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His mouth went dry and he thought again that she was far more beautiful now than she had been at twenty-one. “You look fantastic,” he said in a husky tone.
“Thank you. You look rather nice yourself,” she added, sounding polite. “I have my purse and I’m ready to go.”
Why hadn’t he visited her after she moved away? He had always remembered her bitterness when they had parted and he had worked at trying to forget her. Now memories of the good times bombarded him. He’d always liked being with her. She had been gorgeous since she turned eighteen. Now she was devastating.
He inhaled an exotic scent he could not identify.
“I want to hear about the years since I last saw you,” he said as he climbed into the car.
He listened while she talked about her job, her graduation from the university in Gainesville and settling in Miami where her grandparents lived. She barely mentioned her family, but he knew from past conversations that they were important to her.
“I’m still surprised to find you here. We should have kept in touch, Maddie.”
“We’re far apart, in years, in geographical areas, in lifestyles, in goals.”
“We have a friendship that can bridge all that, and we have this attraction between us. Now that you’re grown up, the years no longer matter.”
“Gabe, where are we going?” she asked, looking out the side window as he turned through the front gate. “This is your ranch.”
“Yep, it is. I thought I’d cook tonight. If I take you out anywhere in this county, or any of the surrounding ones, you’ll have other people welcoming you back all night and guys wanting to dance and talk. I don’t care to sit and watch.”
She laughed. “You can’t be jealous. And I know you’re never bored.”
“Maybe I can be.”
“Which? Bored or jealous?” she asked, drawing out the word jealous. When he glanced at her, she smiled.
“I would be green with jealousy,” he replied, flirting with her. “You’re here and I want you with me exclusively. Those other guys can wait for their chances to find you with a flat tire. I’m not sharing.”
She laughed, a merry sound he hadn’t heard in too long. “Don’t be ridiculous. You haven’t seen me at all for the past six years. You have no idea who I see or if half a dozen guys are in my life.”
“They aren’t. You told me so earlier today,” he said, grinning at her. “And for now, I know that I’m in your life and that’s that.”
“Still arrogant, Gabe.”
“You’re a gorgeous brown-eyed blonde who makes me weak in the knees. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“I know better than to believe that ‘weak in the knees’ stuff.”
“All right. Maybe not weak in the knees. But my heart pounds and I can’t get my breath and my palms are sweaty—”
“Stop!” she exclaimed. “That’s laying it on too thick.”
“Or maybe I remember what great times we had together.”
“We did have those,” she replied with a wistful note in her voice.
“Yet I don’t hear one word about you wanting to be with me, or being glad I want you all to myself, or finding this evening exciting, or anything else I would like to hear.”
“I said all that when I was eighteen, nineteen and twenty,” she remarked drily.
“Not enough, you didn’t,” he said. His insides roiled. He had been kidding and flirting, but her reaction was having a surprisingly deep impact on him.
“It’s been too long, Maddie. Why didn’t you come see your grandfather?”
“There was no need. He came to Florida several times a year. He’d stay a month at a time, sometimes. The older he got the more often he came and the longer he stayed. Mom tried to get him to move there to be with all of us, but he wouldn’t leave Texas. Probably felt the same way about it that you do.”
“I should have called you.”
“I really figured you had moved on with your life. I moved on with mine.”
“You’re finally a grown woman and I don’t have to worry about going out with someone too young.”
“As if you ever worried about that,” she remarked. “It didn’t keep you from asking me out.”
“You were irresistible and you still are. I’m glad you’re here. You’re absolutely certain you don’t want to keep the ranch so you can come back sometimes?”
“Positive. You know my dream has always been to get away from it.”
“When you leave this time, you won’t be coming back, will you?”
“No. There’s no reason to return, and I wouldn’t have any place to stay.”
“I intend to give you a reason to want to return,” he stated. “Besides, darlin’, you can always bunk with me,” he drawled in a husky voice, holding her hand in his. Her skin was smooth, her hand warm and soft.
“Sure, I can.” She laughed, and he gave her a glance before quickly returning his attention to the ranch road. “Someday, Gabe, you might actually marry. I don’t believe a wife would welcome me with open arms.”
“I would,” he said.
“You’re still not ready to settle. Some things never change,” she said. “I’m sure you’re the fun loving, carefree guy you’ve always been.”
“You say that like you’re declaring I have measles. You might be surprised. Time changes people.” He looked down at her bare hand. “You haven’t settled either, Maddie.”
“More than you have,” she said, staring out the car window.
“It will surprise you to know that I’ve built my own home out here.”
“Now that I’ll be happy to see. So you don’t live with the family in the main house?”
“No. Jake and I bought Dad’s shares of the ranch. I’m building because I want my own place,” he said as they passed within sight of Jake’s house.
“I understand that. And with your money, you don’t have to worry about maintaining it or even doing your own cooking. Your dad lost interest in the ranch?”
“Dad bought a place on a lake in the Hill Country. The original house is now Jake’s.”
“Oh, my gosh! Is that your house?”
“Yes, it is,” Gabe said.
“It’s the size of a hotel,” she said as he wound up the front driveway. “And they’re still building,” she added, staring at his home. “This is never what I would have imagined for you.”
“That’s interesting. What did you expect to see?”
“Something much smaller, very rustic, very masculine. You have a beautiful, old-fashioned, warm looking mansion. An enormous mansion. You can’t possibly need all that space. You must be planning on marriage.”
“I’m older, Maddie. Maybe it’s time to settle down,” he said. She turned to him. He looked at her and then back at the road. “You’re shocked by my answer. A lot of space suits me and I’ll have what I want in the future. It gives me room. That’s one reason I love the ranch—open space. Cities feel crowded, closed in. Out here, there’s peace and quiet.”
“There’s that, all right. You can sit and watch the grass grow. Your mansion amazes me.”
“I’ll have what I want in it, a theater room, a gym, an office. I’ll show it to you.”
“I would never have guessed you wanted something as lavish as this. Especially out here on the ranch. Landscaping, fountains. I’m sure you have a swimming pool.”
“You’re right. See, you don’t totally have me figured out.”
“I can say the same,” she replied, turning to give him a direct look. As his attention swung back to the road, he wondered how much she had changed while she had been away.
He parked in front of his house, cut the engine and turned to her. “So we still have a lot to discover about each other,” he said quietly.
“Don’t get ideas, Gabe. It isn’t going to happen. I plan to take care of business and then I’m gone forever.”
“Maybe. Sometimes life can surprise you.”
“May I quote you on that one?”
Her answer startled him and his eyes narrowed. “You’ve changed, Maddie.”
“How so?”
He continued to study her, looking into her dark eyes. “You’re more sophisticated, less open.”
“Time and experience, I guess,” she replied. While he gazed at her, silence stretched between them. For the first time since he’d known her, Maddie had an air of mystery about her. She had always been totally open with him, pouring out all her feelings. That was over. She was poised, self-contained and self-assured, and he was more intrigued than ever.
“Come have a look at my home,” he said, and climbed out of the car, hurrying to open her door. As they walked up the front steps, she looked around.
“This is a beautiful porch. A bit old-fashioned, which surprises me again,” she said.
“See. There are still facets of my personality for you to discover.”
“Only if I want to learn more. Because of our past, you’re assuming that I do. I’m not twenty-one anymore. I grew up.”
“Did you ever, Maddie,” he said, his husky tone returning. “You’re a gorgeous woman. My pulse doesn’t stop racing when I’m around you.”
“We’re old friends, Gabe. That’s it,” she stated in such a no-nonsense tone that he felt an invisible wall between them.
“We’re a hell of a lot more than that,” he said, unlocking his door and turning off the alarm. He stepped back out and picked her up.
With a yelp, she wrapped an arm around his neck. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m carrying you across the threshold of my house as a way to welcome you. I know you’re not my bride,” he said, relishing holding her and breaking through the barrier she wanted to erect between them. Big brown eyes only inches from his face gazed back at him. He could detect the exotic scent she wore. Warm and soft, she was light in his arms and he didn’t want to set her down. The air between them crackled with awareness and desire. The temperature in the entrance hall climbed.
Her eyes held fire in their dark depths and her lips parted slightly. With their gazes locked, he stood her on her feet. They faced each other with only inches separating them. For him, time didn’t exist. It was as if the past six years had vanished. He wanted to kiss her and she looked as if she wanted him to.
When he framed her face with his hands, she caught his wrists in each hand. “Gabe, we shouldn’t go back there,” she whispered.
“It’s a welcome home kiss,” he said, lowering his hands to her waist. He leaned closer and his mouth covered hers.
Maddie closed her eyes. She did not have the willpower to say no. She wanted his kiss, even though she knew what a hazard it would be to her peace of mind. To her whole life. She couldn’t get involved with him again.
Yet she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him in return, soaring in a dizzying spiral while heat started low inside her, filling her.
Delight and desire roiled in her. Years fell away and no longer mattered. For a moment, the only significance was Gabe’s mouth on hers. The man she loved—he always had been, from her first crush. In that moment, with his lips on hers, she had to face the fact that she loved him still.
Longing consumed her while his kisses enticed her to toss away caution. Her erratic breathing matched his. It was Gabe in her arms. Her tongue thrust deep. She wanted to set him ablaze as he did her.
She moaned softly in pleasure, feeling his hand drift across her shoulders. His caresses down her back and over her bottom brought her back to her senses.
“Gabe,” she whispered. “We have to stop.”
He raised his head slightly, the look in his blue eyes stabbing her. “Why? You’re not committed to anyone else. Neither am I. This kiss is for old times’ sake and a welcome back to Texas.”
She moved out of his embrace. “Don’t complicate my life. I’m selling the ranch, returning to Florida and not coming back here. Don’t make me want to return Texas. I don’t want ties here,” she said, too aware that she already had a tie to Gabe that she could never unravel.
“Those are strong words, Maddie. As if you have a grudge.”
“No. I have a satisfying life in Florida that I love. I don’t want it upset.”
“It was only a few welcome-back kisses. You didn’t want to return when it was hell of a lot more,” he said. His breathing was still ragged, his blue gaze smoldering. “Come on. I’ll show you around and then we’ll have a drink and I’ll cook steaks.”
“That’s fine,” she answered, trying to regain her composure. She walked past him, heading for the first open door off the entrance hall. She entered a dining room. Centered below a crystal chandelier stood a table surrounded by sixteen chairs. “This is a beautiful room,” she remarked.
“Don’t sound so shocked. Even after you saw the exterior, you expected something rustic, didn’t you?”
“Actually, yes. You’ve always been so into being a cowboy.”
“My family room is where I went with Western furnishings. I’ll show you. We’ll go through the kitchen on the way.”
She walked beside him through the dining room and into a spacious white kitchen. At the far end was a cozy breakfast area with another large table, a sofa and chairs, and a huge brick fireplace.
“This is wonderful, Gabe. You’ve done a good job. Did you plan all this yourself?”
“I had a decorator. I explained what I’d like and she did the rest. I had final approval, of course, but most of her choices suited me fine.”
“This room is grand.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it, Maddie. My office is close to the kitchen. Let me show you.”
He took her down a wide hallway into a large room. He watched as Maddie surveyed the room.
“Gabe, this is amazing. Two desks. Why do you have six computers?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned to look at the rest of the room. “You have everything. Television, fax machines, copiers. You don’t need this for ranching.”
“I do my own investments, and I keep up with world markets. I enjoy it, and I’ve had some success with it.”
She turned to study him. “You’ve surprised me again.”
“I think on this one, I might have surprised my family, too.”
“Does Jake consult you about investments?” she asked as her eyes narrowed.
“As a matter of fact, he does. I did a little investing for him at first. Now I do all of his personal investments.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Not really. It’s something I like, and I’ve been lucky. Jake and I will be worth more than Dad soon.”
She inhaled, thinking about Rebecca. Gabe could do so much for his daughter. Was she doing the wrong thing, keeping Rebecca hidden from him?
“I thought we’d eat on the patio,” he said, leading her back through the kitchen and outside. She stepped out to a partially enclosed, air-conditioned patio that overlooked an Olympic-size swimming pool.
“This is beautiful, too, Gabe,” she said with a smile. “You can go ahead and say it. I thought I knew what kind of house you would like, but you’ve surprised me. A very pleasant surprise, I might add. You had an excellent decorator.”
“Thanks, I think. So how different is my place from yours?”
She laughed. “My little house would fit in your dining room and kitchen. It’s small and the decor is far less expensive.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“It’s the same style of decor.”
“That’s why you’re so shocked. Just because I love ranching and you’ve always wanted to get away from Texas, you thought we were opposites in everything. What would you like to drink? I have a well stocked bar.”
“How about iced tea?”
“Coming right up,” he said, walking behind a bar.
She climbed on one of the high stools in front of him, crossed her legs and looked around. “You have fancy outdoor furniture, too. Do you spend a lot of time out here?” she asked, turning back and catching him looking at her legs.
“I swim often,” he replied, his gaze holding hers for a long moment. While they talked about his house in a very ordinary conversation, she could still feel the tension and sparks between them. “I enjoy the patio and pool, and I’m sure I will even more as time passes.”
“Except you’ll be working. You’ll work on the ranch and you won’t relax and enjoy this any more than you do now.”
“You might be right on that one. What kind of hours do you have when you’re in Florida?”
“Long,” she remarked drily as he handed her the iced tea. She took a sip, watching him pour his own drink and thinking of how their daughter had Gabe’s coloring. What would he be like with a child? She had never seen him interacting with children.
“Let’s go sit where it’s more comfortable,” he said.
They crossed the patio to a thickly cushioned redwood sofa. She sat in a corner and he moved close to face her.
“Tell me about your life in Miami and how it’s so different from being here.”
“Monday through Friday morning, I go into the office. I show houses, my time fluctuates. It’s an exciting, varied job and I love it,” she said, aware they sat with knees touching. Gabe had stretched out one long arm to play with locks of her hair. Each tug on her scalp made her tingle.
It was difficult to ignore the effect he had on her. Had he noticed the slight breathlessness in her voice? While she wanted to kiss him again, she couldn’t afford to fall more deeply in love with him. She kept busy in Florida, finding it easier as time passed to avoid thinking about Gabe. She remembered now that when she was around him, she had little resistance. It had never occurred to her that he would bring her to his house for dinner where it would only be the two of them. A whole evening with Gabe, while her insides fizzed with excitement. She reminded herself to keep up her guard. Any feelings he created in her now would only disturb ghosts of the past she did not want disturbed.
“There has to be more than that to your life for you to love Florida so much,” he said.
“Often I spend free time at the beach. My family is all nearby and I have friends. I love it. I love the city and the activity.”
“Don’t you still have close friends in Dallas? I remember you used to.”
“Yes, I do. We keep in touch. I’ve even had two excellent job offers from there, one right after I graduated and one more recently.”
“Did you give them any consideration?”
“Not really. I’m happy where I am. I like Dallas, and at one point in time, I would have accepted work there, but not now.”
They sat and talked until Gabe put the steaks on. She strolled to the cooker with him. In minutes, spirals of gray smoke escaped from the covered grill while Gabe put bowls of tossed green salad on the table. Next, he retrieved two potatoes from the oven and they each fixed their own with butter, chives and sour cream. By the time he had steamed asparagus, the steaks were ready. They sat near a fountain on the patio.
“I’m amazed. I’ve never seen you do all this yourself,” she said, waving her hand over the table and the food.
“I still say you don’t know me as well as you think you do. Time changes people. I want to get to know you all over again, Maddie.”
“Sorry, Gabe. There isn’t time for it. We have tonight. That’s all.”
“Maybe,” he said, his blue eyes intent on her.
“I had forgotten you have a stubborn streak in you.”
“I think it might match the one you have,” he replied with a smile. He raised his glass. “Here’s to memories and new discoveries.”
“Here’s to seeing an old friend and wishing you a wonderful future. You’re a nice guy, Gabe Benton.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile. “You keep trying to hold me at arm’s length. We’ve been friends too long for this ‘I barely know you’ attitude. I’m getting past it, Maddie.” On the last word, his voice lowered and the look she received made her tingle.
“Maybe. In the meantime, dinner is getting cold.”
After the first bite of steak, she smiled. “This is heavenly.”
“I’d rather watch you than eat,” he stated.
“That’s ridiculous,” she replied, hating the breathlessness that fairly shouted her true reaction to him. “Besides, I’ll bet you said that to the last person you invited out here.”
“Truthfully, I’ve never said that to anyone before.”
She drew in a deep breath. “It’s not going to get you anywhere saying it now,” she stated, glad her voice had gained a note of aloofness.
He smiled at her, shattering any illusion she might have had about him cooling his flirting.
“This is a delicious steak,” she said, hoping to keep the topic neutral.
“Not nearly as delicious as your kisses.”
She closed her eyes and chewed, feeling her face flush because of his remark. “I’m not listening to you. I’m eating this steak,” she said. They were skirting dangerous territory. She had gotten over the past and shut Gabe out of her life. It had taken time, and it had not been easy. Now, with his flirting and charm, he was trying to get back into her life, but she had no place for him there.
“You’re not looking at me, but I know you hear me,” he said, laughter in his voice. “Your kisses are delicious and have taken away my appetite for what’s on this table. If I hadn’t found you on the highway, would you have come to Texas and then gone home to Florida without seeing me?”
As soon as he asked, her eyes flew open. She felt ensnared in his gaze. “Yes, I would have.”
To her surprise, he winced. “Was it because of the way we parted?”
“Since the last summer we were together, our lives have changed. I’m different and you’re different. We’re really strangers now, except for childhood memories.”
He leaned across the table and caught her hand lightly, rubbing his thumb over the inside of her wrist. “There’s no way we’re strangers, and we have a hell of a lot more than ‘childhood memories’ between us. You know better than that. Holding you in my arms, making love for hours under the stars—those were not childish memories,” he said in a husky voice that wrapped her in a blanket of intimacy. “I thought our last summer was fantastic.”
She couldn’t get her breath, and she forgot about dinner. She tried to regain her composure and keep a wall up between them. She slipped her hand out of his and leaned back a fraction.
“What I want in life has changed since I left here,” she said, again glad her voice held a firmness she wasn’t actually feeling. She looked down at her plate blankly and then took a bite, even though her appetite had fled.
“What I want in life is changing, too, Maddie. We’re older. We want different things, have different needs now than we did then. We know each other, and we don’t know each other at the same time. Discovery and reunion are both great.”
“Don’t, Gabe,” she said, shaking her head and placing her fork on her plate.
“I think that’s part of you talking to me. There’s still part of you who is happy to be with me.”
“True enough. But the part of me that is cautious about this reunion is the intelligent, reasoning part. The part that rules my life.”
He tilted her chin up and leaned close again. “Then watch out, Maddie, because I intend to cater to the other part, the emotional part that responds to me when we kiss.”
“It’s sheer foolishness that there are moments I can’t resist you,” she replied. His words had made her heart pound and now she was caught in his crystal blue gaze. Panic gripped her because she was tumbling rapidly into something she’d hoped to avoid. “We’re not going to rekindle what we had. We’ve both moved on and our lives have changed.”
“Some things haven’t changed at all,” he replied, running his index finger lightly down her cheek.
“I never thought we’d be having an intimate one-on-one dinner at your house tonight. You know what I expected.”
“Disappointed so far?”
“You know I’m not. I want to eat and talk and remain friends. I don’t want to return to being lovers.”
“You eat what you want. We have the whole evening.”
“I can see the plans in your eyes,” she said, and shook her head. “It won’t happen, Gabe.”
“What do you think you can see?”
“Seduction,” she stated bluntly. Her cell phone rang, and she saw it was a call from home, sending another chill down her spine. She didn’t want to take the call in front of Gabe. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”