LITMIR.BIZ

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go on hold when you’re at the ranch?”

      “At the moment, I’m between jobs and I had cleared my schedule, so this is fine. I have to get back to the city soon. I only intended to be here a few days, mainly to see you and discuss the sale.”

      “I had to get away from Dallas, as well as make myself unavailable to my dad. Now I’m especially glad I did. I just made this decision at the last minute. Your private detective must be a good one. He also must have access to my office or someone very close to me.”

      “It’s not difficult to learn your whereabouts. You don’t hide what you do. You flew in your plane and your pilot had a flight plan filed.”

      Jake nodded. “Interesting. No, I’ve never had to hide from anyone, so I’m not overly cautious. I keep a relatively low profile anyway.”

      She laughed. “Right. How many times have I seen your picture on society pages with beautiful women on your arm?”

      “Those hardly count.”

      “The pictures or the women?” Before he could answer, she said, “I’m teasing you. I know you meant the pictures.” She went on. “I know a few things about you from the detective. You have close friends you play golf and basketball with. Let’s see if I can remember, Tony Ryder is one close friend. You mentioned your friend Nick Rafford. Those are the ones I recall.”

      “They’re my best friends. Plus my brother. I have a bet with those guys, not my brother, but the others. When we were all bachelors we agreed to each bet a million that we would not marry. The last to marry wins the pot.”

      She laughed. “So if you marry, you lose a million dollars in a bet and if you don’t marry you lose millions in your inheritance. You’ll lose either way, Jake. How did you get yourself into that?”

      He grinned. “I think the million is the smallest loss. Also, the least likely.”

      “And your friend Nick is married?”

      “Married a woman who was guardian of his baby nephew and she and Nick had a baby. Now he’s married and the father of two.”

      “May you have such great fortune,” she teased and Jake rolled his eyes.

      “Actually, Nick’s really happy. It’s been good for him. His dad is ecstatic, which is why my dad is so eager. Tony’s dad is just as bad. I’m a buffer for Gabe. Dad always focuses on me while Gabe squeaks by without as much interference. Heaven help him if I marry and get out of Dad’s sights. Enough about that.”

      “I can’t imagine such a thing. Grandmother let me make so many of my choices with little direction from her.”

      “Be thankful.” He finished his coffee. “Did you sleep well?”

      “Yes, great,” she said, having no intention of telling him she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts; or how she had wanted his kisses. She wouldn’t admit when she had fallen asleep, she had dreamed about him. “And you?”

      “Great, but I wasn’t in a strange bed in a strange house. This is home to me. Only one thing would have been an improvement,” he added with a huskier note entering his voice.

      “I’m not asking about that improvement. You had an undisturbed night’s sleep. End of subject.”

      “We’re through breakfast. Fred will clean this, so let’s get ready to go.”

      “I can’t shake the feeling you’re putting me off about discussing a purchase,” she said, knowing she should drop it until he wanted to talk. She couldn’t get it out of mind more than a few minutes at a time.

      “I’ve told you that we’ll talk, but I want to think about it first.”

      “It seems incredibly simple to me. Sell me a small chunk of the ranch. Deal done. You’ll never miss it.”

      “Maybe.”

      “Surely you don’t want me out of this area. I have never done anything to hurt you,” she said, carrying her dishes to the sink in spite of what he’d said.

      He caught her wrist as she set down the dishes and reached for the faucet. “I told you, no cleaning. And no, you’ve never done one thing to hurt me, nor has your grandmother. It’s your father and Will that I have strong feelings about.”

      “Oh, surely, you can’t mean that you would hold that land just because I have the same name as Will.” She looked into unfathomable blue eyes and wondered how strong his hatred was.

      “No, I don’t, Caitlin,” he said quietly and something inside her unclenched.

      “I’m glad,” she said, realizing in first one way and then another, he was gaining her liking and her respect. He already stirred desire. It was becoming a potent and frightening combination because she didn’t want to care about Jake Benton or have her heart race when he looked at her. Scariest of all was admiring and liking him.

      “With oil hanging in the balance, I just want to give some thought to my decision.”

      “We both have old demons to get past,” she said.

      “I agree. We’ve spent a lifetime hating each other’s families. It’s difficult to switch that off instantly. You rode over here angry with me all the way, didn’t you?”

      “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I’ve told you why—all those messages I left for you ignored by your employees.”

      “I’ll have to talk to someone about that. Maybe they need to find out a little more about the person before they turn them away. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone would have reported to me that a very gorgeous woman was being told she couldn’t even have a phone conversation with me.”

      “Don’t be ridiculous.” Caitlin smiled.

      He turned her to face him. “I’m not being ridiculous. You wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting me to sell any land back to you if we hadn’t met in person, I can truthfully tell you that. I’ve always lumped you in with your father and half brother.”

      “Big mistake,” she said. “But then Grandmother didn’t like your family, so there you are. I didn’t, either.”

      “Hopefully, that has changed forever for you.”

      “Time will tell,” she said.

      “That’s a reserved answer, Caitlin,” he said, studying her.

      “My guess is, you feel the same way. You can’t expect me to be overjoyed with you if you turn me down and I’m definitely not saying that as an ultimatum.”

      “Let’s not get into conflict when it isn’t necessary,” he said. His cell phone buzzed and he answered to talk briefly before placing it in his pocket again.

      “The car, trailer and horse are waiting. Shall we go?” he asked. As they left the house, they emerged into a clear day with water still dripping from trees and the rooftops.

      They reached the truck and Jake held her door while she climbed inside. In a short time they were on the highway and she thought of the long ride to his ranch on horseback and how angry and determined she had been to see him.

      As they sped toward her ranch, she studied his profile. His stand toward his father’s unreasonable demand, his care for his sister and brother—she envied that slightly because she had never had any love or even much kindness or attention from Will. Those things softened her harsh feelings toward the Bentons. Plus the wild unwanted allurement that had captured both of them.

      Jake was turning out to be so different from the man she had imagined him to be. Much more appealing. Yet beneath all the good things lay their past history. He was a Benton who had done unacceptable things to Santerres. Will’s dislike of Jake and competition with him in sports and school was legendary. Maybe both had excelled simply because they were each trying to outdo the other.

      Soon

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