His by Valentine's Day Read Online Free PDF Page A

her that first time he came to the ranch. She hadn't been impressed by him in any way, and yet he'd sensed her physical interest in him. It was clear she thought him a worthless playboy, probably thanks to the numerous magazine articles that exaggerated his affairs...well, only slightly exaggerated them, if he were honest with himself. Still, he didn't like her feeling that way about him. Yes, getting her to change her opinion of him would be a challenge. He couldn't remember a woman ever turning him down when he'd showed any interest in her. Certainly his wealth, his power as a major player in the business world, and his reputation as a skilled lover had always worked to his advantage before. But not with Shawna. No, all of it seemed to work against him this time. Interesting.
    The big, two-story stone and log house came into view, pulling his thoughts away from the strength of his desire for Shawna. He knew the house had been built nearly seventy-five years ago by a previous owner, but that's all he knew about the place. He hadn't even taken the time to look inside it or really look at any of the numerous ranch buildings when he'd been here in November. Shawna had distracted him too much. She'd been distracting him ever since then as well. He could not get her out of his mind.
    He drove through slushy puddles toward the heart of the ranch. As he drew nearer the main house, he spotted Scott Terrell striding out of the much smaller house to the side of the bigger one. The big man didn't look happy. Cade was pretty sure his attitude had something to do with Shawna.
    Pulling up in front of the small A-frame house, Cade waited for Scott to walk over to meet him. The man's expression was definitely strained; his jaw tight; his shoulders beneath the heavy coat he wore appeared stiff.
    Cade lowered the driver's window and shivered as the bitter cold air swept into the warm SUV. "Did you get her to go to a doctor?"
    Scott strode up, stood in the snow and didn't even seem to notice it. He shook his head. "Damn stubborn female wouldn't even talk about it. But she's sicker than a..." He stopped himself, blew out a steadying breath. "She doesn't have the strength to stay upright, but won't stay down, either. Coughing something awful. Chills that rattle her bones. Fever that doesn't seem to want to break. If you hadn't called earlier saying you were on your way here, I would have hauled her ass into Topeka. Taken her to an emergency center."
    Cade knew he was facing a showdown of possibly epic proportions, but he'd faced worse. He could deal with her. "Things will be changing today, I guarantee it."
    While he was preparing to say more, Scott's attention shifted away from him. The cowboy cursed a blue streak and went stomping back to the small house. "Dammit, Shawna. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
    Cade's gaze followed him, then he growled a few curses himself and shoved out of the SUV. He didn't reach for his coat in the back seat. He didn't even care about the snow burying his brand new boots. His entire focus was on the petite woman standing in the doorway of the house wearing flannel pajamas and pink fuzzy slippers. Standing there shivering as the bitter wind swirled around her.
    "I needed to tell you--" Shawna said in a scratchy, raw sounding voice.
    Scott stood toe-to-toe with her, his big body tense in fury. "There isn't a damn thing you need to tell me right now. All you need to do is get the hell back in bed!"
    She coughed and Cade saw her whole body shake from the effort. His stomach knotted. She looked horrible, sounded worse. It scared him. Pneumonia, he was sure of it.
    "I'll handle this," Cade stated grimly. He strode up beside Scott and was pleased to see the other man give him a curt nod of agreement. Maybe there was a hint of relief, too. He already knew how much trouble she'd been giving her men lately. It stopped now.
    Shawna's fever-fuzzy eyes blinked at him, evidently not having seen the big black Suburban