LITMIR.BIZ

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head back.

      “You make me want to forget responsibilities.”

      That naughty grin from his lips had her biting back her own. “Don’t look at me like that,” she scolded. “I’ll never leave here.”

      Hayes slid his hands under her tank as his lips captured hers. Easing her back, he completely covered her, but held her all at the same time. The man’s strength never failed to impress her, which was just another reason she found him so intriguing.

      Her time was up, but she desperately wanted to stay. She wanted to get Mason here to play in the yard and ride the horses. But that was all fantasy because the reality was Hayes was a billionaire living in a far different world.

      As his lips pressed deeper into hers, Alexa clutched at his shoulders. Those fingertips brushed the underside of her breasts.

      “Looks like everything is fine here.”

      Alexa jerked, but to Hayes’s credit, he only cringed. He kept his hold on her, tipped back and all, and merely turned his head to the back door where a tall, broad man stood. He had to be an Elliott. He had the same dark hair, dark eyes and naughty grin.

      “Get out, Colt.”

      Annabelle’s husband. No doubt Annabelle wondered what had happened to her B and B guest.

      “Is that any way to treat your brother who came all the way back here to check on you?” Colt asked, stepping farther into the room. He eyed Alexa. “Colt Elliott. You must be Alexa. My wife has been worried, but I told her if you were with Hayes, you’d be in good hands.”

      Pushing against Hayes, Alexa stood upright. “I was definitely in good hands, as you can tell.”

      Colt’s brows rose as he let out a bark of laughter. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

      “Yes, you did,” Hayes growled. “Now leave.”

      “Actually, I was on my way out.” Alexa turned her attention to Hayes for the briefest of moments before looking back to Colt. “I need to get to the B and B and settle my bill and gather my things.”

      “There’s no bill.”

      Alexa spun around. “There is a bill. Just because I didn’t stay there doesn’t mean I don’t owe.”

      “It’s taken care of,” he insisted.

      Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms. “You’re not paying my bill.”

      “It’s taken care of,” Colt repeated.

      Turning back to the other brother, Alexa sighed. “Is this how it’s going down? I’m getting overruled? I can pay my own way.”

      “I thought your friend was paying,” Hayes asked as he came to stand beside Colt. She could definitely see the similarities now. “Why are you settling up?”

      “She gave me the money to put on my card for the room, but I’m giving it back. She watched my son all weekend. That was enough of a favor.”

      “Well, consider your stay free and clear,” Colt declared. “Annabelle was so worried, though we figured you’d gone out with the horses and since Doc was missing, we knew Hayes had taken him.”

      “Nolan’s always too busy at the hospital or with his new wife and baby to get Doc out that often,” Hayes added.

      This familial moment was not helping her get out unscathed. She’d already fallen in love with this house; she’d partly fallen for the man, though she chalked the unwanted emotions up to the whirlwind affair. If she stayed much longer and heard more about their brotherly bond and witnessed their banter firsthand, she wasn’t sure she could push aside what she was feeling for Hayes.

      Oh, yes, he’d asked her to stay, but he meant in his bed. And, tempted as she was, she had to leave. Now.

      “I can ride Jumper back,” she suggested.

      “Nonsense,” Colt replied. “Why don’t you take my truck? Hayes and I will get the horses back to the stables.”

      “Take your truck?” she asked.

      “I’ll drive her,” Hayes stated. “In your truck. You can stay here until I get back or you can ride Doc. Leave Jumper for me.”

      “I can send a stable hand,” Colt suggested.

      “Jumper is fine here and I’ll take—”

      “I’ll drive myself.”

      Both sets of eyes turned to her. Alexa cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “That is, if you don’t mind,” she said to Colt.

      “Not at all. Keys are in it. Just leave it parked at the B and B.”

      Hayes’s dark eyes held her in place for only a moment before she crossed the room. The two men parted at the back door as she passed through. With her hand on the screen, she carefully let it close softly, so as not to bang.

      Her heart clenched as she froze on the porch. She risked a glance over her shoulder where Hayes stood on the other side of the screen, his hands shoved in his pockets, the muscle in his jaw clenching.

      She wanted to say something, anything, but with Colt only feet away what would she say? Even if they’d been alone, what words would fit this type of situation?

      Thank you seemed a bit ridiculous, and she couldn’t tell him see you later because they both knew that to be false.

      With a brief smile, Alexa pivoted away and headed toward the shiny black truck in the drive. She didn’t risk looking back again as she turned around and drove away. She didn’t even glance in the rearview mirrors. She needed to make a clean break and forget how much her heart got wrapped up in this heated affair...and she needed to forget the fact she’d deceived him by not telling him the truth of her identity.

      But they’d never see each other again, so she needn’t worry. Right?

       Twelve

      “If you’re going to sulk and be moody, then go home.”

      Hayes ignored Nolan’s comment and patted Jumper’s side. He hadn’t ridden his horse in five days. Not since he’d brought her back after Alexa left.

      Actually, he hadn’t been down to the stables since then at all. He’d been doing some behind-the-scenes work for the dude ranch, contacting engineers to do some surveying since they’d decided to add another set of cabins on the west side of the property. Hayes was fine with that locale. Nolan could oversee it once it was up and running.

      When he hadn’t been working with the settings and contractual aspects, Hayes had spent many sweaty hours in his kitchen. But every time he’d try to demo or stand back and think exactly what he wanted, he saw Alexa in there. He heard her telling him about her family and the gatherings and how he should have a large table stretching down the length of the room.

      “Go home.”

      Hayes glanced up at Colt’s demand and found both brothers staring at him now. “I’m tending to my horse. If I’m offending you two, why don’t you leave?”

      Colt shifted his boots on the stone walkway between the stalls and crossed his arms over his chest. If he thought that would intimidate Hayes, that was absurd. Nothing got to him anymore.

      Well, one person did. She’d gotten to him with her compassion, the way she spoke of Mason, the images he’d seen of how she held her son like he was the most precious thing on earth. There was so much love in a woman like that.

      “Listen, we’ve given you space to deal with the hell you’ve endured. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but since your houseguest left, you’ve been especially standoffish.”

      Hayes smoothed a hand down Jumper’s

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