"I"ll make sure I deliver her safe and sound to you," Dawson said with a grin.
Mallory sighed. One man protecting her was bad enough, now she had two.
Although Reed had kept busy all day, as the time neared midnight he paced the living room. He knew Mallory was safe with Dawson. Still....
At the sound of Dawson"s car, he breathed a sigh of relief. He heard her call goodbye and then she opened the door. She stopped when she saw him standing there. "I thought you might have gone to bed."
"I didn"t want to turn on the security system until after you came in."
"Oh," she said softly. She was wearing white shorts and a red top and sneakers, and she"d never looked more attractive.
"Did you get reacquainted?"
Her gaze pa.s.sed over his bare chest, then his sleeping shorts, and he could feel the heat from it.
Stepping away from him, she laid her purse on the table. "Yes, we did. We talked in a way we never had a chance to before."
"About anything in particular?"
She didn"t say anything immediately, then answered, "About our parents. I never realized how deeply Dawson was affected by our father leaving his mother to marry my mother. He felt betrayed for himself and his mother, and her bitterness throughout the years didn"t help. She"s still bitter. I"m amazed that Dawson doesn"t resent me and that somehow he stayed untouched by it."
"Untouched? I doubt that. But maybe he had the strength of character to rise above it."
She seemed to think about that.
"Are you spending time with him tomorrow?" Reed asked.
"He"s going to pick me up early. We"re going to play tennis at his apartment complex, then go to some museums, see more sights. I really do love San Antonio."
The city was as vibrantly alive as Mallory herself, and Reed should have known she"d fit right in. Going to the wall, he turned on the security system, then went and sat on the edge of the open sofa bed. "I"m going to turn in. If I"m gone before you get up tomorrow morning, you have a good time."
"I will," she said softly.
There didn"t seem to be anything else to say. When Mallory went into the bedroom, he settled on the sofa bed, thinking about their nights under the stars and wishing that"s where they were right now.
Introducing a halter to the filly for the first time took all of Mallory"s concentration on Monday afternoon. She spoke softly to the horse, touching her gently. Finally she slipped on the halter. The filly shook her head a few times. Then Mallory slipped it back off, knowing they had worked enough for one afternoon. Leading the filly into the yearling pasture, she let her run free. Ears alert, tail flying, the young horse cavorted through the gra.s.s, meeting up with another filly.
Mallory headed back to the corral, thinking about Dawson and the wonderful day she"d had with him yesterday. They"d played tennis in the morning at his apartment complex. He had a great place, and he"d shown her the guest room where she could stay when he was back in San Antonio on a consistent basis. They"d gone out for lunch, toured a museum and visited another mission. Somehow he"d gotten tickets to a play, and she"d arrived back at the cabin around eleven-thirty.
But before she"d said goodbye to Dawson, he"d asked her a question. Why did you marry Reed? His expression had been serious, and she"d known he"d wanted the truth, not a flippant answer. So she"d explained the best she could what had happened and told him she didn"t remember the marriage ceremony. He"d studied her then, and in the shadows of the car had said, "Maybe your heart did something your logic would never let you do."
Was that possible? Had she fallen in love with Reed the night she"d met him?
Reed had been waiting up for her again, and they"d spoken briefly about their plans for today. But she"d remembered all too well what had almost happened under the stars and moonlight up at the line shack. They avoided getting too close to each other as if an inadvertent touch or a brush of skin would tip the scales and they"d fall into a pa.s.sion that would only complicate their lives even more.
As Mallory approached the training arena, she spotted a truck and trailer parked not far from the airplane hangar door. Hearing voices, she went inside thinking Reed had probably come in here to get out of the hot sun.
A man wearing a gray Stetson and looking about the same age as Reed was standing in the center of the arena with Reed and a little girl who couldn"t have been more than ten. Sticking close to the man"s side, the little girl seemed to be afraid of the chestnut mare that Reed held the reins to. The man was telling Reed, "Carrie"s not used to horses. We lived in town until about a month ago when I finally bought a place with some land. That"s why I called Mr. Fortune. I wanted a horse that would be easy for her to handle."
"This mare"s as gentle as they come," Reed responded. He crouched to Carrie"s eye level. "Her name"s Nita, and she"s just waiting for you to get to know her."
Carrie didn"t look convinced.
With a gentle smile Reed asked, "Can you tell me what you"re afraid of?"
"She"s so big."
He didn"t laugh at the little girl, but nodded in agreement. "Yes, she is. Much bigger than you. But if you really get to know her, she can become one of your best friends. Then she won"t seem so big at all. When you"re riding her, it will seem as if you"re ten feet tall. If you learn how to act around her and what to do, it won"t matter that she"s so big."
Stepping away from her father just slightly, Carrie asked Reed, "Can I pet her?"
He straightened. "Sure, you can. C"mon over here and I"ll let you feel her nose. It"s really soft. But you have to be very gentle so you don"t frighten her."
"Me scare her?"
"She might seem big to you, but she"s really very shy. If you look into her eyes, you can see that."
Mallory"s chest tightened as she listened to Reed talk to the little girl and introduce her to the mare. Apparently he was as gentle and patient with children as he was with the horses, and she realized he"d make a wonderful father.
She didn"t know how long she stood there, but eventually Carrie agreed to sit in the saddle to see how it felt. Letting Reed lift her up onto the leather, she grabbed on to the pommel. But he told her to pretend she was sitting in her favorite chair at home, a rocking chair, and then he started walking the horse slowly.
Mallory slipped out of the arena so as not to disturb them. Each day she spent with Reed she found something more to admire about him, some new strength she hadn"t seen before, and she was suddenly very angry at the woman who had broken off her engagement with him so cavalierly. Was she crazy? Yet she couldn"t have been. She must have had some magnificent qualities or been absolutely beautiful for Reed to have been in love with her. That thought was so upsetting that Mallory decided to stop to see if Lily was at home. They could set a date to go shopping again, and maybe she"d be able to think about something other than the man who was her husband in name only.
In no time at all, an hour had flown by as Mallory and Lily envisioned the new furniture they had ordered and the fabrics they had chosen for the suite of rooms Lily was redecorating. They made a date to go shopping to pick up decorative items, potteries, sculptures and a few scatter rugs. When Rosita called Lily to the phone, Mallory sipped iced tea in the sitting room that was part of the master suite and much cozier than the great room. A few moments later Lily returned from the bedroom, looking puzzled.
"Is something wrong?" Mallory asked.
"The florist has a delivery for you, but he said he had strict instructions to make the delivery to the cabin."
Mallory rose to her feet. "Maybe Dawson sent them to surprise me."
"Or Reed," Lily suggested with a wink.
Only in her dreams, Mallory thought. "Is the delivery person there now?"
"Yes, he said he"d wait for you."
After Mallory confirmed the time she"d meet Lily to go shopping on Tuesday, she hurried and drove to the adobe. A large delivery truck sat out front. She parked and took out her new key, opened the door and flicked off the security alarm. The delivery man, who looked to be in his twenties, carried a box of long-stemmed roses, she supposed, and a huge arrangement of tiny orchids and ferns.
"Two?" she asked when he came to the door.
"A lot more than two, ma"am. I"ve got a whole truckful."
Mallory suspected the worst as he brought the flowers inside. As he went back to the truck, she took the lid from the roses, beautiful red ones, and picked up the card that lay on top of the tissue.
Mallory- Just a reminder that I"m waiting for you. All of them remind me of your beauty and sweetness.
Always,
Winston
Mallory"s heart sank as the delivery man brought bouquet after bouquet into the adobe. There were ordinary flowers such as carnations and daisies, but then there were some beautiful delicate ones in unusual colors that she knew must be exotic. At least fifteen bouquets filled the cabin with their rich fragrance and beauty. After tipping the young man, she put her hands on her hips and looked around.
Winston apparently thought he could flatter her and buy her, making her forget what he"d tried to do. Well, she wasn"t about to forget, and she knew he wasn"t the type of man she wanted to marry. Not with her feelings for Reed growing so strong. Not with her respect and admiration for him mounting every day. She wished she could send the flowers back to Winston, but that was impossible. She needed to think about what to do next. Donate the flowers to a hospital, for one thing. Deciding what to do about Winston was another. Maybe if she got a shower and then made supper, a brilliant idea would come to her and she could convince Winston they needed to go their separate ways.
Quitting a little earlier than usual, Reed had decided to ask Mallory to go out to dinner with him. Hopefully she hadn"t started supper yet. If she had, afterward, they could go for a ride. Unlocking the door, he was glad to see she was using her common sense and keeping the adobe secure. But as he stepped inside, the scent of flowers. .h.i.t him and he saw the many bouquets. He almost forgot to switch off the security alarm, but he flipped it just in the nick of time. A knot twisted in his stomach as he went toward one of the bouquets and lifted out the card, which read, "Always, Winston." Bouquet after bouquet had the same card placed in it.
Reed swore long and hard, jealousy ripping his gut. Could Bentley win her back? He was good-looking in a polished sort of way. He apparently knew how to overwhelm a woman, and Mallory had said yes to his marriage proposal.
She didn"t even remember their marriage ceremony in Reno. Sure Bentley was dangerous, but some women liked danger. Reed swore again. Just as he thought about dumping all the flowers outside, or better yet onto a manure pile, he heard the bathroom door open. Going to the bedroom, he demanded, "What the h.e.l.l is all this?" He knew he shouldn"t be angry with her but he was green with jealousy.
Mallory"s hair was wet, and she obviously thought she"d be alone in the cabin because she was wearing only a peach towel tucked in at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The impact of her beauty wrapped around Reed and aroused him, his heart pounding harder as he waited for her explanation.
"He"s trying to win me back. His card said he was waiting for me."
"And is he winning you back?" Reed asked roughly.
"No! Ten roomsful of flowers won"t make me forget what Winston did or what he is. He-"
Knowing he was stepping into dangerous territory, knowing he was breaching a boundary, Reed stepped closer to her. "I suppose he showered you with flowers while you were engaged?"
"Yes," she murmured.
"And gifts?"
"Yes," she murmured again.
Clasping her bare shoulders, he demanded, "Did you bring any of them with you?"
Her hazel eyes locked on his. "No, I didn"t. When I left San Francisco, I knew I was finished with Winston."
The desire that had pulsed between them from the moment they"d met became a power greater than both of them. He could deny it no longer. Reed pulled her to him and his lips came down on hers in a hard, crushing kiss. She"d become sunlight to him, sunrise and sunset...and so many changing colors that she made his head spin. Was she truly finished with Winston Bentley IV or would he manage to call her back to him and convince her she belonged in a different life than she wanted to build here?
Reed didn"t care. Not with her in his arms. Not with the sweet scent of her seeping into him. Not with her lips responding under his. Not with her hands reaching for his shoulders.
Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her to the bed where she"d lain night after night all alone. He"d wanted to go to her...seal their bodies together in an intimacy they"d never forget. Now he would make it so good for her she"d want to remember these moments forever!
He broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes again, to make sure she didn"t want to run from him as she wanted to run from Bentley. "We can"t deny this, Mallory. We can"t deny us any longer. It"s too powerful."
"Much too powerful," she whispered, never taking her eyes from his.
Taking that as consent, he laid her on the bed and his hand went to the place where she"d tucked in her towel. "I want to look at you and touch you and make you tremble until you want me as much as I want you."
When she reached up to him, she stroked his jaw, and he realized he was the one who was shaking. He"d never felt this way with a woman, never wanted to please her so thoroughly she"d beg for him to do it again. But Mallory was so special....
A virgin, he reminded himself once more.
He had to take this slow. He had to do it right. He had to arouse her desire until her pleasure outweighed any pain. Unfastening her towel, he brushed it away.
She was perfect. The tan on her arms was golden from her time in the sun but the rest of her body was a peach-ivory porcelain that looked almost too delicate to touch.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
He held his breath for a moment to maintain control. "Nothing"s wrong. But...has a man ever touched you before?"
"Not in the way you"re going to touch me," she replied simply.
Lord, he was hotter than he wanted to be. "I should take a shower."
"You had one this morning," she said with a shy smile.
"Yes, but-"
Her fingers went to his shirt b.u.t.tons and unfastened them. "I want you just the way you are."
If he"d had any thoughts of turning back, they fled. He didn"t wait for her to finish unb.u.t.toning but did it himself in record time, then stripped off his boots, socks, jeans and briefs. She was looking at him with such vulnerable innocence. He lay beside her and kissed her. When his tongue traced her lips, she moaned and opened her mouth. He swept it and deepened the kiss, needing her to respond. Her tongue stroked his as her arms circled him and her hands explored his back. He was going to explode. But first he had to make sure she would burst into flame with him.
Shifting to his side, his hand settled on her waist. His thumb stroked up and down until she sidled closer, seeking more body contact. But if that happened, he"d be a goner.
Yet he didn"t want to discourage her in any way. Sliding one of his hands between them, he teased her breast.
"Reed!"
"What?" he asked gently.
"You"re..."
He palmed her breast and smoothed a finger around her nipple. "What am I doing?" he asked as he dropped a few kisses on her throat and pushed her hair back with his jaw, nibbling on her ear.
"You"re...making me crazy."
He chuckled. "How about excited...aroused..."
"Those, too," she murmured.
Bending his head to her breast, his tongue rimmed her nipple and she quivered. When he did it again, her hands dipped to his b.u.t.tocks to urge him toward her. He knew what she wanted but didn"t know if she was ready. As he took her nipple into his mouth, she let out a small cry and her knee grazed him. He caught her leg and nudged it over his hip. Then he ran his hand up her thigh...stroking, caressing, making her more restless.
"Reed, what should I do?" she asked breathlessly.
"You"re doing it," he rasped, sucking in a deep breath, restraining his desire until he was sure about hers.