Once and Always (Women of Character) (28 page)

Anna laughed with sheer enjoyment,
her heart bursting as the earlier uncertainty fell to dust. She was a
horsewoman, she had the skill to be a competitor, and embracing that truth
empowered her.

Ω

Tyler skimmed his glance over the
now empty paddocks. The extra help he'd hired to help set up for the open house
had long since left. He hadn't seen Annie since her remarkable riding
demonstration. She and Carol had banded together and they'd been surrounded by
people offering congratulations and asking questions, and he knew that was
right. Anna had ridden like the pro she was and deserved the recognition.
Already, a lot of interest was being generated, a sure indication that the next
several months would see an increase in business.

Tyler sat on the rail outside the
barn, enjoying the fading sun as it began its regal slide behind the mountain.
The day had been a success, there was no doubt in his mind, but he still found
himself surprised by the enormity of the turnout. He'd seen people he hadn't been
in contact with in years, and he sat here still blown away by their well
wishes.

Annie had been right all along. He
had been welcomed here. He'd always known who he was, until he came back to
this town, then he'd let doubt settle in. People came, liked what they saw and
it didn't matter that he was a man with a past. He was Tyler Stanton, a man in
his own right and maybe people were realizing he dealt an honest hand in all
his negotiations.

"Hello Tyler." Her voice
swept over him like a caress, firing his blood. Twisting around, he gripped the
fence post and watched Annie walk toward him, the last bit of sun silhouetted
behind her shoulders, outlining her hair in a blaze of red.

His heart began to pound. When had
he begun to love her?

"Hello, Annie." Did she
hear the longing in his voice? He needed to touch her. Tyler jumped to the
ground. "It's been an incredible day. It turned out well."

"Yes." She turned from
him to watch the sun disappear.

"You'll never guess who
stopped by to offer congratulations―your friend Tara."

"She knows a good man when
she sees one."

He sighed. "Maybe. She used
to love my dad. She didn't say too much about what happened, but they hurt each
other really bad and he didn't stay with her. Maybe he should have. I don't
ever remember him being happy with my mother. I have mixed feelings about their
past history, but in a way it makes me understand my dad a little more. I
realize I'm a lot like him."

"Tara never said anything.
It's awful to know the one you love is out of reach."

Tyler slid a hand across her
stomach from behind, felt her indrawn breath, then she leaned against him and
he closed his eyes briefly, wanting her so badly. "Feel sad for me. I've
missed you." He heard the roughness in his own voice and he ducked down to
kiss the side of her neck, breathing in her unique scent.

She looked up at him solemnly.
"How could you miss me? I've been right here."

"I've missed you all
week."

The urgency inside made him want
to devour her. He turned her to him, cupped her face and put his mouth on hers,
feeling her intake of breath. He wanted that breath, he wanted all of her, but
he made his hands go still on her face and he dropped his forehead to hers.

Slowly, Annie reached up and
traced her fingertips along his cheeks.

"I need to shave again,"
he said gruffly, gripping her hand.

She smiled. "I don't
care." Standing on tiptoe, she leaned against him. "I missed you all
week," she said, giving him back his own words, then she placed her mouth
against his and Tyler was lost. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her
hard up against him and he couldn't get close enough. "Come with me."

They were in the barn and Tyler
looked around, realizing somehow they'd made it to the tack room. The new horse
blankets were still piled on the desk. Tyler pulled one out, opened the blanket
and placed it on the old leather couch. When he turned his heart dropped to his
toes, then raced back up into his throat. Annie locked the door and then stood
there with just her T-shirt and jeans. She'd already pulled off her boots and
vaguely he noticed them in the corner of the room.

"Good thing you thought about
a lock on that door," she said softly, meaningfully.

"It doesn't matter," he
said hoarsely. "I sent everybody home." Tyler stood stock still, and
she came to him, her fingers deft as she unbuttoned his shirt. She pulled the
shirttail from his jeans and spread the shirt away from his chest. When she
moved in closer and put her mouth to his skin, he closed his eyes and his body
began to shake. He lost control. Tyler yanked his shirt off his arms and
dropped it on the floor.

He reached down with one hand and
pulled a boot off. Still holding Annie to him with one arm, he reached down on
the other side and pulled the other boot off. All the while she drove him
crazy, kissing her way up and down his chest and neck.

The soft sounds she made almost
put him over the edge. Pulling her into him with a hand at her waist, he felt
her slimness, then dropped his hands to her hips and brought her hard up
against him. She looked up at him then, her eyes bright with desire, lips
parted. He took her mouth, tracing her lips with his tongue, hardly able to get
enough of her. She pushed against him, so he stepped back, dazed, then realized
she was nudging him toward the couch. He felt the edge against his knees and
dropped down on the couch, spread his legs and pulled her between them. He
pushed her T-shirt up and put his mouth to her stomach, traced his way with his
tongue along her warm flesh. She gave a small squeal, then a murmur as he moved
closer, her body straining against him.

With shaking fingers Tyler
unbuttoned the snap on her jeans and slowly eased them down past her hips, her
legs, and she shifted her weight, lifted one foot and then the other. He threw
her jeans in the corner and pulled her down on top of him, but it wasn't close
enough. Trying not to scratch her soft skin with his rough, calloused hands,
Tyler put his hands under her shirt alongside her breasts and pushed the shirt
up and off her head. He grabbed her hair as it filled his hands like silk.
Tyler stood and quickly shucked his jeans.

Annie lay on the couch, her arms
lifted to him and he dropped down to her slowly, sliding his body along hers,
feeling her bare toes and as she moved them up the back of his legs and then
down. Her hands pushed at his boxers and then the material was gone, but still
they weren't close enough. Tyler gritted his teeth as her hands moved all over
him, exploring, caressing, molding his body to her needs, which became his
need.

He pressed her down into the couch
and her legs came up around him and she pushed up against him. When she shifted
back once more and discarded her briefs, Tyler took advantage when her breasts
moved within inches of his face. He kissed them, loving their feel, the
softness, her generosity in offering them.

Anna was sure she had gone to
heaven. Never had she experienced such an unbelievable storm of desire. When
Tyler's mouth closed on her breast, she felt as if all the breath in her body
let go. She felt his desire for her, yet he held back, even though his hands
shook. She brought his hand to her waist, felt it move to her hip and lower.
Joy filled her, joy in knowing how much this man meant to her, how much she
loved him.

She squirmed out from under him,
then moved to straddle him, dropping her head to plant kisses on his face, his
passion darkened cheeks. She stared a moment into his eyes, dark and intent,
his concentration so completely focused on her.

She dropped her body to his, felt
his instant reaction, yet he let her be the aggressor. Slowly, she sank down
upon his body, threading her fingers with his, aware of his strength and the
fact that he could take over at any moment, but chose to let her lead him in
this dance. She played upon his body, taking him inside and retreating,
clenching her teeth in an agony of feeling, wanting to go fast, to speed up the
sensation, yet prolonging it, tormenting them both.

Tyler suddenly pushed up against
her, and they rode the sensation, taking and giving until all energy was spent
and they lay in each other's arms, silent and unmoving.

Anna's thoughts whirled in her
head as she stared at the saddles and bridles hanging neatly side by side along
the wall, the cleaning hook where she'd wiped down countless bridles after
riding. She stared at Martin's old pine desk with the pigeonholes, remembering
how she'd stuffed little notes in the holes for Martin to find, notes with
pictures she'd drawn.

"I want you in my life,"
he said, his voice husky as he drew circles on her arm with a fingertip.
"I love you."

Anna looped her arms around his
neck and squeezed him as emotion threatened to spill over. "I love you
too," she admitted, resting her palms flat against his cheeks.

"I want a future
together."

"Here at the ranch," she
said, excitement filling her totally. It was all she'd ever dreamed. Tyler, the
ranch, the two of them together. She suddenly went still, and she dropped her
head forward. "How could I forget?" She put her head back. "The
Rollaway Centre has already made you an offer, haven't they, one that's too
good to turn down. I saw the guy from the Centre here today."

Tyler's expression suddenly became
guarded. "There were a lot of horse industry people here today, I'm sure
they knew about the open house."

He was right but Anna felt choked,
unable to speak. The warmth from their lovemaking dissolved and she bit her lip
as she stared at the wall behind his shoulder. Why couldn't she be happy that
he loved her and wanted her with him? Why wasn't it enough?

"I want to marry you,"
he said.

"Tyler, I love you more than
anything, but I can't leave."

"Let's get it straight, you
won't leave." His eyes darkened and his mouth straightened.
"Apparently, that love doesn't extend further than the ranch." He sat
up abruptly. "But then, that's old news, isn't it?"

Before she could protest the
unfairness of that statement, he rose to his feet. His features looked cold,
imposing, and a chill touched her. Quickly, she picked up her clothes,
devastated that this was a scene from long ago replaying itself out. Would they
always leave each other?

"Come on, that's not fair!
Their offer could be a great opportunity―but what about the Double B and
the lease you signed?" Everything was spinning out of control.

She yanked her shirt down over her
head and quickly dressed. "You've just asked me to marry you, knowing what
this ranch means to me, knowing―knowing how I feel about being anywhere
but here. But you're talking to others about a high profile position." She
threw up her hands, feeling wounded and betrayed. But why should she feel that
way, she reminded herself, she'd always known how ambitious Tyler was. He'd
never made it a secret. Maybe she'd naively hoped things would turn out differently,
that he'd love her so much he'd stay here, because this is where she belonged,
where she felt whole. "I know you can't turn it down, I'm sure it's too
good an offer."

"Annie―"

"Tyler, I won't be the one
standing in the way of something you want. In your heart you want it so bad, I
know that, so don't deny it." She shook his hand off her arm. "Do
what you have to do," she said, not knowing how they'd make it through
this. All she knew was she had to get away because the anguish inside was too
much to bear. "I've got to go."

Ω

Tyler strode back into the barn,
feeling like he had a hole in his gut eight inches wide.

From out of nowhere, a ball of
gray fur shot across the small room, executing a series of hops and jumps
before it stopped by his feet and wound its small body around his boots. With a
shake of his head, he leaned down and scratched the kitten's head, momentarily
taken back by the animal's loud purring. He picked up the kitten and continued
to stroke her, willing his emotions to calm. He wouldn't lose Annie, he vowed
fiercely. He carried the purring animal with him and deposited her in her
blanket-lined crate with her brothers.

Tyler turned off the lights and closed the barn door. The
thoughts in his head told him he was on the verge of losing everything he
wanted. Annie.

Anna lifted her face
to the morning sky, grateful for the gentle breeze. After a night of restless
tossing, she'd come to the barn early for a ride and she and Spirit had ridden
for hours.

Rain showers during the night had
brought new life to the landscape. As she rode now along an old logging road,
Anna enjoyed the earthy scent of leaves and dirt churned by her horse's hooves.
It was as if everything was fresh and clean and life felt full of new possibilities.
But how could that be when her chest felt tight and heavy with fear? Fear that
she'd pushed Tyler away.

Anna nudged Spirit toward home. A
sprinkling of light gave chase through the trees, but they eluded the sun's
rays with feet as swift as the wind. Spirit's hooves ate up the track, the
sound like a heartbeat in the late morning hush.

As they entered the barnyard she
saw Tyler immediately. Joy filled her, but she stopped herself from calling out
to him, suddenly afraid of why he waited for her, bareheaded, the slight breeze
lifting his hair. She slowed Spirit to a walk, noticing how the sun glinted off
Tyler's dark glasses, hiding his eyes from her. The time had come where neither
one of them could hide any longer. If they were to have a future, their
feelings and needs had to be brought out in the open.

Tyler pulled off the glasses. Now
she could see the warmth and caring he made no attempt to hide. She caught her
breath, feeling as if the air around them sparked and a little of the heaviness
lifted inside.