The Rancher And The RunawayBride: Part 2 (8 page)

“I don’t know.” Felicia finished smoothing her client’s gray hair, then reached for
a can of hair spray. “I’ve known Brady all his life and I think he was showing some
interest in you.”

Randi was torn between wishing the other woman was right and knowing that their attraction
would only cause heartache. “Brady’s a gentleman,” she said lightly. “He doesn’t date
the help.”

Felicia scoffed. “Most of his help are guys, honey. Don’t sell yourself short. I’d
bet my last can of hair spray that you’ve got his attention in a big way.”

Maybe, Randi thought. For now.

An impulsive act had brought her to the only place she thought she might be able to
call home. That same act made it impossible to stay.

Mary Alice put down her scissors. “That should do it. Nice and even.” She fluffed
the drying curls.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

She glanced up and saw Ty standing in the entrance to the shop. All conversation ceased
as every woman’s attention focused on the tall, dark cowboy.

Ty didn’t seem to notice. He strolled in, tipped his hat to the ladies and stopped
behind Randi’s chair. “You about ready?”

Randi glanced at Mary Alice. “How much do I owe you?”

The young woman blushed bright red. “Tw-twenty dollars,” she stammered, gazing at
Ty as if she’d never seen a man before. Maybe she hadn’t, at least not one that good-looking.

Randi paid the woman and left a large tip. On her way out, she promised to give Felicia
a couple days’ notice before bringing the calico cats to her.

“What’s it like to do that?” she asked when they were on the sidewalk.

“Do what?” Ty asked, falling into step with her.

“Stop traffic, reduce intelligent women to incoherence, that sort of thing. You know,
be gorgeous.”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “Sometimes it’s a pain in the butt.”

“I notice you’re not denying the statement.”

He grimaced. “I’ve had it happen enough times to figure out that for some reason,
many women find me physically appealing. When I was younger, I used that to my advantage.
One day I grew up.”

She wanted to ask more questions about the lessons he’d learned along the way. Were
his looks the reason he had lost Denise? But she didn’t ask. For one thing, it wasn’t
her business. For another, she understood all about wanting to keep secrets.

“I finished what I needed to do in town,” he said. “You want to head back?”

“Sure.”

They walked to Ty’s truck, then drove back in companionable silence. But the closer
they got to the ranch, the more her mood changed for the worse. Tension filled her.
If only there was a simple solution for her problem.

As they turned off the main highway, Ty glanced at her. “You’ve fallen for him, haven’t
you?”

She didn’t have to ask who the “him” was. “Looks that way.”

“I think he’s hot for you, too. Is there a reason it can’t work out?”

Brady hot for her? She glanced at Ty, torn between wanting to ask him why he thought
that and wanting to act unconcerned. “I, um, have a few other things going on in my
life,” she finally said, settling for the truth and avoiding the dangerous ground
of Brady’s feelings.

Ty turned into the driveway in front of the main house and stopped the truck. When
she went to leave, he put a restraining hand on her forearm. “For what it’s worth,”
he said, staring out the front window, “My advice is to give it a try. There are few
things worse than regrets. They kill you slowly, eating you alive from the inside
out.” He stared at her. “I know.”

For once she could read his emotions in his dark eyes. Raw pain flared out. She caught
her breath, wishing there was something she could say or do to ease his discomfort.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t do what I did. Love is worth it, Rita. Take a chance.
If you don’t, you have to live with the memory of what could have been. Regret is
forever. Trust me, it’s no way to spend a life.”

He leaned close and kissed her cheek. She closed her eyes briefly and wished there
was some hope for him. But who was she to offer advice?

“Thanks,” she said. “For everything.”

“You bet, kid.”

She slid out of the truck and slammed the door shut behind her. Poor Ty. Was that
her destiny, too? Was she going to be caught up in a past she couldn’t change and
couldn’t forget? That’s not what she wanted, but did she get a choice?

When she walked in the house, she was surprised to see Brady standing at the foot
of the stairs. At the sight of his familiar face, the warm brown eyes and the dimple
hovering on his left cheek, her heart picked up its cadence. She had the strongest
urge to throw herself in his arms and beg him to make love to her. Fortunately, she
managed to bite back the words.

“Hi,” she said, and smiled.

He didn’t smile back. It took her a couple of seconds to register the tension in his
body. “Rita.” He nodded.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing. I would like to have a moment of your time, if that’s not too much trouble.”

She swallowed. Had she done something wrong? Had he guessed her secret? “Go ahead.”

He shifted his weight, then stared at a point just beyond her right shoulder. “You’re
relatively new to the ranch,” he said. “As your employer, I feel a certain responsibility
toward you that goes beyond your job performance. Therefore I feel obligated to say
something I wouldn’t normally mention.”

She’d never been very good at double-speak. “I don’t understand.”

“Then let me be more plain. Ty is a good man and an excellent leader. But he’s a loner
by nature. What you do with him on your own time is your business. However, as a—”
He hesitated. “As a friend, I feel obligated to warn you he’s not the kind of man
you can count on to be there.”

She half wanted to turn around to see if there was someone else he was talking to.
“None of this makes sense,” she said. “Ty and I aren’t involved. He gave me a ride
into town, but we weren’t spending time together. I went shopping and got my hair
trimmed.” She frowned, thinking. “I don’t know what he did.”

Brady brushed off her comments with a wave of his hand. “I don’t want to know the
details of your relationship. I just wanted you to know what you were getting into.”

“There’s no relationship. I’m not getting into anything.”

He took a step toward her. “I saw him kiss you.”

“On the cheek.”

“Tex saw you kissing after the dance.”

She felt as if she were fifteen and had been caught necking with a boy her parents
had forbidden her to see. “Also on the cheek. He was talking about his past. If you
must know, we were sympathizing with each other and the rotten luck we’ve had in the
game of love. He’s just a friend.”

“I don’t want to hear this, Rita. You don’t have to explain.”

“I know that. I
want
to.” She shifted her packages to her left arm and planted her right hand on her hip.
The sensible action would be to thank him for his concern and go up to her room. However,
she couldn’t bear to have him think she was interested in someone else. “I appreciate
that you’re concerned about me, but you have it all wrong.”

“Why won’t you admit you’re seeing the guy?”

His obvious annoyance made her temper flare. “Because I’m not. We’re friends. Nothing
more. Yes, he’s good-looking and he’s been very nice to me. So what? I’m not the least
bit attracted to him. If you’re worried about me making a fool out of myself over
a man, then you’re way off base with Ty. If I was going to act on my feelings with
anyone it would be with y—”

She clamped her hand over her mouth, as if the physical action would draw the sound
back into her throat. It didn’t. The half word hung there between them, echoing until
the confusion in Brady’s eyes faded and comprehension dawned.

Heat flared on Randi’s cheeks. The sensation was so strong, she didn’t need a mirror
to tell her she was bright red. She dropped her hand to her side and raced for the
stairs.

“Rita?”

She didn’t respond to his call. She kept running until she reached her bedroom and
slammed the door shut behind her. Once safely alone, she sank to the floor and buried
her face in her hands. No matter what, she was never, ever going to be able to face
Brady Jones again.

As soon as Randi finished the last bite of her dessert, she murmured a quick excuse,
pushed back her chair and fled the table. No one else seemed to notice, but Brady
stared after her and wondered how long she was going to avoid him. Since the previous
day, when she’d admitted she was attracted to him, not Ty, she’d been ducking in and
out of buildings, turning up late for meals, then leaving early, all in an effort
to stay out of his way.

Brady got up and followed her. They had to get this situation straightened out. There
was no way she would be able to relax while she was worried about what she’d said—or
almost said. Besides, the whole thing was his fault. If he hadn’t confronted her about
Ty, she wouldn’t be feeling badly now. And if Tex hadn’t come to him and said that
he’d seen Ty and Rita together, Brady wouldn’t have thought twice about her friendship
with the cowboy.

As his long legs ate up the distance to the house, he grimaced. It all came back to
Tex. Had the older man really thought there was something going on or had he pulled
a fast one? Tex wouldn’t mind twisting a tale to suit his purpose, especially if he
thought it might make Brady admit his feelings for a woman. Tex was forever on his
case, reminding him Alicia wasn’t the only female on the planet.

When Brady opened the front door, he heard footsteps on the stairs. “Rita?” he called.

The footsteps slowed.

“Could you come down here, please?” he asked.

The steps sounded again, this time advancing instead of retreating. She came into
view, feet first, then long, shapely legs, round hips, full breasts and finally her
face. She wasn’t smiling. Tension tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her dark blue
eyes were wide with trepidation and her joined hands twisted together.

He held open the front door. “Why don’t we talk out here,” he said, motioning to the
porch and thinking a more public place would ease her discomfort.

She perched on the far side of the top stair. He settled next to her. They both stared
at the barn. Sunset wasn’t for another hour or so, but the heat of the day had already
started to ease.

“I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” he said. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

She cleared her throat but didn’t say anything. So she wasn’t going to make it easy.

“Tex went on about you and Ty being together,” he continued. “Thinking about that
made me a little crazy. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I like you, too.”

He glanced at her. Color stained her face. She gave him a darting glance, then faced
front again. “Okay.”

There were several heartbeats of silence. Now he was the one clearing his throat.
He was tense and felt about as awkward as a newborn foal. “I guess we’re equally uncomfortable,”
he said.

“You’re not blushing,” she pointed out.

“Would that help the situation?”

“I’m not sure if it would help, but I’d feel better.”

He chuckled and she joined in the laughter.

“Friends?” he asked, glancing at her.

She nodded. “Sure. Friends. I guess if you can forgive this, you can forgive anything.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgiven you.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Lady, you kept me up most of the night. I couldn’t get your words out of my head.”

The blush returned to her face. “I can’t explain what happened. I just sort of blurted
it out. If I could take it back—”

“I wouldn’t let you,” he said, interrupting. “You’re not allowed to retract that statement.
Ever.”

Her mouth tilted up at the corners. “If you feel that strongly about it.”

“I do.”

What he didn’t bother telling her was that it was more than her words that had robbed
him of sleep. All night he’d imagined her in his bed, next to him, under him. He’d
wanted her in ways he hadn’t wanted a woman in years. He’d wanted to touch and taste
her, to bring her pleasure over and over again until she was exhausted and glowing.

But he didn’t share his fantasies, just as he hadn’t walked down the length of hall
between their rooms. Because as long as she had her secrets, as long as he wasn’t
sure he could trust her, he wouldn’t risk it all again. He’d done that once, and he’d
learned the price involved. No one had to teach him that particular lesson twice.

Princess strolled by the porch with her herd of cats in attendance. The pregnant tabby
hung back, her swollen belly barely clearing the ground.

“That one’s going to pop soon,” he muttered. “I wonder how many kittens she’ll have.”

“At least a couple dozen.”

He stared at Rita. She laughed and held up her hands. “Sorry. Just kidding. I’m sure
no more than five. If it makes you feel any better, I found homes for the two calicos
while I was in town yesterday. Felicia, the lady who owns the hair salon, is going
to take them.”

“Great. We get rid of two and add five. I want to call the vet and find out how soon
I can get the tabby and that new mother cat Princess found fixed. I don’t want any
more litters. Between them, we’re going to add another ten cats at least.”

“I know.”

He grimaced. “You don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation. It’s getting
out of hand. We can’t have this many cats around.”

“Don’t worry, Brady. Princess takes care of them, and I’ll find more homes. Have a
little faith. Or take a vacation. You need to get away.”

“I was thinking of doing just that.” At her look of surprise, he added, “There’s a
horse and livestock show next weekend. It’s in New Mexico, and not all that far from
here. I’m thinking of buying a couple of bulls.”

“Good idea. You’ll come back refreshed and calm.”

“I’m perfectly calm.”

“Not about the cats.”

He shrugged. “I’ll admit the cats make me crazy.” He looked at her, at the dark curls
tumbling down her back, at her profile, with her perfect nose and tempting mouth.
“You want to come with me?” he asked without thinking.

He didn’t want to call the words back—at least, not if she accepted. Rita turned to
look at him. Questions filled her eyes, questions he couldn’t answer. He didn’t know
why he’d asked her. It had been an impulse. Maybe time alone together and away from
the ranch would allow them to— He didn’t know what. He just wanted her company.

“Where is it going to be?” she asked.

He named the town.

She thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I’d like that.”

He read the hesitation for what it was. “Are you afraid of your past catching up with
you?”

He hadn’t realized how much he wanted her to deny it until she agreed. “That’s a risk,”
she said.

Secrets. Always secrets. “Why are you on the run?”

She faced front again and didn’t answer. He told himself to let it go, it wasn’t any
of his business. Yet it was. If he was getting involved with her, if he was starting
to feel things for her, he had a right to know.

He swore silently. What happened to the lesson he was supposed to have learned the
first time he’d been burned? Hadn’t Alicia taught him anything?

Apparently not. Here he was, thinking about a woman with a mysterious past. What the
hell was wrong with him?

“You don’t trust me,” he said flatly.

She shivered. “It’s not that.”

“Then, what is it?”

“I can’t explain.”

“Why not? What is so horrible?”

She pulled her legs to her chest and dropped her head to her knees. “Nothing. I mean,
I have done a few things, but it’s not too awful. I’m not a murderer or anything.
I just can’t tell you.”

“You don’t want to tell me. There’s a difference.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Dammit, Rita!”

She raised her head and stared at him. “Why does it matter?”

Instead of answering with words, he slid toward her. One part of his brain reminded
him this was not a good way to prove he’d learned his lesson. His rational side pointed
out it was still daylight and they were in plain view of anyone who happened to be
looking. But the rest of him, the part of him that wanted her and needed her, didn’t
care. He placed his hands on her arms, turning her to him.

She could have protested, but didn’t. She could have run away, or stopped him with
a word. Instead, as he lowered his head, bringing his mouth to hers, she parted her
lips in anticipation of his kiss.

He lost himself in her heat. The willing warmth of her mouth drew him in, and he settled
against her as if coming home. Her arms wrapped around his neck while her fingers
buried themselves in his hair. She shifted, straightening her legs so they could lean
closer to each other. He cupped her face, holding her still as he traced the sweetness
of her lips before dipping inside.

As their tongues touched, passion exploded. His body tensed in arousal. A soft cry
escaped her throat, and she shuddered. He rubbed his hand against her back, moving
up and down, feeling her muscles contract as she strained toward him.

He wanted to lie her on the porch and make love to her. His body cried out for that
release. He could stand up and pull her into the house where they would have privacy.
Would she accompany him? Would she share his bed? He thought about asking. Instead,
he eased back slightly, pressing soft, tender kisses on her cheeks, her jaw, then
down her neck.

“You do know it’s still daylight,” he murmured against her skin.

“Uh-huh.” She arched her head when he nibbled on her earlobe.

“Anyone could be watching.”

“Let them get their own girl.”

He chuckled. “I like that attitude.”

Randi gazed at the man who held her so tenderly, the man whose kisses made her forget
herself both physically and emotionally.

“I want to make love to you,” he said.

His brown eyes flared with a passion that thrilled her. No one had ever wanted her
the way Brady did. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to the base of his throat.
He sucked in a breath. Her lips clung to him as she tasted the forbidden essence that
was his alone.

Every part of her vibrated with need. Between her legs, her feminine place dampened
in readiness. She wanted to be with him, under him, accepting him into her, joining
with him in an age-old dance of love. While the fantasy was nice, reality made it
impossible.

He reached behind her head and untied the ribbon holding her hair in place. As the
curls sprang free, he captured a few in his hands. “Why do I sense you just refused
my invitation?” he asked.

She dropped her gaze to her lap. “Because I did.”

“Why?”

A simple question. Gathering strength from deep inside, Randi forced herself to meet
his gaze. “Because you’re a decent guy and you deserve better. I like you, Brady Jones.
I respect you and admire you. If circumstances were different…” She sighed. “But they’re
not. I can’t make you
any promises while I’m living a lie. We both know making love can be the biggest promise
of all.”

His face tightened with frustration. “What lie?” he asked, his tone sharp with annoyance.
“What are you talking about? What’s so important that it forced you to run away?”

She took his hand in hers. “All my life my father or my brother have rescued me from
harm. If there was any kind of problem, I ran home and Daddy fixed it. When Daddy
was gone, Noah took over. That’s not how it’s going to be anymore. I refuse to be
that little girl. This time I need to fix my problems myself.”

When he would have spoken, she pressed her fingers to his mouth. “No, don’t say anything.
The truth is, if I let you make this all better, I haven’t learned a thing. Worse,
I won’t be anyone you’d be interested in. Face it, Brady, you’re a strong man with
a sense of right and wrong. I guess the word I’m looking for is
moral
. Do you want someone who isn’t like that? Do you really want to get involved with
someone who isn’t your equal?”

He stared at her. In a way she felt as exposed and bare as if they
had
just made love. Emotionally, she’d never been this naked before. She’d confessed
her darkest secrets, laying out her vulnerabilities for him to accept or reject.

“And then what?” he asked. “Say I leave you alone to sort out whatever this is, when
you’ve fixed it, will you stay?”

Would she stay? She shuddered, knowing that he’d asked the one question she would
have sold her soul not to hear. The one question she couldn’t answer.

“I don’t know.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not saying that to be cruel, but
because it’s true. I don’t know anything.” She clutched his hand and forced herself
to look at him.

“You are the best man I’ve ever met,” she said earnestly, trying to convince him with
her words and her heart. “You are so very special, and I believe I could care about
you in ways that terrify me. But there are things you don’t know, things I can’t tell
you right now. And when I can tell you, you may not look at me like you are now, with
affection and desire. You may despise me and want me to go. But if you’ve already
asked me to stay and I’ve said yes, you’ll be too much of a gentleman to retract your
invitation. I would never put you in that position, so I won’t agree to stay. Later,
when you know everything, ask me again.”

“Tell me. What is this deep dark secret you’re keeping between us?”

“I can’t,” Randi said. “Not now.”

Brady surged to his feet. “I hope you enjoy playing with other people’s lives,” he
said, his voice thick with anger. “It’s a nice speech. You get to sound noble, all
the while you’re refusing to risk any part of yourself by trusting me.”

She’d meant every word she’d said. His rejection of her honesty fueled her own temper.
“Don’t talk to me about being noble. You’re the expert. You play at being perfect
and showing the rest of us up, when in reality, you’re terrified to get involved.
You surround yourself with strays because you always get to be the rescuer and the
one in charge. You never have to be vulnerable to anyone. You never have to reveal
yourself. You show up and you’re the good guy, a real knight in shining armor. The
trick is, you hold yourself back. While you’re spending all that time rescuing the
world, you don’t have much left to get really involved. You don’t risk your heart.
If I leave, I reaffirm your view of the world. If I stay, you’ll always be the guy
who rescued me. Either way, you come out looking great. I don’t believe you let yourself
care enough to allow any of this to hurt you, so no matter what, you’re going to win.”