with all the answers.”
“Well, it could be because she never got over my dad. She never talks about him or anything. I used to ask, when I was little, but she’d get all sad, so I finally stopped.” Suddenly her expression turned wistful. “I wish I knew something about him. It’s weird not knowing.”
Joshua felt as if someone had sucker punched him. He’d sensed the hurt that Casey kept well-hidden behind her facade of precociousness, but it had never occurred to him that Garrett might still be carrying a torch for the man who’d fathered Casey, then left her alone. For all their sakes, he resolved to get some answers the minute he could get Garrett alone.
Unfortunately, Garrett seemed to have some very set ideas about handling what had happened between them in that cabin. Within minutes of his arrival back at the ranch, he could tell she planned to ignore it—and him.
It was another twenty-four irritating, thoroughly frustrating hours before he was finally able to corner her in the barn, where she was rubbing down a beautiful roan horse that looked far too big and feisty for her. He had visions of that wild-eyed beast spooking and taking off, tossing Garrett and leaving her lying injured in the snow.
The horse sensed his presence before Garrett did and began prancing restlessly in its stall. When the horse tossed it’s head, ripping the reins from Garrett’s hand, she said quietly, “Joshua, I think you’d better leave.” She still hadn’t turned around.
Joshua chuckled despite himself. “How’d you know it was me?”
“I know the effect you have on women,” she retorted. “Apparently that extends to Bright Lightning here, too.”
Bright Lightning?
Good Lord! Couldn’t she ride a horse named Old Dobbin or something? He knew better than to suggest it. He settled for saying, “My male ego tells me to take that as a compliment, but I have a hunch you didn’t mean it that way.”
She shrugged. “Take it however you like.”
He edged toward the stall, where the horse was finally beginning to quiet down. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a sugar cube and held it in the palm of his hand. The huge roan whinnied in delight and took it, then nudged his shoulder for more. Garrett shook her head. “Tamed another one,” she said dryly.
Joshua stayed silent, rationing out sugar cubes, while Garrett continued to curry the horse. When both were calmer, he said, “I’m not trying to tame you, Garrett.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Of course not. Your spirit is what makes you who you are.”
“You know nothing about my spirit, Joshua. You know next to nothing about me.”
“I know that your skin feels like satin.” His voice dropped seductively. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “I know that your eyes turn midnight blue when I make love to you. I know that your hair is the color of sunlight, that you can beat the daylights out of me at poker, that you have a hearty appetite…” His eyes locked on hers as he added, “For everything.”
An unmistakable shudder swept through her and she closed her eyes to hide the fiery sparks that had turned them the rarest shade of sapphire. When she blinked them open an instant later, the heat in their depths had chilled. “That’s only a part of me.”
“A part you’ve ignored for far too long.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little presumptuous?”
“Maybe,” he replied noncommittally, bunching his hands into fists at the possibility he might be wrong. “But I don’t think so.”
“Okay, let’s say for the moment that you’re right. Let’s say that I’m some love-starved cowgirl, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere. What makes you think I want anything more from you than a quick roll in the hay?” Flashing eyes echoed the challenge in her voice.
Joshua flinched at the crude statement. “If all you wanted was temporary gratification of your sexual urges, you could have turned to Red or any of the other
“Well, it could be because she never got over my dad. She never talks about him or anything. I used to ask, when I was little, but she’d get all sad, so I finally stopped.” Suddenly her expression turned wistful. “I wish I knew something about him. It’s weird not knowing.”
Joshua felt as if someone had sucker punched him. He’d sensed the hurt that Casey kept well-hidden behind her facade of precociousness, but it had never occurred to him that Garrett might still be carrying a torch for the man who’d fathered Casey, then left her alone. For all their sakes, he resolved to get some answers the minute he could get Garrett alone.
Unfortunately, Garrett seemed to have some very set ideas about handling what had happened between them in that cabin. Within minutes of his arrival back at the ranch, he could tell she planned to ignore it—and him.
It was another twenty-four irritating, thoroughly frustrating hours before he was finally able to corner her in the barn, where she was rubbing down a beautiful roan horse that looked far too big and feisty for her. He had visions of that wild-eyed beast spooking and taking off, tossing Garrett and leaving her lying injured in the snow.
The horse sensed his presence before Garrett did and began prancing restlessly in its stall. When the horse tossed it’s head, ripping the reins from Garrett’s hand, she said quietly, “Joshua, I think you’d better leave.” She still hadn’t turned around.
Joshua chuckled despite himself. “How’d you know it was me?”
“I know the effect you have on women,” she retorted. “Apparently that extends to Bright Lightning here, too.”
Bright Lightning?
Good Lord! Couldn’t she ride a horse named Old Dobbin or something? He knew better than to suggest it. He settled for saying, “My male ego tells me to take that as a compliment, but I have a hunch you didn’t mean it that way.”
She shrugged. “Take it however you like.”
He edged toward the stall, where the horse was finally beginning to quiet down. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a sugar cube and held it in the palm of his hand. The huge roan whinnied in delight and took it, then nudged his shoulder for more. Garrett shook her head. “Tamed another one,” she said dryly.
Joshua stayed silent, rationing out sugar cubes, while Garrett continued to curry the horse. When both were calmer, he said, “I’m not trying to tame you, Garrett.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Of course not. Your spirit is what makes you who you are.”
“You know nothing about my spirit, Joshua. You know next to nothing about me.”
“I know that your skin feels like satin.” His voice dropped seductively. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “I know that your eyes turn midnight blue when I make love to you. I know that your hair is the color of sunlight, that you can beat the daylights out of me at poker, that you have a hearty appetite…” His eyes locked on hers as he added, “For everything.”
An unmistakable shudder swept through her and she closed her eyes to hide the fiery sparks that had turned them the rarest shade of sapphire. When she blinked them open an instant later, the heat in their depths had chilled. “That’s only a part of me.”
“A part you’ve ignored for far too long.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little presumptuous?”
“Maybe,” he replied noncommittally, bunching his hands into fists at the possibility he might be wrong. “But I don’t think so.”
“Okay, let’s say for the moment that you’re right. Let’s say that I’m some love-starved cowgirl, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere. What makes you think I want anything more from you than a quick roll in the hay?” Flashing eyes echoed the challenge in her voice.
Joshua flinched at the crude statement. “If all you wanted was temporary gratification of your sexual urges, you could have turned to Red or any of the other
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