Free The Rancher Returns by Brenda Jackson Page A

always good to be home. Time to go from SEAL to rancher.”
    â€œIs it that easy?”
    â€œI’m used to it now. I have good men working for me who make the transition less difficult.”
    She nodded. “You love being a SEAL?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI understand your father and grandfather were SEALs.”
    Gavin wondered what else his grandmother had told her about their family. “Yes, they were SEALs. So I guess you can say it’s in my blood. What about your folks? Are they college professors like you?”
    â€œNo. They’re both neurosurgeons. I didn’t follow in their footsteps. Medicine didn’t interest me.”
    He hadn’t asked her to explain, but the fact that she did led him to believe her choice of a career was a sore spot with someone. “You are your own person, Layla.” She was definitely her own woman, he thought further to himself. “Just because following in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps worked for me, doesn’t mean following family tradition works for everybody.”
    She didn’t say anything for a minute. “My parents wanted me to be a mini-them and go to medical school. But I couldn’t. I’m not a healer. I’m a historian.”
    â€œThen you did the right thing by following your heart. When did you decide on archaeology?” Gavin wondered if she noted how in sync their steps were.
    â€œIn my junior year of high school.” She paused as if she was remembering. “My history teacher had gone on an excavation in Egypt the summer before and told us about it. I found it fascinating how her team was able to dig up artifacts, how they found history buried beneath the earth’s surface. It made me realize that’s what I wanted to do.”
    â€œWhy Jesse James?”
    He heard her chuckle and the sound stimulated him in a way he wished it didn’t. “Why not Jesse James?” He heard the amusement in her tone. “I used to watch Westerns with my grandfather whenever I visited him in New Orleans. He was a fan of the outlaw Jesse James. He read a lot of books about him. Watched movies and documentaries. I shared his love and interest. That’s how my research began. And it’s only grown over the years.”
    He heard the passion for her subject in her voice. It was there whenever she spoke about her work. She believed in it. If there had been any doubt in his mind before, there wasn’t now. She would risk sleeping with him to prove her work.
    She’d be disappointed not to find what she was searching for. But Gavin looked forward to helping her get over the disappointment. He didn’t believe for one minute that James’s loot was buried on this land. It wasn’t. He recalled years ago when he’d been in high school, his father had given some outfit permission to check out the land because there was a chance of finding oil. They’d come up with nothing then, and he was certain Layla and her team would come up with nothing now.
    â€œI guess this is where we need to say good-night.”
    They had reached the party house. Her words told him he wouldn’t be invited inside. Maybe that was for the best. He doubted he could keep his hands off of her if they were behind closed doors. And regardless of what she thought, she wouldn’t resist him. Last night’s kiss had proven that. He wasn’t worried about the outcome of the deal between them. Like he’d told her, eventually her body would betray her and she would break. What had happened in his grandmother’s kitchen when their hands touched at the door was a prime example of the intensity of the desire between them.
    â€œSo what time do you want us to meet tomorrow?” she asked, reclaiming his attention.
    â€œI need to ride out with Caldwell and my men at the crack of dawn to check on a few things. I’ll be back around ten. Will that time work for