âYou know as well as I do that the two of us canât be together. What in hell was Geraldine thinking?â
Her blood simmering, Mercedes tossed her head, sending her thick hair rippling down her back. âShe was thinking that weâre two adults with a job to do. Not to claw and hiss at each other.â
Gabeâs eyelids lowered as his gaze settled on her lips. âOr to make love,â he whispered hoarsely.
Make love.
She didnât know whether it was those two words or the low growl of his voice that sent a sultry shiver down her spine. Either way, she couldnât stop her body from gravitating towards his. âThatâwonât be on the agenda.â
âUnless you want it to be.â
What the hell was he doing here?
Gabriel Trevino tilted the bottle of beer to his lips to hide his frown as his eyes cut across the sweeping lawn filled with people. Normally his social events consisted of sharing a beer with his buddies behind the bucking chutes at a local rodeo. This gathering at the Sandbur Ranch could hardly be compared to that sort of tobacco-spitting, curse-laden entertainment. Even the boring parties Sherleen had dragged him to during their ill-fated union paled in comparison to tonightâs lavish celebration.
The best that money could buy.
The food, the drinks, the five-piece band, the women with hunks of diamonds glittering at their necks and wrists. Only in Texas, he thought wryly, could a woman justify wearing her best to an outdoor barbecue.
Leaning against the massive trunk of a live oak, he turned his attention to the portable dance floor that had been erected several yards away from the house. Presently, it was crowded with couples. Some of them old, some young, all of them having a high old time kicking up their heels to the Cotton Eyed Joe.
âWhatâs the matter, Gabe? Donât you like to dance?â
Glancing around, he saw Geraldine Saddler, the matriarch of the Sandbur, approaching him. The tall, elegant woman with silver hair hardly looked like a woman who knew how to burn a brand into a cowhide, but since heâd come to work here at the ranch two months ago, heâd seen her do things that would make even some cowhands squeamish.
âSometimes,â he replied.
Eyeing him keenly, she smiled. âJust not now?â
Embarrassed that his discomfort was showing, Gabe straightened away from the tree and turned to face her.
âItâs enough for me just to watch, maâam.â
Kindness and grace emanated from Geraldine and for one brief moment, Gabe wondered what his motherâs life would have been like if sheâd been exposed to this sort of wealth, if sheâd had a nice home, plenty of food and enough money to pay the bills with plenty left over for luxuries.
âThis is the first party weâve had since you arrived here on the ranch,â Geraldine remarked. âIâd like to think youâre enjoying yourself.â
âOh. Well, itâs a real nice affair, Ms. Saddler. Real nice.â
Looping her arm through his, she chuckled. âCome along, Gabe. I want to introduce you to someone.â
Not about to offend her by protesting, Gabe allowed the woman to guide him through the milling throng of merrymakers until they reached the patio where several people were standing around in a circle.
Lex Saddler, Geraldineâs son and the man who regulated the cattle sales here at the Sandbur, was one of them. Apparently heâd just said something funny, because a tall, blond woman was laughing rowdily. She was wearing a skimpy white sundress with vivid tropical flowers splashed along the hem. The garment struck her long legs somewhere in the middle of her tanned thighs while the top was held up by tiny straps that could easily be snapped beneath the pressure of his fingers. Unlike most of the other young women present tonight, she wasnât stick-thin. She had enough flesh to fill out the sundress with delicious curves.
As Gabe and the boss lady drew nearer to the group, the blonde turned slowly toward them. Almost instantly, a faint look of unease crossed her features, as though seeing him with Geraldine was like spotting a wolf in a pen full of sheep.
âMercedes, come here,â Geraldine called to her. âIâd like for you to meet someone.â
Mercedes. This was Geraldineâs daughter, he realized. Lex and Nicciâs sister. She was the reason hordes of guests had swarmed upon the Sandbur Ranch tonight. She was the reason he was standing here wishing like hell he was somewhere else.