her heart racing. She automatically stepped back several steps, warily glancing around looking for the can of mace she always carried and had placed near her feet when she’d entered the horse’s stall.
She eased her body down as subtly as possible and grabbed the can, palming it within her hand.
The man’s head swiveled, looked down at her hand before looking back at her. Although his eyes were shadowed beneath the Stetson he wore low on his head, leaving only a pair of well-defined, sensual lips visible, she felt his stare. She swallowed nervously.
She stood and glanced up, way up, as he pushed away from the wall and ambled toward her.
“What the hell are you doing with my horse…and who the hell let you in here?”
The question was spoken in a low, deep rumble. Yet the smooth tone did nothing to disguise the distinct…menacing undertone.
Althea’s heart leaped wildly against her chest as she stepped back, stopping only when her back brushed against the end of the stall.
Caught, unable to move away any farther, her tongue came out to moisten her bottom lip.
Waiting for the fear to come, Althea wondered why instead she felt a feminine rush of awareness sliver along her spine as he advanced into the stall.
Chapter 3
Nate advanced farther into the stall.
His glance raked over the woman in one all-encompassing glance, from her long dark brown hair, pulled up into a messy ponytail, down over a snug-fitting T-shirt that molded her small, high breasts.
His gaze then rolled over her long, jeans-clad legs and back up again, sliding over her face, cataloging each of her features slowly.
To say she was beautiful was too…weak a description.
Her features were perfectly spaced in her oval face; eyes so dark they appeared black, wide-set and faintly tilted in the corners. Her nose was narrow, with a slight flare at the ends of her nostrils.
But it was her mouth that caught his attention, pulled him up short and made his cock thump against his zipper.
Both lips were full, wide and sensual. And made his mind wander, for a split second, thinking of how they’d feel against his mouth, on his body…
Her skin was the color of rich, dark honey, smooth and flawless. Decadent.
His hands itched to run down the side of her face, down her throat. His tongue tingled, irrationally, with a need to trace it down the smooth column of her neck. To find out if it tasted as good as it looked.
The thoughts came out of nowhere, bringing him up short.
Damn. Maybe his brothers were right. Maybe it had been too long since he’d been with a woman.
His eyes met hers.
Something tangible yet elusive passed between them as they made their silent observations of each other. Although her expression remained neutral, he caught the flicker of awareness in the dark depths of her eyes.
The horse whinnied in the background, breaking the intense, sudden connection, dragging Nate’s attention away from the woman in front of him.
A glance toward the horse showed it pawing at the ground before tossing its head back in a jerky movement. The ends of its nostrils flared as it kept its gaze on Nate. The animal had picked up on the sudden tension in the stable. Nate took a cautious step toward the near-wild beast.
When he brought his hand up to reassure the animal its neighing became louder as it pawed the ground, growing more agitated.
The woman turned toward the horse and laid a hand over its hind end, her lips pursing, making a calming, shushing sound. Immediately the horse quieted, but still it kept its amber-colored eyes on Nate, backing away from him until it stood between the two of them. The animal didn’t stop until it had positioned itself directly in front of her, as though it was protecting her from him.
He saw the ghost of a smile break across the woman’s full mouth, tilting one side up, a glint of what looked like humor sparking in her dark eyes, surprising him. Again, he felt his body’s response, but ignored it.
He brought his hand to the brim of his Stetson, tilting it in her direction.
“My name is Nathan. Nathan Wilde. What the hell are you doing in my stables, with my horse?” he asked.
When the tall cowboy tilted his hat toward her, the gesture oddly old-fashioned yet appealing to Althea, she slowly eased away from the wall, her hand remaining on the horse, soothing it.
“My name is Althea. Althea…Dayton.”
She hoped he didn’t catch the hesitation. She’d used her mother’s maiden name, which was her middle name, for the last two years, as a means of helping to keep under the radar. The fact that she hesitated even that small bit was unnerving to her, something she’d never done before. The fact that he could rattle her enough to cause the small slip-up was even more disturbing to Althea.
When he removed his hat his face was fully revealed. Althea drew in a swift breath, slowly expelling it.
To say he was handsome was too mild…too tame a description for the man standing in front of her.
He exuded raw, male earthiness in scalding waves. His skin, the color of molten chocolate, made her want to reach out and run her fingers over his face…she barely resisted the urge. She continued to keep her hand on the horse, thankful for its presence.
So this was Nathan Wilde, the oldest of the Wilde brothers, the one she’d heard about but had yet to meet.
When she’d arrived a few days before she’d been introduced to the men who worked the ranch, hiding her surprise when there’d only been one female who worked for Wilde Ranch, the housekeeper, Lilly. Lilly had been the one to take her to the guest cottage she’d live in during her stay. The older black woman had been open and friendly as she showed Althea around, her love for the ranch obvious in the pride in her expression.
After that, she’d been given the full tour of the ranch by Holt and Shilah, which had taken the majority of the day, as their land and livestock spread over two hundred acres.
The brothers had mentioned their oldest brother, Nathan, only briefly, simply telling her he was away buying cattle and wouldn’t return until the end of the week.
“Too late for him to do anything about it then,” Holt had said, turning to his brother. Althea’s radar had gone on full alert at the comment, knowing it had something to do with her, but she hadn’t asked. She’d simply filed it in the back of her mind for later thought.
They’d given her three weeks pay upfront, no strings attached, something that surprised Althea but at the same time made her instantly at ease, just in case she had to move on unexpectedly.
Later that evening, after the men had shown her around, she’d gone to the main house where Lilly had invited her to eat. Not having had the opportunity to go into Landers and pick up supplies, she’d been thankful for the invitation.
