Stone Cold Surrender (9 page)

Stone
automatically
placed
his
hands
at
her
waist
to
keep
her
from
losing
her
balance.

She
turned
and
gazed
over
her
shoulder
at
him.
“Thanks,
Stone.”

“My
pleasure.”

She
smiled
thinking
it
wasn’t
his
pleasure
alone.
She
felt

his
hard,
solid
chest
pressed
against
her
back
and,
when
he
placed
his
hands
on
her
waist,
she
was
acutely
aware
of
the
strength
in
his
touch.
He
was
a
tall
man.
She
wasn’t

conscious
of
just
how
tall
until
he
stood
up.
He
towered
over
her
and
when
she
tilted
her
head
back
to
thank
him,
he
met
her
gaze.
The
look
in
his
eyes
nearly
took
her
breath
away.

Although
he
wasn’t
wearing
a
wedding
ring,
there
was
no
way
a
man
who
looked
this
good
could
be
unattached,
she
thought.
A
probing
query
entered
her
mind.
He’d
said
his

cousin
Durango
would
be
picking
him
up.
Would
there
be
a
special
lady
waiting
for
him,
as
well?
In
her
opinion,
Stone
Westmoreland
had
a
magnetic,
compelling
charm
that

made
him
an
irresistible
force
to
reckon
with.

When
they
left
the
plane,
the
two
of
them
walked
side
by

side
through
the
ramp
corridor
toward
the
arrival
area.
“So,
how
long
do
you
plan
to
stay
in
Montana?”
Stone
asked.

Madison
could
tell
he
had
shortened
his
stride
to
stay
level
with
her.
She
glanced
over
at
him,
met
his
gaze
and
tried
to

ignore
the
way
her
breasts
tingled
against
the
fabric
of
her
blouse.
“I’ll
stay
until
I
find
my
mother
and
talk
to
her.
I’m

hoping
it
won’t
take
long.
According
to
Mr.
Jamison,
who

owns
the
Silver
Arrow,
the
cabin
where
my
mother
is

staying
is
not
far,
but
since
it’s
located
in
the
mountains

getting
there
will
be
difficult.
He’s
arranging
for
someone
to
take
me
by
car
as
far
as
possible,
then
the
rest
will
be
done
on
horseback.”

Stone
lifted
a
brow
and
scrutinized
her
with
an
odd
stare.
“You
ride?”

Madison’s
lips
curved
into
a
smile.
“Yes.
Growing
up
I
took
riding
lessons.
I’m
sure
climbing
up
a
mountain
will
be
far
more
challenging
than
just
prancing
a
mare
around
a
riding
track,
but
I
think
I’ll
be
able
to
manage.”

Stone
wasn’t
so
sure.
She
seemed
too
refined
and
delicate
to
sit
on
a
horse
for
a
trip
into
the
rugged
mountains.

“That’s
something
I
don’t
understand.”

Her
words
interrupted
his
thoughts.
“What?”

“How
my
mother
got
up
the
mountain.
I
don’t
think
she’s

ever
ridden
a
horse.
My
dad
tried
getting
her
to
take
riding
lessons
when
I
took
mine
but
she
refused.”

Stone
nodded.
“They
probably
rode
double.
Although
it

might
be
strenuous,
it’s
possible
on
a
good,
strong
horse,”

he
said.
He
could
just
imagine
Madison
sitting
behind
him
on
horseback.
He
took
a
deep,
calming
breath
as
he

thought
about
her
arms
wrapped
around
him
when
she

hung
on
to
him,
and
the
feel
of
her
breasts
pressed
against
his
back
while
her
scent
filled
his
nostrils.

He
winced.
He
had
to
stop
thinking
about
her
like
this.
He
was
in
Montana
to
research
a
book,
not
to
get
involved
in
a
serious
affair
or
a
nonserious
one
for
that
matter.
However,
he
had
to
admit
that
the
thought
of
it,
especially
with

Madison
as
a
partner,
was
a
damn
good
one.

Together
they
walked
to
the
area
where
they
needed
to

claim
their
luggage.
Stone
scanned
the
crowd
for
Durango
and
wasn’t
surprised
when
he
didn’t
see
him.
He
assisted
Madison
in
pulling
her
luggage
off
the
conveyor
belt
before
getting
his
bags.

“Thanks
for
making
my
flight
enjoyable.
Because
of
you
I
was
able
to
take
my
mind
off
my
fear
of
flying.”

He
decided
not
to
say
that,
on
the
same
note,
thanks
to
her,
he
was
reminded
just
how
long
it
had
been
since
he’d
had
a
woman.
“Do
you
see
the
person
who’s
supposed
to
be

picking
you
up?”
he
asked
glancing
around.

“No.
Maybe
I
should
call.
Will
you
excuse
me
while
I
use
that
courtesy
phone
over
there?”

“Sure.”