“I want you to promise me you won’t call Matt or interfere.”
Rubbing his jaw, Seth shook his head. “I can’t make any promises until I hear the circumstances.” For the first time, she understood how different their personalities were.
She would have agreed to the stipulation without thinking the entire situation through. But Seth was cautious. Maybe he could offer her some other ideas than the one she’d come up with—selling off part of her ranch.
She took a deep breath and looked out the window at the barren landscape. Montana was preparing for winter. The deep freeze within which she’d surrounded herself began to thaw just a little as she talked about the situation for the first time with someone other than a loan officer.
“The ranch is being foreclosed on in nine days.”
Resting one arm behind her on the seat and the other on the dash, he leaned toward Lynn. She felt his presence everywhere; it was totally nonthreatening, yet at the same time arousing. He smelled crisp and clean with a faint spicy aroma. He moved the hand to her shoulder, urging her to look at him.
He’s your brother’s best friend, she reminded herself.
She met his gaze. It was hot and heavy, filled with questions and something more. Her skin tingled, and she forgot that he’d maneuvered her to this place where she was acting on his will. Forgot that he was her brother’s friend and he’d owe his loyalty to Matt. Forgot that the last time she’d thrown caution to the wind for a man she’d ended up in this situation.
Snap out of it, girl. She leaned away from him, pressing her back against the cold glass of the window. Everything would be easier if he wasn’t attracted to her. When she mixed with men, things ended in disaster.
“How did that happen?” he asked, his tone so matter-of-fact that she thought he might be a researcher following clues to a new discovery.
I don’t know, she thought. You come close to me, and my mind shuts down. Then she realized he’d meant the foreclosure.
“There was this guy, Ronnie. He gave a seminar on investing and I took his advice. The deal went south, and I was left with a mortgaged ranch.”
“Things are never that simple. I need more details.”
No way, she thought. She wasn’t going to tell Seth Connelly that she’d fallen for blue eyes, blond hair and an all-American smile. That she’d mortgaged her property so that Ronnie would stay with her instead of moving on to Los Angeles and the promise of bigger investors. That she’d given her soul to a man without one.
“You mortgaged the land to get the capital to invest?”
She nodded.
“Where did he invest your money?”
“Supposedly on Wall Street.”
“Supposedly?”
“It seems I fell victim to a con man.”
He cursed.
“I know it sounds unbelievable but it didn’t at the time.”
“It never does. What have you told Matt?”
“Nothing. His job is very risky. I don’t want him thinking about me and the ranch instead of his assignment. I can’t bury another member of my family, Seth.”
“I know,” he said, caressing her jaw.
Silence fell and they both stared at each other.
“What’s the plan?” Seth asked.
“I’ve been working double shifts at the diner and have been boarding horses for the folks who live in town. I’ve got about five thousand I can give the bank today. I’m hoping that will be enough to buy me some time.”
“What are you going to do with the time?”
“Find a buyer for the outer land. I hate to give up even an acre of the property, but I can’t lose the house.”
The thought of anyone other than the McCoys owning the land seemed like sacrilege to him. But at the same time her dilemma was his way out of what he owed her family. It was ironic that he’d visited the ranch as a boy with no money and he’d returned a wealthy man. The solution seemed obvious to Seth.
“I’ll pay off your loan and you can pay me back.”
She smiled at him, and it was the saddest expression he’d ever seen. If he’d had a heart, he thought it would have broken. Her deep violet eyes were wide and watery as she tried to keep from crying.
“Seth, that’s so sweet. But I…no.”
Lynn shouldn’t look like this, he thought. She should be riding her horse across the same land she’d ridden as a child. Never should anyone else own an acre of land that had been the McCoys since pioneers had first settled in the West.
“Lynn, be reasonable.” If she took the money, he could leave and not be tormented by images of the two of them making love in her bed. Or, he thought, leaning closer to her in the front of his car, if he put the seat back, she’d fit nicely in his lap.
She’s your best friend’s little sister, he reminded himself. But his body didn’t care about that.
“Reason has nothing to do with this. I can’t take your money. If Matt were here, he’d do the same thing.”
Seth struggled to remember that he wanted her to take the money so he could go. Returning to Chicago wasn’t what he wanted right now, but it seemed safer than staying in Montana and tempting himself with a woman he knew was off limits.
“Matt would pay the loan off himself or take my money.”
She considered the idea for all of a second. “It’s not Matt’s debt to pay nor yours. Don’t suggest it again.”
“The next time a woman tells me how hardheaded men are, I’m going to direct her to you.” Her jaw clenched and she didn’t look as if she was going to cry anymore. Slug him maybe, but not break down.
“I’m not stubborn just—”
“Proud,” he said. He couldn’t blame her. If he were in her shoes, he’d do whatever he had to—on his own. He wasn’t a team player and he knew it. He was more the alpha wolf leading his pack, and now he wanted to protect one of his own. Because whether Lynn knew it or not, she was definitely his.
Where had that come from? He didn’t know, but it made an odd sort of sense. Taking care of Lynn the way her family had taken care of him in those summers long ago would fill something in him that had been empty too long.
“I believe in paying my own way,” she said. “I made this mess and I’ll be the one to clean it up.”
She was so close he could smell the sweetness of her perfume and the underlying scent of woman. He closed his eyes. It’s about money, man. Keep your mind there.
“How
