LITMIR.BIZ

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the married women would, most likely, be ogling Noah. Hadn’t they all been regretting the fact that he rarely came to town? So wouldn’t they want an eyeful when they actually got the chance for some time with him?

      As Ivy climbed into the truck and drove down the road, she wondered what the women were saying to Noah. Were they quizzing him on his parenting skills, passing judgment?

      Ivy gritted her teeth. “Okay, it’s absolutely my duty to sidetrack them from that,” she told a calf and his mother she was driving past. “A man shouldn’t have to explain every move he makes where his family is concerned.”

      Within minutes she pulled up in front of the ranch house, the pickup truck spitting gravel. Marta let her in, and she moved into the living room, where she could hear voices.

      Noah was shepherding Lily around, and all the women seemed to be fixated on the pretty little girl.

      But as soon as she moved near, Noah gave his daughter a kiss and signaled Marta, who took Lily off for a nap. Suddenly Ivy was on center stage.

      “I understand you want makeup advice?” she said.

      “We liked what you did with Diane,” Melanie Pressman said. “But I’m only here to scope out possibilities.” She looked at Ivy’s clothes, her disapproval clear.

      “Darn, why didn’t I wear my stiletto heels and that sexy red cocktail dress out to the fields?” Ivy said. “In the future, I need to remember to dress better for the cattle.”

      The rest of the women laughed. Even Melanie laughed just a little.

      “Well,” Ivy said, thinking about Noah’s good idea, “the key to looking good long-term isn’t having someone else apply your makeup. It’s learning how to make the magic happen yourself. So if any of you are interested, we could have a workshop at my cottage on my day off.”

      “You can use this house,” Noah cut in. “It has more space than the cottage.”

      Ivy started to protest, but Sandra was faster. “That is so generous of you, Noah,” she gushed, “but not surprising coming from a man like you.”

      What did Sandra mean by “a man like you”? Ivy wondered, but of course she knew. It meant that Sandra was trying to suck up to Noah and talk him into her bed.

      The thought made Ivy want to step right between Noah and Sandra. Stupid thought. Don’t you dare, she told herself.

      By the time she’d talked herself out of making a fool of herself, the other women had already agreed that Noah’s idea was best. The event had been moved to the ranch house.

      “Of course, you’ll want a fee,” Alicia said. “You’ve got bills to pay, and this kind of expertise would cost a fortune in New York. You just let us know how much.”

      To her own surprise, Ivy shook her head. “Oh. No. Let’s just say—that is, this first one’s on me.” Had she really said that when Alicia was right and she had just been thinking the same thing a few minutes earlier? Yes, she had, even if it didn’t make sense. Maybe it was newcomer’s nerves—she’d never taught anyone how to do anything. Or maybe her response had been because a deep-seated part of her didn’t feel comfortable accepting money for the kinds of rituals these women had shared as girls. That sharing of hair and makeup and clothing that she’d never shared but which was a part of most girls’ teen years.

      Stupid. I don’t care about that, she told herself. And this isn’t the same at all. They wouldn’t have approached you if they hadn’t wanted something from you. But she still didn’t name a price.

      Instead, she did another dumb thing. She looked directly into Noah’s eyes. He was giving her an “are you kidding me?” look and shaking his head. But he was also grinning. Okay, she was pathetic, wasn’t she? She needed the money—but she wasn’t going to allow herself to regret her decision. She just hoped that her choice didn’t partly stem from a desire to prolong her time with Noah. Not accepting money for the workshop meant that she would have to work longer at the ranch to earn her tax money.

      Don’t let it be that, she thought. She wanted to get away from here quickly, didn’t she?

      “That’s very generous of you, Ivy,” Alicia said.

      “It is,” Melanie grumbled, and a few other women also thanked Ivy. Sandra merely gave her a tight smile and a nod.

      When the women had gone, Noah walked up to her. “Lady, I think you’d better go back to modeling when you leave here, because business just isn’t going to be your forte.”

      Against her will, she touched her hand to her face. “Not going to happen.”

      “You’re very beautiful, Ivy,” he said softly.

      She looked up into his eyes. “Modeling requires the illusion of perfection.”

      “Do you miss it?” he asked.

      She wanted to say no. “Sometimes,” she confessed. “It was exciting and it gave me validation and a place where I belonged. But I’m fine.”

      “I think you’re wrong about having to be perfect,” Noah said. “The world is full of imperfect women and more and more of them are demanding models who look real. Not that I’m an expert, but I read the papers. I see the reports on television.”

      Ivy couldn’t help herself then. She reached up and cupped her palm around his jaw. “You’re a good man, Noah.”

      His eyes turned dark amber at her touch; his lashes drifted down. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand, sending heat rippling through her body. “Is that a nice way of telling me I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about?”

      “It means you’re a good man,” she repeated noncommittally. She wasn’t quite sure what she was even saying. His lips were still just a feather’s touch from her skin. She wanted him to kiss her again. But this time she wanted him to kiss her lips. Maybe more.

      Her desire must have shown in her eyes, because Noah groaned and broke away. “I may appear to be a good man, but I don’t feel like one. What I am at the moment is a man who needs to remember who and what he really is.”

      “And what’s that?”

      “A rancher to the bone. This land has been in my family for generations. A Ballenger has always been at the helm. I love this place. I belong to this place. The fact that I’m…distracted right now doesn’t change things. We both know that I’m the rancher and you’re the model. And Lily is stuck dead in the middle because she’s still so innocent that she could decide she likes you, latch on and get hurt when you go.”

      Ivy sucked in a deep breath. She felt as if she’d been kicked. “I would never put a child in a position where she could be hurt.”

      Noah swore. “You know I didn’t mean it that way, or if you didn’t…well, there’s just another example of how different we are. I rush into things like a bull and say things that come out wrong. I’m a harsh man of the land and you’re…not.”

      Ivy nearly smiled. “No, I’m not a ‘man of the land.’”

      “Don’t be cute.” He gave her a smoldering look that set her blood to racing.

      “Okay. I promise I won’t be cute.”

      “Ivy…” He groaned. “You make me crazy. You have from the start. I didn’t want to hire you.”

      “But you did.”

      “Yes.”

      “And now you regret it.”

      “Yes. No. Yes. Come here.” He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her to him. He rested his forehead against hers. Then, without warning, he tugged her closer. His mouth crushed hers. His taste was hot, smoky, masculine…Ivy thought she might faint from the pleasure as he nibbled at her lips, stroked

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