Safe In The Rancher's Arms: Stranded with the Rancher / Sheltered by the Millionaire / Pregnant by the Texan. Catherine Mann

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СКАЧАТЬ being sarcastic. I’m serious. You have the means to help people without worrying about the bottom line. I imagine you find that rewarding.”

      He released her and returned to his earlier position. Perhaps her impulsive statement had offended him.

      Shaking his head in what appeared to be disgust, he frowned. “I won’t apologize for having money.” The words were flat. “If you weren’t so stubborn, and if you would let yourself think outside the box, you might realize that our dispute over the road could be handled in a way that would help your bottom line immensely.”

      This time the silence that descended was awkward. He had shut her out deliberately. Maybe she had not been entirely truthful about her lack of sarcasm. It was possible she had some passive-aggressive issues to work through when it came to the inequity between their lifestyles. But if he thought he could buy her automatic compliance, he was mistaken.

      Drew was champagne and Rolex and jetting to Paris. Beth drank tap water, used the clock on her cheap flip phone and had never been outside of Texas. Was it any wonder that she felt at a disadvantage when it came to dealing with a macho, Texas-born-and-bred billionaire?

      “May I ask you something?” she said, wanting to get inside his head and understand what made him tick.

      His gaze was wary. “I suppose.”

      “When we were in the storm cellar, you started to tell me something about your engagement, but I cut you off. I’d really like to hear what you were going to say.”

      He shrugged. “It’s not anything noteworthy.”

      “Then tell me.”

      He linked his hands behind his neck, staring into the fire. “Her name was Margie. We met at an equine convention in Dallas. Shared a few laughs. Tumbled into bed. We had a lot in common.”

      Beth pondered his response for several long seconds. “And that was enough for an engagement?”

      “We went back and forth seeing each other for six months. Her condo in Houston. My place here in Royal. By the end of the seventh month, it seemed like the right time to settle down. Start a family. So I proposed. She was pleased that I asked.”

      “No grand passion?”

      “I wouldn’t call it that. No.”

      “Ah.”

      “We made it a couple of months with a ring on her finger before the problems began to crop up. She was stubborn. Extremely bull-headed.”

      “And so are you.”

      “Exactly. We locked horns about everything. If I said the sky was blue, she said it was green. Soon, every time we ended up in bed turned out to be for make-up sex.”

      “Some couples thrive on that.”

      “Not me. I started to realize that I had made a huge mistake.”

      “So what happened?” Beth was curious, more than she cared to admit.

      Drew inhaled sharply, letting the breath out slowly. “I introduced her to a buddy of mine. Deliberately. He was from Houston. A handsome, charming veterinarian. They hit it off. Six weeks later she gave me back my ring.”

      “Ouch.”

      “But don’t you see? That was what I was after. People showered me with sympathy over my “broken” engagement. I felt like a complete and utter fraud.”

      He turned away, perhaps already regretting his honesty. “So now you know my dirty little secret.”

      Several minutes passed in silence as Beth tried to analyze her confusing response to his tale. Jealousy? Relief? Sympathy? Eventually, a slight noise alerted her to a change in the status quo. Drew had fallen asleep. Poor guy.

      In slumber he seemed slightly less intimidating. She studied him intently, trying to see through the handsome package to the man beneath. For months he had harassed her about selling her property to him. Even yesterday, he had approached her with fire in his eyes. But in the midst of incredible danger, he had taken control in the best possible way and made the experience of surviving a killer tornado bearable.

      His dark lashes fanned out against his tanned cheeks. The broad chest that rose and fell with his regular breathing was hard and muscular. Below his belt, a taut, flat abdomen led to long legs and sock-clad feet.

      Part of her was disappointed that the evening had so obviously ended. Her attraction to Drew made her want to spend time with him. But the snarky, inner Beth said danger, danger, danger. A girl could get her heart broken by a man like Drew Farrell.

      She wondered what had happened to Jed. Drew told her he was visiting from Dallas. But the man was like a phantom. If he was in the house tonight, he was keeping to himself. Too bad. It would certainly help to have a third party around. Someone who might be able to keep Beth and Drew from either strangling each other or tumbling into bed without weighing the consequences.

      A gentle snore from the man on the couch made her smile in spite of her unsettled emotions. Drew was out for the count. He would probably sleep better in his own bed, but Beth definitely didn’t feel comfortable poking his leg and suggesting that he move. In lieu of that, she stood quietly, removed the fire screen, and added a couple more logs to the blaze.

      Warming her hands, she studied the dancing flames. Already, she felt the pull of Willowbrook Farms. It was a warm, welcoming place, something she had never experienced growing up. She’d never slept on the street, but a home was more than brick and mortar. A home meant security and comfort. Beth and her brother had battled uncertainty and fear more times than not.

      Shaking off the bad memories, she turned for one last wistful look at her would-be benefactor. She couldn’t afford to depend on Drew. She’d already had one man give her a helping hand. But at least back then, she’d been a broke college student, so there was some basis for taking what had been a huge gift.

      Now, she was an adult woman who paid her bills on time and took care of herself. If she weakened and let Drew do too much, her self-respect would become an issue. Not only that, but there was a good chance he was trying to soften her up. Maybe he thought if she were beholden to him it would be easier to sway her to his way of thinking. Because she was attracted to him, the situation was even more fraught with pitfalls. If and when the two of them ever pursued what she now knew was a definite spark, she wanted a level playing field. A relationship of equals.

      Unfortunately, that was never going to happen. No matter how you spun the fantasy, she didn’t belong in Drew’s world. She was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

       Six

      Drew struggled to stay focused on the conversation ping-ponging around the large conference table. Every man and woman in the room was a friend of his. And they were all well-respected members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. At Sheriff Nathan Battle’s request, the informal group had convened to discuss the coordination of cleanup efforts and the utilization of volunteers now that the county had been designated a disaster area.

      Nathan looked as if he hadn’t slept at all. Drew himself had awakened at 3:00 a.m. to a cold, СКАЧАТЬ