Free Expecting the Rancher's Child (Callahan's Clan) by Sara Orwig Page B

while she thrust her hips against him. He was aroused, hard and ready.
    “Blake, slow down. We’re going too fast for me.”
    “We have something here, and we both like it,” he replied gruffly.
    “Kisses aren’t enough,” she whispered, clearing her throat. “Goodnight, Blake.” She stood on tiptoe to brush a kiss on his cheek.
    “Sure you don’t want to come to my suite, have another drink?”
    She laughed. “I’m sure, but good try. Such a subtle approach,” she added, shaking her head.
    He grinned. “I keep waiting and hoping you’ll ask me into your suite. I’m good company at night.”
    She laughed. “I’m sure you’re fabulous company, and I know you have the best kisses this side of the Atlantic Ocean, but I have to say good-night.” Smiling, she brushed his cheek with another kiss and went up to her room.
    Picking up her phone, she saw two messages from Bert. He had worked late, which wasn’t unusual. Far more than any of her family, Bert worried about her constantly, and she had answered half a dozen text messages since she’d landed on Sunday. Sending him another reassuring text, she placed her phone on a bedside table and hoped she didn’t hear anything more from him until tomorrow.
    Long after she went to bed, she lay in the dark, thinking about all Blake had told her about his dad. There was a tough, hard side to Blake. She could see why. She didn’t think he had chosen the right way to deal with his father, but she could understand his anger.
    She sighed because she was certain Blake would have no part in calling his father or doing any such grown-up thing. He was bent on revenge, and she couldn’t sway him. She had no intention of sticking around to try, either. Blake was not the man for her, so with their wild chemistry, she was running risks every time she was with him.
    Finish this job for him, go home and never look back. That’s what she needed to do. She didn’t want a broken heart, didn’t want to fall in love with a man who would spend his life on revenge, a cynical man who was set on getting even with his father instead of trying to seek reconciliation.
    Tossing and turning through the night, she tried to get Blake out of her thoughts. For the majority of the night, though, she was unsuccessful.
    * * *
    On Tuesday Lucinda and Eli arrived, and Sierra spent a busy day working with them as they took measurements and discussed possibilities.
    That night Blake returned from his work out on the ranch and met with them in the informal sitting room, where he served glasses of wine and they talked. She was surprised when Eli and Blake found they had favorite artists in common: David Hockney and Gerhard Richter. They discussed art, architecture and furniture design. Eli left to get a portfolio to show Blake. It surprised her how attentive and engaged Blake was throughout the evening. Blake even asked about Lucinda’s husband and three-year-old daughter.
    During another delicious dinner of salmon, green beans, a salad and hot rolls, Blake smiled at Lucinda as he passed a crystal bowl of strawberry jam. “Next time you come—and Sierra said you and Eli will be back later in the project—we’ll have barbecue. I’m taking Sierra Thursday night to eat at a place that has some of the best.”
    “I’ve been to Texas before and I love barbecue,” Eli said. “I’ll be counting on that.”
    Blake was charming with his new guests. This polite, friendly evening was so different from her first evening with him. Again, she wondered at the response they stirred in each other, something she had never experienced with anyone else.
    With Lucinda and Eli present, there was more talk after dinner about various artists and buildings that Blake liked, and they all looked again at the new wing.
    When they said good-night and thanked Blake, Sierra went to her room, turning in early and going over notes she had made during the day.
    On Wednesday, Lucinda and Eli flew back to New York. Sierra