The Rancher Returns (9 page)

Gavin broke off the kiss and when Layla drew in a deep breath, she was swept off her feet into his arms. He sat back down at the table with her firmly planted in his lap. Before she could ask just what he thought he was doing, his mouth was on hers. And just like before, this kiss robbed her of her senses, made her purr deep in her throat. It was a good thing his arm gripped her tightly otherwise she would topple to the floor. His hand was on her thigh, slowly caressing her skin underneath her dress.

Maybe she needed to ask herself why she was letting him do such a thing when she'd never let any man take such liberties before. Hadn't she kicked Sonny Paul in the groin when he thought he could reach into her blouse and touch her breast? Why did she believe this was different? Just because Gavin's mouth was driving her crazy with lust—could she accept this as okay?

And why was she still clutching him around the neck as if her life depended on their mouths being so intimately locked? Red-hot passion was making her dazed.

Somewhere in the haziness of her mind, she noted he had stood, without their mouths disconnecting. He was moving, headed somewhere rather quickly. It was only when he placed her on the bed that she regained her senses. Snatching her mouth from his, she scrambled away from him.

She blinked upon seeing he was about to take off his shirt. “What do you think you're doing?”

He stared down at her, panting like he'd run a marathon. His eyes, she saw, were glazed with heated lust to such a degree it made her heart pound. “About to make love to you, Layla.” He then whipped his shirt over his head.

Seeing him bare chested caused goose bumps to ripple all over her skin. She scrambled farther away from him. “No you're not!”

He stared at her. “Can you look at me and say you don't want me to make love to you?”

She nervously licked her bottom lip and looked away. Yes, she could say it but she couldn't look at him while doing so. Mainly because she
did
want him to make love to her. There was no doubt in her mind that the sheets on the bed were calling their names.

“Layla. Look at me.”

No, she wouldn't look at him. Nor would she tell him anything. Scrambling off the bed, she stood and began straightening her clothes before quickly walking out of the bedroom. “I'm showing you the door, Gavin,” she called over her shoulder.

Once she reached the door, she waited. It took him a few minutes to follow her. He probably needed time to put his shirt back on and get his lusty mind under control.

When she saw him walking toward her he had an unreadable expression on his face. She drew in a deep breath. What thoughts were going through his mind? Did he think she was nothing more than a tease because she'd stoked his fire and then doused it with water? She would admit to having gotten caught up in the moment like he had. However, although he was ready to take things to the next level, she was not.

When he got closer, she saw the way he stared at her and figured he was angry to the point that he would walk out the door without saying anything to her.

She figured wrong. When Gavin stopped before opening the door, he turned dark, livid eyes on her. He then said in a furious voice, “The next time we kiss, Layla, will be when we make love. It's going to be a package deal.”

He then opened the door and left.

Nine

L
ate afternoon the next day, Gavin walked out on the porch with a steaming cup of coffee. He couldn't believe he'd jogged around the ranch house twenty times last night. That would be equivalent to ten miles. When was the last time he'd done that?

On top of his workout last night, he'd gotten up at the crack of dawn to ride the range with Caldwell and his men. Sharing breakfast with them over an open fire had brought back memories. Most of the men who worked for Gavin had worked for his dad and had known Gavin when he'd been a kid. Although they called him boss, he knew they did it out of respect and not because he was involved in the day-to-day operations. Caldwell took care of the place. No matter how long Gavin was away from the ranch, he rested easy at night knowing the Silver Spurs was in good hands. Gavin also knew that whenever he returned Caldwell had no problem relinquishing that leadership role to him.

He took another sip of coffee as he eased down to sit on the steps. The cold weather was settling in. It was hard to believe Thanksgiving was next month. He'd gotten word that morning from his commanding officer that the team would be headed out again in late January. At least his teammates with families would get to spend the holidays with them. Gavin wondered if his grandmother would hang around the ranch this year. Because he was rarely home during the holidays, Gramma Mel usually flew to Saint Louis to spend time with her sister and her family.

“How did things go today with Caldwell and the men?”

Gavin glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his grandmother's voice. “Good, but that's no surprise. They know how to keep things going in my absence. And I covered just about everything with Phil yesterday. We talked again today and the books look good.” The only thing he hadn't done that he'd wanted to do today was take another ride out to the dig site.

“When do you expect Mr. Clete back in town?” he asked.

“By the middle of next week,” she said, taking a seat in the porch swing.

“Good.” Although Gavin felt certain Clete was the one who'd moved the marker, he wanted to be absolutely sure. However, for the life of him, he couldn't imagine anyone else coming onto the property and tampering with Layla's markers. What purpose would it serve?

Flip's camera had picked up something underground, both in her marked spot as well as another spot close by. Like he'd told her, it was probably nothing more than bullet shells or branding irons. One section did have a relatively higher reading than others but he'd figured out a reason for that, as well. Buried Native American artifacts. Gavin's grandfather had claimed this had been Native American land generations ago. If Layla's research was as thorough as she claimed, she would already know that.

“I had a salad earlier, but if you're hungry I can fix dinner.”

“No need. I plan to go into town in a few and I'll grab something at the café.”

No way he would tell his grandmother that in addition to dinner he intended to make a booty call. Word was out that he was home and a ton of women had left voice mails. On the drive into town, he would decide which woman would be the recipient of his visit. Not having Layla was getting to him. He needed to get laid and then he could be more rational about her, take his time seducing her without losing his cool.

“Looks like you aren't the only one going into town, Gavin. Now, doesn't she look extra pretty?”

He followed his grandmother's gaze. Layla was crossing the yard and walking toward them. He had seen her in dresses before, but this was one with a skirt that was shorter in the front and longer in the back. Instead of boots she wore high heels and she had a knitted shawl around her shoulders.

Her hair was styled the way he liked best, flowing around her shoulders. And he could tell she was wearing makeup—not much...except for the ruby-red lip color. He frowned, refusing to let her get next to him the way she had last night. He'd been stupid enough to think their evening would end differently. Namely, in bed together.

“Good evening, Ms. Melody. Gavin.”

He did the gentlemanly thing and stood. He couldn't help noticing she'd given his grandmother a huge smile. But the one she'd given him was forced. Not that it bothered him one iota.

“Layla,” he said, letting his gaze roam all over her.

His grandmother moved forward and gave her a hug. “Now, don't you look pretty. Have big plans for the evening?”

Layla shrugged her shoulders, keeping her focus on Ms. Melody and ignoring Gavin. “Not that big. The equipment arrives tomorrow and my team the day after. Then it's all work and no play. I decided to spend my last day of freedom doing something I enjoy doing but rarely have time for—going to a movie.”

“By yourself?” Gramma Mel asked.

Layla chuckled. “Yes, by myself.”

“What are you going to see?”

“That new romantic comedy with Julia Roberts.”

“Now, isn't that a coincidence. I was going into town to see that one myself,” Gavin said.

Both Layla and Gramma Mel turned to stare at Gavin with raised brows. He smiled at both women's expressions. He then directed his next statement to Layla. “Since we're going to see the same movie, is there any reason we can't go together?”

Gavin was certain there was but he knew Layla wouldn't call him out on it in front of his grandmother. When she didn't say anything he leaned closer to ask, “Well, is there?”

As if recovering from her initial shock, she opened her mouth, probably to say something that would blister his ear. Then she quickly closed it, seeming to remember that his grandmother was standing there, listening to their exchange.

“No, there's no reason,” she said. “I'm just surprised you would want to see a
chick flick
. I took you for a blood-and-guts sort of guy.”

He shook his head. “As a SEAL, I see too much of that in real life. A chick flick should be interesting. Besides, I like Julia Roberts.”

“In that case, I see no reason why we can't go together,” she said.

Although she'd tried to sound cheerful about it, he knew she wasn't. Was that her teeth he heard grinding? “Great. We can go in my truck. I just need to grab my Stetson and jacket.”

* * *

“I enjoyed the movie, didn't you?”

Layla had pretty much given him the silent treatment since leaving the Silver Spurs earlier but he didn't seem to mind. In fact he seemed amused by it. “Yes, I enjoyed it.”

She probably would have enjoyed it even more had he not been there to cloud her concentration. It had been hard to focus on the huge movie screen with a sexy man sitting beside her.

“When are you going to stop acting childish, Layla?”

She glanced over at him. “Childish? You think
I'm
acting childish when you told me last night that we won't kiss again unless sex is part of the mix?”

“Yes, that's what I said and I meant it.”

“Well, sorry if you think I'm acting childish but I'm the one acting more adult than you. All you can think about is—”

“Making love to you.”

She swallowed, seeing a picture of that very thing in her mind. “Yes.”

“Can't help it. You do things to me, Layla.”

When she was honest with herself, she could admit that he did things to her, as well. But she would never admit it to him. He was just like all the other men she'd known, which is why she'd sworn off relationships. All men wanted of a woman was a roll between the sheets. She wanted more from life; she had a career to build. Men and sex only got in the way of her goals.

She glanced over at him. “You were an only child, right?”

“Yes, as far as I know.”

When she looked at him in surprise he added, “My mother deserted us when I was eight and never came back. For all I know, she could have married and had more kids by now.”

Layla nodded. “She and your dad got a divorce?”

“No, but she might have changed her name and started over. Who knows?”

Layla didn't say anything for a moment. “You've never tried to find her?”

“No.”

“Not even when your father was killed in the war?”

His jaw tightened. “Especially not then. If she didn't return to see him while he was living, I sure as hell didn't plan to give her the opportunity to see him dead,” he said in a biting tone. “Dad always believed she would come back to us. Even said he understood her need to get away. After all, he'd talked her into coming to Cornerstone.”

“Where was she from?”

“New York. Manhattan. They met while he was on military business at the United Nations. They'd only known each other a week when they married. They met one night at a restaurant, a month after her only family, an aunt, died.”

“So when they met, she had no living family?”

“No.”

He didn't say anything else for a long moment, and then he added, “According to Dad she lasted out here longer than he expected her to. She tried being a good wife, and I remember her being a good mom. Dad placed a lot of blame on himself since he had to carry out a lot of missions, leaving her here with Gramma Mel and Grampa Gavin. And when I came along a year later, he thought she'd adjusted.”

“But she hadn't?”

“Evidently not. One day she up and left. She told my grandparents she needed to get away for a while and asked them to watch me. She said she'd be back before Dad returned from his overseas tour. Then she got in her car— the one Dad bought for her—and drove off.”

“And she never came back?”

He shook his head. “No, she never came back. Months later, when Dad returned home and found her gone, he was heartbroken. She left him a note saying she would come back. But she never did.”

“And after all this time, you've never tried finding her?”

“No. She decided she didn't want me or Dad in her life.”

* * *

Gavin inwardly admitted that more than once he had thought about locating his mother, if for no other reason than to ask her why she never came back. One of his former SEAL teammates, Nick Stover, worked for Homeland Security. All Gavin had to do was give Nick her name and there was no doubt in his mind that Nick would tell Gavin her whereabouts. A part of him knew the main reason he hadn't done so was his fear of what he would find out. What if his mother had never wanted him or loved his dad? At times it was easier to do what his father had done and believe the best...even if it was a fairy tale.

He drew in a deep breath. Why had he shared any of that with Layla when he'd never shared it with a woman before? For some reason, when she'd asked if he was an only child, the floodgates had opened. Emotions he usually kept locked inside had come pouring out.

“Any other family besides Ms. Melody? What about aunts, uncles or cousins?”

He figured she was asking for conversational purposes only, so he obliged her. “My grandmother has a younger sister living in Saint Louis. Her only grandson, Benjamin, and I are close. We're more like brothers than cousins. He spent a lot of his summers here. Ben's a year older and in the Marines. Right now he's stationed in Afghanistan, and we're hoping he'll be home for the holidays.”

He glanced over at her. “What about you? Any cousins?”

She shook her head. “No. My grandparents didn't have any siblings and they had one child. I never knew my mother's parents. They died in a boating accident when she was in her teens.”

He said nothing as he drove. They were ten minutes from his home and although there had been sexual chemistry between them as usual, they'd managed to keep it under control. That was a surprise since his plans for this evening had originally been to end up in some woman's bed. A part of him couldn't believe he'd given up the chance for sex just to spend time in Layla's company. And he had to grudgingly admit that although she'd tried to ignore him for most of the evening, he had enjoyed being with her.

Moments later, he pulled into the yard in front of the ranch house. His grandmother would be leaving tomorrow and he would have the house all to himself. Bringing the car to a stop, he cut the ignition and turned to Layla. “I'll see you inside.”

“That's not necessary,” she said, already opening her door to get out. “Thanks for driving me into town and joining me at the movies.”

Although she'd said he didn't have to see her in, he walked beside her anyway. “You're welcome, although I know you really didn't prefer my company.”

When she didn't deny what he'd said, he chuckled. “No wonder you don't have a boyfriend.”

She glanced over at him. “What makes you think I don't have a boyfriend?”

“I asked Gramma Mel if any man had visited you here and she said no.”

Layla frowned. “That doesn't mean anything.”

He chuckled again. “Yes, it does. If you had a boyfriend he would have come here, if for nothing else but to check on you. To see how you were doing. To feel out the competition. To stake his claim.”

Even in the moonlight, he saw her roll her eyes. “Not all men are territorial, Gavin.”

“Any man connected to you would be.”

They had made it to the porch. When he offered her hand to assist her up the steps, she said, “No need.” And then she walked up to the door without his help. He knew why. All it would have taken was one touch and they would have lit up like the Fourth of July and they both knew it.

“Thanks for seeing me home. At least my temporary home.”

“No problem. What time does the equipment arrive tomorrow?”

“Sometime before noon. Thanks again for allowing me to store the equipment in that old barn.”

He nodded. “When will your team get here?”

“Some will start arriving the day after tomorrow and will be staying at a hotel in town. We're hoping to finish the dig in a couple of weeks and then we'll be on our way.”