butter into the skillet, and turned on the burner beneath it. As he watched the butter melt, he considered how to get rid of her without bodily throwing her out.
With very little cerebral effort, he could list a dozen ways to kill a man silently,
EXCLUSIVE 97
instantly, and painlessly. But the thought of physically hurting a woman made him queasy.
"You have a beautiful place," she remarked, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"Thanks."
"How many acres?"
"Fifty, give or take."
"You're here alone?"
"Until this morning."
"I'm sure you know that there's a town named Bondurant not too far from here. Is that-"
"No. That's a coincidence."
"Do you keep livestock? Other than the horses in the corral."
"I've got a small herd of beef cattle."
"So that's where all the meat in your freezer came from."
Gray turned and looked at her pointedly.
"I got a drink of water and borrowed a few ice cubes," she said, setting her chin defiantly.
"What else did you find while you were snooping around?"
"I wasn't snooping."
He turned back to the stove, spread the melted butter around the bottom of the skillet, then poured in the eggs. He fed two slices of bread into a toaster, took a plate from the cabinet, then scrambled the eggs with a spatula until they were to his liking. He scraped them into the center of the plate. Over the eggs he ladled the bubbling chili, then topped it off with a liberal sprinkling of Tabasco. The toast popped up as though on cue.
He added both slices to the plate, along with a fork, and carried it to the table and sat down, straddling the seat of his chair.
From the corner of his eye, he watched her approach.
98 Sandra Brown
She sat down across from him. Ignoring her, he shoveled several bites into his mouth. Not until he paused to take a drink of coffee did he ask,
"Hungry?"
"Sort of."
"Want some?"
She looked dubiously at his plate. "I'm not sure."
He shrugged. "It's on the stove."
She left the table and returned a few moments later with a smaller portion of his breakfast. He watched her take a tentative bite. She chewed, swallowed, then began to eat heartily.
"This is a remote area," she remarked between bites. "Don't you get lonely?"
"No."
"Bored'?"
"Never."
"Before your, uh, retirement, you led a very adventurous life. Don't you miss the excitement of Washington?"
"If I did, I'd go back."
"How do you pass the time?"
"Any damn way I please."
"How do you earn a living?"
"It's rude to discuss finances."
"Well then, we're safe, because you've already established that reporters are rude." She raised her brows inquisitively.
"I ranch."
The simple answer seemed to surprise her. "Cattle?" He nodded. "Really?
Hmm. You know how to do that?"
"I learned as a kid."
"Where?"
"On my dad's place."
"That doesn't tell me much."
"That's the idea, Miss Travis."
Frustrated, she sighed. "You've proven yourself capa-EXCLUSIVE 99
ble in covert military operations, and you've been a presidential adviser.
There's definitely no excitement factor to cattle ranching. It's hard for me to accept that you find this new career stimulating and challenging." "I don't care what you accept."
"You just stay out here and ride horses all day?"
He didn't bother to answer that one.
"You just tend your cattle like a good little cowpuncher?"
"Yeah. When they need tending."
"Is that where you were yesterday? Out tending your cattle?"
"No. Yesterday I went to Jackson Hole."
"I came from there. We must have passed each other on the road." She pushed her empty plate aside. "Breakfast was good. Thanks."
He laughed. "If it had been a cow patty, you'd've eaten it and said it was delicious."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you want something from me. Since sex didn't get it for you, you thought you'd try being friendly. Isn't all this chitchat just another attempt to disarm me? Frankly, Miss Travis, I enjoyed your first approach better."
"It wasn't an approach. I told you, it was-"
"An accident. Tell me, do you
With very little cerebral effort, he could list a dozen ways to kill a man silently,
EXCLUSIVE 97
instantly, and painlessly. But the thought of physically hurting a woman made him queasy.
"You have a beautiful place," she remarked, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"Thanks."
"How many acres?"
"Fifty, give or take."
"You're here alone?"
"Until this morning."
"I'm sure you know that there's a town named Bondurant not too far from here. Is that-"
"No. That's a coincidence."
"Do you keep livestock? Other than the horses in the corral."
"I've got a small herd of beef cattle."
"So that's where all the meat in your freezer came from."
Gray turned and looked at her pointedly.
"I got a drink of water and borrowed a few ice cubes," she said, setting her chin defiantly.
"What else did you find while you were snooping around?"
"I wasn't snooping."
He turned back to the stove, spread the melted butter around the bottom of the skillet, then poured in the eggs. He fed two slices of bread into a toaster, took a plate from the cabinet, then scrambled the eggs with a spatula until they were to his liking. He scraped them into the center of the plate. Over the eggs he ladled the bubbling chili, then topped it off with a liberal sprinkling of Tabasco. The toast popped up as though on cue.
He added both slices to the plate, along with a fork, and carried it to the table and sat down, straddling the seat of his chair.
From the corner of his eye, he watched her approach.
98 Sandra Brown
She sat down across from him. Ignoring her, he shoveled several bites into his mouth. Not until he paused to take a drink of coffee did he ask,
"Hungry?"
"Sort of."
"Want some?"
She looked dubiously at his plate. "I'm not sure."
He shrugged. "It's on the stove."
She left the table and returned a few moments later with a smaller portion of his breakfast. He watched her take a tentative bite. She chewed, swallowed, then began to eat heartily.
"This is a remote area," she remarked between bites. "Don't you get lonely?"
"No."
"Bored'?"
"Never."
"Before your, uh, retirement, you led a very adventurous life. Don't you miss the excitement of Washington?"
"If I did, I'd go back."
"How do you pass the time?"
"Any damn way I please."
"How do you earn a living?"
"It's rude to discuss finances."
"Well then, we're safe, because you've already established that reporters are rude." She raised her brows inquisitively.
"I ranch."
The simple answer seemed to surprise her. "Cattle?" He nodded. "Really?
Hmm. You know how to do that?"
"I learned as a kid."
"Where?"
"On my dad's place."
"That doesn't tell me much."
"That's the idea, Miss Travis."
Frustrated, she sighed. "You've proven yourself capa-EXCLUSIVE 99
ble in covert military operations, and you've been a presidential adviser.
There's definitely no excitement factor to cattle ranching. It's hard for me to accept that you find this new career stimulating and challenging." "I don't care what you accept."
"You just stay out here and ride horses all day?"
He didn't bother to answer that one.
"You just tend your cattle like a good little cowpuncher?"
"Yeah. When they need tending."
"Is that where you were yesterday? Out tending your cattle?"
"No. Yesterday I went to Jackson Hole."
"I came from there. We must have passed each other on the road." She pushed her empty plate aside. "Breakfast was good. Thanks."
He laughed. "If it had been a cow patty, you'd've eaten it and said it was delicious."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you want something from me. Since sex didn't get it for you, you thought you'd try being friendly. Isn't all this chitchat just another attempt to disarm me? Frankly, Miss Travis, I enjoyed your first approach better."
"It wasn't an approach. I told you, it was-"
"An accident. Tell me, do you
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