Wanted!. Vicki Thompson Lewis

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СКАЧАТЬ to squirm. “Forget I said any of that. I’ll be going now.” She turned.

      “Don’t leave.” He reached for her hand.

      She felt his touch all the way to her toes. No, cancel that. She felt his touch all the way to her womb. Hands so callused and strong could heal her. But only if he truly wanted this.

      She turned back to him. “If you’re feeling sorry for me, then—”

      “No, I’m feeling sorry for the stupid bastard who put career advancement ahead of being with you.”

      Hearing that from a sexy cowboy was worth her plane ticket and lodging. “Thanks.”

      “Come on.” He drew her toward the truck.

      She resisted. “I don’t need you to drive me back to the ranch house. I’ll walk.”

      His grip tightened and his gaze locked with hers. “I wasn’t planning to take you back.”

      2

      NICK WAS A FIXER. Pop psychology said that was his role as the middle kid in a family of three boys, and maybe there was something to the theory. He’d been drawn to veterinary school partly because he saw it as an alternative to hard physical labor, but mainly because he loved healing injured creatures.

      He’d been the boy who brought home the strays, the birds with broken wings, even a porcupine once, which had not been appreciated by his family. But that was what the Last Chance Ranch was all about, giving people and animals a second chance at life. His grandpa Archie would want it that way.

      He wasn’t sure what his grandpa would have said about this woman, but Nick saw her as injured, at least psychologically. Some jerk had done a number on her and left her to bleed. Nick wanted to help.

      He was honest enough to admit that wasn’t his only motivation. Helping her would be a lot more fun than bandaging a horse’s leg or delivering a breech-birth calf. Thank God he had an emergency condom tucked in the glove compartment.

      Jack wouldn’t be happy that Nick hadn’t dug all the required postholes, but in days gone by Jack would have quickly abandoned the postholes for a chance like this. Just because Nick’s big brother wasn’t interested in the opposite sex these days didn’t mean Nick couldn’t indulge. Besides, this was an act of mercy.

      And sweet mercy, she had incredible legs. He had to remind himself of his noble intentions as he helped her into the truck and she was forced to undo the bottom buttons of her skirt in order to make the climb. Thinking about those spectacular legs made his own journey to the driver’s side more difficult. The zipper of his fly pressed uncomfortably against his ever-expanding interest in the hot woman sitting in the passenger seat.

      “If we’re not going back, where are we going?”

      “I know a place.” He’d grown up on the Last Chance, after all, and that meant he’d been a teenager here. Teenagers always knew a place.

      “Pam said there’s a sacred Native American site on the ranch. She talked about a huge rock that glitters in the sun. Are you going there?”

      “No.” Hanging his hat on the gun rack behind his head, he put the truck in gear and continued down the road until he found the dirt track that veered off to the left into the trees. “That site is all about finding solutions to problems.” He glanced over at her. “Not to brag, but I have a solution for yours.”

      Her cheeks turned a becoming shade of pink. “I’ve interrupted your work. Will you get in trouble?”

      “Maybe.” He had to concentrate on his steering because the rutted road wasn’t maintained, but the image of her flushed cheeks made him want to kiss her there … and everywhere else that turned pink when she was aroused. “I have a feeling you’ll be worth it.”

      “Do you have a girlfriend?”

      “Would you believe me if I said no?” The prospect of holding a naked woman in his arms was wrecking his driving skills. He’d hit a couple of deep ruts he ordinarily would have missed.

      “I want to believe you. I’d feel horrible getting involved with someone else’s sweetheart.”

      He bet she would after what that a-hole boyfriend had put her through. “Trust me, there’s no one in my life right now. I don’t cheat.”

      “I’m not asking because I expect anything to come of this.”

      He laughed, which helped release some of his tension. “You should expect something to come of this. Or someone to come of this. That’s why I’m driving back into the trees, so we can have a little privacy. You could get loud.”

      “You think so, do you?”

      “I’ve known it to happen.” This was the most exciting damn thing that he’d ever done. He was shaking with anticipation. He didn’t even know her name, and he liked it that way. He’d never had stranger sex.

      Realistically, he’d probably find out who she was later on today. She was staying in the main house, so they’d be introduced at some point, maybe even at lunch. That could be fun, too, when she learned he was one of the owners. She wouldn’t expect a Chance to be out digging postholes. Jack’s insane work ethic was turning out okay for once.

      Nick didn’t kid himself that today would be the start of something big. She’d already told him she was a tourist who’d come to Wyoming to get over her crappy boyfriend back home. Once he’d helped her with that, she’d return to Indianapolis and continue with her life. In the meantime, his long dry spell was about to be over. Hot damn.

      He reached the small clearing where he used to bring his dates back in high school, before he’d become sophisticated enough to rent a room. It was a great spot, drenched with hot memories. The sound of the creek was louder here, although it still wasn’t visible.

      Birdsong echoed through the trees, and wild roses bloomed, their dark pink petals startling against the lush ferns sprouting beneath the branches. Pine needles crunched under the truck’s tires, enveloping them in a woodsy fragrance. The ground would still be damp after the rain, but all the ranch trucks carried a folded tarp in the back for emergencies. This qualified.

      Cutting the engine, he turned to her. “Here we are.”

      “It’s beautiful.”

      He looked into brown eyes that reminded him of a doe poised for flight. After six years of veterinary work and a lifetime of caring for frightened animals, he guessed that she was rethinking her decision to allow herself this moment.

      “You’re beautiful.” He reached for her, cupping the back of her head. Her glossy hair slid between his fingers as he leaned closer.

      Her spicy scent was temptingly unfamiliar. He noticed a tiny mole near the corner of her mouth and the tangerine color of her lipstick.

      She took a breath. “Don’t you want to know my name?”

      He caught a whiff of peppermint. “Does it matter?”

      “No.”

      “That’s what I thought.” СКАЧАТЬ