She
glanced at the barn squinting to see
better
as Marcus
came out to stop at his truck. After a brief moment, he looked up and their
gazes locked. He was taller than she originally thought. Well over six feet of
muscle from his bulging biceps to his firm thighs. Wranglers encased his lower
half, hugging the curve of his ass, over his legs, down to his feet, molding to
each long, lean line of his body.
A shiver
rolled through her, pissing her off. Desire was something she didn't want to
feel for anyone at the moment. The vet wasn't her type at all. Sure, he seemed
to have a nice body, but he wasn't cut for a business suit or tuxedo. She
enjoyed a man with the cloth of a jacket molded to his ripped chest. How a
dress shirt would sculpt to every plane as if he'd been poured into his
clothing. Linen slacks encasing his firm thighs, hiding the body beneath until
you
unwrapped
it like a Christmas present. The last
thing she needed to do was get involved with another man so soon after her
breakup with Ari.
The kiss
of the mysterious masked stranger at the Halloween Ball came back to haunt her.
Her nipples beaded into tight nubs. Goose bumps raced across her arms. The man
knew how to dress. Boy did he know how to kiss. Her toes curled in her shoes as
she crossed her arms over her chest to hide her reaction to the memory.
"Are
you leaving, Marcus?" her father asked, walking down the stairs on the
front of the house.
"For
now.
I'll be back later though. I have a couple of patients to see at
the office."
Her
father moved to Marcus's side, but she could still hear their conversation.
"The
mare still has a few hours of laboring left before the foal arrives, but if
there is any trouble, call me and I'll be back immediately."
"How
about staying for supper?"
The
frown on his face made Elizabeth wonder at the cause. "No, I couldn't
really. I wouldn't want to impose on your daughter's first night home."
"Nonsense.
I'm
sure Liz would love to have you." Her father looked her way.
"Right, honey?"
"Of
course.
You're more than welcome, Doctor Melton."
He
looked thoughtful for a moment like he wanted to refuse. "How can I turn
down such an invitation? Thank you." After he opened the truck door, he
glanced back and said, "I'll see you two in a few hours then."
"I'll
keep an eye on the mare."
"Thanks."
Elizabeth
watched his truck disappear down the driveway, wondering about the strange reaction
she had to him.
The
phone rang in the house and her father jogged up the porch steps to answer it
as she grabbed the last of her things from the car. "Honey,
it's
Natalie."
"I'll
be right there, Daddy. Tell her to hang on."
With her
stuff clutched to her body, she headed for the house and the lecture she knew
was coming from her sister-in-law. At every turn, Natalie made sure to tell her
how much of an asshole Ari was and how he hadn't been good enough for her
anyway. Unfortunately, she couldn't dispute any of her reasons and actually
agreed with most of Natalie said.
"Hey,
Nat."
"How
was the drive?"
"Long,
tiring, boring, exhausting. What else would you like to know?"
Natalie
laughed. "At least you're home. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy your
month here, get your bearings back. There are several nice men around Red Rock."
"I'm
done with men."
"You
can't mean that, Liz. I know you want to find someone worthy of you. I know you
want to settle down eventually."
"Not
really. I'm tired of always giving and getting nothing in return. Every guy
I've been with has been conceited, egotistical and selfish."
"Maybe
you're looking at the wrong men."
The
thought had occurred to her on more than one occasion, but she really didn't
think that was the cause of her inability to find the right man. "What's
that supposed to mean?"
"Look
at those you've went out with. Most are businessmen, high-powered executive
types, thus your self-centered, all about me attitude with them. You need to
find a nice cowboy."
"Not
my style."
"Please."
She could almost see Natalie roll her eyes, even through the phone lines. "Aren't
you the least bit attracted to a man in tight jeans with a pair of nice cowboy
boots on his feet?"
The
image of Marcus popped into her head. She had to admit, even if only to
herself, she did find him physically attractive. "Not a bit."
"You're
a liar too." Natalie laughed. "I'm sure I could find you a nice guy
around here even just to hang out with for a bit while you're home."
"I'm
not dating anyone while I'm here, Nat. I want to relax, spend some time with my
family and chill out before I hit Billings." Elizabeth twirled the phone
cord around her finger, wondering if she should ask Natalie about Doctor Melton.
She didn't want to sound overly curious, but the man had piqued her interest
even if only for a moment. Surely, she wasn't attracted to him. "Can I ask
you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Dad
said you're friends with Doctor Melton."
"Marcus?
Yes, we are. He treats all the animals in the area since Doc Alexander retired.
He's a nice guy and hot if you know what I mean. Why?"
"He
was here when I got home working with a laboring mare. I think Dad is playing
matchmaker." She shot her father a scathing look, but he grinned.
"Doctor Melton seemed, I don't know, rakish?"
"Rakish?
Now that's a term I haven't heard in forever. He
is
a ladies' man, but I think it's more the women chasing him than
him running after them. What did you think of him besides rakish?"
Giving
Natalie any indication she thought of the guy as anything besides being the
vet, would be a bad thing. The woman was like a dog with a bone. With something
to chew on, she'd growl and snap until you moved on, leaving her alone. She
took after her grandmother like that.
"I
don't know. He seemed nice I guess. Really flirtatious like he knew me or
something."
"Well,
I'm sure you two will get along famously once you get to know him."
"I
don't want to get to know him."
"If
you say so, Liz."
She heard a snicker. "What's it hurt to
have another friend?"
"A
guy friend?"
"Why
not?
Is there something wrong with having a guy who is nothing more
than a friend? I have Kale but I'm also friends with several women too, like
Laurel. There something about having a guy you can talk to about male things
who'll give you a straight answer when you can't talk to the one you
love."
Worry
rushed through her, settling low in her gut. Were her two favorite people in
the world having problems? "You and Cade are doing okay, right?"
Natalie
laughed. "We're fine. Don't worry. I can ask Cade just about anything, but
there are times when I want a man's opinion about something other than my
husband’s. He tends to be a little more cautious with what he tells me where
Kale isn't."
"You
had me scared there for a minute."
"You
need to come over for dinner one night or we need to have a girl's night out so
we can talk."
"Talk
about what?"
"You
and how you're doing."
The
breakup with Ari hurt, but her world hadn't stopped spinning. For the last two
weeks, she realized how much of herself she'd lost in her relationship with
him. She almost forgotten who she was and where she'd come from. When he'd
cruelly pointed out her upbringing in the middle of the airport terminal, she’d
come to realize she liked being a small town girl from Montana. The morning
after, she'd finally been able to look in the mirror and liked the person she
saw. Yes, her heart ached for love. She wanted it—needed it with every fiber of
her being, but she wasn't willing to give up herself to find love. It would
come along when the time was right, not a moment sooner. "I'm so over this
whole thing, Natalie. I don't need a man in my life right now."
"Let's
make a date then for Saturday. We'll hit Boots 'n' Spurs for a few drinks—some
girl talk."
"All
right.
Until then, I'm staying right here and doing nothing."
"Sure,
honey. You keep telling yourself that. We know damned well you'll be out
mucking stalls or ridin' fences. You
know,
all the
other cowgirl things you've forgotten you loved while you were hanging out with
all the stars in Los Angeles, inside two days."
For the
first time in a long time, she laughed. Natalie was right. She missed spending
time on horseback, watching the cattle silently graze on the long, swaying
grasses of the pasture around her parent's house, missed the moonlight night
sky over Montana, the blue skies hugging the tops of the jagged mountains in
the distance during the day. A long sigh escaped her lips.
"See?
I can hear the longing in the sigh. You'll be on horseback tomorrow, I
bet."
"Probably."
She
glanced at the clock with a frown. Dinner would be soon. Doctor Melton, that
disturbing enigma of a man, would be back. Why she felt so curious about him,
she wasn't sure. "I better go. Supper will be on soon and we're having
company."
"Oh?"
"Yes.
Dad invited Doctor Melton for supper. He accepted, although a bit
reluctantly." The laughter in Natalie's voice made Elizabeth wonder what
was so funny.
"Marcus
is coming over for dinner? Boy, I want to be a fly on the wall for that
one."
"Why
do I get the feeling you're keeping something from me?"
"Who
me?
Not at all.
I think you'll find Marcus a
very interesting dinner companion. Bye, Liz. Have fun at dinner."
The line
clicked as Elizabeth stopped to stare at the phone. Something was up. She knew
Natalie enough to know her sister-in-law had to be plotting some mischievous
plan.
* * * *
Marcus sighed
as he drove back up to the ranch style house of the Double D. Several excuses
had crossed his mind when he thought about the dinner planned for this evening,
but he couldn't bring himself to back out. The need to know whether Elizabeth
recognized him or not, spurred him on. Could she feel the electrical pull
between them? Would she see the need and desire in his eyes? How could he hide
his attraction for her? The last thing he wanted in this world would be to do
anything to hurt her. If she found out he is the same man who kissed her last
October, it might screwed up her marriage.
With a
twist of the key, he shut the engine of his truck off to stare at the front of
the house. The first time he'd seen the wide porch, plantation shutters and
flowers encircling the front, he'd fallen in love with the place. The huge barn
in the distance and the open fields of the pasture around the ranch called to
his soul. The buffalo grasses swaying gently in the cooling breeze of the
evening made him sigh. He'd always wanted a ranch. Playing cowboy was his
favorite pastime during his childhood. His brothers and sisters wanted to play
space aliens or some other such thing, but not Marcus. He always loved being the
cowboy with his horse camping out in the open prairie, shooting bad guys and
saving the lady at the end of the day.
No use
putting it off. Mitchell Weston walked out of the barn wiping his hands on a
towel as Marcus climbed from his truck. "How's the mare?"
"She's
doin' fine, Marcus. I think she's about to deliver so I'm glad you're back. I'm
hoping the foal isn't turned wrong. She's laboring pretty hard."
"Let
me check her." The mare lay in the same position he left her in. Not a
good sign. Her sides heaved with each breath as worry laced through him. He
slipped on his exam sleeve to protect his shirt and his rubber gloves.
"Rest, girl."
Kneeling behind the mare, he shifted
close to her tail, inserting his hand to the elbow. The horse grunted.
"What's
wrong?" Elizabeth said, stopping next to the stall door.
"The
foal is trying to come out in the wrong position. I'm going to have to try to turn
it." He glanced up, locking gazes with Elizabeth. Her worried eyes touched
his heart. Her lips parted as she ran her tongue across the bottom one. His
cock went rock hard in an instant.
Great.
Turning a foal with a major hard-on.
Not my idea of a good
time.
He shifted and slipped his other hand inside the animal. The mare
tried lifting her head.
Elizabeth
slipped inside the stall, dropping on her knees next to the horse’s head.
"Easy, sweetheart.
It'll be okay. Marcus will take good
care of you."