Ranger's Wild Woman (6 page)

That’s what happened when a person loved someone who didn’t love them back. You lost.

Not that she’d ever believed that he loved her, not for a second. He’d only been interested in saving his skin. And she’d kept her guard up, knowing it would never work out. Still, her guard had not been enough to protect her heart. “Good,” she said, raising her chin, “here’s your ring back.” She pulled the rope ring from her finger and tossed it at him, but it landed on the ground between them.

“Feel better now?”

His brows raised as his dark gaze inspected her face. She felt as if he could see her real feelings, the hope he’d dashed to pieces inside her. “I feel excellent. Thank you for the consideration of the inquiry.”

“Hmm.” Turning from her, he lifted both the duffels and walked to the front of the cave. “Coming?”

“Might as well,” she bit out. “This sure isn’t a honeymoon.”

“Hey, we’re divorced, remember? Now we’re just backpacking buddies. Off to the cabin we go. I’m
curious to see what kind of accommodations that charlatan of a medicine man has.”

“He saved your life,” she reminded him. “You could be a little grateful since no one thought you’d be ignorant enough to step on a poison plant and nearly kill yourself rolling down an embankment.”

“Quite an adventure you’ve had with me,” Ranger said cheerfully, leading as she followed. “And you thought you had to get to Mississippi for excitement.”

She rolled her eyes.

He laughed, which grated on her nerves. It was if he’d never been ill.

“Actually, I credit you with saving my life,” he called over his shoulder. “You could have left me, but you didn’t. You could have not married me, but you did. I’ve had buddies that were less loyal than you, Hannah.”

“Great. I feel like a Saint Bernard.”

He laughed again. “Just about another mile, and we’ll be up there, among the clouds.”

“I want a long bath,” she warned him.

“I’ll scrub your back.”

“I don’t
think
so,” she bit out under her breath.

He’d kissed her, then he’d kissed Cissy. He’d married her to heal himself, and then divorced her as soon as he gained his feet.

No way was he going to lay one finger on her body. “I’ve got Hawk’s knife, and I know how to defend
myself,” she reminded him. “I saved your life, and you’re my servant. You can fix dinner while I soak.”

“Sounds like someone has a fantasy they’d like to share.”

“My fantasy is that we part ways sooner rather than later,” she said, irritated. “That’s the only way you’ll ever figure into one of my fantasies, Ranger Jefferson.”

S
HE WAS MIFFED
, and Ranger knew Hannah had every right to be. He’d waylaid her from her trip, she’d had to nurse him and now she was stuck with him. At least until they could figure out what kind of wheels Hawk had. Ranger was doing the big, silent man act, but inside, he couldn’t believe everything had gone as badly as it had. It seemed that from the moment he’d picked her up, he had lost his way with this woman.

Now the crazy little strawberry-tipped blonde was off him good.

And that bothered him. Nagged at him. Was beginning to eat at him.

Why? He couldn’t figure that. She didn’t like him. If she did, she hid it better than any woman he’d ever known. Women flirted around him. They brought him food. They left things so he’d have to return them. Sometimes they sent him letters with lipstick kisses, sprayed with perfume and, once, containing a thong.

Hannah ignored him. In fact, she’d just sprouted tears over the fact that she’d married him, even
though it had proved to be good medicine. Hannah wasn’t playing around. It was in the stiff set of her shoulders; the determined look-away of her eyes. She was hopping mad with him.

And he badly wanted to get into her good graces.

His ego slid into his boots.

He had no idea how to go about it.

“T
HE PROBLEM IS
,” Hannah said as they walked into the cabin, “that this is wasted on us.”

It was simply the most adorable cabin she’d ever seen. Who would have guessed Hawk lived so romantically? If she’d been able to design a heaven among the clouds, it would be this cabin. The decor was navy and white, softly, thoughtfully entwined, like clouds. A soft, plumpy sofa curved around a fireplace. Candles sat everywhere; there had to have been a hundred gold ones set in groupings throughout the great room. Walls of windows encased the entire room, giving the effect that here one lived above the trees and just below the stars. “It’s so romantic,” she breathed.

“Imagine what it will look like at night.” Ranger tossed their duffels onto the white-carpeted floor. “We can do some major stargazing just sitting on the sofa.”

Hannah shivered, thinking about stars and nighttime and Ranger. “There’s a telescope near the balcony.”

“Mmm.” He looked in the fireplace. “And gas logs. Ecologically minded guy is our Hawk.”

“Did you think he’d be the tree-burning type?” She scratched her arm. “I’m going to find the kitchen. I’m starved. If he’s got pretzels, I’ll be thankful. That’s all I ask for. Pretzels and some cold water.”

The kitchen was an elaborate chef’s paradise, with copper pots hanging from a rack in the ceiling and a small stairway leading into a wine cellar.

“Oh, boy.” Ranger reached in and snagged a bottle. “Shall we have wine with dinner? Or at least wine?”

There was a note on the fridge. “Hannah and Ranger,” she read, “allow me to fix the first meal that you share as honeymooners. It’s not much, but I had to think quickly. You’ll find a chicken spaghetti casserole in the fridge. Heat at 350 degrees until bubbly. Enjoy the wine cellar. Hawk.”

Hannah could feel a blush sneak over her cheeks. “He thought of everything.”

“Yeah, I feel like I’m at a resort. Won’t he be disappointed when he learns we won’t be sharing a meal as honeymooners?” Hawk popped the wine cork and poured two glasses.

“He’ll be gone for a few months. He won’t ever know. And I can eat fine under false pretenses, thank you. Pop that in the oven, since you said you were cooking. Although it seems to me you’ve gotten off the hook. I’m going to go bathe.” She snatched up her wineglass and left the room.

The master bedroom was beautiful, with mahogany wood and soft draperies decorating a room that looked out over the trees. However, it was the master bath that left her breathless. “Hey, Ranger!”

“Change your mind so soon about wanting me?” he said as he walked into the bathroom. “Whoa. That is a bathtub made for two. Maybe four.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” Hannah picked up a bottle of bubble bath that rested on the edge of the marble. “Crabtree and Evelyn. You know what?” She glanced up at Ranger.

“You tell me. I’m not knowing much of anything right now.”

“Something’s fishy with this Hawk guy. If he had all this up here, why did he leave you in the cave when you were ill?”

“Because he couldn’t have dragged me up here without a crane,” Ranger said sensibly. “And he didn’t know us. I mean, we could have been ax murderers, for all he knew.”

“True,” she murmured. “But doesn’t all this seem extravagant? For one man? A recluse?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care. I’m jumping in that tub if you don’t. Hey,” he said, as if he’d just had the thought to end all thoughts, “why don’t we get in there together to conserve water? Have you heard that filling a bathtub takes more water than the average shower?”

Hannah held up her hands. “I’m soaking alone, sans you.”

He eyed the tub. “But we’d fit in there so nicely. You’re going to be lonely.”

“Trust me. I’ll be enthusiastically lonely.”

His eyebrows raised.

She sighed. “You are so starting to scare me. When did your brain kick into sex drive?”

“I don’t know. Maybe since we got married? It must have been the fever. I wasn’t like this before.”

“Oh, yeah. You were. I distinctly remember you slinking into the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon. And since you don’t appear to have had a haircut in oh, maybe two years, I think it’s safe to say you went there for another reason.”

His dark gaze trained on her. “You don’t trust me.”

She shrugged. “Go away. I’m going to make a friend, otherwise known as a washcloth puppet, and scrub my feet. After that sandstorm experience, I’m starting to rethink wearing tennis shoes with cut-out toes. You think they have sandstorms around here often?”

“Hannah, I kissed Cissy once. It was no big deal.”

“Is everything ‘no big deal’ to you, Ranger? Because that’s what you say about everything.” She looked at him, unwilling to acknowledge the pain inside her. If he didn’t care, she sure wasn’t going to.

He seemed surprised by that. “Do I?”

“Yes, you do. And it comes so easily to your lips that I believe you. Nothing is a big deal to you. Not kissing Cissy, not kissing me. Not leaving your
brother in the lurch, not marrying me because you had a psychotic brain twitch. It’s all ‘no biggie.”’

She turned the faucets on and poured in bubble bath. When she turned around, Ranger was gone.

“Served him right,” she murmured to herself. “Big baby.”

W
HEN
H
ANNAH
came out from an hour-long soak, she felt like a new woman. And the aroma floating in from the kitchen had her stomach growling.

But it was the great room that took her breath away. Every single candle in the room was lit. It was as if a hundred stars burned against the velvet of the night sky outside the windows. The table was set, and two wineglasses waited beside china plates.

Ranger took her in at a glance, his eyes nearly as bright as the candleglow. “Hannah,” he said, “I’d like to change your mind about ‘no biggie.”’

Her knees trembled a little at the intense look in his eyes. She felt like prey stumbled upon by a wolf.

“And then there’s that matter of my psychotic brain twitch,” he said, drawing closer. “Now, psychosis is something I’ve never been diagnosed with before, and I was wondering,” he said, taking hold of her hand, “if the nurse who nursed me in the cave is in? Because I haven’t thanked her yet for taking such good care of me.”

He took her face between his palms, and Hannah’s tremble kicked up to tremor. The pieces of her broken heart rattled against each other with expectation, with
hope. Gently, he brushed his lips against hers, never taking his eyes from her astonished gaze.

“You look scared,” he murmured. “We’ve kissed before, remember?”

“Peck,” she said. “You called it a peck.”

“Well, this time,” he said, lowering his face toward hers again, “this time, it’s a kiss. And it’s going to be a ‘biggie.”’

“Wait,” she said, moving her head back just before Ranger could kiss her, hating that she had to do it and yet knowing she had no choice. She couldn’t allow this romantic hideaway to lure her into a spell. “This is a bad idea.”

“No, it’s not. Hold still.” He winked at her, then drew her forward again.

“No. I’m serious, Ranger.” She pulled away, making certain his hands fell from her face and completely broke their contact. “One of us has to be.”

“I’m serious. I seriously want to kiss you.”

“I know. Me. And Cissy. And whoever comes along next.”

“Not that I’m arguing the point, but you didn’t exactly seem reluctant before.”

She gazed at him before going to sit on the plump sofa, in a spot where his charm couldn’t work on her. “Hey, I recognize boredom. Remember me? I’m going to work on a riverboat to give me a change of scenery.”

“I’m not bored.”

“You’re the king of bored. You left the ranch because you were bored. You decided to join the military on a whim, knowing you were probably too old to be accepted. But actually, you just wanted an excuse to leave.”

“You’re going deep on me again. This is in the same category with the brain twitch or whatever it was.”

“Not really. Boredom is the same reason you kissed Cissy, and it didn’t mean anything. And then me, and that didn’t mean anything, either. You’re having a midlife crisis.”

“Midlife crisis?”

“That’s what I think.”

“From your powers of observation as a hair-dresser.”

He was irritated, but she’d expected that. She was, too.

“And my observation as a card dealer. I learned to read people. It’s not too hard to read that you’re bored. And I don’t have a sign on me that says, ‘Looking for fun? Hang out here for a while.”’

He sighed. “Okay. You’re right. It was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have tried to force a romantic issue.”

She watched him carefully. “You agree with me? Really?”

“This time, yes.”

“I mean, I don’t even know you,” she pointed out.

“Well, you knew me well enough to kiss me before.”

“You said peck. We pecked.”

“Pecking is between friends.”

“Can be. Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “Very sisterly, even.”

“Gotcha.” He sat on the sofa at the opposite end and crossed his legs up on the table. “So, you ready for me to warm up Hawk’s truck?”

She blinked. He’d probably spent ten minutes lighting all these candles. “You want to leave? Do you feel up to it?”

“Sure. If you do.”

The dinner smelled good, and the cabin was warm and pretty. But she really didn’t think staying here with Ranger was in her best interest. He looked long and lean in his jeans, reclining on the sofa, and she had been lying anyway about not wanting to kiss him. Jumping his bones would be a sport of choice, but she’d sworn off being a boredom chaser, so now she had to stick to her guns. “I’m ready if you are.”

He closed his eyes. “I have a slight headache,” he murmured.

“I can drive, if you don’t feel well.” She leaned forward to peer at him.

A second later, a snore escaped him. Her eyes widened. Dinner in the oven, candles ablaze with romanticism, and he was so bored he’d fallen asleep. This was not a good sign. “Ranger,” she whispered. “Ranger! Don’t go to sleep on me!”

He didn’t move, except for a totally relaxed snore.

“Great.” Actually, he had every reason to be exhausted. He’d been very sick, and he hadn’t slept comfortably in a few days. “So much for me being your good medicine,” she muttered. “More like a sleeping pill.”

Still, that left her free to munch on Hawk’s dinner. Alone. She grabbed one of the wineglasses from the table, crept into the kitchen and fixed herself a plate full of food. It was a shame that Ranger was missing this wonderful dinner, but maybe it was better if he got his rest.

“Mmm,” she said, starting into the casserole. The wine was tasty and velvety, and she sat in the kitchen at the bar, enjoying every bite of her meal. Even the chair was just right, metal, but with a leather seat. She had a perfect view of the outdoors. Dark sky illuminated with diamond lights—there was very little she could think of that would be more romantic than this.

She washed her dishes, holding back a yawn. After she dried them, she went to check on Ranger. He was sleeping comfortably. Obviously, they weren’t going anywhere tonight. She might as well rest, too.

Heading back down the small hall, she went into the master bedroom. “Pretty big bed for one person,” she murmured, “but I’m sure it’ll be just right.”

And it was, soft and warm with a heavy comforter. And lonely.

“I need a dog,” she told herself. “Maybe a cat.”

But not Ranger. Definitely not that bad boy. The last thing she would ever be was his latest toy. He was looking for diversion, and she didn’t want to play.

“It’s raining,” he said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. She sat straight up in the bed, holding the sheet to her even though she had worn her shirt to bed.

“Raining?”

“Yep. Guess that means we can’t try out the hammock on the balcony.”

“I wasn’t going to, anyway!”

“Are you afraid of storms?” he asked.

She couldn’t see him in the darkness, just his silhouette and it made her nervous. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone with a man in her sleeping space. “Absolutely not!”

“Good. I didn’t want to have to hold you if you got scared.”

She scowled in the darkness. “I wouldn’t ask you to.”

“Glad we got that straightened out. So, the TV says this area is under a tornado watch.”

She snorted and pulled a pillow over her head. “A little rain isn’t going to do anything but flush out some of the dust.”

“I was just testing the honesty of your claim about storms.”

“Go away. It’s not going to work.”

Outside, the rain began to hit the windows.

“Maybe we can’t leave until the morning,” he said.

“I rather thought that when you began sawing logs on the sofa. I could have left you, but you seemed so trusting and alone that I couldn’t. After all, you did give me a ride. Of course, you also brought me into this mess, which I suppose entitles me to ditch you, but I couldn’t. We are definitely leaving in the morning, so don’t get too comfy on the sofa.”

“No room in here?”

“Nope. The bed’s too small for two.”

“I thought you’d say that. King-size beds have a reputation for being tight. Okay. I’m going to go watch the rain hit the windows.”

“You do that,” she said, thinking she’d rather he stay in the room with her, but knowing that that way led to disaster.

She could hear his boots head down the hall. To herself, she sighed, thinking she was relieved, and then realizing she was sighing because she couldn’t throw back the covers and say, “Bring it on, big boy!”

That made her giggle. “He’d probably have died of shock,” she said out loud, enjoying the thought. Except she knew he would have been shocked, but it would have been a good shock. Then he would have dived in with her, and she wouldn’t be alone anymore. And it would have felt better than right.

“And now I can’t sleep.” Thinking about the king-size bed and the rain and the candles was too much
temptation. She crept down the hall and peeked around the corner, shamelessly spying.

He stood in front of the window, hands on hips, staring out at the darkness and the rain. Even not moving he seemed very large, very commanding. Her breath caught in her throat. Way sexy, way hot. What was she doing, saying no? What would keeping her distance gain her? She might never have a chance at that much man again! Who cared if she was simply his girl-whirl? She’d be on her riverboat, dealing cards and enjoying the happy memory of one night in a cool hideaway with a major amount of man.

But no, they’d feel awkward around each other in the morning. She was going her way, and he was going his, and she’d be kidding herself if she thought it was just one night of fun between the sheets. She’d started out on this journey to forget about him!

If she slept with him, it would take that much longer to forget about him. In fact, she could develop amnesia and he’d probably be the first thing she’d remember.

“Rats,” she murmured to herself. The temptation was killing her. “You know,” she said to get his attention, “I hate for you to be bored and scared of storms.”

He turned around, his gaze catching on her with heat. “I am not bored, and I’m only afraid of hurting you.”

She raised her chin, astonished.

“You’re right about us kissing being a bad idea,
but not for the reasons you mentioned. The boredom thing. The truth is, you’re delicate and bruised, and I’d like to pound the idiot who hurt your feelings so badly.”

Oh, boy. Her eyes widened. Her throat dried out. She could tell him that actually
he
was the idiot, but obviously he didn’t imagine that he’d hurt her. Which made her realize that he had not meant to be careless with her. It was just that the moment she’d met him, she’d known she’d met a man worth having. Only, she wasn’t supposed to be falling for a man, and…Ranger wasn’t game for love, no matter how sweet he was about wanting to pound someone for her. “I think you’re more man than I can handle,” she said softly. “Right now.”

A smile softened his face. “I think you’re a crazy li’l ol’ gal. But I could handle you, even though you’re kind of a wild thing. I could definitely handle you.”

She pursed her lips. “Think so?”

“Yeah. And you’d like it. We both would.”

She sucked in a breath. “Why are you still wearing that ring?”

“
I
like it.”

His eyes warmed her, saw through her.
She
liked it, too. She liked thinking it meant something to him.

“It’s my good-luck charm,” he said. “Keeps me from falling under the curse.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. I think…I think I’ll go back to bed now,” she said. “I just thought I should check
on you. Make sure you weren’t feeling woozy or something.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, goodnight.” She fled back down to the lonely king-size bed. Whew! Okay, the sooner they hit the road tomorrow, the safer she’d be. She was falling harder, and the feeling was weightless. If she didn’t get away from Ranger soon, she was going to be lost.

R
ANGER LAY ON THE SOFA
after blowing out the candles. He’d miscalculated. He’d added up the time he’d spent with Hannah to mean more than it apparently had, and then multiplied it by his lust for her.

But that hadn’t equaled getting to hold her in his arms. She liked him; he knew she did. But that wasn’t enough for her to get around the fact that he’d kissed Cissy. And, if he was truthful with himself, he would have to admit that Hannah was right: He wasn’t in the market for a hot and heavy love affair right now. He had issues, and he respected her for figuring that out. Some women would have slept with him and tried to change his mind, focus his attention on them.

Hannah was different. Even her body language radiated Go away!

Which, perversely, made him want to stay closer to her. Had made him want to marry her in his most weakened moment.

Whew. When he thought that through, he realized how lucky he was not to have made love with her.
He might have started believing his own fairy tale, and then what? Take her back home to the ranch with Mason?

No way. Hannah had no home. She was a gypsy. He couldn’t live like that, and he couldn’t live with Mason. He was attracted to her because he was bored with his life, as Hannah had pointed out, and her gypsy-ness called to him.

But in the end, it wouldn’t work out. They’d have great sex and nothing else.

Of course, great sex was worth considering.

But…not with Hannah. She was already too emotionally pained. He wondered who had hurt her. He wondered why men did that to women.

He sank onto the sofa and wondered why women did that to men. Why wasn’t love easy?

With a start, he realized Hannah was standing in front of him. With the wind and rain wildly hitting the windows, he hadn’t heard her walk into the room. He gazed up at her face, soft and sweet in the darkness, her eyes huge and wary like a squirrel’s. “Hey,” he said softly. “Can’t sleep?”

He thought she trembled. “I don’t think I can,” she said.

“Storm bugging you?”

She shook her head. “You’re bugging me.”

He stared at her for a moment, adding the tremble and her words correctly. She’d changed her mind about making love with him. The realization made his
blood pound in his head, made his pulse strong with desire.

But…he’d never know why she’d done it. They were too far from the real world for it to count. Sex was sex and his brothers would say he was weird for not jerking her down onto the floor with him and losing himself in her all night.

But there was more to life than quickies. Tomorrow he would be glad he hadn’t taken advantage of her.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her down in front of him so that they lay spoon-style on the sofa. He buried his face in her shoulder so he could smell her neck and her hair, and put his arm around her waist to anchor her safely to him. Now, let it storm all it wants. I’ve got Miss Funky-Punky in my arms.