Zane

He rubbed his hand over his face, feeling tired, although he had gotten into bed way before midnight. But he hadn’t gotten much sleep, and upon awakening this morning, he had lain there, gazing up at the ceiling and thinking about Channing.

The thought of any man betraying her twisted his gut with anger. No woman deserved that, which was why he was always up front with any woman he was involved with. Channing hadn’t been an exception. He had set the same ground rules with her as he had with other women, and, like he’d told Ramsey, she had accepted his terms.

He truly hadn’t meant for their involvement to last as long as it had, and more than once he’d considered breaking it off sooner instead of later. But each time he felt pressed to do so—whenever he was getting too comfortable and relaxed—he would change his mind.

He enjoyed Channing both in and out of the bedroom. She had been fun to be with. Unlike others he’d dated, she wasn’t a hard woman to please, which somehow made him want to please her more. She’d gotten next to him in a way no other female had: the way a smile could tease across her lips, her special scent that could drive him wild with lust or just plain spending time with her. She’d had a way of making him smile when he didn’t want to be amused, a way of bringing him out. She was someone he could talk to for hours. One thing he missed more than anything else was their late-night phone conversations.

On those nights when she’d stayed late at the hospital, he would come home, shower and wait on her call. When it came, they would chat well into the night. She would tell him how her day went, and he would tell her about his. Then they would move into a number of other topics. It had been a special connection, one he’d hated losing.

And then there were those hot and sexy text messages she would send him during the day. They had come up with their own code, and she would tell him what to expect next time he saw her. And she would deliver.

Now she was engaged to marry someone else.

He should wish her well. She was just one woman, and he had dated others since her. But he would be the first to admit that his time with those other women just hadn’t been the same. He had been enchanted by Channing from the beginning. She was a softhearted and passionate woman who brightened up any room. She was in a class by herself, and it bothered the hell out of him that she planned to marry a man who thought nothing of betraying her.

He stood and headed toward the kitchen. “Leave it alone, Zane. It’s not your problem,” he muttered to himself. He’d tried convincing himself of that very thing on his drive home from the family dinner last night. But as much as he told himself he wanted to wash his hands of Channing because she didn’t matter, he knew she did.

Seeing her again a few days ago had reignited feelings he had tried to deny. He had missed her, and damn it all, he still wanted her. He’d never invaded another man’s territory when it came to a woman, but this was different. Like he’d told Ramsey, the bastard didn’t deserve her.

If he knew where she was staying, he would pay her a visit and try to talk some sense into her. But he didn’t know, and he would not ask Megan. That meant he had to show up at the hospital again—with a plan.

Channing stopped when she saw Zane standing in the hospital parking lot, leaning on a light pole with his legs crossed at the ankles and his Stetson positioned low on his head. What was he doing here? Was he waiting for her? Why?

There had been a time when the sight of him would have had her heart jumping in her chest, and she was feeling annoyed with the fact that nothing had changed as far as that was concerned. She had been gone for almost two years, and at Megan’s wedding, he’d gone out of his way to ignore her. Now she was back in town, and in only a week’s time he had sought her out twice. And each time he’d done so, she was reminded just how deeply she had fallen in love with Zane.

She was finding it harder and harder to put aside her emotions when dealing with him. No one had ever warned her that falling in love would be so painstakingly complicated.

“Zane.”

He straightened to his full six-foot-three-inch height. “Channing. I’ve been waiting for you.”

She stared up at him. “Obviously.”

“We need to talk.” He pushed his hat back from his face, fully uncovering his eyes.

She wished he hadn’t done that. Now she was staring into the eyes that had haunted her on so many nights. The eyes that would darken whenever they made love. The eyes with the intensity to turn her on with one heated glanced.

Channing drew in a deep breath when she felt a tingling sensation stir in her stomach. “We have nothing to talk about, Zane.”

His brows creased in a thoughtful expression as he stared down at her. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. It had been rumored that when it came to women that Zane was all knowing, and she’d pretty much discovered that to be true. He could tell each and every time she’d wanted him to make love to her, saying he could read her like a book. She wondered if he was trying to read her now. Lord, she hoped not. The last thing she needed was for him to know that just standing here with him made her nipples harden against her bra and threaded a tingling sensation through her bloodstream.

“I think we do,” he said in a deep, husky tone that set her nerves on edge.

Bitterness tightened her lips. “Why?”

“I prefer to talk over a meal.”

Her gaze lifted. “A meal?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Yes, a meal. You haven’t had dinner yet and neither have I. There’s no reason why we can’t share one together. If nothing else, I’d like to think we’re still friends.”

Friends? Boy was he wrong. “Look, Zane, I don’t know what this is all about, but the last thing you and I need to do is rekindle any friendship.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? Are you worried what good old Mack will say if he finds out you had dinner with me? Seems to me that he probably trusts you a lot more than you should trust him.”

She narrowed her gaze at him. “I’m not going to bother asking what you mean by that.”

“No, you won’t, but maybe you should.”

Channing stared down at her shoes. She desperately needed to break eye contact with him. Zane was starting to wear on her last nerve. Thinking she had herself together, she returned her gaze to his. “Why are you so concerned about my relationship with Mack, Zane? You had your chance.”

Zane sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Look, will it kill you to have dinner with me?”

“To talk?”

“Yes, to talk.”

Channing studied her shoes again. What harm could come of her having dinner with him? Although he might not like Mack, the one thing Zane would not do was trespass on another man’s territory. He assumed she was an engaged woman, so that would keep him in line. Besides, she was curious about what he wanted to discuss.

“Fine, we’ll talk,” she said, looking back up at him. He still carried a chip on his shoulder because of how she’d left. Maybe it was time they hashed things out once and for all.

“We can go in my car, and I’ll bring you back here,” Zane said.

There was no way she would say yes to being alone with him in a car for any length of time. “No thanks, I can drive my own car and follow you.”

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but she figured her expression made him think twice. “Fine, we’re going to McKays,” he said.

She went still. McKays was a well-known restaurant in town, and she had once considered it their place since they dined there often.

She lifted her chin. “I’ll follow.”

The moment they walked into McKays, Zane knew he should have suggested another place. Denver wasn’t a small city by any stretch of the word, but the people who frequented McKays were regulars, and the Westmorelands were well-known in these parts.

The majority of these people had known Zane, his siblings and his cousins all their lives. And Zane figured most remembered him and Channing coming here together quite a few times. That was probably the reason the two of them drew so much attention as the waitress led them to a table in the middle of the restaurant.

“We need something a little more private, Tasha,” he told their waitress when he saw they would be sitting across from a woman who was straining her neck to stare at them.

“No problem,” Tasha said, smiling as she led them in another direction. “I have the perfect table for you two.”

Channing glanced over at him and said nothing, althougth he knew what she was probably thinking. Tasha had been their regular waitress two years ago. No doubt Tasha saw some great significance with them eating together again after so long. And the engagement ring on Channing’s finger was probably giving Tasha further misconceptions.

He smiled his approval when Tasha led them into a private room in the back. Although it was larger than what they needed, it was perfect. He would be able to hold a conversation with Channing without fear of being overheard. However, he could tell from the look on Channing’s face that she didn’t particularly like the intimate setting.

“I’m not going to bite, you know,” he said, pulling out the chair for her after Tasha had left them alone.

Sitting down, she glanced over her shoulder at him, and he saw a fragment of a smile touch her lips. “Promise?”

Instead of moving away, he leaned down and whispered close to her ear, “Um, I don’t know now. You do look good enough to eat.”