Duty Or Desire

“One of what?”

“A man in denial.”

“I’ll admit to being attracted to her. A little.”

“A little?” Zane shook his head, ginning.

“What if I told you that she’s not interested in me?”

“And how do you know that?”

Pete took another sip of his beer. “I warned her that people might talk, with her being young and single and living under my roof. She told me not to worry about it since I wasn’t her type and that I’m older than the men she would normally date.”

Zane snorted. “At twenty-four she’s probably not sure what type of man is her type, and maybe it’s time for her to date men your age to see what she’s been missing. If I were you, I’d see that as a challenge and prove her wrong on both accounts.”

“Why would I want to do something like that?”

The room was quiet for a moment and then Zane said, “You know what I think your real problem is, Pete?”

In a way, Pete was afraid to ask because the great know-it-all-about-women Zane Westmoreland was known to tell it like it was and not sugarcoat anything. “What?”

“Your problem is denial, plain and simple. You desire the woman, so admit it and stop trying to fight it.”

Pete didn’t say anything, then he said, “I have to fight it, Zane.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want it. I’m not ready for it.”

Zane frowned. “I’m sure you’ve dated and desired women before, Pete.”

He nodded. “This is different.” He met Zane’s intense gaze for a long moment and only someone who knew him as well as Zane did would feel the depth of his turmoil.

“Ellen would want you to move on with your life, Pete.”

If another person told him that, Pete would be tempted to ram his fist into the nearest wall. “You don’t know that.”

“I do know it and I’m wondering why in the hell you don’t. Have you forgotten that Ellen used to be one of Megan’s best friends? She hung around our place just as often as you did. She was a wonderful girl who didn’t have a selfish bone in her body. There’s no way she wouldn’t want you to move on with your life. I think the problem is one you’re bringing on yourself.”

Zane took another sip of his beer and then added, “Apparently Myra Hollister is capable of making you want to move on and—”

“Hey, wait a minute. Things aren’t that serious. We’re talking about an attraction and nothing more.”

Zane shook his head. “But there is more, Pete. Attraction and desire aren’t the same. A man doesn’t desire every woman he’s attracted to.”

When Pete didn’t say anything, Zane said, “If you’re trying to stop desiring her, don’t bother.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t get rid of something you won’t acknowledge having. You have a thing for the woman, so admit it. You desire her, too, so admit that, as well. And if you don’t want either, then don’t hire her as your nanny because the more you’re around her, the more you’re going to desire her.”

Pete met Zane’s gaze. “Too late. I have hired her.” He paused a moment and then said, “I don’t want chaos in my life, Zane.”

Zane drew in a deep breath. “Any chaos will be of your own making. Desiring a woman is a healthy part of being a man, Pete. If you want to waste those emotions, go ahead. Doing so won’t eliminate this problem you have but will only increase it. If she stays here and you try to fight your desire, then eventually you’re going to snap.”

Pete frowned. “I’m a lawman—I don’t snap.”

“You’re a man first and you will snap.” Zane stood. “I’m going to give you the same advice I gave myself a few years ago.”

“What?”

“Stop trying to fight emotions you’re supposed to be feeling. Sooner or later you’re going to have to accept there’s a reason Myra Hollister has the ability to make you feel things that other women can’t.”

Three (#uc52da3af-6edf-5bff-9fa2-b2ac176a1b85)

Myra slowed her car and took a deep breath when she came to the marker for the Golden Glade Ranch. She thought the same thing now that she’d thought when she came this way for her initial interview. Sheriff Pete Higgins’s ranch was simply magnificent.

It sat on what she figured to be over two hundred acres of land. On one side of the ranch house were rows and rows of pear trees, which fared surprisingly well in Denver’s cold weather. On the other side she saw herds of beautiful horses running in a gated area.

Inwardly, she asked herself—for the umpteenth time since putting the last piece of her luggage inside the car—if she was making the right move. Now it went beyond just her personal finances. She was dealing with her peace of mind. A part of her had hoped Wallace would call so she could tell him the change of plans. That she’d been hired as a nanny after all. Then she would tell him about her misgivings.