“I’m not making visits to the Silver Horn ranch for your amusement, Mr Calhoun.”

“How could anything so cold come out of such a beautiful mouth?” he countered. “Especially when I haven’t given you a reason to dislike me.”

She breathed deeply and assured herself that she wasn’t feeling an ounce of attraction for this man. “I’ve not given you any reason to flirt with me either,” she said stiffly.

Instead of making him angry, her response merely made him laugh. Again. And Lilly was shocked at how the low, rich sound sent a shiver of pleasure right through her.

“You’re definitely a saucy little thing.”

And he was just the sort of man that Lilly had taken great pains to avoid these past few years. “I’m not a thing, Mr Calhoun. I’m a woman.”

The corner of his lips curved upward. “Yes, I can see exactly how much of a woman.”

* * *

Men of the West: Whether ranchers or lawmen, these heartbreakers can ride, shoot—and drive a woman crazy …

One Tall,

Dusty Cowboy

Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

STELLA BAGWELL has written more than seventy novels for Mills & Boon. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way. A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old Westerns, and has recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the south Texas coast. When she’s not ropin’ and ridin’, you’ll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love. The couple has a son, who is a high school math teacher and athletic coach. Stella loves to hear from readers and invites them to contact her at stellabagwell@gmail.com.

To my late brother-in-law, Gerald Foster, and the loving memories I will always carry in my heart.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The man standing at the foot of the long staircase was one tall, dusty cowboy and looked entirely out of place standing on the polished wood floor in his boots and spurs and bat-wing chaps. A straw hat was pulled low over his forehead, but the moment he spotted her descending the long steps, he swept it off to reveal thick waves of varying shades of chestnut. Yet it was the speculative gaze on his face that jarred Lilly Lockett the most and prompted her to lift her chin to a challenging tilt.

She halted two steps from where he stood with a gloved hand resting on the polished balustrade. “Are you lost?”

To her dismay, he threw back his head and howled with laughter. “A few folks around here would say I’m lost all the time, Ms...?”

The unsettling glint in his eyes put a prim note to her voice. “Lilly Lockett. And you are?”

Climbing one step closer, he jerked off a scarred leather glove and extended his hand to her. “Rafe Calhoun, at your service, ma’am.”

Lilly wasn’t sure if the blush warming her face was because the man was touching her or because she’d mistaken a member of the Calhoun family for a common ranch hand.

“Hello, Rafe Calhoun. Are you Bart’s son or grandson?”

His outlandish grin was bracketed by a pair of incredible dimples, but they only made up a small part of this man’s striking looks. His skin was tanned to a deep nut-brown, making a pair of gray eyes stand out beneath hooded brows. Chiseled cheekbones angled downward to a proud, hawkish nose and lean cheeks, while a hank of rusty-brown hair flopped onto a high forehead. She’d heard through the rumor mill that one of the Calhoun boys was a player with the ladies and from the looks of this one she’d pretty much bet him to be the culprit.

“Bart is my grandfather.” His gaze slipped from her face to her bare ring finger then farther downward over her navy blue scrubs. “Are you here to treat him?”

Determined not to allow this rakish cowboy to rattle her senses for one moment longer, she pulled her hand from his and stiffened her already straight spine. “I’m Mr. Calhoun’s—Bart’s physical therapist. I’ll be working with him the next few weeks.”

If possible, the grin on Rafe Calhoun’s face grew even deeper. “Well, now, that’s the best news I’ve heard in days.”

Her back teeth clamped together. “Really? The fact that your grandfather has had a stroke and needs physical therapy is good news to you?”

“Aw, now, Lilly,” he began in a slow, flirtatious drawl. “That wasn’t even close to what I meant.”

Not about to give this man an opportunity to work his charms on her, she said, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Calhoun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to be at the hospital in forty-five minutes.”

He stroked a thoughtful finger along his jaw. “It only takes thirty minutes to get to town from here. Surely you can give me five of those extra ones.”

“What makes you think you deserve five minutes of my time?”

The question appeared to take him aback and while he was searching for words, she stepped around him and started across a wide corridor that would eventually lead her to a side exit of the huge ranch house. Rafe Calhoun’s jingle-bell spurs rang out as he hurried after her.

“Now wait a minute, Lilly. You’re not being very friendly. You don’t want to give me a bad first impression, do you?”

Pausing, she turned to find him standing directly behind her and so close that she could smell the dust and sweat on his clothes, see the gray horse hair and streaks of dirt clinging to his white shirt. Now that the grin had been wiped from his face, she was able to observe his lips in their natural state. They were thin and hard with a tiny white scar adorning the top corner. Apparently, at one time, something or someone had busted his mouth.

The man probably liked fighting as much as he liked kissing, she couldn’t help thinking.

“I’m not interested in giving you any sort of impression. I’m not making visits to the Silver Horn ranch for your amusement, Mr. Calhoun. I’m here to treat your grandfather. Now goodbye!”

“How could anything so cold come out of such a beautiful mouth?” he countered. “Especially when I haven’t given you a reason to dislike me.”

She breathed deeply and assured herself that she wasn’t feeling an ounce of attraction for this man. She was simply fascinated by his rough, tough appearance and the easy way all those pretty words rolled from his tongue.

“I’ve not given you any reason to flirt with me, either,” she said stiffly.

Instead of making him angry, her response merely made him laugh. Again. And Lilly was shocked at how the low, rich sound sent a shiver of pleasure right through her.

“You’re definitely a saucy little thing.”

And he was just the sort of man that Lilly had taken great pains to avoid these past few years. “I’m not a thing, Mr. Calhoun. I’m a woman.”

The corner of his lips, the one with the fetching little scar, curved upward. “Yes, I can see exactly how much of a woman.”

Incensed, she said, “If that’s the case, then go find the nearest mirror and tell the guy looking back at you that he’s not quite the Romeo he thinks he is.”

With that she didn’t wait around for his response. Instead, she walked quickly away from him until she was completely outside of the house. Fifteen minutes later, she’d driven halfway to Carson City and by then she realized her fingers were aching from the choke hold she had on the steering wheel.

What was she doing? Why had she let a playboy’s silly flirtation get her riled? At twenty-eight years of age and working most of her adult life as a nurse, she’d dealt with all types of men. And she understood that the majority of them had one thing on their minds. It was obvious that Rafe Calhoun was no different.

Shoving a hand through her shoulder-length blond hair, she kept her eyes on the highway while she fought to push the man’s image from her mind. She hoped to heaven she wouldn’t run into him again, but she seriously doubted she could be that lucky. She’d only started Bart Calhoun’s therapy three days ago and the task of rehabilitating the use of his leg and arm was going to be long and arduous. And given Rafe Calhoun’s persistence, she had the sinking feeling he would make it a point to bump into her whenever she was at the ranch.

You can’t be worrying about that, Lilly. Men like him are everywhere. And for the past seven years you’ve managed very well to stay out of their reach. You can stay out of Rafe’s path, too.

But that was going to be easier said than done, she thought, as she pulled into a parking space set aside for hospital personnel. Men like Rafe weren’t exactly everywhere. There had been something about him that had struck a nerve and made her so totally aware of the long months she’d gone without so much as having a man hold her hand. And that sad fact was hardly something she wanted to dwell on.

“Good morning, Lilly. How did it go with Mr. Calhoun this morning?”

As Lilly passed the nurses’ station, she glanced over to see Jolene, a young brunette nurse that worked the morning shift in the E.R.

“He’s trying his best.”

“Well, I’d sure like a job inside that fancy mansion, but I wouldn’t want to deal with Mr. Calhoun. I’ve heard stories about his last visit here at the hospital. He had most of the nurses in tears or wanting to kill him.” Gesturing over her shoulder in the direction of the snack room, she said, “I saved you a couple of pieces of pizza for lunch. It’s in the fridge if you want it.”

“Thanks, Jolene. Maybe later. Right now I’m running short on time.”

Thanks to one sexy cowboy with a glib tongue. She wondered what Jolene or any of the other nurses could tell her about Rafe Calhoun. Probably the same thing that was said about the elder Calhoun, she thought; he left women in tears or wanting to kill him.

* * *

Back on the Silver Horn, Rafe stepped into his father’s office and walked straight to the coffeepot.

“What’s up? I thought branding was going on today?” Orin asked.

Rafe glanced over at the big man sitting behind a wide mahogany desk. In his early sixties, Orin Calhoun was still as strong and vital as he’d been twenty years ago. The only difference now was that his hair was more gray than dark and age lines creased the corners of his eyes and mouth. Orin had raised five strapping sons and along the way lost the only woman he’d ever loved. Rafe seriously doubted he could ever be as great a man as his father, so most of the time he didn’t try.

“Branding is going on,” Rafe answered. “I burnt the hell out of my finger and had to come get another pair of gloves.”

Orin frowned. “We keep stacks of gloves in every barn.”

“Well, I had to put some ointment on my finger and I wanted my own gloves. Come to think of it, I should’ve let that pretty little nurse of Gramps’s treat me. Bet she would’ve known exactly what to do to take out the sting.”

As Rafe sipped the black coffee, he watched his father let out a weary sigh. It was no secret that Orin didn’t like Rafe’s philandering ways. He’d often hounded Rafe to either settle down with a woman or, at the very least, quit chasing them like a bull in a spring pasture full of heifers. But Rafe was thirty years old and though he was open to advice, he lived life his own way and at his own pace.

“Son, I hope I don’t have to tell you to behave like a gentleman around Ms. Lockett. She’s a specialist in therapy, but also works in the E.R. at Tahoe General. She’s only taken this job as a favor to Chet Anderson, the director of nursing there, who also happens to be a friend of mine. And it would be damned hard to replace her,” he added with a pointed glance at Rafe.

Walking over to the wide window overlooking the ranch yard, Rafe gazed over the rim of his coffee cup at the busy comings and goings of the hired hands. Except for a two-year stint in college, he’d spent his entire life on this Nevada ranch. Five years ago, his grandfather, Bart, had appointed him the position of ranch foreman and during those five years Rafe wasn’t sure if Bart had cursed or blessed him. Overseeing twenty-five men, thousands of head of cattle and several sections of rugged ranch land had never been a simple task. In the very beginning Rafe had stumbled more than once, and there had been times he’d even doubted his ability to handle a job that normally would go to a much older, more experienced man. But he’d been determined to prove his worth and now being the foreman of the Silver Horn was a job he lived, slept and breathed.

“What’s the matter with you, Dad?”

Orin let out another sigh and the sound irked Rafe no end. He loved and respected his father greatly, but it annoyed the hell out of Rafe to have the other man treat him as though he were still a bumbling teenager.

“All right, son. Just so you understand how important she is right now. She could be the difference in your grandfather getting strong enough to walk again.”

Rafe turned away from the window. “You make it sound like she’s a miracle worker.”

“From what Chet told me, she has worked miracles with a few hopeless cases. That’s why he recommended her for Dad’s therapy. I just hope she can endure his bullheadedness.”

From his brief exchange with the blonde beauty, he certainly didn’t think she’d have any trouble holding her own with Bart. She was the first woman in a long time that had rejected his advances, and she’d hardly been uncertain about it.

Go find the nearest mirror and tell the guy looking back at you that he’s not quite the Romeo he thinks he is.

Lilly Lockett’s parting remark still had enough power to sting him. But on the other hand, he admired her spunk. And Rafe always did like a challenge.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I don’t think Lilly is the sort of woman who runs from anything. She’ll handle Gramps.” And me, he thought wryly.

“I’m glad you think so. Now tell me about the branding. Did the men find more stray calves to add to the spring tally?”

“Fifty-two additional head. They were over on the Antelope Range, on the flats near the river. All of them were packing good weight.”

“That’s a nice find. Have you tagged or branded them yet?”

“No, sir. I plan to start on them before the end of the week. We’ll do the bunch over on the Salt Cedar trail first.” Rafe quickly drained the last of his coffee then put the cup down on the coffee table. “I’d better get back out to the branding fire. I’ll see you at supper.”

As he started out of the office, his father called out, “Rafe? Did you come all the way upstairs just for a cup of coffee?”

Damn! Meeting Lilly Lockett on the staircase must have distracted him more than he thought. “Oh, yeah. I wanted to talk to you about those horses Finn has been lobbying for. Is he going to get them or not? The hands are hurting for more mounts. Three are sidelined with bone chips and two more are being treated for colic and one with a shoulder injury.”

“Have you talked to Finn about this?”

Frustrated, Rafe slapped his gloves against the palm of his hand. “Hell, yes. He says he’ll come up with more. But damn it, Dad, he’s so caught up with the foaling mares he forgets that there’s cattle to be taken care of around here. It’s already the first week of May. We can’t do the rest of spring roundup without horses.”

“Have you talked with your brother today?”

“I went by the foaling barn but he wasn’t there. I tried his cell phone but he didn’t answer.”

“He’s probably over at the J Bar S. He promised Sassy he’d help her with one of their horses. I don’t know exactly what it was about but you know how Finn feels about his sister. He’s not about to disappoint her.”

A little more than a year ago, it was revealed that Orin had sired a daughter during a brief, illicit affair. Not only had it shocked Orin, who’d been unaware of the child, it had stunned Rafe and his four brothers to learn they had a half-sister. But learning their father had been unfaithful to their mother had only been a part of the revelation. The whole secret of the woman’s pregnancy had been kept for twenty-four years with hush money doled out by Bart.

No doubt the story had been told and retold from one end of Carson City to the other.

“I love Sassy, too,” Rafe said. “But Finn needs to get his priorities straight! If he doesn’t have time to take care of the working remuda, then maybe you ought to find someone who can!”

Rising to his feet, Orin leveled a look of warning at him. “Rafe! You’re stepping out of line.”

Rafe stood his ground. “Sorry, Dad, but I’m stepping exactly where I should be stepping. This whole matter reflects on my job and I’m not going to let anyone make me look like a slacker!”

With a weary shake of his head, Orin asked quietly, “Does this always have to come down to you, Rafe?”

“I’m thinking about this ranch. Not myself. Maybe someday you and everybody else around here will understand that.”

He left the office before his father could say more and once outside, his long stride carried him toward a group of wooden corrals, where he’d left his horse tethered to a hitching rail. As he mounted the blue roan and kicked the gelding into a lope, he realized it was a waste of time to try to argue his case with his father. Neither Orin nor his brothers really understood what drove or pushed him. They all believed he was self-seeking. They had no clue that every cell of his heart had long ago been poured into this land and the animals that roamed it.

* * *

The next morning, Lilly was relieved when she entered the Silver Horn ranch house and made it up to Bart’s room without running into Rafe. Not that she’d been expecting him to be lurking around, just waiting to see her again. But even the thought of a chance meeting with the man ruffled her nerves. Especially after the fourteen-hour shift she’d put in yesterday. One traumatic injury after another had come through the E.R. doors over the course of the night, and she’d finally crawled into bed just before daylight, mentally drained and physically exhausted.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, Bart,” she said a few minutes later as she urged the man to make another repetitive move with his arm. “Use all your strength. Keep your hand against mine and try to shove me backwards.”

The white-haired man chuckled. “I’d never shove a lovely lady like you, Lilly.”

Lilly couldn’t help but smile. Everyone had warned her that Bart Calhoun was a hateful, crotchety bastard of a man, but from the moment she’d met him, he’d been a perfect gentleman. She only hoped his manners didn’t change before his therapy was finished.

“Well, just pretend that I’m someone you don’t like,” she told him. “And don’t worry, I’m strong. So put some power in that arm.”

He did as she asked and this time she could feel a bit more resistance as he strained to do the exercise.

“I’ve never been helpless in my life, Lilly. And I don’t like it. Up until I had the stroke, I still had enough punch to knock a man flat on his back. But now...” He trailed off with a wistful sigh. “Things change when a man gets older.”

Moving to his left foot, she motioned for him to push against her cupped hands. “You can’t blame your condition on your age, Bart. From what your family tells me, you like Kentucky bourbon and arguing. That’s not a good combination for a man with high blood pressure.”

“Well, I do have my faults,” he sheepishly admitted. “All of us men do, you know. I’m just thankful to God that my speech wasn’t affected. It would be hell if I couldn’t communicate.”

Lilly figured this man didn’t necessarily need words to communicate. He was very much like his grandson, who expressed most of his thoughts through his eyes.

“Or heck if you couldn’t argue,” she teased as she continued to put his leg through a series of motions. “I hope your speech wasn’t spared for that reason.”

He didn’t say anything and after a few moments she glanced up to see he was studying her with a thoughtful eye. “Are you married, Lilly?”

She cast him a coy glance. “No. Why? Do you have matrimony on your mind?”

He chuckled. “Well, you’d certainly tempt a man to stand in front of the preacher. But no. I’ve only loved one woman in my life and she died twenty years ago. I can’t imagine myself with another wife.”

His sentiment touched her more than he could ever know. Her parents had been married for nearly thirty years, yet she’d never seen much affection expressed between them. Certainly not the kind of love or devotion that Bart felt for his late wife. After all these years, Lilly wasn’t sure what had kept her parents together. Her father, Ron Lockett, had always been a quiet, hardworking man who was content to live modestly. On the other hand, her mother, Faye, was never content and was always demanding her husband to change and follow her wants and wishes, which caused a constant clash of differences between the two.

As a child, her parents’ dysfunctional marriage had affected Lilly deeply. By the time she’d entered her teen years, she’d sworn that her life was going to be different. She would love the man she married and he would love her equally. There wouldn’t be arguing, threats or tears. But now, years later, she’d learned that love wasn’t that easy to find and life had a way of producing tears.

“I’ve never been married,” she told Bart.

“How come? You don’t like men?”

She let out a silent sigh. “I like them. I just haven’t found one I like enough to share the rest of my life with. I’m particular, I suppose.”

“Particular is good. That means you’re smart.”

Smart? In many ways Lilly supposed she was smart. She had a good education and she’d been told by many of her peers that she was an excellent and intelligent nurse. But in her personal life, she’d made mistakes she was still trying to forget.

She glanced over at the large window and a view of the distant desert hills. The Silver Horn was known far and wide for its wealth, horses and cowboys. And though she wasn’t familiar with ranch life, she had to admit this place, and the family who ran it, intrigued her.

“Did you live on this ranch when you got married?” she asked Bart.

“Yes. But it wasn’t the place it is now. My father started the Horn back in 1909 from just a bare spot—where the barns are now. Over time as his herd multiplied, he bought more land. Eventually, his profit grew and he sank part of it in lucrative investments. That’s how it all got started. By the time he died in 1960 I was in my thirties, so I took over and tried to follow in his footsteps.”

“Well, your father clearly taught you well. It’s a beautiful place,” Lilly told him. “You must be very proud.”

“I’m more proud of my grandsons,” he said, then added, “When I get better I’m going to personally show you around the ranch. How would you like that, Lilly?”

Glancing around, she smiled at the elder Calhoun. “It’s a date.”

Bart chuckled and something about the smug sound reminded Lilly of Rafe. Like grandfather, like grandson? No. Bart had clearly loved his wife, whereas Rafe would never settle for one woman.

* * *

A half hour later Bart had completed his therapy for the day and Lilly was driving down the long drive that led away from the house, when a horse and rider suddenly galloped up beside the car.

Slightly panicked by the nearness of the animal to her vehicle door, she jammed on the brakes and the small car came to a jarring halt in the middle of the road.

By the time she’d collected herself enough to look around, Rafe had already leaped from the saddle and was standing next to the door, motioning for her to lower the window.

As soon as the glass was no longer a screen between them, she blasted, “Are you out of your mind? You could have killed both of us!”

Laughing at her discomfiture, he said, “Roscoe knew what he was doing. He could thread through a stand of brush without ever getting a scratch.”

His grinning face made her want to groan and laugh at the same time. “I’m glad your Roscoe knew what he was doing because you certainly didn’t!”

“Since you don’t really know me, I’m not going to take that comment to heart.”

His gray eyes were gliding over her face like slow, searching fingers, touching each contour of each feature. And suddenly she was acutely aware of her bare face and the messy bun pinned atop her head. “You can take it any way you’d like, Mr. Calhoun. But I need to be on my way. Would you like to get to your reason for this dramatic stop?”

“I wanted to see you again. That’s the reason.”

Her nostrils flared. “I should have guessed it wasn’t to inquire about your grandfather’s health.”

Behind him, the blue roan nudged his hand and he affectionately curled his arm around the horse’s nose and tucked it against his side.

“So how is Gramps doing?”

“I’m proud of him. He’s trying very hard.”

“Gramps never was a quitter. Has he been giving you a hard time?”

The way he asked the question made it sound as though he’d be glad to intervene on her behalf. Like a gallant knight ready to defend her. The notion touched her and she couldn’t stop a small smile from curling her lips.

“Contrary to what you or others might think, your grandfather has been very sweet to me. Even when I’m ordering him to do more.”

Disbelief appeared in his eyes. “Dad implied you were a miracle worker. He must be right.”

She shouldn’t let his casual compliment affect her, but it did. Her job was her life. To be praised for her effort, even by Rafe Calhoun, felt good.

He and Roscoe drew closer and suddenly Lilly couldn’t keep her eyes off him. There was something so vibrant and male about his rugged features that she forgot to breathe and very nearly forgot to think.

“Thanks, but I’m just doing my job,” she told him. “And your grandfather and I just happened to hit it off.”

Leaning his head through the open window, he said, “Well, actually, I had another motive for stopping you.”

For some ridiculous reason her gaze settled on his lips and immediately the image of kissing him danced into her thoughts. Would he taste as rough and tough and male as he looked? she wondered. Oh, Lord, she had to quit looking. Had to quit fantasizing.

“And what was that?” she asked.

He grinned and Lilly decided the slightly crooked line of his teeth matched the rest of him. Raw, natural and untamed.

“I wanted to let you know that I took your advice and had a talk with the man in the mirror. But he didn’t know a Romeo.”

“You’re incorrigible!”

He chuckled. “I can dance, too. Why don’t we go out this evening and I’ll show you?”

Inwardly groaning, she asked herself how she’d managed to get herself into this predicament. Instead of stopping on the road, she should’ve floored the gas pedal and left the man and his horse in the dust.

“Sorry, but I have to work tonight.”

“Okay, then tomorrow night,” he persisted.

“I have to work then, too.”

He rolled his eyes. “Is there a night you don’t have to work?”

If she lied about her work schedule, she might stand a chance of getting rid of this man’s attentions once and for all. But lying to Rafe didn’t appeal to her and if she was being totally honest with herself, she didn’t want to get rid of him. For the first time in years, he was making her feel excited. Making her remember that she was more than a nurse; she was a woman.

Her heart suddenly jumped into a fast, reckless rhythm. “Monday is my night off.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She gave him her address, then seeing he had no way to write it down, she asked, “Will you remember that?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find you.”

Lifting a hand in farewell, he moved away from the car and swung himself into the saddle and all Lilly could do was watch him gallop away. What was she getting herself into? she wondered.

And why couldn’t she resist finding out...?

Chapter Two

For the next three days, Lilly vacillated between wanting to kick herself or pat herself on the back for being brave enough to accept a date with Rafe Calhoun.

Since the morning he’d run her down on the road, like some scene out of a Western movie, she’d fought against the urge to ask around about the man. Most people in her circle of friends and coworkers didn’t rub elbows with the rich Calhoun family, so whatever they told her about Rafe would be little more than hearsay.

Ironically, she was the only one who’d had any actual association to the family. Seven years ago, Rafe’s mother, Claudia, had befriended her when she’d desperately needed someone to lean on. Lilly had never told anyone about the chance meeting between her and the matriarch of the Silver Horn ranch, or the friendship that had resulted from it. That time in her life was too painful to share with anyone. And Claudia had since died. But Lilly’s friendship with the woman still lived in her heart and that had been the main reason she’d agreed to take on the job of Bart Calhoun’s therapy.

Normally, the hands of the clock spun too quickly for Lilly. Work kept her rushing to find enough time in the day to get necessary chores around the house done and errands about town completed. But as Monday evening arrived, it felt to Lilly as though time began to crawl.

By the time Rafe finally arrived a few minutes before seven, she’d worked herself up into a nervous frenzy. But in spite of her nerves, she did her best to appear cool and collected when she answered the door.

“Good evening, Lilly.”

“Hello, Rafe. Would you like to come in?”

“I’d love to.”

She opened the door wider and as he stepped over the threshold Lilly was a bit overwhelmed by the change in his appearance. Instead of worn chaps and a battered hat, he was dressed in dark, Western-cut slacks. A crisp white shirt was buttoned at his throat and topped with a bolo tie fashioned from a turquoise rock, while a black felt hat dangled from his hand. If James Bond were a cowboy, he’d have to look like Rafe, Lilly decided.

He handed her a long, slim box full of expensive chocolates. “I hope you like sweets.”

“Unfortunately, I love them. Thank you.” She put the box down on a nearby coffee table then gestured for him to take a seat. “Do we have time for a drink? I have tea or coffee. But nothing to make a cocktail.”

“If I’d known you were going to be this hospitable I would have made a point of coming earlier,” he joked, then pushed back the cuff of his shirt to peer at a gold watch on his wrist. “But I don’t want us to lose our reservations. I’ll take a rain check on the drink, if you don’t mind.”

“Surely. Just let me get my bag and wrap.”

She left for the bedroom and when she returned with her things, Rafe was standing in front of a wall table where several photos of family and friends were arranged on a white lace doily.

“Is this your parents?” he asked, pointing to one particular photo.

“Yes. About twenty years ago.”

“And that’s you in the middle?”

A wan smile touched her lips. “That’s me. I was eight years old there—a chubby little tomboy. Back then I had the burning desire to be the first girl to play major league baseball.”

Instead of raising a chuckle out of him, he turned a curious look on her. “You’ve surprised me. I would’ve never figured you for a rough-and-tumble girl like that.”

She shrugged. “Well, I grew up and decided to aim for less lofty goals. I still love baseball, though. Do you like sports?”

“Never have time for them,” he admitted. “But Sassy, my younger half sister, has talked about playing in a softball league back when she lived in New Mexico. I need to introduce you to her. You two might have a lot in common.”

Surprised, she said, “I wasn’t aware that you had a sister.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it some time. Right now we’d better be going.”

He made it sound as though they’d be spending more time together in the future and though the idea was tantalizing, Lilly wasn’t sure she could allow that to happen. One night with this man was going to be hard enough to get through and still keep her resistance intact.

Outside, the evening air had already begun to cool and before they stepped off the small porch, Lilly took a moment to wrap a white shawl around her bare shoulders.

“Have you lived here long?” Rafe asked as he took her by the elbow and started to his waiting truck.

“Yes. I bought the place a few years ago. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s not far from work and my neighbors are very nice.” The modest, two-bedroom house sat on two lots surrounded by chain-link fence. Except for a large cottonwood and a tall patch of prickly pear near the porch, the yard was mostly bare of landscape. “I’ve been planning to do more with the yard, but being a nurse always seems to get in the way of planting shrubs and flowers.”

“I like it this way,” he said. “Nice and neat.”

Compared to the Silver Horn ranch house, this place must look like a miniature dollhouse to him, but then compared to his home, most every house in Carson City was lacking.

His vehicle, a sleek, black, four-door pickup truck was parked along the street and as he helped her into the passenger seat, he said, “I hope you don’t mind riding in a truck. We’ve not had a car on the ranch since—not in a long time.”

Lilly wondered if he was going to say since his mother had passed away. But she wasn’t going to ask. Not when he’d clearly skirted the issue.

“I don’t mind,” she assured him.

And why would she? The interior of Rafe’s truck was far more luxurious than her little economy car or, for that matter, anything she’d ever ridden in. The seats were buttery-soft leather and the dashboard was equipped with all sorts of gadgets that she would need a manual to operate.

Rafe and his four brothers had been born into wealth and she wondered if he took all the luxury for granted, or if that aspect of his life was even important to him.

The questions made her realize how very little she knew about this man. But then she didn’t want to get to know him that well. She wanted to keep this evening light and simple. And once it was over she could put it and him behind her.

“So how was your day?” he asked as they traveled down a residential street that would connect them to a main thoroughfare.

“Restful. After working eighty hours this past week in E.R. a day off is special. The only nursing I did today was with your grandfather.”

“You drove out to the Horn on your day off just to give Gramps his therapy? You must be damned dedicated.”

“Bart is making such good progress that I don’t want to miss a day. At least, not until he reaches another level.”

“He showed me how he can work his fingers now. I was impressed. You’ve only been treating him for a week.”

“Two weeks,” she corrected. “I had already been working with Bart a week before that day you and I met on the stairs.”

With a rueful shake of his head, he said, “What a shame. All that wasted time that we could have had together.”

Ignoring his outrageous comment, she said, “Apparently, you don’t spend much time around the house.”

“I sleep and eat there, but not much more. I have too many responsibilities outside,” he explained. “There’s always something to be done on the range—with the cattle and horses.”

She glanced over at him and was instantly struck by his long, lean body and the dark, proud profile of his face. The only cowboys she’d ever been around were the ones who passed through the E.R. and the common denominator she’d noticed in them was their gritty toughness. She expected Rafe Calhoun was the epitome of that.

“And what exactly are your responsibilities on the ranch?”

“I’m the foreman over the cow/calf operation. I oversee the health and nutrition of all the cattle and that includes every aspect of their feeding routine, conditions of the grazing land, calving operations, breeding, identification and vaccination. There’s more, but I don’t want to bore you.”

“It doesn’t bore me at all. Since I know very little about ranching, it’s all fascinating to me.”

He slanted her a wry look. “It’s hard to imagine that you aren’t familiar with ranching. You live in the West, my dear. Where do you hang out?”

“There are several hospitals in Carson City. Are you familiar with nursing and medical treatment?” she tossed back at him.

He chuckled. “You are good, Lilly. Real good. I have the feeling you’re going to keep me on my toes tonight.”

And she had a feeling she was already in trouble, Lilly decided. Not only was the man a delight to her eyes, he made her want to smile. Something that Lilly had almost forgotten how to do.

“I’ll try not to be a dull girl,” she promised, then glanced around as she noticed the bulk of the city slipping behind them. “I thought we were going to eat. What do you have planned? Parking out on the desert and eating off the tailgate?”

He snapped his fingers. “Say, that’s a nice idea. Especially with the moon almost being full. But unfortunately, I didn’t think of it before I made reservations at a place over on the north rim of the lake.”

She’d not expected him to drive all the way to Lake Tahoe just for dinner. But she supposed it didn’t really matter. Whether they were in a fast-food joint or a cozy café, she was going to be in his close company and she could already feel that each moment she spent with this man was going to take a heavy toll on her common sense.

* * *

A half hour later, when he pulled the truck to a stop in front of the Sierra Chateau and handed the keys to a waiting valet, Lilly was beginning to understand just what it meant to be a Calhoun. The closest that she, or any of her friends, had gotten to this place was only in their imagination.

The three-story rock structure resembled a small castle nestled within giant pines and pungent spruce trees. A rock bridge formed a walkway over a rushing stream while every space of lawn was filled with blooming shrubs and flowers. It was truly a fairy-tale scene.

“Rafe, I’m very angry with you,” she said as he tucked her hand into the curve of his arm.

He escorted her over the bridge toward a canopied entrance where a doorman waited to open a pair of opulent glass doors. “Why? I haven’t done anything—yet.”

“I am not dressed for anything like this! And I don’t think I’ll be comfortable. Why couldn’t we have gone out for burgers and fries?”

He thumped the heel of his palm against his forehead in a clueless gesture. “Why in heck didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

“Because you didn’t give me a chance to tell you anything. You simply took the bull by the horns.”

His eyes sparkling, he grinned down at her. “I am a cowboy,” he reminded her. “I’m an expert at taking the bull by the horns.”

Lilly figured he was an expert at taking, all right. Anything he happened to want. The trick was to make darn sure that what he wanted wasn’t her.

“Quit worrying, Lilly. You look gorgeous. And I brought you here to enjoy the evening. We’ll do burgers next time.”

She wasn’t going to think about a next time. It was going to be hard enough just to survive the night.

Inside the lavish restaurant, a hostess quickly ushered them to a beautiful little table with a view of the lake. As they waited for their meal, Lilly sipped on ginger ale while Rafe enjoyed a locally brewed lager. Nearby, several couples were quietly dining and Lilly tried not to notice how all the women were impeccably dressed.

Even though her white silk top and black pencil skirt were acceptable, she felt completely underdressed. Yet from the appreciative way Rafe’s gaze kept sliding over her, he seemed to think she looked perfect. The notion made her want to squirm upon the wide, padded chair. Sure, she liked for men to think she was attractive, but Rafe was eyeing her as though he wanted to have her for dinner, rather than the prime rib he’d ordered.

“Tell me, Lilly, have you always lived in Carson City?”

“No. Up until I was three years old, we lived in St. George, Utah, but then my father’s job was transferred to Nevada. He’s a welder for the Virginia-Truckee railroad. My parents live just outside of Virginia City.”

“So your parents are still together? Nowadays that’s quite a feat.”

It was definitely a feat for Faye and Ron, she thought dourly. But she wasn’t about to delve into the problems her parents had endured in their marriage. She hated to even think of their battles, much less share them with someone like Rafe. His mother had been full of compassion and quiet, gentle grace whereas Faye was impatient, loud and critical. He wouldn’t understand a woman like Lilly’s mother. There were times that Lilly didn’t understand her, either, but in spite of Faye’s shortcomings, she loved her.

She grimaced. “It’s pretty miraculous, all right.”

He lifted the glass of beer to his lips and after a long drink, he said, “I understand you’ve met my dad, Orin. Has anyone told you that my mother died a few years ago?”

“No one had to tell me,” she informed him. “I was actually acquainted with Claudia. In fact, I attended her funeral services.”

For the first time since she’d met him, she saw a look of real surprise cross his face, which was immediately followed by a dark, almost brooding shadow.

“You knew my mother? I never expected that.”

She nodded while her gaze followed the movement of his hands as he placed the glass down on the tabletop. All night long, her eyes had kept returning to his long, tanned fingers with their short, clipped nails. He had strong hands with rough palms that caused a buzz of excitement each time they touched her skin. The thought of them moving over her with passion also had her wondering just how many women had experienced the touch of those hands and how many more he’d lured into his bed.

“Claudia used to volunteer at Tahoe General. We—uh—would bump into each other from time to time. She was a lovely woman inside and out. I was so shocked when she took that fall in her home. But all the staff at the hospital expected her to fully recover.”

His gaze dropped to the tabletop. “It was all so senseless, Lilly. She was carrying a basket of laundry down the stairs and took a bad step. We’ve always had maids for that sort of thing. There wasn’t any need for her to be doing it—but that’s the way she was—always busy and working.” He shook his head as though the whole incident was still hard for him to believe or accept. “The fall gave her a concussion, but she appeared to get over it quickly. She’d been discharged from the hospital and was back to her normal routine when she just collapsed and we couldn’t revive her. A blood clot had developed in her brain.”

“I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt you and your whole family,” she said. “The only family members I’ve lost were my elderly grandfathers and they’d both been ill for a long time. So their passing was expected.”

Rafe looked up and she could see how just talking about his mother had drained the sparkle from his gray eyes. His reaction made her wonder if he’d had an extra-close relationship with her.

“Once she was gone, nothing was ever the same.” He looked off, his expression pensive. “I don’t normally talk about when Mom died. Not to anyone. But you’re a nurse. You understand. And I like you, Lilly.”

As he spoke the last words, his gaze returned to hers, and Lilly felt her heart wince with a mixture of emotions. She’d not expected anything so serious to come out of Rafe’s mouth. He was a flirt and playboy. He was all about having fun. It was jarring to learn that he could hurt and feel as deeply as any poor, old Joe.

“I’m not sure I understand any better than you why good people get injured or ill. Sometimes I go home from a long night of work and wonder what I’m doing. Sometimes I even tell myself I’m going to walk away from nursing and do something that won’t tear my heart apart.” Sighing, she reached for her glass. “But in the end I can’t. I want to help people.”

A waitress arrived with their salads and they readied themselves to eat before Rafe picked up the conversation again.

“I’m curious as to what made you want to be a nurse. It’s an admirable profession, but the workload and the stress would be hard for most people to handle.”

“My grandmother, my father’s mom, has been a nurse for close to forty years. She’s sixty-seven now and still working at a hospital in Henderson.”

“Wow. That’s dedication. Is she married?”

Lilly nodded. “Why? Are you looking for an older woman for yourself? One that could nurse you back to health if need be?” she teased. “From my experience in E.R. you cowboys are always suffering cuts, broken bones and torn ligaments.”

He grinned. “We do take some spills. But your grandmother sounds like the perfect wife for Dad. Not that he’s looking. But a couple of my brothers are looking for him.”

Lilly seriously doubted that Rafe was looking for a wife, either. But that hardly mattered to her. This was just an evening out. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“Grandma is special. From the time I was a little girl she was my heroine and still is. She’s steady as a rock, compassionate, yet firm when she has to be. One day I hope to be as good a nurse as she is.”

“Dad told me that you don’t work in therapy anymore—you work in the E.R. That’s quite a switch, isn’t it?”

She forked a piece of romaine lettuce. “I like the unexpected. And in the E.R. you never know what’s going to show up.”

His gaze slipped over her face. “So you’re a girl who likes excitement.”

She’d never thought of herself in those terms, but he must be right, otherwise she would’ve never agreed to this date.

“I’d rather think I’m a girl who likes a challenge,” she said wryly.

He chuckled. “Then you ought to like me, Lilly. A whole lot.”

* * *

More than an hour later, after coffee and a rich, decadent dessert, Rafe ushered Lilly into the club side of the restaurant where a long bar and several small tables gave way to a spacious dance floor.

To one side of the dance area, an elevated platform in the shape of a half circle held a six-piece band. At the microphone, a woman with long black hair and a clingy red evening gown was belting out a torchy standard from the 1950s.

Not bothering with a table, Rafe led her straight to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. At first, she kept a rigid distance away from him, but after he applied a gentle pressure against her back, she finally surrendered. And as her curves melted against him, he decided there was something very unique about Lilly Lockett. She was making him think about her instead of himself and all that needed to be done on the ranch in the coming days.

“Now that is my kind of music,” he said as he nuzzled his cheek against the side of her blond hair. “Bluesy and soulful.”

“I thought you cowboys were all guitars and twang.”

“Hmm. We’re not cookie cutter, Lilly. I have three or four wranglers who love rock music. They turn the radio up so loud in the work trucks it blasts my eardrums. A few more like standards and one even goes for classical stuff. But there are country and western fans among the bunch, too. We’re an eclectic group.”

“There goes my vision of you sitting around the campfire singing trail songs.”

He chuckled and then went quiet as the sheer pleasure of having her in his arms took over his senses. She smelled like some sort of flower. A gardenia, he guessed, or maybe it was a rose. The only thing he knew about flowers was that a bunch of them could usually smooth an angry woman. And he’d dealt with plenty of those in his lifetime. Especially when he grew tired of one and didn’t take pains to give her a gentle send-off. Funny, but he couldn’t imagine himself getting tired of this one. She was beautiful and quick and something about her made him feel so damned protective. And that wasn’t like him. Not like him, at all.

“Do you come here often?”

Her question broke into his thoughts and he peered down at the shiny crown of her head. Her hair was like spun sunlight, all soft and golden. The morning he’d first spotted her on the stairs it had been confined in a bun at the back of her head. But tonight it was loose and curled ever so slightly against her shoulders, while a jagged fringe brushed her eyebrows. All evening he’d been itching to get his fingers into it and now that he had her close, he dared to roll a strand between his thumb and forefinger.

“I rarely come here,” he answered.

Her head tilted back in order to study his face. “Then why did you bring me?”

“I wanted to do something nice for you,” he admitted.

She reasoned, “You hardly know me.”

“I’m learning more by the minute,” he told her. “For one thing, your hair doesn’t feel a bit like Roscoe’s mane.”

“Mine’s coarser, I’m sure.”

He chuckled. “Since you’re a nurse, you might be interested to know that Roscoe’s tail hair makes great sutures.”

She frowned with disbelief. “You’re kidding now.”

He held up a hand. “Scout’s honor. If I’m lying, I’m dying. I can’t count the times I’ve used it to sew up a cow or calf out on the range.”

“I would’ve guessed that the Silver Horn had a resident vet to do those sorts of things.”

“The Horn does have a resident vet, but he can’t be over thousands of acres at once. You find a hurt animal five, ten miles away from the ranch yard, you do your best to take care of it yourself. Of course, if the injury is really serious, the animal has to be transported back to the barns.”

She smiled up at him and Rafe felt his heart give a ridiculous little jerk. What the hell was the matter with him? he wondered. Women smiled at him all the time and he enjoyed the attention. But his heart sure didn’t go pitter-patter. At least, it hadn’t until this very minute.

She said, “Looks like I’m learning things tonight, too.”

The song suddenly came to an end and rather than wait for the music to begin again, Rafe said, “Let’s go out on the balcony and look at the lake.”

“All right,” she agreed. “But I should warn you that I’ll need to be heading home soon. I have to be up early in the morning.”

“I’d like to argue with you about that. But for once, I’ll be a nice guy. We’ll stay for only a few more minutes. I don’t want to make you tired and grumpy in the morning.”

With his hand clamped around hers, he led her through the dancers and out onto the wide balcony that was an extension of the dance floor. As they leaned against the tall railing, the cool night air prompted Rafe to pull her shawl up on her shoulders, but it was the warmth of her skin seeping through the thin fabric that made his hands linger there.

“Oh, the moon looks so gorgeous hanging over the water.” She let out an appreciative sigh. “It makes it look like liquid silver.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the view.”

“It’s a far cry from the emergency room,” she admitted.

“And you’re a far cry from the branding lot.”

That brought her head around to his and Rafe’s gaze barely had time to connect with hers before it fell to her parted lips. The pink, moist curves sent a shaft of longing right through him.

“Now I suppose you’re going to say that I look so beautiful in the moonlight that you just have to kiss me.”

Her jaded tone told him that she’d been disappointed by one or more men in her life. It also told him that she wasn’t a naive girl that he could easily wrap around his finger. But then, Rafe wasn’t sure he’d want to do that, even if he could. He was smart enough to know that Lilly wasn’t the type of woman a man could make love to then simply walk away. And he was the walk-away type. He didn’t want the fuss or complication of having one special woman in his life. Besides, he was already married to the ranch. He didn’t have room in his heart for a woman.

“Actually, I was going to say the moonlight makes your hair look like silver, too.” He thrust his fingers into the soft, blond waves and dipped his face close to hers. But your idea is better. Much better.”

“It wasn’t an idea—it was—”

Her words stopped as his lips hovered over hers.

“Was what?” he prompted.

She turned her face away from his and stared out at the lake.

“Men like you have all the cheesy lines—all the slick moves,” she said flatly. “It doesn’t impress me. It bores me.”

“Then maybe this won’t.”

Without giving her time to guess his intentions, he tugged her face around to his. Surprise flashed in her eyes, but it didn’t stop Rafe from lowering his mouth to hers. He had to kiss her. Had to show her exactly the sort of man she was dealing with. A man who would never be her pushover.

Chapter Three

Somewhere in the middle of the kiss or after it had ended, Rafe wasn’t sure which, the realization that he was in trouble struck him hard. This wasn’t the way any of it was supposed to go, he thought.

He was supposed to be feeling triumphant and smug and she was supposed to be swooning in his arms. Instead, she was staring at him as though she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to slap him or run a dagger through him.

“If that was a sample of your charms, then I’d advise you to save them for some unsuspecting woman. And that isn’t me.”

She stepped around him and Rafe had little choice but to follow her. Once they were inside, he quickly settled the bill and in a matter of a few short minutes the two of them were in his truck, traveling back to Carson City.

During the whole process, Lilly said very little and for once, Rafe couldn’t come up with anything useful to say. How could he? He’d never dated a woman like Lilly. His usual glibness wouldn’t have the same effect on her.

Maybe you should try open honesty, Rafe. That would be a refreshing change.

The voice in his head had him scowling as he stared at the dark highway in front of him. Being honest with a woman would get him into far more trouble than an unwanted kiss.

“I don’t know why you’re frowning, Rafe. Up until that kiss, I had a lovely evening.”

That jerked his head around and for a split second, he forgot about keeping his eyes on the highway. “Just exactly what was wrong with that kiss?”

“As far as kisses go, it was very pleasant. But I didn’t ask for it. That’s what was wrong.”

Rafe wasn’t accustomed to asking for anything. Whatever he wanted, he took. Clearly, that wasn’t going to work with Lilly.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a mollified tone. “Can you forgive me?”

“Of course I can. I already have.”

It was downright silly at how much her words perked his spirits.

“You can—you have?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I don’t hold grudges. Besides, since I have no intention of kissing you again, none of this really matters. So I apologize for getting a little testy with you.”

“Oh, Lilly, that’s—” Totally confused by her attitude, he glanced over to see she was staring out the passenger window instead of at him. That wasn’t a good sign. “Why aren’t you going to kiss me again?”

She sighed. “Look, Rafe, I agreed to this date because I knew you wouldn’t give up on a challenge. I figured once we’d gone out you’d see we wouldn’t suit and you’d be on to the next girl. I thought that would make everything easier, because you’re just not my kind of guy.”

He couldn’t remember any woman ever telling him that. But instead of making him feel angry or humiliated, he was more perplexed than anything.

“What is your kind of guy, Lilly? One who spends his evenings at home quietly reading the newspaper and saying yes, dear or no, dear?”

Long moments passed before she finally answered, “Could be that’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

He muttered a curse under his breath. “Sure. This from a woman who chose to give up therapy to work in the E.R. Yeah, you want a dull man, all right.”

“Don’t try to figure out what I want, Rafe. You might hurt yourself.”

She was right about that. He needed to give her a quick goodbye and never even glance in the rearview mirror. She was the kind of woman who could cause a man a deep-down hurt and he hardly needed more pain in his life.

Rafe was still telling himself that when ten minutes later, he parked the truck in front of Lilly’s house and helped her to the ground. But the touch of her hand upon his arm as he walked her to the door made it very difficult to concentrate on the mental warning.

When they reached the porch, she said, “I did offer you a drink before we left this evening. The offer still holds if you’d like a coffee. Just as a thank-you for the nice meal. Nothing else.”

Normally, he would have jumped at the chance to spend more time with this woman. Especially since she was being nice enough to invite him into her home. But to be honest with himself, he was feeling a little more than rattled. Some of the things she’d said had left him bruised and raw.

“Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check. You have to be up early and I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”

She smiled at him and for one split second, Rafe wondered if he’d lost his mind.

She raised up on tiptoes and placed a kiss against his cheek. “Thank you for the dinner and the dancing. It was very nice.”

“My pleasure, Lilly.” He pressed her hand between his. “Good night.”

“Good night, Rafe.”

He turned and quickly walked to his truck, but as he drove away he couldn’t stop himself from looking back. And as he watched her step into the house and close the door behind her, he felt an inexplicable loss. One that he’d never expected to be feeling after a date with a beautiful woman.

* * *

The next morning when Lilly arrived at the Silver Horn to treat Bart, she didn’t see Rafe anywhere around the ranch yard. And more than an hour later, when she drove away, there was no Wild West show of him and Roscoe running her down and stopping her on the road.

She told herself she was glad that she’d not had to encounter the man, especially after that kiss last night. But if she was being honest with herself, she felt a little deflated that, at the very least, he’d not been around to say hello.

And why should he want to waste his time just to say hello to you, Lilly? You were rough on him last night. Unreasonably so. The man isn’t Grant Winters. You shouldn’t be treating him like the man who broke your heart.

The voice in her head haunted her all the way back to Carson City and by the time she’d put in four hours of work in the emergency room she was still thinking about Rafe and the night before.

When things finally slowed enough for her to take her first break, she went to the snack room and pulled out her cell phone. She didn’t have Rafe’s personal number, but she had Bart’s. The elder Calhoun would no doubt pass his grandson’s number on to her. Even though Rafe had irked her with his trite advances, she should’ve reacted with more ladylike, respectable manners.

Bart answered after the second ring and after she quickly identified herself, he said, “Lilly, you don’t have to check up on me. I’m exercising my hand right this minute.”

“I’m not checking up, Bart. I trust you completely. I’m calling to ask a favor. Could you possibly give me Rafe’s cell-phone number?”

Even though the man couldn’t see her, she could feel a blush wash over her face. Silly, silly Lilly, she scolded herself.

“Sure can. Just give me a minute to find the little book where I keep all my names and numbers.”

Several moments passed while she could hear papers being shuffled and a drawer being opened and closed. Finally, he came back to the phone. “Here it is, Lilly. But before I give it to you, can I ask why you want my grandson’s number? You’re not planning to discuss me behind my back, are you?”

Lilly laughed at that idea. “No, Bart. I promise that whatever I need to say to you, I’ll say it right to your face.”

“Oh. Well, I wasn’t aware that you were acquainted with Rafe.”

“We’ve—uh—spent a little time together.”

He grunted with disapproval. “Aw, Lilly. That boy isn’t for you. He’s naughty. He’s got too much of me in him. Understand?”

The fact that Bart cared enough about her to give her the simple warning was enough to make her smile. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I just need to give him a message, that’s all.”

“Okay. I won’t preach at you anymore.”

He gave her the number and after scratching it down on a small square of paper, Lilly thanked him, then quickly ended the call.

“Hey, got anything in here to eat?”

Lilly stuffed the piece of paper with the number into the pocket on her white uniform just as Marcella, a fellow E.R. nurse, walked into the small snack room.

“I’ve not even had time to get coffee, much less something to eat,” Lilly told her. “I put a sandwich in the fridge if you want half of it.”

The tall, auburn-haired woman shook her head as she walked over to the coffee machine and filled a foam cup. “I was just kidding. I splurged this morning and stopped at the bakery. I’ll have to starve myself for the rest of the day just to make up for the apple fritter I devoured.”

Marcella was in her early thirties, divorced and the mother of a five-year-old son. She was an excellent nurse and one of the few good friends that Lilly could always count on.

“Don’t be starving yourself,” Lilly scolded her. “There’s enough sick people around here without us having to scrape you off the floor. Besides, you always look great.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Marcella teased. “You must want me to work a shift for you.”

“No. Just being honest.” She rose from the table to pour herself a cup of coffee. “But it would be nice to have a whole week off. I can’t remember the last time I got six hours of sleep.”

Frowning thoughtfully, Marcella said, “I thought you were off last night.”

Lilly stared into her coffee cup. “I was. But I went on a date.”

Marcella gasped. “A date! My Lord, knock a board off the house!”

Blowing out an exasperated breath, Lilly looked up to see Marcella’s mouth gaping open. “Just hush. You’re making me sound like a freak or something.”

Marcella jerked one of the metal chairs from beneath the table and sank onto the edge. “Tell me. Who? Why? Where?”

Lilly sipped her coffee more as a stalling tactic than a desire for more of the half-burned brew. “Rafe Calhoun took me to the Sierra Chateau for dinner. That’s all.”

If Marcella had looked surprised a moment ago, she looked completely stunned now. “That’s all! How did this happen?”

With a negligible shrug, Lilly said, “We met on the ranch while I was there for Bart’s therapy session. He asked me for a date and I accepted. It was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. Nothing is going to come of it. I can assure you of that.”

“Really? What makes you so certain nothing will come of it?”

Grimacing, she tossed the remainder of her coffee in a trash bin. “Because I’ve already made it clear to him that one date was all I would agree to. Anyway, he’s not into serious, Marcella. Besides, he’s a Calhoun. Even if he was looking for a wife, he wouldn’t search among simple, hardworking women like me.”

“Hmm. Well, from what I’ve heard, he’s the playboy of the Calhoun boys. I saw him here at the hospital the night they brought the old man in with a stroke. He’s a long, lean hunk of man. So are his brothers.”

A sigh unwittingly escaped Lilly. She had to agree that Rafe was one attractive, sexy male. But there was much more to him than his looks and his wealth. Last night she was just beginning to see a different side of him and then he’d had to go and ruin it all with that kiss.

And just why had that kiss ruined it, Lilly? Because you enjoyed it? Because for the first time in years you felt something flicker inside you and you were terrified?

“I honestly don’t know anything about those rumors concerning Rafe and women,” Lilly said. “But after spending an evening with him I have a feeling most of the rumors are probably true. And you know how I feel about guys like that.”

Marcella shot her a tired look. “You mean guys like Grant, don’t you?”

Pushing away from the cabinet she’d been leaning against, Lilly said, “I don’t want to discuss that bastard now or ever.”

Shaking her head, Marcella said, “Okay. But don’t punish the rest of the male population because of one rat-fink doctor. Rafe Calhoun might be the perfect man for you—if you’d give him a chance.”

Lilly’s short laugh was caustic. “Sure. About like you and I are going to spend the next two hours sitting around twiddling our thumbs. It ain’t gonna happen.”

She’d hardly gotten the words out of her mouth when the intercom over their heads sounded off, ending the women’s short break.

“All nurses in examining room two. All nurses needed in emergency room two.”

Exchanging pointed glances, the two women hurried away to answer the call.

* * *

Two days later, just before dark, Rafe had showered and changed into clean clothes, when he checked the cell phone he’d left charging on the dresser top.

After spending the past couple of days working out on the range, the phone’s battery had died a quick death and without electricity or even a truck to charge it, he’d been out of touch with civilization. Which was okay with him. Three-fourths of the calls he received were trivial, or from someone he didn’t want to speak to in the first place.

As he scrolled through the call log, he expected to find mostly garbage, so it was a complete shock to see Lilly’s name by one of the numbers. She’d only given him the cell number in case he needed to call and postpone or cancel their date. And he didn’t have a clue as to how she’d gotten his number.

Lilly? He hurriedly scanned the call for a date. She’d called him two evenings ago! And he’d not even known it!

Crossing over to the bed, he sank onto the edge of the mattress and stared thoughtfully at the phone. His first instinct was to call her number now, this very instant. But did he really want to do that?

Ever since he’d driven away from her house a few nights ago, he’d been trying to convince himself that she wasn’t the type of woman he needed to go after. If she cooked breakfast for a man, she’d want to be wearing a wedding band while she flipped his pancakes. And he didn’t want a wife. A wife would bind him in ties that would choke him. A wife meant loving and protecting. And all the while worrying that he might lose her in some awful, unpredictable way.

Rafe had only been five years old when his little sister Darci died from an untreatable heart disease. Born three years after him, she’d been a fragile little thing with a mop of russet-colored curls and big green eyes. Even to this day, Rafe could remember her giggles and how she would hold tightly on to his hand, and cry if she didn’t get chocolate milk for breakfast.

He’d adored Darci and losing her had both confused and scared him. For months after her death, Rafe had been terrified that his brothers might leave him in the same way and he’d wanted to cling to his mother for a sense of security. He’d been too young to understand that she’d also been dealing with her own sorrow.

Thankfully, the passing years had dimmed his grief and as he’d grown into a man, he’d lost the incessant fear of losing another family member. Tragedy had struck the Calhoun family once; he couldn’t imagine it striking a second time. Then an accident had taken his mother and suddenly the direction of everything he’d ever wanted in life took a drastic change.

Rafe had watched the light of happiness disappear from his father’s eyes and the only home Rafe had ever known had taken on a chill that, to this day, was still present.

From that point on, Rafe had decided he’d never have a family of his own and that decision hadn’t changed. No. Rafe didn’t want that for himself. There were plenty of men out there who’d make a fine husband for Lilly, who’d be willing to take on the risks and responsibilities of having a family. But damn it, the thought of her with another man made make him sick.

Shutting his mind from those thoughts, Rafe took a closer glance at the phone and spotted a voice mail notification. Could it be from Lilly? He punched the symbol, then lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hi, Rafe. It’s Lilly. I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from Bart. I was just calling to say—well, I want to apologize for my behavior the other night. That wasn’t really me. And I was rough on you for all the wrong reasons. I did have a nice time. And the kiss was—nice, too.”

The message ended without a “goodbye” or “call me,” but it was enough to make Rafe jump straight to his feet and start jamming the tails of his shirt into his jeans.

Cold one minute and hot the next. Rafe didn’t know which one was the real Lilly Lockett. But he was damned sure going to find out.

* * *

Shortly after eight o’clock that night, Lilly and Marcella ended their shift and were leaving the building together. On the way to the parking lot, Marcella was still voicing her concerns over a small boy they had treated for an asthma attack.

“Lilly, I’m telling you I think social services needs to visit that boy’s home. Something just doesn’t feel right about the whole situation. He looks half-starved. And this is the second time he’s been treated in the past two weeks. I don’t think his parents are even bothering to feed him, much less see that he takes his medication.”

“Someone bothered enough to bring him to the hospital,” Lilly pointed out.

“A grandfather—I think. And he looked too feeble to care for himself. I’m surprised he managed to drive the child here to emergency. Oh, God, Lilly, he’s my Harry’s age. And I just want to take him in my arms and carry him home with me.”

Lilly patted her friend’s shoulder. “Marcella, don’t worry. We’ll go to Doctor Malloy and explain our fears about the child to him. He’ll contact the right people.”

Her friend nodded somberly. “You’re right. If we don’t go through the proper channels, getting the boy some real help might backfire. I’m going home and try not to think about it tonight.”

Lilly gave her a weary smile. “Good. Give Harry a kiss and be thankful you have him.”

“I will. Good night,” Marcella told her, then broke away to go to her car that was parked at the other end of the parking area.

After waving her friend off, Lilly fished the car keys from the tote bag she was carrying and pushed the button to unlock the doors. She was about to climb beneath the steering wheel when a male voice sounded directly behind her, causing her to jump with fright.

With a hand clutched to her chest, she whirled around to see Rafe standing a few steps away. He was dressed all in denim and a black hat shaded his face from what little light there was from the streetlamps, but she could see enough of his features to tell there was a faint grin on his face.

“Rafe! What are you doing here?”

He moved closer. “Waiting on you to get off work. I asked at the nurses’ desk to speak with you, but a nurse there told me you were busy changing shifts and that you’d be out shortly.”

She let out a long, pent-up breath. “I—well, you certainly surprised me. Is anything wrong with Bart? He seemed fine this morning.”

Shaking his head, he took another step toward her. “Gramps is fine. I just found your voice mail earlier this evening. My men and I have been working out on the far west range for the past two days. My phone lost its charge.”

“Oh. I had decided you didn’t want to talk to me.”

He continued to study her closely. “The other night before I left your house, you implied that I was wasting my time with you. Am I?”

Reaching up, she pulled a pin from her coiled hair and shook it free. “I honestly don’t know, Rafe. The other night—I was—well, I rarely date. You see, I made a mistake in trusting a man once and since then I’m afraid I see most of you as predators. That’s wrong of me, I know. But I can’t get past it.”

He was close enough now for her to see his features soften and a look of understanding flicker in his eyes.

“Lilly.”

As he spoke her name his hands reached out to cradle her face, and his touch was like a ray of sunlight bathing every cell in her body with delicious heat.

“I’m not going to pretend that I’m the perfect guy for you. Or that I’m even a good guy. I only know that when I’m with you everything feels different. I feel different. Something about being with you brings out the better side of me. I don’t want that to end, Lilly.”

The quiver she felt rushing through her body had nothing to do with being exhausted and everything to do with this man that was touching her as tenderly as a drop of dew on a rose petal.

“These past few days I’ve been trying not to think about you, Rafe. But to be honest, I’ve missed you.”

He didn’t make any sort of reply. Instead, he threaded his fingers into her hair, then bent his head toward hers. The second his lips angled over hers, the cautious side of her was screaming for her to step back and run from this man. But the lonely yearning inside her was much stronger and before she knew it, she was slipping her arms around his waist and opening her mouth to his eager kiss.

After that, she was totally and completely lost. His sensual scent swirled through her head and mingled with the taste of his mouth. Against her back, she could feel his hands drawing her closer and closer. Sweet, hot desire burst inside her and the onslaught had her desperately clutching his arms for support.

The kiss went on and on and probably would have continued if it hadn’t been for the sound of approaching voices. When their mouths finally tore apart, Lilly quickly stepped back to put a respectable distance between them. As she sucked long breaths of air into her starved lungs, she realized her lips were burning and so was the rest of her body.

Taking her by the hand, Rafe said in a low, husky voice, “Let’s go somewhere for coffee or something. Anywhere. Okay?”

As soon as she’d stepped into his arms, she’d crossed the line of no return. He understood that and so did she. The realization of what that meant sent a shiver of anticipation rippling through her. What did this man really want from her? And exactly what was she willing to give him? She didn’t know the answer to either of those questions. But she was certain of one thing: she wasn’t going to run and hide anymore.

“I’ve not eaten yet,” she told him. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved. Let’s go get that burger you wanted the other night,” he suggested.

“Green Lizard Bar and Grill is just two blocks down from here and it’s good. If that’s okay with you, I’ll follow you in my car,” she told him.

“I know where it is.” He planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll wait for you out front.”

Moments later, as Lilly drove her car a short distance behind Rafe’s truck, she realized her hands were trembling on the steering wheel and she had the strangest sensation of wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

For years she’d believed she’d lost her ability to feel any sort of desire. She’d thought her chance to experience passion again had walked out the door with Grant. She’d believed her hopes and dreams had died when the baby she’d been carrying was lost to a miscarriage.

But now Rafe had created an explosion inside her. A wonderful explosion that she never wanted to end. The only thing she needed to worry about at this point was keeping her heart separated from the passion. Even if she did throw caution to the wind and go to bed with him, she would never let herself make the mistake of falling in love with him.

Chapter Four

Green Lizard was an old local establishment with a low-beamed ceiling, planked wooden floor and a long, polished bar equipped with swiveling stools. Behind the counter a bartender was polishing glasses while several customers watched a basketball game on a television hanging on a nearby wall.

As Rafe escorted Lilly to one of the small round tables on the opposite wall from the bar, he wondered if he was one big sap or one of the luckiest men in Nevada. The kiss she’d given him a few minutes ago had been full of promises, but he wasn’t sure what those promises had meant, or even if he wanted to be a part of them. He only knew that being with Lilly filled him with a mixture of contradicting emotions. And that was definitely something that Rafe had never experienced with a woman before.

After helping her into one of the wooden chairs, Rafe took a seat directly across from her and reached for one of the single-sheet menus propped between a napkin holder and a tall sugar shaker.

“Since you’re ignoring the menu, you must already know what you want to order,” he said. “Tell me what’s good.”

She smiled at him and though it was a genuine expression, he could see the exhaustion in her eyes and around her lips. The thought unexpectedly struck Rafe that he wanted to take her in his arms and soothe away her weariness, to hear her sigh with contentment and see the tension on her lovely face melt away.

“The cheeseburgers are delicious,” she told him. “I try to limit myself to one a week, but sometimes I slip and indulge myself with two.”

“I’d hardly call that overindulging.” He slipped the menu back in place. “Is this where the hospital staff gathers to eat or is it more of a watering hole to relax?”

“A few hit the bar after a long shift. Once in a while I’ll have a cocktail, but normally I’m just here for the food. The hospital cafeteria is okay as far as food goes, but after several days of it in a row I need a change of taste.”

As soon as Rafe had spotted her walking out of the building tonight, he’d noticed she wasn’t wearing her nurse’s uniform. Instead, she’d changed into close-fitting jeans and a pink buttoned blouse with sleeves that ended at her elbows. Somehow the casual clothes made her appear even sexier than she had the night they’d dined at the Sierra Chateau. Or maybe it was the softness in her eyes that made her more appealing, Rafe thought. Either way, the sight of her made it very difficult to keep his mind on anything more than kissing her again.

Trying to shake away that tempting image, he asked, “Exactly how long have you worked at Tahoe General?”

“Close to eight years. I was twenty when I first started as an LPN. Three years later, I went back to school and acquired my RN degree.”

At that moment a young waitress with a long blond ponytail arrived at their table with two glasses of ice water. After she’d taken their identical orders, Rafe rested his forearms on the tabletop and leaned slightly toward her.

“You look very tired,” he told her.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long shift. For the past several hours I’ve only had a pair of five-minute breaks.”

“I wasn’t complaining, Lilly. I’m just wondering why you don’t work in a clinic? That’s meaningful work and the daytime hours would be more normal.”

“Yes, it’s meaningful. But I think I’d feel trapped.” She sipped from the short water glass. “It would be like asking you to keep yourself confined to the ranch yard and never go out on the range.”

A wry grin curved one corner of his lips. “I’d feel like a prisoner. I guess when a person is doing something they like the fatigue factor doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Rafe. A nice, quiet shift is welcomed after an evening like this.” With a hand at the back of her neck, she rocked her head from one shoulder to the other. “So tell me about your work. Bart says spring branding is still going on. I can tell he’s missing being a part of it.”

Rafe grimaced. This was the first spring roundup that Rafe could ever remember his grandfather missing. It was like having breakfast without coffee. It could be done, but it wasn’t the same. For years Rafe had wished the old man would allow him to handle things on his own. He didn’t need Bart getting in the way or yelling out orders that only tended to get on the crew’s nerves. But now that Rafe had gotten his wish, he had to admit that he missed having his grandfather around.

“Yeah. Gramps has never missed roundup. I’m sure it’s driving him nuts. He’s always been the type to give orders and tell everyone how something should be done. He doesn’t think the ranch would survive without him.”

Her thoughtful gaze slowly slipped over his face and he wondered what Lilly really saw when she looked at him. Plenty of women had told him he was handsome, but that sort of thing meant nothing to Rafe. Broad shoulders or a strong jaw didn’t make a man.

“That’s not entirely a bad thing, Rafe. Believing that he’s needed is what keeps Bart going. It’s pushing him to get well and back on his feet.”

“You’re probably right about that, but—”

“Probably?” she interrupted. “I am right.”

“You’re only just now getting to know Bart. He can be demanding, controlling and has a temper that won’t quit.”

She leveled a meaningful smile at him. “He tells me that you’re a lot like him.”

He stared at her. “Gramps said that?”

“He did. You seem surprised.”

Rafe chuckled. “I’ve been accused of plenty of things before, but never being like my grandfather. I don’t know whether to feel flattered or insulted. Bart is a polarizing figure. You either love or hate him.”

“I suspect your feelings for Bart aren’t so black or white.”

From the very first day he’d met this woman she’d seemed to understand him and he’d immediately known she wasn’t the sort he could charm or fool. He respected that about her, yet it jarred him to have anyone, especially a woman, able to read him so easily.

“My feelings for Gramps are hard to define. I love him. But—well, here comes our food. I’ll tell you about it later.”

The waitress arrived with the cheeseburgers and fries and for the next half hour the two concentrated on eating their meal. Once they’d finished, Rafe paid the ticket and they walked out to the street curb where their vehicles were parked.

“It’s still early for me,” Lilly said as Rafe escorted her to the door of her car. “Would you like to come by the house for coffee? I made the mistake of going to the supermarket while I was hungry and ended up buying a gallon of rocky-road ice cream. Someone besides me needs to eat it.”

Groaning, Rafe patted his midsection. “After all that food, I couldn’t eat another bite. But the coffee sounds nice. I’ll follow you there.”

On the short drive to Lilly’s house, Rafe was once again asking himself if he was following her down a dangerous trail or if he should be counting his lucky stars that she was being so warm and inviting.

You don’t have to go to her house, Rafe. If you’re that scared of the woman then ring her cell and tell her that something unexpected has come up at the ranch and you’re needed there.

Damn it, he wasn’t afraid of the woman. Rafe mentally argued with the voice in his head. He was just a whole lot confused, added to even more caution. The moment he’d first spotted her descending the staircase in his family home, he’d been mesmerized by her. His first thought back then had been to get a date with her. A date that would hopefully lead to a night of incredible sex. But nothing had turned out like he’d planned.

Normally, Rafe would have already dismissed a woman like Lilly from his roster of girlfriends. He didn’t have the time or inclination for serious. Now, the fact that he didn’t want to cut himself loose from her, that he wanted to court her in an honorable manner, had him mentally shaking his head.

But his confusion wasn’t enough to make him steer his truck toward the Silver Horn instead of Lilly’s house.

* * *

Up until five minutes ago, no man had ever been in Lilly’s kitchen. But Rafe had changed all that when he’d insisted on giving her a hand with making the coffee.

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