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  She couldn’t keep from laughing. “El Paso! How did you get to El Paso?”

  “We flew down here in the ranch plane and he’s found one thing after another to keep us here. I’m trying to get off on the right foot with him and be polite, but my patience is wearing thin. I want to have dinner with you.”

  “Do I have to tell him to bring you home?” she asked, trying to smother her laughter.

  “Hell, no! I think we’ll start back in about an hour, and I’m here to tell you, if he drums something up to keep me here past five o’clock, my cooperation is vanishing.”

  “Well, whenever you get here, give me a call. Dinner will wait.”

  “But I won’t. I want to be with you. Does he do this with any guy who tries to date you, or is it just me?”

  “I hate to tell you, but it’s you. The few others years ago were locals and ranchers and I think, to Uncle Perry, that background made a difference. You’re an outsider, and he may think your intentions are not honorable.”

  “They’re damn sure not,” Boone said, his voice softening. “I miss you something fierce.”

  “I miss you, too,” she replied.

  “Oh, damn. I feel like I’m a continent away from you. I’ll hang up now and get this uncle of yours headed toward the airport. By the way, he bought a horse this afternoon, but if he thinks I’m coming back with him to pick it up, he’s nuts.”

  “You don’t have to be so polite to Uncle Perry.”

  “Yes, I do. He’s sort of standing in for your father and I’m trying to please him.”

  “Good for you. Hurry home.”

  There was a pause and she heard him inhale. “That does it. See you about seven or a little after.”

  “Don’t make rash promises. Just call when you get in.”

  “Sure. Soon, darlin’,” he said and was gone. She replaced the receiver and smiled, but then her smile faded because she was back to her choices and knew she had to come to a decision. They were going dancing and Boone’s patience had already worn thin. He would want an answer. She needed one herself.

  By seven o’clock Erin was dressed in a slim, sleeveless black sheath. She had her hair looped and piled on her head and she wore the emerald cross necklace.

  She glanced out the window and her bubbling eagerness mushroomed at the sight of Boone in a dark suit and tie, striding toward her house.

  She grabbed her black envelope purse and hurried down to meet him, no longer caring how eager she looked. She flung open the front door just as he reached for the bell. The dark suit made him look handsome beyond all other times she had seen him. With his dashing dark looks, the navy suit and white shirt were breathtaking. Her desire raged into an uncontrollable bonfire.

  She caught his wrist, half tugging him inside, but he came willingly, kicking the door closed behind him as he caught her up in his arms and kissed her hard.

  She clung to him, kissing him back. Desire took her breath and built need for him. Unaware of pushing away his coat, she ignored his hands at her zipper until her dress fell away.

  In seconds, clothing fell in dark puddles around their feet. Boone scooped her into his arms to carry her to the closest bedroom to place her on the bed. He came down beside her to wrap her in his arms while he kissed her and made love to her.

  After a blinding consummation, he turned on his side, taking her with him. Holding her close, he showered kisses on her throat for seconds until he kissed her again, long and deeply, and she returned the kiss, letting all her desire for him go into her kiss, doing with kisses what she couldn’t say with words.

  Finally she raised her head to look him in the eyes. “You’re a wild man, Boone Devlin. Now I have to bathe and dress again.”

  “Un-huh. Well, we’ll do that little activity together, darlin’.” He stared at her. Brilliant blue enveloped her as his gaze searched hers and conveyed his desire at the same time.

  What was he thinking? she wondered, knowing she would never fathom most of his thoughts. He looked solemn, as if whatever was running through his mind was serious and something life-changing. She leaned down to kiss his neck, trailing kisses upward and breathing lightly into his ear.

  “You’ll start something all over again,” he said gruffly, rolling away and picking her up. He looked around. “Let’s get that bath. Give me directions to a bathroom.”

  “Put me down. My bedroom and bath are upstairs.”

  “I’m not putting you down yet,” he said, shifting her in his arms to cradle her against his shoulder. “It’s paradise to hold you in my arms and you’re a feather. And you can’t imagine what Perry had me hauling around today.”

  She leaned back to look at Boone. Excitement still bubbled fiercely in her and she tangled her fingers in his hair with one hand while she had the other arm wrapped around his neck. She couldn’t touch him enough and she wasn’t going to think about tomorrow yet.

  He carried her upstairs easily, without being winded in the slightest. “My goodness, you’re a strong one!” she gasped, running her hand over his biceps and then running her fingers along his chin. “I’m sorry about Uncle Perry, but I suspect you can protect yourself just fine.”

  “I told you, I don’t want to get on the wrong side of him. He’s as close as it comes to dealing with your father, and I feel like I need to earn his friendship and respect, so I’m not going to blow him off.”

  “This is a side of my uncle that I’ve never seen, but then I’ve never dated an outsider and I’ve actually dated very little, all things considered.”

  “Something I still find difficult to believe except for the fact that you’re out here in the boonies where no one can find you except the local cowboys and, thankfully, they haven’t impressed you.”

  “You’ve got a bruise on your jaw that I don’t recall you having last night,” she said, studying him.

  “Could be. Perry’s not the only one on this ranch who would like to see me pack and go.”

  “No kidding? What did the guys do to you?”

  Boone grinned. “They had some horse saddled this morning, and when I met Perry and we went to mount up—”

  “Wait a minute. Why were you riding?” she asked. “Perry always goes in a truck. He doesn’t ride a horse to get anywhere on this ranch.”

  “He said where we were going was rugged ground because he thought I’d want to see the entire ranch, so we’d go on horseback.”

  She groaned. “Am I going to have to protect you from those guys?”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “The room at the end of the hall is my bedroom,” she directed.

  He entered a room in pink with green accents and was momentarily startled, pausing to look around, his gaze resting on her four-poster bed. “This surprises me. It doesn’t exactly look like you.”

  “I like pink, but I’m a redhead and don’t wear it very much.”

  “Well, it’s all very female looking.”

  She smiled up at him. “You are the first man to be in it outside of relatives.”

  He nodded, looking into her eyes. “I’m glad. I can’t believe my luck.”

  “Oh, come now. None of that. The bathroom is through that door.”

  He entered a pink bathroom and grinned. “Pink tub, pink walls, I’m going to drown in pink in here.”

  “As a matter of fact, I think you’ll be fine. Put me down.”

  With a grin Boone set her on her feet and her gaze drifted over him as she ran her hands over his bare chest. “Mmm, do you look fantastic in pink!”

  He laughed while she watched him move around, and in minutes she was sitting between his legs in hot bubbly water. As she pinned up her hair, he sponged off her back.

  “Now, finish telling me about your day,” she said. “You met Perry early this morning and you rode horseback to look at the ranch.”

  “He asked me if I’d ever ridden and I said I had. The guys saddled horses for us while Perry met me. When we got to the horses, Perry took one look at my ho
rse and started cussing and asking who’d saddled the horse and told some guy to get me another one.”

  “Did you have a leggy roan with floppy ears and a Roman nose?” she asked, twisting around to look at him. Boone nuzzled her neck, trailing his tongue to her ear, and she inhaled, desire ignited a curling flame deep inside.

  “Yep, that’s the one.”

  “That’s dreadful, Boone! That’s Tornado. He’s farmed out to local rodeos and he’s mean and he’s impossible and no one rides him.”

  “Well, guess what—”

  “You don’t have to prove anything to those guys.” She twisted around farther to look at him. “You were in Special Forces, for heaven’s sake!” she said, aghast at the welcome he was getting from men who were like family to her.

  “Oh, yes I do.”

  “Men and their macho egos! Boone, really—”

  “Oh, no, missy. It’s because of you. Otherwise, they could all go fly a kite. No, I got on that beast and rode him and managed to stick on. They were good-natured about it and brought me another horse, but—and this was the dumb move on my part—I said that I’d just ride the roan. To Perry’s credit, he tried to discourage me.”

  “That was a poor decision,” she agreed, turning her back to him again and leaning against him, rubbing her foot along his leg slowly.

  “Well, we did pretty well for an hour, and then when I let down my guard, the horse tossed me into a bunch of bushes.”

  “Poor baby,” she said, twisting around again to kiss Boone’s jaw, trailing kisses to his throat once more.

  “If this is what I get for being thrown into the briar patch, it was worth it,” he drawled. “I rode him home after that and think I gained a little friendship out of those guys for sticking with that mangy beast.”

  “Tornado isn’t mangy, but he is a beast. And I’m sure you did earn respect and friendship, but you own this place. I can’t believe that they did that to you! They’ll respect you for riding Tornado, though. I need to have a talk with Perry.”

  “No you don’t, darlin’. Don’t interfere here. This is a man thing and they’re just looking out for you. Their intentions are good, even if their behavior is damn annoying. Toting me off to El Paso today was mean, and I don’t think I would have gotten here when I did except I told Perry that I was leaving him there. I said I would fly back on my own, so he gave up and came with me.”

  She turned and wrapped her arm around Boone’s neck. “I’m glad you did,” she said in a sultry voice, and his eyes narrowed. His arms wrapped around her and he caught her up tightly against him while he kissed her.

  He cupped her breast and she felt his arousal. He was warm and wet and she slid her hands over his sculpted chest, caressing hard muscles and sliding down over his flat, washboard stomach.

  Splashing water over the tub and onto the floor, he stood and pulled her up, picking her up to step out of the tub. “Erin, darlin’, I need you,” he whispered as he showered kisses down her throat and then cupped her breasts to circle one nipple with his thumb while he bent and took her other nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicked over her nipple and she gasped with pleasure, running her hands over his powerful shoulders, finally kneeling on the soft bathroom rug. She stroked him, sliding her tongue the length of his manhood as she caressed him and then took him into her mouth to kiss and tease him as he had her.

  He plunged his fingers into her hair and she heard his groan and then her name.

  “Erin, ah, Erin, love…” His voice trailed away and she knew the words were simply spoken in the throes of passion and meaningless endearments to him that he probably didn’t even know he was saying.

  By the time he scooped her into his arms and carried her into her bedroom, they were both dry, their bodies heated from lovemaking.

  Standing her on her feet, he flung back the covers and turned to take her into his arms and kiss her. She was barely aware when he picked her up and placed her on the bed, moving between her legs. He knelt to trail kisses along the inside of her thigh and she arched her hips, crying out as he kissed her intimately, driving her to a consuming urgency. He leaned over to retrieve a packet from the table. As soon as he put it on, he took her in his arms.

  “Boone!” she cried, pulling him to her.

  He entered her slowly and withdrew and she tried to hold him, her legs tightening around him while she ran her hands down his back to cup his firm, narrow buttocks.

  “Love me,” she cried, and then his mouth covered hers and her cries were muffled as she arched against him.

  He continued moving slowly, filling her while driving her to a frenzy of need. Sweat dotted his forehead and shoulders as he struggled to maintain control.

  Her pulse roared and she was unaware of anything except the sensations storming her, driving her to the brink.

  Then he lost control and they both moved wildly and a culmination rocked her, spasms rippling through both of them until he lowered his weight on her and she wrapped her arms around him to hold him tightly while they kissed.

  Their ragged breathing and pounding heartbeats slowed eventually and became steady and regular. She stroked his back lightly while she combed her fingers through his hair and he showered her with light kisses.

  “Erin, darlin’, you’re magic!” he whispered. “I’ve dreamed of you, wanted you, longed for you. Each day I’m going crazy thinking about you.”

  “I hope so,” she said softly in return. “It’s mutual, Boone. This is a first in my life in so many ways.”

  “Have you thought anymore about staying with me?”

  “Of course I have. It’s a big step and I still haven’t decided. We haven’t known each other a week yet.”

  “We’ve known about each other longer than that.”

  She smiled as she trailed her fingers along his jaw. “You mean I’ve known about you a lot longer. I’ve been hearing about the dashing and brave and brilliant Boone Devlin, Jonah Whitewolf and Mike Remington—and Colin Garrick—for a long time. You haven’t heard anything about me except my name and that I manage the ranch.”

  “Erin, it won’t be a casual relationship,” he said with such solemnity she caught his face to gaze into his eyes. He gave her a steadfast look in return and she wished she could count on him really meaning what he said, but his attitude about marriage haunted her.

  “I’m thinking, Boone. In the meantime, do we get to eat tonight?”

  “How can you think about food?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe I can get that notion out of your head,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck and then tickling her with his stubble of whiskers.

  Laughing, she pushed lightly against him. “It won’t work. I have to eat. Did you and Perry eat on the way back?”

  “No. I haven’t had anything since lunch today and that was a burger at a drive-through on the way to the airport and left a lot to be desired.” He rolled over and stood, reaching down to pick her up.

  “C’mon, woman, and we’ll shower and then go eat.”

  “Just remember—you promised we would eat,” she teased, knowing if they showered together, they would both be tempted to forget eating dinner.

  In another half hour she was wrapped in a blue silk robe and he wore only his jeans as they sat on her patio and ate steaks that Boone had grilled.

  Her Olympic-size pool sparkled and a cool breeze wafted across the patio, but Erin was only aware of Boone.

  “You missed getting to go dancing tonight,” he said, leaning back with a cold beer in his hand while he talked to her.

  “We can do that another time,” she answered easily.

  “You’ve turned my life upside down,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Wrong. I’m the one whose life is topsy-turvy and will never be the same.”

  He set down the beer and reached over to catch her wrist. “Come sit in my lap.”

  She moved over to sit on his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. He wrapped one arm around her waist while he moved his o
ther hand along her knee, pushing open her silk robe.

  “Erin, if I put the ranch on the market, what will you do?”

  His question chilled her and she raised her head to look at him. “I’ve thought about it some. I’ve meant to talk to Uncle Perry. Maybe the two of us could buy the Double T—I have to talk to my banker, too. Have you decided to sell?”

  “I want you to be happy,” he said.

  “And if I don’t agree to your selling it—then what?”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to keep the place,” he said, kissing her lightly, brushing a kiss on her ear. She tingled, but at the same time, worry plagued her because his question increased her concern about the future of the ranch. If she flatly refused, they would be at an impasse, but it would be an unpleasant one.

  “We don’t have to worry about it now because I’m not going anywhere very far from you anytime soon.”

  While he brushed light kisses on her mouth and her concerns over the ranch diminished with each seductive kiss.

  “I can’t think about anything else for more than ten seconds without you getting into my thoughts and ruining my concentration,” he whispered.

  She pulled his head forward to kiss him and before the hour was up, he carried her to the chaise to make love to her.

  It was before dawn when they were back in her bed that Erin shook him awake. “Boone!”

  He sat up, instantly stepping out of bed. “What?”

  She gasped in surprise at how fast he had awakened. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted you to wake up.”

  “Oh, darlin’,” he said, crawling back into bed to pull her into his arms. She pushed against his chest.

  “Wait a minute! I wanted you to wake up and go home.”

  He raised on one elbow. “Why?”

  She was glad it was semidark in the bedroom, with only a small light in the bathroom burning, because she felt a blush heat her face. “I don’t want you to cross paths with Uncle Perry as you go home. Or with Hettie. I’m sorry, but you’ve entangled yourself with a very old-fashioned woman—”

  “But adorable,” he said, interrupting her with a long kiss. Then he stopped and rolled away to get up. “I will shower alone and be gone before either one of the fire-breathing dragons who guard you come after me or even know that I’ve been here.”