The Reluctant Rancher (13 page)

He stood behind her – t
all, dark and silent, a cigarette dangling between two lean fingers.
 
He took several draws before he crossed the room to stab it out in the crystal trinket dish on her dresser.
Mary c
ouldn’t suppress her shudder when
his shoulder brushed hers.

“Joseph said you needed some help,” he said in a low lazy drawl.
 
His gaze
 
raked across the tops of her exposed
breasts.
 
“Let me get you free.”

Without waiting for permission, he proceeded to zip up h
er dress.
 
Mary shivered again when
his neatly trimmed fingernails scraped the creamy skin of her spine as he worked the tangled fabric free.
 
Moments later she felt the reassuring pressure as he fastened her dress.

“Thank you
.”
She turned
to face him.
 
“I can manage from here.”

“You are so beautiful.” H
is eyes darkened as he spoke.

S
he shook her head denying his words.

“You are beautiful,” he insisted
.
“Firm and soft and silky to the touch.”

“Please,” she whispered, whether to beg for the kiss shining in his eyes or to ask him to leave she did not know.

Luke laughed
,
his face taunt.
 
“Please what, Mary?
 
Please stop wanting you?
 
Please stop aching for you? I wish to God I could.”
 
Turning on his heel, h
e strode from the room, slamming the door as he left.

Mary bowed her head and took several gulps of air, resting her shaking hands on the edge of the ornate dresser. She could no longer deny her feelings for the hard-nosed rancher.
 
The first time she’d seen Luke, even from a distance, she’d felt a deep, sensual pull as old as time itself.
 
And the past month and a half had only brought home to her just how much she cared for the silent man who would ne
ver be more than just her boss.

Innocent and inexperienced though she was
,
she knew Luke desired her and would probably enter into an affair if she gave him the slightest encouragement.
 
But Mary wanted more.
 
She wanted someone to love her always, someone to spend her life with.
 
And that someone would not be Luke Tanner.
 
He was too bitter, to heart sore to see th
e life they could have together.

She sighed with regret for things that would never be and
gathere
d her purse. She was determined to en
joy this night no matter what.

* * * * *

Cars crowded the parking lot at the community center.
 
Mu
sic floated through the air and
the sound of people having a wonderful time could be heard for miles around.

The only blemish on the night was the slight rain that continued to fall.
 
But even that could not put a damper on the festivities.
 
The local high school Beta Club members, armed with oversized umbrellas, had volunteered to escort the partygoers from their cars to the doorway and everyone arrived happy and dry.

The citizens of Fiddler Creek and the surrounding county enjoyed these community get-toge
thers.
Some waited anxiou
sly until their sweethearts
asked them to the dance, while others looked forward to
perhaps starting
something
new and exciting.

Men dressed in tuxedos escorted women draped in
faux
diamonds and pearls.
 
Much to Mary’s surprise just as many were dressed in denim and polyester.
 
She could have worn her jeans and sweater and no one would have paid the least bit of att
ention.
 
The soft swirl of satin-
lined velvet against her legs made her glad she had dressed up.
 
After all, Cinderella only went to the ball once.

“T
here’s a buffet line over there
.”
L
uke pointed to
t
hree large tables laden with desserts and fi
nger foods that
surrounded the dance floor.
 
The array would see the partygoers through the long evening hours and even until early morning.
 
She’d given the Circle T’s contribution to the dance committee yesterday.
“You might want to get something to eat.
 
You barely touched your dinner.”

Mary’s heart raced at his observation
,
taking it as another small sign of c
oncern for her welfare.
 
“I was too
nervous.
 
I’ve never been comfortable in large crowds.
 
I guess that’s why I’ve never attended one of these dances before.”

Luke frowned.
 
“If you’d rather leave, I’ll take you home and then come back for grandfather later.”
 
Even though they had all driven to the dance together, Joseph had excused himself the moment they
’d
arrived.

Mary’s spine stiffened with hurt pride.
 
It seemed Luke had changed his min
d and didn’t want to be there –
at least not with her.
 
She might have known her fairy tale night would turn into
a tale from the Brothers Grimm.

“If you want to leave, go ahead.
 
I’ll be fine.”
 
She held her head high and her shoulders straight.
 
She’d been rejected before.
 
It
would
only hurt for a little while.
At least that’s what she told herself.

Luke cursed and pulled her to the back of the room.
 
“Look, Mary,” he said, his mouth a thin line of anger.
 
“I don’t want you to leave and I don’t want to leave.
 
You’ve got me so tied up in knots I don’t know if I’m coming or going.
 
You’re nothing like the other women I’ve dated.”

“Oh.”
 
Mary felt crushed at his words and her world came crashing down around her ears all over again.
 
But she didn’t let him see the pain.
 
“You don’t think I’m pretty enough or slim enou
gh to be seen with you, right?”

“Damn it, Mary,” Luke growled. “T
hat’s not what I meant.
 
Someone did a number on you didn’t they?”

She shrugged
.
“Maybe.”

Luke moved closer.
 
“Who was it?”

She laughed, the sound just short of being hysterical.
 
“It would be easier to list who it wasn’t
.”

“You have no confidence in your ability to please a man, do you?
 
You have no idea just how beautiful you are.”

“I’m not beautiful, Luke.
 
I wish you would stop saying that.”

“Maybe if I say it enough, you’ll start to believe me.
 
Maybe if I show you how much you make me want you, you’ll do something about it.
 
What do you say, Mary? Care to prove you’re
not
a desirable woman?”
 
His tone was challenging at best, belligerent at most.

But for once Ma
ry refused to rise to the bait.

“Please
, Mary.
 
I want to dance with you tonight.
 
I want to feel my arms around you even if it is in the middle of a damn crowd.”

Mary wanted to stay more than anything.
 
To stay in his arms forever.
 
To receive the promises she saw glittering in his green eyes.
 
She knew her time with him was limited and knew when she did walk away, her heart would stay behind.

“
So, you’re
ask
ing me out?” she teased
, making up her mind to seize the moment.

Luke
grinned and
nodded his head.

“Then as your date,” she emphasized the last word with a small, shy smile.
 
“I think it’s only fair to warn you, I’m starving.
 
Let’s eat.”
 
She took his hand and marched him to the buffet line.
 
The appetite which had deserted her earlier at the ranch returned in full.
 
After
 
they filled
 
their plates, Luke led her to a quiet corner.

“Shouldn’t
we join Joseph?” S
he took her seat,
secretly
delighted that he had chosen a table away from the crowd.

“Afraid to be alone with me?”
A mischievous spark danced
i
n his hooded eyes.

“I don’t know.
Are you going to turn into a big, bad wolf?”

“The way you look
tonight, you never know, darlin’
.
” His eyes lingered on the swells of her breasts. “
You never know.”

Mary’s heart sang.
 
“I just thought it would be rude of us not to join him.”

“Don’t worry about Granddad, he’s okay.
 
He’s with Sara.”
 
He pointed to the far corner where his grandfather sat with a dark haired woman a few years his junior.
 
Luke went on to explain that the two had been dating on and off for over a year.

“Are you sure that’s all you want?”
 
He nodded at her plate.

Mary
h
ad filled her plate with chocolate covered strawberries and nothing else.
 
“I guess I kind of went overboard, didn’t I?
 
But it’s Jennifer’s fault.
 
These are her specialty and they’re delicious.
 
Have you ever had one?”

Luke shook his head.
 
“But don’t let me stop you.
 
Go ahead and eat.”
 
He took one from her plate and held it to her mouth.

Mesmerized, she sank her teeth into the red, ripe flesh.
The rich creamy chocolate blended perfectly with the berry’s sweetness.
As she finished the luscious tre
at, she licked the excess
 
juice
 
from her lips.

“
Y
ou taste one
.” S
he held out large berry.

Almost savagely
,
he bit the fruit in half
. The juice ran down her hand.
B
efore she could grab a
napkin, Luke
brought her hand
to her mouth and
licked
her fingers –
one at a time.
 
A heaviness settled low in her stom
ach and a delicious warmth flooded
her insides.

A
blare of music
signaled the start of the dance and t
he floor filled up quickly.
 
Mary pushed the last of her food away, her heart pounding too
 
fast
 
to finish.
 
Unconsciously, her toe started tapping to the beat of the music.

Luke stared at
her.
 
The look in his eyes
 
made her nervous.
 
When would he ask her to dance?
 
Would it be a fast dance or a slow dance?
 
It would feel like heaven to be in his arms.

“Let’s go.”
 
He pushed his chair back
.
The metal legs scraped against the concrete floor.