Wrangling Wes. Jacquelin Thomas

glared at Jameson, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

      “Have you decided yet what you want to be when you grow up?” his brother asked.

      “What do you mean by that?”

      “I think you know the answer to that question.”

      “I need to get back to my date,” Wesley stated. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

      Wesley experienced a gamut of perplexing emotions, but he refused to let them ruin his evening with Lydia. He understood his brother’s concerns when it came to women, but Wesley wasn’t worried about Lydia.

      She was a different type of woman than what he usually encountered.

      He paused in the doorway, observing as Lydia channel-surfed. She paused on the Discovery Channel. Wesley bit back a smile as she settled back to watch a documentary on chimpanzees.

      She has a thing for monkeys, he thought.

      Amused, he joined her on the sofa.

      Lydia glanced at him. “Is everything okay with your brother?”

      Wesley nodded. “Jameson can be very intense at times, but he’s harmless.”

      “I get the feeling that he doesn’t care much for me.”

      “He doesn’t know you,” Wesley responded.

      “You really don’t know anything about me, either,” she pointed out.

      “You’re right, so why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

      “We’ve just had a really nice dinner,” Lydia responded. “I’d rather not bore you into falling asleep.”

      * * *

      “There is something I really need to know. I know that you donated the money for charity, but why did you bid on me?” Wesley inquired of Lydia. “You and I had never met, so why did you do it?”

      “I told you,” she responded. “I’d heard some really nice things about you, and I came across a couple articles about you and your family a few months ago. I was impressed with what I read. One of the things I admire most is your community efforts.”

      “But why didn’t you bid on my brother or my grandpa?”

      Lydia shrugged. “I don’t know... I guess I just liked you best of all.”

      Wesley grinned. “I’m a lucky man.”

      “I have to confess that I almost bid for your grandfather though. It was a very hard decision.”

      He chuckled. “This is not the first time I’ve been told that. I guess my grandpa is still a ladies’ man. I have a confession to make, as well. I’m glad you chose me because I wanted to meet you. I don’t know... I felt a special connection to you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I saw you a couple of times at the fundraiser, but I didn’t get a chance to meet you until the auction.”

      Lydia was equally drawn to her date, which only served to make her feel guilty. She was not being honest with Wesley, and it bothered her. Lydia wanted him to know the real her—not some character she had created.

      “I’m so sorry, Wes,” she told him abruptly. “I didn’t realize the time. I should head back to the hotel.”

      “Why don’t you stay here at the ranch?” he suggested. “I’ll take you back in the morning.”

      Shaking her head no, Lydia responded, “I don’t want to impose on your family like this.” She needed to leave before she spilled out the truth.

      “They won’t mind,” Wesley assured her. “We have plenty of room. Lydia, you’re more than welcome to stay at my place, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

      “I really think that it’s best that I go back to the hotel.” She gazed at him. “I can call for a car if you’re not up to driving me back to Granger.”

      “Nonsense,” Wesley uttered. “I’ll drive you back.”

      “This has been a wonderful evening,” Lydia told him once they were back at the hotel. “In all honesty, it is the best date I’ve had. I really hope that doesn’t make me sound pathetic.”