That Night With the Rich Rancher Read Online Free PDF Page B

tonight.”
    “Maybe I’ve delayed that original agenda,” she said in a sultry voice. “I’m having fun, Tony. Fun that I don’t want to spoil. The night is magical, a trip into a world that doesn’t really exist. But for a few hours, we can pretend it does and enjoy it.”
    He raised her hand and brushed a light kiss on her knuckles, his breath warm on her hand.
    “I’m glad,” he said. “I’m not ready to tell you good- night and watch you walk away.” He placed his hands on the arms of her seat, facing her and leaning close, his voice dropping to a whisper as he said, “I want to hold you and kiss you again.”
    Her heart thudded and for the first time she realized she might be in trouble. Was Tony the one who would get what he wanted out of tonight instead of her? She’d planned to wring concessions from him, but now it seemed he was once again in control and she was under his spell. Not once had it crossed her mind that she could be so beguiled by him.
    And she was powerless to stop it.
    His gaze lowered to her mouth and suddenly she couldn’t get her breath. She tingled, feeling as if she strained to lean closer to him while she actually didn’t move at all. He moved closer, until his mouth settled on hers. He kissed her, another kiss that set her heart racing and made her want to move into his lap, wrap her arms around him and kiss for the rest of the flight.
    Instead, in seconds—or was it minutes?—she shifted away. “This plane isn’t the place,” she whispered reluctantly. She had to keep her wits about her. Had to mind her goal of working out her water problem, at least partially. Still, her breath came quick and shallow, matching his own.
    Looking at her mouth, he didn’t move for a moment and her heart continued to drum a frantic rhythm. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “I want to kiss you for hours.” His words caused a tremor to rock her. Another shock added to the continual shocks of the night. She had no choice but to admit the truth—she wanted him to kiss her for hours.
    As his gaze met hers, he scooted back into his seat and buckled his seat belt again.
    When her breathing returned to normal, she tried for conversation.
    “Why do you have a condo in Dallas? I thought you were as much into ranching as my brother Mike, that both of you had devoted your lives solely to ranching.”
    “I’m on two boards that meet in Dallas—for my brothers. Wyatt has recently acquired a bank and I’m on that board. Nick recently became owner of a trucking company with two close friends and I’m on that board, too. In Dallas, I have a small condo and I like having a place of my own I can go relax when I’m in the city. It’s convenient even though I don’t spend a lot of time there. I don’t have a regular staff in Dallas unless I plan to stay a long time, which rarely happens. Then I hire from a local agency to cook and clean.”
    “That makes sense.”
    “I spend most of my time on my ranch. When we’re back in our regular routines, I’d like for you to come over to the MH Ranch sometime. I have a new horse and I’m boarding a new quarter horse that Josh bought. You’re welcome to come see them, ride them and tell me what you think.”
    “Sure,” she said. “I suspect you better let all the guys who work for you know that you invited me or they’ll tell me I’m trespassing and toss me off your ranch.”
    He laughed. “I’ll tell them. Now if you’ll come wearing a dress with your hair down, they’ll be so dazzled, there’s no way they’ll mention trespassing. Far from it. We’ll all welcome you with open arms.”
    Smiling, she shook her head. “Nice try, but I don’t wear a dress to ride a horse.” She shrugged. “In fact, I don’t wear a dress anywhere around home. But you can tell them I’m coming.”
    “Sure. Better yet, let me know beforehand and I’ll pick you up. I probably should do that anyway, so they all know we have a truce of sorts.” He