Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch (15 page)

Willa caught her
jaw just before it dropped open in surprise.

“No fair,
girlfriend.” Bev’s pout was only half teasing. “You’re not supposed to steal
the good ones before the rest of us get a chance.” She fluttered her fingers at
Daniel. “I’ll be back,” she promised, and drifted away.

“Are you
impressed with my finesse?” Daniel put a hand on Willa’s back and eased her
toward the dance floor. “Not only did I manage to send her on her way smiling,
but I made it impossible for you to refuse to dance with me.” His arms slipped
around her and the next thing she knew, they were swaying to a soft, dreamy
tune.

“You can dance,”
Willa said, her voice weak. The last time they were this close…The memory took
her breath away.

“Slowly,” Daniel
agreed. “And nothing too fancy.”

She drew back a
little to look at him. “You don’t have your cane tonight?”

“I didn’t think
it went with the costume.” He pulled her close again. “Between climbing onto a
horse several times a day and working outside from dawn until dusk, my leg’s
holding up better than it used to. As long as I don’t try to rush, I do okay.” With
his lips against her temple, he said, “You look beautiful.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Where did the
dress come from?”

She’d been wondering
if he’d noticed her costume. “Jamie’s great-grandmother and her sisters
embroidered the flowers and sewed the beads on the skirt and blouse. His
grandmother and mother wore it for fiestas with the Mercado family in Mexico.”

“And Susannah
will wear it after you.”

“I hope so.”

“The family has
quite a tradition to be proud of.”

Again she pulled
back to search his face. He wasn’t making fun of the Mercados or her. “Yes, we
do.”

The music
slowed, then stopped for a second before slamming into a hip-twisting rock
number. Daniel winced. “I think I’ll pass on this one.” He glanced around as
they left the floor. “If you’d like to find another partner…”

Willa shook her
head. “Not really.”

He grinned, and
she had a chance to see that the expression started in his eyes with a glint of
pleasure before the corners of his mouth lifted, and then the center. Totally
devastating.

“We could get
something to eat,” she suggested. “And a glass of champagne.”

“And hide from
your friend.”

Willa laughed.
“And hide from Bev.”

R
OSA SAW
D
ANIEL ENTER THE
ballroom, and read the pleasure on
his face when he glimpsed Willa through the crowd. Yes, indeed, that situation
was developing quite nicely.

She’d wanted to
mention the Cattleman’s Ball to Daniel as soon as the invitations arrived. He
should have come with them as Willa’s escort. Her sister had convinced her to
stand back, however, and let the two manage for themselves. Rosa had worried
that Daniel simply wouldn’t bother, but Lilianna had been right. That young man
knew who he wanted and was prepared to go after her.

Which was more
than could be said for Nate Hernandez.

Without telling
Lili, Rosa had arranged to have the foreman sent an invitation to the ball. When
Daniel had called to see if Willa would attend, Rosa had asked about Nate. Daniel
had been sure that Nate had no intention of making an appearance. He didn’t
belong with the bigwigs, Daniel said, imitating Nate’s drawl. That fancy
shindig wasn’t the place for plain ol’ cowpokes like him.

Which was the
problem, Rosa thought, watching Lili talk with the wives of some of the
wealthiest and most influential cattle ranchers in the state. The Mercados
boasted an old name, came from old money. If Texas had an aristocracy, they
were part of it. And Nate simply wasn’t.

But he’d loved
Lili for years, since he’d come to the Blue Moon as a thirty-year-old drifter. And
Lili loved him. Isolated on the ranch, sequestered by their father’s
old-fashioned ideas about a woman’s place in the world, Rosa and Lili had
missed most of life’s adventures. Rosa’s one rebellion had ended in tragedy.
Lili had taken that lesson to heart and never reached for anything more.

Nate Hernandez
was her last chance, and Rosa was determined to see her sister’s hopeless dream
come true. But she wasn’t a fairy godmother and she didn’t have a magic wand. Somehow
she would have to get the two of them, Nate and Lili, to cooperate in their own
happy ending. Or else they really didn’t deserve one.

C
ARRYING PLATES AND
GLASSES
, Willa and
Daniel found an empty bench in the lobby outside the ballroom. He gave a low
groan as he sat down.

Willa frowned at
him. “Maybe you should have brought the cane, after all.”

He shifted his
hips, easing the stiff leg, and gave her a rueful glance. “Maybe.”

“Even cowboys
get hurt now and then.”

“I noticed. Eat
your cream puff.”

Willa realized
she hadn’t been this hungry in days. Weeks, maybe. She didn’t stop until her
plate was empty. “They always have great food at this party.”

“I’m glad you
came. Rosa told me you almost stayed home.”

“You talked to
her about it?”

“Well, there
wasn’t much point in being here if you weren’t.”

She gazed at
him, speechless once again.

He clinked his
champagne glass against hers. “So, I’ve heard a good deal about the Mercado
legacy, one way or another. What about your family? Did you grow up on a
ranch?”

“Yes. Yes, I
did.” She looked down at her own glass, then took a long sip. “We had a small
place not too far from the Blue Moon.”

“Did you raise
cattle? Horses? Rattlesnakes?”

She gave an
unwilling laugh. “Cattle. And rattlers. I must’ve killed hundreds before I got
out of high school.”

“That makes you
a good shot.”

“Yes, it does.”

When she didn’t
volunteer anything else, he said, “Do your parents still live on that ranch?”

“Um…no. They
sold off the land and moved away. We…” She took a deep breath. “We don’t see
them much.”

“Do you have
brothers and sisters?”

“I was the only
child.”

“Me, too. My
parents were in their forties when I was born. I was a surprise, to say the
least.”

“A good one, I
hope.”

“Yeah, we were
close. They died within a couple of months of each other six years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. So
where did your parents move to?”

Here was the
question, and answer, she dreaded. “My mother moved to Florida. My dad went to
California.” After a pause, she finished the explanation. “They had to get
married, because she was pregnant. They stayed married only because of me. As
soon as I got engaged to Jamie, even before the wedding, they divorced. As far
as I know, they haven’t spoken to each other since.”

“Man, that’s
tough. I’m sorry.”

She shook her
head. “They weren’t abusive, or mean. There just wasn’t any love in the house. My
dad slept around. My mother read the Bible a lot. I assume they’re happier
now.”

“And you were
happy with Jamie.”

“Most of the
time.” She hadn’t meant to say that. “I mean…every marriage has rough spots. We
were good, overall.”

“Except you
couldn’t trust him.”

She put up a
hand in protest. “Jamie never cheated on me.”

“Not with other
women. But…”

The
understanding in his face allowed her to finish the sentence. “But I never
could trust him with money. And, in the end, with his own life.”

“A lot of people
went into the military after the September 11 attacks. Maybe he felt compelled
to defend his country.”

“But he was my
husband and I…we…needed him here. I wanted him here.”

His gaze
searched her face, as his warm hand covered hers. “Willa—”

“Well, there you
two are!” Bev’s voice carried all the way across the lobby. “I thought you’d
ducked out on me completely.”

In the second
before he turned away, Daniel’s face changed from concerned and caring to a
smooth, impersonal mask. “We wouldn’t do that. Is this our dance?” He stood up,
and Willa was close enough to see the effort it cost him to make the smooth
movement.

“That it is,
cowboy.” Bev grabbed his free hand. “Come on and take me in your arms.”

Willa reached
for the glass he still held. “Have fun, kids.” Without waiting to watch them
go, she picked up her champagne glass and drained it, then finished off
Daniel’s, too, and went to find her aunts.

The sisters
stood together, watching the dancing, and both of them looked tired, maybe even
despondent. Willa stepped between them and put an arm around each slender waist.

“What do you
think? Is it time to go home?”

Lili looked at
her and nodded. “I think so.”

“Are you sure?” Rosa
searched Willa’s face. “Perhaps you should wait and dance some more…” She
turned to scan the crowd, which parted at that moment to give them a good view
of Daniel, with Bev hanging all over him. He didn’t appear to mind.

“I’m definitely
ready to go,” Willa said.

Rosa sighed, and
her shoulders drooped. “I suppose you are.”

In only a matter
of minutes, Willa had collected their purses and jackets and given the valet
the ticket for her truck. Then the three of them slipped out of the hotel
without saying goodbye to a soul.

T
WO HOURS LATER
, W
ILLA ANSWERED
a knock on her front door to find
Daniel standing on the veranda.

“You didn’t wait
until midnight,” he said. “And you didn’t leave a glass slipper behind.”

She crossed one
bare foot over the other. “I could use one. This tile is cold.”

“So ask me in.”

“Daniel—”

“Or not.” Before
she could think, or even breathe, he wrapped the tie of her flannel robe around
one hand and jerked her up against him. He shut the door behind her with his
other hand, and then closed both arms hard around her waist.

“This,” he said
in a rough voice, “is how the night was supposed to end.”

Daniel’s hungry
mouth came down on hers, and Willa stopped fighting herself. She leaned into
him, folding her arms across his shoulders, answering his demands with her own.
He responded with a low growl, pressing against her until she felt the
resistance of the heavy oak door at her back. She was trapped, and she didn’t
care.

He ran his hands
over her hips and up her back to her shoulders, then combed his fingers through
her hair. His lips roamed her face, her ears, and settled on the pulse under
her jaw.

“I’ve missed
you, Willa.” His whisper set off shivers along her backbone. “Every night in my
bed, I’ve missed you.”

“Daniel.” She
cupped her hands on his cheeks and brought his mouth back to hers. The words
were locked inside of her, but she used her hands to convey the feelings,
dragging his shirt-tail out of his jeans, sweeping her palms over the ruined
skin of his back.

Crazed kisses,
the sweet slide of skin against skin…just the glory of wanting and being wanted
sent Willa over the edge. Before she even realized what was happening, with her
feet on the ground and layers of clothing still between them, her body exploded
with pleasure. She clutched Daniel’s shoulders, her breath caught in her
throat, as waves of release rolled through her.

“Oh, God.” She
filled her lungs, finally, dropping her head back against the door. “I’m sorry.
So sorry.”

Daniel tightened
his hold. “I’m not. That was fantastic.”

She opened her
eyes to give him a skeptical look.

He shrugged a
shoulder. “I’m okay. Just touching you makes this the best day I’ve had in a
month.”

“You are a
strange man.”

Occupied with
rebuttoning her pajama top and retying her robe, he didn’t look up. “Why?”

“Most men
consider their own climax the, um, main event. However long it takes.”

“Or not.” Daniel
grinned. “I can be as selfish as the next guy. But not tonight. Not with you.” Holding
her shoulders, he lowered his head and kissed her gently, thoroughly, sealing
the memory of his passion into her heart and soul.

Then he let her
go. “Are you locked out of the house?”

Willa shook her
head and opened the door.

“Then get inside
and get warm. Your feet must be freezing.”

She shook her
head as she backed into the house. “Not at all. I feel…wonderful.”

His white teeth
gleamed in the night. “Good. Sleep well, Willa.”

“Good night,
Daniel.” She watched him walk to his truck, the limp more pronounced than when
he’d entered the ballroom earlier in the evening. He gave her a wave before
starting the engine, and then drove away, up the road toward his house.