He decided not to remind her that once he made her his wife, she would be able to take as many pictures of his ranch as she wanted, any time she wanted. But he wasn’t a fool. If he did remind her of that fact, she would most likely come up with more ways they didn’t know each other and be on the defensive.
That was the last thing he wanted. His plan hinged on the element of surprise. When he played his ace in the hole, he had no doubt he would have her agreeing to marry him faster than he could slap his own ass with both hands.
“Shane, this is absolutely breathtaking,” Melissa said as they rode single file over the ridge and around a switchback into the upland valley.
“It isn’t much good for pasturing the horses, but I like to camp out here occasionally,” he said, leading the way down the slope.
“I love camping out,” she said, remembering the wonderful time she’d had when her father allowed her to go on a couple of overnight trail rides with some of the resort’s guests.
It had taken considerable thought on her part and several arguments with her father to convince him that she would be there to address any special needs of the Jarrod Ridge guests. He had finally relented, but only after she had pointed out that she would technically still be working for the resort and not just frittering away her time. God forbid that she did something with her time that she actually enjoyed, she thought, unable to keep from feeling resentful.
“What’s wrong?” Shane called over his shoulder.
Jarred back to the present, she focused on the man riding the big red stallion ahead of her. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”
Stopping his horse, he turned in the saddle. “I’ve seen happier faces on condemned felons.”
“The sun was in my eyes,” she said, hoping he would drop the matter.
“If you say so.” His expression told her that he wasn’t buying her excuse, but to her relief, he let it go.
She didn’t want to discuss the unreasonable demands Donald Jarrod had placed on his children. It was something she had spent her entire adult life trying to forget and she certainly didn’t want to ruin an otherwise glorious day thinking about her childhood. Besides, she didn’t know Shane well enough to share the dirt on a family that, up until her father’s death and the subsequent discovery that she had an illegitimate half sister, had an impeccable reputation.
They rode in companionable silence for some time before he pointed to the river. “As soon as we go around this bend, you’ll see Rainbow Falls just off to the right.”
Riding side by side once they cleared the tree line, Melissa’s attention once again turned to Shane. He was an expert horseman and handled the stallion with ease. But aside from admiring the way he sat the horse, she simply loved watching him.
With his black Resistol pulled down low on his brow to shade his eyes and a day-old growth of beard, he looked a little wild, possibly dangerous and totally delicious.
A tremor coursed through her and she had to re mind herself that lusting after the man was not conducive to getting her life back under control. Not only had she become pregnant because of it, the physical attraction she had for him was in danger of transforming into something deeper, something more meaningful.
Even though what she felt for him was probably nothing more than a temporary infatuation, in the end it could still do a lot of emotional damage and leave behind some deep long-lasting scars.
As devastatingly handsome and charming as Shane was, he just wasn’t the type of man for her. He had the reputation of moving from one woman to another, leaving a string of broken hearts in his wake. Given the circumstances they found themselves in now, that was one complication she could definitely do without.
He had made it clear right up front that he wasn’t looking for a lasting commitment. Neither was she. She had her own business in California and she might be returning to her life there once the year required to obtain her inheritance was over. She’d reasoned that it was better not to look for anything deeper than a casual relationship until she had decided what she was going to do. After witnessing what some of her friends went through as they tried to maintain long-distance commitments, she had quickly decided it wasn’t for her. Things never seemed to work out, and the hurt and disillusionment that went along with a breakup was something she definitely wanted to avoid.
Besides, she hadn’t really taken Shane’s proposal seriously. That’s why she had dismissed outright his outrageous suggestion that they get married. It had to have been a knee-jerk reaction to the startling news, and once he had more time to think about it, she was certain he would see reason. He would probably even be relieved that she’d had the foresight to turn him down.