The Maverick of Copper Creek (20 page)

“Sunshine, ‘nice' is hot chocolate on a cold night. ‘Nice' is flannel sheets after a bone-chilling ride through waist-high snow. But you naked against me…?” He grinned. “It may be a lot of things, but I'd never call it nice.”

Her fingers trailed the thick mat of hair on his chest. “Naughty, then.”

His warm chuckle rumbled through her system. “Right now, I'm feeling a whole lot naughty. In fact, when you start touching me like this, I'm feeling downright illegal.” He caught her wandering hands. “And if you don't stop that, we'll have to go for seconds.”

“Oh yeah. Right. This soon?” She studied him through lowered lashes. “Are you joking? Or just bragging?”

His sexy grin widened. He looked like a sleek mountain lion studying its prey. “You know me better than that, woman.” He rolled her on top of him until she was straddling him. Then he framed her face with his big hands and tugged her head down until their lips were brushing.

Against her mouth he whispered, “Sunshine, all I have to do is think about you and I'm ready.”

“Umm. It's the same for me.” She returned his kisses, losing herself in the pleasure.

As their kisses grew more heated, her heart rate speeded up. Her body, already highly sensitized from their lovemaking, moved over him, lighting fires wherever she touched.

She gave a little cat smile. “Okay. Now I know you're as good as your word. But we need to take it slower, Ash. This is all happening so fast.”

“Your fault.” He shifted positions until she was pinned beneath him. Against her throat he murmured, “You unleashed a very hungry monster. Now you have to feed him.”

She was laughing as he entered her.

Suddenly her laughter turned to a sigh of pleasure.

And then there was no need for words. They showed each other, in the way of lovers from the beginning of the world, all the feelings they'd stored up for a lifetime.

A
sh stirred.

Some time in the night he'd added kindling to the logs on the grate and started a fire. Sammy had padded down the stairs and lay curled up on a rug in front of the fireplace.

The fire had burned to embers, casting a warm red glow over the room.

Ash studied Brenna's face as she slept. He loved looking at her. She was so lovely, she took his breath away.

He lifted a hand to trace her lips and heard her sigh in her sleep.

He drew her close and felt her breathing go all soft and easy, as she drifted back to a deeper sleep.

He loved the feel of her body against his. A body he now knew as intimately as his own.

All night they'd loved, then dozed, then loved again. Each time it was new. Sometimes more passionate and powerful than a sudden summer storm. At other times slow and easy, like lovers who'd known each other all their lives. And each time more satisfying than the last.

He experienced a moment of guilt. She worked so hard, and he'd stolen precious hours of much-needed sleep by indulging himself. Not that she'd complained. She'd been an eager partner. What pleasure she brought him. What great joy.

And now, after a night of lovemaking, he knew her in a way he never had before. Had any other woman's body ever fit itself to his so perfectly? Had any other woman ever filled his heart with so much quiet happiness? At the moment, he couldn't recall a single one. There was only Brenna. She was like the missing part to the puzzle of his life. His other half.

He'd foolishly thought that if he fed this hunger for her, he could then resume picking up the pieces of his life and settling into his old routine. But everything had changed. The more of Brenna he experienced, the more he wanted. Not just her body, though he knew now that he'd never have enough. He wanted it all. Her heart. Her soul. He wanted to be the first thing she thought of each morning. The last each night.

“Greedy,” he muttered as he slid from the sofa and made his way to the kitchen.

Sammy lifted his head and watched, before falling back into a troubled sleep.

A short time later Ash was back, carrying a tray of coffee mugs and a muffin he'd found in the fridge.

Light from the hallway spilled through the open doorway, bathing the sleeping figure on the sofa.

Brenna sat up and, aware of her nakedness, slipped into his shirt. “Do I smell coffee?”

“You do.”

“Oh.” She took the mug he offered and sipped before giving a long, deep sigh. “This is wonderful. Thank you.”

“No. Thank you.” At her arched brow he grinned. “For looking so damned fine in that shirt. Of course, I like the way you look without it, too.”

She laughed as she glanced at the tray. “Is that food?”

“A muffin. It's all I could find that looked tempting.”

“It's banana walnut. From Rita's.”

He broke it in half and settled himself beside her on the sofa.

“Bless Rita.” He devoured his half in two bites while she broke off a piece of hers for Sammy, who showed his thanks by licking her hand.

They sat companionably side by side, sipping their coffee.

Brenna was the first to break the silence. “Ira suspects my father, doesn't he?”

Ash nodded.

“And you agree?”

He shrugged. “This isn't your typical break-in. The intruder didn't rifle through your dresser drawers, or any of the other places where folks usually hide valuables. This guy went straight for the ceiling in the corner of the room. That points to someone who knows this house. And that makes your father the obvious suspect.”

“I wish there could be some other explanation.”

“Why are you reluctant to admit the obvious?”

She sighed. “Because I wanted to believe that he'd turned his life around. Because I promised my mother that I'd try to forgive him for the things he did to me in the past. I even sent him money. And now, I feel…betrayed. And I feel so foolish for believing that he could actually change.”

Ash wrapped an arm around her shoulders and felt her shivering. That only reinforced his feelings of resentment for the man who had made her childhood a living hell and had now returned to add to her pain. “It isn't foolish to want to believe the best about people, even when they fail you. You should be proud of yourself for being able to put the past aside. As for the money you sent him, you can't beat yourself up over it. It's gone, and probably spent on a bottle of whiskey.”

“Or a good meal.”

“There you go. The eternal optimist.” He took the cup from her hand and set it aside along with his own. Then, gathering her close, he dipped his head and brushed his mouth over hers.

Against her lips he whispered, “Did you ever wonder why I've always called you Sunshine?”

“Because I'm so bright?”

He chuckled. “There's that, too. But I called you that because despite all that you've had to go through, you've always been so optimistic. You always see the good of things, instead of the dark side. You're the most honest, decent, genuinely good woman I know.”

She flushed and pushed a little away. “I'm not a saint, Ash. Now you've made me feel really guilty.”

“Of what?”

She ducked her head. “I have an admission to make.”

Ash held his breath, hoping she wasn't about to tell him that she was having second thoughts about what they'd shared.

He tried to prepare himself for the worst, and wondered how his poor heart would ever recover if she pushed him away yet again.

“It's about my…boxer shorts and camisole.”

He nodded, trying to follow her line of reasoning. “Very sexy.”

She took a deep breath and started speaking as quickly as possible, so she wouldn't lose her nerve. “I…usually sleep in an old ratty dorm shirt. I put on those shorts and that cami because I—” she took in a deep breath “—wanted to seduce you.”

He was staring at her with a bemused look. “
You
seduced
me
?”

She looked away. “I'm sorry, Ash. That was sneaky…”

He swallowed back the laughter that threatened before framing her face with his hands. “Why, Ms. Crane. That was
very
sneaky. Who'd have believed this of sweet little Brenna?”

“I know it wasn't fair. It's just that you'd pushed me away. And I just wanted to…to tempt you.”

“Oh, you did. Believe me, you tempted me. You had me so hot, I was close to a meltdown.” He brushed his mouth over hers before drawing her down against the sofa cushions. Against her throat he muttered, “That was a damned fine seduction. Now it's my turn. Let's see. If I just touch you like that…and then if I…and follow it up by…”

Her laughter turned into a series of soft sighs and low moans as he proceeded to show her his version of a perfect seduction.

“What's this?” Brenna sat up, tossing back her hair, to see Ash standing in the doorway holding a tray. “More food?”

“We've been burning a lot of calories. It's time to gear up for the next round.”

“Wishful thinking, cowboy.” Laughing, she nudged a coffee table closer to the sofa.

Ash deposited a tray bearing a plate of eggs and toast and orange marmalade, along with two mugs of steaming coffee.

She touched a hand to her heart. “Now this was worth burning off all those calories. But wouldn't it be easier if we ate in the kitchen?”

“Probably. But this is cozier.” He sat beside her and offered her a bite of toast spread with orange marmalade.

“Umm. I've never been fed before. I think I like it.”

“You've spent a lifetime taking care of everything and everybody. Now it's time you were taken care of.”

“And you've assigned yourself the task?”

He brushed a kiss over her mouth and tasted the sweet orange flavor that clung to her lips. “A tough job. But somebody's got to do it.”

They shared bites of egg and toast until they'd had enough. Then they sat back, sipping strong, hot coffee, and watching Sammy nibble a treat.

As dawn began to paint the horizon with ribbons of pink and mauve and purple, they shared all the things that had happened to them in the years they'd been apart.

“Why didn't you contact your family and let them know where you were?”

Ash frowned. “In the beginning, I was just angry and hurt. Sick and tired of being my father's whipping boy. And suffering a lot of growing pains, I guess. I figured I'd show my father I could be just as tough as he was.” He huffed a breath. “Then reality set in, and I found out how little I knew about the real world. I took every odd job I could find, and still there were nights I didn't know where I'd sleep, or whether I'd earn enough to eat the next day. I shoveled manure on ranches, pumped gas, cooked in a diner. It took me longer to grow up than some, but gradually I began to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And it turned out to be exactly what I'd been doing since I was born. Wonder of wonders, I wanted to be a rancher.”

“After all these years.” She closed a hand over his. “Are you sorry it took you so long?”

He mulled her question before shaking his head. “I think if I'd stayed here and toughed it out, it wouldn't mean as much to me today. Now that I know how much blood, sweat, and tears went into taming this land and making it a success, I won't ever take my inheritance for granted.”

His voice lowered with passion. “Don't get me wrong. There are regrets. Plenty of them. I never got to say good-bye to my father. And I know how much my absence hurt my mother.” He turned to her, his eyes reflecting his sadness. “And I wasn't here for you when you needed me.”

“Ash…”

He touched a finger to her lips. “Don't worry. I'm not going to dwell on the ‘could've, should've, would've' litany. I'll learn to live with my regrets and move on with my life. As for you, it can't have been easy managing this ranch alone all these years.”

Ash linked his fingers with Brenna's. They sat with an afghan across their laps, Sammy dozing at their feet, as they finished the last of the coffee.

Brenna smiled. “My mom used to say that nothing worth doing is easy. And I haven't been alone. I couldn't have done this without Vern.”

“Yeah. That old cowboy is worth his weight in gold. He could really use some help.”

“I'm glad he was able to find Noah Perkins.”

“Where'd he find him?”

Brenna shrugged. “Noah knocked on the door of his trailer and asked if he knew of anyone looking for an extra ranch hand. Vern brought him to the house and I hired him on the spot. From the sounds of things, Noah's not very reliable. Vern found him asleep up in the hills when he was supposed to be tending the herd. But like Vern said, if Noah gets us through the calving season, that's good enough. Then maybe we'll earn enough when we sell off some of the herd to hire a real crew.”

“I'm hoping Brady can spare a couple of our wranglers. That ought to ease Vern's burden…”

The ringing of his cell phone had Ash snatching it from the end table. “Yeah, Vern. What's up?”

He listened, then swore. He was on his feet and reaching for his clothes before the old man was even finished speaking.

Brenna shot him a look of alarm. “What's happened?”

“Range fire. Looks like it started up in the hills and is headed right for your herd.” He tossed her his phone. “Call Brady. Tell him what's happened, and warn him to keep an eye out in case the fire jumps the creek and heads for our land.”

She did as he asked. By the time she'd hung up, Ash was heading for the door.

She grabbed up her clothes before rushing across the room to hand him his phone. “I'll join you as soon as I'm dressed.”

“Suit yourself. You might want to stay here and keep an eye on the fire from the hayloft. If it looks like it's heading this way, get out the hoses and start soaking the house and barns.”

Her eyes widened. “You think it could get this far?”

“There are a lot of ifs with a range fire. If there's enough dry brush to feed it. If the wind shifts. If we don't catch a break, we could be in for a tough battle.”

“I'll dress and join you before deciding. Stay safe, Ash.”

“You do the same. And be sure you lock up Sammy in the house.” He drew her close for a hard, hurried kiss.

He strode out the door and raced toward his truck without a backward glance.