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  He caught her up in his arms and kissed her senseless. She felt as if she were melting into a quivering heap and she returned his kisses passionately. She held his strong shoulders, clinging to him until he picked her up and carried her inside the house and kicked the door shut and then clothes were shed in haste.

  Her pulse was like rolling thunder, and her heart pounded. She couldn’t get enough of him. His warm, bare body was magnificent and she had missed him, missed his loving beyond anything she had imagined possible.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” she whispered.

  “So am I, darlin’,” he answered, showering kisses on her.

  In minutes he had on protection and picked her up to slide her down on his hard shaft. Their hips danced in an ancient rhythm until they were carried to the heights and release poured over her at the same time she knew it did Boone.

  She was draped over him, holding him tightly while her heartbeat and breathing returned to normal. “I missed you,” she said.

  “Ah, I missed you and being here and I’m damn glad to be back,” Boone said.

  “This seems so right, Boone,” she whispered, but she didn’t get an answer.

  “Let’s find a bed before I melt and slide down in a puddle at your feet,” he said, setting her on her feet. She scooped up her clothes as he grabbed his and they went to his bathroom to shower before they got into his big bed. He pulled her close.

  “Welcome home,” she said softly, drawing her fingers along his jaw.

  “That was the best welcome ever,” he said and brushed a kiss on her temple. “Am I glad to be here!”

  “I was going to show a little restraint, but somehow that just vanishes when I’m with you.”

  He chuckled. “I hope so,” he drawled. “I’m glad to be back.”

  “How long will you stay this time?”

  “You want me to stay?”

  “Of course, I do,” she answered and he pulled her close to kiss her.

  They talked for hours, ate, made love and talked through the night. She had an endless store of events to tell him about and wanted to hear all about his time in Kansas City.

  It was almost four in the morning before she fell asleep in his arms. In all their talking, Boone had never answered her question about how long he would stay at the Double T this time.

  The next day he went back out with her uncle and the cowboys and fell into a routine at the ranch that surprised her.

  During the next week, she saw her uncle briefly one morning when he came by the house to talk to her about a rancher who was interested in a particular horse. As he pocketed a card she had given him, he turned before he crossed the porch.

  “Boone is taking a real interest in this ranch,” Perry said, pushing his hat back on his head.

  “I’m surprised,” she replied, leaning one hip against the doorjamb.

  “So am I, Erin. He’s sharp and quick, but then John Frates told me that about him. John said if anything ever happened and Boone got the ranch, we’d be all right and maybe better than we had been under the Frateses’ guidance.”

  “I can’t imagine that happening.”

  “Nope, I haven’t seen that yet, but Devlin is a fast learner. And he takes to horses as if he grew up here. Are you happy with him, honey?” Perry asked, and she knew he worried about her, but the words went deep.

  “Yes, I am. Don’t worry, Uncle Perry. I can take care of myself.”

  “When it comes to matters of the heart, Erin, none of us can take care of ourselves. I’d sure be letting your daddy down if I stood by and you got hurt badly.”

  “I’m all right,” she said, smiling at him. Later, she was to remember that moment, and even at the time, she felt a strange little frisson shake her and make her wonder if she was tempting fate.

  That night when she ate dinner with Boone, the two of them sat on the cool patio at his house and she thought about Boone and the horses. “You’re not still riding Tornado, are you?” she asked, looking at Boone’s thick, long lashes, his sexy blue eyes. He was wearing jeans with a light blue knit shirt that made his eyes seem even more blue.

  “Yes, I am. None of you understand that maverick,” he said, lightly caressing her nape as they sat on the glider together. Boone pushed lightly with his toe, causing the glider to swing back and forth gently, but the motion bothered Erin slightly.

  “And you do?” she asked with amusement. His caresses were stirring up a storm in her that she was trying to ignore.

  “Yep. I’m the one riding him, aren’t I, when no one else could.”

  “You’ve got a point. But as Uncle Perry said, someday that horse will toss you into tomorrow and then you’ll feel differently about it.”

  “We’ll see,” Boone said, moving closer to her and winding her fingers with his. He brushed light kisses across her knuckles, and then reached up to trace his finger along her throat.

  “You look great,” he said softly, smiling at her.

  “I’m just wearing cutoffs and a blouse—pretty simple stuff,” she said, thinking he was the one who looked great.

  “Cutoffs, whatever, you take my breath, darlin’.”

  “I hear you are really getting into the ranching business. My uncle says you’re a fast learner.”

  “I like the Double T, but then there’s a special reason I like it here. And speaking of the ranch, darlin’, those stables are a firetrap. There’s plenty of money to replace them with—”

  “Whoa!” she said, annoyance her first reaction. “Those stables are a tradition, and we have a modern sprinkler system.”

  “It may be modern, but it’s damn inadequate, and like I said, the stables are a firetrap.”

  “Boone, are you going to come in here and start changing things?” she said, knowing she was sounding sharp and that she was glaring at him, but her anger was rising.

  “Only if I feel they really need changing badly,” he answered calmly. “I think the stables are a hazard for everyone on the ranch and for any horses kept in them.”

  “You’re an outsider,” she said, her annoyance increasing.

  “That’s why I can view it without sentimentality,” he answered with exasperating patience that was a switch for him.

  “Those stables are steeped in tradition! With the sprinkler system, they’re well protected. Do you know how many years they’ve been standing, and we’ve never once had a fire?”

  “What was it? One hundred and thirty-nine years, right?” he replied, and she was astounded that he remembered.

  “Doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” he added.

  “I’ll fight you on this,” she said, her anger growing. “You’ve been here three weeks and you want to change things. I love those stables, and they’re part of the charm and heritage of the Double T. They’re as safe as new ones would be. John was satisfied with them.”

  “Erin, you’re thinking with your heart and not your head,” he said with such patience she wanted to scream. This man who had never shown a shred of patience before was suddenly talking to her as if he were explaining a situation to a stubborn child.

  “Keep one building for sentiment and let’s update and replace the other two and use them. You’ll still have your old barn to look quaint and charming and you’ll have two safe, state-of-the-art new ones.”

  “What we have is state-of-the-art enough,” she said evenly. “We’re not replacing even one building.”

  “Now, aren’t you being a little stubborn?” he asked with an arch of his eyebrow.

  “Stop patronizing me! Maybe I’m being stubborn, but it’s for an excellent reason. Those stables are safe. They’re picturesque, and they’re featured in our brochures and have appeared in national magazines. No, we’re not tearing them down.”

  He shook his head. “You’re seeing them through proverbial rose-colored glasses. Look again, Erin. They are a real worn-out, outdated firetrap. Perry is noncommittal because he knows you love them.”

  “He’s noncommittal bec
ause he doesn’t agree with you,” she snapped. Agitated, her stomach churning, she wanted off the glider and to put some space between Boone and her.

  Abruptly, she stood and moved away, walking across the patio to gaze into the darkness, seeing the wooden stables in her mind’s eye. “Those stables are fine. I know they are,” she said, turning to face Boone. He sat on the glider, his arm across the back and his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He looked relaxed, confident and undisturbed.

  “You get a fireman to check out the sprinkler system with you and see what he says,” she said.

  “I did,” Boone replied quietly, surprising her. Standing, he crossed to her to put his hands on her shoulders. “Stallion Pass Chief Wardell agrees with me.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she started, took one look in his eyes and inhaled. “All right, so he does. That doesn’t mean he’s right, either. I’m going to go look at them right now.”

  “Fine,” Boone said, sliding his arm across her shoulders.

  She shrugged him away. “By myself,” she snapped. “I want to look around. I’ll call you later.”

  He placed his hands on his hips and smiled slightly at her. “You’re getting angry over something we can work out sensibly.”

  “There is nothing to work out, Boone. We’re not replacing the stables when there is no reason to.”

  “You go look at them, darlin’. And try to keep an open mind when you do. You think about the safety of those horses you love. Think about your own horse in that stable during a nasty lightning storm.”

  “We have lightning rods.”

  “That’s not an absolute and you know it, Erin.”

  He walked her to the front gate. “Sure you don’t want me to come? It’s late.”

  “No. I want to look at them by myself.”

  “Don’t go away angry over some old stables, darlin’. Come here.” Boone wrapped his arms around her, and the moment she was in his embrace, it was difficult for her to think about stables or anything except the handsome man holding her.

  He was strong and lean and marvelous to touch. His mouth covered hers and his tongue stroked hers. Heat pooled in her and became an ache low inside. She wanted to love him all night, and she fought all her inclinations even though she kissed him back and rubbed her hips against his.

  His hand slipped beneath her shirt to caress her breast and then he circled her taut nipple.

  “Boone!” she gasped, pleasure and desire streaking in her. He was aroused, ready and she was hot, wanting him.

  She had no idea how much time passed, but he leaned away. “Come back inside with me?” he invited in a husky, coaxing voice. Torn between wanting him and worrying about the ranch, she shook her head.

  “No, I still want to look at the stables tonight.”

  “They’ll be there tomorrow.”

  “Tonight, Boone. And alone,” she said, stepping out of his arms.

  He watched her walk away, in that sexy walk she had. Her long shapely legs were bare, the cutoffs hugging her trim bottom. He wanted her more every hour—was he falling in love with her?

  Instantly he rejected the notion as ridiculous, but then he thought about it again. He wouldn’t know real love if it jumped up and bit him. He didn’t think this was a once-and-forever deal, yet he had to admit she had him tangled into sleeplessness, longing and need that he had never experienced before in his life.

  “Darlin’, what are you doing to me?” he whispered, watching her and trailing after her. Love—something he had never associated with himself. And he still didn’t. He shook his head, looking at her as he crossed the driveway and headed toward the stables. With the myriad night-lights in most of the surrounding area, it was as bright as day. Boone knew she was safe, but he didn’t like her wandering around alone at night. He waited until she disappeared inside a stable and then he moved out of the perimeter of light where he could be within close distance if she did need someone.

  What were the depths of his feelings for her? Was he falling in love? Love was something that happened to other people, marriage-minded people. Not Boone Devlin. He realized he better think about what that would mean.

  Tonight, he had angered her. He just hoped she could see his reasoning before it was too late. And that it wouldn’t put a wedge between them.

  Erin stood in the empty stable, fuming as she looked up at the shining heads and pipes of the sprinkler system. Boone was dead wrong. He had to be, and she would prove that to him. Her stomach churned nastily and she dashed outside into the field behind the stables where she lost her dinner.

  After getting sick, she felt clammy and lightheaded. Erin went back into the stables where she sat on a hay bale while her stomach settled. She had been queasy several times lately and she wondered if she was coming down with something.

  Once she was feeling better and more in control of her emotions, she examined each structure thoroughly and then stood outside to view them. Her opinions were only more deeply confirmed. The structures were sound. The sprinkler systems were in place and the view was picturesque. She strode back to her house, slamming the door and kicking off her shoes, muttering about the man coming in and wanting to take charge and change the place when he knew nothing about it.

  Boone stayed in the shadows outside before heading back to his house. He had seen her getting sick and he felt dreadful for upsetting her so much. At the same time, he was absolutely certain he was right about the stables. When the Stallion Pass fire chief and Perry agreed with him, their opinions added to Boone’s worries.

  He went through the house to the downstairs family room and plunked down beside the phone to pick it up and call Erin.

  Erin’s phone rang and she went to pick it up, but when she looked at the caller ID and saw it was Boone calling she removed her hand. He would think she was still at the stables, and she didn’t want to argue with him any further tonight.

  The following night on their dinner date, she was cool, but he poured on the charm, and before the evening was over, she forgot the stables completely. In spite of being angry with him, she missed him and wanted his arms around her.

  He was already gone when she got up the next day.

  The second day he was gone, she was eating breakfast as Hettie bustled around the kitchen. Erin grew warm and could hardly focus on what Hettie was saying as her stomach became queasy.

  “Do you want this roast frozen?” Hettie asked.

  Erin got up to run from the room, just making it to the bathroom in time to lose her breakfast.

  She got a cold cloth to wipe her face and turned to see Hettie in the doorway.

  “Are you all right, Erin?”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong. I can’t keep breakfast down anymore.”

  Hettie’s eyes narrowed. “Erin, you better see Dr. Grayson.”

  “I’ll be all right.”

  Hettie’s lips firmed and her gaze ran over Erin’s figure. “You should see the doctor.”

  Erin nodded, but when Hettie had looked speculative, she knew what Hettie was thinking. Erin felt weak in the knees and this time it was from the realization that she might be pregnant!

  Eight

  F irst she tried a home pregnancy test and then she went to her doctor in Stallion Pass. After a thorough exam and tests, once she was again dressed in her navy skirt and blouse, Erin sat in shock as the news was confirmed by Thomas Grayson, M.D., family doctor for her all her life.

  “Dr. Grayson, I can’t be. It’s just not possible,” she said, remembering that Boone had used protection.

  “It’s not impossible,” he said, and explained the percentages for birth control measures to fail.

  Stunned, she barely heard him and left his office with her head spinning. She had a prescription for prenatal vitamins and the name of an obstetrician in San Antonio.

  She sat in her car staring into space, remembering all of Boone’s remarks that he would never marry. The last thing on earth she wanted
was for him to feel trapped into marriage. But raising a child on her own?

  If he had spent all his growing-up years shouldering responsibility for being the man of the family and helping his mother and siblings, Erin knew that he would not be the kind of man to walk out when he learned that she was carrying his child.

  But there was no way she wanted him to marry her out of a sense of duty.

  Erin burst into tears, giving vent for about two minutes to crying and then raising her head. Tears wouldn’t help and her depression wouldn’t do anything for the baby, no matter how tiny. Instead, she needed to think.

  She was financially well fixed and able to support a baby. Every man who worked on the Double T Ranch would be wonderful to her child and Uncle Perry would be like a grandfather, so there were plenty of father figures.

  She raised her head, beginning to make plans and knowing she had to get Boone out of her life immediately. That thought cut like a knife, and she gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. She looked down the tree-lined street with shops along a strip surrounding the doctor’s office and knew she would remember this moment the rest of her life.

  “I love you, Boone,” she whispered, knowing she did, and that this child had been conceived in love. And she would love his baby. For the first time a thrill went through her and she smiled. She was going to be a mother. A baby! Boone’s baby! Joy replaced all the fears, uncertainties and shock that had just tormented her. Her own baby. Hers and Boone’s. She did love him, but there was no way she wanted him tied to her when he didn’t love her or want to be married to her.

  Their baby! She smiled and held her flat tummy and closed her eyes.

  She would be busy and she could get along without Boone and that separation was going to happen anyway. He had made that clear from the first, so now it would just be sooner instead of later.

  Part of Boone would always be hers. He was the love of her life whether he loved in return or not and she was going to cherish this precious baby of his.