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  They stopped briefly so Meg could deal with a gate that led to the wide-open spaces.

  “Do you know if all of this is Chance land?” he asked as she leaned down from her horse to fasten the gate behind them.

  “Yes, it is.” She moved past him so she was once again in the lead. “Archie Chance won it in a card game in the thirties.”

  “That sounds like a myth. Things like that don’t really happen.”

  “I guess they do in Wyoming. Ready for some cantering?”

  “You know it.”

  “Then let’s go!” She urged her horse forward.

  Destiny didn’t need any nudging as he set off in pursuit of Spilled Milk. A gust of wind nearly took Rafe’s hat, and he used one hand to anchor it. At first he held the reins and the saddle horn with his other hand, but as his body adjusted to the horse’s rhythm, he let go of the horn and held the reins like a real cowboy would.

  He was riding! If he hadn’t been worried about spooking the horses, he’d have let out a whoop of delight. What a rush. He couldn’t believe he’d gone twenty-nine years without experiencing this. Sharing it with a sexy woman like Meg made it even better.

  Before he was ready for the canter to be over, she slowed her horse, and Destiny fell back to a trot, and eventually a walk.

  “That was fun,” he said. “I could do that again.”

  “I’m sure you could.” She swiveled in her saddle to glance back at him. “But I don’t want to overdo it on your first ride. You might feel great now, but you could end up being miserable tonight.”

  “If I recover okay tonight, do you think we could come out here again tomorrow?”

  She smiled at him. “So you really like it that much?”

  “Yeah. It’s much better than I imagined it would be.”

  “So maybe you’re not totally a city boy.”

  He shook his head. “I’m still a city boy. Just because I’m enjoying the hell out of this doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to find a coffee shop over the next hill.”

  “No coffee shop. Are you getting hungry?”

  He hesitated to admit it after announcing that he never ate breakfast. “A little.”

  “We can go back.”

  “Not yet.” No way was he going back until he’d had a chance to find out exactly what that wink of hers signified.

  “Then we’ll keep going.” She faced forward again. “It is spectacular, isn’t it? According to Sarah, the wildflowers will be gone soon. By September or October, they could have snow.”

  “I know Wyatt didn’t want to wait any later to have the wedding because he was worried about weather.”

  “I’d like to see this place in the winter. I’ll bet it’s beautiful then, too. A different kind of beauty.”

  “Do you ski?” Walking the horses wasn’t as exciting, but it meant he could talk to her, get to know her better.

  “Not yet. I plan to learn. Olivia wants me to come out here again, so if I visit her this winter, I could learn then. Do you ski?”

  “Some. I haven’t done it much lately, though. I always seem to be working.” The comment made him sound like a drudge, and he wasn’t. But he owed it to his clients to keep up with the markets and emerging trends. That required constant vigilance. Today was a rare break in his routine.

  “Jackson Hole is a fantastic place to ski.”

  “So I hear. Wyatt’s already said something about celebrating Christmas here, but I don’t know…”

  “We could visit at the same time and you could teach me to ski! That would be a nice trade, don’t you think?”

  “It would.” So now she was suggesting that they coordinate visits. If that wasn’t an indication of interest, then he knew nothing about women.

  He liked the prospect of seeing her again in December. He liked it quite a bit, assuming he could do some work while he was here. Many of his clients were shifting assets around at the end of the year, so he was usually busy.

  “Of course, there’s always the possibility I’ll be living here by then.”

  “Living here?” He had trouble keeping up with her whirlwind approach to life. “You’d move?”

  “I’m seriously considering it. I’ve fallen in love with the area. All I need is a job. Shoshone’s a one-traffic-light town, but Jackson might be able to use me in some capacity.”

  “And you’ve been here how long?”

  “Four days. Five counting today.”

  “Don’t you think you need more time before making a major decision like that?”

  She shrugged. “Not really. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and I like it okay, but something about this area just feels like home, you know?”

  “Not exactly.” He’d never thought in those terms. His parents’ house had been a showplace, but not what he’d call a home. His own apartment worked for him and had that outstanding view, so he supposed it was home, although he’d never called it that.

  “Well, my philosophy is that life’s short. You have to grab the good stuff while you can. Speaking of that, there’s a pretty little creek up ahead. Let’s stop and rest awhile. I didn’t think to bring water, so the horses can get a drink and so can we.”

  “Okay.” He tried to decide if he was dealing with a certified flake. Meg was fun to have around and he was sexually attracted to her, but if she’d pull up stakes and switch locations in the blink of an eye, then…then so what? Did it matter?

  Even if they got cozy with each other during the week of the wedding, it would be a no-strings affair. Her life decisions wouldn’t affect him in the slightest, except that if she moved, she’d be around in December if he made the trip back to Jackson Hole.

  But who knew if they’d even like each other at the end of the week if they did become involved. They’d only met yesterday. There might be strong chemistry between them, but until he’d at least kissed her… He almost laughed at his typical caution. Kissing her would be outstanding, and he damned well knew it. The sex would be even better.

  Meg pulled her horse to a stop beside a bubbling rivulet of water about two yards wide. “There’s a flat rock over there we can sit on.”

  He liked the idea of the rock, but not the lack of trees. “There’s nothing to tie the horses to. Don’t forget that Destiny likes to wander.”

  “I haven’t.” She dismounted and led her horse to the stream. “But Spilled Milk is trained to be ground-tied, which means if I drop the reins to the ground, she won’t go anywhere, so if we tie Destiny’s reins to Spilled Milk’s saddle horn, we’re golden.”

  “Sounds good.” He was perfectly willing to bow to her expertise, especially if it meant being able to spend some time with her on that rock. He felt a few twinges in his muscles as he climbed down. Too bad the ranch didn’t have a hot tub on the property, one he could share with Meg tonight.

  Copying her actions, he led Destiny over to the water and watched the horse plunge his nose into it. “Here we are watering our horses, just like a scene out of a Western movie.”

  “Fortunately I don’t expect any bad guys to ride up and ambush us.”

  “If they did, I’d save you. You may know riding, but I know karate.” He hadn’t practiced in a while, though, so he was glad he wouldn’t be put to the test.

  She glanced over at him. “We are so trading lessons. I want to learn karate.”

  “It takes years.”

  “Oh, I know. I’m not expecting to become an overnight expert, but you could get me started and I could go fr
om there.”

  “Is there anything you don’t want to do?”

  “Yes. I don’t want to miss anything.”

  He gazed at her as that statement hovered between them. Did she include him in it? He hoped she did.

  She might be a flake, but she was a fascinating one. He’d never met anyone who had such a voracious appetite for life’s many experiences. Her enthusiasm was contagious. He’d smiled and laughed more this morning than he had in the past month. If she treated sex the way she did everything else, he was about to become a very lucky man.

  5

  MEG SENT RAFE OVER TO SIT on the sun-warmed rock while she tied Destiny and Spilled Milk together. Theoretically her plan should work, but she hadn’t dealt with Destiny’s little quirk. She’d make sure to keep an eye on the horses so she could stop them if they began to wander off.

  Once she’d finished, she left the horses and joined Rafe. “Have you had any of the water yet?”

  He smiled at her. “I was waiting to see how you planned on doing it. Maybe you’re going to drink out of your hat. That’s how it’s done in the movies.”

  “I’d rather not.” She made a face. “Sounds unsanitary and might ruin my hat.” She dropped to her knees. “I’ll just scoop it up in my hands, like this.” She proceeded to demonstrate the technique she’d used last time she was here.

  She’d forgotten that she’d dripped water down the front of her shirt in the process. When she’d been alone it hadn’t mattered. She’d sat in the sun until it dried.

  But today she was not alone. With an audience making her self-conscious, she got some of the water into her mouth, but most of it ran down her chin and soaked her shirt. She didn’t have to look to know that it was plastered to her body and her nipples stood out in sharp relief. She could feel them tightening from the cold.

  “Interesting.” His voice vibrated with laughter.

  “I didn’t mean to do that.” Winking and flirting was one thing. Setting herself up as a wet T-shirt model was a little over-the-top, even for her. She pulled her shirt away from her body, but the minute she let it go, it clung to her breasts like plastic wrap.

  “I’m not complaining.”

  She cast him a sideways glance, and sure enough, he was frankly admiring her breasts. “A gentleman wouldn’t look.”

  He shoved his hat back with his thumb in a very cowboylike gesture. “I never claimed to be a gentleman. Besides, weren’t you the one who wanted a chance to lead me astray?”

  She swallowed. Yes, she’d thought she was quite clever to make that flippant, offhand remark. But now that they were completely alone, she felt the full force and heat of his sexuality. He was one potent guy. She might have bitten off more than she could chew.

  Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he took off her hat and laid it on the rock beside her. Then he put his next to it.

  Her heart thundered. “Don’t you…want a drink of water?”

  “I think you scooped enough for two of us.” Cupping her cheek in one hand, he leaned forward, his attention on her mouth. “Let’s see.”

  Closing her eyes, she waited, quivering, for what she guessed would be one of the most outstanding kisses of her life. She wasn’t disappointed.

  He touched down lightly, sipping the moisture from her lips. His tongue traced the outline once, and again, more slowly. He cradled the back of her head with his other hand and held her still as he continued to explore the contours of her mouth with calm deliberation.

  His leisurely approach was at complete odds with her wildly beating heart and the coiled tension she felt coming through his fingertips. She envisioned a small flame licking its way along a fuse to a stick of dynamite.

  His breath caught and he swore softly as he pulled back.

  Opening her eyes, she looked into the inferno raging in his. “Rafe?”

  “You scare the hell out of me.”

  Dazed by the emotions swirling between them, she could barely speak. “Why?”

  “Because I want you so much.” With that, he captured her mouth with a ferocity that made her gasp.

  Gone was the easy, unhurried caress, the almost lazy attention to her lips. Something raw and primitive seemed to drive him as he thrust his tongue deep with a moan of frustrated desire. She clung to his broad shoulders to keep her balance as the world began to spin.

  Her response built quickly. Joy surged within her as she drank in his passion. At last. A man who matched her intensity. He kissed her with the kind of single-mindedness she’d always dreamed of and had never found.

  The world narrowed to this connection. Nothing else mattered but kissing Rafe, drawing a quick breath, and kissing him some more. He was ambrosia and nectar of the gods. He was skydiving and parasailing. He was shooting the rapids in a bright red kayak. She couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his tongue…

  A loud whinny threw her right out of the sensual pool she’d been drowning in. Pulling back, she glanced over at the horses about the time Spilled Milk whinnied again and bared her teeth at Destiny. The gelding was up to his old tricks of trying to walk away, and Spilled Milk was having none of it.

  Meg leaped up. “We need to separate them before she completely loses her cool. You untie Destiny while I calm Spilled Milk.” She ran over to the horses without waiting to see if Rafe had followed.

  Fortunately, he was right behind her. “What happened?” he asked as he untied Destiny’s reins from Spilled Milk’s saddle.

  “I’m guessing that Destiny’s been tugging on her and trying to get her to leave. Spilled Milk, being a well-trained horse, stood her ground. The more he pulled, the madder she got. She wasn’t going to let him lead her astray.”

  “As I was trying to do to you?”

  She looked over at him and smiled as she stroked the mare’s neck. He was one yummy guy. “You could never lead me where I don’t want to go, cowboy.”

  He glanced up. “You do realize that Wyatt warned me to stay away from you.”

  “I was afraid he’d made me off-limits.”

  Rafe finished untying Destiny, but he kept a firm grip on the reins. “He told me how special you are, which is something I can see for myself. He seemed to be afraid that I’d somehow cause you problems.”

  “How?”

  He shrugged. “The usual, I suppose. Make passionate love to you and then leave you to cry your eyes out.”

  “Wyatt’s a little too old-fashioned.” She held his gaze. “I’m capable of making passionate love without the crying-my-eyes-out routine.”

  His expression grew serious. “Just so we’re both clear on this, I’m not ready to settle down.”

  “So what? I’m not ready to settle down, either.”

  “Does Wyatt know that?”

  That made her chuckle. “I haven’t discussed my relationship plans with Wyatt. I met him for the first time four days ago.”

  “And yet you’re discussing them with me, and you only met me yesterday.”

  “That’s because you could become intimately involved with those plans.”

  Desire flashed in his eyes. “Are you saying you’re fine with a wild and crazy fling this week, with no promises on either side?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.” She mentally crossed her fingers. She might have finally found a man with the same capacity for joy that she had. She never would have guessed it, given his attitude when she’d first met him, but that kiss…that kiss had told her all she needed to know.


  If, under his businessman’s exterior, Rafe was the kind of passionate man she believed him to be, then she wouldn’t easily let him ride off into the sunset. If he truly wanted that, she’d let him go. But as he’d discovered with horseback riding, he might not know exactly what he wanted…yet.

  * * *

  THEIR SIZZLING KISS HAD shaken Rafe more than he cared to admit. He wasn’t exactly a novice at this sexual adventure business, but he’d never experienced a first kiss that was quite so explosive. If they could generate that kind of heat with only a kiss, he wondered what would happen when they got down to serious business. He might want to keep a fire extinguisher handy.

  He tried to keep his tone casual. “As it happens, we’re both sleeping on the second floor, right down the hall from each other.”

  “Very convenient.”

  “I think that kind of proximity is what Wyatt was worried about.”

  Meg seemed to consider that for a moment. “So do you think he’s worried about me getting hurt, or could he be worried about our drama interfering with the wedding?”

  “Both, probably.” Rafe sighed. “The situation’s dicey enough without you and me adding to the tension. Everybody’s concerned about whether my mother will come to the wedding, which would create one kind of problem, or whether she’ll refuse to come, which would create another. Wyatt’s in for it, either way.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded as if she’d had the same thoughts. “Do you think we can have what we want without jacking up the drama quotient?”

  “I’d like to believe we can.” He met her gaze. “Or more accurately, I want to believe we can, because…you turn me on, Meg.”

  “Likewise.” Those green eyes told him she was as eager as he was to find out what kind of magic they could create.

  He grinned. “That does wonders for a man’s ego.”

  “You’re pretty good for mine, too.”

  “So are you ready to risk it?”

  “I am. Are you?”

  “With you sleeping right down the hall, I don’t know if I could resist the temptation. Maybe I just need to hoist the white flag right now and say I need you in my bed.”