Free High-Stakes Passion by Juliet Burns Page A

he’d have thrown her out.
    â€œAbout what?”
    He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Us,” he whispered.
    She closed her eyes and swallowed. Us? She imagined for a moment all the possibilities in that word. Mark and Audrey. A couple. Dating. Meeting each other’s families. The fantasy was absurd, but deep inside exhilaration, anticipation thrummed through her body. His hand traveled down her throat. “Jim’s bringing barbecue from town.”
    Audrey raised her face. “That’s…good,” she whispered. Her skin tingled where he touched. Maybe just for tonight…
    He stepped away. “So, I’ll see you tonight.”
    Her eyes snapped open, and she almost pitched forward.
    He’d put his hat on and turned to leave. Then he stopped and turned back. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her against his length and brought his mouth over hers for a deep kiss.
    Before she could catch her breath, he let her go and left the kitchen.
    He forgot his water, Audrey thought in a daze. But Mark had already mounted his stallion and ridden away.
    Â 
    Helen came back that afternoon and, to Audrey’s surprise, had two pies with her. She smiled and raised her brows. “So you decided to stay?”
    â€œJust for the party. I’ll leave in the morning.”
    Helen accepted her answer with a nod. “I knew he could convince you to stay,” she mumbled under her breath.
    Let Helen believe what she would, but Audrey had to discover what Mark wanted to talk about. Maybe she could find the courage to tell him she worked for a magazine, and ask for an interview. She refused to run off like a coward and not finish what she’d started.
    Audrey and Helen made gallons of iced tea, and set up tables in the backyard. Someone set a CD player and speakers on the porch, Jim brought the barbecue and John set a keg of beer out by the pool.
    The party was in full swing when Ruth approached Audrey and handed her a beer. Audrey took a big sip just as Ruth said, “Hey, girl. I heard you and Mark were the only ones left at that poker game the other night. What happened?”
    Ruth slapped her on the back a couple of times as Audrey choked. To Audrey’s horror, Ruth broke into a deep laugh and looked over to where Mark stood. “I don’t blame you for wantin’ to check out his, uh, ‘breeding methods.’ Just remember my warning.”
    Audrey considered the odds of God granting her a favor and making a hole appear to swallow her up. She had to distract the cowgirl—quick. Looking over Ruth’s shoulder, she spied another interesting source of bunkhouse gossip. “So, what’s the deal with you and Dalt? Anything serious?”
    Ruth took a quick look behind her. “With Dalt? Mr. Haven’t-met-a-woman-I-couldn’t-seduce? He’s definitely not into serious. But horses ain’t the only thing he knows how to handle.” Ruth turned knowing eyes on Audrey.
    Dalt sauntered over and pulled Ruth into a two-step. Audrey remembered all the school dances she’d stood around waiting and waiting for some boy to ask her out on the floor. Her throat tightened.
    Her emotions were out of control. Guilt assaulted her conscience. She’d lied to all these nice people. And what did Mark want to talk about? It couldn’t be anything good.
    From the corner of her eye, she saw him. Mark held a plastic cup of iced tea, and was talking to Bill Kingston,the owner of the feed store in Quitman. He had one thumb hooked in the pocket of his jeans and his hat pushed back on his head. His blue western shirt matched his eyes, and he was so handsome it hurt. As if he sensed her stare, he turned to look at her.
    Somehow, things were turned around. Tonight, Mark was the upstanding citizen and she was the self-pitying jerk.
    She couldn’t stay in this crowd one more second. She looked away and slowly made her way past the