Duncan's Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

he smiled, and wonder if he had ever been carefree. This man wasn’t a stranger to rough times or hard work.
    â€œLet’s go fetch your other luggage,” he said, breaking the silent confrontation. It was a long drive back to the ranch, and he was impatient to be on the way. Chores had to be done no matter how late he got back.
    His voice was a baritone, a bit gravelly. Madelyn registered the rough texture of it even as she nodded toward the carry-on bag. “That’s it.”
    â€œAll of it?”
    â€œYes.”
    If all her clothes were in that one small bag, she sure hadn’t made any big plans to impress him withher wardrobe, he thought wryly. Of course, she would impress him most without any wardrobe at all.
    He bent down to lift the carry-on, still keeping his hand on her arm. She was pure, walking provocation, totally unsuitable for ranch life, but every male hormone in him was clanging alert signals. She was only going to be here for a day; why shouldn’t he enjoy being with her? It would be sort of a last fling before settling down with someone better prepared for the job, and job it would be. Ranching was hard work, and Madelyn Patterson didn’t look as if she had ever been exposed to the concept.
    Right now, though, he didn’t mind, because she was so damn enticing and he was dead tired of the relentless months—years—of sixteen-hour days and backbreaking work. He would take her out to eat tonight, after his chores were done; maybe they’d go to Jasper’s for some dancing, and he’d hold her in his arms for a while, feel the softness of her skin, smell her perfume. Who knew, maybe when they went back to the ranch it wouldn’t be to separate beds. He’d have to be up front in telling her that she wasn’t right for the job, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding, but maybe it wouldn’t make any difference to her. Maybe.
    His hand naturally moved from her arm to her back as he led her out of the terminal. Deliberately he set about charming her, something he had once done with women as effortlessly as he had smiled. Those days were far in the past, but the touch remained. She chatted easily, thank God, asking questions about Montana, and he answered them just as easily, letting her relax and get comfortable with him, and all the while he studied her face and expressions.
    Strictly speaking, she was merely pretty, but her facewas lit by a liveliness that made her stunningly attractive. Her nose had a slight bump in it and was just a tiny bit crooked. A light dusting of freckles covered the bridge of it and scattered across her cheekbones, which were exquisitely chiseled. World-class cheekbones, just like her legs. Her lips weren’t full, but her mouth was wide and mobile, as if she were forever on the verge of smiling. Her eyes were the grayest eyes he’d ever seen. They were calm, sleepy eyes that nevertheless revealed on closer inspection an alert and often amused intelligence, though he didn’t see what she found so amusing.
    If he’d met her before his rotten marriage and disastrous divorce, he would have gone after her like gangbusters, and gotten her, too, by God. Just the thought of those legs wrapped around his waist brought him to instant, uncomfortable arousal. No way, though, would he let his gonads lead him into another unsuitable marriage. He knew what he wanted in a wife, and Madelyn wasn’t it. She didn’t look as if she’d ever even seen a steer.
    None of that decreased his physical response to her one whit. He’d been attracted to a lot of women at first sight, but not like this, not like a slam in the gut. This wasn’t just attraction, a mild word to describe a mild interest; this was strong and wrenching, flooding his body with heat, making him grow hard even though he sure as hell didn’t want to here in the middle of the airport. His hands actually hurt from wanting to touch her,