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  Ransom stopped in front of her and settled the oversized hat on her head. “I noticed you were squinting. Don’t you know that’ll put wrinkles on your pretty face? While you’re here, use this one.”

  Wow.

  Was it possible to fall madly in love after such a short time? Oh hell yes it was! Ransom was like no other man she’d ever known. Smiling, she tipped the brim. “Thank you kindly.”

  His answering grin was wide, his strong teeth white. “I had Shorty saddle Buttercup for you. Do you ride?”

  “I think I rode a pony or two at the county fair. Does that count?”

  He laughed. “That’s what I figured. Buttercup is gentle as an angel. I’ll hoist you up and all you have to do is hang on. Okay?”

  Lynn blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ve got this. I tackled medical school and then residency, I figure I can manage this too.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  She had really long legs but the horse was so big Lynn was a bit intimidated about settling into the saddle. Ransom helped her out by hooking her boot heel into place in the stirrups. After instructing her to grip the pommel, he put his hands beneath her butt and gave her a hefty push until she plopped none too gracefully into place. Buttercup shied a bit but once Lynn took the reins, the horse settled down.

  Once she caught her breath from the experience of being seated on a horse, Lynn glanced over at Ransom to see that he was ready to ride. Sunlight caught his gelding’s black coat and she marveled at the beauty of this animal. Like Buttercup, he had a white star between his eyes. “He’s gorgeous.”

  Ransom patted the horse’s neck. “Yeah, Butch has been with me a long time.” He gave her a glance. “Buttercup will follow Butch anywhere, so just rest easy, Lynn. You won’t have to do a thing but sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  Buttercup follows Butch.

  Hmm, just like she would follow Ransom. She totally got that concept.

  Gripping the reins, she gave Buttercup a little tap with her heels and the horse dutifully followed Butch across a wide pasture of green. Ransom seemed not to be in a hurry, stopping here and there to point out things she might find interesting. It was a rush to finally understand this land he called home and to learn a little about the ranching business, but mainly she just enjoyed being with Ransom. When on his home turf, he talked more, was more relaxed and often humorous. Oh yes, she loved seeing him so at ease and happy. He had a deep, abiding love of the land and it was obvious in the way he talked of this place.

  They’d ridden for the better part of an hour and dark clouds rolled through the skies when he stopped near a little house that nestled against a long line of fence. The railing on one section had fallen, leaving a gaping hole where cattle could escape to roam around. “I need to fix this so it’s a good place to stop,” he said. He dismounted and Lynn could only admire the fluid athleticism. For such a big man, he sure had some moves.

  His jeans fit his long legs to perfection and cupped his ass so deliciously that she swallowed as a blast of heat swept over her. Despite the warmth of the day, he wore a long-sleeved shirt that had been rolled up a time or two, giving her a glimpse of his sturdy forearms. He walked over and helped her down. Buttercup wasn’t going anywhere. She cropped at the grass and Ransom had only to twine the reins around the pommel. Butch, on the other hand, was tied to a nearby fence rail. She watched Ransom reach into a bag that perched behind his saddle. He removed a hammer and several thick nails then headed toward the broken fence.

  “Can I help you with that?”

  “Hell no.” He frowned. “I’ve got this. You just hang out and watch me do my man thing.”

  “Your man thing? Ransom, you’re killin’ me here.”

  “It is what it is, darlin’.”

  She heard a wealth of humor in his words and watched as he proceeded to lift the heavy beam into place. Even she knew this was a two-man job so she marched forward and held out her hand. “At least give me the hammer and nails. You can’t do this on your own.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “Never took you for a stubborn ass, Ransom Dobbs. Now you lift and I’ll hammer.”

  “Okay. Let’s do this thing, honey. The hammer is there and I have the nails in my back pocket.”

  “I see the dang hammer. Just hold on.” Lynn grabbed the tool from the ground then dug the thick nails from his back pocket. His butt behind the denim was hard as a damn rock and she had the sudden image of that hard ass stamped in her brain but now wasn’t the time to let her mind wander. He had been nice enough to rescue her and give her a place to stay; the least she could do was help him with the fence. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding? Her wildest dream was to get down and dirty with this man but she shoved that lascivious image into the back of her mind.

  Together they fixed the fence and when it was done, he leaned against it and grinned. “Mighty fine job for a woman.”

  “For a woman?” She saw the teasing glint in his eyes and played along. “For a woman? I’ll have you know that doctors do things on a daily basis that would have a big, strong cowboy like you barfing your guts out. Don’t go preachin’ to me about being a silly little woman.”

  “Aw, I’m just kidding. Some of the best people I know are women.” He leaned against the now perfectly fixed fence and pushed back the brim of his hat. “Thanks for the help.”

  “Not a problem.” She looked up and frowned. The sky grew darker by the minute. Fat rain clouds rolled overhead and she hoped their time together wasn’t going to be cut short. “Looks like rain. Wow, it really came up quickly.”

  “It can do that. Lord knows we need the rain so I’m not about to bitch about it.” He walked over, reached into a saddlebag, pulled out two bottles of water and tossed one of them to her before untying a blanket that was rolled behind the saddle. “Let’s just enjoy the peace and quiet for a while and then we’ll head back. If a storm kicks up we’ll head into the line shack.”

  Lynn studied the small, neat brick house. “Doesn’t look like any kind of shack I’ve ever seen before.” Ransom spread the blanket over the grass and together they sprawled out to sip their water. She removed her hat, leaned back on her hands and lifted her face, hoping to catch a breeze.

  “It’s a two-bedroom, one-bath house but we all call it the line shack. My dad built this little house years ago when he and Mom first married. When they eventually needed something bigger, they built the current house. One of our cowboys lived here with his family until recently. They moved off but I maintain the place, keep it cleaned and stocked. It’s a pretty nice little spot to stay if someone needs space to just figure things out. I didn’t have the heart to tear it down.”

  “I should say not. It’s really a nice little starter home.”

  “Starter was right. My folks didn’t have a whole lot when they married but with Dad’s good head for business and knowledge of cattle, he built something solid for his family.”

  “The Double D is one of the most prosperous ranches in the area. I think he’d be proud of what you’ve done with this place.”

  A clap of thunder rolled through the air and the horses took note, dancing sideways. Ransom jumped up to rush for Buttercup’s reins when gale-force winds hit along with a drenching blast of rain. Startled by the suddenness of the storm, Lynn stood and started to gather up the blanket when Ransom hollered, “Just leave it.” He dug in a pocket and tossed her a set of keys. “Head to the house. Use the biggest key to unlock the door.”

  The house wasn’t far but in this rain and with the high winds, it could’ve been a mile away and not made much difference. Lynn ran, only pausing once to look back over her shoulder at Ransom. Like her, he was drenched. As he led Buttercup to the newly repaired fence and tied her to it, Lynn managed to open the door and dash inside.

  Another crack of thunder caused the windows in the quaint little house to rattle furiously. Lynn moved into the room and immediately tugged at her boots, not wanting to track water, grass and mud all over the clean
floor. Once she set her boots near the front door, she turned to study the room as she rubbed her hands over her arms. She was wet to the bone and chilled. Sensing a presence, she turned to see Ransom outlined in the open doorway, his cowboy hat gripped in one hand. Water dripped down his face and his tee shirt was plastered to his chest. Her gaze moved lower to his abs, clearly outlined against the wet cotton.

  A storm of another kind whipped through her body and this time her shiver wasn’t from the cold. Lynn swallowed, imagining the feel of all that ridged muscle beneath her fingertips. Shaking herself from the intoxicating image, she glanced up to see him watching her. A muscle worked in his jaw and his eyes were locked on her, focused with laser-like intensity.

  Lynn frowned then glanced down. What the hell had possessed her to wear a solid white tee shirt? She might as well be naked from the waist up. It clung to every line and curve of her body and with the chill in the air, her nipples poked prominently against the wet cotton. Desperately she tried to pull the material away from her body.

  Ransom stalked slowly toward her, his attention riveted to her chest. The hat went sailing across the room. “Fuck it. I give up.”

  “What do you mean?” she whispered.

  “I’ll show you what I mean, Doctor Halstead. I’ll show you right fucking now.”

  Chapter Five

  He was sick of dicking around and that was a fact. One look at her standing there in that damn transparent tee shirt sent him over the invisible edge he’d tiptoed on since seeing her at The Dillo last night. She had the kind of curves that made a man like him want to howl, and repressing his lust for her was no longer any kind of option.

  No, he didn’t want to hurt her but she’d be gone soon, back to her life in Dallas, and he’d just forget this whole thing ever happened. Eventually she would meet some nice man who wasn’t living a life of perpetual mourning. Lynn would marry, have a couple of kids and look back on him as a distant memory and nothing more.

  In the meantime, he aimed to have her.

  He wouldn’t deny himself any longer. Lynn’s nipples pressed heavily against the transparent cloth and his mouth went dry. Needing to test the feel of them against his tongue, he went toward her, gripped the hem of the shirt and pulled it from her body. She barely had time to gasp and he was on her like a wet dream, unhooking her bra and watching it slide damply down her arms. It hooked on her elbows so Ransom sent the thing on its way and when it fell to the floor, Lynn lifted her hands.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t hide from me, Lynn. You knew this was coming last night out in the parking lot. Best sit back and enjoy it because I’m going to fuck you.” Gently he drew her hands away from her heaving breasts and looked his fill. She had the kind of body that inspired men to subscribe to hot magazines and jack off in bed every night while staring at the fold-out section but he knew she didn’t have a clue how beautiful she was. Ransom traced her areola with the tip of his finger and watched the pretty pale nipple draw up tighter, then he traced the other. Glancing up, he saw her watching him with an intensity he’d never experienced with another woman.

  Even Cassie.

  Shoving memories of his dead wife to the back of his mind, he wrapped his lips around one of her perfect nipples and sucked it gently. When he tasted the chilled flesh until it warmed against his tongue, he plied the bit with the edges of his teeth. Lynn’s breath broke as her hands settled on his hair, her grip tightening as she held him against her. After scraping the nipple twice more, he turned his focus to the other breast and had the pleasure of hearing the whimpering sound Lynn made.

  This was nothing.

  She’d be screaming his name before he was done with her.

  Savage feelings ripped through his system. His cock was hard enough to pound rocks and his mind was a jumble of mixed-up emotions. Logically he knew this crazy lust pulsing through his body wasn’t Lynn’s fault but damn it, he didn’t want to need another woman like this ever again.

  Too late for introspection. Too late for regret.

  Lynn had just pushed him too far with her beautiful body and the way she smelled and the ease of her smile. She had innocently taunted him with her reaction to the way he’d kissed her last night and her every response to his touch had burrowed into his body and revved his libido until he felt as though he were a kid with his first hard-on.

  He didn’t want to need her but he did.

  Logic hadn’t worked and neither had distance so he wasn’t about to fight this attraction any longer. Releasing her nipple, he dragged his tongue over it once more then lifted her into his arms. “Hang on,” he said, shocked by the raw sound of his own voice. “This is about to get interesting.”

  Carrying her to one of two overstuffed armchairs placed strategically in front of a long-cold fireplace, he put her on her feet and reached for the snap of her jeans. “Let’s get these off, darlin’.” Lynn breathed heavily, her breasts moving gently with each inhalation, but he focused on getting her naked. Once she was unsnapped, he moved in on the zipper and pulled it down, then, reaching for the waistband, he stared her dead in the eyes. “If you don’t want this, you’d best speak up now or it’ll be too late.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t stop.”

  Enough said.

  He pushed the wet denim from her hips then down her long legs. Bending low, he snagged the fabric and lifted her feet. She wore pink socks with red ladybugs stitched into them and his lips lifted in a brief smile, but then it faded as he drank in the sight of her wearing only a slender thong.

  Fuck yeah.

  Ransom settled his palm over her heart, felt the thrumming beat, then stroked downward over skin that was soft enough to make him lose his mind just a little more. By the time his hand settled low on her belly, he looked at her. “This is gonna get a little raunchy. Can you handle it?”

  Lynn made a weak little sound but nodded.

  “Sit down.”

  Maintaining eye contact, she slid into the chair.

  Ransom settled a hand on each arm of the chair and pressed his lips to hers. Finally he drew back and reached down to snag the sides of the barely there panties with his thumbs. “Lift up.” He made short work of the panty removal then stood over her. “I want to see you, all of you. Lift your leg and put it over the arm of the chair.”

  She went still.

  “Do it, honey.”

  Lynn obeyed and a thrill of satisfaction swamped him. She was open to him, her pussy shimmering and wet, but he wasn’t finished. “Now the other.”

  “Ransom, I—”

  “Let me look at you, Lynn.”

  Slowly she lifted the other leg and hooked it over the other arm of the chair. Ransom swallowed hard. She was totally open to him, splayed like a feast for a starving man. “Now lean back. I’m going to strip but I’ll be watching you while I do it.”

  Another rattle of thunder was followed by a low crack of lightning as the storm raged outside the house. Ransom leaned against the stone of the fireplace for balance as he yanked off first one boot then another. Once he’d tossed them aside, he pulled off his clinging tee shirt and went for the snap and zipper of his jeans. He removed a condom from his pocket and tossed it to the floor near her chair. As he removed each article of clothing, he looked at her, watching her every reaction and absorbing the electrifying tension between them into his pores. Her pussy was wide open to him and, as he stared at her pink flesh, a single drop of fluid rolled from her cunt.

  Lust surged heavily through his system.

  Lynn stared at his cock and he swore it grew another inch or two and thickened impossibly when she licked her lips. Ransom stood before her. “You are a good woman, Lynn, keeping your body open so I can look at it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything hotter than your sweet pussy.” Reaching down, he captured that enticing drop of fluid with the tip of his finger. As rain battered the rooftop, he went to his knees and moved his fingers over her flesh, spreading the moisture he found there. He spread her labia then carefully f
licked her swollen clit.

  “Ransom.” She breathed his name, her voice whisper-soft but strained. “Please, Ransom.”

  He circled her tightly swollen clit lightly. “You want my mouth here, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right then. Soon. Just relax for me.”

  He knew that was impossible. She was so turned-on she practically vibrated against the chair, but Ransom had no plans to make her come too soon. Sending a light touch over her pussy, he traced her labia then moved his fingers over her slick skin, eventually circling her opening. Lynn moved restlessly against the chair then gasped as he sent two fingers deep. The silky walls of her channel squeezed and released in an attempt to keep his fingers lodged deep. Ransom watched them disappear then reappear, noting how wet his fingers had become, the damp reaching the palm of his hand.

  “Don’t come yet, Lynn. Don’t come until I tell you.”

  Her head moved restlessly back and forth on the cushion of the chair. “I can’t.”

  “Do what I say, okay? Now be very still. Concentrate on what I do.” He returned his gaze to her pussy, slid his fingers deep, then bent low to brush his lips over her flesh. Dragging her scent into his lungs, he traced her with the tip of his tongue, then pulled her clit into his mouth to suck. It pulsed as he alternated the pressure, light then harder and then lightly again. She squirmed against the chair but Ransom sat back, leaving her on the edge.

  “What are you—”

  “Shh. I’ll get back to that. I just want to take my time here. A beautiful woman like you deserves that. Damn, you’re soft here.” Ransom moved his mouth and his cheek over the inside of one thigh, then pressed his lips to the tender crease between her hip and leg. He slowly pushed a finger high into her pussy again and watched her back bow as she struggled to take it deeper. He moved his other hand to her ass. Enjoying the spectacular show, he traced her asshole with his thumb and pressed lightly. “Maybe you’ll let me fuck you here. Would you like that?”