The Rancher Returns (5 page)

A part of him wanted to believe that Layla's issues were hers alone. They were her business to deal with and not his. But for some reason he couldn't let her go. His curiosity pushed him to say, “Don't leave the Silver Spurs just yet, Layla.”

He saw that his words surprised her. Gave her pause. “Why? You ridiculed my years of research, accused me of manipulating your family and told me not to dig on your land. Why should I stay?”

“To convince me that you're right.”

He could tell from her expression she thought what he'd said didn't make sense. “I can't do that unless you give me permission to excavate, Gavin. That's the only way I can prove anything.”

Gavin was totally captivated by Layla Harris—by her passion for her work, and this passion between them. Why? He wasn't sure. She was beautiful, but he'd been around beautiful women before. She was built—with lush curves, a nice backside and very attractive features—but all those were just physical attributes. Deep down, he believed there was more to Layla Harris than just her beauty, more than her intelligence. There was something inside of her she refused to let surface. And it was something he wanted to uncover.

One thing for certain, he honestly wasn't ready for her to leave the Silver Spurs. But she was right. Why should she stay if he wouldn't allow her to dig on his property? He gritted his teeth at the thought of any woman making him feel so needy that he'd allow her to dig up the south pasture, his special place. But he quickly remembered he'd gone six months without sex, which had a way of crippling a man's senses.

“It's late,” he heard himself say. “Let's talk more tomorrow.”

“Will talking tomorrow change anything, Gavin?”

All he knew for certain was that he couldn't think straight being this close to her. But the last thing he wanted was to wake up tomorrow and find her gone. “It might,” he said. “I'm not making any promises, Layla. All I can say is that right now I'm exhausted and can't think straight.” He would let her think his muddled mind was due to exhaustion and not the degree of desire he had for her.

“Will you read my research?”

He wouldn't lie about that. “No. You can go over the important aspects of your work when we meet tomorrow.”

She stared at him for a long moment as if weighing his words. Finally, she said, “Alright. I'll stay until we can talk.”

Relief poured through his body, quickly followed by frustration and annoyance. No woman could tie him in knots like Layla seemed capable of doing. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

When he'd first arrived, her hair had been neatly pulled back. Had he mussed up her hair when he'd kissed her? Maybe that was why the loose curls now teasing her forehead were a total turn-on.

“Good night, Gavin.”

That was his cue to go. “Good night.” He opened the door and stepped out into the cold Missouri night.

Three

L
ayla awakened the next morning wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Would remaining an additional day to meet with Gavin really change his mind?

There was always the possibility that it could, which was the reason her bags were not already packed. Besides, she was a fighter, a person who didn't give up easily. It had taken over a year to convince the university to give her funding for the dig, and another six months to get them to ease off some of their restrictions and ridiculous conditions. Even now, she wasn't sure the heads of the department believed in her 100 percent, but at least they were giving her a chance.

Now all of that forward momentum—the work that could change the history books and earn her a tenured position—could end because of Gavin. She drew in a deep breath. What was she going to do? Short of sleeping with him, she would do just about anything to convince him to reconsider.

She shifted in bed to look out the window. She'd thought she had a beautiful view in her high-rise apartment overlooking downtown Seattle—until now. The rolling plains, majestic hills and valleys of the Silver Spurs were awesome. The concrete jungle she saw each morning from her bedroom window couldn't compare.

She loved it here. She wouldn't mind returning to visit. But this time, she wasn't here for a vacation. She had a job to do and she hoped Gavin wouldn't stand in the way of her doing it.

Gavin
.

He thought she'd been manipulative enough to use her musician grandfather's name to get in good with his grandmother. Although he had apologized, those accusations still bothered her. Yet in spite of them, she had allowed him to kiss her. And it was a kiss she couldn't stop thinking about. A kiss so deeply entrenched in her mind that she'd thought about it even while she'd slept. She was thinking about it now while wide-awake.

Layla realized that kissing, something she'd never enjoyed doing before, wasn't so bad after all. At least with Gavin it wasn't bad. Evidently other guys had lacked his expertise. Not only did he have a skillful tongue, but he knew how to use it. The feel of being in his strong arms had sent pleasure throughout her entire body.

She drew in a sharp breath as memories flooded her, filling her with a longing for them to kiss again. Yet how could she even contemplate repeating that kiss when she wasn't sure she even liked him? The one thing she did know was that she definitely desired him and he'd been arrogant enough to call her out on that.

In frustration, she rubbed a hand down her face. She needed to rid her mind of thoughts of Gavin. She'd never mixed business with pleasure and she had no intention of doing so now. The most important thing in her life had always been her work, and she deliberately avoided relationships to keep her focus where it should be. She wouldn't let her attraction to Gavin interfere with what she needed to do.

And the first thing she needed to do was get out of bed and start her day. Gavin said they would talk today and she could only hope for the best.

* * *

It was early evening when Gavin finally opened his eyes and he immediately thought about the woman staying in the party house. The woman he'd kissed last night.

Layla had mated her tongue to his with an intensity that made every muscle in his body throb. It was as if she had just as much passion bottled up inside as he did. And he'd unleashed it all with that kiss.

He would love to pick up where they'd left off last night. Take the passion to a whole new level. That made him think of other things...like making love to Layla. How it would feel to run his hands through her hair, lock his mouth and his body to hers. Become immersed in all that sexual energy they seemed to generate. He got hard just thinking about the possibilities.

Gavin glanced over at the clock. He had slept the day away, but he had needed the sleep. Images of Layla had sneaked into the deep recesses of his mind, whether he had wanted them to or not. She'd been in his dreams.

He wanted her
.

There. He'd confirmed it in his mind without an ounce of regret. He was a man with needs and that kiss last night had totally obliterated any desire for the Mississippi vixen. He'd lost interest in heading south as planned. Nor did he want Layla to leave the ranch. But like she'd reminded him last night, unless he agreed to let her dig on the property, she had no reason to stay.

That meant he had to come up with a plan.

He rubbed sleep from his eyes, remembering that he had detected a few insecurities lurking within Layla last night. Something about her need to prove herself. What was that about? Did he really want to know? Did he even care?

Yes, he cared. He would go so far as to say that he even admired her spunk. Layla was tough and he had a feeling he hadn't even seen half the strength she possessed. She had to be resilient to have become a college professor at such a young age. He could see her holding her own when it mattered. He couldn't help but smile when he recalled her saying that he needed to keep sex out of this situation. Little did she know he had no intention of doing that. Their attraction was too strong and he intended to use it to his advantage.

As he stood to head for the bathroom, he halted upon hearing voices. They were his grandmother's and Layla's. His body immediately reacted to the sound of Layla's voice. They were in the kitchen. And he could tell his grandmother was enjoying the conversation.

He could understand why Gramma Mel was so taken with Layla. Although he never thought about it much, his grandmother probably got lonely around here whenever he was away. Even though she had Caldwell, there hadn't been another woman staying on the Silver Spurs since Gavin's mother had left.

He tried pushing thoughts of Jamie Blake from his mind like he'd always done. Why should he think about the woman who hadn't thought of him? One day she'd packed up and left, drove away leaving only a letter claiming she needed time away and would return. She never did. That's what had bothered Gavin the most, knowing a woman could just walk away from her husband and eight-year-old son without looking back.

Refusing to think about his mother anymore, Gavin entered his bathroom to shower. He hoped Layla stayed in the kitchen with his grandmother for a while because he definitely needed to talk to her.

* * *

Layla's hand tightened on her glass of iced tea the moment Gavin entered the kitchen. She didn't have to glance behind her to know he was there. His presence filled the room and sent all kinds of sensations vibrating through her. She was a little irritated that she was so aware of him. The sexual chemistry she'd hoped was a fluke was back in full force.

“Gavin, I figured the smell of food would wake you sooner or later,” Melody Blake said, smiling at her grandson.

When he moved into Layla's line of vision she had no choice but to glance over at him. “Yes, it definitely did,” he said, answering his grandmother but staring straight at Layla.

Then he spoke to her. “Layla. How are you today?”

She wanted to tell him she'd been fine until he'd made an appearance. She couldn't stop her gaze from roaming all over him. He stood near the window and the fading afternoon light highlighted his features, his clothing, everything about him. Not for the first time, Layla thought he had to be the sexiest man alive.

When he lifted a brow, she realized she had yet to answer his question. “I'm fine, Gavin. Thanks for asking.”

She quickly switched her gaze away from him and back to her plate. Why had she waited so long to answer? Doing so had made it obvious she'd been checking him out. Thoroughly.

“I left your food warming in the oven, Gavin,” Ms. Melody said, breaking the tension.

“Thanks, Gramma Mel. All I've been able to think about these last few days was getting back to your home-cooked meals.” Gavin opened the oven to peek inside.

After getting his plate out of the oven, he smiled at Layla and crossed the kitchen to sit in the chair beside her, brushing his thigh against hers. He said grace and then lifted his head and looked over at Layla. He caught her staring at him again. She knew his touch had been no accident. Totally deliberate.

He pasted an innocent smile on his face and asked, “So, Layla, how was your day?”

Layla gritted her teeth. The nerve of him asking how her day had gone when she'd been waiting to meet with him. She hadn't mentioned anything about Gavin's visit last night to Ms. Melody. There was no way Layla could have mentioned it with a straight face, especially when she couldn't help thinking of the kiss they'd shared.

Knowing he was waiting for her response, she said, “My day has been going great.”

“Gavin, I'm glad I got to say hello before I leave,” his grandmother said, standing to her feet.

Gavin looked at his grandmother. “Where are you going?”

“The civic center. It's bingo night and Viola is picking me up. She should be here any minute.”

It suddenly occurred to Layla that she would be left alone with Gavin. That shouldn't be a big deal since they still needed to talk, but it was. Already nerves stirred in the pit of her stomach.

“We'll take care of the kitchen,” she heard Gavin say. “Layla and I need to talk anyway.”

Ms. Melody looked back and forth at the two of them before directing her gaze to her grandson. “I think that's a good idea.” At the sound of the car horn, a smile touched her lips. “That's Viola.”

Before Layla and Gavin could tell her goodbye, Melody Blake had grabbed her purse and was out the door.

That's when Gavin turned his attention back to Layla.

* * *

When Gavin saw Layla loading her dishes into the sink, he said, “You don't have to help me with the dishes.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don't mind.”

Her back was to him and he couldn't stop his gaze from covering every inch of her backside, wrapped tight in her skirt. And before she'd left the table, more than once he'd checked out her pink blouse, noticing the deep V neck. There was nothing like seeing a little of a woman's cleavage every now and then. Made him wonder what her breasts looked like. How they would feel in his hands. Taste in his mouth.

“Your grandmother forgot to mention she made a dessert,” Layla said, breaking into his thoughts and turning around to meet his gaze.

“What is it?”

“Peach cobbler. Do you want some?”

That question was not one she should be asking him. Not when he had an erection nearly hard enough to burst out of his jeans. Yes, he wanted some, but his thoughts weren't on the peach cobbler.

Why did the picture of her standing at his grandmother's sink make a pang of desire shoot through him? The hair she'd worn down and around her shoulders yesterday was now confined in a ponytail. It wouldn't take much to walk across the room and set it free. After doing that, he would proceed to do all kinds of naughty things to her. Gavin shifted in his seat to relieve the pressure against his zipper.

“Yeah, I'd love to have some,” he said in a deep, husky voice. And he knew Layla had figured out they weren't talking about peach cobbler.

She didn't say anything, just stared at him. He wished she didn't look so damn sexy while she sized him up, trying to figure him out. There wasn't much to find out on that score. He was a horny bastard and would remain so until he'd taken care of his sexual needs. That meant they needed to talk, and the sooner the better.

“We can talk while eating peach cobbler,” he said.

Layla seemed relieved to finally begin their discussion and returned to the table with two plates of peach cobbler. “Where do we start?” she asked, sliding one of the plates in front of him before sitting down.

He picked up his fork and looked over at her. “We can start by talking about us.”

Her expression clearly said that wasn't what she thought they should be talking about. “We agreed to discuss the dig and not this thing between us.”

Gavin wondered if Layla knew that “this thing” actually had a name. It was called physical desire. “I think we should talk about us before discussing the dig.”

She gave him an annoyed look. “Why? I told you last night we needed to keep sex out of it.”

Yes, she had said that, but did she actually think they could keep sex out of it when there was so much chemistry between them? So much that even now he would have no problem taking her right here on this damn table? “You're an intelligent woman, Layla. I'm sure you're well aware of how the human body operates. All of us have needs.”

“Speak for yourself, Gavin.”

He watched her nervously gnaw on her lower lip and heated lust danced up his spine. He was trying like hell to figure her out. Was she denying she had needs, as well? He knew from last night's kiss that that was a lie. Her denial made Gavin wonder about her experience level.

“Are you saying you don't want to have sex with me?”

As if the question shot her to full awareness, she leaned over the table and glared at him. “I don't want to have sex with you, Gavin. I don't want to have sex with anybody. All I want is to do my job. A job you refuse to let me do.”

They weren't getting anywhere. For some reason he didn't want to talk to her about the dig until he found out why she kept certain emotions in check. So he tried another approach.

“Tell me about yourself, Layla.”

Layla lifted a brow. That was clearly not what she'd expected. “I graduated from high school at sixteen and immediately went to college. Graduated with my bachelor's degree in history, then went on to get a master's in archaeology. My doctorate is in both history and archaeology.”

“And you're just twenty-six?”

“Yes. I went to college year-round. I've worked on dig sites as an undergrad and while working toward my PhD so this won't be my first excavation.”

“But it will be the first one you've been in charge of, right?”