Stone Cold Surrender (15 page)

state
the
obvious,
it
seemed
pretty
clear
that
her
mother

and
their
uncle
Corey
were
on
his
mountain
engaging
in

some
sort
of
an
illicit
affair.
And
if
that
was
the
case,

Madison
was
determined
to
find
out
how
Corey

Westmoreland
had
tempted
her
mother
to
behave
in
such
a
manner.

She
also
knew
that,
although
neither
men
had
voiced
it,

they
probably
thought
she
had
taken
things
a
little
too
far
in
coming
after
her
mother,
and
especially
when
she’d
been
told
her
mother
was
fine.
But
a
part
of
her
had
to
see
for

herself.
She
had
to
talk
to
her
mother.

And
she
had
to
understand,
or
at
least
try
to
understand.
What
had
possessed
her
mother
to
do
what
she
did?
She
had
to
believe
there
had
to
be
a
good
reason.

She
licked
her
lips
as
they
suddenly
felt
dry.
When
Stone

had
talked
about
instant
attraction,
she
had
known
just
what
he’d
meant.
From
the
moment
she
had
opened
her
eyes
on
the
plane
to
gaze
into
the
dark
depths
of
his,
she
had
been
attracted
to
him
in
a
way
she
had
never
experienced

before.
And
she
was
still
attracted
to
him.
Every
time
he

looked
at
her,
she
felt
a
funny
feeling
inside
that
started
in
her
breastbone
and
quickly
moved
down
her
body
to
settle
right
smack
in
the
center
between
her
legs.
She
was
drawn
to
Stone.
It
was
Stone
who
had
her
breathing
fast
just

thinking
how
she
had
touched
him
intimately
on
the
plane

without
knowing
it.
She
felt
a
sudden
tingling
in
her
hand

when
she
thought
about
just
where
it
had
been.
And
the
first
time
he
had
spoken
to
her,
she
had
immediately
become
mesmerized
by
the
sound
of
his
voice.

She
sighed
deeply.
Considering
her
current
state,
she

needed
to
get
to
the
Silver
Arrow,
check
into
her
cabin
and
pull
herself
together
as
soon
as
possible.
She
had
to

remember
that
she
was
here
for
one
reason
and
for
one

reason
only.
It
had
nothing
to
do
with
Stone
and
everything
to
do
with
her
mother.

But…once
the
issue
of
her
mother’s
state
of
mind
was

resolved,
she
couldn’t
help
but
think
of
all
the
very
tempting
possibilities.

“You
and
Durango
didn’t
have
to
help
with
my
luggage,
Stone,”
Madison
said
as
she
watched
him
place
the
last
piece
next
to
her
bed.
Once
they
had
arrived
at
the
Silver
Arrow,
the
two
men
had
been
adamant
about
helping
her
instead
of
letting
the
ranch
hands
do
it.

The
ranch
consisted
of
numerous
rustic
cabins
that
were

located
some
distance
away
from
the
main
house
for

privacy.
Guy
Jamison,
the
owner,
had
said
he
would
give

her
a
tour
of
the
ranch
once
she
got
settled.
He
also
told
her
the
time
dinner
would
be
served
and
said
he
was
waiting
to
hear
back
from
the
man
who’d
agreed
to
be
her
tour
guide

up
to
the
mountains.

The
cabin
she
had
been
given
was
tucked
beneath
a

cluster
of
trees
and
appeared
more
secluded
than
the

others.
Durango
bid
her
goodbye
and
left
after
helping
Stone
with
her
bags.
He
went
to
wait
outside
in
the
SUV.

She
glanced
around,
trying
to
get
her
mind
off
Stone
and
how
good
he
looked
standing
in
the
middle
of
the
room.
In
an
attempt
not
to
notice
him,
she
let
her
gaze
float
across
the
décor
and
furnishings
of
the
cabin.
There
was
a
dark
oak
bureau,
dressing
table
and
two
nightstands
on
either
side
of
the
biggest
bed
she
had
ever
seen.
It
appeared

larger
than
king
size
and
the
printed
covers
made
it
look

very
welcoming
and
comfortable.
She
also
took
note
of
the
matching
curtains
at
the
windows
and
frontier-printed
rugs
on
the
floor.

“Would
you
like
to
join
me
and
Durango
for
dinner
later?”

Madison
met
Stone’s
gaze.
The
attraction
that
had
been

there
from
the
beginning
was
overcharging
the
room,

blazing
the
distance
between
them
and
making
her
heart

pound
faster
in
her
chest.
Should
she
have
dinner
with
him?
He
had
indicated
they
wouldn’t
be
alone
since
Durango

would
be
joining
them.
And
what
if
Durango
wasn’t
joining
them?
Should
she
hesitate
in
accepting
his
offer
just

because
he
turned
her
on?
But
then
she
had
more

questions
for
Durango
about
her
mother
and
Corey