Her
father pushed her with a hand at the small of her back, toward the stall where
the doctor sat crouched in the hay with the heaving mare. She couldn't see
much—a black cowboy hat, lean hips and firm thighs. "I'd like you to meet
someone."
"Oh?"
"Marcus
Melton, this is my daughter, Elizabeth Weston. She's home for a short visit
before she heads off to Billings for her residency."
He
lifted his head, cocked an eyebrow and smiled.
"Nice to
meet you.
I'd shake your hand, but I'm a bit tied up at the
moment."
Her
stomach lurched at the sexy grin on his lips. Pretty blue eyes and nice long
eyelashes stared back.
Did he just wink
at me?
"No problem. I brought you some lemonade. We thought you might
be thirsty."
"Thank
you. You can leave the glass right there. I'll get it in a minute," he
said, going back to his work as he checked the mare again.
"Have
you been a vet long?" she asked, thoroughly intrigued by the self-assured
man with the firm ass in those Wranglers.
"A
few years."
"I
just finished medical school. I guess that makes us colleagues of a sort."
The
grin appeared again as he looked up. "You can be my colleague anytime,
darlin'."
She
glanced at her father, but he only shrugged. Was the man really flirting with
her?
Why does he remind me of the guy at
the ball?
"I guess we'll leave you to your work. I can't imagine being
with a laboring mare for hours on end." She cocked her head, squinting as
she tried to make out some more of his features. His hair looked thick and dark
as the ends brushed his shirt collar. Strong hands, firm arms, broad
shoulders—things he would need working with animals, she supposed. The lighting
in the building left something to be desired if one thought to get a good look
at one thing or another. "It was very nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you
around town. I'll be visiting for a while."
"Sure.
Maybe we can have dinner one night. You know, compare notes."
When
they left the barn, she looked at her father saying, "Wow.
Definitely an alpha-male there."
"Alpha-male?"
"You
know.
Self-assured, cocky, arrogant."
"He
might be those things, Liz, but Marcus is the best vet I've seen in a long
time. He knows his stuff. A couple of mares have already seen his expertise. Those
aren't the only females following him around. Almost all the single women and
half the married ones seem to need him to take care of their pets now more than
ever." Her father scratched his chin. "He almost acted as if he knew
you."
"I've
never met him before today, Daddy."
Her
father chuckled, looping his arm over her shoulder. "Well, I'm sure you'll
meet him again in town or over at Cade's."
She
shrugged, heading for the house. "I suppose. For now, I need to unpack my
car. Wanna help?"
* * * *
Marcus
leaned back on his haunches as he listened to the fading footsteps. His body
screamed for release from the torment of her voice on his libido. Celibacy
sucked. He'd been in its clutches for too long now.
Holy hell! I didn't realize she was
coming back to town.
Sweat trickled from under his cowboy
hat, leaving a trail of wetness along his temple until he took off the felt, wiping
the moisture away impatiently.
"Gettin'
her into bed would solve all my problems. Yep. A nice roll in the hay would get
her out of my system so I can get back around to being single and available."
He
stumbled to his feet, wiping his palms on the towel lying across the stall gate.
The mare was doing fine. He didn't really need to stay here, but if he walked
outside and saw her again, he'd probably embarrass himself gawking like a
teenager.
Get a grip, man. She's just a
woman.
"Just
a woman.
Just the woman I've been dreaming about
for the last eight months—the woman who can tie me up in knots with one look from
those bottomless blue eyes."
The
sound of her laughter drifting into the barn on the breeze sent goose bumps
down his arms and brought his cock at full attention.
Damn it!
"Why isn't she in Los Angeles? Neither Cade nor
Natalie mentioned her coming home." He started to pace across the stall.
"She's married or engaged at least, so it doesn't matter. She's off
limits." He inhaled sharply, raking his fingers through his hair as the
scene from the Halloween Ball came back to haunt him.
"Can
I buy you a drink?"
She spun
to her left, almost elbowing him in the ribs. "Uh, I'm sorry."
"Don't
be. It's not too often I run into a beautiful woman, literally."
The
white wig she wore for her costume emphasized her ivory skin, making her almost
glow in the ballroom lights. Her gown hugged her shape like she'd been poured
into it as the tops of her breasts peeked above the neckline, begging for the
touch of his lips. The blue of her eyes reminded him of the Montana sky in the
middle of summer—crystal blue and clear as a mountain stream. The faint scent
of lilacs reached his nose making him want to bury his nostrils in the curve of
her neck to inhale her sweet fragrance.
"Do
I know you?"
His cock
hardened at the tone of her voice with its breathless, low, sexy sound.
"I
don't think so. I'm sure I would have remembered someone like you."
"Are
you from here?"
"Yes."
"I
grew up here. I know everyone within a hundred miles or at least I used to."
"Obviously
not."
He
reached for a glass of punch from the table, handing her the plastic cup.
"You look parched."
"Thank
you."
They
sipped the cool liquid in unison, as his gaze moved over her face to take in
everything about her.
She
glanced away as she blushed at his perusal, he assumed.
"What
was that thought, beautiful?" he asked, one finger sliding down her bare
arm.
"Nothing,
why?"
"You
frowned." He chuckled. "You could give me a complex with one of those
looks."
"Well,
we can't have that now, can we?"
"Come."
He took her punch from her fingers and set both their glasses on the table.
"Dance with me, please?"
Tugging
her toward the space set aside for dancing, he quickly swept her up in his arms
and swung her around the floor.
"You
must have moved here recently," she said. Her dress swirled around their
feet, playing peek-a-boo with his dark slacks and cowboy boots.
"What
makes you say that?"
"Three
things.
One, as
I said, I know everyone in Red Rock. Two, you waltz. No one here waltzes. Three,
I'd remember those eyes if I'd seen them before."
"Thank
you for the compliment."
"You're
welcome." They continued to dance to the slow music, her right hand
clutched in his left, her other hand on his shoulder with his at the small of
her back. Her beautiful eyes kept him spellbound.
He tipped
his head in a silent acknowledgement. "You're correct in your assumption.
I moved here about a year ago."
"Ah.
That explains why I don't recognize you. I moved from here several years
ago."
"Yet
you return?"
"For
a visit, yes.
My
family is here."
"Where
do you live now?"
"Los
Angeles."
"Too
bad."
He
swung her in a wide circle, waltzing her out the side doors onto the balcony of
the hotel, into a semi-dark corner. "It's a pretty night and warm for
October, although the air is still crisp."
"Yes,
it is. It's usually much colder this time of year." Goose bumps rose on
her bare shoulders and she rubbed her arms to ward off the chill.
"Cold?"
he asked, although he didn't wait for her response before he slipped his jacket
off to drape it around her.
"Thank
you. It's a little chilly without a wrap of some sort."
"What
do you do in Los Angeles?"
"I
work at an international shipping firm while I pursue my degree."
"Degree
in what?"
"Medicine."
"Ah.
A doctor, eh?"
"Yes.
I plan to specialize in family medicine."
"Noble
profession.
Doctors, I mean."
"What
do you do? You don't look like a rancher." Her gaze swept over him from
the top of his thick hair to the tips of his boots.
"Ranching,
no.
But, I
think I'll keep myself a bit of an enigma to you."
"Why?"
"Mystery
is intriguing, is it not?" he whispered, his finger sliding along her jaw.
"True."
He
couldn't breathe, couldn't think beyond the feel of her skin beneath his
fingers. The heat, the need, and the desire reflected clearly in her gaze. She
wanted him. No doubt. With lips parted, she invited his kiss with an unspoken word.
For
several moments, he stared into her eyes, lost and unaware of anything or
anyone else around them. When he bent his head, she closed her eyes as if she
wanted to take in everything about the kiss, his heart stopped beating, resuming
with a slam against his ribs the moment their lips touched. The need to deepen the
kiss to mind-blowing consumed him. The soft brush of his tongue on her bottom
lip opened her mouth on a sigh. Tongues entwined, sliding over each other, both
trying to taste the other and absorb the moment of their first kiss. He
deepened it, exploring her mouth, tasting everything she had to give with every
stroke of his tongue.
Brushing
his fingertips against the flesh of her breast swelling above the neckline of
her gown, he thought he'd die to feel the weight of them in his hands.
He left
her mouth to skim along her jaw until he flicked her earlobe with his tongue. A
soft nip to her shoulder made her sigh as she leaned into him.
"I
wish your hair was down. I bet
it’s
gorgeous flowing
around your shoulders," he murmured, kissing the stinging spot left by his
teeth.
The
roaring in his ears muffled all sounds until the second call of her name.
"Elizabeth?"
He
lifted his head, smoothing his thumb over her bottom lip as he smiled.
"Someone looks for you."
"Apparently."
"Thank
you for the dance and the kiss. We'll meet again."
"You're
welcome," she whispered, as he took two steps back while she shrugged out
of his jacket to return the garment to him.
He'd
winked and smiled before he turned to walk away.
Reliving
that moment had tortured him for the last eight months. Her perfume still
enveloped his jacket as it hung in his closet. Cade and Natalie wanted to
introduce them, but he refused not wanting to break the enchantment of the
night with the real world intrusion.
Marcus Melton
wasn't a debonair man able to woo a woman off her feet with sweet words and
soft kisses. He was a country veterinarian used to being elbows deep inside a
horse or a cow, not some rich bastard who wore tuxedos or drove a fancy car.
His fancy sports car came in the form of a pickup truck. His tuxedo consisted
of a western shirt, jeans and worn cowboy boots.
The
night of the ball, his world stopped and started in the beautiful blue eyes of
Elizabeth Weston. He hadn't been the same since.
Chapter Two
Elizabeth
made several trips back and forth to her car. All of her worldly goods sat in
the back seat, front seat or trunk. When she left Los Angeles, she left for
good.
To hell with Ari and to hell with that town.
Right after the blowup at the airport, she'd gone to his office, quit her job and
packed her things. The entire office gasped when she informed them she was
leaving, but no one seemed surprised when she told them why.
Fucking asshole.
Everyone in the office probably knew all about
his infidelity but no one could bother to inform the girlfriend.
"Doesn't matter.
I'm done with men."