Diamond Spur by Diana Palmer

a woman belonged in the bedroom or the kitchen, and he wasn't likely to change overnight.
    A part of her mind kept asking why she was mooning over a man who wouldn't want her the way she wanted to be, and who would expect his wife to stay home, have babies, and help entertain his business guests. She couldn't face those limits, so she ignored them. At the moment, all she could think about was the sweet savagery of his mouth and the unexpected pleasure of loving him. If the lovely dream only lasted for a few days, until she came to her senses, she was going to enjoy it while it did. He was right. It was better to live for the moment rather than worry about the future. Because for her and Jason there was no future.
    She and Mary were getting ready to leave the house the next morning when Jason unexpectedly showed up at the back door with a basket of beans.
    "Sheila sent them," he told Mary, putting them on the counter in their wicker container. "She thought the two of you might like some fresh ones, and she tucked in a bag of frozen ham hocks to cook them with."
    "The darling," Mary enthused. "Thank her for us. Would you like a biscuit and some coffee?"
    "I'd like that, thanks." He grinned as he glanced toward the doorway where Kate suddenly appeared, breathlessly plaiting her hair with a blue ribbon that complemented her denim skirt and blue dotted Swiss short-sleeved blouse.
    "Oh!" Kate exclaimed, stopping short. Her hands froze in midair for a second and her face colored. He was in working gear, jeans and a chambray shirt carelessly unbuttoned at the throat, with a blue bandanna tied at his neck and that battered black Stetson on his head. His spurs jin gled on boots too worn to be decent. But he looked very masculine and unbearably handsome to Kate's adoring eyes. She smiled at him unexpectedly, and he held her eyes until she had to drag them away.
    "I'll get the coffee," Mary murmured, turning away to get another cup with a knowing smile.
    Kate finished tying her braid and sat down at the table where biscuits sat on one platter and bacon and sausage on another. They hadn't bothered with eggs because neither of them cared for them.
    "If you want an egg, I'll cook you one," Kate offered as Jason sat down beside her. "No, thanks, honey, I've had breakfast once already, about five this morning." His leg brushed hers and he smiled at her nervous reaction. "I like the ribbon."
    "Thank you." She glanced into his dark eyes and shivers of sensation ran through her body. It was exciting to look at him, all of a sudden. She felt the magic like electricity as he searched her soft eyes.
    "How's roundup going?" Mary asked when she came back with the coffee and broke the spell.
    "Oh, not so bad," Jason told her. He took a biscuit and filled it with bacon that was crisp and browned just right. "We had one busted leg, two broken ribs, a crushed foot, and fifteen stitches in a leg. Other than that, I guess it's going fine."
    Kate grimaced. "Well, at least it wasn't your fifteen stiches," she said. She creamed her coffee and offered him the faded little cream pitcher that once had boasted a patch of strawberries on one side. Now there was little more than a faded leaf and a few unrecognizable dots of red where it had been.
    Jason's lean, dark hand took it from hers and didn't let go for several seconds. Kate could hardly breathe. His touch ignited her like fire. She looked at his somber face, feeling the hunger in him like a living thing because it was echoed in her own body.
    She remembered how hungrily they'd kissed two nights ago, and her eyes fell to his hard mouth with frank delight. He saw it, and his lips parted. She looked up again, catching the same need in his dark, narrowing eyes.
    Neither of them moved. Life seemed to be locked in slow motion for a space of seconds while their eyes said things their mouths couldn't. Jason abruptly poured cream in his coffee and asked Mary about selling off a few head of the cattle he oversaw for