Long Road Home. Vicki Thompson Lewis

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СКАЧАТЬ power,” Olivia said.

      “Oh, right. No worries, Rod. With that face, I’ll bet you’re great at poker. We’ll play cards by candlelight.”

      The dog whined again.

      Olivia glanced up at him with a smile. “That’s enough of the stall tactics. You’ve stopped dripping, so it’s time to come inside and meet everyone. I told them how you rushed to my rescue, so I suspect you’re going to be the man of the hour.”

      Wyatt groaned inwardly. Just what he didn’t want. He followed Olivia into the living room with Rodney trotting at his heels. Wyatt wasn’t sure of his welcome with Jack, but at least he’d scored with the dog.

       3

      OLIVIA GUESSED THAT WYATT had agreed to stay because he was unwilling to leave a group of ladies caught in a power outage. If chivalry kept him here, that was fine with her. She wouldn’t mention that these were resourceful ranch women who didn’t need a man to babysit them in an emergency.

      But judging from what the women had said after she’d arrived, nobody should be out driving tonight, not even a can-do wilderness guide. Sarah’s battery-operated weather radio had predicted high winds and hail would follow on the heels of the heavy rain. She and Wyatt walked into the living room, where a fire burned in the large rock fireplace and candles positioned around the room illuminated a comfortable collection of brown leather furniture and sturdy wooden side tables.

      Conversation stopped among the eight women gathered there. Eleven-month-old Sarah Bianca, Morgan Chance’s little girl who was known as “SB,” continued to babble to her stuffed dinosaur, and four-month-old Archie, Josie Chance’s son, slept peacefully in his carrier. All other eyes turned toward Wyatt.

      Olivia understood why. Firelight and candlelight bronzed his wet T-shirt look with an erotic glow that was truly mesmerizing. The women had good reason to stare, especially after hearing Olivia’s tale of being carried through the rain by this fine specimen of manhood.

      Sarah was the first to break the charged silence. “Good to see you again, Wyatt, but my goodness, you’re soaked!” She set down her wineglass and walked toward him, all smiles. “We need to do something about that before you settle in.”

      Olivia swallowed a bubble of laughter. What Sarah really meant was that if she didn’t reduce the sexual wattage of that impressive physique by giving him something dry to wear, the women would be distracted the entire evening by the resident beefcake.

      “I have some of my sons’ old clothes I was going to take to a rummage sale in town,” Sarah said. “Come on back to the laundry room with me. Something should fit you.”

      “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Wyatt set his lantern on a side table and followed her down the hallway to the left with Rodney close behind, his short legs moving rapidly to keep up.

      “Whew.” Josie Chance, Jack’s wife, flipped her long, blond braid over her shoulder. “Don’t anybody tell Jack I said so, but that guy’s hot. I had no idea. Jack just said he was a typical hiker type with sandy-colored hair.”

      Morgan Chance, Josie’s redheaded sister-in-law, laughed as she took the dinosaur her daughter handed her. “Of course he said that. You think he’s going to describe his half brother, or any guy, for that matter, as good-looking?”

      “I wish I could have snapped off a couple of shots before Sarah dragged him away.” Nick Chance’s wife, Dominique, a tall brunette with short hair, was a professional photographer who always had her camera handy. “But that would have spooked him, I’ll bet.”

      “Oh, you think?” Mary Lou, who’d been a cook at the ranch for years, shook her head and grinned. “You ladies better take it down a notch or he’s liable to spend the evening in a back room playing with the dog.”

      “That would be a shame.” Olivia had returned to setting up her mani-pedi station in a corner, but she glanced over at Dominique. “Still, I would have loved a picture of him in that wet T-shirt. I can see it framed and hanging in your gallery. You’d sell a few prints of those, girlfriend.”

      “But you and Dominique would be the only ones who could get away with having that picture,” said Tyler, Morgan’s dark-haired sister. “I don’t think Alex would take kindly to me pasting it up on the inside of my closet door. Those days are over for this married lady.”

      Emily, a petite blonde, lifted her chin. “I don’t need a picture like that. I have Clay.”

      “Spoken like a woman who’s only been a bride for two months.” Morgan winked at her. “Just because we ogle once in a while doesn’t mean we don’t adore our guys. There’s no harm in a little recreational voyeurism. Right, ladies?”

      “Right!” everyone chorused, except for Emily.

      “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize his name when he made his reservation at the Bunk and Grub.” Pam Mulholland, a curvy woman who counted on Olivia to keep her gray hair looking blond, sipped her wine. “Sarah told me about his visit last summer, and you’d think I’d have made the connection.”

      “It’s probably just as well you didn’t.” Josie walked over to peek at a still-sleeping Archie before retrieving her glass of mineral water. “If Jack had known he was coming, that might have changed his plans for the Casper horse show.”

      “True,” Morgan said. “And I think it’s great that they all went and took so many Last Chance horses. Gabe was looking forward to putting on a cutting horse demonstration.”

      “And Jack didn’t have time to get all discombobulated at the idea of Wyatt returning,” Josie added. “So I’m glad it didn’t occur to you, Pam.”

      “I’m certainly not complaining, either.” Olivia pulled her stainless-steel footbath out of one of her zippered totes. She’d organized the area with a comfy chair and a small desk for manicures and a second cozy chair for pedicures. She’d roll back and forth on the office chair Sarah had brought out.

      “I’ll bet you’re not complaining,” Morgan said.

      “He seems really nice.” As Olivia took inventory of the stack of towels Sarah had provided, she almost mentioned that Wyatt might move his business here, but she thought better of it. He wanted to relocate, but he might not appreciate having her give out that information prematurely.

      “Yes, he does seem nice,” Josie said. “I hope that everything—well, never mind. I hear them coming back down the hall.”

      “So!” Sarah clapped her hands together as she walked into the living room with Wyatt and the ever-present Rodney Dangerfield. “Let’s get this party started!”

      Olivia straightened and turned toward Sarah and Wyatt. Whoa. She was more than ready to party, all right, but she wished it could be a private one featuring her and the hunk of burning love who’d just walked in. The wet T-shirt had showcased Wyatt’s glorious muscles beautifully, and she hadn’t thought Sarah could improve on that.

      Oh, but she had. The yoked gray Western shirt was a smidgen too tight and tucked into worn jeans that fit like a second skin … ooo, baby. Olivia licked her suddenly dry lips.

      A scuffed but serviceable СКАЧАТЬ