Shawna Delacorte – The Daddy Search (страница 2)

Then her gaze landed on the corral, her attention drawn by a highly spirited horse being led into a chute. She wandered over to the fence so she could get a better look at what was happening. Leaning against the railing, she watched as a cowboy climbed into the chute, then eased himself onto the back of the agitated horse. His hat blocked her view of his face, but his broad shoulders, long legs and the snug fit of his jeans told her the rest of him certainly warranted closer scrutiny. The chute gate sprang open and the snorting bronco shot out into the corral. It appeared that she had arrived just in time to get a glimpse of a mini rodeo.

The cowboy’s hat flew off, revealing a man of about thirty with dark hair and handsome features... very handsome features. Her thoughts drifted for a brief moment. There was certainly a lot to be said about the appeal of the rugged Wild West and the equally rugged men who lived there. She returned her attention to the action in the corral. The rider appeared to have the upper hand, but not for long. The unruly horse leaped into the air, twisted half around, then threw the rider off its back.

Lexi flinched. The cowboy hit the ground with a thud that nearly jarred her bones in sympathy with his plight. She watched him brush the dirt from his jeans, then rub his well-formed backside where he had landed. She toyed with the notion that kissing whatever he had bruised and making it well just might be a delightful way to pass the time—certainly a tantalizing idea that fitted perfectly with this drop-dead gorgeous cowboy. Her breathing quickened. She had no idea the Wild West could be so . . . so entertaining.

Then this prime physical specimen grabbed his hat from the ground and walked straight toward her. He exuded an undeniable sexuality wrapped in a layer of rugged masculinity—a very potent combination for sure. A little twinge of embarrassment poked at her. It was almost as if he had read her thoughts and come over to grant her the errant wish—a tempting possibility that produced a heated surge of desire where this virile man was concerned.

She noted the way he moved—a walk that was not a swagger and showed no arrogance, yet clearly defined the essence of a man full of confidence about who he was, where he was going and what he wanted out of life. All in all, a very attractive and appealing package that could easily set any woman’s heart aflutter, and she was no exception. Then a dash of cold water dampened her thoughts as she recalled exactly why she was at the ranch. Fantasizing about a sexy cowboy should have been the last thing on her mind.

As he drew closer, he appeared even more goodlooking than he had from a distance. And then he smiled—a cross between a sexy come-hither look and one of open warmth—showing perfect white teeth made all the more noticeable by his golden tan. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might be the most devastatingly handsome man she had ever seen . . . just the type to cause a woman to have delicious fantasies of a truly erotic nature. She took a deep breath as the warmth swept through her body. She could almost feel his bare skin against hers, hear the ragged breathing of someone enveloped in the throes of passion.

A touch of surprise tempered her wandering thoughts. This certainly was not like her, conjuring up such heated fantasies about a stranger regardless of how attractive she found him. She was much more pragmatic than that. She suddenly felt like a teenager with raging hormones. True, she hadn’t been on a date since taking responsibility for Jimmy, but that didn’t excuse such totally off-the-wall and inappropriate musings where this stranger was concerned. She again reminded herself of the very serious purpose that had brought her to the ranch and the task she had set for herself. Meeting an exciting man was not part of that agenda, regardless of the sensual magnetism drawing her into his realm.

He came to a halt not more than five feet from her, removed his leather work gloves and tucked them into his belt. His brilliant blue eyes seemed to penetrate right into her existence and hold her soul captive. She had no idea who he was, but she was certainly anxious to find out. If she had known dude ranches offered up such delectable talent, she would have visited one a long time ago.

Then he spoke, the sound of his voice sending a tremor of excitement through her body while drawing her even farther into his magnetic aura.

“Hi. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before.” He reached out and tugged at her sunglasses until he had removed them to reveal her entire face. “That’s much better. Now I’m sure I haven’t seen you around here.” He handed the sunglasses back to her. “You really shouldn’t hide those beautiful eyes behind these dark glasses.”

“Oh?” She tried to fall in line with his open, easy manner. “You mean you don’t think they lend an air of mystery?”

He ignored her question. “I hope you realize you’re responsible for that horse tossing me to the ground.”

She felt her eyes widen in shock at his accusatory words. “Me? What did I do?”

“You appeared from out of nowhere and stood there looking like the most intriguing woman I’d ever seen—hair of spun gold and half your face covered by these large dark glasses. By the time I got my mind back on the fact that the horse and I had different goals, it was too late. I was on my backside in the dirt wondering what happened.” He flashed a sexy yet nonthreatening smile. “So you now owe me something to make up for this terrible inconvenience.”

“Oh?” She couldn’t help the little grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. “And just what might that be?”

“I’ll have to think about that one.” He gave her a sly wink. “I don’t want to make any hasty decisions.”

She saw the sparkle in his eyes and a heated look that said a lot more than just hello—a look that sent a surge of earthy desire rushing through her body. He cocked his head and stared at her for a moment, a very unnerving experience that quickly brought her back to earth. She was no good at flirting and playing teasing little games, and knew she was way out of her league. She never should have tried it with him.

“Was mystery what you were trying for?”

She furrowed her brow in confusion and tilted her head to one side. “What?”

“You asked me if I thought the sunglasses gave you an air of mystery. Is that what you were trying for?”

She glanced at the ground as the embarrassment tried to take control and felt the heat spread across her cheeks. “No, it wasn’t.” She looked up at him again. Rather than making fun of her, he seemed more interested in what her answer might be. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound flippant. I guess I’m just not very good at this type of conversation.”

He reached out and touched his fingertips to her cheek, allowing his hand to linger for a moment before withdrawing it. His voice dropped to a soft level that wrapped her in a cloak of intimacy. “What type of conversation are you good at?”

Little trails of heat followed in the wake of his touch. She had to force the words that came out as not much more than a whisper. “I only meant that I don’t do very well with casual, flirty conversations. I never know what to say and usually end up feeling foolish.” Her own words shocked her. She could not imagine what had prompted her to say something so personal to this complete stranger.

“I guess that brings us back full circle to my original observation that I haven’t seen you around here before.” He blatantly looked her up and down, sending a second tremor of excitement coursing through her veins. He reestablished eye contact, which included another quick wink. “And believe me, I would have noticed you. Did you just arrive?”

“Uh . . . yes. I just got off the shuttle from the airport.” She waved her hand in the direction of the driveway, indicating the van parked in front of the registration lobby. She noticed the hint of confusion followed by the look of surprise that darted across his face as he shifted his attention in that direction.

His words were slightly distracted, as if he were thinking out loud rather than talking to her. “Looks like Herb made good time from the airport. He’s here a little sooner than I expected.” Then his gaze returned to her along with his devastatingly sexy smile. “As much as I’d love to stand here and talk to you for the rest of the morning, I’m afraid I need to get to work.”

“You mean riding that bucking horse and getting thrown to the ground wasn’t work? It sure looked like work to me.”

“That?” He gave a quick glance over his shoulder toward the horse being herded out of the corral. “No, that wasn’t work. I was handling a little problem. No big deal.” His gaze wandered toward the shuttle van again. “I really need to be on my way.” He climbed over the fence, then paused as he smoothed back his glossy hair and settled his hat firmly on his head. He smiled at her while touching his hand to his hat brim. “I’ll definitely see you later.” He had spoken the words as a statement of fact rather than a casual comment.