rattle came again. The flashlight shook in her hand as she frantically searched the ground around her feet, but nothing appeared in the small yellow circle of light and she started to inch her way back toward the trailer.
Almost there, she thought, her heart still pumping. Silently, she berated herself for not leaving on the light outside the door. Instead, just as she took another step, the rattle came again and something brushed against her leg.
Patience screamed and started running. She didn’t realize she had dropped the flashlight until she crashed headlong into an object in the path right in front of her.
“What’s your hurry?” Dallas drawled, his arms locking around her.
Patience swallowed, looking wildly back over her shoulder. “S-snake,” she said, her voice shaking nearly as much as her body. “I h-heard it rattle. It’s somewhere right around here.”
Dallas just laughed. “I don’t think so.”
For the first time it dawned on her she was wrapped around him like a warm tortilla, and color rushed into her cheeks. She released her arms from around his neck, still searching the ground for the snake, and Dallas let her go. He bent and picked up the light, shined it across the ground onto a long, odd-shaped animal completely covered in what looked like hammered silver armor.
“Armadillo,” he said. “They’re harmless. I guess they do sound a little like a rattlesnake.”
She felt like a fool. How was it he always managed to do that to her? “I thought you went to dinner with Shari and Stormy,” she said a bit defensively.
“I did. I caught a ride back with someone else.”
Jade Egan? she wondered. “I promised Shari I’d make a quick check on the horses, but they seem to be doing just fine. Since the snake wasn’t a snake, I think it’s time I went back in.”
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes running over her thin white T-shirt, which covered only a pair of white cotton panties. “Looks like you’re getting cold.”
It was hardly cold. In fact, it was pleasantly warm. But her nipples stood embarrassingly rigid beneath the cloth. She could still remember the way they felt pressed into Dallas’s chest.
She turned away from him, irritated by the knowing look in his eyes and his continuing perusal of her body.
“Good luck in Canada,” she said, only half meaning it.
He nodded. “See you in Silver Springs.”
Silver Springs. As Patience climbed the stairs to the trailer, she thought of Dallas, felt the throb of desire in her breasts, and found herself wishing she were driving the opposite way.
Charlie Carson drove his white Dodge pickup through the gates of the Circle C Ranch. He’d missed Annie like the devil, and with all the trouble he’d been having, damn, it felt good to be home.
He drove along the tree-lined lane leading up to the ranch house, a two-story white-framed building with porches on all four sides. Dark green shutters hung at the windows and three redbrick chimneys stuck out of the roof. The original house had been built sometime early in the century but he and Annie had remodeled and expanded the place over the years.
He relaxed a little at the welcome sight and smiled at the horses galloping beside the truck as he drove along the fence line, the small herd splashing through the stream that cut through the pasture up ahead.
He reached the house and stepped on the brake, throwing up a cloud of dust. Normally, Annie would have cautioned him to drive more slowly, but today she just shoved open the screen door and ran toward him. Charlie climbed out of the pickup and the moment he reached her, she rushed into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me, too, honey.” He held her a moment, thinking that she felt a little thinner than she had before he’d left. She knew he’d been having problems. She was worried, same as he was.
“Come on in. I’ll fix you something to eat. You’re probably half starved.”
He wasn’t really hungry but he loved
Almost there, she thought, her heart still pumping. Silently, she berated herself for not leaving on the light outside the door. Instead, just as she took another step, the rattle came again and something brushed against her leg.
Patience screamed and started running. She didn’t realize she had dropped the flashlight until she crashed headlong into an object in the path right in front of her.
“What’s your hurry?” Dallas drawled, his arms locking around her.
Patience swallowed, looking wildly back over her shoulder. “S-snake,” she said, her voice shaking nearly as much as her body. “I h-heard it rattle. It’s somewhere right around here.”
Dallas just laughed. “I don’t think so.”
For the first time it dawned on her she was wrapped around him like a warm tortilla, and color rushed into her cheeks. She released her arms from around his neck, still searching the ground for the snake, and Dallas let her go. He bent and picked up the light, shined it across the ground onto a long, odd-shaped animal completely covered in what looked like hammered silver armor.
“Armadillo,” he said. “They’re harmless. I guess they do sound a little like a rattlesnake.”
She felt like a fool. How was it he always managed to do that to her? “I thought you went to dinner with Shari and Stormy,” she said a bit defensively.
“I did. I caught a ride back with someone else.”
Jade Egan? she wondered. “I promised Shari I’d make a quick check on the horses, but they seem to be doing just fine. Since the snake wasn’t a snake, I think it’s time I went back in.”
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes running over her thin white T-shirt, which covered only a pair of white cotton panties. “Looks like you’re getting cold.”
It was hardly cold. In fact, it was pleasantly warm. But her nipples stood embarrassingly rigid beneath the cloth. She could still remember the way they felt pressed into Dallas’s chest.
She turned away from him, irritated by the knowing look in his eyes and his continuing perusal of her body.
“Good luck in Canada,” she said, only half meaning it.
He nodded. “See you in Silver Springs.”
Silver Springs. As Patience climbed the stairs to the trailer, she thought of Dallas, felt the throb of desire in her breasts, and found herself wishing she were driving the opposite way.
Charlie Carson drove his white Dodge pickup through the gates of the Circle C Ranch. He’d missed Annie like the devil, and with all the trouble he’d been having, damn, it felt good to be home.
He drove along the tree-lined lane leading up to the ranch house, a two-story white-framed building with porches on all four sides. Dark green shutters hung at the windows and three redbrick chimneys stuck out of the roof. The original house had been built sometime early in the century but he and Annie had remodeled and expanded the place over the years.
He relaxed a little at the welcome sight and smiled at the horses galloping beside the truck as he drove along the fence line, the small herd splashing through the stream that cut through the pasture up ahead.
He reached the house and stepped on the brake, throwing up a cloud of dust. Normally, Annie would have cautioned him to drive more slowly, but today she just shoved open the screen door and ran toward him. Charlie climbed out of the pickup and the moment he reached her, she rushed into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me, too, honey.” He held her a moment, thinking that she felt a little thinner than she had before he’d left. She knew he’d been having problems. She was worried, same as he was.
“Come on in. I’ll fix you something to eat. You’re probably half starved.”
He wasn’t really hungry but he loved
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