He shook his head. “Nothing funny about this car. It should have been junked years ago.”
As if he could hear her thoughts, he changed the subject. “Leave your bags here,” he said and scooped everything but the flowers from her arms, then stacked them on the hood of the car. “There’s something I want to show you.”
Excitement shone in his eyes and that half smile of his that she loved so much was tipping up one corner of his mouth. He was irresistible. She set the vase of flowers down on the hood. “What is it?”
“You’ll see.” He caught her hand in his and headed for the barn.
Mia had to hurry her steps to keep up with his long-legged stride. The warmth of his hand against hers simmered in a slow heat that slid through her system to settle around her heart.
The men gathered at the paddock called hello to her as they passed and she smiled, enjoying the sensation of being part of ranch life—even if it only was temporary. With that sobering thought in mind, she followed Dave into the shadow-filled barn.
It smelled like hay and horses and she heard a shuffling sound from animals shifting position in their stalls. Dave led her to the far stall, then pulled her close to look over the edge of the door.
“Oh, my…” Mia’s heart twisted in her chest. Dave’s mare, Dancer, was nuzzling a brand-new foal, still shaky on its impossibly long, thin legs.
“Happened just a couple hours ago,” Dave whispered, his breath warm against her ear. “Dancer came through like she’d done this a hundred times before.”
“I’m so glad,” Mia said, wrapping her arms around him for an instinctive hug. She knew how much the horse meant to him. He’d even been planning to have a vet attend the birth because he didn’t want to take chances with the mare’s life.
And that endeared him to her. He might pretend to be cold and shut off, but the truth was, he had a big heart. He was just careful whom he showed it to.
“Yeah,” he answered, looking down into her eyes as his arms closed around her, drawing her even closer. “Me, too. I raised Dancer, so she means a lot to me.”
“I know.” She couldn’t look away from his fog-gray eyes. She held her breath, afraid to speak, afraid to shatter this sudden shift into intimacy.
His gaze moved over her face like a caress. “It’s weird, but I was anxious for you to get home, so I could share this with you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He lifted one hand to cup her cheek. “Wonder what that’s about?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “but I’m glad.”
“Me, too,” he said, and bent his head to hers.
She was dazzled with the first brush of his lips against hers. Sighing, she leaned into him and he held her tighter, pressing her body along the length of his.
Mia was lost, spiraling away into the heat and desire burning inside her. She forgot all about where they were. The barn and the horses faded away. The voices from the cowboys outside silenced and it was just her and Dave, locked in a moment that filled her with pleasure despite a tiny, tiny touch of worry.
When he parted her lips with his tongue and the kiss deepened into something amazing, the worry dissolved under an onslaught of emotion so thick and rich that Mia’s mind shut down completely. She leaned into him, her arms tightening around him, her tongue tangling with his in a wild dance of a passion she’d never felt before.
Their breath mingled, their bodies pressed together and Mia heard Dave groan as he claimed her again and again. His hands swept down to the hem of her shirt and slid underneath it. The touch of his hands against her bare back was magic and she suddenly wanted more. Needed more.
But he tore his mouth from hers and left her struggling to catch her breath, fighting to find her balance. She leaned her forehead against his chest and shivered. “Why did you stop?”
He chuckled and his voice sounded raw and strained when he answered, “Because we’re in a damn barn, Mia. With my ranch hands right outside that door. If we’re gonna do this, then we’re gonna do it right.”
He paused, lifted her chin until he could look into her eyes and asked, “We are gonna do this, right?”
There was her out. Time to snap out of this sexual haze and remember what she was doing here. Who she was with. And why. He’d just handed her the chance she needed to reach for calm, cool logic and call off whatever it was that was happening between them. She should be grateful. Should be smart. Should tell him, “No, we’re not.”