grandfather, and himself, and so he’d swallowed his skepticism and driven out to the Farraday Inn today and made his offer.
And then another. And another.
And the whole friggin’ time, the only thing he’d been thinking of was, not how much he wanted the land, but how much he wanted her.
Under him, surrounding him, squeezing his cock with her sweet heat until he couldn’t think anymore.
Not about the past and his own mistake that still ate away inside of him. Not about the present and fixing his grandfather’s mistake. And not about the future and the guilt that would stay with him for the rest of his life if he didn’t make amends right now and put the Iron Horse back together.
He might not be able to do it.
Before he had a chance to dwell on the realization, his cell phone rang.
Josh checked the caller ID and pressed the talk button.
“How’s it hangin’, bro?”
“It isn’t.” Mason McGraw’s voice floated over the line. “It’s gone into permanent hiding.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a pissed-off father on your tail.”
“Worse.”
Josh started to ask about a pissed-off husband, but he knew better. While he and his brothers had varied tastes when it came to women—Josh went for the temporary beauties who steered free of commitment, Mason had a thing for party-hearty, blue-eyed blondes with big breasts, while Rance liked them tall and classy—they all lived by one rule. No married women. “Two pissed-off fathers?” he asked instead.
“I wish. Try a kindergarten teacher with a really loud biological clock.”
“Since when do you do schoolteachers?”
“I didn’t do her. We’re just friends. At least, I thought we were up until last night when she asked me if I liked the name Jason. I said yes and she said good because it’s the name she’s picked out for baby number one. I haven’t even kissed her and she’s talking babies, for chrissake. I can’t have a kid right now. I mean, someday, sure. But now? And when I do, I’m sure as hell not going to name him Jason. It’s an all right name, but my boy is going to be a junior—”
“Whoa, back up a second. You and this teacher are just friends? As in order a pizza, watch the game and share a few beers?”
“This is the Black Hills, bro. I’m smack-dab in the middle of a five-thousand-acre ranch centered around a small town, population eight hundred. The closest pizza place is a good three hours away. She offered to cook.” When Josh let loose a loud whistle, Mason added, “Look, it’s not like that. At least I didn’t think it was like that. I see her every now and then when I go into town. She knows I’m from Texas and she likes the Houston Texans. We talk football. At least we did talk football until last night.”
“What did she cook?”
“What difference does it make?”
“Well, if she served you a Hungry Man, I’d say you’re probably overreacting. TV dinners don’t require the same commitment as real food.”
“She made stew.”
“Uh-oh.”
“And home-baked rolls.”
“You’re totally screwed,” Josh told him. “Unless you clean the slate right now. Turn down the next dinner date.”
“That’s not an option.”
“Why not?”
“Because I already said yes. I started to say no, but then she looked like she was going to cry and I buckled. Christ, I need to hurry the hell up and get out of here.”
“How much longer?”
“We’re inseminating the last batch of cattle next week. After that, it’s just paperwork and planning. I should wrap everything up in about three to four weeks. Five at the most. What am I going to do?”
“Get used to the name Jason.”
“Kiss my ass.”
Josh laughed. “It’s good to see the stress hasn’t affected your charm.” An idea struck just as he said the words. “That’s it, bro.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re stuck in this situation because you’re not looking at this woman as a woman. I’m assuming she’s nowhere near Triple B status.”
“She’s a brunette. Brown eyes. Good sense of humor. Smart. I’m not sure about her figure because she wears these loose, overall type dresses like Ms. Crenshaw.” Ms. Crenshaw had been their third-grade teacher. She’d worn thick, chunky black shoes and said, “Sit up straight!” in a voice that had made even the McGraw brothers snap to attention. “She might have a decent chest. I don’t know. I don’t think of her like that.”
“So start. She obviously thinks you’re this nice, professional, mild-mannered sort of guy who likes animals. While you do like animals, you’re also capable of acting like one.”
“I never really thought about it like that. It’ll take some effort—she actually told me to sit up straight at dinner last night—but I can do it.”
“And do it fast.”
“You anxious to leave already?”
“I’m anxious for a good night’s sleep. I’ve got Uncle Eustace and Aunt Lurline arguing down the hall every night.” And one sweet, sexy-as-hell woman now haunting his thoughts.
“Just keep your pants on and I’ll be there soon.”
Too late, Josh thought as he punched the end button and slid the phone onto the dashboard. Too friggin’ late.
A HALF HOUR after closing the door on Josh, Holly eyed the rich fudge dessert she’d just removed from the oven. She’d run out of flour halfway through the recipe and so the cake had turned out more ho-hum than extreme. The edges sagged and the middle had caved in enough to give it a lopsided look. She pinched the edge and popped it into her mouth.
Rich chocolate exploded on her tongue and tantalized her taste buds for a long, heart-pounding moment. Not bad for ho-hum. Then again, she wasn’t an adequate judge at the moment, not with her senses still buzzing from a certain tall, dark and delicious cowboy.
His image pushed into her mind and heat swept through her body. Her hands trembled and her insides went all tight and itchy.
She turned toward the mixing bowl where she’d whipped up the concoction a half hour ago. Rich batter still coated the sides and her stomach growled. She grabbed a spoon and scraped one side before taking a bite. Where one was usually enough to kill any frustration eating away inside her, she had to scrape the entire bowl and lick both beaters before she felt even marginally satisfied.
She ate another spoonful for good measure
