The Reluctant Rancher Page 11

  “I’ve missed you,” he said roughly, his breath hot against her throat. “All this time I’ve been riding around in this damn cold rain the only thing I could think of was how I felt in your arms last night, surrounded by your warmth.”

  “Luke.” Her insides melted remembering the kisses and caresses they had shared in the dark of night.

  “Mary?” Mark called from outside the glass doors. “Are you ready?”

  Mary stepped away, her arms falling to her sides. Mark pushed open the door. He slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Man, am I glad you’re here. We need all the help we can get. Did Mary tell you the town is trying to build a levy? I don’t think it will hold but it’s worth the try. Jennifer sent me to make sure Mary was packed and ready to leave.”

  “We were just on our way out,” Mary assured him. She touched her braid as Luke moved away. She could only guess how she must look, her hair mussed by his caressing hands. “Isn’t that right, Luke?”

  “Right,” Luke stated. ”We were just on our way out.”

  * * * * * *

  The town had the levy built within a few hours. No one knew whether it would withstand the force of the raging water or not. Mark had a seemingly endless supply of strength and patience and encouraged the townspeople as they filled sandbag after sandbag. Hour after hour, Luke worked beside his friend, never once complaining about the backbreaking work. He stopped only to call the ranch and order all his hands into town to help.

  “You did a fine job out there.” Mark complimented Luke sincerely as they walked to the heavy burlap tent erected near the bank to provide relief from the damp night air. The heavy rain punished the town as the storm grew in strength.

  Luke shrugged, but said nothing. Despite his miserly reputation, he knew his duty to the community, but that wasn’t the reason he was here. He looked around for Mary. When he saw her in the distance, he relaxed. He’d kept one eye on his work and one eye on her the entire night.

  “I’ve got just one more small favor to ask,” Mark continued. ”I need some place to take these people. None of them want to make the long trip to Newport. I thought you and a couple of the other ranchers could put them up in your bunkhouses and barns.”

  “Is that all? How about I butcher a cow or two and we set up a barbecue?”

  “Well, that’s a good idea.” Mark grinned, seemingly unperturbed by Luke’s sarcastic tone. “I bet Rooster would love to plan a little get together.”

  “Don’t press your luck, buddy.” He allowed himself a small grin. “Rooster would-”

  Just then a shout sounded behind them. “Look out! The levy’s about to go.”

  With those prophetic words, mass panic ensued.

  Luke jumped to his feet and shouted Mary’s name as people rushed by. Mary was not among them. Luke cursed and ran down the portion of the levy still standing. He moved from one mound of earth to another as the dirt collapsed beneath his feet. He could hear men behind him, but didn’t stop to see who had followed.

  “Mary!” he shouted again. ”Can you hear me?” She knelt a few feet away, but already a large stream of water separated them. Without any thought to his own safety, he started down the bank.

  Mark pulled him back from the edge. “Get a grip, man.”

  “Let me go. I have to get to her.” Luke pushed the younger man away.

  “We’ll get her, but not like that. Don’t make me slug you, pal,” Mark threatened when Luke cursed him. “Here take this.”

  One of the other men shoved a piece of cable with a rope attached into his hand and he helped Luke secure it around his waist. He plunged into the swirling water and it took every ounce of his considerable strength to fight against the strong current. It felt like years before he reached Mary.

  “You’ve got yourself in a pretty pickle now, haven’t you, sweetheart?” he joked shakily. His heart stopped when he realized she was buried in mud up to her waist and sinking fast.

  “I thought the men could use some coffee. They looked so cold. But then the ground started moving.” Between the rain and the rushing waters, they had to shout to be heard.

  “It’s okay, baby.” His hands stroked her matted hair before he set to work. As fast as he cleared the dirt away, more fell in, keeping her trapped. Growling in frustration, he ordered her to put her arms around his neck. For once Mary obeyed with out question and lifted her mud-caked arms. He braced himself as best he could and pulled with an almighty tug. She broke free.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He removed the rope from his waist and tied it around Mary’s. He was not surprised to note that his hands shook with fear. By the time he had them on solid ground they trembled from the exertion.

  “Doc Logan is ready to check her over.” Mark helped them from the water.

  “I’m fine,” Mary assured him.

  “Then let’s get out of here,” the preacher ordered. ”Everyone else is safely out of harm's way.”

  Luke wasted no time in taking Mark’s advice and hurried Mary to his truck. In the cab the heat rose from their bodies and mixed with the cold air. Droplets of moisture clung to the inside of windows, cocooning them inside.

  Luke’s fretful gaze wandered over Mary as she leaned against the seat and closed her eyes.

  “Could you take me to my office? I need to pick up my car.” She spoke without looking at him.

  “That’s it woman. That’s the last straw,” he bit out savagely and pounded his fists against the steering wheel. “You almost drowned in the flood water about to wash away the town and the only thing you can think about is that clunker of a car that should have been scrapped years ago.”

  He hauled her in his arms. He needed to hold her. To love her. To surround himself in her presence.

  “You’re going back to the ranch. Your damned car can drown for all I care.” He was surprised to hear the crack in his voice.

  “I don’t think cars can drown.” He heard the laughter in her voice. Her small hand reached up to soothe a lock of wet hair from his brow. His Stetson had been lost in the river.

  He glared at her. “You’re not mocking me now are you, sugar?”

  He nuzzled the exposed length of her alabaster skin. Taking several long deep breaths, he savored the smell of her skin.

  “You know I’d never do that.” She arched her back and the burgeoning fullness of her breasts pressed against the solid surface of his chest.

  He lowered his head and took her mouth with primitive male force. Giving her no opportunity to respond or encourage, he simply kissed her.

  He wanted to ravage her mouth and body, feel his tongue mating with hers. Hell, he wanted to yank her clothes off and take her right there on the front seat of his truck.

  Instead he reigned in his rage and he ran his tongue across the fullness of her lips. He gave her the tenderness he knew she needed. His body still trembled from the past few minutes. The woman in his arms meant more to him than he cared to admit. Especially to himself.

  He strove to control the desire she could so easily arouse. This was neither the time nor place. Mary needed a warm bath and hot meal. They both did. He placed her back on her side of the truck and started the engine. They were going home.

  * * * * *

  “What’s going on? I’ve called all over the county looked for you.” Joseph threw open the door and urged the wet, bedraggled figures inside. The warmth welcomed them like a long lost friend.

  “Mary had a little accident,” Luke explained as he climbed up the stairs with her in his arms. “She needs a hot bath.”

  “Does she need a doctor?”

  Luke read the worry on his grandfather’s face and hastened to reassure him. “Once we get her warmed up she’ll be fine. Mark’s bringing some of the townspeople over. You’d better go warn Rooster and the boys.”

  “Luke, put me down this instant,” Mary protested once Joseph had gone to do his bidding. “I can walk.”

  “Just be quiet,” he ordered, his tone tightly contr
olled. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached his bathroom. Setting her on her feet, he bent beside the large marble tub and adjusted the temperature of the water. Satisfied, he rose to his feet and faced Mary. He reached for her sodden clothes.

  “Now, wait just a minute.” Her teeth chattered as she fought him. “Stop that this instant.”

  The frantic note in her voice stopped him, but just barely. “I need to, Mary. I need to make sure you’re all right.”

  “Luke, I can’t. Please don’t ask me.” Her gray eyes beseeched him to understand that she wasn’t ready to fully reveal herself to his eyes, and on a certain level he did. But on the more primitive, possessive level, he wanted to ignore her feelings and rip her clothes away.

  “Why, Mary? Why won’t you let me see you? I’ve touched you, darling. I’ve held you in my arms all night long. I’ve loved you. Why can’t I look at you?”

  “Because.” She bent her head, refusing to meet his eyes.

  “Because why?” Luke soothed her as he would a high strung filly. He stroked her hair and pulled her closer. “Because, I might see something I don’t like? That you might not be as perfect as I think you are?”

  She hit him on the chest and leaned into him. “I’m not perfect, Luke, you know that as well as I do.”

  “Yes, Mary, I do. I also know I’m not perfect either. Do you think it was easy running around without a shirt last night? I know I don’t have the body of a twenty-year old anymore. And…” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

  “And what?” He could hear the concern in her voice. For him.

  “I’m not a young man anymore, Mary.”

  “You’re only thirty-eight, Luke. You don’t have one foot in the grave yet.”

  “Well, with Debbie I did.” Luke released his hold on her and turned away. His fists clenched at his sides.

  “What?”

  “I never consummated my marriage.”

  “You mean, you never, well, never…” She faltered lamely.

  “I couldn’t.” He turned back around. Someday he would tell her about his aborted wedding night and the months of following. But not now.

  “Well, I don’t think you have that problem now, Mr. Tanner. After all, I am a nurse and last night, well, last night everything seemed to be functioning just fine,” she retorted in a prim voice.

  Her proper little speech wiped away the last lingering anger he held toward his ex-wife. “Well, since you are a nurse, it won’t bother you to have me help you undress, now will it?” His hands reached for her blouse again.

  “No way. Since I am a nurse, I’m perfectly capable of assessing my own injuries. Now get out before I freeze to death.” He allowed her to push him toward the door. A small hand stopped him at the threshold.

  “Luke?”

  His heart flipped over at the expression on her face. “I’m right here, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.” She reached up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

  “What for?”

  “Saving me.”

  “I saved myself, Mary.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “It’s not as bad as it could have been,” Mary commented as she and Joseph drove down Main Street a week later. The older man had accompanied her into town for their first view of the aftermath. Since the flood, Luke sent most of his ranch hands into town every day to help with the cleanup. He took on the bulk of the ranch work himself. Which conveniently left little time for talking.

  Her car had indeed drowned in the flood. But Eddie promised to find her a good used one as soon as possible. The crews her landlord hired worked around the clock but it would still be days before she could move back into her office or apartment.

  “At least my insurance should cover most of the damage. I’ll be in business again before I know it.” She tried to sound optimistic but it was hard considering she wasn’t. Only the small pieces of furniture she had stored in the attic and the files and chairs she’d taken to Luke’s had been saved. She knew the insurance she carried would not begin to cover the cost of replacing all of her belongings.

  “I need to stop at the post office and check my mail, Joseph, if that’s all right.”

  “Of course, dear, but don’t you worry about your business, Mary. Remember, Luke agreed to give you that loan.”

  “I can’t hold Luke to his promise now. The flood changed everything. I don’t know when – or if – I’ll have enough customers to cover the bills.” Uncertainty warred inside Mary on all fronts. Her business was in shambles and so was her relationship with Luke. Since the night of the flood, they’d barely had time to say goodnight or hello each day, much less sort out their feelings for one another. Assuming Luke even had feelings. Mary knew she did, but she had her doubts about Luke. Even though they had shared that night in the cabin and those touching moments after the flood, Luke had spoken no more of love or happily-ever-after.

  Mary parked in front of the post office, one of the few businesses that had reopened. They entered the lobby along with several other townsfolk, grateful for the warmth. The cold spell that had threatened right before the storms had arrived with a vengeance and the cold temperatures hampered the cleanup efforts.

  She took the mail the postmistress handed her and flipped through it absently. Bills, bills and more bills. In a moment, Joseph came up beside her.

  “Mary, you need to go see that gentlemen over there.” He pointed to a man behind the table where a line had formed.

  “Why?” she asked, her attention still focused on the envelopes in her hand.

  Joseph merely smiled and pushed her forward. “Just do it.”

  Several hours later, Mary and Joseph arrived home. It seemed as though fate had once again intervened in the life of Mary Carter.

  * * * * *

  That evening Luke slammed into the house, uncaring of the noise he created. With controlled, deliberate movements he hung his hat by the back door. A fine layer of dust rose into the air as he sat to remove his dirt encrusted boots. He’d worked in mud all of his life but nothing compared to the filthy grime left behind after a flood.

  He used the small shower off the mudroom rather than leave a trail of dirt though the house. Under the hot spray, the tight control he’d exerted over his emotions for the past several days disappear. For days he’d battled his nemesis – his love of Mary. The night of flood had brought home just how much she meant to him. He knew he’d have nightmares for years to come when he remembered her at the mercy of the river.

  He also knew that no matter how often she said she loved him, that once he gave her the loan, she would have enough money to expand her business and become very successful in her own right. She would no longer need or want anything from him. Of that he was certain. He only hoped that she’d feel obligated to keep him informed of the success of his investment. Through the loan he might still have some lingering contact with her.

  He dried off and pulled on a clean shirt and pair of jeans. He padded barefoot to the empty kitchen where delicious smells emanated from the pots on the stove.

  “Mary? Joseph?” Where had everyone gone? He walked into the living room, the beautiful view lost to him. His mind was too filled with thoughts of Mary.

  “I’m in here.”

  Luke followed Mary’s voice to the dining room. She had just put a match to the two slender candles on the table and he drew in a sharp breath as she turned around. She wore her hair down, its silken strands gleaming silver in the candlelight. The peach colored dress hugged her curves and swished enticingly around her bare legs. Her skin glowed like richly polished pearls.

  “Hello, Luke,” she greeted him, her face awash with happiness. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I got a loan!” Picking up a piece of paper, she raced around the table. “See, they approved it on the spot.”

  Luke took the paper. It was from the Small Business Administration.

  “I applied about a year ago but ha
d never heard anything from them,” Mary explained. “They have a temporary office in town because of the flood and Joseph made me ask. They pulled the records and approved the loan. Of course, I never would have gotten it if it hadn’t flooded. Which was awful, of course, but isn’t this great?”

  She paused for breath and looked up at him. She had the most beautiful, sensual eyes. They made him hunger for things he couldn’t have.

  “I’m happy for you, Mary.” He had known losing her would hurt, he just hadn’t known how much.

  “Don’t you see, Luke, this means I don’t need your money.” So excited herself she didn’t see how her words stabbed at him, cutting him to the quick.

  “I know.” He walked to the den, unable to stand her elation, bastard that he was. She was right, she didn’t need his money. And she didn’t need him.

  “I guess you’ll be leaving then.” His words were a flat statement of fact.

  Mary gave a start at the harshness of his words but he didn’t apologize. This needed to be a clean, quick break. He didn’t think his heart could stand anything else. No matter what the poets said, it was better to have never loved.

  “I guess so.” She looked like an abandoned puppy and it took every ounce of control he’d ever had not to pull her in his arms and tell her he loved her.

  Instead, he walked to the bar and poured himself a stiff drink, wondering if the full bottle of Scotch would be enough to drown his sorrows. “You’ve been a real big help, Mary. But Joseph is fine. In fact, he’s convinced me to hire a housekeeper.”

  “Do you want me to go, Luke?”

  He could see the hope drain from her eyes as she realized he wasn’t asking her to leave the ranch temporarily, but to leave his life forever.

  He forced his face to remain an expressionless mask and deliberately let her see the coldness in his eyes, the emptiness of his soul. “It’s for the best.”