Chapter One

 

“ I ’ m not going to make it . ” Jessica Talbot wedg ed her cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she juggled her purse and briefcase and ran through the terminal to ward her gate. “ Mechanical problems grounded my connection, so they ’ re trying to get me on another flight. It ’ s already boarded, ” she added, dodging a young family to find a clear path .

“ Aw, you ’ re going to miss the bonfire . ” Bridgette ’ s voice rang with disappointment. “ I wanted everyone to get to know each other before we turned in for the night . ”

Jessie was already in a bad mood , and her friend was making it worse . The only reason she ’ d come on this trip was because Bridgette ’ s fiancé had guilted her into going. Bridge really likes you, and none of my friends or family are going. It ’ d mean a lot to both of us if you ’ d go to the ranch .

Already u p to her eyeballs in work, Jessica ha d taken the wheedling for as long as she could before cracking Monday night. Now here she was, stressed about being away from the office when she had so much work to do and chasing a connecting flight after a series of mishaps that was becoming laughable .

Bridgette was a sweet heart, but a fter the hellish day she ’ d had , the last thing she cared about was sitting around a smoky bonfire with a bunch of strangers . “ Sorry, hon. Go on without me. ” God, O ’ Hare was freaking huge. Twelve more gates to go. Her legs already felt like rubber, and she was having trouble catching her breath. “ Once I get to the ranch , I ’ ll be too wiped to visit anyhow, so I ’ ll probably just turn in. If I don ’ t get lost on my way out there , that is, ” she muttered under her breath.

“ You ’ re renting a car? ”

“ Guess I ’ ll have to now . ” She didn ’ t expect the others to wait around two hours for her .

“ No, we ’ ll send out one of the owners to pick you up. ”

To catch her breath, Jess ie finally slowed to a fast walk and shifted her camera bag onto her other shoulder to grab her phone. “ You sure? I don ’ t want to put anyone out. ”

“ Hang on. ”

She could hear a deep male voice in the background, then Bridgette ’ s before she came back on the line. “ It ’ s not a problem. Deacon will pick you up. ”

“ Deacon . Okay, a nd how am I going to find him ? ”

“ I just showed him your picture , so he ’ ll find you. ”

Her picture? Oh, God … She fought back a sigh. “ Not the one from your shower last week . ”

Bridgette laughed. “ Sorry , it ’ s the only one I had on my phone. ”

Jess ie swallowed a groan. Lovely. The guy was probably dreading meeting her now. She looked like a stoned vampire in that shot. Complete with red eyes and a head of snarled, frizzy curls from being caught out in the rain.

“ Just look for a tall cowboy in a hat and boots, and you can ’ t miss him. ”

Yeah, like there weren ’ t plenty of those in San Antonio? Her phone beeped. “ Damn, my battery ’ s running low. Gotta go , hon, but I ’ ll see you at the ranch. ”

By the time she got off the plane in San Antonio, all she wanted was a shower and a bed. The thought of spending the weekend with a group of women she didn ’ t know was suddenly enough to make her want to catch a flight home .

Too late now , and you ’ ve got no one to blame but yourself . Suck it up, princess.

She followed the throng of passengers to the baggage claim and glanced around to see if anyone looked like they recognized her but , after a few minutes , walked up to the carousel. Her suitcase was one of the last off, of course, and she lugged it off the conveyor with a sigh before turning to face the crowd of people milling about.

She spotted a cowboy wearing a hat, standing off to the side , and started toward him. He was a pleasant-looking man , somewhere in his fifties, and gave her a smile as she approached. “ Are you Deacon ? ”

His smile widened . “ No , ma ’ am, but I wish I was. ”

“ Oh. Thanks. ” Embarrassed , she stopped and changed directions, pulling her bags out of the foot traffic so she could scan the area without getting in anyone ’ s way. No more tall cowboys wearing Stetsons. Great, t hat ’ s all she needed—to have the day capped off by her ride standing her up. Taking a cab out to the ranch from here would probably cost a small fortune. She should have said no and stayed home. Why the hell couldn ’ t she just say no to people?

S he fished out her cell and was dialing the ranch when t he automatic doors opened and a gorgeous man walked in. Her eyes immediately locked on him and stayed there, admiring his long legs encased in snug jeans and wide shoulders set off by a black T -shirt . His arms rippled with muscle as he moved .

No hat, but w hoa. Now that was an attractive man.

When he glanced in her direction , she jerked her gaze away and went back to searching the crowd. In her peripheral vision, she could see him coming closer. Then closer still. She looked over, stealing another peek. A ripple of shock ran through her when she realized he was staring ba ck at her. H eading right toward her . She straightened , her heart tripping . This couldn ’ t be her ride .

Good God, he was gorgeous. Over six feet, with short dark hair and a chiseled , clean-shaven face that made the breath catch in her throat. His confident stride and posture drew every female eye. Every dormant sexual fiber in her body suddenly flared to life. Unable to look away, she stared at him. To the point of rudeness .

As he neared, h e nodded to her . Dark blue eyes met her startled gaze, and the corners crinkled in something close to a smile .

“ Jessica ? ” His deep , Texas drawl rolled over her like melted chocolate , and his teeth were a flash of white in his tan face .

Squelching the sudden nerves in her stomach, she gave him a polite smile. “ Yes. You ’ re Deacon ? ”

“ Yes , ma ’ am. ”

Of course he was. She couldn ’ t believe Bridgette hadn ’ t at least warned her so she could freshen up before meeting him . The man screamed sex, an d not the polite, gentle kind. No, a man like that would dole out h ard, sweaty loving that would leave her feeling tired and a bit sore. The kind of sex she hadn ’ t had in …

Hell , she couldn ’ t remember the last time she ’ d had sex like that. But definitely not since she and her ex had first been together .

Deacon offered his hand. “ C all me Deke. ”

She swiped hers self-consciously against her jeans before clasping his firmly. His palm was warm and hard, but his long fingers closed around hers in a gentle grip. The brief contact sent a jolt straight up her arm and down to the pit of her stomach. When he let go a second later, her heart was pounding against her ribs .

Gathering her scattered wits, she found her voice. “ Thanks for coming to get me. ”

“ My pleasure. ” He nodded at her luggage. “ Is this it? ”

“ Yes. Sorry I didn ’ t recognize you, but I was looking for someone wearing a hat. ” You sound retarded. Stop talking.

A grin. “ It ’ s in the truck. Ready? ”

H e grasped the handle of her suitcase and pivoted around to set a hand on the small of her back. She jerked at his touch, and cursed her fair coloring that betray ed her nervous blush at his nearness .

He didn ’ t seem to notice. “ We ’ re out this way. ”

His broad hand pressed above her waistband as he guided her out to the curb, the delicious warmth of it seeping into her skin. The contact was firm yet gentle, and somehow protective. It stirred up everything female inside her . That simple touch made her nipples bead against her bra and set off alarm bells in her head.

Since her broken engagement, she ’ d barely looked twice at a man. And she ’ d never reacted to one so strongly. But some thing about Deacon made her body sit up and take notice . She hadn ’ t seen a ring on his wedding fing er, but maybe he couldn ’ t wear one because of his work at the ranch .

Or maybe he was single .

Single doesn ’ t necessarily mean unattached.

Shocked by her thoughts , she gave herself a mental shake and forced away the nerves squirming in her belly. Why was she even wondering about his marital status? In her head , she groaned. H e was yet another complication she didn ’ t want to face this weekend , but for the next forty five minutes or so, she didn ’ t have much choice .

This was going to be a long drive out to the ranch.

****

Whoever had taken that damn ugly photo of her should be shot.

Deke guided the little brunette out the automatic doors to his truck, stealing a glance at her through his lashes. She was a hell of a lot prettier than that awful picture . Not very tall, coming up to his shoulder, she was trim and curvy in her jeans and form-fitti ng white shirt that stretched across surprisingly lush breasts. The picture had made her look twenty years older and not at all attractive .

Remembering his manners, h e dragged his gaze from her excellent breasts . “ Have a good flight? ”

“ Yes, fine. ” She ran a hand through her long, curly hair, flipping it over her shoulder. He caught a whiff of her scent when the breeze picked up . She smelled good, like strawberries. It made him want to lean in close and get a good whiff of her , but since she already seemed a bit uncomfortable , he refrained .

“ This is us, ” he said as they approached his black F-250. He opened the door and took her hand to help her in, charmed at the faint pink in her cheeks when her golden brown eyes darted to his. He liked knowin g she was aware of him as a man.

“ Thanks. ”

“ You ’ re welcome, sugar. ” He almos t smiled at the way her blush deepened. Shy little thing. If his manners and subtle flirting were enough to bring color to her ivory cheeks, the bachelorette weekend was going to be interesting for her.

He shut the door behind her, ignored the twinge in his lower back when he loaded her bag in the truck bed , and slid behind the wheel. Pulling away from the curb , he stole another glance at her . She had her hands clasped neatly in her lap, and he noticed the way she tapped her foot. Nervous of him , and wound tighter than a coiled lariat. Time out at the ranch was just what she needed , but he didn ’ t think she ’ d much enjoy the festivities planned. Unless she was one of those women who let loose after a few glasses of wine . He opened his mouth to make an attempt at small talk, but she beat him to it .

“ So , you and your brothers own the ranch? ”

Her eyes were real pretty — whiskey- colored and fringed by thick black lashes . “ Yeah. The four of us. ”

“ Are you the oldest? ”

“ Nope. Second in line. ” And there wasn ’ t a moment on the ranch that he didn ’ t remember it. He shoulder- checked as he merged them onto the highway toward Bandera. “ E ver been to a dude ranch before? ”

“ No, and I ’ ve never been to Texas, either. ”

“ Well then, we ’ ll have to make sure we take real good care of you and guarantee you ’ ll have a good time. ” Why did that sound purely sexual to him?

“ I ’ m sure it ’ ll be great, ” she answ ered and turned her head to look out her window .

Ah. Not real comfortable with him looking at her when he was this close. “ Where ’ re you from? ”

“ Seattle. ”

“ Beautiful city. ”

She smiled at him , the first genuine one she ’ d given , and a dimple appeared in her right cheek . “ You ’ ve been there? ”

“ Few times. ”

When he didn ’ t elaborate , an awkward silence descended and her foot tapped faster on the floorboard. Be nice. He withheld a sigh. “ You a friend of the bride ’ s ? ”

She seemed relieved that he ’ d spoken. “ Sort of. I ’ m closer to the groom , though . I promised I ’ d come here to represent his side. ”

He glanced down at her hands in her lap. No ring on the left one . “ What do you do back home? ”

“ I ’ m a stock broker. ”

Ah. That would probably explain why she was wound so tight. “ Sounds stressful. ”

“ It has its challenging moments. Have you always worked the ranch? ”

Sudden te nsion grabbed his muscles. “ No . Came home a few months ago to help out. ”

“ Oh. From where? ”

The question was polite , but he wasn ’ t interested in discussing his past . “ Overseas. ” His brusque tone had the intended effect because she stilled for an instant, then turned her head to stare out her window. H e imagined his younger brothers Dane and Dustin glaring at him in disapproval . The eldest, Dillon , would just thin his lips in that censuring way that made Deke ’ s hackles rise.

Reigning in his irritation, he made several more attempts at small talk on the way out to the ranch, but mostly let her carry the conversation. Pulling up in front of the main lodge , he killed the engine and went around to help her out. Her sweet scent enveloped him as she leaned out of the truck and braced a slim hand on his shoulder .

“ Careful, it ’ s a long way down. ” He gripped her free hand and set his other one on the curve of her waist, his fingers pressing against the firm flesh concealed beneath that snug shirt for an instant longer than necessary . He liked the way she felt. What was she wearing underneath? She seemed uptight enough to warrant a plain beige bra and white granny panties. But wouldn ’ t it be hot if she had on some Victoria ’ s Secret set under there?

“ Thanks. ” She flashed him a tense smile and stepped away .

“ Welcome. ” He shut the door , and when she bent to check in her purse for something, her top gaped enough for him to see the pale curve of one breast and a glimpse of light pink lace .

Damn, she was wearing sexy lingerie under there. He stole a discreet glance at her butt but couldn ’ t see any panty lines. Was she wearing a matching thong? He wondered what other secrets she was hiding.

“ Might as well check in first, before we unload your luggage. ” He gestured for her to precede him up the concrete path that led to the guest lodge. She swung her purse over her shoulder and walked away, and he couldn ’ t help but admire the view of her shapely ass as it swayed with each step . The woman might be uptight, but she had a truly excellent body.

His younger brother, Dustin, was in the office when they walked in. Friendly and easy-going, he got up and shook Jessica ’ s hand. “ I ’ m Dusty. Welcome to Dumen Ranch. ”

“ Thanks, I ’ m glad to be here. ” Her stunning eyes lifted to Deke ’ s. “ Do all your names start with D? ”

“ Yes . You ’ ll meet Dillon and Dane later. ”

A tiny frown creas ed her forehead. “ Okay , that ’ s … confusing . ”

“ Not really. We all look different, so you won ’ t have any trouble telling us apart. ” Not that she ’ d see him much. He mostly kept to himself and did his best to avoid the guests when he could. It irked his eldest brother to no end. Dillon ’ s baritone echoed in his head. Might as well pitch in while you ’ re here. It ’ s better than moping around feeling sorry for yourself all the time.

Like their dad, Dillon believed in the tough love routine. Deke was tight est with his big brother, because they ’ d both served in the military. B ut since he ’ d come back to the ranch to get his life back together, they butted heads constantly . Two alpha males pissing in the woods to see who could mark a tree the highest .

Once Jessica was checked in, Dusty handed her a key. “ This is for your cabin. ”

Her dark, perfectly arched brows rose a notch . “ Cabin? ”

“ Y ep. Y ou ’ re shari ng with the bride . ”

“ Oh. Is there wireless in the cabin? ”

Deke grinned , but Dusty beat him to the answer . “ No, but we have it here in the main lodge . It ’ s spotty and a bit on the slow side, but it ’ s better than nothing. ”

Her frown deepened. “ O h … okay. Thanks. ”

“ I ’ m in charge of guest services here, so if there ’ s anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, just let me know. ”

“ That ’ s very sweet of you. ”

Dusty winked, and his aw, shucks-all-the-women-love-me smile made Deke want to roll his eyes . And for some reason he didn ’ t like the way Dusty ’ s appreciative gaze swept over Jessica ’ s body. He narrowed his eyes at his brother, but then Jessica glanced up at him . “ I guess I ’ m all set then. J ust need to get my suitcase. ”

“ I ’ ll get it. ”

Dusty cocked a brow at him . “ Really? ”

Deke shot him a hard look. “ Yeah, really. I ’ ll take her to the cabin. ” Least he could do, since he felt like an asshole for how gruff he ’ d been on the drive over. “ This way, ” he told her and slid a hand against the small of her back , wishing he could feel her bare skin .

Her head jerked up, her eyes full of surprise as they met his . So maybe the gesture was bold and bordering on territorial , but it was still respectful. And she felt good beneath his hand. Keeping his palm firmly in place, he guided her outside into the warm night air. Down the path, her cabin was pitch dark. “ Everyone else is out for the night, but the lodge is always open if you need anything. ”

She nodded, her long curls blowing in the slight breeze. A few steps down the path, she suddenly stopped. He glanced down at her to find her head tipped back and her eyes closed, a little smile on her full lips. “ Hmm, ” she sighed.

Damn , she was sexy when she let herself relax . “ What? ” He could practically feel her unwinding inside , her muscles loosening . Something in her expression pulled at him.

“ Crickets. Hear them? ”

Of course he heard them. “ You don ’ t have any crickets up in Seattle? ”

“ Not in the city. ” She opened her eyes and smiled up at him, the contentment on her face making him wonder if she looked the same way after spending a satisfying night in a man ’ s bed .

His fingers flexed against her spine in response , enjoying the resilient feel of her flesh. He ’ d bet the rest of her was jus t as supple. Judging by her shape , s he took good care of herself, and it wouldn ’ t surprise him if she went to a gym three or four times a week. He pictured all the firm curves hidden under her clothes and pretty underwear. It made him hard just thinking about it.

“ Let ’ s get your bags. ” He pressed on her lower back , and she followed him obediently to the truck. Deke opened the tailgate to pull out her large suitcase and braced himself for the inevitable pain when he lifted it . It grabbed him in the small of the back in the same place he ’ d touched Jessica and radiated down the rear of his right hip and leg like a nightmarish toothache. Holding his abs tight, he hefted the thing out of the truck bed and set it down, careful not to twist or bend over.

She reached for the handle, tilting her head and running that golden brown gaze over his face. “ Are you all right? ”

“ Fine. ” So much for hiding it. Slamming the tailgate shut, he nodded over his shoulder. “ Cabin ’ s over there. ” Without touching her this time, he took the handle from her and rolled the suitcase behind him , trying to ignore the deep ache in his leg. Now that he ’ d irritated his injury , it would sta y flared up most of the night and h e ’ d be lucky to get any sleep at all .

The joys of suffering crushed vertebrae and ruptured discs .

He eyed Jessica ’ s firm ass as she walked up the path. At least he ’ d have something pleasant to remember to distract himself from the pain tonight .