imitated; either he had it or he didn’t. And Nick had it.
His natural charm was intoxicating.
She kept her eyes trained on the action ahead, blocking out everything else even as the noise from around her grew louder.
She’d known from the chatter around the ranch that he’d bought a new horse. A gorgeous and rare stallion, but one that was near wild from what she’d heard in the cowboys’ excited comments.
When she’d heard Nick was about to “break” it, she’d carefully gathered the documents that she had been working on in the office and put them away. The fact that the documents weren’t ones pertaining to the Wildes and the Kealohas, but related to another case she was working on made her feel uncomfortable.
She and Nick hadn’t gone over the latest offer she’d put together. Each time she brought the topic up, he found something to distract her, from taking her to one of the orchards or gardens that his mother’s foundation supported, to showing her around the small community, to taking her to hideaway cafés that the tourists weren’t aware of.
All along she was getting to know him, discovering that beyond the fine exterior, the player image she’d so easily bought into, was so much more.
It was that “more” that had her worried. But she kept her perspective, and although she’d contacted the Wildes, she was told, just as Nick had been told by his brother, that she was “in charge.”
There were times, in the back of her mind, that she thought about it and wondered at both sides putting the situation solely into their hands. As well, she felt guilty for working on things for her few other clients, work that had nothing to do with the reason she was in Hawaii, but she forced the nagging feelings away.
“I think I’m going to head out and check out what’s going on,” she had said earlier as she’d stood from the leather chair and pushed away from the small desk.
She’d smiled at Ailani who had offered earlier in the week to share “office” space if she needed it, surprising Sinclair with her generosity.
“I heard the men bought a new mare. An Akhal-Teke,” she’d said, frowning, hoping she’d pronounced it correctly. “I’ve never seen that breed in real life.” She’d said that, knowing that it was best to at least tell a partial truth than a complete lie.
If Ailani decided to come out and saw Sinclair watching the excitement, maybe she wouldn’t know that it was Nick who’d attracted her and not the animal. At least, that was her hope.
Ailani had glanced up from her own computer and smiled distractedly. “Oh, yeah, sure. It’s a gorgeous animal! Nick and I bought it from auction a couple of weeks ago,” she’d said, smiling. Sinclair had nodded, returning the smile. She’d felt just the smallest nod of jealousy but put it away. After the time she’d been at the ranch, she realized that Nick and Ailani were no more than friends. In fact their relationship was close, and very similar to what Sinclair had with the Wildes.
* * *
She’d been spending more and more time with Nick this past week, getting to know him, learning his likes and dislikes as he was learning hers.
She felt that queasy-good sensation in the pit of her stomach that a woman felt when she knew a man was as into her as she was into him. She’d hurried along to check him out, in action.
She stood along with the others near the enclosure, a gated-off area that she’d learned they used for the wilder horses they often bought at auction. Horses that many of the surrounding ranchers who attended the private auction thought were too much bother to buy. No matter how good the bloodline, no one was willing to potentially lose a great deal of money on a horse they couldn’t break.
Her eyes left the beautiful animal and stayed on Nick. He was all alpha male, from the top of his dark head to the bottom of his big cowboy-boot-wearing feet.
Besides her own growing feelings, Sinclair saw what the
His natural charm was intoxicating.
She kept her eyes trained on the action ahead, blocking out everything else even as the noise from around her grew louder.
She’d known from the chatter around the ranch that he’d bought a new horse. A gorgeous and rare stallion, but one that was near wild from what she’d heard in the cowboys’ excited comments.
When she’d heard Nick was about to “break” it, she’d carefully gathered the documents that she had been working on in the office and put them away. The fact that the documents weren’t ones pertaining to the Wildes and the Kealohas, but related to another case she was working on made her feel uncomfortable.
She and Nick hadn’t gone over the latest offer she’d put together. Each time she brought the topic up, he found something to distract her, from taking her to one of the orchards or gardens that his mother’s foundation supported, to showing her around the small community, to taking her to hideaway cafés that the tourists weren’t aware of.
All along she was getting to know him, discovering that beyond the fine exterior, the player image she’d so easily bought into, was so much more.
It was that “more” that had her worried. But she kept her perspective, and although she’d contacted the Wildes, she was told, just as Nick had been told by his brother, that she was “in charge.”
There were times, in the back of her mind, that she thought about it and wondered at both sides putting the situation solely into their hands. As well, she felt guilty for working on things for her few other clients, work that had nothing to do with the reason she was in Hawaii, but she forced the nagging feelings away.
“I think I’m going to head out and check out what’s going on,” she had said earlier as she’d stood from the leather chair and pushed away from the small desk.
She’d smiled at Ailani who had offered earlier in the week to share “office” space if she needed it, surprising Sinclair with her generosity.
“I heard the men bought a new mare. An Akhal-Teke,” she’d said, frowning, hoping she’d pronounced it correctly. “I’ve never seen that breed in real life.” She’d said that, knowing that it was best to at least tell a partial truth than a complete lie.
If Ailani decided to come out and saw Sinclair watching the excitement, maybe she wouldn’t know that it was Nick who’d attracted her and not the animal. At least, that was her hope.
Ailani had glanced up from her own computer and smiled distractedly. “Oh, yeah, sure. It’s a gorgeous animal! Nick and I bought it from auction a couple of weeks ago,” she’d said, smiling. Sinclair had nodded, returning the smile. She’d felt just the smallest nod of jealousy but put it away. After the time she’d been at the ranch, she realized that Nick and Ailani were no more than friends. In fact their relationship was close, and very similar to what Sinclair had with the Wildes.
* * *
She’d been spending more and more time with Nick this past week, getting to know him, learning his likes and dislikes as he was learning hers.
She felt that queasy-good sensation in the pit of her stomach that a woman felt when she knew a man was as into her as she was into him. She’d hurried along to check him out, in action.
She stood along with the others near the enclosure, a gated-off area that she’d learned they used for the wilder horses they often bought at auction. Horses that many of the surrounding ranchers who attended the private auction thought were too much bother to buy. No matter how good the bloodline, no one was willing to potentially lose a great deal of money on a horse they couldn’t break.
Her eyes left the beautiful animal and stayed on Nick. He was all alpha male, from the top of his dark head to the bottom of his big cowboy-boot-wearing feet.
Besides her own growing feelings, Sinclair saw what the
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