The husky sound sent a wave of desire flooding through her. She felt hot and dizzy, teetering on the edge of climax. Dallas pulled her tighter against him, fitted his erection into the notch formed by her thighs, rubbed himself against her. All the time he kept kissing her, kneading her breasts, using his tongue in an erotic imitation of what he meant to do to her body. He tugged the ribbon off her braid, sank his hands into the ripply strands of her hair, fisted them, dragged her head back, and kissed her again.
"God, I hope I'm not scaring you," he said between ragged breaths, voicing the thought she'd had just moments before.
Patience pressed her mouth against the side of his neck, went up on her toes and lightly bit his earlobe. "I'm not the least afraid."
She felt his muscles tighten, straining with his effort at control. "God, I want you. I want to tear off your clothes and bury myself so deep you start coming and never stop." Kissing her shoulders, he moved lower and began to feast on her breasts. She felt his teeth scrape against her nipple and heat washed over her, so fierce she swayed on her feet.
"You make me feel...so good," she whispered, and Dallas kissed her savagely again. She had never met a man who could kiss the way he did, or seemed to enjoy it so much. He stopped only long enough to strip her jeans down her legs, then bent and tugged off her boots. The jeans were gone, leaving her in only her red thong panties. He slid his fingers inside the damp satin, began to stroke her, and her body went up in flames.
Lifting her, he shoved the panties aside, wrapped her legs around his waist, and buried himself to the hilt. She came almost instantly, her head falling back, clamping down on her bottom lip to keep from moaning his name. The pleasure had barely begun to fade when he surged even more deeply and she started coming again.
Dallas kept a tight grip on her bottom, holding her in place to receive his heavy thrusts. She could feel the thick weight of his shaft as he drove into her several more times, then allowed himself to reach his own release.
For long seconds neither of them moved. Patience's head rested on his shoulder, her legs still circled his waist. Dallas released a weary sigh as he let her go and she slowly slid down his body. He stripped away the condom she had no idea he'd put on, zipped himself back inside his jeans, then bent his head and kissed her one last time.
"Now maybe I'll be able to think straight around you for a while."
Patience gave him a catlike smile, feeling feminine and sexy as she never had before she met him. "Don't count on it, cowboy."
Dallas laughed. Shaking his head, favoring his leg only a little, he walked over and untied the blanket behind his saddle, spread it out on the grass. Then he caught her hand and tugged her down beside him.
Leaning back, he propped himself on his elbows and cast her a serious glance. "I wish I could figure out what it is about you that drives me so crazy."
One of her eyebrows went up. "You think you've got a problem? Until I met you, my life was neat and orderly-everything planned out way ahead. I never did anything without thinking about it first. And I never would have believed I could share a strictly sexual relationship with a man."
His eyes locked on her face. "Is that what this is? A strictly sexual relationship?"
Patience swallowed against the lump that began to form in her throat. "You know it is. It has to be, Dallas."
He nodded, dragged his gaze away. "Yeah, I know." He didn't say more and neither did she. Both of them were thinking that the summer was slipping away and summer was all they had. They were just too different. It could never work between them. It was a fact that neither of them could change.
Patience reached up and cupped his cheek. "Dallas?"
He had put his hat back on-a dusty white straw in deference to the heat-and he smiled at her from beneath the brim. "What is it, darlin'?"
"Would you think I was greedy if I asked you to make love to me again?" He was already hard. She could see the heavy bulge at the front of his jeans, but he went harder still.
"I'd think you were almost as greedy as I am." Bending his head, he nibbled her lips, then very softly kissed her. Patience took off his hat and tossed it away, pulled his head down for another lingering kiss. They made love on the blanket, more slowly this time, then curled up next to each other to watch the sun slowly sink behind the hills.
It was time to leave, and so, regretfully, they did. Patience rode Gigi along the narrow trail behind Dallas, who led the way back to the house. She loved the way he looked on a horse, so tall and broad-shouldered, so casually straight in the saddle. His hat rode low and butter-soft jeans molded to his thighs.
It was impossible not to be attracted to a man who looked that good, that male, one who was also such a wonderful, considerate lover. It was hard not to fall in love with him.
She had to take care, she told herself, had to be wary, but a nagging voice warned that it was already too late.
Dusk settled in as they neared the big white, wood-framed house, turning the sky a soft pinkish purple. She could see the glow of the TV through the window of the family room, where Annie and Charlie sat watching a Seinfeld rerun, both of them laughing, curled up next to each other on the sofa.
A pang went through her. She would love to share that kind of closeness with a man. Maybe someday she would find someone who fit into her life the way Annie and Charlie fit together. Patience refused to think of Dallas in the role, knowing how impossible it would be. The fact was unbearably depressing.
Instead of joining the couple in the family room, she pled a case of travel weariness, said a brief good night, and headed upstairs to her room. She could feel Dallas watching her but he didn't ask her to stay and she wondered if his thoughts might be the same.
Annie watched Patience Sinclair leave the family room and head for the stairs. There was no mistaking the flush in her cheeks, or the satisfied male smile on Dallas's face when he walked into the room, hung his hat on the rack beside the door, and sat down in one of the brown leather chairs in front of the TV.
It was none of her business, Annie told herself. Both of them were adults. They had a right to live whatever kind of life they wanted. Annie just hoped Dallas didn't make the same mistake his mama had.
Not that she didn't like Patience. She was one smart little gal-getting herself a Ph.D., Charlie said, gonna be a professor at some fancy college in the East. But that was just the point. A professor and a cowboy. It just wouldn't work, even if the two of them wanted it to.
Annie had seen what had happened when Jolene married Avery. A rancher's daughter and a highfalutin, big-time Houston plastic surgeon, though, of course, he was still in medical school back then. What a disaster that turned out to be. Nothing but arguin' and fightin' about every little thing, one of them wanting to live the high life in the city, the other feeling out of place, begging to move back to her home in the country.
Far as Annie was concerned, it had driven Jolie Carson Kingman into an early grave, and it was the last thing she wanted for the boy she thought of as her son.
Annie sighed and clicked off the TV. Next to her, Charlie snored lightly. She nudged him a little and he grunted, blinked his eyes, and sat up on the sofa.
"Gettin' late," Annie said. "Time to go on up to bed."
Charlie's gave her a sleepy-eyed grin. "Bed, is it? Well, honey, you know I can't resist that kinda invitation."
Annie laughed and elbowed him in the ribs, but she didn't say no and she didn't mind at all when his hand went around her waist as they started up the stairs. Annie loved Charlie Carson, had loved him from the first time she had met him, right here on his daddy's ranch. Her mother had worked cleaning the house once a week, and on that summer day so long ago, Annie had come with her mama to help.
She remembered the exact moment Charlie Carson had walked in, wearing his worn jeans and boots, a battered straw hat, and a big, warm smile. Annie remembered thinking how handsome he was and that any man with a smile like that had to have a good heart. She had thought that if he did, Charlie Carson was the man she wanted to marry.
Annie shook her head, letting the sweet thoughts slip away. Charlie loved her. They were happy together, one of the most blessed couples that God had put on this earth. That's what she wanted for Dallas.
And it wasn't gonna happen with a city gal like Patience Sinclair.
Patience slept deeply. It was the clean country air and the quiet, she thought, combined with a mind-blowing, stress-relieving round of sex.
Dallas took her riding after breakfast that morning and this time he actually showed her some of the ranch. It was beautiful, a lot of wild, untamed hill country, as well as some really great cattle grazing land. Pride sparkled in his eyes as he talked about ranching and his dream of owning a place like the Circle C.
"I've been saving ever since I started rodeoing. Eventually, I'll have enough money to buy a spread of my own." He grinned. "All I have to do is keep winning."
But winning wasn't always easy, even for a champion like Dallas. His leg and shoulder were healing, but it wouldn't take much to injure them again and put him out of the running, at least for the rest of the year. She hoped he would be able to make the Finals, earn a chance at the really big money. Dallas deserved to be happy.
But then, so did she.
She watched the easy way he swung down from the saddle, the way his eyes swept the grassy meadow, the faint smile that edged his lips.
"You seem different out here." Patience swung down beside him. "More relaxed."
Dallas took her reins and tied both horses to a cottonwood tree. "This is the life I want, Patience. The life I've always wanted. I'm at home in the country. I could never feel that way in a city. It's something my father could never understand."
"Annie says your mother felt that way, too."
"Yeah, I suppose she did. She was never really happy in Houston. I used to feel sorry for her. I think her depression caused the cancer that finally killed her."
Patience reached over and linked hands with him and the sadness eased from his face. "I can see why you love it here so much. It's beautiful and in some way oddly compelling."
"It's the vastness, maybe, or the fact the land is still so untamed."
"You're right, there. Back in the old days, Comanche raided this area until almost 1880. It was a favorite hunting spot and also a source of paint."
"You mean like war paint?"
She nodded. "They found blue and yellow clay south of Bandera, red and white northwest of here."
Dallas chuckled. "Still full of trivia, I see."
Patience smiled. "Sorry."
"Don't be. It's interesting."
Patience squeezed his hand. She looked out over the open green fields. "You'll have your ranch someday, Dallas. I know you will."
He carried their linked fingers to his lips, kissed the back of Patience's hand. They made love there on the grass and afterward swam naked in the stream. It was a beautiful day she would always remember, followed by a memorable week. Except for a slight reticence on Annie's part, she was treated as if she were part of the family, joining easily into their way of life.
As Dallas had promised, they played cards a couple of nights. Patience thought she gained a little respect when she shot the moon playing Hearts, burying each of the other players in unwanted points. They played a little Texas Hold 'Em, and she was smart enough to let Annie win.
Apparently the woman wasn't fooled, which for some strange reason seemed to gain Patience another couple of Brownie points. Still, Annie was worried about Patience's involvement with Dallas. She didn't want him in a relationship with nowhere to go and that was exactly the sort they had.
Patience sighed as she headed downstairs. It was morning-but not by much. She wasn't normally an early riser, but this was a working ranch and for the people here, work started at the crack of dawn. Today the men would be rounding up Charlie's second string of bucking horses. They'd be loading the stock trucks sometime in the afternoon.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Dallas through the living room window, dressed in his worn jeans and boots, heading for the barn, looking so sexy a little curl of heat slid into her stomach. Annie might be worried about Dallas, but Patience wasn't. With the number of women who flocked around him at every rodeo he attended, he would hardly have time to miss her.
Dallas's life would return to normal, but Patience wouldn't forget him anytime soon. Leaving Dallas was going to hurt and she knew it. Still, he was hers for the present and she was determined to enjoy whatever time they had left.
The men returned to the house for the breakfast Patience and Annie prepared-pancakes, bacon, and eggs-then went back to work. They were headed toward the barn when a light beige Buick sedan drove up in the front yard. From her place next to Annie at the kitchen window, Patience watched Charlie and Dallas walk over to greet their visitor.
"That's Mal Sullivan-everyone calls him Sully." Annie wiped her hands on her apron. "He owns the Double Arrow Ranch. Borders our spread a little southwest of here. Sully had some cattle rustled the same night we did. I guess he's come over to talk to Charlie about it." He was an average-looking man, brown-haired, late forties, well-dressed in tan slacks and a white pullover shirt and a pair of polished brown cowboy boots.
"I really feel bad about all the trouble Charlie's been having."
Annie shrugged her shoulders. "Happens that way sometimes. We've had a lot of good luck over the years. Guess this just sort of evens things out."
It occurred to Patience that perhaps Charlie might not have mentioned his conversation with the Laramie County sheriff, or told her that the destruction of the stock trailer hadn't been accidental. Both he and Dallas were the protective sort. Charlie probably hadn't wanted Annie to worry.
They watched Mal Sullivan give a final wave, climb back in his car, and drive away.
"Charlie's thinkin' about sellin' a chunk of land to Sully," Annie said. "Or maybe takin' out a second mortgage." Annie fiddled with the apron she wore around her waist. "I don't much like the notion, but it's better than selling the land, I guess." It wasn't like Annie to discuss private matters, which showed just how worried she was.
"Maybe Dallas can help."
"He's offered. Charlie won't have it and I don't blame him. The boy's worked too hard for the money he's earned."
"Maybe they'll catch the men who stole your cattle and things will settle back down."
"I hope so. I surely do."
But stolen cows were the least of the problem. There was also the matter of the sabotaged truck and the potential danger the rodeo company faced until whoever did it was apprehended.
Thinking of Dallas and Charlie, Patience helped Annie finish the breakfast dishes, then went out to watch the men bring in the first batch of fresh bucking horses the Circle C Company would be taking on the road.
Tomorrow, she, Dallas, and Charlie would be leaving the ranch, heading for the rodeo Charlie was producing in Lawton, Oklahoma. As soon as Dallas finished his ride Saturday night, he and Patience were renting a car and driving to Colorado Springs for the final day of the big Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo.
It was a grueling life, not the sort she would ever want to live. But it was certainly exciting. And definitely an adventure.
Patience tried not to think how soon that adventure would end.
CHAPTER 17.
The good news was Dallas won in Oklahoma. His ride went off without a hitch and his knee held up. He wrapped it good before he rode and it was healing very well. He rotated his arm, trying to work the soreness out of his shoulder. It was still a little stiff, the muscles across his chest kind of tight, but his body was improving every day.
As soon as the Saturday night rodeo was over, he rounded up Patience and they left for Colorado Springs in the Grand Prix he rented from Avis, trading off driving, both of them sleeping in shifts. It was a long trip and he needed to get there as quickly as he could. He was proud of himself for weakening only once, pulling off the road into the darkness so they could make love.
Dallas smiled at the memory, thinking of Patience's hand sliding over his thigh while he was driving. She gave him a come-on look that was both sensual and kind of sweet. Now that she had discovered her sexuality-thanks in large part to him-she was nearly as insatiable as he.
Nearly.
At any rate, they restrained themselves enough to get to Colorado Springs halfway rested. It was almost dawn when he pulled into the rodeo grounds and spotted his big black Dodge rig parked next to Patience's Chevy truck and travel trailer. She was sleeping against the door of the rental car. She roused herself as he drove over the uneven ground and stopped next to his rig.
Dallas turned off the engine. "Well, we made it." Getting out of the car, he rounded the hood to the passenger side and opened the door. "It's early yet. Maybe we can catch another couple of hours sleep. We could both probably use it."
Patience stretched and yawned, climbed out of the car. "I wouldn't turn it down." She looked longingly at her trailer, then glanced toward Dallas's rig. "I wonder which one they're in?" It went unsaid that Shari and Stormy were probably together.
"Maybe they're in mine," Dallas said hopefully, since Patience's bunk was bigger than his. But just then the door of the trailer swung open and a groggy-eyed Stormy stepped out, feet bare, wearing only his half-buttoned jeans.
"Hey, guys!" He scratched the sandy hair on his chest. "Welcome back."
"Thanks. Horses okay?"
"Sure. They're fine." He blinked, seemed to come fully awake, and his carefree smile slipped away. "Everything's okay except...we had a visitor while you two were gone. Showed up the first night of the show."
"Yeah? Who was it?"
"That guy, Tyler Stanfield."
Dallas's stomach clenched. "Stanfield was here?"
"He must have known Patience was traveling with Shari. Maybe he tracked down the truck registration or something. I guess he figured if he found the rig he'd find Patience."
Dallas flicked a glance in her direction. Her face looked pale and unconsciously she moved a little closer. Dallas slid an arm around her waist.
"It's all right," Stormy said, "you don't have to worry. Me and Blue and a couple of the boys had a little talk with him. We told him if he wanted to keep walking on those two legs of his, he'd best leave Patience alone."