* * *
Later in the day they flew to Wyoming, where Allison was captivated by the winding streams and the breathtaking mountains with snow still on the peaks. Even so, spectacular scenery could not fully capture her attention with Jared seated close beside her. At the airport, a car waited with a driver, a cowboy named Rocky Long who worked for Jared, and he held the car door open until they were seated.
“This is beautiful country,” she said to Jared. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”
“No. I thought I would, but I don’t. I come in July sometimes, or August, depending on what’s happening.”
“It’s gorgeous scenery.”
“I agree with you on that one,” he said in a deep voice. She glanced at him to see him turned, his back to the car window. He faced her, a faint smile on his lips.
She ignored him and turned back to her window, yet now she was far more self-conscious, aware of her deep blue sweater she had brought from home and the jeans she traveled in. She had her hair in a long, thick braid that hung down her back. The air was cool and crisp, and she had pulled on a lightweight navy jacket.
It was an hour’s drive before they finally wound along a ranch road, and his sprawling three-story home built on the side of a mountain came into view. Though the road had been cleared, snow piled along the sides and weighed down the branches of tall spruce trees. Finally his house came back into view. Smoke rose from two of the chimneys.
When they got out of the car and she crossed the back porch, she looked at an arrangement of rockers and a porch swing that gave the appearance of a family home instead of a bachelor pad.
The moment they stepped inside, delicious smells assailed her, and she inhaled deeply. Rocky said he would get their luggage while Jared took her jacket to hang on a hook in the wide back entry hall. He hung his coat beside it and took her arm. “Come meet the rest of the staff. They live on the grounds and take care of the place as well as work for me when I’m here.”
They stepped into the kitchen. “Allison, meet Daphne Long, Rocky’s wife. Daphne, this is Allison Tyler.”
“I’m glad to meet you. It smells wonderful in here,” Allison said.
“Vegetable soup. I hope you like it. I have a roast cooking, too, and an apple pie, so there should be plenty to eat around here.”
“C’mon,” Jared told her. “I’ll show you your suite and around the house.”
While rustic with log walls and wide plank floors, the house was inviting and filled with antiques. A fountain splashed in the wide front entrance and two matching curved staircases with black iron rails swept up to a second floor. All the rooms were large with floor-to-ceiling windows that gave striking views of the area.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered a suite that held a large sitting room and stairs leading to another story.
“This is your suite. The bed and bath are upstairs.”
“The view from here is wonderful. This is a beautiful home, and you barely live in it. That seems a waste.”
“I enjoy it when I’m here. Come see where I am. Tonight we’ll be alone, and we’ll build a fire and sit up here, because I have the best view from my suite. Right before the sunset, sometimes it takes your breath away.”
She followed him down the hall, seeing another facet to him now—the man who had so much yet could still enjoy a sunset. She was glad because she had thought maybe he had to take risks to get a thrill out of life.
They entered another sitting room not far from hers. This one was larger, and she was instantly drawn to the wall of glass that gave a view even more breathtaking than he had indicated. “Jared, it is magnificent here. I don’t see how you can leave it,” she said, looking at sunlight glistening on the snow-covered peaks of tall mountains. Dark pines covered the slopes. She could see a pond not far from the house and a stream running through it, then across the meadow away from the house. “The land is gorgeous,” she said. “Far more than I expected.”
“I’m glad you like it here. I always think it’s beautiful,” he said, standing close behind her. She could feel the heat from his body, and his voice was deep and quiet.
“I’d think you’d stay here all the time,” she answered, forgetting the view and thinking about Jared, closing her eyes as his lips brushed her nape.
“I appreciate it when I’m here, but I love Texas. Besides, I do have a company to run.”
His breath was warm on her neck, and he stood close behind her, his hands rubbing her shoulders lightly. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever brought up here.”
Startled, she inhaled deeply. “That surprises me. And it means you’re here very little.”
“More than you think. Now I’ll remember you were here with me.”
The conversation at the moment was not going the direction she thought it should. “Jared, we might as well start looking through your house. The sooner we do, the quicker we’ll finish,” she said breathlessly.
“You’re in a major rush to finish this job and get away,” he said, his warm breath blowing lightly on her nape, tickling, tantalizing and as light as a caress.
“That’s what we came for.”
