Convincing the Rancher (26 page)

Tess smiled at this display of masculine affection, wondering at the way the word
pizza
seemed to speak volumes about the love between these two. Well, pizza and two of the biggest smiles she’d ever seen.

“You’re coming with us, right, Tess?” Devin asked.

She opened her mouth to decline. She didn’t want to intrude, plus a bunch of teenagers and their parents at a pizza party wasn’t really her thing, but Slaid didn’t give her the chance to say no.

“Tess is all about new experiences tonight, aren’t you, Tess? You’ve experienced your first football game, now it’s time for your first after-game pizza.”

“You
never
went to a game before?” Devin asked in horror.

She turned to Slaid. “You knew it was my first game?”

“You called almost every player the quarterback.”

Devin cracked up and Tess flushed. “Oh...I thought... Well, never mind.”

“And there was that comment the other week, about the Santa Clara Forty-Niners, that gave you away.”

“I was trying to find common ground! It’s what we do in community relations. The truth is, sports weren’t exactly my thing in high school.”

“I can’t picture you in high school,” Slaid said.

“It’s best not to,” Tess countered, casting about in her mind for a new subject.

“Aw, come on!” Slaid put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. “Do you have a high school yearbook picture? How about a graduation photo? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Tess froze. She’d never had enough money to buy a yearbook. Plus, she’d eventually been kicked out of school for her poor behavior and finished out high school in a continuation class. They didn’t take graduation photos there.

By sheer will she calmed her heart and sent the regret and shame scuttling back to the dank parts of her brain where they constantly lurked. “Oh, no, Slaid Jacobs, you’re not conning me. You were the big football star and I’m sure you were handsome, as well. No frizzy-haired photos of me with my braces are ever going to fall into your hands.”

“I can just picture it! But how come no football games? You grew up in New England, right? I know they like football there.”

“Oh, you know, my parents were pretty strict. I stayed in and did a lot of homework.” More lies. She was so sick of them. It was time for a new subject.

“You’ve talked me into it,” she said. “Pizza, I mean, not bad yearbook photos. All this watching Devin exercise has made me hungry.”

Devin gave a yelp of laughter at her lame joke. “C’mon, then. We gotta go now or we’ll never get a table.”

They piled into Slaid’s truck and drove the few blocks to the restaurant. It was simple and homey with red-checked tablecloths and candles in mason jars. As they stood in line for a table, Devin begged for quarters to go play some video games in the adjacent arcade room where many of his friends were. It seemed that most of the football team came here after the game.

Slaid kept his arm around Tess, holding her tight against his side. He leaned his head down to kiss the top of her head, and when she looked up he kissed her once, softly, on the mouth. “I know this is all new for you...being out with someone like me. Meeting my kid. Standing in restaurants, and me kissing you. I know it’s not your usual way. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you trying it out, trying all this new stuff, for me.”

His simple words had tears prickling at her eyes. She loved the way he could be so totally sexy and cocky in one moment and say words like that the next. But she didn’t have his heartfelt vocabulary. So she teased. “Well, don’t get a big head. Maybe it’s not all about you, cowboy. Maybe I’ve just decided it’s time to be more adventurous, check out the wild ways of you small-town folks.” She looked pointedly around the pizza parlor, at all the happy families. “And, boy, does it get wild around here!”

His laughter boomed out over the line of waiting diners, and several of them turned to see what their mayor thought was so funny. He pulled Tess in again and kissed her soundly on the mouth for all to see. Tess flushed, feeling all eyes on her. But despite her discomfort, she wouldn’t have traded her spot under Slaid’s arm in this funky local pizza parlor for a table at the finest Parisian restaurant. This strange small-town adventure, with this sexy small-town mayor as her guide, was exactly the journey she wanted to be on right now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

D
EVIN WENT HOME
from the pizza parlor with his friend Cal. Before he left he made Tess promise to visit the ranch the next afternoon so he could show her around. He wanted her to meet all the horses and even offered to give her a horseback-riding lesson. He was a persuasive kid, funny and smart, and she liked him a lot, so she agreed.

But the sweetest thing was when Devin said goodbye. They were standing on the sidewalk near the restaurant entrance. Cal’s family was busy loading their three children into their enormous SUV. Slaid had just finished reminding Devin to be on his best behavior, and Devin had just finished giving Slaid a hug. Then he turned to Tess and there was an awkward moment when they just looked at each other. But then he stepped up and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug, too. “Thanks for coming to my game, Tess,” he said when he stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tears threatened. Slaid and his son, this tiny, two-person family, were getting under her skin. She couldn’t even speak. She just smiled and waved as the SUV headed off to Cal’s house. When she looked back at Slaid she was surprised to see him watching her intently, an expression on his face she didn’t recognize.

He cleared his throat, and she realized he was as emotional as she was. “Want to go for a drive?” he asked. “There are some amazing stars out tonight.”

“Is that what you all do for fun out here?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“One of the things. Come on, let me show you a real Benson date.”

“As long as we avoid picnic benches and spiky plants, I’m good,” she quipped.

He rewarded her with that wide smile she was coming to crave and tipped his hat in a “yes ma’am” move. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He opened the door of his truck for her and she climbed inside. When they drove out of town, he kept one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around hers. At the freeway he turned north, then headed east on a small road, just a narrow strip of darkness lit by his headlights. It eventually started climbing upward and became switchbacks for a few minutes. Finally they came upon an open area that seemed like the end of the road, and Slaid parked.

“You are
not
taking me to the local make-out spot, are you?” Tess asked, looking out at the rich darkness around the truck. “And, just to clarify, you’re not some kind of serial killer, correct?”

Slaid’s husky laughter filled the cab. He leaned over, put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “Negative to both questions. Well, actually, I haven’t been to the local make-out spot lately, so I dunno, maybe this is the new place. Though the kids would probably be here by now if it was.”

She tipped her face up. She could barely see him in the blackness, but she felt him, his warm breath on her skin and the brush of his lips across her mouth.

“I wanted to show you a place I love,” he murmured.

“Let me guess,” she murmured back. “This place you love is outside in the freezing cold.”

“It is. But I’ve got blankets, Scotch and dark chocolate.”

“Scotch and dark chocolate is one of my favorite combinations. Have you been talking to Samantha?”

“I may have run into her the other day and mentioned I was thinking of taking you on a late-night picnic.”

Warmth filled her at the idea of him seeking out her friend to find out what she liked. “Okay, fine. I’ll go out there and freeze with you. As long as we can come back in here and crank the heat when I cry mercy.”

“You got it. But I promise I’ll keep you warm.”

His low voice was already doing the job.

They opened the doors of the cab and Tess gave a little gasp when she took a breath. It felt as if she was inhaling ice crystals. But she met Slaid at the back of the truck where he opened the tailgate and with no warning, put his hands under her arms and effortlessly lifted her onto the truck bed. Then he jumped up and walked to the back, where there were a few duffel bags and a thick foam pad rolled up.

Tess sat on the edge of the truck and watched as he unrolled the foam, covered it in a blanket and pulled more blankets and even a down comforter out of the duffels. Pillows went against the back of the cab.

“Okay, this is kind of cool and kind of creepy,” Tess said. “Who brings bedding on a date?”

“Hang on! I’m not finished yet!” Slaid pulled out a small, low folding table and placed a bottle of Glenlivet, two glasses, a candle and an assortment of chocolate bars on it. He lit the candle and, in a final flourish, pulled out a single red rose and handed it to her. Its petals had been crushed a bit, but it only served to release its heavy perfume. Tess inhaled the sweet smell of the rose, completely out of place and exotic in the dark desert night.

“There,” Slaid said, with a satisfied tone. “Hopefully more romantic then creepy.”

Her laugh was sharp in the intense quiet around them. “And definitely warmer than sitting out here.” She got up from her perch and knelt down on the foam, pulled off her boots and climbed under the blankets. He did the same, poured them both a shot of Scotch and they leaned back on the pillows. Slaid clinked his glass to hers, saying, “To new adventures.”

The burn of the alcohol and the smoky taste of the whiskey warmed Tess inside, and snuggling next to Slaid under the blankets quickly warmed the rest of her.

“This is very cozy,” she said, “but why, exactly, are we here, and not at one of our houses, which are both empty tonight?”

“Look up.”

There were more stars above them than she’d known existed in the universe. Without the lights of the town competing with them, with the small moon setting, their glory was astounding. Layers and layers of crystal specks, extending into a space that her imagination couldn’t begin to comprehend. Slaid pulled her close, so she was leaning against his strong shoulder.

“I wanted you to see this,” he murmured.

Suddenly a light streaked across the sky. “Yipes!” Tess sat bolt upright.

“Amazing.” Slaid’s voice held a reverence she’d never heard.

“What was that?” Her heart was pounding.

“The Southern Taurids.” Slaid pulled her gently back onto his shoulder. “Meteor showers.”

“Really? We just saw a meteor?”

“Yep. A bright one. You must be my good-luck charm. I rarely see anything like that.”

Tess studied the sky, hoping something else would happen. She took another sip of her Scotch.

“Chocolate?” Slaid offered, passing her a bar.

“Hang on. I want to see if there’s any more.”

He started laughing. “A girl refusing chocolate? Hmm, I think it’s actually happened.”

“What’s happened?” She thought she saw a faint light traveling across the sky and pointed. “Wait—is that a meteor?”

Slaid craned his neck to see where she pointed. “A satellite.”

“Oh.” Disappointed, she looked up at him. “What’s actually happened?” she asked, going back to his previous comment.

“You like it here.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in. But when they did, she realized he was right. The past couple of days in Benson she’d felt more relaxed, more accepting and more balanced than she could ever remember feeling. But she didn’t want to get Slaid’s hopes up. She’d be leaving soon.

“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe I’ve just never seen a meteor before.”

“Well, I’m glad I got to be here for your first.”

Tess set the chocolate bar aside unopened and took another sip of her Scotch before setting it on the small table. “You know how else you could be my first?”

“How?”

“Like this.” She turned toward him, pulled herself up to his eye level and kissed him. He tasted like Scotch and warmth and everything she really wanted for dessert.

He pulled back to look at her. “You mean you never had a good old-fashioned make-out session in the back of a truck?”

“I’m a city girl, remember? Most of our illicit activity takes place indoors.”

He set down his drink and pulled her up onto his lap, facing him. Then he unzipped her parka. “I can help with this deficit in your upbringing.”

“Really?” she murmured against his mouth, kissing him again. “I’d appreciate that.”

He hauled the blankets up around her shoulders, cocooning them both against the back of the truck. And then he kissed her, such a slow, intimate gesture that she felt his touch not only in her mouth but along her nerves and over her skin.

When he finally ended the kiss, she wasn’t sure she was still breathing, she’d been so completely lost in it. She opened her eyes in shock and saw the same in his, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening between them. Then the haze cleared and a triumphant smile tilted his mouth. “That was pretty good, huh?” he said quietly.

“It was great.” That was all she could manage before becoming completely distracted by the way her fingers felt sliding through his hair and down to caress the strong line of his jaw. She set her mouth over his, parting his lips, taking the same journey he’d taken, wanting to taste every part of him.

His hands were under her parka, and she felt the touch of air on her skin when he slid her sweater up and unhooked her bra. His palms molded the curve of her ribs, surrounded her breasts, overwhelmingly gentle and insistent at once. She gasped deep in her throat, his mouth catching the sound.

“Tess,” he whispered, and it seemed to give her name new meaning. He rolled her off him, laid her down carefully on the makeshift mattress pulling the quilts firmly around her again. His caring gesture only made her want him more. She fumbled with his silver belt buckle, unable to wrest it open with her shaking fingers until his big hand came over hers and they released the clasp together.

He unzipped his jeans and pulled them off, then turned over to meet her gaze with eyes almost as black as the surrounding darkness. The intensity she saw there matched the feelings tangled up inside her, and she sat up and slid her own jeans off, pulling him down under the covers with her. He supported himself on one forearm, and his huge frame radiated heat all along her body; she forgot the intense cold of the almost-winter night, conscious only of its beauty. Every time she opened her eyes he was over her, a dark shadow framed in a million flying stars. His free hand left a trail of warmth in the path it traced over her stomach and hips, a warmth that turned to burning when he touched and teased between her legs.