Surrender to Temptation (7 page)

“Too impersonal.” A sexy smile curled his lips. “I like to be able to look into my date’s eyes when I talk to her.”

“Uh, Skype does allow you to do that. In fact, you can get this close,” she put her hand in front of her nose, “without bumping noses.”

“I love to bump noses. What’s the point of a date when you can’t touch or savor each other’s responses? Kiss or listen to each other’s heartbeat.”

Oh my. The guy was a romantic. She ignored the pounding of her heart and pasted a nonchalant smile on her lips. “Are you flirting with me, cowboy?”

The grin he gave her was full of sensual promise, but all he said was, “How long does it take to create a website?”

“Five to seven days for a regular website. That includes consultation time and going over every detail in each page, as well as disclaimers and liability clauses with your lawyer. A dynamic website takes twice as long because they are more complex and they deal with large volumes of data. If you already have the files on your horses—”

Mrs. B entered the room with a tray with two cups and a pot of coffee. Chase stood and took the tray from her hand. Nikki complimented her cooking, which brought a broad smile on the housekeeper’s face.

“Thank you, dear. Take that to the den while I finish here,” she instructed Chase.

“I can help clear the table.” Nikki lifted her plate and reached for her glass.

“No, no, child,” Mrs. B said. “Go with him.”

Nikki wasn’t used to being waited on, but she couldn’t insist. She followed Chase to the den. For the next hour, he showed her the files on his mares, which included their history, daily eating habits, behavior, ailments, their lineage, and history of stallions siring their foals. By the time he finished explaining, she was impressed. No, she was in awe. He was meticulous, knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. She, on the other hand, couldn’t even come up with a simple plan to get information from him. Maybe she should ease in.

“Did you always know you wanted to own a horse-breeding ranch?” Nikki asked.

“No, but I love horses.” A tiny smile played on his lips as though he knew she was fishing for information. “It is a good change of pace.”

“Did you know you wanted to be a cook?”

He chuckled. “Oh yes. I love food.”

She traced the edge of her coffee cup and studied his handsome face. Hmm, how far to push him for information? “I love food too, but you don’t see me opening a restaurant.”

He leaned back and studied her with heavy-lidded eyes, the smile leaving his face. “That’s a long story.”

“I’m a good listener,” she said softly.

“Let it keep for another day.” His voice was flat. “I’m a horse breeder now.”

She’d tried. It was going to take a lot for him to open up. Maybe she should seduce him. That she would even contemplate doing such a thing showed she might be in way over her head.

She gave him her best smile. “Did you grow up around horses?”

“In a way. I visited my aunt in Sonoma most weekends, and she has a full stable. But we also came up here in the summer to visit Aunt Siobhán. Her home is not far from here. She’s the one who told me about Flathead Ranch when it came on the market. Her son, Dean, wanted to buy it, but he wasn’t interested in the entire three-thousand acres, so we split it fifty-fifty, dropped the name Flathead and renamed our lands.”

Nikki’s jaw dropped. “Three thousand? Hundreds of families decided to leave Big Sky Country all at once?”

Chase chuckled. “It’s not really that big. A third of it is timberland and creeks. And no, not ten families. One family owned it for over a hundred years.”

“No way. And now it belongs to the Fitzgeralds,” Nikki said.

This time, he laughed. “Dean is a Mondale, not a Fitzgerald. His place is west of here and includes the original homestead. I’ll show you around,” he added. “I know the perfect vantage point if you want to see the entire ranch.”

Please, don’t mention a horseback ride.
“Is it a walking or driving distance from the house?” Nikki asked slowly, trying not to show her reluctance.

Chase shot her a weird look. “Riding distance. Do you ride?”

Nikki grimaced. She had grown up in a small town in Texas and ridden a bit. Maybe she’d ridden the wrong horses or her gangly body had made it weird for her and the horses because she’d never felt comfortable riding. For whatever reason, horses often acted like she was the devil incarnate. One had bitten her, and another had bucked her and nearly broken her neck. The bucking had been the last straw. She now preferred to keep her distance.

“Nikki?”

She glanced at Chase and made a face. “I can ride, but don’t like it. Horses don’t like me very much.”

He chuckled. “Mine will. Tomorrow, you’re riding with me.”

***

As soon as his guest disappeared upstairs, Chase placed a call. It was picked after the first ring. “You sent me a nurse? After I told you my eyes were practically healed?”

“Somehow I knew you’d call,” Lex said in an amused voice.

Lex had a habit of ignoring things Chase found irritating. He cradled the phone on his shoulder and stretched his legs under the desk. “Is she here as a nurse or a web designer?”

“Web designer. You can thank us later after she’s straightened out your messed-up records. I heard she chewed the big guy’s ear off. I would’ve loved to have heard that.”

“You should have been there because you deserved worse,” Chase growled. “You’re supposed to have my back.”

“I have your back. That’s why we sent Ms. Savoy. Isn’t she something? When Uncle Mo told us about her, we were a little skeptical. Then we met her. You could say she impressed the hell out of everyone. You should think of asking her to upgrade the website for The Haven. The renovations are coming along well. Maybe your customers would like to be kept in the loop. A dynamic website with some kind of feedback from you might be great PR before you reopen.”

Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. Arguing with Lex was hard. His brother, like everyone else in the family, refused to believe he was done with the restaurant business. He hadn’t told them of his plans to relocate to Montana before the accident, so they assumed he was in hiding because of his eyes.

“We’ll see,” Chase said, not wanting to repeat what he’d told Nikki earlier—he was now a horse breeder. “I want to see what she can do with the ranch first.”

“Well, be nice to her. She promised to upgrade the Fitz-Valdez website when she’s done with yours. What do you think of her?”

Chase made a face. He’d never discussed women with Lex and wasn’t about to start now. With Baron, his twin, yes. Heck, the two of them had even gone after the same woman after a wager. Lex was… Lex. The big brother he and Baron had depended on when they were in trouble or wanted something from their uncles.

“She’s okay,” Chase said.

Lex snickered. “Okay? She’s stunning.”

Chase frowned. “Is that interest I hear in your voice?”

“Maybe.”

A wave of possessiveness washed over Chase, blindsiding him. He had no claim on Nikki Savoy. Sure, her comment about him not being her kind had rankled, but if Lex was interested in her, he was welcome to court her. His brother was unstoppable, like a force of nature. Any woman who caught his interest didn’t stand a chance and was off limits.

“You should fly out and visit,” Chase said.

“Maybe I will. Do you need anything else?”

Chase chuckled. Lex used to ask that very same question when Chase was in college. He was thirty-four now, too old to be running to his brother for help. “Nah. I’m good.”

“Have you spoken to Mom?”

Chase winced. She must have complained to him. “Not in the last week or so. I’ll call her.”

Chase put the phone down and leaned back against his seat.

As far as brothers went, Lex was not bad. He was a rock. That didn’t mean he wasn’t anal. Chase and Baron were fourteen, Jade twelve, and Lex eighteen when their father had died. From giving up his college of choice to letting go of the woman he’d loved, Lex always put their family first. Sure, the uncles did their part, but Lex was the oldest boy in their family and he’d taken that responsibility seriously.

The day Chase woke up in the hospital blind, Lex had done what he did best, taken charge. After the doctor’s prognosis about his sight and his fiancée’s disappearance, Chase had shrouded himself in a cocoon of indifference and refused to let anyone in. One by one, his family had tried to reach him, failed, and backed off. Not Lex. He’d had flown out to Montana every weekend, pushed and nagged until Chase had lost his numbness. That was the kind of brother he was. Chase frowned. If Lex was interested in Nikki, he would make sure his brother got a chance with her.

CHAPTER 5

Nikki stretched and smiled. Fresh air drifted through the lacey curtains into the room, bringing with it birdcalls and glimpses of clear blue sky. She’d had a restful night. No worries about dashing to the hospital or sleeping through her alarm clock.

Her eyes flew to the bedside clock. Nine-thirty? She’d overslept. She threw back the covers, raced to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. First day and she overslept. What would Fitzgerald think? Chances were he had already gone riding without her. He didn’t seem like the patient kind.

She went to her bedroom door, opened it, and peeked into the hallway. No one was around. She angled her head. No sounds came from downstairs. Closing the door, she went to find something to wear.

Nikki changed into the pair of jeans she’d worn yesterday and a blue tank top. Biting her lower lip, she contemplated the rest of her wardrobe. Even if Amelia mailed her extra pants and tops, she was still going to need a few hardy clothes. Maybe boots. She didn’t own a pair. Long-sleeved shirts. She read somewhere they were perfect for riding and had packed a couple. Her mother had replaced those, too.

“Thanks, Mama,” Nikki muttered.

Sighing, she brushed her hair, pulled it back into a ponytail, and headed downstairs. The silence around the house was eerie. She needed coffee. She couldn’t function without a cup. She pushed the kitchen door and groaned. It was empty.

“Good morning, dear,” Mrs. B called out from behind her.

Nikki jumped and whipped around, her face warming. “Morning. Sorry, I overslept. I don’t know what happened because I don’t usually sleep in.”

Mrs. B dismissed Nikki’s words with a wave and a broad grin. “It’s the air. When I moved here, I slept like a log. Chase had to get his own breakfast for weeks and didn’t like it one little bit. Neither did I,” she added in a low tone, grinning. “He’d leave a huge mess in my kitchen. Come on. I’ll whip up somethin’ for you.”

Nikki let the housekeeper walk ahead of her. “Where’s Mr. Fitzgerald?”

“He went to Dean’s ranch. Dean is his cousin. Nice young man. Polite. Charming. He gets that from his mother’s side of the family. Sit down.” She waved to the kitchen table.

Nikki felt useless just sitting there. “Can I help with anything?”

“No, child.” Mrs. B tilted her head and studied Nikki. “Did you get to meet any of the Fitzgeralds before you came out here?”

Nikki nodded. “Yes. My first interview was with Mo. He’s the one who hired me. Then I met Estelle Fitzgerald and her other two sons during my second interview.”

“Lex and Baron,” Mrs. B said. “Baron is Chase’s twin.”

That explained the uncanny resemblance, except Chase’s blue eyes were more mesmerizing. “Jade and two other women attended the last interview a few days later.”

“The two girls are Faith and Ashley. Estelle raised them all.” Mrs. B laughed. “That’s the Fitzgeralds for you. Protective. Always taking care of each other. Mo said you were from San Diego. Did they fly out for the interview or fly you to Los Angeles?”

Nikki explained about Skype, which prompted Mrs. B to talk more about the Fitzgeralds. There were so many, so it was hard to keep up with who had a baby and who was expecting. The names blurred, but by the time Nikki finished eating breakfast, she’d learned that the Fitzgerald girls attracted trouble. One had been abducted by a crazy suitor, another almost died at the hand of an arsonist, and yet another was once married to an abusive man. Or was it engaged to a designer who stole her work and passed them off as his? Part of her was tempted to ask about Chase and the fire, but she bit her tongue. The housekeeper hadn’t mentioned it, and Nikki didn’t want to arouse suspicion by bringing it up.

Chase was still not back by the time Nikki finished eating, so she disappeared into the den and started reading. What she’d seen yesterday was just the tip. Chase had seven mares for breeding. Six of them were in various stages of pregnancy. He kept records of everything. Pre-foaling care, vaccinations, deworming, the vitamins and mineral supplements the mares took, their weight every week, the condition of their teeth, eyes…

Mrs. B checked on her and brought her lemonade then left her alone.

The more Nikki read, the more she was impressed by her host. If her riding school had kept the records on their horses like this, they would have known which ones were biters, crabby, or dumb mules masquerading as horses.

Nikki grinned at her thoughts. She inhaled and sighed when the scent of roses drifted to her nose. The fresh scent of flowers never failed to lift her spirits. Standing, she walked to the window and admired the rosebushes lining the front porch and the driveway. Someone had a green thumb.

An idea popped into her head. She was done being cooped inside the house because she was scared of horses. It was time to go exploring.

***

Mac was half asleep on a stack of hay when Chase rode into the yard. Winston kicked his leg as he walked by. “Get up, you lazy bum, before I dump that pile of hay on your head.”

The young man jumped up, saw Chase, and gulped, panic flashing on his face. “Boss, I finished stripping the stalls and scrubbing the floor and walls.”

“I need to check a few things before you lime it,” Chase said, handing Thunder’s reins to Winston, who handed them to Mac.

“Rub her down before putting her to pasture,” Winston told the ranch hand and fell in step with Chase as they headed toward the house. “How did the birthing go?”

Chase had just helped deliver a foal. It was his first delivery and so exhilarating. “It was a difficult birth, but Dean knew exactly what to do. Mother and colt are doing fine.”

“Did Jon finally make it?” Winston asked.

Chase grimaced. “Just before I left. Libby will be happy. She was worried Sweet Pea might go into labor while she was gone.”

Liberty “Libby” Hubbard was his closest neighbor to the east. Most ranchers in Big Hole Valley depended on each other during emergencies since the vets weren’t farmers and lived in the surrounding towns. Some vets, like Jon Wright, preferred to stay at a ranch when a mare was about to go into labor. But in most cases, the ranchers had to deliver the foal or at the very least, prepare the mare for birthing before the vet’s arrival. Chase meant to learn everything about birthing before Philly’s time.

“The colt has his sire’s coloring and came out starving. The mother was gentle with him.”

“Sweet Pea’s a seasoned mother,” Winston said. “It’s the new mothers you worry about. They can kick their baby because they’re not used to nursing.”

Chase stopped by the back porch and glanced at his very pregnant Arabian. This was Philly’s first pregnancy. “You think she will be okay?”

Winston chuckled. “Oh, yes. As long as we keep rubbing her belly, she won’t spook when her foal wants to feed.”

“That’s good. Dean needs help with Libby’s family, so I have to leave again after lunch. Did you get a chance to check the stalls after Mac finished cleaning?”

The foreman nodded. “The boy’s been doing this for years. He’s very thorough. He knows how to check for loose nails or hinges, but I worked with him.”

“Thunder still tests her door to see if she can get free,” Chase reminded the foreman.

“I double-checked her stall, boss. She’s not going anywhere. It’s okay to lime the stalls and replace the bedding.”

Chase nodded. “Okay. Let’s bring the horses back inside afterwards. It is too hot for them to be outside, and I’ve noticed an increase in flies in the paddocks.”

While Winston headed back to the barn, Chase stepped on the porch, his eyes going to Philly, who was swatting flies with her tail. The damn bugs were a menace, whether they were stable flies, horseflies, deer flies, horn flies, or just face flies. They bit horses and were known to cause the ones with low pain thresholds to spook. Even hardy horses could cause injuries to their joints and hooves by stomping their legs to get rid of the pestering flies. He always made sure the stalls were mucked twice a day, and stripped, thoroughly washed, aired, and the floor limed once a month. Flies were the last thing his horses needed.

Chase pushed the kitchen door and found Mrs. B already starting on lunch. His eyes went to the blue flames shooting under the pot, and he froze, his heart picking up tempo.

“Did you want something, dear?” Mrs. B asked. “Lunch won’t be ready for another hour.”

Chase heard her, but he couldn’t formulate a response or look away from the flame.
This is not The Haven.
The fire is controlled.
Despite his thoughts, sweat formed on his forehead and his feet stayed rooted on the same spot.

“Miss Nikki was looking for you,” Mrs. B continued. “I told her you went to Dean’s. When you didn’t come back, she disappeared in the den. It’s such a beautiful day to be cooped indoors.”

Mrs. B’s monologue faded in the background as Chase focused on calming his breathing and his heartbeat. Thoughts of calming things rushing through his head—the breeze fluttering through the glass in the meadow, clouds adrift in a clear blue sky, rushing water in the creeks…

His heartbeat slowed down as sanity returned. The fires were different. The stove fire was controlled. Blue. Maybe he needed to replace the gas stove with an electric one.

“Where is she?” he asked in a gruff voice he didn’t recognize as his.

“Cutting flowers outside,” Mr. B said and chuckled. “She asked if she could help bring some of the sunshine indoors.”

Chase made a beeline for the door connecting the kitchen to the living room and headed for the front door, his strides long. At the back of his mind, he knew that he was running from his demons, helpless to stop them from hounding him. The panic attacks had to stop. The fire happened six months ago and should be ancient history, yet it had become a paralyzing force that reduced him to a near catatonic state when he least expected it.

He yanked the door open and wasn’t prepared for Nikki pushing it at the same time. She screamed as she lost her balance and pitched forward. He reached for her, his arms going around her waist, and breaking her fall.

Thoughts of fire disappeared as feminine scent and warmth wrapped around his senses. She felt good and smelled amazing. His arms tightened. It wasn’t often he held a woman whose body fit his perfectly, thigh against thigh, hips to hips. Her flimsy and lacey top was no barrier to her breasts, which was pressed intimately against his.

As though she realized it too, she tried to put some space between them, but ended up banging her elbow against the door. He tightened his arms around her.

“Stop wiggling,” he ordered.

She froze and stared at him with wide eyes, her pupils dilated, her breathing uneven. A tremor shot through her, and he almost groaned. He knew women well enough to know when one was aroused. That made two of them. Chase’s eyes left hers and moved to her lips. The urge to taste them washed over him.

Remember Lex.

It took all Chase’s willpower to drag his eyes away from her lips and meet her gaze. Her eyes were now narrowed, the reaction to their close proximity gone.

“Fitzgerald,” she whispered.

“Call me Chase,” he countered.

“Let me go,
Fitzgerald,
” she said through clenched teeth.

He didn’t want to. She wiggled, rubbing against him in the process. Heat shot straight to his groin, and his body responded.

“Stop trying to get away from me or you’ll hurt yourself again,” he said in a voice gone husky.

 
“I’m not trying to get away from
you
. I have things to do.”

His hands moved from her waist to her arms. Her skin was soft and smooth, and warm from the sun. “Sorry I opened the door suddenly and caused you to lose balance.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to come inside.” She squatted and reached for the basket. The flowers were scattered on the floor around them. He joined her and helped her pick them up.

“Sorry I wasn’t here this morning to give you a tour. My cousin needed my help. I delivered my first foal.”

“Oh.” She glanced up and studied him intently as though weighing his words. A cute pink tint crept on her cheeks, making him wonder what she was thinking about. She looked down and went back to picking up the stems. “You don’t need to apologize. I, uh, hope everything went okay.”

Her voice sounded strange. “Oh yes. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, stood, and clenched the basket in front of her. “I think I stayed outside for too long.”

Chase pushed his sunglasses into his hair and studied her flushed face. Maybe he had misread her reaction. Maybe what he’d thought was a reaction to their embrace was really the result of too much sun.

“You didn’t wear a hat,” he said and shook his head. “You should never go outside without one. It gets hot around here.”

“I just realized that.” She gave him a brief smile. “I hope you don’t mind about the flowers. Mrs. B said it was okay to cut some.”

Chase chuckled. “I would never disagree with Mrs. B. The house is her domain, so whatever she says goes. Where were you planning on putting those?”