They agreed on 3:00 p.m. and Connor walked them out to their cars. Jake hung back and, after Gavin had driven away, he asked, “So, what do you think of her?”
“Who?”
“You know who.”
Yeah, Connor did, and he didn’t want to talk about it. “It’s a job.”
“There’s chemistry there.”
It wasn’t a question, and even if it had been, Connor couldn’t deny it. And he still didn’t want to talk about it.
“I knew there would be. It’s part of the reason I recommended you for the job.”
What was he, some kind of matchmaker now? “Well, you were wasting your time.”
“You know, Connor, it wouldn’t kill you to relax and have some fun for a change. Do something for yourself.”
“You would know a lot about that,” Connor said, regretting his harsh tone the second the words left his mouth. He wasn’t being fair. Jake had changed. And he’d proven that in his race for mayor.
Jake being Jake, the insult slid right off his back. “Connor, you’d be amazed what finding the right woman can do to a man.”
There was no right woman for Connor. And even if he found her, it simply couldn’t be. He had too much anger, too much rage. He could try to explain, but Jake would never understand. They might look alike, but inside they couldn’t be more different.
The truth was, Connor wished he were more like his brother.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at three,” Connor said, opening Jakes car door.
Taking Connor’s not so subtle hint, Jake grinned and got inside. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Connor watched him drive away, until his taillights were two red specks in the blackness of the night, then he went in the house to find Nita and tell her about tomorrow’s meeting. Will was in the family room watching a football game.
“Where’s Nita?”
Will barely glanced up at Connor, his attention rooted to the television. “She went out to the stable for something. Said you could meet her out there.”
Connor closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. She’d done it again. She’d completely ignored what he’d assumed was a pretty direct order. And by doing so, had once again put herself in danger. She didn’t seem to understand how serious this situation had become.
Anger shooting his blood pressure into the red zone, Connor stomped his way through the kitchen and mudroom out into the night. The sky was overcast and black as pitch. It was so dark the back porch light barely lit his way to the stable. From the bunkhouse he could hear laughter and music and warm light glowed behind the curtains.
The main stable was dark.
She’s in there, perfectly safe, he told himself. She’d only left the lights off to scare him. That’s what he had to believe, because the alternative wasn’t even worth considering.
He pulled the door open and stepped inside, his eyes taking a second to adjust to the dim light, relief washing over him when he saw Nita. Relief that quickly dissolved into anger.
She stood in front of Goliath’s stall, illuminated only by the lamp burning on the desk in the stable office. Soft light surrounded her, making her hair shimmer as she moved, making her skin look soft and translucent. She looked…beautiful. If he hadn’t been so damned mad, it would have taken his breath away.
“So, this is how it’s going to be,” he said. “You slipping away from me whenever I’m not looking?”
She ran a brush down the side of the horse’s neck. “I like to come out here at night. It’s peaceful. It helps me think.”
“And it’s dangerous.”
“I’m all right, aren’t I?”
“Do you have any idea what’s at stake here? I’ve seen what people will do for money, the lengths they’ll go to. That gold is worth millions, and someone is after it. Right now you’re the only thing standing in their way.”
“I refuse to be a victim. To be afraid in my own home.” She turned to face him and for a moment he was taken aback. She may have sounded confident and downright belligerent, but he could see genuine concern in her eyes. And fear. Their discovery tonight had obviously ruffled her more than she’d let on, and the anger he’d been feeling slipped.
“You don’t have to be a victim, but you do have to be smart,” he said, suddenly feeling sorry for her. She was so tough, so burdened with responsibility, he wondered if she ever allowed herself to let it all go. To be vulnerable.
Somehow he doubted it.
“We can’t let word out that the gold is here,” she said. “We’ll have every kook in the county trying to find it. And what if it’s all a ruse? What if that map is some kind of red herring?”
As he drew closer to her, his body came alive with awareness. He couldn’t be in the same room without getting caught up in her scent, without being mesmerized by the way her body moved. “I have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the feud. It seems there have been new developments. Maybe it will help us to figure out who’s responsible.”
“I just want this to be over before our business is ruined,” she said, frustration keen in her voice. She turned to hang the brush back on its hook, but not before he could see the stark sadness on her face. His first instinct was to pull her into his arms and just hold her. To give her the freedom to let go.
He stepped up behind her and laid his hands over her shoulders, realizing instantly that touching her had been a mistake. The contact shot through him like jolt of pure energy. But by then it was too late. The second he touched her, Nita turned and pressed herself against him. His arms naturally went around her, holding her close. He had never imagined that something as simple as holding a woman could feel so damned good. So…erotic. He was hyperaware of every inch of her supple figure, the body heat that seeped though her clothes.
Instead of pulling away, he let his cheek rest against the softness of her hair. He wanted to tangle his fingers through it, tilt her head and kiss her. Take everything he’d never let himself take from a woman and give it all back in return.
Nita’s hands flattened against his back and began to drift slowly downward. She pressed her face against his chest, her breath hot through his shirt. He could tell by her increased breathing, by the way her body went from rigid and tense to soft and pliable, she was just as aroused.
Then he felt her breath on his neck, her lips on his throat. He had to stop this. He had to end it before they went too far, before they reached the point of no return. What had made him think he could touch her this way without wanting more?
“Don’t do that,” he croaked, barely able to push the words out, to contain the desire building inside of him.
“Why? I know you want me to.” Her hands cupped his backside, and she arched against him. “I can feel how much.”
“I’ll hurt you, Nita. Even if I don’t want to.”
Her teeth scraped his earlobe and he fisted his hands to keep from caressing her. “Have I ever once given you the impression that I can’t fend for myself?”
Why couldn’t she listen? Why couldn’t she see the mistake she was making? “Not from me you can’t.”
“You’re not nearly as tough as you think.”
She ran her tongue along the seam of his ear and it was more than he could take. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away.
“I don’t know how else to say this to you, Nita. I’m not interested.”
For a second she looked stunned, then her eyes darkened