horses—if he asked for a little more each time, eventually they’d form a true partnership.
“We can keep what happened this weekend a secret,” he said. “For a while.”
“Forever,” she said. “I’ve worked in places where…” She swallowed hard. “Where women had sex with the boss. I’d lose everyone’s respect.”
“I’m not your boss. And that wasn’t just having sex,” he said. “It was a whole lot more than that.”
That wasn’t what he’d intended to say, but it was true. Because—what was it? Why was he so smitten with her? Why was he even here?
“Because I’ve been running away from who I am all my life, just like you.” He was sensing the truth as he formed it into words. “You’re a class act, Sarah. No one would ever know you weren’t born to wine and fine china. But underneath all that, you and I are a whole lot alike—it’s just that we’re moving in different directions.” He smiled. “Maybe we could meet in the middle.”
His words surprised him as much as they’d surprised her. He hadn’t realized his feelings until he put them into words, but what else could have made him come to the office on a Friday morning, like a regular nine-to-five wage slave?
He peeled one of her hands off the desk, then the other. She didn’t help him any, but she let him. As he looked down at her, the office seemed to fade away. He could smell flowers. Hear music. What the hell?
He looked her straight in the eye. “Look, if you want to keep this a secret, we can do that. Whatever you want—for a while. But eventually, your coworkers are going to have to get over the idea of us being together.”
The scent of flowers hit him again, along with the hum of voices. You may kiss the bride. He heard the words as clearly as if they’d been spoken and stepped back, dropping Sarah’s hands.
A wedding? What was he, a woman?
Now he knew how a horse felt the first time it saw the halter. He’d never had thoughts like that before. Maybe he had one of those biological clocks or something. Next he’d be picturing kids. A little boy, maybe, or a girl like Sarah. He could see the little tomboy she used to be in her face right now, as she looked up at him and struggled for composure.
Aw, hell. He ought to stay away from this woman. He’d always figured on finding some starry-eyed buckle bunny to marry someday, one of those girls who looked at him like he was some sort of hero. He wanted a passel of kids, a little home on the range. Sarah was hardly what he had in mind.
But taking the easy road with women had never gotten him anywhere. Maybe it was time for something different. More of a challenge.
Bending his head, he cupped the back of her head in one hand and kissed her, gently at first, then harder. She stiffened against him but he persisted and finally she relented, letting him wrap his arms around her and pour his soul into figuring out just what it was about her that had him so damn confused.
***
Sarah held onto her anger as long as she could, stiffening in Lane’s arms and resisting his kiss. This man was going to ruin her life, she was sure of it. He was a cowboy, after all. His life was one long road trip, and he liked it that way. He’d never settle down with one woman. If she was stupid enough to risk her job for him he’d be gone in a month, off to the next town and the next woman, leaving her life in ruins with that sexy sideways grin and a wave of his hand.
And her job—how could she trust him? She’d caught him asking Eric if he knew where she was from. He’d proven he couldn’t be trusted.
She told herself all these things, blocking her emotions with logic like a fighter pilot throwing out chaff, but the kiss shot right through her defenses and made a direct hit on her heart.
Yes, he was a rodeo cowboy and a ladies’ man. But he was a study in contradictions: a gentle, kind man who rode wild animals to a standstill, a rich man who loved the grit and grime of the rodeo, a cowboy with class. And job or no job, this kiss was sincere.
As the kiss deepened, she struggled to remember why she cared so much