A Dolphin's Gift (31 page)

Matt looked at
Ruth and his mouth curved slightly.

Ruth jumped
down from her perch on the fence. "No thanks," she said. "Riding
a horse is one thing. Roping is another." She definitely did not want to
deal with the proximity involved in Matt giving her roping lessons.

Matt collected
the rope, and while wrapping it into a coil, started walking toward her.
"Annie’s right," he said, closing the gap between them. "Who
knows when you might be out on the range and have to rope a critter of some
kind?"

"Yes...
well... I don't plan to be out on the range, and I’d rather not—"

"Just
remember what I told Annie," Matt said, ignoring her appeal. "It’s
all in the wrist." Before she could protest further, Matt was around
behind her, his chest against her back, his arms encircling her. "Raise
your hands," he said, over the top of her head. Ruth could barely compute
what he was telling her, his nearness so unsettling. "Your
hands,
honey. You can’t throw a rope by remote
control."

Ruth raised her
hands and Matt placed the coil in her right hand and tucked the tail of the
rope in her left. To her shock, he bent down, and with his lips brushing
against her ear, he said in the deepest whisper she'd ever heard, "Just
relax and we’ll throw it together a few times." His large hand encircling
hers, he started twirling the rope with her. It wasn’t until the loop swung
free and landed over the fence post that she realized his other hand was around
her ribcage. "Good throw," he said, his lips a breath away from her
cheek. "Now, we’ll try it again."

Ruth didn’t
respond. All she was aware of was the feel of Matt's palm on her ribs and his
chest against her back, and the tingle of his breath wafting over her temple.
What finally snapped her out of her daze was Annie’s giggles.

"Daddy,
you should see Ruth’s face. It’s as red as a baboon’s butt."

Matt slackened
his hold, and Ruth snatched the chance to duck out of the circle of his arms.
But when she started to walk away, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She
turned and waited for him to speak. He winked at her, and said, "Annie’s
right. You’ve got some color to your cheeks Ruthie girl. It suits you."

Ruth pulled her
hand from his grip and glared at him. Her cheeks prickled with heat as she
said, "I can’t imagine you'd teach men to rope like you did me."

"Yeah,
well, maybe not," Matt said, "but it’s not as much fun either."
As she walked away, he called after her, "Be down for dinner a few minutes
early so you can meet my brother, Bret."

Ruth waved him
off and headed for the house, disturbed by the flood feelings rushing through
her. It was as if his nearness heightened her senses, his touch awakening every
nerve beneath the surface of her skin, his breath filling her nostrils with his
musky male essence, his voice resonating through every filament in her body,
until she felt as if he were her twin soul...

Her twin soul
from hell, she reminded herself. The Devil disguised himself in many ways,
she'd learned back in Sunday school. He'd tempt, and tease, and toy with you
and bring you to his will. How easily the Devil could manipulate her. Here was
a man who might have kidnapped her daughter, and every time he was near, she
lost all sense of reality. And the reality was, she had a mission to complete,
and she would not be led astray by Matt Kincaid again.

Shortly before
dinner, she toyed with the idea of begging off. The roping incident was still
fresh in her mind, her strong reaction to Matt too unsettling. But, deciding
he'd come looking for her if she didn't show up, she grudgingly went to join
him and his brother in the living room. As Matt made introductions, his brother
eyed Ruth at length, and said, "Have we met? You look familiar. I'm
thinking maybe our paths crossed at some time."

Ruth looked at
Bret Kincaid with apprehension. Would he be the chink in her armor, the one who
would expose her? Yet, she was certain she’d never met the man before. "I
have one of those generic faces," she said. "I’m told often that I
look like someone’s aunt or sister."

Edith called
them to dinner then, and Ruth was thankful for the commotion the men brought to
the table, if only to keep Matt’s brother occupied. And when a pork roast with
all the trimmings was set down, Bret Kincaid began eating with enthusiasm, and
it appeared the incident was forgotten. But later, when she was about to leave
the dining room, he looked steadily at her again, and said, "I'm sure I've
seen you somewhere. I'm good with faces, and yours is very familiar. If we’ve
met, it'll eventually come to me."

Ruth knew, with
certainty, that she had never met Bret Kincaid. Although he didn’t have Matt’s
tall frame and rugged good looks, he too was a markedly handsome man with a
face no woman was apt to forget.

She laughed
lightly. "Maybe we met in passing. I’d better check on Annie."
Turning abruptly, she walked off, anxious to be away from the man's close
perusal.

The thought
that he could have seen her on television or in the newspaper at the time of
the abduction, and would eventually put things together, troubled her greatly.

Had she come
this far, only to find herself facing the full force of the Kincaid family?

JUSTIFIED DECEPTION
to be continued…

DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

BOOK 1: RIGHTEOUS LIES

Grace
Templeton thought the child she'd been carrying for seven months was the child
of her dead husband, and Jack Hansen thought the sperm he'd donated had gone to
the wife of his sterile twin... Until they learn that two vials of sperm at the
fertility clinic were accidentally switched. The shock sends Grace into early labor,
and the only place she can have complete bed rest is at the Dancing Moon Ranch
owned by Jack and his twin, Sam. But soon, Grace finds herself falling in love
with a hard-edged cowboy who appears to want to control every aspect of her
life, now that she's carrying his son. But Jack has his reasons. He also has no
intention of marrying, and Grace is determined to learn why.

BOOK 2: PANDORA'S BOX

Justine
Page used her beauty and her body to make her way up the corporate ladder. But
when a relationship with a CEO goes sour, and she finds herself without a job
or a place to live, she goes to the Dancing Moon Ranch to stay with her sister
and reassess her life. Brad Meecham, a war correspondent with post-traumatic
stress, who has taken a cabin at the ranch to try and deal with mind demons, is
intrigued by Justine, who's determined to put her checkered past behind. About
the time he thinks they could make a life together, a daughter Brad never knew
existed is delivered to him when her mother dies. Suddenly, he finds himself
with a child who wants nothing to do with anyone but Justine, and he knows
without question that a woman who slept her way to the top will never be a
candidate for step-mother. But then, Brad fails to factor in the power of love
to bring together a flawed woman and a troubled child, and his need to have
them both in his life.

BOOK 3: FALSE PRETENSES

Jayne
Hamilton has a dark secret she's carefully guarded and which she hopes will
stay hidden until she lands the job at Dancing Moon Ranch. But as Sam Hansen
interviews her, he’s uneasy. Things don't add up. Still, he hires her without
running a background check because his mother wants to retire from the guest
ranch end of the operation, and neither Sam nor his twin, Jack, want to take
over that job. A guest ranch manager would free them of that burden. But soon,
Sam finds himself blindly attracted to Jayne, even though he knows she's hiding
something... something that has to do with a child. But Sam also senses that
there's much more.

BOOK 4: UNCERTAIN LOYALTIES

All
her life Sophie Meecham was told that modesty was a virtue and sex before
marriage was wrong, so when she learns that her step-mother slept her way up
the corporate ladder before marrying her father, Sophie’s so angry and
disillusioned she shows up unexpectedly at the Dancing Moon Ranch to vent to
her lifelong friend, Rick Hansen. Rick too is disillusioned. Sophie’s changed
from the woman he’d grown to love over the years, and even envisioned marrying.
In fact, she's so mad, she rebels against everything that’s been instilled in
her, even tries to have sex with Rick. But he wants no part of it. Although he
doesn’t want the woman Sophie is now, he doesn’t want any other man to have her
either. But soon after, a life-altering incident has Sophie looking at Rick,
her buddy, in a whole new light. It's also clear, the man she’s falling in love
with has fallen out of love with her, and it will be an uphill battle to prove
to Rick she's still the woman he'd always thought her to be.

BOOK 5: BECOMING JESSE'S FATHER

When
Adam Hansen discovers his ex-fiancée, along with a son he never knew he had,
hiding in an isolated cabin on his ranch, in the middle of winter, and learns
she's being hunted down by her former husband, an ex-green beret, Adam vows to
protect them, even though he has no intention of getting involved with Emily
again. He's also trying to gain the love and trust of a three-year-old boy who
fears and mistrusts men. But while he's safeguarding Emily and Jesse, Adam
learns that Emily’s wanted in a non-custodial kidnapping to protect Jesse from
a dangerous step-father, who's also Jesse's legal father, since Emily gave
birth to Jesse while married to him. Still, Adam intends to protect them at all
cost, even if it means going against his family, and the law, and taking Emily
and Jesse into the mountains and beyond, if that's the only way to keep them
safe.

BOOK 6: BITTERSWEET RETURN

In
the jungles of Central America, archaeologists Marc Hansen and Kit Korban are
winding up a project. Marc walked away from his family after learning that all
his life had been a lie. He hasn't seen them in four years and doesn't plan to
return any time soon. Although Kit sees potential in the man, and his presence
makes her pulse race, he's carrying far too much personal baggage, so a
relationship with him is out. However, when she learns there's an unexcavated
Indian mound on his family's ranch, Kit talks Marc into taking her there. But
whereas Marc's mother welcomes him with open arms, it's not the same with his
father. Marc walked away from a mother who'd loved him unconditionally, and
Jack Hansen isn't ready to put that behind. But as Kit begins to peel back the
layers of a very complicated man, she also finds in Marc a man worth loving.
The problem is convincing Marc that, just because he's no blood kin, he's not
the outsider in the family he's always believed himself to be.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

JUSTIFIED DECEPTION

Ruth
Crawford's on a quest to find her daughter, who was kidnapped four years
before. Ruth's private investigator is all but certain that ranch owner, Matt
Kincaid's, adopted daughter Annie is Ruth's own little Beth. But Matt's the
maverick in a powerful family of lawyers and politicians, so even though she
manages to land the job as nanny to Matt's willful, six-year-old daughter, Ruth
must tread carefully. She can't predict what Matt or his family might do if the
adoption is challenged. However, Ruth's carefully laid plans go awry when she
finds herself falling in love with the man who might have stolen her child.

ADVERSARIES AND LOVERS

When
Kate O’Connor learns that Ben Stassen's new corporate office will replace a
block of charming old buildings that include the Corner Cafe, where Grandma and
her friends have been lunching for half a century, she vows to stop it, taking
her case directly to the man. But that's not the way Ben Stassen sees it. He
built Stassen Sports from the ground up and he refuses to let a woman on a
mission stand in his way. But, Kate has advertising skills he can use, so ignoring
her crusade, he invites her to submit ideas for his ad campaign. And Kate
accepts—a strategic move to use against the man. But working with Ben stirs
feelings Kate hadn't anticipated, and when she at last finds the chink in Ben's
armor, the key to stopping his business venture, she also finds a troubled man
who refuses to be touched by love, and she’s determined to know why.

BROKEN PROMISES

Tess
O'Reilly can't forget the words engraved inside the ring Zak de Neuville gave
her when he promised to love her forever,
then
disappeared from her life without a word. Eskauldun fededun--the Basque is
faithful. More appropriately, the Basque is faithless! And now Zak's back in
Baker's Creek. He's also the father of a boy who had to have been conceived
shortly after he left. Tess too has returned to Baker's Creek to help her
ailing father. After a lengthy estrangement from him because of Zak, she's come
home to rebuild the relationship they once had, before it's too late, and she
has no intention of getting involved with Zak again. The problem is
,
time has done nothing to temper the white-hot flame that's
once again building.

A DOLPHIN'S GIFT

Inheriting
her uncle's yacht and living on it is just what Nellie Reid needs to get out of
the financial abyss she's in and put the lives of herself and her ten-year-old
son back on track. But what she initially thinks is a dream come
true,
quickly becomes a nightmare. Not only is the owner of
the boathouse threatening foreclosure for back rent, he claims he had an
agreement with Nellie's uncle for use of the boat for his whale study. But if
Will Edenshaw cruises off on her yacht, Nellie will have him arrested for grand
theft! And Will hasn't the heart to foreclose on a homeless, jobless widow. But
once at sea, life aboard the Isadora becomes perilous. Will's in hot pursuit,
and there's no place Nellie can run and hide from her heart. But there are also
others in pursuit—a grizzled old sea dog and a bald-headed man with a gun—and
Nellie and Will don't know why. But as they venture into rough waters, it's
evident that whoever's in pursuit is dead set on seeing Nellie... dead.

NEVER TOO LATE

SOMETIMES
WHEN IT'S LEAST EXPECTED, LOVE FINDS ITS WAY... When Andrea and Jerry set out
on a luxury cruise neither wanted, before long they find themselves drawn into
a drug-smuggling scheme by the smooth-talking Italian who singled Andrea out
for flattery the first day aboard. That's also when Andrea and Jerry begin to
see each other in a whole different light, one that ignites a flame that had
long since died.

HISTORICAL
ROMANCES

COLBY'S CHILD

He's
a man with a dark past, a quick hand on the draw, and a soft spot for her
child. She's a widow who needs protection. A marriage of convenience is the
means of keeping her safe in a town populated by gold miners, dance hall girls,
and scurrilous men, until her gold mine is producing and she can return east.
But soon after Jenny MacDonald marries Jason Colby, she finds herself falling
in love with a man whose dark past is quickly catching up with him, the very
man who might have killed her husband.
  

HER MASTER'S TOUCH

She's
the mystery debutante of the season, who arrived on the London scene as if from
out of nowhere. But Lord Damon Ravencroft knows her dark secret. Two years
before, when she was roaming with Gypsies and living by her wits in India, he
hired her as a housemaid, and she stole from him a rare and valuable opal once
belonging to the Empress Josephine. Damon intends to be compensated for its
loss, which set him back years in his quest to prove his innocence in a crime
he's accused of committing. The sizable dowry that comes with Lady Elizabeth
Sheffield's hand in marriage is a start. It's also his price to keep her secret
from all of London. But there's more to the marriage of convenience that Damon
proposes than Elizabeth anticipated, but by the time she learns what it is,
she's trapped into a marriage to a man who both stirs her passions and fuels
her resentment for the man she was forced to wed.
 

COME BE MY LOVE

When
Sarah Ashley arrives in Victoria, British Columbia to open a mercantile for the
manufacture and sale of bloomer costumes, she turns Governor Jonathan
Cromwell's colony upside down. But while her enterprise is diving the town and
disrupting every facet of Jon's life, he can't decide whether to seduce the
stunning suffragette into sweet submission, set more obstacles in her path, or
send her away to preserve his colony. But Sarah didn't liquidate her entire
savings and sail all the way from San Francisco to Victoria just to have her
dreams dashed by Vancouver Island's arrogant young governor. Come hell or high
water, she will establish her business despite Jon's unfairly imposed
obstacles... and a longing heart that tempts her to surrender her principles
for one night of passion with the insufferably handsome rogue.
 

WICKED TEMPTATIONS

Having a close resemblance to
Queen Elizabeth I, and claiming descendance, served Priscilla Phipps well when
as a girl she was teased mercilessly about her carrot-red hair and
bleached-white skin. So on arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming, when she implies as
much to avoid a humiliating situation, she suddenly finds herself sought after
by the matriarchs of Cheyenne's wealthy British cattle barons. But Priscilla
didn't come west to be sucked up into British society. She came on a wagon
train with homesteaders to start a newspaper addressing the needs of women, and
she will not be deterred from her goal, even if it means facing up to the
powerful Wyoming Stock Grower's Association and cattle barons like Adam
Whittington who want every homesteader run out of the territory. But Adam has
his own means of handling the troublesome spinster who's stirring up a cauldron
of controversy with her
Town Tattler
scandal sheet, alienating every cattleman in the area, and even threatening his
run for mayor.

PERILOUS PLEASURES

Loving
a man who faces death every day of his life can be wearing Joanna Livingston
learns, soon after Stefan Janacek joins the show with his big cat act. Before
Porter Brother's took Stefan on, Joanna was star of a major vaudeville show
that traveled the Mississippi on a luxurious stern wheel steamer. Then a man
with the charm of a British lord and the body of a gladiator joined the show
and stole the limelight, along with Joanna's heart. But working with big cats
is all Stefan knows, which means being under contract with a major show. So
ultimately Joanna has to make a painful decision: stay with the show and live
in fear, or leave the show, and Stefan, and at last have peace of mind.