One Tall, Dusty Cowboy

“I wanted to do something nice for you,” he admitted.

She reasoned, “You hardly know me.”

“I’m learning more by the minute,” he told her. “For one thing, your hair doesn’t feel a bit like Roscoe’s mane.”

“Mine’s coarser, I’m sure.”

He chuckled. “Since you’re a nurse, you might be interested to know that Roscoe’s tail hair makes great sutures.”

She frowned with disbelief. “You’re kidding now.”

He held up a hand. “Scout’s honor. If I’m lying, I’m dying. I can’t count the times I’ve used it to sew up a cow or calf out on the range.”

“I would’ve guessed that the Silver Horn had a resident vet to do those sorts of things.”

“The Horn does have a resident vet, but he can’t be over thousands of acres at once. You find a hurt animal five, ten miles away from the ranch yard, you do your best to take care of it yourself. Of course, if the injury is really serious, the animal has to be transported back to the barns.”

She smiled up at him and Rafe felt his heart give a ridiculous little jerk. What the hell was the matter with him? he wondered. Women smiled at him all the time and he enjoyed the attention. But his heart sure didn’t go pitter-patter. At least, it hadn’t until this very minute.

She said, “Looks like I’m learning things tonight, too.”

The song suddenly came to an end and rather than wait for the music to begin again, Rafe said, “Let’s go out on the balcony and look at the lake.”

“All right,” she agreed. “But I should warn you that I’ll need to be heading home soon. I have to be up early in the morning.”

“I’d like to argue with you about that. But for once, I’ll be a nice guy. We’ll stay for only a few more minutes. I don’t want to make you tired and grumpy in the morning.”

With his hand clamped around hers, he led her through the dancers and out onto the wide balcony that was an extension of the dance floor. As they leaned against the tall railing, the cool night air prompted Rafe to pull her shawl up on her shoulders, but it was the warmth of her skin seeping through the thin fabric that made his hands linger there.

“Oh, the moon looks so gorgeous hanging over the water.” She let out an appreciative sigh. “It makes it look like liquid silver.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the view.”

“It’s a far cry from the emergency room,” she admitted.

“And you’re a far cry from the branding lot.”

That brought her head around to his and Rafe’s gaze barely had time to connect with hers before it fell to her parted lips. The pink, moist curves sent a shaft of longing right through him.

“Now I suppose you’re going to say that I look so beautiful in the moonlight that you just have to kiss me.”

Her jaded tone told him that she’d been disappointed by one or more men in her life. It also told him that she wasn’t a naive girl that he could easily wrap around his finger. But then, Rafe wasn’t sure he’d want to do that, even if he could. He was smart enough to know that Lilly wasn’t the type of woman a man could make love to then simply walk away. And he was the walk-away type. He didn’t want the fuss or complication of having one special woman in his life. Besides, he was already married to the ranch. He didn’t have room in his heart for a woman.

“Actually, I was going to say the moonlight makes your hair look like silver, too.” He thrust his fingers into the soft, blond waves and dipped his face close to hers. But your idea is better. Much better.”

“It wasn’t an idea—it was—”

Her words stopped as his lips hovered over hers.

“Was what?” he prompted.

She turned her face away from his and stared out at the lake.

“Men like you have all the cheesy lines—all the slick moves,” she said flatly. “It doesn’t impress me. It bores me.”

“Then maybe this won’t.”

Without giving her time to guess his intentions, he tugged her face around to his. Surprise flashed in her eyes, but it didn’t stop Rafe from lowering his mouth to hers. He had to kiss her. Had to show her exactly the sort of man she was dealing with. A man who would never be her pushover.

Chapter Three (#ulink_92e91e28-233f-54a2-bd0e-ff9869e38859)

Somewhere in the middle of the kiss or after it had ended, Rafe wasn’t sure which, the realization that he was in trouble struck him hard. This wasn’t the way any of it was supposed to go, he thought.

He was supposed to be feeling triumphant and smug and she was supposed to be swooning in his arms. Instead, she was staring at him as though she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to slap him or run a dagger through him.

“If that was a sample of your charms, then I’d advise you to save them for some unsuspecting woman. And that isn’t me.”

She stepped around him and Rafe had little choice but to follow her. Once they were inside, he quickly settled the bill and in a matter of a few short minutes the two of them were in his truck, traveling back to Carson City.

During the whole process, Lilly said very little and for once, Rafe couldn’t come up with anything useful to say. How could he? He’d never dated a woman like Lilly. His usual glibness wouldn’t have the same effect on her.

Maybe you should try open honesty, Rafe. That would be a refreshing change.

The voice in his head had him scowling as he stared at the dark highway in front of him. Being honest with a woman would get him into far more trouble than an unwanted kiss.

“I don’t know why you’re frowning, Rafe. Up until that kiss, I had a lovely evening.”

That jerked his head around and for a split second, he forgot about keeping his eyes on the highway. “Just exactly what was wrong with that kiss?”

“As far as kisses go, it was very pleasant. But I didn’t ask for it. That’s what was wrong.”

Rafe wasn’t accustomed to asking for anything. Whatever he wanted, he took. Clearly, that wasn’t going to work with Lilly.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a mollified tone. “Can you forgive me?”

“Of course I can. I already have.”

It was downright silly at how much her words perked his spirits.

“You can—you have?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I don’t hold grudges. Besides, since I have no intention of kissing you again, none of this really matters. So I apologize for getting a little testy with you.”

“Oh, Lilly, that’s—” Totally confused by her attitude, he glanced over to see she was staring out the passenger window instead of at him. That wasn’t a good sign. “Why aren’t you going to kiss me again?”

She sighed. “Look, Rafe, I agreed to this date because I knew you wouldn’t give up on a challenge. I figured once we’d gone out you’d see we wouldn’t suit and you’d be on to the next girl. I thought that would make everything easier, because you’re just not my kind of guy.”

He couldn’t remember any woman ever telling him that. But instead of making him feel angry or humiliated, he was more perplexed than anything.