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  “Good. See that you do. As for the rest of my problem, I figure I’ll get it all worked out soon. I might need a little extra help at the ranch. Can you do that?”

  As Cooper and T exchanged smiles, Ransom knew that he’d taken on far too much over the years. He’d given a lot of himself but had forgotten that sometimes it was important to take a little bit too. He looked at his brothers as they promised their help and knew his mom and dad were smiling on the three of them now. Together, there was no problem they couldn’t tackle.

  * * * * *

  Several days later, Ransom lifted a heavy bag of grain over his shoulder and tossed it into the back of his truck to join the other fifty he and several employees of Jackson’s Feed and Seed had loaded. The young cowboys backed up a little.

  “Need anything else today, Ransom?” one of them asked sheepishly.

  “No, that’ll do it. Thanks for your help.”

  They gave him a cautious look that had him wincing. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? I don’t freakin’ bite.”

  “Of course ya don’t, Ransom.”

  “Uh-uh.”

  The chorus of disclaimers poured over him and he realized that everyone in town was tiptoeing around him just like his brothers had said. Though he didn’t have time for foolishness today, he managed a smile as he tipped his hat back. “Thanks, fellas. I sure appreciate your help.”

  After they’d gone back inside, he walked across the street to Harley’s shop. At least his family understood him, and he was sure feeling the need for some of that as he pushed open the door and heard the cowbell overhead clang an irritating greeting. The scent of leather hit his nostrils in a blast and, from the back of his sister-in-law’s business, he heard the hum of her heavy-duty sewing machine. Obviously she was busy creating another pair of custom boots for some lucky customer.

  It was amazing that she could hear the clang of the cowbell over the roar of the machine, but the sound abruptly stopped and Harley stepped into the display room. She looked tired but happy and Ransom appreciated the feeling a person got from a job well done. He was so pleased that she’d become a huge success with her solo career. Ransom was proud of her but more than anything, he loved her. Harley was family and he’d never seen his brother happier.

  “Well, well, this is a nice surprise!” Harley walked up smiling and gave him a quick hug.

  “Downright shocked you heard me come in.” He frowned at the huge bell over the door. “Damn thing sure is loud.”

  “It has to be to be heard over those machines,” she said. “Want some coffee?”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t stay. Just wondering if you talked to Cooper about the project I have in mind.”

  “I did. Melanie and I are already on it.” She grinned and rubbed her hands together. “There’s nothing I like more than spending somebody else’s money.”

  “Figured you might feel that way. I want it to be completely different and nice.”

  Harley lifted a brow. “And something that will also appeal to a woman?” She didn’t mince words. If he’d thought he was being secretive, he could forget about it.

  “That’s what I’m thinking.”

  “I don’t mean to pry, but I hope to hell you plan on going after her.”

  “Between you and Melanie, I’m surrounded by bossy women.”

  Harley laughed, not in the least intimidated. “And if I’m guessing, we won’t be the last.” She sobered suddenly. “I like her, Ran. Cooper and I both do. I know logistics are a big deal but I have confidence you’ll work it out. Will you be seeing her soon?”

  “As soon as the body work is done on her car, I’m planning to take it to her in Dallas.”

  “Any idea when that will be?”

  Ransom shook his head. “You know things move slower than molasses in Delight. Last I heard, they had to order some parts. Might be another couple of weeks, but I’ll definitely be seeing Lynn as soon as they have it ready.”

  “Good. When you see her, tell her I miss her. Okay?”

  He nodded. “I will. You know, Harley June, nothing is set in stone with this deal between Lynn and me. I don’t know how we can make it work.”

  “There’s always a way. You know when Cooper and I got back together again I was living in Houston. It seemed so far away but somehow things worked out.”

  “How did you feel about coming back to Delight after all those years away? I know it had to be a big adjustment.”

  Harley leaned back against a display table and seemed to think about it. “Houston is a great city, but Cooper was here and wherever he is, is home, ya know?” She smiled and shrugged. “If you love each other, you’ll figure it out. There has to be an answer.”

  Later that night, Ransom sat in the den watching a baseball game that didn’t come close to capturing his attention. His mind was elsewhere as he thought of his conversation with Harley. She and Cooper had found a way to make things work. They were in love and happy as they planned a future together. He had no doubt he could work the same miracle in his life. A real man faced his problems and came up with a viable solution. If Lynn didn’t love him, it would change everything. But if she did? Ransom knew he’d move heaven and earth to make a future for them possible.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lynn swept a thin straw through the slushy remains of her margarita and glanced at the other occupants of the table just as the waiter walked up to ask if she wanted another.

  “No, I don’t think so,” she said with a quick shake of her head. When he turned to another table, Lynn looked at her coworkers and widened her eyes. “What?”

  Emily, who’d dragged her out with Ashley, the office manager, scowled at her. “Don’t leave yet! You never get out. You do nothing but work. Are you kidding me? Ever since you’ve returned from vacation in the boonies, you are no fun at all.”

  Ashley nodded in agreement.

  “I’ve never been any fun,” Lynn admitted with a laugh.

  “Bullshit! You’re just quiet and way too serious for your own good,” Emily continued, obviously on a roll. She had been Lynn’s nurse since she’d walked through the doors of the practice three years ago. “I don’t know what happened to you on vacation, but I don’t like it. You’re working too hard.”

  “Hard work is my middle name.”

  “Stop with the quips. Hang out with us for a little while longer.”

  Ashley lifted a brow. “Something happened while you were off in that little town. That’s what I think. You seem distracted and you get this weird dreamy look on your face when you think no one is watching.”

  “You read too many romance novels,” Lynn said with a grin. “Admit it.”

  “A girl can never read too many love stories. It does make the world go round, ya know.” Ashley laughed, then turned thoughtful as she took a sip of her wine. “Seriously, you seem different since you got back. We all know you went to your high school reunion and you didn’t really seem all that excited about it. You seemed more determined, if that makes sense.”

  “Those years weren’t really much fun for me.”

  “Were they fun for any of us?” Emily queried. “All that drama and angst coupled with petty jealousies? I skipped my reunion completely. I did not want to go there again.”

  Lynn shook her head. “You’d think after fifteen years away, I would have blown it off and booked a cruise instead, but I guess I had a demon or two to face. I figured this was as good a time as any to banish a few of them.” She shrugged. “Sometime during the visit, I realized my little problems were so miniscule. For years, I let something bother me when I should have just chalked it up to ignorance and let it go.”

  “But you couldn’t,” Ashley stated.

  Lynn shook her head. “No, I had to stare it down, but in the act of doing that, I came face-to-face with feelings and emotions I never thought I’d experience.”

  Emily tilted her head. “Sounds like a man to me.”

  Lynn went quiet, noting
the look exchanged between the other two women. She gathered a bit of salt from the rim of her glass, wishing she hadn’t been so quick to send the waiter off. She could sure use another drink. Finally she sighed. “Oh yeah, I guess you could say that. I didn’t plan any of this. It just happened.”

  Ashley smiled. “It always does. What’s he like?”

  “He’s a tall, quiet rancher, big as a dang mountain and very intense.”

  “Ooh, I like him already,” Emily said, grinning.

  Lynn looked at her friends, relieved to finally voice her worries. “He’s amazing. No, he’s more than that. Ransom is everything I ever dreamed of in a man, but there’s a logistics problem. And that’s not all.”

  Both women leaned forward. “Is he married? Or is he seeing someone else?” Ash wanted to know.

  “It’s nothing like that. He’s a widower. The thing is, I don’t know how he feels about me. He says he wants to continue our relationship long-distance to see what happens, but those rarely work out.”

  “Listen,” Emily said. “You could move. I’d hate to see you leave Dallas, but you do have options.”

  “I certainly couldn’t ask him to leave the ranch. It’s big and beautiful. It’s his life.” Lynn shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t expect that of him. I could make a change fairly easily though.”

  Ashley nodded. “Yup. Good doctors are needed everywhere.”

  “I just don’t know. I have so much to think about.”

  * * * * *

  As Lynn drove home later, she realized it felt good to talk about her issues with Ransom, but she’d thought so much lately, her brain hurt. Since returning to Dallas, she’d lived with memories of everything that had happened between them. The chemistry between them sizzled and burned but logically, she knew that wasn’t enough, despite feeling a strong connection to him in other areas too. She wasn’t a woman who trusted easily. Throwing caution to the wind wasn’t smart but damn if she wasn’t tempted.

  Ransom was worth the risk to her heart.

  Deep in her soul, she knew it.

  Everything about him made her ache for more. She felt almost frantic to see him, touch him and talk to him again. But if she were to move ahead with Ransom, it wasn’t fair that she be the only one who had an emotional stake in their affair. The future was an investment, wasn’t it?

  Entering her neighborhood, she drove through the gates and proceeded down the darkened street until she spotted her neat little condo. A black double-cab truck bearing the logo of the Double D Ranch sat parked in front of her mailbox. Her heart started to pound.

  Emotion threatened to choke her and she gripped the steering wheel when her hands started to tremble.

  He was here!

  Ransom!

  As she slowed down to pull into the drive, Ransom stepped out onto the street, the interior lights flashing briefly on his dark hair.

  Struggling to contain herself, she pulled into the open garage door, took a deep, steadying breath, then stepped out of Ransom’s borrowed SUV. Moving through the shadows, she walked out onto the driveway. He stopped inches in front of her, taking her in from top to toe, and Lynn finally released the breath she’d been holding.

  “Ransom,” she breathed.

  “Damn it, Lynn. I hope you’re ready for me.”

  Before she could react, he hauled her against his chest and sent his fingers into her hair. As her handbag dropped to the pavement, Ransom gripped her hair and tugged until her head dropped back. His potent kiss almost stole what little breath remained as he sank his tongue into her mouth for a thorough tasting. Her panties dampened and she struggled to get closer.

  With his fingers clutching her hair and her ass, he broke the kiss to whisper against her lips, “If you don’t want me to fuck you in the driveway, you’d better get me inside quick. I’m on my last nerve here, darlin’.”

  Breathing hard, she stepped back and tugged at his hand, stopping only to allow Ran to grab her handbag from the ground. Together, they hurried through the shadows and into her garage, where he drew her to a halt and kissed her again. Backed against the big vehicle, Lynn whimpered as Ransom dragged his cock between the V of her thighs. Her clit swelled, pressing against the soft cotton of her panties. Frantic urges swept through her bloodstream and heated her core. She hiked one leg over his hip to give him access to her creaming pussy as memories poured over her. In the days since coming home, they’d hovered in her mind, taunting her inability to reach for what she wanted most. Frustrated, eager to make her every dream a reality, she nipped at his lip then drew her tongue over it, pulling his breath into her lungs as she clung to him.

  This surprise visit was all the prompting she needed to take this moment and run with it. She was tired of being alone. She was sick of the lonely state of her life and done with letting her dreams pass her by. If Ransom could put away his past enough to pursue a relationship, then she was woman enough to help him.

  “Come on,” she whispered against his mouth. “I am not letting you fuck me in the garage and don’t even try to tempt me. Believe me, I’m as hard up as you are, but we’ll do it on my terms.”

  Ransom’s gaze burned as he lifted her against him and carried her through the door leading from the garage into the kitchen. She always left a few lights burning before leaving for work each morning, and that slight illumination was convenient as Ransom carried her through the kitchen and into the living area. “Bedroom. Now.”

  Twined around him, clinging to his rock-hard body, she pressed her lips to his. “First room on the right.”

  “Hang on,” he whispered, his words warm in her ear. He stalked to the bed and as she slid to the floor, he wasted no time in stripping her bare. His own clothing soon joined hers next to the bed and he filled his hands with her breasts before sending his touch down her body. He plunged a finger deep in her pussy, made a rough sound of approval, then reached to draw her bedding out of the way. The cool, lavender-scented sheets felt like heaven against her back and, reaching up, she pulled him against her. He settled between her thighs, and as her legs wrapped around his hips, he sank his cock deep.

  Lynn met the action with a low sigh. He was right where she wanted him. The nights without him had fueled her hunger and she pushed up to meet his heavy thrusts. Ransom rammed deep. He stared down at her in the darkness, his hot gaze sweeping her breasts. He eyed the heavy iron rungs of her headboard and, dragging her fingers from his shoulders, placed them there. “Hang on. I’m going to fuck you hard.”

  “Yesss.” She clung to the metal as he pounded her pussy, each heavy thrust forcing a cry from her lips as she bowed against him. His mouth found her throat, then her nipples, his teeth scraping the tender peaks until Lynn quivered against him. His cock became an instrument of pleasure that made her body sing in response. Heady lust swept her. “God…I’ve missed you, Ransom,” she managed. “I didn’t think I could last another day. Fuck me harder, harder.”

  Ransom drew back then rammed home again, this time giving her more of what she craved. Fast and hot. Hard and powerful. Again and again, he stuffed her full until every nerve ending pulsed like lightning. His fingers covered hers on the bedpost, the grip almost painful as orgasm crashed over her. Shaking and trembling, needing him more than her next breath, she let go of all control and cried out. Above her, Ransom went still, letting her ride out the storm. Then he shoved deep again, once, twice before he shuddered, gripped by his own orgasm.

  He sank against her and together they rolled until they faced each other on the bed. Lynn reached up, stroked his face, overcome by the suddenness of their shared passion and knowing full well that it was time to face any lingering worries of rejection. She had always been a realist and running away from the issues looming in her heart wasn’t going to help a thing.

  Being with her again was like coming home.

  Ransom held her against him in the dark, hardly able to believe that he’d been unable to wait until her car was finished at the body shop. It was a dumb
move on his part but, damn it, he wasn’t going to wait a minute longer to be with her. Lynn affected him like a drug, and he knew he’d always be a happy addict to this particular woman. After all the years of guilt over Cassie’s death, he was ready now to reach for his future and he planned to start it now.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Ransom pressed his face to her hair and breathed in the clean scent.

  She looked up, her dark eyes serious. “I meant every word. The past few weeks have been hell, Ransom. I kept thinking of you and the ranch and everything else that I left behind in Delight.” Despite his efforts to keep her anchored at his side, she managed to pull away until she leaned over him. She smiled finally and shook her head. “It’s funny. I lived hidden away for eighteen years in Delight. I was so comfortable dealing with Mom’s illness, school and just putting one foot in front of the other that I completely forgot to live.”

  “You were just a kid.”

  “I know but I was also a smart kid. I should have known that hiding myself away, keeping to myself, wasn’t going to bring me happiness. Instead, I convinced myself that I was just too awkward to change and that acceptance would always be out of reach for someone like me. Do you know why I came back to Delight in the first place?” She shrugged. “That night with Dusty, the night you galloped in and saved me, has haunted me for years. The whole episode put a giant exclamation point on the sad state of my life back then, and I knew I had to face those ghosts. The thing I realized over the years was that you were the one bright spot from so long ago. You were kind, Ransom. You saw me, I think, the way no one else did. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for that.”

  Emotion tightened around his heart as his memories carried him back to that lonely stretch of road. “You were a lost little bird but you faced the bully down, didn’t you?”

  She nodded and he watched helplessly as she swept her hands over her eyes. The tears broke his heart but he knew she needed to talk. Hell, maybe he did too. He scooted up until he leaned against the headboard. Lynn controlled her emotions and slid her hair behind her ears. “What I’ve come to realize after reconnecting with you again is that we were both looking for the same thing. Resolution. We’ve both needed to confront the past, face it squarely and come to grips. I’ve done that, Ransom, but nothing I overcame comes close to what you’ve had to deal with. You’ve lost a lot.”