The Reluctant Rancher (4 page)

Mary sputtered and almost choked on her tea as not-so-innocent images of Luke flashed through her mind. Setting her glass on the table, she hoped neither man noticed the slight flush on her face. She breathed a sigh of relief as Joseph rose to refill his plate without saying a word.

“
Well, well, well.
”
Luke’s voice whispered in her ear as he leaned across the space between them. Those enticing eyes bored into hers, as if he could look inside her very soul and discover all her hidden secrets and fantasies.
“
What naughty thoughts we’re having Miss Carter. Care to share?
”

“
Only in your dreams, buster,
”
she shot back,
mortified. If only he knew.

“
You’d be surprised what dreams I have,
”
he said softly, sitting back in his chair. His eyes turned a bright shade of green and held hers for endless moments
. Joseph returned to the table and Luke turned his
attention back to his meal.

Mary
trembled. She
could have sworn she’d seen a
small spark of desire
in his eyes. Then just like water on a flickering flame, the light had been extinguished and his face had taken on the hard, cynical expression she had become accustomed to in so short a time
.

But then she knew she had only imagined that brief awareness. After a
ll, who would want Mary Carter?

Pasting a smile on her face she turned back to Joseph.
“
How long have you been in the cast?
”

“
Only two weeks,
”
he grumbled.
“
Doc said it would be another month or so before he would even consider taking it off.
”

“
That’s not very long. The tim
e will go by before you know it.
”
Mary consoled the older man
with stories of
other patients she had nursed with broken bones, delighting him with some hilarious antics.

Eventually she ran out of tales and grew silent. Laying her fork beside her plate, she waited while the two men finished up. She had decided over dinner not to proceed with her plan to ask Luke for the loan. She would think of something else. Something that had nothing to do with the rich rancher.

Once the men were done, she gathered up the dirty dishes and ran some warm water in the sink.
She pushed up the sleeves of her sweater, determined to do the
cleanup.

“
Well, just don’t stand there, Luke, help the girl.
”
Behind her she heard Joseph scold his grandson and could just imagine the scowl the younger man sent his way. Hushed whispers floated back to her and she didn’t have to guess at the content of their conversation. Luke’s grandfather had not been very pleased with his grandson’s behavior at the dinner table and she smiled at the thought of the large, formidable man being dressed down by his elder.

Several long minutes passed before she heard the scrape of a chair be
ing pushed back
. Seconds later a pile of dishes appeared at her elbow.

“
This isn’t necessary.
”
Luke stood at her side, watching her with those dark green eyes.

“
I know, but I want to help.
”
Mary kept her head down, her eyes focused on the suds forming in the sink.

“
Why? Do you think it will earn you brownie points? Make me grab my checkbook and give you the money on the spot?
”

Let him think
what he wanted.
“
You’ll be happy to know I’ve changed my mind, Mr. Tanner. I’ll find the money another way. Doing the dishes is simply my way of repaying you for your hospitality and dinner.
”

“
Why?
”

“
Why what?
”
Mary rinsed
a plate
beneath a steady
stream of cold water and tried
to cool her rising temper at the same time. What an insufferable man!
“
Why wash the dishes? Because my mother did instill some manners in me. Believe me, it’s only common courtesy, not a fool proof way to your wallet.
”

“
You’re damn right it’s not. It would take more than a few household chores for that.
”
His gaze traveled up and down her well-endowed figure,
lingering on the rise and
fall of her breasts beneath her sweater. Seeing the direction of his gaze, Mary’s breath quickened. His look made her think of the many delightful ways she could repay the big man.

She dropped th
e dish into the drainer
and faced him.
“
What would it take, Mr. Tanner?
”
she asked, her voice a husky dare. She knew this false bravado came from the hot edge of her temper, but she didn’t care.

At her words his face closed up tighter than a pickle barrel.
“
More than what you have to offer
,
that’s for sure.
”

Her face flooded with color at his insult.
“
Why you
–
”

“
Did you two get the details all ironed out?
”
Joseph walked into the room, cutting off the searing retort Mary had been about to deliver.

She took a deep breath and turned toward Joseph, unmindful of the fact that Luke’s gaze was
again
riveted to the front of her sweater.

Joseph did notice and tried to cover his chuckle with a cough.
“
When can you start?
”

Mary gained control of herself and looked at the other man.
“
I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay, Joseph. I know I would have had a wonderful time looking after you, but I just can’t.
”

“
I’ll give you the loan if you work for me,
”
Luke’s words, short and clipped, fell from tightened lips.

Mary looked from one man to the other, her mind torn between accepting the offer and proving the rancher wrong, and wanting to walk out the front door, never to look back.

Joseph took her arm
and ushered her from the room. He threw
his grandson one last hard look.
“
It’s simple, Mary. I need a nurse for a month, maybe longer. You need a loan. Once you leave, Luke will give you the loan and your business will be on top in no time. You’ll also receive a salary while you’re here. That should tide you over in the meantime.
”

“
But he hasn’t heard my proposal,
”
she protested weakly, feeling as steamrolled as fresh laid asphalt
but unable to think of a single protest.

Joseph waved aside her concerns. Within minutes, the older man had Mary
bundled into her coat and
seated in the borrowed truck.
“
Working here on the ranch will tell Luke all he needs to know. Be here bright and early tomorrow – well, not too early.
”
He grinned and Mary returned the smile. He really was a sweet old man.

CHAPTER TWO

The crisp cold air of the early morning held the fragrant scent of the evergreens growing along the long, lonely stretch of road. The world was covered in a heavy frost as yet undisturbed by man or beast. But the beauty of the majestic scenery failed to soothe Luke’s ragged nerves as he drove to his friend’s house.

After tossing and turning for hours, he’d given up any hope of a full night’s rest. At dawn’s first light, he’d risen and dressed. His sleep
–
what little he’d gotten
–
had been filled with images of a silver haired nymph being chased by a thundering herd of cattle. He had no doubt yesterday’s visitor had inspired his restlessness and the bizarre dreams.

He left the ranch with the sole intention of giving the good-hearted reverend a piece of his mind. Constantly yammering about how Luke should forget Debbie and get on with his life, he had no doubt who had inspired Mary’s sudden interest in acquiri
ng a loan. But Luke wasn’t
ready to start a relationship again. Not yet. Maybe never. The words of his ex-wife still haunted him in the dark hours of the night.

He pulled up in front of the small frame house and
jumped from the truck
.
He knocked
on the kitchen door, waiting with barely controlled patience for someone to answer. As soon as the door swung open, he began his tirade.

“
What the hell do you mean, sending that woman out to my house?
”
he demanded. In his agitation, he paced back and forth in front
of his bleary eyed friend.

“
Hell, Mark,
”
he continued to curse, at a loss for the right words to explain the real reason why he didn’t want Mary in his house. How did you tell a preacher that a complete stranger had stirred you to life, turned you inside out
,
and broken through a wall you believed to be impenetrable?

Luke took a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and pulled one out
 
with his teeth. He lit it quickly. The raw burning sensation that followed almost made him choke.
He hadn’t smoked in years. But last night the uncontrollable craving had struck him and he’d knocked on the bunkhouse door, rousing a sleepy hand to bum a smoke. He slowly exhaled, watching the white smoke dissipate in the frosty air.

“
See what that woman has made me do?
”
he grumbled, shaking the long, thin cylinder at his friend.

Mark held up one hand to stop his words.
“
Hold on a minute, Luke. Let me wake up. You’re not making any sense. Back up and tell me what happened.
”

Luke drew in a ragged breath
. He
explained how his grandfather had hired Mary as his nurse for the next month or so in exchange for Luke giving her a loan when she left. His head of steam
 
came to an abrupt end,
 
and
 
he stopped talking.

Mark nodded in approval.
“
That seems like a reasonable arrangement. I’m glad you decided to help.
”

Luke snorted in disgust.
“
I didn’t.
”
He
started pacing again.
“
That’s the problem.
”

“
What’s got you so worried, pal? Mary’s a good nurse. She helped Jennifer after Jessica’s birth. We couldn’t have made it without her. And investing in her business also sounds like a wise move. Heck, if I had the extra money, I’d give it to her myself.
”

His words didn’t impress Luke in the slightest
.
“
You’d give money to the devil himself if he seemed pathetic enough.
”

“
If it makes you feel any better, Jennifer tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen.
”
Mark shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had done all that he could do.

Luke took another long drag of his cigarette.
“
So, thi
s isn’t another of your do-gooder
schemes? You have no ulterior motive for sending Mary to the Circle T?
”

“
I’m hurt, Luke. I’m truly hurt that you could think that of me
.
This had nothing to do with me. You and your grandfather hired Mary. I didn’t even suggest it, although I wish I had.
Is Mary being there going to bother you?
”

“
Of course not
.
”
L
u
ke realized he'd made his denial too quickly when he saw the gleam that entered his friend's eyes.
“
I’ve sworn off women, Mark, remember? I don’t want a repeat of what happened with Debbie.
”

He’d never told anyone, not even his friend, what had transpir
ed on his wedding night. How he’
d been unable to maintain his desire long enough to consummate h
is marriage. Once she’d gotten the gold band on her finger
,
her true colors had
come out with a vengeance
. Luke had realized he’d made a mistake before they’d reached the hotel
’s honeymoon suite
, but he
’
d married the woman and he’d been willing to
stand by his decision
.