The Reluctant Rancher Read online

  Tonight she would show him with her body, and tomorrow she would tell him with her soul.

  He arranged the long strands of her hair over her body. It was just long enough to hide the blushing pink of her breasts while still exposing their creamy fullness. He plucked at the rosy tips with his thumb and forefinger. Again and again he repeated the caress until Mary thought she would die from the pleasure.

  She arched, aching to feel the warm sweet heat of his mouth. Obeying her silent demand, he lowered his head. The rosy peak felt the rough sweep of his jaw seconds before his lips enclosed it, drawing her deeply into his mouth. She felt a primitive tug deep in her womb as he increased the pressure.

  Long moments later, he eased away and Mary groaned her frustration. He just smiled. “Stop me now, baby. If you have any doubts, stop me now.”

  Luke was amazed at the depth of his passion for this woman. But he would stop, even if it killed him, if that was what she wanted. He knew she was offering him more than the token words of love she had uttered. And he didn’t know which touched him more.

  “No,” she cried. “This is what I want. You are what I want.” She took his lower lip between her teeth and nipped gently.

  “I’m a big man, Mary,” he cautioned. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.” She parted her legs for him and his questing fingers found the entrance of her body. She was warm and wet, ready for what was to come. He moved over her and pressed into her honeyed warmth, letting her body adjust to his as he joined them together, inch by tantalizing inch.

  Her body stretched, expanding to accept the invasive hardness of his arousal. Reluctant to postpone the pain he knew was still to come, he applied persistent pressure and seconds later the truth of her innocence was no more.

  Mary’s body shuddered and a small gasp left her lips as Luke filled her completely.

  “I’m sorry, baby. So sorry. I’ll never hurt you again.” He reached between them and stroked button of her desire. “Just relax, sweetheart, it only gets better.” Her head rolled back and forth across the pillow. He teased the engorged peak of one breast with his tongue then drew it into his mouth.

  Mary twisted beneath him, lifting her hips into his. Jolts of fire shot through his body and burned away his control. He drew back and his eyes devoured the picture that she made. Her sliver blonde hair was spread across the pillow. Just like his dreams. His heart swelled, she was his, if only for the night.

  Just when Mary thought she couldn’t stand the sweet torture a moment longer, Luke stared to move. He withdrew until the very tip of his body remained inside of her. She groaned, arching her body to bring him back to where she wanted it the most.

  He thrust inside her again and again, filling her with swift, sure strokes. Her body welcomed him home. Home from a long cold winter of loneliness and pain.

  “That’s it, baby.” He caressed her ear with his tongue, adding to her pleasure. “Let it happen. Let me take you there.”

  Mary was wild with longing. She was thrust high atop a mountain, waiting, waiting so impatiently for that final step that would send her spiraling over the edge and into heaven. Just one touch from this man and she melted into a pool of sensation. She lifted her hips and moved against him, matching him stroke for stroke.

  Luke kissed Mary’s parted lips and shook with his own effort at control. She was so wet, so hot. He wanted to wait for the precious moment when they ceased to exist on separate plains and became one. She was open and giving and he knew he couldn’t hold himself back. He reached between them and touched her, sending them both spiraling out of control.

  * * * * *

  Luke lay still, listening to the rain pound against the line shack’s old tin roof. He propped himself on one elbow and watched the rise and fall of Mary’s bosom with pure male appreciation. The action tightened the thin material of her shirt, molding her perfectly formed breasts like a lover’s hand. His hands itched to touch her and his mouth watered to taste her. She was so beautiful, he could look at her forever. He sighed, content in a way he hadn’t felt in years. After they’d made love, they had talked for hours. About her childhood, his parents, even his ex-wife.

  She made him feel whole again. Luke's heart swelled with an emotion he dared not name. In the sweet haven of her loving arms, he felt he had finally found a place where he belonged. A place where he was loved.

  He knew he had made promises in the dark and he intended to fulfill them to the best of his ability. Mary deserved rose petals and marriage. Babies and forever after. But doubts flooded him as he thought about taking the final step and making a commitment. Voices from the past whispered in his ear.

  Easing away from the comfort of her pliant body, he rose from the bed and walked barefoot into the pouring rain. The night stood still; nothing stirred in the driving rain. He checked on Lady Jane. He’d gathered some grass earlier and fed it to her now. He’d have to tell the boys to repair the lean-to and cabin. And restock it. Apparently that hadn’t been done in a while. They were lucky they’d had soup and stale crackers and a few dry items of clothing.

  He lifted his face, relishing the spray of the cold rain. Mary’s words from the night of the dance echoed through his tired brain and he cursed his success. Did she profess her love because of what he could give her materially? Could he trust her not be like Debbie, a woman looking for an easy out? Did she truly love him for himself and not his bank book? Could he be absolutely certain that his money wasn’t a factor in her feelings?

  And why did the mere thought of her betrayal threaten to send his soul tumbling into despair?

  Because Mary was warm and loving. He wanted this woman beside him for the rest of his life, to share his dreams, to grow large with his babies.

  “You’re getting wet again.” Her soft voice came through the darkness.

  He wiped the water from his eyes and turned to her. He took in her bare legs visible beneath the flannel shirt and the heightened color on her cheeks. He pulled her further under the shelter and hauled her against him, tangling his hands in her hair and sealing her lips with his kiss.

  When he raised his head, they were both breathless. Luke could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but refused to do anything about it. This was a night out of time for both of them. Tomorrow they would talk. Tomorrow they would speak of feelings long thought dead and buried. Of emotions that suddenly seemed so very right. But they had tonight to simply be together.

  Luke slipped his hand between them, caressing her willing flesh. “Have you ever made love standing up?”

  “No.”

  He felt her shiver and cursed. “You’re cold again. We’d better continue this by the fire.”

  Once inside, Luke fed the fire while Mary fetched another towel from the bathroom. She dried his back with long, sensuous strokes. She slipped her arm around him and dried his stomach and chest. His nipples budded beneath her hand. “Do you like that?”

  “Can’t you tell?” He captured one of her hands, pushing it inside the front his jeans. Shutting his eyes, he held himself rigid as she wrapped cool fingers around his hot length. He guided her movements at first. She was a fast learner.

  He clenched his fists at his sides and lost himself in her touch. He had to stop this, he knew that, but his body wouldn’t obey. Just one more minute, one more second, one more stroke…

  Deftly he turned around and trapped her hand between them.

  Their kiss was long and hard, a prelude to their passion.

  As she continued to stroke him, he captured the dark crest of one of her exposed breasts and pulled the tight bud into his mouth. He suckled each breast, sliding his tongue around each hard peak. When her legs gave out, he was there, tightening his arms around her.

  “Oh, God, Luke.”

  “What is it, baby? Tell me what you want.” He blew a breath of warm air across her nipple.

  “I.., I need you.”

  “Where Mary? Where do you need me?”

  “In
side.”

  Even as she spoke, his hand was moving, searching and discovering. He separated her folds and plunged two fingers inside. “Put your legs around me.”

  He lifted her off the floor then turned until she was supported by the wall.

  With incredible ease he slipped inside her, burying himself to the hilt.

  Her lips parted and he was there, his tongue plunging into her mouth in tandem with the thrusts of his hips.

  Passion made him violent, desire made him rough. His hands firmed on her buttocks, fitting her to him. He stopped her instinctive response to move with him. Mercilessly, he drove into her. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he selfishly used her and loved her with his body. Again and again he pulled out, thrust, stretching and filling her. She arched her back, groaning.

  “Don’t fight me, baby.”

  As if his words had opened a floodgate of sensation, her body opened to him completely, allowing him to go even deeper. He pressed his face into her neck and felt her convulse around him. He thrust hard one last time.

  Luke lowered her legs to the floor and slipped from her body. His movements were wooden. He was still aroused and hurting like hell.

  “Go get dressed while I make us something to eat.” He turned away. He knew she had questions, had seen his still aroused body, but she didn’t say anything. She gathered her clothes and walked into the washroom, closing the door behind her with a small click.

  Damn, damn, damn, he thought. He had taken her like a beast. He had felt her body straining to accept him and still he hadn’t stopped. No, he had continued to stroke her, taking his fill.

  He chuckled sardonically, feeling the bulge in his jeans. Not quite his fill.

  Mary came out of the washroom dressed in her own clothes that had dried during the night.

  “I’ll make us some soup.” He poured some of the water left from earlier into a pot and placed it on the stove. He kept his attention focused on the still water. It would take a while for it to boil.

  “Luke.”

  He did not want to look at her. Didn’t know if he could without grabbing her and throwing on the bed and taking her again.

  “Why didn’t you – you know, over there.” She gestured toward the wall that had supported her only moments before.

  “It doesn’t matter.” He knew his face closed up tight.

  “Was it because of me? Don’t you want me anymore?” Her voice was a small whisper in the silent room. Only the crackle of the logs on the fire could be heard.

  “God no, Mary.” He closed his eyes. “It had nothing to do with you.”

  “Then why? You wanted to. I felt you inside me, Luke.”

  “Just drop it. Okay?”

  “I’m not going to drop it until you tell me what happened.”

  Luke spat out such an earthy curse that Mary blushed to the roots of her hair.

  “I took you. I took you like a rutting bull. That’s what happened. I could have hurt you.”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a big girl, Luke.”

  “Oh, I noticed alright.” He stepped closer. If she said anything else about her size, she’d find herself over his knee. “That doesn’t give me the right to treat you that way.”

  “Was I complaining?”

  “No.”

  She stood on tiptoes and kissed him with an open mouth. She slid her tongue past his teeth. Her unrestrained response was all the coaxing Luke needed. He forgot his earlier apprehension and captured her lips, his tongue tangling with hers.

  He stripped himself of his jeans then pulled hers down her legs. She hadn’t replaced her underwear. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to far corner of the room. The bed accepted their weight easily. His body was taunt and tight with need. But he had taken from her before. This time, he would be the one to give.

  He reversed their positions, leaving her to straddle his thighs.

  Luke lay still and willed himself to take this slow and easy. He unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall open. It said something when she didn’t protest that he had undone the buttons all the way. He smiled to himself and savored the small victory. He enjoyed it even more when she felt her thighs relax and settle more firmly around his waist. He rubbed his erection against the entrance of her body. She felt like satin, soft and smooth – and oh so hot.

  “I want to be there,” Luke whispered huskily. “Deep inside you.”

  “I need you there.”

  “Then take me, Mary. Take all of me.”

  “Show me.” She moved jerkily against his rigid length. “Show me how.”

  The fingers of one hand bruised her buttocks as he urged her up. He parted her opening with the other hand and fitted them together. She pushed down, he arched up. They repeated the action, in and out, again and again until he lost all sense of being. Where she went, he followed, giving her control.

  His body baulked at the restrictions he place on it. The cabin was too hot, too small. He clenched the woolen blanket in his fist as she moved.

  Long seconds later, Mary’s movements again became jerky and uneven. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest, her hair a tangled cloud around them.

  “Help me, Luke,” she pleaded. “Help me.”

  Knowing her pain, sharing her need, Luke couldn’t fight his release. Suddenly, he was the leader, pushing her toward the very limits of their passion. She clung to him as they dropped off the edge of the world, a brilliant flash of feeling suspended half-way between heaven and earth.

  CHAPTER NINE

  When Luke and Mary returned to the ranch the next morning, they discovered the sheriff of Fiddler Creek had issued a county wide order for evacuation. After almost two weeks of continuous rain, Fiddler Creek rose steadily, well on its way to overflowing its low banks. The town folk knew that the river which brought the gift of life to the fertile valley also held the power of their destruction. This had the potential to be the worst flood since the late 1800's.

  As the hours passed, the crisis escalated, leaving little time to think, much less talk. And certainly no time for regrets.

  While Luke helped his men move the cattle into the upper pasture, Mary drove to town. She tried not to think of the night past. Or the softly spoken promises. She hardened her heart and made up her mind to simply think of it as a moment she would cherish forever.

  All women dreamed of finding that one special man who made them, and them alone, feel beautiful. Of being a warm, desirable woman who could drive any man mad with wanting. And last night, with his voice, his touch and his taste, her rugged rancher had made her feel just that. And that knowledge, no matter what the future held, could never be taken away. And for that alone, he would always have her deepest thanks and her greatest love.

  Once she had reached her office, Mary boxed up her files. For once she thanked her military upbringing which made her somewhat obsessive about neatness. The important documents and records were easily found. She followed the advice of the other storeowners and moved what belongings she could into the crawl space above her efficiency apartment.

  With such a small space, little of her furniture could be saved. She eyed her beautifully upholstered office chairs and sighed in regret. If she had been thinking straight she would have asked Luke to borrow a truck. But then they hadn’t spoken on the ride home from the shack, or during the ensuing hours that followed.

  And she couldn’t justify asking Mark. He was busy helping the members of the community. Some families had generations of memories to try and save. She told herself not to mourn the loss of her things. People were much more important than belongings. She had done everything she could. She just hoped her insurance would cover the majority of any damage if it did flood.

  Bending down, she lifted a box. Just as she reached the door, Luke stepped inside. She stumbled and almost fell as he took the box from her unresisting hands. ”Luke, what are you doing here?”

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped. His eyes had turne
d a dark green, indicating his displeasure.

  Mary’s mouth went dry. Never having professed her love before, she didn’t know how to act or what to say. “I needed to get my records just in case it floods.”

  “Why didn’t you get one of the hands to help?”

  “They were busy. And so were you.” She took her cue from him and pretended nothing had happened last night.

  “Is this all you have?” He indicated the other boxes by the door.

  “There are a few more things in the office if you have the room.” If he had brought a truck, maybe she could at least salvage her chairs.

  “Let’s get what you need then I’m taking you back to the ranch until this is over.” His voice held a note of steel as he loaded the boxes in the back of his covered truck. Within minutes they had the chairs loaded.

  “I can’t go with you, Luke,” Mary said once they had finished. ”I promised to help at the community center. The town is going to try and build a levy along the west side where the river is the highest. Jennifer and the other ladies are setting up a soup and sandwich station for the workers.”

  “Damn it, woman, you need to leave. Let the town worry about itself.” Exasperation covered his face.

  “I can’t, Luke. This is important to me.” Didn’t he see she couldn’t just walk away and leave her friends?

  “All I understand is that if you insist on staying here you’re going to be caught in the middle of town when that water decides to come this way. You’re going to the ranch.”

  “I am not,” she stated calmly.

  “Oh, yes you are’” Luke stated just as calmly and took a step in her direction.

  “Now, Luke.” She backed away from the annoyed gleam in his eye. “Can’t we talk about this?”

  Luke followed her, his steps slow and deliberate. When she came up against a wall, he placed his hands on either side of her head, imprisoning her.

  “I told you once, there’s only one way to deal with a willful woman.” He captured her mouth before she could move away, kissing her deeply and without restraint. Mary lifted her arms, encircling his neck. She plunged her fingers through the ebony satin of his hair. It was the most tender, yet most poignant kiss she had ever received.