Jenny by Bobbi Smith Page A

when, he turned and found her
standing in the doorway watching him. There was a
heavy-lidded, almost seductive look about her, but he
ignored it.
    "I didn't hear you come down the hall," he said as
another streak of lightning rent the night sky and was
quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder that shook
the house.
    "I just thought I'd come along and see if you
needed any help," she offered.
    "No, everything's ready."
    "Thanks. And where's your room?" Mira was already planning how she was going to seek him out in
the middle of the night. She could tell he was bound
and determined to play the gentleman with her, but
she was just as determined that he be anything but a
gentleman. She wanted him to love her. She wanted
him in her bed.
    "My bedroom's right there across the hall," he told
her, nodding toward the closed door.
    "I'm glad you'll be close in case I get frightened
in the storm," Mira said innocently.
    "Well, this should blow over soon. I'll wake you
in the morning before I leave."
    "You have to go somewhere early?"
    "I'm a rancher. I've got livestock to tend to. If I
don't do it, it doesn't get done."
    "That's what I love about you, Cole Randall. When you set your sights on achieving something, you don't
stop until you get it, and I know you've always
wanted the Branding Iron to be the biggest and the
best ranch around."

    "That's what I'm aiming for," he agreed with a
smile. "Well, good night, Mira. I hope you sleep
well."
    It irritated her that he was dismissing her so easily,
but the night stretched long and dark before them. She
would wait until the time was right, and then she
would go to him. She was certain he wouldn't refuse
her, especially if she came to him wearing only the
sheet from her bed.
    Cole was glad when she went inside the room and
shut the door. His need to be alone had not lessened,
and he drew a deep breath of relief as he walked back
to the front of the house. The last thing he'd wanted
was to find Mira waiting for him tonight. Dealing
with Jenny all day had worn him out; putting up with
Mira all night could prove nerve-wracking.
    He stalked to the kitchen and opened a cabinet to
pull out his whiskey bottle. He poured himself a single shot and downed it without flinching. Then, turning out the lights, he grabbed a slicker and headed
down to the bunkhouse. He would spend the night
with his men. There was an extra bunk there. In the
morning, he'd make certain he had others with him
when he went back up to the house. He had no designs on Mira, and he would have witnesses to the
fact that nothing had happened between them.

    Mira undressed slowly, then slipped into the bed that
Cole had turned down for her. She'd decided to sleep
in the nude just in case he came into the room for
any reason. She hoped she got that lucky. The sheets
felt cool against her skin, and she fantasized about
how she and Cole could heat them up. It was a very
arousing fantasy.
    Outside, the storm raged on. Inside, Mira bided her
time, waiting for the hours to pass, waiting for the
right moment to go to the man she wanted more than
anything in the world. It was after midnight when she
finally decided the time was right. The storm had not
abated. Rain still poured down in torrents. Rising
from the bed, she wrapped the sheet around her and
moved quietly toward the door. It opened silently, and
she tiptoed across the hallway, ready for what was
promised to be the most momentous few hours of her
life. Mira figured that after tonight, it could only get
better, because she would soon have Cole all to herself.
    Mira reached for his doorknob and turned it. For a
moment, she feared he might have locked the door,
but it opened easily, soundlessly. She stepped into his
bedroom, ready for him, wanting him. She moved a
few steps farther into the room and then let the sheet
drop away. She shivered in anticipation of what was
to come. Her plan to ride over here to see Cole had