Already?” He seemed truly surprised.
“Yes, a bit earlier this morning. The ranch is quite a ways out. I figured it might take a while for a taxi to get here.”
Dan pursed his lips and leaned in, bracing his folded arms on the table. “I like you, Erin.”
“I like you too, Dan.”
“I, uh, don’t want to be a jerk about this because last night was incredible, but I don’t do long-term commitments and I don’t think you’re the kind of woman—”
“I get it. You don’t have to say anything more.” Oh man. He was about to hit her with the I’m-not-good-with-relationships speech. She didn’t want to hear it. She knew the drill. But somehow she was gravely hurt and disappointed because, for her, last night had been about more than sex. It had been about relating to another human being. It had been about opening up and, yes, taking a risk. But Dan had laid down the rules. And she wasn’t going to break a one of them. “Last night was amazing but that’s where we’ll leave it. Okay, Dan?”
He blinked a few times. For a second, he seemed uncertain and that was a small triumph.
“Yep,” he said finally.
She took a bite of her toast and prayed the taxi wouldn’t take too long to arrive.
* * *
Dan hated putting Erin in a cab. It seemed so impersonal. So doggone harsh. But she’d insisted and in the end, he’d thought maybe it was better that way. He gave her an awkward kiss and stood on the porch at Hunt Acres, surrounded by Rio, Buggy, Juliet and the rest, watching the yellow car drive off his property.
Once she was gone, he was struck by a deep sense of loss. Had he made a colossal mistake letting her go? Not even asking for her phone number.
“Fool,” he said. She must think him an entitled rich bastard for sending her off that way. Hell, he would agree. Thirty-one years old and he was still pushing people away. Or rather, he pushed women away. He wasn’t one to get caught up in a relationship that would eventually go awry. He liked his life the way it was. Risk-free. With no chance of getting injured. With no chance of being abandoned. Again.
Erin seemed different. Special. She was the first woman in a long time that he’d truly liked. It wasn’t wise liking her so much. Dan was a loner and he wanted to keep his life simple. It was the standard he lived by these days. Don’t get too close, don’t allow anyone in. He kept his scars hidden, where they belonged. His dogs and cats filled the void that could otherwise consume him. And so he’d made up his mind after an incredible night together, that’s where it had to end. He wasn’t going to get involved with her. They’d met by chance, not by design.
Yet the look in her aquamarine eyes as she’d climbed into the back of that taxi popped into his head and hinted at disappointment and regret, hidden by a healthy dose of pride.
Dan strode into his study and sat at his desk. His computer counted some thirty-odd emails for him to go through. Hunt and Company, the family business that supplied beef to restaurants nationwide and ran its own chain of steak houses, chunked out a big portion of his life and he had a heavy workload to get through today. He opened the first email, narrowing his eyes, trying to make heads or tails of the message on the screen. The words didn’t make a lick of sense because his mind was elsewhere.
“Is she gone?” Darla’s voice broke into his scattered thoughts.
Grateful for the intrusion, he mentally thanked her for saving him from twenty-nine more daunting emails. Swiveling around in his chair, he faced his housekeeper. These days, she tended to keep more than his house, and some part of him appreciated that. “Yes. Erin is gone.”
“You didn’t drive her?”
Dan shook his head. “She was stubborn about it.”
“She out-stubborned you?” Her voice reached a pitch of incredibility. It was not a compliment.
A chuckle rose from his throat, but with a hefty dose of guilt too. He hadn’t fought Erin hard enough on that battle. “Yeah, guess so.”
“Too bad. I liked her.”
“You liked her?” Dan’s brows gathered. “Is that some secret woman perception thing? You only just met her, how do you know you liked her?”
“Because, you liked her.” She sighed and gave her head a shake. She was twenty years his senior and at times took to mothering him. “And let’s face it, this house has been lacking female attention for a long time. Erin was very nice. She colored up redder than a greenhouse tomato when I walked into the room. That says something about a gal.”
Dan noticed too and he’d tried to remedy her discomfort. “She helped me with the dog last night.”
“I have no doubt.” His housekeeper’s smile was a little too bright.
“Hey Darla, give a guy a break, okay?”
She laughed. “I’m only saying you’re gonna die an old lonely man if you don’t step up your game.”
“I don’t have game.”
“I’m beginning to think that’s true, Dan. A pity.”
She whirled out of the room as fast as she’d entered, and Dan turned back to his computer and stared at the screen. “Ah, hell.” He was in no mood for work this morning.
He planted his feet, lifted from his seat and left the study, taking Darla White’s words along with him.
* * *
Lucky’s prognosis was good. Doc Bristol’s exam determined the dog had no internal damage and Dan was given a dose of antibiotics to administer for a week. The dog should heal in time, with no residual problems. It was good news and Dan returned to the house by early afternoon.
He set to work in the study, reluctantly getting back to answering emails, checking over his accounts with the Cattleman’s Club to make sure everything was set for the next few months of inventory. His company’s steaks were a big draw at the club.
He forced himself to sit there until his work was done. Well, almost done. By four o’clock, he’d had enough of numbers and computer screens. He was restless, antsy. He didn’t want to get into his head about why that was. He only knew he had to get outside.
The front door slammed shut behind him as he exited the house and fresh brisk November air hit him. He loved the fall, when the summer air cooled and the humidity vanished. Ah, a man could really breathe again. He stood on the veranda of the house, his sanctuary, and filled his lungs. He’d gotten used to the smells around him, until beeves and earth and leather all seemed to blend into one solid Hunt Acres scent. It tended to calm him down, to keep him leveled.
He strode down the stairs and followed the path to the corral. His mares, all three of them, trotted over as soon as they spotted him, hanging their heads over the top of the fence. “Hey, girls.” He gave each one attention, stroking their manes and patting their shiny coats.
“How’s your day going?” Ted asked, coming out of the stable, holding a handful of carrots.
“Hey, Ted. Fine. Just fine.”
Ted handed him half the bunch of carrots and he gave two of his mares a treat, while Ted fed the other horse. All three mares chomped eagerly and waited for more.
“I hear you brought someone home with you last night.”
Dan stilled. It wasn’t anybody’s damn business and it was uncanny how fiercely he wanted to protect Erin from any scrutiny. “You hear that from your wife?”
“Nope, not Darla. I saw the dog with my own eyes this mornin’. What happened this time, and is he stayin’?”
Dan choked back his relief. He should’ve known Ted would be more discreet. Even if he had seen Erin, he wouldn’t have said anything. “Hit and run. I witnessed it and brought him to Doc Bristol. He’s stayin’ unless someone comes to claim him.”
“Does the dog have a name?”
“Lucky.”
“Fittin’. Him gettin’ hit in front of you might’ve saved his life, that’s for damn sure,” Ted said, slapping him once on the back. “You never could resist a body in need.”
Dan smiled at Ted’s comment because it was so true.
And a little while later, he suited up in a pair of new denim jeans and a solid royal blue shirt. With his belly full thanks to Darla’s fried chicken dinner, Dan gunned the engine in his four-wheel drive SUV and headed off the ranch. He knew where he was going and he told himself it was only to see if anyone at the Dark Horse was missing a half shepherd, half collie mix.
And once he arrived, he scanned the parking lot, finding clusters of people milling about by their cars, but no one looked familiar. No one was asking about a lost dog. A damn chuckle rose from his throat. He was such a fool. He’d blown it big-time and now was hoping to see Erin again. To find her, and then to do what? Hell, he didn’t know.
He continued on until he was inside the saloon, standing at the bar. “Scotch. Double. Straight up,” he told the bartender. The barkeep set a tumbler down in front of him and poured from a bottle two inches high. Dan took a healthy sip.
“Have you seen anybody come in here looking for their dog? Medium-sized collie-shepherd mix?” Dan asked the barkeep.
The guy shook his head. “Can’t say as I have.”
Just as well, Dan thought. He was growing fond of Lucky. He turned his back to the bar to look out into the crowded dance floor. A leggy brunette came out of nowhere and batted her eyes at him. She was put together, wearing a low-cut eye-popping blouse.
“Are you looking for your dog?” she asked.
“Something like that. I found a dog.”
“Oh, um. Well, I can help you ask around if you’d like.”
“No, thanks.” He sipped his Scotch. “I’m good.”
“I think so too,” she said. Her eyes gleamed darkly, a flicker in them that would have most men paying the check and escorting her home. She leaned in closer. “I’m Yvonne.”
Yep, ripe for the pickin’, his buddies would say, but Dan wasn’t interested.
“Yvonne, I was just about to call it a night. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.”
Her eyes snapped in surprise. “Sure,” she said, her chin up as she pivoted on her three-inch heels and walked away.
Dan turned back to the bar and polished off his drink.
“Oh, man,” the barkeep said.
Dan gave him a look. “What?”
“You’re looking for that chick who rode the bull last night? You, uh, helped her out, right?”
Dan didn’t respond.
The bartender shook his head. “She doesn’t come in here. She’s not a regular. Doubtful she’ll be back. You can always tell, you know. This place didn’t suit her, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t.”
“There’s always the internet. Look her up.”
“What?”
The bartender grinned as if he knew all the truths in the world. What a dumbass. But Dan had to agree. Erin didn’t fit in a place like the Dark Horse.
He was wasting his time. She wouldn’t be back.
Three (#uf8cdb051-4482-56b0-a172-2fa64f38a55d)
“Thanks for inviting me to lunch, Chelsea,” Erin said as she sat across from Chelsea Hunt in Royal’s number one new resort, The Bellamy. “This place is amazing.”
Erin didn’t know Chelsea well, but she’d heard that Chelsea had been the latest of Maverick’s victims. She’d been secretly photographed in the TCC locker room and those images had emerged on a popular internet site causing quite a splash. It had been a bold move on Maverick’s part, to hack a hacker, Chelsea being the CTO of Hunt and Company. Her friendship with Max St. Cloud and Will Brady culminated in their being tasked to investigate the crimes. Erin’s heart went out to Chelsea. It must have been so awful being violated like that.
“Yeah, I thought the two of us could use a break and I’ve heard The Glass House has incredible food.”
The entire resort was something out of a modern tech dream and this restaurant, made of more windows than walls, looked out upon beautiful lush greenery mingled with colorful fall flowers. Inside the restaurant, everything from the napkin rings to the delicate chandeliers over each table was made of the finest handblown glass.
She and Chelsea had bonded one day over tall lemonades while playing with little Faye Brady on the Flying E Ranch. Erin missed her little eleven-month-old charge.
She was out of a job, too. With a ton of time on her hands and no prospects. Will had insisted on keeping her on his payroll until the end of the year and so she figured why not go to a five-star resort and splurge a little?
The little buggy voice in her head hollered, Remember the last time you splurged?
She’d splurged alright, on adventure at the Dark Horse Saloon and ended up having a one-night stand with a man that had topped her list as a forever kind of guy. A guy who took great care with animals. A man who didn’t say much, but allowed his actions to speak volumes. A man who had treated her with the utmost respect.
Dan.
She sighed. It had been two weeks since their night together. And though she felt the loss of him all the way down to her bones, she didn’t plan on splurging like that anytime soon. She’d stick to splurges like hot fudge sundaes at the Royal diner, or fifty-dollar lunches at a swanky resort.
Opening the menu, she glanced at all the choices. “Wow. I can’t decide. It all sounds delish.”
“If you like seafood, I recommend the scallops in lobster sauce.”
The thought of it made her stomach clench. “I’m not really a fish person.”
She was, sometimes, but today a meal doused in all that sauce didn’t sound appealing. “I think I’ll stick to something basic, like chicken.”
They ordered their meals and sipped iced tea through colorful straws. While they were chatting, she caught Chelsea sighing and staring out the window a few times.
“And so the cat howled at the moon and the dog turned green.”
