Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) by Constance O'Banyon Page A

with a punishing
force. Reese held her to him, wishing this night
would never end.
    It was after midnight when the wind died down.
Reese's body was cramped from remaining in
one position for so long, and his arm had no
feeling in it. Yet he wouldn't move for any reason, because he held his sleeping love close to
his heart. Tomorrow he would have to let her
go, but tonight she belonged to him.
    He glanced down at her. She looked so inno cent curled up in his arms, so trusting. She had
been protected all her life, and she trusted too
easily. Hell, if she knew what was on his mind,
she'd come awake fast enough. She wasn't aware
of the swell of his erection as he thought about
her sleeping naked in his arms. He wanted her
more than he'd ever wanted a woman before. He
reminded himself again that she was the one
woman in the world he could never have.

    She stirred, opened her eyes, and smiled at
him. It had begun to drizzle, and a cold wind
whipped through the valley, but to Reese it
seemed that the sun was captured in her smile.
    Saber nestled her head against his shoulder,
reluctant to move. "How long have you been
awake?" she asked sleepily.
    His voice was low, his tone strained. "Quite a
while." He could have told her that he hadn't
been to sleep because her soft body was driving
him out of his mind. He gazed down at her and
admitted, "I have been watching you sleep."
    Her hand went to his shoulder, and she sank
further into him, seeking his warmth. "Why?"
    "You remind me of a kitten curled up by the
fire."
    "I'm not sure that's a flattering comparison."
    "Mm-hm. Yes, it is."
    She smiled again. "That's not fair. Watching someone sleep is a little like eavesdropping,
don't you think?"

    "Maybe. But you are so pretty when you
sleep."
    She was accustomed to being complimented,
and she had no false modesty and was too honest to play coy. "Thank you, sir. I was beginning
to think you didn't know I was a woman."
    He wanted to let his hand slide down and
touch one of the breasts that were so enchantingly pressed against his chest. "I am all too
aware that you're a woman," he said gruffly,
knowing they should get ready to leave now. But
he was still reluctant to break contact with her.
    She moved forward, stretched her arms over
her head, and stood in a motion that was so provocative he had to look away or risk throwing
her on the ground and ripping her clothing off.
    What in the hell was wrong with him? He'd
never been on the verge of losing control with a
woman before now. He rolled to his feet and
shook out the blankets. "If you think you can
hold off eating, we'll be at my ranch in time for
the noon meal." He gazed up at the darkened
sky, and it looked like it might snow. "It would
be best if we hurried."
    She took the blankets from him and went
about rolling them in a bundle. "I am ready to
ride when you are. I confess it will be nice to be under a roof." She laughed out loud. "Of course,
you kept me warm last night."

    He let out a slow breath. Being with her was
sweet torture, and she didn't even know that he
wanted her so damned badly that he could think
of nothing else. "I'll get the horse," he said, stalking off down the hill.
    It had grown colder and had begun to snow. The
wind whipped the snow into stinging shards
that irritated Saber's cheeks. The horse was tired
from going against the wind, and she hoped the
poor animal would make it to the ranch house.
    They topped a hill, and Reese halted the horse.
"Hold on. We're almost home."
    Saber glanced at the log house with the wide
front porch and shutters at the windows. There
was a huge barn and several outbuildings that
looked freshly painted, and the corrals looked in
good repair. "Can we hurry?" she asked urgently. "I'm so cold."
    He nodded and nudged the horse down the
hill. He wondered what Saber's reaction would
be to his small house. It was here that their differences would become apparent, and he would
be