Dan (Texas Rascals Book 9) Read online

  She drew in a shaky breath. “Just for a minute.”

  They walked to the water’s edge.

  “Would it be okay if I took your hand?”

  Helplessly, she nodded and offered her hand up to him. What was she holding back for? He liked her, she liked him. It was just a walk.

  And handholding.

  He interlaced their fingers.

  Her small hand felt protected by his larger one. And right now, she craved security and safety because just looking at the murky water turned her stomach. She squeezed his hand, clung to him tightly.

  Because this was the place where Jack had lost his life.

  9

  A crescent moon shone down on them, bathing Raleigh in a glow of shimmering white light. Her crimped red curls tumbled in sexy disarray down her slender shoulders. Dan swallowed, mesmerized by the sight.

  She was so lovely. He trailed his gaze down Raleigh’s swanlike neck. He hadn’t realized just how breathtaking she looked in moonlight. A fairy-tale princess come to life. She seemed soft, tiny, and vulnerable. He wanted to cradle her in his arms and promise to keep her safe for the rest of her life.

  She shivered.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  The plaintive sound of a Chuck-will’s-widow echoed eerily, the water resonating the bird’s lonely refrain.

  He and Raleigh stood together watching the black waves lap against the shoreline. On the distant highway, cars whizzed by. Crickets chirped, and bullfrogs croaked. The air smelled of earth and moistness: rich, fertile, life producing.

  “I thought we might talk,” Dan said. “Away from the ranch and our boss-employee relationship. I’d like to get to know you better.”

  “Why?” she asked, withdrawing her hand from his and wrapping her arms around her.

  What had he done wrong? “I’m interested, concerned. You’ve had a very hard life, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t want to discuss it.”

  Perhaps if he revealed things to her about his own childhood, she might reciprocate and open up. “Okay, then,” he said. “If you don’t want to talk, I’ll tell you about me.”

  She inclined her head, listening.

  “I’m the youngest of three sons. My father is the owner of McClintock Plastics. He’s the largest supplier of PVC pipes in the state of Texas.”

  “Are you telling me that your father is rich?”

  “My family has money, yes.”

  “So why don’t you just ask him for the money to renovate your ranch? And pay me a salary while you’re at it?” She raised an eyebrow.

  Dan barked out a laugh. “And admit I’d failed already? He’d love that.”

  “You don’t get along?”

  “No. Mainly because I won’t let him to manipulate me the way he does my older brothers.”

  “So, you’re letting pride get in the way?”

  “You don’t understand. There are strings attached to his money. Lots of them. I’ve finally managed to break free from his influence, and I refuse to go back.”

  “He’s pretty controlling?”

  “Controlling is an understatement. He’s the original control freak. He forced us all to go into the family business or risk getting cut off financially. He even picked out and bought homes for my two brothers, Mike and Jamie. Whatever Father wants, Father gets, and nobody ever had the courage to stand against him.”

  “Except you.” Was that admiration in her eyes?

  “I was suffocating. It was leave or completely shut down emotionally like my brothers.”

  Raleigh tilted her face up. “You bought the ranch to escape.”

  “No. Running a ranch was the only thing I had ever wanted. He warned me that I’d fail. He laughed and called me an idiotic dreamer. But I saved my money and got out. I had to prove to myself I could succeed on my own merits.”

  She rested a hand on his arm. Her touch was electric. “You’ll do it.”

  “What makes you say so?”

  “Because I’m here to help you.”

  “Is that really true, Raleigh? Will you stay on at the ranch?”

  Raleigh raised her chin and looked into eyes the murky color of aged whiskey.

  Softly he rubbed her chin with a thumb and forefinger. “I care about you.”

  “Please, don’t.” She pressed her hands to her ears. “I don’t want to hear this, Dan.”

  “Why not? Why do you insist on keeping me at arm’s length? You know we’ve got something between us.”

  “It’s nothing personal. I like you, but life’s easier without complications.”

  “And I’m a complication?”

  “Look, I’m trying my best to raise my teenage brother. It’s all I have the time or energy for. Okay?”

  “You’re using Caleb as an excuse.”

  “I’m not ready for a relationship. I might never be.”

  “You could try trusting me,” he said. “Just a little.”

  “Trust isn’t my greatest strength.”

  “You’re risking missing out on something special.”

  “Empty promises,” she replied, her voice sounding cynical even to her own ears. “I’ve heard them before.”

  “From whom? I want to know. I want to share. Let me be strong for you, Raleigh, the way you are for me. Let me help shoulder your burdens the way you help shoulder mine.” He moved closer.

  She took a step backward, crushing a rotted log beneath her feet. Her breath came in short, rapid gasps. “Dan…”

  “May I kiss you, Raleigh?”

  She meant to say no, to turn and run back to the truck. Every nerve in her body shouted for her to go before she lost control. But it was too late. Her arms reached out for him, and she stood on tiptoe, waiting.

  He groaned and slipped an arm around her waist. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Say yes, Raleigh. Please.”

  She whimpered. His masculine scent aroused her. His lips tempted. His daring gaze met hers, stark and knowing. She felt overwhelmed, as if he could read the secrets of her very soul.

  “I won’t kiss you without your permission. Please say yes.”

  When he pulled her closer, she didn’t resist. Instead, she welcomed his embrace, enveloping herself in the intimate contact like a child sinking into a feather bed.

  “Yes,” she whispered, trembling. “Yes, yes.”

  Their lips joined, fused. She tasted his warm, moist mintiness. She inhaled the scent of autumn clinging to his skin.

  And she knew she was coming completely undone.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Dan sighed. Desire rampaged through him with the force of stampeding horses.

  Undiluted passion spilled from her lips.

  He felt the sizzling current, pure and electric, complete the circuit they’d created. Sharp, aching need rose in him, and he realized no one but Raleigh could ever quench this particular thirst.

  She lifted her hands, and, for one instant, he feared she might push him away. But instead, her arms encircled his neck, and she drew him closer.

  At last! He’d broken through to her.

  At last, she surrendered.

  As the kiss deepened, Dan felt his restraint slip. She moaned delicately into his mouth. He absorbed her noise, savored it. Cupping the back of her head in the palm of his hand, he held her close, exploring every nook and cranny of her exquisite mouth.

  Finally, he tugged his lips from hers and mined a path of well-placed kisses down the length of her long neck. She wove her fingers through his dark hair and sighed her pleasure.

  Dan experienced a desperate need to see her eyes, to read her emotions, to understand how she felt. Pulling back, he cupped her precious face in his hands.

  The woman who stared back at him was no longer the stubborn, bristly female farrier he’d first hired. In her place stood a softhearted, vulnerable young woman who badly needed his love.

  “Raleigh,” he said, “I could hold you forever.”

  In an
instant, the old Raleigh returned, a veiled, haunted look clouding her eyes. Her hands trembled. She pushed hard against his chest.

  “Stop,” she cried. “Please stop. Right now.”

  “What’s wrong? What did I say?”

  Twisting from his grasp, she leapt away.

  What on earth had she been thinking?

  She staggered back to the truck, anxious to distance herself from Daniel McClintock and his bewitching kisses. Had she lost her ever-loving mind? She must be crazy—mad! What had come over her? She’d never behaved so irrationally in her entire life.

  Raleigh shrank back against the pickup.

  Dan approached her.

  The chilled metal beneath her thin cotton blouse sent goosebumps racing up her spine. Dan appeared confused—and small wonder. One minute she ran hot as the town floozy. The next minute, colder than a blue norther. Her heart fluttered; she puffed like a marathoner running that last mile.

  “Raleigh? What’s wrong? What did I do to frighten you?”

  “This is insane.”

  “Sweetheart, if what I’m feeling for you is insanity, then lock me up forever.”

  “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

  “All right.”

  “Take me home,” she said.

  Fumbling open the door, she hopped inside and buried her face in her hands. She forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. Just when things were going smoothly, Dan had spoiled everything by kissing her.

  No, she thought miserably. That wasn’t true. She was as much to blame. More so. She’d allowed it, encouraged him.

  Need burned in her, ripe and raw, provoking feelings she’d thought lost for good—feelings of gentleness, hope, and longing. Serious feelings that scared her.

  Her bottom lip trembled. Raleigh lifted a hand to her mouth, softly fingering the tender flesh so recently branded by Dan’s fiery signature.

  Dan slipped behind the wheel and started the truck. He cleared his throat but said nothing.

  Turbulent inner emotions disturbed her so deeply that Raleigh couldn’t bear to look at him for fear she might do or say something she would regret.

  What to do? She couldn’t escape her feelings. She wanted him. It was that simple and that complicated.

  If she stayed at the ranch, sooner or later she would give in to these feelings and go to bed with him. She knew it as surely as birds migrated south for the winter.

  Distracted, she closed her eyes and willed her mind clear. Silence engulfed them. Acutely aware of Dan’s raspy breathing, Raleigh found her own chest rising and falling in time to his labored rhythm.

  Oh, this was too awful. How could she continue to live at the ranch after this? She’d made a tragic error in coming on this ill-fated date. On the other hand, how could she afford to leave? Especially now. She had nowhere else to turn, no place to live, no other job. And Dan needed her. That was obvious.

  Raleigh stared unseeingly out the window, her mind locked in indecision. Was it possible to give her body to him without involving her heart? Could she surrender physically while remaining emotionally detached?

  The idea both excited and shocked her. But then, she’d never experienced such strong sensual yearnings, hadn’t realized such feelings existed. Even Jack hadn’t aroused her the way Dan did.

  “Raleigh?” he asked, his voice tight with cracking tension.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re not thinking about leaving the ranch over this, are you?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

  “Please,” he said. “Look at me.”

  Raleigh turned her head, found herself looking up into his dark, shining eyes, and then she knew. The sexual force brewing between them was as inescapable as a rising tide.

  “I need you. I don’t know if I can make a go of the ranch without you.” His eyes burned bright.

  She reached out in the darkness and touched his cheek, his beard stubble rough against her hand. She was glad he’d kissed her. He’d brought her back to life. And that made her feel bad because she was already starting to forget about Jack.

  She could continue to be angry at life and hold on to her pain. Or she could decide to be happy again.

  His soft smile was unequivocal. He would accept whatever decision she made.

  In that long, suspense-filled moment, Raleigh made her choice. She would stay at the ranch and let the horseshoes fall where they may.

  10

  They decided to have an autumn fling.

  A combination barbecue, barn dance, and hayride designed to welcome in the fall season and promote the dude ranch in the community.

  Taking out a second lien on the ranch, Dan took out targeted ads on social media and in the Rascal newspaper. Raleigh contacted churches, schools, and civic groups. Dan hired a well-known local country band as well as a caterer. The plan was to throw the biggest, blowout harvest party ever to hit Presidio County.

  After that memorable kiss on the night she and Dan went on their date, Raleigh had once again put their relationship on professional footing, throwing herself into the party planning, and Dan had respected that.

  She threw herself into her work, starting her busy day at five a.m. and collapsing into bed after ten p.m. But despite her exhausting schedule, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about Dan and the seductive way he cocked his cowboy hat back on his head, or his self-confident swagger, or his rich masculine scent of leather and wood smoke.

  He even visited her dreams, haunting her, teasing her, causing her to wake in the middle of the night lonely and aching for the comfort of his arms.

  There was no escaping the man now. She’d promised to help him raise money for the ranch, and Raleigh was a woman of her word. Her safest bet lay in making the best of the situation and keeping her erotic fantasies on a very tight leash. With any luck, she could get through this uncertain period in her life with her heart unscathed.

  The Saturday of the party dawned crisp and clear. Delighted with the good weather, Raleigh hopped out of bed nervous and excited. Dressing quickly, she hurried to move the horses to the back pasture so she, Pete, and Caleb could scrub down the barn before the band and caterers arrived that afternoon.

  They’d readied the tractor-trailer rig for the hayride yesterday and scattered the ranch with pumpkins, hay bales, lanterns, and brightly colored streamers.

  Dan had cordoned off an area for parking and constructed a ticket booth for the cakewalk and bingo games they planned. Pete and Caleb erected dozens of picnic tables on the tennis court slab and installed portable latrines to meet their guests’ needs.

  Fay volunteered to help with the festivities, even closing the diner for the day so she could participate. She arrived just after dawn on the day of the event, wearing a smile and carrying a box of pastries.

  “You look fantastic,” Fay told Raleigh, handing her a strawberry Danish. “Working out here suits you much better than slinging hash.”

  “Thanks.” Raleigh took a bite of the sugary Danish. If only Fay knew!

  “She does look great, doesn’t she?” Dan joined them beside the barn, toting a broom and shovel.

  Raleigh blushed. Glancing away, she avoided Fay’s inquisitive stare. She knew all of Rascal was speculating about her relationship with Dan, but she refused to satisfy their curiosity. They wouldn’t believe the truth, anyway. That she was not sleeping with Dan.

  “Fay,” Dan said, “I’m putting you in charge of the caterers. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you around.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Raleigh finished the pastry, dusted her fingers on the seat of her pants, and pulled on a pair of work gloves. She retrieved the shovel Dan had discarded and busied herself mucking out the stalls.

  Hard work never bothered her, nor had the pungent aroma of horses. Chester stayed at her side, and several times she had to shoo the dog out the door. By the time Dan returned with Pete and Caleb, she was halfway finished.

  “Hold on,” Dan said, resting a
hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to tackle this alone.”

  His touch caused her heart to rollercoaster in her chest. She inhaled sharply.

  “Take a break.” His gloved hand closed over hers, and he pried the shovel from her grasp.

  Her mouth went dry; her stomach tingled. She shouldn’t have eaten that Danish, she thought, trying lamely to explain her body’s reaction to the intensity of Dan’s steady gaze. No matter how much she might prefer to deny it, even being near the man made her weak-kneed and addle-brained.

  Blindly, she grabbed for the push broom leaning against the wall and shoved it across the barn floor.

  Dan bent over to pick up some collected debris.

  Irresistibly, her gaze was drawn to his backside. The man could sure fill out a pair of jeans. Everything he did, every move he made, created electric friction inside her.

  The ensuing hours were torturous delight as they worked side by side. She’d glance over and see his sinewy muscles rippling beneath his shirt or his tanned forearms bunching like coiled wire. His manly vigor entranced her, in spite of her vow to remain cool and detached.

  They finished cleaning the barn at noon. Fay carried a platter of sandwiches to the patio and called that lunch was ready.

  Turning to wash up at the outdoor sink, Raleigh crashed full-on into Dan’s chest. Flustered, she jumped back, stumbling over a feed bucket.

  “Whoa, there,” Dan said, putting out an arm to steady her. His deep voice echoed in the confines of the empty barn. Raleigh felt dizzy, disoriented. Closing her eyes briefly, she swallowed hard.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Fine. Fine,” she mumbled, stepping up to the sink, shedding her work gloves and vigorously soaping her hands.

  Dan stood next to her, unmoving.

  Why wouldn’t he go away? She could feel the warmth of his breath on the top of her head. Shivering, she shifted to one side. His closeness affected her irrationally.

  She had to get hold of herself. This was an important day, and she needed to keep her wits about her. If the harvest festival was a bust, it didn’t bode well for the dude ranch.