style="font-size:15px;"> When others joined in, trying to guess where she was headed, she held up her hand. “Please, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“It’s a big deal if you’re taking time off. You like working.”
“I don’t like working, but I like the job I do. There is a difference. And to appease everyone’s curiosity, I talked to Clint and Alyssa today, and I’m visiting them in Texas for a while.”
“Texas?”
She glanced down the table at Riley, which allowed her to look at Rico again, as well. He was staring at her, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see he wasn’t pleased with her announcement. Too bad, too glad. She couldn’t force him to take her to Texas, but she could certainly go there on her own. “Yes, Riley, I’m going to Texas.”
“When are you leaving?” her brother Zane asked. “I need to, ah, get that box from you before you leave.”
She nodded, seeing the tense expression in Zane’s features. She wondered about the reason for it. She was very much aware that he had a lock box in her hall closet. Although she’d been tempted, she’d never satisfied her curiosity by toying with the lock and looking inside. “That will be fine, Zane. I’m not leaving until Friday.”
She took another quick glance at Rico before resuming dinner. He hadn’t said anything, and it was just as well. There really wasn’t anything he could say. Although they would end up in the same state and within mere miles from each other, they would not be together.
Since he didn’t want her to accompany him, she would do a little investigating on her own.
Three
The next morning Rico was still furious.
Now he knew what Ramsey’s warning had been about. The little minx was going to Texas, pretty damn close to where he would be. He would have confronted her last night, but he’d been too upset to do so. Now here he was—at breakfast time—and instead of joining Zane, Riley, Canyon and Stern at one of the local cafés that boasted hotcakes to die for, he was parked outside Megan’s home so he could try and talk some sense into her.
Did she not know what red-hot desire was about? Did she not understand how it was when a man really wanted a woman to the point where self-control took a backseat to longing and urges? Did she not comprehend there was temptation even when she tried acting cool and indifferent?
Just being around her last night had been hard enough, and now she was placing herself in a position where they would be around each other in Texas without any family members as buffers. Oh, he knew the story she was telling her family, that she would be visiting Clint in Austin. Chances were, she would—for a minute. He was friends with Clint and Alyssa and had planned to visit them as well, during the same time she planned to be there. Since Forbes wasn’t that far from Austin, Clint had offered Rico the use of one of their cabins on the Golden Glade Ranch as his headquarters, if needed.
But now Megan had interfered with his plans. She couldn’t convince Rico that she didn’t have ulterior motives and that she didn’t intend to show up in Forbes. She intended to do some snooping, with or without him. So what the hell was she paying him for if she was going to do things her way? He got out of the car and glanced around, seeing her SUV parked at the side of her house. She had a real nice spread, and she’d kept most of it in its natural state. In the background, you could see rolling hills and meadows, mountains and the Whisper Creek Canyon. It was a beautiful view. And there was a lake named after her grandmother Gemma. Gemma Lake was huge and, according to Riley, the fish were biting all the time. If Megan hadn’t been throwing him for a loop, Rico would have loved to find a fishing pole while he was here to see if the man’s claim was true.
Megan’s home was smaller than those owned by her brothers and male cousins. Their homes were two or three stories, but hers was a single story, modest in size, but eye-catching just the same. It reminded him of a vacation cabin with its cedar frame, wraparound porch and oversize windows. It had been built in the perfect location to take advantage of both lake and canyon.
He’d heard the story of how the main house and the three hundred acres on which it sat had been willed to Dillon, since he was the oldest cousin. The remaining Denver Westmorelands got a hundred acres each once they reached their twenty-fifth birthdays. They had come up with pet names for their particular spreads. There was Ramsey’s Web, Derringer’s Dungeon, Zane’s Hideout and Gemma’s Gem. Now, he was here at Megan’s Meadows.
According to Riley, Megan’s property was prime land, perfect for grazing. She had agreed to let a portion of her land be used by Ramsey for the raising of his sheep, and the other by Zane and Derringer for their horse training business.
If Riley suspected anything because of all the questions Rico had asked last night about Megan, he didn’t let on. And it could have been that the man was too preoccupied to notice, since Riley had his little black book in front of him, checking off the numbers of women he intended to call.
It was early, and Rico wondered if Megan was up yet. He would find out soon enough. Regardless, he intended to have his say. She could pretend she hadn’t recognized the strong attraction between them, that sexual chemistry that kept him awake at night, but he wasn’t buying it. However, just in case she didn’t have a clue, he intended to tell her. Again. There was no need for her to go to Texas, and to pretend she was going just to visit relatives was a crock.
The weather was cold. Tightening his leather jacket around him, he moved quickly, walking up onto the porch. Knocking on the door loudly, he waited a minute and then knocked again. When there was no answer, he was about to turn around, thinking that perhaps she’d gone up to the main house for breakfast, when suddenly the door was snatched open. His jaw almost dropped. The only thing he could say when he saw her, standing there wearing the cutest baby-doll gown, was wow.
Megan stared at Rico, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned in the doorway. “I came to talk to you. And what are you doing coming to the door without first asking who it is?”
She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were one of my brothers. Usually they are the only ones who drop by without notice.”
“Is that why you came to the door dressed like that?”
“Yes, what do you want to talk to me about? You’re letting cold air in.”
“Your trip to Texas.”
Megan stared at him, her lips tight. “Fine,” she said, taking a step back. “Come in and excuse me while I grab my robe.”
He watched her walk away, thinking the woman looked pretty damn good in a nightgown. Her shapely backside filled it out quite nicely and showed what a gorgeous pair of legs she had.
Thinking that the last thing he needed to be thinking about was her legs, he removed his jacket and placed it on the coatrack by the door before moving into the living room. He glanced around. Her house was nice and cozy. Rustic. Quaint. The interior walls, as well as the ceiling and floors, were cedar like the outside. The furniture was nice, appropriate for the setting and comfortable-looking. From where he stood, he could see an eat-in kitchen surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows where you could dine and enjoy a view of the mountains and lake. He could even see the pier at her brother Micah’s place that led to the lake and where the sailboat docked.
“Before we
